World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #7 Security Watch

No one to counter Chavez In a region where the leading ideology is Bolivarianism, there is not one leader positioned to offer a better idea for a brighter future.

For over two decades, the prevailing ideology in Latin America was neo-liberalism, a Washington-born idea that claimed the power of open markets would lift the region’s poor from misery. It did not, and corruption ran rampant.

While democracy still remains strong, resentful voters ushered in a new generation of neo-populist leaders touting a new idea: a form of socialism, called Bolivarianism, that has slowly but surely become the loudest and most prevalent ideology.

Bolivarianism is anti-capitalist, supports nationalization, regional trade with like-minded countries and above all, suggests that a country should rely on itself or fellow socialist states, not imperialist powers, as a source of the economic growth that will lift all from poverty. It is a sort of refurbished socialism that is not a guiding light for the future.

Latin America cannot readily absorb the economic shock of open markets, nor can it get bogged down in the trappings of old socialist ideas. A blended ideology must be promoted, but the problem is that no one is strong enough to counter Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the leader of Bolivarianism.

Chavez calls it Socialism for the 21st Century. Cuba's Fidel Castro passed him the torch. Leaders around the region pay homage to their own past as socialist upstarts through hugging and laughing with Chavez on the international stage while taking care of often pro-capitalist, neo-liberal business at home.

Brazilian President Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva is a perfect example. He has the leftist background and eye for fiscal conservatism to become a great ideological counterweight to Chavez. His politics represent an ideal blend for the region. But his politically weak position at home and strong voices from his own left deter any would be shouting match with Chavez.

Within a week after winning his second term in office, Lula visited Chavez for a photo opportunity on a bridge linking both countries. That was in November, and it looks like Lula’s administration will remain bogged down until March as he struggles to get past his party’s sordid past and form a working cabinet willing to share the same table.

Argentina of the past could have been a counter weight to the Bolivarian ideology. But since Nestor Kirchner has come to power, Argentina has become a Venezuelan puppet.

Chavez has literally bought the support of his southern neighbor with over US$3 billion in purchases of Argentine debt. The most recent purchase occurred on 16 February, when Venezuela dumped another US$750 million into Argentine government coffers.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the politics to promote an ideological battle with Chavez. Colombia has been a model of economic growth through a mixture of neo-liberal policies and social programs. But Uribe has serious problems.

Political allies are falling like dominos due to links with former paramilitary leaders. And if Uribe took the time to speak out for neo-liberalism and against Chavez, he would be dismissed as another of Washington's puppets. Colombia is a top recipient of US aid.

The only other leader who could take up an ideological fight with Chavez is Mexican President Felipe Calderon. He has the right politics and his country has a history of not blindly supporting the US. Voting against the US invasion of Iraq at the UN is a clear indication. But Calderon won on the thinnest possible mandate. His opposition controls enough seats in the Mexican Congress to block any unwanted initiative, and his focus is on Mexican organized crime, not on verbal sword play with Chavez.

Finally, the US has launched a diplomatic offensive in the region. This is to be a year of engagement, but the US president is clearly obsessed with the war in Iraq, not with putting a muzzle on Venezuela’s leader for the sake of the region’s future. Washington is doubly discredited, first for promoting an ideology that clearly did not work, and second for doing nothing about it.

Latin America needs an independent leader willing to stand up to Chavez, but that leader does not exist on the region’s geopolitical map. Bolivarianism will continue to seep into the minds and hearts of millions across Latin America. Chavez and his pool of allies will control the headlines until the next round of presidential elections tell the world how the region has embraced this new ideology.

As Chavez puts it, Socialism for the 21st Century is just getting started. If that is true, then he will continue to trumpet his ideology until Latin Americans learn, the hard way, that Bolivarianism did not carry them much farther from poverty than neo-liberalism. Disillusionment with reality may then spread faster than hope for the future.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam Logan is an investigative journalist who has reported on security, energy, politics, economics, organized crime, terrorism and black markets in Latin America since 1999. He is a senior writer for ISN Security Watch based in Brazil.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author only, not the International Relations and Security Network (ISN).

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/march07/ingram031907.htm

CIVIL RIGHTS CRIMES
Retired Agent Revisiting Cold Cases

03/19/07
Photograph of Former F B I Special Agent James Ingram

By the time James Ingram retired from the FBI in 1982, the former agent had worked in our biggest field offices in the country’s biggest metropolitan areas. But none would define Ingram’s work—or his life—like the years he spent in Jackson, Mississippi, where the Bureau opened a new office in 1964 following the murders of three civil rights workers.

Ingram was there when investigators found the bodies in an earthen dam in August 1964. And he was there three years later when the mastermind of the trio’s killings, Edgar Ray Killen, walked away a free man after a jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of conviction. Also in 1964, Ingram was on the case when the bodies of two young men, Charles Moore and Henry Dee, were fished from the Old Mississippi River, the victims of a particularly brutal hate crime.

“You talk about pure terror,” Ingram says today, recalling the story of how the young black men were pushed into the river, one at a time, each crudely weighted down to ensure they would drown.

Ingram would move on from Jackson to Washington D.C. in 1970, and then on to New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago before retiring and settling back in Jackson, where he would head the state public safety commission from 1992 until 2000. His resume includes roles investigating the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., assassinations and the mass suicide of cult followers in Guyana in 1978. But the civil rights crimes of 1960s, many considered “cold cases,” would remain very much a part of Ingram’s life well into retirement. That’s because, while technically retired, Ingram is still on the case.

When the state of Mississippi wanted to put Killen back on trial in 2005, our Jackson office enlisted Ingram to warm cold leads by knocking on doors of old informants and witnesses. Ingram’s intimate knowledge of the local history and its players was invaluable—Killen was convicted on the 41 st anniversary of the 1964 murders.

“From a law enforcement perspective, it helps to open doors,” said Mark Vukelich, head of our Civil Rights Unit, describing the many benefits of putting the veteran agent on the case. “He has a historic perspective on some of these cases. And people know who he is.”

That doesn’t mean people are always welcoming. “We have not been met always by friendly people,” Ingram says, displaying the Southern politesse that has served him well for so long. “We have been asked to leave the premises. But being good investigators, we’ve always gone back. Eventually we’re invited in and we get what we’re after … Some are relieved to talk after 40 years and get it off their chest.”

Ingram now is helping prepare the new case against James Ford Seale, who is accused of conspiring in the 1964 abduction, beating, and murder of Charles Moore and Henry Dee. Seale was indicted in January in federal court in Mississippi; today, Ingram is reviewing case files, some bearing his signature of more than 40 years ago.

Looking back, Ingram says working on closing cases that he opened more than four decades ago has its obvious rewards.

“It’s a defining moment because you know you’ve made a difference,” Ingram said. “And it shows the FBI, when it puts in place its full resources, can go against insurmountable odds and bring people to justice ... It’s amazing what all we’ve done here.”

Resources:

- FBI Announces Partnership on ‘Cold Cases’
- Civil Rights Page

http://www.google.com/search?q=F+B+I+Special+Agent+James+Ingram&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=CIVIL+RIGHTS+CRIMES&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=Edgar+Ray+Killen&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=mass+suicide+of+cult+followers+in+Guyana+in+1978&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=Killen+was+convicted+on+the+41+st+anniversary+of+the+1964+murders&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=Mark+Vukelich&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=James+Ford+Seale&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Dear readers,

On Thursday, March 29, I will be speaking at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ from 11:30 to 1:15. If you're nearby and want details, let me know.

This past week and a half has been good for the War on Terror. The surge continues to bring positive results. Some of the better tactics we are using include interviewing the residents of Baghdad's districts (which yields great intelligence and helps develop relationships between Coalition forces and Iraqis) and the establishment of smaller joint Iraqi-American outposts throughout Baghdad. Reconstruction efforts are also being decentralized. According to reports from troops I have talked to and news accounts, the Iraqis are reacting positively. I read in one report about how one formerly anti-American Iraqi was astonished at how American soldiers rushed to bring his daughter to the hospital after a mortar attack.

The mood in Sadr City appears divided. Pro-Sadr activists are demonstrating against the establishment of American bases and rumors of new operations in the city. It is unclear how much support the Sadrists have. Other Iraqis talk about how happy they are that the militia members have left. Although there are positive signs in Sadr City, the big question is whether Moqtada al-Sadr will unleash his forces again, or if he can even do so. One has to keep in mind the possibility that the dramatic reduction in violence is due to al-Sadr's call for his men to lay low.

The defection of the Iranian deputy prime minister is reportedly causing panic in Iran's government. Ken Timmerman wrote an excellent article on FrontPageMag.com about how the MOIS and IRGC are accusing each other of being infiltrated or bought off by Coalition forces. The successful anti-IRGC operations in Iraq over the past few months have also caused tension in Iran's government. That, however, is not stopping Iran from sponsoring terrorist operations in Iraq. This will continue as long as the regime is in power. If Timmerman's report is accurate, then our fight in Iraq can bring positive results in Iran, and we should treat Iraq as a decisive battle that could decide the fate of the Iranian regime.

Here are the WorldThreats.com updates for the past week.

"Speak Softly, America, and Start Carrying a Bigger Stick"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/carry_bigger_stick.html

"Appeasing Our Enemies Won't Bring Peace"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/Appeasing%20Our%20Enemies%20Won't%20Bring%20Peace.html

"New Face of Jihad Vows Attacks"
http://www.worldthreats.com/general_information/New%20Face%20of%20Jihad%20Vows%20Attacks.html

"Hope in Afghanistan"
http://www.worldthreats.com/Asia/hope_in_afghanistan.html

"Who's Misleading Whom?"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/whos_misleading_who.html

"Iraq Will Urge U.S., Iran Not to Use it as Pawn"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/iraq_the_pawn.html

"In Shift, U.S., Iran Meet on Iraq"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/In%20Shift,%20U.S.,%20Iran%20Meet%20On%20Iraq.html

"U.S.-Iraqi Joint Teams Lack a Key Weapon: Trust"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/U.S.-Iraqi%20joint%20teams%20lack%20a%20key%20weapon-trust.html

"Iraqis Seek Role in Rebuilding Their Nation"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/iraqis_role_rebuilding.html

"Attack on Sadr City Hinders Anti-militia Effort"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/Attack%20on%20Sadr%20City%20Mayor%20Hinders%20Antimilitia%20Effort.html

"Maliki, Petraeus Visit Insurgent Hotbed in Iraq"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/Maliki,%20Petraeus%20Visit%20Insurgent%20Hotbed%20in%20Iraq.html

"Averting the Next Gulf War"
http://www.worldthreats.com/general_information/Averting%20the%20Next%20Gulf%20War.html

"War Clouds' Silver Linings"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/War%20clouds'%20silver%20linings.html

"Iran: 'Big Fish' Gone Missing"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/IRAN%20'BIG%20FISH'%20GONE%20MISSING.html

"Iran Payment Delays to Russia Could Jeopardize Reactor"
http://www.worldthreats.com/russia_former_ussr/rfel_03-15-07.html

"U.N. Council Gets New Draft Decree on Iran Nuclear Sanctions"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/un_on_iran_nuclear_sanctions.html

"North Korea and the $25 Million Nuclear Deal"
http://www.worldthreats.com/Asia/N%20Korea%20warning%20on%20nuclear%20deal.html

"North Korea's Cruelty"
http://www.worldthreats.com/Asia/North%20Korea's%20Cruelty.html

"Saudi Arabia Routinely Frees Detainees"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/Saudi%20Arabia%20Routinely%20Frees%20Detainees.html

"The Saudis Strike Again"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/THE%20SAUDIS%20STRIKE%20AGAIN.html

"Palestinian Parliament OKs Coalition"
http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/Palestinian%20parliament%20OKs%20coalition.html

"Chavez Waxes Anti-Bush at Rally"
http://www.worldthreats.com/latin_america/Chavez%20Waxes%20Anti-Bush%20at%20Rally.html

"Europe Can Do Much More for Lebanon"
http://www.worldthreats.com/Europe/Europe%20can%20do%20much%20more%20for%20Lebanon.html

'Til next time,

Ryan Mauro
Founder, WorldThreats.com

http://www.cdi.org/index.cfm

March 19, 2007
CDI Missile Defense Update #2:

March 15, 2007 (Briefing)
India Plans Missile Defense Test for June • Israel: Arrow System Aces Test • South Korea Hopes to Acquire Second-Hand Patriots • Boeing Likely to Play Lead Role at Polish Installation • Missile Defense Plans Proliferate Across Europe • Officials Spar Over Proposed Missile Defense Plans • KEI Heading Toward Array of Tests This Year • MDA, Air Force Conduct Joint Test • Raytheon Completes Patriot Test Successfully • Army Likely to Restore Funding for MEADS Program

March 19, 2007
Afghanistan Update: Feb. 1-28, 2007 (Briefing)
News and analysis about the security situation in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.

March 19, 2007
Inside the Pentagon Interviews Retired Army Maj. Donald Vandergriff (Briefing)
Veteran Pentagon correspondent Elaine Grossman, of the uniquely independent publication Inside the Pentagon, interviewed retired Army Maj. Donald Vandergriff, an adviser to CDI’s Straus Military Reform Project, on his latest monograph, Raising the Bar: Creating and Nurturing Adaptability to Deal with the Changing Face of War. Read the interview and learn how to obtain a copy of the monograph here.

March 16, 2007
Russia and the Future of the INF (Analysis)
Due to fears regarding America’s proposed missile defense system in Eastern Europe, Russia has threatened to withdraw from the 20 year old Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). In this article, CDI Research Assistant Sam Black takes a closer look at the history and significance of the INF, and attempts to debunk Russia’s feeling of insecurity, while commenting on the future of the existing treaty.

March 16, 2007
More of the Same Means More of the Same
(Opinion)
Straus Military Reform Project Adviser Col. Douglas Macgregor argues in a new commentary why the “surge” in Iraq will not address the fundamental problem, and suggests what type of strategic response we need to have a better chance of success in this 21st century war. The commentary was first published by Defense News on March 12, 2007; we make the article available here.

March 16, 2007
Podcast on Defense Expenditures and Congressional Oversight (Analysis)
Military.com interviewed Winslow Wheeler, the director of CDI's Straus Military Reform Project, on the state of congressional oversight of defense spending and the ongoing politics in Congress concerning the war in Iraq. We provide a link to the Military.com podcast here.

March 16, 2007
And Then There Were None (Opinion)
Several European allies are quickly losing interest in fighting what they perceive as America’s expansionist war in the Middle East and South Asia, and have begun withdrawing and distancing themselves from Afghanistan. CDI Scoville Fellow Richard May examines the causes and indications of this phenomenon in his latest commentary, first published by United Press International on March 14, 2007. We make the article available here.

March 16, 2007
Peering Into the Abyss (Opinion)
With 33 years of experience in Pentagon bureaucracy, Franklin"Chuck" Spinney has written a concise review of Andrew Cockburn's new book, Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy (Scribner Books, 2007). Cockburn has produced a page-turner on the subject of how our nation's defense was run by perhaps the most incompetent secretary of defense – and yet also one of the most powerful – the Pentagon has ever experienced. Together, Cockburn and Spinney guide us deeper into the abyss of America's national security apparatus and allow us to see more than we have before.

March 12, 2007
Defense Monitor, Vol. XXXVI, No. 2 - March/April 2007 (Reports)
Who Will Pay for this Puny Defense Budget? • China Security Journal: China’s ASAT Test and Space Deterrence • Huge Spike in Small Arms Destruction Budget • Exaggerations Galore: Missile defense budget request promises much, delivers little • Feature: A six-page timeline highlighting CDI’s contributions to U.S. defense policy analysis in its first decade (the 1970s)

March 12, 2007
Book Reception: The Small Arms Trade: A Beginner’s Guide (Press Release - Announcement)
On April 11, meet the authors: Rachel Stohl of the Center for Defense Information, Matthew Schroeder of the Federation of American Scientists, and Dan Smith of the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Please help celebrate the release of the critically acclaimed book on one of today’s greatest threats to international peace and security.

March 12, 2007
“Ante Up on Space Situational Awareness” (Opinion)
The Chinese anti-satellite test has a lot of people talking about “space situational awareness” (SSA) or, “the ability to ‘see’ and understand what is going on in space.” Unfortunately, it hasn’t gotten anyone to open his or her pockets. CDI Director Theresa Hitchens explains in her new commentary, first published by Space News on March 12, 2007, how the lack of funding for much-needed SSA programs will compromise the security of all U.S. satellites. We make the article available here.

March 8, 2007
Pardon Whom? (Analysis)
In the aftermath of the jury’s conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former Chief of Staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, for lying to law enforcement, Washington, D.C. is all a-buzz with speculation on if and when the felon will be pardoned. Perhaps, there is reason to believe that Libby was just a “fall guy” and others will also need absolution. In a new commentary, Straus Military Reform Project Adviser James Stevenson reminds us that Cheney has had some accountability problems of his own. “Libby and the Cheney Unseen” was first published by The National Interest Online on March 8, 2007; we make it available here.

March 1, 2007
CDI Space Security Update #2: Feb. 27, 2007 (Briefing)
India’s Growing Ambitions for Space • Indo-Russian Space Cooperation Grows • Concern about Space Debris Intensifies • First Phase of Military Near-space Information Hub Complete • ESA Fixing Galileo Problems • FY 08 Budget Targets Space Situational Awareness, Interagency Ties • China to Build New Satellite Launching Center • TSAT Program Faces Cuts • Eutelsat Satellite Jammed; Details Uncertain • Generals See Barriers in Starting Dialogue on Global Space Rules • Iran Launches Rocket for "Scientific and Research Purposes"

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1174307781081

COURT REJECTS MUSLIM HARASSMENT CASE

The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider the case of a Muslim immigrant from Afghanistan found by a jury to have suffered workplace harassment.

Abdul Azimi asked the justices to take his case after a federal jury declined to award compensation despite concluding that he was subjected to an oppressive and hostile work environment at Jordan's Meats Inc. in Maine. Azimi said the harassment got worse after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Azimi, who was fired by the company, asked the justices to consider whether the U.S. District judge in the case was mistaken in dismissing his claim that his discharge was discriminatory. Azimi's lawyers also had asked the justices to consider whether the judge erred by refusing to allow jury instructions on consideration of punitive damages where the jury returned no compensatory damages.

On the lack of compensation, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Azimi put no evidence in the record of any out-of-pocket costs for medical treatment or psychological counseling or of any wages lost from the abuse he suffered. The jury "reasonably rejected" the testimony from Azimi, his wife and a friend about his emotional distress, the appeals court said.

The case is Azimi v. Jordan's Meats, 06-916.

Jordan's Meats is owned by Corporate Brand Foods America, which is a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Abdul+Azimi&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=Azimi+v.+Jordan%27s+Meats%2C+06-916&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=Ofr&q=Tyson+Food+lawsuit&btnG=Search

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tyson+Food+narcotics&btnG=Search&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tyson+Food+illegal+employee&btnG=Search&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial

Did you know all this:

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tyson+Food+clinton&btnG=Search&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=Tyson+Food+clinton+dollars&btnG=Search

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tyson+Food+Chuck+Harder&btnG=Search&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial

http://www.google.com/search?q=+Chuck+Harder+exposes+Tyson+Foods&btnG=Search&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial

The Harder-Nichols-Tyson-Clinton was hot stuff during the 90's"

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=Fgr&q=Larry+Nichols+Tyson+Foods&btnG=Search

Cops have suspect in bomb scare at Meijer
Monday, March 19, 2007
By Lisa Medendorp
lmedendorp@muskegonchronicle.com

Investigators believe they have linked a suspicious package found in a Roosevelt Park apartment late Friday afternoon to a similar package that forced the evacuation of Meijer Inc. in Norton Shores on March 3.

Although both packages bore notes with the words "anthrax" and "bomb," neither was found to be harmful, according to police in both cities.

Officers say they also have a suspect -- a 24-year-old parolee who faces 60th District Court preliminary examination Friday on charges of bank robbery and assaulting police.

Leland Arteze Snyder is charged with the March 2 holdup at LaSalle Bank, 3275 Henry, in Roosevelt Park, where he allegedly passed a note to a teller demanding money.

Snyder also is charged with resisting and obstructing police during his arrest March 7 in Muskegon Heights. At that time, police said Snyder tried to eat what might have been another robbery note. An officer who tried to get the note from Snyder's mouth was bitten on the thumb and sought hospital treatment.

Norton Shores Detective Lt. Timothy LaVigne said Snyder is a suspect in the Meijer Inc. case and police plan to interview him at the Muskegon County Jail.

On Friday, a woman cleaning an apartment in the Lakecrest Park Apartments complex on Maple Grove Road found a suspicious package. "It was in an apartment he (Snyder) had spent a few nights in," said Roosevelt Park Police Chief William Wiebenga, who responded to the apartment after the 4:15 p.m. call.

"Due to the fact that Norton Shores and Roosevelt Park work together so closely, I was aware of what they had at Meijer's and the package was extremely similar to that," Wiebenga said.

The Muskegon County Hazardous Materials Team checked the package and it was then turned over to Norton Shores police as evidence.

On March 3, an employee cleaning a restroom at Meijer Inc., 700 W. Norton, found a suspicious package in the garbage around 1:30 a.m. It looked like a homemade explosive device and the store was evacuated.

The device was a VHS movie holder that had a plastic package containing powder taped to the outside with wires connected to the package, according to police. A note taped to the package said: "anthrax bomb." The store had not received any type of telephone bomb threat.

HAZMAT, the Michigan State Police bomb squad and the FBI responded to the store. A remote-controlled robot was used to X-ray the device, which was found not to be explosive. The device then was sealed and transported to a lab for testing. Testing found that the powder was harmless, police said. Wiebenga said the powder on the Roosevelt Park package found Friday was tested and it was determined to be cornstarch.

©2007 Muskegon Chronicle

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1174313703316780.xml&coll=8

The St. Petersburg Declaration

Released by the delegates to the Secular Islam Summit, St. Petersburg, Florida on March 5, 2007
( at many Web sites - EG - http://www.secularislam.org/blog/post/SI_Blog/21/The-St-Petersburg-Declaration )
We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree.

We affirm the inviolable freedom of the individual conscience. We believe in the equality of all human persons.
We insist upon the separation of religion from state and the observance of universal human rights.

We find traditions of liberty, rationality, and tolerance in the rich histories of pre-Islamic and Islamic societies. These values do not belong to the West or the East; they are the common moral heritage of humankind.

We see no colonialism, racism, or so-called “Islamaphobia” in submitting Islamic practices to criticism or condemnation when they violate human reason or rights.

We call on the governments of the world to:

* reject Sharia law, fatwa courts, clerical rule, and state-sanctioned religion in all their forms; oppose all penalties for blasphemy and apostasy, in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights;
* eliminate practices, such as female circumcision, honor killing, forced veiling, and forced marriage, that further the oppression of women;
* protect sexual and gender minorities from persecution and violence;
* reform sectarian education that teaches intolerance and bigotry towards non-Muslims;
* and foster an open public sphere in which all matters may be discussed without coercion or intimidation.

We demand the release of Islam from its captivity to the totalitarian ambitions of power-hungry men and the rigid strictures of orthodoxy.

We enjoin academics and thinkers everywhere to embark on a fearless examination of the origins and sources of Islam, and to promulgate the ideals of free scientific and spiritual inquiry through cross-cultural translation, publishing, and the mass media.

We say to Muslim believers:

* there is a noble future for Islam as a personal faith, not a political doctrine;
* to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Baha’is, and all members of non-Muslim faith communities: we stand with you as free and equal citizens;
* and to nonbelievers: we defend your unqualified liberty to question and dissent.

Before any of us is a member of the Umma, the Body of Christ, or the Chosen People, we are all members of the community of conscience, the people who must choose for themselves.

Endorsed by:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Magdi Allam
Mithal Al-Alusi
Shaker Al-Nabulsi
Nonie Darwish
Afhin Ellian
Tawfik Hamid
Shahriar Kabir
Hasan Mahmud
Wafa Sultan
Amir Taheri
Ibn Warraq
Manda Zand Ervin
Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi

[Note the end of article]

http://pacificempire.org.nz/?p=174

India’s red menace and the backlash against globalization
naxalite-affected-areas-in-india.jpg

This map, taken from the South Asia Terrorism Portal, shows the geographical spread of India’s Maoist insurgency.
Massacre: 55 police killed in Chattisgarh

I started writing this post in November last year, but thought I’d wait until India’s Maoist rebels were back in the news to actually post it. Last week a female Naxalite assassinated one of the Members of the Lok Sabha for Jharkand, Sunil Kumar Mahato. And yesterday Maoists in Chattisgarh carried out one of their biggest ever attacks, using rockets and firebombs to overrun and destroy a police outpost. 55 were killed, including 15 from the Chattisgarh Armed Forces and 40 Special Police from the tribal anti-Maoist militia, Salwa Judum. Just 11 escaped without injury. Apparently the roads surrounding the camp were blocked with huge logs and landmines, to prevent reinforcement. Reports suggest that some of the bodies were mutilated.
In other news, the tension surrounding development in India was underlined by the killing of 14 rioters by police, during protests against industrialization in West Bengal. A strike was declared inr response, whch paralysed the entire state including Kolkata, and transport infrastructure was blocked or sabotaged to enforce the strike.

Development, or at least the way in which it is occurring, is not seen as desirable by many of the poorest Indians, and ironically some of the most tense areas are in Communist-ruled states like West Bengal. These poor communities provide fertile recruiting ground for radical groups like the Maoists.

And the Cental government has shown a serious lack of resolve in responding to the threat - for example, no reinforcements were sent to the besieged camp in Chattisgarh, UAVs supplied to affected states have been grounded due to a lack of coordination with ground forces, and the Salwa Judum - the main counter-insurgency effort in many areas - consists mostly of teenagers armed with bows and arrows. The effort is poor enough to justify questioning the governments will to fight the Maoists.
The Maoist/Naxal movement

The Economist has a useful backgrounder on the Maoists. They originate from a peasant rebellion in Naxalbari in 1967, hence the name Naxals or Naxalites, and they originally received support from China. China’s strategic interests changed, though, and without state support, the movement nearly died out. Until today.

In 2004 the two largest Maoist factions merged, and since then the conflict has escalated. In 2006, nearly 800 people were killed. The Maoists have become more high-tech, with a web presence and supporters in major cities. Many of their cadres are armed with machetes and axes, but assault rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers have become more common, and their roadside IED attacks have become more deadly.

According to the Indian Prime Minister, Naxalism and terrorism are the two biggest threats to Indian national security. But why? 700 people is nothing compared to India’s population of over 1 billion, and unlike Islamist terrorists or Pakistan, the Maoist attacks have been restricted to remote, underdeveloped rural areas.

The answer is economic. India’s prosperity is based on globalization - the economy relies on a few major cities which generate foreign investment through exports and outsourcing. The Maoists are ideologically opposed to globalization, economic inequality, development, and multi-national corporations. And they may be developing the ability to strike at the most vulnerable nodes of India’s economy.
Targeting globalization

Last November, the Maoists hijacked and looted trains, and kidnapped one of the top executives of Hindalco. Attacks on trains became more frequent last year, so much so that the paramilitary Railway Protection Force has been ordered to raise more battalions and start training for hostage situations. Earlier this year, there were some major attacks on mining camps and facilities, thought to be for the purpose of extortion and the theft of explosives.

The South Asia Terrorism Portal has some analysis of the economic aspects of the Maoist insurgency. While they have issued threats, there have been few attacks against multi-national corporations since the October, 2001 bombing of a Coca-Cola plant. Most attacks aimed at economic targets have been related to extortion of domestic companies. The insurgency can be seen as a resource war, where lootable resources provide income for the insurgents, and unlootable resources are an opportunity to extort funds from legitimate businesses:

…some of the districts worst affected by Maoist violence in different States are those that account for a high percentage of forest cover, mineral wealth and, crucially, a substantial tribal population.

It seems like the Maoists have combined the original People’s War strategy of gradually surrounding cities from the countryside with the extortion and black market deals used in resource wars in Nigeria, Colombia and so on. The involvement with the black market - with corrupt officials and transnational criminals - reflects developments in Islamic terrorism directed at India, too. Organized crime has been linked to many of India’s worst terrorist attacks, and apparently they are now paying people to plant bombs. Some arms trading and other contact between leftist and Islamist elements has been uncovered, suggesting that India’s insurgencies are developing a Global-Guerrilla style bazaar of violence.

Also according to the Global Guerrilla analysis (which is only one possible approach) we should see increased infrastructure targeting and attacks on corporate psychology, in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy fo the central government, and discourage foreign investment.

The government response to this has been to employ loyalist paramilitaries (Salwa Judum). John Robb’s analysis covers this as well - loyalist paramilitary groups can be effective for the same reason as the guerrillas - light, decentralised and adaptive. Unfortunately, according to Robb, this approach tends to cause institutionalized corruption, human rights abuses and long-term instability.
The future: paralysing vital urban infrastructure?

India’s major cities, like Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata, are vitally important economically, and contain over 30% of India’s 1 billion plus population. Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, handles 60% of trade and contributes 40% of all income tax revenue. These cities, often with aging infrastructure and massive populations, are the vulnerable parts of India’s massive, fast-growing economy. Ambitious Maoists attempting to stop rural development at its source would do well to look at harming these cities. And a strategy of surrounding major cities and attacking their infrastructure would fit well with People’s War theory.

The vulnerability of India’s urban infrastructure to disruption was demonstrated by the West Bengal strike yesterday. Not only the strike, but the blockage of major highways and the sabotage of buses, trains and overhead lines caused Kolkata - a city of over 10 million - to effectively grind to a halt.

Some insight into the consequences of a sustained attack on urban infrastructure can be gained by looking at the impact of the 2005 Mumbai floods. Islamic terrorists, of course have already attacked Mumbais infrastructure in the simultaneous 2006 train bombings. The effects of the floods included:

* ATM networks and banking made impossible across large areas of India due to the failure of central systems in Mumbai.
* The premier stock exchanges of India were seriously disrupted.
* Domestic and international airports shut for more than 30 hours, with over 700 flights cancelled.
* Rail disrupted and long-distance trains cancelled.
* Mumbai-Pune expressway shut for 24 hours.
* 5 million mobile and 2.3 million landline connections disrupted.
* .in DNS servers shut down.
* Tens of thousands of buses, autorickshaws, local trains, trucks and taxis damaged.

One of the reasons the floods caused such damage was the aging state of the stormwater and drainage system. Aging infrastructure heightens the threat to Indian cities. A sustained campaign to bomb train and road links, sabotage telecommunications, attack financial targets and disrupt airports could cause serious damage to India’s economic growth. By taking the war to the cities, the Maoists could greatly increase their political and financial leverage.
Better dead than red: the rising threat of leftist terror worldwide

India’s Maoist and Naxalite groups form part of a broader picture of global leftist extremism. While leftist groups were hit hard by the lack of state sponsorship following China’s reforms and collapse of the Soviet Union, leftist terrorist and insurgent groups still exist, and show signs of increasing their activities. Venezuela, Cuba and so on form part of a leftist revival in Latin America, as well, and Venezuela along with leftist groups around the world have connections with, and sympathy for, Iran and Islamic extremists. Anti-Americanism, environmentalism and animal-rights are beginning to inspire single-issue violent groups in the West, too, and there is a violent fringe in the anti-globalization movement. The potential success of leftist insurgency in Nepal, India and elsewhere is likely to inspire similar actions worldwide.

Posted by Phil on Monday, March 19th, 2007 at 1:33 pm.

[This is a blog we should keep an eye on, there is knowledge here, first time I had read it....LOL, has links too.....granny]

http://pacificempire.org.nz/?p=253

Major terrorist attacks in China, 1997-2007
China’s rise…

Guizhou bus explosion killed 11

The rise of China is generally thought to be one of the greatest potential threats to the dominance of the US. China’s massive economic growth, increasing military spending and engagement with rogue states and opponents of the US is a cause for concern.
…and fall?

But Chinese manufacturing is a vital part of the world economy, and China holds nearly a quarter of the world’s population. China’s growth is also causing environmental devastation, increased social tensions, and serious structural vulnerabilities. Too little thought has gone into the consequences of increased violence or collapse of China. That’s not to say that the subject has never been addressed, far from it - for example Global Guerrillas, this Yale Law School debate (”Will China Face Civil War?”) and the discussion of Xinjiang separatism at Simulated Laughter which inspired this post.

In fact, China is generally seen as peaceful (if repressed), at “low risk of terrorism”, or even a “terrorism free zone” (real quotes). The following list, which I have compiled from dozens of sources, refutes that. China doesn’t have fewer terrorist attacks, it is just that their government is good at covering them up, giving them minimal attention to avoid panic, and finding scapegoats to prosecute (and execute) in lieu of the actual perpetrators. And a list of major riots and disturbances would be far longer.
1997

* February 25 or 27, Urumqi: Three simultaneous bus bombings kill 9 and injure 68-74.
* March 7, Beijing: Bus bombing kills 3, injures 8. Contradictory reports about Xinjiang separatist connection.

1998

* February and March, Xinjiang: Six bombs hit economic targets, including a gas pipeline near Qaghiliq.
* February 14, Wuhan: Suspected Xinjiang separatists bomb the Chang Jiang Bridge, killing up to 50.
* April, Xinjiang: Eight bombs hit the homes and offices of officials, injuring 8.
* July 2, Lhasa: Bomb explodes.

1999

* January 6, Liaoning Province: Bus bombing kills 19.
* January 13, Zhuhai City: Bus stop bombing injures 4.
* January 17, Changsha: Bus bombing injures 37.
* January 18, Shenyang: Railway station arson traps 11 passengers for 2 hours.
* January 20, Shijiazhuang: Beijing-Guangzhou railway severed by a bomb.
* January 25, Yizhang County, Hunan Province: Marketplace bombing kills 9 and injures 65.
* February 2, Henan province: Policeman wounded while removing bomb from hotel.
* February 7, Qijiang County near Chongqing: School clinic bomb kills 2 and injures 1.
* April 20, Yinchuan, Ningxia: Bomb possibly linked to Islamic separatists kills four policemen.
* June 24, Chengdu: Bus bombing kills 1, injures up to 50.

2000

* September, Shijazhuang: A series of small bombs hit shopping malls and public transport, injuring up to 28.
* September 8, Urumqi: Vehicle carrying explosives to be destroyed “accidentally” blew up, killing 60 and injuring 200.

2001

* March 16, Shijazhuang: Four simultaneous apartment bombings kill at least 108. The official explanation blames them on one man, but leaves many questions unanswered.
* August 2, Garze, Tibet: Bomb injures three at government headquarters. Another bomb targets a government office in Kangding with no casualties.
* October 14, Hotan: Bombing injures two at meteorological center.
* November 22, Xinjiang: Policeman killed in raid on station; in a separate incident a judge was stabbed to death and his wife injured.
* December 14, Xian: Bomb kills two and injures 27 at a McDonalds restaurant.
* December 14, Guangdong: 20 blasts kill five and injure two.
* December 23, Qingdao City: Bomb causes damage in a shopping centre carpark.
* December 24, Taishun County, Zhejiang Province: Explosion kills family of three in worker’s housing unit.

2002

* May 11, Xiamen: Unsuccessful hijacking of an airliner by a man with two knives.
* October 2, Guilin: Suicide bombing injures 18.

2003

* August 13, Guangzhou: Car bomb in hotel lobby kills one, injures three. Masked bomber escapes.

2004

* January 22/23, Zhengzhou: Railway station bomb kills 2 and injures 4.
* July 17, Shenzhen: Pipe bomb kills 2 and injures 2 outside a movie theatre.

2005

* March 17, Jiangxi Province: Bus explosion kills 30 and injures 7.
* June 23, Handan: Garage explosion kills 3 and injures 16.
* August 8, Fuzhou: Cancer sufferer commits suicide bombing on a bus, injuring 31.
* November 25, Guanzhou: Bus bombing injures 3.

2006

* January 7: Suicide bombing kills five at courthouse.
* January 20, Renshou County, Sichuan: Gas pipeline explosion kills 10, injures 50. Cause not known.
* April 6, Guangyuan: Suicide bombing injures judge at courthouse.
* April 10, Yuanping: Blast at the staff hospital of Xuangang Coal and Electricity Co. kills 31.
* May 6, Hefei,: Bombs at two internet cafes kill 2 and injure 4.
* October 18, Huangmaoling: Father and son allegedly throw homemade bombs into crowd, killing 2 and injuring 17.
* October 28, Karamay, Xinjiang: Oil tank explodes, killing 17 and injuring up to 12. Cause “under investigation”, but sabotage by separatists is possible.
* December 16, Urumqi: Bomb at children’s hospital injures two.

2007

* January 3, Shenzhen: Roadside bomb kills two children.
* January 5, Xinjiang: One policeman and 18 suspected terrorists killed during a raid on a “terrorist camp”. 17 more were captured.
* January 9, Shenzhen: Another child seriously injured by a small bomb.

Disclaimer: This list was compiled from publicly available sources, some of which may have been inaccurate. Some of these incidents may not have been terrorist attacks. Conversely, many unexplained explosions not in this list may actually have been terrorism-related.

Posted by Phil on Sunday, March 18th, 2007 at 2:29 am.
3 Responses to “Major terrorist attacks in China, 1997-2007”

Considering China’s size and population, these really are just a drop in the proverbial bucket.
Gravatar

Left by China Law Blog on March 18th, 2007

I don’t agree (of course). Are the 200+ protests a day a drop in the bucket too? Reports from protests in different cities on March 10-12 were also deeply disturbing.

China is a big country, as Bush once pointed out. And it has quite a few weak points with regards to vital infrastructure, whether you’re talking about pipelines from Xinjiang or incidents like the Harbin water disaster. In China’s vast population there are millions of discontented and angry people, and it wouldn’t take very many of them to wreak absolute havoc.
Gravatar

Left by Phil on March 18th, 2007

China Law Blog - I don’t believe that numbers of incidents matters so much in this context. What is more important is what, inter alia, these attacks say about the CCP’s ability to exert control of the population, particularly in outlying provinces. In similar vein, the CCP’s seeming inability to rein in polluting industries and corrupt local officials who allow industries to grossly pollute, is also interesting.

This is not to say that there’s going to be civil war tomorrow, but it does suggest a somewhat different picture (of a peaceful, stable, economically dynamic China) from what we often see in the western news media, and what the CCP would like western investors believe.
Gravatar

Left by The strategist on March 19th, 2007

[I left the comments on....granny]

[There is a lot of important information on this page, but this made me smile.....granny]

http://blog.wired.com/defense/

The venerable National Security Archive at George Washington University announced today that it had bestowed its "Rosemary Award." for worst performance under the Freedom of Information Act, to the U.S. Air Force. That says a lot considering last year's winner was the CIA. As the folks at the National Security Archive explain:

Rosemarywoods

... the Rosemary Award is named after President Nixon's secretary Rosemary Woods and the backwards-leaning stretch which she testified resulted in her erasing eighteen-and-a-half minutes from a key Watergate conversation on the White House tapes.

Today’s Rosemary Award citation quotes the U.S. District Court finding in 2006 that the Air Force had “failed miserably” to meet FOIA deadlines. The Award also cites Air Force’s status as an “E-Delinquent” in the latest National Security Archive audit of agency compliance with the Electronic FOIA, which found 139 broken links on the Air Force FOIA Web sites. Air Force performance over the last year has also included losing records while ostensibly processing FOIA requests, and featuring a FOIA contact fax number that actually rang in a patient’s room at the hospital at Wright-Patterson Air Base in Ohio.

The 2006 Rosemary Award was presented to the Central Intelligence Agency for “the most dramatic one-year drop-off in professionalism and responsiveness to the public we have seen in 20 years of monitoring federal government compliance with the freedom of information law.” After this poor performance, however, the CIA received high marks for its E-FOIA performance in the Archive’s latest audit, “File Not Found: 10 Years After E-FOIA, Most Federal Agencies Are Delinquent.”

Next year, I'm nominating the Army.
Posted by Sharon Weinberger 11:19:39 AM in Secret Squirrel

[Interesting reading, shame the liberals showed up to spoil the comments...granny]

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/03/soldiers_if_you.html

Squirrel = Super Soldier?

Soldiers: If you find yourself stronger, faster, or tougher to kill than ever before, get down on your knees and thank a hibernating ground squirrel. Because those little critters are proving to be the furry, sleepy hidden thread that ties together many of Darpa's most intriguing performance-enhancement research projects.

Cagrnd_squirrel The squirrels are amazing creatures. During the winter months, their 300 beat-per-minute heart rate slows to a mere two to ten beats; their oxygen consumption drops to one-fiftieth of normal; their body temperatures fall essentially to zero. Yet, the creatures are able to emerge from that hibernating state in a hurry -- and no worse for wear.

Stanford University's Craig Heller has been fascinated with the creatures, for decades. He used to spend months every year watching how the squirrels and chipmunks operating in their native Sierra mountains. Now in his 60s, the avuncular, bushy-eyebrowed physiologist still goes up to the mountains every year, to collect squirrels for his studies into hibernation.

One of the things that Heller has been trying to figure out for so long is how squirrels and other hibernators manage to regulate their core body temperatures, even as they konk out. Those trials lead to an examination of the human temperature-control system, which lead to a specialized glove-like device, built for the military, that... well, read the article to find out. Let's just say the San Francisco 49ers use the things for a reason. So do soldiers in Iraq.

Heller's partner, Dennis Grahn, leads me down into the basement of the biology center, to check the critters out for myself. He opens up the heavy, metallic doors with a clank. Inside, it's pitch-black. Massive air conditions roar, blowing cold air over the rows and rows of cages. Using a red-tinted flashlight, he opens one up, and pulls out a plastic drawer. Inside, curled in a ball, packed in cotton, is a squirrel. It's cold to the touch, as Grahn picks it up, and places it on my palm. It feels more dead than alive.

That condition interests the military, because if wounded soldiers could somehow be put in a squirrel-like state, their wounds would essentially stop bleeding; even seriously-injured patients could be kept alive for much, much longer.

In Darpa-funded tests at the University of Wisconsin, Madison hibernating squirrels are surviving for as long as ten hours, with 60% of their blood drained. Ordinarily, those wounds are enough to kill a rodent in 30 minutes or less.

Cool stuff. But the problem, explains Hannah Carey, a professor at Wisconsin's School of Veterinary Medicine, is that no one has quite figured out exactly how the critters are pulling it off. Glucose-munching mitochondria, used to operating at very low levels, get all discombobulated, when they get a full meal, again. When oxygen-deprived tissues start getting their 02 again, all kinds of nasty free radicals follow.

Matt Andrews, a Darpa-backed biochemist at the University of Minnesota, Duluth thinks he's found some enzymes in the pancreas -- ones that let the mitochondria feed off of fatty lipids, instead of sugars -- that might be responsible for the squirrels' smooth transition out of hibernation. And it turns out, non-hibernators like us have that enzyme, too. So there's hope for soldiers, yet.

When our tour of the squirrel-freezer is done, Grahn and I head back upstairs, to Heller's suite of labs. There's a small party going on, for a departing grad student. A tiny boom box plays -- what else? -- The Chipmunks, as we knock back beers and nibble on chips. Finally, the student presents Heller with a present: a set of squirrel-themed mugs.

I'm about to make a smart-ass remark about how lame and corny the things are. Then Heller turns to me and asks, grinning wide, "Don't you just love 'em?"
Posted by Noah Shachtman 6:21:33 PM

[The concept of this article is interesting.]

Numbed by Numbers

By Paul Slovic

Posted March 2007
People don’t ignore mass killings because they lack compassion. Rather, it’s the horrific statistics of genocide and mass murder that may paralyze us into inaction. Those hoping that grim numbers alone will spur us to action in places like Darfur have no hope at all.

MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty Images
Never again? It’s not lack of compassion that holds us back from stopping genocide.

If I look at the mass I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.” This statement uttered by Mother Teresa captures a powerful and deeply unsettling insight into human nature: Most people are caring and will exert great effort to rescue “the one” whose plight comes to their attention. But these same people often become numbly indifferent to the plight of “the one” who is “one of many” in a much greater problem. It’s happening right now in regards to Darfur, where over 200,000 innocent civilians have been killed in the past four years and at least another 2.5 million have been driven from their homes. Why aren’t these horrific statistics sparking us to action? Why do good people ignore mass murder and genocide?

The answer may lie in human psychology. Specifically, it is our inability to comprehend numbers and relate them to mass human tragedy that stifles our ability to act. It’s not that we are insensitive to the suffering of our fellow human beings. In fact, the opposite is true. Just look at the extraordinary efforts people expend to rescue someone in distress, such as an injured mountain climber. It’s not that we only care about victims we identify with—those of similar skin color, or those who live near us: Witness the outpouring of aid to victims of the December 2004 tsunami. Yet, despite many brief episodes of generosity and compassion, the catalogue of genocide—the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur—continues to grow. The repeated failure to respond to such atrocities raises the question of whether there is a fundamental deficiency in our humanity: a deficiency that—once identified—could be overcome.

The psychological mechanism that may play a role in many, if not all, episodes in which mass murder is neglected involves what’s known as the “dance of affect and reason” in decision-making. Affect is our ability to sense immediately whether something is good or bad. But the problem of numbing arises when these positive and negative feelings combine with reasoned analysis to guide our judgments, decisions, and actions. Psychologists have found that the statistics of mass murder or genocide—no matter how large the numbers—do not convey the true meaning of such atrocities. The numbers fail to trigger the affective emotion or feeling required to motivate action. In other words, we know that genocide in Darfur is real, but we do not “feel” that reality. In fact, not only do we fail to grasp the gravity of the statistics, but the numbers themselves may actually hinder the psychological processes required to prompt action.

A recent study I conducted with Deborah Small of the University of Pennsylvania and George Loewenstein of Carnegie Mellon University found that donations to aid a starving 7-year-old child in Africa declined sharply when her image was accompanied by a statistical summary of the millions of needy children like her in other African countries. The numbers appeared to interfere with people’s feelings of compassion toward the young victim.

Other recent research shows similar results. Two Israeli psychologists asked people to contribute to a costly life-saving treatment. They could offer that contribution to a group of eight sick children, or to an individual child selected from the group. The target amount needed to save the child (or children) was the same in both cases. Contributions to individual group members far outweighed the contributions to the entire group. A follow-up study by Daniel Västfjäll, Ellen Peters, and me found that feelings of compassion and donations of aid were smaller for a pair of victims than for either individual alone. The higher the number of people involved in a crisis, other research indicates, the less likely we are to “feel” for each additional death.

When writer Annie Dillard was struggling to comprehend the mass human tragedies that the world ignores, she asked, “At what number do other individuals blur for me?” In other words, when does “compassion fatigue” set in? Our research suggests that the “blurring” of individuals may begin as early as the number two.

If this is true, it’s no wonder compassion is absent when deaths number in the hundreds of thousands. But there is a difference between merely being aware of this diminishing sensitivity and appreciating its broader implications. This is especially true when you consider how difficult it is to create, let alone sustain, the emotional responses needed to spark action.

In light of our historical and psychological deficiencies, it is time to re-examine this human failure. Because if we are waiting for a tipping point to spur action against genocide, we could be waiting forever.

Paul Slovic is president of Decision Research and professor of psychology at the University of Oregon. He studies risk and decision-making.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3751

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/865

Former Soviet Dissident Warns For EU Dictatorship
From the desk of Paul Belien on Mon, 2006-02-27 21:13
bukovsky-1.jpg
Bukovsky and Belien
Vladimir Bukovksy, the 63-year old former Soviet dissident, fears that the European Union is on its way to becoming another Soviet Union. In a speech he delivered in Brussels last week Mr Bukovsky called the EU a “monster” that must be destroyed, the sooner the better, before it develops into a fullfledged totalitarian state.

Mr Bukovsky paid a visit to the European Parliament on Thursday at the invitation of Fidesz, the Hungarian Civic Forum. Fidesz, a member of the European Christian Democrat group, had invited the former Soviet dissident over from England, where he lives, on the occasion of this year’s 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. After his morning meeting with the Hungarians, Mr Bukovsky gave an afternoon speech in a Polish restaurant in the Trier straat, opposite the European Parliament, where he spoke at the invitation of the United Kingdom Independence Party, of which he is a patron.
An interview with Vladimir Bukovsky about the impending EUSSR
In his speech Mr Bukovsky referred to confidential documents from secret Soviet files which he was allowed to read in 1992. These documents confirm the existence of a “conspiracy” to turn the European Union into a socialist organization. I attended the meeting and taped the speech. A transcript, as well as the audio fragment (approx. 15 minutes) can be found below. I also had a brief interview with Mr Bukovsky (4 minutes), a transcript and audio fragment of which can also be found below. The interview about the European Union had to be cut short because Mr Bukovsky had other engagements, but it brought back some memories to me, as I had interviewed Vladimir Bukovsky twenty years ago, in 1986, when the Soviet Union, the first monster that he so valiantly fought, was still alive and thriving.

Mr Bukovsky was one of the heroes of the 20th century. As a young man he exposed the use of psychiatric imprisonment against political prisoners in the former USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1917-1991) and spent a total of twelve years (1964-1976), from his 22nd to his 34th year, in Soviet jails, labour camps and psychiatric institutions. In 1976 the Soviets expelled him to the West. In 1992 he was invited by the Russian government to serve as an expert testifying at the trial conducted to determine whether the Soviet Communist Party had been a criminal institution. To prepare for his testimony Mr Bukovsky was granted access to a large number of documents from Soviet secret archives. He is one of the few people ever to have seen these documents because they are still classified. Using a small handheld scanner and a laptop computer, however, he managed to copy many documents (some with high security clearance), including KGB reports to the Soviet government.

An interview with Vladimir Bukovsky

Continued, with hidden links and links to other parts of the report, comments are interesting..............granny

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