Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
It's Earth Week. Imagine a quiet, little town meeting their energy needs with wind power.
The wind turbines are 37 metres tall or a little more than 121 feet tall. That is approximately the size of a six story building, but, not nearly as 'needy' in its 'footprint.'
1000 square metres is 10,764 square feet, about the size of a 100 foot X 100 foot piece of land. That size 'footprint' is about one-fifth the size of an American football field. An American football field, including end zone but not bleechers, is 160 feet X 360 feet. So the piece of land is not at all that large for this turbine.
The rent the landowner will receive on ONE turbine is 12,000 British pounds or nearly $20,000 US. Not bad for doing nothing but allowing a wind turbine to be placed on the property. The beautiful part of this is that farmers can earn that money while still farming the rest of their land. So, they are guaranteed a substantial income for the lease of their land and if they have more than one turbine their income is multiplied by the number of turbines on their property. Pretty good deal.
There is absolutely no reason why the same dynamic could not be harnessed in the USA and supply American Family Farms with a larger purpose and guaranteed income. That is approximately $2.00 per square foot.
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Junior Duck Stamp for the year 2011. (click title to entry - thank you)
Illinois
The finalist from Illinois for the 2011 Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest.
On Friday, April 15, 2011, (click here) a panel of five judges will choose the winner of the 2011-2012 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest from Best-of-Show entries from all 50 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The event will be held at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, nine miles from the Philadelphia International Airport, off I-95. The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a dynamic arts curriculum that teaches wetlands and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school. The program incorporates scientific and wildlife management principles into a visual arts curriculum with participants completing an art project as their visual "term papers." A winning conservation message written by a student will also be chosen.
The top three art contest winners and the conservation message winners receive cash prizes....
It is Earth Week. Young minds are valuing conservation and the beauty within their nation. The promise to them is important and getting ever more important everyday.
In seeking to work with Repulicans, Senator Rubio found a friend in the White House, now it is called EXCESSIVE SPENDING by the USA conservatives.
And this isn't all of it.
U.S. Gov't Agency Plans $2.84 Billion Loan for Oil Refinery—In Colombia (click title to entry - thank you)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Marko Rubio solisticed President Obama as soon as he arrived in Washington, DC as Senator to pass CAFTA. He demanded cooperation and in a spirit of bipartisanship the President signed the bill. This is Marko Rubio the man from Florida, the friend of the Former Governor BUSH and the brother of the Oil Barron and supporter of Halliburton in Iraq. END OF DISCUSSION.
(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Export-Import Bank, an independent agency of the federal government, is now planning a $2.84-billion loan for a massive project to expand and upgrade an oil refinery--in Cartagena, Colombia.
The money would go to Reficar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ecopetrol, the Colombian national oil company.“This is part of a $5.18 billion refinery and upgrade project in Cartagena, Colombia supplying petroleum products to the domestic and export markets,” the Export-Import Bank said in a statement.
The U.S. government-controlled bank says the $2.84-billion in financing it plans to undertake will be the second largest project it has ever done. The largest was $3 billion in financing for a liquid natural gas project in Papua New Guinea....Marko Rubio solisticed President Obama as soon as he arrived in Washington, DC as Senator to pass CAFTA. He demanded cooperation and in a spirit of bipartisanship the President signed the bill. This is Marko Rubio the man from Florida, the friend of the Former Governor BUSH and the brother of the Oil Barron and supporter of Halliburton in Iraq. END OF DISCUSSION.
On the eve of your mission to Latin America, we ask you to prioritize the Western Hemisphere in our trade policy.
Specifically, we urge you to immediately submit both the Colombia and Panama free trade agreements to Congress, so that they can achieve Congressional approval and we can begin to reap the benefits of these important agreements. We believe these agreements are an important and necessary first step towards a broader trade policy.
We urge you to then engage willing partners in the hemisphere to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) to open additional export markets for the United States.
We urge you to then engage willing partners in the hemisphere to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) to open additional export markets for the United States.
As you know, the United States established a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico in 1994. At the time, this agreement unified the largest trading market in the world, now encompassing a GDP of around $17 trillion.
The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) was first proposed under President Clinton in 1994 and would open markets in 34 countries.
Mr. President, we look forward to working with you on this issue. By opening up a bold trade agenda encompassing theWestern Hemisphere, you will create opportunities for higher incomes in theU.S. and foreign policy stability and growth in our own hemisphere. In these times of international instability, our mission and this free trade initiative would go a long way towards ensuring peace and economic growth in our region of the planet.
Very truly yours,
Marco Rubio
United States Senator
Mark Kirk
United States Senator
Roy Blunt
United States Senator
Lamar Alexander
United States Senator
Mike Johanns
United States Senator
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator
Ronald H. Johnson
United States Senator
DON'T EVEN TRY IT. We wouldn't have even PRESERVED or created jobs if it was up to them,. The Republicans sweetened the pot for the Democrats by demanding a USA benefit in exports.
Syria lifts emergency law AKA "Assad gets his head on straight." Hm. Wonder how Lebanon is today?
"Allahu Akbar !"
From the Lebanon Daily Star, more normal than not.
You don't say. Assad did that? Oh, my.
Just give me a reason and it is a done deal !
The papers, revealed here for the first time, raise new questions over Britain's involvement in the war, which had divided Tony Blair's cabinet and was voted through only after his claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction....
There is a HISTORY. For love of country, the pay ain't great, but, it is all for the right reasons.
...In a statement, (click here) BP said, "BP told the UK government that we were concerned about the slow progress that was being made in concluding a Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya. We were aware that this could have a negative impact on UK commercial interests, including the ratification by the Libyan government of BP's exploration agreement. The decision to release Mr. al Megrahi in August 2009 was taken by the Scottish Government. It’s not for BP to comment on the decision of the Scottish Government. BP was not involved in any discussions with the U.K. Government or the Scottish Government about the release of Mr. al Megrahi."...
Corporate Wellfare...
...I always thought Military Contracts were the best investment in times of uncertainty. They have GUARANTEED overruns.
Ten years of "The Bush Tax Cuts." Hello? This is DOD spending, what happened in the year 2002 and then the illegal displacement of assets in 2003 ?
Regarding the S&P Dowgrading...THANK YOU for a boost in confidence that President Obama is on the right track !
Really, S&P? (click title to entry - thank you) This is the agency that within recent memory assured investors that not only were Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers blue chip investments but that the various collateral-derivative-swap-trade-debt-obligations were as safe as houses. And let's not talk about the dotcom boom era of the late 1990s.
Given S&P's track record it's probably a good thing if the agency goes ahead and downgrades US sovereign debt – because look what happens when it says everything is fine....
Ten years of Regressive Republican SPENDING and SPENDING and SPENDING which was a faux economy for EIGHT YEARS, crashed the entire global market place and did what exactly?
What did it do? In October of 2008, the entire global community suddenly had a reality of the "New Bush World Order,"...the PRECENTAGE between a county's GDP and its national debt was horribly becoming the same.
With President Obama pushing the envelope in 2009, the USA would be in a profound tailspin far worse than INCOMPETENT warnings from S&P.
Is Standard and Poors playing politics to benefit Wall Street? Have your gas prices gone up recently?
... I have to say that I agree with S & P on one thing - I too consider the prospects for a budget deal grim. I'm not sure I'd telescope the time frame out to 2013,...
Monday, April 18, 2011
The national average price of gasoline is $3.791. Nearly a dollar more than a year ago. Up ,pre than fifty cents from last week.
OPEC is being scammed by Wall Street. If that isn't obvious don't ask me what is. In turn the global community is being targeted for 'illegal' profits at the expense of 'global economic stability.' If Wall Street can't have bailouts then they'll make their own. Wall Street has a sincere attitude problem. I guess the Afghan opium has gone up in price since the 'blight.'
Click title to entry for USA national averages of gasoline - thank you.
Look, this is real simple, the 'supply and demand' chain has been taken over by those that don't produce the oil or those that consume it. There isn't anything else to say. The STORY, fictional story that there is a supply shortage because of the ? instability ? in the Middle East is complete hog wash.
Saudi Arabia as a global leader in oil production and OPEC have a moral sense of what their role is in the stability of a global economy. As far back as I can remember post Nixon Oil Embargo, have never refused to increase production whenever it was necessary.
Never. The world screams 'more oil' and OPEC opens the spigot.
Producers and consumers were fooled. We 'bought into' the ? fact ? that when supply is short the price of anything increases. Well, Wall Street has proven how complete "W"rong that is. Wall Street is the culprit. I also believe the OPEC nations should refine the darn stuff and sell it themselves. The problem with that is oil is less combustible than refined gasoline. Tanks would be less safe, however, the 'spills' would be easier to clean up, simply set fire of it. Gas burns, oil smolters. The people on the ships would not be around though. That is why crude is shipped in tankers rather than refined products.
But, seriously, if OPEC were refining their own gasoline the global economy would NOT be taking a 'hit' right now for the EXPLOITIVE costs DICTATED by Wall Street through runaway speculation.
I can see it right now, Paulson and his buddies hanging around an office cooler laughing about the naivety of the 'average Joe' and how completely easy it is to SCAM the entire global market place. It is a scam and somewhere it has to be illegal. Somewhere in this world there is a country that actually demands CONSUMER PROTECTION and has laws to back it up. There needs to be investigations, ARRESTS and prison. Absolutely.
The Saudis were raising production and raising production and when the price to consumers of THEIR OIL were not receiving relief and the cost of FOOD was skyrocketing, the King sat back in his chambers and thought, "Like what the heck?" Then. He remembered. Ah, Hank Paulson isn't such a nice guy. Oh, yeah. There is something very "W"rong here. It is not supply and demand anymore, it is simply exploitation of everyone.
With that the King looked in the mirror, said to his wife, "Our friends are not doing well no matter what I do. And. When I reflect on how we are using our children's futures in their oil reserves, they are disappearing for no moral reason."
The next day he consulted with his Minister of Oil and his allies in OPEC and they decided, we don't need to THROW our oil out on the market to be sold to immoral greed merchants. We need to protect our children's interests and that of the global community. We need to scale back our production and allow the market place begin to realize they cannot continue to destroy economies to benefit the drug addicts on Wall Street.
So, now that OPEC has been scammed and the global consumers have been scammed I would sincerely expect some results from somewhere in the world to punitively reduce the cost to consumers while PRESERVING the OPEC reserves.
Ah. Only in America. Indeed, American Exceptionalism at work.
American Exceptionalism by definition has five qualities. Characteristics if you will.
LIBERTY
EGALITARIANISM
INDIVIDUALISM - That was once true when the Burger Court mattered.
POPULISM - a lot of ...isms.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE. This is the one that is actually the culprit this time.
Laissez-Faire is an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies.
Laissez-Faire without regulation is capitalism run amock. But, Regressive Republicans don't like to pay taxes, so they deregulate everything to make more income and they stay out of jail. See, regulations can require exploitation by 'individuals' to go to jail / prison. Republicans don't want to pay taxes and they don't want to be in prison, so they deregulate everything and tell the average citizen it is "American Exceptionalism" and OUR RIGHT !
Oh, someone got the impression deregulation was about 'growing an economy.' No. Deregulation is about removing fines and prison terms from exploitation.
THAT is what deregulation is all about.
So, what are we going to do about Wall Street? How about growing our own fuels by American Family Farmers that can actually improve the 'wealth of the nation.' Now there is an idea. Actually IMPROVING the WEALTH OF THE NATION, rather than the top 2% of citizens and Wall Street. Sound correct? I think so.
BIOMASS grown 'IN CONTRACT' to small business owned ethanol plants without the MANIPULATION of Wall Street Commodities. There has to be some tax incentives for making transporation in the USA safer and affordable.
Sounds like a plan.
Click title to entry for USA national averages of gasoline - thank you.
Look, this is real simple, the 'supply and demand' chain has been taken over by those that don't produce the oil or those that consume it. There isn't anything else to say. The STORY, fictional story that there is a supply shortage because of the ? instability ? in the Middle East is complete hog wash.
Saudi Arabia as a global leader in oil production and OPEC have a moral sense of what their role is in the stability of a global economy. As far back as I can remember post Nixon Oil Embargo, have never refused to increase production whenever it was necessary.
Never. The world screams 'more oil' and OPEC opens the spigot.
Producers and consumers were fooled. We 'bought into' the ? fact ? that when supply is short the price of anything increases. Well, Wall Street has proven how complete "W"rong that is. Wall Street is the culprit. I also believe the OPEC nations should refine the darn stuff and sell it themselves. The problem with that is oil is less combustible than refined gasoline. Tanks would be less safe, however, the 'spills' would be easier to clean up, simply set fire of it. Gas burns, oil smolters. The people on the ships would not be around though. That is why crude is shipped in tankers rather than refined products.
But, seriously, if OPEC were refining their own gasoline the global economy would NOT be taking a 'hit' right now for the EXPLOITIVE costs DICTATED by Wall Street through runaway speculation.
I can see it right now, Paulson and his buddies hanging around an office cooler laughing about the naivety of the 'average Joe' and how completely easy it is to SCAM the entire global market place. It is a scam and somewhere it has to be illegal. Somewhere in this world there is a country that actually demands CONSUMER PROTECTION and has laws to back it up. There needs to be investigations, ARRESTS and prison. Absolutely.
The Saudis were raising production and raising production and when the price to consumers of THEIR OIL were not receiving relief and the cost of FOOD was skyrocketing, the King sat back in his chambers and thought, "Like what the heck?" Then. He remembered. Ah, Hank Paulson isn't such a nice guy. Oh, yeah. There is something very "W"rong here. It is not supply and demand anymore, it is simply exploitation of everyone.
With that the King looked in the mirror, said to his wife, "Our friends are not doing well no matter what I do. And. When I reflect on how we are using our children's futures in their oil reserves, they are disappearing for no moral reason."
The next day he consulted with his Minister of Oil and his allies in OPEC and they decided, we don't need to THROW our oil out on the market to be sold to immoral greed merchants. We need to protect our children's interests and that of the global community. We need to scale back our production and allow the market place begin to realize they cannot continue to destroy economies to benefit the drug addicts on Wall Street.
So, now that OPEC has been scammed and the global consumers have been scammed I would sincerely expect some results from somewhere in the world to punitively reduce the cost to consumers while PRESERVING the OPEC reserves.
Ah. Only in America. Indeed, American Exceptionalism at work.
American Exceptionalism by definition has five qualities. Characteristics if you will.
LIBERTY
EGALITARIANISM
INDIVIDUALISM - That was once true when the Burger Court mattered.
POPULISM - a lot of ...isms.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE. This is the one that is actually the culprit this time.
Laissez-Faire is an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies.
Laissez-Faire without regulation is capitalism run amock. But, Regressive Republicans don't like to pay taxes, so they deregulate everything to make more income and they stay out of jail. See, regulations can require exploitation by 'individuals' to go to jail / prison. Republicans don't want to pay taxes and they don't want to be in prison, so they deregulate everything and tell the average citizen it is "American Exceptionalism" and OUR RIGHT !
Oh, someone got the impression deregulation was about 'growing an economy.' No. Deregulation is about removing fines and prison terms from exploitation.
THAT is what deregulation is all about.
So, what are we going to do about Wall Street? How about growing our own fuels by American Family Farmers that can actually improve the 'wealth of the nation.' Now there is an idea. Actually IMPROVING the WEALTH OF THE NATION, rather than the top 2% of citizens and Wall Street. Sound correct? I think so.
BIOMASS grown 'IN CONTRACT' to small business owned ethanol plants without the MANIPULATION of Wall Street Commodities. There has to be some tax incentives for making transporation in the USA safer and affordable.
Sounds like a plan.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
"Good Night Moon"
100% of Full
Sunday, April 17, 2011
At Midnight, US Central time, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere
I am tired of you lousy no good bastards turning the minds of the American people into God fearing people bigoted in a way that will lead them into Christian soldiers, over and over and over again.
I am doubly tired of your lousy fucking media, too.
Eat shit!
Cluster Bombs - Air deployed land mines.
Libya shows such weapons should not be allowed to fall into the hands of despots (click title to entry - thank you)
Reports that forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi have used cluster bombs in their siege of Misrata has brought to light once again the use of this controversial ordnance.
There are many different kinds of air-dropped or ground-launched "sub-munitions," but work more or less the same: One bomb opens prior to impact and casts up to 2,000 — depending on the type — smaller "bomblets" over a wide swath of territory. These "wide dispersal pattern weapons" explode on impact, but many of them do not. Instead they lay in wait for days, weeks, years, or even decades, to kill or maim shepherds, children or anyone else that stumbles upon them....
From all places "The Lancet." Actually, no surprise here. It was the Lance that estimated the number of dead Iraqis due to the intense power of American arms.
So what exactly are cluster bombs (click here) (often referred to as cluster munitions)? Basically, they are exploding devises designed to cause as much damage as possible to civilian populations by dispersing multiple smaller bombs (the jargon is “submunitions) that scatter over a wide area. Although designed to explode when they strike the ground, many of the ‘bomblets’ fail to function and remain as deadly explosive remnants. Like landmines, these lethal devices can continue to kill and injure for decades.
Prohibiting Cluster Bombs, our chance to protect civilians - United Nations Report (click here)
The prices consumers are paying for gas is all SPECULATION.
Now, what was that about oil shortages due to the Libyan No Fly Zones?
I don't think so.
Kingdom says oil market is oversupplied (click title to entry - thank you)
By AMENA BAKR
REUTERS
Published: Apr 17, 2011 23:45
Updated: Apr 17, 2011 23:45
KUWAIT: Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi said on Sunday the world oil market was oversupplied and the Kingdom had reduced output, sending a the strongest signal yet that OPEC may not boost output in June to quell soaring oil prices.
Consumers have urged the exporters' group to add supply to halt the rally in oil prices that has taken crude to its highest level in 2 1/2 years amid unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, but OPEC members say there is little they can do to bring prices down.
“The market is overbalanced ... Our production in February was 9.125 million barrels per day (bpd), in March it was 8.292 million bpd. In April we don't know yet, probably a little higher than March. The reason I gave you these numbers is to show you that the market is oversupplied,” Al-Naimi told reporters.
Two Saudi-based industry sources told Reuters last week the kingdom had cut production....
Saudi king receives Emir’s message
I always like Prince Abdullah before he became King.
He is having a good time being the 'community' peacemaker. Powerful man. No doubt.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (click title to entry - thank you - no pun intended) yesterday received a verbal message from HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on bilateral ties and the current situation in the region.
The message was conveyed by HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani during a meeting with the Saudi king at Al Riyadh Palace in the Saudi capital. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim was in Riyadh to take part in the 33rd GCC foreign ministers’ extraordinary meeting.
HE is "His Excellency." Don't hear it that much in The West. Sounds like a grade on an exam paper or something.
Bahrainis go on trial for police deaths (click here)
Published: Apr 17, 2011 22:56
Updated: Apr 17, 2011 22:56
The seven are charged with the murder of public officials on duty, according to BNA.
Witnesses deposed before the tribunal and video allegedly showing the attackers in cars hitting the policemen was played, the agency said.
According to the authorities, four policemen were killed after being struck by cars during protests, which began on Feb. 14 and were quelled by the authorities in mid-March.
The next hearing will be on April 19 when the defense will present its witnesses. The accused could face the death penalty if convicted.
The state news agency also said that more than a hundred civil servants have been summarily fired for participating in the anti-government protests....
Witnesses deposed before the tribunal and video allegedly showing the attackers in cars hitting the policemen was played, the agency said.
According to the authorities, four policemen were killed after being struck by cars during protests, which began on Feb. 14 and were quelled by the authorities in mid-March.
The next hearing will be on April 19 when the defense will present its witnesses. The accused could face the death penalty if convicted.
The state news agency also said that more than a hundred civil servants have been summarily fired for participating in the anti-government protests....
The Saudi are interesting folks. They are very busy boys. It is a stable kingdom. Mecca. Clout. Interesting.
Yemeni opposition leaders arrive in Riyadh for talks with GCC foreign ministers. They were received on arrival at the airport by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Prince Turki bin Muhammad and other senior officials. (SPA)
Now see, if anyone was to listen to Hayden this morning it would be real easy to make a demon of the GCC. Here we have the Saudis at the center of ? something synister ?. They are talking to the opposition in Yemen. Oh, dear God. No. I mean the Saudis are talking to Yemeni oppostion?
Like.
Ah.
What does that mean? Isn't the opposition al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula? Well, isn't Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Peninsula?
Well, hell, Hayden didn't say anything about that. Do you call this a caliphate? A little one maybe?
I don't think so.
This is that underlying 'get rid of the king thing.'
A man walks past electoral banners for Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) on Nov. 22, 2010. An Egyptian court on Saturday, ordered the dissolution of the political party of former President Hosni Mubarak, one of the demands of the protesters who ended his 30-year rule.
Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuter/File
Do the Egyptians want to throw the baby out with the bath water? Hell, yeah. Why leave the door open? From what I understand the old party is still around, but, nearly not. For as magnificent as Egypt is and was, the people were not happy. They don't want it anymore. This isn't about a caliphate. These countries are not attempting to create a 'new' alliance of Islamic extremists.
Not to say the fall of 'the old regime' in Egypt isn't a worry. It is. But, at the same time there are the oppressed, the tortured, the dark side if you will. How does a world rid itself of such heinous realities if it isn't simply destroyed and replaced with a 'different' reality? They have to have a chance to 'be.'
Court order to dissolve Egypt's NDP deals body blow to old power structure (click title to entry - thank you)
In the absence of the National Democratic Party (NDP), the electoral field in September will be wide open for the Muslim Brotherhood to perform strongly.
By Kristen Chick, Correspondent
April 17, 2011
Cairo
The gutted headquarters of Egypt's former ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) sits blackened and abandoned after having been torched during February's pro-democracy revolution. Many of the party’s leading figures are now in jail awaiting trial or charges....
Sorry, but, this is not a caliphate. Okay? This is a call to Islam at the street level.
Salafism is an ideology that posits that Islam has strayed from its origins. The word "salaf" is Arabic for "ancient one" and refers to the companions of the Prophet Mohammed. Arguing that the faith has become decadent over the centuries, Salafists call for the restoration of authentic Islam as expressed by an adherence to its original teachings and texts. "Salafists originally are supposedly not violent," Kepel explains. "They are not advocating the revolt against one who holds power, against the powers that be. They are calling for re-Islamization at the daily level."
This is a PBS report, by the way. (click title to entry - thank you)
By the mid-'90s, Kepel saw an alarming change among Europe's Muslims. Increasingly he was coming across Salafists who had embraced jihad -- in other words, who felt violence and terrorism were justified to realize their political objectives. Kepel explains that when Salafists, who tend to be alienated from mainstream European society, meet and mingle with jihadists, it fuses into a volatile mixture.
See, when the theology of a religion is based on 'street' politics there can be all kinds of abuses of the faithful. Street religions are not unusual. India has their cows, ya know?
The 'thing' with European Islamists 'of the street' is that they are 'easy prey' to extremists. Interaction among the faithful and the radical becomes homogenized. It is why Europe has such a tough dynamic.
Where it gets to be a tight rope, is when 'street preachers' are arrested for their extremist views and the faithful become alarmed and sincerely feeled threatened as though 'the prophesy' is sincere and real. It places the faithful on the defensive. Crouching if you will. Don't like to put it like that, but, in a civilized society it sort of explains the posture. Maybe susceptible is a better word.
..."And I used it and wrote it many times, and the first response they had was when Ahmed Ressam [who planned to attack Los Angeles International airport] was arrested in1999. I had a friend in Washington who called me and said, 'What is that word you were using, "Salafist?"' They didn't know that such a thing existed."...
That was 1999. Not post September 11, 2001. Okay? This mess has been around awhile.
This is a PBS report, by the way. (click title to entry - thank you)
By the mid-'90s, Kepel saw an alarming change among Europe's Muslims. Increasingly he was coming across Salafists who had embraced jihad -- in other words, who felt violence and terrorism were justified to realize their political objectives. Kepel explains that when Salafists, who tend to be alienated from mainstream European society, meet and mingle with jihadists, it fuses into a volatile mixture.
See, when the theology of a religion is based on 'street' politics there can be all kinds of abuses of the faithful. Street religions are not unusual. India has their cows, ya know?
The 'thing' with European Islamists 'of the street' is that they are 'easy prey' to extremists. Interaction among the faithful and the radical becomes homogenized. It is why Europe has such a tough dynamic.
Where it gets to be a tight rope, is when 'street preachers' are arrested for their extremist views and the faithful become alarmed and sincerely feeled threatened as though 'the prophesy' is sincere and real. It places the faithful on the defensive. Crouching if you will. Don't like to put it like that, but, in a civilized society it sort of explains the posture. Maybe susceptible is a better word.
..."And I used it and wrote it many times, and the first response they had was when Ahmed Ressam [who planned to attack Los Angeles International airport] was arrested in1999. I had a friend in Washington who called me and said, 'What is that word you were using, "Salafist?"' They didn't know that such a thing existed."...
That was 1999. Not post September 11, 2001. Okay? This mess has been around awhile.
The Gulf Cooperation Coucil was one of the organization Secretary Clinton stated was in alliance with NATO regarding Libya.
AMMAN (JT) - The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (click title to entry - thank you) is “seriously” considering “bringing Jordan into the centre of attention in terms of economic and developmental support,” a senior UAE official said.
Quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Ben Zayed Al Nahyan told Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit in Abu Dhabi on Sunday that Jordan’s security and stability is important for the security and stability of the Arab and the Gulf region.
He said the GCC is considering a fund to support development in the region, calling for clear strategies that map development needs in countries that are potential beneficiaries of the aid.
Bakhit was in the UAE to deliver a letter from His Majesty King Abdullah to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Ben Zayed Al Nahyan that focused on bilateral ties and prospects for further cooperation.
The letter, which was handed to UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammad Ben Rashid Al Maktoum, also focused on means to enhance joint Arab action in order to overcome challenges facing the Arab world....
Jordan sincerely needs those ties. Jordan was like 'hard wired' to USA support without really engaging the region. That isn't good. Jordan is vital to regional stability and the GCC is acting in its best interest when engaging Jordan in economic stability and developement. But, they are all experiencing this 'unrest' of their people.
2011-04-18 05:17:47
Xinhua
Web Editor: liuranran
Jordanian security authorities announced Sunday they have arrested 103 Jihadists Salafists who clashed with police Friday, injuring over 80 of them.
"Those arrested will be referred to court to look into the crimes they committed," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Saed Hayel Srour said in a press conference Sunday.
Labeling the assault on security forces Friday as an act of terror that seeks to harm the country's stability and security, Srour, accused the hard-line Islamists of premeditated attack on security personnel as they carried knives, daggers and batons during the clashes to harm citizens and security forces.
Srour stressed that the right of expression of opinion is guaranteed, adding: "Jordan will not allow anyone to take advantage of the atmosphere of democracy and freedom to turn dialogue and freedom of expression into an expression by batons. This is rejected and unacceptable."...
Leave it to a Chinese newspaper to come up with a name for these guys. Jihadist Salafists. Amazing. China is good at identifying all these 'factions' and stuff. They have plenty of their own. Some of the villages in China are really, really remote. They practice cultures millenium old.
That statement is so very 'on.' Will not allow...the atmosphere of democracy...into an expression of batons...
Like that. Very smart. See, democracy has that quality. We are seeing 'a strain' of it in the USA with the Tea Baggers. They take it too far. They turn a 'beautiful' thing into a 'tool' for abuse.
"Those arrested will be referred to court to look into the crimes they committed," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Saed Hayel Srour said in a press conference Sunday.
Labeling the assault on security forces Friday as an act of terror that seeks to harm the country's stability and security, Srour, accused the hard-line Islamists of premeditated attack on security personnel as they carried knives, daggers and batons during the clashes to harm citizens and security forces.
Srour stressed that the right of expression of opinion is guaranteed, adding: "Jordan will not allow anyone to take advantage of the atmosphere of democracy and freedom to turn dialogue and freedom of expression into an expression by batons. This is rejected and unacceptable."...
Leave it to a Chinese newspaper to come up with a name for these guys. Jihadist Salafists. Amazing. China is good at identifying all these 'factions' and stuff. They have plenty of their own. Some of the villages in China are really, really remote. They practice cultures millenium old.
That statement is so very 'on.' Will not allow...the atmosphere of democracy...into an expression of batons...
Like that. Very smart. See, democracy has that quality. We are seeing 'a strain' of it in the USA with the Tea Baggers. They take it too far. They turn a 'beautiful' thing into a 'tool' for abuse.
The 'tone' of the USA has a huge impact on what transpires in the Middle East.
CIA director Panetta suggests Cheney wants attack (click here)
CIA Director Leon Panetta told The New Yorker magazine that former Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism of the Obama administration's approach to terrorism almost suggests "he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point."
WASHINGTON — CIA Director Leon Panetta told The New Yorker magazine that former Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism of the Obama administration's approach to terrorism almost suggests "he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point."
Cheney has said in several interviews that he thinks Obama is making the United States less safe for ordering the closure of the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, halting enhanced interrogations of suspected terrorists and reversing other Bush administration initiatives he says helped to prevent attacks on the U.S.
"When you read behind it," Panetta said, "it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that's dangerous politics."
The magazine also reported in April that Panetta fired Mitchell Jessen & Associates, a firm run by two psychologists who helped introduce waterboarding and other harsh methods to the agency's interrogation techniques.
The Senate Armed Services Committee reported on the role played by James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen in developing "countermeasures to defeat" the resistance of captured enemy detainees from whom intelligence was being sought.
Panetta said he supported at one time the creation of a "truth commission" to look into the subject, but Obama discouraged the idea.
Then there is this 'caliphate' mess that one tries to understand. It is not only bizarre, but, simple minded and bigoted. I use that word with regret. Bigot is an easy word to use. But, in all sincerity the underlying 'tone' of this entire mess is a profound misunderstanding of the people of the Middle East, their strife, their needs, their love of God and their dire, dire need to 'have a place of peace.' I know it sounds strange to state the root of the violence of the Middle East is a need for a place of peace. But, at 'the end' of the 'hate' lies a 'place.' If 'that place' could be reached, would they be 'done with it all?' If they reached 'that place' without the violence in their lives could this be finished? Is violence a peaceful thing for those that control it?
Posted on Thursday, May. 21, 2009 from the Miami Herald
Cheney's speech ignored some inconvenient truths By Jonathan S. Landay and Warren P. Strobel
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney's defense Thursday of the Bush administration's policies for interrogating suspected terrorists contained omissions, exaggerations and misstatements.
In his address to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative policy organization in Washington, Cheney said that the techniques the Bush administration approved, including waterboarding — simulated drowning that's considered a form of torture — forced nakedness and sleep deprivation, were "legal" and produced information that "prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people."
He quoted the Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair, as saying that the information gave U.S. officials a "deeper understanding of the al Qaida organization that was attacking this country."
Cheney has said in several interviews that he thinks Obama is making the United States less safe for ordering the closure of the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, halting enhanced interrogations of suspected terrorists and reversing other Bush administration initiatives he says helped to prevent attacks on the U.S.
"When you read behind it," Panetta said, "it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that's dangerous politics."
The magazine also reported in April that Panetta fired Mitchell Jessen & Associates, a firm run by two psychologists who helped introduce waterboarding and other harsh methods to the agency's interrogation techniques.
The Senate Armed Services Committee reported on the role played by James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen in developing "countermeasures to defeat" the resistance of captured enemy detainees from whom intelligence was being sought.
Panetta said he supported at one time the creation of a "truth commission" to look into the subject, but Obama discouraged the idea.
Then there is this 'caliphate' mess that one tries to understand. It is not only bizarre, but, simple minded and bigoted. I use that word with regret. Bigot is an easy word to use. But, in all sincerity the underlying 'tone' of this entire mess is a profound misunderstanding of the people of the Middle East, their strife, their needs, their love of God and their dire, dire need to 'have a place of peace.' I know it sounds strange to state the root of the violence of the Middle East is a need for a place of peace. But, at 'the end' of the 'hate' lies a 'place.' If 'that place' could be reached, would they be 'done with it all?' If they reached 'that place' without the violence in their lives could this be finished? Is violence a peaceful thing for those that control it?
Posted on Thursday, May. 21, 2009 from the Miami Herald
Cheney's speech ignored some inconvenient truths By Jonathan S. Landay and Warren P. Strobel
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney's defense Thursday of the Bush administration's policies for interrogating suspected terrorists contained omissions, exaggerations and misstatements.
In his address to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative policy organization in Washington, Cheney said that the techniques the Bush administration approved, including waterboarding — simulated drowning that's considered a form of torture — forced nakedness and sleep deprivation, were "legal" and produced information that "prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people."
He quoted the Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair, as saying that the information gave U.S. officials a "deeper understanding of the al Qaida organization that was attacking this country."
Funny thing about the Middle East. There is a very high level of illiteracy among the people.
UN Statistics - click title to entry - thank you
Not that nations such as Saudi Arabia aren't interested in the advancement of their people, they sincerely are. No doubt in my mind.
However.
In places like Gaza, illiteacy is more than half the problem. These oppressed people have no real understanding of anything except their own day to day existence. Asking them to move past their fear and rudimentary understanding of 'conflict' they can't. Not that they don't want to, but, they don't have the depth of understanding, the fluid of insight, the comprehension of peace or the ability to rid the loss of the dead.
In many of the faithful in oppressed populations the dead are more alive than they are. They cling to what they understand have been their lives. They cling to those gone. When one has so little in life and the dead are alive everyday, there is simply no room to move past all that.
The Middle East is more complicated than anyone cares to imagine and in some way, many ways actually, the opposition to their leaders is some of the healthiest movements I have witnessed. Not from the standpoint of regional stability, but, form the point of view that empowerment of these populations will actually begin to alleviate the 'road block' of poverty and lack of learning and worldliness.
Afghanistan Illiteracy Rate is 72%. Pakistan is 50%. Yemen is 46%. Sudan 39%. Iraq 26%. Egypt 28% and Tunisia 25.7%.
In contast, Lebanon has a 12% illiteracy rate. Jordan 9%
Not that nations such as Saudi Arabia aren't interested in the advancement of their people, they sincerely are. No doubt in my mind.
However.
In places like Gaza, illiteacy is more than half the problem. These oppressed people have no real understanding of anything except their own day to day existence. Asking them to move past their fear and rudimentary understanding of 'conflict' they can't. Not that they don't want to, but, they don't have the depth of understanding, the fluid of insight, the comprehension of peace or the ability to rid the loss of the dead.
In many of the faithful in oppressed populations the dead are more alive than they are. They cling to what they understand have been their lives. They cling to those gone. When one has so little in life and the dead are alive everyday, there is simply no room to move past all that.
The Middle East is more complicated than anyone cares to imagine and in some way, many ways actually, the opposition to their leaders is some of the healthiest movements I have witnessed. Not from the standpoint of regional stability, but, form the point of view that empowerment of these populations will actually begin to alleviate the 'road block' of poverty and lack of learning and worldliness.
Afghanistan Illiteracy Rate is 72%. Pakistan is 50%. Yemen is 46%. Sudan 39%. Iraq 26%. Egypt 28% and Tunisia 25.7%.
In contast, Lebanon has a 12% illiteracy rate. Jordan 9%
Middle East Illiteracy Rates (15 and older) - date uncertain of these statistics (click here)
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