Posted on 02/26/2007 4:18:14 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
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.
Commentary by Sam Logan for ISN Security Watch (23/02/2007)
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.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/02/25/for_the_record/cop_and_courts/doc45e0ffde19c29779785185.txt
COPS AND COURTS
Sunday February 25 2007, 1:42am
GROTON TWP.
Truck stolen from Strawberry Hill gas station
Truck operator and owner Edwardo Rodriguez returned to Strawberry Hill Gas Station at 8606 Ohio 4 Friday to find his rig and $200,000 worth of steel bars stolen. Rodriguez had parked the semi-tractor trailer there overnight and returned around noon Friday to the truck which he leases to Champion Truck Line of Romulus, Mich, only to find it gone.
The cab of Rodriguez’s truck is equipped with GPS and antitheft system. The truck trailer alone is valued at $30,000 according to Rodriguez’s statement to Erie County Sheriff’s Department.
[quite a story]
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEY_CORRUPTION_OHOL-?SITE=OHSAN&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
AP News
Feb 26, 7:02 PM EST
Former Ney aide pleads guilty in congressional bribery case
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The top aide to convicted former Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio pleaded guilty Monday to federal conspiracy charges stemming from a congressional bribery scandal that downed his boss.
Smiling nervously at times, William Heaton, 28, acknowledged accepting a golf trip to Scotland, expensive meals, and tickets to sporting events between 2002 and 2004 as payoffs for helping clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Heaton worked for Ney, a Republican, from September 2001 to July 2006, ultimately serving as his chief of staff.
"You received things of value in exchange for performing functions for Mr. Abramoff and other lobbyists who worked for him, as well as a foreign businessman. Is that correct?" U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle asked Heaton during the 20-minute hearing.
continues..........
http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=33896
Local Residents Say Iranian Helicopters Violate Azerbaijan Air Space
Trend 23/02/2007 21:23
The helicopters of Iran flew over Astara district of Azerbaijan for
nearly one hour at 11:00.
The local inhabitants link this case with the issue that the
President
of Iran is in Iranian Astara.
In addition, it was said that except these three helicopters, other
ones
were also seen. The Press-Service of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan
said that the Ministry has no information on violation of the air space
of Azerbaijan by the Iranian helicopters.
Lithuania Considers Blocking Russia-EU Talks Along with Poland
http://mosnews.com/money/2007/02/26/lithuaniablock.shtml
Lithuania Considers Blocking Russia-EU Talks Along with Poland
Created: 26.02.2007 06:42 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 06:43 MSK, 2 hours 59
minutes ago
MosNews
Lithuania may join Poland in blocking talks on a new cooperation treaty
between the EU and Russia unless the bloc acts to restore Russian oil
supplies to the Baltic country, Lithuania Deputy Foreign Minister said
on Friday, Feb. 23.
MosNews has reported last year that Russia’s oil pipeline monopoly
Transneft shut down the Druzhba link to Mazeikiu Nafta —- the only
refinery in the Baltic states —- following a reported leak last July,
and has not restored it yet.
Analysts have said Moscow may be using the pipeline shutdown to reduce
Mazeikiu’s value and thus encourage Poland’s PKN Orlen, which
earlier
beat Russian rivals to take over the plant, to abandon its acquisition.
“We would like the issue [of crude supply] to be discussed at the
spring
European Council†meeting of EU leaders, Lithuania’s Deputy Foreign
Minister Zygimantas Pavilionis was quoted by Reuters as telling
reporters.
The EU summit is scheduled for March 8 to 9.
“We think that the EU should influence the process. We have asked the
[EU] presidency, but nothing has happened,†he added.
Pavilionis said unless the EU put pressure on Russia to reopen the
Druzhba link, “There is an idea to block the mandate for talks with
Russia.â€
“We can become another Poland,†he said, referring to the Polish
decision late last year to veto the launch of EU-Russia talks on a
wide-ranging cooperation agreement.
Poland blocked the talks because Russia refused to lift its ban on
Polish meat imports.
“The leak can be fixed in several weeks, but eight months have passed
already and nothing has happened. It is a political act,†Pavilionis
said.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said earlier last week it still
expected
Russia to provide a schedule for the pipeline repairs.
Czech general fuels Saab bribes suspicions
http://www.thelocal.se/6520/20070225/
Czech general fuels Saab bribes suspicions
Published: 25th February 2007 18:34 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/6520/
A former head of the Czech army Sunday fuelled corruption suspicions
surrounding a warplanes deal, claiming that he and other senior
military
staff were not told how the decision was taken.
"We did not know the way in which that conclusion was reached," Jiri
Sedivy, who was head of the general staff from 1997-2002, told Czech
public television.
Related Articles
Britain's Serious Fraud Office and Swedish state prosecutors said last
week they were looking into allegations that an Anglo-Swedish
consortium
of BAE Systems and Saab paid bribes to land a contract to sell 24
Gripen
fighter aircraft.
The investigation was launched following reports on Swedish television
of unexplained payments linked to the deal. Czech police have said they
will cooperate in the probe following a request from London.
The fighter deal was a 2001 agreement worth 60 billion Czech koruna
($2.8 billion dollars) that was later cancelled.
Prague's left-dominated government decided to lease 14 Gripen planes
from Sweden at a fraction of the cost of the earlier deal.
Speaking on the same Czech television programme, leading rightwing
Civic
Democrat politician and former finance minister Vladimir Tlusty said
the
initial Gripen deal encouraged suspicions of corruption.
"The purchase of the Gripen fighters was from the start a very
suspicious deal. A so-called tender took place in which there was only
one participant, the price for which they should have been bought was
also very high," he said.
AFP
Uzbekistan seeks closer EU economic ties By Stefan Voss
http://rawstory.com/news/dpa/FEATURE_Uzbekistan_seeks_closer_EU__02242007.html
Uzbekistan seeks closer EU economic ties By Stefan Voss
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday February 24, 2007
Tashkent, Uzbekistan- The factory floor in the wire works
in the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent smells suspiciously of fresh
paint. The basement is spic-and-span and the workers are wearing
brand-new blue helmets.
"We are an up-and-coming Uzbek industrial plant with capital from
Saxony," company director Ulugbek Ismailow tells a business
delegation from Germany, talking above the roar of the machinery.
His factory in the country located on the old silk road is being
praised as an example of Uzbek-German economic cooperation. But just
where exactly the capital originates from remains unclear.
The Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan wants to establish itself
as an emerging centre for investment. Its attractions: gold, uranium,
cotton, as well as an untapped consumer market of 26 million.
continued...............
Iran, Azerbaijan keen to expand cooperation in water industry
http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0702258742152918.htm
Monday February 26, 2007
Iran, Azerbaijan keen to expand cooperation in water industry
Tehran, Feb 25, IRNA
Iran-Cooperation-Azerbaijan
Iranian and Azeri officials from water sector urged the need for
expansion of cooperation in the water industry.
Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Water Ahmad Ahmadzadeh in a meeting
with
Deputy Energy Minister Rasoul Zargar on Sunday reiterated the need for
broader cooperation in the field and exchange of experiences.
During the meeting, the Azeri official presented a brief report on the
activities of his country in the water sector.
Meanwhile, he invited Zargar to pay an official visit to his country in
the near future.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ahmadzadeh said that his visit
to Iran takes place to give him an idea on Iran's activities in the
water sector.
Expressing his satisfaction with Iran's great achievements in the
field,
he said that his country will certainly use such an experience.
He said that Aras river is considered as the river of friendship
between
the two countries, adding that Azerbaijan has proposed its plans for
exploitation of the resources of this river, which will be certainly be
finalized in the near future.
Assessing Iran's dam building industry, Ahmadzadeh said that rather
than
speaking about implementation of a particular dam, cooperation on
exploitation of resources of Aras river should be discussed, given that
activities in the field will be beneficial to both sides.
On his part, Zargar said that Iran has extensive cooperation with this
brotherly and Muslim country and referred to Aras river as a symbol of
friendship between Iran and Azerbaijan.
"Several joint dam projects, including Khoda-Afarin and Qaleh-Sabz dams
as well as Ardoubad power plant are currently underway.
"At today's meeting, the Azeri deputy minister was briefed on the
progress of the specified projects," he added.
Zargar hoped for further exchange of technical information and transfer
of experience between the two sides.
5 Russian soldiers killed in bomb blast in Chechnya
http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=955230
POL-RUSSIA-CHECHNYA-BLAST
5 Russian soldiers killed in bomb blast in Chechnya
MOSCOW, Feb 23 (KUNA) -- Five Russian soldiers were killed in a bomb
explosion at a military base in Chechnya on Friday, the Russian
Interfax
news agency reported here.
Several people were also injured in the bomb blast, Chechen security
sources were quoted by the Interfax as saying.
Investigation is still underway to find the perpetrators of the
explosion, which took place in Gudermes, second key city in Chechnya,
it
added.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the accident so far. (end) as.
mt
KUNA 232018 Feb 07NNNN
NATO will not tolerate violence in Kosovo
http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n106547
Politika, Serbia: NATO will not tolerate violence in Kosovo
25 February 2007 | 15:09 | FOCUS News Agency
Pristina. Admiral Harry Ulrich, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces in
Europe and of NATO's Joint Force Command based in Naples, Italy, said
Saturday in Pristina NATO would not tolerate any violence in Kosovo,
the
Serbian Politika newspaper writes.
“NATO’s peacekeeping forces in the province will react promptly and
firmly in case of any kind of violence, as well as to those who
encourage or plan violence,†Ulrich said. He agreed with Kosovo
authorities’ assessment that the demonstrations of the
Self-Determination movement were unproductive for Kosovo’s future.
http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov_localnews_070223_stolentrailer.7fd6cd4.html
(KMOV) -- Thieves stole a semi-trailer from a metro east truck stop, loaded with cargo worth $10 million.
The trailer reappeared four hours later.
(KMOV)
Customs agents seal the truck after it was stolen
The thieves were after $10 million in high-blood pressure medicine.
It was made in Mexico and being trucked to Canada, but thieves tried to hijack it to the black market.
The truck driver pulled into a Troy, IL truck stop before dawn
Police say that the driver went inside the truck stop for about 30 minutes and when he returned, his truck had been forced open, hotwired and its trailer was missing.
The crooks drove the drugs away with their own truck.
Down the road in Lebanon, IL, officers heard the bulletin about the stolen trailer, checked a fast food restaurant, and found it.
The officers say the trailer they discovered looked suspicious, starting with the way it was parked. It was diagonal, over the line, like someone dropped it off here in a hurry.
After federal customs agents inspected the cargo, they sealed the trailer and sent it on its way.
After repairs were made to the truck, which was damaged when it was hotwired, the driver picked up his cargo and resumed his trip to Canada.
(KMOV) -- A popular skin medicine used by more than seven million Americans this decade is being linked to cancer.
A local woman blames the ointment for killing her young son.
Karl Wymbs
10-year old Karl Wymbs was like so many other kids. He was active and fun loving, but he also had a serious skin condition that left its mark on his arms and legs.
In January 2003, his doctor prescribed the drug Protopic to treat his eczema, and it worked.
A year later, his doctor found non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of cancer, on one of the spots where Karl's mother Aarah had applied the ointment.
15 months after being diagnosed with cancer, Karl died.
In February 2005, three months before Karl's death, the Food and Drug Administration's Pediatric Advisory Committee reviewed research in animals that linked Protopic and a similar drug Elidel to a greater risk of skin cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The research also found 25 cases of cancer in humans who used the drugs.
Protopic arrived on the market in 2000, Elidel in 2001. Since then, more than seven million people have used the drugs.
In January 2006, nearly a year after its own advisory committee warned about the drugs possible cancer risk, the FDA required the drug makers add a black box warning for both drugs and requested them to conduct long-term cancer studies.
The manufacturers of both drugs insist the medicines are safe.
Novartis, which makes Elidel, says, "Novartis is committed to patient safety and Elidel is one of the most thoroughly researched dermatology products in the world."
Astellas, the maker of Protopic, says, "A causal relationship has not been established between Protopic and the rare cases of malignancies….Protopic remains safe and effective when used in a manner consistent with its label."
Many doctors also believe the drugs are safe.
News 4 Health Team Dermatologist Madhavi Kandula doesn't believe the drugs are dangerous if used properly.
Still, she's only written half a dozen prescriptions for Elidel and Protopic.
But the FDA's concern over the medicines prompted long-term studies of both drugs to see if there's a connection between the ointments and cancer in humans.
Some patients and their families are demanding action now. Karl Wymbs' mother Aarah is suing drug maker Astellas, alleging its ointment killed her son.
At least two years before Karl Wymbs first used Protopic, the FDA issued a warning about Prograf, the drug's equivilant in pill and injection form.
The FDA says that Prograf is known to cause both skins cancers and lymphoma in humans.
Critics say the FDA should have used that information to more closely scrutinize the ointments long before it issued the warning.
http://www.kmov.com/health/asseenonnews4/stories/kmov_localnews_070223_skincream.8e2dcb3.html
(KMOV) -- A year and a half ago, a 19-year-old Florissant woman became the first female from Missouri to die during the Iraq war.
Private Lavena Johnson
The military was quick to point out that her death was not combat related.
Since then, her parents have struggled to find out what really happened to their daughter.
News 4’s Matt Sczesny took a close look at the evidence gathered by the military and asks the question, “was it murder or suicide?"
Among the thousands of graves at Jefferson Barracks cemetery there are stories of bravery, heroism, and proud service.
Among the thousands is the grave of Private Lavena Johnson, whose story is clouded in mystery and according to her parents, marred by murder and cover-up.
Lavena's father, Dr. John Johnson, has waged his own personal crusade to find out what really happened to his daughter in Iraq on July 19, 2005.
The army ruled her death a suicide, the victim of a gunshot wound to the head.
In documents and autopsy photos obtained by the Johnson family and shared with News 4, more questions are raised than answered.
One strange fact was that Lavena was apparently abused, physically, and the autopsy didn't address the physical trauma to her body.
Military documents also show no apparent indication of suicide, her company commander wrote that Johnson was clearly happy and healthy physically and emotionally, something her mother knew by a phone conversation the day before she died.
Johnson's parents also question how their daughter at 5’1”, could handle a 40 inch M-16 to kill herself while sitting.
In fact, a military laboratory even concluded that based on a gunshot residue test, Johnson may not have even handled the weapon.
Additionally, Johnson's military debit card was never found, even though she used it two hours before her death to buy candy.
No bullet was ever found where she died, and a trail of blood is seen in photos outside the tent. Even stranger, it appears as if someone tried to set her body on fire.
So if it wasn't a suicide as the Army maintains, then how did Lavena Johnson die?
Based on the autopsy photos, her father believes that she was raped.
The military is unconvinced and consider the case closed.
A Pentagon spokesman says that the case was investigated thoroughly and that there is no evidence to reopen.
News 4 tried for weeks to get the Army to say more about the death of Private Johnson, but they're only response is that the investigation is closed.
Certainly the documents military investigators have gathered seem to say a lot more.
Johnson's father is now trying to have her body exhumed at Jefferson Barracks to have an independent autopsy performed.
http://www.kmov.com/news/asseenonnews4/stories/kmov_localnews_070221_lavenajohnson.229c4b1a.html
Brussels international airport reopened after bomb alert forced closure
The Associated Press
Published: February 23, 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/23/europe/EU-GEN-Belgium-Airport-Evac
uated.php
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Brussels international airport was reopened Friday
after
a bomb alert forced the evacuation of both the departures and arrivals
hall,
officials said.
A special bomb unit searching for a suspicious package following a
phone
call did not find any explosives, police said. A spokesman for airport
operator BIAC said earlier that both halls were cleared around 2000
GMT.
"The police have done their sweep and decided to reopen the airport,"
BIAC
spokesman De Backer said. He said passengers stranded at the gates
during
the sweep were allowed to leave the building.
A 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) traffic jam blocked the highway to Zaventem
Airport, on the eastern outskirts of Brussels, after police closed off
the
access road.
U.S. forces in Iraq say found more Iran-made weapons
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070226/ts_nm/iraq_iran_weapons_dc;_ylt=A0WTUfJL8eJFWjkB0Aas0NUE
By Claudia Parsons 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military showed on Monday what it said was
further evidence of Iranian-made weapons being used by Iraqi militants,
including explosives linked to sophisticated roadside bombs.
The weapons, which included mortar bombs and 122 mm rockets, were found
during a raid by U.S. forces and Iraqi police on Saturday near the
volatile city of Baquba, north of Baghdad.
Washington, which accuses
Iran of fanning violence in
Iraq, is particularly concerned about what it calls "explosively formed
projectiles" -- bombs which, on detonation, shoot out a copper plate
that becomes a large bullet-like projectile capable of penetrating
armored vehicles.
The U.S. military say such bombs, which it calls EFPs, have killed 170
U.S. soldiers in Iraq since 2004.
Military officials showed reporters in Baghdad 14 large rockets, 19
mortars and several bags of C4 plastic explosive they said were made in
Iran since 2004. But they said there was no way to know if the Iranian
government was involved in supplying them.
continues............
Iraqi VP survives Baghdad bomb attack
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/34363.html
Iraqi VP survives Baghdad bomb attack
Posted on : Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:07:00 GMT | Author : World News Editor
BAGHDAD, Feb. 26 Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi received minor
injuries on Monday in a Baghdad bomb attack that killed six people.
The blast happened during a ceremony at the Public Works Ministry,
which
is outside the heavily secured Green Zone, the BBC reported.
At least 31 people were injured in the attack, and CNN said Mahdi was
among them treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
Mahdi is next in line to run the country should President Jalal
Talabani
become incapacitated. Talabani was flown to a hospital in Jordan on
Sunday after becoming ill, the BBC said.
Elsewhere, police told Kuwait's Kuna news agency armed men ambushed an
Iraqi Ministry of Health convoy on Monday and killed three ministry
employees. Police said the attack was on the main road connecting
Baghdad with the northern city of Kirkuk.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54451
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Plowshares beaten into swords in Gaza
Palestinians: 'Looting and burning' of Jewish holy sites 'was a great joy'
Posted: February 27, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
One of two main Neve Dekalim synagogues desecrated by Palestinian looters (WND photo)
TEL AVIV – The ruins of two large synagogues in Gush Katif, the evacuated Jewish communities of the Gaza Strip, have been transformed into a military base used by Palestinian groups to fire rockets at Israeli cities and train for attacks against the Jewish state, according to a senior terror leader in Gaza.
When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in August 2005, it left in tact 20 synagogues of the Gush Katif Jewish communities following an Israeli Cabinet decision against demolishing the structures.
Immediately after the Israeli evacuation was completed, Palestinians mobs destroyed most of the Gaza synagogues, including two major synagogues in Neve Dekalim, the largest Gush Katif community. In front of international camera crews, the Palestinians ripped off aluminum window frames and metal ceiling fixtures from the Neve Dekalim synagogues, which were situation close to each other in the center of town. Militants flew the Palestinian and Hamas flags from the structures before mobs burned down the synagogues.
Speaking to WND from Gaza, Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees terrorist organization, said the area where the synagogues once stood now is used to fire rockets at Israel.
"We are proud to turn these lands, especially these parts that were for long time the symbol of occupation and injustice, like the synagogue, into a military base and source of fire against the Zionists and the Zionist entity," Abu Abir said.
(Story continues below)
"The liberated lands of the destroyed ugly and Nazi settlements [Gush Katif] is our property, and we have the right to do whatever we feel is suitable for the struggle against the occupation and for the general interest of the Palestinian people," the Committees leader said.
The Committees is a coalition of terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank responsible for launching hundreds of rockets from Gaza aimed at nearby Jewish towns. The group is accused of bombing a U.S. convoy in Gaza in 2003 in which three American government contractors were killed.
Abu Abir blamed the Palestinian desecration of the Gaza synagogues on the Jewish state, claiming the decision to leave the structures in tact was part of an Israeli conspiracy.
"The Zionists left these so called synagogues in order to make that one day media outlets like WorldNetDaily would raise the pathetic and rude argument about what we have done to the poor Zionists holy places. (Israel) left the synagogues behind so the world would see the Palestinians destroying them," Abu Abir said.
The terrorist leader claimed the mob destruction of the synagogues was not planned but was a spontaneous outburst of "happiness."
"The looting and burning of the synagogues was a great joy. There was no intention to desecrate them but this was part of the great joy the young men had when they destroyed everything that could remind us of the occupation. It was in an unplanned expression of happiness that these synagogues were destroyed."
Jews celebrating in Neve Dekalim synagogue (WND photo)
Prior to the Gaza withdrawal, Israel's Supreme Court ruled the Gaza synagogues should be bulldozed by the Israeli army, citing what it said was previous Palestinian desecrations of other religions' holy sites as justification for the synagogue demolitions. But then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who said he opposed the demolitions, put the decision to Cabinet vote. The Cabinet decided against destroying the structures.
Israel's chief rabbinate had petitioned the Supreme Court to halt the synagogue destructions, arguing the demolitions contravene Jewish law. Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen, a member of the chief rabbinate, explained to WND at the time: "According to Jewish law, synagogues cannot be destroyed unless new ones are already built, and even then, the issues are complicated. Here, the former Gaza residents don't have homes yet to live in, new synagogues have not been built, so there isn't even a question."
The senior rabbis also expressed fear Jews in other parts of the world may use bulldozings of the Gaza synagogues as precedent to destroy other abandoned synagogues.
Upon being informed of the current status of the synagogue ruins, Dror Venunu, a former Gush Katif resident who said he prayed daily at the Neve Dekalim synagogues, told WND he was "sick to his stomach."
"It sends pain straight to my heart and makes me sick to my stomach. In any other part of world this would be unacceptable, but where is the media? Where is the international outcry condemning use of a holy site for terrorism?" commented Venunu, who is the international coordinator for the Gush Katif Committee, a major charity organization representing Gaza's former Jewish residents, most of whom are living in temporary housing units.
Do you like hard-hitting news? Then you should plan to attend NEWS EXPO 2007 featuring Ann Coulter!
Aaron Klein joins News Expo lineup
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54450
Monday, February 26, 2007
THE HEAT IS ON
Gore home's energy use: 20 times average
Tennessee think tank presents former veep's own 'inconvenient truth'
Posted: February 26, 2007
5:49 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Al Gore
Al Gore deserves an Oscar for hypocrisy to go along with the two Academy Awards his movie won last night, contends a think tank from his home state Tennessee.
The former vice president's mansion in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, says the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, citing data from the Nashville Electric Service.
Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth, a 95-minute film warning of a coming cataclysm due to man-made "global warming," won the award for best documentary feature and best song.
(Story continues below)
"My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis," Gore said after taking the stage. "It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That's a renewable resource. Let's renew it."
Standing with Gore on the stage last night, actor Leonardo DiCaprio said, to applause, "The American film industry has always taken its obligations to society very seriously and it's now stepping up once again. Tonight, we're proud to announce that for the first time in the history of the Oscars, this show has officially gone green.
Gore then followed with, "Which means that environmentally intelligent practices have been integrated fully into every aspect of the planning and production of these Academy Awards. And you know what: It is not as hard as you might think. We have a long way to go. But all of us can do something in our own lives to make a difference."
But according to the Tennessee think tank, while the average American household consumed 10,656 kilowatt-hours last year, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 – more than 20 times the national average.
Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson said that "as the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use."
Last August alone, according to Johnson' group, Gore burned through 22,619 kilowatt-hours of electricity, more than twice the amount in one month that an average American family uses in an entire year.
Gore's average monthly electric bill, the think tank says, is $1,359.
Since the release of Gore's film, the former vice president and presidential candidate's energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kilowatt-hours per month in 2005, to 18,400 per month in 2006.
The Tennessee group also points out natural gas bills for Gore's mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.
Gore paid a total of nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.
Responding to critics, Gore has described the lifestyle he and his wife Tipper live as "carbon neutral," meaning he tries to offset any plane flight or car trip by "purchasing verifiable reductions in CO2 elsewhere."
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54427
Monday, February 26, 2007
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
'Devastating response' if Iran nukes attacked
Terrorists say Tehran providing instructions in case U.S., Israel strike atomic facilities
Posted: February 26, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – Iran is anticipating a U.S. or Israeli military strike on its nuclear facilities and has been providing Palestinian terrorists and other regional allies with contingency plans for attacks against the Jewish state and American regional interests in the event of war, according to Palestinian terrorist leaders.
A senior leader of the Islamic Jihad terror group, which Israel says is backed by Iran, told WND Tehran is expecting to be attacked, but he didn't provide a time frame in which Iran anticipates a strike.
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He claimed during any attack his organization has been directed by Iran to "wreak havoc" on Israel with suicide bombings, rocket attacks and "special surprises." He said rocket attacks would be launched from both the Gaza Strip and from the West Bank, which borders Jerusalem.
He threatened his terror group will target American interests in the Middle East whether any purported strike against Tehran is carried out by Israel or the U.S.
"The Zionists and the Americans are coordinated 100 percent. It doesn't matter who attacks Iran, we are planning to hit them both," said the Islamic Jihad leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he said the topic was "very sensitive."
He said overall Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shallah has been coordinating war plans with Iran, Syria and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah Lebanese militia. Shallah resides in Damascus and travels frequently to Tehran.
Abu Ahmed, the northern West Bank chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror organization, told WND all major Palestinian militant organizations are preparing to work together in the event Iran is attacked.
"Our strategy is not to leave the Islamic alliance (Iran) alone against the enemy. All Palestinian organizations will work together in shooting rockets, suicide bomb attacks and other steps and actions decided closely."
The Brigades is the declared military wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party. Together with Islamic Jihad, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades has taken responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the last two years, including a bombing last month in Eilat and an attack in Tel Aviv last April that killed eight Israelis and American teenager Daniel Wultz.
Israel says major Brigades cells in the Gaza Strip and West Bank receive Iranian funding through contacts with Hezbollah.
Abu Ahmed said in his terror group's estimation Iran will indeed be attacked.
"It's not a question of if, but when. The campaign now in the American media is just like the campaign before the invasion of Iraq," he charged.
A senior leader of the Popular Resistance Committees terror group, speaking on condition of anonymity, told WND his group has also been preparing for what he called "the upcoming war."
The Committees is a coalition of terror organizations operating in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank responsible for hundreds of anti-Israel rocket and shooting attacks. It is accused of bombing a U.S. convoy in Gaza in 2003 in which three American government contractors were killed.
"We are preparing the tomb that Allah is digging for the Zionists and Americans," said the Committees leader.
He claimed during any U.S. or Israeli military strike against Tehran, a response will be directed against Israel and American interests by Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists.
"The war will be a war on more than one front. It will be everybody against everybody. Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and the Palestinian organizations will work together. War with Iran is coming and it means the Middle East will not remain the same after it," the Committees leader said.
Syria and Iran signed a military agreement in which either will respond if the other is attacked.
Israeli security officials told WND Israel is not currently planning to strike Iran. Speaking theoretically, they said if any war breaks out involving Iran, they expect Syria, Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists to join the fray and attack Israel.
The security officials said the greatest threat Syria poses to the Jewish state are the country's missiles. They noted Syria recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles, which have a range of about 250 miles, covering most Israeli territory. The officials said the Syrian missile test was coordinated with Iran and is believed to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the missiles were armed with.
In addition to longer range Scuds, Syria is in possession of shorter range missiles such as 220mm and 305mm rockets, some of which have been passed on to Hezbollah.
According to information received by Israel, Russia is set to conclude a deal worth several hundred million dollars transferring thousands of advanced antitank missiles to Syria. Antitank missiles used by Hezbollah during Israel's war in Lebanon this past summer devastated Israeli tanks and caused the highest number of Israeli troop casualties during the 34 days of military confrontations.
Last week, a senior officer from the intelligence unit of the Israeli Defense Forces announced Hezbollah is stronger today than before the 2006 Lebanon war.
"Hezbollah has reinforced and it is stronger today than it was before the war in Lebanon," General Yossi Beidatz, head of the IDF's intelligence research department, told the Knesset.
During the war in Lebanon, Hezbollah fired more than 3,000 rockets into northern Israel, killing 39 civilians and devastating many northern towns.
Beidatz also said Syria is reinforcing its military to prepare for the possibility of a new armed conflict in the region.
According to reports in the Israeli media, Syria, aided by Iranian officers, has been boosting its army and navy. The reports, denied by Damascus, claimed Syria last week was moving troops closer to the border with Israel.
The claim by Palestinian terrorists Iran is preparing for war come as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday his country's nuclear program cannot stop while a deputy foreign minister vowed Tehran was prepared for any eventuality, "even for war."
"Iran has obtained the technology to produce nuclear fuel and Iran's move is like a train ... which has no brake and no reverse gear," Ahmadinejad said, according to Iranian state media.
Manouchehr Mohammadi, a deputy at Iran's foreign ministry commented, "We have prepared ourselves for any situation, even for war."
Iranian military commanders have said recent war games, the latest of which involved testing several missiles this month, show Iran's readiness to counter any attack.
Meanwhile U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said over the weekend Iran's atomic ambitions must be curbed. He told reporters "all options" were on the table.
During a visit to Australia, Cheney said it would be a "serious mistake" to allow Iran to become a nuclear power. An Australian newspaper quoted Cheney endorsing comments by U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that the only thing worse than a military confrontation with Iran would be a nuclear-armed Iran.
Iran ignored last week's United Nations deadline to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to fuel for nuclear power plants or produce material for warheads. Tehran claims it wants to negotiate but has repeatedly ruled out suspending its atomic program.
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54424
Saturday, February 24, 2007
FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN
How Iraq terrorists
target Prince Harry
Iran-backed Mahdi army obtains
super-sensitive Promis software
Posted: February 24, 2007
8:30 p.m. Eastern
Editor's note: The following report is excerpted from a breaking story in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence newsletter published by the founder of WND. The complete report is available to subscribers. Annual subscriptions are $99, while monthly trial subscriptions cost $9.95 for credit card users. Both subscriptions provide instant access to G2 Bulletin.
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Prince Harry (British Army photo)
LONDON – New concerns for Prince Harry's safety have emerged with MI6's discovery that the Iran-backed Mahdi army has obtained a version of the super-sensitive, U.S.-created Promis software, according to a breaking report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
The software provides access to databases on specific targets. It is equipped with artificial intelligence, which can analyze tens of millions of snippets of information in seconds to create a sophisticated overall picture that can both identify and predict the actions of a target.
The software was originally sold by a renegade FBI agent, Robert Hanssen. For years he had been a KGB spy inside the FBI. Before he was arrested in 2001, he had passed the FBI version of Promis to his handlers in Moscow. Hanssen is now serving a 20-year sentence for espionage in America's top security prison at Florence in Colorado.
Bill Hamilton, the creator of the software and head of the company, Inslaw, which markets it to U.S. intelligence agencies, said the acquisition by terrorists of Promis through the Soviets "is a matter of deep concern."
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Hanssen's handlers sold a copy of Promis to Semyon Mogilevich, the head of Europe's notorious crime family, the Rising Sun, for $3 million.
In Tehran, the MI6 intelligence service has learned, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered his programmers to create a copy of the software.
(Story continues below)
Last week it emerged it was in the hands of the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, in Iraq. He heads the powerful Mahdi army fighting coalition forces.
The discovery was made by the MI6 codebreakers who had smashed al-Qaida's communications system.
On the Mahdi army website – whose encryption the codebreakers bypassed – was further proof that Promis was in its hands.
A message said: "Allah has given us the means from our friends in Iran to locate the infidel prince and bring his end at the hands of our courageous fighters."
Prince Harry has been personally updated on the threat by John Scarlett, head of MI6.
Since the announcement that Harry, 22, will go to Iraq in April, Scarlett has made a regular journey in an unmarked government saloon from his MI6 headquarters at Vauxhall Cross overlooking the Thames.
Thirty minutes later he enters Clarence House, the London palace Harry shares with his brother, William. The spymaster and Harry meet in the salon where his late mother, Diana, princess of Wales, delivered her revelation for the BBC's now notorious program, "Panorama," which marked the end of her marriage to Prince Charles.
A senior intelligence source stressed that Scarlett does not meet Harry to dissuade him from going to Iraq.
"Harry has made his decision that, come what may, he is going," said a senior intelligence officer. "Scarlett's job is to make sure the prince knows everything possible. It is safe to assume Harry asks the kind of questions he put during his intel classes at Sandhurst. He will probably be the best informed soldier in Iraq on the state of play."
For the complete report, and an earlier story about how al-Qaida plans to target Prince Harry, subscribe to Joseph Farah's G2
US 200-year porn sentence stands
By James Westhead
BBC News, Washington
The US Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal by a high school teacher from Arizona sentenced to 200 years in jail for possessing child pornography.
Morton Berger had claimed the sentence was so disproportionate to his crime it breached the constitution.
If the 52-year-old had been tried in a federal court or lived elsewhere he would have received a lighter sentence.
But he was living in Arizona when he was caught with thousands of images of child abuse on his computer.
Stark differences
The state has the nation's toughest laws on child abuse and exploitation.
Indeed, the prosecutor had asked for a 340-year sentence but the trial judge imposed the minimum of 10 years for each of 20 images - to be served consecutively for a total of 200 years without the possibility of probation, early release or pardon.
Mr Berger's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to hear an appeal.
They argued the sentence was wildly disproportionate - much longer than that for rape or even second degree murder and claimed it amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.
The state of Arizona argued each image of child abuse was a separate crime so the sentences had to run consecutively.
The Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal and gave no reason but the case has highlighted stark differences in sentencing policy across the US.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6399471.stm
Published: 2007/02/27 06:24:20 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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