The G8 wants a Global Recovery Package. Then make it based in Anti-Warming Technologies

Every form of Economic Recovery Method, be it, domestic or international, needs to have a component of Anti-Warming Methodologies.

The G8 is simply being irresponsible as are the USA's Governors in many cases. The Earth is on track to the destruction of its biotic content. That is fact. There is dearly little time to surmount the 'tasks' of changing the path human population and consumerism has inflicted on Earth. Earth is the only planet we have. That won't change in any reasonable time frame. This is a must do, not a please do.

In the USA, the Stimulus Package and its 'theme' has been somewhat abused. The Stimulus definately had a theme. It was intended to change the infrastructure of the USA to accommodate changes in energy and transportation. There are some Governors that are sadly ignoring that theme, the most profound is the State of Alaska, which defines its 'Stimulus Energy Package' in the same 'ole methodologies that caused these emergencies in the first place. There is virtually nothing in the Alaska stimulus package that 'changes' the path of energy sources for that State, while some of the best wind patterns for Wind Turbines exist in abundance in Alaska.

In the case of South Carolina and Louisiana, the Governors there have decided to decline the safety of the futures of their children, to play rhetorical games and dangerous political agendas.

The International Community CANNOT criticize the Obama Administration for complete responsibility for their lethargy to focusing on the Emergency called, Human Induced Global Warming. Upon taking office, President Obama harnessed the power of the American Legislature and instituted trillions of 'Stimulus' dollars US to changing the course of the USA to a benevolent status on energy and transportation. He has facilitated the salvage of the American Auto Industries with a firm directive to change the face of the American Automobile to one of benevolence to a 'challenged' planet. I don't want to hear from ANYONE how President Obama is a novice to the leadership of the G8. He is exemplary in his 'example' to his new adminisration and the burgeoning changes of the USA.

Below, Andrea Merkel walks through the wreckage of the earthquake in Italy. There were monies pledged to restore the tragic ruins. Those monies from every country of the G8 need to be accompanied by two conditions. The monies need to classicly return the aesthetics of the structures, along with the construction integrity that should include 'quake resistent or quake proof' construction along with energy efficient construction that liberates this small hovel from any energy dependency other than that of solar or wind.

Please see below.



Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel tours the ruined city of Onna near L'Aquila (click title to entry - thank you) in central Italy with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , July 8, 2009. Onna was almost totally destroyed in the April 6, 2009 earthquake in which some 300 people died. Merkel will attend the G8 summit near L'Aquilla from July 8-10. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The FEARS of 'giving up' old economic methodologies based in exploitation of natural resources has to be abandoned. Never while AIG attempted to justify its "Financial Instruments Division" did I hear anything except attempts to manipulate economies based in 'Old World' values.

Never once did the so called geniuses explore the expansion of economies based in CHANGING to benevolent measures that would save Earth from Human's Bad Habits. A $700 tillion US Bush/Paulson Bailout simply turned loose the biggest bailout to American History without any pre-determined agendas for securing the future of the planet. Never once when Bernanke stated, "...to be sure they have all the instruments they need..." did it come with conditions that investments beyond the recovery of the housing market needs to be focused on 'the future' and the well being of an endangered planet along with its generations of young and yet to be born.

The Financial and Banking Industry has 'yet' to catch up with the reality of the rest of us that actually live the reality of their idiot decisions. The boys of Goldman Sachs and their golden parachuetts and platinum guilded board rooms are completely out of touch with the 'best' decisions that safe guard Earth and the lives of the people that occupy it.

The G8 Leaders have a clear and undisputed role in envisioning the future that will provide a 'safety margin' for Earth. They need to act, without recidivism, on EVERY venue of economy to change the emissions of DEADLY Greenhouse Gases. Economic growth in a world destined for peace is based in exploitation of 'knowledge' and 'learning' including innovative formulas from composers that provide new platforms for the arts. The 'intangibles' are more important than any aspect of economy.

Invention; exploring previously discarded technologies as too expensive, yet, morally superior are all the aspects of 'tomorrow.' All industries can survive this change in global economies, including, medicine and the dispensing of remedies that include Genetic Medicine. Every industry 'can' have a future if they can find innovations that are inclusive to the 'Vision for Earth.'

One of the most offensive industries in the USA is the coal industry. For decades they have touted 'Clean Coal Technology' without being able to achieve it. If this industry is to be included in the future the importance of 'delivering' on rhetoric is mandatory and not optional or they are no longer the future's focus. Those industries that pretend to be 'the future' or a part of it without APPLIED tangible results have to be abandoned to better invest in those technologies and innovations that actually CONTRIBUTE to our future as it is unfolding. The Financial and Banking Industries have to reflect preference for investment and lending that is 'prudent' of such priorities, otherwise, we don't need any of them. To have financial institutions that are on a separate track from the nations that preserve the sovereignty of their populous and force same nations to accept THEIR PRIORITIES is not just Anti-Trust, it is attack on a nation's sovereignty.

The challenge of surmounting the realities presented by "Human Induced Global Warming" demands the 'Best of the Best' be in service to nations. Nations that have to bring to bear the pressure on all venues of economy of CHANGE.

Good luck, I'll be watching as well as participating.

It is time for the incompetent New York State Republicans to stop their antics.

First the New York State Republicans danced around issues of 'loyalty' by recruiting two Democrats (both of which have legal issues) to vote in their favor to take control of the State Legislature through 'Abracadabra measure, rather, than doing the business of the people.

Governor Patterson is not required by New York State Constitution to assign a Lieutenant Governor, but, tried to do so to act as a breaking vote to put the New York Senate back to work. Now that the N Y Republicans can't stall the processes of 'governance,' they have chosen to impeach the new Lieutenant by petitioning the New York State Courts in an attempt to prove Governor Patterson is outside his jurisdictional authority in assigning a Lieutenant.

The New York State Republicans in the Senate have abandoned their responsibilites to the people whom elected them and have chosen to 'game the power' of the State Governorship. Each 'gamer' should be impeached, not a highly qualified Lieutenant Governor.

The Republicans have turned it into a circus.

Let's hope those that are impressed with their own importance can see the forest for the trees and heed the call.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (L) speaks with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a press conference announcing Climate Week NYC June 23, 2009 in New York City. Climate Week NYC will be a five day program of events addressing the need for climate change action and coinciding with the opening of U.N. General Assembly from September 21-25.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images North America)

Ban blasts G8 emissions targets (click title to entry - thank you)

Page last updated at 13:07 GMT, Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:07 UK

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has criticised leaders of the G8 industrial nations for failing to make deeper commitments to combat climate change.
On Wednesday, the leaders, meeting in Italy, agreed to cut emissions by 80% by 2050, but Mr Ban said big cuts were needed sooner rather than later.
The leaders are set to meet their counterparts from emerging economies to discuss a new deal on global warming.
US President Barack Obama will chair the session, in the city of L'Aquila....

2005 contender Mostafa Moin talks about how the international science community can help Iran.

Iranian reformist 2005 Presidential candidate Mostafa Moin (L) and former Iranian reformist Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Congress of Islamic Iran Participation in Tehran October 26, 2007.

In a 2006 interview with Nature (click title to entry - thank you), Moin, a former minister for higher education and for science, argued that building a stronger civil and democratic society in Iran was key to the country's scientific development and it becoming a knowledge-based society. In an exclusive new interview, he discusses where the current situation leaves those ambitions.

...In our last interview, you said that support by Iranian young people and women for the principles of a civil and democratic society were what would "shape Iran's future". Has that shaping moment come?

Yes. The recent growth in Iranian women's and young people's political and social awareness has set the stage for their current demands for greater civil liberties, and structural and democratic reforms. The outcome of the 2005 presidential election, combined with the subsequent mismanagement of the government, has catalysed this process — and explains the 85% voter turnout in last month's presidential election, and the demand for change. The youth, and in particular the supporters of the reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, played a major role in creating the extraordinary enthusiasm and motivation surrounding the elections. I remain optimistic as to the role, and the movement, of Iran's youth....

In duplication of pending USA legislation, the G8 agreed to prevent the globe from rising above 2 degrees Celcius.

The Earthquakes causing such of the damage in Italy had an epicenter at Crete, Greece (click here). The most severe was 4.8. A lot of damage.

Larger one occurred on July 1, 2009 registering 6.4 according to USGS (click here). Makes a little more sense.




President Barack Obama and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi tour earthquake damage on the sidelines of the G8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

G8 summit: leaders warn global economy faces more danger (click here)
The global economy faces "significant" dangers in the coming months and a recovery from recession is still some way off, world leaders have warned.
By James Kirkup in L'Aquila
Published: 7:38PM BST 08 Jul 2009
...Despite seeing some signs of stabilisation in economies, the G8 listed rising oil prices, fragile banking sectors, falling trade and investment and rising unemployment as the main threats to a recovery.
Speaking after their talks on the economic outlook, leaders signalled they feared the world may not have seen the worst of the slowdown yet.
Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said: "The crisis is a long way from being over. If we are lucky, then we have nearly reached the bottom."
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, said: "There are warning signs about the world economy we cannot afford to ignore."...

Being First Lady doesn't get prettier than this. Michelle is always a breath of fresh air. I love the colors. Simple and elegant.

U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and his first lady Michelle Obama, right, arrive in Pratica di Mare military airport on the outskirts of Rome, Wednesday, July 8, 2009. Obama is in Italy to attend the G8 (Group of Eight) summit in L'Aquila from July 8 to July 10. (AP Photo/Mauro Scrobogna, LaPresse)

On to the G8...and...the Obama Effect

This summit is more or less a planning session for the December Conference in Copenhagen where plans surrounding initiatives on Climate Change should take shape.

I have said from the beginning of this entire mess, the USA has to lead and it has to stop being the biggest CO2 emitter on the planet. That is a sincere reduction. If that reduction puts other countries ahead of the USA through the changes the USA impliments alone, then so be it.

The USA has to 'lead by example' and provide mentoring while opening technologies to countries such as China and India. Kyoto Protocol was never designed to burden third world countries with the sins of the USA. Never in the wildest imaginations of the authors of Kyoto did anyone believe the USA would sit on the sidelines hoping everyone else would carry its burden.

The next Kyoto meeting in 2012 will have to address the new economic achievements of China and India and bring them on board. Hopefully, by the time 2012 has rolled around there will be notable reductions in all countries CO2 levels or at the very least strategies that are legislated to engage with the new protocol. President Obama isn't responsible for the lethargy and 'blaming' of other countries by Bush. China is NOT the 'first' problem, the USA is.

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

Very inventive. Clever. Well done. The 'art' of opposition that is, not the planet.

Activists wearing masks of G8 leaders from left; French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, US President Barack Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and dressed as chefs "cook the planet" in a fake cauldron as they stage a demonstration against the G8 (Group of Eight) summit scheduled from July 8 to July 10 in L'Aquila, in front of the ancient Temple of Vesta, in Rome, Wednesday, July 8, 2009. The G8 is schedule(AP Photo/Sandro Pace)

A dollar a day could keep climate change away-EPA (click here)
Tue Jul 7, 2009 3:21pm EDT
* Fighting climate change to cost families under $1 a day
* Energy efficiency, R&D key to cutting emissions in U.S.
* Top Obama officials confident a climate bill can pass(Adds details on carbon offsets and comments from Salazar)
By Jasmin Melvin
WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The average American family would pay at most $1 a day more to fight climate change, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told a Senate committee on Tuesday.
EPA head Lisa Jackson said carbon-cutting legislation would, on average, amount to a 50-cent per day cost per household in 2020 and edge up for wealthier families, people who drive long distances and those living in states dependent on coal for electricity.
But even a doubling of the national average would only cost families $1 per day, Jackson said....

G8 leaders say want ambitious climate change deal (click here)
Wed Jul 8, 2009 3:36pm BST

"We intend to secure our present and future prosperity by taking the lead in the fight against climate change," the statement said.

I think we have every right to BELIEVE and not hope the new adminisration in DC will definitively stand and lead with an ambitious agenda on Climate Change. It has to be. There are no more options.

G8 leaders urged to address global water crisis (click here)
Tuesday, July 07, 2009

ROME — Advocacy groups such as Greenpeace, Water Aid and End Water Poverty issued a call to leaders of the G8 nations prior to the start of their 2009 summit in Italy to tackle global water and sanitation issues, especially those in developing countries....

There is much about the G8 that will be pivotal from here on. The 'idea' that rain will return with adjustments to carbon dioxide levels is not realistic. It took five decades to achieve this insult to Earth and it is complicated by the negative feedback loop of Human Induced Global Warming.

This year the Atlantic Hurricane season is proving to be very puny. The reason for that is the lack of water vapor in the lower troposphere.

Technologies have to supply water to populous until Earth returns to a reasonable balance and that includes desalination plants. California is already planning desalination plants for help with a very dry southern region. Desalinations plants should have been in the works for California a long time ago, it is a far better alternative than syphoning off Mona Lake and running aqueducts that evaporate the very water they carry. With a melting ice cap and diluted ocean salinity, there should be thoughts about depositing the unused salt back into the global ocean circulation depending on measured and monitored ocean salinity levels.



New Bin Laden Recording Accuses Obama of Planting Seeds of Hatred Across America (click title to entry for video - thank you)
by Steven Emerson
...BREWER: It's interesting though, because we've seen this recent poll that shows that 8 out of 11 Arab countries show double-digit jumps in the amount of positive feelings toward the United States....

The nay-sayers can down the new statistics all they want. An up tick of approval to USA policy CHANGE is a clear indication there is 'interest' in the words President Obama spoke to the Arab Community. Where there is interest, there is opportunity. The current USA administration is not going 'soft' on Israel. There is a great deal of hope in that statistic and one that should not be ignored. We all have to 'start' somewhere and beginning with 'the old agenda' for the Arab populous as a place of common understanding is a good place to be.

This is President Obama's first term. It is his first year in his first term. With the ground laying ability he has exhibited across the spectrum of international and domestic policy we will see significant changes during his administration. Anyone that is not impressed hasn't opened their eyes to the disaster of the past eight years.

One of these days, President Obama, First Lady Michelle and the girls and Bo will vacation. It might be a breather the country needs as well. This adminisration is very fast paced and ambitious. It is a new dynamic for Americans. They are 'used to' slow progress in areas of federal government. I believe some of the skepticism shown by Americans is due to the uneasy feeling of such a fast pace, but, this administration doesn't dare slow its progress. The economy was inherited on an already 'very, slippery slope.' I sincerely believe that slope is flattening out and it wouldn't have been achieved without the ambitions of this young administration.

The Racey Side of the G8 - Berlusconi celebrates the female mystique at every turn.

To say Berlusconi is on shakey ground with the Italians is an understatement.


Silvio Berlusconi picks former topless model Mara Carfagna as G8 escort (click here)
Faced with the thorny problem of having no "First Lady" to look after the G8 leaders' spouses on their three day trip to Italy, Silvio Berlusconi has come up with a solution in keeping with his reputation.
By Nick Squires in Rome
Published: 6:37PM BST 06 Jul 2009
The Italian prime minister has asked a former topless model turned government minister to stand in for his estranged wife.
The 72-year-old premier has chosen Mara Carfagna – now Italy's equal opportunities minister – to take care of the likes of Michelle Obama and Sarah Brown.
Miss Carfagna, 33, is an ex-glamour girl whose sultry looks and portfolio of lingerie calendars earned her the title of the world's sexiest government minister from men's magazine Maxim.
The one-time Miss Italy contestant will be supported in the role by another attractive young member of the cabinet, education minister Maria Stella Gelmini.
Mr Berlusconi is said to have chosen Miss Carfagna and Miss Gelmini to reward them for being "staunch champions" as he has battled allegations that he slept with a high-class call-girl at his mansion in Rome last November. Together they will guide the G8 wives around Rome and the mountain town of L'Aquila 65 miles away, where the summit is being held from Wednesday to Friday....

Berlusconi Shows Quake Damage at G-8 Summit, Leaders Pledge Aid (click here)

By Steve Scherer and Brian Parkin
July 8 (Bloomberg) -- As world leaders arrived in L’Aquila, Italy to begin their annual summit, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.began showing his counterparts damage from the earthquake that prompted him to move their meeting there.
Berlusconi led German Chancellor Angela Merkel through Onna, where the April 6 temblor damaged or destroyed virtually every building and killed 41 people, more than 10 percent of its population. The German government pledged to rebuild the town, partly as compensation for the Nazi execution of 16 residents of Onna during World War II....

G8 summit: Silvio Berlusconi faces new party allegations (click here)
Silvio Berlusconi, the host of the G8 summit in Italy, has faced new allegations about his parties attended by young women.
By Nick Squires in Rome
Published: 12:00PM BST 08 Jul 2009
A fourth woman has come forward to claim that she was paid 1,000 euros (£870) to attend a party at one of the Italian prime minister's private homes.
Maria Teresa De Nicolo, 37, said the 72-year-old premier was the "perfect host" when he danced with her after the candle-lit dinner and that contrary to reports he did not have his hands all over her "like an octopus".
"I danced with the prime minister and also with some of the other men who were present," said Miss De Nicolo.
"When he danced, he was very formal: his hands didn't wander, he wasn't like an octopus as some of the other girls have told the papers in the last few days."
Miss De Nicolo corroborated much of the detail offered by the three other women who have said they attended Mr Berlusconi's parties....

Michael Jackson and the Jackson Family Revolutionary Network

They Don't Care About US - Prison Version - Click here for this week’s top video clips

Michael had a unique place in life's framework. He was spurred to perfection by an obsessive Father that was sick and tired of poverty. He was quilty as hell of abuse, but, in 'the day' oppression and racial prejudice 'cast' the Black Community at the bottom of the American achievement ladder.

At a tender age, Michael, learned and then inspired his younger siblings that 'talent' was a valuable place in life. Michael 'earned' a magnificent living, as did his family. They provided a 'platform' across the spectrum of 'topics' as well as 'entertainment' and 'enjoyment.'

Michael commanded the use of dance in a novel methodology that imparted to everyone to become part of the 'fun.' Within that talent he also commanded an image that 'peaked' interest to the end of achieving social enlightenment, liberation and justice.

The same became true of Janet. These magnificent entertainers had the backing of a family that understood 'the business' and the community. If one looks at the rise of Michael and Janet, it was on the coattails of other Black entertainers, such as Diana Ross. The Jackson Family are a beautiful example of 'community' that is not replicated anywhere on Earth.

They were as much revolutionaries as the crowds they commanded.

Michael will be missed and his genius gone forever.

What do all these people have in common besides being Republicans?

They are angry.

They are hateful.

They are self-righteous.

They are judgemental.

They are ALL angry with the media as an easy target for their frustration.

They can't control their wealth anymore.

They don't want to pay more in taxes and they want their power back WITHOUT question.

In the case of Hannity, he simply lies where it is convenient so he can maintain his point of view.

In the case of Palin, she cries where she has to pay legal bills that her PAC won't cover.

In the case of King, "What is this guy doing in office?" He analogizes a Pop Singer to the military. It has no validity. King actually goes further and states (with his forked tongue) that 'he believes in American values (where they suit his political purpose), but, invalidates 'The Rule of Law' when it doesn't serve his purpose.

They are hypocrits, plain and simple.

Sarah Palin


Sean Hannity

To Russian with Love - The USA and Russia are off to a good start to reduce nuclear stores. An example the world should emulate.

If NATO ever found the backbone to live with the truth, Russia would be more an ally, but, Europe is afraid of Russia. When will they 'get over it?' They saved Europe from Hitler and that still isn't enough.


South Ossetian man holds his dead son.

...The President of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, click here) was quoted as saying about 1,400 people had been killed as a result of "Georgian aggression".
"About 1,400 died, we will check these figures, but the order of the numbers is around this. We have this on the basis of reports from relatives," he told Russia's Interfax news agency.
The crisis, the first to confront the Russian President since he took office in May, has flared in a region emerging as a key energy transit route, and where Russia and the West are vying for influence.

　
I disagree with President Obama on his position regarding Georgian sovereignty to reclaim the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. His position reflects that of NATO and it does not uphold the integrity of Human Rights.

President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin should bring their evidence before the United Nations to secure the independence of these two former Georgian provinces.

Basically, due to the dependency on Russian gas and the fear that Russia would go futher into Georgia, NATO has decided to make Russia 'the bad guy.' It is NOT and neither are the Russian soldiers that acted as peacekeepers or the Russian people.

Over 1000 people dead in South Ossetia at the hand of a maniac and ego inflated Georgian President. Those people had no way of attacking the Georgian authority or protect themselves. They were helpless and they were slaughtered !

...Georgia can win only if it is backed by the United States and its other allies. And even with such support, its victory will mean heavy losses, and entail lengthy guerilla warfare. (click here)


President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed documents on nuclear-arms reduction before their joint news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow Monday.
Jim Young/Reuters

US, Russia deal would cut nukes to post-cold-war lows (click here)
Obama and Russian President Medvedev on Monday outlined reductions in strategic warheads and launch vehicles.
By Howard LaFranchi

Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
from the July 6, 2009 edition

Washington - President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev committed Monday to reaching a new nuclear-arms reduction agreement that would set both strategic warheads and warhead delivery vehicles, such as missiles, at post-cold-war lows.
Yet despite the upbeat tone at the first of two days of summit talks in Moscow, the two leaders offered few specifics on how the looming stumbling blocks to a new era of cooperation will be overcome. Those issues include American plans for a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe and US-supported expansion of NATO to Ukraine and Georgia....


Russian countryside.

...Pledging to reverse a "sense of drift" (click title to entry - thank you) in Washington's relations with Moscow, the US president said he hoped a new nuclear arms reduction treaty to replace the Start-1 pact, which expires this December, would be ready by the end of the year. "We must lead by example and that is what we are doing here today," he said in Moscow....

A "sense of drift" is a nice way of saying the past administration and the Republican Party in DC didn't give a damn about starting a nuclear holocaust.

President Medvedev and President Obama should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. They are making history. Two young Presidents in the two Superpowers are signing an agreement to make the world safer AND to 'lead by example.' That is remarkable. Simply remarkable. Considering where the relationship between Russia and the USA existed before this NEW administration came into office in DC with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, it is a remarkable accomplishment.

I thank them both, but, especially President Medvedev. He is showing trust toward the USA again. I can't thank him enough.

With this initiative there hangs in the balance a safe Middle East. Iran is still a wild card. There is no other way of putting it.

The USA stance today, according to Vice President Biden, is one that backs the Israeli policy regarding Iran. That has been the policy of the USA. I defy anyone to say differently. Israel has always maintained vigilance and always gave itself permission to defend their borders.

It is Iran that has openly declared Israel as an enemy by denying the Holocaust and chronically acting in Anti-Semetic tones. I have stated before there are limited choices with Iran as so many nations of the region hang in the balance. North Korea is slightly different in that both China and Russia disapprove of the North Korean nuclear program and maintain their own vigilance over an unpredictable nuclear nation.


Biden says Israel has the right to attack Iran (click here)
The U.S. wouldn't interfere with a sovereign nation's actions, he says, even as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says such an attack would be destabilizing.
Associated Press
July 6, 2009
Washington -- Vice President Joe Biden signaled that the Obama administration would not stand in the way if Israel chose to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, even as the top U.S. military officer said any attack on Iran would be destabilizing.Biden's remarks suggested a tougher U.S. stance against Iran's nuclear ambitions, but administration officials denied that. Instead, White House officials said, his televised remarks Sunday simply reflected the U.S. view that Israel had a right to defend itself and make its own decisions on national security.
In an interview on ABC's "This Week," Biden also said the U.S. offer to negotiate with Tehran on its nuclear program still stood. Some thought the administration's approach might change in light of the Iranian government's harsh crackdown on protesters after the June 12 presidential election. Opponents of the ruling authorities contend the vote was rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad....

The Arab News (Saudia Arabia)

Biden gives Israel OK for Iran attack (click here)
Associated Press
...The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it prefers to see Iran’s nuclear program stopped through diplomacy but has not ruled out a military strike. “If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice,” Biden said....

The Jordan Times

The way out (click here)
Political tension is escalating in Iran by the day, with conservative followers of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad trading accusations and blame for the current state of affairs in the country with reformers, headed by the defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Some of these charges reached a new pitch when a pro-Khamenei newspaper accused Mousavi of being a US agent responsible for the crimes committed during demonstrations against the results of the presidential elections, viewed by many as fraudulent, rigged in favour of the incumbent Iranian president.
Such charges will do the country no good. If the crackdown on the reformists might temporarily silence them, the political wounds will still fester and deepen unless the two sides find a formula to reconcile.
Many Iranians feel that the recent elections robbed them of a victory; they cannot be silenced by the force of guns, arbitrary arrests or intimidation....


Jordan free of swine flu for now, but remains vigilant (click here)
By Khetam Malkawi
AMMAN - The last patient previously diagnosed with H1N1 (swine) influenza was discharged from hospital on Monday after fully recovering, with no new cases reported, Health Ministry officials announced yesterday....

The Gulf News (United Arab Emerits)

...The Saudi official was commenting on press reports (click here) claiming the Israeli intelligence service had assured Premier Benjamin Netanyahu that Riyadh would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during ay future raid on Iran.
Israel has also denied these reports.
Moreover, Kuwait parliament speaker Jaseem Al Khorafi said his country would never allow Israeli planes to use its airspace.
"I am surprised at such a question that comes as if it were an accomplished fact," Khorafi was quoted as saying by Kuwait official news agency (KUNA). "Has the Israeli press become a source from which we may get information?" he added.
Biden, in what was described as a giving Israel a green light to eliminate the Iranian's "nuclear threat" by military force, said in an interview with ABC television on Sunday that the US "cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do."
However, US military commanders gave different positions.
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, warned that any strike against Iran would be "unintended consequences" and would be "very destabilising".
Meanwhile, press reports noted that Israel, in a major shift of policy, sent one of its three Dolphin-class submarines through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea.
Israeli defence officials described the naval drill as a show of strategic reach in the face of Iran....

Haaretz (Israel)

Last update - 09:07 05/07/2009
U.S., Saudis push Syria over IDF withdrawal from Shaba Farms (click here)
By Zvi Bar'el
Saudi Arabia and the United States are pressing Syria to demarcate its border with Lebanon, in order to allow for the beginning of an Israeli withdrawal from the disputed Shaba Farms area, straddling the border between Lebanon and the Golan Heights.
These moves come amid warming relations between Damascus and Washington. This past weekend Syrian President Bashar Assad issued an unofficial invitation to his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama to visit the Syrian capital.
Marking the Syrian-Lebanese border would neutralize the Israeli claim that Shaba Farms was previously Syrian territory, and that a withdrawal must be carried out only in the course of negotiations with Damascus. The United Nations also defines the area as Syrian territory, and did not call on Israel to pull back from it during its 2000 withdrawal from southern Lebanon....

Jerusalem Post

Jul 7, 2009 16:52

Updated Jul 7, 2009 19:30
'The problem is that there's no real Israeli partner for peace'

By AP AND JPOST.COM

Syrian President Bashar Assad said Tuesday that there is no "real partner" in Israel to make peace, stressing that a halt to settlements is essential in order to restart peace talks.
Syria has said it is willing to resume indirect peace talks mediated by Turkey as long as they focus on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
But Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said he is not willing to cede the territory.
"What Syria is proposing for peace is not conditions but rather they are rights that cannot be negotiated or abandoned," Syria's official news agency SANA quoted Assad as saying. "The problem is that there is no real Israeli partner to make peace." ...

continued (see below)...

...continued...

Netanyahu demands peace for peace.

Israel PM calls for demilitarized Palestinian state (click here)

updated 4:43 p.m. EDT, Sun June 14, 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel could accept a peace agreement with a "demilitarized Palestinian state" as its neighbor....

The Daily Star (Lebanon)

The editorial below clearly indicates Israel's Netanyahu is a brilliant strategic diplomat. What Abdel Monem is articulating could be called, "Gaming the Diplomacy." There is no reason to 'play one's hand' to the end ahead of deciding on the shape of the table. If Israel does not put all it's cards on the table, it doesn't know exactly what the possiblities are when the final agreement is reached. It is important the Palestinians do exactly the same thing. One of the huge hurdles of the Middle East process, eliminating the chronic religious based violence, is there is 'cultural' covert measures that play out AFTER agreements are reached. That has to end. What Israel's Netanyahu has done is brilliant. He is placing ALL the exponential factors exactly in transparency of the 'process.' It is 'best' for the outcome and will derive a 'true peace' rather than a 'settled upon agreement.' In other words, "Let the diplomatic games begin." This time. Let's 'get it right.'

The Arabs' blanket rejection of Netanyahu's speech is short-sighted (click title to entry - thank you)
By Abdel Monem Said Commentary by Tuesday, July 07, 2009
...The Netanyahu speech, in turn, triggered two general responses. Whereas the United States and the European Union welcomed the speech, the Arabs rejected it, with some Arab media insisting it had effectively sounded a death knell for the negotiating process....
...Having correctly gauged the global temperature, Netanyahu, chose not to openly buck the tide. Instead, he hit upon a formula that sounded conciliatory but, in fact, was calculated to dismantle any Arab-Western-global consensus, minimize Israeli losses and buy time.
Netanyahu's speech was designed to send out mixed signals....
...Such a strategic handling of the Netanyahu speech is far removed from blanket rejection, which serves only to hand Europe and Washington to Israel on a silver platter. Through such a rational strategy of engagement we can build momentum to support the Palestinian cause. Above all, we must remain on guard against behaving in the way Netanyahu is banking on.

Iran's Assembly of Experts has power to remove Ayatollah Khamenei (click here)
By Gareth Smyth
Tuesday, July 07, 2009


(Ahmadinejad's qualifications for President was being mayor of Tehran. Popular within a large city in Iran with significant number of votes. Do I see a 'rut' here? Yep.)


...By November 2005, just three months after Ahmadinejad took office, Rafsanjani used his sermon at Tehran Friday prayers to rebuke the president for damaging "national unity." This came two days after Khamenei had defended Ahmadinejad's government and called for it to be given more time.
"Our society has been divided into two poles and some are behaving aggressively," said Rafsanjani, who criticized "a current trying to remove and isolate invaluable individuals and efficient managers" and attacked the president for "vague pictures" in his proclaimed fight against corruption.
Rafsanjani soon joined Mohammad Khatami, the former reformist president, and Mehdi Karrubi, the former parliamentary speaker, in coordinating a "coalition of the concerned" against Ahmadinejad.
This group came together in alarm at the president's foreign policy pronouncements, which they felt imperilled Iran's position, and in concern at the harm inflicted by Ahmadinejad's reflationary economics....
...But a notion as malleable as "adequate capacity for leadership" could now work against Ayatollah Khamenei.
From the arguments over the conduct of the election used by Rafsanjani, as well as by reformist figures like defeated candidate Mir-Hossein Musavi, it is easy to see potential constitutional grounds for a challenge to Khamenei within the Assembly of Experts.
It would be a huge step for the clerics who make up the Assembly, and indeed a huge step for Iran.
Gareth Smyth, a former opinion editor of The Daily Star, was chief Iran correspondent of the Financial Times, 2003-7. This article was contributed to The Daily Star law page.

A legal manifesto for Iran's Green RevolutionIranians deserve support of democrats, activists (click here)

By Chibli Mallat

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

1. Violent deaths v. non-violent demonstrations. By end of the first week, between 20 and 40 people had been killed, and many more wounded. Responsibility for keeping order lies first and foremost with the government, headed by the president under the watch of the supreme leader (rahbar), Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The deaths mark a grave failure of the system. Under Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution, corresponding to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent covenants, "public gatherings and marches may be freely held, provided arms are not carried and that they are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam."...

...2. Election results and arbitration. When people in large numbers descend onto the streets with the support of two major candidates to question election results, their concerns cannot be brushed aside. Iranians need to get to the bottom of what happened.
So far, the arguments are hazy and cancel each other out. Two theses stand opposed. The Leader has asked the Council of Guardians (CG) to carry out its constitutional mandate under Article 99 of the Constitution to investigate if the elections were valid. But in his speech last Friday, Khamenei said that a victory of 11 million votes could not have been rigged. In fact, both he and two presidential candidates doubted that the CG could change the results: Khamenei on the grounds that the winner's majority was so large, Musavi and Mehdi Karrubi, because of their lack of trust in the CG. Ironically, they were both right....

...3. The Iranian constitutional system. The outcome of the tenth presidential election suggests that central traits of the Iranian Constitution should be re-examined. For a republic where citizens choose their leader, the Iranian Constitution fails two major tests.
The first is the Council of Guardians itself, which regularly vetoes presidential candidates (Art.110.9). In the current elections, over 450 Iranians presented their candidacy, and the Council rejected all but four. This is unsustainable in any democracy and the practice should be removed from the Constitution....

Restoring the full rule of law to America: indemnify torture victims (click here)

By Owen Fiss

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

One 'thing' to remember. The USA just concluded eight years of incompetency in the Executive Branch with an endorsing Republican majority in the legislature for six of those years due to the 'cultural' issues beset to the Amercian electorate post September 11, 2001.

What does that mean?

It means, example Alito and Roberts and realize that the judicial system of the country has been 'contaminated' with incompetency and those that focus on 'wealth' and 'ideologies' that secure their so called wealth through assignments by the then Executive Branch. That 'contamination' will exist for some time and it seems as though when it comes to 'Constitutional Rights' and the issue of ? terrorists ? the judiciary is scared to move in favor of 'rights' verses 'containment.'

The only reason I refer to this 'formality' of discourse is that to rely on the USA Judiciary as an example to freedom and personal liberties as well as personal rights is not necessaroly the best reference to those subjects. Each review of any judicial proceeding from here on needs to be reviewed in the particulars of the Justice themselves. With a Supreme Court weighted to the 'right' as the current Robert's Court (You know the guy, the one that couldn't get the oath of office right.) is; one has to examine closely the Minority Opinion in heavy scrutiny of the Majority opinion. The same holds true for the lower courts. The judiciary has to be under scrutiny until it is relieved of the contamination of incompetency under Bush/Cheney.

The 'right' leaning of the American Judiciary post Bush is consistent in denying Civil Rights and granting Fiscal Exploitation of 'The American System of Living' which includes impeding Civil Rights to contain 'difference' and Civil Liberties that would provide 'fiscal management' of 'HUMAN RESOURCES.'

Such Civil Liberties have consistently been impeded to benefit 'fiscal' consideration in the area of Environmental Statues. This past year in the Robert's Courts, environmental statues were ruled AGAINST regardless of the 'spirit' that was intended by the American Legislature.

That said, it is up to the current Democratic Majority to focus on Legislative measures that return rights to Americans in the face of a hostile Supreme Court based in 'Right Wing Ideologies.' ESPECIALLY. In the face of the Global Economic Crisis. The Robert's Court will act in 'knee jerk' reactions as did Bernanke when he opened up a full $1 Trillion US from the Federal Reserve with the excuse, "I wanted to be sure they had all the instruments they needed for ANY recovery." Bernanke opened up 'advantage' to the very idiots that sunk the economy in the first place; The Robert's Court does the exact same thing. The Robert's Court which likes to send cases back to the lower courts (as a punitive measure) will consistently seek NOT 'legal' remedies, but, 'fiscal ideological' ones.

Hence, and therefore, the struggle to return the USA to its best luster does not end with the courts, but, with the legislature and the striving of the American people to return their country to its 'resolves.' Those resolves are solidly reflected in the persistent 'tone' of the NEW President Barak Obama who seeks to build 'Coalitions' of people seeking peace and NOT war.

...A special test of these promises is now pending before the Second Circuit which sits in New York. It involves Canadian citizen Maher Arar, who was taken into custody by US officials at JFK airport in September 2002, and then transferred to Syria for interrogation under conditions of torture. At issue is the legality of the practice known as extraordinary rendition, the transportation of individuals suspected of terrorist activity to foreign countries for interrogation, sometimes torture. After a panel of three judges refused to reach the merits of Arar's claim, 12 judges of the Second Circuit, sitting en banc, reheard the case. They are expected to rule soon.
In this suit, Arar asked for monetary damages and a declaratory judgment that the law had been broken. On the first claim, the three-judge panel ruled that it did not have congressional authorization to give damages. Such a ruling seems odd in the extreme. It is not clear why Congress, a political body, must give the judiciary authorization before allowing damages for the violation of a constitutional right....

...Obama has disavowed many of the policies of the Bush administration and assured the nation there will be not torture on his watch. Yet a willingness to speak only to the future is not sufficient. Not only must the new administration establish policies that preclude torture in the future; it must also account for the wrongs of the past. It must prosecute those who engaged in practices clearly understood to be torture and provide civil remedies to those who were in fact tortured....

Here's how Europe can help in closing down Guantanamo (click here)
By Gilles De Kerchove Commentary by Tuesday, July 07, 2009
...We share Obama's assessment that "Guantanamo became a symbol that helped Al-Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained." We in the European Union believe that it is our common interest with Washington to prevent radicalization and recruitment to terrorism throughout the world....
... More generally, we agree with Obama that "in the long run we ... cannot keep ... safe unless we enlist the power of our most fundamental values," and that "we uphold our most cherished values not only because doing so is right, but because it strengthens [us] and keeps us safe." The experience of European democracies confronted with a long-term terrorist threat shows that human rights and the rule of law are our strongest assets. That is why terrorists want to destroy them.
The closure of Guantanamo must be accompanied by a fundamental review of the underlying policies that gave rise to its existence. Obama's decisions to ban "enhanced interrogation" techniques and end secret detention are important steps in the right direction.
But more steps are needed....

With Al-Jazeera's American challenge comes responsibility (click here)
By Mohamed Elmenshawy Commentary by Monday, July 06, 2009
...As the president said, he seeks a fresh relationship, one "based upon mutual interest and mutual respect" and "upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition." The new Obama administration has taken the lead seeking to advance cooperation and understanding. In order to promote constructive dialogue along similar lines, Al-Jazeera must follow suit.
Al-Jazeera's coverage of the United States has yet to offer viewers a complete picture of American society. Since September 11, 2001, interest in America has risen noticeably in the Arab world. Few Arab media outlets, however, have satisfied this growing demand. Everyone reports on America the "superpower," but few report on America as the complex, diverse and democratic society that it is. Al-Jazeera's coverage of the United States and its policies has tended to reflect a limited understanding of the country's inner workings or its history. This has created a skewed image of America in the Arab world - one which must be adjusted....
...It might be useful, here, to recall the former Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin's positions regarding Israeli settlements, airports and land in the Sinai and then to recall that the Sinai was subsequently returned in full to Egypt. It is also useful to bear in mind that many Third World countries, upon reaching independence, started under conditions of less than full sovereignty which was eventually acquired as circumstances changed....

Anything short of a completely Lebanese Cabinet is not sovereign.

Riyadh urges independent Lebanese cabinet formation (click here)
By Elias Sakr Daily Star staff
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
..."Saudi officials called on Lebanese politicians not to abandon to foreign forces their right to form a government," a March 14 source said.
Commenting on media reports that implied the cabinet formation process was stalled until a Syrian-Saudi rapprochement could be reached, the source stressed that the formation course was "a strictly Lebanese domestic affair."...

Okay, where is this guy. Cherokee County ain't that big.

They may have found him? Gaston County, North Carolina? Close enough. We'll see what his profile is.


Cherokee County is located in the Upstate of South Carolina. The County sits in a prime location just off I-85 between Charlotte, North Carolina and Greenville/ Spartanburg, South Carolina, two of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas. (click here)

He is believed to be about 200 pounds. Coroner, we are receiving reports from coroners. That has to be a first. If anyone is hiding him or protecting him, they need to be a part of the 'Wanted Poster,' too.

Police released this sketch of a suspected serial killer who they believe is responsible for four deaths in South Carolina. They describe him as a white male with salt and pepper hair who is about 6 feet 2 inches, approximately 250 pounds. The suspect's vehicle is a 1991 to1994 Ford Explorer Sport: a two-door SUV with faded paint that is gray or champagne in color. (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)

Coroner: Teen 5th Killed by Apparent Serial Killer (click title to entry - thank you)
Coroner: Teenage girl shot in father's store becomes 5th slain by suspected SC serial killer

By MITCH WEISS Associated Press Writer

GAFFNEY, S.C. July 4, 2009 (AP)

According to this report, it would seem at least three of the victims were conducting business in private enterprises at the time of their death, so it is my guess the killer is looking for cash money or anything that can be 'fluid.' He doesn't regard life at any age important. He made up his mind the world dealt him a bad hand and he doesn't care what it takes to get by. Might want to check unemployment roles in the Cherokee County area for someone who was just dropped from the benefit or receiving benefits that meet this description. He seems to know who is running these businesses and when it is vulnerable to carry out his crime. It is my g.uess he is from the area as it seems common knowledge to him to assault these people

A teenage girl shot while helping her father in their family's small furniture and appliance store died Saturday, becoming the fifth victim of a suspected serial killer terrorizing a small South Carolina community, authorities said.
Abby Tyler, 15, died about 11:15 a.m. at a Spartanburg hospital after fighting for her life for two days, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said.
Tyler was wounded and her father was killed Thursday as they worked to close the Tyler Home Center near downtown Gaffney....

When did this killing spree start? I haven't been following it. These victims, one had a peach orchard (a private commercial enterprise). May have been selling products from the orchard and believed to have money around.

The 83 year old would have some cash assets. SSI and a daughter she lived with. There was probably money in the house. It is my guess, and why I asked as to when he started his killing spree, is that he started locally. With people vulnerable. Probably don't lock their doors and if they did, a 200+ pound man would be able to knock the door down. You know what? The South Carolina State Police and National Guard need to start patrolling these back roads. I wouldn't let it be known the area law enforcement was going to be beefed up either. The FBI needs to start door to door interviews. I don't buy it that even family members of this man didn't notice he was different or had more money in his pocket.

...An 83-year-old mother and her daughter were shot to death Wednesday, and a 63-year-old peach farmer was found dead at his home a week ago....

I don't believe this guy is crazy. I think he knows exactly what he is doing and thinking someone like the Green River Killer or that other guy, the Kansas Sherrif Killer, (Forget his name - they knew him by initals.) got away with it for a long time, too. Reports don't say anything about sexual attacks so much as simply killing. Even if sexual assaults occurred, that doesn't rule out robbery either.

...Blanton said all the victims were shot, but he would not say how the deaths were linked. The shootings all occurred within about 10 miles of each other in Cherokee County, a rural community of 54,000 people set amid peach orchards and farms some 50 miles west of Charlotte, N.C....

I don't think he's from Charlotte. He knows where the money is in the rural area. I still think he is a local. Probably a farmer himself. Is there any chance that killing local farmers would benefit another one? Land arguments? Losing a farm? Any chance this guy could have been a debtor to the commercial businesses in town?

Wheels down in Moscow. Tight security. Obama is here !!!!

Peace.

End the possiblity of nuclear detonation.

If the leaders of the USA and Russia cannot save the world from itself, then we are lost.


The First Family in Russia. Good news to follow.

RIA NOVOSTI
U.S. not to blame for global economic crisis - Obama (click title to entry - thank you)
15:16
06/07/2009
...He said the economic crisis resulted from "a culture of irresponsibility regarding financial matters" in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, and urged efforts to promote an era of responsibility.
"We're called upon to recognize that the free market is the most powerful generative force for our prosperity -- but it is not a free license to ignore the consequences of our actions," Obama said.
Commenting on the priority of his visit - to "reset" relations with Russia, Obama said he was guided by the pursuit of common interests....

Russia was the nation that ratified The Kyoto Protocol and made it a valid global priority.

Russia, U.S. can agree on arms cuts - Medvedev (click here)
15:47

06/07/2009

..."Our countries are encountering a variety of problems, including global security and strategic offensive weapons. I believe that we have every chance of taking important and necessary decisions," Dmitry Medvedev said at the opening of talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Medvedev expressed the hope that talks with Obama, who arrived in Moscow earlier in the day, would help to resolve a number of bilateral problems.
"We hope that as a result of today and tomorrow's work and full-scale bilateral talks we will resolve a number of difficult issues in the history of Russian-American relations and will turn a new page," the Russian president said....

Russians full of energy, certainly express their quality of life and freedom of speech far differently than decades past. A welcome change. We welcome the partnership of the Russian people in peace.

As long as we are near the melting Alaska...Bye, bye. Everyone say bye, bye to Sarah.

Imagine McCain winning the election. Then six months into the new administration the Vice President decides to resign. Okay, maybe 2 and a half years. She doesn't have what it takes, she never did. She won because she pledged to sell a jet. Alaska needs people that sincerely care about it, not people that exploit its 'hard core' Republican 'theme' to grab power and the wealth of oil.

And guess who is astounded? The man claimed by USA Today to be the lead Republican. Grassley. Grassley, is the new Republican leader? Well, he certainly knows how to get rid of bankers, I'll give him that much.

　

..."It's astounding," Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican said on CBS' Face the Nation. Grassley, whose state holds the crucial first contest of the presidential campaign, said he would welcome a Palin presidential candidacy but thought it might now be harder to launch....

　

Obama Gets Boost as Palin Departure Deepens Republican Disarray (click here)
By Julianna Goldman and Edwin Chen

...According to Gallup polling, just 34 percent of Americans view the party favorably. Even among Republicans, 38 percent have an unfavorable view of their party and almost half can’t name an individual who speaks for it. And those polls were conducted before Palin resigned and two other Republicans, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Senator John Ensign of Nevada, acknowledged having extramarital affairs....

Local Time: 4:06 AM AKDT (GMT -08)

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Updated: 11 min 9 sec ago

Temperature :: 61 °F

Conditions :: Clear

Humidity :: 55%

Dew Point :: 45 °F

Wind :: 9 mph from the NW

Pressure :: 29.94 in (Rising)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Clear -
(Above Ground Level)

Elevation :: 33 ft


Arctic sea ice at second lowest level (click title to entry - thank you)
DAN JOLING
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Associated Press Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 08:33PM EDT
Arctic Ocean sea ice has melted to the second lowest minimum since satellite observations began, according to scientists at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Sea ice melt recorded on Monday exceeded the low recorded in 2005, which had held second place.
With several weeks left in the melting season, ice in summer 2008 has a chance to go below last year's record low, the scientists at the University of Colorado said.
Environmental groups said the ice melt is another alarm bell warning of global warming.
“It's an unfortunate sign that climate change is coming rapidly to the Arctic and that we really need to address the issue of global warming on a national level,” said Christopher Krenz, Arctic project manager for Oceana....

Manuel Zelaya would be better to find a safe haven for the rest of his life.

Former Honduras President Manuel Zelaya and Former President "W."

Manuel Zelaya will be arrested at the very least and probably for his own safety. There is a chance he would be assassinated. There is strong evidence President Micheletti has a firm grip of the country. If the country was in turmoil and needed leadership, I could understand the attempt to return, however, at this point there are underlying issues of safety that cannot be ignored.

...The poor Central American country's Roman Catholic archbishop and its human right commissioner urged Zelaya to stay away (Click title to entry - thank you), warning that his return could spark bloodshed. The interim government said it would arrest Zelaya and put him on trial despite near-universal international condemnation of the coup that removed him as he campaigned to revise the constitution.
In Washington, the Organization of American States suspended Honduras as a member late Saturday. Micheletti preemptively pulled out of the OAS hours earlier rather than comply with an ultimatum that Zelaya be restored....

The near borders nations to the USA are having trouble with stability. Honduras now has a coup government. It is the policy of the USA to not recognize such changes in authority. I believe the Obama Administration and Defense Department needs to assess the return of the National Guard in Iraq sooner than later. There is instability in the hemisphere. There are power struggles everywhere.

Under Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld, China has become a trading partner and Russia an ally to many countries in the Western Hemisphere. There are power players now in countries little conceived to be 'vital' to USA national security, such as the new influence of Taiwan in Belize. China is not happy about the wanderings of the Taiwan government in this hemisphere and that of the East. Taiwan alone is looking for a 'coalition' with Japan and other small nations such as Belize. It reminds me of the Infamous Bush Coalition of nations pledged to Iraq for fiscal supports.

The USA needs to tread lightly with Taiwan's enthusiasm for new alliances. Taiwan could literally build enough of a following for the wealth it deals to these impoverished countries, to consider a stand against the US "One China Policy." I'd hate to think the USA would be sucked into a conflict with China over Taiwan. Taiwan won't win against China.

The coalition between Taiwan and Japan, considering the escalation of tensions with North Korea, is understandable. However, if it is North Korea that Japan and Taiwan are concerned about, then they need to work diligently with China and Russia to assist in containing the North Korean threat. If Taiwan continues to believe they can move into a national status of autonomy, they have to face the dangers of bringing China's influence with North Korea to bear.

In Mexico, the drug wars, no different than in Afghanistan, have provided a financial base for a revolutionary force within Mexican borders. Violence is still continuing there, but, Calderon still exhibits control of the country's infrastructure.

At least 14 bodies found in Mexico mass grave (click here)
By MICHAEL E. MILLER – 3 days ago
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Police said Wednesday that they have uncovered a mass grave in central Mexico with the remains of 14 or 15 people believed to have been executed by the Zetas drug gang.
The remains found in Guanajuato state were so badly burned that officials were not immediately able to identify the number of victims, and it may be difficult to identify the dead.
Guanajuato Attorney General Carlos Zamarripa said the 14 or 15 bodies were piled into a single pit discovered on Saturday, a day after a shootout between police and suspected Zetas hit men in the town of Apaseo el Alto.
In the shootout, 12 gunmen were killed, 12 were captured and one police officer was wounded, officials said. The dead gunmen were not the bodies in the mass grave.
A large cache of weapons, including assault rifles, grenades and bulletproof vests, was also discovered after that clash, Zamarripa said. Investigations into the confrontation led police to the grave site.

There is escalated threat of the H1N1 virus in South America.

Swine flu emergency in Argentina (click here)
Page last updated at 11:30 GMT, Wednesday, 1 July 2009 12:30 UK

The city and province of Buenos Aires have announced a health emergency to fight a swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 26 people in Argentina.
Officials are being given more power and resources to tackle the epidemic, and school holidays for millions of children are being extended.
Argentina has confirmed more than 1,500 cases of swine flu, which is spreading during the southern hemisphere winter.
Meanwhile, an international conference on swine flu is opening in Mexico.
Teams from some 40 countries are attending the three-day event in Cancun. The head of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, is also participating.
'Too late'
The health emergency measures in the capital and surrounding Buenos Aires province were unveiled on Tuesday....

Venezuela has recently nationalized its third bank.

Venezuela, China May Sign New Loan-for-Oil Accord, Chavez Says (click here)
By Steven Bodzin
July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela and China Development Bank Corp. are discussing a third $4 billion infrastructure loan to be paid in oil, President Hugo Chavez said.
“This bank is the one with the most money in the world,” Chavez said late yesterday on state television. “It has half the money in the world and is allied with Venezuela.”
Chavez is seeking closer ties with developing nations such as China, Russia, India and Brazil to reduce dependence on the U.S., which consumes more than half of Venezuela’s oil exports.
China previously made two $4 billion loans to finance infrastructure projects in Venezuela. Venezuela’s government repays the loan with as much as 230,000 barrels a day of oil provided to China National Petroleum Corp., according to the annual report of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, also known as PDVSA.
China, the world’s second-biggest energy user, has signed loan-for-oil agreements with countries including Russia, Brazil and Kazakhstan this year, tapping its $1.95 trillion foreign- exchange reserves to buy assets after oil’s 55 percent decline from July’s record....

Do to the hostile nature of the USA during the Bush Adminisration there are all kinds of dynamics that have been set in motion. The current USA President was handed not only a poor hand in any international venue, he was handed a world moving into a hemispheric war to end the 'threat' of the USA to any other country.

The way the Obama Administration can neutralize the 'preceived' threat is to remain consistent while rebuilding relationships with near border countries and reopening 'stabilizing' relationships in trade and mutual security interests, including, ending the 'drug cartels' in the Western Hemisphere while ending any source from Afghanistan.

The 'State of International Affairs of the USA' is about as lousy as it gets.