Take Down The Wall

Pushing American Election Strategies in Iraq

2004-09-24T13:26:00.000-04:00

Rumsfeld was asked about his comments today on the fact that many Iraqis coud possibly be excluded from voting in the upcoming election in their country:

"Well, so be it. Nothing's perfect in life, so you have an election that's not quite perfect. Is it better than not having an election? You bet," he said.

This strategy seems to be taken right from the US elections of 2000 where many blacks in Florida were kept from voting because of murky laws that state you can't vote if you have a criminal record. Many were barred because they had the same names (and in some cases if the names were even spelled somewhat similar) as others who were on the blacklist (no pun intended).

If you don't want certain people (who would traditionaly vote against you) to be allowed to vote, then make up rules and bend the ones that are there to help you out.

Bush and his buddies know all about imperfect elections.

Blinded By Ignorance

2004-08-31T21:51:00.000-04:00

"Soundtrack To War" - Americans In Iraq Live In A Fantasy World

2004-08-17T22:04:00.001-04:00

"NEW YORK (AP) -- The images captured in "VH1 News Presents: Soundtrack To War" combine the use of music by America's soldiers and the unsettling pictures of war.

A group of soldiers stand on a rooftop, singing gospel music. Suddenly, bombs explode. Nearby, black smoke rises.

A tank crew cranks up a heavy metal song to gear up for combat.

The documentary begins with soldiers confiding how various songs -- from Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" to Mystikal's "Round Out the Tank" -- help psyche them up before battle. One soldier explains why Drowning Pool's song was the motto for his tank crew during battles. Another tells how rapper Tupac Shakur's songs were funneled through headsets in a M-1 Abrams tank as it rolled from Kuwait into Iraq at the start of the war, and then changed to the Triple 6 Mafia when they hit the streets of Baghdad.

Music is key to war in the movies; witness the famous "Apocalypse Now" scene in which Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall) launches a mission to "The Ride of the Valkyries."

In another scene, Pfc. Yona Hagos raps about being "like a biological weapon" and surviving enemy gunfire. In the credits, viewers learn he was later hit with a rocket-propelled grenade."

As usual, Americans soldiers over there live their lives like they are in a movie, video game or rock video. This is not the first time I've heard about this.

In "Fahrenheit 911" we also see US army recruitment TV commercials that are made to look like video games; they even film the entire advertisement using computer animation!

The US army better corral these fun-loving murderers (most likely a small minority in the military service, but VH1 and other media types love these gutless bastards because they get TV ratings for them) before they do something really stupid, like bomb a holy site in Najaf and spark even more hatred of Americans by the Muslim world.

2004-08-17T00:42:00.000-04:00

Families In Baghdad Should Start Lining Up At America's Door

2004-08-06T18:10:00.000-04:00

Khadrs targeted in U.S. lawsuit
(CBC News) TORONTO - The widow of a U.S. soldier killed in a shootout with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan is suing a Canadian family with connections to Osama bin Laden.

Sgt. Christopher Speer died on July 7, 2002 when Omar Khadr allegedly threw a grenade at him. Speer's widow Tabitha filed a wrongful death suit in the U.S. Federal District Court of Utah on Friday, naming Ahmed Said Khadr, Omar's father, as the defendant.

Sgt. Layne Morris was wounded in the same battle in Afghanistan, and he's joined the lawsuit.
"You know, I hope it sends a message to terrorists everywhere, that we're not just after you militarily, you know, there's financial and there's legal means to make life tough for them," he said.

In an interview with the CBC in March, Omar's sister Zaynab said she can't understand why her brother should be vilified for his part in the battle.
"He'd been bombarded for hours. Three of his friends who were with him had been killed. He was the only sole survivor," said Zaynab Khadr.
"What do you expect him to do, come up with his hands in the air? I mean, it's a war. They're shooting at him. Why can't he shoot at you? If you killed three, why can't he kill one? Why is it ... why does nobody say you killed three of his friends? Why does everybody say you killed an American soldier? Big deal."

I love this story....I feel bad for both families and their losses, but I hope the American families win this lawsuit. I heard on the radio just now, that the Americans are suing for $10 million and that they said that it is not about money, it's about justice.

If the Americans win this battle, then it will (I hope) legally open the door for all kinds of lawsuits. This could then pave the way for the families of thousands of Iraqis that have suffered wrongful deaths as the result of a wrongful invasion and massacre. What's the difference? I see no difference. Let's make sure this gets done. It's not about money, it's about getting justice!

Note: As I had just finished this article, Sgt. Morris had just been interviewed by a radio journalist and was asked if he was injured in the battle with Khadr....he wouldn't answer the question. I find that interesting. Also, when asked about the fact that they had been shooting at Khadr for 45 minutes before Khadr retaliated and why shouldn't he have the right to fight back, his reply was "....I don't know what that has to do with anything."

My Message For George W.

2004-08-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

I was once asked "If you knew Dubya was to read your blog, what would you say?"

Hmmmmm......I guess this was the first thing that came to my mind:

........................./´¯/)
......................,/¯..//
...................../..../ /
............./´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
........../'/.../..../......./¨¯
........('(...´(..´.(....(~/'...')
.........\.................\/..../
..........''...\.......... _.·´
............\..............(
..............\.............

Translation: F**k you.

Dubya Should Learn To Just Shut His Mouth

2004-08-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

- George W. Bush (AT THE SIGNING OF H.R. 4613, THE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005)

Thank you Mr. Moore for finding this gem.

Federal Agents Raid Mosque in Albany

2004-08-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

ALBANY, N.Y. — Federal agents and Albany police raided a Muslim mosque overnight Wednesday and arrested two men for helping someone they thought was a terrorist, a law enforcement official confirmed to FOX News on Thursday.

The article goes on to say:

“A block of downtown Albany was sealed off with armed officers for several hours after the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agents executed search warrants at the Masjid As-Salam mosque and two Albany-area residences, officials said.”

I have a problem with the way FOX has reported this story.

First of all, by adding a link to the mosque’s website (and street address), FOX has given all the racist rednecks that read the news from this biased and agenda driven news source, a way to verbally attack and abuse the many innocent Muslim people that are associated with this religious establishment. I thought that America was working to limit the amount of religious hatred that would no doubt be occurring due to 9/11 and the (wrongful) invasion of Iraq.

Secondly, FOX even mocks the mosque’s name by translating the name in their story. “Some mosque members held morning prayers Thursday on a nearby sidewalk since they weren't allowed to enter the building, which is located at 276 Central Ave. near the corner of N. Lake Ave., just a few blocks from Washington Park. The mosque's name means "mosque of peace." FOX didn’t have to do this. They never translated any other Arabic names in the story, so why do that one? The only reason they did it was to mock the Muslim religion, thus inciting hatred against them by closed-minded idiots who think all Muslims are terrorists. This serves no good purpose!

As far as the FBI goes, I’d like to know why these men ”had been under surveillance for some time” was it due to a credible threat that was initially uncovered, or just because of racial profiling? The story goes on to say “They were picked up Thursday morning because of law enforcement's concern that the two were flight risks; one of the men reportedly tried to buy a plane ticket recently.” There were no other details as to why they were a flight risk. Was it just because they were Muslim men trying to fly somewhere? How many people are being monitored just because they are flying somewhere? I would love to see those stats. I’m sure it would shock a great many people.

FOX News' Liza Porteus and Anna Stolley have pretty much labelled these guys “guilty as charged” as soon as they were arrested and have helped to increase the hatred towards Muslims by their flagrant mockery of the Muslim religion by the way they wrote this story.

But then again, this is FOX, so why should I expect anything different. Unfortunately the idiots that abound in the USA will take these types of stories as “the truth and nothing but” and carry on the anti-Muslim sentiment that is constantly growing in the uneducated parts of America (which occupy a vastly expanding area).

The Real Reason Disney Had To Dump Moore's "Fahrenheit 911"

2004-07-31T03:07:00.000-04:00

I copied this part of Michael Moore's speech when he was in Boston for the Democrat's convention:

"......this whole experience with Disney not releasing the film and it's like what--you know, the film has gone on now to make more money than any Disney film this year. And it's like--(applause)--it shocked me at the time, because the way I have been able to get my work out there over the years is that usually when the media companies, greed always supercedes politics or personal animosity toward me. Oh, I can't stand the guy. Oh, how many books did he sell last week? Well, ok. Print a few more. You know this incredible flaw of capitalism that has always worked in my favor. [laughter] You know the old saying that the rich man will sell you the hope to hang yourself with if he can make a dollar off it? That will eventually be their undoing. But this time it didn't happen. This time a film made for a very small amount of money that will now make, you know, at least a quarter billion dollars around the world by the time it's done, [cheers] the greed didn't motivate them to release this film. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time and it took a Canadian journalist to finally do the story and thank god for the Canadians, you know? (applause) they are just like us. Only better. [laughter] They are sort of like the red sox. You know? Their time will come. They like us. The Canadians really do like us. They just wish we would read a little more and--but it took a Canadian journalist to write that perhaps one of the problems that Mr. Moore had with Disney is the fact that the Saudi world family owns almost 17% of Euro-Disney. And that in 1994, Prince Walid, one of the richest men in the world, and a member of the Saudi Royal Family, wrote Michael Eisner and Disney a check for over $300 million to bail out Euro-Disney. And the people that helped put the thing together to bring the two together was a company called the Carlisle group. Now my film was already done, you know, but I was like can it get any worse? Are they everywhere? But no journalist will ask Mr. Eisner or Disney the question: will that have anything to do with the decision because their good friends maybe don't look that good in this movie. But this is what, just a small example of what we have come to expect. But the good news is that things are going to change very soon."

It all becomes very clear.....thank you Michael Moore.

How About This For NRA Mentality:

2004-07-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

Here are a few brain cramps that I found on one of the National Rifle Association websites called "The NRA Fact Sheet":

"Gun bans can't reduce crime: Guns are used in only one-quarter of violent crimes reported to police." (I guess that 1/4 of the crimes in a country of over 300 million people is insignificant to them)

"FBI reports contradict the Violence Policy Center's claim about "assault weapons" and the police. FBI incident summaries indicate that the guns are rarely used to kill police officers." (...but I guess regular guns that kill police are just fine and dandy?)

"'Gun control' supporters are wrong, in trying to exploit the D.C. "sniper" and Columbine crimes. The gun used in D.C., and three of the guns used in Columbine, were not 'assault weapons.' Also, in each of the D.C. crimes only one shot was fired, and in Columbine the killers fired slowly, moving casually between victims. The guns used in these crimes had no bearing on their outcomes." ("...the killers fired slowly, moving casually between victims." Is it just me? Or am I the only one that recognizes that the victims were still killed by kids who had easy access to GUNS and AMMUNITION? Who cares how fast they fast they shot at them!)

"Semi-automatics are not machine guns. Machine guns have been regulated by the National Firearms Act since 1934. By comparison, semi-automatics, like other guns, fire only one shot at a time." (....one shot at a time and as fast as you can pull the trigger, which can be just as fast as a machine gun. Nice try idiots!)

(The gun pictured above sure looks like a leisurely sport/hunting type rifle to me.....are they kidding?!?)

Neo-Conservative Hawks Are At It Again

2004-07-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

What the Bush administration has been saying lately:

"The US claimed Iran allowed eight al-Qaida future airplane hijackers to pass through Iran from Afghanistan between seven and 11 months prior to the attacks on America."

"Unnamed senior Bush administration officials also claim Iran proposed collaborating with al-Qaida in 2000, but was rejected by Osama bin Laden. 'Maybe we attacked the wrong country'."

Here are a few counterpoints from columnist Eric Margolis that I strongly agree with:

"There has been no real evidence produced that Iran knew of the 9/11 attacks or assisted them. In fact, the Bush administration has still never produced the white paper promised by Colin Powell in late 2001 proving bin Laden and al-Qaida were behind 9/11."

"Why would Iran, knowing it was in Bush's gunsights, join in a monstrous terrorist attack that, if linked to Tehran, could have conceivably brought U.S. nuclear retaliation?"

"The Iran-Afghan border is 1,000 km of wild, broken terrain that is extremely difficult to police. Large numbers of smugglers cross this border on countless hidden trails, bringing hashish and gems into Iran. The U.S., with fleets of planes, helicopters and sensors, cannot stop a flood of undocumented Mexicans crossing its own southwestern borders. Why should the poorly equipped Iranians do any better?"

"Didn't these same 9/11 hijackers also enter the U.S. unchallenged? Of course. They slipped unnoticed into Iran and the U.S. No one knew their intentions."

"But far more important are two key facts that most media and the government aren't telling you: Iran and al-Qaida were bitter enemies."

In Afghanistan, al-Qaida ardently backed the Pushtun-dominated, Sunni Taliban movement, which hated Shia as heretics and killed large numbers of them. Shia Iran (and Russia) armed and supported the Taliban's greatest foe, Ahmad Shah Massoud and his Northern Alliance, composed of Dari (a Persian dialect)-speaking Tajiks, Afghan communists, and Shia. Massoud was a long-time collaborator with Soviet/Russian intelligence.

"After the Taliban killed a group of Iranian intelligence agents, Iran almost invaded Afghanistan to overthrow them. Just before 9/11, al-Qaida assassinated Massoud."

"Iran quietly aided the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan that overthrew the Taliban, and jailed scores of al-Qaida members, including one of bin Laden's sons."

"This column has long predicted the Bush administration would orchestrate a pre-election crisis over Iran designed to whip up patriotic fervour in the U.S. and distract public and media attention from the Iraq fiasco."

"The growing clamour over Iran's nuclear intentions, with rumblings about air strikes against Iran's reactors in the fall, may prove to be a part of just such a manufactured crisis."

Celebrity Feedback

2004-07-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

The positive feedback about Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 911" by people all over the world has been overwhelming. Below are just a few samples of what has been said. You can view all the quotes HERE.

Rob Reiner: "I think this is one of the most important films ever made. It has the potential of actually affecting the election, and if it does, it will change the world. There are very few films or works of art that have a profound effect on world affairs," he said, mentioning "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang." "But this actually has a chance to change the world."

Tom Hanks: "I want Michael Moore to have my seven bucks for that movie."

Princess Caroline of Monaco to Michael Moore: "My mother would have been so proud of your movie."

Bill Clinton: "I think every American ought to see it."

Leonardo DiCaprio: "I think a lot of people are going to be talking about this film. And I think a lot more people who are on the fence about who to vote for, after they see the film, they'll be solidified in their vote."

John Fogerty: "With the Michael Moore movie, certain conservative talk show hosts call him un-American. Him and anybody else who says anything about the war. .... To question your country's policy, especially in a war that kills people, is definitely not un-American. It's probably the most patriotic thing you can do."

Madonna: "I don't think I ever cried so hard at a movie in my life. I urge each and every one of you to see it."

Blundering Bush

2004-07-22T21:31:00.000-04:00

"Fool me once, shame on…shame on…you; fool me…you can't get fooled again."

This is the soon to be legendary quote by George W. that closes the documentary "Fahrenheit 911" by Michael Moore. I've seen this film twice now.

Please see it....especially if you're an American. Here's a useful tip for the people to the south of me (I'm Canadian):

In November; let's not make the same mistake twice, OK guys?

Here are a few links that I find very laughable and troubling at the same time:

The George W. Bush air force bust.

The "52 Reasons" deck of George W playing cards.

A Silver Lining For The Bush Campaign?

2004-05-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

"Embattled U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday he feels "terrible" about the gruesome torture of Iraqi prisoners on his watch, wants to compensate them and warned there are many more graphic photos, even videos, of abuse the world hasn't seen."

I'm afraid to say that this may even help Bush in the long run. These acts torture and humiliation were done by soldiers "supposedly" of their own will. With Rumsfeld and Bush apologizing and saying they "feel terrible" for someone else's actions and wanting to compensate the victims because of all this, it gives the administration the appearance of a more humanitarian and sympathetic side which they haven't had before. It will no doubt garner some votes from people who don't follow the news beyond what they are fed by Fox, CNN, and the like.

Somewhere out there a Bush campaign manager is smiling....

Disney Has Blocked the Distribution of My New Film... By Michael Moore

2004-05-06T00:10:00.000-04:00

This is a disturbing bit of news that I found on Michael's website tonight:

"Yesterday I was told that Disney, the studio that owns Miramax, has officially decided to prohibit our producer, Miramax, from distributing my new film, "Fahrenheit 9/11." The reason? According to today's (May 5) New York Times, it might "endanger" millions of dollars of tax breaks Disney receives from the state of Florida because the film will "anger" the Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush. The story is on page one of the Times and you can read it here (Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush).

There is much more to tell, but right now I am in the lab working on the print to take to the Cannes Film Festival next week (we have been chosen as one of the 18 films in competition). I will tell you this: Some people may be afraid of this movie because of what it will show. But there's nothing they can do about it now because it's done, it's awesome, and if I have anything to say about it, you'll see it this summer -- because, after all, it is a free country."

I hope this movie makes it out this summer or fall, because it will become a major weapon in the fight to send Bush back to his ranch in Texas (where he spends most of his time anyway). This movie should be successful in bringing out people who wouldn't normally vote and to swing the vote in the Democrat's favour.

Does This Wolfowitz Jackass Even Give A Shit?

2004-05-05T23:51:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON - Asked how many American troops have died in Iraq, the Pentagon's No. 2 civilian estimated Thursday the total was about 500 — more than 200 soldiers short.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was asked about the toll at a hearing of a House Appropriations subcommittee. "It's approximately 500, of which — I can get the exact numbers — approximately 350 are combat deaths," he responded.

American deaths Thursday were at 722 — 521 of them from combat — since the start of military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Department of Defense.

History Doomed To Repeat Itself?

2004-05-05T23:46:00.001-04:00

The so-called VOTING REFORM

"The nascent Election Assistance Commission (EAC) (created in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the 2000 election debacle) holds its first meeting on electronic voting today. Unfortunately, the commission is "so woefully underfunded it can't be expected to forestall widespread voting machine problems, which would cast doubt on the election's integrity." To date the Bush administration has provided only $1.2 million of the $10 million appropriated by Congress. The funding shortfall has "forced the EAC to abandon or delay much of its intended mission." For example, according to a report it released Friday, the commission "won't be able to develop a national system for testing voting machines." Moreover, most of the $3.9 billion in federal money designated to help states improve their voting systems for the 2004 election has yet to be distributed."

Does this bullshit surprise you? Not me! I expected such criminal behavior by the Bush administration. They need all the help they can get to try and retain the Whitehouse. He didn't get elected the first time around, so what makes you think he would try and "win" it fairly this time?

It's Always About Politics And Never About Lives

2004-04-30T12:22:00.000-04:00

Sinclair Broadcast Group has ordered its seven ABC stations not to broadcast Friday's "Nightline" that will air the names and photographs of the more than 500 U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war.

In a statement online, the Sinclair group said the "Nightline" program " appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq."

According to campaign finance records, four of Sinclair's top executives each have given the maximum campaign contribution of $2,000 to the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. The executives have not given any donations to the campaign of Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, the records showed.

You tell me what's more politically motivated: The airing of the show or the attempts to block it. Judging by the financial contributions, I think it has now become obvious.

I find it funny how politically motivated these CEO types are; giving the maximum to one party and nothing to the other. $2,000 is nothing to them. It's would be like me throwing a nickel to a homeless person. The amount of money is so insignificant that is doesn't matter what you do with it. Yet most executives in the USA would never give money to the Democrats, yet if they do contribute, it's usually 10 - 20 percent to the Dems and the rest to Republicans.

This could be one of the many reasons why Bush is so loved by executives.

Bob Woodward's New Book "Plan Of Attack" and his Bush interviews:

2004-04-20T23:31:00.000-04:00

Below is an excerpt from A "60 Minutes" interview with author Bob Woodward that absolutely shocks me. One major point is that Colin Powell is informed about the decision to go to war AFTER Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador has been told and given an unbelievable amount of access to the "inner circle's" plans.

The following is a reprint of the most amazing part of the article and I had to put it all here for people to read. IT IS A MUST READ:

On Dec. 21, 2002, Woodward says CIA Director George Tenet brought his deputy, John McLaughlin, to the oval office to show the president and the vice president their best evidence that Saddam really had weapons of mass destruction.

”McLaughlin has access to all the satellite photos, and he goes in and he has flip charts in the oval office. The president listens to all of this and McLaughlin's done. And, and the president kind of, as he's inclined to do, says ‘Nice try, but that isn't gonna sell Joe Public. That isn't gonna convince Joe Public,’” says Woodward.

In his book, Woodward writes: "The presentation was a flop. The photos were not gripping. The intercepts were less than compelling. And then George Bush turns to George Tenet and says, 'This is the best we've got?'"

Says Woodward: “George Tenet's sitting on the couch, stands up, and says, ‘Don't worry, it's a slam dunk case.’" And the president challenges him again and Tenet says, ‘The case, it's a slam dunk.’ ...I asked the president about this and he said it was very important to have the CIA director – ‘Slam-dunk is as I interpreted is a sure thing, guaranteed. No possibility it won't go through the hoop.’ Others present, Cheney, very impressed.”

What did Woodward think of Tenet’s statement? “It’s a mistake,” he says. “Now the significance of that mistake - that was the key rationale for war.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was just two weeks later when the president decided to go to war.

“That decision was first conveyed to Condi Rice in early January 2003 when he said, ‘We're gonna have to go. It's war.’ He was frustrated with the weapons inspections. He had promised the United Nations and the world and the country that either the UN would disarm Saddam or he, George Bush, would do it and do it alone if necessary,” says Woodward. “So he told Condi Rice. He told Rumsfeld. He knew Cheney wanted to do this. And they realized they haven’t told Colin Powell, the Secretary of State.”

“So Condi Rice said, ‘You better call Colin in and tell him.’ So, I think probably one of the most interesting meetings in this whole story. He calls Colin Powell in alone, sitting in those two famous chairs in the Oval Office and the president said, ‘Looks like war. I'm gonna have to do this,’” adds Woodward.

“And then Powell says to him, somewhat in a chilly way, ‘Are you aware of the consequences?’ Because he'd been pounding for months on the president, on everyone - and Powell directly says, ‘You know, you're gonna be owning this place.’ And the president says, ‘I understand that.’ The president knows that Powell is the one who doesn't want to go to war. He says, ‘Will you be with me?’ And Powell, the soldier, 35 years in the army, the president has decided and he says, ‘I'll do my best. Yes, Mr. President. I'll be with you.’” And then, the president says, ‘Time to put your war uniform on.’"

Woodward says he described Powell as semi-despondent “because he knew that this was a war that might have been avoided. That’s why he spent so much time at the United Nations.”
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But, it turns out, two days before the president told Powell, Cheney and Rumsfeld had already briefed Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador.

”Saturday, Jan. 11, with the president's permission, Cheney and Rumsfeld call Bandar to Cheney's West Wing office, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Myers, is there with a top-secret map of the war plan. And it says, ‘Top secret. No foreign.’ No foreign means no foreigners are supposed to see this,” says Woodward.

“They describe in detail the war plan for Bandar. And so Bandar, who's skeptical because he knows in the first Gulf War we didn't get Saddam out, so he says to Cheney and Rumsfeld, ‘So Saddam this time is gonna be out, period?’ And Cheney - who has said nothing - says the following: ‘Prince Bandar, once we start, Saddam is toast.’"

After Bandar left, according to Woodward, Cheney said, “I wanted him to know that this is for real. We're really doing it."

But this wasn’t enough for Prince Bandar, who Woodward says wanted confirmation from the president. “Then, two days later, Bandar is called to meet with the president and the president says, ‘Their message is my message,’” says Woodward.

Prince Bandar enjoys easy access to the Oval Office. His family and the Bush family are close. And Woodward told 60 Minutes that Bandar has promised the president that Saudi Arabia will lower oil prices in the months before the election - to ensure the U.S. economy is strong on election day.

Woodward says that Bandar understood that economic conditions were key before a presidential election: “They’re [oil prices] high. And they could go down very quickly. That's the Saudi pledge. Certainly over the summer, or as we get closer to the election, they could increase production several million barrels a day and the price would drop significantly.”
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For his book, Woodward interviewed 75 top military and Bush administration officials, including two long interviews with the president himself. Mr. Bush spoke on the record, but others talked to Woodward on condition that he not reveal their identities.

NOTE:On the 60 Minutes link I provided in my blog story, click on the video link on the top left side of the CBS page called "How History Will Judge Bush". It is pretty unbelievable what comes out of Bush's mouth. Now I fully understand why he doesn't give many press conferences.

I viewed the rest of the short video clips on the right side menu (under the "Multimedia" heading) as well. The video is nice and clear and the interviews are amazing.

This is a book I'm going to have to buy tomorrow.

God Made Me Do It

2004-04-20T23:09:00.000-04:00

Here are a few passages from a "60 Minutes" interview with writer Bob Woodward. He has had intimate and exclusive access to Bush for quite some time now. His new book paints some terrifying pictures of how Bush's mind works:

About going to war with Iraq: Did Mr. Bush ask his father for any advice? "I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, 'Well no,' and then he got defensive about it," says Woodward. "And then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, 'He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.' And then he said, 'There's a higher father that I appeal to.'"

Going into this period, I was praying for strength to do the Lord's will. I'm surely not going to justify the war based on God. . . Nevertheless, in my case I pray that I be as good a messenger of His will as possible. And then of course I pray for personal strength and forgiveness.

Says Woodward, succinctly, of Bush: "He's not an intellectual." He's not. But Woodward makes clear that Bush is perfectly capable of disguising his godly work from people who disagree, such as Colin Powell, who wasn't told of the decision to go to war even after war planning was well underway:
And there's this low boil on Iraq until the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21, 2001. This is 72 days after 9/11. This is part of this secret history. President Bush, after a National Security Council meeting, takes Don Rumsfeld aside, collars him physically, and takes him into a little cubbyhole room and closes the door and says, "What have you got in terms of plans for Iraq? What is the status of the war plan? I want you to get on it. I want you to keep it secret."

Bush And "Jesus Day"

2004-04-09T01:52:00.000-04:00

By proclamation of Governor George W. Bush, 10 June 2000 was 'Jesus Day' in Texas:

Throughout the world, people of all religions recognize Jesus Christ as an example of love, compassion, sacrifice and service. Reaching out to the poor, the suffering and the marginalized, he provided moral leadership that continues to inspire countless men, women and children today.
To honor his life and teachings, Christians of all races and denominations have joined together to designate June 10 as Jesus Day. As part of this celebration of unity, they are taking part in the 10th annual March for Jesus in cities throughout the Lone Star State. The march, which began in Austin in 1991, is now held in nearly 180 countries. Jesus Day challenges people to follow Christ's example by performing good works in their communities and neighborhoods. By nursing the sick, feeding the poor or volunteering in homeless shelters, everyone can play a role in making the world a better place.

I urge all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need. By volunteering their time, energy or resources to helping others, adults and youngsters follow Christ's message of love and service in thought and deed.

Therefore, I, George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim June 10, 2000, Jesus Day in Texas and urge the appropriate recognition whereof, in official recognition whereof, I hereby affix my signature this 17th day of April, 2000.

Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?

Bush Markets Burmese Products; Evades Own Trade Ban

2004-04-09T01:40:00.000-04:00

"According to a new report, President Bush's official campaign is selling clothing made in Burma - a country whose goods Bush banned for sale in the U.S. because of their awful human rights, narcotics and sex trafficking record. According to Newsday, "the merchandise sold on www.georgewbushstore.com includes a $49.95 fleece pullover, embroidered with the Bush-Cheney '04 logo and bearing a label stating it was made in Burma, now Myanmar."

Does this George guy even know what's going on around him? Pretty scary.

The rest of the story is HERE.

George "The Boring, Old Guy"

2004-04-09T01:29:00.000-04:00

I love these kinds of stories about Bush. Someone get this kid a job with John Kerry's campaign!

Hu's On First?

2004-04-07T12:42:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't know, Hu Jintao recently took over as the leader of China.

(We take you now to the Oval Office. A conversation between Condoleeza Rice and George Bush.)

George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening?

Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.

George: Great. Lay it on me.

Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.

George: That's what I want to know.

Condi: That's what I'm telling you.

George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes.

George: I mean the fellow's name.

Condi: Hu.

George: The guy in China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The new leader of China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The Chinaman!

Condi: Hu is leading China.

George: Now whaddya' asking me for?

Condi: I'm telling you Hu is leading China.

George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China?

Condi: That's the man's name.

George: That's who's name?

Condi: Yes.

George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the
Middle East.

Condi: That's correct.

George: Then who is in China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir is in China?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Then who is?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of
China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.

Condi: Kofi?

George: No, thanks.

Condi: You want Kofi?

George: No.

Condi: You don't want Kofi.

George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi?

George: Milk! Will you please make the call?

Condi: And call who?

George: Who is the guy at the U.N?

Condi: Hu is the guy in China.

George: Will you stay out of China?!

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the
U.N.

Condi: Kofi.

George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone.

Condi: (Condi picks up the phone.) Rice, here.

George: Rice? Good idea. And a couple of egg rolls, too. Maybe we
should send some to the guy in China. And the Middle East. Can you get Chinese food in the Middle East?

(This was found in an e-mail recently. The only bit of spam that has ever caught my attention!)

The Republicans Are Getting Very Nervous

2004-04-01T09:26:00.000-05:00

The Bush administration is once again trying to quell free speech and a freedom to choose. Apparently it is illegal to form a group to gather support to oust a president that is not the choice of many American citizens.

"These 527 groups, in conjunction with their representatives and their leadership, are conspiring together to violate the law, and conspiring together to raise this illegal soft money, and conspiring with a message and a coordination effort,"

"I think there's no question that there is a larger coordination and a larger conspiracy here on both counts." Apparently, if you share the same views and goals as the Democrats or John Kerry, then you are officially tied to the party. Even if you do not support them financially. Any money you raise for your own drive to unseat Bush, is officially connected to the Democrats. What ignorant BS!

The Republicans have "asked the FEC to quickly consider its complaint then dismiss it -- so the committee can move the dispute into federal court. The reason? The FEC's process for handling such complaints makes it unlikely it would be resolved before the November election. In federal court, the RNC could ask a judge to stop the activities of the 527 immediately." So much for due process! I guess the Bush administration feels that it can manipulate governing bodies to do what THEY want instead of following set rules and timelines.

The RNC complaint says that the 527 groups are violating the 2002 campaign finance reform act by paying for anti-Bush ads and other political activities with unlimited contributions raised from wealthy donors, unions and liberal interest groups -- so-called soft money that political parties can no longer raise. The complaint called the effort an "illegal Democratic soft-money slush fund scheme." I guess it's against the law to do things on your own, when it comes to protesting a president and it's administration. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE FREEDOM TO PROTEST OR TO ORGANIZE AN EFFORT TO PROTEST AND TAKE ACTION.

What ever happened to "America: The land of the free."?

Please visit some of the following organizations named in this un-democratic action and support them so that Bush will be banished to his ranch for good in November! Hopefully this plan by the Republicans will backfire terribly and do nothing but draw even more attention to these groups.

MoveOn.org

MoveOn.org Voter Fund

The Media Fund

America Coming Together

America Votes

Please Help Save "Counterspin"

2004-03-28T00:49:00.000-05:00

Help is needed to keep the CBC program "Counterspin" on the air in Canada and around the world.

From Faramin's website: "....one of the most democratic weekly programs on CBC that covers almost all significant events in Canadian and International politics with a fair approach to provide all sides of the arguments with the opportunity to be heard is CounterSpin in which those voices that are not heard elsewhere are given a rare opportunity to be heard."

Please sign the petition to keep this valuable and important program on the air!

George Bush, The Comedian

2004-03-25T16:24:00.000-05:00

Bush put on a slide show, calling it the "White House Election-Year Album" at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association 60th annual dinner, showing himself and his staff in some decidedly unflattering poses. There was Bush looking under furniture in a fruitless, frustrating search. "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere," he said.

Pretty funny George, but I don't think the families of the 500+ American and British soldiers that died for your comedy routine would find it all that funny. And I doubt that the families of thousands of murdered Iraqis would be rolling on the floor with laughter either.

What a dumb ass! Use your head you insensitive, stupid, bastard war criminal!

Bush pokes fun at himself at dinner

Sharon's Dangerous Long Range Plan

2004-03-23T23:27:00.000-05:00

A theory of Sharon's plan for the future of Israel seems to be fairly realistic to me. His actions in the past and especially of the recently staged killing of Yassin seem to go along with this theory. Israel, in the last few days, has now become the most dangerous country on earth. They are armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons and seem to be ready to provoke a terrifying final fight with the countries of the Middle East. I hope for the sake of the world, that other Muslim countries can find it in themselves to not be suckered into a possible world war. At the same time, I hate to say that it most likely will not be possible for people like the Palestinians to control their anger after the recent events in their land.

Thanks to Jussi for the link.

The Toronto Sun: Extremely Biased

2004-03-23T21:29:00.002-05:00

A couple of Toronto Sun Articles:

Anti-Semitic threats continue to plague Jewish community north of Toronto.

Ont. legislature condemns anti-Semitic vandalism.

I decided to write the Toronto Sun today concerning the racial graffiti and defacing of Jewish cemeteries in the last couple of days. To me, I feel that the overwhelming coverage in their paper is the result of the killing of Yassin in Palestine and has been done to build sympathy and deflect criticism of Sharon's actions of late. The letter reads as follows:

Dear Editor:

I would like to say that my sympathy goes out to those affected by the recent racist actions in Toronto. There is no excuse for this sort of thing no matter who it is against.

However, I think your newspaper has gone way overboard in it's reporting and amount of space that this story was given. The Toronto Sun is an incredibly biased newspaper. I agree that it is a front page story, but not something that requires 9 items over 7 pages. When has any other race-related story been given such exposure? I have read the Sun for most of my 33 years and don't recall any other racism-type story done with such verve. When was the last time the Sun did such a big story on the plight of the Palestinian people? The reporting of their side of the story is usually very small or always shows the negative side. Take for example the photos that are always shown of their children with guns. Oh, what do you know, there is one on page 7 of this very issue (March 23rd). The gun that is shown is obviously a plastic toy if you look closely, but the caption reads "A Palestinian boy carries a weapon...."

Everything has a cause and effect. Your editors and writers come out and say that the recent actions by the Israeli government should not be used an excuse or underlying reason for these sorts of actions. Why not? If you want to tell a story, then the whole story should be told. You were quick to point out that the person arrested soon after was Iranian. What would cause people to do this sort of thing to Jewish people and institutions? Your paper (which loves to boast about it's investigative reporting) never seems to dig very deep into the surface of this issue.

As someone who resides somewhere near the "left" on most issues, I take offence to the fact that your editor, Lorrie Goldstein, associates these sort of racist crimes with people who protest and disagree with others on behalf of the "left". He goes on to say that it's "their opposition to such policies (US foreign policy and Israeli policy) as a thinly veiled cover for their own anti-Semitism." How is it that he makes this sort of accusation? Who is he talking about and how is being "left" directly tied to anti-Semitism? This I'd like to know.

I don't agree with Bernie Farber (executive director of Canadian Jewish Congress in Ontario) when he said in his column in the Sun about the messages of hate crime: "we hate you for who you are, not what you do". He is right however, that "It is the nature of such crimes that they are committed under the cover of darkness, the furtive gestures of impotent minds." It is these impotent minds for the most part that take out their anger for the Israeli government on innocent Jews here in Canada. An angry, unstable mind chooses the closest target to make their statement, unable to directly reach out to Israel. This of course is my own theory. Saying that it is true in these cases here in Toronto is hard to prove or disprove.

Farber goes on to say that "The history of the Holocaust can, to a certain degree, be told as the story of victims, perpetrators and by bystanders. We must, as a society, enter into a covenant with each other that we will never play any of these roles". Please tell that to Ariel Sharon, who, by his treatment of the Palestinian people, has not learned such a valuable lesson.

I Recieved A Response From Sharon's Office Today

2004-03-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

I sent an e-mail last night to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. I recieved a reply back from his office. I have no idea what it says, so if you speak hebrew and know what it means, by all means leave a comment on this post for me explaining what it says.

This is the text that was in the reply:

your message has been received at the prime minister's office

פנייתך נתקבלה בלשכה לפניות הציבור של משרד ראש הממשלה‎?.

הפנייה תיבדק בהקדם, ובמידת הצורך יישלח לך מענה מתאים‎?.

בברכה‎?,

הלשכה לפניות הציבור‎?

במשרד ראש הממשלה

Rumsfeld Lies About Lies

2004-03-22T11:18:00.000-05:00

There have been so many lies put forth by the Bush administration, that they can't keep track of what they themselves have said. Donald Rumsfeld was caught recently in a lie. This is a great piece of video from the show "Face The Nation" that catches Rumsfeld denying that anyone in the administration had said that Iraq was an "immediate threat", when he himself stated these very words in the buildup to the invasion. The interviewers grill him on this, but it is just ignored.

The house of cards shall soon fall.

Thanks to Michael Moore for posting this as the link of the week. It's a great thing to get these little snippets of video and information out to the people of the world.

Give Them Feedback!

2004-03-22T01:28:00.001-05:00

Do you want to show Sharon exactly how you feel? Use these addresses below:

IDF: info@mail.idf.il
Ariel Sharon: pm_heb@pmo.gov.il
Knesset: feedback@knesset.gov.il

I sent an email just a few minutes ago to Ariel Sharon. I know that he will never see it and most likely no one will ever read it, but it is nice to release some negative energy. But then again, you never know, maybe he does read some of his mail. This is what I wrote:

You're an animal Sharon.

You alone are responsible for any future deaths of innocent Israelis. The missile attack today on Yassin shows that you are no different than the suicide bombers that threaten your country. What did you expect to accomplish by this? What do you think the fallout will be?

By your actions today, you will have killed many of your own people. You are a sad example of a human being.

I feel sorry for the Israelis that will suffer because of you.

Being a Canadian, I find it hard to understand how you and your cohorts can have so much hate and turn around and wonder why the rest of the world is appalled by your brainless and irresposible actions.

You bring the suicide bombers on yourselves. Why don't you just stop and think. Do something constructive for a change instead of creating an endless cycle of violence. I'm sure you will soon learn to regret what you are doing in regards to your barbaric treatment of the Palestinian people.

Time will no doubt catch up with you.

"A Concerned Canadian"

Sharon Has Killed His Own People

2004-03-22T00:49:00.000-05:00

Sharon is nothing more than a brainless idiot for doing this. What was he trying to accomplish? What does he expect will be the fallout?

It is an awful thing to imagine, but there will be a hundred times more people wanting to become suicide bombers now because of this. Every single Israeli that will be killed will be the direct result of that animal Sharon's irresponsible actions.

Plain and simple.

I feel sorry for all the innocent Israelis that will die because of Sharon. It's very unfortunate. I have a feeling that Sharon's political career is at the beginning of the end. They will look back at this day and talk about this being the trigger of his demise. And it will be none too soon.

Here is an example of some of the blind and brainless hatred that follows on the heels of such an idiotic action. People really are animals.

A Government Out Of Control

2004-03-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

It is becoming more and more clear all the time that the current US government is out of control. Before, it used to be shrouded and kept quiet, but now it is blatant and out in the open for all to see.

A few examples I just came across:

New rules sought for Internet wiretaps. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Technology companies should be required to ensure that law enforcement agencies can install wiretaps on Internet traffic and new generations of digital communications, the Justice Department says. Lawyers for the Justice Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration said their proposals "require immediate attention and resolution" by the Federal Communications Commission.
The Justice Department urged the FCC to declare that companies must pay for any such improvements themselves, although it said companies should be permitted to pass those expenses on to their customers. The plan "seeks to erect a brand new and quite extensive regulatory program" that gives the FBI and telephone regulators a crucial role in the design of future communications technologies.

Man suspended for anti-Bush message. CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- A maintenance worker was suspended for displaying a sign with the word "traitor" on his state snowplow while helping provide security for President Bush's motorcade, officials said. A state trooper in the president's motorcade saw the sign and reported it to the Ohio Department of Transportation, the agency's spokeswoman, Lora Hummer, said. The man is suspended with pay while the department investigates, Hummer said. She said she could not identify potential violations or penalties until the investigation is complete. Discipline can range from a verbal warning to dismissal.

Justice: Officials kept 9/11 souvenirs. Rumsfeld, senior FBI official cited in report. WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department investigation that criticized FBI agents for taking souvenirs from the World Trade Center site also found that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and a high-ranking FBI official kept items from the September 11 attack scenes. The final investigatory report said the Justice Department inspector general confirmed Rumsfeld "has a piece of the airplane that flew into the Pentagon." The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report Friday. The Justice Department investigation also collected testimony that Pasquale D'Amuro, FBI Director Robert Mueller's executive assistant director for terrorism until last summer, asked a supervisory agent to "obtain a half dozen items from the WTC debris so the items could be given to dignitaries." Six items -- none needed as evidence -- were gathered and sent to D'Amuro, the report said.

Sometimes You Just Have To Step Back

2004-03-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

I was speaking with a friend on the phone tonight. He was wondering why I haven't posted anything in the last week or so. I told him I had to take a step backward for a moment and disconnect myself. I think I was starting to get depressed about what has been going on. The things I talk about, the suffering in the world. He said to me "This is how we sometimes feel when we talk about it, imagine if we were the ones living it."
That would be something very hard to imagine. To live the life of a Palestinian, not knowing when the next helicopter or tank attack will occur. Not knowing what will happen to the future of your children. Not knowing if you will ever be free in your own land.
Imagine living the life of an Iraqi and seeing that your life has been completely turned upside down and finding out that your life is no better than it was before "The Liberation".

I hope that these people can someday attain a life of peace and well being. I've never been able to grasp how someone can willfully destroy another's life, be it through violence or economic means.

I feel very lucky to live in a place like Canada. I have a blessed life. I wish all the rest of the world could live as I do. I'm not rich at all, but I live in peace and that is enough for me. What more could I want or need?

I hope I can get back to posting here in a few days. There is so much out there that needs to be brought out into view. Things that westerners just don't get to see, thanks to the mass media that choose for us what we see and what they think is right or wrong.

Great Big Sea - Love

2004-02-28T15:36:00.000-05:00

When we're together why does something always start
Are we both better off when we are apart
Someday's you hate me I can see it in your eyes
It seems like lately you can't wait to criticize me
It's alright, we don't have to fight tonight
No its alright
Everyday I can hear the rockets fly
Over the graves of too many who have died
Fighting for land, or some ancient holy shrine
I bet your blood runs red, just the same as mine, yeah
Love La La La La Love
How many more of our children have to fall
Just how high do we have to build these walls
In fighting there's no dignity
It's such a waste of time
Take my hand
I don't think God will mind
Love

written by: S. McCann

This is from the new album just released by one of my favorite bands, Great Big Sea, here in Canada. I was surprised that they wrote a song about this conflict. Well done Sean.

This Is Hilarious....

2004-02-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

This one of the funniest things I've seen lately:

You have to go to the "Google.com" homepage.

To access the page I've been laughing about, type "weapons of mass destruction" in the google.com search window and click the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. Read the standard-looking error page CAREFULLY!

Thanks goes to Baghdad Burning for the tip on this. She has an excellent blog about daily life in Iraq. I found her site on Pedram's blog: The Eyeranian

(the popup windows after you close the error are a pain, but it's worth it!)

Propaganda: A Weapon Of Mass Destruction?

2004-02-23T16:03:00.000-05:00

"Propaganda has held sway so long that nations will find it difficult to recognize truth." - "The Bulletin and Scots Pictorial" from August 7th, 1945 after the USA dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima.

I was recently going through my scrapbooks of collected documents, correspondence, and newspapers from World War II, when I came across the above quote. The war hadn't even officially ended yet. The very same newspaper had an editorial about the dangers to future generations that the Atom bomb posed. I think it applies more now than ever.

A British scientist was quoted in that paper as saying:

"I don't think there is any safety in every country having it," he said adding: "some effort should be made to control its use. I think some sort of international control is needed."

There is no arguing that the threat of nuclear annihilation is a danger to us all now as it has been for the past 50 years, and thankfully there has been sufficient controls that has kept us from destroying the planet.

But the one scourge that has not been kept under control and has claimed millions of lives, is that of propaganda. Most people in the western world feel that they truly know what is going on in the world. Our mass media has delivered to us clear, unbiased truths about the world around us.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

I have been fascinated about the history of ancient Egypt since I was a little kid. One day, I believed, I would get a chance to go. To go and see the pyramids and temples that have stood for more than 4500 years. In 1999, I finally got my chance. I was going to go and see these things with my own eyes.

But I was a little scared. I was going to an Arab country. By myself.

At that time, in my own mind, the Arab was something to be feared. My mother was worried about my going there alone. Hell, I was worried. Friends would ask me "why in the world would you want to go there?"
"My fascination of the history there far outweighed the dangers" I said to them. "I have to go, and go before things get worse." I knew the risk I was taking. I read the newspapers and watched the news on TV. I knew what was going on. These people were dangerous! It must be true because it's all they talk about. I have to be very careful.

I arrived in Cairo to begin my two week journey. When I arrived, there was a fairly heavy police/military presence there. Men with AK-47's in uniform seemed to be everywhere. I wasn't use to this. I live in Canada.

My time in Egypt slipped by very quickly. I went to many areas throughout the country. I traveled by boat down the Nile, watching families doing their farming, delivering their produce to markets all over. I traveled by car, train, and even by camel on one of the days.
I met many people from different cities and small villages. I talked to all kinds of people. Old men, poor men, middle-class men, people my own age, even ten year olds who could speak 5 languages. These people were fascinating. Everyone was very friendly and offered to help me with anything I needed (directions, places I should visit, foods to eat).
I asked a few of the people I got to know while I was there about the armed guards everywhere. All of them said the same things: "They are supposed to protect the tourists, but it is really for their peace of mind". They knew we were afraid of them. Could our media be completely wrong? Or were they doing it on purpose? And why?
Granted, there have been isolated incidences of shootings of tourists there, but generally, the country is relatively crime free. There isn't a city or even a large town in the United States (or even Canada) that could make the same claim. Not even close. I challenge you to find one. Yet when there is an occurrence of violence in the Middle East, it is headline news at home. Imagine if our newspapers did this about our violence here at home. The news would be 200 pages per day! New York, Chicago and Washington wouldn't be able to produce enough newsprint!

From what I experienced there, the people were a hell of a lot more friendly than many Americans I have run into in the USA. I felt safer in Egypt than I do here at home. There was no concern about walking around at night or being out by yourself. In fact, towns there got more lively at night. More people came out. People actually talked to strangers. I suddenly felt like I knew what Canada might have been like 50 or 60 years ago before the invasion of television, video games, and families locked away in their homes. I don't even know my own neighbours! Everyone there made eye contact and said "hello". Imagine that!

The Arab has been branded a terrorist, a murderer of westerners and Jews. A race of people that have been raised from birth to hate and to kill. Sorry, but I just don't believe that. It isn't true. It's easy for people to say "but look at the Palestinians and their suicide bombers". I ask them to look at the Israelis who are crushing the Palestinians under their thumb of so-called "security measures".

The western media cater to the propagandistic needs of the Israelis. There is more hate by Americans than anyone else. The hate always comes from people who have never been to the Middle East or even out of their own country.
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity!" says Anne Coulter. That might have worked in the 12th century when tactics like this were the norm, but not any more Annie. And what's with all your hate? You live in the most prosperous country in the world. You can have anything you want whenever you want it.

The people of the western world need to wake up and realize that WE are the ones full of hate and violence, not the Arab people. We need to protect ourselves from each other. Most people in the Middle East embrace each other, while we are busy ignoring each other here and locking ourselves away in our homes so we can feel safe from the dangers of our own society. Go talk to your neighbours! Meet new people and invite other cultures into your circle of friends and family. You will not regret it. You will see that they are not that different from you, and your own life will be richer for it.

Mine is.

Their cultures (Arab and Persian and others) have seen a lot more history and strife than we will ever see. They could teach us a lot more about ourselves than our supposed leaders and elders can. I don't think our infantile western countries and culture (who have only been around a couple of hundred years) should be telling others what to do in their own homelands (who have been flourishing for thousands). We have enough trouble grappling with our own social problems and trying to fix a system of governing that has so far shown it isn't working. So why are Americans upsetting the balance in Iraq and the Middle East?

Because of our mass media, government sponsored warpings of the news and the endless spewing out of propaganda, most of us here in North America aren't really sure of the state of the world or what our ancient neighbours are all about.

We fear what we don't understand.

The Pentagon Tells Bush: There Is A Bigger Threat Than Terrorism

2004-02-22T20:12:00.000-05:00

A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.

The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.

The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has repeatedly denied that climate change even exists. Experts said that they will also make unsettling reading for a President who has insisted national defence is a priority.
The report was commissioned by influential Pentagon defence adviser Andrew Marshall, who has held considerable sway on US military thinking over the past three decades. He was the man behind a sweeping recent review aimed at transforming the American military under Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Last week the Bush administration came under heavy fire from a large body of respected scientists who claimed that it cherry-picked science to suit its policy agenda and suppressed studies that it did not like.
'You've got a President who says global warming is a hoax, and across the Potomac river you've got a Pentagon preparing for climate wars. It's pretty scary when Bush starts to ignore his own government on this issue,' said Rob Gueterbock of Greenpeace.

Already, according to Randall and Schwartz, the planet is carrying a higher population than it can sustain. By 2020 'catastrophic' shortages of water and energy supply will become increasingly harder to overcome, plunging the planet into war. They warn that 8,200 years ago climatic conditions brought widespread crop failure, famine, disease and mass migration of populations that could soon be repeated.

So dramatic are the report's scenarios, Watson said, that they may prove vital in the US elections. Democratic frontrunner John Kerry is known to accept climate change as a real problem. Scientists disillusioned with Bush's stance are threatening to make sure Kerry uses the Pentagon report in his campaign.
The fact that Andrew Marshall is behind its scathing findings will aid Kerry's cause. Marshall, 82, is a Pentagon legend who heads a secretive think-tank dedicated to weighing risks to national security called the Office of Net Assessment. He has been dubbed 'Yoda' by Pentagon insiders who respect his vast experience.

Jeremy Symons, who left the EPA in protest at political interference, said that the suppression of the report was a further instance of the White House trying to bury evidence of climate change. 'It is yet another example of why this government should stop burying its head in the sand on this issue.'

Symons said the Bush administration's close links to high-powered energy and oil companies was vital in understanding why climate change was received sceptically in the Oval Office. 'This administration is ignoring the evidence in order to placate a handful of large energy and oil companies,' he added.

Bombing In Israel Kills 8 On Day Before International Hearing

2004-02-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

This does not help. Arafat (or whoever is in charge) should do all they possibly can to control these criminal bombers. This is just fuelling the fire for the Israeli cause (which I believe is wrong). The International Court of Justice is scheduled to begin hearings tomorrow to consider whether the barrier, which illegally annexes territory from the Palestinians, violates international law.

What I also think does not help to portray what is really going on in Palestine is the one-sided reporting by the big media companies in the US.

Let's take CNN for example.

Every time there is a suicide bomber attack in Israel, it is the top story and their website story is ALWAYS accompanied by an extensive photo gallery of the bomb site, with close-up photos of many of the victims (and many times, shown with much emotion on their faces).
When there is an attack on Palestinians, you generally never hear about it, it's never a "top story" and photographs are NEVER shown of the victims (almost always, there are no photographs at all).

Update: Suicide Bomber Identified

Sunday's suicide bombing on a Jerusalem bus that left seven other people dead was carried out by a 23-year-old building labourer (Mohammed Zuhul) who left a toddler and wife behind, devastated relatives said before the Israeli army moved in to arrest them.
As soon as they knew Mohammed had carried out the bombing, his four brothers started clearing the house of its furniture, anticipating an Israeli army bulldozer would soon come to flatten it.
The army systematically destroys the houses of suicide bombers to deter other Palestinian militants from following their example.
Shortly after the bombing, Palestinian security sources said all access to the town had been closed.
Israeli army jeeps entered Hussan, where troops imposed a curfew and rounded up Zuhul's parents, wife, three of his brothers and five of his sisters.

Why doesn't CNN report this as well?

A Good Sign: On Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the barrier does violate international humanitarian law, where it veers into Palestinian territory.
The United Nations General Assembly has demanded that Israel halt construction of the barrier and dismantle what has been built. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said the barrier is counterproductive to the road map.

A Dead Dog Over Dead Soldiers

2004-02-22T00:30:00.000-05:00

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Spot, an English springer spaniel with a White House pedigree who spent nearly 15 years with President Bush and his family, has died, the White House announced Saturday.
An administration official told CNN that Spot was put to sleep Saturday around 1:30 p.m. after suffering a series of strokes. Her remains will be taken to the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
The White House issued a statement saying the first family was "deeply saddened" by Spot's passing."

No one is more of an animal lover than me, but where are your priorities George? And why is this a top story?
No doubt that there will be a special funeral held for the dog back in Crawford that you will take time out to attend, yet last time I checked, you still haven't attended a single funeral for a fallen soldier. Soldiers who died and continue to die for your "War on Terrorism".

Why is that?

"There's only one person who is responsible for making that decision , and that's me. And there's only one person who hugs the mothers and the widows, the wives and the kids on the death of their loved ones. Others hug, but having committed the troops, I've got an additional responsibility to hug, and that's me, and I know what it's like." -- George W Bush 12/13/02.

You make emotional comments about your dead dog, yet ignore the families of these men and women. What a disgusting slap in the face these poor people have just received from you.

You are a heartless, despicable, coward of a man.

Advice For Ralph Nader: Use Your New Power Wisely

2004-02-20T23:03:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With consumer advocate Ralph Nader expected to announce this weekend whether he will run for president as an independent, Democrats urged him Friday to not seek a third-party candidacy, fearing he could ruin their White House hopes.

"We can't afford to have Ralph Nader in the race. This is about the future of our country," Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told CNN. "We need Ralph Nader supporting the Democratic nominee, energizing people. George Bush has been a disaster on the issues that matter to him."

I think Ralph should try and get the most out of this powerful new position by asking for a high level post with the Democrats so he may implement some of his policies that are very much needed in the US and the rest of the world, in return for not running in the election.

I couldn't think of a more crowning achievement for his career than accomplishing something like that. Big-business won't let him become president and neither will the Democrats or Republicans, so I think this could be the highest he could get.

If the Democrats want him to not run, thus ensuring a Democrat victory in November, then it will have to cost them!

Update: Ralph Nader has decided to run as an independant.
Nader said he wants take on the Republicans and Democrats because they've turned Washington into "corporate occupied territory." "This country has more problems and injustices than it deserves,"
I certainly agree with what he says. I hope that he could actually win (stranger things have happened. Take Bush for example). But if the race is too close to call between the Dems and Bush, then I think he should drop out and endorse the Democrats. I hate to say that, but ousting Bush is the top priority and must happen no matter what.

A statement written by Mr. Nader himself, in regards to his choice of running as an independant.

Historical Amnesia - What Went Wrong?

2004-02-20T20:06:00.000-05:00

"The Way We Were" - by Maureen Farrell

High Office:

"The President is at liberty, both in law and in conscience, to be as big a man as he can be." – Woodrow Wilson

"You know, I could run for governor but I'm basically a media creation. I've never done anything. I've worked for my dad. I worked in the oil business. But that's not the kind of profile you have to have to get elected to public office." -- George W. Bush, 1989

Compassion:

"Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind." -- Henry James

"Please, don't kill me." -- Gov. George W. Bush, with lips pursed in mock desperation, mimicking death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker (after ordering and presiding over her execution), Talk Magazine, 1999

Power:

"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted." – James Madison

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." -- George Bush, Dec., 2000

Enemies Within:

"As a matter of fact, it is the fascist-minded men of America who are the real enemies of our institutions." - Harold L. Ickes, 1937

"Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft's announced desire for camps for U.S. citizens he deems to be 'enemy combatants' has moved him from merely being a political embarrassment to being a constitutional menace." -- The Los Angeles Times, August, 2002

The Media:

"The (American) press, which is controlled mostly by vested interests, as an excessive influence on public opinion."-- Albert Einstein, 1921

"What mass media don't discuss much is their own role in public opinion and public ignorance, two measures that run hand in hand. That half or more Americans think Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attack -- perhaps the most media-covered event in our history -- stands as a horrific indictment of U.S. media today. Such levels of ignorance can't be found in other countries." - Jeff Cohen, Dec., 2003

Father To Blinded Son: "Maybe God Thought You Had Seen Enough Killing."

2004-02-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

"Jeremy Feldbusch, twenty-four years old, a sergeant in the Army Rangers, who was guarding a dam along the Euphrates River on April 3 when a shell exploded 100 feet away, and shrapnel tore into his face. When he came out of a coma in an Army Medical Center five weeks later, he could not see. Two weeks later, he was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, but he still could not see. His father, sitting at his bedside, said: "Maybe God thought you had seen enough killing."

"The newspapers on December 30 reported that 477 American GIs had died in the war. But what is not usually reported is that for every death there are four or five men and women seriously wounded."

"Sergeant Feldbusch's mother, Charlene Feldbusch, who, along with his father, virtually lived at his bedside for two months, one day saw a young woman soldier crawling past her in the corridor. She had no legs, and her three-year-old son was trailing behind."

I don't need to comment about this. Please read this article.

Russia: Star Wars Useless Against New Weapon

2004-02-19T12:20:00.000-05:00

Because of all your sabre rattling about ballistic missiles, rights to pre-emptive strikes, and the nonsense about that silly recurring dream called "Star Wars Missile Defense", you have breathed new life into what is known as the Cold War.

Thanks George....

Quoting from that now infamous "Mein Kampf"-like piece of propaganda called "Project for a New American Century" (or do they mean empire?) and many other official media outlets, that the USA has won the Cold War. I'm sure that doesn't go over well with most people in and around Moscow. The last I heard, there are still thousands of nuclear missiles pointed at each other from across the globe. Doesn't sound like the Cold War is over to me.

The Russians have successfully tested a hypersonic anti-Star Wars weapon capable of penetrating any prospective missile shield, a senior Russian general said Thursday.

As I write this, none of the major news outlets in the US have run this story, yet I find it in a rinky-dink newspaper called The Toronto Sun. Why haven't they run this story? It's an Associated Press story, so it's a credible source. Have they been instructed not to? And by whom? I guess it would put a damper on the neocons plans to go ahead with their missile defense plan. Maybe the general public (who pay taxes) might realize that it would be just another money pit for the Pentagon. But then again, the administration's buddies who build these crazy things would still get billions, so that's OK I suppose.
Don't believe me in what I say about the media? How about this famous quote from a FOX general manager: "We paid $3 billion dollars for these TV stations. We'll tell you what the news is. The news is what we say it is!"

This story of the Russian's seems like something pretty significant! Especially to the American people.

Instead they continue to write endless stories that slowly add more and more "evidence" that "proves" that Iran is hell bent on destroying the USA. The Americans have to keep that war machine going out there in the desert. There's a timetable to meet, you know. They can't go home just yet, not when the rest of the Middle East needs "cleaning up"! Re-mobilization costs money! Oil is money!

Money that could be spent on "Star Wars".

Israeli Bus Headed To The Hague

2004-02-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

I think it is a great idea to send this bus (it was destroyed by a Palestinian bomber recently) to the World Court proceedings in the Hague as an example of what's going on in Israel. When the people see it, maybe it will cause them to ask why in the world someone could ever do this to people. They will hopefully learn about the oppression that the Palestinians are subjected to on a daily basis. They might learn about the desperation that is so serious that people would sacrifice their lives to murder others to try and get out from under the brutal Israeli government that is holding them hostage in their own land. Land that is being stolen from them in the form of a "Berlin-style" wall. A wall that has cut their people off from each other. A wall that has separated home from farm, home from business, and home from school.
Because of all this, Palestine is experiencing poverty that is almost on the same level as a Third World country. I hope they see the wall for what it really is. Brutal annexation.

Maybe they'll even learn about things like this (should not be viewed by children).

HERE is the World Court website if you want to see what's happening there. I'm not sure what kind of information they will be releasing on it, but it might be interesting just the same.

Update: The link to the International Court of Justice is not working as I write this. Check anyway, to see if it is back up and running. Older versions with older pages work from the mirror sites, but the current one doesn't want to work (seems fishy to me).

Bush Warns Of Ballistic Missile Attack (or: Bush Is Scared Of The Monsters Under His Bed)

2004-02-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

"President George W Bush says the United States continues to face the possibility of attack from ballistic missiles armed with weapons of mass destruction.
Bush's speech is being seen as a counter to criticism that the US is unlikely to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."

Will George ever learn? Will the sheep that are the American people (the near 50% of the population that backs him) keep on falling for this crap?
The November election just isn't getting here fast enough for my liking.

I've got an idea for you "president" Bush that will cure your unease and hopefully calm your "itchy trigger finger" (I thought I would use language that a gun happy Texan would understand). How about you stop pointing your own ballistic missiles armed with weapons of mass destruction at a large portion of the rest of the world.
Why don't you stop developing new, usable nuclear weapons.

And another thing, stop this whole notion that you believe you have the privilege to enact a "pre-emptive strike" at countries that you don't like very much. How does that help your situation?

Looks Like You Need To Brush More Often, George

2004-02-18T01:12:00.000-05:00

Wanna see Dubya's dental records?

Click HERE.

What a stupid charade this is becoming. Everyone knows you weren't there George. Just admit it. We know you had better things to do than serve your country honourably.
It's OK to admit you were too afraid to go to Vietnam. Admitting your weaknesses is the first step to becoming a better person (although it will now be a pretty steep hill to climb).

Dangerous People In Dangerous Times

2004-02-17T19:54:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wondered who the cast of characters are who help run the show for Cheney/Bush and others?

Here is a guide to help you get informed:

Here is a list of the leading neocons. Wolfowitz, Perle and a guy named David Frum seem to be the most dangerous, in my mind. HERE is a great description of what they are all about.

Don't know much about neoconservatism? Here is a little primer to get you up to speed. If you are an American, you should know who these people are.

What some of these key players have said.

Are you a neocon? Take the quiz to find out. According to this quiz, I'm a "liberal".

2004-02-16T00:31:00.000-05:00

Am I An "Evil-Doer"?

2004-02-15T21:32:00.002-05:00

Canada has been branded a "favored destination for terrorists and international criminals" by the research arm of the U.S. Congress. The Library of Congress in Washington has put out a report called "Nations Hospitable to Organized Crime and Terrorism".
It goes on to say "Sensitivity to civil liberties combined with this low threat perception has made both the adoption and enforcement of tougher immigration laws and strong counter-terrorism measures more difficult."
It also criticizes our "generous constitutional freedoms" and reports that we have "a generous social-welfare system".

The authors drew on government studies, police and intelligence reports, media stories, academic articles and "personal communications with regional experts."

Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees questioned the quality of the report's research, calling it one-sided and "laughably amateurish." She said its themes are "chilling" and "virtually totalitarian" given the study's association of broad civil liberties with the cultivation of terrorism.

It also acknowledges Canadian steps to toughen anti-terrorism and immigration laws, but casts doubt on whether they go far enough, saying Canada's "liberal democratic identity" may limit adoption of sterner measures.

Another thing they point out is that we have "long borders and coastlines that offer many points and methods of entry that facilitate movement to and from various countries, particularly to the United States".
hhhhhhmmmmmm........ Isn't it their border too? If they have a problem, then maybe they should step up the security on THEIR side of the border.

Or they could build a "Security Fence" like their buddy Mr. Sharon.

If you would like to read the report yourself, you can find it HERE.

Let's Worry About What's Going On Today

2004-02-15T11:40:00.000-05:00

Where and how should I start this?
No matter how I put it or what I say will no doubt make certain people mad at me. But I imagine that many people will absolutely agree with me.

I love to travel the world and experience as many different cultures that I can. It is the main reason I travel. There is no better way to understand the world and see it for what it is.

I'm not a religious person in any way, although many facets of religion, I believe, are good teaching tools in the raising of children and for the building of good moral attitudes in people.
However, I do not regard religions as tools for government ideologies and policies. Most countries of the world share more than one religion within it's own borders. Most of them get along very well. Many do not.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is because of nothing more than religious differences. This will never change and it will go on for a thousand more years (or until one side is wiped out completely). To me there is only one way to help ease this (I don't believe the problem will ever be solved). There has to be a FAIR border set between them. Jerusalem should become an entity on it's own like the Vatican. It should be considered an "international" city like the oceans are "international" waters. It would have NO military presence at all within it, but an international security force protecting the perimeter of it.
The reason I think that Jerusalem should be "international" is because there are 3 major religions that hold "rights" to it. Those religions are represented by people across the globe. The city belongs to the people of the world.
Israel and Palestine have, in my mind, lost the privilege of ownership of the city due to the continuing attacks and loss of life caused by both sides. It is time for a third party to step in.

Every time I suggest things like this I get accused of being "anti-Semitic". I seem to be accused of this no matter what I say that doesn't go along with the Jewish view.
This to me is ridiculous! I love experiencing different cultures. That's why I love living in Canada, because we are no doubt the best country in the world because of our many cultures that get along well with each other (there are very small isolated and minor incidences that occur, but we are the safest country for different religions to co-exist and that's why people come to Canada: to live in peace).

The Palestinians are not helping their cause in any way by continuing the bombing, but I feel that these criminals are part of a small minority and do not reflect the overall view of the people. The powers at be (Palestinian powers, not Israeli ones) need to halt this.

The Israeli's must stop the land grabbing with this new version of the "Berlin Wall". They must stop the incursions and killings and backing the Palestinians into a corner. Why do you think they are fighting them? It is the only avenue they have left (as terrible as it may seem). They are driven into poverty that is akin to third world Africa.

Whenever other countries express their concern over the actions of the Israelis, out comes the ever-popular "anti-Semitism" label. It seems to have unlimited applications today. Take for example the ridiculous outrage toward Mel Gibson's new movie "The Passion of the Christ". It has been labeled as (you guessed it) "anti-Semitic". He is even asked about his views of the holocaust?!? What does that have to do with anything? What does his view of the holocaust have to do with Jesus being nailed to a cross 2,000 years ago?

"Asked his view on the Holocaust, Gibson, who had been criticized for comparing it to other wartime atrocities in a previous interview, said, "You know, do I believe that there were concentration camps where defenseless and innocent Jews died cruelly under the Nazi regime? Of course I do. Absolutely. It was an atrocity of monumental proportion."

Jewish leaders, to me, seem to have this view that they (Jewish people) should be put above other cultures because of the holocaust and should have a free hand at doing whatever they like and no one should question that. If people question their actions, they are "anti-Semitic".
I take the side of Gibson, for the most part, in that the holocaust can be compared to other wartime atrocities. What about the 20 million Russians that were killed during the war? Many of them were tortured to death, executed, and enslaved just because of who they were. The Nazi's viewed them as "sub-human" as well and had a policy to wipe out as many as possible. The SS had troops follow along behind the front lines as the war machine pushed into Russia for just this reason.
Everything that the Nazi's did were despicable crimes against humanity no matter who the victims were (Jews, Russians, Poles, etc.).

Jewish leaders are concerned that "the film will revive debate on whether the Jews were to blame for Christ's death." So what if they were to blame! People should not be worried about the actions of a few people so long ago. Who in their right mind would condemn millions of people 2,000 years later for such a thing?

Why aren't these Jewish leaders worried about the implications of things that are happening in reality NOW? Like the ramifications of the actions of Israeli soldiers desecrating the dead (like the top photo on this post). Don't they think that these actions could lead to suicide bombings by the friends or families of this poor guy lying on the ground dead? Who is nearby watching this happen? Children who will no doubt grow up to hate Israeli's blindly because their father/brother/uncle was subjected to this?

I agree that the same applies to the people of Palestine. They should carefully measure their actions as well. But Israeli's have the overwhelming power between the two (thanks to the USA's one-sided support on this issue). They must be the one to initiate some sort of peace or gain the assistance of a third party like the UN.
They won't though, because all of this hammering of the Palestinians is a way to flex their muscle and show the neighbouring countries not to mess with them.

The world has to stop living so far in the past (who killed Jesus?, Mohammad did what?, the Red Sox haven't won since when?)
Why don't they try and solve the problems of today and for their kids of tomorrow.
Arabs should stop bickering about who was where before WWII and realize that Israeli's have a right to be there as they do. The Jewish people of the world have to realize that the Palestinians have a right to be there also and they should have a country of their own with FAIR borders.

And Jerusalem should be shared by the WORLD!

America's View Of The Muslim World

2004-02-13T23:52:00.001-05:00

Click HERE to see how most Americans view the Muslim world. Very funny stuff.

Americans: "Why Do They Hate Us?"

2004-02-13T17:48:00.000-05:00

Remember way back last year when the Iraqi people and others around the world were up in arms over the fact that US soldiers had been so blind in their ignorance that they put up American flags on monuments and buildings that they "conquered"?
The uproar was so great that they quickly replaced them with Iraqi flags.
To me, the following story smacks of the same unbelievable ignorance!
Many of the Iraqi people still lack adequate food, running water, electricity, and so on. Yet these so-called "Hero's of Freedom" decide to openly live the good life in front of these poor people. Isn't this the sort of nonsense that Saddam did?
Open up those buildings and give them back to the people. This whole thing is disgusting to me!

"U.S. soldiers stationed at a riverside palace complex here that once belonged to Saddam Hussein face constant danger from Iraqi insurgents whenever they leave the base.
But once inside, they get to kick back in increasing style. "

- The base has a cinema large enough for 400 people.
- A sports bar boasting a cappuccino machine and a bustling Internet cafe.
- Fishing rods, mountain bikes and horseshoes also are available.
- At the camp's recreation center, troops splash around in a heated swimming pool.
- Upstairs in the air-conditioned gym, troops pump iron and pound away at treadmills as loud rock music blares on TV sets in the corner. The machines are always packed, even late at night, when many soldiers finish their duties.
- There are also quieter activities, including angling for carp and other fish in a large man-made lake.
- Soldiers can practice their golf swing on a 250-foot-long driving range that runs along one side of the Tigris. Called the "Eagle Rising Range", soldiers joke that it's likely the only one in the country.
- The camp's masseur, an Iraqi from the northern city of Kirkuk, has set up shop in a bathroom at the recreation center. For $10, soldiers can be pounded and pummeled as they gaze out at the lake.
- Trays of tropical fruits and a large freezer stocked with imported ice creams help to break the monotony.

"It's just the prettiest camp," said Spc. Cindy Lowery, of Santa Cruz, Calif. "This is the only time I will ever get to live in a palace."

"The buildup at the base is a sign the Pentagon is prepared for a long haul in Iraq despite plans to hand over sovereignty to an Iraqi government on July 1. Washington has said U.S. troops will be in Iraq for some years to come."

"You need a break," said Sgt. Maj. Mike Anastasio, of Copperas Cove, Texas, who runs the recreation facilities. "You can't go busting down doors and manning checkpoints seven days a week," he said.

George Bush (is the) "greatest threat to humanity today"

2004-02-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or do you think "president" Bush is the biggest goddamned hypocrite the world has ever seen?

What George said today:

" The greatest threat before humanity today is the possibility of secret and sudden attack with chemical or biological or radiological or nuclear weapons,"

"Our message to proliferators must be consistent and must be clear: We will find you, and we're not going to rest until you're stopped."

Bush noted that Iran, which the United States suspects of having an extensive program to develop nuclear weapons, recently completed a two-year term on the board.

"Bush noted that Iran, which the United States suspects of having an extensive program to develop nuclear weapons, recently completed a two-year term on the board. Allowing potential violators to serve on the board (International Atomic Energy Agency) creates an unacceptable barrier to effective action," he said.

How can somebody prance around preaching peace and non-proliferation, when his own country has recently decided to develop new USABLE nuclear weapons!
There is no peace initiative in his policy. It is nothing more than trying to keep countries under their thumb so they cannot become competitors when it comes to deciding the fate of the world's path into the future. That's it! There's nothing more to it!

As far as Iran sitting on an IAEA board "creating an unacceptable barrier to effective action", George himself knows all about conflicts of interest, having "troublemakers" in positions of power and thumbing his nose at it by having people like:

- Spencer Abraham as his Secretary of Energy (a senator with the strongest anti-environment views and policies as any person in government).

- Tommy Thompson as his Secretary of Health (recieved $72,000 in campaign contributions from Philip Morris Tobacco. He also held $65,000 of their stock at one time.)

- Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior (worked for a legal foundation that challenged Alaska's fisheries laws, represented Delta Petroleum in it's lobbying for National Lead in it's defense of children's exposures to lead based paints.)

- Norman Mineta as Transportation Secretary (he worked for Lockheed Martin and received campaign cash from the likes of airline companies, Boeing, Greyhound and Union Pacific.)

.........and of course, who can forget:

- Ken Lay as adviser to the "president" (former head "brain" at Enron who used his relationship with Bush to "pressure the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to speed up energy deregulation." No wonder Enron was able to amass a fortune of over $100 billion.)

.......and there are many more too numerous to name here.

I will say it again: "president" Bush is the biggest goddamned hypocrite the world has ever seen!

The New "Business Face" Of War

2004-02-10T23:28:00.000-05:00

"The role of private military companies is fast becoming important in the modern warfare because they are willing to go where the Pentagon would prefer not to be seen."

The US government (specifically the Pentagon) is relying on private military companies (PMC's) more now than ever before. They are useful to them in many ways:

- by using PMC's, the US government "abdicates itself from any moral fallout of the confrontations."

- They can be used to "carry out operations which would be expected to meet with public, or legal, dis-approval."

- At times, there can be screwups caused by these PMC's that the media will report. "When the companies do screw up, however, their status as private entities often shields them--and the government--from public scrutiny."

- In relation to elected government, "Private companies are able to operate in almost complete secrecy, with little accountability to civilian or military authorities."

Some of the duties that these entities have provided:

- "In Colombia, the Pentagon has contracted with DynCorp, Northrop Grumman and Florida-based Airscan to provide intelligence, train Colombian troops."

- "The Department of State has hired DynCorp to provide security for Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, and the Pentagon has signed up Airscan to do surveillance work in the Balkans. In some of these cases, PMC employees carry weapons, serve on the front lines and even engage in combat.
A unit of the Halliburton corporation has handled nearly all logistical supplies for U.S. troops in the Balkans since the mid-1990s."

- "At least 90 companies that provide services normally performed by national military forces – but without the same degree of public oversight – have operated in 110 countries worldwide, providing everything from military training, logistics, and even engaging in armed combat."

- "PMCs are used by private corporations operating in countries where their relationships with the natives result in the need for personal and corporate facility security services, most notably but not exclusively the diamond and oil regions of Africa."

When things go wrong:

- "In May 2001, it came to light that several people hired by DynCorp for monitoring duties in Bosnia had recently been fired for alleged sexual misconduct, including statutory rape and child prostitution."

- "Airscan, hired to provide aerial intelligence in the Balkans, tried to save money by using commercial television technology, a decision that allowed anyone in Europe with satellite TV to watch American intelligence videos."

There are many points that I find very troubling about all of this:

- The Pentagon does not even know how many contractors it uses. According to U.S. News and World Report, a preliminary report to Congress in April 2002 guessed that the Army contracted out the equivalent of between 124,000 and 605,000 persons in 2001. It is also hard to estimate how many people are working for PMCs because many of them are freelance contractors who may work for more than one of the PMCs.

- The UN Commission on Human Rights in 1999 stated: "The Commission must also remember that mercenaries base their comparative advantage and greater efficiency on the fact that they do not regard themselves as being bound to respect human rights or the rules of international humanitarian law."

- "The lack of oversight alarms some members of Congress. "Under a shroud of secrecy, the United States is carrying out military missions with people who don't have the same level of accountability," says Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a leading congressional critic of privatized war. "We have individuals who are not obligated to follow orders or follow the Military Code of Conduct. Their main obligation is to their employer, not to their country."

- "The Pentagon has become so dependent on private military companies that it literally cannot wage war without them. Troops already rely on for-profit contractors to maintain 28 percent of all weapons systems."

- "Some analysts fear that the increasing use of PMCs lowers the psychological and social costs of resorting to force, a change that could result in more wars worldwide. "If you don't have to sacrifice your own uniformed military, it can be easier for generals to make the decision to use force."

- "What's more, using PMCs allows the Pentagon to avoid scrutiny of its actions. PMCs that obtain Pentagon contracts worth less than $50 million do not have to notify Congress, and the Pentagon has admitted it has no idea how many PMC workers it actually employs. "Congress has little oversight of what PMCs are doing in Colombia," says Sanho Tree, an expert on South America at the Institute for Policy Studies. "This is how the Pentagon wants it, because they can put more troops in Colombia than they are allowed."

- "Secretary of the Army Thomas White, who formerly worked for Enron, has come out strongly in support of using PMC's."

Upper echelon politicians within the US government (like Cheney) stand to reap enormous benefits from using these sorts of tactics when it comes to structuring the military:

- "Since 1994, the U.S. Defense Department has entered into 3,061 contracts valued at more than $300 billion with 12 of the 24 U.S.-based PMCs. More than 2,700 of those contracts were held by just two companies: (one of them being)Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Vice President Dick Cheney's former employer, Halliburton Company."

- "An analysis shows that 17 of the nation's leading private military firms have invested more than $12.4 million in congressional and presidential campaigns since 1999."

- "In 2001, according to the most recent federal disclosure forms, 10 private military companies spent more than $32 million on lobbying."

Who's The "Dick"- head Who Runs This Company?

2004-02-10T22:22:00.000-05:00

You really have to love how the US military runs things. Not only do the soldiers get their pay cut by their "fearless" leader George Dubya, now they can't even get a half decent meal anymore!

"The Pentagon repeatedly warned contractor Halliburton-KBR that the food it served to US troops in Iraq was "dirty," as were the kitchens it was served in, NBC News reported on Friday.
The Pentagon reported finding "blood all over the floor," "dirty pans," "dirty grills," "dirty salad bars" and "rotting meats ... and vegetables" in four of the military messes the company operates in Iraq, NBC said, citing Pentagon documents.
The Pentagon found unclean conditions at four locations in Iraq, including one in Baghdad and two in Tikrit. Even the mess hall where Bush served troops their Thanksgiving dinner was dirty in August, September and October, according to NBC.
This adds up to "a company that arrogantly is overcharging when they can get away with it and not providing the quality of service that they agreed to do," Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, told NBC."

Does Bush Think The World Is That Stupid?

2004-02-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

As I was writing the last post, the CBC had just aired a news item where Bush was defending his decision to go to war against Iraq. I'm paraphrasing, but he said that he felt that his decision was right to attack Iraq. Whether or not Iraq really did have WMD, he felt that Iraq had "the capacity to build them."

Ok, so maybe they did have the capacity. So does Canada, North Korea, France, Germany, Iran, and Israel. What in the hell are they going to do about them?
I guess they'll just have to line up each one and attack them in order. What order shall decide their fate?

- In the order of which country has the largest oil deposits?

- or the order of which country has been most belligerent towards US policy? I guess we in Canada are in trouble as one of our members of government called Bush a "moron", and we didn't attack Iraq at the Americans request. Uh-oh.

- Maybe he'll go after countries that have large water supplies and the ability to use them for hydro-electric power (which states like California is in dire need of). Again, Canada is in big trouble.

- Right now it looks like he'll be going after countries who are a terrorist threat. He also recently proposed pouring money into security of American food supplies "from field to fork" as he says.
Since Canada has had cows enter the US with BSC, again it looks like we are an imminent threat!
George Bush has a right to protect his food supply, but that is going to take an awful lot of mice! If he is so concerned about the US economy, wouldn't it be more cost effective to just eat the mice?

I think I'm going to pack my bags and go on an extended vacation to somewhere safe, like maybe the great state of Texas.
Well maybe I won't do that either as it's definitely not safe there either, as they murder children and more people than any other state in the union. As well, WMD were found right under Georgie's nose in his home state. You think he would have found them himself as he spends so much time on vacation there.
After spending much time thinking about it, I think I'll move to Israel. It appears that it will be the safest place on earth from the Americans.

A few great lines I just heard on the radio:

"....it won't be long before George Dubya points his beady little eyes at us (Canada). Fortunately for us, he thinks that's south."

"....everybody knows that the vice-president is in charge. Dubya is supposed to be the brains of the operation, but he's always thinkin' with his Dick."

Timing Is Everything....

2004-02-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

Just as I had said before, Israel is trying to look good by moving part of the "Berlin Wall".

The Israeli government is preparing to re-route some parts of its controversial separation wall to make it less invasive.

The comments come a day before the Israeli Supreme Court is due to examine the legality of the barrier. They also come two weeks before the International Court of Justice in the Hague is due to look into the issue.

The announcement also comes just ahead of a visit by U.S. envoys to hear details of Israel's plans for a unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians should peace talks continue to flounder.

I hope that the people in the Hague can look beyond this bit of window dressing and see it for what it really is: a propaganda campaign to improve their image for a short period of time.

Emperor Bush Has Spoken....

2004-02-08T00:19:00.001-05:00

For the fans of the old Star Wars movies out there, you may enjoy these two websites:

- LUCAS ADMITS STAR WARS ABOUT THE U.S.

- QUOTES FROM EITHER PRESIDENT BUSH OR EMPEROR PALPATINE OF "STAR WARS".

A Hero For All Cowards!

2004-01-28T12:49:00.001-05:00

The story of Bush's military record and ensuing controversy is laughable. When are the people of the US going to stand up and demand some justice on this? If I had a son or daughter who lost his or her life in the military, I would be up in arms about this and I would also organize as many of the parents of KIA soldiers as I could and march on to the White House to demand immediate justice!

The following is a reprint from Michael Moore:

MoveOn.org has put together its response to this issue. It lays out all the facts about Bush and the remaining unanswered questions about where he went for many, many months:

Here are what appear to be the known facts, laid out recently in considerable detail and documentation by retired pilot and Air National Guard First Lt. Robert A. Rogers, and in a 2003 book, “The Lies of George W. Bush,” by David Corn.

1. George W. Bush graduated from Yale in 1968 when the war in Vietnam was at its most deadly and the military draft was in effect. Like many of his social class and age, he sought to enter the National Guard, which made Vietnam service unlikely, and fulfill his military obligation. Competition for slots was intense; there was a long waiting list. Bush took the Air Force officer and pilot qualification tests on Jan. 17, 1968, and scored the lowest allowed passing grade on the pilot aptitude portion.

2. He, nevertheless, was sworn in on May 27, 1968, for a six-year commitment. After a few weeks of basic training, Bush received an appointment as a second lieutenant – a rank usually reserved for those completing four years of ROTC or 18 months active duty service. Bush then went to flight school and trained on the F-102 interceptor fighter jet. Fighter pilots were in great demand in Vietnam at the time, but Bush wound up serving as a “weekend warrior” in Houston, where his father’s congressional district was centered.

A Houston Chronicle story published in 1994, quoted in Corn’s book, has Bush saying: “I was not prepared to shoot my eardrum out with a shotgun in order to get a deferment. Nor was I willing to go to Canada. So I chose to better myself by learning how to fly airplanes.”

3. Sometime after May 1971, young Lt. Bush stopped participating regularly in Guard activities. According to Texas Air National Guard records, he had fewer than the required flight duty days and was short of the minimum service owed the Guard. Records indicate that Bush never flew after May 1972, despite his expensive training and even though he still owed the National Guard two more years.

4. On May 24, 1972, Bush asked to be transferred to an inactive reserve unit in Alabama, where he also would be working on a Republican senate candidate’s campaign. The request was denied. For months, Bush apparently put in no time at all in Guard service. In August 1972, Bush was grounded -- suspended from flying duties -- for failing to submit to an annual physical exam. (Why wouldn't he take this exam from a doctor?)

5. During his 2000 presidential campaign, Bush’s staff said he recalled doing duty in Alabama and then returning to Houston for still more duty. But the commander of the Montgomery, AL, unit where Bush said he served told the Boston Globe that he had no recollection of Bush – son of a congressman – ever reporting, nor are there records, as there should be, supporting Bush’s claim. Asked at a press conference in Alabama on June 23, 2000 what duties he had performed as a Guardsman in that state, Bush said he could not recall, “but I was there.”

6. In May, June and July, 1973, Bush suddenly started participating in Guard activities back in Houston again – pulling 36 days at Ellington Air Base in that short period. On Oct. 1, 1973, eight months short of his six-year service obligation and scheduled discharge, Bush apparently was discharged with honors from the Texas Air National Guard (eight months short of his six-year commitment). He then went to Harvard Business School.

Documents supporting these reports, released under Freedom of Information Act requests, appear along with Rogers’ article on the web HERE.

In the absence of full disclosure by the President or his supporters, only the President and perhaps a few family or other close associates know the whole truth. And they’re not talking.

Bush was apparently absent without official leave from his assigned military service for as little as seven months (New York Times) or as much as 17 months (Boston Globe) during a time when 500,000 American troops were fighting the Vietnam War. The Army defines a “deserter” -- also known as a DFR, for “dropped from rolls” – as one who is AWOL 31 days or more: HERE.

Enough said. So let's see some action on this! If you have lost a loved one in the miltary, PLEASE band together and form a voice that the whole country can hear and one that the US Government can no longer ignore!

(For the Michael Moore fans out there, he is working on his next documentary titled ""Fahrenheit 911." This is his description of the storyline:

"The primary thrust of the film is what happened to the country since Sept. 11 and how the Bush administration used this tragic event to push its agenda," commented Moore in an interview with Variety. "It certainly does deal with the Bush and bin Laden ties. It asks a number of questions that I don't have the answers to yet, but which I intend to find out."

Michael intends to complete the film in time for submission to Cannes 2004 and a theatrical release prior to the presidential election this November.

Financial Post Ignorance

2004-01-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

Let the Bay Street ranting begin.......

Terence Corcoran (editor-in-chief) of the Financial Post has once again shown how shallow and ignorant he is of the real problems of this world. I guess he feels it is up to him to protect many of the world's companies, so that he can fill his pockets and the pockets of others like him.
His "review" of the new Canadian documentary "The Corporation" is absolutely laughable. The headline shouts BIG SCREEN LIES. He calls the two filmmakers "your typical Canadian cultural welfare recipients....", and also goes on to spew out comments like:

"As a movie, The Corporation is an evil, ugly and dishonest pack of lies."

"The film gets just about everything wrong, from the origins of corporations to the nature of their operations, successes and failures, to their philosophical and political underpinnings."

"Film reviewers, a leftist crowd...."

"Achbar and Bakan careen off into an orgy of alleged examples of how corporations make profits off the fact that they do not have to pay for externalities such as air and water pollution. Images of boiling lakes and smogged-up air recur throughout the film."
Judging from the fact that they didn't have a Spielberg-sized special effects budget to create "movie-magic" boiling lakes and smog, I'm assuming that the images were real. If the companies did have to pay for things like environmental disaster prevention, there would be no pollution. Do you not agree?

"It's a claim the filmmakers push by adopting the misleading idea that corporations have been given special status beyond the law by governments. Corporations are now so powerful, the film argues, that they are now out of control, untouchable by governments."
Being an editor, do you not follow current stories like this: Halliburton dealt with and continues to deal with rogue nations, which is against the law.

"....one of the central themes of The Corporation is that it is time governments took back the rights of corporations."
As much as I would love for that to happen, I doubt that it ever could as most of the people in the Bush administration has sat or sit around a wide variety of "board of governors" tables throughout the US. They have invested too much time and money to let any harm come to their companies. The "Dick Cheney's" of the US government will protect their respective "Halliburtons". They are as safe as a nest egg!

"They are compared with Frankenstein monsters, beasts that devour as much profit as they can, persons with no moral consciousness and no soul."
Again Terence, you seem to ignore the issues that are out there: Corporate profits are at a record high. Wages are growing at the slowest pace in a decade. Do you actually talk to anyone during your typical day who does not work on Wall Street or Bay Street? Do you take the time to find out the WHOLE story before you shoot your mouth off? How about this blurb: Revenues jumped 125.6 percent. Thousands laid off, rehiring is unlikely.

"There's no space here to itemize the numerous misrepresentations and distortions. There range from small infractions to giant fibs."
This is a real good one. Your editorial is nearly a full page in size, yet you don't have the space to prove that the film is almost all lies? All you do is quote sections of the movie, say they are lies or don't give much comment at all about it and then move on to "critiquing" some other scene. You don't offer any evidence to support your disagreements.
Your only comment about the main theme of the movie which draws similarities between the "corporation" and a World Health Organization's definition of a psychopath is: "isn't that funneee!" I guess you are not willing to admit agreeing with the comparison. Is it because deep down you may actually own a very small piece of conscience? Nah, I didn't think so.

"....the usual slander over Agent Orange and long segments with Samuel S. Epstein, a notorious chemical scaremonger who hasn't seen a chemical that didn't cause cancer. And all chemicals, of course, are corporate creations."
Have you ever opened a book about biology? How things work in the natural world around us? How sensitive micro-organisms are? How dependent organisms are on every other organism on the planet? I doubt you have even taken a stroll away from your concrete jungles of Toronto or the sterile world of the suburban Toronto area. Why not get down on your hands and knees sometime during the spring and summer and REALLY look at the infinitely small world around you. Aren't you curious about how things survive and work so perfectly together?
Wouldn't it be nice to walk along the beaches in Toronto and not have to worry about staying out of the polluted water? Or look out over the city and not see choking clouds of smog on a summers afternoon?

Do you have children Mr. Corcoran? If you do, don't you worry about their health and well-being in the future, as well as your grandchildren and their grandchildren?
If you don't have kids, that's probably a good thing the way I look at it. I would feel very sorry for them.

After your near full-page rant was finished, I noticed you had nothing to say about the child labour issue that occupied a significant portion of the film. I guess all your other shallow rants had priority over the welfare of the poverty stricken children in this world. That's very sad and speaks volumes over what you actually did say.

To read his review in Canada's Financial Post newspaper, click HERE.
hhhhhmmmmm......it seems that to view the site you have to subscribe and give money to the greedy advocates of big business. But of course! What else would you expect from such a group? Almost all other news outlets allow free access. What a concept!

Why don't we read other articles from/about the mind of this great writer and thinker :

- Try this one!
- Or how about this one!

A Symbolic and Significant Journey Of Peace

2004-01-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

I heard about an interesting "land and sea" expedition on CBC Radio this evening. It is a group of men and women who are both Israeli and Palestinian (four Israelis and four Palestinians) who decided to take a symbolic journey to Antarctica to scale an unclimbed mountain. Once they reached the summit, they would name that mountain. Their expedition is called : 'Breaking the Ice'.

Their website describes their journey as follows:

"This journey combines the spirit of adventure with a quest for understanding. It will force people separated by deep political and religious differences to cooperate in pursuit of a shared goal.

In order to succeed - and survive - these erstwhile enemies will have to work together as a team, sharing hardships and challenges that none of them could surmount as individuals. As they head toward their destination, they will confront both physical and mental obstacles. In order to get over those obstacles they will have to find the way to work as a team."

They have a fantastic photo gallery. You can reach it HERE.

You can read their online diary HERE.

It's Troubling To See Racism Flourishing Today

2004-01-18T23:21:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting article tonight in the Sunday Herald (England) about racism. A few notable lines stuck out:

"This generalising and stereotypical mode of describing the Other – be it the Irish, the Muslims or the Arabs – is dangerous, because it feeds on ignorance, taps into prejudice and, most importantly, undermines the pursuit of real knowledge for a constituency of readers who might be better served by being challenged, instead of having their world views apparently sealed with indiscriminate approval by a public figure.

"....freedom of speech carries the responsibility not to promote lies, bigotry and violence."

"Observing these responsibilities and limitations is not censorship in the negative sense, but an acceptance of norms that make a society civilised. In spite of some of its excesses, political correctness is essentially about fairness and equality . Speech is a form of action, and language can be a loaded weapon. A freedom of speech that is totally unaware of its consequences is a recipe for disorder and, in its extreme manifestation, could lead to anarchy and political unrest."

"A form of overt Arabophobia seems to be gaining acceptability since September 11, the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq . Social research may in fact reveal that a nascent anti-Semitism Mark II is forming below the choppy surface of our socio-political lives."

"Consider the following statement posted on a website (for which Kilroy cannot be held responsible): “Robert Kilroy-Silk has spoken the truth, and the truth hurts ... Palestinians deserve the Nobel Prize for medicine – they have created a genetic miracle. Imagine turning a whole people into suicide bombers, thieves, rapists, liars and lynchers ...” "

"The site is full of similar offensive material."

"Robust debate needn’t descend into gratuitous insults, veiled or open racism which one group or nation hurls at another. Verbal duels can still be conducted within the norms of civilised practice, without losing much of their piercing effect. Relations between the Arab world and Western countries are currently at their lowest ebb, politically and culturally. What the world needs now is discursive bridges that do not compromise the integrity of what we firmly believe. We need verbal mines like we need holes in our heads."

I am definately in agreement of what the author is saying. In this day and age, racism has no place, especially after what history has taught us.
I too come across websites/blogs/boards that are filled with hate towards Arabs and specifically Palestinians. I come across disturbing references to them as "Paleo-stinians", along with other types of names. I was going to link to that discussion board, but after much thought, I've decided agianst it. I will say though that it has to do with "oddly coloured footballs" (the people who have seen this site will know what I am talking about).

I sometimes really hate the human race. I love wildlife and nature and I most definitely prefer the company of animals more than I do most people. It will take a lot of change to convince me otherwise!

Are We Starting To See The End Of The Road?

2004-01-18T22:34:00.000-05:00

I would like to think that the American people are beginning to see through the craziness that has overtaken the Republican Party. Bush has been dropping in the polls in the last month (I think I read where he had a 9% lead to one that is now near neck-and-neck....I can't relocate the link though, sorry) and that to me signals the coming demise of a dark chapter in the history of the USA.
Listed below are a few more tantalizing hints that the end is coming for George. Lets hope that the election this year brings about swift change.

Is Bush Doomed by the Neocons? Fear must be coursing through President Bush’s veins as he realizes the Iraqi trap into which the neocons have placed him. Bush is caught between an Iraqi civil war and a wider insurgency.
The Shi’ites and the Turks are forming an alliance as both have the same interest in maintaining the geographical integrity of the Iraqi state. The U.S. could come dangerously close to military conflict with a NATO ally.
All of this was perfectly clear well in advance of the ill-considered invasion. If Bush wasn’t smart enough to see it, why didn’t his national security adviser or his secretary of state see it? How did a handful of neocon ideologues hijack U.S. foreign policy?
Bush, desperate to be extricated before doom strikes him, is experiencing a reality totally different from the chest-thumping of neocon megalomaniacs such as Charles Krauthammer, who declared the U.S. so powerful as to be able to “reshape, indeed remake, reality on its own.”
Bush now knows that he lacks the power to deal with the reality of Iraq. Indeed, Bush cannot even deal with his own appointees.

Conservative groups break with Republican leadership. National leaders of six conservative organizations yesterday broke with the Republican majorities in the House and Senate, accusing them of spending like "drunken sailors," and had some strong words for President Bush as well.
"The Republican Congress is spending at twice the rate as under Bill Clinton, and President Bush has yet to issue a single veto," Paul M. Weyrich, national chairman of Coalitions for America, said at a news briefing with the other five leaders. "I complained about profligate spending during the Clinton years but never thought I'd have to do so with a Republican in the White House and Republicans controlling the Congress."

The Case for Impeachment: High Crimes And Misdemeanors. The President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. -United States Constitution, Article II, Section 4

The most valuable information offered regarding impeachment, is the laundry list provided citing the “general categories of impeachable conduct that developed in the four hundred years of use in Great Britain:”

Corruption
Betrayal of trust
Abuse of Official Power
Neglect of Duty
Encroachment on Parliament’s prerogatives
Misapplication of funds

Looking at these basics, the case for impeachment against President George W. Bush becomes immediately clear. A betrayal of trust screams for recognition as the most impeachable offense of the Bush administration.
Lying to the American people while delivering the constitutionally mandated [Article II, Section 3] State of the Union equates to lying while under oath in a court case. Bush tricked us into an unnecessary war, a war that is killing and maiming members of our military. The “yellowcake” fraud was just that, and Bush was warned by the CIA not to use that in his SOTU speech. Even if Bush made an honest mistake here, and that’s a real difficult assumption to make, he did so with an obvious reckless disregard whether or not it was true.
The non-existent weapons of mass destruction, the ability on the part of Saddam to readily access them in 45 minutes for the defense of his nation, are now all established as bald-faced lies. And Secretary of State Colin Powel’s promise to produce a white paper proving al Qaeda’s involvement in 9-11 never materialized either.
Bush’s proven lying, especially during the State of the Union, his cover-ups, and refusal to provide important information on 9-11 to the people and its Congress, constitute a betrayal of trust, encroachment of Congressional prerogatives and abuse of power. His beforehand knowledge of an imminent terrorist attack on 9-11, as well as his failure to do anything to either mitigate or prevent the terrorism, constitutes a neglect of duty.

To Those Who Think That US Media Is Not Biased:

2004-01-18T21:49:00.000-05:00

Many American news media personnel donate to political parties. Even when it is against company policy to do so. If they have the courage to defy their own company rules, who's to say that they don't influence stories to fit their own personal leanings.

More than 100 journalists and executives at major media companies, from NBC's top executive to a Fox News anchor to reporters or editors for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, CBS and ABC, have made political contributions in recent years.

- Christopher Schroeder, a Washington Post Co. vice president who stepped down in January as chief executive of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, gave $1,000 to Bush's presidential campaign in 1999.

- Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.).

- Fox anchor Neil Cavuto, the network's managing editor for business, gave $1,000 to a fundraising dinner for President Bush in 2002.

- A Fox producer for Oliver North, Griffin Jenkins, gave $2,000 to the Bush-Cheney re-election committee.

- Melanie Kirkpatrick, associate editor of the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, donated $20,000 to the Republican National Committee and $1,000 to Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.

- On the corporate side, former Times Mirror general counsel William Niese put more than $10,000 in Republican Party coffers.

The people who should be ensuring that these things don't happen are just not putting their foot down. Why not? The responses to inquiries are as follows:

- Asked about his staff making political donations now, the Wall Street Journal's editorial page editor Gigot said: "I'd advise against it."

- "I wish he hadn't," said Fox News Vice President John Moody, who responded by circulating a policy Friday that discourages such contributions. "I hope our people will follow the advice I've given to them voluntarily. The potential perception is that they favor one candidate over the other." But he said he wouldn't ban the practice.

Such donations raise difficult questions: Do employees of news organizations give up certain civic rights? Or, in an age when polls show growing public perceptions of media bias, should the appearance of siding with a candidate or party be avoided at all costs?

These people are in the position of delivering the news to people and it MUST be unbiased at all times. If they are donating to political parties, then their reputation of not showing bias is ruined forever. It should be avoided at all costs!

Recent Israeli "Berlin" Wall Issues

2004-01-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

Israel has pressed the White House to reword their human rights report. It is crucial that the Americans not back down on comments and tread lightly about the wall as their report is to be released in March, the same time the International Court of Justice is expected to review the issue of the wall and it's legalities.

"This is a very serious issue with dire potential implications," said a pro-Israel Washington activist. "And our sense is that administration officials are not quite focused on it."
Aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon are worried that a negative citation in the report will weaken Israel's case at the Hague, according to Israeli diplomats and pro-Israel activists in Washington—who also are increasingly concerned that any mention will be used as ammunition against Jerusalem in front of the court.

The human tragedies continue. Each day, new stories of oppression and hardship surface from Palestine. As the date of the review by the Hague approaches, we must ensure that the personal stories of the Palestinians who are suffering needlessly, be given more spotlight in the media.

According to a study by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is based in East Jerusalem, the wall in this area will disrupt not only the mobility of the Palestinians, but also their access to education and health services, and sources of livelihood - all basic, existential needs that the Fourth Geneva Convention is intended to protect and ensure. The opposition of OCHA to the fence is not all-inclusive; it is based on the route of the fence and its infringement of these basic human rights.

Azzariyeh, once a favored shopping area for Jerusalem's Jews, becomes a ghost town. The gates of the shops are slammed shut, people disappear into their homes. From the area next to the high wall, Border Policemen in a Jeep can be seen shooing pedestrians from the bottom of the Mount of Olives toward Azzariyeh. One of them was a young mother who was holding an infant newly born at Makassed Hospital on the Mount of Olives; another was an elderly woman who was returning home from an examination after open-heart surgery. She could barely trudge through the muddy ground, and was assisted by men who saw her plight.
The residents of Azzariyeh will be cut off not only from their natural attachment to Jerusalem, but also from the hospital that serves them. "Maybe we will die," a women from Azzariyeh says with bizarre merriment as she walks home from a visit to her brother, who has undergone a serious operation at Makassed.

Sawahra is an integral part of the bloc of villages that includes Azzariyeh and Abu Dis, meaning the "territories," but it is also an integral part of Sawahra, which is in Jerusalem, meaning Israel. Now the wall, which is already under construction here, will divide the two parts of Sawahra, and the entire bloc that will remain in the territories is supposed to shift its urban affinity from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. It sounds simple, but it involves the uprooting of a whole fabric of life. For example, instead of being able to walk four kilometers to Makassed Hospital, those on the West Bank side will have to make a trip of 18 kilometers along a winding trail that is known in Arabic as the "Valley of Fire."

"The fence around Jerusalem in the east is not separating Israelis from Palestinians, but is separating 200,000 Palestinians, who will remain in Israel, from 82,500 Palestinians outside the fence," was how Colonel (ret.) Shaul Arieli, who was involved in the Geneva Accord, summed up the situation in the symposium held at the Van Leer Institute. "The political consideration overcame the security consideration."

The situation was summed up less neatly by Ayoub Saadi Abu Saad, a 25-year-old construction worker, who arrived breathing heavily after a panicky run. In the morning, when he crossed the open field between Azzariyeh and Jerusalem on his way to work, as he does every morning, he ran into Border Policeman, who told him, "Palestinian, go to Palestine." So he ran. In a few days even that route will be impossible. "They are closing us in like birds in a cage," he says. "Now all they have to do is cover it with a net and we won't be able to fly, either." Then he bursts out laughing, pleased with his metaphor - though a lot less pleased with the situation.

Crack down on soldiers questioning occupation. Two weeks ago, 51-year-old Lieutenant-Colonel Eitan Ronel did what no Israeli officer is believed to have done before. A veteran of the Yom Kippur and Lebanon wars, Mr Ronel resigned his rank in the army reserve to protest at what he considers the army's "immoral conduct" in the occupied territories.

In a bitter open letter to chief of staff General Moshe Yaalon, Mr Ronel said his decision was sparked by a late December incident in which troops used live bullets against Israeli left-wing protesters attempting to cut through the controversial West Bank "separation fence", wounding one.

"A country in which the army disperses demonstrations of its citizens with live gunfire is not a democratic country," Mr Ronel wrote. " . . . I saw this deterioration, stage after stage: the blind eye that was turned to the abuse of detainees in violation of the army's orders; the blind eye that was turned to soldiers' gunfire on unarmed Palestinian civilians; the blind eye that was turned to the settlers' unlawful behaviour towards Palestinian civilians; the oppression of the population; the roadblocks; the curfew; the closure; the blind eye the army turned towards the humiliation and abuse . . ."

Irish Foreign Minister Condemns Israel Security Barrier. The right people in the right places are beginning to see what a terror this wall is to the people of Palestine. I hope he doesn't relent when it comes to this issue.

Irish foreign minister Brian Cowen has criticised the security barrier that Israel is building in the West Bank. His remarks during a visit to the country yesterday were seen as serving notice that the new leadership of the European Union was likely to put more pressure on the Israeli government than its predecessor.
Mr Cowen’s remarks came only weeks before the International Court of Justice in the Hague is to examine the barrier’s legality at the request of the Palestinians.
He said the EU had not taken a position on the barrier case but emphasised it was unhappy that sections of the partially completed complex of fences, ditches and razor wire slice deep into the West Bank.
“From the Palestinian perspective, the barrier understandably appears to be an attempt to redraw the 1967 frontiers,” he said.

Israel Considers Image Change for Fence. I hope that the officials at the Hague will see through this sickening charade when it comes time to determine the legality of this cruel wall.

Israel is considering a name change for its massive complex of walls, fences and watch towers in the West Bank to improve its international image - the ``Terror Prevention Fence.''
The new title for what is now called the "security fence'' is part of an intensifying public relations battle as officials on both sides bring in high-powered legal and publicity advisers ahead of a Feb. 23 world court hearing on the wall's legality.
Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor who has defended O.J. Simpson and other high-profile clients, has offered to help the Israeli campaign, officials said.
Michael Tarazi, an American-born legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization, dismissed the proposed name change as a poor attempt to dress up hardships imposed on Palestinians by the wall. The barrier separates some Palestinians from schools, medical clinics, jobs and farms.
"Regardless of what you call it, the effect is still the same: to take the maximum amount of Palestinian land,'' he said.
The Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported the government would spend $1 million in legal fees and was hiring three of the world's top public relations firms.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Thursday said Israel was upset by the involvement of the world court, which he said was hurting chances for restarting peace talks.
"We don't think that this issue should be discussed there,'' he said.

Of course you wouldn't want the issue to be discussed there. You would be at a disadvantage because you wouldn't be able to use your strong-arm tactics. You wouldn't be able to point a gun at someone and tell them what to do!

I Have A New Found Respect For Senator Edward Kennedy

2004-01-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) Speech on Iraq Policy
Video broadcast on C-Span: 01/14/04

Mr. Kennedy should be congratulated for his courage and speaking out against the Bush administration.

Strangely enough (but not surprising), the link for the video clip on the C-span website has been disabled.

Thanks goes to the Information Clearing House for providing a transcript of this great speech.

Here is a sampling of the points that stood out when I read it:

"By far the most extreme and most dire example of this Administration's reckless pursuit of its single-minded ideology is in foreign policy. In its arrogant disrespect for the United Nations and for other peoples in other lands, this Administration and this Congress have squandered the immense goodwill that other nations extended to our country after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. And in the process, they made America a lesser and a less respected land. "

"President Bush (senior)) and his National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft explained the reason for that decision in their 1997 book, A World Transformed. They wrote the following: "Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream. . .and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. . . We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, there was no viable exit strategy we could see, violating another of our principles. . . Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land." Those words are eerily descriptive of our current situation in Iraq."

"But there was resistance to military intervention by those who felt that the existing sanctions on Iraq should be strengthened. Saddam had been contained and his military capabilities had been degraded by the Gulf War and years of U.N. sanctions and inspections. At a press conference a month after the inauguration, Secretary of State Colin Powell said: "We have kept him contained, kept him in his box." The next day, Secretary Powell very clearly stated that Saddam "has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction..."

"Then, on September 11th, 2001, terrorists attacked us and everything changed. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld immediately began to link Saddam Hussein to Al Qaeda and the attacks. According to notes taken by an aide to Rumsfeld on September 11th, the very day of the attacks, the Secretary ordered the military to prepare a response to the attacks. The notes quote Rumsfeld as saying that he wanted the best information fast, to judge whether the information was good enough to hit Saddam and not just Osama bin Laden. "Go massive," the notes quote him as saying. "Sweep it all up. Things related and not."

"The advocates of war in Iraq desperately sought to make the case that Saddam was linked to 9/11 and Al Qaeda, and that he was on the verge of acquiring a nuclear capability. They created an Office of Special Projects in the Pentagon to analyze the intelligence for war. They bypassed the traditional screening process and put pressure on intelligence officers to produce the desired intelligence and analysis."

"Richard Haass, Director of Policy Planning at the Department State during this period, said recently that "the agenda was not whether Iraq, but how." Haass said the actual decision to go to war had been made in July 2002. He had questioned the wisdom of war with Iraq at that time, but National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice told him, "Essentially...that decision's been made. Don't waste your breath."

"The gross abuse of intelligence was on full display in the President's State of Union address last January, when he spoke the now infamous 16 words-"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." The President did not say that U.S. intelligence agencies agreed with this assessment. He simply and deviously said, "the British government has learned."

"As we all now know, that allegation was false. It had already been debunked a year earlier by the U.S. intelligence community. Yet it was included in the President's State of the Union Address. Has any other State of the Union Address ever been so disgraced by such blatant falsehood?"

"On a recent visit to Iraq, the writer, Lucian Truscott, a 1969 graduate of West Point, spoke with an Army colonel in Baghdad. In an op-ed article in the New York Times last month, he wrote that Army officers spoke of feeling that "every order they receive is delivered with next November's election in mind, so there is little doubt at and near the top about who is really being used for what over here."

"Our troubles in foreign policy today are as clear as they are self-made. America cannot force its vision of democracy on the Iraqi people on our terms and on our election timetable."

"Eleven times in the two years since 9/11, al-Qaeda attacked Americans in other parts of the world and other innocent civilians. War with Iraq has given al-Qaeda a new recruiting program for terrorists. For each new group of terrorist recruits, the pool is growing of others ready to support them and encourage them."

"we are reaping the poison fruit of our misguided and arrogant foreign policy. The Administration capitalized on the fear created by 9/11 and put a spin on the intelligence and a spin on the truth to justify a war that could well become one of the worst blunders in more than two centuries of American foreign policy. We did not have to go to war. Alternatives were working. War must be a last resort. And this war never should have happened."

"The Administration is breathtakingly arrogant. Its leaders are convinced they know what is in America's interest, but they refuse to debate it honestly. After repeatedly linking Saddam Hussein to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden in his justification for war, the President now admits there was no such link. Paul Wolfowitz admitted in an interview that the Administration settled for "bureaucratic reasons" on weapons of mass destruction because it was "the one reason everyone could agree on."

"The Administration is vindictive and mean-spirited. When Ambassador Joseph Wilson publicly challenged the Administration for wrongly claiming that Iraq had purchased uranium from Niger for its nuclear weapons program, the Administration retaliated against his wife, potentially endangering her life and her career."

"President Bush said it all when a television reporter asked him whether Saddam actually had weapons of mass destruction, or whether there was only the possibility that he might acquire them. President Bush answered, "So what's the difference?" The difference, Mr. President, is whether you go to war or not."

"To remain silent when we feel so strongly would be irresponsible. It would betray the fundamental ideals for which our troops are sacrificing their lives on battlefields half a world away. No President who does that to this land we love deserves to be re-elected."

This has to go down as one of the great American political speeches. This is the kind of speech that (hopefully) could turn the tide of American opinion. I hope that more people talk about it, but I'm sure it won't get too much publicity in the mainstream media. It would be a dark day in human history if the Bush administration gets re-elected this year.

American citizens and people in other countries must speak up loudly NOW and keep speaking until this man (and more importantly the other men and women who are really running the show behind the scenes) has been removed from power.

I've never been one to speak out so strongly on issues, but Bush, with his actions has drawn it out of me and I feel better for doing so. The internet is a powerful tool and must be used to it's full potential: to give the voices back to the people in deciding the future course of their country.

You can view the complete transcript HERE.

Fun With Faces!

2004-01-14T22:54:00.000-05:00

Vent your frustrations with the people you love! There are only 4 pictures on the site at the moment (Blair, Saddam, George and Don), but let me know if you have any other good ones so I can add them too.

I have hours of fun with this!

HERE WE GO!

(let me know if the pics are too big....I have my srceen size set to large, so I don't know what they are like on other people's screens.)

THE CORPORATION - A movie we must all see.

2004-01-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

THE CORPORATION engages us in a darkly amusing account of the institution’s birth as a legal “person” whose prime directive is to produce ever-increasing profit for it’s shareholders regardless of the cost to anyone, or anything else. This pathological nature wasn’t always written in stone. 150 years ago a corporation was merely an organized way of doing business. Today it is is a global power.

Considering the odd legal fiction that deems a corporation a “person” in the eyes of the law, the feature documentary employees a checklist, based on actual diagnostic criteria of the World Health Organization and DSM IV, the standard tool of psychiatrists and psychologists. What emerges is a disturbing diagnosis.

To continue reading the synopsis of the movie, click HERE.

The theatrical trailer is available HERE.

Official Website

Additional info site #1

Additional info site #2

Reviews:

"The next Bowling for Columbine." -- Globe and Mail

"A provocative, entertaining, and at times chilling documentary." --IndieWIRE

"If it leaves you unmoved, pass on calling the doctor: Go straight to the morgue, because you are already dead." -- Montreal Gazette

"A brilliantly argued essay which takes us on a scintillating intellectual journey into the heart of global capitalism"
-- IDFA, International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam

Scary New World

2004-01-12T20:06:00.000-05:00

Critics say ruling threatens free speech: Bush protester’s conviction sends message that federal government can quash protests.

Scared new world: The security forces are being given dramatic new powers to fight terrorism'. The Government is testing biometric ID cards and building a huge database that will reveal our lives at the touch of a button.

Big Brother Britain, 2004: Four million CCTV cameras watch public. UK has the highest level of surveillance.

In-class camera plan billed as teacher aid raises privacy fears. Will Big Brother take a seat in the classroom of a new middle school?

Every day, many Americans commit crimes of which they are unaware. Many of the crimes with which Americans are charged are absurd. A country that goes out of its way to imprison the innocent has no business preaching democracy to the world.

Neo-Cons and the greatest con of all. These latest security measures have merely confirmed the suspicion of the US’ detractors that the country is making a slide towards authoritarianism, with its government showing decidedly fascistic proclivities.

The Next Saddam Hussein?

2004-01-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

It is amazing to me that the American government just does not seem to learn from their mistakes. You would think that their experiences with Saddam in Iraq would make them think twice about getting into bed with dangerous governments and dictators.

The Bush administration has given Uzbekistan $500 million in aid in 2002.

The U.S. State Department web site states "Uzbekistan is not a democracy and does not have a free press. Many opponents of the government have fled, and others have been arrested." and "The police force and the intelligence service use torture as a routine investigation technique."

President Karimov's security force boils people alive! $79 million of the aid package went to that very security force!

I know nothing about Uzbekistan, but I am sure that they have a considerable amount of natural resources within their borders (and most likely it's oil). The American government can't be as stupid and blind as they appear. This money is likely a way to get them in the door as they have with many other regimes. Bush and his buddies know exactly what they are doing and innocent lives mean nothing to them.

I'm also getting really sick of the Bush administration tossing out comments about their being Christians, how God is with them, and so on. I'm not religious in any way, but the God I hear about from others who truly are good people and are not hypocrites when it comes to their religion, is one who would not have anything to do with these murderous scoundrels who reside in the White House and in the Pentagon. If there is any such thing as a hell, I'm sure there is a presidential suite wating for Georgie when he's finished up here.

To view the website assisting in bringing this Uzbek issue to a wider audience, click here. I stongly warn you that the images on this site are horribly graphic and only mature audiences should view them.

Update: A comment was left about how I should read an article from the Washington Post stating that the US was in fact pressuring the Uzbeks in regards to their human rights issues. From that article I see some pressuring by the Americans, but not nearly enough. One statement in particular stood out as proof that the US government doesn't care.

"In Uzbekistan's case, money will continue to flow to ensure the security of weapons materials. President Bush waived the human rights certification requirement on the grounds that the U.S. national interest would be best served by continuing to work with Uzbekistan, the primary provider of uranium to the Soviet government."

To me, that shows that in George Bush's eyes, human rights comes secondary to military issues.

And that troubles me.

Click HERE to read the article.

An Online Diary From Bam, Iran

2004-01-10T23:08:00.000-05:00

Click here for an online diary for Bam, Iran. It is the city that was destroyed by eathquakes in December. Their description of their blog reads as follows:

"A diary of those working with the Amar Foundation which is bringing humanitarian aid to the people of the South Eastern Iranian town of Bam.The AMAR International Charitable Foundation was set up to provide emergency aid for refugees in southern Iran and the Iraqi marshlands in response to the acute humanitarian crisis.AMAR has been the only international non-governmental organisation operating continuous, large scale programmes in the region."

Our Sovereignty Will Be Forever Compromised!

2004-01-08T12:24:00.000-05:00

YANKS WILL SEE YOUR TAX DATA

By TOM GODFREY, TORONTO SUN

U.S. border agents will soon have access to the immigration and tax records of Canadian residents for use in nabbing terrorists before they cross the American border. U.S. officials said an impending merger of Canadian and U.S. immigration and customs databases will also help them intercept illegal aliens, criminals and fugitives.

Officials said the measure will give U.S. front-line agents the power to check Canadian residents -- citizens, immigrants, refugees or visitors -- driving into the U.S. at land crossings.

They said U.S. officers will have access to Revenue Canada files, which contain tax information on Canadians, including their work records, property owned and investments.

That information may lead to unemployed people being refused entry into the U.S., officers said.

The merging of databases is one of 32 points in a smart border action plan that has been in the works since 2002.

Instead of Complaining of the Realities, Find the Root of the Problem!

2003-12-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

Today I wrote a letter to the Toronto Star replying to a letter that was printed in todays paper. It's amazing how ignorant and/or uninformed people can be about many issues. I guess the mass media is mostly to blame, as the propaganda is forever being churned out. The top letter is the letter I took exception to, the second letter is my response and the bottom one is a response from a Canadian Muslim.

Forgetting the Realities of 9/11

Opinion, Dec. 28.

Haroon Siddiqui demonizes George Bush as often unapologetically racist, saying he is anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and against Islamic discourse. Siddiqui seems to have forgotten that 9/11 was launched by Islamists and that most of the Islamic world has been trained to hate America, Israel and Jews.
The Osama bin Ladens of the world are determined to create worldwide Muslim-ruled sharia law. The Palestinians are determined to destroy Israel. Neither of these is acceptable to Bush or Israel's Ariel Sharon.

Arnold Frischman, Toronto

Forgetting the Roots of 9/11

Re: Forgetting the realities of 9/11
Opinion, Dec.31, 2003

Arnold Frischman argues that “9/11 was launched by Islamists and most of the Islamic world has been trained to hate America, Israel and Jews.” He also goes on to say “The Palestinians are determined to destroy Israel.” This was in response to Haroon Siddiqui’s previous letter stating that “Bush is author of dark chapter for America.”
Does he not know where this problem stems from? Or does he choose to ignore it?
I do not approve of terrorist acts by the Palestinians, but let’s look at their point of view. They have areas that are surrounded by “security” walls and have entrance points that are controlled by armed Israeli guards. Many times they are not allowed to leave, are subjected to military incursions that violate their sovereignty from land and air, and are having their economy strangled by the Israeli government. Poverty is running rampant. As horrible as it may be, the only way in the minds of young Palestinians to fight back, is to lash out violently because they feel like they are backed into a corner and are desperate.
The closest comparison to this crime against humanity, in my mind, was the deplorable conditions of the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland in the 1940’s during World War Two which was thrust on the Jews by Nazi Germany. You would think that the Sharon government would have learned from past injustices like that.
The Palestinians feel alone in the world, especially when the Bush government supports Israel blindly. Take for example the recent news that the Israeli government may have 200-400 nuclear warheads in their possession. Didn’t the Americans put a trade embargo on Pakistan before the war because they had a few warheads? Yet Bush still backs up Israel on most issues dealing with the Middle East. Islamic extremists are trained to hate Americans and Jews because the US and Israeli governments make it easy for others to hate them.
Many Americans and Jews in Israel are beginning to see through the curtain of propaganda that is being hung in front of their eyes and hopefully future elections will reflect this growing view.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forgetting the realities of 9/11

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter, Dec. 31.

In his letter, Arnold Frischman writes: "... most of the Islamic world has been trained to hate America, Israel and Jews." I find this comment deeply alarming and extremely disappointing. As a Muslim, it is rather shocking to see such unabashed stereotyping and generalizations being made about one-fifth of humanity. Contrary to what was written, Muslims are not brought up to hate Jews or the Jewish faith. The oppression of the Palestinian people is a political conflict. There are many Jewish groups that advocate Palestinian rights.

This proliferation of the "us versus them" mentality is destructive and has no place in a diverse place such as Canada.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atif Sayed, Mississauga

The People Of Iran Need Our Help

2003-12-30T23:44:00.002-05:00

The earthquake a few days ago claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people with many more left homeless and in dire need of food, water, shelter, and clothing.

Please help with what you can. The best way to ensure that donations go straight to the people, is to donate to the following groups. Even just a small donation can go a long way to help save a child or a family. I've never donated to organizations very much before, but I felt I had to help in some way.

I donated to Mercy Corps. They have a 5 person team there to oversee the direct purchasing of blankets and food that will go directly to the people in need and will not go through any government channels.

Over 92% of their resources go directly to humanitarian programs.

Every dollar you give helps them secure $12.71 in donated food and other supplies. My donation doesn't sound like much, but $50 US is actually worth $635 US to them (see bottom of Mercy Corps. donation webpage).

Please help with what you can.

Does This Wall Look Temporary To You?

2003-12-30T22:42:00.000-05:00

U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman recently spoke to an Arab-American group in Dearborn, Michigan.

When asked about the security wall Israel is building, Lieberman began to say that it was a response to terrorism, but he was interrupted by an audience member, Greta Berlin. Berlin said that the wall has nothing to do with security, has to do with stealing resources from the Palestinians, and should come down.

In response, Lieberman said the best way to bring the wall down is to get a Palestinian leadership that will stop the terrorism. Lieberman said the wall is temporary and can come down as soon as there is security. The senator said he regretted that Palestinian land had been taken in building the wall.

To read more on Lieberman's statements, click here.

What Happened to Justice?

2003-12-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

On March 16, Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American peace activist, was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer. She was killed, trying to protect the home of a Palestinian doctor, his wife and three children. Less than one month later, Tom Hurndall, a young photographer, was shot in the head by the Israeli army in Rafah. He currently lies in a vegetative state at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in Putney after suffering severe brain damage from which he is not expected to recover. On May 2, James Miller, an award-winning British TV cameraman, who was making a documentary about Palestinian children in Rafah, was shot dead by the Israeli army.

What didn't happen in 2003 is that no Israeli soldier or officer has been charged with misconduct. The Israeli government has called Rachel Corrie's death an accident but has refused to release the military report clearing the bulldozer operator. Israel has also denied that its military shot Tom Hurndall with intent. Only in October, the Israeli military Attorney General, Menachem Finkelstein, agreed to open a military investigation into Tom's shooting.

The family of James Miller has been told that the report into his death has been delayed yet again. After Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced that the bullet which killed James Miller was fired by an Israeli soldier, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon assured Straw that a full and transparent investigation would be carried out. However, to date no report has been completed.

To view the rest of this article by Arjan El Fassed, click here.

The People Of Iran Need Our Help

2003-12-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

The earthquake a few days ago claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people with many more left homeless and in dire need of food, water, shelter, and clothing.

Please help with what you can. The best way to ensure that donations go straight to the people, is to donate to the following groups. Even just a small donation can go a long way to help save a child or a family. I've never donated to organizations very much before, but I felt I had to help in some way.

I donated to Mercy Corps. They have a 5 person team there to oversee the direct purchasing of blankets and food that will go directly to the people in need and will not go through any government channels.

Over 92% of their resources go directly to humanitarian programs.

Every dollar you give helps them secure $12.71 in donated food and other supplies. My donation doesn't sound like much, but $50 US is actually worth $635 US to them. Please help with what you can!

Mercy Corps.

Relief International

An ugly comparison, but I see no difference.

2003-12-28T00:55:00.002-05:00

Palestinians (Ramallah, 2002)

Jews during Nazi occupation (1940's)

2003-12-27T23:47:00.000-05:00

The Facts Beyond The Propaganda:

You've heard the stories on the news a thousand times before: An Israeli military spokesman's statement that the soldiers had warned the Palestinian protesters, that they were trying to evacuate them peacefully, that they had used tear gas first, and that the protesters were violent, and that the action was a riot. Judegement is passed on the trouble-making Arabs and life returns to normal.

These are the lies that are being issued all the time and the rest of the world goes along with it, mainly because this is the only side of the story that reaches our western ears, thanks to mainstream media.

This is the statement of what had really happened at a recent demonstration:

"In the early afternoon today, in the middle of a direct, nonviolent action against the Apartheid system of walls and fences in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli citizen was shot in his leg by soldiers of the Israeli army."

The only warning before they turned their guns on the people, was a few shots in the air, shortly beforehand. The Israeli government has resorted to even shooting their own people now, when it comes to the issue of the "The Wall". Peaceful demonstrations encite violent reprisals from the Israeli army. After the incident that recently happened near the Palestinian village of Mas'Ha, the government was quick to lie about what had happened.

I find the writings of Dan Shohet (a student in Tel Aviv University) very interesting and enlightening. I know now that the stories that we are fed by our news outlets don't cover what really goes on, and it is just part of the endless propaganda that we are forced to believe day in and day out throughout our lives. We have no idea what really goes on in places like Iraq, Israel and North Korea. What really happens in Washington every day?

Here is a link to a great site where you can take part in discussions on "The Wall". Thanks to them for the above map that clearly paints a troubling picture.

2003-12-26T12:33:00.000-05:00

American Greed

It's this kind of greed and stupidity that is ruining the western world. Click here to see what I am talking about.

2003-12-26T00:51:00.001-05:00

What Is America's Ultimate Goal?

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

We have begun the 21st century with the United States Of America as the world's only superpower nation. That scares me.

Look at history: The Greeks, The Roman Empire, The Byzantine Empire, Napoleonic France. They imposed their will on many cultures and peopled suffered.

Now that the Soviet Union has been broken up, the USA rules the world militarily and economically. China is not in a position to take the place of the USSR as a balancing factor. They lack the economic might and their military, although large, is not that modern. We need two nations like the USA and USSR to keep the other in check. I didn't like the fact that there were thousands of nuclear warheads pointed at each other, but the fear was there to keep them in line.

The Americans feel the need to police the world. Unfortunately they are a lot like the real police officers in the US; they tend to shoot first and ask questions later. Look at Iraq. They have bombed them into a democracy (almost) and still have not found any evidence of "weapons of mass destruction". Didn't they tell the world that they had absolute proof of their existence? So where are they? There were better ways to go about it, and my country (Canada), was not about to get involved in a senseless war to try and achieve that. We know better. America always tries to solve it's problems with gunfire, whether it's foreign or domestic.

George Bush will not survive the next election. I would like to think that the American people are not that stupid. If they do win, this world is in for quite a wild ride.

Bush has said that they will fight for democracy around the world. I hope he doesn't mean to continue to invade soveriegn nations to impose the American ideals. They can't even control their own country with the policies they currently endorse:

- They are the richest country on the planet, yet poverty is running rampant in the US.
- They don't have a workable and fair healthcare system.
- They kill each other at an alarming rate.
- "Big Business" is widening the gaps between the economic classes.
- Their education system is in shambles.

You can't exactly call this a shining example of democracy that other countries should be lining up for. The United States isn't really a democracy anyway. George Bush wasn't even elected by the majority of the people in the US.

The American government obviously has their gun sights set on ruling the world by economic means. I supposed they learned from the mistakes of past regimes that wanted to be world dominators. Marching vast armies across a continent just won't work anymore. If you want to rule the world, you have to use much more subtle means to reach the goal that Hitler, Napoleon, and others had in mind.
They aren't trying to completely take over the world militarily just yet, but they are trying to overrun our bank accounts first, by controlling every financial market on this earth.

I hate to make a comparison with such evilness as nazi Germany, but even their helmets now look the same.

2003-12-26T00:06:00.000-05:00

An "Israeli Wall" Tragedy That Should Never Have Happened!

The Death of Newborn Twins from Deir Ballut
Latest News, PENGON/Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, December 23rd, 2003

Yesterday, Lamis Tayser Ibrahim, a resident from Deir Ballut village in Salfit district, was prevented from reaching the hospital in Nablus when experiencing premature labor; she is twenty years old with a one year old daughter and was in her seventh month of pregnancy with twins. However, the Occupation military closed off the entire village yesterday, prohibiting all movement in and out of Deir Ballut. When Lamis arrived to the village's main road to Nablus in desperate need of medical attention from bleeding and labor pains, Occupation soldiers refused to let her pass.

Lamis sat in her family's car, experiencing unbearable pain and fear for the safety of her unborn twins. Despite her consistent pleas, the soldiers prohibited her from passing and from taking shelter from the cold in a neighboring house. An ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital but the soldiers continued to deny her.

Within the time awaiting passage, Lamis began to give birth. The ambulance driver, who himself was not trained for delivery, told Lamis that her cousin would have to help her. Both baby girls were born in the car, a car still unable to pass to the hospital during critical moments of life and death.

After two treacherous hours, the Occupation soldiers "allowed" Lamis to pass in the ambulance. The timing was all too late. The first newborn child died in the ambulance near Al Luban Sharqiya, a village along the road to Nablus, while the second child died a few hours after reaching the hospital.

Click here to see the article.

2003-12-22T21:39:00.000-05:00

Wolverine: What's In A Name?

An observation: I found an interesting blurb in the Time magazine of Decmber 22nd, 2003. It reads as follows:

"Rumsfeld marveled at the elusiveness of the quarry. 'I am dumbfounded when I think about it' (referring to the hunt for Saddam), 'The chances of us using that kind of money to find somebody - to figure out how to invest some time and develop a network and produce the information that would do it - I mean, that ought to be doable'.
But it was not until 8 o'clock on Saturday night, with the launch of Operation Red Dawn, that they finally began to close in on the prize. The hunters spread out across two locations, labeled Wolverine One and Wolverine Two."

They continued to describe how they were unable to turn up anything suspicious in their initial searches. They searched a rural farmhouse, no luck. Then it happened. They stumbled across a covered hole that Saddam was hiding in. What luck!

This to me sounds a little too coincidental. What jumped out at me immediately was the codename "Wolverine".

"Feeding: The wolverine is a very powerful animal. It uses its strong jaws for killing prey. It uses its strong claws for digging into the ground to locate food. The wolverine is sometimes called a scavenger because it eats a wide variety of foods and also feeds on dead animals. It marks its trails with urine and musk. The musk is secreted from an anal gland and has a very powerful odour."

Now....this tells me that the Americans knew where he was all along and waited for the right time to get him, or they already had him and imprisoned him there to bring him out at an opportune time when he looks the way he does. This would be the perfect way to fuel the shock of his supporters appalled at the fact he "gave up" and looks like he's "tired and hopeless".

You can look at this a couple of different ways:

a) The American's are the Wolverines; the powerful animal with the strong claws for digging, jaws for killing prey, and they are digging in the ground to locate their food (Saddam) .

b) Saddam is the wolverine; the powerful animal (Saddam was powerful at one time), is called a scavenger because he eats a wide variety of foods and also feeds on dead animals.(tortures own people, Kurds, etc.), It marks its trails with urine and musk. The musk is secreted from an anal gland and has a very powerful odour (Saddam is living in a hole, is dishevelled, and no doubt doesn't smell pretty).

No matter how you analyze this (and I can't believe I actually analyzed this), I truly believe the Americans had this planned all along for propaganda reasons. Why would you choose a name like Wolverine? We all know the Americans love theatrics. Hell, they invented it!

They are no doubt poking and prodding him with sticks, drugs, electricity, more drugs, and who knows what else has been hiding deep inside the CIA/FBI/Pentagon laboratories. He will be a different man when he emerges for trial (if he even survives) and he will say whatever the Americans want him to. The not-so-secret stories of how "The terrible Yankees put me up to all this and fed me chemical weapons to use against Iran" and of the "American corporations who did business with me a long, long time ago like Dow Chemical, DuPont, and many others".

The Red Cross needs to fight their way in there to ensure this isn't happening. He needs to be handed over to an international body to be held until an "elected-by-the-people" Iraqi government can set up an unbiased court to try Saddam, so that the people of the world and especially the people of Iraq will know what the hell really went on, and who is also involved with him in these crimes against humanity. This needs to be done to expose and deal with the "regimes that align themselves and harbour terrorists and terrorism" as George Bush himself so eloquently said not so long ago.

But of course this will never happen....................

2003-12-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

The Israeli Wall is a crime against humanity. Why hasn't the world learned from the horrors of a half century ago?
People talk about the moon landing as such a great accomplishment, life from a test tube, and so on. To me, the dismantling of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, 1989 was a much more important feat. The wall in it's completed form lasted for nearly 30 years. Let's not let this new wall follow in it's footsteps.

I don't believe in guarded borders at all. As a Canadian, I enjoy living along a relatively free and unguarded border, but even this is beginning to change with the fear that is gripping the world in this new century.

It is the leadership of cowards that makes it easy to build a wall to keep the problems of the outside world out. Take George Bush for example. He wants to have all people who have bloodlines stemming from countries of "The Axis Of Evil" fingerprinted when entering the United States from Canada. What else does he have planned?
I believe that Jean Chretien was a great Prime Minister because of his foreign policy views and not bowing to the pressure of the USA. We will not judge people on the basis of race the way the Americans are. We, unlike the Americans, learned from our mistakes of the 1940's when we wrongly imprisoned Japanese Canadians in internment camps. Fear is a poison and there are many people in this world who are very sick.

The following was taken from a popular website offering travel advice:

"The Canadian Customs and Immigration staff does not employ the fingerprinting, photographing and racial profiling as does the US Customs Officers."

"Born in the Middle East: Citizens of the USA who were born in the Middle East are especially warned about crossing the border, not so much a problem travelling to Canada, but trying to get home again. Individuals born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or Yemen could attract special attention at the U.S. border."

I am beginning to think that President Chirac of France is sick in the head also, as he is planning to ban all religious clothing in the public school system. I think that promoting the wearing of such items teaches our children that we need to embrace other cultures. That to me would be the very cornerstone of gaining peace between troubled nations and cultures.

I have posted a photograph of a beautiful item. It is a piece of the Berlin Wall that I own and unlike most things, it is more beautiful when it has been smashed to pieces. You can view it here. My uncle gave it to me, as he had recieved it from a friend who obtained it. I plan to give it to my nephew when he is old enough to appreciate it.