http://infowars.net/articles/april2009/280409Paul.htm
Repeat of 1976 fearmongering campaign in full swing
Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
"Step back and think for a minute before rushing and panicking" is the message coming from Texas Congressman Ron Paul who has warned that the swine flu scare will once again be used as a precedent for big government intrusion.
"It makes me think back to 1976, the first year I served in the Congress," Paul has said in a video update. "We had a vote on the swine flu. Back then there was panic, they said it was going to sweep the nation and they rapidly came up with some flu shots and the government was going to inoculate everybody and save the world from this disaster."
"It turned out that our instincts were correct." the Congressman, also a medical physician, commented. "Not only did we think that the government should be involved in making medical decisions... but the flu came, the flu went and one person died, except for those individuals that died from getting the flu vaccine."
Earlier this week we reported on the events of 1976, highlighting the fact that this last significant outbreak of swine flu in the U.S. originated at the army base at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
President Gerald Ford and then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (a man who has long standing intimate ties with the big pharma companies that have and will reap millions in profits from these scares) instituted a mass nationwide vaccination program. More than 40 million people were vaccinated. However, the program was stopped short after over 500 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe paralyzing nerve disease, were reported. Officially 30 people died as a direct result of the vaccinations, though the real figure is generally thought to have been much higher.
At the time Congressman Ron Paul was one of only two representatives to vote down the vaccination program. His comments were recorded in the book Swine Flu Expose, by Eleanora I. McBean, Ph.D., N.D.
Paul described the move as “a shocking misuse of funds …and an evil political maneuver”, “blatant advertising efforts to panic the people into taking Swine Flu shots will fail.” Paul said.
Some of the fearmongering advertisement campaigns from 1976 are featured in the following video:
"Here we are once again, swine flu coming up and everybody is panicking." Ron Paul says in his latest update.
"This is not to downplay the seriousness of it. Some people have died, some people might die, yet we've had no deaths in this country, there's seven or eight cases up in New York, but none have even been hospitalised and yet it's practically like we've been attacked by nuclear weapons."
The Congressman put the current panic in perspective by pointing out that last year alone there were 13,000 cases of tuberculosis with the number of annual deaths last recorded in the hundreds.
Paul then opined on how the scare will once again be pounced upon to bolster and further empower big government. He referred to Janet Napolitano's announcement Sunday that the Department of Homeland Security had started "passive surveillance protocols to screen people coming into the country."
"How did the Department of Homeland Security get into the medical business? It's just totally out of control," Paul said, describing the situation as an open door invitation to allow the federal government to deal with medical problems.
The big question is 'Does a bigger government always solve these problems?' No, they usually make things much worse.
Watch the video:
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Is The Swine Flu Outbreak Much Worse Than They Are Telling Us?
http://futurestorm.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-swine-flu-outbreak-much-worse-than.html
Is The Swine Flu Outbreak Much Worse Than They Are Telling Us?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Posted by Shattered Paradigm
As the flu crisis continues to spread rapidly around the world there are now frightening indications that the swine flu outbreak is much worse than the mainstream media is telling us. Multiple eyewitness reports out of Mexico confirm that the real death toll there is far higher than the 152 confirmed deaths that are being reported internationally.
Comments from Mexican eyewitnesses on a BBC News website tell of a much bleaker situation in Mexico than we have been told in the mainstream media. These chilling reports should put a chill up your spine.....
*Antonio Chavez, a medical doctor from Mexico City:
I’m a specialist doctor in respiratory diseases and intensive care at the Mexican National Institute of Health. There is a severe emergency over the swine flu here. More and more patients are being admitted to the intensive care unit. Despite the heroic efforts of all staff (doctors, nurses, specialists, etc) patients continue to inevitably die. The truth is that anti-viral treatments and vaccines are not expected to have any effect, even at high doses. It is a great fear among the staff. The infection risk is very high among the doctors and health staff.
There is a sense of chaos in the other hospitals and we do not know what to do. Staff are starting to leave and many are opting to retire or apply for holidays. The truth is that mortality is even higher than what is being reported by the authorities, at least in the hospital where I work it. It is killing three to four patients daily, and it has been going on for more than three weeks. It is a shame and there is great fear here. Increasingly younger patients aged 20 to 30 years are dying before our helpless eyes and there is great sadness among health professionals here.
*Alvaro Ricardez, Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico:
In the capital of my state, Oaxaca, there is a hospital closed because of a death related to the porcine influenza. In the papers they recognise only two people dead for that cause. Many friends working in hospitals or related fields say that the situation is really bad, they are talking about 19 people dead in Oaxaca, including a doctor and a nurse. They say they got shots but they were told not to talk about the real situation. Our authorities say nothing. Life goes on as usual here.
*Migdalia Cruz, Phoenix, Arizona:
I have a sister-in-law from San Luis Potosi state in Mexico and we were told that in San Luis Potosi there have been at least 78 deaths, just in that city alone, not 68 in all of Mexico, as is being reported. Schools have been closed until 6 May in this state and in other areas in Mexico. Also, many public venues are being closed, so this makes it more deadly and dangerous than has been stated.
*Yeny Gregorio Dávila, Mexico City:
I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from “under control”. As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.
Hopefully reports like this will get out there and will make people realize how serious this all could become.
One independent reporter has even captured stunning footage of a packed emergency room full of patients wearing masks and coughing like crazy near the U.S./Mexico border.
In the United States things are starting to become quite frightening as well. There is now a report that North Carolina officials are involuntarily isolating swine flu patients. Please note the "involuntary" part of that. Imagine if this happens all over the nation and Americans who show symptoms of the swine flu start getting ripped away from their families and sent to isolation facilities and camps.
Scary stuff.
Reports of new swine flu outbreaks are coming in almost constantly now and the World Health Organization has raised the threat level from a Phase 3 Global Outbreak to Phase 4, which has never been done before. Meanwhile, scientists are completely puzzled how such a powerful strain that combines elements of swine flu, bird flu and human flu could have appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
So is this going to be the big one?
Is this the one that is going to kill millions of people?
It is too early to tell, but here is what we do know at this hour.....
First of all, this "swine flu" is not just run of the mill swine flu. It contains elements of the following.....
*Avian flu
*Human flu
*European swine flu
*Asian swine flu
Now how in the world did an incredibly strong combination of these viruses appear seemingly out of nowhere?
Scientists are baffled.
Meanwhile this "swine flu" is popping up all over the U.S. and Mexico.
In Mexico alone, there are already over 1600 suspected cases and 152 suspected deaths from the swine flu so far. Most public events have been canceled, and millions of Mexicans are hiding indoors in an attempt to escape the swine flu.
67 cases of the swine flu have been confirmed in the United States, and the CDC says that it is too late to contain the swine flu outbreak in the United States.
In fact, some public schools in many areas all over the United States are being closed due to fear over this swine flu.
These outbreaks in the U.S. and Mexico are already causing panic reactions from other parts of the world.
EU health commissioner Andorra Vassiliou has asked Europeans to postpone nonessential travel to the United States or Mexico. In addition, China has banned the import of hog and pork products from Mexico and parts of the United States.
However, the truth is that the swine flu is now spreading all over the world. Just today new reports of swine flu cases have come in from Canada, Israel, France, New Zealand, Costa Rica and South Korea.
Google actually has a great tool that you can use to track the spread of this swine flu. You can follow the progress of the swine flu on Google maps right here.
So what can we expect to see going forward?
The next few days are going to be key.
If only a few hundred people end up dying from this swine flu that is not that big of a deal. Hundreds of people die from many different causes every day.
But if this disease starts sweeping the globe and thousands of people start dying, then that could indicate that this IS the big one.
The reality is that we have been warning of a coming flu plague for quite some time.
What is even more disturbing is the possibility that this new flu may be engineered. We recently reported on the unlabeled bird flu/human flu mixture that Baxter International "accidentally" sent out to other labs.
Why would our scientists mix these dangerous viruses together so recklessly? The CDC was mixing human flu and bird flu together as far back as 2004. This is incredibly dangerous to do. One mistake and a pandemic virus can be released that could kill millions of people.
So how many people will this "swine flu" virus kill?
Is this going to become a massive pandemic that bring the world to a standstill?
Nobody can say for sure yet, but it is getting frightening out there. Be sure to take the necessary precautions to keep your family safe.
Is The Swine Flu Outbreak Much Worse Than They Are Telling Us?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Posted by Shattered Paradigm
As the flu crisis continues to spread rapidly around the world there are now frightening indications that the swine flu outbreak is much worse than the mainstream media is telling us. Multiple eyewitness reports out of Mexico confirm that the real death toll there is far higher than the 152 confirmed deaths that are being reported internationally.
Comments from Mexican eyewitnesses on a BBC News website tell of a much bleaker situation in Mexico than we have been told in the mainstream media. These chilling reports should put a chill up your spine.....
*Antonio Chavez, a medical doctor from Mexico City:
I’m a specialist doctor in respiratory diseases and intensive care at the Mexican National Institute of Health. There is a severe emergency over the swine flu here. More and more patients are being admitted to the intensive care unit. Despite the heroic efforts of all staff (doctors, nurses, specialists, etc) patients continue to inevitably die. The truth is that anti-viral treatments and vaccines are not expected to have any effect, even at high doses. It is a great fear among the staff. The infection risk is very high among the doctors and health staff.
There is a sense of chaos in the other hospitals and we do not know what to do. Staff are starting to leave and many are opting to retire or apply for holidays. The truth is that mortality is even higher than what is being reported by the authorities, at least in the hospital where I work it. It is killing three to four patients daily, and it has been going on for more than three weeks. It is a shame and there is great fear here. Increasingly younger patients aged 20 to 30 years are dying before our helpless eyes and there is great sadness among health professionals here.
*Alvaro Ricardez, Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico:
In the capital of my state, Oaxaca, there is a hospital closed because of a death related to the porcine influenza. In the papers they recognise only two people dead for that cause. Many friends working in hospitals or related fields say that the situation is really bad, they are talking about 19 people dead in Oaxaca, including a doctor and a nurse. They say they got shots but they were told not to talk about the real situation. Our authorities say nothing. Life goes on as usual here.
*Migdalia Cruz, Phoenix, Arizona:
I have a sister-in-law from San Luis Potosi state in Mexico and we were told that in San Luis Potosi there have been at least 78 deaths, just in that city alone, not 68 in all of Mexico, as is being reported. Schools have been closed until 6 May in this state and in other areas in Mexico. Also, many public venues are being closed, so this makes it more deadly and dangerous than has been stated.
*Yeny Gregorio Dávila, Mexico City:
I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from “under control”. As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.
Hopefully reports like this will get out there and will make people realize how serious this all could become.
One independent reporter has even captured stunning footage of a packed emergency room full of patients wearing masks and coughing like crazy near the U.S./Mexico border.
In the United States things are starting to become quite frightening as well. There is now a report that North Carolina officials are involuntarily isolating swine flu patients. Please note the "involuntary" part of that. Imagine if this happens all over the nation and Americans who show symptoms of the swine flu start getting ripped away from their families and sent to isolation facilities and camps.
Scary stuff.
Reports of new swine flu outbreaks are coming in almost constantly now and the World Health Organization has raised the threat level from a Phase 3 Global Outbreak to Phase 4, which has never been done before. Meanwhile, scientists are completely puzzled how such a powerful strain that combines elements of swine flu, bird flu and human flu could have appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
So is this going to be the big one?
Is this the one that is going to kill millions of people?
It is too early to tell, but here is what we do know at this hour.....
First of all, this "swine flu" is not just run of the mill swine flu. It contains elements of the following.....
*Avian flu
*Human flu
*European swine flu
*Asian swine flu
Now how in the world did an incredibly strong combination of these viruses appear seemingly out of nowhere?
Scientists are baffled.
Meanwhile this "swine flu" is popping up all over the U.S. and Mexico.
In Mexico alone, there are already over 1600 suspected cases and 152 suspected deaths from the swine flu so far. Most public events have been canceled, and millions of Mexicans are hiding indoors in an attempt to escape the swine flu.
67 cases of the swine flu have been confirmed in the United States, and the CDC says that it is too late to contain the swine flu outbreak in the United States.
In fact, some public schools in many areas all over the United States are being closed due to fear over this swine flu.
These outbreaks in the U.S. and Mexico are already causing panic reactions from other parts of the world.
EU health commissioner Andorra Vassiliou has asked Europeans to postpone nonessential travel to the United States or Mexico. In addition, China has banned the import of hog and pork products from Mexico and parts of the United States.
However, the truth is that the swine flu is now spreading all over the world. Just today new reports of swine flu cases have come in from Canada, Israel, France, New Zealand, Costa Rica and South Korea.
Google actually has a great tool that you can use to track the spread of this swine flu. You can follow the progress of the swine flu on Google maps right here.
So what can we expect to see going forward?
The next few days are going to be key.
If only a few hundred people end up dying from this swine flu that is not that big of a deal. Hundreds of people die from many different causes every day.
But if this disease starts sweeping the globe and thousands of people start dying, then that could indicate that this IS the big one.
The reality is that we have been warning of a coming flu plague for quite some time.
What is even more disturbing is the possibility that this new flu may be engineered. We recently reported on the unlabeled bird flu/human flu mixture that Baxter International "accidentally" sent out to other labs.
Why would our scientists mix these dangerous viruses together so recklessly? The CDC was mixing human flu and bird flu together as far back as 2004. This is incredibly dangerous to do. One mistake and a pandemic virus can be released that could kill millions of people.
So how many people will this "swine flu" virus kill?
Is this going to become a massive pandemic that bring the world to a standstill?
Nobody can say for sure yet, but it is getting frightening out there. Be sure to take the necessary precautions to keep your family safe.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Confirmed: Rep. Jane Harman Tried to Kill NSA Wiretapping Story -- May Have Swayed 2004 Election
By John Byrne, Raw Story. Posted April 21, 2009
The New York Times confirmed late Monday that a top Democratic congresswoman called the paper in 2004 and tried to keep it from publishing an article exposing the Bush Administration’s warrantless wiretapping program -- possibly helping to sway the balance in the 2004 presidential election.
The New York Times exposed the warrantless wiretapping program in 2005, revealing that the National Security Agency had engaged in the interception of thousands of American and foreign calls without a warrant as part of a program intended to disrupt terrorist plots. Upon running the story, they also admitted that they had withheld the article for a year at the urging of Bush Administration officials.
But buried in a Times article published Tuesday is the revelation that the top Democratic congresswoman on the House Intelligence Committee, Jane Harman (D-CA), called the paper’s Washington, D.C. editor in “October or November” of 2004 in an effort to quash the story.
“Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, said in a statement Monday that Ms. Harman called Philip Taubman, then the Washington bureau chief of The Times, in October or November of 2004,” the Times writes. “Mr. Keller said she spoke to Mr. Taubman -- apparently at the request of Gen. Michael V. Hayden, then the N.S.A. director -- and urged that The Times not publish the article.”
“She did not speak to me,” Keller said in a statement, “and I don't remember her being a significant factor in my decision.”
In addition, “Shortly before the article was published more than a year later, in December 2005, Mr. Taubman met with a group of Congressional leaders familiar with the eavesdropping program, including Ms. Harman. They all argued that The Times should not publish,” they Times reporters added.
At the time of her calls in 2004, Harman was part of the Gang of 8 — one of eight powerful members of Congress who are briefed on heavily classified intelligence matters. She was the most senior Democrat in the House dealing with intelligence affairs, and was sidelined after the 2006 congressional elections.
“October or November” 2004 would have been the month before, or the month of, respectively, of the election that Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) lost to then-incumbent President George W. Bush.
The paper did not give the exact date of Harman’s call.
Harman’s role in the wiretapping scandal emerged after a story Sunday in Congressional Quarterly, which disclosed that the California Democrat had been caught on an NSA wiretap promising an Israeli agent that she’d lobby to get the charges for two Israeli lobbyists accused of espionage reduced. The Times expanded on the story today.
An “official with access to the transcripts said someone seeking help for the employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, was recorded asking Ms. Harman, a longtime supporter of its efforts, to intervene with the Justice Department,” the paper wrote. “She responded, the official recounted, by saying she would have more influence with a White House official she did not identify.
“In return, the caller promised her that a wealthy California donor -- the media mogul Haim Saban -- would threaten to withhold campaign contributions to Representative Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who was expected to become House speaker after the 2006 election, if she did not select Ms. Harman for the intelligence post,” the paper added.
source
The New York Times confirmed late Monday that a top Democratic congresswoman called the paper in 2004 and tried to keep it from publishing an article exposing the Bush Administration’s warrantless wiretapping program -- possibly helping to sway the balance in the 2004 presidential election.
The New York Times exposed the warrantless wiretapping program in 2005, revealing that the National Security Agency had engaged in the interception of thousands of American and foreign calls without a warrant as part of a program intended to disrupt terrorist plots. Upon running the story, they also admitted that they had withheld the article for a year at the urging of Bush Administration officials.
But buried in a Times article published Tuesday is the revelation that the top Democratic congresswoman on the House Intelligence Committee, Jane Harman (D-CA), called the paper’s Washington, D.C. editor in “October or November” of 2004 in an effort to quash the story.
“Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, said in a statement Monday that Ms. Harman called Philip Taubman, then the Washington bureau chief of The Times, in October or November of 2004,” the Times writes. “Mr. Keller said she spoke to Mr. Taubman -- apparently at the request of Gen. Michael V. Hayden, then the N.S.A. director -- and urged that The Times not publish the article.”
“She did not speak to me,” Keller said in a statement, “and I don't remember her being a significant factor in my decision.”
In addition, “Shortly before the article was published more than a year later, in December 2005, Mr. Taubman met with a group of Congressional leaders familiar with the eavesdropping program, including Ms. Harman. They all argued that The Times should not publish,” they Times reporters added.
At the time of her calls in 2004, Harman was part of the Gang of 8 — one of eight powerful members of Congress who are briefed on heavily classified intelligence matters. She was the most senior Democrat in the House dealing with intelligence affairs, and was sidelined after the 2006 congressional elections.
“October or November” 2004 would have been the month before, or the month of, respectively, of the election that Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) lost to then-incumbent President George W. Bush.
The paper did not give the exact date of Harman’s call.
Harman’s role in the wiretapping scandal emerged after a story Sunday in Congressional Quarterly, which disclosed that the California Democrat had been caught on an NSA wiretap promising an Israeli agent that she’d lobby to get the charges for two Israeli lobbyists accused of espionage reduced. The Times expanded on the story today.
An “official with access to the transcripts said someone seeking help for the employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, was recorded asking Ms. Harman, a longtime supporter of its efforts, to intervene with the Justice Department,” the paper wrote. “She responded, the official recounted, by saying she would have more influence with a White House official she did not identify.
“In return, the caller promised her that a wealthy California donor -- the media mogul Haim Saban -- would threaten to withhold campaign contributions to Representative Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who was expected to become House speaker after the 2006 election, if she did not select Ms. Harman for the intelligence post,” the paper added.
source
Lawmaker Is Said to Have Agreed to Aid Lobbyists
By NEIL A. LEWIS and MARK MAZZETTI
Published: April 20, 2009
WASHINGTON — One of the leading House Democrats on intelligence matters was overheard on telephone calls intercepted by the National Security Agency agreeing to seek lenient treatment from the Bush administration for two pro-Israel lobbyists who were under investigation for espionage, current and former government officials say.
The lawmaker, Representative Jane Harman of California, became the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee after the 2002 election and had ambitions to be its chairwoman when the party gained control of the House in 2006. One official who has seen transcripts of several wiretapped calls said she appeared to agree to intercede in exchange for help in persuading party leaders to give her the powerful post.
One of the very few members of Congress with broad access to the most sensitive intelligence information, including aspects of the Bush administration’s wiretapping that were disclosed in December 2005, Ms. Harman was inadvertently swept up by N.S.A. eavesdroppers who were listening in on conversations during an investigation, three current or former senior officials said. It is not clear exactly when the wiretaps occurred; they were first reported by Congressional Quarterly on its Web site.
The official with access to the transcripts said someone seeking help for the employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, was recorded asking Ms. Harman, a longtime supporter of its efforts, to intervene with the Justice Department. She responded, the official recounted, by saying she would have more influence with a White House official she did not identify.
In return, the caller promised her that a wealthy California donor — the media mogul Haim Saban — would threaten to withhold campaign contributions to Representative Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who was expected to become House speaker after the 2006 election, if she did not select Ms. Harman for the intelligence post.
Ms. Harman denied Monday having ever spoken to anyone in the Justice Department about Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, the two former analysts for Aipac. Her office issued a statement saying, “Congresswoman Harman has never contacted the Justice Department about its prosecution of present or former Aipac employees.”
The statement did not, however, address whether Ms. Harman had contacted anyone at the White House or had participated in phone calls in which she was asked to intervene in exchange for help in being named chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee.
David Szady, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s former top counterintelligence official who ran the investigation of Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman, said in an interview Monday that he was confident Ms. Harman had never intervened. “In all my dealings with her, she was always professional and never tried to intervene or get in the way of any investigation,” Mr. Szady said.
The officials who were familiar with the transcripts, speaking on condition of anonymity because the issue involved intelligence matters, also said they knew of no evidence that Ms. Harman had intervened in the case.
One of the officials said he was familiar with the transcript of “at least one phone call” in which Ms. Harman discussed weighing in with the department on the investigation of the Aipac officials and her possible chairwomanship of the Intelligence Committee. (She did not get the post.) He identified the California donor as Mr. Saban, a vocal supporter of Israel who turned the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers into a global franchise.
The CQ article, citing unnamed present and former national security officials, said a preliminary review was halted by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales because he wanted Ms. Harman’s support in dissuading The New York Times from running an article disclosing a program of wiretapping without warrants conducted by the National Security Agency.
Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, said in a statement Monday that Ms. Harman called Philip Taubman, then the Washington bureau chief of The Times, in October or November of 2004. Mr. Keller said she spoke to Mr. Taubman — apparently at the request of Gen. Michael V. Hayden, then the N.S.A. director — and urged that The Times not publish the article.
“She did not speak to me,” Mr. Keller said, “and I don’t remember her being a significant factor in my decision.”
Shortly before the article was published more than a year later, in December 2005, Mr. Taubman met with a group of Congressional leaders familiar with the eavesdropping program, including Ms. Harman. They all argued that The Times should not publish.
The former officials who spoke to The Times did not know about Mr. Gonzales’s reported role nor about Ms. Harman’s contacts with The Times. Aides to Mr. Gonzales declined to comment.
A spokesman for Mr. Saban did not return telephone calls. A spokesman for Ms. Pelosi said the speaker had no comment.
The possibility that Ms. Harman might be under investigation surfaced in news reports in 2006. The CQ report provided new details, including quotations attributed to the transcripts of one of Ms. Harman’s conversations. Ms. Harman, CQ said, told the person who requested her aid that she would “waddle in” to the matter, “if you think it would make a difference.” Before ending the call, CQ reported, Ms. Harman said, “This conversation doesn’t exist.”
It is unclear when this conversation was supposed to have taken place, but Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman were fired from Aipac in March 2005 and indicted a few weeks later. They were charged with violating the World War I-era Espionage Act when they shared with colleagues, journalists and Israeli Embassy officials information about Iran and Iraq they had learned from talking to high-level United States policy makers.
The trial of Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman seems on track to begin in June in Alexandria, Va.
David Johnston and James Risen contributed reporting.
source
Published: April 20, 2009
WASHINGTON — One of the leading House Democrats on intelligence matters was overheard on telephone calls intercepted by the National Security Agency agreeing to seek lenient treatment from the Bush administration for two pro-Israel lobbyists who were under investigation for espionage, current and former government officials say.
The lawmaker, Representative Jane Harman of California, became the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee after the 2002 election and had ambitions to be its chairwoman when the party gained control of the House in 2006. One official who has seen transcripts of several wiretapped calls said she appeared to agree to intercede in exchange for help in persuading party leaders to give her the powerful post.
One of the very few members of Congress with broad access to the most sensitive intelligence information, including aspects of the Bush administration’s wiretapping that were disclosed in December 2005, Ms. Harman was inadvertently swept up by N.S.A. eavesdroppers who were listening in on conversations during an investigation, three current or former senior officials said. It is not clear exactly when the wiretaps occurred; they were first reported by Congressional Quarterly on its Web site.
The official with access to the transcripts said someone seeking help for the employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, was recorded asking Ms. Harman, a longtime supporter of its efforts, to intervene with the Justice Department. She responded, the official recounted, by saying she would have more influence with a White House official she did not identify.
In return, the caller promised her that a wealthy California donor — the media mogul Haim Saban — would threaten to withhold campaign contributions to Representative Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who was expected to become House speaker after the 2006 election, if she did not select Ms. Harman for the intelligence post.
Ms. Harman denied Monday having ever spoken to anyone in the Justice Department about Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, the two former analysts for Aipac. Her office issued a statement saying, “Congresswoman Harman has never contacted the Justice Department about its prosecution of present or former Aipac employees.”
The statement did not, however, address whether Ms. Harman had contacted anyone at the White House or had participated in phone calls in which she was asked to intervene in exchange for help in being named chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee.
David Szady, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s former top counterintelligence official who ran the investigation of Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman, said in an interview Monday that he was confident Ms. Harman had never intervened. “In all my dealings with her, she was always professional and never tried to intervene or get in the way of any investigation,” Mr. Szady said.
The officials who were familiar with the transcripts, speaking on condition of anonymity because the issue involved intelligence matters, also said they knew of no evidence that Ms. Harman had intervened in the case.
One of the officials said he was familiar with the transcript of “at least one phone call” in which Ms. Harman discussed weighing in with the department on the investigation of the Aipac officials and her possible chairwomanship of the Intelligence Committee. (She did not get the post.) He identified the California donor as Mr. Saban, a vocal supporter of Israel who turned the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers into a global franchise.
The CQ article, citing unnamed present and former national security officials, said a preliminary review was halted by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales because he wanted Ms. Harman’s support in dissuading The New York Times from running an article disclosing a program of wiretapping without warrants conducted by the National Security Agency.
Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, said in a statement Monday that Ms. Harman called Philip Taubman, then the Washington bureau chief of The Times, in October or November of 2004. Mr. Keller said she spoke to Mr. Taubman — apparently at the request of Gen. Michael V. Hayden, then the N.S.A. director — and urged that The Times not publish the article.
“She did not speak to me,” Mr. Keller said, “and I don’t remember her being a significant factor in my decision.”
Shortly before the article was published more than a year later, in December 2005, Mr. Taubman met with a group of Congressional leaders familiar with the eavesdropping program, including Ms. Harman. They all argued that The Times should not publish.
The former officials who spoke to The Times did not know about Mr. Gonzales’s reported role nor about Ms. Harman’s contacts with The Times. Aides to Mr. Gonzales declined to comment.
A spokesman for Mr. Saban did not return telephone calls. A spokesman for Ms. Pelosi said the speaker had no comment.
The possibility that Ms. Harman might be under investigation surfaced in news reports in 2006. The CQ report provided new details, including quotations attributed to the transcripts of one of Ms. Harman’s conversations. Ms. Harman, CQ said, told the person who requested her aid that she would “waddle in” to the matter, “if you think it would make a difference.” Before ending the call, CQ reported, Ms. Harman said, “This conversation doesn’t exist.”
It is unclear when this conversation was supposed to have taken place, but Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman were fired from Aipac in March 2005 and indicted a few weeks later. They were charged with violating the World War I-era Espionage Act when they shared with colleagues, journalists and Israeli Embassy officials information about Iran and Iraq they had learned from talking to high-level United States policy makers.
The trial of Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman seems on track to begin in June in Alexandria, Va.
David Johnston and James Risen contributed reporting.
source
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
the history of the house of Rothschild
copy n paste
http://www.iamthewitness.com/DarylBradfordSmith_Rothschild.htm
http://www.iamthewitness.com/DarylBradfordSmith_Rothschild.htm
Ahmadinejad Confronts Zionists and Neocons
Ahmadinejad is NOT INNOCENT HIMSELF, BUT HE IS TELLING THE TRUTH!
In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revoloutionary act.
-GEORGE ORWELL.
EXCELLENT SPEECH - Key quotes from his address:
"The victorious powers [of the world wars] call themselves the conquerors of the world, while ignoring or down-treading the rights of other nations by the imposition of oppressive laws and international arrangements.
"
"Following World War Two, they resorted to making an entire nation homeless on the pretext of Jewish suffering. They sent migrants from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world in order to establish a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine. In compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe, they helped bring to power the most cruel and repressive, racist regime in Palestine.
"
"It is all the more regrettable that a number of Western governments and the United States have committed themselves to defending those racist perpetrators of genocide, whilst the awakened consciences and free-minded people of the world condemn aggression, brutality and the bombardment of civilians of Gaza.
"
"[Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were] a clear example of egocentrism, racism, discrimination or infringement upon the dignity and independence of nations.
"
"Today, the human community is facing a kind of racism which has tarnished the image of humanity.
In the beginning of the third millennium, the word Zionism personifies racism, that falsely resorts to religion and abuses religious sentiments to hide hatred.
"
"Efforts must be made to put an end to the abuse by Zionists and their supporters of political and international means... Governments must be encouraged and supported in the fight aimed at eradicating this barbaric racism and moving towards reforming the current international mechanisms.
"
"You are all aware of the conspiracy of some powers and Zionist circles against the goals and objectives of this conference... It should be recognised that boycotting such a session is a true indication of supporting the blatant example of racism.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8008850.stm
In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revoloutionary act.
-GEORGE ORWELL.
EXCELLENT SPEECH - Key quotes from his address:
"The victorious powers [of the world wars] call themselves the conquerors of the world, while ignoring or down-treading the rights of other nations by the imposition of oppressive laws and international arrangements.
"
"Following World War Two, they resorted to making an entire nation homeless on the pretext of Jewish suffering. They sent migrants from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world in order to establish a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine. In compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe, they helped bring to power the most cruel and repressive, racist regime in Palestine.
"
"It is all the more regrettable that a number of Western governments and the United States have committed themselves to defending those racist perpetrators of genocide, whilst the awakened consciences and free-minded people of the world condemn aggression, brutality and the bombardment of civilians of Gaza.
"
"[Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were] a clear example of egocentrism, racism, discrimination or infringement upon the dignity and independence of nations.
"
"Today, the human community is facing a kind of racism which has tarnished the image of humanity.
In the beginning of the third millennium, the word Zionism personifies racism, that falsely resorts to religion and abuses religious sentiments to hide hatred.
"
"Efforts must be made to put an end to the abuse by Zionists and their supporters of political and international means... Governments must be encouraged and supported in the fight aimed at eradicating this barbaric racism and moving towards reforming the current international mechanisms.
"
"You are all aware of the conspiracy of some powers and Zionist circles against the goals and objectives of this conference... It should be recognised that boycotting such a session is a true indication of supporting the blatant example of racism.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8008850.stm
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Financial New World Order: Towards a Global Currency and World Government
Introduction
Following the 2009 G20 summit, plans were announced for implementing the creation of a new global currency to replace the US dollar’s role as the world reserve currency. Point 19 of the communiqué released by the G20 at the end of the Summit stated, “We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which will inject $250bn (£170bn) into the world economy and increase global liquidity.” SDRs, or Special Drawing Rights, are “a synthetic paper currency issued by the International Monetary Fund.” As the Telegraph reported, “the G20 leaders have activated the IMF's power to create money and begin global "quantitative easing". In doing so, they are putting a de facto world currency into play. It is outside the control of any sovereign body. Conspiracy theorists will love it.”[1]
The article continued in stating that, “There is now a world currency in waiting. In time, SDRs are likely to evolve into a parking place for the foreign holdings of central banks, led by the People's Bank of China.” Further, “The creation of a Financial Stability Board looks like the first step towards a global financial regulator,” or, in other words, a global central bank.
It is important to take a closer look at these “solutions” being proposed and implemented in the midst of the current global financial crisis. These are not new suggestions, as they have been in the plans of the global elite for a long time. However, in the midst of the current crisis, the elite have fast-tracked their agenda of forging a New World Order in finance. It is important to address the background to these proposed and imposed “solutions” and what effects they will have on the International Monetary System (IMS) and the global political economy as a whole.
read full article here
Following the 2009 G20 summit, plans were announced for implementing the creation of a new global currency to replace the US dollar’s role as the world reserve currency. Point 19 of the communiqué released by the G20 at the end of the Summit stated, “We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which will inject $250bn (£170bn) into the world economy and increase global liquidity.” SDRs, or Special Drawing Rights, are “a synthetic paper currency issued by the International Monetary Fund.” As the Telegraph reported, “the G20 leaders have activated the IMF's power to create money and begin global "quantitative easing". In doing so, they are putting a de facto world currency into play. It is outside the control of any sovereign body. Conspiracy theorists will love it.”[1]
The article continued in stating that, “There is now a world currency in waiting. In time, SDRs are likely to evolve into a parking place for the foreign holdings of central banks, led by the People's Bank of China.” Further, “The creation of a Financial Stability Board looks like the first step towards a global financial regulator,” or, in other words, a global central bank.
It is important to take a closer look at these “solutions” being proposed and implemented in the midst of the current global financial crisis. These are not new suggestions, as they have been in the plans of the global elite for a long time. However, in the midst of the current crisis, the elite have fast-tracked their agenda of forging a New World Order in finance. It is important to address the background to these proposed and imposed “solutions” and what effects they will have on the International Monetary System (IMS) and the global political economy as a whole.
read full article here
"GET READY FOR A WORLD CURRENCY"
Title of article: Get Ready for the Phoenix
Source: Economist; 01/9/88, Vol. 306, pp 9-10
THIRTY years from now, Americans, Japanese, Europeans, and people in many other rich countries, and some relatively poor ones will probably be paying for their shopping with the same currency. Prices will be quoted not in dollars, yen or D-marks but in, let's say, the phoenix. The phoenix will be favoured by companies and shoppers because it will be more convenient than today's national currencies, which by then will seem a quaint cause of much disruption to economic life in the last twentieth century.
At the beginning of 1988 this appears an outlandish prediction. Proposals for eventual monetary union proliferated five and ten years ago, but they hardly envisaged the setbacks of 1987. The governments of the big economies tried to move an inch or two towards a more managed system of exchange rates - a logical preliminary, it might seem, to radical monetary reform. For lack of co-operation in their underlying economic policies they bungled it horribly, and provoked the rise in interest rates that brought on the stock market crash of October. These events have chastened exchange-rate reformers. The market crash taught them that the pretence of policy co-operation can be worse than nothing, and that until real co-operation is feasible (i.e., until governments surrender some economic sovereignty) further attempts to peg currencies will flounder.
But in spite of all the trouble governments have in reaching and (harder still) sticking to international agreements about macroeconomic policy, the conviction is growing that exchange rates cannot be left to themselves. Remember that the Louvre accord and its predecessor, the Plaza agreement of September 1985, were emergency measures to deal with a crisis of currency instability. Between 1983 and 1985 the dollar rose by 34% against the currencies of America's trading partners; since then it has fallen by 42%. Such changes have skewed the pattern of international comparative advantage more drastically in four years than underlying economic forces might do in a whole generation.
In the past few days the world's main central banks, fearing another dollar collapse, have again jointly intervened in the currency markets (see page 62). Market-loving ministers such as Britain's Mr. Nigel Lawson have been converted to the cause of exchange-rate stability. Japanese officials take seriously he idea of EMS-like schemes for the main industrial economies. Regardless of the Louvre's embarrassing failure, the conviction remains that something must be done about exchange rates.
Something will be, almost certainly in the course of 1988. And not long after the next currency agreement is signed it will go the same way as the last one. It will collapse. Governments are far from ready to subordinate their domestic objectives to the goal of international stability. Several more big exchange-rate upsets, a few more stockmarket crashes and probably a slump or two will be needed before politicians are willing to face squarely up to that choice. This points to a muddled sequence of emergency followed by a patch-up followed by emergency, stretching out far beyond 2018 - except for two things. As time passes, the damage caused by currency instability is gradually going to mount; and the very tends that will make it mount are making the utopia of monetary union feasible.
The new world economy
The biggest change in the world economy since the early 1970's is that flows of money have replaced trade in goods as the force that drives exchange rates. as a result of the relentless integration of the world's financial markets, differences in national economic policies can disturb interest rates (or expectations of future interest rates) only slightly, yet still call forth huge transfers of financial assets from one country to another. These transfers swamp the flow of trade revenues in their effect on the demand and supply for different currencies, and hence in their effect on exchange rates. As telecommunications technology continues to advance, these transactions will be cheaper and faster still. With unco-ordinated economic policies, currencies can get only more volatile.
Alongside that trend is another - of ever-expanding opportunities for international trade. This too is the gift of advancing technology. Falling transport costs will make it easier for countries thousands of miles apart to compete in each others' markets. The law of one price (that a good should cost the same everywhere, once prices are converted into a single currency) will increasingly assert itself. Politicians permitting, national economies will follow their financial markets - becoming ever more open to the outside world. This will apply to labour as much as to goods, partly thorough migration but also through technology's ability to separate the worker form the point at which he delivers his labour. Indian computer operators will be processing New Yorkers' paychecks.
In all these ways national economic boundaries are slowly dissolving. As the trend continues, the appeal of a currency union across at least the main industrial countries will seem irresistible to everybody except foreign-exchange traders and governments. In the phoenix zone, economic adjustment to shifts in relative prices would happen smoothly and automatically, rather as it does today between different regions within large economies (a brief on pages 74-75 explains how.) The absence of all currency risk would spur trade, investment and employment.
The phoenix zone would impose tight constraints on national governments. There would be no such thing, for instance, as a national monetary policy. The world phoenix supply would be fixed by a new central bank, descended perhaps from the IMF. The world inflation rate - and hence, within narrow margins, each national inflation rate- would be in its charge. Each country could use taxes and public spending to offset temporary falls in demand, but it would have to borrow rather than print money to finance its budget deficit. With no recourse to the inflation tax, governments and their creditors would be forced to judge their borrowing and lending plans more carefully than they do today. This means a big loss of economic sovereignty, but the trends that make the phoenix so appealing are taking that sovereignty away in any case. Even in a world of more-or-less floating exchange rates, individual governments have seen their policy independence checked by an unfriendly outside world.
As the next century approaches, the natural forces that are pushing the world towards economic integration will offer governments a broad choice. They can go with the flow, or they can build barricades. Preparing the way for the phoenix will mean fewer pretended agreements on policy and more real ones. It will mean allowing and then actively promoting the private-sector use of an international money alongside existing national monies. That would let people vote with their wallets for the eventual move to full currency union. The phoenix would probably start as a cocktail of national currencies, just as the Special Drawing Right is today. In time, though, its value against national currencies would cease to matter, because people would choose it for its convenience and the stability of its purchasing power.
The alternative - to preserve policymaking autonomy- would involve a new proliferation of truly draconian controls on trade and capital flows. This course offers governments a splendid time. They could manage exchange-rate movements, deploy monetary and fiscal policy without inhibition, and tackle the resulting bursts of inflation with prices and incomes polices. It is a growth-crippling prospect. Pencil in the phoenix for around 2018, and welcome it when it comes.
Copyright of The Economist is the property of Economist Newspaper
Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites
or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written
permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for
individual use.
Source: Economist; 01/9/88, Vol. 306, pp 9-10
THIRTY years from now, Americans, Japanese, Europeans, and people in many other rich countries, and some relatively poor ones will probably be paying for their shopping with the same currency. Prices will be quoted not in dollars, yen or D-marks but in, let's say, the phoenix. The phoenix will be favoured by companies and shoppers because it will be more convenient than today's national currencies, which by then will seem a quaint cause of much disruption to economic life in the last twentieth century.
At the beginning of 1988 this appears an outlandish prediction. Proposals for eventual monetary union proliferated five and ten years ago, but they hardly envisaged the setbacks of 1987. The governments of the big economies tried to move an inch or two towards a more managed system of exchange rates - a logical preliminary, it might seem, to radical monetary reform. For lack of co-operation in their underlying economic policies they bungled it horribly, and provoked the rise in interest rates that brought on the stock market crash of October. These events have chastened exchange-rate reformers. The market crash taught them that the pretence of policy co-operation can be worse than nothing, and that until real co-operation is feasible (i.e., until governments surrender some economic sovereignty) further attempts to peg currencies will flounder.
But in spite of all the trouble governments have in reaching and (harder still) sticking to international agreements about macroeconomic policy, the conviction is growing that exchange rates cannot be left to themselves. Remember that the Louvre accord and its predecessor, the Plaza agreement of September 1985, were emergency measures to deal with a crisis of currency instability. Between 1983 and 1985 the dollar rose by 34% against the currencies of America's trading partners; since then it has fallen by 42%. Such changes have skewed the pattern of international comparative advantage more drastically in four years than underlying economic forces might do in a whole generation.
In the past few days the world's main central banks, fearing another dollar collapse, have again jointly intervened in the currency markets (see page 62). Market-loving ministers such as Britain's Mr. Nigel Lawson have been converted to the cause of exchange-rate stability. Japanese officials take seriously he idea of EMS-like schemes for the main industrial economies. Regardless of the Louvre's embarrassing failure, the conviction remains that something must be done about exchange rates.
Something will be, almost certainly in the course of 1988. And not long after the next currency agreement is signed it will go the same way as the last one. It will collapse. Governments are far from ready to subordinate their domestic objectives to the goal of international stability. Several more big exchange-rate upsets, a few more stockmarket crashes and probably a slump or two will be needed before politicians are willing to face squarely up to that choice. This points to a muddled sequence of emergency followed by a patch-up followed by emergency, stretching out far beyond 2018 - except for two things. As time passes, the damage caused by currency instability is gradually going to mount; and the very tends that will make it mount are making the utopia of monetary union feasible.
The new world economy
The biggest change in the world economy since the early 1970's is that flows of money have replaced trade in goods as the force that drives exchange rates. as a result of the relentless integration of the world's financial markets, differences in national economic policies can disturb interest rates (or expectations of future interest rates) only slightly, yet still call forth huge transfers of financial assets from one country to another. These transfers swamp the flow of trade revenues in their effect on the demand and supply for different currencies, and hence in their effect on exchange rates. As telecommunications technology continues to advance, these transactions will be cheaper and faster still. With unco-ordinated economic policies, currencies can get only more volatile.
Alongside that trend is another - of ever-expanding opportunities for international trade. This too is the gift of advancing technology. Falling transport costs will make it easier for countries thousands of miles apart to compete in each others' markets. The law of one price (that a good should cost the same everywhere, once prices are converted into a single currency) will increasingly assert itself. Politicians permitting, national economies will follow their financial markets - becoming ever more open to the outside world. This will apply to labour as much as to goods, partly thorough migration but also through technology's ability to separate the worker form the point at which he delivers his labour. Indian computer operators will be processing New Yorkers' paychecks.
In all these ways national economic boundaries are slowly dissolving. As the trend continues, the appeal of a currency union across at least the main industrial countries will seem irresistible to everybody except foreign-exchange traders and governments. In the phoenix zone, economic adjustment to shifts in relative prices would happen smoothly and automatically, rather as it does today between different regions within large economies (a brief on pages 74-75 explains how.) The absence of all currency risk would spur trade, investment and employment.
The phoenix zone would impose tight constraints on national governments. There would be no such thing, for instance, as a national monetary policy. The world phoenix supply would be fixed by a new central bank, descended perhaps from the IMF. The world inflation rate - and hence, within narrow margins, each national inflation rate- would be in its charge. Each country could use taxes and public spending to offset temporary falls in demand, but it would have to borrow rather than print money to finance its budget deficit. With no recourse to the inflation tax, governments and their creditors would be forced to judge their borrowing and lending plans more carefully than they do today. This means a big loss of economic sovereignty, but the trends that make the phoenix so appealing are taking that sovereignty away in any case. Even in a world of more-or-less floating exchange rates, individual governments have seen their policy independence checked by an unfriendly outside world.
As the next century approaches, the natural forces that are pushing the world towards economic integration will offer governments a broad choice. They can go with the flow, or they can build barricades. Preparing the way for the phoenix will mean fewer pretended agreements on policy and more real ones. It will mean allowing and then actively promoting the private-sector use of an international money alongside existing national monies. That would let people vote with their wallets for the eventual move to full currency union. The phoenix would probably start as a cocktail of national currencies, just as the Special Drawing Right is today. In time, though, its value against national currencies would cease to matter, because people would choose it for its convenience and the stability of its purchasing power.
The alternative - to preserve policymaking autonomy- would involve a new proliferation of truly draconian controls on trade and capital flows. This course offers governments a splendid time. They could manage exchange-rate movements, deploy monetary and fiscal policy without inhibition, and tackle the resulting bursts of inflation with prices and incomes polices. It is a growth-crippling prospect. Pencil in the phoenix for around 2018, and welcome it when it comes.
Copyright of The Economist is the property of Economist Newspaper
Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites
or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written
permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for
individual use.
Obama Administration Endorses Continued Spying on Americans
Obama's Justice Department Moves to Squash NSA Spying Suits
Since fatuously declaring his to be a "change" administration, President Barack Obama has quickly donned the blood-spattered mantle of state secrecy and executive privilege worn by the Bush regime.
full article here
see also:
House testimony concerning implementation of bio-surveillance requirements
Echelon - Surveillance Network
Since fatuously declaring his to be a "change" administration, President Barack Obama has quickly donned the blood-spattered mantle of state secrecy and executive privilege worn by the Bush regime.
full article here
see also:
House testimony concerning implementation of bio-surveillance requirements
Echelon - Surveillance Network
Your Favorite 'Natural' Brands May Not Be What They Seem
Many of the products you may trust and respect for their independence and social responsibility are now owned by big corporations that are going out of their way to hide their link to the small, socially responsible brands.
read article here.
read article here.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Gaza Aid Prevented by U.S.
source
Gaza Aid Prevented by U.S.
By Pål Hellesnes, Translated By Lars Erik Schou
Edited by Patricia Simoni
31st March 2009
The United States (U.S.) Patriot Act is preventing Save The Children Norway from rebuilding schools in Gaza. The organization is in despair.
"We are allowed to distribute emergency rations, such as food and water, but systematic relief efforts and rebuilding is blocked", according to Bjørn Lindgren, Save The Children's regional director for Europe and the Middle East, in a Klassekampen interview. "It is a terrible policy that keeps us from helping children."
After Israel's war on Gaza in January, much of the infrastructure is in ruins. Schools, hospitals, roads, and different public offices were bombed. Three hundred thousand people have no water, and UNICEF estimates that 8,000 children are badly malnourished.
But Save The Children and other aid organizations are being prevented from rebuilding by U.S. legislation. According to the Patriot Act, support to build schools or clinics in Gaza is "supporting terrorism".
The core of the problem is that Hamas is on the American list of terrorist organizations. According to U.S. anti-terrorist legislation, it is a criminal act to conduct transactions with individuals and organizations associated with terrorism or with those who support these organizations. Hamas controls of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Teachers, doctors and others who are working with these ministries are, thus, seen to be associated with Hamas.
A note from Save The Children USA points out that the law makes it illegal to deliver medical equipment to hospitals run by the Ministry of Health, to teach or pay teachers employed by schools run by the Ministry of Education, or to give materials or support to rebuild public buildings, including sidewalks.
Save The Children Norway is part of the International Save The Children Alliance. Their work is being directly prevented by American legislation. Save The Children has been active in aid work on the Gaza strip since 1973.
Lindgren is in despair over the stoppage of their good work. "The Save The Children Alliance has protested in the strongest possible way. This policy has led to a unification within our movement to stand firmer on humanitarian principles", he says.
"We do not take into account what regime is in power where we work; we are there to help children. Save The Children was started after World War I, and put a lot of effort into helping German children as well, 'the children of the enemy'. It is this principle that is on the line."
Save The Children sent a request to the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, in which they asked OFAC, the office administering economic sanctions in the US, to make an exception for Gaza, so that NGOs can give relief aid and services to families and children struggling to survive in the aftermath of the conflict. So far they have spoken to deaf ears.
Among the hospitals affected by the American legislation is Shifa, where Norwegian doctors, Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse, worked during the war. Shifa Hospital is run by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
"It is a completely unacceptable extension of the collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population that is impacting all segments of the ruined civil society in Gaza", Mads Gilbert said to Klassekampen.
The U.S. Consul General to the Palestinian Areas threatens individual criminal prosecution if aid workers cooperate with Palestinian teachers employed in public schools, because Hamas is in charge of education. Shifa Hospital was denied supplies, because the Ministry of Health was led by Hamas.
"Regardless of what we think about politics, the humanitarian effort in Gaza must be free so that health care facilities and schools can be rebuilt", Gilbert says.
Save The Children has raised the issue with the Norwegian government, as recently as the International Relief Conference. Gilbert is hoping the government can stand up to the U.S. on this issue.
"Where is the voice of the Norwegian government? Where is the voice of Jonas Gahr Støre?", he asks.
Gaza Aid Prevented by U.S.
By Pål Hellesnes, Translated By Lars Erik Schou
Edited by Patricia Simoni
31st March 2009
The United States (U.S.) Patriot Act is preventing Save The Children Norway from rebuilding schools in Gaza. The organization is in despair.
"We are allowed to distribute emergency rations, such as food and water, but systematic relief efforts and rebuilding is blocked", according to Bjørn Lindgren, Save The Children's regional director for Europe and the Middle East, in a Klassekampen interview. "It is a terrible policy that keeps us from helping children."
After Israel's war on Gaza in January, much of the infrastructure is in ruins. Schools, hospitals, roads, and different public offices were bombed. Three hundred thousand people have no water, and UNICEF estimates that 8,000 children are badly malnourished.
But Save The Children and other aid organizations are being prevented from rebuilding by U.S. legislation. According to the Patriot Act, support to build schools or clinics in Gaza is "supporting terrorism".
The core of the problem is that Hamas is on the American list of terrorist organizations. According to U.S. anti-terrorist legislation, it is a criminal act to conduct transactions with individuals and organizations associated with terrorism or with those who support these organizations. Hamas controls of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Teachers, doctors and others who are working with these ministries are, thus, seen to be associated with Hamas.
A note from Save The Children USA points out that the law makes it illegal to deliver medical equipment to hospitals run by the Ministry of Health, to teach or pay teachers employed by schools run by the Ministry of Education, or to give materials or support to rebuild public buildings, including sidewalks.
Save The Children Norway is part of the International Save The Children Alliance. Their work is being directly prevented by American legislation. Save The Children has been active in aid work on the Gaza strip since 1973.
Lindgren is in despair over the stoppage of their good work. "The Save The Children Alliance has protested in the strongest possible way. This policy has led to a unification within our movement to stand firmer on humanitarian principles", he says.
"We do not take into account what regime is in power where we work; we are there to help children. Save The Children was started after World War I, and put a lot of effort into helping German children as well, 'the children of the enemy'. It is this principle that is on the line."
Save The Children sent a request to the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, in which they asked OFAC, the office administering economic sanctions in the US, to make an exception for Gaza, so that NGOs can give relief aid and services to families and children struggling to survive in the aftermath of the conflict. So far they have spoken to deaf ears.
Among the hospitals affected by the American legislation is Shifa, where Norwegian doctors, Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse, worked during the war. Shifa Hospital is run by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
"It is a completely unacceptable extension of the collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population that is impacting all segments of the ruined civil society in Gaza", Mads Gilbert said to Klassekampen.
The U.S. Consul General to the Palestinian Areas threatens individual criminal prosecution if aid workers cooperate with Palestinian teachers employed in public schools, because Hamas is in charge of education. Shifa Hospital was denied supplies, because the Ministry of Health was led by Hamas.
"Regardless of what we think about politics, the humanitarian effort in Gaza must be free so that health care facilities and schools can be rebuilt", Gilbert says.
Save The Children has raised the issue with the Norwegian government, as recently as the International Relief Conference. Gilbert is hoping the government can stand up to the U.S. on this issue.
"Where is the voice of the Norwegian government? Where is the voice of Jonas Gahr Støre?", he asks.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Monsanto GM-corn harvest fails massively in South Africa
South African farmers suffered millions of dollars in lost income when 82,000 hectares of genetically-manipulated corn (maize) failed to produce hardly any seeds.The plants look lush and healthy from the outside. Monsanto has offered compensation.
read article here.
read article here.
Clinical trials of unapproved, uncharacterized GM rice on children
The Golden Rice Scandal Unfolds
Phase II clinical trials on children have been conducted with unapproved experimental GM rice enhanced in pro-Vitamin A that has the potential to cause birth defects and developmental abnormalities
click here for article.
Phase II clinical trials on children have been conducted with unapproved experimental GM rice enhanced in pro-Vitamin A that has the potential to cause birth defects and developmental abnormalities
click here for article.
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