tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41474809617385892762024-03-13T01:42:43.149-07:00ObtuseWord: Politics, Religion, Social CommentaryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-78294151165392058392011-01-01T19:49:00.000-08:002011-01-01T19:52:06.170-08:00Mali Makes Moves to Combat Al Qaeda and Drug Trafficking<style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">Mali has recently unveiled its new plan to combat Al Qaeda and its involvement in the illegal drug trade within the African nation.<span style=""> </span>Al Qaeda in Mali are believed to have been charging tolls to drug traffickers and arms smugglers, according to the New York Times in an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/world/africa/02mali.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp">article</a> titled “Mali Tries to Form Bulward Against Extremists.”<span style=""> </span>Malian officials attribute much of Al Qaeda’s influence to widespread poverty.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mali and other African nations have become safe havens for Al Qaeda’s drug trafficking operations.<span style=""> </span>Between 180 to 240 metric tons of cocaine was transferred through routes through West Africa to Europe, according to ABC News in an <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/selling-drugs-fund-terror-al-qaeda-linked-cocaine/story?id=9373341&page=2">article</a> titled “Selling Drugs to Fund Terror: al-Qaeda Linked to Cocaine Trafficking.”<span style=""> </span>Revenue from illegal drugs is believed to be used to support Al Qaeda’s jihadi war against Western nations.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-56051732181114403282010-12-25T19:43:00.000-08:002010-12-25T19:48:57.531-08:00The Pope Promotes War on Christmas DayPope Benedict XVI's Christmas Day speech is a move towards applying political pressure on Western nations to support his war on Islam.<br /><br />Read more <a href="http://iseetheholysee.blogspot.com/2010/12/pope-uses-christmas-to-further-vaticans.html">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-76485402705389825502010-12-17T20:33:00.000-08:002011-01-01T19:58:06.210-08:00CIA and ISI Spar in War on TerrorDeath threats caused the Central Intelligence Agency’s top officer working in Islamabad to leave Pakistan on Thursday.<span style=""> </span>The <a href="http://ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> officer’s cover was blown when villagers named him in a legal complaint for a wrongful death resulting from CIA drone missile attacks, reported the New York Times in an article titled “Pakistani Role Is Suspected In Revealing U.S. Spy’s Name” by Mark Mazzetti and Salman Masood, published on December 17, 2010. The death threats followed shortly afterwards.<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>CIA vs. ISI</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The CIA is convinced Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, had purposely exposed the agent.<span style=""> </span>However, this would not be the first time the CIA has suspected the ISI of wrongdoing.<span style=""> </span>Last year, the <a href="http://ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> accused the ISI of sending a double agent, who had claimed he would reveal information about Pakistan’s nuclear program, reported the Washington Times in an article titled “CIA, Pakistan’s ISI entangled in spy battle” by Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, published on July 7, 2010.<span style=""> </span>When the <a href="http://ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> alerted the Pakistan government of this the Pakistanis said they would investigate the complaint and then never mentioned the incident again.<span style=""> </span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">American officials also suspect ISI officers assisted in the July 2008 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to the New York Times.<span style=""> </span>They also believe the ISI was involved in the Mumbai attacks last year, carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>US vs. Pakistan</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Sparring between the CIA and ISI underscores America’s struggle with the Pakistani government in its War on Terror and its fight against Al Qaeda.<span style=""> </span>The US is constantly battling with Pakistan to allow its continued drone attacks, which are wildly unpopular in Pakistan.<span style=""> </span>It may be possible that the Pakistani government is using the ISI in order to slow down the unpopular drone attacks, while publicly supporting the US battle against Al Qaeda.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It is ironic that the <a href="http://ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> and the ISI had once worked closely together in their fight against the Russians in Afghanistan.<span style=""> </span>The <a href="http://ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> did in fact create the Afghan Mujahideen, a wing of the ISI, which eventually branched off to become Al Qaeda.<span style=""> </span>This characterizes the two-faced and incestuous nature of the War on Terror that began on 9/11, which many believe to have been an inside job. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-74121307419445482442010-12-15T21:33:00.000-08:002010-12-16T10:01:02.490-08:00WikiLeaks Founder May Face Conspiracy ChargesThe US Government is attempting to form a conspiracy case against WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. It is basing its case upon evidence that Assange may have assisted an Army intelligence analyst, Bradley Manning, upload classified information, according to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/world/16wiki.html?_r=2">New York Times in an article titled “U.S. Tries to Build Case for Conspiracy by WikiLeaks," published on December 15, 2010. </a><br /><br />The US Government is looking to use the <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/1030.html">Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986</a> to implicate Assange in a conspiracy to actively obtain classified information. This differs from past characterization of Assange’s activities as a passive recipient of classified government documents, which would make dissemination of such information protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.<br /><br />The main piece of evidence in the potential conspiracy charge is instant messages between Manning and Adrian Lamo, an ex-hacker. However, Lamo claims that he cannot provide the full record of the instant message conversation because the FBI has confiscated his computer hard drive containing the information.<br /><br />If Assange is convicted of conspiracy he may serve up to ten years in prison, pursuant to Section 1030 (c) of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. If he is convicted of more than one count of computer fraud and abuse, Assange may face up to twenty years in prison.<br /><br />Assange is currently being held in London under sex crime allegations. However, Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, believes the allegations are only being used to hold Assange in order to extradite him to the US, reported <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9f2de848-084a-11e0-8527-00144feabdc0.html#axzz18FQDxvpB">a Financial Times article titled “UK Police Investigate WikiLeaks Supporters,” published on December 15, 2010. </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-32351969050672380672009-11-17T23:36:00.000-08:002009-11-21T12:39:37.097-08:00Debate between civilian or military courts for 9/11 mastermind is irrelevant<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJVT4emRd5_0_KhQlLCzF8skb57dUsQxIKNjKc0QdqVVFEFF5PRMGBQpC9cuBWUI3qgQJvz3Nqavy8Qbg4WUAYLma6FQesMO9Brngorf7clfygUm48nmDqzGvhe12eN5QEc9a7jB_HbUo/s1600/mohammed_khalid_sheikh1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJVT4emRd5_0_KhQlLCzF8skb57dUsQxIKNjKc0QdqVVFEFF5PRMGBQpC9cuBWUI3qgQJvz3Nqavy8Qbg4WUAYLma6FQesMO9Brngorf7clfygUm48nmDqzGvhe12eN5QEc9a7jB_HbUo/s400/mohammed_khalid_sheikh1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405344649606348546" border="0" /></a>A disheveled mess of tangled hair and bloodshot eyes emerged in the newspapers as Kalid Shaik Mohammed, the alleged 9/11 mastermind, is granted a public trial in New York City. Many accuse the Obama Administration of using the public trial as a political tool to indict the previous administration’s use of torture during the “war on terror.” Mohammed had been waterboarded 183 times, according to the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/m/khalid_shaikh_mohammed/index.html">New York Times</a>. A public trial could also allow Mohammed a podium for his anti-American propaganda and to present his own indictment of American foreign policy.<br /><p>Some argue that Mohammed should be tried in a military tribunal as an unprivileged enemy belligerent. Only 29 percent of voters agree with the President’s decision to not hold the trial in a military tribunal and only 30 percent think suspected terrorists should have access to US courts, according to <a href="http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/november_2009/51_oppose_decision_to_try_terrorists_in_new_york_city">Rasmussen Reports</a>. However, military tribunals can only be used when there has been a formal declaration of war. At the moment, there is no precise definition of a formal declaration of war. The last time a piece of US legislation was passed with the phrase “declaration of war” in the title was in 1942 against Romania.<br /></p><p>The President has not been allowed to formally declare war since the passage of the <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode50/usc_sup_01_50_10_33.html">War Powers Resolution of 1973</a>. This resolution gave Congress exclusive power to formally declare war. The President is also required to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30 day withdrawal period, without an authorization of the use of military force or a declaration of war.<br /></p><p>However, the constitutionality of the War Powers Resolution has been questioned. Every President since its passage has treated the act as possibly unconstitutional. The reports to Congress, which the Resolution requires of the President, have been drafted to state that they are “consistent with” the War Powers Resolution and not “pursuant to” the Resolution, implying the Presidential position that the Resolution is unconstitutional.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5qu801SoDIO-Xo_uHLt0caWnYWZtyXEMFzzgSuzhObm8UbDxtoBITBpVCQS4Fq2xXtyrkU4pok05ClewFgkLzSEuIFBzWnUA4i4oJyUDQvdSkDUasENuTxxQEXPyg1kH14xqAJnovECL/s1600/gitmo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5qu801SoDIO-Xo_uHLt0caWnYWZtyXEMFzzgSuzhObm8UbDxtoBITBpVCQS4Fq2xXtyrkU4pok05ClewFgkLzSEuIFBzWnUA4i4oJyUDQvdSkDUasENuTxxQEXPyg1kH14xqAJnovECL/s400/gitmo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405345873645513810" border="0" /></a>The Obama Administration, at first, seemed to be in alignment with the War Powers Resolution in regards to Guantanamo. President Obama had immediately halted the military tribunals in Guantanamo when he was elected, pursuant to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamdan_v._Rumsfeld">Supreme Court decision</a>. However, he has then resumed the Guantanamo military tribunals with a new experimental legal system, which is a hybrid of civilian and military courts. President Bush had previously argued that the military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay were authorized by a congressional joint resolution, which served as a formal declaration of war. The Supreme Court rejected this assertion, ruling that only with the consent of Congress can the President use military tribunals. It also stated that the detention camps in Guantanamo is in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Obama, then, with the passage of the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.2647:">National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010</a>, defied the Supreme Court's interpretation of the War Powers Resolution and granted the President the right to try the detainees in military tribunals.<br /><p>This implies that Obama is resuming military tribunals in Guantanamo despite the Supreme Court's ruling that Guantanamo violates the Geneva Conventions. Despite public opinion, there does not seem to be any legal way the President could try Mohammed or any of the other terrorist suspects in military tribunal courts. The debate about whether or not Mohammed should be tried in a military tribunal is irrelevant, because the rule of international law has already been abandoned.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-56643405651843509312009-11-09T20:11:00.000-08:002009-11-09T22:47:01.529-08:00US Government Neck Deep in Heroin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhua8-EcibzjktLAkMT7PQm8cP3IySK6j7fiASf-J3U5FAha1H2KPNUn73ERCinqiuXg8_8o3MClIIapv5qCoPx-wPe2FmizzvwXjrpzLhFPg9ly2F9mES0kkWNhscfNZ4W5Xpl7yZ-dK41/s1600-h/heroin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhua8-EcibzjktLAkMT7PQm8cP3IySK6j7fiASf-J3U5FAha1H2KPNUn73ERCinqiuXg8_8o3MClIIapv5qCoPx-wPe2FmizzvwXjrpzLhFPg9ly2F9mES0kkWNhscfNZ4W5Xpl7yZ-dK41/s320/heroin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402326346358165890" border="0" /></a>
<br /> <title></title>The US government is neck deep in heroin. The CIA maybe contributing to heroine trafficking from Afghanistan, while thousands of veterans of the War on Terror come back home seeking substance abuse treatment. The <a href="http://ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> may have been using government money which is suspected of being used to traffic heroin from Afghanistan into the US and other Western countries. Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of Afghani president Hamid Karzai, has been receiving payments from the CIA for acting as a go-between for negotiations with the Taliban. Karzai is also suspected of aiding in the trafficking of opium, which eventually ends up as heroine in the US and other Western nations. This adds to the continuing history of the <a href="http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/webb.html">CIA's involvement in the illegal drug trade</a>. However, the <a href="http://obtuseword.blogspot.com/2008/12/american-foreign-policy-spreads-illegal.html">US War on Terror’s impact on heroin trafficking</a> reaches further than Afghanistan.<p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtdg9sa03OLX6vOkE3qC7dQjEQo4__6mXPHuSP-fpu0Z_1Pt8EcVOA9hNBhnngvMLXVF9P4Y-W3YujmhYcir41GPqkkPooEhTQogRgSY_yzd1AFtKzShEhXkuZPUQXU8Ki18eSJdQXi0R/s1600-h/opium_farmers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtdg9sa03OLX6vOkE3qC7dQjEQo4__6mXPHuSP-fpu0Z_1Pt8EcVOA9hNBhnngvMLXVF9P4Y-W3YujmhYcir41GPqkkPooEhTQogRgSY_yzd1AFtKzShEhXkuZPUQXU8Ki18eSJdQXi0R/s320/opium_farmers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402327367348186962" border="0" /></a>America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have caused destabilization in both of these countries, enabling drug traffickers and suppliers to more easily distribute opiates throughout Europe and the US. Afghanistan in particular is of concern, because it is the world’s largest producer of heroine. Since the US invaded Afghanistan in 2006 opium production in the country has increased rapidly from 3400 tons, peaking at 8200 tons in 2007 and finally leveling out at 7700 tons in 2008, according to <a href="http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/WDR.html">UN Drug Reports</a>. Ninety-two percent of the world’s opium comes from Afghanistan poppy plants, according to the <a href="http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/WDR-2008.html%29">2008 UN World Drug Report</a>. </p>However, the US government’s problem with heroin does not end in Afghanistan. Thousands of US military personnel are becoming addicted to opiates while serving in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan. Twenty-two thousand Iraq and Afghanistan veterans sought substance abuse treatment in 2008, which is more than double from 2006, according to <a href="http://www.sott.net/articles/show/195434-US-Is-the-Military-Ignoring-Its-Heroin-Problem-in-the-Ranks-">Signs of the Times</a>. Despite hard evidence of access to heroin in Afghanistan and widespread drug abuse problems among US soldiers the Drug Enforcement Agency does not any case officers serving in Afghanistan or Iraq looking into drug trafficking. It maybe likely that heroin will become a major problem, in many ways, for American society as a result of the US War on Terror.
<br /> <p> </p>
<br /> <p> </p>
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-57640769478988268082009-08-17T19:07:00.000-07:002009-08-17T22:39:03.728-07:00Corporations Win, Public Loses in Healthcare Debate<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHWurWIu_CDHz1Qhjo6HyalK8G7G3qkuFpEzUTOB-1qs73m5UXlL-2_mtruqutA-xw7jxLNMR2buPxHujiK1BNqRtLDPPpjLVQHrJBMbOAK5qkVA0uJIhLax5A5xUhacFUWoPwM-IG_OG/s1600-h/colorful-pills-01.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHWurWIu_CDHz1Qhjo6HyalK8G7G3qkuFpEzUTOB-1qs73m5UXlL-2_mtruqutA-xw7jxLNMR2buPxHujiK1BNqRtLDPPpjLVQHrJBMbOAK5qkVA0uJIhLax5A5xUhacFUWoPwM-IG_OG/s320/colorful-pills-01.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371169825544922482" border="0" /></a>
<br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><title></title>Many see the heathcare debate as socialized versus privatized heathcare systems. But, no matter what side wins the American public loses. Both sides of the debate are controlled by big corporate interests, which are only interested in filling their own pockets and care nothing for the good of the American public. In fact, the U.S. health care system has already been partially socialized and partially private sector. Medicare has been providing socialized healthcare since 1965. There are also non-profit insurance providers who are closely connected to the government.
<br /></div><p>But, larger private sector insurance companies have become too powerful. A small handful of corporations control a large portion of the industry, ensuring a corporate monopoly on the healthcare industry. Corporate executives fill their pockets while millions of Americans are left without insurance or are left with inadequate coverage. Private insurance corporations also use large amounts of money to influence congress to vote for measures beneficial to maintaining this monopoly, which keeps healthcare costs and drug prices high. This has caused havoc for personal finances of many Americans. Fifty-five percent of personal bankruptcies are caused by medical debts or illness. Seventy-five percent of those people were insured, according to <a href="http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141772/the_only_option_for_health_reform_is_the_public_option">Alternet.org</a>.
<br /></p><p>So what is the answer to the private sector's monopoly over the healthcare system? Although he maybe willing to compromise on adding the public healthcare option, President Obama’s original proposed healthcare overhaul plan claims that more government sponsored healthcare and also stiff regulations on private insurers will increase competition and result in lower premiums and healthcare costs for consumers. Obama’s plan will tax the wealthy in order to pay for the increased burden on the government to pay for public healthcare. The estimated cost for the overhaul is $1 trillion over ten years. That equates to about $100 billion per year.
<br /> </p><p>This may seem like a lot of money, however we are actually spending more than that per year on the War on Terror. In the proposed 2010 budget the White House is asking for $130 billion to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, there is no talk of diverting funds from these military endeavors to the healthcare system. The most Obama has done is divert funds from the war in Iraq to Afghanistan, therefore keeping money in the pockets of corporate military and defense contractors, such as Blackwater and Halliburton. These entities, like the private insurance and drug companies, are corporate entities with no duty to act in the best interests of the American people.</p>In fact, Obama has gone out of his way to protect corporate interests in his attempt to pass his bill for overhauling our healthcare system. Some may claim that Obama's plan will destroy the private corporate healthcare industry. But, he is actually protecting corporate entities from responsibility for corrupting our healthcare system in the first place. Obama promised to cap the total required amount the drug industry would be required to contribute to the overhaul to under $80 billion. Many Democrats in the House argue that this is too little. The drug industry was responsible for much of the chaos amidst the healthcare industry, yet Obama is still inclined to protect the big corporations who monopolize the drug industry to keep prices high for consumers. Many of the larger drug corporations pay smaller generic manufacturers to keep their product from reaching the marketplace, denying the public access to affordable medicine. Obama has struck a similar deal with the hospital industry as well.
<br /> <p>Although opponents to Obama's plan fear that socialized medicine will destroy the private sector it is clear that the Administration still has the interests of wealthy corporate allies in mind, just like they did when they bailed out the financial sector and continued funding of the War on Terror. Whether it is healthcare, the economy or foreign policy the Administration continues to keep corporate interests ahead of the well-being of the American public.</p>
<br /> <p> </p>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-7188981646930182622009-05-20T10:44:00.000-07:002009-05-28T16:59:23.847-07:00Pope Benedict's Motives Are Questionable <title>Pope Benedict in Mi</title><img style="width: 273px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizllQJSyh5NGudCrgELrGc0_eZZOZYIDmKmZebqvdCh61ZTeUR5dXZL1flzV55MqXj-IbRW0Fm3pmTncZcfA2IoPpauWguoaXMjX-R3eGmnq3OTBFaD8xO5jdToGB3jHuSRApFR5kLVwNn/s320/PopeBenedictXVI_1403074c.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" />Pope Benedict’s recent trip to the Middle East was surrounded by controversy. Many have accused Pope Benedict of anti-Semitism due to his time as a Nazi Youth and also other questionable decisions he made during his Papacy. He has also offended many in the Muslim community with his comments in a 2006 speech given at University of Regensburg in Germany which many claimed characterized Islam as a violent religion. His Excellency attempted to silence criticism of the <a href="http://www.iseetheholysee.blogspot.com/">Vatican</a> through addressing the Holocaust and supporting a Palestinian state. Many question his sincerity.<p>Pope Benedict had served in the Nazi Youth movement and had also served with a German army anti-aircraft unit and witnessed Jews being herded to death camps, according to <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article382076.ece">Times Online</a>. Pope Benedict enlisted in the Nazi Youth shortly after enlistment was made mandatory in 1941. He claims that he was an unhappy participant and refused to attend meetings. His father was an outspoken opponent of the Nazi party. Pope Benedict eventually deserted in 1944 and spent a short time in a prisoner of war camp.
<br /></p><p>Despite his lack of enthusiasm about his time in the Nazi party and army, Pope Benedict refused to visit the Israeli Holocaust Museum during his visit to the Middle East. The museum contains a display criticizing the wartime Pope Pius XII for being a passive observer during the Holocaust. Pope Benedict was criticized for considering the beatification of Pius XII, which would mean that the Catholic Church would officially recognize Pius XII as a saint. Many oppose this claiming that Pope Pius was to blame for his lack of action to stop the Jewish holocaust. The <a href="http://www.iseetheholysee.blogspot.com/">Vatican</a> claims that Pius XII used diplomacy to save Jews during the Holocaust, according to <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1241773224186&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">Jerusalem Post</a>. Most likely in an attempt to avoid controversy, Pope Benedict has postponed the beatification of Pius XII for a period of reflection. Pope Benedict also received heavy criticism for revoking the excommunication of Richard Williamson, a bishop who denied the Holocaust.
<br /> </p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCj1ckxFrBz1ItgZN8KQGY7k2uiI5rdpJLW2FfJxweZWf1BAr0qwGYHwVS6AtGyWDkyMgFRanLvCel_Dosz03jPFQuNoBl2sHe_FD9UPjxHr-EojAW_b33QiKDZa6Z2c0rwP6XX_uY82y/s1600-h/swastika-inverted.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCj1ckxFrBz1ItgZN8KQGY7k2uiI5rdpJLW2FfJxweZWf1BAr0qwGYHwVS6AtGyWDkyMgFRanLvCel_Dosz03jPFQuNoBl2sHe_FD9UPjxHr-EojAW_b33QiKDZa6Z2c0rwP6XX_uY82y/s320/swastika-inverted.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337973264245838434" border="0" /></a>Benedict condemned the Holocaust in his speech at Yad Vashem, Israel’s holocaust memorial. Many criticized him for lack of emotion during his speech. He also avoided using the words “Nazi”, “German”, and “murder” in order to downplay his own Nazi past. During his farewell speech many observers claimed that he was visibly more emotional while addressing the Holocaust, which more than likely was an attempt to reverse the criticism from his earlier address at Yad Vashem. Whether he was sincere or just putting on an act is anybody’s guess.
<br /></p><p>The Muslim community also attacked Pope Benedict regarding his 2006 comments at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Many had interpreted his speech as being offensive towards Islam. Benedict had quoted a Byzantine emperor who had described the Islamic faith as violent in nature. “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,” said Pope Benedict while quoting Manuel II Paleologus, the last Christian ruler before the fall of Constantinople.
<br /> </p><p>Pope Benedict claimed that his statement was taken out of context and that he had never meant that his own view of Islam was the same as Paleologus. There are translational differences between the German version and the English version, which make it difficult to discern whether Pope Benedict agreed with the Emperor’s interpretation of Islam. However, interpreting Islam does not seem to be the main point of the Pope’s 2006 lecture. Pope Benedict’s main point in quoting Paleologus, according to the <a href="http://www.iseetheholysee.blogspot.com/">Vatican</a>, was to illustrate that violence in the name of religion defied reason and therefore went against God’s will.</p>The Pope was able to significantly quell his Muslim critics, when he stated that he was in favor of a Palestinian state. But, when a Muslim cleric appealed to the Pope in person to condemn Israel for killing innocent Palestinian civilians with missiles and bombs, the Pope avoided controversy and quickly left the stage. The Pope’s stand for non-violence and peace only went so far. His visit to the Middle East was just as much about saving face for the <a href="http://www.iseetheholysee.blogspot.com/">Vatican</a> as it was about promoting peace for humanity.<p> </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-20821586209850269502008-12-25T16:41:00.000-08:002009-05-28T16:49:42.167-07:00American Foreign Policy Spreads Illegal Drug Trade Worldwide<p align="left"></p> <p align="right"></p> <p align="left"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPfDJFYIuhqazx2hhawGm2ulJPT5w0zXdG8EDXSTGg-tgoBa_pooy466Xjj4AeWLga5F2DjoJjy6yQQ4LbYCxdMXH5F31weZfuFLGPHyMwmxEVmsucAIzXM6b-YhPFsDxa8Aoz9AAIpda/s320/opium-production.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" height="274" width="310" />The Taliban has been smuggling Afghan opium into Western nations, such as Great Britain in order to finance its war against the American occupation. The American War on Terror has caused the illicit drug trade to explode worldwide, just as American foreign policy has continually done throughout history. The unstable situation in Afghanistan has caused illegal opium production to jump 34 percent in 2007 from already record levels in 2006, according to a <a href="http://www.unodc.org/documents/about-unodc/AR08_WEB.pdf">report</a> from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The Taliban has been smuggling Afghan opium via central Asia and West Africa en route to consumer nations, such as the United States and European nations. Drug profits are being used by the Taliban to finance its insurgency against Western occupation forces in Afghanistan. About $4 billion worth of opiates were exported from Afghanistan in 2007.</p> <p align="left">However, this is not the first time that illegal drugs have been used to finance an insurgent or rebel war. The same situation had occurred during the Reagan administration’s cold war against communism. This lead to the U.S.-backed Contra war against the communist Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and then eventually spawned the Iran-Contra scandal. Ironically, this time the drug smuggling was occurring on the American side of the conflict. It was the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)</a> who had knowingly dealt with drug smugglers in Nicaragua in order to further Reagan’s anti-Communism campaign in Latin America, according to <a href="http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/webb.html">Gary Webb’s “Dark Alliance,”</a> a series of articles originally printed in the San Jose Mercury News. Webb later wrote about the controversy surrounding his series of articles in a 600-page book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1888363932?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1888363932">Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1888363932" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. In 1989, Sen. John Kerry conducted a highly-detailed senate <a href="http://www.pinknoiz.com/covert/contracoke.html">report</a> which “found cases in which high U.S. officials," due to fear of disrupting Reagan’s war against communism, “intervened to stop law enforcement operations aimed at nailing drug kingpins.” Money from smuggling cocaine into the United States was funneled to the Contras for weapons and other supplies in their war to overthrow the Russian-backed Sandinistas.
<br /></p> <p>Although the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> denies knowledge of any drug smuggling operations, many of their agents were being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "In my 30-year history in the Drug Enforcement Administration and related agencies, the major targets of my investigations almost invariably turned out to be working for the <a href='<p align="left"></p> <p align="right"></p> <p align="left"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPfDJFYIuhqazx2hhawGm2ulJPT5w0zXdG8EDXSTGg-tgoBa_pooy466Xjj4AeWLga5F2DjoJjy6yQQ4LbYCxdMXH5F31weZfuFLGPHyMwmxEVmsucAIzXM6b-YhPFsDxa8Aoz9AAIpda/s320/opium-production.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" height="274" width="310" />The Taliban has been smuggling Afghan opium into Western nations, such as Great Britain in order to finance its war against the American occupation. The American War on Terror has caused the illicit drug trade to explode worldwide, just as American foreign policy has continually done throughout history. The unstable situation in Afghanistan has caused illegal opium production to jump 34 percent in 2007 from already record levels in 2006, according to a <a href="http://www.unodc.org/documents/about-unodc/AR08_WEB.pdf">report</a> from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The Taliban has been smuggling Afghan opium via central Asia and West Africa en route to consumer nations, such as the United States and European nations. Drug profits are being used by the Taliban to finance its insurgency against Western occupation forces in Afghanistan. About $4 billion worth of opiates were exported from Afghanistan in 2007.</p> <p align="left">However, this is not the first time that illegal drugs have been used to finance an insurgent or rebel war. The same situation had occurred during the Reagan administration’s cold war against communism. This lead to the U.S.-backed Contra war against the communist Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and then eventually spawned the Iran-Contra scandal. Ironically, this time the drug smuggling was occurring on the American side of the conflict. It was the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)</a> who had knowingly dealt with drug smugglers in Nicaragua in order to further Reagan’s anti-Communism campaign in Latin America, according to <a href="http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/webb.html">Gary Webb’s “Dark Alliance,”</a> a series of articles originally printed in the San Jose Mercury News. Webb later wrote about the controversy surrounding his series of articles in a 600-page book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1888363932?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1888363932">Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1888363932" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. In 1989, Sen. John Kerry conducted a highly-detailed senate <a href="http://www.pinknoiz.com/covert/contracoke.html">report</a> which “found cases in which high U.S. officials," due to fear of disrupting Reagan’s war against communism, “intervened to stop law enforcement operations aimed at nailing drug kingpins.” Money from smuggling cocaine into the United States was funneled to the Contras for weapons and other supplies in their war to overthrow the Russian-backed Sandinistas. </p> <p>Although the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> denies knowledge of any drug smuggling operations, many of their agents were being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "In my 30-year history in the Drug Enforcement Administration and related agencies, the major targets of my investigations almost invariably turned out to be working for the CIA,” said Dennis Dayle, former chief of an elite DEA unit, according to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520214498?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0520214498">Cocaine Politics: Drugs, Armies, and the CIA in Central America, Updated edition</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0520214498" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> , a book by Peter Dale Scott.</p> <p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNd1rSu445IvgjKrBesMX0_-ic59eevF3tp7QQfe7Wvnb0UCd7lMjoqG0DECAa8FNn8jU4QFgIaA-Mvx11Y95sRGjOgqP5MOTEPpHwcYuV7WVKJjZFG8q5t0-d7FRw6quZD0R63hszmC2G/s320/image-of-cocaine.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" height="287" width="405" />The largest cocaine smuggler in the history of the United States was Barry Seal, a <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> agent. Although the government had suspected him of being a drug smuggler they kept Seal on their payroll as an agent. The <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> would have Seal fly to Nicaragua to deliver arms to the Contras in Nicaragua in order to fight the communist Sandinistas. On his way back from Nicaragua he would bring back shipments of cocaine. After U.S. authorities seized $1.5 million in drug money during a sting operation, in which Seal acted as a DEA informant, Lt. Col. Oliver North suggested that the drug money be used to help the Contras, according to Kerry’s subcommittee report. The DEA ultimately denied North’s request. However if the drug bust never occurred the money probably would have gone to the Contra cause. More than likely North and the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> were well aware of that.</p>During the Vietnam War, the same “secret army” the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> had trained and equipped in Laos to fight the Vietnamese Communists were responsible for growing opium, which eventually found its way in the form of heroine to American troops fighting in Vietnam. One of the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a>’s operatives, Edgar "Pop" Buell, was responsible for teaching the Hmong, the mountain tribes recruited by the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a>, advanced agricultural techniques for growing opium in order to help fund covert actions against Vietnamese Communists in the hills of Laos, according to Professor Alfred W. McCoy’s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556524838?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1556524838">The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1556524838" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. Also, after the end of the war North Vietnamese rulers who were put into power by the U.S. government were responsible and profited from the illegal heroine trade, which found its way to U.S. soldiers. Eventually many of the troops who survived the Vietnam War came back to the United States as heroine addicts, causing dramatic increase in demand for the deadly substance back home. <p>Historically, US foreign policy has caused instability in developing nations, which in turn causes an increase in the world wide illegal drug trade. In some instances the U.S. government is at best negligent, if not complicit, in speeding up the flow of drugs into its own streets as is the case during the Iran-Contra and the Vietnam War. At other times, such as with the war in Afghanistan American foreign policy is the destabilizing catalyst for drug smuggling into Europe and the U.S. With a dramatic increase in opium production from Afghanistan, a surge in heroine addiction in consumer countries such as the United States and European nations will surely occur.</p> <p> </p>'>CIA</a>,” said Dennis Dayle, former chief of an elite DEA unit, according to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520214498?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0520214498">Cocaine Politics: Drugs, Armies, and the CIA in Central America, Updated edition</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0520214498" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> , a book by Peter Dale Scott.</p> <p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNd1rSu445IvgjKrBesMX0_-ic59eevF3tp7QQfe7Wvnb0UCd7lMjoqG0DECAa8FNn8jU4QFgIaA-Mvx11Y95sRGjOgqP5MOTEPpHwcYuV7WVKJjZFG8q5t0-d7FRw6quZD0R63hszmC2G/s320/image-of-cocaine.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" height="287" width="405" />The largest cocaine smuggler in the history of the United States was Barry Seal, a <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> agent. Although the government had suspected him of being a drug smuggler they kept Seal on their payroll as an agent. The <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> would have Seal fly to Nicaragua to deliver arms to the Contras in Nicaragua in order to fight the communist Sandinistas. On his way back from Nicaragua he would bring back shipments of cocaine. After U.S. authorities seized $1.5 million in drug money during a sting operation, in which Seal acted as a DEA informant, Lt. Col. Oliver North suggested that the drug money be used to help the Contras, according to Kerry’s subcommittee report. The DEA ultimately denied North’s request. However if the drug bust never occurred the money probably would have gone to the Contra cause. More than likely North and the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> were well aware of that.</p>During the Vietnam War, the same “secret army” the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> had trained and equipped in Laos to fight the Vietnamese Communists were responsible for growing opium, which eventually found its way in the form of heroine to American troops fighting in Vietnam. One of the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a>’s operatives, Edgar "Pop" Buell, was responsible for teaching the Hmong, the mountain tribes recruited by the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a>, advanced agricultural techniques for growing opium in order to help fund covert actions against Vietnamese Communists in the hills of Laos, according to Professor Alfred W. McCoy’s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556524838?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1556524838">The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1556524838" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. Also, after the end of the war North Vietnamese rulers who were put into power by the U.S. government were responsible and profited from the illegal heroine trade, which found its way to U.S. soldiers. Eventually many of the troops who survived the Vietnam War came back to the United States as heroine addicts, causing dramatic increase in demand for the deadly substance back home.
<br /> <p>Historically, US foreign policy has caused instability in developing nations, which in turn causes an increase in the world wide illegal drug trade. In some instances the U.S. government is at best negligent, if not complicit, in speeding up the flow of drugs into its own streets as is the case during the Iran-Contra and the Vietnam War. At other times, such as with the war in Afghanistan American foreign policy is the destabilizing catalyst for drug smuggling into Europe and the U.S. With a dramatic increase in opium production from Afghanistan, a surge in heroine addiction in consumer countries such as the United States and European nations will surely occur.</p>
<br /> <p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-38656491010345514852008-12-06T00:41:00.000-08:002009-05-28T16:59:23.847-07:00Mumbai and 9/11: Links Run Deep<span style="color:black;">The recent terrorist attack on Mumbai was meant to be India’s 9/11, claimed Azam Amir Kasab, 21, the only surviving gunman. This is just one connection between the terrorist attack in Mumbai and the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York. In both attacks authorities and security agencies were warned beforehand. However, in both incidences, security was decreased just before the strikes. </span><br /> <p><span style="color:black;">Prior to the recent attacks in Mumbai the US intelligence warned India of a possible plot by terrorists to launch a waterborne assault, according to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/02/world/main4641800.shtml?source=mostpop_story%20">CBS</a>. India was also warned that terrorists were planning to attack monumental and symbolic sites, such as the Taj Mahal. Security at the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0500342091?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0500342091%22%3EThe%20Complete%20Taj%20Mahal%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0500342091%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;">Taj Mahal</a> was increased as a result. Taj Mahal security is operated by the Tata Group, India’s largest private corporation. But, instead of keeping security tight at the Taj Mahal, Tata Group decided to scale down previously added security measures prior to the attacks. “It's ironic that we did have such a warning and we did have some measures," Rattan Tata, Tata Group’s CEO, told <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/30/india.taj.warning/index.html#cnnSTCText%20">CNN</a>. </span></p><span style="color:black;">"People couldn't park their cars in the portico where you had to go through a metal detector… But if I look at what we had -- which all of us complained about -- it could not have stopped what took place”. Tata claims that the attackers had not gone through the entrance of the hotel, which previously had metal detectors, therefore claiming that scaling down the Taj Mahal security measures was inconsequential to preventing this specific attack.</span><br /> <p><span style="color:black;">Ironically, before 9/11, the US government had received intelligence of a possible terrorist attack using hijacked planes. Just before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Vice President Cheney ordered the Air Force to stand down. The US government was also criticized for its slow response time. Some critics such as essayist, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560255021?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1560255021%22%3EDreaming%20War:%20Blood%20for%20Oil%20and%20the%20Cheney-Bush%20Junta%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1560255021%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;">Gore Vidal in his book Dreaming War: Blood For Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta</a>, claimed that the Bush administration purposely ignored warnings of the attacks.</span></p><span style="color:black;">Another common thread between 9/11 and Mumbai is American International Group (AIG), which had been in the news for receiving $85 billion in US government <a href="http://obtuseword.blogspot.com/2008/11/aig-bail-out-may-threaten-civil.html">bailouts</a>. AIG is the majority shareholder of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroll_Inc.#WTC_.26_Sears_Tower_security">Kroll Associates</a>, the company in charge of security at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. AIG also has links with Tata Group, who was in charge of security at the Taj Mahal. Tata Group had teamed up with AIG to form Tata-AIG, which insures the Taj Mahal and other hotels against terrorist attacks.</span><br /> <p><span style="color:black;">The attacks on the World Trade Center resulted in a declared “War on Terror” by the Bush Admistration. This lead to war in Afghanistan followed by war in Iraq. Kasab claims that he and his fellow gunmen were a part of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lashkar-e-Toiba">Lashkar-e-Taiba</a>, a jihadist group based out of Pakistan. </span></p><span style="color:black;">This has caused increased tension between India and Pakistan. This alarmed the world community because both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons. India and the US had just signed the <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/aug/90050.htm">123 Agreement</a>, which allows the US to exchange equipment and information to aide India in developing nuclear power. Coincidentally, AIG, even while asking for a government bailout, was still spending millions of dollars to lobby congress to sign the 123 Agreement. The US government denied Pakistan’s request for a similar agreement.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-55188726713949307512008-11-25T01:31:00.000-08:002009-05-28T16:53:52.295-07:00AIG Bail-Out May Threaten Civil Liberties<span style="color:black;">The recent $152 billion government bailout of American International Group (AIG) may have given the Central Intelligence Agency (<a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a>) access to the personal information of millions of people in America and all over the world. AIG, its subsidiaries, and its founder have a history of fraud allegations and collaborating covertly with the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> in espionage and illegal arms smuggling.</span><br /> <p><span style="color:black;">AIG is the majority shareholder of Kroll Associates, which is one of several private companies, which the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> employs to conduct espionage and illegal arms smuggling. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroll_Inc.">Kroll</a> was used to smuggle arms to the Contras in El Salvador as part of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393318605?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0393318605%22%3EFirewall:%20The%20Iran-Contra%20Conspiracy%20and%20Cover-Up%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0393318605%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;">Iran-Contra </a>scandal during the Reagan administration. Kroll’s privatized status keeps it free from much of the congressional oversight that an official arm of the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> would have to comply with. It is more difficult for Congress and the press to probe into Kroll’s potentially illegal activities. This would also be true of AIG.</span></p><span style="color:black;">AIG is America’s largest insurance provider. It also provides insurance internationally in 130 countries and jurisdictions. Insurance companies have access to more personal information on US citizens than almost any other entity in our society. They have access to our financial records, medical history, banking records, and much more. This puts into question whether the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a> may now be using AIG to conduct illegal espionage on American citizens in the name of the War on Terror.</span><br /> <p><span style="color:black;">It would not be the first time that the US government used insurance data to spy on those they considered dangerous or a threat. During World War II, the US government created the Insurance Intelligence Unit, a component of the Office of Strategic Services, a forerunner of the </span>a forerunner of the <a href="http://www.ispycia.blogspot.com/">CIA</a>, and its elite counterintelligence branch X-2. This specialized intelligence group used international insurance data and information to gain knowledge of Germany’s economy and financial institutions, according <span style="color:black;"> <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2000/sep/22/news/mn-25118%20"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1560256494" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" com="" 2000="" sep="" 22="" news="" 20="" border="0" height="1" width="1" />Los Angeles Times article in 2000</a>. The man who was in charge of the CIA’s secret insurance spying unit was Cornelius V. Starr, who later founded <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aig">AIG</a>.</span></p><span style="color:black;">In 1968 Starr chose Maurice Greenberg as his successor at AIG. In 2005 Greenberg was investigated by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for securities fraud. The investigation led to a $1.6 billion fine for AIG and criminal charges for some of its executives. Although the criminal charges against Greenberg have been dropped after AIG settled the case, Spitzer has taken the case to civil proceedings where many of the major allegations are still part of the claim. Spitzer’s successor, Andrew Cuomo, is now running the investigation. Greenberg was eventually forced to resign as CEO of AIG.</span><br /> <p><span style="color:black;">Maurice is not the only Greenberg who has had to deal with allegations of illegal activity. In 2005, his son, Jeffrey W. Greenberg, was forced to resign as CEO of Marsh & McLennan, after the company’s insurance brokerage unit was charged with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bid-rigging">bid-rigging</a> and accepting kickbacks, among other allegations.</span></p><span style="color:black;">AIG, its subsidiaries, and those that are connected to the company have a history and a reputation of operating outside of the law and sometimes on behalf of the CIA’s domestic and international agendas. As part of the bailout, the Federal Reserve now owns 79.9% of AIG. The company’s history is riddled with fraud allegations, criminal convictions, and ties with Kroll, nobody knows if favors were agreed upon behind closed doors in return for the government bailout. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-7486548404253693122008-05-14T16:49:00.000-07:002009-05-28T16:54:59.733-07:00Fear, Atheism, and Politics Play Role in Evangelical Manifesto<span style="color:black;">The recent Evangelical Manifesto is all about politics and fear. Despite claiming to depoliticize the religion the document actually plays on Christianity’s fear of atheism in the US in order to manipulate American politics. The Manifesto, written by Os Guinness, portrays two opposing possibilities for religious discourse in American society, the “naked public square” and the “civil public square.” Guinness presents the two possible choices for the future of America, one being the right path, the other disastrous for America. He warns of dangers of the “naked” public square, which according to the Evangelical Manifesto, is completely devoid of religion or spirituality in public life. In contrast the document promotes a so-called “civil” public square, which would allow for expression of religion and spirituality in the public domain.</span><br /><p><span style="color:black;">Guinness then distinguishes the difference between an “atheist” and a “secularist” in order to politicize the two terms. The document claims that a “secularist” can become an “atheist” by denying access to the spiritual world. “We ourselves [evangelicals] are often atheists unawares, secularists in practice who live in a world without windows to the supernatural,” claimed the <a href="http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/manifesto.php">Manifesto</a>. The “secularists” are depicted as open to a discussion of religion and spirituality in the public forum. He allows the “secularist” to become a part of the “civil public square,” but claims that Evangelicals need to be aware of “the striking intolerance evident among the new atheists,” therefore alienating “atheists” from the “civil” public square.</span></p><span style="color:black;">Guinness uses fear to paint a horrific picture of America in the hands of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306816083?ie=UTF8&tag=obtwor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0306816083%22%3EThe%20Portable%20Atheist:%20Essential%20Readings%20for%20the%20Nonbeliever%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=obtwor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0306816083%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22">atheists</a> by comparing atheism in America to Europe’s exclusion of religion from public life. The Manifesto warns American Evangelicals that “If this hardens into something like the European animosity toward religion in public life, the result would be disastrous for the American republic…” In the summary of the Manifesto, which accompanied the main document, the writer called atheists “coercive secularists.” The difference between “secularists” and “atheists” is a coercive and evil nature, according to the Evangelical Manifesto. The document spends a significant amount of time creating fear of an atheist or coercive secularist state. Guinness depicts “secularists” as participating members of the “civil public square” while “atheists” as intolerant to the Evangelical movement, as well as other religions.</span><br /><p><span style="color:black;">However, Christianity has experienced little intolerance in the US in comparison to other parts of the world, such as the Middle East. Unofficially, however, the US government is already endorsing the Christian religion over any other religion. There have been highly publicized accounts of Christian military personnel bullying and even threatening those non-Christian military men and women. Even President Bush had been criticized for describing the current Iraq War as a “crusade.” Many claimed it was a reference to the original 11th century Christian Crusades against Muslims in the Middle East. In the past five years if any religion has been receiving the most intolerance in the US it would be Islam.</span></p><span style="color:black;">So, what does Guinness mean by “intolerance?” Perhaps the writer is referring to the ban on public prayer or displaying religious symbols on government property. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Guinness">Guinness</a> maybe inferring that those who believe in upholding separation of church and state, which has traditionally been championed by the political left, are part of the “intolerant” atheists. During an interview with Alex Chediak (alexchediak.com) Guinness was asked if Christian voters should consider a pro-choice candidate if the candidate aligns with other Christian values. “Emphatically not, and the Manifesto is blunt about the undiminished fight for life and marriage,” replied Guinness siding with most on the political right, which has traditionally been supported by Evangelical and born-again Christians.</span><br /><p><span style="color:black;">The Evangelical Manifesto is a subversive attack on the separation of church and state, without which, the government would be allowed to officially endorse one religion over another. It would only be a matter of time before <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade">Roe v. Wade</a> will be reversed and gay marriage is banned based on government-endorsed Christian values. Although the Manifesto claims to want to end “cultural-warring” between the left and right, it is covertly continuing Evangelism’s manipulation of US politics.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-5054869358860735402008-05-01T23:00:00.000-07:002009-05-28T16:59:23.846-07:00Big Pharma Sells Happiness to AmericaAmericans are now buying their happiness in pill form. Big Pharma is recklessly pushing anti-depression drugs onto the American public. The pharmaceutical industry has been financially influencing members of the government and using misleading advertising campaigns in order to get their psychiatric drugs approved for public consumption without proper clinical trials. <br /><br />Big Pharma has infiltrated the FDA and the NIMH, two government entities, in order to get their psychiatric drugs approved for public consumption quickly with minimal barriers. In 55 percent of the FDA advisory meetings on drug approvals, half or more of the FDA advisers had financial connections to the interested drug company, while in 92 percent of these advisory meetings, at least one FDA adviser had a financial conflict of interest according to USA Today in 2000. Almost every FDA meeting on drug approvals have been tainted by Big Pharma’s money.<br /><br />The pharmaceutical companies also left their mark on the National Institute for Mental Health, the government-funded organization responsible for mental illness research. Pharmaceutical companies are beginning to regularly offer prestigious and lucrative positions to NIMH members. In 1993 Steven Paul, scientific director of NIMH, resigned to become vice president of Eli Lilly while Lewis Judd, a former NIMH director joined Roche Pharmaceutical. Both companies are two major players in the psychiatric drug market. Eli Lilly produces the well-known psychiatric drugs, Prozac and Zyprexa. Roche Pharmaceutical manufactures Valium, Klonopin, and other psychiatric drugs. The drug companies are actively recruiting members of the NIMH into high-paid private sector positions to bolster their influence over the government institution.<br /><br />With influence over members of the FDA as well as the NIMH, the pharmaceutical companies offer incentives for members of both organizations to rush psychiatric drugs through a hasty approval process. The FDA only requires two randomized clinical trials to be conducted on subjects for usually only 4 to 12 weeks according to the New York Times on April 15, 2008. Many people who take anti-depressant drugs are taking the drug for major portions of their lives. There have been very few tests on the effects of long-term use of the drugs. Yet, pharmaceutical companies are still pushing for new psychiatric drugs. One of the newest drugs to hit the market, Effexor, has only been tested for a two-year duration. Drugs are being sent straight to the consumer without clinical knowledge of long-term effects. They are even trying to treat marijuana addiction, which has yet to been proven to biologically exist, with lithium. Big Pharma also targets children. More than half of all foster children ages 13 to 17 were being given psychiatric drugs to control their behavior, according to the New York Times on April 26, 2008.<br /><br />Pharmaceutical companies send out biased and exaggerated press releases to increase the number of prescriptions for psychiatric drugs. In 1987 Eli Lilly released Prozac, a serotonin-enhancer, based on the theory that depression was caused by low levels of serotonin. Eli Lily then used a multi-billion dollar marketing campaign to further convince doctors and the public that depression was caused by a deficiency in serotonin and Prozac was the cure for this deficiency. However, in 1998 The American Medical Association concluded that the link between low levels of serotonin and depression was unclear. By this time the percentage of Americans in outpatient treatment had more than tripled, and prescriptions of psychiatric medications had more than doubled, according to Alternet.org. Eli Lily had already made its money. The insurance companies cashed in. And now, the anti-depressant drug market is a $12 billion per year industry and growing, slowing medicating the nation into chemical happiness.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4147480961738589276.post-7922016222377155092008-04-25T20:59:00.000-07:002009-05-28T16:59:23.848-07:00Coming Soon...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0