Bush Turned Down Chances To Kill Zarqawi
********************************************************

Courtesy Of: ABC News Online
Monday, May 1, 2006

A former top CIA spy says the United States deliberately turned down several opportunities to kill terrorist Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi in the lead-up to the Iraq war.

Mike Scheuer headed the CIA's Bin Laden Unit for six years before resigning in 2004.

He says a plan to destroy Zarqawi's training camp in Kurdistan was abandoned for diplomatic reasons.

"The reasons the Intelligence Service got for not shooting Zarqawi was simply that the President and the National Security Council decided it was more important not to give the Europeans the impression we were gunslingers," he said.

"Mr. Bush had Zarqawi in his sights for almost every day for a year before the invasion of Iraq and he didn't shoot because they were wining and dining the French in an effort to get them to assist us in the invasion of Iraq."

The full story will air on Four Corners tonight on ABC Television.

Source:
http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1627197.htm

Colbert Does The White House Correspondents' Dinner
**********************************************************************

Was he snubbed?

Courtesy Of: Crooksandliaes.com

Stephen Colbert spoke tonight at the dinner and lampooned pretty much everything he could think of and Helen Thomas.

I used the second half of his performance because it included the Generals, Scalia, the Faux Press Briefing and as E&P reported:

"As he walked from the podium the President and First Lady gave Colbert quick nods, unsmiling, and left. E&P's Joe Strupp, in the crowd, observed that quite a few felt the material was perhaps, uncomfortably biting."

"Colbert complained that he was surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News.

Fox believes in presenting both sides--The President's side and the Vice-President's side."

He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, as well as "Valerie Plame."
Then, pretending to be worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, "Uh, I Mean...Joseph Wilson's Wife."

He asserted that it might be okay, as Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was probably not there.

To view the video:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/04/29.html#a8104

Lie Of The Day
*******************

Overthrow: America's Century Of Regime Change From Hawaii To Iraq
****************************************************************************************

Courtesy Of: Democracynow.org
Interview conducted by: Amy Goodman
Friday, April 21st, 2006

Stephen Kinzer, author of "Overthrow: America's Century Of Regime Change From Hawaii To Iraq," Is a former New York Times Foreign Correspondent and author of several books, including "All The Shah's Men," and "Bitter Fruit."

Kinzer Writes:

"The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was not an isolated episode. It was the culmination of a 110-year period during which American's overthrew fourteen governments that displeased them for various ideological, political, and economic reasons."

"The regime change in Iraq seemed for a time--a very short time--To have worked. It is now clear, however, that this operation has had terrible unintended consequences. So have most of the other coups, revolutions, and invasions that the United States has mounted to depose governments it feared or mistrusted."


To Read The Transcript:
http://democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/21/132247


To Watch 256K Stream:
http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2006/april/video/dnB20060421a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=28:34

******* This Unruly Silence *******
****************************************

This unruly silence
Resounding in my ears
Keeps bringing up the memories
Attached to all my fears...

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring...

From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow, I could not awaken
My heart to Joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone...

******* Democracy *******
******************************

By Langston Hughes

Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my own two feet
And own the land.

I tire of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.

I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.
Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you...

The World's Most Dangerous And Powerful Terrorist
******************************************************************

Courtesy Of: Axisoflogic.com
By Jason Miller
April 25, 2006

"After the explosion itself, anyone on the edge of the explosion (who were lucky enough to survive) would have melted flesh and severe burns, the skin would literally fall off the bone. Anyone who had seen the blast from such a distance would have permanent loss of vision." [1]


A Little Perspective, Please:
------------------------------------------
After years of living under the perpetual risk of the ultimate terrorist attack, most people have become acclimated to the distinct possibility of imminent extinction of life on Earth, humans tend to be highly adaptable beings, and most are able to go on with their daily tasks without dwelling on potential doomsday scenarios.

In fact, people have become so desensitized to the threat of nuclear holocaust that those who still believe American Propaganda are more terrified of religious fanatics wielding box cutters than they are of an ICBM capable of annihilating millions.

According to the FBI, domestic terrorism is:

"The unlawful use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States or its territories without foreign direction committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

Given the knowledge that it is the United States which created and primarily wields the power to extinguish life on Earth, it is not a tremendous intellectual leap to classify the American government as the world's most dangerous and most powerful terrorist.

America's own domestic law enforcement entity has defined terrorism as,
"Threatened use of force or violence, intimidation, and coercion against governments or civilian populations for the furtherance of political or social objectives."

What could be more threatening or violent than a nuclear attack? What could be more coercive than the US imposition of its will, culture, and ruthless economic agenda on a global populace like a domineering father abusing his cowed children?

Employing terrorist tools of intimidation, coercion and threats of violence, the United States consistently sets the political and social objectives for the rest of the world.

Remember, Iran, "All options are on the table."

America is the Don Corleone of the world community. They make offers you can't refuse. "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" delivered the Sicilian message that nations defying the United States would find many of their innocent civilians "Sleeping With The Fishes."

200,000 Japanese showed the skeptics that the Godfather meant business.

Bearing in mind that the atomic bombs deployed in Japan were mere firecrackers relative to today's nukes, the following puts a grim perspective on the situation:

"A single Hiroshima-size blast in downtown Los Angeles, according to the computer projection done several years ago by Physicians For Social Responsibility, would kill about 150,000 people immediately and 100,000 more from Neutron and Gamma Radiation. An additional 800,000 people would be exposed to high-level radiation." [2]


Evil Begets Evil:
------------------------
Not only did the United States let the nuclear genie out of the bottle and unleash it on humanity, through Operation Paperclip, it provided safe haven for Nazi war criminals. During and after World War II, the CIA altered the records of Nazi scientists so they could enter the United States and contribute to the evolution of America's nuclear weapons program.

Needing an "Enemy" for its indoctrinated citizens to fear, the United States began demonizing Communism in the 1950's. As they created their "Bogeyman" so they could manipulate the masses with psychological terror, America's leaders pushed a nation with a much weaker economy into an insane scenario of Mutually Assured Destruction and an arms race.

By 2004, Russia's stockpile of warheads had the combined power of 120,000 of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima.

The combined nuclear capacity of the United States and Russia at the height of the nuclear arms race was enough to eradicate the Earth of life 1,500 times over.


When Is Enough, Enough?:
-----------------------------------------
According to The Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists, in 2004 The United States had 10,000 nuclear warheads, 7,000 of which were operational. yet existing in a realm of thought where logic ceases to exist, America's leaders are obsessed with "National Security."

The United States accounts for half of the world's military expenditures to protect 350 million of the 6.5 billion people on Earth.

With over 500 land-based ICBMs, the United States can incinerate any region of a 4.5 billion year old planet, within a mere 35 minutes. The Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are only one leg of America's Triad of Doom.

Submarine-based Trident Nuclear Missiles have the capacity to unleash Armageddon from the depths of the Earth's tranquil oceans.

Maintaining a fleet of B-1, B-2, and B-52 long-range bombers, the USAF can also rain Nuclear Hell upon millions of unsuspecting "Units Of Collateral Damage."


Desperation And Treachery Are The Parents Of US Nuclear Invention:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Realizing that the "Nuclear Club" is rapidly expanding, the United States is desperately seeking ways to circumvent treaties in which they have pledged to work toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.

As they down-sized their nuclear stock-pile in the 1990's by retiring ICBM's like the Peacekeeper, America's leadership found ways to avoid truly surrendering its tools of terror.

The United States began diverting portions of its obscene defense budget to its Stockpile Stewardship Program to perpetuate and expand its nuclear capacities.

Consider this 1996 statement by the Department Of Energy:

"[n]ational security policies in the Post-Cold War era require that all historical capabilities of the weapons laboratories, industrial plants, and NTS [The Nevada Test Site] be maintained, and that denuclearisation...Is not feasible based on current national security policy."

With the ethereal genie slipping further from its grasp, the United States is now focusing its resources and determined efforts toward ensuring nuclear proliferation to those it deems deserving.

Israel, the US satellite in the Middle East, and India, a nation Uncle Sam is determined to lure into his bed, both qualify. Iran and North Korea are obviously not welcome at the nuclear party, whether they apply the technology for military purposes or not.

On the domestic front, America's bellicose government is emphasizing the enhancement of existing nuclear weapons to give the appearance that it is not developing new ones.

For example, the B61-11 is a modification of the B61, a "Tactical Nuke" which "Only" has 2/3 the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. To neutralize nations which have developed weapons facilities deep underground, America created the B61-11 to burrow into rock before discharging its nuclear payload.

America's neocons are itching to play with their new toys in Iran.

The Pentagon claims that these "Bunker Busters" would pose no threat to life outside of the underground targets. However, Dr. Robert Nelson of Princeton University offers a significantly differeing opinion:

"No Earth-burrowing missile can penetrate deep enough into the Earth to contain an explosion with a nuclear yield even as small as 1 percent of the 15 kiloton Hiroshima weapons. The explosion simply blows out a massive crater of radioactive dirt, which rains down on the local region with an especially intense and deadly fallout."

Dr. Nelson's analysis is substantially more seaworthy than the stone the Pentagon tried to float when they proclaimed Earth-burrowing "Mini-Nukes" to be "Safe."

A messiah complex, severely stunted emotional intelligence and profound ignorance are the defining characteristics of the man capable of making nuclear holocaust a reality within minutes.

In light of this, Osama bin Laden, box cutters, and suicide bombers don't seem quite so formidable or worrisome.

Source:
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_21851.shtml


[1] Armageddon:
http://armageddononline.org/nuke.php


[2] Seattle Times:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002117512_russarms13.html


The following are from me and weren't part of the above article:

A) Nuclear Explosion:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3971966013012856239&q=nuclear+explosion&pl=true


B) Nuclear Power:
http://youtube.com/watch.php?v=KcseYGC_q2I

Let's Impeach The President
************************************

(Lyrics by Neil Young)

Let's impeach the president for lying
And leading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door
He's the man who hired all the criminals
The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors
And bend the facts to fit with their new stories
Of why we have to send our men to war
Let's impeach the president for spying
On citizens inside their own homes
Breaking every law in the country
By tapping our computers and telephones
What if Al-Qaeda blew up the levees
Would New Orleans have been safer that way
Sheltered by our government's protection
Or was someone Just not home that day?
Let's impeach the president
For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected
And still leaving black people neglected
Thank god he's racking down on steroids
Since he sold his old baseball team
There's lot of people looking at big trouble
But of course the president is clean
Thank God.

Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?
*******************************************************

Sweden Pulls Out Of Air Exercise
******************************************

Courtesy Of: The BBC
Thursday, 27 April 2006

Sweden has withdrawn its aircraft from an international air exercise after finding out Israel was taking part.

Sweden has been due to send six fighter Jets to the Volcanex 2006 Exercise in Italy as part of preparations for International Peacekeeping Operations.

The government strongly denies Israeli media speculation that there was a political reason for pulling out or that it is boycotting Israel.

The foreign ministry says it is down to appropriate use of limited resources.

The Israeli press ran headlines of a "Swedish Boycott" and the National Religious Party described the move as "anti-Semitic."

Sweden traditionally sticks to a policy of neutrality, but is involved in UN Peacekeeping and NATO's Partnership For Peace Programme.

Swedish Defense Minister Leni Bjoerklund said the scenario for the exercise in May, involving 10 European countries, had initially been International Peacekeeping Missions.

Not mentioning Israel by name, she said the armed forces were told at a late stage,
"That a state not belonging to the Partnership For Peace, and with which Sweden did not previously have bilateral military co-operation and which does not take part in international peacekeeping missions," was to take part.


'PRACTICAL' REASONS:
--------------------------------------

She said the government advised the armed forces that "Sweden's participation was no longer regarded as appropriate."

Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson said due to the high cost of taking part and limited resources, Sweden had to focus on exercises that involved its immediate partners.

"We don't see Israel as a country that we will in all probability co-operate with in peacekeeping operations for the time being," he said.

He said it was in no way a boycott and was "purely practical."

Mr. Eliasson said his ministry would talk to the Israeli government to reassure them of their position.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4950980.stm

******* Returning To The Root *******
********************************************

When we return to the root,
We gain the meaning;
When we pursue the external objects,
We lose the purpose.
The moment we are enligthened within,
We go beyond the voidness,
Of a world confronting us...

(Seng-Ts'an, d. 606)

******* They're Staying In Iraq *******
******************************************

Courtesy Of: Antiwar.com
By Kevin Zeese
April 22, 2006

The message is clear. Indeed, it's gigantic for all Iraqi's, for the entire world to see. A 100 acre compound--Ten times the size of the US Embassy, the size of 80 football fields, six times larger than the UN, the size of Vatican City. The US Embassy Compund, in the middle of Baghdad--The center of US domination of the Middle East and its resources.

The compund towers above the Tigris River like a modern fortress. It will have its own sources of power and water and sit in the heart of Baghdad. If there is any thought that the US is planning on leaving Iraq, the new embassy should make it clear "We're Staying!"

The growing skyline of the US Embassy in Baghdad is only the most recent indication that the US has no intention of leaving. President Bush has already told us we're there until the end of his tenure. More important than words, building "Permanent" military bases in Iraq reinforces the message of the huge embassy.

The Department of Defense does not like to use the word "Permanent" even for our bases in Germany and Korea. Euphemisims like "Enduring Bases" or "Contingency Operating Bases" are used. They're less likely than "Permanent" to cause further anti-American unrest in Iraq.

Brig. Gen. mark Kimmitt, Deputy Chief of Operations for the Coalition in Iraq, told the Chicago Tribune in March 2004 [1]: "This is a blueprint for how we could operate in the Middle East."

Zoltan Grossman, a Geographer at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington., told the Christian Science Monitor [2], That since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the US has established a string of 35 new bases between Poland and Pakistan, not including the Iraqi bases. He maintains the US is establishing a "Sphere Of Influence" in that region.

The Monitor also reports that Joseph Gerson, author of "The Sun Never Sets: Confronting The Network Of Foreign US Military Bases" [3] says the war and bases aim at maintaining US control over the Middle East with its massive oil reserves.

The plan entails construction of long-lasting facilities in Iraq. The bases will include barracks and offices built of concrete blocks, rather than metal trailers and tents. The buildings are designed to withstand direct mortar strikes. Initial funding was provided in the $82 billion Appropriations Bill approved by Congress in May 2005.


PERMANENT MILITARY BASES PLANNED FOR IRAQ:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Christian Science Monitor Reported [4] in April 2006, "The Pentagon would prefer to keep its bases in Iraq. It has already spent $1 billion or more on them, outfitting some with underground bunkers and other characteristics for long-term bases. Some US bases in Iraq are huge, e.g., Camp Anaconda north of Baghdad, occupies 15 square miles, boasts two swimming pools, a gym, a minature-golf course, and a first-run movie theater. The $67.6 billion Emergency Bill to cover Iraq and Afghanistan military costs includes $348 million for further bases construction."

According to Global Security Watch, on March 23, 2004 "It was reported that US engineers are focusing on constructing 14 Enduring Bases, 'long-term encampments for the thousands of American troops expected to serve in Iraq for at least two years. The US plans to operate from former Iraqi bases in Baghdad, Mosul, Taji, Balad, Kirkuk and in the areas near Nasiriyah, near Tikrit, near Fallujah and between Irbil and Kirkuk...enhance airfields in Baghdad and Mosul...'"

Long lasting military bases in Iraq will be an expensive budget item even if the US decides to reduce its forces to 50,000, less than half the current troop level. The annual cost would run between $5 billion to $7 billion a year, estimates Gordon Adams [5], Director of Security Policy at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. recently, the House voted, by a voice vote, to oppose a permanent military presence in Iraq. Future on the record votes for appropriations will show whether this was a symbolic election-year vote, or something the House is serious about.

President George W. Bush claims the US only intends to stay "As long as necessary and not one day more." And Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld has testified on February 17, 2005 in Congress: "I can assure you that we have no intention at the present time of putting permanent bases in Iraq."

These claims are hard to believe when Congress voted for the first funds for long-term bases that May, and construction is now underway.

As Joost Hiltermann [6] of the International Crisis Group said: "One of the reasons they invaded, as far as I can tell, is because they needed to shift their military operation from Saudi Arabia and Iraq was probably the easiest one in terms of a big country to support their presence in the Gulf."

Also, the idea that the US wanted to swap Iraq for Saudi Arabia was acknowledged by then Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz [7] in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2003 saying: "...We can now remove almost all our forces from Saudi Arabia. Their presence there over the last 12 years has been a source of enormous difficulty for a friendly government. It's been a huge recruiting device for al-Qaeda."

On April 20, 2003 the New York Times reported "The US is planning a long-term military relationship with the emerging government of Iraq, one that would grant the Pentagon access to military bases and project American influence into the heart of the unsettled region."

On May 2005 the Washington Post reported that plans called for consolidating American troops in Iraq into four large air bases: Tallil in the south, al-Asad in the west, Balad in the center and either Irbil or Qayyarah in the north. Each base would support a Brigade Combat Team, along with aviation and other support personnel.

In January 2005 it was reported that the Pentagon was building a permanent military communications system in Iraq. The new Central Iraq Microwave System, is to consist of up to 12 communications towers throughout Iraq, along with fiber-optic cables connecting Camp Victory to other Coalition bases in the country. The US also has plans to renovate and enhance airfields in Baghdad and Mosul, and rebuild 70 miles of road on the main route of US troops headed north.

The infrastructure is being put in place for a long-term military presence in Iraq. Unless Amercans get tired of footing the growing expensive bill for occupying Iraq--now at nearly $10 billion per month [8]--or the Iraqi's are able to force the United States to leave, it looks like Baghdad will be the center of operations for the US presence in the Middle East. The US will be sitting on the Earth's vast, but shrinking, oil resources.


DESRIPTION OF THE 14 LONG-TERM BASES IN IRAQ:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Source: globalsecurity.org)


As of mid-2005, the US military had 106 Forward Operating Bases in Iraq, including what the Pentagon calls 14 "Enduring Bases"--all of which are to be consolidated into Four Mega-Bases.

1) Green Zone (Baghdad)-
The Green Zone in central Baghdad includes the main palaces of former President Saddam Hussein. The area at one time housed the Coalition Provisional Authority; it still houses the offices of major US consulting companies and the temporary US Embassy facilities.

2) Camp Anaconda (Balad Airbase)-
Camp Anaconda is a large US logistical base near Balad. The camp is spread over 15 square miles and is being constructed to accomodate 20,000 soldiers.

3) Camp Taji (Taji)-
Camp Taji, former Iraqi Republican Guard "military city," is now a huge US base equipped with a subway, Burger King and Pizza Hut on the premises.

4) Camp Falcon--Al Saqr (Baghdad)-
In late September 2003, the 439th Engineering Battalion delivered over 100,000 tons of gravel and is assisting with building roads, walls, guard towers, and buildings for Camp Falcon. Camp Falcon is planned to house 5,000 soldiers.

5) Post Freedom (Mosul)-
Saddam Hussein's former palace in Mosul is currently home to the 101st Airborne Division.

6) Camp Victory--Al Nasr (Baghdad Airfield)-
Camp Victory is a US Army base situated on airport grounds about 5 kilometers from Baghdad International Airport. The base can house up to 14,000 troops. Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory is surrounded by a man-made lake and serves as an unofficial conference center for the army.

7) Camp Marez (Mosul Airfield)-
Located at an airfield southwest of Mosul, Camp Marez has a tent dining capacity for 500. In December 2004, a suicide bomber killed himself and 13 US soldiers at the base's dining tent.

8) Camp Renegade (Kirkuk)-
Strategically located near the Kirkuk oil fields and the Kirkuk refinery and petrochemical plant. Camp Renegade has a dormitory that houses up to 1,664 airmen in 13 buildings with six to eight people to a room.

9) Camp Speicher (Tikrit)-
Named after F/A-18 pilot "Scott" Speicher who was shot down during the First Gulf War in 1991, Camp Speicher is located near Tikrit in northern Iraq, approximately 170 kilometers north of Baghdad.

10) Camp Fallujah (Rail Station?)-
The exact whereabouts and name of this base is unknown. Ananalysts believe that the US is building an "Enduring Base" in Fallujah, a large town forty miles west of Baghdad. Fallujah has proved to be the most violence prone area in Iraq. Between early April 2004, when Marines halted their first offensive against the city, and November 2004, when the city was "re-taken" from insurgents, Fallujah was a no-go area with numerous murders and bombings.

11) Unknown Name (Nasiriyah)-
The exact whereabouts and name of this base is unknown. Analysts believe that the US is building an "Enduring Base" near Nasiriyah, a provincial capital of South-East Iraq on the Euphrates River.

12) Unknown Name (Between Irbil and Kirkuk)-

13) Unknown.

14) Unknown.
---------------------

A. Source for the 14 Long-Term US bases in Iraq:
http://globalsecurity.org

B. Maps of US Bases in Iraq can be seen at:
http://globalsecurity.org/military/facility/iraq-maps.htm

http://fcnl.org/iraq/bases.htm

[1] Chicago Tribune:
http://globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/040323-enduring-bases.htm


[2] Christian Science Monitor:
http://globalsecurity.org/org/news/2006/060403-iraq-bases.htm


[3] The Sun Never Sets:
http://amazon.com/gp/product/0896083993/qid=1145633974/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-2862648-4668648?/antiwarbookstore/


[4] Christian Science Monitor:
http://globalsecurity.org/org/news/2006/060403-iraq-bases.htm


[5] Gordon Adams:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0930/p17s02-cogn.html


[6] Joost Hilterman:
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GH06AK02.html


[7] Paul Wolfowitz: ***(The Link Has Been Disabled)***
http://defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20030509-depsecdec0223.html


[8] $10 Billion Per Month:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/14385661.htm


For further information on US permanent bases in Iraq, you can read this Newsweek article at:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3037886/site/newsweek/

Bulgarian's Protesting U.S. Base Deal
***********************************************

Kashmir Muslim's Human Rights Violated By The Indian Army
*****************************************************************************

Courtesy Of: Unreported World
Via: Google Video
Jan 14, 2006

"More than 60,000 people, mostly innocent civilians, have died in the 15-year conflict.
Half a million Indian troops are stationed in Indian Occupied Kasmir.

WARNING: Video Contains Graphic Scenes...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1166172407554220338

Indian Terrorism In Indian Kashmir
********************************************

Courtesy Of: Observer Eyewitness,
Presents: "The Whole Truth"
Via: Google Video
Jan 6, 2005
Video Length: 32 min, 22 sec

WARNING: Video Contains Graphic Scenes...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5517722702246333713

Head Of Visitor Tracking Program Wants Global ID System
*************************************************************************

Courtesy Of: GoveExec
By Jonathan Marino
April 25, 2006

The head of the Homeland Security Department's Visitor Tracking program on Tuesday called for the creation of a "global ID management system" to make travel easier while enhancing security.

Jim Williams, director of the US VISIT program within DHS, told attendees of the National Business Travel Association's annual meeting he is aware of the plight of the business traveler. Even he, despite his senior position in the department, once found himself temporarily unable to board a plane because he shared the name of an individual on a Terrorist Watch List, he said.

Williams said he wants to Join forces with several DHS agencies to develop a global identification system that would cut wait times, reduce government fees for travelers, fight illegal immigration and, perhaps paramount, better defend nations from terrorists.

The US VISIT chief, who already oversees identity inquiries for nearly every visitor who enters the United States, said a worldwide identification system will better link nations in the fight against terrorism.

In his speech, he likened al Qaeda operatives and sleeper cells--including the ones that attacked on 9/11--to "submarines" that must surface to kill. "In order for them to do what they want to do, they have to travel," Williams said.

Williams suggested that a biometrics identification system might be used to better track travelers to the United States.

A similar program is being tested in Great Britain, where such physical characteristics as fingerprints or iris scans are being tied to national identification cards. Proponents say it can cut the odds of success for immigraction fraud.

Any program that can successfully ease both financial burdens and wait times for travelers will be welcomed with open arms, said Hank Roeder, vice president of global operations for the National Business Travel Association.

In his speech, Williams said an American version of the global ID plan would likely require the cooperation of US VISIT, the Customs and Border Protection Bureau, the Transportaion Safety Administration and U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, all under the DHS umbrella.

A TSA official declined to comment, saying the agency has no knowledge of the proposed plan. CBP and CIS could not be reached for comment.

Source:
http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33925&dcn=e_gvet

******* The Seed *******
***************************

By Sri Chinmoy

I am the seed and root and boughs,
I am the aspiration-tree.
In me abides the deepest deep,
My goal I build; I am ever free.

My Secret will absorbs my life,
My hidden treasure I share with earth.
Her sleepless pangs in me now breathe.
For her my freedom vast, my birth...

Appreciate Before It's Too Late
***************************************

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said, appreciate five things before the coming of five:

1) Your youth before your old age.
2) Your spare time before your preoccupation.
3) Your wealth before your poverty.
4) Your health before your sickness.
5) Your life before your death.

Our Long National Night-Mare
**************************************

Songs For The People
****************************

By Frances E. W. Harper

Let me make the songs for the people,
Songs for the old and the young;
Songs to stir like a battle-cry
Whenever they are sung.

Not for the clashing of sabres,
For carnage nor for strife;
But songs to thrill the hearts of men
With more abundant life.

Let me make the songs for the weary,
Amid life's fever and fret;
Till heart's shall relax their tension,
And careworn brows forget.

Let me sing for the little children,
Before their footsteps stray,
Sweet anthems of love and duty,
To float o'er life's highway.

I would sing for the poor and aged,
When shadows dim their sights;
Of the bright and restful mansions,
Where there shall be no night.

Our world, so warn and weary,
Needs music, pure and strong,
To hush the Jangle and discords
Of sorrow, pain, and wrong.

Music to soothe all its sorrow,
Till war and crime shall cease,
And the hearts of men grown tender
Girdle the world with peace.