Syria Accuses US of Launching Lethal Raids Over it's Borders
By-Harry de Quetterville in Baghouz
Filed: 29/10/2005
Syria has accused the United States of launching lethal military raids into it's territory from Iraq, escalating the diplomatic crisis between the two countries as the Bush administration seeks to step up pressure on President Assad's regime.
Major General Amid Suleiman, a Syrian officer, said that American cross-border attacks into Syria has killed at least two border guards, wounded several more and prompted an official complaint to the American Embassy if Damascus.
He made the allegations during an official press tour of a Syrian security forces on the Iraqi border, which the US claims is a barely guarded, passage into Iraq from hardcore foreign Jihadis.
While showing off what he said were beefed-up Syrian border measures designed to blunt those criticisms, including new police stations and checkpoints, Maj. Gen. Suleiman alleged that his own border forces had come under repeated American attack.
"Incidents have taken place with casualties on my surveillance troops," he said, near the Euphrates River border crossing between Syria and Iraq. "Many US projectiles have landed here. In this area alone, two soldiers and two civilians have been killed by the American attacks."
The charge follows leaks in Washington that the US has already engaged in military raids into Syria and is contemplating launching special forces operations on Syrian soil to eliminate Insurgent networks before they reach Iraq.
"No one in the administration has any problem with acting tough on Syria; it is the one thing they all agree on," said Edward Walker, a former US Ambassador to Egypt and Israel, who is now head of the Middle East Institute Think-Tank. "I've heard there have been cross-border activities, and it certainly makes sense as a warning to Syria that if they don't take care of the problem the US will step up itself."
But he warned that the increased blurring of battle lines between Iraq and Syria could turn a diplomatic stand-off between the two nations, playing out at the UN, into a fully fledged military confrontation. "It could escalate. With Syrian border guards getting shot, it could turn into a major issue."
In the Euphrates Valley, however, the alleged cross-border fire fights are already a major issue. The Syrian military said that in May, in the divided village of Baghouz, which straddles the Syria-Iraq border about 350 miles North East of Damascus, Abdullah al-Hassake was manning a rundown concrete frontier outpost when he and fellow soldiers heard US Helicopters.
He went on to the police station roof to survey the impending battle between US troops and Iraqi Insurgents, who flee to the border when under attack, and was killed by fire from the US Helicopters.
Syrian officials said that US charges that they were not doing enough to prevent Insurgents crossing into Iraq are unfair. They pointed to new barbed wire and reinforced sand barriers across the 400-Mile border, which cost 1.5 million, and claimed that they had deported or arrested about 1,5000 foreign fighters heading to Iraq.
Much of the border is impossible to seal. Across the divide, the continuing violence in Iraq is all too evident. Both sides have strong ties with the regime of the former dictator Saddam Hussein. "The people here are happy to help fighters go to face the Americans," Said one local.
But reinforced security on the Syrian side had made life harder, he added. That view is supported by some Western diplomats in Damascus, although US defence officials remain sceptical.
"The Syrians have stopped actively encouraging Jihadis to go," said one diplomat. "In fact recently they've tried quite hard to stop it.
Across the Euphrates, the border appears to be the likely stage for a future showdown between the US and Syria.
"Sometimes the US soldiers fire at us every day," said Ibrahim Brahim, a Syrian security official. "Sometimes it's simply a mistake, but sometimes it's not. Mostly the US army wants to show us it's power."
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/30/wsyria30.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/10/30/ixworld.html
This is the point from which I could never return, And if I back down now then forever I burn. This is the point from which I could never retreat, Cause If I turn back now there can never be peace. This is the point from which I will die and succeed, Living the struggle, I know I'm alive when I bleed. From now on it can never be the same as before, Cause the place I'm from doesn't exist anymore [Immortal Technique]
Monday, October 31, 2005
Mirror of your Perception
(By-Rumi)
If you could get rid
of yourself just once.
The secret of secrets
would open to you.
The face of the unknown
hidden beyond the Universe
would appear on the
Mirror of your Perception.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
I've Been Waiting For A Girl Like You
(By-Foreigner)
So long I've been looking too hard,
I've been waiting too long
Sometimes I don't know what I will find
I only know it's a matter of time
When you love someone
When you love someone.
It feels so right, so warm and true
I need to know if you feel it too.
Maybe I'm wrong
Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?
This heart of mine has been hurt before
This time I wanna be sure.
I've been waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you
A love that will survive.
I've been waiting for someone new
To make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life.
You're so good
When we make love it's understood
It's more than a touch or a word we say
Only in dreams could it be this way
When you love someone
Yeah, really love someone.
Now, I know it's right
From the moment I wake up till deep in the night
There's no where on earth that I'd rather be
Than holding you, tenderly.
I've been waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you
And a love that will survive.
I've been waiting for someone new
To make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life.
I've been waiting, waiting for you, ooh
ooh, I've been waiting
I've been waiting, yeah
I've been waiting for a girl like you
I've been waiting
Won't you come into my life?
My life?
So long I've been looking too hard,
I've been waiting too long
Sometimes I don't know what I will find
I only know it's a matter of time
When you love someone
When you love someone.
It feels so right, so warm and true
I need to know if you feel it too.
Maybe I'm wrong
Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?
This heart of mine has been hurt before
This time I wanna be sure.
I've been waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you
A love that will survive.
I've been waiting for someone new
To make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life.
You're so good
When we make love it's understood
It's more than a touch or a word we say
Only in dreams could it be this way
When you love someone
Yeah, really love someone.
Now, I know it's right
From the moment I wake up till deep in the night
There's no where on earth that I'd rather be
Than holding you, tenderly.
I've been waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you
And a love that will survive.
I've been waiting for someone new
To make me feel alive
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you
To come into my life.
I've been waiting, waiting for you, ooh
ooh, I've been waiting
I've been waiting, yeah
I've been waiting for a girl like you
I've been waiting
Won't you come into my life?
My life?
Hands Off Syria
By-Congressman Ron Paul, Republican From Texas
Friday, October 28, 2005
'We Have Been Warned'
(Before the US House of Representatives, October 26, 2005)
We have been warned. Prepare for a broader war in the Middle East, as plans are being laid for the next US-led Regime Change-In Syria.
A UN report on the death of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri elicited this comment from a Senior US Policy Maker: "Out of tragedy comes an extraordinary strategic opportunity."
This statement reflects the continued neo-conservative, Machiavellian influence on our foreign policy. The "Opportunity" refers to the long-held neo-conservative plan for regime change in Syria, similar to what was carried out in Iraq.
This plan for remaking the Middle East has been around for a long time. Just as 9/11 served the interests of those who longed for changes in Iraq, the sensationalism surrounding Hariri's death is being used to advance plans to remove Assad.
Congress already has assisted these plans by authorizing the sanctions placed on Syria last year. Harmful sanctions, as applied to Iraq in the 1990s, inevitably represent a major step toward War since they bring havoc to so many innocent people. Syria already has been charged with developing Weapons of Mass Destruction based on no more evidence than was available when Iraq was similarly charged.
Syria has been condemned for not securing it's borders, by the same US leaders who cannot secure our own borders. Syria was castigated for placing it's troops in Lebanon, a neighboring country, although such action was invited by an elected government and encouraged by the United States. The Syrian occupation of Lebanon elicited no suicide terrorist attacks, as was suffered by Western occupiers.
Condemning Syria for having troops in Lebanon seems strange, considering most of the World sees our 150,000 troops in Iraq as an unwarranted foreign occupation. Syrian troops were far more welcome in Lebanon.
Secretary Rice likewise sees the problems in Syria-that we helped create-as an opportunity to advance our Middle Eastern Agenda. In recent testimony she stated that it was the administration's intent to redesign the Greater Middle East, and Iraq was only one part of that plan. And once again we have been told that all options are still on the table for dealing with Syria-Including War.
The statement that should scare all Americans (and the World) is the assurance by Secretary Rice that the President needs no additional authority from Congress to attack Syria. She argues that authority already has been granted by the resolutions on 9/11 and Iraq. This is not true, but if Congress remains passive to the powers assumed by the Executive Branch it Won't matter. As the War spreads, the only role for Congress will be to provide funding lest they be criticized for not supporting the troops. In the meantime, the Constitution and our Liberties here at home will be further eroded as more Americans die.
This escalation of conflict with Syria comes as a result of the UN report concerning the Hariri death. When we need an excuse for our actions, it's always nice to rely on the Organization that our administration routinely condemns, one that brought us the Multi-Billion dollar Oil-for-Food scandal and the sexual crimes by UN representatives.
It's easy to ignore the fact that the report did not implicate Assad, who is targeted for the next regime change. The UN once limited itself to disputes between nations; yet now it's assumed the UN, like the United States, has a legal and moral right to inject itself into the internal policies of sovereign nations.
Yet what is the source of this presumed wisdom? Where is the moral imperative that allows us to become the Judge and Jury of a domestic murder in a country 6,000 miles from our shores?
Moral, Constitutional, and Legal arguments for a less aggressive foreign policy receive little attention in Washington. But the law of the Unintended Consequences serves as a thorough teacher for the slow learners and the morally impaired.
By-Congressman Ron Paul, Republican From Texas
Friday, October 28, 2005
'We Have Been Warned'
(Before the US House of Representatives, October 26, 2005)
We have been warned. Prepare for a broader war in the Middle East, as plans are being laid for the next US-led Regime Change-In Syria.
A UN report on the death of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri elicited this comment from a Senior US Policy Maker: "Out of tragedy comes an extraordinary strategic opportunity."
This statement reflects the continued neo-conservative, Machiavellian influence on our foreign policy. The "Opportunity" refers to the long-held neo-conservative plan for regime change in Syria, similar to what was carried out in Iraq.
This plan for remaking the Middle East has been around for a long time. Just as 9/11 served the interests of those who longed for changes in Iraq, the sensationalism surrounding Hariri's death is being used to advance plans to remove Assad.
Congress already has assisted these plans by authorizing the sanctions placed on Syria last year. Harmful sanctions, as applied to Iraq in the 1990s, inevitably represent a major step toward War since they bring havoc to so many innocent people. Syria already has been charged with developing Weapons of Mass Destruction based on no more evidence than was available when Iraq was similarly charged.
Syria has been condemned for not securing it's borders, by the same US leaders who cannot secure our own borders. Syria was castigated for placing it's troops in Lebanon, a neighboring country, although such action was invited by an elected government and encouraged by the United States. The Syrian occupation of Lebanon elicited no suicide terrorist attacks, as was suffered by Western occupiers.
Condemning Syria for having troops in Lebanon seems strange, considering most of the World sees our 150,000 troops in Iraq as an unwarranted foreign occupation. Syrian troops were far more welcome in Lebanon.
Secretary Rice likewise sees the problems in Syria-that we helped create-as an opportunity to advance our Middle Eastern Agenda. In recent testimony she stated that it was the administration's intent to redesign the Greater Middle East, and Iraq was only one part of that plan. And once again we have been told that all options are still on the table for dealing with Syria-Including War.
The statement that should scare all Americans (and the World) is the assurance by Secretary Rice that the President needs no additional authority from Congress to attack Syria. She argues that authority already has been granted by the resolutions on 9/11 and Iraq. This is not true, but if Congress remains passive to the powers assumed by the Executive Branch it Won't matter. As the War spreads, the only role for Congress will be to provide funding lest they be criticized for not supporting the troops. In the meantime, the Constitution and our Liberties here at home will be further eroded as more Americans die.
This escalation of conflict with Syria comes as a result of the UN report concerning the Hariri death. When we need an excuse for our actions, it's always nice to rely on the Organization that our administration routinely condemns, one that brought us the Multi-Billion dollar Oil-for-Food scandal and the sexual crimes by UN representatives.
It's easy to ignore the fact that the report did not implicate Assad, who is targeted for the next regime change. The UN once limited itself to disputes between nations; yet now it's assumed the UN, like the United States, has a legal and moral right to inject itself into the internal policies of sovereign nations.
Yet what is the source of this presumed wisdom? Where is the moral imperative that allows us to become the Judge and Jury of a domestic murder in a country 6,000 miles from our shores?
Moral, Constitutional, and Legal arguments for a less aggressive foreign policy receive little attention in Washington. But the law of the Unintended Consequences serves as a thorough teacher for the slow learners and the morally impaired.
- Is Iraq not yet enough of a headache for the braggarts of the shock and awe policy?
- Are 2,000 lives lost not enough to get their attention?
- How many hyndreds of billions of dollars must be drained from our economy before it's noticed?
- Is it still plausible that deficits don't matter?
- Is the apparent victory for Iran in the Shiite theocracy we've created in Iraq not yet seen as a disturbing consequence of the ill-fated Iraq regime change effort?
- When we have our way with the next election in Lebanon and Hezbollah wins, what do we do?
- If our efforts to destabilize Syria is no more successful than our efforts in Iraq, then what?
- If destabilizing Syria leads to the same in Iran, what are our options?
If we can't leave now, we'll surely not leave then-We'll be told we must stay to honor the fallen to prove the cause was just.
We should remember Ronald Reagan's admonition regarding this area of the World. Ronald Reagan reflected on Lebanon in his Memoirs, describing the Middle East as a Jungle and Middle East politics as irrational. It forced him to rethink his policy in the region.
It's time we do some rethinking as well.
http://freemarketnews.com/Analysis/110/2751/2005-10-28.asp?nid=2751&fb=1&wid=110#706
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Empty Vase
(By-Ruth Y. Nott)
Where once a bright bouquet of summer roses bloomed,
Where once a smile like morning sun radiantly lit the room,
Now only an empty vase stands, unaware of its useless plight
And only shadows slowly roam throughout day and night.
Where once the lilt of laughter played like chimes in the wind,
Where once her love and support meant all the world to him,
Now only silence greets him as he wanders alone and forlorn,
And memory seems to flicker without substance, shape, or form.
He reaches out for a hug, for a hand he needs to clasp,
And his tears continue to flow for a life he can't quite grasp,
For a family he wants to remember but whose names have slipped away,
And he wonders who these people are, who visit him each day.
Once in a while he remembers the pleasures of all his years,
This man of worth who once stood tall among his friends and peers,
But those times are fading fast, closed away like a book on the shelf,
For now only an empty vase stands here, a shell of his former self.
Where once a bright bouquet of summer roses bloomed,
Where once a smile like morning sun radiantly lit the room,
Now only an empty vase stands, unaware of its useless plight
And only shadows slowly roam throughout day and night.
Where once the lilt of laughter played like chimes in the wind,
Where once her love and support meant all the world to him,
Now only silence greets him as he wanders alone and forlorn,
And memory seems to flicker without substance, shape, or form.
He reaches out for a hug, for a hand he needs to clasp,
And his tears continue to flow for a life he can't quite grasp,
For a family he wants to remember but whose names have slipped away,
And he wonders who these people are, who visit him each day.
Once in a while he remembers the pleasures of all his years,
This man of worth who once stood tall among his friends and peers,
But those times are fading fast, closed away like a book on the shelf,
For now only an empty vase stands here, a shell of his former self.
Friday, October 28, 2005
First Iranian Satellite Launched
Thursday, 27 October 2005
Iran launched its first satellite into space from Plesetsk in Northern Russia on Thursday, joining a select club of Countries.
A joint project between Iran and Russia, the Sina-1 satellite will be used to take pictures of Iran and to monitor natural disasters.
It blasted off aboard a Russian Kosmos 3M Rocket early on Thursday Morning.
The satellite was built for Iran by Polyot, a Russian Company based in the Siberian City of Omsk.
Director General of Iran Electronic Industries Ebrahim Mahmoudzadeh said Sina-1 was the result of years of research and 32 Months of construction.
The launch makes Iran the 43rd Country to possess its own satellite.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4381436.stm
Thursday, 27 October 2005
Iran launched its first satellite into space from Plesetsk in Northern Russia on Thursday, joining a select club of Countries.
A joint project between Iran and Russia, the Sina-1 satellite will be used to take pictures of Iran and to monitor natural disasters.
It blasted off aboard a Russian Kosmos 3M Rocket early on Thursday Morning.
The satellite was built for Iran by Polyot, a Russian Company based in the Siberian City of Omsk.
Director General of Iran Electronic Industries Ebrahim Mahmoudzadeh said Sina-1 was the result of years of research and 32 Months of construction.
The launch makes Iran the 43rd Country to possess its own satellite.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4381436.stm
Hariri Son Rejects Syria Action
Wednesday, 26 October 2005
The son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has said he opposes possible sanctions against Syria in connection with the killing.
Saad Hariri's comments come as the UN Security Council is considering a plan, drafted by France, the US and the UK, to threaten Damascus with sanctions.
"I am not in favour of sanctions against Syria," Saad Hariri said.
"We are friends of the people of Syria. Lebanon and Syria have had a very long historic friendship and we'd like to keep it this way," the Lebanese lawmaker said.
Russia-One of the five veto-wielding Security Council Members-has said it will block any UN effort to impose sanctions on Damascus.
The Arab League has said that there was "no logic or legitimacy" for imposing sanctions based on accusations of the incomplete UN investigation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4380358.stm
Wednesday, 26 October 2005
The son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has said he opposes possible sanctions against Syria in connection with the killing.
Saad Hariri's comments come as the UN Security Council is considering a plan, drafted by France, the US and the UK, to threaten Damascus with sanctions.
"I am not in favour of sanctions against Syria," Saad Hariri said.
"We are friends of the people of Syria. Lebanon and Syria have had a very long historic friendship and we'd like to keep it this way," the Lebanese lawmaker said.
Russia-One of the five veto-wielding Security Council Members-has said it will block any UN effort to impose sanctions on Damascus.
The Arab League has said that there was "no logic or legitimacy" for imposing sanctions based on accusations of the incomplete UN investigation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4380358.stm
Peace Takes Courage
(By- Saa'di Shirazi/Persian Poet)
The World, My Brother! Will Abide With None,
By The World's Maker, Let Thy Heart Be Won.
Rely Not, Nor Repose On This World's Gain,
For Many A Son Like Thee, She Has Reared And Slain.
What Matters, When The Spirit Seeks To Fly,
If On A Throne Or On Bare Earth We Die?
Peace Takes Courage!
SomeOne's Lie!
SomeOne's Fault!
Demand The Truth!
The World, My Brother! Will Abide With None,
By The World's Maker, Let Thy Heart Be Won.
Rely Not, Nor Repose On This World's Gain,
For Many A Son Like Thee, She Has Reared And Slain.
What Matters, When The Spirit Seeks To Fly,
If On A Throne Or On Bare Earth We Die?
Peace Takes Courage!
SomeOne's Lie!
SomeOne's Fault!
Demand The Truth!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
The Hawk
From The Conference Of The Birds
By- Farid Ud-Din Attar
(Persian Poet- 1119-1220?)
He was a soldier, with a soldier's pride,
this hawk, whose home was by a King's side.
He was haughty as his master, all other birds
thought him a disaster, his beak was feared
as much as his talons. With hooded eyes
(his place on the royal roster was his prize).
He stands sentinel on the King's arm, polite
and trained meticulously to do what is right
and proper with courtly grace. He has no need
to see the simurgh even in a dream, his deeds
are sufficient for him, and no journey could replace
the royal command, royal morsel food no disgrace
to his way of thinking, he easily satisfies the King.
He flies with cutting grace on sinister wing
through valleys and upward into the sky,
he has no other wish but to live and then to die-
The hoopoe says: "you have no sense with your soldiers pride.
Don't you think that supping with Kings, doing their will
is enough to keep you in favour, always at their side?
An Earthly King may be just, but you must beware still
for a King's justice is whim pretending to be good.
Once there was a King who prized his slave for his beauty
his body's silver sheen fascinated the Prince who would
dress him in fine clothes so his looks alone were his duty.
The king amused himself by placing on his favourite's head
an apple for a bullseye, the poor silver slave would grow
yellow with fear because he knew too well blood is red.
His silver hue would be tarnished if the King's bow
was not true; an injured slave would his silver lose
to be discarded because the King would not be amused."
By- Farid Ud-Din Attar
(Persian Poet- 1119-1220?)
He was a soldier, with a soldier's pride,
this hawk, whose home was by a King's side.
He was haughty as his master, all other birds
thought him a disaster, his beak was feared
as much as his talons. With hooded eyes
(his place on the royal roster was his prize).
He stands sentinel on the King's arm, polite
and trained meticulously to do what is right
and proper with courtly grace. He has no need
to see the simurgh even in a dream, his deeds
are sufficient for him, and no journey could replace
the royal command, royal morsel food no disgrace
to his way of thinking, he easily satisfies the King.
He flies with cutting grace on sinister wing
through valleys and upward into the sky,
he has no other wish but to live and then to die-
The hoopoe says: "you have no sense with your soldiers pride.
Don't you think that supping with Kings, doing their will
is enough to keep you in favour, always at their side?
An Earthly King may be just, but you must beware still
for a King's justice is whim pretending to be good.
Once there was a King who prized his slave for his beauty
his body's silver sheen fascinated the Prince who would
dress him in fine clothes so his looks alone were his duty.
The king amused himself by placing on his favourite's head
an apple for a bullseye, the poor silver slave would grow
yellow with fear because he knew too well blood is red.
His silver hue would be tarnished if the King's bow
was not true; an injured slave would his silver lose
to be discarded because the King would not be amused."
The Iraqi Constitution: And They Call This Victory?
Commentary
By-Ivan Eland
October 21, 2005
The incompetence of the US government's policy in Iraq was demonstrated by this weekend's referendum on the Iraqi constitution. The constitution, written by the Shi'a and Kurds, has passed, over the objections of many Sunnis. Yet it symbolizes one of the US government's biggest errors in Iraq: confusing democracy with liberty.
Curiously, the United States has forgotten the wisdom of its own founders, who were more concerned with liberty than democracy. In fact, many of them regarded democracy as "Mob Rule." They realized that a majority, through an election, could gain control of government power and impose tyranny on a minority. They wisely limited the jurisdiction of government, created competing branches to diffuse governmental power, and created a Bill of Rights so that government could not usurp the liberties of the minority, unfortunately, over the course of US history, the American Public, Media, and Politicians have become enamored with democracy at the expense of liberty.
Regrettably, it may take a policy failure in Iraq to refresh the American memory about the wisdom of the founders. The US government has instituted, by force, democratic process in Iraq. However, this effort does not solve the main problem: convincing a dissaffected, well-armed minority to quit fighting against the Iraqi government and the US occupation that props it up. In fact, the democratic process-in this case, the constitutional referendum-has conclusively demonstrated to the Sunnis that even if they vote, they are at the mercy of the alliance of Kurds and Shi'a thus, the referendum will likely fuel rebellion not weaken it.
In sharp contrast to the President's "happy talk to victory" strategy, a constitutional defeat could have compelled a start for genuine Iraqi self-determination. A conclave of representatives from all of Iraq's diverse tribes and ethnic and religious groups meeting on their own timetable would have allowed true consensus-building. In such a grand council, the Iraqi's would have had a variety of possible governing structures to choose from, not just an Imposed US-Style Federation. More than likely, they would have eventually chosen some type of a looser confederation or even a partition.
Although the Sunnis now oppose such decentralized structures, their opposition centers more on the potential loss of oil revenues to the Kurds and Shi'a and less on regaining control of the entire country. This problem might have been solved by a negotiated arrangement to share oil revenues among the decentralized regions or by redrawing the map to give the Sunnis some of the oil fields.
A myth exists that to ensure stability, decentralized regional governments would have needed to administer contiguous parcels of land. Finally, the knowledge that US forces, which protect Shi'ite and Kurdish interests, would have been withdrawing quickly would have been withdrawing quickly would have given those groups an incentive to quickly reach an agreement on sharing oil fields or revenues with the Sunnis.
But alas, the constitution has been approved, the Insurgency will continue and probably Intensify, and the United States seems likely to continue to adopt policies that will make the situation in Iraq worse.
For example, a Congressional source informs me that Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos, the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the House International Affairs Committee, will surreptitiously attempt to Impose further Economic Sanctions on Syria-Ostensibly to prevent proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, but really to turn the screws for not preventing Iraqi Insurgents and Supplies from crossing the porous Syrian-Iraqi border.
Since Syria has provided some help to the United States in the war on terror, perhaps the US government should use carrots instead of sticks. Instead of Imposing new sanctions, the United States could offer to remove existing sanctions if the Syrians tighten up the border. And if, by some miracle, an eventual political settlement that quelled the violence was ever reached in Iraq, a better relationship with Syria might provide the Assad government with an incentive not to undermine it.
But the US government keeps soldiering on with its bellicose-and counterproductive-policy toward Syria, which could put the United States on a trajectory for war with that nation.
Unfortunately, the founders' enlightened policies that treasured liberty and presumed friendly relations with all nations are long gone. Instead, the United States is now tragically faced with a downward spiral into an Iraqi Civil War.
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2005/102105Eland.shtml
Commentary
By-Ivan Eland
October 21, 2005
The incompetence of the US government's policy in Iraq was demonstrated by this weekend's referendum on the Iraqi constitution. The constitution, written by the Shi'a and Kurds, has passed, over the objections of many Sunnis. Yet it symbolizes one of the US government's biggest errors in Iraq: confusing democracy with liberty.
Curiously, the United States has forgotten the wisdom of its own founders, who were more concerned with liberty than democracy. In fact, many of them regarded democracy as "Mob Rule." They realized that a majority, through an election, could gain control of government power and impose tyranny on a minority. They wisely limited the jurisdiction of government, created competing branches to diffuse governmental power, and created a Bill of Rights so that government could not usurp the liberties of the minority, unfortunately, over the course of US history, the American Public, Media, and Politicians have become enamored with democracy at the expense of liberty.
Regrettably, it may take a policy failure in Iraq to refresh the American memory about the wisdom of the founders. The US government has instituted, by force, democratic process in Iraq. However, this effort does not solve the main problem: convincing a dissaffected, well-armed minority to quit fighting against the Iraqi government and the US occupation that props it up. In fact, the democratic process-in this case, the constitutional referendum-has conclusively demonstrated to the Sunnis that even if they vote, they are at the mercy of the alliance of Kurds and Shi'a thus, the referendum will likely fuel rebellion not weaken it.
In sharp contrast to the President's "happy talk to victory" strategy, a constitutional defeat could have compelled a start for genuine Iraqi self-determination. A conclave of representatives from all of Iraq's diverse tribes and ethnic and religious groups meeting on their own timetable would have allowed true consensus-building. In such a grand council, the Iraqi's would have had a variety of possible governing structures to choose from, not just an Imposed US-Style Federation. More than likely, they would have eventually chosen some type of a looser confederation or even a partition.
Although the Sunnis now oppose such decentralized structures, their opposition centers more on the potential loss of oil revenues to the Kurds and Shi'a and less on regaining control of the entire country. This problem might have been solved by a negotiated arrangement to share oil revenues among the decentralized regions or by redrawing the map to give the Sunnis some of the oil fields.
A myth exists that to ensure stability, decentralized regional governments would have needed to administer contiguous parcels of land. Finally, the knowledge that US forces, which protect Shi'ite and Kurdish interests, would have been withdrawing quickly would have been withdrawing quickly would have given those groups an incentive to quickly reach an agreement on sharing oil fields or revenues with the Sunnis.
But alas, the constitution has been approved, the Insurgency will continue and probably Intensify, and the United States seems likely to continue to adopt policies that will make the situation in Iraq worse.
For example, a Congressional source informs me that Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos, the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the House International Affairs Committee, will surreptitiously attempt to Impose further Economic Sanctions on Syria-Ostensibly to prevent proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, but really to turn the screws for not preventing Iraqi Insurgents and Supplies from crossing the porous Syrian-Iraqi border.
Since Syria has provided some help to the United States in the war on terror, perhaps the US government should use carrots instead of sticks. Instead of Imposing new sanctions, the United States could offer to remove existing sanctions if the Syrians tighten up the border. And if, by some miracle, an eventual political settlement that quelled the violence was ever reached in Iraq, a better relationship with Syria might provide the Assad government with an incentive not to undermine it.
But the US government keeps soldiering on with its bellicose-and counterproductive-policy toward Syria, which could put the United States on a trajectory for war with that nation.
Unfortunately, the founders' enlightened policies that treasured liberty and presumed friendly relations with all nations are long gone. Instead, the United States is now tragically faced with a downward spiral into an Iraqi Civil War.
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2005/102105Eland.shtml
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Russia, China Looking To Form 'NATO Of The East?'
By-Fred Weir,
Correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor.
Wed. 26, 2005
Moscow-Russia and China could take a step closer to forming a Eurasian Military Confederacy to rival NATO at a Moscow meeting of the Six-Member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Wednesday, experts say.
The group, which started in 2001 with limited goals of promoting cooperation in former Soviet Central Asia, has evolved rapidly toward a Regional Security Bloc and could soon Induct-new members such as India, Pakistan, and Iran.
One initiative that core members Russia and China agree on, experts say, is to squeeze US Influence-which peaked after 9/11-out of the SCO's neighborhood. "Four Years ago, when the SCO was formed, official Washington pooh-poohed it and declared it was no cause for concern." says Ariel Cohen, Senior Researcher at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "Now they're proven wrong."
Wedneday's meeting is expected to review security cooperation, including a spate of upcoming Military Exercises between SCO Members' Armed Forces. It may also sign off on a new "Contact Group" for Afghanistan.
In attendance Wednesday will be Prime Ministers of Member States Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, as well as top officials from several recently added "Observer States," including Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, and Iranian Vice President Parviz Davudi.
The SCO's swift rise has been fueled by deteriorating security conditions in ex-Soviet Central Asia, as well as a hunger in Moscow and Beijing for a vehicle that could counter US Influence in the region.
Russian leaders blame the Bush administration, with emphasis on democracy-building, for recent unrest, including revolution in kyrgyzstan and a putative Islamist revolt in Uzbekistan. "Washington wants to expand democracy, which it sees as a panacea for all Social and Geopolitical evils," says Sergei Karaganov, head of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policies, which advises the Kremlin. "But it is clear to us that any rapid democratization of these Countries (in Central Asia) will lead to chaos."
An SCO Summit last June demanded that the US set a timetable to remove the Bases it put in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan with Moscow's acquiescence in the wake of 9/11. In July, Uzbek leader Islam Karimov ordered the US Base at Karshi-Khanabad to evacuate by year's end.
But two recent visits to Kyrgyzstan by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appear to have secured the US lease on that Country's Manas AirBase Indefinitely-albeit with a sharp rent increase.
This month Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov proposed holding the Indian-Chinese-Russian War Games under SCO sponsorship. "In principle, this is possible,' he said. "The SCO was formed as an organization to deal with security issues."
Should States like India and Iran join, the SCO's sway could spread into South Asia and the Middle East. "India sees Observer Status [in the SCO] as a steppingstone to full membership," says a Moscow-based Indian Diplomat who asked not to be named. But he added that India, which has recently improved its relations with the US, does not want to send an anti-US message. "We would hope the Americans would understand our desire to be inside the SCO, rather than outside," he says.
The idea of a unified Eastern Bloc has strong appeal for some in Moscow. "It's very important that regional powers are showing the will to resolve Eurasian problems without the Intrusion of the US," says Alexander Dugin, Chair of the International Eurasian Movement, whose members include leading Russian Businessmen and Politicians, "step by step we're building a World Order not based on the Unipolar Hegemony of the US."
Says Cohen, "eventually they'll wake up to this challenge in Washington-But will it be too late?"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20051026/ts_csm/oalliance_1
By-Fred Weir,
Correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor.
Wed. 26, 2005
Moscow-Russia and China could take a step closer to forming a Eurasian Military Confederacy to rival NATO at a Moscow meeting of the Six-Member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Wednesday, experts say.
The group, which started in 2001 with limited goals of promoting cooperation in former Soviet Central Asia, has evolved rapidly toward a Regional Security Bloc and could soon Induct-new members such as India, Pakistan, and Iran.
One initiative that core members Russia and China agree on, experts say, is to squeeze US Influence-which peaked after 9/11-out of the SCO's neighborhood. "Four Years ago, when the SCO was formed, official Washington pooh-poohed it and declared it was no cause for concern." says Ariel Cohen, Senior Researcher at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "Now they're proven wrong."
Wedneday's meeting is expected to review security cooperation, including a spate of upcoming Military Exercises between SCO Members' Armed Forces. It may also sign off on a new "Contact Group" for Afghanistan.
In attendance Wednesday will be Prime Ministers of Member States Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, as well as top officials from several recently added "Observer States," including Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, and Iranian Vice President Parviz Davudi.
The SCO's swift rise has been fueled by deteriorating security conditions in ex-Soviet Central Asia, as well as a hunger in Moscow and Beijing for a vehicle that could counter US Influence in the region.
Russian leaders blame the Bush administration, with emphasis on democracy-building, for recent unrest, including revolution in kyrgyzstan and a putative Islamist revolt in Uzbekistan. "Washington wants to expand democracy, which it sees as a panacea for all Social and Geopolitical evils," says Sergei Karaganov, head of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policies, which advises the Kremlin. "But it is clear to us that any rapid democratization of these Countries (in Central Asia) will lead to chaos."
An SCO Summit last June demanded that the US set a timetable to remove the Bases it put in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan with Moscow's acquiescence in the wake of 9/11. In July, Uzbek leader Islam Karimov ordered the US Base at Karshi-Khanabad to evacuate by year's end.
But two recent visits to Kyrgyzstan by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appear to have secured the US lease on that Country's Manas AirBase Indefinitely-albeit with a sharp rent increase.
This month Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov proposed holding the Indian-Chinese-Russian War Games under SCO sponsorship. "In principle, this is possible,' he said. "The SCO was formed as an organization to deal with security issues."
Should States like India and Iran join, the SCO's sway could spread into South Asia and the Middle East. "India sees Observer Status [in the SCO] as a steppingstone to full membership," says a Moscow-based Indian Diplomat who asked not to be named. But he added that India, which has recently improved its relations with the US, does not want to send an anti-US message. "We would hope the Americans would understand our desire to be inside the SCO, rather than outside," he says.
The idea of a unified Eastern Bloc has strong appeal for some in Moscow. "It's very important that regional powers are showing the will to resolve Eurasian problems without the Intrusion of the US," says Alexander Dugin, Chair of the International Eurasian Movement, whose members include leading Russian Businessmen and Politicians, "step by step we're building a World Order not based on the Unipolar Hegemony of the US."
Says Cohen, "eventually they'll wake up to this challenge in Washington-But will it be too late?"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20051026/ts_csm/oalliance_1
ALL Adam's Race Are Member's Of One Frame
By- Sa'adi...Persian Poet
(1207-1291)
All Adam's Race are Members of One Frame;
Since All, at First, From the Same Essence Came.
When by Hard Fortune One Limb is Oppressed,
The Other Members lose their Wonted Rest:
If Thou Feel'st Not for Others' Misery,
A Son of Adam is No Name for Thee...
Note:
The Above Poem is Inscribed at the UN's Headquarters in New York City.
(1207-1291)
All Adam's Race are Members of One Frame;
Since All, at First, From the Same Essence Came.
When by Hard Fortune One Limb is Oppressed,
The Other Members lose their Wonted Rest:
If Thou Feel'st Not for Others' Misery,
A Son of Adam is No Name for Thee...
Note:
The Above Poem is Inscribed at the UN's Headquarters in New York City.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
When Our Government Conspires
(By: Asif Ahmed- Birmingham, England)
When our government conspires
with the monarchs and dictators
like a deer drowned by an alligator
hope of the public expires.
Flags of freedom fail to flutter
democracy melts like hot butter
certainty suffers, integrity abused
only the devil is amused.
Love sighs, faternity cries
equality is an extremist stand
humanity stretched like rubber band.
When our government conspires
injustice and vested interest aspire
our rights are flaunted and defaulted
truth is mocked and halted.
When our governments conspire
rights of the public expire.
When our government conspires
with the monarchs and dictators
like a deer drowned by an alligator
hope of the public expires.
Flags of freedom fail to flutter
democracy melts like hot butter
certainty suffers, integrity abused
only the devil is amused.
Love sighs, faternity cries
equality is an extremist stand
humanity stretched like rubber band.
When our government conspires
injustice and vested interest aspire
our rights are flaunted and defaulted
truth is mocked and halted.
When our governments conspire
rights of the public expire.
The Dangerously Incomplete Hariri Report
By- Robert Parry
October 23, 2005
A new United Nations report implicates the Syrian government in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, giving a lift to George W. Bush's demand for "Regime Change" in Damascus. But the investigation has many holes, including failure to follow up on a mysterious Van connected to the Feb. 14 bombing.
While the identity of the bomber remains a mystery, a Japanese forensic team matched 44 of 69 pieces of the Van's wreckage to Canter parts manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Corp. and even identified the specific Vehicle. The chain of possession for that Van thus would seem to be a crucial lead in identifying the killers.
But on that central point, the UN investigation made little headway, devoting only a few paragraphs to how the Van ended up in Beirut. On page 42 the UN report states that the Japanese forensic team reported that the Van was traced back to Sagamihara City, Japan, where on Oct. 12, 2004 it was stolen.
The UN report contains no details about the Japanese investigation of the theft, nor does it indicate what Japanese Police may have discovered about the identity of the thieves or how they may have shipped the Van from a Suburb of Tokyo to the Middle East in the four months before the Hariri Attack.
Though the investigation of a Vehicle theft may have attracted little Japanese Police attention a year ago, the Van's apparent role in a major act of international terrorism would seem to justify a redoubling of those efforts now.
At minimum, the UN investigation might have insisted on including details such as the name of the original owner, the circumstances surrounding the theft, and the identities of car-theft rings in the Sagamihara area. Plus, investigators could have checked on shipments of White Mitsubishi Canter Vans out of Japan to Middle East.
Instead, the UN investigation concentrated on far flimsier and more circumstantial pieces of evidence, such as phone records showing communications between various security officials near the route of Hariri's trip.
In reaching it's tentative conclusions fingering Syria, the UN probe also relies heavily on two witnesses of uncertain credibility who implicated Syrian security officials, although with accounts that are partially contradictory.
One of the problems with such "Witnesses" is that they can be unreliable for a variety of reasons, including the possibility they are paid or otherwise induced to present false stories to help achieve a result favored by powerful political figures or countries.
The United States-and the New York Times- learned this lesson during the run-up to War in Iraq when Iraqi exile groups arranged for supposed witnesses to approach US officials and journalists with information about Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction, claims that turned out to be fabricated.
This risk of investigators accepting questionable testimony from dubious sources is highest when the allegations are directed against Countries or political leaders already held in disdain-as was the case with Iraq and is now the case with Syria. With almost everyone ready to believe the worst, few investigators or journalists are willing to endanger their reputations and careers by demanding a high level of proof. It's easier to go with the flow.
In the Hariri case, the Chief UN investigator, German Prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, found himself under intense international pressur that some observers compared to the demands on UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix in early 2003.
Unable to find Iraqi WMD but facing US insistence that the WMD was there, Blix tried to steer a middle course to avert a head on confrontation with the Bush administration, which nevertheless brushed aside his muted objections and invaded Iraq in March 2003.
After the UN report was released on Oct 20, Bush immediately termed it's allegations "Very Disturbing" and called for the UN to take action against Syria.
The bitter Iraq experience might justify at least the running down of obvious leads that could either strengthen or disprove the case, like the mystery of the White Mitsubishi Canter Van.
Source:
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=PAR20051023&articleId=1133
By- Robert Parry
October 23, 2005
A new United Nations report implicates the Syrian government in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, giving a lift to George W. Bush's demand for "Regime Change" in Damascus. But the investigation has many holes, including failure to follow up on a mysterious Van connected to the Feb. 14 bombing.
While the identity of the bomber remains a mystery, a Japanese forensic team matched 44 of 69 pieces of the Van's wreckage to Canter parts manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Corp. and even identified the specific Vehicle. The chain of possession for that Van thus would seem to be a crucial lead in identifying the killers.
But on that central point, the UN investigation made little headway, devoting only a few paragraphs to how the Van ended up in Beirut. On page 42 the UN report states that the Japanese forensic team reported that the Van was traced back to Sagamihara City, Japan, where on Oct. 12, 2004 it was stolen.
The UN report contains no details about the Japanese investigation of the theft, nor does it indicate what Japanese Police may have discovered about the identity of the thieves or how they may have shipped the Van from a Suburb of Tokyo to the Middle East in the four months before the Hariri Attack.
Though the investigation of a Vehicle theft may have attracted little Japanese Police attention a year ago, the Van's apparent role in a major act of international terrorism would seem to justify a redoubling of those efforts now.
At minimum, the UN investigation might have insisted on including details such as the name of the original owner, the circumstances surrounding the theft, and the identities of car-theft rings in the Sagamihara area. Plus, investigators could have checked on shipments of White Mitsubishi Canter Vans out of Japan to Middle East.
Instead, the UN investigation concentrated on far flimsier and more circumstantial pieces of evidence, such as phone records showing communications between various security officials near the route of Hariri's trip.
In reaching it's tentative conclusions fingering Syria, the UN probe also relies heavily on two witnesses of uncertain credibility who implicated Syrian security officials, although with accounts that are partially contradictory.
One of the problems with such "Witnesses" is that they can be unreliable for a variety of reasons, including the possibility they are paid or otherwise induced to present false stories to help achieve a result favored by powerful political figures or countries.
The United States-and the New York Times- learned this lesson during the run-up to War in Iraq when Iraqi exile groups arranged for supposed witnesses to approach US officials and journalists with information about Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction, claims that turned out to be fabricated.
This risk of investigators accepting questionable testimony from dubious sources is highest when the allegations are directed against Countries or political leaders already held in disdain-as was the case with Iraq and is now the case with Syria. With almost everyone ready to believe the worst, few investigators or journalists are willing to endanger their reputations and careers by demanding a high level of proof. It's easier to go with the flow.
In the Hariri case, the Chief UN investigator, German Prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, found himself under intense international pressur that some observers compared to the demands on UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix in early 2003.
Unable to find Iraqi WMD but facing US insistence that the WMD was there, Blix tried to steer a middle course to avert a head on confrontation with the Bush administration, which nevertheless brushed aside his muted objections and invaded Iraq in March 2003.
After the UN report was released on Oct 20, Bush immediately termed it's allegations "Very Disturbing" and called for the UN to take action against Syria.
The bitter Iraq experience might justify at least the running down of obvious leads that could either strengthen or disprove the case, like the mystery of the White Mitsubishi Canter Van.
Source:
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=PAR20051023&articleId=1133
Monday, October 24, 2005
U.S. Soldiers Cleaned Their Boots With Qur'an Pages
10-22-05
A Bahraini detainee held at the US Detention Center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba revealed more sexual abuses by the American soldiers there and confirmed Qur'an desecration.
Jumah Al-Dossary, one of six Bahraini detainees the US holds in Guantanamo Prison said he was subject of sexual abuse. He also confirmed desecration of the Qur'an, Islam's Holy Book, by US soldiers in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported.
Al-Dossary, 30 said he witnessed US soldiers at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan cleaning their boots with pages they had ripped from the Holy Qur'an.
According to the recently declassified documents issued by his lawyer, Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, Al-Dossary, the Bahraini detainee was beaten and stomped on by eight US soldiers, as he was recovering from an earlier stomach operation.
The complete story can be read at:
http://aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=9888
10-22-05
A Bahraini detainee held at the US Detention Center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba revealed more sexual abuses by the American soldiers there and confirmed Qur'an desecration.
Jumah Al-Dossary, one of six Bahraini detainees the US holds in Guantanamo Prison said he was subject of sexual abuse. He also confirmed desecration of the Qur'an, Islam's Holy Book, by US soldiers in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported.
Al-Dossary, 30 said he witnessed US soldiers at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan cleaning their boots with pages they had ripped from the Holy Qur'an.
According to the recently declassified documents issued by his lawyer, Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, Al-Dossary, the Bahraini detainee was beaten and stomped on by eight US soldiers, as he was recovering from an earlier stomach operation.
The complete story can be read at:
http://aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=9888
Sunday, October 23, 2005
In This World There Is
(Unknown Author)
Aggravation,
Alienation,
Annihilation,
Desecration,
Desperation,
Detestation,
Eradication,
Extermination,
Irritation,
Isolation,
Molestation,
Obliteration,
Pacification,
Provocation,
Separation...
And You Say:
"I Am Not Responsible For Any Debts Other Than My Own!"
Aggravation,
Alienation,
Annihilation,
Desecration,
Desperation,
Detestation,
Eradication,
Extermination,
Irritation,
Isolation,
Molestation,
Obliteration,
Pacification,
Provocation,
Separation...
And You Say:
"I Am Not Responsible For Any Debts Other Than My Own!"
Iraq War
(Mallory Moore)
"We are fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here"---
What one has to do with the other Isn't really clear.
Unless all of the terrorists are In Iraq,
How then will fighting them there prevent another attack?
For most people, the answer is clear---
Fighting them there doesn't mean we won't have to fight them here---
"We are fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here"---
What one has to do with the other Isn't really clear.
Unless all of the terrorists are In Iraq,
How then will fighting them there prevent another attack?
For most people, the answer is clear---
Fighting them there doesn't mean we won't have to fight them here---
Secret MoD Poll: Iraqi's Support Attacks On British Troops
By-Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent.
Filed-23/10/2005
Millions of Iraqi's believe that suicide attacks against British troops are justified, a secret military poll commissioned by senior officers has revealed.
The poll, undertaken for the Ministry of Defence and seen by the Sunday Telegraph, shows that up to 65 per cent of Iraqi Citizens support attacks and fewer than one percent think allied military involvement is helping to improve security in their Country.
It demonstrates for the first time the true strength of anti-Western feeling in Iraq after more than two and a half years of bloody occupation.
The nationwide survey also suggests that the coalition has lost the battle to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi People, which Tony Blair and George W. Bush believed was fundamental to creating a safe and secure Country.
The secret poll appears to contradict claims made by Gen. Sir. Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff, who only days ago congratulated British soldiers for "supporting the Iraqi People in building a new and better Iraq."
Andrew Robathan, a former member of the SAS and the Tory Shadow Defence Minister, said last night that the poll clearly showed a complete failure of government policy. He said: "this clearly states that the government's hearts-and-minds policy has been disastrous. The coalition is now part of the problem and not the solution."
The Poll Reveals:
By-Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent.
Filed-23/10/2005
Millions of Iraqi's believe that suicide attacks against British troops are justified, a secret military poll commissioned by senior officers has revealed.
The poll, undertaken for the Ministry of Defence and seen by the Sunday Telegraph, shows that up to 65 per cent of Iraqi Citizens support attacks and fewer than one percent think allied military involvement is helping to improve security in their Country.
It demonstrates for the first time the true strength of anti-Western feeling in Iraq after more than two and a half years of bloody occupation.
The nationwide survey also suggests that the coalition has lost the battle to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi People, which Tony Blair and George W. Bush believed was fundamental to creating a safe and secure Country.
The secret poll appears to contradict claims made by Gen. Sir. Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff, who only days ago congratulated British soldiers for "supporting the Iraqi People in building a new and better Iraq."
Andrew Robathan, a former member of the SAS and the Tory Shadow Defence Minister, said last night that the poll clearly showed a complete failure of government policy. He said: "this clearly states that the government's hearts-and-minds policy has been disastrous. The coalition is now part of the problem and not the solution."
The Poll Reveals:
- forty-five per cent of Iraqi's believe attacks against British and American troops are justified-rising to 65 per cent in the British-Controlled Maysan Province;
- 82 per cent are "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops;
- less than one per cent of the population believes coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security;
- 67 per cent of Iraqi's feel less secure because of the coalition;
- 43 per cent of Iraqi's believe conditions for peace and stability have worsened;
- 72 per cent do not have confidence in the multi-national forces.
The opinion poll, carried out in August, also debunks claims by both the US and British governments that the general well-being of the average Iraqi is improving in post-Saddam Iraq.
Immediately after the war the coalition embarked on a campaign of reconstruction in which it hoped to improve the electricity supply and the quality of drinking water. That appears to have failed, with the poll showing that 71 per cent of people rarely get safe clean water, 47 per cent never have enough electricity, 70 per cent say their sewerage system rarely works and 40 percent of Southern Iraqi's are unemployed.
http://telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/23/wirq23.xml
Saturday, October 22, 2005
From Wounded Knee To Iraq:
A Century Of U. S. Military Interventions...
By- Dr. Zoltan Grossman
The following is a partial list of U. S. Military Interventions from 1890 t0 2005
http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/interventions.html
U. S. Interventions In Latin America.
By- Mark Rosenfelder (1996)
http://zompist.com/latam.html
U. S. A. Ivasions, Bombings, Military and Political Interventions and Sanctions.
http://krysstal.com/democracy_whyusa02.html
A Century Of U. S. Military Interventions...
By- Dr. Zoltan Grossman
The following is a partial list of U. S. Military Interventions from 1890 t0 2005
http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/interventions.html
U. S. Interventions In Latin America.
By- Mark Rosenfelder (1996)
http://zompist.com/latam.html
U. S. A. Ivasions, Bombings, Military and Political Interventions and Sanctions.
http://krysstal.com/democracy_whyusa02.html
Friday, October 21, 2005
The Search
1. "Waves"
The rolling waves against the hard rocks harshly beat
Upon the sandy shores, prostrate at my feet.
The rolling times, the hard hearts harshly treat
The whole world will the gentle heart kindly greet.
2. "The Search"
Water was in the jug, while we traveled the world in search
Beloved was at home, while we sought all over the earth.
At last returned home, and quenched our desperate thirst
And then calmly saw beloved waiting from the first.
3. "Mind, Heart, and Soul"
I find a Mind
In Bind
Unkind and Blind...
And Heart
That's Smart
Can Start
To Chart
It's Part...
Let Soul
Cast Role
Set Goal
Control
The Whole...
Note: All Three Poems Were Composed by Shahriar Shahriari...
The rolling waves against the hard rocks harshly beat
Upon the sandy shores, prostrate at my feet.
The rolling times, the hard hearts harshly treat
The whole world will the gentle heart kindly greet.
2. "The Search"
Water was in the jug, while we traveled the world in search
Beloved was at home, while we sought all over the earth.
At last returned home, and quenched our desperate thirst
And then calmly saw beloved waiting from the first.
3. "Mind, Heart, and Soul"
I find a Mind
In Bind
Unkind and Blind...
And Heart
That's Smart
Can Start
To Chart
It's Part...
Let Soul
Cast Role
Set Goal
Control
The Whole...
Note: All Three Poems Were Composed by Shahriar Shahriari...
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Perfume
Perfume is what fragrantly smells
Not whatever the perfume-seller tells.
No matter how well advertising sells
Everything it's own value loudly spells.
---
UN Probe Points To Syrian Role In Hariri Murder
By- Mark Turner at the United Nations and Roula Khalaf in London
Published: October 20 2005
The chief UN investigator looking into the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister on Thursday said he believed the decision to commit the murder could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranking Syrian security officials.
The dramatic finding sets the stage for confrontation between Damascus and the International Community, the long-awaited report by Detlev Mehlis, the German Prosecutor leading the 10-Week investigation into the February assassination of Rafiq Hariri, said there was "Converging Evidence" pointing at "both Lebanese and Syrian involvement" and called for a deeper probe of the Syrian role.
The report, delivered to Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, in New York on Thursday, sharply criticised Syria's co-operation with the UN team and said a full picture of the crime could not be established unless Syria fully co-operated, including allowing interviews to be held outside Syria and without the presence of Syrian officials.
Mr. Mehlis avoided giving away all the evidence pointing to Syria and did not name specific officials as suspects. But he said: "there is probable cause to believe that the decision to assassinate former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials and could not have been further organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security services."
While political motives may have been predominant in the decision to kill Hariri, the report said that "Fraud, Corruption, and Money-Laundering" may have been the motives for individuals to participate in the operation.
To read the complete article and a summary of the UN report, please click on the link below:
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8684c6be-41bb-11da-a45d-00000e2511c8.html
Not whatever the perfume-seller tells.
No matter how well advertising sells
Everything it's own value loudly spells.
---
UN Probe Points To Syrian Role In Hariri Murder
By- Mark Turner at the United Nations and Roula Khalaf in London
Published: October 20 2005
The chief UN investigator looking into the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister on Thursday said he believed the decision to commit the murder could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranking Syrian security officials.
The dramatic finding sets the stage for confrontation between Damascus and the International Community, the long-awaited report by Detlev Mehlis, the German Prosecutor leading the 10-Week investigation into the February assassination of Rafiq Hariri, said there was "Converging Evidence" pointing at "both Lebanese and Syrian involvement" and called for a deeper probe of the Syrian role.
The report, delivered to Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, in New York on Thursday, sharply criticised Syria's co-operation with the UN team and said a full picture of the crime could not be established unless Syria fully co-operated, including allowing interviews to be held outside Syria and without the presence of Syrian officials.
Mr. Mehlis avoided giving away all the evidence pointing to Syria and did not name specific officials as suspects. But he said: "there is probable cause to believe that the decision to assassinate former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials and could not have been further organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security services."
While political motives may have been predominant in the decision to kill Hariri, the report said that "Fraud, Corruption, and Money-Laundering" may have been the motives for individuals to participate in the operation.
To read the complete article and a summary of the UN report, please click on the link below:
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8684c6be-41bb-11da-a45d-00000e2511c8.html
PBS: Guantanamo Gen. Balked At Torture
Brig. Gen. Rick Baccus was removed as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Commander in 2002 for refusing to use tougher interrogation tactics, a PBS documentary suggests.
The Frontline Program, The Torture Question, traces how the Bush administration developed aggressive interrogation policies following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks--Policies that allowed detainees to be stripped and humiliated, the Providence (R. I.) Journal reported.
The PBS program suggests Baccus was reassigned in October 2002 because military higher-ups believed he stood in the way of tougher interrogation tactics.
Retired U.S. Army Gens. Paul Kern and Jack Keane said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was upset about the lack of information from Guantanamo prisoners.
Baccus, 53, of Bristol, R.I., would not criticize President Bush's policies, but he said command failures led to prisoner mistreatment at Guantanamo after he departed as well as the Abu Ghraib prison torture case in Iraq.
Those people (commanders) are the ones who need to be publicly charged. I don't know how high it needs to go, Baccus told the newspaper.
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=a66e52414f88ffbe
Brig. Gen. Rick Baccus was removed as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Commander in 2002 for refusing to use tougher interrogation tactics, a PBS documentary suggests.
The Frontline Program, The Torture Question, traces how the Bush administration developed aggressive interrogation policies following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks--Policies that allowed detainees to be stripped and humiliated, the Providence (R. I.) Journal reported.
The PBS program suggests Baccus was reassigned in October 2002 because military higher-ups believed he stood in the way of tougher interrogation tactics.
Retired U.S. Army Gens. Paul Kern and Jack Keane said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was upset about the lack of information from Guantanamo prisoners.
Baccus, 53, of Bristol, R.I., would not criticize President Bush's policies, but he said command failures led to prisoner mistreatment at Guantanamo after he departed as well as the Abu Ghraib prison torture case in Iraq.
Those people (commanders) are the ones who need to be publicly charged. I don't know how high it needs to go, Baccus told the newspaper.
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=a66e52414f88ffbe
Cheney 'Cabal' Hijacked Foreign Policy
By- Edward Alden in Washington
Published: October 20 2005
Vice-President Dick Cheney and a handful of others had hijacked the government's foreign policy apparatus, deciding in secret to carry out policies that had left the US weaker and more isolated in the world, the top aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed on Wednesday.
In a scathing attack on the record of President Bush, Colone Lawrence Wilkerson, Chief of Staff to Mr. Powell until last January, said: "what I saw was a cabal between the Vice-President of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made."
"Now it is paying the consequences of making those decisions in secret, but far more telling to me is America is paying the consequences."
Mr. Wilkerson said such secret decision-making was responsible for mistakes such as the long refusal to engage with North Korea or to back European efforts on Iran. It also resulted in bitter battles in the administration among those excluded from the decisions.
"If you're not prepared to stop the feuding elements in the bureaucracy as they carry out your decisions, you are courting disaster. And I would say that we have courted disaster in Iraq, in North Korea, in Iran."
The comments, made at the New American Foundation, a Washington Think-Tank, were the harshest attack on the administration by a former senior official since criticisms by Richard Clarke, former White House Terrorism Czar, and Paul O'Neill, former Treasury Secretary early last year.
Mr. Wilkerson said his decision to go public had led to a personal falling out with Mr. Powell, whom he served for 16 years at the Pentagon and the State Department. "He's not happy with my speaking out because, and I admire this in him, he is the world's most loyal soldier."
Among his other charges:
By- Edward Alden in Washington
Published: October 20 2005
Vice-President Dick Cheney and a handful of others had hijacked the government's foreign policy apparatus, deciding in secret to carry out policies that had left the US weaker and more isolated in the world, the top aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed on Wednesday.
In a scathing attack on the record of President Bush, Colone Lawrence Wilkerson, Chief of Staff to Mr. Powell until last January, said: "what I saw was a cabal between the Vice-President of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made."
"Now it is paying the consequences of making those decisions in secret, but far more telling to me is America is paying the consequences."
Mr. Wilkerson said such secret decision-making was responsible for mistakes such as the long refusal to engage with North Korea or to back European efforts on Iran. It also resulted in bitter battles in the administration among those excluded from the decisions.
"If you're not prepared to stop the feuding elements in the bureaucracy as they carry out your decisions, you are courting disaster. And I would say that we have courted disaster in Iraq, in North Korea, in Iran."
The comments, made at the New American Foundation, a Washington Think-Tank, were the harshest attack on the administration by a former senior official since criticisms by Richard Clarke, former White House Terrorism Czar, and Paul O'Neill, former Treasury Secretary early last year.
Mr. Wilkerson said his decision to go public had led to a personal falling out with Mr. Powell, whom he served for 16 years at the Pentagon and the State Department. "He's not happy with my speaking out because, and I admire this in him, he is the world's most loyal soldier."
Among his other charges:
- The detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib and elswhere was "a concrete example" of the decision-making problem, with the President and other top officials in effect giving the green light to soldiers to abuse detainees. "You don't have this kind of pervasive attitude out there unless you've condoned it."
- Condoleezza Rice, the former National Security Adviser and now Secretary of State, was "part of the problem." Instead of ensuring that Mr. Bush received the best possible advice, "she would side with the President to build her intimacy with the President."
- The military, particularly the Army and Marine Corps, is overstretched and demoralised. Officers, Mr. Wilkerson claimed, "start voting with their feet, as they did in Vietnam...and all of a sudden your military begins to unravel."
Mr. Wilkerson said former President George H. W. Bush "one of the finest Presidents we have ever had" understood how to make foreign policy work. In contrast, he said, his son was "not versed in International Relations and not too much interested in them either."
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/afdb7b0c-40-f3-11da-b3f9-00000e2511c8.html
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
On Liberty...
The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is,
that it is robbing the human race posterity,
as well as the existing generation,
those who dissent from the opinion,
still more than those who hold it.
If the opinion is right,
they are deprived of the opportunity of,
exchanging error for truth.
If wrong, they lose what is almost as great a benefit,
the clear perception and livelier impression of truth,
produced by it's collision with error...
(John Stuart Mill)
News:
Film Rolls as Troops Burn Dead
By- Tom Allard
October 19, 2005
Us soldiers in Afghanistan burnt the bodies of dead Taliban and taunted their opponents about the corpses, in an act deeply offensive to Muslims and in breach of the Geneva Convention. An investigation by SBS's Dateline Program, to be aired tonight, filmed the burning of the bodies. It also filmed a US Army Psychological Operations Unit broadcasting a message boasting of the burnt corpses into a village believed to be harbouring Taliban.
According to an SBS translation of the message, delivered in the local language, the soldiers accused Taliban fighters near Kandahar of being "cowardly dogs."
"You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burnt. You are too scared to retrieve their bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be," the message repeatedly said.
"You attack and run away like women. You call yourself Taliban but you are a disgrace to the Muslim Religion, and you bring shame upon your family. Come and fight like men instead of the cowardly dogs you are."
The burning of a body is a deep insult to Muslims. Islam requires burial within 24 hours.
Under the Geneva Convention, the burial of war dead "should be honourable, and , if possible, according to the rites of the religion to which the deceased belonged."
US soldiers said they burnt the bodies for hygiene reasons but two reporters, Stephen Dupont and John Martinkus, said the explanation was unbelievable, given they were in an isolated area.
SBS said Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan were operating from the same bases as the US soldiers involved in the incident, although no Australians took part in the action.
The incident is reminiscent of the Psychological Techniques used in Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison.
http://smh.com.au/news/world/film-rolls-as-troops-burn-dead/2005/10/18/1129401256154.html#
that it is robbing the human race posterity,
as well as the existing generation,
those who dissent from the opinion,
still more than those who hold it.
If the opinion is right,
they are deprived of the opportunity of,
exchanging error for truth.
If wrong, they lose what is almost as great a benefit,
the clear perception and livelier impression of truth,
produced by it's collision with error...
(John Stuart Mill)
News:
Film Rolls as Troops Burn Dead
By- Tom Allard
October 19, 2005
Us soldiers in Afghanistan burnt the bodies of dead Taliban and taunted their opponents about the corpses, in an act deeply offensive to Muslims and in breach of the Geneva Convention. An investigation by SBS's Dateline Program, to be aired tonight, filmed the burning of the bodies. It also filmed a US Army Psychological Operations Unit broadcasting a message boasting of the burnt corpses into a village believed to be harbouring Taliban.
According to an SBS translation of the message, delivered in the local language, the soldiers accused Taliban fighters near Kandahar of being "cowardly dogs."
"You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burnt. You are too scared to retrieve their bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be," the message repeatedly said.
"You attack and run away like women. You call yourself Taliban but you are a disgrace to the Muslim Religion, and you bring shame upon your family. Come and fight like men instead of the cowardly dogs you are."
The burning of a body is a deep insult to Muslims. Islam requires burial within 24 hours.
Under the Geneva Convention, the burial of war dead "should be honourable, and , if possible, according to the rites of the religion to which the deceased belonged."
US soldiers said they burnt the bodies for hygiene reasons but two reporters, Stephen Dupont and John Martinkus, said the explanation was unbelievable, given they were in an isolated area.
SBS said Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan were operating from the same bases as the US soldiers involved in the incident, although no Australians took part in the action.
The incident is reminiscent of the Psychological Techniques used in Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison.
http://smh.com.au/news/world/film-rolls-as-troops-burn-dead/2005/10/18/1129401256154.html#
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Respect
Respect Means Listening
Until everyone has been heard and Understood,
Only then is there a possibility of Balance and Harmony.
(Chief Red Dog)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unknown Author)
In my heart, often unheard
sits a lonely, sad little bird.
Painful emotions often spurred
the only time he's ever heard?
It's only then he's so beset
to sing a song of a sad regret.
Clouds or Rain maybe Sunset
night or day, eve or at moonset.
Sad sweet songs he sings away
with such depth he's under way.
Reciting songs of sad dismay
It's only love that can end his play.
Until everyone has been heard and Understood,
Only then is there a possibility of Balance and Harmony.
(Chief Red Dog)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unknown Author)
In my heart, often unheard
sits a lonely, sad little bird.
Painful emotions often spurred
the only time he's ever heard?
It's only then he's so beset
to sing a song of a sad regret.
Clouds or Rain maybe Sunset
night or day, eve or at moonset.
Sad sweet songs he sings away
with such depth he's under way.
Reciting songs of sad dismay
It's only love that can end his play.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Secrets of History: the CIA in Iran
By-James Risen
(New York Times)
April 16, 2000
By-James Risen
(New York Times)
April 16, 2000
The Central Intelligence Agency's secret history of it's covert operation to overthrow Iran's government in 1953 offers an inside look at how the agency stumbled into success, despite a series of mishaps that derailed it's original plans. Written in 1954 by one of the coup's chief planners, the history details how the United States and British officials plotted the military coup that returned the Shah of Iran to power and toppled Iran's elected Prime Minister, an ardent Nationalist.
The Document Shows That:
- Britain, fearful of Iran's plans to nationalize it's Oil Ministry, came up with the idea for the coup in 1952 and pressed the United States to mount a joint operation to remove the Prime Minister.
- The CIA and SIS, the British Intelligence Service, handpicked Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi to succeed Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and covertly funneled $5 million to General Zahedi's regime two days after the coup prevailed.
- Iranian's working for the CIA and posing as Communists harassed religious leaders and staged the bombing of one Cleric's home in a campaign to turn the Country's Islamic Religious Community against Mossadegh's government.
The Shah's cowardice nearly killed the CIA operation- fearful of risking his throne, the Shah repeatedly refused to sign CIA-written royal decrees to change the government. The agency arranged for the Shah's twin sister, Princess Ashraf Pahlevi, and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the father of the Desert Storm Commander, to act as intermediaries to try to keep him from wilting under pressure. He still fled the Country just before the coup succeeded.
The document shows that Washington and London shared an interest in maintaining the West's Control over Iran's Oil.
The operation, code-named TP-AJAX, was the blueprint for succession of CIA plots to foment coups and destabilize governments during the Cold War- Including the agency's successful coup in Guatemala in 1954 and the disastrous Cuban Intervention known as the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
In more than one instance, such operations led to the same kind of long-term animosity toward the United States that occurred in Iran.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/2000/0416ciairan.htm
Loss and Gain
Human Kind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it,
Whatever we do to the web,
We do to ourselves.
All Things Are Bound Together,
All Things Connect...
---
Loss and Gain
(By- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
When I Compare
what I have lost, with what I've gained
what I have missed with what attained
little room do I find for pride.
I Am Aware
how many days have been Idly spent
how like an arrow the good intent
has fallen short or been turned aside.
But Who Shall Dare
to measure loss and gain in this wise?
defeat may be victory in disguise
the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide...
We are but one thread within it,
Whatever we do to the web,
We do to ourselves.
All Things Are Bound Together,
All Things Connect...
---
Loss and Gain
(By- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
When I Compare
what I have lost, with what I've gained
what I have missed with what attained
little room do I find for pride.
I Am Aware
how many days have been Idly spent
how like an arrow the good intent
has fallen short or been turned aside.
But Who Shall Dare
to measure loss and gain in this wise?
defeat may be victory in disguise
the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide...
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Revealed: IRA Bombs Killed Eight British Soldiers In Iraq
Terror Devices Used by the IRA in a vicious murder campaign in Ulster blew up British Servicemen as the World Blamed Iran
By- Greg Harkin, Francis Elliott, and Raymond Whitaker
16 October 2005
Eight British soldiers killed during ambushes in Iraq were the victims of a highly sophisticated bomb first used by the IRA,the Independent On Sunday can reveal.
the soldiers, who were targeted by Insurgents as they travelled through the country, died after being attacked with bombs triggered by Infra-Red Beams.
the bombs were developed by the IRA using technology passed on by the Security Services in a botched "Sting" operation more than a decade ago.
this contradicts the British governments claims that Iran's Revolutionary Guard is helping Shia Insurgents to make the devices.
the Independent On Sunday can also reveal that the bombs and the firing devices used to kill the soldiers, as well as two private security guards, were Initially created by the UK Security Services as part of a Counter-Terrorist Strategy at the height of the troubles in the early 1990s.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/ulster/article320004.ece
Terror Devices Used by the IRA in a vicious murder campaign in Ulster blew up British Servicemen as the World Blamed Iran
By- Greg Harkin, Francis Elliott, and Raymond Whitaker
16 October 2005
Eight British soldiers killed during ambushes in Iraq were the victims of a highly sophisticated bomb first used by the IRA,the Independent On Sunday can reveal.
the soldiers, who were targeted by Insurgents as they travelled through the country, died after being attacked with bombs triggered by Infra-Red Beams.
the bombs were developed by the IRA using technology passed on by the Security Services in a botched "Sting" operation more than a decade ago.
this contradicts the British governments claims that Iran's Revolutionary Guard is helping Shia Insurgents to make the devices.
the Independent On Sunday can also reveal that the bombs and the firing devices used to kill the soldiers, as well as two private security guards, were Initially created by the UK Security Services as part of a Counter-Terrorist Strategy at the height of the troubles in the early 1990s.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/ulster/article320004.ece
Bismillah
Salam Alaikum,
I'd like to welcome all the visitors to my blog and, I hope that you enjoy and benefit from the material that I post...God willing, this blog will contain a diverse mixture of topics, in order to satisfy all...Some of the material
that I shall cover shall be, Current Events, History, International Affairs, Poetry, Quotes, Religion, Comedy, and
more...
Here are some nice quotes I believe you'll like:
1- "To thine own self be true.
and It must follow, as the night the day
thou canst not then be false to any man.."
(from Hamlet)
2- "He who controls other's may be powerful,
but he who has mastered himself is mightier still."
(Lao Tzu- Chinese Taoist Philosopher, BC600)
3- "Do not let your fire go out,
spark by Irreplaceable spark,
In hopeless swamps of the approximate,
The Not-Quite, The Not-Yet, The Not-At-All...
Do not let the hero,
In your soul perish,
In lonely frustration, for the life you deserved,
but have never been able to reach...
Check your road and the nature of your battle,
The world you desired can be won,
It Exists, It Is Real, It Is Possible,
It Is Yours..."
(Unknown Author)
4- "Twenty years from now,
you will be more disappointed by,
the things that you don't do,
than by the ones you did do.
So, throw off the bowliness,
Sail away from the safe harbour,
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore-Dream-Discover..."
(Mark Twain)
God Bless and Enjoy...
Salam Alaikum,
I'd like to welcome all the visitors to my blog and, I hope that you enjoy and benefit from the material that I post...God willing, this blog will contain a diverse mixture of topics, in order to satisfy all...Some of the material
that I shall cover shall be, Current Events, History, International Affairs, Poetry, Quotes, Religion, Comedy, and
more...
Here are some nice quotes I believe you'll like:
1- "To thine own self be true.
and It must follow, as the night the day
thou canst not then be false to any man.."
(from Hamlet)
2- "He who controls other's may be powerful,
but he who has mastered himself is mightier still."
(Lao Tzu- Chinese Taoist Philosopher, BC600)
3- "Do not let your fire go out,
spark by Irreplaceable spark,
In hopeless swamps of the approximate,
The Not-Quite, The Not-Yet, The Not-At-All...
Do not let the hero,
In your soul perish,
In lonely frustration, for the life you deserved,
but have never been able to reach...
Check your road and the nature of your battle,
The world you desired can be won,
It Exists, It Is Real, It Is Possible,
It Is Yours..."
(Unknown Author)
4- "Twenty years from now,
you will be more disappointed by,
the things that you don't do,
than by the ones you did do.
So, throw off the bowliness,
Sail away from the safe harbour,
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore-Dream-Discover..."
(Mark Twain)
God Bless and Enjoy...