Personal opinions and thoughts on pretty much everything. News, Tech, Politics, Issues of the Day, Humor,Ethics, and the Environment.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Speaking of Weather, Change That Is
Statistics regarding the weather change patterns in Africa are starting to come in. The news, as expected, isn't good. A seven degree, on average, change in Kenya over the last twenty years. An over-all rise of 1 degree for the whole continent. The reports authors are recommending drastic action to aggressively combat global warming. I agree! The current round of talks on how to live with the changes I find very distressing. The effects will be so vast and destructive that talk of coping instead of action toward eliminating seems ludicrous to me, even if done with the best of intentions.
I would be curious what your take is on my latest post. Its actually a little like your posts, except mine is a bit too long, lol :) Your insight would be appreciated.
I enjoyed the Big Brother article very much. I find your writing thought provoking, sometimes humorous, always articulate, and thoroughly enjoyable. I recommend them to anyone and everyone(http://aishaiqbal.blogspot.com/). I check in often. Another book along these lines is Fahrenheit 951. By the way, people like that fella in your human rights class scare the hell out of me. We are being brainwashed by the media, especially the American variety. It's the main reason I choose to follow almost any other media source than CNN, FOX News, Newsweek, etc. The American gov't , and that includes Canadian, would like nothing more than for us all to sit back and swallow up whatever version of reality they would currently like us to believe. Anyone who speaks out about such efforts is labelled a subversive or un-American. I refuse to be treated as a member of a herd of cattle and hope to be as big a thorn in the side of such attempts as possible. Great post and I'll keep on reading.
I'm still here, near Ottawa that is. On the way back home from dropping my last load of tools to my storage location a warning light appeared on my truck dash. Unfortunately, my mechanic had already gone for the day as it was Saturday and after noon. I did not want to chance driving through the blizzard currently hitting Northern Ontario with a warning light. Alas, I have figured out the problem and said light has disappeared. Divine intervention one might conclude. Perhaps I was not supposed to drive through such a storm. My nature would not have stopped me just for a storm. I have driven through many and in fact make my living in part with dealing with such storms. Alas, all is back on track and we will be leaving Monday instead!.
Thanks for the comment Jerry. In the study I referred to there was a 3 percent change from those whohad taken the placebo and those that didn't, so there is evidence that at least in some cases the shots do work. My experience with them was the exact opposite. My wife , kids and myself took them about two years after they came out. We all got sick immediately and my yougest daughter severely so. In fairness, we may have been sick before the shots and had not shown symptoms yet. We haven't taken them since despite the fact that they are free in Ontario. I might also add that we have all been significantly ill for over a month now as the current round of flu seems to keep going around my family and back again to no end. Perhaps they have improved the science since my attempt or since the study was done, I believe at a Minnesota hosptial. Thanks again for relating your experience and I hope that you and yours are not simply one of the lucky three percent!
I have long had the opinion that this expert is now extolling. Essentially, that is that the flu shot really has very marginal value. This was backed up by a study that I read about some time ago which stated that after doing a blind study using nurses at a given hospital, they were able to conclude that there was only a three percent difference in the rates of flu infection between those given a placebo and those given a real flu shot. Hardly a significant number considering the huge cost of the whole flu shot program. This might have a lot to do with the fact that any given shot is based on last years flu. I would think that most people would have already been exposed to last year's influenza and developed their own immunities. Perhaps a better approach would be to boost people's immunities as a whole instead of retroactively trying to immense. I might go so far as to say that the declining immunity of the population as a whole might be related to environmental toxins and the use of growth hormones in cattle as well as the massive use of antibiotics in the same. As most of us know, the result of the use of growth hormones in humans results in a modern person resembling something more Neanderthal in nature. It's time to re-examine our approach to many of modern societies problems. This is only one of them.
The time is finally upon me. I have completed the renovations to our house and am now ready to head to Canada's Northwest. It won't exactly be the far north, but close enough for me. No matter how it all works out it should art least be very interesting. The Alberta border with the Northwest Territories is about as far north as I've ever been. I have traveled in the Rockies fairly extensively but this should be a whole new experience. I'll try to post as often as I can, perhaps with a few pictures. Tomorrow's the day it all begins. Usually I would relish the drive, but it is a long way and I have traversed most of it many times. This time my main focus will be simply to get there as opposed to sightseeing. My 21 year old son is coming with me, so that should make the transition a little easier to bear. My wife and daughters will remain behind near Ottawa, which most certainly makes it painful to say the least. Oh well, here goes the next phase of my journey through life.
Essentially he called unscarfed women "uncovered meat". Now I'm no Muslim scholar, but I understand that the Koran says words to the affect that no person should be objectified. It is in observation of the doctrine that many Muslim women remain covered in public. My understanding is that the doctrine applies to men and women equally, not just women. I don't feel that the simple act of noticing a person's beauty is the same as objectifying them unless one becomes overly impassioned as a result. The person who can't control such thoughts is the one at fault, not the person who possesses the beauty. To call someone uncovered meat simply because they go in public unscarfed, to me, seems every bit as much an objectification as the person who lusts as a result Muslim, and all others, women, and men for that matter, should be free to dress as they feel appropriate according to their own individual beliefs without having to worry about flaming rapist attitudes in those around them. Any resulting lust is the fault of the one who thinks it and is their own failing. All life is beautiful in it's natural form. That beauty should never have to be feared but should, instead, be appreciated for what it is.
Good post. You seem to have more of an understanding of the faith than many of the "faithful". This Imam made me quite upset. I am very angry that he was not fired from the mosque, although the Australian Muslim Society has condemned him and have banned him from every speaking at any sort of convention or conference or make any remarks representing Islam for Australian Muslims. When normal regular Muslms are trying to get a better name for themsleves people like this fanatic really like to shoot us in the foot and take us ten steps back.
Thanks Aisha, I share your frustration whena fanatic of any faith takes an igorant interpretation of a doctrine and attempts to force that down the rest of our throats. I think we should all look at the actual writings of our faiths and assess them for ourselves rather than accept the rants of people lie this man or Christianity's own "religious right" who spew alot of the same type of garbage to equally damaging result.
He's saying that he can end the violence in six months. He may be right, but then again Saddam may have been able to do it even quicker. Despite that fact, I think he should probably be given the chance that he's asking for. There's an old saying.." A relationship born of deceit is better lost than lived". On that note, the U.S. should take every opportunity it can to get out of Iraq as soon as possible. Bush's, and Rumsfeld's lies and deceit have virtually eliminated any chance of doing any good there. That all leaves us with the choice of letting this P.M. have his chance at the title. He certainly can't do any worse than Saddam and Bush have done. Who knows, he just might have a little wisdom, a little ethics, a little honor, and the rest of Iraq just might have a little hope.
The ice sheet in Greenland continues to melt at an alarming rate, not to suggest that any net melting would not be alarming. To make matters worse, almost no-one is actually meeting it's Kyoto commitments. I am ashamed to say that Canada is among the worst failures along these lines. I might have thought that with all the recent data and weather events, we would have started to wise up and take action. It appears that what little is being done in the way of significant advances is far outweighed by the total lack of any concrete action as a whole. It will only get worse, much worse without huge changes in thinking.
Now he's saying that Israel no longer has a reason to exist. I say, that if ever a people had a reason to build a safe haven for themselves, it is the Jewish people. That doesn't mean I agree with everything the Israelis do, far from it. The fact is the Jewish people have to be the most severely persecuted and harassed culture in history. It is easy to understand why they have a tendency to over-react to any and all provocations. The very fact of statements like this crackpot keep making serves only to demonstrate that concept even further.
Eating cloned animals, now there's an interesting concept. I may be a little old fashioned, but I have to side with David Suzuki when I say that I wouldn't even knowingly eat genetically modified foods, much less cloned animals. We, as a species, have shown over and over again, how flawed we are when it comes to our management of our resources and our understanding of the world around us. Genetically modifying plants on a large scale seems to me to be very short-minded and possibly downright dangerous. Now we are considering eating cloned animals? I certainly am not. I would need to have a whole lot more confidence in the level of responsibility and wisdom of our leaders long before I would ever even consider this madness.
I'm somewhat divided on this one. First, it doesn't surprise me. Most of the standard religions have so many ghosts in their closets that what surprises me is the fact that they have survived as long as they have. From the Catholics hiding of the sexual offences to the Muslim community remaining quiet about the extremists in their midst, none have exactly shown a shining example of morality. Many have refused to address modern questions concerning their doctrines. Many have actively resisted the questions that naturally result from the same. Spirituality should be a constant quest in each of us, filled with questions and dialogue. Such questions should never be feared but embraced. If we choose instead to stick our heads in the sand, it should be no surprise that we lose the next generation in frustration. I don't actively follow any of the organized faiths for this reason. I choose, instead, to examine all of them and assess them for myself. Along these lines, I have found many facets of many faiths that are worthy of respect and attention. The embedded charity of Islam, the self examination of Sufism, the harmony of Buddhism, the discipline of Shinto, the service of Christianity, it goes on. All have something to offer. None are inheritedly more pure than any other. All have committed great crimes in the name of their faith through history, from the Muslim extremists and unholy Christian armies of today to the Inquisitions of the past. If we refuse to learn and grow,it is no wonder that the result is an increase in atheism. We all loose something in the process. A world without faith and the optimism that goes along with it is a more empty one for everyone. It doesn't have to be this way.
George is comparing Iraq to Vietnam. I can make a few of my own. Both wars were being fought under dishonorable conditions. That is the government lied to the American people about the reasons for going there. After having done so, in both cases the feds failed or are going to failed on their commitments to the governments in question. In both cases, crimes were committed by American forces who were placed in psychologically devastating conditions which resulted in said crimes or were actually ordered to commit them. Yeah, I can see a few similarities. In both cases the feds relied on a major misinformation campaign to hide the truth from their people.
One of the only differences I can see is the fact that this time the returning troops are not being treated as criminals by their own people for having obeyed their orders. At least that's one improvement.
I suppose it's a good thing that the U.N. is now talking about how best to adopt to climate change. I am concerned, however, that all the talk of adapting will promote complaisance about halting the factors which are creating it. Our approach must first be to use every means possible to halt global warming. Following that, we must then consider how to adapt to the conditions remaining until the earth can heal itself from the damage we have caused.
I'm not sure I'm following this one. A bill that allows tough interrogations? Is this supposed to be as opposed to the nice gentle techniques they have been using so far? I suspect that it's really to immunize those involved from prosecution for the methods they have been using all along. Hardly a step in the right direction.
So Saddam is saying that the battles in Iraq are soon to be over. Makes sense to me. I think that sooner than later the American people are going to no longer tolerate the overwhelming number of American deaths resulting from the ignorance and deceptions of it's leaders. There's more, he's also asking for the sectarian violence to end. Along those lines, I don't care who says it, the killing of fellow countrymen in Iraq must end for the country's own good. I've never had any respect for this man, and I use the term most lightly here as I consider him to be a monster. However, I welcome any attempt by anyone to stop the deaths of innocents which are being committed everyday there, by anyone.
Until recently, I have never had a problem with the level of violence in video games. That has changed. In most part due to the ever increasing levels of graphic violence being depicted. I just have a problem with the concept of showing, in very realistic fashion, the rape, torture maiming and killing of everyday people in games. Grand Theft Auto comes to mind. Points for killing prostitutes? It was one thing when games showed violence in a very comic fashion. I always thought that the average person would be easily able to differentiate between this and actually committing such acts. Now the games are very realistic. They show so much graphic violence as to make it an everyday occurrence for gamers. This has the potential to take away the horror associated with such acts. Add to that the ever increasing graphic violence that we are experiencing in North America. Are the two concepts related? Unknown. What I do know is that today's youth seem to becoming more and more immune to this type of act, and the real life horrors are becoming more and more common. Something has to change. Perhaps it would be a good step for game manufacturers to accept a certain level of social responsibility for the minds of those playing their games. In other words, let's see more positive experiences being promoted and less acts of monstrosity.
I have children that love to play playstaion and i was appalled that my brother gave them the game grand theft auto. that is such a terrible game. the sex, violence, and bloodshed...is all that necessary to have fun? then you wonder why society has all the problems it has today.
What's worse is the fact that Grand Theft Auto is by far not the worst. There are other games that have more violence and gore than a military training program or exercise. I honestly believe that such games are contributing to the over-all numbing of our society to the horrors of such images. Something has got to change. Perhaps these games would be a good start.
Another Great Use of the Internet, Watching the Politicians
Looks like the internet has been put to another great use. YouTube is being used to catch politicians at their dirtiest. Ahhh..... Now there's a step in the right direction towards a truer democracy. How absolutely refreshing.
Now it's a family in Iowa who have been killed. Add to that the man in Montreal who killed his wife and two teenage daughters and then unsuccessfully tried to kill himself. I guess this is another area where Canada and the U.S. share commonality. We are both generating a seemingly endless supply of individuals who feel an overwhelming need to kill someone, often their own families. That's not all, we also share an abundant supply of individuals who feel the need to go into schools and kill as many as possible. It's obvious that somewhere along the line we are going horribly wrong when it comes to creating and raising socially responsible and sane human beings far too often. This is a problem that will continue and likely grow so long as we don't address the causes of this type of aberration. Where are we going wrong?
So it's been deemed unconstitutional to take bodily fluid samples from convicted criminals. O.K. What I find interesting is the fact that no-one seems to have a problem with the concept of requiring drug tests of employees or prospects. It seems that in Canada, at least, the convicts are continuosly given more rights than the law-abiding citizens. This is another example of that fact.
The non-stop bloodshed in the U.S. continues unabated. The latest victims are a young family in Florida gunned down along a highway. While Bush keeps trying to export his idea of democracy to the rest of the world, the rest of the world reads stories like this and asks themselves if this is the kind of nation they would like to develop into. Perhaps it's time for the U.S. to turn it's remarkable capabilities inward and address the enormous inequality within it's own system, not to mention the root causes of these kinds of horrors. It can be done, but they first have to have the will to do it.
It's not often that I can describe China and Russia as the more reasonable voices in world relations. This may be the exception. Traditionally, these countries have been mostly concerned with propaganda and misinformation, even more so than the U.S. Currently, as concerns Korea, they may be taking the proper attitude. Both are saying that there should not be any extreme sanctions, and for good reason. The one thing we should not be doing is to back Korea into a corner. They would likely react in the most extreme fashion as they would have no other choice. Let's give them choices with honor, not take them all the away.
It's just possible that there is a good thing to come out of the North Korean Nuclear problem. That is the new spirit of co-operation currently being shown between the U.S. and China. Where it's al going to end up is anyone's guess but this type of co-operation gives at least a little reason for hope.
There is one thing that I find even more disturbing than the whole Iraq situation. That would be this report concerning the levels of child abuse currently being committed worldwide. The numbers of known cases are outrageous, not to mention those we don't know about. There is nothing I find more heinous than the abuse of innocents, otherwise known as children. Rape figures prominently in the report. They're just kids, innocent of anything except the crimes adults teach them. The fact that we as humans tolerate this kind of crime most certainly says that we have an awful lot to learn before we can call ourselves evolved, enlightened, or worthy of the long list of gifts that this life has to offer.
That's an incredible number. Had the invasion happened in Canada it would be similar. In the U.S., the number would be around 6 million. So, in Iraq, there are over 600,000 dead people as a result, directly or indirectly, of the American invasion. Had it happened here, I think it's safe to say that it would have left a great number of people either very angry or downright hateful of the invaders. We should not expect it to be any different in Iraq. The invasion and the stated reasons for it was flawed, the explanation... Flawed, the results disastrous. Perhaps it's time that western society recognize that fact, learn from it, and prevent our so-called leaders from acting in this fashion again. There are no acceptable excuses. There is only the unbelievable mess that remains and the new generation of extremists that directly results from this action.
I literally feel naueseous reading this. Why is the media not focusing on this? The mainstream media... they did point out that the number of soldier killed in Iraq (US ones) has exceeded the amount of people killed in 9/11. But 600 000 people. *sigh
The situation in Afghanistan isn't a whole lot better. The apointed gov't appears to be losing control of what little territory it ever did and the Taliban is on the rise again.The causes, the same. Dishonesty, deception, and flawed implamentation resulting in the alienation of the few allies that the coalition had. Only this time, Canada is a direct part of it.
I thought you would find this rather interesting. I brought up this article in my international human rights class. Most of the class was horrified by the number, but one... idiot, raises his hand to state "so what? its worth it because they are now free" and the teacher pointed out the ruins that the country is in. The fact that more continue to die. She asked him, when will it not be worth it. And he said "no matter how many die it is worth it" He likened it to the American REvolutionary War which we pointed out to him was decided to be entered into by AMERICANS not an utside force that decided fr them. He was nt swayed saying that because democracy is the ideal, it matters not who introduces it whether internal or by force, and it matters not how many dead. Its worth it.
I think that is one debate that I would have liked to attend very much. I can't help but wonder if the person in question would retain the same opinion if it were his mother, father, brother, sister,wife or children who would have given their lives for the cause of outside imposed " freedom and democracy"? It's amazing that he doesn't recognise that the very act of imposing democracy violates the definition of the word democracy. What's more, he doesn't recognise that the form of democracy currently practised in the U.S., and Canada for that matter, is hardly a true democracy. It is in fact ruled mostly by wealth in the hands of a very select few. The American revolution, of which he speaks so fondly, was a horribly destructive event which ripped freinds and family apart and the damage of which can still be seen and felt by many of the descendants. It is one thing to hold an ideal and altogether something else to realise and implamentit it in a fashion which is truly beneficial to those involved.
It looks like the current Nuclear thrust in Korea may be the direct result of provocation by the Americans. This brings up several questions. The most important of which would be, was this actions deliberate. For once I don't think so. I think this resulted from the fact that the American bureaucracy is massive and often one branch doesn't know what the other is up to. This was clearly demonstrated in the lead-up to 9/11 where many top leaders either completely ignored the warnings of the intelligence community or simply dismissed them. It is a problem that exists within any large organization. The difference is that this particular organization directly affects us all. This leaves us with the question of what to do about it without creating even more bureaucracy.
This one is not new to me or my blog. The world's frogs are in massive decline. This is particularly distressing when we remember that frogs are considered a key indicator species. This has to do with the nature of their skin, which is semi-permeable making them very much susceptible to changes in the environment. This decline has been occurring for years but has now taken on epic proportions. The question has always been why is this happening? Scientists are now thinking that there are several reasons, the most significant of which is global warming. My largest concern is the affect this will have on the rest of the ecosystem which I suspect will be disastrous.
Talk about too little too late. Harper is saying that he is now, years later, going to protest the treatment Arar received at the American's hands when they deported him to Syria. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I guess he forgets that the reason the Yanks grabbed him in the first place was a result of faulty Canadian information. Not only that, the Canadian gov't did precious little to help him at the time. Now everyone's so sorry over the little misunderstanding that resulted in the man being tortured in Syria for a year. I'd really like to think that any of this was genuine, but I'm having slight difficulty in doing so. Harper's protest seems to come at a time when everyone is becoming very aware of the Canadian gov't actions and is taking a very hard look at it. Unfortunately, apologies rendered only after having been caught aren't worth very much.
More and more we are hearing about the abuses of the prisoners at the detention camp in Guantanamo. At least we are hearing about it which may lead to better treatment of the detainees. This place continues to stand as a stark contrast to all that America stands for. Torture, mistreatment, deliberate inciting of hatred in the detainees, lack of due process, the list goes on. Perhaps one day these men will either be charged or released. If they are released, the U.S. will have effectively raised the levels of hatred not only in these men, but in all the other people who get the chance to hear their stories. It's pretty tough to convincingly tell the world that you are the champions of democracy, freedom, and morally correct actions when at the same time you develop programs such as those being practices in the detention camps. It is even more telling when we consider that these reports are being told by members of the American's own military.
I haben't seen V for Vendetta, but I will definately try to. I am quite certain that we are getting the sanitized version of events, especially from the North American media sources. This fact makes the whole situation that much scarier.
E-coli Outbreaks and the Use of Uncomposted Manure
I have always disliked the modern practice of using uncomposted manure as a fertilizer. The reasons for it's use are simple. It's cheap! The idea is to spread only as much as can be absorbed by the plants in question. The problem is that this is not always easy, especially when rains and over-spreading can cause the material to flow into waterways and be left on the plants which results in e-coli contamination. The alternative is to completely compost the material before it is used as a fertilizer, a much more eco-friendly practice and safer for the consumer all around. The problem is that this is more expensive. My point is that we really don't have any choice if we are to prevent these outbreaks not to mention the devastating effects that are being created on the environment. A more expensive practice but one we most certainly must adopt.
What an incredible people. I've read recently that the Amish community is focusing it's attention at finding forgiveness in their hearts for the monster who killed their children. I doubt I could do the same. Their explanation is simple. Should they choose instead to harbor hatred in their hearts for the monster in question he will have not only stolen their children's lives but will also have poisoned their spirituality. They say that the only way to heal from this event is to find that forgiveness. And this after only a few days have passed since the tragedy. I can only say that these people are much more evolved than I. In a world with so much hate, violence, murder and war, these good people down in Pennsylvania stand as an inspiration to us all. We should all take note and support them in their efforts.
Arctic Sea Ice, Global Warming, Drought, and The Results
The reports are coming faster and faster now about the effects of Global Warming. I short, most are terrifying. Not the least scary factor is the Canadian conservatives recent attempt to enact legislation supporting Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Accord. The motion was voted down in what I suspect was a politically motivated move. It had nothing to do with the validity of the intent to do something about Canada's commitment to Kyoto but instead was simply an attempt to undermine the Conservatives. I didn't vote Conservative in the last election but I would support any attempt to do something, anything to stay the course, so to speak. It's time all politicians get their heads out of the sand and act responsibly to save us all, politics or not.
On that note, there are several articles of interest lately. The arctic sea ice pack has declined more than has ever been seen or surmised in history. Scary enough in itself but damn horrifying when the fact that it is also declining at a rate that is frankly unbelievable. The cause... Global warming. Add to that this report which projects another result of the trend is unprecedented droughts and the migrations and conflicts which will surely follow.
On the upside California is taking a proactive approach by enacting new laws which will help. On the downside, while California has long has some of the most stringent auto emmissio laws, they remain among the world's largest contributors to green house gases. More must be done, much more, and fast if the coming devastation is to be slowed. It is likely too late to stop it altogether. The best we can do now is to limit the carnage.
Despite all the denials from the White House, the facts are slowly coming out about events preceding 9/11. It appears that Tenet did in fact sound many warnings about an impending attack by terrorists on the U.S. He was, for the most part, ignored. Of course this leads to the question of why he was ignored. Perhaps actually preventing such an attack would not have fit in with Bush's, Cheney's and Rumsfeld's political agenda. As much as I would like to believe that it was really just absentminded foolishness, as any examination of Bush's record would suggest, I doubt that was the case.
South Carolina apparently has a loonie politician of it's own down in Charleston. The councilman in question has suggested that unfit parents be sterilized. I imagine that he would be the first in line. I mean, how is it possible that a man who would teach his chidren ideas such as this could be a fit parent? I recommend that he doa little research into the history of Beethoven before he goes much further. Many people might have thought that his mother should have been sterilized. The fact that she wasn't led to one of the greatest composers of all time. Food for thought Mr. Councilman. The guy actually compared the concept of forced sterilization of humans to the practice of neutering stray animals. Give your head a shake buddy! Fortunately Senator Robert Ford has been a voice of reason and suggested that we might consider what has caused the problem in the first place.
No Shortage of Monsters right Here in North America
Now here's something that Canada and the U.S. seem to have very much in common. That is the seemingly never-ending supply of monsters who are prepared to take out their anger, problems, depression, whatever, on defenseless little kids. The latest targets of choice seems to be little girls. There are those among us whom suggest that we should consider their mental problems when dealing with such individuals. I say " To Hell with that Shit!" There comes a time when we have to let go of the desire to rehabilitate and understand. That time is now. This is happening way too often, as if even once would be acceptable. We as a society seem to be generating these monsters all too often. That should be our focus. How are we managing to create so many of them and how can we protect our children from such things? We might start by accepting that once a person demonstrates this type of violent instinct, they be put away for ever. I don't believe in the concept of state sponsored killing of any kind, but that doesn't mean that these guys should ever have the chance to do this kind of thing. I don't know if this guy in particular ever gave any indication that he was capable of this. I do know that there are many others who have and have been released back into the public to get another chance at it, especially in Canada. Have we had enough yet? I can't help but wonder if this abomination of nature even stopped to consider the effect that it would have on his own kids who must now live with the knowledge that their father was in fact this kind of monster.
Not exactly the way I would have and have put it. Bumpy ride? That has got to go down as one of the all time greatest understatements that I have ever heard. So much so in fact that instead of describing it as a bumpy ride, I would call it prosecutable conduct for both Don and George. It's far past the time when public officials at all levels are held accountable for their deliberate deceptions of the public. I might believe that George was ignorant of the reality of his actions but Rumsfeld.. No Way! Can anyone say Grand Jury indictment?
As much as George would have us believe he is winning the war on terror, it would appear that his own intelligence community has a different opinion. They feel that the violence In Iraq will not subside until the Americans withdraw. It might appear that Bush's position of moral and ethical superiority is somewhat flawed. It's the old " he can talk the talk but he doesn't walk the walk" problem. It's hard to gain allies when your actions suggest lies, deception, and a general lack of understanding of morals and ethics.
Add to this report the latest book by Woodward who point blank accuses Bush of lying and deception of the American people when it comes to the actual state of affairs in Iraq, not to mention his real reasons for invading in the first place. The fact that there was no terrorism problem coming out of Iraq until after the American's arrival may have had a lot to do with it. As I've said many times before... The real reasons for going there had nothing to do with terrorism. The U.N. sanctions were working and they have never found the elusive weapons of mass destruction that we heard so much about before the war started.
Now we read about Pakistani involvement in the train bombing in India. What a coincidence that just when the U.S. was faltering and looking for more allies in it's war on terror we were supposed to believe that Islamic terrorists had chosen to attack India. Now we learn of a Pakistani connection to the bombings exists. Can you say American black op? It wouldn't be the first time that a U.S. connection to some particularly unfriendly conduct has existed.
It would appear that the fact that large chunks were falling off the overpass was not reason enough for concern. The result is that the overpass collapsed. I find this one incredible, especially when one considers that another overpass came down in Montreal not so long ago. Can anyone say big lawsuit? The reason for the inaction..... "pieces fall off these structures all the time". Well, I feel so reassured!
Aisha, at
11:22 p.m.
, at
6:51 a.m.
