President Bush's Radio Address to the Nation for June 17

To: National Desk

Contact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2580

WASHINGTON, June 17 /U.S. Newswire/ --Following is the text of President Bush's radio address to the nation today:

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Earlier this week, I traveled to Baghdad to visit the capital of a free and democratic Iraq. It was an incredible feeling to stand in the cockpit of Air Force One and watch the pilot steer us in toward Baghdad.

After we landed, I had the pleasure of meeting with our dedicated embassy staff and intelligence officers serving far from home under dangerous circumstances. And I was honored to meet with some of our troops, including those responsible for bringing justice to the terrorist Zarqawi. It was a privilege to shake their hands, look them in the eye, and tell them how much the American people appreciate their daily courage, and how much we appreciate the sacrifices that they and their families are making.

On my trip, I also met with the new Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, and I was able to see firsthand his strong character and his determination to succeed. We held a joint meeting of our two Cabinets, with members of my Cabinet participating by video teleconference from Camp David. The Prime Minister briefed us on his plan to take immediate steps in three key areas: improving security, building up Iraq's economy so Iraqis can see real progress in their lives, and reaching out to the international community to secure support for Iraq's new government. Then we discussed how my administration can help the Prime Minister accomplish these vital objectives.

His top priority is securing Baghdad, so Coalition and Iraqi forces have launched Operation Together Forward, a joint effort to restore security and the rule of law to high-risk areas of the city. To help the Prime Minister improve security, we will continue embedding Coalition transition teams in Iraqi army and police units, and we will help the new Iraqi Ministers of Defense and Interior improve their command and control, root out corruption, and investigate and punish human rights violations. We will also support the Prime Minister as he works to rein in illegal militias, build a judicial system that will provide equal justice to all, and promote reconciliation among the Iraqi people.

To aid the Prime Minister in revitalizing Iraq's economy, we will send additional experts to help the Iraqi government develop an economic framework that will promote job creation and opportunity for all Iraqis. We will also help the Prime Minister increase oil and electricity production by working together on ways to protect key infrastructure from attacks, and to quickly restore oil and electricity production when attacks do occur.

Finally, America will help the Prime Minister engage the international community in Iraq's success. We will encourage other nations to fulfill the monetary pledges they have already made to help the new Iraqi government succeed. We will also support the Prime Minister's efforts to forge a new international compact. Under this compact, Iraq will take a series of steps in the political, economic, and security areas, and in return, the international community will provide Iraq with more robust political and economic support.

During my trip, I was impressed with the Prime Minister, the team he has assembled, and the plan he has set for his government. I appreciate his determination, and the determination of his Cabinet, to make his agenda work. I told them that the future of Iraq is in their hands. And I told them that America is a nation that keeps its word, and America will stand with them as we work toward our shared goal: a free Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself. By seizing this moment of opportunity, we will defeat our common enemies and build a lasting democracy in the heart of the Middle East, and that will make Americans, Iraqis, and the world more secure.

I traveled to Baghdad to personally show our Nation's commitment to a free Iraq, because it is vital for the Iraqi people to know with certainty that America will not abandon them after we have come this far. The challenges that remain in Iraq are serious. We face determined enemies who remain intent on killing the innocent, and defeating these enemies will require more sacrifice and the continued patience of our country. But our efforts in Iraq are well worth it, the mission is necessary for the security of our country, and we will succeed.
Thank you for listening.

END

http://www.usnewswire.com

L o r d (S a y y i d) M u s a Q a s s e m

(1853-1934)

Born in 1853; graduate from the Istanbul School of Administration; held many administrative positions (among others district Governor of Yemen, 1908) in the Ottoman Empire from which he retired on the eve of World War I; appointed mayor of Jerusalem (March 1918), but removed by the British for opposing their pro-Zionist policies in April 1920; leading figure in the Jerusalem branch of the MCA in 1919; from then until his death he led the Palestinian national movement; leader and spokesperson of the opposition to the British Mandate; belonged to the pro-Husseini majlesiyoun faction; elected representative of Jerusalem to the 3rd (December 1920, Haifa), 5th (August 1922, Nablus), 6th (June 1923, Jaffa) and 7th (June 1928) Congress of the Arab Executive Committee; elected president of the Arab Executive Committee at the 3rd Congress in Haifa, 14 Dec. 1920 and held this position until 1928; head and member of the Palestinian Delegations to London in the 1920-30s; leader of the demonstration protesting Zionist mass immigration in Jaffa, 27 October 1933 where he was injured, hastening his death on March 27, 1934; father of Abd al-Qader al-Husseini.

More Information

P h o t o s

Guantanamo Bay: Murder or Suicide?

Ali Abdullah Ahmed, Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi and Yassar Talal al-Zahrani all found dead in their cells at Guantanamo Bay a week ago.

"I am confident my son did not commit suicide.
The story of the US administration is a lie"

Talal al-Zahrani, deceased detainee's father

The Holy Quran Teaches Compassion

Members of both the Muslim and Hindu communities at Ishrampur village in Sadar upazila, Gaibandha have extended their helping hands to rebuild a flood damaged road leading to a crematory recently. PHOTO: STAR (February 03, 2005)

Not equal are those Believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah has granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah has granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in faith) Allah has promised good: but those who strive and fight He has distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward. Ranks specially bestowed by Him and Forgiveness and Mercy. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [4: 95, 96]

By Housewife4Palestine

I happened to be reading this from the Quran this morning and I have wondered many times where non-Muslims get the idea that Muslims wish them harm or destruction in any manner. If someone has not full understanding of the Quran like for example someone learning Judaism or Christianity may have misunderstanding in behalf of these religions. The reason I choose those example’s is they teach like Islam, to fight against evil, not to murder people but those things that are apart of shaytaan (Satan).

If I remember the Christians theology, it speaks of repelling evil and doing good and to the extend of staying away so to speak of evil things in their life and to do good and help other’s; this same element which could very probably be the core element of misunderstanding in the West with the thinking that Muslim’s have disregard for others. This is not so, actually just the opposite.

It has been written numerous times that some of the men who have never been charged at Guantanamo Bay, where arrested when they were on charity mission’s, not unlike the Christian Missionaries of the West. One thing that is very strong in Islam is to help other’s no matter who they are, to relieve the distressed or help the poor, just to name two items.

Or just the simple act of helping an elderly person cross the street, not unlike how the American Boy Scott’s used to be seen.

Bring out the Violins: Marines Defend Why Haditha Massacre

Combat stress takes a toll


Sgt. Juan Morales lays down a barrage of gunfire to cover his fellow Marines during a firefight in Ramadi, Iraq, in May. Photo by Samuel C. Peterson, U.S. Navy

As the 1st Marine Division moved across the desert into Iraq on March 19, 2003, each of the 25,000 leathernecks got a letter from their commander.

Although Maj. Gen. James Mattis was known as a tough, blunt warrior - he'd later say at a panel discussion in San Diego that "it's fun to shoot some people" - he told his troops to treat civilian non-combatants with "chivalry and soldierly compassion."

"Engage your brain," he instructed, "before you engage your weapon."

If only it were that easy.

Three years later, the Marines face an allegation that, if proved, would constitute one of the worst scandals in their history: that members of a squad killed as many as two dozen civilians last year in the city of Haditha in retaliation for a roadside bombing that killed one Marine. The military is still investigating the Haditha case and the possibility of a coverup. There are two contrasting, if not contradictory, versions of what happened Nov. 19 in the city on the Euphrates River in rebellious Anbar province.

Iraqi civilians have described a massacre in which a squad of angry Marines - from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines - deliberately killed innocent, unarmed civilians, some of them children and some of them elderly.

Lawyers for several Marines under suspicion say the killings were justifiable under rules of engagement that allow Marines to storm buildings apparently occupied by insurgents.

Considering the situation in Iraq - 140,000 U.S. troops engaged for three years in a fight against a relentless, faceless, ruthless guerrilla insurgency - military experts say the question is not whether such a violent encounter between troops and civilians can happen, but when.

"If you have so many people with so much power under so much stress, something's going to happen," says Maj. Peter Kilner, an infantry officer who teaches military ethics at West Point. "You can have a good war, and bad things are still going to happen."

Charles Figley, a Florida State University psychologist who has surveyed Vietnam War veterans about war crimes, says the only thing that surprised him about the Haditha reports was "that anyone was surprised. This is what happens in war."

Particularly when it's fought in what Marine Cpl. Michael Compton, writing by e-mail from Ramadi, calls "the most dangerous place in the world. ... The threat is all around you."

As a result, says Mike Harmon, an Army medic who served in Iraq, "There's a lot of little things that are never reported, like civilians getting slapped around, sticking rifles in their faces. Some people get off on that kind of power."

Regardless of the pressures American troops face, President Bush made it clear Wednesday that no quick end to U.S. involvement is likely. "If we stand down too soon, it won't enable us to achieve our objectives," the president said one day after a surprise trip to Iraq. Bush also said that any expectation of "zero violence" in Iraq was unreasonable. "That's not going to happen," he added.

Kilner says that no matter what happened at Haditha, U.S. troops in Iraq are the best trained and most humane ever fielded by a major power.

It's a point of pride among men like 2nd Lt. John Warren, a Marine serving in Ramadi: "My unit has been in what is referred to as 'the worst city in Iraq' for three months. They have been in countless combat engagements and have yet to receive a day off. Even in these conditions, I have yet to see one Marine come close to snapping."

Some observations differ.

"I have seen the best of friends fight, and even draw knives on each other, when you know that they don't really mean it," says Compton, the Marine corporal. "It's just the high stress of being in a place where people are trying to kill you every day."

Marine Lance Cpl. Mike Young restates the issue: "Do we come close to snapping? In our own little personal life we've built within the confines of our bases, yes. The key is, turn off all of those feelings and hostilities when you gear up and head out the door on patrol."

Marines are trained to deal with combat stress before they snap and turn on civilians. But Compton says "there really is no way of training for it. This is a fight for your life. Your body will compensate accordingly by making you more alert, edgy, and particularly short-tempered than you have ever been."

Fear 'you could be next'
Iraq has been a particularly stressful war for American troops. The insurgents wage a vicious urban guerrilla war with no lines and no rules. A cellphone can be a weapon. A child can be a lookout. Air support is of little or no use. The enemy hides in sacred buildings, uses civilians as shields and occasionally commits suicide to kill Americans.

"The threat is all around you," Compton says. "It could be one of the hundreds of windows facing your direction. ... Every window, every piece of trash, every person that looks at you twice, is a possible threat."

Even being on base doesn't guarantee safety. In December 2004, a suicide bomber slipped into the mess tent at a U.S. base in Mosul and blew himself up, killing 14 U.S. servicemen and four contractors.

As a result, soldiers are under constant stress - "always on your toes, 24/7," says Harmon, the medic. "You're eating dinner and there's an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) overhead. You're sleeping with mortars going off in the background. There's the constant fear you could be next."

The anxiety is compounded by frustration. "A Marine may go a week or more without ever seeing an actual insurgent," Warren says. "They may get hit with an IED or shot at by a sniper, but even this does not guarantee them a chance for a face-to-face with their assailant. The insurgents simply refuse to come out to play."

One result is an odd nostalgia for "conventional war," even though that included such hells-on-earth as the battle of Okinawa, where in 1945 the United States lost five times as many fighters in 2½ months as it has in Iraq in more than three years.

"In conventional war you have a uniformed enemy, and they fight head on," Compton says. "There is no question about who to kill and who is innocent. The choice is clear, and the fog of war is not nearly as thick."

Kilner, the West Point instructor, understands. "It was more comforting when you could say, 'See that tree line? That's the Germans.' It's the randomness of death in Iraq that's so hard to take."

The chivalry to which Mattis referred in 2003 requires appreciative or at least cooperative recipients. U.S. troops, however, are increasingly estranged from what they view as an apathetic or hostile Iraqi citizenry.

The enemy could be anyone. The translator could be a spy, the base food vendor could be marking off mortar measurements. "You hear it all the time," Kilner says. "You don't know who you can trust."

Insurgent hotbeds - like one near the city of Baqouba that Harmon's unit called "RPG Alley" - are the worst. "The kids were OK, but the adults were two-faced," Harmon says. "They'd say 'We love the U.S.,' and later they'd throw rocks at us."

He was at a checkpoint when an Iraqi woman got out of a car and pulled a gun from under her clothing. "They put her down," he says of the Army machine gunners. "After that you think, 'Anything's possible.'

" The mistrust is the result of civilian casualties, resentment of outside occupiers, the isolation of U.S. troops on their bases. Above all, it's the result of insurgents trying to drive a wedge between the Iraqis and their would-be liberators. The insurgents dress like, and hide among, civilians. When attacked, the Americans usually err on the side of protecting Americans.

'Don't trust these Hajis' "We engage enemy fire with overwhelming force," says Geoffrey Millard, a sergeant in the Army National Guard who finished an Iraq tour last year. "If you take fire, the procedure is to use the .50 caliber (machine gun) to lay down suppressive fire in the direction the shots came from. It puts soldiers in an impossible position, because if you don't fire back, you're asking to be fired on again."

He adds: "There's a dehumanizing factor. The Iraqis are called Hajis (by U.S. forces), as in 'Don't trust these Hajis.' Usually the f-word precedes it."

Other factors add to the stress:

• The tours pile up. In Vietnam, most soldiers served only one tour. In Iraq, many already have served two or three. The 3rd Marine battalion, whose men were at Haditha, is on its third tour in as many years (although not all its members are).

"Some of the guys have to go three times, and that gets them down," says Cpl. Dmitry Barkon, a scout sniper who has served in Iraq twice and is now at the Marine base at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

"People say, 'We want to go back,' but that kind of service can be psychologically debilitating," leaving troops more jaded, says Aine Donovan, who taught ethics at the Naval Academy for five years.

If they have killed in combat, Kilner wrote in a research paper last year, soldiers are even more likely to suffer from stress-related symptoms such as violent outbursts, nightmares and alcohol abuse.

"The bigwigs are stretching these guys," Harmon says. After several tours, some soldiers "get desensitized to other people. You just don't care."

Repeated absences lead to problems at home, he says. "Your mind is not on the mission. That can get you killed."

• 
  A brutal climate. Iraq is hot, dry and dusty enough to make some long for Vietnam.

"I can't say it's worse than Vietnam - I wasn't there," Millard says. "But it has all the negatives of Vietnam, plus some more. If you've never been in a desert sandstorm, you don't know bad weather or bad terrain."

• The allure of drugs. Mike Young, the lance corporal, says he deals with the stress of Iraq by strumming a beat-up guitar, working out at the gym and "smoking a lot of Newports."

Others cope by using drugs, Millard says. Part of the problem is boredom. "In Vietnam, you could at least go to Saigon and have a beer," he says. "In Iraq, the Americans don't leave the base unless they're on a mission."

Millard says some troops use amphetamines to keep alert. "Imagine driving around on patrol for 24 hours in 130 degree heat with no air conditioning."

• A dual mission: soldiers or cops? In a counterinsurgency, soldiers must act as police and warriors. Most Marines are trained as the latter.

Balancing those two roles is stressful.

"The complexity of the battlefield is incredibly difficult," Kilner says. "One part of the patrol will be involved in high-intensity fighting while another part is still handing out soccer balls."

Take a sniper. Soldiers go after him and try to kill him. Police, on the other hand, are most concerned about protecting civilians and will wait the sniper out if that's safest. Kilner says, "The Iraqis now expect us to act more like police."

• The objective seems like a mirage. Once a war's goal seems unclear or unreachable, morale sinks and stress rises.

"What makes being a soldier great is the nobility of it - good fighting evil," Kilner says. "If you lose that, all this sacrifice is for no good reason."

Kilner, who organizes online discussion forums for Army field officers, says he recently got an e-mail from an airborne unit commander who said he feared "some of our soldiers are marking time until that inevitable IED or sniper round finds them."

In Ramadi, Compton feels the Marines are fighting "a largely defensive battle, causing us to react rather than act."

Warren says it's difficult to measure progress in the war without yardsticks like territory seized or enemy soldiers killed.

"Soldiers need to see progress," Kilner says. "They can put up with anything if they can see progress."

In the absence of purpose or progress, according to Florida State's Figley, the unit focuses not on its mission but its own preservation - because "no one cares except my buddies."

When one of those buddies is lost - as happened in Kilo Company - the reaction can be extreme and irrational, he says.

By Kimberly Johnson and Rick Hampson, USA TODAY Hampson reported from New York. Contributing: Erica Solvig of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif. -2006

How Far Will We Go in the Name of Security?

The Road to Guantanamo



Winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross' THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO is the terrifying first-hand account of three British citizens who were held for two years without charges in the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Known as the "Tipton Three," in reference to their home town in Britain, the three were eventually returned to Britain and released, still having had no formal charges ever made against them at any time during their ordeal. Their terrifying first hand account is documented in the June 23rd release THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO.

Part documentary, part dramatization, the film chronicles the sequence of events that led from the trio setting out from Tipton in the British Midlands for a wedding in Pakistan, to their crossing the Afghanistan border just as the U.S. began its bombing campaign, to their eventual capture by the Northern Alliance and their imprisonment in Camp X-Ray and later at Camp Delta in Guantanamo.

The Tipton Three

Treatment of detainees at the U.S. military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been the subject of news reports and international political debates. Now it's the subject of a provocative British docudrama.

The Road to Guantanamo concentrates on the stories of three young British men who were held in the camp for two years. They were never charged, and were eventually released. The film, by noted director Michael Winterbottom, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, where it won one of the top prizes. (Quote from NPR)

The Road to Guantanamo Exclusive Clip for Huffington Post

The Road to Guantanamo Web site

Scheduled to come out in American Theatres, June 23, 2006.

Update:

The film was to be in theatre’s and as far as I know never showed up in the area’s that I spoke to the box office’s, so I do not know what happened unless the American film industry felt they would have a problem if the movie was shown to the American public?

To Live as a Traveler

Live in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveler.
[Bukhari]

The Greatest Mouse on Earth

Thank You, Walt Disney!


1955-1959, the grandest program to hit American air ways was the Original Mickey Mouse Club. Everyone just had to have the chance to join this lustrous club and own a pair of those famous ears.

What some people may not remember, the Mickey Mouse Club lasted in syndication to almost 1970 in some area’s.

I am guilty to say, I was one of them and my husband to this day; along with myself still has a smile and a memento to never forget a simple little mouse that became dear to most everyone’s heart.

Original Cast:
ºoº Sharon Baird ºoº Bobby Burgess ºoº Lonnie Burr ºoº Tommy Cole ºoº Annette Funicello ºoº Darlene Gillespie ºoº Cubby O'Brien ºoº Karen Pendelton ºoº Doreen Tracey

Very few mice of this caliber ever became as world famous as Mickey Mouse, I do not know of any part of the world that doesn’t know his name.

The Days of the Week

Monday - Fun With Music Day

Tuesday - Guest Star Day

Wednesday - Anything Can Happen Day

Thursday - Circus Day

Friday - Talent Round-Up Day

Presenting The Very First Mickey Mouse Movie:

Steamboat Willie

The main reason I think this program went over so well, it was clean wholesome entertainment for the whole family and like they use to say, “You can’t get pregnant from watching this!”

Aftermath of an IED in Iraq

IED Attacks on Coalition Forces

June 16, 2006

Above is just a sample of the after effects of an IED blast.

For further photograph’s very graciously supplied by the American military, please click here.

Israeli Missile Attack Blows Truce

Israel kills 1 in Gaza strike, Hamas rejects truce


A crowd inspects a destroyed car after it was hit by an Israeli missile in the Gaza Strip June 16, 2006. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) -An Israeli air strike in Gaza killed a Palestinian militant on Friday in an attack that came hours after Hamas militants stepped back from a Palestinian government offer to renew a ceasefire with Israel.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said the strike targeted Islamic Jihad militants who were responsible for firing rockets into Israel in recent weeks. An Islamic Jihad source confirmed the man belonged to the group.

Palestinian medics said another Islamic Jihad militant and several civilian bystanders were injured in the strike, the latest in a series of several similar attacks Israel has launched against Gaza rocket launchers in the past week.

Dozens of Palestinians rushed into a morgue, carrying the dead militant wrapped in a white sheet and shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest)!

Earlier, Hamas militants distanced themselves from a ceasefire offer that the Palestinian government led by the Islamist group made to Israel. Other armed groups, including Islamic Jihad, also spurned the proposal.

Israeli-Palestinian violence has increased. Israel has killed in recent days more than a dozen Palestinians, including militants and civilian bystanders, while militants in Gaza have increased rocket attacks into the Jewish state.

Rocket firings from Gaza have become an almost daily occurrence since Israel quit the territory in September. But Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired about 120 rockets into Israel in the past week alone, the army spokeswoman said.

Hamas's armed wing scrapped a 16-month truce after seven Palestinians died on June 8 in an explosion on a Gaza beach, which the Hamas-led Palestinian government blamed on Israel.

DIFFERENCES

A Palestinian government spokesman made a new truce offer on Thursday in an interview with Israel Radio. But Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the man did not speak for the movement. Hamas won control of the government in a January election.

Differences over the truce, which was conditional on Israel stopping anti-Palestinian attacks, could indicate disagreement between the Hamas grassroots and the government over tactics.

"We are not interested in making any offers or proposals," said Sami Abu Zuhri, official spokesman for the Hamas movement.

"When the occupation stops its killings and crimes against our people then the factions may look into the issue in accordance with the interests of our people," he said.

Israel has not commented on the ceasefire offer. Justice Minister Haim Ramon said the military would continue to target Palestinian militants, including Hamas leaders, in air strikes.

"Anyone who fires rockets should fear for his life," Ramon told Israel's Channel 10 Television.

The Jewish state regards Hamas, which has carried out about 60 suicide bombings against Israelis since 2000, as a terrorist organization and along with Washington and the European Union has imposed an economic embargo on its government.

Despite the sanctions, Hamas has rejected Western demands to recognize Israel's right to exist and disarm. Hamas leaders have also recently brought in up to $27 million in cash from foreign donations into Gaza to try to alleviate a financial crisis.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar brought $20 million through an Egyptian border crossing on Wednesday, which Egypt's state news agency MENA said had been donated by Iran. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials.

(Additional reporting by Corinne Heller in Jerusalem and Mohammed Abbas in Cairo)

More Warm Bodies... Stay Tuned?

President Bush's Address at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy to Be in Live Satellite/Web Simulcast on TV Worldwide's "Maritime TV"

Commencement Speech to Academy Grads to Be Featured via Satellite and Webcast to Alumni, Public, Mariners and TV Outlets Worldwide



By: Marketwire

Jun. 16, 2006

CHANTILLY, VA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/16/06 -- TV Worldwide, a web-based global TV network, announced today that in cooperation with the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, its Maritime TV Internet TV channel (www.MaritimeTV.com) would produce a free live simulcast (via satellite and the Internet), of President Bush's commencement address to the Academy's class of 2006 at Kings Point, N.Y. The live satellite transmission and webcast will include the entire ceremony and is made possible by Maritime TV sponsors including the law firm of Baynard & Cartner, the American Maritime Officers, the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Foundation.

Maritime TV coverage of the event will begin at 9:30 AM ET on Monday, June 19, 2006 with a pre-ceremony program featuring representatives from the academy and the maritime industry in preparation for the ceremony which begins at 10 AM. The 202 members of the class of 2006, who have been trained as Merchant Marine and Naval Reserve officers, represent 34 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The class also includes six students from the Republic of Panama.

Viewers will be able to see the event live on-line at TV Worldwide's Maritime Industry Internet TV Channel, www.MaritimeTV.com, where it will be archived for one year within 24 hours after the event. TV networks and local affiliates will be able to obtain the live feed via satellite at the coordinates listed below. The simulcast will also be featured at several overflow locations on the academy grounds.

"We are pleased to be able to produce this important simulcast featuring the President's address to the class of 2006," commented Dave Gardy, Chairman and CEO of TV Worldwide. "We expect participation from networks, affiliates and on-line viewers worldwide and we're provisioning our servers to meet the demand."

During the graduation ceremony, the academy superintendent, Vice Admiral Joseph D. Stewart, will present third mate licenses to 116 members of the class. Third assistant engineer licenses will go to 86 midshipmen. All graduates receive bachelor of science degrees.

Thirty-nine members of the 2006 class are expected to be commissioned for active duty in the Armed Services: 18 in the U.S. Navy: nine in the Marine Corps; seven in the Coast Guard; three in the Air Force; and two in the Army.

Twenty-eight women are part of this year's class, bringing the total number of academy female graduates to 552. Read more...

And the Band Played On

Discrimination against Muslims at US airports?

LAHORE –Most of the Muslims traveling to United States are being selected for “random security checking” on landing at any of the US airports, and in some cases interviewed by the local police or the FBI, say a large number of those who have recently traveled to the US.

“You have been selected for a random checking, please step aside and cooperate,” is what they are being told. Next, their luggage is searched and screened. They are then subjected to a body search, and are also asked to remove their shoes, which are thoroughly checked.

“This is happening to everyone, be it a Muslim or a non-Muslim,” says a source in the FBI. However, several of those who have recently returned from the US disagree.

One of them told The Nation that there was a recent case in which a Muslim woman was profiled at the Newark Airport in New Jersey, and eventually interviewed by local police. Travelling with her 10-month old baby, she was asked to wait for the FBI, and eventually interviewed by local police.

According to sources in Washington DC, the woman, in a letter to American Muslim Council (AMC), wrote: “I had the right to know why I am being stopped. He [police officer] answered in a rude voice loud enough for everyone in the gate area to here, ‘Because of your name…because of September 11th, because of the terrorists that blew up the planes.”

She said that when she told the officer that she was a woman traveling with her baby the officer replied, “Oh, you are saying there are no woman terrorists that can blow up planes!”

On receiving the letter, the AMC Executive Director Eric Erfan Vickers wrote to Ms. Naheed Qureshi, an official at the Justice Department, requesting her to conduct an investigation into the incident.

“We are requesting that you conduct an investigation of this particular incident, as well as determine if there exists a pattern and practice of discrimination against Muslims at airports. It is almost one year now since September 11, and there needs to be a comprehensive solution to what appears to be continuous airport profiling.”

AMC, the senior Muslim political organization in the United States, was established in 1990 to increase America's seven million Muslims' effective participation in the U.S. political and public policy arenas. AMC has played a key role in political advocacy for American Muslims throughout the 1990s, initiating many of the historic events marking the entrance of Muslims into mainstream American culture and life – Awais Ibrahim

True Story:

by Housewife4Palestine

I had to travel on several America airplanes a few months back within the United States and at every airport I was either questioned because I wear full Islamic dress or they just saw a little Muslim woman traveling alone on business and thought I would be a good target. My luggage and handbag was completely searched along with my Identification papers read over and over.

This particular trip my dear husband couldn’t travel with me because he couldn't get leave from his job, so I was left to make the journey alone and I have to admit I was dreading the trip to begin with; but it was necessary travel.

While I am a very peaceful friendly person, but along with the two times my luggage was searched and the wand going over my body which in contrast to the lovely dance I had to do I felt like I was putting on a cheap show for the Non-Muslims who gave me the bad looks and the loud expression's that I deserved what was happening to me.

While myself, I did not feel I deserved this anymore then the jeerer’s needed to wear a burqa and do a belly dance for my enjoyment.

On one flight, I even had a man that had been sitting behind me to my right when most people was boarding the plane that just before it took off; I noticed this same man got up and set on the end of the row I was in so after what I had been through already I was guessing him to be and Air Marshal. He apparently either looked like he went to sleep or actually did.

As many people on a flight having had several beverages, I had to go visit the bathroom.

What is interesting this was the first time I had ever used an airplane bathroom.

I really didn’t wish to bother the man, but I was to the busting point with my bladder so I had no choice but had to ask him to excuse me, for I was going to the bathroom and couldn’t wait.

I do not know if other people have ever done this, but upon leaving the bathroom and all the rows looking alike and after being on a few planes; I had forgotten what row I was seated in and before I knew it I had passed my row and it dawned on me I had gone to far. As I turned around you should have seen faces like I was a hijacker or something not an not absent minded woman.

How I found my seat was the Air Marshall was getting kind of up in his seat which made me notice him. I kind of made him laugh, when I did mentioned I couldn’t find my seat and it was nice to see a familiar friendly face.

I did go back to my seat and was quite the rest of the plane ride. I still thank Allah, I did not have to go to the bathroom again.

As I think back to all the excuses I was getting for why i was being treated this way, if I had gotten just a dime for each excuse; by the time I got home I could have made my husband a wealthy man.

Hamas offers to restore cease-fire with Israel

June 16, 2006

Detroit Free Press

The Hamas-led Palestinian government offered Thursday to restore a cease-fire with Israel, nearly a week after calling off the truce to protest last week's deadly explosion on a Gaza Strip beach.

Israel responded favorably. "If it is quiet, we will answer that with quiet," said Mark Regev, spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry.

The June 9 explosion killed eight Palestinian civilians. Israel was shelling Gaza around that time but denied responsibility.

Money arrives: Youssef Rizka, the Palestinian information minister, returned to Gaza on Thursday with $2 million in his luggage for the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar brought back $20 million in his luggage.

Hamas said all of the money came from private donations and charities, not foreign governments.

Ruling against barrier: The Israeli Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Israel must move part of its barrier meant to keep Palestinian attackers out because it causes hardships to nearby West Bank residents. The court said factors other than security had determined the route of the barrier.

The ruling said a 3-mile section enclosing the Jewish settlement of Zufin must be rerouted. Zufin is about 1 1/2 miles inside the West Bank, near the Palestinian town of Qalqiliya.

Associated Press

What About Israel?

Congress Bans All Aid to Palestinian Authority (PA)

Jun 16, 2006

(IsraelNN.com) The Senate and the House of Representatives have passed a bill that includes a ban on giving money to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA). The clause was an amendment to the bill providing emergency funds for the war in Iraq and for Gulf Coast hurricane victims.

The law, if signed by American President George W. Bush, bars financial aid to the PA until it demonstrates "its commitment to the principles of nonviolence, the recognition of Israel, and the acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the road map." Hamas is opposed to these conditions.

Editorial:

by Housewife4Palestine

While it is a proven fact that much of the money given towards hurricane victims and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast has been funds in the past that went directly into unsolicited pockets, otherwise pure theft of very large amounts of money. Other means, was some American’s in the course of fraud also stole money that rightly belongs to the people of the Gulf Coast. I am yet to wonder the new appropriated money will not end up the same way?

Then we go to the War in Iraq, it is a proven fact again it is an occupation with the price tag of being the most expensive war in history, which in turn appears to be draining the very life of the American people. While it appears that the American government doesn’t seem to care they are putting their own economic welfare in jeopardy, as well as the very life blood of their own people or country.

Now we get to the new threats to the Hamas government to the fact that they must make a commitment to nonviolence, except Israel and the now dead Road Map. Well here we go, when Israel is going to stop their continued violence against the Palestinian people, stop committing theft, lying, genocide, apartied, building the wall with expressed idea of the complete eradication of all Palestinians?

As for the previous agreements that you would have to go back and ask Israel why they either back out or walk a thin line between deceptions on their part. As for the Road Map, that was a doomed idea to begin with because it as I have seen showed no equality to the Palestinian people towards a real station of neither peace nor the homeland they deserve.

As for the American government continued slapping of the Hamas government, please do me a favor and stop kissing Israel’s behind!

As for this showing up in an Israeli News Wire, is really not surprising since they have their hearts bent of not letting the world know they are no better then the Nazi Regime they like to holler about when they do not get their way.

American Marines Serving in Iraq?

Courtesy of “Merete’s world.”

How a Man Becomes K2

Merete's World: How a Man Becomes K2

"The question facing us is whether we will stop before magic markers turn into tattoos."

Bush Creates Indecency Legislation?

Bush signs law increasing fines for indecent broadcasts

June 15,2006

WASHINGTON (AP) —President Bush signed legislation Thursday that will cost broadcasters dearly when raunchy programming exceeds "the bounds of decency."

At a signing ceremony for the new law increasing by tenfold the maximum fine for indecency, Bush said that it will force industry figures to "take seriously their duty to keep the public airwaves free of obscene, profane and indecent material."

Accompanying the president at the ceremony was a crowd of lawmakers who worked to pass the bill in Congress.

For raunchy talk or a racy show of skin, the Federal Communications Commission can now fine a broadcaster up to $325,000 per incident.

Approval of the bill culminates a two-year effort to get tough on sexually explicit material and offensive language on radio and television following Janet Jackson's 2004 Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction."

The FCC recently denied a petition of reconsideration from CBS Corp.-owned stations facing $550,000 in fines over the Jackson incident, in which she briefly revealed a breast during a halftime concert.

The agency recently handed down its biggest fine, $3.3 million, against more than 100 CBS affiliates that aired an episode of the series "Without a Trace" that simulated an orgy scene. That fine is now under review.

The FCC has received increasing complaints about lewd material over the airwaves, and has responded with fines jumping from $440,000 in 2003 to almost $8 million in 2004.

"The problem we have is that the maximum penalty that the FCC can impose under current law is just $32,500 per violation," Bush said. "And for some broadcasters, this amount is meaningless. It's relatively painless for them when they violate decency standards."

The bill does not apply to cable or satellite broadcasts, and does not try to define what is indecent. The FCC says indecent material is that which contains sexual or excretory material that does not rise to the level of obscenity.

The legislation, while facing little resistance in Congress, had detractors warning of problems in defining what is indecent and of the erosion of First Amendment rights.

Under FCC rules and federal law, radio and over-the-air television stations may not air obscene material at any time, and may not air indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. when children are more likely to be in the audience.

"Unfortunately, in recent years, broadcast programming has too often pushed the bounds of decency," Bush said. "The language is becoming coarser during the times when it's more likely children will be watching television. It's a bad trend, a bad sign."


Note:

It is getting pretty bad when you have to have morality media legislation so broadcasters don’t use obscene, profane and indecent material; what happened in America to moral fortitude?

Is morality in America that far gone, that some people has forgotten how to be decent people. This kind of article does give a bleak picture.

Israel's Behavior "Is Unacceptable..."

Palestinians call for UN probe of Gaza killings


Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh gives sweets to a Palestinian baby as he sits next to Huda Gali, who lost her family last Friday to an Israeli missile strike on Gaza Beach, during his visit to her house in north Gaza Strip June 14, 2006. (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

June 15, 2006

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Palestinians and their supporters said on Thursday they had asked U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to investigate the killing of seven civilians on a beach in Gaza last week they blame on Israel.

The Palestinian U.N. observer Riyad Mansour said representatives from the Non-Aligned Movement, the U.N. Palestinian rights committee, the Arab League and the Islamic conference all had approached Annan on Wednesday to back the request.

Mansour quoted the secretary-general as saying he would consider it. Annan also told reporters such an investigation would need the consent of Israel, which has indicated the explosion could have come from an errant shell.

Israel's behavior "is unacceptable to this large body of the international community," Mansour told reporters. "This sentiment was conveyed to the secretary-general."

He said he had also spoken to this month's Security Council president, Ambassador Ellen Margrethe Loj of Denmark, to get backing for an investigation.

Ali Ghaliya; his wife, Raisa; and three children, ages 1, 3 and 10; were having a picnic on the northern Gaza beach on Friday and were all killed in the shelling. Huda Ghaliya, 7, who had been playing nearby at the time, survived.

Annan, at a news conference, said he expected the Israeli government to put out "a definitive report." He said he had "a very long conversation" with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as well as President Mahmoud of the Palestinian Authority and would continue his dialogue with them.

On Tuesday, after Israel said the blast was cause by a mine or an explosive device placed by Palestinians, Annan commented to reporters that "to find a mine on the beach is rather odd."

He also cast doubt on the usefulness of an international investigation, saying, "Our previous attempts at such investigations were not too successful."

Blaming Israel for Friday's explosion, the Hamas government declared an end to a 16-month truce with the Jewish state.

The group was responsible for nearly 60 suicide bombings in Israel since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000.

Update:

Rights group says Israel beach death probe not credible

Defense lawyer seeks to have detainee trial moved from Guantanamo

June 15, 2006

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A military defense lawyer for an alleged former bodyguard of Osama bin Laden wants the Pentagon to move the man's trial to the U.S. from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Army Major Tom Fleener says difficult access for witnesses and the media make it impossible to hold it fairly at the base in Cuba.

Fleener says a one-hour visit with his client requires a four-day trip because of access restrictions. He says the trial could be safely held at Navy bases in the U.S. where there are fewer restrictions.

The request came as the Pentagon expelled two reporters from Guantanamo as they tried to cover the investigation into the weekend suicides of three detainees at the prison.

Photo Copyright Getty Images

What is the United States View of their White Slavery Problem?

Iran, Syria added to US blacklist of human traffickers

P. Parameswaran
AFP
June 6, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Iran and Syria were added to a US blacklist of countries trafficking in people, a State Department report said on Monday, while raising concerns over an influx of sex workers to Germany for the World Cup soccer tournament.

Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, Laos and Belize were also on the blacklist for the State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons Report," which analyzed efforts in about 150 countries to combat trafficking for forced labor, prostitution, military service and other purposes.

The six countries join Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Sudan, Cuba and Myanmar among the "Tier 3" worst offenders of human trafficking who could face sanctions if they do not take immediate measures within 90 days.

"By calling to account any nation, friend or foe, that can and should do more to confront human trafficking, we are pressing countries into action," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in the presentation of the 290-page report.

"The harsh reality of human trafficking stuns even the hardest of hearts," she said.

The United States estimates that up to 800,000 people - primarily women and children - fall victims each year to trafficking, Rice said.

Iran and Syria, both of which have been accused by Washington of backing international terrorism, were cited in the report for being a "source, transit and destination country" for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation.

The United States is currently in the forefront of international efforts to slap UN Security Council sanctions on Iran if it does not suspend uranium enrichment activities, which could lead to the manufacture of nuclear bombs.

"Iran is downgraded to Tier 3 after persistent, credible reports of Iranian authorities punishing victims of trafficking with beatings, imprisonment and execution," the State Department said.

A key criteria of US law, which is used as a basis for the rankings, is protection of human trafficking victims.

"The law specifically says victims should not be punished for acts they commit after they've been trafficked, whether it's prostitution or anything else," said John Miller, a State Department advisor on efforts to stem the problem.

"We hope this situation will change in the next year," he said.

Last year Syria was not rated at all while Iran was in "Tier 2," comprising countries that were making "significant" efforts to deal with the problem. Read More...

Note:

As you can see for a little time, I had debated about running this article for the simple reason I wonder why the United States hasn’t added themselves to this list since the U.S. has had a very large problem with White Slavery; for way over a hundred years.

"You’re Head Looks like a Donut!"

When you mention your companion's faults, remember your own faults. [Ibn Abbas]

America in Poverty

Is prosperity around the corner, this time or just another big heartache?

That Old Time Religion

The Walton's


by Housewife4Palestine

At one time America was shaped on homespun family values, where the core of many families was Christianity that attempted to create children that when they grew into adult’s were assets to society, I am sorry to say; not much of what we are seeing in today’s world with the drinking, fornication, drug’s and violence resembles what your Grandparent‘s knew.

These families had close ties and much laughter and happiness that is becoming a distant commodity in today’s world.

While this program called, “the Walton’s,” took place during the Depression of the 1930’s it is not unlike the growing economic problems we are having today.

With what appears to me as a growing dissatisfaction in the Christian community in America, I tend to wonder because the value system still exists in Islam; is why the growing number’s of American’s are turning to Islam?

*****************************

I have walked the land in the footsteps of all my fathers.

Back in time to where the first one trod.

And stopped, saw sky, felt wind, bent to touch Mother Earth and called this home.

This mountain, this pine and hemlock, oak and poplar, laurel wild and rhododendron.

Home and mountain.

Father, mother, grow to the sons and daughters to walk the old paths.

To look back in pride in honoured heritage.

To hear its laughter and its song.

To grow to stand and be themselves one day remembered.

I have walked the land in the footsteps of all my fathers.

I saw yesterday and now look to tomorrow.

-Earl Hamner

*****************************

Welcome to:

The Mercury Theatre on the Air

Featuring:

The Immortal Sherlock Holmes

The 39 Steps

The War of the Worlds

“A Few Good Men”

By Housewife4Palestine

Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson) was the commanding officer of the ground forces stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

What is interesting about this movie was the Marine Corps was accused of murdering a fellow Marine, and then attempted a cover-up. Then after it had gone to trial, the movie heats up; sounds kind of familiar. The movie was called ironically, “A Few Good Men.”

When such as this movie came out in 1992, I am sure many American’s wouldn’t be thinking about fourteen years later some of the Marine Corp would be facing murder charges for one, over the Haditha Massacre in Iraq. Or the fact this film just happened to take place in Guantanamo Bay, where the future of illegal concentration camp’s would be?

It makes me wonder if the Marine Corp has Skelton’s in their closet and around about way once and awhile the Skelton’s get air?

I am getting to think the title “A Few Good Men,” may have been amply titled for the current situation not only gives the Marine's a black eye; but puts the whole American Military in question.

Israeli Deception in Attempt to Cause Civil War?

Arms transferred to Abbas with Israeli blessing: official


Palestinian security forces guard the entrance of the Palestinian Legislative Council, or parliament, as Hamas supporters march in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Arms were transferred with Israel's blessing to the forces loyal to Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, parliamentary foreign affairs committee chairman Tzahi Hanegbi said(AFP/Pedro Ugarte)

June 15, 2006

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Arms were transferred with Israel's blessing to the forces loyal to Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, parliamentary foreign affairs committee chairman Tzahi Hanegbi said.

"By permitting the transfer of these arms last night, we applied a decision taken three weeks ago by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on a recommendation by the security authorities," Hanegbi told Israeli public radio.

According to the Yediot Aharonot daily, three trucks carrying 950 American M-16 automatic rifles crossed into the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan under Israeli military escort overnight Wednesday and early Thursday.

Some 400 were delivered to Abbas's presidential guard at Ramallah in the West Bank and the remainder went to the same force in Gaza, it said.

The weapons are to enable Abbas "to cope with Hamas", the hardline Islamist group that leads the Palestinian government, Olmert said at the British parliament in London on Tuesday.

His announcement followed a decision in principle by the Israeli authorities, revealed on May 25, to authorise the supply of light weapons to Abbas's 3,000-strong presidential guard, known as Force 17.

Editorial:

by Housewife4Palestine

Israel with it’s deception has turned over 950 American M-16 automatic rifles to the Palestinian Authority associated with Mahmud Abbas, who in the last month more appears to be siding with Israel and the American’s not with the welfare of the Palestinian people; now with weapons to fight the elected Hamas government which has a marking resemblance to what appears as civil war between the Palestinian people.

I wish that those loyal to Abbas would realize you are not fighting Hamas but are being used as puppets by Israel to destroy your own people.

When Israel gives their blessing to anyone, that should give a hint right their that they are not for your best interest‘s but their own.

The New Nazi Ghetto Courtesy of Israel

Being Built by United States of America Tax Dollars

To date, some 300,000 people are currently affected by the land confiscation, tree uprooting and inaccessibility to lands and water due to the caging off of their communities, throughout the northern West Bank, Jerusalem and Bethlehem, with concrete walls and electric fences.




If you have Trouble viewing click here.

Stop the Wall in Palestine!

Iran will not Bend to these Pressures

US, Europe call on Iran to heed nuclear call


Director-general of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei is seen in the boardroom of IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, October 2005. The United States and Europe have urged Iran to suspend uranium enrichment to show it does not seek atomic weapons as Washington warned of Security Council action if Tehran did not comply.(AFP/File/Joe Klamar)

by Michael Adler

June 15, 2006

VIENNA (AFP) -The United States and Europe have urged Iran to suspend uranium enrichment to show it does not seek atomic weapons as Washington warned of Security Council action if Tehran did not comply.

Speaking at a meeting in Vienna of the UN nuclear watchdog, US ambassador Gregory Schulte said the goal was "to open negotiations for a long-term agreement" on giving Iran benefits in return for guarantees its nuclear program is peaceful.

But Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday in Tehran that his country would not bow to pressure over its atomic program, implicitly rejecting the calls to suspend enrichment.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not bend to these pressures," he said, referring to an incentives proposal from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

The international community's "carrot-and-stick" policy over Iran's nuclear program is counterproductive, Iranian ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said in Vienna.

"In the case of Iran, humiliation and the use of language of threat of referring the nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council... have had serious impact on mutual trust and confidence on parties involved and thus the process of negotiations," he said.

The problem is that "Iran is not implementing any of the confidence building measures" requested by the board," Schulte told the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors.

Schulte called on Iran to meet "IAEA and (UN) Security Council requests to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing," nuclear fuel work that can also make atom bomb material.

If not, Iran would face "the weight of the Security Council", Schulte said.

The Council has punitive powers, unlike the IAEA which is merely a verification and monitoring organization, and can impose sanctions.

"We all hope that the leadership of Iran will make the best choice for the people of Iran," Schulte told reporters.

The US call was echoed in statements by Austria on behalf of the European Union and France on behalf of EU states Britain, France and Germany which seek to resume talks with Iran on guaranteeing Tehran will not seek nuclear weapons.

French ambassador Francois-Xavier Deniau said Iran's "cooperation with the agency has been reduced the last several months to almost nothing."

But Austrian ambassador Thomas Steltzer said: "We are encouraged that a new momentum to find a negotiated solution to this issue has been created in the last few days."

Non-aligned states on the IAEA board read out a statement the 114-nation non-aligned movement had issued in Malaysia in May backing Iran's right to nuclear fuel work.

In Shanghai, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Iran had the right to nuclear technology, as he entered a meeting with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Putin also said: "Iran has reacted positively to the proposals of the six sides. Iran is ready to begin talks and in the near future I hope it will state its position at the time of the start of the talks."

The IAEA on Thursday heard two reports from its chief Mohamed Elbaradei that said Iran has failed to cooperate fully in resolving concerns that it is secretly trying to develop a nuclear bomb.

The reports, one from April 28 and the other from last week, also show Iran is pressing ahead with uranium enrichment.

But ElBaradei said in opening the IAEA meeting Monday that he remained "convinced that the way forward lies through dialogue and mutual accommodation among all concerned parties."

Diplomats agreed that nations were being relatively restrained at the IAEA meeting in order not to disturb diplomacy over getting Iran to return to talks.

"No one wants to rock the boat," one diplomat said.

The six world powers have offered Iran talks on incentives that include the United States lifting some of its trade sanctions against Iran and international support for the "building of new light water reactors in Iran," according to a copy of the proposal shown to AFP.

But European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana held off in handing over the offer in Tehran on June 6 from presenting a list of possible Security Council sanctions if Iran did not comply, diplomats said.

No Longer Counted for High Unemployment?

Jobless claims unexpectedly fall by 8,000


Visitors search for job possibilities on the Internet at Workforce Central Florida in Casselberry, Florida July 3, 2003. The number of U.S. workers claiming an initial week of jobless claims unexpectedly fell by 8,000 last week to the lowest level in nearly four months, a government report showed on Thursday. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

June 15, 2006

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The number of U.S. workers claiming an initial week of jobless claims unexpectedly fell by 8,000 last week to the lowest level in nearly four months, a government report showed on Thursday.

First-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 295,000 for the week ended June 10 from an upwardly revised 303,000 claims in the previous week, the Labor Department said.

Wall Street economists had forecast initial claims would rise to 320,000 from an initially reported 302,000 for the prior week, which contained the Memorial Day holiday.

The initial claims figure was the lowest since the week of February 18, when it reached 289,000. A Labor Department analyst said there were no special factors to account for this week's decline.

The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths weekly fluctuations to provide a better picture of labor market trends, fell to 315,750 from 328,000 the previous week.

The number of people who continued to file for benefits after receiving an initial week of aid rose by 15,000 to 2.425 million in the week ended June 3, the latest for which that data is available.

Wall Street economists had expected continued claims to decline to 2.41 million from an initially reported 2.415 million the previous week. The Labor Department revised the previous week's continued claims down to 2.41 million.

Link:

Jobless claims fall, industrial output lower

Wrongs and Rights: The 2006 Human Rights Film Festival

A film review by Chris Barsanti- Copyright © 2006 filmcritic.com

Going on 17 years now, the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival New York has been doing its best to make sure that audiences are not necessarily entertained, but informed. According to the festival, their raison d'etre is to "help to put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate the power of the human spirit and intellect to prevail." It other words, it could very well seem to have all the appeal for moviegoers that attending a brussell sprouts and cabbage buffet would have for children. Fortunately for audiences, the festival organizers have chosen a lineup of films notable for the most part not for their finger-waving preachiness -- though obviously that does come into play here and there -- but for their skill at telling the stories of oppressed people from around the world, stories that do actually need to be told.

The 2006 festival screened 24 films and videos from 19 countries, and it's an impressive batch overall, which is good news and bad news. Good news because the fest has been able to successfully pluck from the increasingly rich diversity of documentaries being produced these days (there are times, in fact, when the form seems the only facet of cinema still capable of astounding you). Bad news because all those submissions (500 this year) means that there are more than enough horrific episodes happening around the world to stock a dozen film fests of this kind.

One of the fest's highlights is Nick and Marc Francis' Black Gold (****1/2), a gorgeously-shot, melancholy look at the plight of a co-operative of Ethiopian coffee growers fighting for their fair share of the exploding international coffee market (sales have gone from $30 billion to $80 billion just since 1990). The film's modest hero is Tadesse Meskela, an enthusiastic co-op member who travels the world trying to find better markets and decent prices for the 75,000 co-op members, many of whom are living on next to nothing. Given that about two-thirds of Ethiopia's export revenue comes from coffee, any drop in price can have disastrous effects, and in an international market dominated by a few multinationals like Nestle, the little farmers often have little to no bargaining power and end up selling their carefully picked crops for mere pennies a kilo.



The filmmakers contrast the Western fetishizing of coffee and espresso -- most entertainingly at the unintentionally hilarious World Barista Championship -- with the stolid, hardworking Ethiopians and the world-trotting Meskela, who knows that just getting his farmers 50 cents for a kilo would be enough to change their poverty-stricken lives forever. He also knows that if he fails, more of his farmers will be pushed to use their land to raise the highly addictive and very profitable drug chat, or even worse, be forced to rely on Western emergency aid handouts. The unspoken point here is: Wouldn't it be cheaper and more humane in the end for the West to simply pay a few cents more for coffee instead of waiting for the farmers to fall on hard times and then spending millions on last-minute aid? Black Gold shows that improving human rights can sometimes be as simple as paying more for your morning coffee.

On the other side of the planet from Ethiopia, the film The Camden 28 (**1/2) takes a similarly different take on what constitutes human rights by telling the story of the New Jersey activists who decided in 1971 to protest the Vietnam War by storming the local draft board offices and destroying their records. Director Anthony Giacchino carefully reconstructs how this band of mild-mannered Catholic laypeople and clergy was moved to radical action, and how a shocking betrayal handed them all over to the FBI at a critical moment. Almost too quiet for its own good, Giacchino's film is nevertheless a meticulous view of a quieter sort of radical and the belief that extreme protest need not involve violence.

Almost an example of how not to make a documentary on a serious topic, Milena Kavena's Total Denial ( *1/2), in which a terrifying story of near-genocide is muffled by inept filmmaking. According to the film, the military dictatorship of Burma (Myanmar) -- infamous for its police state repression -- cooperated somewhat over-enthusiastically with the company Total's desire to build an oil pipeline through a region dominated by the ethnic Karen group. The result, according to charismatic and heroic activist Ka Hsaw Wa was forced labor and murder at the gunpoint of the Burmese army. With Hsaw Wa's help, the villagers later filed suit in U.S. court against Unocal, who owned a stake in the project. While the cold-bloodedness of this project's villains (especially as shown at a Unocal stockholders' meeting in Paris) is indeed chilling, Kavena's lack of attention to detail, hagiographic treatment of the admittedly impressive Hsaw Wa, and amateurish filmmaking abilities (the editing and sound are especially rough) hardly does her subject justice.

Another poorly put-together portrait of greed, abuse and oil is Source (*1/2). Czech filmmakers Martin Mareèek & Martin Skalský, looking for a good story, head to what is in contention for being the most depressing country on the planet, Azerbaijan. They don't have to dig too deep before finding problems with the repressive government's state-run oil company, which allegedly pollutes the land at will, uses the police to forcibly annex any private property they want, and line their pockets while the country starves (although the country has an abundance of oil, supplying half the state's budget, 70 percent of Azerbaijanis live in poverty). While this setting, blithe acceptance of one's fate amid the apocalyptic post-Soviet wastes, has great potential for poignant black comedy, the filmmakers' poor sourcing -- the same handful of Azerbaijanis appear over and over again to make their claims against the government -- and inept style makes it instead the video equivalent of a numbingly dull op-ed piece.

Even though it makes no bones about having a resolutely antiwar point of view, Winter in Baghdad (***) is still a document of suffering that can't be ignored by those who disagree with it. Javier Corcuera's film starts on a stridently political note, with footage of antiwar marches and interviews with Westerners in Iraq to act as human shields, he quickly shifts gears to what is the main body of film: ordinary Iraqi citizens stuck in the crossfire. Splicing together the testimony of these unfortunate -- an old schoolteacher, a mother with a crippled boy, some children who've left school to earn a living on the street, shell-shocked hospital workers -- with some hauntingly beautiful images of a smashed and chaotic Baghdad, Corcuera has crafted an emotional archive of pain and despair. None of these Iraqis cry out for the return of Saddam, they're simply numbed from the fighting and sick of the grind of occupation. Corcuera's film is, if anything, a helpful corrective for those who want to ignore the individuals affected by war; these people are what some would call collateral damage, and they each have a story.



One of the fest's most ingenious entries is Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross's The Road to Guantanamo (***), which recreates -- via news footage and reenactments -- how three British citizens (of Pakistani and Bengali descent) went to a wedding in Pakistan not long after 9/11 and ended up imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay without being charged for nearly two years. Although we've heard the stories and seen the photographs of what happened (especially early in the war) to supposed enemy combatants in U.S. hands, seeing these men terrorized by dogs, slammed into solitary and needlessly abused is another thing entirely. Although the film doesn't address opposing points of view (some parts of the mens' stories never quite add up) the "Tipton Three," as they're called, have been an antiwar rallying point in Europe for some time now, and with the release of this smartly crafted film, may soon be so in America as well.

Israel Lies, Murder Threat's and a Possible Ceasefire By Hamas

Hamas govt says it wants ceasefire with Israel


People carry fake Qassams rockets during a protest in Sderot June 13, 2006. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

June 15, 2006

GAZA (Reuters) -The Hamas government wants a ceasefire with Israel and is willing to ask Palestinian militants to stop firing rockets from Gaza into the Jewish state, a spokesman said on Thursday.

But Ghazi Hamad said Israel had to first stop military activity in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Islamic militant group scrapped a 16-month truce with Israel last Friday and soon after launched a barrage of makeshift rockets at the Jewish state from Gaza.

"I spoke today with the prime minister and he said we definitely want quiet everywhere. We are interested in a ceasefire everywhere," Hamad, speaking in Hebrew, said in an interview on Israel Radio.

Reached by Reuters, Hamad said the offer was conditional.

"We are ready to launch discussions with factions over stopping rocket firing but only if there is an Israeli commitment to cease all military attacks against all Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank."

Hamad's remarks followed a sharp drop in militant rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

Earlier this week a senior member of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's party threatened Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas with assassination if the group resumed suicide bombings in Israel.

Israeli officials were not available to comment but the Jewish state regards Hamas as a terrorist organization and along with the United States and the European Union has imposed an economic embargo on the new government.

Hamas is sworn to destroy Israel and has rejected Western demands to recognize it, disarm and accept past peace accords.

Army Radio reported four rockets hit the Israeli town of Sderot, near Gaza, on Thursday. That compares to 30 to 40 rockets launched daily just after Hamas ended its truce.

Medics said two people were lightly wounded in the latest rocket attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic Jihad group.

Hamas broke its ceasefire after seven Palestinians were killed on a Gaza beach in a blast militants said was caused by Israeli shellfire. Israel has said an investigation has shown its forces were not to blame.

The Islamists carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings in Israel after the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000 but halted such attacks in mid-2004 and had largely abided by a ceasefire reached in early 2005.

POWER STRUGGLE

Hamas took over the government in March after beating President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement in elections.

The Islamists and the moderate Abbas have been locked in an increasingly bitter power struggle ever since.

Western powers want Abbas to emerge victorious and have tried to bolster his security forces. Hamas has warned those efforts will worsen tensions.

Olmert has approved a shipment of weapons to Abbas, saying this week he wanted to help the president against Hamas.

Israel's mass circulation Yedioth Ahronoth daily on Thursday reported the Jewish state had transferred 950 M-16 assault rifles from Jordan to Abbas's forces.

"Any Israeli intervention in our internal affairs is rejected because the Israelis aim to sow divisions among the Palestinian people," said senior Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri.

An Abbas aide denied any weapons had been shipped.

Such a move could embarrass Abbas. He has stepped up pressure on Hamas by calling for a referendum on a statehood proposal that implicitly recognizes Israel.

Hamas has labeled the July 26 referendum a coup attempt.

(Additional reporting by Allyn Fisher-Ilan in Jerusalem)