Senator McCain On Torture
**********************************

"Sen. McCain, how could you let Bush OK torture when you yourself were a victim?"

No One Like You
*********************

Girl, it's been a long time that we've been apart
Much too long for a man who needs love
I miss you since I've been away
Babe, it wasn't easy to leave you alone
It's getting harder each time that I go
If I had the choice, I would stay.

There's no one like you
I can't wait for the night with you
I imagine the things we do
I Just wanna be loved by you

No one like you
I can't wait for the night with you
I imagine the things we do
I Just wanna be loved by you

Girl, there are really no words strong enough
To describe all my longing for love
I don't want my feelings restrained
Ooh, babe, I Just need you like never before
Just imagine you'd come through this door
You'd take all my sorrow away

There's no one like you
I can't wait for the nights with you
I imagine the things we do
I Just wanna be loved by you

No one like you
I can't wait for the nights with you
I imagine the things we do
I Just wanna be loved by you

No one like you

Video to the Song:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ihJFv6yedt4

I Love New York
*********************

"Thank You! The RNC is eternally grateful for the events of 9/11 and to those New Yorkers whose lives were sacrificed for the holy cause of imperialism."

U.S. In More Danger Of Terror Attack
**********************************************

Former President Jimmy Carter declared that the United States is in more danger of being subjected to terror attacks than before, after it blundered its way into invading Iraq.

"So there's no doubt that our country is in much more danger now from terrorism than it would have been if we would have done what we should have done and stayed in Afghanistan."

Carter said the Bush-Monger had committed a "terrible mistake" by invading Iraq, and not focusing on and finishing the Job he started in Afghanistan.

As for Rummy, Carter had this to say:

"I think he's one of the worst secretaries of defense we've ever had."

"Almost every decision he has made aggravated his military subordinates and has also proved to be a mistake."

Source for quotes:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060928/ap_on_re_us/carter_nevada_1

China Fires Lasers At U.S. Spy Satellites
***************************************************

Courtesy Of: The Telegraph
By Francis Harris,
In Washington
Filed: 26/09/2006

China has secretly fired powerful laser weapons designed to disable American spy satellites by "blinding" their sensitive surveillance devices, it was reported yesterday.

The hitherto unreported attacks have been kept secret by the Bush administration for fear that it would damage attempts to co-opt China in diplomatic offensives against North Korea and Iran.

Sources told the military affairs publication Defense News that there had been a fierce internal battle within Washington over whether to make the attacks public. In the end, the Pentagon's annual assessment of the growing Chinese military build-up barely mentioned the threat.

"After a contentious debate, the White House directed the Pentagon to limit its concern to one line," Defense News said.

The document said that China could blind American satellites with a ground-based laser firing a beam of light to prevent spy photography as they pass over China.

According to senior American officials: "China not only has the capability, but has exercised it."

American satellites like the giant Keyhole craft have come under attack "several times" in recent years.

Although the Chinese tests do not aim to destroy American satellites, the laser attacks could make them useless over Chinese territory.

...Satellites are especially vulnerable to attack because they have predetermined orbits, allowing an enemy to know where they will appear.

"The Chinese are very strategically minded and are extremely active in this arena. They really believe all the stuff written in the 1980s about the high frontier," said one senior former Pentagon official.

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/26/wchina226.xml

"Trends In Global Terrorism"
************************************

The following link (in pdf format), provides the declassified Key Judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate, and the Implication for the United States...

National Intelligence Estimate:
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/images/09/26/nie.declass.pdf

"What You Won't Do For Love"
**************************************

I guess you'll wonder where I bin
I searched to find a love within
But I came back to let you know
I got a thing for you and I can't let go

My friends wonder what is wrong with me
Well I'm in a daze from your love you see
And I came back to let you know
I got a thing for you and I can't let go

Some people go around the world for love
But they may never find what they dream of

What you won't do for love
You try everything but you don't give up
And in my world only you
Make me do for love what I would not do

My friends wonder what is wrong with me
Well I'm in a daze from your love you see
I came back to let you know
Oh I got a thing for you and I can't let go

Although I only want the best its true
I can't believe the things I do for you

What you won't do for love
You try everything but you don't give up
And in my world only you
Make me do for love what I would not do

You make me do for love what I would not do
You make me do for love what I would not do

You make me do things
I need your love to see me through
Do for love what I will not do

[By Bobby Caldwell, 1979]

Video of Song:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AqylK_kjYlY

The Flow Of Life...
**********************

One day some people came to the master and asked:

"How can you be happy in a world of such impermanence,
Where you cannot protect your loved ones from harm,
Illness or death?"

The master held up a glass and said:

"Someone gave me this glass;
It holds my water admirably
And it glistens in the sunlight.
I touch it and it rings!
One day the wind
May blow it off the shelf,
Or my elbow
May knock it from the table.
I know this glass is already broken,
So I enjoy it--incredibly."
--Achaan Chah Subato--


"Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
When you arise in the morning,
Give thanks for the morning light.
Give thanks for your life and strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the Joy of living.
And if perchance you see no reason for giving thanks,
Rest assured the fault is in yourself!"
--Chief Tecumseh--


"Be upright in thy whole life;
Be content in all its changes;
So shalt thou make profit out of all occurrences;
So shall everything that happens unto thee,
Be the source of praise."
--Akenaton--


Everything is constantly changing...this is the flow of life. Waves from the ocean, go in and out, then remain still...Seasons change...and flowers fade.

If we hold on to what was, we will always feel a loss, for almost nothing in this world is permanent except for what we hold in our hearts.

In a moment, everything you know could change. Try to live each day as you would if you knew it would be your last on this earth.

Criticize less...forgive others and yourself...love more...be grateful...and never live in regret.

Know that all things occur only because they are supposed to, and do your best to be content with whatever happens.

By learning to be satisfied with what we cannot change and having the courage to improve what we can, we will be filled with an abundance of peace and Joy."

(By Angenlina27)

"Crying Is Just A Metaphor"
***********************************

Crying is Just a symbol
Of the hurt that's locked inside
If for any other reason
No heart cannot abide...
These lonely roads of longing
I've sadly walked before
My eyes have ceased the searching;
Forecefully closing once open doors.

Yes, crying is Just a metaphor
Expressing what I feel inside
Heart twisted up with pain
To accept all reasons why...

Tears are shed like water falls,
Into bottomless river pools
Collecting till lifes trials overflow
Defying all earthly rules.

Yes, crying is Just a metaphor
Like sweeping tides of gore
Like rhymes that know no reason
Violently crashing against the shore...
My heart suffers from its aching
At what was meant to be
Lives' abruptly taken
On to paths not one of us could see...

My thoughts mired in sheer frustration
Their colors grim and gray
I pray that they will someday brighten
And wash the tears away...

Yes, crying is Just a metaphor
For what I feel inside
I know not what the next day will bring
Hoping it will all subside...
The rush of memories so clear and blue
Behind the setting sun;
Peaceful tides of cooling hues
Will follow when its done.

And when the morning sun appears
I'll know when it is right
To put my love, memories, and...my tears
In a box wrapped nice and tight.
Maybe I'll open it again one day,
After alls' been said and done
But crying will be a fading memory
In the face of the rising sun.

[By Iman]

Egypt Slams Western Double Standards
**************************************************

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit lashed out at Western nations for thwarting the efforts of Arab and Islamic states to issue two Resolutions declaring that Israel's nuclear weapons posed a threat to regional stability & partake in a nuclear-free Middle East zone.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit described those Western policies as discriminatory and hypocritical.

"It is unacceptable that these countries continue to ignore the danger posed by the Israeli nuclear threat to stability and security in the Middle East," Aboul Gheit said. [1]

Canada had sponsored a "No" vote on Friday, which was backed by the United States, Europe and other Western allies. The nay-sayers Joined forces to stifle two Resolutions at an IAEA meeting, demanding that Israel only use its nuclear energy program for peaceful purposes and to partake in the establishment of a Middle Eastern nuclear-free zone.

IAEA member state instead voted on a diluted Resolution, that was also put forward by the Arab nations, "Affirming the urgent need for all states in the Middle East to accept full-scope IAEA safeguards on all their nuclear activities. [2]

Mr Aboul Gheit also insisted that Israel become a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as he also called upon the IAEA to show fortitude and subject Israel's nuclear program to the same mandatory & strict inspections and safeguards other nations are required to adhere to.

Mr Aboul Gheit urged the Western powers to exhibit the same level of concern regarding Israel's nuclear threat as they consistently do towards other Non-Proliferation nations.

Mr Aboul Gheit also voiced concern that Israel's Nuclear program posed a "direct challenge" to the authority & legitimacy of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

"For Developing and Arab countries to comprehend the concern Western powers are expressing over the Iranian nuclear issue, these Western powers have to convince everyone that they adhere to all that is lawful, and not pick sides," the Minister stated. [3]

Source for quotes:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/766349.html

The Real Friends Of Terror
*********************************

Courtesy Of: InformationClearingHouse.info
From: Channel 5 UK
RunTime: 40 Minutes
09/24/06
Video provided by:
http://www.thedossier.ukonline.co.uk


This is a documentary report by Ted Honderich.

"Do American's share with 'Bin Laden' some of the moral responsibility for the attack?"

"What is the difference between the horror and the violence created by suicide bombers and the horror and the violence created by bombs dropped from 30,000 feet by airplanes?"
Can suicide bombers ever be Justified?

Professor Honderich, Britain's leading moral philosopher, is unafraid to tell the truth as he sees it.

Taking what he says is the betrayal of the Palestinian people as his starting point, Ted reveals who shares moral responsibility for recent acts of terrorism, and points a finger at the politicians.

Video Documentary:
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article15080.htm

US Invasion Of Iraq Spawned More Terrorism
*********************************************************

The United States illegal invasion of Iraq induced a caesarian birth of a new generation of terrorists, and this threat has only increased since the 9/11 attacks on America, courtesy of the Bush administration's idiotic & unilateral foreign policy initiatives around the world.

America's National Intelligence Estimate, which was completed in April of this year, concluded that terrorism has mushroomed globally, crediting the invasion of Iraq as being the catalyst for the spread of terrorism and violence.

"The estimate concludes that the radical Islamic movement has expanded from a core of Al Qaeda operatives and affiliated groups to include a new class of 'self-generating' cells inspired by Al Qaeda's leadership but without any direct connection to Osama bin Laden or his top lieutenants," stated The New York Times.

The New York Times also mentioned that more than a dozen United States government officials & non-governmental experts possessed knowledge of the existence of this classified intelligence report.

"...According to reports, this intelligence should put the final nail in the coffin of President Bush's phony argument about the Iraq war," said Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, representing the State of Massachusettes.

"...The fact that we need a new direction in Iraq to really win the war on terror and make American's safer could not be clearer or more urgent--yet this administration stubbornly clings to a failed 'stay-the-course' strategy."

A few of the Estimate's conclusions have validated former predictions that were made in the National Security Council's own report in January 2003, which stated that an invasion of Iraq would increase support for political Islam and the concept of Jihad within the Muslim World, according to The New York Times.

Link to New York Times Article:
http://nytimes.com/2006/09/24/world/middleeast/24terror.html?pagewanted=1

"Better The Sultan's Turban Than The Cardinal's Hat"
******************************************************************

Courtesy Of: GlobalResearch.ca
By Colin Buchanan
September 17, 2006

Apart from the sinister decision to launch an attack on Islam at this moment in history when the supreme question of war or peace hangs in the balance, there is a rather bizarre aspect to this whole affair viz. the curious decision to quote a Byzantine emperor's views on Islam.

Byzantium had experienced first hand the brutality of the Western Crusaders who, goaded on by Catholic Priests in 1203 had sacked the city in one of the greatest atrocities in history, magnified several-fold by the immense cultural and intellectual loss in what was one of the great crimes of world civilization.

This shocking act of delinquency way surpassed the saking of Rome by the Goths or the relatively humane, subsequent sacking of Byzantium by the Turks.

Here is how it was recorded by one Byzantine historian:

"No one was without a share in the grief. In the alleys, in the streets, in the temples, complaints, weeping, lamentations, grief, the groaning of men, the shrieks of women, wounds, rape, captivity, the separation of those most closely united. Nobles wandered about ignominiously, those of venerable age in tears, the rich in poverty. Thus it was in the streets, on the corners, in the temple, in the dens, for no place remained unassailed or defended the suppliants. All places everywhere were filled full of all kinds of crime. Oh, Immortal God, how great the afflictions of the men, how great the distress!"

The Byzantine historian Nicetas Koniates wrote:

"Even the Muslims are human and well-disposed, reported to [compared to] those people who carrie the Cross of Christ on their shoulders."

Manuel II Paleologos (the emperor who Benedict quoted) had reason to fear the Muslims since Byzantium was perpetually on the verge of falling to them, as indeed it did in 1453.

But even in the midst of that final siege one of the city's last great statesmen was heard to say:

"Better the Sultan's turban than the Cardinal's hat."

...Thank you, your holiness, for reminding us, unconsciously, of things you would rather keep forgotten, Western Christendom's Jihad against its religious foes culminating in the destruction of the beautiful city of Byzantium,...

Source:
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=BUC20060917&articleId=3252

West Stifles Resolutions On Israeli Nuclear Threat
***************************************************************

The West has disrupted an effort by Arab & Islamic delegates to extract a vote on two Resolutions declaring that Israel's 200-plus nuclear weapons posed a "Threat" to Middle Eastern stability, and a "Safeguards" Resolution, at a United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting on Friday.

The Canadian government sponsored a 45-29 "No-Action" vote, which derailed the efforts of IAEA member states who favored issuing Resolutions demanding that Israel use its nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, and partake in the establishment of a nuclear- free zone in the Middle East.

Intense backroom lobbying failed to persuade the Arab & Islamic delegates to scrap both Resolutions that were submitted for a vote.

Today.Reuters.com reported that:

"Diplomats said many Arabs were fuming at the West's perceived slowness to stop Israel's heavy bombing of Lebanon that killed mainly civilians before an August 14 ceasefire imposed by a U.N. Security Council Resolution." [1]

"The (Western) blocking manoeuvre is astonishing when innocent blood has not yet dried in Lebanon," said Syrian delegate Ibrahim Othman.[2]

He also stated that Israel's nuclear arsenal in the Middle East created a destabilising effect and an imbalance of power in that war-weary region.

The United States, European and other Western allies Joined forces to block the "Treat" Resolution. They hypocritically asserted that to issue such Resolutions against Israel would be politically divisive and would undermine the IAEA's cohesion & "consensual approach."[3]

Cuba, Venezuela, South Africa, and a few other developing nations allied themselves with the Arab-Islamic effort to submit the Resolutions to a vote.

Arab and Islamic anger also manifested over the continuous "Double Standards" seen in non-stop Western pressure on Iran to halt its infant nuclear energy program while Israel has always been handled with velvet gloves, despite the many UN Resolutions that were passed ordering Israel to terminate it's nuclear weapons program.

India, Russia and 19 other countries abstained from voting on the "Threat Resolution," while three nations abstained from voting on the "Safeguards Resolution."

The United States & Israel were the only nations to vote "no" on the Safeguards Resolution.

I conclude this post with this courageous quote, which was issued by Baroness Jenny Tongue, former British Parliamentarian Member from the Liberal-Democrat Party:

"The pro-Israel lobby has got its grips on the Western World, its financial grips. I think they've probably got a certain grip on our party." [4]


1. Source for quotes, 1 through 3:
http://today.reuters.com

2. Source for quote by Baroness Jenny Tongue:
http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3306894,00.html

Bush Threatened To Bomb Pakistan To Stone Age
***************************************************************

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has revealed to the CBS show 60 Minutes--due to be aired this coming Sunday--That the United States threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" if it did not cooperate in the war on terror that is being waged against Al-Qaeda, after the 9/11 attacks.

This threat was delivered by former Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage to Pakistan's intelligence chief, which was then conveyed to President Musharraf.

Jonathan Beale, of the BBC in Washington, stated that the White House & the State Department declined to comment on the 60 Minutes interview.

President Musharraf stated that after the 9/11 attacks, the United States issued "ludicrous" demands of Pakistan:

"The intelligence director told me that Mr Armitage said, 'Be prepared to be bombed . Be prepared to go back to the stone age,'" President Musharaf stated.

Richard Armitage had also demanded that Pakistan place a gag on domestic expression of views & sentiments praising Al-Qaeda & the 9/11 attacks:

"If somebody's expressing views, we cannot curb expression of views," President Musharraf said.

President Musharraf also stated that Mr Armitage demanded that Pakistan grant the United States operational use of its bases that bordered Afghanistan. President Musharraf did comply with this demand:

"One has to think and take actions in the interest of the nation, and that's what I did."

Source for quotes:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5369198.stm

Nepal's Hindu's Declare Holy War
*****************************************

By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Kathmandu
Monday, 18 September 2006


"Bring back the Hindu Kingdom," they shout.

It is a pattern being regularly repeated, mainly in the capital and the plains bordering India, by Hindus incensed by parliament's recent declaration that Nepal should be secular.

But at the moment, Nepal remains the world's only officially Hindu country.


'HOLY WAR'
------------------

...Arun Subedi, chairman of the Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena Nepal--with the same name as a hardline Mumbai (Bombai)-based organisation but unconnected to it--Says secularism may worsen Hindus' relations with minority religions.

"Nepal is a Hindu country," he says. "It is the playground of god and a very holy country."

"If Nepal is not a Hindu Kingdom then there is no Nepal. We are entering into a holy war," he says, describing a Hindu scripture as his arms and ammunition.

According to official statistics, more than 80% of Nepalis are Hindu...but minorities in this multi-ethnic country and most political parties have long demanded the move to secularism.


CHANGES WELCOMED
--------------------------------------

Bhikkhu Ananda, a Buddhist monk and lecturer in Buddhist studies, says the Hindu state grossly underplays the number of Buddhists in Nepal. He puts it at 50% rather than the official 11%.

"In this Hindu country, we are not given our due place," he says, asserting that the state broadcaster gives his faith 10 minutes a week compared with three-and-a-half hours for Hinduism.

Other religious minorities, including the tiny Christian one, also welcome the change.

Pastor KB Rokaya heads a Church which meets in a private flat because Churches are not allowed to register with the authorities. He hopes that will now change and says that more than secularism, what is needed is full religious freedom.

"I think the minority religious people will now feel they are equal citizens, not second-class citizens," he says. "It will also mean we can practice our own religion and faith more openly without fear."

For its size, Nepal is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Some were Hinduised relatively recently and some are discovering their pre-Hindu roots.

Krishna Bhattachan works for an umbrella organisation of 59 indigenous ethnic groups, most of which have never enjoyed much power in Nepal.

He says the Hindu state has held back democracy and development and wants secularism to be followed by removal of the monarchy and recognition for minority cultures and languages.


'IGNITED'
--------------

Ranged against this view are many ordinary Hindus who say they feel hurt, pointing out that many countries have Islam or Christianity as a state religion and saying they cherish Nepal's unique status.

Louder are the angry Hindus, who speak with veiled threats towards religious minorities.

"In secularism it will be very difficult for them," a youth attending a rally tells The BBC. The Churches will be destroyed, the Mosques will be destroyed."

"The people who are very much [of a ] religious mind, they will spontaneously blow up these Churches and Mosques. The fight between the religious communities...is not going to stop. It has been ignited."

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5355816.stm

Israel Drawing Up Battle Plans For Next Lebanon War
*******************************************************************

Courtesy Of: All Headline News
By Ryan R. Jones
Middle East Correspondent
September 18, 2006

Jerusalem, Israel (AHN)--The Israeli defense establishment is already drawing up battle plans for the next conflict with Hezbollah, which is expected to be complicated by the presence of up to 15,000 U.N. troops and the Lebanese Army.

Next time around, the Israel Defense Forces will not be able to simply invade and roll across Southern Lebanon, a senior officer told the Jerusalem Post Sunday. Israeli forces will also have to be careful to avoid engaging foreign peacekeepers and Lebanese troops.

The defense establishment believes the next round of fighting could come within the next year, especially after the U.N. decided to keep French Gen. Alain Pelligrini on to lead an expanded U.N. Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Another officer said, "In the past, UNIFIL proved it did not deal well with Hezbollah. If Pelligrini takes the same approach again it could endanger the ceasefire and create a conflict sooner than expected."

Israel's Military Intelligence believes Hezbollah will want to take a year break from fighting with Israel in order to build its war-making capability after this summer's intense 34-day conflict.

In related news, the IDF's Northern Command has reportedly received orders to keep its remaining forces in Southern Lebanon deployed a little bit longer.

Source:
http://allheadlinenews.com/articles/7004899077

Ten Muslims Hacked To Death
**************************************

Courtesy Of: The Australian
By Anurruddha Lokuhapuarachchi,
In Pottuvil, Sri Lanka
September 18, 2006

Sri Lanka's military accused Tamil Tiger rebels of hacking 10 Muslim labourers to death in the island's east, but angry local residents blamed security forces.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) denied any involvement in the killings, which took place near the island's Yala National Park on Sunday, instead blaming the military for the latest in a string of mass killings and abuses.

..."(Police) Special Task Force (STF) troops killed these people," said Muslim M.S. Mohedeen, as around 2000 people, including women and children, gathered around a Mosque in the eastern town of Pottuvil where the bodies were laid out and incense burned to mask the stench of death.

"We don't blame anyone else," he said. "The LTTE can't come into this area. It is completely controlled by the STF. Without the STF's knowledge, no one can come into this area."

Source:
http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20436121-1702,00.html

IDF Knew About Hezbollah Abduction Plans
*******************************************************

Courtesy Of: Haaretz.com
By Amos Harel & Amir Oren
18/09/2006


MI Knew About Hezbollah Kidnap Plans
------------------------------------------------------------

Military Intelligence had clear information about an impending kidnap attempt by Hezbollah shortly before the Lebanese group carried out its cross-border raid on July 12.

However, the information--which could, if properly handled, have prevented the kidnapping of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser--was not analyzed and passed on to the troops in time, according to an intelligence inquiry conducted by the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF Spokesman's Office, asked about this report, has refused to either confirm or deny it for the last three days, saying that the issue is still being investigated by Military Intelligence (MI) and the Northern Command.

The inquiry into the intelligence aspects of the kidnapping is being conducted by Brigadier General Avi Ashkenazi...his investigation could alter the entire picture of the abduction...

Source:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/763676.html

"We Fired More Than A Million Cluster Bombs"
**********************************************************

Courtesy Of: Haaretz.com
By Meron Rappaport
12/09/2006

"What we did was insane and monsterous, we covered entire towns in cluster bombs," the head of an IDF rocket unit in Lebanon said regarding the use of cluster bombs and phosperous shells during the war.

Quoting his battalion commander, the rocket unit head stated that the IDF fired around 1,800 cluster bombs, containing over 1.2 million cluster bomblets.

In addition, soldiers in IDF artillery units testified that the army used phosphorous shells during the war, widely forbidden by international law. According to their claims, the vast majority of said explosive ordinance was fired in the final 10 days of the war.

The rocket unit commander stated that Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) platforms were heavily used in spite of the fact that they were known to be highly inaccurate.

...The use of such weaponry is controversial mainly due to its inaccuracy and ability to wreak great havoc against intermediate targets over large areas of territory...

The cluster rounds which don't detonate on impact, believed by the United Nations to be around 40% of those fired by the IDF in Lebanon, remain on the ground as unexploded munitions, effectively littering the landscape with thousands of land mines which will continue to claim victims long after the war has ended.

Because of their high level of failure to detonate, it is believed that there are around 500,000 unexploded munitions on the ground in Lebanon...

According to the commander in order to compensate for the inaccuracy of the rockets and the inability to strike individual targets precisely, units would "flood" the battlefield with munitions, accounting for the littered and explosive landscape of post-war Lebanon.
.
.
.
'Excessive Injury and Unnecessary Suffering'
--------------------------------------------------------------------

It has come to light that IDF soldiers fired phosphorous rounds in order to cause fires in Lebanon. An artillery commander has admitted to seeing trucks loaded with phosphorous rounds on their way to artillery crews in the north of Israel.

A direct hit from a phosphorous shell typically causes severe burns and a slow, painful death.

International law forbids the use of weapons that cause "excessive injury and unnecessary suffering," and many experts are of the opinion that phosphorous rounds fall directly in that category.

The International Red Cross has determined that international law forbids the use of phosphorous and other types of flammable rounds against personnel, both civilian and military.
.
.
.
Source:

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/761781.html

I have provided the following link to a google video showing scenes of MLRS platforms in action:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4591602232319399301&q=MLRS&hl=en

I Am A Muslim
******************

The above photo was sent by "Zoreh," which was taken at an anti-racist, anti-war protest in Totonto, Canada this week.


"I Am A Muslim"
Kill me & call it
"Collateral Damage"
Imprison me & call it
"Security Measure"
Exile my people en masse & call it
"New Middle East"
Rob my resources, Invade my land,
Alter my leadership & call it
"Democracy"

[unknown photographer, Sep. 13, 2006]

US Admits Defeat In Anbar Province
**********************************************

The United States military is preparing to raise the white flag of surrender and retreat from the battle it has been waging against the Iraqi insurgents, in the strategically vital Anbar province, located in Western Iraq.

A Marine Corps intelligence officer has admitted in a secret intelligence assesment of the US' military's posture in that region, that they has no chance whatsoever, in defeating the still formidable insurgency there.

"...One top secret report by a Marine intelligence officer said there is no chance the U.S. military can end the insurgent violance or that a viable government can be set up in the area," reported NBCSandiego.com, on September 13, 2006.

http://nbcsandiego.com/news/9844615/detail.html

I Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
***********************************************

I love the following lyrics (partial), by U2.


I have climbed highest mountain
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you.

I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you.

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire.

I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone.

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

Was 9/11 An Inside Job?
*******************************

Courtesy Of: AM640 Toronto Radio
September 12, 2006

A radio poll conducted by Toronto's Radio Am640 asked the public one of several questions. One of those questions, asked the Canadian public if they believed that 9/11 was an inside Job.

85% of the public affirmed that they believe 9/11 was in fact an inside Job!

The result of that particular question is posted above.

Source:
http://640toronto.com/station/corus_qod_poll.cfm?pollID=15087

Pakistan Blames West For Terrorism
**********************************************

Writing this weekend in The News, Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani Prime Minister, recalls that Zia who... played a key role in assisting the US and the Mujahadeen to defeat the Soviet-backed Afghan government.

"This alliance not only brought modern weapons and technology to the Mujahadeen but converted my homeland from a peaceful nation into a violent society of Kalashnikov weapons, heroin addiction and a radicalised interpretation of Islam."

Thus...were the seeds of the current harvest sown. Her views have found many echoes in Pakistan...both in the marketplace and in the offices of think-tanks, politicians and commentators.

"You have created a monster and now you don't know what to do with it," said Senator Asfundyar Wali, the Awami National Party Senator...

Throughout the war, the CIA channelled an estimated $3bn into the hands of the Afghan resistance groups and their foreign fellow-fighters, many of whom still inhabit the region around the border with Afghanistan in the North-West of Pakistan--an estimated 25,000 of whom, the 'Afghan Arabs,' arrived from Saudi Arabia, Egypt , Algeria and more than a dozen other nations.

If the creation of a radicalised and militarised reservoir of fundamentalists is blamed on the buckling of Pakistan to US pressure in the 1980s, there is also a growing scepticism about the current alleged plot and its timing here. [the plot refers to an explosion that took place at the airport for the Punjabi city of Bahawalpur].

"These plots are essential for Bush to keep up the fear of terrorism, so the American public is constantly fearful," said Dr Shireen Mazari, director general of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad.

On the issue of Al-Qaeda's alleged involvement, Dr Mazari said: "I think it's becoming a brand name that attracts disparate groups."

The cartoonist Maxim, in The Nation, has a balder interpretation but one that finds a growing audience.

His cartoon shows an Arab looking at three missiles marked UK, US and Israel and thinking: "Real WMDs--Weapons for Muslim Destruction."

This view has many supporters. Shafiq Ahmed, 35, deputy Imam at Al Huda Mosque in Islamabad, said:

"The plot seems to be a conspiracy to divert the attention of the international community from what is happening in Lebanon. Muslims are being terrorised and killed on the back of 9/11. No body is concerned about the Muslims' issues, even the UN are not...We believe if we fight against injustice, we go to heaven and if we cannot do something against these cruel powers we may pray for God for their destruction."

Usman Moosa, a 21-year-old student, reflects an equal resentment that Pakistan is portrayed in the West as the epicenter of terrorism.

"You don't have to blame Pakistan for what people do in another country, people who were born over there and educated over there,"

"Why do people always look at Pakistan?"


The above was extracted from:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1854229,00.html

Free Speech Is Aiding The Enemy
******************************************

The de facto ruler of these United States is claimg that those Americans who render constructive criticism of our nations psudo-monarchy's policies towards Afghanistan & Iraq, and the execution of said policies, are somehow aiding and abetting the terrorists.

Our Constitutional right in questioning the stated goals of our government and the methods that are employed in attaining them, are now falsely spun as having a demoralizing effect on our troops & the internal cohesion of our society.

"They can't beat us in a stand-up fight--they never have--but they're absolutely convinced they can break our will, that the American people don't have the stomach for the fight."
[Cehney said on NBC's Meet the Press][1]

This assertion was also meant to highlight that our external allies would end up forsaking us, if they sensed any internal self-doubt regarding our commitment to our staying the course.

Such internal dissent would undoubtedly encourage the terrorists [the Afghan & Iraqi resistance], to continue with their strategy.

Cheney is attempting to brow-beat us into submissively accepting his delusions which are contradicted by daily unpleasant developments (for our troops & long-term interests) in that region, that are producing new and highly damaging facts on the ground.

When Tim Russert introduced polling data stating that most Americans do not view the war in Iraq as part of the war on terror,Cheney countered by saying:

"I beg to differ...the fact is, the world is much better off today with Saddam Hussein out of power." [2]

Thank you Dick for avoiding Russert's query and American's polling views.

Cheney also touched on his arrogant and assured prediction made in May 2005, that the Iraqi insurgency was in its "last throes."

"I think there's no question...that the insurgency's gone longer and been difficult than I had anticipated," said Cheney. [3]

The bottom-line from all this, is to constantly hammer home the that the right to:
freedom of speech, civil liberties, our very democratic process is now being mischievously deconstructed into a "no-go" area, for the American people.

We are to surrender our freedoms and free thought, and submissively follow the pied piper to our doom.

Welcome to the "New Orwellian Order"...


The above 3 quotes have been provided by: Bradenton.com, Mon., Sep. 11, 2006.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/15489070.htm

9/11: Facing The Fallout
******************************

Courtesy Of: Google Video
By The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
RunTime: 31 min 16 sec
September 11, 2006

This is a segment on 9/11 conducted by the CBC, which examines some "official" government views and those individuals and organizations who are constantly & negatively labeled as being "conspiracy theorists."

As usual, the media always gives the closing argument to an individual who tows the United States govermnet's line.

The 9/11 Truth Movement is seeking a new investigation to satisfy unasnwered questions and deliberately neglected concerns.

By having some mainstream media sources (the CBC, MSNBC, the Washington Post and Time Magazine) positively acknowledging the 9/11 Truth Movement's existence and growing strength, is considered a major step in the right direction.


The following are 2 quotes from the CBC investigation:


"Forty-two percent of American's believe that the US government and its 9/11 Commission conceded or refused to investigate critical evidence that contradicts their official explanation of the September 11th attacks, saying there has been a cover up."
[Source: Zogby International, May 2006]


"NIST also is considering whether hypothetical blast events could have played a role in initiating the collapse. While NIST has found no evidence of a blast or controlled demolition event, NIST would like to determine the magnitude of hypothetical blast scenarios that could have led to the structural failure of one or more critical elements."
[Source: National Institute of Safety and Technology, August 30, 2006].


CBC Report:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5090484597094943353&hl=undefined

Quotes By Muhammad Ali
*********************************

1. "Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them: a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger."

2. "The fight is won or lost faw away from witnesses--behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

3. "Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even."

4. "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'don't quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'"

5. "To be able to give away riches is mandatory if you wish to possess them. This is the only way that you will be truly rich."

6. "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."

7. "If they can make penicillin out of muddy bread, they can sure make something out of you."

8. "The man who has no imagination has no wings."

9. "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

10. "Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer."

11. "Love is a net that catches hearts like a fish."

12. "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

13. "I know where I'm going and I know the truth, and I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want."

14. "It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself."

15. "Prejudice comes from being in the dark, sunlight disinfects it."

16. Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's Just plain wrong."

17. "Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams--they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as all religions--they all contain truths."

18. "A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he'll never crow. I have seen the light and I'm crowing."

19. "Old age is Just a record of one's whole life."

20. "We have one life; it soon will be past, what we do for God is all that will last."

21. "I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace."

22. "I am a Muslim. I've been a Muslim for 20 years...You know me for being a boxer and a man of truth. I wouldn't be here representing Islam if it were terrorist. I think all people should know the truth, come to recognize the truth. Islam is peace." [Muhammad Ali speaking on September 21, 2001 at a fundraiser for victims of the WTC and Pentagon attacks].

23. "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize, but get used to me. Black, confident, cocky--My name, not yours. My religion, not yours. My goals, my own. Get used to me."

24. "Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn't choose it, and I don't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name--It means beloved of Gof--And I insist people use it when speaking to me and of me."

25. "What's my name, fool? What's my name?" [What Ali kept saying while winning a 1967 decision against Ernie Terrell, who had insisted on calling him Cassius Clay].

26. "No Vietnamese called me nigger." [Muhammad Ali's comment when asked why he refused to fight in Vietnam].

27. "It's not bragging if you you can back it up."

and, lastly:

28. "If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up an apologize."

The America We Used To Know
****************************************

The Myth Of American Exceptionalism
************************************************

Courtesy Of: InformationClearingHouse.info
From: MIT Lecture Series
Video Length: 1:32:02
By: Howard Zinn
March 14, 2005

Bish Sanyal introduces the series and lecture.

Today, says Zinn, we have a president, who more than any before him, claims a special relationship with God.

Zinn worries about an administration that deploys Christian zealotry to Justify war against terrorism, a war that in reality seems more about establishing a new beachhead in the oil-rich Middle East.

He also sees great danger in Bush's Doctrines of Unilateralism and Pre-Emptive War, which mark a great leap away from international standards of morality.

Lecture:
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article8632.htm

EU Gets Its Own Pro-Israel Lobby
******************************************

Courtesy Of: AllHeadLineNews.com
By Ryan R. Jones,
Middle East Correspondent
September 6, 2006

Jerusalem, Israel (AHN)--European parliamentarians sympathetic to Israel have formally banded together in the European Union's first official pro-Israel lobby.

They will inaugurate the new "European Friends of Israel" organization next week, according to Ynet.

The endeavor is reportedly being backed by Jewish businessmen across the continent.

Organizers hope the lobby will one day enjoy the influence that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has in Washington.

Lobby leader Michel Gur Ari said, "We have set ourselves a target to turn Europe into Israel's ally."

Yehoshua Ben-Yosef, the lobby's representative in Israel, told Ynet that to date more than 150 European parliamentarians have Joined.

Source:
http://allheadlinenews.com/articles/7004767956

Dispelling US Myths About The Taliban
**************************************************

Courtesy Of: Google Video
From: UC Santa Barbara
Lecturer: Kathy Gannon
RunTime: 58 min 0 sec
November 7, 2005
http://uctv.tv

Associated Press and New Yorker writer Kathy Gannon delivers an intimately observed history of Afghanistan from 1986 to the present.

The longest-serving Western Journalist in the region, Gannon overturns simplistic understanding of the country's politics in this eye-opening talk.

Gannon also touches on how the US keeps repeating the same mistakes, and the deliberate misinformation about Afghanistan & the Taliban by our media and government.

Lecture:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8457759249211502839&sourceid=docidfeed&hl=en

UK State Sponsored Terrorism
***************************************

--The Intelligence Services and The Northern Ireland Conflict--


Courtesy Of: FreedomFiles.org

The site FreedomFiles, has compiled a massive list of links that contain articles, documents, and press releases, that were gathered from various sources on Britain's state sponsored terror that was waged by its security forces & loyalists against individuals and organisations that opposed British rule.

1. A chronology from UK Printed Press:

a) The Sunday Herald.
b) The Guardian.
c) The Independent.

2. World Socialist Website:

Fresh revelations on secret British terror organisations in Northern Ireland.

3. Relatives for Justice - Documents & Press Releases.

4. Committe on the Rights of the Child.

5. For God and Ulster - A guide to the Orange Order.

6. Amnesty - Political killings in Northern Ireland.

7. Consultation Paper on a Victim's Strategy.

8. Submission to Patten Commission - Part One.

9. Collusion 1990-1994 - Loyalist paramilitary murders in the North of Ireland.

10. Press Releases.


Source:
http://freedomfiles.org/war/ireland/nireland.htm

British Role In IRA 'Human Bomb' Tactic
**************************************************

Courtesy Of: The Observer
By Henry McDonald,
Ireland Editor
Sunday September 10, 2006

The controversy over claims that Britain allowed two IRA informers to organise 'human bomb' attacks intensified this weekend.

A human rights watchdog has handed a report to the Police Servive of Northern Ireland, which concludes that two British agents were central to the bombings of three army border installations in 1990.

Meanwhile the Police Ombudsman's Office in Belfast confirmed it is investigating allegations by the family of one victim that the bomb in Newry on 24 October 1990 could have been prevented.

The British Irish Rights Watch report will also put the focus back on the alleged MI6 agent 'J118.'

rmy intelligence officer turned whistleblower Martin Ingram has alleged 'J118' was Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness.

...The 'human bomb' tactic involved forcing civilians to drive vehicles laden with explosives into army checkpoints and included deadly sorties near Newry and Coshquin outside Derry. Six British soldiers and a civilian worker at an army base died in the simultaneous blasts on either side of Northern Ireland.

British Irish Rights Watch said:

'This month BIRW sent a confidential report to the Historical Enquiries Team on the three incidents that occurred on 24th October 1990...At least two security force agents were involved in these bombings, and allegations have been made that the "human bomb" strategy was the brainchild of British intelligence.'

'Questions arise as to whether the RUC, Garda Siochana and the Army's Force Research Unit had prior and/or subsequent intelligence about the bombings. These questions in turn lead to concerns about whether these attacks could have been prevented and why no one has been brought to Justice.'

Although British Irish Rights Watch has made no reference to the identities of the informers they allege were involved in the 'human bomb' plot, the group's intervention in the controversy is a significant development.

The group has issued several detailed reports previously outlining cases of collusion between loyalist terrorists and the security forces. These include the Pat Finucane murder and the killing of Raymond McCord Jr by the Ulster Volunteer Force.

In both cases, British Irish Rights Watch claim many of the loyalists involved in these murders were agents for the security forces--Allegations that were later substantiated.

Speaking from a secret location in Europe this weekend, Ingram (not his real name) said that while the latest report was not decisive proof over his claim about 'J118,' it raised questions about the role of informers in the 'human bomb' killings.

'This report from a very credible source brings up the question of informers working at the top tier of the IRA who were allowed to commit crimes up to murder while working for the state. I stand by what I have said in the past about 'J118' and challenge anyone to debate it with me in a public forum.'

Ingram, a former NCO with the Army's highly secretive Force Research Unit, said he was prepared to expose his own identity in public in any such debate.

Source:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1869019,00.html


The following links on the British Army's "Force Research Unit," have been provided by me...


1. Force Research Unit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Research_Unit


2. Force Research Unit (FRU) Index:
http://serve.com/pfc/fru/fruindex.html


3. The Force Research Unit (FRU) And Loyalist Death Squads:
http://serve.com/pfc/fru/fru12022k1d.html

Truth In Time Of War
**************************

Courtesy Of: Google Video
From: UCTV: UC Santa Barbara
RunTime: 1 hr 28 min 39 sec
December 19, 2005
http://uctv.tv


Howard Zinn, playwright, activist and historian, is the author of the ground-breaking "A People's History Of The United States."

His influential writings and teachings give voice to factory workers, immigrant laborers, African Americans, Native Americans and the working poor.

Zinn's talk explores the notion of "Just" wars with his usual candor and critical understanding.

Lecture:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4661618996030418894&sourceid=docidfeed&hl=en

The Devil And Donald Rumsfeld
****************************************

(In the tradition of House Carpenter and other ballads of betrayal and nonredemption)

Donald Rumsfeld was sitting in his office
Planning out his next big lie
When up through the floor comes the Devil himself
In a silken suit and tie.

He asked, "How do you like your office my friend?
Tell me, how do you like gold?
How do you like your soldiers,
Some not even 20 years old?"

"Quite well do I like my title fine,
And soldiers by the score,
But it's best that I like my pretty yellow gold
And I wish I had some more."

"And what would you give for gold my friend?"
Said the Devil with with his horns laid bare,
"Would you give me your soul and America's too,
And a thousand soldiers fair?"

Donald Rumsfeld gave his answer
In a whispered voice so low,
Then the Devil disappeared with a wink and a grin
Into the fires below.

Now one thousand good brave soldiers
Are lying in cold hard graves
The Devil is dancing in the White House
With a Cabinet full of slaves.

Is Donald Rumsfeld in his high hall
At the desk he likes so well?
No...Rummy's counting out a mountain of gold,
Sitting at the gates of hell.

[By Cheryl Seal, 14.05.2004]

Rumsfeld Appeases Butcher Of Baghdad
***************************************************

Courtesy of: The Wall Street Journal
Spetember 8, 2006

With Defense Secretary Rumsfeld making "Apeasement" the big buzzword of the month, the George Washington University's National Sceurity Archives notes that its Single Most Downloaded File [1] is now the once classified batch of documents, photos and video documenting Rumsfeld's handshake and meeting with Saddam Hussein in December 1983.

...President Reagan had sent Rumsfeld to Baghdad to help restore diplomatic ties with Iraq and aid Baghdad in its fight against Iran.

Rumsfeld last week warned of a rise of Islamic fascism and said that people should not fall into the trap of appeasement as did those who tried to accomodate the Nazis in the 1930s.

The remarks led many pundits to compare Rumsfeld's 1983 meeting with Hussein to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's meeting with Adolf Hitler in 1938.

One Liberal Hawker Of Political Posters [2] is now offering one that features photos of the two meetings with the caption "Appeased to meet you...hope you guessed my name."-Neil King Jr.


Source :
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2006/09/08/rumsfeld-handshake-proves-popular


1. Single Most Downloaded File:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/


2. Liberal Hawker Of Political Posters:
http://izzyguaal.com/

A State Of Mind
*******************

Happiness is a state of mind
Told to those living a grind
Eupemisms for the unemployed
Who worry for families and lack of Joy
Preachers tell us not to give up hope
Turn to God to help us cope.

Faith is a state of mind
While we on earth bide our time
Conscious thoughts to ease the pain
And suffering of the sick and lame
A chasm between the haves and have-nots
Fills the void in a mind that blocks.

Humanity is a state of mind
Distilled by history from the beginning of time
Acts of kindness and inspiration
Interspersed with destruction and degradation
Contradictory behavior by a complicated people
Who tear down walls and blow up steeples.

Living is a state of mind
Make a choice between ridiculous and sublime
Give or take, it doesn't matter
Silence your tongue or continue to chatter
Live or die, blasphemy or rejoice
For time is real, we have no choice.

[By A. Keith Barton - Sunday, July 10, 2005]

Europeans See U.S. As Threat To Global Security
**************************************************************

Courtesy Of: Angus Reid Global Scan
September 5, 2006

-Some adults in five European nations express reservations about the role of the United States in world affairs, according to a poll by Harris Interactive published in the Financial Times.

30 per cent of respondents believe the U.S. is the greatest threat to global stability.

Iran is second on the list with 33 per cent, followed by China with 15 per cent, Iraq with 14 per cent, North Korea with eight per cent, and Russia with two per cent.

In Spain, 44 per cent of respondents place the U.S. as the main perceived threat. 36 per cent of respondents in Britain--And 28 per cent of respondents in France--Feel the same way.

In Italy, Iran was the first country on the list with 31 per cent. The U.S. and Iran are tied with 24 per cent in Germany's sample.

Source:
http://angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/13028

Americans Think Wars Are Creating More Terrorists
*****************************************************************

Courtesy Of: Angus Reid Global Scan
From: CBS News
September 8, 2006

-Many adults in the United States believe their government's policies are having a negative effect, according to a poll by CBS News.

54 per cent of repondents believe the Bush administration's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is creating more terrorists who are planning to attack.
.
.
.
Polling Data:
-------------------

Right now, is the U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan creating more terrorists who are planning to attack the U.S., eliminiating terrorists who were planning to attack the U.S., or is the U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan not affecting the number of terrorists planning to attack the U.S.?

Creating more terrorists 54%

Eliminating more terrorists 15%

Not affecting the number 24%

Not sure 7%


As a result of U.S. military action against Afghanistan, do you think the threat of terrorism against the United States has increased, decreased, or stayed about the same?

Increased 35%

Decreased 16%

Stayed about the same 46%

Not sure 3%


As a result of the United States' military action against Iraq, do you think the threat of terrorism against the United States has increased, decreased, or stayed about the same?

Increased 48%

Decreased 12%

Stayed about the same 39%

Not sure 1%


Source:
http://angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/13067

What Motivated The 9/11 Hijackers?
********************************************

--See Testimony Most Didn't--

Courtesy Of: YouTube.com
Added: September 07, 2006
RunTime: 04:50
By: http://representativepress.org
http://representativepress.blogspot.com


Text Of Video:
---------------------

What motivated the 9/11 hijackers to attack the US?

US foreign policy bias for Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and US governments support for other oppressive regimes in the Middle East.

The 9-11 Commission held its twelfth and final public hearing June 16-17, 2004, in Washington, DC. On June 16 the Commission heard from several of the federal government's top law enforcement and intelligence experts on al Qaeda and the 9-11 plot.

It was at this hearing that the question "What motivated them to do it? Was finally asked.

Lee Hamilton:

"I'm interested in the question of motivation of these hijackers, and my question is really directed to the agents...What have you found out about why these men did what they did? What motivated them to do it?"

James Fitzgerald (FBI Special Agent):

"I believe a sense of outrage against the United States. They identify with the Palestinian problem, they identify with people who oppose repressive regimes, and I believe they tend to focus their anger on the US."

This testimony was kept out of the 9/11 Commission Report and no recommendation was given to address the main motive for the 9/11 attacks.

After the report was issued, the Ten Commissioners formed the "9-11 Public Discourse Project."

At the August 2, 2005 session on foreign policy, Lee Hamilton quickly tries to silence someone who asks why US support for Israel isn't being addressed.

Member of Audience:

"The Gorilla in the room is US support for Israel"

"By his own account, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's animus toward the United States stemmed not from his experiences there as a student, but rather from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel." [p 147, 9/11 Commission Report].

"...The causes of the September 11 attacks...The conflict between Israel and Palestine was always at the heart. 'It's central,' he said. 'It's not the only thing, but it's the central thing,'" [p 248, A Pretext For War].

"This is sensitive ground," Hamilton and Kean say in their new book, "Without Precident: The Inside Story Of The 9/11 Commission," and some Commissioners worried "Listing U.S. support for Israel as a root cause of al Qaeda's opposition to the United States indicated that the United States should reassess that policy."

Hamilton and Kean were promoting their book and took some questions outside NBC studios in Washington, D.C. in August of 2006. Sam Husseini, of the Institute for Public Accuracy, asked about US foreign policy supporting Israel.

Sam Husseini:

"Aren't we planting the seeds of further terrorism? Aren't we putting out the fire with gasoline here? And you can do all the security measures, all the law enforcement, but if that continues isn't that a fundamental argument..."

Lee Hamilton:

"Foreign policy gets very complicated. When you take certain actions to support a friend, the security of Israel, as we did, it has consequences. No question about it."

Lee Hamilton:

"Not--Look, look--I don't want to get into an argument about Middle East policy."

"America's policy choices have consequences. Right or wrong,..." [p 376, 9/11 Commission Report].

This is what they "Ended up agreeing on" putting in the 9/11 Commission Report. "Right or wrong"?!

There is a reason politicians don't want US support of Israel listed as a root cause of al Qaeda's terrorism. There is a reason politicians don't want the American people to "Reasses that policy."

Politicians lie to us about "Hatred of our freedoms" because they care more about serving special interests than about keeping us safe. Don't let them get away with robbing us of the freedom to decide for ourselves if we want to put our lives at risk over specific foreign policies.

Video Of Hearing:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=J1bm2GPoFfg

Most Canadians Blame US For 9/11 Attacks
******************************************************

Courtesy Of: CBC News
Thursday, September 7, 2006

A majority of Canadians believe U.S. foreign policy was one of the root casuses that led to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and Quebecers are quicker to criticize the U.S. administration for its international actions than other Canadians, a recent poll suggests.

Those conclusions are found in a newly released poll conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies.

The poll suggests that 77 per cent of Quebecers polled primarily blame American foreign policy for the Sept. 11 attacks. The results suggest 57 per cent in Ontario hold a similar view.

When participants were given the option of choosing more than one cause for the attacks, two-thirds blamed Islamic fundamentalists and their anti-Western views, while a third pointed the finger at Israel and its position in the Middle East.

Canadian opinions have hardened against the United States and its role on the world stage, said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association of Canadian Studies. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have contributed to a change of heart among people, he said.

But Canadians are divided on whether their government should pay more attention to issues fuelling extremist organisations in the Middle East, he said.

"There are a lot of people who think we should be listening closely [to extremist groups] and that there is an opportunity to dialogue with these sort of groups," said Jedwab Wednesday. "So it is showing a real ideological divide on some of these issues."

There's a growing need since the Sept. 11 attacks for balanced public education about terrorism, added Jedwab. "There is a tendency to see in these movements something more romantic than actually exists. That's something we need to keep debating in the country."

Source:
http://cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/09/07/911poll.html

Jackass Of The Week
***************************

Ok, it's time for some comedy.

The following stunts are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, and should NOT be attempted by anyone.

The following video clips are courtesy of Google Video, and were taken from the show & movie, "Jackass."


1. "Jackass Of The Week"

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3764694766742533920&q=jackass


2. "Jackass Burglars"

(watch the big man flee)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3823877553469757295&q=jackass


3. "Jackass Number Two" (Trailer)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6476721218807899251&q=jackass

Belgium Police Hold 17 In "Terror Plot"
************************************************

Courtesy Of: BBC News
Thursday, 7 September 2006

Seventeen people have been arrested in Belgium for allegedly planning attacks aimed at "destabilising" the country's institutions, Belgian prosecutors say.

Police raided army barracks and soldiers' homes across the country.

The raids were part of a two-year investigation into extreme-right activists believed to be operating inside the military.

Police seized weapons and a home-made bomb during raids in East Flanders, Limburg and Antwerp.

Searches were carried out simultaneously in five barracks an at 18 private addresses in a wide-ranging operation, Belgian radio reported.

Those arrested were mainly "Soldiers and people with an extreme-right ideology who clearly express themselves through racism, xenophobia, Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism," the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The main suspect is a serving military man "Who intended to put terrorist ideas into practice," it added.

Belgium has seen an increase in apparently race-related crimes and the country's far-right, anti-immigrant Vlaams Belang Party (or Flemish Interest) has enjoyed increasing electoral support.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5325198.stm

France Rejects "War On Terror"
***************************************

Courtesy Of: Yahoo News
By Reuters News
Thu. Sep. 7, 2006

Paris (Reuters)--France issued an implicit criticism of U.S. foreign policy on Thursday, rejecting talk of a "war on terror."

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin speaking in parliament, expressed these views on global terrorism, while President Jacques Chiraq backed France's claims to the international front rank with a fresh defense of his country's nuclear arsenal.

Villepin noted Chirac's strong opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and said the Arab state had now sunk into violence and was feeding new regional crises.

"Let us not forget that these crises play into the hands of all extremists," the Prime Minister said in a debate on the Middle East.

"We can see this with terrorism, whether it tries to strike inside or outside our frontiers," he added.

"Against teeorism, what's needed is not a war. It is, as France has done for many years, a determined fight based on vigilance at all times and effective cooperation with our partners."

"But we will only end this curse if we also fight against injustice, violence and these crises," he said.

Villepin's remarks...came a day after U.S. President George Bush admitted that the CIA had interrogated dozens of terrorism suspects in secret foreign locations...

...Villepin's speech in parliament made much of France's role in securing a peace agreement in Lebanon backed by the United Nations, which he said had shown the virtues of "listening and dialogue."

"It is the duty of France and Europe to show that the clash of civilizations is not inevitable," he said.

"No one retains this wisdom, inherited from our history, as we, French and Europeans, do," he said.

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060907/wl_nm/security_france_dc_1

Israeli's: Giuliani "Best" Presidential Candidate For Israel
***********************************************************************

Courtesy of: Haaretz.com
By Haaretz Staff
Last Update- 05/09/2006

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the "best" candidate in the 2008 race for Israel, a panel of eight Israeli experts assembled by Haaretz has determined.

Giuliani is followed by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Arizona Senator John McCain and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Ranking bottom of the list is Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

As part of a new project, The Israel Factor: Ranking The Presidential Candidates [1] the Panel [2] will rank the candidates every month, up until the 2008 election, awarding them marks out of 10 on a series of questions that will determine which candidates are "best for Israel.

The project is part of Roner's Domain [3] and is moderated by Haaretz chief U.S. correspondent Shmuel Rosner.

Professor Camil Fuchs of Tel Aviv University, who is also the Haaretz pollster, is responsible for the statistical analysis of the Rankings [4].

The panel also concluded that the chances of any of the candidates ordering future military action in Iran were not very high.

Giuliani [5] scored highest on this question, followed by Gingrich and McCain.

Clinton was the candidate the panel considered most likely to engage more vigorously in moderating a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. She was followed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former presidential candidate John Kerry.

Source of Article:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/759119.html


Other Sources:
----------------------

1. The Israel Factor: Ranking The Presidential Candidates:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerPage.jhtml

2. Panel:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=758633

3. Rosner's Domain:
http://rosnersdomain.com

4. Rankings:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=759107

5. The Giuliani Consensus:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=758697

The Israel Factor In US Elections
*****************************************

Courtesy Of: Haaretz.com
Last Update- 05/09/2006


SURVEY RESULTS: Week Ending 09/09/06


The panel was asked to score the candidates on the following issues, on a scale of one to 10, with one being "worst" for Israel and 10 being "best" for Israel.

The first four questions deal with ongoing events and so will change each month; the fifth is a general question that will be asked each time:

1. How much of an effort will the candidate make to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

2. To what extent does the candidate view Israel as a strategic asset?

3. HOW MUCH OF AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION DOES THE CANDIDATE HAVE TO ISRAEL?

4. How willing would the candidate be to use military force to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons?

5. HOW "GOOD FOR ISRAEL" IS THE CANDIDATE?


The results are on the top of this post...

Source:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=759107

A Nation Remembers
***************************

Courtesy Of: MarkFiore.com


Animation:
http://markfiore.com/animation/phony.html

Senate Rejects Bill Limiting IDF Use Of Cluster Bombs
********************************************************************

Courtesy Of: Haaretz.com
By The Associated Press
Last Update: 07/09/2006

The United States Senate on Wednesday rejected a move by Democrats to stop the Pentagon from using cluster bombs near civilian targets and to cut off sales unless purchaseers abide by the same rules.

On a 70-30 vote, the Senate defeated an amendment to a Pentagon budget to block use of the deadly munitions near populated areas.

The vote came after the State Department announced last month it was investigating whether Israel misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas in Lebanon.

Unexploded cluster bombs--Anti-personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area--Litter homes, gardens and highways in south Lebanon after Israel's 34-day war with Hezbollah militants.

Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy have long sought to keep cluster bombs from being used near concentrated areas of civilians.

They say that as many as 40 percent of the munitions fail to detonate on impact--They can still explode later--Leaving innocent civilians and children vulnerable to injury or death long after hostilities have ceased.

Relief organizations and the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center reported finding evidence that Israel used three types of U.S.-made cluster bombs during the war with Hezbollah militants. Israel also manufactures is own cluster munitions.

"For too long, innocent civilians, not enemy combatants, have suffered the majority of casualties from cluster munitions," Leahy said.

"The recent experience in Lebanon is only the latest example of the appaling human toll of injury and death. Strict rules of engagement are long overdue."

But Republican Senator Ted Stevens said, "The rules of engagement properly belong with the Department of Defense and the commander in chief."

Stevens argued that the amendment would restrict "The ability of our military to use munitions to protect our people."

Source:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/759685.html

Bin Laden Free To Live In Peace
*****************************************

Courtesy Of: YouTube.com
From: World News with Charles Gibson
Brian Ross, reporting
September 05, 2006
RunTime: 03:01

ABC World News Tonight, reports that a new "Peace Deal" has been reached between pro-Taliban fighters in Waziristan [a North Pakistani region, which borders Afghanistan] and Al-Qaeda, with the Pakistani government.

Major General Shaukat Khan, Press Secretary to Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, informed ABC News that [if found, Osama Bin Laden & the Taliban], WILL NOT be taken into custody, as long as they promise to behave and live like peaceful citizens.

"No, as long as one is being like a peacful citizen, one would not be taken into custody. One has to stay like a peaceful citizen, and not allowed to participate in any terrorist activity," stated General Shaukat Khan.

"The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani Army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a 'peace deal' with the Taliban," reported ABC.

Pakistan will also return captured Taliban prisoners and weapons it seized during this conflict. [1]

Earlier today in a speech on the Global War on Terror which he gave in Washington, D.C. to the Military Officers Association of America, President Bush mentioned Pakistan's help in working together,

"To stop the world's most dangerous men from getting their hands on the world's most dangerous weapons."

And,

"Working with Great Britain and Pakistan and other nations, the United States shut down the worlds most dangerous nuclear trading cartel, the AQ Khan network."

"This network had supplied Iran and Libya and North Korea with equipment and know-how that advanced their efforts to obtain nuclear weapons."

The President also stated,

"We're working with friends and allies to deny the terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world." [2]


Sources:

1. YouTube Video of the Pakistani "Peace Deal":
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jHa4Q2rqqQg&eurl=


2. President Discusses Global War on Terror:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060905-4.html

"Have You No Sense Of Decency, Sir?"
*************************************************

Courtesy Of: YouTube.com
By Keith Olbermann
MSNB's "Countdown"
September 06, 2006


In this segment, Keith Olbermann (The Bloggermann), provides us with another one of his daring & remarkable special comments. But this comment takes aim at, pRESIDENT George W. Bush...


Keith:

"More over, Mr. Bush, you are accomplishing in part what Osama Bin Laden and others seek--A fearful American populace, easily manipulated, and willing to throw away any measure of restraint, and loyalty to our own ideals and freedoms, for the comforting illusion of safety..."


The transcript below is provided, courtesy of The Bloggermann:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It is to our deep national shame--And ultimately it will be to the President's deep personal regret--That he has followed his Secretary of Defense down the path of trying to tie those loyal American's who disagree with his policies--Or even question their effectiveness or execution--To the Nazi's of the past, and the Al Qaeda of the present.

Today, in the same subtle terms in which Mr. Bush and his colleagues muddied the clear line separating Iraq and 9/11--without actually saying so--The President quoted a purported Osama Bin Laden letter that spoke of launching, "A media campaign to create a wedge between the American people and their government."

Make no mistake here--The intent of that is to get us to confuse the psychotic scheming of an international terrorist, with that familiar bogeyman of the right, the "Media."

The President and others have often attacked freedom of speech, and freedom of dissent, and freedom of the press.

Now, Mr. Bush has signaled that his unparalleled and unprincipled attack on reporting has a new and venemous side angle:

The attempt to link, by the simple expediency of one word--"Media"--The honest, patriotic, and indeed vital questions and questioning from American reporters, with the evil Al Qaeda propaganda.

The linkage is more than Just indefensible. It is un-American.

Mr. Bush and his colleagues have led us before to such waters.

We will not drink again!

And the President 's re-writing and sanitizing of history, so it fits the expediencies of domestic politics, is Just as false, and Just as scurrilous.

"In the 1920's, a failed Austrian painter published a book in which he explained his intention to build an Aryan super-state in Germany and take revenge on Europe and eradicate the Jews," President Bush said today, "The world ignored Hitler's words, and paid a terrible price."

Whatever the true nature of Al Qaeda and other international terrorist threats, to ceaselessly compare them to the Nazi state of Germany serves only to embolden them.

More over, Mr. Bush, you are accomplishing in part, what Osama Bin Laden and others seek--A fearful American populace, easily manipulated, and willing to throw away any measure of restraint, any loyalty to our own ideals and freedoms, for the comforting illusion of safety.

It thus becomes necessary to remind the President that this administration's recent Nazi "Kick" is an awful and cynical thing.

And it becomes necessary to reach back into our own history, for yet another quote, from yet another time and to ask it of Mr. Bush:

"Have you no sense of decency, sir?"


Video Commentary:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aZRWILvaYSk&eurl=

WTC Elevator Sign Survives Meltdown
************************************************

Courtesy Of: Google Video
RunTime: 48 sec
04-Sep-2006


WTC South Tower Floor 78--Kryptonite elevator sign that survived the fires that melted 47 enormous columns behind.

This elevator sign out performed the core of the building!

The largest of the 47 core columns were 18"x36", with steel walls 4" thick near the base and tapering in thickness toward the top, and were anchored directly to the bedrock.

Making them one of the world's lartgest heat sinks.

Apparently the heat was too intense for the steel columns and they all melted at the same instant, bringing down the building.

Maybe they should have made the core out of the same material this sign is made of.

Video:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=9101989575044001945&hl=enGBIt&20

French FM Warns Against Clash Of Civilisations
************************************************************

Courtesy Of: SpaceWar.com
Sept. 6, 2006

Paris (AFP)--French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy warned Wednesday against a "War of Civilisations" between Western powers and Islam.

Asked by Radio Monte-Carlo to comment on US President George W. Bush's comments comparing the Iranian government to Al-Qaeda, Douste-Blazy said:

"We cannot accept a war of civilisations" between a "Western bloc" and a "Muslim bloc."

"Good and evil are not decreed by the West in this country or that continent," he said.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, he said: "More than ever we must keep open a dialogue with Tehran."

And he called for a "Gradual approach" to overcome the differences between the US--Which is demanding sanctions against Iran--And Russia and China, which have so far opposed them.


Source:
http://spacewar.com/2006/060906090514.owufoopx.html

UN Investigating Illegal Weapons In Israel-Lebanon Conflict
***************************************************************************

Courtesy Of: GlobalResearch.ca
By Dai Williams,
Independent Researcher
Eos, Surrey, UK
August 30, 2006


SUMMARY:

On 11 August 2006 the UN Human Rights Commission (HRC) and other organisations called for UN investigation of suspected illegal weapons and other war crimes during the Israel / Lebanon conflict.

Carbonised bodies and large fireballs indicate that Israeli forces may have used uranium bunker buster warheads or other weapons of indiscriminate effect.

Suspected weapons and their hazards are described. Procedures for forensic investigation and priorities to protect Lebanese and international personnel are recommended.

Environmental radiation testing is an immediate priority in Lebanon and neighboring countries.

Previous UN post-conflict inspections in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq were long delayed and prevented from analysing any bomb or missile targets for uranium.

But increased uranium dust was measured in other countries e.g. in Hungary and in the U.K.

International support is needed to ensure fast and effective scientific investigations in Lebanon and to prevent delays or subversion of UN and any other environmental testing.


Article in pdf:
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/williams.pdf

Robert Fisk & Former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami
****************************************************************************

Courtesy Of: DemocracyNow.org
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
With Amy Goodman

In a wide-ranging interview, Robert Fisk--the veteran Middle East correspondent for the London Independent--discusses Hezbollah and Israel, and his interview this weekend with former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami.

...Meanwhile, former President Mohammed Khatami became the first high ranking Iranian official in three decades to speak in the United States.

On Saturday in Chicago, Khatami addressed the annual ISNA Conference--The Islamic Society of North America.

The meeting of 40,000 people is the largest gathering of Muslims in the U.S.

On Sunday, Robert Fisk interviewed Khatemi...


To View the video & read the transcript:

http://democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/05/1311248

Coward
**********

Such bitter vetch, the venom of dedeat
But Just reward for those of spindly spines
They earn the right to taste their conqueror's feet
And kiss the nether parts of their behinds.

How Just their cause once was then matters not
Once tails are firmly tucked between their legs
Their cowardice decides their final lot
And leaves them in the role of one who begs.

And thoe they rule are then themselves debased
When men of low conviction take the lead
Those men who ravel loose when first they're faced
With chance that they must fight and then might bleed.

But men who would not veer because of fear
Who stood their ground when even overpowered
Have won for all of us things we hold dear
And what does mankind owe to the coward?

[N.G. "Gary" Stapp]

The Owners Of This Country
************************************

Courtesy Of: Google Video
From: http://question911.com
RunTime: 13 min 27 sec
Aug. 28, 2006

This a great piece by George Carlin, from his show on "Life Is Worth Losing."

An incredibly profound and thought-provoking clip presented with humorous cover...

Video Clip:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-771488600376041822&q=life+is+worth+losing

The Tale Of The Tape
***************************

By Don Davis

While Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently challenged Preisdent Bush to a televised debate, we all know this has about the same chance of coming off as the Confederate Flag tattoo on George Allen's buttocks.

But it might still be fun to take a sneak peek at the "Tale of the Tape" in a hypothetical match-up between these two flyweights (which, for you boxing novices, is even less than a lightweight). So here goes:


10. Height-

Ahmadinejad: five two.
Bush: six, same as IQ.


9. Reach-

Ahmadinejad: throughout the Midlle East.
Bush: only up to Cheney's office.


8. Language-

Ahmadinejad: Farsi.
Bush: farce-ee.


7. Favorite Debate Prop-

Ahmadinejad: nuclear reactor.
Bush: radio transmitter.


6. Actions While "Young and Irresponsible"-

Ahmadinejad: Joining Iranian Revolutionary Guard and taking hostages.
Bush: dodging National Guard and taking cocaine.


5. Flight From Reality-

Ahmadinejad: denies Holocaust.
Bush: denies Evolution.


4. Gender Policies-

Ahmadinejad: wants women covered head-to-toe.
Bush: administration outs Valerie Plame.


3. Short-Term Goal-

Ahmadinejad: taking Iran "nuclear."
Bush: pronouncing the word "nuclear."


2. Long-Term Goal-

Ahmadinejad: creating theocracies in region.
Bush: creating theocracy at home.


1. Chief Threat-

Ahmadinejad: the Great Satan.
Bush: an educated nation.

Google Developing Eavesdropping Software
*******************************************************

Courtesy Of: TheRegister.co.uk
Published: Sunday 3rd September 2006

The first thing that came out of our mouths when we heard that Google is working on a system that listens to what's on your TV playing in the background, and then serves you relevant adverts, was "that's cool, but dangerous."

The idea appeared in Technology Review citing Peter Norvig, director of research at Google, who says these ideas will show up eventually in real Google products--Sooner rather than later.

The idea is to use the existing PC microphone to listen to whatever is heard in the background, be it music, your phone going off or the TV turned down. The PC then identifies it, using fingerprinting, and then shows you relevant content, whether that's adverts or search results, or chat room on the subject.

And, of course, we wouldn't put it past Google to store the information away, along with the search terms it keeps that you've used, and the web pages you have visited, to help it create a personalised profile that feeds you Just the right kind of adverts/content.

And given that it is trying to develop alternative approaches to TV advertising, it could go the extra step and help send "content relevant" advertising to your TV as well.

We suspect that such a world would be rather eerie, with a constant feeling of deja vu every time anyone watched TV.

Technology Review said Google talked about this software in Europe last June, and that it breaks sound into a five-second snippets to pick out audio from a TV, reducing the snippets to a digital "fingerprint," which it matches on an internet server.

Given the furor caused when AOL released searches on the internet, there might be more than a few civil liberties activists less than happy for Google to put this idea into practice.

Also, given that Google provides the software link between its search software and the microphone, it's a small step to making the same link to any webcams attached to the PC.

Pretty soon the security industry is going to find a way to hijack the Google feed and use it for full on espionage.

Google says that its fingerprinting technology makes it impossible for the company (or anyone else) to eavesdrop on other sounds in the room, such as personal conversations, because the conversation to a fingerprint is made on the PC, and a fingerprint can't be reversed, as it's only an identity.

But we should think that "spyware" might take on an extra meaning if someone less scrupulous decided on a similar piece of software.

The Google program converts sound into graphs, weeds out background noise, and reduces the graphs to key features that can then be translated into Just four bytes of information, so that the fingerprints for an entire year of television programming would add up to no more than a few gigabytes, the company said.

Source:
http://theregister.co.uk/2006/09/03/google_eavesdropping_software

Breaking The Silence
**************************

Courtesy Of: Google Video
By: http://bullfrogfilms.com
RunTime: 51 min 51 sec
May 21, 2006

This is a special report by award winning Journalist, John Pilger.

John Pilger dissects the truth and lies in the 'war on terror.'

Directed by Steve Connelly and John Pilger.

Produced by Christopher Martin, Carlton Television producer: Richard Clemmow.

Written and produced by John Pilger.

To have a dialogue about things like this film, please visit and consider Joining for free,
http://forums.eternallytransient.com


Special Report:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-29761977781347669&q=breaking+the+silence

"It's My Duty To Speak Out"
**********************************

Courtesy Of: InformationClearingHouse.info
From: TruthOut.org
A Film By Scott Galindez
RunTime: 8 Minutes
09/04/06

Marine Corporal Grant Collins describes what it was like to participate in the war in Iraq.

He also describes what it was like to live with giving orders that resulted in the deaths of civilians.

Video Clip:
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article14834.htm

Chris Rock On: The War On Terror
*******************************************

Courtesy Of: YouTube.com
From: AliKante
Added: May 29, 2006
RunTime: 04:29


Chris Rock, standup comedian at his best, talks about the following issues:

What Bush did to get your mind off thw War on Iraq!!!

And, America & the War on Terror.

WARNING: This video clip contains some profanity...Viewer discretion is advised!

Video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=auqRgzuLaK8&mode=related&search=

Manifest The Hidden
**************************

"Your cure is in you,
But you are unaware,
And you consider yurself to be a small mass,
While within you lies the greatest world.
And you are the clear book,
Whose letters make manifest the hidden."


"Truth is bitter,
But its reality is sweet;
Falsehood appears to be sweet,
But it is poisonous in its effect."


The above 2 statements were issued by, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (ra), cousin of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)...

Oh Traveller Of This World
*********************************

Courtesy Of: Google Video
From: as-sabiqoon.com
RunTime: 4 min 26 sec
17-Jul-2006

Abdullah Bin Umar (RA) said, Allah's Apostle (PBUH) took hold of my shoulder and said:

"Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller..." [Narrated by, Al-Bukhari]

Video:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=7425186066776454679&q

US Unsuited For Long War
**********************************

Courtesy Of: SpaceWar.com
By Pamela Hess,
UPI Pentagon Correspondent
Aug. 31, 2006

Washington--As the U.S. President and Secretary of Defense try to shore up support for the Iraq War with a series of tough speeches, a professor at a U.S. military graduate school argues the United States is politically, militarily and culturally ill suited to fight and win insurgent wars, beginning with Iraq, but extending to much of what America will face in the Long War On Terrorism.

Jeffrey Record is a Professor in the Department of Strategy and International Security at the U.S. Air Force's Air War College in Montgomery, Ala., has written extensively on the U.S. military, and served as assistant province adviser in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War.

In a forthcoming paper for the Libertarian Cato Institute, Record says the attributes that have made the U.S. military the premier conventional force are the same ones that prevent it from being effective against an insurgent enemy.

"Counter-Insurgency and imperial policing operations demand forbearance, personnel continuity, foreign language skills, cultural understanding, historical knowledge, minimal employment of force, and robust interagency involvement and cooperation," he writes.

"None of these are virtues of American statecraft and warfighting. Americans view war as a suspension of politics; they want to believe that the politics of war will somehow sort themselves out once military victory is achieved."

Post-war Iraq is an example of those very weaknesses, he said.

"Most (military operations other than war) are...inherently manpower intensive and rely heavily on special skills...that are secondary, even marginal to the prosecution of conventional warfare," he writes.

"Forces capable of achieving swift conventional military victory thus may be quantitatively and qualitatively unsuited for post victory tasks of the kind the United States has encountered in Iraq."

"The very attributes that have contributed to the establishment of unchallenged and unchallengeable American conventional military supremacy--impatience, an engineering approach to war, confidence in technological solutions to non-technological problems, preference for decisive conventional military operations, sensitivity to casualties, and above all the habit of divorcing war from politics--are liabilities in approaching war against motivated and resourceful irregular armies," he said.

To win a counter-insurgency war, the U.S. military, and its political establishment and its citizenry, would have to turn its fundamental predilections on their head: It would need far greater numbers, because counter-insurgency is manpower intensive. It would need to embrace the idea that small wars are won not by affecting local opinion, and firepower is always a last resort.

It would need to abandon ingrained American optimism and notions of control and instead embrace the lessons of history, to recognize what lesser goals might be achievable. It must become culturally adept, reduce its dependency on technology and engage with vulnerable populations.

It would have to be patient, occupy foreign countries with a smaller logistical footprint, and give up its sensitivity to casualties.

Record sees no sign of that happening.