P-87 The truth about US- Iraq War dead

FIRST THE CIA GETS OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT IRAN, NOW THE US DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS & THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF DO THE SAME OVER DEATHS IN IRAQ:

73,000 U.S. Troops Killed
1.6 Million "Disabled" By The War In Iraq!

by Peter Marshall E. Boomhower

George Walker Bush has presided over the worst defeat of the United States Military since Vietnam, and has deliberately skewed reporting of the deaths and injuries to conceal the facts.

Department of Veteran's Affairs, in conjunction with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has released the truth because they need the American People to know their military is, literally, destroyed.

They cannot release these horrific numbers via the chain of command because they are under orders to conceal the truth at all costs, so they let slip a report which now cannot be "un-slipped."

The Facts
The Department of Veterans Affairs, May 2007, Gulf War Veterans Information System reports the following:

More Gulf War Veterans Have Died Than Vietnam Veterans.
Total U.S. Military Gulf War 1 and Gulf War 3 Deaths: 73,846
Deaths amongst Deployed: 17,847
Deaths amongst Non-Deployed: 55,999
Total "Undiagnosed Illness" (UDX) claims: 14,874
Total number of disability claims filed: 1,620,906
Disability Claims amongst Deployed: 407,911
Disability Claims amongst Non-Deployed: 1,212,995
Percentage of combat troops who filed Disability Claims 36%

The Scam. And the Holocaust

WHY are government numbers of 3,777 so low? Simple - the government does not want the 73,846 dead Gulf soldiers to be compared to the 55,000 dead Vietnam soldiers, lest we all conclude Iraq = Vietnam.

HOW are government numbers so low? Simple. The government only counts soldiers who die in action! Any soldier who is shot but doesn't die before they get into a helicopter is not counted!!!

64 kg of uranium were used in the Hiroshima bomb. 1,820+ tons of radio-active nuclear waste uranium have been exploded in Iraq in the form of armour piercing rounds and bunker busters, representing the world's worst man made ecological disaster ever. The U.S. Iraq Nuclear Holocaust represents far more than 14,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. It's to be expected that the great majority of U.S. soldiers who took part in the invasion of Iraq will die of uranium poisoning over the next decades.

The nuclear waste will continue killing for BILLIONS of years, and can wipe out more than a third of life on earth.

So far, more than one million people have been slaughtered in the illegal invasion of Iraqi by the U.S. This is genocide of the highest order.

Iraqi birth defects are up 600% - the same will apply to U.S. Veterans.

Statistics and evidence published by the government and mainstream media in no way reflect the extreme gravity of the situation. Those working for the government and media must wake up and take responsibility for immediately reversing this U.S. Holocaust. Understanding who is manipulating all of us is critical for all of us.

For those of you who doubt the veracity of this story, who naively believe it can't be true because if it were true, you would have heard it from the government or from the main stream media, can see the proof yourselves directly from the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs' web site

P-86 Israel - US report on Iran may spark war

Israel: US report on Iran may spark war

By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer
Sat Dec 15, 11:35 AM ET

JERUSALEM - Israel's public security minister warned Saturday that a U.S. intelligence report that said Iran is no longer developing nuclear arms could lead to a regional war that would threaten the Jewish state.

In his remarks - Israel's harshest criticism yet of the U.S. report - Avi Dichter said the assessment also cast doubt on American intelligence in general, including information about Palestinian security forces' crackdown on militant groups. The Palestinian action is required as part of a U.S.-backed renewal of peace talks with Israel this month.

Dichter cautioned that a refusal to recognize Iran's intentions to build weapons of mass destruction could lead to armed conflict in the Middle East.

He compared the possibility of such fighting to a surprise attack on Israel in 1973 by its Arab neighbors, which came to be known in Israel for the Yom Kippur Jewish holy day on which it began.

"The American misconception concerning Iran's nuclear weapons is liable to lead to a regional Yom Kippur where Israel will be among the countries that are threatened," Dichter said in a speech in a suburb south of Tel Aviv, according to his spokesman, Mati Gil. "Something went wrong in the American blueprint for analyzing the severity of the Iranian nuclear threat."

Dichter didn't elaborate on the potential scenario but seemed to imply that a world that let its guard down regarding Iran would be more vulnerable to attack by the Islamic regime.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had disputed the U.S. intelligence assessment this month, saying that Iran continues its efforts to obtain components necessary to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran still poses a major threat to the West and the world must stop it, Olmert said.

Israel has for years been warning that Iran is working on nuclear weapons and backed the United States in its international efforts to exert pressure on Iran to stop the program. Israel considers Iran a significant threat because of its nuclear ambitions, its long-range missile program and repeated calls by its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for the disappearance of Israel.

Iran says its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes.

Israel will work to change the American intelligence agencies' view of Iran, said Dichter, a former chief of Israel's Shin Bet secret service agency.

"A misconception by the world's leading superpower is not just an internal American occurrence," Dichter said.

Any future faulty U.S. intelligence on the actions of Palestinian security forces could damage peace efforts, Dichter said.

"Those same (intelligence) arms in the U.S. are apt to make a mistake and declare that the Palestinians have fulfilled their commitments, which would carry with it very serious consequences from Israel's vantage point," Dichter said.

P-85 A new U.S. intelligence report indicates that Irans's nuclear program is peaceful.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran on Tuesday touted a new U.S. intelligence report as vindication that its nuclear program is peaceful. But it was unclear if the finding would lead to any immediate warming in U.S.-Iranian relations, including on key issues like Iraq.

Iranian officials insisted Washington should take a less hawkish stance and drop attempts to impose new sanctions in light of the report's conclusion that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in late 2003 and has shown no signs of resuming.

President Bush ruled out any change in policy. He said sanctions were still needed to force Iran to stop uranium enrichment, which he warned could be used for building atomic warheads someday. France and Britain also said pressure must be maintained on Tehran.

Even Russia, which urges continued negotiations rather than more sanctions, said Iran must open its nuclear program fully to international scrutiny and keep it under control of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, meanwhile, disputed the U.S. conclusions, saying Israeli intelligence believes Iran is still trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said that "it is vital to continue efforts to prevent Iran from attaining (nuclear) capability." Israel is believed to have its own arsenal of nuclear weapons, the only stockpile in the Mideast.

David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector and now head of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, said Israel's view meant the military option hasn't been taken off the table by the report.

Albright said Israel is looking not just at Iran's solely military efforts but at its uranium enrichment processes, which have potential military applications. "The situation can become tense if they decided their red line has been crossed," he said.

But Iran is clearly hopeful the unclassified summary of the National Intelligence Estimate, released Monday, will weaken the Western push for new sanctions over Tehran's refusal to obey a U.N. Security Council order to suspend uranium enrichment.

"The U.S. and its allies should accept nuclear rights of the Iranian nation. There is no other way, of course," President Mahmoud Ahmadeinejad said during a meeting with the Swedish ambassador, without directly mentioning the new report, according to the presidency Web site.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the U.S. will face more failure if it doesn't change its stance. "Our advice is that they correct their mistakes regarding Iran's nuclear issue," he told state television.

Mottaki's spokesman, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said the U.S. report prove Washington's warnings over the danger of the Iranian nuclear program "are baseless and unreliable."

The report, a dramatic change from past U.S. intelligence assessments that Iran was determinedly pursuing a nuclear weapon, will "certainly undercut any push to get new sanctions," said Suzanne Maloney, a foreign policy senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Russia and China, which have veto power as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council along with the U.S., Britain and France, already were arguing against a third round of sanctions against Iran.

They are likely to push harder for a focus on further negotiations with Tehran to resolve international desires that Tehran agree on ways ensure its nuclear program is not used for developing weapons.

Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, urged all sides to "enter without delay into negotiations," saying the U.S. report "should help to defuse the current crisis."

China's ambassador to the United Nations, Wang Guangya, said the U.S. report made the prospect of new U.N. sanctions less likely. "I think the council members will have to consider that, because I think we all start from the presumption that now things have changed."

Still, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the top Iranian nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, that Iran must cooperate fully with the U.N. investigation of the nuclear program.

"We expect that your programs in the nuclear sphere will be open, transparent and be conducted under control of the authoritative international organization," Putin said at the start of a meeting with Jalili in Moscow.

Anthony Cordesman, Mideast expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said there could be a window of opportunity if the West puts forward incentives for Iran, "such as investment with Europe and the U.S."

But "negotiations will probably grow harder rather than easier in the near future," he said.

That view was echoed by Maloney, who said the report could make both sides less willing to compromise.

"The U.S. doesn't want to be in a supplicant position to Iran ... and if anything the Iranian reaction has been to exult in what they describe as an American mistake," she said.

Movement on the nuclear issue could also become tangled in other disputes between the U.S. and Iran, as Washington tries to stem what it says is increasing Iranian influence in the Middle East.

Last week's U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference was widely seen as an attempt to rally Arab moderates to isolate Iran and even try to woo away Tehran's close ally Syria. Iran denounced the meeting.

U.S. officials accuse Iran of supporting Palestinian and Lebanese militants and of arming Shiite militants in Iraq who have been involved in attacks on U.S. forces.

In recent weeks, U.S. military officials said the flow of weapons from Iran to Iraqi Shiite militias appeared to have been curtailed, although the Americans were careful to say it was too early to say whether this represented a change in Tehran's policy.

Iraqi officials say the Iranians pledged to stop the weapons flow during a visit to Tehran last August by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

___

Associated Press writers Lily Hindy and Carley Petesch in New York contributed to this report.

P-84 Something is in the air, I can smell it.

It's been just over a year (Aug 2006) since the end of the Israeli - Lebanon war and the beginning of the Israeli - USA rhetoric against Iran I have an uneasy feeling that something is in the wind and when I happened across this web-site, a cold chill ran over me.

Update '07 Dec 15...seeing that the original photo of the aircraft carrier was deleted, I've added another...

The web site is..... Voltarinet.org with the following post....


The Neoconservative Agenda to Sacrifice the Fifth Fleet –
The New Pearl Harbor... by Michael Salla

The U.S. plans for an attack on Iran envision to sacrifice the Fifth Fleet in order to justify a nuclear retaliation. This is not a hypothetical scenario, but a real option being discussed within the U.S. Joint Chief of Staff cabinet. According to our sources, admiral William Fallon made clear that if such an order was given, he would refuse to follow it and would hand in his resignation along with the entire Centcom headquarter’s. So far only the Navy and Army’s superior officers’ resistance has prevented the neoconservatives and the Air Force to launch the operations.

The Bush administation has covered up and ignored dissenting Pentagon war games analysis that suggests an attack on Iran’s nuclear or military facilities will lead directly to the annihilation of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet now stationed in the Persian Gulf. Lt. General Paul Van Riper led a hypothetical Persian Gulf state in the 2002 Millennium Challenge wargames that resulted in the destruction of the Fifth Fleet. His experience and conclusions regarding the vulnerability of the Fifth Fleet to an assymetrical military conflict and the implications for a war against Iran have been ignored. Neoconservatives within the Bush administration are currently aggressively promoting a range of military actions against Iran that will culminate in it attacking the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet with sophisticated cruise anti-ship missiles. They are ignoring Van Riper’s experiences in the Millennium Challenge and how it applies to the current nuclear conflict with Iran.

Iran has sufficient quantities of cruise missiles to destroy much or all of the Fifth Fleet which is within range of Iran’s mobile missile launchers strategically located along its mountainous terrain overlooking the Persian Gulf. The Bush administration is deliberately downplaying the vulnerability of the Fifth Fleet to Iran’s advanced missile technology which has been purchased from Russia and China since the late 1990’s. The most sophisticated of Iran’s cruise missiles are the ‘Sunburn’ and ‘Yakhonts’. These are missiles against which U.S. military experts conclude modern warships have no effective defense. By deliberately provoking an Iranian retaliation to U.S. military actions, the neoconservatives will knowingly sacrifice much or all of the Fifth Fleet. This will culminate in a new Pearl Harbor that will create the right political environment for total war against Iran, and expanded military actions in the Persian Gulf region.

*****************************************************************************************

There is a lot more to this article that you can read on their site if you so choose.

I also feel that if it's not this and some how related to Iran, then it will have something to do within the USA itself that will give Bush the authority to remain in power and continue his agenda. With the US economy as it is, something BIG needs to happen to keep the old "power" wheels turning.
JR

P-83 Canada's leader to assert Arctic claim

MONTEBELLO, Quebec - Canada's prime minister is expected to assert his nation's claim to the fabled Northwest Passage through the warming, resource-rich Arctic at talks with President Bush that start Monday.

Canada claimed the passage in 1973 but competition to control the Arctic has intensified with global warming. Shrinking polar ice has raised the possibility of new shipping lanes and development of what one U.S. study suggested could be as much as 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas.

Russia sent two small submarines to plant a tiny national flag under the North Pole this month. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper went to the Arctic earlier this month and announced Canada will build a new army training center and a deep-water port in the Northwest passage.

SSDD.....Same Shit Different Day... And the shit just keeps getting deeper... and so the silent majority sits in a mental stupor, unaware that their eyes are tuning brown.... See my old blog post in 2006 Oct

JR

P-82 New Year.. times are a changing.... No more new posts

Other than for my personal Blog “Saysame,” I will not be adding any more posts to any of my “other” Blogs. The original intent and purpose of those Blogs was to present and document the unloving denials present in our society and so show how the different religions, governments, organizations, customs and traditions are all related and how the truth is distorted, manipulated and controlled by denial, omission, or in stating part truths meant to confuse and deceive. In all our history, nothing has really changed except the form of the experiences and no real healing or true understanding can take place as long as these conditions, fueled by unlovingness and old imprints, programs and beliefs are present.

What is happening globally now is merely the lull before the storm, a momentary pause in the on-going and escalating hatred and violence, creating the illusion of a possible peace, but that is only a façade. Rest assured that each side with its religion, government and its social structure and order is silently preparing for either a new offensive or defensive maneuver. Nothing has changed except, as mentioned, the “form” of the experience and now a "new" element will be brought into the conflicts to create the appearance that this is a new and different problem and issue and so the cycle continues, going around and around as it also escalates.

The coming times and Earth changes will not be easy as it will bring a total breakdown of society as we presently know it. These changes will not be affecting some other person or people in another part of the world, but will be happening on our personal doorstep where it can’t be denied unless denial is still your intent.

In the next few years everyone will be facing their denials and will be making life and death choices that will have far reaching consequences; more than just our present physical survival, but the survival of our very Spiritual essence. For Humanity to survive, we need to change within, before we can change the without. We need to let go of all our old imprints, programs and beliefs that keep us in this never ending cycle of unlovingness, suffering and death created by denial, guilt and shame that we have been struggling to change and call life. We can’t change it. IT is what it is…. until IT wants to change. What we need to do is to let it go from within us and to allow it to find it’s right place. Those that desire and choose to continue to follow IT need to be allowed to do so to also find their right place.

John

P-81 U.S. plans for Iraq shift as deaths reach 3,000

U.S. plans shift as deaths reach 3,000

BAGHDAD, Iraq - With U.S. deaths at the 3,000 mark, the U.S. military is accelerating plans to turn its main mission in Iraq from fighting insurgents to training Iraqi forces and hunting al-Qaida terrorists. Thousands more U.S. advisers would work inside of Iraqi units to improve their skills, which in most units still fall short of what is needed to bring down the country's violence.

President Bush is also considering the "surge" option — increasing temporarily the number of U.S. combat troops from its current 134,000 by 25,000 or more in hopes of securing the capital Baghdad to boost chances for political reconciliation.

But even without that boost, the role of the embedded advisers will take on new importance in the coming months as the U.S. struggles to hand over security duties to Iraq, bring down American casualties — and pave the way for an eventual withdrawal.

The new initiative is the latest and most ambitious of several attempts to improve the effectiveness of Iraqi units, which so far have fallen short of expectations.

P-80 Saddam dead...not the end.. but just the beginning of the end.....

Saddam compliant, calm in final moments

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The scene was at once macabre and riveting..... One of the most notorious dictators of the late 20th century, his hands bound behind him, was led up the stairs of the gallows by masked men in leather coats. A few seconds later, a trapdoor snapped open and — with a crash — the tyrant was dead.

Saddam may have been the first chief of state executed in the age of the Internet and the camera phone. Probably because of that, his death was graphically documented on video, and available worldwide, within hours.

This was not a Hollywood version of an execution: in video aired on Iraqi TV and several Web sites, the former strongman did not plead for his life, nor did he violently resist the executioners who slipped the rope around his neck. State television did not broadcast footage of the actual hanging.

But camera phone video, posted in full or in part on several Arabic language Web sites, picked up where the TV coverage left off. In it, Saddam was taunted in the final seconds leading up to his execution, and appeared to have smiled at his tormentors. While the sentence was carried out, he calmly recited verses from the Quran in a clear voice.

Finally, Saddam's body can be seen swinging in the dim light — his neck apparently snapped..... One of the most striking things about the grisly videos, perhaps, was how calmly and cooperatively the tyrant faced death.

***************************** says a me comment **********************************

Well many may breathe a sigh of relief that Saddam is gone and that he deserves what he got... I'm not defending him, but he alone is not the problem or the issue that Iraq and the world face... Bush and the US invaded Afghanistan as a war on terror and then Iraq on the pretence of retrieving weapons of mass destruction and then when that failed, like they knew it would, their reason for invading Iraq was on removing Saddam Hussain from power and bringing democracy to the country...


So now that Saddam is no longer in the picture and the US's attempt at bringing democracy to the region is failing along with support for their being there, the question now is, what is the US going to do? Withdrawal would mean defeat and that isn't in their agenda... I feel that this is the lull before the storm and that the USA and Israel will now shift attention to Iran. Bush wouldn't get more money and troops for his failed policies in Iraq, but he may pull it off if he can change the threat to America and its allies to oil rich Iran... After all, Oil was the reason for the invasion of Iraq in the first place and now that Iraqi oil is in American hands... it's on to the next target in global domination...

Says a me
JR

Updates:


Warnings against Saddam hanging
Maverick British MP denounces Saddam's hanging as illegal blunder
Saddam sees death as 'sacrifice'
U.S., Iran praise execution of Saddam
Iraq PM orders probe of Saddam execution
Saddam execution video draws criticism

P-79 Saddam could hang in hours:

Saddam could hang in hours: Iraqi officials

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein may be hanged within hours, senior Iraqi officials and the ousted president's defense team said on Friday...... One senior Iraqi source told Reuters key legal issues had been resolved and he could go to the gallows shortly. Another official said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was meeting key figures, including the Justice Minister, to agree the details.

But the start of a week-long Muslim holiday could delay the hanging and some senior Iraqi officials still doubt there will be a rapid execution...... The State Department denied comments from Saddam's chief defense lawyer and Iraqi state television that U.S. forces had already handed the former president over for execution...... In any case, formal custody may not be very significant since U.S. troops were likely to remain on hand to the end as Washington is concerned the process goes smoothly.

Defense lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi told Reuters Saddam had been handed to the Iraqi authorities and that attorneys had been told they could not visit their client. Earlier he said he was told to arrange to collect Saddam's personal effects -- a move another defense lawyer said indicated he could die on Saturday.

Saddam, whose appeal against a conviction for crimes against humanity was rejected this week, has long been formally in Iraqi custody but physically held by U.S. military guards.

P-78 China increases its military might .... says it faces threats

China defends military rise, says faces threats

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military modernization will focus on strengthening its navy and air force as it faces security threats from border spats, historical disputes and self-ruled Taiwan, a defense white paper released on Friday said.

But China, whose increasing defense spending and military build-up has been a source of friction with the United States, will never engage in an arms race or threaten any other nation, the policy paper said..... "The navy will gradually ... raise its marine combat and nuclear counter-attack capabilities," it said.

"The air force aims at speeding up its transition from territorial air defense to both offensive and defensive operations, and increasing its capabilities in the areas of air strike, air and missile defense, early warning and reconnaissance and strategic projection."

P-77 Fraud, Katrina contracts could waste $2B

Fraud, Katrina contracts could waste $2B

WASHINGTON - The tally for Hurricane Katrina waste could top $2 billion next year because half of the lucrative government contracts valued at $500,000 or greater for cleanup work are being awarded without little competition.

Federal investigators have already determined the Bush administration squandered $1 billion on fraudulent disaster aid to individuals after the 2005 storm. Now they are shifting their attention to the multimillion dollar contracts to politically connected firms that critics have long said are a prime area for abuse.

In January, investigators will release the first of several audits examining more than $12 billion in Katrina contracts.

P-76 Report: UK wasn't worried about Saddam and WMD

Report: UK wasn't worried about Saddam

LONDON - Britain's former top Iraq expert at the United Nations said in previously secret testimony that most government officials did not believe Iraq posed a threat in the months leading to the U.S.-led invasion, according to a new report. .... Carne Ross, a former first secretary to the British mission at the U.N. responsible for Iraq policy, told a House of Commons committee that he and other analysts believed that Iraq had only a "very limited" ability to mount an attack of any kind, including one using weapons of mass destruction, or WMD.

"Iraq's ability to launch a WMD or any form of attack was very limited," he said. "There were approx 12 or so unaccounted-for Scud missiles; Iraq's air force was depleted to the point of total ineffectiveness; its army was but a pale shadow of its earlier might; there was no evidence of any connection between Iraq and any terrorist organization that might have planned an attack," he wrote.

During the months leading up to the war, he said, there was no new evidence that Saddam posed a threat. "What changed was the government's determination to present available evidence in a different light," he testified.

Ross' testimony is likely to be cited during a full parliamentary debate on the Iraq war next month.

P-75 Ban sworn in as U.N. secretary-general

Ban sworn in as U.N. secretary-general
UNITED NATIONS - South Korea's Ban Ki-moon was sworn in Thursday as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations, promising to make his top priority the restoration of trust in the world body that has been tarnished by corruption scandals. Ban, 62, will take the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1 when Kofi Annan steps down after 10 years at the helm. He will be the first Asian to lead the organization in 35 years

Ban will oversee an organization with some 92,000 peacekeepers around the world and a $5 billion annual budget. Its reputation has been battered by scandals in the oil-for-food program in Iraq and in peacekeeping procurement, and its outdated practices need reform to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

P-74 Cuba vows to defy U.S. efforts at change

Cuba vows to defy U.S. efforts at change
HAVANA - Cuba vowed to defy U.S. efforts for economic and political change on the island in a front-page editorial Thursday in the Communist Party's newspaper that also referred to dissidents as "mercenaries" and "counterrevolutionary puppies."

Members of the U.S. government "should not fool themselves," the editorial said. "The Cuban government and people will take charge, as they've done until now, of guaranteeing the complete failure of these plans ... to encourage the subversion and internal counterrevolution in our country."

Washington maintains a decades-old trade and travel embargo against Cuba. The Bush administration has adopted even stricter policies aimed at squeezing the island's economy and pushing out the communist leadership.

P-73 Bush decides direction of Iraq policy

Bush decides direction of Iraq policy

WASHINGTON -
President Bush said Wednesday he would "not be rushed" into a decision on a strategy change for Iraq, saying that in a round of consultations he heard both some interesting ideas and some "ideas that would lead to defeat." ..... "And I reject those ideas," Bush said after meeting with top generals and Defense Department officials at the Pentagon. He said those ideas included "leaving before the job is done, ideas such as not helping this (Iraqi) government take the necessary and hard steps to be able to do its job."

Although the White House had initially suggested that Bush would deliver his speech on Iraq strategy before Christmas, he has decided to delay it until early next year.

On Tuesday, in similar discussions with field commanders, Bush heard Gen. John Abizaid, top U.S. commander in the Middle East, and Gen. George Casey, the top general in Iraq, ask the administration to pour increased funding into more armored vehicles, body armor and other critical equipment for the Iraqis, said a defense specialist familiar with the meetings. The source requested anonymity because the discussions were private.

Abizaid has told the Senate Armed Services Committee that troop levels in Iraq need to stay fairly stable and the use of military adviser teams expanded. About 140,000 U.S. troops and about 5,000 advisers are in Iraq.



UPDATES:
'06 Dec 17 U.S. to triple number of military trainers in Iraq

P-72 India.... child slave labour

Misery goes on for India child workers

Shanta looks like any other six-year-old, except there is an open wound on her head, her hands are swollen, chapped and grey and she can barely walk.... She is the youngest of the three little girls aged six to 13 years who were rescued last month from Faridabad in the state of Haryana.... Badly beaten and bruised, the girls all worked as domestic helps just a few miles away from India's capital, Delhi.

In October, the government enacted a law banning children under 14 from working as domestic servants, at teashops, food stalls, restaurants, hotels or in the hospitality industry...

Shanta says she had been working with the family for the past year after her brother left her there..... "I used to work in water the whole day. She [the employer] beat me up regularly with a stick for not finishing my work on time. I was woken at four in the morning and then I had to wash the clothes, sweep and mop the floor," she told the BBC.

According to Shanta, she was given rice only twice a day - served on the floor - and was made to sleep in the bathroom.....She said that she never complained about her plight as that would have meant more beatings

P-71 Canadian RCMP "To serve and protect".. Yea right... but just WHO are they serving and protecting.

Top Mountie under pressure to quit job OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's top Mountie, under heavy fire for botching the case of a man deported to
Syria by U.S. agents, came under immense pressure to resign on Tuesday after he admitted to misleading legislators about the affair.

The fate of Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli looked ever more precarious after Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was concerned by what the police chief had done.

Zaccardelli's woes stem from an official inquiry that found the RCMP had mistakenly told Washington that Canadian software engineer Maher Arar was an Islamic extremist.... U.S. agents arrested Arar in 2002 and sent him to Syria, where he says -- and the inquiry concurred -- that he was repeatedly tortured during the year he spent in Damascus jails. Arar was released in 2003 and is now suing Ottawa for damages.

Zaccardelli appeared before Parliament's public safety committee in September and told legislators he had first learned of the inaccurate information in 2002. But on Tuesday he said he had been mistaken and had in fact not become aware of the problem until the inquiry issued its report this year.

"I obviously did state certain things that were not accurate, and so I apologize for that," he told the committee.

Disbelieving legislators from both the governing Conservatives and opposition parties told Zaccardelli they did not think his explanation was credible.

"I'm a little bit incredulous that a police officer with 36 years' experience could make such a mistake ... I think you can appreciate why, on both sides of this committee, we find that a little bit hard to believe," said Conservative Laurie Hawn.

UPDATE '06 Dec 08 Mountie resignation not enough, Canada's Arar says

P-70 NASA says it will set up polar moon camp.....

NASA says it will set up polar moon camp WASHINGTON - NASA may be going to the same old moon with a ship that looks a lot like a 1960s Apollo capsule, but the space agency said Monday that it's going to do something dramatically different this time: Stay there..... Unveiling the agency's bold plan for a return to the moon, NASA said it will establish an international base camp on one of the moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts land there.

It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space shuttles are retired in 2010.
Last year, NASA said it would cost $104 billion just to get back to the moon for its first trip, but on Monday NASA officials declined to estimate the larger costs of a permanent lunar program. They just said it would stay within NASA's budget.

The estimated time frame for NASA's lunar plans are:

2009 — a first test of one of the lunar spaceships.

2014 — the first manned test flight of the Orion crew exploration vehicle, but no moon landing.

2020 — the first flight of the four-astronaut crew to the moon.

**************************** says a me comment **********************************

Back in the early 1960's President John Kennedy set plans in motion to have a man on the moon within 10 years. By 1969, Neil Armstrong had walked on the moon. Special metals and plastics technology, as well as propulsion and other systems were all developed from scratch. Computers were just beginning to come out of the tube stage... and yet they did that 40 YEARS AGO...

Look back at all the inventions and technological advances science has made... but some how NASA would have us believe that the space program needs to be re-invented and that they have learned nothing in the past 40 years... and can't even duplicate wat was done...

There are already bases on the moons polar regions and dark side.. There are also manned bases on Mars and Venus and they are presently working on one on Jupiter...

JR

P-69 Britain - Blair unveils plan for nuclear missiles

Blair unveils plan for nuclear missiles LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair launched plans Monday for a new multibillion-dollar submarine-based nuclear missile defense system, warning lawmakers the future may hold perilous threats from rogue regimes and state-sponsored terrorists.... In what is expected to be among his last major acts as premier, Blair told the House of Commons that despite the end of the Cold War, potential threats were posed by North Korea, Iran and others.

"In these circumstances, it would be unwise and dangerous for Britain alone of any of the nuclear powers to give up its independent nuclear deterrent," he said.

Blair said Britain would cut back on its stock of nuclear warheads from 200 to 160 — a move intended to make the proposal more acceptable to detractors within his own party. But he said any decision to reduce the nuclear-armed submarine fleet from four to three would be made only after a new vessel is designed. Blair said advisers had ruled out land or air based alternatives as too costly and too vulnerable.

The existing submarine fleet will be phased out from 2022, defense officials said.

P-68 U.S. gov't has terror ratings on travelers since 2002

U.S. gov't terror ratings draw outrage WASHINGTON - A leader of the new Democratic Congress, business travelers and privacy advocates expressed outrage Friday over the unannounced assignment of terrorism risk assessments to American international travelers by a computerized system managed from an unmarked, two-story brick building in Northern Virginia...... Incoming Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) of Vermont pledged greater scrutiny of such government database-mining projects after reading that during the past four years millions of Americans have been evaluated without their knowledge to assess the risks that they are terrorists or criminals.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that Americans and foreigners crossing U.S. borders since 2002 have been assessed by the Homeland Security Department's computerized Automated Targeting System, or ATS.

The travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk assessments, which the government intends to keep on file for 40 years. Some or all data in the system can be shared with state, local and foreign governments for use in hiring, contracting and licensing decisions. Courts and even some private contractors can obtain some of the data under certain circumstances.

"It is simply incredible that the Bush administration is willing to share this sensitive information with foreign governments and even private employers, while refusing to allow U.S. citizens to see or challenge their own terror scores," Leahy said. This system "highlights the danger of government use of technology to conduct widespread surveillance of our daily lives without proper safeguards for privacy."

P-67 Bush routinely ignoring Blair

Bush 'routinely ignoring Blair' Britain's relationship with America is "one-sided" and Tony Blair is routinely ignored by President George Bush, a senior US official has said.

Kendall Myers, a senior analyst at the State Department, described Britain's attempts to influence US policy as a "sad business", the Times reported.

Mr Myers reportedly said he felt "a little ashamed" at Mr Bush's treatment of the prime minister...... Mr Blair has been a close ally of Mr Bush since the 9/11 attacks.

P-66 Quebec "nation" status raises native Indian ire

Quebec "nation" raises native Indian ire VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Canada's indigenous peoples are feeling a bit snubbed by Parliament's decision to recognize Quebecers as a "nation" within a united Canada and not them too..... Native Indian leaders say the vote in the House of Commons, which has helped reignite debate over the role of French-speaking Quebec within largely English-speaking Canada, ignored the peoples who lived in North America before European settlers arrived.

"If it is good for the Quebecois, and we have no objection to that, then it is good enough for us," Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said on Tuesday, a day after lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the measure.

Native Indians are usually referred to within Canada as the First Nations. Canada's aboriginals include native Indians, Metis -- descendants of Indians and early French settlers -- and the Inuit people of the Arctic region.

P-65 Ireland plans privatisation of water suppy in 2008

Water sell-off may begin in 2008 The privatisation or selling off of Northern Ireland's water service could begin in just over 13 months..... It has been confirmed that the government is considering starting to sell bits of it from 2008 - and they may do it without public consultation.

********************************** says a me comment ***************************

While this appears to be news, it's already in the works in Canada... As urbanization expands, rural people on wells and septic are being forced to hook up to new water supplies even though no sewer services are being provided.. Forced legislation and municipal by-laws prohibit them from continuing using their old wells.

When I was living in BC a couple of years ago there was legislation being put into place where all provincial wells had to be registered and that they could only draw so much water from the aquifer unless they were a commercial entity and had a special licence as private wells and water suppliers were already existence . Also, urban areas that used less than 20% of the water were being faced with 80% of the cost of rebuilding and refurbishing new water systems that was basically going to the heavy commercial water users and orchards. Urban areas were also paying five times more for water.

Thanks in part to the free trade agreement, fresh water is now up for sale and the Great Lakes have been receding in recent years as the US has been silently and diverting water from Lake Michigan to feed private interests. A few years ago, everyone thought that selling water was a joke, but now bottled water is a mega business and growing...

There's more... a lot more, as this is also part and parcel of the New World Orders plan of globalization and control.. control of everything... and thereby everyone..

Saysame JR

P-64 Canadian Parliament recognizes the province of Quebec as a nation

Parliament recognizes Quebecers as a nation

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Parliament recognized Quebecers as a nation within a united Canada on Monday, backing a controversial proposal that has already prompted one minister in the minority Conservative government to quit...... The House of Commons voted 266 to 16 in favor of the motion, which the government said it saw as a way to head off pressure from separatists who want to break away from Canada.

But critics said the proposal could actually bolster the separatists, and the Bloc Quebecois said it would use the change to demand extra powers, including Quebec's right to speak at international meetings.

P-63 West must prepare for Chinese, Indian dominance

West must prepare for Chinese, Indian dominance
SYDNEY (AFP) - Western nations must prepare for a future dominated by China and India, whose rapid economic rise will soon fundamentally alter the balance of power, former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn has warned..... Wealthy countries were failing to understand the impact of the invevitable growth of the two Asian powerhouses, Wolfensohn said in the 2006 Wallace Wurth Memorial Lecture at the University of New South Wales at the weekend.

Within 25 years, the combined gross domestic products of China and India would exceed those of the Group of Seven wealthy nations, he said.

"This is not a trivial advance, this is a monumental advance."

Wolfensohn said that somewhere between 2030 and 2040, China would become the largest economy in the world, leaving the United States behind.

By 2050, China's current two trillion US dollar
GDP was set to balloon to 48.6 trillion, while that of India, whose economy weighs in at under a trillion dollars, would hit 27 trillion, he said, citing projections by investment bank Goldman Sachs.

P-62 The beginning of the end of Canada....

Canada Liberals to back anti-separatist motion OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's opposition Liberals agreed on Thursday to support Prime Minister Stephen Harper's motion recognizing that Quebecers form a nation within a united Canada.

The motion is designed to derail one from the separatist Bloc Quebecois which has identical language except it does not refer to a united Canada. A vote is scheduled for next Tuesday.

"We are going to vote for a Quebec that forms a part of a united Canada," party leader Bill Graham told reporters after an emergency meeting of the Liberal caucus in Parliament.

*************************** says a me comment #1 ****************************

In the past three years I have not only traveled across Canada, but I've also lived in almost every province. I know what the people in each province think and feel. I have also come to realize what Canada is and is not. There is no Canadian Driver Licence, no Canadian vehicle registration, no Canadian Auto Insurance, no Canadian Health care. Each province has their own system that you have to buy into if you are in the province for over three months. Each province has their own political parties loosely tied to the federal system. Each province has their own provincial taxes system and official departments with tons of bureaucrats, doing the same job that one could do.

Each province is a separate entity and make no bones about it there is no love loss between western Canada and the rest of Canada or between Eastern Canada (the Maritimes) and the rest of Canada or between Quebec and Ontario and the rest of Canada.... The only thing that I noticed... to Quebec's credit... is that Quebec is the only province that is open and honest about their intentions about separating. All the rest are red necks, piously wagging their tongues and claiming that Quebec is wrong but denying that they are silently doing and plotting the same.

In the West; it's BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan that form a so-called alliance, but speak to them individually and Alberta has no use for either BC or Sask as they have the "their" Oil. BC has no use for Alberta or Sask as they have the natural resources, forests and East coast shipping. Sask is low man on the totem pole but they also see themselves as independent.

I never lived in Manitoba but they are caught in the middle, between the western provinces and wealthy and influential Ontario that is seen by many as trying to run Canada.

Quebec with it's French language has, since it's beginnings, felt alienated from the rest of English speaking Canada and has tried to preserve it's culture and language to the point that it is fiercely biased and prejudiced against any English influence. While federal and provincial governments mandate the acceptance of French and of being Bi-lingual, that same policy isn't applied for English speaking people in Quebec. While Quebec may think that they can survive on their own, they are heavily subsidized by the Federal government and like the Maritimes, what isn't subsidized is already controlled by BIG business and is US based...

New Brunswick is half French and half English speaking but they are not accepted by Quebec as they are deemed "lesser" French or Franglais. New Brunswick is what I would call the Bible belt of Canada. Lots of poor folk and lots of rich ones that are living off Federal Government subsidies.. The much criticized Canada Gun control law with it billion dollar plus operating budget has it's headquarters in Miramichi and employs about 200 people in. Do the math!

Nova Scotia is mostly English speaking and much like New Brunswick, is supported by the federal Government subsidies and PEI is in the same boat. Irving oil, with Irvings personal wealth stated at over 4.5 Billion has a strangle hold on the Maritimes, but is seen by many as a god sent... even if they are paying 15% higher prices for gas and heating oil than anywhere else in Canada. The Maritimes also have a close link with the New England states of the USA especially Maine.

The Maritimes also speak silently that they are not being supported or accepted by the rest of Canada and that they would be better off being part of the United States as they feel that good ole US Green Backs will fix their problems....

What other Prime Ministers, Trudeau, for example, have tried to keep Canada together, Harper (Bush's Page Boy) is setting the stage for it's eventual dismemberment. Every province with it's political power hungry wanna be kings, will... in it's own time begin to demand its own "national" status. While they may declare and obtain their independence, all will be quickly gobbled up by the USA... Divide and conquer...

Says a me JR

UPDATES:
Quebec separatists say strengthened by nation talk OTTAWA/MONTREAL (Reuters) - Acceptance that the people of French-speaking Quebec are a "nation," albeit one within Canada, has made the drive to independence all the easier, the head of the separatist Bloc Quebecois said on Friday.

Reversing the position he took earlier this week, Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said he would back a government motion that Quebecers form a nation "within a united Canada," and he described the concept as another weapon in his party's pro-independence arsenal.

"It's very important for countries around the world, who will say, 'Even Canada recognizes they form a nation, they just said yes.' It's another weapon (for us)."

The Bloc, the third-largest party in the Canadian Parliament, would now ask whether Quebec had the right to speak for itself at the international level, Duceppe said.

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper had argued that including the words "within a united Canada" would safeguard against separatists using his announcement to further their demands that Quebec secede from Canada.

*************************** says a me comment #2 ***************************

I was speaking to my sister in Alberta the other day and she also stated that Harper was splitting the country apart... this coming from a die-hard conservative... She also mentioned that their red neck friends also agreed that this was a bad move for Canada... and that it also provides fuel for Alberta and BC to state their independence as they desire to join the US...

Saysame JR

P-61 Shadow Company.. Private armies for hire...

Documentary Feature: 'Shadow Company'
Will the world privatize peace? Or, has it already done so? LOS ANGELES - In the second clip from 'Shadow Company' in the Hot Zone's Documentary feature series, private security contractors and historians discuss exactly how militaries-for-hire came to be.

Our discussion with co-director Nick Bicanic continues as he explains how Shadow Company is not a movie about Iraq, and that private security companies might be the answer to the crisis in Darfur. Excerpts from that discussion are below.

And yes, Iraq created a big new market for these guys, 50,000 or more currently working there. But the fact is, as much of the film states, the industry has been around for a long time and it will continue to stay around for a long time. If anything Iraq is just a spike in business, but it's not like it got created because of Iraq.

HOT ZONE: These private armies have played an important role in ending wars in the past and might do that again in the future.

The reason I brought up Darfur is [due to] Blackwater (a private security firm), who is fairly infamous for a number of reasons, one of them being it was their four employees who were burned and hung from a bridge in Fallujah which for many people was a catalyst in at least finding out a little bit about the existence of these guys.

Cofer Black (Vice Chairman at Blackwater) has said that Blackwater is ready to go to Darfur and willing to do it.

Think about what that means.

The fact that a private company today — irrespective of who it is, this happens to be Blackwater — has the ideological desire, the ability, and the manpower and the money to pull off an operation like that is very scary. I don't know how many people are aware of that.

Documentary: 'Shadow Company' Part I

Documentary: 'Shadow Company' Part II

Documentary: 'Shadow Company' Part III

Documentary: 'Shadow Company' Part IV

Documentary: 'Shadow Company' Part V

P-60 U.S. to require passports for nearly all.... Halt! Your papers please... Halt! Ihre Papiere gefallen

U.S. to require passports for nearly all WASHINGTON - Nearly all air travelers entering the U.S. will be required to show passports beginning Jan. 23, including returning Americans and people from Canada and other nations in the Western Hemisphere..... The date was disclosed Tuesday by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in an interview with The Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department plans to announce the change on Wednesday.....

The requirement marks a change for Americans, Canadians, Bermudians and some Mexicans...... Currently, U.S. citizens returning from other countries in the hemisphere are not required to present passports but must show other proof of citizenship such as driver's licenses or birth certificates.

UPDATES:
Firms point to biometric future

RELATED TOPIC:
Jailed blogger denied Thanksgiving furlough Josh Wolf, the video blogger behind bars for refusing to hand over unpublished source material, won't be enjoying a home-cooked meal today. See Video and hear from the first jailed blogger Josh Wolf as he speaks at a press conference..... A federal judge on Tuesday denied Wolf's request for a Thanksgiving furlough, according to a court order issued by U.S. District Judge William Alsu

P-59 US Military Draft to be restored

US lawmaker to offer bill restoring military draft

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A top Democratic lawmaker said he will propose legislation to reintroduce the US military draft, saying that the all-volunteer army is shorthanded and overwhelmed by troop deployments in Iraq..... "I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft. I think to do so is hypocritical," Representative Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record) said.

The proposal would have reinstated the military draft to include conscripts between the ages of 18 and 42 years old.

But he said he felt compelled to try again because of continuing pressure on US forces, including President George W. Bush's insistence that he would not rule out using military force against North Korea and Iran.

The US has heavily depended on military reserves to keep up staffing levels in Iraq, and many soldiers have been pushed into multiple tours there because of the shortage of fresh troops..... More than 140,000 US troops are currently deployed in the country.

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," said Rangel.... He said he envisioned that draftees could also serve in civilian positions...... "A draft doesn't necessarily mean that everyone drafted will have to serve in the military," said Rangel.

He advocated "having our young people commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals.".... Rangel said the bill could provide perks, including educational benefits, for draftees.

"It's the best thing for our young people and the best thing for our country.

P-58 India now test-fires medium-range nuclear capable- missile

India now test-fires medium-range nuclear capable- missile India has successfully tested a short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to defence officials.

It was part of an air defence exercise, and more trials are expected in the coming weeks, the defence sources said..... The test comes three days after a missile was tested by Pakistan..... The two countries recently announced they would prepare a deal to limit the risk of an inadvertent nuclear conflict.

The 8.5m (28-ft) surface-to-surface Prithvi missile covers 150 km (90 miles) in 300 seconds and has a range of up to 250 km..... More than 2,700 people were evacuated from the area of the test.

P-57 Bush - US Senate backs India nuclear deal

US Senate backs India nuclear deal The US Senate has overwhelmingly voted to pass a controversial deal to share civilian nuclear technology with India.

Under the deal, which was proposed more than a year ago, India must allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities..... US President George W Bush hailed the move as bringing India into the "nuclear non-proliferation mainstream".

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly defended the deal in the parliament in August..... He said India would not accept any move by Washington that would impede its atomic weapons programme, nor would it allow any international scrutiny of its military facilities.

P-56 Bush and his double standards on Nuclear Energy...

Two standards question for Bush In diplomacy, it is often hard to achieve tangible results, especially on a three-day visit..... Therefore, President Bush's South Asia tour will be viewed as a success. India and the US reached a landmark deal on civilian nuclear cooperation. President Bush has still got to convince a sceptical US Congress that the nuclear deal is a good one.

Politicians on Capitol Hill question whether it will undermine international efforts to tackle the spread of nuclear weapons.

Remember, India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and its military programme will still be hidden away from international inspections..... The favouritism being shown to India is making other countries in the region wary.... Some US politicians say that India is being rewarded for bad behaviour. Others fear the deal will send out entirely the wrong signal to Iran.

And President Bush's arguments so far have not been convincing..... He believes that helping India with its civilian nuclear programme will ease pressure on diminishing oil supplies. Well, not for a long time yet..... He also has to convince the international community that the US was right to bend the rules just for India.

P-55 And the TRUTH will land you in jail...

Danes on trial over Iraq secrets

he editor and two reporters from one of Denmark's main newspapers have gone on trial charged with publishing secret intelligence about Iraqi weapons......In articles published in 2004 they quoted from analysis by a Danish intelligence agent, Frank Grevil.....His report, written before the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, concluded that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq.

It is being viewed as a landmark case in Denmark, which is usually an ardent defender of freedom of expression..... An offence of publishing confidential Danish government documents is punishable by fines or up to two years in prison.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen supported the US-led invasion of Iraq and told parliament he was convinced former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was in possession of WMD..... In October 2003, seven months after the invasion, the body set up by the US to search for WMD, the Iraq Survey Group, reported that no such weapons had been found.

P-54 Pakistan test-fires medium-range -nuclear capable- missile

Pakistan test-fires medium-range missile

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan said it successfully test-fired a new version of its nuclear-capable medium-range missile Thursday — a show of power a day after peace talks with India that were criticized by domestic hard-liners..... The Ghauri 5 missile, with a range of 800 miles — easily capable of striking deep into India — was launched to mark the end of military exercises at an undisclosed location, an army statement said.

The Pakistani military statement said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had witnessed the launch and congratulated scientists, engineers and the army for developing the new version of the missile..... "Pakistan can be justifiably proud of its defense capability and the reliability of its nuclear deterrence," he said, according to the statement..... Pakistan believes in peace that "comes from a position of strength and operational readiness," Aziz said.

P-53 Changes urged in U.S.- India nuclear deal

Changes urged in U.S.-India nuclear deal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Arms control advocates urged changes in a U.S.-India nuclear cooperation agreement on Tuesday as the U.S. Senate prepared to resume action on the long-stalled deal..... The initiative, allowing nuclear-armed India access to U.S. nuclear fuel and reactors for the first time in three decades, is expected to be taken up by the Senate as early as Wednesday, Senate sources said.

Meanwhile, a new report by the Congressional Research Service, which examines issues for Congress, found that while India does not want
Iran to have nuclear weapons, New Delhi's "views of the Iranian threat and appropriate responses (to that threat) differ significantly from U.S. views."

P-52 Any non-citizen of the USA can be held indefinitely......

US: Immigrants may be held indefinitely WASHINGTON - Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts, the Bush administration said Monday, opening a new legal front in the fight over the rights of detainees...... In court documents filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., the Justice Department said a new anti-terrorism law being used to hold detainees in Guantanamo Bay also applies to foreigners captured

"It's pretty stunning that any alien living in the United States can be denied this right," said Jonathan Hafetz, an attorney for Al-Marri. "It means any non-citizen, and there are millions of them, can be whisked off at night and be put in detention."

The new law says that enemy combatants will be tried before military commissions, not a civilian judge or jury, and establishes different rules of evidence in the cases. It also prohibits detainees from challenging their detention in civilian court.

P-51 France tests unarmed nuclear Missle from Submarine

France test-fires unarmed nuclear weapon PARIS - France successfully shot its new M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile over the Atlantic on Thursday in its first experimental test flight, the Defense Ministry said..... The missile carried no nuclear weapon for the test flight, which was closely monitored by specialists at a test center in Biscarosse, in southwest France, as well as by the Monge missile-tracking ship, ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said.

The M51 is designed to replace the M45 submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM...... The M51 can carry six TN-75 thermonuclear warheads and has a range of up to 6,000 miles.

P-50 Vietnam holds US terrorists..

3 Americans convicted of terror charges HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - Vietnam defused a political storm Friday by issuing light sentences to three Vietnamese-Americans convicted of terrorism, preventing the closely watched case from clouding
President Bush's visit next week..... The defendants had been held since September 2005 without charges after being accused of plotting to take over radio airwaves in their native country to call for an uprising to overthrow the communist government....

The case had attracted Washington's attention just before Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to make their first visit to Hanoi, for the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. It's Vietnam's biggest-ever event.

The seven faced punishments ranging from 12 years in prison to death by firing squad. Prosecutors instead sought lesser terms, saying the defendants had repented and had no previous criminal records.

"I am certainly pleased that they will be sent home," said U.S. Ambassador Michael Marine. "These individuals have been held for quite some time. That is allowed under Vietnamese law, but 14 months without being brought to trial is a long time for anyone. So, we're glad to see that portion over with."

**************************** says a me comment **************************

Geeeee!!! It would be nice if the US applied that last paragraph to their terrorist prisioners..

Saysame JR

P-49 UN asks US to lift embargo on Cuba for the 15 th year in a row

U.N. urges U.S. to end Cuba embargo UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to urge the United States to end its 45-year-old trade embargo against Cuba after defeating an amendment calling on Fidel Castro's government to free political prisoners and respect human rights....

It was the 15th straight year that the 192-member world body approved a resolution calling for the U.S. economic and commercial embargo against Cuba to be repealed "as soon as possible.

Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told the assembly "the economic war unleashed by the U.S. against Cuba, the longest and most ruthless ever known, qualifies as an act of genocide and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations."

Delegates in the General Assembly chamber burst into applause when the vote flashed on the screen — 183 in favor to 4 opposed, with 1 abstention. Joining the United States in voting "no" were Israel and the South Pacific nations of the Marshall Islands and Palau. Micronesia, also in the South Pacific, abstained.

The sanctions, aimed at toppling Castro's socialist system, were imposed after Castro repelled the CIA-backed assault at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. The embargo has been steadily tightened under President Bush.

UPDATE: '06 Nov 12
Castro's health is deteriorating

P-48 Democratic win seen as Bush rejection... BUT...

World sees Dems' win as a Bush rejection
TOKYO - Democratic gains in Congress were seen around the world Wednesday as a rejection of the U.S. war in Iraq that led some observers to expect a reassessment of the American course there.

Outside observers saw the bloodshed in Iraq as the major driving force behind the Democrats' success..... "Voters have punished the Republicans. They are not happy with the way the leadership has handled the Iraq war," said Chandra Muzaffar, president of the Malaysia-based think-tank International Movement for a Just World..... Bush's foreign critics cheered in Vietnam, and in Muslim-dominated countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

"The Republicans lost in the election because the American voters are now fed up and bored with the war," said Vitaya Wisetrat, a prominent, anti-American Muslim cleric in Thailand. "The American people now realize that Bush is the big liar."..... Echoing the sentiment of many in Muslim countries, Indonesian lawmaker Ahmad Sumargono hoped that the results would prompt a reassessment of American policies in Iraq and elsewhere...... "I am optimistic that American people have now realized the mistakes made by Bush in foreign policy. We hope this leads to significant changes, especially toward the Middle East," he said.

UPDATES: '06 Nov 08
Rumsfeld departure shakes Bush administration

World welcomes shift in U.S. politics

Americans choose Democrats

Dems complete election sweep of Congress

P-47 US war on terror and anti-americanism moves from Afghanistan to Pakistan

Air raid on Pakistan school angers many ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's attack on an Islamic school that killed 80 people has dented hopes for a diplomatic solution to quashing anti-U.S. militants in the autonomous tribal belt bordering
Afghanistan.

Pakistan madrassa raid 'kills 80' At least 80 militants have been killed in an air strike by Pakistani forces on a madrassa (religious school) used as a militant training camp, the army says.

The army said the madrassa in the tribal area of Bajaur bordering Afghanistan was destroyed by helicopter gunships early on Monday..... One eyewitness told the BBC that 70-80 students were inside. A leading local politician says the dead were innocent

Thousands rally against Pakistan attack KHAR, Pakistan - Chanting "Death to America," thousands rallied Monday in a lawless tribal area near the Pakistan-Afghan border to condemn a deadly airstrike last week on a religious school..... The protests were held in the Bajur tribal region, where the Pakistani military said it bombed an Islamic seminary that served as a front for training militants. Eighty people were killed.

Local people and an Islamic opposition party claim that almost all victims were children or teenagers studying at the school...... The raid has sparked furious protests in Bajur and in other Pakistani cities. Opposition lawmakers denounced the government, claiming that the military helped U.S. forces based in Afghanistan to carry out the strike.Protests condemn Pakistani attack on school

UPDATE: Bomber kills 42 Pakistani troops

'06 Nov 12 Pakistan PM: U.S. attacks within borders unacceptable

P-46 US - Iraqi war games.. Since when has war been a GAME?

1999 war games foresaw problems in Iraq WASHINGTON - The U.S. government conducted a series of secret war games in 1999 that anticipated an invasion of
Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and even then chaos might ensue..... "The conventional wisdom is the U.S. mistake in Iraq was not enough troops," said Thomas Blanton, the archive's director. "But the Desert Crossing war game in 1999 suggests we would have ended up with a failed state even with 400,000 troops on the ground."

"A change in regimes does not guarantee stability," the 1999 seminar briefings said. "A number of factors including aggressive neighbors, fragmentation along religious and/or ethnic lines, and chaos created by rival forces bidding for power could adversely affect regional stability."..... "Even when civil order is restored and borders are secured, the replacement regime could be problematic — especially if perceived as weak, a puppet, or out-of-step with prevailing regional governments."......

"Iran's anti-Americanism could be enflamed by a U.S.-led intervention in Iraq," the briefings read. "The influx of U.S. and other western forces into Iraq would exacerbate worries in Tehran, as would the installation of a pro-western government in Baghdad."

P-45 Iraqi tribunal sentences Saddam to hang.. Just before US elections

Iraqi tribunal sentences Saddam to hang BAGHDAD, Iraq -
Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity in the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town, as the ousted leader, trembling and defiant, shouted "God is great!"..... As he, his half brother and another senior official in his regime were convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal, Saddam yelled out, "Long live the people and death to their enemies. Long live the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!"

Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi condemned the trial as a "farce," claiming the verdict was planned. He said defense attorneys would appeal within 30 days..... The death sentences automatically go to a nine-judge appeals panel, which has unlimited time to review the case. If the verdicts and sentences are upheld, the executions must be carried out within 30 days.

UPDATES:
Saddam verdict unleashes violence fears In a world sharply divided on
Iraq since the U.S.-led war began in 2003, Saddam Hussein's death sentence unleashed fears of fresh violence, European condemnation of capital punishment and new questions about the fairness of the tribunal that ordered him to hang.

Underscoring the fault lines that split the international community and widened the divide between Muslims and Christians, Islamic leaders warned that Sunday's verdict could inflame those who revile the United States — undermining U.S. policy in the volatile Middle East and inspiring terrorists.

Shiites praise, Sunnis protest verdict

Snow denies Saddam trial 'scheming' WASHINGTON - The White House on Sunday praised the Iraqi judicial system for its independence and denied the Bush administration had been "scheming" to arrange a verdict in Saddam Hussein's trial days before crucial U.S. elections..... "The judiciary is operating independently and we need to give them credit for doing their job and doing it in the way they saw fit and proper," presidential spokesman Tony Snow said.

Iraqis, he said, "are the ones who conducted the trial. The Iraqi judges are the ones who spent all the time pouring over the evidence. ... It's important to give them credit for running their own government."

UPDATES:
Bush hails verdict as milestone for Iraq GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -
President Bush celebrated Saddam Hussein's death sentence as a victory for "
Iraq's young democracy" and U.S. security, highlighting Sunday's verdict in the last hours of an election campaign in which Republicans are suffering from public discontent with the Iraq war.... "My decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision and the world is better off for it," he said to raucous applause......

Bush painted Saddam's conviction and sentence as vindication of the sacrifices made by American soldiers in Iraq. More than 2,800 members of the U.S. military have died since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

UPDATES:
US distances itself from controversial death sentence for Saddam WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States insisted it played no role in an Iraqi court's decision to sentence former dictator Saddam Hussein to death, a judgement assailed by allied governments around the world..... The Iraqi High Tribunal, funded and advised by the US government, found Saddam guilty of crimes against humanity in the case of 148 Shiite civilians who were killed in revenge for an 1982 attempt on the then-Iraqi leader's life.

**************************** says a me comment *****************************

In the last two updates posted here you can see the denials, lies and contradictions of the USA government.... "President Bush celebrated Saddam Hussein's death sentence as a victory for Iraq's young democracy".... Opps I almost forgot.. this is the US government correcting wrong or inaccurate media

Saysame JR
*****************************************************************
Iraq plans to reinstate ex-Baathist officials

P-44 US wants to silence freed terrorist suspect...... they say they weren't abusing...

U.S. seeks to silence terror suspect WASHINGTON - A suspected terrorist who spent years in a secret CIA prison should not be allowed to speak to a civilian attorney, the Bush administration argues, because he could reveal the agency's closely guarded interrogation techniques...... Human rights groups have questioned the CIA's methods for questioning suspects, especially following the passage of a bill last month that authorized the use of harsh — but undefined — interrogation tactics.


In recently filed court documents, the Justice Department said those methods, along with the locations of the CIA's network of prisons, are among the nation's most sensitive secrets. Prisoners who spent time in those prisons should not be allowed to disclose that information, even to a lawyer, the government said.


"Improper disclosure of other operational details, such as interrogation methods, could also enable terrorist organizations and operatives to adapt their training to counter such methods, thereby obstructing the CIA's ability to obtain vital intelligence that could disrupt future planned terrorist attacks," the Justice Department wrote.

The documents, which were first reported by The Washington Post, were filed in opposition to a request that terror suspect Majid Khan should be given access to an attorney. Khan, 26, immigrated from Pakistan and graduated high school in Maryland..... According to documents filed on his behalf by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Khan was arrested in Pakistan in 2003. During more than three years in CIA custody, Khan was subjected to interrogation techniques that defense attorneys suggest amounted to torture.

UPDATES: '06 Nov 14
Rights groups file war crimes suit against Rumsfeld

P-43 BIG BROTHER... is watching you in Britian....

Britain is becoming 'Big Brother' LONDON (AFP) - Britain is becoming a "surveillance society", where CCTV cameras, credit card analysis and travel movements are used to track people's lives minute by minute, a report published has suggested.

The nation has up to 4.2 million CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras, or about one for every 14 people.

The government is pushing ahead with controversial plans to introduce biometric identity cards, while Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he wants an expansion of the police's DNA database to cover even people released without charge.

"Every time we use a mobile phone, use our credit cards, go online, do searches on the Internet, electronic shopping, driving in our cars now: more and more information is being collected, so we're leaving an electronic footprint."
*****************************************************************************
Watchdog sounds alarm on UK "surveillance society" Civil liberties group Privacy International,in a survey of 37 countries, named Britain alongside Russia, China, Malaysia and Singapore as countries practicing "endemic" surveillance against the individual..... Only slightly better were the United States, Thailand and the Philippines, described as "extensive" surveillance societies."

The survey, conducted jointly with the U.S.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, was based on 13 criteria ranging from constitutional protections to visual surveillance and phone-tapping. Germany and Canada scored the best marks for civil liberties safeguards.

Privacy concerns in Britain have been highlighted by developments such as the planned introduction of national identity cards and a rapid growth in the deployment of security cameras..... With an estimated 4.2 million now spread across the country, the average Briton is captured about 300 times a day on film.

UPDATES:
'06 Nov 06 Blair goes on ID card offensive

P-42 Russia, China won't back US lead sanctions on Iran

Russia, China won't back Iran sanctions MOSCOW - Russian and China indicated that they will not support a draft U.N. resolution imposing tough sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program.....

The "European draft" on Iran orders all countries to prevent the sale and supply of material and technology that could contribute to Tehran's nuclear and missile programs. It imposes a travel ban and freezes the assets of people involved in these programs — and also orders countries to freeze the assets of companies and organizations involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

The comments by Russia's foreign minister and China's U.N. ambassador were the strongest reactions yet to the draft by the two key U.N. Security Council members, and signaled difficult negotiations ahead on the resolution drawn up by Britain, France and Germany..... The five veto-wielding permanent council members — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — were expected to discuss the resolution this week at the United Nations.

P-41 Reading between the Political lines to find the truth.

This is a article I wrote a few months back. I was responding to the Local newspapers headlines and was going to submit the following but never did... So here it is now.. I’ve come to know more about what’s really going on, not by what is being said, but by what is not being said, in reading between the lines.

In the ’06 Jan. 27 edition of the Times and Transcript, (Moncton NB, Canada), the front page headline read, “Harper wouldn’t “cosy up” to US.” Now while Stephen Harper blew some hot air flexing his independence muscles on Canadian sovereignty in the Artic, it became quite apparent that he was of the “Bush” mindset and agenda when he stated that although it was not an official “party” or “Canada” position, he hinted that he would not be recognizing the recently elected Palestinian Hamas government stating that they were terrorists, then added that he supports the Israelis and their right to “defend” themselves. What he carefully omitted or denied saying, but implied, was that Israel is justified in attacking Palestinians and that the Palestinians have no right to defend themselves and that if they attack Israel, they’re deemed terrorists who need to be eliminated.

Then on page C-12 of the same issue there’s a picture and headline stating that “Hamas sweeps Palestinian elections” capturing 76 out of 132 seats in a democratic election ending four decades of (keyword) “corrupt” rule of the Fatah party. Tired of being abused by their government and by the Israelis, the Palestinians held a free election and decided that they needed a change. True democracy in action, and isn’t that what “freedom” and Bush says his agenda is all about? So what’s the problem? If democracy is “good,” then why is the Palestinian political party “Hamas” labeled terrorists? And why is the so-called “Free World” afraid of this democratic election? Could the real reason be because they’re seeing what “real” democracy and freedom is; where the Will and issues of the people are given a real voice and not the façade of a voice only at election time. Where the Will of the people is expressed and not the will of the political parties via the hidden agendas of the “back room” boys that control them.
******************************************************************************
UPDATE '06 Nov 06 So-called democracy in action.. Ten months of US led sanctions opposed to the elected Hamas party have further crippled Palestine...

Picture of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Abbas, Hamas don't agree on joint gov't
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The Palestinian president and prime minister, heading rival movements, on Monday failed again to agree on a joint government that might lead to lifting Western sanctions that have bankrupted their administration — but they planned to keep trying.

President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate (US PUPPET), and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met in Gaza for more than two hours. But officials said the talks ended with no accord on a national unity government made up of independent experts.... Abbas has been urging Hamas, which controls most government functions, to join his Fatah movement in a coalition to end international sanctions. The platform of the emerging government is vague about the key international demand of recognizing Israel and may not be enough to end the painful aid boycott.

Negotiators and officials in Hamas, which has repeatedly rejected the international conditions since winning legislative elections in January, said an agreement on forming a government was imminent.
************************************************************************

Is a persons desire to be free of oppression evil? Stephen Harper just won the Canadian federal election and part of his mandate was to end the “corruption” of the existing Liberal party. Is Stephen Harper evil for desiring to remove the corrupt Liberals from power? Does ending political corruption defines a party as being terrorists, and if so, shouldn’t Harper and his conservatives also be labeled terrorists?

Since 911, the term terrorist applies to any person or group that is fighting back, that doesn’t bow to personal, political or religious intimidation, oppression, cohesion, exploitation and control; that refuse to follow traditional dogma, that questions hidden agendas and are upsetting the status quo of those in POWER. It’s interesting that in both politics and religion it’s the old “do as I say, don’t do as I do” rule. Terrorist, radical, traitor, heretic, witch, pagan, etc. same paint, different brush. And while you may disagree that religion and politics are bed fellows; that doesn’t change the fact that they are.

After 911 and the failed Afghanistan “war on terrorism,” the Bush administration invaded Iraq under the pretense that Saddam Hussein was involved with terrorists and that he had weapons of mass destruction? But then when none were found, (but of course they already knew that) the US changed their story to say that now they were liberating a ravaged country from the hands of a sadistic dictator and were going to bring “Democracy” to this impoverished land because “Democracy” is supposed to mean freedom for the people as it gives them choice and power. If democracy was his true agenda, he would praise the Hamas, instead of labeling them terrorists. Of course the hidden agenda is not democracy at all, but control of the Arab oil supply and in creating a military base in the Middle East, but of course that’s flatly denied as the truth would remove those in power. Saddam Hussein was a dictator, Bush is one also, the only difference is that Saddam didn’t pretend he wasn’t one. Another point is all this is that the Hamas are an Islamic based religion and in conflict with Judaism and Christianity. (Religion and Politics)

In the ’06 Jan. 23 issue of the Times and Transcript, there was an article where Israel was basically threatening to use nuclear force to fight terrorism. (Now the question that is who sold Israel its sophisticated modern military weapons and its nuclear arsenal? I’ll give you one guess and your right. The other day, France basically joined Israel’s ideology, fearing and condemning Iranians as terrorists wanting to expand their nuclear program. Countries with a well organized military presence and nuclear weapons have a hidden agenda, they don’t want to give up control and anyone who complains and acts out against being dominated and controlled by these countries are deemed terrorists who must be eradicated. Excuse me but there’s a big difference between someone throwing a rock at an invading army tank and someone using a nuclear weapon or threatening to do so if you don’t do as they say. Sure, things are escalating, but guerilla tactics and suicide bombers are unfortunately the most effective weapon these impoverished countries have in their arsenal against these well organized and sanctioned “military terrorists.”

If you think that all these “foreign” issues have nothing to do with “our” democracy and freedom, I’ll give you another example that brings this a little closer to home. In the same issue there was another article stating that (in Canada) if you defaced or destroyed your election ballot, or you created a disturbance in public, that you are committing an illegal act, punishable by a jail sentence and a criminal record. But, if you defaced your ballot in private, or you chose not to vote, that was OK. So what that’s saying is that you can’t openly or publicly disagree or criticize the political democratic system. DENIAL of self expression is acceptable, but any vocal expression or physical action of distain, disgust or anger is not acceptable even if the people that it’s directed at are not present. Yep, that’s the democracy and the freedom we’re fighting to save? Sadly, democracy only offers the façade of freedom. You have only to look at our neighbors to the south to see how their own personal freedom and liberties have been all but abolished in the “name of” freedom and in “protecting” their freedom. Don’t be fooled, we as Canadians, are only one step removed from the same conditions. Food for thought.

Saysame JR

P-40 Iran not intimidated by US show of power... also conducting military maneuvers in Gulf

Iran to start military maneuvers days after Western-led drills in Gulf.... TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran unexpectedly announced Wednesday that it would be holding military maneuvers in the Gulf this week, only days after U.S.-led navies held exercises in the same waterway.

On Wednesday, Safavi told state TV: "The guard's air force will test fire the Shahab-3 (missile), equipped with cluster warhead, in the war game."..... The Shahab-3 missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and has a range of more than 1,242.8 miles. It can reach Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Russia on Wednesday defended Moscow's deal to supply air defense missiles to Iran, saying they were purely defensive weapons with a limited range.

**************************** says a me comment ************************

Irans unwillingness to roll over for the US and Israel is undoubtly a thorn in the "side" of US-Bush and the Israeli agenda.

I came upon this site and I felt I needed to include a link to it.. LOTS of related info... Petrodollars and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation: POST DATE: 2006 Feb 10 Understanding the Planned Assault on Iran

saysame JR

UPDATES:
Iran test-fires 3 new missiles in Gulf TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran test-fired three new sea missiles in the Persian Gulf Friday, indicating that the maneuvers should send a clear message to the U.S. not to conduct any more military exercises in the area.

P-39 Australians mounts pressure on Howard to stop backing Bush...

Australia must keep troops in Iraq to protect US ties SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia should keep its troops in Iraq in order to protect the country's ties with superpower ally the United States, Prime Minister John Howard said.

Howard, a keen supporter of US President George W. Bush's administration, told supporters at a dinner in New South Wales late Thursday he stood by his domestically unpopular decision to send troops to Iraq and would assume responsibility for it... "Part of our obligation as a good friend to the people of the United States is to understand the importance of maintaining a place in that alliance and the importance of maintaining our involvement in the coalition," he said.

P-38 US Pentagon to be "correcting" wrong or bad Media NEWS...

Pentagon mounts media offensive Monday, 30 October 2006... The Pentagon has set up a new unit to focus on promoting its message across 24-hour rolling news outlets, and particularly on the internet..... The US Defence Department said it would expand its public relations work to fight "inaccurate" news stories.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said media manipulation by enemies of the US is the only thing keeping him awake at night.... US officials believe bad news from Iraq gets undue coverage.....

According to the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington, the Bush administration does not believe the true picture of events in Iraq has been made public.... He says the administration is particularly concerned that insurgents in areas such as Iraq have been able to use the web to disseminate their message and give the impression they are more powerful than the US.

A Pentagon memo seen by the Associated Press news agency said the new unit will "develop messages" for the 24-hour news cycle and aim to "correct the record"..... A spokesman said the unit would monitor media such as weblogs and would also employ "surrogates", or top politicians or lobbyists who could be interviewed on TV and radio shows.
******************************************************************************
Anti-terror plan targets internet Thursday, 26 October 2006.... Ministers from the six largest European Union countries have agreed to work together to make the internet a "more hostile" place for terrorists.

Home Secretary John Reid said they would seek to crack down on people using the web to share information on explosives or spread propaganda..... Mr Reid said the terrorism threat came "particularly from those who would through a perverted use of Islam constitute a terrorist threat"...... However, he added that "the enemy is terrorism; the enemy is not Islam".

World discusses internet future The future of the net is the ambitious topic under discussion at the first global Internet Governance Forum, being held in Athens over the next five days.

P-37 Russia, France now ahead of US in the sale of military weapons....

Russia, France overtake US as top arms sellers

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States ceded to Russia and France last year its role of the top arms supplier to the developing world as it failed to take full advantage of emerging markets and opportunities created by booming oil prices, according to a new congressional study.

The annual report by the Congressional Research Service showed the US share of the arms transfer market dropped from 35.4 percent to 20.5 percent between 2004 and 2005...... In monetary terms, the value of these deals fell from 9.4 billion dollars to about 6.2 billion.

By contrast, Russia made last year seven billion dollars selling weaponry to Asia, Africa and Latin America, a notable increase from 5.4 billion the year before..... This successful deal making has propelled Russia to the position of the top arms supplier to the developing world, the report said.

France rose to second place, inking last year 6.3 billion dollars worth of deals for delivery of military hardware, up from just one billion dollars in agreements in 2004...... France's success, the study said, was attributable to a 3.5-billion-dollar agreement with India for the sale of six Scorpene diesel attack submarines.

Russia's rise to the pinnacle of the world arms business was fueled by its booming trade with two emerging Asian giants -- Indian and China -- as well as
Iran, a controversial client whose buying power was nonetheless greatly enhanced by high oil prices.....Meanwhile, Iran, fearing airstrikes against its nuclear facilities, is buying from Russia 29 SA-15 Gauntlet air defense systems for over 700 million.

While noting that China's 2005 arms sales total was a modest 2.1 billion dollars, the report pointed out that Iran and North Korea were reportedly among clients receiving Chinese missile technology.... The document, therefore, warned that "China can present an obstacle to efforts to stem proliferation of advanced missile systems.

UPDATES
'06 Nov 01 Asia tops arms market survey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Asia has shot past the Middle East as the world's largest arms market, with India concluding $5.4 billion in deals in 2005, the most of any developing nation, a new report for the U.S. Congress has found......

Weapons orders worldwide rose sharply in 2005, according to an annual study by the Congressional Research Service -- one of the most authoritative, unclassified, reports of its kind...... The total, $44.2 billion in arms deals, was the largest for any year in the period reviewed, which began in 1998. The next highest was $29.3 billion in 2003.

P-36 PRIVATE Mercenary Armies... Above the law..

Wikipedia Mercenary

US hires mercenaries for Iraq role

Blackwater USA
Mercenary Jackpot
"A Mercenary Army" Blackwater USA
Security firms 'abusing Iraqis'
America.. A Police State

P-35 US Elections .. in the land of the NOT SO FREE

Free, fair elections? Doubts still lingerOne of the reasons, it is said, that we invaded Iraq was to introduce democracy to a totalitarian nation. But while we are shopping democracy abroad, we have yet to perfect our democracy at home.....

Many still wonder about the accuracy of voting machines, especially those that don't provide a paper receipt to ensure votes are tallied correctly...... NAACP President Bruce Gordon singles out Diebold machines as "unreliable," yet there are more than 130,000 of these touch-screen machines in use nationwide....

P-34 US putting the ((((squeeze))) on Iran...

US demands UN sanctions on Iran US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.

Iran rejects Western allegations that its nuclear programme has a military aspect, and maintains it is enriching uranium only to generate electricity..... China's UN delegate Li Junhua said it was premature to say that the Security Council was in a position to impose sanctions.

*************************** says a me comment **********************

The now the news.... behind the news... Besides the US doing Israels bidding... the US is also after Irans oil supply... and has been slowing squeezing the life out of Iran... Oil rich... yet shackled by the sanctions imposed on it by the US..

Saysame JR

************************************************************************
Iran has the world's second biggest proven oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and the second biggest gas reserves after Russia.

Iran's geo-strategic position and its already-existing network of pipelines also make it a key actor in the energy world...... Iran is currently Opec's second largest producer..... But international and domestic factors have hampered optimal use by Iran of its energy resources since the 1979 revolution that toppled the Shah.

Iran supplies about 5% of the world's oil supply. In February 2006 an oil ministry official put crude production at 3.5-4m bpd, a figure which could be increased by 1m bpd "although it calls for major investments.....

Iran's oil and gas sector suffers from under-investment as a result of US sanctions, which have been in force for more than two decades.

The sanctions have not only kept US companies out of Iran but have also served as a disincentive to other countries' firms and multinationals because of the threat of secondary sanctions (approved by the US Congress in 1996).

P-33 USA Evangelical - GOP alliance weakens

Evangelical-GOP alliance weakens Of the many disturbing trends for Republicans this campaign season, one of the most troubling is the drop in support among white evangelicals...... The number of conservative Christians with a favorable view of the party has plummeted from 74 percent to 54 percent between 2004 and this year, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press...... Evangelicals comprise more than one-third of GOP (Republican - BUSH) voters.

Like many other Americans, evangelicals are upset by U.S. strategy in Iraq, corruption in the Republican-led Congress, and the case of former GOP Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record), who sent sexually explicit e-mails to pages..... Like many other Americans, evangelicals are upset by U.S. strategy in Iraq, corruption in the Republican-led Congress, and the case of former GOP Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record), who sent sexually explicit e-mails to pages.

P-32 UN Commander apologizes for civilian deaths ... then blames Talaban for UN Air Strike....

Nato apology over Afghan deaths A top Nato commander has apologised for the deaths of Afghan civilians in an air raid on Tuesday..... General James Jones said Taleban insurgents were to blame for using the villagers as cover.... "I personally apologise for the incident, for any loss of life."

'Regretted and investigated'

He said that Taleban militants were using civilians as human shields and that in the heat of battle, when it was hard to differentiate between the two, decisions had to be made on the spot.

In New York, a human rights group said Nato troops needed to do more to protect Afghan civilians..... "Nato's tactics are increasingly endangering the civilians they are supposed to be protecting and turning the local population against them," Sam Zarifi of Human Rights Watch said.

************************** says a me Comment **********************

"A top NATO Commander"..... General James Jones appoligized for the air raid that killed up to 25 civilians (no mention of how many insurgents were killed if any) and then he defended his action by saying that the Taleban insurgents were to blame for using the villagers as cover.... So there was no real appology and admission of wrong doing... just a phony lip service and denial of his actions...

Excuse me.. but in the HEAT OF BATTLE... I take that as infantry combat as there were no enemy war planes in the area.... The UN called in an AIR STRIKE as they couldn't gain ground on the insurgents... Of course a pilot flying at 500 mph can't tell a civilian from a militant... and a bomb or bullets are blind... It wasn't the Talibans bombs or bullets that killed the civilians.. but the NATO Air STRIKE....

saysame JR

P-31 Bush in denial... says U.S. doesn't torture prisoners

'06 Oct 27 Bush: U.S. doesn't torture prisoners WASHINGTON President Bush said Friday the United States does not torture prisoners, trying to calm a controversy created when Vice President Dick Cheney embraced the suggestion that a "dunk in water" might be useful to get terrorist suspects to talk.

2006 Oct 29 Dick Cheney, US vice-president

************************* says a me comment **************************

The Roots of Torture

Guantanamo Bay detainment camp

2004 April 30 U.S. Military in Torture Scandal

2005 Dec 09 Roots of Gitmo Torture Lie Close to Home

2006 Jan 10 Amnesty Releases New Gitmo Torture Testimony Transfer of Guantanamo Detainees on Hold.... The United States has transferred 65 detainees to the control of other nations. But such transfers have become increasingly controversial as a growing number of Guantanamo Bay detainees say that U.S. interrogators have threatened them with torture and transfer to a foreign prison if they did not cooperate.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/37/9824

2006 Feb 17Bush rejects UN call for immediate closure of Guantanamo

2006 July 17 Declassified Documents from Guantanamo Show Widespread Abuse and Torture ....

Thursday, June 23, 2005 U.N. Asks to Check Conditions at Gitmo...GENEVA — U.N. human rights investigators, citing "persistent and credible" reports of torture at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay (search), urged the United States on Thursday to allow them to check conditions there.

The failure of the United States to respond to requests since early 2002 is leading the experts to conclude Washington has something to hide at the Cuban base, said Manfred Nowak, a specialist on torture and a professor of human rights law in Vienna, Austria. www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160446,00.html

2006 Sept 06 Bush: 'We Don't Torture'

2006 09 07 Bush outlines Gitmo trial plan, transfer of CIA-held terror suspects



************

P-30 Bush signs Mexico fence into law

Bush signs Mexico fence into law
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6088084.stm

'Unnecessary and offensive'.....

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Mexico City says the fence has united Mexican politicians in opposition..... Across the political divide, politicians have come together to condemn what they see as an unnecessary and offensive barrier, he says.... And they accuse the United States of hypocrisy for enjoying the benefits of cheap Mexican labour but not being prepared to offer Mexican people a chance to cross the border legally, our correspondent said.

************************* says a me comment ******************

Links to other countries with walls.... "history repeating itself"

Saudis build 550-mile fence to shut out Iraq
Israel's Wall in the West Bank
http://israel--history-repeat-with-a-twist.blogspot.com/2006/10/israels-hidden-agenda-ethnic-cleansing.html
Berlin Wall
Great Wall of China

Saysame JR

P-29 Muslim clerics sexist comment not different than Western Societies attitude...

Australian Muslim cleric apologises for remarks on women

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia's most senior Islamic cleric has issued an apology after triggering outrage for describing scantily-clad women without headscarves as "uncovered meat" inviting sexual attack.

The comments were condemned Thursday by other Muslim leaders and Prime Minister John Howard, while the government's sex discrimination commissioner said he should be deported..... "I unreservedly apologise to any woman who is offended by my comments," the cleric, Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali said in a statement, after a backlash from politicians, community leaders and the Muslim community..... "I had only intended to protect women's honour, something lost in The Australian presentation of my talk," he said.

The senior Islamic cleric had commented...... "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?" he asked...... "The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."

Howard said the comments were "appalling and reprehensible," adding: "The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous."..... "It is incitement to a crime. Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man, their leader in court," she told Australian television...... "It's time we stopped just saying he should apologise. It is time the Islamic community did more then say they were horrified. I think it's time he was asked to go."

************************** says a me comment **********************

I'm sure that this comment by the Muslim cleric was triggered by the The British comments on Muslim women and their veils. Again... a conflict and different opinions over customs, traditions and religious moral views.

While this is a sexist comment, it is also a religious and racial slur.. BUT... that is only part of the picture and problem... Howard and the so-called western society was quick to point a finger at the Muslins sexist comment... but.. what he failed to notice was that western society does nothing to protect women that are abused or raped... And that if a woman is abused or raped... then she must have deserved it or had invited it.... That's no different than what the Cleric was saying...

Now I'm not saying that some women don't use their body and sex to entice and manipulate men... as a form of control and power to get what they want... There are issues on all sides that need to be addressed.... including those of the so-called victim...

Saysame JR

UPDATES:
'06 Oct 26 India tackles domestic violence

It's interesting to see a twist and turn of events here... and how these same so-called good and righteous Christians never denounced the Pope when he called Muslims evil and inhuman... yet now they are outraged by a Muslim cleric calling women that reveal skin... uncovered meat... It's part of the old "Golden Rule" again and the good old "knight in shinning amour syndrome".. that now reveals himself to protect the "honor" of women, that they themselves at times, treat as meat... BUT.. this takes the focus off of their unloving actions and places it on someone that is DIFFERENT but SIMILAR...


True colours - Shit hits fan

Australia fury at cleric comments

Australian mufti's sermons suspended amid firestorm over women comments

Australian Muslim cleric apologizes for remarks on women

Australian cleric's words expose divide

P-28 More Bush denial and "double talk" on the War in Iraq .... before US elections

Bush unsatisfied with Iraq war progress WASHINGTON - Acknowledging painful losses in Iraq, President Bush said Wednesday he is not satisfied with the progress of the long and unpopular war, but he still insisted the United States was winning and should not think about withdrawing...... Thirteen days before elections in which Republicans fear Iraq could cost them control of the House or Senate, Bush expressed unwavering confidence in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. generals running the war and Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, despite new strains between Baghdad and Washington.

"The ultimate accountability rests with me," Bush said of Iraq. "If people are unhappy about it, look right to the president."

"I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq," he said in a lengthy statement before taking questions. "I'm not satisfied either."

"We cannot allow our dissatisfaction to turn into disillusionment about our purpose in this war," the president said....

He said a fixed timetable for withdrawal "means defeat. You can't leave until the job is done." ......

"We're winning and we will win, unless we leave before the job is done," Bush said.

***************************** says a me comment ********************

Bush says," he is not satisfied with the progress of the long and unpopular war" and then he says, "We're winning and we will win."

My question is... if like he says, he's really winning the war... why isn't he satisfied???

When he says "we're winning".. why does he, in the same breath say... "we will win" "We will win".. implies losing, uncertaianty ... and a false assurance and hope for victory..

The add on... "unless we leave before the job is done," is his way of ensuring victory... even if the war last 100 years.... he'll still win... if he doesn't leave.. As long as he's there... he's winning or he will win...

So... Now I will leave you with some "food for thought" to ponder what Bush is "not saying" by saying what he is saying... lol... are you confused yet? :)

Saysame JR

UPDATES:
'06 Oct 26 Bush's conviction on Iraq exceeds his plan's credibility

P-27 David Suzuki... Society is a giant car heading for a brick wall at 100 miles an hour..

************ says a me comment **********
A few minutes ago I posted the piece of FORD and then I came across this piece on David Suzuki Environmentalist Suzuki to quit spotlight for simple life His comments basically confirm what I said, that nothing changes except the form... **** end saysame comment ****

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Environmentalist David Suzuki, best known for his television programs on nature and the environment, is ready to step out of spotlight and live the simple life, lamenting that he has not had a greater impact.... He regrets that after decades of campaigning for everything from cleaner air to sustainable farming, his work has not had more impact.

"Nobody any longer knows what a sustainable future is," the bearded, bespectacled environmentalist told Reuters in a recent interview in Australia to promote his book, "David Suzuki: The Autobiography."......

"I feel like we are in a giant car heading for a brick wall at 100 miles an hour and everyone in the car is arguing where they want to sit. For God's sake, someone has to say put the brakes on and turn the wheel."

Suzuki is no less passionate about preserving the planet than when his first series, "Suzuki on Science," aired in 1969 but he wants more time for himself...

P-26 Busisness in denial... FORD... History repeating but CEO's dummer than ever...

How Ford starved its Taurus
In the 1980s, the Ford Motor Co. was in deep trouble. It made too many gas guzzlers and was getting clobbered by the Japanese. It responded with the Taurus, an innovative design that would become the best-selling car in America.

In 2006, the Ford Motor Co. is in deep trouble. It is making too many gas guzzlers and is getting clobbered by the Japanese. It is responding by discontinuing the Taurus, a once innovative design that used to be the best-selling car in America.... Go figure.

Ford is pulling the plug on the Taurus ostensibly as part of a grand effort to remake a company that is losing money, including a breathtaking $5.8 billion in the most recent quarter alone. But the real reason is that it has been starving the Taurus for the past decade. The once-groundbreaking vehicle - sales peaked around 410,000 in 1992 - no longer has the strength to compete.

While competitors such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are constantly improved and updated, Ford has tweaked the Taurus once since the 1996 model year, when it received its last major makeover.

In the ensuing years Ford, like GM, largely ceded the sedan market and concentrated on large SUVs and pickups with hefty profit margins that masked their biggest problem - uncompetitive labor costs driven by sky-high health care benefits for employees and retirees...... Those road hogs have fallen out of favor with higher gasoline prices, putting Detroit in a difficult spot. The Taurus, meanwhile, has fallen out of favor because Ford made sure that it did....

****************************** says a me Comment **********************

I decided to put this piece in here as business also has a political side to it.. It's interesting to see how the mind set at Ford is similar to the mind set of Government and how history just keeps repeating itself but this time with a twist... Instead of Ford scraping their AMERICAN MADE dinosaur SUV's and focusing on small, safe and efficient and practical cars... they do the opposite... Twenty-five years ago Ford pulled its ass out of the fire.. this time they are sticking their heads up their ass..... or is there really a difference...

I can remember oil prices rising in the mid 70's and then again the big jump in 1980/81 with the trouble between Iraq and Iran and then in 1990 with the Gulf war... and now our current state..

Anyway... the point I was going to make was that in the early 1980's The American and Canadian governments gave the auto-makers tax incentives and signed agreements with them, giving them until the 1995 to build (((ALL))) passenger vehicles with pollution free engines that delivered no less that 28 mpg in the city.....Air, water and soil pollution were also on the agenda with a millennium deadline... Well 1995 and 2000 has come and gone along with any memory of those agreements.. and instead, things are even worse. and everything old is NEW again... "Praise the Lord.. we have change" even though it's only a form change and will last only as long as it takes the masses to forget...

You can tell that I'm a little ticked off this morning... eh? I even got a little dig on phoney religious beliefs in there too.

Saysame JR

PS: Here is our CANADIAN governments "NEW" agenda on cleaning up our environment... It's not even the same shit they said 25 years ago... and didn't act ob.... Now they are saying that they are not going to be making a decision for another 25 years... Dah!!!!... '06 Oct 19 Canada won't set emissions targets before 2020/25

UPDATES:
'06 Oct 25 Wed Most car brands 'failing on CO2'

'06 Nov 06 Canada raises Kyoto eyebrows by killing EU summit OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has ruffled some European feathers by putting off a bilateral summit with the European Union that was just weeks away.

Critics at home said the Conservative prime minister was simply trying to avoid European pressure to respect Ottawa's commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, which Harper says Canada will not be able to meet... "It's very bad international relations strategy by the prime minister," Jack Layton, head of the leftist New Democratic Party (NDP), told Reuters.

Harper's office denied the decision had anything to do with Kyoto and everything to do with his desire, as the head of a minority government, to spend as much time in Ottawa as possible.... "He's committed to governing the country," Harper spokeswoman Carolyn Stewart-Olsen said. "It's all about the day-to-day aspects of governing the country."...

************************ says a me comment ********************
Yep that's Harper!!!... your typical day to day kind of guy... looking out for HIS best interests... Definately not a leader or a man of vision...

Saysame JR
***************************************************************

P-25 Iraqs Oil.... and the forgotten Oil for Food Program

Iraq Oil-for-food scandalThe oil-for-food programme (OFF) was set up to allow Iraq to sell its oil in return for humanitarian relief, so it would not breach sanctions imposed after the first Iraq war..... The programme was administered by the United Nations and is now embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Q&A: Oil-for-food scandal Since Saddam Hussein was toppled in April 2003 evidence has emerged of corruption within the oil-for-food (OFF) programme administered by the UN.

Q: What was the oil-for-food programme?

It was a $60bn (£32bn) scheme which was supposed to allow Iraq to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies with the proceeds of regulated oil sales, without breaking the sanctions imposed on it after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The programme - set up in 1996 - aimed to relieve the suffering of ordinary Iraqis under the sanctions.

It was formally ended in 2003 after the US-led invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

P-24 The hands of the French... also bloody and in denial

France accused on Rwanda killings A former senior Rwandan diplomat has told a tribunal that France played an active role in Rwanda's 1994 genocide..... Former Rwandan ambassador to Paris Jacques Bihozagara said French involvement stemmed from concerns about its diminishing influence in Africa...... France has denied playing any role in the 100-day frenzy of killing in which 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus died.

"France has not expressed regret," AFP quotes Mr Bihozagara as saying during his three-hour testimony...... He added that even after the genocide the French government had not apprehended genocide suspects living in France.

The BBC's Geoffrey Mutagoma in Kigali says that it is also alleged that French soldiers provided escape routes to militia escaping to the Democratic Republic of Congo after the massacres...... French soldiers were deployed in parts of Rwanda in the final weeks of the genocide under a United Nations mandate known as Operation Turquoise to set up a protected zone.

UPDATES:
'06 Oct 26 The politics of excess in France

P-23 Canada also on the verge of Pulling out of US .. Bush agenda

Canada sailors, airmen won't fight in Afghanistan

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will not retrain sailors and air force personnel to fight as ground troops in Afghanistan, Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor said on Monday, contradicting information put out by his own ministry..... Canada has 2,300 soldiers in the southern city of Kandahar but says it cannot continue the mission unless other NATO allies send more troops to the south.

*************************** says a me comment *************************

Stephen Harper (Bushs page boy) is also fighting for re-election within a year and the same thing that is happening in the UK will be happening in Canada... Maybe Bush will try to build a wall between Canada and the USA like he's doing with Mexico....

Saysame.. JR

P-22 Britian no longer bowing to US... Bush agenda.... Hummmmm... This will change things...

Britain is turning on the U.S. - at its own peril

Everyone knows that Europe is a continent stuffed with craven, terror-appeasing fromages who loathe America. Britain, by contrast, led by the lion-hearted Tony Blair, is full of stalwarts who stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the defense of the West. Right?

Wrong. Fury at Prime Minister Blair for being President Bush's "poodle" has reached such a pitch that the most successful Labor prime minister in memory is being forced out of office because of his support for U.S. policy in Iraq and Israel. Labor's members of Parliament say his refusal to break with America by calling for an earlier cease-fire in Lebanon was the last straw. The disturbing fact is that Britain is consumed by a rampant anti-Americanism and an allied hostility toward Israel, which are driving public debate into irrationality, prejudice and appeasement......

**************************** says a me comment *************************

Blair has been scrambling to stay in power and has been going back and forth on the issue of Irag. He has now exposed and trapped himself, and the people are seeing the truth... seeing the denials, corruption, power plays and his loyalty and obedience to please Bush... and there is only one way out for him...

While this will have ramifications on the UK... it will also affect the US as they are not only loosing an important military ally, but this move will also affect the security council at the UN where the UK has a seat on the security council... The balance of power is shifting...

Blair on Iraq:
'06 Oct 13 Blair gives backing to army chief

'06 Oct 13 Army chief defends Iraq comments

'06 Oct 13 Blair 'agrees' with UK Army chief

'06 Oct 14 A chasm impossible to close?

'06 Oct 17 Blair denies claims British presence in Iraq fuels extremism

'06 Oct 17 No walking away from Iraq - Blair

'06 Oct 18 Blair: 'UK forces could make Iraq worse'

P-21 Red Cross speaks out against Bushs US Terror Law

'06 Oct 22 Red Cross lambasts US terror law The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern over a newly-approved US anti-terrorism law.

ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said the law raised "questions" about its compliance with the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war...... He said some points had been omitted, such as the right to a fair trial and the ban on humiliating and degrading treatment of prisoners.

President Bush signed the law on Tuesday, saying it would save US lives...... The Military Commissions Act of 2006 sets standards for the interrogation and prosecution of foreign terror suspects held by the US..... The law aims to enshrine defendants' human rights, but still restricts their right to challenge their detention......

P-20 US criticizes the role of Islam in politics.. but are in denial to see the role of Christianity in Politics...

'06 Oct 21 Schroeder: Bush's faith raised suspicion BERLIN - Ex-Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder, whose second term was marked by vehement opposition to the war in
Iraq, described in an advance copy of his memoirs how he was suspicious of
President Bush's constant references to his Christian faith.....

While meetings with Bush at that time were friendly, Schroeder said he could not reconcile himself with the feeling that religion was the driving force behind many of Bush's political decisions....... "What bothered me, and in a certain way made me suspicious despite the relaxed atmosphere, was again and again in our discussions how much this president described himself as 'God-fearing,'" Schroeder wrote, adding he is a firm believer in the separation of church and state....... Schroeder accused some elements in U.S. as being hypocritical when it comes to secularism in government.

"We rightly criticize that in most Islamic states, the role of religion for society and the character of the rule of law are not clearly separated," Schroeder wrote. "But we fail to recognize that in the USA, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies."

P-19 Politics, sex, coruption and now religion....

'06 Oct 19 Newspaper: Priest admits ties to Foley
ROME - A priest acknowledged Thursday that he was naked in saunas and went skinny-dipping with Mark Foley decades ago when the former congressman was a boy in Florida, but denied that the two had sex....."We were friends and trusted each other as brothers and loved each other as brothers," Mercieca told The Associated Press in Rome. Asked if their association was sexual, the priest replied: "It wasn't."

Among the activities described by Mercieca in the newspaper were massaging the boy in the nude, skinny-dipping together at a secluded lake in Lake Worth, Fla., and being nude in the same room on overnight trips while he was a priest and Foley was a parishioner.......

'06 Oct 20 Experts: Priest in denial about behavior

Experts on sex abuse say the comments of a Roman Catholic priest who acknowledged being naked with Mark Foley when the former congressman was young fit a pattern of distorted thinking that they've seen over and over among offenders...... The priest told the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune that he and Foley "loved each other like brothers" and that although he taught Foley "some wrong things" related to sex, Mercieca insisted their interactions were innocent....... "It was just fondling," he told WPTV of West Palm Beach, Fla.

From the perspective of people who have worked with abusers and their victims, that thinking is typical of a molester. Offenders, who are sexually immature, commonly view their involvement with their victims as normal and are baffled when others see things differently....... "This is the same type of rationalization that I've heard time and time again from priests who have been grooming or setting a young boy up for molestation," said the Rev. Thomas Doyle, a canon lawyer turned victim advocate.

************************* says a me comment ******************

Original post on the following link... Saysame - On Politics- denials and truth - Politics, sex, coruption

P-18 US missles based in Japan...

06 Sept 29 >>>New leader wants to make Japan a force > Abe's Liberal Democratic Party has long campaigned to replace the pacifist constitution drafted by U.S. forces after World War II to revise phrasing that renounces the country's right to offensive action and bans maintaining a military for warfare.

'06 Oct 03 US missiles in Japan

'06 Oct 18 Rice promises U.S. defense of Japan

'06 Oct 18 Japan rules out nuclear weapons

******* Says a me comment *******
While new Japans new Prime minister Sinzo Abe might have had glorious plans for Japan, he was already defeated before he began as the Bush and the US already had plans to make Japan an US military outpost... with missles in easy striking range of not only for Korea... but also China...

Saysame...JR

'06 Oct 27 US will not impede nuclear arms debate in Japan

P-17 Bush fears losing military advantage... now wants the USA to control space ....

US adopts tough new space policy

The US has adopted a tough new policy aimed at protecting its interests in space and denying "adversaries" access there for hostile purposes..... The document - signed by President Bush - also says "freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power".

The document rejects any proposals to ban space weapons......However, some military experts warn that by refusing to enter into negotiations on space weaponry, the US is likely to fuel international suspicions that it will develop such weapons....

"The notion that you would do defence from space is different from that of weaponisation of space. We're comfortable with the policy", White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

President Bush authorised the policy in August but it was not released until October...... During the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan proposed a defence shield using laser or particle beam technology to "intercept and destroy" incoming nuclear missiles...... The Strategic Defence Initiative, or "Star Wars" programme as it came to be known, was abandoned in 1993.

*************************** Says a me comment ************************************

Note the phrase, "The notion that you would do "defense" from space is different from that of "weaponisation" of space. We're comfortable with the policy" ..... that statement directly refers to the "star Wars" program that wasn't abandoned in 1993..... but was COMPLETED in 1993... otherwise.. they wouldn't have said the first comment.... It's just a play on words...

What prompted this policy was what China did a couple of weeks ago... and that scares the Bush and his military.... as that could also take away any advantage the US has with it's military campaigns..in identifying enemy positions and guiding them with satellite technology...

Saysame JR

Below is the link to the China activity that sparked this fear based Bush policy...
********************************************************************************

China jamming test sparks U.S. satellite concerns
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
Thu Oct 5, 5:20 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has beamed a ground-based laser at U.S. spy satellites over its territory, a U.S. agency said, in an action that exposed the potential vulnerability of space systems that provide crucial data to American troops and consumers around the world...... The Defense Department remains tight-lipped about details, including which satellite was involved or when it occurred.

Critical U.S. space assets include a constellation of 30 Global Positioning Satellites that help target bombs and find enemy locations. This system is also widely used in commercial applications, ranging from car navigation systems to automatic teller machines.

The Pentagon also depends on communications satellites that relay sensitive messages to battlefield commanders, and satellites that track weather in critical areas so U.S. troops can plan their missions.

UPDATES:
'06 Nov 08 Russia, China plan joint space projects

P-16 Bush grooming his new page boy at the UN

Bush, new UN chief discuss North Korea

Bush also congratulated Ban on his election to the top UN job, while pressing him "to address UN management and reform issues" and promising US support for making the world body "more effective," said the spokesman.

"The president said we want the UN and its new secretary general to succeed, and we'll do all we can to assist him," said Snow. "The president said he was very much looking forward to working with Mr Ban."

******************************* says a me comment **********************

Bush grooming his new "page boy" at the UN...

Saysame JR

P-15 India and Kashmir.... Hindu against Muslim

Indian army says tide turning in restive Kashmir

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's army chief said on Tuesday violence in the troubled Himalayan Kashmir region was lessening as more disillusioned Islamist militants surrendered and more were detained...... General J.J. Singh, chief of the army staff, said the security situation in the restive state was "manageable" as militants were not engaging the army in head-on combat and local people were giving more information on infiltrators.

"Violence levels have come down by 20 percent. There may be an odd incident of a grenade thrown at one place or the other, but that can happen anywhere in the world," he told a news conference. By and large (Kashmir) is peaceful."......Some 166 militants have surrendered this year compared to 82 in all of 2005, he said, adding this proved the situation was improving in region where a 17-year-old separatist revolt has killed over 45,000 people.

******************** says a me comment *****************************

Just the other day I did a post on India and Hinduism on my "Religions, denials and truth" blog... India and Hinduism....a country and a religion in turoil... and today they're in the news..... India and Kashmir.... Hindu against Muslim... Things that make you go hummmmm.

Saysame.. JR

UPDATES:
'06 Oct 24 India police fire teargas to quell Kashmir protests

P-14 Iraqi Oil, ever wonder what's happening with it? ... Black Gold...Texas Tea... for Bush and friends.

Bush's Petro-Cartel Almost Has Iraq's Oil
Bush's Petro-Cartel Almost Has Iraq's Oil (Part Two)

When the secret $7 billion Restore Iraqi Oil (RIO) contract the Pentagon gave Halliburton KBR
Corporate Contracts

Some links I stumbled across that you will find interesting....
Saysame JR

P-13 America... the Great.... POLICE STATE

Bush signs law on terror suspects WASHINGTON - President Bush signed legislation into law Tuesday that authorizes tough interrogation of terror suspects and smooths the way for their trials before military commissions but also gives detainees some legal protections. Bush called the bill a "vital tool" in a time of war.....

Bush's plan for treatment of the terror suspects became law just six weeks after he acknowledged that the CIA had been secretly interrogating suspected terrorists overseas and pressed Congress to quickly give authority to try them in military commissions....

"With the bill I'm about to sign, the men our intelligence officials believe orchestrated the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent people will face justice," Bush said....

************************** Says a me comment ****************************

The last comment where Bush makes comment to 3,000 innocent people plays on the American fears of the so-called 9/11 attack... He also doesn't mention how many innocent people in other countries have been killed by the US, or of the nearly 3,000 American soldiers that has died in his unholy crusade in the war against terror...

That comment also takes the focus off the fact that it's not terrorists that this bill is affecting, it's everyone.. including American citizens who think this bill is protecting them... Any freedom and rights are now basically abolished as they are over-ridden by the military commissions.

"The truth is not in what people say.. but in what they don't say"..... Saysame JR

UPDATE '06 Oct 17 Bush signs bill on terror prosecution

Six weeks later, after a highly publicized dispute with key Republicans over the terms of the bill, Bush signed the new law "in memory of the victims of September the 11th."...... "It is a rare occasion when a president can sign a bill he knows will save American lives," Bush said. "I have that privilege this morning."

Civil libertarians and leading Democrats decried the law as a violation of American values. The American Civil Liberties Union said it was "one of the worst civil liberties measures ever enacted in American history." Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record) of Wisconsin said, "We will look back on this day as a stain on our nation's history."

"It allows the government to seize individuals on American soil and detain them indefinitely with no opportunity to challenge their detention in court," Feingold said. "And the new law would permit an individual to be convicted on the basis of coerced testimony and even allow someone convicted under these rules to be put to death."

After Bush signed the law, CIA Director Mike Hayden sent a note to employees saying it gives them "the legal clarity and legislative support necessary to continue a program that has been one of our country's most effective tools in the fight against terrorism." ....... "We can be confident that our program remains — as it always has been — fully compliant with U.S. law, the Constitution and our international treaty obligations," Hayden wrote.

P-12 Korea views sanctions as a declaration of war

N. Korea: Sanctions are war declaration

The North broke two days of silence about the U.N. resolution adopted after its Oct. 9 nuclear test with a statement on the official state news agency, as China warned Pyongyang against stoking tensions.

"The resolution cannot be construed otherwise than a declaration of a war" against the North, the statement said. North Korea is known officially as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

P-11 Religion...... back in Bush Politics.

Bush aides 'mocked evangelicals' A new book by a former US official says President Bush's top political advisers privately ridiculed evangelical leaders, while publicly embracing them.....

The Republican party is concerned the allegations may harm its standing in next month's mid-term elections...... 'Alarm bells ringing' With just weeks to go before what promised to be highly competitive congressional elections, Republicans can ill afford to lose the support of their evangelical Christian base.

"When [the president] talks about the Faith-Based Initiative, this is one of these things where he believes years and years down the road... this is going to be one of the signal accomplishments - harnessing the power of faith in dealing with some of the most intractable problems our society faces." ...... But ...

for the moment it is a short-term goal of keeping a Republican majority in congress that seems most at threat by these revelations.

P-10 Bush playing with fire ... USA initiates UN resolution... but demands China enforce it....

U.S. presses China on N. Korea sanctions

WASHINGTON - The U.S. on Sunday pressed China to enforce the U.N. punishment against
North Korea and use economic leverage to persuade the communist ally to renounce its nuclear weapons program and rejoin international disarmament talks.....

"I'm quite certain that China is going to live up to its responsibilities," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, adding she was willing to have "conversations" during her trip on how best to enforce the resolution.

Washington's U.N. ambassador portrayed this month's detonation as a public humiliation for China, which shares a long border with North Korea and is the North's chief ally and supplier of crucial shipments of food and energy aid. An air sampling taken after the blast detected radioactivity consistent with an atomic explosion, Bush administration and congressional officials said Friday.

***************************** Says a me comments ************************

The USA via -Bush- initiated the UN resolutions against North Korea but now demands that China enforce the USA based demands... Bush now demands that China do the USA dirty work and punish North Korea for their nuclear test and for not listening to Bush. The USA is also using guilt and shame in trying to humiliate the Chinese to live up to their "responsibilities"... that being... the bidding of Bush and the USA.

There is no "honor" or "saving face" for the Chinese here because they are being forced to choose their independence from the USA or become puppets of the USA... Watch for the "fall-out" of this confrontation... It will make the North Korean issue look like fire-crackers compared to what Bush is foolishly.... or on purpose, trying to pull off with the Chinese....

To make matters even worse, he is his sending in his think alike, opposite sex, cronie... Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, with her famous "but what I really don't know, what I'm quite certain of" rhetoric and BS... Did you notice that she used "I'm quite certain" again... I have to give her credit, and that is that she is quite certain of what she doesn't know... :)

Saysame JR

P-9 History repeating itself....

New World Order (conspiracy)
On September 27, 2006 the US Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 which enables the executive branch to designate US citizens, foreign nationals and other world citizens as unlawful enemy combatants effectively stripping them of their citizenship. This allows legal torture, and detention of all designates for an unlimited period of time. This negates all provisions contained within the Geneva Convention, the Bill of Rights and the 4th amendment. Convictions are based upon secret evidence are delivered before a military court while the defendant is declined a jury of his peers. This bill can also apply to political subversives, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with the president, as detailed in Bill, HR 6616 [14]. Newspapers such as The New York Times [15] and Yale Law Professor Bruce Ackerman in The Los Angeles Times [16] have condemmened the bill. Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones added his own analysis of the bill.[17]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Military Commissions Act of 2006

H.R. 6166: Military Commissions Act of 2006 (Vote On Passage)

Military Commissions Act of 2006
To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize trial by military commission for violations of the law of war, and for other purposes.

Military Commissions Act of 2006 Defies U.S. Constitution, Violates Fundamental Rights

*************************** Says a me comment *************************

This was in the news..... and like everyting else... has been buried or brushed under the carpet... Just because it's gone from sight.... doesn't mean that it's not there..... But, just like the programed sheep, the silent majority is oblivious to their reality.... and so it is... and so it shall be...

Saysame JR

P-8 Bush isn't revising ... He's lying... again!!!

Bush keeps revising war justification WASHINGTON -
President Bush keeps revising his explanation for why the U.S. is in
Iraq, moving from narrow military objectives at first to history-of-civilization stakes now...... Initially, the rationale was specific: to stop
Saddam Hussein from using what Bush claimed were the Iraqi leader's weapons of mass destruction or from selling them to al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.

But 3 1/2 years later, with no weapons found, still no end in sight and the war a liability for nearly all Republicans on the ballot Nov. 7, the justification has become far broader and now includes the expansive "struggle between good and evil.

"We can't tolerate a new terrorist state in the heart of the Middle East, with large oil reserves that could be used to fund its radical ambitions, or used to inflict economic damage on the West," Bush said in a news conference last week in the Rose Garden.

When no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq, Bush shifted his war justification to one of liberating Iraqis from a brutal ruler.......For a while last summer, Bush depicted the war as one against "Islamic fascism," borrowing a phrase from conservative commentators. The strategy backfired, further fanning anti-American sentiment across the Muslim world.

*************************** Says a me Comment *****************************

This is part of the Bush agenda... BUT.... he is only a puppet... as his strings are also being pulled by higher powers....

Saysame. JR

P-7 Nuclear Weapons...and things you should know.

Nuclear Weapons and things you should know ....


1) List of countries with nuclear weapons

2) 50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons

3) Partial list of U.S. Nuclear Weapons

4) Gallery of U.S. Nuclear Tests

5) Nuclear Weapon Database: United States Arsenal

6) United States Secretly Deployed Nuclear Bombs In 27 Countries and Territories during the Cold War with Russia

7) The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Top Five List of Nuclear Secrets Revealed in 2001

8) Pentagon Revises Nuclear Strike Plan

9) Bush Pushes Nuclear Weapons Development in US Friday 01 Sept. 2006

P-6 US and Russia at UN Monopoly Game...... Bush says, "I'll trade you Georgia for Korea" Putin says, "Da da"

US hoping for Russian cooperation after gesture on Georgia: report....MOSCOW (AFP) - The United States' decision to approve a UN Security Council resolution on Georgia that reflects Russian concerns is a concession to Moscow aimed at winning cooperation on North Korea, a Russian newspaper said....."The calculation of the Americans, it appears, is that Moscow in turn will become more compliant on the question of North Korea," Kommersant said.......

"By making a concession on Georgia, Washington expects a corresponding gesture from the Russian side as regards Pyongyang," the paper said, adding that Washington's approach was driven by electoral considerations at home...... "Given the failure of the Republican administration's foreign policy in most areas, on the eve of elections the White House needs to demonstrate some kind of bright successes," the paper said.

UPDATES: Russia says, "Da da," to Bushs offer U.S.: U.N. reaches N. Korea resolution

UPDATES:'06 Oct 14 UN slaps sanctions on North Korea
Timeline: N Korea nuclear standoff

'06 Oct 07 THE tiny former Soviet republic of Georgia accused Russia of ethnic cleansing yesterday after the Kremlin cut trade, transport and postal links and began to investigate children with Georgian names in Moscow schools.

'06 Oct 20 Georgian anger at Putin war claim Georgia's government has reacted with anger to claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Georgia is readying for war in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

'06 Oct 20 High stakes in Georgia standoff Georgia is just starting to count the potential cost of Moscow's anger over the arrest of four Russian military intelligence officers on spying charges last week..... The four Russians have now been freed and have returned home, but Moscow remains furious and has cut transport and postal links to Georgia.

P-5 Stephen Harper - Bushes page boy

Pro-U.S. stance hurts Conservatives in poll TORONTO (Reuters) - Support for Canada's ruling Conservatives is falling and the outcome of the next federal election is up in the air, according to a poll published on Saturday......"The prime minister looks to be increasingly inspired by President Bush, for whom politics can be boiled down to one simple concept: I'm right and if you aren't with me, you're against me," commentator Vincent Marissal wrote in La Presse....."This Americanization of our politics clearly does not please Quebecers."......the next Canadian election, is likely within the next year.

****************************** says a me Comments *******************************

The title says it all.

saysame JR

P-4 Harper pro Israel?..... naw, come on... he's pro USA

Israel war crime charge roils Canada politics
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The leading candidate to head the Liberal Party was defiant on Friday after opening a political can of worms with the charge that Israel committed war crimes during its Lebanon campaign this summer....... Michael Ignatieff, a human rights expert and a former Harvard don, said at the weekend that Israel committed a war crime when it bombarded the Lebanese village of Qana in July.

That prompted angry complaints from Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the Liberals, who have more often than not run Canada, had taken an anti-Israel stance.
**************************************************************************
Harper (Prime Minister of Canada by default) is a Conservitive, American Bush Cronnie... and will do what Bush tells him to do... It interesting to see the old political rhetoric kick in, as Harper didn't admit that he was pro-Israel or ask for more information... but instead attacked and accused Michael Ignatieff of being anti-Israel... Is "dah leader" un-aware of the UN reports raising the same issues? Dah!!! now that's CANADA.. eh! GOD...... HELP US!!!! Save us from Harperism.....

********************* CANADA ON THE WORLD STAGE *************************

Harper, is a American conservative Bush Cronnie... and will do to Canada what Diefenbaker (A man out standing in his field) did with the Avro Arrow.

'06 Oct 04 Canada sacks Arctic envoy, abolishes post.... It is no mystery that the US wants the Canadian Arctic and instead of enforcing our sovereignty, Harper is handing it to them on a sliver platter...like Diefenbaker handed the Americans our aeronautical expertise of the Avro Arrow in the late 50's

At Bush's request... Harper was also quick to send the Canadian Military into Afganistan...but... '06 Sept 28 Pakistan to Canada: Stop griping about troop deaths

Now the Canadian military is fased with an unexpected and potent enemy ... oh when will it end? '06 Oct 12 Canada troops battle 10-ft Afghan marijuana plants

Canada needs to wake up and look at the enemy within...

Saysame,
JR

UPDATES: '06 Nov 07
Dispute Over NW Passage Revived

U.S. Asserts Free Use by All Ships; Canada Claims Jurisdiction
TORONTO -- A long-standing legal wrangle between the United States and Canada could complicate future shipping through the Arctic as global warming melts the ice in the Northwest Passage.

The spat has flared occasionally in the past. Canadians were incensed when Americans drove the reinforced oil tanker Manhattan through the Northwest Passage in 1969, followed by the icebreaker Polar Sea in 1985, both without asking for Canadian permission.

P-3 Britian: More denials and racism exposed

Fallout spreads from British minister's call to remove Muslim veils

LONDON (AFP) - The fallout from a minister's appeal for Muslim women to remove their face veils spread, exposing splits within Prime Minister Tony Blair's government as well as within society......The comments last Thursday by Jack Straw, leader of the House of Commons, have hit a raw nerve in a nation which has been anxious about the state of ties with its Muslim minority since last year's deadly terrorist attacks.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott disagreed with Straw's argument that a women wearing a full face veil or niqab raised a barrier to face-to-face communications, saying it was part and parcel of living in a globalized world...."I think a woman that wants to wear the veil, why shouldn't she? It's her choice," Prescott told BBC television Sunday.

*********************** Says me comments *******************************

So, as I understand it and applying the same logic and rules..... that also means that any so-called british citizen (including politicians) should also have to abide the the customs and traditions of the coutry they are visiting or living in... and that they should dress in the same manner that the locals do... and not in proper british atire. Can you just see the good and proper brits doing the "Lawrence of Aribia" thing, wearing a SA-bisht and Ghutra when in an Arab/Muslin country. "Huff puff, I say there, not bloody likely"

Saysame JR

UPDATES: '06 Oct 10 Blair, Rushdie back minister in veil row LONDON (AFP) - Britain's former foreign secretary Jack Straw found support from Prime Minister Blair and controversial author Salman Rushdie for raising the issue of whether Muslim women should be veiled.

'06 Oct 14 Battles over Muslim and Christian religious symbols rage
'06 Oct 15 British debate on Muslim veils heats up
'06 Oct 17 Blair, Prodi voice concern over Muslim veils

Politic and Religion.. Like trying to mix oil and water...

'06 Oct 22 '06 Oct 22 Warning over UK race riot danger

P-2 Politicians, sex and corruption

'06 Oct 02 Sexual abuse in Congress? Not on leaders' agenda...

'06 Oct 06 Foley scandal investigations heating up >> President Bush called Hastert late Thursday to reassure him amid allegations that the House speaker did not do enough to protect the teenage House pages from former Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record)'s advances.
Congress is consistent at corruption
WASHINGTON - Foley's folly - the sexually suggestive messages that Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record) (R) sent to one or more former congressional pages - is only the latest manifestation of Lord Acton's axiom that power tends to corrupt....In the case of our Congress, the corruption is of two general sorts - money and sex.

Update '06 Oct 07 House's Foley investigation is wide open WASHINGTON - The House's investigation of a page sex scandal has only one certainty: Former Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record) will escape punishment by his peers.....It is the Florida Republican's sexually explicit electronic messages to teenage former male pages that have ignited what has become a pre-election firestorm......Congress only can punish current members, officers and employees. Foley resigned on Sept. 29, but is under investigation by federal and Florida authorities.

Update:'06 Oct 08 What's Wrong With Washington: Exhibit A

P-1 Politics and Religion

This Blog is a parallel to Religion, Denials and Truth but from a political point of view. I felt it only fitting that they share the same beginning as they are undeniably linked in what we call our society. The purpose of this blog will be to show who, what, where, when, why and how they are linked, and in more ways that one. What has been silently denied for countless centuries is finally being exposed to show its TRUE colours, and NOT what it claims to be.

While we (as a society) attempt to separate church and state, it is an undeniable fact that they are intertwined and always have been as the very fabric of society and its social structures, even in primitive ones. Everyone has a religious or non-religious belief and if they are in politics or in a place of social power, their beliefs are inevitably part of their political platform.

Throughout history there has been a constant battle between church and state for POWER and CONTROL of the masses and while they may deny and claim that no such power play exists today, that doesn't change the fact that there is. Unfortunately, even most of masses will ignorantly support their political and Clerical leaders denial based rhetoric as they blindly believe that their old customs, traditions and beliefs are the truth and the only way of life.

*********************************************************************

Bush openly Religious, to a Point

George W. Bush is among the most openly religious presidents in U.S. history. A daily Bible reader, he often talks about how Jesus changed his heart. He has spoken, publicly and privately, of hearing God's call to run for the presidency and of praying for God's help since he came into office....... But despite the centrality of Bush's faith to his presidency, he has revealed only the barest outline of his beliefs, leaving others to sift through the clues as to where he really stands.

******************************************************************

The Pope calls to the highest power in the land
'06 Sept 27 UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Vatican used the political stage of the United Nations on Wednesday to try to make amends for remarks he made that prompted Muslim outrage and protests. The pope has faced persistent criticism despite numerous attempts to make amends, without actually apologizing directly, for a speech he gave on September 12 in his native Germany.....

****************************************************

"Denying the truth doesn't change the truth....just your perception of it."

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope it gave you some "Food for thought"

JR