Morning Papers - continued...

Exclusive Video: Benazir Bhutto (click here for interview while placed under house arrest). "There is a great danger to nuclear armed Pakistan. There is a great danger of implosion... Any arrest of Presidential Candidates were more oppression by Musharraf in an attempt to muscle them into silence and discredit their character.


US Senator Hillary Clinton, seen here 27 December 2007, called for an independent, international probe into Benazir Bhutto's murder, saying Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's government had no credibility. (AFP/File)

Call for Bhutto inquiry (click here)
Ellen Wulfhorst Story City, Iowa
December 30, 2007
US DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called for an international investigation into the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as presidential candidates from the Democrat and Republican parties sparred over foreign policy six days before the 2008 election race begins in Iowa.
Mrs Clinton, in a three-way battle with Barack Obama and John Edwards for the lead in Iowa - the first of the primaries that launch the race - questioned the credibility of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
And she said Ms Bhutto's murder cast a harsh light on US President George Bush's approach in the region. Nuclear-armed Pakistan is a vital ally in the US war on terrorism.
"It is clear the Bush policy of giving Musharraf a blank cheque has failed," the New York senator said in north-central Iowa....

Poll boycott … Imran Khan speaks out against Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf.
Photo: AP (click at title to entry. thank you.)

Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Posted on Thu, Dec. 27, 2007
Impeach Cheney now
The allegations that he abused power are credible.
U.S. Reps. Robert Wexler (D., Fla.), Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.) and Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.)
are members of the Judiciary Committee
Last month, the House of Representatives voted to send a resolution of impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee. As members of the House Judiciary Committee, we strongly believe these important hearings should begin.
The issues at hand are too serious to ignore, including credible allegations of abuse of power that, if proven, may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors under the Constitution. The allegations against Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens.
Now that former White House press secretary Scott McClellan has indicated that the vice president and his staff purposely gave him false information about the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert agent to report to the American people, it is even more important for Congress to investigate what may have been an intentional obstruction of justice. Congress should call McClellan to testify about what he described as being asked to "unknowingly [pass] along false information." In addition, recent revelations have shown that the administration, including the vice president, may have again manipulated and exaggerated evidence about weapons of mass destruction - this time about Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Some of us were in Congress during the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton. We spent a year and a half listening to testimony about Clinton's personal relations. This must not be the model for impeachment inquiries. A Democratic Congress can show that it takes its constitutional authority seriously and hold a sober investigation, which will stand in stark contrast to the kangaroo court convened by Republicans for Clinton. In fact, the worst legacy of the Clinton impeachment - where the GOP pursued trumped-up and insignificant allegations - would be if it discourages future Congresses from examining credible and significant allegations of a constitutional nature when they arise.
The charges against Cheney are not personal. They go to the core of the actions of this administration, and deserve consideration in a way the Clinton scandal never did. The American people understand this, and a majority supports hearings, according to a Nov. 13 poll by the American Research Group. In fact, 70 percent of voters say the vice president has abused his powers, and 43 percent say he should be removed from office right now. The American people understand the magnitude of what has been done and what is at stake if we fail to act. It is time for Congress to catch up.
Some people argue that the Judiciary Committee cannot proceed with impeachment hearings because it would distract Congress from passing important legislative initiatives. We disagree. First, hearings need not tie up Congress for a year and shut down the nation. Second, hearings will not prevent Congress from completing its other business. These hearings involve the possible impeachment of the vice president - not of our commander in chief - and the resulting impact on the nation's business and attention would be significantly less than the Clinton presidential impeachment hearings. Also, even though President Bush has thwarted moderate Democratic policies that are supported by a vast majority of Americans - including children's health care, stem-cell research, and bringing our troops home from Iraq - the Democratic Congress has already managed to deliver a minimum-wage increase, an energy bill to address the climate crisis and bring us closer to energy independence, assistance for college tuition, and other legislative successes. We can continue to deliver on more of our agenda in the coming year while simultaneously fulfilling our constitutional duty by investigating and publicly revealing whether Cheney has committed high crimes and misdemeanors.
Holding hearings would put the evidence on the table, and the evidence - not politics - should determine the outcome. Even if the hearings do not lead to removal from office, putting these grievous abuses on the record is important for the sake of history. For an administration that has consistently skirted the Constitution and asserted that it is above the law, it is imperative for Congress to make clear that we do not accept this dangerous precedent. Our Founding Fathers provided Congress the power of impeachment for just this reason, and we must now at least consider using it.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20071227_Impeach_Cheney_now.html



'War Criminals'

"This petition is as radical as the Declaration of Independence..." -- Kurt Daims

December 29th, 2007 3:45 am
Vermont town seeks Bush, Cheney arrests
By Dave Gram / Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. - President Bush may soon have a new reason to avoid left-leaning Vermont: In one town, activists want him subject to arrest for war crimes.
A group in Brattleboro is petitioning to put an item on a town meeting agenda in March that would make Bush and Vice President Cheney subject to arrest and indictment if they visit the southeastern Vermont community.
"This petition is as radical as the Declaration of Independence, and it draws on that tradition in claiming a universal jurisdiction when governments fail to do what they're supposed to do," said Kurt Daims, 54, a retired machinist leading the drive.
As president, Bush has visited every state except Vermont.
The town meeting, an annual exercise in which residents gather to vote on everything from fire department budgets to municipal policy, requires about 1,000 signatures to place a binding item on the agenda.
The measure asks: "Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution, and publish said indictment for consideration by other municipalities?"

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10614


Monday, December 24th, 2007
Will Brattleboro Indict Bush? ...by Dan DeWalt
Brattleboro Vermont resident Kurt Daims has drafted a ballot question petition calling for the town to indict George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for crimes against the Constitution, and making it the law that if either man comes to town, he would be liable to arrest.
Some will say that this is just another unenforceable ordinance at best, and an absurdity at worst. Others worry that it will detract from the gravity of the impeachment movement as it stands today, on the cusp of forcing hearings in the House Judiciary Committee. The argument will be made that such "extreme" rhetorical proclamations only serve to divide us further from each other, marginalizing the demand for accountability, rather than promoting it.
Upon reflection, these arguments can be answered and laid to rest.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=949



December 27th, 2007 5:25 pm
Professor Cites Bible in Faulting Tax Policies
By David Cay Johnston / New York Times
At a time when some voters are asking how the religious views of candidates will shape their policies, a professor’s discovery of how little tax the biggest landowners in her state paid to finance the government has prompted some other legal scholars to scour religious texts to explore the moral basis of tax and spending policies.
The professor, Susan Pace Hamill, is an expert at tax avoidance for small businesses and teaches at the University of Alabama Law School. She also holds a degree in divinity from a conservative evangelical seminary, where her master’s thesis explored how Alabama’s tax-and-spend policies comport with the Bible.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10606



December 27th, 2007 5:59 pm
State Democrats renew Bush impeachment effort
By Brad Shannon / The Olympian
The prime backer of a state resolution urging Congress to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney plans to return to the state Capitol in January with a slightly revised proposal.
Meanwhile, a South Sound group calling itself Citizens Movement to Impeach Bush/Cheney is gearing up for an "impeachment party" Friday in Olympia.
State Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland, said Wednesday he is amending his Senate Joint Memorial 8016 to make its intent clearer.
Democratic Sen. Darlene Fairley, who chairs the Senate committee that will hear the bill, expects to give it a hearing and bring it up for a vote in the legislative session that begins Jan. 14.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10607



December 27th, 2007 6:13 pm
A Walking Call to Impeach Bush Arrives in the East Village
By Julie Bolcer / Village Voice
John Nirenberg would walk 500 miles. And it sounds like he would walk 500 more. But unlike the persistent pop tune by The Proclaimers, he refuses to be the man who falls down at Nancy Pelosi’s door.
Nirenberg, a hearty New York City native and current resident of Brattelboro, Vermont, intends to be standing when he reaches Washington, D.C. around January 10, at the conclusion of a scheduled 40-day walk that began in Boston on December 1. This fall, the 60-year-old professor of organizational behavior and Air Force veteran decided to traverse Route 1 on foot to implore House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to begin impeachment proceedings against President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
“It was about a whole collection of issues around the Constitution and the behavior of this administration,” explains Nirenberg, who finds that his sense of outrage and jogging background help him complete 15 miles per day. “Especially the torture issue, the spying, and an illegal war. All of this, at some point, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I decided that I needed to do something different.”

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10608


December 26th, 2007 4:45 pm
In Kentucky’s Teeth, Toll of Poverty and Neglect
By Ian Urbina / New York Times
BARBOURVILLE, Ky. — In the 18 years he has been visiting nursing homes, seeing patients in his private practice and, more recently, driving his mobile dental clinic through Appalachian hills and hollows, Dr. Edwin E. Smith has seen the extremes of neglect.
He has seen the shame of a 14-year-old girl who would not lift her head because she had lost most of her teeth from malnutrition, and the do-it-yourself pride of an elderly mountain man who, unable to afford a dentist, pulled his own infected teeth with a pair of pliers.
He has seen the brutal result of angry husbands hitting their wives and the end game of pill-poppers who crack healthy teeth, one by one, to get dentists to prescribe pain medications.
But mostly he has seen everyday people who are too busy putting food on the table to worry about oral hygiene. Many of them savor their sweets, drink well water without fluoride and long ago started ruining their teeth by chewing tobacco and smoking.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10603


December 25th, 2007 5:12 pm
Congressman calls for Cheney's impeachment
By Lesley Clark / McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Robert Wexler is taking on the Bush administration -- in cyberspace.
The Boca Raton Democrat has launched a website -- wexlerwantshearings.com -- and is gathering signatures calling for impeachment hearings against Vice President Dick Cheney.
''Our Constitution mandates that the House of Representatives hold presidents and vice presidents accountable when they commit high crimes,'' Wexler says in a video on the site, which suggests, among other things, that Cheney manipulated intelligence to boost the case for war against Iraq and was involved in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame.
Within two days of posting, Wexler said he had surpassed his goal of 50,000 signatures and is aiming for 250,000. He's written an op-ed article with two fellow members of the House Judiciary committee, calling for hearings into whether Cheney violated the Constitution.
Though the push is, as Wexler acknowledges, a ''huge uphill battle,'' because House leadership has not been interested, the quest has made him a favorite of left-leaning activists.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10599

Imagine Peace

http://www.imaginepeace.com/news.html


Pakistan police left posts prior to attack

Pakistan interior ministry

"It is the most unstable country in the world that has nuclear weapons."

December 28th, 2007 1:17 pm
Police absent as Bhutto's supporters riot
Witness tells of chaos after slaying
By Saeed Shah / McClatchy Newspapers
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — It was on the drive out of the downtown park that the assassin fired the fatal bullets at Benazir Bhutto.
The election rally had been long and lackluster, but on viewing the crowd gathered at the gates of Liaquat Bagh park, Bhutto turned to her deputy, Amin Fahim, and said she wanted to wave, Fahim recounted. The sunroof was opened and she stood up.
Three to five shots were fired at her, witnesses said. She was hit in the neck and slumped back in the vehicle. Blood poured from her head, and she never regained consciousness. Moments after the shooting, there was a huge explosion to the left of the vehicle.
Witnesses said that Bhutto's bodyguards pounced on the assassin, who then blew himself up, shredding those around him. The road turned red with pools of blood.
Police abandoned posts
"I was standing near the rally stage, about 30 to 40 yards away from the scene of the shooting. There was pandemonium. On hearing the shots, I started running toward the scene. Then came the explosion. I ran back a bit. I didn't see the killer, and by the time I got to the gates, Bhutto's SUV was driving to a Rawalpindi hospital. She didn't have a chance," Fahim said.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10609


December 28th, 2007 1:37 pm
Pakistani government pins Bhutto death on al-Qaeda
By Randy Lilleston / USA Today
Al-Qaeda is to blame for Thursday's assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, a government spokesman just said at a news conference.
The government has intercepted an e-mail between al-Qaeda operatives, congratulating one for successfully executing the attack, Interior Ministry spokesman Jared Iqbal Cheema just told reporters.
Cheema also said Bhutto had "no foreign element in her body" when she was brought to a hospital, raising questions about what killed her.
Various reports have said she was struck by bomb shrapnel or shot; CNN reports that no autopsy was performed on Bhutto before she was buried earlier today.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10610


December 28th, 2007 2:16 pm
Bhutto 'died after hitting head on car roof', Pakistan government claims
By Jenny Booth / Times of London
The Pakistan Government tonight claimed that Benazir Bhutto did not die from bullet wounds, as previously thought, but from hitting the sunroof of her campaign vehicle.
The dramatic statement came as the murdered political leader's funeral drew to a close and the violence that has convulsed the country since her death intensified.
The interior ministry said at a press conference that video of Ms Bhutto's last moments and an examination by doctors had shown that Ms Bhutto died apparently accidentally, as a suicide bomb blast went off at her political rally in Rawalpindi last night, killing around 20 people. No full post mortem examination had been carried out at the request of Ms Bhutto's husband, it was reported.
Brigadier Javed Cheema, a ministry spokesman, said Ms Bhutto had died from a head wound after smashing against the sunroof’s lever as she tried to shelter inside her car. "There is no evidence of any foreign element in her body," Brigadier Cheema said. "No bullet hit her, nor any splinters hit her. Unfortunately, it was to be that way.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10612


December 28th, 2007 1:42 pm
"Failed state" Pakistan raises nuclear threat
By Luke Baker / Reuters
LONDON - Security experts fear Pakistan's nuclear materials could fall into the hands of Islamic militants as the country's instability deepens in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
In early 2005, a joint security assessment by the CIA and the U.S. National Intelligence Council predicted Pakistan would become "a failed state, ripe with civil war, bloodshed, inter-provincial rivalries and a struggle for control of its nuclear weapons and complete Talibanisation" by 2015.
Following Bhutto's death in Rawalpindi on Thursday, some experts believe the timeframe on that assessment may now have been brought forward, with political upheaval pitching Pakistan, a nuclear-armed power since 1998, towards breakdown.
"It's a very, very valid risk," said M.J. Gohel, the head of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, a London-based security and intelligence think-tank, describing the possibility that parts of Pakistan's nuclear technology could fall into militant hands.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10611


"We repeatedly informed the government to provide her proper security and appropriate equipment including jammers, but they paid no heed to our requests." -- Bhutto security adviser Rehman Malik

Bhutto party complained of faulty jammers at least three times

International
PPP claims govt provided faulty jammers to Bhutto
Islamabad (PTI): Former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto-led PPP on Tuesday alleged that the jammers provided to her by the government to protect her from bomb attacks during the election campaign were faulty and exposed her to a "high risk."
Rehman Malik, a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and Security Advisor to Bhutto, asked the Interior Ministry to provide "fault-free jammers along with a technician to ensure full protection" to her from any attempted attack.
This is the third time that the PPP has complained to the Interior Ministry about jammers provided to Bhutto being faulty. Bhutto survived a suicide bomb attack on her homecoming rally in Karachi on October 18 that killed 140 people.
In his letter to the Interior Secretary, Malik, a former Federal Investigation Agency chief, said: "I regret to inform that the jammers provided by Sindh Police to cover the movements of Benazir Bhutto on 23-12-2007 did not work, which is a serious lapse in the light of the serious security threat already conveyed to us by Brig Javed Iqbal Cheema, Director General, National Crisis Management Cell, Ministry of Interior."
"Similarly, the jammers provided for the protection of Benazir Bhutto during her trip to Rahimyar Khan on 24-12-2007 also failed to work, exposing (her) to a high risk."
Malik said the PPP had "made repeated requests for provision of proper fault-free jammers for the protection of Benazir Bhutto but in every trip the jammers have failed to work."
Bhutto is currently busy campaigning for her party for the January 8 general election in the country.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200712251923.htm


Bhutto Adviser

Bhutto Adviser: Musharraf Is To Blame
By Spencer Ackerman - December 27, 2007, 10:32AM
A longtime adviser and close friend of assassinated Pakistani ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto places blame for Bhutto's death squarely on the shoulders of U.S.-supported dictator Pervez Musharraf.
After an October attack on Bhutto's life in Karachi, the ex-prime minister warned "certain individuals in the security establishment [about the threat] and nothing was done," says Husain Haqqani, a confidante of Bhutto's for decades. "There is only one possibility: the security establishment and Musharraf are complicit, either by negligence or design. That is the most important thing. She's not the first political leader killed, since Musharraf took power, by the security forces."
Haqqani notes that Bhutto died of a gunshot wound to the neck. "It's like a hit, not a regular suicide bombing," he says. "It's quite clear that someone who considers himself Pakistan's Godfather has a very different attitude toward human life than you and I do."

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004985.php


December 27th, 2007 11:10 am
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto killed in suicide attack, about 20 killed
By Sadaqat Jan and Zarar Khan / Associated Press
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed Thursday in a suicide attack as she drove away from a campaign rally just minutes after addressing thousands of supporters, aides said.
The death of the charismatic former prime minister threw the campaign for the Jan. 8 election into chaos and created fears of mass protests and an eruption of violence across the volatile south Asian nation.
It left a void at the top of her Pakistan People's Party, the largest political group in the country. It also threw into turmoil U.S. President George W. Bush's plan to bring stability to this key U.S. ally by reconciling her and President Pervez Musharraf.
Shortly after Bhutto's death, Musharraf convened an emergency meeting with his senior staff, where they were expected to discuss whether to postpone the election, an official at the Interior Ministry said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10604

continued...

The Musharraf dictatorship is once again pandering to it's coup members; Al-Qaeda

Benazir Bhutto was and continues to be the most powerful woman the world of Islam has ever known. She was completely unique in her rise to power thru her birthright from her father. She is irreplaceable and why her will and spirit will live forever. She received attentions of the finest minds in the world as she was mentored to leadership for Pakistan. She alone was capable of peace with India, hence, capable of bringing widespread peace with Islam and the International Community, revering Muslim women to a new standard and ending forever the terrorist networks that flourish under less able men.

In the prime of her life, rising to the very need she was born, she bravely went to Pakistan to liberate the people from the dictator, Musharraf. She was first killed with an assassin's bullet, fell back into the car sustaining tissue and bone injuries, then the bomb blast followed.

It was a perfectly orchestrated assassination and the gunman could not believe his luck as she stood to wave to her supporters. The car bomb was in place and was to be the weapon that was al-Qaeda's best option, but, in the joyous moment of democracy at work, she stood through a sunroof because she believed she was finally safe. While inside the rally she was safe. She was protected by those that saw all that attended were disarmed while gathered in democratic principles of assembly. That 'feeling' of a long desired safety for her, her followers and campaign organizers carried to the street upon her departure and unknowingly she exposed herself to 'street danger' of well laid plans.

The responsiblity for Benazir's death lies directly on the lack of security afforded her. She should have been protected no different than any candidate running for the presidency of the USA. But, she wasn't. Both Bush and Musharraf could not care less of the outcome to the elections. Bush's former UN Ambassador, John Bolton on talk shows, not more than a couple weeks ago stated, Musharraf while not perfect was the best option for Pakistan. A coup leader, according to Bush, was the best option for Pakistan.

Anyone in observation of Musharraf knew his ability to mask the truth all too well....

Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto tours the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Dargarh, a Sufi shrine, in Ajmer in Rajasthan state, 27 November 2001. The 48-year-old Bhutto is on a private visit to India. She was last in the country in 1991 for the funeral of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. AFP PHOTO

...Musharraf's first loyality, no different than his best allies of Bush/Cheney, was to himself and his wealth. In that reality, his safety fell into priority with several assassination attempts of the Pakistani Coup President-General, allowing a rise of militants throughout the country. Musharraf by covering up the realities of the murder of Benazir is allowing once again Al-Qaeda a loophole afforded by his power as dictator President hence insuring a continued alliance with Al-Qaeda and the 'street loyalty' that brings him.

No different than Musharraf's faux declaration of "State of Emergency" that destroyed the infrastructure that acclaimed burgeoning Pakistani democrary with anticipated change of paradigm in a so called 'power sharing' arrangement with Bhutto; the lack of security surrounding leading Presidential Candidates served the purpose to insure a continued coup dictatorship. In refusing to protect other Presidential candidates, and the word 'opposition' is used to demise their importance as well, it oppressed their campaigns. Being brave and demanding her place in Pakistan, this rally was the first of announced rallies that was to raise the awareness of her positions in all regions of Pakistan. Benazir was most worried about the awareness of the tribal areas to bring their focus to new leadership insuring a peace to them. The campaign of the Presidential Candidate and Former Prime Minister was reaching a critical tenor and with that her willingness to be seen and heard was urgent in her perspective.

Her drive to carry out a successful election while feeling the oppression of the lack of security afforded her is what caused the missteps leading to her assassination. It is a fact that world leaders are in danger by the very nature of their position. The Pakistani Presidential Candidates attempting to recapture the country from it's coup were and remain left in that 'window of danger' methodically to facilitate any attempt by Al-Qaeda. These candidates were never treated with brevity, but, only viewed as disposable. The so-called elections, in the estimate of Bush and Musharraf, were simply an 'exercise' resulting in no change of paradigm.

Musharraf himself may as well have pulled the trigger of the assassin's rifle as he lent and is continuing to lend authority to the violence that is now Pakistan while jailing it's elements of democracy.

end

The two edged sword that is Pakistan. This is a propaganda video. There is a lot of truth in it.

After billions of dollars US and more years than it took to defeat Hitler, there is still no resolve of any of the issues that promoted the attacks of September 11, 2001. There is no cohesive government of Pakistan. There is simply a figure head to match that of Bush, struggling to 'make it right' without the support of the people of Pakistan. There is a reason why the people of Pakistan do not support Musharraf and it should be the same reason Americans cannot support him or back any Bush decisions regarding same.

This video critiques the Musharraf regime for becoming traitors after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Musharraf gave comfort and aid to the enemy prior to the attacks of September 11th. The coup that placed Musharraf as the President-General of Pakistan occurred only before the attacks that Osama bin Laden instrumented against the USA.

To allow this regime to continue to reign over a country that has been a strong ally to the USA is a hideous notion. Musharraf has to be replaced by a government of the people of Pakistan. To continue to deal with a coup leader is to continue the turbulence that brought the attacks of al Qaeda to the doorstep of the West.

The facts are plainly obvious. The Taliban was nurtured within Karachi in recent years and are now carrying out violence to all those that oppose them inside of Pakistan while returning to Afghanistan.

If Musharraf were assassinated, would the elections go forward? There would be no way.

"We repeatedly informed the government to provide her proper security and appropriate equipment including jammers, but they paid no heed to our requests."-- Bhutto security adviser Rehman Malik

There are three days of mourning to follow the death of the only person capable to lead a sincere democracy in Pakistan. Then the Bhutto Political Party, The People's Party of Pakistan, needs to be allowed to put forward another candidate, while a full investigation is conducted into the death of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. To go forward with elections in Pakistan would only provide a foothold for the Musharraf government which completely compromised her security, thus insuring her assassination.

A boycott of the elections is more than appropriate and a sincere expression of respect for the very democracy that Bhutto was demanding for her beloved country.

Once again, the allies of Bush/Cheney have found a way to mutany a country for their own purpose which never brings 'peace' to the venue of global priority. To place Musharraf in power for another presidential term, which will be the outcome to this illegitimate government of Pakistan and it's elections, is to insure war without a defined end and a continued presence of the USA in Iraq rather than stopping the violence of the very terrorist networks that promoted Perez Musharraf's coup.

Musharraf needs to be removed from the presidency of Pakistan. The rise in violence in Pakistan only insures a long term reign of anarchy without resolve. The government structures of Pakistan are in complete disarray (click here. This article regarding the lack of infrastructure in the Kashmir region alone, only begins to illustrate the chaotic nature of such a government.) and the best anyone can hope for at this point is the deployment of humanitaritan aid to provide less incentive to violence.

Musharraf has insured a hostile regime to any democracy in Pakistan. There are no alternatives but to place the elections into postponement and wait for the opposition leaders to emerge with the next generation of candidates suitable for leadership to end the Musharraf coup. Any election at this point is a faux election in Pakistan and only serves the purpose of continued upheaval.

The political face of Pakistan has yet to emerge, we wait with vigilance. I completely reject the Musharraf presidency.

Who was Benazir's real enemy? Bush allied a coup government against 'the rule of law' of the USA. What was to follow with her election ?

Benazir Bhutto was committed to the establishment of a democracy in Pakistan in the image of the USA Consitution. She spoke freely regarding the demise of freedom within the USA as noted with the Bush/Cheney administration and their assault on democracy through corrupt grabs for power.

Benazir was more than the Pakistani hope for a return to democracy, she was a dear and loved friend of American democracy, now succumbed to the rigors of Republican corruption and distain.

She is missed, but, those that surround her revolution in Pakistan must go forward to regain stability and correct the course of freedom and humanity to the world. She was more than right when she stated The West was wrong in looking for extremists to arm to defeat the Soviets. In doing so, The West created it's own 'terrorist hell' and turned loose the demands of those extremists to provide a home for al Qaeda which placed Musharraf in control of a Pakistani nuclear arsenal.

She was far more than a potential return of a maligned former Prime Minister, she was the hope of peace and democracy throughout Islam.

It has been the directive of the Bush/Cheney White House since John Negroponte stated the USA would move into sovereign countries to fight Bush's so called "War on Terror." Pakistan was one of those countries (click here - billions of USA $ are already invested into Pakistan). Benazir Bhutto was actively seeking support for her campaign in the tribal areas where she could establish loyalty to her government and defeat terrorist regimes from within Pakistan. It would thwart any need for USA assistance in regaining stability and hence provide an autonomous region whereby Islamic independence without interference by Western influence would take away still another front to a Russia-USA conflict.

Benazir, was capable of peace and democracy with India and the denuclearization of the entire region. Many fears would have been set aside with a denuclearized Middle East and the safe distance to a Russian front by The West. Both Bush and Blair are known to have increased tensions with Russia, including the estranged relations that now exist between Russia and Great Britain. These men weren't interested in the 'natural' progression of democracy in any country, they wanted war that would give Western domination of Russian and Caspian oil and gas. The West wants to 'own' the world and it's natural resources, Benazir would have stopped any progression toward that end.

Dearly loved Benazir succumbs to her bravery and gives new life to her revolution.

Benazir Bhutto dies (click here)

ISLAMABAD

Dec 27: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto succumbed to her injuries in the hospital, tv channels reported. She had received grievous bullet injuries in the neck region and head injuries from the bomb blast at the election meeting at Liaquat Bagh which also claimed at least 20 more lives. (Posted @ 18:28 PST)

More powerful in death than life...

...A graduate of Harvard and Oxford, she brought the backing of Washington and London, where she impresses with her political lineage, her considerable charm and her persona as a female Muslim leader....

December 26, 2007

Musharraf asks administration to ensure foolproof security during polls (click here)
Islamabad (PTI): President Pervez Musharraf on wednesday directed the administration to ensure foolproof security during next month's general election and to "eliminate" militancy in Swat valley in the North West Frontier Province.
Musharraf, who reviewed the security situation in Pakistan during a five-hour meeting with top civil and military officials, said foolproof security should be provided to all politicians and parties for the January 8 parliamentary polls.
He also said polls would be held as scheduled in Swat where the army is conducting a major operation against pro-Taliban militants led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah.
Musharraf told the officials that the election code of conduct and security measures should be implemented in letter and spirit.
The government would not tolerate any insurgency and all militants would be eliminated from Swat, he said.
Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah briefed the meeting on the overall security situation and the investigation into recent suicide attacks in the North West Frontier Province. The meeting was co-chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro.
Shah also submitted a report on the recent escape of terror suspect Rashid Rauf, who was arrested last year on suspicion of involvement in a plot to bomb airliners travelling from Britain to the US.
The Director General Military Operations, Maj Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, briefed the meeting about the military operation in Swat.

Perhaps, simply, convenient timing.

Tough action ordered against display of weapons at rallies (click here)

By Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: A high level meeting held here on Wednesday directed the interior ministry and the provincial governments to make foolproof security arrangements for the general elections.
Informed sources told Dawn that President Pervez Musharraf, who presided over the meeting, directed the officials concerned to also ensure security of political leaders and candidates.
Sources said that the meeting took notice of display of illegal arms during the poll campaign and directed the authorities to take necessary action.
According to the sources, the president said that people involved in displaying weapons should be arrested and their weapons should be confiscated. The president was of the view that even licensed arms should not be allowed to be displayed in political rallies and meetings.
He told the meeting that the army would stay in Swat till the entire valley was cleared of militants.
He directed the federal government and the NWFP administration to prepare as soon as possible a socio-economic development package for the people of Swat and adjoining areas.
The meeting was attended by caretaker Prime Minister Muhammadmian Soomro, the governor and chief minister of the NWFP, senior officials of interior ministry, Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the director general military operations.
President Musharraf called for an immediate damage assessment for payment of compensation to families affected during the military operation.
Secretary interior Syed Kamal Shah briefed the meeting on steps being taken to provide security and maintain law and order during the elections.

The American Republican Party alliance repeats history. It's always lead by a Bush !!!

The Bush Curse

The Republicans have a very long history of being regressives. Reagan was never inventive in his economic strategy. He simply deregulated dearly important environmental policies, among others. George W. Bush simply had no ideas regarding an economic strategy except to use hubris to exaggerate 'the feeling' of confidence where there was none. He was able to 'pull it off' because of a cooperative majority Republican House and Senate.

A record American deficit to fund pork projects while exploiting American health to bolster profits at any cost. At every turn, the Bush/Cheney administration exploited old Republican stalwarts of crony infrastructure to create still 'again' a faux American economy. Every measure should be taken legislatively in a majority Democratic House and Senate to prevent such exploitation again.

The USA natural resources are dearly limited and need to be protected while other safe but synthetic materials are 'manufactured' in the USA to accomodate growth while realizing alternatives to energy, transportation and housing materials ARE the future of the economic strength of this country.

The USA under Democratic leadership has always been regulated for consumer protection while encouraging invention to a better quality of life rather than a diminishment of it. The USA's greatest strength for the future is to discard the ways of the past and plot a new and inventive path the world will envy.

Let's get on with it, shall we?

"Nature Materials" (click here)

Materials science or materials engineering is an interdisciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications to various areas of science and engineering. This science investigates the relationship between the structure of materials and their properties. It includes elements of applied physics and chemistry, as well as chemical, mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. With significant media attention to nanoscience and nanotechnology in the recent years, materials science has been propelled to the forefront at many universities.



Want a 'real' financial paper to read? Barron's !!!!

Today's Barron's Headlines ! Now tell me who believes in the potential of the future?


A Bet on Eco-Friendly Plastics (click here)
By Naureen S. Malik
Word Count: 970 Companies Featured in This Article: Metabolix, Target, Archer Daniels Midland, Abbott Laboratories
DUSTIN HOFFMAN'S CHARACTER IN the 1967 film "The Graduate" received one word of career advice from a well-intentioned family friend: "plastics."
But if the film were made in today's greener times, the advice might have come in two words: "biodegradable plastics."
Metabolix, though currently unprofitable, is at the forefront of developing this new type of environmentally-friend plastic. Derived from corn, natural plastic completely breaks down to its basic elements of carbon dioxide and water on its own whether it is in a landfill or sitting in water. These plastics can be engineered to biodegrade over weeks or months.
Next year ...


Robert Shiller is a professor of economics at Yale University, and is also one of the first to have pointed out the possibility of a housing bubble in print (as opposed to online). Above is a graph from data he compiled while writing the second edition of Irrational Exuberance that appeared in Barron’s not too long ago.


The USA Economy is headed for a slide into a huge depression even with the best bail out program that can only be designed by a Bush, after all Neil Bush should know, was it Silverado?


The much coveted coastal areas of the USA experience huge over valued home prices. The recession of the USA will be most felt in Blue states where Republicans will attempt to exploit it for political gain in any elections across the board.




October home prices post record decline
A sale sign stands outside a home for sale at a co-housing development in Lafayette, Colo., on Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. U.S. home prices fell in October for the 10th consecutive month, declining a record 6.7 percent compared with a year ago, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
By Stephen Bernard
AP Business Writer / December 26, 2007
NEW YORK—U.S. home prices fell in October for the 10th consecutive month, posting their largest drop since early 1991, according to a key index released Wednesday.
The record 6.7 percent slide in the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index also marked the 23rd consecutive month that prices either fell or grew more slowly than the month prior.
"No matter how you look at these data, it is obvious that the current state of the single-family housing market remains grim," said Robert Shiller, who helped create the index, in a statement.
The previous record decline was 6.3 percent, recorded in April 1991. The index tracks prices of existing single-family homes in 10 metropolitan areas.

http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/articles/2007/12/26/october_home_prices_post_record_decline/



U.S. STOCKS
Retail woes put drag on market
ELIZABETH STANTON
Bloomberg News
December 27, 2007
Most U.S. stocks fell for the first time in four days as slower sales at Target Corp. and a bigger-than-expected drop in home prices overshadowed a rally in energy companies.
Circuit City Stores Inc., Big Lots Inc. and Dillard's Inc. led declines in 28 of 31 members of the Standard & Poor's 500 Retailing Index.
CB Richard Ellis Group Inc., the world's largest commercial real estate broker, posted its steepest retreat in two weeks.
Citigroup Inc., the biggest U.S. bank, fell the most in the Dow Jones industrial average after billionaire investor Warren Buffett said he rebuffed financial firms that approached him about buying stakes.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071227.RMARKETWRAP27/TPStory/Business


U.S. home prices plunge
October housing values down 6.7% from 2006, index says
December 27, 2007
BY GRETA GUEST
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
U.S. single-family home prices fell a record 6.7% in October compared with 2006, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index released Wednesday.
And home prices in metro Detroit were 11.2% lower this October compared with the previous year, the index found.
Advertisement
The national index measures annual returns from the nation's 10 largest cities. The metro area breakouts include the top 20 markets.
"No matter how you look at these data, it is obvious that the current state of the single-family housing market remains grim," said Robert J. Shiller, chief economist for MacroMarkets LLC.
Miami had the largest decline in home prices for October at 12.4% down from the same month a year earlier. Tampa followed with an 11.8% drop and Detroit placed third.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/BUSINESS04/712270337


Japan Stocks Fall After U.S. Home Prices Drop Most in 6 Years
By Patrick Rial and Kotaro Tsunetomi
Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks fell for the first time in five days after U.S. home prices slumped by the most in at least six years, sparking concern the worsening housing recession will lead to more losses on mortgage-backed securities.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. led declines among banks. Honda Motor Co. slipped on speculation the housing slump will drag down spending.
``Housing prices continue to fall in the U.S. and as that erodes people's equity in their homes we could see consumer spending take a dive,'' said Hideyuki Ookoshi, who helps oversee $365 million at Chiba-Gin Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. ``The feeling is that the U.S. economic outlook is dim.''
Lenders also dropped after the Nikkei newspaper reported consumer finance companies will pay twice as much out in customer refunds in 2007 versus the previous year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=alKe.qlecRQ8&refer=japan


Record Fall For US Home Prices
By Dee Chisamera
12:17, December 27th 2007
The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Schiller home price index showed on Wednesday a 6.1% record price drop since October 2006 in 20 metropolitan areas, the largest in the last 10 years.
Ten of the metropolitan areas recorded the most significant drop since 1991, reaching 6.7%, compared cu 6.3% 16 years ago.
Robert Schiller, chief economist at Macro Markets LLC, said that “no matter how you look at these data, it is obvious that the current state of the single-family housing market remains grim.”
Among the metropolitan areas with the largest drops, Miami comes first with 12.4%, followed by Tampa, with a 11.8% drop, 11.2% in Detroit and 11.1% in San Diego.
There were however positive growth rates in three areas, out of which Charlotte gained the most, 4.3%, then came Seattle with 3.3%, and Portland with 1.9%.
Looking at the index from a month-to-month perspective, the percentages dropped 1.6 in October compared to September, which makes this the tenth consecutive month of continuous decline.
According to Joshua Shapiro, chief economist for Maria Fiorini Ramirez Inc, home prices are to considerably decline taking into account the harder to obtain mortgages and the increasing number of unsold homes, and the tendency will comprise the same major metropolitan areas.

http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Record_Fall_For_US_Home_Prices_12267.html

I suppose everyone is going to sit by and watch Earth melt down, huh?

December 26, 2007
0900 AM UTC
Wind Satellite Antarctica (click here)

The winds are mostly calm with some consistent turbulence on the southeast continent where still another heat transfer is noted on the jet stream satellite.


December 24, 2007
0600 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream

It's a meandering jet stream. There is an approaching heat transfer at 2 o'clock. The reason there is less turbulence is because the upper troposphere is becoming more homogenous in temperature. In the satellite below where the 'orchid' color dominates there is less difference in temperature throughout the southern hemisphere including Antarctica. There is the law of inertia that takes over whenever homogenous temperatures are at play. Weather requires air movement and the less temperature difference that occurs the less air movement. Night and day frequently cause air movement, but, at the poles the difference between night and day are minimal.


December 26, 2007
0900 AM
Antarctica

The 24 hour loop at title to entry is missing 12 PM and 3 PM.


The warmest reporting stations :

Base Esperanza, Antarctica

Time :: 12:00 PM GMT

Elevation :: 43 ft / 13 m

Lat/Lon :: 63.4° S 57.0° W

Temperature :: 40 °F / 4 °C

Conditions :: Partly Cloudy

Humidity :: 42%

Dew Point :: 25 °F / -4 °C

Wind :: 16 mph / 26 km/h from the SW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.31 in / 992 hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 7.0 miles / 12.0 kilometers

Aviation
Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 16 mph / 26 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 230° (SW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m


Maitri, Antarctica

Time :: 12:00 PM

Elevation :: 394 ft / 120 m

Lat/Lon :: 70.8° S 11.8° E

Temperature :: 38 °F / 4 °C

Wind :: 6 mph / 9 km/h from the SSW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.02 in / 983 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometer

Aviation
Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 6 mph / 9 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 200° (SSW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m


The coldest reporting stations :

Vostok, Antarctica

Time :: 6 PM VOST

Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m

Lat/Lon :: 78.4° S 106.9° E

Temperature :: -19 °F / -28 °C

Conditions :: Clear

Humidity :: 48%

Dew Point :: -28 °F / -33 °C

Wind :: 5 mph / 7 km/h from the WSW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers

Aviation
Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 5 mph / 7 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 240° (WSW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m


University Wi Id 8904, Antarctica

Time :: 1:00 PM GMT

Lat/Lon :: 74.5° S 123.0° E

Elevation :: 10761 ft / 3280 m

Temperature :: -19 °F / -28 °C

Wind :: 2 mph / 4 km/h from the

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa


Amundsen-Scott, AA

Time :: 1:00 PM GMT

Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m

Lat/Lon :: 89.7° S 148.8° W

Temperature :: -17 °F / -27 °C

Conditions :: Mostly Cloudy

Wind :: 6 mph / 9 km/h / 2.6 m/s from the North

Pressure :: 28.55 in / 967 hPa (Steady)

Windchill :: -31 °F / -35 °C

Visibility :: 6.2 miles / 10.0 kilometers

UV :: 1 out of 16

Clouds:
Few 2000 ft / 609 m
Mostly Cloudy 8000 ft / 2438 m
(Above Ground Level)

Aviation
Flight Rule :: VFR (NZSP)
Wind Speed :: 6 mph / 9 km/h / 2.6 m/s
Wind Dir :: 360° (North)
Ceiling :: 8000 ft / 2438 m


December 26, 2007
0721 gmt
Antarctica/South Hemisphere

And why not? The Christ child had his birthday one more day on the human timeline and why shouldn't people willing to wage war for no good reason except money do anything about Human Induced Global Warming?

I mean for real.

Everyone should be patting the moral backs of Bush and Cheney and their lack of policy to stop and reverse this deadly trend, after all if one has the license to wage illegal wars for cronies, why not destroy the biotic nature of a planet and hope shuttle tourism is ready in time to survive a hot Earth, right? Sounds like somebody's idea of survival, so it must be possible.

Everyone buy their condos on the Arctic Ocean yet? Can't guarantee the view of course, since Georgie is putting up oil derricks and the landscape will be littered with starving Polar Bears and dead Walrus. Then there is that whole State Department issue with Russian sovereignty, but, I'm sure another oil war can resolve that as well.

Oh, yeah, the most moral men on Earth is in the White House. You betcha.

The weather in Antarctica is temperate. Temperate. There is high humidity and fog at Scott Base. Temperate. Antarctica is temperate.

December 26. 2007
Scott Base, Antarctica 0628: 23 AM
Fog. There is fog in Antarctica. It's called Human Induced Global Warming.

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is melting! Anything left in the way of significant glacier formation?

December 20, 2007
Amish Country

The Amish have never been 'the source' of air quality or water quality issues, nor the source of poor food quality. Their values and lifestyles for their farming practices have sustained healthy and benevolent outcomes for centuries.


December 20, 2007
Amish Country
Photographer states :: Amish at play

The issue of air quality is being purposely confused with 'nuisance law suits' regarding odors and 'Right to Farm (click here).' While farming has a place, it cannot endanger air quality when it causes damage to the very biotic nature of farming enterprises and therefore damage to the biotic and benevolent nature of our National Parks.

There is no reason for any of these cases to be 'different' if they are approached from the 'correct' perspective of Air Quality in the contribution to acid rain and unrelenting damage to valueable biotic areas including flourishing farmland and National Parks. Ammonia from farms is only one source, but, one that needs to be addressed. The other sources including transporation and energy sources are equally as quilty and require state legislatures to take up the part of the biotic nature of our states.

The case of the Peters vs. Premium Standard/Smithfield Foods suit needs to be appealed to include new information regarding the source of ammonia as a contribution to severe air quality standard violations as well as the right of people to be free of the burden of malodorous, unregulated and out of control farming practices that even disregard other farming operations engaged in field crops.

LEGAL AFFAIRS
Premium Standard Farms wins hog stench lawsuit
By DAN MARGOLIES
Similar cases, different results.
Fourteen months ago a Jackson County jury awarded $4.5 million to three families who contended that the stench from a northwestern Missouri hog farm operated by Premium Standard Farms created a legal nuisance.
Last week a Jackson County awarded another family living near the hog farm nothing.
Why the difference?
One explanation may be that this time the plaintiffs were less convincing.
Take this, for example: Under questioning by defense attorneys during a videotaped deposition, the daughter of the plaintiffs, Everett and Cindy Peters, was seen smiling and winking while stating that she was seeking $20 million in damages. During cross-examination and closing arguments, the defense lawyers froze that picture of her facial expression on a large screen.
Or this: The daughter testified that she vomited 300 to 500 times over a three-year period in high school and suffered from intense headaches that left her incapacitated for hours. She attributed her ailments to the odors. But the defense elicited testimony that she never mentioned those ailments to her parents or school nurse.
The Peters’ home sits on two acres just south of Albany, Mo., in Gentry County. Premium Standard Farms’ 80,000-hog Homan Farms is less than a mile away. Everett Peters, who worked in campus security at the University of Missouri-Kansas City before retiring, and his wife moved to the area from Kansas City less than a year before the facility was built.
The couple alleged that Homan Farms’ waste-holding reservoirs were insufficient to handle the waste generated by the hogs, causing sewage to spill into the groundwater and the emission of foul odors. They claimed to have suffered from a variety of ailments as a result.
Premium Standard Farms countered that its use of the land was consistent with the agricultural nature of the area. It pointed to Missouri’s “Right to Farm” law, which states that pre-existing agricultural operations can’t be considered legal nuisances when the surrounding neighborhood changes.
“You’ve got to raise hogs someplace, and we tried to present this as a case of raising hogs in an agricultural area,” said Jean Paul Bradshaw of Lathrop & Gage, which along with McGuireWoods of Richmond, Va., represented Premium Standard Farms.
That defense availed the company little in September 2006, when a Jackson County jury awarded $750,000 each to five individuals and the estate of another. Premium Standard Farms, which was acquired earlier this year by Smithfield Foods, was represented in that case by Shook Hardy & Bacon.
Despite its recent victory, the company won’t be able to rest on its laurels. Still in the pipeline are hundreds of other nuisance cases against Premium Standard Farms. Some are awaiting trial in Jackson County. Others are expected to be transferred soon to northern Missouri.
“We see this latest case as an isolated example,” said one of the Peters’ attorneys, Charles Speer of the Speer Law Firm.
Whether or not that is so, Premium Standard Farms has made it clear that it intends to fight every case one by one.
“Premium Standard believes that what they’re doing is as good as anybody’s doing it in terms of environmental and odor compliance,” Bradshaw said. “As a result, we continue to plan to try the other cases."

Glacier Bay National Park is in Alaska, Glacier National Park is in Montana. It used to be one could tell the difference. Now? Makes no difference, neither have glaicers significant contributing to the benevolent nature of Earth or the USA.

...Ammonia is made of nitrogen and hydrogen. When it mixes with water, it becomes ammonium. It's often associated with large animal feeding operations and fertilizers. It also occurs naturally.
Ammonia is part of a mix of elements that's swept up from vehicle exhaust, factory emissions and agricultural operations and travels in clouds before it's deposited with rain and snow.
Park Service officials say they've seen increasing amounts in national parks in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, South Dakota, Utah and Arizona.
A Colorado State University study of Rocky Mountain park pollution indicated that it was originating from east of the park and being deposited during rain- and snowstorms.
It's still unclear where increasing levels at other national parks are coming from, Vimont said. The effects, if any, will probably be slightly different at every park. In some cases, more ammonium could reduce visibility or have ecological effects on sensitive environments.
"I think we should be watching it from the standpoint that we don't really know what's going on," he said.
Mark Wenzler, clean-air program director for the National Parks Conservation Association, said it's been troubling to see increasing levels of ozone and other pollutants over national parks in the West, especially as so much of the focus has been improving air quality at eastern national parks such as at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
"We can see these threats coming but it's not too late to stop them," Wenzler said.





NH3: A pungent colorless gaseous compound of nitrogen and hydrogen that is very soluble in water and can easily be condensed into a liquid by cold and pressure. Ammonia reacts with NOx to form ammonium nitrate -- a major PM2.5 component in the Western United States.



Glacier Bay National Park (click here). The Shifting Baseline of the American reality. There is absolutely NOTHING geologically significant about Glacier Bay National Park, yet, consumers will attempt to sell pictures they consider to be beautiful when this is the greatest tragedy to any environmental directive Americans mandated of their government. It is a completely failed policy to insure the beauty of the national parks to generations of Americans.

It is a failed policy to insure the sustained survival of Americans on a benevolent Earth. There is nothing significant Glacier Bay National Park contributes to the benevolence of Earth's Climate.

8:57 AM EST

Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

Temperature :: 41 °F / 5 °C

Conditions :: Overcast

Humidity :: 61%

Dew Point :: 28 °F / -2 °C

Wind :: 13 mph / 20 km/h / 5.7 m/s from the SSE

Wind Gust :: 20 mph / 32 km/h / 8.7 m/s

Pressure :: 29.47 in / 998 hPa (Falling)

Windchill :: 34 °F / 1 °C

Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds:
Mostly Cloudy 3300 ft / 1005 m
Overcast 4100 ft / 1249 m
(Above Ground Level)

end

Outside the Boston Public Library (second picture below)

That is the Charles River in the background and Logan International. The perspective is interesting as I watched a plane land in the very early hours of the day, before sunrise. The flight path was in the direct path of my vision. The headlight of the plane did not move but only got closer. I could image, but only image, the terror felt by many on September 11, 2001 to watch a plane not veer off but continue to approach a skyscraper with no place to run or seek shelter.

The picture above is the view off my balcony as of 20 minutes ago (10:45 AM on 12/24/07). This is very different than the last week. It has been very frigid and it is my contention Earth is trying to recap itself. The reaches to the cold were all the way to the Gulf Coast with at least nine dead in the USA.

It is also my contention that no matter how cold it gets, shortly thereafter, there is a heat transfer from Human Induced Global Warming and the attempts by Earth to recap itself in ice is demised and therefore the underlying reality is, that Climate Change as it is occuring now is very dangerous, unique to the history of Earth and is primarily irreversible without humans reinventing their civilizations to accommodate their intimate relationship of survival.

Earth will continue to exist as it has with every extinction event to date, but, unless humans come to terms with their need to modify their 'carbon foot prints' on a societal/governmental level, there will be an unrelenting heating of Earth that will be unsurvivable.


This is a monument outside the Boston Public Library, Main Collection. It is difficult to see from this photo but it includes the name, Darwin. I have never seen a monument that included Charles Darwin's name among the great scientists. Now I know I am home.

I've been here since Monday of last week. I apologize for any loss of input. I think the last entry was evident to a focus that is urgent to the USA. More about that in a minute. It's taken a while to secure services at the Midtown apartment at the Charles River location. It's been fascinating to watch Boston in the frigid cold. It's an incredible city, when planes couldn't fly, the subways and buses still ran on time.

Love it here.

You could call it 'The Harvard Effect.' It is distinctively Boston and not far from New Hampshire and the first primaries by the way. Benevolence. Intellect. Thriving humanity. It's magnificent.

But, to the 'George Bush/Richard Cheney' impeachment. It's vital it happens. These men are horrible men. They have with every act of their being simply attempted to undermine the very constructs of our nation, government and Constitution. There is no doubt about it. One cannot walk the same streets where so many of our greatest patriots first declared war in the name of freedom without realizing how these men, including so many corrupted Republicans still in office have 'used' the freedoms afforded the populous of this nation to maneuver political 'rhelms' to appear to be influential when all they have been is desperate. That desperation was for wealth faciliated by power.

There is every reason to believe the Bush administration and 'corruptly cooperative' Republicans in the House and Senate have endangered the sovereignty of the USA and I'll make that a topic to explore soon.

But, the reality is profoundly the USA is in danger by the simple fact the Executive Branch did not cooperate with the Legislative Branch in providing all information to insure the 911 Commission had more information than they needed.

On September 11, 2001, the USA was attacked on the east coast, in it's metropolitan complexes of business and government to disable this nation and facilitate fear. We have lost sight of that reality and have been caught up in a 'faux' reality of weapons of mass destruction orchestrated by maniacal men desperate to turn the USA into a war machine with permission of it's populous out of fear. Bush/Cheney and their subsequent legion of followers used the assets of the USA to create fear among the populous within the country and abroad. As a result the world no longer views the USA as the great haven and provider of freedom, but, more a nation to be contained and manipulated in that containment to provide sustenance to it's populous and a market for huge amounts of imports.

The facts are clear. The White House, through some perverse idea of Executive Priviledge did not cooperate with the 911 Commission. They did not cooperate with the efforts of the Legislature to seek answers and protections for this nation. They hid not only some of the most valuable information regarding known terrorists but also the evidence that would provide a clear understanding of torture techniques employed with the permission of the Executive Branch. Those tapes were known to The White House and were withheld. There is no question about it. The Bush/Cheney administration including the President and Vice President are treasonists and require removal from office.

The arduous work by the 911 Commission is tainted with no way of revisiting that reality to solve the problems with conclusions that are valid. Perhaps, George Walker Bush dragged his feet so profoundly in regard to the recommendations of the 911 Commission because he knew the reality of the Commission was incomplete. There is no other conclusion one can come to in reality of the destruction of the CIA tapes regarding interrogations. George Walker Bush and Richard Cheney must be impeached and a reconstruct of the known content of the tapes must go forward by any and all that may have made them or witnessed their content including foreign service answering to the White House in regard to any interrogations and their outcomes.

We are Americans. We are not divided by religious denominatons and political parties in our loyalties to the USA Constitution. We are Americans and it is time we all started to act like it.

In a conversation with a person on his way home for a family sit-down dinner at his brother's tonight in celebration of Christmas it was noted to me that if Bush/Cheney were successful to incite war with Iran or escalate war in other areas of the world it would be deemed necessary under The Patriot Act for them to remain in office through a third term. Hm. I don't recall that being an aspect of The Patriot Act much discussed. But, leave it to Boston to pay attention to details.

Have a pleasant day and I'll be starting the week a new tomorrow with a day of news and views.

If you are celebrating a holiday, may it be a good one.

Until tomorrow. I appreciate your continued interest.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors - the 'lack' of 'swearing in' was a calculated decision. It makes no difference, ie: Big Oil Hearings

Swearing in at any official committee hearing is viewed by this administration as a superfluous measure that was eliminated from the hearings of Big Oil before the Senate Committee.

Obstruction of Justice in the 9/11 Commission Hearings.

The Reasons to impeach just got longer.

Impeachment needs to be acted upon NOW !!!

...The review was conducted earlier this month after the disclosure that in November 2005, the C.I.A. destroyed videotapes documenting the interrogations of two Qaeda operatives.
A seven-page memorandum prepared by Philip D. Zelikow, the panel’s former executive director, concluded that “further investigation is needed” to determine whether the C.I.A.’s withholding of the tapes from the commission violated federal law.
In interviews this week, the two chairmen of the commission, Lee H. Hamilton and Thomas H. Kean, said their reading of the report had convinced them that the agency had made a conscious decision to impede the Sept. 11 commission’s inquiry.
Mr. Kean said the panel would provide the memorandum to the federal prosecutors and congressional investigators who are trying to determine whether the destruction of the tapes or withholding them from the courts and the commission was improper.
A C.I.A. spokesman said that the agency had been prepared to give the Sept. 11 commission the interrogation videotapes, but that commission staff members never specifically asked for interrogation videos.
The review by Mr. Zelikow does not assert that the commission specifically asked for videotapes, but it quotes from formal requests by the commission to the C.I.A. that sought “documents,” “reports” and “information” related to the interrogations...

There was no incompetency in the 911 Commission request. The Bush/Cheney White House premeditatedly withheld information from the 9/11 Commission. The Commission's work is now tainted and all recommendations and proceedings need to be reviewed. I don't know what changes can be made considering there is no new evidence, simply discarded by this administrations' lack of ability to govern effectively. The Bush/Cheney White House in 'not being particularly helpful' has compromised the security of the United States of America.

They need to be impeached and impeached now !!! There is no excuse for any further delay.

December 22, 2007
0300 PM
Antarctica

This is the 'beginning' of the Summer 2007-2008 of Antarctica. This is when heat begins to disaffect the ice. The image below is after an entire summer when the temperatures balance should be the most disaffected before proceeding into Autumn.


March 5, 2007
10:46:29 AM
Antarctica at the end of it's summer of 2006 - 2007. The heat then was absent over the Blue Ice and East Antarctica where frigid air was maintained by a mostly benevolent Earth.

Let me make it clear before moving on that this is tragic.

December 22, 2007
1329 gmt
Antarctica without it's cold.


August 13, 2007
1917 gmt
Antarctica a month from the end of it's winter. There was enormous cold over the ice.

There were several contributing events that caused the change in temperature shift over Antarctica. Both are documented on this blog, both have never occurred before, while the Ice Continent has never before been noted to lose it's frigid cold over the Blue Ice. East Antarctica has never before experienced this level of heat in recent time.

The first event was when heat was noted over the Blue Ice. I speculated at that time, since there were no heat transfers arriving to the continent, the heat decended from the top of the troposphere down. In other words the carbon dioxide had accumulated in the upper troposphere without an escape to the stratosphere and therefore was descending from altitude over East Antarctica.

(This would be more a possibility over the 'poles' since the tropospheric air in this location is shallower than over the Equator. The Equatorial air is hot and a larger mass even though there are the same number of molecules. So any 'concentration' of carbon dioxide that would disaffect the heat index of Earth in a dramatic way, would occur over the poles first. The North Pole/Arctic Ocean does not have 3 mile high ice, it is an ocean whereas Antarctica is a continent with an accumulation of ice over it's Eastern land mass.) I still believe there was a descent of hot air from the upper troposphere over Antarctica and I believe it to be a significant contributing factor to the loss of Antarctica's frigid state currently. I also believe this to be a very serious event.

Secondly, there was a 'movement' of the frigid air off East Antarctica recently. It was an 'air mass,' it moved in unison, it was heavy due to it's density and simply; when displaced by the upper tropospheric hot air; 'slid' off the upper altitudes of ice to the lower elevations and off the continent completely while mixing then with high winds, which have been noted in recent weeks, to dilute the frigid air into warmer densities and climate.

This is a tragic event for Earth and it's climate. It is a tragic event, that governments need to note and consider to be a threat to their peoples.