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.
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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

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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



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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.

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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."...

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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
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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......

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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.

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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...
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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."

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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.

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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....

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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.