Digitalizmo

The European Commission Announces Euro-English

2006-03-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Euro-English

(Hmmm...Ahnold speak... and after all of those damned French classes too.)

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

Originally posted by: Il_Bagattel -- Friday, 24 March 2006, 12:24 p.m. at:
http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.net/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=131561

Does Objective Reality Exist?

2006-03-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

The Holographic Universe
By Michael Talbot
3-12-6

In 1982 a remarkable event took place. At the University of Paris a research team led by physicist Alain Aspect performed what may turn out to be one of the most important experiments of the 20th century. You did not hear about it on the evening news. In fact, unless you are in the habit of reading scientific journals you probably have never even heard Aspect's name, though there are some who believe his discovery may change the face of science.

Aspect and his team discovered that under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them. It doesn't matter whether they are 10 feet or 10 billion miles apart.

Somehow each particle always seems to know what the other is doing. The problem with this feat is that it violates Einstein's long-held tenet that no communication can travel faster than the speed of light. Since traveling faster than the speed of light is tantamount to breaking the time barrier, this daunting prospect has caused some physicists to try to come up with elaborate ways to explain away Aspect's findings. But it has inspired others to offer even more radical explanations.

University of London physicist David Bohm, for example, believes Aspect's findings imply that objective reality does not exist, that despite its apparent solidity the universe is at heart a phantasm, a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram.

To understand why Bohm makes this startling assertion, one must first understand a little about holograms. A hologram is a three- dimensional photograph made with the aid of a laser.

To make a hologram, the object to be photographed is first bathed in the light of a laser beam. Then a second laser beam is bounced off the reflected light of the first and the resulting interference pattern (the area where the two laser beams commingle) is captured on film.

When the film is developed, it looks like a meaningless swirl of light and dark lines. But as soon as the developed film is illuminated by another laser beam, a three-dimensional image of the original object appears.

The three-dimensionality of such images is not the only remarkable characteristic of holograms. If a hologram of a rose is cut in half and then illuminated by a laser, each half will still be found to contain the entire image of the rose.

Indeed, even if the halves are divided again, each snippet of film will always be found to contain a smaller but intact version of the original image. Unlike normal photographs, every part of a hologram contains all the information possessed by the whole.

The "whole in every part" nature of a hologram provides us with an entirely new way of understanding organization and order. For most of its history, Western science has labored under the bias that the best way to understand a physical phenomenon, whether a frog or an atom, is to dissect it and study its respective parts.

A hologram teaches us that some things in the universe may not lend themselves to this approach. If we try to take apart something constructed holographically, we will not get the pieces of which it is made, we will only get smaller wholes.

This insight suggested to Bohm another way of understanding Aspect's discovery. Bohm believes the reason subatomic particles are able to remain in contact with one another regardless of the distance separating them is not because they are sending some sort of mysterious signal back and forth, but because their separateness is an illusion. He argues that at some deeper level of reality such particles are not individual entities, but are actually extensions of the same fundamental something.

To enable people to better visualize what he means, Bohm offers the following illustration.

Imagine an aquarium containing a fish. Imagine also that you are unable to see the aquarium directly and your knowledge about it and what it contains comes from two television cameras, one directed at the aquarium's front and the other directed at its side.

As you stare at the two television monitors, you might assume that the fish on each of the screens are separate entities. After all, because the cameras are set at different angles, each of the images will be slightly different. But as you continue to watch the two fish, you will eventually become aware that there is a certain relationship between them.

When one turns, the other also makes a slightly different but corresponding turn; when one faces the front, the other always faces toward the side. If you remain unaware of the full scope of the situation, you might even conclude that the fish must be instantaneously communicating with one another, but this is clearly not the case.

This, says Bohm, is precisely what is going on between the subatomic particles in Aspect's experiment.

According to Bohm, the apparent faster-than-light connection between subatomic particles is really telling us that there is a deeper level of reality we are not privy to, a more complex dimension beyond our own that is analogous to the aquarium. And, he adds, we view objects such as subatomic particles as separate from one another because we are seeing only a portion of their reality.

Such particles are not separate "parts", but facets of a deeper and more underlying unity that is ultimately as holographic and indivisible as the previously mentioned rose. And since everything in physical reality is comprised of these "eidolons", the universe is itself a projection, a hologram.

In addition to its phantomlike nature, such a universe would possess other rather startling features. If the apparent separateness of subatomic particles is illusory, it means that at a deeper level of reality all things in the universe are infinitely interconnected.

The electrons in a carbon atom in the human brain are connected to the subatomic particles that comprise every salmon that swims, every heart that beats, and every star that shimmers in the sky.

Everything interpenetrates everything, and although human nature may seek to categorize and pigeonhole and subdivide, the various phenomena of the universe, all apportionments are of necessity artificial and all of nature is ultimately a seamless web.

In a holographic universe, even time and space could no longer be viewed as fundamentals. Because concepts such as location break down in a universe in which nothing is truly separate from anything else, time and three-dimensional space, like the images of the fish on the TV monitors, would also have to be viewed as projections of this deeper order.

At its deeper level reality is a sort of superhologram in which the past, present, and future all exist simultaneously. This suggests that given the proper tools it might even be possible to someday reach into the superholographic level of reality and pluck out scenes from the long-forgotten past.

What else the superhologram contains is an open-ended question. Allowing, for the sake of argument, that the superhologram is the matrix that has given birth to everything in our universe, at the very least it contains every subatomic particle that has been or will be -- every configuration of matter and energy that is possible, from snowflakes to quasars, from blue whales to gamma rays. It must be seen as a sort of cosmic storehouse of "All That Is."

Although Bohm concedes that we have no way of knowing what else might lie hidden in the superhologram, he does venture to say that we have no reason to assume it does not contain more. Or as he puts it, perhaps the superholographic level of reality is a "mere stage" beyond which lies "an infinity of further development".

Bohm is not the only researcher who has found evidence that the universe is a hologram. Working independently in the field of brain research, Standford neurophysiologist Karl Pribram has also become persuaded of the holographic nature of reality.

Pribram was drawn to the holographic model by the puzzle of how and where memories are stored in the brain. For decades numerous studies have shown that rather than being confined to a specific location, memories are dispersed throughout the brain.

In a series of landmark experiments in the 1920s, brain scientist Karl Lashley found that no matter what portion of a rat's brain he removed he was unable to eradicate its memory of how to perform complex tasks it had learned prior to surgery. The only problem was that no one was able to come up with a mechanism that might explain this curious "whole in every part" nature of memory storage.

Then in the 1960s Pribram encountered the concept of holography and realized he had found the explanation brain scientists had been looking for. Pribram believes memories are encoded not in neurons, or small groupings of neurons, but in patterns of nerve impulses that crisscross the entire brain in the same way that patterns of laser light interference crisscross the entire area of a piece of film containing a holographic image. In other words, Pribram believes the brain is itself a hologram.

Pribram's theory also explains how the human brain can store so many memories in so little space. It has been estimated that the human brain has the capacity to memorize something on the order of 10 billion bits of information during the average human lifetime (or roughly the same amount of information contained in five sets of the Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Similarly, it has been discovered that in addition to their other capabilities, holograms possess an astounding capacity for information storage--simply by changing the angle at which the two lasers strike a piece of photographic film, it is possible to record many different images on the same surface. It has been demonstrated that one cubic centimeter of film can hold as many as 10 billion bits of information.

Our uncanny ability to quickly retrieve whatever information we need from the enormous store of our memories becomes more understandable if the brain functions according to holographic principles. If a friend asks you to tell him what comes to mind when he says the word "zebra", you do not have to clumsily sort back through some gigantic and cerebral alphabetic file to arrive at an answer. Instead, associations like "striped", "horselike", and "animal native to Africa" all pop into your head instantly.

Indeed, one of the most amazing things about the human thinking process is that every piece of information seems instantly cross- correlated with every other piece of information--another feature intrinsic to the hologram. Because every portion of a hologram is infinitely interconnected with ever other portion, it is perhaps nature's supreme example of a cross-correlated system.

The storage of memory is not the only neurophysiological puzzle that becomes more tractable in light of Pribram's holographic model of the brain. Another is how the brain is able to translate the avalanche of frequencies it receives via the senses (light frequencies, sound frequencies, and so on) into the concrete world of our perceptions. Encoding and decoding frequencies is precisely what a hologram does best. Just as a hologram functions as a sort of lens, a translating device able to convert an apparently meaningless blur of frequencies into a coherent image, Pribram believes the brain also comprises a lens and uses holographic principles to mathematically convert the frequencies it receives through the senses into the inner world of our perceptions.

An impressive body of evidence suggests that the brain uses holographic principles to perform its operations. Pribram's theory, in fact, has gained increasing support among neurophysiologists.

Argentinian-Italian researcher Hugo Zucarelli recently extended the holographic model into the world of acoustic phenomena. Puzzled by the fact that humans can locate the source of sounds without moving their heads, even if they only possess hearing in one ear, Zucarelli discovered that holographic principles can explain this ability.

Zucarelli has also developed the technology of holophonic sound, a recording technique able to reproduce acoustic situations with an almost uncanny realism.

Pribram's belief that our brains mathematically construct "hard" reality by relying on input from a frequency domain has also received a good deal of experimental support.

It has been found that each of our senses is sensitive to a much broader range of frequencies than was previously suspected.

Researchers have discovered, for instance, that our visual systems are sensitive to sound frequencies, that our sense of smell is in part dependent on what are now called "cosmic frequencies", and that even the cells in our bodies are sensitive to a broad range of frequencies. Such findings suggest that it is only in the holographic domain of consciousness that such frequencies are sorted out and divided up into conventional perceptions.

But the most mind-boggling aspect of Pribram's holographic model of the brain is what happens when it is put together with Bohm's theory. For if the concreteness of the world is but a secondary reality and what is "there" is actually a holographic blur of frequencies, and if the brain is also a hologram and only selects some of the frequencies out of this blur and mathematically transforms them into sensory perceptions, what becomes of objective reality?

Put quite simply, it ceases to exist. As the religions of the East have long upheld, the material world is Maya, an illusion, and although we may think we are physical beings moving through a physical world, this too is an illusion.

We are really "receivers" floating through a kaleidoscopic sea of frequency, and what we extract from this sea and transmogrify into physical reality is but one channel from many extracted out of the superhologram.

This striking new picture of reality, the synthesis of Bohm and Pribram's views, has come to be called the holographic paradigm, and although many scientists have greeted it with skepticism, it has galvanized others. A small but growing group of researchers believe it may be the most accurate model of reality science has arrived at thus far. More than that, some believe it may solve some mysteries that have never before been explainable by science and even establish the paranormal as a part of nature.

Numerous researchers, including Bohm and Pribram, have noted that many para-psychological phenomena become much more understandable in terms of the holographic paradigm.

In a universe in which individual brains are actually indivisible portions of the greater hologram and everything is infinitely interconnected, telepathy may merely be the accessing of the holographic level.

It is obviously much easier to understand how information can travel from the mind of individual 'A' to that of individual 'B' at a far distance point and helps to understand a number of unsolved puzzles in psychology. In particular, Grof feels the holographic paradigm offers a model for understanding many of the baffling phenomena experienced by individuals during altered states of consciousness.

Bird Flu: Is It Really A Serious Threat?

2006-03-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

Bird Flu to Hit U.S. Within 3 Weeks

March 13, 2006
By Shawn McGinnis, KTLA News

Washington, D.C. — The bird flu is coming to the U.S. and experts say there is no way to stop it. In fact, scientists say wild birds infected with the deadly virus could reach Alaska within the next few weeks.

Spy satellites are being used to track the infected flocks on their route from Asia to Alaska. The migratory birds are expected to mingle with North American flocks in Alaska and move on to the lower 48 states as early as August.

But don't count on having a vaccine available that soon. Federal health officials say it will take at least six months after a pandemic breaks out to produce a bird flu vaccine.

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt says that's because the virus is mutating and there is no way to know in advance which strain might become capable of human to human transmission.

Once the particular strain is identified, Leavitt says it will take time to ensure that a vaccine is safe and to mass-produce it. Until then, it will be up to traditional public health measures to contain the outbreak.

There is no direct evidence that the current strains of bird flu can be transmitted from person to person. To date, people have only been infected after close contact with sick birds.

Copyright © 2006, KTLA0104.html

http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla-shawnalaskabirdflu,0,1046423.story?coll=ktla-news-1

Renowned Bird Flu Expert Warns: Be Prepared

There are "about even odds" that the virus could mutate to an easily transmitted form

March 14, 2006
By JIM AVILA and MEREDITH RAMSEY
ABC

Robert G. Webster is one of the few bird flu experts confident enough to answer the key question: Will the avian flu switch from posing a terrible hazard to birds to becoming a real threat to humans?

There are "about even odds at this time for the virus to learn how to transmit human to human," he told ABC's "World News Tonight." Webster, the Rosemary Thomas Chair at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., is credited with being the first scientist to find the link between human flu and bird flu.

Webster and his team of scientists are working to find a way to beat the virus if it morphs. He has even been dubbed the Flu Hunter.

Right now, H5N1, a type of avian influenza virus, has confined itself to birds. It can be transmitted from bird to human but only by direct contact with the droppings and excretions of infected birds.

But viruses mutate, and the big fear among the world's scientists is that the bird flu virus will join the human flu virus, change its genetic code and emerge as a new and deadly flu that can spread through the air from human to human.

If the virus does mutate, it does not necessarily mean it will be as deadly to people as it is to birds. But experts such as Webster say they must prepare for the worst.

"I personally believe it will happen and make personal preparations," said Webster, who has stored a three-month supply of food and water at his home in case of an outbreak.

FRIGHTENING WARNING

"Society just can't accept the idea that 50 percent of the population could die. And I think we have to face that possibility," Webster said. "I'm sorry if I'm making people a little frightened, but I feel it's my role."

Most scientists won't put it that bluntly, but many acknowledge that Webster could be right about the flu becoming transmissible among humans, even though they believe the 50 percent figure could be too high.

Researcher Dr. Anne Moscona at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center said that a human form may not mutate this year or next -- or ever -- but it would be foolish to ignore the dire consequences if it did.

"If bird flu becomes not bird flu but mutates into a form that can be transmitted between humans, we could then have a spread like wildfire across the globe," Moscona said.

No one knows how long or how many mutation changes it would take for bird flu to become a direct threat to humans.

"It may not do it. There may just be too many changes. The virus may not be able to be a human virus," Moscona said.

But that hasn't stopped Moscona from searching for new types of anti-viral treatments that both prevent and slow the spread of bird flu.

"I don't think that once we have human-to-human transmission, it's going to be possible to contain it," she said.

That is why nearly every viral scientist in America, perhaps the world, is waiting and watching the avian flu virus to see if it remains just a threat to birds or changes its genetic code and becomes a deadly threat to humans as well.

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

ON THE OTHER HAND...

Avian Epidemics

International Medical Veritas Association

On February 27, 2006 the National Bird Flu Summit opened with the usual cast of characters in attendance, the U.N., the WHO, the CDC, and a parade of MD/PhD researchers. All ready to preach the word of doom, leading everyone in humanity to fear for their lives even though no human-to-human spread of any diseases has occurred.

A deadly bird flu pandemic will likely cause significant harm to the global economy with widespread disruptions in work places, trade and payment systems and could prompt a surge in demand for cash, the International Monetary Fund warned on Monday. (No mention of the dangerous multi trillion American debt, the ending of M3 international money supply reporting by the Federal Reserve, or the Iranian move to shortly start selling oil in Euro was made.)

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on March
13, 2006 the 98th human death from the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Professor Sir David King, chief scientific adviser to the British government and head of the Office of Science and Technology said "It is very important to keep things in proportion, and to make a distinction between the virus in birds and the virus in humans. "Your chances of winning the lottery are about one in 14 million. Your chances of catching bird flu are more like one in 100 million, even if we had H5N1 among the chicken population in Britain."

Way back in 1992 The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 9,000 Americans die each year from food borne illness, with others becoming ill from bacterial, chemical, and pesticide residues mostly found in foods of animal origin. The greatest danger to the consumer is salmonella poisoning, a leading cause of food borne sickness. In 1992, the USDA estimated that 40 percent of all poultry was contaminated with salmonella.

UN Senior Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, and special representative to the WHO Director General, Dr. David Nabarro, announced the arrival of the pandemic saying without hesitation, “Note that I said when, not if, the pandemic arrives.” Of course the disaster waiting to happen is making medical officials push for completion of “enforcement measures,” policies and procedures that would emphasize the use of quarantine, of force against populations. Medical officials are salivating discussing the need to have the police and the military available to control mass panic and the need for “incredibly efficient mass production” of a polyvalent influenza vaccines ready whether they work or not. Though medical officials at the conference indicated the necessity to “get people to understand the magnitude of the risk,” what the public needs to be warned about is what these officials are hiding and why.

The H5N1 virus remains mainly a virus of birds, but experts fear it could change into a form easily transmitted from person to person and sweep the world, killing millions within weeks or months. Is there any evidence that the bird flu is such a threat to humans? There is no solid or even semi solid science that indicates that what is happening with the birds is going to happen with humans but that is not stopping health officials from scaring the wits out of the public. Whether or not the bird flu will occur in humans remains completely unknown but officials want to prepare for the end of human freedom anyway, just in case.

There are no lab tests to confirm the
presence of the highly-pathogenic virus.
Dr. Anna Thorson

All we really have is a continuation of a fantasy about viruses that have never been proven to exist. Dr. Stefan Lanka, virologist and molecular biologist is just one of many voices that are smothered by the medical industrial establishment. There is one breathtaking fact for the public to deal with and that is the fact that not even one of the (medically relevant) viruses has ever been isolated; there is no proof of their existence. "So for a long time I studied virology, from the end to the beginning, from the beginning to the end, to be absolutely sure that there was no such thing as HIV. And it was easy for me to be sure about this because I realized that the whole group of viruses to which HIV is said to belong, the retroviruses -- as well as other viruses which are claimed to be very dangerous -- in fact do not exist at all," says Dr. Lanka.

Retroviruses are not living creatures but bits of
protein that attach themselves to living cells.

“For almost one year we have been asking authorities, politicians and medical institutes after the scientific evidence for the existence of such viruses that are said to cause disease and therefore require "immunization." After almost one year we have not received even one concrete answer which provides evidence for the existence of those "vaccination viruses," continues Lanka.

The Airborne Menace is circling the world and is about to land in your backyard. Lanka says, “We’re being asked to believe that migratory birds in Asia have been infected with an extremely dangerous, deadly virus. These mortally diseased birds then keep flying for weeks on end. They fly thousands of kilometres, and then in Romania, in Turkey, Greece and elsewhere infect hens, geese or other poultry, with which they have had no contact, and which within a very short time get diseased and die. But the migratory birds do not get diseased and do not die, but keep on flying, for weeks on end, thousands of kilometres. Anyone who believes this will also believe that babies are brought by the stork.”

Actually we are the most conditioned, programmed beings the world has ever known and believe just about anything fed to us through the media, especially in the area of medicine. Our thoughts and attitudes are continually being shaped and molded by people who do not care for anything but the truth of money and the security it provides. It is clear that most issues of conventional medical wisdom are scientifically implanted in the public consciousness by thousands of media clips each year.

Just think about how many times you've heard an evening news anchor spit out some variation on the phrase, "According to experts ...." and we are supposed to trust them, naturally, that’s what being an expert is all about, being trusted in ones individual field. In reality there are two kinds of "experts" in question -- the public relations spin doctors behind the scenes and the "independent" experts paraded before the public, scientists who have been hand-selected, cultivated, and paid handsomely to promote the views of corporations involved in controversial actions.

Therefore we have reached a watershed point, though medical and health officials are scratching their heads wondering what is going on and spend most of their time worrying about the flu and other infectious diseases when it is the non-infectious diseases that are threatening to bring civilization down. At the end of 2004, Klaus Stohr, of the WHO Global Influenza Program, said "Even with the best case scenario, the most optimistic scenario, the pandemic will cause a public health emergency with estimates which will put the number of deaths in the range of two and seven million. There is no reason to believe that we are going to be spared. An influenza pandemic will spare nobody. Every country will be affected".[ii] Transpose these words to read, “The current nightmare with mercury and other chemicals in the environment will spare nobody, every country and every person will be affected” and you will have a better approximation of the truth.

There is another nightmare though that might blindside humanity. Dr. Leonard Horowitz essay The Avian Flu Fright: Politically Timed for Global “Iatrogenocide”[iii] offers a whole other view of what might be going on. Biotechnology in the service of bioterroism and biological warfare is able to take simple proteins and retroviruses and turn them into lethal life forms that threaten humanity. Are these health officials merely front men for sinister forces dedicated to forceful population reductions? In Horowitz’s essay it said America alone is "targeted" for a 50% population reduction. "Thus, the flu virus the world currently fears most is either: 1) now being prepared in labs paid by industrialists with massive wealth-building incentives to “accidentally” release the virus; or 2) has already been prepared in such labs to take advantage of this current fright and future sales following the virus’s release." It’s not only in the movies that dark forces rear up their incredible ugliness to face us with ourselves.

The repeated warnings of the United Nations and other authorities of an impending global epidemic of avian flu outbreaks have led over 60 countries to order large supplies of Tamiflu despite the fact that it has yet to prove its reliability at curing or stopping the H5N1 bird flu virus. This is good news for for U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who has already cleared over $5 million in capital gains by selling some shares in Gilead Sciences, the biotechnology firm that developed the drug Tamiflu, while he was serving as a board-member for that enterprise reports an article in the London Independent.

Dr. Lanka reminds us, “Those side effects which are noted on the instruction slips accompanying packages of Tamiflu are almost identical to the symptoms of serious influenza. Thus, on a large scale, medicines are now being stored which cause precisely the same symptoms as those which appear in an actual so-called influenza. If Tamiflu is administered to sick persons, then this is likely to cause far more serious symptoms than those of a serious influenza. If a pandemic is stated to exist, then many people will take this medicine at the same time. In that case we will actually have unequivocal symptoms of a Tamiflu epidemic. Then deaths caused by Tamiflu are to be expected, and this will then be presented as evidence of the dangerous nature of the bird flu.”

“Agribusiness companies stand to reap huge gains in the event that scientists at Cambridge University and elsewhere are able to replace the entire world chicken population with genetically-engineered chicks allegedly resistant to H5N1 virus. Little-noticed beneficiaries of the current Avian Flu scare, however, are the giant agribusiness chicken producers based in the United States, who claim ‘their’ chickens are safe. Their sales are booming and all indications are that Avian Flu, paradoxically, has come like a Godsend to their corporate balance sheets,” writes Global research Editor F. William Engdahl.

Factory farms are actually the cause of killer diseases.

The industrialization of chicken-raising and slaughtering in the USA, which is known as ‘factory farming’ is a process whose inner workings are unknown to most people. Better it remained so some say. Were we to know, we likely would never again eat chicken. Today, five giant multinational agribusiness companies dominate the production and processing of chicken meat in the United States, and, as things seem to be going, especially were the world to be looney enough to adopt genetically modified chickens supposedly resistant to Avian Flu virus, these five companies are about to dominate world chicken supply.

<<<<< Edited >>>>>

Since the late 19th century, diseases of poultry in mass animal farming have been observed: Blue coloring of the crest, decrease in egg laying performance, sagging of the feathers, and sometimes these animals die too. These diseases were called bird pest. Now it’s called bird flu! Animals respond the same way as humans do to being cooped up in concentration camps, they get sick and they die. Notice that health officials are not worried about animal concentration camps and all the health issues associated with them. Not a word is said about the obvious but waves of hysteria are created over small bits of protein that are not proven to be the actual root cause of what we are seeing.

So what did these 98 people die of? “Persons with symptoms of a cold, who then had the bad luck to fall into the hands of H5N1 hunters, were killed with enormous amounts of chemotherapy [chemical pharmaceuticals] supposed to restrain the phantom virus. Isolated in plastic tents, surrounded by madmen in space suits, they died, in panicky fear, from multiple organ failures,” writes Dr. Lanka. Certainly these patients are not being given the appropriate nutritional support to help them weather the storm.

What is being used to prove viral existence are
indirect test methods which tell absolutely nothing.
Dr. Stefan Lanka

The use of antibiotics continues to rise globally and use by poultry producers has risen by over 300% per bird since the 1980s. In the US alone, over 12,000 tons of antibiotics are used each year. With disease-causing organisms so prevalent on factory farms, it is not surprising that farmers have resorted to the widespread use of antibiotics. The routine use of antibiotics is particularly attractive to farmers as many of these substances have an as-yet poorly understood ability to promote the growth-rate of the animals to which they are administered. So farmers, in a desperate battle to contain the bug-explosion on factory farms, and in order to maximize profits by pushing growth rates ever faster and faster, are routinely dosing farm animals with a whole range of different types of antibiotics. But evidence is emerging that several of these antibiotics, used in vast quantities in farming, are jeopardizing the effectiveness of similar antibiotics vital in human medicine.

Just over a year ago the American Public Health Association called for a moratorium on the building of new industrial animal farms until more scientific data on their risks had been collected but world governments and health authorities focus only on H5N1 and its danger to humans without addressing in the least, the real source of the avian disease.

People tend to believe whatever they are told and that’s the way it has become in modern medicine where doctors believe in many great lies, which they give blind faith to. Western allopathic medicine is pathetic in its unsighted belief in the virus, its pet demonic threat that is always ready to come down and strike us to death. It’s the most successful scam in the history of the world, and they get eighty percent of the world to literally bow down, pull down their pants, and accept their immunization shots because they are the only solution to supposedly deadly viruses.

But you will never meet any person who can prove viruses to exist in dangerous forms, certainly not the retroviruses. Obviously something exists down on that level of reality. Protein bits, little junks of life, biological debris. “We live with an uncountable number of retroviruses. They're everywhere -- and they probably have been here as long as the human race,” says Dr. Kary Mullis. Dr. Lanka adds, “It is being maintained that these short pieces of genetic material, which in the sense of genetics are not complete and which do not even suffice for defining a gene, together would make up the entire gene substance of an influenza virus.”

<<<<< Edited >>>>>

In February 2006, southern Russia was hit by a second wave of bird flu that killed over a million birds. No human cases have been registered. Vaccination has begun in Daghestan and Stavropol Territory, another southern region, where about 260,000 fowls have already been inoculated. Some 8 million doses of the vaccine have been delivered to southern Russia. We read a report like this in a newspaper and take it as fact; bird flu is killing these birds but is it?

<<<<< Edited >>>>>

Almost all of us believe in the terror of viruses and buy into the fear the medical industrial complex insists we should have about them. If they say so it must be so. When it comes to avian flu we have a massive cover up of a food production system that rivals in every way the death camps of Nazi Germany. We are merely witnessing the beginning of the end of a way of life that insults life. One way or another we will pay dearly for our mistakes and nowhere is this more true than when it comes to what we are doing with the food supply. We are allowing industry to poison us but are being mislead to fear something else. The simple fact that health officials are not warning us of the real danger speaks miles about the trust we should put in them about their warning of viral infections.

Mark Sircus Ac., OMD
Director International Medical Veritas Association
http://www.MagnesiumForLife.com
http://www.imva.info
http://www.detoxchelationclinic.com
http://www.worldpsychology.net
+55-83-3252-2195
www.skype.com ID: marksircus

International Medical Veritas Association
Copyright 2006 All rights reserved.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The communication in this email is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this email is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

References:

Mother Earth News. Issue # 159 - December/January 1993

[ii] CNN News

[iii] www.prisonplanet.com/articles/october2005/161005avian_flu.htm

Will Bush Be Turned Out Of Office Soon?

2006-03-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Conservatives Are Jumping Ship:
Bush Is Going Down

By Bernard Weiner
Co-Editor, The Crisis Papers

March 7, 2006

I'm more and more convinced that it will be Republicans, many of them of the true conservative and realist kind, who effectively will do in the Bush Administration.

In this, I am reminded of the behavior of Richard Nixon when he realized that he was fast losing his middle-class, bourgeois base: He called it quits on the Vietnam War, and likewise on his presidency after his crimes were exposed.

But unlike Nixon's crew, Bush&Co. seem willing to take the country down with them, so desperate are they to hold onto power, deplete the treasury, pay off their corporate friends, carry out their ideological revolution -- and keep themselves out of the federal slammer.

The crimes of the Bush Administration are so many and varied that none of us should be surprised by anything that might happen in the coming weeks and months: Bin Laden captured or reported killed, a U.S.-Israeli air assault on Iran's nuclear facilities, a major terrorist attack inside the U.S. to be followed by martial law, the announcement of a bird-flu outbreak with the military placed in charge. I'm pretty level-headed and don't usually think in these dire terms, but these guys have backed themselves into a tight political corner and are desperate -- and dangerous.

THE IMPLODING SCANDALS

Bush is at 34% approval rating (Cheney is at 18!), and their scandals are blowing up in their faces: Katrina lies and incompetence; Iraq lies and incompetence; the Dubai Ports deal and incompetence; GOP bribery and corruption; Libby under indictment and Rove apparently about to be; Bush claiming authority to authorize torture, spy on millions of American citizens and violate the law whenever he incants the magic words "national security"; Congress rebelling at being frozen out of decision-making, etc. etc. But in the face of all that, the Roveian M.O. is always to attack their foes and to hype the fright quotient.

The Administration didn't have to consider the most extreme options until recently, when the wheels started falling off the Bush bus. The attacks were no longer coming mostly from liberals and Democrats; more and more, they were coming from loyal conservative Republicans, who, cognizant of the sinking poll numbers, saw the handwriting on the wall: They realized they could well lose their majorities in the House and Senate -- in other words, severed from their jobs and access to the spoils of power -- and they started distancing themselves from the Administration.

So, rather than beating my usual drum here denouncing the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration, I thought I'd just lay out the comments of those conservatives and let them speak for themselves. (My late friend Emile de Antonio, the documentary filmmaker, taught me a good lesson; it's always better, he pointed out, to quote what the Wall Street Journal is saying rather than quoting a hippie or left-activist making the same point. When your own posse smells the moral rot up top, the end is near.)

The quotes here are on Iraq and the neo-con ideologues who took this country to war, though currently the flak is also coming hot and heavy from the Right on both the domestic spying and Dubai ports scandals. (Even conservative Republican Senator Richard Shelby says Bush broke the law in the way he handled the Dubai ports contract, and neo-con leader Bill Kristol suggests the other "i" word ("incompetent") in describing how Bush&Co. stumble around trying to govern: "I think it's become in people's minds an emblem of the administration that just isn't as serious about the competent execution of the functions of government as it should be."

THE NEO-CONS BEHIND THE WAR

Let's begin with a reminder that the conservative establishment didn't agree from the very beginning with Bush's neo-con obsession to invade Iraq. President George H.W. Bush, who successfully organized a massive coalition to push Iraq's army out of Kuwait in the first Gulf War, warned his son privately and through his spokesmen of the dangerous consequences both of invading and occupying Iraq and of doing so without wide international support. As he said of Iraq in "A World Transformed" (written with Gen. Brent Scowcroft): "Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different -- and perhaps barren -- outcome."

Fast forward to the present, when so many Republican stalwarts are saying, in effect, that they backed the wrong horse. Their party was taken over by rightwing extremists, incompetent at that, whose reckless neo-con policies are doing great danger to the country and to the future of the once-great GOP. Here's Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, chair of the Arthur C. Pillsbury Foundation, going even beyond the war into the deeper crimes being committed against Americans' freedoms:

"Most Americans do not yet realize that a war is being waged -- not against Iraq but against each of us. It is not the Republican Party that is charge in this administration but a small cadre who seized executive branch power and converted it to their own uses. Most Republicans are experiencing a deer-in-the-headlights moment right now. Their Party has been hijacked, their president has been hijacked, and they do not know what to do. I remain a registered Republican working for an effective coalition. The attack on us and on our rights has hardly begun. You don't go to the trouble of setting up this degree of control without having made plans to use it."

NEO-CON FUKUYAMA HAS SECOND THOUGHTS

Or try this out. Francis Fukuyama, who wrote the 1992 neo-con best-seller "The End of History," is exhibiting some serious recantation these days in interviews and in his new book, "America at the Crossroads."

He now says that neo-conservatism has "evolved into something I can no longer support," and should be tossed onto history's pile of discredited ideologies. The doctrine, which has demonstrated "the danger of good intentions carried to extremes...is now in shambles," and needs to be replaced by a more realistic foreign policy.

For example, though he once supported regime change in Iraq, he now believes the war there is the wrong sort of war, in the wrong place at the wrong time. "The most basic misjudgment was an overestimation of the threat facing the United States from radical Islamism. Although the new and ominous possibility of undeterrable terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction did indeed present itself, advocates of the war wrongly conflated this with the threat presented by Iraq and with the rogue state/proliferation problem more generally...

"By definition, outsiders can't 'impose' democracy on a country that doesn't want it; demand for democracy and reform must be domestic. Democracy promotion is therefore a long-term and opportunistic process that has to await the gradual ripening of political and economic conditions to be effective."

THE CHENEY-RUMSFELD CABAL

Then we go to a long-time Administration stalwart who couldn't take it any more: Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired U.S. Army colonel who was chief of staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"What I saw was a cabal between the vice president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made," Wilkerson said in a well-publicized speech at the New America Foundation last October. "And you've got a president who is not versed in international relations and not too much interested in them either."

Wilkerson has also focused attacks on the Bush administration for condoning torture, setting lax and ambiguous policies on treatment of detainees that inevitably led to the scandal of the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and elsewhere.

BUCKLEY BUCKLES TO REALITY

Onward to the intellectual godfather of the modern conservative movement, National Review founding editor William F. Buckley Jr., who concludes that what may have started as a decent move has evolved into disaster:

"One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed. ... Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans. The great human reserves that call for civil life haven't proved strong enough. No doubt they are latently there, but they have not been able to contend against the ice men who move about in the shadows with bombs and grenades and pistols. ... Mr. Bush has a very difficult internal problem here because to make the kind of concession that is strategically appropriate requires a mitigation of policies he has several times affirmed in high-flown pronouncements. His challenge is to persuade himself that he can submit to a historical reality without forswearing basic commitments in foreign policy. ... The kernel here is the acknowledgment of defeat."

THE TROOPS WANT OUT, SOON

Speaking of the troops in Iraq, recent polling reveals that nearly 3 out of 4 of U.S troops in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the year, and more than one in four say the troops should leave immediately. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff admits also that the Iraqis want us to leave "as soon as possible."

Here are some pertinent comments by a U.S. soldier in Iraq, writing as "djtyg," about why the desire to leave that country:

"We need to get out because our military cannot take much more of this. We are stretched too thin and it's about to get worse. ... Soldiers are frustrated. Every soldier I have talked to says that they are getting out of the military when they get home. Every. One. Of. Them. Regardless of rank, experience, or time in, they all want out. There has not been a single Soldier I've talked to that says they want to stay in. This includes officers, NCOs, and rookies who are on their first tour of duty. We need to get out of Iraq because Iraq is the reason why the military is shrinking. We, like Cindy Sheehan, are curious as to what 'noble cause' we are fighting for. We can't seem to find one. This is weakening America. At the rate we are going, we are going to have a military that can't fight because it has old and broken down equipment, and no troops to fight a war with."

SEN. HAGEL LOWERS THE BOOM

Then there are key Republican senators who are willing to stick out their necks by talking truth to power about Iraq. For example, Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, who said the U.S. is losing in Iraq and raised a parallel to an earlier conflict.

The Vietnam War, he said, "was a national tragedy partly because members of Congress failed their country, remained silent and lacked the courage to challenge the administrations in power until it was too late. To question your government is not unpatriotic -- to not question your government is unpatriotic," he said, arguing that 58,000 troops died in Vietnam because of silence by political leaders. "America owes its men and women in uniform a policy worthy of their sacrifices."

O'REILLY QUESTIONS STAYING IN IRAQ

So, let's see: Bush is losing old-money Republican conservatives, GOP senators, neo-con theorists outside the Cheney-Rumsfeld nexus, military insiders, troops under fire in Iraq -- who else can he lose? Would you believe the lunatic fringe, as symbolized by that raving Limbaugh wannabee Bill O'Reilly? The Fox News pundit, who usually is in lockstep with the Bush program and calls anybody who criticizes those policies idiots and worse, had this to say the other day about the need to get out of Iraq ASAP:

"[We need to] hand over everything to the Iraqis as fast as humanly possible [because] there are so many nuts in the country -- so many crazies -- that we can't control them."

GOP DISCONTENT ON NATIONAL SECURITY

Well, one could go on and on with the criticism coming from the Right -- conservative former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, former Reagan Administration official Paul Craig Roberts, Congressional Dem warhawk John Murtha, et al. The point is that the Republicans, formerly associated with a winning national-security message, are now regarded much differently by many GOP politicos and rank-and-file citizens.

Many Representatives and Senators also deeply resent the way the Congress has been frozen out of the power loop by the Bush Administration. "We simply want to participate and aren't going to be PR flacks when they need us," Florida's conservative GOP Congressman Mark Foley said. "We all have roles. We have oversight. When you can't answer your constituents when they have legitimate questions -- we can't simply do it on trust."

Scott Reed, who managed Robert Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, called the current low poll ratings for Bush and the GOP "pretty shattering," noting especially that Bush's support among Republicans fell from 83 percent to 72 percent. "The repetition of the news coming out of Iraq is wearing folks down," Reed said. "It started with women [voters] and it's spreading. It's just bad news after bad news after bad news, without any light at the end of the tunnel."

THE PRESIDENT AS DICTATOR

"Even if you're a Republican member of Congress, you don't buy the exaggerated view of the unified executive theory, in which the only part of the Constitution that matters is Article II," on presidential power, said James B. Steinberg, a dean at the University of Texas at Austin. "If you want them to be in on the landing, you have to have people there for the takeoff."

For example, two staunch conservative Southern Senators won't accept Bush's Unified Executive theory of governance. "I think the administration has looked at the legitimate power of the executive during a time of war and taken it to extremes," said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. "[It's] to the point that we'd lose constitutional balance. Under their theory, there would be almost no role for the Congress or the courts." Mississippi's Sen. Trent Lott was even more blunt: "Don't put your fist in my face."

EVEN WALL ST. IS TALKING IMPEACHMENT

All those defections from the Bush orbit are doing great damage to the once-unified Bush&Co. juggernaut, but I've left out one key one: Wall Street. The titans of finance are agitated, to the point of raising the awareness of the possibility of impeachment or even urging serious consideration of Bush's removal.

The Wall Street Journal, alone among mainstream daily newspapers, has deigned to mention that there is a growing impeachment movement and an active PAC (impeachpac.org). And here's some of what Barron's Editorial Page Editor Thomas G. Donlan wrote in that establishment financial journal:

...The administration is saying the president has unlimited authority to order wiretaps in the pursuit of foreign terrorists, and that the Congress has no power to overrule him...Perhaps they were researched in a Star Chamber? Putting the president above the Congress is an invitation to tyranny. The president has no powers except those specified in the Constitution and those enacted by law. President Bush is stretching the power of commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy by indicating that he can order the military and its agencies, such as the National Security Agency, to do whatever furthers the defense of the country from terrorists, regardless of whether actual force is involved.

Willful disregard of a law is potentially an impeachable offense. It is at least as impeachable as having a sexual escapade under the Oval Office desk and lying about it later. The members of the House Judiciary Committee who staged the impeachment of President Clinton ought to be as outraged at this situation...

It is important to be clear that an impeachment case, if it comes to that, would not be about wiretapping, or about a possible Constitutional right not to be wiretapped. It would be about the power of Congress to set wiretapping rules by law, and it is about the obligation of the president to follow the rules in the Acts that he and his predecessors signed into law. ...

THREE MORE YEARS?

So, friends, when we're down in the dumps, depressed by the fact that Bush&Co. are still in power even in the face of all their lies and bumblings and policies that result in thousands of people getting killed and maimed and tortured, let us consider that even their once-loyal rats are deserting the sinking ship of state.

The thought of nearly three more years of Bush&Co. misrule is too horrible to contemplate. So let's ratchet up the pressure, incorporate distressed GOP moderates and conservatives into the impeachment momentum, and send the Bush Bunker crew packing and return the country to reasonable people dedicated to a restoration of Constitutional rule of law and a realistic foreign policy. It's the least we can do for our country.

Bernard Weiner, Ph.D., has taught government & international relations at various universities, worked as a writer/editor with the San Francisco Chronicle, and currently co-edits The Crisis Papers (www.crisispapers.org). To comment, write >>crisispapers@comcast.net <<.

Copyright 2006, by Bernard Weiner

Hey There... Are We Having Fun Yet?

2006-02-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was really a lot of fun here in Mazatlán! It was the first night of the really big party which brings thousands to the Malecon in the Olas Altas area of the old part of the city.

And, you certainly run into some real characters! Following, in no particular order are some portraits of some of the revelers who happened to be partying at the Hotel Siesta and who graciously invited me up in the midst of the goings-on. Fortunately, I had my trusty Canon camera with me and made the following images of these "anonymous" partygoers...

Hey, I had lots of fun taking these and hope you did too while looking at them. You just don't meet characters like these every day, you know! Viva Mazatlán y viva Mexico!!

Topolo... A Great New Restaurant

2006-02-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

TOPOLO opened in late December of 2005 and was well worth the wait. It is a very “classy” new eatery located just a long block from the Plaza Machado on Constitution street at number 629 - at the corner of Constitution and Benito Juarez in the Centro Historico.

The proud owner, Manolo Cardona, has spent many months planning and working out the design and all the details of his new restaurant and has done a superb job. It has been a dream of his for many years. He is known around town as “Mané” and he speaks very good English.

In the picture above, you can see one of the rooms which can host a small private party, and below that is a picture of an area out in the courtyard which affords a chance to enjoy your meal and drinks out in the open atmosphere on a pleasant Mazatlán afternoon or evening. Closed Sundays.

The food is delicious, carefully prepared with fresh ingredients each day and consists of authentic Mexican dishes including soups, salads, appetizers, and main courses featuring a variety of steaks, chicken and seafood. My particular favorite is the Chimichanga, listed under appetizers, which comes with rice and refried beans and is a meal in itself! A full selection of drinks is also available including the locally brewed beer, Pacifico.

If you are just visiting in town or are a lucky, longtime resident of Mazatlán, it’s well worth a trip to Topolo. You won’t be disappointed!

Islam and Democracy

2006-01-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

The synopsis of a weekend of study on Islam with the pope and his former theology students. With two conflicting versions of how Benedict XVI views the Muslim religion

by Sandro Magister

ROMA, January 23, 2006 – Joseph Ratzinger has written little on the topic of Islam over the years. But it is a topic very much on his mind, and all the more so since he became pope. Last September, at Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI dedicated two days of study to Islam, behind closed doors, together with two experts in Islamic studies and a group of his former theology students.

The news of the meeting leaked out, but until last January 5 nothing was known about what was said there.

But on January 5, one of Ratzinger’s former students who participated in the meeting, American Jesuit Joseph Fessio, provost of Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida, and founder of the publishing house Ignatius Press, gave an ample account of the meeting during one of the most popular radio talk shows in the United States: the Hugh Hewitt Show.

During the interview, Fr. Fessio also reported the thoughts expressed by the pope in the course of the discussion. In Fessio’s view, Benedict XVI holds that Islam and democracy cannot be reconciled.

But one of the other participants at the meeting, Samir Khalil Samir, an Egyptian Jesuit and professor of Islamic studies at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut and at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, when consulted by www.chiesa, gave a different interpretation of the pope’s thought. In Fr. Samir’s view, Benedict XVI holds that it is very difficult, but not impossible, to reconcile Islam and democracy.

In his contribution to the discussion, the pope supposedly wanted to explain precisely the reasons for this difficulty.

* * * * * *

The meeting held last September in Castelgandolfo was the last in a series of annual meetings with Ratzinger and his former students.

The first were held when Ratzinger was a theology professor in Ratisbonne. When he became archbishop of Munich, they asked him to continue, and he accepted. The same thing happened when he moved to Rome as the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The meetings lasted a weekend, and were usually held at a monastery. At the end of the meeting in 2004, the participants left with the topic for the following year already chosen: Islam, or more precisely the Islamic concept of God. The two experts who would introduce the discussion had also been selected: Fr. Samir Khalil Samir and another Jesuit scholar of Islamic studies, Christian Troll, from Germany.

In the spring of 2005 Ratzinger was elected pope and his former students thought the meetings would come to an end. But that didn’t happen. Benedict XVI told them that it was very important to him that they continue. And they do continue – the theme chosen for the meeting in 2006 is the relationship between Christianity and science.

* * * * * *

Here are the central passages of the transcript of Fr. Joseph Fessio’s radio interview with Hugh Hewitt:

JF: The main presentation by Father Troll was very interesting. He based it on a Pakistani Muslim scholar named Rashan, who was at the University of Chicago for many years, and Rashan's position was Islam can enter into dialogue with modernity, but only if it radically reinterprets the Koran, and takes the specific legislation of the Koran, like cutting off your hand if you're a thief, or being able to have four wives, or whatever, and takes the principles behind those specific pieces of legislation for the 7th century of Arabia, and now applies them, and modifies them, for a new society which women are now respected for their full dignity, where democracy's important, religious freedom's important, and so on. And if Islam does that, then it will be able to enter into real dialogue and live together with other religions and other kinds of cultures.

HH: Is he an optimist about that happening?

JF: He is, but interesting, you know, all the seminars I recall with Joseph Ratzinger, he'd always let the students speak. He'd wait until the end, and he would intervene. This is the first time I recall where he made an immediate statement. And I'm still struck by it, how powerful it was.

HH: And what did the pope say?

JF: Well, the thesis that was proposed by Father Troll was that Islam can enter into the modern world if the Koran is reinterpreted by taking the specific legislation, and going back to the principles, and then adapting it to our times, especially with the dignity that we ascribe to women, which has come through Christianity, of course. And immediately, the Holy Father, in his beautiful calm but clear way, said well, there's a fundamental problem with that, because he said in the Islamic tradition God has given his word to Mohammed, but it's an eternal word. It's not Mohammed's word. It's there for eternity the way it is. There's no possibility of adapting it or interpreting it, whereas in Christianity, and Judaism, the dynamism's completely different, that God has worked through his creatures. And so, it is not just the word of God, it's the word of Isaiah, not just the word of God, but the word of Mark. He's used his human creatures, and inspired them to speak his word to the world, and therefore by establishing a Church in which he gives authority to his followers to carry on the tradition and interpret it, there's an inner logic to the Christian Bible, which permits it and requires it to be adapted and applied to new situations. I was... I mean, I wish I could say it as clearly and as beautifully as he did, but that's why he's pope and I'm not, okay? That's one of the reasons. One of others, but his seeing that distinction when the Koran, which is seen as something dropped out of heaven, which cannot be adapted or applied, even, and the Bible, which is a word of God that comes through a human community, it was stunning.

HH: And so, is it fair to describe him as a pessimist about the prospect of modernity truly engaging Islam in the way modernity has engaged Christianity?

JF: Well, the other way around.

HH: Yes. I meant that.

JF: Yeah, that Christianity can engage modernity just like it did... the Jews did to Egypt, or Christians did to Greece, because we can take what's good there, and we can elevate it through the revelation of Christ in the Bible. But Islam is stuck. It's stuck with a text that cannot be adapted, or even be interpreted properly.

HH: And so the pope is a pessimist about that changing, because it would require a radical reinterpretation of what the Koran is?

JF: Yeah, which is it's impossible, because it's against the very nature of the Koran, as it's understood by Muslims.

HH: And so, even the dialectic that was the Reformation is not possible within Islam?

JF: No. And then a second thing which he did not say, but which I would have said, I might have said at the time, is that... and this is from a Catholic point of view, there's no one to interpret the Koran officially. the Catholic Church has an official interpreter, which is the Holy Father with the bishops.

* * * * * *

So, according to Fr. Fessio’s account, Benedict XVI sees Islam as incompatible with democracy.

But according to another participant at the same meeting, Jesuit scholar of Islamic studies Samir Khalil Samir, the pope is less pessimistic. According to this account, the pope sees a meeting between Islam and democracy as possible, but “on the condition of a radical reinterpretation of the Koran and of the very conception of divine revelation.”

On the second day of the discussions in Castelgandolfo, speaking as an expert, Fr. Samir developed precisely this aspect of the question.

This is not a merely theoretical dispute. Each of these interpretations has significant geopolitical repercussions. America’s overall strategy in Iraq and the greater Middle East is founded precisely upon the possibility of democracy’s birth and growth in those Muslim regions.

It also involves the future of Muslim immigrants in Europe. An Islam reconciled with democracy would allow their integration. An Islam incapable of distinguishing between God and Caesar would trap them in a state of “alienation.”

This is what Ratzinger wrote some years ago in one of his rare comments on Islam, in three pages of the book-length interview “The Salt of the Earth,” published in Germany in 1996 and in the United States the following year, by Ignatius Press, the publishing house of Fr. Joseph Fessio.

It is the passage reproduced below. It should be read with the awareness that almost ten years, dense with events and further reflections, have passed since then.

”Shari’a shapes society from beginning to end...”

by Joseph Ratzinger

I think that first we must recognize that Islam is not a uniform thing. In fact, there is no single authority for all Muslims, and for this reason dialogue with Islam is always dialogue with certain groups. No one can speak for Islam as a whole; it has, as it were, no commonly regarded orthodoxy. And, to prescind from the schism between Sunnis and Shiites, it also exists in many varieties. There is a noble Islam, embodied, for example, by the King of Morocco, and there is also the extremist, terrorist Islam, which, again, one must not identify with Islam as a whole, which would do it an injustice.

An important point, however, is [...] that the interplay of society, politics, and religion has a completely difference structure in Islam as a whole. Today's discussion in the West about the possibility of Islamic theological faculties, or about the idea of Islam as a legal entity, presupposes that all religions have basically the same structure, that they all fit into a democratic system with its regulations and the possibilities provided by these regulations. In itself, however, this necessarily contradicts the essence of Islam, which simply does not have the separation of the political and religious sphere which Christianity has had from the beginning. The Koran is a total religious law, which regulates the whole of political and social life and insists that the whole order of life be Islamic. Sharia shapes society from beginning to end. In this sense, it can exploit such partial freedoms as our constitution gives, but it can't be its final goal to say: Yes, now we too are a body with rights, now we are present just like the Catholics and the Protestants. In such a situation, it would not achieve a status consistent with its inner nature; it would be in alienation from itself.

Islam has a total organization of life that is completely different from ours; it embraces simply everything. There is a very marked subordination of woman to man; there is a very tightly knit criminal law, indeed, a law regulating all areas of life, that is opposed to our modern ideas about society. One has to have a clear understanding that it is not simply a denomination that can be included in the free realm of a pluralistic society. When one represents the situation in those terms, as often happens today, Islam is defined according to the Christian model and is not seen as it really is in itself. In this sense, the question of dialogue with Islam is naturally much more complicated than, for example, an internal dialogue among Christians.

The consolidation of Islam worldwide is a multifaceted phenomenon. On the one hand, financial factors play a role here. The financial power that the Arab countries have attained and that allows them to build large Mosques everywhere, to guarantee a presence of Muslim cultural institutes and more things of that sort. But that is certainly only one factor. The other is an enhanced identity, a new self-consciousness.

In the cultural situation of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, until the 1960s, the superiority of the Christian countries was industrially, culturally, politically, and militarily so great that Islam was really forced into the second rank. Christianity – at any rate, civilizations with a Christian foundation – could present themselves as the victorious power in world history. But then the great moral crisis of the Western world, which appears to be the Christian world, broke out. In the face of the deep moral contradictions of the West and of its internal helplessness – which was suddenly opposed by a new economic power of the Arab countries – the Islamic soul reawakened. We are somebody too; we know who we are; our religion is holding its ground; you don't have one any longer.

This is actually the feeling today of the Muslim world: The Western countries are no longer capable of preaching a message of morality, but have only know-how to offer the world. The Christian religion has abdicated; it really no longer exists as a religion; the Christians no longer have a morality or a faith; all that's left are a few remains of some modern ideas of enlightenment; we have the religion that stands the test.

So the Muslims now have the consciousness that in reality Islam has remained in the end as the more vigorous religion and that they have something to say to the world, indeed, are the essential religious force of the future. Before, the shariah and all those things had already left the scene, in a sense; now there is a new pride. Thus a new zest, a new intensity about wanting to live Islam has awakened. This is its great power: We have a moral message that has existed without interruption since the prophets, and we will tell the world how to live it, whereas the Christians certainly can't. We must naturally come to terms with this inner power of Islam, which fascinates even academic circles.
__________

The book from which this selection was taken:

Joseph Ratzinger, “Salt of the Earth. The Church at the End of the Millennium,” an interview with Peter Seewald, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1997.

__________

The complete transcript of the radio interview with Fr. Joseph Fessio:
The Hugh Hewitt Show, January 5, 2006

Disease Stalks The Katrina Graveyard...

2006-01-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

Mysterious illness could have Katrina ties

George Graham, Crime/Courts Reporter
01-02-2006

Pafford Ambulance Service EMT Greg Coleman watched the polluted water of a flooded New Orleans stain, rust and generally erode the metal slide action of his Glock handgun.

Now the toxic water is threatening his health, as well as other Ruston-area first-responders who answered medical and law enforcement calls for assistance after back-to-back hurricanes earlier this year that may have changed Louisiana’s Crescent City and other Gulf Coast parishes forever.

The paramedic recalls treating victims who trudged waist- and chest-deep through the overflow of Lake Ponchatrain with some of the same symptoms that now have him seeking medical help.

“I can’t clean (the gun) because a film residue keeps coming back,” Coleman said. “And, if it did that to a metal gun that is nearly indestructible, I can’t imagine what it is doing to people.”

Coleman is not alone. Other area law enforcement and emergency service volunteers also are reporting medical problems and attempting to alert the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to recognize the health hazard being dubbed the Katrina Rash or New Orleans Crud.

Louisiana State Trooper David Bryant responded three times to the help call and also is receiving medical assistance after contracting a recurring 102-degree fever following his third trip. Doctors have been unable to determine whether his illness, which resembles pneumonia or bronchitis, is fungal or bacterial.

“It definitely came from New Orleans,” the trooper said. “My chest started hurting in October and lasted for more than a month. I returned to Ruston, but went back to New Orleans for a week over Halloween. When I came home the third time is when I had the high fever.”

Lincoln Parish Deputy Tommy Doss, another early responder, had a different experience — a rash developed on his forearm shortly after returning from his stint in New Orleans. Topical skin treatment helped his forearm for a few days, but then the rash emerged on his legs. During treatment, it also returned to his arm.

“Now I’ve got the rash on both legs and my arm,” Doss said. “I don’t know for sure that I caught it in New Orleans, or what it is, but a lot of people are coming down with weird rashes.”

At the beginning of Coleman’s first tour, the water did not appear to be contaminated, he said. That quickly changed.

“We would be wading along and find ourselves walking beside dead and decomposing bodies,” Coleman said. “In the heat, the water became very stagnant with a combination of sewage, bodies, gas, oil and other chemicals. It was horrible – and it smelled horrible.

“We were trying to save lives, but we never thought we would encounter this catastrophic experience in our own country — hunger, extreme thirst, people dying.”

Coleman returned to Ruston on Sept. 6 and during the next two or three days, his appetite disappeared and his body rejected all food.

“The itching skin was the worst part,” Coleman said. “Our (Pafford) assistant medical directors, Keith Carter and Zach Helsing, immediately recognized the symptoms as a medical problem and sent me to HealthSouth (rehabilitation hospital).”

Nurse Practitioner Shelyna Rice of HealthSouth quickly had Coleman admitted to Lincoln General Hospital under the care of Dr. T.L. Morris. Coleman was given hepatitis and tuberculosis shots, and a series of tests were run. Then internal symptoms showed up.

“The abdominal cramps were extremely painful, the skin rash was still there and the vomiting was horrific,” Coleman said. “The doctor told me he had never seen anything like what my symptoms were and said he couldn’t diagnose what I had.”

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Web site at www.ashp.org, has posted an article claiming several residents in other states who traveled to New Orleans in the wake of Katrina have come down with skin infections and rashes.

Amy M. Hollar, a pharmacy practice resident at Mission Hospitals in Asheville, N.C., calls the condition the Katrina Rash. The ASHP field hospital treated several local (New Orleans) residents and relief workers for various skin infections and rashes. Several patients were diagnosed with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Robert Leeds, a critical care pharmacist at Durham (N.C.) Regional Hospital, part of the Duke University Health System, said another skin infection is being identified as being caused by the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri.

A third skin infection is suspected by epidemiologists at the field hospital to be a contact dermatitis, Hollar said.
Heather Tornabene is a licensed practical nurse and a first-responder EMT. She volunteered to go to New Orleans twice and says MRSA is very dangerous.

“MRSA is antibiotic resistant,” Tornabene said. “Most antibiotics won’t touch it, so it is extremely hard to treat.”

Doss recalls post-hurricane New Orleans as a huge smelly mess filled with floating corpses when the Ruston contingent arrived. The air was also filled with smoke from fires burning out of control since firefighters had no water pressure. At one point, a factory or warehouse explosion sent huge clouds of smoke into the air and everybody inhaling the vapors suffered an immediate, serious headache

Continued:

http://www.rustonleader.com/news.php?id=747

Has this "future time" now arrived?

2006-01-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

"The President has the power to seize property, organize and control the means of production, seize commodities, assign military forces abroad, call reserve forces amounting to 2 1/2 million men to duty, institute martial law, seize and control all means of transportation, regulate all private enterprise, restrict travel, and in a plethora of particular ways, control the lives of all Americans...

Most [of these laws] remain a a potential source of virtually unlimited power for a President should he choose to activate them. It is possible that some future President could exercise this vast authority in an attempt to place the United States under authoritarian rule.

While the danger of a dictatorship arising through legal means may seem remote to us today, recent history records Hitler seizing control through the use of the emergency powers provisions contained in the laws of the Weimar Republic."

--Joint Statement, Sens. Frank Church (D-ID) and Charles McMathias (R-MD) September 30, 1973

Absolute Power?

2006-01-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Bush could seize absolute control of U.S. government

By DOUG THOMPSON
Publisher, Capitol Hill Blue
Jan 13, 2006, 07:42

President George W. Bush has signed executive orders giving him sole authority to impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus and ignore the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits deployment of U.S. troops on American streets. This would give him absolute dictatorial power over the government with no checks and balances.

Bush discussed imposing martial law on American streets in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by activating “national security initiatives” put in place by Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.

These “national security initiatives," hatched in 1982 by controversial Marine Colonel Oliver North, later one of the key players in the Iran-Contra Scandal, charged the Federal Emergency Management Agency with administering executive orders that allowed suspension of the Constitution, implementation of martial law, establishment of internment camps, and the turning the government over to the President.

John Brinkerhoff, deputy director of FEMA, developed the martial law implementation plan, following a template originally developed by former FEMA director Louis Guiffrida to battle a “national uprising of black militants.” Gifuffrida’s implementation of martial law called for jailing at least 21 million African Americans in “relocation camps.” Brinkerhoff later admitted in an interview with the Miami Herald that President Reagan signed off on the initiatives and they remained in place, dormant, until George W. Bush took office.

Brinkerhoff moved on the Anser Institute for Homeland Security and, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, provided the Bush White House and the Pentagon with talking points supporting revised “national security initiatives” that would could allow imposition of martial law and suspension of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1978, the law that is supposed to forbid use of troops for domestic law enforcement.

Brinkerhoff wrote that intentions of Posse Comitatus are “misunderstood and misapplied” and that the U.S. has in times of national emergency the “full and absolute authority” to send troops into American streets to “enforce order and maintain the peace.”

Bush used parts of the plan to send troops into the streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In addition, FEMA hired former special forces personnel from the mercenary firm Blackwater USA to “enforce security.”

Blackwater USA, in its promotional materials, describes itself as “the most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world,” adding that “we have established a global presence and provide training and operational solutions for the 21st century in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere.”

Blackwater is also a major U.S. contractor in Iraq and has a contract with the Bush White House to provide additional security work “on an as-needed basis.”

The Department of Homeland Security established the “Northern Command for National Defense,” a wide-ranging program that includes FEMA, the Pentagon, the FBI and the National Security Agency. Executive orders already signed by Bush allow the Northern Command to send troops into American streets, seize control of radio and television stations and networks and impose martial law “in times of national emergency.”

The authority to declare what is or is not a national emergency rests entirely with Bush who does not have to either consult or seek the approval of Congress for permission to assume absolute control over the government of the United States.

The White House press office would neither confirm nor deny existence of Bush’s executive orders or the existence of the Northern Command for National Defense. Neither would the Department of Homeland Security.

But my sources within the White House and DHS tell me the plans are in place, ready for implementation when the command comes from the man who keeps telling the American public that he is a “war time president” who will “do anything in my power” to impose his will on the people of the United States.

And he has made sure that power will be absolute when he chooses to use it.

© Copyright 2006 by Capitol Hill Blue

Doug & Debbie's Biggest Adventure

2006-01-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Marriage vows were exchanged at the monument to the Lady of the Sea here in Mazatlán on New Year's Eve in the afternoon at 2:00 PM. The happy couple are Doug and Debbie who finally tied the knot after a number of years traveling the world together.

The wonderful atmosphere here in this city by the sea worked its magic once again. On hand for the ceremony were the bride's niece, Sabrina, and Larry, Debbie's brother.

Special matching rings were exchanged during the ceremony and a reception followed at Canuck's Bar & Restaurant where a group of friends were on hand to watch the traditional cutting of the cake.

Congratulations to Doug & Debbie and may they have a Happy New Year in 2006 and many, many more to follow!

Holiday Greetings...

2005-12-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

News From Mazatlán...

2005-11-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Three friends living in Mazatlán have recently formed the unique “Ojo del Pavo” Group in Mazatlán. The English translation of the name is “Eye of the Turkey” and its symbol is shown below.

It is worn as an outward sign of membership and active participation in the group. The three founding members are Lauri - also known as Willie Redbone, the Blues and Country singer from the US now living in Mazatlán; Randy, Canadian born, who is also a resident of Mazatlán; and John, owner and webmaster of mexicophotoart.com as well as this blogspot. All three can be seen enjoying a cool drink in the bar atop the Hotel Posada Freeman in the picture below.

One of the delights of living in Mazatlán is the fact that there is a pretty lively atmosphere for live music, especially during the months from November to May... these “winter” months comprise the “tourist” season.

One of the new sensations to hit the city recently is Willie Redbone, the Blues and Country artist from the States who now makes his home here. He has a unique style and a large repertoire of well-known favorites. Currently he is appearing at Alexander’s Piano Bar in Mazatlán’s “Centro Historico” district in the old downtown area from 4 to 8 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings.

If you're in Mazatlán, Willie is definitely worth a listen while you relax with a cool, refreshing drink... maybe even two or three!

The Galactic Butterfly

2005-11-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

During an analysis of some low frequency radio wave images coming from the center of our Milky Way galaxy, which were received by the Very Large Array radio telescope at Socorro, New Mexico in 2002, researchers discovered a quite extraordinary intermittent signal, that seemed to be intelligently directed, which consisted of five highly energetic radio emissions of equal brightness that lasted 10 minutes each and appeared every 77 minutes over about a 7-hour period from September 30 to October 1 of that year.

Our modern day astrophysicists and astronomers, with all their sophisticated scientific instruments, are not the only humans that have wondered what may exist at the center of our galaxy. The superb astronomers and mathematicians of the ancient Mayan civilization, also pondered this question. The Mayans knew where in the sky the exact center of the galaxy was located and they even had a glyph representing it which is now named Hunab Ku; it was known to the Mayans as The Galactic Butterfly. Their entire cosmology and extremely accurate calendars were based on the existence and location of Hunab Ku and they deeply believed that the future of mankind ultimately depends on what occurs there.

Hunab Ku was, to the Mayans, the supreme God and ultimate Creator and was located in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It represented the gateway to other galaxies beyond our Sun as well as all of the consciousness that has ever existed in this, our own galaxy. Hunab Ku, according to the Mayans, is also the consciousness which organized all matter from a whirling disk - into stars, planets and solar systems. Hunab Ku is the Mother Womb which is constantly giving birth to new stars and it gave birth to our own Sun and planet Earth as well as the other planets found in our solar system. They also believed that the ultimate Creator directs everything that happens in our galaxy from its center through the emanation of periodic energy bursts of consciousness.

Today, modern astronomers have indeed verified that at the center of our Milky Way galaxy is found a "whirling disk" with a "black hole" at its center that is both swallowing and giving birth to stars. Could the extraordinary low frequency radio wave images discovered coming from the center of our Milky Way galaxy be programmed bursts of energy consciousness coming from the ultimate Creator... and actually be a modern manifestation of what the ancient Mayans believed?

There does appear to be a growing convergence taking place with regard to what the ancient Mayans believed and understood and what our modern scientists and quantum physicists are increasingly discovering about our galaxy today.

One big difference is how modern physicists view and how the ancient Mayas viewed time. Today, physicists view time as being linear. In contrast, the Mayas believed essentially that time flows in a circle. There is a beginning and an end to things but there is a renewal at the end of the Time Cycle. There is a periodicity with regard to all manifested phenomena. The Mayan highly accurate Long Count Calendar is based on this precept. The Mayans also believed that time originates out of the Hunab Ku and is controlled by it.

It is very difficult to dismiss the Mayan Cosmology because they left extraordinary evidence behind which verifies that their time-keeping methodologies gave extremely accurate results and, in spite of the various changes in our own calendar systems of the more recent past, still do. The ancient Mayan astronomers accurately predicted, over 1500 years ago, the exact alignment of the Earth, the Sun, the star cluster Pleiades with the center of our galaxy that will take place at the end of the present long cycle during the coming Gregorian year of 2012.

On the Mayan Long Calendar the day designated as 4 Ahau 3 Kankin (13.0.0.0.0) falls on December 21, 2012 and this day will mark "El Fin de los Tiempos" or the end of the long cycle when all of humanity will experience a new beginning, and on this day, according to the Mayans and subsequent Meso-American civilizations, the return of Kukulcan also known as Quetzalcoatl will take place.

The pyramids of the Mayan civilization, like the one at Chichen-Itza in Mexico, are precisely aligned to mark the yearly Solstices and the Equinoxes that are caused by the precession of the Earth's axis as it orbits the Sun. The Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chichen-Itza is essentially a superb and highly accurate time-keeping device that never fails to mark the yearly Precession of the Equinoxes.

On December 21, 2012, which coincides with the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, a unique event will occur. As the Sun sets west of Chichen-Itza, a pattern of shadow and light will project an image of the Plumed Serpent Quetzalcoatl descending the stairs of that pyramid which also has a large head of a serpent sculpted in stone at its base. This occurs twice at Chichen Itza every year but on the Winter Solstice of December 21, 2012 something very unique and special will happen.

As the Sun sets in the early afternoon of that day, the shadow of the pyramid's northwest edge will project a moving pattern of light that joins and illuminates the sculpted serpent head at the base of the stairway. Within a thirty-four minute period, the serpent, formed by this play of light and shadow will appear to descend to the Earth, as the sun leaves each stair, going from the top to the bottom. This combined effect creates the visual appearance of the body of the serpent descending the pyramid steps.

Also, on December 21, 2012, the tail of the serpent when projected up from the top of the pyramid will be pointing precisely to the star cluster known as the Pleiades. Finally, on December 21, 2012 at around 11:11 universal time, there will be a precise alignment of our Sun with the galactic center or Hunab Ku. (The pyramids at Teotihuacán which means "City of the Gods," constructed by a Meso-American civilization just north of Mexico City that preceded the Mayas, are also aligned to the Pleiades as are the Egyptian pyramids at Giza).

Quetzalcoatl is arguably the most famous of all of the gods of the New World. No other figure has stirred modern imagination nearly as much, and the history of the interest in this particular mythic figure dates to a time very early after the contact between native inhabitants and the conquering Spaniards in Central Mexico.

The name is a Nahuatl word composed of two separate words joined together; quetzal - the quetzal bird of Guatemala is known for very long green tail feathers that were highly prized - and coatl - serpent. The simplest definition might then be quetzal-bird serpent but the usual modern translation is feathered serpent.

Quetzalcoatl is related to many names and incarnations, and seems to play a prominent role in a pantheon of virtually all the other Mesoamerican deities since he himself is also known as Gukumatz, Nine Wind, and Kukulcan among others as well as being found in the astronomical and cosmological associations among the heavens and stars. These ancient connections include the morning star, which is the planet Venus, as well as the possibility of a connection with the planet Mercury, the messenger.

Ultimately this strong symbolism that runs through the mythology and the various astrological and cosmological incarnations is the thing which in our present time gives us undeniable and very tangible hints of Quetzalcoatl's great ancient power and reveals his ultimate pervasiveness which is evident in the scholarly research of the remaining cultural treasures that the ancient Mayan people left for posterity.

Perhaps this ancient Quetzalcoatl spiritual mythology is eternal and will now return once again to its prominence as a result of the cosmic forces so recently detected as strongly flowing from the Hunab Ku. It may then become a new and modern cosmomythoconsciousness in the same way that the return of the Christ-Messiah is awaited by those who believe in that version of the cosmomythoconsciousness.

Quantum theory strongly hints at the possibility that what we take for our reality is actually composed of a reality that is totally vibrational in character; simply an illusion which makes our lives seem logical and livable in a practical everyday manner.

Perhaps the recent signals from the galactic center are a cosmic vibrational code, sent from the Creator to change our very human nature by restructuring our DNA... sent out in order to modify and increase our present understanding of the quantum universe we inhabit and, through this process of change, put us on a new, yet altogether ancient spiritual path that is but the completion of an ongoing evolutional cycle and a cyclic return to its very beginning just as the Mayan Calendar seems to foretell.

Just as our subconscious may be comprised of perhaps 90% of our “overall consciousness,” and it is therefore vastly important and useful in living our lives, so too is the possibility that the 90% of our DNA which is labeled as “junk” is also quite important and useful. There may be unique, as yet undiscovered parallels between these two systems.

In fact, there has been some discussion about how that 90% of our DNA may actually interface with a fifth, as yet unseen dimension. Perhaps it is performing tasks that are not yet readily identifiable because of the limitations in our present ability to understand the physics involved.

It has been proposed by some scientific thinkers that the junk DNA is in fact a master cylinder, so to speak, that runs the rest of the DNA and tells it what to do, instructs it how to perform. In this way it would operate much like the subconscious, or perhaps the superconscious, in interfacing with a reality which we cannot yet distinguish in our “day to day” world.

Just as the subconscious can supposedly access the Akashic Records, or at least obtain non local information in a non local fashion, so perhaps can our junk DNA actively function through contact in some fashion with an as yet unrecognized galactic exchange of consciousness information.

In fact it might be part and parcel in a sense of the subconscious mind. If we could scientifically understand that the physical world is not made up of elementary particles, as is now thought, but of elementary units of consciousness, then this mystery might become a bit more understandable.

Exactly what may happen on December 21, 2012 still remains a mystery but it seems we might be receiving stronger and stronger clues. Obviously the Mayans certainly attached great significance to this date and foresaw a great cyclic change... both an ending and a new beginning.

Although still some 7 years away, mankind is already experiencing some unwelcome physical changes in the Earth itself. The number and magnitude of "natural" catastrophes are increasing. Scientists have also detected extreme and erratic behavior in our Sun that in turn is having strong effects on our Earth's atmosphere and are also finding measurable effects on the other planets in our solar system as well.

Could the strange, intelligent signals emanating from the center of our galaxy, the Hunab Ku, be a cause of the weather and other changes we are experiencing here on Earth today? Will these intelligent, energetic bursts of consciousness from Hunab Ku increase in number and intensity as we approach the year 2012? Are they of an ancient cosmic spiritual nature, setting the stage for the change to a new cosmic paradigm in our Milky Way Galaxy? I believe that the ancient Mayan cosmologists would most likely answer in the afirmative... Yes indeed - change is coming very soon.

The Mayan cosmologists said that mankind will enter a new beginning... a new era of heightened consciousness beginning on December 21, 2012, when the present 5,125 period of their calendar ends. Perhaps, a colossal emission of a yet unrecognized form of conscious energy will burst out of our Galactic Center on or before December 21, 2012.... a returning Quetzalcoatl consciousness which will change the very physics of our present world paradigm, bringing mankind and our galaxy a new quantum leap in physics and a new spiritual paradigm that will last until the cycle repeats and the cosmic consciousness of mythic time itself comes full circle once again.

A Celebration — Day Of The Dead In Mexico

2005-10-14T15:15:00.000-06:00

The day dawns bright and clear as the women take their places around the Plaza Don Viejo counting out the Marigolds — so many golden blossoms among the colors this new morning.

The sounds of stirring life rise slowly from the streets still paved in stone from ages past. Like these, so too the souls of those who so long ago departed and some others, recent too, will rise in silence as this day once again turns into the beginning, the morning of tomorrow.

So many flowers; so many souls we cannot count; today they’re not forgotten — those so fortunate will be treated to these dying blossoms freshly cut, freed now from lives connected to the Earth where once again they too will lay in silence — among these graves now bathed in the luminous, enchanting glow of candles by the thousands.

In the darkness of evening, now some nourishment will come to those unseen, mingling with the living, hearing prayers and absorbing the spirit-essence of these sacred offerings from those not yet departed.

On this one night the spirits of the dead soar up to frolic with the living for these precious hours now so few, so few — I too must soon join these, revelers all — the dead already done with the sad travails of life; others becoming eager now to quit.

There is no need for sadness. Are the Marigolds sad because they gave their lives to be with souls in celebration of both life and death? — There is no life except that it is lived in sure embrace of Death; no Death because once more, it’s merely a beginning, great and glorious, just there... beyond the silent grave.

A Very Bumpy Ride Ahead...

2005-10-10T20:00:00.000-06:00

The following is a compilation of information taken from many ancient and recent prophetic sources...

Planet X predicted to bring terrible death and worldwide destruction

PREDICTION: Rigord of St. Denis (12th century) ~

A comet will be seen in heaven -- a star, that is, with a tail or appendage -- and this apparition will signify destructions and tumults and hard strifes, and withholding of rains, and dryness of the earth, and mighty battles, and the flowing of blood upon the earth of the east, and from beyond the River Habor it will reach to the very end of the west. And the just and the truly righteous will be oppressed and will suffer persecutions, and the house of prayer will be destroyed.

PREDICTION: Hildegard of Bingen (ca. 1145) ~

Before the Comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scoured with want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent by an earthquake, storm and tidal waves will be devastated. It will be divided, and in great part submerged. That nation will also have many misfortunes at sea, and lose its colonies in the east through a Tiger and a Lion.

The Comet by its tremendous pressure, will force much out of the ocean and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. All sea coast cities will be fearful and many of them will be destroyed by tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed and even those who escape will die from a horrible disease. For in none of these cities does a person live according to the laws of God.

If the above prophecy of Hildegarde looks familiar it should. The "great nation of the ocean" is, of course, the United States and it has already begun to be devastated by hurricanes, unpredictable storms and earthquakes. And soon, as Edgar Cayce also prophesied, along with other more recent revelations, it will become "divided, and in great part submerged" by water.

Unless the growing awareness of the increasing analysis by those “in the know” and the publicizing of the growing predictions of chaos forces the entire affair out into the open, I don't believe astronomers, scientists, Nasa, world governments -- whoever is responsible for holding this information back -- will reveal that Planet X is moving near to our Earth until perhaps October 2007. They will behave as though this is a fresh discovery and then be forced to inform everyone that humanity has no more than a year to prepare.

Either that, or Planet X will begin to appear, emerging slowly like a demonic being out of its debris field as a dim red comet in the sky about that time. Perhaps the warning may come sooner than October 2007 ... or perhaps not at all. The powers that be may just say that they have discovered a new comet (and not mention that it is Planet X)... and that it will begin to be seen openly and clearly in the night sky during the month of October in 2007.

What we have been seeing now with hurricanes Katrina and Rita following the December Sumatra earthquake and resulting tsunami is merely the "tip of the iceberg" compared with what will happen when Planet X gets really close to Earth.

I believe those who say that it is something massive, possibly a brown dwarf star as has been initially theorized by some, and that perhaps it is already past the asteroid belt moving now between Mars and Jupiter already having entered into our inner solar system. Even at that distance, because of its great mass, it would wreak havoc on Earth. Imagine what a black hole or neutron star would do even from that distance; a dwarf star is almost as bad as a neutron star, not quite as massive, but massive enough.

A dwarf star, theoretically, can enter into a solar system without warning. It can also be a part of a solar system, revolving about the common star from a great distance like a comet, or it can be a travelling rogue star moving through intergalactic space, crashing its way into a solar system. And, of course, there is much prophecy, from Hildegarde's "great Comet" prophecy to the Wormwood prophecy found in the Book of Revelation, that warns that such an event will occur.

In regard to all of this, then, there are currently rumors surfacing of new predictions... a double earthquake forever changing the West Coast of America in March and May 2006... a killer tsunami burying NYC and parts of the East Coast in February 2007... destruction of Japan by earthquakes and volcanoes in 2007 and coming devastation for these countries of southern South America: Argentina and Chile, because of the collapse of the Antarctic shelf in 2009.

Will this be the "great earthquake" of Revelation -- the opening of the dreaded sixth seal -- that might now nearly be upon us? Is what we are now witnessing merely a prelude to a coming universal cataclysm?

The close encounter with asteroids... and and the increase in meteor bombardments that some predicted to begin in autumn 2003 has continued to escalate. Even as Rita was upgraded from a category 4 to a category 5 hurricane, a huge fireball was seen burning a trail in the sky over Florida as reported by hundreds of thousands of people. Nasa later admitted that this object may have been a small asteroid. What they did not report to most of the news media was that a catastrophic atmospheric blast occurred in the Southern Hemisphere at the very same time the fireball disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico. One official reportedly leaked the news that Earth's orbit is now in the beginning phase of entering into a debris field from an "unknown" cosmic source.

But we know what this "unknown cosmic source" really is, don't we? Within three years time, Planet X may finally arrive bringing death and destruction with it. Some have reported in visions of having also seen a black, obelisk-shaped asteroid travelling in tandem with it.

Reports also surfaced of a vision... a ball of fire in the sky -- not like the sun, but more like a fireball as the colour was closer to orange or a yellow-orange, not red. What was really weird about this fireball was that it was spinning wildly around like a top. The gases and fire seemed to whirl around at a rapid pace and it is reported that what looked like darker bands of smoke or flame were whirling around the object at an incredible rate of speed. Like a top, the fireball seemed to wobble in the sky as it spun. It was incredibly strange, and not unlike the reports during the famous Fatima vision.

Then, immediately after, something else was seen following... to the upper right of this whirling fireball, a much smaller black object came into view. It was not round, but oblong. It remained stationary even though the fireball was rapidly spinning. Perhaps the reason it could be seen at all was because the light of the fireball was bright enough to make it show up as black against the background. For some reason the vision seemed to indicate that we should fear not only the fireball, but the small black object near it as well. The impression was that this was an asteroid being pulled along with the spinning object.

Thoughts then appeared about things that were happening elsewhere in the world.... "memories" of things that were simultaneously occurring at the very time this object comes near. Indications were that there was a great war underway, but there was only a general sense of that along with specific images of victims of a terrible plague and famine thoughout the African continent and of a truly horrific catastrophe in Southern Asia.... nothing but dead bodies throughout what appeared to be India.

It is now the general consensus that neither Sedna nor the recently-discovered Xena are the long-awaited “Destroyer,” Planet X, which was also known to the ancients by many other names: Nibiru, Marduk, Rahab, Typhon, the winged orb, and others.

PREDICTION: Mother Shipton (early 16th century) ~

For storms will rage and oceans roar, when Gabriel stands on sea and shore, and as he blows his wondrous horn, old worlds die and new be born. A fiery dragon will cross the sky, six times before this earth shall die, mankind will tremble and frightened be, for the sixth heralds in this prophecy.

Are the astronomers at Nasa dropping hints by naming Xena's companion "Gabrielle," hinting that Planet “Xena” is really Planet X... “X” plus the added “ena” for Xena? Or are these last two discoveries, Sedna and Xena/Gabrielle merely preparation for the final revelation to come in the form of a third discovered "10th Planet" -- this time one that is dark red in colour, three to four times the size of Earth, and with an orbit of about 3600 years as revealed by Zacharia Sitchen in his research of the ancient Sumerians?

None of the prognosticators can positively date when this will all happen -- when "it" will finally be revealed. Some have projected a major comet for October 2007 and a July 2008 asteroid impact. Perhaps the asteroid in question will still be Toutatis, which may have its orbit perturbed by Planet X when it next swings by earth in 2008. Or perhaps it will be the oblong companion "Gabrielle." Even if first seen in October 2007, Planet X and its travelling companion will likely plague Earth throughout 2008.

Perhaps one could say the range of the absolute greatest destruction would run from July 2008 to October 2008, since the worst of World War III, as seen in another vision, with Russia/Iran invading Europe to be followed by total nuclear war between the US and Russia... perhaps occurring sometime between late August 2008 and September 2008. October 2008 would then bring about the predicted "three days of darkness."

PREDICTION: Alois Irlmaier (1950s) ~

During the war the big darkness comes, which lasts 72 hours. It will become dark at a day during the war. Then a hail impact, consisting of lightning and thunder, breaks out and an earthquake vibrates the Earth. Please do not go out of the house at that time. The lights do not burn, except candle light, the current stops. Who inhales the dust, gets a cramp and dies. Do not open the windows, cover it completely with black paper.

All open-standing water becomes poisonous and also all open-standing meals, which are not in locked doses. Also no meals in glasses, because they would not cover it up completely. Outside the death by dust goes around, many humans die. After 72 hours everything is over. But again: Do not go out of the house, do not look out of the windows, and keep the candle light burning. And pray. Overnight there will die more humans than in the two world wars before.

In the meantime, earth changes are only going to get worse... much worse. Next year will be the first of three years of apocalyptic earth changes which will bring about the splitting of the US into two parts by deluge, a West Coast "double quake" that will leave California as a small group of islands and possibly bring the ocean water all the way up to Utah and Nevada, the super-volcanic eruption of Yellowstone, the total submergence of Japan beneath the ocean, Argentina and Chile completely inundated, and two large asteroid impacts in the Aegean/Ionian seas and in the Atlantic Ocean... and more.

The recent “super-hurricanes,” including the second one, Rita, which strangely coincided with a massive fireball from outer space that passed over Florida and vanished in the ocean waters, are only the beginning. In a year's time, places unaccustomed to major earth changes will begin to experience them. In three years time there will be no place on the Earth to hide from the "wrath of God."

In any event, Planet X will become grimly and horrifically apparent in the daytime sky to everyone around July/August 2008 -- when World War III reaches its critical stage with a Russian-Iranian-led invasion of Central and Western Europe. For those who believe Planet X will fully arrive in all its terror when the Mayan calendar ends in December 2012, the above indications will only be 4 years off the mark. At any rate, about that timeperiod, either the asteroid Toutatis or the dark companion "Gabrielle" will come crashing to earth in late July 2008, impacting in the Aegean and Ionian seas according to some seers.

Sometime in September or October 2008 horrific global earth changes that will have been building for three years will reach their peak due to the passing of Planet X, including the "three days of darkness" found in much prophecy that may, or may not, be caused by a pole shift.

The pole shift, however, might not occur in 2008 because there is much evidence in current prophecy research that indicates such an event will not happen until the late 2030s or perhaps even in the year 2044. Therefore, Planet X must be currently "inbound" and will not become "outbound" and pass our Earth a second and final time until 2044 ... ironically, at the peak of yet another global war: World War IV.

PREDICTION: Mother Shipton (early 16th century) ~

Man flees in terror from the floods and kills, and rapes and lies in blood, and spilling blood by mankind's hands, will stain and bitter many lands. And when the dragon's tail is gone, Man forgets, and smiles, and carries on, to apply himself - too late, too late, for mankind has earned deserved fate. His masked smile - his false grandeur, will serve the Gods their anger stir. And they will send the Dragon back, to light the sky - his tail will crack, upon the earth and rend the earth, and man shall flee, King, Lord, and serf.

But slowly they are routed out, to seek diminishing water spout, and men will die of thirst before, the oceans rise to mount the shore. And lands will crack and rend anew, you think it strange. It will come true.

Fasten your seatbelts -- I’m afraid it will be a bit of a bumpy ride!!

Devoured By Death...

2005-10-10T13:00:00.000-06:00

Earthquake Death Toll Crosses 40,000

October 10, 2005

By Shahzad Raza
Pakistan Daily Times

* Balakot razed to the ground
* 11,000 dead in Muzaffarabad
* 30,000 dead in Kashmir, says minister
* Death toll in Held Kashmir reaches 689
* NWFP death toll may reach 7,500: Haq
* 850 schoolchildren trapped under rubble in NWFP

ISLAMABAD: The government on Sunday confirmed the death of over 19,000 people after a massive earthquake hit Pakistan a day earlier, but unofficial estimates put the death toll to over 40,000.

The worst-affected city was Muzzaffarbad, the capital of Kashmir, where 70 percent of the entire housing was destroyed by the earthquake. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told a press conference that the worst-hit areas were Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Mansehra and Balakot.

Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao told journalists after an emergency cabinet meeting that 11,000 people had died in Muzzaffarbad alone. “We are facing the worst-ever earthquake,” he said. “This is a test for the whole nation.” Sherpao put the death toll to 19,136 - 17,388 of them in Kashmir – and said that 42,397 were injured.

In NWFP (Northwest Frontier Province), 1,760 people had been killed and 1,797 injured, he said, while 11 had died and 83 were injured in Punjab. In the Northern Areas bordering China and Kashmir a further two people were killed and two injured, the interior minister said.

The interior minister said that 114 army personnel had lost their lives in Kashmir, while more than 200 had received injuries. At least 500 school children were killed in Muzaffarabad when the roofs of their classrooms collapsed.

The earthquake hit five districts in NWFP. “The death toll has reached 2,000 in the NWFP,” Inspector General of Police Riffat Pasha told Daily Times from Mansehra, the most devastated district in the province. By Saturday evening, the death toll was over 1,000 and NWFP Minister Sirajul Haq feared that it could reach 7,500 as “thousands of bodies are still under the debris”.

Pasha said that the rehabilitation of the affected people will take months. “The infrastructure has been badly damaged and the overall rehabilitation will need massive financial help,” he said.

Balakot, the tehsil headquarters of district Mansehra, has been completely razed to the ground and thousands of people are still buried under the debris.

Panic-stricken people and their families in Hazara have taken refuge in parks and open fields away from their homes. Torrential rain and hailstorm added to the miseries of the affected people.

In the Battagram district, wounded people were getting little medical treatment, since the only hospital had collapsed, a police official said.

Haq said that more than 25,000 tents were needed. “We have so far arranged 3,000 tents and the lack of tents is a great worry for us,” he told Daily Times.

NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani launched an appeal for international assistance to help the affected people in the province.

The Mansehra District Headquarters Hospital was packed with people injured from the quake, many of whom were put in tents.

In Garhi Habibullah, 200 bodies including 60 girl students of the Government Higher Secondary School have been recovered from the wreckage.

Agencies add: Among the countless tragic sights, perhaps the most pitiful was that of hundreds of parents using picks, shovels and their bare hands in a desperate attempt to reach 850 children trapped in the rubble of two schools in NWFP. The frightened voices of trapped children and the anguished wails of parents accompanied the frantic work in the Balakot valley.

“Save me, call my mother,” came the faint voice of a boy from the rubble of a government school in which residents said about 200 children were trapped.

More than 30,000 people, many of them students, died in Kashmir, said Tariq Farooq, communications minister for the region. “I have been informed by my department that more than 30,000 people have died in Kashmir,” he said. “Out of a population of 2.4 million, more than half is affected,” the communications minister said, apparently referring to those displaced, injured or killed. He said that 6,000 to 7,000 people were estimated to have died in Bagh and adjoining areas. “There are no survivors in villages like Jaglari, Kufalgarh, Harigal and Baniyali in the Bagh district,” Farooq said. “People have been devoured by death.”

He said that the death toll was likely to rise. “It’s a hilly area. They have not yet accessed villages in the mountains and the toll could rise up to 30,000,” said Farooq.

Fatalities included 215 army soldiers, with more than 400 injured, mostly in Kashmir.

Authorities in India reported that 689 people had died and more than 900 injured, while Afghanistan reported at least four deaths. “Information is now coming in from far off areas,” one official said from the frontier Kupwara town. “We have recovered 258 bodies so far, and 100 are wounded in the Karnah town.”

From: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_10-10-2005_pg1_1

Massive Earthquake As Devastation Continues...

2005-10-08T12:45:00.000-06:00

Massive Antipode Earthquakes in Asia and Americas Intensify Earth Core Instability as US Northwest Area Earthquakes Number in the Thousands and ‘ South Atlantic Anomaly’ Shows Signs of Growing

October 8, 2005

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Russian Subscribers

Russian Scientists are reporting today that Earth Core instabilities are increasing, and are evidenced by the massive Antipode earthquake events in Peru and Asia these past days.

Of the events in Asia we can read as reported by the United States Bloomberg News Service in their article titled "Pakistan, India Are Hit by 7.6 Magnitude Earthquake" and which says, "Pakistan and India were shaken by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake, one of the biggest to strike the region. Government officials in both countries said they fear widespread death and destruction."

This event followed by 11 days the massive event that occurred in the South American country of Peru, and as we can read as reported by the Associated Press News Service in their article titled " Powerful earthquake rocks northern Peru " and which says, "A powerful earthquake in northern Peru killed at least one person, destroyed about 100 homes and disrupted electricity and telephone service in much of the region, the civil defense chief said Monday. The 7.5-magnitude earthquake was felt throughout Peru's northern coast and as far away as Bogota Colombia, more than 700 miles to the north, and broke windows in towns in Ecuador."

To the significance of Asia and the Americas being the most important areas of the earth in monitoring core instabilities we had previously reported on in our March 28 th report titled “Earth’s Core ‘Mysteriously’ Shifts Causing near Simultaneous Antipodal Earthquakes in Central America, South America and Indonesia" and wherein we had stated:

“Russian scientists are reporting this evening that the Earth’s core has experienced a mysterious ‘shifting’ and for as yet unexplained reasons has caused near simultaneous earthquakes in both the countries of Indonesia and its antipodal counterparts of Panama, Venezuela and Nicaragua."

<<<<<< SNIP >>>>>>

"Much scientific speculation has been occurring since the Great Tsunami Event of 2004, and in which as reported by the United States Space Agency NASA, "NASA scientists using data from the Indonesian earthquake calculated it affected Earth's rotation, decreased the length of day, slightly changed the planet's shape, and shifted the North Pole by centimeters. The earthquake that created the huge tsunami also changed the Earth's rotation."

Towards the greater parts of this speculation we can see as written by the American scientist Dr. Walter Wishchey, who is the Director of the Science Museum of Virginia, and who in this article titled "Reversal of magnetic field under way?," says, "There are signs that reversal might be under way now the Earth's magnetic field is about 10 percent weaker than when first measured in the 1800s. In the April issue of Scientific American, Glatzmaier describes two recent satellite missions to study the Earth's magnetic field. The results show the field is quite uneven. This patchiness in the field strength may account in part for inherent instability."

<<<<<< SNIP >>>>>>

Russian Scientists further state in their reports that as these internal core instabilities increase, the weaker geological areas of the earth remain at the greatest danger, one of which is the Northwestern Regions of North America, and where increasing concerns are being raised due to a continuing series of earthquakes, numbering in the thousands per day, are being reported in the Idaho Region, and as we can read as reported by the KTVB News Service in their article titled “Recent earthquake activity raises concerns about Cascade Dam" and which says:

"After weeks of shaking, folks in Cascade say they're getting sick of feeling the earth move under their feet. There may be a greater concern than trinkets falling off shelves. Some Cascade residents say the thing they're most worried about is a dam built in 1948 and whether the structure can withstand shock after shock. But even though thousands of small earthquakes are still being recorded every day, officials who inspect the dam say they're not worried."

These reports also state that these events by themselves are but ‘part’ of a much larger, and catastrophic, ‘main event’ that the entire world is heading towards.

Not being understood by the Western peoples are the significances relating to the massive number, and increasing power, of the latest series of Super Storms ravaging our planet and their causing of earthquakes in the areas they most effect, and as we had previously reported on in our July 5th report titled “Massive Raising of Atlantic Ocean Bed Triggers Current Changes As North American Plate Pressures Build To ‘Unprecedented Levels’ Scientists Report" and wherein we had stated:

“But perhaps most ominous of all of these events has been the American Scientists recent confirming Russian research that details the effects of weather upon fault zones like New Madrid, and as we can read as reported by the New Scientist News Service in their report titled "Earth trembles as big winds move in" and which says:

"HURRICANES can trigger swarms of weak earthquakes and even set the Earth vibrating, according to the first study of such effects.When Hurricane Charley slammed into Florida in August 2004, physicist Randall Peters of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, had a seismometer ready to monitor any vibrations in the Earth's crust. He did so for over 36 hours as Charley travelled briefly over Florida, then slid back out into the Atlantic.

As the hurricane reached land, the seismometer recorded a series of "micro-tremors" from the Earth's crust. This happened again as the storm moved back out to sea. Then, as Charley grazed the continental shelf on its way out, it caused a sharp seismic spike. I suspect the storm triggered a subterranean landslide," says Peters.

"More surprisingly, the storm also caused the Earth to vibrate. The planet's surface in the vicinity of the hurricane started moving up and down at several frequencies ranging from 0.9 to 3 millihertz. Such low-frequency vibrations have been detected following large earthquakes, but this is the first time a storm has been found to be the cause."

Further evidence to support this research has been evidenced in these past weeks when the Regions of Central America and Taiwan were struck by the twin calamities of Massive Storms followed by Earthquakes, and as we can read:

As reported by the Washington Post News Service in their article titled "Flooded Central America Hit by Quake" and which says, "A moderate earthquake rocked Central America on Friday, causing the collapse of a rain-damaged highway bridge in Guatemala and sending thousands of frightened Salvadoran residents into the streets. The earthquake struck before residents had even begun to recover from the storms, which included Hurricane Stan's landfall Tuesday in Mexico's Gulf Coast state of Veracruz before it weakened into a tropical depression."

As reported by South Africa’s Mail and Guardian News Service in their article titled "Quake hits Taiwan as typhoon arrives" and which says, "A strong earthquake measuring 5,4 on the Richter scale rocked eastern Taiwan late on Saturday as the island braced for the impact of powerful Typhoon Longwang."

But to all of these events, the one causing the greatest concerns to Russian Scientists is the evidence that the mysterious ‘South American Anomaly’ is growing in size and appears to be ‘shifting’ towards the north. The United States MIT University states about this mysterious anomaly:

"Earth is surrounded by a close-to-spherical magnetic field, the magnetosphere. According to what we know today, it is being generated by dynamo action in the Earth's interior where conducting liquid metals are kept in motion by the forces of convection (heat exchange), coriolis , and gravitation, and just as the charged windings in the coil of a dynamo generate a magnetic field when moved, these masses create the Earth's magnetic field. Without it, our compasses wouldn't work, there would be no northern lights (auroras), and it protects us from space radiation by deflecting high energy particles from deep space or by capturing them in the so-called Van Allen Belts. Of these, discovered by the first US satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958, there are two, one closer, the other farther away, and both surround the Earth like a doughnut.

Unfortunately, at a certain location over the South Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, the shielding effect of the magnetosphere is not quite spherical but shows a "pothole", a dip, which scientists explain as a result of the eccentric displacement of the center of the magnetic field from the geographical center of the Earth (by 280 miles) as well as the displacement between the magnetic and geographic poles of Earth. For orbits tilted (inclined) between 35 and 60 degrees against Earth's equator and having altitudes of a few hundred miles, this oddity, called the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) becomes important, because spacecraft in those orbits periodically pass through that zone of reduced natural shielding and thus spend a few minutes during each passage exposed to higher particle flux than outside it. It requires higher shielding for the crew, particularly during spacewalks ( EVAs ), and is also of concern in the design of photovoltaic cells which are degraded faster by higher particle fluxes."

These disturbing changes to the South American Anomaly are speculated by Russian Scientists to have been caused by last months massive solar flares, and as we can read as reported by the British Scotsman News Service in their September 14th article titled "Solar flares hit radio and satellite services" and which says:

"Turmoil on the surface of the Sun is threatening the Earth with radio blackouts, grid overloads and satellite disruptions. At the centre of the storm is a giant sunspot which is blasting out solar flares charged with powerful X-rays. Energetic particles are pouring out, posing a risk to sensitive communication systems. Sunspot 798, which at its peak has been five times larger than the Earth, has produced seven huge X-class flares since 7 September. A solar flare is a massive explosion on the Sun that can release as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT. One on Wednesday last week was rated X-17 on a scale which measures the intensity of flares, making it the fourth biggest on record."

To the Western people being able to fully comprehend the totality, and interconnectedness, of this earth, and the solar system we are a part of, their Darwinian mindsets will not allow them; it is as if they believe that by removing even the smallest part of their body the rest would not be affected. To the danger of their not comprehending these events lies in their failing to prepare for the greater cataclysmic events soon to overtake them.

© October 8, 2005, EU and US all rights reserved.

From: http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index835.htm

<<<<<<ADDENDUM>>>>>>

Posted: October 9, 2005
11:20 p.m. Eastern

By Tom Ambrose
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

The U.S. Geological Survey has reported 23 aftershocks following Friday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Pakistan. What has gone largely unnoticed in recent media reports, however, is the unusual number and severity of those aftershocks.

According to the National Earthquake Information Center of the U.S. Geological Survey, 13 earthquakes ranging between 5.5 and 6.3 in magnitude on the Richter Scale have hit the already devastated and overwhelmed nation of Pakistan since Friday's temblor.

Though aftershocks are a normal part of earthquake activity, the number and severity following Friday's quake are unusual. WorldNetDaily reviewed the NEIC's earthquake data since March of this year and learned that only two remotely similar examples could be found.

Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, six quakes hit the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea, ranging between 5.5 and 6.5 on the Richter Scale. And on April 10, six quakes hit the Mentawai region of Indonesia, ranging between 5.5 and 6.8 in magnitude.

According to the NEIC, earthquakes of 5.5 magnitude or larger are generally considered a big earthquake.

The three largest-magnitude earthquakes recorded in recent history include a 9.5-magnitude quake in Chile on May 22, 1960; a 9.2-magnitude quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 27, 1964; and a 9.0-magnitude quake in Northern Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004.

Additionally, the U.S. Geological Survey data indicates earthquake occurrences are increasing. In 2000, there were 22,256 recorded earthquakes worldwide. That number has steadily increased to 31,199 earthquakes in 2004.

Extraordinary Solar and Lunar Eclipses

2005-10-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

Extraordinary Solar and Lunar Eclipses during Islam Holy Month Signals Total World War As Muslim Faithful Await the Mahdi and United States Prepares for Final Battle for Survival

October 6, 2005

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Russian Subscribers

As the Western World reels from the continued financial impact from the seemingly never ending storms hitting the Americas, Europe and Asia, and likewise are preparing for the total collapse of the entire world’s economic system due to the raging Bird Flu Pandemic, the most momentous event of this new century is occurring right over their heads, yet the vast majority of these Westerners do not even know what they are seeing….this is not true however for the over 1 billion Muslim faithful, and who with this months Solar and Lunar Eclipses during their Holiest Month of Ramadan are awaiting the Rising of the Great Mahdi.

On October 3rd the Sun was eclipsed by the Moon, On October 17th the Earth will come between the Sun and the Moon creating a Lunar eclipse, and to which the faithful of Islam state:

"The solar and lunar eclipses occurring during Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib’s lifetime were great heavenly signs, prophesied in the history of Islam and other religions. Both, the lunar and solar eclipses, occurred in the holy Islamic month of Ramazan (that fell in the months of March and April in the year 1894 A.D.). The lunar eclipse occurred on the 13th of Ramazan (or 20th March 1894) and the solar eclipse occurred on the 28th of Ramazan (or 6th April 1894). This was a unique phenomenon, because never before, in the history of the universe, had both eclipses fallen within the same lunar month. After occurring in the East, the same phenomenon occurred in the West, in the month of Ramazan falling in the year 1895 A.D.

This sign of the Double Occultation of the sun and the moon can be traced as far back as the Old Testament. Speaking of the "Second Coming of the Lord", it says, "the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine" (Isaiah, 13:10). Similarly we read: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven." (St. Matthew, 24:39)."

Astronomers turned every leaf of their dusty record in vain, for not a single similar instance they could find ever since this world came into existence.”

Though the term Mahdi is practically unknown to the Western people, its significance to the World’s Muslims can not be underestimated, as once again the Religion of Islam finds itself under unrelenting attacks by the Axis Powers of the West, and in a war that they believe, should they lose, will annihilate them from the face of the earth. And though the various sects of Islam diverge as to the meaning of the Mahdi, their belief in a Military Savior arising to battle their enemies is currently consuming their very souls.

“The Arabic term "Mahdi" is best translated with "divinely guided one". The main principle of the Mahdi is that he is a figure that is absolutely guided by God. This guidance is stronger form of guidance than normal guidance, which usually involves a human being willfully acting according to the guidance of God. The Mahdi on the other hand, has nothing of this human element, and his acts will be in complete accordance to God's will.

The figure of Mahdi, and his mission, is not mentioned in the Koran, and there ar e practically nothing to be found among the reliable hadiths on him either. The idea of the mahd iappears to be a development in the first 2-3 centuries of Islam. In the case of the Shi'i Mahdi many scholars have suggested that there is a clear inspiration coming from the Messiah-figure of Christianity and its ideas of a judgement day in the hands of a religious renewer .

While there are many similarities between the Mahdi and Messias , there are also many variations over the Mahdi theme, which have differed from time to time and from region to region. "Mahdi" has been frequently used for military leaders, both when defining a future leader who would come and free suppressed Muslims, as well as leaders that appeared in flesh and blood.”

Not since the times of the Crusades have the Muslim Nations faced the threat of total annihilation, and against an enemy who has devoted itself to ‘decades of war’, and as we can read as reported by the BBC News Service in their article tilted “ Cheney warns of 'decades of war' and which says, "US Vice-President Dick Cheney has said that the US must be prepared to fight the war on terror for decades. Addressing US military personnel, he said that the only way terrorists would win was if the US lost its nerve and abandoned Iraq and the Middle East."

>>>>>> snip <<<<<<

As the United States continues the fight for its very survival the American people themselves remain blindingly ignorant of how dire their situation is growing, and though known by their Military Leaders, these events are not allowed to be broadcast by their Media Organs to the masses themselves.

And perhaps one the strongest messages of warning the masses of these Western people have not heard could also be the one they should know by heart, and as we can read as reported by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs News Service in their article titled " Osama bin Laden’s Mandate for Nuclear Terror " and which says:

"An Islamic religious ruling that had been kept from the public for a year-and-a-half granted Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders permission to use nuclear, biological or chemical weapons against the United States and its allies. The existence of the ruling, or fatwa, was revealed by Michael Scheuer , a former Central Intelligence Agency officer who headed the agency’s Bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999 during the course of a November 14 broadcast of the CBS news show Sixty Minutes. The fatwa was issued by a prominent Saudi cleric on May 21, 2003, and is an ominous sign that bin Laden and al Qaeda no longer accept moral or religious values obstructing the use of weapons of mass destruction."

Tonight the world no longer stands at the abyss….Tonight we have truly plunged into it.

© October 6, 2005, EU and US all rights reserved.

From: http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index834.htm

<<<<<< AND >>>>>>

Bush: Militants Seek to Intimidate World

Oct 06 11:37 AM US/Eastern

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

President Bush, trying to reverse a slide in public support for the war in Iraq, said Thursday that Islamic radicals are seeking to "enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," and called that a prime reason not to cut and run in Iraq.

"There's always a temptation in the middle of a long struggle to seek the quiet life, to escape the duties and problems of the world and to hope the enemy grows weary of fanaticism and tired of murder," he said, seeking to address calls from anti-war activists for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

In a speech before the National Endowment for Democracy, Bush said Islamic militants have made Iraq their main front in a war against civilized society.

"The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," Bush said.

The president has been stepping up his defense of his Iraq policy in the face of declining public support for the war and a crucial test in Iraq with the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum.

Bush likened the ideology of Islamic militants to communism. And he said they are being "aided by elements of the Arab news media that incites hatred and anti-Semitism."

"Against such an enemy, there's only one effective response: We never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory," Bush declared.

He spoke as recent polls show declining American support for the war that has thus far claimed more than 1,940 members of the U.S. military. His Iraq policy faces a crucial test in Iraq's Oct. 15 referendum on a new constitution, a vote that Bush has said terrorists will try to derail.

"We are facing a radical ideology with immeasurable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," Bush said.

>>>>>> snip <<<<<<

For the rest of this article, see:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/06/D8D2K9FO2.html

Is The "Mayan 2012" Date Proving To Be Scientifically Accurate?

2005-09-27T11:30:00.000-06:00

Terrestrial polar reversal accelerating electromagnetic influence on cyclones, volcanoes and earthquakes

India Daily Technology Team

Sep. 24, 2005

It is evident now that increasing number and intensities in cyclones, volcanoes and earthquakes all over the world are caused by the electromagnetic influence of the terrestrial polar reversal.

In the last four months the earth experienced the largest three earthquakes in the last two hundred years. The under water volcanoes and earthquakes have gone up 88% over the last three years. The continental earthquakes have gone up by 62% during the same time frame. The rate of increase of these earthquakes and volcanoes when drawn against time is staggering.

Some scientists are now afraid that we are moving towards 2012 with ticking time bomb under us. Something catastrophic like the lost world of Atlantis can repeat.

A computer model monitoring the recent seismic disturbances – earthquakes and volcanoes show extreme disturbance in the outer and inner core of the earth. The interaction of the inner core and the rest of the earth cause the electromagnetic properties of the earth. The ongoing polar reversal is accelerating and will eventually have reverse polarity in North and South pole. According to the simulation model, the earth’s inner core and outer core is going through some serious disturbances. That in turn is influencing the viscous semi fluid mantle. When that happens, the convection within mantle increases substantially. That is also influenced by solar polar reversal. In our modern age we have not experienced a simultaneous solar and terrestrial polar reversal. Between now and 2012, these disturbances will keep increasing making earth’s crust and tectonic plates very disturbed causing severe volcanoes and earthquakes.

The earth’s inside, according to scientists consists of an inner core, an outer core, a lower mantle and an outer mantle. Earth's interior is layered something like the inside of a peach. The "pit" at the center of Earth is called the "core". It is made mostly of iron, some nickel, and about 10 to 15% of a less dense material, probably silicon, oxygen, or sulfur. The core itself is made of two concentric pieces, a solid inner core and a liquid outer core. The large zone corresponding to the flesh of the peach is called the "mantle". It is made mostly of rocky minerals with names like olivine, pyroxene, quartz, and periclase. (Any good book on geology or mineralogy will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about these minerals.) Almost all rocks are made of silicon and oxygen mixed with other elements such as calcium, aluminum, and iron. Mantle rock contains particularly large amounts of iron and magnesium. The mantle is also divided into two solid parts, the lower mantle and the upper mantle. This division in the mantle may be due to small differences in the amounts of iron and magnesium or to differences in the nearness of atoms to each other. (As an analog, think of a piece of Styrofoam. If you crush it, the particles inside move closer together because you have closed the tiny open spaces inside, but it is still made of Styrofoam.)

From: http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/4695.asp

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Forecasts warn major hurricane likely in October

Though late-season storms normally head for Florida, scientists won't rule out another hit on the Gulf Coast.

By Usha Lee McFarling - Los Angeles Times

Posted September 28 2005, 9:36 AM EDT

Meteorologists examining the conditions that spawned hurricanes Rita and Katrina say there is a strong likelihood that another intense hurricane will occur in October.

And while late-season storms tend to track eastward toward Florida or don't make landfall at all, the experts don't rule out the possibility of another major storm targeting the battered Gulf Coast.

Researchers also warn that the country should brace for 10 to 40 more years of powerful storms because of a natural ocean cycle in the midst of the most active hurricane period on record.

"This has been the seventh hyperactive year since 1995," Stan Goldenberg, a meteorologist with the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said this month. "Not every year is going to be like this one, but there's going to be plenty of active years to come."

The hurricane season does not end until Nov. 30, and a forecast group is predicting that October will see two hurricanes, one of them reaching Category 3, 4 or 5. The chance of that storm making landfall in the United States is estimated at 21%, said Philip J. Klotzbach, a member of the tropical storm forecasting team led by William M. Gray of Colorado State University.

Klotzbach's forecast does not address where hurricanes make landfall or whether the Gulf Coast could be hit again. "It's a tricky business tracking where these storms are going to go," he said. "That's governed a lot more by day-to-day weather."

Goldenberg said he "would not be surprised" if the Gulf Coast was hit again, because the same conditions that nudged Rita and Katrina toward the region are in place. Goldenberg, who helps develop NOAA's early-season forecasts, said he expected at least one to three more storms, including a major hurricane. Hurricane forecasters have their eye on a weather disturbance in the tropics that "could be Hurricane Stan," he added.

"This season is not over," said Goldenberg, whose Florida home was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. "If I was in the Gulf Coast right now, I'd prepare. Even a tropical storm could do a lot of damage."

Historical patterns show it would be unusual but not impossible for the Gulf Coast to be hit with a major October storm. In the fall, most tropical storms that form near the Bahamas, as Rita and Katrina did, are steered north by weather patterns that deflect them harmlessly out to sea, toward the Bahamas or either coast of Florida, said Christopher W. Landsea, a hurricane researcher with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

"Texas and Louisiana are at much less risk later in the season," he said.

The Colorado State team bases its forecast on an amalgam of pressures, wind speeds and ocean temperatures from around the globe. The weather experts also rely on a simple rule: "When September is active, October tends to be active," Klotzbach said.

Peak hurricane activity ends by Oct. 10, according to the National Hurricane Center, but big storms can occur later in the season. Hurricane Mitch, a Category 5 storm, caused an estimated 9,000 deaths and left 9,000 people missing when it struck Central America in late October 1998; it hit southern Florida as a tropical storm on Nov. 5 and caused an estimated $40 million in damage.

Even Atlantic hurricanes that morph into monsters, like Katrina, start out as weaklings: mere waves in the atmosphere or feeble weather systems trailing small rainstorms as they drift west across the ocean.

When they hit deep, warm pockets of water, moist ocean air is pulled upward, condensing into clouds and cooling. This movement of air produces gusty winds and thunderstorms. The energy released by the rain is then pumped back up into the clouds, making them rise taller, spin faster and grow into the large cyclonic systems that have become so familiar in recent weeks.

Large patches of warm water are needed to sustain and strengthen hurricanes. The area also must be free of wind shear -- differences in wind speeds at high and low levels of the atmosphere -- which can shred the storm.

Forecasters say the most dreaded storms are "Cape Verde hurricanes." These storms, which begin as atmospheric disturbances flowing off western Africa, form near Cape Verde and often grow massive as they travel across the Atlantic, unimpeded by dry land or cool water. Cape Verde hurricanes usually account for a season's most intense storms; 85% of major Atlantic hurricanes have been of this type.

What was unusual about Rita and Katrina was that they formed close to U.S. shores, near the Bahamas. This means they did not have much time to grow powerful before first hitting land. Both storms swelled to Category 5 in the Gulf of Mexico, where waters are 2 to 3 degrees warmer than normal.

Gerry Bell, the lead scientist for NOAA's hurricane forecast program, said large-scale weather patterns, including a high-pressure system off the eastern United States, created an area of favorable hurricane formation farther west this year. Once the storms formed off the Bahamas, weather patterns that act as "steering currents" pushed them farther west into the Gulf of Mexico and toward Texas and Louisiana. "They really had nowhere else to go," Bell said.

"We saw a similar thing last year when several hurricanes hit Florida," he said. "That was the same thing: a focused steering current."

Bell and fellow forecasters predict that ferocious storms will occur for the next several decades.

They cite a natural ocean cycle called the Atlantic Multi-Decadal scale, which causes weather in the tropical Atlantic to seesaw between cool, windy phases and warm periods with slack winds, spawning frequent, strong hurricanes.

These phases are driven by two massive weather patterns that control monsoon rains over the Amazon and Africa, said Bell.

The continent-sized patterns last for decades and "are so dominant, they control ocean temperature and wind conditions," Bell said.

The historical record shows an active hurricane period during the 1950s and '60s and a lull between 1970 and 1994. Since 1995, hurricane activity has once again been high.

"This is a long-term, active hurricane era," Bell said.

The active period coincides with a global rise in sea temperatures of about 1 degree -- a change most scientists attribute to global warming caused by mankind's production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

Whether global warming is contributing to stronger hurricanes is a subject of intense debate within the scientific community.

Experts on both sides of the debate agree that it will take years to determine what effect global warming may have on future hurricanes.

In the meantime, they are bracing for more storms.

From: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/
sfl-928hurricaneforecast,0,1417049.story?coll=sfla-news-sfla

Live From New York...

2005-09-16T16:40:00.000-06:00

Living in Mazatlan sometimes brings with it some very interesting surprizes. I was sitting in one of the newer watering holes near the Plaza Machado called Tertulia the other afternoon when in walk a couple of people who were kind of "casing the place" one might say.

The came over to where I was sitting and asked if I lived here to which I answered "Yes" and they then said that they had just arrived in Mazatlan and had a couple of questions. We subsequently struck up a friendly conversation and after a short while, they sat down and we had a couple of beers. A couple of Pacificos always helps to bring about a relaxing atmosphere where true friendship can blossom.

Well, I have to confess that these folks are not your average tourists. No they are full of bright, young ideas, and are both very smart, knowledgeable and were just a genuine pleasure to talk with.

His name is Clark Saturn and he has a video blog which I think is powered by the same people where this one resides. You can find it at the following url: http://zipzapzop.com. Now, being sort of new to this blogospheric realm, I must confess that I had not heard of a video blog, but sure enough, I checked it out and there it was.

His wife Seema is Indian-American (as opposed to American-Indian) whose parents still live in India. What a delightful woman she is. They live in Brooklyn and she is an interior decorator and he is a teacher and digital guru.

I consider myself fortunate to have run into them that afternoon, and last evening, on the eve of Independence Day here in Mexico, we again got together and further cemented our budding friendship. All I have to say is that there are really wonderful people out there like Seema and Clark, and once in a while, we are fortunate enough to connect with them and our lives are better off for having done so.

Introducing... Seema and Clark.

HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK

2005-09-10T14:00:00.000-06:00

My intention is that this will be my last posting of information about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. I just thought that this summation of the past couple of weeks pretty much tells the story, at least as I see it, and probably more succinctly than I might have. In time, the truth of this disaster will be known to everyone who is willing to understand it and then accept it as such.

Jesus is supposed to have said: "He who has eyes to see, let him see. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And so it is...

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Posted By: LadyM at RMN
Date: Saturday, 10 September 2005, 11:04 a.m.

The following is the most accurate account I have found of what really happened in New Orleans...

In case you aren't familiar with how our government is SUPPOSED to work: The chain of responsibility for the protection of the citizens in New Orleans is:

1. The Mayor
2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security (a political appointee of the Governor who reports to the Governor)
3. The Governor
4. The Head of Homeland Security
5. The President

What did each do?

1.The mayor, with 5 days advance, waited until 2 days before he announced a mandatory evacuation (at the behest of the President). Then he failed to provide transportation for those without transport even though he had hundreds of buses at his disposal.

2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security failed to have any plan for a contingency that has been talked about for 50 years. Then he blames the Feds for not doing what he should have done. (So much for political appointees)

3. The Governor, despite a declaration of disaster by the President 2 DAYS BEFORE the storm hit, failed to take advantage of the offer of Federal troops and aid until 2 DAYS AFTER the storm hit.

4. The Director of Homeland Security positioned assets in the area to be ready when the Governor called for them.

5. The President urged a mandatory evacuation, and even declared a disaster State of Emergency, freeing up millions of dollars of federal assistance, should the Governor decide to use it.

Oh and by the way, the levees that broke were the responsibility of the local landowners and the local levee board to maintain, NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

The disaster in New Orleans is what you get after decades of corrupt (democrat) government going all the way back to Huey Long.

Funds for disaster protection and relief have been flowing into this city for decades, and where has it gone, but into the pockets of the politicos and their friends. Decades of socialist government in New Orleans has sapped all self reliance from the community, and made them dependent upon government for every little thing.

Political correctness and a lack of will to fight crime have created the single most corrupt police force in the country, and has permitted gang violence to flourish.

The sad thing is that there are many poor folks who have suffered and died needlessly because those that they voted into office failed them.

For those who missed item 5 (where the President's level of accountability is discussed), it is made more clear in a New Orleans Times-Picayune article dated August 28:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.

Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, The city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome.

The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already canceled all flights.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.

The ball was placed in Mayor Nagin's court to carry out the evacuation order. With 5-day heads-up, he had the authority to use any and all services to evacuate all residents from the city, as documented in a city emergency preparedness plan. By waiting until the last minute, and failing to make full use of resources available within city limits, Nagin and his administration messed up.

Mayor Nagin and his emergency sidekick Terry Ebbert have displayed lethal, mind boggling incompetence before, during and after Katrina.

As for Mayor Nagin, he and his profile in pathetic leadership police chief should resign. That city's government is incompetent from one end to the other. The people of New Orleans deserve better than this crowd of clowns is capable of giving them.

If you're keeping track, these boobs let 569 buses that could have carried 33,350 people out of New Orleans-in one trip-get ruined in the floods. Whatever plan these guys had, it was a dud. Or it probably would have been if they'd bothered to follow it.

As for all the race-baiting rhetoric and Bush-bashing coming from prominent blacks on the left, don't expect Ray Nagin to be called out on the carpet for falling short. You want to know why? Here's why:

It's more convenient to blame a white president for what went wrong than to hold a black mayor and his administration accountable for gross negligence and failing to fully carry out an established emergency preparedness plan.

To hold Nagin and his administration accountable for dropping the ball amounts to letting loose the shouts and cries of "Racism!". It's sad, it's wrong, but it's standard operating procedure for the media and left-wing black leadership.

Some more Comments from UNREPORTED NEWS

On Friday night before the storm hit Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented action of calling Nagin and Blanco personally to plead with them to begin MANDATORY evacuation of NO and they said they'd take it under consideration. This was after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south had recorded 68' waves before it was destroyed.

President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in meetings with his advisors and administrators drafting all of the paperwork required for a state to request federal assistance (and not be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact the Insurgency Act). Just before midnight Friday evening the President called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign the request papers so the federal government and the military could legally begin mobilization and call up. He was told that they didn't think it necessary for the federal government to be involved yet. After the President's final call to the governor she held meetings with her staff to discuss the political ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was decided that if they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they had failed so it was agreed upon that the feds would not be invited in.

Saturday before the storm hit the President again called Blanco and Nagin requesting they please sign the papers requesting federal assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and begin mandatory evacuation.

After a personal plea from the President Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action. In frustration the President declared the area a national disaster area before the state of Louisiana did so he could legally begin some advanced preparations. Rumor has it that the President's legal advisers were looking into the ramifications of using the insurgency act to bypass the Constitutional requirement that a state request federal aid before the federal government can move into state with troops - but that had not been done since 1906 and the Constitutionality of it was called into question to use before the disaster.

Throw in that over half the federal aid of the past decade to NO for levee construction, maintenance, and repair was diverted to fund a marina and support the gambling ships. Toss in the investigation that will look into why the emergency preparedness plan submitted to the federal government for funding and published on the city's website was never implemented and in fact may have been bogus for the purpose of gaining additional federal funding as we now learn that the organizations identified in the plan were never contacted or coordinating into any planning - though the document implies that they were.

The suffering people of NO need to be asking some hard questions as do we all, but they better start with why Blanco refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid pack activation documents until Wednesday which further delayed the legal deployment of National Guard from adjoining states. Or maybe ask why Nagin keeps harping that the President should have commandeered 500 Greyhound busses to help him when according to his own emergency plan and documents he claimed to have over 500 busses at his disposal to use between the local school busses and the city transportation busses - but he never raised a finger to prepare them or activate them.

This is a sad time for all of us to see that a major city has all but been destroyed and thousands of people have died with hundreds of thousands more suffering, but it's certainly not a time for people to be pointing fingers and trying to find a bigger dog to blame for local corruption and incompetence.

Pray to God for the survivors that they can start their lives anew as fast as possible and we learn from all the mistakes to avoid them in the future.

From: http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=78353

AND... A few paragraphs from another post at RMN:

NEW ORLEANS: IT IS TIME TO GET REAL

Posted By: Ghostwolfemoon At RMN
Date: Saturday, 10 September 2005, 2:29 p.m.

Now to reality…

Anyone who thinks for one moment New Orleans can or even should be rebuilt is silly minded. It is simply not rational to even go there. Think for a moment, all homes and businesses will have to be completely torn down and the trash hauled off and disposed of somehow. Why you ask? Brick, cinder blocks, wood, and even concrete absorbs liquids. The dirt absorbs liquids. Right now the water is contaminated with week old human remains, animal remains, pollution from the oil and chemical industry that abounds in the area, sewage, and who can even imagine what else. Virtually everything capable of absorbing liquids is saturated and there is no way, repeat NO WAY to ever get the extremely dangerous contaminants out. NO FLIPPIN WAY!

Where can you even haul the wreckage? Where would be a safe place to bury the millions upon millions of tons of these homes and businesses that are contaminated beyond hope of cleaning? Even if they tried to clean up the mess, it would take years and tens of thousands of workers in protective suits and possibly even self contained breathing apparatus.

All the deadly mixture is being pumped into Lake Ponchartrain which will render that huge body of water extremely deadly for hundreds if not tens of thousands of years. Then, sooner or later, this Frankenstein mixture of death will get into the Gulf of Mexico by natural means or another devastating hurricane that sweeps a major water rise into the area.

Now we get into the fact that Bush Light warned the mayor to evacuate and plans for such a move have been in place for years, yet nothing was done. All the school buses and mass transit busses are ruined instead of being used to help the helpless get out. The action of the officials from the mayor to the states governor defines incompetence in a new way. There is no excuse for such a failure to act to protect the public. The magnitude of death in the flood waters in all probability almost equal the disaster of America using Depleted Uranium in Iraq. New Orleans is DEAD! We will see the fall out for years to come of so many people being exposed to this death soup that has flooded the area.

From: http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=78357

Is The Mainstream Media Lying?

2005-09-09T15:10:00.000-06:00

KATRINA and the MEDIA COVER-UP by FORGING STORIES to destroy America...

A NoDNC.com staff report...

From: http://www.nodnc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=367

On nearly every news channel the drumbeat against the delay in Federal Intervention is mind-numbing. The disaster warranted drastic action, but what is appropriate? Do we want a Federal Republic of States or a National Government? And what's the difference?

The national media and the democrats display a passionate hatred for the American Constitutional design of a Federal Republic of States. In a Federal Republic of States, Governors have tremendous power rather than being just administrators for a National Government. So much power that in massive disasters like Katrina, the Federal government can't just come in and take charge without some legitimate legal authority. The Federal Government must be INVITED into a state by the relevant law enforcement officials.

The alphabet soup media wing (of the democratic party) is intentionally deceiving the American public about the delays in federal help; they were caused by Louisiana's Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D). For many thousands of the dead, the Governor of the State of Louisiana decided that she didn't want Federal intervention. This is one of the pitfalls of a Federal Republic of States. The Governor simply avoided help for PURE PARTISAN POLITICAL REASONS, even with thousands dying. And a willingly deceptive media propaganda machine are working overtime to try to hide the democrat failures from the American public. In fact, just like Dan Rather's CBS forged documents to attack Bush, the alphabet soup media outlets are FORGING STORIES FOR THE DEMOCRATS TO DECEIVE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC!

As Fox News reported after doing a careful investigation (instead of engaging in forged democrat media spin) Governor Blanco (D) strongly suspected NEW ORLEANS WAS GOING TO BE A MASSIVE DISASTER AREA BY ASKING THE FEDS TO DECLARE A DISASTER TWO DAYS AHEAD OF THE STORM! O'Reilly notes:

Now Governor Blanco also made major mistakes. After asking and getting the federal government to declare the hurricane zone a disaster area two days before the storm hit, the governor failed to send any National Guard troops in to secure New Orleans and the surrounding parishes before the storm. Why?

She also failed to ask for more troops from the feds, knowing she only had about 6,000 to control the city of 1.3 million. Why not ask for more?

Like the mayor, Governor Blanco has no explanation. Surely she knew the potential for chaos. Why not send the Guard in immediately?

Then when the levees were breached, the Guard found itself unable to get into New Orleans. They're outside. It was not until Wednesday, August 31st, three days after the storm hit, that Blanco admitted she didn't have enough security in the city.

What Really Happened in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina? Bill O'Reilly, Fox News; Wednesday, September 07, 2005.

Recently on CNN, before their “blame Bush” rants, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D), the governor admitted she decided to stop President Bush, and to STOP the Federal Government from being able to help in this disaster. While it is a tacit admission, it is certainly an admission that the Democrat Governor made a conscious decision to use the State’s National Guard Troops and to KEEP BUSH AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE SITUATION!

Amazingly, the Democrat MAYOR of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, said that the Governor had been offered “two options, I was ready to move today, the Governor said she needed 24 hours to make a decision.”

Soledad O’Brien (CNN Correspondent): Coming to terms meaning that you rejected after that 24 hour window that you… didn’t have any interest in federalizing the troops or turning power over to the President. Why not hand it over madam governor when the first five days, and I think that meeting was on Friday [September 2], the first several days of the recovery were clearly disastrous…
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D): The first five days of the recovery were heroic, we had, we were the people who took control. The National Guard took control of the city, brought order out of chaos, because we have law enforcement authority, the Federal troops do not. I was very concerned about giving up law enforcement authority. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco defends her state's response to Hurricane Katrina. (Sept. 6) - CNN (video feed with a commercial first)

After this unbelievable admission, and with some LEADING QUESTIONS from the interviewer, the Governor and former FEMA director got back on message with their blaming of the Federal government. CNN's Soledad O'Brien, rather than pressing on one of the largest stories ever, helped to distract from the major issue, that the Democrat Governor was directly responsible for the stupid decisions that likely cost thousands of lives.

To demonstrate just how sick the Hollywood controlled Alphabet Soup media machine, it takes an Australian paper to report the FACTS that the democrat media machine is completely aware of:

Facts? Who wants them when there's this chance to vilify George W. Bush?... It seems that telling the truth is now bad manners.

...Ray Nagin, delayed calling a mandatory evacuation of his flood-prone city until just 24 hours before Katrina hit, and only after Bush rang to urge him to get cracking.

Nor did Nagin use the city's buses to get out around 90,000 of the poorest or sickest residents. And the 50,000 who crammed into the city's Superdome and convention centre found little food and water there, and no chemical toilets -- all Nagin's responsibility.

Meanwhile the state's Democrat Governor refused at first to crack down on looters who were shooting at rescuers, and asked for a day to decide whether to accept Bush's offers of help.

Bad enough? Now we learn a third of Nagin's police have deserted, and he's sending the rest to Las Vegas and Atlanta for a five-day break, with expenses.

And remember all those victims in the Superdome, screaming for food and water? That suffering that proved Bush had failed?

The American Red Cross says it tried to bring in supplies to them soon after the hurricane hit, but was blocked by state officials.

It explained: "The (Louisiana) state Homeland Security Department had requested -- and continues to request -- that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane.

"Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city."

Yes, that suffering you saw was deliberately caused by the Democrat state administration to starve the poor out of New Orleans. So explain to me again why Bush is to blame...

Bush still not to blame. Andrew Bolt, The Herald Sun. September 9, 2005

The Washington Post, with its liberal slant, sandwiched the truth in between its "blame Bush" coverage as well:

Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.

The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly.

A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor.

Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.

"The federal government stands ready to work with state and local officials to secure New Orleans and the state of Louisiana," White House spokesman Dan Bartlett said. "The president will not let any form of bureaucracy get in the way of protecting the citizens of Louisiana."

Blanco made two moves Saturday that protected her independence from the federal government: She created a philanthropic fund for the state's victims and hired James Lee Witt, Federal Emergency Management Agency director in the Clinton administration, to advise her on the relief effort.

In a Washington briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said one reason federal assets were not used more quickly was "because our constitutional system really places the primary authority in each state with the governor." Many Evacuated, but Thousands Still Waiting - White House Shifts Blame to State and Local Officials. The Washington Post, Sunday, September 4, 2005; Page A01 (for a Saturday, September 3, 2005 story).

It is very clear that Americans must turn off the Alphabet Soup media outlets. The only thing anyone will get from them are carefully scripted, anti-Conservative, anti-American, anti-Republican, centralized government rants. The alphabet soup media machine gives lots of airtime to the shrieking lunatic Nancy Pelosi to attack the President! Pelosi has got to be one of the most out of control democrat maniacs the country has ever seen...

Always remember, every story, every appearance, every word spoken, and all of the content you see on the alphabet soup networks is carefully selected and screened by producers to ensure that the public only receives the message they want you to receive. No matter how "natural" it looks, these are Hollywood style production studios which carefully craft the democrat message.

One of the shortcomings of America's Federal Republic of States is that it is based on distributed power and control. As a result, disasters like those created by incompetent Governors such as Kathleen Blanco (D) are an example.

In contrast, in a National Government, the government would have just come in, taken over, brought in troops and resources and gone to work immediately. That is one small component of how a National Government works. But, the world's most brutal, ruthless, and bloody regimes were National Governments. All Communist governments are National Governments no matter what they call themselves.

In a National Government there is no balance of power, the National Government is all powerful and supreme. Its dictates have no respect for any other authority. National Governments are based on tyranny. The bloody fascist - communist dictator Mussolini said it best "the trains run on time," if they didn't, the conductors were shot in the head. I have absolutely no doubt that Mussolini would have had the Katrina situation under control within hours--, anyone that didn't work like a well-oiled machine would have been shot in the head, anyone that didn't evacuate would have been shot in the head... Fascism (centralized, all powerful National Government) is what the alphabet soup media and the democrats are shrieking that they want.

The constant media drumbeats about the failures that caused these deaths are carefully designed to distract from the DISASTER CAUSED BY GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO (D) of Louisiana. With the exception of Fox News, all of the other media stations are parading out their democrat shills to shriek propaganda to hide the real failures, the failures of power hungry politicians like Blanco, Pelosi, Clinton, Reid, and others who will do anything to regain power. They will stoop to any level, no matter how deceptive, no matter how vile, no matter how trashy, no matter what. Because to a National SOCIALIST , POWER is all that matters!

Spectacular 'Ramadan Offensive' ?

2005-09-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

Bin Laden plans for terrorist strikes against U.S.,
Europe next month

September 8, 2005
By Joseph Farah
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – Raising new concerns about the use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists, al-Qaida is planning spectacular attacks next month against the U.S., Russia and Europe in what it is calling the "Great Ramadan Offensive."

The offensive, designed to overshadow the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon, was first referenced in a May 30 letter written by al-Qaida's Iraq commander Abu Musab Zarqawi to Osama bin Laden. It is the subject of a report written by terrorism expert Yossef Bodansky, the former director of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, to government officials.

Ramadan, the holiest period in the Muslim calendar, begins Oct. 4 this year and lasts a month.

Zarqawi characterizes the attacks as a "fateful confrontation" with the U.S. and Israel.

Airports in Italy and the Netherlands are referenced as specific potential targets, and Italy is already on high alert for possible terrorist attacks.

A Zarqawi operative named Abu Abdul Rahman al-Jazaeri is considered a key figure in the planned Italy attacks. He is believed to be in the country, but eluding authorities.

Details of the operation came from intercepted communications between top al-Qaida leaders about two weeks ago.

"I think that the plan for the next stage that was drawn up has reached you or is on its way to you," said Zarqawi's letter to bin Laden. "O God. Make the expedition of Osama proceed toward its goal ... We await your orders as to the next stage of the plan."

Bodansky says plans for attacks against Europe are being finalized in the Balkans, while preparations for attacks on Russia are being completed in Chechnya. Attack plans against the U.S. are being directed from the tri-border area in Latin America.

He also concludes that al-Qaida leaders have interpreted the devastation of the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina as a sign that Allah is pleased with their plans.

The alarming report comes weeks after WND and G2 Bulletin broke a series of stories on al-Qaida's "American Hiroshima" plan – 10 years in the design stages – to detonate one or more nuclear weapons in major cities in the U.S.

Intelligence analysts and sources disagree on the details of the way bin Laden's "American Hiroshima" plan unfolds. Some G2 Bulletin sources emphasize bin Laden's commitment to re-enacting the 1945 attack on Japan with one nuclear detonation, followed by another days later.

Paul Williams, author of "The Al-Qaeda Connection," however, sees a much more devastating, coordinated, all-out, surprise attack coming.

"The next attack, according to al-Qaida defectors and informants, will take place simultaneously at various sites throughout the country," he writes. "Designated targets include New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, Las Vegas, and Valdez, Alaska, where the tankers are filled with oil from the Trans-Alaska pipeline. To orchestrate such an incredible event requires not only the shipment of the nukes into the United States but also the establishment of cells, the training of sleeper agents, the selection of sites, and the preparation of the weapons without detection from federal, state or local law enforcement officials. Unlike 9-11, that cost less than $350,000, this event already has cost a king's ransom, and bin Laden will not waste the billions in expenditures, the years of planning and his coveted 'crown jewels' on an attack that is ill-planned, poorly timed and carelessly coordinated."

Other sources interpret some of the same information, based on captured al-Qaida operatives and documents as well as defectors, differently. They project an escalating series of attacks, each followed by blackmail demands upon the U.S. government and the American people.

In any event, both kinds of spectacular nuclear terror attacks require pinpoint coordination and secure communication.

Williams also says al-Qaida is determined to locate tactical nuclear weapons that were forward-deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These weapons were reportedly buried at remote sites throughout the country for recovery by Soviet agents.

"There is no doubt that the Soviets stored material in this country," says Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Research. "The question is what and where."

Bin Laden may have a considerable head-start in the search given his predilection toward hiring former Soviet special forces officers whose job it was to know something about these plans.

U.S. officials have reportedly ordered the excavation of several sites believed to be possible depots.

Russian defector Stanislav Lunev told congressional investigators nuclear suitcases had been buried throughout the U.S., and that he could not pinpoint the locations because Russian military leaders continue to believe a nuclear conflict with the U.S. is still "inevitable." He said the only hope of finding them would be if the Russian government disclosed the locations.

During the same hearings, Belgian officials testified they found three secret depots containing tactical nukes buried by the Soviets in the 1960s.

As WorldNetDaily and G2 Bulletin have reported, al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union – including suitcase nukes, nuclear mines, artillery shells and even some missile warheads. In addition, documents captured in Afghanistan show al-Qaida had plans to assemble its own nuclear weapons with fissile material it purchased on the black market.

The plans for the devastating nuclear attack on the U.S. have been under development for more than a decade. It is designed as a final deadly blow of defeat to the U.S., which is seen by al-Qaida and its allies as "the Great Satan."

At least half the nuclear weapons in the al-Qaida arsenal were obtained for cash from the Chechen terrorist allies.

The plans for the devastating nuclear attack on the U.S. have been under development for more than a decade. It is designed as a final deadly blow of defeat to the U.S., which is seen by al-Qaida and its allies as "the Great Satan."

From: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46235

Looking for Answers...

2005-09-09T10:15:00.000-06:00

From the New York Times

Political Issues Snarled Plans for Military Help After Storm

By ERIC LIPTON, ERIC SCHMITT
and THOM SHANKER

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - As New Orleans descended into chaos last week and Louisiana's governor asked for 40,000 soldiers, President Bush's senior advisers debated whether the president should speed the arrival of active-duty troops by seizing control of the hurricane relief mission from the governor.

For reasons of practicality and politics, officials at the Justice Department and the Pentagon, and then at the White House, decided not to urge Mr. Bush to take command of the effort. Instead, the Washington officials decided to rely on the growing number of National Guard personnel flowing into Louisiana, who were under Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's control.

The debate began after officials realized that Hurricane Katrina had exposed a critical flaw in the national disaster response plans created after the Sept. 11 attacks. According to the administration's senior domestic security officials, the plan failed to recognize that local police, fire and medical personnel might be incapacitated.

As criticism of the response to Hurricane Katrina has mounted, one of the most pointed questions has been why more troops were not available more quickly to restore order and offer aid. Interviews with officials in Washington and Louisiana show that as the situation grew worse, they were wrangling with questions of federal/state authority, weighing the realities of military logistics and perhaps talking past each other in the crisis.

To seize control of the mission, Mr. Bush would have had to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows the president in times of unrest to command active-duty forces into the states to perform law enforcement duties. But decision makers in Washington felt certain that Ms. Blanco would have resisted surrendering control, as Bush administration officials believe would have been required to deploy active-duty combat forces before law and order had been re-established.

While combat troops can conduct relief missions without the legal authority of the Insurrection Act, Pentagon and military officials say that no active-duty forces could have been sent into the chaos of New Orleans on Wednesday or Thursday without confronting law-and-order challenges.

But just as important to the administration were worries about the message that would have been sent by a president ousting a Southern governor of another party from command of her National Guard, according to administration, Pentagon and Justice Department officials.

"Can you imagine how it would have been perceived if a president of the United States of one party had pre-emptively taken from the female governor of another party the command and control of her forces, unless the security situation made it completely clear that she was unable to effectively execute her command authority and that lawlessness was the inevitable result?" asked one senior administration official, who spoke anonymously because the talks were confidential.

Officials in Louisiana agree that the governor would not have given up control over National Guard troops in her state as would have been required to send large numbers of active-duty soldiers into the area. But they also say they were desperate and would have welcomed assistance by active-duty soldiers.

"I need everything you have got," Ms. Blanco said she told Mr. Bush last Monday, after the storm hit.

In an interview, she acknowledged that she did not specify what sorts of soldiers. "Nobody told me that I had to request that," Ms. Blanco said. "I thought that I had requested everything they had. We were living in a war zone by then."

By Wednesday, she had asked for 40,000 soldiers.

In the discussions in Washington, also at issue was whether active-duty troops could respond faster and in larger numbers than the Guard.

By last Wednesday, Pentagon officials said even the 82nd Airborne, which has a brigade on standby to move out within 18 hours, could not arrive any faster than 7,000 National Guard troops, which are specially trained and equipped for civilian law enforcement duties.

In the end, the flow of thousands of National Guard soldiers, especially military police, was accelerated from other states.

"I was there. I saw what needed to be done," Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said in an interview. "They were the fastest, best-capable, most appropriate force to get there in the time allowed. And that's what it's all about."

But one senior Army officer expressed puzzlement that active-duty troops were not summoned sooner, saying 82nd Airborne troops were ready to move out from Fort Bragg, N.C., on Sunday, the day before the hurricane hit.

The call never came, administration officials said, in part because military officials believed Guard troops would get to the stricken region faster and because administration civilians worried that there could be political fallout if federal troops were forced to shoot looters.

Louisiana officials were furious that there was not more of a show of force, in terms of relief supplies and troops, from the federal government in the middle of last week. As the water was rising in New Orleans, the governor repeatedly questioned whether Washington had started its promised surge of federal resources.

"We needed equipment," Ms. Blanco said in an interview. "Helicopters. We got isolated."

Aides to Ms. Blanco said she was prepared to accept the deployment of active-duty military officials in her state. But she and other state officials balked at giving up control of the Guard as Justice Department officials said would have been required by the Insurrection Act if those combat troops were to be sent in before order was restored.

In a separate discussion last weekend, the governor also rejected a more modest proposal for a hybrid command structure in which both the Guard and active-duty troops would be under the command of an active-duty, three-star general - but only after he had been sworn into the Louisiana National Guard.

Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, director of operations for the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the Pentagon in August streamlined a rigid, decades-old system of deployment orders to allow the military's Northern Command to dispatch liaisons to work with local officials before an approaching hurricane.

The Pentagon is reviewing events from the time Hurricane Katrina reached full strength and bore down on New Orleans and five days later when Mr. Bush ordered 7,200 active-duty soldiers and marines to the scene.

After the hurricane passed New Orleans and the levees broke, flooding the city, it became increasingly evident that disaster-response efforts were badly bogged down.

Justice Department lawyers, who were receiving harrowing reports from the area, considered whether active-duty military units could be brought into relief operations even if state authorities gave their consent - or even if they refused.

The issue of federalizing the response was one of several legal issues considered in a flurry of meetings at the Justice Department, the White House and other agencies, administration officials said.

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales urged Justice Department lawyers to interpret the federal law creatively to help local authorities, those officials said. For example, federal prosecutors prepared to expand their enforcement of some criminal statutes like anti-carjacking laws that can be prosecuted by either state or federal authorities.

On the issue of whether the military could be deployed without the invitation of state officials, the Office of Legal Counsel, the unit within the Justice Department that provides legal advice to federal agencies, concluded that the federal government had authority to move in even over the objection of local officials.

This act was last invoked in 1992 for the Los Angeles riots, but at the request of Gov. Pete Wilson of California , and has not been invoked over a governor's objections since the civil rights era - and before that, to the time of the Civil War, administration officials said. Bush administration, Pentagon and senior military officials warned that such an extreme measure would have serious legal and political implications.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said deployment of National Guard soldiers to Iraq , including a brigade from Louisiana, did not affect the relief mission, but Ms. Blanco disagreed.

"Over the last year, we have had about 5,000 out, at one time," she said. "They are on active duty, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan . That certainly is a factor."

By Friday, National Guard reinforcements had arrived, and a truck convoy of 1,000 Guard soldiers brought relief supplies - and order - to the convention center area.

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security say the experience with Hurricane Katrina has demonstrated flaws in the nation's plans to handle disaster.

"This event has exposed, perhaps ultimately to our benefit, a deficiency in terms of replacing first responders who tragically may be the first casualties," Paul McHale, the assistant secretary of defense for domestic security, said.

Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, has suggested that active-duty troops be trained and equipped to intervene if front-line emergency personnel are stricken. But the Pentagon's leadership remains unconvinced that this plan is sound, suggesting instead that the national emergency response plans be revised to draw reinforcements initially from civilian police, firefighters, medical personnel and hazardous-waste experts in other states not affected by a disaster.

The federal government rewrote its national emergency response plan after the Sept. 11 attacks, but it relied on local officials to manage any crisis in its opening days. But Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed local "first responders," including civilian police and the National Guard.

At a news conference on Saturday, Mr. Chertoff said, "The unusual set of challenges of conducting a massive evacuation in the context of a still dangerous flood requires us to basically break the traditional model and create a new model, one for what you might call kind of an ultra-catastrophe.""

Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker reported from Washington for this article, and Eric Lipton from Baton Rouge, La. David Johnston contributed reporting.

AND...

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco's Bureaucrats Blocked Food and Water

The Red Cross was reportedly ready to deliver food, water and other supplies to flood-ravaged refugees who were sweltering inside New Orleans' Superdome last week - but the relief was blocked by bureaucrats who worked for Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

Fox News Channel's Major Garrett reported Wednesday that the Red Cross had "trucks with water, food, hygiene equipment, all sorts of things ready to go ... to the Superdome and Convention Center. But the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, Garrett said, "told them they could not go." "The Red Cross tells me that Louisiana's Department of Homeland Security said, 'Look, we do not want to create a magnet for more people to come to the Superdome or Convention Center, we want to get them out,'" he explained. "So at the same time local officials were screaming where is the food, where is the water, the Red Cross was standing by ready [and] the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security said you can't go."

This is a partial transcript of "Special Report With Brit Hume," September 7, 2005 - FOX News.com
Courtesy: FOX News.com

Why didn’t FEMA send the Red Cross into New Orleans when we had all of those people there on that bridge overpass and elsewhere? "First of all, no jurisdiction. FEMA works with the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other organizations, but it has no direct control to order them to go one place or the other. Secondarily, the Red Cross was ready. I just got off the phone with one of their officials. They had a vanguard, Brit, of trucks with water, food, hygiene equipment, all sorts of things ready to go, where? To the Superdome and the convention center. Why weren’t they there? The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security told them they could not go"...

The state’s own agency devoted to the state’s homeland security. They told them, "You cannot go there." Why? The Red Cross tells me that state agency in Louisiana said, "Look, we do not want to create a magnet for more to come to the Superdome or the convention center. We want to get them out." So at the same time local officials were screaming, "Where is the food? Where is the water?" The Red Cross was standing by ready. The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security said, "You can’t go."....

FEMA does not have jurisdictional control over any state’s National Guard. Only the governor does. The governor, in this case, Kathleen Blanco (search), a Democrat, did use the Louisiana National Guard for some purposes, did not deploy them in massive numbers initially. And they were not used to move any of these relief organizations in. And they could have been, for the very same reason I talked about earlier. The state decided they didn’t want the relief organizations where the people needed it most, because they wanted those people to get out. But even today, we know that Governor Blanco has now decided that a mandatory evacuation may not be necessarily after all. But we can go into that later.....

To read the Complete Transcript, go to: Looking for Answers in the Hurricane's Aftermath
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168799,00.html

FOX NEWS.COM - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
© FOX NEWS.COM

The Truth Will Out... Eventually

2005-09-08T11:00:00.000-06:00

Andy Rooney said on "60 Minutes" a few weeks back...

I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens...

Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.

I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?

I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.

When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling, it is the Law of Probability.

I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!

My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours. I think the police should have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.

I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.

We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor.

I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.

I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.

It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say "NO!"

I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!
I am sick of "Political Correctness." I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be "African-Americans"? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else.
And if you don't like my point of view, tough...

<<<<<<>>>>>>

(A Free Article from TTP Intelligence Bulletin)

CLEANING OUT N’AWLINS

By Dr. Jack Wheeler

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

What’s the difference between a disaster and an election in New Orleans?

The buses run during an election.

Why isn’t New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin worried about all the dead people being found in Katrina’s aftermath?

Because they’ll keep right on voting anyway.

Tasteless? Here’s what really tasteless: Cleaning up New Orleans physically without cleaning it up politically. Not draining New Orleans’ political cesspool of organized crime and corruption. Not evacuating Mayor Ray Nagin and every city official and police officer on the take before they get their greasy hands on all those billions of taxpayer dollars to rebuild the place.

The appropriate description of New Orleans as a “party town in a welfare swamp” only begins to hint at the hideous truth behind jazz and booze in the French Quarter. That truth is that Mayor Nagin is a crook. New Orleans has probably never had a mayor that wasn’t a crook. New Orleans is the most corrupt crime-infested city in America.

Denny Hastert was more right than he knew when he questioned the wisdom of rebuilding at incredible taxpayer expense a city in a flood plain below sea level that’s bound to be flooded again. Because before it gets flooded again with water, it will be flooded with the same crooks that run the place now.

The New Orleans police force is the most corrupt police force in the country. Is it any wonder that they were videotaped looting along with other looters, and that they’ve been given a vacation in Las Vegas while New York City police officers are doing their job?

The New Orleans Levee Board oversaw repairs on the 17th Street Canal levee last year – at the exact place where it gave way flooding the city. That’s because so much of the money went into Board member’s pockets and substandard concrete.

The left-wing media has focused their attention on the plight of New Orleans and their wrath on George Bush to deflect attention away not just from Mayor Nagin’s incompetence ( you’re all familiar with the hundreds of now-flooded buses he never used for an evacuation), but his criminality.

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are not just engaging in race-hustling when they preposterously claim Bush didn’t get aid to New Orleans blacks because he’s anti-black. The purpose is to ward off any exposure of New Orleans corruption, which at present in run mostly by blacks.

They are now pre-positioned to scream “Racism!” the moment a Congressman screws up the courage to demand hearings on the connection between Mayor Nagin and the Mafia or an inquiry into Mayor Nagin’s Swiss bank accounts.

http://www.tothepointnews.com/article.php?id=884&i=11d9f6626fa61c3a25cf4dbda9fee464

Blame Amid the Tragedy

2005-09-07T15:45:00.000-06:00

Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin failed their constituents.

BY BOB WILLIAMS
Wednesday, September 7, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT

As the devastation of Hurricane Katrina continues to shock and sadden the nation, the question on many lips is, Who is to blame for the inadequate response?

As a former state legislator who represented the legislative district most impacted by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, I can fully understand and empathize with the people and public officials over the loss of life and property.

Many in the media are turning their eyes toward the federal government, rather than considering the culpability of city and state officials. I am fully aware of the challenges of having a quick and responsive emergency response to a major disaster. And there is definitely a time for accountability; but what isn't fair is to dump on the federal officials and avoid those most responsible--local and state officials who failed to do their job as the first responders. The plain fact is, lives were needlessly lost in New Orleans due to the failure of Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and the city's mayor, Ray Nagin.

The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his emergency operations center.

The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented, thousands of lives would likely have been saved.

In addition to the plans, local, state and federal officials held a simulated hurricane drill 13 months ago, in which widespread flooding supposedly trapped 300,000 people inside New Orleans. The exercise simulated the evacuation of more than a million residents. The problems identified in the simulation apparently were not solved.

A year ago, as Hurricane Ivan approached, New Orleans ordered an evacuation but did not use city or school buses to help people evacuate. As a result many of the poorest citizens were unable to evacuate. Fortunately, the hurricane changed course and did not hit New Orleans, but both Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin acknowledged the need for a better evacuation plan. Again, they did not take corrective actions. In 1998, during a threat by Hurricane George, 14,000 people were sent to the Superdome and theft and vandalism were rampant due to inadequate security. Again, these problems were not corrected.

The New Orleans contingency plan is still, as of this writing, on the city's Web site, and states: "The safe evacuation of threatened populations is one of the principle [sic] reasons for developing a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan." But the plan was apparently ignored.

Mayor Nagin was responsible for giving the order for mandatory evacuation and supervising the actual evacuation: His Office of Emergency Preparedness (not the federal government) must coordinate with the state on elements of evacuation and assist in directing the transportation of evacuees to staging areas. Mayor Nagin had to be encouraged by the governor to contact the National Hurricane Center before he finally, belatedly, issued the order for mandatory evacuation. And sadly, it apparently took a personal call from the president to urge the governor to order the mandatory evacuation.

The city's evacuation plan states: "The city of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas." But even though the city has enough school and transit buses to evacuate 12,000 citizens per fleet run, the mayor did not use them. To compound the problem, the buses were not moved to high ground and were flooded. The plan also states that "special arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport themselves or who require specific lifesaving assistance. Additional personnel will be recruited to assist in evacuation procedures as needed." This was not done.

The evacuation plan warned that "if an evacuation order is issued without the mechanisms needed to disseminate the information to the affected persons, then we face the possibility of having large numbers of people either stranded and left to the mercy of a storm, or left in an area impacted by toxic materials." That is precisely what happened because of the mayor's failure.

Instead of evacuating the people, the mayor ordered the refugees to the Superdome and Convention Center without adequate security and no provisions for food, water and sanitary conditions. As a result people died, and there was even rape committed, in these facilities. Mayor Nagin failed in his responsibility to provide public safety and to manage the orderly evacuation of the citizens of New Orleans. Now he wants to blame Gov. Blanco and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In an emergency the first requirement is for the city's emergency center to be linked to the state emergency operations center. This was not done.

The federal government does not have the authority to intervene in a state emergency without the request of a governor. President Bush declared an emergency prior to Katrina hitting New Orleans, so the only action needed for federal assistance was for Gov. Blanco to request the specific type of assistance she needed. She failed to send a timely request for specific aid.

In addition, unlike the governors of New York, Oklahoma and California in past disasters, Gov. Blanco failed to take charge of the situation and ensure that the state emergency operation facility was in constant contact with Mayor Nagin and FEMA. It is likely that thousands of people died because of the failure of Gov. Blanco to implement the state plan, which mentions the possible need to evacuate up to one million people. The plan clearly gives the governor the authority for declaring an emergency, sending in state resources to the disaster area and requesting necessary federal assistance.

State legislators and governors nationwide need to update their contingency plans and the operation procedures for state emergency centers. Hurricane Katrina had been forecast for days, but that will not always be the case with a disaster (think of terrorist attacks). It must be made clear that the governor and locally elected officials are in charge of the "first response."

I am not attempting to excuse some of the delays in FEMA's response. Congress and the president need to take corrective action there, also. However, if citizens expect FEMA to be a first responder to terrorist attacks or other local emergencies (earthquakes, forest fires, volcanoes), they will be disappointed. The federal government's role is to offer aid upon request.

The Louisiana Legislature should conduct an immediate investigation into the failures of state and local officials to implement the written emergency plans. The tragedy is not over, and real leadership in the state and local government are essential in the months to come. More importantly, the hurricane season is still upon us, and local and state officials must stay focused on the jobs for which they were elected--and not on the deadly game of passing the emergency buck.

Mr. Williams is president of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a free market public policy research organization in Olympia, Wash.

From the Wall Street Journal Editorial page/OPINION JOURNAL http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007219

Military Says "NO" to Nagin...

2005-09-07T13:15:00.000-06:00

MILITARY WON'T TAKE PART IN MAYOR'S DEBACLE

Posted By: Ghost (RMN)
Date: Wednesday, 7 September 2005, 12:52 p.m.

Headline news reporter just stated that the military will not force folks from their homes. "Refusing to force Americans from their homes", said the noticeably British reporter.

Further, they will not let residents deteriorate in their own homes. The military will continue to get water and food to those remaining in New Orleans, effectively undermining Nagin's mandatory evacuation order.

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

On another note: Presently researching the absolute corruption of Louisiana Politics, the facts are breathtaking and SHOCKING.

Appears the real reason Blanco obstructed the Fed evac help was actually due to covering many asses* including her own.

Federal funds given to this state were NOT used for proper levee construction, preparedness for a disaster: i.e. equipment, foods, preparing a location to house the evacuees, vehicles, etc. The Feds have prosecuted and are in the process of prosecuting Louisiana Official men/women. These funds ended up in their pockets.

When an investigation is conducted by W & Co. on the why of what we've been watching... many many officials will end up in a prison. The dems and left started screaming about our Fed response within 2 days after the Hurricane. Why, when the evac ALWAYS FALLS TO THE STATES**. It appears not only locally but nationally the loons have been covering the asses of these corrupt Louisiana Officials. I also suspect this goes all the way to dems in D.C. Since, the 'toons' were in charge of Arkansas for many years, northern neighbors to Louisiana.

*Aaron Broussard comes to mind immediately. He was the so-called Louisiana Official of his parish. Was he covering his own ass? Why didn't he evac the citizens of his parish? Did the local prepareness monies from the Feds end up in his pocket? Will lawsuits follow what has taken place in his parish alone? I suspect he is another loon liar, without any truth to what he stated on Sunday whatsoever.

**What part of the constitution do you not understand. This always falls to the states. That is what a Republic, Federalism is all about. All this screaming [about failure] at the Federal level is insane. We DON'T WANT FEDERAL CONTROL OVER THE STATES during a disaster. STATES RIGHTS are too important.

See: http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=78242

Other Viewpoints...

2005-09-07T09:30:00.000-06:00

The trouble at the local level
by Linda Chavez

September 7, 2005

"You and your family (yes, your children, too) should be dropped right in the middle of New Orleans and be forced to live there for three days, and maybe then your tight grip on the GOP might be loosened and you'll be awakened to the failures of the incompetent man sitting in the White House." Such is the vitriol spewing forth in the aftermath of Katrina from those who believe George W. Bush is responsible for all of life's misfortunes. I received this hateful e-mail after commenting on television that while the federal response to the crisis has shouldered most of the criticism, state and local officials bore major responsibility for the chaos that enveloped New Orleans in the immediate wake of the hurricane.

As it happened, my youngest son, Rudy, was in New Orleans as the storm approached the Gulf Coast, so I was acutely focused on what actions were being taken to evacuate the city. On Aug. 27, with the hurricane gaining force in the Gulf, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin called for a voluntary evacuation of the city. But even after he ordered a mandatory evacuation the next day, he made no plans to transport the elderly, the infirm, or those too poor to get themselves out, much less thousands of tourists stranded without cars. On the afternoon of Aug. 27, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco held a press briefing in which she answered a question about what could be done to avert disaster: "We can pray very hard that the intensity will weaken. We don't know what it's going to be yet, but we're all watching the weather service. I believe that's the best we can do right now." It was at that point that I knew my son was in real trouble.

The governor had the power to call out the National Guard in advance of the storm. Indeed, it was imperative that she do so if troops were to be available in the immediate hours after the hurricane hit since it takes 72 hours to fully mobilize. Gov. Blanco delayed taking crucial actions -- in fact, it was the president who called her to plead that she declare an emergency. "Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding," the Associated Press reported Aug. 28.

The city had hundreds of vehicles at its disposal: school buses, city buses, garbage trucks, and city cars. But the mayor failed to mobilize these or to set up procedures for all city employees to be available to assist in keeping order and organizing evacuation. For those unlucky enough to end up at the Superdome, no plans were in place to get thousands of desperate people out of there once the winds died down. My son was able to get out on Sunday before the storm hit. Thanks to quick thinking, lots of determination and a measure of good fortune, he managed to get a rental car at New Orleans airport and drove to Baton Rouge with four friends. But others were not so lucky.

In our federal system of government, the national government does not step in -- even in dire emergency -- until state officials request that help. But what do you do when those officials are dysfunctional, as they clearly were in Louisiana? According to The Washington Post, federal officials have asked the governor for "unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law." And, the Post reported, "Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said."

No doubt, the federal response to this crisis was far from flawless, but at the end of the day, it was federal troops that restored order, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that plugged breaches in the levees, and federal forces that ultimately evacuated thousands of those trapped. Instead of blaming federal authorities, the country ought to be giving thanks.

Linda Chavez is President of the Center for Equal Opportunity , a Townhall.com partner organization.

AND...

The President's fault -- of course!
by Bill Murchison

September 6, 2005

Naturally, it was all the president's fault. Everything is George Bush's fault in a dazed and rancorous nation. Whatever the actual defects of federal efforts to manage the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Bush is the boy to blame, because the federal government has become in our minds the guarantor of ... everything.

You can see the logic of it. In size, in cost and in presence, the U.S. government dwarfs every company, every institution and even every combination of governments. The news these days is rarely about what private people are doing. The center of all attention is Washington, D.C., where, for example, we're all atwitter over whether John Roberts gets to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Roberts nomination commands all this attention because of the court's tendency to set national policy, whether it's asked to do so or not. It matters, clearly, who sits on the court.

But back to Katrina and how, if people are hungry and riotous in New Orleans, it must be Bush's fault. It must be, because he's the president -- and, as various Democrats would add, using their lips to make a rude and famous noise, never should have been .

Just what the political boo-birds would have done themselves to head off or alleviate the disruption in Louisiana no one is quite sure. The mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana traffic less in policy proposals than in invective. That helps a lot, as we all see. Yes, we need trucks and buses. And, yes, we need roads and streets to drive on.

A highly intelligent column by the Wall Street Journal's Daniel Henninger suggests that a basic cause of the mess is over-reliance on bureaucracy, given that bureaucracies tend to personify inefficiency and waste.

"This was the primary lesson of the 9/11 Commission Report," Henninger notes. "Large public bureaucracies, whether the FBI and the CIA or FEMA and the Corps of Engineers, don't talk to each other much. They are poorly incentivized, if at all. Budgets ... make bureaucracy's managers first responders to constant political whim." Henninger's understandable preference, regarding the New Orleans crisis, is for infinitely greater reliance on private sector generalship, with bureaucrats functioning as "infantry."

Meanwhile, what about the looters and carjackers and rapists whose emergence and persistence in New Orleans must also somehow be Bush's fault? Here we get to another unpleasant byproduct of our reliance on government: namely, moral complacency.

Just when you think you've buried the nastier human impulses beneath a stack of government incentives and initiatives, you find -- as at the New Orleans Convention Center and the Superdome -- that here those impulses come again, nastier than ever.

The perfection of human behavior must be the oldest political obsession anywhere -- and the most futile. The one-time history graduate student in me begs to report that no one has ever gone broke betting against good behavior's eclipsing for long the bad, the rotten and the vile. They used to call it "original sin" or "evil." I don't know what they call it in political/bureaucratic circles, now that the old religious understandings no longer get much of a hearing in intellectual circles.

No one, when the New Orleans unpleasantness started, was going to treat looters as the National Guard had treated their ilk during the aftermath of Galveston's catastrophic 1900 storm. That is, no one was going to shoot them on sight. Not in front of the TV cameras. Not with Al Sharpton and the ACLU watching for signs of cruelty with a racial tint.

If that's where we've come, that's where we've come. Let's just not too angrily blame the president. We might even give some thought to non-bureaucratic methods of reviving respect for the institutions on which we used to depend for moral instruction -- notably the churches; yea, the Scriptures themselves. What a man is never taught he is highly unlikely ever to learn. On the other hand, one instinct never fades. That's the instinct to recognize it as the president's fault. Whatever "it" is. Whoever the president may be.

©2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

AND...

Don't blame only feds

Crime rate, inept pols leveled New Orleans before the storm

by Michael Goodwin, New York Daily News

Let's take a break from the joy of Bush bashing to reveal the dirty little secret of New Orleans: Its local government deserves an F for its planning and response to Katrina. And one other thing: The New Orleans police force would be a joke if it weren't a disgrace.

Yes, I know it's impolitic to say such things while the suffering in the Big Easy is fresh and many cops risked their lives to save others. But now is the time to blow the whistle on the story line being repeated by rote across America: That the federal government ignored New Orleans because most of its residents are black and poor.

That narrative has all the accuracy of a historic novel: it takes two undisputed facts - the feds were slow and New Orleans is largely black and poor - and weaves in pure fiction to make the desired link.

The charge of racism-inspired foot-dragging isn't just nonsense. It's pernicious nonsense, as in destructive and malicious. You know that's a fact because loony Howard Dean, the Democratic Party boss, is now peddling it. He's joined by Jesse Jackson, who said the squalor in New Orleans "looks like the hull of a slave ship." Oh, please.

If even a smidgen of the racism charges are true, President Bush should be shot. But before we give him his blindfold, let's look at New Orleans before Katrina.

Start with crime. That looters ran unchecked after the hurricane isn't surprising when you consider that criminals have had the run of the city for years.

It is a perennial contender for Murder Capital. The 264 homicides last year were a drop of only 11 from 2003 - and the first decline in five years.

New Orleans, with fewer than 500,000 people, had almost half the murders of New York, which had 570 homicides last year in a city of more than 8 million. Put another way, if New York had New Orleans' murder rate, we would have more than 4,200 murders a year.

That the New Orleans police are hardly the Finest was proven by a shocking report yesterday: Nearly a third of New Orleans cops - some 500 of the 1,600 - are now unaccounted for. The department says some quit, but it doesn't know where most of them are.

The top cop, Eddie Compass, has responded by offering all officers paid vacations to Las Vegas and Atlanta. Yes, that's right - he is pulling all cops off the street, even while bodies lie in the open. Never in New York.

Then there's Mayor Ray Nagin, a Democrat, who has blamed everybody but himself. Maybe he has forgotten his plans for dealing with Katrina.

Last July, his office prepared DVDs warning that, if the city ever had to be evacuated, residents were on their own. According to a July 24 article in The Times-Picayune (spotted by the Web's Drudge Report), "Mayor Ray Nagin, local Red Cross Executive Director Kay Wilkins and City Council President Oliver Thomas drive home the word that the city does not have the resources to move out of harm's way an estimated 134,000 people without transportation."

"You're responsible for your safety, and you should be responsible for the person next to you," one official said of the message.

And how's this for preparation? Cops were told not to work on the day Katrina hit, one officer told The New York Times, but "to come in the next day, to save money on their budget."

By all means, let's investigate what went wrong in New Orleans. Let's start in City Hall.

Originally published on September 7, 2005

Katrina Update... The Lies

2005-09-06T09:21:00.000-06:00

I found this today and thought it was worth posting here. Credit is given as follows: By Linda Prussen-Razzano
web posted September 5, 2005
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0905/0905evac.htm

What I find astonishing is the almost immediate response from Bush Bashers to blame everything that happened, from the actual hurricane itself, to the anarchy that quickly erupted, on the President and his administration. When they do so, they not only distort the truth, they outright lie to the public, and they are doing so daily through any media venue that will give them the opportunity.

Lie #1: President Bush doesn't care about the people of New Orleans.

This outrageous lie is thoroughly debunked by the fact that it was President Bush who pushed for a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans.(1) Governor Blanco issued only a voluntary evacuation order, but admitted that she received a call from the President on August 27, 2005, urging her to make it a mandatory one. He wanted as many people as possible out of the path of the storm.

So much for the President not caring.

According to a Washington Post report on Sunday, September 4, "Shortly before midnight Friday [August 26], the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday."

Bush's offer to have the federal government aid in the evacuation was rejected. (2)

Despite the fact that New Orlean's own Emergency Response Guidelines call for a mandatory evacuation of the City if a strike by a Category 3 Hurricane is projected, with 72 hours advance notice to all residents, Mayor Nagin didn't order a mandatory evaluation until Sunday. Further, he only did so after Max Maxfield, the National Hurricane Director, called Nagin at his home to plead that he empty the City. (3)

Why did Nagin wait so long? He was worried about the legalities. If people want to affix blame, perhaps they can look at lawyers.

How ironic, that The Drudge Report (4) and Free Republic (5) have pictures of dozens of New Orleans' submerged and now useless school buses, buses that could have been used to transport residents out of the City prior to the storm, bring in supplies after the storm, and help evacuees escape the flooding. Meanwhile, Governor Blanco issued a request to the State of Louisiana to provide her with buses from local school districts.

Lie #2: The Bush Administration was slow in coordinating help.

Mike Brown, Under Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for Emergency Response and Preparedness, received the order from President Bush on August 27, two full days before the storm hit the region, to prepare for Katrina disaster relief. (6) The President also declared the entire region under a State of Emergency, so that FEMA could coordinate efforts at the request of the Governors. (7) Under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, the Federal Government and FEMA are not allowed to interfere with local operations unless they are authorized by state and local leaders.

Blanco did not authorize this until September 1, 2005.

Further, according to an Association Press report on August 30, "The federal government began rushing baby formula, communications equipment, generators, water and ice into hard-hit areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with doctors, nurses and first-aid su pplies. The U.S. Defense Department sent experts to help with search-and-rescue operations." (8) FEMA was there and helping, in the capacity that was allowed by local officials, but could not swing into full gear until after Blanco gave them permission.

Lie #3: The Bush Administration did nothing to control the anarchy.

The local and state governments have control over law enforcement activities in their state, and such activities could only be coordinated through the federal government with their permission. On August 26, the Bush Administration offered to do just that. "The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law." (9)

It was not until terrible reports of rapes and violence, videos of looting, and reports of shoots being fired at rescue workers did Governor Blanco relinquish any claim of control on an out-of-control city.

She did this on September 1, under Executive Order #KBB-2005-23. (10) Almost immediately thereafter, FEMA and the Bush Administration began to restore order.

Lie #4: The Bush Administration did nothing to prevent the flooding.

Predictions of wide spread devastation have been known since Hurricane Camille in 1969. Despite these, it was local officials who reportedly appropriated funds designated for levee improvements towards such necessary purchases as a casino, hotel, and other projects.

Amazing, isn't it? From the carnage inside the Superdome, to the massacre of the truth on television, this is a sad time for all of America.

Just don't forget who helped all this to happen….because despite what the media wants you to believe, it wasn't President Bush.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

In a time of catastrophe, emotions run high. Most assuredly, mistakes were made at the start of this one, but let's get the facts straight before we start pointing fingers and playing the blame game. George W Bush is the president whether your personal political persuasion likes it or not. I for one am only interested in the facts and the laws which governed the chain of events of the last few weeks. Let the chips fall where they may, but let's be fair and honest in our appraisal of the situation that has taken place. When it is time to do a proper investigation of this tragedy, lets do that in a fair and bi-partisan way. Bashing the president just for political gain, or in resentment for his being president in this time of trouble is not the honorable thing to do, and I for one will not be a part it.

ADDENDUM

From today’s Washington Times: PRUDEN ON POLIITICS
by Wesley Pruden

He's [President Bush] getting it as well from his critics, many of whom can't believe their great good luck, that a hurricane, of all things, finally gives them the opening they've been waiting for to heap calumny and scorn on him for something that might get a little traction. Cindy Sheehan is yesterday's news; she couldn't attract a camera crew this morning if she stripped down to her step-ins for a march on Prairie Chapel Ranch.

The vultures of the venomous left are attacking on two fronts, first that the president didn't do what the incompetent mayor of New Orleans and the pouty governor of Louisiana should have done, and didn't, in the early hours after Katrina loosed the deluge on the city that care and good judgment forgot. Ray Nagin, the mayor, ordered a "mandatory" evacuation a day late, but kept the city's 2,000 school buses parked and locked in neat rows when there was still time to take the refugees to higher ground. The bright-yellow buses sit ruined now in four feet of dirty water. Then the governor, Kathleen Blanco, resisted early pleas to declare martial law, and her dithering opened the way for looters, rapists and killers to make New Orleans an unholy hell. Gov. Haley Barbour did not hesitate in neighboring Mississippi, and looters, rapists and killers have not turned the streets of Gulfport and Biloxi into killing fields.

The drumbeat of partisan ingratitude continues even after the president flooded the city with National Guardsmen from a dozen states, paratroopers from Fort Bragg and Marines from the Atlantic and the Pacific. The flutter and chatter of the helicopters above the ghostly abandoned city, some of them from as far away as Singapore and averaging 240 missions a day, is eerily reminiscent of the last days of Saigon. Nevertheless, Sen. Mary Landrieu, who seems to think she's cute when she's mad, even threatened on national television to punch out the president -- a felony, by the way, even as a threat. Mayor Nagin, who you might think would be looking for a place to hide, and Gov. Blanco, nursing a bigtime snit, can't find the right word of thanks to a nation pouring out its heart and emptying its pockets. Maybe the senator should consider punching out the governor, only a misdemeanor.

The race hustlers waited for three days to inflame a tense situation, but then set to work with their usual dedication. The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, our self-appointed twin ambassadors of ill will, made the scene as soon as they could, taking up the coded cry that Katrina was the work of white folks, that a shortage of white looters and snipers made looting and sniping look like black crime, that calling the refugees "refugees" was an act of linguistic racism. A "civil rights activist" on Arianna Huffington's celebrity blog even floated the rumor that the starving folks abandoned in New Orleans had been forced to eat their dead -- after only four days. New Orleans has a reputation for its unusual cuisine, but this tale was so tall that nobody paid it much attention. Neither did anyone tell the tale-bearer to put a dirty sock in it.

Condi Rice went to the scene to say what everyone can see for himself, that no one but the race hustlers imagine Americans of any hue attaching strings to the humanitarian aid pouring into the broken and bruised cities of the Gulf. Most of the suffering faces in the flickering television images are black, true enough, and most of the helping hands are white.

Black and white churches of all denominations across a wide swath of the South stretching from Texas across Arkansas and Louisiana into Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia turned their Sunday schools into kitchens and dormitories. In Memphis, Junior Leaguers turned out for baby-sitting duty at the city's largest, most fashionable and nearly all white Baptist church, cradling tiny black infants in compassionate arms so their mothers could finally sleep. The owner of a honky-tonk showed up to ask whether the church would "accept money from a bar." A pastor took $1,400, some of it in quarters, dimes and nickels, with grateful thanks and a promise to see that it is spent wisely on the deserving -- most of whom are black.

The first polls, no surprise, show the libels are not working. A Washington Post-ABC survey found that the president is not seen as the villain the nutcake left is trying to make him out to be. Americans, skeptical as ever, are believing their own eyes.

Wesley Pruden is editor in chief of The Times.

ALSO...

Monday, Sept. 5, 2005 11:38 p.m. EDT
Mayor Nagin: Gov. Blanco Delayed Rescue

After days of blaming the federal officials for not responding quickly enough to the Hurricane Katrina crisis, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin praised President Bush on Monday - and charged that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco had delayed federal rescue efforts by 24-hours.

"I'm so happy that the president came down here," Nagin said of Bush's Friday visit to Louisiana in an interview with CNN. "He came down and saw it, and he put a general on the field. His name is General Honore. And when he hit the field, we started to see action."

But Nagin had harsh words for his state's leaders, telling CNN: "What the state was doing, I don't frigging know. But I tell you, I am p!ssed. It wasn't adequate."

The New Orleans Democrat said he urged Bush to meet privately with Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco during the visit. The meeting took place aboard Air Force One, he said.

After reviewing the crisis with Gov. Blanco, Bush summoned Nagin for a private chat - where, according to Nagin, Bush explained: "Mr. Mayor, I offered two options to the governor. I said . . . I was ready to move today. The governor said she needed 24 hours to make a decision."

From: http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/5/234033.shtml

Just The Beginning...

2005-09-04T21:30:00.000-06:00

For the last few days, I have been watching CNN International (the only 24 hour English language news on cable here in Mazatlan) as well as perusing various web sites... all in an effort to find out what the “buzz” is regarding Katrina and her aftermath. The “buzz” is not encouraging.

First, a few questions:

1) Why didn't Louisiana follow it's own Emergency Plan? Why isn't anyone talking about this?

2) Why hasn't anyone mentioned that a pre-requisite BY LAW for any Federal response is that State Law must be executed FIRST, and then the Federal Emergency Plan is executed?

3) Why did the Governor abandon the City of New Orleans for the safety of Baton Rouge, before the State plan was executed?

4) Why, when the Federal Government was acting in accordance with the Stafford Act, did the State of Louisiana, by its Governor's action, delay making requests when being told this storm was going to hit and probably HIT HARD?

5) Why did Mayor Nagin or Governor Blanco, while "sleeping on it" Saturday night (August 27th), delay the Mandatory evacuation spelled out in the Louisiana Emergency Plan? A week ago on Saturday the Mayor said he "may order an evacuation tomorrow." (Sunday, the 28th)

6) Where were the Parish Presidents who were signatories to the Louisiana Emergency Plan, and why did they fail in the execution of that plan?

7) In the Parish's failure to implement, why didn't the State take over as is required by the plan?

8) Why weren't the Hospitals, nursing homes, etc. evacuated immediately since the plan required them to do so? The Mayor should have had vehicles ready to do this.

9) Why did the Mandatory Evacuation only occur AFTER President Bush called the Governor, and why did Governor Blanco stress that it was only after President Bush called her urging the Evacuation order that she issued it? Was she concerned for the citizens, or was she grandstanding so she could blame the President if the Storm didn't hit as was being forecast?

10) Why were the Action Plan implementations that were required not carried out in a timely manner by the Local and State Governments?

It now appears to me, at this point, that the scenario of the past week went something like this:

New Orleans has known for decades what the result would be of a catastrophic hurricane that hit it directly. Leavies were in place for resisting a Category 3 surge, but not a 4 or 5. The city has been spared in the past and in my opinion the local government was a bit jaded in this regard and did not adequately prepare in advance... the Mayor rolled the dice... and he lost bigtime.

The Mayor is black. A great part of the population of New Orleans was black, poor and most likely voted Democrat. The Mayor is a Democrat as is the Governor who is a white woman who apparently has a bit of trouble making decisive emergency decisions.

Today, Sunday, it was reported that she has “hired” the former director of FEMA (a Democrat under Clinton as I recall) since she is apparently not happy with the present FEMA director, a Republican. It was also stated by the mayor of New Orleans that when they all met with President Bush the other day when he was down there, the Governor, when offered a couple of choices for taking action, stated that she would need “24 hours to think about it” before deciding... The President apparently then made that decision for her on the spot... no 24 hour delay!

I really and truly feel sorry for the great loss of life, (which will NEVER be given out truthfully and publically as being in the many thousands I'm afraid to say), but my understanding is that the state has to formally request help from the Federal Government... the "Feds" just can’t “step in” under the law and supercede the state without this formal request. No request was made by this Governor in a timely manner. Again, as I understand it, President Bush declared the emergency for Louisiana himself after the Governor failed to do so. There was no such delay in Mississippi with their Republican Governor who quickly requested help.

Although I may not be “politically correct” in the following observation, and can’t “prove it,” I feel that the Democrats in charge in Louisiana purposely “delayed” and “messed up” so that they could blame President Bush and his administration for “dragging their feet” in order to damage him and the Republicans in the upcoming mid-term elections.

The race card is being played as well with the main stream media gladly aiding in this endeavor. The whites are not raising the race issue... the blacks are. This is the pattern that is followed all the time... blacks in charge fail to prepare (expecting the "welfare state" to magically come through to save them) and then blame whites, Republicans, etc... anyone but themselves... The “reverend you-know-who” shows up as soon as the tv cameras are warmed up. The “black caucus” loudly complains and places immediate blame on those nasty whites and the "you stole the election" Republicans.

Sorry, but I’m not buying it. Perhaps it’s time to organize the “white caucus” but of course, that would really be “racist” now wouldn’t it...

Quickly Up And Back

2005-09-03T13:00:00.000-06:00

I just returned from a trip “up north” to Nogales, Arizona and wanted to share some thoughts about this trip which I need to take now and then. Twice a year it’s necessary to go up and renew my tourist status to legally remain in Mexico. I no longer own a car, having given it up when I moved down here to Mazatlan two years ago, because maintaining it in a legal condition with insurance, license etc. was prohibitive on my limited income.

One does not need to have a car to get along in Mazatlan as there is lots of good, reliable public transportation, but any travel to any place outside of Mazatlan requires travel on a bus. Bus service is frequent and the busses are modern and relatively comfortable... as comfortable as a seat on an airplane but with more leg room than a seat in economy class. The one way trip from Mazatlan to Nogales cost 719 pesos which is about $70.00 at the present rate of exchange. Same cost for the return trip.

In spite of the fact that there are many choices of bus lines and times of departure, the busses do stop at all the major cities (and some of the smaller ones as well) on the route from Mazatlan to Nogales and back. I left Mazatlan at 5pm on Tuesday. I arrived in Nogales 19 hours later. A very long ride!! And, the return took an hour longer for a total of 20 hours.

There were many stops along the way. In addition to the scheduled stops to drop off and pick up riders from city to city there were other stops. On the way up, the bus was stopped no less than 5 times by soldiers and police for “inspections” which were just a bit of a joke in my opinion. Here is why. Two times, the soldiers came onto the bus and walked from the front to the back and haphazardly poked and prodded a bit at randomly selected luggage in the overhead racks and then got off the bus. A waste of time. One stop for an agricultural inspector who just got on the bus and walked down the aisle and back and then off the bus touching nothing. Each of these stops took maybe 5 to 10 minutes.

Twice, again, the bus was stopped and all the passengers were required to get off the bus and wait outside while the soldiers went through the luggage that remained on the bus in the seats and the overhead racks. While this was in progress, the storage compartment underneath the bus was emptied and those bags gone through. When this was all finished, everyone got back on the bus and we were off again after at least a 15 to 20 minute delay. Now, all well and good perhaps, except that whatever anyone carried off the bus on their persons... handbags, fanny packs and computer style carry cases... none of these were paid any attention to whatsoever during the so called inspection!!

In the 5 or so trips I’ve made up to Nogales in the past 2 years, I was never on a bus that was stopped 5 times... maybe 3 times at the most. Why is this? My uninformed guess is that the United States is putting pressure on Mexico to do more to prevent illegals and drugs from going north, and this is one response to that pressure.

Since this is an overnight trip, one can see some interesting things as the bus makes its way through different cities and towns. One particularly strange sight I noticed on this trip was when we went through a relatively small town named Navajoa. On the main street one could see a funeral parlor/casket store which was all lit up and open for business at about 1 am in the morning!! The store had no physical windows but the familiar bars which act as barriers to entering. On display were both small and large caskets in a few different styles. When these stores are closed, heavy metal accordion type doors come down and are padlocked. So, as we passed, it definitely was open.

I could only wonder why a death in the middle of the night would require a quick trip down to the shop to pick out the casket... why could this not wait until some regular morning hours? Does this community have so many deaths at night that they need a 24 hour casket store?? Very curious indeed. A store’s “open hours” are usually dependent on enough traffic to justify the expense of being open... so, guess there must be enough business to justify these all night hours. And, it was open as we went through on the way back to Mazatlan as well... again middle of the night.

As mentioned above, the trip back to Mazatlan took 20 hours!! This very new bus had a digital DVD video system with digital sound and digital monitors. Very nice! The system runs on a Windows XP computerized system. Quality was really great, and the sound, in stereo, also was of very good quality.

However, at about 11pm, after the three movies were over, the driver liked to listen to the radio and tuned it into a station and then never bothered to change to a new station when the bus was out of the range of the previous station... so lots of static and noise as it drifted from station to station... not very loud thank goodness, for what seemed like hours on end...! In the middle of the night!!

Now, this trip took 20 hours even though this returning bus was not stopped once by any kind of inspections! Why so long you ask? The bus driver just liked to stop for coffee, and talk along the way I guess. He’d pull off the road rather often and leave the bus to go into an open convenience store for a coffee and then spend five or ten minutes chatting before returning to the bus to move on. What a waste of time that was, at least for all the passengers.

So, it was good to get back home again, unpack my small travel bag and look forward to the weekend to catch up on my sleep. I just can’t sleep on a moving vehicle... I suppose this results from my childhood when I used to dream often that our family was riding in a station wagon and suddenly the rear “cargo” door would open and I would tumble out while the car kept right on going... leaving me there crying in the middle of the road... I would then wake up in a panic... I never found out if they came back for me or not...

Probably not.

Baghdad On The Mississippi

2005-09-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

The following quotes from the last few days are from various sites on the internet regarding the devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There is so much information “out there” which is conflicting and confusing that one really does not know the truth of the matter and perhaps we never will. I read one observation that FEMA had contingency response plans worked out some years ago for the “worst case scenarios” for responding to a disaster at these top three locations: New York City, San Francisco and New Orleans. New York has now happened. New Orleans has now happened. Is San Francisco next...? It does give one pause...

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."

-- George Washington, First President of The United States

<<<<<<>>>>>>

There are supplies sitting in Baton Rouge for the folks in New Orleans, but the National Guard has the city surrounded and is not letting anyone in or out. They are turning away people with supplies, claiming it is too dangerous. If we have planes that can drop bombs on people in Iraq, certainly we can air drop supplies into the city. Our government is KILLING the people of New Orleans. This is the message I am now sending to all major media sources, national and worldwide, as well as posting to email lists, blogs, etc. The story is getting out that the people there are not getting supplies, but the truth of WHY is not. Please help spread the word, we must get this story out. Please so not let any more of my friends die.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

I am a resident of the Bywater in New Orleans (9th Ward). I am one of the lucky ones that was able to evacuate before the storm.

I have recently managed to speak to some friends stranded in New Orleans. They are starving and dehydrating and there is no news of when they will be receiving food and water. I have spoken to relief efforts and understand that there are plenty of supplies waiting for these people, BUT THEY ARE NOT BEING ALLOWED INTO THE CITY.

The National Guard has the city surrounded and is not letting anyone in or out, except the buses being evacuated. The excuse that they can not bring supplies into New Orleans because of the looting and gun fire is not a valid excuse - if they are too afraid to enter the streets of New Orleans, they need to be air dropping supplies into the city. If the United States is capable of sending planes that can withstand enemy fire to drop bombs in Iraq, certainly they are capable of air dropping supplies into a city where the worst of the gunfire they could encounter would be from semi-automatics.

Our government is killing the people of New Orleans. By withholding supplies, they are ensuring more deaths, and I hold them complicit.

Please bring this matter to the attention of the people of the United States. They need to know that New Orleans is deliberately being denied food and water. Perhaps if the people there had food and water, they might not be shooting off guns.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

On another note, Jeffrey and I are in the process of getting a large vehicle and loading it up with donated supplies needed for longer term cleanup efforts (generators, chain saws, solar cooking equipment, etc.). Some basic info and a paypal link is at Get Your Act On!(getyouracton.com) and more detailed info will be posted later. Please help spread the word about this, as well. We live 6 blocks from one of the hardest hit areas in New Orleans, so we intend to bring these necessary tools to our neighbors.

Also heard that part of the reason our house flooded is they dynamited part of the levee after the first section broke - they did this to prevent Uptown (the rich part of town) from being flooded. Apparently they used too much dynamite, thus flooding part of the Bywater. So now I know who is responsible for flooding my house - not Katrina, but our government.

Just talked to the gentleman at the number above and am now contacting the media here in florida. The situation there in N.O. is absolutely a nightmare. He said that thousands of people are dying and many thousands dead and no one can get in the city, he also said that he is now getting a van and supplies and is going to try and go back into the city to get some of his friends out.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

I saw six guys in a chopper yesterday off-loading water and food by hand... by the case... I respect them but that wont get it. The same manpower and equipment could have dropped several tons of goods as easily.

Just Helo sling-drop containers/pallets (tons) of water, food, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, baby formula etc. into dry areas in the city and other areas. Include in the pallets... INFORMATION... flyers etc. concerning the redistribution of those supplies with guarantees of more on the way. Include descriptions of the devastation and affirmations of the existence of the refugees. What about the thousand of “empty” buses coming in… why not load them with water on the way in and take people on the way out?

Helo fly-overs with loudspeakers instructing people the cavalry is coming... Helo drop dozens of cargo containers or other platform type bases holding 100’s of porta-potties for sanitation.

Bring in a couple of hundred dozers and cats and just cut a path pushing everything aside to facilitate evacuations and supply routes.

Bring all of this and leave the guns at home... you wouldn’t need armed forces. Feed them, water them and rescue them... the violence evaporates.

It is difficult to understand why a refugee would attack or assault anyone proven to be trying to save them.

A guy interviewed yesterday had it nailed... fly a huey overhead with several pallets of goods on a sling, look for high ground with concentrations of people... go to the far end of the site and sling-drop a half-dozen pallets containing a ton of provisions... everyone will move towards those goods but in the meantime and right behind the first drop... after the crowd shifts to one end... sling-drop more pallets at the other end of the site. The crowd will split to each end.

I think that there would be some that would horde goods out of desperation but overall it looks they are taking care of each other... but if you got a hundred choppers being staged 30 miles away in constant "sorties" that keep dropping goods to the point of surplus...what is there to fight over?

The staging could even be at the rear of a Wal-Mart Supercenter or WM distribution center 10-20 minutes North-East-West. There would be plenty of stock already palleted and tow motors on site. Just drop..sling it and off again...heck you really wouldn’t have to land.

All this turmoil and unrest would cease or at least subside if there were a flood/fleet of choppers in the sky dangling tons of food and water.

I´m no rocket scientist but I think I could save these people with a dozen guys and $100,000.

If I had to rent a chopper for $500 an hour...hire three guys in the chopper and nine on the ground for ten hours per day, staged at a local Wal-Mart... Buy the water at .54 cents a gallon; and add several hundreds of pounds of beef jerky at $5 per pound and sling-dropped into the crowds. I could have supplied 5000 pounds of beef jerky and 139,000 gallons of water in three days.

I am very disappointed in this whole thing...America is failing in it’s fundamental, primary responsibility.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

I personally heard on a scanner that at approximately 10:14 am friday morning a call came over the scanner that there was a plane load of MREs to be unloaded and delivered "to where ever they delivered them yesterday." It is a scanner listening to the National Guard Base communications. The caller was asking for help from the national guard to unload and deliver the MREs.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Try saying that when its YOUR family and friends that are in there suffering for no explainable reason. Lets have a talk when you have gone through that type of suffering, when it could have been lessened. The food is there, the supplies are there, the will to get the job done by the Govt is what is missing in action, so it falls to the will of the real owners of the US the people. Its hard to see your loved ones and neighbors and friends and co-workers go through such a thing, not easy at all.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

They are probably packaged in weather protective coverings, but if they were air dropped as they are probably shipped, they would probably land in the water. If the water is contaminated and people retrieved them with contaminates on the packaging, they could get sick and die as well? I don´t know. I am sure they are dealing with hot tempered and desperate people by now. The psychology of it all now has to be taken into consideration each time something is taken to the people? I guess helos could drop them out of the side of helos onto some dry ground around some places, but people would kill others trying to get to them. I bet they are just trying to do things orderly as they can. I wouldn´t be surprised if that does complicate the speed of doing things as well. Hungry people will crush others underneath trying to get to food. It is probably about survival of the fittest at this point. By delaying, more will certainly suffer. The logistics of it all have added to the problems.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

I believe 911 was an event which gave the warmongering crowd of Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld a reason to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and through those wars, the oportunity to steal billions from the US taxpayers.

I believe N.O. is an event, which will start race riots, in turn lead to martial law and will be the start of dictatorship.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Back in the early 70’s, as a USN Midshipman, we participated in numerous Mardi Gras Day parades. During that time, we were housed (berthed) along with civilian marking bands on the hanger deck of CVT/AVT-16 Lexington, which was docked right on the Mississippi River down town NO.

Today we could not float our super carriers to NO, but other Navy assets such as our Helo Carrier Fleet could easily dock in NO, house numerous refugees and most importantly provide a stable platform to dispense drinking water. These marvelous assets must take salt water and tide water and convert to distilled water to run their operations.

Hell for that matter, other naval assets with much shallower drafts could tie up to the numerous cruise line piers and dispense water. What we need is our much maligned Presidential Chimp, serving as Commander-In-Chief, to make the “easy” decision.

Help the US taxpayer… or else! Get it Chimp Man?

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Nobody can get food and water into New Orleans, but there is absolutely no problem getting troops, ammo and guns in there.
Food and water can easily be flown in by multiple helicopter airlifts

Simple

The decision has been taken not to do that

<<<<<<>>>>>>

I have a question. In my observation of the convoy of trucks entering today to deliver food and water tell me why couldn´t they fill those same trucks flatbeds with people and take them out? Why wait for busses when you had moveable vehicles with flat surfaces available to remove alot of people. These idiots in charge must have their heads up their asses, because it´s impossible to not see how this could be done.

Geraldo is freaking out Stone is telling them too, it´s like these reporters are telling it like it is and they are being interrupted in the process. Fox (fair and balance, koff) can take this opportunity to stand behind that and get the truth out there. I give kudos to the reporters in there who aren´t going to sugar coat this shit any longer and are doing their best to use their presence on tv to force help to come.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

In all honesty, I think it might be a quarantine situation mainly, because at this point with the dirty water and dead bodies around...
remember, a vast majority of the folks surrounding the superdome came thru the water to get there. Maybe that is why they have got the convention people moving faster. Wasn't it drier around there?

<<<<<<>>>>>>

This is so bad I CANNOT believe this!

People still in deplorable conditions... hundreds if not thousands on the overpass, still without water and food!!! What is going on here? How can they let babies suffer in those conditions. This just makes me cry and cry. I want to help, but what can one do?????

:(

Why can´t they drop food and water to those that are stuck on the easily accessible overpass?

People are trapped in the Superdome, they will not even let them out. Those poor souls. Oh God help them all.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

For many years I have watched disasters come and go... but its only now after all this that the urge to stock up has hit in a big way.

I just went shopping and bought heaps of canned goods...self raising flour and so forth. Enough to last at least a year if supplies were suddenly cut off. I will be returning for more. The only thing money is good for now is FOOD. There will be no more luxuries from now on. This will shortly hit the whole world ina big way.

I said in previous posts that it will hit suddenly... and it HAS.

When you stock up be sure to include enough to feed others as well. Its better to give your food away than to die for it.

A lot of other so called “Christians” out there will be saying crap like "God will feed you" and so on. But the Lord also gave us a brain and a warning we CANNOT IGNORE.

PREPARE AMERICA * * * PREPARE WORLD.

From here on in it will only get MUCH WORSE.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

I can confirm that no one is allowed to leave the city. I just saw a report on my tv (dutch tv) and two girls, with backpacks walked on a highway out of the city and were stopped by police/militairy.
The Dutch tv crew asked the 2 girls what's going on? because they walked back. They told the tv crew, they could not leave and must go to the superdrome or so to get evacuated.... this stinks a lot!

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Yes, I saw on the Canadian news channel CTV Newsnet last night that some Canadian survivors had to be smuggled out from New Orleans, disguised as Australian journalists because they are not letting anyone in or out of the city unless they are reporters!

CTV news interviewed the daughter of one of the Canadian survivors who said that survivors in New Orleans are not allowed to use telephones to call out. I thought this was very strange!

<<<<<<>>>>>>

The news I've gotten is that no one is allowed out of NO without a health certificate. The bridges are barricaded and police will stop pedestrians. This is from a local volunteer in NO by way of phone to his brother, who in turn is a crewmember on my son's boat here in SW Louisiana.

Scuttlebutt also has it that the buses are not allowed to stop anywhere along the way to the Astrodome. Arriving there, the passengers are checked by medical personnel before being allowed to disperse. This may or may not be rumor.

Sounds to me like there is concern that there is a chance for some nasty diseases coming out of New Orleans.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

As the National Guard delivered food to the New Orleans convention center yesterday, American Red Cross officials said that federal emergency management authorities would not allow them to do the same.

Other relief agencies say the area is so damaged and dangerous that they doubted they could conduct mass feeding there now.

"The Homeland Security Department has requested and continues to request that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans," said Renita Hosler, spokeswoman for the Red Cross.

"Right now access is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities. We have been at the table every single day [asking for access]. We cannot get into New Orleans against their orders."

Calls to the Department of Homeland Security and its subagency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, were not returned yesterday.

Though frustrated, Hosler understood the reasons. The goal is to move people out of an uninhabitable city, and relief operations might keep them there. Security is so bad that she fears feeding stations might get ransacked.

"It's not about fault and blame right now. The situation is like an hourglass, and we are in the smallest part right now. Everything is trying to get through it," she said. "They're trying to help people get out."

Obstacles in downtown New Orleans have stymied rescuers who got there. The Salvation Army has two of its officers trapped with more than 200 people -- three requiring dialysis -- in its own downtown building. They were alerted by a 30-second plea for food and water before the phone went dead.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

"Wow..you gotta see this. Copter after copter landing, loading and taking people out. Geraldo says about 100 people being flown out every ten minutes. Every helicopter in the military inventory from old Hueys to Chinooks, Black Hawks and Navy Sea Stallions."

<<<<<<>>>>>>

New Orleans had long known it was highly vulnerable to flooding and a direct hit from a hurricane. In fact, the federal government has been working with state and local officials in the region since the late 1960s on major hurricane and flood relief efforts. When flooding from a massive rainstorm in May 1995 killed six people, Congress authorized the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, or SELA.

Over the next 10 years, the Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with carrying out SELA, spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained, even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to subside.

Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars. The Newhouse News Service article published Tuesday night observed, "The Louisiana congressional delegation urged Congress earlier this year to dedicate a stream of federal money to Louisiana's coast, only to be opposed by the White House. ... In its budget, the Bush administration proposed a significant reduction in funding for southeast Louisiana's chief hurricane protection project. Bush proposed $10.4 million, a sixth of what local officials say they need."

Washington knew that this day could come at any time, and it knew the things that needed to be done to protect the citizens of New Orleans. But in the tradition of the riverboat gambler, the Bush administration decided to roll the dice on its fool's errand in Iraq, and on a tax cut that mainly benefitted the rich. Now Bush has lost that gamble, big time.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Regarding a recent article in the New York Times about the levee:

Not until the ninth paragraph does the story imply (but fail to state) that budget cut – even if the intended work could have been done instantaneously, had nothing to do with the flooding. It quotes an expert “at the University of New Orleans, [who] said that was particularly surprising because the break was ‘along a section that was just upgraded.’ ”

The implication, gleefully trumpeted by rabid Democrats, is that George Bush caused the destruction of New Orleans. Not until paragraph 16 does the article note the system was only designed to protect against a Category 3 storm. It neglects to mention that decision was made by local officials, all Democrats.

For the truth, see a Chicago Tribune article the same day. Its lede says: “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that a lack of funding for hurricane-protection projects around New Orleans did not contribute to the disastrous flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.”

The Tribune notes the decision to build the levees for a Category 3 storm was “made decades ago.” Next, it says, “ ‘I don't see that the level of funding was really a contributing factor in this case,’ said Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, chief of engineers for the corps. ‘Had this project been fully complete, it is my opinion that based on the intensity of this storm that the flooding of ... [New Orleans] would have still taken place.’ ”

<<<<<<>>>>>>

It goes on and on like this. No matter who or what is to blame... I cannot imagine the suffering and hardship that these people are going through. My personal trials and tribulations are nothing compared to this nightmare scenario which is now playing out day by day and dark night by dark night.

I get CNN International here in Mazatlan which last night had CNN USA on most of the time discussing the aftermath of Katrina. Race riots? Well, all the black politicians were at the cameras denouncing this and that and saying that the “slowness of the reaction by the government” to this disaster was racially based... Really? Who is really raising the question of race here anyway? Is not the mayor of New Orleans a black? Why was he not prepared, as is his obligation as mayor, to “help his fellow black in his own city” in advance of this storm that they all knew was coming?? Why indeed... Perhaps so as to not lose the opportunity to criticize the Bush Administration and thereby pit blacks against whites for political advantage in the upcoming elections... Just thinking out loud here...

Remember Me...

2005-08-23T16:30:00.000-06:00

Remember me.

I will be with you in the grave
on the night you leave behind
your shop and your family.
When you hear my soft voice
echoing in your tomb,
you will realize
that you were never hidden from my eyes.
I am the pure awareness within your heart,
with you during joy and celebration,
suffering and despair.

On that strange and fateful night
you will hear a familar voice --
you'll be rescued from the fangs of snakes
and the searing sting of scorpions.
The euphoria of love will sweep over your grave;
it will bring wine and friends, candles and food.

When the light of realization dawns,
shouting and upheaval
will rise up from the graves!
The dust of ages will be stirred
by the cities of ecstasy,
by the banging of drums,
by the clamor of revolt!

Dead bodies will tear off their shrouds
and stuff their ears in fright--
What use are the senses and the ears
before the blast of that Trumpet?

Look and you will see my form
whether you are looking at yourself
or toward that noise and confusion.

Don't be blurry-eyed,
See me clearly-
See my beauty without the old eyes of delusion.

Beware! Beware!
Don't mistake me for this human form.
The soul is not obscured by forms.
Even if it were wrapped in a hundred folds of felt
the rays of the soul's light
would still shine through.

Beat the drum,
Follow the minstrels of the city.
It's a day of renewal
when every young man
walks boldly on the path of love.

Had everyone sought God
Instead of crumbs and copper coins
T'hey would not be sitting on the edge of the moat
in darkness and regret.

What kind of gossip-house
have you opened in our city?
Close your lips
and shine on the world
like loving sunlight.

Shine like the Sun of Tabriz rising in the East.
Shine like the star of victory.
Shine like the whole universe is yours!

-- Translated by Jonathan Star
Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved

Regarding Fundamentalism...

2005-08-23T15:34:00.000-06:00

Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only a unanimity of the graveyard.

--Justice Robert H. Jackson, 1892-1954

<<<<<<>>>>>>

The following is an excerpt from:
http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/truth_or_lies_2.htm

The word sraddha was, according to religious historians Dumezil and Levi, too hastily understood as "faith" in the Christian sense. Correctly understood, it means something like the trust a workman has in his tools to "shape or create" and techniques of sacrifice were, in the way of tools, similar to acts of magic!

Such "faith" is, therefore, part of a "covenant" wherein the sacrificer knows how to perform a prescribed sacrifice correctly, and who also knows that if he performs the sacrifice correctly, it must produce its effect.

In short, it is an act that is designed to gain control over the forces of life that reside in the god with whom one has made the covenant.

Such gods as make covenants are not "literary ornaments" or abstractions. They are active partners with intelligence, strength, passion, and a tendency to get out of control if the sacrifices are not performed correctly. In this sense, the sacrifice - the "faith" - is simply black magic.

In another sense, the ascetic or "self-sacrificer," is a person who is striving for release from the bondage and order of nature by the act of attempting to mortify the self, the flesh; testing and increasing the will for the purpose of winning tyrannical powers while still in the world. But again, we see that through this self-sacrifice, he or she seeks mastery of the gods . It is, in short, manipulation and coercion at its most subtle to promote "faith" as the bringer of salvation.

What seems to be so is that it is generally individuals who have been "disenfranchised" or who feel helpless and at the mercy of the forces of life - whether they manifest through other people or random events - are those who are most likely to seek such faith, such a covenant with a god. They feel acutely their own inability to have an effect in the world, and they turn their creativity inward to create and maintain their "faith."

Fundamentalism of any sort - be it Judaism, Christianity or Islamic - thrives on certain characteristics of human beings. The first characteristic is " absolute certainty ." In this sense, it is a sort of terminal consciousness in which development is stopped because real growth and development includes, of necessity, uncertainty and risk. This point was actually made by Jesus in the parable of the talents.

In this story, Jesus describes "Knowledge" as "money" given to three servants. Two of the servants utilize their talents/gold to obtain even more. In fact, the exact description is that they "invest," or take a risk by giving up what they have been given - what they know (knowledge of the kingdom) - in order to multiply it. And the servant who clings desperately to his little bit of knowledge/money, burying it in the ground from fear that his Master is hard and demanding, loses even the little that he has. He closed his mind to more knowledge. He assumed that what he had was sufficient and stopped seeking. He denied himself by denying knowledge and the risks entailed in gaining it.

The "absolute certainty" - the burying of the talent - of the Fundamentalist is very similar to what psychologists call the "Right Man Syndrome." The Right Man lives in a world of fantasy and indulges in grandiose dreams of success (rewards in heaven) without any realistic attempts to make them come true. They rely on their "faith" and their "sacrifices" to the god to ultimately bring them the great "reward."

The Right Man is generally a person who has a "high need for dominance," but who repeatedly finds himself in life situations of subordinance. Placed in such situations, they attempt to express their dominance need in the only ways available to them: generally manipulation for power which is, in the end, what faith and sacrifice amount to.

What is crucial to understand is that Fundamentalists are basically "giving their will" away in exchange for promised benefits. This free will is their own power of creativity - their own possibility for growth and development that can only commutate and expand in the process of uncertainty, taking risks, and making free and willing exchanges with others that do NOT include dominance and manipulation.

The "absolute certainty" of the Fundamentalist locks them into Entropy and their creative energy goes to feed a vast system of illusion. These systems are the creation and maintenance of the Idols they worship. Like the paranoid schizophrenic, they devise baroque and ingenious systems of perception and define them as "given by god." They then spend an enormous amount of energy editing out all impressions that are contrary to their system of illusion.

Of course, this system of being able to find a text for everything in the Bible, and explaining contradictions and errors as just "different points of view" on the same event, ultimately amounts to being able to do exactly as one likes. Many fundamentalists throughout history have excused the most horrific crimes imaginable by quoting the appropriate text from the Bible. The name of Yahweh, Jesus and Allah has been invoked to cover every horror that might satisfy the most degraded of criminals.

-- Laura Knight-Jadczyk

An Islamic Reformation?

2005-08-11T17:39:00.000-06:00

British author Salman Rushdie is calling for a reform movement that would modernize Islam and bring it into the 21st Century. This would, he reasons, slowly help to bring an end to the "jihadists" and youths wielding "lethal rucksacks." Rushdie, who was born in India, made his statement in an essay published today in The Times of London which was titled, "Muslims unite! A new Reformation will bring your faith into the modern era."

<<<<<<>>>>>>

"What is needed is a move beyond tradition -- nothing less than a reform movement to bring the core concepts of Islam into the modern age, a Muslim Reformation to combat not only the jihadi ideologues but also the dusty, stifling seminaries of the traditionalists, throwing open the windows of the closed communities to let in much-needed fresh air," Rushdie wrote. "It is high time, for starters, that Muslims were able to study the revelation of their religion as an event inside history, not supernaturally above it."

"It would be good to see governments and community leaders inside the Muslim world as well as outside it throwing their weight behind this idea, because creating and sustaining such a reform movement will require, above all, a new educational impetus whose results may take a generation to be felt, a new scholarship to replace the literalist dictates and narrow dogmatisms that plague present-day Muslim thinking," he continued. "The deeper alienations that lead to terrorism may have their roots in... ...objections to events in Iraq or elsewhere, but the closed communities of some traditional Western Muslims are places in which young men's alienations can easily deepen."

Rushdie also wrote that "the insistence within Islam" that the Quran "is the infallible, uncreated word of God renders analytical scholarly discourse all but impossible" and the rigidity "plays right into the hands of the literalist Islamofascists."

"If, however, [the Quran] were seen as a historical document, then it would be legitimate to reinterpret it to suit the new conditions of successive new ages. Laws made in the 7th century could finally give way to the needs of the 21st. The Islamic Reformation has to begin here, with an acceptance that all ideas, even sacred ones, must adapt to altered realities."

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Personally, I think he's on to something. Extreme views in any religion are always intolerant of those who do not share them, and very difficult, if not impossible, to change. The Grand Creator of this enigma we call life certainly has no need for such destructive religious nonsense and, I would wager, does not practice and dare I say it, does not condone any one of them; needing none of them to feel fulfilled and complete.

Many of us, however, being so afraid and unsure of the very essence of life itself, must have this "crutch" close at hand in order to face the inevitability of death, the great unknown part of this sometimes wonderful experience of life which appears and then takes that very life away from us.

However, killing others to satisfy these personal, dogmatic religious "beliefs" is certainly never justified, and is certainly not a welcome "offering" to any loving deity and in my humble opinion is absolute anathema to the Grand Creator and will never result in nirvana, let alone 49 virgins and heaven!! Really now...

War of the "gods"

2005-07-14T17:30:00.000-06:00

The world emerging from the next great war, then, will be a tougher world, more disunited than ever, abounding still more in concealed aims and secret preparations and the fears and suspicions they engender. What else can it be ?

This is evident for example in the steady increase of bomb-making and bomb-throwing in the world. It is a growing feature of the normal social life.

In a world of deepening misunderstandings and grievances, there is no reason to doubt that they will become as common as road accidents and as little thought of, a part of the normal give and take of politics. People will harden their hearts to the consequences until the bomb comes to themselves, and then their enlightenment will be too late."

-- from "Decadent World" in The Fate Of Man by H.G. Wells, 1939.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

At this time in the history of the present world in the year 2005 as measured by our Western calendar, the war that is now manifesting its final stages is not the imaginary “War of the Worlds” but the all too real and very dangerous war of the gods.

Human beings tend to approach their “personal god” through a system of “religious” thought... sometimes organized, sometimes not. I tend to believe that any and all organized religion is errant, but that any “religious” endeavor that is not organized “by dogmatic committee” is spiritual and essentially very personal in nature and therefore properly devoid of any dogmatic requirements for one’s participation. Being spiritual and being religious are not the same thing and are often mistaken for each other.

Recent events have only added to my thinking on this matter.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Osama bin Laden, in 1998, issued the following "fatwa," or religious edict: " . . . The killing of Americans and their civilian and military allies is a religious duty for each and every Muslim to be carried out in whichever country they are until Al Aqsa mosque has been liberated from their grasp and until their armies have left Muslim lands [emphasis added]." So, Islamic fascists demand that "infidels" leave "Muslim lands." But define "Muslim lands." Arabs, after all, dominated Europe from the 8th-century AD until 1492 AD, occupying lands as far west as Spain and modern-day France.

"One day the black flag of Islam will be flying over Downing Street," said Anjem Choudray, a spokesperson for Al-Muhajiroun ("the immigrants"), described by the Jerusalem Post's Ori Golan as a radical Islamic organization based in Britain. In calling for jihad, Choudray says, "Lands will not be liberated by individuals, but by an army. Eventually there'll have to be a Muslim army. It's just a matter of time before it happens."

The problem is this: to Islamic extremism, democracy is toxic. Al Qaeda-affiliated Abu Musab al Zarqawi, just before the January Iraqi elections, gave a speech in which he listed seven reasons to condemn democracy:

Democracy requires obedience to man, not Allah

Democracy allows freedom of religion, even to convert from Islam to another religion

Under democracy, the people, rather than Allah, rule and pass judgment

Democracy's freedom of expression would allow condemnation of Allah

Separation between religion and state calls for secularism, totally inconsistent with Islam

Democracy's freedom of association would allow one to join an unacceptable party

Majority rule is "totally wrong and void because truth according to Islam is that which is in accordance with the Koran and the Sunna [i.e., the tradition of the Prophet], whether its supporters are few or many."

-- Larry Elder, July 14, 2005

<<<<<<>>>>>>

When you read and contemplate the preceding seven dogmatic ideas which apparently are the core of Islamic religious thought, one can only come to the conclusion that there is indeed a “holy war” being waged against the West and all it stands for. Their “god” is, in essence through their dogmatic religious ideals, waging war with our “god” from which we derive our religious ideals, and so it appears that this war has been festering in the hearts and minds of the followers of “Allah” for the last 500 years or so... perhaps longer. Are the recent strikes in London in retaliation for the Crusades of the past when our “god” through the religious zealotry of the Roman Catholic Church sought to overcome the non-christian Islamic “infidels” of those years. In hindsight, I sense that both of these perspectives are totally against the absolute will of any true and loving “god” which might exist.

I believe it was Karl Marx who once said that “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” I believe that religion, no matter the ideology is “psychological hallucinogenic crack”, and because of its delusionary and dysfunctional dependency it is the main cause of war and of the death of millions of our human species throughout the history of mankind. Religion, in its organized form, no matter the ideology, is anathema to me. It is divisive. It is hypocritical in its dogma. It is an abject failure in all its forms. I’m sure that any true and loving “god” would absolutely reject all of it.

Will the real, one true “god” please stand up? Is one of these warring gods the real, true god... or is there no true god? Which one will win this war? Which “god” allows indiscriminate killing of women and children in its name? Which “god” condemns the killing of an innocent lifeform by abortion and yet allows killing other lifeforms in war? Death is death no matter in what form it comes or by whose hand it is administered. Could a real and true “god” want this religious war... any war... or is it all just a part of the dysfunctional religiousness of mankind and it has nothing to do at all with any genuine wish of any genuine god.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

...recently in a British paper, Charles Moore, former editor of the Sunday Telegraph and London's Spectator... ...quoted a Saudi imam welcomed to Britain by Mohammed Abdul Bari of the East London Mosque. The reverend imam, a couple of years back in Mecca, described Jews as "scum of the earth," "rats of the world," "monkeys and pigs who should be annihilated." When the imam is criticized by the likes of Moore, Abdul Bari furiously defends him. Moore went on to quote the local Muslim Weekly's Sheikh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi's writing that parliamentary democracy in Britain must be replaced by "a new civilization based on the worship of Allah," and his description of the leader of the Tory Party as "an illegal Jewish immigrant from Romania." He also referred to the "near-demented Judaic banking elite."

-- Emmett Tyrrell July 14, 2005

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Again I ask: What kind of a god would condone and support and encourage this belief system of obvious and blatant religious intolerance? Is a new Crusade of death in the beginning stages of manifestation on our spaceship Earth?

I believe we live in a freewill universe; therefore, no “god” will save us from this insanity. It is up to us individually to find our way out of this obviously dysfunctional maelstrom and into the glowing light of gentle, genuine love for all of creation. We can only save ourselves... to each his own as it were. A god has not led us astray. We have done this to ourselves. We and we alone are responsible... each and every one of us. We each have in our own way contributed to this situation through our misguided thought processes without realizing it consciously. Thoughts are things and thoughts most assuredly do affect the quantumized continuum.

I have, in my heart and soul, accepted any personal responsibility for this madness that I myself might have contributed and I have also asked for forgiveness... I no longer live my life by following any sort of destructive and highly dysfunctional dogma. I have cast off those life-stifling tendencies and now try to live each day in at-one-ment with all that is part of this majestic, living creation.

This life affirming place, where I now find my true self truly free, was created by a true and genuine God, not warring, devisive “gods” created by the minds of those cowardly, puny and terribly misguided fanatic fringes of mankind. Of that I have no doubt whatsoever!

Sunset in Paradise

2005-07-09T14:12:00.000-06:00

My view from Mazatlan

2005-07-05T20:02:00.000-06:00

In October of 1923, D. H. Lawrence wrote the following while visiting Mazatlan...

"Can you imagine how the sun blazes here! There is a certain fascination also about the place. It's very like the South Sea Isles in quality: as remote and soft and sensuous... natives very much like islanders... That Pacific blue-black in their eyes and hair, fathomless, timeless. They don't know the meaning of time. Their eternity is so vast, they can't care at all. I have learnt something from them. The vastness of Pacific time, unhistoried, undivided. I can imagine going to the middle of the Pacific to die."

I have lived here in Mazatlan for almost two years now. It is known as "The Pearl of the Pacific" and rightly so. It is, as D. H. Lawrence wrote, still "timeless" in its own way... The Pacific is so vast and so near... and so beautiful, like a lover beckoning one to watch her as she gently caresses the sandy beaches while the red-orange setting Sun slowly dives into her, making way for the softness of the Moon's cool light to seduce one in her own loving, magic way. I am living in a wonderful and beautiful place. A place where one can enjoy an ice cold Pacifico while sitting under coconut palms at an outdoor table in the Plaza Machado in the Historic Section of Viejo Mazatlan... the older and partly European area of the now newer Mazatlan.

I will be posting some photographs and digital artwork along with musings about life and maybe even some poetry from time to time... I have a website at: www.mexicophotoart.com which you are welcome to visit as well.