Latest News & Analysis--December 16-31 2003

Latest News and Analysis
for December 2003

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12-31-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 18
The pitfalls of trying Hussein "Court TV reports that the future trial of Saddam Hussein will likely be fraught with pitfalls. It could also prove to be a major embarrassment to the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Russia. The former Iraqi leader could expose secrets about the period when he was strongly supported by all of these countries. The San Francisco Chronicle notes that the day-to-day proceeding of such a trial would 'galvanize the world.' The Chicago Tribune reports that international law experts say if the trial is seen as too influenced by the US, it could lack credibility in the Arab and Muslim worlds and could turn Hussein into a martyr, as well as undermine the war on terrorism." (Real News 24/7: The possibility of testimony by Saddam (if it is Saddam) revealing secrets that would implicate U.S. leaders is a strong reason to expect a "suicide" before he ever gets a chance to take the witness stand.)

12-31-03
Top ten spiked stories of 2003 "1. The de-Christianization of America via the court system From the judicial banning of the 10 Commandments (and subsequent expulsion of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore) to the outlawing of the "Under God" phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance to litigation aimed at banning everything from Christmas nativity scenes to the very mention of the word "Jesus" in graduation ceremonies – 2003 saw a wholesale explosion of judicial activism, the net effect of which has been to further erase America's Christian history and institutions from public life."

12-31-03
Some words better left unuttered "In an interview on Dec. 16, television anchorwoman Diane Sawyer pressed Bush on the fact that no unconventional weapons had been found in Iraq some nine months after the search had begun. Bush kept interjecting: 'Yet.' Sawyer persisted, asking about the administration's flat statements that Saddam had such weapons versus the mere possibility that he could acquire them. An exasperated Bush replied: 'So, what's the difference?'" (Real News 24/7: The difference, Mr. President, is that no war can be called just unless there is an imminent threat of being attacked after all diplomatic channels have been exhausted, not some vague "potential" of being attacked. It is sad to see many Christians, who should know better, going along with his specious attempts to defend the waging of an unjust war.)

12-31-03
Charley Reese: Don't throw away liberty "There is everything right with saying to a congressional representative, a senator or a president, 'You know, I like you, and I agree with a lot of the things you've done, but you've violated your oath of office, and I can no longer support you.' That's putting the Constitution where it belongs, ahead of public-opinion polls, partisan politics or even personal feelings."

12-31-03
Israel pushes women into combat duty "Israeli army units with the first female infantry soldiers in 50 years are being upgraded to battalion status, a milestone in the fight of female soldiers to be accepted into combat roles in the Jewish state." (Real News 24/7: How appropriate to see sucha a move, as Israel and the United States are traveling the same path. For more on American women in combat, see our Special Report, Women in Combat.)

12-31-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXVIII
The state of the dignity of life in Holland This study shows how far real dignity of life has fallen in the Netherlands, including abortion, euthanasia, divorce, sexual promiscuity and crime. It is generally known that the Dutch are a few years ahead of us in social degeneration, such as nationwide legalization of "gay" marriages in 1999. Specifically mentioned in the study is the widespread practice referred to as "mortification" for those whose lives are deemed to be lacking worth. This is what is planned for Terri Schiavo, because mortification is the deliberate starvation/dehydration of the "worthless" one.

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help." ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"—all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-30-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 17
Some Iraqis justify Saddam crimes, polls show A recent survey conducted in eight Iraqi cities found that an overwhelming majority felt that Saddam had committed serious crimes against humanity. For example, 81 percent of Iraqis surveyed said burying people in mass graves was a crime. Eighty-seven percent felt that the gassing of Iraqi citizens was a crime. But anywhere from 13-19 percent of those surveyed believe that Saddam's actions were justified. As far as Iman Toon is concerned, Saddam was just protecting his country. She says that in the northern city of Halabja, where Saddam killed about 5,000 Kurds with chemical weapons, it was only because they conspired against him.¼"

12-30-03
Rabbi's anti-Gentile book sparks controversy "Leaders of the country's most prominent ultra-Orthodox yeshiva are scrambling to distance themselves from a book by one of their disciples, which argues that gentiles are 'completely evil' and Jews constitute a separate, genetically superior species. Written by Rabbi Saadya Grama — an alumnus of Beth Medrash Govoha, the renowned yeshiva in Lakewood, N.J. — the self-published book attempts to employ classical Jewish sources in defense of a race-based theory of Jewish supremacy.¼In an effort to back up his arguments, Grama draws on an array of racist sources ranging from medieval theological tracts to the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche to the works of Nazi figures."

12-30-03
Scott Ritter: How the British spy agency MI6 secretly misled a nation into war with Iraq "Ritter told reporters in the British House of Commons that he was involved personally with Operation Mass Appeal between the summer of 1997 until August 1998 when he resigned from the UN. Ritter said the MI6 operation was designed to 'shake up public opinion' by passing dubious intelligence on Iraq to the media. A spokesman for MI6 said the allegations were 'unfounded.'" (Real News24/7: Scott Ritter's revealing interview is available here in text, audio and video format.)

12-30-03
Kill zones—IDF shoots ex-Israeli soldier at apartheid wall "Israeli troops fire on protesters against the apartheid wall. Only this time, the man shot and wounded was not a Palestinian. He was a 21-year-old Israeli named Gil Naamati, a combat soldier honorably discharged a month ago who was protesting Israel's new fence designed to separate Palestinians from Israelis."

12-30-03
Poll: Bush, Hillary Clinton most admired "George W. Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton are finally on the same ticket -- the most admired man and woman in America, according to a poll released Monday." (Real News 24/7: Heaven help us!)

12-30-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXVII
Schiavo law could be axed, attorney says "Gov. Jeb Bush's attorney Tuesday predicted Terri's Law will be found unconstitutional because the judge on the case ruled out holding a trial on the issue. 'The prognosis is gloomy,' attorney Ken Connor said after Circuit Judge Douglas Baird indicated he was ready to decide the constitutionality of the law but would wait until three related appeals are settled."

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help." ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"—all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-29-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 16 Dates, trees and flies: The U.S. "capture" of Saddam Hussein "Just after the release of the news of the alleged capture of Saddam Hussein by U.S. Troops, I spoke by telephone, with a very good friend of mine in Tehran, who served in the Iran-Iraq war. I asked him what he thought of the "capture". He replied, laughing himself, saying, 'Iranians are laughing about it. In the orchard around Saddam's hideout, the dates are on the trees! Everyone in Iran knows that dates are harvested in the hottest part of August. The dates on the trees and the color of the trees tell us the photos of Saddam's hideout were taken in summer. This is late autumn.'"

12-29-03
Judges beginning to balk on War on Terror "In the war on terror, federal judges are beginning to balk. Charge the alleged 'dirty bomber' with a crime or let him go, one appellate court ruled this month. Give the captured combatants at Guantanamo Bay legal avenues to contest their imprisonment, another said. For many months after Sept. 11, 2001, the scales of justice consistently tipped in favor of the Bush administration's approach to fighting terrorism and detaining suspects deemed threats to national security." (Real News 24/7: They may be balking now, but wait until the next a major attack, if, God forbid, one occurs.)

12-29-03
Internet voting firm gets hacked "A company developing security technology for electronic voting suffered an embarrassing hacker break-in that executives think was tied to the rancorous debate over the safety of casting ballots online. VoteHere Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., confirmed today that U.S. authorities are investigating a break-in of its computers months ago, when someone roamed its internal computer network. The intruder accessed internal documents and may have copied sensitive software blueprints that the company planned eventually to disclose publicly." (Real News 24/7: Two thumbs up to the person or persons who demonstrated in convincing fashion one of the reasons we need to go back to the tried-and-true paper ballot! Speaking of "thumbs up," ever wonder just what message Iraqis are trying to send when they give the salute to U.S. troops? Actually, it could mean a couple of different things. Here some heads-up commentary on the Iraqi "thumbs up" sign. For the record, ours is the traditional Western meaning.)

12-29-03
Pat Buchanan: Bushite betrayal of working America "The front-page story by Mike Allen describes a Bush initiative on "immigration reform." Seems that U.S. employers would post jobs and the wages that go with them on a Department of Labor website. If no Americans came forward to take the jobs, the employer would be allowed to bring Mexican temporary workers in legally, give them the jobs, and put them on a fast track to permanent residency and citizenship.¼" (Real News 24/7: Pat Buchanan sharply rebukes the Bush Administration's sellout of the American worker, which continues apace with no effective opposition. His solution? "America needs a new party," he writes. But wasn't it just four years ago that he headed a Reform Party ticket [neither it nor it's spin-off, the American Reform Party, is avowedly pro-life, so we're not providing links—a compromise was worked out so Buchanan could run on a Reform platform] that went nowhere. His campaign was so low profile that it never appeared on the political radar screen. Despite have several million dollars to work with not a single national television ad appeared for his candidacy. Many, if not most, Americans didn't weren't even aware he was running until after the election. Overnight, he literally got more air time on national TV over the alleged mix-up on Florida ballots, where people supposedly punched his name by mistake instead of Al Gore, than he had in months of "campaigning." Despite being the candidate for a party that had organizational structure in all fifty states, according to official results his ticket garnered less than half a million votes. Now, while that figure is open to debate regarding its accuracy, it is difficult to see him getting much more than that with his phantom campaign. The point is that he threw away, whether wittingly or not, all of the contributions [plus matching federal funds] and volunteer work that thousands of Americans offered for his support. With that sort of record, why should anyone jump on his "new party" bandwagon? No, there already are other "third party" groups, such as the Constitution Party, that are standing up for the principles upon our nation is founded.)

12-29-03 Israel shuts down dissident website "Police investigators are attempting to throw responsibility on Indymedia Israel’s operators, for publications appearing in the 'open publishing zone' of the website. This is done illegally and against the recommendations of a professional committee of the Israel Ministry of Justice. The Indymedia Israel website provides a free and open stage for surfers on the Internet. Approximately three weeks ago, a surfer outside of Israel published a caricature in the open publishing zone of the website, in which the Israeli Prime Minister is portrayed passionately kissing the leader of Nazi Germany. Subsequent to this, the Attorney General of Israel ordered the opening of an investigation against the website’s administrators, for incitement and insulting a public figure."

12-29-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXVI
Schiavo right-to-die case captured nation's attention "The calm of Terri Schiavo's small room at a Pinellas County hospice belies the turmoil that has swirled around the severely brain-damaged woman this fall. Left in what doctors call a 'persistent vegetative state' when her heart stopped suddenly 13 years ago, the 40-year-old Schiavo has become the focal point of the nation's most high-profile and bitterly fought right-to-die case, garnering the attention of everyone from Florida lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush to Larry King and Oprah Winfrey."

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help." ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"—all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-28-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 15
Why justice for Saddam must be a global effort "Now that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein has been captured, the world's attention has turned to his trial. Should Saddam be tried by Iraqis in Iraq, or should he face an international tribunal? The forthcoming conference on democracy, human rights and the role of the International Criminal Court in Yemen on Jan. 10 to 12 will provide a forum to debate these questions."
(Real News 24/7: Why justice for Saddam must not be a global effort The writer of this article, Emma Bonino, is identified as a Transnational Radical Member of the European Parliament and a former EU commissioner. Citing the cases of Slobodan Milosevic and other recent dictators as a models to be used in Hussein's case, she writes: "To address the systematic violations of the laws of war and the crimes against humanity committed in the former Yugoslavia, in the Great Lakes Region of Africa or in Sierra Leone and Cambodia, the international community, with the involvement of the UN, set up international and internationalized courts. These institutions have finally established the principle that major violations of human rights and dignity are of universal concern and that the international community should actively participate in the quest for justice and reparation for victims." The internationalization of criminal trials on the pretext of the "universal concern" to see justice brought against perpetrators of "crimes against humanity" is noble-sounding, but, however wicked, say, Pol Pot's mass slaughter of his people undoubtedly was, it was a crime against Cambodians and, hence, has no particular international dimension. Milosevic may be a scoundrel, but his offenses were also of a "local" nature [there were not atrocities anywhere but in south central Europe] and the same is true of the others. But even if one of them launched an invasion of a neighboring nation, how is this an "international" affair. Obviously, it isn't, in fact the whole idea of global crimes is a fiction that is being perpetrated by those who want world government. However appealing the prospect is of a world in which no dictators are allowed to flourish, this must be countered with the stark reality that ruthless dictators enjoy membership in this same UN that is supposed to be the safeguard against such tyrants and, should the UN ever get the total power it seeks, the grim prospect of an all-encompassing world dictatorship against which there would be no defense.)

12-28-03
Hemispheric integration by the installment plan
"Today, the Power Elite’s top priority is completion by 2005 of the so-called Free Trade Area of the Americas. The FTAA would integrate the nations of the Western Hemisphere into a single political and economic entity modeled after the socialist European Union." (Real News 24/7: World government by the installment plan!)

12-28-03
Latest UN documents predict significant population decline "The newest release by the United Nations Population Division (UNPD) paints a bleak future for the human race, with one projection showing the population of the world spiraling downward from the current 6.3 billion to 2.3 billion by 2300. However, one leading pro-life group says the media's attention is focused more on wild predictions and less on the projection that makes the most sense. The Population Research Institute has called the UNPD's 'low variant' projection, which predicts a drastic decrease in the world's population, 'historically the most accurate.'" From the Orwell Today site: Where have all the people gone? "The Population Control Propagandists have done their job well.¼One of the ways they create DEMAND FOR ABORTION is by creating a NEED for abortion. They do this by making sure they've got a never-ending supply of unwanted pregnancies to keep their abortion mills churning. To children and youth they market sex as more or less a recreational sport - through movies, books, magazines, telescreen commercials, video games and last but not least, sex education programs in schools. Kids as young as five are taught how to put condoms on bananas and use Saran Wrap in creative ways. The resultant 'products of conception' become part of this value-added sex industry."

12-28-03
New Gibson film puts spotlight on conservative Catholic groups "They attend Mass in Latin, using a liturgy that Rome abolished. They abstain from meat on Fridays and women cover their heads in church. For more than three decades, a small group of American Roman Catholics has been quietly worshipping in ways the Vatican told them to abandon. Now their ultraconservative beliefs are under scrutiny as the man they count as their most famous adherent, actor-director Mel Gibson, prepares to release a movie about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that's already stirring controversy." (Real News 24/7: Considering that it's the controlled news media that's taking potshots at them, these Traditional Catholics must be doing something right! Especially, since the article takes pains to ridicule the belief that the Catholic Church has been infiltrated without bothering to look into the facts. No surprise there. For those who think the Latin Mass is the only issue, take a look at the ongoing list of scandals and totally un-Catholic goings-on in the post-Vatican II church as chronicled in the Novus Ordo Watch archives.)

12-28-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXV
War, gay marriage, abortion -- 2003 has been a year of taking sides in America "For many Americans, 2003 was a year to take sides. From church pews to the courts, from talk shows to the halls of Capitol Hill, debate over social issues -- abortion, gay marriage, the right to die -- stirred a nation that also was divided over the war in Iraq. The sense of unity that swelled across the country in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks faded, and heated rhetoric and fingerpointing returned as America edged closer to the 2004 presidential race."

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help." ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"—all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-27-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 14
From joy to despair: Iraqis pay for Saddam's capture "Ali Salman Ali was the first victim of Saddam's capture, but he died on Christmas Day. As his father Salman Ghazi, 71, tells it, Ali must have been among the first of Iraq's Shia Muslims to scream his delight in the street after the former dictator emerged from his hole in the ground."

Hussein's capture not likely to harm Al Qaeda (Real News 24/7: Especially if it's a Mossad front.)

12-27-03
Vatican targeted for Christmas attack? "Terrorists planned to observe the celebrated birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day with a 9-11-style attack on the Vatican, according to Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi." (Real News 24/7: Ah, those aren't terrorists, Mr. Prime Minister, they're the outraged relatives of boys sexually assaulted by supposed men of the cloth!)

12-27-03
Israel investigates shooting during security barrier protests "Israel has launched two formal inquiries into an incident in which soldiers opened fire on a protest demonstration against the security barrier it is building to separate Israel from the West Bank." Related article (Real News 24/7: Here's a prediction. Soon we will hear something like this from Sharon's government: After much examination of the evidence and eyewitness accounts, we now issue this ruling: Our soldiers were provoked and in no way were at fault.) Palestinian killed in West Bank clash "Hundreds of Israeli soldiers searched for suspects Saturday in this city described as a hotbed of militant activity, fatally shooting a Palestinian during a clash with stone throwers, Palestinian witnesses and medical workers said." More on the security barrier

12-27-03
Quake-devastated Iran refuses aid from Israel "With the death toll from Iran's devastating earthquake soaring toward 40,000, and the Islamic republic's leaders openly acknowledging that as much outside help as possible is vital to limit the number of dead and suffering, Iranian officials are refusing to accept aid from only one nation – Israel." (Real News 24/7: If there was ever a question of the depth of the distrust and hatred between Moslems and Jews in the Middle East, this should go a long way towards answering it.)

12-27-03
"Super TB"-created by U. C. Berkley scientists A virulent form of tuberculosis was created in the laboratory by experts trying to alter its genetic structure. The mutant form of the bug multiplied more quickly, and was more lethal than its natural counterpart." (Real News 24/7: Some researchers are alleging that other illnesses, such as AIDS, SARS and mad cow disease, are manmade.)

12-27-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXIV
Cognitive recovery from "persistent vegetative state": "This study reports on the case of a young woman who, at the age of 26, developed a severe encephalomyelopathy [disease of the brain and spinal column] and was in a vegetative state or minimally conscious state for 6 months. She showed a sleep-wake cycle, but no evidence of cognitive functioning. Six months after her illness, she began to respond to her environment and eventually returned home to the care of her parents, with regular periods of respite care in a home for people with severe physical disabilities."

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-26-03 A not so Merry Christmas in the Holy Land "This is the first Christmas since the Palestinian Authority adopted an official constitution based on Koranic 'Sharia' Law, which means that all Christians who live under the PA are now subject to Islamic Law. Over the past three years, while attention has focused on Israeli and Palestinian casualties of the current war, at least one hundred Christians who live in areas ruled by the Palestinian Authority have been arrested and imprisoned for holding church services or conducting public Christian practices without authorization."

Honor killing among the Palestinians "If a woman brings shame to the family--through allegations of premarital or extramarital sex, by refusing an arranged marriage, or attempting to obtain a divorce--her male relatives are bound by duty and culture to murder her." More on Islamic justice "In the punishment of stoning to death, the stones should not be too large so that the person dies on being hit by one or two of them; they should not be so small either that they could not be defined as stones." (Real News 24/7: Viewer discretion advised. While we purposely did not link to a site that showed literal "eye for an eye" justice being administered, there are nevertheless some disturbing photos here.)

Documenting the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world While our website has focused on the scourge of the Zionists, let no one think that they hold some exclusive right of barbarism, as the linked web pages clearly demonstrate. The foregoing is some indication of why Christians ought never apologize for the Crusades. (Needless to say, not all who practice the religion of Mohammed today adhere to a literal interpretation of the Koran, any more than all Jews accept the vile blasphemies against Christ found in the uncensored Talmud.)

12-26-03
Israel invades Nablus after blast
"Israeli occupation forces have launched an invasion into the West Bank city of Nablus, Aljazeera's correspondent has reported.Coming from different directions, a huge numbers of Israeli tanks entered the city on early Friday, added the correspondent."

12-26-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 13
Four soldiers killed in Iraq "Guerrillas in Iraq have killed four U.S. soldiers in multiple assaults, keeping up violence that has raged on since Saddam Hussein's capture, the U.S. military says. As the Americans suffered new casualties, an Iraqi tribal chief was shot dead in the northern city of Mosul, and Baghdad residents stared in disbelief at a car split in half by a bomb explosion that killed two Iraqis inside."

12-26-03
Many believe flu shots unnecessary "Nearly half of the Americans who did not get a flu vaccine this year said they thought it was unnecessary, says an Associated Press poll taken at a time when health officials are scrambling to cope with a vaccine shortage during a severe flu season." Vaccine dangers A webpage with numerous contrarian links refuting the efficacy and even safety of flu shots and other vaccinations. Then there's always the question of vaccine contamination.

12-26-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXIII

From Terri's website:
Judge to Overturn "Terri's Law"?
(Real Video format from ABC Action News) An up-to-the-minute report on the proceedings that, for a change, is reasonably unbiased.

Family attorney, Patricia Anderson speaks to Glenn Beck about this case We present this interview with a bit of a listener's advisory. Glenn Beck's "theme song" is some obnoxious heavy metal rock, while some of Beck's opening comments are rather crude (for mature audiences). Still, it is worth it to enduring these aural disturbances because the ensuing interview powerfully presents some of the Schindler's side of the case. Revealing points brought up that aren't coming out in "mainstream" media news articles include how:

Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo, may have been unfaithful to her even before her debilitating collapse.
Concerning his first mistress after Terri's collapse, Schiavo, after breaking up with her, stalked her.
Schiavo never mentioned Terri expression the wish not to be kept on life support until 2000—a full decade after her collapse! In fact, prior to that he talked about wanting to caring for her and get her physical therapy.
Since his decision to have Terri die, Schiavo has actively prevented her from receiving therapy.

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

Merry Christmas!

Our Savior, dearly-beloved, was born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord the destroyer of sin and death finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon.¼

—St. Leo the Great

Sermon on the Feast of the Nativity

12-25-03
U.S. prepares for a devastating attack "Top US military and defense department leaders were evacuated from the Pentagon this week and taken to secret command bunkers around America in an unusual exercise simulating a catastrophic terrorist attack on Washington, DC. The so-called continuity of government drill, which did not involve Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, came as mobile anti-aircraft missile batteries were deployed around the capital, and possibly New York."

12-25-03
How the Left stole Christmas: Merry Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Day! "In last year’s made-for-cable movie 'Christmas Rush,' one character wishes another 'Merry Christmas,' only to be told, 'Gee, that is politically incorrect.' And so it is. In one generation—I was born in 1964—Christmas has gone from being a widespread and joyous public celebration to the holiday that dare not speak its name. We now have 'holiday trees,' 'holiday cards,' 'holiday parties,” “holiday songs,” and even, in one particularly egregious advertisement, a 'child’s first holiday.' Simply put, there is now raging a 'War Against Christmas,' in author Peter Brimelow’s trenchant phrase." (Real News 24/7: It was refreshing [not to mention "liberating" and "empowering," to appropriate for a better cause a couple of the Left's favorite politically correct terms] to wish "Merry Christmas!" to those I met in stores this season. Not one responded with hostility [which isn't to say there aren't that type out there], while many seemed almost relieved to hear those words instead of the generic "Happy Holidays." As the author of the above-linked article notes, it is only fairly recently that Christmas has been openly under attack. We need to fight back on this and one of the ways this has to get done is to work to remove from office all of those who show the slightest animosity towards Christ. Whether officially or not, for most of its existence America was, practically speaking, a Christian nation in many of its customs and observances. It largely has ceased to be one, in part because Christians became complacent and apathetic in fulfilling their civic duties and allowed Christ-deniers to ascend to the highest positions of power. It can become one again, but only if we work to that end.)

12-25-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 12
Timing is everything, in the capture of enemies "When word got out that Saddam Hussein had been captured by US troops on Saturday, 13 December, I found the timing very interesting. After all, a big story was brewing about Halliburton overcharging the government for fuel in Iraq. This was such a big story that Bush himself was saying that Dick Cheney's company was going to have to make financial reparations to the government. Add to this the fact the Bush's approval rating was continuing to slide, and you've got a recipe for another one of his famous hail-Mary plays."

12-25-03
“Free-Speech Zone”: The administration quarantines dissent "On Dec. 6, 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft informed the Senate Judiciary Committee, “To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty … your tactics only aid terrorists, for they erode our national unity and … give ammunition to America’s enemies.” Some commentators feared that Ashcroft’s statement, which was vetted beforehand by top lawyers at the Justice Department, signaled that this White House would take a far more hostile view towards opponents than did recent presidents. And indeed, some Bush administration policies indicate that Ashcroft’s comment was not a mere throwaway line." (Real News 24/7: A far more hostile view towards opponents, indeed! When Ashcroft accuses the Senate Judiciary Committee of tactics that "aid terrorists" and "give ammunition to America's enemies," his language closely resembles part of the U.S. Constitution's definition of treason [Article III Section 3]: "in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.")

12-25-03
Florida gets first faith-based prison "Nearly 800 inmates from 26 faiths attended the dedication ceremony of what Gov. Jeb Bush called the nation's first faith-based prison - a facility focused on encouraging the spirituality of inmates of all faiths. Along with regular prayer sessions, the Lawtey Correctional Institution will offer religious studies, choir practice, religious counseling and other spiritual activities seven days a week. Participation is voluntary and inmates are free to transfer out."

12-25-03
Gonzaga won't recognize anti-abortion club "Law student Ashley Horne never thought her club for abortion opponents would be rejected by Gonzaga University, a leading Northwest Catholic institution. But the school's Student Bar Association this fall refused to recognize her Pro-Life Law Caucus as a university-sponsored group, ruling that a policy allowing only Christians to hold leadership positions was a form of discrimination." (Real News 24/7: Two important factors likely come into play here: First, the post-Vatican II doctrinal fallout that often makes opposition to abortion optional and forces conservative students to the fringe of campus activities, and, second, the practices of historically Catholic universities accepting federal funding with strings [no, make that ropes] attached, that tend to make them, for all practical purposes, secular institutions in semi-Catholic garb.)

12-25-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXII

Florida Gove. Bush seeks to have Terri's court-appointed guardian reinstated "'Terri's Law' may be doomed, at least in the eyes of its supporters, and the focus of the case of the 40-year-old woman who has been kept alive by a feeding tube switches to the guardian ad litem. Attorneys for Gov. Jeb Bush have asked Chief Circuit Judge David Demers of Pinellas County to reinstate the guardian, or special advocate. Jay Wolfson had been appointed under terms of the law and wrote a long report on Terri Schiavo's medical condition."

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-24-03
Albert Einstein: Plagiarist of the Century "Proponents of Einstein have acted in a way that appears to corrupt the historical record. Albert Einstein (1879–1955), Time Magazine's "Person of the Century", wrote a long treatise on special relativity theory (it was actually called 'On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,' 1905a), without listing any references. Many of the key ideas it presented were known to Lorentz (for example, the Lorentz transformation) and Poincaré before Einstein wrote the famous 1905 paper."

Albert Einstein: The Incorrigible Plagiarist "The name 'Einstein' evokes images of genius, but was Albert Einstein, in fact, a plagiarist, who copied the theories of Lorentz, Poincare, Gerber, and Hilbert?" (Real News 24/7: In other words, if the allegations are true, Einstein was no "Einstein"!)

Anti-Einstein sentiment surfaces again A negative review of the above book on the PhysicsWeb site, which originally appeared in Physics World. (Incidentally, on his website for the book, author Christopher Jon Bjerknes dedicates a page to his rebuttal of the review, a rebuttal Physics World refused to publish.)

Related article

About another noted plagiarist

(Real News 24/7: Einstein wasn't the only major 20th century figure whose plagiarisms were ignored by the ruling elite in order to help promote or maintain his fame. If Einstein's plagiarisms had the greatest impact on world events, those of American civil rights "martyr," Martin Luther King, weren't far behind. King, a notorious serial plagiarist, "borrowed" [without attribution] on numerous occasions, from his doctrinal dissertation to his "I have a dream" speech. See the Martin Luther King plagiarism page and the Accuracy in Academia review of Theodore Pappas's Plagiarism and the Cultural War: The writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and other prominent Americans and Nicholas Stix's The Longest Month Part II: The Divine Martin Luther King Jr., which quotes Pappas on King's overall poor showing as a student. Suffice it to say, criticism of either of these secular icons is to open oneself up to charges of bigotry. Yes, some who have raised such charges are prejudiced, but not everyone! When the defenders of such men cast slurs at critics rather than refute the charges and when, rather than condemning behavior that in any other case would be condemned as highly unethical, they make excuses for it, then you can be certain a hidden agenda is afoot here.)

12-24-03
How the Ridge stole Christmas "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, When Tom Ridge appeared with a pre-Christmas scare!" America deploys missiles around airports "The US has deployed anti-aircraft missiles around Washington and other possible terrorist targets in fear of another attack using a commercial plane, but there is disagreement among intelligence officials about how direct the threat is to America." (Real News 24/7: For those planning to fly out of one of these airports, we extend our hope and prayers for your safety.) Security fears ground Paris to L.A. flights "Six airline flights between Paris and Los Angeles were canceled at the U.S. Embassy's urging because of terrorism fears, the French government and Air France said Wednesday. The flights scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday were called off because of information obtained ``in the framework of the French-American fight against terrorism,'' the French prime minister's office said."

12-24-03
Survey: 33% of Dutch don't know what Christmas is about "A survey of 750 Dutch adults made public late on Wednesday showed that 26 per cent of respondents did not know which Biblical story was commemorated at Christmas. Six per cent named an event other that the birth of Jesus Christ." (Real News 24/7: And they live like they don't know!)

12-24-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 11
Justifying war: Was it all about Saddam Hussein? "Since when a fourth-rate dictator qualifies as a threat to the greatest power ever created on earth? As for his 'threat' to human decency, where were our concerns when Saddam Hussain crushed his opponents throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but especially in 1991 when he attacked the Shiites and Kurds with a vengeance?" (Real News 24/7: To anyone tempted to answer the last question, "with the first Gulf War," we say: "don't"—because it's not true. The primary excuse for that war was the liberation of Kuwait. Oh, sure, the first President Bush did mention the ill-treatment of the Kurds, when he went into his "Hitler" comparison, but the bottom line is that Saddam remained in power. And Bush could have gotten him then, easily, if he had really wanted to—he only had to give the order!)

In Iraq, Christians warily prepare an early Christmas "Fears of guerrillas fighters and armed bandits called Ali Babas have led churches to move up the traditional midnight Mass. People are now resigned to celebrating Christmas barricaded in their homes. Some Christians are worried that churches will be bombed and congregations attacked, a fear given credence by American military officials who cite intelligence reports saying guerrillas may stage a wave of assaults this week partly to avenge the capture of the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein."

12-24-03
U.S. companies moving more jobs to India, but quietly US corporations are picking up the pace in shifting well-paid technology jobs to India, China and other low-cost centers, but they are keeping quiet for fear of a backlash, industry professionals said. Morgan Stanley estimates the number of US jobs outsourced to India will double to about 150,000 in the next three years. Analysts predict as many as two million US white-collar jobs such as programmers, software engineers and applications designers will shift to low cost centers by 2014.(Real News: The move has been going on for some time. When one of our staff purchased his first Dell computer last year, he found that when he called for technical support, he got an Indian-sounding person. He didn't give it much thought at first, but when he noted that an Indian person answered whenever he called, he finally asked where the person was. The answer: Bangalore, India. Finally, he did reach a non-Indian call center once.¼it was in the Philippines. Corporate America's Silent Partner: India "Businesses are off-shoring more and more white-collar jobs there, though you won't hear them talk about it much in an election year" AOL takes passage to India "America Online is quietly laying the groundwork to hire software engineers in Bangalore, India--a decision that is sparking some pointed criticism but also is becoming de rigueur among technology companies." (Real News 24/7: Are you or someone you know unemployed? Don't let the government or controlled news media [both of which are to a very large extent in league with the multi-national mega-corporations] fool you, there is no mystery to the nation's high jobless rate—American corporations are turning their backs on their own people and nothing is being done to stop this betrayal! Businesses know they can greatly increase their profits if they can hire foreign workers for a fraction of what U.S. counterparts make, but those traitorous public officials who are striving to draw our country into a world government have another motive for supporting the sellout: Lowering America's standard of living to create a level economic playing field by, in a manner that would have pleased Karl Marx, stealing from the haves and giving to the have-nots. This strategy, to cite but one example, was articulated in 1992 by Trilateralist and CFR head [and, later, Assistant Secretary of State in the Clinton administration] Winston Lord, who, in a speech entitled "Changing Our Ways: America and the New World," stated: "To a certain extent, we are going to have to yield some of our sovereignty, which will be controversial at home...[Under] the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)...some Americans are going to be hurt as low-wage jobs are taken away."[Now, of course, not just low-wage jobs are being targeted.] Quoted in A Chronological History of the New World Order)

12-24-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXI
Judge delays ruling in Terri Schiavo case "A Clearwater, Fla., judge has delayed judgment on an appeal of a law passed by the Florida Legislature to save the life of Terri Schiavo."

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-24-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 10
Saddam "Destroyed WMDs after first Gulf War" "Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein almost certainly destroyed his weapons of mass destruction after the first Gulf War in 1991, the United Nations’ former chief weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix said today. Dr Blix told the BBC Radio 4 Today program: 'I think that the vast majority of people are feeling that there is very little likelihood that they (the Iraqis) had anything, and the biggest chance is that they destroyed them in 1991.'"

Saddam was "duped" on WMDs "British officials are claiming former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein may have been duped into believing that Iraq did possess weapons of mass destruction, a leading London newspaper reports today. According to the left-wing Guardian, the latest theory in government circles is a result of an attempt to find what one source called a 'logical reason' why no chemical and biological weapons have been found in Iraq."

12-23-03
Annan strongly condemns latest incursion into Gaza refugee camp "United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today strongly condemned the latest military incursion in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza, which left at least eight Palestinians, many of them civilians, dead." (Real News 24/7: Regular visitors to our website know how much we detest the U.N. and its drive for a godless one world government. Some pro-Israel "critics" of the United Nations [we put the word critics in quote, because their arguments are so spineless—most of them never seriously call [if at all] for cutting off of funding to that body, much less severing ties to it, getting it off of shores and/or abolishing it which is what all Americans should support. But Annan's condemnation is hollow: Like past criticisms of the Zionist state, nothing ever comes of it—just so many empty words, so many crocodile tears. The Palestinian people are unimportant to Annan and his cohorts and the ongoing slaughter is ample proof. Had it been some other place, the U.N.'s "peacekeeping" goons would have moved in a long time ago. Some excuse for "humanity's moral conscience," for a "last best hope for mankind"!]

12-23-03
Commandment question startles judgeship applicants "A member of a panel interviewing applicants for a judgeship in eastern Kansas asked candidates if they believe in the Ten Commandments, surprising several lawyers who applied for the job. 'I was a little taken aback,' lawyer Darrell Smith said. 'It's my understanding that the Bill of Rights prohibits a religious test for an office of public trust.'"

12-23-03
Why black Christians shouldn't celebrate Kwanzaa
"For decades, the media have shoved "black leaders" in the faces of black Americans. Now they're doing the same with a pagan ritual called Kwanzaa, a so-called African-American holiday. A made-up, anti-Christian observance, Kwanzaa is celebrated by blacks who profess Christ. In our politically-correct climate, even President George W. Bush, a believer in Christ, feels obligated to praise this ritual. Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by Dr. Maulana "Ron" Karenga (left, real name Ron N. Everett), a former black militant, a Marxist and a convicted felon.¼"

Kwanzaa—The creation of a deranged racist felon "Karenga was convicted of two counts of felonious assault and one count of false imprisonment. He was sentenced on Sept. 17, 1971, to serve one to ten years in prison. A brief account of the sentencing ran in several newspapers the following day. That was apparently the last newspaper article to mention Karenga's unfortunate habit of doing unspeakable things to black people. After that, the only coverage came from the hundreds of news accounts that depict him as the wonderful man who invented Kwanzaa."

12-23-03
The Year of the Liar "From weapons of mass destruction to Jayson Blair, we trusted them -- and they punk'd us. Why do we keep coming back for more?"

12-23-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LX
Judge will rule soon on Terri's Law, likely to overturn it "Judge Douglas Baird said that he does not need any new information to be able to rule on the constitutionality of Terri's Law, the measure passed by the state legislature that allowed Florida Governor Jeb Bush to ask doctors to reinstate the feeding tube that is helping Terri Schiavo stay alive."

Terri's court-appointed guardian discharged "A judge has discharged an independent guardian for a brain-damaged woman at the center of a right-to-die case, weeks after the guardian completed a review of the woman's condition. In an order dated Dec. 17, Chief Circuit Judge David A. Demers in St. Petersburg discharged Jay Wolfson as Terri Schiavo's guardian, according to attorneys on both sides."

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-22-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 9
Dictators-R-Us "Selective memory and a convenient 'doctrine of change' allows the US government to forget that it once supported tyrants like Saddam." (Real News 24/7: This is true, but there is another reason the government "forgets" its former backing: It doesn't want to remind the people of the fact, which leads to them considering that there has been a pattern of government support of dictators dating back at least to the Russian Bolshevik Vladimir Lenin. Similarly, when it comes to those tyrannies currently aided [such as that of Red China's Wen Jiaobao], the government proceeds with the unstated fiction that said government is a "democracy" [and, in the case of Communist regimes, the further fiction—again, never actually declared but tacitly implied —that it is not even a Communist state]. This falls into the category of plausible denial, the government giving itself wiggle room to say: "We never said he wasn't a dictator," while going about business as usual. Most of the American people accept all of this with little protest, largely because of a profound ignorance of the political realities of the day, an ignorance that, while not altogether inexcusable on their part, is largely maintained and cultivated through the disinformation churned out by government and controlled media sources.)

12-22-03
Ashcroft can now collect all of your financial records "On Dec 13 - the day Saddam was captured - H.R. 2417 was signed into law. In this attack on American civil liberties, John Ashcroft's power was extended to the collection of info on every possible financial record of an individual, from banks to travel agents to casinos to CAR DEALERS. The person does not even have to be officially under investigation! Just be a 'person of interest'.¼"

12-22-03
Two dead as quake shakes central Calif. An earthquake rocked California's central coast Monday and shook the state from Los Angeles to San Francisco, collapsing old downtown buildings in this small town and killing at least two people in the rubble. Earthquake accurately predicted by geologist

12-22-03
I must be getting paranoid: Where did Christmas go? "Inside the wrapping of our morning newspaper was a note from our delivery boy who saw fit to enclose a holiday greeting with the papers he delivers.¼The greeting was headlined, Happy Holidays. Okay. But the first line of copy said: And a happy New Year. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year? Isn't there a redundancy here somewhere? Isn't the 'usual' greeting Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year? What happened to the Christmas part?" (Real News 24/7: How truly liberating to wish people a heartfelt "Merry Christmas" instead of the leaden, phony, politically correct substitute! Let's not be cowered into hiding our faith under a bushel to satisfy the culture nazis, but we must tell the world know what we really believe!)

12-22-03
Have yourself a Pentagon Christmas "Just imagine your son holding his own news conference with the Talking Donald "Rummy" Rumsfeld Action Figure ($29.99 plus shipping and handling) to announce that weapons of mass destruction have just been discovered in Bethesda, Maryland. Press his button and catch 28 different phrases from 'Rumstud' (as the Elite Aviator likes to call him) including the classic: 'I believe what I said yesterday. I don't know what I said. But I know what I think. I assume that's what I said.'"

12-22-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXIX
Florida's "Terri's Law" to get first test Tuesday "A hearing scheduled for Tuesday is the first legal test of a Florida law that gave Gov. Jeb Bush the right to have a feeding tube reinserted into a brain-damaged woman. An attorney for Michael Schiavo is asking a circuit court judge in Pinellas County, Fla., to declare the measure, dubbed "Terri's Law," unconstitutional."

Family struggles to cope with loved one living in a vegetative state "On a chilly, gray day, Virgene Kilbourn frowned at the rain-streaked window of a Hendricks County nursing home. Normally, she'd have taken her son, Sean, 24, outside for some fresh air.¼Virgene is a fixture at Sean's nursing home, spending about seven hours a day there. She has since her son overdosed on heroin four years ago.

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-21-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 8
Kurds captured, drugged Saddam before U.S. got him "Saddam Hussein was found by US troops only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish forces, drugged and abandoned ready for American soldiers to recover him, a British newspaper reported yesterday."
Related links

Saddam verdict expected to take five years "Iraqi officials and judges involved in setting up Baghdad's new war crimes court have revealed that Saddam Hussein's trial will not be finished for five years, despite the clamor for speedy justice since his arrest last week."

12-21-03
Nation's threat level rising to orange "The government on Sunday raised the national threat level to orange, indicating a high risk of terrorist attack, and said threat indicators are "perhaps greater now than at any point" since Sept. 11, 2001, with strikes possible during the holidays."

12-21-03
Across the U.S., jobless losing benefits "More than 90,000 people who have been out of work for months will lose their federal benefits today, when a program to aid the long-term unemployed expires. During the first six months of next year, more than 2 million unemployed people across the country will be cut off from the extra assistance, unless Congress acts."

12-21-03
Don't call it Christmas "If you like your Christmases straight--i.e., "Merry Christmas" instead of "Season's Greetings"--the run-up to Dec. 25 can be a trying time. And this year the grinches are again out in full force, trying their best to strip from our public squares any hint of what most Americans will actually be celebrating come Christmas morn." Holding politically correct Christmas party proves impossible (Real News 24/7: This humorous piece is so true to form, though it could have reasonably been extended to include the Kwanza and Winter Solstice crowds. Still funny, however.)

12-21-03
Welcome mat for terrorists "Could the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, now galloping toward completion, actually spur the spread of Marxist revolution throughout Latin America? Would a completed FTAA result in the political and economic merger of the United States with Marxist-run countries in the region, including, ultimately, Fidel Castro’s Communist regime in Cuba? Will the FTAA make it easier for terrorists from Latin America and throughout the world, including the Middle East, to enter the United States? The answer to each of these questions is a resounding — and alarming — yes." The FTAA’s Controlled Opposition "The rent-a-mob that descended on Miami provided a familiar service: scaring away responsible opponents and further justifying the police state build-up." (Real News 24/7: On more than one occasion we have referred to false opposition; the linked article provides information of just such an effort.)

12-21-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXVIII
Flashback: Using a tragedy to push "mercy killing" "The standards upon which Ms. [sic] Schiavo's life or death turn may, if defined broadly enough, also be applied to thousands of people with disabilities who, like Ms. Schiavo, cannot articulate their own views and must thus rely on third parties as substitute decision-makers. The need for constitutional limits on the powers of such decision makers is nowhere more clear than on a question as fundamental as life or death, because the consequences of abuse or misjudgment are both ultimate and irreversible."

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-20-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 7
Jeff Rense: Look - "Saddam" Has No Roots! "There is one blatant, glaring, searingly obvious fact that no one in the media seems to have noticed. Somehow this man, whoever he is, has carefully DYED HIS HAIR and EYEBROWS dark brown very shortly before his 'capture.' Look at the photos, there are no grey/white roots anywhere. NONE."

"Sick" Saddam drugged: visitor "A STARTLING new photograph of a sick-looking Saddam Hussein suggests he is being drugged or given strong medication by his US captors." (Real News 24/7: Yes, but does the man in the photo even look like the real Saddam? Maybe, but maybe not. When considered along with Jeff Rense's observations, perhaps there is reason to begin wondering about the identity of America's Number One prisoner. Also, note that when "Saddam" was found, he was acting strangely, causing some to speculate that he had been drugged. Now, as prisoner, we are reading more about his possible drugging. Is this a way to keep him quiet? If so, why? Because he might reveal things that will reflect poorly on his captors? Or because he's a double?)

Be polite to Mr. Saddam "Barmy BBC bosses have banned reporters from calling tyrant Saddam Hussein a former dictator.
Instead, staff must refer to the barbaric mass murderer as 'the deposed former President.'" (Real News 247: For readers not familiar with British slang, barmy means "crazy," "loony," "not level-headed," etc.)

Ex-dictator's trial stirs debate "Controversy was mounting yesterday over the planned trial of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein as violence continued to rock Iraq and US overseer Paul Bremer revealed he escaped an attack earlier this month."

12-20-03
A net of control "Picture, if you will, an information infrastructure that encourages censorship, surveillance and suppression of the creative impulse. Where anonymity is outlawed and every penny spent is accounted for. Where the powers that be can smother subversive (or economically competitive) ideas in the cradle, and no one can publish even a laundry list without the imprimatur of Big Brother. Some prognosticators are saying that such a construct is nearly inevitable. And this infrastructure is none other than the former paradise of rebels and free-speechers: the Internet." (Real News 24/7: Here's a perfect example of what Michael Hoffman likes to call "revelation of the method," where the Establishment gives out tantalizing tidbits of info on things they have done/plan to do. In this case the one doing the revealing is Steve Levy, of Newsweek/MSNBC. The target population is given knowledge of an evil to oppose without any hope or way out. Note Levy's last paragraph, which begins: "Nonetheless, staving off the Internet power shift will be a difficult task, made even harder by apathy on the part of users who won’t know what they’ve got till it’s gone. 'I’ve spent hundreds of hours talking to people about this,' says Walker. 'And I can’t think of a single person who is actually going to do something about it.¼'" End result is that said populace will feel there is nothing they can do to combat the Beast, leading either to resignation or despair. [Many of us are unconsciously assisting the Big Brother future written of here, every time we "register" with Establishment Internet sites, because the required information asked for usually includes name, home address, phone number and e-mail address! Many stores are also similarly prying into our privacy by saying they need your "life history" to "better serve you." Levy talks about a future where "anonymity is outlawed and every penny is accounted for"; this is the mechanism that is setting it up in place right under our noses, and we're enabling it with our cooperation. Let's go without rather than assist them any more!])

12-20-03
U.S. urges terror vigilance "The White House says it has ordered U.S. security personnel to be extra vigilant for terror attacks during the Christmas period as the EU's police agency warns al Qaeda is very active in Europe." Al-Qaida tape warns Americans "An audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden's deputy in al-Qaida, aired on Arab television Friday, warned that the terror group would target Americans "in their homeland" and would drive U.S. forces from bases in the region." (Real News 24/7: Another faked tape? As has been mentioned here before, the al-Qaida group has been challenged as a Mossad operation, such as the link "Al Qaeda itself does not exist" Also see NWO [New World Order] "Al-Qaeda" propaganda tape in English, which deals with an "al Qaeda" tape from October.)

12-20-03
Flashback: Finest U.S. Senate that Israeli money can buy "One thing¼is quite clear: Israel is not the 51st state of the United States of America, as some would like to think; rather, the US Congress is one of the occupied areas of Israel."

12-20-03
PETA to give children graphic pamphlet "The animal rights group PETA plans to hand out anti-fur fliers titled 'Your mommy kills animals' to Denver children outside performances of 'The Nutcracker.'" PETA freaks hate children "If you had any doubt about these mental cases, check out [the Fur is dead link]." Anti-PETA ads win popular acclaim

12-20-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXVII
Questions and answers about "artificial feeding"

Q: Why prolong the lives of people who are severely brain damaged or are in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) or coma? Wouldn’t it be better to let them die a peaceful death

A: First, let’s look at what is meant by PVS and coma. News accounts often confuse the two terms, sometimes using them interchangeably. They’re not the same. PVS is a term used to describe someone who is awake but unaware. The person has no apparent ability to understand or respond. Coma, on the other hand, is a sleeplike state from which the person cannot be wakened. Often these terms are used inaccurately.

A person who is in a coma or persistent vegetative state can’t say she's thirsty. Similarly, a severely brain damaged person may be unable to express himself. Such individuals won’t even understand what’s happening. They'll simply feel thirst and, within five to 21 days, they will die of dehydration. (Although it's often said that a person dies of starvation and dehydration. Actually, when food and fluids are removed, the person dies from dehydration, not starvation.)

Removing their food and water isn’t "letting them die." It’s making them die. Nor is this type of death "putting them out of their misery," as some would say. Instead it’s putting them into misery - the misery of dying in an excruciating manner. How could dying of thirst possibly be considered a peaceful death?

ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"—all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-19-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXVI

Are euthanasia advocates taking over America's hospice industry? "Ron Panzer, president of the pro-life Hospice Patients Alliance (HPA), says there's a hidden threat inside the hospice industry that's been growing like a cancer for decades—and most people don't realize it until it's too late: Hospice workers all over the country are routinely killing patients. 'Families who report in to HPA tell us they've overheard nurses say things like, "I'm just like Jack Kevorkian, only I do it with morphine,'" Panzer, whose organization receives thousands of calls like that a year, told LifeNews.com. 'And they get away with it week after week after week, because "it's hospice!"'"

Bob Schindler talks with LifeNews.com about Terri Schiavo "On Thursday, Terri Schiavo's father Bob Schindler talked with LifeNews.com about the latest events in Terri's life and the ordeals he and the Schindler family are going through in their battle to save the life of their daughter."

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-19-03
Did you know? Every 13 seconds an American gun owner uses a firearm in defense against a criminal "For sure, the national new media isn't telling you this, but from January 1st of this year through December 19th, there have been 2,345,578 criminal acts stopped by guns this year. The World Wide Web Gun Defense Clock keeps the clock up and running, while also providing man more suppressed facts about firearms."

12-19-03
Charley Reese: Misguided mission "Fallacy No. 1 is the belief that the rest of the world will acquiesce to American dominance. Russia, China and India, not to mention the Islamic World, are not about to go quietly into the sunset. All three have large populations, large amounts of natural resources, and nuclear teeth. Their nuclear teeth mean that the U.S. attempts to bully them will always fall short of being effective."

12-19-03
Take two of these and things will get worse, much worse "To redefine pregnancy in order to suit the marketing needs of your 'non-profit' population control machine is a lie." The population control agenda "One of the most difficult concepts for Americans to accept is that there are human beings dedicated to coercive population control and genocide. Many readers will acknowledge that our government is helping to finance the Red Chinese program of forced abortion, forced sterilization, infanticide, and control of the numbers of live births. Most readers will accept the fact that our nation is helping to finance the United Nations' world-wide 'family planning program,' a form of population control. Most rational men and women, however, find it impossible to believe that such programs are really part of a 'master plan' to kill off large segments of the world's population."

12-19-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 6
More Saddam conspiracy theories "An editorial in the Iraqi daily Al-Shira' titled: 'The Servant has Fallen in the Master's Cage' surveys Saddam's policies from 1963 until his capture, and suggests that he implemented these policies at the behest of his American masters. According to the newspaper, Saddam waged the war against Iran in 1980 to extricate the U.S. from its difficulties with Iran. The occupation of Kuwait in 1990 gave America and Israel 'everything they were dreaming and not dreaming of,' including elimination of the Palestinian problem, deepening the American presence in the Gulf to ensure American control over the sources of Arab oil, allowing Israel to penetrate Arab capital, and eliminating the regional role of Iraq and creating an imbalance of power between the Arabs and their enemies so that Iraq is delivered as a free gift to America."

Joseph Sobran on the Saddam capture: Triumph! "'Good riddance; the world is better off without you,' said [President] Bush, addressing Saddam rhetorically, and calling him a 'murderer' and 'torturer.' And? And? What about those weapons of mass destruction? Not a word. That was Bush’s obsessive rationale for the war — the 'gathering threat' Saddam’s fearful arsenal posed to world peace. He talked of little else for months. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the U.N. Security Council about it in fearful detail. Down the Memory Hole!¼(Emphasis added)"

Foul-mouthed and unrepentant: Saddam Hussein at bay "Iraqis stampeded to news stands yesterday to buy copies of a newspaper showing the humiliation of their captured former leader, Saddam Hussein." (Real News 24/7: Foul-mouthed and unrepentant? Hmm, sounds like he would right fit in with the 2004 U.S. presidential candidates.)

12-18-03
Catholic Knights of Southern Cross working with Freemasons "After 80 years of mutual suspicion between Catholics and Freemasons, the Knights of the Southern Cross will join Melbourne's Freemasons in their Dallas Brooks Hall home to 'seal an unlikely bond.' The Herald-Sun reports that it will be the first time anywhere in the world that the Pope's flag has been carried into a Masonic assembly." Related story

Real News 24/7: We ask the Australian bishop who authorized this travesty, Hilton Deakin (pictured), one simple question: What are you, sir, an infiltrator or a dupe? It is common knowledge that the authentic voice of the Roman Catholic Church has condemned Freemasonry in the strongest possible language, calling it the Church's moral enemy and imposing severe penalties for those who join the Lodges or show them support (see, for example, Pope Leo XIII's definitive word on the subject, the encyclical, Humanum Genus). Further, through many reliable sources have shown that the Masons have sought to infiltrate the Catholic Church with the intention of subverting it (see John Vennati's well-documented article, Freemasonry and the subversion of the Catholic Church, where he writes: "The post-Vatican II spirit of doubt and revolution obviously warmed the heart of French Freemason Jacques Mitterrand, who wrote approvingly: 'Something has changed within the [Roman Catholic] Church, and replies given by the Pope to the most urgent questions such as priestly celibacy and birth control, are hotly debated within the Church itself; the word of the Sovereign Pontiff is questioned by bishops, by priests, by the faithful. For a Freemason, a man who questions dogma is already a Freemason without an apron.'”). So, once again we ask, which is it, Bishop Deakin, are you a wolf in sheep's clothing or "useful idiot" for the enemies of the Church?

For more on the subject, see the Catholic Encyclopedia on Freemasonry and our articles, George Pataki: almost a Master Mason and Who's been changing the inside of Catholic churches? and why?

12-18-03
Iraq War lies "Hoo boy, could it be true? According to a stunning report posted by a retired Navy Lt. Commander and 28-year veteran of the Defense Department, the Bush administration's assurance about finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was based on a CIA plan to 'plant' WMDs inside the country. Nelda Rogers, the Pentagon whistleblower, claims the plan failed when the secret mission was mistakenly taken out by 'friendly fire.'" (Real News 24/7: Wow, this is one loooong list of links!)

12-18-03
Next U.S. war target: the Vatican? "Just for the sake of review, let us just state the obvious points that one is somehow not allowed to mention. Iraq under Saddam was known as the most liberal Arab state. There was relative religious freedom. Women had rights. You could get a drink. You could own private guns. There were symphonies and arts. Fundamentalists had no power. The place was prosperous and enjoying immigration.¼He was a despot, yes, but that hardly distinguishes him in the region. He owned some nasty weapons, yes, mostly sold or given to him by the US government, on whose behalf he waged war on Iran."

12-18-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 5
Saddam now part of U.S. secret universe "Saddam Hussein is now prisoner No. 1 in what has developed into a global detention system run by the Pentagon and the CIA, according to government officials. It is a secretive universe, they said, made up of large and small facilities scattered throughout the world that has sprouted up to handle the thousands of suspected Qaeda terrorists, Taliban warlords and former officials of the Iraqi regime arrested by the US and its allies since the September 11 attacks and the war in Iraq. "

12-18-03
Grape juice joins blueberries as possible anti-aging "brain food" "Consuming Concord grape juice significantly improved laboratory animals' short-term memory in a water maze test as well as their neuro-motor skills in certain of the coordination, balance and strength tests, according to preliminary research presented at the 1st International Conference on Polyphenols and Health recently held in Vichy, France."

12-18-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXV
ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"—all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

Terri Schiavo moved to new facility "Terri Schiavo has been moved from the Pinellas Park hospice facility where she has lived for years. She was moved temporarily to a retirement home in nearby Clearwater while renovations are taking place at the hospice."

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-17-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 4
And the Saddam-capture conspiracy theories begin "Why, for instance, did Hussein look so bedraggled and confused shortly after his capture? On one Arab website, a former Republican Guard officer in the village of Al-Dor, near where Saddam was captured, claimed that some believe the hole had been hit with nerve gas. Dead birds and other apparently drugged animals were found around the hideout shortly after Hussein's capture."

Bush: Saddam should die "'He is a torturer, a murderer, and they had rape rooms, and this is a disgusting tyrant who deserves justice, the ultimate justice,' Mr. Bush said in a TV interview last night." (Real News 24/7: The President further added: "He's a dangerous man who gassed his own people, who murdered people, who invaded Kuwait, and the world is safer without him." Powerful words, except when coming from the lips of Mr. Bush, who cozies up to Communist China, a dictatorship which holds the ignominious record of being probably the most murderous in history [the Soviet Union, another Communist regime, is the only one whose record for mass slaughter is within striking distance], killing at the very least 45 million people in the 20th century [a figure to which it is surely adding to every day!]. So, please, Mr. Bush, spare of the hollow and hypocritical platitudes.)

Toying with Saddam "It has been a rapid metamorphosis for Saddam Hussein. In the course of a few days he has been dramatically recast, twice over. The Evil Dictator, the Ace of Spades on whose head American troops announced a $25 million bounty, was a trifle difficult to detect in the scraggy bearded fugitive located this weekend in a spider hole near one of his deserted palaces."

12-17-03
Pope peace message takes swipe at U.S. over Iraq
"John Paul took a swipe at the United States and its allies Tuesday for invading Iraq without U.N. approval, suggesting they had succumbed to the temptation to use the law of force instead of the force of law." (Real News 24/7: While a solid case can be made that President Bush's preemptive strike when there was no immediate threat does amount to the law of force instead of the force of law, hence rendering it an unjust war, it is solely for the reason just given and not because the invasion was made without United Nations approval. Actually, if Bush's reason for invading [that is, Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and posed an immediate threat] was true, then he doesn't need U.N. approval, but then the U.N. never should be considered in such matters, because to do so gives it the illusion of legitimacy it needs to foist world government on the nations. Why is John Paul II being a shill for world government? If you really want to see the law of force running roughshod over human rights []with no court of higher appeal], just wait until the U.N. takes over!)

VOTE FRAUD!

12-17-03
California e-voting undermined by sloppiness "An audit of Diebold Election Systems voting machines in California has revealed that the company installed uncertified software in all 17 counties that use its electronic voting equipment. While 14 counties used software that had been qualified by federal authorities but not certified by state authorities, three counties, including Los Angeles, used software that had never been certified by the state or qualified by federal authorities for use in any election." (Real News 24/7: Yeah, right. So that's going to be Diebold's excuse—sloppiness. Regardless, they and other makers of unverifiable voting systems must be stopped before our right to free, honest and verifiable elections is lost forever!)

Ohio vote machines hackable by Palm Pilots! "Given the other security risks identified in the Compuware report, hacking an iVotronic could be as simple as walking into the voting booth using a correctly programmed Palm Pilot (a not at all unusual device among citizens) and using it to simulate a supervisory PEB access device."

12-17-03
Poll: 43 percent of Americans believe Israel threatens world peace "Some 43 percent of Americans believe Israel is a threat to world peace, according to a poll presented Wednesday by a Jewish group, but many more are concerned about North Korea, Iraq and Iran."

12-17-03
Free speech shot down at Toronto school "In grade 11, I transferred from the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT) to Northern Secondary School, a public school also in Toronto. My decision was primarily because I could no longer stand to be in the untenable situation at CHAT where anyone who strayed from the party line — that of an 'Israel is always right' mentality — was branded an anti-Semite and a traitor. Dissent was muffled and propaganda was rampant."

12-17-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXIV
Judge postpones hearing on Schiavo law "A judge agreed on Wednesday to postpone an initial hearing on the constitutionality of a law keeping a severely brain-damaged woman alive, even as the attorney for the woman's husband accused Gov. Jeb Bush of needlessly delaying the case."

Terri's website

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

12-16-03 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 3

U.S. forces kill 11 insurgents; pro-Saddam rallies turn violent "U.S. forces killed 11 Iraqi insurgents who ambushed their patrol in the northern Iraqi town of Samarra, a military spokesman said. Meanwhile, an American soldier was wounded and two Iraqis were killed as Saddam Hussein loyalists clashed with U.S. troops and Iraqi police in Ramadi. "

(Real News 24/7: The question that these incidents raise above all others is whether they represent the last feeble Iraqi retaliations or hint at a smoldering resentment that will continue to put American troops at risk. Speculation is already being raised about possible attempts by pro-Saddam guerillas to take hostages in an effort to gain his freedom.)

12-16-03
Israeli security chief: Iran is "No. 1 terror nation" "Iran is the world's 'No. 1 terror nation' and is plotting relentlessly to attack Israeli targets, the head of Israel's Shin Bet security service said Tuesday, calling on Western nations to restrain Tehran." (Real News 24/7: Make a mental note of this, coming on the heels of Saddam's capture, because we may well be hearing much more of the same in the months ahead, prepping us to accept the next phase of the "War on Terror." Of course, when we hear it from the White House or Senate floor, the emphasis will be on Iran having weapons of mass destruction or links to terrorist networks and not so much the "danger to Israel" slant.)

12-16-03
GOP is now the "fraternal twin" of left-wing socialist Democrats "Rep. Ron Paul correctly pointed out: "With Republicans controlling the administration and the legislature, and nominally controlling the Supreme Court, the party has run out of other people to blame. One thing is certain: Republicans who support bigger entitlement programs and bigger federal budgets have lost all credibility as advocates for limited government."

12-16-03
FDA to debate morning-after prescription
"Medical and women's groups are asking the government to allow a morning-after pill to sell without a prescription, saying easier access could prevent more than a million unplanned pregnancies and hundreds of thousands of abortions every year. "(Real News 24/7: The so-called morning-after pill is, in reality, an abortion pill. That the FDA approved it and now is considering making it readily available, while threatening to take away Americans' ability to buy supplements, is all the more reason to eliminate this un-Constitutional agency.)

12-16-03
Considering computer voting "The industry insists that its systems are secure and trustworthy, with or without paper. Harris Miller, who leads a new trade association for the industry, said that the group had no position in favor or against paper trails, but dismissed the issue as a "theological debate within the academic community." Mr. Miller, who is also president of the Information Technology Association of America, called some opponents of electronic voting 'black helicopter theorists' and Luddites who 'want to go back to the bad old days' of stuffed ballot boxes and chad wars. "(Real News 24/7: Leave it to The New York Times to miss the point: Paper trails aren't the whole story, because there is no way of telling just from a paper trail if there is an accurate tabulation of the votes. We must insist on software inspection and verification! By ridiculing those seeking honest elections makes him suspect, Miller is essentially pooh-poohing the idea that electronic voting machines are uniquely useful for those seeking to those seeking election fraud, despite the fact that many computer experts are on record warning of exactly that, since the software is beyond public scrutiny.)

12-16-03 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day LXIII
Terri Schiavo's family wants investigation of possible physical abuse "The family of Terri Schiavo is again asking Florida state attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate allegations that Terri Schiavo may have collapsed as a result of physical abuse from her estranged husband Michael rather than a potassium imbalance, as previously thought."

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family

Postings: 1st—15th

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