buffycat

Oh good grief - no one is going to nuke Israel! That would be a really really stupid thing to do, given she has nuclear weapons herself, and has said she has NO problem bringing the world down with her. Unless some odd group wants armaggedon (Xtain fundies?) I can't see Iran being that dumb. Israel, on the other hand, loves to provoke - so she might just take a little stab at Iran's energy sites. If she does, I wonder what Russia and China will think? (Oh not to mention India). Who is calling to wipe who out again? *shaking me head*

Israeli army gets green light for Gaza ground ops I haven't vetted this with an Israeli source, but it seems the slaughter is on. I hope and pray that few are lost on both sides of this mutually dispicable act. Oh, and I will also point out that the above article has some errors wrt the dead Palestinian civilians - but hey it's CNN!

What ticks me off most about GW is how it totally distracts from far more dangerous problems that we actually CAN DO something about. Climate change is the NORMAL state of things on this planet. Our influence is debatable - meanwhile - our waters are being polluted by a myriad of nasty things (estrogens, drugs, dioxins, mercury etc etc), our oceans are adrift in plastic, our home are making us sick, our food supply is beyond questionable. But ohhhhhhh! The Global Warming Demon is going to destroy us all - so we all better ante up all our dollars for increased taxes to to to.. yeah uh control an aspect of the planet we know NOTHING about. Great! Sign me up

Yes I would agree - though I would also add that sometimes in these confrontations the protestors are clearly agent provacateurs, set there to disrupt. Age old tactic that. We should always keep it in the back of our minds - for all cases such as this. Problem - reaction - solution! IOW when the ptb want something they know the 'public' won't swallow willingly, tactics can be applied to create a culture of fear - then pretty much anything goes - along with all your rights. So - cui bono from such violence at protests? (sorry I know I'm off topic a tad)

Thank you Higgly, I saw this post this am and have only now had some time to devote to the forum - you took the words right out of my mouth. This is something which is often overlooked - the relatives sizes of the populations and the arable lands plus water supplies available. The overwhelming number of refugees driven out of their homes - either by gunpoint or sheer terror were huge in terms of the host populations, who were, as you so well point out, not in a position of 'wealth' either. Your comparison to 6,000,000 coming into Canada in a short space of time is a good one. It reminded me of Germany in the eighties. What else can a country do other than to set up camps, when an inundation of such a magnitude occurs? (I do realise the difference between Germany and Lebanon though wrt the ethnicity of the individuals involved - it just made me remember that situation as I was living there at the time and it was a difficult one - wrought with many opinions) Ta for the great post - you saved me time!

You know, think about it - it's not even been 100 years since women got the vote here in the so-called morally superior 'west'. Perhaps if the 'west' didn't mess with other's nations through various nefarious means women today in Iran would enjoy far more 'civilised' rights. I would bet, if we were to play the "what-if" game, that had we left Mossadeq to pursue his secular ideals Iran would be a very different country today. But so much for unintended consequences eh? Oh, and another thing which may be a bit off topic - let's take a gander at present day Iraq. You know the bastion of freedom and democracy - liberated by the oh so noble UK and US! Funny how women there now are afraid to leave their homes, have had their independence taken from them. But nah - it's all cushy and free according to the mantra of the Bush. Iraq was once a county whose where women outnumbered men in the universities, where a woman chose whether she wore the hajib or not, certainly not nearly as terrible as what happens in Saudi Arabia's, our ally, jurisidiction! And of no comparison to the hell hole that this soveriegn nation was turned into. Anyhows, yeah women haven't got it so great in Iran - not really a point of argument - but let's put it in context: The term is "Blowback".

on that note -- I found this website... If Americans Knew It's a good site Drea. Have you read this: The Jews of Iraq by Naeim Giladi "I write this article for the same reason I wrote my book: to tell the American people, and especially American Jews, that Jews from Islamic lands did not emigrate willingly to Israel; that, to force them to leave, Jews killed Jews; and that, to buy time to confiscate ever more Arab lands, Jews on numerous occasions rejected genuine peace initiatives from their Arab neighbors. I write about what the first prime minister of Israel called "cruel Zionism." I write about it because I was part of it. " It is a very interesting read and gives insights to a part of the history of Israel that many Jews seem to want to either forget or dismiss outright. WRT: "People who are the most critical of Israel often seem uncomfortable discussing the hundreds of thousands of Jews driven out of the Arab world for some reason. " I don't think anyone is uncomfortable discussing this. Certainly it did happen as there was much resentment of so many European Jews being settled in British Mandate Palestine and then in the UN created state of Israel - they saw the native populations being driven off their ancestral lands, villages litterly wiped off the map to make way for these 'foreigners'. So, yes it did happen - but not all of it was simple Arab against Jew 'hatred' which is so often declared the reason - much of it was encouraged to bolster the Jewish populations of the newly founded Israel. It is quite clear that Zionism dearly needs to encourage anti-semitic actions in order to justify its own existance.

Just thought I would add another piece wrt who exactly this Fatah Al'Islam group are: "In an interview on CNN International's Your World Today, veteran journalist Seymour Hersh explains that the current violence in Lebanon is the result of an attempt by the Lebanese government to crack down on a militant Sunni group, Fatah al-Islam, that it formerly supported. Last March, Hersh reported that American policy in the Middle East had shifted to opposing Iran, Syria, and their Shia allies at any cost, even if it meant backing hardline Sunni jihadists. A key element of this policy shift was an agreement among Vice President Dick Cheney, Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi national security adviser, whereby the Saudis would covertly fund the Sunni Farah al-Islam in Lebanon as a counterweight to the Shia Hezbollah." LINK Interesting, again I ask: CAN ANYONE SAY BLOWBACK???? I mean really what does anyone expect? Who benefits from this? Certainly NOT the Palestinians, NOT the Lebanese PEOPLE...so who?? Nice diversion though, too bad it's backfiring. And as for those here saying 'why don't the Palistinians just go home' Newsflash: BECAUSE Israel won't allow it!! sheesh.

Did you read any of the posted articles? Do you know who is fighting who and where? Do you know anything chilipeppers? Some things that happen are rather convenient - and often not as random as you might want to think. Oh and this has little to do with Hamas as we are talking about a 'new' radical group whose affiliations are questionable at best, admittedly also not related to 'Hamas'. It would do you justice if you actually stuck to the topic at hand - it know it's hard - but you could try reading all the posted material!

Uh, I lived there. Had many friends quite active in their own temples. Not too many musty halls, most quite active places I would say. In fact, emigration out of Israel to Germany has been climbing recently! I know many of my friends there who hold Israeli citizenship as well have no intention of moving. Some have flirted with spending a year of two, but all have returned. When were you last there?

Here is something interesting in this whole murky pot: "To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda." Snip "The policy shift has brought Saudi Arabia and Israel into a new strategic embrace, largely because both countries see Iran as an existential threat. They have been involved in direct talks, and the Saudis, who believe that greater stability in Israel and Palestine will give Iran less leverage in the region, have become more involved in Arab-Israeli negotiations." snip "Alastair Crooke, who spent nearly thirty years in MI6, the British intelligence service, and now works for Conflicts Forum, a think tank in Beirut, told me, “The Lebanese government is opening space for these people to come in. It could be very dangerous.” Crooke said that one Sunni extremist group, Fatah al-Islam, had splintered from its pro-Syrian parent group, Fatah al-Intifada, in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, in northern Lebanon. Its membership at the time was less than two hundred. “I was told that within twenty-four hours they were being offered weapons and money by people presenting themselves as representatives of the Lebanese government’s interests—presumably to take on Hezbollah,” Crooke said." from: The Redirection by Seymour M. Hersh The NewYorker Pretty good article wrt all the nasty players in these dangerous game they play with others' lives. And don't kid yourselves - Israel is involved - as much as the US, Saudis, Syria and the whole darn lot. Can anyone say 'Blowback'!? (edited for url title )

No one here has blamed Israel either - only you bring that up! Typical - no surprise there. Though - hey since you do - where is this all taking place Scribblet? In a Palestinian REFUGEE Camp!! From your BBC link: "Lebanon is home to more than 350,000 Palestinian refugees, many of whom fled or left their homes when Israel was created in 1948." So as you do see it is certainly ALL connected. Here is another piece from the Turkish Press: Palestinian Factions in Talks to End Lebanon Violence excerpt: Ziki said the Fatah al-Islam, which is accused of links to Al-Qaeda, was a "strange phenomenon" and that many of its members were not Palestinian. *** This seems to be an odd group - and its also uncertain exactly where they came from and who is funding this. Lots of speculation and very little real facts. I would not rule out black ops by various groups or states. All of that aside, I do hope that this can be settled without harm to those who are forced to live in these squalid camps and are truly innocent of any kind of wrongdoing. Still though, I stand by the convenience of this occuring at the same time as other actions, such as the Gaza situation among others. CUI BONO??

I find the timing of this very suspect - right at the time the full Winograd report is due, just in time to divert eyes from the genocide continuing in Occupied Palestine - and to top it off - these never before heard of militants are linked to Al'Queda!! VERY convenient indeed! Follow the money and ask WHO benefits from all this - HINT: it is NOT the Palestinians NOR the Lebanese. Though, I imagine that Scribblet is just wetting her pants with delight!

I think you're onto something here!! Though I think that our dear pal Israel needs to be included into this list of patrons! With the latest (VERY convenient) Al'CIAduh related militants inciting fighting in Lebanon, one must ask the question: WHO benefits? It's oh so very nice of Al'CIAduh to appear exactly when needed! How lovely of a diversion to take the sheepies eyes off of Olmert, Bush et al - and concentrate them on the biggest boogey man of all time! Boo!!

I would agree that honour killings ar mostly more cultural than defined by any one religion. However, that all three monotheistic religions are also patriarchial is no coincidence. To associate it blindly with only Islam (which IMO does not exactly condone such activity) is blind bigotry to say the least. Does it happen? Sure, but that does not explain why it also occurs in other populations not under Islamic doctorines. While I usually don't use this site, it did have a pretty concise page on honour killings and how they are more cultural than indicitative of religious beliefs: http://www.answers.com/honour%20killing

Hi runningdog, I agree wholeheartedly with your above sentiments - especially the consolidation of media ownership not just in Canada but worldwide. If you don't have an independent press you have lost freedom of thought - it becomes exactly as you say - the media telling people what to think, as opposed to people learning to think on their own - ie critical thinking, questioning. I don't watch alot of tv news, but when I am visiting my father he usually has one of the news networks droning on in the background. I am always astounded by the endless repetition of thrity second sound bites that have little to do with context of the greater situation. It's mindboggling how many inaccuracies and outright lies of ommission are committed in a four minute blub by some bubbleheaded chick with more make up that Crusty the Clown - yech. Anyways, cheers - it's nice to see there are some Canadians who do have their critical thinking hat still firmly attached to their noggins!!

I'd say more studies would certainly have to be done, but it would be criminal to refrain from exploring it further. It is a miracle cure for nausea, though. I swear by it whenever I get stomach flu. Hi BubberMiley, Here is an interesting study you may find rather insightful: Cannabinoids: Potential Anticancer Agents Cannabinoids — the active components of Cannabis sativa and their derivatives — exert palliative effects in cancer patients by preventing nausea, vomiting and pain and by stimulating appetite. In addition, these compounds have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumour cells in culture and animal models by modulating key cell-signalling pathways. Cannabinoids are usually well tolerated, and do not produce the generalized toxic effects of conventional chemotherapies. So, could cannabinoids be used to develop new anticancer therapies? *** There are MANY studies already. The problem is the monopoly establishment of very powerful Pharmaceutical companies, at least in part. Historically speaking many industries were on the bandwagon to see hemp and her sisters prohibited for their own monopolistic reasons - Hearst and his paper empire and well as Dupont come to mind. I don't imagine their modern counterparts in both lumber and chemicals are eager to see Hemp reintroduced and its use normalized any more than the Pharma or oil industry does. Then of course their is the windfall of dollars distributed to police forces all over the country (esp. in the US) earmarked solely for the War on (some) Drugs. In turn, if a community really had no big drug problem - they didn't get funds! So, hey why not encourage one then cash in? You can read some great testimonials and related articles wrt the Drug War here: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Anyways, enjoy and if I can digg up some others I will.

Concerning the translation of the Mickey video - there certainly does seem to be some problems. (Sort of reminds me of the yellow patch thing with Iran a while back - which of course was BS). Here, from the Guardian: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_...under_fire.html "Though Memri claims to be "independent" and maintains that it does not "advocate causes or take sides", it is run by Yigal Carmon, a former colonel in Israeli military intelligence. Carmon's partner in setting up Memri was Meyrav Wurmser who in 1996 was one of the authors of the now-infamous "Clean Break" document which proposed reshaping Israel's "strategic environment" in the Middle East, starting with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein." The author of the piece above makes some very good points about MEMRI, whose track record and bias is quite well known. Another shorter piece wrt this whole exercise in blatent propoganda is here: "Horrifying news from Palestine - a Hamas Mickey Mouse is telling Palestinian kids to "annihilate Jews"! Or not. In fact - after running on a wide range of media, few of whom I suspect will bother to correct their story - this story was independently quickly exposed by several sources, such as Angry Arab, Ali Alarabi, and Brian Whitaker; MEMRI (the Israeli secret services-linked outlet that provided it) made the mistake of providing a video allowing any Arabic-speaker to confirm their mistranslations. With just a bit of spin, the kids' show in question was turned from merely propagandistic to verging on Bond-villain-esque: * nqāwim, "we will resist", is rendered as "we will fight"; * biṭuxxūnā l-yahūd "the Jews shoot us", is rendered as "we will kill the Jews" (!); * 'astašhid "I will be a martyr" as "I will commit martyrdom" (I don't think that's even an English expression, but never mind); * 'ustāđiyyat al-`ālam, literally "professorship of the world" (in context, they clearly mean being at the intellectual forefront of the world), is rendered as "masters of the world". When challenged on the translation of "biṭuxxūna l-yahūd", the ex-colonel in Israeli military intelligence who runs MEMRI, Yigal Carmon, apparently resorted to insisting that because "yahūd" (Jews) comes at the end, it must somehow be the object! ("Even someone who doesn't know Arabic would listen to the tape and would hear the word 'Jews' is at the end, and also it means it is something to be done to the Jews, not by the Jews.") It is rather difficult to imagine someone running an organisation dedicated to translating Arabic being unaware that subjects in Arabic commonly follow the verb (especially when a pronominal object suffix (-nā "us") is present, as here)."

Well BC, I would say that your dear leader, Bush is already the leader of Prison Planet - since the US leads the world in incarcerated individuals - not counting those in secret jails or the other US torture facilities!! On another note, here's a link with a nicely assembled group of Ron Paul's writings - this is for those who are actually interested in the man (NOT Bush_Cheney's rhetoric)! http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul-arch.html

Can you prove this? Or is it just more BS? Can you in any way discuss this issue without being rude and resorting to name calling and pigeonholing others? Or is that you only method? Still waiting for proof of this lie Argus. I imagine my quilt will be done by the time you find it. BTW - did you actually read the article in the OP? Did you read the JPost article about resettling by Shin Bet of Palestinian collaborators? Do you have anything to say about the topic here? Ho hum... I guess I'll grab another square and start sewing.

Sadly this is not an isolated case. There are often mock terror drills and the children are not always informed. What in the world do they wish to accomplish? Do the wish to turn a generation of kids into mindless bots living in fear of authority? It is sick - yet will anyone be held accountable? Will anything change?

http://www.house.gov/paul/ Read all about him. I've been keeping my eye on him and enjoying his straight talking articles for some time, as I said before - he is very refreshing.

Can you prove this? Or is it just more BS? Can you in any way discuss this issue without being rude and resorting to name calling and pigeonholing others? Or is that you only method?

Yeah I saw this. You can bet your bottom dollar this story is not going to get much airplay. Neither the ones pertaining to the new land grab in East Jerusalem and forced evictions of both Christian and Muslim Palestinians. Behaviour such as that above wrt Lod speakes volumes about how hate is clearly alive and well in Israel, just as much as in the Occupied Territories. It's really sad. I read on another forum that Lod is apparantly one of the towns in which Arab collaborators are moved to from the West Bank. Here's an article from Jpost: Thanks for your cooperation Interesting.

Actually Ron Paul is an honourable old school conservative republican - a rare and endangered species to say the least. He is by no means a neo-liberal or neo-con. He is candid, and that is so refreshing wrt politicians. I certainly wish him all the luck. Let's hope the controlled msm give him more airtime (though it could be dangerous to do so since it might result in Amerukuns thinking!).