"Uncovering Southeast Asia's Jihad"

See CNN.com/World: http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/10/29/asia.jihad.1/index.html

In the article by Maria Ressa:

"Jemaah Islamiya's plan is breathtaking -- to carve out one giant Islamic state from parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Phillipines, Indonesia and even Australia."

What does it mean? That we women will wear burkhas from Thailand to Australia? Like hell we will! How stupidly ignorant can they be? Can they cow and coerce us all into such submission, to give up centuries of civilization to become ignorant like them? What is the solution? Is it military or spiritual, or philosophical, or political, of what? Or is it all of the above? I think military and political comes first, then spiritual and philosophical, to bring them up to the present from their ignorant stygian past!

Dear (Anon),

I hear you. It will not happen. Theirs is a desperate cause knowing that they and their old culture is being left permanently behind. But what are they losing? The fanatic fundamentalist can only offer bombs, suicide, terror, death, oppression, and burkhas (?sp). They have nothing to give, but fear and pain, and old fashioned tyranny. Sometimes, we of the new order of freedom need to be pushed to realize what wonderful treasures we really have. I suspect this is one of those times.

Have faith, Ivan

HUMAN RIGHTS?

The headline in BBC News reads "Iranian academic sentenced to death".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2415751.stm

This is the prime dilemma for all moderates, intellectuals, free thinkers, lovers of liberty, in the newly developing world of fundamentalist religious fanaticism, whether Muslim today, or Christian or Judaic in the future, or Atheist in the last of the Communist countries: No dissent of opinion is allowed. One is allowed the "freedom" only to obey. Is this not an oxymoron? Yet, freedom of speech, of thought, of being, is all undermined by men who would oppress one another in the name of God, another oxymoron. Peace only through suppression of being is the third oxymoron. Peace can only come from love of freedom and the tolerance to be who we are.

What will the future of humanity bring for Human Rights? I see this as a question that transcends all philosophical and religious thinking of the ages. Habeas Mentem is pivotal in how the future world will unfold, though it is still too new and obscure to make a difference. It is not "us against them" but rather "agreement against coercion". Which way will the world go?

Ivan

WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?

Why cannot we say:

"I am a believer in ALL religions, Christianity, Mohammedism, Baha'ism, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Zoroastraism, Amenism, animism, spiritualism, Jainism, Taoism, all included. Each had a teacher for its time, and each had an eternal message for humankind. What we then make of it is a whole other story."

And why cannot we also say:

"And I even believe in Science!"

Surely the universe is big enough to accomodate all beliefs, so that we do not have to go killing each other over what another believes. What ever made us think we are unique? Or even alone? And what will they think of us when it is time to meet?

Bruno

================================================================
(Editors' note)

FOR ALL HUMANKIND

Then in believing in ALL the religions, does that not make us equal before God, as one ALL humankind? Each human being believes as it is in his or her heart and mind to believe, with the freedom allowed for all others to believe, even if only in science. Then, if so, we are ALL one family of humanity on this planet. The contentious arguments and conflicts now become passe. There are no infidels; there is no heresy; those are manmade things. All the religions of God are now equal for each and every human being alive, as is their free choice. Agreements can now replace coercions.

Is this not a better way?

Eds.

Your opinion of the following is appreciated. Do visit the web page and sign the guest book with your thoughts.


We Are the Messiah!

Jesus said, “Be as I am.”

This will make a difference in the hearts and minds of many.
….
We are the Messiah, the Prophets, the Buddha, the Manifestations of God, the People of Spirit a living Messiah in the multitudes who can and do make a difference in Our Personal and World Spiritual Economies and Environments. Not one of us but all of us and We are all Messengers of God. We are all Messengers of God and We are all coe creaters of our Spiritual Environments and our Spiritual Economies and we are equally responsible for their state of well being.

Essentially we are all born Spiritual Whole/Holy beings requiring Loving, Caring, Respect, Accountability, Nurturing and encouragement to become whole productive participants in our families, our communities and even within ourselves feeling good about who we are and what we do helps us be there for others when they need us.

We are all co creators as with God. We must see we have choices and the ability to seek places we can make healthy choices, lets make the right choices. Educated and nurtured we can make good ones.

We are all born with Spiritual responsibilities to ourselves, others and God to do the right thing, get help when we need it, give it when we can and if we can’t be clear about it and empower the individual or ourselves to learn to help themselves or ourselves creatively and legally.

It means there are things that must be done and we have the means to do it, technology, education, resources, people willing and now we need the cooperation and coming together of our leaders, our people. Setting the problems on the table, finding effective solutions, implementing these with authority and educate the people the why’s if needed. You, Your Family and Our World need your help too.

It means Mankind must recognize the Nobility and the High Station of each of Us. In this recognition there must be a striving to edcucate, counsel and consult all Mankind to be the very best we can be regardless of rich or poor. Following this counsel will see the world blosoom before your eyes! One heart at a time!

Sharing this message will open doors before us all, we never imagined before.

Let me know what you think about this & your invited to visit my web site.
Or if you want to help with this project please contact me.

Anne Marie Habibi ph:1-902- 443-4347 or email me at amlhabibi@hotmail.com

My Web site http://www.geocities.com/amhabibi101/messiah.html

Hi guys,

Yes it's me again Ivan...back from my sojourns.

Well, we all agree that the reins of the education of the young boys in some of these countries needs to be taken away from the 'false prophets' they now have. That aligns with the Quran's message anyway, that these teachers cannot 'speak for God'.

Anyway, in relation to education, and what our wonderful children can offer. This post I put on the old archived 'non-contradiction' forum in response to Ivan's 'Examined' lament on Plato. Since it's archived I thought I'd better repost here...

Hi Ivan,

It's been a while...

Chin up old chum...

The good news is that I've got a local version of the 'free lunches for kids' program up and happening. I showed the people a copy of parts of this forum as my vision/prospectus.

We incorporated the community development officer from the local council. He had the great idea of taking the idea to kids in well off schools. They ran a brain storming session, and you should have seen the ideas rattling off those little minds!

What we came up with was a business/kids in well off schools/local government/meals on wheels joint venture to provide meals for kids in poorer city districts and aboriginal communities. It incorporates donations to CARE Australia's program for feeding kids in third world countries.

Thanks for your contributions, and Claude, WJ, and G-Man. I showed some of the kids (some) of the posts, and they have even developed an interest in Philosophy. They want Claude to come to Australia and lecture. The kids have created a petition to send to the United Nations based on Claude's ideas about all that world problem-solving in the near future, stopping military spending etc. They have also got local business looking at
Forum for the Future-UK and the ideas there.

Good work all!! Philosophy in action!!

Ivan, I think I can gurantee that sales in your book 'Dreams of the World Trilogy' will go through the roof...you are a legend!

By the way...what's it about? Maybe it could be included in the necessary education of Middle Eastern boys...

Dave.

So, anonymous, my response is, an unequivocal 'humanity forward' vote!

The problems we have had to surface in order to address them, so better sooner than later huh?

Dave.

As for Jemaah Islamiya's plan's for Australian conquest?

Well, Aussies have put their hands up to defend other countries against tyrants throughout the 20th century...if it comes to defending ourselves...well those little guys better think twice. Aussies have always been handy to have in the trenches, and its not a tradition that has died out. The little bullies ran for their lives when the diggers landed in East Timor. Ever ask yourself why they have to resort to the cheap shot of killing innocents who can't defend themselves? Basically...false bravado that quickly gives way to cowardice.

Besides the crocodiles will probably get them if they come from the North West.

The thing is all these crazies tend to come from countries that were 'missing in action' when WWII happened. They don't have the 'lessons from history' angle that we have. Perhaps they should have a look at some of the footage about how the Londoners withstood daily bombing for two years and still stuck it out...and then the landings of D Day. Do they really think they have what it takes?

They all need some lessons in what have been hard fought wins with the developments of democracies, defeating monarchical rule, separation of church and state, women's suffrage, the coming into being of the UN. You know all those principles that distinguish mammalian civilization from reptilian methods.

Sorry for the tirade...but my patience is a little short with these types since Bali.

I read somewhere that the only country in the world that comes close to being an Islamic state in the purer sense of the words is...the U.S. It has a constitution that declares itself 'one nation under God', plus truth and liberty. Ok so there's some greed happening, but we trust you to figure that out, right? And you might get around to signing the Rio protocol, and ratifying the World Court...that would be nice. And while we're on the topic...how about some decent movies!!

D.

Dear Anna Marie,

So good to have a women's voice in spiritual matters, with a message of love and understanding, which is so often lost in a world of all men Prophets. Whether spiritual or secular, humanist or strictly religious, the message that always shines is that we are to love one another, for this is the God in us. Love without prejudice, without attachment, without demands, is the force of the All that Is radiating from within each one of us, which like a gravity of the soul attracts us to others, and them to us. That this love had been damaged so much through history, tortured, coerced, denied, killed, prostituted, is the damage that translates into each one of us in our dysfunctions in the present, the damaged who we are now. And so, we forget the primal message of Who we are, and you are reminding us. "We are the Messiahs!"

God's-Love-identity is in each one of us, and for this we should be truly awed and thankful. Indeed, same as my Baha'i friends remind me, we are all One Planet, One People. It is so good to hear a woman's voice to remind us of Love.

Thank you for your message.

Ivan

Hi Dave!

Happy Thanksgiving! from the upper-lower 50 to down-under! So glad to hear from you, and to see that you have been well occupied with good works for humanity. Also pleased to hear that our still young Humancafe "brain trust" is able to contribute something to other young minds as well.

"Dream of the Worlds", selling well, has quite a bit of our philosophies in there as well, though it is primarily a good yarn for the 22nd century, when we make Contact with our sister worlds. Of course, they are ahead of us and not quite as socially dysfunctional as here on Earth, but not entirely so. In fact, their dysfunctions are of a different order, if not dimensions!

About our totally dysfunctional brethren who would dominate the world with women all wearing burquas, men wearing lice infested beards, and children learning to shoot guns before they can walk... well, their false prophets of religious hatred have totally perverted their Prophet's teachings into something that resembles more like Satan worship than to God, or Allah. They somehow missed the message that Allah and God are Love and Merciful and Compassionate. Instead, theirs is a religion of hate, oppression, and killing, not Muslim at all. So it is too bad that they are such a pestilence, even if to some a generally popular pestilence, but like AIDS and other human diseases not be easily eradicated, it will not prevail. To fight this disease will be a world battle of wills, courage, intellect, and spiritual awareness that will take us well into the next century. Their best hope is to hold us back in our progress, since they themselves are feeling so hopelessly left behind, and cause us as much pain as they can. That is their satanic mission, to cause pain. Covert terror is easily inflicted on an open and generous hearted people, so they have their occasional successes. Of course, they will not take over Oz anymore than they will take over China. The teachers of the false prophets are merely an angry hive of helpless and incompetently confused human beings who in the end will only succeed in destroying themselves (like the "shoe bomber"), if they could even manage that. As you say, they are not warriors and do not have the mettle of Londoners during the blitz, nor the Allies on D day. But like the AIDS virus, these propagators of hate are a pestilence we cannot afford to ignore.

On a happier note, so glad to hear from you again!

Take care, love, Ivan

Ps: To the post above.

Note the final entry in the PeoplesBook2000, which said:

"War is, because those who need to change and cannot, do so by force to punish those who have, and become punished themselves, to change. This is true of all violence, until we change."

This is a very astute (anonymous) statement, and very telling, that those who cannot change, ie., the so-called "religious" fanatics, are forcing change on themselves by bringing violence to others (in a "jihad"), who had changed, so that in their defeat change will be forced back on them.

The "false prophets of hate" are doomed to change, because defeat is what they want, so they could change in a way they cannot do so on their own. This is most sad, a kind of "suicidal" defeat.

-Eds

Is "Kingdom of God" already here?

Hi all, this was a thought that occurred to me while waking up this morning, that the sought after so-called Kingdom of God, of all the religions, has already been here all along! Think of all the religious efforts, all the priests and philosophers and worshipers, all thinking, praying, fighting, even killing, to bring this Kingdom to Earth. Would one not think that in the past two or three millennia that we had in fact succeeded?

I think we have, the Kingdom is already here. So what's wrong with this picture? If what we want is what we get, then we wanted what we got! As Anna Marie says, "We are the Messiah!", so we bring to Earth our kingdom, collectively as a human species. What I believe is missing from this kingdom of ours is "freedom". We have not yet understood how to do things through agreement rather than through coercion. Once we get this, freedom will exist, which will give us the right to be Who we are. Then, I suspect, the Kingdom envisioned through the ages by all religions will finally come to pass.

If this is so, then I'm ready for it!

Ivan

Hi Ivan,

This is actually a response to your last post on the TOE thread. Interestingly, we could say that at some point the TOE does become a question as to whether humanity will move forward or back with the knowledge that it (the TOE, or Thou) entails.

What you had written would seem to indicate that the whole TOE thread, and indeed all the calculations that are contained in it, and within all the hyperlinks that are referred to from it, and all the mathematics upon which it relies, could be summarised by saying simply 'thou art that' (see p.101 of the Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are).

To quote you from a post that you entered in the thread 'Christ's Awakening the World' (see archives):

[quote]
This is the question I often ask myself as well: Is the infinite chain of connections that define a life, a point of life at the end of this chain: is this the soul? What is it that constitutes a definition of our being that is continuous, immortal, that is some value in us which survives us upon the death of our body? Does the concept of 'interrelationship' as a defining force of things in existence lend itself to a definition of the soul, and ultimately of God? Or does it require some higher consciousness in man to reach such an immortality, such as found in the life of the saints? I do not know, and can only offer a guess on this: I suspect the answer is 'yes'. Or in the words of the Buddhist masters: 'Thou art that.'

[unquote]

Interestingly, this post was made on July 25, 2001, as part of an exchange between you and our beloved WJ. Just a matter of weeks before that earth shattering event of stupidity, some two or three earth shattering events of stupidity ago. One wonders...perhaps we should consider these events not necessarily as a call to change our thinking, but a call to think more deeply along the lines that we had already been pursuing. It was a line of thought that would, if it were implemented, answer the complaints of the fundamentalists, but in an 'oh so much more peaceful and beneficial way'.

I'm quite often taken to thinking of a quote from Einstein (from his work 'Out of My Later Years') that 'all of Science is merely a refinement of everyday thinking'. Trouble is we have not sufficiently explored everyday thinking. And I guess meisois would have developed from some historical quasi-equivilent to this everyday thinking, though not a male-centred linguistic version of it as we see in humans, at least up until now.

It was only this morning that I typed in a title (in my potential book titles file, which now numbers around 3,000 potential book titles): "The History of Detailed Scrutiny that has Excluded Our Essential Nature'. But this was more in relation to the male focus that has ignored the 'other half of humanity' (not to mention the children) in its rush for knowledge that has lead to the profound ignorance that we see today. Indeed it's actually more than the other half of humanity when you think about. If you take in the enlightened males, the children, the elderly where males have lost the testosterone drive, the environmentalists, the clergy, then we are talking about something like 85% of humanity (the true everyday) being ignored.

And I think it has to be said that in the Islamic world, that profound ignorance has achieved what was always going to result from male-centred thinking, that is, a culture of stupid men. I don't think we need to go to the level of Salman Rushdie and use a term like 'Satanic Verses', and risk having a 'fatwah' placed on our heads. This because the Quran does encourage the pursuit of knowledge, but it should be a pursuit that doesn't result in the mere 'knowledge for knowledges sake' (narrow eros) that has resulted in the West. More along the lines of a necessarily 'beneficial knowledge', and which does address essential nature via appropriate scrutiny.

Perhaps you are on to something with your above quoted statement. The median point (interrelationship) between the West and the Middle East (A and Not A) might come from the East and the feminine (Good God, its the Goddess within). The reality of the principle of non-contradiction being the acceptance of contradiction, and doing something about it apart from arguing, warring, or demanding conflict resolution resources to be deployed from the non-arguers.

It was also Einstein who suggested that the minds that create problems might not be the best ones to be employed to solve the problems. Thus Yasser Arafat, should be excluded from this project, but Jimmy Carter most definitely on board.

There arises the prospect, for some more than others perhaps, that is summed up by the concluding paragraph from Edgar Allan Poe's 'Tales of Detection'.

[quote]
I believe there is nothing more to be explained. Mr. Pennifeather was released upon the spot, inherited the fortune of his uncle, profited by the lessons of experience, turned over a new leaf, and led happily ever afterward a new life.
[unquote]

Metta und Saludos Cordiales,

Dave.

Dave!

Brilliant! Think infinitely. Think, an infinite interrelationship focussed on one spot, meiosis, and a cell divides. A new life! So now a cell separates into X and Y. Is this a starting point for ending a culture of "stupid men"?

Is this "meiosis" also the division between West and East, a world of knowledge for knowledge's sake and a world of knowledge for... what... God's sake? But is God only in the Holy Scriptures, the Gospels, Koran? Or is Allah, Yahweh, God, Infinite, Universe, Mind, also in all of Nature, All of existence? And if the latter, then the two new cells divided may find each other again in a greater vision of God, and thus interact without becoming another Abel and Cain.

How can we end a divisive culture of "stupid men" who, after all, were also raised and loved by women, their mothers? We will need wise women, and wise human beings of all ages.

Ivan

Hi Ivan,

Though the two cells divided, there is also the quite well thought out system of osmosis, I quite like that one too. Harnessing osmosis and the movement of thought through a semi-permeable meme-brain. Not to mention inter-cell communication of other sorts. Intercultural communication and interfaith might be other synonyms of those.

Is humanity itself a metaphor for life?

Bio-mimicry doesn't seem like such a bad idea, somewhat better than the idea of a military industrial complex supporting an eternally unstable peace.

Have you ever noticed that traffic systems act in similar ways to blood flow? The inward flow in the morning peak hour, and the outward flow at night time. Except that all red blood cells are four cylinder Japanese hatchbacks.

Dave.

WHAT WOULD THE WORLD BE LIKE IF AL-QAEDA WINS?
http://www.msnbc.com/news/842767.asp?Ocl=c1

The above article titled "Like a Virus", which compares terrorism by Al-Qaeda as a kind of illness, a kind of virus spreading throughout the globe, makes one think: What would happen if those who resent the cultures of the West were to win? What would the world be like if we of the West failed in combating this new wave of terrorism? This is a rhetorical question, since it is our belief that success by the terrorists over the West is not only unlikely but unthinkable. To have hundreds if not thousands of years of civilization and gains in human freedoms erased by a backwards reign of terror is not an option, one of which the West's leadership must be keenly aware to keep in tight focus. But what if it happened, that this focus was lost, and confusion instead lead to mistakes offering the terrorists victory? What would our world become?

Firstly, the whole idea of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of exchange, freedom of information, freedom of travel, and many of our human rights would be erased in one stroke. There would no longer be the cherished "innocent until proven guilty", nor trial by jury, nor guarantees of agreement by contract, nor "the right to remain silent", nor dual or multi party democracy, nor the right to speak freely against one's government, nor to criticize those in power, nor the secular laws ensuring our right to being who we are. These all would be erased, as they individually and collectively represent a threat to a socio-cultural order based on unquestionable rule by power and allegiance; a rule by "divine" edict interpreted by the men who have empowered themselves to interpret for everyone what is their "word" of God. If their rule is challenged, they respond with a swift retaliation against any voice raised against them, if not a death "fatwa". So opposition becomes nonexistent and freedom as we know it, and had so long fought for, would be wiped out.

Secondly, prayer would become mandatory. This is not just any prayer but a very specific type of prayer as dictated by those in religious power. Children would be forced into mandatory schooling not for the sake of knowledge but for the sake of reinforcing such power. In effect, prayer loses its value as one's communion with God but becomes a slavish repetition which demands allegiance to the man-made interpretation of "Who-What" God is. The idea of searching one's conscience, our higher consciousness, for spiritual values would be outlawed and replaced with obedience. Children would be forcibly indoctrinated into this very narrow vision of what they may believe, which in effect becomes their spiritual boundaries, and which become punishable if overstepped. Freedom of religion, of what one believes, would cease to exist.

Thirdly, women could not dress as they pleased. This would start with forbidding the wearing of bathing suits on the beach, or even in one's home, or simply any exhibitionism would not be allowed. The freedom and beauty of being a woman would now be restricted to some men's idea of what a non-seductive woman should be. She should be plain and overly covered. Nudity would be strictly forbidden and severely punished (except perhaps in brothels), but not in the presence of strangers, or even other women. Indeed, women would be forced into hiding, forced to wear head to toe concealment of who they are while in public, and severely restricted as to their freedom of movement outside the home. The idea of a highly educated woman would be restricted severely, so the contributions women's minds could offer society would be nulled (other than as baby factories), and their intelligence would be outlawed into oblivion. Women would no longer be allowed to be women, but instead become some man-made image of what they should be, defined by men in power. These men would be they who rule as defined by their self interpreted vision of God's plan for humanity on Earth, God's "kingdom". In such a restrictive world, women are reduced to being citizens of a lower order devoid of human rights, except as decreed by men, their husbands or father or brothers, all of whom have the power to punish them with impunity, even unto death.

Fourthly, joy would be outlawed. Any expression of overt happiness would be viewed with suspicion. Music, the arts, dance, celebration of the beauty of being human, sculpture, painting, theatre, all celebrations of joy would be severely restricted if not outlawed, and punishable by decree. All past expressions of this beauty and joy, starting with the works of ancient Greeks, would have to be destroyed. Religious joy, a bliss of fervent prayer, would be allowed within parameters allowed as dictated by the religious teachers in power, but only as strictly interpreted by them. All spontaneous expressions of joy would be seen as an expression of moral corruption. Love would be seen as a fallen nature of men and women, so should be discouraged in favor of arranged marriages. Children would be allowed play and laughter while young, but discouraged upon maturity. The joy of sex would be most severely restricted. It would be allowed for procreation and to satisfy the natural needs of husbands. Sexual enjoyment by women would be eliminated as much as possible through female circumcision upon reaching menstruation, or other signs of sexual maturity such as the development of breasts. Intimidation would become a tool to be used against anyone who oversteps the rules of what may be considered joyful, as strictly defined by the religious leaders, and punished if disobeyed. To be in good taste, within this socio-cultural context, would be to be silent and obedient, or to show joy or loud lamentation (on command) when demanded.

Lastly, and the most damning of all to all who had enjoyed a life of freedom: The right to a pursuit of happiness would now be nulled, except as defined by the men who interpret for everyone the word of God. What one wants from life, who they are, how they are to achieve this, what gives them joy and pleasure and happiness of one's own initiative, reason, mind, heart, soul, all these become null and void, except as decreed. Each human being is now stripped of that innate initiative they may feel in their hearts in exchange for correct conduct, to conform to the strict interpretations from those whose elevated position of power had been decreed by God. Happiness is now as demanded by God, and any personal initiative comes under suspicion, thus in the process each human being, whether male or female, is emasculated into conformity. Freedom is irretrievably lost. We would not longer be allowed to be "who we are" (as per philosophy of Habeas Mentem). Whereas the loss of freedom impacted women and children first, this loss of freedom impacts productive men directly. Such loss of necessity forces them into a posture of a kind of machismo, a violent response to their emasculated loss of freedom, which leads to a lack of personal achievement except in violence to others. This violence is directed usually against those who are weaker than themselves, which is a form of cowardice. This is the abasing of men into eunuch like behavior towards each other, and especially in a resentment towards women. Though full of false bravado, they are impotent. Once personal freedom is taken away from men, they become powerless puppets in the hands of their oppressors within the tightly controlled environment of the socio-cultural power structure. His manhood gone, it is now defined instead by these constraints on his being, and his performance drops off into neglect, self destructiveness, and failure. The price paid is economic and social lethargy, except in warfare where he can exhibit his manhood in the killing of others, and the economy slides into impoverishment. This impoverishment is cumulative, except for those few who are in power over them, who live off their and their women's labor, and thus who rule for their own benefit at the expense of the populace they control. This is the Al-Qaeda world men would inherit if they win. Rather than rising to the Glory of God, they become men in a world of the emasculated damned.

Finally, how is this so different from slavery? The claim of a so-called "jihad" against the "imperial" forces of the West (that they enslave the lesser developed countries economically) is false. The real enslavement of human beings is when they are prevented from being who they are by their socio-cultural oppressors. Once that happens, economic stagnation sets in and, other than finding happiness covertly, through escapism, war, and excessive religious fervor, there is not cultural success, no future. God did not make man and woman to be slaves.

* * *

This is a grim image of two opposing civilizations faced off in a war without end. Will we go forwards or back as humanity? We at Humancafe do not favor war, ever. Yet, regrettably, while the Al-Qaeda and their sympathizers' threats exist, a war is inevitable. And thus we must be very clear on who we are and what it is we stand for, and what we want for our future and that of our children.

We are at crossroads testing our mettle as a civilization, as a free people faced with those who would enslave, and we cannot afford to lose our focus in what needs to be done. Strange that they who shout the loudest about their spiritual greatness, and would force it on others, are the ones who are the most oppressed, like a virus the most damned; while those who accept their spirituality meekly, silently and in a secular way, do so with good wishes and tolerance for others. Which will win? That will be in God's hands.

-Editors.

GLOBALIZATION IS NOT POVERTY

Globalization does not cause poverty. Colonial imperialism is not globalization. The former is an international extension of commercial enterprise in association with independent nations; the latter is an extension of a dominant nation's home rule onto the native peoples under colonial occupation. They are materially and politically different from one another. Colonial exploitation was responsible for a status quo of native poverty. Globalization is not the cause of native poverty.

Every time we use a cell phone, or board an airplane, or use a credit card, or bank ATM to draw cash, or buy a product from another country, fruit out of season, automobiles with parts manufactured world wide; all these are globalization. If we stop using these services, or purchasing these goods, we impact the people of the countries where these goods and services are produced, to the detriment of their local economies. If goods from Japan, or China, or Germany or Mexico or Uganda, are purchased and sold worldwide, they are part of globalization. But if the wages paid in these countries are unequal, where in some economies the wages and commensurate standard of living is higher than in others, that is a function of local conditions more than of international commerce. If the local economy has predatory pricing, bureaucratic restrictions on capital formation or any enterprise except that most primitive, cultural and religious prohibitions on labor for sectors of the population, such as women or untouchables for example, or a power structure that either steals or taxes excessively from its people; these are what causes economic substandard performance and impoverishment. That these substandard economies are linked into an international network of commerce does not legitimize their domestic predation of economic capabilities, though it does tend to allow for these by continuing to do business with them. The moral choice is to stop doing business with abusive domestic economies, but then it is the people of these countries who suffer most, not the overall global economy, though the loss of goods and services would be felt world wide. If an economy fails, either in its agricultural output due to natural or manmade circumstances, such as drought or war, or the financial system collapses, such as a severe stock market crash or bank failures, or due to an aggressive criminal underground that rules the business establishment by terror and coercion, such as the Russian or Ukrainian or Italian Mafias; then all these economies suffer. This is not due to globalization but due to natural and manmade abuses that local conditions suffer. Poverty is caused by these.

To isolate a country because of human right abuses within its borders, or to cut off commerce for political reasons, such as the sanctions against Cuba or Iraq, are not functions of globalization, though such political and commercial isolation falls within the realm of world commerce. Political realities within nations may sanction them from the greater global reality of human activity, or become so insulated from the rest of the world that wages and economic activity may be severely impacted into substandard levels, and this could be interpreted as an act of globalization. However, isolation of economies does not further them, nor does it serve the commercial interests of a global human enterprise of trade, and must be seen within the context of being what they are, a locally isolated event. If a cell phone or credit card does not work in such an isolated country, then it is the failure of globalization there in that country that is to blame, not the globalization of the planet's total commerce. As free human beings, all are encouraged to participate as best they can in the interhuman exchange offered within the marketplace, if such is allowed to them. However, if the marketplace is dominated by criminal elements or government restrictions that prohibit activity, or excessive taxation, then if that market performs less well within the global network of markets, it is its people who suffer. They become impoverished.

So there is no comparison between old fashioned colonial imperialism and modern globalization. The culprit in today's poverty within pockets of the international human community is more often the result not of natural disasters, since world aid is quick to respond to these, but because of manmade conditions locally, either through war or other coercions of the domestic populations. This may even be extended to coercions by the people against themselves, where a meritocracy of excellence is envied and discouraged into an equality of mediocrity, such as was experienced within the Soviet Block countries in the past. To blame globalization on such poverty is to confuse issues and to obscure the real causes of such poverty. If the workers making running shoes in Vietnam are paid severely substandard wages, the correction of these abuses are within the realm of Vietnam. The global community may extend a helping hand, or criticize the internal abuses against the workers, but they may not step in and interfere with the political and economic reality of Vietnam without overstepping its bounds. That is for the people and government of Vietnam to correct. We, in our moral judgement, may be offended by such abuses of labor and may elect to not do business with such enterprises, but this will not alleviate the problem of substandard wages of labor there. Under colonialism, this would have been dealt with through orders from the home office, but under globalization this is no longer possible. We may not dictate to another nation how they are to run their affairs, unless they pose a military threat to us and others in the world. As we grow into being one planet through communications, travel, cultural exchange, and commerce, we must be painfully aware that the conditions in other countries not to our liking are not ours to solve, but theirs.

In conclusion, globalization is an extension of the marketplace worldwide. It offers but cannot control, and if it uses predatory pricing in an effort to control, then the solution falls into the domain of a world court to prevent such abuses. But as regards labor abuses or commercial abuses within nations, that is for the nations to resolve internally and not a responsibility of globalization. We can offer aid, but cannot dictate. To do otherwise is to trespass on the political and economic sovereignty of other nations, which is not the purpose nor intent of globalization. If any nation is guilty of severe human rights abuses, however, we have the right to call them on it and exert pressure for these abuses to cease. But this is not due to globalization but instead due to the abuses being offensive to humanity on a global scale. And then we have the right to protest against such abuses, because it is those abuses that cause poverty around the world.

To go forwards as a humanity and not back, we need not to protest against globalization, but to protest against the abuses of all people globally.

Ivan

To be a minority voice here:

I think those who wish to live under Islam have a traditional society in which things are not seen as they are here in the west, and I do not judge. Are their women any more oppressed than women sexualized by advertising in the west? To my mind, no - the problem with societies is universal, whether peaceful or not: they deny the existential in favor of the end result.

Readers write in, in response to "Al-Qaeda wins?" from above:

..."Once personal freedom is taken away from men, they become powerless puppets in the hands of their oppressors.... His manhood gone, it is now defined instead by these constraints on his being, and his performance drops off into neglect, self destructiveness, and failure. The price paid is economic and social lethargy, except in warfare where he can exhibit his manhood in the killing of others..."

Is this also the "Palestinian question"? --Marda


This is a war waged by enemies of individual thought against all forms of individualism. To the extent that it succeeds it will result in universal collectivism, probably collectivism's most virulent form: the integration of State and Religion. But is it possible to collectivize human consciousness? For that is the essence of their objective. It is not only women whose thoughts will be suppressed. Expression of any dissenting view will result in death. Total failure to dissent will result in a fate worse than death, that of perpetual slave status for almost all of mankind. This is a cultural war that cannot be won. It can only result in loss. Loss for its perpetrators and loss for its victims. Who was it, Cato or Cicero, who said at the end of each senate speech (no mattter what the subject) "Carthago delenda est"? I say, "terrorism delenda est." --Bill


Do you think
that terrorism exists to invade the west and to conquere it?
Where "terrorism" comes from?
Have we not a LOCAL terrorism, made of deviated people of our own culture,
land, and tradition?
What will happen, in sense of freedom and human rights, in the east, if the
free United States decide to bomb people there?
Where is the freedom and for who into a war?
Who decides who is allowed to be free?
I think to provoke a bit a reflection.
The good and the evil are NEVER totally divided.

A lot of slaughters happened in Italy too, expecially in the seventies.
Piazza Fontana, Piazza Bologna...
A lot of bombings happen all over the world and continuos attemps and
murders and so on.
It is nos still said that the answer is the war.
United States are not used to it and september the 11 was dreadful but
maybe the United States should understand what is happening inside its womb,
aswell.
Terrorism is not a country, is not a nation declaring war.
--Betta

Terrorism is a method. One used by the poor against their well-funded adversaries.

In war there is no legitimacy; stop yer whinin' ;)

Hi S.R.

That's an intriguing post. You're obviously one of those lucky folks who sees the whole picture and can sum it up in three sentences.

Yet the rest of the species has seen the need to have a U.N., whole university departments, research programs, military projects, senate investigation committees, talk back radio program continua, religious interfaith dialogues, etc dedicated to some aspect of each word that you have used in your three sentences.

I suppose, philosophically we could say the 'ought to stop whining' (is that stoicism?) has been derived from the premises 'terrorism as method', and 'no legitimacy in war'. In the (good)old days they used to argue that trying to derive an 'ought' from an 'is' commits a naturalistic fallacy (G.E. Moore). But in those days people were trying to establish beneficial 'oughts'. Besides, it seems to me that David Hume, in arguing that we can't get an ought from an is, was really arguing about the 'is' of theology. I personally believe that we can get an ought from an is, and its in relation to the ontological aspect of metaphysics, the mystical aspect of epistemology, and...well that's about as far as I've got...maybe aesthetics? But I do see something inherently political in the mystical. So maybe there's a mandala there (like a kind of Omega symbol) such that Church should indeed be separated from the State, but the spiritual/mystical should have a direct connection.

It seems that the ethical/moral side of philosophy was seen as trying to take over from the 'commandments of God' that came with religion, an age-old problem. In fact, some people are so reverent to the age-old problem itself, content aside, that they spend their whole lives researching it. If you looked like you were about to solve it, they might take a contract out on you because you are destroying their livliehood. I guess we should allow them to continue with their research...but isn't that a form of welfare?

Why should we accept the moral tenets of this person or that person, of this authority, or that authority? In a way religion was the easy solution. Some would say "...well I know someone that had a revelation from God himself, and this is what he said: 'thou shalt' etc, and if you don't abide, you'll get struck down by lightening or flood". Then when people got smart enough to say "gee, not only have I never had any inkling of God speaking to anyone, but nobody I speak to has either, except the Church leaders, funny that". An that's just ordinary untrained logic without having to question the existence or not of the Ark or the possibilities of all the animals on earth fitting on the Ark, or 'who was Cain's wife?'.

Who are the well-funded adversaries, by the way? In the poor communities it seems that the bomb builders have enough money to build the bombs. Doesn't that make them relatively well funded in relation to their poor neighbours? Shouldn't they spend their money on local education, clean water etc. Shouldn't they stop whining?

But on the whole, I guess what you say is true in the REALLY big picture sense. Coz in the REALLY big picture sense everyone has stopped their whining. Jesus has come back, everyone's a Bodhisatttva, and Paradise is here and now (there and then). That's somewhat different from 'stop ya whining and pass the ammunition'. So could it be that there are two dimensions to 'stop ya whining'?

Cheers, very thought provoking that one. I suppose you would align to the notion that humanity is always in stasis, i.e. neither forward nor back...huh?

Regards,

Dave.

Hi Dave, S.R.,

Whinin' indeed, and thought provokin'. So "who was Cain's wife?" reminded me of "who was Adam's wife?" Was it Eve, as most assume, or really Lilith, the dark side of Eve (as most assume), or truly a different wife, the bad one? Who was the real wife in Adam's hareem?

I bring this up because though we may all be related, we may be related to the wrong side of Adam's hareem, figuring that all the good side got wiped out in the "million year war". Now we live with the continued legacy of Cain and Abel, which may go even further back to Eve and Lilith. At least, that's how it would look from the street where I live, which I'm sure is different from Main Street, or Wall Street, and surely even more different from Arab Street in the Abdeen quarter of Cairo. This Newsweek article gives us a glimpse into that Street: The Arab Street

"They can't understand why they are deprived of what they hope for, which is an American way of life."

This is the great irony of the Arab world, which I witnessed first hand when traveling in Egypt, that they yearn for an American way of life. The Street stretching from Kuwait city to Casablanca is the heartbeat of discontent with the West, while at the same time coveting the material wealth it offers. This is the root of the frustration of a culture left behind by the world, and an incendiary bomb waiting to go off. Also from the boys of the Abdeen, on the Street:

"Some people go too deep into Islam and end up believing things according to very strict values that I do not think are the real ones," says Haysam. "God did not tell us to kill innocents. Atta might have thought that our brothers in Palestine and Iraq and Afghanistan needed help, but what he did is not jihad for Islam."

Obviously this Abdeen Street boy was not descended from Lilith, and came from the good side of Eve, though the previous tenant of this same tenement apartment surely was. His name was Muhammad Atta... we know the rest.

Un-whinin', 'cause there is hope.

Ivan

JIMMY CARTER'S NOBEL PRIZE SPEECH

…"I am not here as a public official, but as a citizen of a troubled world who finds hope in a growing consensus that the generally accepted goals of society are peace, freedom, human rights, environmental quality, the alleviation of suffering, and the rule of law.

"I am convinced that Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and others can embrace each other in a common effort to alleviate human suffering and espouse peace."

Every once in a while, a politician rises to the level of world statesman, and I think Jimmy is one of these. He says further:

"The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.
God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes -- and we must."

Go Jimmy! It is great to see consciously enlightened human beings recognized publicly by the world.

Ivan

MERRY CHRISTMAS, SOLSTICE, AND NEW YEAR!

This is to wish you a Celebratory Solstice, a most Felicitous Holiday
Season, and a Happy and Prosperous New Year, beyond your most optimistic
anticipations.

Anthony

Greetings at this Holiday Season, and Best Wishes for the Following Year,
whatever you Celebrate, be it

Brumalia, Christmas, Eid, Festive Season, Hanukkah, Holiday, 'Id Al-Fitr
Incwala, Kulig, Kwanzaa, Lohri, Maidhyairya, Makar Sankranti, Maunajaiyaras,
Misa de Aguinaldo, Pongal, Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen, Saturnalia, Simbang
Gabi, Sunreturn, Ta Chiu, Tohji-Taisai, Up-Helly-Aa, Winter Solstice, Yule,
Zartosht No-Diso, or any other festival,

in whatever language you celebrate it, be it in

Acholi, as "Mot ki Yomcwing Botwo Me Mwaka Manyen"; in Adhola, as "Wafayo
Chamo Mbaga & Bothi Oro Manyeni"; in Aeka, as "Keremisi jai be"; in
Afrikaans, as "Geseknde Kersfees en 'n gelukkige nuwe jaar"; in Ahtna, as
"C'ehwggelnen Dzaen"; in Albanian, as "Gëzuar Krishlindjet Vitin e Ri!"; in
Aleut, as "Kamgan Ukudigaa"; in Alsatian, as "E gueti Wïnâchte & E
glecklichs Nej Johr!"; in Alur, as "Wafoyo Kado Oro & Wafoyo Tundo Oro
manyeni"; in Alutiiq, as "Spraasnikam & Amlertut Kiaget!"; in Amharic, as
"Melkam Yelidet Beaal"; in Amuesha, as "Yomprocha' ya' nataya"; in Angami,
as "U kenei Christmas mu teicie kes a-u sie teicie kesa-u sie niepete keluo
shuzaie we"; in Apache (Western), as "Gozhqq Keshmish"; in Apalachicola, as
"Nettv-Cako-Rakko"; in Arabic, as "I'd Miilad Said ous Sana Saida"; in
Aragonese, as "Nabidà! & Goyosa Añada benién"; in Aramaic- Edo bri'cho o
rish d'shato brich'to!"; in Aramaic, as "Edo bri'cho o rish d'shato
brich'to!"; in Aranés, as "Bon Nadau!"; in Arawak, as "Aba satho niw jari
da'wisida bon"; in Argentinian, as "Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo"; in
Armenian, as "Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand"; in Armenian, as
"Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Soorp Janunt"; in Aromanian, as "Crãciunu hãriosu
shi unu anu nãu, bunu!"; in Assamese, as "Rongaali Bihur xubhessaa lobo"; in
Assyrian, as "Iedookon Breka"; in Asturian, as "Bones Navidaes & Gayoleru
anu nuevu!"; in Ata, as "Maroyan na Pasko woy kaopia-an ng Bag-ong Tuig
kaniyo't langon mga sulod"; in Aukan, as "Wi e winsi i wan bun nyun yali";
in Aymara, as "Sooma Nawira-ra"; in Azeri, as "Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun"; in
Bafut, as "Mboni Chrismen & Mboni Alooyefee"; in Bahasa/Malaysia, as
"Selamat Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru"; in Bamoun, as "Poket Kristmet & Poket
lum mfe"; in Bandang, as "Mbung Mbung Krismie & Mbung Mbung Ngouh Suiie"; in
Banen, as "Enganda ye hiono mes & Hion Hios Hes"; in Basque, as "Zorionak
eta Urte Berri On Euskal Herritik!"; in Bassa, as "Ngand Nwi Lam & Mwi Lam";
in Batak Karo, as "Mejuah-juah Ketuahen Natal"; in Belgian, as "Zalige
Kertfeest"; in Belorussian, as "Winshuyu sa Svyatkami i z Novym godam!"; in
Bemba, as "Kristu abe nenu muli ino nshiku nkulu ya Mwezi"; in Bengali, as
"Shuvo Baro Din, Shuvo Nabo Barsho"; in Bermuda, as "Marry Crissmuss you
'byes an' hava happy new yurr, see?"; in Bhojpuri, as "Naya Sal Mubarak Ho";
in Bicolano, as "Maugmang Capascuhan asin Masaganang Ba-gong Taon!"; in
Bislama, as "Mi wisim yufala eerywan one gutfala Krismas & mo wan hapi New
Year long"; in Blaan, as "Pye duh di kaut Kristo klu munt ug Felemi Fali!";
in Blackfoot, as "I'Taamomohkatoyiiksistsikomi"; in Bohemian, as "Vesele
Vanoce"; in Bohemian/Czech, as "Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a Stastny novy
rok"; in Brahui, as "Arkas caik xuda are"; in Brazilian Portugese, as
"Feliz Natal e Próspero Ano Novo"; in Brazilian, as "Boas Festas e Feliz Ano
Novo"; in Breton, as "Nedeleg laouen na bloav ezh mat"; in Bulgarian, as
"Vesela Koleda i chestita nova godina!"; in Bulu, as "Duma e bo'o"; in Bura,
as "e be Zambe e Usa ma ka Kirisimassu"; in Cantonese, as "Sing Dan Fae Lok.
Gung Hai Fat Choi"; in Carib, as "Sirito kypoton ra'a"; in Carolinian, as
"Ameseighil ubwutiiwel Layi Luugh me raagh fee"; in Carrier, as "Zoo dungwel
& Soocho nohdzi doghel"; in Catalan, as "Bon Nadal i Feliç Any Nou!"; in
Cebuano, as "Malipayong Pasko ug Bulahang Bag-ong Tuig!"; in Chaha , as
"Bogem h n mh m & Boxem as nana-h m"; in Chamba, as "Wi na ge nyare Su dome
Kirismass"; in Chamorro, as "Filis Pasgua & Filis Anu Nuebo"; in Cherokee,
as "Danistayohihv & Aliheli'sdi Itse Udetiyvsadisv"; in Cheyenne, as
"Hoesenestotse & Aa'e Emona'e"; in Chichewa, as "Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha
Kristmasi"; in Chiga, as "Mwebare khuhika, Ha Noel"; in Choctaw, as "Yukpa,
Nitak Hollo Chito"; in Cornish, as "Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth";
in Corsican, as "Bon Natale e Bon capu d' annu"; in Crazanian, as "Rot Yikji
Dol La Roo"; in Cree, as "Mitho Makosi Kesikansi"; in Creek, as "Afvcke
Nettvcakorakko"; in Creole/Seychelles, as "Bonn e Erez Ane"; in Croatian, as
"Stretan Bozic i Sretna Nova Godina"; in Czech, as "Prejeme Vam Vesele
Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok"; in Dagbani, as "Ni ti Burunya Chou & Mi ti yuun";
in Damara/Nama, as "Khiza"; in Danish, as "Glædelig Jul og godt nytår"; in
Dibabawon, as "Marayaw na Pasko aw Bag-ong Tui g kaniyo tibo na mga soon";
in Dine/Navajo, as "Ya'at'eeh Keshmish"; in Dinka, as "Miet puou yan dhiedh
Banyda tene Yin"; in Divehi, as "Ufaaveri aa ahareh"; in Dschang , as
"Chrismi a lekah Nguo Suieh"; in Duri, as "Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak nuwe
jaar"; in Dutch, as "Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar"; in
Egyptian, as "Colo sana wintom tiebeen"; in English, as "Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year"; in Eritrean, as "Rehus-Beal-Ledeat"; in Esperanto, as
"Felican Kristnaskon kaj Bonan Novjaron!"; in Estonian, as "Rõõmsaid
Jõulupühi ja Head uut aastat"; in Euskera, as "Zorionak eta Urte Berri On
Faeroese, Gledhilig jól og eydnurikt n?ggjár!"; in Éwé, as "Blunya na wo";
in Ewondo, as "Mbemde abog abyali nti! Mbembe Mbu!"; in Faeroese, as
"Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!"; in Fali, as "Use d'h Krismass"; in
Farsi, as "Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad"; in Fijian, as "Me Nomuni na
marau ni siga ni sucu dei na yabaki vou"; in Finnish, as "Hyvää Joulua ja
Onnellista Uutta Vuotta"; in Flemish, as "Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw
jaar"; in French, as "Joyeux Noel et Bonne Année!"; in Friesian, as "Noflike
Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!"; in Friulian, as "Bon
Nadâl e Bon An Gnûf"; in Fulfulde, as "Jabbama be salla Kirismati"; in
Gaddang, as "Mangamgam Bawa a dawun sikua diaw amin"; in Gaelic (Irish), as
"Nollaig faoi shean agus faoi shonas duit agus bliain nua faoi mhaise
dhuit!"; in Gaelic (Scottish), as "Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath
ur!"; in Galician, as "Bon Nadal e Bo Ani Novo"; in Gari, as "!Soalokia God
i gotu vasau, mi lao ke ba na rago vanigira ara dou i matana!"; in Gciriku,
as "Mfiyawidi yaKrisimisa & Marago ghaMwaka waUpe"; in Georgian, as
"Gilotsavt Krist'es Shobas & Gilosavt akhal ts'els"; in German, as
"Froehliche Weihnachten und ein gluckliches Neues Jahr!"; in Gikuyu, as "Gia
na Thigukuu njega Na MwakaM weru wi Gikeno"; in Gitskan, as "Hisgusgitxwsim
Ha'niisgats Christ gankl Ama Sii K'uuhl!"; in Golin, as "Yesu kule nongwa
kaun umaribe ongwa ena mone di mile wai wen milo"; in Greek, as "Kala
Christougenna Ki'eftihismenos O Kenourios Chronos"; in Greenlandic, as
"Juullimi Ukiortaassamilu Pilluarit"; in Guahibo, as "Pexania
Navidadmatacabi piginia pexaniapejanawai paxainaename"; in Guambiano, as
"Navidadwan Tabig tugagunrrigay & Sru pilawan kasrag utunrrigay"; in
Guarani, as "Avyaitete ahi ko Tupa ray arape qyrai Yy Kapyryin rira"; in
Guarayu, as "Imboeteipri tasecoi Tupa i vave! & Ivve ava Tupa rembiaisu
toyuvirecoi turpi oyeaisusa pipe!"; in Gujarati, as "Natal ni shub kaamnao &
Saal Mubarak"; in Gwere , as "Osusuku Omusa & Masuke Omwaka"; in Gwich'in,
as "Drin tsal zhit shoh ohlii & Drin Choo zhit zhoh ohlii"; in Han, as "Drin
tsul zhit sho ahlay & Drin Cho zhit sho ahlay"; in Hausa, as "Barka da
Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!"; in Hawaian, as "Mele Kalikimaka
ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!"; in Haya, as "Waihuka na Noeli & Waihhuka n
Omwaka"; in Hebrew, as "Mo'adim Lesimkha. Shanah Tova"; in Heiban, as "Ati
kalo gathje uwa gigih"; in Herero, as "Okresmesa ombwa Ombura ombe ombwa";
in Hiligaynon, as "Malipayon nga paskua & Malipayon Nga Bag-ong tuig"; in
Hindi, as "Shubh Naya Baras"; in Hmong, as "Myob zoo Huub yug ye xus zoo
siab xyoo ntsiab."; in Holo, as "Seng-tan khoai-lok! "; in Hungarian, as
"Kellemes Karacsonyiunnepeket & Boldog Új Évet"; in Hungduan, as "Maphon au
nitungawan. Apo Dios Kituwen baron di toon"; in Iban, as "Selamat Ari
Krismas enggau Taun Baru"; in Icelandic, as "Gledileg Jól og Farsaelt
Komandi ár!"; in Igbo, as "Ekelere m gi maka Keresimesi na ubochi izizi afo
ozo"; in Ikiribati, as "Te Mauri, Te Raoi ao Te Tabomoa nakoimi nte Kirimati
ao te Ririki ae Bou"; in Ilocano, as "Naimbag a Pascua ken Naragsac nga Baro
nga Tawen!"; in Imbongu, as "Gotenga malo Jisasi Karaist"; in Indonesian, as
"Selamat Hari Natal dan Selamat Tahun Baru!"; in Inupiaq, as "Quvianagli
Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi suli Nakuuluni Ukiutqiutiqsi"; in Inupik, as "Jutdlime
pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!"; in Iraqi, as "Idah Saidan Wa Sanah
Jadidah"; in Iroquois, as "Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson homungradon nagwutut &
Ojenyunyat osrasay"; in Italian, as "Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo"; in
Japanese, as "Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto gozaimasu"; in Javanese,
as "Sugeng Natal lan warsa enggal"; in Jèrriais, as "Bouan Noué et Bouanne
Année"; in Kabyle, as "Assegwas ameggaz"; in Kadazan, as "Kotobian Tadau Do
Krimas om Toun Vagu"; in Kahua, as "Na vagevageha surireua na Kirisimasi ma
na harisi naoru"; in Kala Lagaw Ya, as "Ngi ngayka Koei trimal Kaz"; in
Kamba, as "Ithiwa na Kisimsi Kiseo & Na Mwaka Mweu Museo"; in Kambaata, as
"eman haaro wegga illisholce"; in Kannada, as "Hosa Varushada Subhasayagalu";
in Kaqchiquel, as "Dios tik'ujie' avik'in"; in Karelian, as "Rastawanke
Sinun, Uvven Vuvenke Sinun"; in Kashmiri, as "Christmas Id Mubarak"; in
Kawalib, as "Amirnar Krismas Gi"; in Khasi, as "Krismas basuk & Snem thymmai
basuk"; in Kinyarwanda, as "Umunsi Mwiza"; in Kirundi, as "Noeli Nziza &
Umwaka Mwiza"; in Kom, as "Isangle Krismen & Isangle beng i fue"; in
Konkoni, as "Khushal borit Natalam"; in Korafe, as "Keremisi ewewa"; in
Korean, as "Sung Tan Chuk Ha"; in Kosraean, as "Tok Tapeng & Engan ya sasu";
in Koyukon, as "Denaahto' Hoolaank Dedzaanh Sodeelts'eeyh"; in Krio, as
"Appi Krismes en Appi Niu Yaa"; in Kuanua, as "A Bona Lukara na Kinakava";
in Kurdish, as "Seva piroz sahibe u sersala te piroz be"; in Kutchin, as
"Drin Tsal Neenjit Goozu'"; in Kwangali, as "Kerekemisa zongwa & Erago
moMumvho gomupe"; in Kyrghyz, as "JangI jIlIngIz guttuu bolsun!"; in Ladin,
as "Bon Nadel y Bon Ann Nuef"; in Lakota, as "Wanikiya tonpi wowiyuskin &
Omaka teca oiyokipi"; in Lamnsó, as "Kisheri ke Kisimen & Vijung ve kiya
kefiyki"; in Lango, as "Afoyo Chamo Mwake & Apoyo Mwaka Manyeni"; in Lappic,
as "Buorit Juovllat ja Buorre Oddajahki"; in Latin, as "Natale hilare et
Annum Faustum!"; in Latvian, as "Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno
Gadu!+"; in Lausitzian, as "Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto"; in Lebanese,
as "Milad Saeed wa Sanaa Mubarakah"; in Lithuanian, as "Linksmu Kaledu ir
laimingu Nauju metu"; in Livian, as "Riiemlizi Talspividi ja pagin vonno
udaigastos"; in Livonian, as "Jovi talshpivdi un Vondzist uto aigasto"; in
Lower Tanana, as "Bet'oxdilt'ayi bedena' ch'exulanhde dranh ninoxudedhet";
in Lozi, as "Kilisimasi ya nyakalalo & Silimo se sinca sa tabo"; in Luganda,
as "Amazalibwa Agesanyu & N'Omwaka Omujaa Ogwemirembe "; in Luhya, as
"Isuguku Indahi & Nu Muhiga Musha"; in Luo, as "Sikuku Mar Higa Kod Mor &
Mar Kiga Manyien"; in Luritja, as "Wai! Nyuntu Larya?"; in Luxembourgeois,
as "Schéi Krëschtdeeg an e Schéint Néi Joer"; in Macedonian, as "Srekan
Bozik I Nova Godina"; in Madura, as "Pada salamet sabhala bengko areja"; in
Makassar, as "Salama' Natal & Selamat Tahun baru"; in Malagasy, as "Arahaba
tratry ny Krismasy"; in Malayalam, as "Puthuvalsara Aashamsakal"; in
Malaysian, as "Selamat Hari Krismas and Selamat Tahun Baru"; in Maltese, as
"Nixtieqlek Milied Tajjeb u Sena Tajba"; in Mambwe, as "Kristu aye namwe umu
nsikunkulu ino iya Mwezi"; in Mandarin, as "Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen
Tan"; in Mandarin, as "Shen Dan Kuai Le Xin Nian Yu Kuai"; in Mandobo, as
"Mepiya Pagasaulog sa pagka-otawni Jesus aw maontong kaling Omay!"; in
Mangyan, as "Mayad paq Pasko kag"; in Mansaka, as "Madyaw na Pasko aw
malipayong Bag-ong Tuig kamayo, mga lumon"; in Manx, as "Nollick ghennal as
blein vie noa"; in Maori, as "Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritimeti
e te Mataiti Ou"; in Marathi, as "Shub Naya Varsh"; in Margi, as "Use aga
Kirismassi"; in Marshallese, as "Monono ilo raaneoan Nejin & Jeramman ilo
iio in ekaal"; in Mataco-Mataguayo, as "Lesilatyaj ihi Dios ta i ppule ye,
Letamsek ihi wichi ta Dios ikojejthi ta i honat e"; in Maya/Yucateco, as
"Utzul mank'inal"; in Medlpa, as "Enim Mutuiyo!"; in Meithei, as "Krismas
Hlomum & Kumthar Lawmum"; in Metis/Michif , as "Gayayr Nwel"; in Mingrelian,
as "k'irses mugoxuamant & axal ts'anas mugoxuamant"; in Monégasque, as
"Festusu Natale e Bona ana noeva"; in Mongolian, as "Zul saryn bolon shine
ony mend devshuulye"; in Monogasque, as "Festusu Natale e Bona ana noeva";
in Moro, as "Nidli pred naborete nano"; in Moru, as "Medu amiri ovuru Yesu
opi amaro"; in Muyu, as "Lip Ki amun aa Natal Kowe"; in Naasioi, as "Tampara
Kirisimaasi"; in Naskapi, as "miywaaitaakun mikusaanor & kiyaa
maamiyupiyaakw minuwaach pipuun"; in Navajo, as "Merry Keshmish"; in Ndjem,
as "Mbeya mbeya Ebiel & Mbeya mbeya mbu"; in Ndogo, as "Esimano olyaKalunga
gwokombandambanda! & Nombili kombanda yevi maantu e ya hokwa!"; in Ndonga,
as "Okrismesa iwa & Omude Mupe wa Punikwa"; in Nepali, as "krist Yesu Ko
Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva & Naya Barsa Ko harkik
Shuvakamana"; in Newari, as "Nhu Da Ya Vintuna"; in Nii, as "Nim Ono"; in
Niuean, as "Monuina a Aho Kilisimasi mo e Tau Foou"; in Norweigan/Bokmål, as
"Glaedelig (or) God Jul og Godt Nyttår"; in Norweigan/Nynorsk, as "Eg
ynskjer hermed Dykk alle ein God Jul og Godt Nyttår"; in Notu/Ewage, as
"Keremisi dave be"; in Nyanja, as "Kristu akhale ndi inu munyengo ino ya
Christmas"; in Nyankore , as "Mukhulukhe Omwaka"; in Occitan, as "Polit
nadal e bona annada"; in Ojibwe (Chippewa), as "Niibaa' anami'egiizhigad &
Aabita Biboon"; in Oneida, as "Wanto'wan amp; Hoyan"; in Oriya, as
"Sukhamaya christmass ebang khusibhara naba barsa"; in Orokaiva, as
"Keremisi javotoho"; in Oromo, as "baga wagaa hara isinin gaye"; in Palauan,
as "Ungil Kurismas"; in Pangasinan, as "Maabig ya pasko & Maliket ya balon
taon"; in Papiamento (Aruba), as "Bon Pasco y un Feliz Año Nobo"; in Papua
New Guinea, as "Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go
long yu"; in Pashto, as "De Christmas akhtar de bakhtawar au newai kal de
mubarak sha."; in Pennsylvania German, as "En frehlicher Grischtdaag unen
hallich Nei Yaahr!"; in Philippines, as "Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong
Taon!"; in Pohnpeian, as "Peren en Krismas & Peren en Parakapw"; in Polish,
as "Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku."; in Pompangan, as "Malugud
Pascu at saca Masayang Bayung Banua!"; in Portuguese, as "Boas Festas e um
feliz Ano Novo"; in Puerto Rican, as "Muy Feliz Navidad y un Prospero Ano
Nuevo!"; in Punjabi, as "Nave sal di mubaraka"; in Q'anjob'al, as "chi woche
swatx'ilal hak'ul yet yalji Komami'"; in Quechua, as "Sumaj kausay kachun
Navidad ch'sisipi & Mosoi Watapi sumaj kausay kachun"; in Quiche', as "Dioa
kkje' awuk'"; in Raeto-Ramance, as "Bella Festas da zNadal ed in Ventiravel
Onn Nov"; in Rapa-Nui, as "Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi & Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua"; in
Rarotongan, as "Kia akakakaia te Atua i runga i te rangi Teitei, e ei au to
to teianei ao, e kia aroaia mai te tangata nei."; in Rengma, as "Anu keghi
Christmas nu amapi kethighi wa salam pi nthu chupenle"; in Retvara , as
"Mamaka wejejerãka"; in Rhetian, as "Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn"; in
Rheto-Romance, as "Bella Festas daz Nadal ed in Ventiravel Onn Nov"; in
Romanche(Sursilvan), as "Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!"; in
Romani (Gypsy), as "Bachtalo krecunu Thaj Bachtalo Nevo Bers"; in Romanian,
as "Craciun fericit si un An Nou fericit!"; in Rongmei, as "Mei kathui nata
neila mei Khrisrmas akhatni gai mei tingkum kathan tu-na arew we"; in
Roviana, as "Mami tataru Kirisimasi koa gamu doduru meke qetu qetu vuaheni
vaqura ia"; in Rumanian, as "Hristos s-a Nascut si Anul Nou Fericit"; in
Russian, as "Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom"; in
Saamia, as "Muwule Omwaka Enjaya"; in Salar, as "YangI yilingiz gotlI
bulsIn!"; in Salcha, as "Dzeen chox teedle 'aay nayilkaa"; in Sambal, as
"Maligayang Pasko at Masayang Ba-yon Taon!"; in Sámi, as "Buorit Juovllat ja
Buorre Oddajahki"; in Samoan, as "La manuia le Kilisimasi ma le tausaga fou";
in Sango, as "Gloire na Nzapa na ndouzou aho kouè, Na siriri na ndo sessé
na popo ti ajo so amou nguia na Lo."; in Santali, as "Raska nawa Serma"; in
Saramaccan, as "Nuan wan suti jai o!"; in Sardian, as "Felize Nadale e Bonu
Cabuannu"; in Sardinian, as "Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou"; in Saxon
(Low), as "Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar"; in Secoya , as "Sihuanu'u
Ejaerepa aide'ose'ere & Sihuana'u huaje ametecahue"; in Semandang, as
"Selemat gawai Natal"; in Seneca, as "a:o'-e:sad yos-ha:-se:'"; in Serbian,
as " Sretan Bozic. Vesela Nova Godine"; in Sicilian, as "Bon Natali e
Prosperu Annu Novu !"; in Singhalese, as "Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha
Aluth Awrudhak Vewa"; in Slavey, as "Teyatie Gonezu"; in Slovakian, as
"Vesele Vianoce a stastny novy rok"; in Slovene, as "Vesele bozicne praznike
in srecno novo leto"; in Soga, as "Mwisuka Sekukulu"; in Somali, as "ciid
wanaagsan iyo sanad cusub oo fiican."; in Songe, as "Kutandika kua Yesu
kuibuwa! & Kipua kipia kibuwa!"; in Sorani, as "Newroz le to Piroz be"; in
Sorbian, as "Wjesole hody a strowe Nowe leto"; in Sotho/North, as "Mahlatsi
a Matswalo a Morena le Ngwaga o Moswa"; in Sotho/South, as "Litakalerso Tse
Monate Tsa Kere Semese Le Mahlohonolo a Selemo Se Secha"; in Spanish, as
"Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo"; in Sranan, as "Wan switi kresneti
nanga wan bun nyun yari!"; in Sranantongo (Surinam), as "Wan Santa Bedaki";
in Subanen, as "Piak Pasko Pu Piag Bago Tawn"; in Sudanese, as "Wilujeng
Natal Sareng Warsa Enggal"; in Suena, as "Kerisimasi kokopai"; in
Surigaonon, as "Malipayon na pasko sanan bag-on tuig!"; in Swahili, as
"Krismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpya"; in Swedish, as "God Jul och Gott Nytt
År"; in Tagakaulu, as "Madyaw Pagsalog sa Pagka-otaw ni Jesus & Aw mauntong
na bago Umay!"; in Tagalog, as "Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa
Inyong Lahat"; in Tahitian, as "Ia ora i te Noere e ia ora na i te matahiti
'api"; in Tala Andig, as "Maayad ha pasko daw bag-ong tuig"; in Tamazight,
as "Asseggwas Ameggaz"; in Tamil, as "Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal"; in
Tanaina, as "Natukda Nuuphaa"; in Tarifit, as "Asuggas Asa'di"; in Tayal, as
"Pqaquasta ta. Pquasta hentang na Jesu"; in Telugu, as "Nootana Samvatchara
Subhakanshalu"; in Tewa, as "Hihchandi Núuphaa"; in Thai, as "Suksan Wan
Christmas lae Sawadee Pee Mai"; in Tigrinya (Eritrea), as "Rahoosbaal ledit
yegabarelkoom"; in Tlingit, as "Xristos Khuwdziti kax sh kaxtoolxetl"; in
Tok Pisin, as "Meri Krismas & Hepi Nu Yia"; in Tokelau, as "Ke whakamanuia
te Kirihimahi & Tauhaga Fou fiafia"; in Tongan, as "Kilisimasi Fiefia & Ta'u
fo'ou monu ia"; in Toraja, as "Salama' Natal & Selama' taun baru"; in
Trukese, as "Neekirissimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!"; in Tshiluba, as
"Diledibua dilenga dia Mfumu Tshidimu tshipia tshipia th silenga"; in
Tswana, as "Keresemose o monate le masego a ngwaga o montsha"; in Tubetube,
as "Yayaliyaya Yesu sikabi kaiwena"; in Tumbuka, as "Kristu wabe namwe
munyengo ya Christmas"; in Turkish, as "Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu
Olsun"; in Tutchone, as "Ut'ohudinch'i Hulin Dzenu & Eyum nan ek'an
nenatth'at danji te yesohuthin ch'e hadaatle sh'o"; in Ukrainian, as
"Veseloho Vam Rizdva i Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku!"; in Umbundu, as "Natale,
Natale, Oyo O Natale & Eteke Lio Bowano, Illimo Ciwa"; in Urdu, as "Naya
Saal Mubarak Ho"; in Uvean, as "Italo fa ide tau fou nei eseke"; in Uyghur,
as "YanghI yiling ahlqIs bolgey!"; in Valencian, as "Bon Nadal i millor any
nou"; in Vespi, as "Rastvoidenke i Udenke Vodenke"; in Vietnamese, as "Chuc
Mung Giang Sinh Chuc Mung Tan Nien"; in Votian, as "Yvaa rashtagoa! & Yvaa
uutta vootta!"; in Waray-Waray, as "Maupay nga Pasko ngan Mainuswagon nga
Bag-o nga Tuig!"; in Warlpiri, as "Miri Kirijimiji & Nyuntunpa Ngurrju
nyayirni yapa"; in Welsh, as "Nadolig LLawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda"; in
Xhosa, as "Siniqwenelela Ikrisimesi EmnandI Nonyaka Omtsha Ozele
Iintsikelelo Namathamsanqa"; in Yayeya, as "Krisema"; in Yiddish, as "Gute
Vaynakhtn un a Gut Nay Yor"; in Yoruba, as "E ku odun, e hu iye' dun!"; in
Yugoslavian, as "Cestitamo Bozic"; in Yup'ik (Siberian), as "Quyanalghii
Kuusma & Quyangalleq Nutaghamun Aymiqulleq"; in Zarma, as "Barka da Issa
hay-yan hann & Barka da djiri barey-yan"; in Zaza, as "Newroz'a tu Piroz be";
in Zia, as "Kerisimasi wosewa"; in Zime, as "El ma ka bar vra aso vei Lu &
El ma ka kim na mireu"; or in Zulu, as "Sinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka
Omusha Onempumelelo".

25 festival in 368 languages.

Dr Anthony E Smart
2857 Europa Drive
Costa Mesa
California 92626-3525
United States of America
Telephone: (714) 754-1870

Email: AntnySmart@sbcglobal.net

(Reprinted by permission)

=====================================================
Dear Anthony,

What a great way to greet Christmas, Solstice, and the New Year!

Let us celebrate the great diversity of our planet in a spirit of tolerance and love, in all the languages of all the people. We are not that different from one another, though each one of us is infinitely unique in Who we are.

And as an afterthought to our excellent Christmas Eve afterdinner discussion, over very fine cognac, on Goedel's Theorem, which I failed to grasp totally while also failing to explain interrelationship as the underlying principle of a universal system; I must add:

We live in an "interactive" universe!

Cheers!

Ivan

"New Year's Resolutions...?"

(1) To hope that common sense prevails among men, that more women will be in power, and that Depression in the Western sphere is looked at;
(2) To further follow the Noble Eightfold Path of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration;
(3) To offer my services for nothing, or maybe just a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and uh, clothes, hmm, clean water too, near a forest, where possible.

"What Buddha Nature Said - Circa 2003"

Dave T in the Southern sphere.

Above may be seen as a prayer to Allah titled 'Onward semi-skeptical, dualistic-monistical Christian Feminist Bodhisattva's!!'...

HUMANE ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

How much would you pay for "humane" meat?

See: http://www.hsus.org/ace/11513

IN HONOR OF DR. KING, JR: The determination to achieve excellence.

On the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we had the privilege of attending a celebration at the spacious home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Brown in Santa Ana, where about 40 people attended. It was an interfaith gathering sponsored by the Santa Ana Baha'is, with people of all ages and races and faiths. The evening's program included a musical prelude on guitar by Isaac Cavaliero, followed by young people who sang or played instruments: Viergen DeGree sang "Amazing Grace", Jane Lee and Ursula Matlock and Erick Morales on piano with classical and jazz, Jonathan Brothers on trumpet, all accomplished musicians with a mark of excellence. Speakers included Dr. Paul Apodaca, educator of Navajo background, who spoke on the complexity of modern life and the need for education to master such complexities; Bea Jones, who spoke of the American African Flags; and Damian Lewis, who reenacted a fabulous speech by Dr. King "I have A Dream". The evening was hosted by a delightful young African American woman, Deanna Morgan, who is a writer for a local television station, and we finished the evening with all singing "We Shall Overcome". Refreshments and good conversation followed. It was a very fitting way to celebrate the birthday of a great man, and Cinzia and I felt privileged and blessed to have been invited to such a great gathering, with a sense of hope for the future of a multi-cultural and multi-faith American and global society of free human beings.

Ivan

SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA

Today the Space Shuttle Columbia met with a tragic end, taking with her seven great and noble men and women. The loss to their families, their friends, their nation, and to the world is grieved by all of the planet, Earth. Our halting steps into space have taken us to edge of the canopy of heaven, only to remind us of the dangers of leaving our beautiful blue water world. Yet, being the humans we are, the challenge of space and beyond forever calls us, for it is Who we are. Mars calls, and the more distant planets. If there is to be a redemption of the loss of lives in this tragic disaster, if there is to be victory from this sad event, let it be this: that we will successfully pursue a mission to Mars with the new continuous thrust rocket design. Setbacks do not turn us back, but renew our resolve. And when we get there, let us remember the men and women who lost their lives today.


God Bless our World,

Editors, Humancafe

THE WORLD WANTS PEACE

Millions join anti-war protests worldwide/BBC news:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2765215.stm

This is how the world will slowly move from principles of coercion towards those of agreement. But there will be many reversals along the way, as there will be those who will trespass on others. Agreement will win in the end, and war will wither away like a dead poisonous vine.

Ivan

Ivan,

I truly hope you are right. While writing this I am looking at a picture in today’s newspaper: two young Arab children playing on the stairs of their house in Hebron. On the gate, there is the text: death to Arabs. There will still be many people trespassing on others, as you say. A common vanity for the most of us is to stay alive. How unhappy for the Jews and for themselves their existence might be, the Arabs cannot afford of taking notice of the constant threats. Should they leave their homes? Where would they go? More and more of the land is being occupied by fanatic Jewish settlers. And still, one can very well understand their security needs as well. By building houses and working hard for their families, they wish to guarantee a better future for their sons and daughters in the promised land. What they (as so many of us) might have missed is that the future has already begun.

We know that no peace based on hatred will ever last. Believing that it does would be as absurd as assuring oneself that love can grow in hatred. Concessions given under pressure will only cause more sorrow. The real issue is still how to live. We can plead to lack of choices, knowing all the time that every second there is a new choice, and nobody except us is going to take it. Every round of violence will cost dearly, indeed. No responsible human being wants it. I would rather like to bet on spring, love and new generation. And on peaceful demonstrations against war, of course. In the matters of peace and war we cannot afford to be silent.

Ivan, I congratulate you on the name of this site: Humancafé. This kind of forums are very much welcome.

Dear Monday,

We are still in the winter of our discontent, and dare only hope that the future will come with greater clarity than our past. The dichotomy of hatred and love is deeply infused within our common human psyche, so that it is natural for us to take sides in conflict, though still a novelty to find neutral grounds where dialogue and understanding can win. To find agreement is an art. And from these perilous storms we can look forward to a better clime where soft scented flowers and bright butterflies will replace these bitter snows. Slowly the world turns.

Thanks for writing, and Welcome!

Ivan

Dear Ivan,

You are welcome to take sides. Reformulating myself: In matters of war and peace we are not neutral. We are on the side of peace. I promise to come back as soon as I get some time. I have a plenty of ideas which I want to explore. I think that I have found the right forum for doing that. Be well.

OUR GLOBAL VILLAGE

Our 21st century is the first century where we can begin thinking of ourselves as truly a Global Village. Everything from communications, to jet travel, to international commerce, to the internet has consolidated us into a planet wide unity which now affects us from every part of the globe, and to every part of the globe. Nation states will still exist, same as states exist within our United States, but their individual roles as power bases will need greater consolidation in the future to reflect the new planet wide reality of people who can talk to each other almost instantaneously. It is the same for other forces that at times are beyond our control, such as world wide diseases like AIDS, or now SARS, so that what happens on one end of the world will affect, or infect, another. Our need to address ecological global issues is in the same camp, that global warming or dying oceans or extinction of fauna and flora species, is a concern for all on the planet. It is the same issue for clean water. What breeds from this ecological, health and well being potential disasters, is a growing concern that they are interrelated into all our human activity, so that a great death rate of AIDS victims in Africa, or Asia, for example, may be the necessary fodder for a growth in economic dysfunctions, which then leads to leadership dysfunctions, which then leads to cultivating a breeding ground of discontent, which in the end leads to social dysfunctions. What all these dysfunctions lead to in the end is a dissolvement of civilized values, and with it come attack on the achievements of centuries of civilization, which today manifests itself as global terrorism. In the future, it may take other forms, for example, where the democratic principles themselves are used to coerce into place power to take away our individual human rights, to enslave where democracy was created to liberate. This may become a serious issue as those who cannot abide by democratic principles of human rights and equality will use that same democracy to undo its principles from within. Because we are so interrelated as a world, it will be especially important to keep this future danger in clear focus, for once our freedoms are taken away, it is very difficult to regain them.

This is the future we must face, for we are the makers of our future. As we get through the 21st century and enter into the 22nd, we should have addressed these global issues to the point where terrorism, world wide pandemics, oppressive democracies, and economic failure for many parts of the world, should have been examined and addressed by not only our world leaderships, but also by all the thinking and aware individual citizens of our planet. And if we do this, if we preserve our individual human rights in a democratic world, then we will have come a long way towards eliminating many of the other ills which plague our planet today. Will the United Nations play a part in this new Global Village? Perhaps, but to do so effectively, it will need to embrace the principles that gave us the power of liberty as a priority, and thus be reorganized not as merely a philanthropic organization, but as an organization that protects and sanctifies our individual rights as free human beings.

Ivan

India and China agree over Tibet

This is a new breaktrhough in China-India relations. In future negotiations China may try to have the Dalai Lama oustead from India, but this would be a mistake of pure coercion. If this were so, India would be right to resist. Greater economic and cultural exchange between these two Asian giants is a good thing, but it should not be done at the expense of Tibet. The people of Tibet are still pivotal, depending on how they are able to achieve greater autonomy and independence, to future world peace. Both China and India should be aware of this important country on their continent. We will know we are going forward when this greater independence and cultural recognition of the oppressed people of Tibet, as recognized by the whole world, is recognized as well as by people of China and India. All agreements between these nations must be free of coercion, for this is pivotal to ultimately achieving world peace.

Editors, Humancafe.com

SUICIDE BOMBERS VS FREEDOM OF CHOICE

When human beings reach a certain level of maturity, of consciousness, they then have to make a choice, either to continue to interact through coercion or through agreement. Of course, if they choose coercion, than nothing is changed and we go on in our socially dysfunctional manner as we had for millennia. But if we choose to go with agreement, then our world changes in ways of which we have had only fleeting glimpses thus far. This is the basis of the whole idea behind Habeas Mentem.

The special case is the suicide bomber, since he or she had obviously made the choice for coercion. However, in killing others he or she also kills oneself, so that the possibility of improving on that choice in the future is now irreversibly lost. There is no hope of that individual ever making the choice for agreement, so therefore there is no hope for that choice to ever become more evolved. So the suicide bomber, in effect, closes off a future evolution of human choices, certainly for the person blowing up, but also for those who are to follow in his or her self destructive path. So this is an evolutionary dead end, one which is irreversible. Can the world ever move forward with people blowing themselves up in the name of their ideals? No, never. To go forward we must choose agreement. And if the final choice is one of total coercion, to kill, then such agreement becomes impossible.

What is the likely outcome? Eventually, suicide bombing will become recognized by surviving descendants that it is a bankrupt act, a final act of complete self destruction. In effect, with all due respect for the dead, it is a final desperate act to keep humanity from evolving, from moving forward into a higher consciousness where freedom of choice allows for human beings to live by agreements. That is the only way to world peace.

Ivan

The Allegory of the Wheel.

COUNCIL AROUND A CAMPFIRE

Under a full moon the men of the clan are sitting around a campfire, discussing the events of the day.

- "We must be careful with Ork, he has some agreeing with him."
- "Dangerous. Could split the clan. When we do spring migration, he make take them with him. Women too."
- "We better invite him into our circle, so he can explain why he is sowing dissent."
- "Hmm.. I am chief, so I will confront him."

Ork is brought before the fire council.

- "Ork, before you joined our clan, you were a hermit. Then you came to us with your round wood disk to show the children how to roll it with a stick. It was very funny, an all were much amused by this. Though, sometimes the children hurt themselves playing, like when the wood disk rolls over their toes. But what you are suggesting we do is dangerous."
- "I only wanted to show how putting two wood disks together with a pole between them could carry a load."
- "Yes, we know. We of the council ignored your request. We have always from our father and forefather dragged our campwares on forked poles. Now you say we can raise these poles on this new wood disk together with a pole, and... how foolish, what was that you called it?... to 'roll' the wares to our summer site. Tsk tsk, that is not good. We cannot allow this. You see, that is dangerous."
- "We didn't mind when you balanced yourself on the pole between two disks and rode it down hill until your ass burned. That amused everyone. Remember, we laughed until our bellies hurt! But to change what has always been..."
- "But I only said this to make work easier, to make the trip lighter, so we do not have to leave so many things behind at winter camp."
- "You cannot change what we have always done... Look into this fire, and see how our forefathers had always had fire. This is how it must be. We have what we have and must never do more than is allowed. When our old shaman looked into the flames, he saw tragedy with your roller disks, disaster for generations and generations."
- "Or we will be laughed at by all the other clans when we gather at the spring valley."
- "Or worse, the gods may turn against us, and we will all die."

Everyone agreed this was a most terrible thing, to be laughed at by the other clans, or have the gods turn their wrath on them.

- "And what if your rollers break? Then what?"
- "I am but a simple hermit, with your permission, if I may speak freely. But if they break, would we not be back to what we always had?"
- "Obstinate! Buffoon! How can he make jokes! How can we make you understand?"
- "We of the council cannot let you make these rollers. You cannot make them without our permission. And we know that some clan members have already made them for themselves... Are you trying to split the clan?"
- "Oh, no, dear elders. It was never my intent! I only wanted to show how easy it is."
- "Easy or not, you will be banished if you persist, and forced back into exhile."
- "A life a hermit is not so terrible... Can I bring a woman with me?"
- "Yes. Take that headstrong one, she who makes spears fly from a string. She is trouble too. But if you return, with those foolish rollers of yours, you will be severely punished. Do you understand?"
- "Yes. You are the great leaders of the clan, and I but a humble clansman."
- "So, what is your plan? We offer you a free choice."

All eyes were now staring at Ork, who looked down sheepishly into the fire.

- "I will pursue the oryx with you, and forget the rollers... But can the children still play with the wooden disks?"
- "They may. But only that! Anything else is treason to the clan. You understand?"
- "The council has spoken. You are dismissed. Now we may pass the smoking reed."

All heads nodded that this was wise council, and that the clan had been spared from further embarrassment, or the wrath of the gods.

When Ork turned away, a wry smile crossed over his face. He got the woman he wanted.


-When pies are squared and pigs fly J

WORLD DOMINATION, OR CHANGE?

The Guardian of the UK accuses the US of imperial delusions. In its article by Eric Hobsbawm, dated June 14, 2003, "America's imperial delusion",
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,977470,00.html
it says:

"Few things are more dangerous than empires pursuing their own interest in the belief that they are doing humanity a favour."

WHEN DOES SCIENCE BECOME RELIGION?

When does Science become Religion? In every religion there is a structure of truths arrived at both rationally and irrationally until they become accepted by the true believers. These truths are self inclusive totally, in that they represent all the possibles within what is believed, often written into sacred scripture, so that any questions must be referred to these scriptures for answers. When any idea conflicts with these stated truths, dogmas, they are then deemed in error, even if there is irrefutable empirical data to affirm otherwise, and those in error must be corrected. Hence, religion has power over the observable world and our ideas of it, for what is believed and written is the truth.

The basic tenet of science is that all ideas are suspect until proven with observable facts and theories that reasonably explain these observations. Mostly they are rational ideas, though as such they are not accepted until verified in reality. The hallmark of science is that it is a fluid world devoid of dogma, so that what is acceptable today may not be tomorrow, and there should be no objection to this. What is written down in scientific formulation is always subject to being contested and, when appropriate, to be changed. So ideas may find a place a priori in formulating theory, but their efficacy is not granted until proven, which requires cooperation of the real world to show why this is so. Once proven, though still suspect as to its total truth, it then joins the scriptures of science in the form of accepted theory or formulations. So the holy writ of science changes continually, since there is no a priori dogma other than that all theories must be tested against reality. This is science's power over our thoughts and beliefs, that reality is the book on which is written the truth.

What has evolved between these two major forces over the human mind is that in both religion and science had been recognized authorities in the form of persons. For religion, it is usually the founder, or prophet, a manifestation of God, or some great teacher often called a Son of God. In science the authority is he or she whose ideas had been most accepted by the largest number of intellectuals. However, where science and religion merge is that once such a personality is recognized for his or her authority, to challenge them becomes a kind of anathema. Perhaps this is a result of how humans are hard wired, their human nature, that we wish to follow leaders. However in the case of science, this becomes a contradiction of what science represents, for there should be no incontestable personalities affecting scientific inquiry, if the basic tenet of science is to be observed. Great religious figures are not against the basic tenet of religion, since their teachings have the weight of law. But in science, all teachings are subject to future revision, once the universal law of how reality is structured is plumbed further and understood. Therefore, for great names such as Newton or Descartes or Einstein to become milestones of their science should be viewed that they are only beacons in a larger search, and to make their ideas incontestable, no matter how seemingly incontestable the accepted theory, should not be discouraged, but instead pursued. The idea of science is to find fault, and when fault is not found, then it may join the ranks of truth, temporarily. The real arbiter of truth is not the human mind, but reality itself.

So when does science become religion? When this idea that finding fault with the great founders of truths becomes forbidden. The danger, of course, is that once this fault is found, a great structure of belief systems is at risk of crumbling, much as Ptolameic astronomy had crumbled before Copernicus and Kepler. It is possible to imagine Cartesian mathematics crumbling before some better simplified system, same as Newtonian physics had to give way to the Relativity of Einstein. But even there, there exists the possibility that the whole structure of Einstein's Relativity will crumble before an empirical observation of how works gravity in the universe. And if this is so, to fail to allow for this challenge to accepted beliefs means science had become ossified into a religion, which it is not.

For humanity to progress into the future, where we better understand reality and our place in it, we need to allow for new ideas challenging the old, even if the old will suffer a terrible blow and undo centuries of error. A true understanding of our human being in the universe will no doubt allow for both science and religion, where both are better served if they agree, but neither should hold such possession of the human mind that change cannot be allowed. Change is a fact of reality and the evolution of mind where we can separate truth from myth. To become fully conscious beings, we need the truth.

herethink

Thanks Herethink!

Me thinks these are 'heretic' words on science, so in good company on these boards, where science had likewise been questioned, though not in same terms.
:-]

We must not forget religion's preocupation with good or evil, and the devil, whereas the science is more concerned with personal and social dysfunction, for example. The two are inherently different, one historic dating back to ancient times, the other relatively new, though neither is free of popular myths. Good points.

Ivan

You will know good science is suspect when peer review of scientific papers becomes endorsements of status quo, when they whould be challenges.

h.

RULES AND DISCIPLINE

The most difficult rule of discipline of all is to obey that there are no 'rules', except an awareness of doing things to each other either through agreement or coercion. How we choose consciously is a mark of how we are individually and socially.

We manifest these if we choose to do by Agreement:
Charity, honesty, compassion, truthfulness, mutual exchange, generosity, creation, artistic, evolution, openness, courage, friendship, trust, rule of law, democratic, human rights, ethics, love and peace.

We manifest if by Coercion:
Conquest, oppression, abuse, deception, distress, physical degradation, pollution, manipulation, confusion, repression, enslavement, devolution, falsehood, gossip, fear, tyranny, corruption, hate and war.

We live and die by these rules of discipline, self and for others, which if done without being conscious of Who we are, and without the tolerance for others, these rules to guide us quickly regress into coercion. By Agreement, we move forward, with joy; by Coercion we regress, with the negative attention of pain. Discipline through negative attention is regressive, as a rule.

Ivan

MULTICULTURALISM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3417429.stm

Europe... "there is talk of trying to create a "European" form of Islam - basically a secularised version, where private religious beliefs are tolerated but not any manifestations of Islam which undermine European laws and customs."

This is a key question, can it work? The American model of cultural assimilation in a social environment of secular religious freedom and division between church and state may work for Europe too. Wearing the head scarf by Muslim women, if done as an overt expression of their religion, runs counter to this secular idea of religious freedom by imposing their religion on others in public. Though banned in public places, they are free to practice their religion privately, provided it is not divisive for society as a whole. Religious tolerance cuts both ways, provided neither imposes its will on the other.

Al salaam

UBUNTU
http://ubuntu.upc.es/

Sanctity of the individual
Ubuntu
Forgiveness
Unity of Society

These are Ubuntu.

(copied from "World Mind Society" thread)

SUFU & UNBUNTU

If you consider that human beings are all descended from a very small population of survivors, where we were almost down to extinction only about 40,000 years ago, then we are all 'cousins' only 2000 generations removed. And since we are in effect 'out of Africa', all races and peoples, then the African tradition of Ubuntu as an operative philosophy for our planet Earth makes sense. If SUFU is merely an acronym: Sanctity of the individual, Ubuntu, Forgiveness, and the Unity of society, then it too is an operative for how our Human Rights and the Social Contract defines us all as men and women of this world. This is how our world is evolving, something defining us as a human species which, according to Habeas Mentem, is now evolving into Who we are. Incorporating the best traditions of all the world's cultures we can, through SUFU and Ubuntu, evolve into the great conscious beings we will become. To complete this evolution will need that we learn to do through agreement rather than through coercion, for then we can say that we will be safe from our own induced extinction. The future of SUFU is now.

Ivan

I told this to my dogs this morning: "he who barks first loses." This was in response to their barking at a neighbor's dog's barking, to keep them quiet. Doubtless they did not understand.

So I would say the same to humans: "He who hits first loses." Of course, this could apply to children in day-care pre-school, where the frustrated teacher wants to control the children hitting each other over toys. Doubtless they have some understanding if it, but it seems to be lost on adults. There, "he who coerces first loses." But no doubt, this is not well understood, so we continue to live in a world dominated by coercion rather than by agreement.

Of course, when it is understood that "he who barks first loses", then we will have reached an evolutionary quantum jump in consciousness. J

Ivan

THE 'UNITED STATES' OF IRAQ

The 'United States' of Iraq may yet be a proving ground for Jefferson's vision of a free and independent people in the model of a neo-Madisonian constitution honoring individual rights, free speech, and religious freedom, in a representative government, if this should come to pass. Iraq's Governing Council, while still under American occupation, has drafted a constitution which through compromise has produced a document honoring democratic principles alongside those of religion and the role of Islam. If this new religious tolerance is reflective of the Iraqi people, then it is a great achievement indeed. May its success be the first step towards a regional peace, and ultimately a World Peace.

BBC News: "Iraqis agree draft constitution": http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3495996.stm

Editors, Humancafe

ARE WE THERE YET?

happy, thanks for the kind frank comments, and sharing of ideas.

Indeed, were it so simple to improve humankind's lot as to command "thou shalt not do violence", it would have been in the original Ten Commandments, though we may notice that even the bible is full of violence. If God is the ultimate philosopher, then He too did not sway us from the folly of our violent human ways. Thus it falls to us mortals to manage as best we can.

We could theorize that a future resistance to violence; in particular where we force others who are blameless against their will; could eventually yield a less violent world. For example, if more people boycotted violent films, would it not send a clear message to Hollywood? Perhaps curtailing vicarious violence as entertainment would start some movement towards a greater awareness, or consciousness of the value of peace. Though, people may still find a way to this entertainment in secret, in dog or cockfights, or clandestine back alley boxing, no gloves, blood allowed, and thus force violence underground. Mel Gibson is not guilty in any way in his portrayal of a violent ending for Christ's story by bringing out into the open what we are really all about. In fact, it may serve us well, as a violent human species, to put it in our face.

I think it comes down to what it is we want to choose. If we find cause for violence, not merely to end violence, but to impose our way of thinking, our philosophical way of life, our moral codes, our religious values, on others against their will, violence will beget more violence. Vengeance is likewise a repeatable, where in the end the combatants will forget why they are fighting, until one side either gives up, is enslaved, or dies. No doubt many ancient blood feuds were fought to a bitter end, though today they are no longer remembered... Who cares why they fought and killed so earnestly? Historically, can we really know why we always battled it out? Probably not, though every historian will seek to find a root cause. But like in a disappearing act, one day the fight is over. Why did it have to start in the first place? Too complex to answer simply. But it is not too complex to find a philosophical root cause to all violence, that in our passions we will abandon words and use force instead. Whether it is a calculated use of force, or a reactionary unconscious lashing out, the end result is the same. Unjustly, somebody will be hurt.

Would raising human consciousness of the consequences of our actions, and of our motives, our beliefs and ideas, bring about a less violent and more peaceful world? Only if this consciousness is sought after voluntarily, by our conscious choice. To impose consciousness on others is a self canceling event, since the so-called less conscious person will resist it, as they consciously should. So for humanity to rise above its collective urge for violence would take a growing number of individuals who are choosing to not use violence, to find peaceful means of averting it, and to teach others to not use force. This may seem a futile recipe, but our future humanity kind of depends on it, of necessity. The most powerful men and women will be then those who are best at stopping violence rather than those who are most violent. Then, perhaps, one may hope, we could be on some path to a greater, less violent, human condition. But are we there yet? It takes brains to get there... hence, a greater consciousness. The losers will be the gangs, war lords, tyrants, abusives, criminals, while the winners will be the rest of us who choose peace.

Can humanity evolve into a greater consciousness? I suspect it will. In the aggregate, when enough people see a better solution to conflict, and do it, a kind of evolutionary consciousness would take place, where violence would be as unacceptable then as cannibalism is today.

Are we there yet? I suspect that as long as our culture is geared towards raising aggressive youth for war, the answer is no, we are not.

Ivan

----
As was posted on the Examined Life forums, Philosophy Discussion, March 8, 2004:
The Passion of the Gibson in answer to happy's post.

I am not the truth.

Or.


...

911 MEA CULPAS?

Should someone take the blame for the horrific 911 attack on targets in New York and Washington, DC? Yes, the terrorists should take the blame. They did it.

Could it have been prevented? In hindsight, there were warnings of an impending attack on US soil, as the PDB of August 6, 2001 hints. But without a specific threat identifying the location, date, and method, no sane person would have taken such a threat to mean the terrorists will hijack airplanes with innocent human beings in them and slam them into targets. Such suicidal behavior was still unthinkable then. Had anyone within intelligence or the administration made a strong case for it, they would have been considered mentally unstable, the event unthinkable. Yet, this was exactly what happened, the unthinkable. Now, in the leisure of examining past carnage, such an unthinkably vicious suicidal attack on our homeland has raised criticisms of possible intelligence and policy failures. They were not failures, simply lack of judgement in believing that the enemy could be so viciously insane as to do what they did. Only the terrorists are responsible for the horrors of 911, 311 in Madrid, or bombings in Moscow, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Bali... alas. We must be vigilant for what those inhumanly dysfunctional minds filled with loathing can unleash against civilized progressive peoples, for in their insane hatreds of our freedoms, they are sure to follow. Primitive barbaric terrorism has no boundaries.

The terrorist network of Al Qaeda, and their religiously misguided supporters, believe they have struck at the heart of our culture by attacking our means of transportation, our financial center, our government. But they failed. We are not those things. Our heart is in each and all of us who cherish freedom, who understand the difficult responsibility this freedom entails, and who are vigilant against future attacks. Our individual human rights come at a high price, one we are willing to pay. Because our hearts are strong, because we are conscious of our mission, of the right to be who we are, they will not succeed. Theirs is a simple choice, to either join the rest of humanity in a historical movements towards greater equality and individual freedoms, or be left behind in a world of fear, deceit, hatred, and a life of oppressive coercions. One seeks conscious agreements, to be one with future humanity, the other is suicidal. We have made our choice. It is not our fault if they cannot make theirs. On this Easter Sunday, God help us, help them, towards Peace on Earth.

Editors, Humancafe

THE BRIDGE OF FREEDOM

Can we translate the freedom we believe in our souls to those who do not? This is not an idle question, for this is exactly what we are challenged with in bringing democracy to Iraq and the Middle East. Our mission in that contentiously violent part of the world is to bring stability and human rights in the form of a constitutional government that will function adequately to insure these freedoms. Is it in their hearts and souls to accept these?

The Arab world does not have a history of free and democratic institutions. There was no Magna Carta, no Enlightenment movement, no Jefferson and Madison, no Thoreaux or Emerson, to guide their way towards a civilization where the human values of peace, liberty, equality, pursuit of happiness, were enshrined in their institutions of law and government. There lies the great gulf between us, a gulf that is bridgeable only through education, good will, resolve, and the acceptance of these values by the leaders of their world. If their religious leaders so fear secularization of Arab society, a separation of church and state universally valuable in the West, that they will fight us at every turn, then it is a lost cause... unless others within Arab society can take up the leadership to move their society forward. This would fall to educators, to moderate enlightened religious leaders, to government officials with vision, to those who endorse truth and integrity over power and greed; for it is them who must take the reins of power. This is a monumental demand, civilization. How can it be that where the seat of our western civilization began thousands of years ago, Babylon, had fallen so far behind as to be one of the more regressive? Surely it is not because the people of Iraq and the Middle East are without freedom in their souls. They are no different from the rest of humanity on the planet. Their souls burn with a need for freedom as in any man or woman. But they had been beaten, confused by their so-called spiritual teachers who taught to hate rather than to love, been oppressed by their governmental regimes into cowering submission. The Arab soul had been damaged by its own, and to undo this damage there will be the need from within their world to rise great minds, the likes of Jefferson and Thoreaux, who will ring freedom in their ears. It will happen, but it also takes time to bridge this great gulf of civilizations between us. We can only show the way across this bridge, but we cannot force them to cross it.

Logic, courage, compassion, and trust. These are the four pillars that uphold democracy. A lesser pillar is economic well being, but it is distant fifth from the first. Hardship and suffering is not unknown to the Arab people, and though they are well endowed with natural wealth in oil, their economies cannot prosper without these main four. To overcome hardship, they must embrace these four realities of freedom.

Logic is the reason that separates truth from falsehood, so that each person knows what is real from what is deceiving. In centuries past, Arab scholars were masters of science, so we know this is not foreign to them.

Courage is a matter of will. There is no lack of will in the Arab soul, as we see daily in their self sacrifice, but it had been misdirected into a self destructive courage rather than a progressive one. It takes more courage to do good than harm.

Compassion is good will towards others in doing God's will. All the teachings of Islam call this, upon everyone to do God's will for He is the compassionate One. Everyone must have compassion in his or her heart, which is the work for their spiritual leaders.

Trust. That is the most difficult of all, to believe in one's fellow human beings, to do things truthfully, and to seek out that truth in the other. No civilization can long survive without this need for integrity, for trust, or else agreements between men become meaningless. This last may be the Arab world's greatest challenge, to seek out leadership and teachers who demand this trust above all else, to sacrifice all the hatred and ideologies of killing, to call upon God's compassion in all our dealings with each other, to believe in a greater good. Democracy, freedom, goodwill, courage, trust, these all work hand in hand and cannot be separated from compassion and reason. Upon these pillars of freedom are then built up civilization and the well being of society, as an economically strong and spiritually strong society.

This is the mutual bridge of freedom we must cross, both in helping the Arab people and in them helping themselves, to build upon the pillars of strength that support all civilized society. The lands of Islam have a rich history to draw upon in this new great venture, a history that harks back to the very roots that gave us a civilization in its many forms, from the democracy of the Greeks, republic of the Romans, to the European and American ideals of freedom of the Enlightenment. These progressive freedoms are now enjoyed by much of the world. It is time for the Middle East to join in this new civilization as well, Insh'Allah, for it is in their souls to do this.

A pro west secular democracy for Iraq is a pipe dream. The clerics have it.

BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3629765.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3632093.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3631743.stm

Maybe in one hundred years, they will be ready, not now.

EPIC ERA, THE END AND THE BEGINNING

So it ends, the Epic Era of men, and begins the era of human beings, of humanity. It will be where men and women together bring a new future, a new world, for generations to come. It was the curse of our former era to be at war, like animals fighting for space, or food, or women. But that is ended, and a new world without frontiers, without conflict, is about to enter. What part of the world did not know war? What part of the world has borders when seen from space? None. So it begins.

None shall be left behind, not Arab nor Jew, nor Christian nor Hindu, nor Maori, nor Indian, nor any of the peoples of the Earth. We are all united in this, that we move forward, into a world without conflict, without trespass, where agreement is the rule. Not a world of men oppressing women, or children, or animals, or any of Life, but mindful of how we can make things better. That is the promise of the future world, the epic world to come. Be Mindful. That is the New Era.

Our past epics were war. No more. Like beasts we have fought. But he who slays one man is like slaying all men. Shave your heads, for you are fighters no more. Peace is to rule the world, in fellowship, goodwill, and the beauty of Life. Shed your weapons, begin dialogue, understand the other, find the paths to peace, for that is the way. It ends now, and so it begins.

We are the alpha and the omega. And in that we are the apha again. Peace is in every step, in every thought, in our hearts. So it begins. Do not choose to be left behind in the future. The Epic Era has begun.

0.

Dear O:

Re ur Epic Era, yes, as you say, so it begins. The challenge will be to transition from an oppressive world, where force ruled, to one where instead are enforced agreements consciously made by mature individuals, protected from coercion. This is a very big step, already happening in faltering ways in democratic societies ruled by law. The resistance will come from those who will lose their power in this, their power to force their will on a subservient population. Compounding the problem is overpopulation, economic stagnation, and educational restrictions, so the world's accumulated knowledge cannot serve them. It is almost as if their God or ideology punishes them by their own hand, for it is of their own doing. Any ideology that wants to freeze humanity in a subservient position yields meager results, as we have already seen. So, yes, it has begun, though it will be with very great difficulty that the fruits of freedom will reach to all in the world, of all races, both sexes, and all beliefs equally. Yet, if it is in our destiny to be free, we cannot change the future.

Thanks for writing, Ivan

Benjamin Baruch - Author of "The Day of the LORD is at Hand" claims he is not a prophet, but insists that he hears the audible voice of God - read these EXACT quotes of (Ben and God speaking) taken from the book...

“And when the Lord speaks to you, who can but prophesy? I have been able to hear the voice of the Lord from my youth. I was surprised to learn recently that the majority of Christians have never heard His voice.” (BEN)

"I have cancelled your hotel reservation…” (GOD)

"When you get to the hotel, don’t get upset, just sit in the lobby and wait for me. I will get you a room. I only wanted to move you.” (GOD)

“When you get to the hotel in Anaheim, a man who I have been chasing for many years will crash into your car in the parking lot. Get out of the car and speak to him the words that I give you. And don’t worry about the car. It will just be a little ding. And besides, it’s My car.” (GOD)

“The Lord says to say to you, if you don’t return to Him and repent of your sin, He is going to kill you. This is your last warning!” (BEN)

“I created this entire country! I know where you are and you are in the wrong place! Get back on the bus. It is leaving. I don’t want to have to argue with you again.” (GOD)

"At this point the Lord was literally yelling at me. And what did I do? I thought to myself, I know the Lord wants me on this bus, so I better get on it. But if this is a mistake, He won’t hear the end of it, until He gets me out of this mess” (BEN)

"That is why I am writing this book. Dear reader, you are being warned. Listen to his voice!" (BEN)

"The highest prophetic office is held by those who can hear the Lord’s voice directly, and who have been chosen to speak to the Lord face to face.” (BEN)

*****The Benjamin Baruch ministries claim to have witness JANET RENO on LARRY KING LIVE give her definition of what a CULT is. Upon investigation, this supposed interview with Reno NEVER HAPPENED and has been documented as a HOAX and URBAN LEGEND - Even the 700 Club aired a TV show about this RENO URBAN LEGEND being just that - AN URBAN LEGEND.

Yet, the the prophet Benjamin Baruch claims he witnessed this, yet out of MILLIONS of viewers, no one else has stepped forward.

What more evidence is needed to expose a false prophet? Or can a prophet make these false allegations and still be a TRUE MESSENGER?

Hi Anon,

Is this the "voice of God" with a sense of Humor? I once heard said that the Bible and Prophets should have had more humor written, so at least we could laugh at our own follies we take so seriously.

I too have heard "voices" in my head, but never thought to this it was from God. Rather, it was under the stress of digging out my truck from a ditch out in the middle of the desert in the middle of the night. Funny, but they gave me good advice, and I dug out by morning, even if they did have slow drawl of local miners or ranchers. Spirits, perhaps? Or biofeedback of a stressed brain? I don't know, but I was glad to hear them just the same. As long as they are good company, give sound advice, and they don't direct me to go and hurt others, it's okay I guess.

Can God "talk" to us? In theory, God can do anything. The question is, why would anyone believe it was God? To me, to believe God is talking to us is like admitting that our ego is the size of God. But isn't that an oxymoron? Or does God REALLY have a sense of Humor for his true messengers?

Thanks for sharing Ben's,
Ivan J

PEACEFUL ISLAM: needs to be rediscovered again.

In this BBC World News article: Analysis: Interpreting Islam, are views expressed that the majority of believers in Mohammedism do not believe in the kind of violence seen by fundamentalist extremists, that Islam is being distorted by Western Media, that recent beheadings have only reinforced these misperceptions.

It can be said with some reasonable assurance that "fundamentalists" of any faith are hardened people who cannot see outside their narrowly limited and stifled points of view, they cannot grow, spiritually dead. Their opinions are harsh of how they see the world and people in it, and quick to punish anyone who disagrees with them, or is perhaps tolerant towards another's point of view. If these "fundamental" violent believers have taken over the Faith of Islam, then it is for the people of that faith to unseat them. If they do not their religion back from their violent radicals, the West and other parts of the world will see them as perpetual regressive pariahs to modern secular human society, freedomm of choice and human rights, and of equality for men and women.

Salaam

Diana Griego Erwin: Iraqi women try to help Americans see the country through their eyes

It's not ALL bad news out of Iraq. Why don't we see more positive news like this? Is the media so enthralled by the sordid, the grisly, the ghoulish, that a blind eye is turned to the hopes and courage of the Iraqi people? Are the criminals really entitled to more air time than all the descent people who want to make their country work? How about equal time for both sides, those who commit horror and murder, and those who are working for a free and democratic Iraq?

I hope the Iraqi people turn out in force for their elections in January to prove all the sordid media spinners wrong.
!

MARTYRS OF INNOCENCE, in Memoriam.

Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, the two Italian women working for Bridge to Baghdad, were there to make education better for the unfortunate Iraqis hurt by war, especially children. They were killed.* Two American constructions workers to help rebuild Iraq, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley, both were captured and brutally killed. The Briton Kenneth Bigley, and two French journalists, are at risk of the same senseless murder. Their crime was that they wanted to help, to rebuild, to bring a country tyrannized by war and oppressive dictator, by mass murder, imprisonment, torture, back from the brink of the primitive. But the primitives still prevail, whether in the misbegotten name of religion, or for sheer barbarism, and their brutal killings go on.

These are purely criminal acts, as were the twelve Nepalese murdered, same with captives from the West, Italians, Americans, Bulgarians, Turks, and the Middle East, Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese, many Iraqis themselves, Pakistani, Korean, Algerians; killings that had long lost their credibility of any cause save for those whose ghoulish appetite in murder is never satisfied. The innocents killed, as were the children, men and women in Beslan, in Bali, East Timor, in Moscow, New York, Washington, countless suicide bombings in Israel, on intercontinental flights, Beirut; all were more martyrs than captives in any political cause. This cause has no legitimacy except as vicious crimes against humanity.

Where are the demonstrations against such barbarism? Where are those who protest such abuse of human rights? Where are the peace demonstrators, the new left, the voices of amnesty, the priests and ministers and imams, the feminists, the rock stars and movie stars, civil liberties lawyers, all fighters for human rights? Where are all the voices against predatory behavior? Why such silence? Same as child molesters, rapists, muggers, murderers, are a pariah on society and must be stopped, so must these abductors of innocent human beings be stopped. No society can coexist with its predators, no matter what their political or religious beliefs, or that society will surely fail. These brutal primitives must be stopped, their funding cut off, and their news coverage restricted, for they revel in cruelty and ugliness, reveling in their victim's blood.

For the sake of these who had been martyred, both the Arab and non-Arab world must speak out. This is not a religious war, it is not jihad, it is simply murder, an excessive criminality reveling in the blood of innocents, of men and women and children who were murdered in some primitive pre-biblical butchery. They are the martyrs, martyred for being human beings. They died because they were not part of any cause, other than being alive, trying to help, to learn, to build a better world. The predators stopped them. Now it is time to speak out against these primitive predators, and to stop them.

Those who would protest that bombs kill too must remember that the vicious primitives hide behind the innocent, behind women and children, using them as human shields. The martyred men and women and children were innocents who died same as did the human shields. They are all martyrs of innocence.

Humancafe.com - editorial staff
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--edited 9/28/04--

* There is wonderful news! The two Italian women were released unharmed, Allah be praised, the Merciful, the Compassionate. May this good fortune, and act of mercy by their abductors, be also the news for the two French journalists and the Briton engineer, may they be released soon. We can only pray.

Sadly, it was too late for the others who were brutally killed, Martyrs of Innocence.

BRING THEM BACK FROM DEATH

When beautiful human beings are destroyed
You want to scream "Stop this!"
In every soul, every smile, there is the Beauty.
For God's sake, for the love of humanity,
Do not do this!

Do not destroy the beauty,
Of each woman, each man, of Life.
In the promise of every child,
Is the hope of eternity.
Bring back the life,
Bring them back from the abyss,
Of Death.

Ivan

Italian hostages released in Iraq

This is wonderful news! Thank God there is still mercy in the world.

Their innocence is vindicated. Simona Pari and Simona Torretta are released. Let us pray for all the others.

Ivan

IS UN AT FAULT IN PREVENTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

UN attacks Italy's refugee policy

This BBC News article clearly shows there is a massive human tragedy, and violation of human rights, caused by smugglers of human beings, capitalizing on their social plight with promises of a better life in Europe. Most arrive illegally on boats to the nearest point, the Italian island of Lampedusa, where they overwhelm the holding capacity of the refugee camp there, making it unsanitary and unsafe for the arrivals already there. But is this not a problem for the United Nations, to curb such human trafficking by unscrupulous smugglers of human beings? Rather than leveling criticism at Italian authorities, this should be a golden opportunity for the UN to take the matter into its own hands and set up their own holding camps for the unfortunate victims of human smuggling. Why do they not do this, and offer only a whine instead? Is the UN inept at handling massive human crisises of this sort, where through misfortune criminal gangs profit in human trafficking?

That humans beings can be so desperate as to surrender themselves to human smugglers is a tragedy of our modern times, but their choice to do so must be honored. It is this choice, perhaps a very bad one since it invites their coercion, which allows them to be treated as virtual slaves of the smugglers; many of whom will perish on the risky voyage by sea, or dumped into a foreign land, on any of Europe's shores. This human trafficking is an international violation of antislavery laws and must be addressed by both all of the European Union and the United Nations, and not left to the distress of individual nations. It is an open door for the UN to show what it can do to handle this tragedy. To date, it has failed to provide facilities, holding camps in either Europe or Africa, where this human tragedy can be addressed. The UN's only response had been criticism of how overwhelmed Italian officials responded to this human trafficking crisis, by sending them back to their origin point of human smuggling.

It is for the United Nations to stop this illegal human trafficking in order to protect the refugees' human rights.

Humancafe.com

NOBEL PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WOMAN

Kenyan ecologist wins Nobel prize

This is great news for a worthy woman and an inspiration for the people of Africa, and the world, in the cause of peace and Earth's ecology. Congratulations to Mrs Maathai, well done!

CHANGE IN THE ARAB/ISLAMIC WORLD?

Fast change in the UAE

Afghan vote boycott 'crumbling'

Somalia's presidential hopefuls

In pictures: Afghanistan votes

Why would they be any different from the rest of the world? Economic freedom, democratic rule of law, women's right, as all indicative of a world based on agreement rather than coercion. Of course their world will embrace these new Earth ideals, they only make sense for a better life. Arabs and the people of Islam are no different from the rest of the world, even if there is presently friction between their traditional religion and its eventual secularization, as had already happened in the West. Things change. This is right on towards a better world, for all of us.

On the same day's BBC news there is also those who would still kill:

Suicide blast kills 17 in Baghdad

Let's see how the voter turnout is in Iraq when the elections are held in January. There may be hope yet, if the turnout is like the Afghani one. The killers are out of step with history, and suicidal, because their way is coming to an end.

Maybe the news from Baghdad will be more like the news from Kandahar:

Afghan officials hail Kandahar poll

Insh'Allah, God Willing.

Ivan

An online war for hearts and minds

This thought provoking BBC News article is about how Islam will evolve within the context of the internet and European-western society. Will it lead to 'balkanisation' dominated by religious 'village strong men', or will it be through dialogue of modern tolerant minds? Have Muslin scholars addressed this question with a view to make a better world, or are they battling for the minds and souls of their youth for another agenda? Are human rights, our inherent freedoms as human beings, addressed by moderate elements, or will radicalization dominate future events, even within societies who had prided themselves on openness and tolerance of diverse cultures? Which will 'win' in the end: coercion, or understanding and agreement? If coercion dominates, then the future is grim. It will be at the hands of future young people, and old, to guide their world towards more tolerance of diversity without imposing their inherent coercions on others. Nor can an 'enemy' be allowed to live as potential predators from within, for no society can last long without controlling its predators.

American Christians who hate Palestinian Christians


The Palestinian Christian is an endangered species. When the modern state of Israel was established there were about 400000 of us. Two years ago the number was down to 80000. Now it’s down to 60000. At that rate, in a few years there will be none of us left. When this happens non Christian groups will move into our churches and claim them for ever. I FEAR THAT WHEN/IF THE LAST PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN LEAVES EXTREME GROUPS WILL MOVE INSTANTLY TO OUR CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS AND HAVE A FIELD DAY HATCHING WORLD PLOTS. IT WOULD BE TOO LATE FOR BUSH (OR KERRY) TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT !!
Palestinian Christians within Israel fare little better. On the face of it, their number has grown by 20000 since 1991. But this is misleading, for the census classification ‘Christian’ includes some 20000 recent non-Arab migrants from the former Soviet Union.
So why are Palestinian Christians abandoning their homeland?
We have lost hope, that’s why. We are treated as non-people. Few outside the Middle East even know we exist, and those who do, conveniently forget.
I refer, of course, to the American Religious Right. They see the modern Israel as a harbinger of the Second Coming, at which time Christians will go to Paradise, and all others (presumably including Jews) to Hell. To this end they lend military and moral support to Israel.
Even by the double-dealing standards of international diplomacy this is a breathtakingly cynical bargain. It is hard to know who is using whom more: the Christian Right for offering secular power in the expectation that the Jewish state will be destroyed by a greater spiritual one; or the Israeli Right for accepting their offer. What we do know is that both sides are abusing the Palestinians. Apparently we don’t enter into anyone’s calculations.
The views of the Israeli Right, and extremists affiliated with other religions, are well known: they want us gone.
Less well known are the views of the American Religious Right. Strangely, they find the liberation of Iraqis from a vile dictator just, but do not find it unjust for us to be under military occupation for 38 long years. Said Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma): ‘God Appeared to Abraham and said: “I am giving you this land,”the West Bank. This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.’
House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) was even more forthright: ’I'm content to have Israel grab the entire West Bank… I happen to believe that the Palestinians should leave.’
There is a phrase for this. Ethnic cleansing.
So why do American Christians stand by while their leaders advocate the expulsion of fellow Christians? Could it be that they do not know that the Holy Land has been a home to Christians since, well… since Christ?
Do not think I am asking for special treatment for Christians. Ethnic cleansing is evil whoever does it and to whomever it is done. Palestinian Christians: Anglican, Maronite Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Armenians, Baptists, Copts and Assyrians have been rubbing shoulders with each other and with other religions: Muslims, Jews, Druze and (most recently) Baha’is for centuries. We want to do so for centuries more. But we can’t if we are driven out by despair.
We are equally frightened by those who commit suicide bombings.None of us Christians have condoned it or even contemplated the idea. Our commitment to Jesus teachings will never shake our resolve in this matter.
What we seek is support: material, moral, political and spiritual. As Palestinians we grieve for what we have lost, and few people (the Ashkenazi Jews are one) have lost more than us. But grief can be assuaged by the fellowship of friends.

Abe

OPEN LETTER TO ALIENS IN OUR GALAXY.

Why haven't aliens from another world talked to us?

I'm taking this question from an interesting discussion on BAD Astronomy forum titled: "Aliens won't talk to us. Why?" The twenty one points mentioned as a summary of why give three categorical reasons: Technical, sociological, and philosophical. The technical can be summed up as "we're out of the tech loop" so we cannot hear them and they cannot hear us. The sociological is summed as "non parity between civilizations", so they ignore us. The philosophical says "our belief systems are too different". So this leads to the question of how can we make them understand that we are ready to talk, assuming "they" actually exist; or perhaps are we really ready to talk to them at all?

So talk to us, aliens. If you had been observing us, collectively, since human like apes first conquered fire and began making stone tools, which may demark when we became modern human beings, you may have seen us from those early days when we separated from the ape family tree. Of course, if you are less advanced than we are, we will not hear from you, perhaps for thousands if not millions of years. But if we are less advanced than you, and you have full space travel and communications capability, you have the technical advantage over us, so we might hear from you. Assuming that if you are more advanced and have that advantage, then the fact that we had not heard from you may lead us to think that you are not an aggressive race. If you were, one would suppose, we would have known by now, either as slaves or food, or we would had been made extinct. No alien colonies exist on Earth that we know of, so we must assume by default that you are not coercively aggressive. This leaves only the possibility that if you exist, and are advanced enough, you chose to leave us alone.

Perhaps you see us as not yet ready. We are coercive, have the ability to do great harm to ourselves and others, still engage in wars though there are efforts to minimize these by international agreements, and we certainly still find sport in killing others, as our films portray. So perhaps you see us as still too primitive, a collective world of criminals, to join in with you. Our technological advancements, though impressive to ourselves, may appear crude and simple to you. Can a new breakthrough in physics or space travel, and communications, make a difference here? And then there is the matter of our planet's collective will. Many people doubt there are aliens, so that those who see flying saucer like ships are ridiculed. If you are sworn to non-interference with our world, why do we see them, if they exist? Are some of you less careful about that? Do you have a hierarchical chain of command, so that those at the lowest rungs, the ones observing us, may have to ask for permission from higher up before they can respond to our call? (I actually once had a dream about that, where your rain making machines were spotted giving rain to flocks of sheep, and when discovered you had a momentary panic in how to deal with it!) The chain of command is one way to rechannel aggression and keep things under control, same as we use in our military structures, where aggression is what the military is all about. Is this a universal structure used by all the other worlds? Or is it on your world that obedience is subservient to freedom by agreements? We like to think that we are making it thus in ours, though falteringly.

Then there is the matter of sanctity of life. Is your world built around a principle that all life is sacred, and especially human life? If so, since we do not always observe this, killing animals for food and killing each other too, then you might think we are not ready to be talked to. Is this holding you back, so all you do is observe us from a distance? Are there any humans on Earth worth talking to? And if at some point you decide yes, it is okay to talk to some, how will you go about doing this? Secret meetings? That may be against your principle of openness and truth. A general communications with us might alarm our governments and church leaders. What religion would stand up to a revelation that we had not been alone, a favored planet in the eyes of God, and that there are civilizations out there galore? I can see your dilemma here, especially since any hint that you might exist is quickly squelched by our government authorities with denials, or by scientific authorities with ridicule. So perhaps this alone gives you reason to think that we simply are not yet ready? Valid point.

So what road is open to us to establish a communications link with you? Firstly, stop killing each other, and respect all life? Second, stop ridiculing the idea that other civilizations exist, to show good faith? Third, reign in coercive behaviors with some disciplined structure showing that we are not primitive savages? Agreements work by far better than coercions in how society works, as per our social agreements, our laws, and our respect for truthfulness and honoring contracts of agreements. So we had not proven ourselves capable of this at any level of acceptance by you? Lastly, it is technical. We are backwards technologically, so are not yet ready for space, though we have had some little successes, such as getting to our moon, and getting probes out into the solar system. Not enough? Do we need to pass some test of competence before approached? I suspect this may be the least important reason for your silence, and that the others listed above are far more dominant.

So we remain in the dark. We still do not see life as each living thing a universe unto itself, so crush it when it is convenient for us. We destroy natural habitats, pollute our oceans to where coral and oceanic life cannot breathe, kill our rivers, cut down our living forests for wooden toys... I can see your point! Some religions, such as Buddhism did see each life as precious, but for wrong reasons; they did not want to crush a reincarnated relative who came back as a bug! So our philosophical developments may appear crude, though we had progressed some from when we first tamed fire. In a million years, we hope to be better than now, but for now, this aggressive dysfunctional civilization you see, one that might even destroy the ecosystem of its world to where we will not be able to breathe, is what you have to work with. Not much can be done to save us from ourselves, but perhaps some clue that we are not all alone in the universe may give us a new impetus to want to do better. If for no other reason, if you had been observing our slow progress for the past million years, can you at least give us a hint on how we can get over this little hump in our path? Send it to us in a collective dream, if you will, that we want to become better than we are now, not such primitive savages, and perhaps you will like the results. I for one think that we are ready, but we simply do not yet know we are.

Ivan D. Alexander

Earth, 3rd planet from our star, near the edge of our galaxy.

Ps: Of course, if your watching us is like us watching animals in the wild, then maybe you haven't found it worth talking to... valid point.

Aliens won't talk to us continued, more really neat interesting stuff.

In searching for confirmation of a theory I had regarding multidimentional interaction with our reality and a quantum singularity at the heart of our sun I came upon this website.

I found it a breath of fresh air in an otherwise bland universe of thought.

Having fought Al Queda and its allies and been the target of assination attempts I am well aquainted with the type of world that the extremists would build...one where websites like this would no longer be allowed....

I have seen much over the course of my career, to include much folly and ingorance in what is supposed to be our vaulted intelligence and military system of systems that has inadvertently contributed to much misery in this world...conversely I have seen our military and intelligence services pull off miracles that have kept the peace and furthered the cause of civilization....of the miracles and failures I have been part of both...

During the Cold War I and others saw what was to come in the former Yugosolvia but the attitude that prevailed at the time was that it was immaterial to our interests...it used to be a running joke at the CIA and DIA that we put the least capable personnel in charge of those regions because it was more important to have the best facing the Soviets and if you screwed up on a Soviet Desk you would be demoted to the Balkins....

Time passed and 100,000 or more died...and then we took and interest...

Again time passed and we are faced with a crisis in Dafur with millions facing death and starvation...again we saw what was going to happen but it was immaterial to our interests and the region was assigned to the least capable analysts...I watched as a Lt Colonel faced with information about Dafur flounder as what to do with it....being a small minded man his inclination was to transfer it or ensure it got lost in the system so he could not be held responsible for doing something about...a typical beaurcratic reaction.....he was not an evil man just a man over his head and fearful of losing his career over an issue he saw as immaterial to our interests...

Again time passes and now millions face death....

In all of these cases one wonders what they would have done if faced with the challange of knowing that something was going to happen and having the responsibility of doing something about it....

Most of us I suspect would act much like the LT Colonel I saw flounder with the information he had at hand....

Until we all develop the courage that was displayed by the young soldier at who broke the story of Abu Graib...I suspect our world will be beset by much misery....and our progress towards an integrated peaceful global society slowed as we battle religious extremists whose cause is aided by things like Abu Graib....

A few words on some things that they don't put in the history books.....

OUR CULTURE must appear offensive to some other cultures. Just watch TV for a day or two, and you'll see how adolescently shallow is the content, if not merely sex innuendoes, then violence, or simplistic moral values of the kind suitable for children. Even our psychological explorations fall so far short of our greater human dignity and soul, more like focussing on a pimple than seeing the beauty of the whole face. Drugs and alcohol are a problem, but that is our problem. So if observers from afar who do not understand those finer qualities we also possess, our willingness to help others, our care for human rights and animal rights, though not yet universal, our love of freedom, our delight in the arts, and beauty of nature, though even here we squander this beauty in our eagerness to build home tracts or mine for resources, or cut forests; we can understand how they are misled. We are not perfect. But neither are we so horrible, that some should take it upon themselves to kill us for what are our values and beliefs. The greatest of these values is that we formally acknowledged human freedom and equality, if at times we are faulty in our intent's execution. We delight in our children, we love beauty, we love science and knowledge, we love God.

On the other hand, there is much to find fault in other cultures. Cannibalism in DR Congo is not a virtue, where pygmies are eaten by soldiers if they fail to deliver game, or worse, they eat their children. Women kept in a state of perpetual servitude, without rights and in some place not only without voice but even without a driver's license, are not virtues. Slavery, where some human beings are in total bondage to others, often children and as often women for sex trade, are not virtues. Violence and violation of women, rape, husbands beating their wives with impunity, (dis)honor killings. Suicide bombings to kill non-combatant civilians, often children, are not virtues. Jihad, to kill all those who are deemed non-believers, is a horror, worse than our films' stupid preoccupation with violence and murder, for there are those who claim to know what is an "un-believer". How dare they? By what right can they judge another whether or not they are loved by God, and love God in return? God has many names, so by what right:? Absurd, primitive, and in so many ways more evil than the stupidities of our culture.

So let him raise the first stone against the "evil" of another, and look deep into his or her own soul, and see what is truly there. What? Pride? Servitude? Ignorance? Hate? Fear? Before that stone is cast, look deep into your soul and ask, how many people have you helped? To whom had you done elevating things to raise them above you rather than brining them down to you? For whom have you given your love? Then, if you are satisfied, throw that stone. But if you do, mind, stones come back the other way. That is the way of the Universe, that stone will come back at you.

Ivan

Very True Ivan,

There is hope yet...I have witnessed much in the course of my life and will see much yet to come....I am not sure if you saw the posting I made about the same time as yours....If we are going to break the cycle of violence and progress what Jesus Christ taught us is to lead by example...hence your statements regarding his words on casting stones...

When we descend to the same level as the terorists or fail to take action to confront evil...we fail the great test....When faced with the stoning Jesus made his historical statement that has echoed through eternity....

I knew what they were doing to the prisoners at Guantanamo...the use of water torture and the like as documented in the Times Magazine article two very brave ex CIA men that will remain nameless told me what DOD interagators where doing...they both found God and left the agency...one lived through the Beuruit Bombing of the Marine Barracks and awoke in the smoking rubble...the other steped outside CIA Headquarters after witnessing the revolution that brought down the Romanian government and and almost died protecting his Romanian operatives from the mob...his cover blown he went to Langley and as he walked out the door a bolt of lighting from a clear sky shattered a tree before him...it put his feet on a path to God....he lived in Iran for as a agent for a while and learned to love the common people of Iran and the Zorastrians who were much oppressed...

There is hope and the children of Islam are very forgiving....they also remember their friends...

Respectfully

Ed Chesky

PS I don't sleep very well as you can imagine...23 years of secrets and seeing things takes a toll I take it day by day. I had hoped that we could tame the demons we created and/or angered in GITMO I am not sure that is possible any more

To the children of Islam. In my youth I was to have died at the hands of Terrorists on PANAM 103 that was destroyed over Scottland. By the Grace of God I survived. I was next to have died as a result of a boquet of flowers laced with a weapon of war by the Terrorists. By the grace of God I survived. I was next to have died as a result of poison in my food delivered into my house by terorists. By the Grace of God I survived. Through all of it I remained faithful to my faith and remmembered the kindness of the Children of Islam to me. Both the children of the House of Christ and the Children of Islam have our terrorists. When pressed, I did not use my skills to kill but rather to break terrorist networks, nor did I allow my skill with a compass and straight-edge to be used as a weapon of war. In God's own time all those that abuse prisoners, maim and kill outside the law will face God and his justice. Of this I am sure. Until that day it is up to us to preserve the peace and advance knowledgel I hope one day to go to Mecca and see it with my own eyes as you are free to go to visit our holy sites. I also hope to drink one day from the Holy Zam Zam Spring where an Angel of God Tread in honor of Ibrahim from whom we are all descended.

Edward Chesky

BBC News reports: Iraq violence shifting Arab media , which shows Arab media becoming increasingly aware that the killings by their suicide bombers are increasingly targeting their own civilians.
Clean government is the issue here: Iran hardliners pray for victory , where rooting out corruption with a hardline conservative religious agenda is favored as the means over humanistic liberal reforms. This may appear a throwback from the point of view of more progressive human rights proponents, but it may be the necessary "means to an end" for those countries where corruption at all levels of society are a fact of life. We should not be quick to judge, though the step backwards may be regrettable it may be the correct way for those societies, especially where the level of education is low and the habit of deceit is high, as the best way to correct these social dysfunctions. Time is lost in joining the rest of humanity's more progressive ideas, and no doubt more educated members of society will suffer for their liberal views, but that may the reality of where they live. Until they can reign in gross coercions and deceit, that is where they're at.
Killings, suicide bombings, payoffs, racketeering, corrupt civil and government officials, are part and parcel of the intellectual poverty experienced by many parts of the world, not only less developed nations but economically advanced as well. BBC news has good coverage of these developments, and Arab media should as well, to educate their people who labor under the terrible weight of these social dysfunctions and coercions.

G8 AND AFRICA

This article from BBC News shows the serious side of an African's point of view of Africa's problems. Debt may, and should, be forgiven; aid doubled; medicines and food find their ways to the most impoverished victims. But will this be a solution, or but one more reason for gangs and gang like governments to wrestle for power through more war? G8 may end subsidies to their own domestic farmers, which should help, but can the economies of Africa function normally in an environment of corruption and intimidatiion by the powerful over the weak? It may not be merely a war of tribalism, but more a war of coercions, of deceitful and unlawful human nature for some of the people of the continent.

Remember, we are all descendents of Africa. Why should some of us be so much better off than others? It is not a problem of Africa, but a problem of human conduct.

G8 on Africa's corruption pandemic?

PRIMITIVE INSANE TERRORISM

The insane mind is hard to reason, so how do we understand a primitively insane mind capable of barbaric acts of terrorsim against innocent civilians, such as happened already in New York and Madrid, and today in London? Is there any reason to such insanity?

777. This seems to be the number the insane found thrilling . Like the primitive mind, insanity may relish in odd esoteric numerology couched in superstitions and magic. Perhaps 777 is a special message to their evil god, or from him, to goad them into believing that this magic number falls on the day when they are to display their primitive savagery. The seventh day of the seventh month, in the year 2005, which adds numerlogically to 7, they found their diabolical symbol of the day. This is reminiscent of the biblical 666, symbol of the supposed devil, another primitive symbolism. The fact that this day is at the time of the G8 meeting in Scoltand perhaps reinforced their insanity, regretable only that it was not a G7 meeting, since G is the seventh letter of the English speaking alphabet.

Is there reasoning with the insane? Can some strange magical symbolism appeal to the primitive minds enamoured with the devil? Is barbarsim a human curse visited upon us in modern times by those disaffected with accomplsihments of humankind? The G8 is meeting to address hunger and poverty and disruptions of human caused climate changes. The insane see this with glee, as a time to cause havoc and barbaric acts against innocent well meaning human beings. How do you reason with such violently sick minds?

You don't. They are beyond reason, and like a social cancer, needs to be dealt with surgically, and cut out.

sdwc

CAN ISLAM EVOLVE?

I wrote elsewhere on a forum that there really is no choice.

Which way Islam?

Female mutilation, jihad, death fatwahs, beheadings. It's not a pretty picture Islam has carved out for itself in this world. Why are they so different from the rest of humanity, and not more like us?

If a faith is so dominated by hatreds and fears that it resembles the opposite of what the original intent of the teachings was all about, "peace and compassion", then it is time for the followers of that faith to take a long hard look at themselves. Why are they not more like their compassionate offsprings the Baha'is, for example, or the reform movements in Judaism and Christianity, or tolerant like Buddhists? Why are they absent from the world scene of ecology, health, fighting HIV, fighting hunger, poverty, preservation of animal species, plant species, or in a dialogue for human rights? As a group, I am sure the people of Islam are every bit as intelligent as anyone else on the planet. But why had they become so conspicuously absent from a positive side of world events? Instead, they find themselves criticized harshly for terrorism, accused of brutality towards women, or as supporters of teachings that are poles apart from the progressive developments, such as our human freedoms. So they find themselves on the extreme negative side of world events. I don't expect Islamists to become "neo-Protestants", but they certainly have a lot of room for improvement. What Islamic nation can be held up as a shining example for the world? Saudi Arabia? The world's oil is there, but it was there for hundreds of millions of years. Iran? They have nuclear technology, but their progressiveness was attacked from within by their religious powerbase, and thus likely distrusted by the rest of the world. Maybe Turkey? They're the closest to western ideas, have a manufacturing base, but are also under attack by fundamentalists from within. Zanzibar? No. Egypt? With their exceptionally rich history and scholarship, maybe. Algeria, Morocco, Lybia, Tunisia, Yemen? It is hard to see what these countries had contributed to the world in the past 500 years. Iraq for now is a big question mark.

So is "Jihad!" a war cry of victory? Or is rather a cry of desperation? I think the latter, and they know it. Same as the cruelty and repression of the Catholic Inquisition of the Middle Ages was stopped, the Church felt then threatened by modern ideas, so will it be with today's fundamentalist Islamists. The Inquisition ended, and the Church changed, because it had to. And so is it with this newly violent Islamism, because it has to come to an end. They know this, and we know this. As they look around, they know they had been left behind, and rather badly. It is for this reason they are not on the world stage of progressive development, so their presence is known only through horrific negative attention. The beheadings, kidnappings, suicide killings, are all part of that negative side, just like wayward children craving attention. They are not to be feared, but they must be contained, same as delinquent children must be contained from their violence. Nor is this lost on the true intellectuals of Islam, but with death fatwahs they are silenced, like Salman Rushdi. Not only silenced, but desperate, because they cannot see how change can come about to bring progressive change to their world. And yet, being part of this world, change they will, because they can, because they must. In the end, they have to embrace a world built up of respectful social and personal agreements, built on honesty and trust, rather than ruled by repression, by coercions built on violence and fear. That is where the West, however imperfect in its Enlightenment and modern instituted freedoms, has surpassed them.

So this recent manifestation of Islam, its truly ugly side, is not to be feared, nor is it to be pitied. But nor can it be ignored, because it must be addressed. This is part of Islam's necessary self evaluation, what it has to undergo to re-examine itself, to search its soul for what it truly believes. Ultimately it has to change for the better because it must. Call me an optimist, but I believe the good people in Islam will win. They have no other way, otherwise it's self destruction, which becomes a cultural suicide. The death of a rich and fine tradition of Islam, which once had a great history, would be regrettable not only because I was fond of reading Richard Burton's "Arabian Nights", or Charles Doughty's "Arabia Deserta", but because I had known some truly fine people in their world. They have to win this new battle within themselves, for the good of all their children and all posterity. I think the real "Jihad" will be when Islam can turn away from violence and reform itself from within, into the image of a progressive, sensitive both socially and individually, universally tolerant, finely spiritual and compassionate; and free in expression of what is the beauty of being human, man or woman, Muslim or not. And that, when they succeed, will be their fine contribution to their heritage, and to all posterity.

Ivan,

I can understand your frustration as you watch the world of Islam. To see things like the adoption of Islamic Law into the Constitution of Iraq and the step backward it is for woman's rights and freedom is hard to comprehend.

Despite the blood and treasure we have spent in Iraq it is clear the people of Islam are reluctant to change.

All we can do is hope for the best, and take with a grain of salt the spin we are getting out of Washington DC lately on how much progress is being made in Iraq and the Middle East. I recommend that you read a book called the Haj. Once you read it I think you will have a better understanding of what is going on in the World of Islam.

For years I was a military planner that developed targeting campaign plans that would have killed millions. I was very good at it which is why there were a number of attempts on my life and why Al Qeada and others want to kill me. During the first Gulf War I assisted in the killing of thousands of Iraqi soldiers that pulled out of Kuwait on the Highway of death. When I walked the ground afterward the corpses of the dead were burned into carbon ashes from the heat of the munitions we used.

I never really thought about it until I almost died. Unlike Islam Christianity offered me an alternative

Current Political Situation in Iraq

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/iraq

Iraq secularists denounce "Islamist" constitution

For those that bandy about the words, "Lets Nuke the Place" or "Lets Turn it into a parking lot." or "Just Kill them all and let God Sort Them out."

I direct you to the following Website

http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=210

I sat in a command center after providng advise on supression of Air Defenses and Iraqi Air Defense Capability and watched on close circuit television as we bombed the columne on the Highway of Death. Then I walked the ground.

Since that day I have been hunted by Islamic militants for that and other reasons. PANAM 103 over Lockerbee was to have been my death at the end of the Cold War.

I have since renounced killing after almost dying myself and picked up my compass and ruler again to teach the world a lesson in geometry and the appropriate application of intelligence in support of predictive analysis.

Ed Chesky

I have long thought that we are reaching a critical juncture in the war in Iraq and offer the following link that does a good job at addressing that issue.

Iraq war approaching the tipping point

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3379C496-BA09-4CDE-A93E-2B36DCF7F36E.htm

I note that this assessment is published on Al Jazeera and broadcast throughout the Middle East. This asessment is picked up by the Islamic Militants all around the middle east and is used to drive strategy and operations.

Ed Chesky

FORWARD OR BACK IN IRAQ?

(Cross posted from Can Democracy Be "Imposed"?, the Examine Life forums.)

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Quote:

For many Europeans, America is the fast-food industry. And the fast-food industry (along with the tobacco industry) is becoming increasingly implicated in Third World exploitation, robbing Third World people of their health rather than their wealth.

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Do you mean like Dr. V's eye clinic, India, which has helped millions see again, two-thirds of them for free, and was inspired by the efficiency methods of McDonald's fast foods, so their doctors each perform 100 eye cataract operations per day? Even the creators of America's, and soon the world's, proverbial "double bellied fat slob" can offer something good, if handled in a proper spiritual way. I never eat there myself, but then I live in the land of "frutis and nuts". I'd lift a pint of Guiness to good health!.. chased down by fresh squeezed carrot juice... and a good cigar. J

Getting back to the original:

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Quote:

Critics of the Bush administration's regime change project in Iraq argue that one can't force a democractic/representative government template on a society that is unprepared or unwilling to accept it.

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It depends upon whom you talk to in Iraq. For some, the fall of Saddam's hated regime is a golden opportunity to start afresh, to make something of the country other than another oppressive regime founded on fear, torture, brutality, and murder. Both of Saddam's sons were legend butchers, now dead. The winds of progress can blow in Iraq, sans WMD's Dr. Germ, and the thousands of Iraqis killed by poison gas. Will the Iraqi people grab this opportunity, an accident of history if you will, given Bushie went to war for the wrong reasons? Or will they simply once again capitulate to some strong armed political force that will push them back into repression and tyranny? It is an interesting historical time, and who can predict the future?

Remember also that the comparison between the war against Japan and Germany versus the war in Iraq is starkly different. In WW II, American lives were lost at a rate of about 100,000 per year; in Iraq, for all our protests against it, American lives are lost at the rate of about 1,000 per year, though a grievous loss nevertheless. But these two figures are a huge difference. So the wars have absolutely no comparison. Further, the invasion of Iraq was to depose a dubious character, perhaps for dubious reasons, who will not be missed; the invasion of Germany was to get rid of a truly monstrous character, with very good reason to invade. Saddam was no Hitler, though he might have imagined himself an Arab Napoleon, but rather failed at that. Democracy came to Germany, and Japan, rather easily. It may not come so easily to Iraq, or any country in the Arab world, but then again, history may surprise us. We do not know the future. The chips may fall either way, towards a constitutional multi-party democracy, or towards a single party authoritarian theocracy. We won't be happy with the second choice, and may yet be disappointed by the format of the first. Or maybe not. So.... How about if we let the Iraqi people decide? Isn't that what democracy is all about?

Now that it is done, and Iraq was invaded, Saddam deposed, our purpose is no more than merely maintaining sufficient social order until the Iraqi people decide their fate. And even that is proving unbelievably difficult. (Note that any successes in Iraq, schools, hospitals, rebuilt infrastructure, training, are not celebrated in the popular media, and you have to really hunt for good works being done by our men and women in Iraq, whether by English or Italian or Americans or Japanese there; this an unfortunate bias of the press.) But once the people of Iraq had decided, we have absolutely no business being there, oil or no oil. Then it is up to their government, their military and police, and their people to make a go of it. If they succeed, then a wonderful thing had happened, just as in Japan's and Germany's history changed for the better. But if they fail, and democracy cannot take root in Iraq, but rather rots instead, then that's their history. We cannot force the hand of history into the future.

Personally, from this little obscure forum, I wish them every success.

UKRAINE'S ORANGE REVOLUTION, a year after.

Yuschenko Talking Point, on BBC News (audio), talks about Ukraine's Orange Revolution. Freedom comes at a high price, a necessary price, which will inspire all peoples in the world who desire freedom and democracy in the future. Eight hundred years later, Ukraine is finally a free European nation. May they find the vision and the wisdom, and will, to carry through a world of lawful agreements, equal for all people, rather than a world still built of coercions and corruption.

God Bless them.

Ivan

As the votes in Iraq are counted the people of Islam have demonstrated that they have rejected the teachings of Osama and embraced the concept of democracy no matter how flawed the constitutional document they developed is.

The main issues is that the common people have spoken and said they want change. The nature of the change and its end result is now up to debate. It may be that the final debate on the future of Iraq may have to be settled with blood in a civil war like the United States did over a hundred years ago or it may be settled as a result war of terror like the IRA waged in Northern Ireland.

I suspect that given the nature of the ills that plagued Iraq it will be settled in a war of terrorism that will cost many lives and much treasure.

All we can do is hope for the best and hope the common people rise to meet the challanges facing by their society.

Ed Chesky

Similar thoughts at the same time Ivan regarding our postings here.

Ed Chesky

Iraq awaits constitution results.

Though the vote is not yet in, there are already indications it's a "yes", even Condi Rice thinks so.

Ed, per yours:

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Quote:

As the votes in Iraq are counted the people of Islam have demonstrated that they have rejected the teachings of Osama and embraced the concept of democracy no matter how flawed the constitutional document they developed is.

The main issues is that the common people have spoken and said they want change...

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One can only hope Ivan that Iraq does not go the way of Basra. I suspect that like I said it will be a long war of terror in Iraq before the nature of the change in Iraq that is now up for debate is resolved. I suspect it will be a long and bloody debate.

Ed

ISLAMIC JIHAD DISCONNECT? --on "pacifying" Islam.

I will present this not in philosophical terms, which make more sense only to us, but in the wording used by those who are truel believers:

(Taken from same presentation on the Examined Life Philosophy Discussion: "War on Terror-2- or Pacifying Islam?" where the intent is to show how Islam can advance "world peace" without resort to conquest.)

I had been thinking about "progressive revelation", which is a tenet of Islamic thought, that each prophet of the great world religions is a successor to prior prophets, to give the teachings for mankind appropriate for its time. Here is considered only Judaism, Christianity, and Islam since they all stem from the same root of the ancient Hebrew religion, of One God; so Hinduism and Buddhism is not involved, since they hail from a different tradition of beliefs, though they often overlap with the teachings of the prophets. But if these three can be reduced to their basic common denominator, of which Mohammed is believed to be the "seal of the prophets", hence the last in succession, there should be a natural progression of their teachings. In thinking about it, I think the following is an appropriate distillation of these three great world religious faiths:

1. Judaism-Hebrew: God loves the world and humanity.

2. Christian-Jesus: Love one another as God loves you.

3. Islam-Mohammed: God is merciful and compassionate.

Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.

Do only through agreement, and do not force coercion.

Ivan,

WIth regards to Islam wht you are saying is what the Sufi Islamics have argued for centuries is the correct path for Islam. They have been supressed burned, crucified and had their books destroyed.

The tombs of the Sufi Saints in Islam have been desecrated and destroyed but they still endure and strive to change Islam from the inside out.

In this debate it would be helpful to revisit Sufism and their teachings. They provide the bridge that most are seeking with Islam and its transformation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufi

Ed Chesky

Ed, let's not forget the Coptics who once were a great majority after the 7th century Islamic conquests, but now represent only about 5-10% of Egypt's population. See BBC News Three Killed in Egypt Church Riot, where the problems of Christians living in Islamic worlds is highlighted by this: Egyptian Pope Goes into Seclusion, and the Egyptian nun who a few days ago was stabbed by an Islamic young man. I know the Sufis, or the Bahai's, suffered similar barbaric fates. This extreme intolerance of other religions is a travesty for humankind in the 21st century, unimaginable but real. How do we solve this? Terrorism's crimes against humanity is but a minor part of a much bigger picture of hate, not the religion of Islam but those who practice hate within it. They are wrong. How to make it right? This will be the greatest challenge of the century.

Ivan

You are right on that Ivan,

I read about the incidents with the COPTIC Christians, I have an interesting website to post about an incident in Egypt where all came together; Jew, Christian and Muslem to view what they thought was a miricle in peace. They left in love honored to have seen it. Since that day the Terrorists and their dogma writers have been in ascendence.

In reviewing the latestest news the head terrorist in Iraq's network has spread to 40 countries. It now rivals Al Quaeda's.

What we have to do is network and support the dissodents in Islam and link them with those striving for change from the inside out. Like setting up underground railroads websites and the rest. If we could build this network and had the political and economic support of the estabishment which presses for real democracy from the outside we have chance of changing Islam.

Hence why I am building a network of old Cold War retired and seperated intelligence operatives to counter Osama and use our skills to promote peaceful change.

Can we do it? Time will tell. Nelson Mandela brought down South Africa peacefully with support from the inside and outside. Our challange is to find Islamics that whant to change and assist them in bringing it about. Knowing that if they are found out they will likely die, just like our deep cover agents in the old Soviet Union did.

Ed Chesky

http://www.theworkofgod.org/Aparitns/Zeitoun.htm

In recent news reports Chavez is claiming that Church Groups doing good work in Venezuela with the poor are agents of the CIA plotting a coup against him.

Its clear that Chavez is becoming increasingly unstable with regards to religion and thinks the churches are in a conspiracy to oust him.

While vacationing in the area next to Venezuela I managed to expand the old Cold War network into Venezuela in the event a crack down occured to get information in and out of Venezuela and help pull disodents out of the country.

Church groups in Venezuela are fleeing the country out of fear of what Chavez may do. This comes at the heels of his move against major foreign firms located in his country

I have attached a couple of links to articles on this issue. We get a significant amount of our oil from Venezuela and the situation there is becoming increasingly unstable.

Ed Chesky

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051025/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_plot_1

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051026/us_nm/venezuela_mormons_dc_2

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051025/od_nm/venezuela_dc_1

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=akwKpAOp7IwI

http://www.techweb.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=171204458

Ed, I think Chavez may become marginalized by this new BTC pipeline which will deliver oil from the Caspian region to the Mediterranean via Turkey and the Republic of Georgia. The pipeline flows at the rate of 1 million barrels per day, sweet light crude, from fields as large as Saudi Arabia's. It is also burried for its full length, grounds and vegetation restored to hide it, so makes it more difficult to blow up by the Islamic crazies, or anybody else. Chavez I am sure is well aware of this, and is probably sweating it. The first shipment to the West, mostly to Europe, should happen either by year end or first part of next year. Though US is very dependent on Chavez's oil, we can find replacement if need be.

Thanks for the links, will check them out. Ivan

I uderstand what you are saying Ivan,

However the fields of the Central Asian area are not fully developed yet and the lag time to bring production online to meet demand is large.

Chavez is sliding deeper into pychosis and needs medication and treatment he is not getting. Recent studies show that Hispanics as a group have the highest incidence of mental illness of all demographic groups.

Having been pushed to the edge of a complete breakdown due to a life time of stress I have developed a understanding of these types of illnesses. Also having had access to the intelligence fields biographic data base I understand what the psychologists are saying about Chavez.

Mental illness is a serious thing if not treated and we have all the warning signs visible in Chavez, his problems are further compounded as religous leaders like Jessie Jackson feed his delussional state.

The difference between being a political-military-religeous leader and a dillusional maniac is a fine line. History is repleat of what happens when these types of figures get control.

In my case my IQ tests out at 126-130 in certain areas like geometry and other processing functions, hence I get very frustrated with people when I see things like the impending failure of the superdome and things like that. Chevez is sliding down a bad track hence why I did what I did when I was on vactions expanding my network of old Cold War Intelligence types. Most are middle age and older long in the tooth and a bit on the overweight side but still have the skills they developed over a lifetime of being in the intelligence buisness

My Best

Ed Chesky

Scooter Libby Update

On Wed I was passed a hand signal and flashed a unwraped Scooter Pie. This was done under video surveillence in a crowd where I work. It was done in a way that the security camera that is used to protect the place I work in could not see it.

The signal was to illustrate that information could be transfered under state of the art surveillence that could not be detected. The information was that Scooter Libby was indicted and would face charges. It was obtained by a decentralized network of agents like Al Qeada but was done to illustrate that their is a global network in place based on up to date CIA signaling techniques and old Knight Templar Organization structures to oppose Al Qeada. This network has penetrated the most secure areas of the world and passes data around the Globe.

The Knight Templars were the only ones to successfully face the Old Cult of Assassins.

Osama can do the same thing as can Saddam from his cell. Nelson Mandela did the same thing from his cell in South Africa.

A teaching point on the use of intelligence

Ed Chesky

What is 'right and just' Jihad?

(As cross-posted on the Examined Life Philosophy Discussion: Hyping the Role of Islam...)

Pepper, thanks for the Carlos (Peace with Realism) reference on Jihad, I will look into it. My reasoning is much simpler however, not a subtlety of fine dialectical reasoning, but rather obtuse:

Where is Jihad in agreement with a principle of respecting human beings, so they are consulted within their agreements; and where is it coercive, so that they are forced against their agreements?

So if Carlos writes:

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Quote:

In one hadith [only one hadith!] Muhammad speaks of the greater vs. the lesser jihad, but most authorities consider it spurious and a forgery (3). And even if it were only a "lesser" jihad, military jihad would still be jihad and thus a duty and a virtue.

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Is the "lesser" Jihad merely an "informational" jihadic strategy, where the true believers of Islam try to influence the hearts and minds of (in their opinion) non-believers; whereas war (not harb) is to force them because they failed to see the "truth" of their informational teachings? If Islamists can gain followers to their particular interpretation of what is God's will, then they are welcome to communicate this as is anyone of any religion (that's why we have religious tolerance); but when they take it upon themselves to force, coerce, kill, others because they "failed" to believe them, then it is a totally different matter, totally unacceptable to modern human beings, and totally disrespectful of them. That is the difference between the 11th and 21st centuries, and Islamics who are coercive in their 'right and just' jihad better catch up with the past ten centuries, because they had been left behind. And as such, they will be resisted totally, because their coercions are in the same class as ordinary criminal activities. In effect, their jihadic ambitions become a police matter, a criminal activity, pure and simple.

As far as I am concerned, being a modern man, we are innocent until proven guilty, and Jihad does not have that maxim in its presentation of its ideas of what is God for humankind. This is not a statement against Islam, which is broad and potentially a beautiful philosophy of life and worship, but rather a statement against the implicitly coercive methodology of Jihad, of forced conversions. I have no problem with what Mohammed allegedly said, or did not say, this is not my problem; but it is my problem if I am forced to believe a certain way. Every day as I live and breath, I am in the presence of God, and for any man to tell me that I am not, that I am going to their version of hell, etc., for me is a great satanic sin, a travesty of human disrespect for my God given right to exist, as a jihadic invasion of my right to my being, the Who I am. And that will be resisted completely, totally, with every breath I take. Nobody has the right to my mind. I'll fight for this. As a free and conscious human being, "Who has a mind", who is innocent of any crimes against other human beings, that is between God and me. And I am quite certain so will every modern (secular) man on this planet, for the right to be Who they are as God created them (not Mohammed created them). We have a right to our individual freedom, our rights and self respect, because they are God (Universe, Mind, Being, Infinity, Mystery, something greater than our ego, etc.) given; my right to be Who I am is a God given right. And Jihad cannot hold a candle to this.

So when apologists for Jihad come out with statements that it is "misunderstood" within a narrow interpretation of extremism, etc., I want to know what they mean. Anon?


Ivan

Alhazen's Billiard Problem.

From my discussions about from the examined life Discussion Forums why I never published in a Journel the Solution to the Alhazen's problem which Albrecht Durer came close to doing with compass and ruler.

Albrech Durer was a friend of Martin Luther and loved by him. Martin felt his loss when he died was a loss for all mankind.

Luther used everything in his fight against the Church and Durer supported him with all his genius.

Alhazen's Problem is seen as one of the great achievments of Islam and its contribution to science for me to solve it and then have it used to attack Islam would have been a tragety. Men like Dr Pepper on the Examined life forum would use the solution of the problem like a knife and twist it in the side of Islam.

Ed Chesky

Hi Ed, as I wrote on the Examined Life, Islam has a choice, to Reform, from within. Those who are complicit with Jihad, by being silent about its crimes against humanity, are guilty in the same way today's people of Germany cary a stain of shame for their silence during Nazism's rise. Islam can reform: get rid of Jihad. All else will follow. But this reform is really up to them.

Ivan

I concur Ivan and with the latest posting of Dr. Pepper on the Exaimned Life Discussion Forum you understand the type of men and women that forced me to solve Alhazen's Billiard Problem at threat of poverty and lock out of the job market.

Virilent racist Islamic fearing men and women.

One can only hope that the people of Islam will find their way out of the darkness.


Ed Chesky

Cross post

In reponse to a posting on another site asking how the Conrad spy ring is linked to the destruction of PANAM 103 it is as follows.

During the Cold War I was, at the age of 26, Chief of Intelligence production for the most advanced and powerful armored division in the world, the 1st AD.

During that time we worked with the West Germans to put in place an agent network across the Iron Curtain to develop on the WARSAW Pact the same data the Conrad Spy Ring was developing on us. This included all of their war plans, deployment locations and command and control facilities. This coupled to signals intelligence from our listening posts in Berlin, Augsberg Germany and from assets in our embassy in Prague allowed us to develop a 90 percent recovery of the WARSAW Pact's War plans.

I was one of the team leaders leading the effort breaking the WARSAW Pacts plans and I was recieving all intelligence traffic related to the effort.

Unknown to us at the time the Soviets and WARSAW Pact had team of agents in Germany doing the same thing to us. The Conrad spy ring. This ring tipped the Soviets and WARSAW Pact as to our efforts. During the course of the operation I noticed indications in signals intelligence that the Soviets and WARSAW Pact were getting up to date copies of our war plans. When I detected this I notifed counter intelligence of the issue and they started an investigation that lead to the breaking of the Conrad Spy Ring.

Unknow to us the Conrad ring or its associated sleeper agents tipped the Soviets and Warsaw pact all of our names and identifications. Like engima in WWII we were reading the Soviets mail. A few of us after Conrad was arrested were scheduled to fly home for Christmas on PANAM 103. Before the flight German intelligence, who we were working with, tipped us that there appeared to be a plot to destroy an airliner in the works that they may or may not have successfully interrupted. Given the nature of the work we were involved in and Conrad's arrest I and a few others elected to employ the techniques we use if we feel we are compromised. I and a few others changed our plans at random and as a reult I did not get on PANAM 103.

As to who else was to be on and who actually died on the flight has been heavily researched. Some of the other Intelligence operatives on the plane thought noting of the warning and some did. The rest is history.

Ed Chesky

Cross post

Conrad Spy Ring

The German judge who sentenced Conrad to life in prison commented as follows on the importance of the information compromised by the Conrad spy ring, much of which was supplied by Ramsey. This spy ring "endangered the entire defense capability of the West." If war had broken out, this information "could have led to a breakdown in the defenses of the Western Alliance" and to "capitulation and the need to use nuclear weapons on German territory."

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ospp/securityguide/Spystory/Ramsay.htm

As to the links to Lockerbie, the stakes were as the Germans said high....

During the Cold War the Shadow War of spy verses spy was played for the highest stakes....

Cross-post A good point on the Fatwas Dr. Pepper.

Now as you pointed out the timing was and is interesting. The Saudi Fatwa came out about the same time I detected an Al Qeada cell in the Suadi National Guard Training Camp Base run by Vinnel Arabia which was subsequently truck bombed after 9-11. This destroyed my office. The cell was passing sensitive data collected from monitoring conversations by the U.S. ex-military personnel that were contracted to train the Suadi National Guard. This data included information our air defense capabilities, command and control structures and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Capabilities

This network was also building biographic data on the ex-military personnel on the contract in an effort to blackmail them, have them removed from contract or convert them to Islam,

Defore 9-11 I notified the Defense Investigatory Service of this in the most forceful of terms during a security clearence update but the information was dropped in the waste basket.

Ed Chesky

Cross-Post For ANON who will likely go on and on about 9-11. If the intelligence services took the data I tipped them on regarding the Al Qeada Cell in Saudi Arabia and put it together with the Data from Team Able Danger along with the data from the female FBI agent that wrote the scathing memo about pre-9-11 FBI intelligence, 9-11 would likely have not happened.

As it was the former commander of the United Sates Joint Readiness Training Center, myself, the Former Chief of Intelligence for the United State National Training Center, a former top Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare Expert, and former Executive Officer of a 3000 man United States Army Brigade left contract in Saudi Arabia before 9-11 because we all felt unconfortable there on it with the increased presence of Islamic Fundamentalist types on the contract and a few other incidents.

Ed Chesky

Operation Autumn leaves

Just before Lockerbie we were alerted by German Intlligence of a possible airliner bomb plot that they inderdicted but were unsure if they stoped.

Conrad had just been arrested and our comprimise of Warsaw Pact War plans was now know to have been blown.

The schedule of who was to fly on PANAM 103 was known and many intelligence operations were tied to that plane. Hence the confusion over who did it. Moscow centre had a hand it and acted as a coordinator.

Iran, the PFLP-GC, and Operation Autumn Leaves

Ahmed Jibril of the PFLP-GC who in 1986 said: "There will be no safety for any traveler on an Israeli or American airliner.?Some of the PA 103 relatives' groups believe that the Iranian motive was prematurely discounted by investigators. For many months after the bombing, the prime suspects were the PFLP-GC, a Damascus-based rejectionist group led by former Syrian army captain, Ahmed Jibril. Jibril had stated clearly at a press conference in February 1986 that "[t]here will be no safety for any traveler on an Israeli or U.S. airliner" (Cox and Foster 1991, p. 28)

Investigators believe that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, or Pasdaran, headquarters in Baalbek, Lebanon, made contact with the PFLP-GC immediately after the downing of Iranair 655. Investigators told journalists that Jibril is believed to have received $10 million from the Iranians, though evidence of this has never emerged. The Central Intelligence Agency allegedly intercepted a telephone call made two days after PA 103 by the Interior Minister in Tehran to the Iranian embassy in Beirut, instructing the embassy to hand over the funds to Jibril and congratulating them on a successful operation. Again, no evidence to support this claim has ever been presented.

What is known is that a PFLP-GC cell of 17 men was active in the Frankfurt and Neuss areas of Germany in October 1988, two months before PA 103. During what they called Operation Herbstlauf (Operation Autumn Leaves), the Bundesamt f?href="/encyclopedia/index.php/Verfassungsschutz" title="Verfassungsschutz">Verfassungsschutz (BfV), Germany's internal security service, kept members of the group under tight surveillance, watching and listening as the bombers prepared a number of improvised explosive devices hidden inside household electronic equipment, referring to the operation in telephone calls to Cyprus and Damascus in code: "oranges and apples" stood for detonating devices, "medicine and pasta" for the Semtex, "auntie" for the bomb courier. During one telephone call, one of the operatives was reported as saying: "Auntie should get off, but should leave the suitcase on the bus" (Duffy and Emerson 1990).

The bombs Khreesat made included at least one inside a single-speaker Toshiba Bombeat 453 radio-cassette recorder, similar to the twin-speaker RT-SF 16 Bombeat used to blow up PA 103. Investigators believe that a second Toshiba radio-cassette recorder bomb was also prepared by the cell, but that it went missing just before the Germans moved in to arrest the men.

The detonating device of the PFLP-GC Toshiba bomb was not the same as the one that was used in the Lockerbie bomb (ibid.). The bombs the PFLP-GC built contained barometric triggers, designed to go off when the aircraft reached cruising height, whereas the PA 103 bomb contained a simple timer. A barometric trigger on the PA 103 bomb would have caused it to explode when the Air Malta flight reached cruising altitude. A bomb with a reliable timing device, on the other hand, can be flown on several flights before detonating at a pre-set time.

The information about the bombs the PFLP-GC were making in Germany is known to Western intelligence agencies because the group's bomb maker, Marwan Khreesat, was a former bomb maker for the PFLP-GC turned Jordanian double agent, and was reporting everything the group did back to the GID, the Jordanian intelligence service. The GID, in turn, was passing the information to the German police. The Jordanians had instructed Marwan Khreesat to manufacture bombs, but also to make sure they were dysfunctional and wouldn't explode. However, in April 1989, a German police technician was killed when one of Khreesat's bombs, which had been seized by the police, exploded while being disarmed.

Through Khreesat, the Jordanians and Germans learned that one of the flights the cell appeared to be targeting was Iberia Flight 888 from Madrid to Tel Aviv via Barcelona, chosen because there was a stopover in Barcelona where the bomb courier could disembark, but no change of aircraft, so that the bomb would remain on the plane. The date chosen, Khreesat reportedly told his handlers, was October 30. He also told them that two members of the cell had been to Frankfurt airport to pick up Pan Am timetables.

Because of this intelligence, on October 26, the German police moved in to arrest the group, raiding 14 apartments and arresting all 17 men, fearing that to keep them under surveillance much longer was to risk losing control of the operation. However, at least two members of the cell are known to have escaped arrest, including Abu Elias, an Arab living in Sweden who, according to ABC News' Prime Time Live (November 1989), was an expert on bombs sent to Germany by Ahmed Jibril to check Khreesat's devices, because Jibril was suspicious of Khreesat. At least one of the Toshiba bombs is believed to have disappeared, too.

The suspected link to PA 103 was further strengthened when Khreesat told investigators that, before flying to Germany, he had bought five Toshiba Bombeats from a smugglers' village in Syria near the Lebanese border, and had made practice bombs out of them in Jibril's training camp 14 miles away. The bombs were inspected by Abu Elias, who declared they were good work. What happened to these devices is not known.

Some journalists and PA 103 relatives believe it is too stark a coincidence that, eight weeks later, a Toshiba radio-cassette recorder was used to down PA 103. Scottish police wrote up an arrest warrant for Marwan Khreesat in the spring of 1989, but were persuaded by the FBI not to issue it, because the FBI saw Khreesat as a potential source, rather than as one of the bombers. The late King Hussein of Jordan arranged in 1990 for Khreesat to be interviewed by the FBI and Thomas Thurman, the FBI's forensic expert, during which Khreesat described in detail the bombs he had built. [[Image:VincentCannistraro.jpg|left|frame|Vincent Cannistraro, former head of counter-terrorism for the CIA, believes the Libya after being commissioned by CIA, Vincent Cannistaro, who worked on the PA 103 investigation, has told reporters he believes the PFLP-GC planned the attack at the behest of the red herring, designed to attract the attention of the intelligence services, while the real bombers worked quietly elsewhere.

1988 was the beginning of the end for the Soviet empire and its dissolution was imminent. We watched and wondered if the military would launch a surprise attack against us, a short notice attack. The Germans said it was likely. It was the last days of the empire. The CIA under Reagan had done its job of sabotaging the Soviet economy and its collapse was imminent.

We had just finished compromising the Soviet War Plans and had uncovered the spy ring that had sold our NATO plans to the Soviet Union through the WARSAW Pact.

Damage assessments indicated the Soviets had our entire defensive strategy in their possession. The only question we had was if they would go quietly or launch a full-scale assault on us. In order to prepare for the worse EUCOM invited an Israeli General to give us a talk about how he fought Soviet tanks in the Golan Heights and what to expect if it came to it.

Unknown to us Islamic militancy was already raising its head in Europe waiting to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of the Soviet Union and its goal of World domination.

It was snowing when I got the report of the possible airline bomb plot from German intelligence. I considered it for a while and something told me that this was something I needed to be concerned with. After wrestling with it I slipped my Christmas trip home a day at the last minute in order to vary my schedule. I was uneasy about the spies and leakage of information from NATO I had been seeing and my discussion with a Czech Officer observing an exercise left me uneasy. I could sense he was telling me that despite the subterfuge, he know exactly who I was and that they knew all about me and my work breaking the Czech and Soviet Central Group of Forces War Plans. He knew I knew he was a intelligence officer like me and kept emphasising that my name was Czech. I got the point that he was telling me they wanted to make me a deal but I looked him in the eye and told him I was American not Czech and ended the conversation.

We had just finished manually updating the TACFIRE targeting computers of the 1st Armoured Division with the data I developed and were about as ready as we ever were going to be if the balloon went up. Everything we had from MLRS, to 155 SP guns to Apache Helicopters carrying Hellfire missiles to Lance Surface to Surface Missiles was targeted on the 1st Czech Peoples Army. If it moved we were going to hit it with everything we had.

And then the plane went down over Lockerbie. I still remember going through British Security the day after. They had SAS guarding the walkway and managed to take a photo of me as I boarded the flight. I still have a set of plastic PANAM wings they gave me. One day I will go to Lockerbie to pay my respects and cry for the dead.

Ed Chesky

Ed, from what you write above, I should think
anyone involved with bomb making, supplying, and
transporting of bomb materials, who is not of
bonafide government, military, or
construction and demolition agency, should be
carefully monitored by both domestic and
international police. (I'm sure the prior are
already well accounted for.) After all, it's not
as if making bombs is a 'kitchen hobby' for the
guys to get together during a football game, or
used for sport recreational hunting, or geeky
stuff for guys who like to play around with tech
stuff. No, these are people who are out to
destroy property and take human lives.

So one hopes the anti-terrorism police
have them under very tight surveillance all the
time, or under arrest. Given the dearth of hard
target bombings, I would judge the police are
doing a very good job. And the fact that the
terrorists are picking on soft targets, like
crowded outdoor markets, or planting their parked
cars in innocuous places, and then blowing them up
to kill, seems that they're losing. They are
proving ineffective at destroying anything of
military worth, so they strike at the innocent
population instead. Pathetic, militarily neutered
tactics, and rather they are more like jihadi
soldier eunuchs. Of course, they can better
themselves, maybe by targeting children in
pre-school and kindergarden... ah, but those brave
soldiers of jihad had already done that in
Beslan...

In effect, the terrorists lost any meaningful
ability to strike. They have no effective
military capability. They already lost.

Ivan

I would not go as far as to say that Ivan.

WIth developments in Iran the military capability of the terrorists may be increasing

Ed Chesky

Rumors of 5th Intelligence officer on PANAM 103. As to the rumors of a 5th Intelligence officer on the plane. I was the fifth intelligence officer that was to be on the plane.

Ed Chesky

There were at least four U.S. intelligence officers on the passenger list, with rumors, never confirmed, of a fifth. The presence of these men on the flight later gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories, in which one or more of them were said to have been the bombers' targets. Matthew Gannon, the CIA's deputy station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, was sitting in Clipper Class, seat 14J. Major Chuck "Tiny" McKee [1] (http://web.syr.edu/~vpaf103/v_lackey.html), a 6 ft 5 in, 270 lb senior army officer on secondment to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Beirut, sat behind Gannon in the center aisle in 15F. Two CIA officers, believed to be acting as bodyguards to Gannon and McKee, were sitting in economy: Ronald Lariviere, a security officer from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, was in 20H, and Daniel O'Connor, a security officer from the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus, sat five rows behind Lariviere in 25H, both men seated over the right wing.

The four men had flown together out of Cyprus that morning. Major McKee is believed to have been in Beirut trying to locate the American hostages held at that time by Hezbollah. After the bombing, sources close to the investigation told journalists that a map had been found in Lockerbie showing the suspected locations of the hostages, as marked by McKee, though this discovery was not confirmed in court.

Also on board, in seat 53K at the back of the plane, was 20-year-old Khalid Nazir Jaafar, who had moved from Lebanon to Detroit with his family, where his father ran a successful auto-repair business. Because of his Lebanese background, and because he was returning from having visited relatives there, Jaafar's name later figured prominently in the investigation into the bombing, as well as in a number of conspiracy theories that developed.

Thanks Ivan,

There has and was a lot speculation regarding PANAM 103 the trial was completed in 2000 so even after 26 years it was sensistive subject with major geo-political impications that could have pushed a wedge between the United States and Europe.

As to who was behind it. The paper trail indicated Stasi, East German Intelligence, the Lybians, Iranians and the Czechs. The only one that could have coordinated the intelligence on it was Moscow Center.

It was a win win situation for the Soviets using the cut outs everyone but them would have taken the blame and they would have had payback for breaking the Conrad network and compromise of their war plans.

If the Iranian connection had been discovered then it would have been easy given the world situation to blame the Iranians for it. Same for the Stasi and the Lybians. A classic Moscow Center Operation.

The Head of the KGB was replaced in Oct 1988 and a new one was put in place. The bombing came just after it. At the time the KGB and rest of the Soviet government was suspicious of Gorbechov and acting largely independent of his leadership. We were afraid of a coup-de-tat and stike against the West in the event Gorbechov fell.

It was a very close thing at the end. People don't realize how close it was.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1310975/posts

For 20 plus years I matched wits with the Chess masters of the KGB. AL Qeada and militant Islam are children compared to it. Hence why it was so easy for me to break the AL Qead cell in Saudi Arabia.

Ed Chesky

Vitaliy Fedorchuk was director of the KGB at the time of Lockerbie. He ordered the destruction of PANAM 103 using cut-outs. To him I was an annoyance to be dealt with. Then I trisected the angle and solved the Billiard problem and the KGB found out what they were playing against during the Cold War.

Ed Chesky

PS Now you know what Moscow Centre was capable of at the hieght of its power.

I used to be driven in Embassy cars and moved around the world buisiness class flown in to break spie networks making 100k plus until I ran afould of the Bush administration and its wigged out religious fanactics like Tom Delay.

One Day I will tell you how close it came to India and Pakisan coming to Nuclear War and how our military and state department computer networks were comprimised.

Ed Chesky

Indo/Pak Nuclear Crisis

During the last Indo/Pak nuclear crisis I was contracted to do work for the United States State Department. I selected the job because I had been monitoring the India situation and saw it was approaching a flashpoint.

Before taking the job I had a talk with the senior leaders of the company I was working for, a good company with a high number of retired senior military officers of the General Officer rank in it.

They told me that they needed me to do what I did in Saudi Arabia in penetrating the Al Qeada Cell there because they suspected based on close hold information from their contacts at the highest levels of our intelligence community that our embassy was penetrated and compromised by a spy ring.

Before leaving I did a unclassifed database serach of information found a few embassy employees had been using the internet and engaging in derrogitory behavior of a sexual nature. This indicated to me that potential access to the embassy had been opened as a result of this embarassing information.

While on site in New Delhi I was given an update on the ambassador from contacts in the staff and was told he had no real understanding of the nuances of Hindu Culture or behavior and that he was an old Soviet hand. This was cofnirmed to me by Hindu staff members. The staff was also demorilized by his leadership style and things were not going good in the embassy.

Based on my previous jobs and knowledge of Indian and Pak Nuclear capabilities down to number of weapons design and the like I was sure that I was a high priority target for Indian intelligence services.

While I was there the Indo-Pak crisis errupted. The staff was uncertain what to do and I was sending emails back to my company. I suspected based on review of the embassy com architecutre that it was compromised and was monitoring external events for confirmation. I structured my emails in a way to convey to my company the nature of the crisis and its severity, with the knowledge they would pass it via contacts back to DOD and contacts in the U.S, State Department.

At the same time the local CIA congtingent was going to take me into their spaces for an update an update on the situation but I waived it off becaue things were dicy and if I was captured I did not want to be able to compromise the local CIA station. I got a verbal confirmation of the status of both Indian and Pak nuclear forces and the situation was critical. Normal diplomatic dialog was not working.

During this period I was contacted by reps of the Indian Christian and Sik community as to their concern with the matter and displeasure with the way the Hindu fundamentalist government was handling things. The Sik community provided me a driver to act as driver and bodyguard druing this time.

I needed a contact to convay information into the Brahman class of indian society and was provided one who was also a jewel merchant by the Embassy. I knew the Indians were reading my emails and from them I projected they knew I knew the disposition of Pakistani nuclear forces as well as their forces and could provide them with an assessment of the likely destruction if it went nuclear.

During the night before I left I made contact with the Indian merchant, he and I established bonfieds as to class status and networks of contacts and I told him of my assessment of the situation. He agreed the current government made up of what he viewed were lower caste member were endangering the country and moved to mobilize his contacts with regards to the situation.

We parted and I departed country.

The rest of the situation is as was in the newspapers

Ed Chesky

State Department security breaches

During the 106th Congress, the Committee held hearings and staff briefings to review significant security breaches that
occurred at the Department of State. The Committee believes this series of incidents reveals serious deficiencies in security awareness, practice, and culture at the State
Department.
In February 1998, an unidentified man, wearing a tweed jacket entered the Secretary of State's seventh floor office suite and removed classified documents, including documents
classified as Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). The man, in this ``tweed jacket incident'' has never been identified and the documents have never been recovered.
Additionally, poor procedures for handling classified information resulted in the Department's inability to reconstruct which documents were taken. Without such
information, a full and complete damage assessment was not possible.
On December 8, 1999, the FBI detained a Russian intelligence officer, Stanislav Gusev, as he was recording transmissions from a bug implanted in a piece of chair rail, in
a conference room within the Department of State headquarters building. Gusev's detention capped a six-month investigation that began when the FBI spotted the Russian intelligence
officer loitering near the State Department. Following surveillance and observation of Gusev, technical countermeasures discovered the remotely-activated device in the
conference room. Gusev was declared persona non grata and was required to leave the United States.
The FBI and State Department continue to investigate who was responsible for planting the bug and what sensitive materials discussed in the conference room may have been
compromised. Recreating the extent to which Russian intelligence or other personnel, may have had access to the room in question has been complicated by the fact that from
1992 until August 1999, there were no escort requirements for Russian (or other foreign) visitors to the State Department.
In January 2000, a laptop computer containing highly sensitive classified intelligence materials, including SCI
material relating to weapons proliferation, was discovered to be missing from the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and
Research (INR) and is presumed stolen. Despite an obligation under the National Security Act of 1947 to keep the intelligence committees ``fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities'' including ``significant intelligence failures,'' the Committee was not informed of the loss of this laptop computer until after the Washington Post reported the
story in April 2000.
Following the ``tweed jacket'' affair, the SSCI, in the Annex to the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
1999, directed the State Department Inspector General (IG) to review and report on State Department policy and procedures for
handling classified information within the State Department Headquarters facility. The September 1999 IG report, entitled
``Protecting Classified Documents at State Department Headquarters,'' found that ``[t]he Department [of State] is substantially not in compliance with the DCIDs [Director of
Central Intelligence Directives] that govern the handling of SCI.'' (emphasis in original) In response to the IG Report in the Annex to the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2000, the Congressional intelligence committees required (1) a report from the DCI evaluating the State Department's compliance with all DCIDs related to the protection of Sensitive Compartmented Information, (2) a State Department report on specific plans for enhancing the security of classified information within the State Department and (3) full
implementation, as appropriate, of the recommendations found within the Inspector General's report.
The February 2000 DCI report noted that an independent review by the CIA and the Community Management Staff confirmed that the State Department was not in compliance with applicable
DCID requirements, and concluded that certain additional steps were required to ``improve security practices in Department
offices where SCI is handled and discussed, as well as to strengthen SCI document control and accountability.'' In its report the State Department identified a number of actions or
proposed actions it intended to take in response to the IG Report.
In the wake of the missing laptop computer incident, Secretary of State Albright declared her intention to transfer positions and responsibility for ensuring the proper security
and handling of SCI material from the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS). At that time, the Committee expressed its
concerns regarding this transfer, including the need to ensure continued DCI oversight over SCI material at the State Department and the requirement that this function should be
funded through the National Foreign Intelligence Program (NFIP) budget. Such oversight and budgetary authority is critical to
ensure effective implementation of measures to protect intelligence information at the State Department. In the fall of 2000, the DCI's Community Management Staff and the
Department of State agreed to measures designed to ensure continued DCI oversight of the protection of SCI material and
continued funding for this function within the NFIP.
In the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001, the Committee required the Director of Central Intelligence, in
the wake of high profile security breaches at the State Department, to certify State Department compliance with applicable standards regarding the handling, retention, or
storage of SensitiveCompartmented Information material. Elements of the State Department that the DCI does not certify as in compliance, or that do not receive a DCI waiver, may not retain or store SCI information until they are certified as compliant.
Additionally, the Committee, in the report accompanying the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001, directed the State Department Inspector General to conduct annual
reviews of State Department policies and procedures for protecting classified information at the State Department for the next five years to determine progress in this area.
The Committee has taken numerous steps to improve the security situation at the State Department and will continue this focused oversight in the future.

A look at France's business community in the 'ghettos' of largely North African immigrants, per BBC's France's disaffected Muslim businessmen gives some insight into the difficulties facing hard to assimilate immigrants there. Second and third generation immigrant children, after attending French schools, still find themselves stigmatized, thus subject to quiet discrimination in jobs, housing, and culturally. Echoing the Muslim Paris ghetto's problems is this BBC article: Ghettos shackle French Muslims, stigmatized by their religion, which alarms the French who consider themselves secularists.

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Quote:

The immigrants' children and grandchildren are still stuck there - an angry underclass that is increasingly identified through religion. Ten years ago these youths were seen as French "Arabs". Now most are commonly referred to, and define themselves, as "Muslims".

---

When the head of a French Muslim council was asked by BBC TV what where the underlying causes for the past eight days of rioting around Paris (and now Dijon and Rouen, may have spread to Lyons and Marseille), he laughed (incongruously) and said it was three things: "unemployment, housing, and culture". The article above also says:

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Quote:

The government bans official statistics based on ethnicity or religion. As a result, no one knows exactly how many Muslims live in the country - at least five million is the best guess.

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So does France, or England, Germany, Spain, Holland, etc., do they really know what is their problem? Or are they sending in the police to quiet down the riots, but without a real strategy for how to deal with the Muslim ghettos that had sprung up in the past four decades?

French are suspicious of their Muslim immigrants it seems, as in this:

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Quote:

All observers agree that jihadism does pose a direct threat to the country.
The fact that - in France as elsewhere - the militants speak for a tiny minority of Muslims does not make the threat less severe…
The great majority of Muslims resent the extremists in their midst - although many in France do not recognise this.
Yazid Sabeg, an industrialist and writer, says the French have "a real problem" with both Arabs and Islam and equate both with extremism.
The most worrying aspect of the separation between French Muslims and the rest of society is that it breeds suspicion on both sides.

---

Is this the main problem, that France, and other countries, are worried about the separation, a cultural and religious separation, between this increasingly numerous group and the rest of society? On the religious-cultural front, since in the world of Islam the two are inextricably intertwined, can dialogue with community religious leaders guide society towards a greater integration within French society at large? Would Muslim businessmen find less discrimination from the secular business community? What about Sharia business practices? Should they be incorporated into the French legal system to appease? These are 'cultural' problems, which do not seem to be solved solely by educating Muslim youth in the secular French school system. So newer approaches need to be pursued. But by what dialogue, and with whom?

Then there is the problem of housing. The ghetto communities were abandoned by white French long ago, so now they reflect the mix of mostly North Africans who live there. Should the French government built them better and more modern housing, and more of it? Or should it encourage the immigrant communities to build their own, such they prefer functionally and architecturally, within the guidelines of French building and sanitation codes? Rather than expecting the French government to "give" them housing, perhaps enabling the immigrants to better "build" their own housing might be a better solution. Lifting a hammer to build is a world apart from lifting a hammer to knock things down. This article highlights this problem: Camping misery for Paris immigrants, and one sees quickly that tents is not the answer. So between lack of jobs, cultural discrimination, and quickly deteriorating housing condition, is it any wonder that they were ready to riot? Similar conditions afflicted American society back in the 1960s, which witnessed many inner city black ghettos go up in flames, for many of the same reasons, with the exception of religious differences, since most American Afros are also Christian. In France, the situation may be further aggravated by the French Afros being Muslim. In both cases, the cities burned.

So what is Paris's solution to this problem, which was only touched upon in these articles? What role do religious leaders, the Imams, play in this future dialogue? What do they say after Friday prayers? Is it talk of peace and calm, or rage and violence? What of the extremists who may be opportunistic here? What about the 'expulsion' of criminal elements from the ghettos? Shouldn't this become a priority, especially those behind inciting burning and destruction of property? What about 'make-work' projects, both government sponsored and privately administered, to clear the ghettos of bad housing, so the people can start building some real housing for themselves. This would create jobs, start new industries in blighted areas, as well as give the population a degree of self-respect. And how about sincerely meaningful statistics on what is going on in France, and other European countries, without hiding behind 'self-negating' reports that 'whitewash' the truth of the severity of the situation. Tell it like it is and stop being in denial? Can the French or English or Dutch do this? These are the most urgent issues to be addressed now. So when the Muslim Council leader is asked as to what are the underlying causes of the Paris riots, he would not have to laugh nervously and point to a social disease of grievances, erupted into Paris burning, but perhaps instead he could talk about the work being done within his community to undo these underlying symptoms. This would mean that the Muslims of France feel more self-empowered, and that their destinity is not marred by discriminatory practices in French society, even if the French are in denial that their country is changing. Then, perhaps, the next generations will find it easier to assimilate? The police will do its work, and perhaps calling in the military to quell the violence is another means, but until the underlying disease of the alienated ghettos are addressed properly, any cessation of violence will be temporary, until it reignites again. Then they may avoid more of this: French riots spread beyond Paris.

The rise of a bi-polar orientation in Islam.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and Iraq we have seen the rise of bi-polar orientation within Islam with centers of global influence, backed by oil wealth, rising in Riyadh and Tehran.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, its Arab client states and their secular governments have descended into an economic morass. Lacking the oil wealth of Riyadh and Tehran they have moldered. Riding on a resurgence of global religious revival movements following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Riyadh and Tehran have moved to establish themselves as social-political-religious centers of power in the Islamic world promoting a world view of what an all encompassing Islamic State should look like. One being Sunni and one being Shiite.

Since the end of the cold war these two centers of power have established schools, charitable, organizations and networks of personnel to promote and support the actions of these two centers of power and their world view much as Moscow and Washington did during the Cold War. At present these two centers of power are actively engaged in a conflict over which world view will dominate the heart and mind of the Islamic World.

Iraq during this period was largely a bastion of secularism in this region but was handicapped in its ability to become a regional power due to the presence of a dictatorial repressive regime. It has, as a result of Western Military action, been removed as a major regional power and is in the process of reconstituting itself. The outcome of the reconstitution is currently being opposed and influenced by both Riyadh and Tehran. The nature of the final outcome of the reconstitution process is unknown present and subject to much debate.

Its is my premise that Al Qeada under Osama rose in part to as a response over the conflict between these two centers of power as a vehicle offering a path to a third alternative Islamic World view. One that was under the leadership of Osama, whose message of reducing inequality and fighting the corruption of the leadership of Tehran and Riyadh continues to resonate within the economically, socially and politically repressed portions of the Arab World.

It is also my premise that Tehran and Riyadh have moved to suppress Al Qeada for this very reason. At present I believe that as a result of world geopolitical considerations that, much as the Soviets and Americans used proxy troops during the Cold War, that Tehran and Riyadh are using Al Qeada and other groups to further their interests by providing them with material and intelligence support. I do not mean to say that Al Qeada is the only organization that these two centers of Power are using in this conflict, but that is among the largest and most dangerous of the ones engaged in this conflict for control over the World View that is attempting to be imposed on the Islamic World.

Assessment of Tehran Linakge to Al Qeada in Africa and transfer of American Nuclear Secrets to Iran.

Osama left a network of supporters in Sudan headed by a son that was married into the highest levels of Sudanese Society.

Tehran has been establishing contacts and trade links at all levels with Sudan. This includes Scientific, Political, Cultural, Religous and Economic visits to Sudan by various delegations. One of these visits, a scientific visit, came after the an American that worked at one of our nuclear weapons labs on ventelation systems left to go to Khartoum to study Islam.

It is my belief that this individual was either an agent supporting Al Qaeda or Tehran before his departure, or an unwitting pawns that was debriefed by the Sudanese, Iranians and Al Qeada contacts in Iran. The knowledge this individual possessed included the names of the workers and scientists in the lab, its layout and type of systems in it and other associated data that at a minimum would provide Tehran, the Sudanese and AL Qeada with data on the state of our nuclear research. Other associated data could and likely included overheard concersations that when put together with the scientific knowledge of the Iranian Nuclear scientists could offer them some insight into the development of nuclear weapons. Other data from the debriefing of this individual as to the status of the lab, its appearence amount of funding evident would provide along with open sourcce research by Iranian intelligence information on the status of our funding for nuclear research and priority porjects.

In all a significant comprimise of national nuclear sensistive data by an Islamic Ventelation worker.

I also submitt that the debirefers used religon to get this individual to talk and cooperated with them.

Ed Chesky

Al Qeada made the aquisition of Nuclear Technology a religious mandate. The ventalation worker at one of our nuclear plants followed the mandate and we now have suffered a major breach of nuclear security

December 24, 1998

In an interview with Time Magazine, Bin Laden asserted that acquiring weapons of any type was a Muslim “religious duty.” When asked whether he was seeking to obtain chemical or nuclear weapons, Bin Laden replied, “Acquiring weapons for the defense of Muslims is a religious duty. If I have indeed acquired these weapons, then I thank God for enabling me to do so.”(12) He responded similarly to the same question in an ABC News interview two days later, stating, “If I seek to acquire such weapons, this is a religious duty. How we use them is up to us.”(13)

Ed Chesky

Ed, thanks for this insight. Fascinating, exceptionally perceptive.

The Al Qaeda et al adds another dimension to Jihad, a hoped for, but contested by Shia and Suni, 'Muslim World' for the planet. Towards the West will continue a hidden agenda shrouded by 'takiyya', but it still remains their fight. True internal religious and philosophical Reformation, in the form of a progressively tolerant Islam, is their only hope. Anything else is unacceptable coercion, which is the way of the past, and no longer the future. The future of Islam belongs to a world in agreement with the principles of agreement, free of coercion.

Ivan

PS. I beleive the information on the Uranium purchase that is at the heart of the controversy of the blowing of the CIA agents cover was a deception operation false bit of disinformation put out their by Tehran, Iraq or AL Qeada to be used as it is now to split the United States.

It is a mistake to under estimate the chess player that is Osama. He thinks several steps ahead in this game and was a master strategist that helped bring down the Soviet in Afghanistan. He made Iraq a secular state he hated a battlefield for us and is using it to bleed us dry. The Bush administration made the mistake of underestimating the Osama's intelligence and his ability to play the great game.

Ed Chesky

Just how extensive is Al Qeada's netork?

Using the same techniques I used to identify the breach of Embassy security in New Delhi, I used the same techniques to study the extent of Osama's network of supporters. This included an unclassfied database search relevent to Al Qeada and cross referencing back to media reports of terrorist incidents.

I found indications of Al Qeada incursion across the Middle East, Asia and Sub Saharan Africa. I then cross refrenced this data with the movement of his children and other data to start identifying spheres of influence and critical nodes. I also cross refrenced this with historical smuggling and travel routes accross the Globe and found a correlation between the two.

Khartoum turned up as a significant node as did a number of European cities with high Muslim poplutions which were acting as hubs for the support of Terrorist operations and the transfer of personnel and intelligence relating to targets. One common denominator in Europe was the deliberate use of liberal European laws on asylum to facilitate terrorist operations. The same tactic was used by Sami Al Arian in Tampa FL when he was under investigation for being a terrorist supporter.

I coupled this with reports of links to criminal activity and the heroin trade and found that many of those rioters in Paris were drug adicts and linked by Islamic drug dealers to the heroin flowing out of Iran and Afghanistan to Europe from which AL Qeada is still getting a cut.

I also cross referencd this with the fact that many of the terrorists at GITMO are former drug addicts as were the terrorists that killed the children in at the school in Russia and had indications of network linkage back to Al Qeada and trade along the old silk road and smmugling activities.

As sit here now I am looking at the globe in my office and looking at the old routes and a media feed with a cup of coffee and my computer.

With some data from a vireity of christian groups and organizations I am starting to refine my understanding of Osama's network. I don't have access as of yet to the data I need to start breaking the front companies of Iran or its network of operatives in Europe, but that would not take very long. I have noticed a conflict in spheres of interest between Lybian intelligence and Al Qeada in Africa and use the data to track the sphere of influence for Al Qeada and Lybian intelligence.

At the present time Al Qeada is limited in its technological base. Its ability to penetrate high level facilities is hindered and it must rely on low level sources of information. That said we must remember that it had decades to get data out of the old Soviet Union regarding WMD and Osama's sons are in position to feed Al Qeada with information on WMD delvopment from their respective positions.

Which is one of the reasons I believe that Osama's sons in Iran are being treated so well.

Ed Chesky

AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France (Reuters) - With every night that France's rundown suburbs burn, officials grow increasingly convinced that drug traffickers and Islamist militants are using frustrated youths to challenge law and order here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051105/wl_nm/france_riots_blame_dc_1

Re post

I coupled this with reports of links to criminal activity and the heroin trade and found that many of those rioters in Paris were drug adicts and linked by Islamic drug dealers to the heroin flowing out of Iran and Afghanistan to Europe from which AL Qeada is still getting a cut.

I also cross referencd this with the fact that many of the terrorists at GITMO are former drug addicts as were the terrorists that killed the children in at the school in Russia and had indications of network linkage back to Al Qeada and trade along the old silk road and smmugling activities.

As sit here now I am looking at the globe in my office and looking at the old routes and a media feed with a cup of coffee and my computer.

Such is the world of Osama's network. If the FBI, CIA, NSA or INTERPOL picked me up as an analyst I could do great work from here in Connecticut breaking these networks on contract work over a secure PC and telphone network.

The company I currently work for is trying to leverage my abilites as a way to break into the Federal Job Market by expanding their buisiness base into that realm and I am stuck as they look out in terms of long range buisiness plans.

Ed Chesky

A social worker who also withheld his name said some rioters seemed linked to the drug trade because they "drive nice cars and use mobile telephones I couldn't afford to buy.

"When the government is determined to fight this underground economy, there's bound to be resistance," he said. "There is no headquarters organizing this, but they seem to be coordinating their activities among themselves by phone."

The charge that Islamist radicals were trying to exploit the unrest was a difficult one for local Muslims to handle, he said, because many were working to prevent unrest and admitting there were radicals in the crowds would discredit their community.

"They can't say that, so they don't say anything," he added.

Assessment of Saudi Nuclear Capability

The following link along with the movement of Iranian Scientists to Sudan, along with the link to Osama's sons and the movement of the American who worked at one of nuclear weapons labs to Khartoum gives us insight into the motive and priority that has been placed by Tehran on the aquisition of a nuclear weapon and/or the information necessay to make one.

We have long known that Saudi Arabia has had the Chinese CSS2 SRBM missile system. Its the same launch system that the Pakistani's have that they mated their nuclear warhead. This force of IRBM's has been expanded.

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2004/november/11_28_1.html

The question remains if the Pakistani's transfered warheads to Saudi Arabia. The movement of those devices is the question and the one we don't have the answer too. We have to assume the Saudis have at least a handful of Warheads.

Ed Chesky

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Iran has quietly deemed Saudi Arabia a nuclear state.

Iranian sources said the Islamic leadership in Teheran assessed that the Saudi kingdom has acquired access to nuclear weapons and technology. The sources said Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in 2003 with Pakistan for the latter to help the Arab kingdom in both the deployment of nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems.

A leading Iranian scientist and member of the nation's nuclear community has reported that Saudi Arabia joined the world's nuclear club. Teheran University Professor Abu Mohammad Asgarkhani said in an address on Nov. 9 that Iran required a nuclear weapon in wake of the acquisition of atomic bombs by neighboring Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

In his address, Asgarkhani said the world has been divided into nuclear and non-nuclear powers, or the "haves," and the "have-nots." He said Iran was in the latter category.

The question as to why would the Saudi's sign a deal for nuclear weapons in 2003.

Look at it from the Saudi perspective. Saddam had fallen and the kingdom was seeing a Worldwide Rise in anti-Saudi entiment. They viewed Al Qeada in league with Tehran. With support in the West for the government declining and the rise of Tehran and its efforts to oppose along with Tehrans efforts to aquire nuclear weapons them they felt that their backs were against the wall. This reported agreement also comes at the same time that the Saudi's requested the United States to leave the Kingdom.

We couple this request to a massive influx of Saudi money in terms of relief aid, educational funds and trade with Pakistan tied to Saudi Arabia's efforts to spread its view on an Islamic State and we note the formation of a defacto strategic relationship between Pakistan, Islam's one confirmed nuclear state and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Now we also note that Iran and India, Pakistan's arch, enemey have long had extensive ties on variety of issues. When we look at India and Iran we need to rcognize the immense impact that the price of oil has on the Indian economy and the need for additional fuel sources, which they currently are in discussion with Iran over. We also note that India is a confirmed nuclear power and we begin to see the nuclear arms race from the Islamic perspective. Couple this to an all out effort by the Indian's to compromise our embassy comminications that I discovered and you see my concern over the issue.

Ed chesky

Indian Parliment Attack 2001.

In 2001 the Indian Parilment was attacked by Islamic militants. This brought India and Pakistan to the brink of Nuclear War.

This attack followed a series of meetings that India had with Iran on strategic issues, the establishment of gas pipline to India and host of other issues centered around India and Iran forming a strategic partnership to oppose United State's influence in the region.

Saudi Arbian funds and militant clerics have long supported the militants in Kashmir via a number of cut-outs. Given the relationship between Saudi interests, the United States and the need to counter the rise in a Indian and Iranian strategic relationship, I believe that a hard line group of Islamic Militants decided to send the Indians a message. This was done as indicated by a small group of extreme militants who share the world view of the extreamist groups in Saudi Arabia who looked on it with favor.

This ties to our discussions on the organizational structure of Islam, the rise of fundamentalism, and the degree of support these groups get from thier leadership in Mecca and Tehran. The House of Saudi is largely Western and decadent for the most part and does not trust the militant extrmeists it has created. However a number of princes in the House of Saud do support the militants and intelligence on, about and from within the House of Saud is as diffcult to get as penetrating the Vatican is.

This was demonstrated during the Kobar Tower bombing investigation.

Ed Chesky

Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov

Possible link of Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov, former director of the KGB to the Conrad Spy Ring, PANAM 103 and the attempt on Victor Yushchenko.

I note that Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov was a senior KGB operative in Hungary and the Ukraine. I also note the Conrad spy ring was run out of Hungary and likely run by agent handlers put in place and vetted by Kryuchkov. I also note that Kryuchkov also served in the Unkraine with the same vetting of intelligence officers in the Ukraine that he did in Hungary. If we link Kryuchkov with the subsequent events and my attempted assination on PANAM 103 and Victor Yushchenko we begin to see the pattern of deception lies and misdirections he wove using the resources of the KGB when he was director of KGB. He can also see the link that he wove to shift blame to Iran to promote open hostility between the U.S. Lybia and Iran if the operation was blown.

I also suspect that if we look at the illegal trade flowing to Iran and Al Qeada from the Former Soviet Block that we will see a network of former agents of the KGB working with or allied to Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov during the period in question.


Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov is now an old man with nothing lose and I suspect he is still very dangerous and will be until the day he dies. I believe that he would like nothing more than to inflame a war between the Islamics in Iran, Al Qeada and the West in an effort to strike back at those that destroyed the Soviet Empire and that he was actively supporting that effort.

During the height of his power Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov was master chess player and puller of strings.

Ed Chesky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search

Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov (Âëàäèìèð Àëåêñàíäðîâè÷ Êðþ÷êîâ in Russian) was born in Volgograd in 1924. A hard-line Soviet politician; Communist Party member from 1944. Joined the Soviet diplomatic service, stationed in Hungary until 1959. He then worked for the Communist Party HQ in Ukraine for eight years before joining the KGB in 1967. He was assigned Deputy Chairman in 1978. In 1988 he was promoted to General of the Army rank and became KGB Chairman. In 1989-1990, he was a member of Politburo.

While publicly backing Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms, Kryuchkov intensified KGB's military and economic spying; claimed restructure of KGB to focus on crime. During the August Coup of 1991, he was one of the "gang of eight", the Committee for the State of Emergency that tried to oust Gorbachev and take over the government. Following the failed coup attempt, he was jailed and replaced by Vadim Bakatin. Later freed by the amnesty of the State Duma in 1994.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Kryuchkov"

Nuclear Weapons Said For
Sale In Former Soviet States
http://7am.com/cgi-bin/wires02.cgi?1000_2001041901.htm
4-22-1


Weapons experts said that because of increasingly poor security in former Soviet states, weapons of all types - including nuclear weapons - are for sale to all sorts of buyers, including terrorists.

A report Tuesday in the Scottish Daily Record quoting international terrorism experts said the USSR's collapse in 1990 "has made weapons of mass destruction available" even to "private buyers."

Prof. Paul Wilkinson, of St. Andrews University, said at a seminar in Edinburgh, Scotland earlier this week that the death toll from terrorist attacks was already on the rise and that it was becoming more likely that groups would use bigger, more powerful weapons in the future.

Wilkinson also said various terrorist organizations were being linked increasingly to organized crime, which gave them access to more money for weapons and technology purchases.

"There is a growing use of organized crime to fund terrorist activity," he said, as quoted by the paper. "More than 40 countries are seriously affected by these acts and over half the world's countries suffer some form of domestic or international terrorism in any one year."

Anything of destructive value in the former Soviet republicans, from AK rifles to nuclear warheads, Wilkinson said, had a place on the black market arms trade for the right amount of money.

Even knowledge, the professor said, is valuable and can be bought, as many former KGB officials have offered their services for hire.

Most of the rising concern over terrorist weapons including the potential use of small but powerful nuclear weapons is occurring in the U.S.

Washington has voiced concern about the ability of so-called "rogue states," or "states of concern," as well as independent terrorist groups, to build devastating arsenals.

Those fears were stoked last year when U.S. officials discovered a 511-page book detailing arms for sale in Russia at a specialist show in Farnborough, Hampshire, Scotland.

The booklet, officials said, was like a "mail order catalogue" of military arms, and was for sale inexpensively.

The book was produced by Moscow, and was seen as a worrisome indication that the Russian government was willing to increase ownership of nuclear weapons around the world.

One Pentagon official, the paper said, warned that the "sales brochure" could help states of concern such as Iran, Libya or North Korea build or enhance long-range missiles with nuclear payloads.

The sales booklet, the paper said, covered not only nuclear weapons but details of their effectiveness, coupled with information about nuclear missile submarines.

Also, the book featured a half-dozen Russian Project 941 Typhoon class nuclear submarines for sale, as well as KH-55SM air-launched cruise missiles, SS-27 ballistic missiles and even a Tupelov Tu-95MS propeller-driven long range Russian bomber capable of launching strategic nuclear or conventional cruise missiles from great distances.

The book said the cruise missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads up to 3,000 km (1,865 miles), "hugging the ground to avoid detection," the paper said.

Confirmed Taliban-Al Qeada-Paksitan link to Iran Nuclear Program.

Iran is now confirmed to have obtained Pakistani nuclear designs on the blackmarket. I also note that source for these designs was the Pakistani nuclear scientist that was found to be selling and engaged in the illegal transfer of nuclear technology around the globe to rouge states.

I suspected the AL Qeada link as the trade in this information is very lucrative and provides a substancial source of income for the organization and is used by it to leverage support out of countries like Iran. I also note that Al Qead is a master at using and developing intelligence and I believe that old KGB operatives such as Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov feed them information through a network of contacts from time to time in an effort to undermine the west.

In terms of the psychology of the Pakistani nuclear scientist I have attached and Indian assessment of him and note that it and the appoclyptic world view of the Al Qead network and a number of other groups, some even christian, are reflected in his beliefs. See my other posting on God, ID, Science and Jihad

US spooked by ‘spirited’ Pak nuclear scientist
Chidanand Rajghatta

Friday, November 02, 2001 08:16:49 pm
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Washington: a pakistani nuclear scientist who believes in spectres, spirits and souls has spooked the american strategic and intelligence community. sultan bashir mohammed, a top pakistani nuclear expert now in custody for suspected links with the taliban, is a believer in djinns, described in the holy koran as beings made of fire. a proponent of "islamic science," he has written papers suggesting that these entities could be tapped to solve the energy crisis. he has also spoken about the possibility of developing souls and communicating with them. but the immediate soul searching among us and pakistani officials is in determining whether bashir mohammed and other key pakistani nuclear experts, at least two more of who are also in custody, have spirited away nuclear materials or know-how to the taliban militia and its al-qaeda terrorist proteges. fears about nuclear leaks from "islamist" scientists was the recurring theme in television talk shows on thursday. several non-proliferation gurus called for stricter oversights of pakistan’s nuclear program. some analysts demanded that the us move in to "take out" nuclear weapons amid apprehensions that they may fall into the hands of jehadi forces. the focus of attention and investigation is sultan bashir mohammed, popularly known in pakistani scientific circles as sbm. a father figure in the pakistani atomic establishment, although less known than the flamboyant a q khan, sbm too acquired much of his knowledge in the west, studying engineering in england in the 1970s before returning to pakistan. he came into prominence when he worked out a technique for detecting leaks in steam pipes at a canadian-built reactor, the karachi nuclear power plant, in pakistan. according to reports in the pakistani media, the device is patented in canada in his name and is used worldwide as 'sbm probe'. he is believed to have turned to "islamic science" in the 1980s, delving into the holy koran, which he believes to be a fount of knowledge. he came up with unusual theories to bring together physics and metaphysics. some of the ideas were spelt out in a volume titled "the mechanics of doomsday and life after death." he later established the holy koran foundation to explore the scientific dimension of the book. by the early 1990s, he was a key figure in the pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme involving both plutonium production and uranium enrichment. he headed the kahuta uranium enrichment plant in the early 1990s and was given charge of the khushab reactor, which is believed to produce plutonium, in 1998. for his outstanding contributions the pakistan academy of sciences awarded him a gold medal and the government conferred a sitara-i-imtiaz on him. but soon after the may 1998 nuclear tests, in which he played a key role, he is reported to have fallen out with the nawaz sharief government over its consideration of signing the nuclear test ban treaty. he believed pakistan needed to have the option of conducting more tests. after resigning his job, he and some other nuclear scientists set up an ngo named 'umma tamir-i-nau' for the rehabilitation of war-torn afghanistan. they began travelling frequently to afghanistan, where he is said to have been doing charity work. but what set off alarm bells in the intelligence community was his frequent appearances on the talk circuit in universities and colleges where he praised the taliban and espoused its cause. he also argued that the taliban was showing the way to pakistan. experts are divided over just how much bashir mohammed could have helped the taliban and al-qaeda in developing nuclear systems. most believe he could have at best provided them a theoretical knowledge of weapons systems. others say he could have acted as a conduit for acquisition of nuclear materials from rogue sources.

Confirmation of Link to Al Qeada Saudi Arabia Nuclear Intelligence Aquisition Program.

When we link the development of Iran's acquisition of Black Market Nuclear Technology from Pakistan via AL Qeada with the penetration of the Riyadh Vinnell Arabia compound by Al Qeada intelligence operatives with the American ventilation worker who went to Kartumn Sudan to study Islam and Osama making the aquisition of nuclear technology a religious mandate we now begin to understand the nature and world wide scope of Al Qeada's effort to acquire nuclear warhead and related technology design information.

We then couple that with efforts by the Saudi's to keep myself and a nuclear weapons expert on contract and convert us to Islam and we begin to see Saudi Arabia's effort to acquire Nuclear design and related information. I also note that this effort to aquire nuclear technology and information is currently being used by Al Qeada as currency on the world blackmarket and is bringing to them large sums of money in terms of cash and safe havens.

I also note that all of us who left our Vinnell Arabia contract at the same time was because we read the situation correctly were Catholics and had been trained by the Jesuits in theology and religious recruitment techniques as children.

Couple this to our training to protect nuclear secret technology and intelligence and now you know why we all departed Saudi Arabi at about the same time and why the Vinnel Arabia compound was bombed when we left and not before or during our time there

Ed Chesky

On a side note this reconstruction of the intelligence collection aparatus built by Osama was built using the same techniques employed by Team Able Danger using unclassified data to rebuilt the frame work of the intelligence network of Osama, the Saudi's and Iran. It also relfects the Bi-Polar orientation in power developing in the Middle East between Tehran and Riyadh and what some of their primary intelligence collection priority are.

Ed Chesky

Vinnell Arabia and TRW link to Spying

I note that during the time I was on the Vinnell Arabia contract that I repeatedly warned about the lax security procedured for safe guarding intelligence information and that there was a network there collecting military, technical and political information on the United States. The amount of damge done to United States National Security as result of Vinnell Arabia's practices is incalculable and on par with that of a previous case involving the same lax data handling procedures at TRW in the United Sates.

I have included a link to the case in question.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRW

Ed Chesky

The question will come up as to who I was working for, I and the other personnel in Vinnell Arabia were working for during the Cold War in Asia, India and the rest to stablize things and bring insight into the analysis of intelligence.

As children we were identified by the catholic church as the best and brightest that they had. In Arabia, I was with an Irishman Catholic who was senior staff officer on for one of the most advanced signal brigades in the world based at Ft. Hauchuca AZ, I also was with one of the most qualified and brillient Nuclear Weapons Experts in the World and Catholic. Occasionally during the Cold War and in crisis we used the system to send coded messages to each other in an effort to stabilize situations.

Together were were selected and watched over by the Catholic Church and his holiness Pope John Paul as part of a catholic network inside the world's military and intelligence services during the height of the Cold War.

We were given dipensation for what we had to do.

The vatican runs the world's oldest and largest and most complex intelligence service on the planet and has some of the most brillent minds on the planet in its universities, medical research facilities and schools around the Globe. On occasion one is selected for a mission and to deliver a message. That message is often rejected.

I told my translator in Saudi Arabia when he asked what religion I was. I told him catholic. He asked we what that was I told him that it was like Islam but much older and had changed much.

I also told him that we catholics had resources that were vastly powerful. Like St Paul said demons are in many ways like networks and at the heart of the network of networks lays the demon and his accolites/disciples.

His holiness the pope said only the catholics have the ability to summon angels. An angel is to the catholics much like a demon, a construct of networks inside of networks wheeles inside of wheeles. His holiness once said only the catholics can raise and angel.

To that I would have to say history shows something different. Once the United States raised an angel of networks of networks and influence and power. That being was named John Brown and he plunged this nation into the greatest war it ever had. In the modern era Martin Luther King was raised by the Churches as the focal point of a network of networks.

The Orthodox also once raised an angel of networks or networks by the Name of Stalin who overstayed his time in the great war against Hitler and went on to become one of the greatest mass murders of all time.

A lesson in the use of network intelligence as it applies to religon.

Ed Chesky

Game Theory as it applies to the current war on terrorism.


In terms of the great game of international chess and chess masters of the Cold War Intelligence Services, Nuclear Secrets and Terrorism we are engaged in a game that looks much like Chinese checkers.

The game board is influenced by the grand masters of intelligence, terrorism and the leaders of nation states.

From math world the board of Chinese Checkers is like that of the Hexagram, generated in my solution to the trisection of the angle.

From Math World the chinese checker board is as follows

The Chinese checkers board is formed in the shape of a centered hexagram with a total of number of holes, where the number of holes is a star number.

A star number is The number of cells in a generalized Chinese checkers board (or "centered" hexagram). Unlike the polygonal numbers, there is ambiguity in the case of the star numbers as to whether or should be set equal to 1, since the equation defining star numbers never gives 0.

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/StarNumber.html

In thinking of this fight in the war on terorism we are fighting on a multidimentional chess board. Unlike the Cold War Board of conventional chess.

It is a paramution to game theory that builds on Dr. Nash's work with religon as a basis of conflict and the quest for the tools of apcalypse and subsequent world domination as the outcome.

In this shifting game we have a multiple number of players like in Chinese checkers.

It is a vary complicated game and we are in the process of defining the players.

To Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov I salute you it took me a while to identify your hand in this game. Perhaps one day we will meet face to face.

Ed Chesky

I concure Ivan with your assessment,

As I sort through the wreckage of the Cold War and the rise of Militant fundamentalist Islam and its aspirations to aquire nuclear technology, which I have begun to unravel from open sources, it is becoming increasingly clear that militant Islam has no desire to assimilate or moderate its stance on issues and is planning a active campaign to disrupt the economy and way of life in Europe. I also include in that efforts to disrupt the planned European Fusion Reactor through a combination of efforts because it represents the first major step away from a oil based economy and poses on of the greatest threats to Islamic Oil Dominance of the world economy. From fusion comes the hydrogen econmy that will destroy the old economy.

I note that forces of economy and national interest are playing major parts in the world today and that efforts on the great game board by nations to become or remain a great power are being helped or hindered by old Cold War types for a number of reasons.

I note that Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov, former director of the KGB, presented a position paper to Putin on Iran. I would love to get a look at that paper. Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov was a master of deception, manipulation, disinformation and chess playing. He also had extensive files on organized crime, sumgling and the highest level secrets of the Old Soviet Union.

Much of this view has been captured in a book by Richard A. Clark.

As the publisher says of Richard Clark, as the long-time White House counterterrorism chief, he warned the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century in 1999 that terrorists were coming. We listened, but when we passed the warning on to President Bush, he did not. Now Clarke comes with a novel that, even if you swallow only a portion of it, will keep you awake at night. It's basically about turmoil in the Middle East, threatening to lead to World War III between the United States and China involving -- guess what? -- oil.From Publishers Weekly

The following is a summary of the plot of the book:

It's 2010, and the newly established Republic of Islamyah;the former Saudi Arabia;is trying to destabilize Bahrain: the Diplomat Hotel has been bombed, and, as the first chapter of this intense debut thriller closes, the Crowne Plaza is "pancaking." Meanwhile, the deposed House of Saud is holed up in Houston; the Chinese are providing arms and training to Islamyah; the Iranians have the bomb. Secretary of Defense Henry Conrad thinks the time is ripe to invade Islamyah and seize its oil, for which the U.S. is locked in deadly competition with China. Cooler heads in the U.S. (and British) hierarchies are very, very alarmed. Sound familiar?

Clarke's Against All Enemies delivered an apostate critique of the Bush administration's counterterrorism efforts, along with a vision of the future very much like today. The writing's nothing special; what is special is Clarke's passionate and deftly detailed version of the present, albeit one told in terms of its consequences. It's a brilliant conceit, and though it's sometimes drowned out by the din of various axes being ground ("It''s 68 degrees [in Washington]on January 28 and the White House still claims that global warming isn't a problem?"), the story is crowded with terrific double crosses, defections and deceptions. They're icing, though: Clarke's dramatic micro explanations of how things "really" work;from a hand who served Nixon, Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes;are the true story. This is the first novel to shift all the way from Clancy's Cold War to the present war on terror.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ed Chesky

In reviewing the situation in Iran and with regards to Russia's current position I believe that Russia is concerned about the scale and scope of the Islamic Intelligence effort to gain hold of nuclear technology and is concerned about the employment of a nuclear device against their own soil by Islamic Terrorists.

I also feel that Russia's economy is such that it requires trade with Iran but is growing frustrated with Tehran as Tehran establishes itself as a Islamic power in the Middle East with the goal of becoming a nuclear power.

I note Russia is working with the EU on the Issue of Iran and has met with India on the Nuclear issue with regards to Iran and the transfer of nuclear technology to that state.

I believe that now that we understand the grave and extensive nature of Tehran's and Al Qeada's effort to gain hold of intelligence with regards to nuclear designs and nuclear materials that Russia is doing a damage assessment of just how much nuclear technology and information has made its way to Tehran and the other Middle Eastern States.

To Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov, this a problem that the old KGB and CIA can not ignore. You know as well as I what the implications of a Islamic bomb in the hands of Tehran and Al Qeada would do given your actions in Central Asia against the Chechens. Moscow itself would be one of the first targets of the Islamic Militants in revenge for Chechnia.

Ed Chesky

Having just watched an interview of the Secretary of Defense on Fox news I note that he side steped the issue of Team Able Danger by saying that lack of evidence meant that they could not verify the claim of Able Danger to have provided warning of 9/11.

By his statement he also called into question its work. I note he qualified it by saying it took place before he got back into government. Given this position I decided to prove something, hence my assessemnt of the nature and scope of Al Qeada's and Iran's effort to acquire nuclear information and the sharing of the data between the two entities posted above.

I did this using open source analytical techniques that matched the classified data in the possession of the United States that it has presented to the UN terms of confirming it and explosing the world wide scope of the Militant Islamic collection effort to acquire nuclear data.

One analyst working with a home computer matches the intelligence aparatus of the United States entire intelligence community by working with unclassified data.

Not bad and considering I make Dean's list at the Univeristy, work full time and I am restoring 110 year old victorian house at the same time.

And the Federal Government told me I was too old for the intelligence buisness and turned me down for a job.

Now you know why Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov had my plane blown up over Lockerbie and reads this website.

Ed Chesky

I know Ivan and sometimes in this battle you have to do things that push you to the edge and beyound.

Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov is a cold calculating product of the Soviet system, but one that played by the rules. A monster that we faced in the Cold War, one that Putin has brought back in from the cold.

In this battle old weapons new weapons and old spy masters on both sides are back into the fight.

What may happen is unknown but the race to stop a nuclear bomb from going off has now started.

Whether we can be successfull or not I don't know.

I have attached a copy of an article about a man from CT that broke seven insurance companies and looted 200 million dollars from them.

Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov was trained by the Soviet KGB to do this type of thing routinely, running hundreds of front companies and hiding the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars, buying and selling people and women around the globe in an effort to advance the Soviet cause and killing those who posed a threat. He also coordinated the destruction of PANAM 103.

This is the mid that Putin brought out of the cold to fight this war. It tells you how dangerous the situation is from Putin's perspective.

Martin Frankel sentenced to more than 16 years for insurance fraud

JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer

Friday, December 10, 2004

(12-10) 15:03 PST NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) --

Former financier Martin Frankel, who became a fugitive after bilking seven insurance companies out of more than $200 million, was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison Friday.

Frankel, 50, had pleaded guilty to 24 federal charges of fraud and racketeering. He admitted plotting to loot seven insurance companies in Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Missouri and Tennessee that mostly sold funeral policies to the poor.

He had faced more than 20 years. U.S. District Judge Ellen B. Burns sentenced him to 16 years and eight months.

In a rambling, more than 45-minute speech to the court, Frankel quoted from the Bible and St. Patrick and alternated between apologies and justifications.

"Everybody looks at me as if I'm an evil genius," Frankel told the judge.

He apologized for the scheme but said he began stealing to help his girlfriend's children, who he said were being abused.

When Burns questioned why Frankel needed $200 million to help the children, Frankel said things got out of hand.

"I hear remorse, yet I hear him blaming everybody but himself," U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor said. "Whatever he feels today, he's $200 million and 15 years too late."

Frankel's attorney, Bill Koch, sought leniency, saying Frankel was mentally ill.

"He as a view of himself in grandiose and exaggerated ways," psychologist Madelon Baranoski testified Friday.

Frankel defrauded the insurance companies through a trust set up to hide his involvement, since he was barred from securities trading because of a similar scheme he committed years before in Ohio.

Prosecutors said he used the stolen money to finance a lavish lifestyle that included a two-house compound in Greenwich, luxury cars and several girlfriends.

"The last thing I ever wanted to happen to my insurance companies is for them to go under," Frankel said. "I feel ashamed that I allowed this to happen."

In 1999, Frankel triggered an international manhunt when he disappeared from his mansion in Greenwich. He was arrested in Germany four months later.


Ed Chesky

Ed, I just finished last week a mandatory Anti-Money-Laundering course for work, and am mandated by law in my profession to spot and report any such possible activities. Frankel was from an era before such US Patriot Act. The real fear today is not the Frankels, who have no shame or good judgment, but the terrorists who will finance their evil cause at anyone's expense, sometimes even appearing to be running legitimate businesses, when not posing as "charities".

Ivan

I note that SIr Issac Newton once was an investigator for the crown.

The following is from his biography

Newton estimated that 20% of the coins taken in during The Great Recoinage were counterfeit. Counterfeiting was treason, punishable by death by drawing and quartering. As gruesome as the penalties were, the courts were not arbitrary or capricious. The rights of free men had a long tradition in England and the crown had to prove its case to a jury. The law also allowed for plea bargaining. Convictions of the most flagrant criminals could be maddeningly impossible to achieve. Newton was equal to the task.

He assembled facts and proved his theories with the same brilliance in law that he had shown in science. He gathered much of that evidence himself. Disguised, he hung out at bars and taverns. For all the barriers placed to prosecution, and separating the branches of government, English law still had strong, old customs of authority. Newton got himself made a justice of the peace. Between June 1698 and Christmas 1699, he conducted some 200 cross-examinations of witnesses, informers and suspects. He obtained the confessions he needed. While he could not resort to open torture, whatever means he did use must have been fearsome because Newton himself later ordered all records of these interrogations to be destroyed. However he did it, Newton won his convictions. In February 1699, he had ten prisoners waiting to be executed.

Newton's greatest triumph as the king's attorney was against William Chaloner. Chaloner was a rogue with a devious intelligence. He set up phony conspiracies of Catholics and then turned in the hapless conspirators whom he entrapped. Chaloner made himself rich enough to posture as a gentleman. Petitioning parliament, Chaloner accused the Mint of providing tools to counterfeiters. (This charge was made also by others.) He proposed that he be allowed to inspect the Mint's processes in order to improve them. He petitioned Parliament to adopt his plans for a coinage that could not be counterfeited. All the time, he struck false coins, or so Newton eventually proved to a court of competent jurisdiction. On March 23, 1699, Chaloner was hanged, drawn, and quartered.

I used to break Soviet nets and agent networks like Sir Issac. They used to fly me in buisiness class and drive me in an embassy car to break networks of agents. Like Sir Isaac when I showed up it was like a religous experience.

Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov built many of the nets I broke I know him and he knows me and we both know what the militant islamics will do if they get an atomic bomb. Both he and I saw the reports of the school in Russia the terrorists attacked.

In this fight we are both on the same side though our tactics differ.

He is old I am middle age and children now perform the functions we used to do....inexperienced ones that have yet to be tested to the breaking point and beyound and then back

Ed Chesky

The Islamic Terorist Nuclear Bomb

I have spent the last week sorting through unclassifed data sets relating to the Militant Islamic plan and intelligence effort to amass a comprehensive data set relating to the construction of nuclear weapons.

To do it I had to sort through a massive amount of data and issues relating to religion, old Cold War issues of ideology and the fall of the Soviet Empire and its rebirth as the CIS.

Along the way I had to relive old traumas and issues that gave me Post Tramatic Stress disorder. My anger at having to do it is very great but the need to assess accurately the threat possed by the militant islamic effort to acquire a nuclear device is very real.

Iran is positioning itself to develop nuclear capability. My assessment is that is that it does not yet have a nuclear bomb but is close to being able to develop one.

The device they are aiming to develop from my experience with nuclear designs is a varient of an India Nuclear device likely developed for thier Prithve and AGNI SSM. Which are verients of a Russian designs. This assessment is based strickly off unclassifed data available off the internet.

By linking the plans on the Iranian laptop the United States had with information relating to the shape of the design on it discussed in the open media its possible to reconstruct the data flow to Tehran from India, Russia and Pakistan. This information flow is the result of overt open source collection using the internet, purchases on the blackmarket and the result of focused collection operations directed against Russia and India by Tehran and Al Qeada. Couple this to data regarding the development of Nuclear Weapons from Pakistan and we can assess how close that Tehran is to having the information necessary to build a nuclear device. Which is very close. This entire asessmentis based on analysis of information flow all source analytic techniques and unclassified open source database analysis.

We next couple this to the recent purge in Tehran of moderates including those in charge of the finacial system and we begin to see the complete agressive restructuring of a Government which intends to focus and use of its resources to support a Militant Hard line agenda.

Not a pretty picture, I must admit last night I was so angry at how much information relating to nuclear designs had leaked to Tehran that I wanted to purge Tehran of its religous fanactical government and subject all Islamics in United States service to sodium penethal interrogation.

Ed Chesky

The rise of Islamic Fascism in Tehran and it Nuclear Gambit.

A http://www.spacewar.com/news/iran-05zzzzzzb.html

A very good asessment of the Iranian situation that tracks with my analysis of Iran's agressive acquisition of Nuclear related information from the sources manetioned above.

I note that the current leadership of Iran has taken to signing loyalty pledges to the 12th Iman, the Mehdi, and casting them into a sacred well.

This coupled to the current purge in Iran is scaring a lot of people. It coupled to the view on the Koran and books written by the Pakistani Scientist that was linked to Taleban and Al Qeada listed above, and the presence of AL Qeada in Iran, and we begin to build the image of the current leadership of Iran's world view and their vision of a coming apocalyps. It also tracks with the bi-polar orientation I discussed above in Islam and way cooperation between Al Qeada and Tehran is occuring.

This is the only time, other than NAZI germany, that such a warped cabal of religous fanactics have gained control of modern nuclear capable nation state. The damage that can be inflicted by this cabal is such that it boggles the mind. The Taiping Rebellion killed 20 million, the Mehdi rebellion in Sudan killed 10s of thousands.

Ed Chesky


http://www.spacewar.com/news/iran-05zzzzzzb.html

World View of Current Iran Leadership

Under the guidence of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, who acts as the spiritual and world view developer of the Iranian Government, Iran is crafting a collective world view in the minds of its children and citizens that is both terrifying and dangerous.

It is a full multidisciplinary effort using the organs of state government to promote acceptance of a extreme view of Islam and acceptance of suicide bombing as a weapon.

This view is coupled to a desire to destroy western civilization, its culture and people and subjugate them to Islam using any and all means possible.

As I explore this world view and the amount of data amassed by Iran on the development and design of nuclear weapons, I am shocked at the lax security put in place by the worlds nuclear powers to contain nuclear weapons technology and information in the face of determined Islamic adversary.


I have attached a link to espionage as an FYI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage

" Western diplomats have now also been startled by reports of President Ahmadinejad's cabinet being required to sign a formal pact of loyalty to the 12th Imam Mehdi, who disappeared into the Jamkaran well 1,300 years ago. To ratify the pact, the signed cabinet document was then solemnly entrusted to the well, posted on top of many thousand petitions and letters dropped there by worshippers over the centuries.

President Ahmadinejad is a member of the Hojatieh sect, seen by many Shiite Muslims as verging on the lunatic fringe of Islam..."

---

Quote:

Or as Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair put it to this month's European summit at Hampton Court: "Can you really imagine a regime such as this getting hold of nuclear weapons?"

---

I see your point very well Ivan,

I have explored the amount of data massed by Iran on nuclear weapons design and feel they are about 90% there with regards to being able to design a warhead. I base this on a number of factors. This includes recent efforts to deny inspections and the plans found and admitted to by Iran both on the laptop the United States CIA got a hold of and what has been put out in the press over what they got from Paksistan.

That is about as far as I can go with unclassifed data using the techniques of Team Able Danger.

I am more concerned now about China which we keep tip toeing about.

I have attached a couple of links to China that are interesting.

http://cns.miis.edu/research/china/coxrep/

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/sound2453695.311111111.html.

I am starting to build a database on China's role in this great game and its networks of networks, front companies and ties to organized crime the Triads and Tongs. Their organizational structure is very complex and very old.

During this last year I have been exploring this subject and the ideological and theological under pinnings of it. Now I intend to explore how this theological/ideological underpinning has manefested itself in the realworld in terms of organization and players in the great game.

Ed Chesky
on a side note;

In the great game of Weapons of Mass Destruction acquisition and espionage I am making a list of players. Dr. Nash and I used to do this all the time during the Cold War. I used his products throughout the Cold War, which he helped develop during his time at the Rand Corporation, they assisted me in breaking the Soviet War Plans.

Fortunately for me, unlike Dr. Nash, my damage is a result of chmical exposure and easily correctable with low dosages of drugs unlike that of Dr. Nash.

As I begin to chart China's agent networks and aims and objectives using the techniques of Team Able Danger, I note that my home is guarded by the best police force in the United States which was headed and trained by my family. I also note my family has been in this state in the United States for over two hundred years. I also note that I have bomb dogs that routnely sweep the neighborhood on training exercises and a team of ex and current national guard military weapons experts that help me rebuild my 110 year old victorian home.

I am sure that as I start poking into the World of Chinese espionage I may trip over something the PRC does not like and is trying to hide. Just a note to Chinese intelligence in the event they ever read this.

I live in a nice upscale quiet neighboord that is under constant survellience by the best police force in the world, with a response time of minutes and EMS serivce located less than two mintues away. In this game of Intelligence Analysis and Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction I have assembled my forces and put them on the table. One block from my house is a 100 year old Jewish Temple, Anglican, Christian and Catholic Church, the Headquarters of the American Legion for the Area, A Masonic Lodge and a Grange Hall for the American Grange. I sit within this network of networks. What I mantioned is only part of my networks of networks, All of these networks are linked via cell phone, pager, fax machine and internet.

I also note we once exported revolution around the globe from this town and it is littered with the monuments of that effort. For 200 years the networks in this town have reached across the United States and the Globe in the great game. Now we turn our attention to China.

Osama and Zarqawi are creatures of networks of networks of informants and spies and genius's at analysis of information seeking to bring revolution to the world.

This ancient town I live in was one of the centers of the American Revolution is today on of the financial centers of the world.

What we have done is demonstrate to the world that in this game of networks of networks we have played this game for over two hundred years.

On the surface this town looks like a nice upscale American Town and buses of tourist frequent it, as it looks like a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. Like dual use sites in the game of accquisition of nuclear technology and terrorism, it has below the surface a network of networks that exchange data.

A lesson to the terorists of the American ability to play the great game. The people in this town and state are amoung the brightest in the world and the products of the best education system the world has to offer. Drinking the best water and eating the best food. They go to church and drive nice cars.

What we have done is show the Islamics what we are capable of interms of networks of networks and family structure.

Zarqawi's family disown him after bombings

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1647045,00.html

I did a quick check of the unclassfied databases and found a beginning of a patern to PRC intelligence collection efforts.

When I then took a walk I was passed by a Chinese man in a car, figure the odds:)

Considering this state is the home of ballistic missile technology and jet engine technology

Ed Chesky

I think my dangle of information attracted some attention.

One note on China's Recon of this town. It was observed tracked and reported back to me.

A Smashed Honda with Tzu was parked next to mine and two young men with black tee shirts with zero on them indicting that Sun Tzu, The Art of War meets the modern age and cell phones in the hands of the brightest in the world...translation Tzu Zero, USA 1

Ed Chesky
China's Secret War
By Patrick Devenny
FrontPageMagazine.com | March 31, 2005

When FBI Assistant Director Dan Szady, who heads the agency’s counter-intelligence division, made a rare public appearance to speak at the National Intelligence Conference and Exposition held last month in Alexandria, Virginia, it wasn’t to discuss Iran, Iraq, or any country in the Middle East, as many may have expected. Instead, the 33-year veteran of the Bureau discussed the “huge” threat posed to our national security by the Chinese intelligence apparatus.

His most harrowing charge, among many other disturbing accusations, concerned the existence of an estimated 3,000 Chinese front companies that presently operate within the US. The main purpose of these pseudo-businesses, he said, is to facilitate often-illegal technology transfers to the Chinese government. In a USA Today interview conducted nine months earlier, Szady had detailed the same threat. He suggested that this intensifying Chinese effort was targeting a wide expanse of American assets, including defense research labs and universities.

While some neophytes may have been surprised by the emphasis on China, those with experience in such matters welcomed it as a long awaited realization. The transfer of highly sensitive technology to foreign countries has recently increased exponentially, with the number of cases growing 20 to 30 percent every year, the main culprit being China. The People’s Republic has recently initiated a full-scale assault on sectors critical to America’s national security and economic viability. When combined with its rapidly advancing military and economic power, China’s thriving espionage network within the United States allows it to challenge American power on the world stage.

Flooding the Zone



“Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy”.

-Sun Tzu, The Art of War



The Chinese seem to have taken Sun Tzu’s sage advice to heart. As detailed in the Cox Report of 1997, the Chinese have created an intricate network of spies that continues to provide them with a wide range of classified American technology. As the Cox committee stated forebodingly eight years ago, “The PRC’s appetite for information and technology appears to be insatiable, and the energy devoted to the task enormous.” The Chinese do little to hide their desire for advanced technology, producing intelligence manuals that detail, in exact terms, methods through which agents can procure advanced technical information from American sources. Recently, this strategy appears to have been honed to a sharp edge.



Nowhere is this massive theft felt more acutely than in the heart of America’s technical development industry, Silicon Valley. Rather than dispatching a few agents to the area, the Chinese have “flooded the zone,” enlisting dozens, possibly hundreds, of their own citizens to aid the overall effort. One US intelligence source detailed the strategy, stating to Time Magazine last month that, “The Chinese are very good at putting a lot of people on just a little piece and getting a massive amount of stuff home.” Numerous cases over the past decade have demonstrated the depth and reach of the network. Several of these instances of Chinese espionage have come to the forefront within the past year. The cases that have been uncovered are alarming. But they become terrifying when one considers that they represent only the tip of the iceberg.



Among the most troubling instances is the case of Martin Shih. A 61-year-old Silicon Valley businessman and resident of the United States, Shih owned an impressive coterie of corporations, including Night Vision Technology in San Jose and Queening Hi-Tech in Taiwan. At the same time as Shih ran his profitable international businesses, he was also a critical asset of Chinese intelligence. At Beijing’s behest, Shih shipped cutting edge night vision technology to Chinese technical research centers, such as the North China Research Institute, which are closely linked to the PRC military. Taking his betrayal a step further, Shih traveled to China in June 2002 where he met with Chinese scientists, to whom he imparted the latest American advances in the field. They were then able, with Shih’s invaluable aid, to manufacture optical technology on par with modern American designs. Shih was arrested in May 2004 and faces 45 years in prison. But the damage had been done. Almost single-handedly, Shih destroyed America’s advantage in night optic technology—a critical component of our continuing dominance on the battlefield.



And night vision technology was not the only modern weapon system that China hoped to compromise. Also in Chinese crosshairs was the newest version of the Hellfire anti-tank missile, which utilizes an advanced radar guidance system. In early 1999, the University of Beijing placed an order with a California firm for 25 low-noise amplifier chips that are an important component of the overall guidance system. When unable to make the delivery because of export laws, the California firm was told by the university that they had another supplier. This supplier was Ting-Ih Hsu, a former employee of Lockheed Martin who ran several Orlando based corporations. One of these corporations, Azure Systems, ordered the same chips six months later from a Lockheed subsidiary. Fortunately, this came to the attention of U.S. Customs, which put Mr. Hsu under surveillance. Custom agents witnessed a business associate of Hsu receive the chips, then attempt to send them to Hong Kong, where they were to be forwarded to Beijing Ghz Electronics, a state owned corporation. In 2004, both Hsu and his associate were charged with illegally attempting to export protected technology. The Hsu case is yet another example of China’s unrelenting style in procuring technologies they consider important in their quest to challenge American supremacy.



The list of additional recent Chinese espionage cases is long and disturbing. It includes, among others, the theft of Blackhawk helicopter engines and optical devices by a South Korean man arrested last year. A Chinese-American couple in Wisconsin was arrested in 2004 for sending over $500,000 worth of computer parts to the Chinese government that can be used to improve missile guidance systems. Statements from officials such as Szady hint that cases like these are just a small sample of the overall secret Chinese war against America. Indeed, in the words of one unnamed senior FBI source, “the Chinese are stealing us blind, the 10 year technological advantage we had is vanishing.”



Manning the Gates



To defend itself from this wave of Chinese espionage, America relies on its primary counter-intelligence agency, the FBI. Unfortunately, just as the Chinese efforts against the United States accelerated in the 1990s, the bureau’s political masters saw fit to cripple their ability to counter such a threat. Under the Clinton administration, joining the counter-intelligence division became a good way to ruin a promising FBI career. Funds were cut, hundreds of agents were transferred to other divisions, and morale was at an all-time low. This degradation of America’s counterintelligence defense would set the stage for some high-profile blunders on the part of the FBI.



One such misstep was the controversy surrounding the Taiwanese-American nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee. Lee, who had been an employee at the Los Alamos National Laboratory since 1978, was considered by the FBI to be a major security risk. In 1999, Lee was fired and then imprisoned for nine months on 59 felony counts. His case, however, quickly became a total debacle. In the words of prosecutor and special investigator Randy Bellows, "This investigation was a paradigm of how not to manage and work an important counter-intelligence case.” With the collapse of the investigation, questions concerning Lee’s suspicious actions, such as his transfer of classified nuclear data to computer disks that have never been found, will probably go forever unanswered. The FBI’s mishandling of the Lee counter-intelligence investigation either imprisoned and defamed an innocent man or, quite possibly, allowed an American scientist who would have been considered a top Chinese agent to walk away from his betrayal a free man.



A further disaster was in store for the FBI’s struggling anti-China effort. In the late 1970’s, the FBI recruited Katrina Leung, a Chinese student at the University of Chicago. However, according to government prosecutors, Leung was actually a highly effective Chinese double agent. When Leung was arrested in 2003, she had in her possession extremely sensitive classified documents dealing with the FBI’s efforts against Chinese espionage, including the home phone numbers of FBI counter-intelligence agents. It was revealed early on in the government’s case against Leung that she had conducted relationships with two high ranking FBI agents, giving her access to comprehensive accounts of espionage investigations carried out at government labs, including the inquiry into Wen Ho Lee. The stark conclusion of some FBI counter-intelligence experts was that Leung had fed her Chinese handlers detailed information concerning the investigations, allowing them to tailor their espionage efforts accordingly. The FBI also realized that perhaps Leung’s highly regarded information, which had landed on the desk of four U.S. Presidents, might have all been a wildly successful Chinese disinformation plot. Leung’s case was overturned by a federal judge last month on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct, a dismissal which is currently being challenged by the government.



With budget cuts, failed investigations, and reckless actions taken by two high ranking agents, the FBI has proven to be a brittle shield against the veritable deluge of Chinese intelligence operatives infiltrating the United States. Fortunately, in the past four years, the FBI leadership seems to have awoken to the threat, with Director Robert Mueller making counter-intelligence his second highest priority, after counter-terrorism. This reemphasis is a long time coming, and will hopefully be continued by administrations that realize the importance of a concerted government effort against Chinese espionage. Still, even with these positive developments, the bureau faces a monumental challenge, considering the scope of the PRC’s espionage effort.



Rooting Out the Network



The Chinese have constructed a spy network whose scope would have impressed even the KGB. The existence of such an apparatus should trouble American policy makers who only recently listened as CIA director Porter Goss testified in unusually blunt terms about China’s efforts to counter American military power throughout Asia. In addition, the Pentagon’s upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review is expected to express a harsher and more realistic view of China’s military ambitions than ever produced before. The Chinese, for their part, have responded with their standard bellicose rhetoric: China has recently approved an “anti-succession law,” which serves as a severe warning to U.S. ally Taiwan.



It is obvious that effective intelligence is a vital part of the Chinese effort to achieve their goal of regional dominance. One senior FBI official put it best: “China is trying to develop a military that can compete with the U.S., and they are willing to steal to get [it]." As they mine the American defense industry for technology, the Chinese also appear to be close to procuring European weapon equipment, allowing them to quickly make up for their deficiency in sophisticated command and control technology. As prominent military experts recently suggested, the European technology represents “The missing pieces of the People's Liberation Army puzzle.”

With their fervent pursuit of American secrets and their newfound ability to purchase advanced western weaponry from our French and German “allies,” the Chinese seem well on their way to achieving their stated goal of effectively countering American military might in the Pacific. While the recent steps taken by the Bush administration against Chinese espionage are promising, it will require a determined government-wide effort—backed by a significant amount of political will—before the United States can begin to root out the powerful Chinese intelligence network in its midst.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Devenny is the Henry M. Jackson National Security Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington D.C.

Now for the United States Intelligence Services the rest of the update I got was that the PRC was in the state looking for ballistic missile technology from general dynamics where we build our ballistic missile submarines.

This type of feedback was curtesy the internet and cell phones and pagers used by the game boy generation of the best and brightest this nation has.

Ed Chesky

Very little in this state in terms of intelligence collection gets by me.

In dealing with the PRC, it is important to note the vast majority of Chinese American are loyal lawabiding members of our society. In fact many are decendents of the Hakka who lead the Taiping rebellion and hate the PRC. They are, many of them, Christian and have assimilated into US society. They are doctors lawyers and scientists. One of them is a eye doctor that treats my family and a devoted christian.

In facing the PRC monster we are not alone in this fight and you need to undertand where to look for allies.

FOr the Hakka they revere their ancestors and fream of the day when a christian china comes again. They take the long view and play the great game very well.

ED chesky

The fifth and last migration of Hakkas occured at the end of the Taiping
rising, one of the many enormous peasant revolts, which have characterized
the history of China. To the Hakkas the Taiping is their most glorious epic,
for the leader was a Hakka named Hung Hsiuchuang [Hong Xiuquan].

After the Taiping failed, in 1864 many Hakkas migrated to south-east Asia,
or were inveigled by the boat-load to become indentured labourers on
railways and canals in the East Indies, Malaya, the United States, and as
far as Panama,Brazil and Africa."

From the book The Crippled Tree by Dr Han Suyin

Chines Penetration of United States Encrypted Satellight Communications.

I believe based on open sourec analysis that the chinese have succeeded in penetrating United States Encrypted Satellight communications in a replay of the Pollard Spy Ring

I base this on a number factors relating to but not limited to expansion and deployment of Chinese SIGINT capabilities and the movement of Chinese SIGINT ships tied to United States Satellight System Orbits.

As I study Chinses SIGINT Deployments I am noting a patern of activity indicating that they are reading our encrypted mail. This means one of two things, A) They have the computer power and skills necessary to break our codes. Highly Unlikely, or B) They like the former Soviet Union have access toa source that is feeding them our encryption keys.

I note this and note the development of a series of technological advances in the PRC and leveraging of buisness leaders using pressure to place factories in China so that they can recieve the transfer of classified Technology. This effort is being seamlessly coordinated implying a high degree of understanding of United States Classified Technology that could only come form SIGINT

I have attached a link to the Walker Spy Ring.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/spies/walker/


http://www.wlhoward.com/Technical_Intelligence_Bulletins/2001/2._Mar-Apr_2001.htm

CHINESE SIGINT CAPABILITIES -- The focus of China's electronic collection activities is on its immediate neighborhood. According to Professor Desmond Ball of the Australian National University, writing some ten years ago, "There are several dozen SIGINT ground stations deployed throughout China concerned with monitoring signals from Russia, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and India, as well as internal communications .... The two largest SIGINT stations are, first, the main Technical Department SIGINT net control station on the northwest outskirts of Beijing; and, second, a large complex near Lake Kinghathu in the extreme northeast corner of China."
Ground stations oriented toward Russia include those at Jilemutu and Jixi in the northeast, and at Erlian and Hami near the Mongolian border. Two sites in Xinjiang, at Qitai and Korla, are in a special category. These have reportedly been operated by China jointly with the US Central Intelligence Agency's Office of SIGINT Operations since the late 1980’s. These sites were originally tasked to monitor Soviet missile tests and space launches, but their current status is uncertain.
SIGINT operations covering India are controlled from a large station at Chengdu, supplemented by the nearby facility at Dayi and "numerous" smaller posts along the Indian border. A major complex at Kunming mainly covers Indochina, and most notably Vietnam. Other significant facilities are located near Shenyang, near Jinan and in Nanjing and Shanghai. Additional stations are in the Fujian and Guangdong military districts opposite Taiwan.
China has at least two major SIGINT facilities on Hainan: a large complex mainly monitoring signals activity in and around the South China Sea; and a ground station, together with decryption capabilities, for intercepting signals transmitted through US and Russian Communication satellites. Ships and aircraft under the South Sea
Fleet, headquartered at Zhanjiang immediately north of the island, supplement these to link with a far-reaching electronic intelligence (ELINT)-gathering system.
The Chinese network of ground stations is supplemented by "half a dozen ships, truck-mounted systems, airborne systems and a limited satellite collection capability," according to Professor Ball. Little is publicly known of China's airborne systems. Ball identified the four-turboprop EY-8, an indigenous development of the Russian
An-12 'Cub,' as China's main ELINT and reconnaissance aircraft a decade ago. This role was subsequently assumed by at least four locally modified Tu-154Ms, which some analysts compare with the Il-20 ELINT aircraft deployed by Moscow in the 1980s. Naval SIGINT capabilities appear more extensive. At least eight such specialized ships were operational a decade ago, and their number has since grown to at least 10 intelligence gathering auxiliary vessels.
To reiterate, the focus of China's electronic collection activities has been on its immediate neighbors. For example, US sources in Honolulu noted three years ago that Chinese submarines had never sought to mirror Soviet surveillance of US Pacific Command facilities in Hawaii. In the near future, however, China's SIGINT operations against US assets could well expand as the controversy about Taiwan brings US and Chinese interests in conflict. (from AFIO WIN, Jonkers, http://www.afio.com/) ((Jane's Defence Weekly 24 March 1999; // 'Signals Intelligence in China,' by Desmond Ball, Jane's Intelligence Review 1995; // Jane’s Defence Weekly, April 11, 2001 //R. Karniol).

As I begin to explore the penetration of the United States Satellight COM network,

I note it is centered at Hainan Island where our P3 was forced down.

I note expansion of the facility occured in 1993-95 time frame about the time that I came down with a mysterious illness now confirmed to be a neurotoxin while on the Island of Hawaii assigned to the United States CINCPAC Command Center.

I beleive that we have evidence of the begining of a spy network like Walker being put in place in at about that time. If we being to track developments from that point forward it may be possible to identify the source of the leak of information relating to encryption keys.

Still working on it.

Ed Chesky

In reviewing Chinese collection efforts and policy goals I note it has established a political-military-economic link to Sudan and Iran, which includes the transfer of information and intelligence between the nations in exchange for oil.

This linkage I suspect included providing to the Rebels in Somolia intelligence derived from satellight intercepts of United States Military Forces military and intelligence communications via China and its operations on Hainan Island during our Somolia intervention.

This information compromised our operations in Somolia forced our withdrawl from it and opened the door for Chinese expansion in that area and the associated parts of Africa. I note that Khartum Sudan served as the focal point for this exchange of information.

As I begin to decypher the role of the Chinese in this, I begin to see th eflow of information and connections that can only tie to a major compromise of United States Communications by a spy network.

Ed Chesky

Ed Chesky....you ol' son of a gun. How ya doin'?

This is Dave T. Grogan here. We attended The Military Intelligence Officer's Basic Course at
Fort Huachuca, Arizona back in '85.

Son of a gun. Say have you heard from Jim, Vic, Monica. Old Hal went off into law.

I'm assuming this is the same Ed. Someone said you were doing some work with homeless people.

Take care,

Dave.

Dave Doing good,

Have not heard from the old crew,

I'm in private corporate security now. Working for one of the largest Finacial Corporations in the World.

I just come here now and then to post some stuff up:) and keep the mind active:)

My Best Ed Chesky

PS Dave,

How was Zaire? You were going there just before Ruwanda blew and then they had the coup de tat.

I'm settled back home working on fixing up my house and back in school.

My Best Ed

As I reconstruct the events leading up to our Battle of Mogadishu in terms of events anlysis and information network analysis. I note the coincidence in space and time of networks of communication and influence converging in Sudan consisting of at least two major networks, one run by Osama and one run by the Chinese. I also note that a significant amount of friction bewteen the PRC and United States existed at the time of our intervention in Somalia. When you take this to the next level and add in China's plans to expand its influence in Africa along with its move into the Comoros at the same time and couple that with an assessment of the orbits of satellights and note that Hainan Island the Comoros and the Island of Hawaii are in in the same lattitude and you couple that to Chinese expansion of telecom sites in Africa and SIGINT facilities and you begin to see a pattern and link to a flow of information that resulted in our withdrawl from the region and China's ascendency there. Couple that to China's need for oil and you begin to see a focus to their intelligence collection efforts and the pay off that the leverage of intelligence through cutoff's was able to achieve.

I note on the strategic international game board that the Chinese intelligence services have demonstrated a masterful move on the game board in terms of securing their access to oil, forcing our withdrawl and undermining support for the United States in the Region.

Ed Chesky

There have been allegations that Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda movement was involved in training and funding of Aidid's men. According to CNN, Al-Qaeda claimed to supply a large number of rocket propelled grenades to Aidid's fighters. Bin Laden himself denied accusations of giving military aid and training to Aidid's men but openly praised the attack and killing of the 19 American soldiers (one killed from mortar fire days later). Reportedly, Al-Qaeda operatives had instructed Somali militiamen on ways to modify rocket propelled grenades to make them more effective against Black Hawk helicopters, for instance, by adding curved guide tubes to aim rocket exhaust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mogadishu

Sudan war
heating up
Clinton ignores African atrocities
as China escalates aid to Khartoum

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

By Charles Smith
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com


While President Clinton tours Africa this week on what is widely reported to be a mission of peace, one African nation not on his agenda is in the throes of an escalating war involving China, slavery and oil.

"I can't talk about the war in Sudan," said a source at the State Department who requested not to be identified. "All the people who deal with Sudan are traveling with the president this week."

"Clearly, Sudan is not in Africa," responded Dr. Charles Jacobs, president of the Boston-based American Anti-Slavery Group. "Neither presidential candidate has mentioned Sudan. It is as if Sudan and the whole terrible war did not exist," said Jacobs, whose group leads an effort to free slaves held in Sudan.

The 12-year-old conflict in Sudan has already claimed nearly 2 million lives, and a recent increase in fighting threatens again to disrupt United Nations relief efforts. On Sunday, the London Telegraph reported that 700,000 Chinese troops were in Sudan.

That number was disputed by the State Department source.

"Ridiculous," he said.


Chinese-made ammunition for Khartoum. This captured Chinese-made 120-mm mortar bomb was taken from Sudanese government troops. The photograph was obtained by Sudanese resistance fighters.

Sudanese resistance forces, however, are now collecting photographs of Chinese-made weapons to prove the increase in Beijing's support for Khartoum. One such photograph, a mortar bomb recently captured by resistance fighters (see photo), clearly shows the weapon to be manufactured in China and appears to be date stamped as being produced in 1993.

In July, WorldNetDaily reported that Sudan had acquired 34 new jet fighters from China. Reports published in Aviation Week & Space Technology show that the Sudan air force is now equipped with $100 million worth of Shenyang fighter planes, including a dozen supersonic F-7 jets.

The Chinese military support reportedly comes in exchange for oil. Sudan is the number one exporter of oil to China, and an ongoing oil pipeline sponsored by China is at the center of the war. Amnesty International reported that the Sudanese government is working directly with China to ensure the security of the oil pipeline operations.

According to an Amnesty International publication, the vice president of the China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Group Corporation, Wang Guoqing, stated in December 1999, "The Sudanese army had to protect them from guerrilla assaults when they built the Heglig and Unity wells."

"Our workers are used to eating bitterness. They can work 13 or 14 hours a day for very little money. The quality isn't as high, but we charge less," said Wang.

According to Amnesty International, "Sudanese civilians who escaped attacks in the area south of Heglig and fled through the Wicok area reported that the Chinese workers were armed and appeared willing to use their guns. Other reports from the area around Heglig speak of rapes committed by Chinese workers."

After an eight-day suspension, the United Nations suspended humanitarian relief flights into Sudan amid reports that Sudan used Chinese-supplied radar to track and bomb the U.N. missions. According to U.N. Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Rosa Malango, Sudanese air force units have recently avoided direct attacks on the U.N. missions, but the war has intensified.

"The humanitarian missions continue," Malango told WorldNetDaily. "The U.N. flights are on. The recent attacks were not directed at the airfields where U.N. humanitarian operations were working, but the bombings raised concerns. There is a general increase in fighting on both sides. The intensity of the war is increasing on a daily basis."

United Nations Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Eric Vraalsen stated that recent bombings in southern Sudan highlighted the need for a negotiated peace settlement. Vraalsen, who is in Africa for talks with the Sudan government, condemned "any act of war which causes injury or loss of life to innocent civilians."

The U.N. envoy stressed that the U.N. condemned "all acts of war" in Sudan, including recent bombing raids by the Khartoum government on the towns of Ikotos and Paluer in eastern Equateria and the recent counterattacks by Muslim and Christian Sudanese resistance forces.

"I would use this opportunity to urge the parties to the conflict to really redouble their efforts to seek a political solution to the conflict. In so doing, the establishment of a comprehensive, negotiated ceasefire, which will make it possible for OLS to work all over the country in peaceful conditions, should be very high on the agenda," Vraalsen added.

The recent increase in combat comes at a time when Amnesty International reports that Sudanese government troops cleared the area around the town of Bentiu using helicopter gunships, some allegedly "piloted by Iraqi soldiers."

The 12-year war has also been filled with detailed accounts of violent atrocities. According to a May 2000 Amnesty International report on Sudan, "government troops on the ground reportedly drove people out of their homes by committing gross human rights violations."

"Male villagers were killed in mass executions. Women and children were nailed to trees with iron spikes. There were reports from some villages, north and south of Bentiu, such as Guk and Rik, that soldiers slit the throats of children and killed male prisoners who had been interrogated by hammering nails into their foreheads. In Panyejier last July, people had been crushed by tanks and strafed by helicopter gunship," states the Amnesty International report.

NAIROBI, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The Chinese government has provideda grant of 100,000 US dollars to the Somali transitional federal government as emergency assistance for disaster relief in the Hornof Africa country hit hard by tsunami.

The donation was handed on Tuesday by Guo Chongli, China's ambassador to Kenya, to Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, president of the transitional federal republic of Somalia, who is based in Kenya's capital Nairobi and preparing to go back to his war-torn country.

Yusuf said he had received the message of sympathy from ChinesePresident Hu Jintao, which is the first of its kind after Somalia was badly affected by the tsunami.

"We express our sincerest thanks to the Chinese government and the president himself," Yusuf said, adding that he hopes the long-time friendly relations between the two countries will continue.

"China is also the first country to donate money to us. A friend in need is a friend indeed. The Somali people will never forget that China always provides timely assistance whenever Somalia faces difficulties," said Yusuf.

The Somali president reaffirmed Somalia's strong support for the one-China policy, saying there is only one China existing in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. "Somalia will never change its principled stance on this matter," said Yusuf.

For his part, the ambassador extended condolence of the Chinesegovernment and people to Somalia, which is worst affected by tsunami in Africa.

"We hope the donation will help the affected Somali people overcome difficulties and rebuild their home soon," said Guo.

Up to 200 Somalis were killed and many more are missing after the tsunami disaster. The efforts to assess the full extent of thedamage are being hampered by the poor transport and communication networks, which also affect the delivery of emergency relief.

The tidal waves struck the Somali coast late December as the effect of a series of strong undersea Sumatra earthquakes hit the east African coast.

The earthquake, measuring at 8.7 on the Richter Scale, was registered on Dec. 26, 2004, west of the island of Sumatra, triggering tsunamis, or tidal waves, in south and southeast Asia.

At least 160,000 people in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Maldives, Thailand and Malaysia have been killed in the disaster.

Source: Xinhuanet.com

I also note that subsequent to our withdrawl from Somalia that the PRC through a complex financial transaction was able to make $2.9 billion on its holdings in Sudan on the New York Stock Exchange.

By leveraging the integration of a spy network, intelligence, policy and use of covert black operations China was able to betray our forces in Somalia and make a $2.9 billion dollar profit on our loses.

I pity the men or women in Chinese pay that sold us out when the intelligence services find them. For they will face the Ghosts of Mogadishu come back to haunt them until the day they die.

Ed Chesky

Mohamed Farrah Aidid died on August 1, 1996 possibly as a result of gunshot wounds sustained a week earlier in a fight with competing factions. Coincidentally, one day later, U.S. General William F. Garrison, who accepted responsibility for the outcome of the October 3, 1993 raid, retired from military service.

Hi Ivan and Ed,

Yes Ivan it is ol' Dave here.

I have a confession...I'm not really Dave T. Grogan. I'd been reading the exchange between you and Ed and decided the place needed a severe dose of 'lightening up'.

I did a google on 'Who is Ed Chesky' and found out that there was a reunion of the Fort Huachuca group. It listed Ed as one of the class members, and then listed out all the group and those that had been in contact with each other. I found out that Hal did go into law and that there was a Jim, Vic, and Monica in the class.

You can see all the info at http://www.rawles.to/miobc/

It even talks about Dave Grogan going to East Germany and working on the G2 staff of the 3rd Infantry Division. Not sure, but I think these reunion sites could be a bit of a problem for military security.

So I simply added a 'T.' to the name to fit in with Davet84 and became Dave.

Just an Early April Fool's day joke, in the interests of good humour. I'm sure there are some Chinese, Iranian, Korean, even Sudanese and members of Al Quaeda who have a sense of humour. I think a sense of humour is as much a part of human character as deception, distrust, scaremongering, and seeing the worst in people...huh?

What was it David Hume wrote...

[quote]

The most obvious objection to the selfish hypothesis, is, that, as it is
contrary to common feeling and our most unprejudiced notions, there is required
the highest stretch of philosophy to establish so extraordinary a paradox. To
the most careless observer, there appear to be such dispositions as benevolence
and generosity; such affections as love, friendship, compassion, gratitude.
These sentiments have their causes, effects, objects, and operations, marked by
common language and observation, and plainly distinguished from those of the
selfish passions...And I
shall take for granted what, I believe, the smallest reflection will make
evident to every impartial enquirer

[unquote]

I was also thinking 'why should the cold war spy networks', with all that distrust, deception, 'chess playing' be a part of any solution to 21st century problems. Also, so what if China wants to secure its oil supllies? Oil is life-blood for all countries. Also, why are these ignorant guys in Al Quaeda given so much credit for being of the 'ilk' of the cold war spy guys. They're uneducated misfits most of them. Why don't we just let the police take care of them like any other petty criminals, rather than up the ante of full-scale military spending on them?

I'd like to get back to tackling the 'problem of Islam' and disgruntled males in the Islamic world through education programs, not 'tit for tat' Palestine/Israeli type game playing. I'm sure the spies all love what they do, and like anyone, they're going to want to 'scare up' more funding to ensure their livelihoods, but what about going into different livelihoods....i.e. why don't we change the world so that spying is no longer seen as necessary. In other words, create a world, through education, where agreement, and not coercion is the 'main game' in town, and not chess. Chess, yes, where, as usual, 'we the people' are the pawns and collatoral damage. What was it General Patton said 'compared to war, all other human endeavours pale into insignificance'. I say 'BULLSHIT George and the people who agree with you, get a life'.

Hey, here's an idea. Instead of the U.S. and China spending up big on military spy networks and increased military spending to protect their competing oil interests, they syphon funds into joint ventures exploring alternative energy sources? Or does that sound too much like a win-win scenario?

There is another aspect tothe idea of 'shutting down jihad'. For people who have taken the time to understand something about Islam, one discovers that jihad is about woking on the self, and that jihad means 'intention', 'speech', and 'action'. Obviously the aggresive 'jihadists' are enacting 'wrong action', as the Qu'ran says they must not trasngress, must not kill, and must not hurt innocents. For me, a Buddhist, that intention, speech, and action fits in with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th factors of the eightfold path. No doubt right intention, right speech, and right action, would also fit in with what Christians call 'grace'. I think religious dialogue would be more beneficial than scaring up funding for more military spending on jihadists.

That there are reasonable folks within Islam zeroing in the problem of education is indicated by this interview:

http://www.abc.net.au/ra/asiapac/programs/s1509402.htm

Ed himself said, back in October, "All we can do is hope for the best and hope the common people rise to meet the challenges facing by their society." Yes, I agree. But I don't think common people get involved in spy networks against their neighbours.

Ivan, you wrote, on January 14, 2004, a little piece on the factors of agreement and coercion. You wrote:

[quote]

How we choose consciously is a mark of how we are individually and socially.

We manifest these if we choose to do by Agreement:
Charity, honesty, compassion, truthfulness, mutual exchange, generosity, creation, artistic, evolution, openness, courage, friendship, trust, rule of law, democratic, human rights, ethics, love and peace.

We manifest if by Coercion:
Conquest, oppression, abuse, deception, distress, physical degradation, pollution, manipulation, confusion, repression, enslavement, devolution, falsehood, gossip, fear, tyranny, corruption, hate and war.

We live and die by these rules of discipline, self and for others, which if done without being conscious of Who we are, and without the tolerance for others, these rules to guide us quickly regress into coercion. By Agreement, we move forward, with joy; by Coercion we regress, with the negative attention of pain. Discipline through negative attention is regressive, as a rule.

[unquote]

When you look at that list for coercion, it kind of looks like the criteria for being a good spy, doesn't it. In other words, I'm saying that, rather than being of benefit to the world and solving world problems, all these spy networks and all the intrigue actually makes the world less safe, since it increases the possibilities of coercion.

Yes, old mate, I do remember those grand ol' days. Like when you, me, Claude, WJ, and G-man, finally worked out that money can be re-directed from non-beneficail things like military spending into programs targeting poverty, education, health, and environmental programs. I think the people that work in those areas tend to answer to the criteria of 'agreement' and not 'coercion'.

Just a little aside from old Buddhist high-horse Dave before the Christmas season where, remember, we used to say 'Peace, and Good will amongst men'.

Hope this finds you and Cynzia happy and healthy.

Dave.

P.S. No, I didn't open the Humancafe, but still work in the community sector, and those folks are known to frequent several 'human cafes' around these parts.

P.P.S. Ed, sorry about the gag. Hope you see the humour in it!! Dave T. Grogan signing off from Ruwanda.

LOL,

Nice gag.

:) ED chesky:)

:) Now as regards to Chinese penetration of the DISCUS Satellite network; from their sites along the equator they are chasing the satelight foot prints of our military comunications satellights in equitorial orbit.:)

When I noted that I started putting one and one together and noted a link to Chinese geo-political-economic operations. The Somalia operation was close hold information coordinated on :) Secure SATCOM links out of fear of compromise. This coordination included a link directly into White House communications, where the plan was briefed to our National Command Authority. I suspect in Washington they are having fits right now as they realize just how extensively the Chinese have penetrated United States Secure Communications:)

Ed Chesky

I concur Ivan,

The Chinese made deal witht he devil in passing data to Osama to advance finacial interests. I think it will come back to haunt them. I was just reading about General Boykin the head of United States Counter Terrorism. I think he now undersatnds that his SATCOM mail was being read and in effect he was playing against the devil.

Ed Chesky

With the data posted below it is now obvious how far China has penetrated our Satellite Communications system. In taking over the old Russian military outpost in Cuba they have gained a series of sites that allow 24/7 global coverage of our satellite network in equitorial orbit. I note this Cuban site was one of the sites that allowed the Soviets to use the data from the Walter spy ring to spy on the United States and intercept some of our our most secure communications.

As I start into this aspect of exploring the linkage of networks of spys and agents I am started down the path to the Cuban and Venezuelan end of this network of networks that is feeding China with economic, political, military and technical and operational intelligence on our forces and government.
_________________________________________________
Balancing China's Growing Influence
in Latin America

"On the military front, China has expanded ties through exchanges. It reportedly has direct military-to-military relations with Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. The PRC began collabo­rating with Brazil on spy satellite technology in 1999, providing rocket launch expertise in exchange for digital optical technology that would permit high resolution, real-time imaging. Moreover, access to Brazil’s space tracking facilities could give China the ability to attack U.S. satellites with a variety of tech­nologies currently under development.

Perhaps the most fruitful collaboration has been with dictator Fidel Castro. In 1999, China was reportedly intercepting satellite signals from facili­ties in eastern Cuba. In 2000, it obtained access to a base outside of Havana to intercept U.S. tele­phony. In 2001, Russia announced that it would abandon its extensive electronic espionage center at Lourdes. PRC personnel reportedly now occupy it. A February 2004 agreement cloaks such opera­tions under the pretext of technical communica­tions cooperation. In fact, Radio China Inter-national signals originate from Cuba, as does inter­ference with U.S. East Coast radio communications and air traffic control, according to Federal Com­munications Commission complaints.

by Stephen Johnson *
Backgrounder #1888
The Heritage Org
Infosearch:
José Cadenas
Research Dept.
La Nueva Cuba
October 31, 2005

http://www.lanuevacuba.com/nuevacuba/notic-05-10-2946.htm

As I begin to unravel the networks of terror and espiange driected against the west and United States. I am begining to chart a series of conections through the old Cuban intelligence service contacts that they established in Africa, Angola and the other oil producing nations of Africa in particular, and Osama's network. I also note the movement of suspected Al Qeada operatives through Cuba prior to 9/11 and also make note of Cuba's bio-technology tech base and the anthrax attacks and the use of a bio-agent against me and CIA officials in Mexico. I also note the Carribean origin of the DC teen sniper, Lee Boyd Malvo, and his mysterious past history. I also note that anthrax attacks from Trenton NJ is near a network center of a past violent anti-castro group.

As I wade into this tangle of networks I am starting to find connections and overlaps in time and space and capabilites that are very interesting to say the least.

Ed Chesky

Food for thought.

In a separate report, published by NewsMax and widely carried on U.S. websites, Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat of the Center for the Study of a National Option wrote on Sept. 20, 2001, that Cuban President Fidel Castro, during a visit to Iran, Syria and Libya in May 2001, held talks in Tehran with Iranian Supreme Spiritual Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Castro stated that "America is extremely weak today" and promised students at Tehran University that "the imperialist king will finally fall" because "Iran and Cuba have reached the conclusion that together they can tear down the USA."

The Castro regime, this report continues, has continued to harbor international terrorists, pursued a strategic alliance with terrorist states to create an 'anti-Western' international front, and directly engaged in terrorist attacks and espionage against Americans. In particular, Cuba's close relationships with Iraq and some Middle Eastern terrorist groups are well known.

Cuba today, Gutierrez-Boronat writes, continues to serve as a base for coordination and mutual support among trans-national terrorist organizations, including Colombian and some European-based groups.

It is also known that Cuba is active in bioweapons development. In October 2000, Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and the Iranian Vice-Minister of Health participated in the groundbreaking for a biotech R&D facility outside Tehran. Experts expressed doubts about the supposed medical objectives of this installation.

The report says that there are links between Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, the Iranian government and the Castro regime. Castro and bin Laden have worked hard to build a common front to bring down the U.S. and to develop biological weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

In February 1998, bin Laden announced the creation of an "international front" against the U.S. According to a document obtained by the PBS program "Frontline," bin Laden "regards an anti-American alliance with Iran and China as something to be considered."

In reserching the data regarding Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, I note as many researchers into his biography that he states he worked with the South African SAS, in Rhodesia. I strongly suspect that Dr. Hatfill is the conduit for the anthrax materiel that was used on Washington. I believe that he was run as agent in what we term is a false flag operation, by I suspect Cuban or KGB handlers during the Cold War. I suspect that during the time he was said that he was working for the South African SAS that in fact he was working either for Cuba or the KGB and was funneling information to what he thought was South Africa. I suspect he was used and then droped as a fall guy after providing the bio-logical agents that were used on Washington, myself and the CIA personnel in Mexico city.

In deconstructing his mindset I am begining to build a model of his world view with regards to South Africa and need to be a hero and note how it tracks with the profile the FBI has assembled with regards to the man that was the key player in the anthrax attacks.

I am cross referencing this profile against that of Lee Harvy Oswald and note some similarities between the two.

Ed Chesky

The Strategy,

Is simple. It worked in Vietnam, It worked in Somalia and it has come close to working in Iraq.

Manipulate the United States via false intelligence and deception into a war and then pile on using proxies, leaks and spy networks to feed the proxies critical data at key point to inflict a loss on United States to bleed us dry, manipulate public opinion and force us to back out in failure. The Europeans warned us on Iraq they saw it coming and stayed out for the most part. But they will pay a price I suspect in terms of Jihad in Europe. At the heart of it acting as the, "Devil's broker was Osama".

It was the same old cast of Characters, Castro, Saddam, Osama, China and the rest.

As we reset the game board in Iraq we now know what we were playing against on the great strategic game board. Battered, with less in our pockets, but wiser. With satellite data network code keys now zerorized and reset.

A teaching point to the younger generation on what a man with a compass and ruler can do.

Ed Chesky

Hi Ivan,

Seems you've done the Wittgensteinian thing and cast off the ladder of philosophy - well good!!

Me too, in a way...I've fallen in love...amazing how the world looks bathed in sunlight when a young (in this case old) man's fancy turns to love.

Philosophy is abstract ideas in the realm of metaphysics, politics, aesthetics...yes, I agree. Would we want to be without some of those abstract ideas...I don't think so. Given that ideas like God, freedom, democracy, human rights, law, art, literature, are some of the abstract ideas that emanate from those endeavours of thought.

That Hume's words about dispositions such as benevolence and generosity, and sentiments such as love, friendship, compassion, gratitude, and your own 'discernment' of notions such as agreement and non-coercion are abstract, I disagree, sorry. They are empirical. I think Hume answered Socrates call to a man to 'Know Thyself'.

If only men collectively could do that. Women and children, old folks, and less obdurate men would breathe a collective sigh of relief. And perhaps Carl Jung's last publicly uttered words that 'man is the source of all coming evil in the world' could be ameliorated somewhat.

I argued for more education, rather than increased spending on military solutions. I admit education is an abstract concept, but I believe in it.

There is also the philosophical notion of logic, which helps us make distinctions between things, and more importantly, I think avoid fallacies like ad hominem, strawman arguments, conflation, and subsumption.

I think there needs to be a distinction made between the rise of China in the world, the question of Taiwan, Korea, a nuclear enriched Iran, black market sales of weaponry, commerce, drugs and drug lords, and the idiotic actions of reptilian minds of fundamenalist religionists and their teachers, and beheadings. The world would have had all the other problems apart from the last two, had Bin Laden's father had 15 instead of 22 children (Bin Laden being the 16th....hmmm...do you think he might have felt unimportant as a child?), and assuming that without Bin Laden's money Sept 11 wouldn't have happened.

If Bin Laden did want to overcome his sense of being unimportant...we sure have given him fame now...I guess he's won his war.

That we somehow are seeing a link between beheadings in Baghdad and Chinese spying operations on the equator seems to be somewhat conflative, IMHO.

By Ivan A. on Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 02:45 pm:
JIMMY CARTER'S NOBEL PRIZE SPEECH

…"I am not here as a public official, but as a citizen of a troubled world who finds hope in a growing consensus that the generally accepted goals of society are peace, freedom, human rights, environmental quality, the alleviation of suffering, and the rule of law.

"I am convinced that Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and others can embrace each other in a common effort to alleviate human suffering and espouse peace."

Every once in a while, a politician rises to the level of world statesman, and I think Jimmy is one of these. He says further:

"The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.
God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes -- and we must."

Go Jimmy! It is great to see consciously enlightened human beings recognized publicly by the world.

Ivan

Well, what a bunch of abtstract notions laid one upon another we have there.

What's the name of this thread again? There are some great, though somewhat abstract ideas in it...that's for sure. There are also some not-so-great, though no less abstract, ideas too.

:-)

As I sit here I am about to take my lovely daughter out shopping I am musing on a number of things. Old Cold War enemies of this nation and vengful hate filled men that only wish us and this nation harm come to the front of my mind.

I have a headace but wish to salute an old devil by the name of Fidel Castro. He took an old Cold War network and old Cold War double agent and used him to instill fear and divide this nation over the anthrax attacks. He coupled that with Osma's efforts and we have what we have. When you look at New Jersey it is the home of and old apocalyptic cult that wanted to start a war with Isreal, it is also home to a past violent anti-Castro Group with alledged ties to the CIA. Take that with the anthrax attack in Boca Raton, farely near where the Elian Gonzalez incident took place and tie it to a past blown Isreali False Flag operation in Egypt and the Concept of a Flase Flag Operation floated by a Pentagon Staffer to justify an invasion of Cuba and you have the makings of a WIN WIN strategy of deception, spliting the country and undermining of American Freedoms by Fidel by prevoking an fear induced overreaction.

Its a WIN WIN by Fidel becaue he droped an unstable double agent that was no longer of any use, released US Anthrax on ourselves for no cost, save some commuications time and releases of tailored news stories.

Fidel has proven he still is a master of the game.

For Fidel. I spoke to one of your agents on a plane to mexico you had working for Becktel Corp passing industrial secrets to Moscow. I looked him in the eye and told him the Condos we, the United State are going to build in Cuba on your beaches are going to be lovely. Looking forward to my time share one day in Cuba.

Ed Chesky

Hey Ed,

I'm not surprised you have a headache...you are truly prolific!!

Maybe I can take over while you have a rest...I'm full of ideas.

First off, I'm thinking of resurrecting that idea of putting arsenic laced cream in Fidel's soup, which will make his beard fall off (does he still like soup?).

Next - how about the idea of jamming all the compromised equatorial communication lines with subtly propogandised material. For instance, we could send down video of old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers dance movies, as well as other 30s and 40s movie classics. The guys won't be able to get enough of those and we'll be up to our ears in new-age Chinese Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Cagney fans. Then we monitor new applications for Turner Classic movie subscriptions in China. Bingo, we nail 'em. In the meantime we'll see Fred Astaire Dance Studio franchises opening up all over China...a cultural gift!!

Another idea, given that the Middle East is a little less sophisticated than China, we launch the 'Developing A Sense Of Humor' campaign in the Middle East. We sell Al Jazeera the rights to all the old Hal Roach, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and Three Stooges movies. Before you know it they'll have progressed to Bugs Bunny, and on to the old 60s situation comedies like Mr. Ed, Bewitched, and I Dream of Jeannie (the last should be the coup de gras I think, and perhaps prompt a coup d'etat even).

Then we progress through innocent love songs of the 60s (all the Bobbys, like Darin, Rydell, Vinton, Vee and Goldsboro), and then hit 'em with the Beatles, Tamla Mowtown, and the Mommas and The Papas and Lovin' Spponful.

I predict, with this strategy, 2009 could be the 'Summer of Love' in Basra!! I think that's about the right time for the rise of feminism too if this reverse Marxist historically deterministic Rock-a-Hula materialism goes to plan. That means no more burkhas from 2010!! We can test it out by checking if sales of the Arabic translation of 'The Female Eunuch' take a hike in 2011.

What we don't encourage though, I think, would the Timothy Leary 'turn on, tune in, drop out' aspect, plus the punk rock, disco, grunge, rap, right-wing religious fundamenalist and 'greed is good'phases.

I think Korea could benefit from the Hal Roach approach too, just quietly.

Just a few thoughts... :-)

LOL,

I'm off to walk my dog:)

During the First Gulf War we got bored and tuned in a Soviet Satellite that was showing a Soviet version of woman's arobic exercise routines:( Talk about ugly:)

But in a more serious vein;

Hopefully the guys in washington have looked at the debreifing of a captured Cuban intel cell. The following was part of their modus of operation. Just substitute anthrax for the letters and the rest falls into place.

Pay back for all the stuff we did against Fidel.

:) I am still angry about being anthrax'd in Mexico I about died and was caughing my lungs out even with vacinations I and the CIA staff had. On girl CIA officer broke her ribs from caughing so much. It was not a fun time for all.

Fidel still has teeth and bites. He is and remains one old mean smart cuss.


The civilian targets have been identified as follows: Penetration of exile organizations to accomplish a campaign of disinformation, confusion, animosity and disunion among targeted groups. Another objective was to encourage and to facilitate the commission of hostile actions against Cuba in violation the Neutrality Act of the United States. Also, alleged was the sending of threatening letters to members of Congress impersonating members of Cuban exile organizations. It has not been reported that the 10 had committed any act of violence against the US, although there are documents that mention the preparation of terrorist acts against US Air Force bases in the US. ( 5 )

Ivan,

I concur with you however we need to recognize the fact that the Jihadists are being aided and abettted by the other enemies of freedom out in the world.

When I went for a walk tonnight, go figure, I ran across two Mexicans in the dead of night in the snow in an exclusive mostly all white upper middle/upper class nieghborhood. They noded at me gave me a thumbs up and got on their cell phones and said es simpatico, I said Si es simpatico, they noded back, then got in a late model car and drove off. Message recieved by Mexican intelligence that has been in a fight with Cuban intelligence for a while and has been trying to figure out who was behind the anthrax attacks on the CIA station personnel in Mexico city.

I also note that Senator Dachle and Leahy that recieved anthrax attack letters were pro-lifting Cuban sanctions. Couple that to the modus of operation for the Cuban intelligence cell I posted earlier and the location of a violent anti-castro group and a christian apocalypic group that was trying to start a war between Isreal and the Palestinians by staring a gun battle on the Dome of the Rock near where the letters were posted and Al Qaeda operatives near where the antrax attacks occured in florida and you start to see the pattern of support and alliance of intelligence services that is in opposition to us in the war against terror. You also can now start to see Fidels hand in the matter from the other data I posted.

I have to say that I am getting a little old to be conducting intelligence dead drops in the middle of the night with foreign intelligence services while I break terrorist and foriegn network compromises of our intelligence and communication systems. I also note that today the local catholic church had a preponderance of Chinese Americans in mass today. A little out of the norm, for a predominately catholic population that consists mostly of Irish and Italian Americans.:) Go Figure.

Ed Chesky

One note on how the DGI Cuban Intelligence plays the game.

While at the basic course at Ft. Huachuca AZ we where trained by a SF Major Huber. He was in Nicaragua during the revolution. He was working out of the Embassy and was picked up by Cuban Intelligence.

He was stripped naked tortured and strapped to a chair. When he would not talk the cubans brought in a woman who showedd him a film of a man strapped in a chair foaming at the mouth. Then in the film the woman he was with put a gun to the mans head and pulled the trigger.

She looked him in the eye held up a syringe and said in this is live rabbies virus. The man in the film would not talk and I injected him with it. She said sign this paper or I will inject you with it. At which point he did. He was then dropped naked in the street outside our embassy in Niccaragua.

The ambassdor and medical staff put him back together and put him back in uniform on the roof of the embassy positioning snipers on to target the Cuban sympathizes in the mob that came after they published his forced confession in the local paper.

That is who trained me and how the DGI plays the game and who now knows who anthrax'd the CIA and me in Mexico City

Major Huber is now Major General Huber. CHAIRMAN, INTER-AMERICAN DEFENSE BOARD
PRESIDENT, INTER-AMERICAN DEFENSE COLLEGE

Ed Chesky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Intelligence_Directorate

http://www.jid.org/en/about/greetings/chairmanbio.html

Well, this is my last post here.

After that I'll let you two go about your independent ways and hope for the best.

Ivan, I truly wish you a happy holiday season, and you too Ed. Good luck.

I still think Socrates exhortation to know thyself, and David Hume's project to understand something of human nature are good models of the educational mindset for boys and men. Those days, there was no scientific depth to draw upon, and no understanding of the radical depth of complexity that goes to make up the human mind, and the troubled male mind and its possible effects.

Know thyself in depth is more of a possibility today. Of course, it would involve an understanding of our close relation to chimpanzees and other primates, and an understanding and acceptance of our biological/genetic past...all educational prospects. The fact that we do have reptilian factors like cold-bloodedness still at play is also salient, as well as our tendencies to fall into fear and distrustful frames of thinking coming from our mammalian heritage. What a dangerous and tragic thing it was that we developed all our technological abilities before we understood our own nature.

My father always has a little laugh to himself when he looks at gorillas scratching themselves...he openly declares that the connection is obvious. He's a gentle and caring man and can't even conceive of coercive behaviour.

I think gorillas are the gentle side of the primates (though big and danegrous when provoked), as are half (maybe more) of humans. The other side is the chimpanzees. When you look at the activities of alpha males in those groups the connection to aplha male behaviour in humans is also obvious.

It's interesting to note that Gorillas branched off the primate tree six million years ago, humans a couple or few million years later, and pygmy chimpanzees (bonobos)are the continuance line which didn't branch off. Pygmy chimpanzees also exhibit crazy/prodigious sexually active behaviour as well.

Maybe if we discover whether humans branched more closely (timewise) to gorillas (who said we want outta here, before humans, and are perhaps the wise primates), or whether they branched off more closely to bonobos will give an indication of whether we're headed to 'broad uplands' as Winston Churchill so wistfully hoped would happen.

The litany of failed tit-for-tat activities of 'intelligence' networks as partly exposed by Ed, shows the folly of alpha male type behaviour in human societies. Whether on one side or another, they are always subject to human mistakes and oversights. What a tragedy that real humans have to suffer so extensively as a result of this 'evolutional flaw' that we have.

Of course developments in law, political sublteties like houses of review, moral education in both its secular and religious form, political rights for women (our intelligent emotionally adept other half) have helped ameliorate this historical problem for humans. All these stratgies were brought forth by intelligent, good humans trying to stave off the effects of this flawed side of our inheritence.

Modern strategies like orienting boys to sport to 'work off their excess energies', and perhaps identifying potential 'spy types', megalomaniacal, and delusions of grandeur types and seeing that they are given benign jobs to do, certainly not be allowed to operate in areas that are sensitive to world peace. For the obdurate types, perhaps medication for life is the only option. We really ought to get serious about this...some of these types obviously do have access to destructive technology. It's not just a problem for the Islamic world...it's universal.

Other than that...let the music play on - music too, as the wise men said all along, soothes the savage beast.

Ivan, if you abandon, or as you seem to be suggesting, recommend a suspension of, Habeus Mentem to deal with the 'terror problem', then I'm afraid the terrorists with bonobo bottoms will have a victory.

I wish Dave84 Well, Good Luck and a God Bless,

What I tried to do here was bring some clarity to a bad situation that people with blinders on walked us into. Namely Iraq following 9/11

The Europeans know this world is a hard place and that naive behavior and a naive world view can lead to disaster.

I love that old movie Ben Hur and the scene with the old Magi that bowed to Christ, the Jew and the Arab. If I recall it well, the arab said of the old Magi, "That one day when all are like him then we can put up our swords."

This world is a very hard place and until we crack the code on Faster Than Light Travel, which we are close to doing, we have to manage this planet. Unfortunately all Socio-Political-Religous groups exercise self interest. In the "Christian West" our societies have for the most part renouced war and do cooperate in the political give and take of negotiations.

Unfortunately as I tried to illustrate that this is not the case in many places and there are many that wish to destroy our civilization and way of life, which in reality is the only hope for this planet and our move into space. Regardless of what is said our Western Technological base is light years beyound that of any other nation.

With my last posting I wanted to layout the players in this grand drama, set against the backdrop of global climate change in hope that some would read it and act or at least wake to it.

Perhaps it served its purpose.

I will post here from time to time. But my painting of the picture is done and I have a wife and daughter to worry about now. Mundain things. I am being considered for a job at the Rand Corporation. I have to think about it.

Ed Chesky