Truck and Barter

Comments

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Sara Madgid wrote:

New scratch pad!
Cool! :)

Sara.

-- January 2, 2007 9:03 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Happy New Year to all of you:

http://www.image-upload.net/files/15/XXL.jpg

Sara.

-- January 2, 2007 9:12 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

I apologise for being off topic from the Dinar, but it is very slow out there and there have been quite a few subjects covered recently as we pass the time waiting for more news after the holiday in Iraq (and New Years here). This is a reply to Carole on her post about the temperaments teaching, along with some comments on the recent talk on the above UFO siting that made the mainstream news (below, MSNBC.com).

As I said in my last post, "If you want my opinion, well, I think that what is being seen - the beings/UFOs - are present in extra dimensional space - the sort of space predicted to exist by String Theory in physics - and that, therefore, it is not that we are having visitations from "other planets". Little things like NOT seeing the UFOs coming TOWARD our galaxy/solar system with telescopes but only seeing them in our atmosphere, NOT tracking them on radar but only visually AND the fact that only SOME people can see them even standing side by side with others who cannot see them at all, makes this a more likely and plausible explanation to my way of thinking for this phenomenon - since extra dimensional space can be "opened" to a person or "closed"."

Note here in this account that some people saw this phenomenon, including pilots.. and yet the controllers saw nothing and there was nothing on the radar. Why can some see it (pilots, workers) and others NOT see it (controllers), when they are in the same location? Could it be that it is a dimension of space "open" to some people and "closed" to others? If so, then radar may not track it because it is in another dimension and the instruments don't work to detect such phenomenon.

Airline workers say they saw UFO
Mysterious saucer-shaped craft over O’Hare?
Updated: 5:27 p.m. MT Jan 1, 2007

CHICAGO - Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O’Hare Airport last fall.

The workers, some of them pilots, said the object didn’t have lights and hovered over an airport terminal before shooting up through the clouds, according to a report in Monday’s Chicago Tribune.

The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that a United supervisor had called the control tower at O’Hare, asking if anyone had spotted a spinning disc-shaped object. But the controllers didn’t see anything, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16431613/

Now, Carole mentioned about the "temperaments" teachings, saying, QUOTE, "The article is quite negative regarding the research, or lack of, in Le Hays writings. In fact the theory of the temperaments is quite old and is derived from ancient occult traditions." In other words, it was occult teachings pasted into Christianity by a well meaning but psychologically brainwashed individual. (Note the article is titled pschoHERESY.) I think it best to keep with the Bible alone and unadulterated by "occultic" teachings. Sins, whether of the physical variety (getting drunk, gluttony, murder, etc) or the occult variety (opening "doors" to the occult by various means - going to fortune tellers, trying to contact the dead, getting into witchcraft, embracing occultic teachings, etc.) - all variety of behaviors characterized as sins in the Bible are sins. And just because the one advocating embracing it is a Christian minister, that isn't good enough in my books.

I believe one must be very very careful in what "doors" you open in this life, and when one proves to be of occult origin (and thus sinful), it may behoove you to consider if it is one which should be repented of in order to shut that door. This is to be obedient to God - but one reason God gives for this (in His infinite wisdom) is that the beings on some of the extradimensional levels are quite nasty according to Scripture... not suprisingly, that fits with the stories of those "wingy" folks who say they were abducted by aliens.. the aliens which they say abduct them are nasty, too. I wouldn't wish to meet up with any such nasty "aliens", myself. I prefer to give such a very wide berth - walking on the other side of the street and preferably taking a completely other path.. so if I find a door open and alien footprints heading through the door, I think I would be on my knees asking God to close the door and keep whatever those things are from having any way of getting at me in my life. Those with nasty "alien" visitations always look so very tormented, and they say they don't really WANT those visits from "aliens". I have NOT been there and don't wish to go there, personally (ET, please don't visit me). I'll stick with God for any extradimensional experiences, because those end up in blessing.

Sara.

-- January 2, 2007 9:37 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

An article from www.iraqupdates.com

Iran, $1bn Iraq reconstruction loan

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02 January 2007 (AME Info FZ LLC)
Print article Send to friend
Iran is to loan $1bn to Iraq for reconstruction purposes, reported the Gulf Daily News citing the IRNA news agency. Iranian Economy Minister Davoud Danesh Jafari said Iraq had committed to using Iranian contractors and experts for the various infrastructure projects. The loan will be directed towards the construction of power plants, roads, hospitals and schools.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2007 10:25 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Chariots of fire

Elisha the prophet in the Old Testament was being told by God the battle plan of the enemy and would tell the King what God was saying. This frustrated the enemy's plans continually and the enemy King asked which one of his men was a spy. His servant answered him:

2Ki 6:12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."
2Ki 6:13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan."
2Ki 6:14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

Now, when Elisha and his servant woke up they saw all this army completely surrounding them and the servant was terrified:

2Ki 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
2Ki 6:16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

Elisha answered that there were more with them than with the enemy, even though there was just him and his servant and this HUGE army surrounding them. But then he prayed...

2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

This is what I mean by having one's eyes open to the extradimensional space. The Lord opened the eyes of the young man.. and he saw what was there all along, but was not visible to him until it was opened to his eyes. This is what I believe (in an occultic sense) is what these "alien" visitations are. It is an opening to the extradimensional space which is normally closed to men. God can open that space, and here it was populated with "horses and chariots of fire" - the best description they can give in terms understood by that day. But I bet they were quite some "chariots of fire" to look at. What exactly is a chariot "of fire"? That means it glowed, right? Why are no beings (angels) spoken of.. just the "chariots" and what appeared to "pull" them? In regular chariots of that day there was a man behind the horses, in the chariot.. that is not spoken of here. Supposing some looked like glowing stealth bombers, how could they possibly describe it in terms that would be seen and understood? Hmmm...

Here, the experience is of God and the spaces and beings seen in that dimension were beautiful, powerful, good and from Him. I suggest that the "aliens" which look so grotesque and strange looking and are nasty to those they abduct are not from God - and being opened to such dimensions is not something which men ought to seek.

Sara.

-- January 2, 2007 10:29 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

From the National Post, one of Canada's leading national newspapers, this morning, a column by Christopher Hitchens, one of the leading political writers, in the world today, who write this, in a column while travelling through Iraq:

"If there is a flickering pulse that holds any of this together, it is kept going by two sources. The first is the astonishing actual and potential wealth of the country. The budget negotiations, which were occupying all parties during my visit, were to discuss the allocation of more than US$41 billion. This is not a paper figure. New oil fields are being prospected in parts of the country that haven't been explored yet, and there is no reason in principle why Iraq could not be one of the most prosperous countries on Earth.

For the moment, feuding sects use their control over ministries to enrich their own supporters, but even the most blinkered tribalist can glimpse the idea that a shared country would be more beneficial to each than a shattered one.

The second source of life is the presence of the coalition, where, yet again, even the most hard-line factionalist will admit that, as bad as things are, they would be instantly worse (and instantly worse for his group) in the case of a withdrawal.

These facts are stubborn: The idea that we could even consider abandoning such a keystone state, and so many decent people, to the forces of the faith-based is as inhumane as it is unrealistic" END QUOTE

Tim Bitts: if this thing hangs together, we'll all be rich!!!!!

-- January 2, 2007 10:58 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Sara….
Interesting comments about “extra dimensional space”. I don’t know if it’s the same thing but my Grandmother had the gift of being able to see the aura of other people. I discovered this in her when I was about 4 years old. I had sprained my elbow in a farm pond which was out of her sight. When I approached her at the house she said “I see” that your arm is hurt as she held up my left arm which is the one I had sprained. The reason I remember this so well is the cure she applied to my arm. She grabbed a piece of cloth and walked me to the barnyard where she put a large amount of fresh warm cow manure on my arm and wrapped the cloth around it and told me not to remove it until the manure cooled down. Needless to say it cured my sprain even though the smell was hard to take. She had raised nine kids on this farm so she knew what worked and what didn’t.

Later, when I asked her how she knew my arm was hurt by looking at me, she told me she could see my “light” and my left arm was not as bright as the rest of me. I could also see the aura of other people but I thought everybody had this ability and didn’t think too much about it. Later I found out my father didn’t have this ability so it had skipped a generation for some reason. I have three children and my oldest Daughter has this gift but my two sons don’t.

When my Grandmother died at 96 I attended her funeral and her glow was gone so I can only assume it travels with the soul of a person. I know it’s a good dimension or place to be in because it has always been a positive experience for me. I don’t talk about this very much but it’s always been very interesting to me. I think all people have different gifts at different levels and that’s why we humans are so interesting.

-- January 2, 2007 11:00 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Thank you, Kevin, for removing the graffiti. Let's all, all the decent people, keep him informed, as soon as some fool comes by, posting rubbish, at the email: kevin@truckandbarter.com

Rubbish posters: go elsewhere. you won't be allowed to get away with it. go find an easier target.

-- January 2, 2007 11:05 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Tim Bitts.....

They're so many good positive indicators in Iraq that the MSM is having a hard time covering them up. The facts are that Iraq has been a very wealthy country in the past , prior to Saddam, that they will return to their normal level again.

I agree with you...we'll all be rich!!!

-- January 2, 2007 11:10 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

More good news on the oil patch side of town.....

The Norwegian D.N.O obtain additional 15% of an oil field

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02 January 2007 (Iraq Directory)

The Norwegian Oil Company D.N.O said ,on Thursday, that it rose its share in the oil fields in northern Iraq to 55% from 40% in agreement with the authorities in the Kurdish area, on condition that the company would bear full cost of production-sharing agreements.

D.N.O is the first Western oil company that starts excavations in Iraq after the war. It is operating in northern Iraq under an agreement concluded in 2004 with the Kurdish authorities.

The company said in a statement that "the agreement with the Kurdish regional government to assume full funding commitments of the production-sharing agreement by D.N.O in return for an additional 15% was completed and signed".

-- January 2, 2007 11:54 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

What are the BIG things?

In analysing any particular investment, especially this one, it is crucial, if you want to understand this investment, to ask, what are the big things? What are the crucial aspects of this investment?

Not everything that happens in the world is equally important, obviously. The same with this investment. There are a handful of key variables that matter. The rest don't. The rest is all chatter. So, in assessing any situation, it is important, if you want to have a realistic opinion about something, you have to weigh the various factors, assign them relative weight, and focus on the key components.

So what are the key variables, on this investment, in my opinion?

1-follow the big money. As Rob N has wisely pointed out, this is one of the key rules of investing. The big money is the American government's investment in Iraq, it's army, it's rebuilding the country. The big money also includes big oil, which represents an awful lot of money, and is chomping at the bit to get into Iraq.

2-look for hidden value, or assets. Numerous credible reports indicate that even though Iraq has by some estimates the second biggest oil reserve in the world, it has large areas of unexplored areas that no doubt contain much hidden oil wealth. Hidden value would also include the ridiculously low price of the dinar, compared to historical precident, and other currencies in the region. No doubt, the value of this currency will very substantially increase in the future.

3-look at the history. As Oakie pointed out, Iraq was rich in the past, for various reasons, and the return to wealth for that country is a return to normalcy.

4-Oil. Worldwide demand for oil is soaring, and will continue to do so for decades. The economies of China and India are growing at phenomenal rates. They depend on oil. At the same time, the rate of discovery of new oil is slowing. Increasing demand and reducing supply indicate the value of present reserves will go up. This means whoever owns the oil will get a lot more money, their economies will develop, and the value of their currencies will rise.

5-Sufficient levels of education. Saddam did that well. He, more than many leaders, created a fairly educated population, by Arab standards.

6-Population age. A younger, dynamic population recovers much quicker from any kind of disaster, and is able to adapt to changing circumstances easier.

Now, the one thing that could bring this all down, is if the American military withdrew prematurely. I think all the fighting, and killing, and religious stuff in Iraq, is just chatter. It gets 98% of the media attention, but it should be assigned about 2% value, in importance, as far as variables that will ultimately determine outcome in Iraq, in my opinion. That last statement is contingent on one thing, though: American military presence. As long as the Americans stay long enough to get the Iraqi government stablized and in control, all will be well, Iraq will prosper, and we all will be rich. I am confident the Americans will stay there as long as needed, and as long as it makes sense to stay. As a premature American withdrawal would severly damage American interests in the region, and the global price of oil that the American economy runs on, I doubt that will happen. I don't think even the Democrats would be that unwise.

That's my list, and summary. If anyone has a better one, let everyone know. Or, if you would add to it, or dispute it, you're free to do so.

-- January 2, 2007 12:29 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Hope this isn't old news...but I thought it was worth copying...happy year to all of you, got myself a mouse with a scroll function, works well when wanting to skip certain topics,no dislike...just not interested !! So live and let live and good luck to iraq...

Article came from dinarfinancial.com

(01-01-2007) Iraqi Central Bank expecting budget deficit in 2007.

An official at the Iraqi Central Bank expected a deficit in the next-year budget due to pumping dollars into the local market, to preserve the stability of the iraqi dinar exchange rate.

Head of the Department of Statistics and Research at the "Central", Madhar Mohamed Salih, declared that the new budget will exchange allocations by the dollar, pointing out that the rise in the value of the iraqi dinar had a positive impact through limiting expenditures, to reduce inflationary pressures in the Iraqi economy and reduce costs on prices.

He pointed out that 95% of the budget incomes depends on oil revenues, as a basic resource for the country, pointing out that the coming conditions will be encouraging for lifting the value of the iraq dinar against the dollar, but could not determine the rate of exchange only after starting the work by the general budget.

The iraqi dinar continued to rise against the dollar during the auction of the "Central", at a sale price of 1352 iraq dinar last Sunday, compared to 1360 iraqi dinar last Thursday. The expert at the "Central", Majid Assuri, expected a remarkable improvement in the rate of the iraqi dinar, due to the low dollar exchange rate, over the next couple of months. The last rise in the rate of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar exchange rate was in 1995, but then the exchange rate stabilized between 1400 and 1700 iraqi dinar to the dollar.

The "Central" attributed the high rate of the iraqi dinar against the dollar, to the stability in the sale of the dollar below its real exchange rate. Assuri explained that the inflation suffered by the economy now is a price inflation, and not a monetary inflation, pointing out that the aim of the "Central" is to limit the effects of the monetary inflation. As for the price inflation, it is due to the lower commodity presentations, and to the greedy who exploit the circumstances through which Iraq is going. He expected a significant improvement in the rate of the iraqi dinar, and the drop in prices according to this improvement.

-- January 2, 2007 12:33 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

BAGHDAD, Jan 2 (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces are likely to launch a limited New Year offensive against Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, blamed for sectarian death squad killings, senior Iraqi officials say.

The Pentagon, in a report last month, described Mehdi Army militias as the biggest threat to Iraq's security and diplomats say Washington is impatient to confront them.

Several officials in the Shi'ite political parties that dominate Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's unity government also say they are losing patience with Sadr's supporters and predict more raids like last week's joint U.S.-Iraqi operation in which a senior Sadr aide was killed.

"There will be limited and targeted operations against members of the Mehdi Army," a senior Shi'ite official told Reuters. "The ground is full of surprises but we think around Jan. 5 there will be some operations. I can say no more."

British forces in the southern oil province of Basra have also been conducting major raids against groups they describe as "rogue Mehdi Army", some entrenched in Iraqi police units.

Last week, British troops blew up the headquarters of Basra's Major Crimes Unit and said they freed tortured prisoners.

"The Americans want a war with the Mehdi Army," said a Western diplomat in Baghdad, who was not American or British.

"They want to get rid of the militia and it seems they will succeed in getting one."

MALIKI BOLSTERED

Sadr's supporters twice launched armed uprisings against the U.S. occupation in 2004 but have since formally joined the U.S.-sponsored political process.

A handful of Sadr's ministers suspended their participation in Maliki's government and his 30 members of parliament have also been staying away since Maliki approved a renewal of the U.S. forces' U.N. mandate a month ago.

But Maliki's fragile authority among his fellow Shi'ite's has been bolstered by Saturday's hanging of Saddam Hussein, whose Sunni-led administration oppressed the Shi'ite majority.

While he negotiates to end a boycott of the cabinet by moderates in Sadr's movement, other Shi'ite leaders are pushing for a crackdown on Sadr militants.

"They are jeopardising all our efforts and achievements," said a senior official from another group in the main United Alliance bloc of which Sadr's group is a key part.

Hundreds of Iraqis are being killed every week and hundreds of thousands have fled. Many Sunnis accuse Sadr's movement of being behind many death squad killings, a charge Sadr himself denies. They also accuse them of being controlled by Washington's enemies in neighbouring, Shi'ite Islamist Iran.

Impressions among Sunnis of being victims of triumphal Shi'ite militias have been reinforced by video of Saddam's hanging, in which official observers chanted "Moqtada, Moqtada, Moqtada!" and taunted the former leader on the gallows.

Maliki has repeatedly said since taking office eight months ago that he will disband all militias but has asked for patience and insists the main threat is from Sunni insurgents.

Several political sources said Maliki, from the Dawa party and a compromise choice as premier who owed his appointment to support from the populist Sadr, was trying to give political negotiations with Sadr a last chance before any crackdown.

Last month, a government delegation to Najaf failed to persuade the cleric to end his boycott, however, and Maliki has said he still plans a cabinet reshuffle that government officials say could involve removing some Sadrist ministers.

The head of the Sadrists bloc in the parliament said the group was working with members in the Alliance on a proposal to reschedule the timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops which then will end their boycott of the parliament.

"In response to our demands we are working with others in the Alliance on a proposal for the timetable of withdrawal. This will help ending the boycott," Nassar al Rubaie told Reuters.

Rubaie accused U.S. commanders of trying to lure Sadr into a direct confrontation but said that he would not be provoked.

But other members of the Alliance said Sadr had no choice but more clearly to disown militant Mehdi Army commanders. He has done so more than once, and even arrested some, but critics remain unconvinced that Sadr is genuine in those efforts:

"These people will only respond to force and this is what they will get," the senior Alliance official said. "A decisive battle is not agreed yet but limited operations just began." (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald)

-- January 2, 2007 12:46 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

The Baath party has issued a statement received by Al Jazeera.net appointing Izzat al-Douri, its deputy secretary-general, as secretary-general, succeeding Saddam Hussein, who was executed on Saturday.
Al-Douri is one of the few former Saddam government officials who are still on the run.
The US has put a $10m bounty on his head. The party, which has been an underground movement since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has vowed to continue its armed campaign to "liberate Iraq". The statement said Iraq is "under US, UK, and Iranian occupation".
The statement described the execution of Saddam as a crime and political assassination.

Leadership

Abu Muhammad, a Baath party spokesman, said al-Douri was responsible for steering the party after Saddam's capture in December 2003.
He said: "Comrade Izzat has been leading the party's political and resistance factions since 2003, but it is a matter of protocol and internal regulation to appoint him officially as the party's secretary-general."
Al-Sadr wanted Saddam dead, saying he was
responsible for the death of his father [AFP]
After Saddam's execution, Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, invited the Baath party to join the political process in the country and open a new chapter.
Muhammad said: "We would like to tell Mr al-Maliki that our only mission is to continue armed struggle until we get him and his masters [the US] out of our country.
"The martyrdom of President Saddam would be just another boost to our people's resistance against his corrupt rule and foreign occupation."
Muhammad further accused the Iraqi government and US authorities in Iraq of imposing a media blackout on Iraqis' reaction to the execution of Saddam.
He said: "Media outlets have been focusing on reactions in President Saddam's home town and few other Iraqi Sunni Arab cities, but we would like to say that people all over Iraq have been mourning the death of their legitimate president for two days.
"In al-Shatra in the southern governorate of Dhu Qar, there have been clashes where angry citizens attacked the al-Sadr al-Mahdi Army and killed eight of them and injured dozens."
Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia leader, and his supporters had called for Saddam's execution. They hold him responsible for the death of al-Sadr's father in a car crash in 1999. Iraqi authorities at the time had denied any involvement in the elder al-Sadr's death.

-- January 2, 2007 12:59 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Anyone have an inclination as to when the Presdient will speak to the nation about the way forward in Iraq?

I am looking forward to hearing his stragedy, which if received well could aid in continued confidence in the Dinar.

Observation: I have also noticed some online dealers have suspended Dinar orders. I find this development quite interesting. I think if I were a dealer (making money on other people buying this currency) I would sure stash some dinar away for myself.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2007 2:26 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim Bitts - Excellent summary on what to assign value to concerning Iraq. I agree that, "all the fighting, and killing, and religious stuff in Iraq, is just chatter. It gets 98% of the media attention, but it should be assigned about 2% value, in importance, as far as variables that will ultimately determine outcome in Iraq." This change in the Middle East is actually not alterable, in my opinion, because the interests cannot change. As you so succinctly put it, "As a premature American withdrawal would severly damage American interests in the region, and the global price of oil that the American economy runs on, I doubt that will happen. I don't think even the Democrats would be that unwise." With this I also agree. The only hope the terrorists have is that the Democrats will do the dirtywork for them and cause the withdrawl of the troops from Iraq. The terrorists boasted it wasn't a victory for the Democrats, but for the terrorists when the Dems won in the election:

Zawahri: Al Qaeda, Not Democrats, Won On Nov 7th
From ABC’s The Blotter:
"The first is that you aren’t the ones who won the midterm elections, nor are the Republicans the ones who lost. Rather, the Mujahideen — the Muslim Ummah’s vanguard in Afghanistan and Iraq — are the ones who won, and the American forces and their Crusader allies are the ones who lost," Zawahri said, according to a full transcript obtained by ABC News.
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2006/12/iraqi_dinar_dis_6.html#127299

But if even the Democrats see how unwise withdrawl is and how it hurts US interests then the terrorist's hope for help from that quarter will fall flat, too. Therefore, the present struggle in the news/politics will end up being the Democrats seeking to take a part of the credit to themselves for the beginning of a very profitable and historic enterprise - the creation of a prosperous, free, peaceful Iraq which influences the Middle East favorably for peace and prosperity for the region and its peoples.

Rumsfeld once said it was just "death throes", and I think he was right.. it is. Concentrating on the "death throes" 98% of the time, rather than the living Iraq which is left, is like continually bringing up the Saddam Hussein hanging, rather than where the country is now and where it is going. It doesn't change the real thing.. the change is here to stay and the old is doomed to die. Like Saddam's death, it just takes a while for the reality of it to sink in, and for people to look beyond the smoke and mirrors to the inevitable future of Iraq. The troops know this which is why, quote, "This is the striking difference, and probably the critical difference, between Iraq and Vietnam. The soldiers in this war believe in the task, their leaders, and they, almost unanimously, believe they have won the war and are making progress on establishing a country."
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2006/09/iraqi_dinar_dis_5.html#126956

And like Edwin A. Sumcad said, quote:
"Likewise, the Commission failed to realize that we have already won the war in Iraq. We vanquished the army of Saddam Hussein, sent the Butcher of Baghdad to the gallows and we are now occupying Iraq. We have begun our program of reconstruction of Iraq, established a democratic government, and put in place the economic infrastructure required for a new, free enterprise society of Iraq. "What we have not won yet is the complete democratization of Iraq... But we are on the high road towards that end. A little more push and we are there..."
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2006/09/iraqi_dinar_dis_5.html#126972

The Iraqis believe in it, too. Quote:
The Mini Economic Boom in Iraq That Is Hardly Reported
Amir Taheri, Arab News
Saturday, 30, December, 2006
When the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank reported two years ago that the Iraqi economy was heading for a boom, skeptics dismissed that as misplaced optimism. Now, however, even some of those who opposed the toppling of Saddam Hussein admit that many Iraqis share that optimism. Newsweek has just hailed the emergence of a booming market economy in Iraq as “the mother of all surprises,” noting “that Iraqis are more optimistic about the future than most Americans are.” The reason, of course, is that Iraqis know what is going on in their country while Americans are fed a diet of exclusively negative reporting from Iraq, focused on terrorist attacks, and motivated by an almost irrational hatred of the Bush administration.
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2006/12/iraqi_dinar_dis_6.html#127462

I don't think the troops who see it firsthand or the Iraqi people are wrong. I am sure the crown of England didn't give up its power without any difficulty or struggle. But the UK's governing power changed due to influences beyond control of the crown, just as this move toward Iraqi democracy is now a powerful force for change which cannot be stopped dispite the 98% emphasis put on reporting the ill - and ignoring the change and renewal and "boom" and hope for the future within Iraq.

The megapolitical factors changed, and with it, the world we know. The change is inevitable. It will just take time to assimilate that fact for those who had the greatest stake in the old. It is like the stock market - the market changed in Middle Eastern politics. The future belongs to the young, not the old, as you said. And the majority of the Iraqis will choose to build not destroy the future for themselves and their families - no matter what money the old political faction(s) pump in trying to derail the new megapolitical change happening in Iraq. Even in Iran, the people had the ability to kick out their radical President and did so, with the only comment being that at least it was the expression of the will of the people.. The people will be increasingly heard in Iraq and the Middle East. They won't stay suppressed when the megapolitical factors are in their favor. The yoke over Iraq is broken and we stand to become rich in the subsequent process of change there and throughout the Middle East. If the "kings" there were wise, they would look how to consolidate their wealth as the UK crown did, rather than hold onto the political power they once had by using revolutionary tactics and funding and equipping the insurgency.

Okie - interesting on the aura thing. I've heard of such things.

mattuk - The article on someone "succeeding" Saddam Hussein is ridiculous. His was not a Presidency, but a dictatorship. No one can take over for a dictator after his death. The rule of the despot has ended, no one can take it up any more than they could take it up after Hitler's death. And Saddam's sons are dead - will the insurgents follow his daughters as they did the despot himself and seek to bring one of them to rule? From a people so opposed to women in power, I cannot see it being so. The people of Iraq will not again be put under the yoke of bondage they were once under with Saddam Hussein. It is gone forever and now, with his death, that point is illustrated and they are now entering into the full realization of it.

Sara.

-- January 2, 2007 2:48 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Contacted my local branch at Chase Bank and cofirmed I can purchase the New Iraqi Dinar from them at an exchange rate of .0067750. According to the rep at Chase, I can go to any branch and order the Dinar and have it within 48hrs.

She emphasized the same person that orders must pick it up. At time of order and reception the customer must show a valid id. She also asked me if a newsletter had gone out, because I was the fourth person she spoke to today inquring about the Iraqi Dinar.

Final note, the rep from JP Morgan Chase said she cannot request a specific customers notes be circulated or uncirculated. Therefore, you get what you get.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2007 4:02 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Spoke with a rep from Wellsfargo. No, to the bank selling Iraqi Dinar.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2007 4:15 PM ∞

---

Annon wrote:

Rob N. wrote:
All:

Contacted my local branch at Chase Bank and cofirmed I can purchase the New Iraqi Dinar from them at an exchange rate of .0067750. According to the rep at Chase, I can go to any branch and order the Dinar and have it within 48hrs.

That should be 0.00067750?

-- January 2, 2007 4:27 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Checked Citibank and B of A, both currently do not buy, sell, or trade the New Iraqi Dinar. It looks as though JP Morgan Chase is it.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2007 4:41 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Mattuk......

Welcome to the Dinar Train....AKA the roller coaster!!

-- January 2, 2007 6:16 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Just heard some guy on NBC evening news say that Bush would announce his plan for Iraq on Jan. 9. I haven't seen any other news on it....anybody have any news on this?

-- January 2, 2007 6:47 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Reports of dollar's death greatly exaggerated, currency experts say
Diversity called goal of recent euro shift
By Jeremy W. Peters Published: January 2, 2007

Countries with large dollar holdings are showing a new willingness to dump the dollar in favor of the rising euro. Late last month, the United Arab Emirates became the latest country to shift more of its currency reserves away from the dollar, joining Russia, Switzerland, Venezuela and others.

Those moves come amid ambiguous signals from China recently about possibly pulling back from the dollar, and recent word from Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, that it would prefer payments for oil, typically priced in dollars, in euros.

But currency experts say that this turn away from the dollar is not likely to do any long-term damage to the currency's value for a number of reasons. First, the motives of central banks that are adding other currencies to their reserves do not appear to be driven by the belief that the euro will eventually supplant the dollar as the world's key currency. Rather, these central banks are doing what investors typically do to minimize risk: diversifying their portfolios.

Moreover, the amount of currency moved so far has been relatively small in a global market that trades trillions of dollars a day — only about $2 billion in the case of the United Arab Emirates, for example.

"There is some indication that central banks are moving to diversify reserves, but it's at a very slow pace," said David Powell, a currency analyst with IDEAglobal. "Is it the start of a massive shift out of the dollar? I would say no."

Further, the lasting impact on the dollar's value when foreign central banks invest in other currencies is far from certain, analysts said.

"Most people think it does not influence exchange rates for any long period of time," said Edwin Truman, senior fellow at the Petersen Institute for International Economics who served for more than two decades as the director of international finance for the Federal Reserve. "It has some day-to-day effects, but not any big effects."

The euro finished the year at $1.31, and some economists see it climbing near $1.40 — a point it has never reached in its seven-year history.

"We believe that the dollar's decline versus the euro has further to run, with $1.38 a possible destination for the pair over the next six months," said Tom Levinson, a foreign exchange strategist with ING Wholesale Banking in London.

Still, many economists are unwilling to predict that the dollar faces an inevitable demise.

"The dollar is still the world's No.1 currency, and it's going to stay that way," said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist for Global Insight. "The euro is gradually going to become more important, but I don't see it becoming more important than the dollar."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/02/business/dollar.php

It strikes me as a wish on someone's part, (perhaps Iran's??) that the USD face a demise - but I agree with the skeptics who say it is far from inevitable, and also agree concerning the euro that, quote, "I don't see it becoming more important than the dollar." They couldn't even get their member countries to ratify the union.. how stable is that to invest into as a monetary repository for stability?

Sara.

-- January 2, 2007 6:58 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

I believe the plan that's announced will be a positive step forward for Iraq.....

====================================================================================================
Bush to reveal troop boost - BBC
By staff reporters
January 03, 2007 10:29am

US President George W. Bush will reveal within days a plan to send more troops to Iraq, the BBC reported today.
Mr Bush has come under pressure to change his strategy on Iraq, particularly in the wake of a report showing the current strategy is not working.

The BBC said it had learnt that Mr Bush will give a speech soon in which he will outline a plan to send more US troops to focus on ways of bringing greater security, rather than training Iraqi forces.

The BBC said it was told by a senior US Government source that Mr Bush's speech setting out the changes in Iraq policy was likely in the middle of next week.

-- January 2, 2007 7:13 PM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

Wow, the last scratch pad just lasted about 3 weeks!!!!!!!

-- January 2, 2007 7:29 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

All: Went to the cardiologist today, do a stress test in 2 weeks, and am clear to travel back to the sand box. . .I'll do what I can to give everyone up to date info on what's happening as soon as I hear anything, as I have some reliable sources in Baghdad, this will be a very profitable year for all of us. . .and if I can help anyone to purchase more, feel free to ask. . . I have a bank at my disposal in Balad. . .

Okie: Next trip to Phuket. . .June or July. . .get on board or send JIM BEAM. . .P.H.

-- January 2, 2007 8:00 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara, interesting comments you quoted on the fact that, in essence, America has already won the war. Saddam's army was vanquished, within 3 weeks. Another big difference, with Iraq, compared to Vietnam, is that the North Vietnamese had a country they were operating out of, and they had a large, and disciplined army. What is left in Iraq, facing American soldiers, is not a large and well organized, or equipped army. Insurgencies depend on stealth, run, kill, and hide. They are hard to completely destroy, unless you are willing to invest up to a decade. Even a great army like the American Army has difficulties with insurgencies. However, it would take a very large, very disciplined and well equipped army to drive the Americans right out of Iraq. That will never happen. What will continue to happen, is the killing of a soldier here, four soldiers here, three there. Although the loss of life is to be mourned, in the large military sense, these are tiny losses. What will be continued to be reported, by the media, however, is every little thing that goes wrong, and every soldier that is killed, from the American side. Like an odometer from hell, the American body count is displayed on American television many times a day, while victories are ignored, or misreported. All this creates the illusion in the mind of the public that their soldiers are losing. That, of course, is pure nonsense.

The MSM has decided that their definition of winning the war in Iraq, goes something like this: if all goes well in Iraq, nothing goes wrong, nobody dies, all the Arab groups that have abused each other for centuries suddenly end all hostility, and a fully functioning state emerges, like a genie out of a bottle, in no time, with no effort, then and only then, America has won. This, of course, is almost unbearably silly, but these are the underlying assumptions behind most of the media reports Americans are spoon fed every day. Of course, this is a completely warped definition of victory, and winning a war, given the context the Americans are fighting in.

The MSM, like Hollywood, defines reality, as the series of images that appear on a screen. This, of course, is pure rubbish. Images are incredibly powerful, to shape the minds of people, particularly weak-minded people, but I always thought one of the lessons of the bible, including the story of the golden calf, was to be careful to not pay too much heed to what is just an image. It may not be reality. It may, in fact, be a complete distortion of reality. Reader: if you think what you see on television represents the total reality in Iraq, you fool yourself.

Whoever reads this, ask yourself, does your television lie to you? I think it does.

No wonder President Bush said he doesn't watch much television. Doesn't have an appetite to be manipulated and fed a steady diet of nonsense, I guess.

-- January 2, 2007 8:55 PM ∞

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Annon wrote:

President Schwarzenegger... Sounds good, anybody know the status of the movement to allow him to run for President? Surely if they would allow Hillary to run then Arnold should be allowed, At least he is more patriotic than probably 50% of the so called natrual born Americans and imports.

Thoughts?

-- January 2, 2007 10:06 PM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

NNNOOOOOOOOO President Arnold doesn't sound good at all. First, I am afraid he would take his action star mentality to the office, which is not good. 2nd, if this basic law that the nation was built around is changed, whats next? They gonna let illegal imigrants run for office? Then the little man from Mars?

Hillary, yes, she has a good head on her shoulders, has very a very good track record, and MIGHT be able to get a good start on fixing the mess the world and the USA in particular has become in the last 6 years.

-- January 2, 2007 11:23 PM ∞

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Bob wrote:

What is evryons thoughts on whn the Dinar will make it to the FOREX?

I have heard 6-9months.

-- January 3, 2007 12:13 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Sara, Thanks for your comments and opinions to my postings.

I was surprised to see a new site starting. I agree with the one that said soon Christmas vacation will be over and all the 9th graders will return back to school.

Interesting comments about the extradimensional phenomena. The spiritual world has the "light side" and the "dark side".
Scripture speaks so poignantly to the differences. We are all encouraged to "tests the spirits" which requires discernment.

The mind is a vaccum and needs to be guarded. SO Sara, your prayer asking God to take away anyting that disguises light and is really darkness, is very smart and very responsible behavior. Scripture describes some of these activities that are taking place ( and will continue in frequency and intensity) as the end of the age gets closer and closer.

This is a time when our antennas should be on alert.

Pan, Thank you for sharing with us about your continued health progress!!!! So happy for you!!!!

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 1:43 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Way off the subject---but int the last 6 weeks our office has seen a disturbing amount of patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer ( ages 35-55) who have never smoked or been subject to second-hand smoke. NO comorbid diseases either. I haven't been doing this line of work for very long, but those who have are as equally disturbed and that means something significant to me.

I wonder what is going on?

Does anyone else have any information about high incidence of lung cancer in non-smoking people?

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 1:52 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

I don't mean to take anything away from the attention and respect being shown to the late Pres. Ford.
But I ahve not heard one mention of the fact that he appointed probably the most liberal and destructive Justice sitting on our High Court right now. Justice Stevens. It was a mystery to me at the time Ford apponted him and a bigger mystery why this has not been pointed out.

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 2:00 AM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

Just got through catching up on 5 days of posts, that took awhile.

Happy New Year to all! May you succeed in accomplishing your resolutions.

Anthony R.,
Hillary??? Wow! I hope you didn't mean it.

On the topic of oil.
Can you imagine what would happen if the worlds dependancy on oil was removed. What would the Arab counties sell to support their people? They can't grow enough food. Do you want to buy a jar of sand? Their would definately be world war. Oil is good, and the more they can pump out of Iraq the better it will be for everyone. If the growth of the supply exceeds the growth of the demand the price will come down.

-- January 3, 2007 2:25 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

All,

Just wanted to let everyone know--- Just like the great Martin Luther spiritualist, "I am home at last." I won't say it is the promise land but for now will do.

A new scratch pad, means a new beginning; and everyone is given a new chance at being better than yesterday.

I read what Kevin wrote and I agree with him.

I am hoping that posters will do better at remembering to treat others better than themselves. This spiritual principle will be a blessing to all, if followed.

On the topic of UFO's, while the object could be life from other planets or another dimension/plane for spiritual beings, my bet is that the object is military. Probably, a new plane (stealth project)--ours or another country's.

I also noticed that in the last post, economies were discussed, i.e.;
communist, socialist, and capitalist. While, I agree with Sara that the Bible seems to back a capitalist ecomony--I disagree that the structure of an ecomony will heal a nation without compassion...ours and everyone's elses.

The Lord speaks many times of a nation that has a hardened heart against the poor--

-This can be seen in people's lack of respect for the poor person who is not working with remarks that cut this person's down for his lowly estate. What comes to my mind is how easy it is to attack the only social net available to a poor person--the welfare state.

Our Lord set up such a welfare state in the Old Testament, when he instructed the farmers not to forget the poor but to leave crops in the fields for the poor. What comes to mind is the story of Ruth and Boaz.

However, I hear in politics and individual people a lack of compassion for the poor because of the perception of a tax payer, that the tax payer is footing the bill. Yet, we pay corporate welfare to companies with the perceived notion that this payment will create jobs. Different strategies for dealing with social problems-- but the real issue is grass roots, what is in the individual's heart for helping others less fortunate?.

The United States of America has spent a fortune on Iraq ($300 Billion onward). And as a nation, I believe, we need to continue to show compassion on this nation. However, we also needed to be more accountable for the expenitures as alot of this money was misappropriated.

A clear example of excessive spending was in the money used to buy weapons for the army and Iraq police and now these side arms are gone (Some say to insurgents, other say to corrupt officials or Iraqi citizens in underground arms sales).

Another example, I read about was when money was given to a Iraq officials for reconstruction projects w/o oversight and the money disappeared and the projects left undone.

Some of the money waste can be seen in our (United States) lack of foresight in measuring the lack of security with the damage done to insurgent attacks on valuable contruction projects, i.e., electricity, oil pipelines, educational and hospitals buildings etc.

In addition, there are continuing charges of USA Company Contractors being accused of lining their pockets (greed being the issue). However, this is nothing new and the charge can be found with previous wars.

The issue comes back to the heart of man. The Iraqi man or woman learning ethnics instead of corruption (as their former culture); Politicians learning not to capitialize on the money issue in their bill passing; citizens holding their politicians accountable for the spending of these priorities etc.

At issue is my point, we still have not rebuilt the city of New Orleans. We a nation that is suppose to be a super power cannot take care of our own people and their needs. What I am saying is that we as a nation needed balance for our check book to do both (i.e., help the Iraqi nation and our own people).

--My point, do not forget compassion in your money dealings and also in how you treat your fellow man.

My thought is that someone got rich on the war with the above examples. However, our own people are hurting and we cannot provide adequate social services (safety net). Something is wrong with this picture??. Don't you think?

Bob,

On the dinar hitting the Forex, it's anyone's guess. I believe it will be a long term investment before the dinar will re-value. I am with Rob N. and Carl on this one.

Laura

-- January 3, 2007 3:07 AM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

Laura,
It's all about where the intrest lies. No doubt you have some dinars yourself, because its an investment with the hope of great profit. How much have you contributed to rebuild N.O.? Its no different with our government. Many people are poor, and many have tragic disasters that take all they have. It happens throughout our country by floods, fires, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, and there is help for these victoms. If the gov. built N.O. a new city and brand new houses for all the people, it would hardley be fair to all those who had to work night and day, take gov. loans that they payback, or spent their life savings in rebuilding from their disasters. It's awefull what happened there, and the insurance companies who ripped people off by denying rightfull claims should be prosecuted.
I believe we take care of our disabled, unemployeed, widowed, orphans, handicaped, and hungry fairly well in America. Even most of our starving people here are overweight. Ever seen those people standing at intersections with a sign "will work for food"? Ever try to hire one of them to do some work for you? They have every reason in the world why they can't work today.

-- January 3, 2007 4:43 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Panhandler.....

Good news about your health and return to work. I've marked Phuket on my things to do list for June-July.

COM'ON DINAR!!!

-- January 3, 2007 6:41 AM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Okie!
What a wonderful gift of seeing the Aura...

Valerio:
Good intentions are sometimes loaded with potholes...Federal Entitlements without requirement to repay or at least work for the money is one of them...We have millions of people on the dole...generation after generation after generation...of the same family...now they think they are due that money...it is owed to them...

A lot of these lets say heavier than lite souls...would not work in a pie factory tasting the crust...Walk...are you crazy...they are the ones blocking the parking lot waiting for someone to back out near the entrance...

Sara:
In my opinion, they are not demons....just simply another life form...that are apparently more intellegent than we are...and understand the universe a whole lots better than we do... Apparently they are not a danger to us...as they could have probably wiped us out a long time ago...
Personally, I think we of the human race scare the dickens out of them...and look at us as primative at best.. in both our technology and religious dogmas...

Laura:
The lords ole system of leaving grain in the field would not work today...Why? One of the poor would file legal action
against the farmer, because he made them pick up the grain in the fields, and they hurt their back taking his free grain..

Valerio to continue a litter bit further
They are the first to use their health insurance to have their diabetes checked, blood pressure regulated, varicose problems stripped, fallen arches rebuilt due to the weight, etc..
We should have a requirement...if you are overweight from over eating and not medical issue...you are required to go to work at a job, that requires you to move more than your mouth, arm and hand..

Panhandler:
Contact me at traderconnections@yahoo.com...interested in purchasing more dinar...would like to discuss...

-- January 3, 2007 6:42 AM ∞

---

DALE wrote:

New Orleans.
Just some thoughts.....
Ever been to THE BIG EASY???. I have. Fun place where one can go & have a great time. And I did.
Just ask your self where the most immoral place in our country is. People go to New Orleans & carry on in a manner they would never dream of in their home town. For that matter in any other place on earth. Grown women getting half, sometimes fully nakkid in public. Not that that is entirely bad.I am kinda fond of naked women. The female body is a beautiful thing. pPint is people lose theer inahabitions & act as if they have no morales at all, in that town.
I will ask to draw from Sarah's plethora of knowledge of biblical history here, if she might be so inclined to help me with some examples. Or anyone else that might cared to chime in. Does the bible not tell of places through out history that god has destroyed because of the immoral people there.
Does it strike anyone as odd that the tragedy of this magnitude took place in a city like New Orleans? The shit hit the fan there & the size of the tradgedy, was on a Biblical scale . If you ask me God was just fed up with the city of New Orleans.
Maybe I made all that up in my feeble little mind.
Maybe it was just a coincidence. What ever the reason, what good sense does it make to rebuild a city under sea level. ok, ok, you say build a better levy system.
I say mother nature ( or god ) will beat mans attempt to control her/him every time.
To me it's the same as the people that I see in Florida on TV crying I lost everything in that storm. To them I say I am sorry for your loss, But, BUT, don't you think it was stupid to sink everything you ever worked forall your life, into a home that sits in a place, where you know damn good & well there is gonna be giant storms that have a history of smashing homes, cars & lives every so many years.
Makes no sense to me. But then a again I am just a dumb mason.
I do agree that we should spend more of our money here at home. Feeding, housing & educating our people.

Saddam's hanging.
Last checked I thought being executed was supposed to be a bad thing. What's the big deal if someone heckled him before he died. Ever watch the tapes of his thugs killing people. Hands bound, being tossed off buildings to the pavement, then taken back up top & thrown off again? I say you get what you deserve. In his case some might argue that he deserved far worse than any heckling & a hangman's noose. The whole reap what you sow thing worked well here. He built the gallows that he deservedly was hanged from.

-- January 3, 2007 7:17 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

As anticipated, there is no move in the exchange rate today.

Carl,

You make several good points about helping the poor. I knew a man who grew corn. He took some to where he knew poor people lived and asked one man if he wanted some. His response was "well is it shucked?"

I seem to recall that Opra Winfrey took several welfare couples and provided them everything they needed to get back on their feet. Seems like most ended up back on welfare.

How to help the poor is truly a puzzle. Whatever we do, will it ever be enough?

-- January 3, 2007 7:28 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Dale.....

Our Military found body parts like fingers and toes in the torture rooms used by Saddam and his two son's. Hanging and some heckling was way to good for him. This is one case where paybacks are a MoFo should have been applied.

-- January 3, 2007 8:23 AM ∞

---

ANONYMOUS wrote:

ALL: Denver News

This text is from a county emergency manager out in the western part of
Jefferson County after a snowstorm.

WEATHER BULLETIN - COLORADO

Up here, in the Northern Plains, we just recovered from a Historic
event---may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" ---
with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90
MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded
hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated
scores of communities and cut power to 10s of thousands.

FYI:

George Bush did not come.

FEMA did nothing.

No one howled for the government.

No one blamed the government.

No one even uttered an expletive on TV.

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.

Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.

Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5
snowstorm.

Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.

No one looted.

Nobody - I mean Nobody, demanded the government do something.

Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No
Geraldo Rivera.

No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.

Nope, we just melted the snow for water.

Sent out caravans of SUVs to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a
penny.

Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments
delivered it to the snowbound families.

Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.

We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman
lanterns.

We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die."

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of
a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades
votes for 'sittin at home' checks.

Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this
early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.

"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about
40 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems
evaporate." It does seem that way, at least to me.

I hope this gets passed on. Maybe SOME people will get the message.
The world does not owe you a living.

_________________________________________________________________
Fixing up the home? Live Search can help http://imagine-windowslive.com/search/kits/default.aspx?kit=improve&locale=en-US&source=hmemailtaglinenov06&FORM=WLMTAG

| |

-- January 3, 2007 8:50 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Laura,

Happy New Year! Glad you returned home safely.

Taking care of the poor and unfortunate in this country has never been an issue. It has and probably always be our mission as a free society.

BUT as with anything else, there are those that will always take something that was meant for good and use it for ill intentions, with greed and slouthfulness at the root of it. In the process of this decaying system in our country, our government, through it's unending entitlement programs have promoted dependency on these programs. In the process, this system rewards the lazy and shrewd and punishes the hard working middle class family. Without the working middleclass here in America, the world would suffer tremendously. We carry the burden of many nations and their economies, in the form of foreign aid, etc.

There are families here in California alone where children have never experienced their grandparents or parents ever get up in the morning and leave for work and bring home a paycheck. But they are very familiar with "waiting for the check and food stamps to arrive, at the first of the month". It is all they know. Years ago, these children as they grew up became embarrased of their family's situation and were motivated to do better. Not so today! Because the lifestyles are wide spread and we have whole communitities in the system of entitlement. So everyone is socially and economically equal.

Our healthcare system is plagued with much of the same, and here soon will self destruct.

Now for a real hardhsip and sad situation...

A family who has struggled to do the right thing and go to work, bring home the paycheck, raise their families under these values, hits a streak of bad luck and finds themselves with no where to turn except to the system that is suppose to be there for them. They struggle for weeks trying to penetrate a system that is foreign to them. They don't know the angles, and/or are not willing to play the lying nad cheating games to "get all they can" for govt. help and in the process they loose almost or all that they have worked so hard for with no where to turn.

Our govt. has denied humans the dignity needed for a healthy society to survive and pass on certain legacies to our young.

Communism demands that it's citizens become dependent on the govt for the most basic needs, from tiolet paper to utilities.

In our welfare system we have become the same meaning for a growing mass of people. I could go on and on and on.

But let us turn to the Social Security picture--
More than 35% of those receiving SS benefits have never worked or been linked to a contributing worker for their monthly alottment. And a growing number of those statics are not even American born.

There is a number of truly needy people hidden with in a system that is corrupt.That can not be denied. But the system, in order to get to those few has created a monster that preys on the working class in this country.

There are no better examples of the atrocities within that system than here in California. I become repulsed at events like during Christmas when organizations go to the "poor" communities to pass out toys and the ploice have to be brought in because of the luting and fightning that takes place if the masses are not happy with the amount of or quality of toys being distributed. Awhile back, police cars were being demolished by the adults seeking toys for their kids. It was one of the most distasteful demonstrations of what we have promoted through our philosophy of entitlement to the poor.

Many single mothers get up and go to at least 2 jobs to survive. But many many more do not. You see them walking their children to school, taking their children to the parks, and they are always behind a stroller and usually pregnant. And if there is truly a father in the picture, he is not tied legally to that family unit, so that the wife/mother can qualify for all the welfare benefits she and her social worker can get their hands on. How fair or healthy is this for our society. NOw throw in the factor that she is probably not even a legal citizen.....

One can not justifiably criticize another for taking objection to this process.

The white middleclass working parents are having less and less children, while the non-white commuinities are popping out kids and introducing them into this system faster than the census bureau can count.

Adding children to these families means a pay raise!

And instead of being grateful and looking forward to the day when their luck turns and they can get back to work to start to give back to a system that was there for them in hard times, the mindset is now---it is owed to me and I will take all I can get for as long as I can get it. And the govt. has assured them that this will go on for generation after generation.

Now , for sure there are the exceptions ( dwindling, but yet still there) that want something better for their lives, and strive to break the family traditional cycle.

I found this to be true in my profession, and my husband found this often in his profession.

A nurses aid with 3 children working for about $8.00 an hour can get an automatic substantial pay raise by staying home and collecting all the entitlement benefits available to her here in California.

So when you walk into a hospital or paticularly into a Nursing Home, just know that those individuals who are changing adult's diapers, feeding the drooling and caring patient loads of 10-12 patients within an 8 hour day, are there because of a strong character and desire to maintian their dignity of collecting a paycheck for a hard days work. I call them my angels of mercy.

When I worked as a Nursing Home Adminsitrator, I made sure that they got the recognition and all the gratitiude I could give them, and ALWAYS demanded that the patients and families treated them with the utmost of respect.

Recently, we found it necessary to call for assistance from the local Police Department. My husband struck up a conversation with the young officer, who was raised here in our city. My husband remarked on how proud his family must be of him. He replied to the contrary and went on to say that he is the object of harrassment and ridicule from most of his family, including his siblings and father. For 2 reasons. #1 He is the first and only who has done something with his life and is not on welfare and #2 of all things he is a policeman.

We expressed our sympathies to him and his remark was everytime he is confronted with the riducle and criticism, it his assurance that he is doing the right thing not to end up like his family, and the criticism motivates him.

According to my husband he saw much of the very same thing when he was on LAPD. The Black and Hispanic officer suffer like no white officer can ever imagine, not only on the streets but in their won family circles as well. Amazing, isn't it?

SO please Laura, I invite you to look beyond the propaganda the politicians ( democrats mostly) spew out about our poor and underprivilged. Look for yourself and study the statisitcs, and then tell me how and when this system can be fixed.

In California, there is no hope, because now the majority of entitlement receipents will vote for any politician who will offer more handouts--and that is how they get the votes. It is a self perpetutating, phagocytic reality in motion, and picking up speed faster than we can put money into the system. It is about to explode.

The welfare class is exceeding the working class here in California. Who then will put in, if more are taking out? Just do the math!

I used to say " look down the road 40 years". Now I say look down the road 5 or 10 years.

Here in California, we used to be a land fo opporotunity for all the right reasons, now we are still a land of opporotunity for all the wrong reasons. And anyone or system that might be put in place to turn this situation around would be inviting a revolution on our streets that would be equivalent to those in Baghdad.

Stepping down from my soap box!

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 8:53 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Dale,

A little rough around the edges, but VERY VERY good insights.

What is so distrubing is that the goofy govenor was more in a hurry to put the casino back in function than to rebuild the hospitals or
schools. Guess he didn't buy into the " God is watching" idea. Poor fool!!!

As far as I am concerned the only thinking minds were the ones who said this is our opportunity to leave and never look back. To them Katrina was Saint Katrina!

Carl:

It will never be enough! A bottomless pit!

Solution--you work you eat!

You can't work, you better find someone who is working and beg for mercy until you can contribute! And if you can't find someone who can step in your place for you.

This will create an entity where more are giving and thus more available for the few who are truly incapable and needy, without destroying the core.

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 9:21 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Chris:
The change of life patterns have to come from inside the individual first...
First...there is thought
Second there is thought made visible by words
Third there is thought made touchable by action..
Most social programs started with great intentions...but created a larger problem in the end...the majority need to be abolished or restructured to stop enabling souls...allow them to gain self respect and confidence within themselves again. How does it go...teach a man to...

Dale:
Simple answer to the BIG EASY being destroyed...

Build a house on a train track and the train sooner or later is going to smash the heck out of it...
New Orleans is built in the path of major storm patterns...sooner or later...well you know the rest...

-- January 3, 2007 9:22 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.safedinar.com

Economic Inflation is the prominent event in 2006

Experts find that the economic inflation phenomenon, which has begun to increase and had reached a frightening threat to the Iraqi economy, is one of the most prominent events in the country during 2006.

They emphasized in an opinion poll: "When the inflation rates in the countries of the world rise, they will rise to varying fractional, and this will compel the governments to make adjustments and changes in the economic decision, but the phenomenon in Iraq have taken another foreshadowing form, if it is unleashed, it will disrupt all productive sectors".

The economic expert, Dr. Madhar Mohamed Salih, said: "The dangerous phenomenon of inflation experienced by the Iraqi economy is one of the most serious economic phenomena because it is still continuing without finding any radical solutions to eliminate or control it effectively", pointing out that "part of the State policy to eradicate this phenomenon was to raise interest rates and other measures which are considered procedures for controlling and not eliminating it".

He explained: "The things that could be considered high profile events during 2006 is the fruitful movement of the Iraqi government for rescheduling the debt of commercial banks and foreign private sector to the government and quenching them with an international bill equivalent to the conditions of the Paris debt, amounting to 20 billion dollars".

Dr. Mohammed Risan, from the Economic Studies Center, said: "the economic inflation is one of the most prominent economic phenomena experienced by Iraq in 2006. It began to grow from the beginning of the year and continued without taking effective steps to stop or reduce the rate of its growth; which means that the country will live a serious economic crisis if effective steps were not taken to deal with it".

He explained: "The decision of the current Iraqi government to raise the prices of fuel by 125% compared to its prices last year, had a significant effect in raising the prices of foodstuffs, consumer goods and others; which created the appropriate environment for the growth of the phenomenon of economic inflation", pointing out that: "This did not come from the vacuum, but from the pressure imposed on Iraq by the International Bank and the IMF to reduce its debt, in exchange for raising the fuel prices without seeing the negative side, which Iraqis would live as a result of international resolutions that have more negatives than positives".

Dr. Sundus Abd Jassim, professor of international economics at the Faculty of Management and Economics in Baghdad explained: "The dramatic decline in the dollar exchange rate during the latest weeks is a phenomenon which should be taken into consideration because of the economic implications that could be reflected positively on the value of the Iraqi dinar".

She said: "The optimistic predictions for rehabilitating the deteriorating Iraqi economy coincide with starting the work by the budget of 2007; however, those predictions should be backed up by the State to raise the value of the Iraqi dinar versus foreign currency", adding: " the Iraqi government can eradicate the phenomenon of economic inflation through ongoing work to develop plans and programs to reduce the value of foreign currency against the Iraqi dinar". It is noteworthy that the rate of inflation during the last year ranged between 25 and 30 per cent, while reached up to 77% during the current year.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 3, 2007 9:24 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Tim,

I was in B.C. and Vancover in the 70's ( vacation ). Was very impressed withtheir idea of welfare. PArks and hospitals were full of workers earning their welfare checks. Is it still like that?

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 9:26 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Carole:
Have you ever noticed that the lowest paid employees at Health Care Facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, etc are the sanitation and supply teams.
At Helen Keller Hospital in Alabama those employees make $6.25 to $7.95 a hour. Yet! they are under the strictest of guidelines for cleanliness in the hospital...allow bacteria to spread or dirty instruments to be used in surgery and the hospital will have all kinds of legal problems...and probably shut down until sanitation is restored...
All of the nurses and doctors can go home...so it brings to mind who really carries the most responsibility for the hospital or health care facility for staying open...
It is not just or right, these individual who work the hardest get the least pay..

-- January 3, 2007 9:33 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Carole:
It is simply economics 101 regarding the Casino's being rebuilt in La and Mississippi first...
The Casino's are a major cash cow for the state and local governments...they produce an huge portion of the states income. The States just got slammed hard...expenditures running out of the top of the billfold...green is needed fast to meet that drain...do put your resources into rebuilding the cash cow first or a school building...

Without Cash nothing gets rebuilt...

-- January 3, 2007 9:36 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Watched Frontline on PBS last night. It considered why the U.S. went to war. The program painted Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld as the wars architects.

According to the Frontline program Cheney and Rumsfeld used shoddy intelligence to justify the U.S. attack on Iraq. President Bush is presented as being duped by both of them.

Powell, Rice, and George Tenat are presented as being guilty of aiding the implementation of the war while knowing the evidence did not support Saddam having WMD.

I really did not expect this program to be honest about the events which led to the invasion of Iraq. The Frontline program continues to solidify for me that the American press has an inherent bias against President Bush, his administration, and this war.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 3, 2007 10:21 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Carl,

I have to disagree with you a bit!

First of all , every line personnel in any hospital setting are disproportionately paid. I think we agree.

But in the sanitation and supply department, technology has improved so much so that the "dirty work" that it used to be is no longer the case. By the time the waste products get to the laundry and environmental services department they are bagged and rebagged and already separated for porper disposal.

However, technology has not been improved for those who must clean the waste from the body ( under the covers) and get it to the bags. There is no technology for changing the picture for the one who has to clean someone's bottom or cleanout grossly infected wounds, or feed a drooling combative patient, or turning a comatose or quad patient, etc etc.

And those ancillary departments that you speak of have the advantage of not having to answer call lights ringing day and night for continual assistance and expectations that at times are far reached from reality.

A janitor or dishwasher or laundry person can come to work with a headache or be out of sorts and it is acceptable and the work gets done, but maybe not as good when the worker is at full speed. On the otherhand, the luxury of a "bad day" is never afforded to the nurses aid.They must always be at their best attitude, fastest pace and skilled at custodial care that most people have never done for themselves on a daily basis.

Believe it or not there are patients who at home only brush their teeth once a day, shower a few times a week, and change their bed linens more infrequently. But when they get to a hospital, their expectations of personal hygiene changes and they expect and demand, daily bathing, linen changes frequently throughout the day, meals served hot and with attractive presentation, and on and on and on. ANd in California ( a Medi-cal driven health system, all being paid through an entitlement system. IN a nursing home in California, 80-95% of most occupied beds are filled with Medi-cal recipients. For approx. $110.00 a day, the patient receives 24 hour nursing care, 3 well balanced hot meals, entertainment and rehab services, medications prepared and delivered to the bedside, tuck-in services, mail delivered to their bedside, doctor visits to their bedside. call light that gives them immediate access to their needs, etc etc...and phone numbers posted every few feet of government agencies they can call if things are not to their liking which brings an immediate response from the DHS that causes havoc to an already fragile environment for the labor force. Those making the complaints are being cared for with your tax dollars, and those investigating the compalints are being paid for with your tax dollars. NOt a pretty picture and I am so glad to be out of it!!After over 20 years on the administration side of that distorted picture!

SO, everyone should seriously think about helping in that arena where ever you can, especially after the dinar hits, as 8 out of 10 will end up under the care of one of these angels of mercy, if you live beyond 75. And, yes you or your heirs will figure out a way to get it all paid through a government program!

Shoot, try to find a motel room for that rate!
And I certainly do not mean to take away from the sanitation or supply departments and their importance or dedication to their labor and effort to comply with sanitary regulations. I just approach the subject from a different perspective based on my experiences.

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 11:04 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

no it's not like that. Welfare has been tightened up in BC, so that fewer people qualify, but they are not required to work, if that's what you meant.

Actually, to show how bad the welfare was, in BC, I know an able bodied, talented man, Bill, with three children, and a wife, who deliberately moved to a small town in northern BC, so he could go on welfare. The town is full of fairly new houses, as a mine operated there for many years, before shutting down. So housing was very cheap, easily available, and there was lots of hunting and fishing and recreation nearby, including a new pool and recreation centre in town. He didn't want to work. Bill told me, "I'll show up with three kids, in December, and they'll feel sorry for me, they'll give me a house, and a checque" He was right. He played the system, and had a three year hunting holiday.

That kind of thing has been stopped now.

I also know people who legitately need help. I know a woman, Mary, with a lot of children, whose husband died suddenly, unexpectantly, at a young age, leaving her destitute. By supporting layabouts like the first man I mentioned, Bill, the province does not have enough money for the truly needy and deserving, like Mary.

Bill takes money away from Mary. I've told him that, but he could care less.

I don't mind my taxes supporting Mary, but I don't want Bill supported on public money.

One of the best things people can do to fight poverty, is to ensure everyone has at least a grade 12 education. People who graduate from high school are at a statistically much lower risk for falling into poverty, because they are more employable. One interesting idea being tried here in Canada, in the province of Ontario, is a new law, just recently brought in by Premier McGuinty, that says that anyone who drops out of high school, will automatically lose their driver's licence. So if you want to drive, in Ontario, stay in school, or else. Sounds like a good idea to me.

American states might want to try that one.

-- January 3, 2007 11:11 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From the AP

Jan 3, 2:57 AM EST

U.S. Troops Detain 23 Suspects in Iraq

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. troops detained 23 people suspected of ties to senior al-Qaida leaders in raids Wednesday morning in western Iraq, the military said.

The raids took place in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's volatile western Anbar province.

three of the suspects detonated an improvised explosive device, then ran into a house. American troops shot one of the suspects, wounding him as he tried to flee, the military said in a statement.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 3, 2007 11:19 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

A few comments on the roots of Welfare, a topic being kicked around on this site, for some reason, probably because people get tired about talking about the same thing.

Warning: Not about the Dinar, or Iraq. Ignore, and scroll past, if you don't want to hear my two cents, on welfare.

Carole:

In my opinion, changes in public morality, including changes in divorce laws, and atitudes toward marriage are at the root of the rise of the underclass. A generation ago, it was not considered respectable for a woman to have a child out of wedlock. Now, even middle class families have daughters and neices with unwed mothers in them, and there is no social stigma attached.

Fathers are now considered options, in terms of the structure of the family. Since the rise of the welfare state, men who father children no longer have to be the primary financial provider for that child. There is little or no social stigma attached to having children out of wedlock, and the government is more than willing to step in, and pay the bills. Since one of the original, primary roles of males, within a marriage, is to be a breadwinner, once he is no longer requied, he often abandons his responsibility. Governments have, in effect, become secondary husbands to large numbers of unwed women. Governments pay the bills, and thus provide the economic anchor a family needs, to survive.

So if things get rough, and the couple does not get along, the man can leave without worrying about the child going hungry. There will always be food, and shelter and clothing provided for the child. The feminist movement in the 1960s freed up public atitudes about sexuality, and changed the way Americans look at sexuality. Sexuality is now considered to be all about personal gratification. It is no longer primarily about procreation.

Look at all the young Latino mothers in California, who are on public assistance. They could care less if they have a man in their life. The social consequences of these atitudes are enormously corrosive, in the long run. These atitudes are causing widespread social destruction, and economic decay, in the United States. It's interesting that children raised without a father are statistically significantly higher risks, for dropping out of school, being unemployed, or underemployed, getting pregnant, or getting a girl pregnant at a young age, going on social assistance, going to prison, etc. etc.

You can thank the hippies and the feminists for all this mess. (The same ones that put roadblocks in front of your husband getting a deserved promotion, Carole) I'm recalling from memory, but if memory serves me, about 40% of American children are now being born out of wedlock. Someone, correct me if I'm wrong.

So Americans have listened to liberals, who told them the family was an oppressive institution, that must be weakened. They have loosened up atitudes about sexuality, made divorce easier, allowed men to escape responsibility, and marginalized the role of men withing families.

Also, at the heart of family are children. Historically, one of the main reasons men got married, was to have a family. Getting married is no longer necessary, in order to have a family. Since divorce no longer has a stigma, but it does come with an economic penalty, and since having children out of wedlock no longer has any social stigma, we have allowed men the choice of having children outside of wedlock. For many, this is an easier option, with less penalty attached if things go wrong. This does, of course, corrode the value of marriage, but the public has bought into the idea that marriage is a temporary arrangement anyway.

Since public atitudes about sexuality are so loose, men can have children, without bothering to get married. That makes it easier to leave if things get rough. And they do. So if a man can have children with a woman without the hassle of getting married, many irresponsible men are encouraged to do so, further destroying the family, the centre of American life.

And when the man leaves, there goes one paycheck, and you are left with a woman struggling with the burden of caring for a child, and looking for money for support. And along comes the Government, the Secondary Husband.

And the more children the woman has, the more society pays her. And you wonder why there are so many women and children on welfare? And you wonder why the underclass are breeding like rats? Well, you are paying them to do so, that's just simple economics, welfare is in fact an economic incentive to behave badly, that's why, and Americans have redefined family, to exclude males, and you have allowed males to act irresponsibly. How's that working for you?

So, who's fault is this, anyway? People tend to blame the poor. I say, no way.

Don't blame the lower classes for this mess. Social order and norms are set by the people in power, by the educated, by the upper class, not by waitresses at Denny's. Right now, in the United States, the upper educated classes are dominated, for the most part, by liberals, with a lot of silly ideas that are corroding the social order in America. That is changing, but if conservative Christians are really upset about these problems, they need to encourage like-minded conservative people to take over more political power in the United States and change some of the idiotic social norms that are creating this problem.

Just don't blame the lower classes. That's like blaming the symptoms, while ignoring the disease.

Back to our regularly scheduled Dinar programme.

-- January 3, 2007 12:06 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

How bipartisan consensus in the US will win the Iraq war
January 04, 2007
- US President George W. Bush writes in The Wall Street Journal on his plans for Iraq in his last two years in office

TOMORROW, members of the 110th Congress will take their oaths of office here in Washington. I will have the privilege of working with them for the next two years - one-quarter of my presidency, plenty of time to accomplish important things for the American people.

Our priorities begin with defeating the terrorists who killed thousands of innocent Americans on September 11, 2001 - and who are working hard to attack us again. These terrorists are part of a broader extremist movement that is now doing everything it can to defeat us in Iraq.

In the days ahead, I will be addressing our nation about a new strategy to help the Iraqi people gain control of the security situation and hasten the day when the Iraqi Government gains full control over its affairs. Ultimately, Iraqis must resolve the most pressing issues facing them. We can't do it for them.

But we can help Iraq defeat the extremists inside and outside of Iraq - and we can help provide the necessary breathing space for this young Government to meet its responsibilities. If democracy fails and the extremists prevail in Iraq, America's enemies will be stronger, more lethal, and emboldened by our defeat. Leaders in both parties understand the stakes in this struggle. We now have the opportunity to build a bipartisan consensus to fight and win the war.

===

Journalist John Keegan, in The Telegraph in Britain, on the benefits of flooding Iraq with coalition troops:

GEORGE W. Bush is about to launch a final push in Iraq with a large reinforcement of American troops in the hope of crushing the insurgency before America embarks on a large-scale withdrawal of force.

The size of the force is commonly set at about 40,000 to 50,000 troops. The aim of this surge will be to inflict severe damage and loss on the problem-making elements within Iraq, including both Shia and Sunni militias, and to increase training of the Iraqi security forces under American supervision.

The object of the surge deployment should be to overwhelm the insurgents with a sudden concentration, both of numbers, armoured vehicles and firepower with the intention to inflict severe losses and heavy shock. The Mahdi Army in Sadr City should prove vulnerable to such tactics, which would of course be supported by helicopters and fixed-wing aviation.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21007285-7583,00.html

-- January 3, 2007 12:11 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Maliki Says "Impossible" to Second Term
Says U.S. "Too Slow" to React to Insurgents in WSJ Interview
Jan 3, 2007

The Wall Street Journal reveals that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is not seeking reelection and is not happy about his current term which may end if there is a shakeup before his four year term ends. "I didn't want to take this position. I only agreed because I thought it would serve the national interest, and I will not accept it again,"

In the interview conducted Dec 24th, Maliki sums up the violence and the lack of success as, "What is happening in Iraq is a war of gangs and a terrorist war. That is why it needs to be confronted with strong force and with fast reaction," Maliki said.

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/514/Maliki_Says_Impossible__to_Second_Term

-- January 3, 2007 12:34 PM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Tim:
I always thought if the male did not choose to support his off spring financially...then he had to get a vassectomy to stop his irresponsible ways...second child brings on castration...
If the woman did not want to corporate with the authorities on the male identification process...she did not get financial aid and have to have her tubes tied...
Second Pregnancy out of wed lock...tube tied automatically...no financial aid period..

You are right about the idiots in the upper society setting the current programs up...the lower end just has learned to advantage of the system...

Fox News announced this AM

President Bush is getting ready to sign a bill, that allows legal mexican immigrates to recieve full Social Security Benefits after 18 months of contributing...unlike Naturalized American Citizens of 10 years...

-- January 3, 2007 12:43 PM ∞

---

Annon wrote:

I am starting the process of finding another place to live. I am a firm believer in that if you don't like your surroundings then move on. I had always liked Costa Rica but its getting pretty crowded down there and getting expensive to live there. Any non USA living persons out there know of some great places to live without all the BS to put up with and relatively inexpensive? Although if the Dinar train comes in the cost would not be as much of a concern just the quality of life!

-- January 3, 2007 1:11 PM ∞

---

Cher wrote:

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting to this forum although
I have been following it for some time. I enjoy reading the posts
on a daily basis but when I read the post from Laura, Valerio, and
Dale I was prompted to post.

Laura,
Do you live in New Orleans? When you posted Home at last and
mentioned social services and the safety net it sounds like you
are aware of what is happening in New Orleans. The fact that
health care and social services are practically nil for many people
still astounds me.

Valerio,
You say there is help for victims of catastrophe situations. Can I
ask where I can go to get that information? I am in Gretna which
is across the river from New Orleans and I can't get any answer's.
If I were to estimate what the people of New Orleans and the
surrounding suburbs are asking I would say 80% are begging
for help (literally) be it a loan or a trailer and 20% want it for FREE.
Just a guess, because I surely would not want to offend anyone in
this situation. You are right about the Insurance Companies Valerio.
But again, it takes money to fight and the Ins. Companies know
that.

Dale, Dale, Dale,
Your first comment, "People go to New Orleans and carry on in
a manner they would never dream of in their hometown, for that
matter in any other place on earth." I was taught morals at a
very early age and that is something that you take with you.
So my thought is, if your immoral here when you go home you
are still immoral. I've never heard of your morals changing
from State to State. I would never go to Bourbon St., New Orleans,
or another state and get half, sometimes fully naked as you put it,
my morals wouldn't allow it.

You also talk about God destroying places because of the
immoral people that live there. Are you saying every man,
woman, and child that lives here is immoral. What about
Mississippi? Is that State immoral too? The God I believe
in wouldn't think that.

It doesn't matter if you live in Louisiana, Florida, or any other
state when something happens our Govt. should be there to
help. IN MY OPINION, the Govt. people will never be in a
situation similar to mine because they don't spend money
on health care but have the best, they don't worry about the
high prices of gas because they don't pay for it and the list
goes on. Just those two things, that I pay for, would help me
tremendously in rebuilding my home.

Here is a lil information about what is happening here.
It is one year, four months, and three days since Katrina
hit. They announced on TV last night that "The Road
Home Program" has sent 107 checks out. Wow, does
anyone else think that is fast? There are over 200,000
people that have been affected by this storm and they
have delivered 107 checks. Last week it was announced
the "Road Home Program" had a 19 Million Dollar budget
for travel expenses. When interviewed and questioned
about this the response was, "Plenty of our citizens were
living out of state." BUT, guess what everyone I know that
is out of state had to pay there way back here for their
appointment with the "Road Home" and was never told
someone could go to them. Yet, if the "Road Home"
doesn't spend their 19 million they get to keep it.
That is our Govt. at work.

This chaos was not caused by God, it was man
made. Decisions that were made by man left
pumps to be unmanned and levees to be built
improperly.

The storm came and went with problems but it
was the pumps not running that caused flooding
on the East and West banks of the river, it was
the levee break at the 17th canal that caused
the major flooding in New Orleans and it was the
Mr. Go (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet) that wiped
out New Orleans East, St. Bernard and the 9th
ward. The damage shown on TV was mainly
caused by the water rushing in with such a force
that it took down anything in its path. Did you
not see that huge ship sitting on the roadway
or the barge in someone's backyard? It was
carried there by the water.

Myself, my Brother, and his Son were consider
essential personnel and had to work the storm.
Although, each of us work for a different entity
the stories were the same. Some of the things
I saw and heard I hope never happens again in
my lifetime. I am not sure I could handle it again.

Now, closer to home my Brother and his wife
have been married for 43 years and worked
all there life. They lived in St. Bernard and
lost everything. They asked for help in getting
a trailer. The trailer was delivered on May 19,
2006, 10 months after the storm. Here's the
best part, 16 months after the storm and 7
months after it was delivered he has yet to get the
keys or electricity to this trailer that is sitting on
his property. That is our Govt. at work.

My Sister-in-law has spent the last year in
Tennessee working because her job with the
Company no longer existed here. She needed
one more year before she could retire and last
month she accomplished that and is now back
home.

One nephew and his family is living in Florida,
again, his job no longer exists here. I have
friends and family that are living in Florida, Texas,
Virginia, Washington, Iowa, Mississippi and again
the list goes on.

This is a very tender subject with me, I am still
living in a FEMA Trailer. My brother, my Son,
and myself have been living in this trailer for over
a year with the exception of 2 months when my
Brother had to move into my gutted home. He
was trying to work on his home (his ins. co. has
yet to pay anything) and he fell from a ladder
and broke four ribs. We bought him a chair and
he slept in that chair for about 2 months because
it was too painful for him to lay down. He is 66 years
old and doesn't deserve the situation he and his
family have been thrown into. Since he and his
entire family are very religious I don't think God
wanted this for them.

I am grateful for the roof this trailer has provided us
it but I do long to get back into my home. It's not a
big home but I know I will feel like I am in a mansion
once I am out of this trailer. I did have insurance but
under the flood policy the insurance company only
covers 60% of your loss. Good contractors are few
and far between. There are more horror stories associated
with that problem. Our local Law Enforcement is now having
to hunt down and arrest contractors for doing terrible work
or for taking the money and running. Many of these
contractors are from out of state and they brought their
immoral's with them. I have gotten more estimates then
I ever thought I would need and the difference is as much
as $20,000.00 higher for the exact same work. So it has
been a slow and tedious process for me but I am finally
starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I lost my Husband of 33 years to Cancer in October
2000. He was 49 years old. I would have to say
I was on auto pilot for almost two years and our Son
is what got me through the grief. They say you have
anger when someone passes but I never felt that
way. I was grateful for the time we had and of course
we still had plenty of hopes and dreams after all this
was the person I expected to spend the rest of my
life with, but I wasn't angry. I have been at my job for
30 years and was hoping to retire this year but that
won't happen now because of the situation I am in due
to Katrina, man made decisions by the Government,
and the Insurance Company. So, if you think I am angry
now, Yes, Yes I am.

When things are said and people don't fully
understand the impact of this situation it frustrates
me. I will apologize in advance if I offend anyone
in this forum because I have been following it for
quite sometime. I too enjoy the posts from Sara,
Tim, Carl, and yes Carole. She sounds like a
fighter too. I was almost prompted to post my
email addy when Carole spoke about her good fortune
but I decided to wait. Oh, I can't forget about Roger,
Okie and Panhandler, take care of yourself Pan.
Everyone that posts usually has very interesting
theories and stories except for the 9th graders. (LOL)

To our Men and Women fighting this war my
Thoughts and Prayers are with you every night.

And Yes, before anyone asks, I did buy Dinars back
in Dec. 2003. Now, more than before I am hoping
the Dinar bounces back quickly.

Carole
I just logged back on to see you somewhat agree with
Dale. First, our Governor is a Woman and it was the
Mayor (man) of New Orleans that made that decision.
As Tim stated, you can't rebuild without resources.
Second, I am saddened by your statement of thinking
minds and by Carl's post.

Anonymous wrote,
WEATHER BULLETIN - COLORADO

Up here, in the Northern Plains, we just recovered from a Historic
event---may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" ---
with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90
MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded
hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated
scores of communities and cut power to 10s of thousands.

Add 20 to 25 feet of water to that scenairo, have no homes to bring
people to and then tell me your state wouldn't need help from the
Government. Our people were were being rescued by boat and the
people that had miminal damage took in strangers. Resturants
owners were prepaing food under tents and feeding anyone who came.
None of these people asked for money.

Dale,
What about Colorado? Is God angry at them too?

Like I said before 80% of the people here are not looking for
a handout and from some of the comments it seems there are 20%
of the people in other states too. We are having to jump through
hoops just to get A LOAN (meaning it will be paid back). Most all
of us lost our important papers because even the safety deposit boxes
were not spared.

It is now painfully obvious to me I have wasted my time responding to
this Forum but here it goes and since I do work for a living I can't
check back till this evening.

Thanks for listening.

-- January 3, 2007 1:26 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

I agree with Tim.

Women's Liberation in my eyes destroyed the family values in our country.
Stand back I always get blasted from the women when I say this.
Hear me out before you start to try to hang me ladies.
In my eyes the mother was & always has been the backbone of the family. She provided the love & effection, instilled the sense of right & wrong, & taught us about responsibilty while dad was out making a living. The mother was the glue that held the family together. She was present to provide around the clock supervision & she cared what her kids were doing.
When women started to pursue their own goals in the work world for whatever the reasons, that long standing rock at home crumbled. Rightly so. When mom started working all day she didn't have the energy to do all the things she used to do. A lot of women do a great job or working & being mom, however , the job of being a MOM suffers when 8 hours or more of her day is dedicated to another job. Being a MOM is a job, make no mistake fellas. The mothers already know this.
I am in no way shape or form saying that equals pay for equal work is bad thing. I think any woman should be paid the same as any man doing the same job, provided all things besides, sex are equal.
I am also in favor of any woman pursuing any career she wishes to. I just say the family suffers when the woman has children. They family might have more money to buy more video games for the children, but the part that suffers is the glue, the foundation, "THE ROCK." Could the father fill this role? I am sure he could, but it doesn't happen.
Now, a single mother has no choice, she must work & then do her best to be the rock. No matter how much she tries, she can't do all the things moms used to do when that was their sole obligation.
Again I am in now way or shape saying women should not work, or should not be paid equally.
I just think the family unit & family values suffered when the days of full time moms gave way to the more independent woman.
Ever see the Walton's. Remember when they family raised the family????
Not any more we all have to have everything of our own, our own house our own car our own cell phone.
It all has to be bigger & better.
BIGER CAR
BIGGER HOUSE
COOLEST CELL PHONE
Hmmm wonder why we can't make in on one income anymore????

-- January 3, 2007 1:46 PM ∞

---

dale wrote:

Cher,

I never said all people, I said people, & i stand by that Idea, I have talked to many people while i was there, people told me they would never act that way at home, it might be sad, but it's true.
So you can imagine that New Orleans is a very moral upstanding place to be.
I don't intend to offend anyone. what i post is mealry my thoughts & ideas. i will take no offense to anyone dismissing what i have to say as rubbish. or what ever they choose to think of it.
just my thoughts.

-- January 3, 2007 2:04 PM ∞

---

Madbrad wrote:

Happy New Year Everybody.............

and welcome to Cher 1st time posting, like millions of others we all watched the the terrible events in N.O. and no doubt the now long term suffering of peole waiting for government to sort things out.

But hey, look on the bright side, your not a polar bear!! they've only been give 50 years left! (all that dam global warming)

Worst still, you could live in the UK under Labour gov! and we've just been told we have the highest tax's ever, and 30k people with go bankrupt in the next 3mths, sad life really!!!

go dinar go.......for everybodies sake.....

-- January 3, 2007 2:05 PM ∞

---

dale wrote:

that was me , the anonymous post two up

-- January 3, 2007 2:06 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Sara and All:

I found a couple of interesting articles on the website Sara cites in her post.

Enclosed, is one from www.iraqslogger.com

Topic: Iraq Economy
Life Goes On
Iraqi Market Basket Report
Costs: Sugar, Flour, Rice, Eggs, Noodles, Chicken, Tomatoes
By ZEYAD Posted 4 hr. 52 min. ago
(1 USD = 1,336 ID)

Sugar, 50-Kilo Bag: 50,000 ID ($37.42)

Iraqi Flour, 50-Kilo Bag: 17,000 ID ($12.72)

Imported Flour, 50-Kilo Bag: 30,000 ID ($22.46) to 50,000 ID ($37.42), depends on brand and import location

American Rice, 50-Kilo Bag: 20,000 ID ($14.97)

Vietnamese Rice, 50-Kilo Bag: 10,000 ID ($7.49)

Iraqi Anbar Rice, 50-Kilo Bag: 50,000 ID ($37.42)

Tomato Paste, 850 Gram Can: 10,000 ID ($7.49)

Tea, 1KG: 600 ($.52) to 800 ID ($.60), depends on brand import location.

Iraqi Noodles, 1KG: 800 ($.60) to 1000 ($.75) ID

Iraqi Chicken, 1KG: 2,500 ID ($1.81)

Iraqi Eggs Platter, 30 eggs: 5,000 ($3.72) to 5,500 ID ($4.06), depends on source.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 3, 2007 2:26 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

One more from www.iraqslogger.com

Topic: Baghdad Journal
Investigation
Guns and Gas: Baghdad Price Update
IraqSlogger Tracks the Necessities in Baghdad
By NIR ROSEN 01/01/2007 3:04 PM ET
In eastern Baghdad's majority Shia district of Shaab, those seeking to purchase arms and ammunition often turn to the police. Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army militia dominates the police and the streets in Shaab and has been engaging in sectarian attacks there for over two years, targeting Sunnis. In Early December, bullets for Kalashnikovs were selling at a cost of 750 Iraqi Dinars each, or over fifty cents, whereas a month before, prior to a devastating attack in Sadr City bullets were 250 Dinars each.

In early December, according to an IraqSlogger security source in the Iraqi government, the average prices for bullets in southern Baghdad and Sadr City Kalashnikov bullets were approximately 500 Dinars each, or less than fifty cents. Kalashnikovs cost between $200 and $400, depending on the country of origin. The weapon in highest demand by militias was the PKC, a Russian machine gun often mounted on the back of pick up trucks. The average PKC price was about $2200 and they were in such high demand that they were difficult to obtain. Rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launchers cost 70,000 Dinars, or about $50, and their ammunition cost 50,000 Dinars each, or about $36. RPGs were also difficult to obtain. In addition, Shias could only purchase RPGs from Shia militias and Sunnis could only purchase them from Sunni militias.

In late December, IraqSlogger surveyed weapons prices in the southern Baghdad neighborhoods of Maalif, Shurta, Bayaa, Hai Al-Jihad, Seidiya and Dora and found some increases. The Iraqi Dinar itself had gone up to about 1300 to the dollar, as opposed to the nearly 1400 to the dollar a month earlier and the 1450 it was at a few months before. The Iraqi government is reportedly trying to bring it down to 1000 to the dollar.

Kalashnikov bullets were 750 Dinars each, or over fifty cents. Kalashnikov prices ranged depending on the quality, with Russian made Kalashnikovs being the most expensive, but the cheapest, meaning not Russian made, were $400. The more expensive Russian made Kalashnikovs are currently unavailable due to high demand. PKCs went up to $2500, and are also scarce. RPG prices are the same, at about 70,000 Dinars, or $54 at the new exchange rate.

In early December the official price for gasoline at gas stations was 350 Iraqi Dinars per liter. The black-market price was about 500 Dinars per liter. This reflected the fact that the shortage was not as bad as it has been in the recent past. At the end of December gas stations were less crowded than usual, and the lack of delay had encouraged Iraqis to purchase their gas from gas stations and not from the black-market. High quality gas cost 350 Dinars per liter while regular gas costs 250 Dinars per liter. Cooking gas now costs 25,000 Dinars per gas tank. Oil is not available on the black market. It is managed by the government and each family purchases one container for 18,000 Dinars although there is a shortage.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 3, 2007 2:27 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Cher,

Thanks for sharing your views and story. My heart goes out to you. And I meant not to cause you anymore anger.

I met several families in Arizonia last year who were displaced by Katrina. They were Christian families that shared their new life In Arizonia compared to their old life ( before Katirna) in Missippi. It was a rags to riches story. And Katrina, for them became St. Katrina.

It left an image in my mind, that I may have mistakenly applied to the masses in general. Forgive me.

People from my church packed up vans and drove to the tragic sites to help and bring food and help with the social services attempts being made out there. I got to hear stories about the looting, about one of the vans being stolen as the volunteers were unpacking the van and left it running. As well as the stories about the lack of "thank you's" and the "this is all you brought?" gestures made by several. It was disheartenting to those volunteers.

Now I am sure that there were equal stories to counter balance their experiences.

YOu are very right about people's behaviors. A bad situation of any dimension, usually brings out the inner quality of people. Those who stole and looted and did the discusting things that were reported, probably did similar before tradgey struck. And those people of quality like yourself and many others spent their energies mustering up every bit of courage and resourcefulness to survive. I honor you.

So, comments expressed by generalities are probably going to be offensive to someone.

Plus, most information on a large scale is coming from the Mass Media, and from a small scale from personal experiences like the ones I stated.

So I will refrain from speaking anymore about something that I have to depend on information from the media and my tiny little personal experiences.

Again, thank you for responding, and may God continue to sustain you and open doors for you to walk through this awful life changing experience and tradgey with blessings flowing.

Carole

-- January 3, 2007 2:30 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Gone in 60 Stories
Posted by Bob Owens on January 3, 2007 - 15:56.

On December 5 of last year, I wrote a blog post entitled 60 Billion Minutes, where I wrote:

We also know that Jamil Hussein has consistently been a source for at least 60 news stories over two years, and that Jamil Hussein is just one of many apparently fake sources that has driven Associated Press reporting in Iraq.

This presents us with the unsettling possibility that the Associated Press has no idea how much of the news it has reported out of Iraq since the 2003 invasion is in fact real, and how much they reported was propaganda. The failure of accountability here is potentially of epic proportions.

In the weeks since that date, the Associated Press has maintained that the stories they originally reported on November 24-25 of burning mosques and burning men is true, even though almost every single factual claim made in the account has been disputed. The AP maintains this position today, even after the Iraqi Interior Ministry Officially stated that the AP's source, Captain Jamil Hussein, simply didn't exist, and that no one by that name ever worked at the two police stations where AP said he did.

To all of this, Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll stated, QUOTE:

Some of AP's critics question the existence of police Capt. Jamil Hussein, who was one (but not the only) source to tell us about the burning.
These critics cite a U.S. military officer and an Iraqi official who first said Hussein is not an authorized spokesman and later said he is not on their list of Interior Ministry employees. It's worth noting that such lists are relatively recent creations of the fledgling Iraqi government.
By contrast, Hussein is well known to AP. We first met him, in uniform, in a police station, some two years ago. We have talked with him a number of times since then and he has been a reliable source of accurate information on a variety of events in Baghdad.
No one - not a single person - raised questions about Hussein's accuracy or his very existence in all that time. Those questions were raised only after he was quoted by name describing a terrible attack in a neighborhood that U.S. and Iraqi forces have struggled to make safe.

===end of quote===

That last paragraph printed above has bothered me since I first read it. Executive Editor Carroll, you see, is absolutely correct.

No one raised questions about Hussein's accuracy or his very existence for a span of run of stories starting on April 24 until his late November unmasking as a probable specter; a remarkable run that Curt at Flopping Aces pegged at 61 stories. This run as a named source doesn't begin to account for any stories he may have contributed anonymously as "an Iraqi Police Captain" or "according to Iraqi Police" over his two-year relationship with AP.

And so it was more than a month after Hussein was compromised that I did what the Associated Press editorial process should have been doing the entire time: I began attempting to fact-check the claims made by Jamil Hussein. I took the list of 61 AP stories citing Hussein, opened my web browser to Google.com, and went to work.

Put bluntly, a search for other news agency accounts of the events described by Jamil Hussein seems to indicate that most of these events simply do not exist anywhere else except in AP reporting. I was completely unable to find a definitive corroborating account of any of Jamil Hussein's accounts, anywhere.

That I was unable to find corroborating accounts for some stories is quite understandable; -though it should be somewhat suspect when in 40 straight stories, not a single one of your competitors captured the same event. Not one. At that point, some sort of editorial oversight should have kicked in, should it not?

And yet, in 40 AP stories checked, only in two instances covering a total of four stories did I run into anything approaching possible corroboration.

Over the course of the first 40 stories in which he provided apparently uncorroborated information, it seems that the Associated Press could have easily questioned how reliable of a source Iraqi Police Captain Jamil Hussein might be before they were backed into the corner of having to defend the apparently fictional captain, the apparently fictional five dozen news accounts he fed them, and the eventual and righteous questioning of their basic journalistic methodologies that allowed something so wrong to run for so long.

And so, as Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll noted previously:

"No one - not a single person - raised questions about Hussein's accuracy or his very existence in all that time."

This includes the reporters, editors, and officers of an apparently unreliable and unrepentant Associated Press.

Update: We also learned last night from former CNN head honcho Eason Jordan of IraqSlogger that, QUOTE:

In statements, the AP insists Captain Hussein is real, insists he has been known to the AP and others for years, and insists the immolation episode occurred based on multiple eyewitnesses.

But efforts by two governments, several news organizations, and bloggers have failed to produce such evidence or proof that there is a Captain Jamil Hussein. The AP cannot or will not produce him or convincing evidence of his existence.

It is striking that no one has been able to find a family member, friend, or colleague of Captain Hussein. Nor has the AP told us who in the AP's ranks has actually spoken with Captain Hussein. Nor has the AP quoted Captain Hussein once since the story of the disputed episode.

Therefore, in the absence of clear and compelling evidence to corroborate the AP's exclusive story and Captain Hussein's existence, we must conclude for now that the AP's reporting in this case was flawed.

To make matters worse, Captain Jamil Hussein was a key named source in more than 60 AP stories on at least 25 supposed violent incidents over eight months.

Until this controversy is resolved, every one of those AP reports is tainted.

==end of quote==

http://newsbusters.org/node/9941

-- January 3, 2007 5:28 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Democrats to start without GOP input
Quick passage of first bills is goal
By Lyndsey Layton and Juliet Eilperin
Jan 1, 2007

As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking.

House Democrats intend to pass a raft of popular measures as part of their well-publicized plan for the first 100 hours. They include tightening ethics rules for lawmakers, raising the minimum wage, allowing more research on stem cells and cutting interest rates on student loans.

But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16431173/

I know it means nothing to these politicians, but, lest we forget..
promising to do something then not doing so makes them liars..
a deliberate and intentional abrogation of their word.
And they campaigned on "cleaning up" the corruption in politics, right?
How does that work when you cannot trust their promises?

Sara.

-- January 3, 2007 6:19 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Cher.....

WOW!!!! It's CHER...welcome to our little group. Sorry to hear about your downers....most of us can't even imagine the aftermath of Katrina and the magnitude of the storm. It's sounds like you're keeping your chin up and making some progress which speaks very positive of your heart. I've been in deep holes before and the only thing that got me thru it was the fact that it's always darkest before the dawn....hopefully some new doors are getting ready to open up for you. Take care!

-- January 3, 2007 6:58 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Cher, I was touched by your story. I hope all goes well, from here on in, in the future, and you make money on the Dinar, like the rest of us. Our family has suffered numerous tragedies, over the years, so I have a lot of sympathy for people like you.

If you have been wronged, fight. Fight for you dignity, fight to be heard, and to be treated with respect. Life, I know all too well, does not deal her cards out fairly. An awful lot of good-hearted people tune in to this blog, so I'm sure your story touched many. Drop by anytime.

PS: My wife is a HUGE Cher fan. She'll be tickled when I told her I e-mailed Cher!

-- January 3, 2007 7:35 PM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Cher:
Glad to have you aboard another in the mix...more makes it better as they say...

Not sure what you were pin pointing when you stated you were sadden by my statement...
Regarding N.O. I simply said, build a city in the path of high intensity storms that come either once every year or once every 30 years...still spells destruction....thoughts..words...deeds...They planned and built it...the experience is destroyed structures and lost of lives...don't won't to experience that any more...simply don't keep builting in the same path, the same way, with the same attitude of well that was a 100 year storm...cause ya gonna get smacked again...
How many times does the government allow what you think are reasonable people to continually do stupid things..
I don't have a problem, if someone wants to build and live in the path of hurricanes...that is their choice...but when they get their butt blown to hell and back..I don't appreciate them crying about how they want the rest of the country to bail them out...and to help rebuild back in the same place..
Sorry! They are not owed that much....
I grew up here in the South...Being in the Coast Guard I have been all in the areas of Katrina Destruction...have friends living in Fema Trailers still...but they choose to stay along the coast...why? They like the lifestyle...nothing wrong with that...but as I told them...you know its going to happen again...again...and again...
You can't change mother nature...I know it...they know it..but they continually to build in the hurricanes path..So! the next time it happens...the rest of the population needs to take the phone off of the hook...

As far as the Irresponsible Parents who have child after child... married or single, they can not support, is ignorant and stupidity of the highest scale...these individuals know what causes births...but they keep doing the same thing...its simple don't want to get pregnant..don't spread your legs...or if you do...at least make the effort to prevent an unplanned member of the family 9 months later...Males...simply wear a condom...they think condoms are expensive...I wonder if they have bought Semilac lately..? No excuse...No excuse...can't afford to support a child then the male and female should both have their reproductive system nullified forever...society does not need to feed the result of someones funny feeling...

-- January 3, 2007 9:03 PM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Cher:
Just pulled up the Drudgereport.com...one of the topics is National Weather Chief gives final warning on day of retirement... 7 million residents on the Gulf Coast are setting themselves up for the BIG ONE... Why? because they continue to rebuild in the same area of the destructive hurricanes...and the Federal/State/County and City Governments are not stopping them from doing so...you can read the rest on their site...

-- January 3, 2007 9:12 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Why are Hurricanes and the Gulf Coast suddenly get the attention and doomsday prophecy? I‘ve lived here in on the coast in Northwest Florida for over 40 years and with the exception of a few “bad ones” We have got along just fine. Hurricane Camille in 1969 was pretty bad in gulf Port, Miss and up until Hurricane Ivan we bounced back pretty quickly. We happen to go along a two year period where we were hammered. We may have another one this season or it could be another 30 to 70 years.

I have often wondered why people would live in California with the earthquakes. ( I lived off and on in Alaska for several years, same deal) or in the Midwest with the constant threat of Tornados or in the blizzard prone areas mid-West and Northeast or up the Eastern Seaboard with the Nor’easters. I’ll take the hurricanes, at least you can see them coming.

We would be hard pressed to find a safe place and certainly a safe big enough to house al the people and even that would present and create its own hazards. The hurricane’s death swatch is not confined to the coastal areas either, just look at the path just about any category storm or even a tropical depression takes and see all the destruction from land fall till it fizzles out up the east coast somewhere. It’s usually torrential floods, flash floods, mudslides, etc… that continues to do a lot of damage.

MSM is already at it here again even with the season being 6 months away. We had storms forming off of Africa last season and the locals were already saying we were in the path, of course we were fortunate that all the storms went north out of harms way. We are trying our best to recover and part of that recovery is our tourist industry. The media only reported how bad it was here never the progress. Never that another hotel or motel and other related businesses opened and wanted to welcome the tourist. I would talk to out of State friends, they would tell me how sorry they were for me and offer a place to stay and work till we rebuilt. This was long after our recovery was well on its way. The individual Businesses on the Island here got together with advertising to lure the tourist back here. When they tried to link with the local county commission and tourist board they were told we are not ready for the crowds. I believe they actually wanted us to die on the wine waiting on them.

Kinda sounds like the same situation with Iraq. Anyway it’s just not the Gulf Coast it’s anywhere in the World that is subject to a catastrophe at any give time of the year.

-- January 3, 2007 9:45 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Here is an article from www.isx-data.com. This article is from September, but I think it a good read for all of us.

ISX-Data.com Editorial
The Unique Situation of the Iraqi Dinar
A backgrounder on the Iraqi dinar, including details on why the Iraqi dinar is positioned for a huge rise in value.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By: Roger Isaksson (email)
Published: 09/11/2006
this author's past articles

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

The Iraq Dinar is set up in a very simple, almost crude fashion. The set up was a quick fix after the invasion, seeing that the banking sector in Iraq was about as developed as a model T. Without a modern bank system in place, the "crude and simple" was chosen as a workable interim model.

A Brief History of the Dinar
With Saddam's face plastered all over it, the old dinar had to go. The Saddam dinar also was of very low quality, and could be easily forged on a simple copy machine.

After the invasion, new bills were immediately ordered, but due to the enormous amount needed, some of the old Saddam dinars continued to be printed and circulated until the new ones arrived.

Trusted Iraqi Dinar
Next day delivery, low prices and reliable service.

The new dinar bills started to arrive, and they brought with them all the modern safety features one would expect. A wide spread of denominations was chosen, both to make the daily handling easier, and to cover for value variations in it's exchange. Finally, a reasonable time period was granted in order to allow the citizens of Iraq to swap the old Saddam, and "Swiss" dinar in.

The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI)
The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) was set up as an auction system, with the CBI sitting on the newly printed currency, auctioning older outdated dinars and other foreign currencies with Iraqi banks for new dinars. Now that the currency exchange has been completed, the CBI also sends nearly half of it's daily auction of dinars to foreign banks in Kuwait, Jordan and beyond.

If you go to the CBI official website you will see the daily auction, the currency is now primarily sold in exchange for US dollars. The CBI is slowly but surely acquiring US dollars to help back the worth of the dinar. Everyday the amount of dollars in it's vaults increases.

The exact number of dinars in print, in circulation or on hold at the CBI is exactly known. By doing some very simple steps, full control is achieved through:

Limit the amount a person can bring with him if he is leaving Iraq, to a very small amount (in this case, 100,000 dinar);
Knowing the exact amount sold to banks outside of Iraq.
Once you know the amount of dinars out there, viola, you have complete control over it's fate. The CBI simply sells more or less to hold the dinar in a position exactly where they want it to be.

Given this situation, the dinar will not strictly be pegged. It has been called 'pegged' by some, but in reality you will have some small fluctuations on the dinar value, which you have likely noticed if you have followed it over time. These fluctuations are a balancing act by the CBI.

Simply put, truly pegged currencies don't move from the currency it is pegged to.

This is the basic Iraqi dinar system. Now some may already be asking, that if the Dinar is endlessly sold, wouldn't it flood the market, making them worthless? No, because you have exchanged your US dollars for your dinar, which helps to back the dinar through the above explained CBI mechanism.

Now, this is a very temporary system. Interested readers will of course note that any currency that is not free flowing is a hindrance to full economic development. This fall, new Iraq investment laws are suppose to be passed by the elected Iraqi parliament, allowing international investment companies (read: Big Oil) to invest.

At this very moment, oil company survey and geological teams are crisscrossing the desert, testing grounds, staking claims and hopefully not giving each other a black eye. Again, this is not Iraq government, US government, US Government contractors, US armed forces, etc. running around, this is oil companies. The future mega investment in Iraq which will help drive the economy forward.

A Question of Priorities
Some may ask if we shouldn't take care of the violence first. If Joe Everyman is building a house, is it relevant that his young children are fighting? The short answer is that 'Big Oil' is operating in many areas of the world where violence is the norm, not the exception.

By last June it was announced that no more printing of the dinar is necessary, meaning that we are most probably in the end part of the 'first stage', and are ready for the dinar revaluation. It would be an suicidal economically to leave the dinar in it's current low range, and let the oil companies come in 'on the cheap'. The dinar MUST have a much higher value at that time, otherwise Iraqi will be sold off for literally pennies, or dinars, on the dollar.

While the exact arrangement of the investment law is not yet settled, deals have already been made in how the oil revenue will be shared amongst the different regions and groups in Iraq. So things are moving forward.

It is not yet known if the revaluing of the dinar will be an overnight thing, with no previous announcements, or if it will be a gradual increase as necessary. It should be pointed out that the value of many oilfields in Iraq is also not fully known, because actual modern geological surveys have not been done for decades, if at all, but even with this lack of recent study, the known reserve in the ground rivals that of Saudi Arabia. It is hoped that in the next decade, Iraq will achieve the same oil output as its southern neighbor. Nobody can deny that the potential is there.

From the time the pumps start working, Iraqi society will start getting more and more benefits from the oil revenue. The finances will be available for roads, schools, the electric grid, social programs, new equipment, better computers, etc. These oil-funded infrastructure improvements will help drive manufacturing, and in turn, generate more jobs. Social unrest is handled with police and justice, but it must also be handled with economics. A prosperous nation is a happy nation.

Finally, Iraq has been blessed with something very few Arab countries have. Water. The agricultural heartland of Iraq have one of the highest potentials of big development. With proper development, it could be the Iraqi equivalent of the orchards and fields of California's central valley. This development and the potential of it will only strengthen the dinar now and in the future.

Exciting Times, a Positive Direction
For the dinar, these are exciting times, but even more interesting when it comes to investing in the Iraq stock exchange, because as the oil revenue will start making things possible in Iraq, the opportunities to be in on the ground floor on different investment start ups, will increase. Knowing this is a nation destined for great wealth it makes it even more exciting.

Saudi Arabia, Dubai, the Arab Emirates and Kuwait; are they rich and prosperous states? Of course they are. Why are they wealthy? Oil. Oil is money. Iraq is practically floating on oil. When do the oil companies want to start pumping? ... Yesterday.

Will Iraq continue to be a poor nation? Will the dinar continue to be at it's all time low?

**END ARTICLE**
Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 3, 2007 10:29 PM ∞

---

Cher wrote:

Dale
I don't have to imagine that New Orleans and the surrounding areas are moral and upstanding. I'm here :o) and I live in a very moral upstanding place. I am sure you were referring to Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras when you were talking about the women. But how can a State be judged by that ONE Street? You are right though, everyone is entitled to their own thoughts but when statements are made about God being fed up with the City of New Orleans and the place I live, I am sorry, I do take it to heart. But enough said, I do wish you well Dale with anything that comes your way.

Carole,
Thanks for your kind words and for seeing things from my point of view. I am sure the volunteers you spoke of did encounter those problems. There are many ungrateful people here as well as in other states. That is the 20% that I was talking about, unfortunately for them they probably encountered 18% of them in one place depending on what area they went in too.

Unless you were here no one can begin to imagine the chaos. When anonymous posted they didn't ask for help from the Govt with the blizzard in Colorado my thought was no they still had vehicles to rescue people and take them to someone's home or to a shelter and once they got to that home or shelter they had food and water and possibly a fireplace to keep warm. Some people here sat on rooftops for three days in sweltering temperatures with no food and water. Keep in mind the water I spoke about, 20 to 25 feet in some areas. I had 6 feet in my home and my Brother had 9 feet in his. But his home is already 3 feet off the ground so that made 12-15 feet in his neighborhood. That means all your food has been lost to the flood waters and you surely can't drink the water because you know that has been contaminated too. If trucks and cars could have been used to get to people it would have been so much easier but that wasn't the case. They were asking anyone with boats to come out and help. How many people can be rescued in a flat boat? Not many. It was some very long and very tedious days after the storm. Many people drowned in their cars and many other's in there homes when that water came rushing in. There were many that could only be rescued by helicopter. So yes, we did have to look to our Govt. for help and I am sad to say it didn't come quick enough. The Govt and Local Parish also decided with all the devastation that people should
not be allowed back in. That was at least a month for most and I am assuming that is why the Govt.decided to send out the $2000.00. In the meantime there is still water in plenty of areas and in other areas the water went down but with no electricity and the heat that followed the mold and funk spread like a Wildfire. When I opened the door to my home there was still traces of water inside along with a rat sitting on my love seat, a couple of mice running in the kitchen, and a whole lot of spiders and other little critters running around but no snakes, thank goodness.

Just try to imagine what would have happened in Colorado if they had no vehicles to rescue people, their fire trucks and police cars incapable of getting to anyone, and no food and water even if they were lucky enough to get to a safe place. Who would they have looked to for help.

The storm hit on a Monday and the National Guard presence in the streets didn't take place till Saturday. There was little or no food and water for the masses that were left. The areas that weren't hit quite as bad still couldn't get out because there was no gas for cars. Yes, there were some people trying to steal gas and food either to get out of the state or feed their families but the ones that were stealing designer clothes, shoes, TVs, and electronics were like that before the storm. We actually laughed because first of all they had no place to store the stuff they were stealing, they couldn't use it because we went weeks without electricity and if they fell asleep someone else would come along and steal from them. Vicious Circle.

One more thing and I'm done on this subject.
The reason we are waiting on our Govt. for help now is because we can't go to a regular bank and ask for a Loan to rebuild our homes. That is too risky for them because God forbid some people will take the money and leave the home then the bank would have to get into the business of restoring homes to get there money back. That is also the reason that people who did have a Mortgage didn't even get to see their ins. checks. That went directly to the Company that held their Mortgage and if the check didn't cover the entire balance (which in most cases it didn't) these people are still having to pay a note on a home that no longer exists. So we have no choice but to rely on our Govt. for loans, grants, whatever the case maybe to put our lives back together. Of course the Govt. wants all your records so most are running around trying to find some entity that may still have the information required to secure an SBA loan or apply for help.

I will ask one question, If anyone reading this were to lose their home, car, and all their possessions would you have the money on hand to replace it? Don't tell me you have insurance because remember plenty of people had insurance but have not received any compensation as of yet. My brother being one and his Insurance Company is ALL STATE.

Me, personally, I am looking at a $50,000.00 loss and maybe more because I am not sure the insurance money I did get will put my entire home back together. I have already spent $16,000.00 replacing the roofs on the house and the garage, replacing the windows, completely rewiring the house, and buying a Washer and Dryer. All I need are Walls, Ceilings, 2 complete bathrooms, 3 Bedrooms of furniture, Living Room Furniture, TV, Dining Table, Kitchen Cabinets, Stove, Dishwasher, Refrigerator, Water Heater, flooring and a Microwave.(LOL) If living in this trailer has taught me one thing, it's how to cook in the Microwave because I am scared of the propane stove.

Madbrad
I am sorry to hear about the problems in the UK but as far as the Polar Bears go they will still be around when I am dead and gone because I don't think I will live to be 107. (LOL)

Okie and Tim
Thank you for the encouraging words and yes I had to laugh with the reference to Cher.
Hmmmm....That would be nice to have her money right about now.

Ok, just read Carl's post.
I was referring to your train comment Carl. There are snow storms and blizzards in the North but people live there. There are wildfires and earthquakes in California but people rebuild there. There are Tornado Alley's but people live there too. What about Southeast Asia, parts of Indonesia, Sir Lanka, India, and Thailand where the tsunami hit? Do you think they are rebuilding there? North Carolina and South Carolina have rebuilt after storms. So has Texas and Florida. Keep in mind the storms crossing our Heartland are also becoming more intense. After all you said it, you can't change Mother Nature but according to your comment there must be many unreasonable and stupid people walking this earth Carl. I for one hope I won't need the Governments help but I also would like to know I have some place to turn. If you call that crying that's OK, I am a woman and I do cry from time to time. I do however completely and unequivably agree with your comments on Irresponsible Parents.

Robert S.
You took some of the words right out of my post. You beat me to it. (LOL)

Take care everyone and maybe I will be able to take some time off for that Roast that everyone keeps talking about

-- January 3, 2007 10:52 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Laura,

I read your comments, regarding helping the poor. You have a kind heart. You say "the real issue is grass roots, what is in the individual's heart for helping others less fortunate." I have always believed wisdom is a balance of compassion, and hard-headed common sense. Without compassion, people are just cruel. Without hard-headed common sense, compassion goes astray. Compassion and common sense are like two twins, that work well together.

You say, "the only social net available to a poor person--the welfare state".

Well, that's a sad commentary. The best social safety net should be the family. A large portion of the poor are unwed women, with young children. A significant decline in morality regarding marriage, and having children has occurred in the United States in the past 40 years. It is now socially respectable to have children, without getting married first. I believe it's something like 40% of children are born out of wedlock. Very few women who wait till they are married, to have children, end up on welfare. Very few end up poor. By condoning poor sexual morals, and public idols like that slatern, Britainy Spears, a large, irresponsible underclass is growing in the United States, especially in California, as Carole outlined, so well. These people are supported by public finances, paid for, on the hardworking backs of the ordinary American taxpayer. And the economic cost of this is so high, it's threatening to overwhelm and bankrupt public finances.

Now, I have compassion for the poor, because I was one of them. I was born into the very bottom rung of society. I could tell you stories about poverty that would make your hair curl. I managed to struggle, get a good education eventually, and am now doing very well, thank you.

What I think the poor need are better Christian morals, regarding sex and raising children. Compassion from society they already have. There is a very simple formula to solving poverty. I asked my sister, who studied sociology, before going into medicine, about this. "First get your grade 12. Then get married first, before you make babies. Very little chance of being poor then". I thought that was a pretty good prescription for eliminating poverty. However, it's a common sense prescription a large segment of the American public ignores.

I do, however, agree with you, on Iraq. I think you are quite correct. Lots of abuses, in finances have occured, and better public accountability is needed. I also agree there is plenty of public welfare going to successful corporations, and that should stop.

I don't usually like to weigh in to these off the topic issues, but as I have a lot of experience, regarding poverty, when I was younger, that I couldn't help but speak up.

Thanks, Laura, take care.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program, which is a whole lot more fun: Getting stinking rich, and war and politics, and religion, and fear and the thin line between hope and despair, as well as intrigue and economics and UFOs, and spagetti monsters, watching Roger and Carole fight, and watching the world change! Welcome aboard the Dinar rollercoaster! No seatbelt required! It wouldn't help you anyway!!!

-- January 3, 2007 10:56 PM ∞

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Cher wrote:

Tim,

Kudos on your post to Laura. You seem to be a very understanding man with
a kind heart.

-- January 3, 2007 11:17 PM ∞

---

Seeker wrote:

Lance:

Welcome back!!
A Happy New Year to you, and I hope all is good with you and yours. I for one have missed your colorful posts and inside views to life on the ground in the sandbox.
I'm sorry to hear about Fred, George(my socks) was really looking forward to meeting him someday.

As you can read, not much has changed here on to board. Like you said some old, some new. Same topics.

P.S.
If you get the time. Have you noticed anything new/different in the "street economy"?

-- January 3, 2007 11:28 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Anyone heard of the absolute ridiculous events going on at the UN in the last 72 hours?

Many times before, but now even more we need to get out!

Corruption at a magnitutde of the speed of light!

Carole

-- January 4, 2007 12:17 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Rob, Tim, Carl,

Can either of you enlighten me on how we might be protected from a repeat of the Lybia, Exxon and Atlantic Richfield, in the Qadaphy( spelling?) scam?

Are there things in place that would prevent the same thing happening, or are we just putting our trust in the Iraqi regime to be loyal to us once the oil starts-a-flowing-

I hope you have a good answer, cause right now I see tremendous parallels.

Carole

-- January 4, 2007 3:32 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Hi All'

Lance, welcome back, sorry about Fred, Seekers socks will go into trauma. Really nice to hear you again, thought you've gone AWOL there for a while. I can't be on the blog as much as in days past, but will check in occasionally.

Been reading through the last postings, lot about Big Easy and not too much about the Dinar.

The real interesting posting is the one by Mattuk.

CBI claims they can closer determine the exchange value toward the Dollar when the general budget is worked out.

So when is the budget ready over there? I can assume it is done early in the year, but I don't know if they follow our calender. I think they have the end of the middle ages, year 1400 something.

I don't even know if they consider our new year as being the new year.

Might be a good question for Lance, Panhandler or Turtle.

Do they have our years, months and days over there, and do they start and end when ours do?

I can imagine that they must have a 24 hour clock, as we do, otherwise they couldn't even start integrating with the world. I can further think that all electronic clocks around the world must go per our system, and thus end its yearly cycle the 31'st of Dec.

Any fly schedules must be per world accepted time frames, and even though they don't celebrate Christmas, they're still in the northern hemisphere, and have(somewhat warm though) winter.

They must have summer and winter solstice, fall and spring equinox, as well as the rest of the world, and those I can imagine, would be time markers.

I don't know if they call the days Sunday Monday Tuesday etc, but they have a 7 days week as we do, even if their Sunday is on our Friday.

As Christian country, we count the time from Jesus birth, and I can imagine that would from a religious aspect be a bit off the wall over there, but on the other hand, the whole darn world is set on those figures, even if you live in a Hindu (India) or Shinto, (Japan) place.

Lance Panhandler or Turtle, can you please fill in on what the deal is on that?

As for New Orleans, cool place, been there lot of culture, but for heavens sake, it's under the sea level.

Some places are not meant to build on.

Sacramento Ca is built on river mud plains. To keep it alive, levies are built, as a great stretch of the Mississippi river is. Every year the river will deposit more silt in the river channel, rising the river surface, demanding a bit higher levies.

The river can't deposit it's silt in its natural form on the river plains, (yearly flooding) as Mall Wart and Kentucky Fried Doughnuts, and Startled Bucks are there.

So right now, levies, higher river, levies, higher....well, it's a matter of time, no more, until the river will take a completely different path than the Corps of Engineers have predicted.

Imagine if the levy, higher river, effort ... was to continue in absurdum.

Half a mile up, with slopes leaning 45%, a long ridge, with a river flowing along the top of it.

Good luck.

This is not an earthquake, tornado or hurricane, where you shield yourself from the immediate effects, this is an artificial, man made effort to try to counter a force that will constantly work against the intended effort to stop it.

New Orleans is that way, and perhaps higher levies will get the town safe, and rebuilt again, but it will only be safe for now, eventually they have to be higher, and higher, and I can imagine a couple of hundred yards high wall around the city. Eventually it will actually come to that, sunshine will be a premium commodity.

And .....if THAT wall goes, don't think of it.

-- January 4, 2007 5:49 AM ∞

---

DALE wrote:

I have a question. when the government order people to evacuate the area, why did people stay home & wait for the water to rise to 15 feet?
I realize there were some people elderly, & sick that might not have been able to leave own their own. Ialso saw many of well abled bodies trapped at the super dome. Seems to me if the government said for me to leave the cincinnati area or risk death, I would be walking if thats the only way i had to get out of dodge. I saw evactuation warning here in KY.
I never said anything about the state, I said the city. The city tolerates the behavior in Bourbon Street.
If I tolerate my sons stealing from the neighbors, I too am to blame. I too am responsible for their actions.
The difference between a blizzard & a flood. Do I really have to tell you?
Fly over the north west a month after a blizzard. tell me how many houses & streets & neighbor hoods are uninhabitable... People may still be stuck at home but i am sure they would not be forced to camp on the roof. The water would not be contaminated. although people may me with out food,Close will be dry & blankest will be warm. there are warning signs for snow storms as well, when you hear one you go get some extra food & go home.
When you hear a warning of a Giant hurricane you leave the area.
That was nasty storm no doubt, but in its wake wont lie years of recovery & sufferings
I have heard predictions of the city of New Orleans flooding for as long as can remember.
I say" DON"T WAST MONEY REBUILDING THERE "

-- January 4, 2007 6:35 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Cher:
I travel the area you live in, slidell, abita springs,covington,ocean springs,pearl river, all along the La Coast and Mississippi Coast Line....Roger also covers that area during his runs in the Southeast..
Think about it...and look at what is allowed to be done in the rebuilting...
The homes are being rebuilt in Marshes below sea level...some on poles, a lot still flat on the ground...the individuals who live in those areas know hurricanes can come each year...they are well aware of their destructive force..yet most of the individuals did not have and still do not have as of today, even after they moved back in :
Enough Water,food, batteries, emergency radio, candles, flashlights, a generator, or a plan where to meet if they get separated, a mutual relative to call and let the know where they are at, and health condition...no mode of transportation to get out of the path, or even a plan to secure mode of transportation to scaddle....
Then if something does happen...they start screaming save me..and when the reponse is not according to the time frame they expected, they start blaming the government for not doing enough...they never once look in the mirror and say "IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF AND FAMILY" "IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO GET MY FAMILY OUT OF THE PATH BEFORE IT ARRIVED...IT WAS MY FAULT I DID NOT STORE UP WATER AND FOOD...AFTER ALL THEY HAD 48 -72 HOUR NOTICE"...There was more than 20% of the Gulf Population that was irresponsible...I would say more like 85%..

On a historic scale most storm surges come no more than 1/4 mile inland...in Katrina's case in some areas that were extremely low such as St. Bernard Parish,etc...more...to stop loss of life and property...the State and Federal Government should put the following into affect...you the individual can live on the coast line and in flat marsh land areas that are going to flood in a storm if you want too...but under this understanding:
If you do not leave a head of time before the storm hits..do not expect to be rescued
If your property is destroyed do not ask for a loan, grant or any type of government funds to enable your irresponsible act of living in an area coded Red for extreme storm damage likely...if you lived in a state where it snowed heavy all of the time, you would be foolish to build a house in the path where avalanches occur on a consistant bases or on the edge of a volcano where the lava flows consistantly...
I have no problem with individuals who use common sense and live a 1/2 mile or more from the coast line...they are still living in a beautiful area and yet have taken some measures to protect their property from flooding...Storm Surges are the biggest cause of damage and lost of life during hurricanes..not wind..(the early north americans built their villages about 1 mile inland from the coast)
I love your area...I truly like the people...I like their spirit and love for life...the food ...what can I say...a plate filled with turnip greens cooked with smoke hamhock, fried cheese sausage grits with gravy, canal rice, seasoned black eyed peas and jalapeno cornbread...topped off with a ole fashion hot banana pudding with lots of vanilla waffers.......
I have thought about moving down there myself, but as much as I love it, I would not build on the coast line, or in flat marshland areas subject to flooding from a storm surge...
LA. Politicians have the reputation as being the most corrupt in the nation...but that is the perceived reality...not the reality...the reality is Mississippi had more politicians go to prison for corruption than any other state the last century...In 2006...Mississippi had Law Enforcement officials consisting of sheriffs, police chiefs, and police officers indicted for corruption and criminal activity...I know..I knew 3 of the sheriffs and worked with their counties...I just left a county in Wilkinson, Miss where the Chief Deputy Sheriff of Franklin County, Miss was sitting in their jail cell for organizing a gang of thefts who stole four wheelers and sold them in Tenn, and Alabama....
When assigned to DEA during my narotic division stint, I worked with your N.O. Police in the French Quarter...At that time it was called District One...So I know the quarter and surrounding area pretty well..
I wish you and your family the best in your rebuilding...FEMA is like a large ship with props too small to push or steer the boat efficently...a lot of mismanagement and just plain incompetence exist...too much paper work and not enough just gitta done attitude..everybody is in CYA mode with those guys... The new division HomeLand Security, of which I am part of in the Coast Guard is still sucking the bottle and has not learn to walk very well yet...unfortunately, FEMA has been placed under their control and this is a major part of the problem with getting things done quickly...

-- January 4, 2007 7:00 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Dale and Carl,

The question is why don't people evacuate. Remember the guy the press interviewed before Mt St. Helens erupted. "No volcano was gonna run him outta his house". He was never seen again. I grew up on the east coast where the press would go down to the marinas to interview the people riding hurricanes out on their boats because their things were more important than life.

Cher,

maybe you can share your theories as to why people don't evacuate. As I see the people interviewed before landfall of any hurricane there seems to be some level of maucho involved. People are told to be self sufficient in FL for 3 days. They run out of resources after 1 then blame the government.

Carl,

I understand your frustration. People refuse to evacuate, then call 911 during the storm, asking people like you to put your life at risk because they wouldn't leave.

-- January 4, 2007 9:06 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Cher,

The media reported so many issues that I would like to know if you have any further information.

For example, as stated by Carl above, the people should have been taking care of thier families and not waiting around for a system that was not there with all of the efficiencies necessary to handle the massive needs and demands. The media reported that the poeple in general in some areas were already dependednt on the government for decades in the form of welfare mentalitiy. In otherwards, they had not been taking care of themselves as a way of life. SO when disaster struck, they totally expected the govt. to take care of all of their needs as usual.

Can you speak to this?

I also read where people were on house tops waiting for rescue, when a few hundred yards away, hotels were available for them to retreat to.

Can you speak to this?

Also, when you get your home restored and "back to normal"
what will you do to prepare for the next storm?
What, if anything can you do to avoid the sitaution you find yourself in now.

I beleive that if there is nothing that you can do differently, then what is the sense of returning?

Yes, in Ca. we have earthquakes that are devestating to communities. But are surrounded by communities that do not fall and are very able to step in and help immediately.

Also, the masses here ae always earthquake ready. Businesses are required to have emergency evac and sustaining plans. The fire and Police, hospitals and schools have regular drills, that have proven to be very effective in controlling the outcome during the real event.

We have some do-do's that live here too that continue to build houses on slopes that melt away with the rains and watch their houses and all their pssessions slide off the slopes and in some cases into the Ocean. Then they get all torked when the govt. says no more we are not paying the bill anylonger. You slide--you pay!

I think it is only reasonable that anyone who rebuilds in proven risky areas, must assume the responsibility for their actions. DOn't you?

Anyway, your first obligation is to take care of your needs and your family, and I would not even know how I would react if I were in your situation.

But during Katrina, the world was watching and there are questions that yet have to be answered and people that yet have to be held accountable, both the private sector and the govt.

I am interested in your response.

If your anger helps you to redirect your future plans, then it will not be in vain. If your anger stands in the way of eliminating as much of the blame game as you can, then you might find yourself in a similar situation someday. I hope not!

Carole

-- January 4, 2007 9:26 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Roger,

Hi, thought that you would be happy (?) to hear that I am not in jail yet.

By the way, I found out yesterday, that a breast cancer fund raising entity has opened a site for advertising surfing as the one I am involved in.

Interesting-huh?

I will accept your apology for calling me a thief any time your ego allows you to do so :}

Carole

-- January 4, 2007 9:31 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Don't want to play Roger's advocate here but didn't you say that you were uneasy with answers to your questions on that investment op.

-- January 4, 2007 10:10 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Here is a glimpse into the way forward in Iraq. Though it is from the AP, www.dinartrade.com has it post on their site. I hope you enjoy.

Pentagon helping restart old Iraq government factories in jobs program

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

As President George W. Bush ponders how to salvage the Iraq military campaign, business minds at the Pentagon are moving ahead with a part of the equation _ fighting Iraq's unemployment and trying to boost its economy.

Under a new program, the Defense Department is already helping reopen factories that were owned by Saddam Hussein's government and abandoned by occupation authorities shortly after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The Pentagon may also start providing them with contracts to support U.S. troops.

One factory restarted operations in the last two weeks, and nine more are to open by the end of this month, a Pentagon official said Wednesday, adding some 11,000 Iraqis to employment rolls. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released yet.

Pentagon officials declined to identify the facilities for fear they or their employees could be attacked amid the country's increasing violence.

Reopening factories that produced everything from cement to buses for Saddam's regime is among the ideas that have been discussed by Bush as he struggles to find the way forward in Iraq after nearly four years of war.

Bush is expected to announce a new Iraq strategy next week. He is widely expected to say he wants to send additional U.S. troops there.

Military commanders have long seen employment as one of the keys to slowing the violence. The idea of restarting factories differs from some previous reconstruction efforts that have had limited success in that it's aimed at providing long-term employment for factory workers as opposed to short-term jobs that came with individual rebuilding projects.

The Pentagon formed a task force six months ago that has identified some 200 factories _ producers of textiles, industrial equipment and other goods _ that could be restarted.

Paul Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense in charge of business modernization efforts, said in a recent interview that putting idle Iraqis back to work should help calm violence because it will leave fewer disgruntled men willing to plant bombs or commit other crimes for money.

"I believe there's an indisputable correlation between peoples' livelihoods ... and unrest, civil unrest, social unrest," he said.

Iraqi unemployment is thought to be from 20 percent to 60 percent, with inflation above 50 percent. More than 1.5 million Iraqis, mostly professionals, are believed to have fled abroad, according to the U.N. and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which recommended a new Iraq strategy to Bush last month.

Officials hope the factory reopenings will be the first wave in a series of restarts that will stretch throughout the next year to restore jobs lost after the 2003 invasion. At that time, occupation officials of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority decided to do nothing with the government facilities, hoping they would quickly be taken over by the private sector.

Privatization of the businesses never happened as violence gripped the country and disrupted the economy. But if the factories start producing and become well-functioning enterprises, that could be a step toward any privatization effort the new officials may decide upon.

Under the new program, private as well as government factories would be restarted. The American military expects to be among the customers for some of the restarted operations.

"We buy a lot of items, all kinds of items," such as cement and furniture, Brinkley said. "We import a portion of that. But if there are Iraqis who make things that we can buy, it just makes lots of good sense to buy it from Iraqis ... to stimulate the economy, build good will."

The U.S. military is spending more than $100 billion (A75 million) annually for the war. Brinkley said he hopes to spark the Iraqi economy by funneling some of it to newly restarted factories.

While the average worker in American supports four people, the average Iraqi workers supports 13, Brinkley said.

"For every Iraqi you put back to work, it has a huge cascading effect," he said.

Source: Associated Press

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 4, 2007 10:11 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Last question directed at Carole

-- January 4, 2007 10:12 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Carole: ok, normally I don't point fingers, but someone said in a post, I believe it was during the last scratch pad, that "you wear your feelings on your sleeve" and today, I think it is pretty evident. . .Roger graced us with his presence, and you just jumped in lookin for a fight. . .I thought we were all going to try to be a little more civil on this post. . .I understand that you have had you feelings or dignity hurt from the name calling you got when you first got here, and believe me, I didn't, and still don't like it. . .like I've said before. . "ain't noones' business but chure own". . .if you're making money in your venture, more power to you. . .whether you are a thief or not. . .it's noones' business. . .if you're breaking the law. . .you'll get in trouble when someone catches you, and I'm sure that your intentions were honorable and honest. . so don't worry what ever one else thinks. . .be like a duck. . .and let everything run off your back. . .you don't need this crap, and neither do we. . .

Roger: apologize to Carole or I'm gonna smack you. . .and behave yourself. . and as for Iraq. . .they're on the same page we are. . .Fridays are prayer days. . every other day is business as usual. . .And I do believe the '07 budget is finished and after the holidays are over for them, they will bring to the table. . .should be an interesting week coming up. . . watch closely. . .P.H.

Cher: welcome aboard and good luck with your project. . .P.H.

-- January 4, 2007 10:21 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

In the meantime....the oil patch guys continue to make progress.
=================================================================================
Test oil well produces 8,500 barrels in Iraq

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

OSLO, 04 January 2007 (Gulf Daily News)

A test oil well in northern Iraq produced 8,500 barrels per day (bpd), the most of three wells tested in the first post-war drilling by a foreign firm, Norwegian oil company DNO said yesterday.

"We are very pleased with the well and how the project is progressing," DNO managing director Helge Eide said of the results from the Tawke number 4 well.

Two previous tests of the field had produced flow rates of about 5,000 and 4,000 barrels per day, he said.

The wells could be put into production during the first quarter of 2007, as soon as a processing plant is ready.

-- January 4, 2007 10:41 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Chris,

Iam still a little skeptical about the venture I am in.
But I am not a good business minded person, in some areas. For example: when I was in business, my accountant (business manager) would find himself trying to answer my questions by saying "Carole, this is business!" There were somethings he would do that seemed a little "iffy" to me, but again, his remarks were always : this is business!

We had a few audits during those 9 or 10 years and his books always held up. So I have to assume he was doing things okay. Plus, one time I was a "whistleblower" for the govt. investigating Medicare fraud of a company I worked for. The OIG did a thorough investigation of my own business practices and found them to be in compliance.

But still today, if you were to ask me, I think a few things were a little "iffy" when put alongside of my own personal ethics.

As far as this advertising investment, I can only investigate so far. And then it seems I come to a dead end.

My 2 concerns are:#1 I go on conference calls with the "owner". I have his phone number. He has a wonderful website, but so far I can not get a physical address for this business. This bothers me. It doesn't seem to bother anyone else, but I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me.

#2. I have not been paid for my first cycle yet. I am about 10 days overdue. The explaination is that since they are in the process of converting from Safepay to an actual Debit/Atm type card, to put your money into, it has slowed down payments for now.

Soooooooooooo, we'll see! The jury is still out in my books. And, until I am sure
( or as sure as I can be), I will not invest anymore or spread the news!
Can you understand my reasoning?

Roger did give me some things to ponder. Especially since he pointed out the possibility of "lookers-on" at this site. I can wear almost any color with my olive complexion, except for Orange, yellow or black and white stripes! :}

Pan:
I am instigating, I'll admit! But just enough to give the audience that enjoys the Roger/Carole routine a kick!

I think I have the Carole/ROger thing figured out ( FINALLY!).

Some think I get hurt or deeply offended by Roger. It is probably because you can't hear my voice intonations or the laughter he causes me with his smart-axx remarks.

I get a sense that he probably goes through the same thing. He is sarcastic and witty and I think I am too. He is quick to bash me and I am quick to slap-jack him right back. So, far the score is even or at least it will be once he apologizes for going over the line. And once he does I may consider changing some of my adjectives to describe him. But for now-if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck......more than likely........

:} Relax Pan don't mean to cause you any stress! You must be on heart guard at all times, my friend!

Carole

-- January 4, 2007 11:06 AM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Carole:
Long ago, in the 20th Century, there was a pyamid type senario known as the "Round Robin" The Robin was the bird that flew from investor to investor creating an impression of returns of 30 to 50% or more on your investment...Once the Robin got to going in the Circle(Round) of investors...the creator of the Robin starts to slowly siphon off the funds little at a time...what you see is payments getting less...payments being made slower...stories concocted to protect the Robin as it continues to run, and the funds continue to be siphon off...Then the Robin misses the tree and dies...no more funds...no physical address...no real name....just a bogus corporate name filed under a bogus real name...disconnected phone number...returned written inquires...Investors left with sweat on the brow, because a lot invested everything they owed...Why? because a friend or family member recommended it...they allowed the emotion of the moment to override the pragmatics of business thinking...

First Red Flag...No physical address..

Second Red Flag..if payments start to get slow

Third Red Flag... Continued excuses for late payment

Fourth Red Flag.. no response to returned calls

Fifth Red Flag... answering machine is full

Catch my Drift...

Are youi daughters starting to get late payments...if so contact the attorney generals office regarding white collar crime...see if the name of the company or owners are familiar...

If it is a round robin they use different names, different locations in different states, different owner names, but the modus is the same...

Good Luck...Let us know if your payments come in...

PS: Take the City Directory where the number is located...see if listed...it should give the address of the number and who it is listed too...see if it is listed as private or blocked..another thing contact the governmental authorities in that established business area and see if if is listed with Chamber of Commerce, has a city license...has a Federal ID Number...If it is a corporation asked the owner which state he is incorporated under...it will be listed in that state if leget...so many other things you can do to locate this turkey. I am sure your husband can made a call and get a history, wants and warrants ran on this guy through NCIC...
Plenty of Files you can pull up on the internet that will give you a ton of information if leget...

Run like hell and get your money out immediately..

-- January 4, 2007 11:50 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

I read an interesting comment by Victor Davis Hanson, the writer. He said something to the effect that, any thinking Muslim should be in favour of the Americans succeeding in Iraq, in helping a successful Iraqi democracy and a successful Iraqi economy to emerge.

Here's why, according to Mr. Hanson: Americans are spending an enormous amount of money, in Iraq. If I remember correctly, the figure is around 300 billion. All this money is being spent to help a peaceful, and prosperous Iraq emerge. American blood is being spilt, to ensure Arabs can control their own government, through the democratic process. If successful, this would change the longstanding abusive relationship that the Arab governments have had, especially in Iraq, with their citizens. Americans are liberating them from being ruled from brutal dictatorships, and helping them head toward a peaceful, democratic path, where sanity and human rights prevail, and the will of the majority controls the government, and the abuse of the population by the Muslim elite stops.

Now, suppose, for a minute, that this Iraqi venture screws up, because Iraqis prove themselves to be incapable of governing themselves in a civilized manor, and they just revert back to barbarism. This, of course, is a possibility. I don't think it is possible for the Americans to fail to help, in Iraq. I do think it is possible for the Iraq intellectual and leadership class to screw this up. If there is a failure in Iraq, it certainly won't be due to American screw-ups. It will be because of Iraqi failures.

Now, suppose for a minute that Iraq fails, and religious fanatics take control, when the Americans pull out. Now, suppose another 9-11 happens. Suppose the attack on America happens, and is traceable to any Muslim country. What do you think would happen, after the experience and subsequent fiasco in Iraq?

Well, as Mr. Hanson points out, if the Iraqis fail at this chance, and religious radicals take over, and another 9-11 happens, once the trace-back comes, whatever Muslim country, including Iraq, that is found to be responsible for harbouring the terrorist would be bombed to oblivion. No negotiation. No trying to invade and help people build a peaceful, rich democracy. No more help.

I think he's right. If the Iraqis fail to take advantage of this American help, and fail to succeed, there will be no more help the second time around. In fact, there will be no second time. This time, the Americans are staying for a few years, to help straighten the place out. Next time, expect round the clock bombing, following by massive military invasion, like in the first three weeks of this was. Then, next time, the Americans won't wait around five years, fighting a costly insurgency. They'll just destroy and blow up the place, then leave, and let Iraqis sort out the rubble.

I can see the logic of that. I can see how the American public would never support this kind of costly, long term intervention, if the first one failed.

That, essentially, is Mr. Hanson's prediction. I agree with him. The ball is in the Muslim court. They can do what they want with the opportunity they are being presented with. They can reform their society, or live with the long-term future consequences of failing to do so. The consequences are dire, for the Arabs. It's do or die time, in terms of history. It's put up, or shut up time.

In the end, as President Bush has stated numerous times, Iraq will succeed if the Iraqis want it to. I think that's true. You can't think for someone. You can give them advice, and help them succeed, but if they don't listen, and they do the wrong thing, against good advice, and screw up, not much you can do about it. I hope the Iraqi leadership has the brains to figure this out, and the guts to implement the changes, that are needed. I hope they succeed. For the sake of my bank account, and the people of that country.

I really hope Muslim leaders have their thinking caps on, this time.

-- January 4, 2007 11:54 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Carl,

Thanks for all the thoughts and help!

I've got my running shoes ready.

You have given me several places to continue my investigation. And as soon as I have a little time, I will.

My daughters are too naieve. But their husbands may take the charge and join me in the investigation. SO far, they have been paid. I will also contact the RE investor friend that introduced us to this. He has > 30K invested, and I heard he is waiting for payouts too. If this is a "robin" type scam, I would imagine he will go after them with a vengenance, and I'll hang on to his coattails.

For now, I will continue to give them the benefit of the doubt. Assuming that just because I can not find the answers I want, doesn't mean there aren't any. I will check out all the leads you gave me and let you know what I find out. In the meantime, between the Dinar and this thing I have alot of money out there doing nothing!! It is my dad's genes in me that is doing a little revolting inside of me. I hate wasting money, I would rather give it away than lose it! I think we can all say that.

One time, all in one day, I accidentally threw in the trash 3 -100 dollar bills and a diamond ring. By the time I reaoized what I had done, the trash collector had already been here and gone for several days. I was besides myself. I prayed and prayed that someone would find them and use them. If I dwell on it, I still can hyperventilate at the waste of valuables that could bring someone a stroke of luck!!! I guess I will never know and that drives me nuts too!!

Tim

If history has anything to do with your last post, I agree, the Iraqi's will make a deadly mistake that will cause us to reduce them to rubble------But history also shows that without exception, we will go back and rebuild and restore what we destroyed, even when the destruction we cause is justifiable. It is what we do. Maybe right or wrong, who knows? SOme think that is what keeps this nation blessed. I have ambivalent feelings about the subject.

Carole

-- January 4, 2007 12:34 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Carole: thanks for confirming my suspicions. I always figured you were having fun with Roger, and he was doing the same.

-- January 4, 2007 12:44 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

That was me!

-- January 4, 2007 12:45 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Interesting title this.. It says Iraq is "resisting" - like they are not a sovereign nation entitled to their own justice system. It implies that they are wrong to resist the imposition of the judgement of other courts from outside their jurisdiction - a world court, I presume they mean. Whose judgement does that mean prevails?? - not the Iraqi's as expressed through their court system, but someone from outside that country, right? Isn't that kind of like a busybody sticking their nose into another country's affairs?

Iraq resisting stay of execution
Thursday, 4 January 2007

No amount of international pressure can stop the execution of two men sentenced to death alongside Saddam Hussein, a top Iraqi official has said. Sami al-Askari told the BBC the law did not allow for death sentences to be commuted, even by the president.

No date has been announced for the execution of Saddam Hussein's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and former chief judge Awad al-Bandar.

The United Nations has urged the Iraqi government not to execute them. Under international law the men should have the chance to seek a pardon or have their sentences commuted, UN Commissioner Louise Arbour said.

But Mr Askari told the BBC's Arabic service: "Nobody can stop the carrying out of court verdicts. The court's statute does not allow even the president of the republic or the prime minister to commute sentences, let alone grant a pardon.

"Therefore, no pressure can stop the executions."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6230557.stm

-- January 4, 2007 1:41 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Prime Minister Maliki may have resigned,
if so it may precipitate a radical change in government..
which may be good for Iraq in the long run.

Conflicting reports from providing Nuri al-Maliki resignation

media sources close to the Iraqi government that the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki submitted his resignation to the Office of the President Jalal Talabani on Wednesday evening 1 - 3-2007, but...

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=http://www.alarabiya.net/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAl-Arabiya%2BTV%2B%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

-- January 4, 2007 4:52 PM ∞

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CYMRU001 wrote:

Carole,

I was one of those who gave you my email address and asked you to email me so I could ask you some questions about your venture.

I asked you this after you posted that you had looked into this from every angle. You said you had done your research and this was top notch.

Now it seems you are not too sure about this venture and you also go as far as to say you are sceptical and have some concerns.

Why did you invest to begin with?

I'm with Carl on this. If you can get your money out, then do it immediately. Forget the payment you are expecting, just get your cash back.

Had you emailed me, I was going to ask you if the company had a website, if they had a 'bricks and mortar' address which a person could go to and knock on the door and if this venture would be open to UK residents, given that you mentioned you had to supply your social security number.

I am glad you chose not to release this infomation immediately. I don't think I would be eligible as I am in the UK, but there are probably people who also asked for information who could well have invested money they could not afford to invest/ lose.

If this does work out for you then I will be glad for you. If it doesn't, then you can at least be safe in the knowlege no-one else lost money.

-- January 4, 2007 5:12 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Panhandler,
Thanks for the hint, I rather take the slap.

Carole,
Wow, you're amazing. If there is a sports stadium, a lot of people there, and you're intent on pick pocketing, wouldn't you know your pick pocketing (that is ...stealing), just because thee is no signs telling you not to do so?

Some people are telling you it's a "Business Adventure" and you make him responsible, saying he told you it's legit.

You're skimming off an ad account, and you're showing me another victim of yours, in an effort to show it's legitimacy. Apparently you are skimming off a Breast Cancer research facility as well.

Carole, if you were using an ad company, and just found out they were skimming you, and scammed you on thousands, for a non existing product.

What exactly would you say to them?

What is most amazing is the fact that some one have to TELL you you're stealing.

You're using lawyers and accountants as an excuse, they are not your consciousness, you are.

When it comes to the issue of being psychotic, well, your back again on the issue of ROGER, and that's the reason I'm answering you back.

You're hypnotically fixated with my name, no matter how much you say you're only having fun. That leads me to believe you can be as fixated on anything in your life as well.

You for sure can show a very social side of you, very social, cozy and warm, but scratch on it, WHAM.

So far I have not seen any after thoughts, regrets of stealing (the fact that you're stealing is not in question, (you're displaying fear of being caught, or fear of losing your investment and is very concerned about that) , but nothing in you says that you have the slightest reflection of what you're doing is wrong.

It's not in your universe even real to you,(because my lawyer said...my accountant said....my husband said...)

I don't care how "business like" you're trying to explain it, deep down there you know your stealing, but are so blind to it, seems like you're floating above it, and when some one tells you, your stealing, you see it as a social annoyance, and demand excuses and apologies, (hah...***rolling my eyes, shaking my head, smiling***)

You sure can spread thick layers of sociability around you, but when it comes to values, I cant even see that you have any with substance in them.

You have to tell Criminals and Children, right from wrong, adults would just know.

Whats so appalling is, that the venture you're in, is so OBVIOUSLY theft, and someone have to TELL you that.

How old did you say you are? 13? 11? 9? 7? FIVE ok .

You seem to have found a very good spiritual guidance in the Bible, and perhaps it's time for you to have a talk with God now, stop whining about this darn scam you're into, stop explaining to yourself and others how legit it is, stop being right about stealing.

Go to the spiritual guidance of your choice, the Bible, and start with the Ten Commandments.

I know you're fast and quick to give a hasty response, but this time around I ask you to have a bit of reflection of your own before you're back.

ANY WAY OF TURNING THIS ALL BACK TO THE IRAQI DINAR

-- January 4, 2007 5:35 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

U.N. Chief: Gaffe On First Day of Work
Seemed Unaware of Official U.N. Policy on Death Penalty
Jan 4, 2007

British Times Online reports that: "The new Secretary-General of the United Nations ... Ban Ki Moon, the former South Korean Foreign Minister, received a warm welcome from staff at the UN headquarters on Manhattan's East River when he turned up for his first day at work yesterday.
But his spokeswoman was forced to issue a clarification after Mr Ban said that capital punishment should be a decision for individual member states.

The UN has an official stance opposing capital punishment and Ban’s predecessor Kofi Annan reiterated it frequently. The organisation's top envoy in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, restated it again after the former Iraqi dictator was hanged on Saturday.

Mr Ban, however, took a different approach, "Saddam Hussein was responsible for committing heinous crimes and unspeakable atrocities against Iraqi people and we should never forget victims of his crime," Mr Ban said in response to a question about Saddam’s execution. "The issue of capital punishment is for each and every member state to decide."

It was unclear whether Mr Ban was simply unaware of UN policy or did not agree with it, but his new spokeswoman, the Haitian journalist Michele Montas, insisted that there was no change despite what she called "his own nuance."

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/537/UN_Chief_Gaffe_On_First_Day_of_Work

-- January 4, 2007 5:36 PM ∞

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Dale wrote:

Carl,
WELL SAID. I live in Ky, about 20 minutes south of Cincinnati,OH. The mighty Ohio River floods from time to time. As a result the smaller water ways like the Licking River that dump into the Ohio flood as well. Around here you can build a house where ever you want, but if you build it in a flood zone, you will not be insured for flood damage. It is a live at your own risk proposition.
As well it should be.
Some people are just plain stupid i think.

-- January 4, 2007 6:11 PM ∞

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CYMRU001 wrote:

I have scrolled back thtough this pad and gone quite a way back on the last. I was trying to find out who it was who asked how we all came to be buying Dinar. I can't find the originator of the question, but I feel it is an interesting one which no-one answered.

To the person who asked the question, my apologies for not being able to find you, maybe you can let us know you are. My answer to your question is below: -

I became hooked as a result of eBay!!

I would check in on eBAy looking for various parts for my 1972, type 2, bay window camper. One particular day, I checked the parts and decided to have a look around the site I was interested in gold sovereigns and krugerands and wondered if there were any on eBay. I began clicking around and found Dinar.

I also found this blog as a result of that find. I began emailling the seller asking all sorts of questions. He gave me the address of this site and that was me hooked!!!

I am now wondering about the rest of you? Anyone else want to share their story?

-- January 4, 2007 6:44 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

CYMRU001

I had be meaning, or Fixin to as we say in the South, to respond to the question of why I invested in the Dinar.

I happened to catch the full page ad in the USA Today from October 2005 concerning the Iraqi Dinar and the Seller selling them. I almost always go directly to EBay when I find something I want to buy or learn more about and did the search for Dinar. The results were something else. I also found the link to DrDinar.Com and Truck & Barter a few days later.

What I learned early on was the amount of money the US was pouring into Iraq and the printing of the New Iraqi Dinar notes. When I saw how low the Dinar was valued and figured it would be hard for it to get much lower and the early post here enlightened me to the point I was ready to invest by December. All the talk of the value going up even just a few pennies and what that would do to the value was just overwhelming. Of course all the old timers were cautioning not to invest any amount you couldn't afford to lose.

I checked out buying the notes quite a bit. Then the post about opening up an account at Warka Bank showed up. I questioned and sought out all the info I could concerning this and chose to open an account in lieu of buying the actual notes. The account offered for me anyway certain benefits that sitting on the actual notes couldn't. One benny was I just received my statement with an (nice) additional sum added from interest earned.

So now over a year later I have deposited quite a bit money in my account than I originally opted to but am quite happy in my decision and know much more now than when I started. The only change I have made in my investment is securing more and wanting to add just one extra zero to the final tally. That's really not asking that much.

Bottom line is I felt that even without deeply investigating this investment and the almost certainty that the Dinar's value would be raised to at least a couple of penny’s it would be the best investment I had ever made and one that I had initially gone into almost totally blind. I just trusted that if our Government was pouring Billions of $$$ into Iraq that had to say a lot for the future of the Country and stability of the currency.

-- January 4, 2007 7:14 PM ∞

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Carole, wrote:

CYMRU001,

As I stated before, there are only 2 things I am not comfortable with. I also think I stated earlier, that there was a certain amount of risk. But as I saw it, the risk was from the time you bought your first cycle to the time your money was deposited into your secured safe-pay account. And yes I am very glad I kept it to myself and will until I get a physical address, and get my first pay.

Roger:

Tell me, how can I be stealing when first, I am the consumer--I bought something, I made a contract to purchase something, And what I bought are 14 advertising sites that I get paid to look at everyday for 25 seconds each.

I also told you that I bought on the other side of the equation, to test the contract. For $350.00 I bought an ad. The contract stated that 200 times a day someone would be looking at my ad. The contract was clear that there was no guarantee of future sales from the ad surfing that I was paying this company to set up. I can renew the ad as often as I want in 10 day increments. I get a discounted rate if I buy more than one 10 day cycle of ads.

Now maybe I bought something on either end that doesn't have the value I might hope for, but each side of the contract has a risk with a no money back guarantee if disatisfied with the results.

So can you please explain how you see this as stealing? Especially since all I've done is spend money and not made a bloody dime yet( rolling my eyes, and about to throw up).

You are beginging to sound like a blubbering fool.

I have been giving you the opporotunity to redeem yourself in front of your fans and public, but you keep stubbing your toe.

Sure let's get back to the Dinar. You know the one that you encouraged people to sell their children to buy more........

Oh no!!! here comes, breakfast and lunch---someone get me an emesis basin---quick!!

-- January 4, 2007 7:22 PM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Carole and Roger!
You two sometimes make me laugh my butt off..
But I appreciate you being on the board anyway...

-- January 4, 2007 8:28 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Good old Roger, always with robes and gavel in hand........

Perhaps you should take a more laid back approach when confronting people you suspect of engaging in less than savory acts. But I supppose thats the European side of you.......

Anyways, I wanted to address Anthony R.

In an earlier post he had asked a question about taxes and ways to AVOID them (at least I assume thats what he meant, because we all know soliciting ways to EVADE them on a public forum would be really dumb.....).

Be very careful about how you attempt to reduce your tax burden. Consult a tax attorney rather than strangers on a public forum. asking for advice from anyone other than an expert is asking for trouble.

At the end of the day, you wanna pay your taxes and walk off into the sunset. Look for ways to reduce your burden LEGALLY, but, IMO theres no reason to play games with the US government over a few million when you walk off with 10 times that amount.......

-- January 4, 2007 8:32 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

My story of beginning to purchase Dinar came in the winter of 2005, I ran accross a website selling Iraqi Dinar after some more outside investigation I purchased my first 2 million. I thought I was done, as time progressed so did my desire to purchase more Dinar. Today I have only about 8 million. I will be buying another 2 million shortly.

Unlike some of you, I choose to physically hold the currency. Specifically, the 25000 notes. At this point, my only regret is not buying in sooner; circa 2003. I truly believe we have all made a good and right decision to hold Dinars. We will see a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. In the coming months we will see a new Iraq emerge that defies the bias of the MSM.

I am encouraged by what I am seeing. If the reports of Malaki's resignation are true; let us hope the next Iraqi Prime Minister will put the welfare of the people of Iraq first rather than his own ethnic tribe.

C'mon Dinars!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 4, 2007 8:45 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Carole,

This is very simple, and when it comes to a blubbering fool, you fit the bill, but ok lets get technical for a moment.

If you are a seller or buyer, that is, customer or merchant, there is always an exchange taking place.

Meaning:

1. As a customer you expect to get either service or goods in a fair exchange for the money you are paying.
2. As a merchant you are expecting to get payed for your goods or services, also in a fair and reasonable exchange.

There is always an exchange taking place. ALWAYS.

Right.??? You know as well as I, that something for something is law, sense of rightness, and according to moral and ethical codes from any corner of the world that is the way things work.

The other side of it.

Something for nothing.

Ever got your lunch apple stolen in your workplace, your stereo ripped out of your car, your gas siphoned out, or your lawn ornaments stolen, ever got your lost wallet back from a train, without money, (If you get it back at all).

That is all something for nothing.

I really don't care about the intricate set up of your operation, somewhere at the end, someone have to pay for something they didn't get.

Right.??

If you have such a hard time getting this concept, then just follow the money...follow it, where does it come from?

Ask your self....who in the hell on this earth is willing to pay you enormous amount of money clicking on ads.

None.

Is it the ad company that are paying it, the customer of the ad company, or what????

Money, by definition is conserved energy, produced once in the past, and can be exchanged for future goods or services.

Money, just don't "appear".

Ok, be very unbiased, pure technical, go back in your "money making machine" and found out the originator of the money you are collecting.

What is the original SOURCE of the money?

When you find the original SOURCE of the money, ask your self, what that source is EXPECTING IN EXCHANGE for his money?

Now at this point, ask yourself, am I contributing to that?

No you're not!

The SOURCE of the money, expecting a fair exchange for his goods or services, will in this operation have to be kept in the dark....right?

Secrecy and deception have to be one of the elements in this operation for it to work, ....right.?

On top of that you're not too good in keeping secrets, you're like a sift, but that's another story.

If you bought yourself an ad, that you're looking at, paying you to look at your own ad, and in the end you get far far more than you ever invested in the ad, then you know your scamming an ad bureau.

The ad bureau is expected to sell a service or goods, for a customer and are working under a normal rightful exchange pattern designed for possible hits/ versus sold articles.

Your scam "money opportunity" have managed to find some loopholes, where ad's can be milked, and we're back to the sign at the football stadium.

You're operating under the premise that, as there are no signs saying "do not pickpocket", it must be ok.

Someone have to tell you to not steal!!???? This is the point I'm really weary about, Carole, can't you come to that conclusion yourself?

What I'm trying to get into your thick head is that you are receiving money from somewhere, and that somewhere is your victim.

Well Carole, I'm not sure I can communicate this concept fully to you, all attempts have failed so far, and you have defended it, motivated it, and trying to make it right, in any way and form you can.

That part is between you and God at the end,....can't help you there, all I ask is to take another unbiased look on it, and maybe you will come up with the right conclusion this time.

As for now, please follow Carls advice, get out of it as quick as you can.

I can tell you one more time where all this started....in the beginning, when this was presented to you, you had a flash moment, where you clearly saw it was theft......and then it happened..... you compromised with yourself.

Well anyhow Carole, the "business" you're in, seem to crumble under it's own deceiveness, and set up lies, just make sure you wont get hurt, we all make miss-steakes.

Me for one, I would like my miss-steak medium rare.

-- January 4, 2007 9:34 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Rob N,

Good posting about the Banks.

The original data about B of A was from Darrenchabruk, a person posting news about Dinars, where he posted B of A as a seller of Dinars, even had a little bit of posting on dates and such, don't remember more about it now.

The Wells Fargo, there was a poster some months,(actually quite some time ago now), he claimed that he was buying in Wells Fargo, a Texas branch if I remember it right.

Either way, Chase One is the only one you could confirm, well done thanks.

-- January 4, 2007 9:41 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Anynomous, why are you anynomous,

What exactly have the concept of right and wrong to do with the continent of Europe?

I know the concept of Up and Down have to do with Australia, Hot and Cold with Antarctica, and long train travels across Siberia. Other than that you've got me lost.

Yeah I was a judge one time, in a football game, but have to give it up, my lead dog got bezerk being locked up in my locker cabinet.

-- January 4, 2007 9:53 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

CYMRU001,

Saw an ad in the USA Today, and spent a lot of time on the net trying to get a grip on it. Knowing that historically currency have always followed the same pattern after a war, it seemed to me a very logic and sound investment. Lot of naysayers though, but the pattern have always been consistent. After a war, low valued currency, then expansion and higher valued currency. So that's how I got in on this.

Each case is different, but the basic pattern have always come true, so that's how Dinars started to look attractive to me.

I can fully agree with Anonymous...(get a name sucker), that exemplary book keeping on this investment, is very important, and there is no need for a game with IRS.

Taxmama was here, earlier, explaining some basics. Get a spreadsheet, with your date of purchase, because depending on how long time you sit on the investment, the taxes will differ.

Have had a talk with my own accountant on this, and on this particular point, my accountant confirmed.

-- January 4, 2007 10:13 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Read again good sir.

I clearly stated that your confrontational nature shows your European side.

And, its not so much that you confronted her. Its how you go about doing it.

Perception is reality Rog.....It might be clear to you that her "business" is a scam, but perhaps you don't have all of the facts, hmm? Carol seems to be of that opinion. Wait, and perhaps things get cleared up? Mebbe shes describing the overall workings incorrectly and needs time to the her facts straight.

I know, I know. Your next response will be "I know enough...."

My point here: You're always ready to render an opinion, solicited or not. It can be very annoying for some people.

We are strangers after all. Text doesn't do your intentions justice Roger. Perhaps you actually mean well while some might mistake your approach as arrogant and unbecoming. No way to tell obviously since we aren't face to face.

Try saving the moral arguments for someone who would actually benefit from it, like your neighbor. Or better yet, how about a family member. I find it amusing that you feel the need to get into a pissing contest with a complete stranger over something which, at the end of the day, doesn't affect you.

Stick to an analysis of the Dinar. You seem to have a gift for providing decent info. Stick to things that you're good at. You don't have the father routine down at all....

-- January 4, 2007 10:28 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Rob N,

I'm with you, I like to have the Ayatolla of Casholla in my hand, but it seems though that some are very happy with their foreign bank account set up.

Been so sporadic on this site, lately, and are not up, in the way I really was in the past, and must admit I'm freeloading a bit now on research others are doing, and must say you and Sara are the stars when it comes to research.

I appreciate what you're sharing with others on this site.

Rumors about Malakis resignation....hm, well he's been an enigma, so far. A couple of months ago I was loudly demanding him being ousted whether it was a coup or not, Iraq had sagged so deeply into an un holdable security situation, that it was borderline civil war.

It seems that he (mostly by Bush backing) survived politically, and if he is going, so be it.

Accusations about his Shiite affiliation have been blatant, strong and loud, and in true, the real actions on the ground confirm, that he have not exactly been something you can call a strong leader.

I say, it's for the better if he goes, and leave the chair to someone much more bipartisan than he is.

Iraq is about to break out of some old mold right now, and something tells me that this coming year will be a lot of positive changes in Iraq.

This fall, is the first time, OFFICIAL persons or institutions are flagging widely open, that they see a positive raise in the Dinar, so, they themselves seem to be set on it.

As a fellow investor, I can just smile and watch the daily progress.

-- January 4, 2007 10:34 PM ∞

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The Dhali Lama wrote:

Rogerrrr! Be nice to Carole. Carollllle, be nice to Roger. Don't you guys realize you were husband and wife, in a past life?

-- January 4, 2007 10:45 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Roger:

Talk about a hard head! Geeez!

Okay, let me try it again. I will answer your 2 basic questions. Because you set them up right. But your answer is wrong.

Okay: "#1 as a customer you expect to get either service or goods in a fair exchange for the money you are paying."

As a customer, I bought 14 daily clicks to watch 14 advertisers a day and get a 40% return on my purchase at the end of the day. ( sort of like you let the bank borrow your money by putting it in their savings account program, and at the end of the month you get 2%)

Are we together this far? Everytime you make a deposit in your bank you are buying their interest rate. They are using your money to make more money than they are paying you in the interest they have contracted to pay you. (This should start to answer your question as to where the money comes from)

"#2. As a merchant you are expecting to get payed for your goods or service, also in a fair and reasonable exchange".

Okay, as the merchant, I bought an ad ( by the way I have never seen my own ad, my family hasn't either. I think it is because there are hundreds maybe thousands of ad "buyers").

What I expected from the purchase of this ad was that in a 10 day cycle my ad will be viewed 200 times a day for 25 seconds times 10 days.

Now at this point, I had to decide if I wanted to buy the product ( which is ad space and their program)or not. This is probably another answer to your question of where does the money come from.

Now back to the banking scenario....

I go to the bank to borrow money. Do they charge me the 2% they pay their depositors? Heck no! They charge me 7% if I am lucky.

They pay the depositor 2% and they are ahead 5%.

Is it fair and reasonable??? Not really, but it is what I have bargained and agreed to.

Fair and reasonable are very subjective theories.

IN the case of this agency, I get 40% ( I hope ;}) and they get 60%.

The key is everybody is getting what they bargained for, REASONABLE OR NOT ( to the onlooker).

The risk is all on me, really. Cause I have to depend on the agency coming through to pay me what he said my investment would pay me.

Now back to the bank scenario. When you put your deposit in and you get a slip of paper saying that you have xxx dollars plus the interest you have been promised. How sure are you that when you go to take it out, that the bank will still be there?

In the investment world, the higher the risk the higher the return.

Are we anywhere near being on the same page???

You are absolutely right, there is something you think I see that I don't. And in return, I don't see what you see, especially since you keep trying to appeal to my conscience.

Investing is a "conscience" thing. I have stated before, no one should ever invest in anything they can't afford to lose.

Banks and other entities are safe, because most are insured against potential loses. In this case, there is no insurance or real assurance.

As I stated in the begining, this, as I see it, is no more risky than my investment in the dinar. The big difference is that I know people who have been payed for what they bought and it happens relatively quick.

Will the Dinar ever pay me off on what I have put my trust in? I sure hope so.

Will the advertising agency deliver on what I have put my trust in? Hopefully so.

Could I possibly lose it all?

Absolutely! And if I do it will be because I trusted those who led me to believe that I would get a good return on my money. Now that would be the Dinar company that gave me the pitch to buy their product, and the advertising agency that gave the pitch that their oppporotunity was a sure thing.

Either way, If I lose, I am not the thief! They are! They did not deliver the goods!!!

How can I be the thief?---I have no goods to deliver or not deliver!!

If you still don't get it at this point, I don't know what else I can do.

At any rate, in a few days I should know about the ad agency as at this point they owe me 12,600.00 ( my 9k and my 40%)

IF they deliver, I will only reinvest after I have checked out all the things that Carl suggested and I am passing that information on to my family and others who are in the same program.

If, by some miracle you do get it---your apology accepted :}

Carole

-- January 4, 2007 10:49 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Sara,

Thank you for the report on the strong Dollar, it is the world leading currency right now, and as you stated in the article about it, and also from one of my earlier postings on the subject, the world is right now adjusting for a low Dollar.

That adjustment will in itself further bring the Dollar down a bit.

The Dollar had a very low around 1975-76 just after the Watergate Nixon and after the Vietnam war, where the Dollar had a value approximately half of today's value compared with other currencies.

The Dollar survived, and regained it's strength, during the Reagan years, the Dollar was so strong it was almost the currency of choice in other nations with their own currency.

The Euro is rising in importance, but have not come close to the Dollar in World Currency, but the trap ahead right now, is that , as the Dollar is going down, Central Banks all over the world are selling it, in order to preserve their own reserve value, and thus are diversifying into mainly Stirling and Euros.

Problem is, by analysts, it's commonly agreed that both the Euro and Stirling is overvalued, in estimates between 5 and 20%.

If world nations Central Bank are selling an already falling Dollar, and replacing it with Euro and Stirling, that will push the Dollar down further, and bring an already over valued currency (Stirling & Euro) up even further.

A fall in Euros and Stirling is not estimated until the buying frenzy is over, and they still have a long way to go, but I would advice for short buys and sells when it comes to Stirling and Euros.

We have got some very interesting times a head of us when it comes to the Dollar, it might lose it's world domination, but have always had an ability to work itself back again.

For us, the difference will be while the Dollar is falling, that a Cafe Latte in Paris might cost us 8 Bucks...(but hey Starbucks are already doing that here anyway)

-- January 4, 2007 10:58 PM ∞

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Cher wrote:

Hello Everyone,

Roger & Carl,
I understand what is being said about the levee's. Both of you'll travel this area and know how things looked. Myself and many, many others that are in this situation would not have flooded if the pumping stations would have been manned. But that was a decision made by officials.
In my opinion not a good one but I didn't have the power to veto(LOL)that decision.

I also realize what you are saying about people that are still not prepared and I stand by my 80-20. When I said 80-20 I was talking statewide. Now if we are strictly talking about NEW ORLEANS, THE CITY, then I would think the numbers would completely reverse to 20% ready and 80% not. Maybe even 15%-85%.

Dale,
No, you don't have to tell me the difference between a blizzard and a flood. That was my point, you CAN'T compare the two.

Chris,
Yes, I can give my OWN thoughts or theories as to why people don't evacuate.

The number one reason is Money. They don't have money for gas, hotel rooms, or food.
I'm sure all of us can remember living from paycheck to paycheck at some point in our lives. If not, Congratulations.

Another is, everybody has been talking about the Big One for years and it hasn't happened yet.
My thoughts.....foolish.

Some don't have vehicles capable of traveling for long distances.

Some won't leave because their parents or loved ones won't leave and they don't want to leave them behind. The older people always say they survived Betsy or Camille and they will survive this one.
My thoughts...many that felt that way did not survive Katrina.

The problem now...Since the local entity's made people wait at least a month after Katrina before they allowed them back home many are saying they won't leave next time no matter what comes their way.
My thoughts...again foolish.

Carole,
In your post on 01-03-07 you talked about the disgust of the system in California. Louisiana and other States are no different. Most of the people, I will not say all, that I briefly saw on TV and in the streets appeared to be people living off the system. That's why so many are displaced because their large housing complex's were destroyed. I think the count that is still in Texas is over 100,000 and Texas doesn't want them. The Sheriff of Texas has already been on TV and said it's time for Louisiana to take them back.

The Local Gun Shop Owner in Texas is telling people to arm themselves because of the Katrina Evacuee's. Their crime rate has increased since the evacuee's flooded into their state. Tim Bitts also posted a situation in his area where Bill was bilking the system but Mary couldn't get help.

Yes, there were people on roof tops but I did not see any that were near a hotel. But, if that was the case a few hundred yards can be a long distance. 300 yds would be 900 feet and I would not get down into water with who knows what floating in it and try to swim 900 feet. Especially in rushing water. I wasn't quite sure what you meant by a few hundred yards.

Carole there is nothing anyone can do to prepare for a Category 5 storm except evacuate. Since I have to work I send the dogs (2) with my Son and his family to where ever they can find a Hotel Room. For Katrina he ended up in Arkansas and it wasn't cheap. All in all I think he said he spent almost $3000.00 in the five weeks they were gone. Gas, hotel rooms, and food (and they didn't always eat out).

I will be so thankful when my home is restored and back to normal. I have lived in Gretna all my life. I have never before been thru anything of this magnitude and as previously stated hope I never have to experience it again. But, I will do what I have to do. I have a job that I have been at for 30 years and I won't cut my nose off to spite my face. I don't want to go someplace else and start over. The main thing I worry about now is the crime rate and in all probability when I retire 2 or 3 years down the line
my intent is to move North of I-12 which not only helps with the crime rate because the locations are smaller communities but they faired out very well when Hurricane Katrina hit. The problem with that though is some areas they really don't have a drainage system...they do it by slope.

I would also like to say this is not the third or fouth time that I am rebuilding my home. This is the FIRST. I have lived here (in Gretna) 57 years without the mess I have now and my Sister-in-law lived 63 years without the mess her and my brother are dealing with.

It sounds like you may be a little bit defensive about the earthquake's that I mentioned. That was the way I felt when things were said about New Orleans. I stated in my post I did not want to offend anyone with
my comments but I just felt the need to respond to the God Theory of immoral people. My Mom always said you never argue politics and religion so I'm sure she's smiling down on me right now.

We too, have drills, evacuation routes, and sustaining plans. The mistake in Jefferson Parish was turning the pumps off and I still have not figured that one out but everything else worked. Now, The City of New Orleans had buses ready to evacuee the masses but they did not expect the levee's to breech or give way and it appeared they were trying to make the people take
care of themselves.

When the people from the City of New Orleans tried to walk across the Bridge the City of Gretna and Jefferson Parish Police Officers would not let them down into the city and the parish. I'm not sure if I agreed with that but it was done. The Parish and Gretna felt they had enough to sustain what people they had and had not prepared to support the City of New Orleans. They felt it was the Mayor's responsibility to take care of his City which I agree with. Their were many elderly people there and that
made me sad because I would not have wanted my Parents treated that way. But in the Parish and Gretna's defense they are the one's that made arrangements to get most of those people out.

Carole, I'm not trying to eliminate the blame game. I can try to make people see it my way till I am blue in the face and others are trying to do the same with me but each will feel their point has not been understood.

About my anger, it seems everyone thinks Louisiana is the only state to get help from FEMA so I went to their site. There is a whole list of disasters listed and aid given by FEMA to many, many states. So yes, we are all part of Mother Nature's plans and if we stop the aid for one because their
City is below sea level than stop the aid for all the other disaster's that happen. There's been more than one quake, there's been more than one blizzard, more than one tornado, and problems for the farmers and people did receive aid from the Government.

In my own opinion, I do think the welfare system is the biggest drain on our Government. You can make one mistake but not two, three, four, and more.

With that being said all I can say now is...Goodnight Gracie.

P.S.
Carole and Roger, what is wrong? Can't you each understand each other's
point. Trust me, this is truly in jest, I just couldn't resist.

-- January 4, 2007 11:10 PM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

Hi everyone,

It seems my posting on the "welfare state" got some attention. I meant it to be so.

What I wanted to impose on each of you is your boxed thinking (or more commonly call pigeon holing) about "those people" that separate them from the righteous people... when in fact, we are talking about human beings.

Making public policy comes from the grass roots of each voter.

Writing public policy... that makes sense... is very very difficult!!!. When public policy is written, it is done with uniformity to all persons with certain levels of qualifications (to rule out discrimination).

I have said these things above to bring about discussion and not to judge others for statements/attitudes made. I had in fact read many of your thoughts in December 2006 and due to holiday's did not have time to respond to my own concerns about stigma statements about the poor.

Carole,

I am glad you heard Cher.

Dale,

Your morality sounds much like Job's advisor in the book of Job, Old Testament. The advisor's conclusion, Job had done some evil and God was punishing him with his poverty, health issues.

Valerio,

You stated that there is help for people in New Orleans or similar predictaments. As you can see, maybe, this is not always so.

Cher,

I am glad you wrote in. Writing in, when one is personally involved in dire straights is courageous. I admire you for doing so!

Also, yes, I am aware of the situation in New Orleans. However, my home is not in New Orleans.

Tim Bitts,

Your writings are insightful. Your background bought you a bit of insight into the plight of the poor. For this, you are blessed.

Carl and Roger,

You both raised the point of where New Orleans is built. Sounds like the two of you need to get together and write public policy on when the government will help out and not help out disaster persons, city-state governments.

All,

Some of you raised the question of why didn't the citizens of New Orleans get out in the alotted time?. The poor --the truly poor, do not have cars, gasoline, money to stay at hotels etc. They were at the mercy of persons like you all on this forum. After all, if society doesn't look after its most vulernable citizen's--than who will?.

In the text of biblical scripture, Jesus was asked, who is my neighbor? Those of you who know the scriptures can answer his reply.

Laura

-- January 4, 2007 11:14 PM ∞

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Cher wrote:

Thank you Laura !!!

-- January 4, 2007 11:27 PM ∞

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Madbrad wrote:

Found this on my travels, some interesting reading,apologies if there's some old info.

The hydrocarbon law, though crucial, is beset by sectarian backstabbing. Each side has written its own draft of the law—there are at least three currently floating around—and the Kurdish draft is the most professionally done, says a Western diplomat who advises Iraq's Oil Ministry. Barham Salih, a Kurd and Iraqi vice president involved in the bill, says his goal is to make Iraq the Arab world's first "petro-democracy"; the Kurds have already cut a deal, independent of the central government, with a Norwegian firm to start test-producing oil in the first quarter of 2007. Another key player involved in writing the law—Finance Minister Bayan Jabr—is considered one of the worst sectarian offenders. He was pushed out of running Iraqi's Interior Ministry in June 2006 because Shiite death-squad activity ballooned under his watch.

Indeed, the squabbling over Iraq's oil laws has kept the biggest international oil companies out of the country. U.S. and Iraqi officials say they're the force that is needed to fix Iraqi oil, but without a legal framework—which they hope the hydrocarbon law will provide—the companies haven't dared make significant investments. According to a U.S. official, who asked to remain anonymous as a condition for the interview, there have been at least 43 memorandums of understanding signed between Iraq's government and international oil companies. The MOUs are a way for firms to test the temperature of the country with a contract that says "let's cooperate in the future," allowing them to make technical studies of the production potential in a nation that holds the world's third largest oil reserves, many of them largely untapped.

These firms, says the Western diplomat, include all the "big boys," like ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total. He says the oil companies have already worked with the Iraqi government to do independent analyses and R&D. British Petroleum recently handed over its yearlong reservoir study of the Rumailah field to Iraq's Southern Oil Co. It's BP's first piece of work in Iraq in more than 20 years. The Rumailah field, referred to as one of the world's super oil-fields, is still capable of producing more than 1 million barrels a day. Shell is currently working on an evaluation study in Kirkuk—a city that still regularly sees massive car bombings between Kurds, Sunnis and Turkomans, who all lay claim to the town's ownership. "Major oil companies are very interested," says Catherine Hunter, senior energy analyst at Global Insight in London. "But they're only dipping their toe in the water."

On a recent trip to Japan to drum up support from outside investors, Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani told reporters that international companies were the only way Iraq could meet its official target: it aims to attract $20 billion in investment and increase output to 6 million barrels a day by 2012. He said Iraq currently produces just under 2.5 million barrels a day, but added, "We are determined to increase that to 4 to 4.5 million by the end of 2010. But we are also determined to go beyond that by cooperating with international companies."

He blamed the production declines on sabotage, but said the ministry is learning to cope. "We've managed to get it to be repaired on an average of within 48 hours," he said.

For now, Iraq continues to punch well below its potential weight in global oil markets. At about 2.5 million barrels per day, it contributes just about 2 percent of global output. Iraq's oil affects global prices minimally on a day-to-day basis, says Vera de Ladoucette, senior vice president of Cambridge Energy Research Associates in Paris. And over the last three years, Iraqi oil officials have consistently overestimated how quickly they can bring back production. Yes, there's no doubt about Iraq's future potential. Analysts say the country could contribute up to 8 percent of global oil output by 2020 if all goes well—which means a lot better than it has done in 2006. But that is probably expecting too much

-- January 4, 2007 11:55 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Carole,

I can see it clearly, "How can I be the thief? I have no goods to deliver or not deliver!!

Follow this slowly, and I hope some insight (scary though), will start to creap up in your mind. You're not going to like one bit what I am about to say, but if you dont get it, your will lose a lot financially, maybe already have.

You risk your 9K, 10 days later you split something that looks like a 60%-40% split and you end up with $12600.

So...out of your original "investment", this money have now generated twice it's volume in 10 days.

You get back your 9000 plus your profit of 40%, making it a 12600 dollars payback to you.

At the same time, as the company you're dealing with are making 60% or $5400.

That must, mean that the original $9000 will in 10 days make another $9000 for a total of $18000 in those days.

Now at this point I had to decide whether I wanted to buy the product ( I guess you're meaning buy the "business opportunity").

Ok you have clearly laid it out, and its worse than I suspected.

YOU"RE the one getting scammed.

The money generated, and payed back to the "investor" is coming from other investors that are getting in on the deal. At least that's the way your saying it.

Who in the heavens and earth wants to pay thousands of Dollars, for a half hours worth of clicking on a site......Carole, cmon....so others are getting on on this fantastic opportunity, send their money, and in their naive way think they are generating money by clicking on ads, thousands and thousands of Dollars.

The ads have really nothing to do with it.

The money they are paying you with, is no more than money coming from suckers like you.

Stop and think for a second.

Money that doubles every 10 days.

I'm sure you have heard the old story about the man that once saved a King, and the King offered him a reward.

The King offered him land and houses, but instead he told the King that all I want is that you bring a chessboard on the table.

On the first square you put one wheat corn, then on each square thereafter you double the corns, so next square you put two, next four, and next eight and so on.

Do so until you have doubled the amount through each square, through the whole chessboard.

The King thought that was an easy way out, and accepted, but it ended up, that the King didn't have any resources even close enough to fulfill his promise.

This emporium is set up in exactly the same way.

The ads is the smoke and mirror, the money generated is from suckers believing they are getting in on a fantastic deal, and as it grows, the guys that are running the show, wants to keep as many as possible happy.....in the beginning.

The intended victims of this theft is then, the interested parties wanting to get in on the deal....and hopefully you are amongst the first one in, ....otherwise you have just been taken dear Carole.

And listen to me now Carole, it was planned from the beginning, the outcome is certain. Whoever you are dealing with, KNOWS this.

Like the sinking of Titanic, once the water comes over the last bulkhead, it was an impossibility for that ship to float.

Same thing with this set up, it is a mathematical impossibility for this to continue.

YOUR money have payed someone else, and he or she have been very excited, and recruited all their friends.

Just click half an hour, and you make thousands.....

Oh really, (common sense goes out) how much did you say you did???, and you say all you had to do was just sit and click???????

Thank you for the last piece of the puzzle, it's still theft, and it is still embezzlement and fraud, but YOU are the victim. In a sense this became somewhat tragic comic.

Just hope you can get out fast enough.

What is it exactly, you feel I need to apologize to you for?

-- January 5, 2007 12:11 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Madbrat,

Good posting of yours.

Your post highlight the enigma of the Iraqi development. Always slow, always squabble, always this and that.

They sure don't do things our way, but then again, it's their country, and have to do it as they please.

The HCL have been stuck far too long, and have not heard any report of how the progress is doing on it. This is the key law that will catapult Iraq as a wealthy nation, but as usually another week, another week, and so on of indecisiveness's.

Last report was a couple of weeks before Christmas, when the HCL reportedly had only ONE point left to iron out.

Since then it have been very quiet about it.

The Dinar will probably continue it's rise after the Iraqi holidays, as the budget is based on 1270 to the Dollar, and the Dinar is just now resting on 1325 while they have closed down the shops over there. Still got some ways to go until then, but there is no firm indication that it will stop there, all that is said, is that the BUDGET IS BASED on that figure. Any higher valued Dinar will undoubtedly be even better for the Iraqis. We'll see.

-- January 5, 2007 12:44 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

The following are comments about welfare, which Laura brought up. Temporary non-Dinar diversion. Scroll through if not interested. Thanks.

Laura,

Here' my "public policy" to reduce poverty:

1-Kids in school should lose their driver's licence, if they drop out of high school before finishing grade 12.

2-all people, over 18, wishing to renew their driver's licence, or obtain one, need to prove they have graduated from grade 12.

3-single mothers should not get public assistance unless they give the name of the father, to a public social agency, who should be tested for paternity, and made to support the mother, or go to jail. If the mother refuses, the state should take her children into custody.

4-It should be illegal for employers to hire someone who doesn't have their grade 12. The only exception should be someone who is going to school, part time, to finish school.

5-It should be illegal for anyone without grade 12 to vote.

Education is the key to avoiding poverty. People who get at least grade 12 are not likely to end up on public assistance. The best way to help someone is make sure they are educated enough to help themselves. Grade 12 should be a minimum manditory education level for everyone in America, except the mentally handicapped. Right now, a large segment of the American population drops out of high school, before finishing. This group represents the biggest drain on the economy, of any group, and is the least productive. Young people are not mentally mature enough to make the decision of whether to drop out or not. Society needs to make that decision for them. That decision should be, you ARE finishing grade 12, if you want to vote, drive a car, get a job, eat....

Also, once single mother know they can no longer free load off the taxpayer, and must deal with the father, for money, and access to the child, they are less likely to act irresponsibly. Also, when men become aware they can no longer pawn off financial responsibility for their children, onto the taxpayer, and they may go to jail if they fail to comply, they are more likely to act responsibly.

I know a young man who had two children with a young lady, without being married, and moved away, then got another common law partner pregnant, had two kids with her, and then left. The guy is off having fun somewhere else now, playing pool. Both young women are on public assistance. This sort of nonsense is rampant in the underclass. The children suffer, from a lack of two parents, and a normal family structure. The laws of British Columbia allowed this jerk to get away with this. They still do.

Raising children, over the course of a couple decades, costs close to $200,000 per child, for a middle class upbringing, when the cost of a mortgage, food, clothing, etc, are added up. By allowing people to have someone else pay for this cost of bringing up their children, is it any wonder a lot of people take advantage of it? It takes a lot of effort to generate money to pay for a family. It's easier to go down to the pool hall, while the suckers work. I've seen it with my own two eyes. The welfare system is set up to encourage people to behave badly, and to basically steal from their fellow man.

Then, if a woman on the dole were to get married, she would be penalized, and she would get her benefits cut off, right? So she does the rational thing, and doesn't get married. Is this a dumb system or what? The laws are designed to discourage people from getting married, and acting responsibly.

The underclass rips off the system, and who pays for it? The rest of us middle class suckers slave to pay for our own children's upbringing, and then work extra to generate extra income to pay for the freeloader's children's financial needs as well. This seems immoral to me, and a kind of systemic thievery, set up by well meaning people, who don't realize someone has to pay for this.

Just don't blame the underclass for this nonsense, please. They didn't set up the rules. They are just small time con artists. They are just smart enough to rip off a system set up by people dumber than they are, who set up a system that encourages thievery and irresponsibility. The real people to blame are the liberal politicians who set up this system.

I am in favor of people either getting married first, and then having kids, but if they don't want to get married, fine. Go ahead and have children. Just don't expect Tim the Taxpayer to pay for the upkeep of your children. If you have a kid, or kids, you pay for him or her, whether you are married or not. I say jail men who don't support their own children. And don't give money to women who won't turn the rat in, and take their children away if they don't cooperate.

That being said, there are some cases of genuine need. A married woman could suddenly have her husband die, very young, and unexpectantly, and without insurance. I know one such case. That kind of person I don't mind paying for.

So, what do you think? Would it work? Is it fair? Or is it ok to continue letting things go on as they are?

-- January 5, 2007 12:57 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Laura,

I don't think anyone of us would ever deny the poor, needy or the infirmed the help, assistance and compassion they deserve. I don't think I picked up any of those tones from all the discussion presented here.

The objection is to the multitudes who have ravaged the system unecessarily--and now for generations. Do they care that they are taking away the resources that are meant to help the truly needy. Frankly, they could care less. They live in a parasitic state of mind, feeding off the host, and never giving back.

Do you really believe that this is the reference that Jesus meant to make?

Also, concerning Job. God had already declared him a rigtheous man. We do not know the spiriutal condition of the communities involved in the disasters.

I think there are however, substantial biblically historical events where wicked people were judged by GOd with environmental disasters.

NOW, I am not in any way inferring that this is what Katrina was all about. But one must never rule out the possiblity of the judgement hand of God in any event in life.

On TV during the Katrina coverage they interviewed a fraile black man, who was the pastor of the christian church. He built himself a little lean-to, and continued to hold worship services. A meek sweet soft-spoken man, he raised the bible, praising God for the disaster that brought many to their knees. His idea was that many had strayed and Katrina brought them back.
Of course the media made a mockery of what he was saying, but my husband and I
asprobably millions of others understood.

God is involved in everything. When we put on our spiritual glasses and hearing aids, we see HIs blessings and rewards as well as HIs judgements and chastisements. Not only do we see them, we experience them according to our deeds.
Sometimes His blessings are delayed and sometimes His judgements are delayed.

I just hope that you didn't misundertand the tone of the discussion here. I think we all know that, there by the grace of GOd goes we....

I think when tragedy hits, we all start to project ourselves in that situation and the 20/20 hindsight kicks in. I'm sure a few blocks down in someone elses shoes would give us all a different posting.

Carole

-- January 5, 2007 1:04 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger,
I guess I will just have to wait and see if I have been scammed.

You have misunderstood the figures though. I invested 9k. I will hopefully get back a TOTAL of 12,600. That is $3600 profit. It would take approximately 3 cycles to double my money.

My thought and what I have been told is that the pay-out money is coming from the ads that are sold. It is high profit for the agency, cause the overhead is almost nil.

What I know for sure is that I have taken two big investment gambles this year. And I am not happy, at this point with either one of them.

I think it is time to start thinking realestate again.

If you have to be prompted about an apology--keep it! Or better yet--stuff it!! :}

Dali:

Opium and/or it's derivatives are bad for your mind and body. It causes hallucinations!!! Like the one your having concerning Roger and Carole being married in previous lives!

Cher:

Roger and I are like oil and vinegar. I'm the oil(Italian) and God knows where his source of vinegar came from!! Kidding, of course. Don't try to figure it out--just enjoy the sideshow!

Carole

-- January 5, 2007 1:35 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

TIM BITTS FOR PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD.!!!

Signed,
Carole
Tim's campaign manager!

Do not send contributions to Roger, he will only buy more dinar. DO not send contributions to Carole, she's on a bad luck streak.
Send all contributions to Sara who will see to it that millions will get Bibles and the world will be changed and Tim will have a fighting chance at a happy, successful first term.

:} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :}

Good night gracie and mrs. calabash where ever you are!

-- January 5, 2007 1:48 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Iraq badly needs to get their currency on the Forex,

After running a plus budget, this year Iraq is forecasting a minus budget.

This is the problem, and why.

Iraq have still, after all this years not changed it's Central Bank system over to an integrated bank, that can mesh with the international community.

I believe they are working on it, but as with everything else over there, days, weeks, months and years have to pass before it happens.

They still are operating on the crude basic system of Auctions.

Their main export is oil, it's paid in Dollars, the Dollars are now in the ownership of the Iraqis, where the finance department issues Dollar bonds to the CBI to be sold on auction. All of the Dollars might not end up in the auction, only for expenses in needed Dinars.

As the Dinar is Dollar associated, and the oil is paid in Dollar, the only big currency of any value the Iraqis have is now the Dollar.

Ok in order to prop up the Dinar, and do it artificially on the auction, as usually, the mostly internal sale of the Dollar will give less Dinars for a bigger amount of Dollar.

So the Dollar, used in propping up the Dinar , will be sold a touch under the Dollar value, each time an auction is held.

Thus making the "auction bid" legit as an official currency exchange of two currencies.

As only the two currencies are exchanged in this horse trade, the Dinar will be the always winner, going up in value, and the Dollar will be given away more or less as less valued towards the Dinar.

The Dinar really badly needs a lift, but in the crude system they are working it in, their (the Iraqis) income, in oil Dollar, will go down, down and down in purchase value within their own country.

This is the crutch the CBI have to work with right now, but it shows that the system is hopelessly past it's time now. It worked fine when the Dinar was held stable for years, but it just doesn't work at all when the Dinar moves.

Every time a currency moves, a long line of causes and effects are happening along the whole spectrum of an economy, and the current system with auctions is one that might harm the Iraqis more than help them if they insist on continuing with it.

The currency is overdue for Forex, and I hope the Iraqis are well aware of the intricate short coming effects of their current system.

It all came to light in their, (well founded) increase of Dinar value they are currently doing.

Lets increase the value of the Dinar......oooops a budget deficit, darn.

Forex is the place for the Dinar now.

-- January 5, 2007 1:49 AM ∞

---

Madbrad wrote:

Roger

totally agree......... the dinar was picking up some momentum before xmas it will be interesting this next week and with all the those pay rise's we may start to see the Iraq'is enjoy some retail therapy! LOL

-- January 5, 2007 1:50 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

TIM BITTS FOR PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD.!!!

Signed,
Carole
Tim's campaign manager!

Do not send contributions to Roger, he will only buy more dinar. DO not send contributions to Carole, she's on a bad luck streak.
Send all contributions to Sara who will see to it that millions will get Bibles and the world will be changed and Tim will have a fighting chance at a happy, successful first term.

:} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :}

Good night gracie and mrs. calabash where ever you are!

-- January 5, 2007 1:51 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Carole,

You're releasing bits and pieces, in a confusing manner, and sometimes I wonder if you yourself know what your doing, but anyhow.

You dont understand that I understand, and are trying to tell you something. ok if you get $12600 out of an investment that originally cost you $9000, and that is supposedly your investment , you will then get 40% (supposedly) out of the profit, for O N E cycle. Ok got that.

I fully understand that it will take you about three cycles to double Y O U R money.

But, as the company FOR EACH CYCLE takes 60% and you get 40%, that means that the TOTAL GAIN for ONE cycle is double the money. (At least thats what they are telling you)

So clicking on ads half an hour a day for 10 days is supposedly not only going to pay you 40% that is $3600, but it is supposedly also going to pay the company 60% or $5400.

So for each cycle the money have doubled.

Why would a golden goose like that, be farmed out to naive housewifes?

It's exactly where we started, despite your insults, you put one wheat corn on the first square, two on the second,four on the third, eight on the fourth and so on. It must by the nature of it blow.

Carole, a calculator costs about 10 bucks, you could have punched all these numbers yourself, how hard is it to spend 30 seconds on a calculator, I did it while I was eating a sandwitch, and you could have done so to.

While I'm on it, I have some ocean front property in Wyoming I would like to talk with you about.

Good luck

-- January 5, 2007 2:25 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Roger;

Thank you that you thought the dollar post interesting.
I know it doesn't directly relate to Dinars.. but I felt
it was significant, too. I appreciated your post. :)

Carole;

Chuckle.. by way of entertainment..
I thought this was good.

If the US takes over Canada (forget taking over Mexico - too unpopular)
and gets all that tar sands oil Tim Bitts was telling us about..
(in return for securing Canada's borders and helping them with their terrorist problems
of course.. - still nothing in the news on the story I found, Tim?)
Well, then I think Tim Bitts should be considered a full American - having lived
in North America for all his life - and thus qualified to run for President!
(unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger who wasn't born in North America).
So then, Carole can be the campaign contributions manager and the extra money
for after he gets elected will go to buying Bibles for the world...
Sounds good to me.. :)

===

PREMEDITATED MERGER
How leaders are stealthily transforming USA into North American Union
Posted: January 2, 2007

It seems unthinkable. But then, so did 9/11 before it happened.

Can it really be possible that Americans are witnessing a governmental program designed to merge – slowly but surely – the United States, Mexico and Canada?

That question is generating a major amount of below-the-media-radar buzz. In recent months, e-mails and telephone calls have poured into radio talk shows and congressional offices asking: Is there a plan to create a "North American Union"? Will a new currency, the "amero," replace the dollar? Is it true that Mexicans will now get Social Security?

Yet Congress (except for a few representatives like Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul) as well as the establishment press (with notable exceptions like CNN's Lou Dobbs) turn a blind eye – despite major evidence mounting daily.

Just recently, for example, confirmation surfaced that the U.S. government is indeed planning on providing full Social Security benefits to Mexicans – which critics predict will bankrupt the already-shaky system. And a report by the powerful Council on Foreign Relations, regarded by many as something of a "shadow government," has called for a massive transfer of wealth from the U.S. to Mexico and the establishment of a "security perimeter" around North America – rather than securing America's borders with Mexico and Canada.

So, while many dismiss plans to integrate the three North American countries as wild Internet "conspiracy theories," the January edition of WND's acclaimed Whistleblower magazine – titled "PREMEDITATED MERGER" – boldly lays out the disturbing evidence for all to see...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53599

One never knows where one might find "Manifest Destiny"...
(originally a term used by the Democrats, not Republicans...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_Destiny
"The phrase was coined in 1845 by journalist John L. O'Sullivan, then an influential advocate for the Democratic Party. O'Sullivan's original conception of Manifest Destiny was not a call for territorial expansion by force. He believed that the expansion of the United States would happen without the direction of the U.S. government or the involvement of the military. After "Anglo-Saxons" emigrated to new regions, they would set up new democratic governments, and then seek admission to the United States, as Texas had done... the outcome would be beneficial to both countries."

Sara.

-- January 5, 2007 3:01 AM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

Cher,
My statements regearding available help for the victims of disasters were not intended to be specific toward N.O., but rather a general statement regarding all victims of declared disaster areas. There are no doubt serious problems with the efficiency in which the agencies are implementing the programs. Although I cannot justify by reasoning the magnitude of neglegence, mishandling, and incompitence, I do know that there are reasons for some of the problems you see. The magnitude of the destruction. You not only lost homes, but also your jobs, public facilities, private businesses. The entire economic structure was totaly destroyed. Even the civil services and the law were destroyed. All these things must be rebuilt at the same time, for one cannot live without the other. Then you have within in the policies, safegaurds against fraudulent activity that often hinder those with rightfull claims. Then there is the question regarding how and when any loans can be repaid, and if the purpose of the loans will actually be done. There are also health and safety issues, which is a big reason why many people can't get a FEMA trailer even though they are available and sitting empty. My thoughts on this subject must be taken with a grain of salt as I have no authority, education, or experience in this matter.
I certainly do not mean any offense to anyone effected by this incredible destruction of life and property.
My statements were more of a response to Laura's post which seemed to say that America was giving away billions to Iraq and ignoring its responsibilities it has to rebuild N.O. I was asking Laura, who was appauled at our governments spending in Iraq and depriving it's own in N.O., and who is herself an investor in the dinar, how much she contributed to rebuilding N.O. Therefore unless she has contributed money to rebuild N.O. she would also be guilty of the same thing she was accusing our government of. I was making the point that these are seperate issues, one being more of a social expenditure, and the other being an investment. Our president believes the expense of our effort in Iraq is an investment, although risky, in the future of the world in terms of peace and security, and the global economies. The real question will always be debated; was it worth it?
I don't believe it's the governments job to rebuild N.O., but each individual should have every opportunity for the help thats available to them according to the policies in effect to do their own rebuilding, and nothing more or less.

Laura,
I'm not saying anything against you, because I know you mean well, and you have compassion for the unfortunate victims of Katrina. I'm merely conveying my thoughts that these are seperate issues, and one does not effect the other. If we were not in Iraq I doubt the situation in N.O. would be much different, in my view.

-- January 5, 2007 3:22 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Carole,

I appreciate your writing of your thoughts on our "welfare topic". However, Jesus himself noted in the New Testament writings when asked about whether a man was blind, who sinned?. The implications are the blind man as being punished by God. Do you remember his response?. Simply because a person finds themselves in dire circumstances, is this person being judged by God. My answer is No!.

You will never know for sure until you ask God about Katrina and its impact implications on the citizens of New Orleans.

Having said this, I would give any human being the benefit of the doubt until I was guided by other factors than the fact that Katrina was a bad storm.

I will give another example of human suffering. I have two very good close friends that my husband and I served with as leaders in a local church. Our children grew up with this couple's two children. Eventually, as our children grew older, the younger daughter of our friends got interested in Journalism.
While she was on a journistic assignment, our friend's daughter was involved in a fender bender on I-95. Three cars were on the shoulder on low speed side of expressway and three cars were in the medium on high speed side of expressway.

Our friend's daughter got out and checked on the two drivers/passengers on high speed side of highway and then she decided to cross the expressway after a truck had passed to check on the other drivers on the low speed side of highway. Right behind the truck, a passenger car decided to change lanes and hit this young 25 year old girl. Needless to say, Kelly was killed.

Her mother asked, "Why did God not protect our little girl?".

Some in the church thought this tragedy might be a judgement from God. Others like myself, see this incident as just that--a terrible accident. God does not get at us by deliberately judging innocent people as with this accident. I am certain of this in my faith. This is not God's character.

However, once the accident occurs, God is there to help people put the pieces back together as he promises that all things work together for good to those who love God.

Poverty is a life status and nothing more. God does not judge people on the basis of our outward appearance and give us less importance due to our economic circumstances!

Case in point, look at Joseph and his coat of many colors. Remember the story?.
He suffered severely at the hands of his brothers and later became a King. God allowed this tragedy and used it to shape the character of who Joseph was all along.

All that I am saying is be careful in your judging of circumstances and stand ready to be a neighbor.

Tim Bitts,

In looking at your policy guidelines a few comments.

The first, if a person does not obtain grade 12, the person loses driver's license. --My comment, they will drive anyway w/o license.

The second, a single mother if not cooperative with child support will lose custody of children. I believe this is a bad policy and here's why. How much do you think it will cost the tax payer to place child or children in foster care and/or state facility. A bunch!!! Not to mention, family break up and all that that means to a child!

In addition, the current welfare program has policy in place that if a mother is not cooperative with child support, the mother will not get benefits.

Instead of helping this young welfare parent (whether a male or female) we the public place unneccessary burdens on this very responsible parent who remained. We don't as a society give enough credit to the spouse who stays with the children!. Instead society stigmatize the remaining parent who chose to stay with the children. The remaining parent is generally the woman.

In addition, what if the woman has two or more children at time of separation from the father of the children? My reason for asking this is how much do you think it costs the tax payer to pay for child care --when we force the mother to work to earned the living in this family? My answer a bunch!

Woman typically earned less than men (and this statement can be verified by research at your local library). The child care expense, transportation on buses to get to work, uniforms, rent, electricity etc. are now to much for the woman to afford to support the family unit.

In the meantime, children suffer due to lack of adequate time a mother has to influence social values to her children. What happens?. The woman has to quit due to minimum wage not keeping up with her ability to run the family.

My question is why keep this policy above? Why are we penalizing the partner who stayed with the children, when in fact, had this partner not stayed, the tax payer would have an enormous debt to pay to facilities/or foster care.

Now, on your policy to jail the father for non-payment of child support, how effective is this policy?. Does the woman/male get child support while he is in jail?. The answer is no. However, with the threat of going to jail, this does seem to be an effective way to get dads or moms to pay up.

Tim, you also state "This group represents biggest drain on ecomony of any group and is least productive." Where is your support for this statement?

How unproductive is the parent who stays? They are shaping the values of thier children by doing so and also sparing the tax payer the expense of foster care and or other facility placements.

Did you know that cash given out to people on welfare is not what is costing the tax payer the most money?. It is the one program that is least expensive and the most governed by policy writing.

The most expensive program is medicaid! Medicaid is paid to medical personnel and hospitals who have strong lobbying efforts on congress. It is also the one program that is least monitored.

These are just points to think about when writing legislation.

Love to All,

Laura

-- January 5, 2007 3:47 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Valerio,

First, how do you know I am an investor in dinar?. Unless I told you so, you would not know.--an assumption.

Second, you asked, "How much I personally contributed to New Orleans?" and for my answer to you, it is none of your business. I am using a scriptural principle that what I do to help others-- my left hand will not let my right hand know my deals. Therefore, you have made another assumption for which you have no proof.

I could turn the tables and ask you the same questions. However, I won't because God still requires each of us to be ministers to one another.

Laura

-- January 5, 2007 4:04 AM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

CYMRU001: Sure. . .I've been working in Iraq for over 2 years, and part of my responsibilities is to escort local food and materials vendors to sub-contractors, and one of the vendors who is from Kurdistan came in to get payment for materials, and he got paid over 250k USD, I asked him why he just didn't have it wired to his bank. . and he told me the dinar was worthless at that time and he would rather have the USD, but he did have 10 million dinars in his own bank account, and he was buying more, but not putting it in the back until the dinar revalued for fear that someone would steal it, then he asked me if I had bought any yet, and at that time didn't have an inkling about investing in the dinar, so he said that he would bring me some on his next delivery, so, I started buying about $100 worth everytime he came down, but he doesn't come anymore, so I get them from an interpeter. . .the last batch I got was 650k IQD for $445 I have between 6 and 10 million now, and as soon as I get back, I will buy more, if it's not too late and the dinars have already hit. . .could happen. . .P.H.

-- January 5, 2007 4:51 AM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

Laura,
I've been reading this blog for awhile now, it's easy to assume you invested in dinars in some way through your many posts. Not trying to prove anything.

You misunderstand! That was not a question you were expected to answer at all. It was only made to create a thought. In fact my comments were not even directed toward you, but rather toward the many that hold the view that we ( USA ) are spending all our money in Iraq instead of helping our own people who are in need.

How much are we really spending in Iraq? How much of the money being credited to the Iraqi war would have actually been spent anyway? No doubt theres a huge cost to this war, but even during peace time all our armed branches are always pretending that their fighting a war to keep in shape.

-- January 5, 2007 4:54 AM ∞

---

DALE wrote:

Not really sure what you last post to me was suppossed to mean. was that an attack on me & the way i live my life? If you only knew, my friend. As i reflect on my life, i can say i am not proud of all of the things i have done. I can say how ever i have never once intentionally hurt anyone.
I have no children, yet i have played santa clause to many children, they had no idea who i was. I am not a mother, that has given birth, yet i have given the gift of life. I would consider my self poor by monitary standers. Always food on the table & roof over head. but a mason is not going to be rich.
Aside from money i may be the wealthiest person alive. I love what i do for a living. I hate that I have to do it for a living. I know who i am & what i am. who are you.
I sleep great evry night.

-- January 5, 2007 6:14 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Dale:
It is a fool who measures wealth by money or what material things they have in life..

-- January 5, 2007 8:12 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Dale,

I am not quite sure who you addressed your last post to. I scrolled back to see if I can understand, but I don't get the drift.

I commend you for not once ever intentionally hurting anyone. That is , in my opinion, a rare quality. You are somenone I would feel privileged to know and can probably learn alot from.

What exactly do you do for a living that you love, but hate having to do it?

As a Hospice Nurse, I love being there for the patient and families in their most desperate times in life. I love and appreciate the opporotunity to be able to lighten their load in any way that I can. But, I also hate the fact that people have to suffer, and in that sense, my job is not an "easy" thing to do and I would prefer that no one ever has to face that part of life. Especially when there are young families involved or children.

Hospice services have helped me the last few years go through several losses in my life, and getting involved in this service, has helped me tremendously in dealing with my grief. I am particularly blessed because, I can so relate. As I am in someones home or at their bedside in a hospital, I can truly get into their world, knowing that in my very own home, my own mother is dying alittle more everyday. As I minister to my patients, other nurses and doctors are ministering to me at home.

Suffering is unavoidable as a human being. I have never, and pray I will never have to pay the ultimate suffering and sacrifice as a mother. But I know that we can all draw an incredible amount of strength from eachother. I believe this is God's design.

You obviously have found that prescription in life and I am so glad you are here. If the Dinar never hits, the investment paid me back in ways that can not be measured, through meeting and mingling with people like you.

Carole

-- January 5, 2007 9:15 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Laura,

Thank you, too for your response and thoughts.

I don't think we can or should get to dogmatic about the issues of "punishment" or to try to even attempt to know the mind of God. His ways are not our ways.

There are some undisputable events in scripture tied to God's judgement on people in times past ( Noah and the great flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah, and the great earthquake following Jesus' last breath, etc.)

On this subject, some intersting trivia, I read awhile back concerning earthquakes in California.
The article was quite extensive, but I only remember just a few points, because they were relative to me. They are vertainly disputable and refutable, but none-the -less the analogies were made by the writer.

His premise was that God used earthquakes throughout history as a statement. Either as a prelude to some great event about to take place, or as a judgement.

There are 2 instances of earthquakes that I related to.

Most of my youth and adult life has been spent in a small Quaker town called Whittier, California. Around 20 years ago this little bedroom city got their first big Hotel. The Whittier Hilton. The whole town felt so proud, and enjoyed many of the amentities offered there.

Until one day, it was announced that one of the conference rooms was going to be used weekly for meetings for witches and witchcraft activites. As you can imagine, the public protested, and tried many ways to stop the Hilton from involving the community in such an activity. Around that same time, adult book stores were established in Whittier, with more outcry from the citizens objiecting. However, their attempts to stop the activites failed. Within a few months after every door being shut to the protesters, a major earthquake struck that city. For the most part the downtown area was demolished and destroyed. When the earthqyake hit, I had just parked my car about 100 feet from the epicenter, just west of the Whittier Narrows Dam. I worked at a Skilled nursing facility that butted up to the river bed. I thought the end of the world was coming, or at least for sure this was the one that was going to dump california into the ocean. It was awful, and probably why I remember this authors mentioning this event.

I was also close by the Northridge earthquake on a consulting assignment when that earthquake hit. As i read this article it documented that just days after the city had passed laws to open the door to Northridge becoming the worlds capital market for pornographic movie making, this earthquake hit.

There were several references to events that took place in San Francisco that the author could tie to earthquakes, eetc. And if I ever find the article or book, I will share it with whomever might be interested.

I remember it was not a doomsdayer book or article but somewhat interesting reading.

Forgive me for not being able to state my sources, it is all part of the aging process that has me in a
" where the heck did I put it" syndrome.

Anyway, I have no real axe to grind or point to make, just sharing someones observations and I guess his conclusions, that are not particularly mine.

Well, I have spent alot of time this past few days on this blog and my Christams decorations are no nearer their resting place in my storage. So, I'll take a break for awhile and get some chores done.

Carole

-- January 5, 2007 9:55 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

This article is posted on www.safedinar.com

U.S. military sees Iraq control, purchases in 2007
1/3/2007

Wed Jan 3, 12:00 PM ET

U.S. commanders in Iraq expect to have handed over full control of the country's security and armed forces to the Iraqi authorities by the end of this year, a U.S. general said on Wednesday.

Major General William Caldwell, a spokesman, also told a news conference that Iraq's military and police planned to buy hundreds of armoured vehicles, as well as helicopters, under a $150 million agreement signed last month with the United States.

Describing 2007 as the "Year of Transition," Caldwell said that by summer all 11 Iraqi army divisions to have been formed by that time would be directly under the command of the Iraqi government and by autumn all of Iraq's 18 provincial governors would be in charge of security in their regions.

"By the end of this year, the dynamics will be entirely different," he said.

The timetable he sketched out is longer than one Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki forecast after he took office eight months ago, when he said Iraqi control of the divisions and provinces could be complete by the spring or summer.

However, it is in line with remarks in recent months by General George Casey, the U.S. commander in Iraq, about when he believes Iraqi forces will be able to cope largely without U.S. help.

Caldwell said the United States would continue to provide logistical and intelligence support, as well as work to ensure the "loyalty" of some units of the Iraqi forces -- many in Saddam Hussein's once dominant Sunni Arab minority accuse some of being loyal not to the government but to sectarian Shi'ite militias.

"Iraq's security forces must not only continue to improve their capabilities but must also work to gain the confidence of all Iraqi people," Caldwell said.

He urged the Shi'ite-led government to make "hard compromises" for national reconciliation and to reach out to Sunnis after Saddam's televised hanging angered many Sunnis.

Caldwell said that Iraq planned to buy 300 armored personnel carriers, 600 heavily armored Humvee patrol vehicles and a number of UH-2 Huey helicopters as part of a $150 million foreign military sales agreement with Washington.

He declined comment on speculation that President George W. Bush may announce a temporary increase in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq as part of a new strategy to try to arrest a slide toward all-out sectarian civil war.

U.S. military sees Iraq control, purchases in 2007 - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 5, 2007 10:00 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another from www.safedinar.com

Kurdish struggle for Iraq's oil
1/3/2007

by Yo Takatsuki
Business reporter, BBC World Service, Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan

One of the most common sights in Irbil is that of a mountain of jerry-cans stacked by a busy roadside.

As a car draws up, a young man will rush over to the window and be handed a bundle of Iraqi dinars by the driver. In return, a cherry-coloured liquid will be poured in to the car's petrol tank.

Welcome to a petrol station in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Despite sitting on huge reserves of oil, it is still difficult for people of this region to get access to petrol through formal means.

Instead, cars and trucks fill up at these illegal roadside operations.

19-year-old Mustafa, who works at one, says he has to smuggle fuel from Iran because the petrol from domestic refineries is too low grade.

"We buy the Iranian one, which has this red colour," he says.

"It's not legal, of course, and it's expensive. We don't make much profit. We wouldn't be doing this if the government distributed good petrol."

Slow progress

Iraqi Kurdistan suffered decades of repression by Saddam Hussein's regime during which more than 100,000 Kurds are believed to have perished.

After the 1991 Gulf War, it had autonomy but remained isolated. Now, though, it is finally beginning to prosper.

Since the fall of Saddam in 2003, investment has started to flow and the region has had greater access to central government revenue from Baghdad.

And while much of the country is engulfed in violence, life in the Kurdish-administered regions of northern Iraq goes on in relative peace.

However, the Kurds are yet to benefit from the oil reserves beneath their territory - an issue high on the agenda for the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

The KRG has tasked foreign experts such as Jerry Kiser, from Kansas in the US, with getting the oil out.

"We've identified lots of opportunities but there's no pipelines or access to market," he says.

"In a country that has vast amounts of reserves proven but none producing, the single highest line-item burden on the government is the importing of fuels.

Mr Kiser argues that progress has been slow because international oil companies are still reluctant to come and work in northern Iraq.

"Lots of people come to meet the minister but nobody is really doing anything," Mr Kiser says.

Currently, only two small foreign operators are working in Kurdistan.

Kirkuk question

Only an hour away from Irbil is the city of Kirkuk, a major oil centre with a majority Kurdish population which is nonetheless outside Iraqi Kurdistan and is therefore under the control of the central government in Baghdad.

Kirkuk's citizens are expected to hold a referendum in 2007 to decide whether to stay with Baghdad or to join the Kurdish-controlled areas.

Should the referendum be in favour of the KRG, then the Kurds should have direct access to one of the biggest oil fields in the country.

The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, says that the Kirkuk issue is not just about securing more oil.

"Kirkuk is Kurdish," he says. "No-one can dispute that, but we understand that oil does not belong to just the Kurds. It belongs to everybody in Iraq."

Under Saddam Hussein's regime, he argues, the proceeds of Kurdish oil bought weapons which were used against Kurds.

"For the first time in history the people of Kurdistan, they feel they are part of Iraq. If we are part of Iraq, then they have to give us a fair share of Iraq's oil," Mr Barzani says.

In fact, though, Kirkuk's position could be more difficult to settle.

The city has a large mix of ethnicities, including Arabs, Turkomen, and Assyrians living alongside the Kurds.

It is also extremely violent, with US forces engaged in daily gunfights with local militias.

Its oil installations are attacked regularly and it is costing millions of dollars to repair an oil pipeline that has been blown up.

But Mr Barzani is confident that if it came under Kurdish control, Kirkuk could be secured in a matter of months.

"After the referendum the situation will be totally different. We need some time, maybe one year. We are sure about that, we can bring back security to the area."

Great Game

The Kurds may have their eyes firmly on the oil in neighbouring regions, but there is also an increasing foreign interest in the future of Kurdistan's oil.

Almost every night, a fresh foreign trade mission can be found entertaining local officials in the bar of the city's top hotel.

As well as Americans, there are groups from Europe and the Far East.

But it is Iran and Turkey that seem keenest to gain a foothold.

For Jerry Kiser, it is Iran in particular which has increased its influence in the region in recent months.

The Iranians, he says, are already benefiting from 300,000 barrels a day flowing across the border from southern Iraq thanks to smuggling systems set up by Saddam and still operating.

But on a more long-term basis, he says the country is actively looking for projects and companies to recruit and fund.

"They advise me that they have $1bn to invest in the Iraqi oil sector," he says.

"They have their eyes on lots of cross-border fields. It's a reality that's hard for Americans to swallow. Americans may have been playing chequers, but Iranians are playing chess."

Kurdish struggle for Iraq's oil - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 5, 2007 10:05 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another from www.safedinar.com

Iraq unity possible, says Cameron
1/4/2007

David Cameron visited Iraq in November
Conservative leader David Cameron says he believes a stable Iraq is possible as "the alternatives are frankly unpalatable".

He said the situation in Iraq, where the government says almost 2,000 civilians died in sectarian violence in December alone, was "truly dreadful".

Mr Cameron, who visited Iraq last year, said a political settlement between Sunni, Shia and Kurds was needed.

This would "show that this Iraqi government can and will work."

"There can be a coming together, but there has to be a real exercise of political will amongst those at the centre to say 'we're going to make this country work, we want a whole Iraq and not a broken one' and they're going to have to really focus on security " he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

In the end it must be an Iraqi government that gets its act together
David Cameron
Conservative leader

With the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki stating that he dislikes being the country's leader and would prefer to leave the job before his first term ends, Mr Cameron said there was "a huge amount of work" to make the government "stronger".

Mr Cameron, who met Mr Maliki during his November visit, said: "The key to the future of Iraq is for there to be a settlement at the centre between Sunni, Shia and Kurd that they are going to make this country work, that they are going to form a compact together to disarm the militia, to make sure their writ runs through the country.

"Of course we have a role in helping them to do that, but in the end it must be an Iraqi government that gets its act together."

The Conservatives supported going to war in Iraq - a view still held by Mr Cameron, but he now questioned decisions made since the 2003 invasion.

Troop increase

"I still believe it was right to get rid of Saddam Hussein, but I think decisions made subsequent to the war have been extremely poor."

With US President George W Bush expected to announce plans to increase US troops in Iraq, Mr Cameron said a similar plan by the British government would not be a good move, unless it was part of a "broader strategy" to bring stability.

The UK has about 7,000 troops in the south of Iraq, mostly around Basra.

He added his concerns about the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, saying the images of the moments before his hanging where he was taunted were "frankly pretty grisly".

"The way it was handled with people shouting and gesticulating was quite wrong.

"I am glad the Iraqi authorities are going to have an investigation and review into this."

Story from BBC NEWS:

Iraq unity possible, says Cameron - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 5, 2007 10:06 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Carole & Roger.......

The "get rich quick" scheme that you two are discussing is not something new....it's been around for a long time, just different variations.

Do some reading on the "Ponzi scheme".

http://www.sec.gov/answers/ponzi.htm

-- January 5, 2007 10:07 AM ∞

---

Roger's Ego wrote:

Anyways, back to the Dinar. I bought into this thing about 2 years ago. It seems the same old crap is going on over there, save for the fact that they are making a cosmetic change to the Dinar right now (yeah, the current valuation can only be considered cosmetic cause it sure as hell doesn't help anyone....).

Roger brought up a good point about Iraq running a budget deficit. Although not a problem in and of itself right now, it's definitely portentous of trouble in the future. I don't advocate jumping ship obviously, but one might want to reconsider the "cash is king" mentality if things continue to crawl at a snails pace over there.

It midnight of cinderella so to speak. The carriage has already turned into pumpkin, but Iraq still has its ball gown on. Might be the last dance if things dont shape up soon.

-- January 5, 2007 12:10 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Non-Dinar remarks: Skip if not interested, in Laura and Tim's convesation.

Laura, thanks for your comments.

I suggested if people don't finish their high school, or drop out, take away their driver's licence. Your comment was, if you take away someone's driver's licence, some will drive anyway. So? Then put them in jail for 30 days, aften which let them have a conversation with a judge. You wouldn't like to put that law in, because people might break it? So what are you saying, we shouldn't have a law because we are afraid people might break it?

You don't like my suggestion of taking away the children of mother's who don't co-operate, and tell authorities who the father is? You say it will cost a lot of money for the state to look after the kids? You're right. But letting the situation continue also costs money, and it goes on a long time, so it adds up. I'm sure you can do the math. Many people raise families, till the kids are over 18, all on public assistance. That adds up to a lot more money than a temporary foster home, doesn't it?

It would be far cheaper to take the kids away temporarily, till the mother co-operates. My guess is, the mother would be the easy part. Most women would co-operate, and say who the father was, if you threatened to take away their kids. And doing things your way, what you are advocating, which is allowing the father to avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars of costs, incurred in raising his own children, means you are aiding and abetting, immoral behaviour.

Someone has to pay for the children. You are saying fathers should not pay for their own children. By letting them off the hook, you are saying they should just scam the system, and get other people to pay for their offspring. In my opinion, that's a morally reprehensible view. You say, a mother does not get any money from a dad who is in jail. I say, 30 days in the clink, and most men will cooperate, and act responsibly, from then on. Family should be built on responsibility, and caring for one's offspring, not using other people's money to avoid responsibility. In my mind, the present option amounts to organized social thievery.

And it is kept together by the "compassion industry". That is, people in the government who organize and administer this twisted solution have a vested interest in keeping a social blight going, rather than solving the problem. Don't look to them for solutions. The continuance of this social problem means a continued paycheck for them, and a pension down the road, while they soothe their consciences over social problems, by applying misguided solutions. The misguided solutions you advocate actually perpetuate the problem, long term, and are lacking in compassion. True compassion is not simply caring. It's doing things that will help someone look after themselves, as soon as they can. Real compassion is helping people to take care of themselves, not perpetuating the problem. What you advocate is continuing parasitism, and social abuse, where one class in society lives off the labor and efforts of another class. In my view, rather than being compassionate, that's reprehensible.

I did say this group represents the biggest drain on the economy, of any group, and is the least productive. Who do you think is on public assistance? Who constitutes the bulk of the clients? People with Phds? People who used to work in Silicon Valley? Engineers? People with teaching degrees? Or a lot of people who are poorly and inadequately educated? It's the latter group, of course. I grew up with these people. I know who they are. Most are uneducated.

I have a lot of education, but I'm unusual, for someone from my background. Most don't. Most don't even have their grade 12. What kind of McJobs do the poorly educated wind up with? What kind of economic contribution do you think poorly educated people make? Economic contribution in America is directly proportional to educational level attained. That's obvious. Medical doctors, for instance, make an enormous contribution because they are well educated. The guy who puts gas in my truck, at the full-service station I go to, makes far less contribution.

And people who are on public assistance hurt society in two ways. First, most aren't stupid, they are just uneducated. They cannot fulfill their economic potential because they lack education to do so. There is a large opportunity cost, of unfulfilled economic potential, for people who do not contribute what they could because they do not have the education and training to do so. That's a huge social and economic loss, and America loses for it. And secondly, the cost of raising their families is paid for by other taxpayers. That is an enormous economic drain on the economy. As Carole has mentioned, the non-working part of California is starting to outnumber the working part, in places.

I'll give you an example, of lost opportunity cost, and a drain on the economy.

I know a man, Rod, who was on public assistance for many years. He has a grade 9 education, and occasionally does work in trades. He's a brilliant man. He's far smarter than most of the friends I hang around with now, most of whom are well educated, and from middle class and upper middle class backgrounds. Rod simply lacks a good education. His daughter is becoming an engineer as well as an architect, and is a talented writer and visual artist, and she gets her intelligence from her father, the welfare bum with a grade 9 education. Like I said, these people are not stupid. For one reason or another, they are simply uneducated. My proposal is to force and help them to get an education, and be more productive members of society.

Now, Rod was often a drain on the public purse. He often did not work. He preferred recreational fishing, and smoking pot, on the West Coast. Other people, tax payers, paid to raise his children. That's the first cost. Then there is the lost opportunity cost of who he could have been, what he could have accomplished, with a good education. Rod, as I said, is brilliant. He could have done many worthwile things, with a good education. He could have been a first rate engineer. Society loses because Rod works occasionally, on a job far below what his natural intelligence would indicate he should be doing. I'm sure there are millions of Rods out there, and a fair number of them are on public assistance.

Rod, when he was younger, was a twit. Very immature, and not very good judgement. Like many young men, he was irresponsible. By the time he grew up, it was too late, in his mind, to go back to school. Besides, he had a few kids, by then, and he got used to the pot, the fishing, the free time, and the steady, if small, "pay" checque each month.

I say, Rod should have been forced to go back to school, when he was younger. Then he could have pursued opportunities more in line with his abilities, and been much happier. Rod is unhappy, and has an inferiority complex that comes from being way too smart for what he is doing, and comes from having all your dreams frustrated. The dreams were frustrated because he lacked a proper education. He lacked a proper education because no one gave him a boot in the rear, when he was younger, and told him to get an education.

Laura, you ask, isn't the parent who stays and looks after the child being productive? You ask, aren't they shaping the child's values? Aren't they sparing society the cost of foster homes?

Well, yes, mothers are productive. Very productive. I believe being a mother puts a woman in an economically vulnerable position. To have a child, a woman gives up economic opportunity. She could have gone out, and earned a lot of money, instead. She chose to have children instead. Children are a joy, and an enormous burden. Women need to be supported in every way, financially and otherwise, when they have children. Part of the reason women earn less money than men, which you mentioned, is that she gives up an enormous chunk of her life, to have kids. That's why the father should support her choice, financially. It's only fair. The woman with children should be supported.

Just not by the state, if it can be helped. It is the father's job to support his own children. By buying into the notion that it is the state's responsibility to financially support single mothers, rather than getting dad to do so, you are saying men are peripheral to the social institution of family. That is degrading to men, and is an inverse of the natural order, it encourages bad behavior and irresponsibility on the part of men, and it teaches children that men don't have to act responsibly, and are not a natural part of family life. Is this really what you want to teach young boys? Good luck dealing with the social problems coming out of that approach in twenty years.

Now, Laura, you mentioned that mothers at home shape a child's values. That's true. Many mothers instill many good values in their children. But the process of single parenthood also instills negative and socially corrosive values I just mentioned.

Also Laura, you said single mothers, by staying at home, are saving the state money for foster homes. Since when, in the first place, is it the state's responsibility to raise everyone's children? I must have missed that memo. Your point assumes it is the state's responsibility to pay for a raise everyone's children, in the first place. I don't think so. It's a family's responsibility, including the dad, to look after their own children.

Laura, you are obviously a Christian. What does your church say about this? What does your religion say about family and responsibility, and the role of men?

My beliefs haven't changed. Get people to get a good education, and act responsibly. That's the key. It's just common sense.

Have a good day. I suspect we'll have to agree to disagree. It doesn't sound like I changed your mind. To each his own, I guess.

-- January 5, 2007 12:21 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Media bias 'threat' to Iraq
By Ahmed Janabi
Al-Hashimi says Western media speak of Sunni
Arabs in the same breath as terrorists [EPA]
Information about Iraq propagated by Western media is often woefully inaccurate or downright wrong, according to leading Arab figures, and such distortions are damaging any chance of peace in the country.
Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's Sunni Arab vice-president, says that one idea - widely accepted in the West as true but which lacks evidence to support it - has upset the balance of power in Iraq to such an extent that violence was an inevitable outcome.
Western media often refer to Iraq as being "overwhelmingly Shia", or use other phrases to imply a large Shia majority. This, he says, is wrong - and it has resulted in over-representation of Shia parties in the Iraqi government at the expense of Sunni Arabs.
Al-Hashimi said: "The false allegations promoted by Western media have resulted in an [inappropriate] political process, and everyone is paying the price for its wrong foundations."
Where the figures came from to back up assertions of a large Shia majority are unclear: no Iraqi census in modern history has ever included sect.
Sources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica put the Shia population in Iraq at 52 per cent of the total in 2001. However, figures circulated by the US military, which invaded Iraq in 2003, put the figure at 60 per cent.
Feeling of deprivation
"Actually, sect was never an issue in Iraq. I am Shia and I have been a senior Baath official ... No Baath party official - no Iraqi official - ever asked me about my sect"
- Baath party spokesman
Al-Hashimi has also blamed the Western media for the feeling of deprivation among Iraq’s Shia, referring to phrases such as "the once-dominant Sunni", and "Sunni who enjoyed privileges under Baath Party rule" - widely used in news reports.
He said: "Western media and politicians are still promoting those same allegations, and we really do not know how to let them realise that everybody got his share in ruling Iraq across history.
"Western media and politicians are still defining this community [Sunni Arabs] as a troublesome group, whose motives are incomprehensible by the West.
"Western media always put question marks around this community and speak of it in the same breath as terrorism. They portray it as a community that is still incapable of comprehending the new Iraq; hence, it is not qualified to play a role in a democratic process. Such allegations are backed by lobbies whose aim is to undermine Iraqi nationalism."
Baath party
The spokesman for the Arab Baath Socialist Party, which ruled Iraq from 1968 to 2003, who asked to be identified as Abu Muhammad for security reasons, said: "Most Western media outlets have been helping the US occupation authorities to portray the Baath party as a Sunni party which suppressed the Shia and deprived them of their rights.
"Actually, sect was never an issue in Iraq. I am a Shia and I have been a senior Baath official ... No Baath party official - no Iraqi official - ever asked me about my sect.
"When the US army occupied Iraq they issued a list of 55 wanted top Iraqi officials, starting with President Saddam Hussein; half of those senior officials were Shia.
"The Committee of Debaathification issued a list of 100,000 senior Iraqi Baathists who would not be allowed to enjoy governmental posts, 66,000 of them were Shia - so how is the Baath party a Sunni party?
"It is a character assassination campaign instructed by Western lobbies and carried out by Western media."
Who is fighting?
Abu Muhammad voiced resentment at the the term "Sunni insurgency", saying that Iraqis from different backgrounds are fighting the foreign presence in Iraq.
"This term plays down Iraqi nationalism," he said. "I repeat, I am a Shia and I am resisting the US forces in Iraq, and we know for sure that resistance fighters from all background are fighting. Why do the Western agencies insist that only Sunni are fighting? Big question mark, I think."
"I think there was sectarianism under Saddam and the Western media reflected that, but the question is, should we hold the Sunni sect responsible for that? I think Iraqis must be careful in answering this question"
Karim Bader
Mustafa Bakri, chief editor of the Egyptian newspaper El-osboa, said the attitude of the Western media is unsatisfactory when it comes to any issue in the Arab world, not only Iraq.
He said: "In their coverage of the current Palestinian issues, they are backing Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, to such an extent that it is basically the US and Israeli view.
"Look at their coverage of last year’s attack on Mar Jerjes Churge [a Christian church in Cairo] in Egypt, their coverage was provoking, unprofessional and seemed designed to create a rift between Egypt’s Muslims and Christians."
Prominent Western media outlets that served the Middle East for decades have, for many people, ceased to be credible. Many people in Arab countries now feel that they take sides rather report news fairly.
Aws Sattar, an Iraqi journalist, said: "Until the second Gulf war in 1991, Iraqis and all Arabs used to listen to the BBC Arabic service and the Voice of America radio station to get information, they thought they were revered international news agencies.
"It has not been the case since the role they played in keeping Iraq under sanctions and the subsequent invasion of the country. I can feel that people have become wary of the news they get from Western agencies … They do listen, but they tend to verify the information by also listening to, watching or reading Arab media."
Apology
Bakri expressed surprise that no Western media outlet has ever apologised to its readers for promoting false Iraq war pretexts.
"Western media in general supported what the US and UK governments wanted in their massive build-up for the war," he said.
"They supported the existence of alleged weapons of mass destruction ... It took them the destruction of a country, murder of hundreds of thousands of its people, to realise they were wrong. Personally, I think they knew it was wrong from the beginning but they wanted it this way, because they are simply an arm for their governments not for truth and neutrality as they promote themselves."
Responsible
However, Karim Bader, an independent Iraqi politician, said that Western media had done a decent job on reporting what had occurred under Saddam's rule.
He said one had to look only at the senior army commanders and intelligence officers in Saddam's day, all of whom he said were Sunni. Or to look at the sizes of houses in Shia suburbs - small and overcrowded - or in Sunni areas, where houses were far larger but with fewer occupants.
Bader said: "I think there was sectarianism under Saddam and the Western media reflected that, but the question is, should we hold the Sunni sect responsible for that? I think Iraqis must be careful in answering this question."

-- January 5, 2007 1:01 PM ∞

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ANNON wrote:

This just in... I asked GOD about New Orleans and He is NOT I repeat is NOT claiming responsibility for the destruction, chaos and famine! Mother Nature has a look of guilt on her face... more at 11

-- January 5, 2007 3:03 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

a couple of comments about the U.S. "taking over Canada", which you mentioned. First of all, on border security.

Have a look at a map, when you are around an atlas. The Canadian/American border is the longest undefended border, in the world. I can't see Americans ever really strictly enforcing this border. There are a lot of reasons for this. For one thing, a lot of Canadians, though not all, sound like Americans, from some of the northern states. (Canadians from Quebec and from the Maritime provinces don't sound like Americans at all) I'm from Alberta. I could live in Iowa or Colorodo and most people, unless I told them, wouldn't know I was Canadian. They would assume I'm from North Dakota, or Montana, if they listened to me talk.

There are differences between Canadians and American, but they are subtle. Some Canadians could pick these out, but most Americans couldn't. So first off, on the border, what would be the point of putting up and patrolling a border with Canada, a country that is friendly, America's number one trading partner, and is mostly full of people who would fit in fairly well, into the American population? Can't see that happening.

The other thing is, it's a very long border. Over 5,000 miles long, if memory serves. It would be enormously expensive to patrol a border that long. I"ve snuck into the U.S. briefly, a few times, and it was easy. So, if it did happen, if a Canadian snuck over the border, what would the police look for? Someone who could fit and blend in with the population very easily? Seems like a hard thing to enforce.

I'm in favour of joint Canadian-Mexican-American cooperation on security, at international airports and seaports, and there is a lot of that going on already. That's where real security starts. Joint North American perimeter security sounds like a good idea.

On the point of America taking over Canada politically, stay tuned. Within two years, a separtist government may take power in the French-speaking province of Quebec, and they have vowed to hold a vote to break up Canada. Last time a vote was held, they came within a few thousand votes, out of six million, to having enough votes to break up Canada. It could happen. Canada might, just might, break up in a couple of years.

If that happens, all bets are off as to what would happen to Canada, politically. Personally, I don't think Canada, without Quebec, could or would survive as an independent country, for a variety of reasons. I think, at that point, pieces of Canada could very well ask to join the States. That's a lot of ifs, in that half-prediction, but we'll see. The ball is in Quebec's court, for now.

Here's something the media hasn't picked up on: There has been a substantial change in the mood in Canada, these past ten years. It used to be, Canadians would be freaked out at the prospect of Quebec leaving. Now, a lot of people, especially young people, are at ease with the idea, as I am. So, if Quebec decided to leave, I don't think too many people up here would be lining up to stop them. A lot of Canadians are frankly tired of the whole ongoing decades long soap opera between English Canada and French Canada.

One comment, though. I think it's true. A push for a merger of Canadian provinces, into the United States, can come from an unexpected source: Free Trade. A lot of Americans are opposed to free trade, with Canada. Some Americans think Canadians get the best of that deal. Some Canadians think the Americans get the best deal. Personally, I don't know. But one thing. Free trade, brought in under President Reagan, and Prime Minister Mulroney, significantly sped up the amount of north-south traffic, in North America, compared to the past. In the past, most traffic flow in Canada, was east-west. Now, there's an awful lot more people and products moving north and south. This changes the pscychology of a country in subtle ways. For instance, since airfare has become cheaper, I am more likely to travel to the States, rather than eastward, in my own country. I think I'm typical. I've made nine trips to the States, but have only been to the Canadian maritimes provinces once. The reason is it is cheaper and easier to go to the States. In the city I live in, an awful lot of flights go to the United States. That wasn't the case, when I was young. Also, the local radio stations are starting to announce weather forecasts, in my Canadian city, about weather patterns in American cities like Denver, and Houston, since a lot of Canadians travel there regularly. All this came about, from free trade. All this, I think, gets Canadians used to and comfortable moving around in, sometimes working in, the United States. A good chunk of the well-to-do up here we call "Canadian snowbirds". For four or five months, during the coldest part of winter, a lot of people I know are in Nevada, or New Mexico, or Florida. So all this will have an effect down the road. If Canada does break up, a lot of Canadians, due to all this north-south traffic they participate in, would be fairly comfortable if some Canadian provinces became part of the United States.

Geography is a strong ifluence on what will happen. Canada is, to some degree, a bit of an aberation. It is a country built in defiance of what should be, natural north south trade and people movement patterns, in North America. To build a country along east-west patterns, in a cold country like Canada, took a bit of an effort. Natural geographic patterns may yet defeat the plans of mice and men.

So, it might, just might, happen. A greater North American Union might happen some day. Americans used to call this process Manifest Destiny. I call it natural geography at work. We'll see. Stay tuned.

Also: No, I didn't find anything on the story you quoted a week or two ago. I don't think the Canadian media picked up on it.

Have a good day! :)

-- January 5, 2007 3:57 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, Tim Bitts.

I do think it an increasingly logical possibility...
that Canada may ASK to become a part of the USA -
due to many reasons - such as you quoted above.

In that case - if they were added on as new "states" -
kind of 'joining the union' as it were,
then I suppose they would enjoy the full rights of US citizens
including the ability to run for President.
Hence my joking around about you becoming President.
You'd do a good job of it.. :)
IF you could handle the sniping media attacks, that is.

Sara.

-- January 5, 2007 5:08 PM ∞

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DALE wrote:

Carol,
Sorry that post was ment to have laura's name at the top. In response to post atht includedthe follwing.
Dale,

Your morality sounds much like Job's advisor in the book of Job, Old Testament. The advisor's conclusion, Job had done some evil and God was punishing him with his poverty, health issues.

One thing that I will do is help hospice when the dinar ship comes in. They allowed my younger brother to come home & spend his final night at one of my older brother's home. He wanted to go home & they made it possible.
Instead of his last seconds on earth spent in a cold hospital room, he dieD in the arms of three of his brothers& mom & dad at a plce much more like home.
The people from hospice were wonderful. There was no nurse or doctor they just threw together all the things we would need for him, hospital bed, oxygen & so on.
So hospice will always have a special place in my heart. So many times people don't realize what their donations will do. I know exactly what hospice will & does mean to people

well off to take mom out for her B day dinner

-- January 5, 2007 5:12 PM ∞

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CYMRU001 wrote:

OK, time for more questions.

Why is this blog called a blog? What does that mean?

Sara, how do you get text to appear in bold?

Thanks to those of you who answered the question on how they got into Dinar. It seems most of us came across it by chance. Good luck to us all.

I know the is a pig roast planned for when the Dinar hits, I also know it is planned fot the Florida Keys, but has anyone decided where? Just want to know which hotel in which to make a reservation!!!!!

-- January 5, 2007 5:24 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Mattuk, thanks for the post Media bias threat to Iraq, above.
I knew that, "Information about Iraq propagated by Western media is often woefully inaccurate or downright wrong," BUT I didn't know that "such distortions are damaging any chance of peace in the country."

1) I didn't realize that their portrayal of the Shia as the majority has no basis in fact
Quote:

Where the figures came from to back up assertions of a large Shia majority are unclear: no Iraqi census in modern history has ever included sect.

AND:

Sources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica put the Shia population in Iraq at 52 per cent of the total in 2001.

I did not realize their "feeling of deprivation among Iraq’s Shia" which happens when they hear the media "referring to phrases such as "the once-dominant Sunni", and "Sunni who enjoyed privileges under Baath Party rule" - widely used in news reports."
Thus:

2) I did not realize the MISINFORMATION the media puts out which intentionally portrays them as divided along sectarian lines when they have not been.

3) I did not realize that they did this to undermine Iraqi nationalism by creating divisions by saying one people group is backward and incapable of ruling.

Here, they show that the media wants to create STEREOTYPES again - LABELS which say all the Sunni are terrorists..

"Western media always put question marks around this community and speak of it in the same breath as terrorism. They portray it as a community that is still incapable of comprehending the new Iraq; hence, it is not qualified to play a role in a democratic process. Such allegations are backed by lobbies whose aim is to undermine Iraqi nationalism."

It was also a revelation to me to read that this was also a terrible misrepresentation of fact:

"Most Western media outlets have been helping the US occupation authorities to portray the Baath party as a Sunni party which suppressed the Shia and deprived them of their rights. "Actually, sect was never an issue in Iraq.... "The Committee of Debaathification issued a list of 100,000 senior Iraqi Baathists who would not be allowed to enjoy governmental posts, 66,000 of them were Shia - so how is the Baath party a Sunni party?

4) I did not realize that the Baath party was not a completely SUNNI party, but was bipartisan.

The article says "It is a character assassination campaign instructed by Western lobbies and carried out by Western media." I think it is a strategy to try to CREATE the divisions which are not present naturally, and to influence the US to believe these lies. Obviously, they do a good job of this misinformation which does sway the perception and then the reality of the policies implemented in Iraq.

I was pleased to see the Arabs see the Western media bias and don't trust it as an unbiased source of news, but that they continually are checking it. If only Americans would be so wise.

Sara.

-- January 5, 2007 5:43 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Howdy,

Well christmas packing almost done and a friend invited me to go play poker tonight.

It is really about time my luck start to change. Haven't played in months!

Omaha! here I come! :}

Dale:

Thanks for sharing your story.

An organization called Vitas Innovative Hospice, is a national program and does thousands of dollars a year of charity work. The only one I know that does that.

Carole

-- January 5, 2007 5:56 PM ∞

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Tim Bitt's Ego wrote:

Tim Bitts wrote:

I say, Rod should have been forced to go back to school, when he was younger. Then he could have pursued opportunities more in line with his abilities, and been much happier. Rod is unhappy, and has an inferiority complex that comes from being way too smart for what he is doing, and comes from having all your dreams frustrated. The dreams were frustrated because he lacked a proper education. He lacked a proper education because no one gave him a boot in the rear, when he was younger, and told him to get an education.

---- This is nothing short of comical. Forcing people to get educations? Thats freedom and liberty at it's finest now isn't it?

Incentives my man, incentives. Coercing people into an action they themselves would not otherwise take is slavery by any other name. "Thou shalt do this for the good of the state, so says Tim Bitts."

Providing incentives is one thing, coercion is something completely different. You sir cross that line and then some.....

Humans are inherently lazy and the fact that you pay to take care of a few others is an unforunate byproduct of being a member of our wonderful species. If you want self sufficiency, go live with monkeys. I'm sure they don't give a rats ass about how many bananas you might have collected on any given day.

-- January 5, 2007 7:14 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Thanks, Tim Bitts Ego,

for your comments. You say people should not be forced to get an education. Actually, we already force some people, called children, to get an education. I may have used the word, "forced". If I did, that was wrong. I wouldn't force anyone, to get an education. Society should just tell them, however, if you don't get an education, you can't drive, vote, or get a job. I think that's fair. Illiterate, poorly educated people cost everyone, including me. They often can't look after themselves, and ask others to.

Tim's ego, you say my ideas are, you say, "slavery"? That was the word you used. I wonder why you used that word? It's obviously out of context. Slavery is a barbaric human institution, depriving human beings of rights and freedom, and subjecting them to harsh and brutal physical pain and beatings at the whim of the slave owner. And you think this is the same as going to grade 10 math class? If you think this is the same, perhaps your parents spared you the pain of learning to think, or getting a half decent education. If that's the case, my heart goes out to you.

When it comes to collecting bananas, I think everyone should collect their own, and your ideas are bananas.

You say I cross the line into coersion? Well then, so does the government of Ontario, a province of ten million, with an economy and population larger than, and equally as advanced as, and educated as, Sweden. Premier McGuinty, premier of that province, just brought in a law saying kids who drop out of high school, will lose their driver's licence. Seems fair to me. Unlike you, I want to have drivers on the road who can read road signs.

You say, go live with monkeys, because they don't care how many bananas anyone collects, in a given day. Actually, that's not accurate. Go read a book called Chimpanzee Politics. It's about a study of a chimp colony, and various social behaviours in chimps. It turns out, chimps care a lot about who steals someone else's bananas.

I agree with you, people should be free. If they chose to be illiterate baboons, I won't force them to get an education. I would just limit their life options. Then let them choose. The fact is, the world is getting more and more complex. American workers are falling far behind workers in other countries, as Lou Dobbs and others keep reminding Americans. People need a good education to compete, and enjoy life.

Thanks for the entertainment.

-- January 5, 2007 8:19 PM ∞

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curious wrote:

Hi, I'm new to the Iraqi Dinar investment scene. Can somebody explain what the outlook is, including both positive and negative factors?

What is the real chance that the dinar might make a good return? What is the probable time frame of good return and what kind of real potential are we talking about?

-- January 5, 2007 8:35 PM ∞

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DALE wrote:

curious,
scroll back though & you can find so much to read about.
Seems to me that most that have invested have positive outlook. thise that think we are fools have negatives things to say.
Go Dinar!!!!!!!!!!

-- January 5, 2007 9:04 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Called Safe Dinar today and they are completely out of stock of all notes.

Also, ran accross a man who actually purchased Dinar from Chase Bank. According to him the Iraqi Dinar notes purchased from the bank are in new condition.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 5, 2007 9:22 PM ∞

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Johan wrote:

Just look at the trash they spout on http://www.investorsiraq.com/iraqi-dinar-speculation/29443-dinar-gospel-oldskiier.html

Anybody that believes this monopoly money is worth anything more than toilet paper is crazy.

What a bunch of muppets.

-- January 5, 2007 9:45 PM ∞

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Terry853 wrote:

Hey Tim Bitts I have to disagree with your opinion on Canada. I have never met a Canuk that wanted to join America. No offense to America, I believe that Canada is America's best friend and time and joint military ventures will prove this. But no Canadian I have ever talked too wants to be Ameircan!! Their best allie for sure!! Anybody must know that if America falls so does Canada. Quebec is a pain in the whatever and the boys from the East coast are the salt of the earth. Smart, hardworking and with the best sense of humor you have ever experianced. Canada will not divide. Quebec's are the smartest voters in the country and will not kill the golden goose..
Hey Sara Magdid-Hell will likely freeze over before any Canadian province thinks about joining America because Quebec has separated. I was born in Calgary, live on Vancouver Island and work in the oil patch in northern western Canada. I am 50 years old, work a job that covers a lot of ground and and I have never met another canuck that wants to join America. We want to be your best allies but Quebec keeps getting in the way. As Tim Bitts says that could change. My first post in a long time. Best wishes to all!!

-- January 5, 2007 9:51 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Johan,

I think most on this site are aware of, and check in occasionally on the blog "Investors Iraq Forum". They're sure enthusiastic above reason over there, and the rumors can take off from one persons "reading between the lines".

From that, to, thinking Iraqi Dinars are Monopoly money, is a long leap.

Iraq have up until now, gone through something that could be called a chock treatment in economics.

The program they've been on, could be compared with a family gone bankrupt, put on rice and beans, mend the socks, don't buy new ones, sell the car, and oil up the bicycle, and work two jobs, until the financial house is restored.

A financial very sound concept, but foreign to our own lifestyle, where we rather live a life in debt, then tighten the belt.

All these programs have now run it's course, (however something tells me, the majority of "news" you have got from that part of the world, is the body part count at car bombings), and there are three very basic laws just in the wrap up stage going on right now.

First a General investment law, second a Hydrocarbon law, to fit into the General investment Law, third they are setting up a revised pension system that will secure older peoples existence after productive age.

The currency have been ARTIFICIALLY held to a very low value, during the reconstruction phase, and have been a pain for the man on the street, as imported goods have been so scarce, because of extremely weak buying power abroad.

I read on another blog that Malaki(Iraqi PM) have made a statement that all three laws will, at the very beginning of the year mark the foundation of something new to come. I don't know the exact dates and time for these events, but when all this is implemented ....will it make a difference, it sure will my dear Johan.

Follow the money, as they say in investigative circles. Read these words slowly ....O I L.

Iraq is pumping far far from capacity, one of the oilfields in the south is what experts call, a "Mega field".

About your monopoly money.

Target by 2012 is a pumping capacity of 6 mill barrel a day, that is a revenue of (depending on oil prices) between 100 to 150 Billions in yearly revenue.

Ok, Johan, that's with a B and that's in Dollar.

THAT is the future of Iraq.

So please, don't jump in and give a two liner, saying how crappy something is, and leave it with that, without backing it up with something that at least remotely can be said to have substance to it.

-- January 5, 2007 10:40 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Johan,

Ta dig i aschelet, du behover en dush och ett stadigt job

-- January 5, 2007 10:42 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Curious,

Rob N said it best, but I just want to ad, that most of us, of course wants a quick RV (revalue) but it seems though that it is the consensus that this is in fact a long term investment, as with most probability the value of the Dinar will follow the industrial output of the country.(read ,how much oil they can pump and sell)

-- January 5, 2007 10:55 PM ∞

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Neil wrote:

Carole: Your analogy of the welfare,benefits,entitlements stystem is the best I have ever seen. Carole-you got in on a Ponzi scheme where those who get in first get some profits but as time goes on, those who get in lose their money. I will make a post soon on Charles Ponzi who was the Daddy of the pyramid scheme.

Tim Bitts: I thought you were a little to assertive to begin with but your comments lately have been so intelligent and informative that I believe that I could support you for president.

I still think of myself as a young man but Roger made me feel old and revered so I will give you an example:
As a five-year old child, my mother sent me to the local market to get a loaf of bread and a quart of milk. She gave me $.30 and three tokens to pay with. A token was 1/10th of penny as sales tax was 1%. The token was a hard cardboard piece about the size of a nickle with a metal center with a hole in it. The quart of milk was a glass container with a long skinny neck with a cardboard stopper in it. If you spent a dollar the tax was one penny, anything less was paid with tokens.

-- January 5, 2007 11:20 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Iran,

Iran is getting a tougher and tougher time keeping it's position as the fundamental country and nation that will unite all the righteous Muslims, and thus challenging, even small and trivial issues emanating from any other source other than their interpretation of Islam.

The counterweight of the region....Saudi Arabia, just announced that the Iranian currency was no longer good in Saudi Arabia, so the Iranian currency dealers, have to present another currency.

Most probably the close nit countries in the Gulf region that already are in financial alliance will follow suit.

Iran with its fingers in Iraq, is getting a lesser and lesser grip, in the past, the Iranian currency was pretty free flowing in Iraq, but with the rise of the Dinar, the Iranian currency is waning, and almost gone from the Iraqi market.

The regime Mullahs in Iraq, have another counter weight, the business Mullahs.

With the imposed UN sanction, just before Christmas, the regime have 60 days to give a formal answer. The first comments, was "ha", and the Iranians signaled that they can live with it, and didn't care, however, the business Mullahs have assets, and value abroad, and are eager to make sure their assets is not included in the freeze list.

Strangely enough, but logic from that perspective, the business Mullahs are pushing for conflict, thinking that it is better to have a fast resolution rather than a slow strangulation.

There will be another fascist meeting in Tehran now in the coming months, where the usual parties, are expected, Hezbollah, Hamas, Socialists presidents from South America, some Stalinistic groups from Europe, and of course our own beloved White Supremacist group from god ol US. (where do they find these people?)

As a side note, it's interesting to see that the Communist and Socialist movement, that in it's dogmas consider religion the "Opium of the Masses" have so easily embraced extreme Islam.

Anyhow, Iran have to come up with currency either Dollar or Euro, most probably they are because of ideological reason avoiding the "Big Satan's" money, and go for the Euro.

With Iran's declining oil production, (that is, it's not declining per see, but a swelling domestic market is swallowing more and more of the oil, leaving less and less to be exported), the Iranian economy have a forecast of slowing down more and more.

Iran is experiencing right now the same backwards walk as Iraq have had under Saddams regime, take a look at the value of the Iranian currency, you think the Iraqi Dinar is low valued, the Iranian paper notes are probably more valued as wallpaper.

Last time I checked, they were 5000 to the Dollar (if you can get them at all that is).

What all this will mean and how it will play out is very unpredictable, but two classes, that hate each other, the reigning Mullahs, and the Business Mullahs are both pushing for conflict, but for different reasons.

-- January 5, 2007 11:42 PM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Thank you for responding to my thoughts on the "welfare situation" of families.

I believe you have made a lot of assumptions about my own values that aren't necessarily what was intended by me.

First, I am very much aware of social under privileged people and their lack of education. I too believe that an education is necessary for opportunities to increase. You have no arguement from me about this. Research has also been done on the co-relation between education and a person's ability to earn wages.

Second, you seem to make an assumption that I believe a father should not support his family. For the record, I do not believe this. My church views and my values are ok on both of these points.

I too believe in strong family ties. What I am looking at with this discussion is the costs incurred by society verses the real value to the family.

First, you object to my objection that people would break the law and drive anyway (if a law was enacted that required a person to have a 12th grade education). How many teenagers would be in detention centers/jails due to this law? An added cost to society. And while these teenagers are in jail, how many of them have situations like child abuse happen inside of these institutions. The answer is too many. This is another consequence to this law. If the policy were written that the teenager did community service and stayed at home...it might be better. Eventually, teenagers grow up to be adults. I have even seen adults that drive without licenses!!!.

Second, you state "You don't like my suggestion of taking away children of mother's who don't cooperate and tell authorities who the father is." You state that allowing the situation to continue is costly in money. And then you ask, ...that adds up to more money than a temporary foster home, doesn't it?. You also state that my way allows fathers to avoid hundred of thousands of dollars of costs inclurred in society raising someone elses children. I hope I got all these statements correct?. Please allow me to address each of these questions.

First, a mother who does not cooperate with child support-- is denied benefits. Did you know that? She is unable to get help financially-cash payments. Therefore, taking away her children is not an option. Sometimes, a mother refuses to cooperate with child support due to her fear of spousal abuse. She can still get medicaid for the children for medical insurance, however, she is excluded for insurance.

Second, you assume that I value letting fathers off the hook. This is totally false. I would prefer that fathers support their own children.

What I am pointing out is our country's blame game on the mother who cooperates with child support (and is therefore the most responsible adult in the family structure) and society does not give this parent credit for staying. No one is saying, "That away" for the parent who stays. If anything, the dad (or person who leaves the family structure by irresponsibility of lack of financial support) is not brought into accountability. It is the mother (or parent who stays), who will hear this message from society over and over again.

I believe, this should not be so. As a christian, moral support is very important to the parent who stays(i.e., Just like, having Johnny in school being praised for his good report card. And this praise, does not cost anything to society). I and the parent who stays,recongnize that this family structure is not the best.

The next part of your statement is that by letting the situation continue, this too costs money-- that adds up to more money than a temporary foster home, doesn't it?

The key word is temporary. Permanently, the answer is no. The other consideration I would have, is that many of these foster homes and institutions are many times not safe for children. You also have the psychological impact on children. They wonder, why mommy and daddy don't want me?. Maybe, I could be better and they would not leave?. Also, a child will wonder, what have I done wrong that I must be punished and sent away?.

Temporary placement solutions also means that society pays the bills. And, as the parent cannot get financial rewards for lack of cooperation, what's the point.

The last and final point I will cover is my way allows fathers to avoid hundreds of thousand of dollars of costs (as I am saying society is responsible to raise the children) and therefore, your conclusion is I am aiding and abetting immoral behavior.

I think I have made myself clear about my views that the father does need to support their own children. However, when the father refuses to do so--- where would you expect a mother (normally the one who stays) to get financial help, if not to society?. As I have previously pointed out, the mother has tried to work and she is unable to keep up the bills and the children are lacking food, clothing etc (if she keeps her mimimum wage job). She is often forced to quit work in order to get help her children desperately need. I have seen this over and over.

I therefore, believe that society does have a moral responsibility to help the remaining spouse. Jesus asked us, who is your neighbor?.

Lastly, you state, I am aiding and abetting immoral behavior. My thoughts on this, get the father but stop beating up on the mother for a failed relationship and her new found circumstances.

Laura

-- January 5, 2007 11:55 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Johan:

History has thus far borne true that America is the modern Greece. Just as Alexander the Great spread Greek culture around the world in his day. America continues to far outshine any country any other nation.

In the words of Ronald Regan, America has yet to reach its zenith. To be honest Johan, America does run the whole world. Economic success in America means economic success around the world. Whether or not you like it, America probably saved ever arse in the country you reside at one time or another.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 5, 2007 11:58 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Neil,

I'm so sorry if I invalidated you , I can assure you that I wrote that, to show my humble respect for age.
Would be nice to hear about that Ponzi stuff. I know no more than this was I believe in the years of 1921 or thereabouts, and at the peak of his operation he collected 1 mill bucks per hour. Imagine that in those days currency value.

I can understand why someone would do so for money, but I can't understand why someone would do so just for the kick of it, I remember as a kid I got those, postcards, where I was suppose to send a billion more postcards to a long list of kids, and if I broke the chain, all kind of heavenly and earthly punishments would happen to me.

I asked mom if I could get money for post cards and stamps to do so, but got a "no".

I assumed that mom had a direct line with the powers that would dish out all the promised punishments, and had a way to absolute me from my sins, and I left it with that.

In a pyramid scheme, there will always be a lucky few at the top, and the rest is the losers.

If Carole was around the top, she will get lucky and come out of it, if not....sorry.

That is just a mathematical fact.

-- January 6, 2007 12:01 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Rob N,

You have a very interesting point, Alexander the Great was sure a feisty guy, and books can be written about his ego, ambition, motives and all that, but what happened when everything was said and done.

The Greek culture, at the time, the Hi Tech of the earth, spread its knowledge across the region. After Alexanders early death, Egypt was one of the provinces remaining from Alexanders empire, runned and managed per Greek cultural tradition.

For the first time in history, it was implemented that knowledge should be preserved, and thus the Library of Alexandria was built.

Mistakes was done, war broke, Romans burned it later, but just the fact that knowledge was to be preserved was a completely new concept, and value in knowledge had it's own merits beyond monetary value.

At the time, the power from a steam head, was discovered, and simple rotating machines, was built and demonstrated. Lenses, reflecting mirrors and optics was written about. The level of knowledge, passed on, would had the library not burned, probably have eliminated the middle ages.

The knowledge was just about where Galileo was, with optics, just before Watts with the steam engine.

Wonder if.......

-- January 6, 2007 12:20 AM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

Carole,

Thank you for your response to my writing and conversaton on God's judgements towards nations. I think we understand each other.

Laura

-- January 6, 2007 12:21 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Terry853,

I don't know if Canada will eventually join the States, or not, and that's what I said. I agree with you, that for now, popular sentiment in Canada is strongly against the idea of joining the United States. But in the future, who knows? Remember the early 1980s? The Liberals brought in the National Energy Program? The economy of Alberta crashed because of it? My brother's house went from being worth $100,000 to $35,000, within a few months. Well, at the time, separtist leanings in Alberta, for Alberta to leave Canada, and become an independent country, hit around 25-30 percent, at it's peak, before settling down to 12%, and we actually elected one Western separtist in the provincial legislature. In the 1982 Alberta general provincial election, Gordon Kesler, of the Western Canada Concept Party, a separtist party, who favoured Western Canadian separation from the rest of Canada, was sitting as a provincial member of the legislature.

Terry, as you know, Quebec came within a few thousand votes of separating from Canada last time. That's about the same number as many small prairie towns. Very close. So you know it could happen. You say Quebec would never leave, but the vote was less than one percent, on the side of keeping Canada together, last time. That's very very close.

So let's do some math. Canada has, about 32 million people. Suppose Quebec does leave. Quebec has about 7.6 million people. What does Canada look like then? That leaves 24.4 million people left in Canada. Have a look at what Canada would look like then: Ontario, with about 12.5 million people, would be kind of super province, with about half the population of Canada, in one province. Also, have a look at what the other remaining provinces look like:

Newfoundland has 516,000 people
Prince Edward Island has 138,000 people
New Brunswick has 722,000 people
Nova Scotia has 938,000 people
Manitoba has 1.17 million people
Saskatchewan has 994,000 people
Alberta has 3,200,000 people
British Columbia has 4,200,000 people in it.

And Ontario? Again, it has 12.5 million, which is a greater number than all the remaining provinces of Canada, on the list, at 11.8 million people combined.

Now, if Quebec leaves, what will political power look like in Canada? Well, political and economic power is roughly proportional to population, in Canada. And in this new Canada, if Quebec leaves, one super province, Ontario, would have more votes, more economic power, and more political power, than the rest of the country, and the rest of the provinces, combined. Ontario already dominates Canada, and causes resentment. This would accelerate dramatically if Quebec left. Even more than today, Ontario could do whatever it wanted.

For my money, this would cause enormous political instability, in Canada, in the long run. It would be like this. Imagine if the United States were constructed along different lines. Suppose all states east of the Mississippi were combined into one superstate, with over half the population and political and economic power of the United States. Would a country constructed like that last, in that form, for a long time? I doubt it. Regional rivalries would tear at the fabric of the United States very quickly. Part of the original genius of the founders of the United States was, they knew some states would grow larger, and stronger than others, so they constructed the American Constitution so that each state, even the little ones, were equal in Senate power, to the bigger and more populous and richer states. That way, they staved off the possibility of regional rivalries tearing at the fabric of the nation.

So, one thing is obvious. If Quebec does leave Canada for good, then Canada, as we have known it, is over. Canada either radically reforms the distribution of power, or it simply would not work anymore. There would be too much domination at the centre, in Ontario.

Till now, Canada was kept together partly because it has had two demographic and political and economic giants at the centre, that is, Quebec, and Ontario. They played off each other, and competed for power, and balanced each other out. Part of the uniqueness of Canada has been that we have a large and populous and strong French-speaking part of our country, to distinguish us from the United States. If Quebec leaves, that's gone, and all we are left with is a single giant super-province, Ontario, dominating everything.

In my opinion, such a country would never last. So, you are correct. For now, there is no appetite from Canadians, to join the United States. But in a Canada where Ontario is completely dominating, equal statehood, and joining the United States, on an even level with New York, and California, for a lot of small and insignificant provinces, might start to look good.

All this speculation, of course, just that, pure speculation. And only if, the separtists take power in Quebec, in two years, and if they are good to their promise, and call a separation vote, and if they win, and leave the country. Only then, after all those qualifiers, could the possibility of the emergence of statehood as an option for Canadians emerge.

A lot of Americans might welcome such a change, and might welcome some Canadian provinces, into the American tent, especially when they learn that Canadian provinces have an awful lot of oil and raw resources, like the Tar Sands, in Alberta.

Does the world sometimes change, in unexpected directions?

I'm old enough to remember a time, only 30 years ago, when I was young, when the notion of two women, or two men, getting married to a same sex partner, in Canada, would have been laughed out of a bar room. Now, it's the law, in Canada, and an everyday occurance.

Times change. Will they change again? We'll see, I guess.

-- January 6, 2007 12:33 AM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

Dale,

Please read the beginning of my post where your name is mentioned. You will have my answer to your question.

No, I am not attacking you. Each of us has a tendency, if not careful, to pre-judge another by that person's circumstances. We simply need to guard against this perception as it is hurtful to others. Job was being judged by his advisor. Read the story in Old Testament for yourself.

I however, will take your statement of no ill-will at face value.

Laura

Laura

-- January 6, 2007 12:46 AM ∞

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Valerio wrote:

It's seems that 40% return on an investment is common for scams.
I know a man who was involved in a scam who promised a 40% return per year on a cash investment. They only took investors upon nomination by current investors, and they would have to be approved first. The investment would have to be cash, and a minimum of $1000. They claimed to be part of the Hunt foundation, and the money paid out came from government matching funds. From the 100% matching funds the investor received 40%, the agent received 10%, and the foundation kept the other 50%. This scam went on for several years with much success. Investors were incouraged to roll over the 40% to compound the profit, but if you wanted to make a withdraw that was fine. Many people made withdraws over the years totaling more than the initial investment. Investor were plentiful so there was always money to pay out with, and plenty left over for those running the scam to live like kings. Many were letting the 40% roll over year after year with the goal of the million dollar payoff after 16 years on a $5000 investment I believe. These people were the big loosers. As the Reagan era recession was in full swing, the new investors slowed dramatically, and the amount of people wanting withdraws increased to point they could no longer meet the demand. At this time the Hunt's got their money frozen by the govt., and that became their excuse for awhile, but it wasn't long until the whole thing came crashing down. A few were indicted and did prison terms, but many who morgaged the homes for as much as $100K lost it to the tune of at least 6 million dollars. I was very young then when I was approved to be allowed to be an investor. Supposedly you had to be a conservative type person who wouldn't go out and buy fancy cars and things that could be documented or noticed with your big promised return. Happy to say I didn't invest, because I knew something was wrong with the picture.
Red flags:
need a sponsor and approval
guaranteed high returns
hand written receipts on a piece of paper
secrecy

iteresting similarities with the ad investment thing

-- January 6, 2007 1:20 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

How would the Canadians embrace the constitution, assuming one day, part or the whole Canada would opt for joining in with the Stars and Stripes?

I don't think the first amendment is any problem, but I can see a problem when it comes to the 2nd.

Went over the Canadian border once, here in the US things like Pepper spray and Tazers is something you give to your girlfriends, but over there, they are full fledged weapons. They found one of those pepper sprays, and that gave them cause to search everything I had, it was almost to the point they searched in places on my body I didn't even know I had myself.

Gun ownership is a controversial subject even here, and miles have been written about all the rights and wrong about it, but nevertheless, even though in some places it is walked upon, it is a right.

In case Canada goes our way, they have to face this issue, do you think the Canadians in general can assume ownership as a right, rather than getting an ok from the Gov, to own one? Also be ok to own not only a long gun but a handgun?

I have noticed here in the US, that the more Big City you are getting, the more restricted the laws are, and places like Montana or Wyoming, it's almost unnatural to NOT have one.

I can assume from the sparse population and very large areas of land, gun ownership in Canada would not be a big issue.

But again, the politics in Canada may have schooled the Canadians in a different way.

Do you think this issue would be THE issue that a vote to join the US would hang on?

-- January 6, 2007 1:27 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Roger,

Gun ownership would be an important issue, for sure. Canadians like to think they are more peaceful, and law abiding than "those gun-toting Americans". That's one of our national myths. Upon close examination, that myth turns out to be not true. American crime rates historically have been a bit higher than Canadian ones, primarily because crime within one minority community in the States, the black community, was quite high, for a long time, due to problems involving integrating blacks into the mainstream. If you factor that out, there's not much difference in crime rates between the two countries.

In Canada, a lot of the population is centred in Ontario, and most of our population is within an hour or two drive of the American border, in a few large cities. Generally speaking, the more rural the location, in Canada, the more relaxed the people are about guns. It's part of the rural life. I have several farmer relatives in Saskatchewan, and they all have guns, for hunting, and getting rid of gophers. I grew up with guns.

So the attitude split on gun ownership in Canada is probably similar to the States. City people are uneasy about it, because of the high concentration of people in cities, and country people are more at ease with it, because of the lower density of people, and the fact that it's just a significant part of the rural lifestyle.

However, in general, I think it's fair to say, most Canadians, even rural ones, aren't crazy about hand guns. Rifles, sure, in the rural enviroment, but hand guns, not so much. I think it's also fair to say that the overall tradition of gun use, which has always been there in your constitution, was never as strong a tradition, in Canada, as it has been in places, in the United States.

Keep in mind, the scenario I outlined would unravel slowly, probably over the course of twenty years, or more, if it happened. Right now, I'd say the odds of Canada, surviving in it's present form, over the long run, are about 50-50. In a recent poll, around 20% of Western Canadians said they would consider the option of Western Canada separating from the rest of the country.

-- January 6, 2007 1:54 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Valerio,

Yes, the thing that could keep that thing floating for a long time was the promise of 40% over a YEAR, and a nudge to roll it over to "next level" and don't do a withdrawal.

The "click the ad" promise 40% on 10 days, and that will give a very short life span on the pyramid.

This is a quick, set it up, grab the money, and run, thing.

The "Investment" of $9000 is suppose to buy ads, that will be viewed about 200 times a day, but according to Carole, she haven't even seen what ads she is buying.

So sitting and clicking on ad's half an hour a day, how many can you find in half an hour, find the site, let it load up, click and wait 10 seconds for each ad.

I'd say about 45in a half hour.

On a "cycle" that is 10 days, you should have been able to do about 450 clicks.

If that would generate $9000 in revenue, that means each click would cost the company that is putting the ad on the net, $20 Dollar per click.

You would bankrupt a company, if you charged $20/click on an ad. One hundred browsers only and they have to pay $2000.

True revenue price is pennies or fraction of pennies per click, and it's getting cheaper as time goes by.

The products involved in a pyramid set up, is the effort to show a product or legitimacy, but it has nothing to do in the core, with anything, because the main set up is the money "invested".

I remember long ago a friend of mine enthusiastically tried to get me in on one of these things, I refused, and he ended up with his garage full of water purifying filters.

Multi Level Marketing is not necessary a pyramid, as long as there is a product, service or exchangeable goods, and there are a lot of successful MLM's around, I really don't care for them that much though.

Some pyramid schemes are masquerading as an MLM, and have given the concept of MLM a bad rap.

Many Franchise opportunities are set up as an MLM. In the Fast Food Franchise system you can, with many, invest in more and more of your fast food restaurants.

As you go up the chain, you get more and more fanciful titles.

Local supervisor of Impeccable Character
District manager of Dutiful Production.
Area Executive of Less Then Smart Underlings,
Continental Financial Expert Consultant Overlord
The Royal Holder of the Golden Key to Success.

...or whatever. If you like titles, there where you want to be.

-- January 6, 2007 2:15 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Interesting, that 20% is willing to break out, now does that mean that they are in favour of joining the US or just plainly break out?

The number is fairly high, even though it's so low that I don't think it will take off, unless a very dire political crisis will erupt in Canada.

If Quebec will break out, and they seem to be heading in that direction, I can imagine that the rest Canada will get a very real concept of, that it is fully possible to go your own way if that is desired.

I can imagine a concept of, "hey they did it, why not us" a copy cat effect so to say.

Here, the southerners are still a very distinct breed, and even though by war and capitulation they are part of the US, the "Stars and Bars" is very visible in those part of the country, and I can assume that the heritage, way of thinking and social conduct, will remain in Canada even though it would join the US Federation, and the Maple will fly there as well as the Stars and Bars down there.

States that are on the fringe Geographically, have a small independent movement here, hardly visible though, but it's alive in Texas, California and a few other places.

I do believe Texas is the only state that legally can break loose, if they wish to do so.

Places that are in the middle of everything would not benefit anything from breaking out, I have a hard time seeing Nebraska as a separate country.

The Civil War, amongst all the other issues it was fought over, one of them was the actual action of breaking loose. The war set a precedent that, you better not try to be too independent, Washington DC....IS the last word, or else....

The concept of breaking loose have not been tested in modern courts though.

All in all Americans seem to love being Americans, holds it high, with all the good and bad it involves, and a breakout from the federation would mean a lot of advantages being lost.

I think Tim, that Americans as well as Canadians are content with what they are, and only a very big political cultural or economical crisis, maybe a combination of all, could question the minds, if this is a good idea to continue being a country like this.

Well if another ice age comes, and Canada decides to freeze over, I guess your coming this way, but I can't really foresee any bigger cultural upheaval in Canada or the US that would be so drastic that the question of re arranging borders or alliances would benefit.

At least not in Canada, but perhaps.....watch the millions and millions of Illegal Immigrants in this country, that have their allegiance to another country.

You can wonder, when the Mexican day of Independence, 5 of May, is a "day off" celebration in southern California.

-- January 6, 2007 2:52 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

About the Dinars,

Sorry to interrupt but I wanted to say something about the Dinar here.

An earlier poster claimed the Dinar was on a "program rate" right now, caused me some thinking as he didn't divulge where he got it from.

It's from a quote on one of the Iraqi Dinars sites, where it states that the "Dinar is on a program rate, as specified by IMF."

Ok, that means that IMF have control over the Iraqi currency exchange as well, and not only are suggesting, but are specifying what the currency exchange should be.

Damn IMF, a country in debt, but in order for IMF to fix it, they come in and say we own your Central Bank until we are done.

You owe on your house, your car and on your boat, and the lender comes in, sit down at your kitchen table and make your budget, start talking with every family member, including their kids, how they have to financially behave, and then come checking in every half hour, for a report.

The money Iraq owes is not even IMF's money, they are the brokers, no more. Most of the debt is from neighbouring countries.

IMF a long arm of the World Bank, sounds like a do good for all, United Nation, we're all so happy you exist, is a fricking COMMERCIAL BANK.

It's original formation was just after WW2 and it was founded in order to help war torn countries after the war. Iraq was actually one of the founding members, but the World bank, operating on no countries jurisdiction, a country less, free floating entity, that answers to no one, have grown in itself to be one of the authorities of the world in financial matters.

Now it's a ....we say, you do, institution. By blurring in statements like "international standards" and such, they have appointed themselves to oversee, direct and approve of how currency is handled, then if you behave, you can be a member.

Hope all the fullfillments are done soon in Iraq, so the Iraqis can put their currency on the Forex as soon as possible.

IMF needs to get their fingers out of the Iraqi economy, because IMF will ONLY direct the Iraqis to do what is good for the IMF.

It's not the Iraqi Central Bank that is raising slightly the value of the Dinar to combat inflation, it's done only by approval from IMF. Can we do that please???.....oh well ok, but just a little bit.

The Dinar can only be fully realized once it is out of the IMF's tight control, and is played freely on the market.

I would check for when the IMF programs are done.

So far, it's looking good, the debt burden was to be cancelled by Christmas time, and that has to be around this time.
That was the biggest hurdle Iraq have had with IMF.

Together with all the new investment laws, that also are to be done around this time, I'd say, the time is just right for the Dinar to hit it.

The long holiday, that have been over there, Saddams hanging and a new start of the year, together with numerous statements from Iraqi officials predicting a higher Dinar, maybe we're at the end of this long waiting.

Perhaps there will be a surprise at the start of the banking season after the holidays. Well I can always wish...can't I...the statement from CBI was for this long holiday to establish the Dinar as stable, and conclude current deals, and affairs going on right now.

Why would they mention, to hurry up to conclude your deals, and affairs ???

hmmm...

-- January 6, 2007 4:04 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Well, my luck did change.
I had a great night and alot of fun with some old friends.

Anyway, a few comments before I go to bed.

I so very much appreciate the comments and advice concerning my investment.

I don't know if the fact that this is not a pyramid makes any difference. It is not even a binary program. There is no recruiting required.

Everyone has raised a lot of questions, and I don't know if I will ever get all of the answers. Right now, my biggest ansswer I want is a physical address of the business.

By the way, my daughter did get paid today, so she is a happy camper. Over all I have deemed my 9k a doomed figure. Remeber, at the time I was going to buy more dinar and decided to try somethign with a little more life in it. SO whether I did the ad thing or the dinar, my 9k is pretty much history!

Tim:

Many years ago, Ronald Reagan, while govenor of Ca. Suggested that we give Mexico back everything south of the Santa Barbara border and persue Canada as a territory of the US. He had alot of support from the rich northern californians, because hate paying taxes for the southern ca. welfare drones. IN his proposal, he wanted to keep Catalina. He was dead serious about all of this, but it never got off the ground.

Also, if Canada shoudl ever decide that they want to bless out nation with their joining our ranks, I sure hope the American people will have something to say about it. I would not be interested in adding another fascimile of a big Massacheuttes to our already socially confused society.

Sorry, I love you to death, and I would vote for you for president of the world in a heart beat. I mean not to offend you, but I think you are a mutation of the Canadian species.

YOur morals and values appear to supercede most Americans, I am sorry to say. But I think you are a rare treasure amongst your countrymen. I don't see how adding millions of more liberal elitests to our nation can be a positive thing. The only advantage is the Canadian oil, that we should be negotiating a partnership with anyway.

Well, again no offense meant.

One last comment and that is Kuddos to Roger, he finally experienced and demonstrated being sorry for something he said. There is a God!

:}

Carole

-- January 6, 2007 4:16 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Panhandler,

Ok, regarding the Christian calender, I've seen on official pages, that they are using our year, the time of Jesus birth, but I have heard that they are in fact on another time schedule , like it being the year 1400 something, when Mohammad was born or died or something.

Do you see that figure being used anywhere over there?

-- January 6, 2007 4:20 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Carole,

No if there is a reason to apologize I will. For the money lost, well I'm sorry, for being so darn right about this, no I'm not one bit sorry, the money could have done you better things, but then again, as I say Carole, it's your money and a calculator is only 10 bucks.

Carl gave a lot of tips and ideas how to try to track down the people setting this up.

Pyramids ARE illegal, and the persons setting it up have probably gone to some great length to cover their tracks as much as possible.

No tracks are invisible, and there are ways to get to the originators of the pyramid, it's just a matter of how much your own time and effort you want to spend.

Most participants being burned, will probably not go after the pyramid originators, mainly because their own participation, and their own guilt in it. That is also part of the deal in these scams, the participants, just give up.

They accept that they have been had, and leave it as that. With the 20/20 hind sight it was always so clear, and bite the bullet.

If your intentions were pure, and you had no intention in the beginning of getting in on anything that will break the law, you can with that intention claim you have been scammed, and go after the originators.

If you sent $9000 and don't even have an address, hm...well all I can say is good luck.

-- January 6, 2007 4:47 AM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

From what I hear....this has a good chance of being true! It's been talked about for awhile now.
====================================================================================================
U.S. may dump PM
By Mursi Abu Tareq

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

05 January 2007 (Azzaman)

The U.S. is frustrated with the government of Nouri al-Maliki and is seeking ways to dump him, well-placed sources say.

The prime minister has failed drastically in efforts to reconcile the country’s warring factions and is even thought to be unable to solve difference among his own ruling Shiite-dominated coalition.

Maliki, the sources say, has caused the U.S. deep embarrassment through his government’s inefficiency in running the country and the way former leader Saddam Hussein was put to death.

Maliki himself does not seem to be interested to continue and is reported to have openly expressed a willingness to his advisers to step aside even before the end of his term.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php?refid=DH-S-05-01-2007&article=13166

-- January 6, 2007 9:23 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Last post was mine.....

-- January 6, 2007 9:25 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Roger,

You are truly goofy! It would have been nice for you to have a little remorse for calling me ( repeatedly) a thief and demeaning my character. You know, my friend, alledging that some one is involved in thievry versus calling and condeming them a thief, without due process, is denying an individual of the presumption of innocence until proven guity. This is a crime against a persons civil rights protected by the Constitution. Not to mention your documented repeated harrassments intended to cause me harm from slanderous remarks and capricious activity towards me that resulted in emotional and physical duress. Lost sleep, trips to the doctor, medication to help compensate and allieviate the effects of the personal injury you caused me. Your actions caused harm to my relationship with my spouse and other members of my immediate family ( namely Bentley and Bernice), Because of the harm you caused me, I was unable to provide the adequate care to those whom I was responsible for, due to the distraction from the pain and suffering you caused me. Futhermore you referred to my age and gender, violating my protections from discrimination as a protected class of females over the age of 40. My attorney fees would be required by you to be covered, under these statues. My Cause of Action could include you, Roger Dinaraholic, and JOhn Does 1-15. And as the potential plantiff,could justifiably ask for full compensation to each of the categories in my Cause of action, which could include, but not limited to :
1. all of your dinars
2. relinguishing of all rights of ever touching a key board again in any and all public forums, immediately following your last post apologizing to me for your contemptous actions on this blog site.
3. A muzzle for your mouth when within 50 feet of me
( for sure at the pig roast,)
4. Lastly, a revocation of your dirver's license, just in case you were to decide to drive off a cliff to end all your torment you caused yourself with your inflammatory ( criminal)
remarks and actions towards little ole' me.

(are you sorry yet?)

\:)

-- January 6, 2007 11:16 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Carole,

I'm worried about your blood pressure

-- January 6, 2007 11:52 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

Most Canadians are fairly middle of the road. It's true that liberal elitists dominate political power, at present, in Canada, but that could change, in the long run. Remember, after Barry Goldwater wanted to be president, in, I think it was the early 1960s, and he didn't make it, and then subsequent to that, the Republicans started a long term strategy, to retake power from the Democrats? That took a long time. At one point, before that, the Republicans were a much smaller party. Do you remember the American political party, the Whigs? Most people don't. They are long gone, in the dust bin of history. They produced two American presidents, Harrison, and Taylor. The head of the Illinois Whig Party, you might have heard of: Abraham Lincoln. My point is, things change. There are a number of movements afoot in Canada, to change the political dynamics of this country. That obviously has to be done at the top. Canadians at present have a very conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper. He's a bit of an aberation, though. It would take a concerted effort, over a few decades to change the political culture of Canada. As I said, efforts are underway, and I hope they are successful.

You are right, Carole, that Canada, as it is presently led, is more left-wing, due to it's leadership, than would be comfortable, to a lot of Americans. But I wouldn't count on that staying the same forever. Right now, you're right, some of Canada looks like a socially confused Massachusetts, but, again, that may change in time.

Roger,

if Quebec leaves, then you have a new and changing political dynamic, where you really do not know where you will end up. Perhaps chunks of Canada would form small, independent countries, like Ontario calling itself Canada, and Western Canada as another country, and of course Quebec as a country. And the four maritime provinces? Perhaps they would be attached to Ontario, but that would raise all kinds of political problems. Canadian provinces have a history as being treated as equal partners, and if Western Canada and Quebec were gone, then the remaining parts of Canada would be a very odd match. The four remaining maritime provinces would only have about a fifth of the population, combined, as Ontario. Now, there are used to being treated as equal partners to every other province, each one of them, in Confederation, as part of Canadian history. So if new rules for Canada were written up at that point, would tiny Prince Edward Island, with a population of only 138,000, be equal to a province like Ontario, with over 12 million? I can't see it. I think if the maritime provinces, at that point, wanted to stay with Ontario, they would end up being basically, a bunch of almost powerless wards of Ontario. Not a good situation for them.

They may end up going on their own. The province of Newfoundland was not even a part of Canada until 1949, so there is recent historical precident for some of that area not belonging to Canada, anyway.

Another wild card, in this scenario, is terrorism. A Canadian, of Muslim origin, was already caught a couple of years ago, trying to sneak over the American border between Washington state and British Columbia. He had a large amount of conventional explosives in his trunk, and was on his way to Los Angeles, to blow up the airport. Recently, the Canadian government uncovered a plot, by Muslim extremists, to blow up our parliament, and behead our prime minister. Then there was the report Sara quoted, about Muslim radicals trying to get ahold of enriched uranium, by stealing it from a research facility, at a Canadian university. Enriched uranium, of course, can be used to make atomic bombs.

Suppose, God forbid, these radicals are successful some day, in their diabolical schemes, and something drastic happens to an American city, and it is sourced back to a Canadian city. What would happen then? Who knows? It depends on what happened, and what the response of the Canadian government was.

What I do know is, at that point, you are entering an entirely new realm of possibilities. I know the American government would never allow the continuance of a threat along it's northern border. We have, as I have said, the world's longest undefended border, around 5,000 miles of basically Swiss cheese, full of holes. It's very easy to sneak across, with anything.

Now, obviously, if there was any kind of attack on America, that originated in Canada, the border would be immediately shut down, as it was during 9-11, for a short time. Now, the thing is, the Canadian economy depends very heavily on the American economy, because of free trade. About a billion dollars in trade flows over the border each day. The American economy is ten times as big as the Canadian economy. This means any border closure affects Canada much much more than it does the states. If the border were shut down for a long time, we would lose our leg, the Americans would lose a couple of fingers. Any long term border closure, due to a terrorist attack, would devastate Canada economically. This, as well, could change the dynamics of the situation, in the future. If security vulnerability and economic vulnerability became a big issue in Canada, some Canadians might welcome joining the states, for security and economic reasons.

So, all kind of scenarios are possible, in the future: Canada could stay intact, it could be radically re-organized, Quebec could leave, Western Canada might end up separating, various political configurations of what we now call Canada might emerge, terrorism could come to the fore as a wild card, and you could end up with a Canada that is economically vulnerable, and would want to join the states.

Who knows? I don't. I don't know what the future holds. What I do know, is 9-11 taught me to expect the unexpected.

Laura Parker:

I'm still mulling over, what you said. I'll get back to you. Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

-- January 6, 2007 12:07 PM ∞

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Terry853 wrote:

Hey Tim Bitts That was an excellent post about Canada. I have to agree with you, anything is possible. Your statement about gay marriage being laughed at a few years ago was dead on. With the mass exodus of easterners to the west in recent years the population of Alberta and BC combined is now greater than Quebec's but nowhere near ontario's. So your point about being ruled by Ontario with the loss of Quebec has tipped me over into believing your view. At least we are on the rich side of the country. Alberta,s oil, gas and farmland. BC's oil, gas, timber and seaports. The west's tarsands which hold trillions of barrels of oil. I believe that western Canada's huge diverse resources and political stability will make us in the west the richest people on the planet in the next 20 years. You hinted yesterday about the possibility of a North American Union. Have you read about the proposed superhighway from Mexico through the states and into Canada. The free trade highway!! A single currency!! We live in interesting times. I enjoy this forum a lot for the diverse views of its users. Now back to the dinar. This coming week should be very interesting. The CBI shut down(supposedly) for ten days. Rumors of a surge of American troops, 20 to 40 thousand strong going to Bagdad. Maliki's possible resignation or removal. President Bush announcing a new strategy on the 9th. An Iraqi dinar not yet worth the paper it's written on. A country litterly floating on light sweet shallow crude that will cost about a buck a barrel to produce as compared to 15 dollars a barrel for tarsands oil. Everything I have read says that the Iraq's are a proud hardworking people IF they have job to go to. So let's(the western world) see that they have a good paying job to go to and this insurgency will be over. Thanks all and Happy New Year!!

-- January 6, 2007 12:53 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Terry 853,

thanks for the response. That free trade super-highway you mentioned, that might be developed, linking the States, Mexico, and Canada, could be a very big deal, that will affect a lot of things. I had forgotten about that.

-- January 6, 2007 1:25 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

The following posts are found on www.safedinar.com

If Iraq fragments, what's Plan B?
1/5/2007

By Peter Grier, Staff writer of The Christian Science MonitorFri Jan 5, 3:00 AM ET

As President Bush readies a new strategy for Iraq, some experts in Washington are looking beyond the question of US troop levels to what might happen if worst-case scenarios come true. Call it Plan B: How the United States might handle Iraq's partition.

It may still be possible to hold Iraq together, many of these critics believe. A surge in American military strength might help. But the hour is late - and a lack of contingency planning on the part of US officials may be one reason the situation has become so dire.

"If I was working for George Bush, I would want somebody to be thinking hard about this, sort of preparing the groundwork," says Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow in foreign-policy studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The US might need actively to aid Iraqis in relocating to parts of the country where they feel safer, says Mr. O'Hanlon. This sort of resettlement assistance wouldn't be unprecedented, he notes. The US did it in Bosnia.

Such a policy would perhaps preempt the violent Balkans-style ethnic cleansing that is already occurring in Iraq, O'Hanlon says. Sectarian strife is displacing 100,000 Iraqis a month.

"One-third to one-quarter of the ethnic cleansing that might occur [in Iraq] has occurred," says O'Hanlon.

Of course, to many US officials such a policy would be anathema. Mr. Bush has long insisted that a unified, democratic Iraq is one of his goals - not an Iraq separated into sectarian regions.

It has been widely reported that the new "way forward" Bush is expected to announce next week will include a substantial surge in US forces, designed to bring stability to violence-torn parts of the country.

Such an increase might allow reconstruction aid to begin to have a real effect in Baghdad and elsewhere, improving the daily life of Iraqis and strengthening the shaky central government, according to an influential report on the subject co-authored by Frederick Kagan, a military historian at American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

"Victory in Iraq is still possible at an acceptable level of effort," says a summary of the AEI study.

But events in Iraq now may be running at a speed that outpaces the US ability to respond. Bush has mulled over his options for weeks, while sectarian violence rises and the political partition of the country continues apace, says Vali Nasr, an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The attempt to form a unity government has completely failed, says Mr. Nasr. Absent viable political plans, power is determined by the violence of militia in the street.

"The carnival of Saddam's execution is handwriting on the wall about how deeply divided this society is," he says.

Will the country's political divide be followed by a physical one? Possibly. Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record) (D) of Delaware, incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long advocated establishing Iraq as a loose federation, consisting of Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish regions, and a Baghdad that belongs to all.

Other experts, including Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, have been increasingly vocal in calling for the US to help Iraqis resettle in areas of safety.

"We've got to provide them the means, the protection, and the funds to set up a new life," said Mr. Gelb in a recent National Public Radio interview. "We owe them that."

Resettled refugees might, in the end, blame America for their plight. The US could be accused of abetting ethnic cleansing. All plausible, says O'Hanlon of Brookings - but the problem is, the ethnic cleansing is happening anyway. The question, therefore, is really a humanitarian one: How to save lives?

In a recent piece titled "A Bosnia Option for Iraq," published in the journal American Interest and co-authored with Edward Joseph, a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University, O'Hanlon proposes a "soft partition" of Iraq.

The war in Bosnia ended only after 200,000 civilians died and half the country's population had fled their homes, says the article. Ethnic relocation may be distasteful, but with Sunni insurgents and Shiite death squads now attacking even hospitals and schools, what is the alternative?

"If US and Iraqi forces cannot protect civilians, there is little moral dilemma about facilitating their movement to safer areas," says the article.

The Iraqi government would have to offer housing and jobs for those resettled, as well as protection while moving, according to the article. Government property commissions could help Sunnis and Shiites swap homes.

The key to making the relocation work might be a division of oil money. It should be split a number of ways, the article says, with individuals, provinces, and the overall government receiving allocations.

"The Bosnia option has a much higher chance of success than anything resembling current strategy ... although I can still see the case for one last big push [with more US troops]," says O'Hanlon.

Other experts say that a surge in troops will serve a purpose only if tied to a comprehensive approach of bringing stability and security to Iraq.

The problem now is not just troop levels or stability in Baghdad, says Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in a new study.

"The 'threat' from the insurgency and militias is only part of the problem," writes Mr. Cordesman. "Iraq's central government is weak and the nation is steadily dividing into sectarian and ethnically controlled areas."

Thus any new military effort should be accompanied by a further push to create incentives for peaceful coexistence, according to Cordesman - or peaceful separation where there is not a credible alternative. The US should "provide aid to relocation when this is the only option," writes the CSIS scholar.

If Iraq fragments, what's Plan B? - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 6, 2007 1:27 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another from www.safedinar.com

Iraq awaits US changes to curb sectarian terror
1/5/2007

Iraq was awaiting top-level US military and diplomatic changes to tackle the raging sectarian bloodshed that killed at least 28 people a day earlier.

US President George W Bush's plans to announce a major overhaul in Iraq strategy next week comes as the violence-wracked country battles a fresh crisis triggered by the grisly execution video of Saddam Hussein.

On Thursday, Bush moved to make top-level intelligence, diplomatic, and military changes in Iraq ahead of a strategy shift that is expected to include sending more troops to the country in the near term.

As part of his personnel overhaul Bush is soon expected to replace his ambassador in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, and bring in Lieutenant General David Petraeus to replace General George Casey as ground commander, media reports suggested.

It was also reported by ABC Television that Bush would nominate the head of US forces in the Pacific, Admiral William Fallon, to replace General John Abizaid at Central Command, which oversees the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Khalilzad, the most familiar face of the Bush administration in Iraq, has often been accused by the country's Shiite leaders of supporting the Sunni Arabs.

Replacing him is Ryan Crocker, 57, the US ambassador in Pakistan since November 2004. Crocker is one of the State Department's most experienced Middle East experts and a fluent Arabic speaker.

Bush's top advisers remain split over sending more US troops to Iraq and over the reliability of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, the Washington Post reported, citing officials familiar with the debate.

Media reports suggest that Bush is likely to announce sending up to 20,000 new troops to Iraq, a number recommended by visiting US congressmen last month in Baghdad.

But the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- the top generals and admirals who advise the president on military policy -- believe the possible dangers of sending more US troops to Iraq outweigh the benefits, according to the Post.

The US military is already stretched thin with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those 20,000 soldiers could be obtained only by extending tours of duty, re-mobilizing reserve units and accelerating planned deployments, US media say.

The strategy shift was expected after the present policy failed to curb the sectarian violence that has left thousands dead since the February 22, 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine.

On Thursday, 28 people were killed in sectarian and insurgent attacks, while 47 bullet-riddled corpses were found in Baghdad. Three Iraqi soldiers were killed on Friday northeast of the capital.

International leaders continue to criticise the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

French President Jacques Chirac, a fierce opponent of the invasion, warned Friday that the conflict has provided a dangerous new breeding ground for terrorism.

"It offered terrorism a new field for expansion," Chirac said in a traditional New Year's address to the French diplomatic corps.

He said the war had "exacerbated the divisions between communities and threatened the very integrity of Iraq".

But Iraq's Sunni politicians hope that the new strategy makes a real difference on the ground.

"There must be real changes that help in finding solutions to the political and security situation in Iraq," said Sunni parliamentarian Safia al-Suhail.

She said she would support any US plan that curbs the blood spilt by Shiite militias. Shiite leaders oppose it, however, saying strong local forces were the key to success in Iraq.

Nassar al-Rubaie, a lawmaker from radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's group, said "the change of strategy is merely a tactical measure and will not solve any problem".

"The Iraqi problem will be solved by Iraqis. There should be qualitative increase of Iraqi forces and this should go together with a decrease in the occupying forces as wished by the Sadr group."

US authorities accuse Sadr's Mahdi Army militia of killing Sunni Arabs who were once powerful under Saddam Hussein's regime.

The bitter divide between Iraq's Shiite and Sunni communities worsened after a guard, said to be a Shiite, secretly shot a grisly video of Saddam's execution in which the former strongman was taunted by his executioners in his final moments.

In the unofficial video one member of the execution party was heard shouting the name of Sadr -- "Moqtada! Moqtada! Moqtada!" -- at a sneering Saddam, inspiring some observers to compare the hanging to a sectarian lynching.

Bush acknowledged that the execution should have been more dignified.

"I wish, obviously, that the proceedings had gone in a more dignified way. But nevertheless, he was given justice; the thousands of people he killed were not," Bush said after a video conference with Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki.

On Friday Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in an interview that Saddam's execution had made him a martyr.

"People are executed all over the world, but what happened in Baghdad on the first day of Eid al-Adha was unthinkable. I didn't believe it was happening," Mubarak told Israel's mass-selling Yediot Aharonot daily.

"In the end, no one will ever forget the circumstances and the way in which Saddam was executed. They turned him into a martyr, and the problems in Iraq remained."

The Iraqi authorities are currently questioning two guards in connection the video.

Meanwhile, a US citizen and his two interpretors were kidnapped from near the southern city of Basra Friday, local police said. It was not immediately clear if the missing man was a security contractor.

Iraq awaits US changes to curb sectarian terror - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 6, 2007 1:31 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

As we egarly await the President's new way forward in Iraq, I am reminded of the cliche that Rome was not built in a day.

In reference to Roger's post concerning the IMF's control over the Iraqi Central Bank. If this is true, the snails pace at which the Dinar has appreciated will continue. I think we will see the Dinar continue to appreciate to 1260 to 1000 Dinars to the dollar under IMF control.

IF (Big if) Iraq can be subdued and a signficant amount of oil begins to be pumped out during 2007. We might see the IMF relinquish control of the Central Bank and then the Dinar can be placed on Forex for international trading.

The shift in military commanders may help speed up the evolution of Iraq to a peaceful society. If Malaki resigns, let us hope the new Prime Minister will place the welfare of the country ahead of his own ethnic community.

Friends it appears we still have a little ways to go before we see the the kind of return on the Dinar we are all wanting. I am not discouraged just patiently waiting. This lull will give me more time to purchase more dinars.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 6, 2007 1:42 PM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

Rob N.
I agree. When I purchased my Dinar. My brother & I talked about it. We obtained 10,000,000 Dinar for $7,600.00 sometime in early 2004.
I told him I have always been broke. & I ama gambler so whats thiry-eight hundred dollers in the long run. Seemed like best best odds ever given to me on a bet.
We figured it would be at the best a ten year wait, maybe 15 or 20. but if it takes 20 I will be 54 years old & ready to start my full time fishing carear.
We put it in a safety deposit box & act as if we never had that maney to begin with.

well that's what I did till the day I found this place. Thanks guys, now I find my self looking here every day for some insight or any bit of info you all might have. I still think we are in for a longer than wanted wait. But I am thinking it will not be the 15- 20 year wait I first anticipated to be possible.
I also will be buying more.
I think I am looking at another 5 million. maybe more if I can squeeze it out of my budget.

-- January 6, 2007 2:05 PM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

Roger: I believe the year is 400 that they are celebrating.. . but just about everything they celebrate goes back to the pre-teens. . .P.H.

-- January 6, 2007 2:24 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Panhandler & Roger.....

Here's some more info. on the Islamic calendar. It used to drive me nuts in Saudi and it's also used by a few other countries. It also explains why a lot of them are dumber than a box of rocks....they're several hundred years behind the rest of the world....
=====================================================================

The Islamic calendar (called the hijiri or alternately spelled hejirie) is a lunar calendar. There are twelve months in this calendar. However, lunar months are shorter than solar months, so there are only 354.36 days in a lunar year, making the hijiri shorter than the Gregorian or Persian calendar (both are based upon the solar year).[1]

The origins of the Islamic calendar date to the 5th century. However, around 400 AD, the Arabs adopted a lunisolar calendar. The Prophet (7th century AD) then restored the earlier, lunar calendar. The lunisolar calendar was based upon the Jewish calendar and was designed to ensure that the times of pilgrimage always occurred when agricultural products and other goods were ready to go to market.[2]

The months in the hijiri start when the lunar crescent is first seen by a human after a new moon. However, the view of the phases of the moon differ depending upon your location on Earth. There are also variations in custom in determining the lunar crescent as well. In some areas, local sightings determine the first day of the month and in others, an authority determines it for everyone.[3] As a result, most Muslim countries around the Gulf use another calendar for government/business reasons and the hijiri for religious purposes only. The use of the Islamic calendar is considered a sacred religious duty for all Muslims.[4] Saudi Arabia is an exception in that they use the hijiri calendar for official functions as well as religious. Saudi Arabia has standardized the hijiri by using calculations of the astronomical moon to determine the start of the months. The calculations are based upon the phases of the moon over Mecca.[5] The hijiri is also the official calendar of Kuwait and Yemen.[6]

The hijiri year begins with the anniversary of the flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD (known as the hejrat). However, as it is shorter than the solar year, you cannot simply subtract 622 from 2003 determine the correct year. For example the Persian calendar (jalaali) is a solar calendar that begins on the hejrat. Therefore, March 21, 2003 is the date Persian Year 1382 began, but Islamic Year 1424 began on March 15, 2003.[7]

-- January 6, 2007 3:20 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Carole All your causes of actions against Roger are refutable. IF you will throw in that Rogers capricious actions have caused you to not be the woman for your husband that he has became accustomed to and expects that in turn has deprived your husband of your normal and customary sexuality that he longs for since before Rogers tirade that has caused so you much pain, suffering and inability to provide pleasure to your spouse you would stand on much better ground for receiving penance from Roger either personally or through sanctions of the Court. Deprivation of sexual quality is still one of the best defenses at retaliation against someone that is causing you metal and physical harm!

-- January 6, 2007 3:55 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Carole All your causes of actions against Roger are refutable. IF you will throw in that Rogers capricious actions have caused you to not be the woman for your husband that he has became accustomed to and expects that in turn has deprived your husband of your normal and customary sexuality that he longs for since before Rogers tirade that has caused so you much pain, suffering and inability to provide pleasure to your spouse you would stand on much better ground for receiving penance from Roger either personally or through sanctions of the Court. Deprivation of sexual quality is still one of the best defenses at retaliation against someone that is causing you mental and physical harm!

-- January 6, 2007 3:55 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

Annon,

Just to help stir things up,

If Carole wanted to use that in court, then to prevent her purgering herself, she would have to stop having a physical relationship with her husband. He would have to know the reason why she has stopped. Carole would have to explain the low self esteem and all the issues surrounding her and Roger and the ad investment. Carole's husband would then have to agree to the proceedings and therefore become an accomplice (assuming Roger is right and Carole's activities are illegal). If he talks her out of going to court and says nothing, then he is surely aiding and abetting? Otherwise he, as an ex policeman, is duty bound to report his wife for the illegal activity!!!!!!!!!!!

Even if Carole didn't use the sex card, Carole would have to explain why she feels the way she does and why she is sueing Roger. The court could reject Carole's claim on the basis that what she is doing is illegal. Roger would be exhonerated and Carole could be arrested. This would give grounds for a counter claim which Roger would win hands down because this blog (What does blog mean?) is evidence of Roger trying to warn Carole and her rejection of that advice?

Remember, Carole has already posted that she doesn't know how the system works other than you give $9000 and 10 days later you get $12600.

I don't know about the US, but in the UK there is a saying, "Ignorance is no defence". Just because you didn't know it was illegal doesn't make it OK. Remember Roger's analagy about pick pocket signs in a football stadium?

-- January 6, 2007 4:35 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

CYMRU001 wrote: (What does blog mean?)

A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.

Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual although some focus on photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.

The term "blog" is derived from "Web log." "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

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

-- January 6, 2007 5:02 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

Sara,

You are good - thankyou.

-- January 6, 2007 5:04 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

CYMRU001:

STIR STIR STIR…

OK let’s remove Carole from the equation. Let’s say Carole’s husband whom is presumed to be a very happy satisfied person starts noticing that in the past few weeks things around the ole homestead just doesn’t seem to be the same as usual. Activity is down to a couple times a week and hostility level are spiking on a frequent basis (a couple of times a night, generally during and or just after checking Truck and Barter to see if the Dinar is doing what is expected). Hubby ask’s what the deal is and why things in the ole bedroom aren’t quite the same and is promptly blasted for even looking her in her direction and then the crying and subsequent breakdown occurs and the name Roger is continuously repeated many times.

This continues night after night until Hubby just cannot take it anymore and decides to look into the culprit that is starting to take a toll on his manliness. He determines that Roger seems to be a big factor in his wife’s deterioration. Now The Hubby decides to sue on all the aforementioned including the “sex card”

This might could play out rather handsomely….

Also The US plays by the “Ignorance of the Law” is no excuse.

-- January 6, 2007 5:15 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

You are welcome, CYMRU001. :)

Roger and Tim Bitts;

An interesting discussion.. you talk of the rest of Canada "breaking loose" like Quebec. I think that a monetary factor would come into play if they did consider it. Wouldn't Quebec have to get its own currency if it was its own country, Tim Bitts? And the "rest" of Canada - would they hold the same currency they have now, or get another one? (Since we are speculators in a currency - the Dinar, this currency angle might be interesting to follow...) If the rest of Canada kept the same currency after Quebec left, wouldn't it devalue a great deal, due to the intense (but ultimately short term) political instability? I think these monetary factors would mean that "the rest" of Canada would be looking at the idea of joining the US to facilitate trade and have a stable currency to use.

I cannot see a new currency starting out at the rate Canada is at now - but lower, much like the Dinar now... right? They would have to print it, distribute it.. etc, too. But being so close to the US and having fixed markets to sell their goods to - the currency would start quite low, then go higher (once stability is achieved - after the dust settles). If they kept the old currency, it would plummet.. then likely it would be changed into USD; or stability would happen in time with their keeping the old - either way, speculators would definitely make money from the plummet point upward (after the situation became stable, I mean - the appreciation difference from the low to the high could be quite significant.)

Soo.. the thought here to consider is that - if there came such a time of instability.. it might be a place where currency speculators like us could make money. I think it might be moral and helpful to invest there.. as it would help the Canadians to get out of their predicament of not having many investors willing to hold their dollar due to the unfavorable political climate? I will pray about it if it ever comes up. It seems to me the factors which come into play with this - if the terrorists act up or Quebec separates, or both - are factors beyond the control of the Canadian government and only in the hands of God. Manifest Destiny, perhaps, is an interesting concept whose time may come in our lifetime to that country.. and might also be a vehicle to cause individual American investors to prosper financially. Maybe President Ronald Reagan was just ahead of his time..

Sara.

-- January 6, 2007 5:35 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

I still say President Schwarzenegger. For a foreigner he shows a tremendous amount of patriotism to America. I don’t know how many Illegal’s or for that matter Americans you would have to gather up to equal his patriotism! Apparently enough Californians liked the job he’s did for the past couple of years to re-elect him Governor once again. After seeing and reading about his inaugural and just happen to see parts of 2 of his movies today Arnold would be one hellava President much like Reagan was. Men would respect him radical terrorist and 1st rate and 2nd rate leaders would have fear of him. He’s has a perception and the ability to gather and keep smart people around him. He would and could challenge The House and Congress. Of the current choices we have for 08 he beats them all hands down.

-- January 6, 2007 5:59 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Had a lot of fun looking at the blogs today.

Carole, stop nipping into that bottle again. You're drinking far far too much, you only weigh a hundred pounds, and your body cant keep up with the others in your social life, they have so much more body mass, and can stand it much better, so during your poker sessions, don't match drink by drink with your fellow gamblers.

Carole lost $9000 by her own actions.

She is demanding my excuse.

During the whole time she put this scam on the front page on this blog, she have been so scatterbrained that she's been completely unable to even explain the details until it was squeezed out of her, not until the very last days, she submitted the last and most important pieces.

Then it was too late.

I'm pretty sure that if she would have understood from the beginning how it was set up, she would have told, but as ignorance is an excuse in this case,(according to her version) it's more convenient to blame others.

Carole, I have an opinion that you are a psychotic, and your last statement sure fit the bill.

Carole, read this statement slowly.

Y O U ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS.
Y O U ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONDITION YOURE IN.

In your psychotic universe you're not responsible for anything. Whatever happens to you, it's caused by others.

your life will not get straightened out until you assume those viewpoints.

-- January 6, 2007 5:59 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Sara,

If Quebec would break lose, it's a matter of how much of an alliance they still would retain with the rest of Canada, if they still would have a defence, currency and a (i suppose) healthy commercial alliance, but still break lose, then the breakup is more cosmetic than anything else.

In that case, there would be no currency issues.

If Quebec breaks clean, getting its own defense, currency and set up stiff tollbooths around the newly formed country, I wouldn't invest in that currency at all, as I have a feeling they will plummet. There is nothing really remarkable coming out of Quebec as I'm aware, they will survive, but that's about it.

Alberta and the provinces around there, in case of a break up, and a new currency is introduced, I would run for it.

-- January 6, 2007 6:08 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Okie,

Thanks, that explain the weird time dates they are hanging on to. Wow, it was more messy than I could imagine.

In the long run the few countries using the calender, must in their official work adopt to international standards, just to be able to work. The original Islam calender is far far too confusing to work with, except for the religious Mullahs, that have nothing else to do the whole day anyway.

-- January 6, 2007 6:17 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N,

Well I have seen only ONE posting saying that the currency is on a program rate as specified by IMF.

Knowing that the whole Iraqi finance operation is under IMF control, and are running on set programs from IMF, it is almost a certain that the statement "as specified by IMF" is fully valid.

Usually I would like to confirm this with more sources, but have not found other than this one, but as it aligns so well with the current running IMF programs, the whole CBI is under strict IMF command, I accept it as a fact.

That might in itself not be too bad of a deal right now, as you say, it gives more opportunity to get em while you can.

However I think the waiting might not be that long after all, all the main programs , like the big one, the debt affair, is by this time either concluded or in the wrap ups.

After that point Iraq should be in ship shape, to stand on it's own legs.

There might be smaller programs to complete, like setting up the banks to administratively be able to mesh with the outer universe, computer set up and all that logistics, but all in all, the big things are at the end stage now.

-- January 6, 2007 6:43 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

ANNON,

Carole's husband has two options: -

You say the husband has checked into T&B and saw what has been written.

OPTION 1 - He could take the high ground and defend his wife unequivocally and bring the action. This will have to show the court the ad thing and Roger's attempts at advising Carole to stop. Roger wins.

OPTION 2 - He could look into the investment to check it's athenticity. He could then find out it is illegal......what does he do????? He can drop the action and become an accomplice or he will report his wife for breaking the law. Roger wins.

1 - bring action and let Carole know what he is doing.

-- January 6, 2007 6:47 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I was thinking about the "snuf" movie on CNN..
you know, the one showing the American soldier dying
which was given to them by the terrorists and aired...
keep it in mind as you read this through.

It appears the man Jamil Hussein does exist - and is indeed a police officer in Iraq.
The problem, apparently, was finding his name... due to the many combinations of the name used.
Apparently the interior ministry didn't look under the right ones.

We do know that the reports the AP put out were often not corroborated by other sources -
that is to say, this man was the sole source still standing for this "burning" story and others.
We don't know whose side politically he stands on or how truthful his reports were.
What we do know of his character is that he was breaking the law
(and his signed pledge) by speaking as an unofficial source to the media..

You judge how trustworthy you believe this source to be, but I must agree with SG
where he says of Hussein's name:
"kind of a tip off that the gentleman is a Sunni and maybe even a Ba’athist at heart:
And it is certainly bizarre that the AP would accept so many reports as gospel
from a person whose objectivity might be in doubt.. Unless of course
he was telling the AP what they wanted to hear.
Which is almost certainly the case."

The Associated Press Source Jamil Hussein Does Exist

From the DNC’s Associated Press:
Iraq Threatens Arrest of Police Officer

Iraq Threatens Arrest of Police Captain Who Spoke to Media About Deaths of 6 People
By STEVEN R. HURST Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Interior Ministry acknowledged Thursday that an Iraqi police officer whose existence had been denied by the Iraqis and the U.S. military is in fact an active member of the force, and said he now faces arrest for speaking to the media.

Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, who had previously denied there was any such police employee as Capt. Jamil Hussein, said in an interview that Hussein is an officer assigned to the Khadra police station, as had been reported by The Associated Press.

The captain, whose full name is Jamil Gholaiem Hussein, was one of the sources for an AP story in late November about the burning and shooting of six people during a sectarian attack at a Sunni mosque.

Khalaf offered no explanation Thursday for why the ministry had initially denied Hussein’s existence, other than to state that its first search of records failed to turn up his full name.

Khalaf told the AP that an arrest warrant had been issued for the captain for having contacts with the media in violation of the ministry’s regulations.

Hussein appears to have fallen afoul of a new Iraqi push, encouraged by some U.S. advisers, to more closely monitor the flow of information about the country’s violence, and strictly enforce regulations that bar all but authorized spokesmen from talking to media.

Khalaf did not say whether the U.S. military had ever been told that Hussein in fact exists. Garver, the U.S. military spokesman, said Thursday that he was not aware that the military had ever been told.

Khalaf said Thursday that with the arrest of Hussein for breaking police regulations against talking to reporters, the AP would be called to identify him in a lineup as the source of its story.

Should the AP decline to assist in the identification, Khalaf said, the case against Hussein would be dropped. He also said there were no plans to pursue action against the AP should it decline.

He said police officers sign a pledge not to talk to reporters when they join the force.

===end of quote===

I don’t know how many have been following this saga, but I have to say that sometimes our friends in the "new media" get carried away with conspiracy theories.

Not everyone is a pathological liar.

Not even the people at the Associated Press.

- This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Saturday, January 6th, 2007.

Comments:
1) wardmama4 - January 6th, 2007 at 9:29 am

Oh but SG, you are missing the key aspect of the real story - AP has been accused a number of times since 2003 of paying, hiring and or using terrorists for ’scoops’ without warning or being on the side of the US. This particular story is implied ‘Shia-Sunni’ violence is probably really a lie - made up to incite violence and have a great (and ghastly) lead story (in Nov) in the US. Why this ’suddenly’ happens six weeks after the blogs raise all the questions about the single ’source’ of the story? Because a contingent of American bloggers are going over to Iraq to look at the real Iraq and hold the AP up for the truth of this story - notice how the bodies were never shown, no US nor Iraqi confirmation of any mosque burnings etc etc? Appartently the AP wants to cover it’s ‘media’ assets just before they are exposed for the liars, incitors and collaborators that they really have been since 2003.
check out michelle malkins site for the backstory - http://michellemalkin.com/index.htm

2) Again, and again, we see the major news media publishing enemy proganda and calling it news.

3) SG - January 6th, 2007 Quote - “Oh but SG, you are missing the key aspect of the real story - AP has been accused a number of times since 2003 of paying, hiring and or using terrorists for ’scoops’ without warning or being on the side of the US.” - end quote.

Of course I am aware of the AP’s use of terrorists or friends of terrorists as sources. I’ve posted numerous articles about that and the media’s complicity with our country’s enemies in general for going on ten years. My complaint is that too many people are too eager to go off half-cocked, and they end up hurting the credibility of the rest of us.

The hope for the internet is that we would at the very least serve as fact checkers to the mainstream media and force them to a higher standard.

But too often rank speculation and wishful thinking gets posted as fact, which is the very thing we complain about from the mainstream media.

This hurts all of us. And it only helps the media maintain its position with the general public as the only dependable source for information.

4) SG - January 6th, 2007 quote:
“Again, and again, we see the major news media publishing enemy proganda and calling it news.” - end quote.

Again, I am not denying that at all. Quite the contrary.

In fact, if you go to the story that I posted in the related link you will see that I was probably the first to post that the original story had been denied by the US military and that it was probably frabicated.

I also noted that this has undoubtedly been the case in other similar atrocity stories out of Iraq.

The AP and other news outlets have long since been using dubious sources to get the kind of stories they want to hear.

In the archives, you’ll see an article I posted about the NYT admitting that they used anybody they could get for their Haditha coverage — and begging for more horror stories from anybody who might have them:

New York Times Begs For Tales Of “Marine Massacre”

“The Times hires an unnamed “Iraqi writer and historian” to ask questions of the “victims”? Now we have unnamed reporters as well as sources. But doesn’t The Times have any of their own reporters in Iraq?

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/the-times-is-desperate-for-tales-of-iraq-massacre

I don’t believe, however, that the AP, the NYT or most of the media are willing to go so far as to make up named sources to tell them what they want to publish. Not yet anyway.

They have their anonymous sources for that.

(Of course all of these news outlets have had their Jason Blairs and Janet Cookes who have made up sources. But that is a somewhat different story. And what happened to them shows that the media still has a modicum of integrity.)

5) coffee260 - January 6th, 2007

If Capt. Jamil Hussein was named as a source in over 60 published reports by the AP, why is the Iraqi authorities just now trying to have him arrested? Why didn’t they have a problem with him talking to reporters prior to now?

If it was against some law for Capt. Jamil Hussein to talk with reporters, why would he voluntarily allow the AP to name him as their primary source for the Nov. 24, 2006 story and also name him in over 60 other stories?

And doesn’t AP’s Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll see the irony in blaming bloggers for calling attention to the name Capt. Jamil Hussein?

It seems to me 60 plus stories with Capt. Jamil Hussein named as either their primary source or as a source, was enough attention for authorities.

6) SG - January 6th, 2007

Coffee, I think some of that might be chalked up to the language barrier. How many local Iraqi police officials read AP stories?

Also, there is the maddening problem of transliterating names. Which is probably why the Iraqi Ministry couldn’t find him in the first place.

So Hussein was most likely operating under their radar.

That said, a name like “Hussein” is kind of a tip off that the gentleman is a Sunni and maybe even a Ba’athist at heart. And it is certainly bizarre that the AP would accept so many reports as gospel from a person whose objectivity might be in doubt.

Unless of course he was telling the AP what they wanted to hear. Which is almost certainly the case.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/the-associated-press-source-jamil-hussein-does-exist

-- January 6, 2007 7:26 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

CYMRO and ANNON,

This is getting into a very interesting legal maneuver,

There is another aspect of it as well, All Carole have seen is a computer screen, for all she knows I might just be magnetic ink, a program that will answer her on command.

That leaves the computer brand she have at legal liability, for causing her pain and agony.

Of course she will not win that either, because the maker will point out that there is an "on/off" button.

-- January 6, 2007 8:51 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S.

I will agree with you about Arnolds charisma, he have something that very very few people have. Would he be a legal candidate for presidency he would just by public appearance, get a grip on the people immediately and bring them with him.

In California we have very weird voters.

First, there was this completely incompetent Governor, that got kicked out.

Arnold stepped up to the plate, saying, I can fix the mess. And got voted in.

Arnold went to the polls saying, I need these tools to fix the mess. You need to vote on this.

California public said, ....naaa, you cant have it. And voted his measures down.

They pulled the rug from underneath Arnold.

He have a very strong ability to capture the audience, and not only keep the attention of them, but also making them stand up and cheer. Yes he would, if he would be a president, be one of the strongest ever. I would predict, something in the line of Reagan.

-- January 6, 2007 9:16 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

Interesting question you raised, of, whether Quebec would have it's own currency, if it separated. This very question came up, last time a vote to leave, or not, came up. It turned out the separtists actually thought, that if Quebec formed a sovereign nation, that they could still use Canadian currency, and have members on the Bank of Canada, setting monetary policy for all of Canada. Some of them also thought they could continue to use Canadian passports. This all was, of course, a non-starter, for the rest of Canada. The suggestion that Quebec could separate from Canada, run their nation entirely, yet be on board, as far as Canadian currency, was considered a bit of a joke in Canada.

The Canadian position on separation, the terms of separation, of Quebec, should they choose to leave, are already an established part of Canadian law. Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper was the architect of The Clarity Act, which sets out those terms and conditions. It's sort of an after the fact pre-nup. It does include currency issues. My understanding is that the rest of Canada would continue to use the Canadian dollar, and Quebec would be welcome to use it, but would have no influence on monetary or fiscal policy. Sort of like many people around the world use the American dollar, but have no influence in Washington.

I would never buy Quebec currency, if they separated. The way the finances of Canada has been run for nearly 50 years, Quebec has been a huge net benefactor. Basically, the federal government collects money from the provinces that have a lot of money, and gives it to the province that has less. Quebec has benefited from this arrangement enormously. So, the financial position of Quebec, should they decide to leave, would be weak, compared to the rest of Canada, especially Western Canada.

If Quebec ever became an independent country, just what would happen to the rest of Canada, and the Canadian dollar would be too hard to predict. I think there could be a very volatile period of a few years, before things got sorted out, as to what shape the country would take, and then it would settle down. It would be a peaceful breakup. It's usually too cold up here to have a revolution!!!! You can't have a revolution where everyone gets frost bite!!!

Canada is a fairly well run country. Our dollar is doing quite well. I think it's around 90cents U.S., right now. So if the dollar ever plunged, due to temporary financial and political instability in Canada, I think it would be a good bet to buy Canadian currency. It would come back up again. Canada is a very stable country, overall, and even Quebec leaving wouldn't change that. That's why I have zero fear, if Quebec separates. In fact, due to the fact that Quebec has been an economic drain, on the rest of the country, overall, I think that the overall Canadian economy would perform better, without Quebec. It would just be in transition for a couple of years, and then be back to a well run country, even if a completely redesigned country, or even if, the longer shot happened, and parts of Canada ended up asking to join the States.

I think Roger is right about, if Western Canada ever did break up from Canada, and had a new currency, I would buy it. This area, as Terry853 pointed out, is very rich in oil and minerals, and is poised to become maybe the richest place in the world. If not the richest, it will certainly be right up there. If Western Canada ever separated, I'd buy lots of its currency.

-- January 6, 2007 9:24 PM ∞

---

Omar the Scholar wrote:

Oakie,

Just a slight correction on your otherwise stellar explanation of the Muslim calender, the Hirji.

In calculating the Hirji, keep this in mind:

Not only is the hirji shorter than a solar year, but in calculating Hirji, it is important that in the Zodiac, the Pink Pig of the Infidels must be aligned with the House of Jihad, on a clear and calm night, when the camels are restful, and not emitting gas. The full moon of Mecca must be a full moon, if used in calculation, or the bare rump of a goat must twice cross the path of a holy man, in the morning sun of Riyhad.

That should help.

-- January 6, 2007 10:07 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

I feel our litle train is picking up speed!!!!!
===============================================================================================
Iraq poised to end drought for thirsting oil giants
After 35 years, the third-largest reserves in the world are to be opened to American and British companies

By Danny Fortson
Published: 07 January 2007

For more than three decades, foreign oil companies wanting into Iraq have been like children pressed against the sweet shop window - desperately seeking to feast on the goodies but having no way of getting through the door.

That could soon change.

The Iraqi Council of Ministers is expected to approve, as early as today, a controversial new hydrocarbon law, heavily pushed by the US and UK governments, that will radically redraw the Iraqi oil industry and throw open the doors to the third-largest oil reserves in the world. It would allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil companies in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.

It would also be a shot in the arm for the global petroleum industry. The biggest oil companies are finding it ever harder to uncover new reserves to replace those that are going dry. Iraq sits on a sea of easily tapped, high-quality crude.

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2132467.ece

-- January 6, 2007 10:45 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Okie,

Cool, good article, yes the little train is gaining momentum for sure.

Another addition to the cake.

As previously posted IMF is more or less running Iraq's finances under the "Stand By Agreement", thus having it's fingers into everything, including Dinar exchange rate.

Found some data of interest that will give a nice icing on the cake, as of last Apr, Iraq's budget had gained $12.7 Bil and by now have increased to $15 Bil.

Ok, that's old data, but here is the interesting part, that is well above the performance criteria set by IMF, as $7.5 Bil being the go/no go, mark.

So the Iraqi economy is cruising comfortably well above the IMF set, low watermark.

The very big main criteria of IMF is the debt, and once handled, there should be no bigger hurdles for Iraq to get rid of the IMF's fingers into their economy.

Iraq is doing remarkably well from the criteria IMF have set up originally and the long rein of IMF should be coming closer by the day now.

-- January 6, 2007 11:07 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Omar,

Still having cramp after the laugh attack you induced. That was a gem.

-- January 6, 2007 11:11 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Omar.....

Thanks for bringing my hijiri calculations up to speed with the Riyadh model. I was using the Jubail model and the Imam in that area is always on the Sadikki and Hubbly Bubbly and his calculations were always a little skewed.

In any case all his camels passed gas worse than any pack mule that I had ever seen and he couldn't even use them in his calculations. Such is life!

-- January 6, 2007 11:29 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

The latest from www.dinartrade.com

Iraqi Ministry of Planning allocates $10b for investment projects

Iraqi Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation stated that his government has earmarked $10 billion from this year's budget to execute investment projects in local areas focusing on governorates that suffer from insecurity, lack of services and unemployment, Iraq Directory reported.

The minister pointed out that several Iraqi ministries have achieved only 10 percent of the investment projects of the overall planned projects of last year. He said that his ministry will focus on resolving this issue policies through reducing unemployment rate and increasing peoples' income.

He added that the ministry will set plans and proposals in cooperation with concerned ministries in order to find solutions for the current situation. He also announced his ministry's new plan for enhancing investments in the country.

It is worth mentioning that the Energy Committee in the Cabinet had reached the final stages regarding the issuance of a new oil legislation, which will allocate oil revenues to different Iraqi provinces according to the number of their residents.

Source :MENAFN 1/06/07

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 6, 2007 11:45 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Here is another article from www.dinartrade.com

Iraqi minister: Oil production to reach 4.5 bpd in five years

Iraqi Oil Minister said his ministry is planning to raise the production of crude oil to 4-4.5 million barrels per day (bpd) within five years from the current two and a half million bpd, through cooperating with major oil companies in order to restore the country's potential, Voice of America reported.

Responding to a statement made by his former counterpart regarding Kurds signing agreements with small foreign oil companies, the minister said that all contracts should be signed or approved by the central government otherwise they would be illegal.

On a different note, the former Iraqi Oil Minister said that most foreign companies prefer to stay away from Iraq due to the current unstable security and political situation. He added that the current high oil prices would bring revenue of $100 billion, which could recover the oil industry and contribute to the developments of other sectors of the economy.

In December of last year, the Iraq Study Group, a group of leading U.S. experts, recommended an oil law allowing reasonable distribution of revenues as a main factor in national reconciliation. They explained that such legislation could attract foreign companies to bring their expertise and technology needed to re-establish the oil industry.

Source :MENAFN 1/06/07

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 6, 2007 11:48 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

I am in agreement with Roger, our little train is starting to move. The one of the previous articles I posted, the projected output of oil to 4 to 5 million barrels per day will certainly be a shot to the Iraqi economy. I truly believe we will witness some postive changes for 2007.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 6, 2007 11:53 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Was curious of how the IMF programs are going, found a bit more ( I really want those IMF's out of ,yesterday)

Perhaps this coming budget set forth for 2007 will be a deal breaker for Iraq to get out of IMF control. The budget itself, had to be presented to IMF per their standards.

It is the first budget fully complying with IMF. The 2007 budget structure was done already in July, and the actual budget is then more or less a matter of "fill in the lines". When the structure was set up, it was monitored by IMF, and advisers to have a "Chart of accounts" compliant with the IMF's Government Financial Statistics Classification System.

That in itself IS a major condition of the Iraqi Stand By Agreement with IMF and the WB.

So ...if that means that the IMF will be a satisfied entity or if there is more to comply, with and in that case, the time schedule for it, I don't know, BUT, it will be ONE of the major conditions met.

That, then gives two major conditions verified. The Debt, and the structural set up of their budget.

Two more pins down.

Train chooo chooo chooo

-- January 7, 2007 12:03 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N,

I have also read those two conflicting data's.

One states that oil companies are mainly staying away due to security problems.

Other reports are telling about oil companies that are more or less having fist fights in the desert stalking claims, and trying to be first at the door at the Iraqi oil ministry.

In my opinion, they are eager to get in, and security problems are of lesser magnitude, risk for their investment being Socialised, is of greater concern, and thus must be relied upon the implemented FIL and HCL laws, to be implemented.

There is no more known "mega fields" with shallow oil, under its own pressure, in the world.

With clowns running Iran and Venezuela, and a rapidly rising world demand, the pressure have risen to compensate for that.

Some reports saying that the major oil players might not do some serious investment in Iraq for years to come, ...???? I'm just shaking my head.

Either by political or other reason, someone is feeding us, the line that no one is overly interested in the oil, there is a lukewarm "lets see" attitude amongst the oil companies about it.

Unless there is a very sneaky political maneuver in an effort to win something in another arena, not visible for us right now, I say the info is either misinformation, or BS.

-- January 7, 2007 12:25 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Whoha, haven't been on the research path for a long time, and got going today and found more and more stuff.

Of all the signs that seem to come together there is a real important one, that started to take place in about Aug to the beginning of the slow reval in the beginning of Nov.

In order to bring up a value of a currency, the currency needs to be more scarce, less of them around.

This can go on, until the amount of currency is so scarce that is still working in its economy, but a somewhat hard to get at document, as the currency is the blood in the veins of the economy.

Once the pain point have arrived, and a country needs to continue to raise the value of the currency, the next step is to buy back and cancel the higher notes, (in our case the 25000 Dinar) and thus work itself down the nominations.

In the time period of Aug to Nov, CBI, of the about 20 Trill Dinars in circulation, bought back 6 trill, with what they have in their coffers, and what is bought back together with what they were sitting on plus what have been bought back since then, would be closer to 10 Trill Dinars.

Maybe you have read reports of how dealers are out of Dinars right now, and even currency dealers in Iraq have a hard time getting them.

If you want to revalue your currency, make it more valuable, you really really want to make sure you're collecting as much of it as possible to have in your vaults during the reval, even a slow and insignificant reval as going on right now, will with those numbers, the increase in the total value is incredible much.

So with that, you can see the clear intent to raise the value of the Dinar.

If they decides to do a very large increase in their reval, they would pretty quick maximize their holdings, as long as they are pulling Dinars out of the market, it will serve those two purposes, increase the value on the market, and increase the value of Iraqis reserve.

The CBI have been buying back Iraqi Dinars like crazy the last couple of months.

It seems to come together just fine.....

-- January 7, 2007 2:17 AM ∞

---

Madbrad wrote:

Guys & Gals
Couple of interesting articles:-

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2132467.ece

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/01/07/cciraq07.xml

Roger

I'm with you on your rv thoughts, I like others here may be a bit concerned about the 25k note disappearing!

have you any futher views in this area

-- January 7, 2007 2:42 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Sunday, January 07, 2007

(article link) Az-Zaman headlined in its international edition: “the American forces abort an Iranian coup in Iraq”. Az-Zaman claimed that an Iranian intelligence operation was underway to “form a pro-Iranian government in Iraq after removing al-Maliki’s government”. The paper added that the ‘coup’ was to be carried out in conjunction with Iraqi ‘heads of militias and pro-Iranian officials’. The paper quoted a ‘British source’ who said that the ‘plan’ was aborted when the American forces arrested five Iranian intelligence operatives during a ‘high-level meeting’ with Shi`a politicians. The aim of the meeting, according to the British source, was to negotiate a post-Maliki political arrangement and determine the viability of the government and the Shi`a coalition after the Da`wa party –one of the constituents of the Shi`a bloc- was tarnished by the process of Saddam’s execution. [...]

-- January 7, 2007 8:11 AM ∞

---

JPF wrote:

where did you get that article from? I'd really be interested in having confirmation of that if it is true.

-- January 7, 2007 8:26 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

The Iraqi dinar... And floating the dollar in the structure of the national economy
03/01/2007
Source: Translated by IRAQdirectory.com
Since the foundation of the Iraqi State in 1922, a government was formed according to the Constitution and there became legislative, executive and legal powers, as well as the issuance of currency and thus, the Iraqi dinar had become the measuring unit that Iraqis deals by in the market. The Central Bank is the body that issues this currency according to a special law. The Iraqi dinar had status cash at home and abroad, because Iraq was considered one of the oil exporters at that time and still is. Thus the rolling Iraqi Monetary (nominal value) specified by the law has become a criterion for exchange transactions, withdrawal and the international circulation according to system Gold rule; although, it was related to the British pound before the revolution of July 14th, 1958, especially in terms of credit and foreign transfers, as it has a metal cover coupled with stability. After the liberation of Iraq from the ring of the (sterling Pound), the Iraqi dinar remained as a cash unit (with real value) standing on its own compared to international rates.

In spite of the many shocks that hit the developing country in conditions of political and economic changes led to the dangerous decline of many of those currencies, like what happened between Iraq and its neighbor Iran in 1980 until 1988 of a devastating war sapped the human energies and infrastructure of both countries, the Iraqi dinar was not affected much and managed to keep its true value and relative stability throughout the war period. But after the government took the wrong procedure of issuing millions of dinars of the 25 note, the Iraqi dinar had become no more than a (commercial paper) in its (nominal value) and this sinister phenomenon which was the result of the misconduct of the government, then, paved the way for the American dollar to monopolize the Iraqi market. Since then, the Iraqi dinar remained incurably ill because the performance evaluation of the Iraqi monetary, particularly in the year 1994 after the penetration of the dollar, revealed that the dinar had no real value as an Iraqi exchange measuring unit against the dollar, despite the fact that Iraq has enormous oil wealth more than any country in the world, especially European countries, in terms of trade credit and cash deal.

The American dollar monopolized the Iraqi economic policy and the dinar has not been able to stand up to it after the removal of the former regime and the loss of control by the State over its economic and commercial structures. How will the Iraqi currency be stabile when it is represented by the ill dinar which can not be cured as long as the floating dollar overwhelms the whole Iraqi market; the Iraqi seller and the buyer deal only by it. Who is responsible for this decline?

A question put before the Ministry of Finance, as the Minister stated previously on the need for (evaluating the Iraqi dinar) and called for its activation against the American dollar. Will the Iraqi parliament seek to lay the evaluation foundations of a new monetary unit all over again? Or will the dinar remain weak against the dollar? And to what level will the Iraqi economy deteriorate if its spinal column, represented by the dinar, can not withstand to be straight up any more?

-- January 7, 2007 8:31 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Hi JPF The article came from....iraqelectionwire.blogspot.com

-- January 7, 2007 8:38 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

I believe:
I said about 3 months ago...the Iranians were going to attempt a Coup with Sadr as one of the main players..
The above post indicates the Iranians did what I though they would attempt to do..
This only delayed them...in their efforts to take the Iraqi government and control the oil fields...it is paramount for them to do this, in order for the present regime to survive.....
Sadr and the politicians that were behind it must be removed immediately to get fore go another Iranian take over attempt...
Do we have the muscle to carry this out?
Time will tell...

-- January 7, 2007 10:07 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Mattuk:

Based upon cost of developing and implementing a new currency it is my opinin that the Bremer Dinar will be the mode of exchange for all Iraqi's.

The Central Bank can continue to increase the value of its currency, which I believe will be at an exchange rate of 1260 to 1 and the slow revaluation will continue from there.

It is imperative for the GoI and American military bring the insurgency under control, without peace neither the Bremer Dinar nor any other currency Iraq wishes to issue will ever be stable.

Iraq's current currency has been issued since 2003, they are three years and some months into it being in wide circulation. I think the currency is still to new to begin speaking of issuing a brand new currency. I am not sure what a new currency would accomplish that the Bremer Dinar has not or will not accomplish.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 7, 2007 10:19 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Just a comment on the discussion of the last couple days. To state the obvious, the pace of development of oil in Iraq, depends very largely on the introduction of foreign companies to the country. If the model for developing the oil resources was a state-run one, I think we could all shut down our computers, and come back in 20-25 years, to see what happened. Any oil-based development that had Iraqi administrators running the thing would be riddled with bureaucratic incompetance, and a turtle-like sluggishness, and the usual Arab incompetance.

What I am looking and hoping for is a kind of a free-market gold rush, where the international oil companies are given a fairly free hand to come in and develop very quickly, according to their own pace, and time goals, and technical competance. If we see that, then the development of the oil industry in Iraq can happen very, very quickly, and it will drag the rest of the Iraqi economy, kicking and screaming, along with it, including the RV of the Iraqi Dinar.

Massive and quick oil development means money, lots of it, and money solves a lot of problems.

If the Iraqis end up with a heavy-handed bureacratic lead hand in proceeding with oil development, the pace will drag, like a hundred pound weight tied to the ankle of a fat man, trying to run.

Thankfully, that negative scenario does not appear to be happening. It sounds like they will put in a free market model. I like what I am hearing. Based on a free-market approach to oil development, if the Iraqi economy is not running like a racehorse, on crack, in 2-3 years, with a very healthy RV, to spread the wealth around, and to help Iraqis pay for all the imported toys and good they desire, to keep the peace and buy loyalty within the population, I'd be very surprised.

As Arnold Horschak used to say, "Looking good, Mr. Kot-tear!"

-- January 7, 2007 11:06 AM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

Does anyone know if you can trade you 25,000 Dinar notes in for smaller bills at Chase bank? I will try to find out this week, but just wondered if anyone had asked that question & got an answere.
Also, does anyone know what denomination the bills are that you can buy from chase bank? do you have choice????
thanks
dale

-- January 7, 2007 1:04 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Pelosi Threatens To Block Funding For Troops In Iraq
From the DNC’s Associated Press:
Pelosi hints at denying Bush Iraq funds
Jan. 7, 2007

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said newly empowered Democrats will not give President Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq, hinting they could deny funding if he seeks additional troops.

Pelosi and Reid told Bush in a letter last week that Democrats oppose additional U.S. forces in Iraq and want him to begin withdrawing in four months to six months American troops already there…

She said Democrats are not interesting in cutting off money for troops already in Iraq — "We won’t do that" — and that her party favors increased the overall size of the Army by 30,000 and Marines by 20,000 "to make sure we are able to protect the American people."

"That’s different though, than adding troops to Iraq," Pelosi said.

The speaker stopped short of stating categorically that Democrats would block money for additional troops in Iraq. But she did say, "The burden is on the president to justify any additional resources. … The president’s going to have to engage with Congress in the justification for any additional troops." …

"This war cost a trillion dollars if it ended now," Pelosi said. "But more important than that, the lives lost, the casualties sustained, the lost reputation in the world, and the damage to our military readiness. For these and other reasons we have to say to the president, in your speech … we want to see a plan in a new direction because the direction you’ve been taking us in has not been successful.

"So when the bill comes … it will receive the harshest scrutiny. What do we really need to protect our troops? What is there for an escalation? What is the justification for that?"

===end of quote===

What is the justification for trying to win the war?

That Pelosi would even ask such an idiotic question tells all.

The only "new direction" that Pelosi and the rest of the Nancy boy Democrats will approve is "retreat."

- This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Sunday, January 7th, 2007 at 10:19 am

Comments:

1) January 7th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Pelosi’s new image as Italian Catholic mom — more than a ‘San Francisco liberal’
Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
Sunday, January 7, 2007

Quite a makeover for newly sworn House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as her national image morphed from leader of the San Francisco liberal elite to Italian Catholic mom from Baltimore.

There was her photo-op return to the Little Italy neighborhood where she grew up as Nancy D’Alesandro, the mayor’s daughter. There was the visit to St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, where they still recite Mass in Italian several times a year.

“It’s clear Republicans are reeling today based on her outreach to Italian Catholics who, as we know, have deserted the Democratic Party in the Midwest in droves,'’ said San Francisco power attorney Joe Cotchett, who was among those attending the Pelosi swearing in.

“A lot of people don’t know much about her, so this is a chance to fill in her profile and biography so she doesn’t just become the San Francisco liberal,'’ said San Francisco consultant Chris Lehane, a veteran of the Clinton-Gore White House. “This is the one time when the press will be focusing on it.'’

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/07/BAGIGNE9A71.DTL

2) January 7th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
‘A lot of people don’t know much about her, so this is a chance to fill in her profile and biography so she doesn’t just become the San Francisco liberal,’’

This clintonista consultant almost has it right. But it should actually read that “this a chance to “”SPIN”" her profile and bio so she doesn’t come off as the San Francisco liberal that we who know her know she really is”!

I believe that is much more accurate. This is a woman who has bought into and participates in all that is liberal and looney about the peoples republic of san franciscostan. And she is a couple of heartbeats away from being the President. If that doesn’t scare republicans and conservatives into getting our act together by 2008, I don’t know what will.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/pelosi-threatens-to-cut-funding-for-troops-in-iraq

-- January 7, 2007 2:11 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

The train

May be at the station for one more day. There is considerable chatter on the other sites that the dinar may not move again until the 9th. I think I saw one of those articles with a poor translation. You know the kind that leaves you asking

"what the heck are they saying?"

For those thursting for a move tomorrow, don't be surprised if it's Tuesday before we see movement.

As I read other blogs, there seems to be loss of patience. Patience is required here.

This is the Arab world where "Ensala" rules.

As I noted previously, Ensala (enshalla) is directly translated as "God willing" but practically translated as "I'll get to it when I'm darn well ready"

We'll just have to wait and see

-- January 7, 2007 2:24 PM ∞

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Chris wrote:

To better clarify. You may ask an Arab to do something and his answer will most likely be "ensala"

-- January 7, 2007 2:32 PM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Hi All,

I wanted to bring to everyone's attention The Washington Post artice dated 1/7/07 entitled "Critics Say Surge Is More of the Same." In the article, the Washington Posts reports that President Bush is pushing Maliki to marginalize Moqtada Al-Sadr (leader of 30 seats in Parliament and 5 cabinet posts in Maliki's government. The strategy is to link 2 large Kurdish parties, two main Shiiti parties and the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party.

The article states that Bush is pressing Iraq's Prime Minister, Maliki to do three items. These are: 1. Amend Constitution to address Sunni Concerns. 2. Pass law on distribution of Iraqi Oil. 3. Pass policy that allows participation of former Baath Party Official to join the government. At present, they are not allowed in government process.

The other interesting point made in article is that the military is recommending that the government go to a state run government over all business opportunities as Iraqi's are not prepared to run their economy in free market. In other words, state run gas stations etc (much like Mexico).

What do you all think about this information?. If one of you can pull the artice and post it, it would be much appreciated. Also, Senator Lieberman has an article on same date with Washington Post, "Senator Lieberman Goes His Independent Way." This article is saying that Lieberman supports increased troops in Iraq against the Democratic congress.

Maybe Sara or Rob N. can print the articles to forum.

Thanks,

Laura

-- January 8, 2007 12:25 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Lieberman.. the Democrat with guts and a brain..

===

Sen. Lieberman Goes His Independent Way
He Calls for 'Substantial' Troop Increase in Iraq
By Shailagh Murray
Sunday, January 7, 2007

At the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman shared his own thoughts on Bush's plan. "We need an increase in troops there now," he asserted before an audience of military experts and academics. "It must be substantial, and it must be sustained."

Lieberman was sworn in last week as the chamber's one and only "independent Democrat," with the emphasis on "independent." On most issues, including big domestic priorities, he expects to vote as he has for the past 18 years, as a loyal Democrat. But on Iraq, Lieberman is more in sync with Bush than are many Republicans. He is a passionate defender of the war as a death struggle against Islamic terrorism.

The November election swept Republicans out of power in Congress and signaled that voters are deeply unhappy about the course of the Iraq war. The asterisk is Lieberman, who won a fourth term in an antiwar state with strong support from Republican and unaffiliated voters.

That has given Lieberman a mandate to be the man in the middle, an essential player to both parties while beholden to neither. Lately he has dropped the "Democrat" half of his affiliation, describing himself at the Friday event merely as an independent. He even holds out the possibility that he would back a supporter of the Iraq war, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), in the 2008 presidential race -- although his Connecticut colleague, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D), also may be running.

"I've had a very political two years, so I'm staying out of it for now," Lieberman demurred after his AEI address. "But you know, I'm independent, and I'm just going to watch it develop for a while. I'm going to support who's best for the country. But I wouldn't exclude the possibility" of endorsing McCain.

Bush is considering a temporary increase in U.S. force levels as he prepares to deliver a major speech on Iraq policy this week. Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told the president in a letter Friday that they oppose the idea.

"There is no military solution in Iraq, only a political solution," Reid said. "Adding more combat troops to this civil war undermines our efforts to get the Iraqis to take responsibility for the future."

Lieberman got a hearty laugh at the AEI event when asked to comment on the Reid-Pelosi letter. "Speaking as an independent," he said with a smile, "needless to say, I respectfully disagree."

For Lieberman and McCain, the big worry is that Bush will order too small a troop increase to make a difference. "Unless you believe all is lost, we've got to do everything we can to win," Lieberman said.

"The president of the United States gets this," Lieberman said. "I think he sees the moment that we are at in the larger war on terrorism and the significance of how we conclude the war in Iraq, how devastating it would be to the Iraqis, to the Middle East, to America if we simply withdrew. He needs our support."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601183.html

-- January 8, 2007 1:40 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Rate Change!!!!!!!!!

Announcement No.(837)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 837 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 1/8 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 9 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1320 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1318 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 9.305.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 1.200.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 9.305.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 1.200.000

-- January 8, 2007 6:17 AM ∞

---

keo wrote:

DINAR MOVING AGAIN!!!!!
Number of banks 9 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1320 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1318 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 9.305.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 1.200.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 9.305.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 1.200.000 -----

-- January 8, 2007 6:21 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iran and Iraq's Hidden Catastrophe
Monday, 08 January 2007
Dr. Majid Sadeghpour

Global Politician - Silently yet systematically, Iraq's nationalist, secular, and democratic voices are falling silent. Their lives taken and their blood shed in the troubled country's treacherous struggle for democracy and sovereignty. The killers are shadowy, their traces ultimately pointing the prudent observer to the neighboring country to the east where extremist leaders are believed to be the primary instigators of instability in Iraq.

Amidst the incredibly destructive influence from Iranian regime and the violence it perpetuates, Iraq still brandishes a vibrant, tolerant, and secular population. Sadly, and without much international attention these voices are being brutally and methodically silenced. Iraq is thus losing its best and brightest human assets at an alarming rate.

Of note, his Islamic Unity Party in Iraq had issued a statement on August 25th of this year noting that, "the Iranian regime's meddling in Iraq is taking place in the most disgusting manner by its proxy militias, taking a heavy toll from the people of Iraq." (Excerpts from Ayatollah Qasemi's Letter to the Multinational Forces in Iraq.)
....

The element linking these and many other targeted murders is unquestionably the well funded force behind them. Interestingly, almost all of these figures had recently stated their contempt for the Iranian influence in Iraq, or expressed their explicit support for a major Iranian opposition group based in Ashraf, Iraq. Absence of these talented figures will surely influence the dynamics of the future Iraqi politics. Their methodical elimination from the political and social landscape will have effectively served to silence the democratic voices speaking for an independent and sovereign Iraq. In this fashion, Tehran's dictators wish to get closer to the prize: to rule over the holly cities of Najaf and Karbalah.

That the mullahs in Iran have a vested interest in Iraq, and are simultaneously incapable of tolerating progressive social and political views is not a recent phenomenon.

To put the recent events in perspective, one must recall the long and bloody Iran-Iraq war. The mullahs' protracted that war years after Iraq's withdrawal to international borders. Their aim was clear then as was it consistent with their ideology. Then and now, their actions are motivated by a single expansionist aim: to establish a greater Islamic state which includes Iraq. Additionally, the Ayatollahs and their extremist cronies had long ago perfected the art of eliminating secular, moderate, democratic and independent voices. The streets of Tehran and Western Europe have witnessed countless terrorist acts, cold blooded murders, and uninhibited assassinations devised and carried out by the order of the highest authorities in the clerical state.

And yes, the logic behind the Iranian clerics' strategy is deliberate yet quite simple.

Tehran's mullahs are doing to Iraqis, as they did to Iranian intellectuals and dissidents. By achieving a homogeneous yet extremist socio-political landscape in Iraq, they aim to further expand their reach into the west, east or north. This undertaking is certainly consistent with their deliberate campaign aimed at achieving regional expansion, paving the way towards an Islamic Caliphate dynasty. All of this would be a catastrophe not only for Iraq and the region, but also for the international community at large.

http://www.ncr-iran.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2730&Itemid=0

-- January 8, 2007 7:32 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

You know what America needs?

America needs a foreign legion.

The French had one, for many years. Many great empires had one. The British, who once had an empire so large, it was said, the sun never set, on the British Empire. They used Indian and Ghurka troops regularly. The Romans used them. Celts, Scots, and Germans were employed, regularly to bring stability to the empire. Even the Americans sort of used them, only they didn't call them a foreign legion. Remember Afghanistan, how the American Army played the tribal sides off one another, and got them to do their dirty work by playing local rivals off one another? Same thing, more or less.

The Romans had the same problem the Americans now face. They started to get antsy about casualties. Life was good in the Roman Empire. Food and shelter was good. It was a great prestige to be a Roman citizen, and it was a prize worth risking your life, to attain. Many did, in the service of the empire. Once they had given good service to the empire, killed enough barbarians, they could be awarded a pension, and Roman citizenship, if they were good enough.

Several billion people are near starving around the world. The lineup to serve in the American military could stretch around the world, if Americans wanted volunteers for a foreign legion. Why should you lay down the lives of your own sons, to do all the dirty work? Get other people to do the grunt work. If America had a foreign legion, and if it took 20,000 troops to subdue Iraq, the public in the States would be less upset about it. They wouldn't be American citizens until they finished the job.

One of the great advantages the enemies the Americans are fighting, is that, for them, life is cheap. Their countries have too many citizens, with not enough life prospects, and they have a religion that values sacrificing one's own life, in the service of forwarding that radical Muslim agenda. That means, religious leaders in the middle east don't mind sacrificing a million men, on the way to victory. All they have to do is pump up the egos, and heads, of gullible young men, with a warped set of political ideas, and dreams of 57 virgins, awaiting them in paradise, to pleasure them, at their beck and call, and the young testosterone-rich male baboons seem to line up around the block to volunteer for this opportunity.

As I have said before, the average age in Iraq is around 20 years old. This is typical of the Muslim world. This means some good things, like youthful energy, to potentially rebuild the country. It also means youthful gullibility. Young people sometimes lack judgement, and are easier to manipulate than older people, with experience. And the Arab and Muslim world is just bursting at the seams with millions of these young men. Idle, half-educated, formed since youth with a skewed, slightly warped version of reality, pumped up with egotistical vanity and unshakable self-confidence that only the truly deluded posses, great and massive swarms of these young men are everywhere in the Muslim world. The greybeards, the old men, who wish power, spend their time manipulating these lads.

The old men know that the Muslim world is at a distinct technological advantage when it comes to war. The Americans are light years ahead. In a large scale, technologically centred, large army centred war, the Muslim leaders know they can never, ever win against the Americans. They also know there are many ways to fight war. And that they can fight the war, on their own terms, at what they are good at, and have a chance of winning, that way. They know the Muslim world has a big advantage in terms of age, and disposible young men. So they use the young men, throw away their lives, carelessly, by manipulating them, and having them pursue the warped agenda of the religious radicals.

How do you counter that, militarily? A foreign legion. Fight fire with fire. Americans are getting antsy about losing 3,000 troops. By historical standards, that is a ridiculously low figure, of troop losses, for a major conflict. That figure shows how amazingly good the American Army is, at fighting wars. But what good is a great army if you don't have the will to use it?

Right now, as I can see it, the greybeards of the Muslim world are very, very shrewd men. They are using the tactical advantage they are best at, that is, a long and slow and relentless insurgency, to slowly wear down American will. They know that they have the advantage in men. They have the advantage of having the willpower to throw away a million lives, if need be, in the service of victory. Saddam Hussein himself had no problem starting a war with Iran and losing hundreds of thousands of men. That is the kind of nasty human being the Americans are up against. Saddam is not an isolated incident, but rather a reflection of the type of men who lead, in the region. The greybeards know the American media is soft, and gullible, and easily manipulated. So they play them like a guitar, plucking strings as needed.

Americans should know, this is not going away. Even if Americans are successful in Iraq, there is a global demographic wave of angry young Muslim males coming up. Europe has decided to invite them all to Europe, to replace the children Europeans refuse to have. Good luck with that.... So, they are not going away, how do you fight this, when America gets squeamish over losing less men, than a small town in Kansas, in a major war?

A foreign legion. With American training, leadership and equipment, an army of several million could be constructed in a few years. If American leadership were to join the advantages of American technology and leadership, with a large number of men, willing to fight and die, even in the millions, for American ideals, then America could turn the tide against Islamic extremism.

Americans are right now training the new Iraqi Army. In a way, that's already a foreign legion. Whether it works or not remains to be seen, but in theory, Iraqi soldiers are fighting for a democratically elected government of Iraq, formed along the lines of American ideals. The difference is, of course, an American foreign legion would remain under American command, and could be sent to any trouble spot all around the world. So, why hasn't this been already done?

There is an enormous cultural gap between America and the rest of the world, right now. Much of the world lives with an outlook and sensibility vastly different than the Americans. America is a nation of immigrants. From this experience, Americans have come to think that all people are just like them, only foreigners have not had the privilege of fitting in yet, and embracing the norms of American society, of being "Americanized". Well, foreigners can be slowly integrated into American life, but I think Americans vastly underestimate the cultural differences between themselves, and a considerable portion of mankind.

American ideas and ideals are great. Only, will they be successful? Can America export it's ideals around the world? Iraq is partly a test, of that. That's certainly what President Bush has been saying. Well, ideas and ideals are great, but the ones that will win are not necessarily the ones that are best, but rather the ones coming from people with the most willpower to enforce and spread it's ideals around the world. Are Americans interested enough in the world to do this?

I am fond of Americans, but I'd have to say, they are not always the most curious people, for looking around the world, and trying to understand other people, other psychologies, other histories. Even today, most Americans don't have a clue, what they are up against, in confronting radical Islam. They refuse to "get it" because what is happening in the world is just too far removed from everyday American reality and ideas about life.

America may not be that interested in the world, but the world is very interested in them. Part of this means understanding that Islamic extremists have an agenda to do great harm to America, and it's interests. The only way America is going to win this struggle, which will likely go on the rest of this century, is to "get real" about it, to face and confront and acknowledge the threat, and to pursue a reasonable and practical tactical and strategic approach to engaging the enemy.

I doubt that Americans are willing to have millions of their young men and women die, in bloody wars against Muslim extremists, but I think that is what it will eventually take to defeat them, over the coming decades. A sensible way to take on this challenge is a foreign legion. Muslims right now are gaining a tactical advantage by using lots of young men, in a low level guerilla war, coupled with patience, to fight the Americans. Well, two can play that game. So why aren't two sides playing this game? Why are Americans continuing to allow the enemy to enjoy a very large tactical advantage, for the type of war being fought?

Tactical advantage is an important consideration in war. It asks, what are you good at? What are you not good at? It's like in life, a businessman may use the services of an accountant and a lawyer, each with specialties, and specialized skills, simply because it is difficult to do everything well. It is hard for a successful businessman to also be a competant lawyer and accountant at the same time. It is easier, and to his advantage, to hire good people, in these areas, to give him specialized advice, when needed. It helps him be more successful and productive, this way. War is similar. You use specialists who are good at things that you don't have the time for.

Lessons need to be learned from this war, because there will be similar wars, to it, in the future. What are those lessons? Americans need to confront their tactical disadvantages, head on, and address them, with sensible remedies.

Maybe it's time to dust off the history books, look at what great empires did in the past to sustain themselves, and learn from that, that is, if America wants to continue to be top dog.

The solution? An American foreign legion.

-- January 8, 2007 12:10 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Laura, thanks for your thoughts on welfare. I agree with you that young women, who have men that leave them, should not be crapped on, or blamed. I can tell you have a lot of knowledge, and experience in this area, as do I. I was going to continue the conversation, but I'd rather talk about the Dinar, or war, or some such thing. thanks for your thoughts. You got me thinking. take care.

-- January 8, 2007 12:14 PM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Tim:
Voting age in Iran 15 years. Average age 19 years..

-- January 8, 2007 12:16 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim Bitts and Carl;

Excellent thoughts on the need for a foreign legion. Well said. Thanks for the chiming in with Iran's median age, Carl. Surely it fits the puzzle. Interesting to note, also, your saying there would be an attempted coup by Iran - which we just saw was reported thwarted. And the article I just posted adds to that, showing that it really is a proxy war between the US and Iran, who, as Tim Bitts points out, is willing to expolit a tactical advantage for all it is worth. I think Tim Bitts has a very good thought on how to shore up that vulnerability - a foreign legion. Thanks for the great posts and sharing on this and other topics. :)

Sara.

-- January 8, 2007 12:49 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

The HCL is still on track and making positive progress......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

08 January 2007 (Turkish Daily News)

As the world still debates the execution of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, it has been revealed that the Iraqi government is preparing to send to Parliament important arrangements on how the country's oil resources are to be carved up.

Proposed new arrangements have been frozen since 2003 because of disagreement between Kurdish, Shiite Arab and Sunni Arab groups.

The draft oil law foresees transfer of the exploitation of oil fields, nationalized by the Baath government in 1972, to oil companies via 30-year privileged contracts. The draft is expected to be voted into law this week, and Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions have agreed on the text on Christmas day, after three and a half months of debate.

According to Referans sources, a meeting was held in London over the weekend in which Vice Prime Minister Berham Salih attended, representing Iraq. His counterparts included representatives of big oil companies. The fact that Salih, a Kurd who is also the president of the Iraq Oil Committee, is active in the process has been interpreted as a sign that Kurds have been persuaded for a national, not regional, arrangement.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/13238

-- January 8, 2007 1:11 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Al-Maliki plans Baghdad crackdown

Washington has identified al-Sadr, the Shia leader, as the biggest threat to security in Iraq [AP]
The Iraqi government plans to bring in reinforcements to take part in a major security plan for Baghdad but a US general has said the key to success would be a balanced approach rather than sheer force.
Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, announced the plan on Saturday, vowing to crush armed groups "regardless of sect or politics".
His plans suggested that he may be ready to tackle forces loyal to his fellow Shia, as demanded by Washington and the Sunni population.
Al-Maliki's proposed plan was not welcomed by the head of the largest Sunni group in Iraq, saying, the proposal will lead to civil war if implemented.
Interviewed on Al Jazeera on Sunday, Saleh al-Mutlaq, head of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front, said on Sunday: "We will not let it go because if we do, then we will have no future in Iraq, and we represent a high percentage in Iraq and have the right to live in our country.
"Even the Shia are not happy with The plan will only lead the country to a civil war between Sunnis and Shia. People on both sides would hate that."

Plan blueprint
Sami al-Askari, an adviser to al-Maliki, said two brigades from northern Iraq, comprising mostly Kurdish soldiers, and one from the mainly Shia south would be sent to Baghdad to help implement the plan.
The plan foresees Iraqi forces taking responsibility for inner Baghdad while US forces will be in charge of the surrounding areas, he said. Al-Askari said the government was determined to crack down on fighters' infiltration of the armed forces.
"It takes time because it's not an easy task ... [but] without it the people will not trust the security forces."

Source: Al Jazeera and Agencies

-- January 8, 2007 1:52 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Arab states want Bush's Iraq policy to counter Iran
Mon Jan 8, 2007 1:05 PM GMT147

By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent (REUTERS UK)

BEIRUT (Reuters) - When U.S. President George W. Bush unveils his new Iraq policy this week, Washington's Arab allies want him to allay their fears of rising Shi'ite power in Baghdad and Iranian influence across the Middle East.

Though they doubted the wisdom of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Arab states now fear that U.S. troops might withdraw hastily, leaving an Iraq dominated by Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias.

That in turn could consolidate the emergence of a Tehran-led axis linking Iran, Iraq and Syria with Islamist groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Iranian-backed Palestinian Hamas group, all with a strongly anti-U.S. agenda.

Mustafa Alani, a security analyst at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai, said Arab governments feared the United States was losing its grip on Iraq, even if they still hoped it would not cut and run, thereby handing victory to Iran.

"Their major worry is Iranian influence over the Iraqi government and outside the government," he said.

"There will be no cooperation for the new American policy in the region unless Bush really points his finger at this issue."

Bush's new policy will include "benchmarks" for the Iraqi government to meet, as well as sending up to 20,000 extra troops to try to stabilise the country, the New York Times reported.
It cited senior administration officials on Sunday as saying that the goals include steps to draw more alienated Sunnis into the political process, ease discrimination against former Baath Party members and share out oil revenue fairly.

ARAB JITTERS

International Crisis Group analyst Joost Hiltermann said Arab governments were "very nervous" about Washington's capacity to control events in Iraq or even to prevent its disintegration.

They wanted to hear Bush promise continued U.S. engagement, a serious effort to bring Sunni nationalist insurgents into mainstream politics and tougher action against Shi'ite militas.

"Their underlying concern is that Iraq might fall apart. That would give more opportunity for Iran to get in," he said.

In the 1980s, Washington's Arab allies backed Saddam Hussein's Iraq in its costly eight-year war with non-Arab Iran, feared as a strategic rival and source of Islamic militancy.

Though they turned against Saddam when he invaded Kuwait in 1990 and were glad to see his fall, they have been dismayed how the U.S. invasion brought Kurds and Iran-backed Shi'ite factions to power at the expense of once-favoured Sunni Arabs.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has complained that Saddam's hanging, with the jeers of his Shi'ite executioners ringing in his ears, had turned the former Iraqi dictator into a martyr.
The sectarian carnage in Iraq has raised Sunni-Shi'ite tensions elsewhere, including Saudi Arabia, which has a big Shi'ite minority based in the oil-producing eastern province.

Imams of several Saudi mosques have been concluding their Friday sermons with victory prayers for Iraqi Sunnis.

"The Iraqi government has unfortunately followed a sectarian agenda. There are fears now that Sunni districts in Baghdad will come under attack by some militias," said Adel al-Harbi, political editor at the Saudi newspaper al-Riyadh.

Alani said the Arab states believed it would be futile to expand the U.S. military presence unless its goal was to control Shi'ite militias, not just to fight Sunni insurgents.

"They don't want a cosmetic measure. They want a real measure to impose direct U.S. control and they want it to be evenhanded in dealing with both sorts of terrorism," he said.

NO DEAL WITH IRAN

What conservative Arab governments oppose is any direct U.S. dialogue with Iran that would effectively reward its alleged meddling in Iraq.

"Arab states want to isolate Iran, not engage it," Hiltermann said, adding that in their view Iranian influence had to be held back in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian territories.
"They are in a double bind," he added. "They would love to give support to the Sunni insurgents in Iraq, but they can't be seen to be doing that because they are American allies and are dependent on the U.S. and Western countries for aid."

They would also be wary that any such support could end up empowering al Qaeda militants in Iraq, whose wider jihadist goals include overthrowing Western-backed Arab governments.

As Sunni Arab governments consider how they can resist the regional ambitions of a potentially nuclear-armed Iran, one option would be to join a U.S.-backed alignment with powers such as Turkey and even Israel that share their interest.

"This is going to develop if American failure in Iraq becomes a reality," Alani said.

Any alignment involving Israel could pose problems for Arab states allied to Washington, whose own people are angered by the plight of the Palestinians and U.S. support for Israel.

An even-handed U.S. push for progress on peace between Israel and the Palestinians would ease those dilemmas.

-- January 8, 2007 2:00 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

January 08, 2007

Font:
THE WORLD FROM BERLIN
Is Israel Planning a Nuclear Strike on Iran?

The British Sunday Times has reported that Israel is preparing for a nuclear strike on Iran's atomic weapons facilities. Planted or not, the story should serve as a wake-up call for the West.

When it comes to its alleged nuclear weapons and what it intends to do with them, Israel likes to keep the world guessing. Hence it came as no surprise that Israel has denied a report that it is preparing for a nuclear strike on Iran's purported nuclear facilities -- a report which may serve Israel well as a means of psychological warfare, even if it makes the rest of the world's hair stand on end.

A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israel has drafted plans to strike targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons. In this July 2006 file photo, an Israeli F-16 warplane takes off for a mission from an air force base in southern Israel.
Zoom
AP

A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israel has drafted plans to strike targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons. In this July 2006 file photo, an Israeli F-16 warplane takes off for a mission from an air force base in southern Israel.
The British Sunday Times reported that Israel had drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities -- which are suspected of being part of a secret nuclear weapons program -- using low-yield nuclear weapons.

Two Israeli air force squadrons have been training to blow up an enrichment plant in Natanz using tactical nuclear weapons known as "bunker busters," the newspaper reported, citing Israeli military sources. Two other sites at Arak and Isfahan would be targeted with conventional weapons, it said.

According to the plan, a conventional laser-guided bomb will first be used to blow a shaft down through the layers of hardened concrete at the Natanz site. Nuclear warheads would then be fired into the plant, exploding deep underground in an attempt to reduce radioactive fallout.

The newspaper reported that Israeli pilots have recently been flying as far as Gibraltar to simulate the 2,000-mile (3,200 kilometer) round trip to Natanz. Three possible routes to Iran have been mapped out, including one over Turkey.

RELATED SPIEGEL ONLINE LINKS

*
SPIEGEL 360: Our Full Coverage of the Iran Conflict
*
SPIEGEL Interview with Ehud Olmert: Israel Doesn't Rule out Military Strike on Iran (12/11/2006)
*
Israel and the Bomb: Atomic Mole Vanunu Hopes for an End to Hypocrisy (12/13/2006)
*
TV Gaffe Mars Germany Visit: Olmert Under Fire For Implying Israel Has Nukes (12/12/2006)
*
Iran's Atomic Ambitions: The "Iraq Scenario" in Iran (09/20/2006)

Israel has refused to rule out pre-emptive military action against Iran, along the lines of its air strike against Iraq's Osirak nuclear plant in 1981. However, many analysts believe Israel cannot destroy Iran's nuclear facilities by itself. The newspaper, which did not rule out the possibility that Israel was engaging in saber-rattling, also quoted sources as saying a nuclear strike would only be used if a conventional attack was ruled out and if the United States declined to intervene.

Germany's papers Monday expressed alarm at the report and called on the West to stand firm on Iran so that Israel would not feel pressured into taking matters into its own hands.

The business daily Handelsblatt writes:

"It's not easy to believe Israel's denials (that it is planning an attack), because top Israeli politicians and military officers regularly threaten Iran with violence. Deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh said in November he did not want to rule out a military option against Iran as "a last resort." In October Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sent a similar warning to Tehran. (...)

"The Israeli public is being systematically prepared for a possible military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Hardly a day goes by without top politicians, generals, intelligence officers or security-political think tanks musing about military options. They evaluate possibilities and weigh up their consequences.

"They may argue over the details, but in one question there is a reckless consensus: that the Iranian regime can not be dissuaded from developing the bomb using diplomatic means alone."

The left-of-center daily Berliner Zeitung writes:

"Israeli politicians have not ruled out a pre-emptive strike against Iran in theory, and the fact that Israel has already bombed a foreign nuclear installation, in Iraq in 1981 -- albeit with conventional means -- speaks for the validity of the Sunday Times' report.

"On the other hand, the obvious question is whether the article was deliberately planted in the media. Officially Israel is following a policy of ambiguity as to the existence of Israeli nuclear weapons. Recently, however, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert included the country in the ranks of the nuclear powers. Before that, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates had classified Israel as a nuclear power. Is the new report a new attempt to threaten Tehran with the bomb, without doing so directly -- and also to test the reaction of the West?"

The conservative daily Die Welt writes:

"The headlines about Israel's alleged attack plans against Iran can be clearly seen as a weapon of psychological warfare. Israel profits from such news: It makes the Iranians aware of the consequences of their policies and puts the world under pressure to not simply accept Iran's nuclear program. (...)

NEWSLETTER
Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box everyday.

"It is irrelevant if the story is true or not. The only important thing is whether one believes Israel is ready to use force. The Israeli government has been making it clear to the world for months that it will not accept an Iranian nuclear bomb and will stop at nothing to prevent it. It is obvious that a military strike could be a last resort after other efforts have been exhausted. No state will simply look on as a regime which wishes its destruction arms itself. And Iran wants to wipe Israel from the map. Israel will act if the major powers fail to keep Tehran from developing the bomb. However, it is doubtful that the conflict could be solved with a single military strike (...). A protracted and bloody conflict is much more likely.

"This in turn can not be in the interests of the Americans and the Europeans. For this reason, they should deter the Israeli government from acting by itself. This however means resolutely confronting Iran and, if necessary, acting against Tehran even without a United Nations mandate. In short: (The West) cannot allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances."

-- David Gordon Smith at 1:30 p.m. CET

-- January 8, 2007 2:27 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Okie;

I found the opening line of your HCL article interesting - "As the world still debates the execution of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein"...

It seems a misnomer, to say they are debating it. (Misnomer - a misapplied or inappropriate name or designation. 2. an error in naming a person or thing.) No one can change the fact of it, and the world isn't about to wholesale embrace the idea of banning the death penalty. The reality of war precludes the possibility of imposing that will for 'totally peaceful' solutions upon the world by force. The law cannot be seen to be impotent to deal with those who slaughter people.. even those who are leaders of countries who slaughter their own people. Justice is the only thing this world can hope for, and the execution of this man was just.

===

Iraq trial tapes tell of 'extermination' plan
POSTED: 12:01 p.m. EST, January 8, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) -- Saddam Hussein and his cousin "Chemical Ali" discussed killing thousands with chemical weapons before unleashing them on Kurds in 1988, according to tapes played on Monday in a trial of former Iraqi officials.

Nine days after Hussein's hanging, his front-row seat in the dock was conspicuously empty, but Ali Hassan al-Majeed and five other Baath party officials remained on trial for their roles in the 1988 Anfal, or Spoils of War, campaign in northern Iraq.

"I will strike them with chemical weapons and kill them all," a voice identified by prosecutors as that of Majeed, Hussein's cousin and a senior aide, is heard saying.

"Who is going to say anything? The international community? Curse the international community," the voice continued.

"Yes, it's effective, especially on those who don't wear a mask immediately, as we understand," another voice, identified as Hussein, is heard saying on another tape.

"Sir, does it exterminate thousands?" a voice asks back.

"Yes, it exterminates thousands and forces them not to eat or drink and they will have to evacuate their homes without taking anything with them, until we can finally purge them," the voice identified as Hussein answers.

Prosecutors said 180,000 people were killed, many of them gassed, in the Anfal campaign.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/07/hussein.trial.reut/index.html

-- January 8, 2007 2:29 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim Bitts;

I have been thinking about the problems facing the idea of an American Foreign Legion.

The problem with a foreign legion is that most who would join it would be poor (as you mentioned) and so their loyalties may be to the money, not to America. You cannot control their loyalty, which means that in the long run, you cannot control their acts. When you train people to take on the role of Americans - to extend the reach of America and its beliefs - if they do not hold those beliefs, all you do is give our Western technology to barbarians to use in the cutthroat ways of their barbaric cultures. If they are loyal to the highest bidder - if their only reason for joining the American legion is monetary - then if someone else gives them more money or they disagree with the reasons America has for waging the war, they will turn on America and its interests. America is revered for its freedom, but some hate America for its freedoms as well and how can you tell which are which? How do you know which ones are lying and which are true? Spies and liars can happen in any country, especially for money - and amongst foreigners, it is more likely than among your own people. Since a legion is a hired army and those most likely to join it are the poor - since they came into the legion for the money, that is where their loyalties will most likely remain. This is dangerous to America. You must have similar ideologies among those who are fighting for your interests or you face a highly trained army which can turn on you and act in its own interests at any time.

The "hired assassin" army you refer to (foreign legion) is not as wise as what America is doing in Iraq. There, the people are united under being IRAQI, not an arm of America or its interests. They are free and able to make their own laws (and recently as a sovereign country they themselves executed Saddam by their own volition, not according to American forces ordering it). Their loyalty is to their own people, though it is expected that their recognition of America as sponsoring their escape from the clutches of a barbaric and murderous dictator will not be forgotten. It is a far better viewpoint for them to have their own national pride as a people than to hire assassins in foreign lands. It is better to have a friendly country with their own army than a mercenary hired gun army. This experiment in Iraq is very new and has more chance of success than any previous to it, including the idea of an American Foreign Legion, IMO.

Sara.

-- January 8, 2007 4:43 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara, I agree that an American Army, made up of home grown Americans, who grew up with values like freedom and democracy, and loyalty to America, is best. Your view of how the American military should be set up is definitely my first choice. I just don't think it will last. Any country of 300,000,000 people who are getting antsy about losing a few thousand soldiers, will be forced to get serious, at some point this century, or see it's power and influenced severely set back. That's because, I don't think the conflict with Islam will stop. Expect more of the same.

Already, in Iraq, about ten thousand insurgents are messing up Iraq, and pinning the American Army down. That's fewer people than go to an average professional hockey game. That, of course, is the nature of an insurgency. They are very difficult to beat, even for a great army. Traditionally, it takes about 10 years to beat an insurgency. Does America have the willpower to stick around that long? I wish they did, but it doesn't look like it right now.

And then the Americans seem squeamish about casualties on the other side as well. Wars did not used to be fought this way. And the enemy certainly won't have their hands tied by rules of civility. That's why they are willing to murder people, film it, and put it on the internet. The only way to beat these guys is to be as nasty as you need to be. The American Army is willing to be, but American leadership does not appear to have the stomach for a hard fight.

Certainly the Democrats are making a lot of noise about pulling out. Wars are fought in the court of public opinion, in the corridors of power, on TV, as well as the battlefield. This war is being fought on TV, in the sense that the enemy knows Americans can be a bit soft-hearted about life, and they get their news from TV. The insurgents know that any carbombing will be put on TV, and it will soften up the American public, who will pressure their leaders to get out. They figure, if enough body bags come back, and enough time passes, the Americans will just get tired, and go home. Will they? Do Americans have the will for the fight that is coming? If they don't, they will look for other options.

Iraq has already cost 300 billion. American soldiers are much more expensive to train, than are armies filled with people from the Third World. A billion people around the world work for a dollar a day, or less. They are willing to work for a lot less than an American would work for. And American citizenship is highly prized around the world. Several billion people are incredibly poor. If there is one thing that 8 million Mexicans walking across the desert has taught me, it's that a lot of poor people will do nearly anthing to improve their lives. For these people, American citizenship is like an average American winning 50 million, in a lottery. So I think a lot of people would be interested, and their loyalty would be ensured by their own self-interest.

If I am right, and Iraq is only the opening round in the conflict between the United States, and the Islamic world, and if the costs are already astronomical, will the American taxpayer put up with even far greater cost? Or will they look at other options? We'll see.

There are risks, in training soldiers from the Third World, and the situation needs to be set up and monitored carefully, but my guess is it will happen eventually, because of the sheer size of the challenge coming up, for America.

Personally, the money aspect of it doesn't bother me, Sara. If some starving, young and bright guy in Brazil wants to escape a life of limited options in the barrio, and he is willing to risk his life, for a paycheck, for America, I'd say, sign him up. Send him to Iraq. Train him to kill insurgents. The money doesn't bother me. And it doesn't bother me that soldiers may not come from backgrounds where American values are taught. Most potential soldiers are probably not motivated by things like, love of certain ideas anyway. My guess is most soldiers, just like being soldiers, as well as wanting to improve their life chances. They like the military life, and what it has to offer, more than anything. There have always been young men like that, and there always will. Why not use them? I think there loyalty would be assured because you would have a wide variety of other soldiers, from different countries, and you would never know who might rat you out, if you were disloyal. It has worked many times, throughout history. It helped sustain the Roman empire for centuries.

Of course, you would keep a lot of American officers integrated into the units, to monitor the situation, and ensure loyalty, just like Americans are embedded with the Iraqi Army right now.

I don't think that America would like to re-introduce the draft, even if it was needed. America's soldiering resources are already being stretched. And the Democrats are making noises about not wanting to fund an expansion of the American Army in Iraq.

I don't see a foreign legion coming in right away. But if it happened in 10 years, I wouldn't be too surprised. It's certainly an option to consider.

Thanks, Sara:)

Carl: 15? The voting age in Iran is 15?Are you kidding? That's crazy. I always thought a good minimum voting age should be 25.

-- January 8, 2007 5:36 PM ∞

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Dale wrote:

Tim Bitts,
What Sara said!
If we train & arm 20 or thirty or a hundred-thousand foreign fighters. We will soon be fighting foreign legion armed with our technology.
Maybe, if we just give them Russian made AKS's.
At first thought I was like the guys on the Guinness beer commercials, " American Foreign Legion, BRILLINAT!!"
Then the reality set in. The only men to fight our fight , are our own American men.
No other group of men would ever have the passion & will to fight for our interest.
Our men are second to none.
What is the old saying? Don't send a boy to do a man's job.

-- January 8, 2007 6:13 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, Tim. I appreciate your input.. :)

I agree, your approach - with the caveat of "keeping a lot of American officers integrated into the units, to monitor the situation, and ensure loyalty," - appears to me to be a workable solution to end the strategic advantage the Islamofascists have. I understand now that what you advocate is not a foreign legion for anyone to join - recruited from the dregs of the less fortunate in the third world's society - but one very carefully screened and monitored, which allows those who are willing in the third world to achieve their dreams of freedom, prosperity and independence - earning their right to the American dream of pursuing their own happiness. That approach appears to me to be able to overcome the current tactical advantage which the enemy has in being able to wear down the US by these constant attacks and bloodshed against Americans which are splashed across the TV screens of America nightly.

I believe that it is as you said of the Islamofascists - they "are gaining a tactical advantage by using lots of young men, in a low level guerilla war, coupled with patience, to fight the Americans. Well, two can play that game. So why aren't two sides playing this game? Why are Americans continuing to allow the enemy to enjoy a very large tactical advantage, for the type of war being fought?" Your idea of an American Foreign Legion works well to address that tactical advantage by allowing the US to fight in the game without the (very small, only a few thousand) casualties being used by propagandaists against her military efforts.

I suppose the pay scale would work using incentive - so that these American Legion recruits would be paid an adequate wage until they achieved US citizenship, then they would be paid as well as an entry level American soldier - and they would have to win that privilege by putting in their time, starting at the bottom rungs of the ladder. But they would be willing to do so to have a shot at achieving their dreams, as I am sure it was for those who joined the Roman army. I am sure, as you are, that there would be many recruits and that would end the tactical advantage of the enemy in the ongoing battle. I also suppose that they would have to be delineated as Foreign Legion recruits and not as American soldiers until they earned that privilege - to take away the advantage of being identified as American casualties. They would be assigned to the more hazardous jobs, but they would know this before they ever signed up, and still they would join. It would mean that a young American teenager joining the army would likely have less possibility of being put into immediate danger, just as we don't expect Prince Harry to serve diffusing bombs on the bomb squad or patrolling for IEDs..

===

Harry will go to danger zone
By Thomas Harding
Last Updated: 1:06am GMT 01/02/2006

Prince Harry is to be sent to Iraq next year as a troop commander and is likely to patrol the hazardous border with Iran, defence sources have disclosed.

The third in line to the throne will join the Army's 1st Mechanised Brigade, which will be deployed to Basra in May 2007.

The prince has told colleagues that he is determined to go on operations and be treated as normally as possible - not kept out of the line of fire.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/01/nharry01.xml

Frankly, I think American soldiers could then be treated "as normally as possible" - with the goal in mind that we don't wish the enemy to have tactical advantage by killing American citizens anymore than we wish for them to kill the third in line to the British throne.

Sara.

-- January 8, 2007 6:55 PM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Tim:
They are wanting to raise the voting age to 19 but the mullahs are fighting it...

-- January 8, 2007 7:23 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Dale;

Tim's idea is a terrible solution to a terrible problem. I agree that what you say is the first solution - it was my thought as well - but terrorism is not going away, and I think Tim is right that we will have to confront this problem sooner or later because it isn't going away. Of course, once the Islamofascists hit the US with something big we won't have to discuss how to deal with an ongoing war which the Islamofascists won't give up, because it will become painfully obvious to those who deny the war is an ongoing one that it truly is unavoidable and US policy will have to be crafted to deal with the threat they are now denying by sticking their heads in the sand like ostriches.

For now, it is a problem that the Islamofascists have a tactical advantage over us if we only allow native Americans to fight for America. They are using American casualties and injuries to discourage America from fighting in a sustained manner - and the fight must be fought and won. There is no alternative but to fight to the end, unless you wish to convert to the Islamic Caliphate and live under the Imams.. do you, Dale? This solution is a hard way to do things, but I think it is ultimately going to come to something like what Tim has said. How would you address the tactical advantage they have of being able to wait us out and discourage the home base, if not with a solution like this? For now, the only alternative being offered to the way it is now (which the public sees as unsustainable and have pressured the politicians to back away from) is to turn tail and run away and hope they don't come after us and onto our home soil to take up the fight. What other solution do you see which would allow us the freedom to fight to the bitter end as the Islamofascists tell us they are sworn to do? The US Army would fight to the end, but they are not allowed to do so. What is the answer to this tactical advantage, then.. since the way we have now is not working?

Hopefully, the Iraqi army will be the answer as a buffer between us and the Islamofascists who hate us and are sworn against us. If that fails by our being forced to withdraw, we have the lot of it thrown into our laps and a sustained war on US soil will happen instead of Iraq. Those advocating withdrawl are, in my opinion, not only shortsighted, but stupid. They are blind leaders leading the blind.. both are going to fall into the ditch. I just don't wish to be in that ditch with them, so I am keenly listening for any solutions short of the precipice I see us staring into. As I said before, I am hoping to see the US avoid the casualties of an American Hiroshima plot being instigated with casualties in the millions.. but they aren't showing any real brain power by advocating withdrawl of the troops. It shows they think the enemy is small and isolated, that cell groups are not now within America and that we are not under threat. Kind of silly to have the world superpower defeated by 10,000 terrorists.. imagine how good it makes us look.

Sara.

-- January 8, 2007 8:04 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Sara....

During an interview, the King of Saudi Arabia made the following comment. Since you dislike the distortions by the MSM even more than me, I thought you would appreciate it.

======================

"To ensure that these efforts succeed in emerging from the current impasse, I call on the media inside and outside Iraq to side by the Iraqi citizens and avoid exaggeration, sensationalism, and the dispersal of ranks. The way in which the media cover the events is the target of terrorist organizations and cells. This causes the media to become part of the cycle of violence and a party to the crisis."

http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=7587

-- January 8, 2007 9:49 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara, just to throw one more thing, into the mix. Remember my idea of having American forces withdraw, at some point, to fairly isolated bases, and then only lending support to the Iraqi Army? I still believe that would be a good strategy to use, at some point.

I'm not sure the Americans have to fight every fight, and win every battle, in order to win. It's like the old saying, "pick your battles". That is a wise saying because any battle anyone engages in, whether on a personal basis, or a nation at war, draws off a certain amount of energy. Obviously a country is no different than a person, in the sense that it only has so much energy to spare.

I have always thought the Americans can only do so much, in Iraq. The rest is up to the Iraqis. There is a lot of talk in the media about the so-called American failures. I think it is all ridiculous. Americans are winning every battle. However, that doesn't mean they will necessarily win the war. This war will be won by Iraqis, because the things that are screwing up the country are Muslim based, and cultural. Americans have defined victory, as a functioning and peaceful democracy. By definition, the achievement of a great deal of that goal can only be achieved by Iraqis. By definition, achievement of that goal means Iraqis must behave in a civilized manner. Will they? Not enough so far.

Iraq is a mess because of a screwed up culture, and a warped interpretation of a religion, more than anything. Can the Americans fix that? I don't think so. The war goes on, because the culture is a mess and the religion has not evolved it's ideas enough. By defining victory as a functioning and peaceful Iraq, Americans victory is made dependent partly on Iraqi behaviour and civility. That's a mistake.

That's why I advocate, at some point, withdrawing to isolated bases, and letting whatever is going to happen, happen. Even if they turn on each other. If Sunnis and Shiites can't get along, and the Iraqi Army can't govern and maintain order, even after a lot of American help, it is the Iraqis business to straighten out their country. Even if it means a lot of bloodshed. I know the United States doesn't seem to have an appetite for letting Arabs kill other Arabs, but I think this is a mistake. Give them help, for a while, exactly as the Americans are doing, I say. And then, at some point, within the next two years, I'd say, pull back to military bases, within Iraq, and sit it out for a few years, and don't interfere, while they sort it out. I don't think it's America's responsibility to sort out all the problems of every culture, and if Arabs can't get along with each other, let them have at it. Then, after a couple of years, when they are tired, a solution would be possible, to be imposed, on an enemy that has weakened itself out substantially.

That requires a very strong stomach, but I think it would be the right course, at some point.

So, my point is, I think America should be very careful to set limits for itself, as to how involved they want to get. Letting Arabs go at it should be something more seriously considered.

On this foreign legion idea, I see it as only a partial solution. Obviously, America can't abdicate it's responsibility, as basically, the world's cop. But I've known a few cops. They are smart enough to know which fights to get involved in, and when, and who should be doing the fighting. That's all I am saying. America should not be afraid to try unconventional tactics, in order to win. If a couple hundred thousand guys from Brazil, Africa, and India want to spend a good chunk of their life fighting Islamofascists, I say, great, sign them up. Some fights are better off being fought with hired help.

I don't think it would get out of hand, in terms of soldiers using our weapons against us. There would be a very wide mix of people, from different countries, who would share a common mistrust of each other. So getting thousands of men, from hundreds of countries, to act in unison, and turn against America would be very, very difficult to achieve. Also, obviously this would be set up, under American supervision, and only be issued low grade weapons, like rifles would be given out. These people would never get their hands on Cruise missiles, or groups of Abrahm Tanks. A similar situation is pretty much what is happening in Iraq right now, in training and equipping the Iraqi Army, as far as I can tell, and the Iraqi Army has not turned on the Americans. The Iraqis are foreign fighters, being trained and often supervised by Americans, and I don't think they are being given the best military equipment, and they are not turning on the Americans.

It's obviously way too late to try something like this foreign legion idea in Iraq, and it should never be used in Iraq, anyway, as it would just be seen as wimping out by the Arabs. So I do very strongly feel this is a fight the Americans MUST stay, and MUST win, in order to set a precident. Like you, I don't think withdrawal is a good option. Withdrawal is a horrible idea. I agree it would be a disaster. But that's only my opinion of what would happen, if America withdraws.

I think an American withdrawal would be a disaster. However, let me ask myself a question: "What do you think America ACTUALLY WILL DO? Will they withdraq?"

I'd say there is a fair chance America will withdraw from Iraq, especially if there is a Democrat in the White House in a couple of years. This would be a tragic mistake, and could lead to a disaster. I still don't think most of the population has woken up to the threat, posed by Islamofascism, so I think there is a real chance something very bad must happen before people wake up.

Dale, I agree, American ARE better soldiers. And using foreign fighters is not my first choice at all. I don't advocate it from a point of view of, this is the best idea. The best idea is to use American fighters. I'm just saying, I think it will be NECESSSARY in the future, to use an American foreign legion, because I think the challenges will be so great, and the willingness to sustain large American casualties, just is not there, among the American public, and the Democratic side of American leadership. If that attitude changes, great, just use American fighters, because they are the best.

My advocating using an American Foreign Legion is more of a prediction, of what strategy I think America will eventually use, based on what I see as the circumstances it will face, in the future. I'm not saying it is my preferred method. It isn't. I just think it will be used eventually because it has a lot of advantages for the type of warfare America is likely to face in the future, which I think will be a lot of low-tech insurgencies, that are difficult to beat.

I think the American public could accept 50,000 foreign born casualties, in a war, for soldiers fighting FOR the USA. These men would still be citizens of other countries. However, accepting 50,000 casualties from American born men would be a lot harder. That's one reason why I think this method will eventually be used.

-- January 8, 2007 9:50 PM ∞

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srm wrote:

The truth?!? You can't handle the truth! Sara/Tim Bitts.....love you're posts. One & the same?!? Far intellectually superior, but don't underestimate American will, drive and perseverance. We exist and can be found, but should not be disregarded nor written off as easily eliminate-able, (& I am a pasifist.

-- January 8, 2007 10:02 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Oops....first two sentences were actually a quote. (a Few Good Men)

-- January 8, 2007 10:10 PM ∞

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Johan wrote:

Roger wrote:
Johan,

Ta dig i aschelet, du behover en dush och ett stadigt job

To Roger:

Vai te foder caralho.

-- January 8, 2007 10:24 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

GO GATORS.... GO DINAR!!!!!

-- January 8, 2007 10:33 PM ∞

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David wrote:

Wow! Go away for a couple days and there’s an entire novel to read before you can say anything! Man, you people are verbose!

Tim Bitts –

I have to disagree with you on the idea of an American Foreign Legion as a matter of principle, not for pragmatic reasons. Practical answers to a situation are not always right, which is a funny thing for me to say because I generally feel that practical, logical answers trump just about anything. But your stark, insensitive wording put it into perspective for me, and I disagree.

You said, “One of the great advantages the enemies the Americans are fighting, is that, for them, life is cheap.”

This is not an advantage, except in terms of military assets alone. It is a distinctive – a difference in a way of thinking that I am glad for. Life is valuable, and living and dying have meaning in a Judeo-Christian worldview. Cheap life is worth fighting against. It is worth it to me, as an individual, to choose to fight against a regime that devalues the individual. Just the ability to decide that on my own is evidence for the value of individual freedom.

Then you wrote, “Their countries have too many citizens, with not enough life prospects, and they have a religion that values sacrificing one's own life, in the service of forwarding that radical Muslim agenda.”

This is an offensive statement. It’s true, but it offends my sensibilities because of the values it belies. I believe in equality, as our American founders did. Not equality in all life circumstances, but equality in opportunity to live as one wants. Equality of circumstances is Socialism – which is antithetical to individualism.

The beauty of the American ideal is that individual freedom of opportunity provides what everyone needs – the prospect and hope of working and earning a living and creating a life that is one’s own. Not handed to you, chosen for you, and there for you whether you work for it or not.

Your above statement shows that the Muslim agenda devalues the individual, because as a collective, those few who get to be individuals and make decisions (politically at the top) use the masses to make that happen, and damn them all.

Having said that, how can we as Americans believe in the American ideal, how can we as Christians who believe in the value of each life, possibly justify a foreign legion as you have described? To do so undermines all we believe in. The reason we’re fighting in Iraq is because we value their lives as if they were our own brothers. People are people – American, Iraqi, Isreali, Iranian, Muslim, Jew, Christian… These labels are meaningless in God’s eyes. Jesus died not just for pretty white people. Their sins are nailed to the cross via Jesus the same as the sins of every person in the Middle East or Africa or South America. So how could we use the lives of non-Americans in such an off-hand, “Oh, their not American so they’re not worth anything,” way? What’s the point? If we don’t value life, let’s just blow the bastards to smithereens and get it over with.

Here’s what’s really scary to me about the idea – as America is pushed down the road to socialism by the liberal agenda, as we are increasingly homogenized into a “Star-Trek Borg”-like collective, this nation begins to resemble what you have described as Muslim nations.

Those in this country who are antsy about casualties are the liberals. They’re also the ones who push a socialist agenda. Why? It’s a lie. The appearance of compassion for the individual creates a sense of comfort for people, and they buy in. The more they buy in, and give up their individualism, the more they’re likely to accept some form of socialism (a prime example of this is welfare, which you recently debunked so eloquently). And when they do that, then only those at the top get to be the individuals, and make the decisions, and control the masses, deciding for them what’s good and what isn’t.

Those who aren’t so worried about the small number of casualties in this war are those of us who are conservatives, who realize the cost of winning the same freedom for others around the world is worth it. And there’s not a single person who died in this war who didn’t individually choose to fight. A life sacrificed so another could live is the mentality and motivation that has won every war we’ve fought.

It’s when liberals put the cost of the war in terms of dollars or oil that it undermines our values: “$300 billion on the war in Iraq,” or “our men and women are dying to so that we can have oil and it’s not worth it.”

I do not want a foreign legion. For the sacrifice to be a sacrifice, it must have meaning, and it only has meaning if we choose it for ourselves. Americans must fight for America. Period. In the case of Iraq, we choose to fight on behalf of a country full of individuals who each deserve a life of their own. Those who seek to destroy those individuals are our enemies, Muslim or not.

One last disagreement:

You wrote, “I am fond of Americans, but I'd have to say, they are not always the most curious people, for looking around the world, and trying to understand other people, other psychologies, other histories.” This is not an American trait. It is a human trait when one becomes wealthy enough not to have to pay attention to others to get what one wants. You’ll find this characteristic in every 1st world nation. America is a superpower, so we’re an easy target for that criticism.

David

-- January 8, 2007 10:54 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

srm, thanks for your thoughtful words. You wrote, about Tim and Sara "love your posts. One & the same?!?"

..
Sara, are you my Doppelganger?

-- January 8, 2007 11:51 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

David, you wrote, "Man, you people are verbose", and then you replied to me. Nicely put. But I like it even better, how my wife put it:

"All right! Shut up after a while, will you?":)

-- January 8, 2007 11:54 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

David,

Thanks for your reply. I believe in individualism, and would love it to be the wave of the future, because it is the best way to live. I agree with all the values you expressed. I hope there are lots of Americans like you, who would support fighting for the right thing, so that a foreign legion is unnecessary, and never happens.

I agree with you that a lack of curiosity of other cultures is a human trait, not just an American one. But when I mentioned America lacking an interest in the world, I'm talking about the leadership of America, not the ordinary person. I'm talking about the political and intellectual leadership of America, whose responsibility it is to take an interest in the rest of the world.

The situation with America is unique in the world. America is a superpower. It has to pay attention, more than other countries. It has to set higher standards than that, because it is the leader of the world. And it is in America's interest to do so.

For instance, right now America is engaged in a war with a Muslim countries. Muslims, no matter where they live, identify strongly with their faith. A lot of them see the attack on Iraq as an attack on Islam. This has profound implication for the relationship America has with 1 billion Muslims worldwide. America needs to pay attention to this relationship, and it is, right now.

But in the past, I don't think there was enough interest in the subject, in American academia. Arab studies at American universities are a joke. They are almost non-existant. This causes problems. America has a very large role to play in the world. The more they know about the world, the easier it is to deal with other countries.

What I would like to see is considerable money and energy devoted to building up of right-wing based universities, to offset the liberal bias in academia, and to devote considerable money to studying the Muslim world. It would be money well spent.

America is at war with a Muslim country. War operates on many levels. It operates on the level of knowledge, including knowledge of culture, history, and religion. To defeat your enemy, you must know him, first. Knowledge is power. Know his history, his way of thinking. Know his weaknesses, and his strengths. America did not know enough about Iraq before they went in. America has done a lot of good things in Iraq, but I think mistakes could have been avoided, if Muslim thinking was understood, on a deeper level, before they went in.

America needs to pay more attention to the world, for practical reasons of self-interest. Because America is such a dominant and successful power, with so many smaller powers to keep track of, unless America pays attention, what ends up happening is that the whole world ends up knowing a lot more about America, than America knows about the rest of the world. This puts America at a disadvantage. This was portrayed many years ago beautifully in the novel, The Ugly American.

All other countries in the world only have one superpower to pay attention to. The one superpower affects the whole world, so it has a whole lot of countries to pay attention to. That's just the practical reality of global leadership.

The rest of the world, not being superpowers, don't have to do this. They don't have the responsibility. They don't project military power world wide. They don't have worldwide economic interests so big. Turkey does not have to pay much attention to Canada. Canada does not have to pay much attention to Russia. America has to pay attention to Turkey, Canada, and Russia, because it influences everything in the world so much.

So, yes, you're right. People around the world normally don't take an interest in the whole world. America has to because it is the only power with global reach and impact.

Anyhow, I agreed with pretty much everything you said.

-- January 9, 2007 12:47 AM ∞

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srm wrote:

Hmmmmm......intriguing. Ahhh, but I have said too much. Silence it truly golden. Carry-on, my affluent amigos....I am entertained and intrigued.

-- January 9, 2007 2:03 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(838)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 838 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Tuesday 2007/ 1/9 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 11 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1318 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1316 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 14.245.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 3.055.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 14.245.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 3.055.000

-- January 9, 2007 6:11 AM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Tim:
Good Post! Well Stated! Unfortunately, as an example, the majority of American Citizens don't care about what is going on until something slaps them in the face. Then they have a knee jerk reaction, which causes bruises to their own face...
Most Americans are like sheep...and listen to the loudest, most shrill herd call....

-- January 9, 2007 6:24 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Iraqi dinar continues its surge
09/01/2007
Source: American Thinker

The Iraqi dinar continues its recent surge, now up 11% from its early September value. As anyone familiar with financial markets knows, it is not in their nature to go in one direction indefinitely, so we must be prepared for a reverse move at some point.

However, this move up, coming as it does at a time of apparent crisis, is one tile in the mosaic of Iraq that may be pointing to success for our venture there. We do not want to get panicked by apparently negative events - the violence we see in the press and that is unmistakably a significant part of the Iraqi mosaic - and miss other, less photogenic trends that may ultimately be more important. If the Iraqi economy is improving, as the value of the dinar may be suggesting, this would be an enormous positive, even if it is occurring in the midst of great violence.

-- January 9, 2007 7:41 AM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Okie;

Thank you very much for that quote.
That quote is so excellent by the King of Saudi Arabia that it bears repeating. Quote:

"To ensure that these efforts succeed in emerging from the current impasse, I call on the media inside and outside Iraq to side by the Iraqi citizens and avoid exaggeration, sensationalism, and the dispersal of ranks. The way in which the media cover the events is the target of terrorist organizations and cells. This causes the media to become part of the cycle of violence and a party to the crisis."

==end of quote==

It even goes farther than I have done for politeness' sake and actually calls a spade a spade. It says what I have thought all along - that the media incites violence which makes them a party to the crimes being committed. They become part of the cycle of violence and a party to that violence.

They will answer for those crimes in the same way that the fellow at the steering wheel of the getaway car for a bank robbery will answer for his crimes, some day.. before God. They may say they did not pull the trigger, but the man behind the wheel of the getaway car didn't rob the bank, either. They are accomplices in the crime by their inciting of crimes and evil behavior and NOT stopping crimes they could have prevented by accurate and timely reporting. I am, however, not so sure that they will be brought to justice among men, due to their cloak of "freedom of the press" - under that cloak, any kind of treachery and traitorous actions are allowed, even high treason.

Sara.

-- January 9, 2007 1:24 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Re the removal of the 25000 Dinar note.

I have a hard time thinking they would completely remove it, it's just that they exist in so vast amounts today as the current value on the Dinar is so low, this is a very convenient face value.

But as the highest Dollar bill (I do believe there is a 1000 Dollar bill out there), I might be wrong, heard about it, but never seen one, it has it's occasional use, but there is no need to cancel the 25000 Dinar note.

The only thing the CBI would do, is to buy them up, and make them so scarce that they are in the same category as the 1000 Dollar bill.

I don't know for sure what the CBI would do, but I have a hard time seeing an announcement saying that you have until "Thursday at 3 pm to exchange the 25000 Dinar", and after that they will be worthless, or something along that line.

-- January 9, 2007 4:02 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Your thoughts on a foreign legion is very interesting.

The thoughts about them having allegiance else where I do however think it's not too much of an issue. Historically, the concept have been used very successfully, and once you are schooled trained and educated as a soldier, you perform like one.

The concept works best, seems like it, when you are able to barrack soldiers, and be under immediate control all the time. It would not work to bring "day soldiers" from Baghdad, and let them go home for the night.

-- January 9, 2007 4:09 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Okie;

Would you say there is a bias in the news coverage we see? And, is it fair to say it is a liberal bias? I think it is fair to say you and I both do think so. Well, they don't think so. Honest. And that is where I get the idea of an ostrich with its head in the sand.. or maybe an alcoholic who won't admit that he has a problem. Unless someone is willing to even admit the bare facts.. they cannot deal with a problem (and certainly shouldn't be relied upon to give accurate news coverage). The complete lack of objectivity and balance in the news - expressing only the radical views of the left - are leading those who listen uncritically to them down a path which will make America a LOT less safe in the future.

An illustration posted by Mark Finkelstein:

Andrea Mitchell: No Bias at NBC, CBS or ABC, Matthews Not a Liberal
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 5, 2007 - 20:44.

It was hard to tell what was making Andrea Mitchell angrier: Bill O'Reilly's assertions that NBC has a liberal bias, or his repeated and perhaps ungentlemanly references to the lady's "30 years" of experience. In any case, the look on Andrea's face was unmistakable: she was not the happiest of campers.

Mitchell appeared on this evening's Factor for purposes of touting her new book. But kudos to O'Reilly for taking the occasion to directly confront a leading NBC light with the network's undeniable leftward tilt - which Mitchell proceeded to flatly deny.

This is must-see video, which you can see here: http://204.10.109.225/iraq/2007-01-05FNCBORMitchell2.wmv but let me entice you with these two tidbits.

Mitchell on Chris Matthews: "I don't think he's a liberal thinker."

And later: "I don't feel there is bias in what we do at NBC News. And I don't think there's bias in CBS or ABC."

With due respect to Mitchell, whose scrappiness I admire, if someone won't admit that Chris Matthews is liberal, why should we believe her when she tells us it's raining?

http://newsbusters.org/node/9994

Comments:

1) Jnoble Says:
January 5, 2007 - 21:22

I just watched this....PURE GOLD!!! I LOVED Mitchell's reaction when Bill asked her to name some conservatives at NBC. Her response: awkward silence and then "uhhh, define 'conservative'..." I was yelling at the TV "JUST ADMIT IT ANDRIA! JUST ADMIT IT!" He had her cornered with that question. Anyone else notice that it's only in the world of MSM Networks that they'll always circle the wagons and never critize their competitors? If I was CBS, I would make a point that NBC has it out for the Bush Administration and to watch us instead for fairer coverage. Of course, CBS is more of the same but you get my point.

2) armyvet Says:
January 5, 2007 - 22:50

It's the same logic that convinces them they are not "liberals" therefore when you call the MsM liberal or a certain viewpoint liberal their response is something to the effect of, "Whatever that means!"

Give me a break, call a spade a spade folks! If you're a liberal admit it and be proud of it. I'm a white male conservative christian and proud of it! (Well, maybe not the white male part, but that's the public education coming out of me. I've been brainwashed to be ashamed of it.)

(was the sarcasm thick enough in the parathesis?)

3) Jnoble Says:
January 5, 2007 - 21:25

Also, when he asked her about Chrissy Matthews and he used to work for Tip O'Niell who was a total lib. Her response was equally tepid, "that was a long time ago". Gee Andria, President Bush's National Guard Service was a long time ago too but that didn't stop you or the rest of the MSM goon squad from rehashing that nonsense back in '04!

4) Jimbo Says:
January 5, 2007 - 21:25

Mitchell on Chris Matthews: "I don't think he's a liberal thinker."

VS.

When Rosen said that Pres. Bush is "going to say something [next week] and the Democrats are going to react," Matthews sardonically observed "this is the iron fist of the Democrat party you're describing? I missed it. When [do] they call for an end of the war, five years, ten years?"

There can only be one of two conclusions. The woman is either blind to reality, in which case she should be considered non qualified as a reporter, or an outright liar, in which case she should be considered non qualified as a reporter.

Wait - that's the same conclusion.

Oh well.

5) Jnoble Says:
January 5, 2007 - 21:33

How much longer can any of these people keep up the charade about "being fair"?

If someone secretly taped her saying something along the lines of "I and everyone else I know here at NBC hate this Administration and we all can't wait for Hillary to be elected" and it got out, what would her response be then? It was "faked"? That's not really her? OK, that's her own personal feelings but on the air it all goes out the window?

6) MikeB Says:
January 5, 2007 - 22:40

Now, people, Andrea could have been telling the literal truth when she said, "I don't think he (Chris Matthews) is a liberal thinker." She may very well know Chrissy is as liberal as any Marxist, but he is incapable of rational, independent thought. Therefore, not a thinker. Liberal, but not a liberal thinker.

"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan

7) Conrad5 Says:
January 6, 2007 - 00:03

These pompous liberal reporters are all in the same state of denial! It doesn't matter if its Marvin Kalb, Dan Rather, or Andrea Mitchell...none of them are ever willing to concede their obvious bias. One can only imagine the philosophical inbreeding that occurs amongst the staff in these network newsrooms.

8) Nazareth Says:
January 6, 2007 - 00:34

I was absolutely floored by this segment- it was moronic beyond explanation. I could not believe she said what she did with a straight face. It was like watching the movie liar liar

Guein- I think Oreilly did a good job trapping her by getting her to say that she doesn't believe there is any bias in journalism, and then tripping all over herself when he asked her if she thought Fox was biased- if she had said no, then the left would have chewed her up for lunch, and she knew it- if she said yes, then she just showed the world that she is a liar and incapable of the truth

9) Catherwood Says:
January 6, 2007 - 10:27

I think it's worth noting that Bernie Goldburg explained long ago why talking heads like Andrea Mitchell don't think there is liberal bias in the news. Goldberg astutely pointed out that liberals like Mitchell are so surrounded by liberal opinion that they think that is the way Americans feel and think. If you live in NY, LA, Chicago, Boston and all you hear are the liberal talking points, then you can't help but be mistaken about the location of the middle ground. The talking-head liberals like Mitchell, Mathews, Lauer, Couric, etc. will defend themselves as being objective and not liberally biased; they have to do that to perserve some scrap of integrity. But, like O'Reilly points out, they know they are liberal and they'll admit it. The interesting point here is the arrogance involved. Even though they know they're liberal and they know their reporting is biased, they will maintain till the end that there reporting is unbiased and aimed at middle America. They see themselves as so intellectually surperior, so above the masses that they can take this position without a hint of conscience. And, their viewer numbers are sinking lower everyday. They're on the mountaintop singing to an empty valley.

====

-- January 9, 2007 7:33 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

Roger,

A bit of info on your $1000 bill: -

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

-- January 9, 2007 7:50 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

No bias in the news?

===

Beauty-Queen Soldier Undaunted by 'Today' Talk of Civil War [Video]
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 6, 2007 - 07:49.

After a run of sordid beauty-queen stories, it doesn't get much more refreshing -- or inspiring -- than this. A beauty queen lays aside her crown not because of scandal but . . . to serve her country. Meet Jessica Gaulke, who has given up her crown as Minnesota's Queen of the Lakes because her National Guard unit has been activated. Jessica is scheduled for training at Fort Hood, TX and then deployment to Iraq.

The story gets even more dramatic. In the course of her interview by NBC's Natalie Morales on this morning's "Today," Jessica announced that a week from now she will be marrying her fiance.

"Today" generally played the story in positive terms as the graphic it displayed during much of the interview, "Brave Beauty", suggests. Still, Morales couldn't help but inject NBC's official line on the war into the interview:

"Do you have any reservations about going there, especially as you see how it's basically escalated into civil war there?"

Nothing like suggesting to a young woman leaving behind her new husband and her crown that she might be sacrificing in vain.

Jessica was undaunted:

"I don't. Because my unit has taught me that what we're doing over there is something positive, and we are impacting them positively. And so I'm really confident in going over there, because we're doing a good job."

View video here: http://204.10.109.225/iraq/2007-01-06NBCTS.wmv

Bravo, soldier.

- Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

Comments:

1) NtvAmrcn Says:
January 6, 2007 - 08:14

God Bless Her! For ignoring idiots. Every time I see or hear about one of our young patriots I am humbled. I love them and despise the likes of whom interviewed her.

2) gideonmjames Says:
January 6, 2007 - 08:18

When fundamentalist groups clash in Palestine A.P., Reuters, and the rest call it "factional fighting". When it happens in Iraq they call it "civil war".

"Civil War" is one of the liberal buzzwords the MSM uses to break the American will to fight and to win. It's part of the language and vocabulary of apocalyptic liberalism.

3) armyvet Says:
January 6, 2007 - 09:00

"I don't. Because my unit has taught me that what we're doing over there is something positive, and we are impacting them positively. And so I'm really confident in going over there, because we're doing a good job."

Kudos to the young lady! I applaud her patriotism.

Unfortunately, now the MsM, liberal pundits, and liberal idiots (well, they're all idiots but specifically the Kos Kids and DUmmies) will latch on to that key phrase in her statement, "Because my unit has taught me that what we're doing over there is something positive..."

Thinking like a liberal they'll start infering how she can't think for herself; the military has brainwashed her; she's too dumb to see the negative side of it.

I'd have loved it if she had said, "Well, that's just silly. First of all I never said how I see it escalating into a civil war. I don't believe it has. Second, we're doing a lot of good things over there like building schools, vaccinating livestock, taking care of health in various small villages, rebuilding destroyed infrustructure, roads and communication networks and many other things that never get mentioned in the press because you folks always focus on the negative. Third, we're killing insurgents who come in from other countries and thereby staying out of the U.S. so you can continue your bashing of the WOT while stating you 'support' the troops."

4) Indiana Joe Says:
January 6, 2007 - 10:26

Wonderful to see such a young lady with her priorities clear.

GOOD FOR HER, and God Bless her.

Inspiring... AND heartening.

5) Galvanic Says:
January 6, 2007 - 18:36

Time and again, the MSM poses these questions toward our warriors as if they're probing for lost confidence, doubt, or antiwar sentiment, and each time, they get simliar responses from these wonderful, dedicated Americans.

They believe in themselves --- they believe in their units --- they believe in their mission --- even if the MSM and the Democratic Party have declared defeat and are ready to pack it in.

They make us proud every damn day!

The hell with the likes of Natalie Morales. She ain't worthy enough to carry Gaulke's duffle bag.

6) Scout Finch Says:
January 7, 2007 - 00:41

The young man across the street from me is currently in Iraq. I asked his mom, who works at my hometown bank, how his confidence is, given the media direction. She said his thoughts echoed many in the military--that the truth is not getting out to the American people. Her son was confident, due to superior military intelligence and diligence that they will succeed in Iraq, despite what the media portrays. I told her I was behind our brave military 100%, and that many other Americans do NOT trust the media for the truth. Her son's life is on the line, and she was totally confident in our military. "Nuff said.

7) BD Says:
January 7, 2007 - 11:20

From personal experience:

While in Iraq, you do not have the access to the "Downer Press" like you do here at home so you are forced to make your own evaluation of how things are going. The last time I was in Iraq, things were going along per course and that colored my view, i had access to the "Unedited reality since I worked in an area that monitored the Sunni Triangle on a day to day basis.

Then I came home and discovered that my friends and family had a totally different perspective than I did and could not fathom why I did not see things the way they did.

Of course, I never saw a member of the press the entire time I was there.

http://newsbusters.org/node/9997

-- January 9, 2007 7:55 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

Roger,

Even available (or was) on Ebay!!: -

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-1934A-1000-Bill-Federal-Reserve-Note-1NR_W0QQitemZ110006159110QQihZ001QQcategoryZ3417QQcmdZViewItem

-- January 9, 2007 7:56 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Do you see any bias?

===

NBC Declares Israel's Attack Plans 'Alarming' -- But What of Iran's?
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 7, 2007 - 08:49.

Which is more alarming?

#1 - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nuclear ambitions; his flouting of the recent unanimous UN Security Council resolution to stop his march toward acquiring nuclear weapons; his repeated vows to wipe Israel off the map and his various threats to the US, including at least one to achieve "a world without America"?

OR

#2 - Israel's possible plans to defend itself and eliminate Iran's nuclear program?

If you're NBC, the choice is clear: the answer is #2.

Consider the editorializing that crept in the news item NBC's Amy Rohbach "news" item on this morning's "Today."

"An alarming report in a British newspaper says Israel is plotting a nuclear attack on Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities. Now, the report cannot be independently confirmed. In response, Iran's foreign minister today called Israel 'the main menace to global peace and promises to retaliate if attacked.'"

View video here: http://204.10.109.225/iraq/2007-01-07NBCTSRobach.wmv

Granted, the possible use of nuclear weapons, even the small, tactical ones described in the Times [UK] article, could seriously raise the international stakes. But while NBC views Israel's possible use of nuclear weapons as "alarming," it blithely passes along Iran's vow to retaliate and its branding of Israel as the world's biggest "menace."

Fair and balanced?

---
Comments:

1) cunservatyve Says:
January 8, 2007 - 08:11

No, not fair and balanced. More and more Democrats and liberals are becoming anti-Semites--for some strange reason. I don't understand why the left is turning against Israel.

- Cunservatyve military medical guy

If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can always count on Paul's vote!

2) JOEL714 Says:
January 7, 2007 - 19:39

NBC is just like all the anti Israeli media in the USA. It's OK for Iran to declare that Israel must be destroyed and that they plan to do it, but for Israel to have the gall to suggest they may do something to Iran is unspeakably awful.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10004

-- January 9, 2007 8:13 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

And we all know how unbiased those polls are that the MSM cites...

===

CBS Describes Bush Plan as 'Escalation,' Ignores Near Even Split In Its Own Poll
Posted by Brent Baker on January 8, 2007 - 20:59.

On Monday's CBS Evening News, White House reporter Jim Axelrod adopted Democratic terminology as he referred to President Bush's plan to call “for an escalation in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq.” Axelrod later applied the more Bush-friendly term of “surge,” but he also presumed the election was all about Iraq and not congressional Republican malfeasance in the Foley matter: “He'll be going against what voters said they wanted last November, and what the new Democratic leaders in Congress say they want right now.”

Axelrod soon highlighted how “a new CBS News poll out tonight indicates nearly six in ten Americans either want troop levels lowered or a full withdrawal." An on-screen graphic pegged the numbers at 59 percent wanting troops in Iraq “decreased or removed” and 35 percent wishing them “increased or the same.” But in citing only that one poll finding which combined answers, Axelrod skipped how the public is nearly evenly split on a “short term troop increase to stabilize Iraq,” with 45 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed.

Furthermore, the PDF of the poll results reported that “those with friends and relatives who have served in Iraq are a bit more supportive of the idea than Americans overall” with 50 percent in favor and 44 percent opposed.

Comments:

1) Jimbo Says:
January 9, 2007 - 13:58

"Nancy Pelosi, who became House Speaker due to voter dissatisfaction with the President's Iraq policies, is also turning up the pressure. She says Democrats would never cut funding for troops already there, but there's no blank check for an escalation."

Here’s one of the biggest problems I have with members of the Congress and Nancy Pelosi in particular. Nancy Pelosi, and any other member of congress for that matter, are there for one reason and one reason only – because the voters in their individual congressional districts voted more often for them than did their opponent.

My point is, in Nancy Pelosi’s case, that 150,000 people from the most liberal congressional district in the country decided that she would be right for the job. Which job? To be one of over 400 people to represent their particular area of the country in the Legislative branch of the US Government.

President Bush, on the other hand, received the majority of the votes (over 60,000,000) from across the country to do his job. Which job? Well, in part, to function as Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces.

So the idea of a troop serge is a tactical one, one that sits squarely on the shoulders and part of the responsibility of the President of the United States. When the majority of Congress voted to allow the President to take military action in the Middle East, they gave him the power to deploy those forces as he saw fit to give us the best chance of victory. They knew that then, and they know that now.

So to Nancy Pelosi, to Harry Reid, to Charlie Rangel, to the rest of the liberal congress and the MSM hell bent on causing us to lose this war, contrary to what you might believe, you are not in control of the tactical decisions on how best to deploy the military of this great country. Stick to doing the job your tiny congressional districts voted you into office to do, and let the President do the job 60,000,000 patriotic citizens voted for him to do.

2) Jimbo Says:
January 9, 2007 - 14:29

And now for the “Stating the Obvious” post of the day.

The liberals in the MSM are so worked up over taking the steam out of President Bush’s new Iraq plan, they are criticizing the plan before it is even announced.

I think that they would love to say that “We at NBC believe the President’s plan for victory is wrong, and we at NBC favor the newly developed Democratic plan for success”…..

Wait a second… that isn’t going to work.

3) Clear thinker Says:
January 9, 2007 - 14:33

Jimbo...

I would make a small change to your post....

We at NBC favor the newly developed Democratic plan for LOSING!

http://newsbusters.org/node/10033

-- January 9, 2007 9:20 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Sara...

It's sad but true, the liberal bias in our news is very strong and has been with us for a long time. A lot of the reporters think some of their rum dum articles will win them the next Pulitzer Prize and they tend to distort the news for their own reasons. Between that and the pressure they get from the network Management to report on the premise of "if it bleeds it leads". How do people correct this bias in our news? By presenting the truth of the situation every chanch we get....e-mails to your elected officials doesn't hurt either.

-- January 9, 2007 10:21 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

The proposed troop surge as planned by our Commander in Chief reminds me of a situation that occurred in New Orleans many years ago. We had planned our annual trek to Bourbon Street (I know I can hear it now, some on this Blog will instantly condemn me for not having any values, virtues and suffering from moral decay) for Mardi Gras only to find out some weeks prior that the New Orleans Police Department were going on strike and the city would be at the mercy of the social deviants during this time of party. As I recall the then Governor called out the National Guard to keep the peace. We were convinced that we would cancel out trip out of fear of what the Guard was capable and instructed to do. We ended up going anyway but with reservation about having even one drink o making any noise. As it turned out it was one of the absolute best time we ever had. There were plenty of drinking and hi-jinx amongst the crowd but because posted at every corner of every cross road through out the Quarter was a National Guardsman. It was a surreal situation to have an 18 to 26 year old standing armed with an M1 rifle. Gone were the hoodlums and trouble makers at last along the main drag. You could let your hair down and have a good time with out being robbed, stabbed, shot at least less likely.

The Troop surge reminds me of that situation. When you have an authority figure in close proximity the perpetrators won’t have as much lateral movement to hind behind. Let’s not forget that these suicide bombers and terrorist are not the bravest in the world. They just hind behind and under any rock they can find. With more troops visible they will have a very hard time moving about. Even with the door to door searches would have to be more successful.

-- January 9, 2007 10:43 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Ministry implements 425 billion-dinar projects

By Muthana Aidan http://www.azzaman.com:80/english/index.asp?fname=news%5C2007-01-09%5Ckurd1.htm

Azzaman, January 9, 2007

The Ministry of Industry has carried out projects worth 425 billion dinars in 2006, the minister, Fawzi Hariri, said.

Hariri said the projects were part of contracts his ministry had signed with other government bodies.

The contracts were related mainly to state-run companies, notably the vegetable oil establishment and the chemical and fertilizer industries.

He said besides the contracts the ministry carried out for other government bodies, it worked hard to boost production at its own factories.

Production of several state-owned firms surged in 2006 compared to 2005, the minister said.

He said petrochemicals saw more than 90 percent growth while the Zawra mechanical industries grew by 190 percent.

Cement production hiked by nearly 15 percent, he said.

The ministry owns 61 major factories most of which were looted during and shortly after the 2003 U.S. invasion.

But the ministry says it has rehabilitated most of these industries. It held a big exhibition of the products of its firms recently in Baghdad.

The exhibition drew a lot of attention in Iraq and was seen as a sign of a rebirth of the domestic industry.

-- January 9, 2007 10:47 PM ∞

---

David wrote:

Tim Bitts –

I’m glad you caught the irony in my verbosity comment. But I must admit I didn’t intend to be quite so long winded. I’ll try to be shorter this time….

Your final statement: “People around the world normally don't take an interest in the whole world. America has to because it is the only power with global reach and impact.”

This I agree with whole-heartedly. We do have a tremendous responsibility around the world to wield the power and wealth that we have. And I think that for the most part, we have done a good job.

I remember when Bush took office back in 2000, it felt to me like adults were finally in charge once again, and we could focus on significant things instead of stains on dresses and the parsing of words to keep from getting in trouble. But we’re headed back in that direction, as the democrats once again take control. It’s like all the weenie parents who put their children in time-out (where the kids do nothing but stew about the situation over a much prolonged amount of time) instead of just taking care of the situation as an adult, give the kid a punishment he can understand, then forgive and move on. Bush worked with that kind of decisiveness at the beginning of the war in Iraq, but he has since been slogging through ever thicker opposition which apparently believes we should have put Saddam in time-out. (Incidentally, the time-out [i.e. sanctions] didn’t work, now did it?)

I wonder – I really wonder – if those in charge when we went into Iraq didn’t know as much as they needed to. Certainly we’ve learned a lot since then, but most of the problems in Iraq now come from our military having its hands tied behind its back, because the liberals just won’t allow the military to finish the job. Nancy Pelosi working to deny funding for a final push of troops to secure Baghdad is a perfect example of that. The truth is that any battle we have fought there, we have won, hands down. If the military actually had the go-ahead to finish the job, they could, and would.

But none of us knows what goes on at the top level behind closed doors. I’m convinced that, for example, the top brass knew exactly what WMDs were in Iraq (that’s since been proven, but unacknowledged by the MSM), and I think they know a lot more than they can ever tell us . So I agree that we didn’t know as much about Iraq at the beginning of the war, but whether or not we knew enough, there’s no way for you or me to know. A lot of water has run under that bridge which has since influenced the situation, for good or ill.

Now, I guess I wasn’t very brief, was I?

-- January 9, 2007 11:58 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

One theory floating around regarding the RV is that it would happen just before the ISX was open to the world. The only hang up was that the Banks had to get their systems up to speed in order to bring the ISX on-line and talking to the rest of the world.

Guess what? Warka Bank, after being down for two months for hardware/software up-grades and training, has just brought their system on-line and I would bet the other Banks are ready for the stock market.

Also, I double checked my stock purchases, interest paid and other balances....they all were 100% accurate. Ain't life grand when the Iraqi's pull off something like this? And just one day before Bush makes his speech!!! You don't suppose this had any planning and scheduling to it???

-- January 10, 2007 12:10 AM ∞

---

David wrote:

Sara -

Your whole point about the mainstream media having a liberal bias is the obvious comment of the day, but I agree with you that they honestly don't see it that way. I think they demonize certain leaders and outspoken conservatives, but feel that EVERYONE else agrees with them and thinks the way they do.

Wait a minute. Let me amend my superlative. They believe that everyone who is smart enough to have an opinion (read: everyone on the east or west coast - forget anyone in between) believes the way they do. And the liberal media in between the coasts is more or less a coastal media wannabe. The conservatives who live between the coasts have been generally content with living a quiet and meaningful life. The liberals who live between the coasts are bent on making the heartland a mirror of the coastal culture, and they seem to have a missionary zeal about it. Save those poor savages who are too stupid to really understand what's good for them.

I like Tim Bitts' idea of doing everything we can to strengthen conservative academia. But boy, is that an insurgency in and of itself, seeing as how the public school system is mostly in the hip pocket of liberals, and that's the training ground and preparation for continued liberal education at the undergraduate level.

What do you think is the solution?

David

-- January 10, 2007 12:13 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

HI Everyone,

Hi VIC!!!

Vacationing for a few days, and back to read very interesting and informative posts.

It appears to me that if one has an aversion to the MSM, it is assumed that one is therefore pro the continued US military presence in Iraq.

I, for one ( and I think this number of people is growing faster than any other faction)feel this is not a black and white situation.

I detest the MSM and all the appendages to it. BUT, I think we have blown our wad in Iraq. Both in lost lives and lost Billions.

To me supporting our troops means finding a way to get them home safely, expediently,and most importantly with honor. We must never put our troops through another Viet Nam travesty again. What we owe our troops is our deepest respect and sympathy and empathy for the lack of leadership which caused a war of futility.

Our current administration blew it! Started out with a bang, made the fatal mistake of underestimating the Iranian ploy of infiltrating the borders, and when we realized it, to this day have done nothing to redirect our stratgeies and secure the borders, to stop the hemorrahging effects that infiltration has caused on our ability to get a handle on the insurgent militias, the corruption and threats not only to the Iraqi people, but to US civilians and troops.

The administration has had plenty of time and resources to win this war. Some are saying that because of the negative media and left bashing of this adminsitration, we were impeded to do the necessary steps to advance our victory.

I say HOG WASH! That is a
"the devil made me do it" mentality.

The big question, that will probably never get answered is "why, did we let this happen?"

But now, it doesn't matter. The reality of the day is that COngress is never going to let the necessary stragtegy to win the war take place. Even if the Administration were to make a radical change in the direction of administrating this war.

Enough already! Get our troops home to secure our own borders here on American Soil.

Unless,in Bush's new plan, there is a definite plan to deal with Iran and Syria, I say GET our TROOPS home. As well as begin an economic recovery this goodwill venture has cost the taxpayers.

Let the MSM have their hay day!! They will anyway. BUt at least the hole in the levy will be plugged.

NO matter what we have done or what we will do, history has proven that those whom we try to save will ultimately turn on us.

During the Kuwait action, my husband was called to active duty, I had 3 son-in-laws in combat----we saved the day for those people.

And yet on the afternoon of 911, televisions all over the world were showing the people in Kuwait dancing in th e streets over the attack on American soil.
They were joined by many other countries where we have given millions in humanitarian aid, blood sweat and guts of our troops.

WILL WE NEVER LEARN? Doesn't look like it!

Now we face lost war, which has led to the ushering in of the most lethal political regime this country has ever faced, and an international demeanor that translates to anything but a world power.

But the craziness has to stop somewhere, and a good place to start is to bring the troops home and prepare to deal with the fall out from the whole tradgey the adminstration has caused us.
It is time for isolationism. NOt forever, but for sure, right now, until our own exisitence is secured and our nations goals and destiny makes more sense.

In doing so, we just may be able to unmask the MSM and the left. NOt to do so, no matter how drastic it appears, is to perpetuate this madness.

Carole

-- January 10, 2007 12:57 AM ∞

---

Shintao wrote:

Hi! My interest is in the investment of cheap dinar bank notes, speculation of same, and learning what I can from others here about the subject. I confess I have bought some already on Ebay - some Saddam faced for historic value, and some new Iraq bank notes tonight, just a few with thoughts of seeing them turn into gold pumpkins. :)

I guess my first question in getting oriented to the board, is there a way to put the last posting at the top, instead of the bottom?

I see some political hay going on here which I hope to stay clear of. I am from California.

My second question is, where do you recommend as the best place to buy dinars? I see some places, but I don't want to get burnt, so a lil knowledge would be helpful there.

-- January 10, 2007 3:03 AM ∞

---

willie wrote:

For those of you more involved in the reading of scripture I would like your insight into my personal thoughts. Scripture saids: "Faith is the sustance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen". I also realize scripture interprets scripture, line upon line, precept upon precept. We can easily go the concordanance and find verse after verse concerning faith. But if I don't apply to my everyday life (walk) then it is of no value and the Word simply becomes hearsay.
I have come to the conclusion as God is dealing with me on this line that it takes more than faith, it takes knowledge. First starting with faith, but converting it to knowledge. When I have proven that particular scripture and found out it is true, then and only then does it become knowledge to me. When I have experienced that verse it is no longer intellectual. I'm aware of the "doubting Thomas" verses, but God asks us to really seek Him with all our heart, and few that be really find Him. I have also discovered that anything and everything can become a teacher to grow by. Often I will tell others of my high experiences and gains, but because of their jealousy or ignorance they often say "who does he think he is?" This used to have a tendency to pull my spirit down as a young christian but not so much now. I've found this a great opportunity to grow as they oppose me. As this gives me a chance to practice real love, and find a deep peace. Just because they are making sounds with their mouth is no reason to feel bad about it. Opposition is a very healthy thing as it causes growth. Every minute of everyday should be used to grow by, and the more intense the crises the more there is an opportunity to grow.
Basically, what I would like your thoughts or experiences on is if you agree that your past growth is only in the past, and if you try to return to the past you are missing the only place that true growth can take place which is in the here and NOW?....willie

-- January 10, 2007 4:20 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(839)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 839 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 1/10so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 12 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1315 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 43.715.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 43.715.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) -----

-- January 10, 2007 6:05 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Carole:
Just read your post...looks like frustration has set in....I call it the MSM FLU but of course...that is the reaction the Iranians have planned on...
Do not be dismayed...The ship took on a little water...but the bulk head is strong, solid and ready to weather any heavy storms coming...a good captain turns into the waves, seals the bulkheads and goes about doing his business...there are no other options in this ocean called War...You either sink or drown...and I don't believe even the some of the idiots in our congress like the taste of War Water in their lungs...
Yes! Mistakes were made in allowing the Iraqi Government Officials to linger....Yes! mistakes were made in not sealing the borders of Syria and Iran as we should have...Yes! Immediate reaction of justice should have been seen by all, to any who attempted to stop the progress of this new Iraqi government. But! just because mistakes are made, doesn't mean there should be a pull out...You simply adjust the course, and take actions that will produce positive results...
To abandeon the majority of the good iraqi people for the fanatical few is not an option...I don't know of anyone or any nation, that has gain anything by quitting..."QUIT: is the word, fighters say to their opponents..
I want President Bush to come out, and say QUIT..?QUIT..?.QUIT...? LIKE HELL WE ARE GOING TO QUIT..!
WE ARE GOING TO QUIT WHEN WE GOT OUR BOOT SHOVED SO FAR UP YOUR ASS...YOU WILL NEED CAROLE AND TEAM OF SPECIALIST TO REMOVE IT..We stated we were going to give you the freedom and the right to live as you want...we have extended you the Iraqi people,that promise and we intend to keep it...Over 3000 of our boys have died so that you have that right...and we intend to see that it comes to past....

-- January 10, 2007 7:15 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

David wrote: Sara - What do you think is the solution?

David.. God is the only solution. His wisdom is desperately needed.
I see the reason people believe and follow the lies of the MSM to be that they are not listening to God, but men. If they listened to God, there would be peace:

Pro 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

If America was pleasing God, they would have peace, even with the enemy. God would give the wisdom necessary - the right counsel and strategy. NOT pleasing God is the problem from my point of view.

The solution is for the people to turn to God - for it is God who is the One who smites them with these troubles with that aim:

Isa 9:13 For the people do not turn to Him that smites them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.

God sends troubles to make us turn to Him.
If we do not, but curse Him and shake our fist at Him, we are fools.
Only by turning to Him and asking forgiveness - making peace with God and causing our ways to please the Lord (as in the Scripture above) - can we hope to have peace. We lose because we are not right with God.

Psa 81:10 I am the LORD Your God...
Psa 81:11 But my people would not heed My voice; and would have none of Me.
Psa 81:12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.
Psa 81:13 Oh that my people would listen to Me, and would walk in My ways!
Psa 81:14 I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries.
Psa 81:15 The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would endure forever.
Psa 81:16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you."

The people of America, by and large, wish their own counsels.. and they get that instead of God's counsel. They listen to the counsels of men daily on the news instead of going to God for their wisdom. That means their enemies are not subdued and will not submit themselves - peace is forfeited and blessings are missed (fine wheat, honey, etc). Those who scoff at religion and will not listen to God contribute to our downfall, and perpetuate this mess. That is also why no withdrawl will work. That counsel, that viewpoint, comes from God-haters, who do not have His wisdom or seek His counsel. "I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels." is not a good thing, David. Those who lead astray are walking by their own counsel, and not in wisdom from God which will truly subdue the enemy.

That is my opinion on the matter, David -
Not a political solution, but a God centered one.
In time, I think we will see it is the only one that works.

We must look to history to see how life works in reality, not just in men's minds.
Previous wars continued until.. people turned to God.
Did you know that when Hitler was about to win the war..
Churchill called for a day of fasting and prayer?

QUOTE:

Well, that is the predicament in which Britain and France found themselves on May 24, 1940. A half-million of their soldiers huddled hopelessly at Dunkirk, waiting for inevitable death or imprisonment. It was at that desperate moment that the churches in Britain called for a national day of prayer. It had been suggested during April, but the Archbishop of Canterbury had opposed it. He said he didn’t want the call to prayer to be misinterpreted, whatever that meant. But with the alarming deterioration of the military situation in France, he and many others decided that it was, indeed, time to pray. On May 23, numerous political leaders, newspaper editors and King George VI issued a call for a national day of prayer to be held on Sunday, May 26.

No one could have anticipated what was to happen during those three momentous days. Just 24 hours after the call for prayer, Adolf Hitler inexplicably ordered his armies to halt, to the surprise and dismay of even his own generals. Two days later, on May 26, the nation gathered to pray. Church attendance skyrocketed, including a large gathering at Westminster Abbey, during which people pleaded with the Almighty to spare their husbands, sons and fathers at Dunkirk.

Former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain wrote this in his diary: "May 26. Blackest day of all ... This was the National Day of Prayer." In reality, it turned out to be one of the most dramatic turning points of the war. At seven o’clock that evening, a critical order was issued to attempt a desperate evacuation of Dunkirk. Every tiny vessel and private craft was sent across the often treacherous waters of the English Channel with orders to rescue as many men as possible before the arrival of the Germans.

Hitler’s armies remained largely in place not only on the 24th, 25th and 26th, but, incredibly, until early June. To this day, no one knows exactly why. The Fuhrer held victory in the palm of his hand, and yet he prevented his combat troops from finishing the job. Some have speculated that Hitler didn’t want to risk unnecessary losses in a final battle. Others think Hermann Goering prevailed upon Hitler to let his Luftwaffe get the credit for destroying the British and French armies. As for Hitler’s own view, he said he wanted to give Churchill "a sporting chance." Yeah, sure. The bloody dictator never gave anyone a sporting chance. There is a more valid explanation. His armies were halted by the same God who shut the mouths of the lions during Daniel’s night of peril. Just as the Lord heard the prayers of the Israelites so long ago, I believe He was listening when hundreds of thousands of believers in the UK were praying for divine intervention.

For nine critical days, the Germans were content to shell and bomb Dunkirk from the air and from a distance. Meanwhile, large numbers of Allied soldiers were scrambling aboard the little boats and yachts. On May 29, 47,000 were rescued; on May 30, 53,000; on May 31, 68,000; on June 1, 64,000. In all, 336,000 men found their way to safety in the British Isles! The British leaders were jubilant — and astounded.

General Ironside wrote, "I still cannot understand how it is that the [Germans] have allowed us to get [our troops] off in this way. It is almost fantastic that we have been able to do it in the face of all the bombing and gunning."

Alexander Cadogen, Permanent Undersecretary at the Foreign Office, called the evacuation "marvelous" and "a miracle."

Churchill summed up the breathtaking developments with these now-historic words: "If Germany [had] defeated either [Britain or France] or both, she would give no mercy; we should be reduced to the status of vassals forever. It would be better far that the civilization of Western Europe with all of its achievements should come to a tragic but splendid end than that the two great democracies should linger on, stripped of all that made life worth living." He added these comments a few days later: "If we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and care for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age, made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science." But Britain was spared that ignoble end!

The author of Five Days in London, John Lukacs, wrote this: "[Churchill succeeded] because of his resolution and — allow me to say this — because of God’s will, of which, like every human being, [Churchill] was but an instrument. He was surely no saint, he was not a religious man, and he had many faults. Yet so it happened."

Thank God we were all spared the nightmare of Nazi tyranny. He heard the prayers of His people, not only in Britain, but in other parts of the world, during this time of tribulation. The outcome of the war, I am convinced, hinged at one critical moment on a National Day of Prayer in the Mother Country.

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/docstudy/newsletters/A000000230.cfm

===end of quote==

Until this happens again, we will see the peril grow.
Until we are this desperate for help.. so that we will humble ourselves before God.. that is how long this conflict and the evil will continue to take precious lives and steal our peace.

And that is how long the people will listen to the lies of the MSM media.

I pray that millions will not have to die before we get the resolve to humble ourselves this time.

Sara.

-- January 10, 2007 8:05 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carl wrote:

Yes! Mistakes were made in allowing the Iraqi Government Officials to linger....Yes! mistakes were made in not sealing the borders of Syria and Iran as we should have...Yes! Immediate reaction of justice should have been seen by all, to any who attempted to stop the progress of this new Iraqi government. But! just because mistakes are made, doesn't mean there should be a pull out...You simply adjust the course, and take actions that will produce positive results...
To abandeon the majority of the good iraqi people for the fanatical few is not an option...I don't know of anyone or any nation, that has gain anything by quitting.

==end of quote==

I agree. Mistakes are made because the people look to the wrong counsel and do not see everything as they should. Wisdom is not given them because the people do not pray. Adjusting the course and taking actions to produce the desired results.. means acting on true wisdom. I know this strategy of a troop increase is the correct one - it is indeed of God. Note the opposition to it from the god-hating media. Almost anything they desperately oppose is good. I agree with you, Carl, there is nothing to be gained by quitting - as common sense should tell anyone with the eyes in their head to see it. But the MSM does not have the eyes to see it - nor do those who follow them, uncritically imbibing their views on the news daily.

Sara.

-- January 10, 2007 8:18 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

In Vietnam, the American Army was facing the North Vietnamese Army, who were a brave, disciplined, and a well organized, conventional army that could challenge American conventional military power, in a straightforward manner. The North Vietnamese had tens of thousands of organized troops. Also, the North Vietnamese could also reframe the war as a war against an occupying power. These were the very large and basic elements that defined that war.

None of this is true in Iraq. The insurgents have no well organized, conventional army that can challenge American power. Any time that they attempt to confront the Americans directly with organized, direct and conventional power, they lose. They lose quickly, and they lose badly.

The enemy are not stupid. They have redefined the fight, so the fight is held on terms most adventageous to them. To fight, the insurgents practice hit and run. They plant bombs, at random, by the roadside, that go off when an American soldier goes by. This is what is killing the majority of American soldiers. Not direct army to army confrontation. The enemy occassionally snipe at American soldiers from rooftops, acting like an assassin, and then are taken out. But this is not a big problem, statistically, or militarily. It is only portrayed that way, by the manipulative media. Keep in mind, by every measure of military success and casualty rates, this war has set new lows, in terms of casualty levels, on the American side. The American Army is amazingly good.

Iraq is no Vietnam. That is just a left-wing lie. There is no conventional insurgent army that can drive the Americans out. It simply does not exist. To believe so is to engage in fantasy. That fantasy is encouraged by the media, who hate the president, hate their own country, and want to see it leave Iraq. So they lie, distort facts, fail to properly explain the nature of the war. Whether one is in favour of, or opposed to, this war, I would like to see it discussed, at the very minimum, on an honest basis. Comparing Iraq to Vietnam oscilates between comical fantasy, and deliberate lie and distortion. This nonsense is fed to people, and intelligent people like yourself end up believing lies, like the Americans have "lost" the war.

I'll give you an example. I was watching Lou Dobbs the other day. Now, I generally admire him. He's generally a smart man, very patriotic to his own country, and wants what is best to make his country more prosperous, and safe, and respected. So, I was listening to him, and he started talking about the war in Iraq, the American Army, and he was criticising the American Army, because he thought it was a great failure on their part, that they had been in Iraq several years, and had not yet beaten the insurgency. Now, the thing is, any military strategist will tell you it is in the very nature of an insurgency, that it usually takes about 10 years, to defeat. That's just reality.

Insurgents blend into the population, go back and forth into and out of conflict, and do harm, and travel in small numbers. They are not really an army, but basically criminals, with military training. So it takes a long time to kill them all because they are hard to find. Now, this is no shame or defeat, on the part of the American Army. To convey to the public this errant impression borders on treason. It belies an ignorance about a very important topic that exists all the up to the top of the American media. In many ways, Lou Dobbs is a smart man. On this topic, he is obviously ignorant and uneducated.

The craziness in Iraq you referred to, goes on, not because of any failure of the United States. The place was full of and run by, crazy and barbaric people before the United States showed up. The fact that America cannot magically wave it's magic wand and transform a dysfunctional society, that contains a religion with elements of insanity in it, is seen by the media, as "an American failure". What rubbish.

As I have said repeatedly, my view is, help the Iraqi government for a while, which at this point would be a year or two at most, and then hand over entire responsibility to the Iraqi government, to sort out the mess that is their country, and for the American Army to withdraw to isolated bases at that time, and watch the Iraqis fight it out, and sort it out. It should be interesting to see what the President comes up with this evening.

Carole, you mentioned "bring the troops home". That will never happen. It won't because they were never home in the first place. For many years, American troops have been stationed in many places, around the globe. Democratic and Republican governments have kept this going, for a long time. The MSM often refers to this nonsensical fantasy catchphrase of bringing the troops home, in their ignorance and pacifism distorting public perceptions of the reality of American power around the world, in order to work against their own government, for a subversive agenda. Fifty years after WWII, American troops are still in Japan and Germany, and many other places. Bring the troops home? They were never home to begin with.

Carole, your one best thought, in my opinion, is that if the Americans are to stay in Iraq, there should be a strategy to deal with Iran, and Syria. I agree with you totally. That's why leaving is such a bad idea. If the Americans leave, they lose influence in the region. American troop presense in the region is perceived by Tehran and Damascas as a serious threat to their regime. Good. That's what the American Army is. If the Americans leave, however, the American threat leaves. The best way to handle the situation, in my opinion, is to hand over authority and responsibility for their country, to the Iraqi government soon, and then have American troops redeployed on bases within Iraq. This would reduce American casualties, reduce domestic American opposition to American presence in Iraq, and allow the Iraqis to sort out their own differences, and would keep American power and influence within the region, where they could continue to be a threat to Iran and Syria. As I see it, the Americans have already won the war. What they need to do now is withdraw to bases, and allow Iraqis to sort out their own country.

Carole, weakness, or perceived weakness, is provocative. Especially to Arabs. If the Americans wimp out, this doesn't mean they will be safer. Withdrawal will have the opposite effect. An American withdrawal would be perceived by Arabs, as the Americans have no guts for the long fight ahead, in the coming, century long struggle with radical Islam. You don't like Muslims showing up and acting aggressive, in your home state? Wait till you see what happens, if America folds it's tent, and goes home. What kind of world will your grandchildren have to deal with, in a world where the only superpower has decided that fighting barbarians is too hard? And the barbarians are breeding like flies? I shudder to think.

Your thoughts are always appreciated, and shows you are thinking about these things, in a serious way. I don't agree with your conclusions and observations, but I respect your input.

Take care.

-- January 10, 2007 12:19 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Tim Bitts Most excellent post, saved me a lot of writing. I was 2 years ahead of the draft for Vietnam. Even at that young age I had an Highly Acute Interest in the war and despised everything about it and how it was handled other than the US had to “Come Home” with some dignity. Did not happen! That war produced some of the most convoluted mind sets ever. No ticker tape parades for the retuning G.I.’s just spit upon and neglected even to this day. I get upset when I see some of the new Hero’s that Iraq has produced and what little they did to achieve their status and look back to my friends and some of my friends fathers that served in Vietnam and their subsequent treatment by the populace and even their own Government. It’s still a dam shame. To compare Vietnam to Iraq is indeed comparing Apples to Dates! Finally Nixon had the nerve and resolve to end it. I vaguely remember the media reports from then but it seems to me that although they were getting what they wanted they still showed such disdain toward Nixon. I was really sorry he was impeached.

-- January 10, 2007 1:12 PM ∞

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Turtle wrote:

Carol: There has been plenty of response to the Iraq side. Let me add that what you saw of Kuwait is utter crap. The news presented an image of how "even our allies hate us". Ask any liberal and they will tell you the whole world hates us because we are so eveil and have been for the last 6 years. There were 8 years where everyone loved us, preceded by 12 years of being hated that led to the ultimate world despise. Yeah... Let me give you a reality on Kuwait. The people there love us and long as we are not sleepign with their women. They have some radicals like any other country so they gave the media something to show. Last year the media showed MASS protests in Kuwait towards the US after the Israeli attacks into Lebanon. I was passing through Kuwait and the truth was a couple hundred nuts that were deispersed by their own countrymen. I have walked freely and alone through Kuwaiti streets and been treated with total respect. Last August I was flying back from leave and had the pleasure of sitting next to a high ranking Kuwaiti who gave me her cell # and invited me to visit her and her husband. Do not believe even for a second that we are hated around the world or even in the Middle East. For the record, I have traveled to Russia, Ukraine, UAE, and Kuwait in the last 2 years. I was treated better in all of those countries than I was in my own. Big shock huh? I wish I could count the number of times I've been asked what things are like here and then been told I was wrong because the news showed something else and some politician said different. My best friend was in OIF1, sent back to guard the elections, and is now coming for his 3rd trip. I've watched people do the same thing to him... Point being, the sacrifices we made to free Kuwait was extremely well appreciated and they often tell you so to this day if you meet a true Kuwaiti. Now, keep in mind, there are 10 million people in Kuwait now and only 1-1.5 million are Kuwaiti. Remember that when you see videos from Kuwait of people celebrating any damage to the US.

The simple reality is that you guys are hearing everything. Even information that could vindicate the Republicans and our purpose is not being put out and so many people here are asking why. Either way, the plan Bush is currently in action was recommended months ago by officers on the ground in Iraq. It was debated and is finally being enacted. Do not for even a second think or believe that this was a last minute plan tossed together in the last 2 weeks. Look back at my posts and you will see elements of Bush's plan listed here and there in posts I put out 2+ months ago. I think I said look for something big in the January time frame back in October. I saw the e-mails being typed by transition team officers, who lived with the Iraqi units, that recommended the increase in troops and actions that are to come. These the events you see unfolding did not come from recomendations by men sitting in the Pentagon or politicians back in DC. These came form men who new their lives would be on the line if their requests were put into effect. The men that I watched type those requests have been in Baghdad working with Iraqi police for 4 days now. They were due to go home in 3 weeks but at least one of the Majors is considering extending a couple months to see the missions completed instead of turning it over to new blood. So, I know I won't make any great mind changes but I can only handle hearing so much negativity before I defend things that I knwo to be true. I wish you the best on the ethical battles you seem to be fighting but I can tell you from being here that you have nothing to feel guilty or evil over.

Side note: Yes, every soldier and civilian over here is aware of media attention to atnyhign we do so the MSM absolutely has played a big role in many combat decisions being made for political reason. I could quote many instances that I know of where strategic decisions were made that may have saved lives but prolonged the war and cost more lives in the long run. Some have called it plans based on best case scenario. Reality: plans to meet a political or media agenda at that time while hoping the desired military outcome would result.

Anyway, dinar gaining but still moving too slow even for me. GOOO DINAAARRR GOOOO!!!

Turtle

-- January 10, 2007 1:37 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Turtle, thanks for the view, from the inside.

-- January 10, 2007 1:53 PM ∞

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anonymous wrote:

Now would be a good time to pray for our troops and the President.

-- January 10, 2007 2:13 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

turtle;

From this article it looks like there were some negotiations on how the troop buildup would go - with the politicians doing give and take until it was put into the final form it is in now. But, of course, the military (who, by the way, are actually trained and quite competent in knowing just how to best fight a war) did their assessments and recommendations long before the politicians fought and negotiated over the details. Thanks, turtle, for the reminder that there is a plan and this is not an ad hoc and thrown together strategy but a careful and thoughtful plan which takes into account all viewpoints before reaching the final assessment.. and God bless you and all our fighting forces holding the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sara.

===

Iraq backs President Bush's troop plan
Reuters
Baghdad, January 9, 2007

The Iraqi government would welcome an increase in US troop numbers in Baghdad expected to be announced on Wednesday by President George W Bush, the government spokesman said on Tuesday.

"The Iraqi government does not object to an increase in coalition forces. The Iraqi government supports this trend," Dabbagh told a news conference.

Battling growing sectarian violence, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has announced a major security plan for Baghdad, vowing to crack down on violence on all sides.

Dabbagh said the raid in Haifa Street was aimed at eliminating "terrorist hideouts" and said US and Iraqi forces would avoid "mistakes" made in past plans to secure Baghdad, which is seen a key to pacifying the rest of Iraq.

Bush told US lawmakers he has decided to send about 20,000 more troops to Iraq in a plan to be announced on Wednesday.

Gordon Smith, one of Bush's fellow Republicans, said Bush told him and several other senators that the plan for the additional troops had originated with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Maliki had made commitments that the Iraqi government and military would take steps to strengthen security in exchange for more US troops, Smith said.

Bush's new plan is also expected to include setting "benchmarks" for Maliki to meet, aimed at easing sectarian violence and stabilising the country.

It is also expected to contain a job creation program for Iraqis likely to cost more than $1 billion.

Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist, has so far resisted US pressure to crack down on militias loyal to his fellow Shi'ites, which the United States has said are the most serious threat to Iraq. But in a speech on Saturday he vowed to crush illegal armed groups "regardless of sect or politics".

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1894775,00050004.htm

-- January 10, 2007 2:21 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

As I said, turtle, thanks for the reminder that there is a plan and this is not an ad hoc and thrown together strategy but a careful and thoughtful plan which takes into account all viewpoints before reaching the final assessment..

Sara.

===

Troop Surge Was Recommended By Iraq Study Group

From the omnicient Iraq Study Group Report: http://www.futureofthebook.org/iraqreport/3-security-and-military-forces
Security and Military Forces

1 A Military Strategy for Iraq

2 There is no action the American military can take that, by itself, can bring about success in Iraq. But there are actions that the U.S. and Iraqi governments, working together, can and should take to increase the probability of avoiding disaster there, and increase the chance of success.

3 The Iraqi government should accelerate the urgently needed national reconciliation program to which it has already committed. And it should accelerate assuming responsibility for Iraqi security by increasing the number and quality of Iraqi Army brigades. As the Iraqi Army increases in size and capability, the Iraqi government should be able to take real responsibility for governance.

4 While this process is under way, and to facilitate it, the United States should significantly increase the number of U.S. military personnel, including combat troops, imbedded in and supporting Iraqi Army units. As these actions proceed, we could begin to move combat forces out of Iraq. The primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army, which would take over primary responsibility for combat operations. We should continue to maintain support forces, rapid-reaction forces, special operations forces, intelligence units, search-and-rescue units, and force protection units…

===end of quote==

And, if one can believe the New York Times, that is exactly the plan:

Troops Sent in Surge to Have Limited Role, Bush Aide Says

JOHN O’NEIL
Published: January 10, 2007

President Bush will announce tonight that the additional American troops he plans to send to Baghdad will act only in support of Iraqi forces, and that they are being sent only because the Iraqi government has promised a “fundamental” change in policy, a top White House official said this morning…

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/world/10cnd-prexy.html?hp&ex=1168491600&en=27c0101b6f21fdb4&ei=5094&partner=homepage

==end of quote==

Funny how the media ignores the fact that President Bush is actually following a suggestion from the Solons of the Iraq Study Group.

In fact, they claim just the opposite — that he is ignoring their suggestions.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/troop-surge-was-recommende-by-iraq-study-group

-- January 10, 2007 2:53 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Blogwatch: Comment On Ted Kennedy
Blackfive: Kennedy "Demands Political Solution, Offers None"
Posted Jan 10, 2007

Blackfive milblog's most recent posting criticizes Ted Kennedy for his stance on Iraq to block funding for more troops, saying that if he is going to criticize, he should offer a better plan.

From the post: "Hot Air has video of Teddy Kennedy talking, again, about "George Bush's Vietnam." Hot Air also inserts commentary from Christopher Hitchens from 2004 that is entirely appropriate today:

"...There’s something creepy about the Democratic decision to hail the heroes of Vietnam, from Kerry to Clark, and to denigrate the extraordinary effort being made to salvage Iraq and to pursue and kill people who really are, unlike the Viet Cong, the common enemies of humanity..."

The post continues: The big problem with those on the left claiming that a troop surge will not work is that they are correct. Which is why there has been resistance to the "we need more troops, Mr. President" claim for the last few years. If all we do is surge troops, then, no, sorry, that won't work.

I believe that Teddy knows that's not the plan (and, come on, folks, he's got lots of sources, resources, and access to know what the plan will be). The addition of 20K troops is part of an over-arching strategy that will employ different tactics throughout Iraq (changes in ROEs, methods, embedding in Iraqi units, etc.).

But Teddy won't say that because it's much more politically convenient to claim that adding more troops now won't help...as if the addition of troops will just be staying the course, rather than adapting to the challenges we face in Iraq in Baghdad and Anbar.

Instead, the left wing, who've called for a change for two years, should have a plan to win. Teddy demands a political solution, but offers none.

The left uses sound bites but.has.no.plan. (except to lose). It's better for them for us all to lose, than to win. As much as they wish for a Vietnam (where they exercised their power), they won't get one today.

While I personally am disappointed in how excruciatingly long it's taken to get to this point, the good news is that I suspect that the President is about to hit the cover off of the freakin' ball...LTG Petraeus will be speaking softly and carrying an extremely large stick in the next few weeks. If anyone has a chance at making this work, it's him."

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/661/Blogwatch_Comment_On_Ted_Kennedy

-- January 10, 2007 3:07 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

As for Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming President..
he is a liberal in most of his policies, as illustrated here.
How would you like him to institute Universal healthcare?
Want to pay for all the illegal aliens' health bills in the US?
Does it sound like a good use of your taxpayer money?
Stay tuned as he starts with California first..

Sara.

===

ABC, NBC Hail Arnold's 'Bold, Groundbreaking' Health Plan Covering Illegal Aliens
Posted by Tim Graham on January 10, 2007 - 09:00.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to be campaigning to be the liberal media’s favorite Republican office-holder. On Tuesday, ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today publicized his "bold" new plan to offer billions in new state government subsidies to provide "universal" health coverage, even to millions of illegal immigrants. ABC co-host Robin Roberts openly endorsed it: "there is definitely a crisis, and it's good to see at least trying something, something, especially to help those that are uninsured." While ABC seemed to offer no opposition, except to frame it briefly as a potential "budget buster," NBC at least noted critics in small business and opponents of subsidizing (and attracting) illegal immigrants.

MRC’s Justin McCarthy reported that ABC promoted the California health plan as a challenge to President Bush and the new Democratic Congress to follow up and do something similar nationwide:

Diane Sawyer: "And back here in the United States, another big headline. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California issuing a kind of challenge to the U.S. government. He has unveiled a bold new plan to give every person in California health insurance coverage. He says it will actually drive down costs. Other states are already joining in, so is this a radical new solution or a budget buster? ABC's David Muir here with more, David."

David Muir: "Diane, good morning. For the 40 million Americans who don't have health insurance they're hoping this is a radical solution. Six and a half million of those uninsured are in California alone. This morning, though, there are many critics, among them small business saying it will be too expensive. But the governor says it is simple: If you can't afford it, the state will help you buy it. But you must be insured. Still recovering from his own broken leg, Governor Schwarzenegger had to speak through a video uplink, about his sweeping plan to cover California's 6.5 million uninsured, including all children, regardless of their immigration status."

http://newsbusters.org/node/10058

-- January 10, 2007 4:02 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

It turns out we were taken for dummies by believing the MSM press again.
Jamil Hussein was not admitted to exist by any Iraqi ministry spokesman.
The AP merely LIED to us..
to make bloggers look radical and the MSM press look good and avert scrutiny.
Now we can read the retraction on page C4, near the back..
when nobody is looking.
As this story makes plain:

===

More Fibbing from the Associated Press?
Posted by Greg Sheffield on January 10, 2007 - 14:54.

The Associated Press crowed on Jan. 4 that their controversial source "Jamil Hussein" did indeed exist, as it announced:
QUOTE:

Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, who had previously denied there was any such police employee as Capt. Jamil Hussein, said in an interview that Hussein is an officer assigned to the Khadra police station, as had been reported by The Associated Press.

==end quote==

But Flopping Aces has the latest development:

I've been in touch with Bill Costlow (the CPATT (Civilian Police Assistance Training Team) representative) since he has been back in-country and I have a few interesting developments on this story.

Despite the AP's claim that a Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf had confirmed Hussein's existance:

QUOTE:

Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf never acknowledged that there was a Capt. Jamil Hussein assigned to the Khadra station, he confirmed to the AP that there was a Capt. Jamil Ghdaab Gulaim assigned there. Apparently he is the source for the AP even though he still, to this day (according to Bill Costlow), denies being the source.

So what do we have so far?

That the AP has lied again in their response. The AP specifically stated that Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf acknowledged Jamil Hussein exists when he did no such thing. He acknowledged a completely different name the AP gave him but not a Jamil Hussein.

Then, the AP's source denies he is the source.

Comment:

bassndude Says:
January 10, 2007 - 15:26

Either the AP is complicit with the terrorists and are intentionaly printing these fairy tales to help their cause, OR the said source is the source, and is there by complicit with the terrorists and is unoffically and intentionaly telling the AP these fairy tales, knowing the AP is ready to print anything to make the Iraq situation look worse than it really is. Either way, I see the AP as complicit and doing their best to provide aid to the terrorists.

Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!

http://newsbusters.org/node/10075

As bassndude says, it is just plain treason (aiding and abetting the enemy in war is called treason).. but that isn't anything new in the media, as there is no check or balance on their powers like there are in government. Even treason is not brought to justice under the banner of that "anything goes" label - the "freedom" of the press.

Sara.

-- January 10, 2007 4:21 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

I wouldn’t base my entire projection of Arnold being president just because he’s initiated Health Care for the masses. Which under a comprehensive plan it would work.

We all pay for health care anyway whether Citizens or illegal aliens. Patients don’t get turned down for health care. At worst they may be directed to a county hospital. When was the last time you heard a patient being turned away legal or otherwise because they had no insurance? Right now hospital will care for these people and cover the cost. They will recoup this money by settling on payments from the patient. If no money is recovered from the patient then the hospital absorbs and writes off the bill. During policy and budgeting these cost’s are amortized and factored into the future cost of health care for the next patients, you and me.

Health costs are based on people that have insurance and are able to pay which account for a certain percentage of the patients. Up the number of patients that can pay by whatever means and the cost are adjusted down and spread more evenly. We still pay, just not as much.

Health costs are passed to the government, Federal, State, County and local and by the businesses that employ. The end user of the products or services pay more for that product or service which covers the insurance for the employee. Now as for the degree of coverage don’t cover a stubbed toe or the sniffles but have in place the more catastrophic and emergency care.

Also keep the variable that if I want better coverage I can still purchase my BCBS but I will still contribute to the social plan. I personally would rather see my tax dollars go to this as a social item than to some of the existing programs which is a total sham and well seasoned frauds on the Government by perfectly healthy and able body people.

-- January 10, 2007 4:34 PM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Robert S:
Try to get health insurance if you have had a heart attack, try if you have had cancer, try if you have had any type of long term illness, or a continuous none curable illness..See what the insurance companies tell ya...these are not dead beats..there are 44 million people who fit that mold....who can afford the monthly coverage...but the federal/state/governments have allowed the insurance companies to cherry pick..
If you are self employed or work for a small company that cannot afford health insurance for their employees, or you fit the above mold you are screwed, tatooed and marked "Untouchable by the Health Insurance Companies"...I don't care how much money you can afford to pay monthly...
Thank God! Finally! A politician who has the balls to tell the health insurance companies ...no more!!! The cherry picking is over...
My partner, Elaine is from England...and they have a national health insurance program...so I see first hand the benefits given to her folks and relatives under that plan, vs the good ole american health insurance scam...
Theirs puts us to shame...

-- January 10, 2007 6:10 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Carl wrote:
Thank God! Finally! A politician who has the balls to tell the health insurance companies ...no more!!! The cherry picking is over...

I am not familiar with Englands Health Care but I think the California is on the correct path. I see what my parents go through in their 80's. Paid for health insurance all their life up until they could no longer get renewed. Now have to depend on what I can do and Medi care. Plan D has been pretty confusing on them but at least it's something. I justhope if California go and the states follow it dosen't end up like Canada's health care situation of having to wait forever to get appointments (of course by the time you wait your either over your crisis or dead).

-- January 10, 2007 7:09 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/01/theres_something_happening_her.html

January 10, 2007
There's something happening here
Greg Richards

The Iraqi dinar continues its sharp move upward to its current record valuation (the new dinar was introduced in October 2003). And now, as cen be seen from the data on the website for the Central Bank of Iraq, the volume of dollars traded at these prices has surged(scroll down to the bottom). In the last three days, volume traded in US dollars has been: $9 million, $14 million, $44 million. The $44 million is the highest volume since November, with the exception of one day in December.

A tile in the Iraq mosaic. We don't want to panic now (a) based on an insufficient appreciation of what may be happening in Iraq in terms of an improving economy and (b) at what may be a critical turning point. John McCain offers an impassioned plea for more troops (see Powerline) and outlines their mission.

-- January 10, 2007 7:12 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Current Iraqi Dinar Exchange Rate
1,315.000 Dinars to the US Dollar ($0.00076)
$760.46 per million Dinar
* As of 1/10/2007 4:00:56 AM as per Central Bank of Iraq website

-- January 10, 2007 7:16 PM ∞

---

Johan wrote:

Rob N.

You really are a typical mis-informed american aren't you.

You talk of America being the "New Greece"

Sorry, but Greece had CULTURE. You aren't even close.

As for empires, the largest empire was not Greece.
The largest empire the world has ever seen was the British Empire, no, not Greek, not Roman, not Mongol.

British.

America seem to be under the misapprehension that they are in some way a "guiding light" to the rest of mankind.

Again, not even close.

FYI: An Empire is only considered an Empire as long as it is controlled. You can't even control a bunch of ragheads with old weapons.

"The World's Greatest Democracy"

Don't make me laugh, I have a cracked rib.

America isn't Great, and it isn't a Democracy.

If "George Dubya" did get into power fair and square, that goes to prove how dumb you people are.

So where is your Empire?

1. You aren't cultured.
2. You aren't a real empire.
3. You aren't a real democracy.
4. You are all f**d.

Yes you are the world first hyper power (paid for with petro-dollars, which will soon dry up, trust me)

Get ready for the first MEGA POWER.

The Chinese.

Again, you are f**d, kiss goodbye to your cushy lifesyles, your almighty dollar is soon going to be toilet paper.

Goodbye.

-- January 10, 2007 7:18 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carl;

You wrote about 44 million legal American citizens who have long term illnesses and can pay an insurance premium but cannot get insurance coverage. This does indeed seem to me to be a case of the federal/state/governments allowing the insurance companies to "cherry pick". However, the idea of extending free health coverage to illegals who cannot pay at all I think may overwhelm the services for those very people you are seeking to get coverage for.

It is my thought that completely free medical care being doled out to everybody sends a signal out that says, "If you illegally come to America you will be granted free health coverage" (or, "go here for a free lunch!") and I am not so sure that is wise. I am all for having compassion on the third world, but not really keen on inviting the entire population of the third world to move to the US for free health coverage at the taxpayer's expense??

Perhaps that is heartless.. or maybe just fiscally realistic. Depends on your view. But for the 44 million Americans (plus) who can make the insurance payments - your view that the US should move toward a more UK or Canadian based form of healthcare certainly seems much more compassionate and helpful. It is a shame that legal American citizens are not very well provided for in a country so rich.

I think you may be right that it merely cuts into the insurance company profits, without putting the insurance industries under. But I also wonder if it might not be unworthwhile to make so very little (the capitalist thing) and the insurance companies may get out of the industry entirely. In that case, as in the UK and Canada, the state will end up doing health care as this viewpoint is brought into realization. That may not end up turning out so very well, as Robert S pointed out, since you tend to get over being sick or die during the incredibly long waiting periods for "universal healthcare" (such as in Canada). But maybe even that imperfect system is a better deal than the hardships that are being faced now under the "cherry picking" system.

Sara.

-- January 10, 2007 7:42 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Canada has the best healthcare system in the world.... It's called the United States... Most of our population lives in less than ten major cities, that are all within a hundred miles of the American border, thus within easy flying or driving distance of American private clinics. Our elites often go down to the United States, for health care, when they need to, and pay for it, if they want it quick. The rest of us go to the public system, which is quite good for a lot of things, but it is a bit overcroweded, and if you want to see a specialist, you have a long wait. A number of provinces are experimenting right now, with a mixture of private medicine, and public. Everyone is covered, for healthcare, which is great, and it's nice to have the United States next door, for Canadians who have money, and want quicker service.

-- January 10, 2007 8:02 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Johan,

If people in your dreamt up "cultural" society will be members like you, I wouldn't even come close to supporting it.

How easy it is to stand up and scream "Muppets".

You're against the US, well, I have no quarrel with that, that is your choice, and the US have it's fair share of enemies in every corner of the world.

However, I'm very curious of how your "Ideal society" will look like, where do you live yourself for starters?

Screaming "boo" that's the easy part, anyone can rain on someones parade, knock the ice cream out of the hands of your fellow playmate, being jealous because you don't have one, keying a nice car sitting on the street, just because it's there, and you yourself have no means of getting one yourself.

Johan, my guess is, first you're a pretty young fella, and your model of how a world without insanity, poverty and abuse is pretty much set in your head, and from this point it's just a matter of educating the ignorant masses in the US how wrong they are.

Well, Johan, please, educate us in our ways.

Please bring us out of our ignorance.

Help us see the light, as you have seen it.

We got it, we're Muppets, ok now its time to take the next step.

No need to continue to tell us how bad we are, tell us how we can change.

What is your idea of a well functioning world, Socialism? Communism? Fascism? Capitalism, "Free market"?, Religious control of a country? Pure Dictatorship?

I've seen from your earlier postings that your not really mature in communication yet, but I have faith in you, you can step up to the plate, stop screaming, and talk in a constructive interchange.

-- January 10, 2007 8:14 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Tim,

Thank you for your response. I see where you disagree with me. I certainly am not the last word on what we should do to solve this disasterous situation we are in and have been for many months now.

Tim, Are you looking at the big picture, or just taking a snap shot view of different
suppostions and scenarois?

Reality is we have made serious repeated mistakes. With no evidence of acknowledging them in a visible effort to redirect our strategies.

It would be so comforting to be able to trust that our current administration is on track with a viable plan to succeed. BUt to put one's hopes in somethiat has no conclusive evidence or positive outcomes, to me, is ludacrious.

We seem to be more focused on what the Islamofascists response would be to our actions than to do the expedient and right thing
(for our Nation and citizens
and troops).

I hear all your points, but they seem too idealistic to me..

Since neither you or I or anyone else here is calling the charge, I guess we will just have to wait and see.

The Pres. is ready to speak soon, so I will sign off for now.

Carl, Thank you also for your
message. You have no idea how much I want you to be right!

Carole

-- January 10, 2007 8:16 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Turtle,

Very good posting, really appreciate your view. I am aware that there was celebrations when the 9/11 happened, I do believe the wide spread celebrations was in the Palestinian camp. Other than that, I'm not sure of any wide spread big celebrations, except smaller groups, as you mentioned, a couple of hundred jar heads, that are orchestrating a demonstration, and get all the lime light.

-- January 10, 2007 8:21 PM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Sara & Tim:
What do you think happens to the individual who can afford health care, but no insurance company will insure them...
I will tell you what happens...
The businessman or individual who has worked all of his life for what he has...looses everything at the end to the medical industry in lawsuits filed at the settlement of his estate...No one in your family, gets any heritance from all of your hard work...gone..kaput...why? Because our government allowed the insurance companiew to cherry pick...

Any of you...who are reading this can be the next "Untouchable". As you get older you health is going to fail...you are going to need hospitalization...you have a choice...refuse medical treatement....doctor yourself....commit sucide when the pain gets too bad...swallow your pride, go to the hospital as a deadbeat and be grateful that one as accepted you...it does not matter that may not be able to give the best or medical treatment you need...

It is a national shame for the United States...Each political fiqure is guilty including president bush of selling out the average citizen to the Health Insurance Industry and allowed them to get away with this...

-- January 10, 2007 8:25 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

CYMRY001,

Cool info about the $1000 bill, I can see that there even was a $10.000 once. Non in print since -45, but still technically legal tender.

-- January 10, 2007 8:27 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Health care,

I'm an opponent to Socialism but there is one part of the society that needs a common denominator.

Health care.

US is probably amongst the modern nations, the ONLY one, that doesn't provide for it's sick or wounded.

A working Joe, that breaks his leg, and it happened to be not work related, will be financially bankrupt for two years.

VA hospitals are already a Socialised institution, so for the part of caring for veterans, it is already set up.

Working Joe will be (only to some extent) covered by the employers insurance, as long as he is working for the company he is hired with.

I guess this is a question that have to be asked to all the Citizens, ..."are you prepared to pay another five bucks in tax on every hundred bucks your earning, but in return you will have free health care?"

I'm pretty sure most favour the extra cost, compared with the system in use nowadays when an insurance company will cover your rear end. (at least supposed to)

Phone companies, Insurance companies, zoning boards, and lawyers, are by most, considered being one of the most criminal elements out there.

The Insurance industry is now running the health care system, and no wonder we have the most expensive health care system in the world. The hospitals are trying to milk out as much as possible out of the insurance companies, billing scrutiny have in itself become an industry.

Insurance companies do whats good for the insurance company first.

The insurance companies are known to drop high risk policies and claim it's "only a few", given different reasons.

Of course it is only a few, it's those that really needs treatment.

Yours and mine health is not labeled as it is, and given the cure it needs, but is classified as TO WHAT RISK the illness have TOWARDS the insurance company.

The health care system in the US is set up like a gambling operation.

If you place a bet, in a gambling institution, and you won, the Booker will pay....or he will have the gambling commission breathing down his neck.

When you buy an insurance policy it's a bet your taking, you pay, and bet, against that you never have to use it.

The difference here is that if you need to use it, the Booker in many cases will refuse to pay you.

There is no equivalent to the gambling commission that will breath down the insurance companies neck, your'e all alone, with your lawyers expense to fight them.

Health care needs to get out of the hands of the insurance industry.

What model of free health care system is the best, well none are, as health care systems are set up as a free, abuse will happen, freeloaders will appear at the door, and gang fighters will just go and get patched up, so they can go back and do their business.

In European countries where free health care have been given since long time back , the complaints about long waiting lists have been heard very loudly, when you're sick, you need to get in NOW.

Most systems seem to have been developing in the direction of one socialised base health care system, with a multiple strata of private health care, covering the top, where the socialised medicare will cover less and less the higher in the private strata you get.

I jsut cant see why a whole middle class working Joes should suffer years long financial hard ship because all he needs is to fix a broken leg.

A broken leg is a comparable easy fix, but he shouldn't have to pay the equivalent of a small compact car, in order to feed business blocks after business blocks of buildings, filled with insurance companies bean counters.

-- January 10, 2007 9:04 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Okie,

Ok so the Warka is up and running, good news, it seem to come together in time with all the other developments.

It's been a long time down, and I suspect there is a reason they have been holding off such a long time.

A bank is just not down that long unless they have a very very good reason.

2007 seem to be a very good year, both for the Iraqis and us.

-- January 10, 2007 9:14 PM ∞

---

Johan wrote:

Roger.

I am not against Americans, I am against America's Foreign Policy. I have American friends.

As for jealousy, don't confuse dissatisfaction with jealousy. I am not jealousy of you or your country.

I am not a fan of Israel's shenanigans either, but it doesn't make me anti-semetic.

I don't know how we can change the world, but common sense is the key I think.

1.

The U.N. must mean something. When the U.N. says someone doesn't have the right to invade another country, that decision should be final. Punishments for disobedience could include: dismisal from the U.N., sanctions, or even military action.

2.

Allow countries to deal in any currency they choose. Don't invade people because they are threatening to switch the currency they use for foreign transactions.

3. Don't expect other countries to hand over wanted terrorists, when you yourselves are harbouring wanted terrorists in your country.

4.

Don't finance and arm "terrorists", then complain when another country does the same with a "terrorist" group you don't like.

5.

Get your news right.

Example 1: "Israel CAPTURES two Hezbollah Terrorists"

Example 2: "Hezbollah KIDNAPS two Israeli Soldiers"

See the discrimination?

So, there is 5 things you could do to improve America.

Thank you.

-- January 10, 2007 9:33 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Hi-
In addition to this forum, I also view IIF and Rolo Club. Last few days, I have been unable to get Rolo Club to load. Now, tonight, I can't get IIF to load. Does anyone know what is going on - are they just down for maintanence-or have they closed down???

Thank you for your response

Mary Lou

-- January 10, 2007 10:58 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Carl, I agree. Everyone should have access to healthcare, and losing your life savings over a medical issue should never occur. I own a business myself, so I'm very pro-business, but one of the things I like about Canada, is access to universal healthcare. Canada is evolving into a situation where everyone has access to basic healthcare, but for quicker service, or specialties, a lot of private health care is opening up in BC, Alberta, and Quebec. So we are evolving into a mixed blend of public universal healthcare for everyone, and private for people with more money. I support this trend. I have had several friends and relatives face life-threatening medical issues and feel it is important that everyone has access to reasonable levels of care.

-- January 11, 2007 12:36 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Johan,

United Nation, once set up as the goal to have an international forum, to prevent the world from war, to never have anything like the WW2 again.

United Nation today is far far from the original intended set up.

Today this is one of the most corrupt, inefficient set ups, that allowed itself and its members to be bought up with oil vouchers from Saddams regime, when the members of the organization was suppose to monitor the trade, and enforce the (UN)embargo.

Instead, under the eyes of the UN, Saddam was allowed to continue his trade almost as nothing had happened.

The oil bribes was found going straight to Russia, France and of course a lot of people in the UN.

France was selling weapons to Saddam as late as a couple of days before the invasion,(French state controlled factory), and the oil money going to the UN reps, were all unaccounted for.

The UN set up an "investigation" that lead to nowhere (Of course) and only independent investigators could trace millions to Kofa Anans brother.

The UN have committees like "Human Rights" and similar, where people from countries like Communist China is sitting and voting what is right and wrong with the world. A place where the censorship is total.

The amount of Socialist countries sitting in UN is unproportional high, Socialism a movement based on "zero economy", that is, "we are poor BECAUSE they are wealthy". A false idea that there exists only X amount if money in the world and if someone is rich, someone else must therefore be poor.

Poorer countries would be wealthy if they would produce, and not run around on the street with an AK screaming.

UN did nothing a the Rwanda massacres, the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Somalia, that have been going on for a while, a true ethnic cleansing, and systematic murder, where was the UN, you didn't even hear about it, until the Ethiopian army and American Gunships started to kill off the murdering mob.

UN a bureaucracy in lower Manhattan, doing nothing but clog up the streets with their illegal parking( Issued diplomatic passports) , enjoying a good US hospitality where prime Real Estate is offered, and all they do is sit and endlessly talk.

UN have no legislative power, all the representatives have to bring their issues to their representative government, and THEY have to "ok" their UN representatives issue from the UN.

So first my friend, you have a grave misunderstanding on how the UN works, it is not, can not be and will never be a Governing body, so what the UN says, is not the bottom line, as you suggested.

2.
Don't invade countries because they want to use whatever currency they choose.

I'm not fully sure what you mean, but I can assume you mean the threat of invading Iran because they are switching to the Euros for their oil business.

Any country can choose to deal with any currency they so choose to do so with, it's just that whether you like the US or not, Dollar is the world currency and oil transactions are made and set in Dollars. If Iran wants to change to Euros, fine no problem, but they have to deal with the companies that will take Euros for oil, and that will solve that problem, the Iranian currency is no good in Saudi Arabia, and most probably other Gulf states will follow suit very soon, leaving Iran to get other currencies, as Euros or Dollars.

Irans growing internal oil consumption will by estimated 2016 be in par with its own oil production, and thus be a non oil producing country, Irans own internal oil industry is falling apart, as Iran is an environment where no serious oil investor will invest, as the Iranians Socialised all oil industry back around the time the Mullahs took over that country.

Irans choice of currency is of no threat to the US Dollar, not Hugo Chavez either, a bigger threat is if Central Banks all around the world will start a panic sell of the Dollar, because its falling value, in order to keep the value intact in their currency reserve.

A threat that have passed, as the Dollar now have flattened out.

So you see, Johan, US have no reason to invade because someone is using this or that currency.

They might have a reason to invade if the country are threatening to plant Nuclear bombs in our neighborhood, though.

On point 3 and 4 I have to ask you to specify a little bit better here, can you please come back on those two points.

5. Hezbolla IS a terrorist organization, even your beloved UN have come to that conclusion. Hezbolla, a semi mafia with business in all kinds of illegal business, from blood diamonds to weapon smuggling, close ties to Syria and Iran.
They're not too smart either, started a war with Israel, all its territory was pulverized, and now other forces are stationed in that territory, and then they "declared victory" ...the world still laughs.

Hezbolla runned by another head wrapped despot, that can't express one logic sentence. Looks like a Sad'r look alike.

For the statement that US cant even win over a couple of ragtag thugs waving around an AK, I assume you are referring to Iraq,

First, Iraq is a sovereign country, after Saddams removal the people was given back the country, had their own constitution, their own Parliament, their own elected leaders.

It's true, if you read the back pages here, you will see our own frustration over the lack of progress, Malaki have not really been the leader we had hoped for, he is saying the right things but is doing nothing, and when action on the ground have been called for, and the US forces have engaged the enemy, orders from Malaki have been quick to come down to stop the operation, making us sit there.

Changes is in the wind about that situation though, Malaki probably have its last chance coming now with the redeployment of troops, either he will take action, and participate in taking down the militia, or ..in my opinion, he will not survive politically, be removed, and someone else set in place, that are willing to take the hard decisions. US just cant sit by and watch as another ethnic cleansing is happening in front of their eyes, its Arabian brother against brother, for no other reason than one belongs to one branch of Islam and the other belongs to another branch.

In the other hand, the US cant just go and remove a democratic elected leader in a country that the US have just been given back to it's own people. It doesn't work that way.

As usually in countries in that region, things takes a looooot of time, it have to be discussed, cleared with Sheiks, Mullahs, and Imans, and any and all that wants to put their nose into it. It's not a very effective civilisation for now, but changes are taking place in those countries.

The population is on average very young, and as young people have short temper, little life experience, and full of enthusiasm for any and all cause some head wrapped despot is telling them, they easily go and scream on the street with an AK.

As time goes by, he will be more interested in fixing his clutch, put in plumbing in his house, and get braces for his daughters teeth.

-- January 11, 2007 12:37 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

Thanks for your response. In the final analysis, I would say, my position is, to give the Iraqis a chance, a year or so, and then retreat to bases, within Iraq, and let the party begin.

I fully realize this would probably unleash a monumental bloodbath, within the country, as Shiite and Sunni massacre each other, till Shiite probably win. I am willing to live with that. And beside, this is an Arab responsibility, not an American one. I think someone within Iraq has to win. That is the way Arabs think. The President would like them all to come together, in peace, and settle their differences. I admire the President, and support his policy for now, and hope it works, but like a lot of people, I only want to help so much, and then think it best to eventually quit helping, and let them sort it out.

I suppose supporting continuing to help the Iraqis for a year or so is a bit idealistic, but I am also less idealistic than President Bush, and you obviously are less idealistic than me. That's fair. This business of deciding how long to help a country is a guessing game, and no one really knows who is right, or if it will really work. Iraqis themselves, and time and chance will decide whether it was worth it, or Americans just wasted their time.

But I wish to point out, that behind my temporary idealism, is a hard realism. Unlike the President, I am not afraid of advocating an eventual withdrawal, to bases within Iraq, for the American Army, in a year or two, and letting Arabs massacre each other without end, which also might lead to them coming to some sort of an arrangement with each other, and burying the hatchet.

I suspect this American withdrawal, into bases within Iraq will happen in the end, anyway. I don't think it would be a wise thing for any American President to withdraw completely from Iraq, but I also don't think public support for American troops to patrol the streets of Bagdhad will last forever, so the only alternative I see is eventual retreat of American troops, into bases within Iraq. And then, whatever happens, happens.

I think this scenario will happen in the end, anyway. I think there will be a massive civil war, in the end, anyway, in Iraq. If the President is more of an optimistic man than I am and wants to give them one last chance to get their act together, and avoid a civil war, good. He's a better and more generous man than I would be. But eventually, an American President will let Arabs have a go at each other, and that's fine with me. I hope Bush's plan will work, but I doubt it. I trust the Americans to try to help, but I don't trust Iraqis. If it fails, it will be because Iraqis, due to their own hatred of each other, decide not to make it work. I think the 2% of Iraqis who are the wolves of society want a civil war, and I think, in the end, they will have one.

I don't really see this situation in Iraq as a war anymore, and am starting to be annoyed that it is talked about, as if it were a conventional war. Europeans are used to thinking about war, along the lines of the types of wars we are used to, and this war doesn't seem to fit historical patterns of war. The conventional war was won in three weeks, but the insurgency carries on. There is no organized army, on the other side, threatening to defeat the Americans, and to force them to withdraw, and yet there is talk the Americans might withdraw. This is a bizzare situation, from the perspective of recent historical precident. The use of the term "war" does not really capture the essence and complexity of what is going on in Iraq, and leads to misleading thoughts and conclusions about the situation. Language has not really caught up with reality, and changing forms of conflict, and we still use clumsy, inappropriate terms, like "winning the war" and "war" itself, when the use of the terms, which evoke conventional meanings within people's minds, that are at odds with the nuances and complexities of this military effort. This leads to much confusion, in thinking. There will be no surrender, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, like there was in World War II. Is the Iraq war really even a war? Certainly it is not a conventional war. The war was won in three weeks, by the American Army. What we're seeing now is more of a police action, as opposed to a war.

And this second phase of the so-called war, the trying-for-peace phase, for lack of a better term, is another matter. This "war" is odd in the sense that, unlike past conflicts, in this one, peace will only be won by the defeated people, the Iraqis, in this case. Once again, this is at odds with conventional notions of how wars work.

Personally, I don't think it is America's job to win the peace. I think they should help briefly, and then withdraw to bases. To me, America is not really fighting a war. It is really trying to get a country back on it's feet. The main responsibility for that remains with Iraqis.

Anyhow, whatever happens, I still feel the currency will remain, and oil and greed are still stronger than hatred, and the Dinar will be worth a lot someday. My mind does not know for sure if this will work, but my gut and my heart says it will. I can feel that in my bones. I know it is true. It will work, in the end.

You take care now.

-- January 11, 2007 1:36 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Roger!

Excellent response!

As I was reading it, some question came to mind.

What are we defining as "winning the war"?

We invaded , and demonstrated a very definitive attack against a nation that we believed was responsible and behind the 911 attack on US.

We rescued the country from tyranny and helped them to establish a bona fide country, with free elections, a constitution and an official sitting government.

We captured their demons and they are all but gone (dead).

We have poured billions of money for them and reconstruction is well under way in most regions.

We have assisted them in estab lishing laws that have opened the door to world trade, and foreign investing in their country.

We have implemented and funded the establishment of a Iraq military.

The list can probably go on and on.

The point is- what now are we definfing as winning the war?

To me the only thing that is left to do is to establish that they can remain defended from Iran and Syria invasion or infoltration that would destroy all that we have helped them accomplish. This could have and should have been done from the begining. This has been established. SO, in my view this should be our only focus, AND THEN WE SHOULD BE FINISHED!

I realize that we will have to maintain or establish our own level of presence through bases there for many years, as we do in many parts of the world. But that is different than giving billions and troops lives.

I think it is time to redefine waht winning the war means. To me the war is essentially over.

The fact that they have outbreaks of violence from criminals in their neighborhoods and streeets is a universal condition. Many countires have similar elements to deal with.

Our own country has growing violence in the streets from gangs, and corrutpion, and levels of tyranny.

Granted they may be more barbaric in nature. But try to tell that to neighborhoods like south central Los Angeles, where innocent children are gunned down and darkness is an automatic curfew due to the violence that prevails, and people live in constant fear.

This is only one community, there are hundreds in this country.

My point is, can you define when we will be done with objectives met?

I think the President needs to define this for the American people and the world. So that we can measure our progress and our future. What is the established critieria for declaring victory that is realistic and attainable.

Carole

-- January 11, 2007 1:42 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Rob N,

Back to the discussion about banks, been on a couple of other sites, where bloggers claim to have bought Dinars in B of A, namely in Boston. Also people confirm purchases in Chase.

However, can see a mounting complaint about very slow deliveries from the banks. Customers report a waiting between 10 days and two weeks now. A shortage of Dinars are reported, by the banks as the reason.

(Of course, the CBI Iraq is buying up Dinars as fast as they can get their hands on them)

CBI is setting up something, and as far as I'm concerned, they're either are going to set the Dinar free on the Forex, or do an RV.

Before the big contracts are done, with the "big oil", the Iraqis MUST be in a much better bargain position, unless they are willing to be a cheap labour force for the Big Oil.

Especially this remarkable drying up of Dinars, and CBI's buying frenzy of the currency is very interesting.

Per report, the Iraqi CBI have bought up about 7 trill and maybe some more since the last report.

Now if you look at it, the known figure of existing Dinars is about 20 Trill, so if a bank buys up a little bit more than a THIRD of it's currency, making it so scarce, that it's almost impossible to find, that tells me, there are bigger plans in the works. If you remove, almost stealthy, that much of your currency from the market, you ARE into something big. You are not just doing a tune up, and tire pressure check.

I'm thinking, if you want to adjust the Dinar for an ongoing inflation, and adjust it with a couple of points every day, that's such a small adjustment, you don't have to buy up all that currency, to do that. Those two actions don't correlate in magnitude.

Almost looks like the small creeping "adjustment" is almost a feint, to make us look that way.

If you were Iraq, and you have a currency, and you were about to rise it's value, wouldn't you buy up as much as ever possible, knowing that you are buying something very cheap, and will have in possession as much of the Dinars as possible when they are revalued.

I'm right now into a period where I start to see "signs coming together" again.

I'm not sure if you are the stout pessimist around here, but my knee is jerking, my eye is twitching, and I have seen a rabbit crossing my path in the snow going straight north, (mind you, it was not an east-west crossing) and heart to heart, doesn't that tell you something?

-- January 11, 2007 1:47 AM ∞

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anon wrote:

Carole I don't think I have ever seen you respond with such enthusiasm to Roger as in you last reply. The start of a beautiful friendship?

-- January 11, 2007 1:49 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Tim,

I don't think we disagree at all!! I think we are on the same page!

You pretty much answered the questions I posed to Roger, but I would still be intersted in his reaponse.

Now concerning Universal Healthcare. This is simply a
relabeling of a term called socialized medicine.

In the US we have many models already in place of socialized medicine with the advent of the HMO's.

I believe it was in the 1980's that the insurance companies infiltrated government healthcare when they were allowed to "buy-out" an individuals Medicare allocations. All healthcare plans now have a "senior plan" ( bythe way the biggest rip off of the American senior). The insurance companies "manage" the government's money for healthcare to the beneficiaries. AND THEY MANAGE IT VERY TIGHT.

Why? because there are built in financial incentiatives for them to do so.

Universal healthcare would just broaden their base from managing Medicare and Medcaid money to government funded money for all citizens ( legal and illegal).

It is an expensive and sacrifical way of administering healthcare for the taxpayer. Not to mention the fact that it promotes a very substandard level of the delivery of efficient healthcare systems. Individual choices diminish, and care is recieved by the qualifying of certain ICD-9 codes, which are constantly being manipulated by the insurance companies. Whom, by the way NEVER LOSE AND ARE BIG GIGANTIC WINNERS!!

Oh there are financial incentives built in for the beneficiary, but the sacrifice is one that directly affects clincal outcomes. Preventative medicine becomes only available to the rich.

I will almost guarantee you that the stage that has been set for euthanasia will move in a fast forward direction.

Please, let us not forget that Schwarzneggar sleeps with a Kennedy. The grandaddies of socialism, healthcare being their latest venture.

Carole

-- January 11, 2007 2:19 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Carole,

Thanks, yes the war is essentially over, and of course everybody wants to get home, but knowing it's not a done deal just yet, we have to wrap up the ends.

The Iraqi adventure have passed in history pretty predictable, until the point we gave the country back. From that point on, Iraq have been a messy affair.

Mistakes have been made, undoubtedly, we gave the country back far too early.

"Iraq, here you are, take it back , it's your country, now be happy."

Then a squabble started in their own ranks. Long suppressed unsettled scores was settled in the night where murder squads rule.

The squabble is basically not our problem, its their problem, but as the Iraqis are completely unable to control it, we have to turn back and set things straight.

We can either take the position that the Iraqis have to deal with it, and sit back with a huge number of forces while a methodical ethnic cleansing is taking place right in front of our nose, while we do nothing.

In that sense, I say, if we do a 20.000 troop deployment in Baghdad, you could almost see it as a sympathy action, to save lives, and go back a couple of steps, and correct things that was not foreseen.

I just don't think it's in the American heart to give away a country, seeing their leadership wobble, and have poor control, while factions are killing each other, and leave with the idea that, "well, we got rid of Saddam, we're done, lets split".

Once we assume responsibility for the country, took it over from Saddam, we have to deal with all consequences that action started, foreseen or not. Fix the fence, mend the dent, straighten the cable, and fill in the potholes this caused.

From a world legal viewpoint, we don't have to stay, we can leave, and claim it's all the Iraqis now, but doing so, we will pull the rug underneath the Iraqis, and the prospect of an unsupported regime, that have a potential to fall might be a real thing.

Imagine, we would pull out, and in six months from now, Sad'r is running the country. And he will immediately get into a "defense agreement" with Iran, helping them set up launch pads closer to Israel.

-- January 11, 2007 2:20 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

President Bush Addresses the Nation - Jan 10, 2007

Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global War on Terror — and our safety here at home. The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror.

When I addressed you just over a year ago, nearly 12 million Iraqis had cast their ballots for a unified and democratic nation. The elections of 2005 were a stunning achievement. We thought that these elections would bring the Iraqis together — and that as we trained Iraqi security forces, we could accomplish our mission with fewer American troops.

But in 2006, the opposite happened. The violence in Iraq - particularly in Baghdad — overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made. Al Qaeda terrorists and Sunni insurgents recognized the mortal danger that Iraq's elections posed for their cause. And they responded with outrageous acts of murder aimed at innocent Iraqis. They blew up one of the holiest shrines in Shia Islam — the Golden Mosque of Samarra — in a calculated effort to provoke Iraq's Shia population to retaliate. Their strategy worked. Radical Shia elements, some supported by Iran, formed death squads. And the result was a vicious cycle of sectarian violence that continues today.

The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people — and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me.

It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq. So my national security team, military commanders, and diplomats conducted a comprehensive review. We consulted Members of Congress from both parties, allies abroad, and distinguished outside experts. We benefited from the thoughtful recommendations of the Iraq Study Group — a bipartisan panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. In our discussions, we all agreed that there is no magic formula for success in Iraq. And one message came through loud and clear: Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States.

The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq.

The most urgent priority for success in Iraq is security, especially in Baghdad. Eighty percent of Iraq's sectarian violence occurs within 30 miles of the capital. This violence is splitting Baghdad into sectarian enclaves, and shaking the confidence of all Iraqis. Only the Iraqis can end the sectarian violence and secure their people. And their government has put forward an aggressive plan to do it.

Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed for two principal reasons: There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents. And there were too many restrictions on the troops we did have. Our military commanders reviewed the new Iraqi plan to ensure that it addressed these mistakes. They report that it does. They also report that this plan can work.

Let me explain the main elements of this effort: The Iraqi government will appoint a military commander and two deputy commanders for their capital. The Iraqi government will deploy Iraqi Army and National Police brigades across Baghdad's nine districts. When these forces are fully deployed, there will be 18 Iraqi Army and National Police brigades committed to this effort — along with local police. These Iraqi forces will operate from local police stations — conducting patrols, setting up checkpoints, and going door-to-door to gain the trust of Baghdad residents.

This is a strong commitment. But for it to succeed, our commanders say the Iraqis will need our help. So America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence - and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I have committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them — five brigades — will be deployed to Baghdad. These troops will work alongside Iraqi units and be embedded in their formations. Our troops will have a well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs.

Many listening tonight will ask why this effort will succeed when previous operations to secure Baghdad did not. Here are the differences: In earlier operations, Iraqi and American forces cleared many neighborhoods of terrorists and insurgents — but when our forces moved on to other targets, the killers returned. This time, we will have the force levels we need to hold the areas that have been cleared. In earlier operations, political and sectarian interference prevented Iraqi and American forces from going into neighborhoods that are home to those fueling the sectarian violence. This time, Iraqi and American forces will have a green light to enter these neighborhoods — and Prime Minister Maliki has pledged that political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated.

I have made it clear to the Prime Minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people — and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Now is the time to act. The Prime Minister understands this. Here is what he told his people just last week: "The Baghdad security plan will not provide a safe haven for any outlaws, regardless of [their] sectarian or political affiliation."

This new strategy will not yield an immediate end to suicide bombings, assassinations, or IED attacks. Our enemies in Iraq will make every effort to ensure that our television screens are filled with images of death and suffering. Yet over time, we can expect to see Iraqi troops chasing down murderers, fewer brazen acts of terror, and growing trust and cooperation from Baghdad's residents. When this happens, daily life will improve, Iraqis will gain confidence in their leaders, and the government will have the breathing space it needs to make progress in other critical areas. Most of Iraq's Sunni and Shia want to live together in peace — and reducing the violence in Baghdad will help make reconciliation possible.

A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military operations. Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and communities. So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced.

To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November. To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. To show that it is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi government will spend 10 billion dollars of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs. To empower local leaders, Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year. And to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation's political life, the government will reform de-Baathification laws — and establish a fair process for considering amendments to Iraq's constitution.

America will change our approach to help the Iraqi government as it works to meet these benchmarks. In keeping with the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, we will increase the embedding of American advisers in Iraqi Army units — and partner a Coalition brigade with every Iraqi Army division. We will help the Iraqis build a larger and better-equipped Army — and we will accelerate the training of Iraqi forces, which remains the essential U.S. security mission in Iraq. We will give our commanders and civilians greater flexibility to spend funds for economic assistance. We will double the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams. These teams bring together military and civilian experts to help local Iraqi communities pursue reconciliation, strengthen moderates, and speed the transition to Iraqi self reliance. And Secretary Rice will soon appoint a reconstruction coordinator in Baghdad to ensure better results for economic assistance being spent in Iraq.

As we make these changes, we will continue to pursue Al Qaeda and foreign fighters. Al Qaeda is still active in Iraq. Its home base is Anbar Province. Al Qaeda has helped make Anbar the most violent area of Iraq outside the capital. A captured Al Qaeda document describes the terrorists' plan to infiltrate and seize control of the province. This would bring al Qaeda closer to its goals of taking down Iraq's democracy, building a radical Islamic empire, and launching new attacks on the United States at home and abroad.

Our military forces in Anbar are killing and capturing Al Qaeda leaders — and protecting the local population. Recently, local tribal leaders have begun to show their willingness to take on Al Qaeda. As a result, our commanders believe we have an opportunity to deal a serious blow to the terrorists. So I have given orders to increase American forces in Anbar Province by 4,000 troops. These troops will work with Iraqi and tribal forces to step up the pressure on the terrorists. America's men and women in uniform took away Al Qaeda's safe haven in Afghanistan — and we will not allow them to re-establish it in Iraq.

Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity — and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence sharing — and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border. And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.

We will use America's full diplomatic resources to rally support for Iraq from nations throughout the Middle East. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf States need to understand that an American defeat in Iraq would create a new sanctuary for extremists — and a strategic threat to their survival. These nations have a stake in a successful Iraq that is at peace with its neighbors — and they must step up their support for Iraq's unity government. We endorse the Iraqi government's call to finalize an International Compact that will bring new economic assistance in exchange for greater economic reform. And on Friday, Secretary Rice will leave for the region — to build support for Iraq, and continue the urgent diplomacy required to help bring peace to the Middle East.

The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time. On one side are those who believe in freedom and moderation. On the other side are extremists who kill the innocent, and have declared their intention to destroy our way of life. In the long run, the most realistic way to protect the American people is to provide a hopeful alternative to the hateful ideology of the enemy — by advancing liberty across a troubled region. It is in the interests of the United States to stand with the brave men and women who are risking their lives to claim their freedom - and help them as they work to raise up just and hopeful societies across the Middle East.

From Afghanistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian Territories, millions of ordinary people are sick of the violence, and want a future of peace and opportunity for their children. And they are looking at Iraq. They want to know: Will America withdraw and yield the future of that country to the extremists — or will we stand with the Iraqis who have made the choice for freedom?

The changes I have outlined tonight are aimed at ensuring the survival of a young democracy that is fighting for its life in a part of the world of enormous importance to American security. Let me be clear: The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue — and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will.

Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a battleship. But victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab world — a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its people. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect. But it will be a country that fights terrorists instead of harboring them — and it will help bring a future of peace and security for our children and grandchildren.

Our new approach comes after consultations with Congress about the different courses we could take in Iraq. Many are concerned that the Iraqis are becoming too dependent on the United States — and therefore, our policy should focus on protecting Iraq's borders and hunting down Al Qaeda. Their solution is to scale back America's efforts in Baghdad — or announce the phased withdrawal of our combat forces. We carefully considered these proposals. And we concluded that to step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government, tear that country apart, and result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale. Such a scenario would result in our troops being forced to stay in Iraq even longer, and confront an enemy that is even more lethal. If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.

In the days ahead, my national security team will fully brief Congress on our new strategy. If Members have improvements that can be made, we will make them. If circumstances change, we will adjust. Honorable people have different views, and they will voice their criticisms. It is fair to hold our views up to scrutiny. And all involved have a responsibility to explain how the path they propose would be more likely to succeed.

Acting on the good advice of Senator Joe Lieberman and other key members of Congress, we will form a new, bipartisan working group that will help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror. This group will meet regularly with me and my Administration, and it will help strengthen our relationship with Congress. We can begin by working together to increase the size of the active Army and Marine Corps, so that America has the Armed Forces we need for the 21st century. We also need to examine ways to mobilize talented American civilians to deploy overseas — where they can help build democratic institutions in communities and nations recovering from war and tyranny.

In these dangerous times, the United States is blessed to have extraordinary and selfless men and women willing to step forward and defend us. These young Americans understand that our cause in Iraq is noble and necessary - and that the advance of freedom is the calling of our time. They serve far from their families, who make the quiet sacrifices of lonely holidays and empty chairs at the dinner table. They have watched their comrades give their lives to ensure our liberty. We mourn the loss of every fallen American - and we owe it to them to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.

Fellow citizens: The year ahead will demand more patience, sacrifice, and resolve. It can be tempting to think that America can put aside the burdens of freedom. Yet times of testing reveal the character of a Nation. And throughout our history, Americans have always defied the pessimists and seen our faith in freedom redeemed. Now America is engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century. We can and we will prevail.

We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us through these trying hours. Thank you and good night.

-- January 11, 2007 2:30 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Plot thickens,

CBI's official site is down, no URL, it just went off line. Bloggers on other sites reports the same.

-- January 11, 2007 2:30 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Tim, Carl, Roger, and anyone
interested.

Follow my thinking for a bit.

Let's just say that we determine that our exit from iraq is predicated on the fact that we secure Iraq borders from Iran and Syria. And this leads to an elimination of most of the violence in Baghdad.

The Sunni's and Shites still hate eachother and the country is still at a level of unrest and violence that we can't help them get a handle on.

Iran is smart. Now knowing that they have lost their potential power in Iraq, they determine they can bring Iraq together by creating a common enemy for all Middleast countries.

How they can do this would be to attack Isreal.

WALLA! the common enemy will draw them together! If we support Isreal we would be the common enemy too!

I wouldn't put this strategy past the iranians. Would you?

All of our efforts could be in vain either now or down the road.

It is human nature for otherwise disjointed people to come together in the face of a common enemy.

Carole

-- January 11, 2007 2:38 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Roger!

You hit the nail on the head! And no one has made this point, inthe media or elsewhere---WE GAVE IRAQ TO THEMSELVES TOO SOON!!!!

It hurt them, us and who knows, maybe even the future of the DINAR!

I think our muscle felxing in Somalia was just what the world needed to see!! ( by the way)

It might be prudent and essential for another "air show" over Baghdad"

Carole

-- January 11, 2007 2:47 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Sara, thanks,

As for the Dinar, look at the ONE sentence in the presidents speech.

"We endorse the Iraqi Governments call to finalize an International Compact that will bring new economic assistance in exchange for greater economic reform."

The Iraqi Government, in the hands of IMF as their economical ruler, and unable to reform anything, as long as the IMF are calling the shots, are getting Bush blessing to start moving on their economic reforms.

Wolfowits, the former deputy defence minister during the invasion, is now heading to his next assignment in the World Bank. His statement -" Iraq is in a position to finance it's own projects very soon" , is telling me we have the right man in the WB, IMF's boss.

I saw another sign, it was a calm night last night, and none of my Camels passed gas.

Rob N, THAT you must agree must be a divine sign of something to come.

Why is CBI down, completely off line?????

-- January 11, 2007 2:57 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Ive been working on it, getting nowhere, CBI is off line, and Warka came on line in the last day here, after two months, I cant think of any reason the CBI will go off line except.....do I dare say....

All I'm getting is some other bloggers on other sites, telling the same, some are getting the front page, but the exchange and the currency site is gone.

Anyone getting ANYTHING on the CBI site?????

From the time I bought Dinars, and started to check the site, about 10 months ago, it has NEVER been down.

Something is brewing........

-- January 11, 2007 3:26 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Just heard reports, from Somalia, that we have right now a sea blockade, around that place stopping AlQaeda from fleeing in small boats over sea, while the mop up is going on.

Apparently this is a very big operation that have been completely sidelined by MSM, AlQaeda have been ruling Somalia for quite some time, doing raids and killings on village after village, Ethiopian Army went in, cleaned up, and US Gunships are peppering AlQaeda strongholds.

They're being runned out of Somalia, or better say, they're being killed off, in big numbers, as they are running.

Somalia, one more country deloused.

Funny, a whole darn country, Al Qaeda kicked out, and hardly a news bulletin about it.

Perhaps THAT is the way to fight a war.

-- January 11, 2007 3:44 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts, Robert S,

About Vietnam , Nixon and the war. Nixon had many faces, in many respects he was straightforward, and made the correct political decisions, in other areas of his life he had a darker side, almost paranoid, and that's the side that eventually came back and bite him.

For the political steps he took I applaud him, for his criminality, he got what he deserved.

When you fight a war, you must have unrestricted field of operation, but Vietnam was not even called a war until very very late in the conflict, "Police action" was the term used.

Rules of engagement was imposed in a most restrictive way, on the US forces, while the enemy had no restrictions at all.

You could not fly beyond this line, bomb inside that zone, and so on.

At the end negotiations when Nixon finally unleashed the US might, that hurt the North so much that another Rolling Thunder, was unbearable, and they agree to a cease fire.

Had the US fought a war, unrestricted, the conflict would have probably taken a week, three days fighting, pause for laundry then another three days and it would have been done.

Unfortunately, the full unleashing of the available power was only done at the very end, when the US ALREADY had conceived defeat and wanted to pull out.

THEN, the Rolling Thunder was implemented.

THEN the North Vietnamese gave in, but knowing the US was on it's way out, they could live with a temporary defeat, once the US was out, they would just walk down and take over, and that's just what they did.

So after all the loss in lives, material, time and money, the end result was that the North took control over the areas fought over, for such a long time.

The North marched down into a vacuum, and occupied space earlier denied, with very little fighting.

Was it worth it???? jury is still out. The soldiers on the ground doing their duty, definitely deserve better acknowledgement.

Kennedy starting the conflict, with a Gulf of Tonkin incident, the incident later revised as something that had been misrepresented.

Kennedy, just coming out of the Pig of Gulf fiasco in Cuba where he denied the invasion force air cover in the last crucial minute. He was an ass.

Johnson, wanting to micromanage the war, even being in the war room setting cross marks on potential bomb targets, was unable to step back and get all aboard in an all out war, by the time Nixon came along, the political incompetence had already strained the psyche of the Americans to the degree that it was an impossible task to muster enthusiasm.

The turning point probably came in Kent University when American Soldiers shot four University demonstrators to death.

The opposition to the Vietnam War was so much more loud violent and more of a people mass movement compared with the opposition to the Iraq war, this is nothing compared with those days.

If you fight a war, fight to win, if you don't think you can win in the first place, don't fight it.

The Vietnam War could have been so much shorter, and come out in complete victory, but it was lost because we DECIDED it was lost, still kept on grinding with it, and then was desperate for a way out.

After ten years of the same, we said, well this ain't fun no more, lets invent the Disco era instead.

-- January 11, 2007 4:53 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Na,,CBI site is back up, no change

-- January 11, 2007 5:01 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Auction done, it's the same as yesterday 1315 but the CBI bought Dinars like crazy today, close to $60 mill bucks worth.

-- January 11, 2007 5:14 AM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Roger:
I still have the CBI site down...url will not pull up...

-- January 11, 2007 5:20 AM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Roger:
I just had it come up...Then bank that is

-- January 11, 2007 6:13 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Roger,

Right again!(I'm hyperventilating! :} )

Hit the nail on the head again with your discussion of Viet Nam. The Iraqi war protestors have tried, but just can not get the momentum that they had during the V.N. era. However, extend our fighting in Iraq for another 5-7yrs. and we may see a change in that.

I am hopeful that Bush will stay true to form that he is lifting all restrictions on our troops, and encouraging ( demanding) that the Iraqi govt. do the same. This will make a distinctive difference and hopefully a distinctive outcome from our defeat in V.N.

The element of surprise is crucial to the outcome of any military action and this is so evident in our efforts right now in Somalia.

The story would be very different today , I believe, if we wouldn't have given 6 months worth of warnings to Saddam that we were coming to get him ( enough time for him to move his WMD and make a fool out of Bush and his administration).

I know that the MSM has skirted the information about our involvement in SOmalia, but Ihave been able to follow this very closely, day by day on talk radio
( conservative stations).

I am quite surprised at the military might of the Ethopians. For all intents and purposes the Ethiopians are considered a "Christian" sect, who have said "NO WAY!" to the Islamofascists regime attempting ethnic cleansing to their people. American might and power standing along side of their efforts is something that should speak volumes to N.Korea, Iran, Syria, and most importantly Iraq.

Mission accomplished without Allied Forces, without public debate, without politicizing crap, and without waiting for the UN blessing or all the other rhetoric that leads to a boggled down effort, that ultimately leads to defeat.

I'm feeling alittle better about the huge tax bill I will have on April 15th!

Carole

-- January 11, 2007 9:21 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

First and foremost, Carole, Roger, you both have been suspiciously absent for a couple of days and now show up all nice and kind, What the hell happened?

Carole wrote “Please, let us not forget that Schwarzenegger sleeps with a Kennedy. The granddaddies of socialism, healthcare being their latest venture”.

I am glad to see someone is screwing the Democrat for a change and not always the other way around.

Somalia: I think the main advantage is/was that the MSM didn’t cover it and Al Qaeda wasn’t able to TUNE IN and find out what was going on and have any inside info. Unlike so many other times CNN alerted the enemy simply by show a televised advance of the situation and the enemy simply watch it on TV and acted accordingly.

The UN Puleezzeeee, They give the enemy all the time in the world to not comply but move or hide the evidence and then say “What”.

Vietnam War and Iraq? If we are there 7 to 10 years with no noticeable improvement then we can make comparisons’ we do a police action for 10 years we are screwed as a county and powerhouse.

I also believe that as a nation at war we do need to abandon the rules of engagement. The other side can always do whatever they want o us. Cut our heads off, burn and mutilate our bodies drag us through the streets, show videos of there torture toward us and nothing seems to happen. We make a prisoner stand naked, wet and sing the Star Spangled Banner and the like s of Cindy Sheehan goes berserk over our treatment toward the detainees and how morally wrong we are although her son was killed by one of those she wants to protect and allow to run free to continue there terrorist actions.

Carole as they say if you have a huge tax bill it’s because you made huge money to warrant it. I would love to be in the position to owe a couple of hundred thousand of course with no penalties or interest attached to it.

-- January 11, 2007 9:52 AM ∞

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Paul wrote:

Has the cbi added a 25 dinar coin to there website? or have they always had it?

-- January 11, 2007 9:57 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

They have had a 5, 10 and 25 dinar coin for awhile. Not sure if it's been on the website though.

-- January 11, 2007 10:06 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Sorry my bad, it's 25 50 and 100 dinar coins. It had been awhile since I seen them!

-- January 11, 2007 10:55 AM ∞

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Madbrad wrote:

Can any one advise re: Warka and how long it takes for them to respond to e-mail applications to open accounts I know they were shut over new year, but just wondered how long is long for them in replying!

thanks in advance

madbrad

-- January 11, 2007 11:14 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Some very good discussion on war, the last day or so.

Roger,

Some good sense, you show. Yes, if you are going to fight a war, fight to win, or else don't bother showing up. In the Iraqi context, it means, when the hell will the Shiite death squads be taken out? If this is not done soon, why are the Americans even there? A legitamate government cannot exist unless it has exclusive control of deadly force. The Iraq PM's political necks depend on radical Shiite elements supporting him, but in the end, Maliki has to side with the Americans, and get behind going after Shiite death squads, or eventually lose American support. That is part of the idea of, if you are going to fight a war, don't have one hand tied behind your back. The present situation in Iraq, with the existance of competing power sources, is intolerable, and must be halted very soon.

I also thought the Americans were too constrained, in their bombing efforts, at the start of the war. They were reluctant to hit civilian targets. I think that was a mistake. Sunni strongholds and cities, and Sunni areas of Bagdhad should have been targeted. This was where the Sunni elite lives, and allowing them to live just prolonged the agony.

Carole,

I think you are right about it being a mistake to give Saddam 6 months notice that the Americans were going to show up. Guess what the Sunnis were doing, in those 6 months? They were planning the very insurgency we still see on TV. They were planning how to kill Americans. I say, don't tell the other guy, don't tell him in advance, if you feel you must hit him.

Carole,

Yes, Iranian leaders are very clever. They might be tempted to start a large, regional war. I say, If they do that, America would be in no mood for an a long term, conventional war with Iran. I think invading Iran would be a big mistake. I would endorse destroying most of the Iranian Army, taking out key facilities, such as suspected nuclear development facilities, and then leaving them alone, to clean up the mess. The American Army took three weeks to destroy the Iraqi Army. It should take about the same to destroy the Iranian Army. I would leave enough of it functioning, though, that it could maintain order within Iran. Invading would involve a massive eventual policing action, like the Americans already have, in Iraq. America doesn't need more of that.

Sara,

Thanks for posting the President's speech.:)

Well, ALL,

I predict 2007 will be the most interesting year, in this whole Iraqi venture. This all reminds me of the hit TV show, Survivor. A good nickname for this site might be "Survivor Bagdhad". So many things are going on at one time. So many alliances, in an ever-changing situation of changing dynamics. Unpredictable events occur. You never really know for sure where things will end up. And it's fun, just to watch the whole thing unfold, make your observations and predictions, and see if what you say has any bearing on what actually happens.

The most surprising thing about the war, I think, is that Carole recently made some comments about Roger, that were complimentary, and in agreement. Maybe there's hope, after all, for the Sunnis and Shiites! lol!

I have made some predictions. It will be interesting to see if I am anywhere near accurate, or if I am completely off the mark, or somewhere in between. I predict America will tire of helping the Iraqis in a year, or two. They will retreat to bases. I predict that there will be an assassination attempt on Maliki, this year, and if it succeeds it will change the course of the situation in Iraq. I predict a civil war between Sunnis and Shiites will eventually break out, once the Americans retreat, and that it will be short and nasty, only a year or so, and then things will settle down substantially. I predict that all the economic observations Roger and others have made are really good signs, and that Iraqis will amend their constitution, sort out oil sharing, allow in foreign oil companies, and get their economic house in order. I predict Roger is right, and Iraq will make substantial economic progress this year, war or no war. And that will be good news for our investments.

-- January 11, 2007 11:39 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

About 30 days average in the past. Mine took 3 weeks others I talked to on other boards took as long as 6 weeks. This was later part of 2005 when there was a big push to open accounts ( everybody thought a revalue in January 06 was imminent ) Times varied.

I can now email Warka and get a response in a couple of minutes and sometime days. Depends on the day and time of day there. I know they are ahead of us time wise just never looked to see by how much and also their work days of the week are different.

I am anxiously awaiting their new website (January 14, 2007); Online & Telephone banking, Visa/ Master card and other services. Hopefully this will take care of the need to email so much. Also will be able to open accounts securely online.

-- January 11, 2007 11:54 AM ∞

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Madbrad wrote:

Robert s

Thanks for that, I'll keep watching my inbox!

I thought their new site was up now which allows you to log in to your account?

-- January 11, 2007 12:12 PM ∞

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Jeanine Buckley wrote:

I've just recently discovered the potential for the Iraqi dinar, and have been reading various posts about its potential. As a high risk investor, I'm always looking for lucrative opportunities, which is how I view the Iraqi dinar. I've also done a little research. I saw the post about the "rumor" saying that people can buy the dinar at Bank of America here in Boston.

I called Bank of America--the customer service gal said that she had personally received quite a few calls about the Iraqi dinar in the last few months. She even went as far as calling the B of A foreign currency exchange office in California. She was told that since the US doesn't do business with UN-sanctioned nations, and Iraq is on the list, they won't offer the currency, either purchasing or selling. She gave me the number of the foreign exchange office, so I followed up and was told that they don't buy or sell the dinar. He didn't elaborate much, but said that he didn't see this happening in the near future, but I have no idea how much knowledge he has about the subject.

I also called Citizensbank, my bank, but they said they couldn't order Iraqi dinar as a currency either. What was the bank that did sell them? I think it was Citibank, right?

Hope this is helpful! Which are the cheapest sites to buy the dinar. I only want to buy them in $100 denominations, so any information is helpful. . .

PS--I think a strong grassroots PR campaign could really go a long way in getting the dinar to be viewed as a legitimate currency. For example, getting Bloomberg to flash it on its TV screen and maybe do a short report once in a while. I have no idea how to get them to report on it--maybe just contacting them? I can certainly try! If anyone has any ideas, please email me back!

Thanks and Go dinar go!

-- January 11, 2007 1:46 PM ∞

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Turtle wrote:

Do any of you remember the CBI website having 3 decimal places previously? I don't remember it being that way. Why would you have .000 when you are valued at 1300? I would call it a great indicator that they intend to have the dinar MUCH higher than current value.

-- January 11, 2007 2:53 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

11 JAN 2007
Mahdi army told to disarm
A new security plan will sweeps by Iraqi forces
backed by US troops [AFP]

Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, has told Shia fighters to surrender their weapons, as the US president announces plans to send thousands more troops to Iraq.

Al-Maliki agreed on Wednesday to crack down on fighters loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia leader, Iraqi officials said.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, George Bush, the US president, promised to send 21,500 extra US troops to Iraq.

Bush said: "Prime minister al-Maliki has pledged that political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated."

Al-Maliki had already announced on Saturday that his government would implement a new security plan for Baghdad, including neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood sweeps by Iraqi forces backed by US troops.

Your Views

"Bush's strategy has failed totally in Iraq and USA has already lost the war. The new plan will not work; it will only bring more deaths and make things in Iraq worst..."

Dimos, Hania-Crete, Greece

Send us your views
Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Iraq, said: "Al-Maliki has been very stern, warning all militias to give up their arms."

She said: "He needs to be successful in this step and deliver security to his people. At the moment he is an embattled prime minister."
Prior to Bush's speech, a senior Shia official and adviser to al-Maliki, said the prime minister had warned that no militias would be spared in the crackdown.

The official said: "The government has told the Sadrists: 'If we want to build a state we have no other choice but to attack armed groups."

One senior US official said al-Maliki had agreed to stop protecting the Mahdi Army under pressure from both the US and his fellow Iraqis.

Political protection

In the past, the Iraqi government has tried to prevent American military operations against the Mahdi Army.

But although al-Maliki has now withdrawn political protection, there is no guarantee the Mahdi Army will be easily displaced from the area of Baghdad under its control.

The Mahdi Army has more fighters, weapons and sophistication now than it did in 2004, when it battled US forces to a standstill in the Shia holy city of Najaf and in Sadr City, a slum area in the northeast Baghdad which serves as headquarters of the Mahdi Army.

Senior officials in al-Sadr's group said there will be no comment on Bush's speech until their political council meets later on Thursday.

Hussein al-Falluji, a Sunni official, rejected the plan to increase the number of American troops and warned that it would only increase violence.

"Bush's plan could be the last attempt to fix the chaos created after the invasion of Iraq. Yet, sending more troops will not end the problem, on the contrary, there will be more bloodshed," he said.

"I think that the solution would be to set an objective timetable for the withdrawal of the American forces and start direct negotiations with the Iraqi resistance"

Hussein al-Falluji,
Sunni official
"I think that the solution would be to set an objective timetable for the withdrawal of the American forces and start direct negotiations with the Iraqi resistance."

Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East analyst, in an interview with Al Jazeera, called the new strategy Bush's "last card" and a "gamble" that he said "went against the advice of almost the entire political establishment in America".

He said: "Once again he has chosen to risk the future of his presidency and the military and global strategy of America in the shifting sands of Iraq."

Instead, Gerges said Bush should "invest serious political capital in the region".

Kurdish force

Iraqi and US officials said Iraqi commanders will be put in charge of each of nine city districts and each commander will operate independently of Iraqi military headquarters.

The US plans to put 400 to 600 troops in each district as a backup force, a senior Bush administration official said on Wednesday.

Others will be held in reserve throughout the capital to deploy quickly on the request of Iraqi commanders.

An Iraqi general, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a unit of the Iraqi army, composed mainly of Kurds, would be sent into Sadr City.

The general said Kurds, who are Sunni but not Arab, would make up the unit because soldiers from other Iraqi units were likely to refuse to fight fellow Shia.

In his televised speech also on Wednesday Bush
promised 21,500 extra US troops for Iraq [AFP]
An estimated 80 per cent of Iraq's army is Shia.

Washington wants al-Maliki to come up with a plan to equitably share Iraq's oil wealth, ease restrictions on former Ba'ath Party members and hold provincial elections.

The US sees these as important steps to draw Sunnis into the political process.

Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese general, told Al Jazeera: "I think in order for this [new strategy] to succeed it has to work on a number of levels."

He said that more important than increasing troop numbers in Iraq was "political reform, amendment of the constitution and the introduction of new laws for the distribution of oil".
Source: Al Jazeera.net English

-- January 11, 2007 3:49 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

You are welcome for the post of the President's speech, Tim. I have a prediction, too. Pat Robertson thinks there will be a terrorist attack while President Bush is in office. I predict he is wrong. The terrorists have not struck and will not strike while he is the President. It is simply very foolish to galvanize the populace BEHIND President Bush because he is not the kind of man to do nothing about such an attack. EVERYTHING would be on the table as retaliation measures - including listening to those who would be clamoring for the US to turn Mecca into a radioactive sheet of glass. The terrorists touch what is important to the US, they get what they care about destroyed, would be the reasoning. (And hey, we will warn everyone to get out of Mecca so no human casualties would result - only destroying a location - being more than fair considering a terrorist attack would take American lives. A very reasonable retaliation to the mind of the US - if not to the radical Islamics. After all, would be the reasoning, we can't do NOTHING in return.. And if radicals went in droves to Mecca to "protect" it and staged a protest, they would be identifying themselves as the very radicals we are fighting against, hence, combatants.) No - Pat Robertson is very wrong, and I predict that while President Bush sits in the Whitehouse there is not one terrorist attack on US soil. And I think I am hearing from God on this point as well. Pat Robertson heard wrong on this one.

http://www.bloggernews.net/13531 - Pat Robertson: Terrorist attack will come in ‘07

Sara.

-- January 11, 2007 3:55 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Terrorists Claim To Have Fired Chemical Missiles At US

From those truly courageous reporters at MEMRI:

Salahaldin Al-Ayoubi Brigades Claim To Have Launched Missiles Loaded With Chemicals

The Salahaldin Al-Ayoubi Brigades, the military wing of JAMI, Al Jabha Al-Islamiyya l’il-Muqawama Al-’Iraqiyya, announced via Islamist websites that today, January 10, 2007, it had fired four missiles loaded with chemicals at a U.S. base near Samara, Iraq.

The organization posted a film : http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=431504&ak=null showing militants wearing gas masks and filling the missiles with a liquid which the organization claims are chemicals. Below are images from the film.

For images see url : http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/terrorists-claim-to-have-fired-chemical-missiles-at-us

(The film will work using Windows Media Player.)

If this claim is true, this is quite a story.

But of course our media will ignore it anyway.

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 at 1:13 pm.

-- January 11, 2007 4:20 PM ∞

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Tim Bitt wrote:

The power of Oil:

I live in southern Alberta. I drove into the big city today, to Calgary. Calgary just hit the 1 million people mark last summer. So I picked up the local paper, The Herald. The main real estate authority in town, The Calgary Herald, just put out a prediction, and it was in the paper. Almost spilled my coffee, reading a prediction:

The prediction was, in 2007, the average price of a home in Calgary would hit $500,000 this year. Now it's 360 thousand. Six years ago, the average price was 130 thousand. That's what happens to and economy jacked up on oil.

(the Canadian dollar was worth 90cents US, last time I looked.)

I finished my Tim Bitt, a tasty Canadian donut, and drove home.

Go oil!!! Go Dinar!!!!

-- January 11, 2007 4:33 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

AP Violates its own ethics.. "a major breach of journalistic ethics"

US-Iraqi Liaison: Jamil Hussein Is Pseudonym
Posted by Bob Owens on January 11, 2007 - 12:29.

And so a major Associated Press claim in "Jamilgate" takes an apparently fatal hit.

According to Bill Costlow of CPATT (Civilian Police Assistance Training Team) in Baghdad, and as forwarded by Lt. Michael Dean of Multinational Corps-Iraq/Joint Operations Command Public Affairs, our now infamous police captain in Iraq appears to be definitively not Jamil Hussein.

Nor is his name Jamil Gholaiem Hussein as stated repeatedly by the Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll and other Associated Press employees.

Nor is his name Jamil Ghdaab Gulaim, as he has been called previously in other accounts. According to his personnel records at MOI, confirmed with BG Abdul-Kareem and then reportedly verified by BG Abdul-Karim Khalaf with AP's Baghdad sources, his name is actually Jamil Gulaim "XX".

The "XX" protects his second middle name and real last names, of which "Hussein" is not a part.

To sum up the current situation as things now appear to stand:

A) There is no Baghdad police officer at the Khadra police station named Captain Jamil Hussein, and never has been. Jamil Hussein, and Jamil Gholaiem Hussein are pseudonyms for Jamil Gulaim Innad "X".
B) The Associated Press published a pseudonym without acknowledging that fact, apparently knowing, if BG Abdul-Kareem is correct, that they were publishing a false identity. Is that a big deal? HUGE. This is a major breach of journalistic ethics.
C) The Associated Press has heavily modified the "facts" of their claims since these two stories here and here on November 24 and November 25. Those claims are:

1) That 24 people were burned to death; Six were pulled from the Ahbab al-Mustafa as it was attacked, the were doused and set on fire, according to AP source Captain Jamil Hussein, and that AP also printed a claim by the Association of Muslim Scholars (a group suspected of strong ties to al Qaeda, a detail the AP left out of their reporting) that 18 more people, including women in children, were burned to death in an "inferno" resulting from a Shiite militia attack at the al-Muhaimin mosque. Current AP accounts have dropped the claims of the 18 killed at al-Muhaimin completely, without a retraction or a correction.
2) The Associated Press originally claimed four mosques (Ahbab al-Mustafa, Nidaa Allah, al-Muhaimin and al-Qaqaqa) were attacked in Hurriyah according to Police Captain Jamil Hussein, along with several houses. AP has since revised its claim down to one mosque instead of four (presumably the Ahbab al-Mustafa where it says the six men were claimed immolated) and they have curiously dropped the mosque's name from their reporting. They have issued neither a retraction nor a correction for the three mosques they have written out of successive narratives
3) The Associated Press initially claimed that Associated Press Television had video showing damage to the Ahbab al-Mustafa mosque where they claim these six men were immolated. After November 30, they have made no further mention of this video that would seem to buttress their claims, nor have I been able to find anyone who has seen it. They have not issued a retraction, nor a correction for this claim. Do they still claim to support it?

D) AP's Executive Editor and Senior vice President Kathleen Carroll, and AP's International Editor John Daniszewski have both insisted that Jamil Gholaiem Hussein is real. To make this claim, they presumably knew they were pushing a pseudonym to the public, presumably violating their own stated values and principles, here: http://www.ap.org/pages/about/whatsnew/wn_112905.html
E) The Associated Press has claimed that BG Abdul-Karim Khalaf verified the existence of Jamil Hussein. According to Bill Costlow of CPATT, he did no such thing.
F) As this new revelation apparently shows, AP knew they were foisting a pseudonym upon the public, and even when questioned, continued to persist in denying what appears to be the truth.

Further, the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior claims that their is still no evidence that the six murders by immolation in Hurriyah on November 24 ever occurred.

I await Kathleen Carroll's response.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10099

-- January 11, 2007 5:09 PM ∞

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Johan wrote:

Roger,

Your "answers" to my 5 points have confirmed my suspicions that, on average, American's are frighteningly misinformed about world events.

It is truly scary.

Lots of luck, you are going to need it.

-- January 11, 2007 5:23 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Robert S.

Yes it is refreshing to have a civil discussion with Roger. He is very smart.

I just have to wait till after the 1st of every month once his medication adjustment kicks in /:

I'm still waiting ROG! Yet??

Also, the huge tax bill is partly because have very few deductions. God has been very kind to my husband and I and we are very grateful.
We havw a wonderful life that has very little to do with our incomes.

Carole

-- January 11, 2007 7:49 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Turtle wrote:
Do any of you remember the CBI website having 3 decimal places previously? I don't remember it being that way. Why would you have .000 when you are valued at 1300? I would call it a great indicator that they intend to have the Dinar MUCH higher than current value.

My math is a little rusty but as I figure a Dinar is worth .000765 if you take that value and multiply it by 1300 you get .9945 close enough to a Dollar for 1300 Dinar. So by my rough guess a Dinar is worth about 7/1000 (or 70/10000) of a penny. I am pretty sure I seen CBI with .0007 the last time I looked.

-- January 11, 2007 8:02 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Carole

Well Said.

-- January 11, 2007 8:03 PM ∞

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Curious George wrote:

Johan, tell the Americans who read this blog just how they are uninformed.????

-- January 11, 2007 8:10 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Hi Tim,

So glad you are experiencing the equity of realestate in your neck of the woods.

My husband and I bought a house in 1986 for 135K, sold it in 2003 for 445K

Moved to the outskirts a bit and bought a smaller house for 335K. Did about 20K of refurb and some great landscaping with water features and all. Sit on about 1 acre. Our neighbors who have a much smaller lot, is 2 story instead of ranch style like ours, and needs alot of work, just sold for 725K. I've been looking all afternoon for the oil riggs and can't find any!!!

:} :{ just joshing you. I'm really happy for your excitement. Now is the time to take the equity and buy, buy, buy. Just keep rolling over rentals until you can pay off your first mortgage and primary residence, and then just keep duplicating the process. This builds wealth like no other investment can or will, except, of course WDH!!!!):

Carole

-- January 11, 2007 9:43 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Johan,

I have at my fingers the same information as anyone else.

It's a matter of what you see in it.

If there is an Iranian made car, and an American made car having a car race, and the American car won.

I prefer to say that the -"American car won, and the Iranian car came second."

You prefer to say:

-"The Iranian car got an honorable second place, while the American car came next to last....please inform yourself".

You are forming your opinions from the group you take deep impressions from.

One of the assumptions circulating in your group of people is that if a standpoint is different from the one you are professing, then it's "uninformed" , Ignorant", "Naive', "Brainwashed", "uneducated" etc on and on, while raw facts presented to people of your thinking, is immediately dismissed as a conspiracy.

There is always, and I mean always, a hidden agenda in anything in your circles, read your literature, and it's like reading science fiction, anything have an evil and sinister plot behind it. Always hidden, always cloaked, isn't it so Johan?.

"Zions Elders Document", a fake so clumsy done, scholars of the time dismissed it immediately, still today, it circles around in the Arab countries as a "fact" about the Jewish world conspiracy.

Gas prices goes up in Baghdad....immediately on the streets, there are endless explanations of a conspiracy, preferably with USA , money and world domination in some kind of combination.

Terrorists blow up, or kill other people, they get caught, and now it's a "hunt for Islam".

I bet you, the sinking of Titanic was another plot by an evil Jew, named Icenberg.

The problem Johan, is that from the group of people you are listening to and collect data from, any data is always distorted in one fashion or the other.

I'm pretty sure you are completely convinced that the US Government was behind the 9/11 attacks. I'm pretty sure you are completely convinced that 3000 Jewish workers in the Twin Towers didn't show up that day. (Except for 250, that didn't get the memo)

There is always explanations about plots, always a hidden agenda.

What I don't see is a responsible way of living.

The areas of the earth where all these explanations, plots, and conspiracies are coming from, is miserable places, uneducated, no production, no industry, poor infrastructure, totalitarian regimes, illiteracy that is sky high, women subdued.

If they have oil, they buy their toys, SUV,s, I Pods, cellphones, etc, but continue to live as a tribes society.

Johan, I can pretty clearly see where you're coming from and where your sympathies are, but I am very amazed of how much energy you are spending telling how wrong others are, and not you yourself are focusing on how to educate those people, how to get more lawyers,teachers, industry, doctors, sales agents, infrastructure, civil engineers, etc, but you are more content, joining in with the rest of the group, that is screaming and running around with AK's, screaming "freedom" but have no way for that freedom, no effort in doing anything that will truly give freedom.

When your people you are supporting can have carrier choices in life, elect their own leaders, and are willing to develop and cultivate the land they are inhabiting, then true freedom will come.

When the idea changes in that society from all the endless conspiracies....."USA and Israel, is the cause for our misery".

To: -"We are responsible for our own life, lets paint a fence, fix the window, get the children fed, and see how we can do an honest days work"

I have a feeling Johan, that your idea of things, are more in line with running around with an AK screaming "Down with this, Down with that".

That is not going to help.

That is a sure way to stay in poverty, ignorance and dependence.

-- January 12, 2007 12:22 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

No you cant take the 0.00765 and multiply it with 1300.

0.000765 is the value of Dinars in Dollars, or in this case, 0. Dollars and .000765 fractions of cents.

If you have ONE Dinar, you would get in Dollar O.000765.

The other value, is if you have ONE dollar, you would get about 1300 Dinars, this is the figure that is used in the daily auction.

It's the same exchange value, only diffrence is that is one is expressed in Dinars, and the other in Dollar.

I'm sure you recognize the 765 figure, if you buy a million Dinars, that is about the value of it, 1 Million for $765. (well, you pay dealers fees, or exchange rates on top of it also)

-- January 12, 2007 12:49 AM ∞

---

Kofi Annan wrote:

Thanks,

Johan,

For sticking up for me. Way to stick it to those greedy capitalists! I agree with you. The head of the U.N. should be President of the World. He should be called Master of his Domain, and be called The Universal Ruler Divine, or simply TURD. Presidents and Prime Ministers and Kings and Queens should bow down to him! He should always get good seats for the Nicks games.

Unfortunately, my friend Ban Ki-moon, who used to be my administrative assistant, and get Koffi his coffee in the morning, now has my old job. (He's very good at picking out good donuts from the UN deli) He's now Secretary-General of the UN. It's not fair! I should have been ruler of the world!!!! I should be boss of the American President. George Bush should have to pick up my drycleaning.

And if people start a war, against the wishes of the U.N., then the UN should have an army, and punish them. And not just by long and boring and pointless inaction, verbal diaharia, and moral arrogance and hypocricy. We could do some real stuff, too.

We could invade the U.S. for their violation of Iraq. This invasion, and the U.N. Army, like the U.N., should be funded by tax dollars, taken from American citizens, who already pay for the U.N. That makes sense.

Denmark, and Iceland and Leichestein would lead the charge. We'd sure show that Texas cowboy a thing or two!

-- January 12, 2007 1:09 AM ∞

---

Turtle wrote:

I used ot seeing it after the $ but I didn;t remember seeing 3 decimals after the dinar. 1315.000, etc. I stand corrected though if noone else sees anything odd. I guess just had one of those duh moments.

-- January 12, 2007 2:00 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Well said, Roger! :)
It is like Hannity said..
the other side has yet to put forward an alternative view:

===

Hannity Creates Rival Countdown Clock
Posted by Greg Sheffield on January 11, 2007 - 12:59.

With reporters declaring that yesterday's Bush Iraq speech was "the most important speech in the president's career," Fox News' Sean Hannity reminded people that the opposition Democratic party has to put foward an alternative view as well. According to TV Newser:

Throughout MSNBC's day of "Iraq: What's Next?" coverage, a countdown clock appeared in the lower right corner of the screen, ticking down to President Bush's speech. So at the top of a special 10pm edition of Hannity & Colmes, FNC's Sean Hannity placed his own clock on the screen, titled "What's Their Plan?" He said:

"The left wing media spent most of the day counting the hours to which they called the most important speech in the president's career. We will count the time since the president's speech and and wait for a Democratic alternative." He added: "Our clock is officially clicking on the Democratic leadership and their rhetoric."

The clock stayed up for about three minutes, and a banner asking "Where Are The Democrats?" stayed on for a while longer. The Newshounds are outraged...

http://newsbusters.org/node/10102

Note their reaction.. they were outraged.
But the point is made and it is true..
in what you said, and what Hannity said, too.

Sara.

-- January 12, 2007 2:00 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Turtle,

Cant recall seeing those numbers, if they were there, they wouldn't mean anything. 1315 in comparison with 1315.000 is exactly the same thing.

Sara ,

Cool posting, well Dems got some competition with the clock that day.

-- January 12, 2007 2:47 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Iraq's budget for 2007 is not only the first to fully comply with international standard per IMF, but it's Iraq's first Dinar Only budget.

The Iraqi budget, with a $44bill price tag, in us currency counted, have a very interesting side to it.

If all available Dinars are 20 Trillions, you can't count their $15 bill Dollar reserve as this is not part of a running budget (that's their piggy bank), and if CBI have been buying up, an at this time unknown, but all in all estimated 10 Trill Dinars, then, if the Iraqis are doing a completely Dinar based budget, well the figures don't match.

They don't have Dinars to cover the budget, for a value of $44 Bill.

Of course, Dollar might still be part of the budget, but for foreign expenses, and the budget is for ONE year, so the current Dinars at hand in CBI does not reflect the total, as the years income in oil have to be added on a time track, all the expenses are also laid out along that time track also, as they are running expenses.

Internal expenses will be payed in Dinars though, as internal projects.

Still, it's just not enough Dinars to go around, so they have to either start the print presses again, getting into an inflation cycle, or revalue.

There might be data's in here that is for me an unknown, but with these figures on hand, it wont fit.

-- January 12, 2007 3:18 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Roger: I think that’s what I said. A Dinar is worth .000765 cents. If you multiply that by 1300 you will come close to a Dollar. 1300 Dinar is worth about $1.00 give or take several Dinar. Turtle asked why it’s listed on CBI at .000 when in fact it’s .000X at the ten thousandths place rather than thousandths place. This is why he couple of Dinar a day hasn’t amount to much of a change in value although it’s very much appreciated. When its improves into the hundredths place that’s when a greater change will manifest itself.

Turtle: I would love nothing more than to see the Dinar move into 3rd decimal place. Than 2nd and

-- January 12, 2007 9:57 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

The way I understand the Dinar buy back: 1) the CBI is trying to get a handle on just how many Dinar is out there. Saddam printed so many Dinar that they really didn’t lose count they just never kept count. When the NID replace the Saddam Dinar CBI still didn’t know how many Dinar were out there although they should have by knowing how many NID were printed and exchanged and still held. 2) I read somewhere where the CBI wants/has to have so many Dinar, Dollar in their possession to back up the currency. 3) I would like to believe that CBI would want as many Dinar in their possession prior to Re-Value to not have to cover as many Dinar that are outstanding and also the banks holding value would go up exponentially.

Previous post, assuming all value to be in Dinar to Dollar.

-- January 12, 2007 10:10 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

OK went back and read Turtle's post again and Roger is right on the question as posed. I read it and automatically thought differently concerning decimal to value and went down that tract which was right but not to his question. Sorry Turtle.

-- January 12, 2007 10:20 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Okay guys,
Probably giving you another opporotunity to take a wack at me--but what the heck!

First week in December, Iwas questioning my RE friend that supposedly has inside scoop from a direct line to the minister of Finance in Iraq.

Now mind you nothing he has ever told me has reaulted in a reval. BUt there always seems to be something going on around the dates he has given me. Another head chopped off, Maliki making some insignificant statemnet, etc, etc.

Well, first week in December, he told me to get a 2007 calendar and put a big smile on the date Jan.12.

No matter how much I begged him to be more specific, he just grinned and said, "just do it". SO I did and I thought nothing of it until today, when I looked at the calendar on my desk and saw the big smile on today's date.

I have little faith in any rumors, but I am posting this just in case there is something big to smile about today. Especially since I post so little about the Dinar anyway.

Hope he is right and we all have a big smile on our faces at the end of the day!!

If not you can all shoot the messenger. ):

Carole

-- January 12, 2007 10:35 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said some Iraqi leaders had miscalculated before thinking U.S. support would go on unconditionally but now they realise the patience of the American people is running out.

In an interview with CNN broadcast on Friday, Khalilzad echoed comments by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government was living "on borrowed time". Khalilzad said Maliki realised diplomacy had not succeeded in dismantling militias and it was time for action.

U.S. President George W. Bush said he planned to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq as part of a new direction in Iraq that also involved putting more pressure on Iraqis to solve their political differences and take over their own security.

U.S. lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled Congress hammered Bush's plan to send more troops, and many in Iraq questioned how much difference they can make. But Khalilzad said this time the Iraqi government was ready to take decisive action.

"The president has been very resolute from the get go (from the start) and some people here have miscalculated perhaps, thinking no matter what they do or do not do support will go on because of the rock solid stand the president has taken," Khalilzad told CNN.

"The president has sent a very good strong message that the patience of the American people is running out," he said.

Khalilzad said Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist, had pledged his commitment to crack down on Shi'ite militias -- a key demand of Washington and the Sunni Arab minority who blame the militias for operating death squads.

NO SANCTUARY

Washington has identified the Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as the greatest threat to security in Iraq. Maliki, who depends on Sadr's political movement for support in parliament and government, has struggled to rein in the Mehdi Army, despite numerous pledges to allow nobody but the armed forces to carry weapons.

Asked if this time Maliki would really go after the Mehdi Army, Khalilzad said: "He has pledged this to the president of the United States, there will be no sanctuary. He has said to me that he has given diplomacy a chance with the militias, now we have to do whatever is necessary to get the job done."

"This is the best chance they have to move and if they don't move they know that there's a lot at risk for them as well."

Maliki has promised a major new security plan for Baghdad that he said would crack down on armed groups regardless of sect or political affiliation. But with the sectarian loyalties of his police and army in question, success will be difficult.

Bombs, mortars and sectarian death squads have been killing hundreds of people every week and tens of thousands have fled their homes as the city, once a patchwork of mixed districts, has become more and more divided into sectarian enclaves.

Some of Bush's fellow Republicans joined newly empowered Democrats in voicing scepticism that dispatching 21,500 extra troops to help regain control of Baghdad would work. More than 3,000 U.S. troops have died since the March 2003 invasion.

American peace activists held the first of what they said would be thousands of protests, vowing to take to the airwaves and the Internet in a campaign to block the plan, which they said had fuelled a fresh surge of anti-war sentiment.
A day after Bush vowed to disrupt what he called the "flow of support" from Iran and Syria for insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's office said he would travel to Syria on Sunday for an official visit.

Democrats who want a phased withdrawal from Iraq to start in four to six months, lambasted Bush's plan.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he expected to have the votes, with the support of some Republicans, to pass a resolution opposing the new deployment, which would bring American troop levels in Iraq to more than 150,000.

Though such a resolution is nonbinding and merely reflects opposition in the Senate. "I think that (bipartisan passage) will be the beginning of the end of the war in Iraq," Reid said.

(Additional reporting by Sue Pleming, Arshad Mohammed in Washington)

-- January 12, 2007 12:38 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

Ah ok I I had a brain fart, I thought you magically multiplied those numbers to get an artificial value of Dinars AS a Dollar, in the same way some are multiplying the shoe size with the years of age to get an estimate of your future husbands income. Yes you will get about a Dollar, as the values are describing themselves from Dinar and Dollar value.

-- January 12, 2007 1:00 PM ∞

---

Turtle wrote:

Actually my thought process was this... If you already have a value of 1315 to the dollar, what is the point of having 1314.250? That value is already so far in the fractions of a penny that it doesn't make sense. It would only make sense to add the .000 if you were planning to have a value like 10.250 or something like that. As I know many here know science well, the scientists would call this significant figures - setting your number of decimals to the point that has significance and wasting time going any further. In my mind, this is an indicator that they are planning for a not-too-distant future where the dinar would have a significant value that includes 3 decimal places. Of course, I'm just REALLLY hoping this to be true.

-- January 12, 2007 1:39 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I think this is significant -
because if you are seriously ill, you go to a doctor -
not to your next door neighbor or friends... why?
Because the doctor has expertise which may save your life.
Same thing here.

I agree with Dingo's comment (below):

When the politicians and the media start second guessing generals who have been practicing warfare their entire careers, the policies and rules are changed to cater to a public that knows absolutely nothing about war or how to fight it. The result is a lot of people die.

I've tried to leave the comments as unvarnished as possible, because they do add flavor and insight to the discussion on this very important point.. a point that means something to those whose lives are on the line, and should to us all.

Sara.

===

How Qualified Are Media Pundits To Pronounce on Military Strategy?
Posted by Tim Graham on January 12, 2007 - 09:42.

At his site Mullings.com, former Gingrich aide Rich Galen is mocking the tendency of the pundits to lack humility on their qualifications to pass judgment on the potential of the Bush surge strategy:

On Canadian television, yesterday, I was asked whether I thought the plan presented by President Bush would work in Iraq. I said (and this is pretty close):

"I am not an expert in military tactics or strategy - neither, by the way, is almost anyone else who has weighed in on this. Asking me whether 20,000 additional troops is enough, is like asking me how much more power we should add to an particle accelerator." [Laughter by the anchor]

I have been listening to people in elected office from US Senators down to who-knows-what; to people who were once in appointed office; people who were once in the military; people who have never been closer to a military unit than standing in front of the gate at a military base with their make-up on and their hair sprayed in place; reporters who evaded the draft (when there was a draft); reporters who are too young to have needed to evade the draft; and cable hosts pontificating on the status of the US military who wouldn't know an FM22-5 from the menu at McDonalds.

I am sick of all of them.

He concluded strongly:

Those who are rushing to condemn the President's plan are putting themselves in great political peril because they need the President's plan to fail for them to be correct.

I don't know if the President's plan will work because I am not a military specialist. I am a political specialist and I DO know that politicians who root for America to fail are buying a ticket to retirement.

Comments:

1) seejay Says:
January 12, 2007 - 10:02

Great article!

And let's not forget the polls! MSM ALERT! 70% Americans oppose surge!

And here's more from Supreme Allied Commander, Major General Wesley Clark!.........
....."bla bla quagmire, bla bla this administration lied bla bla no WMD's bla bla!"

According to these old media actors, the way to fight a war is by committee.

2) acaiguana Says:
January 12, 2007 - 10:24

Finally someone besides Rush is recognizing the 'rush' to lose.

That's where these guys have put themselves. If the US wins the war in Iraq, they lose.

Now, how in the hell can they have any credibility from that position?!

3) Dyne Says:
January 12, 2007 - 10:51

Of course, the really sad thing about this is, if they lose, they'd never be willing to admit it and would simply say the US "got lucky."

Not all Americans are stupid, it's just that all of the idiots are given jobs within the MSM.

4) iveseenitall Says:
January 12, 2007 - 10:31

President Bush and V.P. Cheney have become fair game for the media. Anything goes. The jerky liberals can say and do anything now without accountability. Just goes to reinforce the thinking that this should have been nipped in the bud by pursuing sedition charges against the NYT. Unforfunately, the donkeys are now out of the pen and running wild. The know - nothing liberals will flap their jaws until the next holocaust . Guard your children.

- NEVER, NEVER trust a liberal

5) FastEd Says:
January 12, 2007 - 10:49

I am a political specialist and I DO know that politicians who root for America to fail are buying a ticket to retirement.

Sounds true enough, but Mr. Galen under-estimates the "stiking power" of demolibs. They don't follow generally accepted means of civility or honesty. Their own power base is predicated on getting the power, nothing more, i.e., majority in congress, but NO plan, but they do have an agenda and the backing of the "un-biased" msm (Lsm).

Scenario - the pres' plan works, the msm and the demolibs will say it happened BECAUSE they opposed it, therefore, they FORCED it to work. (don't try to understand that logic, the headache ain't worth it).

What is increasingly fasinating is the fact that all these "analysts" are quick to point out what is wrong with the plan, but had no input or idea of what the plan was going to be. If they were THAT smart, then they should volunteer their services to the pentagon and the WH, as well as the Armed Services Committee, (they'd be welcomed there(?) ) and share their expertise in military/foreign policy planning.

6) Dingo Says:
January 12, 2007 - 11:08

Finally, someone telling it like it is. The role of the politicians should be to give the military an objective and let them carry it out. When the politicians and the media start second guessing generals who have been practicing warfare their entire careers, the policies and rules are changed to cater to a public that knows absolutely nothing about war or how to fight it. The result is a lot of people die.

Need I remind anyone about a lovely democrat named Johnson who would pick bombing targets for the day in Vietnam and never let the military actually fight the war properly? He thought he knew more than the generals. The public nowadays never ceases to amaze me with their capacity for self-delusion, thinking they know more than someone who does it for a living.

Democrats are the most delusional of all as they constantly manipulate the rules of war based on the way the public wind is blowing. Their philosophy is stick their thumbs in the air and move the way the winds are blowing, or if that fails, get the media to manipulate public opinion with a constant barrage of anti-war sentiment until the “sheep” in this country think that is what they were thinking all along.

-- Vote Democrat, it's easier than working

7) KC Mulville Says:
January 12, 2007 - 11:12

This is really nothing new. Consider the hubris of every Sunday morning and cable evening show. The format is the same. The first part of the show is where the show's reporters present the issues of the day. The second part of the show is where several journalists form a roundtable and criticize everyone else. Both parts of the show depend on the same premise: that journalists are the official referees of any discussion of national affairs.

Does anyone really think that Keith Olbermann is qualified to challenge a general on troop levels? For that matter, how qualified is Tim Russert?

David Gregory or Brian Williams may not offer their personal opinion on national issues (debatably), but they do choose whose "expert" opinion to present. How do they know who is a legitimate expert on troop levels? How do they know who to interview? That's where their lack of expertise plays havoc, and that's where their bias actually works.

8) Galvanic Says:
January 12, 2007 - 11:30

The focus of the Democratic Party and the MSM is on withdrawal, not victory.

While they couldn't agree on a timetable for withdrawal, withdrawal was the key issue.

By taking victory off the table, we have lost the war politically.

The real question regarding a surge is "Will the addition of 20,000+ troops contribute to victory?," and not "How soon can we get troops home?"

The President's opposition has already written off Iraq as a defeat because they think it will be their ticket to the White House come 2008. They prefer defeat over victory at this point, and therefore are not worthy of the dedication and sacrifice of our service men and women.

9) bassndude Says:
January 12, 2007 - 12:44

TG...excellent rendition of my sentiments on these goofs. Most, if not all of these media commentators dont have a clue. I scream at the TV everytime they spout their uneducated drivel and start to tell me all about these tactics and how they will fail. They do all this, without the benefit of the intelligence information behind the decisions, without combat experience and without mission planing knowledge. While all of my combat time comes from the jungles, I know I am not qualified to second guess the President and the Generals. Seems to me, that the, never served and never will should have the honesty to admit the same.

- Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!

http://newsbusters.org/node/10123

-- January 12, 2007 2:35 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

God Bless and protect all those serving.

Sara.

http://www.clermontyellow.accountsupport.com/flash/UntilThen.swf

(This takes a minute to load.)

-- January 12, 2007 2:59 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraq: WTO membership will not affect relations with GCC
MENAFN - 11/01/2007

(MENAFN) An official at the Iraq Ministry of Trade said that Iraq's expected membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) will have no effects on economic relations with the GCC neighbors, Gulf News reported.

He said that some economic sectors will remain under the Iraqi government's control even after joining the WTO.

He stressed that joining the 151-member organization will not have any negative economic impact on the war-torn country. He pointed out that joining the WTO will increase investments and accelerate modernization and productivity in Iraq, along with opening more markets for Iraqi goods and improving transport regulations.

Negotiations for Iraq's entry into the WTO will begin in Geneva in February.

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093138721

-- January 12, 2007 3:07 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

The NewsBusters Weekly Recap: January 6 to 12
Posted by Scott Whitlock on January 12, 2007 - 09:50.

Last week saw the dawning of the new Democratic majority and members of the media seemed to be charmed by the event. ABC reporter Cokie Roberts described a photo-op of new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holding her grandchild as "fun" and "completely natural." CBS’s Bob Schieffer interviewed Pelosi and pressed her to raise taxes. And "60 Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney became nostalgic for Democrats of old, saying it’s "hard to dislike Jimmy Carter."

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann continued his fevered attack on all things Republican and conservative. He’s now accused White House Press Secretary Tony Snow of "bald-faced lying" about a Bush speech. Olbermann’s cohort in liberalism, Chris Matthews, described the Vice President of the United States as someone "who always wants to kill." Later in the week, he told his "Hardball" audience that he was "terrified" of the President’s plans for Iran. Chris, calm down!

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer blithely asked Senator Ted Kennedy if the United States would be better off with Saddam Hussein still in power.

The East Coast has, thus far, been enjoying a relatively mild winter. For "Today" co-host Meredith Vieira, however, this means it’s time to panic. Speaking of global warming, she hyperbolically wondered, "Are we all gonna die?"

NBC’s "Nightly News" had previously dismissed climate change as the culprit for the temperate temperatures, instead saying that El Nino is the cause. After a few liberals whined, anchor Brian Williams quickly backed down. Over on ABC, even "Good Morning America’s" weatherman got in on the environmental bias. Finally, the always reliable Alec Baldwin found a way to link global warming with Iraq! Quite a feat for the sitcom star.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10117

And.. to finish off the week -
if you can't address the REAL issues,
the MSM will simply attack the messenger personally.
(Again, I include unvarnished comments which responsibly
bear on the question of this unethical behavior - both media and political -
which makes it more difficult to serve the country in a time of war):

Sec. Rice Attacked by Sen. Boxer Over Childlessness
Posted by Warner Todd Huston on January 12, 2007 - 05:46.

Is it not outrageous that Senator Barbara Boxer (Dem, Cal) verbally attacked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for not having children as Rice appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday to discuss the Administrations position on Bush's Iraq military "surge" plans? Is this an acceptable criticism of a political official? Is the fact that an official might not have children reason to doubt their capacity for policy making or ability to advise an administration?

Is this the Democrat's new era of niceness, their less rancorous way of governing?

I was shocked to see this intemperate verbal assault by Boxer in the New York Post...

As contrasted with the AP reports, here is how the Post started off their report on the exchange:

WASHINGTON - Condoleezza Rice came under a shocking Democratic attack yesterday - as a childless woman who can’t understand the sacrifices made by families of U.S. troops in Iraq. In a bitter personal assault on the secretary of state during her appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, anti-war Sen. Barbara Boxer fumed that Rice didn't com prehend the "price" of the war.

Only the Post, so far, seems willing to highlight Boxer's unsuitable comportment as a Senator.

It was also curious to me that most of these stories about Rice being "grilled" before the Senate committee -- even the ones that did not mention Boxer -- also went on to describe how well received Defense Secretary Robert Gates was as if to assure the reader that Rice's mistreatment was some how "balanced" by Gates' easy day on the Hill.

Still, it is amazing how Boxer has basically gotten a pass by the MSM for her boorish, uncivilized, and completely illogical attack on Secretary Rice's childlessness.

This must be just another example of how the Democrats are going to be more bi-partisan and less rancorous and how the MSM is going to help them achieve that... or, rather, how they aren't and how the MSM is going to help cover it up for them?

Sadly, the American public is ill served by the MSM, once again.

Comments:

1) BD Says:
January 12, 2007 - 06:08

Harassing Secretary Rice because she has no children in the fight is ludicrous.

I dare say that Barbara Boxer has no children to lose overseas either as I have not heard of her children having enlisted.

I must note that our current military society is highly conservative and is recruited from a largely conservative base. When this is taken into consideration, one must ask what LIBERALS like Boxer, Reid, Peolosi etc stand to lose in the current GWOT?

2) Dingo Says:
January 12, 2007 - 06:28

BD, I definitely agree with you. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Where does she get off attacking Rice for not having children, let alone children in Iraq, when she has no children in Iraq either. It's like Kennedy calling someone else a drunk. Pot meet kettle.

I just know that the media will not cover this for what it is, an attack on a political official for not having children. I don't have children, does this somehow make me understand the war in Iraq any less? If it were a Republican saying this the press would be beating the story to death right now.

Yet another example of the left-wing media covering for their side.

- Vote Democrat, it's easier than working

3) BD Says:
January 12, 2007 - 06:39

I concur with you reference the media's lack of desire to cover this issue.

For instance, when was the last time a reporter who has listened to Charlie Rangel moan about the fact that the military is "Not a representative sample of the US population" or some such rot and his desire to reinstate a draft ask him when the last time he encouraged a liberal STAFFER on his campaign to join the military?

4) USA4freedom Says:
January 12, 2007 - 07:32

That a very good point BD. I would love to see a poll, on the political leanings of the families of the military. The left hates the military and I would think that the children of that love fest would never go into military service. We conservatives support the war (and our troops).. with our most precious commodity the lives of our troops. So to attack Rice for not having any kids that would be in danger they forget one small detail – IT’S A ALL VOLUNTEER ARMY… I still think that would be a great pole for someone to make (hint- hint). I cant believe the hatefulness of the 'compassionate' party. A party that has no shame.

America is best described by one word, freedom... Dwight D. Eisenhower

5) acaiguana Says:
January 12, 2007 - 06:56

Boxer slur on Rice's lifestyle is typically Liberal.

They just can't help themselves. You can bet talk radio will highlight this and possibly the controversy will then come up in the shows.

I said it was going to be a fun year. Democrats and Liberals are into the politics of personal destruction and slander to further their quest to consolidate power in the US in the hands of a few elites. This is another progressive step in their practice of tyranny over the minds of free men and women.

6) Tony S Says:
January 12, 2007 - 06:59

Welcome to the world of feminist "arguments."

As anyone who has ever been on a college campus can tell you, feminists do not argue logically, point-by-point. They just insult you personally. So, for example, a cogent point against sexual harrassment laws will elicit a comment along the lines of "You must not have a girlfriend" or "You must have a small ****."

Feminists sought to make the personal political, and in this light Senator Boxer's comments make sense, as insensitive as they are.

7) DebraJMSmith Says:
January 12, 2007 - 07:16

It appears Senator Boxer does not really know what side of the fence she wants to be on as a mother.Please don't get me wrong, I am no fan of Condoleezza Rice, however, I am am no fan of Senator Boxer either. And Boxer is the one in the wrong here. So, I will address her behavior. Senator Boxer seems to pick and choose what she wants to be 'maternal' over, considering she is pro embryonic stem cell research. Embryonic stem cell research calls for the creating of life, to take a life. It would not matter to me, if it were the only place to find stem cells, but in fact, it is not the only place, it is not even the best.My daughter, Jessica, who is a third year biochemistry major, first alerted me to that which is supported by The March of Dimes; and that is that umbilical cord stem cells from live births are far more usable than embryonic stem cells, more greatly available and no one has to die.So why does Senator Boxer speak up for the lives of those who lay down their life for their country in a manner that offends their heroic efforts, but advance the taking of innocent life who has no say in their demise? ........ Debra... of: ... www.InformingChristians.com

8) rightside Says:
January 12, 2007 - 07:40

Typical red herring used by the dhimmicrats. One cannot comment on something unless they are directly involved. Someone used the analogies of "you cannot comment on a restaurant unless you're a chef", and "you can't have an opinion on a movie unless you are a writer/producer/director."

Does anyone else find it ironic, that with all the hoopla surrounding pelosi being "the country's mother", she will defend with her last breath, the right to abort ANY child for ANY reason?

9) Senior Chief Says:
January 12, 2007 - 07:45

Don't worry Sen. Boxer, I senior Chief, United States Navy will not retire yet from active service to fight side by side with my childless comrades-in-arms and for all Americans, especially for those unable to have children or maybe for whatever reason just can't afford to have an "immediate family" at this time! By the way, I will also defend your right to be stup#d, obnox#ous, arrog#nt and f#lthy, because you are an American. Hmmn, are you really an American?

Reading through the article, it never mentioned what the cut-and-run defeatocrats plan was...

11) Dingo Says:
January 12, 2007 - 08:18

I am in Iraq and funny I don't see the Senator or her children here. I will keep looking for them and keep you all informed of my progress.

12) rimsky Says:
January 12, 2007 - 08:19

I'm tired of the emoting! Bottom line here is that Boxer doesn't have anything really intelligent to say, so she just attacks, using an emotional slant that has NOTHING to do with the subject at hand. How pitiful!

13) Unsane Says:
January 12, 2007 - 08:38

I just think that Sen. Boxer has to find SOMETHING to gripe about, as she cannot hold an intellectual candle to Dr. Rice. What a stupid, meaningless point of contention.

14) msh1973 Says:
January 12, 2007 - 08:40

I am only guessing, but probably the reason Sec. Rice has not had children is because she has never gotten married. I know, that is quite concept for these people. Give me a break. If a conservative had made that statement about a liberal the msm would be all over that.

15) acaiguana Says:
January 12, 2007 - 08:47

Good point msh1973. She's Black. Really, not like Osama (er..Obama) and she doesn't even have children out of wedlock. White women also have children out of wedlock, so I'm not being racist here, the Democrat Progressives are being racist here.

Dr. Rice is successful, bright, Black and...

A Republican.

Throw an Oreo cookie anyone?

How unPC of her!

ACA

16) Ruthsben Says:
January 12, 2007 - 09:04

Well, Boxer's comments are no big story. Libs always say, "Well if you are not willing to go over there, or have children over there, then you (conservative) should not make policy, have an opinion, etc." But when I say, okay, let's let the men and women who are serving over there (and give Bush a 85% approval rating, by the way) make policy about Iraq they shut the #$%@ up.

The MSM refusal to acknowledge this exchange between Bowser, er I mean Boxer and Condi Rice only adds to the evidence of a Liberal Bias to the media.

17) Jimbo Says:
January 12, 2007 - 09:15

If you really think about it, what Boxer is suggesting is a Constitutional amendment regarding the qualifications to be President of the United States. According to her rational, since it is the President who is in charge of wielding the military, the President him/herself would need to be of fighting age and actually serve while commanding. Or, to be qualified to be President, you would not only need to have children, but to have children of appropriate age to join the military. I suppose the same qualifications would also be required of the Secretary of Defense, and any other administration position influencing military policy. A very interesting, delusional, and irrelevant point of view from the fine Senator.

Liberalism is a convenient lie.

18) Edhenry Says:
January 12, 2007 - 09:24

This is the reverse of the Cindy She-Hates-America-An. MSM= you can't be critical of Cindy, she lost a son in Iraq. Now Boxer is floating, you can't take Condi seriously, she doesn't have anyone in her family at risk. This is calculated by the dems

MSM will give this legs to discredit Condi, even if they do it backhandedly "today another Congressperson said Condi does not have any family at risk in the military" What's left at the end? The silly debate is forgotten, the masses will remember Condi doesn't have any family.

MSM=Democrat=Al Q=Anti-American

Fight Terrorism at home - defeat a liberal!

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it."

19) armyvet Says:
January 12, 2007 - 09:56

I just want to know when the National Organization of Women is going to comment on this and chastise Sen. Boxer for the thoughtless comments she made about someone's personal choices.

Oh wait, I'm sorry. That may take place if they were actually a non-biased organization. But we're in "opposite world."

20) msh1973 Says:
January 12, 2007 - 10:20

The hypocrisy is overwhelming. On one hand the liberal feminists tell women they don't need to be a wife and a mother to be "fulfilled". Now Boxer is condeming Sec. Rice for not having children. What is it going to be Sen. Boxer? Wife and motherhood or career? She speaks out of both sides of her liberal mouth.

"Too bad Ignorance isn't painful to the Ignorant"

http://newsbusters.org/node/10120

-- January 12, 2007 3:39 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Rice rejects calls for dialogue with Syria, Iran, over Iraq
Big News Network.com Friday 12th January, 2007

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Thursday resisted calls for U.S. outreach to Iran and Syria over what the Bush administration sees as efforts by those countries to destabilize Iraq.

In Senate testimony, Rice said the United States is not prepared to pay a diplomatic price for such contacts.

Rice is insisting that if Iran and Syria really wanted to help stabilize Iraq, they would do so on their own.

She told senators that if the United States was to seek dialogue just for the sake of talking, it would do so as a supplicant, and face demands to compromise over Iran's nuclear program or Syria's role in Lebanon.

"None of us are suggesting at this table that we engage Iran or Syria as if they were an ally or friend and we're not talking about conferences where we give them a status that they don't deserve," Dodd said. "But it's awfully difficult to understand, Madame Secretary, why we would not try to engage very directly here with people here who can play a critical role in providing some stability."

Rice said past U.S. efforts to engage Syria had gotten nowhere and that there was no indication a new approach would turn out differently.

She repeated an offer to meet her Iranian counterpart any time, anywhere, if Iran met international demands to end uranium enrichment.

But she said engaging Tehran and Damascus under pressure over Iraq would require trade-offs that the Bush administration is not prepared to make.

"I think we need to recognize that if Iran and Syria wish to play a stabilizing role for their own interests, then they will do so," she said. "If on the other hand they intend to offer a stabilizing role because they believe that in our current situation in Iraq, we are willing to pay a price, that's not diplomacy, that's extortion."

Rice said she would expect Iran, under those circumstances, to seek relief from international pressure over its nuclear program, while Syria would want to stop the investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rakik Hariri, in which Syrian officials have been implicated.

President Bush leveled heavy criticism at Iran and Syria in his Iraq policy address late Wednesday, saying they are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq.

He also accused Iran of providing material help for attacks on American troops and said the United States would disrupt the flow of support from both Iran and Syria.

But under questioning from Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden, Rice appeared to rule out U.S. military action inside those two countries to stop the alleged interference of Iranian-affiliated networks.

"What is really being contemplated here in terms of these networks is that we believe we can do what we need to do inside Iraq," she said. "Obviously, the president isn't going to rule anything out to protect our troops. But the plan is to take down these networks in Iraq."

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=224127

-- January 12, 2007 4:00 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Turtle: The CBI buys and sells in whole.fraction in most of their auctions. May be this way so when the RV happens they can easily put the value of the Dinar at .33 to 1 dollar. We would not be able to swipe the smiles off our faces.

-- January 12, 2007 4:32 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

That might be, but if you want to include a long fraction of numbers or not, is more a matter of how distinct they want to define a number. An official number on a currency exchange value might need to have all the comas there, but the practical use of a number is more what the value of it has.

The value of Pi, have an endless fraction of decimals, but in practical use very very few have any more use of any fractions after the most used 3.14, not even NASA uses more than that.

I just think it is a bit far fetched to base a future revaluation of a currency on whether one of the Government postings have space in one of the columns for three fractions.

-"Ok thank you all for coming to this crucial economical meeting, Ok are we all ready to revalue the Dinar, ....
-Yes, we have full filled the budget, we have no more debts, and we have bought up as much of our currency as we need."

-"Good, now are you prepared in the CBI, do you have a three fraction display on your website on your currency exchange window?"

-"Uh....no..."

-"Darn, then we can't revaluate"

-- January 12, 2007 5:46 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

I saw Charlie Rangel being interviewed on TV yesterday. Remember him? He's a longtime Congressman, from the 15th Congressional District, in New York, and an influential man in the Democratic Party. A few weeks ago, he suggested America re-institute the military draft. His latest verbal gaffe is informative:

On CNN, this week, he talked about how we shouldn't send, quote "our children to Iraq". He emoted real and juvenile emotion while he was saying this, like a nine year old that has had his bike stolen, and wants to comment on the tragedy. Hillary Clinton has said similar things.

I have heard lots of people in the media use similar words, so I thought I'd comment on it. "Our children"? What children? Americans are giving guns and tanks and multimillion dollar sophisticated jet aircraft, and years of training, to children? You mean the brave men and women who fought and died in Iraq are mere children? Were they ordering McHappy meals before they went over? First, John Kerry lets out a slip, lets everyone know what's on his mind, and calls people in the military dumb, when in fact they are more educated than the rest of the population. Then another prominent Democrat says American soldiers in Iraq are "children". What's the Democratic position on the American military? They are a bunch of dumb children! They need adult supervision, and perhaps special education! They should stick to playing with GI Joe dolls, according to Rangel.

But seriously, jokes aside for a minute, I find his attitude offensive, and condescending to the military. Brave men and women are risking their lives. They need to be talked about in a respectful manner.

What are the facts? The average age in Iraq is 20.0, for Iraqis. Now, most fighters on the other side have to be around the same age as the American fighters. So, no doubt, the Iraqis are sending their "children" to fight American "children". Now, the average age of American soldiers killed in Vietnam was 22. The average age of soldiers killed in Iraq is 27. The average age of soldiers in WWII was 26.

So, I guess, by Charlie Rangel's definition, WWII was a children's war, that got out of hand. Some German and American and Russian and Canadian etc. kids, had a spat. Kids will be kids, I guess. A schoolyard tussle. Boys will be boys. Someone should have told those "children" to behave, I suppose. And George Bush Sr.? As a mere 'child' of 19, he was flying bombing missions over Germany, trying to kill German children. That silly lad should have been at home, if you believe the Democrats.

So, when do people become adults, if 27, as an average age, is not high enough? How about 30? By age 40? 50? By retirement age? By the time the first pension check rolls into the mail box?

I, for one, am tired of the infantilization of adults, making them sound like they are children. I see this all the time. Mr. Rangel has watched too many episodes of Seinfeld, where people in their 30s act like teenagers. Choice of words reflects how one sees a situation, how one sees individuals, how one sees reality. Choice in language means something. It reflects a Democratic mindset that refuses to deal with reality. Anyone who calls brave and highly trained men and women in their mid-20s, engaged in a violent life and death struggle, of global-wide proportions and long-term historical significance, with a dangerous and violent enemy "children" does not have a firm grasp on reality, does not understand the nature of geopolitical conflicts and does not understand the primal threat radical Islam is throwing up at the West. The Congressman need a reality upgrade/download in his hard drive, before his brain crashes.

No wonder the Democrats want to bring the American Army back right away. The Democrats think it's past their bedtimes. Time to tuck the little tykes in, all snuggly and warm, and read the story of Cinderella to them.

How absurd. A child is someone who has an innocence about them. The hard facts of adulthood have not yet impinged on them. By this definition, it is Charlie Rangel that is the child. He is the one who needs to be put to bed. It is he that needs adult supervision. The reality is, America adults are in Iraq, doing brave and noble things, and this leading Congressman is the child.

-- January 12, 2007 7:14 PM ∞

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David wrote:

Tim -

You never said a truer word (or words). Thank you for that.

As I said in an earlier post, in 2000 when Bush took office, it felt to like adults were finally in charge. But the adolescents (and this country is infatuated with youth and adolescents and seem to worship them) are on the rise, and the best strategy they have is to put our true enemies in a time-out.

David

-- January 12, 2007 7:43 PM ∞

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David wrote:

I work in the media business, and I know that words are chosen very carefully for their emotional impact. When I write, I am absolutely conscious of the emotional and visual connection that I am trying to make with an audience, because the greater the emotional connection, the better the likelihood of the idea being remembered. Fortunately, I don't work in news. I'm in music.

Here's where the MSM and liberals make their mistake - they believe their own hype. What begins as an attempt to make a connection with an audience through an emotional tack ends up BEING the message. The content of the story or idea is lost because emotion clouds the issue and their thinking.

I had a conversation recently with someone who's been in the business for a long time, and he brought this idea to my attention - though not in this context. His point was this: a major pop star who behaves off the stage the way they do when they're on the stage, has forgotten that they are a performer, and instead believes all their publicity. They weren't that goofy, hat-tilted, hunched-shouldered, diffident and sullen character until they started ACTING like one, and they eventually started believing the hype, and now they think they really ARE that person. And now they're a slave to the image. Albeit willingly, at least for a while.

I wonder how many liberal democrats are unwilling slaves to the image? Because once you get past the emotion of the image, there's darn little substance to live on.

David

-- January 12, 2007 8:00 PM ∞

---

David wrote:

Sara -

Sorry I didn't respond earlier to your answering my question about what the solution is. Of course, you're right. God is the only answer. All of these issues are so outrageously complex, people are so hopelessly corrupt (even the good ones), and the best of our worldly wisdom produces only destruction. Our only hope is in Jesus' return.

"He who desires wisdom should pray." Thank you for reminding me that wisdom which leads to anything of eternal value comes from and is granted by God. I remember now that He is far more interested in our character and the relationship we have with Him, than in our circumstances.

I have to say, this is a fascinating time we're experiencing, now. So much is happening so quickly, what with changes in political power in the US, the Iraqi government seeing the handwriting on the wall as the end of Bush's presidency looms, and the developments in the Iraqi culture and economy... So much to pray for.

David

-- January 12, 2007 8:14 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Excellent and thought-worthy posts, David and Tim.
Thank you, very true. :)

I also appreciate the posts on the Dinar and the decimal places - with Roger clearly presenting how the budget appears to show promise of a RV. I hope we are close to seeing that - to the benefit of all concerned.

I hope the military disproportionately bought up Dinar... so that they and their families will benefit for all the effort and sacrifice they have given.

Sara.

-- January 12, 2007 8:27 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Tony Snow Wants to Meet Jamil Hussein
Praises Bloggers, Says New Info Indicates No Jamil Hussein
Posted 10 hr. 41 min. ago

In an interview on the Hugh Hewitt radio program yesterday, White House Spokesman Tony Snow praised bloggers for seeking the ground truth in Iraq, and he re-ignited the controversy about supposed Iraqi Police Captain Jamil Hussein by raising the issue and saying the latest information is that Jamil Hussein is non-existent. Here's background on the Jamil Hussein case. Snow didn't cite a source for his non-existent report, but it's likely these reports/claims: http://www.floppingaces.net/2007/01/11/the-latest-on-jamil-hussein-1/
Click Here for the relevant transcript from the Hugh Hewitt show:

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/711/Tony_Snow_Wants_to_Meet_Jamil_Hussein

-- January 12, 2007 9:14 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

David,

you make some good points, about style and substance, and believing your own hype, and the image a person creates, and confusing that with reality. In our visual media driven age, image often seems to be more important than substance. Some people think image IS reality. It isn't. People form their impressions about reality, say Iraq for example, based on carefully selected and edited images, put out by news organization with an ideological agenda. No wonder people are so confused and misled about the nature of the conflict.

Image, though, in the long run, loses out to reality, it loses to substance. The President is right about Iraq. He's a man of substance, and so are his policies. One day soon, that substance will trump image.

-- January 12, 2007 9:40 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

I hope that soon day of substance trumping images, will be sooner, rather than later, Tim. :D

===

McCain Defends Bush's Iraq Strategy
By LOLITA C. BALDOR 01.12.07, 1:10 PM ET

Sen. John McCain defended President Bush's Iraq plan on Friday as a difficult but necessary move, parting company with lawmakers questioning the wisdom of the military build up.

"I believe that together these moves will give the Iraqis and Americans the best chance of success," said McCain, R-Ariz., a leading presidential contender for 2008.

McCain also took a shot at Democrats who say the United States must bring some troops home within four to six months.

"I believe these individuals ... have a responsibility to tell us what they believe are the consequences of withdrawal in Iraq," he said. "If we walk away from Iraq, we'll be back, possibly in the context of a wider war in the world's most volatile region."

On the Senate Armed Services Committee are several staunch Bush supporters, including John Cornyn of Texas, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. In addition to McCain, committee members Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., support sending more troops to Iraq.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/01/12/ap3325113.html

-- January 12, 2007 9:50 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S.

Yes, the CBI are buying up Dinars, but the amount of Dinars are now pretty easy to control, once the NID was printed, (Heard figures of, 27 Jumbos filled), and exchanged with the "Swiss" and Saddam Dinar, it was a comparable easy procedure to control the amount of Dinars in circulation.

By knowing the amount of Dinars printed, unissued, amount issued, and amount shipped abroad, plus setting a stringent quota on the amount allowed to be brought abroad by individuals, it's just a matter of doing simple addition, and the number is all there.

You are right in saying that the CBI would like to have as many Dinars as possible if a reval is on the table (and as they are buying up them right now, and there is numerous reports of Iraqi Dinar dry up, I can assume that an RV is the plan), however, there is no reason to cover for the Dinars already out there, if you reval the Dinars, they will by their face value cover themselves.

We're back to this old discussion about money that is "bought up", covered, and shipped back to Iraq in paper boxes for payment.

It doesn't work that way, if the Iraqis are reevaluating their currency to lets say a quarter towards the Dollar, 40 million Dinars are then the same as 10 Mill Dollars.

For the bank, you are only swapping paper, the bank will still sit on the value you are coming in with.

That value , represented by the Iraqis Central Banks issued Dinars are as good for them as the Dollar.

Se it this way, if you go to a bank and buy Dinars, you get 10 Mill Dinars for lets say $8000.

Ok now the bank have the $8000, and you have 10.000.000 Dinars.

The bank doesn't turn to the Feds with their 8000 Dollars and ask for payment, they already have payment. Same thing if they pay you Dollars, and get Dinars in return.

When you fill up your gas at the gas station, the gas station owner doesn't send in your money to the feds, if they do, all he will get is another Dollar bill back. There is no Gold standard no more, and the economies in the world are working as good, without it.

If you walk in to the Bank with Dinars, lets say now they are worth a quarter, then you walk out trough the door with $10.000.000, and you left behind 40.000.000 NID.

The 40.000.000 NID you left behind is the banks currency (with a comparable value of $10.000.000) to do what they wish with.

They can do with that, as much as they can do with $10.000.000.

The CBI don't need to "cover" for the Dinar, THE VALUE ON THE FACE of the Dinar is the cover.

If the CBI is raising the value of the Dinar, the only thing that will go around, is an agreement that goes around, that it's now worth more. Probably with a lot of official announcements. For smaller changes you don't even need that, just a website, announcing the daily exchange value. We will all agree to it, as being the value of the Dinar.

They say -"It's now worth a quarter of a Dollar per Dinar"

everybody then says, -"Hey, its worth a quarter"

Same thing you're holding in your hand, is just worth more one day, that's all.

Pretty magic, they doesn't even have to increase any numbers on the face of the bill, they have to say, it's now worth more COMPARED with other currencies. It's almost magic, but it's not more complicated than that.

It's almost too simple, almost to the point that one might think that they "pull off" something, but currency is worth only as much as we all agree that it is worth.

-- January 12, 2007 11:03 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Three decimal places.......

If you look at the currency pairs on the FOREX you find that they use 2,3 and 4 decimal places, depending on the particular pair. It looks like 3 decimal places will be used for the Dinar when it goes to the FOREX. Makes sense to me....I just wish they would hurry up and do it!!

-- January 12, 2007 11:20 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

What is the latest about the 120K handout to Iraqi families starting Monday?

-- January 12, 2007 11:23 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Okie,

Well, its a format only, I strongly doubt that a preset form is a plan for reval. Most probably it's set up in the first place, to be able to cover as many currencies as possible, thus as many fractions as possible depending on the spread of the different currencies presented on the form

Again, I just can't see any deeper , in beforehand plan to do it that way, for the purpose of a revaluation.

Anyone wants to change a chart on a website, it's only a click away.

Robert S,

It's a social program set up and implemented by their equivalent to Social Services. Also a way to try to calm some hot feelings on the street at the same time.

For some in Iraq, this is a fortune.

Quite a few million people in Iraq, makes only about ONE buck a day.

At the same time, this is another big argument for a revaluation of the Dinar, 120.000 Dinars doesn't buy much abroad, it's not more than about $80-90 Bucks worth of currency.

-- January 13, 2007 12:18 AM ∞

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Valerio wrote:

I also heard from my source, who corresponds daily with his affiliates in Bagdad, that Irqai citizens would soon be getting monthly payments generated by oil revenues. He also said the zero lop idea has resurfaced, and is currenly getting discussion again. If this happens there would supposedly be only a 90 day window to exchange dinars. I don't know how much regard should be given to his knowledge, except that he says he holds over a billion dinar in Al-Warka bank.

-- January 13, 2007 12:55 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Valerio,

The zero loop have been up for discussion,and seems to pop up on occasion, you don't do a revaluation of any currency by zero looping, the currency's value will stay the same, but you will be shaving off zeroes only.

The Dinar have such a spread in its denominations that any zero loop would not be necessary, remember that it was about 27 filled Jumbo jets needed to instate the new, now used Dinar.

It was a pretty big organization to exchange the currency, the Iraqis are confident with it's currency as it is now, and they seem to be full of faith in its strength, and coming potential.

To zero loop would be the same as if we only have cents to pay with, ok now we are paying 250 cents per gallon of gas.

We would cut two zeroes and introduce the Dollar, ok the difference would then be that we would pay 2 dollars and 50 cents for the gallon of gas.

Same difference, and nothing gained.

-- January 13, 2007 2:37 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

David,

Have you ever heard of Mastermedia?

I am a member. It is a Christian organization with focus on the entertainment industry

Carole

-- January 13, 2007 4:21 AM ∞

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Turtle wrote:

Roger: I think you are right in saying it's too early to get overly excited about it but those 3 decimals do mean a lot. In modern banking everything revolves around informations systems. I can tell you with absolute certainty how this looks from the back halls of a financial institution that I used to work at. You collect daily financial data on servers that run on the backend and have no or extremely limited public access. Back that data to tape and restore it to front end systems where you balance your financials. You press a button or run a command and your website is populated - almost completely automated to reduce chance of human error. Now this sounds pretty simple, but it takes a LOT of work to make all these things function correctly. And yes, I have seen operations come to a screaching halt with a lot of pissed off people when the Information Systems side of the house was not prepared for an operation's decision.

As you stated, we learned in grade school that those 3 decimals are referred to as significant figures. Point being, you only carry as many decimals as are significant to the problem at hand. You are correct that there are some other very low valued currencies in the world and those may have values that are significant to 3 decimals. However, I'm not aware of any current desire of Iraq to trade for those currencies.

So my question stands at why now? By calculations that you put out, it's another 2-3 years before those 3 decimals would have any real significance. For any who understand the technology side of this process, you know that this was not an overnight achievement. The answer appears to be that they are preparing to either reval or falling into consistancy with the Forex. Both are good news to me and neither can take place without those 3 decimals on the end. Am I booking my ticket to the pig roast? Nope... But it does tell me that they are PLANNING to make the moves we are hoping for.

-- January 13, 2007 5:13 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Turtle,

Could what you are saying be a reason why my RE friend told me to put a smile on the date Jan.12th?

Carole

-- January 13, 2007 8:56 AM ∞

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Finally wrote:

Look out for an RV by Tuesday, the iraqi banks have 1,5 and 10 dinar notes in the banks already, I also hear they have 20's but I havn'e seen any yet, don't know what the rv rate will be but I have been told it will make alot of people wealthy. good luck to all of you

-- January 13, 2007 2:13 PM ∞

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anon wrote:

can someone tell me what MSM means

-- January 13, 2007 2:40 PM ∞

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al-anon wrote:

Main Stream Media

-- January 13, 2007 2:51 PM ∞

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Johan wrote:

Robert,

I am not a conspiracy theorist.

But are you honestly trying to tell me that the US aren't protecting wanted terrorists from extradition?

Please don't tell me you didn't know that.

Johan

-- January 13, 2007 3:52 PM ∞

---

Peter wrote:

Finally. Could you please tell me know please where from you got this information about on Tuesday there will be Revalue of Dinar? Could you please tell source of infromation?

-- January 13, 2007 4:43 PM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

Roger,
I understand what a zero lop is. I would much rather have a steady growth, or even better a revalue. I was only reporting what someone with close ties with Al-Warka bank was telling me, for whatever it's worth. He also talked about the issuing of new lower denominations, and this rumor is all over the place right now. This may be one reason the zero lop thing is popping up again. It's difficult for me to imagine them issuing 1's, 5's, 10's, and 20's unless there was a zero lop planned. Unless of coarse they don't mind using a suitcases for a wallet, and a dufflebag for a purse.

-- January 13, 2007 5:04 PM ∞

---

Click here for the world's funniest blog wrote:

come visit if you have a sense of humor.

-- January 13, 2007 8:50 PM ∞

---

Vanquish wrote:

Hehe

I see the morons on investorsiraq.com have been taken in by my new fake note, hook line and sinker.

What a bunch of idiots.

http://www.iraqidinars.com/images/435_IQ71.jpg

Amazing how many "experts" arrive to say its genuine.

-- January 13, 2007 8:53 PM ∞

---

DE Vanquish wrote:

Vanquish... What a moron and an idiot. Go home and play with your tinker toys...

-- January 13, 2007 10:50 PM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

Tuesday, not sure if I can take two more days of laying block.
Wouldn't that be nice if they RV the Dinar on Tuesday.
If they do, I will put every tool I own in my truck & drive it into the river.
Go Dinar!!!!!

-- January 13, 2007 11:40 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Bush: War skeptics 'proposing nothing'
By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer Jan 13, 2006

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Saturday challenged lawmakers skeptical of his new Iraq plan to propose their own strategy for stopping the violence in Baghdad.

"To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible," Bush said.

Bush said lawmakers "have a right to express their views, and express them forcefully. But those who refuse to give this plan a chance to work have an obligation to offer an alternative that has a better chance for success."

He said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has pledged that political sectarian interference with security operations will not be tolerated.

The president also said the United States will hold the Iraqi government to its pledge to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November, pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis and spend $10 billion of its own money on reconstruction that will create new jobs.

"The Iraqi government knows that it must meet them, or lose the support of the Iraqi and the American people," Bush said.

Bush has criticized the way the al-Maliki government handled the Dec. 30 hanging of Saddam Hussein. Bush saw part of the Internet-aired cell phone video of the execution, which showed some Iraqis taunting Saddam as he stood with a noose around his neck on the gallows.

"I thought it was discouraging," Bush said in an interview with "60 Minutes" to be broadcast on Sunday. "They could have handled it a lot better."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070114/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

-- January 14, 2007 12:04 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Turtle,

Well I hope as well as you are, that there are things "going on" and a reval is at hand. I don't think the space left for three zeroes mean much, but if we are really revaluing the Dinar, they might have prepared for it, maybe, maybe not, my guess is not, but I can be wrong.

Valerio,

Rumours about smaller denomination notes have been out for some time, that would in itself not mean a "zero loop", but if a big reval is happening, it would mean that the currency will be in par with the value. The "zero loop" might or might not happen, but it if it happens, it wouldn't do much of anything.

A reval would be more painless, if a reval would take place, an order could be issued, that wages and prices are from this time, calculated per a thousand of the figure from the past.

Then revalue the Dinar at the same time, that would do the same as a "zero loop".

Johan,

I asked you a couple of postings back to come back with this, who is protected? protected from being extradited from here?, or from other countries?, of what faction are they?, are there terrorists walking freely here, under some kind of amnesty? are they in jail here, what? who? and where?, please.
Just claiming our ignorance, and being appalled over it, and then leave it with that, doesn't do anyone any good, Johan, be specific please.

Vanquish,

Wow, I'm impressed. Did you pasted together a fake bill, posted it on the web, and claimed it was an Iraqi Dinar.

Wow, my mouth is still open *****lost my chewing gum, didn't even noticed that******

Did you actually do that, ???? wow, And no one was helping you??? wow.

And some went for it????oh man, you're smart, aren't you?????

By the way, you're late with the dues to the Club of Internal Admiration.

Dale,

If it revalues, still, keep your tools, you know how to builds your own dream house, and why lets someone else dally around doing what you know best, when you are building the castle.

This time around, though, there is no rush to do a daily quota, each brick in your new dream house, will be set with love, professionalism, and care by your own hands.

Finally,

What makes you say "Tuesday"?

-- January 14, 2007 12:47 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Turtle,

Forex, yes, that might be more in line with it, when the Dinar is on Forex, they trade against any and all currency on the market. Some have a lot of fractions to it, hmm,,,,well if we are discussing "signs" ok, my say is ...Forex.

-- January 14, 2007 1:11 AM ∞

---

David wrote:

Roger, Peter, et. al. -

Why do you ask a poster like "Finally" to verify sources? Every once in a while someone whom we've never seen before posts some kind of "it's gonna happen on Tuesday" drivel, or " you guys are idiots, I just got out of all my dinar because my brother-in-law's finance guy got a tip that it's all over, and you better get out right now. You're stupid for investing in dinar."

And they're subsequently asked by the reasonable, long-time posters who do a lot of research, to cite sources and clarify statements. That's like asking the 13-year old who calls and says in his lowest possible voice, "Is your refrigerator running?" to tell you what problems you might expect from the compressor. Oh, and by the way, what company is offering this warranty? All the kid wants you to do is say yes, so he can say, "Well, you better go catch it, then!" slam down the phone and laugh with his adolescent buddies.

A similar adolescent, code-named "Finally," and another, cleverly disguised as "Vanquish," just did the same. And you're giving them reason to laugh at us.

If and when a bomb really does drop, I expect we'll hear it from our regular sources, and I imagine you'll be one of those sources.

David

-- January 14, 2007 1:25 AM ∞

---

David wrote:

Carole -

No, I'm not familiar with Mastermedia. I'm not in "Christian" music. What's the purpose of the group?

David

-- January 14, 2007 1:29 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Schwarzenegger backs Bush on more troops for Iraq
Jan 13, 2007, 23:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bush may be at odds on a number of issues but the two Republicans agree that more U.S. troops are needed in Iraq.

'I think we should give it everything,' Schwarzenegger said when asked about a troop increase in an interview to be aired on Sunday on ABC's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos.'

'We should give it everything in order to be victorious,' said Schwarzenegger.

Bush plans to send more than 21,000 additional troops to Iraq to help quell the country's sectarian violence.

Schwarzenegger said he does not want the United States to 'pull out of this war as losers' because it would be disastrous for the Middle East.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/usa/news/article_1243086.php/Schwarzenegger_backs_Bush_on_more_troops_for_Iraq

-- January 14, 2007 1:48 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraqi/Arab Media Sunday: Maliki at Risk?
Talk of Sacking Maliki as Iraqi Army Reinforcements Gear Up
By AMER MOHSEN Jan 14, 2006

London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat said on its front page that ‘high-level government sources’ told the newspaper that there is talk in Baghdad about replacing al-Maliki, the current prime minister, and that several names are being discussed as candidates. The pan-Arab daily reported that the “threats” by American president George Bush to cut American support to the government started a wave of speculations about a possible removal of Maliki, and that the names of Iyad `Allawi and `Adil `Abel Mahdi (from the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq) and Akram al-Hakeem (SCIRI, current minister of national dialogue) have been touted as possible replacements.

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/749/IraqiArab_Media_Sunday_Maliki_at_Risk

-- January 14, 2007 2:11 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

"Economist" Endorses "Surge"
The British Magazine says of Bush Plan: "He is Right"
Posted Jan 14, 2007

The "Economist" magazine surprises with an endorsement of the Bush Iraq "surge" plan. A key excerpt: "Some will call this reckless. Some will say the president is in denial. We don't admire Bush, but on this one we think he is right." To read the entire story, you must be an "Economist" subscriber. http://Economist.com.

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/745/Economist_Endorses_Surge

-- January 14, 2007 2:28 AM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

David,
I know , well I think I know the yahoo talking about Tuesday is full of it. I hope he is right. I am not holding my breath though.

Roger,
I will give away all my tools and my truck to someone who will need them & make use of them, Then someday after, I would buy more. Why you might ask?
Funny you should mention the Castle. Some day I will build a castle. Might not be a giant castle. A castle no less though. Always been a dream of mine. The thing is when I build it will be by me, for me.You hit the mail on the head when you said
"This time around, though, there is no rush to do a daily quota, each brick in your new dream house, will be set with love, professionalism, and care by your own hands."

At the risk of letting a yahoo laugh, I will say again. Man Tuesday would be nice

-- January 14, 2007 2:47 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

David,

Well, rumors are rumors, I don't mind a rumor, but would like to hear a little bit more where it's from.

Yes on occasion those pranksters are around, I don't have a clue why they would hang around, this character Vanquish, have no interest in Dinars, his only interest is to "get" people with his practical jokes, and then he is sitting in solitaire and laughing, posting how dumb others are ( read: how smart I am).

You smile laugh and move on, hardly care, but in the pranksters head, this was a REAL ACHIEVEMENT. A mark in time, a feat that will make him a legend.

It doesn't matter what you or I do, they will laugh at us anyway. If an old lady fell and broke her hip, they would not rush and help, they would have a belly laugh.

If a car accident took place, they would prefer to rubberneck, instead of helping out, carefully scanning for body parts.

When they hurt someone, or when they are watching someone getting hurt, they laugh.

It doesn't matter with people like that, it's always cockroaches around crawling out of the wood works, pulling off a prank, or hurling an insult, and then quicker than quick, they crawl back again.

They don't matter.

-- January 14, 2007 3:05 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Sara,

Seems like the Malakis be, or not to be, is an issue that always seem to come back in one form or the other.

Well, guess it's a lets see issue. Me, I don't care for him too much, but wouldn't know who will take his place. One of the candidates, mentioned in your post, from the "Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution of Iraq" doesn't turn me on too much, his credentials makes me think there might be a better one to choose..

Dale,

About Tuesday, yes I take Tuesday any day of the week.

Cool thing about the Castle, may I ask, are you talking about a house in modern style, calling it your castle, or do you actually mean a smaller Medieval times style Castle? Moat and bridge and everything?

-- January 14, 2007 3:18 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Al-Sunaid expects rise in the Iraqi dinar price during the middle of 2007

January 13, 2007

The deputy on the United Iraqi Alliance list, Hassan Al-Sunaid, expected during a meeting of the Iraqi Parliament that the Iraqi dinar exchange rate will reach 1200 dinar to the dollar at mid-year, while the price of one dollar hit 1480 IQD last November.

Al-Sunaid's statement came during a session of the Parliament to discuss the general budget in Iraq during the year 2007, and it was attended by the Minister of Finance Bayan Baqir al-Zubaidi and a number of his advisers.

It is noteworthy that the Iraqi dinar has been rising gradually and continuously, in its value of exchange against the dollar since the Iraqi Central Bank adopted a new monetary policy to deal with inflation in the 13 last November.

He attributed the "causes of inflation to the disproportionate rate of the nominal level of the Iraqi dinar with its real one" which prompted the bank to raise the value of the dinar since November last year to reach during the current January to about 1320 dinar per dollar.

The expectations of Al-Sunaid of the consistent rise of the dinar to 1200 dinar to the dollar come amid widespread demand of investors and persons dealing in Iraqi dinar instead of the dollar.(Source)AlSabah

-- January 14, 2007 9:42 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Al-Maliki reacts to new Bush plan

Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, has described the new US plan for his country as being "identical to our strategy and intentions".

Meanwhile, two people have been shot dead and a Shia mosque that was under construction blown up in Kirkuk.

Armed men planted explosives in the mosque in the Nida neighbourhood of eastern Kirkuk and flattened the building site, said Imad Jassim, a police captain.

In central Kirkuk, two contractors who were building access lanes were shot and killed and another two workers were wounded.

The assailants opened fire on the men while they were working next to the main highway that runs through Kirkuk from Baghdad before fleeing, Jassim said.

Maliki reaction

George Bush, the US president, said he would send an additional 21,500 troops to help pacify the capital and other parts of the country in a plan for Iraq outlined on Wednesday.

Al-Maliki, however, continued to avoid naming al-Sadr's Mahdi Army as a target of the military operations.

"Our strategy that aims to control security is based on using force against any outlaws whatever their background or identity," al-Maliki said on state-run Iraqiya television.

Al-Maliki has repeatedly used that kind of formulaic language during his eight months in office, but has routinely blocked American forces from taking on his militia allies.

He told a small group of Iraqi reporters that "what we have seen in the American strategy is that it is identical to our strategy and our intentions".

Kurdish plans

A Kurdish army brigade in northern Iraq was undergoing intensive urban combat training as it readied for deployment in the latest Baghdad security operation and was expected to take on the capital's Mahdi Army Shia force, its commander said on Saturday.

Nazir Assem Korran, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division of the Iraqi army, said: "We will head to Baghdad soon. We have 3,000 soldiers who are currently undergoing intensive training especially in urban combat and how the army should act inside a city."

Arrested Iranians

The US military said on Sunday that five Iranians arrested by US forces in northern Iraq are connected to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard group that provides weapons to Iraqi militias.

The five were arrested on Thursday in a US raid on an Iranian government office in the Iraqi city of Arbil, the second such operation in a month.

The US military said in a statement: "Preliminary results revealed the five detainees are connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards - Qods Force (IRGC-QF), an organisation known for providing funds, weapons, improvised explosive device technology and training to extremist groups attempting to destabilise the government of Iraq and attack coalition forces.

"The Multi-National Force, in keeping with US policy, will continue to disrupt logistical support to extremists that originate from outside Iraq."

-- January 14, 2007 9:45 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Iran demands US releases captives

Bush has said he will counter alleged ''meddling'' by Iran in Iraq [AFP]

Iran has demanded the immediate release of five Iranians held by US forces in Iraq, saying that they are diplomats.

Mohammad Ali Hosseini, a foreign ministry spokesman, rejected on Sunday US accusations that its five nationals were agents of the Revolutionary Guards seeking to destabilise Iraq.

The United States military said in a statement earlier on Sunday that the detainees were connected to an Iranian group that provides weapons to Iraqi fighters.

The five men were arrested on Thursday in a US raid on an Iranian government office in the Iraqi city of Arbil.

Hosseini told a news conference: "Americans should immediately release the five Iranians and pay compensation for the damages they caused to our office in Arbil.

"What they were doing was consular work. These were employees who were doing their job according to the rules.

"What the Americans claim is incorrect. They want to create a climate that justifies their illegal action," he added.

US allegation

The US military said in a statement earlier on Sunday that "preliminary results revealed the five detainees are connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard - Qods Force (IRGC-QF), an organisation known for providing funds, weapons, improvised explosive device technology and training to extremist groups attempting to destabilise the government of Iraq and attack coalition forces,

"Americans want to radicalise the atmosphere in Iraq to justify their occupation, but we will act wisely"

Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman
"The multinational force, in keeping with US policy, will continue to disrupt logistical support to extremists that originate from outside Iraq," the statement said.

The US has repeatedly accused Iran of interfering in neighbouring Iraq, including providing weapons and training to Shia armed groups.

US military officials and Iranian exiles also claim that there is increasing evidence that many of the most sophisticated roadside bombs being used against US and Iraqi troops are produced in Iran.

The raid came after a warning by George Bush, the US president, that the United States would crack down on alleged Iranian meddling in Iraq, where US commanders accuse Tehran of inciting attacks against American targets.

Tehran vehemently denies the charges and blames US troops for the violence and for stoking tensions between Iraq's Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Reconciliation and unity

A new US strategy in Iraq has been received with skepticism in the Arab world.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have warned that reconciliation and national unity in Iraq are necessary for the success of Bush's new plan.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Gulf countries - all dominated by Sunni Muslims - are increasingly suspicious of al-Maliki's government and worry about the influence of Iran.

Some fear that the Shia-led government is sidelining Iraq's Sunni minority.

Suleiman Awaad, the Egyptian presidential spokesman, told reporters on Saturday that Egypt wants "everybody to comprehend ... that a national reconciliation is the necessary condition and obligation for this process to succeed".

A change in US policy toward Iraq was inevitable, Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian foreign minister, said.

"Unity of Iraq is necessary, independence of Iraq is necessary and peace in Iraq is necessary," he said.

"None of these have been achieved so far. There must be a change, of course."

The comments were the first official response by the two powers to Bush's call on moderate Arab countries to step up their support for the Iraqi government.
Al Jazeera English

-- January 14, 2007 9:48 AM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

Roger,
Ever heard of the Loveland Castle? It is in Loveland, Ohio. One man built it by him self. Harry Andrews built it almost entirely by him self. He carried some 50,000 buckets of stone from the Little Miami River bank & a near by gorge
I took a tour of the place & was hooked. My self, a mason, decided someday I would build my own castle as well. Complete with the towers, drawbridge, moat ( local authorities allowing alligators infested) & prison with torture chamber & all.( just for the effect of course.)
You can see the Castle here http://www.lovelandcastle.com/

-- January 14, 2007 10:31 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Way to go, President Bush. You didn't let the Democrats get away with it. I was hoping you wouldn't. I was rather annonyed for a while, watching the coverage of the situation in Iraq, reading about it, it seemed to me the whole emphasis has been on, what is the President's plan, how can we criticize it. The MSM, I thought, more or less let the Democrats off the hook, in terms of coming up with an alternate plan, or answering honestly about the consequences of an early withdrawal from Iraq.

Now they have to. American troops will be in Iraq till the end of Bush's term. That means Iraq will be THE key issue in the next American election, in 2008. That's not far off. Election races start very early in American politics. That means, all the candidates, Democrat or Republican, can't hide from the issue. Since the next President might be a Democrat, and American troops will be in Iraq when the next President takes office, the Democrats better have good answers, as to what to do, and what are the consequences of this policy? It's easy to take cheap shots at President Bush, or his policies, but do they have a better idea? What? Even the MSM can no longer let them off the hook, giving them a free ride to criticise the President, without an alternative policy of their own. The Democrats will finally be forced to give good answers. No cutting and running on answer giving anymore.

Way to go, President Bush. You have made success in Iraq the key election issue for the next American election.

When the American people understand the overwhelmingly bad consequences of what would happen if America loses this war, they will realize Failure Is Not An Option in Iraq.

As a Dinar investor, I think that's good news.

-- January 14, 2007 10:42 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

mattuk - interesting articles, though the parts quoting some Iraqi captain reminds me of the scandalous Jamil Hussein, whose reports were lies and who now does not exist. When it says, QUOTE:

"Meanwhile, two people have been shot dead and a Shia mosque that was under construction blown up in Kirkuk.

Armed men planted explosives in the mosque in the Nida neighbourhood of eastern Kirkuk and flattened the building site, said Imad Jassim, a police captain.

In central Kirkuk, two contractors who were building access lanes were shot and killed and another two workers were wounded.

The assailants opened fire on the men while they were working next to the main highway that runs through Kirkuk from Baghdad before fleeing, Jassim said."

==end of quote===

I wonder how much of that is fabricated by Jassim and the AP? I no longer believe such reports at face value but would seek to VERIFY from independent sources these sensational claims.. Considering the current scandal AND that it is against the law and the written agreements in place for all officers for them to talk in an unofficial capacity to the press, this ILLEGAL report is either an ILLEGAL LEAK by a terrorist-sympathizing person within the police service (to aid and abet their cause), OR a complete fabrication for the benefit of terrorist and leftist media to spin.

Sara.

-- January 14, 2007 10:50 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Dale,

I think your idea of building a castle is VERY cool. I have always been interested in building unusual houses. There is a TV show up here in Canada, (Weird Homes) where the host goes around, and finds unusual homes, in tree houses and whatnot, and interviews the people. Very interesting.

I helped some people build a log cabin when I was a teenager, and a friend of mine built a gigantic house, almost a castle, out of straw bales and concrete. In Canada, several wealthy people, in times past, have built castles in large cities even, like Casa Loma in Toronto and Craigdarrock Castle in Victoria, B.C. I have visited these. Very interesting.

Not that long ago, I visited a very unusual castle in British Columbia, in the interior of that province, near Boswell, B.C.. It's called The Glass House. It was built, by hand, by a retired funeral director. In the funeral business, bodies are preserved with embalming fluid, which come in square bottles. The gentleman, Mr. Brown, collected these bottles for years and then, after his retirement, went around Western Canada, and collected more bottles from people in the industry.

He wanted to live in a castle built with his hands, built from the things he worked with all his life, embalming fluid. He wanted to die in a castle built from embalming fluid bottles. Very morbid sense of humour, I think.

Well, he eventually collected half a million bottles, or 250 tons worth, and used mortor and the bottles to construct the castle. It's absolutely gorgeous to walk through, and he built up a beautiful garden and grounds attached to the house. It's now a tourist attraction, and a relative of his showed me through, and told his story.

So, what kind of castle do you want to build?

-- January 14, 2007 11:35 AM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

Tim Bitts,
Very nice, I would love to visit, that glass castle.
My castle would be built with various sized concrete masonry units. Here are many sizes that I have used over the years. I am sure I will have to have some plans for certain parts but I think it will be mostly a build as I go kind of thing. The foot print will have to be established as I decide on the size & shape of the footers. But as far as the actual elevations go i think that will be an ever changing thing as I gather more ideas from variouse castles around the world. When the Dinar ship comes in, that would be a great way to spend some time, Traveling the world to get first hand ideas.
I think the fun part will be finding the perfect site for my castle. I live in Kentucky & the land here is beautiful so I will find a place along a river somewhere in Ky. A place with a giant lake in front of the castle & a river behind would be awesome . will be fun to find the perfect place for FUGAZZI CASTLE.

-- January 14, 2007 12:03 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Rudy: Lessons From New York Can Help Save Iraq
January 12th, 2007

Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich share bylines in an article in the Wall Street Journal today suggesting that “there are many lessons from the successful welfare reforms in New York City that can be readily applied in Iraq.” Workfare required “able-bodied welfare recipients to work 20 hours a week in exchange for their benefits,” thus reasserting “the value of the social contract, which says that for every right there is a responsibility, for every benefit an obligation.” Workfare, the authors say, resulted in a visible improvement in the quality of life of the city (cleaner streets, less graffiti, etc.), and helped reduce crime. “A similar model can work in Iraq” – an Iraqi Citizen Job Corps. “Subsidizing unemployed Iraqis with a meaningful wage in exchange for meaningful work rebuilding their society is well within the means of the U.S. and its allies. The entire effort will help stabilize and grow the Iraqi economy…One word of caution: The program should be overseen by the U.S. military, not private contractors, to avoid unnecessary delays in deployment or accusations of cronyism in the bidding process.”

Compiled by Jonathan Mandell

http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2007/01/12/rudy-lessons-from-new-york-can-help-save-iraq/

-- January 14, 2007 2:02 PM ∞

---

Jeanine Buckley wrote:

Does anyone know why the number of offers for buying the dinar increased dramatically, from 56k, to 103,410? I'm referring to the Central Bank of Iraq website. Also, do they do an auction 7 days a week, or just 5? Seems like they don't have an auction on Friday and Saturday?

Thanks for any clarification anyone has.

Jeanine Buckley

-- January 14, 2007 2:14 PM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

Jeanine,
The CBI has been buying more & more NID for a while now.
Does it mean anything? Well we all hope so. You can read back through the past week or so of post & see several comments relating to your question.

-- January 14, 2007 2:51 PM ∞

---

Johan wrote:

Roger,

You asked about my comment regarding "terrorists walking freely in the USA with impunity"

I will tell you what faction, the faction is the IRA (Irish Republican "Army")

There are wanted murderers from the IRA who have been requested by the UK to be extradited to stand trial.

Yet the USA saw fit to deny that because their crimes are "political".

So they live free in Boston and New York, wanted murderers wanted by what is apparently America's closest friend.

I would love to read your response Roger.

:-)

-- January 14, 2007 8:06 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger,

Remember when the Mexican peso dropped zeros? It didn't
change the value, just made it easier to trade the currency. Could this be what is going on with the Dinar?

Carole

-- January 14, 2007 9:00 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Al-Sunaid expects rise in the Iraqi dinar price during the middle of 2007
January 13, 2007 http://www.edinarfinancial.net:80/news/?quer=&nm=&ny=&nn=475

The deputy on the United Iraqi Alliance list, Hassan Al-Sunaid, expected during a meeting of the Iraqi Parliament that the Iraqi dinar exchange rate will reach 1200 dinar to the dollar at mid-year, while the price of one dollar hit 1480 IQD last November.

Al-Sunaid's statement came during a session of the Parliament to discuss the general budget in Iraq during the year 2007, and it was attended by the Minister of Finance Bayan Baqir al-Zubaidi and a number of his advisers.

It is noteworthy that the Iraqi dinar has been rising gradually and continuously, in its value of exchange against the dollar since the Iraqi Central Bank adopted a new monetary policy to deal with inflation in the 13 last November.

He attributed the "causes of inflation to the disproportionate rate of the nominal level of the Iraqi dinar with its real one" which prompted the bank to raise the value of the dinar since November last year to reach during the current January to about 1320 dinar per dollar.

The expectations of Al-Sunaid of the consistent rise of the dinar to 1200 dinar to the dollar come amid widespread demand of investors and persons dealing in Iraqi dinar instead of the dollar.(Source)AlSabah

-- January 14, 2007 9:11 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Robert S wrote: He attributed the "causes of inflation to the disproportionate rate of the nominal level of the Iraqi dinar with its real one" which prompted the bank to raise the value of the dinar since November last year to reach during the current January to about 1320 dinar per dollar.

This has an interesting ring to it. "with it's real one"

-- January 14, 2007 9:13 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

This is from the U.S. Army, Professional Writing Section, which brings together the best in military writing, for discussion by military people. The article is by the new American commander in Iraq, General Petraeus, who was chosen by President Bush to lead the American Troops in their renewed efforts in Iraq. This gives some insight into the new American strategy in Iraq. General Petraeus wrote most of the American Army's new manual on counter-insurgency warfare:

Pay particular attention to his observation number 3. Others on this site have noted that the use of money can be a weapon, in war:

Learning Counterinsurgency: Observations from Soldiering in Iraq
The Army has learned a great deal in Iraq and Afghanistan about the conduct of counterinsurgency operations, and we must continue to learn all that we can from our experiences in those countries.
The insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan were not, in truth, the wars for which we were best prepared in 2001; however, they are the wars we are fighting and they clearly are the kind of wars we must master. America's overwhelming conventional military superiority makes it unlikely that future enemies will confront us head on. Rather, they will attack us asymmetrically, avoiding our strengths-firepower, maneuver, technology-and come at us and our partners the way the insurgents do in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is imperative, therefore, that we continue to learn from our experiences in those countries, both to succeed in those endeavors and to prepare for the future.
Soldiers and Observations
Writing down observations and lessons learned is a time-honored tradition of Soldiers. Most of us have done this to varying degrees, and we then reflect on and share what we've jotted down after returning from the latest training exercise, mission, or deployment. Such activities are of obvious importance in helping us learn from our own experiences and from those of others. In an effort to foster learning as an organization, the Army institutionalized the process of collection, evaluation, and dissemination of observations, insights, and lessons some 20 years ago with the formation of the Center for Army Lessons Learned.1
In subsequent years, the other military services and the Joint Forces Command followed suit, forming their own lessons learned centers. More recently, the Internet and other knowledge-management tools have sped the processes of collection, evaluation, and dissemination enormously. Numerous products have already been issued since the beginning of our operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and most of us have found these products of considerable value as we've prepared for deployments and reviewed how different units grappled with challenges our elements were about to face.
For all their considerable worth, the institutional structures for capturing lessons are still dependent on Soldiers' thoughts and reflections. And Soldiers have continued to record their own observations, particularly in recent years as we have engaged in so many important operations. Indeed, my own pen and notebook were always handy while soldiering in Iraq, where I commanded the 101st Airborne Division during our first year there (during the fight to Baghdad and the division's subsequent operations in Iraq's four northern provinces), and where, during most of the subsequent year-and-a-half, I helped with the so-called "train and equip" mission, conducting an assessment in the spring of 2004 of the Iraqi Security Forces after their poor performance in early April 2004, and then serving as the first commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq and the NATO Training Mission-Iraq.
What follows is the distillation of a number of observations jotted down during that time. Some of these observations are specific to soldiering in Iraq, but the rest speak to the broader challenge of conducting counterinsurgency operations in a vastly different culture than our own. I offer 14 of those observations here in the hope that others will find them of assistance as they prepare to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan or in similar missions in the years ahead.
Fourteen Observations
Observation Number 1 is "Do not try to do too much with your own hands." T.E. Lawrence offered this wise counsel in an article published in The Arab Bulletin in August 1917. Continuing, he wrote: "Better the Arabs do it tolerably than that you do it perfectly. It is their war, and you are to help them, not win it for them. Actually, also, under the very odd conditions of Arabia, your practical work will not be as good as, perhaps, you think it is. It may take them longer and it may not be as good as you think, but if it is theirs, it will be better."2
Lawrence's guidance is as relevant in the 21st century as it was in his own time in the Middle East during World War I. Like much good advice, however, it is sometimes easier to put forward than it is to follow. Our Army is blessed with highly motivated Soldiers who pride themselves on being action oriented. We celebrate a "can do" spirit, believe in taking the initiative, and want to get on with business. Yet, despite the discomfort in trying to follow Lawrence's advice by not doing too much with our own hands, such an approach is absolutely critical to success in a situation like that in Iraq. Indeed, many of our units recognized early on that it was important that we not just perform tasks for the Iraqis, but that we help our Iraqi partners, over time enabling them to accomplish tasks on their own with less and less assistance from us.
Empowering Iraqis to do the job themselves has, in fact, become the essence of our strategy-and such an approach is particularly applicable in Iraq. Despite suffering for decades under Saddam, Iraq still has considerable human capital, with the remnants of an educated middle class, a number of budding entrepreneurs, and many talented leaders. Moreover, the Iraqis, of course, know the situation and people far better than we ever can, and unleashing their productivity is essential to rebuilding infrastructure and institutions. Our experience, for example, in helping the Iraqi military reestablish its staff colleges and branch-specific schools has been that, once a good Iraqi leader is established as the head of the school, he can take it from there, albeit with some degree of continued Coalition assistance. The same has been true in many other areas, including in helping establish certain Army units (such as the Iraqi Army's 9th Division (Mechanized), based north of Baghdad at Taji, and the 8th Division, which has units in 5 provinces south of Baghdad) and police academies (such as the one in Hillah, run completely by Iraqis for well over 6 months). Indeed, our ability to assist rather than do has evolved considerably since the transition of sovereignty at the end of late June 2004 and even more so since the elections of 30 January 2005. I do not, to be sure, want to downplay in the least the amount of work still to be done or the daunting challenges that lie ahead; rather, I simply want to emphasize the importance of empowering, enabling, and assisting the Iraqis, an approach that figures prominently in our strategy in that country.
Observation Number 2 is that, in a situation like Iraq, the liberating force must act quickly, because every Army of liberation has a half-life beyond which it turns into an Army of occupation. The length of this half-life is tied to the perceptions of the populace about the impact of the liberating force's activities. From the moment a force enters a country, its leaders must keep this in mind, striving to meet the expectations of the liberated in what becomes a race against the clock.
This race against the clock in Iraq has been complicated by the extremely high expectations of the Iraqi people, their pride in their own abilities, and their reluctant admission that they needed help from Americans, in particular.3 Recognizing this, those of us on the ground at the outset did all that we could with the resources available early on to help the people, to repair the damage done by military operations and looting, to rebuild infrastructure, and to restore basic services as quickly as possible-in effect, helping extend the half-life of the Army of liberation. Even while carrying out such activities, however, we were keenly aware that sooner or later, the people would begin to view us as an Army of occupation. Over time, the local citizenry would feel that we were not doing enough or were not moving as quickly as desired, would see us damage property and hurt innocent civilians in the course of operations, and would resent the inconveniences and intrusion of checkpoints, low helicopter flights, and other military activities. The accumulation of these perceptions, coupled with the natural pride of Iraqis and resentment that their country, so blessed in natural resources, had to rely on outsiders, would eventually result in us being seen less as liberators and more as occupiers. That has, of course, been the case to varying degrees in much of Iraq.
The obvious implication of this is that such endeavors-especially in situations like those in Iraq-are a race against the clock to achieve as quickly as possible the expectations of those liberated. And, again, those expectations, in the case of Iraqi citizens, have always been very high indeed.4
Observation Number 3 is that, in an endeavor like that in Iraq, money is ammunition. In fact, depending on the situation, money can be more important than real ammunition-and that has often been the case in Iraq since early April 2003 when Saddam's regime collapsed and the focus rapidly shifted to reconstruction, economic revival, and restoration of basic services. Once money is available, the challenge is to spend it effectively and quickly to rapidly achieve measurable results. This leads to a related observation that the money needs to be provided as soon as possible to the organizations that have the capability and capacity to spend it in such a manner.
So-called "CERP" (Commander's Emergency Reconstruction Program) funds-funds created by the Coalition Provisional Authority with captured Iraqi money in response to requests from units for funds that could be put to use quickly and with minimal red tape-proved very important in Iraq in the late spring and summer of 2003. These funds enabled units on the ground to complete thousands of small projects that were, despite their low cost, of enormous importance to local citizens.5 Village schools, for example, could be repaired and refurbished by less than $10,000 at that time, and units like the 101st Airborne Division carried out hundreds of school repairs alone. Other projects funded by CERP in our area included refurbishment of Mosul University, repairs to the Justice Center, numerous road projects, countless water projects, refurbishment of cement and asphalt factories, repair of a massive irrigation system, support for local elections, digging of dozens of wells, repair of police stations, repair of an oil refinery, purchase of uniforms and equipment for Iraqi forces, construction of small Iraqi Army training and operating bases, repairs to parks and swimming pools, support for youth soccer teams, creation of employment programs, refurbishment of medical facilities, creation of a central Iraqi detention facility, establishment of a small business loan program, and countless other small initiatives that made big differences in the lives of the Iraqis we were trying to help.
The success of the CERP concept led Congress to appropriate additional CERP dollars in the fall of 2003, and additional appropriations have continued ever since. Most commanders would agree, in fact, that CERP dollars have been of enormous value to the effort in Iraq (and in Afghanistan, to which the concept migrated in 2003 as well).
Beyond being provided money, those organizations with the capacity and capability to put it to use must also be given reasonable flexibility in how they spend at least a portion of the money, so that it can be used to address emerging needs-which are inevitable. This is particularly important in the case of appropriated funds. The recognition of this need guided our requests for resources for the Iraqi Security Forces "train and equip" mission, and the result was a substantial amount of flexibility in the 2005 supplemental funding measure that has served that mission very well, especially as our new organization achieved the capability and capacity needed to rapidly put to use the resources allocated to it.6
Observation Number 4 reminds us that increasing the number of stakeholders is critical to success. This insight emerged several months into our time in Iraq as we began to realize that more important than our winning Iraqi hearts and minds was doing all that we could to ensure that as many Iraqis as possible felt a stake in the success of the new Iraq. Now, I do not want to downplay the importance of winning hearts and minds for the Coalition, as that extends the half-life I described earlier, something that is of obvious desirability. But more important was the idea of Iraqis wanting the new Iraq to succeed. Over time, in fact, we began asking, when considering new initiatives, projects, or programs, whether they would help increase the number of Iraqis who felt they had a stake in the country's success. This guided us well during the time that the 101st Airborne Division was in northern Iraq and again during a variety of initiatives pursued as part of the effort to help Iraq reestablish its security forces. And it is this concept, of course, that undoubtedly is behind the reported efforts of the U.S. Ambassador in Iraq to encourage Shi'ia and Kurdish political leaders in Iraq to reach out to Sunni Arab leaders and to encourage them to help the new Iraq succeed.
The essence of Observation Number 5-that we should analyze costs and benefits of operations before each operation-is captured in a question we developed over time and used to ask before the conduct of operations: "Will this operation," we asked, "take more bad guys off the street than it creates by the way it is conducted?" If the answer to that question was, "No," then we took a very hard look at the operation before proceeding.
In 1986, General John Galvin, then Commander in Chief of the U.S. Southern Command (which was supporting the counterinsurgency effort in El Salvador), described the challenge captured in this observation very effectively: "The . . . burden on the military institution is large. Not only must it subdue an armed adversary while attempting to provide security to the civilian population, it must also avoid furthering the insurgents' cause. If, for example, the military's actions in killing 50 guerrillas cause 200 previously uncommitted citizens to join the insurgent cause, the use of force will have been counterproductive."7
To be sure, there are occasions when one should be willing to take more risk relative to this question. One example was the 101st Airborne Division operation to capture or kill Uday and Qusay. In that case, we ended up firing well over a dozen antitank missiles into the house they were occupying (knowing that all the family members were safely out of it) after Uday and Qusay refused our call to surrender and wounded three of our soldiers during two attempts to capture them.8
In the main, however, we sought to carry out operations in a way that minimized the chances of creating more enemies than we captured or killed. The idea was to try to end each day with fewer enemies than we had when it started. Thus we preferred targeted operations rather than sweeps, and as soon as possible after completion of an operation, we explained to the citizens in the affected areas what we'd done and why we did it.
This should not be taken to indicate that we were the least bit reluctant about going after the Saddamists, terrorists, or insurgents; in fact, the opposite was the case. In one night in Mosul alone, for example, we hit 35 targets simultaneously, getting 23 of those we were after, with only one or two shots fired and most of the operations requiring only a knock on a door, vice blowing it down. Such operations obviously depended on a sophisticated intelligence structure, one largely based on human intelligence sources and very similar to the Joint Interagency Task Forces for Counter-Terrorism that were established in various locations after 9/11.
That, logically, leads to Observation Number 6, which holds that intelligence is the key to success. It is, after all, detailed, actionable intelligence that enables "cordon and knock" operations and precludes large sweeps that often prove counterproductive. Developing such intelligence, however, is not easy. Substantial assets at the local (i.e., division or brigade) level are required to develop human intelligence networks and gather sufficiently precise information to allow targeted operations. For us, precise information generally meant a 10-digit grid for the target's location, a photo of the entry point, a reasonable description of the target, and directions to the target's location, as well as other information on the neighborhood, the target site, and the target himself. Gathering this information is hard; considerable intelligence and operational assets are required, all of which must be pulled together to focus (and deconflict) the collection, analytical, and operational efforts. But it is precisely this type of approach that is essential to preventing terrorists and insurgents from putting down roots in an area and starting the process of intimidation and disruption that can result in a catastrophic downward spiral.
Observation Number 7, which springs from the fact that Civil Affairs are not enough when undertaking huge reconstruction and nation-building efforts, is that everyone must do nation-building. This should not be taken to indicate that I have anything but the greatest of respect for our Civil Affairs personnel-because I hold them in very high regard. I have personally watched them work wonders in Central America, Haiti, the Balkans, and, of course, Iraq. Rather, my point is that when undertaking industrial-strength reconstruction on the scale of that in Iraq, Civil Affairs forces alone will not suffice; every unit must be involved.
Reopening the University of Mosul brought this home to those of us in the 101st Airborne Division in the spring of 2003. A symbol of considerable national pride, the University had graduated well over a hundred thousand students since its establishment in 1967. Shortly after the seating of the interim Governor and Province Council in Nineveh Province in early May 2003, the Council's members established completion of the school year at the University as among their top priorities. We thus took a quick trip through the University to assess the extent of the damage and to discuss reopening with the Chancellor. We then huddled with our Civil Affairs Battalion Commander to chart a way ahead, but we quickly found that, although the talent inherent in the Battalion's education team was impressive, its members were relatively junior in rank and its size (numbering less than an infantry squad) was simply not enough to help the Iraqis repair and reopen a heavily-looted institution of over 75 buildings, some 4,500 staff and faculty, and approximately 30-35,000 students. The mission, and the education team, therefore, went to one of the two aviation brigades of the 101st Airborne Division, a brigade that clearly did not have "Rebuild Foreign Academic Institutions" in its mission essential task list. What the brigade did have, however, was a senior commander and staff, as well as numerous subordinate units with commanders and staffs, who collectively added up to considerable organizational capacity and capability.
Seeing this approach work with Mosul University, we quickly adopted the same approach in virtually every area-assigning a unit or element the responsibility for assisting each of the Iraqi Ministries' activities in northern Iraq and also for linking with key Iraqi leaders. For example, our Signal Battalion incorporated the Civil Affairs Battalion's communications team and worked with the Ministry of Telecommunications element in northern Iraq, helping reestablish the local telecommunications structure, including assisting with a deal that brought a satellite downlink to the central switch and linked Mosul with the international phone system, producing a profit for the province (subscribers bore all the costs). Our Chaplain and his team linked with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Engineer Battalion with the Ministry of Public Works, the Division Support Command with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Corps Support Group with the Ministry of Education, the Military Police Battalion with the Ministry of Interior (Police), our Surgeon and his team with the Ministry of Health, our Staff Judge Advocate with Ministry of Justice officials, our Fire Support Element with the Ministry of Oil, and so on. In fact, we lined up a unit or staff section with every ministry element and with all the key leaders and officials in our AOR, and our subordinate units did the same in their areas of responsibility. By the time we were done, everyone and every element, not just Civil Affairs units, was engaged in nation-building.
Observation Number 8, recognition of the need to help build institutions, not just units, came from the Coalition mission of helping Iraq reestablish its security forces. We initially focused primarily on developing combat units-Army and Police battalions and brigade headquarters-as well as individual police. While those are what Iraq desperately needed to help in the achievement of security, for the long term there was also a critical need to help rebuild the institutions that support the units and police in the field-the ministries, the admin and logistical support units, the professional military education systems, admin policies and procedures, and the training organizations. In fact, lack of ministry capability and capacity can undermine the development of the battalions, brigades, and divisions, if the ministries, for example, don't pay the soldiers or police on time, use political rather than professional criteria in picking leaders, or fail to pay contractors as required for services provided. This lesson underscored for us the importance of providing sufficient advisors and mentors to assist with the development of the security ministries and their elements, just as we provided advisor teams with each battalion and each brigade and division headquarters.9
Observation Number 9, cultural awareness is a force multiplier, reflects our recognition that knowledge of the cultural "terrain" can be as important as, and sometimes even more important than, knowledge of the geographic terrain. This observation acknowledges that the people are, in many respects, the decisive terrain, and that we must study that terrain in the same way that we have always studied the geographic terrain.
Working in another culture is enormously difficult if one doesn't understand the ethnic groups, tribes, religious elements, political parties, and other social groupings-and their respective viewpoints; the relationships among the various groups; governmental structures and processes; local and regional history; and, of course, local and national leaders. Understanding of such cultural aspects is essential if one is to help the people build stable political, social, and economic institutions. Indeed, this is as much a matter of common sense as operational necessity. Beyond the intellectual need for the specific knowledge about the environment in which one is working, it is also clear that people, in general, are more likely to cooperate if those who have power over them respect the culture that gives them a sense of identity and self-worth.
In truth, many of us did a lot of "discovery learning" about such features of Iraq in the early months of our time there. And those who learned the quickest-and who also mastered some "survival Arabic"-were, not surprisingly, the most effective in developing productive relationships with local leaders and citizens and achieved the most progress in helping establish security, local governance, economic activity, and basic services. The importance of cultural awareness has, in fact, been widely recognized in the U.S. Army and the other services, and it is critical that we continue the progress that has been made in this area in our exercises, military schools, doctrine, and so on.10
Observation Number 10 is a statement of the obvious, fully recognized by those operating in Iraq, but it is one worth recalling nonetheless. It is that success in a counterinsurgency requires more than just military operations. Counterinsurgency strategies must also include, above all, efforts to establish a political environment that helps reduce support for the insurgents and undermines the attraction of whatever ideology they may espouse.11 In certain Sunni Arab regions of Iraq, establishing such a political environment is likely of greater importance than military operations, since the right political initiatives might undermine the sanctuary and assistance provided to the insurgents. Beyond the political arena, other important factors are economic recovery (which reduces unemployment, a serious challenge in Iraq that leads some out-of-work Iraqis to be guns for hire), education (which opens up employment possibilities and access to information from outside one's normal circles), diplomatic initiatives (in particular, working with neighboring states through which foreign fighters transit), improvement in the provision of basic services, and so on. In fact, the campaign plan developed in 2005 by the Multinational Force-Iraq and the U.S. Embassy with Iraqi and Coalition leaders addresses each of these issues.
Observation Number 11-ultimate success depends on local leaders- is a natural reflection of Iraqi sovereignty and acknowledges that success in Iraq is, as time passes, increasingly dependent on Iraqi leaders-at four levels:
• Leaders at the national level working together, reaching across party and sectarian lines to keep the country unified, rejecting short-term expedient solutions such as the use of militias, and pursuing initiatives to give more of a stake in the success of the new Iraq to those who feel left out;
• Leaders in the ministries building the capability and capacity necessary to use the tremendous resources Iraq has efficiently, transparently, honestly, and effectively;
• Leaders at the province level resisting temptations to pursue winner-take-all politics and resisting the urge to politicize the local police and other security forces, and;
• Leaders in the Security Forces staying out of politics, providing courageous, competent leadership to their units, implementing policies that are fair to all members of their forces, and fostering loyalty to their Army or Police band of brothers rather than to specific tribes, ethnic groups, political parties, or local militias.
Iraqi leaders are, in short, the real key to the new Iraq, and we thus need to continue to do all that we can to enable them.
Observation Number 12 is the admonition to remember the strategic corporals and strategic lieutenants, the relatively junior commissioned or noncommissioned officers who often have to make huge decisions, sometimes with life-or-death as well as strategic consequences, in the blink of an eye.
Commanders have two major obligations to these junior leaders: first, to do everything possible to train them before deployment for the various situations they will face, particularly for the most challenging and ambiguous ones; and, second, once deployed, to try to shape situations to minimize the cases in which they have to make those hugely important decisions extremely quickly.
The best example of the latter is what we do to help ensure that, when establishing hasty checkpoints, our strategic corporals are provided sufficient training and adequate means to stop a vehicle speeding toward them without having to put a bullet through the windshield. This is, in truth, easier said than it is done in the often chaotic situations that arise during a fast-moving operation in such a challenging security environment. But there are some actions we can take to try to ensure that our young leaders have adequate time to make the toughest of calls-decisions that, if not right, again, can have strategic consequences.
My next-to-last observation, Number 13, is that there is no substitute for flexible, adaptable leaders. The key to many of our successes in Iraq, in fact, has been leaders- especially young leaders-who have risen to the occasion and taken on tasks for which they'd had little or no training,12 and who have demonstrated enormous initiative, innovativeness, determination, and courage.13 Such leaders have repeatedly been the essential ingredient in many of the achievements in Iraq. And fostering the development of others like them clearly is critical to the further development of our Army and our military.14
My final observation, Number 14, underscores that, especially in counterinsurgency operations, a leader's most important task is to set the right tone. This is, admittedly, another statement of the obvious, but one that nonetheless needs to be highlighted given its tremendous importance. Setting the right tone and communicating that tone to his subordinate leaders and troopers are absolutely critical for every leader at every level, especially in an endeavor like that in Iraq.
If, for example, a commander clearly emphasizes socalled kinetic operations over non-kinetic operations, his subordinates will do likewise. As a result, they may thus be less inclined to seize opportunities for the nation-building aspects of the campaign. In fact, even in the 101st Airborne Division, which prided itself on its attention to nation-building, there were a few mid-level commanders early on whose hearts really weren't into performing civil affairs tasks, assisting with reconstruction, developing relationships with local citizens, or helping establish local governance. To use the jargon of Iraq at that time, they didn't "get it." In such cases, the commanders above them quickly established that nation-building activities were not optional and would be pursued with equal enthusiasm to raids and other offensive operations.
Setting the right tone ethically is another hugely important task. If leaders fail to get this right, winking at the mistreatment of detainees or at manhandling of citizens, for example, the result can be a sense in the unit that "anything goes." Nothing can be more destructive in an element than such a sense.
In truth, regardless of the leader's tone, most units in Iraq have had to deal with cases in which mistakes have been made in these areas, where young leaders in very frustrating situations, often after having suffered very tough casualties, took missteps. The key in these situations is for leaders to ensure that appropriate action is taken in the wake of such incidents, that standards are clearly articulated and reinforced, that remedial training is conducted, and that supervision is exercised to try to preclude recurrences.
It is hard to imagine a tougher environment than that in some of the areas in Iraq. Frustrations, anger, and resentment can run high in such situations. That recognition underscores, again, the importance of commanders at every level working hard to get the tone right and to communicate it throughout their units.
Implications
These are, again, 14 observations from soldiering in Iraq for most of the first 2-1/2 years of our involvement there. Although I presented them as discrete lessons, many are inextricably related. These observations carry with them a number of implications for our effort in Iraq (and for our Army as well, as I have noted in some of the footnotes).15
It goes without saying that success in Iraq-which clearly is important not just for Iraq, but for the entire Middle East region and for our own country-will require continued military operations and support for the ongoing development of Iraqi Security Forces.
Success will also require continued assistance and resources for the development of the emerging political, economic, and social institutions in Iraq- efforts in which Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and General George Casey and their teams have been engaged with their Iraqi counterparts and have been working very hard.
Lastly, success will require time, determination, and resilience, keeping in mind that following the elections held in mid-December 2005, several months will likely be required for the new government-the fourth in an 18-month period-to be established and functional. The insurgents and extremists did all that they could to derail the preparations for the constitutional referendum in mid-October and the elections in mid-December. Although they were ineffective in each case, they undoubtedly will try to disrupt the establishment of the new government- and the upcoming provincial elections-as well. As Generals John Abizaid and George Casey made clear in their testimony on Capitol Hill in September 2005, however, there is a strategy-developed in close coordination with those in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and with our inter-agency, Coalition, and Iraqi partners-that addresses the insurgency, Iraqi Security Forces, and the other relevant areas. And there has been substantial progress in a number of areas. Nonetheless, nothing is ever easy in Iraq and a great deal of hard work and many challenges clearly lie ahead.16
The first 6 months of 2006 thus will be of enormous importance, with the efforts of Iraqi leaders being especially significant during this period as a new government is seated and the new constitution enters into force. It will be essential that we do all that we can to support Iraq's leaders as they endeavor to make the most of the opportunity our Soldiers have given them.
Conclusion
In a 1986 article titled "Uncomfortable Wars: Toward a New Paradigm," General John R. Galvin observed that "[a]n officer's effectiveness and chance for success, now and in the future, depend not only on his character, knowledge, and skills, but also, and more than ever before, on his ability to understand the changing environment of conflict.17 General Galvin's words were relevant then, but they are even more applicable today. Conducting counterinsurgency operations in a vastly different culture is exceedingly complex.
Later, in the same article, noting that we in the military typically have our noses to the grindstone and that we often live a somewhat cloistered existence, General Galvin counseled: "Let us get our young leaders away from the grindstone now and then, and encourage them to reflect on developments outside the fortress-cloister. Only then will they develop into leaders capable of adapting to the changed environment of warfare and able to fashion a new paradigm that addresses all the dimensions of the conflicts that may lie ahead."18
Given the current situation, General Galvin's advice again appears very wise indeed. And it is my hope that, as we all take time to lift our noses from the grindstone and look beyond the confines of our current assignments, the observations provided here will help foster useful discussion on our ongoing endeavors and on how we should approach similar conflicts in the future-conflicts that are likely to be the norm, rather than the exception, in the 21st century.
Observations from Soldiering in Iraq
1."Do not try to do too much with your own hands."
2. Act quickly, because every Army of liberation has a half-life.
3. Money is ammunition.
4. Increasing the number of stakeholders is critical to success.
5. Analyze "costs and benefits" before each operation.
6. Intelligence is the key to success.
7. Everyone must do nation-building.
8. Help build institutions, not just units.
9. Cultural awareness is a force multiplier.
10. Success in a counterinsurgency requires more than just military operations.
11. Ultimate success depends on local leaders.
12. Remember the strategic corporals and strategic lieutenants.
13. There is no substitute for flexible, adaptable leaders.
14. A leader's most important task is to set the right tone.

-- January 14, 2007 11:56 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Obviously, one of the conclusions that follow, from the previous post, from Observation number 3, is that an RV would be definitely in the interests of the American efforts in Iraq. It would put buying power into the hands of ordinary Iraqis, which would focus their minds on other matters, like buying stuff. As I wrote on another post, when people are focussed on Stuff, they are more likely to be at peace with one another.

So an RV is in the America's interest, in winning this war, it is in the Iraqi government's interest, and it is in the interest of the ordinary Iraqi. So, I believe, an RV will happen, probably this year.

-- January 15, 2007 12:23 AM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

Hello everyone,

I have been reading your blogs and I think I will offer an opinion of my own to the mix. I believe, 2007 will entail the USA military action to obtain control over the entire country. After they do this, control will be placed in Iraqi Government hands. Maliki will be the sacrifical lamb as he will lose political control. However, someone has to take control of the militias. Whoever is PM will have this political fallout.

After all this is done, I believe the military will fall back to military bases inside Iraq and thier function will be to guarantee freedom of Iraq from Iranian and Syrian foreign military infactions.

All of this done in the name of freedom and oil. The dinar will continue to re-value as security improves.

Also, I found it interesting that the USA arrested 5 Iranians after the take over of their embassy in Iraq. A parallel in history to them taking over our USA embassy and holding hostages in Iran. This action was legal for them. Now, USA action is illegal for us. Very interesting!!!

For all of our soldiers, contractors in Iraq, stay safe. The days coming up will place you all in direct conflict with these death squads. I have confidence in your training and respect your bravery. Thank you for fighting for the security of the American people and the Iraqi people. Please keep us posted on what is happening on the ground. I will pray for you.

Dale,

When I was a teenager, I visited that castle on the little Miami River North of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is indeed a very nice castle. I love the river, the rocks and the peacefulness of the place. The trees being so green. You can pass the place on the expressway and never know there is a river under the bridge due to the trees! I have very fond memories of the place.

Your interest in castles is very nice. Did you know that Ohio has many forts too?

Laura

-- January 15, 2007 1:26 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Sorry, I have been out of the loop on the Dinar since the beginning of last week. Went to Phoenix, AZ for business and ended my time away in Clearwater, FL. I was on a boat yesterday in Clearwater it was 80 degrees and beautiful.

It is my hope that a RV does indeed happen this year. The clock is ticking for President Bush. His time in office is running out. This is the time for Malaki to step up and place his country first over his relationship with Sadr.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 1:32 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Interesting, one sentence caught me in that article, -"Every liberation army has a half life".

That sums it up pretty much, The enthusiasm for a cause the first day, is overwhelming, second day its high, third day its pretty good, fourth day .....well all movements seem to vanish after a while.

All the groups, organizations and causes that was marched on during the sixties, where are they now?

When a cycle that by necessity is longer than the ordinary "enthusiastic half life" the cycle of action becomes objectionable after a while.

There are no longer any celebrations in California after the 49ers win in the Superbowl in the late 80's.

Perhaps this point has to do with attention span.

The Crusaders had problem with getting their soldiers to stay, they came and went, and droves of them sailed home, because they had to do the harvest or had any other reason to go.

They were all sure enthusiastic when they started with the Crusade.

Robert S,

Yes this comment is a very interesting comment made by the Iraqi official, "the disproportional rate of its nominal value...."

They know the Dinar is undervalued.

However, if they are going to do an RV , they are sure hiding it well, instead are speculating in a possible value of 1200Dinars to 1 Dollar by the mid year.

This is a statement that says two contrary things.

First, if the Dinar is in a disproportional nominal rate ( read: undervalued) and in the same breath saying that we are going to raise the Dinar very very little, they are not making sense.

True value of the Dinar is so much higher than 1200 to 1, and it's pretty obvious that it is only a cosmetic revaluation going on right now, more an action to make the Dinar look strong, trust worthy and an up and coming currency.

In an environment where the inflation was at it's peak over 70%, and currently in the 40-50% range, the measure of increasing it in minimal small increments, is not going to do the trick.

The increase in value can either be by an RV or by a rapidly increasing value of the Dinar, just continue doing what they are doing now, but take significant rises each time, so a real change will take place.

Carole,

Hard to say, the issue have been up over and over. On occasion the discussion about it starts up again, based on some comment from someone in Iraq. Zero loop is a possibility, I say not likely, but not impossible.

Any news from your friends in the oil business lately?

Johan,

IRA, ok that was the guys that in the 70's and 80 was blowing each other up in Ireland, That stuff have been over long ago, and IRA have been integrated, Sein Fenn is now a part of the parliamentary process, amnesties have been issued, lay down of the arms have been done, and even though I'm sure there are some old fighters left that will never give up (some in the Old South, after the American Civil War, never gave up, despite the fact that the war was over).

Some claimed that American soldiers was terrorists, in Vietnam, and because of political policies, Canada was harboring a whole lot of draft dodgers and deserters, plus neutral countries in Europe that was not part of NATO like Sweden, Switzerland and a few others, was also harboring these "terrorists" .

Many cases a country will take in, a case where it is a possibility that, even though they have had a trial, and convicted, many times they were sentenced in absent, and a trial might have not been fair, they still get asylum.

I do believe though that France have gone too far in this, in a non political case, a murderer, that was convicted, fled to France, and it took I think about 20 years to get him out of there to face his sentence.

In the same frame of (yes it's frustrating) practice, Mexico is harboring about 300 cases of murderers, that have been doing murder in the US, fled to Mexico, and are walking around scott free, because Mexico don't have death sentence, and will not extradite anyone to a country where they are facing possible death.

Many of those have been shooting a police officer,( it's almost a certain death sentence here) at a traffic stop, where the officer might have stopped a car because of a broken tail light or something trivial.

From that to a group of people, like the Islamic terrorists, that will take out as many non believers as possible, is a far leap.

Johan, what ever your beliefs are, even if you are sympathetic to their causes, that will not help you. Your existence alone is in their eyes, a reason to kill you.

Lets not take the eye off the target here, if you Johan, is not a Muslim practicing the Muslim faith in the terrorists extreme version of it, you are not worthy of existence, and if a bomb goes off, killing you and fifteen more in a subway, they WILL celebrate, smile , clap their hands and believe they did something good for their cause.

So Johan, if yours and mines death is the end result of some one else goal in life, any negotiations with these people will not do anything else other than postpone yours and mine death.

Iran is swimming in oil, getting a nuke, but they have been blowing smoke in the eyes of people that they are doing it for peaceful purposes.

Same idiots, that wants Israels destruction, was holding a "holocaust denial" conference, (Johan, go to Poland and walk the grounds of Auschwitz, its a very big compound, it's all there, intact.)

A Dictator Galore, masking in the Socialistic flag, like Castro, Chavez love this Iranian morons.

Groups that can be found in the Iranian conferences is Stalinistic groups, Communistic groups, Socialistic Dictators, and groups like "white supremacy" groups.

It's so frustrating when it is so clear, where the Fascists are, and kids all around the world that are listening to all the conspiracies, and misinformation that are spewed out of those organizations, young people around the world are attracted to these "progressive" forces, it's nothing but Fascist's throwing out smoke, and at the end, your death is their goal.

When you're dead, they're happy.

The only force that is fighting terrorism seems to be the US and Britain, to some lesser degree, some European nations, but all in all the "Big Bully" that are having a straight and frank face to face ongoing struggle with terrorists, (wanting YOUR death) is the US, and it's close allies.

You're really helping out here Johan, doing your Muppet song.

You are doing exactly what the people, that wants your death, wants you to do.

I think Johan, that you might want to take five, give all this a thinker, and come back in force with us, and start, even in your mind fight, the people that wants your death.

-- January 15, 2007 2:05 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Dale,

Cool castle, I have a feeling though that if you intend to build anything like that in size, it's more or less a life long comittment.

But then again, if it's a casle, it doesnt matter.

Those torture chamber dungeons bothers me though, unless you're into something.

Good luck on the castle of your dreams.

-- January 15, 2007 3:40 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger,

Thanks for your response.

No I haven't heard from my RE friend this week, only remembered him because of the happy face on my calendar for Jan.12.

I called my daughter about this and she said he was vacationing. Something he and his wife do about 3 weeks out of every month. Must be nice-huh?

Roger, I don't know about this guy. He has always been a little worrisome to me. Always seems to be on some kind of an investment venture that draws my kids in and of course befor long draws me in.

I have been extremely busy with my mom and work. But starting in Feb. I will only work 1 day a week and mom"s nurse will be back and I will get more relief. At that point, I will pay him a visit. It has been months since I have been able to look him straight in the eyes.I have only talked to him on the phone.

By now you must know that I can cut through the quick and get to the point. So, one way or another, I will get a better handle on exactly what his motives are.

I have never put any real heart into all of his Dinar predictions. With his first one, my entire family went and got passports ( what an ordeal!), and were making arrangements to fly to Costa Rico. When that went arye, I said no more!! I will never get into that situation again.

As far as the advertising investment, we have all gotten our money back and profit. Thank God, but so far none of us are willing to invest again, until we get better answers.

I am not concerned the way you are about the advertising program. But the characters involved has me concerned. Everything that Carl alerted me to seems to be unfolding. I didn't want to get authorities involved until everyone in my family and thier freinds got their money back. Now that they have I will move my investigation forward.

Still no physical address for this business.

I stopped payment on my $350.00 fee for an ad for my business ( healthcare consulting).

Of course my oldest daughter, Maureen, who still believes in Santa Claus, is hopefull that this thing is for real. I hope she is right, but need many more answers.

I'm just glad I followed my gut feelings and did not e-mail anyone who expressed interest. So at this point no real harm done to anyone.

I will pass along any pertinent info. from any Dinar sources. Or maybe pass all of it along and you can decide what is pertinent or not.

Iraq and all the issues involved are along way away from my everyday reality. My thoughts and prayers are for our leaders and mostly for our troops. All of which I have no control over.

I have met alot of personalities on this blog and have had a very interesting time. I wish everyone does well and that the RV of the Dinar brings blessings into their lives.

For my own life, I am perfectly content, and can't imagine adding one more activity. But I am pulling for everyone else to get all of their dreams.

Having alot of money, only gives one more choices in life. The character behind those choices is what produces a positive or negative outcome. That is why I encourage all to anchor down their values and morals, etc. Cause a whole heap of money thrown into someone's life produces a whirlwind that can literally sweep away shallow foundations, and lead to pain misery and destruction.

I would not wish that on no one.

Take care,

carole

-- January 15, 2007 4:19 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

More Injured Soldiers Survive Than Before, Study Says
By Rob Waters

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- More than 90 percent of U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan survive, 5 to 10 percent more than in earlier conflicts, according to a report.

The improvement in survival stems from better body armor and forward placement of mobile surgical teams using new equipment and supplies designed to stanch bleeding more quickly, said the report today in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

``The medical advances and the trauma care are amazing,'' Rieckhoff, a former Army Lieutenant who served in Iraq, said in a Jan. 11 telephone interview. ``But the injuries people are surviving with are much more catastrophic than anything we've ever seen before, including multiple amputations, severe head wounds and blindness.''

Body armor used in Iraq, made by companies such as Jacksonville, Florida-based Armor Holdings Inc. and New York- based Diversified Biotech Holdings Corp., better protects the chest area compared with flak jackets used in previous conflicts, according to the report written by Col. W. Bryan Gamble, a surgeon and commander of the Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Additionally, new tourniquets now in use can be applied one- handed, and bandages, made by companies such as closely held HemCon Medical Technologies Inc. of Portland, Oregon, are coated with clot-inducing medicine to prevent rapid blood loss, Gamble said. Soldiers also are being treated more quickly in the field by mobile surgical teams before being flown to permanent medical facilities within the combat theater, he said.

``The majority of fatalities in the history of battle are the result of blood loss prior to receiving medical care,'' Gamble wrote. In Iraq, ``the wounded are only minutes away from point of injury to care,'' he said.

The Veterans Benefit Administration, which provides disability benefits to veterans, has a current backlog of 400,000 claims. It takes an average six months to process a new claim and almost two years to handle an appeal, she reported.

``While it is welcome news and a credit to military medicine that more soldiers are surviving grievous wounds, the existence of so many veterans, with such a high level of injuries, is yet another aspect of this war,'' writes author Linda Bilmes, a Harvard University researcher and former assistant secretary of Commerce during the Clinton Administration.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=avmaIYkC9ge0&refer=us

-- January 15, 2007 6:40 AM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Carole:
What is the old saying...A fool and his money!...Recently read where the winner of the largest Powerball ever 113 million up front money in 2002...is broke...
It appears he spent most of it in the Casino's...What puzzles me is he could have taken 113 million and got treasury bonds, that would have gave him a real good life just off of the interest...
What is it I always say....thoughts...words.deeds
The tools that create your world..and experiences

-- January 15, 2007 8:10 AM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Carole:
Glad to read you got your money back...Phew....! I was holding my breath for ya...

-- January 15, 2007 8:11 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Just got back from a few days vacation. Expected to see the Dinar below 1300. Hasn't moved much

Announcement No.(842)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 842daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 1/15so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1310 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 64.005.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 64.005.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) -----

-- January 15, 2007 8:53 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Annon.

Thanks! Good thoughts. My preference would be tax free insured municipal bonds!! :)

Is it you Carl??? Sounds like you!
If so, how have you been?

Carole

-- January 15, 2007 9:26 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Roger,

You are right about enthusiasm. It eventually wanes, for an army, for the Crusades, for peace activists from the 60s, for a kid getting a present for his birthday. It's all the same.

That's why Americans need permanent bases in Iraq, manned for decades. Out of the way of most conflict, protected fairly well from attacks, Americans could sit and wait for Iraqis to get their act together. All the while America could put subtle and continuous pressure on Arab society to reform. The war on terror will be won, not by Americans leaving, but by staying. The key is how to stay, and where. Cities are not an option. Large American armies in cities are a magnet for disgruntled young men to attack. To attack an American base, and to have any sort of effect takes a very large and sophisticated conventional army, in order to have any chance of significant success. A few dozen well armed men, which is the most the terrorists could muster, would be blown away easily in any direct attack.

Although it is usually not looked at in these terms, time itself, like money, can be a military weapon. Think about the power of time.

The Grand Canyon was formed by the softest thing around, water. And time. This giant hole was formed by the softest things. This metaphor applies to war, as well as geology. In war, hard measures are needed for a short term, then soft measures for the long term. After the dynamite, comes the softest things, water and time. That's how America can defeat terrorism. By staying for the long term, in the middle east, and using soft pressure, over time, to reform their societies, so they get rich off oil and build peaceful societies, rather than foster terrorism.

Soft pressure and a continuing American presense is the thing the terrorists and Islamofascists fear the most from America. They know, from the first three weeks of the war, that America has overwhelming conventional strength, and they can never take on America in a head on fight, involving large armies in direct conflict, and tanks and missiles and jets. So if the Americans remain, in isolated bases, they know they have lost in the long term. By staying for the long term, in Iraq, on isolated bases, then long term soft pressure comes to the table. By retreating to bases, insurgents lose the one advantage that they have, which is a levelling of the playing field which occurs when the conflict is contained within cities, in confined quarters with large civilian populations, and plenty of TV cameras to report the news.

Soft pressure is helping the democratically elected government of Iraq, protecting it in the long term. It is encouraging economic development, and education. It is helping the development of all the things we take for granted: schools, electricity, clean water, sewer and sanitation, jobs, basic human rights and freedoms. Soft pressure takes time. All these things can be done, but not overnight. Overtime, as these soft things are done, everyday the Islamofascists become weaker and less appealing.

Iraq is a bit of a wreck right now, not because of Americans, but because of a dysfunctional society, with many inherent problems. Naziism arose out of a long German tradition of anti-Semitism. The problems in Iraq arose out of long term social problems in that society. Reforming that will take time, and that's why the Americans must stay on their bases. The soft war, that follows, takes time.

In twenty years, when Iraq has long been at peace, when people have the confidence of growing up in a prosperous society that is at peace, and when it is obvious that it took place, under American guidance and protection, then what appeal would the Islamofascists have? Not much. Then, the nuttier elements within Islam would find their appeal diminishing, as moderate Muslims control things. What appeal does Naziism have in a prosperous and free Germany? Not much.

There would continue to be American casualties, under this scenario, if the American retreated, but it would be occasional. And occasionally, the Arabs would get "lucky", and a missile would hit a base. But the overall casualty rate would go way down. Then the media would have a lot less to complain about, which would cause them great disappointment. Napoleon once said never retreat unless it gives you a tactical advantage. In this case, it does, as long as it is the right kind of retreat.

And part of this soft warfare strategy, in the article I posted, is about money. Money is ammunition. Money is a military strategy, because it helps Iraqs. It wins their allegiance. It puts money in their pockets and gives them the confidence to rebuild their own country, and stop fighting.

The new head American military commander in Iraq has the proper use of money listed in the top 3 of his 14 lessons learned in Iraq. He understands that war is about money. Money keeps the peace. That means a revalued Dinar, for without money in the pockets of ordinary Iraqis, Bush's plan hasn't a chance of succeeding. It gives me confidence to read, in his own words, how the top American military man in Iraq, General Petraeus, understands this, very well. Things happen because top people believe certain things. The general believes money and spreading wealth is a good war strategy. A revalued RV will be part of this strategy.

And I believe this all ties together with the war on terrorism. In the future, terrorism will be defeated exactly as the President has outlined. First, a hard and short war against a threatening state. Then a soft and long war to turn that situation around.

-- January 15, 2007 11:53 AM ∞

---

Jeanine Buckley wrote:

Can anyone please tell me what the most accurate site is for the IQD rate and how often it is updated? Today I'm seeing rates anywhere from 1309 to 1324 to 1374. This is a huge variance! If the rate really is 1309, and the volume of IQD being poured into the economy is doubling, this could mean that the rate will drop below 1300.

It could also mean that they need more money supply to pay for their budgets--I also read that they're starting to pay back some of their debt, like to Iran, in an effort to reduce inflation. We'll see how this pays out.

Thanks for your help!

Jeanine

-- January 15, 2007 12:12 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

In a hury, a shortie,

Carole,

Regarding the stuff you were into, well done, your out and unhurt.

Tim,

Have to come back on this, well written, thanks.

Jeanie,

Always check the official CBI website, that is the official rate. No, when the rate is falling the value is going up, and they are not pouring in NID, they are holding them back.

The number you se is the amount of Dinars you get towards ONE Dollar, so if you see a falling number, you get less and less Dinars for that Dollar, that is, a raising value of the Dinar.

-- January 15, 2007 12:41 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Iran presses on with enrichment
Iranian nuclear plant at Isfahan
Iran insists its nuclear programme in peaceful
Iran has said it is pressing ahead with its nuclear programme despite recent sanctions by the UN Security Council.

An official said Iran is moving towards the industrial production of nuclear fuel, with the installation of 3,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium.

Iran insists its nuclear programme in peaceful and aimed at producing energy, but some western countries suspect Tehran aims to build a nuclear bomb.

Iran says it will make an announcement on its programme next month.

Industrial scale

Monday's statement came after diplomats in Vienna began to worry that there was so little activity at Iran's main nuclear site that perhaps work had started on a secret site elsewhere in the country.

"We are moving towards production of nuclear fuel which needs 3,000 centrifuges and more... This plan is going ahead and is moving towards completion," Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said.

"We need to produce fuel on an industrial scale for [our] power plants," he said.

Centrifuges are the machines than spin uranium gas to enrich it to low levels for fuel and much higher levels for nuclear weapons.

So far Iran has succeeded in connecting two cascades of 164 centrifuges each - a limited achievement considering thousands of machines are needed to produce enough fuel for a power plant, says the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran.

The Security Council passed a resolution on 23 December 2006 banning the supply of nuclear-related technology and materials to Iran and imposing an asset freeze on key individuals and companies.

Iranian officials have been defiant since, vowing to press ahead with plans to install 3,000 centrifuges.

Our correspondent says that this is likely to be the nuclear achievement the country will announce on the anniversary of the revolution next month.

But what is not clear is whether Iran is just going to install the machines at its enrichment site or whether it is going to operate all 3,000 and run them successfully to produce fuel.
SOURCE: BBC England

-- January 15, 2007 12:52 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Talabani meets Syrian president

Talabani is expected to sign a number of agreements with his Syrian counterpart [AFP]
Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, has met Bashar al-Assad, his Syrian counterpart, in the first meeting between the leaders of the neighbouring countries for nearly 25 years.

Talabani's five-day visit to Damascus, the Syrian capital, comes after George Bush, the US president, called on Syria to stop supporting Sunni fighters in Iraq.

"We hope this will be a successful visit. We have a desire to develop ties in all fields," al-Assad told Talabani when they met on Sunday.

The countries restored ties in November during a visit to Baghdad by Walid Muallem, Syria's foreign minister, who vowed to help Iraq restore security.

In December, the countries reopened their embassies in each other's capitals.

Talabani, speaking at the public meeting with the Syrian leader soon after his arrival, said: "Syria stood with us in difficult times. I came here with a large delegation to show our seriousness about advancing our relations with Syria."

Talabani, a Kurd, founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in the 1970s, when he, along with other exiled opponents of Iraq's Baathist government, was living in Syria.

Weapons supplies

On Friday, an official from Talabani's office said the Iraqi president and al-Assad are expected to sign a number of agreements related to bilateral security and commercial matters.

"The enmity between the United States and Syria and Iran doesn't benefit the situation in Iraq"

Mahmoud Othman, Iraqi politician
US and Iraqi officials have repeatedly accused of Syria of failing to prevent Sunni fighters from entering Iraq.

Syria denies the charge and says that the Iraqis and US forces are not doing enough to guard their side of the border.

When outlining a new strategy for Iraq on Wednesday, Bush vowed military action to disrupt supplies of weapons coming into Iraq from Syria and Iran.

"The timing may seem a little tricky after what Bush said," Mahmoud Othman, a prominent Iraqi politician with close ties to Talabani, told the Associated Press.

"But our interests differ from those of the United States. The enmity between the United States and Syria and Iran doesn't benefit the situation in Iraq."

Visit planned a year in advance

"[Bush's plan] very much puts Iraqis at the centre of responsibility"

The visit has been planned for nearly a year and its date was finalised about two weeks ago, he said.

Engaging with Iraq could offer Assad's government an opportunity to ease its relative isolation in the region.

"Syria can play a constructive role in Iraq, but not necessarily a decisive one," Rami Khouri, a Beirut-based Middle East expert, told The Associated Press.

"What Syria can and cannot do will not decide the future of Iraq, but it can help."
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

-- January 15, 2007 1:02 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

EXCLUSIVE-Last-ditch Baghdad plan has 6 months-Iraqi sources
Mon 15 Jan 2007 17:30:38 GMT

By Mariam Karouny

BAGHDAD, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A major U.S.-backed operation to curb militia violence in Baghdad will take at least six months and is probably the final chance for the increasingly shaky government, senior Iraqi political sources said.

Operations were expected to begin next week and last for as long as seven months, one source said.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and U.S. President George W. Bush have announced plans to reinforce the capital with thousands of Iraqi and U.S. troops to smother the sectarian violence that is pitching Iraq towards all-out civil war.

The top U.S. general in Iraq said on Monday some had already arrived.

Bush has said the operation will "in large part determine the outcome in Iraq" and senior Iraqi officials from the Shi'ite Islamist majority dominating the government said they believed it was a "last chance" that must be implemented thoroughly.

"The key element of this plan will be the time. The troops will take their time, actually all the time they need to clean an area," one senior politician said late on Sunday.

"The plan will last at least for six months."

A previous attempt to clear militants district by district failed last summer because U.S. commanders said there were not enough Iraqi troops to hold gains made by the Americans and because Shi'ite politicians stopped them arresting or killing leading Shi'ite militants.

"The final touches are being put out now on the plan," another senior politician told Reuters, forecasting a start next week.

U.S. General George Casey warned on Monday not to expect instant results, saying he foresaw a "gradual evolution" over two to three months and then better security by the summer.

The political sources said that there were only some logistics to finalise, such as bringing additional troops into Baghdad. Officials wanted to ensure the broadest possible political support for the operation, including from radical Shi'ite leaders such as young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Government leaders had also been visiting the top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to ensure his backing.

"LAST CHANCE"

U.S. commanders and Iraq's once dominant Sunni minority have made clear they want any crackdown to include not just Sunni rebels but militias loyal to powerful Shi'ite Islamists, notably Sadr's Mehdi Army, which they blame for death squad killings.

Shi'ite officials said Sadr supported the plan.

"This is the last chance. The Americans will give up on us after the seven months," one senior Iraqi official said.

"If this plan fails other options will be weighed, among them the United Nations coming in to run Iraq with a government of national salvation," he added.

The Shi'ites, including Sistani, are worried about what will happen next if this plan fails.

In some of their strongest comments yet, they bore out remarks from Bush and other U.S. officials that Maliki, a compromise prime minister who owed his appointment to support from Sadr, is now ready to deal militarily with Shi'ite militias.

Another senior Shi'ite official said: "We now have a 60 percent chance of failure. This plan is our only hope. We as Shi'ites have no choice but to stand behind Maliki and strike hard at whoever wants to spoil our achievements.

"Those militias have no other choice but to give up ... We will not accept any more games ... The militias will be hit even if they hide in mosques."

Maliki has said the plan will target militants regardless of their religion, but Bush's domestic opponents, sceptical of his decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, question whether they can trust Maliki to keep his word.

U.S. commanders say it is crucial to the Baghdad plan's success that the Shi'ite-led government take on fellow Shi'ites as well as insurgents from Saddam Hussein's Sunni Arab minority. Washington has identified Sadr's Mehdi Army as the greatest threat to security in Iraq.

General Casey, the most senior U.S. officer in Iraq, said on Monday Maliki had pledged there would be no constraints or political interference and operations would take place in all districts of the city, regardless of sect.

"The prime minister is quite clear ... that militias will not be allowed to be an alternative to the state," Casey said.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said at a news conference with Casey he was confident Iraqi leaders understood the gravity of the situation, which he called a "defining moment" for Iraq.

Khalilzad said the Iraqi people would decide Maliki's fate if he fails: "Iraq is a sovereign country." (Additional reporting by Claudia Parsons)

-- January 15, 2007 1:12 PM ∞

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cornish boy wrote:

jeanine try xe.com-information on the iqd iraq dinar

-- January 15, 2007 1:23 PM ∞

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Dale wrote:

jeanine, go here & click exchange rates link on left.

this is the Central Bank of Iraq
http://www.cbiraq.org/cb1.htm

-- January 15, 2007 2:03 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

mattuk - Please stop quoting the terrorist news network Al Jazeera, or at least edit your comments to reflect a positive view of the news, please. By the way, if you visit Al Jazeera or other terrorist websites, I hear you also have a tail with you afterward from homeland security as you are designated a possible terrorist threat. It is very likely you are now on some intelligence profile somewhere as a possible US subversive or terrorists cel member.. and rightfully so, if you visit their propaganda sites.

Sara.

-- January 15, 2007 2:33 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

mattuk - I do appreciate all the truly good posts you bring to this site. :)
It is just the terrorist inspired viewpoints I find objection to..
whether from the terrorist news sites,
or quoted from the Associated (with terrorists) Press, or other terrorist friendlies.
Please do not take it as ridicule, but as it truly is -
constructive criticism.
Thanks for your positive contributions to T&B.

Sara.

-- January 15, 2007 2:51 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

You are also relying on dubious sources when you quote Al Jazeera:

Al Jazeera Reporter Arrested For Fabricating Video
From their sister publication, the BBC:
Click on the photo to see the fabricated video of “torture.” Warning: nudity.

Egypt seizes al-Jazeera reporter
Sunday, 14 January 2007

A journalist working for Arabic TV news channel al-Jazeera has been arrested in Egypt for allegedly fabricating videos of police torturing suspects.

Huweida Taha Metwalli was stopped on her way to Qatar and 50 video tapes were found in her luggage, the Egyptian interior ministry said.

She is reportedly charged with "tarnishing Egypt’s reputation and harming Egyptian national interests".

Al-Jazeera said the tapes showed a "documentary reconstruction" by actors.

Video of police apparently sexually assaulting a man provoked outrage when it appeared on the web last year.

Al-Jazeera’s representative in Egypt, Hussein Abdel-Ghani, said that reconstructing scenes with actors was "a well-known method in the production of documentaries and al-Jazeera is not the only network to talk about torture".

Last year, Egyptian man Imad Kabir was apparently filmed being sodomised with a stick in jail by police officers.

His lawyer says the alleged assault came after he intervened in a dispute between a policeman and his cousin.

The incident happened in January 2006 in Cairo’s Bulaq district, but the footage, apparently taken by one of the abusers, did not become public until November.

The case was taken up by Egyptian bloggers and members of the international human rights community.

Mr Kabir has since been imprisoned for three months in relation to the same incident for "resisting authority".

===end of quote===

If they are going to start arresting reporters for fabricating stories the jails will soon be overflowing.

Here is Human Rights Watch doing what they do best, promoting terrorist propaganda. QUOTE:

Egypt: Hold Police Accountable for Torture

Police Who Sexually Assaulted Prisoner Should Be Prosecuted

(Cairo, December 23, 2006) – The Egyptian government must prosecute those responsible for beating and sexually assaulting a Cairo man in police custody last year, Human Rights Watch said today.

`Imad al-Kabir, a microbus driver from the Giza neighborhood of Bulaq al-Dakrur, told Human Rights Watch that two plainclothes officers detained him on January 18, 2006 after he intervened in an altercation between the officers and his cousin. Al-Kabir said that the officers first beat him on the street, then held him in the Bulaq police station, where officers – including at least two whom al-Kabir identified from the neighborhood – bound his arms and legs and severely whipped him. The officers then undressed him, raised his legs, and raped him with a stick while one videotaped the episode with a mobile phone. Police released al-Kabir after 36 hours without filing any charges against him.

“The people responsible for this disgusting crime must face justice,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should send the message that it won’t tolerate torture by police or any other officials.” …

===end of quote===

Of course these same "human rights" groups are decrying the arrest of this journalist. So much for wanting justice.

Maybe there is some room in those jails for these groups who seem to only exist to enable terrorists.

Related Articles:

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"Green Helmet Guy" Caught Directing On Tape
Media Claimed "White T-Shirt Guy" Was Girl's Father
Reuters Caught Blowing Smoke - Faking Photos
More Media Overkill - From The AP In Baalbek
Was The "Qana Massacre" Staged By Hezbollah?
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Did The NY Times Promote A Bogus Abu Ghraib Victim?

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Sunday, January 14th, 2007 at 9:43 am.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/al-jazeera-reporter-arrested-for-fabricating-video

Note: Those who decried this as a crime and were outraged and believed the report that it was an actual crime when it was a faked video (ie Human Rights Watch and various Arabs/bloggers quoted above).. they are not saying this fabrication should be punished but decrying the arrest of the fabricator. Any news network with such dubious sources is suspect and not to be quoted without careful consideration and verification.

Sara.

-- January 15, 2007 3:11 PM ∞

---

Johan wrote:

Roger and other Americans on this board.

You seem to be under the misaprehension that I support what Al Queda / Muslim Extremists do.

I don't.

Actually, I think the existence of Israel and Islam will be the most dangerous thing to face our planet this century.

I am not and never have been in support of terrorists, that includes state sponsored terrorism.

But tell me.

What is the difference between the US using Napalm in Fallujah, and Al Queda using bombs in London?

What is the difference between Israel firing rockets from a Helicopter Gunship, and Hezbollah firing rockets from a Toyota Pickup?

I am assuming you have never read "The Art of War" or you would understand that you must fight a larger/superior/better equipt enemy on your terms, not theirs.

Sure, it would be nice for the insurgency in Iraq to do battle with the US in a conventional manner. The insurgency would last 2 minutes at most.

Tell me something, how would if, for example, you discovered that Iraqi Insurgency Fundraisers were legally allowed to raise money from the ranks of the London Police and Fire Depts in the UK?

How would you feel if the people of the UK were largely sympathetic to the Insurgents and sent them money over to them to blow up American soldiers?

Pre 9/11, the largest contributor to NORAID (IRA's "Charity") was Americans. In particular, Americans of Irish extraction.

Giving money for the IRA to plant bombs in cars and snipe soldiers from a mile away.

Sound familiar?

True. The NYPD and FDNY, to name just two, were BOTH guilty of fundraising for NORAID.

In a bizzare twist, it is these same people who suffered on 9/11.

Talk about poetic justice.

You reap what you sow in this world Roger.

He who sows the wind, reaps the whirlwind.

-- January 15, 2007 3:42 PM ∞

---

Johan wrote:

Another thing Roger, ref your comments about the IRA no longer being active, so American support of the should be forgotten.

It reminded me of a conversation with an American friend.

She said:

"I think that all the land that has been stolen in the past should be given back to the original owners"

I said:

"Does that include land stolen from the Native American's?"

She replied:

No, of course not, that was a long time ago.

TRUE STORY!

-- January 15, 2007 3:54 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Johan;

Who determines the fate of a nation - if it stands or falls?
Is it men.. or God?

You say the native people lost their land wrongfully.
But have you seen the human sacrifices the Aztecs and Incas were into?
QUOTE:

Incas - Humans were also sacrificed - everyday at sunrise and on other important occasions. Catastrophes such as a military defeat, a famine or spreading disease required a human sacrifice. So too did a special occasion for a king. People without physical blemishes were preferred to better please the gods. Many of the sacrificed were children, occasionally two hundred at a time. Before being sacrificed, the children were lavished with attention and food so that they would not enter the presence of the gods hungry and crying. When an Inca man died his favorite wives and servants were given drink until intoxicated. Then they were executed in order to accompany the dead man into the other world.

Aztecs - War was favored as a way of obtaining blood and sacrificial men for the gods. Most people who were sacrificed to the gods were those captured in warfare. And warfare was encouraged to obtain such persons. Archaeological evidence indicates that children were the frequent and special targets of sacrifice. They were sacrificed to the rain god in hope of rainfall the following year, and the priests were joyful to see the tears of the children as they were being led away to their deaths, the priests believing the children's tears to be a sign of coming rain. Sacrifices were public spectacles that took place at the top of a pyramid in a town plaza. The person to be sacrificed was taken up steps to an apex of a temple. Priests assisted in the sacrifice, performed by a special priest with an official flint knife. The victim's heart was torn from his or her body. Then the victim was sent rolling down the temple steps. At the bottom of the steps the victim's head was separated from his body and mounted on a skull rack next to the temple. The blood of the victim was soaked up with bark and the bark put on a fire, the smoke believed to carry the blood to the gods. Perhaps only on very special occasions was a sacrifice followed by a ceremonial meal. As such a meal a portion of the sacrificed person's body was eaten, to honor the victim's memory and perhaps to ingest some admirable quality of the sacrificed.

http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h16-am.htm

What of the horror and misery they had inflicted upon so many human beings?
Was God unrighteous to punish them?
God speaks to all of humanity saying that we are just like clay in the hand of a potter:

Jer 18:6 "Can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord. "See, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand...."
Jer 18:7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it,
Jer 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon them.
Jer 18:9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it,
Jer 18:10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit them.

===

From this, ultimately, the native peoples had their land taken from them by God.
It is GOD who speaks that a nation shall be plucked up and destroyed, and it is done -
not men. Some things are ordained and have to be.
They chose their own fate by their evil actions - including sacrificing humans to their false gods.

Sara.

-- January 15, 2007 5:15 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Johan,

You told an interesting story about a conversation you had with a friend, about the land that white people took from North American Indians.

Did you know that genetic studies have shown that 1 in 5 Canadians have some aboriginal blood in them? That's six and a half million people. That's because people sleep around.

The white, French speaking fur traders who explored Western Canada, by canoe, the voyageurs and cour aux bois, brought back Indian wives, to Quebec.

Did you know that 50% of black Americans have some white blood in them? And that 25% of blacks in the United States have some North American Indian blood in them? And that about 40 million so-called "white" Americans have at least some black blood in them? And that, based on present rates of inter-racial breeding, the black population in North America will disappear in about 400 years?

In fact, they won't really disappear. They will just blend in. White people will become a little darker, and dark people will become a lot whiter. The boxing champion, Muhammid Ali, traces his male ancestry back to an Irishman from New York. Did you know that, some time in mid-century, white people will be less than 50% of the population in the United States?

So the idea of giving back North America to "the Indians" is silly. My friend Lorraine has dark hair, and could pass for a half-breed, and she does have some Iraquois Indian in her, but she married a white guy, and her son Jonathan has blond hair and blue eyes.

There are still some pockets of unmixed Indians in Canada, mostly up north, but most Indians I know, and I know a lot, are part white. So the idea of giving back a continent to a people that don't really exist any more doesn't make sense. Race is not a discreet biological reality. There is no real separation of races. People have sex with people from other races, all the time, and make babies. The North American Indian of your imagination doesn't really exist anymore. What's left are Indians with some white blood, in Canada. We call them Metis.

I grew up with Western Canadian Plains Indians, and most of the Indian girls and guys I knew, and I knew a lot, had all kinds of mates. The rate of inter-racial dating was very high. I'm a white guy, I had a couple of Cree girlfriends. Several of my white friends had families with Indians. What does this mean? In a couple hundred years, we'll all be a light brown color.

I remember a friend of mine, who wrote a textbook for Canadian kids, in elementary school, showed me some pictures of Canadian Indians from the late 1800s. I was surprised at how different they looked, from the so-called Indians I grew up with. The reason is obvious. People sleep with other people. In less than 100 years, Canadian Indians have gone from a very deep brownish/reddish complexion, to a soft brown complexion, due to intermixing with whites.

Human genes get around. Did you know Sir Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, war hero, was part North American Indian? Sure he was. His mother was an American, and traces her family tree back to Indians in America. So was he an "Indian"?

Give North America back to the Indians? What Indians?

-- January 15, 2007 5:23 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

This article is posted on www.safedinar.com

Lukoil set to revive $4bn Saddam oil deal
1/14/2007

By Tim Webb Published: 14 January 2007
Lukoil, the Russian oil company, is poised to resurrect the $4bn (£2bn) contract it signed with Saddam Hussein's regime to develop one of Iraq's largest oil fields.

The company's US rival Conoco-Phillips will also benefit as it has a stake in the joint venture with Lukoil to develop the West Qurna-2 field, which holds up to 16 billion barrels of oil.

Iraq's long-awaited hydrocarbon law, which will soon be put before the Iraqi parliament, contains a provision that states that existing contracts to develop the country's 115 billion barrels of reserves remain valid, subject to revision. Article 31 of the draft obtained by The Independent on Sunday says: "Any contract made under existing law concerning Exploration and Production of Petroleum in the territory of Iraq shall remain valid."

Lukoil's president, Vagit Alekperov, plans to visit Iraq in the next few weeks as the company continues negotiations with the Iraqi oil ministry. The Russian firm may have to bring in other partners because of the size of the field, which experts say will cost $4bn to develop.

A Lukoil spokesman said that once it is given the official go-ahead, development can begin in three months. "But everything depends on the security situation," he added.

Lukoil set to revive $4bn Saddam oil deal - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:03 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another from www.safedinar.com

U.S. chiefs in Iraq say this plan will be different
1/15/2007

By Claudia ParsonsMon Jan 15, 10:58 AM ET

Washington's top general and diplomat in Iraq conceded on Monday that past experience might breed doubts about a new U.S.-backed Iraqi security plan for Baghdad but they insisted this time will be different.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist, announced the plan a week ago and President Bush has pledged 21,500 extra troops, most for Baghdad, saying the plan's success will "in large part determine the outcome in Iraq."

But Maliki's eight-month-old government has pledged many times to crack down on militias, including some linked to his Shi'ite political allies, and has so far not done so.

Sunni Arabs are deeply skeptical of whether majority Shi'ites are really willing to take on militias and push through political steps such as reforming a ban on former Baath party members in public life and agreeing an oil revenue sharing deal.

"We have been here before," General George Casey told a news conference. But he said this time there was greater Iraqi "buy-in" as Iraqis had conceived the plan, both on the security and political front, and Iraqis would lead its implementation.

"As with every plan there are no guarantees of success," Casey said. "But ... I believe this plan can work."

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that while some might question the Iraqi government's resolve to take the necessary steps to "break the cycle of sectarian violence that's tearing Baghdad apart," he was convinced of the Maliki's determination.

"This is a defining moment, we're in a new phase," he said. "I'm confident the Iraqi leaders understand the gravity of the moment." But he conceded: "The Iraqi people ... certainly have suffered a lot and they have heard positive predictions before."

NO INSTANT FIX

Both Khalilzad and Casey are due to be replaced as part of Bush's reworking of his Iraq strategy following his Republicans' defeat at Congressional elections in November, seen as a slap in the face from U.S. voters for his Iraq war policies.

Casey said the first additional U.S. troops who will take part in the new Baghdad plan had arrived in the Iraqi capital.

He cautioned the Iraqi public not to expect instant results. "It's not going to happen overnight," he said, speaking of a "gradual evolution" over two to three months.

Both men said the troop surge would accelerate plans to hand over security responsibility to Iraqis. "We muscle up in the short term to set the stage for the Iraqis to deal with the situation for themselves in the long term," Khalilzad said.

Asked about reports of frustration among U.S. officials with Iraqi counterparts over the planning of an operation to be led by the Iraqi government with U.S. help, Casey said: "Transitions generate friction. And we are in a period of transition."

But he said U.S. and Iraqi officials were working to ensure a workable command structure that would allow Iraqi control while maintaining security and effectiveness of U.S. troops.

"We are working out understandings at every level to ensure there are no misunderstandings," Casey said.

"This is a plan that is Iraqi-conceived but we have been involved every step of the way," he said. "American forces will remain under American command ... Our forces will not be put at risk because of the command relationship."

Khalilzad said an important part of Bush's strategy was to stop "hostile regional interference," notably by Iran and Syria. "We're going after their networks in Iraq," he said.

U.S. forces are holding five Iranians following a raid on an Iranian government office in Arbil last week -- the second such operation in recent weeks. Casey said there was no disagreement with Iraqi officials that they were "intelligence agents."

Iraq's foreign minister has endorsed Iranian calls for the release of the five men, saying they were operating legally.

U.S. chiefs in Iraq say this plan will be different - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:06 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

A third article posted to www.safedinar.com

Iraq To Shut Basra Oil Export Terminal Jan 14-17 -SOMO

Iraq To Shut Basra Oil Export Terminal Jan 14-17 -SOMO
1/15/2007

By Hassan Hafidh, Of Dow Jones Newswires

Iraq is planning to close its largest export terminal, Basra, which handles 1.5 million barrels of oil a day, for four days from Jan 14 to install a new oil metering system, head of the State Oil Marketing Organization, or SOMO, Falah Alamri said Friday.

"Crude oil exports from the terminal would be completely shut down for four days," Alamri told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone.

He said during the closure technicians will remove the old metering system and start installing new ones.

Installation of the new metering system would take two months, he said, but it wouldn't suspend export from the terminal for that period.

Alamri said that exports would be continuing from the nearby, but smaller terminal, Khor al-Amya, in smaller quantities of not more than 450,000 b/d.

Separately, an oil official said that there were two vessels currently loading crude from the Basra terminal and they loading would be complete by Jan. 14.

The new metering system would be installed by Parsons Corp., one of the largest U.S. companies working in Iraq. The project would be funded by the U.S. Project and Contracting Office, or PCE, in Iraq.

Iraq's oil metering system has been out of order since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime and this has encouraged smugglers to ship oil and fuel from Iraq to Iran and other Gulf states, Iraqi oil experts and officials have said.

A U.N.-led watchdog has expressed concern over the delay in installing or repairing metering equipment. The International Advisory and Monitoring Board, created by the U.N. Security Council in 2003 to monitor the stewardship of Iraq's natural resources, has been calling for metering of oil production since March 2004.

-By Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswires; +962 777 612 111; hafidh8@hotmail.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-12-071324ET
Copyright (c) 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Iraq To Shut Basra Oil Export Terminal Jan 14-17 -SOMO - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:10 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Saddam aides hanged
By Mariam Karouny and Alastair Macdonald
Jan 15, 2007

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq hanged two aides to Saddam Hussein before dawn on Monday. Many of the government's Shi'ite Muslim supporters rejoiced at the death of Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Saddam's once feared intelligence chief who was accused of sending people to death in a meat grinder.

The officials said they had decided not to distribute any part of the film to the public -- unlike footage shown of Saddam standing on the gallows.

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, told reporters the hanging of the two men was "an Iraqi decision, an Iraqi execution."

The government film was silent but officials said there was no disturbance in the execution chamber like the taunting that occurred at Saddam's hanging. The chamber was apparently the same one where Saddam was hanged on December 30.

Chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi said Bander muttered the Muslim prayer but Barzan, a vocal figure in the dock over the past year, was mute with shock.

Poor Shi'ites celebrated in Baghdad's Sadr City slum. Moussa Jabor said: "(Barzan) should have been handed over to the people. Execution is a blessing for him."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070115/ts_nm/iraq_dc

-- January 15, 2007 6:15 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

An article posted from www.iraqieconomy.org

Iraq: New law brings fresh investment hopes January 11, 2007 - Iraq is banking on a new law to pull in the foreign capital needed to rebuild its shattered economy, conference delegates were told.
Dubai: Iraq is banking on a new law to pull in the foreign capital needed to rebuild its shattered economy, conference delegates were told.
According to leading Iraqi financial experts and provincial leaders, the recently-approved Investment Law will help establish the legal and regulatory framework needed to develop a business-friendly environment and attract much-needed private sector investment.
"Iraq is in dire need of investment, but for that to happen it must create the right regulatory environment," said Kamil Gailani, former Iraqi finance minister and current vice chairman of the National Bank of Iraq.
"Clarifying the investment situation for investors will help pave the way toward renewing the infrastructure of the Iraqi economy and providing capital for reconstruction and development."
Gailani pointed to several privileges and guarantees afforded to investors under the new law, including non-confiscation or nationalisation of any investment project, tax exemption and extension of the lease needed for a project from 40 to 50 years.
He said the law will go some way towards simplifying a complex maze of laws, regulations and administrative procedures which govern foreign direct investment.
UAE companies in particular are being urged to invest into Iraq, helping the country steer away from its dependence on revenues from crude oil and to ease the burden of responsibility from the shoulders of national government. Sectors offering robust returns include the energy sector, agriculture, construction materials and housing, say officials.
However, the Investment Law does not cover the crucial oil and gas sector, which contributes to 93-95 per cent of the Iraqi federal budget. Iraqi officials are currently drawing up a separate Hydrocarbon Law.
Maamoon Rashid, governor of the Al Anbar province in western Iraq, said the private sector holds the key to easing Iraq's economic crisis.
"The Al Anbar province has cement factories, glass factories, ceramics makers, stone breakers and phosphate manufacturers. But the economy was severely neglected under the previous regime," he said.
"We are in dire need of foreign investment to help restore the province's traditional economic role."

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:15 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

The following article also was found on www.iraqieconomy.org

Baghdad plunges into darkness January 10, 2007 - There is no electricity in Baghdad and the city of nearly 6 million people spends its nights in total darkness.
The Ministry of Electricity says the total outage is the result of sabotage in which power lines feeding Baghdad were knocked out.
Nearly four years after the U.S. invasion, the country still has less electricity than under the former leader Saddam Hussein who was executed last month.
It is not only Baghdad that is plunged into darkness. The national grid is so rickety that no province in the country now enjoys non-interrupted supplies.
A source at the ministry said two high-voltage power lines feeding Baghdad were sabotaged.
He said technicians were working to have them repaired.
But even under normal circumstances the national grid is off for nearly 20 hours a day in Baghdad.
The outage comes as Iraqi forces aided by U.S. troops are battling anti-U.S. rebels in streets just a stone’s throw from the heavily fortified Green Zone where the Americans and Iraqi government have their headquarters.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:20 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Here is a article posted to www.iraqupdates.com

Iraqi government confirms execution of Saddam aides
Barzan Ibrahim, Ahmed al-Bandar hanged at dawn, despite international calls to stay execution.
By Jay Deshmukh

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

BAGHDAD, 15 January 2007 (Middle East Online)
Print article Send to friend
Saddam Hussein's half-brother and the former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court were hanged Monday despite international calls to stay the executions after the bungled hanging of the former president.

The pair were hanged at dawn.

The Iraqi government confirmed the execution Monday of Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Ahmed al-Bandar.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said that Barzan had been decapitated during the hanging, calling it an "act of God".

Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Saddam's half-brother and former intelligence chief, and Awad Ahmed al-Bandar, the former head of the revolutionary court, had been found guilty of crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shiites from the village of Dujail in 1980s.

They were sentenced to death on November 5 by a special court along with Saddam, whose execution on December 30 has drawn worldwide criticism for the way it was handled by the Iraqi authorities.

The bodies of Barzan and Bandar have been turned over to police and family members have been asked to retrieve them for burial, a source said.

"The bodies were released to police following the execution. They asked us to come and get them for burial, said a relative of Saddam and Barzan who asked to remain anonymous.

"Before he died, Awad al-Bandar also asked to be buried 'near Saddam Hussein'," the source added.

Concern had been expressed by the United Nations and other international bodies and leaders for the last minute taunting of Saddam, apparently by a Shiite guard, as he stood on the gallows.

The outcry over Saddam's hanging saw the execution of Barzan and Bandar postponed several times amid international calls for the sentences to be stayed.

The White House in its reaction to their hangings Monday said the Iraqi government was bringing "justice" to those guilty of crimes against the Iraqi people.

"Iraq is a sovereign government exercising its judicial system to bring justice to those convicted for brutal crimes against humanity," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

Stanzel said he did not know whether President George W. Bush had been informed of the new hangings in advance as he was in the case of Saddam.

Maliki had said after Saddam's hanging that the government was determined to carry out the execution of his two aides, calling their hangings an "internal matter" of Iraq.

Maliki had also threatened to break relations with countries who criticised his government for carrying out the executions.

A grisly video of Saddam's hanging made with a portable telephone and posted on the Internet showed a member of the execution party shouting the name of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a bitter opponent of Saddam.

The two-and-half minute film triggered angry outbursts within Iraq's Sunni Arab community and from international leaders, who felt Saddam had been humiliated as he was being put to death.

Some critics said the execution had amounted to a sectarian lynching.

Authorities have detained the guard who shouted "Moqtada! Moqtada! Moqtada!" at a sneering Saddam moments before the trapdoor opened and he dropped to his death.

Barzan was one of Saddam's most trusted aides. He managed the strongman's personal fortune until 1995 and is also believed to have coordinated covert purchases in Europe for the regime's prized weapons programmes.

The charges against him dated from when he headed the secret police, from early 1982 to late 1983, at the height of the devastating Iran-Iraq war.

The 60-year-old Bandar was indicted on July 1, 2004 for using his court to carry out political executions.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:25 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Thought this was a good explaination:

What is a currency peg?
From IraqiWiki
A country's exchange rate regime under which the government or central bank ties the official exchange rate to another country's currency (or the price of gold). The purpose of a fixed exchange rate system is to maintain a country's currency value within a very narrow band.

[edit]Why Peg?
The reasons to peg a currency are linked to stability. Especially in today's developing nations, a country may decide to peg its currency to create a stable atmosphere for foreign investment. With a peg the investor will always know what his/her investment value is, and therefore will not have to worry about daily fluctuations. A pegged currency can also help to lower inflation rates and generate demand, which results from greater confidence in the stability of the currency.

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

the IMF (International Monetary Fund) report re: the Peg and exchange rate

The CBI (Central Bank of Iraq) has been considering the advantages and disadvantages of moving to a more flexible exchange rate system. It was noted that the fixed exchange has not ensured price stability, though it was accepted that some real appreciation of the exchange rate may be the inevitable consequence of reconstruction spending and economic recovery

The staff cautioned the authorities against premature abandonment of the peg, and noted that if the authorities were to decide to depart from the existing de facto peg, they would need to develop an alternative nominal anchor to guide monetary policy, so as to maintain price stability. A flexible exchange rate regime would also imply a need for (i) an appropriate intervention and reserve management policy, (ii) the development of a true foreign exchange market, and (iii) a strengthened capacity of commercial banks and companies to manage exchange risk.

Denarius

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

It is true that the dinar has effectively a de facto peg at roughly 1475/$. We've known that forever. When we say "peg" on these boards, we're referring to an official peg that also permits the dinar to be traded internationally on the forex. So you're right we've been using inaccurate language when expressing desire for a peg, but I think everyone knows what we're all wishing for.

Roger L.

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

* How does a peg work? *

There have been some questions on how a currency peg works. I thought I'd try to answer that with a simplified explanation of fixed exchanged rates and currency pegs.

Most countries use a floating exchange rate. In other words, the value of a currency is purely decided by supply and demand. Central banks do occasionally intervene to bolster a floating currency, but this is typically a very unusual occurrence.

A peg is essentially a fixed exchange rate that is fixed against a currency or basket of currencies. The government promises to maintain that specific exchange rate within a limited band above and below the specified exchange rate.

There are generally two agents that can be used to maintain that rate. The first type is the central bank. The definition of a central bank is "the lender of last resort," in other words the entity which facilitates liquidity by lending money to banks when banks run low on currency and demand deposits (sum of deposits making up a bank's assets). Not only is a central bank responsible for printing money, but it also conducts a monetary policy to ensure there is an adequate amount of money in the economy without triggering significant inflation or deflation.

The second type is the currency board. A currency board is not a central bank. It does not lend money to banks. The sole responsibility of a currency board is to maintain the exchange rate between the local currency and the pegged currency. It must maintain a reserve of 100% of the value of the local currency in the pegged currency. So say a country has 1 trillion dinars circulating and wants to maintain a 1:1 exchange rate with the US dollar, the currency board must hold $1 trillion in US currency. In practice, many currency boards do not hold exclusively currency. An alternative is to hold highly liquid debt securities from the pegged country or countries.

To maintain the exchange rate within a certain trading band, the currency board or central bank must be ready to trade quickly. In the case of dinars backed by dollars, if the dinars begin to depreciate, it must buy dinars with dollars until the exchange rate comes back into range. In the case where the dinar begins to appreciate, it must buy dollars in exchange for dinars.

A central bank is not obligated to hold 100% of the value of the local currency in the pegged currency, but is obligated to exchange those currencies on demand. Typically, a large amount of pegged currency is held, but other assets can be used to obtain the pegged currency such as oil.

Advantage and Drawbacks *
Why does a country use a peg instead of a float? Typically it is done in an environment that is fairly volatile, politically and economically. In order to attract foreign investors, it's beneficial for a government to give those investors confidence that their investments will be stable and not subject to wild swings in the exchange rate. So the advantage is that the country is able to offer not just a more stable investment environment, but also able to strengthen its currency beyond what it would be if the currency were left to float. It does this, though, at the cost of having monetary policy taken out of the government's hands.

If the pegged currency appreciates, the wealth of the local population grows since foreign goods become cheaper to buy if the government can easily maintain the exchange rate.

The disadvantage comes in when the pegged currency strengthens considerably. Two things can happen. As the pegged currency gets stronger, so does the local currency. This leads to a current account deficit (trade deficit) since local goods become more expensive to buy. Unemployment rises as exports drop. What typically happens in this case is that the local currency is re-pegged at a lower exchange rate (devaluation). Each time that happens, though, confidence in the economy goes down.

The second thing that can happen is far worse. The pegged currency can appreciate beyond the capability of the country to support the exchange rate. Panic sets in among currency holders that the government will not be able to maintain the exchange rate. Essentially a "run" happens and hard currency reserves are bled dry and leaving insufficient local currency available in the economy. Economic chaos is usually the result as the local currency goes into freefall. Such a thing happened a few years back with Argentina as their currency board was unable to maintain the exchange rate.

Depreciation of the pegged currency can help or hurt. A minor depreciation helps by making local goods cheaper, thus boosting exports and creating additional jobs. It hurts if depreciation is severe since that essentially destroys the wealth of its citizens as foreign goods become too expensive to buy. The latter scenario is not typical since pegged currencies are usually the strongest of the major industrialized nations: the United States, the UK, or the Euro, though occasionally pegs are done on the major trading partners of that country instead.

Pegs on a major trading partner are often helpful. When the currency strengthens, the now wealthier pegged country often buys more goods, pouring more hard currency into the country, making everyone wealthier. Since foreign reserves grow, the country can release more local currency without fear of inflation.

-- January 15, 2007 6:27 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another article from www.iraqupdates.com

Economy

In Iraq, the West must show it is the strong horse
The Iraqi economy is picking up but the governement needs time to establish itself. The Coalition must keep its nerve in 2007 to avert disaster.

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

15 January 2007 (The Spectator)
Print article Send to friend
Let's start 2007 with some good news from Iraq. It's boom time, in the nicest sense of the word, in Baghdad and Basra, not to mention Kurdistan and Najaf. Newsweek has just described Iraq's economic surge as 'the mother of all surprises'. The 2003 invasion unleashed not only a vast market in the free media, which persists, but also a massive amount of economic activity which the sectarian bloodshed has not crushed. Accordmg to Iraqthemodel.com, one of the best unofficial blogsites, there were just 8.000 officially registered companies in Iraq under Saddam. Now there are over 34,000 and another 286 were created in November alone.

Despite the ceaseless terrorist attacks on the country's infrastructure and particularly its crucial oil industry, the value of the Iraqi dinar has continued to rise - in November, from D1.410 to the dollar to D 1.480. That is obviously good for the vast majority of people whose pay comes in dinars. And civil servants' pay has just been raised.

Unemployment is still appalling - 30-50 per cent in some places - and the unemployed can be seduced into joining militias. But the much mocked government is beginning to liberalise the centralised economy of Saddam. In the last two years the number of mobile-phone subscribers has increased from 1.4 million to 7.1 million and Iraqna. the leading phone company, is expected to have revenues of some $520 million this year, more than a third higher than last year. The prices of houses and other real estate are soaring, in both poor areas and rich. Construction is doing well. So are retail and trade. All of which suggests, as Newsweek says, 'that Iraqis arc more optimistic about the future than most Americans are'.

But of course the horrors in Iraq are very real. The killing campaigns, both Sunni and Shia. are designed above all to reduce Western optimism further. They have been so successful that the main question being asked of Iraq at the beginning of 2007 is: will we stay or will we go? Will domestic political pressures, here and in the United States, force such a cutback in our commitments to Iraq that the place dissolves into such awful civil war as to make today's sectarian killings seem like a honeymoon'.'
In Washington the long-awaited Baker-Hamilton Study Group on Iraq produced one of the most useless pieces of 'bipartisan consensus' ever. Filled with tired orthodoxies and wishful platitudes, it was a disgrace. But it did Bush and Blair a back-hand service. Baker's pieties - 'Syria should, Iran should, Israel must' - proved that Washington's 'wise men' were no smarter than Bush.

There is now talk that far from cutting forces along the Baker lines. Bush may instead 'surge' combat troops into Baghdad to try once more to impose security there. And at the same time he may well announce far greater emphasis on US training of Iraqi officers and men. This is absurdly late already. There should be thousands more US soldiers embedded with the Iraqi army. The same goes, on a smaller scale, for the British. We run 'the Sandhurst of the Desert', the Al-Rustamiyah school for Iraqi officers in Baghdad. It's a marvellous facility but we have not given it enough resources - and it's shocking that we have only trained a handful of Iraqi officers in Britain. There should be hundreds training here all the time. The fact that they are not here suggests, alas, that parts of the Ministry of Defence are not committed to success in Iraq, but are thinking instead of what officials now call 'accelerated transition'.

The worst service that the Baker clique performed was not in Washington but in Iraq itself. There Baker was reported as the perceived wisdom of the American political class and a signal that America was definitely on the way out — by early 2008. according to Baker's petulantly repeated demand. It was seen as proof of Osama bin Laden's description of America as 'a weak horse' on which no one should depend.

Amir Taheri, one of the most seasoned commentators on the entire Middle East, agrees. He has just returned from Basra, the centre of British control. This Shiitc slum on the Gulf, deliberately impoverished for decades by Saddam, is beginning to prosper at last, he says. As in Baghdad, the shops are full of televisions and other consumer goods, many of them imported from China. Gucci shoes apparently move fast.

Taheri insists that what is happening in Iraq is not sectarian warfare but 'war of the sectarians', intended to drive the Coalition out. 'They kill people to have an effect on public opinion 10.000 miles away,' he says, so that each can pursue their separate ambitions to re-impose dictatorship on Iraq.

The best hope for Iraq now is that despite all the bloody militia efforts, the political parties which remain in the centre can still devise a workable devolution. For that, the politicians still need more time, particularly to agree on oil revenue-sharing legislation, and they need the insurance that the Coalition still offers. American officials in Baghdad find that different factions often use them as a broker. In Basra, says Amir Taheri, the same applies to the British, who are often called Abu N'aji' or 'Father of Safety'. He says that people see them as arbiters who guarantee the balance of power between the three principal Shiite factions which have divided Basra between themselves.

The only alternative — partition — would almost certainly lead to invasions by greedy or nervous neighbours. Iran's power in Iraq is already too great and the Saudis are now making noises about arming the Iraqi Sunni as a counterweight to Iranian-backed Shia. Each will increase its brutal assaults on the other if the Coalition leaves too soon.

If we have to set a timetable for running down our troop presence, it should be linked to the end of the next round of national elections, due to be held in January 2009. The 2005 elections and referendum were the freest ever held in the Arab world and were a triumph for the Iraqi people (as well as for the organisers). I suppose that these first elections could be dismissed as an imposed aberration — a third election four years on would establish a pattern which will be a huge boost not only for Iraq but also for the region, which still needs helping out of despotism. Tony Blair was absolutely right to say on his recent trip to the Middle East, 'We have to wake up. These forces of extremism based on a warped and wrong-headed interpretation of Islam aren't fighting a conventional war, but they are fighting one against us.'

Blair has been phenomenally brave over Iraq. He is about to go. It is not clear what the attitude of Gordon Brown will be. But if the Conservative party is wise it will see that continued commitment to Iraq means a commitment to the region. It is a conservative policy in the best sense of the word. It could show that, despite everything, we are 'the strong horse" that can be relied upon. The alternative, to cut and run or walk, will be unbelievably destructive.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:30 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another article from www.iraqupdates.com

Demand on dollar up in Iraqi Cenbank auction
By Dergham Mohammed Ali

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

Baghdad, 15 January 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
Print article Send to friend
Demand on the dollar went up during Sunday's Iraqi Central Bank session to the highest level in four months reaching $103.410 million from $56.840 million last Thursday.

"Demands registered $21.910 dollars in cash and $81.500 million in remittances, completely covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,315 dinars per dollar, unchanged from the last session," according to the bank's daily bulletin received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The bulletin read that 14 banks have offered to sell of 75,000 dollars, which the Iraqi Central Bank purchased at an exchange rate of 1,313 dinars per dollar.

Iraqi Central Bank Governor Senan al-Shabibi said the bank's monetary policy of enhancing the dinar's exchange rate would improve the investment budget in cooperation with the finance ministry.

Expounding on the central bank's policy before a parliament session on Sunday, Shabibi said boosting the exchange rate was a decision that was taken by the bank to improve Iraqis' confidence in the dinar and to have the dinar as a value standard in a bid to bring down inflation and maintain the dinar's purchasing power.

Economist and industrialist Abd al-Razeq al-Abaiji told VOI that he expected "a continuously growing demand on the dollar if the economic and security atmosphere became more stable."

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:36 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

International Relations

U.S pledges another $1.2 billion for Iraq

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

15 January 2007 (MENAFN)
Print article Send to friend
U.S President Bush's pledged last week another $1.2 billion in economic aid for Iraq, as well as announcing the appointment of a reconstruction coordinator, News Observor reported.

Bush said the Iraqi government would spend $10 billion on a jobs program, and he supported creating an "International Compact for Iraq" to forgive the country's debt and encourage foreign assistance.

Iraq's economic picture isn't rosy as unemployment is estimated to range from 20 percent to 60 percent. Inflation in November, the latest estimate available, was running at 51.9 percent on a year-over-year basis.

The Bush administration is trying to create jobs in the hope that that might ease one factor that's driving young Iraqi men into insurgency.

U.S. military officials said last week that they wanted to steer 25 percent, or about $1 billion, of the government contracting now done in Iraq to support Iraqi factories and companies.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 15, 2007 6:41 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Now, I admit, I have seen the movie Groundhog Day -
and I am definitely of the opinion that the mantra about "There were no WMD"
has long ago turned stinky - like a many days old fish left out in the tropics to rot.
Sooo, this was a somewhat amusing (though totally unPC) wedding of those two concepts
which tickled my funnybone, and I thought you might like to see it too:

Dennis Miller Takes on Sickening Media Mantra Regarding WMD and Bin Laden
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 14, 2007 - 13:59.

In this age of continual polling 24/7 about issues that largely support liberal positions advanced by a complicit media, I’d love to see someone ask the American people if they’re sick and tired of the constant carping and whining by the press concerning the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and the inability to capture Osama bin Laden.

Well, it seems that Fox News contributor Dennis Miller is similarly fed up with this amazing hypocrisy, and he let viewers know this in his hysterical “Real Free Speech” comment on Friday’s “Hannity & Colmes.” So, strap yourself into your favorite comfy chair, secure all beverages, flammables, and sharp objects, and join Dennis on a wild ride into post-9/11 sanity (video available here courtesy of our friend at Ms Underestimated):

http://msunderestimated.com/RealFreeSpeech011207.wmv

A Quote from the clip:

Folks, as I'm out and about during the day, I'm oft times drawn into a chat with a nonbeliever, concerning the war on terror, and surprisingly, the two chestnuts I hear the most are the two with the most cobwebs on them. Where are the weapons and where is bin Laden?

Bush haters constantly spawn upstream to the WMD assertion in some perverse "Groundhog Day" scenario, where they rise each and every dawn and start parroting the same whiny refrain.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The weapons of mass destruction weren't there.

MILLER: The whole world thought Saddam had weapons. He wouldn't play ball. And we couldn't have a perpetual scimitar of Damocles hanging over our heads, so we went in and we took a look...

Hey, folks, this is just the beginning of this war on terror. We're already stuck in the past. Let's get on with it. We've passed go already. We've collected our $200. Let's give that money and our support to the best troops on the planet so they can go and flatten the enemy.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10159

-- January 15, 2007 6:48 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

Sara,

I have to say I fail to see the relevance between the Inca's and Native Americans.

The Inca's had an Empire and they sought to expand this both through war and negotiation. I accept they sacrificed humans to their gods, but nations throughout the world also made sacrifices, human or otherwise to the gods they believed in at the time. Just look at the Romans - they had a god for everything! Some countries even thought that cows were sacred.

You said: -

"From this, ultimately, the native peoples had their land taken from them by God.
It is GOD who speaks that a nation shall be plucked up and destroyed, and it is done -
not men. Some things are ordained and have to be.
They chose their own fate by their evil actions - including sacrificing humans to their false gods."

Does that mean then that it was God who took the land from the native Americans and gave it to the white man? I say the white man went in and took it. If that were tried today, it would be called genocide.

Does it also mean that God was responsible for Jews killed by Hitler?

What about all the ethnic cleansing being carried out in countries within Africa?

You mention false gods. Is the God worshipped by the members of the Church of England the same God as that worshipped by Catholics? What about Protestants? It is accepted that there are a lot of different religions. Do they all worship the same god but in a different way?

I ask this because the only reason the Church of England came into existance is because King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife and the Pope of the time wouldn't allow it. Good ole Henry just created his own religion which allowed him to get a divorce and remarry. Does that make the Church of England worshippers a collection of people worshipping a false God?

It could also be argued that Saddam destroyed Iraq. Was that Gods' will?

-- January 15, 2007 7:14 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Stop Congress from Silencing Their Critics

In the first few days of the new session of Congress, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and big Washington insiders such as Public Citizen and Common Cause will try to silence critics by regulating us through quarterly reports to Congress. Failure to report would result in civil and potential criminal penalties.

We need to act fast to keep Congress from silencing us. We have the First Amendment right to speak and urge citizens to contact Washington—without the intimidation inherent in federal regulation of our activities.

Pelosi & Company’s lobbying legislation “reform” would define political communications to and even between citizens as “lobbying.” This turns the definition of lobbying on its head and is in violation of the First Amendment.

Moreover, their legislation would treat grassroots activists more harshly than the K Street lobbyists and the big corporations and unions. They get loopholes that the smallest critics using the Internet wouldn’t enjoy. Communicating to as few as 500 people would trigger the registration and quarterly reporting to Congress.

In truth, the grassroots legislation would help protect corruption in Washington by silencing critics and diminishing the ability of grassroots causes to communicate with the general public.

This may be the biggest threat to free speech ever!

We’ll keep you updated on developments, but you need to act NOW. Sign our petition to start.

Richard A. Viguerie
http://www.grassrootsfreedom.com/gw3/articles-home/articles.php?action=view&CMSArticleID=398&CMSCategoryID=24

Pelosi & Company’s lobbying legislation “reform” would define political communications to and even between citizens as “lobbying.”
Does this mean that we cannot discuss and/or act on any political discussion which takes place on a blog like this, if this is enacted?

Sara.

-- January 15, 2007 7:15 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

CYMRU001 - What a lot of religious questions!
I am not sure the board has the tolerance for all my replies.
Feel free to skip this post if you wish, it won't be Dinar...
but of course, I do have a reply to each of those questions,
and I will do a brief reply here.

When you say, quote: "nations throughout the world also made sacrifices, human or otherwise to the gods they believed in at the time. Just look at the Romans - they had a god for everything!"

Precisely. And where, praytell, is the Roman Empire? Or the Roman gods?
Wasn't the point I was making that God plucks up and destroys just such Empires?
Where are all those Empires which sacrificed humans to their gods today?
Can you point to one which still exists today, please?
Is the point now sufficiently understood? :)

As for WHICH GOD actually IS GOD...
I don't think He is so easily boxed into being a servant to any one group.
As He put in Holy Writ:

Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
Act 10:35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

Killing human beings as a sacrifice to God has long been understood
by the God who inspired those words to be a blasphemy.
Righteousness is doing what is right, not in our own eyes, but in God's.
It does not matter how men justify themselves, only if they will remain just BEFORE GOD in the final say.
By this measure, are you arguing that Saddam was a good man and doing God's will when you say, quote:

"It could also be argued that Saddam destroyed Iraq. Was that Gods' will?"

I would be cautious about justifying evil deeds.
If you justify wickedness, that evil is imputed to you and you are judged by God for it.
So don't attempt to justify evil people as a refute to my argument unless you are prepared for its consequences.
And no, I was not justifying Saddam as though his gassing of the Kurds (who were Christians) was godly behavior,
or the killing of his own people - the crime for which he was hanged.
As Paul replied to just this kind of accusation:

Rom 3:8 And why not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"?--as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

I, too, do not say that evil should or has been done (Saddam destroying Iraq) that God's will may be accomplished.
God's will is not synonymous with evil, as is clearly understood by any who know that God is goodness and Light.

Sara.

-- January 15, 2007 8:02 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

If you think "Ponzi" schemes are a thing of the past....check this one out!
============================================================================================================
Temecula, CA — The Temecula law firm of Ackerman, Cowles & Lindsley filed a 1.2 billion dollar claim against what are alleged to be the perpetrators of a vast real estate and currency exchange scheme taking place in Southern California.

Riverside County Superior Court Case No. RIC463483 (Anonymous Investor v. Jovane Investments, et al.) was filed by an investor who claims to have suffered $3,000,000 in damages on her case alone. The plaintiff seeks to have the matter certified as a class action later this year because there are another alleged 400 investors in the alleged scheme.

http://reauctionnews.com/?p=45

-- January 15, 2007 9:10 PM ∞

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Sue W wrote:

I just found this site and was excited because I purchase Dinar a year or so ago and was hoping for information. Is this site just about religion?

-- January 15, 2007 10:33 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

So what is Hillary and McHuff(sp) doing going to Iraq? I don’t recall to many instances where a senator or congressman does duty as foreign policy makers. I would think Bush would stop this activity in their tracks. How does he know they are not going there and say something stupid and start a war or say something that could be considered traitorous.

I am sure these people read the newspapers and watch CNN and know where these people stand in their beliefs toward the war. Is she going stand in the streets and shout “you guys stop this fighting” and” if you do while I am here I can be president in 08” and “ I will give you everything you want when I am in office” and “ I will let terror run free just like my husband Bill did” of course he was too busy getting stains on Monica’s dress an stocking up on cigars to worry about Bin laden and Saddam.

I just wonder what business the Senators have meddling in our foreign affairs especially without Presidential oversight. Don’t they have interest here at home to look out for without trying (and screwing up) the Presidents job? I guess we should expect Jesse Jackson and Farrakhan next maybe they can do it.

-- January 15, 2007 10:37 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Sue W wrote: Is this site just about religion?

No Sue Just seems that way sometimes when the natives are restless.

-- January 15, 2007 10:39 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

It really is strange that the MSM has not really covered this terrorist plot:

Trial Begins For 6 Would-be London Subway Bombers
From those enablers of terror at Rance’s AFP: Picture:
(Top, L-R) Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, Muktah Said Ibrahim, Ramzi Mohammed, (bottom, L-R) Yassin Hassin Omar, Hussein Osman and Adel Yahya.

‘Failed London bombers’ accused of extremist Muslim plot
by Robin Millard

LONDON (AFP) - British prosecutors have accused six suspects of mounting "an extremist Muslim plot" using suicide bombers to try to kill masses of London commuters in July 2005, days after a successful terror attack.

At the start of a long-awaited trial Monday, the six Muslims were alleged to have tried to carry out another series of "murderous suicide bombings" on July 21, two weeks to the day after July 7 attacks which left 56 people dead.

The plot to blow up three subway trains and a bus only failed because detonators did not work properly, leaving four attempted suicide bombers with their unexploded devices, Britain’s highest-security court heard in Woolwich, southeast London.

In what is likely to become one of the most high-profile cases involving alleged terrorism seen in Britain, the accused deny charges of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life.

The trial of Muktar Said Ibrahim, 28, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, 32, Hussain Osman, 28, Yassin Omar, 26, Ramzi Mohammed, 25, and Adel Yahya, 24 — many of whom are of east African origin — is expected to take up to four months.

The alleged failed attacks came exactly two weeks after four Islamist suicide bombers attacked three London Underground trains and a bus, killing themselves and 52 others in Britain’s worst peacetime terrorist incident.

"This case is concerned with an extremist Muslim plot," prosecution lawyer Nigel Sweeney said.

He said the bomb components were bought from late April or early May 2005.

"The conspiracy had been in existence long before the events of July 7.

"It is our case that the events with which this case is concerned are plainly not some hastily arranged copycat, albeit, as we shall see, like 7/7, one of the bombs was deployed on a bus somewhat after the others."

He said Mohammed had written a suicide note, a draft of which had been found in pieces, while a full version was discovered at a friend’s home.

The prosecution’s case is expected to take between six and eight weeks.

On April 18 last year, Ibrahim, Mohammed, Omar and Osman denied conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions, attempted murder of transport users and having improvised explosive devices with intent to endanger life.

Asiedu, 32, who was not charged with attempted murder, denied the other charges. He was charged over a discarded rucksack found in a west London park on July 23.

====

Funny how little reporting there has been about this plot.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/trial-begins-for-six-would-be-subway-bombers-in-uk

-- January 16, 2007 12:48 AM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

All,

I wanted to bring to your attention that George Soro's is involved in watching over Iraqi Oil Revenues. Go to Ministry of Finance and Revenues and see.

Thought you would want to know.

Laura

-- January 16, 2007 12:54 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

I find this reprehensible..
President Bush has called for training of the Iraqi's by the US forces
and handing over responsibilities as quickly as possible to them.
He called for fighting terrorism, which means combat for the troops, to root out the terrorists.
And he has said they are doing all they can to protect the forces.

Ms. Pelosi tries to take parts of that and say she is CHANGING/countering the mission..
then says the very things President Bush has been doing all along as HER plan (go figure, no kidding!).
She then goes on to call for "redeployment" which is just "cut and run" -
proving there is no Democrat plan of their own, except failure.

I sincerely hope no one buys this play on words and bankrupt pretend plan, which is really
hijacking all the President is doing and trying to claim credit for the plan he already has in place.
Also, she is foolish to think this "plan" (to turn tail and run) would make America safer and the region safer.
I hope there are brains out there in wonderland.. as the mad hatter speaks nonsense again:

===

Pelosi warns Bush on Iraq, cites King's legacy in opposing war
Monday, January 15, 2007

San Francisco (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Democrats would counter President Bush's proposal to send more troops to Iraq with a plan changing the U.S. mission there "from combat to training, to fighting terrorism, to protecting our forces."

Pelosi reminded more than 1,000 people attending a union-sponsored breakfast honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that the slain civil rights leader spoke out against the Vietnam War because he saw domestic and national security issues as inexorably intertwined.

The nation is spending "two billion a week in Iraq — think of what we could do a week, a month, a day with that money," she said, adding that the nation also has paid too great a cost in casualties, its international reputation and military readiness at home.

Besides opposing Bush on expanding the U.S. presence in Iraq, she said the new majority party "would call for redeployment of our troops out of Iraq" to help "make the region more stable and make America safer."

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke after Pelosi at the breakfast and congratulated Pelosi on being elected House speaker, but did not mention the war in his remarks. During weekend talk show appearances, however, the Republican governor said he supported the proposed troop expansion.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/15/state/n175125S78.DTL

-- January 16, 2007 1:21 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Laura,
Thank you for the heads up on George Soros. This is very disturbing. He is the father of the Secular Progressive movement in our country and the world.

Bill O'reilly says he is the most dangerous man on this planet.

I would be very interested to know what this revelation would mean to O'Reilly.

I tell you, do we ever get any good news anymore?

Sue W. asked if this is a religious site. While it is not officially one, we must realize that because of our interest in the Dinar, it takes us to a part of the world that puts us dead center in the midst of bible prophesy and all the issues relative to the Plan of God for His creations. There is no way to get around that, no matter what denomination one adheres to.

For those students of bible prophesy, it is real and relevant. For those who are not, it is as good of an adventure story to follow as any ever written.

My hope is that those without faith, would see someting that would spark an interest and cause some real introspection and meditation concerning their own eternal destiny, aside from the Dinar RV event.

Thanks again.

Carole

-- January 16, 2007 6:03 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Wow, a bunch of very good postings today. Rob N got hold of some really nice nuggets.

Some Dinar talk before starting to go astray.

The Dinar have been set"or pegged" to about 1475 or thereabouts for a very long time, but at the very introduction of the NID, the value was when it was in the rock bottom, 1695 to the Dollar.

So the rise in value for the Dinar has to be taken from it's introduction, even though most bought their Dinars during the long lull on 1475.

Since it's introduction the Dinar have risen in value from 1695to the Dollar to 1308 to the Dollar.

At rock bottom the exchange rate would give a cost to 10 mill Dinars $5899.

With today's exchange rate you pay $7645 per 10 Mill Dinars.

A real value increase of 1746 Dollars per 10 mil Dinars.
Or $3492 per each 20 mill Dinars,
Or $5238 per each 30 mill Dinars,
Or $6984 per each 40 mill Dinars,

We've been looking at the increase since November, because we have seen a flat spot for years, but we must remember that the total value increase is way more than the recent increase.

The only ones this helps were the lucky ones that bought Dinars in the "Golden era" in the beginning.

Johan,

Tim Bitts is on a track that you might want to follow. His explanation of the genetic mix up can also be extended to the absurdity of claim of ownership of past owned countries, or territories from a legal viewpoint.

I know that the ownership of something is something you must respect.

However, a dead man owns nothing, and claims of ownership referring to past ownership can get ugly if folk groups are starting to kill each other claiming legal ownership.

Starting from the original viewpoint, not taking genetic mix in the equation, and assuming all land is stolen, we will get a very interesting line of potential legal dispute.

Starting with the Americans, ok we stole it from England, kicked those guys out, however, England was still ruling Canada, after we stole it from the Brits, so from that viewpoint we should give America to the Canadians.

That would not really work, as the Brits was stealing it from the French, Dutch, Swedes, Spaniards and a lot of other that had colonies here. So from that viewpoint America belongs to the European countries, please Europe, fight it out.

All of them stole it from the Native Indian population. So with that logic, this continent belongs to the Indians., Ok everybody pack your bags, and go back to Asia, Europe and Africa, right is right, it belongs to the Indians.

Hold on, about 20.000 years back, (the exact date is in dispute) a very small family of no more than three males , and an unknown number of females, was able to cross the Berings Straight from Asia, (that is the genetic composition of the Native Americans, so actually strictly speaking, these people were not really native, they're Asians.)

So in fact America belongs then to Asia.

This kind of line reasoning, is very prevalent in the Arabic culture, endless claims that goes thousands of years back, and it is especially a hot potato when it comes to Israel.

Old documents going back millenniums, and more, are shown around claiming this or that. The whole reasoning is dumb, who lives there now? who has possession of the land? Well that is the owner of the land.

The reasoning it is not Jewish is based on old possession of the land, that the Brits stole it, gave it to the Jews, and before that it was stolen by the Romans, and ....well it s a long line of powers that has been controlling that piece of land, and anyone can therefore lay claim to it.

Ottoman empire held it for some long time, The Persians, the Greeks, Egyptians have had a hand in it too, ....and on and on.

With the same way of reasoning, Israel could be claimed by the Neanderthals, they were there.

Of course that would be an insult to the apes, that were there first.

Johan,
I'm not Jewish and have no affiliation with Israel, I'm not their spokesman, I just want you to acknowledge a couple of observations.

The Israeli economy is bigger than Jordan's, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon combined.
The literacy rate in Israel is one of the highest in the world.
The number of University graduates in the work force is the highest in the world.
Nobel price winners from Israel alone dwarf the list of Nobel price winners from all the Arabian countries combined.
They managed to make a green growing country of a land that is very similar to the Mojave desert, an almost impossible task, but they did it.
If you are using your computer, chances are almost certain, that the program developed in your "window" is developed in Israel.
Israeli medicine knowledge is world top, with many research facilities, hospitals and institutions, and many breakthroughs in medicine is coming from Israel.
The per capita income, is about in par with Britain, and many many times higher than their Arabian neighbours.
The list can go on for quite some time but I think you are getting the Idea Johan. They have managed to make a high tech, green oasis over there, and having a living standard way way above their neighbours.
They can accomplish this despite the economic burden of having the most expensive, per capita, armed forces in the world, because of Arabs wanting nothing less than kill them.

I would say even if you just only read the short list of accomplishments, that they have accomplished some really remarkable things over there, wouldn't you say?

"Israel is bad, Israel IS the problem ,Israel.... Johan if you read that long enough, you might even believe that.

Now lets have a look at the people that want to eradicate Israel, ( and USA and YOU.)

You just need to look over the border from Israel, you can look in any direction you want.
Illiteracy rate that is appalling, no knowledge of how things work, very little or no schooling.
Anything that looks like Democracy is spitted upon, because the powers want to keep the status quo.
Dictators, Totalitarian regimes, religious fascists. regimes where father and son takes over, the "free press" is full of conspiracy theories, in fact, that kind of journalism is mainstream over there.
A man with an AK, just have to get in front of a camera and waive, and scream.
No or very little production of any consumer goods what so ever.
Infrastructure, like electricity, water, roads, and railroads, are falling apart, and in very bad shape, if existing at all.
Human rights is unheard of, the law is set by example, not by the rule of law.
Women are property.
Religious affiliation is a matter of life and death, and criminal gangs are more than willing to accommodate any Mullahs wishes, killing any perceived enemy.
Suicide bombers, 9/11 attackers, Madrid train bomb killings, London subway killings, on and on, ideas pushed and pursued by people from those countries.

Johan, again the list can be made very very long, but I can assume you can yourself with out having to strain you imagination too much see that these societies are very deep in the mud.

Now Johan, WHERE do you think the problem is?

FROM WHERE EXACTLY, do you think it is coming?

WHO creates the problem?

I must start to challenge your intelligence here Johan, because so far you have been repeating the same lies, rationale, and explanations as the people from the Islamic radical countries wants you to say.

-- January 16, 2007 6:19 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Rob N,

Very very interesting, the IMF are warning Iraq CBI to not do a premature free currency trade.

That means, they (the Iraqis) want to go that way, but are right now held back by IMF, until some more internal financial infrastructure is set up.

That's fine with me, eventually that gets done, but it means that a free traded Dinar is ON the program.

Go Dinar.

-- January 16, 2007 6:34 AM ∞

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Ye old dead white guy wrote:

Hi, I'm an old dead white guy. Johan says I stole the land from the Indians. Who was I? I say, I was a poor and starving peasant, kicked around by the nobles of Europe, who kept all the good land to themselves. I had ten starving children, because I had no birth control. So my king offered me land in a far away place. So I left a life of squalor, and traded it for a life of backbreaking farm work, for a chance to have a future. There were millions like me, half starving, with crappy lives, bawling kids, no money, oppressed by the European elite. We lived short and horrible lives. We were uneducated. We stank. We had no chance in life, till America opened up.

I am the kind of man that built the new world, ambitious and poor. I helped make America and Canada and Australia, three of the most prosperous and generous societies ever in human history. The kind of society that was the most open, the most welcoming and fair of any in human history. Scrawny and illiterate and oppressed, I was, and the new world gave little men like me a chance. On the Statue of Liberty, there are words about, bringing me your poor and down and out. That's me. Can you really blame me for leaving the rat-infested hole that Europe was, at the time, to leave for America, and a better life?

-- January 16, 2007 7:11 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Many people think George Soros is a very dangerous man. I don't know that much about him to have an opinion. But no one can deny Soros has a nose for money. He has billions and billions, as I understand. And now he's sniffing around Bagdhad? Well, that means something. He wouldn't get involved if he thought Iraq would turn out a failure, would he? He wouldn't get involved unless he had something to gain, would he? He's an old guy who has lots of money, so it would take a lot to get him motivated to be involved, wouldn't it? Maybe he smells the money that is coming? Curious.

China is the world's second largest importer of oil. Last time I looked, the Chinese had opened up HSBC Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corporation, affiliatied with some Arab Banks, in Bagdhad. They too, smell money I guess.

-- January 16, 2007 7:28 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Here is an interesting article from http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/international/16440153.htm

New Iraq plan gives economic aid a big rolePresident Bush's proposed economic aid to Iraq is applauded, but success there still depends on the security situation.
BY KEVIN G. HALL
McClatchy News Service
WASHINGTON - President Bush's plan for salvaging the war in Iraq acknowledges failure so far in efforts to reconstruct the country's moribund economy. His proposed fixes depend largely on achieving security and stability there.

Bush pledged on Wednesday night another $1.2 billion in economic aid, announced the appointment of a reconstruction coordinator and promised to channel economic aid quickly to areas that Iraqi and U.S. troops cleared and secured.

He said the Iraqi government would spend $10 billion on a jobs program, and he supported creating an ''International Compact for Iraq'' to forgive the country's debt and encourage foreign assistance.

Iraq's economic picture isn't pretty. Unemployment is estimated to range from 20 to 60 percent. Inflation in November, the last estimate available, was running at 51.9 percent on a year-over-year basis.

''Nobody knows for sure what is the rate of unemployment. I suspect it's pretty high, like 40 percent or higher,'' said Nimrod Raphaeli, an Iraqi-born economist at the Middle East Media Research Institute in Washington. ``There is really no evidence of resurgence of economic life in Iraq.''

JOB CREATION

The Bush administration is trying to create jobs in the hope that that might ease one factor that's driving young Iraqi men into insurgency.

U.S. military officials said this week that they wanted to steer 25 percent, or about $1 billion, of the government contracting now done in Iraq to support Iraqi factories and companies. Pentagon officials won't identify the factories for fear that insurgents will target them and their employees, underscoring how security challenges hamper efforts at economic revival.

Still, fueled by high oil prices and construction, Iraq's roughly $30 billion economy grew 4 percent last year, according to unofficial estimates from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other global institutions.

But gauging the country's economy remains a guessing game. Years of dictatorship and isolation from the global economy mean that Iraq's economy and institutions must be rebuilt from scratch.

''A lot of the systems have collapsed, and they need to build a better system,'' said Kathryn Funk, the World Bank's lead country officer for Iraq. ``It's a matter of rebuilding a relationship, and rebuilding their knowledge on how to deal with financial institutions.''

International organizations, including the World Bank and IMF, removed most of their personnel from Iraq after the deadly August 2003 bombing of Baghdad's U.N. headquarters and a spate of beheadings of foreigners.

''It's a very difficult situation in Iraq because of the security situation. It does hinder the implementation of the investment program -- the inability of officials simply to get to work and carry out their instructions,'' said a top IMF official who's involved in creating standby loans for the Iraqi government.

The official, demanding anonymity because of an IMF security policy that protects the identities of its officials who are working with Iraq, said insurgents clearly were hurting oil production.

ATTACKS, CORRUPTION

Oil accounts for as much as 70 percent of the country's economy and more than 90 percent of its foreignexchange earnings. Insurgent attacks on oil installations and rampant corruption rob Iraq of financial resources that could be used to develop the economy.

''We are obviously disappointed that the security situation has not improved,'' the high-ranking IMF official said.

Before the war started in March 2003, Iraq produced more than 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. Last year, it averaged 2 million barrels per day, about the same as 2005.

Four years after the U.S.-led invasion, Iraq still lacks the metering equipment that would provide firm production data. There's ample evidence that large volumes of oil are being smuggled into neighboring Iran, where they're purchased on the black market and sold on the global market for a higher return.

An audit of oil revenues by global accountant Ernst & Young, made public in November, found discrepancies of $940 million and $1 billion in the two six-month audit periods from July 2005 through June 2006. The audit also noted that there were no efforts to reconcile the differences between U.S. and Iraqi accounting. Proceeds from Iraqi oil exports are deposited with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which sends the money back to Iraq for administration by the Finance Ministry and central bank.

''We can't send our accounting staff into Iraq,'' said Calvin A. Mitchell III, a spokesman for the Fed's New York branch, who thinks that Iraqi banking officials will address the matter eventually. ``Our books are reconciled according to the records we have. How they reconcile their books, and whether they are reconciled, we can't speak to.''

Despite such daunting problems, some experts salute Bush's new economic plans.

''I think they are very good ideas,'' said Michael O'Hanlon, an Iraq expert and usually a critic of Bush's policy at the Brookings Institution, a center-left research center.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 16, 2007 10:27 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

This article is posted to the www.dinartrade.com

Iraqi deputy expects rise in Iraqi dinar price by mid-2007

(MENAFN) A Deputy in the Iraqi Parliament has expected the rate of the Iraqi dinar to continue to rise against the US dollar to reach 1200 dinars to the dollar by the middle of this year, up from 1480 in November 2006, Iraq Directory reported.

The deputy, who was addressing the Parliament in a session to discuss the general budget in Iraq during the year 2007, said that the high rates of inflation cam because of the unbalance between the nominal rate of the Iraqi dinar compared to its real one which prompted the Iraqi Central Bank to raise the value of the dinar gradually since November 2006 to reach about 1320 dinar per dollar in January 2007.

It is worth mentioning that there has been widespread demand among Iraqi investors and citizens to deal in Iraqi dinars instead of US dollars.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 16, 2007 10:31 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Bozell Column: Our Stubborn, Defiant Media on Iraq
Posted by Brent Bozell on January 16, 2007 - 11:55.

For three years, President Bush has been portrayed as stubborn on Iraq, so defiant that it’s disturbing, perhaps even a sign of delusional certitude. There’s a mirror image at play: those doing the portraying, i.e., the media have been every bit as stubborn when it comes to their defiant insistence that everything that happens in Iraq, no matter how positive, is another peg for bad news coverage.

We acknowledge that the daily drumbeat of death pounded by the media is based on facts. That does not mean that all death is bad. In war, it is a tragedy to learn that your countrymen have fallen. It is cause for celebration when the enemy dies. But for the American news media, all news is bad news if the theater is Iraq.

When American forces killed Saddam’s evil sons Uday and Qusay in July of 2003, the press reported the news as a P.R. disaster. NBC’s Richard Engel said the display of their bodies was “offensive to Muslim sensibilities.” ABC’s Terry Moran suggested the U.S. violated the Geneva Conventions. Eleanor Clift said we lost a “major opportunity” for Saddam’s boys to tell us where the WMD were hidden.

A new study of cable-news coverage by the Media Research Center demonstrated the same pattern when American bombs took out terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi last July. CNN counter-programmed that achievement by interviewing a leftist journalist who defiantly complained, "There’s no good news in Iraq. There’s no corner that’s been turned, there’s no milestone." Over on MSNBC, reporters took time away from covering the breaking news of Zarqawi’s death to feature four stories profiling U.S. military deserters, the “new face of the anti-war movement.”

This was just part of a routine. MRC analysts reviewed two months of Iraq coverage during the midday hours on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News in mid-2006, and the numbers speak volumes. Fully three-fifths (60 percent) of all CNN stories on the war emphasized pessimism about progress in Iraq, compared to just 10 percent that reported on achievements or victories. MSNBC’s tilt was similar, with four times more bad news stories (48 percent) than reports stressing good news (12 percent). Fox News, so often cartooned as the rosy-news channel, had a ratio of 30 percent negative stories to 20 percent positive.

Now add the execution of Saddam Hussein to the mix. It is amazing that the American – the American! – media couldn’t stand the thought that this in any way could be interpreted as a brief occasion for good news. This tyrant, whose brutal regime of torture and murder left hundreds of thousands dead and a nation destroyed, now rots in Hell, thanks to us. Us. As in the United States – us. Yet there was no moment of brief satisfaction on TV. CBS broke in to show former Clinton official Richard Holbrooke reassuring Katie Couric that this meant nothing for President Bush’s Iraq policy.

Some outlets protested the “rush” to execution, most notably the anti-American editorial pages of The New York Times. Rushed? Putting a bullet in his head when we found him in the spider hole at the end of 2003 would be a “rushed” job. Instead, he sat in jail eating Doritos for three years, making a mockery out of his trials for mass murder, when everyone but Ramsey Clark knew he was guilty as sin. Whether the pace of justice for Saddam had been swift, or whether it was glacial, we knew the United States would be trashed by its homegrown media no matter which way events turned.

CNN even had the audacity to worry about the brutality of hanging Saddam. Reporter Randi Kaye wondered “Will Saddam suffer in death?” The villain was now the victim. But the real turning point for the negative nabobs was the cell-phone video of Saddam hanging, and toadies of Shi’ite militant leader Moqtada al-Sadr chanting his name in the aftermath. To be sure, the spectacle was disgusting, but should it overshadow so completely the justice that was done?

In Newsweek, Christopher Dickey insisted “the tyrant’s end looked more like the result of a sectarian show trial.” Show trial? What next – Saddam was framed? NBC’s Richard Engel declared it was yet another “major public relations blow” for America. On MSNBC, Chris Matthews dragged out the old line that Bush was clueless about how disastrous this video was, just like he was clueless about footage of Hurricane Katrina. The New York Times even argued the video showed Saddam took his punishment with “unflinching dignity and courage.” What a guy, that Saddam.

Reporters act amazed that Bush hasn’t waved a white flag and surrendered to their wishes. He shouldn’t. He should respond with a political broadside of his own, reminding them that when America’s enemies are brought to justice, Americans should, and will, rejoice.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10195

-- January 16, 2007 12:25 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

The problem with undermining the war by such anti-war biased (Lib slanted) news coverage..
is that it takes away from grappling with the real stakes..

‘24’ Goes Nuclear
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 16, 2007 - 10:59.

For fans of the hit television series “24”, Monday night was an astounding event. Personally, I was left speechless for several minutes after the stunning conclusion, and had to watch the second hour again to convince myself that I had actually seen what I had seen (video available here courtesy of our friend at Ms Underestimated). http://msunderestimated.com/24NuclearDay.wmv

Yet, upon reflection, I wonder how many people in the media understand how possible what was depicted last evening is. As folks on the nation’s airwaves continue to downplay the seriousness of terrorism, and undermine virtually all of the current Administration’s efforts to thwart conscienceless aggression against Western civilization, have they really pondered the unthinkable? Or, have they all grown complacent as we move continually further and further away from that fateful day in September 2001?

Regardless, this video should be required viewing for all media members who question what's at risk, and whether there really is a war on terror.

Those who haven’t seen it yet should first be cautioned about it being a “spoiler,” and then be warned about the seriousness of its content. This is not for the faint of heart.

Comments:

1) Dave R. Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:07

I wonder how many people in the media understand how possible what was depicted last evening is.

Sadly, it will be when they look up and see what Jack saw in last night's episode. When they see the mushroom cloud expanding over a US city, that will be the point when they actually "get" it.

2) PeterD Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:16

Sadly, I disagree with you Dave. When the mushroom cloud is expanding over a US city, they will say that we brought it upon ourselves and/or President Bush brought this action upon us by his misguided war strring up trouble in the Middle East region (like the whole region was stable before this war started).

Remember the reaction of some after 9/11, it was the same thing. Blame America first.

3) misterbill Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:30

Sadly, I agree with PeterD--"what have we done?" will be heard throughout Libland." Why did we bring this on ourselves?" Never will the fools say, "we should have expected and stopped this before it happened." "Remember 9/11" should be the rallying call of this generation. I had "Remember Pearl Harbor". We have already had our wakeup call (9/11), and the Libs choose to ignore it. They mock the President's every effort to secure the safety of this country.

They deserve to be nuked (or bio or EMP followed by invasion). Well, don't get in the line of fire when we fight back. I, for one, would trade their cowardly liberal asses for more fire power.

4) Dave R. Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:32

I guess I was holding out a faint, flickering hope that perhaps common sense has not been totally eradicated from the ranks of the liberal MSM. Upon further reflection, your take may actually be the more likely result.

Incredible how far we have descended as a nation over the last 60 years.

5) Chris Norman Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:29

You know Dave, I one time I would have agreed. However, after seeing what's happened in the years following 9/11, I'm not certain that any atrocity, no matter how abominable, will get some of these people to face reality. I hate to be so cynical, but I've seen no evidence to be otherwise inclined...

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on. - Arabian Proverb

6) FastEd Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:40

Usually a glass a little more than half full kinda person - but having seen the smoke of the towers from near my house, and the feeling of helplessness and then being angry, and hearing from my daughter in San Diego (Marines patrolling her neighborhood with weapons drawn - Navy wife) I wanted to know, like everyone else - WHY? Next thought was "I'll bet algore is glad he doesn't have to deal with this" - Then, OBL said we didn't have the will to strike back, that we ran and he had examples.

So, to the demolibs and the msm (Lsm), WHY? Why is it OUR fault? What did we do to deserve this? and most importantly, WHAT is YOUR solution? We know what Chamberland did, do we followhis lead?

7) Chris Norman Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:54

Whatever will and unity is exhibited in the twenty-four hours following a potential atrocity will quickly dissolve into doubt, political posturing, blame, ridicule, apeasement, misdirected guilt, and so on. We all know how it goes down. Notice how I use the term "atrocity". The MSM insisted on consistently terming 9/11 a "tragedy". That told me something from the get-go...

8) Senior Chief Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:13

That's why we need to HIT HARD our enemies first, before they hit us. Negotiation in this time and age has no value, when you're dead- your family and your friends are all dead. My appeal to "24" writers/producers is not to let the terrorists access to nukes, or it will be too late and too cowardly on our part...

9) JayTee Says:
January 16, 2007 - 11:41

Balboa...having shows like 24 showing mushroom clouds over US cities, is of course fiction, however close to the truth. If S. Penn had been the hero, he would have caught the perpertrators, and empeached the President for violating personal liberties.

Following this fictional story, lets move the mushroom cloud to San. Fran. and Pelosi's constituents....if San Fran population goes to Zero...does Pelosi get removed, because her basis for election is zero, or a +500 on the geiger counter scale ? There are lots of "fictional" entertaining options, lets hope this one stays in the realm of fiction.

10) Senior Chief Says:
January 16, 2007 - 12:21

FastEd - Thanks for the pictures and it did reminds me back to that fatal day...My family and I were on our way back to our next duty station in the States after our tour in Japan. As we were waiting for our flight, came these same pictures. All airports were shutdown for almost a week. My wife and my twin girls were traumatized, afraid to fly again and have some hatred in their hearts to those who did it to us. Our lives- mine and the rest of the world are not the same again. Our way of life has been dictated by islamo-fasist terrorists. Let our enemies know, that we won't surrender and we won't succomb to third world thugs. Our resolve should be to kill our enemies, foreign or domestic...

11) dscott Says:
January 16, 2007 - 12:11

Despite everyone's gloomy assessment of the liberals response to 911, the fact is the vast majority of the nation, after the initial shock wore off, got real angry and was ready to whup butt. Hence thousands volunteered to the military during the run up to the Afghan invasion. I don't doubt the libs will take the whining blame America response, but I don't give a crap about their foolishness. What I care about is the response of the majority who's opinion counts. I believe if this scenerio were played out with a nuke or dirty bomb, the American people would respond as they did with 911, demand the perps and anyone who directly supported them be dealt with by military means!

12) Chris Norman Says:
January 16, 2007 - 12:15

I think it's significant to show that in this age of terrorism, there will be no buildup of tension leading up to the event of a nuclear strike - unlike during the Cold War. If it happens, it will be from out of the blue, with absolutely no clue that it is about to happen. There will be no chance for diplomacy to work if there are those here who still hold out hope for that...

13) tracheostomy Says:
January 16, 2007 - 12:22

Actually, it turns out more people were watching the Golden Globes that were watching TV at all. Ratings just came in on Drudge.

We still have our collective heads in the sand. I believe it will take a mushroom cloud to truly wake everyone up. I'm even starting to wonder if that would even do the trick. Many people simply use denial as a coping mechanism. -PJ

http://newsbusters.org/node/10193

-- January 16, 2007 12:57 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Oil: The government lifts government subsidy on imported oil derivatives

Expectations of the dinar rise against the dollar

The Iraqi Minister of Finance, Baqir Jabr Al-Zubaydi, announced that the ministry had adopted a clear economic strategy leading Iraq to prosperity, pointing out that the current year's budget lifted the government subsidy on imported oil derivatives, and provided 136 job opportunities.

He explained, during the discussion of the new budget in the Parliament, that the International Bank provided $ 500 million to finance investment projects on facilitated terms, repaid in 40 years, with a permitting period of ten years. Iraq also concluded a memorandum of understanding with Iran under which Tehran finances projects with $ 1 billion, repayable over 40 years, demanding that the authorization of ministry to negotiate for agreements with other countries and donors.

The adviser of the Iraqi Ministry of Finance, Aziz Mohammad Jaafar, displayed the 2007 budget which estimated the expenditures at 41 billion dollars and imports at $ 33.3 billion, of which $ 31 billion of crude oil revenues, on the basis of 50 dollars a barrel, and the rest from taxes, as the ministry is working to improve the means of collection.

Jaafar indicated that the budget would allocate $ 2.4 billion for importing oil derivatives, with the exception of kerosene which will be imported by the Ministry of Oil.

He added that more than four billion dollars were allocated for importing the components of the ration card, 750 million dollars for the network of social protection and more than three billion dollars for other expenses, pointing out that 5% of the oil revenues go to Kuwait as compensations, which leaves around $ 32 billion after paying $20 billion.

A number of deputies warned of the dangerous reactions towards the lifting the government subsidy for oil derivatives. The deputy, Hassan Al-Sunaid, said that the reactions of the citizens will be disastrous, especially after the complete lifting of the government support, which would cause a significant increase in the oil derivatives prices.

Some deputies pointed out that the rate of the dinar will continue to rise significantly against the dollar, before the middle of this year. They expected the dinar to reach 1200 to the dollar, after being 1480 dinar to the dollar last November.

Source: Iraq Directory

-- January 16, 2007 1:00 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

News numbre: 8510260331
13:28 | 2007-01-16 POLITICAL
نسخه چاپي ارسال به دوستان

Iraq Calls for Release of Kidnapped Iranian Diplomats

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iraq's president visited Syria on Sunday and his foreign minister called for the release of five Iranians detained by US forces.

The incidents underscored the divergent approaches between the Iraqi government and US officials toward Iraq's neighbors.

Appearing on CNN's Late Edition, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the five Iranians had been in Iraq with the knowledge and permission of the Iraqi government.

Furthermore, their office in Erbil had been offering "certain consular service for the local people," he said.

"The Iraqi government is committed to cultivate good neighborly relations with these two countries and to engage them constructively in security cooperation," Zebari said of Iran and Syria.

President Bush has accused both countries of aiding insurgents in Iraq. "We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria," Bush alleged in a speech last week.

"And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."

On Sunday, the US military issued a statement repeating a charge made by American officials speaking anonymously last week: that the five men are members of the Qods Force faction of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman on Sunday strongly rejected the allegations, reiterating that they have been dealing with consulate affairs and that all their actions have been in conformity with the diplomatic rules and regulations.

While Iraqi officials have also denied that the men were IRGC members or helped insurgents, both Tehran and Baghdad have called for the release of the five detainees.

At around 3 a.m. Thursday morning, US troops disarmed the guards outside the Iranian consulate general in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, broke into the building, confiscated computers and documents there and kidnapped five mission staffers while military helicopters were hovering overhead.

Despite Americans' allegations, the liaison office had diplomatic immunity and functioned as a consulate general office issuing travel documents and carrying out other consular tasks. An Iranian flag flying over the building was hauled down during the raid.

Iraqi politicians are keen to assert their independence from US foreign-policy priorities. Their government has built extensive official relations with Iran through trade agreements and diplomacy during the past three years.

On Sunday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, the first such high-level meeting between leaders of the two nations in almost 30 years.

Talabani, a Kurd who spent several years in Syrian exile, brought a delegation that included Iraq's trade and interior ministers.

"We don't want our country to become a stage for settling differences between this or that country," Labeed Abbawi, Iraq's deputy foreign minister, said Friday.
"We want Iraq to have a good relationship with its neighbors," the Iraqi official underlined.

source: english.farsnews.com

-- January 16, 2007 1:13 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

turkishweekly.net
Syria gives help pledge to Talabani
Tuesday , 16 January 2007

Syria's president promised to do what he can to ease tensions in neighboring Iraq during a landmark visit here by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, just days after the U.S. president accused Syria of backing Iraq's insurgency.

A veteran Kurdish politician who spent years in exile living in Syria, Talabani is the first Iraqi president to visit Damascus in nearly three decades — and his trip is part of an attempt to warm relations between the longtime rivals.

The United States and Iraqi officials accuse Damascus of providing refuge for Sunni insurgents and allowing them to cross the border freely into Iraq to fight American and Iraqi troops. Syria denies the charge, countering that the Iraqis and their U.S. backers are not doing enough to guard their side of the border.

Syria's official news agency SANA said the talks between Assad and Talabani focused on "bilateral relations" and that both sides expressed a keen desire to strengthen relations between their two countries.

Assad expressed Syria's readiness to help achieve national reconciliation as well as stability in Iraq and stressed his support for the political process under way in the neighboring country, the state news agency said.

The leaders agreed to continue consultations and coordination on all issues of mutual interest, SANA said.

In an address Wednesday outlining his new strategy for Iraq, Bush lashed out at Syria and its ally Iran, accusing them of supporting militants in Iraq. Bush vowed military action to disrupt insurgency supply lines coming into Iraq from Syria and Iran.

16 January 2007
The New Anatolian

-- January 16, 2007 1:17 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Bush`s `surge` on Iraq`s oil
By Ben Lando Jan 16, 2007, 14:24 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- The oil sector, like Iraq, suffers from factional and sectarian fighting and an overall dangerous security situation. Oil revenue funds 96 percent of Iraq`s budget, a vital factor for the country with the world`s third-largest oil reserves.

In the north, where a quarter of Iraq`s oil is produced, Sunni militia attacks have shutdown the export infrastructure and hindered refining. None of Bush`s 'surge' plan will address that, directly or indirectly.

The Shiite south has seen relative stability.

In and around Basra, specifically, much of the population is someway involved in producing oil and shipping out most of Iraq`s 1.5 million barrels of daily exports -- either as legitimate parts of the oil sector or in the growing oil smuggling trade.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki`s government is to have a role in the 'surge' and 'the Shiite militias in the south are financially connected to the petroleum trade.'

The future depends on the tack of addressing the ongoing and escalating violence between Shiites and Sunnis in Baghdad. Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric whose power grows daily and who was recently folded into the political process, could be in the crosshairs.

Douglass Macgregor, a retired U.S. Army colonel and now a defense and foreign policy consultant, says Sunni militias will just 'melt away' when confronted head on.

'You risk mobilizing the whole Shiite population against you,' Macgregor said. With hatred of the occupation high in central Iraq, 'it could spread all over southern Iraq,' since Shiites are by far the majority.

Sadr is now a key backer of Maliki, an alliance that has kept the prime minister in power. Sadr followers control four ministries and fill 30 of Iraq`s 275 parliament seats.

With Maliki`s blessing, Sadr City, a poor Baghdad neighborhood of 2 million residents, has been off limits to coalition troops -- though the 'surge' could end that, with unclear results.

The 'surge' may not focus on Sadr`s attacks on Sunnis. It could focus on other Shiite militias, perhaps even splinter groups formerly aligned with Sadr who have a strong presence in Basra and are causing havoc in Baghdad.

'The largest concern would be operational disruption,' said Greg Priddy, an energy analyst for the Eurasia Group, a global political risk advisory and consulting firm.

If violence escalates in the south, especially in and around Basra, the largest port, and Iraq`s largest oil fields, the already hurting industry might be inoperable, Priddy said.

'The most likely point at which petroleum becomes involved in this would be possibly Mahdi Army attacks on U.S. military fuel convoys bringing fuel up from Kuwait and Basra to U.S. bases up north,' Cole said. 'If that happened, that would be pretty serious, of course. You can`t run tanks and helicopter gunships without fuel.'

Sadr is not likely to order this, Cole said, unless he feels directly threatened in the upcoming 'surge.'

'If things got out of hand between the U.S. and the Sadr movement those fuel convoys could be targeted,' he said.

-- January 16, 2007 1:25 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

I am looking for the entire article if it’s written yet. Upon Hillary’s return from the Middle East and with her planned News Conference OBama announced his plan for a committee to investigate something which prompted Hillary to cancel her News Conference and SHUT HER PIE HOLE! It’s been on CNN this morning but nothing Ii print.

-- January 16, 2007 1:52 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Our ittle train keeps chugging on down the track......
=================================================================================================================
POL-US-IRAQ OIL LAW
Iraqi cabinet may vote on oil law as soon as this week - White House

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- It appears there will be a vote by the Iraqi cabinet as early as this week on the Iraqi hydrocarbon law, White House spokesman Tony Snow said on Tuesday.

The Iraqi government also is working "aggressively and assertively" on other reconciliation efforts, including revisions to the de-Baathification law and election law, Snow said during a White House briefing.

In the wake of the speech last week by President George W. Bush in which he said the Iraqi government would be held to benchmarks tied to U.S. military efforts in Iraq, Snow was asked if there were any specific dates by which the Iraqi government was expected to meet any benchmarks.

Perhaps the most important current benchmark is the Iraqi hydrocarbon law, Snow said, "because that is one that takes the considerable revenues from oil and natural gas and distributes them equitably across the country." The Iraqi government is "moving pretty rapidly toward passage of that, and that is enormously significant because it says to everybody, you have got a financial stake in the success of this country," Snow said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi government officials have said they support efforts to modify the Iraqi de-Baathification statute so that Iraqis who were not part of the "terror apparatus" of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, but were members of the Baath Party, "can be reintegrated into the economy and into the political structure, and similarly, at the local level, Sunnis who sat out the prior election at the local level can in fact have an opportunity to have local representation that is roughly proportional to their population," Snow said.

There is not a sense that Iraqi government officials are "dragging their feet" on these issues, Snow said, adding, "They are moving pretty quickly." Asked about continuing security problems in Iraq, most recently illustrated by a bombing at Baghdad University today that killed more than 60 people and wounded more than 110, Snow said, "If somebody in fact is willing to take their own life so they can kill others, that is a tough thing to bring down. But the real key is to go after the organizations that recruit, train, supply, encourage this kind of behavior, and it means going after them." The military operations last week on Haifa Street in Baghdad show that the Maliki government "has been more aggressive in going after bad actors within Baghdad," Snow said.

Maliki has made it very clear that if militias are part of the violence against civilians, "they are going to go after them," Snow said. "If Saddam rejectionist groups are part of the problem, they are going to go after them." The Iraqi government needs to "go after those who are trying to bring down the government and also to foment sectarian strife," he said. "They have to do it in an even-handed and aggressive manner." And Iraqis must take the lead role in dealing with security, Snow said.

"They are the ones who are going to be able to get that kind of on-the-ground intelligence," he said. "They are going to have a better feel, neighborhood to neighborhood, of where the real danger spots lie. And it is our approach to build capacity and capability among the Iraqis, not only by training and equipping, but also passing on matters of doctrine and doing it in real time. But the Iraqis are the ones who are going to be in the lead of these operations." (end) rm.

-- January 16, 2007 2:54 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Our little train keeps chugging on down the track......
=================================================================================================================
POL-US-IRAQ OIL LAW
Iraqi cabinet may vote on oil law as soon as this week - White House

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- It appears there will be a vote by the Iraqi cabinet as early as this week on the Iraqi hydrocarbon law, White House spokesman Tony Snow said on Tuesday.

The Iraqi government also is working "aggressively and assertively" on other reconciliation efforts, including revisions to the de-Baathification law and election law, Snow said during a White House briefing.

In the wake of the speech last week by President George W. Bush in which he said the Iraqi government would be held to benchmarks tied to U.S. military efforts in Iraq, Snow was asked if there were any specific dates by which the Iraqi government was expected to meet any benchmarks.

Perhaps the most important current benchmark is the Iraqi hydrocarbon law, Snow said, "because that is one that takes the considerable revenues from oil and natural gas and distributes them equitably across the country." The Iraqi government is "moving pretty rapidly toward passage of that, and that is enormously significant because it says to everybody, you have got a financial stake in the success of this country," Snow said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi government officials have said they support efforts to modify the Iraqi de-Baathification statute so that Iraqis who were not part of the "terror apparatus" of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, but were members of the Baath Party, "can be reintegrated into the economy and into the political structure, and similarly, at the local level, Sunnis who sat out the prior election at the local level can in fact have an opportunity to have local representation that is roughly proportional to their population," Snow said.

There is not a sense that Iraqi government officials are "dragging their feet" on these issues, Snow said, adding, "They are moving pretty quickly." Asked about continuing security problems in Iraq, most recently illustrated by a bombing at Baghdad University today that killed more than 60 people and wounded more than 110, Snow said, "If somebody in fact is willing to take their own life so they can kill others, that is a tough thing to bring down. But the real key is to go after the organizations that recruit, train, supply, encourage this kind of behavior, and it means going after them." The military operations last week on Haifa Street in Baghdad show that the Maliki government "has been more aggressive in going after bad actors within Baghdad," Snow said.

Maliki has made it very clear that if militias are part of the violence against civilians, "they are going to go after them," Snow said. "If Saddam rejectionist groups are part of the problem, they are going to go after them." The Iraqi government needs to "go after those who are trying to bring down the government and also to foment sectarian strife," he said. "They have to do it in an even-handed and aggressive manner." And Iraqis must take the lead role in dealing with security, Snow said.

"They are the ones who are going to be able to get that kind of on-the-ground intelligence," he said. "They are going to have a better feel, neighborhood to neighborhood, of where the real danger spots lie. And it is our approach to build capacity and capability among the Iraqis, not only by training and equipping, but also passing on matters of doctrine and doing it in real time. But the Iraqis are the ones who are going to be in the lead of these operations." (end) rm.

-- January 16, 2007 2:55 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Quote:

'You risk mobilizing the whole Shiite population against you,' Macgregor said. With hatred of the occupation high in central Iraq, 'it could spread all over southern Iraq,' since Shiites are by far the majority.

==end of quote==

Considering that the average Iraqi Shiite went out to vote, braving terrorist attack, to install a peaceful government, I am virtually certain that the idea of great amounts of Shiites turning into militiamen is unfounded. It is more likely there will be sporadic violent enclaves by those sent there to stir up discontent than that there will be anything at a grassroots level or in any real numbers. Also, many Shiite populaces have stood up against terrorism and stood for their communities. They wish peace, not war.

The overestimation of Sadr's backing is also interesting in the article. He has some support, to be sure, since he has 15 seats in parliament. But he is not of such a great influence as this article made him out to be that anything on the scale of a real war-scale resistance could result from this... unless it is imported from Iran. But that is not homegrown resistance, and I would think the Armed Forces would have tabs on that kind of activity through their Iraqi counterparts in those areas.

Okie.. Great article, soon, we hope. :)

Sara.

-- January 16, 2007 3:04 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

EU president Germany backs peace conference on Iraq

Tue 16 Jan 2007 18:37:12 GMT

BERLIN, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Germany's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday that he supported the idea of holding an international peace conference to help stem the violence in Iraq.

"Priority must be given to the internal Iraqi reconciliation process. That is difficult enough. An Iraq conference with third parties participating can be a further, in my opinion entirely sensible step," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in an interview with General-Anzeiger newspaper.

"Even now Iraq is intensifying its relations with its neighbours," Steinmeier said in an advance copy of the interview, which will be published on Wednesday.

Steinmeier did not name the "third parties".

Berlin has repeatedly called on Iraq's neighbours Syria and Iran, which Washington accuses of supporting insurgents in Iraq and backing terrorism throughout the Middle East, to play a constructive role throughout the region.

Germany holds the European Union's six-month rotating presidency and has vowed to try to get the Middle East peace process back on track.

Berlin's position is that the region will not be stable until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved.

In December, the bipartisan U.S. Iraq Study Group issued a report on the Iraq war in which it recommended that the United States hold direct talks with Damascus and Tehran to persuade them to stop interfering in Iraq.

However, U.S. President George W. Bush reacted coolly to that proposal. The United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran.

Earlier this year, French President Jacques Chirac raised the idea of an international Middle East peace conference to help restore stability to the region.

-- January 16, 2007 3:21 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

US to hunt foreign networks in Iraq

Khalilzad, right, laid out what he called a
"defining moment" for Iraq [AFP]
The United States has said it plans to "go after" what it says are networks of Iranian and Syrian agents in Iraq.

Washington also told the Iraqi public not to expect an instant improvement in security in the capital, Baghdad.

This came in a joint press conference given by Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, and General George Casey, the outgoing US military commander in Iraq, in Baghdad on Monday.

"We're going after their networks in Iraq," Khalilzad told the news conference.

"We will target these networks in the ... expectation of changing the behaviour of these states," Khalilzad said as he laid out the new US and Iraqi strategy to end sectarian violence, by both Sunnis and Shia, at what he called a "defining moment" for Iraq.

On his return, Casey said the latest US plan to beef up its forces and secure Baghdad had "no guarantees of success" and that it was "not going to happen overnight".

He said he did not expect significant results until the summer and autumn, for the first time putting a timeframe around the new plan that was announced on Wednesday by George Bush, the US president.

"As with any plan, there are no guarantees of success, and it's not going to happen overnight, but with sustained political support and the concentrated efforts on all sides, I believe that this plan can work," Casey said.

"The plan is Iraqi-conceived and Iraqi-led, but we are involved in every step."

The US general stressed that rogue Shia forces believed to be behind much of the country's chronic sectarian violence would be targeted in the new plan.

"Militias will not be allowed to be an alternative to the state or to provide and to take on local security around the country," Casey said.

Violence continues

Meanwhile, car bomber killed at least five people and wounded 28 more in an attack on an office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the northern city of Mosul on Monday, police and a Kurdish official said.

Police said the number of civilian casualties was four dead and 26 wounded.

Lieutenant Ahmed Zebari, a military officer with links to the KDP, said inside the office one more person was killed and another two wounded. They were taken to a different hospital.

The KDP is one of the two ruling parties in Kurdistan in northern Iraq. With a mixed population of Arabs and ethnic Kurds, Mosul has long been a flashpoint of violence.

Source: english.aljazeera.net

-- January 16, 2007 3:27 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

To all,thought this may be of interest.....liked your recent articles Rob.N,roger,Sara. cheers Matt

The Times UK

January 09, 2007

Mr President, herewith my ten tips to deal with Iraq

Amir Taheri

This week President Bush is expected to present a new strategy for Iraq based on a Pentagon paper. The paper considers three options: go big, which means more American boots on the ground; go long, which means keep the same number but stay as long as possible; and go home, which is self-explanatory.

It was obvious from a 90-minute discussion with President Bush at the White House recently that he would not cut and run, which excludes the last option. As for the “go long” option, he has little control over it. In two years someone else will be in the White House.

In immediate terms, therefore, Mr Bush is left with “go big”, the option his opponents have already attacked. Those familiar with Iraq know that the real war for its future is waged in the United States and, to a lesser extent, Britain. The terrorists have no hope of riding in triumph into Baghdad, but they continue to fight to persuade US and British opinion that the war is lost and that new Iraq does not deserve further support. Moreover, some in the new Iraqi elite have become fence-sitters. Worried that the US may run away, they have sought insurance from Tehran or, in the case of Sunni Arabs, the jihadis.

So, what should Mr Bush do? The last thing to do is to seek a bipartisan policy. Too many Democrats have invested too much in the hope that Iraq fails for them to agree to help Mr Bush to ensure success.

What is needed, therefore, is a nonpartisan policy. This means a policy that safeguards what has already been achieved in Iraq, without further provoking Democrats. In such a policy, there is room for all three options in the Pentagon paper. It is possible to chew gum and walk at the same time.

The “go big” option is useful if the US commits specialised forces with a clear mission, the success of which could be assessed within weeks. The “go long” option could be exercised by raising the percentage of US training personnel with Iraqi units from 5, as it is now, to 20. There is also room for the “go home” option, needed to give Democrats something to chew upon. Most GIs in Iraq are now in self-defence mode or engaged in routine tasks that could be assumed by Iraqis. The US and Britain could repatriate many of their troops within the next two years.

Mr Bush still has a monopoly on making policy on Iraq because the Democrats, apart from a general anti-war sentiment, have nothing to offer and are unlikely to develop an alternative vision soon. So, to the three Pentagon options, one could add a fourth: go deep! Here are some of the things that the President might consider:

# Whatever you announce, make sure that your Administration and military commanders believe in it. Journalists covering Iraq know that there are three Iraq wars: one inside Iraq, another in the US political theatre and a third within the Administration.

# Focus on the home front. Many Americans do not realise that Iraq is one theatre in a global war from Indonesia to Algeria, passing by Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Mr Bush must become explainer-in-chief and mobilise support for defeating jihadism and reshaping the Middle East with the help of moderate, reformist forces.

# Remind the Iraqis that the US and allies have fulfilled their promise to take power away from Saddamites and return it to the people. Force was used to remove impediments to democratisation. But, force cannot be used to build democracy. That requires the effort of the Iraqis. Some Iraqis, including many in the new elite, have developed a “room-service” mentality, expecting the US to do everything. The President must disabuse them of that notion.

# Go after the jihadis. Surprisingly, the US has lacked a strategy to defeat the insurgency. The assumption has been that the Iraqi security forces would meet the challenge when they are ready. In 2006, for example, US forces conducted only 11 offensive operations against jihadis; the British did 3. In some cases, operations have been aborted because of political intervention. In the new strategy, the US and its allies should go on the offensive, modelled on operations that pacified other places once bedevilled by terror, notably Fallujah. More than 80 per cent of the insurgency is in Anbar province, five neighbourhoods in Baghdad and the town of Baqubah. These must be secured and cleared out.

# Serve notice on Iran and Syria to stop the flow of arms and fighters to Iraq through their territory. If they refuse, hit the safe havens and logistical routes used for the purpose. This is a regional struggle in which both have been involved since the 2003 at little cost to themselves.

# Go after Shia militias. Some Sunnis see the insurgents as protectors against Shia death squads. What we have in Iraq is not a sectarian war but a war of sectarians who must be crushed on both sides.

# Instead of asking your enemies for help, invite your regional friends to give a hand or, at least, end their boycott of new Iraq.

# Ask the Iraqi Government to postpone devolution until after elections in 2009. This will reassure Sunnis and win support from secular Shia who fear a division of Iraq.

# Re-emphasise your commitment to democratisation by urging the Iraqi Government to hold the postponed municipal elections. The elections would reveal the true strength of all parties while creating local administrations whose absence is felt in many provinces.

# Finally, always remember that, in military terms, you have already won the war in Iraq. The task now is to translate that into a lasting geopolitical victory.

-- January 16, 2007 3:50 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

Hey guys, did anyone else see this?

"A great reduction in Dinar supply amounting to over three trillion dinar since Nov == Hello everyone. I have a problem with this prediction of the rate moving so slowly over the next couple of years. I don't think that this prediction is valid based on the facts we have seen. First, the CBI has continued to remove large amounts of currency out of the economy in the last few auctions since Jan. 9th. If my math is correct, over 300 million USD worth of dinar. A couple of weeks ago the CBI stated they had 4.6 trillion in circulation. If this is true, then they are approaching a 10% reduction in currency in circulation after that figure was reported. And, they don't seem to be too subtle about it either.
Also, they have not sold any dinar in any appreciable amounts since Nov.
A great reduction in supply amounting to over three trillion dinar since November. A big bunch. This "drying" is being supported by reports from all over the world were dinar is getting hard to get and is much more expensive to the point that the "street" price is ahead of the offical exchange rate. A very unusal situation for most countries to be in.
Reports from the street in Iraq indicate that the dinar is selling (when they can find it) for around 950 to the dollar. Yesterday, we recieved our first report that large banks, airlines and corporations were buying large blocks of dinar. So, in effect the dinar is over 11% and individuals in iraq and abroad along with large organizations are buying the dinar. It is all supply and demand and it has happened very quickly.
Reduced supply, since the CBI is the ultimate source and they aren't selling, expect the "pools" of dinar out there is get smaller and smaller. Increased demand with many reports of hording and increased buying, this too effects eventual supply. The recipe is one that forces the value of the dinar to increase dramatically even without a bold adjust. Since by any estimation the dinar is still an undervalued currency expect these trends to continue and expect them to become more interesting as we watch this unfold. Lets hope they continue to remove large amounts of currency from the economy in the next two auctions.
Thank You."

http://www.rolclub.com/158949-post103.html

Very interesting!!!!!!

-- January 16, 2007 4:49 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

The latest from www.dinartrade.com

Technology Will Be Key to Iraq Buildup

A key element in the deployment will be an accelerated effort to bring more and newer technologies to bear on the foe, in part by targeting insurgent commanders, often through their communication networks, say Pentagon and aerospace industry specialists. Even the F-22 with its advanced electronic surveillance and analysis capability is being considered for deployment into theater from Okinawa this year during the stealth fighter's first air expeditionary force assignment.

The Pentagon is scrambling--in tandem with a crash reworking of the 2008 President's budget, due in February--to make sure that the ground force in Iraq, enlarged by 21,500 troops, will "have more advanced technology tools to work with," says a retired U.S. Army official with insight into the service's preparations. "There's certainly going to be more precision weapons available and more special operations teams that can provide precision targeting." But what the military really will be focusing on are electronic emitters, primarily communications used by insurgents.

One goal of the technology infusion in Iraq will be to decapitate the leadership of some insurgent cells quickly and map their communications to reveal additional layers of their networks. Well before the White House's call for troop increases last week, the military and industry were conducting an urgent examination of sensors and weapons that could provide more network-centric-based options for increasing the clout of what's expected to be a relatively small and difficult-to-sustain increase in ground forces.

"Will there be more airpower going to Iraq in the next days, weeks, months? Hell, yes," says a senior Air Force official. "The plan is to clear some insurgent areas and militia strongholds in Baghdad and keep them cleared. There will be precision weapons applied wherever there's an enclave, a storage area or logistics activity--boom, boom, boom. It will be fixed-wing attack of critical targets within urban areas."

In fact, the number of suitable weapons for precision attacks with minimum collateral damage is growing. The 250-lb. Small-Diameter Bomb (SDB) made its debut in theater last year, providing close air support to ground troops. Meanwhile, the Air Force continues work on a new variant called the Focused Lethality Munition (FLM), which will combine an SDB casing with a new explosive fill that will confine the weapon's blast effects to within 100 ft. of its detonation point. Boeing is the contractor for both SDB and FLM.

A surge in aviation would accompany any increases in ground forces, agrees former Air Force chief of staff, Gen. (ret.) John Jumper. "The numbers of locations, of patrols, the tasking through the combatant commander are accompanied by everything that goes along with that--more logistics, fuel and support from the air and sea," he says.

But it would be incorrect to portray the surge as sending in technology that has been withheld from the conflict so far, Jumper says. There could be acceleration of some technologies, but anything new will more likely be the product of a decades-long effort to fuse and integrate sensor and network-centric technology.

"I think there's a consistent effort to get the integration of signals intelligence with the other [intelligence sources] and to get these things up and moving as quickly as we can to put things out there," Jumper says. "[But] we're not going to put together a new and different and especially high-tech surge package that we've been holding back."

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin (D-Mich.), expresses mixed feelings about the introduction of additional technology, given that U.S. military and Iraqi leaders have said that there's no military solution to the conflict in Iraq.

"I think it's a political problem," Levin says. Advanced technologies may have helped "marginally. There was some evidence, in some cases, that intelligence allowed us to succeed against certain insurgents." But, he warns, "the more focus we put on a military solution, the less we put on what the problem is." Levin says Congress may try to impose caps on the number of troops in Iraq, as it did in Europe, but not on the money spent to support them, which would keep the door open to more technological support.

While the technology being readied for Iraq is primarily focused on the ground combat effort, much of it will be plucked from Air Force and Navy development and acquisition programs, military and aerospace officials say. The Navy already announced that a second aircraft carrier has been deployed to the region. On board is to be the third squadron of EA-6Bs equipped with the latest Northrop Grumman ICAP III electronic attack system. It is designed to identify and locate enemy emitters and jam signals that can be used to remotely detonate explosive devices (AW&ST Nov. 7, 2005, p. 33). The U.S. Air Force's EC-130 Compass Call electronic attack aircraft are being used in Iraq to detonate explosive devices along convoy routes. It also was used earlier in the decade as a testbed for the Suter programs, which evolved into a system to invade enemy communications networks.

Now being readied for operations are capabilities previewed in the U.S. Navy's Trident Warrior operation of late 2005 to find and exploit enemy emitters. Both L-3 Communications' Network-Centric Collaborative Targeting (NCCT) system and operational versions of the BAE Systems-developed Suter communications network exploitation system are being rushed to support Iraq operations (AW&ST Jan. 23, 2006, p. 49).

"Suter finds the doors that have to be opened," an Air Force official says. "It's a continuing series of initiatives emphasizing integration of ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance], space and information operations to defeat threats of special concern."

The location (within a few hundred feet) and identity of enemy emitters-- radios, low-power cell phones and satellite phones, as well as other devices used for command and control and detonation of explosives--can be determined within seconds by fusing the data from three NCCT linked electronic surveillance aircraft, manned or unmanned. Plans are to have UAVs or manned aircraft nearby that can deliver weapons or guide ground teams to the emitter's location within minutes.

A series of Suter programs explored the ability to pipe data streams--embedded with specialized algorithms--into enemy communications networks without being detected. The portals into the network are found by precisely locating antennas (as aiming points for the data streams) whether they are part of an air defense system or a hand-held communications device linked to others in an ad hoc tactical network for a small insurgent team.

However, there's the possibility that some U.S. technology could interfere with other U.S. technology. Baghdad, where the force buildup is expected, is electronically polluted. For example, one smart system that jammed improvised explosive devices locked onto another smart system because of a lack of coordination between electronic warfare systems operated by different services and agencies. Jammers also can conflict with surveillance and communication systems. In one example, data links on Predators flying out of Balad AB near Baghdad were degraded to a range of 35 mi. while the same aircraft operating in Afghanistan had a data link range of 120 mi. The problem is so pervasive that antennas have been put on 110-ft.-high poles to get them out of the worst interference.

Nonetheless, there are additional technological surprises planned for introduction into the theater. "In the ISR world, there will be more and different things we will try out," says a senior Navy official. To the surprise of acquisition officials, many of the capabilities developed for the Navy and Air Force will see their first, extensive operational use in support of the Army, he says.

At the heart of the effort will be unmanned and manned aircraft networked to a greater degree than ever before. However, that doesn't mean a large number of UAVs will be shipped to Iraq even though they are available. The bottleneck is in the U.S. There the shortage of "cockpits" and aircrews (located at Nellis AFB, and Creech AFB, Nev.) needed to fly the unmanned systems operating in Iraq and Afghanistan is the limiting factor.

Those monitoring these programs say there will be additional UAVs deployed, including some new designs; but primarily changes will involve improved ISR capabilities for existing UAVs such as the Global Hawk and Predator. Another thrust will be the addition of improved network-centric warfare systems that, by linking the output of many platforms, can provide wider coverage and better situational awareness for the ground troops.

While unmanned aircraft will sometimes carry weapons, the primary thrust (at least initially) will be to focus on beefing up the ISR payloads on UAVs while relying on manned aircraft to provide precision delivery of weapons.

"The Air Force has lots of strike capability, but not enough [ISR] collection," a Pentagon official says. Therefore, the need for linkages between manned and unmanned aircraft and operators on the ground will be "a driving emphasis," he says.

What's being batted back and forth in Pentagon planning circles is whether to use the advanced electronic surveillance capabilities of the F-22 Raptor, which will have its first expeditionary deployment this summer.

Right now the stealth fighter doesn't have the data links installed that would let it instantaneously deliver its high-resolution data to other aircraft and ground stations. Until the new, low-probability-of-intercept communications are on the fighter, getting the electronic order of battle (what's emitting and where) information off the aircraft will always have to wait until the aircraft lands and the data can be downloaded (AW&ST Jan. 8, p. 47).

"F-22 doesn't have the link, and crucial to the network-centric improvements [in Iraq] is being able to move the data," the Pentagon official says. The effort to support the new surge "is really an integration issue," he says. "F-22 deployment is still a maybe. The increase in ISR collection capability will be done primarily with unmanned aircraft." Even the Predator B, which has six weapons stations and is expected to deploy to Iraq, would devote most of its payload to sensors rather than missiles.

"They've been close to sending it in once or twice before," Jumper says. "That wouldn't surprise me at all. It would be able to do a lot more" in the ISR world than conventional aircraft. The F-22 does a different mission."

Others think not. "The F-22 community is itching to go, but I don't think it's going to happen," an Air Force official says. "There are airplanes already there and you don't really need it. As for a surge, the only thing you could do for the next two years is additional ISR payloads for Predators and Global Hawk."

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 16, 2007 5:53 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.safedinar.com

Rice receives cautious Saudi backing for Iraq plan
1/16/2007

by Sylvie Lanteaume 21 minutes ago

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to hold more talks with Arab leaders in Kuwait in a bid to rally support for Washington's plan to quell violence in Iraq after winning cautious Saudi backing.

"We agree with the objectives" of the US plan to bring peace to the war-torn country, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at a joint press conference with Rice in Riyadh earlier Tuesday.

But he was cautious about the means of reaching the objective.

"We cannot comment on the means that will be applied ... We're hoping that these objectives will be implemented, but the means are not in our hands. They are in the hands of the Iraqis," he said.

Rice praised Saudi Arabia's role in "urging national reconciliation" in Iraq, and welcomed a greater Arab engagement in efforts to reunify the Iraqis.

"If the Arab League is prepared to go forward with a reconciliation conference, that will also be very useful to the Iraqis," she said.

"I do know that the possibility of reinforcing Iraq's place in the Arab world through an Arab initiative would be a very useful matter," she added.

The secretary of state has turned her attention to Iraq and the Gulf after focusing on reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in the first part of her regional tour that began at the weekend.

Rice was due to hold talks with Kuwaiti leaders and confer with other foreign ministers of the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states plus Egypt and Jordan.

She was aiming to drum up support for US President George W. Bush's "surge" strategy to tackle violence in Iraq with the deployment of an additional 21,500 troops and to seek financial aid from the oil-rich Gulf countries for the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, chiefly through debt forgiveness.

"We'll see tonight at the GCC+2 how these states intend to try to support the unity government of Iraq but I think there has been a very positive reaction thus far," Rice told reporters in Kuwait.

The US plan revealed last week has come under fire in many Arab capitals, even among staunch allies in the Gulf, with critics saying it provides a recipe for more sectarian violence in Iraq that could spread elsewhere in the region.

But Rice on Monday won support from Cairo after meeting with President Hosni Mubarak in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor.

"We are supportive of the plan ... We are hopeful that plan will lead to the stabilisation of, unity and cohesion of the Iraqi government," said Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

While Rice began her trip stressing she had no plan for reviving the Middle East peace process, she announced a three-way summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

The summit, expected to take place in three or four weeks, will be the first meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in two years.

Stressing the meeting would only be a prelude to the resumption of final settlement negotiations, Rice said "there are a number of issues, some old, some new, that will have to be resolved if there is to be a Palestinian state.

"I am very clear about one thing we do not want to do, which is to rush the formal negotiations before things are fully prepared, before people are fully prepared," she said.

Olmert welcomed the summit but stressed that any Palestinian government involved in peace talks should recognise Israel's right to exist. The Palestinians' ruling Islamist Hamas movement steadfastly refuses to recognise Israel.

For his part, Abbas said he rejects "any temporary or transitional solutions, including a state with temporary borders, because we do not believe it to be a realistic choice that can be built upon".

During a lightning visit to Jordan late Sunday, King Abdullah II told Rice that concrete progress needed to be made on the stalled Middle East roadmap peace blueprint if the region was to be spared fresh bloodshed.

Rice receives cautious Saudi backing for Iraq plan - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 16, 2007 5:57 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

CYMRU001,

Yes I agree, the fast and aggressive removal of Dinars from the market is more than a cosmetic fix.

IF the reason for it is to just raise the Dinar in small increments to handle inflation, this big and drastic move is not needed.

If you want to do a small incremental raise in the Dinar, perhaps some Dinars could be bought up, but most of it could easily be adjusted with their daily auction anyway, as the auction is an almost internal sell/buy event, they could easily control any small adjustment, by just setting the price of the Dinar in an arbitrary manner.

They have done that from the day the Dinar was released anyway.

So this move of reining in as much of the Dinars as possible MUST in my opinion be part of a bigger move.

First report saying the Dinars are drying up, came from Lance ( wonder where he is now) saying the Dinar dealers didn't want to give out their Dinars. And this was way back in August I think.

Since then, the report of a shrinking availability of Dinars have been coming in quite regularly from different sources. Dealers without currency, longer waiting period for Dinars, banks having to wait weeks instead of a 24 hr service, market value much higher than the existing Dinar exchange value because of no availability of Dinars, and so on.

So for the credibility of the reports, I give it a "Myth Confirmed".

So, now it's an interpretation question.

Is a re buy of a currency to the degree that it's almost impossible to get, a strategy to slowly get the currency in the 1200 to 1 ratio with the Dollar.???

Well, they say so, but I don't think so, they are doing something differently.

They are definitely setting up something, that is far far bigger than a mere 1200 to 1 deal.

All the signs so far points directly to that.

Now, the reason that they have to keep it under wraps is a pretty obvious one.

Lets say, CBI would announce an RV to 20 cants to the Dinar for example.

If you know for sure when, and how much an RV would be, and had that announced to the world, that currency would be completely devastated.

In a snap, there would be no currency floating around anywhere.

Currency is like the blood in the veins, and if you tap it out, you die.

You would be hard pressed to buy anything, because you would in your head, think that ..."why am I going to buy a loaf of bread, if the money I pay for that loaf of bread now, will buy me a car in three months time from now."

Any commercial activity would come to a screaming halt.

Probably the whole Iraq would more or less stop, flowing goods and services, as no one wants to use the currency, but sit and hold on to it.

So it is fully understandable, that around the subject of RV, there has to , by nature, be a lot of secrecy.

So what are they doing????

Well if the total amount of Dinars printed are 20 trill, and by the report stated above, there are now only 4.6 trill in circulation, that means they have during a short period of time managed to withhold, or buy up OVER 3/4 of their available currency.

Stop and think about it for a while.

Imagine, the US fed Reserve, would rein in 3/4 of the Dollars circulating out there, do you think they would do that just in order to curb inflation, and do minute changes to the currency??... No.

Less than 1/4 of the existing Iraqi Dinars are in circulation right now, and the CBI is still buying them up in record pace.

Just to put it in perspective, no... they're up to something completely different, and whatever that is, I have a feeling it will be very very good for us.

-- January 16, 2007 6:03 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N,

About the report you posted about the military buildup over there.

I have a feeling, this is not done only to deal with Iraqi insurgency, but is a pre step for action against Iran.

In the Presidents speech a couple of nights ago, he said he was sending another carrier group over there.

What else, what could another carrier group, being deployed over there do against insurgency, not much.

What could a carrier group do against Iran, pretty much.

-- January 16, 2007 6:40 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

----- Original Message -----

A Cathlic Heart Attack

>> A Catholic Heart Attack...
>>
>> A man suffered a serious heart attack and had open
>> heart bypass surgery. He
>> woke from the surgery to find himself in
>> the care of nuns at a Catholic Hospital.
>>
>> As he was recovering, a nun asked him questions
>> regarding how he was going
>> to pay for his treatment. She asked if he had
>> health insurance. He replied, in a raspy voice, "No
>> health insurance."
>>
>> The nun asked if he had the money in the bank. He
>> replied, "No money in the
>> bank."
>>
>> The nun asked, "Do you have a relative who could
>> help you?"
>>
>> He said, "I only have a spinster sister, who is a
>> nun."
>>
>> "The nun became agitated and announced loudly, "Nuns
>> are not spinsters! Nuns
>>
>> are married to God." The patient replied, "Send the
>> bill to my brother-in-law

-- January 16, 2007 8:15 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Two Arabs boarded a flight out of London. One took a window seat and the other sat next to him in the middle seat.

Just before takeoff, a Marine sat down in the aisle seat.

After takeoff, the Marine kicked his shoes off, wiggled his toes and was settling in when the Arab in the window seat said, "I need to get up and get a coke."

"Don't get up," said the Marine, "I'm in the aisle seat, I'll get it for you."

As soon as he left, one of the Arabs picked up the Marines shoe and spat in it.

When the Marine returned with the coke, the other
Arab said, "That looks good, I'd really like one, too."

Again, the Marine obligingly went to fetch it.

While he was gone the other Arab picked up the Marines other shoe and spat in it.

When the Marine returned, they all sat back and enjoyed the flight. As the plane was landing, the Marine slipped his feet into his shoes and knew immediately what had happened.

"Why does it have to be this way?" he asked. "How long must this go on? This fighting between our nations? This hatred? This animosity? This spitting in shoes and pissing in cokes?"

THE MARINES WILL ALWAYS WIN

-- January 16, 2007 8:26 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

CYMRU001;

One further thought on the Indians. When you wonder about the "genocide" which happened to them and if it was ultimately of God, or God's will.. if it was "right", as it were.. Do you remember that the indians SCALPED people? Though there were peaceful people among them.. there was a lot of bloodthirst there. They didn't really live quite so peaceful and idyllic a life as is sometimes portrayed.

When I look at the END of a thing, I think you can say.. AT THAT POINT that the thing reveals God's completed will, not during (in the middle) of it. In WW2, Hitler thought he was right and many agreed with him, til he lost, decisively defeated. The fact that the Indians were decisively defeated as well is reason to believe it is the final judgement of God on the matter, because the final way it turns out is from Him. This is because God is in control of ultimate realities.

There were times America looked like it would remain in British hands.. such as when the Whitehouse was burnt and the people in retreat, or General George Washington almost defeated.. etc. But God had a plan to bring forth the independent nation of the United States and.. IN TIME.. it happened as He ultimately willed it to. Even the Civil War appeared to be forcing the US into splitting up.. but it didn't END UP that way.

Similarly, we are currently just at the beginning of a confrontation with the Islamofascists, not at that conflict's end. Time will require of our side of the war that we make sacrifices, but the will of God will be shown by the final outcome. The final outcome will show us decisively what is the true will of the Lord - the ultimate reality He has ordained.

You asked about the Indian peoples - in their case, they were ultimately dispossessed from their lands. I cannot but conclude that God showed His will by that final outcome, even as He did in overthrowing Hitler, the Japanese Emperor or His taking from Saddam the land of Iraq and having him executed. The END of Saddam shows us the final will of God. The END of Hitler shows us God's ultimate judgment, the END of the Japanese empire shows us God's ultimate will concerning that world power - and the END of the Indians in North America shows us God's ultimate will for those people. God's will is seen in the ultimate end of things, not in the beginning nor in the middle.

When the Islamofascists claim that God is on their side and they will ultimately win, I say, "We will see." God will have His way and we are not at the end of this conflict - the end is not yet seen - though those in the MSM agree with the terrorists and declare the fight is lost and we should retreat.

I see the current conflict in much the same way as Jonathan did when he spoke to his armor bearer:

1Sa 14:6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of (the enemy); it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few."

God can make us to win even now, by many or by few, as He wills. Those who say differently look only upon the outward and do not see that God is the one who determines the ultimate outcome - even as they did not have precognitive power to foresee the gallows for Saddam Hussein, else they would have saved their leader from his fate.

This buildup of the US forces may be part of the ultimate strategy God has chosen to save in this conflict by using many - for it is God who will oversee the ultimate outcome, not the strategists. We can work and fight, but only the Lord can ultimately put His hand to it and save us from the hands of our enemies.. by many or by few. And if the Lord's hand is in it, no man can add to it nor take away from it. Ultimately, in the Big Picture of the confrontation with the Islamofascist threat (which is not just in this one battle, but I speak here concerning the entire global war on terror), His Will will be done.

Sara.

-- January 16, 2007 11:32 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Court throws out bombing sentence
By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer Tue Jan 16, 5:16 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out the sentence of a man who was convicted of plotting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport at the turn of the millennium.

Ahmed Ressam was arrested near the U.S.-Canadian border in December 1999 after customs agents found 124 pounds of explosives in the trunk of his car as he disembarked from a ferry in Port Angeles, Wash.

Prosecutors said he was intent on bombing the airport on the eve of the millennium. The arrest raised fears of terrorism attacks and prompted the cancellation of New Year's celebrations at Seattle's Space Needle.

Ressam was sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted of all nine charges. On Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco reversed his conviction on one of the charges and sent the case back to a lower court to issue a new sentence and explain the rationale behind the 22-year term.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070116/ap_on_re_us/millennium_terror

-- January 17, 2007 12:08 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I note that this trial is being completely IGNORED by the US media..
at least the BBC is covering it over there, though all coverage appears blacked out in the US.

===

UK Jury Sees Videos Of Accused Subway Terrorists
From the BBC:

‘Suicide bomb’ CCTV shown to jury

A jury has been shown CCTV footage of the moment an alleged suicide bomber tried to detonate a device on a London underground train on 21 July 2005.

The pictures taken on a train near Oval station, south London, were played to the jury at Woolwich Crown Court.

Muktar Ibrahim, Manfo Asiedu, Hussein Osman, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Adel Yahya deny conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.

Prosecutors allege the failed bid was planned before the 7 July 2005 attacks.

The footage shows Mr Mohammed, 25, boarding the train with a rucksack, and turning so that the rucksack on his back faces towards a mother and her child before apparently trying and failing to detonate a bomb.

The jury watched as the CCTV footage showed all the passengers on board the carriage trying to get away from the scene except for fireman Angus Campbell who remonstrated with Mr Mohammed.

"Mohammed said not that it was a bomb but rather ‘what’s the matter, it is bread, it isn’t me, it was that’, pointing to the rucksack," prosecuting counsel Nigel Sweeney QC said.

Mr Mohammed is later seen running up the escalator after the train had arrived at Oval as he made his way out of the station, chased by several members of the public.

‘Crowded platform’

The court also heard details of Mr Omar’s alleged failed attempt to detonate his bomb on a Victoria Line tube approaching Warren Street station.

Afterwards, as he fled Warren Street station, heading north up Hampstead Road, Mr Omar approached two women in full Muslim dress, Mr Sweeney said.

"He demanded of the younger woman that she take him to her home," Mr Sweeney added.

"When she declined he said words to the effect of ‘What kind of Muslim are you not helping another Muslim?’"

Mr Osman, meanwhile, is alleged to have tried to set off a bomb in his rucksack on a Hammersmith and City line tube between Latimer Road and Shepherd’s Bush.

"Some passengers recall him being thrown off his feet and landing on the floor of the carriage still wearing his rucksack," Mr Sweeney said.

When the train had arrived at the open air Shepherd’s Bush station, Mr Osman had squeezed himself between two carriages to hide before escaping over a trackside wall, Mr Sweeney added.

The court was also shown footage of Mr Ibrahim trying to set off his bomb on the top deck of a number 26 bus in Shoreditch.

As with all the other instances, the main explosive charge in the bomb failed to explode.

Mr Sweeney said that, while fellow accused Mr Yahya and Mr Asiedu had not tried to detonate bombs, they had "played a full apart" in the bomb plots as "knowing conspirators".

"Not every soldier can fight on the frontline," he added.

The prosecution has said all of the men were would-be suicide bombers except for Mr Yahya, who was out of the country on 21 July 2005.

Mr Asiedu allegedly lost his nerve at the last moment and dumped his bomb.

Earlier, the jury heard that components for the devices started to be bought in late April or early May and that a "bomb factory" had been set up at the flat of Mr Omar in New Southgate.

"The events with which you are concerned… are plainly not some hastily-arranged repetition of the devastating events of 7/7, plainly not some hastily-arranged copycat," Mr Sweeney said.

He said the defendants had chosen to mount their attack at lunchtime to avoid enhanced rush hour security in the wake of the 7 July bombings.

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday.

Earlier, the jury heard that components for the devices started to be bought in late April or early May and that a "bomb factory" had been set up at the flat of Mr Omar in New Southgate.

==end of quote==

Note the BBC’s generous use of quotation marks around phrases like "suicide bomb" and "crowded platform."

But at least they are reporting on this trial, which is being assiduously ignored by the US media.

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 at 10:50 am.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/uk-jury-sees-videos-of-accused-subway-terrorists

-- January 17, 2007 12:18 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

As I said, I think the sheiks are increasingly onside -
so Sadr doesn't have a great following of people to choose from.

Turnout for Iraq police skyrockets since summer
By Megan McCloskey,
January 17, 2007

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq — The Iraqi police hopefuls come by the truckload, standing elbow to elbow in the back.

A few enterprising Iraqi army soldiers sell candy and cigarettes to those who are waiting in line to take the tests that will decide whether they can be a police officer.

During the three days of recruiting more than 400 men will go through the system.

The number has skyrocketed from the near single digits that showed up earlier this summer. The increase parallels the recent trend of tribal sheiks reaching out to work with coalition forces and fight insurgents.

As a result, there has been “a massive infusion of Iraqi security forces in the Ramadi area,” according to Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.

The active involvement of tribal leaders has been a crucial component of the recent success in police recruiting.

The process takes about two to three hours for each recruit. There’s a security screening, a medical screening, and a physical fitness test that consists of 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups and three 20-yard dashes.

The fitness test is “basically so we can make sure they won’t have a heart attack on the job,” said Capt. Thomas Breslin, with 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division.

Recruits also undergo a literacy test. No one can join without being able to read and write. Qualifying recruits are shipped to Jordan for six weeks of basic training.

In the beginning, the men would return home before going to Jordan, but that was akin to suicide, Iraqi border police Col. Yousef Tariq said, adding that just suspicion of collaborating with the coalition was enough to get one killed.

Now, for safety, they’re bused to the airport straight from Blue Diamond when the three-day session comes to end.

When the men return, they do a week of region-specific training before starting work, with the majority going back to police their own neighborhoods, Hensley said.

There have been some sticky issues, mainly with pay. Coordinating with the government in Baghdad often means police officers don’t get paid for months at time.

At the Albu Faraj station in Jazeera, for example, the men didn’t get their first glimpse at compensation until just a couple of weeks ago, four months after the station opened in September.

“They still came to work everyday. Still cleaned their weapons,” said Sgt. Jason Taylor, who is with the Police Transition Team for Albu Faraj.

“You’ve taken away every non-altruistic reason for doing this. It’s not for money. It’s not because they’ll be taking over a militia. It’s not because they’ll be getting any power out of it,” Breslin said. “They’re defending their homes.”

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=42833

-- January 17, 2007 1:47 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(843)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 843 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Tuesday 2007/ 1/16 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1308 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 24.505.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 24.675.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) -----

-- January 17, 2007 4:42 AM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

strongtower
Investor Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: nashville
Posts: 25

Dinar Buyback Update

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

DINAR BUYBACK UPDATE 1/17/07

1. 147,784,725,000 was taken out of circulation

2. 0 was put back into circulation today

3. Total 147,784,725000 was taken out today

4. 3,435,512,670,000 Total have been taken out since Nov 1 st.

5. There are 10,030,000,000,000 total in circulation

6. There are 6,594,487,330,000 are left in circulation

7. The CBI rate has dropped 172 (11.64%) points since Oct. 2006
Oanada (street value) has dropped 226 (15.30%) points since Oct. 2006

8. The CBI has spent a total of $2,544,824,200 American dollars buying Dinar back since Nov 1st.

-- January 17, 2007 10:28 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

This has been posted to the www.dinartrade.com website.

IMF: Iraqi authorities to move toward tighter monetary policy

On Jan. 16, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato was questioned on the status of the IMF's $685 million loan for Iraq.

Discussions between the IMF and the Iraqi authorities toward completing the next review under the stand-by arrangement are "right now going...[W]e are in the middle of seeing that review." De Rato could not provide any information on the review's completion date.

Regarding the Iraqi dinar, de Rato said: "We see as positive steps the strengthening of the dinar and certainly a more effective use of monetary policy, because inflation has reached very high inflations in 2006 - as you all know - and in that respect we were urging the authorities to move into tighter monetary policy."

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 17, 2007 10:56 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

I know I am steeling Chris' job, but enclosed is the latest exchange rate from the Central Bank of Iraq. Everytime I see the Dinar's value increase I become giddy.

Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1305 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 113.245.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 113.245.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 17, 2007 10:59 AM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

Rob: Trust me. . . all is forgiven. . .we don't consider you a thief. . P.H.

-- January 17, 2007 11:03 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.safedinar.com

Iraq leaders agree draft oil law
1/17/2007

By Mariam Karouny

BAGHDAD, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Iraq's Oil Committee has agreed a final draft of an Oil Law that sets rules for sharing revenues and boosting output and aims to bring in billions of dollars of foreign investment, an Oil Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

The draft, drawn up senior national and regional leaders, calls for a federal committee headed by the prime minister to oversee all future contracts. It will have the power to review existing deals signed under Saddam Hussein or by the Kurdish regional government, spokesman Asim Jihad said.

Passing an oil law to help settle potentially explosive disputes among Iraq's ethnic and sectarian communities over the division of the world's third biggest known crude oil reserves has been a key demand of the United States in providing further military support to the national unity government.

The negotiating team, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, had finalised the draft late on Tuesday, Jihad said, and the bill would go to the full cabinet next week for approval. After that it will go to parliament. Officials hope that the broad base of the negotiating team means it will pass easily.

The final draft was in line with earlier versions described last month after a previous round of talks. A national oil company would be set up to develop production and exports and the law is intended to ensure balanced development of the oil industry across Iraq's regions, Jihad said.

It establishes a mechanism for centralising oil revenues and distributing them to the various regions.

The division of oil is a key factor in communal tensions in Iraq. The southern oil fields around Basra lie in territory controlled by competing factions of the dominant Shi'ite Islamist political forces, some of whom are close to Iran.

The northern fields lie on the edge of Iraqi Kurdistan around the city of Kirkuk. Kurds want to annexe the city as their regional capital and ethnic Arabs and Turkmen accuse the Kurdish militants of ethnic cleansing before a referendum on the city's future which, under the constitution, is due this year.

The Sunni Arab minority dominant under ousted president Saddam Hussein is concentrated in Baghdad and regions immediately to the north and west where there are few known hydrocarbon reserves -- though some potential future finds.

Sunnis have been particularly insistent that the central government in Baghdad control the oil industry, despite a new, U.S.-sponsored constitution, opposed by most Sunnis, which gives newly created federal regions some powers over oil and gas.

Washington and the government of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki are mounting a major security crackdown in the divided capital Baghdad over the coming months to avert an all-out civil war there between Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias.

AlertNet news is provided by

Iraq leaders agree draft oil law - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 17, 2007 11:13 AM ∞

---

DALE wrote:

I spoke with Chase Bank today.
I asked if I could buy NID & request what denominations I want the money in, the answere was YES.
If your not a Chase Bank customer transactions are to be made in cash.
I also asked if I could exchange my 5 million in 25,000 notes to lower denominations. The answere was NO.

-- January 17, 2007 11:14 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From edinarfinancial.net

Al-Sunaid expects rise in the Iraqi dinar price during the middle of 2007
January 13, 2007

The deputy on the United Iraqi Alliance list, Hassan Al-Sunaid, expected during a meeting of the Iraqi Parliament that the Iraqi dinar exchange rate will reach 1200 dinar to the dollar at mid-year, while the price of one dollar hit 1480 IQD last November.

Al-Sunaid's statement came during a session of the Parliament to discuss the general budget in Iraq during the year 2007, and it was attended by the Minister of Finance Bayan Baqir al-Zubaidi and a number of his advisers.

It is noteworthy that the Iraqi dinar has been rising gradually and continuously, in its value of exchange against the dollar since the Iraqi Central Bank adopted a new monetary policy to deal with inflation in the 13 last November.

He attributed the "causes of inflation to the disproportionate rate of the nominal level of the Iraqi dinar with its real one" which prompted the bank to raise the value of the dinar since November last year to reach during the current January to about 1320 dinar per dollar.

The expectations of Al-Sunaid of the consistent rise of the dinar to 1200 dinar to the dollar come amid widespread demand of investors and persons dealing in Iraqi dinar instead of the dollar.(Source)AlSabah

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 17, 2007 11:16 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

WTO membership will not affect relations with GCC

* Send this page to somebody
* Print this page

January 11, 2007 - An official at the Iraq Ministry of Trade said that Iraq's expected membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) will have no effects on economic relations with the GCC neighbors, Gulf News reported.

He said that some economic sectors will remain under the Iraqi government's control even after joining the WTO.

He stressed that joining the 151-member organization will not have any negative economic impact on the war-torn country. He pointed out that joining the WTO will increase investments and accelerate modernization and productivity in Iraq, along with opening more markets for Iraqi goods and improving transport regulations.

-- January 17, 2007 11:18 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.iraqupdates.com

17 January 2007 (American Thinker)
Print article Send to friend
A look at the price of the Iraqi dinar through today, Jan. 15, shows that it keeps moving up. If you go to the Central Bank of Iraq site and scroll down to the bottom you will see the most recent data. Note the explosion in dollar value of trading.

Yes, it is always possible that this whole thing is one grand manipulation, but since the dinar is not a focus of the press, my guess is that it is not, that we are "really seeing" the market here. Which means that "something is going on" in Iraq.

I find it very difficult to assemble the mosaic here. Bush is responding to the chaos in Baghdad, so much so that he is willing to publicly imply he was clueless as recently as October when he said we were winning. So, he is responding to a "crisis" in our Iraq policy. Correctly so far as I know.

But then we have Amir Taheri, who is in-country. Another column this morning in the New York Post is saying (again) that while there are problems in Iraq, things are also cooking. He adds another tile to the mosaic today by pointing out just how inaccurate press stories may be due to the corruption of interpretation - both from politics and from cupidity.

I wonder if the outcome in Iraq isn't going to look something like Israel before The Fence. Israel was under steady suicide bomber attack, but that was not the whole story. While the attacks were damaging, the country continued to operate on a day to day basis. Yes, I am sure the level of violence is much greater in Iraq and much, much greater in Baghdad, but I wonder just how significant it is. Yes, refugees are up, apparently made up of the professional class, but then... how to explain Taheri's columns, that things are sort of OK in the south of the country? And the dinar? What does that say? And that crude production is at 2.1 million bbl/day - yes, not great, but not a disaster, particularly given the forces that are trying to prevent production.

If one puts that fecklessness aside and focuses only on "where are we now?" I am not sure that it is a disaster. It is not going to be as nice as we would have liked - some violence is likely to be in the background, but violence is not unusual in some cities in various locales around the world

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 17, 2007 11:25 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Rob N

Thanks for posting the exchange rate. I was not able to get to it.

-- January 17, 2007 5:30 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Please note that, concerning the Haditha incident, QUOTE:

the original 2006 investigation report, obtained by Reuters, fully cleared his client and other Marines of wrongdoing.

THAT IS, all the marines involved were fully cleared of wrongdoing in the original report.
Now, onto "unnamed defense officials" who started this witch hunting..
(Is this like the "unnamed Iraqi officials" of those who gave us Jamilgate?
Why exactly are these people accusing the troops of serious crimes for which they were
originally fully cleared of all charges able to remain "unnamed"??? Are they real?)

===

Haditha attorney accuses Pentagon of deception
By Kristin Roberts Wed Jan 17, 10:48 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An attorney for the leader of a group of U.S. Marines accused of murdering 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, said on Wednesday that Pentagon officials intentionally misled or deceived the public about the case.

Mark Zaid, attorney for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, said the original 2006 investigation report, obtained by Reuters, fully cleared his client and other Marines of wrongdoing.

Zaid's client and three other Marines have been charged with murder and four other Marines have been charged with dereliction of duty in the 2005 killing of unarmed men, women and children in Haditha.

At first, the U.S. military said civilians were killed by a roadside bomb. Iraqi witnesses, however, said enraged Marines shot the civilians in their homes in retaliation for an attack that killed another U.S. serviceman.

Watt, the investigating officer, delivered a report in March 2006 that concluded there was no indication the Marines intentionally targeted and killed civilians. The Marines were taking small-arms fire and entered houses in the area as part of that fight, according to the report.

Watt also concluded that the insurgents could not be distinguished from the civilians and that the amount of force used by the accused Marines was "proportional and provided overmatch" to ensure victory.

"This overmatch was appropriate in nature, scope and duration," according to the report.

Unnamed defense officials, however, cast the conclusions differently. In press reports, those officials said Watt found the Marines were not provoked by small-arms fire. They also said the report raised questions about whether Marines followed the right rules for identifying threats.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070117/ts_nm/iraq_pentagon_haditha_dc_2

-- January 17, 2007 5:52 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

ANNON,

Thank you, good data, problem is, in this game, you see so much different data, some are accurate, was accurate some time ago, but are reported as current, some are estimates, given as a round figure, and when reported for the second, or third time, they are reported as factual.

Figures I read three days ago, was in the ballpark of this report, but slightly different.

Either way, it's following the same trend in all reports.

It's a mosaic you have to lay out, and any and all new fact figures on the Iraqi currency will help paint the picture.

Total amount of existing Dinars are about 20 Trill.

The report says that "in circulation," and "Left in circulation" together with the 10 trill number, I can assume that out of 20 trill, 10trill was in circulation and now ( according to this report ) 6.5 trill is still out.

That still roughly makes about 1/4 of the total available currency in circulation, and the rest is either withheld, bought back or unissued. The other report I read claimed a slightly higher buy back number, but hey, a couple of trillions here and there....who's counting.

We're on track.

Rob N,

The IMF review, that report is a nugget.

By being under the "stand by" agreement, Iraq are under full control of IMF's wishes. The discussion of the "completing the next review" is interesting, because it is another step for the Iraqis to come closer to full control of their economy, currency and finances.

Iraq have to fulfill a list of criteria, I don't know if this is the last review, or if this is just another review in an ongoing line of reviews, but all reviews with IMF is another step towards a free and floating Dinar.

They mentioned more tight monetary policies, as a result of inflation. That might indicate another period of auctions and peg, unless they are blowing smoke in our faces.

They are up to something, with this crazy buy back of the Dinars, (Its completely frantic, and it's big) and I suspect the IMF review have to do with a lot of that.

What ever the plans are, it's obvious that the Dinar is up for a revalue, as it is made so scarce. If the Dinar is bought up, it's because IMF is saying so.

They probably set a target for buyback, according to some formula.

If the buyback stops, probably a smaller RV or a smaller increase using the auction as before can be expected, as they have already talked about a 1200 to 1 value.

If the buyback continues, I suspect they want to drive up the nominal value of the Dinar even further, to a point where it will hold its value in circulation when they RV.

The Dinar is undervalued, as is, even with a 1200 to 1 ratio, the Iraqis knows this and have already commented on it in articles.

The HCL seem to move along. From what I could gather they have made a draft now, ready to vote upon.

Well, actually, when you do a draft for voting, that is the time when you do all the negotiations, the voting is the simple part, you push a button.

You usually don't put anything to vote unless you have ironed out all the details, and can predict the vote.

So basically, the blabbering, negotiations and arguing regarding this law, have now been finished, and it's submitted to the council.

Good, it's all coming together just fine.

DALE,

You don't want to get any smaller denominations of the Dinar, the sheer volume of smaller denominations, will force you to go with a bigger and more expensive safety box.

I can see the point if you want to do transactions in smaller scale, and take out less than $10.000 at a time, in order to not get your eyes on you, by the IRS, but the Dinar have to go up to 40 cents, in order for the 25.000 Dinar note to break the magic $10.000 transaction, if exchanged.

I wouldn't worry about it. If (hopefully) the big money comes, just pay your taxes and be as happy as you can be.

-- January 17, 2007 7:00 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

==

Genuine humor is always kindly and gracious.
It points out the weakness of humanity, but shows no contempt and does not sting.

===

"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand." (Native American Proverb)

===

Because of the icy road conditions, I couldn't prevent hitting a parked car. While the owner and I exchanged information, another car smashed into mine. We eventually called the police. When the patrol car drove up with its lights flashing, we all watched in disbelief as it careened into the third vehicle. The officer rolled down his window, smiled and said, "I guess I know what happened here."

===

Do you ever wonder how the "Keep off the Grass" sign gets on the grass?

===

If two friends ask you to be judge in a dispute, don't accept, because you will lose one friend; on the other hand, if two strangers come with the same request, accept, because you will gain one friend.

===

Education is what you get from reading the fine print. Experience is what you get from not reading it.

===

Sometimes it's better to put love into hugs than to put it into words. ~ Unknown

===

As a nurse I must always confirm that I am giving the right medicine to the right person. For one particular patient I had numerous medications to administer at different times, and on every visit I confirmed her name before I gave her the medicine. On my fourth trip, the patient looked at me with chagrin and asked, "Are you ever going to remember my name?"

===

We hadn't heard our alarm clock, so my husband and I were late. He rushed out to drive to work, and I followed about 15 minutes later. As I sped along, I suddenly spotted a policeman waving me over. He checked my license, then looked up and asked, "Does your husband drive a Firebird?"

"Yes," I replied. He smiled and handed the license back.

"I'll let you off this time. Your husband already got a ticket this morning."

===

"The great thing in this world is not where we stand, but in what direction we are moving." - Oliver Wendel Holmes

===

-- January 17, 2007 8:24 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Unbelievable!!

Cold-blooded: Hillary Threatens Funding for Protection of Iraqi Leaders
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 17, 2007 - 08:11.

Here's Hillary's idea of diplomacy: bend to her will, or she'll put your life in danger. And that's how she treats our allies.

Yikes. In the spirit of bi-partisanship, let me try to send a message to Hillary's handlers: emergency personality makeover required! A couple more appearances as angry and unpleasant as this morning's on Today and Hillary's odds of winning the Dem nomination will be as slim as those she accorded to that of the surge succeeding.

The strategy for Hillary's conversation with Matt Lauer was transparent. Because her substantive position on Iraq is not as anti-war as that of Obama or Edwards, Hillary sought to compensate, in appealing to Dem primary voters, by sounding angrier about our policy than either of her rivals. From that perspective, you might say: Mission Accomplished. This was Hillary, rhetorically speaking, packing an M-4, grenades slung, knife between teeth.

But at what cost to her likability? Don't voters have to be able to warm up to a candidate? Yet Hillary hovered barely above absolute zero.

Beyond her tone, her message was about as cold-blooded as you can get. Twice she suggested threatening to cut off funding for the personal security of Iraq's leaders. As Hillary put it: "I don't think we should continue to fund the protection for the Iraqi government leaders or for the training and equipping of their army unless they meet certain conditions."

This was no idle threat. It was clearly a key element of Hillary's plan, one she repeated later:

"I [suggest] putting leverage on them and saying 'you know what, we provide security for the members of this government, we're cutting funding for that.'"

That is not merely cold. That is dipomatic-incident causing cold.

View edited video clip of Hillary's stone-cold highlights here: http://media.newsbusters.org/media/2007-01-17NBCTSHillary.wmv

Hillary, try to appear like a calm and reasonable potential presidential. Threatening the personal security of our allies in Baghdad makes you sound like a Mafia don, not a Commander-in-Chief!

Early Show Update: Chatting with Harry Smith, Hillary repeated her offer that the Iraqi leadership couldn't refuse: "I'm for conditioning any further funding for . . . the protection of the leaders . . . on their fulfulling the political goals that we have expected of them."

Hillary also had fun with Harry showing off her Commander-in-Chief credentials, ordering troop movements around Afghanistan like someone caught up in a manic game of Risk: "This spring is a make or break time. I would strongly urge and Senator Bayh who went on this trip with me, we're sending a letter to Secretary Gates today. I spoke to the White House yesterday. They need two additional infantry battalions in the south in order to take on this Taliban offensive. And they certainly should not be moving an infantry battalion out of the east to Iraq." Aye-aye, sir!

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

Comments:

1) JPR1 Says:
January 17, 2007 - 09:44

How sensible and compassionate.

Must be the “Mother” in her!

2) iveseenitall Says:
January 17, 2007 - 10:24

Threatening our allies? Doesn't this go against everything the Demos have been saying about how much we are disliked in the world? Guess Hillary wants it both ways. Does that surprise anyone?

3) Mark Finkelstein Says:
January 17, 2007 - 10:35

This was nothing less than a threat on Hillary's part to put the lives of PM Maliki and the rest of the Iraqi government at risk. It is undiplomatic and irresponsible and no I wouldn't have praised it coming from a Republican.

4) acaiguana Says:
January 17, 2007 - 10:38

Hillary might just go to 'threatening lives' as a matter of nature and history of this very dangerous woman.

5) Jimbo Says:
January 17, 2007 - 14:53

It's one thing to demand financial responsibility. It's another to purposly jeopardize the leaders of a newly formed Democratic government. If they were killed, the government would probably collapse. Wait a sec - that's probably exactly what Hillary wants...

6) The Real Tony Says:
January 17, 2007 - 10:44

... this should be no surprise to liberals/Democrats. This is the mindset that abandoned South Vietnam and let their leaders and a couple million people be tortured and perish under the Khmer Rouge. Hillary actually WANTS this to happen to Iraqis..as most liberals heartily agree with, simply so they can point out the "failure" of the war on terror in Iraq.

I mean really, what's a few million dead people, if liberals can continue to use their "vietnam" corrollary??

Fight Terrorism at home - defeat a liberal!

7) semby Says:
January 17, 2007 - 12:50

"I [suggest] putting leverage on them and saying 'you know what, we provide security for the members of this government, we're cutting funding for that."...and Senator then please tell us what happens when the Iraqi leaders are assassinated and Iran invades, please tell us what happens then...as apparently you are the expert.

Anything she does is for political reasons...Bush makes a big speech and she goes to Iraq; please everything she does and says is BS and is only for her political gain...that is why she will never be elected.

8) ghotifun Says:
January 17, 2007 - 11:01

Hillary WILL do whatever the latest poll dictates. Her most influential politcal advisor is Bill, and HE certainly was influenced by polls and the need for absolute power. She is falling into step with him...

9) Senior Chief Says:
January 17, 2007 - 14:27

Why threat to cut fundings for only the leaders? Why not cutting all war fundings as these lib-dems been advocating. This is really their plan- cut and run. But none of them can articulate it, because this plan is not winable. All is just political posturing. Just thinking again...it dawned on me now that the cut-and-run plan don't need brains, duh.

I do have a version of cut and run plan: CUT all drive-by-media coverage and let our warriors RUN the war until its over. This one by the way, don't need any brains either.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10209

-- January 17, 2007 9:16 PM ∞

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Mary Lou wrote:

Do we have a new site? No postings for 1/18/07

-- January 17, 2007 9:37 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Uh-oh-working too hard-thought this was the 18th-sorry

-- January 17, 2007 9:39 PM ∞

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ANNON wrote:

Hillary is doing this early in the game. People will not remember it by election time. They will blindly vote for her because she would be the first woman as the people would vote for Obama to be the first American African American.

How can these people do the things they do and still be voted in? I was not aware of Pelosi prior to becoming Speaker. Did she turn into Mr. Hyde once she was in?

I guess all of us conservatives need to get off our butts and vote at every level of office to preserve some degree of compentness.

-- January 17, 2007 9:46 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Sign at a fast food restaurant.

"If blind, let us know and we will help"

I'm sure a blind will read that one.

Was in a company restroom, the other day, in the restroom the sign read;

"When you're done, please flush"

Wonder how some people deal with it in their homes....trying to push it down with the rubber plunger???

On a fire extinguisher:

1. Shake well
2. Remove the safety sprint.
3. Aim fire extinguisher at the base of the fire.
4. Press the handle.

If there is a fire, who reads anything at all????

The literacy rate could always be debated, but you would expect a bit better from a library.

Painted on the ground in the parking lot.

"Libriari Parking only"

I was with a gun club years back, on the range I read.

"Don't shoot if you see children playing on the shooting range."

I would like to have a word with the parents to those children.

In a rest area in the desert.

"Warning, snakes and scorpions might be present, you may be in risk for bites and stings. Don't go outside the rest area"

1. Bite and sting, is that what they do? I knew they were up to something.
2. Can snakes and scorpions read, and follow directions, like, staying out of a rest area?

Laws and regulations are done with the lowest common denominator in mind.

I'm sure most of us can take responsibility to cross a street, hold high speed with a car, and take a swim without drowning.

There are those very dumb ones that are unable to observe the obvious, and kill themselves by walking across the street in front of a fully loaded semi truck, losing control of a car when they were picking up a lost cig from the floor, and continue to swim further and further out in the ocean, killing themselves.

The relatives of those killed will sue the city for millions for not having a crossover light, lobby the state for lower speed limit, and hold the Park service responsible for the drowning.

So, we have to stand and look at a bulb, and let the timer, the bulb is connected to, decide when we can cross the street.

We have speed limits, and a cash cow for the counties collecting tickets, as they are set lower than an average persons ability to react and control a vehicle.

We have closed beaches, and if they are open, we have to pay taxes for lifeguards salaries.

All this rules and regulations, are mainly set because the very few, those that needs a sign "Flush when you are done" exists.

America has got a spray for everything, can't anyone come up with an IQ enhancing spray, so we can rid our self from those dummies.

Imagine you have one of those IQ enhancing sprays in your pocket, you go to WalMart, and ask a clerk for a cup holder for your car.

(It's one of those that always repeat the last word in a question?)

Do you have a cup holder for my car?
-"car?"
No, a cup holder.
-"holder?"
Yes, that holds my cup
-"cup?"

*****now you see the impossibility with further communication and give the clerk a spray****

-Oh, you mean a cup holder for your car, absolutely, aisle 16, to the left, we've got them in all kinds of colors and shapes, I'll follow you over and show you"

At least we would save a lot of time, wouldn't we?

-- January 17, 2007 10:08 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Newsweek Wonders if ‘24’ is a ‘Neocon Sex Fantasy’
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 17, 2007 - 11:55.

With all the negative focus on an Emmy Award-winning television drama, one has to start wondering if the media are more afraid of “24” and any reference to terrorism than terrorism itself.

As NewsBusters has reported here, here, here, here, and here, the media have been in quite a lather about the first four episodes of the hit series' sixth season aired on Fox Sunday and Monday. Thanks to a report CNN did Tuesday (video available here, hat tip to Hot Air), we can now add Newsweek to the growing list of concerned media outlets. (Please be advised that it’s been difficult to identify whether this was just a web-broadcast on CNN.com, or something aired on television).

In his January 12 review, Newsweek’s Devin Gordon wrote: “Depending on your perspective, '24' is either a neocon sex fantasy or the collective id of our nation unleashed.” Much like other recent media carps and whines concerning this show, Gordon used his review as an opportunity to swipe at the current president: “At a moment when President Bush is squeezing our civil liberties to fight a war on terror, the writers of ‘24’ have come up with a story that asks whether something could ever happen here in America that makes civil liberties a luxury we can no longer afford.”

In CNN’s story about his article, Gordon stated:

If ‘24’ is true, then everything the neo-conservatives have been saying all along is true.

[…]

Nothing that happens on this show would ever happen in real life. So, for neo-conservatives to claim it as sort of a badge that they’re right is kind of like admitting that something that you watch in a fantasy world is reality.

Nothing that happens on this show would ever happen in real life? Isn’t that rather a bold statement in a post-9/11 world? In fact, prior to 9/11, mightn’t folks like Gordon have said the same thing about many spy/FBI/CIA novels and films such as those authored by Tom Clancy?

Potentially more pertinent, it seems specious to suggest that conservatives look upon “24” as a validation of their views on the war on terror. Instead, folks that consider the series as anything more than good entertainment see the show as posing possible downsides to inaction and complacency.

For some reason, folks on the left and in the media are missing this seemingly obvious distinction.

Comments:

1) BBallleaper Says:
January 17, 2007 - 12:09

Whether it takes the forces of evil a year, ten years or 50 years, their goal is the total annihilation of the United States of America and Israel. People watch doomsday TV and film as though it's mere fantasy. The question is how will the nation survive such an attack. When several major cities in the US are destroyed in nuclear attacks and cannot be resurrected, when millions of US citizens are lying dead and injured in the streets with no hope for rescue or survival, when the basic economic structure of the US is destroyed and in chaos, what will our thoughts be then?

2) Mr. Kafir Says:
January 17, 2007 - 14:03

People are too stupid or too young to remember the Cold War. During that time, most Americans, understood the threat of nuclear war launched by the Soviet Union. Every month in my city there were tests of the air raid sirens, children learned about "duck and cover" (though that was surely a waste), and stores sold Geiger counters and food that could be stored for long periods. Most buildings had radiation proof shelters and signs showing the way there, usually located in the basement. It was not a joke, or a punchline to a joke. The Soviets were serious and Americans back then took the threat seriously. People that have never read about history or current events, don't understand the threat. To you I say, your attitude is dangerous. Unfortunately, schmucks like you will get the rest of us killed too.

3) blackrain4xmas Says:
January 17, 2007 - 12:16

It ain't the sex, it's the seriousness.

We long to see the messengers of truth present truth.

That's it.

4) Jack Bauer Says:
January 17, 2007 - 12:24

“At a moment when President Bush is squeezing our civil liberties to fight a war on terror, the writers of ‘24’ have come up with a story that asks whether something could ever happen here in America that makes civil liberties a luxury we can no longer afford.”

Mmmm, so an exciting TV series is managing to ask powerful and relevant questions that nobody in the network news departments can be bothered to think about.

And this has a dope like Devin (made up name) "worried."

Hey Devin, go back to reviewing such realistic series like Desperate Housewives -- the dumbover liberals sex fantasy.

5) fossten Says:
January 17, 2007 - 12:43

Gee, when I consider TV shows like the West Wing (liberal sex fantasy about Clinton), Commander-In-Chief (liberal sex fantasy about Hillary Clinton as prez), Al Gore's Inconvenient Lie, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit Bullcrap, George Clooney's Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck, and The Sum of All Fears, I'm not the least bit concerned about 24 presenting a conservative side.

In fact, we need more shows/movies like it to balance the lies from the left.

And while I'm at it I'll throw in The American President - all openly liberal Democrat programs. They bash America, and they bash conservatives.

6)Jack Bauer Says:
January 17, 2007 - 12:35

Finally...

A bunch of wimpy media liberals discover an Islamo-terrorist plot in America that they can get outraged about.

And it's a work of fiction. Too funny.

7) Spaceman Spiff Says:
January 17, 2007 - 13:00

What was fantasy about 9/11? What was so fantastic about the USS Cole bombings? How about the anthrax scare that put ol Keithie boy in a tizzy? This is just getting insane. Tolerant liberals indeed....

8) Gary Hall Says:
January 17, 2007 - 13:01

Noel, it's difficult to say which is more outlandish, this one:

Nothing that happens on this show would ever happen in real life (yea, like commercial jets being flown into the WTC's, Pentagon, and capital building?)

Or, this one:

If ‘24’ is true, then everything the neo-conservatives have been saying all along is true.

But with the second one, I think the Devin Gordan (the MSM) should understand that much of what '24' projects as possible scenerios, have often been offered up by numerous leading Democratic folks as well. For years, they also have been wondering out loud - who knows what they say in private? I suspect the list includes, Bill Clinton, Carl Levin, Cohen, Kerry, Gore, etc. But there is one more group (and a collection of groups) of people that have been not only involved in active planning for such scenerios for over a decade now, they have also publically (and privately - much has been intercepted) aired what they are warning will happen here.

9) Chris Norman Says:
January 17, 2007 - 13:14

I'll rephrase the comment I had down in the Olbermann post. Just what is it about 24 that has these "critics" and Olbermann so worked up in a lather? They are really overplaying their hand here. If the conversation was about "The West Wing", they would be sneering that conservatives were overreacting to "just a tv show". No, they must really be worried that this plot line will strike a nerve with some. God forbid that we remain vigilant...

10) florida_chad Says:
January 17, 2007 - 13:30

The liberals in the media just can't stand anything conservative. FOX is such a problem for these folks. Even though it is outnumbered by the liberal networks.

24 may be conservative. How many shows on TV are liberal? The libs can't stand anything conservative at ALL. It scares them.

11) Pickaxe Pete Says:
January 17, 2007 - 13:37

So we finally get a TV show that appeals to conservative 'fantasies' and suddenly the idea of boycotts and censorship becomes attractive to the liberals...

12) Ten7s Says:
January 17, 2007 - 14:57

... really we should all be asking the most important and pressing question of the decade: "How dare '24' invade the hermetically sealed lives of the Liberal demi-gods like Divine Gordon with such disturbing and realistic story-lines?"

13) bassndude Says:
January 17, 2007 - 15:57

I wonder if the new president on 24 could be equated to Obama? Seems to me he got the office, and now dont know what to do with it. He is in over his head and needs Jack to bail him out. By the end of this season, he will be out of office and Jack Bower will be President and next season we will see just how this war should be fought.

14) dutchdutch Says:
January 17, 2007 - 15:36

I'm not sure why anyone, liberal or conservative, would say that 24 is a desirable 'fantasy'. I hope our country is doing everything in its power to prevent this from occurring.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10211

-- January 17, 2007 10:09 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Mary Lou,

Time to tighten the fore head bolts again.

Don't worry, I went to work once on a Sunday and didn't realize it until I saw the empty parking lot.

Sara,

Hillary as the President would be a disaster, but for her ambition she sure choose the right party.

As for Obama, well, he is a Democrat and they go as they go.

In a sense this would be the very first either black or female president, but I don't believe voters are really going for that in the end.

As a president they want much more substance, Obama have charisma, but he is absolutely far far to inexperienced.

Hillary, a horse that has been bet on for eight years since Bush took over.

She has in her career been very low keyed, not by being a public figure, she for sure have not met one camera lens yet she didn't like, but if you sit and think.....

During all these years, it's hard to find something to remember that she was promoting, that she was acting about, or that she spoke up about. She's been mum.

So we have been fed her image over and over again, but no substance to the image. It's just an image. Like a movie or rock star, an image fed over and over, but in politics you need to show what you have been done, show what character you have, what you're for and against.

You need to have been on the TV on at least a couple of occasions either explaining in detail an issue, give an analysis and a proposed handling, and show how this will benefit most.

Hillary, nothing, just an endless feeding of an image, pictures of her coming through a door, pictures of her standing at a podium, pictures of her leaving a car.

At the end, I don't think either Obama or Hillary will stand on the stairs taking the oath.

-- January 17, 2007 10:28 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Well it also boils down to that if the Republicans want in office again maybe Hillary or Obama is a good bet... to re-elect a Republican once again.

-- January 17, 2007 10:52 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Roger!

You have been thinking again.. :)
As you said, those who don't read signs will have to pay the consequences,
through experiencing poisionous snake or scorpion bites.
They can sleep through the lessons to be learned...
until they learn it through the school of hard knocks (or bites), I guess.
Nice to know that you are paying attention, though.
Quite a few smart, awake and living folks on the site.
Good to see. :)

Oh, and I think the Dems think that if Ms. Pelosi can be speaker..
Ms. Hillary is a sure bet to get the public to vote her in as President.
As for Obama.. they have put a black man for President in so many films,
surely the fantasy will come true if enough people see it on the silver screen?

But whether that actually can happen, you know.. at the ballot box..
I think depends on if God wishes to destroy the nation or save it.
Obviously, I think it would end up a disaster to have either of them at the helm
during such a crucial time of war.. Obama too inexperienced and Hillary too
"insubstantial" - as you say. But if the people make that choice.. then
the terrorists will see their way clear to execute their Hiroshima plan.
Because the reply would be soft, backpedalling, and peacenik - according
to the character those two have consistently exhibited pre-disaster.
In other words.. just what the terrorists would want.

And if that SCARES people, it should.
They shouldn't sleep through reading the signposts which warn of poisionous snakes
and scorpions - living in a world of fantasy created by the MSM which sings them lullabyes..
unless they are willing to pay the price for that slumber.
The world isn't their peacenik dreamland of pink daffodils and daisies and their cherished 60's style love-ins..
in spite of the siren song they hear in spades from the MSM every day.
And Hillary isn't their mommy who will kiss their boo-boos and make the world alright.
This is real life.. for those whose minds are still awake and functioning according to reality.
And there won't BE a United States of America..
once those people are finished with it.
Sad realities, snakes and scorpions.. and terrorists.
But ones that really should be taken seriously,
and as a threat.. before it is too late to do so.

Sara.

-- January 17, 2007 11:31 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

According to Wikipedia, Barrack Obama's middle name is Hussein.

Oh, great, America spends billions to get rid of Hussein, then another one runs for President.

-- January 17, 2007 11:32 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

On the subject of Barack Obama Bin Laden and Hilary (Kill me Vince Foster) Clinton, I think Obama Bin Laden may be the dark horse (no pun or racial slur intended)in the 2008 Democratic Primary season. If he wins hte key primary's it may force Hiliary out. Her ego will not let her be Vice President.

On the other hand, if Hilary wins those primaries and gains the party's nomination, I can envision a Clinton Obama ticket.

For the Republican's it may be the time for Newt to cast his lot and run for the White House. I can envision a Gingrich Guiliani ticket.

If Hiliary is the democratic party's nominee, I hope she will have to answer questions about Monica, Travel Gate, and the suspicious death of Vince Foster. This election promises to be an exciting one.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 17, 2007 11:34 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

Johan wrote:

I am not and never have been in support of terrorists, that includes state sponsored terrorism.

But tell me.

What is the difference between the US using Napalm in Fallujah, and Al Queda using bombs in London?

What is the difference between Israel firing rockets from a Helicopter Gunship, and Hezbollah firing rockets from a Toyota Pickup?

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

Cause and effect.......

Cause: Hezbollah firing rockets from a Toyota pickup
Effect: Isreal firing rockets from a Helicopter Gunship

Cause: Al Queda using bombs in London
Effect: US using napalm in Fallujah

Yes I simplify quite a bit, but thats essentially the bottom line eh?

-- January 17, 2007 11:59 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Writer Edward Klein wrote a book about Hillary Clinton, "The Truth About Hillary".

He says that Hillary Clinton had a few lesbian affairs.

No one can ever accuse American politics of being boring.

-- January 18, 2007 1:22 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Steve wrote:

Cause and effect.......

Cause: Hezbollah firing rockets from a Toyota pickup
Effect: Isreal firing rockets from a Helicopter Gunship

Cause: Al Queda using bombs in London
Effect: US using napalm in Fallujah

== end of quote ===

Very true, Steve.
One side is CAUSING war,
the other is REACTING to aggression.
One side is seeking to MAKE WAR,
the other is trying to defend itself and the right to live peacefully.
I see a huge difference,
when you look at MOTIVES of the heart,
(for peace or not)
concerning who is the CAUSE of the conflict(s).

Sara.

-- January 18, 2007 2:06 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(845)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 845 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/ 1/18 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1300 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1298 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 65.770.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 207.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 65.770.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 207.000

-- January 18, 2007 5:12 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted on www.dinartrade.com

The Central Bank procedures led to the retreat of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar

The Iraqi dinar improved remarkably these days against the dollar's exchange rate. The Iraqi Central Bank attributed that to the recent procedures it adopted of going on raising interest rates in addition to the introduction of large quantities of foreign currency in the market, but a number of economists believe that these procedures were not sufficient for the recovery of the purchasing power of dinar unless they are accompanied by fiscal and monetary policies able to achieve the required balance. An expert at the Central Bank expected an improvement in the value of the Iraqi dinar and a gradual decline in prices after two months from now.

We note that prices are still stable despite recovering the dinar its value relatively. The reason may be that traders are still clinging to their old prices to make up for the losses which they might be exposed to due to that.

Economy experts considered the reluctance of the (monetary policy) to deal with the great imbalances particularly in the monetary market, represented by the increasing local currency liquidity and the rising inflation rates, in an accelerated manner reverted undoubtedly to a huge impact within the marketplace.

D. Reza Al-Quraishi, from the Faculty of Administration and Economy at Al-Mustansirya University, said: the Iraqi Central Bank is currently working on the stability of the Iraqi dinar exchange rate and not on fixing it. The Central Bank is purchasing Iraqi dinar through the sale of the dollar for many reasons; like obtaining Iraqi currency in order to cover public expenditures and stabilizing the Iraqi dinar exchange rate, but the Bank has only a comparative capacity in this area. The rising reserves of hard currency and especially (the dollar) enables the Central Bank to strengthen the rate of exchange of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar, but these procedures are followed by major impacts that must be taken into account to reduces the negative aspects to the minimum; that is why they need to be carefully and gradually studied. Some economists affirmed that the imbalance in the public budget which began first in (1982) and compelled the present authority to finance the deficit by borrowing money from the Foundation Release, revealed a difference in the rates of exchange in (the parallel market) on the official exchange rate almost immutable and continued to be the case with his position even after launching the system of import without diverting external where the disparity between the official exchange rate and the parallel was limited and slow because, then, was in the hand the Iraqi Ministry of Trade. The foreign trade of Iraq was done at official exchange prices where the trade balance was covered by foreign loans, and when the system of import without diverting external was formally introduced, a hidden trade balance appeared alongside the formal one; it expressed the values of imports and exports through hidden outlets for import and export. Economists pointed out that the price of the parallel market was determined by the deficit in the hidden balance of trade, which was filled automatically by smuggling the Iraqi currency to the neighboring States where the demand for it was for the purposes of futuristic speculative.

These conditions in addition to the several strong shocks which the Iraqi economy was exposed to led to the structural imbalances in the structure of the Iraqi economy and its negative results emerged in the instability of the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar and its exposure to situations of weakness and deterioration, where it has become very difficult to deal with in the mean time. There should be a clear financial and monetary policy that aims at stabilizing the country's economic situation.

01/17/07 source :Iraq Directory

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 18, 2007 9:34 AM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Curious, Has the Newt matured? I am not heavy in politics but I seem to recall that Newt was a laughing stock several years ago and I don’t recall much out of him since till lately when some are calling for him to run for President.

I look at our local elections and wonder how most of them got elected. Although some have been in office for less than 6 months they have made so many blunders that the common consensus is we have to vote them out the next election. That gives them way too much time to damage the voter’s interest.

Hillary is an example of why the republicans should win. That of course is if they can put somebody up that’s not worst than her. Somebody with Reagan’s character and Carter’s compassion, sort of a blend and maybe a couple of shots of Schwarzenegger just to keep things hoppin’.

That’s what I liked about Reagan. He could and would stand toe to toe and make them back down without making them feel embarrassed or belittled. We cannot have a spineless coward in office. We would see the episode of “24” played out frequently in our Cities and landmarks. Any wars we fight has to be “over there” rather than on our shores.

-- January 18, 2007 9:42 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

It looks like someone answered the question..
Yes, blogs like this would have to be registered with Congress..
and face fines for discussing political topics that are not "approved" -
topics which the Government could construe as being "lobbying" for an "unapproved" point of view -
that is, a view not "approved" of by those in the Government - if this legislation passes:

It could also affect internet Bloggers and emailing services that advocate for certain policies or political positions before an audience of hundreds or thousands of continuing visitors to their sites.

It is called muzzling free speech and grassroots dissent..
Now... tell me, who has the most to GAIN
by making you and I and our posts subject to this Congressional "oversight"??

===

Jefferson, Adams, Paine... You're Fined $200,000 By The Federal Government!
Posted by Warner Todd Huston on January 18, 2007 - 05:23.

Thomas Paine wrote one of the most famous tracts of the Revolutionary era. Titled "The Rights of Man", it was a tract that many said, should it not have existed, the Revolution could not have occurred. In fact, historians contend rightfully, that the writings of our founders and their contemporaries were incredibly important as much for their content as for their ability to spread the ideas over which we went to war with Great Britain across the hard to travel geography of early America.

Our Founders were true "grassroots" organizers. Without their words, we could not have won the Revolution.

Now the Federal government wants to destroy that same sort of process used to spur our citizens to free themselves from Monarchical despotism. The Washington Times reports that the federal government today wants to quash the ability of small citizen's groups to disseminate information to like minded people by instituting oppressive reporting rules and by claiming they are "lobbyists" bound by Congressional oversight. And if they don't they face oppressive fines.

Under the legislation, grass-roots organizations that attempt to "influence the general public" to contact members of Congress would have to register as lobbyists and file financial reports -- or face a $200,000 fine. The requirements could apply to a preacher who goes on TV or radio and tells listeners to call their congressman in support of a particular issue, such as a constitutional amendment against homosexual "marriage."

It could also affect internet Bloggers and emailing services that advocate for certain policies or political positions before an audience of hundreds or thousands of continuing visitors to their sites.

But issue groups spanning the political spectrum -- from National Right to Life and Focus on the Family to the League of Conservation Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union -- say the expanded definition of lobbyist will imperil citizens' constitutional rights to free speech and to petition the government.

"This bill goes way too far," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington legislative office. "This gets at the citizen groups who are really the ones making their voices heard about our democracy."

And so it does. With their ballot box win behind them and in their rush to fool the public that they are "doing something", the Democrats are trying to force a bill on the American people that is anti-American and little more than a refined version of the Alien and Sedition Acts of the 1790s that threw newspaper editors and political leaders in jail in this country.

Senator Robert F. Bennett (R., Utah) attempted to add an amendment to the bill that would exempt grassroots agencies.

"This should be struck from the bill," Mr. Bennett said. "I was taught in civics in high school that [contacting Congress members] was what we were supposed to do."

Not if your imperial Democratic Senate has their druthers, Mr. Bennett.

Our Founders fought for the God given rights of men and one of those rights is the right to free political speech. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine and many hundreds of their brothers at arms toiled for years behind their pens to raise the consciousness of their fellow citizens to free us from the shackles of the King. We bloggers are the direct descendants of the tract writers, newspaper publishers, and article authors who were our Founding Fathers.

Right now, they all are spinning in their graves as Congress tries to hobble free speech.

Comments:

1) sarcasmo Says:
January 18, 2007 - 06:03

And what the founding fathers meant by free speech included the much-dreaded anonymous speech, too. Indeed, tracts signed by "Cato" and others were instrumental in the intellectual climate behind the American Revolution, but I'm sure the bipartisan control freaks would whine these days about "holding them accountable" without even batting an eye -- the state of history education is that-bad these days.

2) Warner Todd Huston Says:
January 18, 2007 - 06:12

Too true.

It should be remembered that the Federalist Papers were written WITHOUT the public alerted to the fact that it was penned by Hamilton, Madison and Jay!

That would mean that the replies on Newsbusters, replies that reach the eyes of thousands of people daily, are JUST as "illegal" under this new policy!

This is an assault on our liberties and freedoms, plain and simple.

3) sarcasmo Says:
January 18, 2007 - 07:06

Amen, and thanks for your kind words. True, old-fashioned free-speech liberals at the ACLU still exist, though, and obviously they're appalled as we are, and they'll be powerful allies. This means our side will almost-surely win the court case eventually spawned by this waste of money & time, but the idea that US politicians who have touched a Constitution could even consider this kind of excrement says bad things about the future of America...I want nothing more than peace, but if they do this it effectively means a tax-funded war on free speech. (Good thing these people apparently think we're safe from Islamofascists now, I guess!)

The behavior of politicians & political parties/people during this will be looked-back-on as a litmus-test, IMO. Advocates of this policy bear close watching, especially if they want even-more political power (which is likely).
JMR

"It has always amazed me that the people who want the government to do a few important things, and to do them well, are called 'anti-government,' while those who want the government to do many things, all of them badly, are not." -- Glenn Reynolds

4) Indiana Joe Says:
January 18, 2007 - 07:32

This really just strikes me as a natural outgrowth of McCain-Feingold. I was shocked and appalled when the SCOTUS approved that trouncing of the 1st Amendment. It placed us on the road that almost inevitably would lead to this kind of legislation, IMHO. The "precedent" has now been set.

Whenever those in power try to stifle dissent, through whatever means, we're headed for tyranny, pure and simple. It will be nice to have the ACLU with us on this one for a change, however.

5) Full Monte Says:
January 18, 2007 - 07:32

This isn't the only bill being introduced that has an affect on free speech. Sen Kucinich (D OH) is going to introduce a bill to to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. Under this bill broadcasters would be required to present controversial ideas in a "fair and honest manner." Now I wonder if the Senator was talking about implementing Fox News' "Fair and Balanced" concept throughout the MSM or if he's going after conservative talk shows such as Rush Limbaugh?

6) acaiguana Says:
January 18, 2007 - 07:37

Democrats cannot win in the arena of ideas.

So, get your neighbor (shades of Communist China) to 'tell' on you.

I really hate these oppressive movements and when Republicans support them it is even more onerous.

ACA

...

Acaiguana says: "I love blind Monkeys and any inference that I am making fun of blind Monkeys would be wrong.

7) Dave R. Says:
January 18, 2007 - 07:39

It appears the left's assualt on the 1st Amendment is starting in ernest.

This is getting scary, people.

8) acaiguana Says:
January 18, 2007 - 07:45
Sorta like this, huh, Dave R?

"What?"

"Open up, we've come for you."

"Ok,kkkk, huh?"

"You said something that 'pissed someone off'.

"Up against the wall."

(or rich depends on your name)

"But, officer, I was simply putting an ad in the paper? What was my crime?"

"You had the money to pay for it."

ACA

9) King of the Britons Says:
January 18, 2007 - 08:31

MSH is right. There should never be a need to hire a lawyer to navigate the law in order to be heard. Our Founders started a revolution over things much less oppressive and tyrannical than this. That our country takes these offenses in stride and without so much as a bit of grumbling is the most troublesome aspect of all of this. Freedom lovers can only live on Tums, stiff drinks, and saying "Serenity Now," for so long before they will have to do something. I may have to move to New Hampshire with the Free Staters if this keeps up for much longer.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!´´ --Patrick Henry

10) acaiguana Says:
January 18, 2007 - 08:28

I want, like Sarcasmo, to post.

What I want, when I want to, and to whomever I want.

Get it?

ACA

http://newsbusters.org/node/10226

-- January 18, 2007 10:10 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

High Value Targets

Senior Taliban, Abu Sayyaf detained, killed in Afghanistan and the Philippines; Islamic Courts leader possibly captured in Kenya, another killed in an airstrike; Pakistan on the hunt for al-Qaeda leader

Coalition forces have made some strides in degrading the leadership of the global Islamist movement. Two senior Taliban commanders were captured in Afghanistan, while the Philippine military continues to dismantle Abu Sayyaf's leadership on the island of Jolo. Kenyan officials believe the Islamic Courts' second in command was detained and another killed in an airstrike, while Pakistan is on the heels of an al-Qaeda leader who fled airstrikes in North Waziristan.

==

>>>>>> Taliban spokesman, military commander captured in Afghanistan

Yesterday, Afghan security forces captured Taliban spokesman Dr. Muhammad Hanif. Hanif is has given numerous interviews with the media, and issued press releases and rebuttals to NATO and Afghan statements.

NATO forces also said an unnamed Taliban commander for the Panjwai district in Kandahar was killed during a raid.

>>>>>> Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah leaders, operatives killed in the Philippines

The Philippine military has been heavily engaged in fighting against al-Qaeda sponsored Abu Sayyaf. The Philippine military has confirmed Abu Sulaiman, one of the top five leaders of Abu Sayyaf with a U.S. bounty of $5 million, has been killed in fighting on Jolo. Abu Sulaiman is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2004 Manila Bay ferry bombing, which killed up to 100, and was behind the kidnapping and murder of U.S. citizens. Killed alongside Sulaiman was Abu Sayyaf operative Bonia Ysmael.

Earlier in January, Philippine forces killed Binang Sal, an Abu Sayyaf bomb expert, and Jundam Jamalul (a.k.a. Black Killer). The U.S. put out a bounty of $40,000 for Jamalul's capture or death. Gufran (aka Abu Samur), an Indonesian aide to Jemaah Islamiyah leader Dulmatin, was also killed.

Abu Sayyaf leader Khaddafy Janjalani is believed to have been killed during fighting on Jolo last fall, but this has yet to be confirmed. DNA tests are still outstanding.

>>>>>> Islamic Courts leader possibly captured in Kenya, another killed in airstrike

The East Africa Standard, a Kenyan newspaper, has reported that Sheikh Ahmed Sharif has been captured by Kenyan police. Sharif Ahmed is second in command of the Islamic Courts, behind Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is believed to have fled the country. Sharif's capture would put a major dent in the Islamic Court's ability to mount an insurgency, as he held sway over a significant faction of the ICU fighters.

Aden Hashi Farah Ayro, Aweys's protégé, who reportedly received terrorist training in Afghanistan as the United States was preparing to attack the Taliban in 2001, may have been killed in the U.S. airstrike that targeted Abu Taha al-Sudani (or Tariq Abdullah), al-Qaeda's leader in East Africa, and Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the operations chief and Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan. Both Mohammed and Nabhan are wanted for their involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Ayro founded Shaabab, a youth group that provided fighters to the Islamic Courts, and is believed to be laying the groundwork for the insurgency.

>>>>>> Al-Qaeda leader wounded in Pakistan

Pakistan claims it is on the tail of one Abu Nasser, "who holds a senior position in Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network."

By Bill Roggio on January 17, 2007 4

Comments:

1) Cruiser:

We may have hit and seriously wounded or killed Aden Hashi Farah Ayro in the AC-130 strike in Somalia. He was belived to have been the main Somali militant to shelter the AQ operatives in Somalia.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2007-01-17T221835Z_01_N17364454_RTRUKOC_0_US-SOMALIA-USA-RAID.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-4

2) allen:

This is why the West will prevail against Islamofascism:

They may love to die, but we love to fight -

“Four Royal Marines flew into a battle zone clinging to the outside of helicopter gunships in a bid to rescue a fallen comrade…”'Extraordinary heroism'

Links:
'Extraordinary heroism': http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/17/wheroes17.xml

3) Marlin:

Time magazine makes the claim that the capture of Abdul Haq, better known as Dr. Hanif, should be largely attributed as a successful operation by Afghanistan's intelligence branch, National Defense Services (NDS). I hope it is true that their capabilities are growing.

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

Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of harboring leading elements of the Taliban. And, they say, the confession of a leading Taliban spokesman arrested in Afghanistan on Monday further bolsters their claim. Abdul Haq, better known as Dr. Hanif, was caught just hours after crossing the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan in Nangahar province. His capture, after he was followed from the border on a tip, was a success for the beleaguered National Defense Services (NDS), Afghanistan's intelligence branch...

From Time: "A Taliban Spokesman's Confession"

4) Marlin:

A team of SAS soldiers captured a key Taliban commander yesterday in a lightning raid on a heavily-fortified compound in southern Afghanistan.

Without a shot being fired, the force of fewer than 30 elite soldiers, backed by Afghan troops, achieved "total surprise" and seized Mohammad Nabi in the early hours of the morning near Gereshk, in Helmand province.

Nabi is believed to be a key commander in the Taliban insurgency in the neighbouring province of Kandahar.

The compound, which had been under observation by Nato forces for around two weeks, was typical of the heavily-fortified homes favoured by the Pashtun tribes of southern Afghanistan, which often boast battlements and watch towers.

"We suspect that he has had a major part to play in the Taliban's operations in Zarai and Punjwai districts," said Squadron Leader David Marsh, a British military spokesman, referring to key areas of Taliban resistance in Kandahar and the scene of near continuous fighting since May, 2006.

SAS seizes Taliban leader in secret war:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/18/wafghan18.xml

http://billroggio.com/archives/2007/01/high_value_targets.php

-- January 18, 2007 2:05 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraqi PM: 400 Shiite fighters detained
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer Jan 18, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said 400 fighters from a key backer of the Shiite-led government have been arrested.

Al-Maliki's claim sought to address doubts about his willingness to take on the Shiite militiamen, especially the Mahdi Army loyal to his key supporter, the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr's militiamen are believed responsible for much of the sectarian violence in Baghdad in the past year.

Yassin Majid, a senior al-Maliki adviser, confirmed that al-Maliki had told several newspapers in an interview Wednesday that 400 fighters from the Mahdi Army have been arrested.

A Baghdad Mahdi Army commander said U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a major campaign Tuesday in Um al-Maalef, a Shiite neighborhood in south Baghdad.

"They detained every man who was able to carry weapons. We heard from our people in the area that about 400 people were detained," said the militia commander who spoke on condition of anonymity because senior figures in the group are not permitted to give their names.

He said that in December, U.S. troops had killed one of the Mahdi Army's top commanders, known as Abu al-Sudour, in Sadr City.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

-- January 18, 2007 2:13 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Wasn't there someone lately who said the UN should oversee everything?
Well, they don't appear to have the courage to do so in the face of opposition.
I guess hotspots in the world can only be managed by those with courage -
making the UN impotent in such a conflict as faces the world in Iraq.

===

UN Head Refuses to Increase UN Presence in Iraq
Posted GMT 1-18-2007 16:53:7

(AP) -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he could not agree to a request from U.S. President George W. Bush to increase the UN presence in Iraq because of security concerns amid rising violence.

Ban, who took over as UN chief on Jan. 1, said the United Nations would, nonetheless, try to increase UN participation in the International Compact for Iraq, a five-year plan to ensure that Iraq's government has funds to survive and enact key political and economic reforms.

http://www.aina.org/news/20070118105307.htm

Those who think the UN would make a good world police force..
should look at how they stay OUT of hotspots due to "security concerns"..
and realize that they are only for diplomacy and are INCAPABLE of anything more.
This is why the US had to go into Iraq when the diplomatic measures failed.

-- January 18, 2007 3:09 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraq Readies Law Aimed to Draw Investors
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN
Jan 18, 11:06 AM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's long-awaited hydrocarbons law, which could attract huge investments from foreign oil companies, has been drafted and will be submitted to the Cabinet for endorsement next week, the Oil Ministry said Thursday. Once the draft law is endorsed by the Cabinet, it will go to the parliament for final approval, said ministry spokesman Assem Jihad.

"We hope the ratification of this law will be achieved no more than one month from now. This law is considered a major national project and achievement," Jihad told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

A spokesman expressed hope the legislation, which seeks to draw the legal framework for sharing the county's oil wealth, could be ratified with a month.

The law is expected to encourage foreign oil companies with their huge investment clout and technology to quickly modernize Iraq's oil sector and meet the goal of doubling the current crude production of 2.5 million barrels per day by 2010.

"The law allows for concessions to global oil companies as a way to achieve the highest benefit for Iraqis, taking into consideration fair competition between these companies regardless of their nationalities," Jihad said without giving more details.

It also could ease tensions between Iraq's Kurds and Shiite on one side and Sunnis on another. Kurds in the north and some Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq - Iraq's two chief oil regions - want regional control over oil production and revenues.

But Iraq's Sunni Muslims and much of the Baghdad government want to maintain national control over Iraq's petroleum resources.

"This law stresses that all oil revenues will go to a central fund and then will be distributed to all Iraqis in all regions and provinces according their populations," Jihad said.

Iraq's proven oil reserves stand at about 115 billion barrels, the world's third- largest after Saudi Arabia and Iran.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_OIL_LAW?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-01-18-11-06-17

-- January 18, 2007 3:14 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

What Thomas Jefferson learned
from the Muslim book of jihad

By Ted Sampley
U.S. Veteran Dispatch
January 2007

Democrat Keith Ellison is now officially the first Muslim United States
congressman. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the Quran, the Muslim
book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the United States during his
ceremonial swearing-in.

Capitol Hill staff said Ellison's swearing-in photo opportunity drew more
media than they had ever seen in the history of the U.S. House. Ellison
represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota.

The Quran Ellison used was no ordinary book. It once belonged to Thomas
Jefferson, third president of the United States and one of America's
founding fathers. Ellison borrowed it from the Rare Book Section of the
Library of Congress. It was one of the 6,500 Jefferson books archived in the
library.

Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam while in college,
said he chose to use Jefferson's Quran because it showed that "a visionary
like Jefferson" believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.

There is no doubt Ellison was right about Jefferson believing wisdom could
be "gleaned" from the Muslim Quran. At the time Jefferson owned the book, he
needed to know everything possible about Muslims because he was about to
advocate war against the Islamic "Barbary" states of Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia and Tripoli.

Ellison's use of Jefferson's Quran as a prop illuminates a subject once
well-known in the history of the United States, but, which today, is mostly
forgotten - the Muslim pirate slavers who over many centuries enslaved
millions of Africans and tens of thousands of Christian Europeans and
Americans in the Islamic "Barbary" states.

Over the course of 10 centuries, Muslim pirates cruised the African and
Mediterranean coastline, pillaging villages and seizing slaves.

The taking of slaves in pre-dawn raids on unsuspecting coastal villages had
a high casualty rate. It was typical of Muslim raiders to kill off as many
of the "non-Muslim" older men and women as possible so the preferred "booty"
of only young women and children could be collected.

Young non-Muslim women were targeted because of their value as concubines in
Islamic markets. Islamic law provides for the sexual interests of Muslim men
by allowing them to take as many as four wives at one time and to have as
many concubines as their fortunes allow.

Boys, as young as 9 or 10 years old, were often mutilated to create eunuchs
who would bring higher prices in the slave markets of the Middle East.
Muslim slave traders created "eunuch stations" along major African slave
routes so the necessary surgery could be performed. It was estimated that
only a small number of the boys subjected to the mutilation survived after
the surgery.

When American colonists rebelled against British rule in 1776, American
merchant ships lost Royal Navy protection. With no American Navy for
protection, American ships were attacked and their Christian crews enslaved
by Muslim pirates operating under the control of the "Dey of Algiers"--an
Islamist warlord ruling Algeria.

Because American commerce in the Mediterranean was being destroyed by the
pirates, the Continental Congress agreed in 1784 to negotiate treaties with
the four Barbary States. Congress appointed a special commission consisting
of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, to oversee the
negotiations.

Lacking the ability to protect its merchant ships in the Mediterranean, the
new America government tried to appease the Muslim slavers by agreeing to
pay tribute and ransoms in order to retrieve seized American ships and buy
the freedom of enslaved sailors.

Adams argued in favor of paying tribute as the cheapest way to get American
commerce in the Mediterranean moving again. Jefferson was opposed. He
believed there would be no end to the demands for tribute and wanted matters
settled "through the medium of war." He proposed a league of trading nations
to force an end to Muslim piracy.

In 1786, Jefferson, then the American ambassador to France, and Adams, then
the American ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul
Rahman Adja, the "Dey of Algiers" ambassador to Britain.

The Americans wanted to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress' vote to
appease.

During the meeting Jefferson and Adams asked the Dey's ambassador why
Muslims held so much hostility towards America, a nation with which they had
no previous contacts.

In a later meeting with the American Congress, the two future presidents
reported that Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja had answered that Islam
"was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their
Quran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority
were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them
wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as
Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle
was sure to go to Paradise."

For the following 15 years, the American government paid the Muslims
millions of dollars for the safe passage of American ships or the return of
American hostages. The payments in ransom and tribute amounted to 20 percent
of United States government annual revenues in 1800.

Not long after Jefferson's inauguration as president in 1801, he dispatched
a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean, and
informed Congress, declaring that America was going to spend "millions for
defense but not one cent for tribute." Jefferson pressed the issue by
deploying American Marines and many of America's best warships to the Muslim
Barbary Coast.

The USS Constitution, USS Constellation, USS Philadelphia, USS Chesapeake,
USS Argus, USS Syren and USS Intrepid all saw action.

In 1805, American Marines marched across the desert from Egypt into
Tripolitania, forcing the surrender of Tripoli and the freeing of all
American slaves.

During the Jefferson administration, the Muslim Barbary States, crumbling as
a result of intense American naval bombardment and on shore raids by
Marines, finally officially agreed to abandon slavery and piracy.

Jefferson's victory over the Muslims lives on today in the Marine Hymn, with
the line, "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we will
fight our country's battles on the land as on the sea."

It wasn't until 1815 that the problem was fully settled by the total defeat
of all the Muslim slave trading pirates.

Jefferson had been right. The "medium of war" was the only way to put and
end to the Muslim problem. Mr. Ellison was right about Jefferson. He was a
"visionary" wise enough to read and learn about the enemy from their own
Muslim book of jihad.

-- January 18, 2007 3:43 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Read the entire article and you will understand that the liberals are preaching the same old tactics that always get us in more trouble. Aftr you do that give yourself a gut reality check and ask the question...does hillary Clinton give a s_it about me, our troops or our country? My answer was...No!! She's been at the public trough way too long....it's time for her to go bye bye.
=============================================================================================================
How the left led us into 9/11
The Clinton and Carter administrations made the U.S. look like a weak, attractive target for terrorists.
By Dinesh D'Souza, DINESH D'SOUZA, a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, is the author, most recently, of "The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11."
January 18, 2007

IN CONSIDERING a funding cutoff for U.S. troops in Iraq, the liberal leadership in Congress runs the risk of making the United States more vulnerable to future attacks, not just in the Middle East but here at home. To understand this, it's not enough to revisit the factors that led to the Iraq invasion. We must consider the roots of 9/11 itself. Only by understanding the policies that sowed the seeds of 9/11 can we intelligently decide how best to proceed in fighting the war on terror.

Pundits on the left say that 9/11 was the result of a "blowback" of resistance from the Islamic world against U.S. foreign policy. At first glance, this seems to make no sense. American colonialism in the Middle East? The U.S. has no history of colonialism there. Washington's support for unelected dictatorial regimes in the region? The Muslims can't be outraged about this, because there are no other kinds of regimes in the region. U.S. support for Israel and wars against the Muslims? Yes, but the U.S. has frequently fought on the side of the Muslims, as in Afghanistan in the 1980s or in the Persian Gulf War.

But in a sense the liberal pundits are right. The U.S. made two gigantic foreign policy blunders in recent decades that did sow the seeds of 9/11. What the liberals haven't recognized is that these blunders were the direct result of their policies and actions, and were carried out by Democratic presidents — Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-dsouza18jan18,0,647382.story?coll=la-opinion-center

-- January 18, 2007 8:09 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara, that was a very interesting article you brought in, from U.S. Veteran Dispatch, about Jefferson's Qu'aran. I had never heard of that bit of history before. I toured Africa when I was younger, but I was quited ignorant of African history back then. Still am, I guess. I mostly went to see nature. Twenty years ago, I visited a Portugese fort in Mombassa, Africa, and I was told it was to protect the Christians from Muslim slavers. I guess Muslim slavers were there too. It really brought my past experience there to life. Thanks.

-- January 18, 2007 9:19 PM ∞

---

Neil wrote:

ANNON:

I could not help but notice your post as I read through and I summized that you had too many shots of Jack Daniel before your post. I'm not criticizing that as I often have a couple of shots of Vodka before I make a post and it sounds somewhat like yours.

I pretty much agree with what you said except about Newt being a laughing stock.
He almost single handedly won the Congress and Senate for the Republicans in 1994 with his contract with America. He had an indescretion and when it was brought to light, he immediately resigned his lofty position like a true Statesman should. I see Newt as our best chance for the Republicans to keep the Presidency.

Tim Bitts and Carole: You two are great, you say in eloquent terms what I believe. Keep giving us your assessment of the conditions in the U.S.

-- January 18, 2007 11:06 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

From National Review Online, interview, with Edward Klein, former New York Times Magazine Editor-in-Chief, and one-time editor at Newsweek, who wrote, The Truth About Hillary:

"Hillary's politics were shaped by the culture of radical feminism and lesbianism at Wellesley College in the 1960s. This is paramount in exploring the political life of Hillary Clinton."

I tend to be fairly tolerant about people's living arrangement. But I'm very uncomfortable with radical feminism. It degrades the family, and the role of men, and is a huge distortion of history. I'm all for moderate calls for equality, but feminists are wrong on so many issues. I have known several lesbians and discussed politics with them. A lot of them live in another world, a parallel universe to average American norms. Not all, but some feminist lesbians have a huge chip on their shoulders, and a lot just hate men. Their politics and worldview reflect this. If you ever get a chance to befriend a radical feminist lesbian, do it. It's a real eye opener. They often see the world very differently.

Now, I tend to be live and let live, in terms of people's personal lives. I have very stong beliefs about right and wrong, and I'll discuss them, if asked, but other than that, I tend to let people do what they want, as long as they aren't hurting anyone. But electing Hillary Clinton would be very big trouble. I think a president should reflect average, mainstream values, since these are the values shared by the most number of people. Democracy is about putting in place policies that average people want, while respecting minority rights. It's not about small minorities controlling and dominating power over the majority. (Just talk to the Sunnis and Shiites about that one.) Electing a president whose values were shaped by a worldview radically out of the norm, and part of an extreme subculture would likely be very divisive and destructive.

Feminists tend to see all of society, all of history, from the point of view, that it has all been one long oppression, of women, by men. Governments, they believe, should interfere to correct this presumed inequality. The traditional family is seen as an instrument of oppression, whereby men impose their will over women, and it must be weakened and eventually destroyed. That's what's behind bringing in gay marriage.

Religion is seen as a male thing, a male evil plan to dominate and control women. God, portrayed in language that is male, is seen as a justification males use, to extend their own egos, by creating a ficticious God that is all powerful, and male. As the old feminist joke goes, if God is a man, then man must be God! Religion, and God are not seen as real, but rather seen as creations of male ego that are used to subjugate and control women.

So, at the core, radical feminism resembles Marxism. Both are godless, and make simple and singular pronouncement to explain all social complexity in history. Marxist say everything is about economics, and all of history is about one small group, the rich bourgeous, controlling all money and power, while the great masses, the proletariat, have nothing, till they overthrow the bourgeous, and take power. Feminists say everything is about history being one long oppression, of women, by men, till women, till women fight men and get equality.

Women are the eternal victums, in this worldview. She and her sisters must fight to free herself from male oppression. All men are the enemies. Men, by nature, are seen to be violent and destructive, and controlling. All men, no matter how weak of pitiful, are seen as part of the male patriarchy, dominating women, and enjoying special privileges throughout life. All men are seen as potential rapists and abusers. Women, according to radical feminism, must fight to win their freedom and equality, from men who want to keep them in bondage.

Sound nuts? It is. It also may be the worldview of your next President, if Hillary Clinton wins.

America's very existance will be challenged this century, by radical Muslims, with a very different worldview. Many of them wish to destroy America. Electing a self-absorbed 60s radical, with views shaped by radical lesbian feminism would make as much sense as having an Albanian Communist run General Motors. A President needs the ideas, or the mindset, to take on the difficult and real issue America faces. Hillary Clinton won't do.

-- January 19, 2007 2:22 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Tim,

Excellent exposite of radical lesbian feminists.

I have known a few myself. It has always amused me how when they do seek out male realtionships it is with the type that they ultimately hate and use as as platform for what you have described as their worldview.

Think about it Hilary chose BILL!

This next election cycle demands that the Republicans be on their toes as never before!

Hilary's personal and professional profile is one that needs to be revealed and hammered hard (exploited if you will). However, done ever so skillfully as to not make her a "martyr" and gain the sympathy of moderate americans, whom I believe will elect the next pres.

The only circumstances that will avert even the slightest consideration of her presidency will be either an all out victory in Iraq, or, sadly another 911.

I believe that the terriorists will hold back any assaults on American soil simply to further the advancement of a Democratic president, namely Hiliary. They are shrewd,patient and evil enough to con the entire world.

Sometime soon, if you haven't already, I wished you would read New World Order, by Pat Robertson. No matter what you may think of him, his research in this book is impeccable.

Carole

-- January 19, 2007 5:29 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Requesting good thoughts from all and strong prayers from those so inclined.

Have had significant health problems this last week.

Having tests tomorrow to rule out blood clots.

This is when I wished I had a wireless card so I could take my laptop with me:)

It seems like I miss so much when away for even a day!!

Take care and keep solving the world's problems!!!

Carole

-- January 19, 2007 5:53 AM ∞

---

Cher wrote:

Carole,

I will keep you in my prayers but I'm sure everything will turn out O.K.
Just keep postive thoughts and be as stress free as you can. I know I
don't have to tell you what stress can do to the body.

Cher

-- January 19, 2007 7:05 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Smoke and mirrors?
Are the Iraqis pulling a fast one?
As I read various pieces about the HCL law.. this article cropped up.
It seems to say that the Iraqis.. AGAIN....
cut the HCL law into smaller bits.. and are passing only PART of the law..
leaving out parts needed for the Western majors to feel comfortable.

They are resolving disputes about how to parcel out the money made to Iraq..
but are NOT agreed on fundamentals which an oil company would need -
like what percentage they can make in cold, hard cash.
If the Iraqi government changes that percentage to, say, only five percent profit,
it makes it so that ninety five percent is going to the Iraqi government, and makes
the profit margin far too small for oil companies to profitably be in Iraq.
This could delay the fields being developed.. OR, the government could then
choose to give those contracts to IRAN instead.. a political move.

The Iraqis may be giving the US and coalition the short end of the stick,
while trying to look generous and reasonable.
The difference is in the fine print.

And, of course, this makes for yet another technique to DELAY again..
so they don't have to RV the currency.
Because the Powers That Be won't be assured enough of the Iraqi economy
having the economic policies in place to assure a fair and free market..
so they won't be keen on giving the economic aid to them (developing the oil fields)
OR supporting their currency as having a greater worth.

Is this just another sabotage effort on Iran's part to get the oil of Iraq for themselves?
The Saudi's just brokered a deal with Iran, and Talibani just got an agreement with Syria..
for a pipeline over their lands. They all seem so very cozy...
I hope they didn't circumvent the US interests to do these things, cutting out the US,
and the West, and consolidating the power base among the Middle Eastern powers -
making us look foolish in the process as they play their shell game, and we try to act
in good faith and as straight shooters.

Quote:

Iraq Leaders Agree on Draft Oil Law
Posted GMT 1-18-2007 16:55:27

(Reuters) -- Iraqi officials have agreed a final draft of a law that sets rules for sharing Iraq's oil wealth and aims to bring in billions of dollars of foreign investment to rebuild the mainstay of the economy.

But crucially, international oil firms waiting for access to the world's third biggest oil reserves will find little detail in the draft about the form future deals will take. They are likely to hold off major commitments until there is clarity.

The Oil Committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, will send the draft to cabinet next week for approval. After that it will go to parliament. Officials hope that the broad base of the negotiating team means it will pass easily.

Jihad refused to say who will negotiate with the international firms but explained a federal council will have the final word on approving the contracts.

Senior oil industry sources told Reuters last month that the regions will negotiate with big oil companies on crude contracts and oilfields developments but the centre must approve them.

Norwegian company DNO is already drilling in the Kurdish north. Its shares eased on the news.

Iraq desperately needs foreign investment to revive its shattered economy, which relies heavily on oil export revenues.

Oil Ministry sources told Reuters Iraq is aiming to find the best model for its future contracts with international oil companies by studying existing agreements in Norway, Britain and the United States.

The ministry has sent a 20-strong team to Britain to study contracts there, the sources said. From there it will travel to Norway. Another group will head to the United States soon.

Jihad said the percentage of profit that investing companies could expect to earn had not been set. Iraq would not differentiate between companies based on nationality, he added.

One oil company source said government officials had told him the government was leaning towards a system that used a type of production sharing contract, rather than the royalty-based contracts favoured by industrialised countries.

"If the legal problems are solved by the oil law, that's good news," said a senior Western oil executive.

"What the industry needs is a workable law. At the moment we have uncertainty... we'd prefer to negotiate with the central government," said David Horgan, chief executive of Petrel Resources, which is developing fields in southern Iraq.

http://www.aina.org/news/20070118105527.htm

Again, note that not only what profit a company can make in Iraq is not given...
but Iraq "will not differentiate" between companies based on nationality.
That means the contracts will go to whomever they wish.. our friends in the GWOT..
or the terrorists. And they might just choose Iran over the US, shutting us out?

Sara.

-- January 19, 2007 8:00 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted on www.dinartrade.com

Dollar bids lower, exchange rates keep falling in Iraqi auction

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

Baghdad,01/19/07 (Voices of Iraq)
Dollar demand was sharply lower on Thursday, the last trading session this week, reaching $65.770 million compared to $113 million on Wednesday in Iraq’s central bank daily auction.

Wednesday’s session saw the biggest demand rise recorded in one session as bids jumped $90 million.

In its daily statement on Thursday the bank said it covered all bids which were $33.690 million in cash and $32.80 million in foreign transfers at an exchange rate of 1,300 dinars per dollar, five dinars lower than Wednesday’s rate.

Fourteen banks participated in Thursday’s auction and offered to sell $207,000 which the central bank bought all at 1,298 dinars per dollar rate.

Economist Abdul-Razzaq Sadeq al-Abaiji told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) the demand was lower at the last session of the trading week, but it was still within a good range considering the continuous fall in exchange rates which reflects market flexibility.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 19, 2007 9:10 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

A article posted on www.iraqupdates.com

The battle for Kirkuk: How to prevent a new front in Iraq

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

19 January 2007 (Turkish Daily News)
Print article Send to friend
On January 14, in a rare show of unity, Sunni and Shiite Arab, Turkmen, and Christian Iraqis gathered at a conference in Ankara to denounce Kurdish plans to incorporate Kirkuk, the capital of Iraq's at-Tamim province, into the Kurdish region. This comes after recent violence in Kirkuk, including a December 26 roadside bomb that killed three and wounded six. Between December 2005 and July 2006, the number of reported violent incidents in Kirkuk increased by 76 percent, ending the city's previous status as a relatively safe area. With tensions in Kirkuk rising, how can violence be countered? Background: In 1957, the last official census not distorted by the Baath party, Kirkuk's population was 113,989. Turkmens predominated, making up 40 percent of the population, while Kurds made up 35 percent, Arabs 24 percent, and Christians 1 percent. That census revealed a population in the surrounding at-Tamim province in which Kurds made up 55 percent of the population, while Turkmens made up 14 percent, Arabs 29 percent, and Christians less than 1 percent. Because Kirkuk was such an overwhelmingly non-Arab city, Saddam Hussein used demographic engineering to "Arabize" the city. He forcibly expelled Turkmens, Kurds, and Christians from their homes, and replaced them with (mostly Shiite) Arabs from central and southern Iraq to wrest control of the oil-rich city and its environs from its non-Arab inhabitants. Human Rights Watch reports that, after the 1991 Gulf War alone, the Iraqi government expelled 120,000 Turkmens, Kurds, and Christians from government-controlled areas of northern Iraq, mostly from Kirkuk and surrounding villages, replacing them mainly with poor Shiites from the south. Francis M. Deng, from 1994 to 2004 the UN secretary general's special representative on internally displaced persons, maintained that around 200,000 Arabs were resettled in Kirkuk during the Arabization campaign. In addition to a process known as "national correction," in which Kurds and Turkmens were forced to register as Arabs, this process dramatically altered Kirkuk's demographics. After the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority envisioned a legal process to repatriate all of Kirkuk's previous inhabitants, creating the Iraqi Property Claims Commission (IPCC) to correct Saddam-era injustices. However, due to insufficient political will, coupled with actual Kurdish control of Kirkuk since 2003, so far the IPCC has settled only 16 percent of the claims it has received. Article 140 of Iraq's 2006 constitution dictates a three-stage process to address this issue and determine the political future of the city. The first stage is "normalization," with an anticipated return of Christians, Turkmens, and Kurds to the city before March 2007. The ensuing stage is a census in July 2007 to determine the city's legal residents, who can vote in a referendum (the third stage) on Kirkuk's future, to be carried out before November 15, 2007.

Kurdish control in Kirkuk: Since the war, Kirkuk's population appears to have increased; by some accounts, it has risen from 700,000 before the war to 800,000 today. This is despite an exodus of Arabs and Turkmens. According to Judith Yaphe, a senior fellow at the National Defense University, as many as 150,000 Arabs have left the city since the war as a result of violence and intimidation. USA Today and the Washington Post have reported cases of intimidation and violence to force out Arabs involving arson, the killing of livestock, and gunfights -- some of which were reportedly facilitated by Kurdish peshmerga forces belonging to the PUK and the KDP. The Sunni Turkmen population, hitherto the city's largest ethnic group and the foundation of its urban elite, has all but disappeared. Despite these incidents, Kirkuk's population has, nevertheless, increased due to what appears to be a massive influx of Kurds. The Los Angeles Times reported that more than 350,000 Kurds -- at least 100,000 of whom never lived in Kirkuk -- have entered the city since April 2003. Financial support from the two parties that control the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) -- the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) -- has enabled Kurds to build homes and purchase Arab lands. In short, the first stage of implementing Article 140, normalization, has been anything but normal. Prior to the January 2005 Iraqi elections, the Kurds threatened a nationwide boycott lest the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) accede to a demand that "displaced Kurds in Erbil and Suleymaniye" not residing in Kirkuk be able to vote in Kirkuk's provincial elections, thereby increasing their representation in the city. Thanks to this procedure and to population engineering, the joint KDP/PUK list collected 59 percent of the vote and an absolute majority in the at-Tamim provincial council.This success enabled the Kurds to make gains in Kirkuk through their control of the provincial government. Kurdish loyalists in key civil service positions in Kirkuk are paid with funds from the budgets of the KRG. Kurds control Kirkuk's intelligence services and security police. In 2005, the chief of Kirkuk's police, an ethnic Kurd, said that 40 percent of Kirkuk's 6,120-member police force was loyal to the two Kurdish political parties. Kurdish peshmerga patrol the streets, and street signs have been changed from Arabic to Kurdish.

Oil business: Kirkuk's oilfields are a defining factor driving the contest for the city. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that at-Tamim province contains around 8 percent of Iraq's 78 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves. The British firm RSK estimates that with further exploration, at-Tamim could increase its potential reserves to 10-20 billion barrels. Article 112 of Iraq's 2006 constitution specifies that present fields "will be administered by the federal government in cooperation with the governorates of the producing regions and provinces." The article does not specify what constitutes a "present field," creating ambiguity about the ownership of currently undeveloped fields that may be developed in the future. Article 115 states, "All that is not written in the exclusive powers of the federal authorities is in the authority of the regions." The KRG has signed production-sharing agreements with foreign oil companies and drafted its own petroleum act. Exploratory tests have already been conducted on the Taq Taq oil field located thirty-seven miles northeast of Kirkuk, with more plans to drill in the future. Following the introduction of a petroleum bill, Ashti Hawrami, the KRG's mineral resource minister, said, "As a region, we will control 100 percent of what exploration and production is all about."There are some signs that an Iraq-wide hydrocarbon law could emerge, in part from a desire among Kurds to have companies operate in their territory with the confidence that a national law would impart. Even if a national hydrocarbon law were to be issued, an acrimonious debate would ensue over whether it would cover contracts already signed. Nechirvan Barzani, the head of the KRG, threatened to break away from Iraq should the central government refuse to recognize oil contracts that the KRG has signed.

A rainbow anti-Kurdish coalition? A November 2006 Department of Defense report states that in Kirkuk, "extremists on all sides have sought to undermine the religious and ethnic tolerance of the Iraqi people in order to gain control of territory and resources." The Washington Post reports that Kurdish peshmerga routinely abduct and imprison Arabs and Turkmens in KRG prisons. Non-Kurds have responded with attacks in Kirkuk against Kurds and officials of the PUK and the KDP. Muqtada al-Sadr has not wasted any time in organizing Shiite Arabs expelled by the Kurds. The Iraqi constitution fails to address what is to happen to Shiite families settled by Saddam in Kirkuk -- most of whom have now lived in Kirkuk for more than a generation, and have no homes to return to -- as well as those families who came to Kirkuk as labor migrants. These Shiite Arabs expelled by the Kurds have accepted a helping hand from Sadr and now support him. Meanwhile, Shiite Turkmens alienated by the main Turkmen party, the Iraqi Turkmen Front, whose leadership has been traditionally comprised of Sunni Turkmens (around half of Iraqi Turkmens are Shiites) have also been recruited by Sadr. The Shiite militias first appeared to confront growing Kurdish control over Kirkuk with the arrival of Sadr's Mahdi Army in 2004. Their activity began with intimidating Shiite residents into remaining in Kirkuk. This has since escalated into attacks against Kurds. Neighborhood Shiite groups are also responsible for perpetrating acts of violence against Kurds. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda affiliates such as Ansar al-Sunna are known to be helping and recruiting Sunni Arabs and even traditionally secular Sunni Turkmens -- most of whom have been expelled from Kirkuk by the Kurds. Kirkuk has witnessed increased al-Qaeda presence. The majority of the twenty suicide bombings perpetrated in Kirkuk from July to October 2006 are presumably the work of al-Qaeda affiliates.While Iraq has experienced increased sectarian tension between Shiite and Sunni groups since the February 22, 2006, bombing of the Askariya shrine, ironically, in Kirkuk, these groups have been united in their opposition to Kurdish political designs for the city. As a result, complex Mahdi Army and al-Qaeda attacks on KDP and PUK headquarters, along with sniping, rogue assassination attacks, and improvised explosive devices, are now all part of Kirkuk's violent landscape.

U.S. policy: Much attention has focused lately on the growing prospects of civil war among Iraq's various ethnic and religious groups in Baghdad. Similar attention ought to be devoted to Kirkuk and its environs, the other area of Iraq that is home to all of the nation's ethnic groups. Kirkuk is as likely as Baghdad to produce a calamity that can fracture Iraq. Despite its diversity, Kirkuk is exclusively controlled by Kurds with a maximalist agenda, alienating the city's non-Kurdish inhabitants. If not addressed before the impending referendum, the Kirkuk issue will turn at-Tamim province into a tinderbox. What is more, the Kirkuk conflict appears to be pulling in Iraq's neighbors. Turkey, interested in the welfare of the Turkmens, watches the developments in Kirkuk with growing unease, and U.S. officers fear an Iranian hand is supporting the Mahdi Army and other militias in the region -- as indicated by the type of military technology being used. Only by facilitating the return of expellee Turkmens and Arabs to Kirkuk and encouraging a power-sharing arrangement among Christians, Turkmens, Kurds, and Arabs to control the town and its oil wealth as indicated by President Bush in his January 10 address can the United States avoid a showdown in Kirkuk, the consolidation of a rainbow anti-Kurdish coalition, and -- last but not least -- a new front in northern Iraq.

Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute. Daniel Fink is a research assistant for the Turkish Research Program and Military and Security Studies Program. This piece is originally published at the Washington Institute website, on January 16, 2007, at http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2552

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 19, 2007 9:42 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Sara:

Your email along with posssible tensions with Turkey causes me to be a little unsettled. By no means am I cutting and running. I still believe U.S./Iraqi relations will benefit all parties involved and those invested in the Dinar.

These events could place George W. Bush and the Republicans in dire straits, especially if Iraq further degenerates and allies itself with Iran.

Inexperience of the Iraqi leadership may be the impetus for their delay in negotiating with Western Oil Companies. Understanding how to draft contractual agreements speaks to the knowledge the Iraqi's must obtain.

What we are seeing are the early birth pangs of a democracy. I am sure the tensions we encountered with Great Britian caused some to speculate the U.S. would not succeed, but here we are. I think Iraq will succeed, but it is going to be a long arduous process.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 19, 2007 10:50 AM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Neil wrote: “I could not help but notice your post as I read through and I summized that you had too many shots of Jack Daniel before your post. I'm not criticizing that as I often have a couple of shots of Vodka before I make a post and it sounds somewhat like yours”.

I am still figuring out what you meant by this. Seems like the ol’ apologize before I slam you deal. I do not drink nor have I ever needed a drink to say what is on my mind.

As I said I don’t get real involved in politics. I have not recalled really anything concerning Newt since he stepped down. As he was stepping down I wondered sometimes aloud why he was not fighting to keep his position. The one things that rings in my mind was the “Mother situation” I think through David Letterman.

“ he immediately resigned his lofty position like a true Statesman should. I see Newt as our best chance for the Republicans to keep the Presidency”.

Should he have another indiscretion while President will he resign without a fight also. Clinton sure hung on and refused to go even after being Impeached.

I would prefer a candidate that has the war wounds and might to be able to stand up for what he believes in. Reagan and Bush sure did and have. Someone that has been newsworthy in the strides they have made. A people person that can get along with, listen to and work with no matter what the party affiliation. Well that may narrow down the list to nobody.

I will admit that I don’t see anybody at the moment that fits the bill Republican or Democrat. The only thing about the Democrats offering is it’s looking good for another Republican to retain the office.

Jeb comes to mind, he’s did a pretty good job here in Florida. No scandals or improprieties to speak of. Got along well with the various nationalities and refugees. Low key but tough and surrounded himself with knowledgeable people.

Well that my Sober take on things at the moment.

-- January 19, 2007 11:17 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Rob N;

Some good points.. it could be completely innocent and all working according to plan.
I do hope so..
but double crosses appear to be a part of that culture,
and Maliki only did what was right under threat, so far (dealing with Sadr militias).

Here is where I got the idea that Iraq is negotiating for an oil pipeline with Syria..
This could be completely innocent and in our best interests..
as well as in the best interest of a free Iraq.

It is also of note, however, that Syria alone sided with Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war,
and allows fighters over her border.. so the proof of the pudding is in the fine print,
as to who exactly is benefitted and in what proportion.
Just being cautious.. and lawyer-like - crossing the "i"s and dotting the "t"s..
on agreements which set Iraqi international policy for decades to come.

Iraq's Talabani visits Assad seeking closer ties

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - President Jalal Talabani, on the first trip to Syria by an Iraqi head of state for 30 years, met President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday during a visit expected to focus on stabilising Iraq and preventing insurgents crossing their long border.

Talabani, who lived in exile in Syria in the 1970s, wants to use his six-day trip to discuss ways to stem the violence in Iraq and stop what the United States says is a flow of men and arms across the border to help the insurgency in Iraq.

The two neighbours restored diplomatic relations only last month after a breach in the 1980s when Syria, alone in the Arab world, sided with Tehran during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

"We hope this will be a successful visit. We have a desire to develop ties in all fields," Assad told Talabani when they met at a hilltop palace overlooking the Syrian capital.

A deal to sell up to 400,000 tonnes of Syrian wheat to Iraq is also expected to be discussed.

Damascus hopes that improved ties and stability in Iraq will increase Syrian exports and allow the resumption of crude oil flows through a pipeline running from the oil city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq to Syria's Mediterranean coast.

Talabani's delegation includes the chief of the State Oil Marketing Organisation and the interior, trade, and water ministers. Talabani is likely to hold further talks with Assad and other top officials during his visit, which is expected to end on Jan 19.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/1/15/worldupdates/2007-01-15T015737Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-283579-2&sec=worldupdates

-- January 19, 2007 12:05 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

And here is where I saw the deal with the Saudi Arabians and Iran..
from reading various reports like this one -
where Iran says it is in discussions between (terrorist) Iran and SA.
Quote:

Iran rules out hit to nuclear installations, welcomes resumption of talks

TEHRAN, Jan 17 (KUNA) -- Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani denied reports on freezing the uranium enrichment activities at Natanz facility adding that "our work is on at this facility and the international inspection teams are welcome to carry out their tasks."

Iran calls for negotiations on nuclear program and welcomes French special envoy to discuss outstanding issues as well.

Asked to comment on his negotiations with the Saudi leader, he said that the Tehran-Riyadh consultations serve stability of the region.

"Regional cooperation was top on the agenda of the talks with Saudi officials to help restore peace and stability in the region. We also discussed international cooperation to this end," he went on.

Larijani concluded that the US and UK are after creating a fictitious enemy in the region because "they are afraid of regional alliance to take shape among the Middle East nations and of a time when they will not need any foreign powers. So, they foment sectarian conflict to reach their goal of greater Middle East."

http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=943565

From this, you can see that IRAN sees it as a regional alliance among the Middle Eastern nations..
looking forward to "a time when they will not need any foreign powers"...
so exactly how do the negotiations work which they make with Saudi Arabia?
You know, the Saudis and the Iranians are the two largest oil exporters, with Iraq third..
Just food for thought.
I wish I knew those involved, it would help alleviate the concerns to know who really is onside.
But I don't, nor do you.. and their ultimate loyalties are suspect until it is in writing (law) and deeds.

Sara.

-- January 19, 2007 12:20 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

ANNON;

Jeb would have been a shoe-in for the office of President, but, as you said, "I would prefer a candidate that has the war wounds and might to be able to stand up for what he believes in."

I think MOST think that, too.. and he did NOT distinguish himself in the euthenasia debate by fighting like he should have for Terri Schiavo. He lost. But, if he had won, he would not only be a hopeful but the frontrunner for the office of President, because of the color he brought to the debate and the polarization he could have created. Now, he is just a lackluster wannabe, like everyone else.

It's amazing what standing up for what is true does for you. It may polarize, but it also may define who you are in a race, and public voting often goes as strongly for you as against, merely due to the fact that the President must be someone who has definite strength of character and ability to make the hard and right choices, something Hillary never does. Anything she stands up for makes her look shrill and like a wailing banshee, not like a tough negotiator (see recent article above where she threatened the lives of our ALLIES, which gave me little confidence she has any negotiation ability in a conflict). She looks better suited to her role as a grandmother surrounded by her grandchildren than making the hard choices concerning nuclear arms treaties with hardnosed hardline Communist, Islamofascist or other threatening world powers during a time when the nation is at war. She is no Margaret Thatcher, whose nickname was deservedly "The Iron Lady" because of her steadfast and unwavering Conservative character. Margaret Thatcher's character was rock solid, not an image carefully-controlled imagemakers morph according to polls and stage for photo-ops.

As Tim Bitts pointed out, quote, "Electing a president whose values were shaped by a worldview radically out of the norm, and part of an extreme subculture would likely be very divisive and destructive." Hillary is a strident feminist and her values are so out of the norm, I cannot see her being a representative choice for the people if they know what she really is. Therefore, they must make up a fake image, based on polls and seizing opportunites to project another image than her own. I agree with Tim Bitts, "America's very existance will be challenged this century, by radical Muslims, with a very different worldview. Many of them wish to destroy America. Electing a self-absorbed 60s radical, with views shaped by radical lesbian feminism..." would be foolish. I can only hope the American people see through the spin doctored images that are portrayed to them on their TV screens and look for real substance which can confront these global challenges straight on. I wish Jeb had shown that substance in spades when he was given (by God) the opportunity to do so.

Sara.

-- January 19, 2007 1:07 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

In other words, if the public would galvanize support behind a champion of strident radical lesbian feminism.. why doesn't she run on that platform? Instead.. she takes photo ops with children, portraying the exact opposite (family life) of what she really is (radical feminists, same sex marriage, etc). I dislike deception anywhere or in any stratum.

Sara.

-- January 19, 2007 1:29 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

U.S. seizes Sadr aide as Gates visits Iraq

Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:14 PM GMT28

By Alastair Macdonald and Mariam Karouny

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi troops seized a prominent spokesman for Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Friday, confronting a movement that has a key role in the ruling coalition but is accused by Washington of running death squads.

The midnight raid near Baghdad's Sadr City district, which Sadr's aides called an "American provocation", came as U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates flew in to the southern city of Basra to meet the commander in Iraq, General George Casey.

Dealing with Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia is a burning issue for U.S. forces and Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as they prepare what many see as a last-ditch effort to rein in sectarian violence that is pushing Iraq into civil war.

Gates said Iraq was at a "pivotal moment" and failure would be a "calamity" for U.S. interests.

Sadr, a young populist cleric with a mass following and some backing from Shi'ite Iran, is an ally of Maliki, who has been criticised by Washington and leaders of the once dominant Sunni Arab minority for failing so far to disarm the Mehdi Army.

Maliki, however, has said this month he will crack down on Shi'ite militias and said 400 Mehdi Army members had been arrested in mainly Shi'ite southern Iraq over recent days.

Friday's move appeared to be part of a campaign of targeted operations which senior Shi'ite politicians have told Reuters are being mounted against key figures in the Mehdi Army. It was not clear which was the main suspect among at least three people arrested, including Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji, a spokesman for Sadr.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Darraji's arrest was "not against the Sadrists" as a political movement but due to security concerns about Darraji, who would be released if an investigation cleared him. The U.S. military did not name the main suspect, who it said was held with two others.

DEATH SQUAD LEADER

In a statement that said Iraqi special forces backed by American advisers conducted the operation, it said it arrested a death squad leader wanted for kidnap, torture and murder and said he was linked to fugitive Shi'ite warlord Abu Deraa.

One senior source in the Sadr movement said Darraji may not have been the main target as he was detained with "guests", one of whom may have been a senior Mehdi Army commander.

General Casey said he could not confirm Darraji was among those arrested, but he added: "I think it is indicative of the prime minister's and the government's commitment to target all those who break the law."

"We have picked up probably five or six death squad leaders here in the last three to four weeks at very very high level," Casey told reporters at a joint news conference with Gates.

Shi'ite militias, along with Sunni insurgent groups, are blamed for thousands of killings in the past year -- the United Nations says more than 34,000 civilians died in 2006. Dozens of people are found tortured and shot in Baghdad every day.

Condemning the arrest, the leader of the Sadrist bloc in parliament, Nassar al-Rubaie, told Reuters: "This is a great provocation to the Sadrists but it will not drag us into doing what the Americans want, which is to create chaos in Iraq."
Government spokesman Dabbagh said the operation had Maliki's full backing: "This is not against the Sadrists. It is against people with security question marks against them."

Rubaie, calling Darraji a "moderate", said other government officials told him they had been unaware of the plans for the raid. But Dabbagh stressed that it was a "joint operation".

The U.S. military said: "In an Iraqi-led operation, special Iraqi army forces captured a high-level, illegal armed group leader during operations with Coalition advisers."

It said the main suspect was accused of leading "punishment" activities -- an apparent reference to informal courts meting out rough justice according strict interpretations of Islam.

After criticism from Washington, Maliki has announced that the coming crackdown in Baghdad, backed by most of the 21,500 American reinforcements being sent by President George W. Bush, will tackle Shi'ite militias as well as Sunni insurgents.

An Italian newspaper quoted Sadr as saying a crackdown on his followers had already started, but he did not plan to resist during the holy month of Muharram starting this week.

La Repubblica did not say when, where or how it conducted the interview, or whether its correspondent spoke directly to Sadr, who hardly ever gives interviews and lives in Najaf.

"It has already started," the paper quoted Sadr as saying. "Last night they already arrested more than 400 of my people. It's not us they want to destroy, but Islam."

(Additional reporting by Andrew Grey in Basra)

-- January 19, 2007 1:56 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

posted to www.iraqslogger.com

Topic: Baghdad Journal
Iraq's Ancient Christian Community Dying
Persecuted at Home, but More Likely to Find New Homes
Posted 6 hr. 22 min. ago
Iraq’s Christians are disappearing. Many are fleeing to Lebanon. Aid organizations have seen a fifteen percent increase in the last year and a half in the Iraqi Christians fleeing to Lebanon. The Patriarch of Iraq’s Chaldean recently fled Iraq to Lebanon because he was threatened. The Chaldean Bishop in Lebanon is adamant that Christians should not be resettled. He claims that twenty years ago there were eight hundred thousand Chaldeans in Iraq and now that number has been halved. The Bishop of Basra left for Australia because all his parish had fled. The Chaldean leadership in the region denies that they are being singled out for persecution because they want to maintain their communities in the Middle East. Iraqi Christians tend to settle in Beirut’s Fanar area. Unofficially Christians are more likely to be resettled in the West. The American government has shown unique interest in the plight of Christians, pressing aid organizations for information about them and preferring to resettle them.

On October 25, 2006, Duraid, his wife, their thirteen year old son and eleven year old daughter arrived in Beirut illegally. Duraid had owned an alcohol factory that was bombed. His building was covered in religious slurs. They had lived in Betawin, in eastern Baghdad. It was a mixed religious community and every two or three houses belonged to Chaldean Christians like Duraid. But now all the Chaldeans have left, he says. Duraid’s daughter was harassed in her school for being a Christian. Her classmates began to tell her to leave, that her family was not wanted. The Christians in Betawin were told that Iraq is the land of Islam and they should leave. After the alcohol factory was bombed all the neighborhood families left. They are in different places, she does not know where. Duraid’s thirteen year old son is handicapped. They used to send him to a church school but a year before the church was bombed and the religious leaders were threatened. After that they were afraid to leave the house.

Their house was raided and its contents stolen and all their papers were burned. They had two thousand dollars in a brother’s house and used that money to leave Iraq. Duraid and his family paid smugglers four hundred and fifty dollars. He gave them a discount on the children, charging for only one child. While being smuggled they had to walk and carry the children on their backs. They are now staying with a cousin in Lebanon who left Iraq three years ago out of fear for her family, believing that without Saddam the Christians would be targeted. Duraid’s brother in law’s house in Baghdad was recently bombed and he too wants to get out. Duraid and his family feels safe now that they are in Lebanon. In Iraq he often did not sleep at home and his wife spent many sleepless nights waiting for him. He never spent two nights in the same place because Islamic militias would ask where he was. In Lebanon their daughter attends a school but they cannot afford to put their son through school since he requires special attention. Duraid is looking for work as a driver but has not found any yet. Older Chaldean arrivals who came illegally are preparing to settle them Australia. Duraid’s wife has a cousin there who is sponsoring her, so they hope to leave as well. They cannot see themselves ever returning to Iraq.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 19, 2007 3:44 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.news.yahoo.com

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
1 hour, 53 minutes ago

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq - Gen. George Casey, the top American commander in Iraq, said Friday it's possible some of 21,500 additional troops that President Bush ordered to Baghdad won't be needed there more than just a few months.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I think it's probably going to be the summer, late summer, before you get to the point where people in Baghdad feel safe in their neighborhoods," Casey told reporters at a news conference with visiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Gates' visit here — his second since replacing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld last month — was not announced in advance. It comes as the Bush administration begins a new phase in the war including a troop buildup that has encountered widespread opposition in Congress, a reshuffling of Mideast commanders and diplomats, and intensified military pressure on Iran.

"Our goal is an Iraq that can defend itself, sustain itself, and govern itself, and live free from the scourge of extremism," said Gates. "There's widespread agreement here that failure would be a calamity for American national interests and those of many other countries as well."

Gates, who headed home after a daylong visit, met with U.S. commanders and their allied counterparts.

The first group of extra troops — a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division — has just arrived in Baghdad, and Gates said it was too early to predict how Bush's plan for quelling the sectarian violence in the capital will work. Four other brigades are to be sent to Iraq between now and May, assuming the Iraqis follow through on their commitment to bring three additional Iraqi army brigades into Baghdad and to allow raids against all illegal militias.

Asked how the Iraqi government was doing to meet its commitments, Casey said, "So far, so good."

Casey is being replaced soon by Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, although the timing is uncertain. Casey has been nominated to become the next chief of staff of the Army, but he has not yet been confirmed in that job by the Senate.

The troop buildup is scheduled to unfold in phases, with the full contingent of five extra brigades not in place until May. However, Britain, which has the largest troop contingent among the U.S. allies with about 7,000 soldiers in the Basra area, is planning to withdraw a large portion of them this year.

Gates said at the outset of his weeklong overseas trip that he realized the security situation in southern Iraq is different than in Baghdad, where the United States is building up its troop strength.

Gates and Casey took a cargo plane to the Tallil air base near the ancient city of Ur and about 10 miles from the southern city of Nasiriyah. They met there with commanders from several coalition countries, including Australia, Poland, Romania and Denmark.

A British military spokesman in Basra told reporters that no "hard evidence" had been obtained of Iranian arms, money or weapons technology entering southern Iraq, but he added, "As a gut feeling we know there is Iranian influence" here. The predominantly Shiite Muslim areas of southern Iraq have historic ties to Iran, which is a predominantly Shiite nation.

The Bush administration has accused Iran of meddling in Iraqi affairs and contributing technology and bomb-making materials for insurgents to use against U.S. and Iraqi security forces.

The British spokesman, Maj. Chris Ormond-King, also said it was possible that Basra province, which includes the city of the same name, could be turned over to full Iraqi government control by this spring. He said there is no firm timetable. Basra is Iraq's second-largest city after Baghdad.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, the top British commander in Iraq said Friday that the Iraqi government has $7 billion to buy the military equipment it wants. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was quoted this week as complaining that the Bush administration has not sent enough weapons and equipment.

"They've got the wherewithal to get on and buy whatever they need as they see fit to defend this nation," said British Army Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb, deputy commander of coalition forces in Iraq.

Lamb also said that British troops are expected to stay in Iraq through 2007, and he sees no reason they would not stay beyond that into 2008 if asked.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 19, 2007 3:47 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Well, allrighty then . . .score one for the good guys. . .P.H.

As Hannibal Smith used to say on "The A-Team" eons ago, "I just love it when a plan comes together!"

TERRORIZING TERRORISTS
By RALPH PETERS
WE'LL get you. No matter how long it takes, we'll get you. That's the message our special-operations forces just sent to al Qaeda fugitives in Somalia - and everywhere else.

With AC-130 gunships pounding terrorist hide-outs and training sites in the badlands near the Kenyan border, we may have nailed senior al Qaeda figures involved in bombing our embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam. At the very least, we killed some really bad hombres.

As always, terrorist propagandists will claim that only innocent civilians suffered, and media sympathizers will echo their nonsense. Fortunately, though, most pro-terrorist journalists and "human-rights advocates" are preoccupied just now with the awful mistreatment of poor, misunderstood Saddam Hussein.

And the devastation left behind by our gunships is only part of a very big U.S. win:

* Thanks to resolute military action by Ethiopia's government (quietly backed by Washington), the terror regime in Mogadishu crumbled overnight - collapsing the lie that extremist Islam is on the march to an inevitable victory.

* The speed of the Ethiopian advance cornered hundreds of hardcore Islamist fighters in a forlorn backwater, where they can be killed out of sight of their media defenders. And be killed they will.

* Islamist outrages and subversion inspired unprecedented cooperation between moderate Somalis, Ethiopians, Kenyans and Americans.

For its part, the Kenyan government grew sick of Somalia exporting hatred, weapons and terror. Now Kenyan troops have sealed their border so al Qaeda's agents can't escape.

* Far from being a growing threat - as America-haters insist - al Qaeda's on the run. Confident that they had a new refuge in Somalia, international terrorists instead find themselves scrambling to escape justice.

* Our special-ops forces are getting their revenge: After Army Rangers and Delta Force troops won a hands-down victory in the streets of Mogadishu back in 1993, President Bill Clinton sold them out (as the Pelosi-Reid Democrats threaten to do to our soldiers in Iraq on a greater scale). Now they're killing al Qaeda fanatics and their local allies with the full support of a new Somali government.

Much remains unresolved in Somalia - it won't turn into a quiet garden spot any year soon. But no amount of rationalizations by anti-American voices can disguise the fact that this has been a huge defeat for radical Islam and its terrorist vanguard: They're homeless again.

Fanatical dreams of re-establishing - and extending - the Muslim caliphate on the African continent are suddenly in shambles (although our enemies, from al Qaeda to the Saudi royal family, won't give up just yet). Far from impressing the world with its strength, extremist Islam just revealed its inherent weakness again: Average Muslims don't like it and won't defend it.

Yes, there's plenty of anti-Ethiopian emotion in the streets of Mogadishu today - but that's not the same as pro-Islamist sentiment.

As for al Qaeda's media pals, they'll try to play down the scope of this defeat, lying that only a few foreign terrorists were in Somalia. But even apart from the number of fanatics now lying dead in mango swamps, snake-ridden forests and scrubland, the psychological blow to al Qaeda has been huge: Mired in Iraq and hunkered down in remote rat-holes in Pakistan, Terror International, Inc. has been robbed of its biggest success story since 9/11.

The Islamists lost their vital beach-head in the Horn of Africa. Even Sudan, for all its villainy, is wary of associating with al Qaeda today (Khartoum has enough problems).

Of course, not all in the region is exactly as it seems on the surface. The do-it-in-the-dark boys - our military special-operations forces and CIA personnel - have been deeply involved in getting this one right. Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, the American regional headquarters in Djibouti, has been a consistently effective player, too, punching well above its weight. JTF-HOA is an economy-of-force operation that returns a huge strategic dividend on the taxpayer's investment.

We owe all of our engaged military and intelligence personnel - overt, covert and clandestine - a debt of thanks.

But the thanks won't be public. As always, our special operators will fade back into the strategic mist. Some may have been on the ground in Somalia throughout this operation, helping out with intelligence and targeting, nudging key actions along and hunting specific terrorists. The use of AC-130 gunships - incredibly effective weapons - against massed terrorists may have been cued by cell-phone intercepts, but I wouldn't discount brave Americans on the ground directing those airstrikes.

That's speculation, of course. But I can guarantee two things to Post readers: First, Somalia and the world are better off with the Islamists on the run and living in terror themselves, and, second, our special operations forces - from all of the services - are greater heroes than the history books or Hollywood films will ever be able to capture.

Whack 'em again, guys.

Ralph Peters is a retired Army officer and the author of "Never Quit The Fight."

To sign up for Daily Newsletter Alerts, please visit http://www.nypost.com/php/newsletter/classify_newsletter

-- January 19, 2007 5:05 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Even though I see some news from Iraq that is quite unsettling, I am still very optimistic about the country and what we are attempting to accomplish. It is wonderous to see a nation transformed from a dictorship to a democracy. Regardless of the violence and uncertainty currently engulfing the nation.

Though I am optimistic regarding Iraq's future. We are on the very cusp of watching the birth of a nation.

Regardless of a future of promise or untapped possibility the future of Iraq is not in the hands of the United States nor, is it in the hands of Iran. Iraq's future is solely in the hands of Iraq's burgeoning government.

Iraq must make a choice. What path will Iraq choose? Will Iraq go the way of Russia, where limits on democracy have been imposed in favor of a strong central government. Vladimir Putin has certainly weiled his uncontrolled power. If Iraq choose Islamic Fundamentalism our hope for Iraq will be like our hope for Russia. A National depression will engulf our nation. The liberal media and liberal democrats will be the party of "I told you so." Our attempt at exporting democracy and making the middle east a better safer place will have failed and Iraq altered negatively forever.

If Iraq chooses democracy over ethnicity. Then the possibilities are limitless at what Iraq can accomplish. Regardless of our own potential wealth the struggle we are currently in is a fight over ideology.

In our history, we have found that Socialism, Communism, and Nazi Facistism were fatal ideologies. The struggle we are in now, will either make or break Islamic Fundamentalism. Unfortunately, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are darkend by potential political gain to see what we face if Iraq is a failure.

Our hope and prayer is that Iraq will choose wisely. The consequences of choosing wisely will bring a peace and prosperity.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 19, 2007 6:03 PM ∞

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erikadoo wrote:

DALE,

Sorry I'm a few days late with this post. Concerning exchanging the 25,000 dinar demnomination for smaller ones:
Rather than being concerned about paying taxes on large gains,I am worried that the government of Iraq will have a RV and discontinue the 25,000 dinar and I will be forced to cash them in early at a lower exchange rate and miss out on potential profits. Does anyone think this is a possibility? I also am trying to obtain some 5,000 dinar notes and have had no luck.

-- January 19, 2007 6:36 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Great thoughts, Rob N.
Thanks for the post on how the GWOT is REALLY going, PH.
Those are the unsung heroes in the conflict. :)
And, as noted, true life is stranger (more mind blowing) than fiction, and the real ops are
"greater heroes than the history books or Hollywood films will ever be able to capture."
And thanks to you, too, Tim Bitts, for appreciating the post on Jefferson's Koran.
It was a piece of history I thought worth noting.

Sadr out of business..
that was something Carl said was NECESSARY for Iraq to prosper.
Funny how Sadr says that when they attack his suicide and torture squads -
squads that have raped, tortured and murdered Iraqis - they are attacking "Islam".
I wonder how many executed bodies which turned up in Baghdad with torture marks
are attributable to the very person who now claims to defend the Islamic faith that
they once professed. It is an all too convenient lie used by all the terrorists -
one that will not stand in light of what they DO to professing Islamic people -
(and all the other ones) on Judgement Day.

Sara.

-- January 19, 2007 8:30 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

A Plausible Plan B

The mainstream media is finally catching up to this blog.

Readers on this blog will recall that Oakie first alerted us to the fact that there were large and permanent looking American bases, within Iraq. He told us this months ago. Then he dug up an article about them in an alternative media.

The mice in my head started running on their circular wire treadmills when I read this info from Oakie. From this, I deduced that, if the Americans went through all the trouble of setting up these bases, it must be for a reason. It must be, I guessed, that the thinkers at the Pentagon saw a temporarily collapsed Iraq as a possibility, in the future. They forsaw that America would have to stay in Iraq, at a distance, to support the fledgling Iraqi government, and to keep out large Iranian influence, and guarantee Iraq's borders. So I guessed America would pull back to strategic positions, out of Bagdhad, at some point. And that is essentially what the following article is about. It is about the potential need and sense of a temporary American military pullback, within Iraq. This potential pullback was all planned and thought through well before the initial invasion. I'm impressed. People at the Pentagon obviously know how to play chess.

So, we knew this might be on the table, months ago. This blog was well ahead of the mainstream media in seeing this coming, as an option.

Laura and I both predicted that sometime later this year, or the next, American forces may pull back to military bases, within Iraq, and let things take their course.

Of course, this Plan B is only one possibility. There are too many balls in the air for me to predict with any certainty. One thing, I believe, though. I believe American military leadership is in good hands. They saw this possibility a long time ago, and prepared for it. It takes a long time to build a permanent military base. That kind of military forsight impresses me.

I know for a fact that this writer has met with the President a couple of times. My guess is he got approval and encouragement from the White House to print this article. Why? I think mentioning the potential for an American pullback, from Bagdhad, is both a threat, and criticism, by the Bush Administration, to let the Iraqi government know, we are serious, we have other options, we can pull back and let Iraq suffer the consequences, if you don't get your act together. Since it is printed in a top Washington newspaper, available worldwide, by a writer close to the Bush Administration, it is intended to send a message, without being direct.

I'm sure Iraqi leaders are smart enough to get the message.

PLAN B:

By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, January 19, 2007; Page A19

If we were allied with an Iraqi government that, however weak, was truly national -- cross-confessional and dedicated to fighting a two-front war against Baathist insurgents and Shiite militias -- a surge of American troops, together with a change of counterinsurgency strategy, would have a good chance of succeeding. Unfortunately, the Iraqi political process has given us Nouri al-Maliki and his Shiite coalition.

Its beginning was inauspicious. Months of wrangling produced a coalition of the three major Shiite religious parties, including that of Moqtada al-Sadr. Given Maliki's legitimacy as the first democratically elected leader of Iraq, however, he was owed a grace period of, say, six months to show whether he could indeed act as a national leader.

By November, his six months were up, and the verdict was clear: He could not. His government is hopelessly sectarian. It protects Sadr, as we saw dramatically when Maliki ordered the lifting of U.S. barricades set up around Sadr City in search of a notorious death squad leader. It is enmeshed with Iran, as we saw when Maliki's government forced us to release Iranian agents found in the compound of one of his coalition partners.

The hanging of Saddam Hussein did not change anything, but it did illuminate the deeply sectarian nature of this government. If it were my choice, I would not "surge" American troops in defense of such a government. I would not trust it to deliver on its promises. Lt. Gen. David Petraeus thinks otherwise. Petraeus, who will be leading our forces in Iraq, has not only served 2 1/2 years there but has also literally written the book on counterinsurgency. He believes that with an augmentation of U.S. troops, a change of tactics and the support of three additional Iraqi brigades, he can pacify Baghdad.

Petraeus wants to change the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy, at least in Baghdad, from simply hunting terrorists to securing neighborhoods. In other words, from search-and-destroy to stay-and-protect. He thinks that he can do this with only a modest increase of five American brigades.

I am confident that Petraeus knows what he's doing and that U.S. troops will acquit themselves admirably. I'm afraid the effort will fail, however, because the Maliki government will undermine it.

The administration view -- its hope -- is that, whatever Maliki's instincts, he can be forced to act in good faith by the prospect of the calamity that will befall him if he lets us down and we carry out our threat to leave. The problem with this logic is that it is contradicted by the president's simultaneous pledge not to leave "before the job is done."

In this high-stakes game of chess, what is missing is some intermediate move on our part -- some Plan B that Maliki believes Bush might actually carry out -- the threat of which will induce him to fully support us in this battle for Baghdad. He won't believe the Bush threat to abandon Iraq. He will believe a U.S. threat of an intermediate redeployment within Iraq that might prove fatal to him but not necessarily to the U.S. interest there.

We need to define that intermediate strategy. Right now there are only three policies on the table: (1) the surge, which a majority of Congress opposes, (2) the status quo, which everybody opposes, and (3) the abandonment of Iraq, which appears to be the default Democratic alternative.

What is missing is a fourth alternative, both as a threat to Maliki and as an actual fallback if the surge fails. The Pentagon should be working on a sustainable Plan B whose major element would be not so much a drawdown of troops as a drawdown of risk to our troops. If we had zero American casualties a day, there would be as little need to withdraw from Iraq as there is to withdraw from the Balkans.

We need to find a redeployment strategy that maintains as much latent American strength as possible, but with minimal exposure. We say to Maliki: Let us down, and we dismantle the Green Zone, leave Baghdad and let you fend for yourself; we keep the airport and certain strategic bases in the area; we redeploy most of our forces to Kurdistan; we maintain a significant presence in Anbar province, where we are having success in our one-front war against al-Qaeda and the Baathists. Then we watch. You can have your Baghdad civil war without us. We will be around to pick up the pieces as best we can.

This is not a great option, but fallbacks never are. It does have the virtue of being better than all the others, if the surge fails. It has the additional virtue of increasing the chances that the surge will succeed.

-- January 19, 2007 10:13 PM ∞

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Charles Maiden wrote:

The radio station in my town is collecting soccer balls and school supplys for the troops to give to the Iraqi children. This may be a good strategic idea. Win the Iraqi people over with love.

-- January 19, 2007 11:32 PM ∞

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Neil wrote:

This war totally befuddles me..I want to believe that our leaders have something in mind that will bring some type of conclusion to this venture.

I do not do much research but I do keep abreast of what the MSM is saying and they are saying that we really do not know who to fight, but if we do fight that we had better be damn sure that we fight the right people. We are fighting hit and run terrorists who are almost impossible to identify or capture.

The MSM presents volumes about Iraqi lives being lost and U.S. Soldiers being killed but I see very little about terrorist being killed.
I believe that we are dealing with "Mission Impossible".

I have 24 million dinars and I would like to make a profit but the welfare of the USA comes first with me and I consider our efforts and energies to be in the wrong place.

Today, China launched a missile that destroyed a weather sattelite in space which belonged to them. They can now destroy our communications satellites and surely you recognize the significance of that. China and Russia are the two countries that we should fear and prepare to defend against. All others are little more than an irritant.

The American people are tired of this Iraq war and want the troops out. I am a Republican and I see us losing the Presidency if we do not get something corrected.

ANNON: If you are a tee-totaler, then I salute you but JESUS at the wedding when the turned the water into wine, would have invited you to have a cup of wine with him.

-- January 19, 2007 11:34 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Neil:

I do not think that either Russia or China should be feared. Like anyother country they are nationalist and seek their country's longevity.

In my opinion, the U.S. will have to face the dragon in the east. Whether resulting in a confrontation over Tiawan or some other issue, it is a matter of time.

It is my hope the next President will look into the future and see our need for a military and like Ronald Regan begin again to build a powerful force to be reckoned with.

In an man to man conflict our U.S. soldiers would be outnumbered, but I think with help from India we can beat the dragon.

In an eventual conflict I would hope the United States would take the opportunity of a first strike with an arsenal of weapondry. Since a long line of annomosity exists between Japan and China, it is possible for us in a conflict to launch repeated air strikes from Japan.

All of this is my opinion and not meant to be offensive, but it is a possibility we will face sometime in the future.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 20, 2007 1:12 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I took this from another Dinar site...
After checking what I could with wikipedia, it is consistent.

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in
Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black Muslim from
Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white atheist from Wichita,
Kansas. Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii.

When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned
to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a radical Muslim from
Indonesia. When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to
Indonesia. Obama attended a Muslim school in Jakarta.
He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is
quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended
Catholic school."

Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama's
introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was
temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon
after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's
education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann
Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Osama was enrolled in a Wahabi school
in Jakarta. Wahabism is the radical teaching that is followed by the Muslim
terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world.

Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking major
public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the
United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential
candidacy.

Brought to you by the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign.

-- January 20, 2007 2:26 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Obama on the issues, a few highlights (url below):

Pass the Stem Cell Research Bill. (Jun 2004)
Protect a woman's right to choose. (May 2004)
Supports Roe v. Wade. (Jul 1998)
Supports civil union & gay equality. (Oct 2006)
Marriage not a human right; non-discrimination is. (Oct 2004)
Supports affirmative action in colleges and government. (Jul 1998)
Include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination laws. (Jul 1998)
Voted NO on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
Battles legislatively against the death penalty. (Jul 2004)
Free public college for any student with B-average. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
Voted YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)
Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)
Voted YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)
Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions. (Jul 1998)
Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. (Mar 2006)
Voted NO on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision. (Dec 2005)
Extend welfare and Medicaid to immigrants. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
Raised secular, but with working knowledge of world religion. (Oct 2006)
I'm a big believer in the separation of church and state. (Apr 2004)
Spent time in both Muslim and Catholic schools. (Aug 1996)
Voted NO on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends. (Nov 2005)
Longtime critic of Iraq war. (Nov 2006)
Saddam did not own and was not providing WMD to terrorists. (Oct 2004)
Invading Iraq was a bad strategic blunder. (Oct 2004)
Iraq war was sincere but misguided, ideologically driven. (Jul 2004)
Would have voted no to authorize the President to go to war. (Jul 2004)
Problems with current Israeli policy. (Jul 2004)

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Barack_Obama.htm

-- January 20, 2007 3:23 AM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Neil wrote: “ANNON: If you are a tee-totaler, then I salute you but JESUS at the wedding when the turned the water into wine, would have invited you to have a cup of wine with him”.
“Teetotaler” (no hyphen needed) can participate in causal or social drinking. So if I were a teetotaler I would have gladly sat down and had a drink with Jesus and asked “what’s on your mind?” Not considering myself a teetotaler I would have had that drink anyway and as they say the rest probably would have been history.

-- January 20, 2007 9:57 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Clinton launches 2008 White House bid
By BETH FOUHY and MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press Writers Jan 20, 2007

NEW YORK - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton embarked on a widely anticipated campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady intent on becoming the first female president.

Clinton's announcement, days after Sen. Barack Obama shook up the contest race with his bid to become the first black president, establishes the most diverse political field ever.

Clinton is considered the front-runner, with Obama and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards top contenders. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who would be the first Hispanic president, intends to announce his plans on Sunday.

With millions in the bank and top status in nearly every poll of Democratic contenders, Clinton is undertaking the most viable effort by a female candidate to capture the White House.

A polarizing figure since she burst onto the national scene during her husband's first presidential campaign, Clinton engenders strong opinions among voters, who either revere or revile her but rarely are ambivalent.

She often is compared to her husband and found lacking in his natural charisma. Others have criticized her for being overly cautious and calculating when so many voters say they crave authenticity.

Many Democrats, eager to reclaim the White House after eight years of President Bush, fret that she carries too much baggage from her husband's scandal-plagued presidency to win a general election. Among many voters, she is best known for her disastrous attempt in 1993 to overhaul the nation's health care system and for standing by her husband after his marital infidelity.

Clinton's 2002 vote authorizing military force in Iraq has become a significant political challenge. It angered activists who want her to repudiate her vote and aggressively seek to block Bush's proposed troop increase.

She has toughened her criticism of the conduct of the war and Bush's handling of the conflict, and she recently called for capping troop levels in Iraq at around 140,000. She has rejected calls from liberal groups and Edwards to cut off funds for Bush's planned increase in U.S. troops.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070120/ap_on_el_pr/clinton2008

-- January 20, 2007 10:39 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Tests confirm Abu Sayyaf leader's death
By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer Jan 20, 2007

MANILA, Philippines - DNA test results confirmed that the leader of the al-Qaida-linked group Abu Sayyaf was killed during a clash with Philippine troops in September, officials said Saturday.

Word of Khadaffy Janjalani's death came just days after U.S.-backed Philippine troops killed his possible successor, senior Abu Sayyaf commander Abu Sulaiman, who was wanted in the beheading of a California tourist and the kidnapping of two American missionaries.

The deaths of Janjalani and Sulaiman mark a major victory in the campaign to wipe out Islamic militants in the south of the archipelago after years of bombings and kidnappings.

Janjalani, who carried a $5 million bounty on his head offered by Washington, had been arrested but escaped from a cell at the national police headquarters in 1995. He took over Abu Sayyaf from his elder brother, group founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who was killed in 1998.

Janjalani and his key commanders have been charged with several deadly attacks in the Philippines, including a 2004 bombing that gutted a ferry, killing 116 people in one of Southeast Asia's worst terrorist strikes.

They also carried out a mass kidnappings, including the seizure of dozens of students and teachers on the southern island province of Basilan in 2000, and abduction of 17 Filipinos and three American tourists — missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Guillermo Sobero — in from a resort island in May 2001.

Sobero was beheaded by the militants and Martin was killed during a military rescue in June 2002 in which his wife was wounded.

The deaths of Janjalani and Sulaiman leave Radulan Sahiron, a one-armed commander, Isnilon Hapilon and Abu Pula among the senior Abu Sayyaf veterans still active, along with about 400 followers.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070120/ap_on_re_as/philippines_abu_sayyaf

-- January 20, 2007 10:52 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

The next American election appears to me to be coming up with odd choices, among the main players, and odd forms of bigotry, and socially acceptable choices, arising. Some views are acceptable, to the mainstream media, some are not. There is Hillary Clinton, a woman whose political views were formed by radical lesbian feminism. That's ok. There is Barrock Obama, a man with a radical Muslim background, and parodoxically very liberal views. That's ok. And now I read that Mitt Romney, a Mormon Republican, and former govenor, will be, of course, running, and 34% of Americans polled say they could never vote for a Mormon. Apparantly, Mormonism is NOT ok.

What's up with that???

All this seems odd to me. I know enough about Mormons to know they have, what are to me, odd beliefs. (My sister turned Mormon when she married, and has three kids, and my brother's daughter recently turned Mormon, against her father's wishes) But so what? I don't have a problem with Mormons. I don't see anything in Mormon beliefs that could cause a problem, for a Mormon to be a President, and I agree with a lot of general Mormon beliefs, when it comes to family values, and patriotism, and general consevative values. (The Mormon birth rate is very high, and they believe strongly in supporting families and traditional marriage and I think this is a good thing for America) I think Mitt Romney would make a great President, but obviously a lot of people disagree with me.

But the truly odd thing, in that 34% statistic, is that, Mormonism, to a lot of people, is beyond the pale, and they wouldn't vote for one. Whereas, being a radical like Hillary, or having a Muslim background is not to be questioned, or mentioned, in the mainstream media, for fear of being charged with being a bigot, just for mentioning it. I don't hear large numbers of people saying it's ok to disqualify someone from being President just because he has a radical Muslim background, or has a lesbian feminist worldview.

But being a Mormon apparantly is a problem. What is it people don't like about Mormons? What is it about them? Family values? Patriotism? This all makes me shake my head. Personally, I think Hillary Clinton's beliefs are the most dangerous, by far, and I believe the dark side of feminism is ruining the United States, but that's just my opinion. The objection people have to Mormonism, while embracing Hillary makes me wonder if America shouldn't give it's collective head a shake.

-- January 20, 2007 10:57 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraq: Security forces kill 15 insurgents
By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer Jan 20, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Elite Iraqi police forces dropped off by U.S. helicopters staged a raid against an al-Qaida-linked Sunni militant group Saturday in Baghdad, killing 15 insurgents and capturing five, the Interior Ministry said.

Those killed and captured were believed to be part of the militant group known as the Omar Brigade, which Khalaf said was behind a series of kidnappings and killings of Shiites in the neighborhood.

Saturday's raid came a day after a purported leader of the Omar Brigade, Tami al-Majmaie, and 10 of his deputies were reportedly captured in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad.

On Friday, U.S. and Iraqi forces swooped into a mosque complex in eastern Baghdad before dawn and detained Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji. The office of Muqtada al-Sadr said al-Darraji was media director for the cleric's political movement and demanded his immediate release.

The U.S. military, in a statement that did not name al-Darraji, said special Iraqi army forces operating with U.S. advisers had "captured a high-level, illegal armed group leader" in Baghdad's Baladiyat neighborhood, which is adjacent to Sadr City, the stronghold of al-Sadr's militia, the Mahdi Army. It said two other suspects were also detained.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

-- January 20, 2007 11:07 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

U.S. plans envision broad attack on Iran: analyst
Fri Jan 19, 7:49 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. contingency planning for military action against Iran's nuclear program goes beyond limited strikes and would effectively unleash a war against the country, a former U.S. intelligence analyst said on Friday.

"We're not talking about just surgical strikes against an array of targets inside Iran. We're talking about clearing a path to the targets" by taking out much of the Iranian Air Force, Kilo submarines, anti-ship missiles that could target commerce or U.S. warships in the Gulf, and maybe even Iran's ballistic missile capability, said Wayne White, who was a top Middle East analyst for the State Department's bureau of intelligence and research until March 2005.

"I'm much more worried about the consequences of a U.S. or Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear infrastructure," which would prompt vigorous Iranian retaliation, he said, than civil war in Iraq, which could be confined to that country.

President George W. Bush has stressed he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

But he has not taken the military option off the table and his recent rhetoric, plus tougher financial sanctions and actions against Iranian involvement in Iraq, has revived talk in Washington about a possible U.S. attack on Iran.

The Bush administration and many of its Gulf allies have expressed growing concern about Iran's rising influence in the region and the prospect of it acquiring a nuclear weapon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070120/ts_nm/iran_usa_experts_dc

-- January 20, 2007 11:42 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim Bitts;

The MSM has played up in the media the idea that Mormons are polygamists, even though the main body of Mormonism long ago disavowed that teaching and cut from those who believe and practice polygamy. That, I think, is the main force you are seeing being levelled against them. With Hillary's photo-ops of her surrounded by her grandchildren and a PERCEIVED stand for family, the public seems to be going with the happy and feel-good projected image rather than the substance. It's like a carnival, all bright lights and music.. the public so loves a good show.. and to be entertained.

Also, in the public's rush to prove themselves NOT racially prejudiced, they fall all over themselves saying they are NOT by fawning over Obama, no matter where he stands on the issues. Richardson will round out the racially diverse crowd with the Hispanic factor on Sunday when they can fawn all over him and not ask any tough questions.

As for the polls... I don't trust the polls at all.

You and I are expecting that we are discussing FACTS when we speak of this recent polling data about Mormonism. WRONG!! The questions are asked in a format like "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" or "Would you vote for a man who endorses the Mormon religion - a religion whose founder says polygamy is necessary to be saved?" (Note that doesn't deal with the current beliefs or realities of Mormons or THIS Mormon seeking office, though it is a historically accurate question.) It depends so much on HOW they ask the question. You only get that final statistic that the people "don't support a Mormon seeking the office of President" and not HOW the question was framed (emotionally and framing Mormonism in an anti-family way). Also, WHO they ask is suspect. Often, they choose a heavily weighted Democratic group which is already slanted against the family values of the main populace, including Mormons. It is all spin doctoring and games.

Please keep this in mind - POLLS ARE NOT FACTS. They are propaganda.

We actually do not know how the votes will go until they are physically cast and counted. As was illustrated by the MSM saying President Bush would lose (according to the "exit polls", remember).. and then he won. That is because the polling data is propaganda and they hope most people, like lemmings, will follow the crowd and vote for whomever everyone else is voting for to be part of the trend/crowd. The media knows how to play on crowd psychology and whatever else they can find at their disposal to advance their agenda and cause their Liberal agenda to attain power.. to the detriment of the nation and our collective security in the face of very VERY real threat (Islamofascism).

A recent report with a few unvarnished comments to illustrate:

FR Report: CNN Hires Clinton-Backer's Firm for '08 Polling
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 13, 2007 - 10:04.

CNN has recently signed a deal to provide poll data for the '08 prez contest with a polling firm controlled by an avid Clinton supporter.

As reported at FR, CNN announced that the polling firm, Opinion Research Corporation, "will be a key part of giving viewers the accurate and relevant information they demand to help them make decisions."

Howlin goes on to state that the new owner of Opinion Research, InfoUSA, is "controlled by a hard-core Clintonista named Vinod Gupta." Gupta is reported to have established in his native India the "Bill Clinton Science and Technology Center" and "The Hillary Rodham Clinton Mass Communication Center."

The article contains numerous photos of the Clintons posing with Gupta and members of his family, including the one shown here. I've set it forth in larger-than-NB-normal size to preserve the caption's legibility. As you'll note, Gupta brags of his access to Hillary.

You don't suppose any of this could affect the objectivity of polling data CNN presents when it comes to '08 race, do you?

Comments:

1) TheTruth Says:
January 13, 2007 - 13:35

Hillary hasn’t been doing so well in the polls lately so I guess it is time for the ‘unbiased’ media to change to an ‘unbiased’ polling firm. How much you want bet that the Hildabeast’s polling numbers take a big jump now that the ‘unbiased’ media is taking an active roll. . .

2) misterbill Says:
January 13, 2007 - 11:59

speechless?????It left me breakfastless---but my wife told me a long time ago that it is very evident that I do not suffer fools gladly. I also have had a serious problem with false idols and those who sit at their feet.

I should write a book--"All My Heros Are Dead" and compare men and women that I admired to today's crop of (fill in words of your choice). Oh, where has theRonald Reagan type person gone?????

3) kathleenirish Says:
January 13, 2007 - 12:22

The Clinton News Network continues to earn its nicname. Why not change it for good? It's apt.

P.S. They were just prefacing an upcoming story on Hilary in Iraq with the words to the effect of: 'Hilary is in Iraq and she doesn't like what she's seeing' and 'doubts the Maliki government can keep its promises to the Bush adminstration'. She just got there, but of course, she's some kind of authority on the situation there. Not a scheming, oportunistic politician seeking to increase her own political fortunes as she undermines this country.

Words can not capture my feelings when I see her disgusting mug anywhere.

4) kathleenirish Says:
January 13, 2007 - 12:52

Hey, Army!

First, Hillary would need a heart to know what the word, "heartbreaking" means. Second, this article shows that, along with other media outlets, lead by CNN this morning, the MSM is coordinated in their positive- publicity-for-Hillary campaign. They are so predictable. Hillary has been cloyingly and deliberately quiet about the Iraq war, but this trip is like her debutante debut. This is where she really starts her presidential campaign.

I feel bad for the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who will be forced to stand with her in pictures and eat lunch with her. There's not enough bleach in the world to clean up the cesspool she represents.

She is a pox on this country. Traitor, traitor, traitor. Hurt our soldiers and this country as much as you possible can for whatever perceived political power gain you can achieve. The trolls who come here think they hate President Bush? Ha. Please.

5) Blonde Says:
January 13, 2007 - 12:24

There's a blog with some interesting comments over at Blackfive. It even has Mark's (or was it Noel's?) favorite picture of HRC.

Poster Paul's comments are particularly interesting:

I'm currently serving in Afghanistan. Hillary's going to "do lunch" here. Ordinarily, when a VIP comes through, an e-mail goes out, asking for any volunteers from that Congress-critter's state. Not this time. After Kerry had to sing "Mr. Lonely" in Iraq, they're not taking any chances. The e-mail listed the names of personnel ordered to report to the DFAC 15 minutes prior to the Lizard Queen's photo-op. When you see the pictures, just remember, those Soldiers were ordered to be there. Your troops at work. Serving as props for the pols.

6) whitetop Says:
January 13, 2007 - 19:19

So which poor, unlucky souls draw the short straw? Real heros from IL her home state; real heros from Ak where she made her political corruption a dream come true; or real heros from NY where she currently "resides"? My sympathies to whomever has to attend, I wonder where those orders came from.

7) Galvanic Says:
January 13, 2007 - 19:31

You don't suppose any of this could affect the objectivity of polling data CNN presents when it comes to '08 race, do you?

I don't think we'll notice any change in CNN's 'objectivity.' ;-)

8) bigtimer Says:
January 13, 2007 - 21:54

Gal,

Exactly....It will be same ol' same ol'!

Thats why I could of cared less one way or the other when Blitzer announced it Friday.

Clintoon News Network, living up to their name.

"If we ever forget that we are a Nation Under God....then we will be a Nation Gone Under." Ronald Reagan

9) emjem24 Says:
January 13, 2007 - 21:25

Gee, conflict of interest anyone? What's really ironic about all of this is that supposedly polling companies are neutral but in this instance who better to pad more bias than a biased polling survey? What's even more ironic is the company is run by an Indian (racism not intended) devoted to the Clinton legacy. What really burns me is that when immigrants come to America they say they want freedom but they're really looking for a handout from OUR programs instead of perhaps being self-reliant and open to both political persuasions. And nothing says nepotism and connections like glad-handing a Clinton and being their new best friend. Yuck, it looks like dark times ahead for us all when even polling companies are in the pockets of the Clintons and the MSM.

The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer. Air Force Motto

emjem says: When your brain's stuck on liberalism it self-destructs.

10) Jerry Says:
January 13, 2007 - 11:35

Just another sign that the MSM is gearing up for the 08 elections. Get ready for a 4 year long infomercial from the democrat publicity agents at ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, etc.

I need to vent....

The MSM is a honking load of BS.

Polls are a stinking pile of crap.

Liberal ideology is an anchor around the neck of our great nation, which is already struggling to stay afloat in the swirling sea of conflicting world views.

Public education washes the minds of our most precious resource and stuffs them full of democrat talking points.

This is the battle we face. Attacked from all sides. The enemy is firmly entrenched within all our trusted institutions. I know Truth will ultimately prevail. Until then, we must continue to stand firm and fight the good fight.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10149

-- January 20, 2007 12:38 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

This ones for you Sara...

Obama for President........

>
>
>
> He was born of a Muslim father and an atheist mother, who in his own words
> was "a lonely witness for secular humanism, a soldier for New Deal, Peace
> Corps, position paper liberalism." She divorced when he was two years old
> and remarried another Muslim living in Indonesia , where the young man was
> educated in Catholic and Muslim schools in one of the most radical Islamic
> countries in the world. Though his father and stepfather were both Muslim,
> he tries to mitigate their religion by saying that by the time his mother
> married them, they had become atheists. After he was ten years old, he
> mostly was raised by his atheist grandparents.
>
> The New York Daily News reports that he changed his life in his junior
> year of college at Columbia : he said he stopped doing drugs, ran three
> miles a day, and "He went to socialist conferences at Cooper Union and
> African cultural fairs in Brooklyn and started lecturing his relatives..."
> After graduating Columbia and then Harvard, he began working in Chicago
> supporting social programs. He recruited a local United Church of Christ
> Church on a government-sponsored community outreach. Around 1988, he
> joined the church because, he says, "that religious commitment did not
> require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for
> social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and
> loved."
>
> The United Church of Christ is not to be confused with the cult " Church
> of Christ ." The United Church of Christ, however, supports homosexual
> marriage, abortion, environmental justice, globalism, the International
> Criminal Court, the Palestinian movement and believes that Israel is
> illegally occupying the covenant land. The UCC seems to conveniently
> justify and legitimize his beliefs that social progressivism is equal to
> Christ and he writes in his memoirs that his own salvation was not an
> "epiphany." He reasoned after his daughter asked about life after death,
> "I wasn't sure what happens when we die, any more than I was sure where
> the soul resides or what existed before the Big Bang."
>
> His name is Barak Hussein Obama. And he is running for President. He is
> courting evangelical Christians from the pulpit at Rick Warren's
> Saddleback church and by using public proclamations reported in the news
> media. Some Christians are saying he is a Democrat that evangelical
> Christians can support. Many have suggested that his Islamic and atheist
> upbringing combined with his social progressive membership in the United
> Church of Christ make him an outstanding presidential candidate. Others
> believe he may be a threat to the national security. Will the real Obama
> please stand up?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
> inwardly they are ravening wolves."-- Matthew 7:15

-- January 20, 2007 1:23 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Mormonism is a very selective and secretive organization.

The higher you are the more selective and secretive it gets.

You will also very very rarely, if ever see a black man as a bishop or any ranking clergy. Black men are not allowed in parts of the Mormon Temple in Utah.

It is only recently that Hispanics have been allowed entry into their missionary
work and missionfields.

I do not have a problem with Mitt, but it will be hard to get him elected on a national scale. The democrats will make mince meat out of him.

It will be a hands down for Demos with Romney on the ticket in any position.

By the way, Guillano and Newt have the same discretion in their pasts, affairs that led to divorces after longterm marriages.

Is it a wonder the US is about to topple--immoral, corrupt leadership on a personal as well as professional level.

Alan Keyes would be my pick anyday.

-- January 20, 2007 1:32 PM ∞

---

Revalue wrote:

Has anyone heard of the Tony Snow comments no the revalue occuring this week?

-- January 20, 2007 1:32 PM ∞

---

Mormons wrote:

Anonymous,

It is to bad that we are commenting about religion, but when I see something so false posted, I must reply.
You can get accurate information from the official church website.

http://lds.org/

"Mormons" hold there religious beliefs to be sacred not secret. They do not keep any race from attending any parts of their temple or serving
missions. They have over 12 million members in almost every single country on earth, with over 130 temples worldwide.

http://lds.org/temples/chronological/0,11206,1900-1,00.html

-- January 20, 2007 2:13 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Iraq drills more wells 18/1/2007
Iraq drilled and completed 165 new oil wells in the Basra and Amara oil fields in the south of the county in 2006, an oil official in Basra said.
‘We have plans for 2007 to drill and complete many more than this figure in order to support and raise the crude oil production rate for the southern terminals,’ the official said.
Iraq has the world’s third largest proven oil reserves but is struggling to maintain its energy sector. It depends almost entirely on its southern oil terminals for exports because sabotage and security problems have severely disrupted oil production in the north.
Iraq’s oil exports currently stand at around 1.5 million bpd, well below its potential because of a lack of investment, sabotage and years of neglect under sanctions before the US-led invasion of March 2003.
The Iraqi government is aiming to hit a production target of 4.3 million bpd within the next four years.
The government is working on an oil law to regulate foreign investment but it has been held up by disagreements over how revenues will be divided between provinces and central government, and who will have authority to sign contracts with foreign companies.’
Reuters

-- January 20, 2007 2:21 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Iraq studies oil law model 17/1/2007
Iraq is aiming to find the best model for its future contracts with international oil companies by studying existing agreements in Norway, Britain and the United States, oil ministry sources said.

They said a draft Oil Law, agreed by Iraq’s Oil Committee this week, did not stipulate what form future oil contracts would take.
The law will go before the cabinet early next week, an oil ministry spokesman said.
The ministry has sent a team of 20 people to Britain to study contracts there, the sources said. From there the team will travel to Norway. Another team will head to the United States soon, the sources added.
Reuters

-- January 20, 2007 2:24 PM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Planned $1.2b in aid would make small dent in Iraq needs 15/1/2007
An extra billion dollars of reconstruction aid was announced in President Bush’s recent Iraq.
The bulk of US reconstruction aid came in 2003-2005, when almost $22 billion poured into Iraq. As violence spread, some aid was diverted to Iraqi army and police forces, and much of the rest was spent on private security for rebuilding projects. Specialists had estimated Iraq needed $55 billion to recover from war, mass looting, and years of economic deterioration.
By this 2007 fiscal year, new reconstruction aid had dwindled to $750 million. On Wednesday night, Bush proposed adding $1.2 billion to that. By comparison, Washington is spending roughly $100 billion a year on the war.
source: www.rebuild-iraq-expo.com

-- January 20, 2007 2:27 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Industry News

With investment Iraq could resemble flashy Dubai within a decade - 1/19/2007

Iraqi businessmen and their American backers recently tried to persuade Gulf investors to put their money in war-torn Iraq, saying the country’s devastation could give way to glittering high-rises and luxury hotels in a decade.
With the right mix of enthusiasm and cash Iraq could “be like Dubai in 10 or 15 years,” the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Iraq, Timothy Mills, told the conference of some 160 Iraqi and Emirati businessmen gather in Dubai.
Oil-rich Dubai is considered the world’s fastest growing city, with hundreds of skyscrapers, including one planned to become the world’s tallest, either under construction or already built. It is a cosmopolitan city that, unlike Baghdad, has virtually no crime and little violence.
Andrew Wylegala of the U.S. Commerce Department acknowledged that the transition would be difficult. “Its not a simple time to be doing business in Iraq,” he said.
However, things could be much worse, Wylegala said. He pointed to the success of Iraqi street traders in providing cheap goods as an example of the benefits of the free market.
The convention here was aimed at luring Emirates-based companies to invest in some of the most hard-bitten Iraqi provinces. Delegates included members of the al-Anbar Business Association, located in the western Iraqi province that is the epicenter of the Sunni Muslim-led insurgency fighting the U.S. troops in the country since 2003.
The meeting suggested measures such as a liberal investment law and an application for membership in the World Trade Organization as means to lift Iraq’s war-ravaged economy.
Mills said that Iraq’s Kurdish north and Shiite-dominated south were already calm enough for investment. He hoped improved business and living conditions would contribute to pacify the country. “When you provide an economic incentive there is a potential quelling of unrest,” Mills said.
The Associated Press

-- January 20, 2007 2:33 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

From AL-Ahali-Iraq

The banking and business community to show considerable interest in the proposal equality dinar dollar

المؤتمرConference
أعلن وزير المالية العراقي بيان الزبيدي، «ان الوزارة والبنك المركزي يدرسان مقترحاً برفع قيمة الدينار العراقي، وعودته إلى سابق عهده».Finance Minister announced the Iraqi statement Zubaidi, .

وهيمن تصريح الوزير على اهتمامات الأوساط المصرفية والتجارية، وكذلك المواطنين، خوفاً من تعرض السوق العراقية إلى ضغط جراء تداعيات مثل هذا الإجراء ما قد يفضي إلى إحداث نوع من عدم الاستقرار في التبادلات التجارية، وفي احتساب قيمة سعر صرف الدينار إزاء العملات الأجنبية وفي مقدمها الدولار. ووصف المدير المفوض لمصرف الائتمان العراقي فؤاد الحسني تصريح وزير المال بـ «المهم جدا»ً، من ناحية مساواة الدينار بالدولار، مشيراً إلى «ان ذلك أمر محبب لنفوس العراقيين، الذين يتطلعون إلى استعادة عافية العملة العراقية، على نحو ما كانت عليه قبل التسعينات من القرن الماضي متسائلاً عما إذا كان الاقتصاد الوطني في وضعه الحالي قادر على الانتقال إلى مرحلة مساواة الدينار بالدولار»؟ بيد ان الحسني اهتم كثيراً بما ذكره الوزير الزبيدي حول دعم وتأييد البنك الدولي لمقترحه هذا، وقال: «ان دراسة المعطيات الحالية تجعله يتريث في إعطاء رأي نهائي بهذا الموضوع.And Heymann told the minister to the concerns of the banking and business community, as well as citizens, fear of the Iraqi market due to the pressure of the implications of such a measure might lead to some sort of instability in trade exchanges, in estimating the value of the dinar exchange rate of foreign currencies, including the dollar. He described the High Director of the Bank of Credit Iraqi Fuad bono statement by the Minister of Finance , in terms of equality of the dinar dollar, pointing out ? Bono, however, has often including the Minister Zubaidi on the support and backing of the World Bank proposed this, and said :> The current study data make it wait to give a definitive opinion on the subject.
وقال المدير المفوض لمصرف أشور الدولي للاستثمار زهير الحافظ، «ان مقترح الوزير الزبيدي يحتاج إلى وقفة متأنية تأخذ في الاعتبار تداعيات الأوضاع الأمنية على الاقتصاد العراقي التي تجعله غير قادر على استيعاب أي خلل قد يصيب التعاملات التجارية في حال عدم دراسة المقترح بروية.The Director of the Bank of High Assyrian International Investment Zuhair Al-Hafiz, وتساءل المدير المناوب لمصرف البصرة الدولي للاستثمار بديع الفكري: «هل ان خفض الديون الدولية عن العراق وزيادة السيولة الناجمة عن ارتفاع أسعار النفط، تكفي لاتخاذ مثل قرار كهذا»؟ وأضاف «المهم في هذا الصدد ان نأخذ في الاعتبار دراسة ما قد ينجم عن قرار مساواة الدينار بالدولار، من تداعيات تتعلق بالتعاملات التجارية المحلية، وكيفية تلافي أي خلل يتعلق بتحويلات التجار والمصارف.He asked Acting Director of the Bank for International Investment Basra Badi intellectual :> Is that the international debt reduction for Iraq and the increase in liquidity resulting from the rise in oil prices, enough to take such a decision, such as>? He added
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahali-iraq.net%2Fpayv%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D2181%26Itemid%3D30&langpair=ar%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools

-- January 20, 2007 2:35 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

you wrote about Mrs. Clinton posing with 'her grandchildren'. As far as I know, unless I missed something, the Clintons only have one child, Chelsea, and as far as I have heard, she hasn't had any children yet, so if any pictures appear of Hillary Clinton, with young children, they aren't her grandchildren.

-- January 20, 2007 4:26 PM ∞

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John Maclean's favorite joke wrote... wrote:

You know the reason Chelsea Clinton is so ugly?

Janet Reno is the father!!

-- January 20, 2007 4:55 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Chelsea is HOT HOT HOT!!! She reminds me of a Feminist Lesbian Democrate, kinda like her mother...

-- January 20, 2007 7:57 PM ∞

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Chris wrote:

No change today

Announcement No.(846)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 846 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 1/21 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1300 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1298 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 50.755.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 500.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 50.755.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 500.000 -----

-- January 21, 2007 7:53 AM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Thanks, Robert S, for the informative one on Obama - I do appreciate it.
Tim Bitts - my bad, Hillary and Pelosi are to me two peas in a pod, they are so alike-
both give radical feminism their unwavering support.
The reference to grandchildren was Pelosi, sorry about that. :(
You are right, the Clintons have no grandchildren.
Here is what I was referring to (my comments below the url):

Cokie Roberts: Pelosi Photo-Op 'Fun, Completely Natural'
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 7, 2007 - 11:33.

Looks as if Nancy Pelosi has found a rooting section at ABC. As we detailed yesterday, Charley Gibson fawned over Nancy Pelosi's baby-clutching photo-op. This morning, Cokie Roberts joined the claque. Appearing on This Week, she enthused:

"Great images, you're absolutely right. And completely natural. . . That baby knew that grandmother even though it's only a few weeks old. All those other children were completely comfortable with her. And it was, it was just, fun. It wasn't in any way stilted and awful."

View video here: http://204.10.109.225/iraq/2007-01-07ABCTWRoberts.wmv

Pelosi, completely natural and comfortable? Not nearly as natural and comfortable as was Cokie -- singing the praises of a new Dem Speaker of the House.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

1) acaiguana Says:
January 7, 2007 - 12:30

Yes, and Saddams photo op with the children was natural.

:-)

ACA

2) Jack Bauer Says:
January 7, 2007 - 12:32

That baby knew that grandmother even though it's only a few weeks old.

Oh I'm sure the poor little mite also knows Pelosi's a rabid Partial Birth Abortion supporter

(you know, where a child killer like "Dr Mengle Tiller" sticks a pair of scissors through the head of a just being born baby, then sucks its brains out)

So it was just being thankful.

3) pagar Says:
January 7, 2007 - 13:50

Anyone has done any studies to determine at what age a child finds out just how lucky it was to escape the death that occurs when a child is aborted. Surely at some point, one would look around and notice that there should have been a million or so more children born the same year,
except the Democrats said it was OK to kill inconvenient children.

4) bigtimer Says:
January 7, 2007 - 17:10

Jack, you took the words right out of my mouth when it comes to Pelosi, there is no difference between her and 'Tiller the Baby Killer', she votes for this procedure, he implies it...how either of them sleep at night, let alone look themselves in the mirror every morning is beyond me....

"If we ever forget that we are a Nation Under God....then we will be a Nation Gone Under." Ronald Reagan

5) mlong Says:
January 7, 2007 - 13:50

So I Guess if Bush goes around holding babies the MSM will get off his back...because holding a baby somehow means your doing a great job?

6) Crimsonfisted Says:
January 7, 2007 - 15:26

All I see here is the same kind of image as Green Helmut Guy, a baby used for propaganda value.

And it doesn't work.

7) Red Jeep Says:
January 7, 2007 - 20:25

I am surprised Nancy didn’t pull out a breast and mime breast feeding the baby. That is completely natural like Cokie says. What a photo op! The Mother of our country breast feeding her grandchild. Man, she cares! S/off

8) Andrew O. Huddleston Says:
January 8, 2007 - 06:35

It doesn't dawn on Cokie we have a leaderless congress now. Conusion will reign--and then the tax increases, then an imboldened enemy will plan to deliver their next attack, then the committee chairs will blame republicans.

Liberalism is a convenient lie.

9) emjem24 Says:
January 8, 2007 - 11:00

Oh, my God, I'm gonna scream! Maybe she should run as the first grandma for president. Perish the thought! Yeah, let's pull out the children to convince America that Democrats give a crap about our kids and protecting them. If they trully gave a crap, then why did they brush aside the whole page scandal? Terrible for the Republicans to cover it up but we weren't involved in the least. What a crock! Hey, why you're at it, Feloozi, why don't you take care of America but letting her keep more of its money so more children's parents can make choices about their children's schooling. Since you care so much about kids, Fellozi, why don't you pass a federally mandated voucher program so that not so many of our kids keep getting liberaly indoctrinated by our public schools and are left disempowered, disenfranchised, and unable to communicate in complete sentences. I won't hold my breath, though. Like most liberals, it's do as I say, not as I do.

The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer. Air Force Motto

http://newsbusters.org/node/10006

Tim - I think it was the references in the comments to her being the "mother of our country" and "Maybe she should run as the first grandma for president", along with the inconsistency of the MSM showing a partial birth abortion supporter surrounded by children and calling it "natural", that made me accidentally identify Pelosi with Hillary. Two peas in the same radical feminist pod, is all.

My mistake, Tim.. sorry.

But it does support my contention that this is all image making and no substance. The projected image of a person as a grandmother and caring for children while that same person is voting to have innocent children killed in a very gruesome procedure called partial birth abortion.. is beyond the pale of barbarity and belies the true intentions of her representation in a governmental position. In other words, her using her powers to kill children while posing with them as though she valued each and every human life is such an extreme lie, it leaves one open mouthed and speechless at the audacity being shown. But the public goes on blithely unaware and uncaring that they are electing such monsters into positions of power. I expect there is a price to pay for doing so.

Sara.

-- January 21, 2007 12:11 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Sorry, that last one was me.

Sara.

-- January 21, 2007 12:14 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

As for Hillary on the issue of abortion/partial birth abortion:

Respect Roe v. Wade. (Nov 2006)
Must safeguard constitutional rights, including choice. (Oct 2000)
Late term abortion allowable 'if life or health are at risk'. (Oct 2000)
Remain vigilant on a woman’s right to chose. (Jan 2000)
Keep abortion legal. (Jan 1999)
Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)
Voted NO on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. (Mar 2004)
Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)
Recommended by EMILY's List of pro-choice women. (Apr 2001)
Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record. (Dec 2003)
Expand embryonic stem cell research. (Jun 2004)

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Hillary_Clinton.htm

===

In this context (discussion above),
I think you can see why I mistook one partial birth abortion supporter in office for another.
Those who support such gruesome murder are alike to me.

Sara.

-- January 21, 2007 12:29 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

For the record, 4,000 abortions are performed every day in the United States.
That is more PER DAY than have died in the entire Iraqi conflict.
Putting into the President's office a woman committed to such killing on a platform of
"caring for the lives of our troops" is a horrendous misjudgement about American lives.
The unborn Americans targeted for abortion who are in the womb and have no voice,
if they were given a voice - I don't think they would vote for Hillary.
Quote:

40+ MILLION ABORTIONS SINCE 1973
4,000 each day

Source:
AGI - Alan Guttmacher Institute (Planned Parenthood)
CDC - Centers for Disease Control
NRLC - National Right To Life Committee
CIRTL - Central Illinois Right To Life

http://www.abortiontv.com/Misc/AbortionStatistics.htm

America abandons its most vulnerable citizens who have no voice..
when they elect those who support such wholesale murder.
And the sad thing is, they do so while claiming to care more for American lives -
for the troops of America, than the current prolife President!

What of the troops who are yet in the womb who will be terminated, and have
been terminated over the course of this conflict? Who has voted for and stood for
the killing of more Americans and potential and future American troops -
the Prolife President, or those who continue to keep abortion (and partial birth abortion) legal -
such as Pelosi and Hillary Clinton? Morally, who has more blood on their hands?
And which of them have on their accounts before God truly innocent blood?

Sara.

-- January 21, 2007 1:03 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Law Could Help Modernize Iraq Oil Sector
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN
Jan 21, 11:28 AM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A new draft hydrocarbons law will pave the way for "transparent and fair" competition in bids to develop Iraq's oil wealth, the oil minister said Sunday as he sought to restore the confidence of foreign investors.

The new law is expected to encourage foreign oil companies with their investment clout and technology to modernize Iraq's oil sector and meet the country's goal of doubling the current crude production of 2.5 million barrels per day by 2010.

Iraq's proven oil reserves stand at about 115 billion barrels, the world's third largest after Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, said new oil fields will be added as bids are submitted by foreign companies.

"The competition will be transparent and fair and companies will be chosen according to their modern technological capabilities to guarantee the highest benefits for Iraqis," al-Shahristani said at a news conference. "We will not consider their nationalities and we will ignore any contract doesn't achieve the highest benefits."

Al-Shahristani refused to give a timeline for parliamentary action and did not say how the ministry would negotiate with foreign companies.

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_OIL_LAW?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-01-21-11-28-32

-- January 21, 2007 1:52 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraq's Sadr political bloc ends boycott
www.chinaview.cn 2007-01-22 00:48:18

BAGHDAD, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The political group of Iraq's radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ended its boycott in the parliament and government, Iraqi parliament speaker announced on Sunday.

"I can confirm that the Sadr's bloc has returned to the parliament after our five-party committee studied their demands and decided to recognize them," Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said in a news conference held by Sadrists.

The demands of Sadr's bloc concentrated on that the government declare a timetable for training Iraqi forces and that the mandate for occupation troops not be renewed without consulting the parliament, Mashhadani told reporters.

Hassan Shnieshil, head of Sadr's bloc, also said at the news conference, "We declare that we are rejoining the parliament and the government, because we want to achieve full sovereignty and stability for our country."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/22/content_5634176.htm

-- January 21, 2007 2:00 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Syria, Iraq vow to promote ties in all fields
2007-01-21

Syria and Iraq vowed on Saturday to promote bilateral relations in all fields and on all levels on the last day of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's landmark visit to Damascus.

According to Syrian official SANA news agency, Talabani held a final meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad and the two leaders signed a joint statement on furthering bilateral ties.

The two presidents have agreed on going ahead to develop and upgrade bilateral relations to the level of their ambitions in the framework of "coordination and permanent joint action", SANA said.

Defining the visit as "historic", the joint statement said it "will usher in a new phase in the fraternal ties linking the two sisterly countries".

The statement renewed both sides' keenness on Iraq's independence, freedom and preservation of Iraq's unity of land and people.

Assad expressed in the statement Syria's readiness to stand by the Iraqi people to achieve their national reconciliation and internal security, reiterating support to the ongoing political process in Iraq.

The two leaders also condemned "all forms of terrorism plaguing the Iraqi people and their institutions, infrastructure and security service", expressing "readiness to work together and do everything possible to eradicate terrorism."

Meanwhile, both sides also underlined the necessity to enhance the economic and commercial relations between the two countries.

The two sides have agreed to set up a joint higher committee on security cooperation and the first meeting of the committee was scheduled in February, according to local media.

They also decided to boost economic cooperation, particularly in trade exchanges, and oil transportation, however, the oil transportation lines connecting Iraq across Syria would be repaired.

Cooperation on water resources was also highlighted during the talks, where the two sides called for a restart of the tripartite committee between Iraq, Syria and Turkey on waters.

Meanwhile, the delegation also asked Damascus to hand over Saddam Hussein's former aides who fled to Syria after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

An official request would be put forward after the delegation returned to Baghdad, Talabani said in a press interview.

http://en.ce.cn/World/Middleeast/200701/21/t20070121_10161482.shtml

-- January 21, 2007 2:07 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

OIC chief: conflict in Iraq "not religious"
2007-01-21

The current conflict in Iraq is a political one using religion as a cover, Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said on Saturday in Doha, Qatar.

According to Kuwait's official KUNA news agency, the OIC chief made the remarks on the sidelines of a conference on dialogue of Islamic beliefs.

The situation in Iraq has become "very critical," Ihsanoglu said, noting that the conflict in Iraq was neither religious nor ethnic in nature, but a political conflict which was using religion as a cover.

He called on all parties in Iraq to fulfill their responsibilities to stop sectarian violence, which might "spill over" beyond borders of Iraq.

He said that the OIC was in constant contact with the Iraqi government and all political parties in a bid to contain the situation, adding that the OIC would send a delegation to Baghdad soon to discuss means to put an end to the conflict.

http://en.ce.cn/World/Middleeast/200701/21/t20070121_10162760.shtml

-- January 21, 2007 2:11 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Three Iranians Arrested In Iraq
By Staff
Jan 21, 2007

Iraqi officials say police have arrested three Iranians who entered Iraq illegally.

The three Iranians were arrested late Saturday at a checkpoint east of Mosul without official documents, Maj. Gen. and Police Chief of Nainawa province, Watheg Abdulqader Al-Hamdani, told the Kuwait News Agency KUNA.

Last week, U.S. forces detained five Iranians in Irbil.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_21260136.shtml

-- January 21, 2007 2:17 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Salary increases are calculated from this month, the dollar worth 1260 dinar this year and will drop to one thousand dinar soon
Translated by IRAQdirectory.com - [21/01/2007]


The Minister of Finance denied that the 2007 budget had lifted support for oil derivatives, and confirmed that his ministry had allocated the funds required for the new salary scale which will be implemented this month, but the Parliament did not approve the plan of implementation so far, pointing out that the value of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar will be 1260 dinar for this year with putting a fiscal policy to restore the strength of the Iraqi dinar.

Minister of Finance, Baqer Azzubaidi, said that: the value of crude oil pumped from Iraqi oil fields to the refineries that belong to the Iraqi Oil Ministry worth seven billion dollars, which represent the government support for petroleum products; also, three billion dollars have been allocated from the financial budget to cover the expenses of constructing new refineries and maintaining the current ones, with a further $ 300 million to buy kerosene.

Azzubaidi explained that the revenues of selling petroleum products would remain in possession of the Ministry of Oil to be used for sustaining and developing other oil projects, pointing out that lifting the support on oil derivatives has only included the high-quality imported gasoline which is used in modern cars.

He also explained that the Ministry of Oil can purchase the necessary materials used in improving the derivatives from its own budget.

As for the salaries of government employees, the Minister of Finance said that: his ministry had issued directives to pay the salaries according to the new salary scale, but the Parliament has delayed the ratification on implementing the plan due to the lack of quorum which caused the delay in preparing the Parliament's own budget, approving the budget of the Supreme Judiciary Council and delaying the government from presenting the budget to the Parliament.

He pointed out that the new applications of Kurdistan government; including the deduction of its imports directly from the various imports, added another reason to delay the presentation of the budget.

He explained that the Ministry of Finance has put figures for the budget of the Ministry of Defense, considering it as a sovereign Ministry to settle its issue among the parties which called for considering it as a non-sovereign one.

Azzubaidi emphasized that the Ministry of Finance and in consultation with the Central Bank seeks to identify the exchange rate of the dollar at 1260 dinar during the this year. It also laid down a plan to restore the Iraqi dinar to its former era during the coming three years expressing his hope to stabilize its exchange rate at 1000 dinar for the dollar during the coming period. He pointing out that the inflation is not a fixed situation but a temporary one, and that one of its causes is the crisis of leaking goods into the Iraqi depths from the ports because of the terrorist operations; also, the rise of the prices of oil derivatives during crises forms another cause for inflation.

Regarding the current year budget, Azzubaidi described it as ambitious; eight billion dollars have been allocated for security for the first time, despite the allocation of large amounts for investment that will contribute to solve the crisis of unemployment and increase economic growth by 8-10%, so as to ensure the completion of service projects in all governorates.

He said the remaining funds from the final account of last years amounted to eight billion dollars, and that the government would provide final budget to the Parliament during the first quarter of this year.
Prepared & Translated By:
IRAQdirectory.com Team
Iraq Daily Business Updates
http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=2994

-- January 21, 2007 2:22 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

I'm in South Padre island staying out of the rain, ice and slush....it's a tough job but someone has to do it!!!

I don't know how in the hell he got here so fast, but the Border patrol pulled Al-Sadr off a Greyhound Bus trying to sneak into the US....he just kept repeating over and over...just take me to Hillary, she will help protect me from those big ole US Marines.

==============================================================================================================
Iraqi leader drops protection of militia

By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer
30 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister has dropped his protection of an anti-American cleric's Shiite militia after U.S. intelligence convinced him the group was infiltrated by death squads, two officials said Sunday.

In a desperate bid to fend off an all-out American offensive, the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr last Friday ordered the 30 lawmakers and six Cabinet ministers under his control to end their nearly two-month boycott of the government. They were back at their jobs Sunday.

Al-Sadr had already ordered his militia fighters not to display their weapons. They have not, however, ceded control of the formerly mixed neighborhoods they have captured, killing Sunnis or forcing them to abandon their homes and businesses.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070121/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

-- January 21, 2007 6:27 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.safedinar.com

Central Bank this year's budget focused on increasing investment in Iraq

Dr. Sinan Shabibi, Governor of the Central Bank, said that this year's budget is an investment budget because it focused on increasing the size of investment.

Shabibi said that the Central Bank's role is to treat the imbalances resulting from the development process that will produce changes in the basic economic structure.

He pointed out that the task of the Central Bank is to achieve development in a stable monetary environment through utilizing all means and policies to achieve economic stability, intact environment and moderate inflation rate.

He continued: "Our relation to the budget is to preserve its resources, through fighting inflation".

Stressing that the Bank had made several measures including raising the exchange rate of the dinar, which had an impact on the budget through affecting the purchase capacity of the government; this impact will increase through dealing with inflation.

Shabibi added that: this policy will increase the confidence in the dinar, which will pull some of the money to the banking sector and rationalize the government spending because of its impact on inflation.

He indicated that this action will reduce the prices of imported goods such as the private sector imports and the government's imports for development that come from the conversion of the Iraqi dinar to the dollar.

He added that while this policy weakens the ability of the government to buy the dinar, it strengthens the Iraqi dinar owned by the government.

Pointing out that the bank wants a means to affect the economic and monetary policy by making the dinar valuable and powerful.

Source :Iraqdirectory.com

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 21, 2007 8:52 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Sorry to be repetitive, but the arabic mixed with english text is distracting. This is posted at www.dinartrade.com

The banking and business community to show considerable interest in the proposal equality dinar dollar

Finance Minister announced the Iraqi statement Zubaidi, that the ministry and the Central Bank are considering a proposal to lift the value of the Iraqi dinar, and return to normal. And Heymann told the minister to the concerns of the banking and business community, as well as citizens, fear of the Iraqi market due to the pressure of the implications of such a measure might lead to some sort of instability in trade exchanges, in estimating the value of the dinar exchange rate of foreign currencies, including the dollar. He described the High Director of the Bank of Credit Iraqi Fuad bono statement by the Minister of Finance very important, in terms of equality of the dinar dollar, pointing out that it is pleasant to the hearts of Iraqis, who are looking to restore the strength of the Iraqi currency, as it was before the 1990s of the last century, he wondered whether the national economy in its current capable of the transition to equal dinar dollar? Bono, however, has often including the Minister Zubaidi on the support and backing of the World Bank proposed this, and said : The current study data make it wait to give a definitive opinion on the subject.
.The Director of the Bank of High Assyrian International Investment Zuhair Al-Hafiz, Zubaidi minister that the proposal needs to pause and carefully take into account the implications of the security situation on the Iraqi economy, which make it unable to absorb any defects that might affect the business dealings in the absence of a proposal under advisement.
He asked Acting Director of the Bank for International Investment Basra Badi intellectual : Is that the international debt reduction for Iraq and the increase in liquidity resulting from the rise in oil prices, enough to take such a decision, such as? He added What is important in this connection to take into account a study that may result from the decision of equality dinar dollar, the repercussions on the local commercial transactions, and how to avoid any disruption to transfers of traders and banks.

01/21/07

Source Al-Ahali-Iraq

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 21, 2007 9:00 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.safedinar.com

Think We're Losing Iraq? Take a Look at the Dinar
1/19/2007

BY YOUSSEF IBRAHIM
January 19, 2007
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/47022

War rages in Iraq. America is preparing to launch an offensive in Baghdad, Iranians are infiltrating the country, and, according to the United Nations, civilians in Iraq are dying at a rate of 100 people a day.

Yet the Iraqi currency is rising in value.

Tuesday, the rate of exchange had reached 1,308 dinars to the American dollar — up from 1,470 last November. Money changers in Baghdad say they cannot keep up with the demand and that Iraqis who used to hang on to their American dollars for dear life are rushing to exchange them.

What gives?

The answers are as murky as anything in Iraq, and the actions of both good and bad guys seem to be helping the dinar.

On the good guys' side, the Iraqi Central Bank is getting its act together after having built foreign currency and gold reserves of at least $16 billion, up from a mere $5 billion in 2005. That is serious enough to create a strong backbone for the local currency. On its Web site, the central bank noted that it has increased its main interest rate to 16% from 12% — a move that has boosted the dinar, too.

For its part, the American Army, or some units of it, is beginning to pay contractors in "dinar checks" instead of dollars. That has the double benefit of reviving the moribund banking system — you've got to go to a bank to cash it — while boosting the local currency.

Bad guys are doing their bit too, interestingly.

Corruption is said to account for perhaps as much as 500,000 barrels of daily oil production "disappearing," which means stolen. Even when disposed of at a discount, this stolen oil would fetch a minimum of $20 million American dollars a day for those corrupt officials siphoning it off. Experts are certain that not all of this leaves the country, however. At least half the money ends up being "recycled" into the Iraqi black economy to buy loyalties, services, arms, protection, and villas with swimming pools. In the end, this money creates jobs and demand for more dinars.

Ironically, both Iran and Syria, which are working hard to undermine Iraq, are boosting the dinar too. By pumping millions of dollars to support Shiites and Sunni insurgents, buy arms, and make bombs, they are also ratcheting up demand for dinars, since the fighters, the militias, and the secret cells all need to be paid in local currencies instead of dollars so as to keep a lower profile.

The biggest spender in town, the American Army, seems to be deliberately helping with the new pay-in-dinar policy, as noted by Major Richard Santiago, commander of 3rd Finance Company, 3rd Soldier Support Battalion, Division Support Brigade. "Issuing dinar check payments improves the economic and financial stability of Iraq by promoting the Iraqi banks while using their local currency. It also decreases the cash requirements our finance offices need in order to meet mission requirements," Major Santiago told the defense-oriented Web site GlobalSecurity.org a few days ago.

Of course, the dinar has a long way to go against the dollar. In its heyday in the 1980s, one dinar fetched almost three dollars compared to the present — reverse — ratio of one dollar to more than 1,300 dinars.

How long this is going to last is anyone's guess.

It could be argued that, in a sinister way, everything terrible that could have happened in Iraq has happened, so what else could sap confidence in the dinar — short of an abrupt American withdrawal? A good point indeed.

The same logic applies to oil, which has been falling in price like a rock even though demand has not diminished. As with oil, the dinar was pushed by psychological factors that attached a monetary premium devaluing it. As Iraqis get used to the fear, the premium lifts.

Should a whole new batch of catastrophes hit the country, though, the dinar may tumble again, as other experts firmly believe.

"It is a major train wreck waiting to happen," co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics and the Study of Business Enterprise at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Steve Hanke, told Fox News.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 21, 2007 9:06 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Please allow me to chime in on a couple of topics. First, I realize this is not a board to discuss religion, but Mormonism is a very dangerous cult. Though the "mainstream" church deny they believe the doctrine of polygamy. The actions of the church certainly tell a different story. Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and Warren Jepps are the faces of the church and each believed in polygamy.

I think their most dangerous doctrine is the adam god theory. They believe at one time God was a human made of flesh and blood as you and I, this human evolved into becoming God. Each man in the Mormon church aspires to evolve into a God.

I am in agreement with the rest of America, I would not vote for Mitt because he is a Mormon. If I were him, I would assess my electability and conclude I could not win.

Considering whether to attack Iran. If at somepoint a decision is made to attack Iran, I think the U.S. must first hit all nuclear facilities. Next, Theran University and finally level the country. Destroy it where there is nothing left. The way to wipe out a plague is to destroy all it inhabits. Then my recommendation is attack Syria.

Finally, I think we are seeing continued improvement in the Dinar and in Iraq itself. Regardless of what the MSM report and the democrats speak I find myself excited that the GoI is mentioning a Dinar/Dollar equality. If this happens we all stand to become very wealthy, but I have not heard Tony Snow ellude to any RV for the Dinar especially for this week.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 21, 2007 9:26 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Hi, long time no see.

Whoa, ikt seems like the intention is to bring the Dinar in par with the Dollar, in a three years time, getting the Dinar to about the 1200 mark for now, bit continureto push the Dinar towards the 1000 mark.

Get em while you can.

Rob N.

You brought a very hot potato to the table, and I'm sure you will have to take a lot of flak from your statement that Mormons are dangerous, and that they are a cult.

I'm not a Mormon myself, and not their spokes man, but I have been operating in Salt Lake City, and found out that the Mormons are very ethical individuals. I met a lot of them , talked a lot with them, and I have no quarrel with any of them.

My question is, if they are dangerous, how come they have managed to set up such a successful society as I've seen in Salt Lake City. There are Universities, Hospitals, and the whole area is in the forefront of Medical research.

What did noticed also, is that , if you saw a good looking woman, she had a kid in the stroller, one in her hand and one in the belly.

The white population in Utah is the only known white population with a growth rate comparable with the Latino population.

It was not unusual to meet people that had 8 to 10 kids.

I don't care if that is a way for the Mormon Church to expand it's domain besides being a missionary church. I have no problem with any of that.

If a church is "dangerous", I'm sure the members of that church have a second opinion.

I say, let the members of that church decide that. If they're happy being what they are, having their faith where it is, that's the way they are going to do it, whether you like it or not. Putting a "danger" label on it, can of course be used by them against your faith. I don't know if they are willing to do that, just because you are doing it to them, but it just come to show, that the term "Dangerous" involved in sentences like "cult" and "sect", when describing others faith, is more showing your own tolerance and attitude, then describing what they are.

When saying that they are wrong, and you're right, well Rob N, that's being darn right, isn't it?

All I'm saying here Rob N, live and let live, if you don't like them, fair and square, but making them lesser, because you see things differently probably wouldn't fly in any camp, Mormons or not.

-- January 21, 2007 11:05 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Roger:

I understand your point of view and appreciate the admonition for tolerance. I make no apology for my previous post.

There are valid reasons why the inhabitants of Navoo, IL did not want Joseph Smith and his Mormons in their community. Utah, just so happened to be scarcely populated to the point where Mormons could practice their faith with little interference from the government and non-mormons. This unfortunately, resulted in the Hospitals and Universities you see today.

Fast forward to Warren Jepps, finally the state of Utah prosecuts this Mormon leader for forcing young girls to marry older relatives.

Why should I be tolerant of a religion that takes young girls (12yrs to 14yrs.) and forcing them into marrying older relatives. Is it legal in any state for a 12yr old to marry? No, these marriages are simply for the sexual gratification of older male relatives.

Why should I be tolerant of a religion that believes the African American carries the curse of Cain because of their dark skin?

There are other examples of social degredation the Mormon religion has contributed to, but I think open and willing sexual abuse and racism are enough to question the creditability of this "religion".

Am I Anti-Morman, yes I am Anti-Mormon. Do I make an apology for my previous post? The answer is no. I still do not believe Mitt should run for President.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 21, 2007 11:37 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Well, Rob N, there is a smaller community in the very south of Utah, that long ago, branched off from the Mormon church, (or Latter day Saints).

They are located in a very small neighbourhood, and have a very secretive life, they are NOT the Mormon Church, and even though the followers of this small branch in the south, themselves believe that they are following the Mormon code, the LDS church will have nothing to do with them, and clearly distance themselves from them. There is no common ground between the LDS and the small branch in the south.

As the southern branch is secretive, non missionary in nature, and is introverting, with no desire to reach out, this branch could truly be categorized as a sect.

This sect practice polygamy, and both federal and state eyes are been on them, for breaking a long number of laws. The leader was actually on the list of FBI's 10 most wanted, until he got caught some months ago.

In number they are very very small, compared with the LDS. The LDS is an out reaching, missionary church, and thus does not fall into a category to be called either sect or cult.

Saying that the LDS is the church that is doing the practices the smaller sect in the south is doing is a misnomer, and generalization. There is no association between the LDS and the smaller sect.

The Mormons today are modern people, and from the dealings I have had with many of them, a woman founding out the husband was dallying around with other women, would be as upset as any other woman with any other faith.

The main church did in the past practicing polygamy, but it would be as absurd to accusing a Mormon for being a polygamist, as accusing all Americans to practice slavery just because it was practiced in the past.

-- January 22, 2007 2:13 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Rob N:

Doesn't the regular Bible have verses that instruct people to treat their slaves well? Colossians 3:22 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything". Doesn't that verse imply an acceptance of the barbaric institution of slavery? Didn't most Christians accept slavery for most of Christian history? Yes, and of course. And what color were most slaves, for most of history? Black. That sounds like racism to me.

I'm not trying to paint Christians in a bad light. My own background is Baptist and some of the finest people I have ever met are Christians of various denominations. But still, isn't it the reality that slavery was accepted morally by Christians?

(At the same time I have to point out the obvious: It is Christians who were the moral force behind the abolition of slavery. I believe Christians were inspired by God to, at the appropriate time in history, move the human race forward out of darkness)

What does all this tell me? What's my point, in bringing this up? It's this: You question some of the moral beliefs of Mormons. I'm just pointing out the obvious: Morals evolve. God is consistent. Right and wrong are consistent, but people are fallible, and take a while to figure out what is right and moral. Perhaps God reveals truth, in time.

So, if you are going to be hard and unforgiving toward Mormons, you will have to, to be consistent, be equally condemning toward Christians. Are you willing to do that? If you tell me your faith, I'll do my best to dig up some dirt, if you want to go down that road.... I'd rather not.....

Sure, the Mormons had some past belief, like polygamy. But didn't Christians as well? Didn't Solomon, Jesus's geneologial ancestor, have 1,000 wives? I would be surprised if a lot of these girls were not quite young, by modern standards.

It was normal back then for people to marry young. For most of history, as I understand it, girls married around age 14. The reason was, people didn't live very long, until fairly recently, with the advent of modern medicine. Education was a minimal thing, till recently, and most people in the world led simple lives as fairly uneducated farmers. The mortality rate for children under the age of 12 for most of history was 50%. War, disease and famine kept human populations at low levels till recently. Just to stay alive, and keep the population going, most people married young, farmed, and hunted and had children. Also, modern birth control didn't come in till the early 1960s. Humans are sexual creatures. This meant they were sexually active as teenagers. So, illiterate teenagers got pregnant, and had to be married to look after the young. That's just common sense reality. That's why people for most of history married very young, by our standards. Your ancestors did. And so did mine.

Let me give you a bit of general personal history, to illustrate.

I am a bit of an oddity, because of an accident of history, I can relate to the pioneer days in a way most people can't, even if I am only 46 years old. I come from recent pioneer stock, and in my family tree, my mother and grandmother and great-grandmothers all married as teenagers. My mother was born in 1923 in Western Canada. Western Canada, due to accidents of geography, was the last place to be pioneered in North America. My mother was born in the very last of the pioneer days in North America, and it was common in her generation, the pioneer generation, for girls to marry young. She helped build a log cabin with her own hands, as a young girl, pretty much like out of Little House on the Prairie, and used Red River Ox Carts as a child. She remembers Indians riding on horses.

Her life was quite typical of women who settled North America for hundreds of years. If you read a bit of American history, you'll find most pioneer women married young, and had lots of children, just like the early Mormons. Nothing unusual here. Mormons carried on these beliefs a bit longer than other groups because they went as pioneers into what was then a fairly isolated part of America. Now, of course, they have given up those beliefs, just as my family did, and people marry later in life, just like the rest of North America.

I think the Mormon polygamy and young marriage thing was a very temporary thing, it was somthing that worked for a very short time, in an American pioneer setting, when ambitious men wanted a lot of children, to settle the new lands. It is completely impractical in this day and age, and the Mormons have put it behind them. A few oddball holdouts remain, but the vast majority of Mormons frown on the practice of polygamy and very early marriage, and as I understand it, Mormons do not want to be associated with these people.

The thing against blacks has ended too, as I understand it, and having visited a Mormon church as a visitor a few times, I have seen black people there, and they are treated well and accepted, and I know the Mormons are growing in all sorts of countries, including Africa, and appealing to all sorts of people, and I can't see how that could realistically take place, unless these people found Mormons to be kind and good people. And they are good people.

Here's another example of moral progress within Christianity for you to consider: People calling themselves Christians used to publically burn gay people. What a horrible thing. That's where the word "faggot" evolved from. It was a bundle of sticks gathered together on a pile and set ablaze with a gay person tied to it, to burn them alive. That was in the past. They don't do that anymore. No one holds that against them. Many Christians still consider being gay to be a sin, but Christians I have met are very loving toward all people, even if they disagree with their lifestyle. The point is, people morally evolve all the time. Christians have in the past helped society to make a huge amount of moral progress, and it is my opinion that many of the good things in life we take for granted, like general moral decency in America, is there because America is a mainly Christian country. The recent civil rights movement that improved the lot of blacks was mostly inspired by Christians, like the Reverend Martin Luther King, who I believe was a fellow Baptist, unless I am mistaken.

So, again, my point is, if we can allow Christians the benefit of the doubt, that they no longer practice slavery, and their beliefs have evolved, why can't we give Mormons the benefit of the doubt?

(I'm not a Mormon, but my Mormon brother-in-law told me)

Rob, from reading your post, I'd say you have good and strong morals. I respect that. They are morals I agree with. I also think most Mormons would say they no longer believe in polygamy, or forcing very young girls to marry, and they welcome black people to their churches.

So, I think you are fighting with ghosts from the past. Mormons don't think that way anymore, the way you described them. That's in the past. As Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead". Like Christians of all sorts, their moral outlook improves and evolves in time. I know a few Mormons and really admire them.

I personally don't believe in their dogma, but I don't see that they are doing any harm, and I can see a lot of good in their personal lives, that I have seen up close. My Mormon brother in law has been very good to my sister. So good, he impressed my neice, who is not their daughter, but is my brother's daughter, to become a Mormon.

My attitude, when people are good, but believe things that are odd to me, is 'live and let live'.

If you ever get a chance, get to know one, and see if you don't change your mind.

While I'm at it, thanks for all your excellent posts. I really enjoy reading them. I hope to buy you a beer some day.

-- January 22, 2007 2:26 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

From a column by Margaret Wente, nationally syndicated columnist for one of Canada's national newspapers, The Globe and Mail, this weekend edition:

Who are the most generous people in all of North America and Europe, in giving to private charity?

The people of Utah.

Who lives in Utah?

Mormons.

To me, that fact says a lot about the moral character of Mormons.

-- January 22, 2007 2:37 AM ∞

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Wake up call for Rob N wrote:

Rob N.
You have just proven to everyone reading on this site that you can't see past the end of your face. Your information about mormons is predictably incorrect.
You obviously get your information from anti-mormon websites that have no clue what mormons truy believe or practice.
I know many of them, and they are some of the best people this world has seen. If we could follow their values, the world would be a great place.
A few "celebrity mormons" include"

Steve Young--- Former NFL Quarterback

Stephen R. Covey---Famous Author of "7 Habits"

John Moses Browning---Browning Guns

Ken Jennings---Jeapordy Champion

Andy Reid---NFL Coach, Philidelphia Eagles

Benji Schwimmer---Winner of "So you think you can dance" 2006

Shawn Bradley---NBA Player

Ron Dittemore---Director of space shuttle program

Gary S. Baughman---President, CEO (retired) Fisher-Price

Danny Ainge---Former NBA Player, Former MLB Player

Tom Chambers---Former NBA Player

Robert Rey, MD, MPP---featured on Dr. 90210

Philo T. Farnsworth---Invented the T.V.

Robert B. Ingebretsen---Invented the C.D.

Lester Wire---Invented Traffic Light

Danny White---Former NFL Player

Kim Clark---Harvard Dean

Dale Murphy---Former MLB Player

Todd Heap---NFL Player, Ravens

Jeff Kent---MLB Player, San Fran. Giants

Bill Marriott----President of Mariott Hotels

Thurl Baily---Former NBA Player

J. Ralph Atkin---Founder, SkyWest Airlines

Robert G. Allen---Author, Investment Advisor

Dr. V. Lane Rawlins---President, Washington State University

Peter Vidmar---Olympic Gold Gymnastics

Rulon Gardner---Olympic Gold Wrestler

Jimmy "Super Fly" Snuka---WWF Champion

Gladys Knight---Singer

Rick Schroder---Actor,Producer(Silver Spoons)

R. Adams Cowley, M.D---Pioneer of trauma medicine

Wilford Brimley---Actor

Ryan Gosling---Actor(Remember the Titans)

Aaron Eckhart---Actor (Erin Brockovich)

Jon Heder---Actor (Napoleon Dynamite)

Shawn King---Larry King's Wife

Shawn Nelson---Winner of "Rebel Billionare"

Rick Thomas---Las Vegas Magician

Kelly Wiglesworth---"Survivor" Runner up

Jeff Flake---Arizona Congressman

Jay S. Bybee---US Court 9th Circuit

Orrin Hatch---Senator

Marie and Donnie Osmund---Singers and TV

Dieter F. Uchtdorf---Senior Vice President, Lufthansa German Airlines, Mormon Apostle

Richard G. Scott---Nuclear engineer, Mormon Apostle

Gary L Crittenden--- CFO, American Express Company

Mitt Romney---Senator

Don't forget.... Harry Reid---Senate Majority Leader (Not my favorite Person)

Of course these are just a handfull. Check out the link:

http://morgannews.us/fam.html

I guess Rob N thinks that they are trying to take over the world!

WIth over 12 million members worldwide, and the fastest growing church in the world...maybe they will :)

-- January 22, 2007 3:44 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

THE IRAQI DINAR, have clearly got out of the doldrums, and are moving along in an increasingly higher and higher value as days goes by.

We're all happy about the events, and in some quarters we impassionate look for a dramatic increase, in the hope that we are millionaires overnight.

There is a section in the mechanics that bothers me a bit.

Some Iraqi officials are now talking openly about the desire to get the Dinar in par with the Dollar, and "restore" it to it's former glory.

That's all nice and ducky, but I'm afraid that the desire is more a source of pride and eagerness to get back to something that once upon a time was a very good currency, more than a rational understanding of how it can be done.

I don't particular like when a minister of some sort just declare that we're going to get the Dinar back to a Dollars value, because the reality is, that the value of a currency is not determined by desire or national pride.

If the Dinar is forcefully made into becoming a Dollars worth in very very short time, this might very well have the inherent risk of doing the dreaded "zero loop".

Instead, if the currency can have it's normal slow rise from it's current value to higher value, all the balances in the Iraqi economy can check out, and be corrected as it goes, without having to do anything to the face value of the Dinar bills.

Minor RV's can be tolerated if an RV is on the table. From what I can see read and interpret from the statements, coming from there, no overnight RV is planned. (if it is, it must be secret) but instead the issues dealt with is the day to day issues, and how to make the Dinar more valuable AS TIME GOES BY.

This is better news for us, as, if you do a slow manipulation of the currency, the face value can stay, but if you want to get into a big RV, and do an overnight manipulation, the risk is, the bigger value you want to put on it, the more you have to bear in mind how much the actual nominal value is.

If the nominal value is less then the intended RV, the "zero loop" alternative WILL be looked upon as a possible complement to the Value increase, in order to quicker get it to be in par with the Dollar.

Remember, if they truly want to restore it's original value, and get in par with the other Gulf nations, they need to get the value of a Dinar to be 1 Dinar to 3 Dollar +, 3.25 or 3.5 somewhere.

As I se it sit right now, the Dinar have a lot of potential, and are going where we want it to go, but if we are looking at a quick fix, sorry, the Dinar, undervalued as it is, does not hold 3 Dollar plus.

I don't think the Iraqi officials are aiming for the 3.5 Dollar mark, ( well at least not yet) as they know it's a very unreal figure, and therefore have set the 1 Dollar mark, as that particular figure seems to come up more frequently in the discussions.

The discussions about the 1 Dollar is just that, discussions, but as it is discussed, it means it's a real goal.

To take the Dinar to a 1 Dollar goal, from where it stands now, in an overnight RV, is a mighty leap. It's a currency value increase of 1300 times it's value overnight.

THAT have never happened before, sure, just because something have never happened before doesn't mean it wont ever happen, but no currency have ever risen in value 1000% over the Dollar. (The Kuwait Dinar almost made it, raised in the vicinity of 500%, during a ONE year period after the Gulf war in the early -90's.)

The danger I see here is the wish of some officials to have a currency in par with the Dollar, and rushing it, when the Dinar is not ready for it, It WILL hurt the Dinar in one way or the other. The nominal value, ( it's self value, its actual value), alone will determine what the value of the Dinar is.

In my opinion, the value of it, is right now in the vicinity of 10-15 cents, perhaps even as much as a quarter, but most probably in the vicinity of 10-20 cents, give or take.

An RV to THAT figure would be less of a problem, all the face values of the currency could stay, and nothing more than an announcement would be necessary.

However, if a currency with the value of (lets say) 10 cents, suddenly are RV'd to a Dollar, it means that ONE ZERO have to come off, of the currency itself, because the Dinar will still not have more NOMINAL value then 10 cents.

So what I'm saying, is that I don't like the talk from the Iraqi officials when they are eager to increase the value to ONE Dollar, as long as it doesn't have backing for it.

One official offered his opinion that within three years of time the Dinar might be in par with the Dollar.

Now, that is a more sane approach, as the Dinar could do it's climb slowly and steady without any cosmetic changes, to it's face, any problem during the way, can be corrected, with the currency at hand. I don't know where he got the figure THREE YEARS, but at least it shows that this is not an overnight RV he is talking about, and it will put a long time line to the Dinar to develop by trade, business, and oil revenue.

So in short.

1. STEADY INCREASE in the Dinars value:
Very little risk for face manipulation such as "Zero loop".

2. RV:
Ok, if it is within it's nominal value. No change to the currency's face value.

3. RV high:
The higher the RV is from the Dinars nominal value, the higher risk for face manipulation of the currency.

4. DINAR ON THE FOREX:
The face of the Dinar is safe, as the money market, and not IMF, CBI or a newly appointed Iraqi minister of some sort will have any influence over the value.

So actually, even though we're all sitting and waiting for the new Ferrari, a slow approach is the safest.

Don't take me wrong in any way or form, if the Dinar goes to 1 to 1 in an overnight RV and the face don't change, I'll jump of joy, I just want to show that a sudden and spectacular overnight raise in value, have very high risks attached to it, and in that sense a slow increase in value is much more safe and favourable.

-- January 22, 2007 5:37 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Small move. Lot's of discussion yesterday about 1:1 RV on other blogs. Hard to get there with these small moves.

Will be traveling this week and will likely have no internet access. If anybody else wants to post the CBI rate, that would be welcome.

Have a good week all!!!

Announcement No.(847)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 847 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 1/22 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1298 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1296 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 104.240.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 3.540.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 104.240.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 3.540.000 -----

-- January 22, 2007 5:51 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Whoa, are they buying up Dinars like crazy, or what,??? check out the auction for today.

Wonder if there are going to be any Dinars left at all to play with. Will sure hold on to my stash.

Looking better and better.

-- January 22, 2007 5:59 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Oh no Chris, we're so used to your postings, your an institution here, well happy trails, see ya, and if the 1 to 1 happens, you need to rebook your travels to the Florida Keys.

-- January 22, 2007 6:02 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

A friend of mine has such a bad memory.

He and his wife was visiting with us, after dinner the women went to the kitchen, and we were chatting in the living room.
He and his wife had visited such a nice restaurant, and he wanted to tell me the name of that restaurant.
He forgot the name of the restaurant and wanted me to help him.
-"What is the name of that flower, you give it to women you love, it's red and have thorns?"
-"A Rose!?"
-"Ah yes, (then he turns to the kitchen and yelled)......hey Rose, what was the name of that restaurant we went to yesterday?"

-- January 22, 2007 6:17 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Went back and checked the auctions and found that lately a pattern have developed, in their auction.

The drop in Dinar versus Dollar holds now a pattern it seems, it may be interrupted by a weekend but the pattern comes back when next auction is done.

it goes, 2, 3, 5.

The increase is one day 2 Dinars to the Dollar, next day it's 3 Dinars and the third day it's a 5 Dinar increase.(Drop)

So if this trend continues, this last auction it dropped 2 Dinars, from 1300 to 1298.

If the trend continues, this will mean that tomorrow, the auction will be 3 Dinars, from 1298 to 1295.

And next auction it will be a 5 Dinar drop from 1295, to 1290.

Then the cycle starts again. 2, 3, 5. (with a possible interruption of a weekend closure, but it picks up where it was dropped last time)

I don't know if this is a fluke or not, as it has not been doing it for more than about two weeks, but in case they have set it in a system, ( time will tell) then it is very easy to predict exactly how fast, and what time projection the Dinar have.

-- January 22, 2007 7:14 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

2, 3 and 5 divided by 3 gives an average of 3 Dinars per day, and average of 22 workdays in a month, (I'm a bit weak when it comes to their holidays) gives a monthly value increase of 99 Dinars a month. (They probably counted for a 100 even, but had a hard time fitting it in.)

If we are at about 1300 to the Dollar now, and wants to go to 1 cent, it's 12 months away (100 to 1) if they are continuing the trend.

Remember the value will exponentially increase, so they will probably not go to 1 to 1, as in that case they are going from 1 cents value(100 to 1) to 1 Dollars (1 to 1)value in ONE MONTH, so they cant continue this forever.

-- January 22, 2007 7:30 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Ah comon, 22 times 3 is not 99 , its 66 , I'm to tired, time to go to bed, see ya.

-- January 22, 2007 7:41 AM ∞

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ANNON wrote:

Dr. Sinan Shabibi, Governor of the Central Bank - Speaks Out With Good News

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

22 January 2007 (Iraq Directory)

Dr. Sinan Shabibi, Governor of the Central Bank, said that this year's budget is an investment budget because it focused on increasing the size of investment.
Shabibi said that the Central Bank's role is to treat the imbalances resulting from the development process that will produce changes in the basic economic structure.
He pointed out that the task of the Central Bank is to achieve development in a stable monetary environment through utilizing all means and policies to achieve economic stability, intact environment and moderate inflation rate.
He continued: "Our relation to the budget is to preserve its resources, through fighting inflation".
Stressing that the Bank had made several measures including raising the exchange rate of the dinar, which had an impact on the budget through affecting the purchase capacity of the government; this impact will increase through dealing with inflation.
Shabibi added that: this policy will increase the confidence in the dinar, which will pull some of the money to the banking sector and rationalize the government spending because of its impact on inflation.
He indicated that this action will reduce the prices of imported goods such as the private sector imports and the government's imports for development that come from the conversion of the Iraqi dinar to the dollar.
He added that while this policy weakens the ability of the government to buy the dinar, it strengthens the Iraqi dinar owned by the government.
Pointing out that the bank wants a means to affect the economic and monetary policy by making the dinar valuable and powerful.

This lets me know where his heads at and as far as I'm concerned 1:1 would sure be a way of making that dinar valuable and powerful.

Central Bank Governor: This year's budget focused on increasing investment in Iraq | Iraq Updates
__________________
MagicMan

-- January 22, 2007 10:08 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Hi Roger,

Catching up after a few days away.

Joke really cute!

Question: worse case scenario- the zero-loop thing happens. What does that mean to someone holding 10 million dinar( in 25k notes)?

My family spoke to RE friend that is relunctant to give
specifics because of other false hopes.

This is what I was told. HIs source is a man named Bill who is a top exec. with an oil company in Iraq, or doing business in Iraq. This Bill has links to the Oil Minister in Iraq. Most of the info that comes out to the public, our RE friend gets about 1 week before , and is pretty much in line with the info given to the public.

Supposedly, he is now in contact with this Bill on a daily basis. He reports to a member of my family that next 10 days is critical, not only to the oil companies but to the future of the dinar and that from his viewpoint is very very hopeful.

Take it for what it is worth. I guess I have beeb down this road before and am a natural skeptic.

But, I am v ery interested in what would happen if the zero-loop thing were to happen.

Carole

-- January 22, 2007 10:16 AM ∞

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ANNON wrote:

m the computer for a little while and BAM look what happens.

We have RADICAL: Muslims, Christians, Jews, Catholics and now add Mormon’s to the Mix.

Had some experience with the Mormon’s back in the mid 80’s. Opened a business in downtown SLC close to the Ice Palace. First 3 months were great. I really wasn’t able to pin point why he business started so well and increased significantly during this time. People were absolutely great. Then on a Friday I received a visit from the “Church” and was requested to join. After politely saying no and my reason being I’m non-demoniacal they left. On Monday business was off from what it had been. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday were even worst. Another visit on Friday from the “Church” again saying I should join them but again I declined. Well I shut the business down about 3 months latter. The business had dwindled to nothing in that time. No more visits from the “Church” either.

I don’t hold it against them for my business failure and have actually returned to Salt Lake on vacation from time to time to see what a well thought out City it is and how it’s advanced and take in some great Skiing (Alta, Snowbird, etc…). I have been to the Tabernacle a few times and it’s awl inspiring (but no enough to convince me to join). I found the people there to be pretty clam.

Now we are going to introduce the radical side of the Mormons to the world. Polygamy? My first though is why would anybody want more than one wife at a time? I tried it with more than one girlfriend at a time and WOW was that a tuffy. Those guys must have some kind fortitude or Divine inspiration. Then again they may be being punished by there God for something they did or did not do.

I remember seeing the US Government going after one of these polygamist some time ago. I’m thinking his crime against the US was he had something like 25 wives. I don’t remember him threatening to blow up anything I think the Government just was having a slow day and he was all that was available. Ruby Ridge was still a few months off. Ithink Janet Reno may have been behind it.

There seems to be a problem with the young girls, 12 – 14 year olds being married off. My mother married when she was 14 and is still married to the same man, my father, some 50+ years later. My Daughter is 14 and while she is under mature for her age (my wife and I probably cuddle her too much) some of her friends at 14 and 15 are very mature both mentally and physically, almost scary. We limit her time around them because we don’t want her to grow up too fast and we constantly inform her that some of her friends are likely to have children at an early age. The young girls in the Mormon families you talk of may be growing up in an environment that fosters early development such as my mother growing up on a farm in rural Georgia . From helping with the chores to helping to raise several siblings she was of greater mental maturity at 14 than most city girls today.

I visualize the greatest threat at least for now if you travel Southern Utah is a vast amount of roadside MOMS rather than bombs.

Well that’s my spew on this at the moment.

-- January 22, 2007 10:54 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Here is a article posted to www.safedinar.com.

Sunni-Shiite talks begin with spat over Iran, Iraq
1/22/2007

by Faisal BaatoutMon Jan 22, 7:20 AM ET

A conference on inter-Islamic dialogue has gotten off to a heated start in Doha with a top Sunni cleric attacking Shiites and Iran over the continuing sectarian violence in war-torn Iraq.

Sheikh Yussef Qardawi accused Shiites in Iraq and neighbouring Iran of harbouring militias that kill and displace Sunni Arabs in Iraq, which is wracked by sectarian killings that claim scores of lives daily.

"The Sunnis are being driven out of their regions. And now they (militias) are trying to rid Baghdad of Sunnis. We should not remain silent," he told the opening session of a conference on dialogue between Islamic schools of thought.

"Death squads and militas are killing people in their own homes... They should be disowned by the Shiites," he said.

Qardawi, who heads the international federation of Muslim scholars, said he had called upon Shiite religious leaders in Iraq and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to intervene to stop the killings.

"Iran has influence in Iraq. It can stop this sedition and put out a fire that could destroy everything," he said in a clear criticism of Tehran over its role in Iraq.

The Egyptian cleric, who also holds Qatari nationality, condemned what he described as "attempts to covert (Sunnis) into Shiism" in countries that are predominantly Sunni.

"It is not permissible for a sect to try to spread in a country that is dominated by the other sect," he said.

"What benefit do you get if you enter a Sunni country like Egypt, Sudan, Morocco or Algeria... and try to convert people into the Shiite sect?" he asked.

"You may attract a hundred or two, but you will be sowing sedition in the country and the people there will hate and curse you," he added, citing talks he held with leading Iranian scholar Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri.

But Taskhiri, who was also present at the opening session, blamed the escalating tension between Sunnis and Shiites on the "real enemy" of both, an allusion to Israel and the United States.

"There is a cunning plot to turn Muslims away from their real enemy to an illusive one... the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Taskhiri, who heads Iran's World Forum for Enhancing Relations Among Islamic Schools of Thought.

"Muslims forget Israel and the dangers of colonialism, while Sunnis perceive the Shiites -- and vice versa -- as the biggest challenge... tearing the body of this (Islamic) nation into pieces," he added.

Tashkiri accused Israel of stoking the escalating Sunni-Shiite tension in Iraq and Lebanon, claiming that the "enemy is exploiting normal scholarly differences."

Predominantly Shiite Iran has been accused of backing Shiite militias in Iraq that are believed to be behind daily killings and kidnappings of Sunni Arabs.

Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement, currently leading an opposition campaign against the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, is also accused of being remote-controlled by Tehran.

Other delegates at the Doha forum warned against political differences fueling communal conflict.

"We should avoid differences between schools of thought which are being exploited for political purposes," Qatar's deputy premier Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said.

"The facts show that the wedge being driven (between Muslim sects) is political and has nothing to do with religion."

Sunni-Shiite talks begin with spat over Iran, Iraq - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 22, 2007 11:00 AM ∞

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ANNON wrote:

Roger: The pattern you speak of (2,3,5) has been charted on other boards for about two weeks now, the IIF (Iraqi Investors Forum for one) has seen this pattern over the last 10 auctions. It’s been watched as 2,3, and 5 also as 8,5,and 0 depending on how you follow the auctions. The pattern is consistent for the time being and each auction has taken on a new life to see if the next auction will follow suit. Of course the common thread is it cannot keep that pace because of the percentage increase each time would be phenomenal.

I personally like the notion that GWB and MOF already have a plan for the next 3 months to coincide with the surge plan although how they could keep it a secrete is beyond me. Too much at stake in the near future to not have a CYA plan in effect.

-- January 22, 2007 11:05 AM ∞

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Robert wrote:

Whew. I have been reading your posts and have decided to take the plunge and invest in Dinars. I realize how speculative and risky it is but then I think about the big picture. If I count up all of the $ spent on Starbucks White Chocolate mochas, going out for dinner on Friday nights, etc, etc...I begin to ask myself what can I lose. My rationale is that unlike the lottery, I could actually watch my investment sink or swim. If I buy 10 million dinar then I have a broader range of potential return. Dollar for dollar would be incredible. 50:1 would be super. As a matter of fact, 25:1 would be great.
Heck, if I ended up with enough to recoup my investment and buy my wife dinner and a movie I suppose it would have been an adventure. If I lost every penny, I suppose I would cry, get over it and go drown my sorrows in a White Chocolate Mocha and tend to my other more sensible, mainstream, conservative investments.

Question: At this point what is the best and safest way to purchase dinars?

How would you cash in your dinars if you hold actual money?

I read that the CBI states that it is illegal to remove currency from Iraq. How will this effect future exchanges?

Help me out here folks.

Thanks

-- January 22, 2007 11:16 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Robert: There is an executive order allowing for U.S. personnel to own IQD, when the time comes to exchange, you will be able to walk into a bank and ask to convert your foreign currency. Now as far as capital gains go, I would imagine that there would be a place on your income tax form to claim capital gains. I brought my dinars with me from Iraq, they don't search real well. . .some I mailed. As for purchasing, I guess you'll have to wait for someone else to give you a tip on buying them, as I got mine on the local economy. . . and you better watch out for those White Chocolate Mochas. . .I had a heart attack in Iraq last month, and I think it was brought on by Double Kaffe Mochas. .P.H.

-- January 22, 2007 11:36 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Robert:

I would suggest buying your Dinars in 25000 notes at Chase Bank. Compared to Ebay or one of the online dealers, your out of pocket expense is going to less.

By the way, welcome to our little community. It is at times invigorating and at times frustrating. At this time I find myself invigorated everytime I watch the value of the Dinar increase.

Good Luck with the investment. In the words of Okie, C'mon Dinars.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 22, 2007 12:08 PM ∞

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ANNON wrote:

I spent some time over the weekend watching Iraqi Freedom Network on History and National Geographic. While I did notice some big differences in what was reported I was still left with a very different view as compared to what I have seen on MSM and read here in this and other forums. As they say pictures are worth a thousand words.

One of the shows was basically a news report from the American Service Media. They covered many topics concerning Iraq and showed lots of pictures of Baghdad and other area’s around Iraq. In general all the Iraqi’s they interviewed and just came across during there patrols were very gracious. It struck me as we only have two groups in Iraq, one that accepts us being there and one that wants us dead. Pretty cut and dried. It would also appear that there are quite a few more that accept us.

Some of the areas around Baghdad really surprised me. Green zone especially. Not exactly the S--T hole I was expecting. A lot of nice areas business open electricity at night etc… A fair amount of traffic during the day and some at night until the curfew.

The other program was a documentary about the security contractors and their routine. Protecting convoys, diplomats, etc… That one was a little more disturbing. Going into one way in same way out and knowing that the insurgents would be waiting for them if not on the way but the way back. The amount of money these companies are being paid I would think a Black Hawke would be a major tool of the trade. Between high profile and low profile missions it was unbelievable that additional coverage was not taken maybe not even considered.

The Copyright showed 2006 and some of the missions were to guard building supplies to areas outside of Baghdad so I assumed this must have been filmed some time last year. Some of the material was even going to the airport and military base. Surely the military should have provided some cover.

One part that really seemed to offer common sense was they escorted a convoy of material to the north on a single into the town where they are building a police station. The security contractors were choose to do the mission at night. They commented frequently that even if they made it to the town without being shot at they would certainly be shot at on the way back. They made it into town and stood guard while the trucked were unloaded having to sweep the area for possible snipers and IRD’s. This town about 20 miles north of Baghdad have a lot of lights on for the time of night. Once the convoy started rolling back down this single street out of town they were met with an ambush. Fortunately no one killed but a couple injured.

Now my thought was IF they had a Black Hawke say a few hundred feet in the air just out of hearing distance between the gunfire and infrared they could have easily taken everyone of the insurgents out and that would have been that many less o deal with. Same deal when they travel through town have an armed gunship escorting when you see the insurgents kill them!

I did notice hardly any air activity anywhere. I thought of this as odd. Maybe I am being too simplistic toward this but helicopters have always been invaluable against the enemy.

So that’s 25.96 Dinar worth on the matter. (almost 2 cents )

-- January 22, 2007 12:16 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Robert, Don't forget to look into opening an account at Warka Bank as an alternative. Works for me...

-- January 22, 2007 12:18 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Here's a thought: Maybe if other Christian denominations learned from Mormons, about family values, the future of America and Europe might look different, and better, in my opinion.

As Sara pointed out, there have been 40 million abortions in the United States, in the past 30 years. Even far more of the same in Europe. Europe's future is washing down the abortionist's sink, the population is crashing, and within this century, the predicted demographic numbers say that Muslims, who, like Mormons, have large families, will take over Europe. Some estimates say there will be around 150 million Muslims in Europe, by century's end. The car bombs in France, and subway bombs in London came about because the European population is crashing, and desperate governments opened up immigration, mostly from Muslim countries, to make up for all the European shortage of citizens, due to a family-hostile culture, including abortion. I hope Muslims have the courtesy to at least say, "thanks for the continent", at the end of the century. Chrisianity has a great future, just not in Europe, because post-Christian Europeans embraced values that are opposite to Mormon values.

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in America as well. There are about 7 million American Muslims. There are about 6 million Mormons in America. Personally, I'd rather see a Mormon America, than an Islamic America, if I had a choice. I just read this morning, in a column about the moral decline of America, that more women are living without partners, without being married, than are married. The social outcomes for children from those relationships, are not good. That's not the kind of society I want. If Mormons can help reverse the moral decline in America, and make it friendlier for families, and traditional marriage and conservative Christian morality, good for them. They might want to start on Europe, as well, while they are at it, and stop, what Pope John Paul II called "a culture of death overtaking Europe".

Perhaps if other Christian denominations, in Europe in particular, including the Catholic Church, learned a thing or two, from Mormons, about family values, they would stop aborting all their children, and keep Europe Christian.

Just a thought.

Enough of that. Back to the dinar.

Great joke, Roger.

-- January 22, 2007 12:25 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Tim:

This is my last comment about Mormons or Mormonism. I agree that rank and file Mormons are probably as sincere as anyone else. I do think they are brain washed much in the way Jim Jones influenced his followers.

This "religion" which which stands directly contrast to Orthodox Christianity is based upon not one fact. According to Smithsonian there isn't one shred of archeological evidence to suggest that the people of Nephi or the Lamanites ever existed.

To further discredit any historical legitimacy of Mormonism, DNA tests were done on modern Mayan Indians. Guess what? Their DNA has not one trace of either the people of Nephi or the Lamanites in them.

Regardless of their family values and/or morals. Their religion they practice is based upon the lies and fantasy of Joseph Smith.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 22, 2007 12:44 PM ∞

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Jeanine Buckley wrote:

Hi Dinar Investors,

I'm writing an article about the recent increase in the Iraqi dinar, so was looking to interview people who've invested in the dinar, and how they initially heard about the investment. I'm also interested in interviewing people who've recently been to Iraq who can give firsthand accounts of the situation there. If possible, I'd like to interview some Iraqi economic experts--from the Central Bank and/or policymakers. I live in Boston, so will try contacting the major universities here.

I also ran across an article saying that stability in Iraq would increase if the focus was more on improving the economy, so I'm also researching what microenterprise groups are doing to help small businesses. Any specific sucess stories about new businesses getting started in Iraq would be great!

I'm a freelance writer, so I'm going to start by pitching it to the local newspapers to see the reaction. If you know of any other publlications focused on investment, Please let me know.

Thanks for your help--and let's get the dinar some exposure!!!

Jeanine

-- January 22, 2007 12:56 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Jeanie
I think your enthusiam is great.

However, I am not sure what kind of exposure of the Dinar you are advocating.

I personally see no benefit and possibly a very negative impact on advertising that thousands, perhaps millions of Americans will become extremely rich if the DINAR value increases to correlate to the dollar.

This would not sit well with the Middle east nations at large and in general, even though our investments have and will help their overall economy.

Let's not forget, no matter what, their religion demands that they beleive that the West, particularly US are evil and to do anything that would promote prosperity to the infidels would be a sin of the gravest nature.

It will take years and much INTERNAL Islamic effort to turn that theology around, if ever.

So, low profile on the dinar, in my view is the smartest way to go.

Perhaps your free-lance writing skills could best be put to use by exposing and writing about what impact a Hilary President would have on the people of Iraq.

If you need any help on that, there are dozens here that could give you some very good direction and insight.

By the way, do you own any Dinar?

Carole

-- January 22, 2007 1:13 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Newsweek Reports Economic 'Vibrancy' In Iraq -- But Not for American Eyes
Posted by Tim Graham on January 19, 2007 - 13:31.

Some times, real surprises arrive in your e-mail, such as: Newsweek's International Edition welcomed the New Year with an article titled "Iraq's Economy Is Booming." Nobody noticed this "mother of all surprises" in America, since the article wasn't placed in front of domestic customers (it is online). Why not? Liberal, Bush-hating politics, perhaps? Despite the often-reported violence and terrorism, Newsweek's Silvia Spring asserted "there's a vibrancy at the grass roots that is invisible in most international coverage of Iraq."

Canadian columnist Neil Reynolds noticed Spring's piece in Toronto's Globe and Mail:

OTTAWA -- More than U.S. troops are surging in Iraq. As the international edition of Newsweek magazine reported at year-end, the Iraqi economy is expanding at a rapid rate: "Civil war or not," writer Silvia Spring says, "Iraq has an economy and - mother of all surprises - it's doing remarkably well." Amid anarchy and savage violence, Iraq's construction industry is booming.

Retail and wholesale trade sectors are thriving. Real estate prices are soaring - up by several hundred per cent in the past couple of years. Iraqi oil production (at two million barrels a day) approaches Venezuelan production (2.4 million barrels a day) and could easily double in the next few years. On average, Iraqis earn 100 per cent more, in real terms, than they did under Saddam Hussein.

Public opinion surveys indicate that Iraqis are now, in economic expectations, at least, expansively optimistic.

Newsweek describes Iraq's economic revival as a product of "vibrancy at the grassroots." Three years ago, Iraq had 8,000 registered companies. Last year it had 34,000. Two years ago, Iraqis owned 1.4 million cellphones. Last year, they owned 7.1 million. (Iraqna, the country's leading mobile phone company, reported revenue of $333-million [U.S.] in 2005, $520-million in 2006.) Baghdad now has five times as many cars as it had before the war.

Global Insight, the economic research company, puts Iraq's GDP growth for 2005 at 17 per cent and for 2006 at 13 per cent. "The U.S. wanted to create the conditions in which small-scale enterprise could blossom," the magazine quotes Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at Global Insight's office in London. "In a sense, they've succeeded."

None of this lessens the horrors of the savage insurgency in the infamous Sunni Triangle. But none of it warrants suppression of Iraq's economic boom, either, yet it remains an "invisible" story, as Newsweek puts it, in most international coverage. Take unemployment as a single example. Are Iraqis underemployed? Inefficiently employed? Dangerously employed? Absolutely. But are 50 per cent of Iraqis unemployed - or indeed, as some reports have it, 70 per cent? Newsweek itself says that Iraq's unemployment rate "runs between 30 per cent and 50 per cent." Yet this kind of guesswork was disproved in mid-2005 when a comprehensive research study, using International Labour Organization definitions and standards, put Iraq's unemployment rate at 10.1 per cent.

In an assessment of Iraqi unemployment for the U.S. Congress, Rand Corporation researchers declared that bloated estimates of Iraqi unemployment were "seriously flawed," that the country possessed "an economically active, albeit poor, male citizenry." The report calculated the labour force participation rate for Iraqi men at 69 per cent. (By comparison, the rate for Canadian men is 73 per cent.) The participation rate for Iraqi women, however, was 13 per cent - a similar percentage, the report noted, "to the participation rate [for women] in all of the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa."

Contrary to the TV image of Iraqis men loitering around the wreckage of bombed cars, the Rand report described an enterprising people with an almost heroic work ethic. By far, it observed, most Iraqis were self-employed in private sector work, many holding more than one job. "The problem in Iraq isn't unemployment," the report said. "It's poverty."

Eighteen months later, there's more money, more merchants, more motion. The Newsweek report describes the same entrepreneurial spirit that the Rand report identified - but portrays a nation on the move: "Roadside bombs account for fewer backups than the sheer number of second-hand cars that crowd the nation's streets. Cheap Chinese goods overflow from shop shelves, and store owners report quick turnover. Ordinary Iraqis are not short of cash [and] they are now spending."

You can credit, in part, L. Paul Bremer, the onetime U.S. administrator in Baghdad who deftly imposed a flat-rate tax of 15 per cent on personal and corporate income in 2004. (Saddam Hussein's rates had reached 75 per cent.) You can credit, in part, the maligned Iraqi government, which has endeavoured, slowly and awkwardly, to liberate the country's highly centralized, bureaucracy-bound economy. (The ousted Baathists - Arabic for "Resurrectionists" - were, after all, national socialists.) Among all these liberal, market-driven reforms, the most important has been Iraq's cautious momentum toward world market prices for gasoline and diesel fuel.

A year ago, Iraq still sold gasoline to Iraqis for a penny a litre. Smuggled into Turkey, the penny-worth of gas became an asset worth a dollar, producing a hundredfold return. The long lineups for gas across Iraq became an apparently permanent symbol of the country's inability to pump enough gas for its own consumption. By some estimates, the gas price subsidy, along with the corruption it induced, cost Iraq as much as 40 per cent of its oil production and more than 10 per cent of its entire GDP. But criminal profits, as much as righteous profits, can drive economic growth.

Iraq now has its domestic gas price up to 14 cents a litre.

Newsweek editor Jon Meacham may have also disliked the Spring article's ending:

In a business climate that is inhospitable, to say the least, companies like Iraqna are thriving. The withdrawal of a certain great power could drastically reduce the foreign money flow, and knock the crippled economy flat.

-- January 22, 2007 1:21 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Rob N.

The transparency of error in the Mormon Church is very readily available, for those who wish to do even a thumbnail view of their history. it is a case of 2+2 does not equal 4.

The irony, however, is that as a whole they conform to biblical principals of morality, social order, and their obedience to the 10 commandments. Which makes Mormons stand out, and honorably so.

They are just people you want to be around because they are so darn good.

If goodness were the requirement for eternal life in the presence of the Holy God, they would have it made.

Carole

-- January 22, 2007 1:24 PM ∞

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Robert wrote:

Robert S,

What is the point of contact at Chase for purchasing IQD. I called Chase at their Investors site and they were unable to help me out.

-- January 22, 2007 1:27 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Rob N;

I appreciated your posts about Mormons. I suppose you were going by such sites as these:

1) Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint and ex presidential candidate of the United States, was murdered by an angry crowd on June 27, 1844 while being imprisoned in Carthage (Illinois) for hindering the freedom of the press. He had actually closed a newspaper completely opposed to his theories regarding polygamy.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article30532.html

2) Note: Many Mormons are not aware that Joseph Smith married other men's wives. In several cases he sent their husbands on missions and then married these women while the husbands were gone. Mormons generally are not aware he married girls as young as 14. These relationships were conjugal, including the young girls. References: 1) Joseph Smith and Helen Kimball Age 14 2) Joseph Smith's Wives 3) Share Wife with Mormon Prophet
http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon451.htm

These facts of the past, as Tim Bitts pointed out, do not necessarily tell you what the Mormon church is doing or believing today. However, as a Christian, I do look at any founder of a religion because those joining that church are indeed placing their faith in that person (Ghandi, Buddah, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, etc). While I would actively discourage a seeking soul from following Joseph Smith or his teachings, and actively encourage them to look into the founder of the Christian religion Jesus Christ instead, it is reality that many people do follow this faith which Joseph Smith once started - the church he founded.

It is a misnomer to call the Mormon church "The church of Jesus Christ latter day saints" since the founder of their church is Joseph Smith and not Jesus Christ. They are called Mormons because they are actually following the teachings which were given to Joseph Smith by an angel named "Moroni."

The Book of Mormon

Part of the work that Joseph did was translating the Book of Mormon. Joseph said that an angel named Moroni visited him and showed him where a very old book was buried. This book was written on pages of gold (sometimes called the Golden Plates). It was buried in a stone box on the side of the "Hill Cumorah", a hill near Joseph's home. Moroni visited Joseph once a year for four years until he told Joseph to take the Golden Plates. Since the book was written in a very old language, Joseph translated the book into English. He did this with help from God. The book was published as The Book of Mormon in 1830. It tells the story of two main groups of people who lived in North and South America hundreds of years ago. It also teaches many things about Jesus. To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Book of Mormon is a special book from God just like the Bible. By reading the Book of Mormon and the Bible, people can learn how to get closer to God and how to find happiness in life. This book is also the reason church members are sometimes called "Mormons."

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints

Bible believing Christians take a dim view of angelic revelations due to this Scripture:

Gal 1:8 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed."

Extra Biblical revelations about Jesus Christ have long been rejected by Christians who follow the words of the New Testament given by His apostles (as in the Galatians Scripture just given).

I have known Mormons personally, and converts from Mormonism. One such convert told me that the easy way to think of Mormons is that "they worship a glorified, resurrected and exalted MAN." As you said, they think in terms of becoming a god one day. When Mormons came to my door, I confronted them with this fact and asked if they thought they would one day become GOD. They answered in the affirmative. I then castigated the leader of the two by saying, "You expect to suddenly become Omnicient (all knowing), Omnipresent (all present), Omnipotent (all powerful), eternal, infinite, without beginning nor end? You, who cannot tell me what you are going to have for breakfast tomorrow morning will become the Almighty GOD?" They simply looked helplessly at each other, played fish by having their jaws open and close a few times, then turned and fled from my door. They now miss my home when they evangelize, giving me no more opportunity to speak with them.

I do believe the Christian faith is superior to believing such a lie as that a mere mortal can become the immortal and uncreated Creator of all things, who existed before time began. However, if my choice was between a moral Mormon who supported the conservative and profamily platform of belief or Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton who are 'charming' radical feminists and Liberals to the core, I would indeed vote for the Mormon. I can only vote between what is given to me for choices. And really, the only question asked by God of men will not be "Did you really think you could become ME?" but, "Did you accept Jesus' payment of blood for your sins?"

Therefore, since a belief in God is universal to mankind, innate to all human beings (because it has something behind it, some truth), and the desire to please God and pay to Him is also universal (all men feel guilt for violating some standard), mankind often seeks God through religion. I hope that the people who are Mormons are seeking to please God. As my converted Mormon friend told me, "God hasn't stopped working with them." God works with any who are willing to seek Him. Though I admit that men can be 'educated' out of faith in God - yet they are not born that way (Romans 7:9 - "alive once") and those within organized religions can truly listen and come to an accurate understanding of what God wants for them.

I believe that we cannot automatically reject all people within a faith because they are not exactly as we think God wishes them to be. God is still working with their souls, and, in politics, I believe we must pick the best candidate who most upholds our values, regardless of their religious affiliation. I believe the only reason Obama has even a shadow of a chance in the Presidential run is because some believe he is a Christian. If they thought him to be a closet Islamofascist, they would not give him respect nor their vote.

It behooves us to carefully consider the candidates we must vote for and ONLY to vote before God for the ones which forward the values and agenda we believe God Himself would wish advanced. It is only in choosing PERSONALLY and for our own personal faith and religious beliefs that we must draw the line and say we will not follow those who profess they will one day become God. I separate clearly between a religious choice of faith and a political choice for filling a political office. In the case of politics, I can vote a Mormon to office (if he/she is the best choice available), but in the case of faith, I can never follow a church which errs on so fundamental a value as to who God is and mankind's inability as created creatures to become the Uncreated God.

Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools instead,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,
Rom 1:25 And changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

I think the Bible teaches that Mormonism is a lie which causes those who follow it to believe in and serve themselves (mere created beings) rather than the Creator who is blessed for ever. It changes the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image.. the image of a mere man (themselves), a man who is a created being.. and they worship that instead of the real God Himself.

Sara.

-- January 22, 2007 2:04 PM ∞

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Dale wrote:

Robert. I called chase bank in Florence KY. asked if i could purchse NID & they put me with some one that answered all my questions.
try calling another branch.

-- January 22, 2007 2:53 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Jeanie:

Concerning a free lance piece on the Iraqi Dinar, why? What are you attempting to accomplish? I echo the sentiments of Carole. From my perspective, there really is no need for it.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 22, 2007 3:06 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Robert , You will have to go back to previous post of just ask someone here about the Chase or Bank of America deal. I suggested opening an account at Warka Bank in Baghdad.

-- January 22, 2007 3:35 PM ∞

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ANNON wrote:

Just had a thought, When the local Iraqi’s are purchasing something do the merchants just say this bread is 250 Dinar or is it 239 Dinar and the keep the difference since there are no way to make change?

-- January 22, 2007 3:38 PM ∞

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Jeanine Buckley wrote:

Dear Carole,

First of all, I don't own any dinar as of yet, was waiting until it dropped below 1300, which it just did, so now will buy a nominal amount. Second, I only wish that my humble writing could have such a profound effect as to reach millions of Americans--this is not the case at this point in my career.

I also don't know how much you know about how currency markets operate in today's world. In order for a currency to even be considered for operation on an international exchange, it has to first be viewed as stable enough to warrant it. This is not the case at the moment, and with the Iraqi currency only a domestic currency, it encourages corruption and strong black market tendencies. Until foreign investment starts flowing in, the economy really won't stabilize nor the dinar increase significantly in value. Fortunately, some very encouraging laws were established by the coalition force to encourage foreign investment, like low corporate tax rates, corporations can be formed without Iraqi partners, etc. are very encouraging signs. But as long as the only media we view about Iraq is the number of American soldiers killed that day, foreign investment won't happen (at least by Americans).

My slant on the article was going to be that the dinar increase was evidence that the Iraqi economy in general was improving. I also found a company that gives small loans to Iraqis to start up companies--I'm getting an update on the number of businesses they're now helping in Iraq.

As for keeping a low key approach, I guarantee that your investment in dinar won't pay off unless some significant positive press starts viewing Iraq as a legitimate place to do business. Don't worry about too many people getting light of this investment--do you know how HUGE the currency markets are? The past several months are just the beginning of a very positive trend, but in order for that trend to gain momentum, more press needs to happen. I just found an article in the latest issue of Forbes--1/29/07, but once again it ends on a negative note--so I'm just trying to make positive news happen.

Hope this clarification helps.

PS--would also really like to find people who are investing in the Iraqi stock market too--this can help balance out the article for more "risk averse" investors.

Jeanine

-- January 22, 2007 3:49 PM ∞

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Mary Lou wrote:

Think the supply is getting low. I have bought from the same dealer for over 2 years-off and on. Just got my Sister some and they were used. This is the first time this has happened with this dealer since 2004.

I decided to call them. The lady says that they are getting a mixture of old and new-ever since 1st of January. She agreed that this is because the supply is drying up. Additionally, she said that the word is around that they expect an extreme increase around the time of their elections. When I questioned her-she said it is in October.

Just passing on info I received.

-- January 22, 2007 3:59 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

BREAKING NEWS BANNER ON ABC:

Exclusive: Documents seized in Iraq reveal insurgent plan for attack in U.S., ABC News Pierre Thomas has learned

http://abcnews.go.com/US/

-- January 22, 2007 4:16 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Joint U.S. and Iraqi operation killed 93 Qaeda-linked fighters in Iraq

Jan 22, 2007 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday 93 rebels were killed and 57 captured in a 10-day operation against al Qaeda-linked insurgents northeast of Baghdad.

Colonel David Sutherland said Iraqi troops had fought well in the operation and were improving their capabilities every day. He said 25 weapons caches, including around 1,200 Katyusha rockets, had been found...

"Since I've been here we have not conducted an operation … against a group of this size that were willing to fight us out in the open," Sutherland said. "This operation shows … there's partnership between Iraqi army and Coalition forces."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2813108

-- January 22, 2007 4:24 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Not an imminent threat..
but one cannot discount the possibility.

Details Emerge About Possible Terror Threat
By PIERRE THOMAS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2007 — Mimicking the hijackers who executed the Sept. 11 attacks, insurgents reportedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq considered using student visas to slip terrorists into the United States to orchestrate a new attack on American soil.

Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago "revealed [AQI] was planning terrorist operations in the U.S."

ABC News has learned new details of what remains a classified incident that has been dealt with at the highest levels of government.

Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.

"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, former chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.

The plan was uncovered in its early stages, and sources say there is no indication that the suspects made it into the United States. Officials also emphasize that there is no evidence of an imminent attack.

The hunt for suspects continues, however, and some fear that al Qaeda recruits in Iraq could be easily redirected.

"Anyone willing to go to Iraq to fight American troops is probably willing to try to come to the United States," Clarke said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2813235&page=1

-- January 22, 2007 4:37 PM ∞

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The Devil made me say it wrote:

You remind me of some of my friends (although I don’t know why we remain friends ). They are always trying to “save” me. Although I was “saved” when I was about 12 years old. Our religious views differ somewhat and unfortunately results in a few heated discussions. They are Bible Belt Baptist Christians. Theirs is the only way and if you don’t believe as they do then you going to Hell end of discussion.

As you can guess this sometimes leads to some intense arguments. I firmly believe they border on fanatic pure and simple. I love introducing them to other religious friends that believe there own religion (also Bible Belt Baptist Christians). It amazes me that they can argue there own same religion with such ferocity that they almost come to blows over it.

I can also say that they firmly believe what they believe is the truth and will not vary from it. Intolerance of other people’s religion is in itself a disgrace. I have noticed here that no matter who brings up what you say that’s not your Gods way. Maybe not to you but what about them. If you make a point to berate what they believe how can you expect them to be the least bit concerned or care about what you believe. I believe this is where the extreme radical parts of religion comes into play.

I have my own beliefs about the Afterlife. I do not go to any church because I believe the religion is mostly a scam. Every church I have ever went to left me with the feeling that if I did not convert to their way of thinking that I would be a lost soul. I look at all the “religious” people, Baker, Swaggart, Armstrong, Graham just to name a few how they swindled their Churches in the name of the lord (probably not your lord though) and I read frequently about the various Catholic Priest, Oh the Holiest. I can see it in their eyes during mass that they can’t wait to be through so they can get back to their alter boy. I think they should renounce their celibacy and get married, preferably to a woman, or at the least let the Nuns let their hair down a little bit.

Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to be sacrilegious although it all sacrilegious. I don’t personally deny anybody the right to practice what they want. If it gives them solitude, peacefulness, redemption, camaraderie then so be it. Who am I to tell them different.

-- January 22, 2007 4:52 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Evening News Viewership Was Down about 10% in 2006
Posted by Tom Blumer on January 21, 2007 - 09:37.

So when are the Big Three Networks going to do something about their hopelessly outmoded and out-of-touch evening-news dinosaurs?

Eyeballing the following graph from last year and looking at the 2006 numbers above, it looks like NBC was down about 14%, ABC about 11%, and CBS about 6%:

http://newsbusters.org/node/10278

Will They Report It: Public Uncertain Dems Have a Plan
Posted by Matthew Sheffield on January 19, 2007 - 07:45.

Despite their best efforts to woo the public, Democrats are still having trouble when it comes to convincing the public that they have a plan for the country. In the most recent Los Angeles Times poll, only 25 percent of the public believes the new Democratic majority actually has a plan.

This is one of several bits of bad (and good) news for Democrats which more than likely you will not see reported on the left-leaning TV networks. Read the rest of the poll, scroll to the bottom in this page, for details.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10242

Fox News Promo Slams Other Cable News Outlets
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 21, 2007 - 11:30.

For its opening salvo, Fox News aired a new promo Saturday which pointed a huge and unmistakably accusatory finger at its liberal competitors (hat tip to Hot Air with video available at url below). The script read:

The Only Cable News Channel That Does Not Bring You The Usual Left Wing Bias

http://newsbusters.org/node/10281

-- January 22, 2007 5:15 PM ∞

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Steve wrote:

I ran across this on another forum. Might be worth a look see.......
Apparently Bill Gates is touting this as another "google" type of opportunity.

www.agloco.com/r/BBBP3428

-- January 22, 2007 5:34 PM ∞

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Whoa Horsie!! wrote:

Sarah and Rob N
Who made you the "god" of religious knowledge?
You seem to have good values, but you and Rob N
should pull back the reins of the arrogant horse

-- January 22, 2007 5:44 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Whoa Horse:

Since the Smithsonian Institute have commented that their holy books (Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrines & Covenants) have no basis in archeology and the people those books claim to chronical have left absolutely no remnants of their DNA; I wonder how you can call me arrogant.

There is nothing arrogant about my post concerning Mormons or Mormonism. What I posted are facts as to their beliefs and facts that call into question the historical validity of the peoples contained inside those books.

If the people of Nephi and the Lamanites did not exist; it is not an invalid conclusion to reach that the Angel Moroni did not exist. From there I think it valid to conclude Joseph Smith concocted without divine help the events, places, and people found in the "holy books" of Mormonism.

All of this leading to final conclusion the Church of Latter Day Saints is a church based upon the imagination of Joseph Smith.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 22, 2007 6:13 PM ∞

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willie wrote:

To:(The devil made me say it) I have found that the closer one gets to God the less one see's differences in religious doctorine. But one has to be brutally honest with themselves if they are really walking the walk. Alot of people have the scripture down pat and all the answers. God will be our judge as to what we have done with His Son. In every church you will find tares intermingled in the wheat.

-- January 22, 2007 6:34 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

George Soros.

I'm still scratching my head over George Soros. You remember? He's a multi-billionare, left-wing intellectual and writer, he supports the Democrats with money, he hates George Bush with a passion, and he made his money on currency speculation.

You know, currency speculation, like we are doing here.

And as I mentioned before, he runs The Open Society, an organization that is actively involved in overseeing and restructuring the finances of Iraq, particularly monitoring and re-structuring oil revenues.

So here's the obvious question: Is George Soros an Iraqi Dinar speculator as well?

Or is he involved with Iraqi finances out of the goodness of his warm little heart?

Is this financial big-boy and billionaire planning on the currency speculation jackpot of the century? That would be my guess. Time will tell.

Well, look at his history. He made over a billion dollars U.S. speculating on the British pound, so if he is a Dinar investor, my pure speculation would be, he's probably bribing his way into insider information, on an RV of the Dinar.

Like Rob wisely said once, follow the big money. The big money is oil companies, the American government investing in Iraq, and I would add.....George Soros.

Maybe a Dinar bloodhound on this site will try to pick up the scent and track that rabbit down.

Just a thought.

-- January 22, 2007 7:07 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Religious Intolerance... ??

The Devil Made Me say it:

You wrote:
I can also say that they firmly believe what they believe is the truth and will not vary from it. Intolerance of other people’s religion is in itself a disgrace. I have noticed here that no matter who brings up what you say that’s not your Gods way. Maybe not to you but what about them. If you make a point to berate what they believe how can you expect them to be the least bit concerned or care about what you believe. I believe this is where the extreme radical parts of religion comes into play. I have my own beliefs about the Afterlife. I do not go to any church because I believe the religion is mostly a scam.

==end of quote==

I see from this that you consider religious dialog and free expression of religious thought as being intolerance when you say, "Intolerance of other people's religion is in itself a disgrace." OK, so.. do you have religious tolerance for suicide bombing in your community? How about polygamy sects of Mormonism? That ok by you? How about Jim Jones.. can he move in next door or into your neighborhood.. that kind of religion is fine by you? We make judgements all the time on what is acceptable religiously or not, on what is dangerous or not to the "common good" of our society or what we personally believe we can tolerate. Will you, in the name of tolerance, allow radical Islamofascists to preach that America is the Great Satan and should be destroyed by Jihad in your local community's mosque? In other words, where do you draw the line?

Pointing out differences between religions is done in Universities under "comparative religion" and yet, they don't ban those classes for "intolerance." Several of us on this board do indeed express and explain our religious viewpoints, but, if you notice, the points of doctrine that are taken up are not twisted out of context, the arguments are supported by documentation, there is no threat to anyone's life, liberty or pursuit of happiness - and I challenge you to prove that what has been discussed with regard to Christianity and its view of Mormonism is not the gospel truth as taught in the Scriptures themselves. Therefore, all I and the others who were dialoging on this issue were doing was discussing "the party line" or giving out what the Bible itself says and what are the facts concerning the point under examination. If you choose to accept or reject it, that is completely up to you. If you wish to disagree with the Scripture as quoted.. that is up to you. But I do not believe any of us were intentionally berating what another person believes by expressing a religious (and orthodox) Christian belief. If you don't LIKE what the Bible says, you can take it up with the author in prayer (better now than later).

As for having your own beliefs, I don't think God made your brain so you can check it at the door when it comes to religion. I also understand your frustration. After all, how can you possibly tell which one of the religions which claim to be following God is the real one, or even if there is a real one among them? They ALL say they are right. I suggest you do what Jesus taught and DO some of His teachings. That is because Jesus said if you DO what He taught you will know that He does not speak the words off the top of his head and "of My own self" but that the teachings He gives are of God (John 7:17). That might help you to discern if there is real teaching from God that is worth learning and adhering to. That is just a suggestion.. in case you are serious about learning about the God of the Bible.

I also think I must point out that you are being a bit intolerant by saying "I believe religion is mostly a scam." What I mean is, you are showing an INTOLERANCE FOR RELIGION in that statement, and an unwillingness to consider any religious data or fact. Intolerance of other's views is when people come to blows over it, I agree. (Or when a person takes up a sword and says they will kill you for being an infidel, as Islamofascists do, for instance.) But your ire at the board for expressing religious beliefs which contradict your own beliefs is itself a statement of your own religious intolerance. You admit that you have your own views on the Afterlife - quote, "I have my own beliefs about the Afterlife".. but it is obvious that they are views which are not mainstream, nor Christian. You are entitled to your beliefs, but I think you should attempt to be tolerant enough to listen to other viewpoints without complaining, or simply skip those religious posts, rather than complain about them. If it is a Buddhist monk, an Islamic imam, or a Christian believer in the Bible, I think you need to learn not to show your intolerance for religious dialog toward everyone who is religious by calling them names such as "scam artists". Personal attacks are really not good, nor will they be tolerated long at this site (see the notice at the top of the site). I also really don't think too many people will agree with you, as they know too many "good people" - Mormon, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, etc.. who fail your test of "most" religious people being "scam artists".

Sara.

-- January 22, 2007 7:09 PM ∞

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Whoa Horsie wrote:

Rob N.
You are still spewing information as if it were a fact.
You are not open to any information unless it supports your own twisted ideas.
Here is a fact...YOU HAVE NO IDEA

-- January 22, 2007 7:09 PM ∞

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The Devil made me say it again wrote:

I find just the opposite, at least with people that I know that think they are close to God. Some of these people are borderline fanatic or at least quite irritating. I find they pick apart everybody's religious beliefs and there only "Proof" is that is what the bible says no other plausible explanation. Basically My God can beat up your god. I do get tired of it but I will wait till the afterlife to see what going to happen if anything. We may just die and that's it game over.

-- January 22, 2007 7:10 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Whoa Horsie!! ;

I have a question for you..
When Jesus said:

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

Was Jesus being arrogant to assert that He was the ONLY way to God (the Father)?

No Christian claims to be God (that is the Mormon position, as stated recently, above).
But the repository of knowledge that was and is in Christ Jesus
is the full expression and fulness of God Himself in human form.

Col 2:9 For in Him (Jesus) dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Therefore, when you argue with Jesus' words (the Word of God, the Bible),
you are arguing with God. Are you sure it was "my" arrogancy you sensed..
or was it the infallible words of the Lord Jesus Christ which I presented to you?
Tell me.. what exactly spiked such ire?
The fact I presented the Christian way as the ONLY way?
That was what Jesus taught and I would be remiss if I were to deny His teachings.

Sara.

-- January 22, 2007 7:28 PM ∞

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Robert J wrote:

At the risk of introducing a seemingly unpopular topic on this forum, I thought I would venture to ask some questions about the dinar :)

Has anyone read the ebook produced by iraqidenar.org and if so, what are your thoughts?

Is it true that the value of the pre-war denar was set by Hussein and did not actually reflect its true market valuation, some say around .30 cents to the USD?

What would prevent the Iraqi government from deciding to create a new denar and offer a 1:1 exchange to its citizens and/or internal banks thereby introducing foreign investors to an Arab version of monopoly money?

Your thoughts? (...about the denar!)

Robert J

-- January 22, 2007 7:37 PM ∞

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Whoa Horsie wrote:

Sarah,

I know many mormons, and I have studied religion for 28 years. I, unlike you and Rob N
have attend many of their meetings over the years and have gathered my information from the ACTUAL SOURCE.

"Mormons" were given the name "mormons" by others.
The official church name is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints".
"Mormons" do not claim to be Gods
"Mormons" do not worship Joseph Smith, they WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST.

Someone posted a whole list of names yesterday of "famous mormons". Do you actually think that these people and
12 million others are a bunch of decieved people that are part of some crazy cult?

I would never encourage you to deny Jesus Christ's teachings, as I am a christian myself and I think that the world needs more of us.
Is Christ not the "Judge"

You speak as if he has given you the authority to judge others and what they believe.

-- January 22, 2007 7:45 PM ∞

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Whoa Horsie wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Are you the only rational minded person on this board?

-- January 22, 2007 7:52 PM ∞

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Whoa Horsie wrote:

Rob N

That's great news about the DNA, you may want to go tell any Indians, Hispanics, Jews....etc
that they don't exsist.

-- January 22, 2007 8:00 PM ∞

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Carl wrote:

Rob:
I have been out at sea for a few days and just read some of your mormon comments...
Frankly! you surprised me, as I thought you were a level, paragmatic type guy...What puzzles me, as to why you even brought up the subject about mormons...They are not bad people...they go to work everyday, trying to make a good living just as you do...if someone wanted to believe in a stone monkey...why should you care? They are not forcing you to worship the stone monkey...you are not having to pay a fee to the stone monkey...so why should you care period?
Why cut another's form of belief..? If they are doing no harm why would anyone want to attack...but yet! history show that humans do....Has anyone forced you to live their lifestyle? Its their lifestyle not yours....It is their belief not yours...you have the freedom to worship as you please...why would you possibly give a rats ass about someones elses belief, other than to make yourself feel more superior...Rob! you have my permission to continue to sleep with ducks if that is part of your religious faith...I simply don't give a Sh--!
You should take the attitude as long as any faith is not doing harm to something, a thing or humanity in General...leave them alone... The word Occult. is simply man's way of saying they disagree with something...Personally, I believe a lot of faiths could fall under that banner..even yours...
Lay off of the Mormon Bullshit, and start to show some class again...presently you are headed down hill...
Please explain, why you had such a brain fart...

-- January 22, 2007 8:01 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Whoa horsie: Tim Bitts is not the only rational minded person on this post. . .I'm here too. . .P.H.

-- January 22, 2007 8:13 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

I'll be over at IFF board. Someone call me when we get back on track here.

-- January 22, 2007 8:18 PM ∞

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Whoa Horsie wrote:

P.H. and Carl
Sorry, You and Carl are great

Hopefully, we can get back to the dinar discussion soon.
Forgive me for my comments, but some people here opened up the jar

-- January 22, 2007 8:21 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

This sounds very familiar. maybe 3 years ago...Deja Vu?

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 38 minutes ago

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran conducted missile tests Monday as its leadership stepped up warnings of a possible military confrontation with the United States.

In another show of defiance, Tehran said Monday it had barred 38 United Nations nuclear inspectors from entering the country, apparently in retaliation for a U.N. Security Council resolution last month imposing limited sanctions on Iran.

The drum-beating suggested Iran does not intend to back down in its standoff with the West. It could also aim to rally the public behind the government and silence increasingly bold criticism at home of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's antagonism toward the United States.

Iran's leaders have touted the possibility of a U.S. attack since President Bush announced on Jan. 9 the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf region, a move U.S. officials have said is a show of strength directed at Iran.

Last month, the Security Council imposed limited trade sanctions on Iran over its refusal to cease uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear energy or bombs.

The Iranian military on Monday began five days of maneuvers near the northern city of Garmsar, about 60 miles southeast of Tehran, state television reported. The military tested its Zalzal-1 and Fajr-5 missiles, the report said.

The Zalzal-1, able to carry a 1,200-pound payload, has a range of 200 miles. That would put Iraq, U.S. bases in the Gulf, and eastern Saudi Arabia in its range. The Fajr-5, with a 1,800-pound payload, has a range of 35 miles.

Neither could reach Israel, but Iran has other missiles that can. It was not known whether the missiles tested are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The Iranian show of strength came as the American aircraft carrier USS Stennis was heading toward the Gulf, joining the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in a beefed-up American military presence. The Stennis is expected to arrive in late February.

The U.S. is also deploying Patriot missiles and nuclear submarines to the Persian Gulf and F-16 fighter planes to the Incirlik base in neighboring Turkey.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the buildup aimed to impress on Iran that the four-year war in Iraq has not made America vulnerable.

Washington and its allies accuse Iran of secretly trying to develop atomic weapons. Tehran denies the allegation, insisting its nuclear activities are aimed only at producing energy. The U.S. also accuses Iran of backing militants fueling Iraq's violence.

The U.S. buildup has sparked loud warnings from Iranian officials that the United States will attack.

U.S. officials have long refused to rule out any options in the faceoff with Tehran, but say military action would be a last resort.

A military official told the Associated Press Iranian forces have been put on high alert. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to the media.

Over the past few days, hardline newspapers have threatened suicide attacks against American targets and claimed missiles fired from Iran would turn Israel into "a scorching hell" if the U.S. takes military action.

One of the papers that carried the threats on Monday is close to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — suggesting the highest levels are involved in ringing the alarm over the American deployment.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack rebuked Iran on Monday for barring the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, saying it was "another example of the Iranians trying to dictate the terms to the international community — in this case, the IAEA."

The rejected officials are on a list of potential inspectors drawn up by the IAEA to visit and monitor Iran's nuclear facilities. Countries submitting their nuclear programs to IAEA purview have the right to ask that certain experts be taken off rosters of inspecting teams.

"The act of rejecting some inspectors is legal and in accordance with the agency's regulations," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told the official Islamic Republic News Agency. He said others on the U.N. nuclear watchdog's list remain eligible, but did not explain how Iran decided which inspectors to bar.

Analysts said the decision appeared to be a measured retaliation for the U.N. sanctions.

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said designating inspectors was a confidential matter between the IAEA and the country concerned. But she added that the agency had enough investigators lined up to conduct inspections in Iran.

"In this case, we are discussing with Iran its request for withdrawing the designation of certain safeguards inspectors," she said.

It was not the first time Iran had asked the IAEA to bar certain inspectors from visiting the country.

Tehran last spring asked the agency to remove the head of the inspection team probing the country's nuclear program. More recently, Tehran delayed entry visas for some inspectors late last year, including Olli Heinonen, the IAEA's deputy director general in charge of the Iran nuclear dossier.

Ahmadinejad said last week that Iran is "ready for anything" in its confrontation with the United States. At the same time that he soundly rejected criticism at home over his policies.

Iranian reformers and conservatives, who were once allies of Ahmadinejad, now accuse him of hurting Iran with his virulent anti-U.S. rhetoric, while failing to repair Iran's weakening economy. Rising prices have fueled anger against the president.

-- January 22, 2007 8:25 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Whoa Horsie!! You wrote:

1) "Mormons" were given the name "mormons" by others.
The official church name is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints".
2) "Mormons" do not worship Joseph Smith, they WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST.
3) "Mormons" do not claim to be Gods

==end of quote==

1) Then you take issue with the neutral source I quoted, the wikipedia..
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints
which says Mormons are called Mormons after the angel Joseph Smith saw?

2) As for the claim that they worship Jesus Christ.. why then are these in their teachings:

Are Mormons Christian? Let's see what Mormon leaders say...

A) Brigham Young said that the "Christian God is the Mormon's Devil..." (Journal of Discourses, Volume 5, page 331).
B) John Taylor said that Christianity was "hatched in hell" (Journal of Discourses, Volume 6, page 176) and "a perfect pack of nonsense...the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work..." (Journal of Discourses, Volume 6, page 167).
C) Bruce R. McConkie said, "What is the church of the devil in our day, and where is the seat of her power?.... It is all of the systems, both Christian and non-Christian, that perverted the pure and perfect gospel.... It is communism; it is Islam; it is Buddhism; it is modern Christianity in all its parts. It is Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, and Italy under Mussolini." (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 54-55.)

3) Also:

FACT #5. Mormonism continues to teach that God the Father is a glorified, resurrected Man, and men and women may become Gods and Goddesses. Apostle Bruce R. McConkie makes this claim: "God himself, the Father of us all, is a glorified, exalted, immortal, resurrected Man!" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 643) Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism taught: "...you have to learn how to be Gods ourselves...the same as all Gods have done before you,..." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 346) The Lord Himself answers this teachings by pronouncing: "...I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6)

http://www.whatismormonism.com/

Mormons may indeed place within the name of their religion the name of Jesus Christ and claim to worship Him. However, as Jesus said, you can know them by their fruits, including their teachings. Here.. I see no fruit which would lead me to believe that they are truly what they profess to be (followers of the Christian God, whom Brigham Young calls the Devil). And you may dispute the facts but they are there in the very documents of the LDS themselves, as quoted above. If I quote to you their very own words and you will not believe them but call me a liar, then how can you be convinced as to what is true? It is you who are unreasonable and unschooled in their teachings, not I.

Let us then just agree to disagree and move on to Dinar, for surely you cannot be convinced if you will not acknowledge even the very words and teachings as professed within the documents of that church, over the words of a few followers who are your friends. I quote their documents on their position as a church, you speak of experiences with a local denomination, which is inferior in every way as far as correct assessment of a real church teaching is concerned when you say "I, unlike you and Rob N have attend many of their meetings over the years and have gathered my information from the ACTUAL SOURCE."

Sara.

-- January 22, 2007 8:42 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Bet on Iraq video on CNBC tonite. Good View but what about their posted Dinar Value?

-- January 22, 2007 8:50 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=169007463&play=1

This might help!

-- January 22, 2007 8:51 PM ∞

---

Whoa Horsie wrote:

Sarah,
Please hold off on your hours of "cut and paste research", I'm going to watch 24

-- January 22, 2007 8:54 PM ∞

---

Joseph Smith wrote:

Ye, hear yea, Dinar freaks, leaveth me and mine 16 wives and 92 children out of your discussion, hencefourth and hencefifth!

-- January 22, 2007 9:17 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Sara, you sound like a person that is VERY close to God.

-- January 22, 2007 9:17 PM ∞

---

Robert J wrote:

I'm sure I will step on some toes here but sometimes a fresh perspective is a good thing. I found this site yesterday and have been intensely investigating investments into the dinar. I have come to this site to learn, hoping to find help from people who have experience in this venture. Instead I find bickering and endless text that has little to do with what this blog is supposed to be. May I suggest that a new blog be opened up to discuss these other issues so that we can focus on the main topic.

Just a friendly suggestion:)

Robert J

-- January 22, 2007 9:22 PM ∞

---

Stone Monkey wrote:

Thanks for sticking up for me, Carl. I don't get a lot of respect, down at the gods Club.

-- January 22, 2007 9:30 PM ∞

---

Scroll Button Wrote wrote:

Learn to use me, Robert J. There's good stuff here, once you get past the Mormons and the Stoned Monkeys.

-- January 22, 2007 9:32 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Robert J, Funny that's my sons name, Most people here at Truck and Barter have been here for quite awhile some lurking in the dark while others are out in the open. It's really became quite a family ordeal. I just came out of the dark a month or so ago and have tried to be involved in the family matters. Stick around long enough and you will indeed get bashed for posting something and you will become one of the family. It's been a little slow around here the past few days so to keep things going we have to open up a new thread and see where it goes. When there is news about he Dinar the petty bickering gets set aside and the news reported and dissected. Once finished with that meal we go about out business. If it's information you want look at the top of the thread and you will see months and months and months of very good posting along with a little color to keep it interesting. You may find it hard to believe but once this Dianr thing hits and everybody shows up to the pig roast we will all be sincerely nice to each other because it's all of us together that managed to get on and stay on the train till it reached the station. So Enjoy

-- January 22, 2007 9:40 PM ∞

---

mrs wrote:

Whoa Horsie, Anon and all attacking Sara......all I can say is due diligence. You spout short easy verbiage and cave at the first sign of (no...offering) to state your position(s). 'D-', back of the class.....you are being seriously "out-classed".
- - -
With regard to Sara's input.....I, like others, watch and comment little, but am impressed by her so-called "cut & pasting". She is either extremely well versed and educated, has incredibly too much time on her hands, more than one person or actually blessed in her knowledge/understanding of matters that matter (to some).
- - -
I have found that often, when faced with this type of trial of superiority.....lesser intellects prefer hit-n-run or below the belt tactics.
- - -
Interesting.

-- January 22, 2007 9:43 PM ∞

---

Donald Duck wrote:

Carl, can you please stop telling humans it's ok to date me and mate me? My dating schedule is already full. And tell Goofy to back off too. Thanks. quack. quack.

-- January 22, 2007 9:44 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Whoa Horsie and Carl:

Guys, I do not believe I am viciously attacking any Mormon. I am sure the rank and file Mormon are morally good people. The content I have posted are facts. Facts are facts though some say they are false.

Truth: When a modern institution like the Smithsonian states there lacks any archeological evidence to support the Book of Mormon. This means, the people of Nephi and the Lamanites did not exist. Truth:Furthermore, modern science has also prooven that the boat constructed to travel to the America's would not have even been sea worthy, it woudl have sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

I believe the 12 million plus Mormons have indeed believed a lie. Just as I believe those who followed Jim Jones believed a lie. Yes, these 12 million souls are deceived.

Truth: Muyan Indians were DNA tested to determine whether on a genetic level they could find any trace of the people of Nephi or the Lamanites. The facts are (not my opinion) on a genetic level these people never existed.

As I recall I attempted to answer a question by Tim. He asked, why Mormons were hated or not liked. From that question the discussion of Mormonism began.

When someone speaks the truth and only the truth how can that person be deemed as being intolerant?

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 22, 2007 9:47 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

ANNON,

Ah ok, yes by looking at it it became obvious that there was a pattern.

First day a 2 Dinar drop then a 3 Dinar drop followed by a 5 Dinar drop. Then the cycle starts again.

I was sitting without calculator and without sleep for 22 hrs last night, and did a mess of the math...sorry I will redeem myself and set things straight today.

The average drop per work day is 3.333 Dinars

The average month has 22 workdays, times 3.333 = 73.3 Dinars a month.

In order to reach ONE cent, calculating from today's (proximity) value of 1300, we need to go down 1200 points in order to stand at 100 to 1.

That is 16.3 months. (Or 1 year and 4.3 months from now)

The more the Dinar drop,(rises in value) towards the Dollar, the more of an exponential curve it will take.

Let me explain that.

If you in a year drive 100.000 miles, (many do, in their job)

If you have a vehicle, that is doing 46 MPG and you manage to, by careful driving, bump up the MPG to 47, the savings will be almost nothing.

However, if you have a vehicle that gets 4.5 MPG and you manage to get 5.5 MPG, the saving will be incredible.

Same thing with the rise of the Dinar.

Right now it is an almost straight line increase and the effects of the exponential curve is almost non existent.

A drop from 1300 to 1298 is 2 Dinars difference, but the value increase is in the vicinity of two 1300's of a Dollar. You would not even be able to make a Cent out of that value increase.

However, the value increase itself will increase the closer to the Dollar it gets, assuming you are continuing doing the value increase per the same method.

For example, if we have gone so far, that we now are standing at a Dinar to Dollar value of 4 to 1.

Now, each Dinar is worth a quarter.

If you now would drop it down 2 Dinars, you would get a value of 2 to 1, meaning each Dinar would be valued 50 cents.

In this example, each Dinar increased in value 25 cents, (from 25 to 50 cents) for the same step, that in a 1300 to 1 ratio will increase it to almost nothing.

So, what I'm saying is, that as they are working on an exponentially scale right now, they can't do it forever, and as the exponential scale will get out of the predicted line, you can for sure see adjustments that will break the pattern.

I don't know how long they will run the sliding scale, but as the exponential effect doesn't really manifest itself except at the very end, they can probably go as far as 100 to 1, until they do another method.

Ok, anyhow, if they continue as they do, the 100 to 1 (meaning the Dinar is worth ONE cent) we have a predictable pattern of 16 .3 months until it will hit that point.

-- January 22, 2007 9:52 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

TidBits Mostly from the Wall Street Journal:

Divided We Stand
The Associated Press reports that some Democrats have come to the realization that division over Iraq could lead to defeat. No, it's not what you think:
Two leading Senate Democrats sought to build support Sunday for a bipartisan resolution opposing President Bush's war strategy in Iraq, cautioning that division over whether the measure goes far enough could spell defeat.
"The worst thing we can do is to vote on something which is critical of the current policy and lose it," said Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The public doesn't support his policy; a majority of the Congress doesn't support his policy."
"If we lose that vote, the president will use the defeat of a resolution as support for his public policy," said Levin, D-Mich.
Levin doesn't want to see his party defeated. As for the country, that's another matter.

A Male First Lady?
New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton has established an exploratory committee, the first step toward an expected run for the presidency next year, the New York Times reports, adding that New York's junior senator is a woman of substantial accomplishment: "While she is not associated with any major piece of legislation, she is widely regarded as an effective, thoughtful lawmaker who has built bipartisan ties."
Mrs. Clinton's husband is Bill Clinton, who served as president from 1993 through 2001. If she becomes president, he would be the first male first lady, and the two of them would be the only people in American history to serve as both president and first lady.
The Times claims that Mrs. Clinton "is broadly popular with women," but we have to wonder about this. Whereas she is known for the cozy domestic life she shares with devoted hubby Bill in their Chappaqua, N.Y., home, the majority of American women don't even live with a spouse. Can Mrs. Clinton possibly relate to these modern women, who, as the Times notes, delight in their freedom? "It takes a village to raise a child," Mrs. Clinton once observed. But does Emily Zuzik, a 32-year-old musician and model who lives in the East Village of Manhattan, really want to be tied down with kids?
The senator's campaign Web site features a video depicting a relaxed-looking Mrs. Clinton sitting on a couch, asking Americans to join a "conversation" with her. "You know, after six years of George Bush, it is time to renew the promise of America, our basic bargain: that no matter who you are or where you live, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can build a good life for yourself and your family."
On the official Democratic Party Web site, someone called Sadie puts the case against Bush in slightly stronger terms (quoting verbatim):
BUSH makes me literally ill. @#*%!
It may turn out, then, that Mrs. Clinton is a bit too mellow to appeal to her party's core voters.

-- January 22, 2007 10:05 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Jeanie Buckley,

If I may, I think you have a misunderstanding. You say you want to wait for the purchase until the Dinar have dropped under 1300.

The Dinar is not DROPPING. the ratio of Dinars TO Dollar is dropping. The Dinars value are increasing.

Each time you see a drop in that number, it means that there are fewer and fewer Dinars needed to purchase ONE Dollar.

However, you HAVE Dollars, and wants to purchase Dinars, then it's the same thing but in reverse. You get less and less Dinars for the Dollar you are presenting.

See it this way.

For one Dollar yesterday, you could have gotten 1300 Dinars.

Today you are only getting 1298 Dinars for you buck.

So hurry up my friend, it's not a dropping in value figure we are looking at here, it's a constant rise in value.

Hope that helped.

-- January 22, 2007 10:06 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Carole,

Thanks, well a rumor is also welcomed, and your friends statement that the next coming 10 days would be crucial to the Dinar....well I don't know if that is good or bad.

Well, keep the fingers crossed.

If by national pride or just plain stubborness, the Iraqis feel a need to get the Dinar up to it's old value (on the face anyway) they might look into the zero loop deal, however I don't think that is viable or practical.

The Dinar cant hold that value by it's own right now, a steady build up will probably do the same in the long run anyway. Maybe it's not the method preferred by investors with short patience but it's a sure bet over any zero loop.

The Iraqis don't need to cancel any bills at all, they can just do it as the 1000 and the 10.000 Dollar bill in the US, just buy them up. They are not in circulation no more, was not printed since 1945, but still are technically legal tender.

(on the collectors market they will be worth much more though, but that's another story)

-- January 22, 2007 10:20 PM ∞

---

Jeanine Buckley wrote:

Dear Roger,

I understand, just am not writing it correctly. So I'll be sure to clarify this in the article, since this is confusing to most people in dealing with currency pairs.

Jeanine

-- January 22, 2007 10:30 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S.

Thanks saw the clip, Bet on Iraq is a Dealer. The price is dealers price, not the exchange rate, you will probably get a better deal by buying it in Chase nowadays.

-- January 22, 2007 10:35 PM ∞

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anonomymous wrote:

Carole, your health concerns are remembered. A prayer will be said for you.

-- January 22, 2007 10:42 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Roger, good math work I give it an "A" although I don't think it will continue for a long time maybe 1260 then to 1000. If it would only follow that trend into predictability I would be buying as much as I can till a certain point (run outta money). I don't know what I was thinking with Bet on Iraq. Knew he was a dealer and looking right at it and it just didn't click till you posted.

-- January 22, 2007 11:00 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert J,

I have not read the book. The subject of a currency is always shifting, and I must say, unless this book is about economic principles, it can't be more than a historic reflection of Iraq and its currency in the past.

The whole economy and economic landscape have since I have been in this Dinar game , have been shifting dramatically, and it takes an almost constant update to try to figure out the constantly changing puzzle.

I'm not talking down the book, as I say I have not read it. I'm just saying that info in this field is sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and key relevant info might be obscured in some officials statement, or an IMF contract somewhere.

A book by the time it is published, is already obsolete, it's like the laptop you bought a month ago, by industry standard, its now a dinosaur.

Info from books though gives a very good historic perspective, from similar patterns from the past, and can be applied to the current situation.

When it comes to the Dinar under Saddam Hussein, he was a dictator, that set up his empire in a direct micromanaged style. The banking industry was redone in a more or less Stalinistic approach, where the banking industry was in all essence no more a house or a place for Saddam to keep his money.

The value of the Dinar under Saddam was about as arbitrary as everything else around him. There was an official exchange (not the official money market, Forex) that constantly went down in value, his currency was not liked, and eventually because such a completely mismanaged economy as he was running, it dropped from a value of around 3 Dollar to the Dinar, when he took power, to an almost worthless Dinar at the time Iraq was invaded.

The trust in Saddams Dinar was so low, that in many aspects of the Iraqi economy, Dollars and other foreign currency was preferred. The quality of the Saddam Dinar was such that you could replicate them with a laser printer.

The Iraqi economy have been that of a very long sliding downhill, and the main difference from the rebounding currencies like Japanese Yen, Kuwait Dinar or German Deutch Mark, is the long time the economy was under stress. About 25 years of neglect.

Kuwait, Germany and Japan, the wheels was spinning until they got hit, and then they started the wheels up again.

Iraq, have had a flat for decades.

THAT is the main difference here, so everything is rusty, pipes, valves, lines and everything in between.

Building up this country is a longer process, and it doesn't help that they are shooting each other over religious reasons, just look how heated a religious discussion can get on this site.

-- January 22, 2007 11:09 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

Whatayamean you run out of money,???? you still have two working kidneys and only need one...right?

-- January 22, 2007 11:16 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

No actually only have one, gave the other one to my mom. Has given her an extra 9 years so far perfct match. If it wasn't for her though I probably would sold that sucker for 50G's on the black market for more Dinar!

-- January 22, 2007 11:23 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

Been thinking about that 1260 mark they claim that they based their budget on.

They say the will base the budget on that figure, but what if that is just an arbitrary figure taken just to pass the budget, nothing says that they will not continue to rise the value of the Dinar.

If it passes the 1260 mark set by the budget, well, so much better for the budget.

The 1260 mark may pretty much be where the predicted value of the Dinar are AT THE TIME they are implementing the budget, and they just needed to take that figure as a raw marker.

Nothing tells me that the increase of value in the Dinar have to do with the setting of that magic 1260 number.

These are two functions that could live together very well, strongly dependent on each other, but in itself an independent mechanism.

All I've read is that they set the budget to that figure, I have never read anything that will indicate that they will stop increasing the value of the Dinar AT THAT MARK.

They might, but most other comments are how they want to continue to increase the Dinar value.

-- January 22, 2007 11:30 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

Ok so the kidney is gone, ...any children you can sell for medical experiments???

-- January 22, 2007 11:32 PM ∞

---

I was interested in the dinar... wrote:

I went back and checked out who has been posting here for quite some time.
I have followed this site for awhile wondering if I should invest, but after seeing how weird and downright stupid some of you are, I am questioning the judgement of such people.

The scroll button is nice to whiz by some of this, but it is getting old.

-- January 22, 2007 11:37 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

I know, you're a detective, you can hack into a big banks computer, get a personal account in Hawaii, no need to cover your name. Get a couple of Billion bucks, from the bank, transfer the money into your account, just as the date changes, and then transfer the money back to the bank. Now you can claim that you didn't steal them, the interest for one day of those billions would be a very big amount. Buy the Dinars, and wait for the Sheriff to knock on your door, get a jury of feeble mined people, and a lawyer that can play violin for the jury, you get maybe seven months, and by the time you get out, you can collect on your Dinars, and in the meanwhile you wait, you will have free medical and dental.

-- January 22, 2007 11:42 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Yeah the kids, already been experimenting on them for 15 and 12 years. Boy what a mess. Don't know if they would be of any value anymore. I guess I could sell the other kidney and live on dialysis for a while, Osama been doing it for a couple of years now supposedly. The 15 year old did earn his own money to speculate with me.

The numbers continue to be interesting. 1260, 1000, 1, It sure has given us all some serious speculation. I will breath a sign of relief when this train rolls in.

-- January 22, 2007 11:46 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

To: I was interested in the dinar... maybe it's you that needs to locate another blog this is for happy people and we're just fine. Come to think of it go find Johan you sound about the same age as him and he was just here recently in one of his famous drive by postings.

-- January 22, 2007 11:52 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Did you happen to notice the post: 15 billion dollars lost from the treasury Iraq recently.HUMMMMM, Like I would be sitting here typing with that kind of money, probably wouldn't be concerned about he Dinar at that point.

-- January 22, 2007 11:56 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

I certainly would not suggest you invest in this , very shaky and risky. Reserved for grown ups.

I was interested in the dinar... wrote:
I went back and checked out who has been posting here for quite some time.
I have followed this site for awhile wondering if I should invest, but after seeing how weird and downright stupid some of you are, I am questioning the judgement of such people.

The scroll button is nice to whiz by some of this, but it is getting old.

-- January 23, 2007 12:00 AM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

Announcement No.(847)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 847 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 1/22 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1298 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1296 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 104.240.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 3.540.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 104.240.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 3.540.000 -----

-- January 23, 2007 2:36 AM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

And some exchange rates taken from Sunday, for others of us around the planet.

Currency
Currency Code
Selling Price In IQD
Buying Price In IQD

US Dollar
USD
1300.000
1298.000

European Euro
EUR
1685.840
1684.997

British Pound
GBP
2568.670
2567.386

Canadian Dollar
CAD
1109.026
1108.471

Swiss Franc
CHF
1041.750
1041.229

Swedish Krona
SEK
185.103
185.011

Norwegian Kroner
NOK
201.719
201.618

Danish Krone
DKK
226.150
226.037

Japanese Yen
JPY
10.724
10.719

-- January 23, 2007 2:43 AM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

Sorry, lasst figures were yesterdays, here are todays

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1295 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 60.605.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 60.605.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

D.G. of Investments

Daily price Bulletin buying and selling Tuesday 2007/1/23

Currency
Currency Code
Selling Price In IQD
Buying Price In IQD

US Dollar
USD
1298.000
1296.000

European Euro
EUR
1681.819
1680.978

British Pound
GBP
2566.406
2565.122

Canadian Dollar
CAD
1103.929
1103.377

Swiss Franc
CHF
1039.731
1039.211

Swedish Krona
SEK
184.459
184.367

Norwegian Kroner
NOK
201.315
201.215

Danish Krone
DKK
225.637
225.524

Japanese Yen
JPY
10.678
10.673

-- January 23, 2007 3:48 AM ∞

---

DinarAdmin wrote:

I was interested in the dinar, whoa horsie and anonymous (which is the same person)

as well as the others using multiple names to pretend you are several persons

I can see your ISPs and multiplying your comments as though you are different people

to make vicious personal attacks will not be tolerated.

Be civil or have your comments removed.

DinarAdmin

-- January 23, 2007 4:41 AM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Rob!
Thanks for the reply...sometimes the religious traffic gets deep and boots are needed to keep if off your leggings..

Roger!
Been out of pocket for a few...will be giving you a call...Good post by the way!

Sara:
Good job on keeping the information flowing on the dinar.. It seems like our ole buddy Sadr is finally ducking and hiding...saw article that stated, he moves continually....just like Saddam during the first part of the WAR...
It seems the MSM keeps doing their level best to defeat the American Spirit in the fight against the terrorist...
I know most, if not all of these editors who control the content of their newspapers and magazines have college degrees from the liberal colleges, never served a day of military service in their life, and think most people are idiots...
Apparently, the public is starting to get a little smarter and doing their own research...as their circulations are shrinking...
What I am doing here to help counter the negative media hype.... is every week I call in to our local Birmingham Talk Radio Shows, which covers the entire state...I do this 2-3 times a week at the same time, and give out the positive economic side of what is happening in Iraq...
If anyone else feels inclined to do so in you area ...please do...every little bit helps...

-- January 23, 2007 6:02 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Carl,

Hi! Hey cool your jets!! The discussion re; mormonism evolved out of discussions of presidential candidates.
I believe the Democratic party will support Romney, UNTIL he gets on the ticket.

Then they will go after him with a vengence to bring out all of the MOrmonism deception that will turn the vast majority of right wing off. It will be a disaster.

I don't care how people choose to run their own personal realtionship with God.But in the public forum and government matters, WE ALL BETTER BE ON OUR TOES.

Question: Why did you hammer Rob and yet gave no objection to the postings of
Sara? This has always concerned me. Do you just hide your true feelings of Sara? Or is it only Rob whom qualifies for your adjectives "classless, bullshit, brain fart...." when discussing Mormonism.

It would be in your favor to be more fair and balanced.

Carole

-- January 23, 2007 8:12 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

I think a democratic diaster is what we will need for 2008! Of course we have yet to see who the front runner for the Republicans will be.

-- January 23, 2007 9:08 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.iraqieconomy.org

Iraq seeks UAE investments January 17, 2007 - During the conference of exchange of work between Iraq and the UAE, which was held in Dubai, Iraqi officials and businessmen have urged their counterparts in the UAE to invest in the various economic sectors in Iraq in spite of the instable security conditions in the war-torn country, Iraq Directory reported.
The Iraqi officials said that there are still some secure areas in Iraq that could attract business investments. They stressed that the Emirates represent a model for the primary role of the private sector in the development of the economy.
The conference, which was coordinated by the American Chamber of Commerce in Iraq and the Project for Developing the Iraqi private sector, hosted several Iraqi officials and businessmen who offered various opportunities for investments in Iraq in the sectors of industry, tourism and construction.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 23, 2007 11:28 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Though tensions between Iraq and Turkey are growing here is some good news posted to www.iraqieconomy.org

Iraq-Turkey trade soars January 15, 2007 - Officials at the Iraqi government said that one third of Iraq's $15 billion imports comes from Turkey despite political strains between the two neighboring countries, Iraq Directory reported.
They noted that Turkey uses the relatively quiet Kurdish north as a base for its exports to Iraq, which depends on importing to meet its needs of fuel although it has huge oil reserves.
Turkish contractors are carrying out several projects in the Kurdish north which markets brim with Turkish imports. Turkey has set up a permanent trade exhibition in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 23, 2007 11:36 AM ∞

---

Robert J wrote:

All:

Being somewhat new to this I have been calling around asking about currency exchange.
Most of what I hear from the big banks is that they do not currently trade or exchange the IQD. It seems that the IQD will have to be traded on the fx market before banks will move towards exchanging the IQD. Is this the basic assumption across the board? It would seem the current play is to purchase the IQD and wait for the length of time it takes for market stabilization to occur to the point that we could exchange the IQD the same as we would the British pound. If this is the case then it seems that most of you are focused on either purchasing the hard currency or monitoring the IQD and praying for a substantial move in the right direction and cash in. Im trying to get my thoughts organized on all of this as understanding leads to wisdom and ignorance to folly! Sort of like cliff diving. It takes guts to take the leap and you might make a beautiful dive or take a belly flop, but at least you want to know if there are boulders below the surface before you jump. I'm looking for the boulders before I grit my teeth and hurl myself off the top. I wont invest more than I can stomach losing in the first place but ...the details...the details!

-- January 23, 2007 1:51 PM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

You pretty much hit the nail on the head Robert J.

Most of the investers here (myself included), were willing to take the risk based upon the natural resources Iraq has, both oil and agricultural. As well as the knowledge of the performance of the currency of the nations surrounding Iraq.

Most here think that EVENTUALLY the IQD will come in line with the rates of other nations which ranges from 3 to 3.50 US to 1.

That is most likely a LONG way off, 5 to ten years would be my guess.

Some (myself again), are looking more short term and are hoping that in 1 to 2 years it will be close to a 1 to 1 exchange and we will just happily take our lesser, but more short term gain and be happily on our way.

Myself, I have about 4,160,000 dinar, it would be really hard for me to not pull the trigger if it got to 50 cents on the dollar and take my 2 million US and say thank you very much. That would be enough to get me out of debt for life and give me a very comfortable life.

Others will hold on for the super long term and wait for the 3 to 1 and would cash out with the same investment and bring home ovr 12 million.

That said, we could all be wrong and walk away from this with our head hung low. I myself have invested about $3500 US in my 4,160,000 IQD. I am very willing to eat that loss if it happens, at least I tried.

About 6 years ago I had an idea of an investment only to let a co worker talk me out of it, long story short, a couple years after it would have brought close to a 1000% increase.

To me, the cost of regret for not taking action and seeing the idea work is far greater now than the cost of regret for taking a chance and coming up short.

Hope this helps.

Anthony

-- January 23, 2007 2:31 PM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

Oh yeah, almost forgot, you have to wait until it is internationally traded before you can walk in your local bank and do the exchange.

-- January 23, 2007 2:35 PM ∞

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Robert J wrote:

Anthony R,

Thanks. Your post seemed to summarize the position I find myself arriving at. I am willing to wait long term if necessary and don't have any expectations for short term gains. I tend to view things like this as an educational opportunity. You could spend over $10,000 on tuition and probably not learn as much as you would by actually doing it. I have traveled extensively around the world and the education and experience I have received has thrust me into a whole different perspective of world affairs. Im not an expert on international currency investing but I will know much more because of this. I have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and tend to be conservative and cautious in financial areas. But I am also a student and lover of history and there are enough interesting facets about this issue to spend $10000 for the education and experience regardless of the outcome.

Thats how it looks from here!

-- January 23, 2007 2:53 PM ∞

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CYMRU001 wrote:

Don't know if anyone else noticed, but our moderator "DinarAdmin" cracked the whip to some of the people who are having a go at the regulars on this site.

I want to say a big WELL DONE to DinarAdmin and thankyou for stepping in. Not sure if the postings were reported or simply noticed, (It can be hard work catching up on the postings if you miss a day!!!!)

I for one have been on the pointy end of one of Sara's replies and learned the hard way how intelligent she is and how well versed she is in the Bible. Not only did she give me a well thought out reply to my religious queries, she did it on this blog so I felt doubly embarrased.

It's a shame the "drive by" posters don't take the time to scroll back and read the history contained here.

Rob S hit the bullseye when he said we all talk about anything when the dinar news is slow. When things warm up, the fighting gets put on hold and we all focus on the reason we are here - the Dinar.

-- January 23, 2007 3:45 PM ∞

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Terry Gagnon wrote:

Hello Timbits-First of all i would like to say that your posts are always informative and interesting. You should think about sharing your wisdom on some of the other dinar forums. Second-concerning Soros, some months ago I read an article about George Soros investing an outrageous amount of money in currency speculation. I don't recall the exact amount, just that it was huge!! I have always wondered since then if some of it was in dinars but have not been able to find out. From what you said in your post it does seem likely. Hows the weather down there in Calgary. I am sitting on a natural gas lease 100 miles north of Ft. Nelson in BC right now and it is pretty nice-only about -10 C.

-- January 23, 2007 4:22 PM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

Tim Bitts and Terry Gagnon,

I saw your posts on George Soro's and I am with you. I believe Soro's has a bunch on the dinar. I do not believe that he cares what his investment does to the Iraqi economy. Very much like Thailand and the Bank of England experiences he under went. He will call this business.

As for everyone else,

Just wanted to say hi and that I continuely monitor this site.

Keeping everyone in my Prayers,

Laura

-- January 23, 2007 5:22 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted on www.safedinar.com

Incoming Iraq general: Situation 'dire'
1/23/2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army general who would carry out President Bush's new war plan urged a skeptical Congress and American public Tuesday to be patient, but acknowledged "the situation in Iraq is dire."

"None of this will be rapid," Lt. Gen. David Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The way ahead will be neither quick nor easy."

Many in Congress, including some Republicans, opposed Bush's plan, which would send an extra 21,500 U.S. troops to Iraq as part of a revised strategy for quelling sectarian violence in Baghdad and stabilizing the country. Before Bush's build up began in recent days, there were 132,000 U.S. troops there. (Watch Petraeus define what Iraqi government must do)

Bush nominated Petraeus to replace Army Gen. George Casey as the senior American commander in Iraq. Petraeus is considered a shoo-in to win Senate confirmation as commander of Multinational Forces-Iraq, but senators used his appearance Tuesday before the Senate panel to question him on how Bush's new strategy would work.

Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the committee and a leading critic of Bush's policy, pressed Petraeus on whether the flow of additional U.S. troops could be halted in midstream if the Iraqi government failed to meet its commitment to provide thousands more Iraqi troops.

"It could," Petraeus replied. Earlier he said there were no "specific conditions" the Iraqis must meet in order to keep the flow of U.S. forces moving. The last of five additional U.S. brigades are scheduled to arrive in the Iraqi capital in May; the first got there just days ago.

Petraeus said that in the event the Iraqis did not meet their commitments, he would consult with Defense Secretary Robert Gates on how to respond.

He said he would not have accepted the nomination to take command in Baghdad if he did not believe Bush's plan could achieve its goals.

'Stakes are high'In his opening statement, Petraeus, 54, painted a grim picture of conditions in Iraq.

"The situation in Iraq is dire. The stakes are high. There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. ... But hard is not hopeless," he said.

Petraeus is a former division commander and once the head of the Iraqi training mission. Devoted early in the war to trying to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis, Petraeus later wrote the Pentagon manual on how to tackle insurgencies. He also previously supported expanding U.S. forces in the region.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a leading proponent of Bush's troop build up plan, asked Petraeus how long he thought the U.S. build up could be sustained.

"I am keenly aware of the strain" on the Army and Marine Corps, Petraeus said, adding that he welcomes Bush's proposal to increase the size of the land forces over the coming five years.

Asked by McCain how soon he thought he would know whether the new strategy was working, Petraeus said, "We would have indicators at the least during the late summer." As currently planned, he said, the last of the five additional U.S. Army brigades would be ready to fight in Baghdad by the end of May.

Several committee members noted that Petraeus recently oversaw the writing of a new Army manual on how to counter an insurgency. Sen. Edward Kennedy asked him why an extra 21,500 would make a significant difference.

Petraeus replied that the important factor was how extra troops are used, not their numbers. Their main focus, he said, will be on securing the civilian population of the capital rather than killing insurgents.

General: Time limit unknownKennedy, D-Massachusetts, asked how long the extra troops would remain in Iraq.

"I don't know what the time limitation is," Petraeus replied, adding that it would be reasonable to give the Iraqi government more time to gain its political footing and to make the tough decisions needed to quell sectarian violence.

Casey said last week that the new U.S. troops might be able to begin leaving as early as late summer.

Sen. John Warner of Virginia and two other Republicans on Monday announced legislation denouncing the U.S. troop increase, as House leaders drafted what they called "strategic benchmarks" for the war. (Watch GOP's Warner compare Iraq indirectly with Vietnam)

"I feel ever so strongly that the American GI was not trained, not sent over -- certainly not by resolution of this institution -- to be placed in the middle of a fight between the Sunni and the Shiite and the wanton, incomprehensible killing that's going on at this time," Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, told reporters Monday.

Petraeus has held a wide range of responsibilities during his 32 years in the Army, including in Bosnia, Germany, Italy and more recently in Iraq.

He told the Senate committee that he believes ethnic divisions in Iraq are not as severe as in Bosnia, where U.S. and NATO forces intervened in the 1990s to stop a civil war. He noted, however, that Iraq's divisions got worse in 2006.

Separately, two groups of senators who have offered separate, nonbinding resolutions criticizing Bush's troop build up were trying Tuesday to craft a compromise proposal that another Senate panel could approve as early as Wednesday.

If successful, that means the Senate Foreign Relations Committee could approve a symbolic measure expressing opposition to Bush's plan that could win overwhelming bipartisan support, which would be a significant blow to the administration.

One plan, which declares it is not in the national interest for the U.S. to increase its military involvement in Iraq, has been expected to win the backing of almost all Democrats and some Republicans. It was sponsored by Levin, D-Michigan, and Joseph Biden, D-Delaware, Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.

The other, backed by Warner and others, is somewhat less harsh, saying the Senate disagrees with Bush's plan. The talks were described by two Senate aides who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Incoming Iraq general: Situation 'dire' - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 23, 2007 6:06 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another article from www.safedinar.com

South Korea Oil Delegation to Visit Iraq
1/22/2007

Monday January 22, 4:20 am ET
South Korean Oil Delegation to Visit Iraq

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- A government and private sector delegation will travel to Iraq this week to seek the support of the Kurdistan Regional Government for the participation of South Korean companies in oil development projects there, the government said Monday.
The delegation will consist of 14 government and private sector officials, including from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Korea National Oil Corp. and SK Corp., the ministry said in a statement.

The officials will visit the country from Tuesday until Saturday, according to the statement.

The Kurdistan Regional Government rules over Iraqi Kurdistan, a region in northern Iraq relatively unscathed from the sectarian violence that has plagued the rest of the country.

Iraq is expected to hold international auctions this year offering 54 big oil blocks, the Korean commerce ministry said.

Earlier this month, Iraq completed drafting a hydrocarbons law that will allow foreign oil companies to start investing in Iraq's oil sector. The newly formed Iraqi National Oil Co. will oversee development.

Iraq has the world's third-biggest proven oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Canada, but only about 10 percent of the country has been explored, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Resource-poor South Korea, the world's 10th-largest economy, imports virtually all of its oil.

South Korea Oil Delegation to Visit Iraq - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 23, 2007 6:08 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

If we invested in the Dinar, we have invested in a very specific commodity.

All the things that comes along with it, the rebuilt, our involvement, the insurgency, the oil waiting to be pumped etc, all are in the mix.

However, if we paint up the very worst of our fears.

The Dems are unwilling to keep on, wins a couple of congress measures, funding dries up, and our troops goes home.

The civil war increases, to full battle, probably the Shiia's wins over the Sunnis.

We will still be in bases in Iraq (in the desert) and therefore, most probably direct involvement by Saudi Arabia or Iran is less likely.

So the most likely scenario in case of a withdrawal is a bloody full fledged civil war.

Is that bad for the Dinar? yes, as long as the Civil War goes on.

Lets say that will take a year or so, well then, what happens after that?

The oil is still there, and the oil revenues are still something that is desirable.

So our hopes oil, will then be our last hope for getting a return on the investment.

The most possible winning faction in case a Civil War comes to blow is the Shiia's, close to Iran's influence.

So lets say the Shiia's will get in the absolute lead, the Kurds will probably see a reason to break lose, as there is no longer an Iraq as they can recognize it, per the current contract.

Ok, lets say we have Shiia's in the south, and Kurds in the north, we for sure needs to look at a new currency issued by the Kurds, as they are now an independent nation, and it is questionable if the Shiia's will try to continue the Democratic experiment, as their Iranian influence will dictate another type of rule. Probably with Sad'r or someone else of comparable magnitude in the ruling seat. At that point in time, our presence will be questioned, and our complete withdrawal from our bases will most likely be the result.

Iran will now be very close to Israel. And the pact will be Iran, Iraq, Syria, and southern Lebanon Hezbolla.

The risk is that the new Iraqi rulers will emulate the Iranian model, on religious ground, dismissing the economic ground. Then, the remains of Iraq will be a mirror image of Iran.

Iran, an oil wealthy nation, heading for economic disaster, their oil output is shrinking, despite big oilfields.

(Iran doesn't have more then about 7-8 million vehicles, but because of ineffective distribution, use and old technology, their car fleet is using as much fuel as Great Britain cars, commercial and private, combined)

So Iraq would after years of neglect, get into another situation where it would be in essential a non oil producing nation in about as short time as Iran will, in a few years from now.

Will that be bad for the Dinar....very, you think the Iraqi Dinar is low valued, have a look at the Iranian currency ( if you even can get hold of it) in unofficial exchange sites, you get a ratio of about 5000 to 1 in Dollar, last time I checked, it's getting worse as time goes by.

If we pull out of there now, from a Dinar investment viewpoint, we would have the feared Monopoly Money in our safety boxes.

It just can't happen.

Iraq MUST get stabilized, even though it is only a couple of provinces that is in turmoil, it will influence so much in our investment. What ever happens there, can't spread.

It is in our own national interest to win this.

If we went to war, to combat terrorism, and withdraw half done, the end result will be that what we leave behind, is a much stronger home for terrorists then when we went in.

We have to see this through.

-- January 23, 2007 7:39 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Terry Gagnon,

hi, the weather's good in Calgary. No toque or mitts today, and even the parka is overdressing, and is worn open. Feels like spring, even if there is no Chinook arch to be seen in the west. I think it was around 10 degrees C. They said on the weather that we might set a new record, tomorow, as the warmest ever for this day, in town. Too much traffic, though. The Deerfoot is now called the Deerfoot 500. Ralph Klein retired, had nothing else to do but drink, so Molson Canadian beer sales at the St. Louis Hotel went up 50%!

I was up there in Ft. Nelson when I was 16, on the way to Whitehorse, helping my brother deliver an Atco Trailer. That was a while back, in the mid-70s. Back then, you may remember, the Alaska Highway was only paved for the first few miles out of Dawson Creek, Mile 0, and then it was spitting gravel and careful driving, all the way to Whitehorse. I've been many places around the world and I still say that area is one of the most beautiful on the planet, right up there with the best. My brother goes hunting in northern B.C, so I hear all about it, all the time, and I'll have to go back some time.

George Soros has a criminal conviction in his past. He was convicted of insider trading, in France. That's public knowledge. So, so we know he can be a bit of a crook, and and has no scruples about bribing people, and using insider information to make money. That's what Wikipedia said about him. Also, he made over a billion dollars on currency speculation, and now he's involved in the finances of Iraq. And the Iraqi Dinar is ridiculously undervalued, especially if Iraq works out and the oil starts flowing in large volume. With his bank account, he could buy up a lot of Iraqi Dinars, easily. If this scenario were true, and it all played out, and Iraq succeeded in 5 years, and the Iraqi Dinar went back to it's old value, he could stand to make an obscene amount of money, even by his standards. I have no real proof, just a guess, based on suspicious circumstances. We'll see, I guess.

Well, I got to go watch President Bush on the tube. I've noticed these State of the Union speeches have 3 stages:

Stage 1: Starts 24 hours before the speech. Wolf Blitzer and his team blather on endlessly, speculating on what the President MIGHT say, even if they don't have a real clue.

Stage 2: The actual speech

Stage 3: Misinterpreting and attacking the speech, making it sound like the President said things he didn't say, and generally confusing and misinforming the public.

I usually skip Stage 1, watch Stage 2, and part of Stage 3, only to make jokes about Wolf Blitzer's blow-dried hair, and general mental vacuousness, and to see how Paula Zahn looks. Then, I have my own Stage 4, which is a glass of Southern Comfort or C.C., and give my own two cents worth on the subject to whoever will put up with me.

Have a good one.

-- January 23, 2007 7:57 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Robert J,

Yes, most probably you will not see any bigger involvement from the majority of banks unless the Dinar is traded on the Forex. There are a few out there, (at least one for sure, Chase One), that are dealing with the Iraqi currency.

There is another bank around the Great Lakes that is dealing with the Dinars as well, but all in all I agree with your assessment that only when the Dinar is freely traded it will be exchangeable in all banks.

The fact that SOME banks already now are dealing in the currency is good for us, but all in all, I do believe that this is a minor problem, as most people that have invested, will sit on (at least the majority of their investment) it, until it is in such a high range that a really good payoff is in sight.

THAT range is probably in such a high range, that enough time have passed until then, that the Dinar will be freely exchanged on the Forex, thus the exchange is possible in any bank.

Your patience will be tested frequently in this game, hopes comes and goes, rumours is a kicker, you check the dates the rumors predict, but so far nothing.

However, this game, the Dinar Game, have so much better odds than Lotto.

California Lotto, odds = 52 mill to 1.

Power Ball, odds = worse

-- January 23, 2007 7:59 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Wonder what we want to hear, if a President is giving a speech, and immediately afterwards, comes the commentators, and tell us what he "actually" said.

-- January 23, 2007 8:05 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Tim Bitts: Did somebody say C.C.? ? ? ? make mine with soda and a twist of lemon. . .matter of fact. . . make it a double. . .lmao. .P.H.
Got my attention. . . .

-- January 23, 2007 8:55 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Hm, yes today it was 1295, a three Dinar drop, if it follows the pattern, tomorrow will be a 5 Dinar drop, followed by a 2 Dinar drop, then again a 3 , and so on.

Still early, to say if this is a fluke, but it sure looks like an established pattern, as this is continuing.

Right now we are getting 130 (well,.. 129.5) Dinars per cent.

As I said earlier, this is an exponential curve, they are operating on right now, but if we would do a linear curve, it still wouldn't match the real world.

In it's current form, the Dinar would reach 1 cent 16 months from now.

Doing it in a linear form would still be very very slow. Imagine repeating this process every 16 months? 16 months another cent, 16 months another cent.... the math don't work doing it that way, because that assumes that the original start is from zero to 1 cent. We have already value, so it can't start from zero, but it is as close to zero (1300th's of a Dollar) that in all practicality, you can count that way.

The Dollar and the oil prices are fluctuating, and nothing of this will continue for long without adjustments.

Anyhow, here is a bit of fun stuff for you as investors.

Starting from the 2 Nov at 1470 mark, where the Dinar have been stuck for years, until now, the VALUE INCREASE of our investment stands right now at:

1 mill = Congratulation, you're $92 richer.
10 mill = $920
20 mill = $1840
30 mill = $2760
40 mill = $3840

(ad the original investment together with the value increase and you will have the total payout)

If you got an odd number of millions Dinar, today's value increase from it's November rise, just take the nbr of millions, times $92, and you've got it.

It would be of interest to have a look at the value increase when it reaches the 1000 to 1 mark. (counting from the Nov start)

1 mill = $320
10 mill= $3200
20 mill= $6400
30 mill= $9600
40 mill= $12800

(Ad the original investment together with the value increase and you will have the total payout)

When the Dinar reaches the 100 to 1 you can really see how the exponential curve is about to kick in. The value increase since the start of the Nov rise in value would then be:

1mill = Whoa, you made $9320 my friend, in pure value increase.
10 mill = $93200 (Ad on the original investment cost and you should be on 100.000 even, not counting dealers cost)
20 mill = $186400
30 mill = $279600
40 mill = $372800

We have already now seen a significant gain in value over a comparable short time.

I think we're at the very tail end of affordable Dinars, now, the exponential curve will kick in, more and more, it's still in the flat spot, but all in all, you know what I've been saying all the time.

Get em while you can.

-- January 23, 2007 9:30 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Roger wrote: "Right now we are getting 130 (well,.. 129.5) Dinars per cent."

I think that's 12.9 Dinar per 1 cent. 12.9 * .0007722 =

I wish it were 129.5 to the penny now! Are you trying to drive that calculator without sleep again?

-- January 23, 2007 9:49 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Robert S,

If we get 1300 Dinars for each Dollar, each Dollar have 100 cents, divide 1300 in 100 and voala, you will get 130 Dinars for each cent.

-- January 23, 2007 10:13 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Robert S,

Just wanted to see if you would go for that one.

You're right I stand corrected

-- January 23, 2007 10:14 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Hey, wasn't trying to correct. I plugged your number into my annuity calculator and about fell over. Had a very warm feeling cause I though I had been wrong with my calculation but alas was not to be, but it is getting there!

-- January 23, 2007 10:40 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

I watched the Presidents speech tonight, but did not have time to listen to the commentators because my wife wanted to watch Oprah. I really did not want to watch those talking heads anyway. It is sad in a country that prides itself on a free press, the press is so marred in the liberal bias.

I am encouraged by what I heard from President Bush tonight on Iraq. I wish he had discussed some of the economic contintgencies he has for Iraq instead of solely focused on the military phase. Regardless, I think him reiterating his commitment to Iraq is something the country needs to hear.

I think the Democrats are the ones currently walking the political tight rope, they must support the troops without supporting the war. They do not want to continue funding for the war, but cannot cut funding because that will hurt the troops.

I hope the American people also listened to Jim Webb who gave the official Democratic response. Regardless of what the news commentators tell us, Jim offered no alternative to President Bush except to say the Democrats did not support the troop surge.

Let us hope we see some real movement toward peace in Iraq by the summer. A peaceful and prosperous Iraq is in the best interest of all Americans, not just the ones who have invested in the Dinar.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 23, 2007 11:02 PM ∞

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Mary Lou wrote:

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

I have heard something I would like to pass along for your review and discussion.

To begin with, this was from a dealer. The details are-I had ordered some more dinars from the dealer I have purchased from since 2004. For the first time-they were used. I called them. The lady stated that they come straight from the CBI-however, since the first of January, they have been getting a mix of new and used. I then asked if this could mean a reduction in new available and she agreed the possibility. I then asked her if they had any info about the raising of the dinar. She said it was their understanding that there should be a significant raise in the dinar around their election time. When asked, she said it should be October. I repeat, this information did come from a dealer. However, it is not a hype type of information-she simply answered my questions. As far as I could determine, the answers were honest. Just thought I would pass this along.

-- January 24, 2007 12:04 AM ∞

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Robert J wrote:

I just found out my brother received orders to ship out to Iraq. He was over there for well over a year, has been back for six months and is now going over again. He's three years younger than I and has had a rough two years but he is fiercely proud and being the oldest in his unit he very protective of his "boys". We were comparing our service experiences some time ago and I teased him telling him that its a good thing I regularly kicked his ass playing war when we were kids because it toughened him up. He said "Hell", your mud grenades were only a temporary discomfort compared to eating dust all day long. We had a good laugh about it. He cracked me up though when he reminded me about the arguments we used to have about who was going to be Sinbad and who was going to be one of the forty thieves...he said "You can take your pick now, I dont want to be either one".

-- January 24, 2007 12:05 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

October? Well at least that gives some breathing room. All these revals in less than a week away each time sure was messing up my scheduling and driving me crazy waiting for that day to come. Now at least I can plan some down time, take a vacation and put that special custom build sports car on order now that I have time to plan. Now nobody mess this up by coming out with a next Wednesday reval, I don't think I could reschedule that fast....again!

-- January 24, 2007 12:32 AM ∞

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Mary Lou wrote:

LOL Robert-my feeling is that it remains to be seen. My honest feeling is that the downward turn is to come to approximately 1.1-or at least actual value about the time GCC wants a unified currency-by or shortly before 2010. That is just my opinion. Also, a significant increase does not necessarily mean that the value will be where we hope by October-she simply said that they had heard that there would be a significant increase in the value around October. I, for one, don't plan on putting more into it than that.

-- January 24, 2007 12:47 AM ∞

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chelseadave wrote:

Well that's the 2,3,5 cycle knackered then.

Announcement No.(849)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 849 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 1/24 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 11 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1295 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 65.810.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 65.810.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- January 24, 2007 5:58 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Announcement No.(849)

Sorry All. . . no change. . . P.H.

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 849 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 1/24 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 11 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1295 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 65.810.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 65.810.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- January 24, 2007 6:04 AM ∞

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CYMRU001 wrote:

A little light entertainment for you.

A woman goes to visit her son and daughter-in-law. she walks into the house and sees her daughter-in-law laying on the sofa completely naked.

"What are you doing?" The woman asks

"I am waiting for my husband" the daughter-in-law replies,

"But you are naked", says the woman,

"This is my love dress" is the reply

"But you are naked" the woman insists

The duaghter-in-law then says, "This is my love dress. My husband loves it when I wear this dress. Whenever I wear this dress my husband goes wild and we make passinoate love for hours on end"

The woman goes away and decides she will try this.

That night, the woman lays on the sofa cmopletely naked.

Her husband walks in, sees her and says, "What are you doing?"

"This is my love dress" purrs the woman.

The husband looks and replies,

"It needs ironing, whats for dinner?"

-- January 24, 2007 8:43 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Panhandler.....

Well, I see you're ordering doubles on your C.C. This tells me you're feeling much better and recovery from your operation worked fine. I'm in South Padre Island, but for some reason, It just ain't like the beaches in Phuket.

COM'ON DINAR!!!

-- January 24, 2007 9:19 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Hey Okie. . .Doin just fine. . .got the BP at 128/72. . .cookin up a storm of healthy stuff. . .goin to the gym everyday, walking a mile to a mile and half, pushing some light weights, planning my next trip to Phuket in June. . . wanna go. . .tell the truth. . .lmao. . .P.H. P.S. . . .time to refurbish the shrine. . . I even have pictures of it. . .P.H. . lol

-- January 24, 2007 9:25 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.iraqslogger.com

Topic: Reconstruction
Daily Column
Iraqi Papers Mon: Baghdad Security Plan
Brigade Deployed In Every Neighborhood; Ministry Is Cleansed
By AMER MOHSEN 01/15/2007 02:16 AM ET
Government-owned As-Sabah says that the new security plan for Baghdad will finally enter into effect on Monday. The newspaper quoted the American National Security Council in that the plan will include the deployment of “13 divisions, totaling 41 brigades and 132 battalions”. Such a scale, As-Sabah says, means that a brigade will be deployed in every neighborhood and that over 30 000 checkpoints and road blocks will be established in and around the city. In preparation for the new operations, As-Sabah adds, the ministry of interior has “cleansed” its ranks of over 7,000 “corrupt and uncooperative individuals” (most likely a reference to soldiers who have a double allegiance to the state and militias) and has canceled 40,000 “fictitious” positions in the force. The latter number represents employees who are nominally on the payroll but do not show up for work.

Al-Mada estimated the size of the force that will be deployed in Baghdad to be 40 Iraqi Brigades and one American division (a division is usually composed of 3-5 brigades). Al-Mada also said that Baghdad will be divided into nine operational districts with a principal presence of the police in Karkh (Western Baghdad) while the army units will be concentrated in Rasafa (Eastern Baghdad). Brigadier `Abboud Qanbar will be in charge of security in the capital during the operations.

Az-Zaman international reported that the militias in Baghdad are already taking precautions to weather the coming storm of the security plan. Focusing on the developments within the Mahdi Army, Az-Zaman claims that the leadership of the Mahdi Army has given orders to its cadres to “follow the orders of the Americans until the storm passes”. Furthermore, Az-Zaman said that the high-ranking leaders of the Mahdi army have left Baghdad to Iran or to the southern cities and provinces in anticipation of the coming wave of raids and arrests. According to the London-based daily, a meeting for the local leaders of the Mahdi Army was held in the 42nd district of Sadr City, the operatives were given orders “to cooperate fully with the American forces and not show any resistance, even if arrests happen”. According to Az-Zaman, those present in the meeting were told that any operatives arrested will be released by the police “as soon as the storm passes”. According to the newspaper, Muqtada al-Sadr described the coming security plan as “a phase that will pass”, and the leaders of the Mahdi Army told their cadres that the Army needs to “preserve its weapons and energies” for the coming phase, and “should not sacrifice any of its members”.

Meanwhile, Haifa Street, which witnessed fierce battles last week, is still paralyzed according to news reports. Al-Mada said that “life is still on hold in Haifa Street”, which is experiencing repeated closures by the security forces, with a continued occurrence of clashes between the security forces and gunmen. Az-Zaman described Haifa Street and the surrounding areas as “besieged” by the government forces, the daily added that the medical situation is worsening in the neighborhood as the injured cannot be transported to hospitals, and that the residents’ food supplies are dwindling.

Elsewhere in Iraq, aljazeera.net has reported that a “sand barrier” is being built around the city of Haditha, one of the strongholds of the resistance. Al-Jazeera and Reuters said that the barrier is 20 km long (around 13 miles), and has only one entrance, which allows the American and government forces to control who gets in and out of the city, and to search those wishing to enter or exit the area. The report said that the residents and the American soldiers have begun comparing these measures to the Israeli separation wall being built in the West Bank, an American officer was quoted as saying “the concept (of the wall) may be inspired by Israel, we use bulldozers as they do, but I believe we are softer than them, we do not demolish homes, we just build a wall”.

Lastly, Az-Zaman said that a new party has appeared in Iraq that calls itself the `Awda (return) party. The minister of interior has warned against the new organization that has been recruiting members in the western and southern provinces, in addition to Baghdad. The ministry said that the party is a front for the banned Ba`th party, and that it includes many of its old members. Sources in Baghdad told Az-Zaman that the Ba`th has had a rising popularity since the execution of Saddam Husain, with thousands of its old cadres returning to its ranks. The sources said that the party critiques the “old practices” (of the old regime) while “focusing on resisting the occupation and the government”. Minister of interior, Jawad Boulani, warned the citizens against joining the party, which, he said, tries to “hamper reconstruction, and stop the movement of progress and development”.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 24, 2007 9:46 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From the same website

Daily Column
U.S.-Iraqi Crackdown on Badr Organization
The Scoop from Key Arabic-Language Web Sites
By ZEYAD Posted 9 hr. 58 min. ago
Joint U.S.-Iraqi forces have arrested dozens of members of the Badr Organization, the military wing of SCIRI, including the head of the organization’s Karkh bureau, west of Baghdad, according to the Al-Badeel Al-Iraqi website. There has been no official reaction to the arrests from SCIRI, whose leader Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim also heads the largest Shi’ite bloc in Iraqi parliament. Sunni groups have accused the Badr Organization, formerly known as the Badr Brigade, of infiltrating the police force and leading death squads to target members of the Sunni minority. Meanwhile, tensions run high in Baghdad while U.S. helicopters circled Sadr City and masked gunmen took to the street in the Sunni district of Adhamiya, according to eyewitnesses.

The Buratha News Agency posted a statement by SCIRI leader Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim in which he strongly condemned the attacks against the students of the Mustansiriya University and the Bab Al-Sharji market, comparing them to a historical battle in which Imam Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed and a prominent Shi’ite saint, was killed along with his followers by the army of the Ummayid Caliph Yazid bin Mu’awiya during the 7th century near present-day Karbala in Iraq, where his shrine stands to this day. Hakim said that “neo-Ummayids, Nawasib, Takfiris and Saddamists” were responsible for the recent car bombings against the Shia in Baghdad, using controversial terms that are often used in sectarian polemics, and which Sunnis say are blanket terms meant to describe all Sunnis in Iraq. He described the daily attacks against the Shia in Iraq as “genocide” and a “grand conspiracy by certain regimes and false clerics to excommunicate the hundreds of millions of Shia from Islam.” Hakim also decried the media coverage of Iraq and the actions of immigration officials in Arab countries who often query Iraqi travelers about their sectarian backgrounds.

The Basrah Net website posts a communiqué by the Pan-Arab Command of the Arab Ba’ath Socialist Party in which it demanded from international and Arab human rights organizations to interfere and stop the imminent execution of Taha Yassin Ramadhan. It also noted that the health condition of Tariq Aziz has deteriorated considerably, demanding his immediate release to receive proper treatment. “It is the view of the Pan-Arab Command of the Arab Ba’ath Socialist Party that whoever executes the leaders of Iraq today, will turn even strongly against other Arab symbols tomorrow,” the statement concluded. “Let us raise our voices against these unjust verdicts, and against the complete American-Iranian insistence to exterminate the identity and leaderships of Iraq. Long live the free, Arab Iraq.”

“They are insignificants and sons of insignificants,” said Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, the Speaker of Iraqi Parliament, describing American soldiers who he said were behaving indecently while searching female members of Iraqi parliament upon their entry to the Green Zone, according to the Iraq News Agency. “They have started learning the Arabic language and they now say things like ‘I love you’ and ‘I want to marry you’ while they search them,” he said, adding that he complained to the “Higher Ambassador,” in reference to U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, but he acknowledges that Iraq is not a sovereign state and that he cannot do anything to stop these violations.

The Sunni fundamentalist Islam Memo website reported fierce clashes between what it described as Shi’ite militias and Sunni gunmen defending the Sunni majority Qahira and Sulaikh districts, north of Baghdad, despite ongoing cordon-and-search operations by U.S. and Iraqi troops in that sector of the capital for the last few days. Similar attacks were also reported in the Sheikh Ali and Fahhama neighborhoods near Haifa Street, on the west side of Baghdad, while U.S. troops clashed with insurgents in the Ghazaliya and Fadhl districts.

One day after Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Hassani, a spokesman for the Mahdi Army, threatened Palestinian refugees in Iraq to leave or pay, during an interview featured in the British Telegraph, gunmen in Interior Ministry Commando uniforms stormed a residential building at Nidhal Street in central Baghdad and abducted 27 Palestinians. Eyewitnesses said the gunmen arrived at the Qasr Al-Abyadh residential compound, which is inhabited by several Palestinian families, in unmarked governmental four-wheel-drive vehicles, similar to those used by Iraqi police, at 6 a.m. and drove away with their victims in the direction of Sadr City.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 24, 2007 9:49 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

CMRU001 - Thanks for expecting me to take up your challenge when given..
and not crying foul for my doing so. Your ability to discuss religion
fairly and separate the facts from the beliefs in a case will take you far.

Mornin' and thanks, Carl, for your words yesterday. :)
It is good to see that the public can't be fooled all of the time -
and that folks like you are standing up for the right.
I hope more call in to shows and make their presence known.

In a related item -
Robert S posted on "A Male First Lady"
which quotes a bogus poll (YET ANOTHER ONE),
which the MSM has touted and shouted from the rooftops
for the public to lap up unthinkingly.
Here are the real FACTS on that one that I thought the board might find interesting,
QUOTE:

NY Times Study On "Women Without Spouse" Included 15-Year-Olds
Posted by Dave Pierre on January 16, 2007 - 23:26.

This morning, NewsBusters' Mark Finkelstein reported how CBS anchors yucked it up over a front-page story in today's New York Times that blared, "51% of Women Are Now Living Without Spouse." This study is nothing to laugh at. It's incredibly misleading, if not dishonest.

The Times got their numbers from the Census Bureau's new American Community Survey, which surveyed "117 million women over the age of 15." Wait a minute. "Over the age of 15"?

Is it really a surprise that millions of 15-20 year-olds are "living without spouse"? It shouldn't. In addition to several cultural factors (some of which the Times touched on), the age of consent in the United States averages just over 16 years of age. In several states, including California, it's 18.

By the way ... How often would the Times label a 15-year-old as a "15-year-old woman" (emphasis mine)? Twice, as it turns out, since 1981. (One is in a 1981 travel article on China; the other is in a 1987 sports piece on diving results.) Meanwhile, the term "15-year-old girl" (emphasis mine) returns 756 results in the Times' archive going back to 1981. (And in a number of the articles, the words are used more than once.)

Also, the Census survey's "Data Profile Highlights" page simply refers to "Female, Now married, except separated (population 15 years and over)," not "women," as the Times puts it. In addition, the Times took the added measure of deducting 2.4 million women who were married but "said their husbands were not living at home for one reason or another." So if a woman's hubby works overseas for much of the year, she wasn't counted as "living with spouse." Is your husband serving in the military in another country? It looks like you weren't counted either. Although the Times acknowledges such scenarios, it didn't stop them from using the deduction to get that nice-looking "51%" result they touted.

And, finally, for what it's worth, 1996 census report on marriage and divorce (pdf file) stated that "nearly everyone marries" (at least once during their lifetime).

Misleading. New York Times.

(Need I say that the Times piece took a very positive tone towards these "women without spouse"? Of course not. It goes without saying.)

HT: Michael Medved and Larry Elder.

Comments:

1) danbo Says:
January 17, 2007 - 00:02

This study sounds as serious as the homeless study. Where college students living at home with their families were classified as homeless.

Be careful of the research you hear. It may be true. But then... It may be b...

"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."
-- Joseph Stalin

2) Mean Gene Dr. Love Says:
January 17, 2007 - 00:14

Another is the divorce rate statistics that I've heard fly around over the years, like half of all marriages end in divorce or the divorce rate is 50%. This article points out the misleading information (url). And this site (url) has more interesting info on that subject.

Always question polls, and 'statistically' based articles in the press (especially in the NYT).

http://newsbusters.org/node/10205

-- January 24, 2007 9:56 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carl and board..
Please follow my thinking on through the next few posts:

Terrorists Training in South America Threaten US National Security
By Jim Kouri, CPP

As Americans remember the horror of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington more than five years ago, the U.S. borders are practically as porous as ever. Yet Americans get few answers during the heated debate. What many hear are abstractions about tightening border security with no mention of how that is to be achieved.

According to testimony given to the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee by General Peter Pace, then Vice Chairman, now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hamas has joined Hezbollah and al Qaeda in the Triple Frontier Zone in Latin America where the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay converge.

There the Islamic terror groups train recruits, gather intelligence on targets, launder money and sell drugs. There is evidence that these terrorists and narco-terrorists will soon migrate north into the United States. He cited terrorism reports indicating terrorist groups are active in Canada and Central-South America.

Border Patrol agents began to voice what many believed were legitimate concerns about "armed incursions" into the United States from Mexico-based assailants. They reported that heavily armed Mexican army units and federal police, called Federales, had infiltrated US territory and fired upon them, in some cases because Mexican drug lords had put prices on the heads of American law-enforcement agents serving along the border. Where was the outrage by our political leaders and the mainstream media over this blatant violation of our national sovereignty?

Recently, a number of armed gunmen entered the U.S. from Mexico and caused National Guard troops to retreat. Not only did the President and his administration remain silent about this incursion, but the elite media either ignored the story or minimized its significance.

Most government and news reports of the illegal aliens' confrontation with the Guard troops appear to assume the invading gunmen were Mexican. But with everyone involved in the investigation of the incident saying they're not certain who these armed men were, how do we know they weren't terrorists conducting a recon mission?

Some security experts had high hopes that President Bush would bring up the border security problem during his many meetings with Mexican President Vincente Fox. It never happened. Quite the opposite occurred. The two leaders discussed ways of relaxing immigration restrictions including a de facto amnesty program.

The Government Accountability Office [GAO] conducted a vulnerability test at both borders and their undercover operatives were successful in sneaking radiological material across both. The operation merited a few news stories and was given short shrift even by the liberal-left who seek any opportunity to denigrate the president and government agencies.

Meanwhile, our northern border with Canada has many law-enforcement leaders even more concerned. Canadian security experts concede that there are several radical Islamist groups active in their country. In fact, Hezbollah's largest headquarters is located not in the Middle East but in Toronto. One Canadian intelligence officer claims that his country's immigration policy is more lax than US policy and their politicos more liberal when it comes to refusing to restrict illegal aliens from entering Canada.

If these killers aren't afraid to target or kill cops, or are willing to confront National Guard troops, then who in America is really safe from terrorists, murderers, rapists and other offenders, especially when anyone wishing to address the problem is labeled a racist or xenophobe.

Americans can probably count on one hand the number of congressional leaders who will even debate the issues of illegal immigration or border security honestly. What sense does it make to inspect shipping containers in New York seaports while ignoring the vulnerabilities existing on our borders?

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Jim Kouri, CPP is currently vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org) as well as a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared on Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, and more. His book “Assume The Position” is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/terrorism.php?id=609380

-- January 24, 2007 10:04 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Free Speech Under Attack in Canada

An ex-terrorist, now converted to Christianity, tries to speak against violence in Islam in a neighborhood church – and is silenced by pressure from the mainstream media and local Islamist organizations, and may be prosecuted for a “hate crime.” Lebanon-native Zachariah Anani was a self-admitted terrorist before converting to Christianity. His first lecture given on January 11 at the small Campbell Baptist Church in Windsor, Canada stated that Islamic doctrine advocates violence against non-believers, especially Christians and Jews. This indisputable fact (Koran 2:191-2, 9:5, 9:73) nonetheless drew the ire of CAIR and other Islamist groups, who prefer to whitewash the violent aspects of Islamic doctrine and political ideology.

Anani’s second lecture, “Could Jihad Be Coming to Your Neighbourhood?” was cancelled after pressure from the media, which also focused on Anani’s citizenship and harsh criticism of the sponsor of the lectures, Pastor Donald McKay. McKay spoke instead to a capacity crowd, speaking in defence of Canadian liberties and freedoms and promising to "jealously guard these things from being overtaken, from being overthrown."

On January 25, Anani is scheduled to give the third speech in the series, “Why the Islamic Faith is Indefensible.” But he may not get a chance. Members of the Windsor Islamic Association have filed a formal complaint with the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has sent letters to Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant asking for a prompt investigation into Anani's lectures under Canada's hate crimes legislation.

Support Pastor McKay and Zachariah Anani in their efforts to speak the truth. Write to Attorney General Michael Bryant, asking for him to NOT cave in to CAIR-CAN's oppressive intentions. And you might drop a line to Pastor McKay telling him of your support for his brave stand for human rights and freedom of speech.

http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/

For general telephone inquiries, call the Ministry of the Attorney General at:

Telephone: (416) 326-2220 or 1-800-518-7901
Fax: (416) 326-4007
Ministry of the Attorney General
McMurtry-Scott Building
720 Bay Street, 11th Floor
Toronto, ON
M5G 2K1

Pastor Donald McKay
Campbell Baptist Church
411 King
Windsor Canada

http://www.churchreviews.org/Canada/Windsor/Baptist-Church

-- January 24, 2007 10:08 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Can Tom Tancredo be elected U.S. president?
Why Fox News host said he 'might well be' nation's leader in 2008
Posted: January 22, 2007

With Hillary Clinton the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee, and the Republican Party's conservative base disenchanted with frontrunners McCain, Giuliani and Romney, the candidacy of Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo – lionized by many for his bold stand on border security and illegal immigration – is moving closer to reality.

Last week, Tancredo announced, as his first step toward a presidential run, that he was launching a exploratory campaign committee.

"My purpose," said Tancredo on the "Team Tancredo 2008" website, "is to obtain your support as I embark upon a path that may lead to the Republican nomination for the Presidency of the United States."

He added: "The decision to pursue this arduous and undeniably uphill battle is because I, like you, have a duty to do everything I can to keep faith with those who risked their 'lives, fortunes and sacred honor' to create this wonderful place we call America."

Does Tancredo actually have a chance of winning the presidency?

"Illegals coming into America are sure to be front and center in the next presidential election here," Neil Cavuto said on a June broadcast of the popular Fox News show, "Your World with Neil Cavuto," "and Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo certainly knows it. He owns this issue. And straw polls show that, if he were to run for president, he just might well be president."

Cavuto posed the question to Tancredo: "Over the months I have talked to you, as this immigration issue has heated up, your poll numbers have moved up." When the host asked if Tancredo would run for president, the five-term congressman and chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus responded: "Neil, I will run for president if I cannot get ... any of the serious candidates to really take this on. My purpose is to make immigration the focal point of any national debate on a presidential election."

Tancredo added: "Your responsibility as a candidate for president is to do every single thing you can to tell the people what you believe to be the greatest threats to the nation and how you would deal with them. And then, you know what? If they buy it, OK, you're elected. If they don't, you have done your best."

Living up to his reputation for candor, Tancredo explains in his book how the economic success and historical military prowess of the United States have transformed a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles of right and wrong into an overindulgent, self-deprecating, immoral cesspool of depravity.

His recipe for turning things around?

Without strong, moral leadership, without a renewed sense of purpose, without a rededication to family and community, without shunning the race hustlers and pop-culture sham artists, without protecting borders, language and culture, the nation that once was "the land of the free and home of the brave" and the "one last best hope of mankind" will repeat the catastrophic mistakes of the past, he writes.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53876

-- January 24, 2007 10:11 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

OK, Carl, board.. so, from what I just posted to the board here, we have dishonest media spinning that the family as a dinosaur using bogus polling data, gleefully claiming that the family and its morality is finally going to be extinct, just as the radical feminist lesbians (who are championed by the likes of Hillary Clinton) want it to be..

SUMMARY - The border with Mexico is porous and has allowed radiological material over it, and we know from General Peter Pace that "Hamas has joined Hezbollah and al Qaeda in the Triple Frontier Zone in Latin America" so the enemy is nearby, and, even worse, Hezbollah's largest headquarters is located not in the Middle East but in Toronto, Canada, just north of the US borders. And we know that the US has the largest undefended border in the world between the US and the Hezbollah terrorists in Toronto. (Can we please assimilate Canada into the US for the sake of US safety and to secure the border? Just a radical self-preserving thought.. ) Lastly, anyone discussing this will be automatically labeled a racist or xenophobe, so this is a taboo subject we are not even supposed to think about. Canadians are being muzzled from even saying the "t" word as they ARE NOW being labelled purveyors of "hate crimes" for wondering if their lives could be in danger, and the point man for making this THE Presidential issue is Tom Tancredo, who, straw polls show, if he were to run for president, he just might well be president."

So, what do you think.. is Tom Tancredo able to take the Whitehouse on a platform of defending the homeland from domestic terrorist threats? Or will Hillary Clinton prevail with her anti-war, cut-and-run and "elect me the first female President because it is something novel and new" platform?
By the way, she's not novel nor new.. nor is she the first female to attempt to be President:

What Is So Historical About Hillary’s Run For Prez?

From a Google news search:

At least 1,315 recent news articles mention Hillary’s candidacy and "historical" in the same story.

And yet Hillary is not the first woman to run for the Presidency by a long shot. In 1872, Victoria Woodhull ran for President as an Equal Rights Party candidate. Ulysses S. Grant won the election.

Hillary is not the first to run on a major party ticket. In 1964 Margaret Chase Smith, a Maine Republican, entered primaries in New Hampshire, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas and Oregon, among others. She withdrew after the first round of voting at the Republican National Convention. Sen. Barry Goldwater won the GOP nomination.

Hillary is not even the first woman to run whose major claim to fame was her spouse. Elizabeth Dole, the wife of Senator Bob Dole, announced her candidacy in January 1999.

Indeed at least eight prominent women have run for the office of the Presidency. Including the highly esteemed Carol Moseley Braun in 2004.

COMMENTS:

1) sheehanjihad
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:40 pm

The reason this is historic is that Hillary is guaranteed the presidency by the media,, and she has done one of those point to center field and then hit the ball there home run things….she is going to be president if it kills all of us. There will be no democrat left standing once this lawn mower cuts them down.

2) RD
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:43 pm

Hillary is probably the first woman in history who expected to be rewarded for over looking infidelity with a promise of "stick with me and I’ll make you 'The First Woman President of the U.S.’” It used to be that all a “bought wife” needed to overlook her husband’s indiscretions was a mink coat or a 3 carat diamond ring and then when fake furs and diamonds came in even a non-wealthy man could play (hey, if you’re going to cheat you might as well go all the way-who knows?). Now the cost of infidelity has gone over the top and very few men can make or deliver on such a promise. Now, we have Mrs. Bill Clinton running as a wronged woman, who stuck by her husband like a cockleburr through betrayal and lies and public humiliation and the voters of the U.S. are expected to reward the little woman for her hurt, humiliation, loyalty, and cover-ups with the Presidency of the U.S. Pathetic! She is the ultimate control freak.(Imo)

3) sheehanjihad
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:49 pm

RD…a play on your words, if you please: she is a freak, looking for the ultimate control. She will use a scorched earth policy….holding members of congress hostage, and holding entire states hostage with her back room politics….because while bill was experimenting with a talking cigar humidor, Hillary was shoring up her back room political skills, and loading hundreds of people into that oh so sought after “OWE ME” slot that smarmadukes like her use to gain power. Pelosi is scared of her….and that tambourine skinned weasle isnt scared of many people….but Hillary is on a mission, and she will stop at nothing short of murder to get it. she is focused, and she has tons and tons and tons of money. Soros is afraid of her!! He is backing richardson, he can control richardson…but Hillary is walking on water now….and wont be stopped.

4) SG
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:53 pm

“Now, we have Mrs. Bill Clinton running as a wronged woman, who stuck by her husband like a cockleburr through betrayal and lies and public humiliation and the voters of the U.S. are expected to reward the little woman for her hurt, humiliation, loyalty, and cover-ups with the Presidency of the U.S. Pathetic! She is the ultimate control freak.”

And of course she’s the ultimate victim.

Great points, RD.

5) SG
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:11 pm

“The reason this is historic is that Hillary is guaranteed the presidency by the media…”

What amazes me is that I have yet to see one media report questioning her background or experience for the job.

Even Obama has more legislative background than Hillary. (He was a state Senator for eight years.)

Hillary has never had a real job in her life. I don’t believe she ever litigated a case while she was at the Rose Law firm. (She probably wouldn’t even know how to get to their offices in a car.)

I guess the media feels that if you are in the White House then you know how to do the job — and by osmosis — you have the qualifications and judgment to make the calls of national importance.

What tough calls has Hillary ever made? Which pantsuit to wear? How to wear her hair this week?

Where has she ever shown good judgment? Her healthcare taskforce?

Where is her discernment? She claims she believed Bill had never had an affair until he finally admitted his fling with Monica after the DNA evidence came out.

(Of course she is lying. But still.)

The whole thing is so preposterous. The world is a complex and dangerous place. And to “give” someone the Presidency because she is a woman is just suicidal.

And that’s even after putting aside her assinine ultra-left Wellesley radical politics.

8) Warmonger Infidel
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:45 pm

Who gives a c*** if she’s the first “First Lady” (and I use that term loosely with her) to run. As far as I’m concerned, a vote for shillary is a vote for billary. It will just give him another term in office.

9) doingwhatican
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:45 pm

The phony, conniving, haughty, vengeful harridan believes this is to be hers by birthright and/or because of her sufferance.

That drumbeat you hear from all the usual media whores will haunt us.

Smoke and mirrors. And, alas, smoke and ash.

By the way, I believe I’ve lost weight. I’ve not been able to keep a thing down since her “pronouncement”.

10) Warmonger Infidel
January 22nd, 2007 at 8:48 pm

Just saw a news clip/photo op of the shill somewhere today on the campaign trail (oh I forgot…..she is only exploring the possiblility of running) at a podium holding the hands of somebody’s little children….uh….black children. I guess those that escape the left’s abortion mills are fit to act as campaign props.

11) Specter
January 23rd, 2007 at 7:33 am

Good Gawwwwd….she’s going to use the “plantation theme” again?

Shame on her. But then again, the Divisive Dems always play class, race, and money as issues in elections. Gawwwd forbid that they actually try to unite the country.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/what-is-so-historical-about-hillarys-run-for-office

-- January 24, 2007 10:35 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

The following is a transcript of President Bush's State of the Union Address:

Thank you very much. Tonight, I have a high privilege and distinct honor of my own — as the first President to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker.

In his day, the late Congressman Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., from Baltimore, Maryland, saw Presidents Roosevelt and Truman at this rostrum. But nothing could compare with the sight of his only daughter, Nancy, presiding tonight as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Congratulations.

Two members of the House and Senate are not with us tonight — and we pray for the recovery and speedy return of Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman Charlie Norwood.

Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

This rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour — when decisions are hard and courage is tested. We enter the year 2007 with large endeavors underway, and others that are ours to begin. In all of this, much is asked of us. We must have the will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies — and the wisdom to face them together.

Some in this Chamber are new to the House and Senate — and I congratulate the Democratic majority. Congress has changed, but our responsibilities have not. Each of us is guided by our own convictions — and to these we must stay faithful. Yet we are all held to the same standards, and called to serve the same good purposes: To extend this Nation's prosperity ... to spend the people's money wisely ... to solve problems, not leave them to future generations ... to guard America against all evil, and to keep faith with those we have sent forth to defend us.

We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences and achieve big things for the American people. Our citizens don't much care which side of the aisle we sit on — as long as we are willing to cross that aisle when there is work to be done. Our job is to make life better for our fellow Americans, and help them to build a future of hope and opportunity — and this is the business before us tonight.

A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy — and that is what we have. We are now in the 41st month of uninterrupted job growth — in a recovery that has created 7.2 million new jobs ... so far. Unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. This economy is on the move — and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government but with more enterprise.

Next week, I will deliver a full report on the state of our economy. Tonight, I want to discuss three economic reforms that deserve to be priorities for this Congress.

First, we must balance the Federal budget. We can do so without raising taxes. What we need to do is impose spending discipline in Washington, D.C. We set a goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009 — and met that goal 3 years ahead of schedule. Now let us take the next step. In the coming weeks, I will submit a budget that eliminates the Federal deficit within the next 5 years. I ask you to make the same commitment. Together, we can restrain the spending appetite of the Federal Government, and balance the Federal budget.

Next, there is the matter of earmarks. These special interest items are often slipped into bills at the last hour — when not even C-SPAN is watching. In 2005 alone, the number of earmarks grew to over 13,000 and totaled nearly $18 billion. Even worse, over 90 percent of earmarks never make it to the floor of the House and Senate — they are dropped into Committee reportsthat are not even part of the bill that arrives on my desk. You did not vote them into law. I did not sign them into law. Yet they are treated as if they have the force of law. The time has come to end this practice. So let us work together to reform the budget process ... expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote in Congress... and cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half by the end of this session.

Finally, to keep this economy strong we must take on the challenge of entitlements. Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are commitments of conscience — and so it is our duty to keep them permanently sound. Yet we are failing in that duty — and this failure will one day leave our children with three bad options: huge tax increases, huge deficits, or huge and immediate cuts in benefits. Everyone in this Chamber knows this to be true — yet somehow we have not found it in ourselves to act. So let us work together and do it now. With enough good sense and good will, you and I can fix Medicare and Medicaid — and save Social Security.

Spreading opportunity and hope in America also requires public schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in life. Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act — preserving local control, raising standards in public schools, and holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, students are performing better in reading and math, and minority students are closing the achievement gap.
Now the task is to build on this success, without watering down standards ... without taking control from local communities ... and without backsliding and calling it reform. We can lift student achievement even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing schools ... and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools the right to choose something better. We must increase funds for students who struggle — and make sure these children get the special help they need. And we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future, and our country is more competitive, by strengthening math and science skills. The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children — and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law.

A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our citizens have affordable and available health care. When it comes to health care, government has an obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled, and poor children. We will meet those responsibilities. For all other Americans, private health insurance is the best way to meet their needs. But many Americans cannot afford a health insurance policy.

Tonight, I propose two new initiatives to help more Americans afford their own insurance. First, I propose a standard tax deduction for health insurance that will be like the standard tax deduction for dependents. Families with health insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on $15,000 of their income. Single Americans with health insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on $7,500 of their income. With this reform, more than 100 million men, women, and children who are now covered by employer-provided insurance will benefit from lower tax bills.

At the same time, this reform will level the playing field for those who do not get health insurance through their job. For Americans who now purchase health insurance on their own, my proposal would mean a substantial tax savings — $4,500 for a family of four making $60,000 a year. And for the millions of other Americans who have no health insurance at all, this deduction would help put a basic private health insurance plan within their reach. Changing the tax code is a vital and necessary step to making health care affordable for more Americans.

My second proposal is to help the States that are coming up with innovative ways to cover the uninsured. States that make basic private health insurance available to all their citizens should receive Federal funds to help them provide this coverage to the poor and the sick. I have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with Congress to take existing Federal funds and use them to create "Affordable Choices" grants. These grants would give our Nation's Governors more money and more flexibility to get private health insurance to those most in need.

There are many other ways that Congress can help. We need to expand Health Savings Accounts ... help small businesses through Association Health Plans ... reduce costs and medical errors with better information technology ... encourage price transparency ... and protect good doctors from junk lawsuits by passing medical liability reform. And in all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors.

Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration system worthy of America — with laws that are fair and borders that are secure. When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the interests of our country. To secure our border, we are doubling the size of the Border Patrol — and funding new infrastructure and technology.

Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border — and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they won't have to try to sneak in — and that will leave border agents free to chase down drug smugglers, and criminals, and terrorists. We will enforce our immigration laws at the worksite, and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers — so there is no excuse left for violating the law. We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals. And we need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country — without animosity and without amnesty.

Convictions run deep in this Capitol when it comes to immigration. Let us have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate — so that you can pass, and I can sign, comprehensive immigration reform into law.

Extending hope and opportunity depends on a stable supply of energy that keeps America's economy running and America's environment clean. For too long our Nation has been dependent on foreign oil. And this dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists — who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments... raise the price of oil... and do great harm to our economy.

It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply — and the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power — by even greater use of clean coal technology ... solar and wind energy ... and clean, safe nuclear power. We need to press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles, and expand the use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol — using everything from wood chips, to grasses, to agricultural wastes.

We have made a lot of progress, thanks to good policies in Washington and the strong response of the market. Now even more dramatic advances are within reach. Tonight, I ask Congress to join me in pursuing a great goal. Let us build on the work we have done and reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years — thereby cutting our total imports by the equivalent of 3/4 of all the oil we now import from the Middle East.

To reach this goal, we must increase the supply of alternative fuels, by setting a mandatory Fuels Standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017 — this is nearly 5 times the current target. At the same time, we need to reform and modernize fuel economy standards for cars the way we did for light trucks — and conserve up to 8.5 billion more gallons of gasoline by 2017.

Achieving these ambitious goals will dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but will not eliminate it. So as we continue to diversify our fuel supply, we must also step up domestic oil production in environmentally sensitive ways. And to further protect America against severe disruptions to our oil supply, I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. These technologies will help us become better stewards of the environment — and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.

A future of hope and opportunity requires a fair, impartial system of justice. The lives of citizens across our Nation are affected by the outcome of cases pending in our Federal courts. And we have a shared obligation to ensure that the Federal courts have enough judges to hear those cases and deliver timely rulings. As President, I have a duty to nominate qualified men and women to vacancies on the Federal bench. And the United States Senate has a duty as well — to give those nominees a fair hearing, and a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.

For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to protect the people of this country from danger. Five years have come and gone since we saw the scenes and felt the sorrow that terrorists can cause. We have had time to take stock of our situation. We have added many critical protections to guard the homeland. We know with certainty that the horrors of that September morning were just a glimpse of what the terrorists intend for us — unless we stop them.

With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has surely been settled — that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy.

From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by staying on the offense. The enemy knows that the days of comfortable sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free-flowing communications are long over. For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has never been the same.

Our success in this war is often measured by the things that did not happen. We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our allies have prevented — but here is some of what we do know: We stopped an Al Qaeda plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building on the West Coast. We broke up a Southeast Asian terrorist cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States. We uncovered an Al Qaeda cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against America. And just last August, British authorities uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean. For each life saved, we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave public servants who devote their lives to finding the terrorists and stopping them.

Every success against the terrorists is a reminder of the shoreless ambitions of this enemy. The evil that inspired and rejoiced in 9/11 is still at work in the world. And so long as that is the case, America is still a Nation at war.

In the minds of the terrorists, this war began well before Sept. 11, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past 5 years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats ... instruct with bullets and bombs ... and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

Our enemies are quite explicit about their intentions. They want to overthrow moderate governments and establish safe havens from which to plan and carry out new attacks on our country. By killing and terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology. Listen to this warning from the late terrorist Zarqawi: "We will sacrifice our blood and bodies to put an end to your dreams, and what is coming is even worse." And Usama bin Laden declared: "Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us."

These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah — a group second only to Al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken.

The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat. But whatever slogans they chant, when they slaughter the innocent, they have the same wicked purposes. They want to kill Americans ... kill democracy in the Middle East ... and gain the weapons to kill on an even more horrific scale.

In the 6th year since our Nation was attacked, I wish I could report to you that the dangers have ended. They have not. And so it remains the policy of this Government to use every lawful and proper tool of intelligence, diplomacy, law enforcement, and military action to do our duty, to find these enemies, and to protect the American people.

This war is more than a clash of arms — it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our Nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and come to kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom — societies where men and women make their own choices, answer to their own conscience, and live by their hopes instead of their resentments. Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies — and most will choose a better way when they are given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates, reformers, and brave voices for democracy. The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security ... we must.

In the last 2 years, we have seen the desire for liberty in the broader Middle East — and we have been sobered by the enemy's fierce reaction. In 2005, the world watched as the citizens of Lebanon raised the banner of the Cedar Revolution ... drove out the Syrian occupiers ... and chose new leaders in free elections. In 2005, the people of Afghanistan defied the terrorists and elected a democratic legislature. And in 2005, the Iraqi people held three national elections — choosing a transitional government ... adopting the most progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world ... and then electing a government under that constitution. Despite endless threats from the killers in their midst, nearly 12 million Iraqi citizens came out to vote in a show of hope and solidarity we should never forget.

A thinking enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their tactics, and in 2006 they struck back. In Lebanon, assassins took the life of Pierre Gemayel, a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution. And Hezbollah terrorists, with support from Syria and Iran, sowed conflict in the region and are seeking to undermine Lebanon's legitimately elected government. In Afghanistan, Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters tried to regain power by regrouping and engaging Afghan and NATO forces. In Iraq, Al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists blew up one of the most sacred places in Shia Islam — the Golden Mosque of Samarra. This atrocity, directed at a Muslim house of prayer, was designed to provoke retaliation from Iraqi Shia — and it succeeded. Radical Shia elements, some of whom receive support from Iran, formed death squads. The result was a tragic escalation of sectarian rage and reprisal that continues to this day.

This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in. Every one of us wishes that this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. So let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.

We are carrying out a new strategy in Iraq — a plan that demands more from Iraq's elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need to complete their mission. Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror.

In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do this on their own. So we are deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighborhoods and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in the lead, our forces will help secure the city by chasing down terrorists, insurgents, and roaming death squads. And in Anbar province — where Al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them — we are sending an additional 4,000 United States Marines, with orders to find the terrorists and clear them out. We did not drive Al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq.

The people of Iraq want to live in peace, and now is the time for their government to act. Iraq's leaders know that our commitment is not open ended. They have promised to deploy more of their own troops to secure Baghdad — and they must do so. They have pledged that they will confront violent radicals of any faction or political party. They need to follow through, and lift needless restrictions on Iraqi and Coalition forces, so these troops can achieve their mission of bringing security to all of the people of Baghdad. Iraq's leaders have committed themselves to a series of benchmarks to achieve reconciliation — to share oil revenues among all of Iraq's citizens ... to put the wealth of Iraq into the rebuilding of Iraq ... to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation's civic life ... to hold local elections ... and to take responsibility for security in every Iraqi province. But for all of this to happen, Baghdad must be secured. And our plan will help the Iraqi government take back its capital and make good on its commitments.

My fellow citizens, our military commanders and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach. In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success. Many in this Chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq — because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far reaching.

If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country — and in time the entire region could be drawn into the conflict.

For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the enemy, this is the objective. Chaos is their greatest ally in this struggle. And out of chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened enemy with new safe havens ... new recruits ... new resources ... and an even greater determination to harm America. To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of September 11 and invite tragedy. And ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more important at this moment in our history than for America to succeed in the Middle East ... to succeed in Iraq ... and to spare the American people from this danger.

This is where matters stand tonight, in the here and now. I have spoken with many of you in person. I respect you and the arguments you have made. We went into this largely united — in our assumptions, and in our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq — and I ask you to give it a chance to work. And I ask you to support our troops in the field — and those on their way.

The war on terror we fight today is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. That is why it is important to work together so our Nation can see this great effort through. Both parties and both branches should work in close consultation. And this is why I propose to establish a special advisory council on the war on terror, made up of leaders in Congress from both political parties. We will share ideas for how to position America to meet every challenge that confronts us. And we will show our enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory.

One of the first steps we can take together is to add to the ranks of our military — so that the American Armed Forces are ready for all the challenges ahead. Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next 5 years. A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.

Americans can have confidence in the outcome of this struggle — because we are not in this struggle alone. We have a diplomatic strategy that is rallying the world to join in the fight against extremism. In Iraq, multinational forces are operating under a mandate from the United Nations — and we are working with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Gulf States to increase support for Iraq's government. The United Nations has imposed sanctions on Iran, and made it clear that the world will not allow the regime in Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. With the other members of the Quartet — the U.N., the European Union, and Russia — we are pursuing diplomacy to help bring peace to the Holy Land, and pursuing the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security. In Afghanistan, NATO has taken the lead in turning back the Taliban and Al Qaeda offensive — the first time the Alliance has deployed forces outside the North Atlantic area. Together with our partners in China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, we are pursuing intensive diplomacy to achieve a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. And we will continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, Belarus, and Burma — and continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur.

American foreign policy is more than a matter of war and diplomacy. Our work in the world is also based on a timeless truth: To whom much is given, much is required. We hear the call to take on the challenges of hunger, poverty, and disease — and that is precisely what America is doing. We must continue to fight HIV/AIDS, especially on the continent of Africa — and because you funded our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 50,000 to more than 800,000 in 3 short years. I ask you to continue funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. I ask you to provide $1.2 billion over 5 years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries. I ask that you fund the Millennium Challenge Account, so that American aid reaches the people who need it, in nations where democracy is on the rise and corruption is in retreat. And let us continue to support the expanded trade and debt relief that are the best hope for lifting lives and eliminating poverty.

When America serves others in this way, we show the strength and generosity of our country. These deeds reflect the character of our people. The greatest strength we have is the heroic kindness, courage, and self-sacrifice of the American people. You see this spirit often if you know where to look — and tonight we need only look above to the gallery.

Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa, amid great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine — but Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth — or the duty to share his blessings with others. He has built a brand new hospital in his hometown. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: "Mutombo believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things." And we are proud to call this son of the Congo our fellow American.

After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children's videos in her basement. The Baby Einstein Company was born — and in just 5 years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. In November 2001, Julie sold Baby Einstein to the Walt Disney Company, and with her help Baby Einstein has grown into a $200 million business. Julie represents the great enterprising spirit of America. And she is using her success to help others — producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new project: "I believe it's the most important thing that I've ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe." We are pleased to welcome this talented business entrepreneur and generous social entrepreneur — Julie Aigner-Clark.

Three weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks ... pulled the man into a space between the rails ... and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he's not a hero. Wesley says: "We got guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We got to show each other some love." There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey.

Tommy Rieman was a teenager pumping gas in Independence, Kentucky, when he enlisted in the United States Army. In December 2003, he was on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq when his team came under heavy enemy fire. From his Humvee, Sergeant Rieman returned fire — and used his body as a shield to protect his gunner. He was shot in the chest and arm, and received shrapnel wounds to his legs — yet he refused medical attention, and stayed in the fight. He helped to repel a second attack, firing grenades at the enemy's position. For his exceptional courage, Sergeant Rieman was awarded the Silver Star. And like so many other Americans who have volunteered to defend us, he has earned the respect and gratitude of our whole country.

In such courage and compassion, ladies and gentlemen, we see the spirit and character of America — and these qualities are not in short supply. This is a decent and honorable country — and resilient, too. We have been through a lot together. We have met challenges and faced dangers, and we know that more lie ahead. Yet we can go forward with confidence — because the State of our Union is strong ... our cause in the world is right ... and tonight that cause goes on.

Thank you.

-- January 24, 2007 10:48 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

I find Hillary a hard pill to swallow. The attempts at placing a female in the Vice Presidential roll has not panned out in the past. I find it difficult to believe a women could possibly be elected President before any trial runs as VP just to get the feel of what to expect not to mention getting some hands on experience. Nothing against woman in general just none ready for such a job.

There are probably enough minority voters (just meaning voters that are willing to get out and vote IE... low voter turnouts) to get her elected. The voters that have the numbers (power) to gain the preferred outcome of an election end up too busy to get out and vote. In our city limits there are roughly 75,000 registered voters. On any given election only about 60%, if that many, turn out to vote. Right after an election the "Letters to the editor" section of the news paper is all abuzz about how did so and so possibly get elected or how did that ordinance & social giveaway possibly pass. Well the same ones bitching, whether silently or vocally, a lot of them did not get out to vote and hence the minority was able to get the people and items voted in.

The minority voter here has became so important that they now will go out and bus them to the polls. I am sure it's like this in most areas. Seems like the busing only involves one party though. That party does everything it can to get these voters to the polls. The other party just says "hey you have cars, take off work and go vote for me". I really am not surprised at the turn out. I hear a lot of associates state "Dang I forgot" or "I didn't make it to the polls today". Could be the case with Pelosi, Republicans didn't see it coming. Look at Bush Sr. never seen Clinton (or Perot) coming and lost the second round.

You would think the voters would learn eventually.

-- January 24, 2007 11:44 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

You would think the voters would learn eventually.

There is always a NEW CROP of voters coming in, and a new person is unskilled and easy prey as a "sucker" until they learn better. Hence the saying, "there is one (sucker) born every minute." In politics, there are a lot of minutes between each race and a lot of new people to educate who might indeed become suckers and end up complaining afterward, if you are not careful. You must educate these newbies, saying the same thing over and over and over and over.. every single election. Those who don't do the legwork to get the information to the voters and get the voters to the polls.. have forgotten this.

The truly frightening thing is when the MSM is listened to by the newbies.. they MAKE suckers very quickly, and our national security rests on having very few suckers and a lot of very sober-minded individuals who will assess the threats with the proper amount of respect according to fact and not personalities. '24' is no fantasy.. it can become reality if the American people are not extremely vigilant. We cannot afford suckers voting for that which they "think" is right, only to be proved to be very wrong afterward when the stakes are America itself and our very lives.

Sara.

-- January 24, 2007 12:19 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted www.dinartrade.com

The Finance Minister Baqar Jaber az-Zobaidi has described 2007 budget as ambitious and seeking to solve the country's problems in security investment and unemployment domain, indicating that it is hopeful that this budget will contribute in increasing the economic growth with ration of 8-10%.

In an exclusive meeting with as-Sabah newspaper, az-Zobaidi said that oil sources at the budget forms 93% and the rest of taxes and customs, whereas more than $10 billions were allocated for the investment, $8 billions for security in addition to $7 billions for supporting the oil ministry.

Source:Voice of Iraq 01/24/07

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 24, 2007 12:50 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another article from www.dinartrade.com

Dollar demand down in Iraqi Cenbank auction
Dollar demand declined on Tuesday in Iraq’s central bank daily auction, reaching $60.605 million compared to $104.240 million on Monday.

In its daily statement the bank said it covered all bids which were $13.105 million in cash and $47.500 million in foreign transfers at an exchange rate of 1,295 dinars per dollar, three ticks lower than Monday’s rate.

None of the 14 banks that participated in Tuesday’s auction offered to sell dollars.

Economist Abdul-Razzaq Sadeq al-Abaiji told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) the new decline in rates heralded a new retreat in auction activity.

Abaiji expected a big rise in the monthly sales of the central bank during the coming months after approving the Iraqi federal budget in dinars. He said this would make the government buy dinars from the central bank and sell dollars in the daily auction, thus propelling sales to record levels.

Source: Al-Sabaah 01/24/07

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 24, 2007 12:53 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

A case in point.. which do you believe.. a celebrity personality saying it was all a "nice trick" or the facts?

Keith Olbermann Attacks Fox ‘Nothing’ Channel
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 23, 2007 - 15:30.

As reported by NewsBusters, the Fox News Channel lobbed quite a shot across the bow of its cable competitors Saturday with a new promo claiming it to be “The Only Cable News Channel That Does Not Bring You The Usual Left Wing Bias.” Feeling that he was up to the challenge, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann fired back on Monday’s “Countdown” QUOTE:

"Speaking of satire, the Fox nothing channel, sorry we can no longer seriously use the word news in connection with what they put out. They have launched a new advertising campaign. Nobody would ever accuse the Fox nothing channel of being honest or principled, but they used to be good at stuff like that."

==end of quote==

That’s quite a fine example of the pot calling the kettle black, dontcha think? After all, nobody has ever accused KO of being honest or principled including his former employers and colleagues that Olby seems to constantly be at odds with as reported here, here, here, here, and here (see urls).

Yet, this wasn’t KO’s only swipe at Fox News Monday evening, for the cable station was also part of a quartet of media outlets he named as his “Worst Persons in the World”, QUOTE:

"But the winners, the “Washington Times,” it‘s magazine “Insight,” Fox nothing Channel and it‘s print idiot cousin the “New York Post.” The magazine quoted an unnamed source which claimed Senator Obama had, when he was six years old, attended a Muslim madrassa. It would be a nice trick, since a madrassa is a college or even a grad school that he would have been in when he was six."

===end of quote==

Well, speaking of being honest or principled, Olby was either lying to his audience about madrassas, or once again showing his ignorance. Husain Haqqani reported for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in April 2004: “As a young boy, I attended a madrassa in my hometown of Karachi.” Mehru Jaffer wrote at IndoIndians.com: “Thousands of madrassas around the world are said to take in children as early as the tender age of six.”

As such, either Olbermann was lying, or showing that, once again, facts are less important than agenda.

Alas, his rant continued, QUOTE:

"But, of course, the story was not true to begin with. A call to Senator Obama‘s office produced an outright denial. A visit to the madrassa proved that he was not there.

But Fox nothing channel and the Post made it worse, quoting additional unnamed sources, they claimed the story had been spread by researchers connected to Senator Clinton. That was outright denied by her office. So one part of the right slime machine takes a lie, doesn‘t even bother to get the denial and prints it. Then another part of the right wing slime machine takes the lie, lies about who lied it and these mongrels are somehow legally allowed to pretend they‘re justified in calling themselves news organization. The “Washington Times,” “Insight Magazine,” Fox nothing Channel and the “New York Post, today‘s Worst Persons in the World."

==end of quote==

Amazing. So, in Olbermann’s bizarre world, when a Democrat denies wrongdoing, he or she must be believed. However, he certainly doesn’t afford the same courtesy for Republicans.

And this guy has the unmitigated audacity to point fingers at others as being legally allowed to call themselves news organizations?

Physician, heal thyself!

Comments:

1) mattm Says:
January 23, 2007 - 15:37

Obviously Fox NEWS Channel struck a raw nerve with Olbermanic.... Ha!

2) florida_chad Says:
January 23, 2007 - 15:47

At first I was quite happy when some conservative news organization came alive. I used to think it would help to bring all MSM news to a more honest level, instead of the usual left leaning bias. After watch the news since the last election I feel that I was wrong. The MSM now seems quite intent on harming all things conservative. They seem to feel emboldened by the elections results. They do not even try to hide the fact that they are now on attack. It is all so sad. In our world now I continually hear untruths repeated again and again. Like that half of all marriages end up in divorce. Its just not true, but is repeated as fact all the time.

3) Noel Sheppard Says:
January 23, 2007 - 15:56

Despite his ratings, this man has become a champion of the extreme left in this country. Would it be wise for conservative media analysts to ignore his rantings when he commands so much respect from the most venomous leftists? Isn't it a better strategy for us to continue writing about him in the hopes that such focus might diminish the likelihood of him becoming more mainstream?

If we kept silent now, wouldn't we feel foolish if he ended up in a more prominent media role somewhere down the line? Think about it.

4) Chris Norman Says:
January 23, 2007 - 15:58

Why posts about Olbermann? Because, like a lunatic loose in your neighborhood, it's good to know what he's up to, until they can haul him away...

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on. - Arabian Proverb

5) bigtimer Says:
January 23, 2007 - 15:49

I posted somewhere last night about this, and I am still laughing my guts up the false indignation of msnbc and their ring-master at the circus KO! It was so outrageous it was hysterically petty, pathetic and pitiful.

Talk about doing nothing but helping viewers go to Fox to check out what the heck this silly little so-called man has been incessantly yammering and bit***n' about forever now!

Dumb tactics....makes Fox happy though!

Me too! Good for laughs! Keeps a person healthy!

Btw...the cute little dialogue he stuck in their about verifying that Hillary's camp denied everything was enough to make me a believer....

Uh-huh, when pigs fly!

"If we ever forget that we are a Nation Under God....then we will be a Nation Gone Under." Ronald Reagan

6) Hero Squad Says:
January 23, 2007 - 15:55

Fox probably loves getting the attention on a competing network. That's just free advertising - reminding MessNBC viewers to check out their Fox News channel, either to be outraged or enlightened, depending upon their viewpoint.

Just waiting now for KO's "I know you are but what am I" rebuttal.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10330

-- January 24, 2007 12:55 PM ∞

---

Robert J wrote:

Ok folks,

Count me in. I just got my first million in IQD. When I talked with the dealer I asked if they were uncirculated and they said no. They said they are starting to see more circulated bills and are trying to secure more uncirculated bills in next weeks shipment. The bills are in good condition with only a few that have various smudges and marks. I wanted to secure my first million in IQD to satisfy my cautious nature and now I need to complete the remainder of my purchase by finding the least expensive dealer. I am near Atlanta and checked with most of the banks and no one can order dinar for me, to include BOA, HSBC, Wachovia, Chase and others. I'll keep checking around and if anyone around Georgia can give me a telephone number of a bank that they have successfully ordered IQD from then please let me know.

-- January 24, 2007 12:57 PM ∞

---

Robert J wrote:

Sara:

I find Keith Olbermann of MSNBC and other FOX detracters somewhat humorous in their feeble attempts to malign their competition. The loss of their argument begins and ends quite simply with the viewers and what the audience wishes to consume. Millions of consumers dont like the taste of what the traditional media has offered up. Just report the news equally and let me sort it out for myself. I dont want some indoctrinated dweeb from your local liberal journalism college telling me how and what to think!

-- January 24, 2007 1:17 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, Robert J, I agree.
And what is it with these false polls all the time?
Is the problem that the public is hornswoggled by statistics...
so that they bow down in obedience anytime they hear the word "poll"
and lick the boots of the person speaking it?
In this one..

Alter also failed to point out that a poll Webb used to claim the military doesn't support the war actually favors increasing troop numbers, as proposed by Bush.

AND:

He claimed a majority of the military doesn't support the effort in Iraq, that's untrue.

===

Newsweek Inadvertently Exposes Hapless Dems
Posted by Dan Riehl on January 24, 2007 - 12:34.

In a fit of rapture over newly elected Democrat Jim Webb, going so far as to speculate that he might be presidential ticket material for team D, Newsweek's Johnathan Alter left the lede at the bottom of this piece. Too bad those who might appreciate it most will likely never get to the bottom of Alter's little Webb romance. QUOTE:

"A Powerful Response
Jim Webb tore up his party's playbook—and helped point the Democrats in a new direction."

===end of quote==

Alter also failed to point out that a poll Webb used to claim the military doesn't support the war actually favors increasing troop numbers, as proposed by Bush - that item at bottom.

You can almost hear Alter's breathing grow heavy as he pants his way through a half dozen longish paragraphs on the heroic and suddenly presidential Jim Webb. Unfortunately, perhaps lost in admiration, Alter made the critical error of allowing just a bit of reality to slip in at the end. QUOTE:

"Could this help land Webb on the 2008 ticket? Maybe, though he was a stiff and unsmiling candidate in Virginia and he's been married three times. The problem with the populist theme is that Democrats have no real remedies for the effects of globalization on the middle class. And they are not yet entirely clear on what should be done in Iraq. But at a minimum, Jim Webb offered a timely reminder that great political parties can recover if they strike the right tone."

===end of quote==

Four years into a war they've practically opposed from the start and still no alternate plan. Ten or perhaps twenty years into globalization, and again the Democrats have no plan. But don't worry America, they may have finally found the right tone? How grand!

Tone is great if you're an musician, but eight years of Clinton sounding the right tone while America drifted lackadaisically through an increasingly economically challenging and militarily dangerous world didn't get the job done. And despite his inability to control his slobbering over Webb, even Alter was forced to admit that the Democrats who have been running everything in America down for 6 years have absolutely nothing to offer America as an alternative for running America at all: not the right tone, not even a plan.

No wonder Alter buried his lede at the end.

Alter also might have pointed out that his new Webb flame turns out to be something of an obfuscater when it comes to the truth. He claimed a majority of the military doesn't support the effort in Iraq, that's untrue. QUOTE:

Almost half of those responding think we need more troops in Iraq than we have there now.

Either way, Webb's claim is false based upon the disclaimer with the poll.

The results should not be read as representative of the military as a whole;

Pity that with age Webb has turned into one of the spineless types he denounced in his youth, going so far as to protest amnesty for draft dodgers during Vietnam. Like most, I've heard old soldiers never die. I guess it's possible that some who don't fade away, simply lose their nerve.QUOTE:

The majority of the American people never truly bought the antiwar movement’s logic. While it is correct to say many wearied of an ineffective national strategy as the war dragged on, they never stopped supporting the actual goals for which the United States and South Vietnam fought. As late as September 1972, a Harris survey indicated overwhelming support for continued bombing of North Vietnam – 55 percent to 32 percent – and for mining North Vietnamese harbors – 64 percent to 22 percent. By a margin of 74 percent to 11 percent, those polled also agreed that “it is important that South Vietnam not fall into the control of the communists.”

Comments:

1) mattm Says:
January 24, 2007 - 12:53

Perfect! They have no plan, they have no facts, they have no substance, but they have the right tone.

This is exactly in line with what I said about Brokaw giving Bush an "A" for talking about global warming: It's not what you DO, but what you SAY (or how you sound when you say it-i.e. "the right tone") that matters to Libs.

2) Galvanic Says:
January 24, 2007 - 13:04

Webb has gained the benefit from having made a national address on TV, thus making him an instant potential Presidential candidate. I suspect that the Dems will find Webb more trouble than he's worth, though. Were it not for the fact that he holds a Senate seat in a slim margin over the Reps, I think they'd distance themselves from him.

3) truth_missile Says:
January 24, 2007 - 13:06

All style - no substance.

"As a highly decorated veteran of Vietnam ..." where have I heard that one before? Lemme see... "Jim Webb - reporting for duty!" Jim Webb - Unfit For Command.

Why is it Republicans are characterized as war mongers and hawks while Democrats have a 'muscular view' on the war...stupid games these cowards hiding behind the pen play with their words.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10361

-- January 24, 2007 1:35 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Glad to have you on the Dinar Train with your announcement of your first million Dinar, Robert J.
Welcome - also your input to the board is appreciated. :)

Sara.

-- January 24, 2007 1:41 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Robert:

Welcome to the board. I think you have made a wise investment into the NID.

How much Iraqi Dinar do you wish to purchase? The lowest I am currently seeing from dealers is $900.00 per million (www.lowestpricedinar.com). Prices have skyrocketed on ebay, I just do not think it is a good value. I am surprised you cannot order Dinar from Chase. I live in Texas and have the ability to buy them.

Welcome aboard. I look forward to reading additional comments from you.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 24, 2007 2:18 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Just curious, I have not seen posts by Lance or Taxmama in a while. Where are you guys? We miss reading your contributions to the board.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 24, 2007 2:20 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

From the New York Times.

Iraq Parliament Finds a Quorum Hard to Come By

By DAMIEN CAVE
Published: January 24, 2007
BAGHDAD, Jan. 23 — Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the speaker of Parliament, read a roll call of the 275 elected members with a goal of shaming the no-shows.

Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister? Absent, living in Amman and London. Adnan Pachachi, the octogenarian statesman? Also gone, in Abu Dhabi.

Others who failed to appear Monday included Saleh Mutlak, a senior Sunni legislator; several Shiites and Kurds; and Ayad al-Samaraei, chairman of the finance committee, whose absence led Mr. Mashhadani to ask: “When will he be back? After we approve the budget?”

It was a joke barbed with outrage. Parliament in recent months has been at a standstill. Nearly every session since November has been adjourned because as few as 65 members made it to work, even as they and the absentees earned salaries and benefits worth about $120,000.

Part of the problem is security, but Iraqi officials also said they feared that members were losing confidence in the institution and in the country’s fragile democracy. As chaos has deepened, Parliament’s relevance has gradually receded.

Deals on important legislation, most recently the oil law, now take place largely out of public view, with Parliament — when it meets — rubber-stamping the final decisions. As a result, officials said, vital legislation involving the budget, provincial elections and amendments to the Constitution remain trapped in a legislative process that processes nearly nothing. American officials long hoped that Parliament could help foster dialogue between Iraq’s increasingly fractured ethnic and religious groups, but that has not happened, either.

Goaded by American leaders, frustrated and desperate to prove that Iraq can govern itself, senior Iraqi officials have clearly had enough. Mr. Mashhadani said Parliament would soon start fining members $400 for every missed session and replace the absentees if they fail to attend a minimum amount of the time.

Some of Iraq’s more seasoned leaders say attendance has been undermined by a widening sense of disillusionment about Parliament’s ability to improve Iraqis’ daily life. The country’s dominant issue, security, is almost exclusively the policy realm of the American military and the office of the prime minister.

Every bombing like the one on Monday, which killed 88 people at a downtown market, suggests to some that Parliament’s laws are irrelevant in the face of sprawling chaos and the government’s inability to stop it.

“People are totally disenchanted,” Mr. Pachachi said in a telephone interview from Abu Dhabi. “There has been no improvement in the security situation. The government seems to be incapable of doing anything despite all the promises.”

Though the Constitution grants Iraq’s only elected body wide powers to pass laws and investigate, sectarian divisions and the need for a twothirds majority in some cases have often led to deadlock. Sunni and Shiite power brokers have blocked efforts to scrutinize violence connected to their own sects.

“Parliament is the heart of the political process,” Mr. Mashhadani said in an interview at his office, offering more hope than reality. “It is the center of everything. If the heart is not working, it all fails.”

Monday’s attendance actually surpassed the 50 percent plus one needed to pass laws. It was the first quorum in months, caused in part by the return of 30 members loyal to the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, whose end to a two-month boycott created a public relations blitz that helped attract 189 members.

But the scene in the convention center auditorium where Parliament meets only underscored the rarity of the gathering. It seemed at times like a reunion. At one point Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who is head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and a Shiite rival of Mr. Sadr, arrived late — after being marked absent. He spent the first five minutes waving and nodding at colleagues, some of whom he apparently had not seen in months.

Parliamentary officials refused to provide attendance lists for every session, fearing retribution. They said all sects and regions had members who often did not come.

Each representative earns about $10,000 a month in salary and benefits, including money for guards. Yet on Monday, members from Baghdad neighborhoods to small towns in the hinterland — Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Christians and Turkmen — were all on the list of no-shows that Mr. Mashhadani read aloud.

The largest group of absentees consisted of unknown figures elected as part of the party lists that governed how most people voted in the December 2005 election. Party leaders in Baghdad said they had urged their members to attend but emphasized that for many, Parliament had become a hardship post.

(Page 2 of 2)

Representatives who travel from afar stay at the Rashid Hotel in the Green Zone, across a road, two checkpoints and several pat-downs from the 1970s-era convention center. It is not luxurious. It is barely safe. The food is mediocre.

In short, many said, the job is not what members thought they had signed up for.

“Most of them were here for the game, for prestige, for the money,” said Muhammad al-Ahmedawi, a Shiite member of the Fadhila Party. “It’s upsetting and disappointing. We want the members to come, to pursue the interests of their constituents, especially in this sensitive time.”

Mr. Ahmedawi said politicians who had larger shares of power before the elections seemed to view Parliament as a demotion best ignored. Mr. Allawi, for example, who did not return calls to his London aides requesting an interview, has been rallying support in Amman and London among exiles who have fled Iraq’s violence.

Of the 25 members of his bloc, only six attended the session on Monday.

Mr. Pachachi, who is in his mid-80s, said he left Iraq a few months ago because his wife needed open-heart surgery and he did not trust that she would be well cared for in one of Baghdad’s decrepit hospitals. He said he hoped to return in a few weeks, admitting that “one has to be there — you can’t be a member of the Parliament and live abroad.”

But he said the dangers involved with being a public figure in Iraq had made it much more difficult to participate in government. He has 40 guards to protect him when he comes to Iraq, he said, and the salary from Parliament pays for only 20.

“I have protection, and unfortunately the protection is not sufficient for anyone anymore,” he said. “The level of violence has become unmanageable.”

Other Iraqi politicians take a harder line. Adnan Dulaimi, a member of the largest Sunni bloc in Parliament, put it simply, “If there are some members who think there is no benefit to attending, then they should resign.”

Mr. Mashhadani seems to be shaping a slightly softer approach that mixes persuasion with punishment. Like Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, he has met repeatedly with party leaders, pushing them to ensure the attendance of their members.

During an interview in his office, lined with baroque cushioned chairs with gold trim, he also acknowledged that more money should be set aside for members’ security, but only if members show up to pass a budget.

He said the shaming of the absentees at the public session, a first, was the first step. He said the fines and threat of replacement would also help.

There is, of course, only one problem. For the proposals to be put in place, a majority of members in Parliament have to be present to pass them.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 24, 2007 5:23 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

ABC News Presents Bush-Basher As Vet Spokesman
From those "unbiased" journalists at ABC’s Blotter:

Veterans Feel Left Out, Ignored in Bush Speech
January 24, 2007
Dana Hughes Reports:

It’s not what President Bush said but what he left out of his State of the Union address that has outraged a major veteran’s group, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

In his nearly one-hour State of the Union address, President Bush never mentioned the 1.6 million veterans the war has already produced, while repeatedly asking the American public and Congress to support his plan to send 20,000 more troops to Iraq.

"For the second year in a row, the president chose to mention the troops only really as a prop for his policies and ignored that these folks are coming home as new veterans," says Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and an Iraq war veteran himself.

The lack of a mention shows "veterans aren’t a priority for the Bush administration," says Rieckhoff.

Rieckhoff says, in his view, it’s irresponsible for Bush to talk about increasing troops in the ongoing war without addressing shortcomings in health care and economic benefits that now plague an overburdened Veterans Affairs Administration…

===end of quote===

The article continues on with much more whining and hand wringing by Mr. Rieckhoff over President Bush’s horrendous slight.

But no where is it mentioned in the piece that Mr. Rieckhoff is against the Iraq war and a long time professional Bush-basher. His so-called "organization" is dedicated to it.

Mr. Rieckhoff also favors the nation with his ponderous pondering at Zsa Zsa Huffington’s site. Here is a sampling of his recent entries:

Paul Rieckhoff -

Bush Fails to Mention America’s 1.6 Million New Veterans in SOTU

Tonight President Bush once again failed to demonstrate a real commitment to the 1.6 million new American veterans who have been created under his watch. For the second year in a row, the President in his State of the Union address chose to mention the troops only as a prop…

The Surge: Bush’s Latest Bad Call

The President’s New Way Forward isn’t just the wrong change of course. It’s no change at all.

Since Day One, the Administration has tried to conduct this war on the cheap - not enough troops to secure Baghdad and prevent looting, not enough armor to protect the troops we sent,…

Disgraceful

President Ford died last week. And President Bush didn’t attend the services.

James Brown also died last week. And President Bush didn’t attend the funeral.

He was on vacation.

And this weekend, the 3,000th American service member died in Iraq.

The President won’t go to that…

Better Late Than Never: Accountability

The resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld earlier today is welcome news, especially for those men and women in uniform who have suffered the consequences of Rumsfeld’s mistakes and failed policies.

In the Army, the concept of personal accountability is the most important part of a Soldier’s life. To survive…

President Bush’s Frat Boy Attitude

Last week’s White House press conference was notable for a number of reasons. First, any time President Bush answers questions from the press is a noteworthy event, given that he has deigned to do so fewer times than almost any other modern President. It was also notable because mere…

Mr. President, You Would Understand If You Had Fought

I want to commend Senators McCain, Graham and Warner, and also General Colin Powell, for their unequivocal stand against the use of torture on enemy detainees. They are right on this issue. And the President is wrong.

As veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, IAVA’s members are…

====end of quotes===

Mr. Rieckhoff has been spewing similar or worse Bush hatred for years.

But ABC News trots out this guy’s Huffington blog post word for word as if he is speaking for all US veterans.

This is the propaganda our media pass off as news each and every day.

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Wednesday, January 24th, 2007

Comments:

1) SG
January 24th, 2007 at 1:39 pm

Meanwhile, another Bush hater weighs in, via the AP:

Louisiana Governor Lashes Out at Bush
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

(01-24) 09:55 PST New Orleans (AP) — Gov. Kathleen Blanco angrily criticized President Bush on Wednesday for not mentioning 2005’s destructive hurricanes in his State of the Union speech, and said Louisiana is being shortchanged in federal recovery funding for political reasons.

“I guess the pain of the hurricane is yesterday’s news in Washington,” Blanco said at a news conference…

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/24/national/a0955 03S60.DTL

These people are like spoiled children. “He didn’t say ‘hi’ to me!”

Again, they are pining for a dictatorship. With a big daddy or mommy to take care of them — and always have them in his or her mighty thoughts.

2) learner
January 24th, 2007 at 2:14 pm

He didnt mention me either. Waaaa.

To any GI who reads here I support you and you have done an excellent job in taking the fight to the enemy of the whole world. Keep up the good work! Thank you and may your God keep you safe!

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/abcs-blotter-presents-bush-basher-as-vet-spokesman

-- January 24, 2007 6:13 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

General: Iraq situation 'dire' but not hopeless
1/24/2007
By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The commander chosen to implement President Bush's new strategy in Iraq warned a Senate panel on Tuesday of tough days ahead there.

"The situation in Iraq is dire," Lt. Gen. David Petraeus told lawmakers skeptical of the plan to commit 21,500 more troops and an additional $1 billion in aid.

"The stakes are high. There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. … But hard is not hopeless," Petraeus said at a Senate hearing on his nomination to lead U.S. forces in Iraq.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who is allied with the Democrats, pleaded with colleagues to reconsider adopting resolutions that oppose Bush's policy, which he called "perhaps a last chance to succeed in Iraq."

Lieberman asked Petraeus whether the resolutions could be interpreted as encouraging the enemy.

"That's correct, sir," Petraeus said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-01-23-petraeus_x.htm

===

Cheney: Situation in Iraq Not Hopeless
Associated Press 01.24.07

Vice President Dick Cheney said Wednesday it was "hogwash" to suggest that President Bush's credibility was on the line because of mistakes made in Iraq.

Cheney acknowledged that the situation in Iraq was very unstable, but that toppling Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do. He said he trusted Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, saying he had demonstrated a willingness to take on lawbreakers regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations.

"The critics have not suggested a policy - they haven't put anything in place," Cheney said in an occasionally testy televised interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.

"All they've recommended is to redeploy or to withdraw our forces. The fact is, we can complete the task in Iraq. We're going to do it. We've got (Lt. Gen. David) Petraeus - Gen. Petraeus taking over. It is a good strategy. It will work. But we have to have the stomach to finish the task."

The vice president said he does not think Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a very good president "because she's a Democrat."

"I don't agree with her philosophically and from a policy standpoint," he said.

The vice president said passage of a Senate resolution opposing Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq would not change the administration's new strategy in Iraq.

"The Congress has control over the purse strings. They have the right, obviously, if they want, to cut off funding," Cheney said.

"But in terms of this effort, the president has made his decision. We've consulted extensively with them. We'll continue to consult with the Congress. But the fact of the matter is, we need to get the job done."

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/01/24/ap3358501.html

-- January 24, 2007 6:40 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

US Iraq envoy sees positive signs on militias
24 Jan 2007
By Alastair Macdonald

BAGHDAD, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador praised Iraq's prime minister for taking a "strong position" with fellow Shi'ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr and said on Wednesday he saw some positive signs that Shi'ite militia violence could be contained.

Describing preparations for a U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters Washington was wary of the risk militants and death squad killers were simply lying low until it was over but added: "There will be no sanctuary."

"Operations will go on until Baghdad is made secure."

Khalilzad, who plays a key role in Iraqi politics, said he believed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had become "exasperated" with a failure to persuade Sadr and his followers to rein in death squads and other violence by his Mehdi Army militia and "did a good job" in ordering arrests of key suspects recently.
Maliki's commitment to tackling Shi'ite violence has been questioned by U.S. politicians critical of Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq and President George W. Bush has made clear further support is dependent on Maliki acting against militias.

Khalilzad described a meeting between Maliki and Bush in Jordan in late November as possibly a "defining moment" for Maliki's change in tack towards Sadr.

"While initially he was emphasising political engagement with them ... over time, I think, he became more exasperated ... and then he changed the mix, allowing for more use of force," Khalilzad said.

This month Maliki said the coming Baghdad Security Plan, backed by close to 20,000 U.S. reinforcements, will tackle not just Sunni insurgents but Shi'ite militias. He said last week some 400 Mehdi Army members had been detained recently.

Khalilzad welcomed the return of Sadr's movement this week to the coalition cabinet and parliament following a boycott that began in protest at Maliki's meeting with Bush in November. He said U.S. diplomats were engaging with the anti-American group.

"The government took a strong position," he said, adding the Sadrist bloc secured little beyond an undertaking for parliament to study how to speed up the conditions for a U.S. withdrawal.

"The recent trend ... is more positive," Khalilzad said.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC464269.htm

-- January 24, 2007 6:47 PM ∞

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Robert J wrote:

All:

I wish to get your response on a question I have.

The IRS requires Form TD F 90-22.1 for reporting foreign bank and financial accounts. There is no reporting requirements for amounts less than 10,000USD. Therein lies the question! If we end up with a much greater amount in an overseas account, then what met the requirement going in certainly won't meet it coming out and the IRS is focusing very heavily on offshore transactions. Do you just wait till the value is over $10,000 USD and then report it or do we just go ahead and send in the report disclosing less than $10,000 to be sure that the IRS wont find an excuse to penalize us.

And yes...I know all about the "you should seek professional expertise in this area" exclusionary clause.

-- January 24, 2007 7:01 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Mary Lou,

Iraq is not part of GCC, article 16 in CBI's work law, state that CBI can not go into a monetary union.

True, thee is talk about a common currency revolving only around the Gulf states, members of the GCC.

Again, Iraq is not a member of GCC.

They have run into problems of their own, but then again, this is a confederation that Iraq is not a member of, so it is not wise to base a decision to not buy Iraqi Dinars based on if a couple fo countries outside of Iraq is going to swap their currency.

-- January 24, 2007 8:02 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert J,

The exact details I'm unaware of but I'm aware of the basic principle.

If you invest, what you do, is basically give your money away to someone else to play with.

To show an extreme, you can have Billions and live like a rat, walking the streets with a shopping cart, smelling old string cheese.

As soon as you TAKE OUT, any money from the entity you have given it to....it's yours, and in proportion to how much you take out, you are taxed.

-- January 24, 2007 8:12 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N,

That was a piece of serious info.

This explains why the legislature is so enormous slow in reaching anything that remotely looks like a decision.

It also shows that their own morale is pretty low, the threat for their own security, and the hardship they have to live through, just to attend sessions.

Alternatively, perhaps they should move the governing body from Baghdad, to a safer area, so they can proceed with their governing uninterrupted.

In hardships the move of the Government from one physical location is not unheard of.

Berlin to Bonn, Yokohama to Tokyo, Paris to Vichy, there are more. Many states in the US have moved their capitol, and in event of a crisis here in the US, most probably you will see Denver, being the Capital temporary.

Old European governing, they had their reichstag , riksdag, or rikedage,("The day of the country") the day of the year, when the priests, farmers, citizens and noblemen, came together as a governing body.

This was an event that took about a week or so( not only one day, even if the name says so), it was a forum for all to discuss the comings and goings of the country, the King sitting at one end ( always a bit elevated of course). It was held in different locations each year, but as the business increased, one city alone was elected as the city where they could have continuous governing business.

Thus, government waist and triplicate copies of one report was invented.

Perhaps the Iraqi Government should consider moving the Iraqi Government temporary deep into the Kurdish area for now.

-- January 24, 2007 8:45 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Don't worry.. radicals like in that fictional '24' don't even exist to pose a threat to the US..
and we all know they are aren't really our enemies by the things they SAY..
go back to sleep or watch another made for tv movie about the real threats out there..
like global warming - that is what makes the Academy Awards nominations and the MSM press.

Iran: Israel, US will soon die
01.23.07
Yaakov Lappin

Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday during a meeting with Syria's foreign minister, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) website said in a report. Iran's official FARS news agency also reported the comments.

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad… assured that the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel will soon come to the end of their lives," the Iranian president was quoted as saying.

"Sparking discord among Muslims, especially between the Shiites and Sunnis, is a plot hatched by the Zionists and the US for dominating regional nations and looting their resources," Ahmadinejad added, according to the report.

The Iranian president also directly tied events in Lebanon to a wider plan aimed at Israel's destruction. He called on "regional countries" to "support the Islamic resistance of the Lebanese people and strive to enhance solidarity and unity among the different Palestinian groups in a bid to pave the ground for the undermining of the Zionist regime whose demise is, of course, imminent."

Ahmadinejad has threatened the State of Israel with annihilation several times in recent months, and has recently added the US and Britain to the list of countries he says will be destroyed.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1%2C2506%2CL-3356154%2C00.html

-- January 24, 2007 9:04 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Today

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alsabaah.com%2F&langpair=ar%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

الاقتصاديةEconomic : موازنة عام 2007 من وجهة نظر المختصينBudget 2007 : from the point of view of specialists

بغداد ـ حيدر الربيعيBaghdad Haider spring
أجمع أقطاب القرار الاقتصادي ان موازنة عام 2007 وهي الاكبر في تاريخ العراق قادرة على النهوض بالواقع الخدمي والعمراني المطلوب اذا ما وجهت تخصيصاتها وفقاً لما مخطط له بدقة ومتابعة آليات التنفيذ باشراف عال ومسؤول.The whole poles economic decision that the 2007 budget, which was the largest in the history of Iraq is able to promote our service and physical required if directed allocations, according to a planned carefully and follow-up mechanisms for implementation and supervision of a high official.

فيما دعا عدد من المختصين في المجال الاقتصادي الى ضرورة الاسراع باقرار موازنة العام الحالي، والعمل على ما جاء فيها من تخصيصات تعمل على النهوض بواقع البلد عمرانياً وخدمياً وفي شتى المجالات..With the number of specialists in the economic field for the need to speed up the adoption of the current year budget, and work on what came from allocations for the advancement of the country by residential and service in various fields.
وحذروا من الاخفاقات التي قد تتعرض لها بسبب الفساد الاداري مشددين على اهمية ان تعمل الحكومة على متابعة آليات تنفيذ ما جاء في تلك الموازنة من خطط عمرانية وصحية وتعليمية وخدمية بدقة كونها ستسهم في الارتقاء بالواقع العراقي بصورة شاملة.They warned of the failures that may be due to administrative corruption stressing the importance that the government is working on the follow-up mechanisms to implement what was stated in that budget plans and urban health, education and service will be strictly to the upgrading of the Iraqi reality in a comprehensive manner.
في غضون ذلك كانت مناقشات مستفيضة قد دارت بين اعضاء مجلس النواب وعدد من المختصين اقرارها والوقوف على اهم الايجابيات ومعالجة ما تضمنته من سلبيات، وقد اوصى عدد من الحاضرين الى بالاسراع في اقرار الموازنة لما تتضمنه من اموال استثمارية كبيرة تفيد العراق في اقامة العديد من المشاريع الحيوية التي هو بأمس الحاجة لها.In the meantime, the extensive discussions have taken place between members of the House and a number of specialists approval and stand on the key strengths and address the contents of the negative aspects, and had recommended a number of attendees to speed up the adoption of the budget because it contained a large investment funds benefit of Iraq to set up many vital projects which is dire need them.
دعوة للإسراع في المصادقةCall to speed up the ratification
فقد طالب وزير التخطيط والتعاون الانمائي علي بابان مجلس النواب بالاسراع في المصادقة على ميزانية العام الحالي.He called on the Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation on Papan the House of Representatives to speed up the ratification of the budget for the current year.
وقال خلال مناقشة الموازنة المالية للعام الحالي في مجلس النواب: ان المصادقة على هذه الميزانية ستنعكس ايجابا على انجاز الكثير من المشاريع. والتأخر في المصادقة سيؤخر انجاز تلك المشاريع. مؤكدا ان الحكومة استطاعت في هذا الظرف الصعب ان تضع ميزانية لم تضعها اية حكومة سابقة، وهي ميزانية مشجعة على انجاز جميع خطط الوزارات خلال العام الحالي اذا ما نفذت بدقة.. مبينا ان وزارة التخطيط الان تعمل في ضوء شعار يدعو الى اقامة المزيد من مشاريع الاستثمار والدولة لها استحقاقات وأولوية في تلك المشاريع.. وذكر بابان ان بعض نسب الانجاز في العام الماضي في بعض الوزارات كانت متدنية بسبب الظرف الامني الذي يمر به العراق.He said during a discussion of the financial budget for the current year in the House of Representatives : that the ratification of the budget will reflect positively on the completion of many projects. The delay in ratification would delay the completion of those projects. Stressing that the government could, in this circumstance is difficult to develop a budget not by any previous government, which is encouraging the completion of the budget plans of all ministries during the current year if implemented carefully. Noting that the Ministry of Planning is now in the light of the slogan calling for the establishment of more investment projects and state benefits, and the priority in these projects. The Papan that some rates of achievement in the past year in some ministries were low because of the security situation facing Iraq.
عام لتنفيذ المشاريع الاستثماريةFor the implementation of investment projects
من جانبه شدد نائب رئيس الوزراء د. برهم صالح خلال المناقشات على ضرورة ان يشهد العراق خلال العام الحالي تنفيذ اكبر عدد ممكن من المشاريع التي تخدم المواطن والاقتصاد العراقي.. موضحا ان المرحلة الماضية اخذت من الموازنة القسم الاكبر لتمويل الجانب الامني، لأنه كان يمثل الاولوية الاولى في حياة المواطن، اضافة الى تمويل مفردات البطاقة التموينية، مشيرا الى ان العام الماضي لم يكن بالمستوى الذي تطمح اليه الحكومة او مجلس النواب من حيث تنفيذ المشاريع..For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Barham Salih during discussions on the need to see Iraq through this year, the implementation of the largest possible number of projects that serve the citizens and the Iraqi economy. He pointed out that the last phase of the budget took up most of the financing aspect of security, because it represents the first priority in the lives of citizens, in addition to the financing items ration card, he said, pointing out that last year, not at the level desired by the government or the House of Representatives in terms of the implementation of projects.
وبين صالح ان الموازنة الحالية هي الاكبر في تاريخ العراق، لذا يجب ان يكون هذا العام عاما لتنفيذ المشاريع الاستثمارية التي ستكون عاملاً في رفع الاقتصاد والقضاء على البطالة..And the benefit that the current budget is the largest in the history of Iraq, therefore, it must be this year overview of the implementation of investment projects that will be a factor in lifting the economy and the elimination of unemployment.
صالح اشار ايضا الى ضرورة ان يشعر المواطن بتحسن الوضع الامني والخدمي والعمل على ايجاد السبل الكفيلة بافهامه بأن الحكومة تعمل من اجل رفع المستوى المعاشي له..Saleh also pointed to the need to feel the improvement in the security situation citizen and service and working to find ways to Pavhamh that the government was working towards raising the standard of living for him.
وعن آلية تنفيذ البرامج والخطط بيّن صالح ان التلكؤ في تنفيذ المشاريع ليس في عدم تخصيص الاموال المناسبة بل الخلل في الفساد الاداري والآليات الخاطئة التي هي من اهم اسباب اضاعة المال العام وعدم وضعه في مكانه المناسب..Regarding the implementation of the programs and plans of the lag in the implementation of projects not in the lack of appropriate funds, but the imbalance in the administrative corruption and mechanisms wrong is the most important reasons for wasting public money and not put in its proper place.
ميزانية استثماريةBudget investment
محافظ البنك المركزي سنان الشبيبي من جانبه قال: ان الميزانية الجديدة هي ميزانية استثمارية وفيها حجم استثمار كبير من الناحية الاقتصادية.. وأضاف خلال مناقشة ميزانية العام الحالي في مجلس النواب ان دور البنك المركزي يتمثل في معالجة الاختلال الذي سينجم عن عملية التنمية التي ستتمخض عن تغييرات في البنية الاقتصادية الارتكازية.Central Bank Governor Sinan Shabibi said, in turn : that the new budget is an investment budget and the size of a large investment in economic terms. He added during the budget debate this year in the House of Representatives said that the Central Bank's role is to address the imbalance resulting from the development process that will produce changes in the economic structure are basic.
واوضح الشبيبي ان البنك المركزي يعمل على تحقيق التنمية في بيئة نقدية مستقرة، اضافة الى ان البنك يهتم بكل الوسائل والسياقات التي تحقق الاستقرار الاقتصادي ومعالجة التضخم.Shabibi explained that the Central Bank is working on the development of a stable monetary, in addition to the bank concerned by all means and contexts that achieve economic stability and dealing with inflation.
وتابع الشبيبي ان علاقتنا بالميزانية تتعلق بالحفاظ على مواردها، ويتم ذلك عن طريق مكافحة التضخم، وقد قمنا بالعديد من الاجراءات ومنها رفع سعر صرف الدينار.. مشيرا الى ان هذا الاجراء اثر في الميزانية من خلال التأثير في القدرة الشرائية للحكومة..He continued Shabibi that our budget for the preservation of resources, and this will be done by the fight against inflation, and we have a number of measures including raising the exchange rate of the dinar. He pointed out that the impact of this measure in the budget through influence in the purchasing power of the government.
وأفاد ان هذه السياسة ستعمل على زيادة الثقة بالدينار ما سيسحب نوعا من الاموال للقطاع المصرفي وترشيد الانفاق الحكومي الامر الذي سيحد من التضخم..He said that this policy will increase confidence in the dinar will pull some of the money to the banking sector and the rationalization of government expenditure which will limit inflation.
وبيّن ان هذا الامر يؤدي الى خفض اسعار الاستيراد، مثل استيرادات القطاع الخاص واستيرادات الحكومة للتنمية التي تأتي من خلال تحويل الدينار العراقي الى دولار.And that this will lead to the reduction of import prices, such as imports, the private sector and the import of the government's development comes through the transformation of the Iraqi dinar to the dollar.
ورغم كثرة المؤيدين لما جاء في تفاصيل الموازنة والارقام المطروحة فيها، والدعوة الى الاسراع بالمصادقة عليها، الا انها لاقت اعتراضات ايضا حول بعض النقاط التي اعتبرها البعض غامضة وتحتاج الى تعديل، حزب الفضيلة وعلى لسان رئيس كتلته في البرلمان المح الى انه من المحتمل جدا ان لا يصوت حزبه على موازنة العام الحالي لغموض وعدم وضوح بعض ما جاء فيه من فقرات..While many supporters as stated in the details of the budget and the figures put forward, and call for early ratification, but it was met with objections also on some of the points that some considered vague and needed to be amended, the Virtue Party, in the words of President bloc in the parliament hinted that it is very likely that no vote his party on the current year budget of the ambiguity and lack of clarity in some of what was reported in the paragraphs.
وأضاف حسن الشمري في تصريح صحفي: هناك عدة ملاحظات حول الموازنة تتضمن عناوين غير واضحة وغامضة منها عنوان (المنافع الاجتماعية) الوارد في موازنة (رئاسة الجمهورية ورئاسة الوزراء ووزارة المالية) اذ بلغت التخصيصات لهذا العنوان الغامض (على حد قول الشمري) خمسة ترليونات و125 ملياراً و50 مليون دينار عراقي.And Hassan al-Shamri added in a press statement : There are several observations on the budget include the titles are unclear and ambiguous title of which (social benefits) contained in the budget (the presidency of the republic and the prime minister and the Ministry of Finance), as the allocations for this confusing title (in the words of al-Shamri) 5 trillion and 125 billion and 50 million Iraqi dinars.
وأشار الى ان هذه الضبابية وعدم الوضوح تتيح فرصة للاختلاسات والسرقات، بالاضافة الى عنوان (النشاط العام للدولة) الذي خصص له مبلغ كبير ايضا.He pointed out that this ambiguity and lack of clarity provide an opportunity for embezzlement, theft, in addition to the title (the activity of the State), which has been allocated is also significant.
واوضح الشمري ان الموازنة اشارت الى تخصيص منح لاقليم كردستان وعدم تخصيص وحدة انفاق مماثلة لباقي المحافظات ولا توجد بين الارقام المخصصة للمواقع السيادية ارقام مخصصة لجهات الانفاق التي هي على مساس بحياة الناس وحقوقهم.The Shamari said that the budget pointed to the allocation of grants to the Kurdistan region and the failure to allocate a similar spending for the rest of the governorates and there between the figures for the numbers of sovereign sites earmarked for spending points which are prejudicing the lives of the people and their rights.
وشدد على انه من الضروري لأعضاء مجلس النواب المطالبة بمبررات وجهات الانفاق التي قدمتها الوزارات لوزارة المالية والاطلاع عليها من حيث دقة الارقام واولوية جهات الانفاق.He stressed that it is necessary for members of the House of Representatives claim the reasoning behind the views of expenditure by ministries to the Ministry of Finance found in terms of the accuracy of the figures, and the priority points expenditure.
هناك عدة ملاحظات حول الموازنة تتضمن عناوين غير واضحة وغامضة منها عنوان (المنافع الاجتماعية) الوارد في موازنة (رئاسة الجمهورية ورئاسة الوزراء ووزارة المالية) اذ بلغت التخصيصات لهذا العنوان الغامض (على حد قول الشمري) خمسة ترليونات و125 ملياراً و50 مليون دينار عراقي.There are several observations on the budget include the titles are unclear and ambiguous title of which (social benefits) contained in the budget (the presidency of the republic and the prime minister and the Ministry of Finance), as the allocations for this confusing title (in the words of al-Shamri) 5 trillion and 125 billion and 50 million Iraqi dinars.
وأشار الى ان هذه الضبابية وعدم الوضوح تتيح فرصة للاختلاسات والسرقات، بالاضافة الى عنوان (النشاط العام للدولة) الذي خصص له مبلغ كبير ايضا.He pointed out that this ambiguity and lack of clarity provide an opportunity for embezzlement, theft, in addition to the title (the activity of the State), which has been allocated is also significant.
واوضح الشمري ان الموازنة اشارت الى تخصيص منح لاقليم كردستان وعدم تخصيص وحدة انفاق مماثلة لباقي المحافظات ولا توجد بين الارقام المخصصة للمواقع السيادية ارقام مخصصة لجهات الانفاق التي هي على مساس بحياة الناس وحقوقهم.The Shamari said that the budget pointed to the allocation of grants to the Kurdistan region and the failure to allocate a similar spending for the rest of the governorates and there between the figures for the numbers of sovereign sites earmarked for spending points which are prejudicing the lives of the people and their rights.
وشدد على انه من الضروري لأعضاء مجلس النواب المطالبة بمبررات وجهات الانفاق التي قدمتها الوزارات لوزارة المالية والاطلاع عليها من حيث دقة الارقام واولوية جهات الانفاق.He stressed that it is necessary for members of the House of Representatives claim the reasoning behind the views of expenditure by ministries to the Ministry of Finance found in terms of the accuracy of the figures, and the priority points expenditure.

-- January 24, 2007 9:12 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

U.S. Warns Iran to Back Down
Jan 23 2007
By JIM KRANE

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group now steaming toward the Middle East is Washington's way of warning Iran to back down in its attempts to dominate the region, a top U.S. diplomat said here Tuesday.

Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, ruled out direct negotiations with Iran and said a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran was "not possible" until Iran halts uranium enrichment.

Iran conducted missile tests on Monday, the first of five days of military maneuvers southeast of Tehran. The Islamic republic also barred 38 inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog _ the International Atomic Energy Agency, prompting fears that it was seeking to restrict access to its facilities.

"This is obviously not a sign of goodwill, nor a sign of willingness to cooperate with the international community," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei told reporters Tuesday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the U.S. buildup in the Gulf was intended to impress on Iran that the four-year war in Iraq has not made America vulnerable.

The American aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and several accompanying ships are heading toward the Gulf to join an aircraft carrier group already in the region, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Stennis is expected to arrive in late February.

The Stennis's arrival in the Middle East will mark the first time since the U.S.-led Iraq invasion in 2003 that the United States has had two carrier battle groups in the region.

The U.S. Navy said Tuesday that the minesweeper USS Gladiator arrived in the Persian Gulf, one of six such ships _ four American, two British _ now plying the Gulf for anti-ship mines. U.S. officials have long said Iran was likely to block busy Gulf shipping lanes in a conflict.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/23/D8MR91U00.html

-- January 24, 2007 9:12 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Robert J,

Welcome aboard to the group , we're "Dinaroholics" and your first task is to get up and confess.

You got your first million, good for you, in my opinion, you should hurry up and buy right now, as the value is increasing, and the chances of you getting a decent big amount of Dinars for a decent price is basically yesterday.

The value increase has not been too dramatically so far, but good enough that it shows.

I would say you came into this ....just in time.

-- January 24, 2007 9:21 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Boston Globe’s Jacoby Attacks Democrat Silence on Terrorism
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 24, 2007 - 13:30.

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a columnist at a liberal newspaper saying bad things about Democrats. In this case, it’s especially odd given that the targets of the disaffection were primarily media darlings Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Yet, there it was in Wednesday’s Boston Globe, QUOTE:

Eight Democrats, eight would-be commanders-in-chief -- all running for president in a time of war. So which of them, on getting into the race, had this to say about the nature of the enemy confronting us?

"We are engaged in a war against an axis of Islamists, extremists, and terrorists. It is an axis of evil. It has headquarters in Tehran and Waziristan. But because of the unconventional nature of this war, it also has headquarters in cities throughout Europe and Asia and Africa and the United States of America, in cells that operate in the shadows but are prepared to strike us again as they did on September 11th, 2001.

"The enemy we are fighting is . . . totalitarian. It is inhumane. It has a violent ideology and a goal of expansionism and totalitarianism. It threatens our security, our values, our way of life as seriously, in my opinion, as fascism and communism did in the last century."

===end of quote===

Alas, it was a trick question: “Can't match that assessment of the global jihad with the Democratic candidate who uttered it? Don't feel bad…Those words were actually spoken by Senator Joseph Lieberman at a forum on Iraq this month.

Jacoby’s marvelous point eventually emerged (emphasis mine throughout), QUOTE:

The Democratic candidates, by contrast, are virtually silent on the subject.

Barack Obama launched his exploratory committee with an online video that mentioned the economy, healthcare, vanishing pensions, college costs, and the fractiousness of partisan politics. His only nod to national security was a passing reference to the war in Iraq, which he opposes. But 9/11 and its aftermath? The worldwide jihad? The global conflict between democratic freedom and Taliban-style repression? Not a word.

Hillary Clinton's highly praised kickoff video likewise included nothing about the overriding threat of our time. Her website does contain a speech she gave at the Council on Foreign Relations last October, but it is filled with vague rhetoric about diplomacy and international conferences and how we must address the "troubled conditions terrorists seek out." New Yorkers don't need to be told "that we are in a war against terrorists who seek to do us harm," Clinton says. But if she recognizes that the future of the civilized world depends on winning that war, she shows little sign of it.

What is true of Obama and Clinton is more or less true of Edwards, Richardson, and the others. The Democrats seem prepared to emulate John Kerry, who insisted in 2004 that "we have to get back to the place we were" before 9/11. Back, that is, to treating Islamist terrorism not as "the focus of our lives," but merely as "a nuisance" that we need "to reduce" -- like gambling, he said, or prostitution.

==end of quote==

No, folks. This isn’t from the National Review, the Weekly Standard, or the Washington Times. This really is an article by Jeff Jacoby, who writes for a paper owned by The New York Times Company. And he splendidly concluded:

"Heading into the 2008 campaign, our political universe is still divided. On one side are those who see the Islamists as a nuisance to be controlled. On the other: those who regard them as an existential enemy to be destroyed. On the relative strength of those two camps, the next election may well depend."

Bravo, Jeff. Encore. Encore.

Comments:

1) JDW Says:
January 24, 2007 - 14:06

The more the firewalls fall the more knowlegeable general public will become as to future security disasters. If the dems cut and run America will be confronted terrorism the likes of which one cannot imagine, here. Their current position is political. Their candidates defect positions more often than weather forecasts. Previous dem presidents have fought wars, will one of these switch and take America's side against terrorism?

Kerry: "You know, education, if you make the most of it ... you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

2) Gary Hall Says:
January 24, 2007 - 14:12

Silence is not golden in this case.

But Noel, as you know, it's not just the Democrat(ic) - thank you Scott - candidates. It's the entire MSM. Each and every day, we see tens, dozens, and way too often, a hundred or more innocent civilians murdered by either al Qaeda terrorists, their Sunni associates in Iraq, or as a result of al Qaeda's call for all of this, the reprisal, and equally horrible, killings by the Shia extremists (Muqtada al-Sadr's sect).

This so-called socially responsible, human rights driven leftist media does what? Well, it's not what they do, it's what they don't do in this case. Oh, they'll do their thing with Darfur (now that Clinton is out and Bush is in - I note that they ignored the Congo (1997-2000, 2.7 million dead), calling for Bush and the world to stand up and stop the senseless killing of innocent civilians.

But in Iraq? The MSM is not calling attention to the outlandish killings for the sake of putting the terrorists on notice, that we as a people will not tolerate such crimes against humanity, or for the purpose of challenging the world, at large to take a stand; rather, they are doing it only for the sake of damaging the Presidents effort to give the proud people of Iraq back their country.

The media (MSM) has no conscience, and no true vision. Rather, they are driven by their short-term and self serving partisan agenda. To the end of my dying days, I will support the right to debate the war, it's historic causes, it's purpose, and it's execution, however only as I condemn the indecency of our media for caring more about their own politics, then humanity itself.

I calculate that an average of 171 people died from violence per day, during the reign of Saddam Hussein (24 years - 1.5 million dead). Fewer are dying per day now since he is gone, than before.

3) Nazareth Says:
January 24, 2007 - 14:17

It is my feeling that now is the time for the democrats to either get on board or be seen as anti-American- you'll note that those democrats running for the presidency aren't calling for retreat and defeat (even though they might think that's the best policy- Lord only knows why they would- but just sayin) But they do NOT have a plan and will simply not commit to one- but at least they aren't actively calling for opposition to the war like the far left who aren't running for office are doing- that's not saying much I know, but just pointing out that it seems funny to me that those running for Preidency won't come right out and say 'run away' while their compatrios do. Those running know darn well the American public won't put up with a defeatist running for the Presidency- so it's do or die time for the dems I think- either get on board and fight terrorism, or get off the boat altogether- because the public won't stand cowards in office who actively call for our defeat.

Hopefully we can get the message out ot the public more and more that the democratic agenda is a truly dangerous agenda for this country and break through the campaign of silence and slight of hand the MSM foists on Americans.

I think it was obama who said that we 'need to form a committee to explore the right direction in Iraq' or something to that effect- well cripes, they've had what? 5 years now to do so? And haven't? And we're going to elect someone who has dropped the ball on national security for 5 years straight? Every last dem running SHOULD have been 'exploring' the war issue all along now and presenting an alternative IF they dissaprove with the President's plan for success, but nope- NOTHING from them for 5 years!!! Hey Obama-Hillary etc, too little too late- you ALL blew it!!!

4) dscott Says:
January 24, 2007 - 15:02

Yes, libs are doing their thing with Dafur is typical of the idiocy. Why aren't they holding the French, Russians and Chinese accountable for selling the guns and ammo to the people (Sudan/Janjaweed) doing the killing? Oh, that's right, they are Socialists. You know the love affair they have with Socialists. Just as they said nothing when Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and the rest murdered millions. Why? They were Communists. Liberals love Communists. Heck, they loved Hilter (another mass murdered) before they hated him, that was because he double crossed the Stalin. Nothing new here, and quite frankly sickeningly consistent.

5) I am conservative Says:
January 24, 2007 - 14:26

WOW - I am stunned here, but not really. These blowhard Democrats have no clue about world terrorism, ie: Bill Clinton. They all live in this bubble and think nothing bad will happen to America, well they are wrong...

To be running for president and not mention anything in regards to terrorism shows their ignorance.

6) Nazareth Says:
January 24, 2007 - 14:35

Exactly- Billary said we need to 'address the issue of terrorism'? What the H.E.*.*. Does she think we HAVE been doing for 5 years now?

Sure, she means of that by 'addressing' the issue, we should play nice and pull troops out and 'negotiate and dialogue' with them, but that WILL bring us back to pre 9/11 where were all just 'hoped and prayed' that the terrorists would never hit us here at home. Well guess what Billary, obama, edwards et all- they DID hit us DESPITE our 'dialoguing' with them and they WILL KEEP hitting us over and over again- take your defeatist mentality and bring it to another country if you can't let it go- those who died to secure freedom in this country are DISHONORED by your lack of common sense and because of you folks on the far lefts' derilection of duty to protect us from terrorism.

Spin it all you like Hillary, obama, edwards etc, but you cr** Still stinks to high heaven and those who fought and died for this country are turning in the graves at the sounds of your shrill voices calling for defeat!

Sorry for the angry words folks- but this issue really burns me- I can't stand the bald faced lies coming from the left and their defeatist mentality and the lies and bull cr** they feed us in an attempt to justify their defeatist mentality to cover up the fact that they are severely lacking in leadership qualifications during a time of obvious war! Running and cowering and 'dialoguing' is NO way to defeat those who DO NOT dialogue!!!

7) Unsane Says:
January 24, 2007 - 16:18

Worse: according to the Left, if anything happens to America, inflicted upon it by enemies, IT'S ALL AMERICA'S FAULT.

8) NeoCon Jedi Says:
January 24, 2007 - 14:48

This is true not only for the Dems '08 presidential candidates, but for the party in general. All we've heard since the President announced his new strategy is how it's the wrong approach, a bad idea, etc.

Okay, well... what's your idea Nancy? How about you Ted? Hillary? Carl? How about you, John, anything, anything? No? ... didn't think so.

9) RJWall Says:
January 24, 2007 - 14:56

J, they are just going to ignore it and hope it goes away. That seems to be their strategy for a lot of things and much of the MSM helps them along with that "strategy".

10) NeoCon Jedi Says:
January 24, 2007 - 15:04

Actually RJ, they aren't going to ignore it, they'll simply continue to call it "President Bush's war" and avoid any responsibility for it, until we win. Then they'll chime in and take credit for it's success like they were war heroes.

I bet you if the President's plan succeeds and Baghdad is secure by November, just before the first primaries, every Dem candidate will be boasting how they initially called for a surge and if the President had done it sooner, etc., etc.

Flip-flop!

11) JayTee Says:
January 24, 2007 - 15:35

Don't worry guys, Hillary and Hussein don't have a chance. Movie stars don't get elected, unless they have the Arnold S.'s image of kicking butt and taking names. Arnold's got bigger Pects than Hussein, and all the women love male movie stars, not leading ladies. The Dim convention will not nominate these losers.

Wait a minute..... they nominated Kerry last time, didn't they ?

Nevermind.

12) blackrain4xmas Says:
January 24, 2007 - 15:53

Now that the 08 race is well on its way (we know this because MSNBC has a graphic saying so), it's time to ask the candidates the big question. Everything is IraqIraqIraq. Dems played that hard in 02, 04, and 06. In each case-thanks to Newsbusters!-we know there never was a plan for "A New Direction In Iraq" as the Dems pumped up and promised the electorate. SO, what will they do in 08 re Iraq?

Well Iraq in 08, Iraq is going to be one of two things-no middle ground:

1) a continuing war with US troops still there if the Bush plan fails

2) chaos, anarchy, and a terrorist safe haven like Beirut in the 80's, Mogadishu in the early 90's, Sarajevo, Grozny, or Kabul in the late 90's.

SO, let's ask the candidates the big question:

If you are elected President, and American troops are still in Iraq in 2009, will you pull them out, or do you have a secret plan for victory, and if Iraq has collapsed into chaos, or there's a regional war requiring American intervention...will you send troops back in or let it go unchecked?

http://newsbusters.org/node/10365

-- January 24, 2007 9:43 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Robert J: You are on board the Dinar train and it has left the station. Please keep your tray folded and your seatback in the upright position. Keep arms and legs inside the car at all times. In an emergency Oxygen mask will drop down...

What would be an appropriate initiation for him?

BTW percentage gain wise on your investment The dinar will be considered a very good investment all the way till almost even money. Any time you can make money it's good just depends on what you consider good. For my investment anything over what my bank pays is good. With this a 1000% return is breath taking.

-- January 24, 2007 9:57 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Roger-I am fully aware that Iraq is not a member of the GCC. I DID NOT say they were. However, there has been some talk of Iraq POSSIBLY joining sometime in the future. Even if they don't, it does not change the fact that they may, for whatever reason, wanting to have their value in line with the GCC's currency value if and when the GCC goes to a single currency. Next time, please do not assume I mean something I did not say, okay? Thanks

-- January 24, 2007 10:06 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

RV or slow rise.

The effects of a dramatic and sudden value increase of the Dinar in the Iraqi society would disrupt quite a few functions.

Even if the idea of and RV have been discussed here and on other forums, I do believe that is more our own wishes, rather than what is planned.

If a bag of diapers now costs 10.000 Dinars, baby shoes 15000 Dinars and only to buy a pack of smokes, you pay with something that have an awful lot of zeroes attached to it, you can't overnight value the currency to something in the vicinity of 1 to 1 to the Dollar.

If you do you will be setting a lot of business in Iraq in jeopardy.

They are now sitting on an inventory of smokes, diapers and what not, that have an expectancy to be payed back with profit.

As the public will have to have their smokes, milk, and diapers no matter what the current situation claims, the merchants will stay with their prices.

Like oil is going up, and being expensive, the price at the pump will go up, the oil goes down, but you see no hurry in getting the pump prices down, as they are sitting on a bulk of oil payed with a higher valued cost, and that has to be payed back first.

The public can either sit on the Dinar, knowing you can get so much more for it, once the prices are down, or knowingly give away their now higher valued currency for goods, that is priced way overvalued.

The cycle will have a lag in it, it's this very difficult lag, that will be the make and break point.

The merchants, now have money in their hands, gotten from overpriced goods, and this time around, they can go back to their supplier, and buy more. With the increased value of the Dinar, this time around they are getting a flood of goods.

The merchant happy as he can be, hurries to the market, only to find that on the market there is about another thousand of other merchants, sitting with packed walls full of goods also.

So now the merchant will have to sell his stuff, but have to really start competing in price with the abundance of goods they have.

The ebb end flow of the value will be a bit unstable at first, but will eventually stabilise where there is a decent pay and return of the market.

Once this have stabilized, this is now the new economy of Iraq, the consumer have a lot more buying power, the prises are in check and there is a lot of goods to choose from.

However, this chock have a dangerous lag in it, where initially the consumer is not getting his share, where the merchant will get overstocked, and where he must survive the price crunch.

Depending on if this is a small road side bazaar type business, or a big industry, the time of the cycle will differ, until it is completed, but all in all, there will be a wobble of very high uncertainty for some time in this cycle.

If I was to rule Iraq I would go with the slow approach, and try to keep the economy as stable as possible, put as little stress as possible on the economy, and avoid big fluctuations, do a slow increase of the Dinar, and get it's trust up as much as possible.

That approach will give a slow increase in Dinar value, a slow increase in buying power, a slow increase in available goods, and a slow increase in price competition, it will not disrupt anything, plans can be planned and have a predictable outcome, and the steady progress of Iraq can continue undisturbed.

The rise in value of the Dinar can have a somewhat steeper curve then it has right now, and still the effects would be controllable.

Right now the rise in value is so small, such a flat curve and fairly insignificant in the whole perspective, that an increase in the value curve will accelerate the internal process.

What I am afraid of is the "minister of bla bla" wanting to do something radical, not understanding how it works, proposing all kind of Voodoo cures, and pushing it through.

Then again, if an RV happens overnight, and I wake up with an 1 to 1, I will just cash out, smile and don't worry about it.

In a very interesting way, this problem then doesn't become my problem, after I cash out, it is the Iraqis problem, and me, I will try to solve the problem how the Brits can learn Cricket, how the worm don't want to go on the hook, and why my Panama brim hat have a stain on it.

-- January 24, 2007 10:07 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Capitalism at its best. In business for yourself better be able to adjust or you will be working for the fella down the street. The slow RV we're seeing may be a warning shot to thin out your inventory and be ready. The local shops probably doesn't have that much stock to begin with. The big industries probably have this covered already.

My take on the matter: If a pair of shoes today cost 15000 Dinar equal to $10.50 and we have a RV tomorrow of 1:1 then the shoes after RV will cost 10.5 Dinar or $10.50 I think the spread in negligible.

-- January 24, 2007 10:35 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Born a Baptist:

Each Friday night after work, Bubba would fire up his
outdoor grill and cook a venison steak. But all of Bubba's neighbors
were Catholic....and since it was Lent, they were forbidden from eating
meat on Friday. The delicious aroma from the grilled venison steaks was
causing such a problem for the Catholic faithful that they finally
talked to their priest. The Priest came to visit Bubba and suggested
that he become a Catholic. After several classes and much study, Bubba
attended Mass.....and as the priest sprinkled holy water over him, he
said, "You were born a Baptist, and raised a Baptist, but now you are a
Catholic."

Bubba's neighbors were greatly relieved, until Friday
night arrived, and the wonderful aroma of grilled venison again filled
the neighborhood. The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors and
as he rushed into Bubba's yard clutching a rosary preparing to scold
him, he stopped and watched in amazement.

There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle of holy water
which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and chanted: "You
wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you is a catfish."

-- January 24, 2007 10:37 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Mary Lou,

There have been no discussions that I'm aware of about Iraqi joining the GCC, if they would they have a long way to go before they are on even status with the GCC anyway.

The GCC members have very much in common, while Iraq is somewhat of a different animal.

The GCC are the oil producing countries in the Gulf, with an already in par currency, only small fluctuations between their currencies are present. They are relative stable places, incredible rich countries, with a well set infrastructure, Arab Emirates and Dubai, is a place where they invest in archipelagos, Hotel, Tourism and all that.

Iraq a place where great instability exist, with a currency far from even being close to what they have, and a 25 years of neglect, and up to this point, have not even started to invest in their biggest potential income source, oil, have a long way to go before they will even be considered part of the GCC.

The CBI have on top of it all in their bank statues, explicitly a clause forbidding Iraq CBI to go into a money union.

I merely saw your caution to invest in the Dinar, referring to this reason, no need to assume anything.

All I'm saying, the investment in the Dinar and the discussions the GCC have about the common currency is two different things.

I can of course see a further development in the future, where it might be plausible that Iraq will join the GCC, but the distance to that point is depending on the development of Iraq, and as our own investment, the development of Iraq is directly correlated with the value of the Dinar, is the same, I would say that the value of the Dinar have to take place, first, as a second consideration after that, when that happens, the discussion of the Iraqis membership in the GCC can come up.

The exact reasons the GCC would set for joining, is the exact reason the Dinar will go up in value.

The point is then moot, as the Dinar will develop, get into for us acceptable range for cash out, we're done.

By cautioning of buying Dinars, that in itself is a good trait, it is a very risky business, but cautioning because GCC are switching currency, is about the same as cautioning against buying Dinars because the neighbours are painting their house.

They have nothing to do with each other.

-- January 24, 2007 10:41 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,
If there is a 1 to 1 RV tonight, I'm not even going to worry about it.

-- January 24, 2007 10:47 PM ∞

---

ANNON wrote:

Point well taken!!!

-- January 24, 2007 10:49 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Wonder when the Iraqis are going to straighten out their mess.

The legislative body can't or wont go to session, thus deadlocking the legal procedures needed to get things done, it's a miracle to get 50% Quorum seems like. They're home, on vacation or just gone fishing.

The HCL law, been on the agenda for some time, just isn't moving.

If the oil is not flowing, sorry, that's the backing of our Dinars higher value.

The Kurds seem to be very stubborn in keeping the deals they have been doing in the north, claiming they wont budge on this, getting on collision course with Baghdad.

The oil itself by earlier legislation, can never be in ownership of any foreign company.

The oil pumped in Iraq is the state of Iraq's oil.

The only thing a foreign company can look for is the share of the profit, something that is right now very unclear.

"Our" companies don't seem to be to willing to have their workers kidnapped, and are sitting very cool on the side, in no hurry either.

Better get moving, because it seems like companies from other countries, that have less security concerns, like from India, and Russia are knocking on the door, and have more eagerness to get in than the western companies.

Perhaps a couple of holes drilled by Indian and Russian companies will get the panic going, and they will come in, hoping to not lose out on the deal.

-- January 25, 2007 1:16 AM ∞

---

Robert J wrote:

Roger: I wonder if the Iraqi parliament has been watching our C-SPAN. It may explain why they can't seem to get much accomplished and/or show up for sessions.

Robert S: I have definitely jumped on board the train. I will receive an additional 5M IQD tomorrow. Dont expect me to buckle up for this train ride because I plan on running up and down the aisle and looking out the windows. Occasionally, I might even run up to the tender and shove in more coal to maintain momentum.

-- January 25, 2007 1:55 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

All,

I would be interested in the blogger who informed us that George Soro's is backing Richardson in the Presidential race. This supposely written by Sheehanjihad 1/22/07 at 6:49pm.

I write my interest in this item as I am aware that George Soro's gave a great deal of money to the Clinton Campaign and also attended a meeting with all the democrats to bias the new media to silence conservative voices. I can remember where I read about this, however, these two pieces of information concerning Soro's in in the news somewhere.

Anyone have any inpute. I am sceptical that Soro's is backing Richardson again the Clinton's. Where's the proof?

If anything, Soro's seems to be finding ways to silence and discenters through buying out influence with media outlets. All of this is to back liberal bias and his own agenda.

Also, thanks to all for giving us news on Iraq's situation on the ground.

Laura

-- January 25, 2007 2:14 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

All,

I should have proof read my entries. One statement should read, I can't remember where I read...

The other item, is my unbelief that Soro's is backing Richardson against the Clinton's.

And lastly, ...Soro's seems to be finding ways to silence dissenters through buying out influence with media outlets.

Hope this clears up my entry.

Laura

-- January 25, 2007 2:24 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert J.

You might be on to something, nothing put you to sleep faster than televised poker, golf tournament or C-SPAN.
The Iraqi parliament might be there, they're just sleeping under their desks.

-- January 25, 2007 2:31 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Laura P.

?????? I've been looking at it and looking at it, but I'm sorry Laura, I don't even have a clue what you are telling us today.

-- January 25, 2007 2:34 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Roger,

My comments came from Sara's entry at 10:35 am 1/24/07 entry. Look at this and see the comments under number 3 of this entry on Soro's.

Laura

-- January 25, 2007 4:28 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Roger,

What I am saying:

First, I can't believe that George Soro's is backing Richardson again the Clinton campaign. George Soro's is known for giving a great deal of money to the Clinton's.

Second, I read somewhere that the democrats had a big meeting with George Soro's present to discuss how they would control the media and public opinion. The attempt is to silence anyone who does not agree with their position. Democrats are trying to write legislation to say that anyone who forms a citizen group is now a political group and this needs to be registered with the congress. It appears that this influence on news, radio and all airways is an attempt at closing down free speech of the right. I can't remember where I read it.

The other item that I read was that this meeting was an attempt by Soro's to use his money to buy news medias to influence the 2008 election for president. I had not read anywhere that George Soro's endorced any particular candidate. However, I had asssumed that since he gave a great deal of money to the Clinton's, he would back her for President of the United States.

I am with Rob N., follow the money. Clinton's have a big big war chest for this 2008 campaign. Hillary was not about to be undone by any other candidates in this election.

What are your thoughts and does anyone else know anything on this?

Laura

-- January 25, 2007 4:39 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

The first statement should read against the Clinton Campaign.

Laura

-- January 25, 2007 4:41 AM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

Announcement No.(850)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 850 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/ 1/25 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1292 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1290 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 101.510.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 10.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 101.510.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 10.000.000 -----

-- January 25, 2007 5:56 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Laura,

Ok it starts to come together for me now, sorry it was a bit spread out here and there so to say.

I have heard about that legislation from the Dems, that you have to register if you are a lobby group over a certain number.

That means any group of people with a common interest can no longer congregate and voice an opinion if this measure will go through.

A fishing club, for sure have issues, but they can't voice their issues, nor teachers unions, radio talk shows,( as they have an audience bigger than desired) , in effect, you can't say what you want, unless you are registered.

To me that doesn't seem like a 1st amendment, but hey that's why we have the 2nd amendment.

Soros, a person that is trying to set up his socialistic world, with everything equal, bums or producing people , doesn't matter, everybody is equal, even if you are lazy, you will get your "fair share" from producing day to day working people.

It's funny that he doesn't practice that doctrine himself.

Take a billion from him, and he will throw a fit.

I see Soro as one of the biggest threats the US have within it's border. I have a hard time seeing him as a person that can look at the Stars and Stripes and be proud. When he sees it, he sees it like a project that he will change to his socialistic dreamworld.

He's a border less criminal, and have gotten his wealth not by sound investments but by insider trading. The only reason he's not been caught is most probably that he's moving in international circles, where there is no governing body monitoring his crimes.

His wealth has given him a name, and a sort of respect in some circles.

The Democrats, fooled as they are, by his approach to them, doesn't have a clue that they themselves are in his mind far far too conservative for his taste, but are only used by him, as they are the most liberal arm in this country, available for him.

As for the Clintons, if she is in, he is in, same two for one deal as last time, same shit, different wrapping.

-- January 25, 2007 6:16 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Thanks chelseadave, yes I think we can definitively now say that they are in a pattern, bying price 1290, a 5 Dinar drop, bet ya, next is a 2 Dinar drop to 1288.

Well, we only got 16 months to a 100 to 1, meaning ONE cent, the first time we will step up to have anything in par with our own currency.

-- January 25, 2007 6:24 AM ∞

---

Jeff wrote:

Hey everyone.
This is my first post, I come here from time to time for a boost to my hopes on my dinar investment. I love the dinar posts. Question: What does this recent (since OCT 06) move in the dinar toward 1:1 mean, if the money is not currently traded on the FOREX? I see this as positive, as I have made over $100 per million of dinar, but to me, is is anything if it is not on the FOREX? What will it take to get it on the FOREX? Last question. Has anyone traded money back (Dinar to $$) here yet to see what fees they want (actually taking), or to actually see if they will take your dinar, and hand out cash? I am excited about the moves, but still skeptical about the gamble on our dinars.

-- January 25, 2007 7:19 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Oh, and don't be concerned about any fictional '24' happening..
as a result of our enemies coordinating their efforts together.
They are just playing and wouldn't DREAM of actually setting off a REAL nuke..
certainly, that would never happen here.

North Koreans help Iran with nuclear test
25th January 2007, 7:30 WST

North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year, according to a senior European defence official.

Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test in October with Tehran’s nuclear scientists.

There were unconfirmed reports at the time of the Korean test that an Iranian team was present. Iranian military advisers regularly visit North Korea to take part in missile tests.

Now the long-standing military co-operation between the countries has been extended to nuclear issues.

As a result, senior Western military officials are deeply concerned that the North Koreans’ technical superiority will allow the Iranians to accelerate development of their own nuclear weapon.

“The Iranians are working closely with the North Koreans to study the results of last year’s North Korean nuclear bomb test,” the European defence official said.

“We have identified increased activity at all of Iran’s nuclear facilities since the turn of the year.

“All the indications are that the Iranians are working hard to prepare for their own underground nuclear test.”

News of the collaboration emerged as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a defiant message to the US, saying Washington could not hurt Tehran by waging what he called a “psychological war”.

“They are not in a position to hurt us, they do not have the power to do so, their pressure is mostly psychological,” he said in a televised speech.

Intelligence estimates vary about how long it could take Tehran to produce a nuclear warhead. But defence officials monitoring the growing co-operation between North Korea and Iran believe the Iranians could be in a position to test-fire a low-grade device — less than half a kiloton — within 12 months.

The precise location of the Iranian test site is not known but is likely to be in a mountainous region where it is difficult for spy satellites to pick up unusual activity.

Iran successfully concealed the existence of several key nuclear sites — including the Natanz uranium enrichment complex — until their locations were disclosed by Iranian dissidents three years ago.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=29&ContentID=19621

-- January 25, 2007 8:26 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

About Obama... although, "Indonesia is home to several of the most radical Islamic schools in Southeast Asia, some with alleged terrorist links." THAT should not concern you. And, although, documents showed he enrolled as a Muslim, we just can't imagine why he would say that.. after all he had a choice to say he was Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant.. and it must have been due to his stepfather, who was a Muslim. BUT, I have a few questions that I think you might consider. What if it wasn't a mistake to say he was a Muslim when he enrolled at that young age? We all know the Catholic Church's contention that if you give a church a child until they are SIX they won't ever turn from it.

Where Obama really stands in his heart is between him and God.. but consider when going to vote that Muslims are not noted for their strict adherence to the truth (lying is not a sin in their religion) - and the Koran says you may lie to "infidels", even denying openly the Islamic faith, and be blameless - just as long as you are doing it to further the Islamic cause. And what would further the Islamofascist cause more than putting a closet Islamofascist into the Whitehouse?

It is only prudent to consider the scenerio and to consider the possibility that if that were the case and he really is a closet Islamofascist masquerading as something else intentionally to further the Islamofascist cause, how that could potentially affect you and your loved ones. Could it be a concern to the nation to have the very enemy we are fighting as the PRESIDENT of the United States? How would he vote or safeguard YOUR liberties?

===

Obama debunks claim about Islamic school
By NEDRA PICKLER Wed Jan 24, 4:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama fought back Wednesday against an allegation that he was educated at a radical Islamic school as a child in Indonesia.

"The allegations are completely baseless," said Akmad Solichin, the vice principal at SDN Menteng 1, who added, "Yes, most of our students are Muslim, but there are Christians as well. Everyone's welcome here ... it's a public school."

The contention that Obama was educated at a radical Muslim madrassa surfaced on the Web site of the conservative Insight magazine the day after Obama announced he was jumping into the 2008 presidential race. Conservative Internet blogs and the Fox News Channel picked up the story and spread the charges just as his candidacy was getting off the ground.

Obama's mother, divorced from Obama's father, married a man from Indonesia named Lolo Soetoro, and the family relocated to the country from 1967-71. At first, Obama attended the Catholic school, Fransiskus Assisis, where documents showed he enrolled as a Muslim, the religion of his stepfather.

The document required that each student choose one of five state-sanctioned religions when registering — Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant. Gibbs said he wasn't sure why the document had Obama listed as a Muslim.

"He wrote an essay titled, 'I Want To Become President,'" the teacher said.

Obama later transferred to SDN Menteng 1 — the elite, secular elementary school at the center of the controversy. The school is public but is very competitive and has exceptionally high standards. It is located in one of the most affluent parts of Jakarta and attracts mostly middle- to upper-class students, among them several of former dictator Suharto's grandchildren.

Indonesia is home to several of the most radical Islamic schools in Southeast Asia, some with alleged terrorist links.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070124/ap_on_el_pr/obama2008

-- January 25, 2007 9:11 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

An interesting article about the significant oil law we are all waiting for, posted on www.dinartrade.com

Iraq struggles to finish oil law
Compromise requires balancing sharply divided interests, ethnic groups
Source: The Washington Post

Four months ago, about 80 oil company executives and consultants packed an office on St. James's Square in London for a briefing on exploration prospects in Iraq's Kurdish region and a Kurdish draft of an Iraqi national petroleum law.

Despite the immense risks of working in Iraq - pipeline explosions, kidnappings, insurgency, political infighting - the oil company executives were lured by the potential rewards, which are immense, too. Outside Saudi Arabia, no country has proven oil reserves as big as Iraq's. And the oil there is high quality, easy and cheap to produce, and bottled up in reservoirs that many major oil companies were familiar with three decades ago before wars and sanctions drove them out.

"Exxon Mobil has more seismic data on Iraq than on Houston real estate," says Fadel Gheit, an oil analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. who used to work for Mobil. "If Exxon had security on the ground, the following day it would have crews there," Gheit said. "And money would be no object."

Gheit estimated that Iraq could easily produce 6 million barrels a day, more than three times its current output and enough to help keep a lid on world prices.

Four months after the London meeting, however, security remains elusive and so does the national petroleum law. Barham Saleh, Iraq's deputy prime minister, said in a recent telephone interview that a compromise was "very, very close."

The proposed law has taken on significance beyond oil. While Iraq and foreign oil companies are eager to tap new revenue, the Bush administration and many Iraqis also hope that the law can be a model for resolving disputes and can bind Iraq's warring factions together.

Agreement has been reached on sharing oil revenue on a per-capita basis, a benefit for Sunnis who live mostly in areas with less production. A deal also has been struck that recognizes the power of regional authorities, such as the Kurdish Regional Government, to award oil contracts, but establishes a national petroleum commission with the power to review contracts within 60 days. A "revamped" national oil company would continue to manage existing production while new regional affiliates would participate in new exploration and production.

"We need to close the deal on one or two small issues," Saleh said. "A number of the major issues have been resolved."

But an adviser to the Kurdish authorities said those "small issues" included some significant details. On Friday, the Kurdistan Regional Government posted an item on its Web site denying news reports that a deal was complete. The "important annexes to the law are still pending," it said.

Outstanding issues include how much oil revenue will go to the central government; a charter for the new national oil company; the role of the oil ministry; and the principles upon which the new commission could reject regionally negotiated contracts. Also unsettled is whether the commission will require a simple majority vote or a two-thirds vote to reject a contract's terms. Those provisions must all be part of one package with the petroleum law, Kurdish leaders said.

If the Shia-dominated Iraqi central government spends heavily on its own projects, it could deny the Kurds and other regional authorities significant shares of oil revenue.

Even if negotiators agree on a draft, it must win approval from Iraq's cabinet and fractious parliament, which hasn't met in weeks.

The United States has been pressing Iraq to complete the law. "As awful as the Saddam Hussein government was, it did have a record of dealing with foreign investors that wasn't that bad," said James A. Placke, an expert at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. "That's gone and hasn't been replaced."

Now, forging a petroleum law requires a balancing of sharply divided interest and ethnic groups, not just the word of a dictator.

"This is not a regular piece of Iraqi legislation being signed off on," said Jonathan Morrow, an adviser to the Kurdistan Regional Government. If successful, he said, "it . . . might show the way forward in Iraq."

Saleh suggested that a deal might discourage attacks on oil installations and reduce corruption. "Since we all agree on revenue sharing, all elements of Iraqi society will have an interest in maximizing revenues and best business practices," he said.

For now, however, the oil sector is a mess. Since the first attack on a pipeline on June 1, 2003, it has been a struggle to keep oil flowing. Basic production equipment has been looted or destroyed. Many wells still are not working properly. And last year, the U.S. special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction complained that Iraq's oil ministry was not reporting on its budget and had spent "only a fraction" of money set aside for capital costs.

While the Bush administration once thought that Iraqi oil revenue would cover occupation and reconstruction costs, the Iraq government still relies heavily on U.S. technical and financial aid. Placke estimated that Iraq produced 1.85 million barrels a day last year, less than the year before, less than the prewar output and well below the U.S. target of 3 million barrels a day.

Placke, who was part of the Iraq Study Group, estimated that 200,000 barrels a day is siphoned from the main export line through southern Iraq, put on barges, and loaded onto tankers waiting in the Persian Gulf. What's left after discounts and bribes goes to militias or insurgent groups, he said.

In the south, some local Shia militia, clan or clerical groups are trying to claim the rights to some Iraqi fields and a voice in negotiating access for foreign companies. A stake in a billion-barrel field could be more important than a stake in the parliament or cabinet. Some experts worry that, as in Sudan, oil could contribute more to tearing the country apart than to uniting it.

A senior Iraqi government official involved in the petroleum-law talks said that if militias and clans were to cut separate deals with foreign companies, it would be a "recipe for disaster and civil war." He warned foreign companies against signing such deals. "We are very interested in credible investment in the oil sector," he said. "We cannot afford to have these cowboys running around trying to manipulate the situation in Iraq."

The national petroleum law remains a touchy subject in part because of widespread suspicion that the U.S. invasion in 2003 was motivated by designs on Iraq's oil riches.

The Iraq Study Group report contained three pages of recommendations for the sector, including suggestions that international oil companies invest in the country and the government fight corruption on contracts.

"Before embarking on controversial measures such as this law favoring foreign oil firms, the Iraqi parliament and government must prove that they are capable of protecting the country's sovereignty," Kamil Mahdi, a senior lecturer in Middle East economics at the University of Exeter in England, wrote in the Guardian newspaper. "A government that is failing to protect the lives of its citizens must not embark on controversial legislation that ties the hands of future Iraqi leaders, and which threatens to squander the Iraqis' precious, exhaustible resource in an orgy of waste, corruption and theft."

In a telephone interview, Mahdi said, "My main worry is that if I were an official in the ministry of oil negotiating a contract and living under the kind of threats that people in Iraq are daily experiencing, I would probably be in a very weak negotiating position."

While the debate continues, the Kurdistan Regional Government is pushing ahead. In 2002, at the suggestion of Jalal Talabani, the Kurdish leader who is now Iraq's president, the Turkish conglomerate Cukurova Group set up an oil unit called Genel Enerji to look for oil in Kurdistan. Genel signed a production-sharing agreement in July 2002 and took over the Taq Taq oil field in February 2003 on the eve of the U.S-led invasion. It signed another exploration contract in July 2005. A Norwegian firm, DNO, and a Canadian firm, Heritage Oil, also struck exploration and production deals in the Kurdish region.

Tariq Shafiq, a former executive of Iraq National Oil and director of the consulting firm Petrolog & Associates, has drawn up three contracts - service, buyback and production-sharing - that the government will use in its new petroleum law. He said the Kurdish production-sharing contracts give away too much to the foreign companies; he said that after paying for capital and operations costs, as much as 55 percent of the oil goes to the foreign firms. "These, in the eye of many, are illegal and would have to undergo review to bring them in line with this law," he said.

But Kurdish authorities said they have no intention of submitting existing contracts for review. Duran said Genel's contract was renegotiated last November and falls within the 20 percent share production that would be the ceiling under the new law. "The commercial terms of the PSA are in conformity with internationally acceptable PSA terms," Duran said in an e-mail response to questions. "Therefore, our PSA is not generous at all."

Major U.S. oil companies haven't signed any contracts in Kurdistan yet. Some of them have tried to build goodwill with the central government. Chevron, for example, helped clear mines from the coastline. Others have collected seismic data or trained Iraqi oil company technicians in Dubai.

Some major companies from other nations - Russia's Lukoil, a Chinese state company, France's Total - are hoping to get their big Hussein-era concessions back. Their prospects remain uncertain.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 25, 2007 10:16 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

posted to www.safedinar.com

Report: Security is key to Iraq success
1/24/2007

By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press WriterTue Jan 23, 7:51 PM ET

A much-anticipated intelligence assessment on Iraq says success depends on improving poor security, which is fueling sectarian violence, hurting the government and slowing reconstruction, a senior intelligence official told senators Tuesday.

The highly classified National Intelligence Estimate from the nation's 16 spy agencies has been in the works for months, with lawmakers increasingly eager to get intelligence analysts' views on Iraq and the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. President Bush recently announced a revised strategy for Iraq, which includes sending in 21,500 additional troops and putting more pressure on the Iraqis to repair the security situation.

Thomas Fingar, the top intelligence official in the Office of the National Intelligence Director, said it will be difficult — but not impossible — for al-Maliki to succeed.

"The logic that we have applied looks at the importance of security — security as an impediment to reconciliation, as an impediment to good governance, as an impediment to reconstruction," Fingar told the Senate Intelligence Committee in a hearing on intelligence changes.

Fingar said improved stability "could open a window for gains in reconciliation" among Iraq's sectarian groups, including the Sunnis and the Shiites. And that "could open possibilities for a moderate coalition in the legislature that could commit better governance," he added, acknowledging the assessment was full of conditional statements.

Fingar said the government's analysts believe that al-Maliki "does not wish to preside over the disintegration of Iraq."

The brief overview provided just a peek at the intelligence estimate. The White House will have to decide what, if any, portions of the document are made public.

Lawmakers have been asking for the assessment since well before the November elections, and the National Intelligence Director's Office said the document could be done by the end of January.

Virginia Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and an Intelligence Committee member, complained that the document remains a work in progress even as Congress enters a debate on resolutions about Bush's plan for Iraq.

"It is incumbent on the intelligence community to provide its best assessment of the Maliki government's chances for success" under Bush's program, Warner said.

Report: Security is key to Iraq success - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 25, 2007 10:33 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

What is Holding up the HCL Law?

Rob N;

The key about the HCL law, I think, was this phrase in your posts today:

"Even if negotiators agree on a draft, it must win approval from Iraq's cabinet and fractious parliament, which hasn't met in weeks."

The problem in passing the HCL law, as I see it, is the poor security concerning the meeting of the Cabinet and Parliament due to the islamofascists attempting to STOP the passage of the HCL law both before and then once it IS agreed upon.

As you posted yesterday, the article by the delighted New York Times (who is always happy to report news which might support their contention that Democracy won't ever work in Iraq ) entitled, "Iraq Parliament Finds a Quorum Hard to Come By" - here:
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2007/01/iraqi_dinar_dis_7.html#128437
It said, QUOTE:

"Deals on important legislation, most recently the oil law, now take place largely out of public view, with Parliament — when it meets — rubber-stamping the final decisions. As a result, officials said, vital legislation involving the budget, provincial elections and amendments to the Constitution remain trapped in a legislative process that processes nearly nothing.

“People are totally disenchanted,” Mr. Pachachi said in a telephone interview from Abu Dhabi. “There has been no improvement in the security situation. The government seems to be incapable of doing anything despite all the promises.”

“Parliament is the heart of the political process,” Mr. Mashhadani said in an interview at his office, offering more hope than reality. “It is the center of everything. If the heart is not working, it all fails.”

Parliamentary officials refused to provide attendance lists for every session, fearing retribution. They said all sects and regions had members who often did not come.

One politician said that, quote: He has 40 guards to protect him and the salary from Parliament pays for only 20. “I have protection, and unfortunately the protection is not sufficient for anyone anymore,” he said. “The level of violence has become unmanageable.”

==end of quote===

I think that if "the level of violence has become unmanageable", so that Parliament is UNABLE to get together a quorum to even put the rubber stamp of approval on the HCL measure - that it must be conceded that it is intentional interference in order to disrupt that which would most undermine the insurgency, namely, the importation of economic activity and a RV of the Dinar. In other words, THE ECONOMIC LEG OF THE IRAQI RECOVERY is what they are trying to thwart happening. This entire leg of the plan is a part of the strategy for winning the entire war. The insurgents know this and are DELAYING the implementation of the HCL law - not only by coersion and threats against those who are forming the bills to keep stalling (which is ongoing) but by endangering their lives and safety if they dare to turn up to vote on anything.

That is my two cents worth on what I think is the real holdup with the HCL law.. both the 'negotiations' and stalling they are doing (likely under coersion and threat), AND the Parliament's fears for their own personal security which is preventing quorum.

The "SURGE" President Bush is working on in Iraq to quell these levels of unmanageable violence appears to me a prudent and wise measure to take in order to help cause this democracy to grow, thrive and live without constant threat - for it is that threat which is causing the business of running the country from its governmental bodies to cease. The SURGE is justified and a part of moving Iraq (and the fortunes of the Iraqi Dinar) forward.

Sara.

-- January 25, 2007 11:29 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Attempted to log on to www.warka-bank.com, but it says that their new website is under construction.

Will someone please answer the following question? Does one still have to hold two accounts at Warka, one in Dinars and one in Dollars?

Concerning my post yesterday regarding Dinar prices from dealers, I found a dealer selling 2 million Dinar for $1760 usd. The website is www.wholesaledinars.com

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 25, 2007 12:20 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Laura;

You mentioned about the blogger Sheehanjihad in your post today. I am sorry that I have no further information about the source of the rumors about Mr. Soros he refers to. I will keep my eye out for it in future. However, Sheehanjihad does write interestingly provocative and creative 'jokes' (satire?), such as this one:

sheehanjihad
January 21st, 2007

I saw some news guy interviewing a tornado last night on the news. He represented all funnel clouds and tornados…Tornadoes Under Ruthless Discrimination is the name of his group….but anyway, he was bitching because people were labelling tornados as destructive, terrifying, indiscriminate killers and destroyers of everything in their path.

The tornado was complaining that all clouds were getting a bum rap, especially long funnel shaped ones….and that was profiling. “Ya don't see anyone running from a cirrus cloud do ya?” he whined. (Cirrus clouds denounced being included in the tornado’s speech) The tornado was specifically referring to the Weather Channel, and the Discovery Channel, because as the tornado put it…”both of these media outlets are showing tornadoes and funnel clouds in the worst possible light, only concentrating on the death and destruction they cause, and leaving out the good things tornados do.”

When the tornado was reminded that every time a funnel cloud appears, people scream and run or hide underground he responded by saying ”See? That is the problem in today’s society. Nobody has ever looked at the good tornadoes, they only see the tornadoes that cause death and destruction…it is profiling, and it is so politically incorrect as to be against the law!” “Not all tornadoes are like that!!” insisted the funnel, "Some clear land for farmers! Others clear entire trailer parks out so developers can rebuild with real houses!! We do our part for society!"

The tornado stated that most clouds are afraid to float above cities now for fear of being mistaken for a funnel cloud. The Cumulus Clouds for Fair Weather group pointed out that liberals are the only ones that could look at a puffy white cloud and insist it is a tornado, and while the tornado agreed, he said that the best way to stop this discrimination against all clouds in general would be to stop running from tornadoes, stop the sirens, stop the alerts…..and “jail those idiots who run willy nilly all over with video cameras filming every move we make.”

Groups representing the Nimbus, Stratus, Cirrus, and splinter groups like the Alto Cirrus…and the mixed group the Nimbo Stratus Alliance all stated their support for tornadoes publicly, but sources close to the clouds revealed a dark fear of funnels….”they dont care who they kill” was the main complaint….”they destroy everything in their path!” was the other….."and since we are clouds, we get the blame! It aint right, I tell ya."

Tornadoes have threatened to sue the population of the United States on a case by case basis, stating that the discrimination shown by ill informed people watching the Tornado specials on the Discovery Channel is ruining their chances at a normal life span. ”Just because we appear with that Anvil Cloud group doesnt make us Anvils, does it?” quipped one rather sinister looking F3…..nudging his partner who was “roping out” next to him.

“Tornadoes have been ruined by the ignorance and fear of the western world!!” screamed the leader of TURD…."and we aren't gonna take it anymore!" When it was suggested that they allow themselves to morph into gentle rain clouds instead, the cry was heard worldwide that tornadoes were now being hunted and targeted just because they are tornadoes….and not all tornadoes kill, not all tornadoes destroy, and those who insist that they protect themselves from tornadoes that aren't even formed yet are attempting to destroy an entire way of life….a cloud culture that has existed for millenia.

TURD has launched a media campaign to eliminate storm shelters…weather reporting stations….storm chasers….weathermen…..and is suing the weather channel for liable, slander, and profiling. Democratic lawmakers are urging everyone to “just get along with funnel clouds”, and are introducing legislation that makes it a federal offense to own or operate a storm shelter. Nancy Pelosi said ” the very fact that tornadoes are labeled as destructive 100% of the time is the problem” and she promised an investigation on how tornadoes are being treated under this administration.

There was legislation introduced in Minnesota to prevent anyone from pointing out funnel clouds and calling them “tornadoes”…..they want themselves to be called ”Super Condensed Adventurous Manifestations", or SCAMS. They called on clouds everywhere to unite behind them….where the rest of the clouds said….'you are never in one place long enough, but we can tell where you have been by the death and destruction left in your wake. The Nimbo Stratus group that spawns you is responsible for this more than you are'…. and representatives of the NSG were not returning phone calls or answering emails at press time.

The fact remains….are tornadoes discriminated against unfairly? Just because they are a different kind of cloud, does that make them the enemy? Do the rest of the clouds have to suffer because of this one hard line fundamentalist extremism displayed by funnels and their murdering destructive tornadoes?

Democrats have called for talks with the funnels…..other clouds are invited, but since they pose no threat whatsoever, they will be politely ignored, and tornadoes will be offered anything they want. They want to destroy everything…. kill everyone. The democrats are thinking of offering tornadoes Kansas…but the clouds know they own that area already…..Pelosi is breathing a huge sigh of relief because funnels aren't a west coast phenomenon…..but there are whispers of an alliance between the funnels and the huge pacific group, the “Low Pressures” from the Arctic…..which are responsible for wide spread destruction themselves, only on a less concentrated area.

The clouds of TURD, and SCAM are demanding action from our government and promise to be in Federal Court by next year’s season. “We want to put a stop to this, and let us just be ourselves” said the spokescloud, ”We were destroying and killing long before this country was formed,” he added…”and we are not going to stand back and watch our funnels and tornadoes be profiled on your televisions!”

With that, the tornado destroyed the studio and killed everyone in it, including a group of school children touring the facility. ”They all died as martyrs” said funnel.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/missed-news-items-for-the-weeks-of-jan-21-27

-- January 25, 2007 12:24 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Since who gets elected President will have a very GREAT influence on the Dinar
- think 'sink or swim' - it is wise for us to look at the candidates and where they stand,
particularly on the issues which bear on Iraq.. and those they listen to for advice on it:
(Note - all emphasis in the original post, url below)

===
Obama’s Church - Afrocentric, Racist And Bush-Hating

As readers here know, there has been some recent controversy about Barack Obama’s religious background.

Mr. Obama has recently issued statements through his spokesmen in the media (i.e., reporters) which express his shock at being questioned about such things.

Most of his media spokesmen (i.e., reporters) have then gone on to cite his membership in Chicago’s Trinity United Church Of Christ parish as proof that he is just a regular run of the mill American Christian.

But a visit to the Trinity Church’s website proves that it is not your everyday Christian parish:

QUOTE:

Trinity United Church of Christ

About Us

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the Black Community
3. Commitment to the Black Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

A visit to the church’s bookstore shows they have been true to their word. It is full of (bogus) Afrocentric books, many of which make the usual preposterous Afrocentric claims, such as that Cleopatra was black: (see pictures at url below)

The book store also shamelessly hawks Mr. Osama’s books as well: (more pictures, Obama on covers)

But Trinity Church’s proselytizing doesn’t stop with re-writing history and promoting its parishioners.

Here is here is the latest sermon from its pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. (pdf file at url below):

WHAT’S GOIN’ ON?

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Marvin Gaye’s powerful “message song” is a song that made him famous because it went against the “Motown entertainment rule.” It raised serious questions about the culture, the country and governmental policy.

His song raised questions about Black-on-Black violence, about drugs, about war and about the way in which we were living (or not living) in a very difficult period of history.

I use his words today on the third Sunday of a New Year to keep before you the painful truth of who we are and where it is we are in this racist United States of America! What’s goin’ on?

We have lost over 3,000 boys and girls in an illegal and unjust war, and the media is on a feeding frenzy about Barack Obama’s church. Where is the outrage about the 3,000 dead American military personnel and the 600,000 dead Iraqi civilians who are dead for no reason other than greed and ego? What’s goin’ on?

This past Wednesday, January 17th, the House of Representatives deliberated on a bill to cut interest rates on federally subsidized student loans. On Thursday, January 18th, the House of Representatives considered legislation that would repeal some royalties and tax incentives from the oil and gas industries and redistribute that money to alternative and renewable energy such as bio-fuels.

The media, however, is not covering that news. The media wants to know about Barack Obama’s pastor. What’s goin’ on?

On the weekend leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices for the Medicare program. The President who is “staying the course” and sending 1,500 more troops to their death has issued a veto threat against the measure and there is no public outcry and no media outrage. What’s goin’ on?

The President, who is “staying the course” and sending 21,500 more troops to their death has issued a veto threat against the measure and there is no public outcry and no media outrage.

The President’s “New Plan” (more troops, more death and more war) promises an insane escalation — in Iraq, Iran and beyond! With the torture of Abu Ghraib, the complete destructions of cities like Fallujah and over 600,000 deaths due to collateral damage, the President complained in his speech that there had been “too many restrictions” on the actions of the United States Forces in the Iraq war.

The President’s “New Plan” (more troops, more death and more war) promises an insane escalation — in Iraq, Iran and beyond!

Am I the only one who heard that? What’s goin’ on?

I celebrate forty years of ordained ministry this weekend. I bask in the 40-year glow of God’s Grace, God’s forgiveness and God’s lessons about humility.

The e-mails that I have been getting this week, the news clippings that I am being sent and the racist blogs that are flooding the Internet make me know, however, that even as I bask, the work ahead for the church of Jesus Christ is just as serious and difficult today (if not more so) as it was forty years ago when I was ordained during the Vietnamese War!

The President tries to frame the justification for his insanity by using language describing the debate in this country over the war as “a great struggle between those who believe in freedom in moderation and extremists who kill the innocent.”

The reality, however, is that the entire war in Iraq and the larger “war on terror” have been based on lies, half-truths and distortions to serve the agenda of the United States imperialism. Where is the public outcry? Where is the outrage? What’s goin’ on?

There is more focus on what the Bears may or may not do as they play a football game against New Orleans than there is on the 3,000 homeless who are still living or displaced in the real life game called “New Orleans.”

Those poor Black and white displaced citizens of New Orleans (not imported team members playing for New Orleans), who have no place to go and no place to live because of this administration’s illegal war and its billions of dollars wasted on prosecuting that war, join with me in asking, “What’s goin’ on?”

Excuse me! The victims of Hurricane Katrina are no longer on the radar screen of the media. Only Barack, his church, his pastor and white arrogance!

I invite your sincere prayers this weekend. The generation of ministers behind me has its work cut out for them in some incredible and overwhelming ways!

Sincerely yours,

Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.

===end of quote==

So much for the separation of church and state.

Speaking of which, here is what is being promoted at the top of the church’s home page as we speak:

QUOTE:

MEET SENATOR BARACK OBAMA!!!

On Sunday, January 28th, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. worship service, meet Senator Barack Obama, author of the best-selling book, Audacity of Hope. Purchase your copy of Audacity of Hope in the Akiba Bookstore and have it personally signed by Senator Obama. You do not want to miss this monumental experience!

===end of quote==

Where is the ACLU?

And can you imagine the uproar if a white candidate belonged to a church that promoted a white value system?

- This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Thursday, January 25th, 2007 at 10:18 am.

Comment:

1) nodems
January 25th, 2007

I guess the Democrats call for separation of church and state doesn’t apply here.

The preacher can do (such) pro-Osama and still apply for no tax status for the church.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/barack-obamas-church-ultra-left-and-afrocentric

-- January 25, 2007 1:11 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Jeff,

Welcome aboard, I think very few have tried to sell their Dinars, and you probably will work hard to get a good answer on any experience in that field. I'm sure there are some here and there that have got themselves into a family situation or similar, that needs money right away, and have sold out.

Some banks are buying and selling, and there are at least one dealer that had in the past advertised that he is buying as well.

Those that have sold out, most probably have moved on, and are not posting, or watching the Dinar development.

No one wants to sell, really, but sit and ride the train instead.

I don't know from where you got the figure 1 to 1. The Dinar is going up, there have been statements from Iraqi officials, with the Desire to get the currency to 1 to 1, but there is no guarantee or hard policy announcement that it will be 1 to 1.

There is a reason the Dinar is not on the Forex.

Iraq is under something called the "Stand By Agreement" with the World Banks long arm IMF. (International Monetary Fund).

Iraq has to, per that agreement, clean up the Saddam mess, getting all their financial ducks in a row, to conform with the universe outside the borders of Iraq, set a viable budget for itself and align all the banking routines with international standards.

In return, a long line of debts will be cancelled, and Iraq will be basically set back to "square one" again, as a member in good standing.

Right now, everything is tightly controlled, until all the criteria is met.

I have seen no known hard date when the IMF and Iraq Central Bank will have worked out all the issues, but believe it is more a result based thing rather than a dateline.

WHEN bla bla is done, THEN step bla bla is done. Seems to me that, that is the way they mark off their progress.

Only when Iraq have full control themselves, and have fulfilled all the obligations set by IMF, you can see a freely traded currency.

Right now, per news reports, the IMF's directives to Iraq's Central Bank is to have a "tight monetary policy".

That's a very general description, but it can be assumed that it means a tight budget, no extra spending and continuous control of the exchange rate.

There are many estimates out there of what the Iraqi Dinars real value is, everything from cents to 3 Dollars.

My estimate is 10-20 cents, give or take, and I don't seem to get too much disagreement on that point.

Either way, the Dinar is clearly undervalued, and after years of stagnation, it has finally started to move, much to our enthusiasm.

You might want to do some back reading, you will have hours of very interesting Dinar speculation, data's and analysis that will get you on top of things.

Again, welcome aboard.

Your life have changed for the better, and nothing will ever be the same.

-- January 25, 2007 5:32 PM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Roger,

Thanks for your comments on national issues...i.e., Soro's and legislation. It really hard to think that the good old USA is in this kind of perdictament that we are moving to socialistic government system, liberal values and in particular, the redefination of marriage and family. We are no longer in Leave It to Beaver territory!!!

Sara,

Thank you too for continuing to watch the politics on Soro's, Obama and his background. I think these issues are important. However, as long as Clinton is in the race, I do not believe she will self sacrifice herself to Obama. I think the media will look at his background because of his presidential run. I could be wrong and I am predicting that Obama will face a tough race, if he is in the race for President of the United States. However, the country will be divided as many will run to Obama due to his endorsement from Oprah Winfrey.

Also, I loved your cloud satire.

Laura

-- January 25, 2007 8:40 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Roger: Quote: "I merely saw your caution to invest in the Dinar, referring to this reason, no need to assume anything.

What caution????????????????

Additionally, I am not the only one who wonders if they will try to time this to the possible GCC currency. This was on another blog-AND, I am pretty sure others have had the same opinion as a POSSIBILITY:

"Here is some food for thought. The GCC Gulf Cooperation Council is made of six members (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates) there has been talks for three years now that they want a single currency, they have seek the help of the European Central Bank which introduced the Euro. What if Iraq became the seventh memeber. First thing the HCL would need to be complete, ICI signed and country would need to be stable security wise.

From your responses to me-you seem to be reading in things I do not think or say. I have not been cautious and have been in this since 2004. Please, quit trying to read things into what I say. This is only food for thought. Even though you may say no-that is your opinion. My opinion is that it is a POSSIBILITY-NOT A FACT!! Neither you, nor I, know for sure-and will not until things further unfold.

-- January 25, 2007 9:41 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Mary Lou,

Whatever.

-- January 25, 2007 9:57 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Interesting information from another site-some of this is old-but still relevant. Some may have been posted previously, but thought you all might like to see it if you haven't before:

I might add I was Investigating there presious metals and agriculture on another thread and stated the amount was equeal to 27 tons of kmown and suspected stashes, which are currently being verified for return to Iraqi ownership.

Gloribee
Originally Posted by DayDream
Old Article but informative:

Billions in Iraqi assets, but where are Saddam's?

(Geneva-AP June 21, 2003 12:30 PM) _ Iraqi assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars have been found in European and Middle Eastern banks in a global search for Saddam Hussein's riches, but little if anything has his name on it.

Lebanon, Britain and Switzerland have each found about half a billion dollars in Iraqi assets, but it is not clear to whom the money belongs beyond official Iraqi government accounts.

"There's no way Saddam Hussein would have opened an account in his own name," said James Nason of the Swiss Bankers Association, whose members are required to report any suspicious accounts to the government of Switzerland.

The United States, which launched the search for Saddam's wealth the day after the U.S.-led invasion started last March, acknowledges that finding the hidden assets will be very difficult.

"The greatest challenge lies in identifying and tracing the flow of funds that Hussein has stolen and injected into the international financial system," David D. Aufhauser, general counsel of the U.S. Treasury Department, told Congress last month.

Estimates of Saddam's wealth have ranged from $2 billion to $40 billion. The U.S.-funded International Campaign to Indict Iraqi War Criminals, said much of the money was sent out of Iraq through a network of people who were given the money to invest or keep the money until it was needed.

Treasury Undersecretary John B. Taylor told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month that the total Iraqi assets found and frozen outside the United States since March 20 was $1.2 billion. That comes on top of $1.1 billion frozen outside the United States since 1990.

Iraqi assets found outside the United States _ although it is not clear that all of them have been frozen _ add up to $3 billion.

Aufhauser said the U.S. government, which has dispatched teams of investigators to other countries, had pressed more than 50 governments to join in the search.

"International assistance is needed to track the illicit assets of Hussein, his family, his cronies and the front companies and straw men they used," Aufhauser said.

The United States is treating all assets from Saddam's regime as suspect. Washington has already sent Iraqi assets it has seized in U.S. banks to Iraq to help pay for essential services.

Other countries are awaiting United Nations instructions on exactly whose money to seize.

But the Bush administration says it is pleased with the response of other countries.

"Countries around the world, not just the United States, understand the needs of the Iraqi people and understand that this money is to be returned to the Iraqi people," U.S. Treasury Department spokesman Taylor Griffin told The Associated Press. "Countries understand that, countries are responding, and we are very pleased to see that."

The Security Council resolution on postwar Iraq passed last month requires countries to seize funds from the government as well as from officials of the regime and "immediately cause their transfer to the Development Fund for Iraq," which is to be controlled by Britain and the United States.

However, the Security Council still hasn't released a list of names so that governments can act.

Othmar Wyss, spokesman for the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, said Switzerland already has protectively frozen suspect assets but is awaiting the formal U.N. blacklist.

"We want to avoid giving figures that will subsequently have to be corrected downward because they involve accounts of people who are not on the list of the U.N. sanctions committee," Wyss told the AP.

On Tuesday, the United States will forward a list of more than 50 senior Iraqi officials whose assets should be frozen to a U.N. Security Council committee, council diplomats said Friday in New York. It is similar to the list of the 55 most wanted former members of Saddam's regime, which was given to troops in the form of a card deck, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

Security Council members have three days to submit objections, and if they don't the list will be issued to all governments with orders to seize assets of those named.

The Swiss National Bank disclosed Wednesday that as of the end of last year Swiss banks and financial managers were holding $315 million in Iraqi assets. There were no details on who the owners were.

The British Treasury has frozen $650 million of Iraqi assets. Of that, $455 million was Iraqi government money and $195 million belonged to individuals.

The British, too, are following Security Council instructions on what to do with the money, a spokesman said.

Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riyadh Salameh said Lebanon has frozen millions of dollars in Iraqi government funds.

"It is up to the legitimate Iraqi authorities, when they are formed, to dispose of them as they see fit," Salameh said in a statement.

U.S. officials said the amount frozen in Lebanon was $495 million.

Jordan has about $1 billion in Iraqi money, the bulk of it in letters of credit held by Saddam's government to facilitate trade, an official told the AP on condition of anonymity.

But two officials denied that Jordanian banks were holding any assets of Saddam or his family.

Saudi Arabia says its relations with Iraq, which soured over the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, made it unlikely that any of Saddam's funds are there. It claims to have tight financial regulations that would have made it very difficult for Saddam to transfer funds into the kingdom, even under fake names.

The Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, where 130 central banks keep foreign reserves, has been blocking Iraqi assets under U.N. sanctions since 1991, said spokeswoman Margaret Critchlow.

She declined to say how much was involved, but Aufhauser said the bank is holding about $570 million.

Aufhauser said some of the money might have to be paid to legitimate third-party claimants, but that the rest would be sent to Iraq.

Within hours of the start of the U.S. led attack on Iraq, the U.S. government confiscated $1.7 billion in Iraqi assets that had been frozen in the United States since the first Gulf War.

The money was turned over to a special account with the U.S. Federal Reserve in New York. Much of that money has already been flown to Iraq to pay pensions, government salaries and provide funds for Iraqi ministries, officials said.

Taylor said U.S. forces also have seized $900 million in currency in Iraq, as well as $350 million in currency and gold discovered in vaults at the Central Bank of Iraq.

Cheers!
DayDream
Another. This one talks of Hundreds of Billions of $$$

Quote:
Originally Posted by $onedaysoon$
just thought today needed this reminder

As the freezing of gold the Iraqi topic the secretariat in Switzerland, whose value amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars, and here like to note the fact that that gold is to cover the the value of the Iraqi currency the circulated, and for the also serves as a reminder that the most if not all States in the world have the gold reserve insured person in Switzerland to cover the their currencies tradeables, for that when been frozen gold the Iraqi landed the value of the Iraqi currency in circulation and the become what is known in Iraq that time as "dinar the Swiss" something that was circulated in northern Iraq in the Autonomous Region "Kurdistan", and "the Iraqi dinar", which was circulated in the rest of the Iraq, because the former had print runs in Switzerland versus the value of gold the insured there, and the second started the Iraqi government has been printed in Iraq.

Translated version of http://al-moharer.net/moh198/fouad198a.htm

And another.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DayDream
Wasn't sure where to place this but I'm sure Neno will determine that.

I got a little curious about the gold of Saddam and looked around a little bit.

Saddam 'stashed $1.3bn in Switzerland' - War on Iraq - smh.com.au

Saddam 'stashed $1.3bn in Switzerland'
June 21 2003
Deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein stashed a fortune worth more than 1.13 billion Swiss francs ($1.28 billion) in Switzerland, a Swiss newspaper said today.
The business weekly Cash said the hoard included 300 kg (661.4 lbs) of gold bars, which has a market value of Sfr4.5 million ($5.1 million), in an account with the gold refinery Metalor in Neuchatel.
The Swiss National Bank also said Sfr386 million ($435 million) were lodged in Swiss accounts in Iraq's name, Cash reported.
The Bank for International Settlements in Basle said it had frozen Sfr750 million ($845 million) belonging to the former Iraqi regime.
The Metalor gold had been paid in by the former Iraqi ambassador in 1991 when the diplomats shut down the Berne embassy at the start of the Gulf War.

The head of Metalor, Hans-Juerg Schaer confirmed to Cash that the gold was circulating in the refinery's workroom. The firm had informed the Swiss economic ministry, the weekly said.
The newspaper said Metalor's operations remained obscure.
Also unanswered was the question of where the gold came from. Gold stolen from Kuwait at the time of the Iraq invasion in August 1990 was still unaccounted for.
Estimates claim Saddam Hussein stashed billions of Swiss francs-worth of assets around the world.
According to the UN Security Council resolution 1483 of May 22, Iraq's confiscated wealth is to be immediately transferred to fund the country's reconstruction
------------------------------
Pierre Legrand’s Pink Flamingo Bar » Well-heeled Saddam has global stash
By Jay Bushinsky
SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published August 17, 2003
GENEVA — If Saddam Hussein is indeed orchestrating an anti-American guerrilla campaign from a hideout somewhere in Iraq, he can count on the billions of dollars he stashed away all over the world to finance his hit-and-run operations.
The latest evidence of the fugitive Iraqi ruler’s ability to return to power by covering the costs of the requisite arms acquisitions and operational outlays is the discovery of a cache of gold bars in a Swiss metallurgic firm — $5 million worth ready for meltdown.
It has been “frozen” by Switzerland’s government and the executives of Metalor who are reported to have engaged in illicit business dealings with Saddam’s half brother and finance chief, Barzan e-Tikriti. Several Metalor executives are being questioned by the Swiss police and Mr. e-Tikriti is under interrogation in Baghdad, where he surrendered to the U.S. military authorities.
Swiss law enforcement officials were not able to act against Mr. e-Tikriti during the two decades in which he ran Saddam’s financial network from this international banking center because simultaneously he enjoyed diplomatic immunity as Iraq’s chief delegate to the United Nation’s local headquarters.
---------------
I highlighted the Metalor name because curiously enough they are named in the below lawsuit, which in itself is astounding. Look at ALL the defendants in this case!!! I emphasized the above link about "ready for meltdown" because I had another article (can't find it now) that stated that this was an ongoing project with Sadaam and that the company had melted down gold prior to this on many occassions. ----------------

Estate of John Patrick O'Neill v. Republic of Iraq, et al

On September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorists perpetrated an attack on the United States that was unprecedented in history. On that day, over 3,000 Americans were killed in simultaneous attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The attacks were not isolated incidents, but rather a coordinated effort by Islamic Terrorist Organizations. The attacks of September 11, 2001 had been planned for years by an extensive network of Islamic militants with the support, aid and assistance of banks, governments, and individuals. Plaintiffs are the Estate and immediate family of John Patrick O'Neill Sr., former head of the F.B.I.'s counterterrorism division and the world's foremost expert on Islamic terrorism and Osama Bin Laden’s terror network. John Patrick O’Neill, Sr. was killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Plaintiffs collectively demand that judgment be entered against Defendants, jointly and severally, in the amount of ONE BILLION DOLLARS ($1,000,000,000.00)

The Estate of JOHN PATRICK O’NEILL, SR.,
on behalf of JOHN PATRICK O’NEILL, SR.,
deceased, and on behalf of decedent’s heirs-at-law .....

42. Defendant Barzan e-Tikriti is Defendant Saddam Hussein’s half-brother and the former finance chief for Saddam Hussein’s private financial empire. For twenty years, e-Tikriti ran Hussein’s network from Lugano Switzerland while simultaneously acting as Iraq’s chief delegate to the United Nations’ local Swiss headquarters. Upon information and belief, Defendant e-Tikriti laundered money through the Swiss bank Defendant Banca del Gottardo and through the holding company, Mediterranean Enterprises Development Projects (MEDP), moving approximately five billion dollars annually from Switzerland to offshore companies in Liechtenstein, Panama and the Bahamas, and eventually transferred some of those funds to the Al Qaeda network. In addition, e-Tikriti used a Swiss metallurgy firm, Defendant Metalor, to store and transform gold into gold bars, which were then sold for currency. Upon information and belief, Defendant Hussein’s financial network was utilized to support Al Qaeda and the terrorism network.

Does anyone know how to convert troy ounces to ounces to figure out how much 661 POUNDS of gold is worth on todays market?

Cheer!
DayDream

Bonus.

Quote:
Originally Posted by $onedaysoon$
I posted this yesterday, and the thread was closed/moved and I want to make sure everyone was able to read it. I might just post it next week lol

Add to that today's clarification and further information to those interested, as has been frozen Iraqi assets or funds have also been freezing all Iraqi property abroad (embassies and consulates and the headquarters of Iraqi diplomatic missions and houses, which had bought the Iraqi government in the countries of the world and all of Ka Net belonging to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the freezing of Iraqi gold subject secretariat in Switzerland, which is estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars, Here I note that the gold is to cover the value of the Iraqi currency in circulation, Remember also that most if not all countries in the world have gold reserves insured in Switzerland to cover their currencies in circulation,

Translated version of http://al-moharer.net/moh198/fouad198a.htm
FROM OCTOBER 2004

-- January 25, 2007 10:28 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Some days I find myself wishing I could find a way to get the MSM and the Liberals to shut their pie hole and quit attacking Bush and our Government. American History was not my favorite subject, but between a good teacher and a smart girlfriend, I did retain some things.

Briefly, John Adams attempted to "shut up" people who were saying negative things about him. The acts he passed were not good and later the "freedom of speech" rights we all have trumped them. The political climate at that time was much worse than what we're going thru right now.

So, the next time you feel like choking some liberal and cutting off their freedom of speech, use the most powerful tools you have..... truth and the vote!!

Aw com'on.....can't I choke them just a little bit??

=================================================================================================================
"The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of acts of Congress passed by the Federalists in 1798 during the administration of President John Adams. Proponents claimed they were designed to protect the United States from alien citizens of enemy powers and to stop seditious attacks from weakening the government. The Democratic-Republicans, later historians, and others have seen them as being both unconstitutional and designed to stifle criticism of the administration."

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

-- January 25, 2007 10:45 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Oil: Iraq studies the best model for oil contracts

Sources in the Ministry of Oil said on Wednesday that Iraq seeks to find the best model for its future contracts with international oil companies through the study of existing agreements with Norway, Britain and the United States.

They said that the oil bill agreed upon by a special Iraqi committee this week did not specify the form of the future contracts. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Oil told Reuters last Wednesday, that the bill will be submitted to the government early next week.
The sources said that the Ministry has sent a team of 20 people to Britain to study contracts there; then the team will head to Norway from there. The sources added that another team will travel to the United States soon.

Source: Iraq Directory

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

Posted on Monday, January 22 @ 06:57:45 PST by admin

-- January 25, 2007 11:54 PM ∞

---

Jeff wrote:

Roger,
Hey man, thanks for all that info. Even though I am new here, I have been here for years. I may miss a week here and there, but go back and try and catch up. It is then all the side bar conversations that are a little frustrating, but that is my fault for not keeping up.

I am in no hurry to sell either. I am on the train for the long trip. I think it is OUTSTANDING that banks in the US are now buying and selling the DINAR without it on the FOREX. I was just curious if they would in fact BUY dinar, as they are saying they will. And, if in fact they buy, if the fees are in line as with other currencies. It will be interesting to see how they handle this money, when it comes time. I would be game to just stop buy and drop a 25K note on them, and see what actual exchange rate they give me, and what the fees are. That will be difficult for me to do for some time, as I am a soldier in Iraq right now, 3 months down, many to go. But, if no one does it before I get back, I will be willing to test it. I am hoping ALL of you have reasons to go to the bank to exchange some by then, but that is not likely.

My 1:1 dream is just that, my dream. I know that is not likely in the near future, if ever, I will be happy with much less. But, as I watch it drop closer and closer at 5 dinar a day sometimes, I get my hopes back up. I know reality - too well.

Thanks for your insight on the FOREX. I have been searching and searching for what will likely open it up to the FOREX, and your words make the most sense for the most people. My previous question was more directed at was the excitement at watching the dinar move finally, all for nothing since it was not on the FOREX just yet. My guess would be the stronger (worth) it is before it hits the FOREX will help its value (our pockets) once it meets their requirements and goes public. Waiting..............

Jeff

-- January 26, 2007 1:14 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Jeff,

Ah, you're in Iraq, please do drop in on occasion and give an update on the scene on the ground, from your perspective.

I understand you're been lurking here for some time but never posted, well, you took the step and I'm glad you did.

We have Turtle, and Panhandler over there, I understand that some of the computer time can be both expensive and slow to download, and postings might be short on occasion, that's fine.

The reports I have got from banks that are selling Dinars are that they are buying as well.

Count on two different prices though, a selling price and a buying price, as with selling and buying any other currency.

As the exchange rate is going steadily up, the sell and buy price of the Dinars in the bank will of course accordingly go up, and I say, it would probably be a waist of money to toss a 25000 Dinar bill on the table just to see what exchange rate they have at the bank.

Just call them and you will have the same information.

Again, this is steadily changing every day now, and I would, just stay put, try to get hold of as many of those funny looking Dinar bills when you're over there, and just hold on to them.

Just the fact that you are covered with bank service right now in the US would take any worry out of the equation, but once the Dinar hit the Forex, more, if not all banks will trade in the currency.

Officials in Iraq have expressed that they want to see their currency restored, to be in par with the other oil producing countries in the Gulf.

They are in the 3.25 to 3.5 range to the Dollar.

There is a potential here, but this is a very long ride until it gets there, and most enthusiastic investors are talking about an RV like it is something that will happen. I have never seen a hard statement that it WILL happen, or is planned, I sure hope it will, but the safest route is a slow increase of the value.

Another interesting aspect is that the currency the Iraqi officials are looking at is basically the GCC members, ( the countries along the Gulf, all oil producing countries).

They are set to get a common currency in a few years from now, but the fun thing is, in the meanwhile as they are setting themselves up to do so, they pegged their currency to the Dollar while waiting for the currency swap.

Well, it's just that in the meanwhile the Dollar sunk in value, and they are pegged to the Dollar, meaning they themselves have a way undervalued currency, something they are discussing to fix, exchanging the Dollar peg to a basket of Currencies, in order to maintain the value of their reserve. At the same time getting more commodities (like Gold) in their reserve.

So that means, the currency the Iraqis are looking at to be restored in par with, the GCC members currency, is in itself a higher valued currency than the face value of it says.

That leaves us in a very interesting situation, the Iraqis want to get in par with a currency that may be valued in the range of 4 maybe 5 Dollars to their Dinar.

Again Jeff, it's a long way to go, Iran is rattling it's swords, and probably Iraq will be a problem as long as Iran is infiltrating.

Iran is now actively seeking a conflict, and I think they will get it.

Once the head is off the snake in Iran, Iraq can do better. Iraq is financially doing decently right now, but can do much better.

Jeff, please be careful over there, take care of yourself and your buddies, and remember to duck when you need to, if you shoot, hit what you're aiming at,.... and please please,.... can you please fire off one round from me, please.

-- January 26, 2007 3:12 AM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

Subject: abc news This is not about the "Why" of this email, but the response from the network. . .since y'all don't mind talking about religion. . .this made me mad. . .I don't care who you are. . you just don't talk about the "Bible" this way

-- Jim Neugent is a coach in Childress , Texas

Jim writes:

My name is Jim Neugent. I wrote to ABC (on-line) concerning a program
called "THE PRACTICE." In last night's episode, one of the lawyer's
mothers decided she is gay and wanted her son to go to court and help her
get a marriage license so she could marry her 'partner.' I sent the
following letter to ABC yesterday and really did not expect a reply, but
I did get one.

My original message was:

ABC is obsessed with the subject of homosexuality. I will no longer
watch any of your attempts to convince the world that homosexuality is
OK. ' THE PRACTICE' can be a fairly good show, but last night's program
was so typical of your agenda. You picked the 'dufus' of the office to be
the one who was against the idea of his mother being gay, and made him
look like a whiner because he had convictions. This type of mentality
calls people like me a "gay basher."
Read the first chapter of Romans (that's in the Bible) and see what the
apostle Paul had to say about it.... He, God and Jesus were all 'gay
bashers'. What if she'd fallen in love with her cocker spaniel? Is that
an alternative life style? (By the way, the Bible speaks against that,
too.)
--Jim Neugent
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - -

Here is ABC's reply from the ABC on-line webmaster:

How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is ONLY a book of
stories compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago) and
read the declaration of independence (what our nation is built on), where
it says "All Men are Created equal," and try treating them that way for a
change!
Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book
of stories as your lame crutch for your existence. You are in the
minority in this country, and your boycott will not affect us at ABC or
our freedom of statement.

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

Jim Neugent's second response ! to ABC:

Thanks for your reply. From your harsh reply, evidently I hit a nerve. I
will share it with all with whom I come in contact. Hopefully, the
Arkansas Democrat Newspaper will include it in one of their columns and I
will be praying for you.
- -Jim Neugent
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Note: Wouldn't Satan just love it if people stopped using the Bible
for a crutch? Please resend thi s to everyone in your mailbox.

-- Thanks, Jim Neugent

I wonder if the person from ABC considered how many people would read
this e-mail!

This is one we should definitely pass on.

-- January 26, 2007 8:16 AM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Roger-did you do some research after our comments back and forth. You are making the same assertion as my opinion-although you made them much more detailed:

"Roger wrote:
Jeff,

Officials in Iraq have expressed that they want to see their currency restored, to be in par with the other oil producing countries in the Gulf.

They are in the 3.25 to 3.5 range to the Dollar.

There is a potential here, but this is a very long ride until it gets there, and most enthusiastic investors are talking about an RV like it is something that will happen. I have never seen a hard statement that it WILL happen, or is planned, I sure hope it will, but the safest route is a slow increase of the value.

Another interesting aspect is that the currency the Iraqi officials are looking at is basically the GCC members, ( the countries along the Gulf, all oil producing countries).

They are set to get a common currency in a few years from now, but the fun thing is, in the meanwhile as they are setting themselves up to do so, they pegged their currency to the Dollar while waiting for the currency swap.

Well, it's just that in the meanwhile the Dollar sunk in value, and they are pegged to the Dollar, meaning they themselves have a way undervalued currency, something they are discussing to fix, exchanging the Dollar peg to a basket of Currencies, in order to maintain the value of their reserve. At the same time getting more commodities (like Gold) in their reserve.

So that means, the currency the Iraqis are looking at to be restored in par with, the GCC members currency, is in itself a higher valued currency than the face value of it says."

Again, Thank you for your post and thank you for stating my opinion much better than I. The GCC is potentially set for 3 years from now-a time line that has been mentioned in a few of the Iraq statements regarding the increase in the value of the dinar by their ministers.

-- January 26, 2007 8:32 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

The below article has been posted to www.safedinar.com about the Iraqi Security Plan.

Iraq PM: Security plan to target militants
1/25/2007

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press WriterThu Jan 25, 6:58 AM ET

Iraq's prime minister told parliament Thursday that the coming security sweep in the capital would not be the last battle against militants, who he said would not be safe anywhere in the country.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not reveal the details of the plan or say when it would begin, although he promised to ensure the human rights of innocent Iraqis.

"Operation Imposing Law," as he named the security operation that is bringing 21,500 more American troops to Iraq, would target Sunni and Shiite lawbreakers equally.

"We are full of hope. We have no other choice but to use force and any place where we receive fire will not be safe even if it is a school, a mosque, a political party office or home," he said. "There will be no safe place in Iraq for terrorists."

Past attempts by American forces and Iraqis have failed to cleanse the capital of Sunni insurgents and Shiite militiamen. Previously, al-Maliki intervened to prevent the crackdowns from going after members of the Shiite Mahdi Army that is run by one of his prime political backers, anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The militia force is believed responsible for much of the sectarian killing in Baghdad and central Iraq in recent months. Its forces and death squads have deeply infiltrated Iraqi security forces.

The crackdown "aims to disarm all groups and only leave weapons in the hands of the government," al-Maliki said, repeating a phrase he has consistently repeated for months. "This plan will not be the last. The battle between us and terrorists is open and continuous."

Meanwhile, the mayor of Baghdad's Sadr City said he reached agreement with political and religious groups to keep weapons off the streets of the heavily populated Shiite militia stronghold and has presented the deal to U.S. and Iraqi government officials in an apparent attempt to avoid a crackdown on the area.

Rahim al-Darraji said Iraqi troops will be in charge of security in the sprawling district in eastern Baghdad. His comments come amid fears that Sadr City, the main headquarters of the Mahdi Army militia, could be a major target in the planned crackdown.

The prime minister said five committees will be set up to work in conjunction with the military as it and U.S. troops conduct the security plan to deal with political, media, public services, economic and community outreach aspects.

He said Baghdad would be divided into nine sectors and Iraqi troops would be in the lead, backed by American forces.

The last of five additional U.S. brigades to help with the security sweep are scheduled to arrive in the Iraqi capital in May. The first, a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, arrived last week.

In violence Thursday, a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded in one of Baghdad's busiest market areas, killing at least four people and wounding 18, police said.

The blast hit the Shorja market district at about 11 a.m., police said, giving the casualty toll. The market is a major point for wholesalers to sell food, clothing and house products in the warehouses, stalls and shops lining the streets.

A bomb also struck a market in the religiously mixed area of Baiyaa in western Baghdad at 10:45 a.m., killing at least one civilian and wounding seven, police said.

Both areas have been the targets of bombings previously as insurgents seek busy commercial targets to maximize the casualties.

In northern Iraq, gunmen killed Hussein Abdul Aziz Ahmed, a member of the local council in Gayyara, about 20 miles south of Mosul, as he was driving to work, police said.

Iraq PM: Security plan to target militants - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 26, 2007 11:02 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

About Those Attacking the President and Government - Religious Perspective

Okie.. thanks for the history lesson on the Alien and Sedition acts.
I, too, find it frustrating that the President and government are attacked so viciously.
My recourse, of course, is to prayer and seeking the view of the Bible - because
God's thoughts on the matter are always helpful, at least to me. :)

For those who also find such counsel helpful, (particularly you Okie, since you too
found it something which causes you consternation) I offer this contemplation.
The passage which I felt applies to this situation was this one which is
about God judging a people that has displeased Him:

Isa 3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.
Isa 3:5 The people will be oppressed, Every one by another and every one by his neighbor; The child will be insolent toward the elder, And the base toward the honorable.
Isa 3:9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.
Isa 3:10 Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Isa 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Isa 3:12 As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.

Basically, I think of those who are attacking the President as the BASE people acting proudly and insolently against the honorable. And that it is a sign of God's judgement - not of anything dishonorable in the honorable people - (President Bush, the government). These thoughts in these verses I found helpful to understand how these ignoble and base persons are viewed in a historic and eternal context, and how they do not ultimately affect the honorable, but are merely heaping up to themselves judgement from God who says He will give to them "the works (reward) of their hands" (their base ways) in due course. I therefore wait patiently and in expectation for Him to act upon His declared will in due course.

The "wicked" declaring their sins openly "as Sodom" I found an interesting statement in our modern society, and I also found informative the depiction of women ruling over a people (such as Hillary Clinton) as being a way of ERROR and DESTROYING THE WAY OF YOUR PATHS. I believe that it is not a question of the intelligence of a woman as to whether she should rule a country, but that if a woman is given that place or position, God will not bless her rulership, as far as I can discern. A woman ruler will "cause you to err" and "destroy the way of your paths" - that judgement is given as definitive (certain) and not questionable in this passage.

It is seen as an act of God's judgement on an ungodly nation when women are its rulers in this passage. In other places in the Bible, rulership roles concerning women are also strictly regulated - not because a woman is a lesser person, but to preserve the order God created within families and nations. A lack of understanding of the created order of God on this and other issues shows us that there are those who are babes in understanding within our society and government - certainly there are a lot of them in the media. People who are "children" in understanding - people who have no discernment as to the real issues but act as a child would in office - are likely what is meant in the passage about children ruling a people (as I doubt it would apply literally to a young child taking the office of President, senator or member of congress.)

Therefore, these same people who rail at the idea that there is a proper order in government (saying that women should be permitted to rule a nation) also think the family is an outmoded and oppressive institution which should be abolished (and the media's rapture over the idea that there are more single females than married in that recent bogus poll showed their views on that point.) If they cannot understand what God made when He made males and females and put together the family unit as the foundation of the fabric of society, how can they understand when He says it is ERROR to have a woman rule over the nation? BOTH require a religious discernment which they show they are lacking concerning the purpose and intent God had in creating men and women, setting up the family and governmental structures and giving the rulership of earth to mankind. One can rebel against the institutions God has set up, but it only destroys our paths, it does not build the nation nor make it great.

Sara.

PS PH - thanks for that interesting post about how the media savaged the religious views held by that Christian who wrote in about homosexuality to a network. As I just posted, I think they have no religious understanding (and don't appear to wish any) and I DO NOTE that the nation does not share their anti-religious viewpoint and that such persons are in the minority in the country (though in the majority in the mainstream media and Hollywood.) Your post gives impetus to the passage about those who declare their sins openly "as Sodom" being relevant to today's modern society. This entire chapter (of which I just gave a few passages, above) treats what happens to a nation in our position. The "righteous" are rewarded as are the "wicked" - with God being the sole judge of which is which in those categories and determining exactly how that is meted out.

-- January 26, 2007 11:19 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I neglected to mention that the chapter also ends with these words spoken to the nation:

Isa 3:25 Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war.
Isa 3:26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

Here it says that war is the result of God's displeasure over a nation turning from Him and His will for mankind - in other words, what they are doing in their lives is against His ways (verse 8 where it says the country is ruined "because their words and their doings are against the LORD.") If Hillary (or a "babe") gets in, I take it as an indication of the wrath and judgement of God upon the nation - a sign that more war and evils will befall the USA. If she does not get in, but there is a person who is responsible like President Bush who gets in, I will take it that God has had mercy on us all and there will be a stopping of war.

This is, of course, the exact opposite of what the MSM is preaching.. since they are practically saying that if Democrats are elected we will have peace. It is interesting that the reality will be something completely different if a woman or babe is chosen to rule. And from what I saw with the article titled, "Boston Globe’s Jacoby Attacks Democrat Silence on Terrorism", there isn't one among the Democrats who has the mettle of a fighting man to stand up to the current threat to the nation. They are ALL babes - as pointed out in that article, quoted here:

http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2007/01/iraqi_dinar_dis_7.html#128449

Sara.

-- January 26, 2007 1:53 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I received this from a friend.
Board.. what do you think of this?
It made me think.. for sure.

Sara.

====

If you can you really ought to view this presentation. It is chilling. Pass it on to all you know.

Subject: Immigration

This is an extremely interesting presentation; however, it does take a while to load.

You won't have to click on anything except the video once it has downloaded.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4094926727128068265&q=roy+beck&hl=en

-- January 26, 2007 3:36 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

And while we are counting our blessings
(I know I am).. something for you to look at.

"Somebody Up There Likes Me"

Don't peek at the second picture!!
Don't look at the second picture til you have clicked on the first and read all this writing above the picture! :)

Click on the first picture below and you can see where this guy broke through the guard rail and left the road, traveling from right to left. He flipped across the end of the culvert and landed on the left side of it.

Click on the second picture and you can see how "lucky" he was.

http://upload5.postimage.org/373621/photo_hosting.html

http://upload5.postimage.org/373624/photo_hosting.html

Sara.

-- January 26, 2007 3:42 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Mary Lou,

No this is old data, they (the GCC members) did a peg around 2003, in anticipation of the common currency.

I'm just pointing out that the Iraqis are looking at their neighbours currency as a currency they want to get in par with, and that currency itself is, because it's pegged to the Dollar, undervalued.

The point I'm getting to is that the GCC currency might have a real value of 4 maybe 5 Dollars right now, thus the potential for the Dinar to eventually reach a similar value, even though we have to wait a very long time for it.

I did not bring into the equation the eventual possibility of Iraq swapping over to that currency as that proposition is not real.

-- January 26, 2007 3:55 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Sara,

Cool pics, they guy in the PU truck probably have a hard time sleeping a couple of nights after that incident.

Really good lecture on immigration, thanks.

-- January 26, 2007 4:17 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

After some further thought, it is my opinion speculators should not anticipate a radical revaluation of the New Iraqi Dinar by the Central Bank of Iraq.

All of these small incremental changes to the IQD's exchange rate may be psychological in nature and designed to work in connection with current military operations and economic reforms to bring stability to the country.

A lift in the IQD's exchange rate to 1200 or 1000 may be another tool in the arsenal of the U.S. and Iraqi Governments to fight the insurgency.

Because the IMF is in control of Iraqi monetary policy, any discussions of zero lop and revaluating the currency to a former exchange rate is nothing more than political rhetoric.

So, is the Iraqi Dinar really worth 1200/1 or 1000/1? My answer is yes and no. Yes, because a rise in the exchange rate where the Dinar is percieved to be "worth more" may provide a necessary psychological boost to the Iraqi citzenry. Motivating them to consider reconciliation rather than continued violence.

In contrast, my answer is also No. Where outside of Iraq can the speculator liquidate Dinar and receive a 1200/1 or a 1000/1 exchange rate? Nowhere. The questions is really rhetorical. Since the currency cannot be sold or traded its intrinisc value is very questionable

I agree with Roger, the currency is undervalued. Value will be assessed by the world community once the following has happened:

1. War has been won.
2. A stable government
3. Basic services have been restored.
4. The IMF is no longer influencing Iraqi monetary policy
5. The Dinar is traded on currency markets.

Once these five markers have been accomplished, the investor in the Iraqi Dinar will have an assessment of what the true value of the currency is.

-- January 26, 2007 5:11 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N.

Perhaps , if I may,

6. When production is up and running ( oil)

-- January 26, 2007 6:03 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

Interesting video on immigration, in America. I think the points raised in the video have global implications people should think about. It reminds me of my past comments on Europe. There, the fertility rate has plunged, and the leaders thought they could solve their economic problems, that arise from population crashes, by allowing in Muslim immigrants, who have large families, so that workers could be there to keep the economy and the pensions for old Europeans going. I'm with Mark Steyn. It's my guess that this process will eventually destroy Europe.

And the same thing could happen to the United States and Canada. The problems of population are even worse in the Third World. I read today, that in China, there will soon be 400 million old Chinese people. Because of their 1 child policy, not many Chinese had children since the 1960s. This huge population of old people will be a problem because most of them will have little or no savings, few if any relatives, and there is no social safety net to take care of them. The result will be a disaster for China. In Canada, there was a report about population growth in Canada, put out by the main federal government statistical agency, Stats Canada, a few years ago, that claimed that, with the present fertility crash in Canada, and the huge influx of immigrants here from Muslim countries, that withing 100 years, it was theoretically possible that Muslims could become the majority in Canada. Canadistan, anyone? The report was quickly retracted, and the public was told mistakes were made, and it wasn't valid, just idle speculation.

The answer to population problems, is not more children, or less children, or more immigration, or less immigration, in my opinion. The answer is for leaders to try and stabilize human populations in existing countries, to acceptible levels, so that resources are not stretched beyond capacity, and enough people are born each year to take care of the old people, and everyone can enjoy a reasonable standard of living. This is the great problem for civilization, for the next century, and few people recognize it.

An ever expanding population causes huge social problems and could easily destroy the world, as outlined by author Jared Diamond in his book Collapse. A collapsing population, like in Europe, is equally bad. With the indigenous European population being replaced by a Muslim population, whose identity centres around a religion that has become violent and radicalized, expect huge social upheaval in Europe this century. The riots in France, and the London bombings and what happened in Spain are just a down payment.

One of my basic problems with Islam is that their religious leaders are unbelievable reckless and aggressive. They are actively telling their people to breed, have large families, and take over the West. There is lots of evidence that this has been official policy in many Muslim countries. Breed them, send them to Europe, and take over. And the plan is working. It doesn't stop, when they get to Europe. The average Muslim familiy in Europe has over 4 children. Europeans have 1. It doesn't take long for the math to catch up, and Muslims quickly take over that continent, under those numbers and math assumptions.

This problem is worldwide in scope. There are over 1 billion Muslims in the world. If they continue with this breeding philosophy, it won't take long to over-run and ruin not just Europe, but the entire world. Muslim leaders are as reckless as European leaders are stupid and morally corrupt and shortsighted. The answer, again, is intelligent population control. Leaders must set population goals. People can't stop other people from having children, and they shouldn't, but incentives and penalities should be in place to try and control population to manageable levels. That should start with immigration controls, in the United States, as outlined in the video you brought to the discussion. On a global scale, if we don't figure this out, we humans are doomed. IMO

Hopefully, American political and religious and intellectual leaders will figure this out, and take action, before it's too late.

This all relates to the Iraqi Dinar, in an obtuse way, in that the war in Iraq, on which we have invested money in a specific currency, is all part of the bigger global picture, into which the context of this war in Iraq finds a place: With an ever expanding Muslim population worldwide, filled with radicalized, and aggressive young Muslim men, and American dependency on middle eastern oil, and a huge amount of money flowing into the middle east, some of which will find it's way into the hands of terrorists, expect a lot more Iraqs this centuries.

My final comment is this: The Democrats think they can simply walk away from Iraq, and all will be peaches and cream in the middle east? The problems in the middle east arise out of the most important and basic problems facing people this century: attempting to find ways to mute the negative effects of radicalized religion, the problems of population expansion, Western dependency on fossil fuels, and huge transfers of unearned wealth that is ongoing. These basic underlying realities and problems in the world won't disappear tomorow night, and they are what the world will have to face up to this century. And the Democrats think they can just walk away from all this reality, head back to Disneyland, and all will be well? Boy, are they dreaming in technocolor. We live on a pretty small planet.

I have to say I'm pretty disappointed at how narrow minded and insular the leadership of the Democratic Party is. The world is a complex place. Democrats should get out more, physically and mentally. They have become the party of the small minded.

Thank God President Bush is wise enough to understand the stakes involved.

As I said before, this is a must-win war, for the United States, for civilization itself, and it will set the tone for the confrontation and solutions that leaders worldwide will have to deal with, this century. America loses this war at it's own peril. This is a must-win war, for the U.S. America is, far and away, the leading country in the world. If they don't lead, who will? Bangladesh?

I'd like to say more, but I'm renovating my whole house in my spare time, and it will take several months. Thanks. I'll still keep checking in, and reading posts. Keep up the good work! I always enjoy reading your posts. You put a lot of thought into what you say. :)

-- January 26, 2007 8:26 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Some good comments from our new secretay of defense....
==================================================================================================================
Gates: Iraq resolution helps enemy

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks to the media Friday at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday that a congressional resolution opposing President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq amounts to undercutting U.S. commanders in a way that “emboldens the enemy.”

He also said the Pentagon was now studying whether it could accelerate the deployment of the five additional Army brigades that it has announced will be sent to Baghdad between now and May to bolster security in the capital.

At his first Pentagon news conference since taking office, Gates was asked his reaction to the debate in Congress over the effect of such a nonbinding resolution. “It’s pretty clear that a resolution that in effect says that the general going out to take command of the arena shouldn’t have the resources he thinks he needs to be successful certainly emboldens the enemy and our adversaries,” he said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16829400/

-- January 26, 2007 8:42 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Roger-I am in total agreement with you-guess I didn't elaborate sufficiently enough

-- January 26, 2007 8:43 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Roger,

Reading my blog entry after pressing the post button I realized I forgot number 6. Thank you for the addition.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 26, 2007 11:07 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Has anyone heard of http://www.dinardeposits.com/
If so, are they legit?
tia.

-- January 27, 2007 12:11 AM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

annonymous,
I have an account with them (Ameraq) and it seems legit. Basically this organization manages an account with the Al-Warka bank in Iraq, when you deposit your funds with them those funds are are credited to you in your own account with Ameraq. All I know is that I can access my account with them on line and veiw how much NID I currently have on deposit, but I'll find out how legit it was when it comes time to cash out. For another option you can set up your own account with Al-Warka bank, but it takes a little more effort to set up that account. For most of us, having the currency in hand is the mosy secure way of holding NID. I recomend having an NID account as well as holding currency to circumvent any possible future denominational/exchange issues, and earn intrest while awaiting the RV. Don't keep all your eggs in one basket is the old adage.

-- January 27, 2007 1:44 AM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

All,

I am sickened by the news media's cnn, msnbc, abc, cbs, and fox news on their bashing of President Bush. All the democratic congress people are going to Iraq to look like they have a handle on the situation. And yet, this week we now again see that the enemy has executed 4 or was it 5 of our servicemen. Apparently, someone on the inside betrayed us from the Iraqi government.

I know this to be the case based on news reports that government cars were used in the ambush. The gunmen seemed to know exactly where to breach the security compounds of our service men and women. However, no one is focusing on the humanity of our enemy!. It seems to be a USA responsibility only.

The lastest is that the anti-war groups are now matching. The liberal news media's are acting like this is the only reasonable position to take in this war. The consequences of the above attack are our own.

Please???

The scene is now pitched to make the democratic congress look like they must act in cutting off spending to our servicemen in order to make congress accountable to the people of the USA. Have you noticed this lastest news line?. President Bush states "He is the Decider about troop levels." Well, he is. He is commander in chief of the nation.

Makes me think that maybe those of us who believe like Senators McCain and Lieberman on this war, need to protest and start defending President Bush!. After all, we are the people. To the families who have lost soldiers, contractors over in Iraq, I am deeply sorry for what you are having to witness in your hour of mourning.

President Bush is not perfect, however, I sincerely believe he is doing what he believes is in the best interest of the USA. I can't stress this enough, we are in a war people (democrats and republicans)! We must win this war or be faced with the possibility of more terror in the USA.

Our enemies understand nothing else but death, it would appear. It is sad that people cannot get along without all of this bloodshed. Even, if we gave into every demand they (our enemies have), I do not believe, our enemy would be resolved to do anything else but to attack us and kill us.

The only thing left for us to do is fight and pray.

I pray I am wrong about these conclusions--but time will tell.

Thanks everyone for posting. Everyone in Iraq, let us know how you all are doing.

Laura

-- January 27, 2007 2:45 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger,
Been gone for a while, but I paid particular attention to the postings about gold.

You had told me awhile back that gold is no longer the backing of a country's currency. I thought that you were wrong then and it seems as thought , either I misunderstood you or you are still wrong.

The country , the poeple , the goods are not what establish the value of the currency. If this were so, we can wait for 2,000 more years on the DInar and still be holding worthless currency.

Granted, the oil is what will back the Dinar. But so long as it is still in the ground, and the government of Iraq is holding on to all the strings that will release the reasonable ability for foreign investors to take on the venture and expense drilling and refinining, it is a hopeless situation.

In an earlier posting, it was quoted as the Iraq govt. and high ranking officials are making loud noises about dealing harshly with the insurgents and militants. I found one particular quoted comment especially revealing of the deceitful game playing these desert rats play:

Rob N. quoted an AP article 1/25

(the basic idea of the story was to show how the NEW DEAL is to "crackdown" on both SUnni ans SHite violence.)

"meanwhile the mayor of Baghdad Sadr City said he reached an agreement with the political and religious groups to keep weapons off the streets of the heavily populated Shite militia stronghold and has presented the deal to the US and Iraqi govt. in an apparent attempt to avoid "crackdown" on the area"

This is a pacification on their part. If these people were sincere, they would welcome a crackdown, not offer some smokescreen of cooperation that amounts to " while the cats away, the mice will play"

Come on! We have been falling for and cooperating with this crap long enough! At the expense of lost lives and money.

I don't care about Pres. Bush's INTENTIONS! I am more interested in his strategies and brilliance and skill to encounter and deal with and attain the goals necessary to declare victory.

Our intention for victory on the soil of Iraq and for an improved quality of life for the Iraqi people has a dear price to pay for our own American society an citizenry.

Our attention has been directed ( distracted) to a nation and a people, whom for over 2,000 yrs have had the same agenda, and have no intention of aborting it.

In the meantime, starting with our Federal Govt. is in a fast forward mode of making inroads and cooperating with those who want to redefine social and moral order for our nation.

Starting with the irrational disregard for our Creator and moving ahead quite successfully of dismantiling our rights to religious freedom as we once knew it.

We have always had athestists and abberant religious groups, but they are not the ones who have secured religious freedoms for all to enjoy. It has always been the citizens withthe strong Judeo-Christian beliefs that have secured religious freedom for you and me.

Under the nose of our Fed.Govt.,states are being allowed to redefine marriage, allowing state laws to be passed to cause gender confusion to our youth, allowing the rights of crimminals to be protected and nourished, while our neighborhoods are being infested with hard core criminals ( most of whom are here illegally and have no intention of ever being pro-american).

Thousands and thousands are killed on our streets each month by violent acts against humanity.

Our schools have been infiltrated ( infested) with socialistic regimes intended on cooperating with the Marxist prescription of destroying capitalism by destroying the youth.

Our economic structure looks strong from the outside. But as a house is infested with termites on the inside, yet appears strong and intact on the outside, until one day it just implodes on itself, so is our American economy. As we are infested with millions of parasitic inhabitants who suck life out of our ecomony and are putting nothing back.

And this will continue so long as the middle working class of the US gets home from work, exhausted, has enough time to turn on TV and get the latest garb on the streets of Iraq and head for bed to work harder each day to gather a few toys for himself, while supporting all the parasites here and around the world.

WHY MUST WE DEAL WITH TERRORISTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. WE HAVE EVERY EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE ALREADY HERE ON OUR SOIL!!!

President Bush, you have 2 years to save this country!

Get our trops and money home and let's get to work.

Guard our borders as never before. Beef up the US intelligence and implement
"CRACKDOWN OPERATIONS IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS"

Start line item vetoing as much and as many irresponsible and dangerous legislation presented as possible.

Pardon those whom have been imprisone for hate crimes, and pardon the 2 Border Patrol officers in Calif. who have been sentenced to 12 years in prison for doing their job.

Put pressure on the states
by pulling back funding into the medicaid systems that are robbing our taxpayers on a moment by moment basis.

Bring our money home so that we can expedidte ethanol production. With the money you can bring home, by ending this invovlvement in the middle east, we can turn a 10 year goal into about 18months.

And lead us in Parades, and let's start singing the Star Spangled Banner again and lead us into bulling up to anyone who demeans our American way.

If it takes another Kent State, Watts riots, and yes 911!! So be it---because our citizens will benefit from lessons learned to promote our future here on our soil for our American heritage born citizens. (Which means reversing the law put into effect in the 1950's that redefined "american born citizen", which has allowed millions of anchor babies to declare citzenship)

You have got 2 years Mr. President. You have got a very simple choice: Choose to continue to fight for the Iraqi people and their future, or come home and work like hell to catch up to the promises you made 6 years ago to reclaim america from the dreadful grips of the Clinton days on our country.

Intentions, are a mere vapor!
Actions are tangible. Based on your actions, I support you.

By the way, if you ever put your eyes back into your own domain, can you do something about the legislatures in California that want to put a parent in jail for spanking their children. Oh, and while your at it can you put a stop to a coalition here in California that wants to outlaw parents making their children go to church on Sunday and praying before meals. Their premise is to protect these childrens right to chose.

BY the way these are the same people that allow doctors to suck out the brains of a 7 or so pound infant ready to be born.

Our society is very terminally sick here, Mr. President. Can you come home and help us fix it?

Carole
Staunch and long time member of the Republican Daughters of America

-- January 27, 2007 9:39 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Please excuse me!!

To be fair and "balanced".

The group that promotes sucking baby brains out just before birth, has done a honorable job of saving about 1500 Wales of the shores of California in the last years!!!!

GOOD JOB!!!---so you do sort of understand the RIGHT TO LIFE concept-----only WRONG SPECIES!!!

-- January 27, 2007 9:54 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Laura,

I agree with your comments. Personally, I don't think the vast majority of the political leadership really understand the nature of the conflict over there. People like Joe Lieberman and The President and John Macain are exceptions to this. Pray for leaders who understand the war. Most of the media don't understand the big picture behind this war, and why it's necessary to win. They are complete fools. If America fails in Iraq, we in North America can expect Muslim radicals to show up more in North America. America can't run and hide from this war.

The basic underlying world conditions that generated this war: oil money, Muslim radicalism, Muslim population expansion, and I would add the proliferation of weapons technology around the world, all these won't go away tomorow. As sure as the sun comes up, if America loses in Iraq, this problem will be back, and soon. It's unfortunate America has such small minds in the Senate, and in Congress. I wonder what it will take to wake them up, somedays.

Pray for wisdom.

-- January 27, 2007 10:21 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole, you should run for something.

You seem concerned about all the illegal aliens over-running America, destroying the economic future, for your grandchildren. Rightly so. As I see it, this problem has it's roots in radical feminism. As Sara pointed out recently, 40 million American babies have been sucked down the drain in the past 30 years, thanks to Godless radicial feminism, which now wants to elect it's first President, Hillary. This ties in to immigration. American immigration was opened up partly because not enough American children were being born, thanks to all the Godless, feminist-inspired abortions. Massive immigration was the answer to this shortage. Massive immigration is not good for American. It could eventually destroy your country. The negative affects of immigration were well documented in the video Sara put up a link to, the other day. Have a look at it, if you haven't already.

America will destroy itself eventually, through immigration, as will Canada, if we don't get a grip on this problem. Which means, if we go deeper, to root causes, it is Godless, life-destroying feminism and liberal values that will eventually destroy America, if Christians don't start to wake up, get serious, and understand the serious problems out there, and change America. I don't say this flippantly. I really believe it. America needs a Christian revolution, based on sensible principles, and an intelligent understanding of the problems facing your country.

Pray for good leaders.

Well, I have to go paint a room.

-- January 27, 2007 11:05 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks Roger and Rob N... thoughtful posts on the Dinar. I appreciated Tim Bitts, Valerio, Laura and Carole chiming in on the issues and Okie's posts, too. Mary Lou, I watch your exchanges with Roger and think you are not far from agreement.

And thanks, Roger, for your comments about the lack of sleep for the fellow in those pictures with his truck.. it would make you grateful for the gift of each and every day, for sure. As for your comment on the immigration one.. it is absolutely a paradigm shift in reasoning, in my opinion. It gives a whole new meaning to the idea of providing for your own - and your own in your own country - FIRST. And not impoverishing yourself and your ability to provide for your own in your desire to do good in the world. No one thinks a person is wise when he takes his paycheck and gives it to the bum on the street, if it means they and their family get kicked out of their home to starve on the street as a result. You are expected to provide for your OWN before you provide for others - that is common sense. Warren Buffet gave a HUGE amount of money to charity and people were very impressed by his kindness. If he had done so in a way that impoverished his family and made them beggars on the street, however, no one would have thought his charity commendable. This is true of the third world immigration policy as well - as that presentation shows so very clearly.

To support this commonsense view concerning immigration, for the "compassionate" Christian perspectivists, the Bible does say that if anyone does not provide for their own, they are worse than an unbeliever. The King James version says "infidel" but since the Islamofascists took that word to an extreme, I think unbeliever is a nicer term since it does not connote the new definition of that word as a militant or violent exclusivism - only those who choose not to believe or act in accordance with the revealed Will of the Judeo-Christian God - which is the God the nation of America was founded under and Judeo-Christian people have served under to bring about and preserve our freedoms.

1Ti 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

I think this is why Carole showed such ire and gave such good advice about how to "right the ship." Basically I believe this applies as follows: "if anyone does not provide for his own (FAMILY OR NATION), he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." - (my additions to the Scripture in brackets.) It applies to immigration in that those who claim to be Christians in the country and take the resources of the country of America and give them to immigrants and do so in a way that causes the impoverishment of their own people (THE NATION) - those same people are not providing for their own (NATION) and have denied the Christian faith and are worse than those who do not believe or act in accordance with the revealed will of God. For those claiming to be compassionate "Christians" and letting this travesty continue, they are seen (by God, according to this Scripture) as worse than unbelievers - just think what that means to those claiming to be Christians and trying to do "the right thing." Hopefully, if this understanding reaches many people (including the Judeo-Christian ones who are responsible for securing our freedoms as Carole pointed out), it will help change things around for the ultimate good of the nation. Then, America can work from a position of strength on good ways to help the populations of the third world countries, without impoverishing the nation/families of America in the process.

Sara.

-- January 27, 2007 1:45 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Tim,

It is impossible for the American everyday Christian or Christian sympathizer to revolt.

The chess game is too far along and the pieces have been set up and we are almost in check-mate.

back in the 70's my oldest daughter's health class tried to introduce coed-sex education. I formed a parent -teacher group and after a unbelievable amount of time money and energy, we were able to get a moratorium on that class. It lasted for 5 years, and then the watchdog group went on to bigger things, like having to get (mom's)jobs outside the home to prepare for the cost of up and coming college tuitions for our teens.

In this day, a grass roots revolution will never take place, no matter how many millions of sympathizers and victims of the new age that there are.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS; that in this day we have organizations specific and focus to fight the causes involved in preserving decency and traditional values WE ALL MUST CLING TO FOR SURVIVAL. Christians and decent non believers alike.

These groups are powerful and are a constant target of the SP's and those who want to see America perish.

I decided about 20 years ago, when most of these groups started to surface, that because my blurps of protest were impotent to the big picture, that my best efforts towards helping to fight for and preserve basic life values was through support of these groups.

They have scholarly men and women with strong judicary backgrounds and skills. AND THEY, AT THIS TIME ARE HOLDING BACK THE TIDE OF OUR OWN SOCIAL AND MORAL INSURGENCIES HERE IN OUR LAND.

It is their full time job!!
They are focused and tenacious in their efforts, and most imprtantly they are very successful.

Several years ago, they made a wise decision to join together and the groups have lessened in number but gained great strength from merging.

SOme of the most influential are ACLJ ( American Center for Law and Justice)

FRC Family Research COuncil, and there are more. But these are the ones that I support the most. They are in court everyday, including the Supreme Court fighting for America's survival. They are extremely effective.

BUT THEY DEPEND ON DONATIONS TO SURVIVE AND KEEP THE FRONT BATTLE LINES GOING.

Tim, they are our only hope.
If the revolution you so appropriately recognize a need for has any chance of happening, it will be through these very powerful groups. So they demand our financial support, as they stand in our place while we try our best to live out a life that is moral and decent, and truly representative of righteous living. In todays counter culture climate, this no east task. In fact it is a phenomenal challenge that families are failing at more and more.

The parasites don't work, so they have time to develop and particpate in the La Raza mentality of our time. They also have the time and the resources to promote their agenda to their "families" and communities. So they have the advantage.

A clear picture of this is to pick any city California, and go to a city council meeting. A real eye opener to the intensity of what is happening. These meetings are a playground for those parasites.

In the more affluent city council meetings one will encounter all the leftist eliteists that any cesspool can hold.

This didn't happen overnight, but the voices that tried to cry out and give their warnings were ignored, many years ag o, and we are basically living out their predictions.

I did watch the clip that Sarah posted. It was very well done.

Several thoughts went through my mind.
First of all, I don't think we will see such an over population crisis, here or worldwide. In the so-called ultra- modern societies have a strong presence of euthansia systems, that at this point are socially obscured, but rampant at any rate.

In the US the laws have been passed and just waitng for the right social climate to go gung-ho on the precepts of euthansia.

Even in my own workday,which is a Hospice practioner, I fight the battle of encouraging those to battle for life where there is a glimpse of hope. Hospice has become to euthansia what therapuetic abortions became to abortions on demand today.
DOn't get me wrong, when appropriate there is no better offer of comfort to the truly dying,but, once again, these programs have been allowed to be a breeding place for evildoers.

Another thought I had after watching the clip, was: if a Christian group were to have produced such a film, they would be labeled as doomsdayers, and more than likely sued for explicit negative racials undertones, and who knows maybe even sued for civil-rights violations, and even more probable , if the producers were Christians couold be indicted for a hate crime, under the new terriorist law.

Another thought I had, was, this man had his research intact! There is no alternative than to look ahead to gloom and doom for the next generation or two.

Except for those who know Christ.

Christians aren't doomsdayers. I this day we are the only ones with good news and hope in a hopeless world.

As humans we all have something in common 100% OF THE TIME------ WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE.

We will leave behind all that got accomplished or not accomplished by whatever regime or agenda is challenging humanity when we take our last breath.

AND THEN ETERNITY!!

My last thought as I was watching the clip was...... this could all be true predicitons, if one were to believe that in the next 50 years there would not be a nuclear holocust that our
millions of desert rats see as an act of adoration to allah.

Good luck on your painting. We can all help you watch it dry, as we have become experts in that endeavor :)

And to those who will be quick to say " her discussion is not about the Dinar"

You're right!!! But GET OVER IT!!

Carole

-- January 27, 2007 3:07 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

actually not so bad since that source of your dinar info seems always off base

-- January 27, 2007 6:02 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

anon:

:)

Carole

-- January 27, 2007 6:41 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Carole: I'm not so sure. . .having battled cancer at the end of 2005 and a heart attack last year. . .I've been trying to die. . .but our medical inroads keep on keeping me alive. . . lol. . .not that I'm complaining. . .what we need today is old time discipline and respect. . of your parents, your elders, and your peers. . .P.H.

-- January 27, 2007 6:46 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

This tells me that the HCL approval is on schedule for next week!
======================================================================================
Iraq in talks with Chevron, Exxon for $3B petrochemical plant
The Associated PressPublished: January 25, 2007

LONDON: Iraq is in negotiations with Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build a new $3 billion (€2.31 billion) petrochemical facility, and is in talks with several other Western companies over industrial projects.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/25/business/EU-FIN-Iraq-Chevron-Exxon.php

-- January 27, 2007 7:15 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Good news, Okie. Looking forward to seeing it pass. :)

Carole.. I am sure you are hearing real things..
just a monkey wrench in the workings, in my humble opinion.
Do appreciate all you share. :)

Population Control?? - isn't that Communist/Socialist?

Tim Bitts said, "People can't stop other people from having children, and they shouldn't, but incentives and penalities should be in place to try and control population to manageable levels. That should start with immigration controls, in the United States, as outlined in the video you brought to the discussion. On a global scale, if we don't figure this out, we humans are doomed. IMO"

And Carole said, "I don't think we will see such an over population crisis, here or worldwide. In the so-called ultra- modern societies have a strong presence of euthanasia systems, that at this point are socially obscured, but rampant at any rate. In the US the laws have been passed and just waiting for the right social climate to go gung-ho on the precepts of euthanasia."

==end of quotes===

Tim said we cannot stop people from having children.. but then speaks of population control using "incentives and penalties." Carole chimed in that population control is already almost in place using "euthanasia systems." That kind of direction is an alarming slippery slope which I think should cause us to come to a full stop and think through the issues. I think once we start encouraging and discouraging who lives and dies, it is a small step to thinking we should be regulating who lives and who dies - which turns into the monstrosity of mankind playing God. Abortion, stem cell "research" (which destroys human beings at the earliest stages of life) and euthanasia are all life-and-death issues which play this role. When governments use any of these and actively determine who lives and who dies, they are acting in a way which is monstrous, wrong-headed and will lead eventually to disaster. Are there none left in government who fear God, that they would take over His role actively in the matters of life and death? Palliative care means that those facing death need do not need to suffer physically. Killing those who are not yet born is not our right, nor do we have the right to kill the elderly - especially when there are alternatives. We should not be determining when death should come to a person - that is the role of God alone.

Historically, the founder of Planned Parenthood - Margaret Sanger, established that institution partly out of her convictions that it should be used as a population control measure. She was into controlling the population and look where her efforts at birth "control" led to. From the neutral source of wikipedia, I note that Sanger herself said, "The campaign for birth control is not merely of eugenic value, but is practically identical with the final aims of eugenics." And she saw birth control as "a means to prevent "dysgenic" children from being born into a disadvantaged life." - which means that she would have been happy to have had Stephen Hawking or any other 'handicapped' (dysgenic) persons killed before they were born. She also "advocated certain instances of coercion: "The undeniably feeble-minded should, indeed, not only be discouraged but prevented from propagating their kind." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger Of course, President Reagan could once have fit that category as he wrestled with the affects of Alzheimer's disease and became, undeniably, more "feeble-minded." Is it wrong to take her comments to these logical conclusions? Look at where the institution she founded has ended up - as abortion advocates, so.. where do you draw the lines? And should we even be embarking upon the road of drawing lines for who lives and who dies? By what right?

Exo 4:11 And the LORD said to him, Who has made man's mouth? or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

If God says He made them that way, do we have a right to kill them and so disagree with God's creative act? On what grounds? That God made them blind or deaf?

I do not think we should go there for this reason and also because the line between killing off 'some' (the blind, the deaf, the handicapped?) is so easily turned into the wholesale killing of many - all for the supposed betterment or 'good' of what men think is right (Hitler's master race, China's belief that it is ok to kill off the "wrong" sex, etc.) I do not believe mankind should play God as to who lives or dies. Tim Bitt's idea of incentives and penalties sends a chill down my back as I think of Carole being "encouraged" to only have one or two of her children.. and as I think upon the next step of that was taken by the Chinese to "encourage" people to have smaller families - their "one child" policy.
QUOTE:

China Fears lopsided sex ratio could spark crisis

Jan. 12, 2007 — The gender balance continues to increase in China, such that by 2020, nearly 30 million Chinese men will find themselves hard-pressed to land a bride.

A report by China's State Population and Family Planning Commission says that in 2005, there were 118.6 boys born for every 100 girls, and those figures are expected to increase with China's population. Experts warn of increased prostitution, AIDS cases and violence if this trend is not reversed to some degree.

Zhai Zhenwu, professor of demography at the People's University of China, tells ABC News that if this trend continues, "men won't be able to find wives, especially those with low income or little education. That will create social instability and increase discrimination against women."

Traditionally in China, still a male-dominated society, the preference is toward boys. The gender imbalance began to increase in the late 1970s when China instituted its one-child policy.

Some experts have predicted that the more economically stable men will find foreign brides from less prosperous countries around Asia. And the implication of this impending influx is huge. China has never seen immigration on a large scale, and it's likely to resist the cultural changes that come with it.

But the current social services and welfare system is strained. And according to the report, China's population will increase by 200 million in 30 years. This means the total population will reach 1.45 billion by 2020, with 234 million people more than 60 years old. The report says that China's rapidly aging population will create a financial burden that could affect relations between generations and social harmony.

The good news for China is that there will be no shortage of manpower. A huge pool of cheap labor is one of the country's key advantages. Still, a large chunk of those men will almost certainly be bachelors.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=2790469&page=1

REGULATING births, as the Chinese sought to do here, created more problems than it addressed. In my humble opinion, which I believe will be proven in time, you will also find that 30 million men looking for brides will be quite happy with the idea of conquering another country to obtain them (a traditional way of dealing with sex imbalances if you look at history.) I do not put it past the Chinese to give as an incentive to young men without prospects that if they join the army and help invade a country, they are able to take the women as "spoil." It is easy to motivate young men to war if you allow them to take what they want and when significant numbers (and THIRTY MILLION is a substantial number in my books) of men are willing to fight to obtain a woman for themselves, I think you have a militant threat on the rise. We don't need to add to our problems by copying their "solution" to the population problem.

"Incentives and penalties" - even those falling short of a "one child" policy - will also cause society to deem some people more worthwhile to live and others not so - so that, if you were Beethoven (born to a family of eight children) the state would long ago have "incentive and penaltied" you from existing. I think we are opening a pandora's box whose end is to denegrate human life and rob us of our most valuable resources - people. When society "stigmatizes" large families by creating these "incentives and penalties" we lose a great many good people - from Beethoven to Carole's two to three youngest?

I do agree with the point being made in the clip I posted - that immigration cannot continue at these unprecedented levels (it was IMMIGRATION which was powering the RED chart you saw, not births of those already in the country) and that immigration must be lowered to the 1965 levels to make the system sustainable and not harm the nation's economic fortunes and future. This does not KILL anyone to reach the goal. Do note that the GREEN levels were starting to decline and level off and that the GROWTH figures are from immigration. The problem is solvable by addressing the immigration issue without population control measures. But as for addressing the "population control" idea, I do not see that presentation on immigration as addressing this problem in any way. It is the net immigration which is undermining the US and making it unsustainable - just in the same way as giving away ALL the resources you had to one person on the street and impoverishing yourself and your family would. It was not meant to address the supposed global overpopulation issue as a whole.

For that - the supposed idea of a global catastrophe due to overpopulation - you need to do the math to see that it is in reality a mere trick. If you take every man, woman and child in the entire world at this point in time, you can place them, shoulder to shoulder, within the borders of the City of Calgary (for Tim Bitts) or Los Angeles (for Carole)... and the entire rest of the surface of the earth will be unpopulated! Or.. if you give every single person alive on the surface of the earth at this point in time a 1000 square foot home, you could fit the entire population of earth into Kentucky and Louisiana.. and the entire rest of the surface of the earth would be unpopulated!! If the world is about to become overpopulated.. how about we dice up Canada? Start with a drive through the Rocky Mountains, Tim Bitts.. and tell me exactly how many people you have per mile? Not many, right? Canada is a vast vast country, not about to become overrun with people anytime soon. So it isn't that there are too many PEOPLE, is it?

The next thing the population controllers - who wish power over us as to who lives or who dies - wish us to believe is that if it isn't that there are too many PEOPLE (as I just disproved that idea), then it is that there are too few resources. But that does not hold water, either. We can produce enough food on all that land (remember we area all standing shoulder to shoulder inside ONE city on earth) to feed us all. The problem is that you have those who won't let that happen. The problem is mankind is sinful and murderous and denies some the right to eat or live. Since the problem is within mankind - his lack of humanity and sharing and caring - it is a complete lie to believe that human beings are evil and to be "controlled" by government decree, including their fertility, to solve this problem of scarce resources. Totalitarianism is never the right way to go to answer the questions which confront us. If the resources are scarce because some take by force the world's resources for themselves (think Saddam as dictator over in Iraq) - does that mean that we should be penalized and have our freedoms taken away? Does that make the problem that an American is having a large family? Is that really the way to solve the imbalance of natural resources?

Socialism believes this way in all things.. the answer is government who will save us by bringing in regulation and control, etc. We should never see our fellow human beings as "problems" to be controlled and eliminated. If the populace of humanity has problems, more people solve the problems by finding answers. One hundred years ago, one acre of land yeilded only one tenth what we can get from it now because our technology has increased our food production exponentially. Even so, future productivity problems will be solved.. if there are people to solve them and we don't kill them off. People are not the problem, BAD people are the problem. Indiscriminately killing off people to try to stop a future Hitler among them may seem wise, but you are going to kill off Stephen Hawking and Beethoven, Ronald Reagan and the next researcher which will solve how to stop the next worldwide epidemic, cure cancer or AIDS, or figure out how to reach other planets and colonize them, ending our resource limitations for all time - for all we know. I just cannot see that killing such people is wise. Consider that the reason we are not finding the answers to our most pressing problems may be that the researcher with the answer may be the next baby not born due to abortion or stem cell "research." We are killing the answers, not eliminating them, by killing the unborn. People are the ANSWERS to the global questions confronting us, not the problem. I believe killing people is not the answer to scarcity of resources and I believe that the problem of scarce resources has other solutions than the government controlling and killing human beings.

Sara.

PS Carole - that wasn't Dinar either, but you brought it up and it is slow on the board. Hope you don't mind.. no offense at all in the foregoing to you or Tim, you both just made me think.

-- January 28, 2007 12:42 AM ∞

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willie wrote:

PANHANDLER, What I fear has come upon me. Time for you to rethink your outlook on life my friend.

-- January 28, 2007 1:00 AM ∞

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chelseadave wrote:

No change again.

Announcement No.(851)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 851 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 1/28 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1292 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1290 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 99.235.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 1.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 99.235.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 1.000.000 -----

-- January 28, 2007 4:18 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Non-Dinar Comments:

Sara, good post. Thanks. I'm not suggesting the government regulate who has children, or euthanasia, or any of that sort of evil nonsense. I'm suggesting that we try to understand what causes populations to rise, or fall, and try to limit our numbers. I also suggest people need to better understand the relationship between modern life, demographics, population fluctuations, and the functioning of a successful economy. I philosophically disagree on one point. I don't think more people are the answer to our problems. I think better management of what we have is the answer, including better management of our greatest resource, people.

Look at India or China. They have large populations, mostly illiterate and poor. Large populations do not necessarily equal creativity, or wealth, or a good life for people. I'm interested in people having a good life, with education and a good medical care. Part of the long term answer to that, I think, is that people will eventually limit their own numbers.

A billion Chinese, and a billion Indians now want to live like Americans. Americans, like Canadians, put a large biological footprint on the earth. We use a lot of resources. Resources like the Amazon Forest are being cut down at a terrific rate, so everyone can have a nice coffee table. The oceans are being fished dry. I listened to Jane Goodal for two hours, live, one time, and it scared the crap out of me. I'm not sure how long the world would hold together if everyone lived like us.

There's plenty of land in the world for everyone to live, I agree there, with some qualifications to follow. But resources? There are enough resources if we don't overfish, if we learn to recycle our resources, and make the economy much more efficient, but right now, we're very wasteful.

How do we solve all this? Well, I don't know all the answers, but I think part of the answer needs to be to limit population, at some point, in the Third World especially. This does not have to be by some sort of government edict. I think this will happen naturally anyway, as people get more educated, they tend to have fewer children.

The United States has about three hundred million people. Why does it need more? I for one prefer a less crowded world. I love quiet and natural places, I love mountain meadows and unspoiled beaches. I prefer a world where there is always lots of wild and natural spaces. Think about a home. A person can have a comfortable home, with a spouse and a couple of kids living in it and be happy. That same home, the same amount of space, the same income level, but with 12 people living in that space could be quite miserable. I know. I grew up in a poor and overcrowded home, with limited resources. I for one firmly believe if resources are managed properly, America can continue to be a great country, with a great standard of living, with it's present population. I don't think you need more people. Look after your own people better, and run your economy better, I say. That's the solution. Not 8 million Mexicans running over the border.

Let me give you an example from my life. About twenty years ago, I moved from Vancouver, B.C., to Calgary. I said to myself at the time, if you want to live in Vancouver, which is a very nice place to live, you will have to work like mad, because house prices were already very high, back then. Vancouver has a limited land base, because it is surrounded by mountains, and in real estate, under those conditions, when you have large population moving into the area, this all adds up to skyrocketing house prices. It's simple supply and demand. I predicted twenty years ago Vancouver would become overly expensive and unlivable.

Twenty years ago, it was easy to buy a house in Calgary. Prices were cheap, jobs were easy to come by, and land goes on forever, out to the praire, so the land was available, which kept prices reasonable. So I moved to Calgary. Well, sure as the sun comes up, I looked in the paper the other day, and house prices in Vancouver have gone up to an average of a million dollars each, just like I predicted.

Now, I remember twenty, twenty-five years ago, the Canadian government telling us, we need more immigrants, to drive the economy. I remember thinking at the time, it was nonsense. Well, the economy was, in fact slow, and the immigrants, mostly from China and India did help. The economy grew, as skilled people came in. And what else happened? House prices went up to a million dollars each. And this is called progress? No thanks.

I have a lady dentist, and she has friends in Vancouver, and she tells me it takes two professional couples, each carrying a quarter of a million dollars mortgage, and combining four mortgages, just to buy a house in Vancouver. They are so busy, making money, just to pay off the mortgage, and taxes, and to make the bank rich, that they don't have time to have a family. This is progress?

I knew a man in Vancouver when I was there, twenty years ago. He was very old when I knew him. Anyway, he was an average working Joe, raised three children, the wife stayed at home, and he bought a decent small home near the university, in Vancouver, and paid off his mortgage on a working man's salary. Today, if he were alive, he couldn't afford to rent a basement suite in that neighborhood, never mind a family. This is progress?

To me, there's something wrong with an economic system like this. Sure, capitalism is the best system in the world, by far, and has done more to raise people's standards of living than anything else. But I suspect it has severe flaws that will need to be addressed in time.

In my Vancouver example, poor use of economic resources meant the Canadian economy wasn't doing too well, twenty years ago. The federal government went into hock to the tune of hundreds of billions, and had to find a way to ramp up economic activity to generate funds to pay this off. So we thought the solution was to bring in more people. Well, it helped for a while, but now everything is so darned expensive, and will be forever, that it's hard to live there. Vancouver and Canada would have been better off just trying to manage it's economy better. More people moving in just ended up meaning high costs of living, forever. I thought it was a scam to make people in Vancouver who owned a lot of real estate rich, (I knew some of them, and they agreed with me) and to bail out the federal government's rear end, and I still think so.

That is just one example of why I am deeply suspicious of unending economic and population growth.

Now, getting back to Canada, or the United States. It costs several hundred thousand dollars, per child, to raise a family, when you factor in twenty years of food, and mortgage payments, and clothes and education etc. Families cost a lot more than they used to. That's part of the reason people are having smaller families. That's why America brings in so many immigrants. That's also part of the reason women have so many abortions. This can have many negative effects. Families are so expensive to raise, pressures to pay off the mortgage and live "the good life" are so great, that the population starts to head down hill, numerically, and that causes all sorts of social and economic problems. So, as a "solution", people let in more immigrants. Then you get all the problems outlined in that video. Wouldn't a better solution to be to financially help American families cope with the cost of raising children? Then you wouldn't need so many immigrants. I believe eventually some smart economist will figure out just what are the right incentives to give people within a given population, with subsidies and tax breaks for parents, also help getting into a mortgage, etc., so that the cost of parenting is calibrated just carefully enough that the population produced the right number of children, for a given population target. There does not need to be any coersion, in this scenario, just incentives. Then, countries can maintain their populations at an ideal level, and learn to manage their resouces better, to have a better life for everyone.

So, Sara, you took my last comments to a place I never would have taken them. I don't believe governments should control people. I'm generally a libertarian, as well as an entrepreneur, so I don't like being constrained. I'm well aware of the history of the eugenics movement, and I wouldn't approve anything like that.

No, this doesn't mean socialism. Just more intelligent capitalism, which is yet to develop. Part of intelligent capitalism means learning to understand the economic contribution made by parents, to the economy, and factoring in this into the social economic equation. Here's what I mean by that. Suppose a couple has six kids. They're Mormon, or something, and want a large family. They make tremendous efforts, and successfully raise a large family. Now, suppose one parent, the mother, stays at home. She's not in the work force. Does she make a net economic contribution to her country? Sure. If all six kids turn into average productive people, they each will generate a million dollars in income each, over their lifetimes. That six million dollars would not be in the economy, without the efforts of that woman. So it's fair to say, she makes an enormous economic contribution to her country. Now, as I have said, to be a parent is an enormous financial investment. It costs a lot of money. The woman in my example has an economic choice. She can get a good education, have a good career, lots of prestige, drive a great car, have lots of money, or, she can have a family, and sacrifice a lot of the perks in life. Naturally, under these real world conditions, most women decide to forgo having a lot of kids, or have very few. Which makes sense. She's given a choice. Make a pile of money, and have free time, or take on the burdens of parenthood. Many naturally chose an easier life. Now, in this economic scenario, the economic and life choices women make eventually affect the whole nation. Suddenly, there are not enough future citizens to pay the bills, and people start bringing in immigrants, which causes big social problems. Now, I say, it is better for the government to recognize the economic contribution the woman makes to the economy, and to subsidize her in her efforts to raise a family, and the general social subsidy for families should be just big enough to encourage people to have just enough children to replace the existing population. Intelligent capitalism would do just that.

So, yes, I believe in economic incentives to parents. And as far as penalties go, what I mean by that is this: The money for economic incentives for parents has to come from some place. I say it should come more from that part of the population that doesn't have children. Here's why: The woman I described, by having children, has made an enormous future economic contribution to society. What about someone who is single? Well, when they get old, someone has to look after them. They are not leaving behind any future people to bring economic activity to society. The economic contribution of these people, who may have worked, had good jobs, lived productive lives, is actually smaller than the woman who had children. These people don't have children who are going to be net economic generators, when they are old. They will, in fact, draw upon the resources of society when they are old. They will, in fact, draw upon the wealth created by the woman who had children, in order to sustain themselves. So, in my opinion, these people should indirectly, through the tax system, help pay for and subsidize, the raising up of the next generation, who will look after them, when they are old. That's only fair. It's like paying school tax. Everyone who owns a home pays school tax, whether they have kids, or not. That is so because schools and children must be supported by everyone, since they are the future of society. To me, that's just fair. That's just everyone paying their own way. So, I don't believe in penalties for people who have families, as you alluded, but rather incentives, for people to have children.

By various incentives and penalties, you can eventually have a stable population number, and avoid the problems of a collapsing, or an overly expanding population. There is a place for sensible immigration, in this scenario. Sensible immigration policy is based on the same sort of principle underlying it, as underlying my observations about population growth: it can't go on forever, with no limits. The video recognized what everyone knows: runaway immigration, which is another way of saying runaway population growth, would destroy America. Likewise, I believe, runaway population growth, could kill the Third World.

By the way, you said people are the answer and you never know who you might be aborting, like the next Einstein, etc. I agree with you. I don't believe in abortion. There are other ways to do things, that are more moral, so we aren't in disagreement. But here's another thing. One of the biggest population problems in the United States right now is that less intelligent women are having a lot more kids, than intelligent ones. This has been measured, and in time, over the decades, if things don't change, Americans will gradually get dumber. The reason is, educated women tend to have fewer kids because they spend more years in school.

I do very much believe in the equality and God-given dignity of each person. But I know you won't like this next comment: Like it or not, intelligence is generally inherited from the parents, and dumb people generally have dumb kids. Just watch Jerry Springer, if you don't believe me. I'm not in favour of any sort of eugenics, but I think society needs to recognize the reasons why intelligent women don't have many children, and help change that. If you are ever with a group of women doctors, as all of them who doesn't have children, and you will see what I mean. They're usually so busy with studying till 30, then setting up a practice, they don't have time. So if people want brighter kids, more intelligent women will have to have more children. So, if you are, as you said, looking for solutions for problems in the world, and seeing each child as a potential Einstein, the truth is, the new discoveries that will help people will be thought up by the children of women who are the most intelligent in society, not by people on Springer.

Well, so we went off on a little tangent again. Slow day for dinar news. At least I got the room painted, so I don't feel so bad, clicking away here, like I said I wouldn't. I respect your views. I suspect we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, Sara. :)

Don't worry, I'm not a nasty person. I wouldn't bring in the Eugenics Police, Sara, even if I could. Thanks for putting up with me, people!

-- January 28, 2007 5:22 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Same as last auction,

Well they broke the pattern, we'll see if they are happy leaving the Dinar at this level for a while or if this is a temporary hold up.

About people on this earth,

There's an awful lot of us nowadays, and the term "over population" is only accurate when we can't feed ourselves.

It's a matter more of effective handling an distribution of food and goods.

Theoretically the California valley, with all it's growth, could support the whole population on this earth, I have seen similar calculations for the Indian Ganges valley, so the ability to exist is certainly there, in much bigger numbers than now.

I can only look at myself, for my acceptance of people around me.

I don't consider myself anti social, but I'm not particular social, either, I just don't like to have a big number of people around me.

They're in the way.

For every step I'm taking, in life, there is a line ahead of me, on the freeway, in the supermarket, and in waiting an hour for the ride in Disneyland.

Assuming the population is fed, have clothes, and are a part of the machinery, this is in itself not "overpopulation" but it's sure bugging me.

I think it's more in the head of people what overpopulation is. When it's a big gray anonymous mass that you are elbowing with, it's an element of discomfort. Pick out each individual and you will have a great time.( some a bad time)

Our social acceptance of how much space we can accept is much more demanding here than in Europe for example.

Go to an ATM in Europe, and you can expect that the line will start just behind your back. You can't do that over here, if you are in line for an ATM here, you need to stay about 4-5 yards away, and demonstratively stare in the ceiling, to show that you are not interested in the person doing his/her transaction.

I saw a very funny conversation taking place once, between an American and an Egyptian man.

In Egypt it's completely social acceptable to stand very very close, waiving the hands in front of the face, and touching the person you're having a conversation with.

Americans, have to stand a couple of feet away, and therein lays the problem in this conversation.

Unconsciously the American wanted his space back, and the Egyptian, felt that he didn't reach over enough with his conversation and tried harder to get closer.

It was a fun dance.

How many of us are there, well do some math, if you can fit 6 or 7 persons standing straight up in a square yard, you will find out that it's no more than a few square miles needed to cover all the population of this earth.

A couple of wheat fields in Kansas would cover it.

If we have over population, it's more a perception than real count. Even in a big city buzzing with life, check out how much space there is between people. Even a busy sidewalk in the business blocks in big metropolitans at peak time, you could theoretically probably fit 200 times more people in to the "busy" sidewalk.

The problem is not in the numbers, poverty, non education, non production, is the vicious cycle.

Japan is tightly packed with people, and by education, and production this is one of the more advanced societies on earth.

Compare that society with a South American slum city.

South America, full of land, minerals, industrial and agricultural possibilities, but there are miles and miles of cardboard slum.

By looking at the slum, it's easy to come to the conclusion that it is "over populated", because it is obvious that all these people don't get education, have jobs, and are living in despair, these people are left out, is an over production of people and they have no purpose to full fill in the society.

Well in a sense yes, but it is a symptom of something that could be solved right there.

Japan and Germany, well the whole Europe for that matter, was in ruins after ww2, but the know how, work discipline, resourcefulness and determination was there to rebuild a life again.

A mere 65 years have passed, and today you have to go on guided tours to see the remains of WW2.

The Marshall plan did it's work but the main bulk of recovery was those funny looking cars that looked like a Bug, from Europe, and cheap plastic toys from Asia.

They did it themselves.

Democracy has its Achilles heel in that it is very bureaucratic, and only executive branches of it, get things done.

Dictators have an ability to line people up, get them to start shoveling, and building things.

The problem is, there have been no good Dictators.

The best description I can give is to say in those countries, they need a firm hand.

Unfortunately corruption is a mainstay in most undeveloped countries, and a power that will line people up around the shovels are elusive to get.

In the meanwhile we're getting more and more of us.

When the line to Seven Eleven goes out to the sidewalk, that's when I move to Montana.

-- January 28, 2007 6:06 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Carole,

No Gold is not backing our currency, it did during something called the Gold standard. This was way back, you might want to check the Internet on this.

The value of a currency is nowadays determined only in how much we value the currency.

No more no less.

The amount of Gold in the Federal Reserve, can not cover the face value of all the Dollar bills in circulation. It's not intended to either, you will not get gold for your Dollar bill, go into a bank and put a buck on the desk and ask to get a piece of Gold, you wont get it. However, they are happy to pay your Dollar bill, with another Dollar bill.

Even a new form of currency have surfaced lately, the stateless currency, the Euro, and it's backed by .....nothing.

The value of a currency is backed by faith in it, how much productivity you have in a country, how much debt, how much trade, future prospect of profit, political stability, and so on....not Gold.

Some currencies have become world currencies, like the Dollar, Sterling and Euro, where even more factors have to be calculated into it, but still, no gold.

The Dollars fall recently is most probably a reaction to the Iraq war, and huge national debt.

Here we have full faith in it, but abroad, the faith is waning right now, thus the value of the Dollar.

Currency value...it's all in the head.

-- January 28, 2007 6:31 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(851)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 851 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 1/28 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1292 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1290 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 99.235.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 1.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 99.235.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 1.000.000 -----

-- January 28, 2007 7:48 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

WILLIE: You'll have to excuse me, but I don't have a clue as to what you're talking about. . .I didn't know you were an authority on my personal values. . . maybe this will enlighten you a bit. . .I'm really happy when I get up in the morning and both of my feet touch the top side of the floor, and I thank the good Lord every evening for allowing me to spend another day on this earth. And as for my illnesses, I just count my blessings that I've managed to survive them. . .My Oncologist wanted me to do chemotherapy, and I'll tell you the same thing that I told him. . . if it's my time to die, I'm 59 years old, and I've done everything I've wanted to do, and have been everywhere that I've ever wanted to go, and if the good Lord is going to take me . . .so be it. . .I've been fed up with the way our young have turned to violence, which isn't entirely their fault, I believe it all happened the day someone said "If you spank your children you will go to jail". . .there is a lack of respect like never before. . .I don't have very much, as a matter of fact, I might be forced to sell my dinars to survive because some person sitting in an office in Houston doesn't think that working in Iraq is stressful enough to have a heart attack, but that's noone's problem but my own. . . but one thing I do have is values. . .I still say "Yes Sir, and Yes Maam". . . and I always treat my peers with respect, and always try to show good manners, and if this isn't sufficent enough for you, please let me know what I can do to improve myself, and I will work on it. . . Thank you. . . P.H.

-- January 28, 2007 9:43 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Subject: Tokyo Rose and her allies...................

"The Ghost of "Tokyo Rose"
Have you Seen it Lately?

Anyone who remembers anything about World War II, or has studied anything
about World War II, will understand and remember that during World War II,
the Japanese developed a way to demoralize the American forces. The
Japanese psychological warfare experts developed a message they felt would
work.

They gave their psychological warfare script to their famous broadcaster
"Tokyo Rose" and every day she would broadcast this same message packaged in
different ways, hoping it would have a negative impact on Americ an GI's
morale.

What was that demoralizing message?

It had three main points:

1. Your President is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war

Does this sound familiar?

Is it because

Tokyo Hillary, Tokyo Harry, Tokyo Teddy, Tokyo Nancy, Tokyo Durbin, Tokyo Kerry, etc. have all learned from the former enemies of our country and have picked up the same message and are broadcasting it on Tokyo CNN, Tokyo ABC, Tokyo CBS, Tokyo NBC,
etc., to our troops?

The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they
demoralize them. Come to think of it... Tokyo Rose told the American Troops she was on their side, also!

-- January 28, 2007 12:14 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Robert S.

Good posting about Tokyo Rose!! if you don't mind, I would like to add Tokyo Jane Fonda to your list. She just appeared at the peace rally to stop the war. If anyone wants to hear the truth about her, just google "Jane Fonda Treason" and you can get a lot of reasons she should have been taken to court for her act of treason during the Vietnam war.

-- January 28, 2007 2:51 PM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

Go Hillary Go Hillary Go Hillary....

I am on the bandwagon for sure.

-- January 28, 2007 3:00 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim Bitts.. I totally liked your statement:

"I believe eventually some smart economist will figure out just what are the right incentives to give people within a given population, with subsidies and tax breaks for parents, also help getting into a mortgage, etc., so that the cost of parenting is calibrated just carefully enough that the population produced the right number of children, for a given population target. There does not need to be any coersion, in this scenario, just incentives. Then, countries can maintain their populations at an ideal level, and learn to manage their resouces better, to have a better life for everyone. No, this doesn't mean socialism. Just more intelligent capitalism, which is yet to develop."

That sounds sensible.. voluntary incentives work and I agree that the current way the capitalist system is working has flaws - though it is the best of all the economic systems out there. I think that this view would work to address some of the flaws in the system and make a sustainable, workable solution. You just scared me with the words "penalties" and "control." I am glad we see eye to eye. :)

I also liked your take on the contribution of a mother to the system where you say:

"I say, it is better for the government to recognize the economic contribution the woman makes to the economy, and to subsidize her in her efforts to raise a family, and the general social subsidy for families should be just big enough to encourage people to have just enough children to replace the existing population. Intelligent capitalism would do just that."

But that seems diametrically opposed to feminist goals - they say they wish more women in the workplace and to subsidize daycare instead. Your view of acknowledging the contributions of a mother sounds sensible to me, but it would take a lot out of the "we don't need men or traditional families" viewpoint many radical feminists hold and push politically. I think, therefore, that it is a great idea, but would be subject to a great deal of opposition unless you had aggressive conservatives in the majority position in power and pushing for this perspective on women. I guess I had hoped that would be the case under President Bush's administraton up to this last election - but I guess they were too polite to make such radical change, or they were concentrating on less government and less taxes so the idea of a subsidy for daycare OR for women at home was not entertained. This is a good, workable idea - I'm just not sure we have anyone with the guts to implement it (or the money?). I note President Bush has done a FANTASTIC job with the economy, all based on capitalist and not socialist understandings - so I believe he did the best with what he felt he could do. I wish there could be more conservative views implemented.. like this view you brought up here. I pray God gives us a conservative and hawkish President next election, too - lest we end up with more tearing of the social fabric and irrepairable harm to society.

As for your talking about those who are less intelligent having LOTS of babies, I think we need to assess how these "dumb" women are actually being supported financially in that lifestyle? I think you spoke before about the welfare mentality and that there are government policies at the root of that phenomena. What I mean is, explain how a poor dumb woman has LOTS of babies without "someone" supporting her doing so? I think you may find the one helping support and grow this problem is "the government."

If, however, we are talking about a woman who is poor, married to a man who is working hard and then they together choose to have a larger family.. they are not living off society and chances are, if she is at home with the children, even if they are poor and "less intelligent" they will end up net contributors to society. What I am saying is, I don't think intelligence should be the measure we use but contribution. There is a place for everyone, no matter their intelligence level, doing work within the country. I appreciate those who pick up the garbage, mop the floors or clean the toilets each week just as much as the doctor or high paid CEO. I am glad for those picking the crops we pick up at the grocery store - not just the engineer or surgeon. You cannot say we do not need these people or that they are lesser people because they take jobs which are less financially rewarding (and take less intelligence to do) - and if they are raised with a good work ethic and strong moral and family values, I see no problem with or need to control their population growth.

(Disclaimer - I am not saying all the folks working picking lettuce or picking up the garbage are less intelligent. However, the less intelligent may end up there working on a permanent basis and if we work to remove them from society - or ever being born - we WILL have to import immigrants to replace them in these low paying jobs. Why not allow the homegrown ones with our values instead of the "question mark" ones from abroad? Why not raise Americans and teach them that in our society they are valued for their "less intelligent" contributions as much as those who are rocket scientists - so that they can do those jobs which take manual labor and less intelligence with pride and pick up their paychecks and feel good about doing an honest day's work and having a decent standard of living? The ones raised in our communities by intact families who work hard are not going to end up creating the problems we see with immigrants imported to take the place of those who never were born.)

I believe the government should not interfere with natural families (poor or otherwise) and the government should stop making it easy for women to live on welfare with lots of kids. I think if you check your demographics, that is the scenerio driving what you are speaking of... which makes this a government created problem and not a problem of poor or less intelligent families. If we treat less intelligent people like dweebs, we are not acting Christ-like to those who are bestowed by God with a lesser estate:

Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

I like William Tyndale's translation of it, he says, "Be not high-minded, but make yourselves equal to them of the lower sort. Be not wise in your own opinions." It is thinking ourselves higher and not equal to those who are less intelligent (or otherwise blessed with a lower "estate" - handicapped, poor, etc) that is an incorrect view of how we should act toward our fellow human beings. If God Himself could condescend to speak to man, we are told to emulate this behavior and not think ourselves too high and mighty above our fellows, however humble they are. Mother Theresa knew this very well, and I doubt she checked the IQ of those she helped before she gave aid to them in the name of Jesus. All that is asked of us here is that we not treat people as lesser persons - including stopping them being born - because we think of ourselves as being much higher than we ought to (due to our intelligence or any other blessing God has so graciously bestowed.)

I do think we pretty much see eye to eye in all these things, Tim. We both want the best for all of us and a sustainable system. What we need is the smart economist "who will figure out just what are the right incentives... so that... the cost of parenting... produces the right number of children, for a given population target." Where is this Einstein? We need the smart people as much as the less intelligent ones.. I hope we find that balancer soon.

Roger;

I totally agree with your statement:

"Theoretically the California valley, with all it's growth, could support the whole population on this earth, I have seen similar calculations for the Indian Ganges valley, so the ability to exist is certainly there, in much bigger numbers than now."

It isn't a problem with not enough food resources that people are starving in the world.. it is mankind's inability to get along and lend a helping hand. I agree with you that it is the congestion which happens when human beings clump together in small areas which causes the thought that the earth is overpopulated. People just look around them where they are and think the entire rest of the world is like that. It is small thinking. I agree with you that overpopulation is truly inside people's heads but its not in the reality as to the demographics of the earth or what it can sustain. As you said:

"If we have over population, it's more a perception than real count. How many of us are there, well do some math, if you can fit 6 or 7 persons standing straight up in a square yard, you will find out that it's no more than a few square miles needed to cover all the population of this earth. A couple of wheat fields in Kansas would cover it."

Thank you so very much for that.. there are so many who think that people are overpopulating the world and that we must STOP people from doing so. Killing people to supposedly stop an overpopulation problem which is only in the heads of people is wrong-headed (and evil.) Population control measures should only be incentive and not coersive or penalty based. What I saw when Tim mentioned penalties was where, in China, second children were aborted by the state without consent of the mothers once their "one child" policy went into place. Women who became pregnant with a second child were not allowed to take the child to term. I will never forget those who escaped and told their heartwrenching stories. Nor the compassionate stand given by America when the immigration policy was amended to allow in some of those who were fleeing this new "persecutive policy." I never wish to see that here, nor see us give place to those who teach those same values or direction. We must be cautious as we address this problem.

Your pointing out that corruption is a leading problem with third world poverty was likewise right on:

"Unfortunately corruption is a mainstay in most undeveloped countries, and a power that will line people up around the shovels are elusive to get."

You know my solution on that one.. make them moral Christian believers who are taught a work ethic from the Bible such as this society and Europe is based upon and you would have real growth. It is not COINCIDENTAL that Europe could emerge with a decent standard of living after WW2 and also has Judeo-Christian roots. Countries with the underlying values of faith in God and strong moral values from the Bible work to bring about high standards of living because their religious values overcome the forces of inertia and dissipation which are in corruption. Look carefully at which nations have prosperity and which do not. Look at the moral and religious values they hold. European, North American, Australian, etc.. economic prosperity is based on policies and values which come directly from the Bible, and frankly, it works. Right down to controlling corruption from the inside out which is necessary for prosperity to survive.

Robert S - GREAT point about Tokyo Rose.. and those professing her same theme today. Thank you for posting it. :)

Sara.

-- January 28, 2007 4:42 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/

An interesting read....

-- January 28, 2007 6:59 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

A footnote on "Tokyo Rose",

Tokyo Rose was many voices, they sounded similar, but was more than one. One voice used most, was an American born Japanese woman, that happened by coincident to be back in Japan and visiting her relatives, when the war broke out, and got stuck.

With threats to her family in Japan, she had to take to the microphone, as she spoke the language.

After the war, she was interned for a while, but as all facts eventually came on the table she was pardoned, and regained all her American Citizens rights. She is now dead.

She was a small pawn, but her voice , and the other woman's voices known as Tokyo Rose certainly did a legend.

The concept of Tokyo Rose today is that of a voice of the enemy.

Rightfully so.

Britain have their wartime voice in Lord "Haw haw" transmitting from Nazi Germany.

Don't believe one second the allied was silent on the radio waves, there was such an effective campaign that misinformation, panic and rumours was confirmed by agents.

The allies had superior control especially over the military wavelengths, in many instances taking over the air control radio from the enemy air force, sending u-boats to different locations, and planting misinformation into the enemy hands.

Almost all axis codes were broken by the allied.

In the whole scheme of things, Tokyo Rose was a very small part of the whole thing, but rose up to a legend as so many GI's was listening to that station. (Enemy or not, they were playing Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller)

-- January 28, 2007 7:12 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

Less intelligent women have more children because liberals and radical feminists have destroyed social values so much that marriage has been much weakened in America. Here's what that means: Co-habitation without benefit of clergy is now very common, the father often disappears, the mother turns to social assistance, and moves on to the next low-life man, and has another kid. This type of woman doesn't have to worry about paying for all this. Who supports her in this? The government, which just means the hard-working taxpayer, often hard working two parent families. The taxes they pay act as an economic subsidy for the immoral behaviour of people who take advantage of the situation.

I have no problems with less intelligent women having children, as long as it is done in an ethical way that doesn't arise out of poor morals or social parisitism. It's the fact that this is happening with the encouragement of feminists, and the financial backing of the American government that bother me. I believe in responsibility and family, not loose morals and organized economic parasitism.

In the overall picture, what is happening is that more educated women tend to spend longer in school, have fewer children as a result, and they are the ones who end up working to pay for an economic system that is heavily geared to support loose women who are less intelligent than they are, and to pay for the raising of their children. Over time, this sort of dysgenics has a negative effect on the health of the population. (this is one of the inherent defects within the capitalist system I alluded to, before)

So government in America subsidizes and encourages moral depravity, and encourages less intelligent women to have more children, and more intelligent women to have fewer children, all the while aiding in the destruction of the natural family. The social outcomes for the children of these fatherless children is not good. They are far more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, drop out of school, and do poorly in life.

Like I said a few weeks ago, social assistance for unwed mothers is just organized social theft, designed to corrupt morals, and devalue fathers. You can thank Hillary Clinton's heroes, Gloria Steinem and Betty Freiden, for this mess.

So, the government is the problem, but the problem obviously goes deeper than that. The government has become a substitute husband for women, releasing men, and women, from behaving responsibly. And the root of it, of course, is anti-Christian, liberal values, which have corrupted America. So I agree with you, this is a government-created problem, with roots in liberal philosophy. Not good.

On this balancing of population concept, it's not original with me. It's actually being tried right now, in France, and Germany. There, strong financial incentives are being put in place by governments, to try to encourage people to have more children. The basic problem facing every industrialized country right now is that birth rates fall, very sharply, after people get educated. In fact, birth rates in advanced capitalist countries tend naturally to fall to the point where they endanger the health of the economy, to the point of risking the health of the economic system itself. That's an inherent defect, within capitalism itself. That's why incentives are needed, to maintain the population in places like Europe, or the United States. It would be absurd to penalize people from having children since not nearly enough do, in an educated population.

This problem will have to be solved eventually to maintain the capitalist system. That's one of the flaws I talked about, in capitalism. Capitalism depends on an educated workforce. The thing is, once people get educated, they tend to have few children. This brings out massive economic problems. Capitalist economies prosper and are healthy when they have, at least an equilibrium in population. That is, just as many people are born, as are dying.

Right now, in capitalist economies, populations tend to shrink, left alone. Some advanced countries try to solve these problems through immigration. But what happens when other populations get educated, and there is no longer a pool of people willing to immigrate? That won't happen for a while, but eventually it would.

An economic system needs a certain number of people to be born every year, to maintain itself. In a capitalist system, this no longer works. People stop having children in sufficient number to keep the whole thing going.

And when people try to introduce foreign populations, into the country, to bring the numbers up, and reach at least an equilibrium, in order for the economy to prosper, that action itself often causes problems, like Carole talked about with immigrants coming in, from Central America and Mexico; and this also refers to what Europe is experiencing right now, with the large influx from Muslim countries. And if the problems in Europe get big enough, it could destablilize whole countries, or the entire continent of Europe. Very serious and intelligent people, like Christopher Hitchens, the right wing, pro-Bush, atheist writer agrees with me on this one.

The solution obviously is to bring up the natural birth rate through supporting families, in an ethical way. And if that works, maintaining the population at that sustainable level.

That's what Europe is attempting to do right now. It's only beginning. Very crude incentives are being put in place. This whole problem has not really been worked out yet, by economists, it's so new, historically, but governments are starting to be aware of it, and work on it. Europe better face this problem, it is very very serious, as writer Mark Steyn and Philip Longman have outlined, or Europeans can basically turn the lights out in a couple of generation, and hand that continent over to the Muslims, who, for religious reasons, are, in fact, having a lot of children, because they wish to take over Europe.

From an economics point of view, Europe is facing the problem I discussed before, which is that, when you have a population that is crashing, that brings many huge social problems, including large economic problems. Hopefully, they will be able to eventually get their birthrate back up to a healthy and sustainable level. That way, a properous capitalist economy can be maintained. If they are succesful in this, they will have solved one of the inherent defects within a capitalist economy.

Poor China, really doesn't have a clue, how to deal with this problem, brought in draconian and immoral laws about one child. They have no idea, how to deal with the issues of a, too radidly increasing population, for a given set of economic conditions, and this has had disastrous effects there, including what you mentioned, the imbalance of males to females in the population, as well as trying to manage the huge demographic collapse that is coming in China as a result of their one child policy, with all the attendant problems of such a crash, of having a population of 400 million old people, and no systems in place to take care of them. It's a disaster over there, waiting to happen.

Hopefully, Europe will learn quicker than China, how to manage these economic challenges.

I have no problem with your statements of the dignity and equality of all people, regardless of mental ability. I have a disabled brother, and we are good friends. So, in the end, I think we agree on an awful lot of things. Back to my painting. Take care. :)

-- January 28, 2007 11:45 PM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

No change again. That's no movement in 3 of the last 4 auctions.This hasn't happened since late october / early november. What's occuring????

I see Chris is back so I will retreat back into the shadows>

Announcement No.(852)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 852 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 1/29 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 15 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1292 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1290 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 97.420.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 3.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 97.420.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 3.000.000 -----

-- January 29, 2007 4:21 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Chelseadave,

Thanks for picking up the slack.

You would be glad to know that fly over country is still there!!

Not sure what the deal is with the rate. I understand the budget isn't finalized yet. Maybe that will give direction.

I also saw chatter that the NID will be traded on the Forex in April. Maybe just rumor but maybe some of the folks who are currency savy could chime in:

If the NID is traded on the Forex does that mean that it would have to float or is it possible to still peg the currency?

-- January 29, 2007 5:05 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Out of pocket over the weekend, but I think this article posted www.dinartrade.com concerning the continued discussion of raising the Dinar's exchange rate against the dollar is interesting.

Finance Minister announces raising the dinar exchange rate

The Iraqi Minister of Finance, Baqer Jabr Al-Zubaydi, described the budget of 2007, as “ambitious” seeking to resolve the problems of the country in the area of security, investment and unemployment, and expressed his hope that it will to contribute to increased economic growth to 8 or 10%.

The minister said in a press interview that oil resources forms 93% of the budget, while the rest will be secured from taxes and fees. He referred to the allocation of more than ten billion dollars for investment eight billion for security, in addition to about seven billion dollars to support the Ministry of Oil.

He pointed out that the latter amount came from the sale of oil derivatives to citizens, in addition to three billion dollars, for the implementation of projects and building new refinaries.

As for the role of the budget in raising the value of the dinar against the dollar, Azzubeidi said that a decision was made to raise the value of the dinar against the dollar in the budget, and the rate was determined purely by 1260 dinar, hoping to return to its normal state like the Gulf currency, as befits a country rich in oil and other wealth, and hoping to decrease the rate of the dollar to 1000 dinar during the three or four years.

And on the subject of lifting support from oil derivaives, he pointed to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which pledged to cancel $ 100 billion of Iraq's debt in return for the implementation of economic reforms, pointing out that these reforms developed by international experts, in coordination with the Iraqi government, the Ministry of Oil and Iraqi economists.

He pointed out that the Ministry will continue to support oil derivatives with about seven billion dollars this year, by providing the refineries with free crude oil by 400 thousand barrels a day. The ministry then will sell oil derivatives to citizens, in order to allow it to recover the outstanding amounts estimated at seven billion dollars for the implementation of projects, in addition to allocating three billion dollars of the budget to develop the drilling of oil wells, extending oil transport pipelines and building new oil refineries. He explained that the increase in the prices of oil derivatives will include high-quality imported gasoline, used by luxurious cars, according to the source.

He stressed that dealing with inflation lies in the dinar, since its low rate against the dollar is the main cause of inflation, in addition to obstructing the arrival of goods to the Iraqi depth. He pointed out that the current inflation is temporary and the high prices of oil derivatives are another cause for it, since it affects the prices of other goods and services.

He emphasized that the crisis of the arrival of goods from the border outlets to the Iraqi market, caused by the deteriorating security situation, the presence of criminal gangs, and administrative corruption, which led to the loss of large quantities of goods and the revival of smuggling operations.

He pointed out that the port of Basra is unable to complete unloading cargo, as some ships delayed more than a month from the date of discharge, which costs the authorities huge fines. He also revealed that his ministry is preparing a study for the rehabilitation of “Khafar Al-Mai” outlet between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, associated to the Saudi port “Al-Ameeq”, to provide a route for the entry of goods into Iraq.

Source: IRAQdirectory.com

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 29, 2007 9:56 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

More talk about reconstruction also posted to www.dinartrade.com

State Department Official Outlines Plans To Rebuild Iraq

The United States plans to improve the distribution of economic reconstruction funds in Iraq as part of a strategy to support military operations aimed at securing neighborhoods from insurgents and sectarian violence, officials tell a Senate Committee.

Ambassador David Satterfield, the State Department's senior coordinator for Iraq policy, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee January 25 that the Bush administration is working to create a situation where "if, on a given day, a neighborhood has been cleared and secured, we ... are able to move monies, to begin employing people, taking them out of their houses, putting them onto the streets in a positive sense, working, and then to build longer-term sustainable projects to give a stake in the economy of those areas, those neighborhoods."

General Michael Jones, deputy director of Middle East affairs for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the senators that the ability to coordinate economic reconstruction with military operations serves as a "combat multiplier," creating goodwill with the local population and ensuring that cleared areas remain secure.

Satterfield said the key principles of the U.S. reconstruction strategy are decentralizing the effort and supporting Iraqi government and local officials in their priority projects. He said the United States also would renew its diplomatic efforts to obtain political and financial support for Iraq's reconstruction from Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf countries.

He said the administration plans to double its number of provncial reconstruction teams (PRTs) from 10 to 20 and staff them with specialized technical personnel, such as agricultural and veterinary experts, to ensure that they are effective.

The PRTs are designed to move civilian personnel out of the Green Zone and into the provinces where they can provide local officials with assistance in governance and economic development. (See related article ( http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=January&x=20070117180624esnamfuak0.9784815 ).)

Satterfield told the senators that the United States has fundamentally transformed its reconstruction efforts over the past 18 months from large projects to small local undertakings.

He said the United States has sought to "reallocate funds to achievable projects, to Iraqi-contracted projects, rather than multinational or design-build contracts, to place greater responsibility and accountability into Iraqi hands" and to improve oversight. He said future projects would likely be focused on microfinance, business development and job creation in coordination with local officials.

Satterfield said the reconstruction of Iraq is ultimately an Iraqi responsibility and that Iraqis would have to take the lead in all future efforts, but he added that they need international assistance to move the process forward. In particular, he noted that the Iraqi government has difficulty in budget execution.

"Iraq does have fiscal resources. It has money in the bank, some 12 1/2 billion dollars from unspent prior budget years, and also a certain amount from windfall profits from unexpected oil prices. They lack the resources, the mechanisms, to move that money within their own budget on an urgent basis," he said.

Satterfield said the primary focus of U.S. efforts to build administrative capacity is improving the Iraqi government's ability to move its funds into effective programs. He added that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to appoint a new coordinator for economic transition to facilitate these efforts.

Source: AINA 01/27/07

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 29, 2007 9:58 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Talk of increasing oil production from Iraq. This article is posted to www.safedinar.com

Iraq PM urges hike in oil output
1/26/2007

Fri Jan 26, 7:46 AM ET

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has urged the oil ministry to hike crude output and refining capacities in order to tackle an acute shortage of petroleum products in the country.

Maliki met Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani and discussed the issue of shortage of oil as well as petroleum products, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

"The two discussed acceleration of oil production and building of new refineries," the statement said, adding that shortage of refined petroleum products was prompting heavy imports from neighbouring countries.

Iraq's oil pipelines are regularly hit by insurgent attacks, affecting the country's crude production.

Given the shortage of fuel products, long queues at petrol stations are a daily sight in Iraq and they often end up as targets for bomb attacks.

The strife-torn country currently produces around two million barrels of oil per day, down from 3.5 million before the March 2003 US-led invasion.

Iraq's cabinet and parliament are soon expected to clear a new oil law that encourages foreign investment in the sector and quick signing of production contracts with international companies.

Iraq PM urges hike in oil output - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 29, 2007 10:01 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thank you for the great articles, Rob N.
And glad you are back to keep us updated on the numbers for the exchange rate, Chris.
Thanks for taking up while Chris was gone, Chelseadave, we all appreciated it.
Do keep contributing, thanks. :)
Thanks, Tim Bitts, I think we agree on all points. :)

Sara.

===

Senate GOP leader skeptical Iraq resolution will pass
Posted 1/29/2007

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate's top Republican doubts that a resolution opposing a troop buildup in Iraq will pass, saying most lawmakers in his party believe "this is the last chance for the Iraqis to step up."

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he believes Republicans might be willing to coalesce around an alternative resolution setting benchmark goals for the Iraqi government. But congressional support will probably splinter given the many competing proposals on Iraq, he said.

"I'm not certain any" will get the necessary votes, McConnell said.

The Democratic-controlled Senate will consider a non-binding resolution declaring that Bush's proposal to send 21,500 more troops to Baghdad and Anbar province is "not in the national interest."

Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the measure on a near party-line vote of 12-9.

In reaction, Bush challenged lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup. Vice President Dick Cheney said the administration would proceed with additional troops even if a non-binding resolution won Senate approval.

With the Senate having just confirmed a new top U.S. commander for Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it was "pretty clear that a resolution that in effect says that the general going out to take command of the arena shouldn't have the resources he thinks he needs to be successful certainly emboldens the enemy and our adversaries."

McConnell said Republican leaders would not seek to block a vote on Biden's non-binding resolution with a filibuster. But he called a proposed resolution that focuses on benchmarks "the best way to go."

Cheney said most Republicans "recognize that what's ultimately going to count here isn't sort of all the hurrah that surrounds these proposals so much as it's what happens on the ground on Iraq. And we're not going to know that for a while yet."

In an interview with Newsweek, Cheney again cited "significant progress" in Iraq and said the war is part of a long-term fight against extreme elements of Islam.

"It's not something that's going to end decisively, and there's not going to be a day when we can, say, 'There, now we have a treaty, problem solved,"' Cheney said. "It's a problem that I think will occupy our successors maybe for two or three or four administrations to come."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-01-29-us-iraq_x.htm

-- January 29, 2007 12:21 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Mohammed bin Zayed assures help for Iraq’s security
posted on 29/01/2007

General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces received in Abu Dhabi yesterday Dr Ahmed Abdel Ghafour Samaraie, head of the Iraqi Sunni Waqf and Dr Ziad Mahmoud Al Aani, Assistant secretary General of Iraqi Islamic Party, currently on a visit to UAE.

The meeting discussed recent developments in Iraq and the plight of Iraqi people due to deteriorating security situation there. Sheikh Mohammed reiterated UAE's support to all efforts aimed at restoring Iraq's security and stability. He expressed the hope that Iraqi people will rise above all sectarian interests and reach a consensus on stopping violence. (Emirates News Agency, WAM)

http://www.uaeinteract.com/news/#23704

-- January 29, 2007 12:27 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iran plans to escalate military, economic, ties with Iraq
Argentina Star
Monday 29th January, 2007

Iran's ambassador to Iraq says Tehran plans to greatly expand its military and economic ties with Baghdad.

In an interview with The New York Times newspaper published Monday, Hassan Kazemi Qomi says Iran is prepared to train, equip and advise Iraqi forces for what he calls "the security fight". He also says Tehran is ready to assume major responsibility for the reconstruction of Iraq.

Qomi says Iran will soon open a national bank in the Iraqi capital. The paper quotes Iraqi banking official Hussein al-Uzri as saying Iran had received a license to open the new bank, which would be the first foreign-owned lender in Iraq.

http://story.argentinastar.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/226133/cs/1/

-- January 29, 2007 12:33 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Religion again plays an impetus role in the fight.
It's interesting that, QUOTE:

"the militants intended to assassinate as many clerics as possible, starting with the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Husseini al Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric. In murdering the religious authorities, they hoped to hasten the reappearance of the Mahdi", he said.

Sara.

===
U.S. forces attack violent sect in Iraq
BY RICHARD MAUER AND QASSIM ZEIN
McClatchy News Service
Posted on Mon, Jan. 29, 2007

BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces engaged in a fierce battle near the provincial capital of Najaf on Sunday that killed hundreds of militants planning a major attack on the city of Karbala, according to Najaf's governor.

A religious sect struck down a U.S. helicopter with what appeared to be a ground-fired rocket. U.S. officials said late Sunday that two servicemen aboard the craft were killed. Their remains were recovered, according to a statement e-mailed to reporters.

The battle, which raged into the night as U.S. ground forces entered the fray, took place in the village of Al Zarga, about five miles east of Najaf and 80 miles south of Baghdad. One Iraqi official said about 250 militants had been killed.

Assad Abu Galal, the governor of Najaf province, told a press conference Sunday that the troops were battling a violent sect called Jund al Sama, or the Soldiers of Heaven. The insurgent fighters, who wore headbands inscribed with the group's name, were believed to be planning a major attack Tuesday in the holy city of Karbala.

The leader of the group, Abu Gumer al Yamani, claims to be the representative on Earth of the 12th Imam, Mohammed al Mahdi, the ''hidden Imam'' believed by most Shiites to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. While Sunnis say there was no 12th Imam, many Shiites believe he will reappear to bring Islam to the entire world.

CLANDESTINE PLAN

Ahmed Diabel, spokesman for the Najaf governor, said the Soldiers of Heaven, some of them Afghans, have been infiltrating farms around Al Zarga for several months. Recent intelligence reports said they planned to hide among the thousands of pilgrims making their way to Karbala for the religious holiday Ashura on Tuesday, Diabel said.

Once there, the militants intended to assassinate as many clerics as possible, starting with the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Husseini al Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Diabel said.

In murdering the religious authorities, they hoped to hasten the reappearance of the Mahdi, he said.

Iraqi officials, already jittery over the security situation involving Ashura, decided to move against the fanatics Saturday night. They asked for American air attacks, the Najaf spokesman said, and at 3 a.m., Iraqi ground forces moved in.

LAND AND AIR ACTION

Fighting was fierce all day. The commander of the Najaf police, Brig. Gen. Abdulkareem al Mayahi, was among the wounded. U.S. helicopters and fighter jets attacked positions throughout Sunday.

Maj. Hussain Muhammed of the Iraqi army said he believed he was confronting a force of 2,000 militants.

About 80 members of the Scorpion Brigade from neighboring Babil province were summoned to assist. Late Sunday night, Babil police spokesman Muthanna Ahmed said, the Scorpion Brigade, protecting Najaf's boundaries, got into a firefight with militants who broke through the lines. Ahmed said dozens of the fighters were killed.

Families fleeing the conflict said the Soldiers of Heaven had planted numerous bombs in the fields.

Maj. Gen. Qaif al Mamouri, the police chief from Hilla who led the Scorpion Brigade, said the fighters were armed with a large variety of modern weapons. By evening, Maj. Mishari Hassan of the Iraqi army said the Iraqi forces had withdrawn and were replaced by U.S. soldiers.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16571569.htm

-- January 29, 2007 12:56 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Hat tip to sweetness-light.com for the heads up on this one:

Would-Be Mahdi Among 300 Terrorists Killed In Najaf
Iraqi cult leader killed in Najaf battle
Mon Jan 29, 2007
By Khaled Farhan

NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - The leader of an Iraqi cult who claimed to be the Mahdi, a messiah-like figure in Islam, was killed in a battle on Sunday near Najaf with hundreds of his followers, Iraq's national security minister said on Monday.

Iraqi troops, backed by U.S. forces, confronted the group after learning it was planning an attack on the Shi'ite clerical establishment in Najaf on Monday.

"One of the signs of the coming of the Mahdi was to be the killing of the Ulema (hierarchy) in Najaf," Waeli said. "This was a perverse claim. No sane person could believe it."

Sunday's battle involved a group of a different sort, a cult which Iraqi officials said included both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims as well as foreigners.

"He claimed to be the Mahdi," Waeli said of the cult's leader, adding that he had used the full name Mahdi bin Ali bin Ali bin Abi Taleb, claiming descent from the Prophet Mohammad.

He was believed to be a 40-year-old from the nearby Shi'ite city of Diwaniya: "He was killed," Waeli said.

A government statement said the group was planning "a dangerous criminal act" in Najaf.

"An ideologically perverted group ... tried to insult an Islamic holy symbol, the Imam Mahdi, and use him as an ideological base to recruit followers," the statement said.

Waeli said the death toll among Iraqi forces was around 10 soldiers and police. Najaf's police chief was wounded, he said.

Some of the fighters wore headbands describing themselves as "Soldiers of Heaven", Iraqi officials said. It was not clear how many women and children were present: "It is very sad to bring families onto the battlefield," Waeli said.

When police first approached the camp and tried to call on the group to leave, their leader replied: "I am the Mahdi and I want you to join me," Waeli said, adding: "Today was supposed to be the day of his coming."

Other Iraqi officials said on Sunday that a man named Ahmed Hassani al-Yemeni, who had been working from an office in Najaf until it was closed down earlier this month, had assembled the group, claiming to be the messenger of the Mahdi.

Among previous violent instances of people saying they were the Mahdi were an opposition movement to British imperial forces in Sudan in the 1880s and a group of several hundred, including women, that took over the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979.

There are precedents in Islamic history for such violent cults. They have declared temporal Muslim leaders illegitimate infidels and have drawn followers from both Sunni and Shi'ite believers, proclaiming a unity of inspiration from Mohammad.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-29T171427Z_01_L2828035_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2

-- January 29, 2007 1:18 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Chris:

The foreign exchange market is comprised of eight base currencies that are traded in pairs. Without delving too deeply into the discussion there are several important factors that drives this market.

One factor is liquidity. In the forex market the investor is focused on the liquidity of a nations economy. Regarding the Iraqi economy, I currently do not see any liquidity in that economy. I do not think a significant amount of liquidity will be present in Iraq by April.

Next is stability. Iraq's government nor the country itself is stable. According to President Bush's generals we may see progress by late summer. A stable Iraq is unlikely by April.

Finally, investors in the forex market are chasing yeild. For sake of argument, let us say that the Iraqi Dinar is introduced onto the foreign exchange market in April. What king of yeild can be expected from an unstable country that is not liquid?

I do not think it is in the best interest of either Iraq or us for this currency to go to forex in April. Based upon my above comments, I think April is another unsubstatiated rumor.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 29, 2007 3:17 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Warka Bank has increased their interest rates....looks good to me!!
=======================================================================

I am happy to inform that we will apply new interest rates from the 1st of February 2007 details as below:

Savings Account:

IQD Savings account: 11% per year.

USD Savings account: 3.5% per year.

Certificate of Deposits:

3 months CD: 13%.

6 months CD: 14%.

1 year CD: 15%.

2 year CD: 17%.

-- January 29, 2007 4:19 PM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Rob N.
You are totally 100% correct in your analysis...I am now taking a course in currency trading...any you hit the points directly where the X marks the spot...
The Dinar is a long term adventure..(note: I did not identify this as an investment) This is more like a casino venture.
But....Every individual must keep in mind...all of the dinar gain can desolve like Fog in the sunlight, if either the USA or Israel attacks Iran......that is one chicken that is going to have to be plucked by someone else at the forefront and not us or Israel...
That is what Iran wants....attack and we just gave them the middle east on a oil platter...

If the chicken is plucked....and moderate Iranian leaders are put in place...I firmly believe we are looking at 2008 - 2010 before the dinar hits the exchange...lets just hope someone volunteers to be the chief chicken plucker, and leads a gang of chicken pluckers, to pluck the chicken, before the chicken acts up....
That will probably be the mother of all chicken plucking...

-- January 29, 2007 5:20 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

In Baghdad, Pelosi Quizzed Young Soldier on 'Intelligence That Got Us Into the War'
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 27, 2007 - 09:01.

Did anyone really believe that Nancy Pelosi's recent whirlwind visit to Iraq was truly the "fact-finding" mission she billed it to be? I doubt it. But just in case there are some credulous folks out there, here's proof that rather than trying to find facts, Pelosi wanted to promote a political agenda.

Have a look at this video clip from her January 26th visit. Exactly two minutes in, Pelosi, seated with Jack Murtha, is speaking with the young female Army soldier who is seen facing the camera. Here is the exchange:

Young Army Soldier: "I'm a 96 Bravo Intel Analyst. I work as a Sunni analyst in a fusion cell."

Nancy Pelosi: "Let's talk about the intelligence that got us into the war. That would be interesting to start with."

Think about it. If Pelosi were truly interested in "finding facts," she might have asked this young analyst about the strides we are making with Sunnis and the cooperation we're receiving against al-Qaeda in Iraq, about new cooperation we're receiving from Shia government leaders in rooting out death-squad leaders -- and what might happen to those efforts if we followed Mr. Murtha's recommendation and "redeployed" our folks to Okinawa.

Instead, with her eyes firmly fixed in the rear-view mirror and on domestic politics, Pelosi seeks to lure the analyst into a discussion of the intelligence from five years ago that led to the decision to go to war - something clearly outside the soldier's areas of responsibility or expertise.

This is not "fact-finding" - it's an attempt to use our brave soldiers as extras in Pelosi's political stunt film. Has anyone seen a MSM report on Pelosi's attempt to exploit the solider for political ends? Neither have I.

UPDATE - was Pelosi quizzing an enlisted HS grad? I was curious about the soldier that Pelosi wanted to engage in a discussion of the intelligence that led us into the war in Iraq. The soldier said she was a '96 Bravo' intel analyst. I Googled that, and found this list of qualifications for a '96B Intel Analyst,' quite possibly the position in question. You'll note that as per paragraph 10-221.b.(6), such analysts must be a "high school graduate or equivalent" prior to entry into active duty. Note also the requirement under 10-221.b.(4)(a) of an ASVAB score of 105. That's a test administered to enlisted people.

In other words, it seems possible that Pelosi was quizzing an enlisted person with a high school diploma about the highest possible level intelligence matters. Now, there are any number of brilliant HS grads, and surely many of them serve in our armed forces. But it seems very unlikely this intel analyst would ever have had access to the kind of highest-possible level intelligence materials to which Pelosi was referring. Of course that didn't matter at all to the Speaker. She was only concerned with scoring political points, not in "finding facts."

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

Comments:

1) buddyc Says:
January 27, 2007 - 11:51

What is the only point of that discussion? The Democrat point is "your service here is WASTED."

I knew she was a political zealot but she is stupid. I don't want to say it is treason but it is certainly meant to discourage the morale of our troops.

What do you do? This is what the liberal press wants. pathetic.

2) BD Says:
January 27, 2007 - 14:22

Like any typical liberal politician, they have NO idea even how to speak to a soldier. It was like they were viewing those 1CD troopers as an alien species....

One good thing was that it was nice to see an old hangout of mine again in the video background.

3) Galvanic Says:
January 27, 2007 - 18:01

You're spot on, BD. They want to be photographed with military people, smiling and shaking hands, but they are very uncomfortable around them, like Johnny Carson when the zoo guy puts a boa constrictor over his shoulders.

Pelosi's question illlustrates her ignorance of the military, as the young soldier -- a 96B military intelligence specialist --- doesn't have the experience or access at her level to address the question.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10442

-- January 29, 2007 7:28 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara, Tim,

Enjoyed your very abstract discussion on the issue of population. Actually, I got a little dizzy! ;)

I'd like to tell you a true story. And would be interested in what category you would put each of these illertate poor Mexican
( probably illegal) ladies in-"ignorant" or "stupid"

In the early 1980's I worked in a rural, migrant farm workers clinic in Central Ca.

On Tuesdays we had a "birth control" clinc. I helped write the policies that got us almost unlimited funding for the project.

Within the first few clinic days we gave lots of teaching and handing out of birthcontrol pills. Some of the classes I taught myself. We kept the instructions very simple and geared to addressing all of the fears and superstitutions that were predisposing factors which would cause skeptisim for the women to understand and follow the directions.

Three months later, some of the results of our efforts were starting to make a good picture. For the most part, the women had come to trust that BC pills would not destroy the sexuality and cause their man to wander, or that they wouold start to grow beards, etc etc.

However, there were a few that fell into one of the 2 categories of "stupid' and "ignorant"

2 women came into the clinic very upset because they found themselves pregnant.

On interview, I found that one of the women did not take the pill as directed. She said that sometimes she would forget and then take 3 or 4 at a time. SOmetimes she was just too tired to go and look for them.( Ignorant or stupid?)

Another woman, when questioned said that she was more worried for her 12 year old daughter and shared her BC pills with her daughter.
(ignorant or stupid?)

Another woman said that she really didn't want to have anymore children( she already had 8), but she was afraid to take them so she gave them to her "husband " to take. And she couldn't understand why she was
pregnant. (stupid or ignorant?)

The last one--the woman was pregnant after 3 months of using BC pills because instead of ingesting them she was inserting them!!!

(ignorant or stupid?)

AT any rate , out of about 500 women in the project over an 18month period of time, we had 18 unplanned pregnancies,and 2 planned pregnancies. There were 40 that never followed through after the first 3 months.

Tim,

Why did the men in this world let the feminist movement happen?

Carole

-- January 29, 2007 7:34 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

A MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST
SEE!!!!

Stage play "Defiance"

Pasadena Playhouse

1 more week to go. Also playng on Broadway.

A MUST MUST SEE!!!!!!

Carole

-- January 29, 2007 7:39 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

DC Protest Suggests War Opposition Weak
Posted by Dan Riehl on January 27, 2007 - 15:43.

While the MSM may try to spin the DC war protest as a major event, apparently relatively few people showed up to hear actor Tim Robbins call for the impeachment of President Bush. He also suggested Bush would end his presidency in a bunker, as did Adolf Hitler. Yes, he said that, I listened via C-Span.

There's legitimate reason to claim anti-war support isn't what some might like to make it out to be.

Organizers expected hundreds of thousands of protesters. Early reports are indicating tens of thousands may have showed up. But the real problem for the anti-war movement is this from Talk Left almost four years ago to the day.

The Denver Post is calling it " the largest war protest since Vietnam"--in huge letters, on the front page. Good for them.

Intervention Magazine has this first hand account by senior editor Regis T. Sabol, which begins:

From the grounds in front of the US Capitol, on the Mall, a sea of a quarter million Americans -- regardless of the number that the networks are reporting -- braved biting cold under a beaming sun to oppose the Bush regime's plan to invade Iraq "any day now."

Given that they can't use the weather as an excuse, it would seem the peaceniks (Charles has pics up here: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24169_New_Anti-War_Slogan-_Just_Poop&only ) lost a couple hundred thousand folks somewhere along the way.

It would appear there will be a surge in Iraq and the surge in peaceniks, as usual, is going the wrong way. But I wouldn't wait for the MSM to tell you that.

1) Blonde Says:
January 27, 2007 - 16:01

Anti-war protesting moonbats to be sure.

As someone once said....a picture's worth a thousand words. Your link to the pictures is worth ten times that.

2) iveseenitall Says:
January 27, 2007 - 18:13

He-he-he. They held an anti-war protest and made fools of themselves. Poor Jane and Tim and Susan and Sean. He-he-he. It's so sweet.

NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal

3) allanf Says:
January 27, 2007 - 18:31

Jane Fonda a an anti-war protest. Wow what a surprise. Then throw in Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Jesse Jackson. How trite.

Sounds like a gaggle of seniors trying to relive the glory of their youth. Shades of high school quarterback Al Bundy.

The fact is that people are not passionately opposed to the Iraq war. It does not have a direct day to day input on people. The constant anti-war banter from the news bimbized media has led people to think things are not going well. But all in all no one really cares.

4) danbo Says:
January 27, 2007 - 19:44

Watched a little of it on C span. Looked like a number of people who never left or missed the 60's. It wasn't a large rally.

5) aaronarnwine Says:
January 27, 2007 - 18:59

I made it to the rally and it was WEAK. The counter protest (thank you Freepers) was great.

I have pictures and video up here: http://www.lifelikepundits.com/index.php/site/redeploy_the_hippies_to_cuba/

6) NathanB Says:
January 27, 2007 - 19:15

I find these people amazing. I just got through reading a report from the Associated Press (don't know why I read it knowing their slant) and it was all about how people said how Bush had destroyed Iraq, how the Bush administration was mean spirited and vengeful. Well look at the pot calling the kettle black! And then the moronic AP writers quoted a 12 year old protester! 12 YEARS OLD! I almost laughed! Do these people not realize that the the TERRORISTS are the ones destroying their own country and their fellow Arabs' country?

7) Del Dolemonte Says:
January 28, 2007 - 12:39

Someone should grab a screen shot of the www.truthout.org home page-they have a headline that screams "Hundreds of Thousands of Protestors Converge on Capitol Hill".

Yet when you click on the link, the first sentence says "tens of thousands". Too funny....

http://newsbusters.org/node/10450

-- January 29, 2007 7:53 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole;

I think if you started with homegrown people of the same intelligence level as these ladies and raised them in the country of America through school for twelve years, they would be able to figure it out. Importing immigrants to make up for the less intelligent we have deemed should not be among us naturally (through education and abortion) has a cost we have to pay. If America welcomed the less intelligent homegrown kind and lowered the numbers of immigrants to the 1965 level, they would have a lot of good candidates to choose from who would add to the more intelligent levels of society. Perhaps then we could concentrate on programs to help the poor in Mexico so they are content where they are and don't feel the need to attempt to move to America to make a better life for themselves.

Sara.

-- January 29, 2007 8:08 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

U.S. troops say 100 militants captured near Najaf
Jan 29, 2007

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - In its first full statement on what Iraqi officials called a major battle with a messianic cult south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Monday that 100 militants were captured in the operation.

Describing the enemy as both "insurgents" and "militias," terms frequently applied to Sunnis and Shi'ites respectively, the military said the incident began when more than 200 gunmen attacked a joint Iraqi army and police patrol investigating a report of a planned attack on pilgrims near Najaf.

Activity continued until early on Monday, it said.

Iraqi officials said the cult leader and 200 to 300 followers drawn from both Shi'ite and Sunni communities, as well as foreigners, were killed in the military onslaught.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070129/ts_nm/iraq_najaf_usa_dc;_ylt=ApWBQ.ASLzomJ6ScYe3izKADW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBhZDJjOXUyBHNlYwNtdm5ld3M-

-- January 29, 2007 8:10 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Mike Wallace on Colbert: Kick Bush Out With Vote of No Confidence
Posted by Scott Whitlock on January 26, 2007 - 16:45.

Appearing on Thursday’s "Colbert Report," former "60 Minutes" anchor Mike Wallace mostly discussed innocuous subjects such as the joys of smoking. However, after being prompted by host Stephen Colbert to share his "doubts about our system of government," Wallace segued into an odd digression about how a parliamentary system would give Americans an easier way to get rid of its leaders. In other words, don't wait for Bush to go back to Crawford, kick him out now:

Stephen Colbert: "Now, you say you, you have some doubts about our system of government. I agree with you. Should we get rid of the Congress or the judiciary first? What, what do you mean by that?"

Mike Wallace: " I'm not kidding."

Colbert: "Okay. I know you’re not."

Wallace: "Forget– Forget impeachment. What you– Forget impeachment? Good luck. The– The– A representative government in which you can vote no confidence in a president or the leader and get rid of him."

Colbert: "Well, that's Canada, sir. That's Canada!"

[Cheers and applause]

Wallace: "The audience understands."

===end of quote===

The segment aired at 11:54pm on January 26) First off, there’s something funny about an 88-year-old journalist deriding the difficulty in getting someone to leave. Secondly, bashing American-style governance is nothing new to Wallace. As noted in the MRC’s Profiles in Bias, he dismissed the 1994 Republican Revolution as a "temper tantrum":

Wallace: "There was a temper tantrum that did take place in the American electorate last November. No doubt about it. They were mad at the Democrats, they were mad at the President. They were frustrated because, there's all kinds of reasons to be frustrated, and talk radio -- in my estimation, I think the President is right about that -- focuses on that."

Mike Wallace- interview with Arianna Huffington, CNBC's Talk Live, May 6, 1995.

And five years earlier, the "60 Minutes" anchor touted another, slightly more authoritarian style of government:

"Many Soviets viewing the current chaos and nationalist unrest under Gorbachev look back almost longingly to the era of brutal order under Stalin." -- Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, February 11, 1990.

Considering these examples, Wallace’s longing for parliamentary votes of no confidence seems down right mild. Go here for more MRC Profiles in Bias, a complete accounting of the spin flowing from America’s high profile journalists. http://www.mrc.org/Profiles/welcome.asp

Comments:

1) motherbelt Says:
January 26, 2007 - 17:29

Oh, good grief! In another thread, involving Rosie O'Donnel's pushing for President Bush to be impeached, I commented that maybe she should move to another country, where stuff like Mike Wallace is wishing for happens. Unfortunately for Mike and Rosie, here, barring high crimes and misdemeanors (which apparently don't include perjuring oneself and character assassination), a President gets to serve out his term. That's how a republic (not a democracy) is governed...by laws, not by a crowd in a snit.

2) AtheistRepublican Says:
January 26, 2007 - 17:33

The system he proposes is poorly thought out. Leaders have to do things that may not be popular immediatly, either because of secrecy or because the public just isn't being open minded. Such a system would stop presidents from making controversial decisions and weaken our country considerably. You know what, I take back the poorly thought out thing, its just plain stupid.

3) Troika37 Says:
January 26, 2007 - 18:44

You know, it's interesting. During the civil rights movement, an overwhelming majority of the country was against it. The President took the steps he felt were correct and necessary even in the face of public opposition. Where would the left be now if they had forced Kennedy to capitulate on de-segregation because it's what the public wanted? I think we all agree that the correct action was taken. From that, it follows that the public must have been wrong. I'm always amazed at the complete lack of knowledge - or willful ignorance - of American history from the left.

"Oh no! The public doesn't support this. We'd better not do it, regardless of whether it's right or wrong!"

Thank God we have a President who can act presidential in the face of short-attention-span America.

4) SMGalbraith Says:
January 26, 2007 - 18:35

Votes of no confidence?

If we could do this to journalists too, then I might go for it.

Let's see, Truman had something along the lines of a 20% approval rating in his second term. He would have been dismissed. Lincoln, in his first term, was deeply disliked. No polls back then, obviously, but my guess is that using the Wallace "standard", he'd be gone. FDR has approval ratings in the low 40s. Et cetera, et cetera.

Sorry, Mr. Wallace. We're a constitutionally-limited representative democracy. The Constitution forbids what you want to do (or more accurately, doesn't allow it). And while liberals like to read all sorts of things into the Constitution that aren't there, we're not going to let you read things out of the document that are there. To wit, presidents serve four year terms of office and may be removed only upon impeachment and conviction.

They're called elections. We had one and your side lost.

5) Unsane Says:
January 26, 2007 - 20:58

Maybe someone ought to hand Wallace a copy of the Constitution along with some drawings of how the U.S. government functions. Congress can have a vote of no confidence once an hour and win each time and President Bush is STILL President Bush until 20 January 2009.

6) bigtimer Says:
January 26, 2007 - 22:13

Wallace...if we could have a no confidence vote on you leftist liars in the media...you would be begging in the streets.

Homeless.

Jack of no trades.

Got it, you worthless enemies within?

7) motherbelt Says:
January 27, 2007 - 06:35

What kind of country? A country where it's "cool" to insult the President.

I am 58 years old, and I never thought I would see the day when so many of our elected representatives would publicly ridicule and insult a President of the United States. When a party leader in Congress would publicly call the President oblivious and dangerous. When members of Congress and the Senate would go off on their own to confer with foreign powers, even in countries like Syria, when specifically requested not to by the President, implying that those leaders also should ignore the President.

Disagreement is fine; but these people have gone way over the line, IMHO. They don't seem to care that they present a picture to the world that says the Congress and Senate hate the President and think he is stupid.

8) misterbill Says:
January 28, 2007 - 00:30

motherbelt - you have hit it!

"I am 58 years old, and I never thought I would see the day when so many of our elected representatives would publicly ridicule and insult a President of the United States."

I am a little older. I think it is fine on a blog site or a letter to a friend, etc for the man in the street to say, "Boy that Bush or Clinton is and a$$hole". It is not OK for the men and women I elected to serve me to say those same things in public. I don't care what they say after a few in a cocktail lounge in Foggy Bottom, BUT STOP MALIGNING THE PRESIDENT IN FRONT OF THE WORLD, YOU FOOLS!

I told my wife tonight that these fools in Washington (both parties) do not understand the spark they are putting to the tinder. We will have a flash fire with people all over the country in violent, physical disagreement over issues. I believe at this time that a great number of the public are wising up to the lies of the MSM and that is one of the big reasons they are losing business.

They are teaching the next generation to disrespect the highest offices of the grandest republic that has ever existed.

9) SportPolitics Says:
January 28, 2007 - 00:56

I think 95% or more of the public hasn't a clue, even most of the voters, who as the press says don't really pay attention until a week or two before an election.

But thinking the public will erupt one against another - I don't really think so. Heck the demcorats went about slashing tires and shooting into republican HQ's and breaking in during '04, and stealing laptops and voter lists and strategies (which they no doubt used to advantage in the '06 election), but it seems even that was mostly forgotten already.

I suppose something bad could happen at rallies or "opposing protests", but I certainly cannot see the general public getting involved.

10) misterbill Says:
January 28, 2007 - 01:29

The US must do what is right. Those celebrities who go to foreign countries and sit with people and join in on bashing the US think that they understand the attitudes of those foreigners. "Look at me, I am a great guy/gal, these folks love me. America is ugly and I and only I can fix that." Actually, they will come to find that they are hated more because of their Judas-like behavior..

11) Chicago Republican Says:
January 28, 2007 - 01:54

There are two things to keep in mind. First, those nations living under Constitutional Government (i.e., free societies, namely Western Europe) can hate us, ok, fine. Their unemployment problems are out of control because of their statist domestic policies, the products they produce can't compete with ours, we set the trends in so many ways - so if those guys hate the US, who really cares?

There is a second group in the world that hates us as well. Sadly, though, this group doesn't live under Contstitutional Government. Most of them live in police states (many nations of the Middle East). These people from cradle to grave grow up being taught that they are poor, oppressed and suffer the misery they suffer because of the United States and the other First World nations. This becomes a marriage of convenience with Islamism. The Infidel then becomes the same person who oppresses me and there is no free press, no viable Left movement in the country to counter this brainwashing. If there was, eventually it would become obvious to the population that they live is poverty because they have crooked governments whose corruption and fascist policies are the very cause of their plight. Without the shackles of closed society brainwashing, these people can begin to realize that the key to escaping their misery is to pursue commerce and freedom, not strapping bombs on their children and sending them into pizza parlors.

Here's the thing, though - this takes PATIENCE and a long term vision. Iraq - if we stay the course and allow the LONG and grueling trip to stable democracy to germinate - 50 years from now can be a land of opportunity for its people. Problem is Bill, we don't have the patience to see this through to the end. I think Bush, again for his many domestic faults, does see the end. It may be beyond our lifetimes, but Americans many years from now can live in a world of relative peace (and still be hated - who cares) if we see this vision through.

So what if a free Europe hates us? If a stable and free Middle East hates us 100 years from now (as I describe above) who cares about that, either?

Food for thought.

12) emjem24 Says:
January 28, 2007 - 00:32

I agree with everything you said, motherbelt. Also, think about the military and the doublespeak going on right now, which the American public have allowed. In one breath, politicians say "great job, troops" and in the next breath they say "the war's a quagmire." Nothing like a backhanded compliment or is that an insult? No, we're living in a country where many, many Americans do not independently think for themselves, aren't educated enough (there are tons of college grads out there who don't know basic American/civic history) to understand their responsibility as citizens of this country. Many Americans don't know what's going on in Iraq, only what they see in the MSM, and they don't even know someone in the military. So, when things go south, it's so easy to bail because that's what Americans (especially young Americans) have been taught to do by our culture and society. It's okay to give up and give in. It's no skin off our necks. They would rather have politicians do their thinking for them. Yeah, America, when you don't like something like a war, vote in the opposing party, and you can still say you support the troops just not the war. Is that like saying I like chocolate chip cookies as long as they don't have those darned chocolate chips in them? We're living in very moral relativist times. It's sad...and it will only get worse if the war is defunded and we leave. Then, the real carnage will begin.

13) Eric Turner Says:
January 28, 2007 - 00:47

You guys make me proud. Seriously. I'm glad I'm a member of this website. The sanity that prevails in here is so nice to hear when you've been beaten about the ears daily by the inane ludicrous comments made by liberal secular progressives.

It's one of the reasons why I and so many others who are members here are (or were) members of the military. You give me hope to believe that America will last for another 230 years (counting from 1776).

14) tdm2592 Says:
January 27, 2007 - 10:49

This is rich. This dolt is calling for a vote of no confidence from a branch of the government that has a lower approval rating than the President.

15) Chicago Republican Says:
January 28, 2007 - 02:23

I'll have to blow the dust off my Comparitive Politics textbook from college. But, if I remember correctly, in a true parliamentary system I think the Executive, upon receiving a no-confidence vote, has ten days to dissolve the Legislature and call for new elections. If I'm right, wouldn't that be sweet.......

http://newsbusters.org/node/10429

-- January 29, 2007 9:10 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

I agree with what Sara said. Why did men allow it? People often do things for a variety of reasons, weakness, moral corruption, stupidity, fear, lack of understanding...I could go on all day.

Carole, your story reminded me of something I read in National Geographic once..... U.N. workers went into an isolated village in New Guinea, to teach the people birth control, and leave some behind. There was a bit of a language barrier, so they had to use props. They borrowed a spear, planted it in the ground, and put a condom on it, as they explained through gestures, what it was for. The villagers smiled, like they understood the lesson.

The UN workers left the village, came back six months later, to find a row of spears, lined up at the entrance to the village, all the spears topped with condoms, and most of the women pregnant!!....There's no helping some people!

True story. Back to my accounting.

-- January 29, 2007 9:25 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

Thanks for your response. By now, I would think that it is apparent that the whole problem is truly unsovable.

Too many sides to the coin.
I lived in the lives of the migrant farm workers. If we sent all those ladies home, we would have had a massive shortage of oranges and lemons and nuts that years.

The problems don't start in th fields! The problem starts withth growers!

Iknow we say that the produce industry flooded with illegal migrant farm workers could be replaced with many Americans who could do the job. And I do agree, except for one thing( or maybe a few).

No normal American would put up with the conditions that the growers impose on the pickers. I could tell you stories that would truly make you physically sick. And we are not talking about conditions in a third world country, we are talking about one county alone-Fresno county. You could increase the number of atrocities by hundreds of other farming areas all over this country.

You know if we stick to the basics, and conclude that when anything is broken, it usually starts at the top.

The cracks in our government have made room for all the mismanagement of systems, and allowed for evil and wrongdoings
to flourish.

We think that if we just throw a few more laws at a system, it will fix it.

I believe just inforcing what we already have in place is a better place to start. BUt you and I would have to be willing to sacrifice alot for that to happen.

For example: If I were in charge, I would storm troop every fruit field in Fresno county along with every packing house. I would deportr every undocumented worker, and clse every field and Grower down. Put the ones in jail that deserve to be there and fine the hell out of any subsidary that has profited from the illegal operations.

This would stop the corrupt system----BUT you and I would pay $5.00 for an orange. At least for awhile.

Would you be willing to do that? I would! But to make it work hundreds of thousands would need to be willing also.

What do you think the chances of that happening would be?

Can you just imagine the political, social and economical upheveal that would take place?

But this would be getting to the basics of turning things right side up.

As in soving any problem, you need to weed out all of the incidentals and complications, so that the true, few, and rudimentary facts can be revealed, and that is what you fix first, and then let the chips fall where they will. But the foundation is repaired, and when all the dust settles, you start to rebuild with a strong unpenetrable foundation.

You can take this method, theory, or what ever you wish to call it and apply it to any situation from a child failing in school, to a dysfunctional workplace, to a poor performing school district, to a government and nation that is corrupt and/or war torn.

I have a headache!!!

carole

-- January 29, 2007 9:36 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Carole wrote;

Can you just imagine the political, social and economical upheveal that would take place?

But this would be getting to the basics of turning things right side up.

As in soving any problem, you need to weed out all of the incidentals and complications, so that the true, few, and rudimentary facts can be revealed, and that is what you fix first, and then let the chips fall where they will. But the foundation is repaired, and when all the dust settles, you start to rebuild with a strong unpenetrable foundation.

==end quote===

You are right.. I apply this to IRAQ!!

President Bush made the hard decision and caused upheaval to start making things turn right side up.

And while we are paying our "five dollars an orange" to make Iraq and the world a better place..

we had better be willing to pay the cost and not go back to the old and corrupt way.

I believe this will be used toward that end.. please sign this, as many as you as can:

Take The Pledge

Posted by Hugh Hewitt
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 | 5:29 PM
Take this pledge:

If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.

SIGN HERE >>> http://truthlaidbear.com/thenrscpledge/

This is a temporary site. The full-service site will be up soon.

If you are a blogger who has taken the pledge and linked to the site, please send me a note so I can add your support here.

I interviewed Tony Snow at the top of the program today, and Senator Norm Coleman is scheduled in hour two.

After you have taken the pledge, please call Senator McConnell's office and urge a filibuster of Senator Biden's and Senator Warner's resolutions.

Senator McConnell's office number is (202) 224-2541. The capitol switchboard is 202-225-3121. Senator McConnell's e-mail is here:

http://mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

Yesterday General Petraeus testified that the Biden/Warner resolutions and those like them encourage the enemy.

What does it mean, "to encourage the enemy?"

It means that the enemy gathers will and strength from the prospect of a collapsing political will to seek victory in Iraq and stability in the region.

With that additional strength and will the enemy redoubles and retriples efforts to kill American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

In short, it means that more Americans will die.

If there is ever an issue for which a filibuster is obviously called, it is such a resolution, especially in the aftermath of such testimony.

Either the Republicans believe General Petraeus, or they don't. These are not a "non-binding" resolutions in the sense that they have no consequences. Either of them will have terrible consequences.

Don't believe me. Believe General Petraeus.

And act accordingly. Next week should mark an epic and important debate in the United States Senate. I hope that 39 Republicans will join at least Senator Joseph Lieberman is standing by the troops and their commander in Iraq, as well as the President.

If the Republican senate cannot muster even that level of courage and commitment, I doubt very much if the Republican and independent (and even some Democratic voters) will forget or forgive.

If your party will not support the war and the troops, why support the party?

But if the Senate Republicans stand firm in defense of the war and the troops and their general, as well as their President, and do so next week and every week that an attempt is mounted to undercut the war, endanger the troops and weaken the presidency, their reputation and their support will grow and grow.

And if they hang together next week and turn back this effort, they will not have to do so again and again. The Democrats have decided to destroy the war effort in their first month in the majority, regardless of the cost. They need to be opposed. Now.

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/g/f2010221-89c7-4c6b-a351-5c48d2ba61fc

-- January 30, 2007 12:38 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Here Hillary Clinton can be seen saying two very different things.
Watch her on the tape with her previous commentary.. then hear her comments now.
The difference between the two is called LYING.

Hillary Clinton’s Lies About Iraq - Caught On Video Tape

Hillary Clinton’s remarks made on March 6, 2003 to CodePink two weeks before the Iraq War began contradict all of her claims made in her first campaign stop in Iowa this weekend.

From YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYATbsu2cP8&eurl=

YouTube caption: 2 weeks before war, Code Pink meets with Hillary Clinton.

My transcription of Ms. Clinton’s remarks:

I admire your willingness to speak out on behalf of of the women and children of Iraq. There is a very easy way to prevent anyone from being put into harm’s way, and that is for Saddam Hussein to disarm. And I have absolutely no belief that he will. I have to say that this is something I have followed for more than a decade.

If he was serious about disarming, he would have been much more forthcoming coming. There may be progress, we may be destroying the Samoud missiles, but there is no accounting for the chemical and biological stocks. And I just respectfully disagree about what the proximate cause of any action that may be taken is.

Now I also believe that for now nearly 20 years the principal reason why women and children in Iraq have suffered is because of his leadership. His not only tyrannical and dictatorial leadership, but his reign of terror against women and children. And it is a — it is a very unfortunate situation for the Iraqi people that they have been so horribly misgoverned for so long.

Now, I do think that there are continuing discussions ongoing that I hope can make some further progress building on the success of the missile destruction program. But that has been the first real compliance, and it was only brought about when the inspectors discovered the missiles — they were not revealed — that their length was longer than what had been prescribed [sic] under the resolutions ending the Gulf War.

And the very difficult question for all of us is how does one bring about the disarmament of someone with such a proven track record of a commitment if not an obsession with weapons of mass destruction. And I ended up voting for the resolution after carefully reviewing the information and intelligence that I had available, talking with people whose opinions I trusted, trying to discount political or other factors that I didn’t believe should be in any way a part this decision.

And it is unfortunate that we are at the point of a potential military action to enforce the resolution. That is not my preference, it would be far preferable if we not only had legitimate cooperation from Saddam Hussein and a willingness on his part to disarm and account for his chemical and biological storehouses, but that if we had a much broader alliance and coalition.

But we are in a very difficult position right now. And so I would love to agree with you, but I can’t based on my own understanding and assessment of the situation.

===end of first quote===

In response to a question from an audience member, QUOTE:

… With respect to whose responsibility it is to disarm Saddam Hussein. I just do not believe that given the attitudes of many people in the world community today that there would be a willingness to take on very difficult problems were it not for the United States leadership.

And I’m talking specifically about what had to be done in Bosnia and Kosovo, where my husband could not get a Security Council Resolution to save the the Kosavar Albanians from ethnic cleansing. And we did it alone as the United States. And we had to do it alone.

It would have been far preferable if the Russians and others had agreed to do it through the United Nations. They would not.

I’m happy that in the face of such horrible suffering we did act. And so I see it somewhat differently, if you’ll forgive me, from my experience and perspective.

I’m agreeing with you a hundred percent that even though I am willing to take a very difficult step for me to say we have to disarm this man. That position in no way supports the disastrous economic policies that this administration is pursuing. In fact I think that this is the height of irresponsibility.

And it would be far preferable to be more patient and more thoughtful and more willing to try to engender support with respect to Iraq. That is a decision that has to be made in the world community.

Here at home this administration is bankrupting our economy, forcing us to make the worst kinds of false choices between national and homeland security, which they don’t fund. And between security and everything else, which they don’t want to fund.

So you have me a hundred percent on that. And it is absolutely wrong — it is wrong that for the first time in American history we have a President who is talking about leading this country to war and wanting to cut taxes at the same time.

That is the height of cruel, arrogant irresponsibility.

===end of quote===

Now compare her comments with those reported by her fans at the New York Times today:

Clinton Calls on Bush to ‘Extricate’ U.S. From Iraq

January 28, 2007
By PATRICK HEALY

DAVENPORT, Iowa, Jan. 28 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called today for President Bush to “extricate our country” from Iraq by the time he leaves office in 2009, and she also said she knew enough about “evil and bad men” to protect the country from its enemies…

One person in the audience pressed Mrs. Clinton on her vote authorizing military action in Iraq in 2002, saying she allowed “the president to go to war,” and asked for specific steps she would take to end the war. She replied by selectively quoting from her speech in 2002 about her vote, saying it was not cast “for pre-emptive war,” but rather as leverage for the president to work diplomatic channels. (She did not mention that she also said at the time that she cast her vote "with conviction.")

Mrs. Clinton also took issue with President Bush’s recent statements that he did not expect to have the troops out of Iraq by the time he leaves office.

“I think it’s the height of irresponsibility and I really resent it — this was his decision to go to war, he went with an ill-conceived plan, an incompetently executed strategy, and we should expect him to extricate our country from this before he leaves office,” the senator said this morning…

===end of quote===

Hillary Clinton is a liar.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/hillary-clintons-lies-about-iraq-caught-on-video-tape

-- January 30, 2007 1:48 AM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Liar??? I thought it was being called a politician.

All of them do it, GWB is the worlds worst.

The difference is that Hillary and the dems lie for the BETTERMENT of the nation, the world, and the US citizens.

GWB lies for the oil industry, and his own agendas.

I am invested in the dinar, not because I back GWB and his agendas, but because I recognized the opportunity for an investment I didn't really agree with but thought it was wise and knew I couldn't change the circumstances.

-- January 30, 2007 3:48 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

The Dinar "Danger Zone".

There is one zone the Dinar has to pass through, to be out of the "Zero Loop" danger zone.

The desire to get the Dinar in par with their neighbouring countries seem to be strong, but just getting it up there to look good, will not cut it.

IF the Iraqi's will do a short cut, and do it,(The Looping) their best opportunity is coming up very soon.

If we can live through that zone, without a Zero Loop we're pretty much safe, but we have not even got there yet.

At the time, the Dinar is at 1 to 1000, this is a very natural place, to do it, if they want to do it.

I still doubt that they are doing it, but I just want to show that this particular exchange rate, is a very suitable point to do it, as the Dinar and Dollar will meet right there, except for the decimals.

A 10.000 to 1 have never occurred, 1000 to 1 is next meeting point, very suitable for shaving off three zeroes, next meeting point 100 to 1, a zero loop there would make less sense, as the Dinar will then come on the board and being as good as a fraction (cent) of our Dollar for the first time.

10 to 1 , and the Dinar have such a strength and value,(10 cents) that by now the Dinar is a very happy currency, and any thought of tampering with it at this time would probably not be looked at as favourable by anyone.

The statement by the Iraqi Finance Minister doesn't make sense.

First that the budget was based on an arbitrary number in exchange 1260, ok we have figured that out.

He claims that the Dinar hopefully will be restored to it's former glory, yes we all want that.....

Then he states that he hope to raise the Dinar in value to the Dollar to 1000 to the Dollar, during the next three or four years??????

I really wonder what he actually said, the articles are translated by an automated translator, and sometimes things get lost, get turned around, or show the wrong meaning of what is said.

First it's a good news interpretation, if he wants the Dinar to be at an exchange rate of 1000 to 1 in three or four years, that means, they have no immediate plans for a zero loop.

The bad news is, a currency revalue of 1000 to 1 in THREE or FOUR years, means that our investment return during that time, would be about as much as if we would have bought beer instead, and with the recycle cans counted the return in investment. ( we would have got a great buzz as an extra bonus)

Something is wrong with that statement, 1000 to 1 in that amount of time, is not even an effort to restore the Dinar to it's former value.

Just to show, if the Dinar is now at 1300, and if four years from now, the value increase would be 1000 to 1. That's a value increase of practically nothing. 75 Dinars per YEAR.

It's practically a flatlined Dinar value.

If this is a misprint, and he means that the Dinar will be restored to it's former value, within THREE or FOUR years, then, the zero loop argument have some merit to it, when it hits the 1000 to 1 mark. Assuming the oil pumps are not pumping, the currency is not the Forex in the meanwhile.

We're so darn close to that mark, and the pumps are not pumping in a high volume, so I'm a bit concerned that Ayatollah Abdullah of the Higher Sanctuary of the Divine Ministry will step forward and try to do an "over fix" to the Dinar, lobbying for the former glory, when the Dinar is doing just fine.

If the Dinar survives in it's current form in the window when it passes 1000 to 1 we're in pretty good shape.

The closer to 100 to 1, the better, from that aspect.

The other option is of course the all wanted and hoped for , an overnight RV. A maybe, but most probably not.

-- January 30, 2007 5:45 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

By the way,

Picked up somewhere, the exchange is closed because of some religious doings over there, Wednesday is next.

-- January 30, 2007 5:54 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

CBI still has Monday's exchange rate.

I'm leaving for a place where I have access problems so somebody please post the Tuesday rate when it appears.

Have a good day all!!!

-- January 30, 2007 5:58 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Roger, Beer instead?? Beer gut comes to mind along with the buzz :)

There is alot of buzz on some of the other boards that the translation was botched and the actual translation is to 1:1 over the next 3 years. Co-insides with the GCC. I'll take the 1000:1 then 100:1 and finally 1:1 and go on Forex. I guarantee that if I can tell pretty much for sure that's the plan I'll continue to buy Dinar all the way through process. I may not get the 1000% return but certainly considerable better return than anything else I see available. I have looked into the ISX and that scares me. The Dinar has been a wild enough ride and although there will be huge gains I'll stick with the RV possibility and be happy.
The old adage: a pig gets fat but a hog goes to slaughter. To live the rest of my life happily (or at least easier) and leave a family legacy of a little more than several million dollars will be my testament.
I just need to figure out how to leave it to my family (assuming there's any left) and not ruin them. I have considered once they reach a certain educational level and reach a certain income level that their income will be matched from the estate or just make them wait till a certain age where hopefully they can appreciate it and understand it.

-- January 30, 2007 9:44 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Thought some of you with accounts at Warka would like to know the format Warka uses to purchase CD's. With these interest rates I will forgo the agonizing efforts of playing their stock market. This email is from the main contact I have at Warka:

Dear Mr. Robert S

You are kindly requested to send us a signed authorization letter that authorizes our bank to withdraw funds from your IQD account to purchase the requested CD.

The form of the authorization letter is as follow:

I ------------, authorize Warka Bank for Investment and Finance to draw from my IQD savings account number ( ) and open a CD in the amount of ( ) for ------- .

The interest will be only deposited into your account if you do not make any financial transactions with your CD . If you make any financial transactions are made before your CD matures then we will cancel your interest.

We will apply new interest rates from the 1st of February 2007 details as below:

Certificate of Deposits:

1- 3 months CD: 13%.

2- 6 months CD: 14%.

3- 1year CD: 15%.

4- 2 year CD: 17%.

These new rates will be applied to the new CDs that will be opened from the beginning of February 2007. Previous purchased CDs will not be adjusted according to the new rates.

Best regards,

Mr. Ixxx

Manager

International Foreign Relations Dept.

-- January 30, 2007 9:52 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

reposted:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said:

"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out."

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:

1. Jesus Christ

2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Tony Blair

-- January 30, 2007 10:08 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Anthony R wrote:

Liar??? I thought it was being called a politician.

All of them do it, GWB is the worlds worst.

===end of quote==

Judging other people's motives, are you?
(Matt 7:1 - Judge not that you be not judged.. )
Taking your words at face value... (Luk 19:22, 1 Pet 2:17)
that all men who are politicians are sinful and lie..
then who are you to judge the heart motives of those who do so?
And qualify yourself to call President Bush "the worst" of them all?

What I mean is.. a person who lies to protect the security of the country,
as the President could be called upon to do,
and a person who lies to get into political power,
and for their own personal gain -
as Hillary is documentably doing here,
are vastly different lyings.

IF all politicians lie, as you assert,
Perhaps it is best to leave all the judgements upon the thoughts and intents of their hearts to God:

Pro 24:12 If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does He who weighs the hearts not consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

You are gravely mistaken in making all men's lying the same,
for there are things you do not know...
And you are gravely mistaken to judge as if you know..
as to whose lies are worst of them all.

And this reply is only answering you as IF your words were true,
which they may not be.

Sara.

-- January 30, 2007 10:09 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Two US Marines are listening to the radio in Iraq.

"American soldiers," coos a soft female voice, "Your so-called
national Leaders have lied to you. You are needlessly risking your
lives to wage >a useless, unjust, illegal, and unwinnable war. Now is
the time to return home to your loved ones, while you are still alive.
If you foolishly insist on remaining where you are not wanted, the
brave resistance fighters will have no choice but to kill you and add
your name to the long ever-increasing casualty list of this insane war.
So why risk never seeing your loved ones again for a so-called
president who has repeatedly lied and deceived you at every
opportunity? Why should you be sacrificed so that US corporations can
enjoy fatter profits? The only wise thing to do is return home now,
while you are still drawing breath, before you return zippered into a
body bag."

"What's this?" sneers one Marine. "An Islamic-terrorist version
of Tokyo Rose?"

" No," answers the other. "It's just CNN!"

-- January 30, 2007 10:10 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

The following is a poem written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama . Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama . The judge's poem sums it up quite well.

America the Beautiful,
or so you used to be.
Land of the Pilgrims' pride;
I'm glad they'll never see.

Babies piled in dumpsters,
Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty;
your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly
poisoned by cocaine
choosing to indulge their lusts,
when God has said abstain

From sea to shining sea,
our Nation turns away
From the teaching of God's love
and a need to always pray.

We've kept God in our temples,
how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool,
and Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a government
that's rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges;
who throw reason out the door,

Too soft to place a killer
in a well deserved tomb,
But brave enough to kill a baby
before he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not angry,
that our land's a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait
before His judgment comes?

How are we to face our God,
from Whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do,
but stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children,
will humbly turn and pray;
Seek His holy face
and mend our evil way:

Then God will hear from Heaven;
and forgive us of our sins,
He'll heal our sickly land
and those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful,
if you don't - then you will see,
A sad but Holy God
withdraw His hand from Thee.

~~Judge Roy Moore~~

This says it all. May we all forward this message and offer our prayers for Judge Moore to be blessed and for America to wake up and realize what we need to do to keep OUR America the Beautiful.

-- January 30, 2007 10:14 AM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

How internet marketing all began...

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she had been called Amazon Dot Com.

She said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why doth thou travel far from town to town with thy goods when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?"

And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, Dear?" And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale and they will reply telling you which hath the best price.

And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. The drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever moving from his tent.

But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secret himself inside Abraham's drum and was accused of insider trading.

And the young man did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to horse flesh.

and, before very long, there were many others and They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, or NERDS for short.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums,

that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the land. And indeed did insist on making drums that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others." And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel,

(or as it came to be known "eBay" ) he said, "we need a name that reflects what we are," and Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." "YAHOO", said Abraham. And that is how it all began, It wasn't Al Gore after all.

-- January 30, 2007 10:18 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Bush Warns Iran Over Iraq, Nuclear Ambitions
30/01/2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush has said Iran's people would face "deprivation" over their leaders' nuclear ambitions and firmly warned Tehran against sowing "discord and harm" in Iraq.

In an interview with National Public Radio, President Bush said he had no plans to invade Iran but cautioned: "If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly."

The president promised US soldiers in Iraq and that war-torn country's leaders: "We will help you defend yourself from people that want to sow discord and harm. And so we will do what it takes to protect our troops."

Bush last week authorized US forces to capture or kill Iranian operatives in Iraq, amid charges from Washington and denied by Tehran that the Islamic republic has been helping insurgents who target US troops.

And in his annual State of the Union speech on January 23, the US president vowed to crack down on Iranian and Syrian networks suspected here of funneling weapons and fighters into the insurgency in Iraq.

But Bush dismissed warnings from US lawmakers against attacking Iran, saying: "I don't know how anybody can then say, 'well, protecting the troops means that we're going to invade Iran.'"

"I have no intent upon going into Iran," said the president.

Bush also said that the United States was working "diplomatically" on Tehran's alleged push to develop nuclear weapons, an issue he stressed was separate from that of Iraq.

"One of the things that is very important in discussing Iran is not to mix issues ... One is what is happening in Iraq. Another is their ambitions to have a nuclear weapon. And we're dealing with this issue diplomatically."

Iran would face economic and diplomatic consequences if it sought nuclear weapons, the president said.

"The message that we are working to send to the Iranian regime and the Iranian people is that you will become increasingly isolated if you continue to pursue a nuclear weapon," he said.

"The message to the Iranian people is that your government is going to cause you deprivation," he said. "If your government continues to insist upon a nuclear weapon, there will be lost opportunity for the Iranian people."

At the same time, Bush said he understood "a certain skepticism about (US) intelligence" on Tehran's nuclear plans in the wake of the deeply flawed case for war in Iraq."

"I'm like a lot of Americans that say, well, 'if it wasn't right in Iraq, how do you know it's right in (Iran). And so we are constantly evaluating, and answering this legitimate question by always working to get as good intelligence as we can.

"I take the Iranian nuclear threat very seriously even though the intel on Iraq was not what it was thought to be, and we have to," he said.

Earlier, Bush spokesman Tony Snow had reacted warily to Iran's plans to expand military and economic ties with Iraq, saying that Tehran needed to play a "constructive" role but leaving bilateral relations up to Baghdad.

"The one thing we have said all along is that we hope Iran plays a constructive role in the region," said Snow. "At this point, it has not been constructive; we hope it does become more constructive."

The spokesman accused Iran of "pursuing nuclear weapons or supporting groups that have been committing acts of violence against either US troops, against people within Iraq, or destabilizing democracies in Afghanistan and Lebanon."

http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=7833

-- January 30, 2007 10:51 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Smart Americans..
dumb and slanted use of polls.

Reuters Buries Key Finding in Global Warming Poll: Americans Aren’t Buying It
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 30, 2007 - 11:26.

This is really too funny. On Monday, Reuters released the findings of an international ACNielsen Internet poll concerning global warming. As one might imagine, Reuters took the most dire assessments from the study and made them the focus of the piece.

Yet, the most startling conclusions from this survey – that only “50 percent reckoned [global warming] was caused by human activities,” and that “Americans [are] least convinced” about this – were buried deep in the article.

Instead, Reuters led with the following two paragraphs,

QUOTE:

Thirteen percent of Americans have never heard of global warming even though their country is the world's top source of greenhouse gases, a 46-country survey showed on Monday.

The report, by ACNielsen of more than 25,000 Internet users, showed that 57 percent of people around the world considered global warming a "very serious problem" and a further 34 percent rated it a "serious problem."

==end of quote===

However, the really interesting results were held back until the second half of the piece (emphasis mine):

"The study also found that 91 percent of people had heard about global warming and 50 percent reckoned it was caused by human activities."

Hmmm. I guess that means that 50 percent don’t reckon it’s caused by human activities. Alas, here was another wonderful result that Reuters held back (emphasis mine):

"People in China and Brazil were most convinced of the link to human activities and Americans least convinced."

Hmmm. Now, for those familiar with simple arithmetic principles, if 50 percent believe there is a link between global warming and human activities, but Americans are least convinced, this means that more than 50 percent of Americans aren't buying into Al Gore and the media's nonsense.

So, instead of titling this article “Survey shows 13 pct of Americans never heard of global warming,” why not have a headline, “Americans Aren’t Convinced of Link Between Global Warming and Human Activities?”

Nah. That would be too much like actually reporting the findings of this poll. We certainly couldn't have that.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10499

-- January 30, 2007 1:07 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Sara, maybe you are right and lieing to get in office might not be the best thing to do....

I wonder if Hillary has a brother that is governer in a state so he can cook the ballots to hand the state to her just in case she loses???? That would be so much more fine and upstanding.

As far as the "thou shalt not judge"... what exactly were you doing when you said with such conviction "HILLARY IS A LIAR"?

I am not going to swap scriptures with you, obviously you are far more versed in that than I could ever hope to be.

But what I do know is, any lie that Hillary has told pales in comparison to the things our fine president has done or intends to do.

My own personal OPINION, and its just that its OPINION, since there is no way to prove this, but..... I think Bin Laden and Al Queda are scape goats.

The real devil is in the oval office as we speak.

Lets look at the state of the union on 9-11 for a moment. Mr. Bush had been in office for a short time (thank you Jeb). He had already turned a very stable, booming economy into shambles. Thousands of jobs had been lost, prices were soaring, his approval rating was in the toilot.

Now, what would be a good way to rally a nation behind you? Perhaps a national tragedy? What if..... Mr. Bush could perpetrate a national tragedy so horrific against his own people and have a scape goat to load all of the blame?

Then he could get on national television and justify all of his agendas and bolster his near non existant approval rating?

Lets ralley the nation behind my administration against a common enemy, or at least a reasonable facsimile.

Everyone here is welcome to flame away at me, I really don't care.

Am I saying Bush was behind 9-11? Nope, I am not. Am I saying I think its a very real possibility? You bet. In my eyes GWB is a very corrupt, evil, self-serving manipulator.

-- January 30, 2007 1:16 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

OK, Global Warming is off topic from Dinar, but we did discuss polls
(such as those about the war in Iraq) and how slanted they are.
And so just one more post on GW.. to support the majority view.
Why don't the majority of Americans buy into Global Warming?
Well..

New Books Scientifically Disprove Man-Made Global Warming Theories
Posted by Noel Sheppard on January 30, 2007 - 10:20.

2006 will go down as the year that the media universally tried to sell America on the unproven theory that man-made global warming is destroying the planet, and will cause our imminent doom. Part of this hysteria includes fallacious assertions by all involved that there is a scientific consensus regarding these dire predictions.

Though they are likely to get little attention from an hysterical press, two books by prominent scientists have recently been released that scientifically disprove global warming theories, and supply a little sanity for those who like to proceed with caution before jumping on tenuous bandwagons.

As reported by the Center for Global Food Issues Tuesday (emphasis mine throughout, h/t Drudge), QUOTE:

Two powerful new books say today’s global warming is due not to human activity but primarily to a long, moderate solar-linked cycle. Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years, by physicist Fred Singer and economist Dennis Avery was released just before Christmas. The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change, by Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark and former BBC science writer Nigel Calder (Icon Books), is due out in March.

Singer and Avery note that most of the earth’s recent warming occurred before 1940, and thus before much human-emitted CO2. Moreover, physical evidence shows 600 moderate warmings in the earth’s last million years. The evidence ranges from ancient Nile flood records, Chinese court documents and Roman wine grapes to modern spectral analysis of polar ice cores, deep seabed sediments, and layered cave stalagmites.

==end of quote==

Rather than using theories or unproven temperature models to predict the future, Singer and Avery looked at past historical climate activity, QUOTE:

Unstoppable Global Warming shows the earth’s temperatures following variations in solar intensity through centuries of sunspot records, and finds cycles of sun-linked isotopes in ice and tree rings. The book cites the work of Svensmark, who says cosmic rays vary the earth’s temperatures by creating more or fewer of the low, wet clouds that cool the earth. It notes that global climate models can’t accurately register cloud effects.

==end of quote==

Svensmark and Calder studied the issue from a more chemical approach, QUOTE:

The Chilling Stars relates how Svensmark’s team mimicked the chemistry of earth’s atmosphere, by putting realistic mixtures of atmospheric gases into a large reaction chamber, with ultraviolet light as a stand-in for the sun. When they turned on the UV, microscopic droplets—cloud seeds—started floating through the chamber.

“We were amazed by the speed and efficiency with which the electrons [generated by cosmic rays] do their work of creating the building blocks for the cloud condensation nuclei,” says Svensmark.

The Chilling Stars documents how cosmic rays amplify small changes in the sun’s irradiance fourfold, creating 1-2 degree C cycles in earth’s temperatures: Cosmic rays continually slam into the earth’s atmosphere from outer space, creating ion clusters that become seeds for small droplets of water and sulfuric acid. The droplets then form the low, wet clouds that reflect solar energy back into space. When the sun is more active, it shields the earth from some of the rays, clouds wane, and the planet warms.

Unstoppable Global Warming documents the reality of a moderate, natural, 1500-year climate cycle on the earth. The Chilling Stars explains the why and how.

==end of quote==

Hmmm. Imagine that: actually looking at climate trends over a 1500-year period to reach conclusions rather than extrapolating theories based upon weather changes in the last century.

By contrast, the global warmingists are predicting the outcome of a football game after only witnessing four minutes.

Which do you think represents better scientific analysis?

Regardless of the answer, don't expect the morning shows to be paying much attention to these books or these authors, or to ask global warmingism prophet Dr. Al Gore to comment about their findings.

What a disgrace.

Comments:

1) King of the Britons Says:
January 30, 2007 - 11:57

"By contrast, the global warmingists are predicting the outcome of a football game after only witnessing four minutes"

Noel, to be more accurate you should have said that it is like predicting the outcome of a football game after only seeing the kicker's foot make contact with the ball on the opening kickoff.

2) Mean Gene Dr. Love Says:
January 30, 2007 - 12:12

Or predicting the teams facing each other and the final score of the superbowl 10 years from now after watching one minute of the pre-game show of the 1st 2007 per-season game while trying to eat a plate of nachos while standing on your head facing Northeast and rubbing your belly with your free hand. It's just absurd.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10495

-- January 30, 2007 1:24 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

To the point of Global Warming. I don't know if man has been a factor or not, but I am leaning toward IF he has been, he has been a very small factor.

There is scientific proof that the global warming phenomenon is also occuring on at least half of the other planets in our solar system. No way man can shoulder the blame for those other planets.

If it were just earth, I would say... maybe, but not the entire solar system.

Maybe increased solar flare activity?

-- January 30, 2007 1:29 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

You know, Anthony R, I am fascinated by those who buy into conspiracy theories.. When you say:

"Am I saying Bush was behind 9-11? Nope, I am not. Am I saying I think its a very real possibility? You bet. In my eyes GWB is a very corrupt, evil, self-serving manipulator."

I wonder what you base that on?

Let's start with the beginning of your post.. first allegation, that President Bush's brother (who is a governer) quote, "cooked the ballots to hand the state to him." Do you have any evidence which would stand up in a court of law to that effect? Because, if there were a REAL case for it, don't you think the Democrats would have used it instead of innuendo and accusations without foundation? Wouldn't they be in the Whitehouse if they had a prayer of it in a court of law? It was a tight race.. so what? President Bush won, get over it. He won the second time too and would again if there were a third term possible. You disagree with the majority, that is your right, but you cannot impose your will on them, no matter what you threaten. It is just bellyaching when you have no evidential foundation and just shows you are a sore loser - it does not prove President Bush's brother Jeb did anything to "hand the state to him."

You say, "any lie that Hillary has told pales in comparison to the things our fine president has done or intends to do." This statement shows.. what? That you BELIEVE that President Bush has lied. No evidence yet do I see from your post to support your contention. Nothing documentable, like the lie Hillary told. Watch her lie in that segment.. see her lie with her own lips.. you said I could not call her liar because I was "judging" her.. no, I was documenting her lying, that is different. It is a FACT she lied, not a judgement.

Then you say, "Mr. Bush had been in office for a short time. He had already turned a very stable, booming economy into shambles. Thousands of jobs had been lost, prices were soaring, his approval rating was in the toilot. Now, what would be a good way to rally a nation behind you? Perhaps a national tragedy? What if..... Mr. Bush could perpetrate a national tragedy so horrific against his own people and have a scape goat to load all of the blame? Then he could get on national television and justify all of his agendas and bolster his near non existant approval rating?

As for your segment of PURE CONJECTURE about President Bush cooking up the idea of 911 to boost his poll approval and justify his economic agenda.. Puh-lease! The media has CONTINUALLY said he doesn't listen to polls and doesn't care one bit about them. It drives them CRAZY that he is not blown about by every new opinion that comes along. And that is documentable (google it). Your idea that he thought up 911 to get a better poll result and implement strange economic policies is.. let's just say it doesn't hold up to scientific scrutiny.

Sooo.. what were these HORRIBLE agenda plans President Bush had? Let's take a look at his economic plans, since you were so horrified by that, and see the results of it. Have you seen what the economy has done under his administration? You say the economy under President Bush became a shambles? He inherited shambles, I will agree.. but with his policies, this has resulted in a vast recovery of the economy as is measurable with statistical data concerning job reports. You say "thousands of jobs" were lost under President Bush's term in office? Let me quote a few statistics:

2006 'Mass Layoffs' Were the Lowest in 10 Years; Media Ignores
Posted by Tom Blumer on January 25, 2007 - 07:10.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its monthly report on "mass layoffs" yesterday. It also included annual totals and an eleven-year chart of mass layoff history.

A "mass layoff action" involves "at least 50 persons from a single establishment." Since 1988, employers have been required to give 60 days notice of "covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs." The BLS Mass Layoffs report compiles those notices.

Now that 2006 is in the record books, here is that eleven-year chart:

http://www.image-upload.net/files/15/MassLayoffs1996to2006.jpg

(click on image above, or go to url at bottom)

As you can see, the total number of "layoff events" in 2006 came in at the lowest on record (BLS began compiling these statistics during the second quarter of 1995), while the number of people who filed unemployment claims as a result of those layoffs was the lowest in 10 years. On a percentage-of-workforce basis, the number of unemployment claims filers in 2006 was also, along with the layoff events, the lowest in the 11 full years BLS has reported on this information.

Some of those years would include the formerly Mainstream Media's favorite period for reporting good news about the economy, namely 1997 through 2000. Well, it so happens that the number of employees filing claims as a result of mass layoffs during that media-perceived Golden Age (6.72 million) is barely less than the comparative number (6.78 million) for the "Greatest Story Never Told" economy of 2003 through 2006. As with the single-year comparison in the previous paragraph, the 2003-2006 percentage of the workforce affected by mass layoffs was lower than the percentage so affected during 1997-2000.

A Google News search on "mass layoffs" (in quotes) at about 11PM last night only had about 15 stories on the latest mass layoffs report, all relating to coverage of individual states by business weekly newspapers.

A search on the "My Way" business-news pages (Associated Press, Fox, MSNBC, NY Times, USA Today, and MarketWatch) a few minutes later also had no coverage.

The failure to report good economic news by the formerly Mainstream Media's business press would explain why American Research Group's monthly poll about the economy continues to show people believing that it is not in good shape, or being handled well.

When news of favorable developments like the record low in mass layoffs is totally ignored, why would anyone expect a different result?

Comments:

1) Gary Hall Says:
January 25, 2007 - 11:58

Let's summarize it for the media..

The story goes:

During the period of the economic bubble - the last 5 years of the Clinton era - the numer of human beings (people with children to feed) being laid off each in mass layoffs each year steadily increased. Following the historic crash in 2000, this steady increase topped out in 2001 as the final act of the Clinton recession. The new Bush administration then jumped on the bandwagon, immediately enacting economic policies to reverse this massive lost of jobs, thus beginning an immediate recovery and turn around in mass layoffs, which has continued to 2006. Today, we see mass layoffs at the lowest level in ten years.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10385

Your bashing of President Bush comes from nothing of any substance and is documentably wrong. What you believe concerning President Bush is ridiculous and the only thing evil I see here is the lies you are believing. And when you believe and spout these unfounded lies, you become a party to disseminating evil, which makes YOU a party to the evil itself.

As for the recipient of that evil from you and other detractors and critics.. President Bush:

Mat 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Since these are merely mean-spirited attacks - reviling and persecuting the President without cause.. saying all kinds of evil against him falsely as I have just proven.. I believe that you will see this man whom you dispise greatly rewarded for enduring such ridicule, in the final judgement of the matter, and all such as you will be held in blame before the judgement throne of Almighty God for your vindictiveness.

Sara.

-- January 30, 2007 2:19 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Anthony..

I wish to point out to you that when you state that, "There is scientific proof that the global warming phenomenon is also occuring on at least half of the other planets in our solar system." - that the ability to send anything into space to record data about the weather on other planets could not have happened until after World War 2. Therefore, it is less than a hundred years of data from which you are claiming global warming occurs on these planets. Exactly how can you be so certain any abnormal warming has happened on other planets with so little data about their past weather patterns and using such a miniscule data sample?

That cannot be a scientifically reached conclusion because it is not based on a large enough data sample (over time) to call it a proof.

Sara.

-- January 30, 2007 2:35 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Pot Kettle Black... I mean Sara... sorry, honest mistake... lets have that again, this time in English please...

The truth of the matter is, with Presidents Bush's economic genius, thousands of good paying jobs were lost, companies went belly up, and those good paying jobs were replace by what I like to refer to as McJobs, you want fries with that?

These jobs DO NOT replace the jobs lost that one could actually support a family with.

Back to the original election, you know they one where the votes were tallied, Gore was declared the winner, and Jeb said wait, my calculator with the really big buttons needs new batteries lets recount. Then after his recount he said by big brother won.

Bush's "economic recovery" is really big oil recovery. Everyone pays twice as much for oil. The merchants in turn pay twice as much to get thier goods to the stores. They can't eat that extra cost so it is passed on to the customer (the US citizen, the every day Joe), so the typical person is getting gouged at the pumps, and also when they buy thier grocerys, or anything else they need. All at the same time while the minimum wage (those McJobs you so praise Bush for) has stayed the same.

Cost of living rises sustantially to help the good ol boys with the big oil wells at the expense of the other 99.999% of the population.

Also this sound economic policy has taken a very nice national surplus and turned it into trillions of dollars in debt.

It took 1 Clinton 8 years to erase the debt created by 12 years of GOP leadership. In less than 8 years GWB has created a new national debt that by far eclipses the one Bill fixed.

Lets see if Hillary can fix that.

Your assumption that it would be a 3rd straight win is just plain wrong. The next US President WILL be a democrat (barring some more special ballot counting by the all rightous GOP).

The US people have spoken during the last election. They are tired of being the means to an end for GWB, the GOP, and the big oil companies. The spoke up and elected a majority democratic house.

The realize that its crucial that a change takes place. They will complete the process next election. Lets just hope that its not too late to repair the damage the last 6 plus years has seen the nation endure.

A democratic house and a democratic president might be able to get the nation back on track.

-- January 30, 2007 2:43 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Also your assumption that, election fraud can't be proven in a court of law so the election must have been on the up and up and GWB is a good, rightous, saintly man reminds me of recent headlines about that man (I forget the state, seems it might have been Kansas), anyway, that was just conviced of 40 plus years ago beating and drowning 2 young black men. When asked about throughout the years, he would simply reply can you prove it... well they finally did prove it.

Blood is on GWB's hands, even if he wasn't involved in 9-11, he still has all of the blood of the innocents and our soldiers who have lost thier lives in the years past.

I wish I could get a glimpse into the history books they will be using in 100 years to see what they have to say about GWB.

-- January 30, 2007 2:52 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Global Warming.....

Mars
http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...ge_031208.html

Jupiter
http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...04_red_jr.html

Neptune
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1998/triton.html

Just to name a few

-- January 30, 2007 2:58 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

From NASA:

Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age

History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path.

http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/

That means that satellite data could only have been obtained from those planets you cite since 1957... do the math. You can't make weather predictions based on data less than one hundred years old (and sputnik did not go to those planets to check if they had global warming, by the way.) My point stands, "That cannot be a scientifically reached conclusion because it is not based on a large enough data sample (over time) to call it a proof."

Sara.

-- January 30, 2007 4:00 PM ∞

---

Carl wrote:

Anthony R:
The history books will show that President Bush had to not only handle being attacked by Islamic radicals, but he also had to convince his own citizens that when an Iranian leader, and other groups continually say we are going to kill all americans, totally destroy the American way of life,and in the near future America will no longer exist, that he and they other radicals really meant it....
He had a real difficult time convincing the flower children about the dangers we face in this world. It will show, he was determine to do his best regardless of the polls, even at his own parties downfall. It will show, that when the shit hit the fan, the same ones who were villafying him, started begging him to do something, and started downgrading him because he was not tough enough on the Islamic Fundamentalist.
Which side of the pigeon are you going to shoot anthony? What really pisses me off, is we have boys dying for your sorry ass..

-- January 30, 2007 4:39 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

hmmmm
did someone say Dinar????

-- January 30, 2007 5:03 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Anthony;

You say I am wrong for presuming innocence and not guilt concerning the election of President Bush when you say, quote, "your assumption that, (if) election fraud can't be proven in a court of law the election must have been on the up and up (is wrong)."

It is therefore your assumption that "(if) election fraud can't be proven in a court of law the presumption should be... guilty" - and your assumption is one that goes against a principle in the country of America where a person is "presumed innocent until proven guilty" - and there is reason for that principle. We wish to be ruled by law, not by conjecture of conspiracy theorists. You really wish to believe Governor JEB was the one who determined the outcome of the election? Well.. that is up to you. Those who listen to conspiracy theorists, I have learned.. have layer after layer after layer of lies they believe. It is like swatting flies when they are around honey.. they just a keep on comin'.

You say even if 911 isn't President Bush's plan (fault) - which is a good concession, by the way, I appreciate it - that even so you have yet another accusation against him that men have died in combat under his administration. What you fail to realize is the number of deaths he has prevented. There has not been any terrorist attacks on US soil since he took over the Whitehouse. There is a reason for that, too.. just like the "innocent until proven guilty" idea you missed.

It seems to me that if the public agrees with you and elect a Democrat to the Whitehouse, they will find that a Democrat can run and hide so well - cut and run from a fight that we must win.. but I am not so sure the armed forces won't bring any terrorists back with them from Iraq - much like a fighter in a midst of a dogfight who decides to beat a hasty retreat. I, too, wish I could get a glimpse into the history books they will be using in 100 years to see what they have to say about GWB.. I think you will be amazed. I'd also be willing to bet I have an inside track on that one.

As for your comments on the statistics I quoted where you said that the difference is the income being paid to the employees not the number of jobs as I was quoting. That is documentably wrong, too.. since median income has not decreased as it must if all the 100,000.00 jobs were now only 25,000.00 Mcjobs as you said happened. The most recent statistics, quote, "In December 2005, real disposable personal income increased 0.4 percent at a seasonally adjusted monthly rate. Median household income was $46,326 in 2005, up 1.1 percent from 2004 after adjusting for inflation. This is the first annual increase in real median household income since 1999. Since 1967, the first year for which household income statistics are available, real median household income was up 30.9 percent. http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/income.html - Provided by U.S. Bureau of the Census / Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Since it is a Dinar site.. I guess I will leave it at that, since spatting about an off topic is also going to have DinarAdmin on our tails soon and deleting our comments if we don't watch out. But I do think your blaming all this on oil because that is the sector of the economy President Bush knows best is off the wall and paranoia.. I am glad he was not into growing cotton.. or peanuts like Jimmy Carter.. or folks believing like you would be telling us that eating peanut butter is evil and picketing Levi's production of skirts and jeans instead.

Sara.

-- January 30, 2007 5:05 PM ∞

---

Dale wrote:

What Carl said!

Anthony, when I started to read your post I thought you might be, just plain stupid.
Then I kept reading & you removed all doubt.

-- January 30, 2007 5:09 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

I have not followed other boards close enough to claim too much knowledge about the debate over there, but I can assume that it was an obvious mistranslation of the Finance Ministers statement.

1000 to 1 in a three to four years time is in all essential a flat line, and in the same breath he claims that he wants to restore the Dinars value to former levels.

I'm leaning more to what he actually said, is that he wants to restore the Dinar to its former value within three to four years.

That makes me worry about drastic face changes of the Dinar.

However if the Iraqis continue to do exactly what they are doing now, they are on track of restoring the value without a big dramatic financial shakedown. The Iraqi economy will continue to be stable, as long as they are doing incremental changes.

If the trend goes on, they will be at 100 to 1 in 16 months, that's coming from 13 dinars to the cent, to one Dinar to the cent , in that time.

Another 6 months and the Dinar (assuming they are doing it this way) will be 13 Cents to ONE Dinar.

Other factors will start to kick in after awhile, the oil productivity will go up, and ad to the fluidity of the situation, hopefully the insurgency have been beaten or slowed down to such a degree that it is a less of a problem.

Much will happen, the nail biter continues.

-- January 30, 2007 5:37 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Anthony R,

Thanks for the data on global warming. There is the contention that the sun is simply hotter as it seemed to be during the dust bowl years when the atmosphere warmed also. This time our response was a Kyoto looting of America that I'm glad we failed to walk into. The substance of the treaty was that we pay for the right to polute by paying third world countries to plant trees. Does anybody really think they would plant the first tree. Did I mention that Russia and China the some of the other major poluters in the world were exempt. I'm dissapointed that the Weather Channel has swallowed this hook line and sinker an is now on a capaign to convince those of us who are still skeptical.

I'm glad that you decided not to match Sara verse for verse because I'm affraid that you would tell us that God helps those who helps themselves.

Keep posting. We need to be reminded that the Farhenheit Michael Moore crowd is out there. You provide comic relief to the sometimes stressful fact that the Dinar is going nowhere fast.

Anonymous

Yes SOMEONE DID SAY DINAR!!!!!!!!

sorry, Got caught up in the action

-- January 30, 2007 5:47 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Anthony R,

another note, The Clinton balanced budget was calculated in the out years. What that means is that the painful spending reductions were to take place after Bill left office, passing the pain to the next administration.

The Senator (Democrat) from South Carolina called it smoke an mirrors

-- January 30, 2007 5:52 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

I AM NOT ANTI-TROOPS, I AM NOT ANTI-AMERICAN.... I have nothing but total, 110% respect and support for our troops, and I hope more than anyone for the safe return of each and every one of them.

I do however, contest that they are dieing for ME, they are dieing under false pretenses set forth by our fearless leader.

For data, I do want to borrow one of Sara's own BOLDED points.

This is the first annual increase in real median household income since 1999.

what year was it again that GWB took office? So according to this its been on a downswing since the close of 1999..... interesting.

As far as the presumed innocent until proven guilty, you are right. The basic foundation of our judicial system.

But I ask, NOW that the person in the example I put forth has been proven guilty, does that mean he was still innocent those 40 plus years before he was proven guilty? In other words, after he committed the deed, was he innocent the entire time until he was PROVEN to be guilty, or was he guilty the entire time and just got away with it?

All I am saying is, it will be interesting after the fact to look at the history books and see how things play out. Obviously you are GOP, and support them until the end, through the good, the bad. You believe one thing, I myself, believe the exact opposite. History will tell us who is right.

PS

For those that flame me, I expected it, its ok, I even mentioned it in an earlier post. I don't always say whats popular, but I do speak my mind.

-- January 30, 2007 5:54 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Also, a little recent history for everyone...

http://www.multied.com/elections/2000.html

When election night came the results were so close that neither candidate was declared the winner. Gore won the nationbwide popular vote but outcome of a recount in Florida would have determined the results of the Electoral vote. The initial numbers in an election marked with a number or irregularities had given Bush a Florida lead of less then 1,000 votes. The Supreme Court intervened and stopped the recount thus giving the election to Bush.

-- January 30, 2007 6:05 PM ∞

---

Anhtony R wrote:

I wonder what those irregularities are and why the Supreme Court stopped the recount????

-- January 30, 2007 6:07 PM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

Anthony R: okay, now you've made me get into this. . I've spent the last 2 years working just north of Baghdad. . am responsible for the convoys coming in from Turkey and Kuwait, and If you could see all the good that has been done in that country, and talked to the locals as I have you would truly eat your words. . .one of my Iraqi friends who turned 40 last May told me that under Saddam, he had nothing, but since we have been there, he has managed to buy a house, furniture, an automobile, and has been able to help his parents. . .not bad for just about 3 years of good, hard, honest work. . . don't get caught up in the B.S. are media is feeding you. . .so far you look like the only one on this site eating it up. . .P.H.

-- January 30, 2007 6:15 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Anthony R,

Thanks for your posts. It livens things up. I like a little controversy, myself. I don't agree with your point of view, but I'm glad you posted it. One thing that bothers me about political discussion these days, is it is too polarized. Not only that, but people tend to only stick with people who agree with them. Not me. I've had every kind of friend and acquaintance under the sun. Some of the best things I've learned was from people I initially disagreed with. Obviously, if you have followed the opinions on this blog, you knew before you posted that a lot of people here would disagree with you, and throw some words your way, and you still put in your word. Good for you. It shows guts. And that's one reason America is a superior country. People disagree and think about things and argue them out. That's as American as apple pie. Welcome to Verbal Paintball 101. Sounds like you're thick skinned, so you should have no problem here.

Besides, it gives us all something to do, while watching the paint dry, wondering when the Dinar will RV.

-- January 30, 2007 6:17 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

Some light refreshment

An 85 year old man goes to his doctor along with his 80 year old wife.

The couple sit down and explain to the doctor they wish to have another child.

The doctor is somewhat taken aback by this request, listens to their argument and comes to his conclusion: -

"Take this jar home and come back next week with a sample for me and we'll see if you still have the 'ability' to father a child"

A week later the couple return o the doctors surgery.

"Well" said the doctor, "How did you get on?"

"Well" says the man,

"I tried with my right hand"

"I tried with my left hand"

"My wife tried it with her right hand"

"My wife tried it with her left hand"

"My wife tried it with her teeth in"

"She even tried it with her teeth out"

"It didn't matter what we tried, we just couldn't get the lid off!!!!!"

-- January 30, 2007 6:25 PM ∞

---

CYMRU001 wrote:

A white man and his white wife are in the delivery room.

The nurse hands the man a black baby and politely and tactfully askes if the baby is his.

"Probably" the man replies, "She burns everything!!!!"

-- January 30, 2007 6:32 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Anhtony R wrote:

"I wonder what those irregularities are and why the Supreme Court stopped the recount????"

==end of quote==

Comic relief indeed.
Now you are saying the United States Supreme Court ALSO was in on this conspiracy along with Governor Jeb?
Will wonders never cease...

As for your saying you support the troops.. just not their mission.
Quite a few of them don't see it that way:

NBC's Engel Relays Frustrations of Soldiers Disturbed by Opposition to War Back Home
Posted by Brent Baker on January 26, 2007 - 20:35.

A week after NBC News reporter Jane Arraf conceded that life in Iraq “isn't entirely what it seems” from the constant media focus on bombings, the Friday NBC Nightly News gave rare voice to soldiers in Iraq disturbed by criticism of the war back home. Embedded with the Army's Stryker Brigade's Apache Company (the Fort Lewis, Washington-based 1st Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment; newspaper story) in Hurriya, Richard Engel relayed how “troops here say they are increasingly frustrated by American criticism of the war. Many take it personally, believing it is also criticism of what they've been fighting for. Twenty-one-year-old Specialist Tyler Johnson is on his first tour in Iraq. He thinks skeptics should come over and see what it's like firsthand before criticizing." Johnson asserted: “You may support or say we support the troops, but, so you're not supporting what they do, what they're here sweating for, what we bleed for, what we die for. It just don't make sense to me."

Staff Sergeant Manuel Sahagun directly took on the spin of war critics, complaining that “one thing I don't like is when people back home say they support the troops, but they don't support the war. If they're going to support us, support us all the way." Engel soon powerfully concluded: "Apache Company has lost two soldiers, and now worries their country may be abandoning the mission they died for.”

http://newsbusters.org/node/10434

===

Thanks, Chris, for the reminder that, "The Clinton balanced budget was calculated in the out years. What that means is that the painful spending reductions were to take place after Bill left office, passing the pain to the next administration."

Sara.

-- January 30, 2007 6:32 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq captured: govt
Wednesday Jan 31 06:31 AEDT

AP - Iraq security forces captured a provincial leader of al-Qaeda in an operation north of Baghdad that also left two of his followers dead, the government spokesman said.

Dozens were captured in the operation, he said.

Ali al-Dabbagh told state-run Iraqiya television the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq in the province of Salahuddin was captured with his deputy in an operation in the town of Beiji, 250km north of Baghdad.

Al-Dabbagh refused to give the name of the man adding that 59 others, including a Libyan citizen, were captured in the operation.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=76863

-- January 30, 2007 6:39 PM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

OK, I am trying to understand this...

Essentially Clinton ballanced the budget by NOT cutting spending, staying on coarse, and continueing to spend like there is no tommorrow.

Then, after the fact, GWB ran the national debt through the stratosphere by making tough budget cuts?

I suppose that makes sense, I didn't take economics 93246 in college.

-- January 30, 2007 6:42 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Anthony R. (I will apologize in advance and please don't take this personally)

You are a true Democrat. I can visualize you as a salmon flopping on the banks of the river. Beliefs depend on which side you are laying on at the time. I actually felt my hair blow a little when you did the hard 180 turn from your initial post starting this discussion. Here in the South, Mullet comes to mind as being a very gullible fish.

All I can really say is: If you are going to a cock fight you better bring one badass rooster.

As far as Bush and Clinton,

Bush- Bin Laden, let's go kick his ass and anybody else's over there and an overwhelming majority was with him on it.

Global warming? Who's responsible? jury still out but leaning toward not us in this lifetime.

Roger: YES I Agree. The rats are running. so much for their honor. May save a few virgins in their heaven ( I am still trying to figure out what the virgins did to warrant such a gruesome sentence). A pretty decent re-value then on to market value.

-- January 30, 2007 6:56 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Framing the troops from the Haifa Street incident..
with MSM pushed Al Qaeda Propaganda film??

CBS Report Uses al Qaeda Propaganda Film, Claims It's 'CBS Obtained'
Posted by Warner Todd Huston on January 29, 2007 - 03:31.

So, here is a question: Why is CBS using propaganda film originally posted on an al Qaeda website and claiming it is merely "CBS obtained" with no mention of the actual source for Lara Logan's report on The "Battle of Haifa Street"?

Iraq watcher, Nibras Kazimi a Visiting Scholar at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC., noticed something strange about Logan's piece.

Kazimi seems to have discovered that some of the film in Logan's piece is the exact footage that first appeared on an al Qaeda sponsored website. Yet during the CBS piece they claim is is just "footage obtained by CBS" and they do not mention its original appearance on the al Qaeda site.

Says Kazimi:

"Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq released 8 minutes of cell phone footage through its media arm, the Al-Furqan Institute for Media Productions, under the title ‘Some of the Casualties of the Heretics in Haifa Street After Sunday’s Fighting, January 7, 2007, in Baghdad.’ The grainy images were of six or seven bodies wearing Iraqi military fatigues with ‘carry-out’ lunch boxes strewn about them."

So, the big question is, why is CBS not telling viewers that the film used is al Qaeda propaganda? And, further, why don't they mention that this fighting was claimed by al Qaeda as their handiwork?

Worse, the piece contains a purported civilian denouncing the Americans. This so-called man on the street also does not mention al Qaeda's participation in the fighting.

Does CBS have enough friendly contact with al Qaeda to get their video and propaganda? If so, why don't they tell us this is so? Why the smoke screen with the film being benignly termed "CBS obtained"? Why the refusal to mention al Qaeda at all?

Are they trying to somehow screen al Qaeda's work from the American people?

I have seen the video and it sure looks the same to me.

You be the judge:

View CBS report here (see url below)

Download al Qaeda video here (see url below)

http://newsbusters.org/node/10469

-- January 30, 2007 6:58 PM ∞

---

Robert J wrote:

Year 2012

World News Report

The United Nations Special Task Force for Global Warming (UNSTFGW)completed its final assessment on the AIGW Review (Agricultural Impact on Global Warming)and will be presenting its final report to the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be hosted in Tehran, Iran. (6-17 December 2012).

The report, which has stirred serious debate among scientists, calls for an immediate reduction in livestock to reduce greenhouse effects commonly associated with methane gas emission. The AIGW review cites that its findings support a global reduction in cattle and sheep populations. Secretary-General Al Gore stated during a news conference that "The United States must be prepared to drastically reduce its livestock as required by the mandate set forth by the New Kyoto Accords. Australia and New Zealand likewise must examine compliance requirements as we near the implementation of the recommendations set forth in the AIGW report. Later asked about the economic impacts of such a move, the Secretary-General commented, "Well, it seems to me that a vegetarian diet would have enormous benefits for all consumers and it would be good for our planet as well."

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Climate Change, (COP), the highest decision-making authority of the Convention on Climate Change, has received high marks from the Secretary General as the Convention prepares recommendations for sanctions for those countries who refuse to comply.

-- January 30, 2007 7:00 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Liberal logic:

Liberal talking about politics: "I am not against the troops. Just the war!"

Liberal talking to his wife: "I am not against your cooking. Just the crap you're making!"

-- January 30, 2007 7:03 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Where did I do a 180??????

Everyone is right about one thing, it is the media's position and thier job to attack whomever is in office. What I see though, is constant, non-relenting attacks on the current admistrations policys.

They didn't attack the prior admin's policy, they attacked his character and his personal life like crazy (which I am not even going to try to defend, he is who he is), but his policy was solid.

I even saw a conference one time, not long after Clinton left office with GHB, he was big enough to go on national TV and say "I will never question this man politically again" when speaking of Clinton.

I think that speaks volumes when the former president can come on tv and say that about the man that beat him in his bid for reelection and the man that preceeded his own son in office.

PS
thanks for the compliment, yes I am a true democrat.

-- January 30, 2007 7:06 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Anthony R

Yep you got it!!

Bill developed a plan of hard spending reductions that were to start once he left office and thus took credit for the balanced budget that would ensue if the plan was followed.

The thing is that his administration would have not have had to feel the pain of explaining to the Amercian people why their pet program had to be cut.

This was pure political genious. He could deal with balancing the budget knowing that cutting programs would not be popular thus leaving his approval rating high and his legacy good while passing the pain to the next administration.

You might think that I blame Bill Clinton for this. On the contrary, I blame the American people for being more interested in Amercian Idol than the issues that serve to destroy us as a nation.

-- January 30, 2007 7:15 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Anthony R wrote:

OK, I am trying to understand this...

Essentially Clinton ballanced the budget by NOT cutting spending, staying on coarse, and continueing to spend like there is no tommorrow.

Then, after the fact, GWB ran the national debt through the stratosphere by making tough budget cuts?

I suppose that makes sense, I didn't take economics 93246 in college.

==end of quote==

OK.. try this:

A Closer Look at Tom Shales' Claim: "Bush Worst Pres. Since Hoover"
Posted by Gary Hall on February 1, 2006 - 13:44.

Why depend on conservative or right wing views in the effort to attack what the mainstream media has successfully indoctrinated in the minds of American citizens (think voters). I think that I'll lean to the view made public (which the media ignored) by a well known leading "progressive" economist, Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research. Baker was probably the first nationally recognized person to use the comparison to Hoover in regards to economic events over the past several years, however, he was talking about the leadership in the Clinton White House, not the Bush WH. Following his published view, the media went on a frenzy invoking the "Hoover" comparison to the Bush Admin. for a number of economic calamities. Oh, did the media not understand the facts, in their rush to blame all on Bush.

On March 16, 2000, Mr Baker noted:

"The main feature of the 'new economy' is a stock market bubble of unprecedented magnitude. When the bubble bursts, the new economy will just be a bad memory. The inflated stock market has created enormous distortions in the economy, the ramifications of which will only be apparent when stock prices return to more normal levels. If the market falls 50 percent and loses $10 trillion of wealth in a correction, it's going to be very hard to avoid a recession. A lot of these dot.coms are worth a corner lemonade stand and are putting real companies out of business. What are you going to tell people who lose much of their retirement savings in their 401K when there's a downturn?" Today, Baker said: "The decline in the stock market was an entirely predictable event for anyone familiar with basic arithmetic, even if the exact timing could not be known in advance. The nation's political leaders chose to ignore the stock market bubble and instead focused their attention on distant and relatively minor problems like potential shortfalls in the Social Security trust fund in 30 or 40 years or the reappearance of budget deficits in a decade or two. As a result, millions of families have seen their dreams of a secure retirement or their children's college education vanish with the stock market bubble. The level of negligence of the nation's political leaders in ignoring the stock bubble exceeds anything since the days of Herbert Hoover."

Folks, Bush was not President yet, in fact he had not even captured his party's nomination.

A year and a half later, Baker is still clear about what had happened to the economy, and to individuals, whose lives had been financially destroyed.

From: THE NEW ECONOMY GOES BUST: WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS By Dean Baker October 29, 2001
QUOTE:

"The first step in dealing with the current recession is to recognize clearly its cause. On this point, there can be little ambiguity. The cause of the recession was the collapse of the stock market bubble."

"The decision by the Federal Reserve Board and the Clinton Administration not to take any actions to try to limit the run-up of the stock bubble was a mistake that the nation will suffer from for many years to come."

"Even the most cursory review of the data shows that the "new economy" was mostly hype. For the business cycle as a whole, the average GDP growth rate of 3.1 percent was much lower than in the fifties and sixties, and even slightly below the pace of the seventies. Real wage growth averaged less than half a percentage point annually for a typical worker. "

"Furthermore, it was an enormous failure of public policy, not to warn people about the stock market bubble that created this situation. At a macro level, it will be difficult to again pump up the economy in the wake of the collapsing bubble. At the individual level, millions of households now find themselves with insufficient savings to pay for their retirement or their children's education."

"The stock market bubble created a huge amount of unpredicted wealth, which has quickly dissipated. Millions of families have been hurt as a result."

===end of quote==

And in March of 2003, Baker is maintaining what should be obvious to anyone with math 101 skills. In These Times | Bursting Bubbles
QUOTE:

In 2000, President Clinton could legitimately boast of the “best economy in 30 years.” Unemployment was low, wages were rising at all income levels, and the poverty rate was headed downward at a rapid pace. But after President Bush took office in 2001, the economy fell into recession, shedding jobs and causing real wage growth to slow and eventually stop altogether.

A convenient story explains this sharp economic reversal. According to the script, Clinton eliminated the deficit through progressive tax increases and spending restraint. This deficit reduction lowered interest rates and spurred an investment boom, which was the basis for the extraordinary growth of the late ’90s. Then Bush came into office and quickly squandered the surplus with his tax cuts to the rich and military build-up. As a result, the deficit skyrocketed and the economy tanked.

It’s a good story, but the reality is quite different. The Clinton boom was built on three unsustainable bubbles. One of them, the stock bubble, has already burst. The other two bubbles—the dollar bubble and the housing bubble—are still with us. The dollar bubble is starting to deflate, and the housing bubble is perhaps just now reaching its peak. These bubbles created the basis for the 2001 recession and the economy’s continuing period of stagnation.

==end of quote==

While we all should understand that there are many factors involved in the US budget's return to deficits, Mr. Baker, no fan of President Bush's economic leadership, still has the fairness to call a duck a duck as to what actually caused the return to deficits.

http://newsbusters.org/node/3861

There is a few footnotes at the url you may wish to go over, too.

Sara.

-- January 30, 2007 7:21 PM ∞

---

Robert J wrote:

Anthony R:

Where have you been for the last 6 years? The Republicans took issues with many of Clinton's policies as they should, Clinton himself offered up moral issues for all to see and be offended by. If something like that had happened to a Republican President you guys would be tripping over your tongues to express outrage that a President would conduct himself in such a manner. Then your political response would be to rally the nation for an administration that maintained values consistent with those of our founding fathers. Then, after realizing that you can't promote much of your parties values on any record even closely associated with our founding fathers, your party would be scrambling to reinvent a value system that would suit its needs.

-- January 30, 2007 7:24 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Robert J

Which policies did they question?

I did not inhale was not a policy.

Miss Lewinski was not a policy.

Those are the only major things I remember being questioned.

As far as the bursting of a bubble.... that is a very incoherant ramble.

Essentially, what I read from the above mentioned article is that Bill Clinton is to blame for the mini recession we encountered (and are still enduring to some extent), because his policies made it attractive to start up business and encouraged economic growth... The bubble burst because business and the nations financial health was was built too fast??? That just doesn't sound right to me.

A bubble did burst folks, most bubbles do when they are punctured with a very sharp pointy needle.

The tip of the needle was that "gesture of good faith" tax refund sent out right after Mr. Bush took office. This was the first start to the mad cap spending that lead us down the primrose path.

As goes the nations health, so goes the economys health. When the US govt's budget is in surplus and growing and is very healthy, the economy follows.

When the nations budget starts to suffer, likewise the economy follows.

An economy can't BOOM while the nations wealth is busting. The national budget started to dwindle and started syphoning the momentum of our economy.

-- January 30, 2007 8:28 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Anthony/All

In some areas the republicans lost their way. Specifically, not addressing the issue of Mark Foley.

Next, I do not agree with GWB's position on immigration. If illegal aliens are allowed to come here disguised as a guest worker program our fate is that of the Roman Empire. Because of their openess Romans ceased to exists.

Regardless of the issues I disagree with the administration on, I would rather have a republican led congress and a republican led Whitehouse. It is time Hiliary Clinton confess to murdering Vince Foster.

It is time she answered other questions of scandal which took place in the Clinton Whitehouse. It is my hope that the republican nominee will press these issues. I will mark her defeat in November 2008 the same way I did with Al Gore taunting my liberal democratic friends.

The republicans left their base, this is the only fact that cost them the congressional races. I suppose for the 2008 election you will see republicans stick as close as glue to that base.

Concerning the global warming we are fed in the MSM is nothing but radical environmentalism supported by the liberal left. If the liberals really want to fight against global warming, let us have a movement of removing every inch of asphalt and concrete that seems to be so replete through every city and town.

In my opinion, if the liberals eradicate every coal buring plant and the internal combustion engine. Then flood us with electric cars or hydrogen cars it still will not stop global warming. They must also tear up every inch of asphalt and every building made of concrete. Asphalt and Concrete hold heat.

The asphalt and concrete in this country far exceeds the number of cars, trucks, airplanes, and so called poluting plants.

Just as it makes no economic sense to tear up the nation highway's and destroy all the buildings made of concrete Washington cannot mandate a radical change in the production of automobiles. To radically change an industry without an infrastructure in place, they would destroy this nation's economy. If the liberals do wish to radically alter the way we drive, they may first look at the materials used to construct our roads and office buildings, because they both hold heat.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 30, 2007 8:56 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Anthony R - you are right. The liberal media never really concentrates on policy. They didn't under President Clinton, and they are not doing so under President Bush. They would much rather gossip than ask hard factual questions. The supposed "prosperity" under Clinton was built on three unsustainable bubbles. In reality, the Debt itself never declined under President Clinton:

CBS’s Anthony Mason Wrongly Declares National Debt Declined Under Clinton
Posted by Noel Sheppard on May 10, 2006 - 23:58.

In another example of journalists saying whatever they want whenever they want without regard to accuracy, CBS’s Anthony Mason on Wednesday’s “Evening News” declared erroneously that America’s debt declined during the Clinton years (video link to follow). Certainly, this is a myth that has been purported by the media since Clinton left office…but nothing could be further from the truth.

Before we get to the facts of the matter, here’s the context. In an obvious effort to explain why the tax cuts accepted by the House on Wednesday were a terrible thing, the “Evening News” followed its report concerning this issue with a discussion of the federal debt. Anchor Bob Schieffer passed the baton to business correspondent Anthony Mason who began with an interview with the real estate developer that created the national debt clock near Times Square in New York. After discussing the debt with this gentleman, and an economist, Mason erroneously stated: “In the Clinton years, when our debt actually began to shrink the clock was turned off and covered up.”

Well, Anthony, the clock may have been covered up during this period, but the gross federal debt never declined during the Clinton years. Not once. According to the debt statistics at the Office of Management and Budget, the national debt was $4.351 trillion prior to the first fiscal budget authorized by President Clinton in 1994. When he left office in 2001, the debt was $5.770 trillion at the end of that fiscal year. That looks like an increase to me, Anthony.

Furthermore, during the years when Clinton and Company were reporting so-called surpluses to America (1998 through 2001), the nation’s debt increased by almost exactly $400 billion, and went up every year even as we were being informed of surpluses as far as the eye can see.

As George Will would say, I guess the eye can’t see very far.

For those interested in facts the drive-by media have been hiding to further their own agenda, the last time our national debt actually declined was in fiscal 1969, and that was the first time since 1957. In fact, the debt has only decreased six years since 1940, with most of them occurring before the majority of America’s citizens were born.

Video Link :

http://newsbusters.org/node/5312

-- January 30, 2007 9:02 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Back to the Dinar. Wed. auction but no change

Announcement No.(853)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 853 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 1/31 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 12 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1292 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1290 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 92.165.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 830.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 92.165.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 830.000 -----

-- January 31, 2007 4:56 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

The Kurdistan Regional Representative testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committe. An overall synopsis of his testimony has been posted to www.dinartrade.com

KRG US Representative says sound oil policy promotes stability

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

Qubad Talabany, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative to the United States, last Thursday testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the political strategy for Iraq. He said that a sound petroleum policy was necessary and could help to stabilise Iraq. He also stressed the need to follow the already agreed timetable for resolving the status of Kirkuk.

Talabany said that any successful strategy in Iraq “must come from within Iraq and not Washington.” Imposing a policy that ignores the realities on the ground would inevitably fail, he said.

Talabany testifies at Senate Foreign Relations Committee

His testimony was part of an ongoing series called for by Joseph Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Democratic Presidential candidate, to gain a better understanding of the problems in Iraq and possible strategies to stabilise it. Senator Biden visited the Kurdistan Region in 2003 before the liberation of Iraq. Others that testified in recent weeks included US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and newly appointed commander of US forces in Iraq General David Patraeus.

The hearing also received testimony from Dr Laith Kubba, Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy, Dr. Toby Dodge, Consulting Senior Fellow for the Middle East at the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Rend al-Rahim, Executive Director of the Iraq Foundation.

Agreement on oil depends on respect for regional rights

Talabany explained that a sound natural resources policy presents an opportunity to bring peace and stability to Iraq. He discussed the significant progress that has been made in trying to establish a cooperative agreement on oil: a draft oil law prepared in December 2006 that includes the creation of an intergovernmental entity, the “Federal Council for Oil and Gas,” with both federal and regional membership. He informed the committee that a revenue sharing law would soon be prepared as well.

Talabany stressed that these two laws currently contain “major concessions” by the KRG. Although the Iraqi constitution gives the KRG the sole authority to develop new fields in the Kurdistan Region and receive revenue from those fields, it has agreed to share those revenues with the rest of Iraq.

He made it clear, however, that this cooperative agreement “will depend on it respecting the right of regions to make the final decision on petroleum contracting in the region, while at the same time respecting the right of regions to receive their proportionate share of the national revenue.” These rights cannot be violated, warned Talabany.

Keep to Kirkuk referendum timetable to minimise crisis

On the issue of Kirkuk, Talabany said that it would be wise for the US to allow the situation to progress naturally and according to a timetable that Iraq’s leaders agreed upon under article 140 of Iraq’s constitution. He added that delaying the proposed referendum, in which voters will decide whether Kirkuk will be administered by the KRG or by the federal government, will only increase the risk of the situation erupting out of control.

Talabany also expressed some of the grievances of people in the Kurdistan Region. Many Kurds feel that the Kurdish good will and positive engagement in the new Iraq has yielded limited gains for the people of the Region. He asked for assurances that, in any event, the US guarantee the protection of the Kurdistan Region: “It is in the United States’ strategic interest and should be your moral obligation”.

The transcript of the hearing will be published on this page of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations website.

For more information please contact US(at)krg.org

Source: KRG.ORG

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 31, 2007 9:11 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

More oil talk, this article is found on www.iraqupdates.com

Iraqis: Oil Law Won't Favor Americans

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

BAGHDAD, Iraq, 29 January 2007 (Associated Press)
Print article Send to friend
Iraqi officials say a hotly debated proposed oil law will not favor Americans but acknowledge that foreign companies will be allowed to take their profits out of the country — an incentive to draw foreign investment.

The Oil Ministry has been struggling for months to reach a compromise over draft legislation to govern Iraq's most important industry and pave the way for much-needed investment and know-how to revitalize the devastated infrastructure. But the measure faces strong objections by ethnic Kurds and concern about American influence in the sector.

Published reports in the Middle East said the proposal would provide for so-called product sharing agreements that would give international oil firms 70 percent of the oil revenues to recover their initial investments and subsequently allow them 20 percent of the profits without any tax or restrictions on transferring funds abroad.

"Without a decisive military victory, the U.S. occupation of Iraq seems to be about to grab its oil prize by establishing a new sharing arrangement," the English-language Yemen Observer said Saturday, echoing a frequent criticism that the U.S.-led invasion was aimed in part at capturing Iraq's oil.

Iraqi officials denied that the proposed law would favor Americans but stressed that it would set terms aimed at attracting international funds and know-how to an industry that faces a rampant insurgency and struggled even before the war due to sweeping U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Trade Minister Abed Falah al-Sudani told The Associated Press that American companies will be among those bidding for contracts under the proposed law and the Iraqis will "take the best offer ... and take into consideration the experience of the company."

He did not specify monetary terms but said "foreign companies will be able to win concessions for a long time," without elaborating.

"Iraq's economy has suffered because of the security situation and the economic laws, but we now want to implement laws that reform the country and reform the economy. These laws will increase the growth of the economy," he said.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has pressed hard for a new oil law to be passed since he came to office on May 20. And President Bush stepped up the pressure on the Iraqis to pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis in announcing his new Iraq strategy earlier this month.

Iraqi officials also have struggled to overcome strong objections by ethnic Kurds in the oil-rich north who are reluctant to give up regional control.

On Jan. 18, the Oil Ministry said the law was nearly ready to be submitted to the Cabinet and expressed hope it could be ratified by parliament within a month.

But ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said Friday the measure had been delayed by unspecified "differences among some groups." He said the ministry hoped the differences could be overcome so parliament could approve the bill before a monthlong recess Feb. 10.

The distribution of oil revenues and central control over contracts are believed among the key sticking points.

Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman pointed out that the constitution passed last year provided for a Kurdish federation in the north that would co-manage existing oil fields along with the central government and have full control over new ones. Shiites would control new oil fields in their southern regions — terms that have drawn objections from the disaffected Sunni minority.

Othman said the Kurds want the final say in signing contracts with foreign oil companies for projects in their area, signaling opposition to plans to give full control over contracts to a central oil committee.

"If they don't amend the law or the current draft or reach a mutual agreement, the Kurdish side will not accept it," Othman said.

Jihad said a Kurdish delegation will visit Baghdad to try to resolve some outstanding issues.

"The Kurds talk about this issue as if they are from another country while they are part of the Iraqi government and parliament. They want bigger share for Kurdistan regarding the oil revenues."

Negotiators also are stuck over taxes and the terms for agreements with international companies, as well as concerns that American and other multinational firms will get a disproportionate share of the profits.

Jihad dismissed claims that the proposed law would allow 70 percent of Iraq's oil to be sold to U.S. or other foreign oil companies but conceded that they would not face restrictions in taking profits outside Iraq.

He said the proposed law would establish that central product sharing agreements, or PSAs, would be negotiated with the companies on an individual basis.

"Some are trying to give a distorted idea about the new law that aims at serving Iraq's interests. Such reports are baseless," he said. "We should differentiate between monopoly and investment."

"The foreign companies can take their profits outside Iraq without any restriction because the aim of the law is to encourage investment," he said.

He said the question of taxes was still being negotiated, adding that the law provides a two-year tax exemption for general investment projects but no decision had been made on whether they should tax oil investments.

"This law protects both the full rights of the investors and of the Iraqi government," he said.

Iraq is believed to be producing around 2.2 million barrels of oil a day and exports about 1.5 million, well below prewar levels of 2.5 to 3 million barrels a day.

Some legislators pointed out that Iraq is desperate and needs all the help it can get.

"Foreign companies are welcome. American companies have the experience and they have people on the ground in Iraq. American companies have the courage to come into the market," said Amrah al-Baldawi, a member of the parliament's economic committee.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 31, 2007 9:22 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Admiral Fallon before the Senate Armed Services Committee. An general overview of his testimony has been posted to www.iraqupdates.com

US commander: Time is short for Iraq turnaround
Admiral Fallon says would what US has been doing in Iraq is not working as three US troops killed in Al-Anbar.
By Jim Mannion

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

WASHINGTON, 31 January 2007 (Middle East Online)
Print article Send to friend
US forces are running up against the clock in implementing a badly-needed new strategy in Iraq, the admiral who is set to take over the command of US forces in the Middle East said Tuesday.

"I believe the situation in Iraq can be turned around but time is short," Admiral William Fallon told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "There are no guarantees but you can depend on me for my best effort."

Fallon, who has been named to replace General John Abizaid as head of the US Central Command, said US troops would be at greater risk but there was a pressing need to try a different approach.

The admiral, who currently heads the US Pacific command, also said he would seek regional and allied support for efforts to counter Iran which he said was developing military capabilities to deny US forces access to the oil-rich Gulf.

"It seems to me in the entire approach to Iran we'll be looking for help from the region, and to look at the full range of options, diplomatically and every other way," he said.

Fallon endorsed the broad outlines of the US administration's new strategy of deploying an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, mainly to secure Baghdad, but said he details of the plan have yet to be developed.

"What we've been doing is not working. We've got to be doing something different," he said.

The Iraqi government commitment to take a series of political steps as part of the new strategy was a "critical question," he said.

They include promises to deploy Iraqi brigades in Baghdad, the passage of a hydrocarbons law assuring equitable distribution of oil revenues, provincial elections, and the dismantling of militias at the source of the sectarian violence.

"An essential foundation for making progress in this country is for that government to step up and start taking some these tough decisions," said Fallon. "Unless this begins to happen I doubt we're going to be effective in the military arena."

At the same time, Fallon said he would urge US diplomats and policymakers to be more realistic about what could be achieved in Iraq.

"Let's get an assessment of what's realistic and what's practical and maybe we ought to redefine the goals here a bit and do something that is more realistic in terms of getting some progress, and then maybe take on the other things later," he said.

Senators complained the military had not been candid in their past assessments of progress in Iraq, leaving the United States now facing what may be its last opportunity to salvage the situation.

"Of all places we need candid assessments and you'll get them from me," Fallon promised.

As an admiral, Fallon is an unusual choice to lead the US Central Command, which oversees the ground wars under way in Iraq and Afghanistan and traditionally has been led by army or marine corps generals.

But he comes with a reputation as a gifted strategist who in his current assignment has pushed for greater military contacts with China and a steady approach to dealing with an unpredictable, nuclear armed North Korea.

His appointment, which the Senate was expected to confirm, coincides with a decision to send a second US aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf, raising the US naval presence in the region to its highest level since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Asked whether he had been asked to update war plans for Iran, Fallon said he had not and was not aware of any such plans at the US Central Command.

The admiral did not rule out engaging Iran diplomatically, but said he would have to get "a better assessment of exactly where we stand."

Judging from its weapons acquisitions and tactics, Iran is "trying to grow an anti-access force that would I believe be intended to try to deny us access to the Gulf if the situation arose that they might feel compelled to do that," he said.

The Iranians were aware of US aircraft carrier, submarine and air power in the region and "would try to come up with a way to neutralize or ... would try to keep us as far away as they can from the scene of the action," he said.

Asked about a report that Iran and North Korea are working in concert on the development of a long range missile, Fallon said, "There is no doubt there has been an interaction between North Korea and Iran in exchanging technology."

Fallon added, however, that Iran's economy also is critically dependent on oil exports.

"And those exports, of course, go through the same Straits of Hormuz that they would potentially seek to deny us access to," he said.

Meanwhile, insurgents killed three more US troops in Iraq's western Sunni province of Al-Anbar, the military reported Wednesday.

Two soldiers and a marine died Tuesday from wounds sustained in "enemy action," it said in a statement.

The latest fatalities brought the military's losses in Iraq to 3,078 since the March 2003 invasion, according to Pentagon figures.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 31, 2007 9:27 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I think we said it was a proxy war a long time ago on this site.

U.S. And Iran Fighting Proxy War In Iraq
President Says U.S. Will "Respond Firmly" If Iran Escalates Military Actions In Iraq
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2007

CBS/AP) Outright war between the United States and Iran remains only a remote possibility, but the two countries already are fighting a proxy war inside Iraq, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

U.S. officials tell CBS News that serial numbers on parts used to make advanced explosive devices powerful enough to breach the armor on an American tank have been traced directly back to Iran. These officials also say rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles found in Iraq bear Iranian factory markings. Last May, a British helicopter was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile supplied by Iran.

Middle East expert Jon Alterman says Iran's strategy is paying off.

"What they would like is a country that is in some low level of turmoil, where they have lots of influence with all the major political players," Alterman tells Martin. "That's exactly the direction that Iraq is headed."

Raids on Iranian offices in Iraq have turned up computer discs which contain inventories of small arms Iran has provided to Shiite militias and records of payments made to key militia members, adds Martin.

Sharply at odds over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, Washington and Tehran are arguing increasingly about Iraq. American troops in Iraq have been authorized to kill or capture Iranian agents deemed to be a threat. "If you're in Iraq and trying to kill our troops, then you should consider yourself a target," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week.

The White House says there has been growing evidence over the last several months that Iran is supporting terrorists inside Iraq and is a major supplier of bombs and other weapons used to target U.S. forces. In recent weeks, U.S. forces have detained a number of Iranian agents in Iraq.

"It makes sense that if somebody is trying to harm our troops or stop us from achieving our goal, or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, that we will stop them," Mr. Bush said on Friday.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/29/world/main2410362.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2410362

-- January 31, 2007 12:31 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iranian Opposition Group Says 132,000 Iranian Agents Working in Iraq
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
By Ma'ad Fayad

London, Asharq Al-Awsat, Jan. 30 - Spokesperson for Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) in Britain, Dawlat Nawruzi, disclosed that many high-ranking Iraqi Government officials and Iraqi politicians are working for Iran. She said they are among a "list of 132,000 agents who work for Iran inside Iraq." She added, "The MKO has obtained precise information about the names of the agents, their titles and financial allowances they receive from the Iranian Government."

Nawruzi added, "We have published this information in Europe and in the United states. We have said that some Iraqi officials have received millions of dollars from Iran to carry out operations against the Iraqi people. They are responsible for the death squads, acts of abduction, torture and murder. There are groups of people who wear Iraqi police uniforms and carry out these operations. Now, the Iraqis and the whole world know that this information was true."

She added, "We are a political organization that is fighting to achieve the rights and freedom of the Iranian people. We have lost hundreds of victims in our struggle against the Iranian regime. We have a network of significant contacts inside Iran and they have provided us with important and top secret information about a network of agents who are working for Iran. They include Iraqis and Iranians, and are scattered all over Iraq."

http://www.ncr-iran.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2824&Itemid=71

-- January 31, 2007 12:38 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

In light of these past two articles I posted about Iran,
I reiterate my belief that Iran is the one delaying the revaluation -
through their agents within Iraq that are working for them directly -
as well as by use of coersion and threats to cause others not to oppose them.

Sara.

-- January 31, 2007 12:43 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Stare into the face of the REAL enemy in Iraq...
and don't forget who it is the US is fighting,
or their openly stated goals (wipe Israel off the map, destroy the US, etc).
Remember this?:
Iran: Israel, US will soon die
Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday..
http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1%2C2506%2CL-3356154%2C00.html

U.S. unveils evidence Iran fueling Iraq war
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Expert who exposed nuke program says Tehran agents hold top posts in Baghdad

WorldNetDaily.com, Jan 30 - Agents on Tehran's payroll involved in death squads hold prominent positions in the U.S.-backed Iraqi government and National Assembly, according to an expert on Iran who broke the news about the country's nuclear weapons program.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, author of the new book "The Iran threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis," said the efforts by Iran to place its agents in the Iraqi government form a part of Tehran's larger plan to export its revolution.

The U.S. is having such a difficult time winning the war, he said, because Iran is fueling the Iraqis with bombs and weapons that are killing American soldiers.

Tomorrow, Jafarzadeh noted, the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, will hold a news conference to present a dossier of Iran's efforts to fuel sectarian violence in Iraq.

The administration's effort to prove its assertion Iran is helping fuel the violence in Iraq comes as Democratic senators at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today warned against a drift toward war with Tehran.

Jafarzadeh said Iran is determined to succeed on three fronts.

"First and foremost, on the Iraqi front, where Iran is aggressively escalating its influence and presence in Iraq. Secondly, the nuclear front; nothing will deter them on this point. Finally, Iran wants to step up terrorism in the region."

Jafarzadeh said Iran is a "country to be reckoned with," and the U.S. "will never win the battle with the military or negotiations."

In August 2002, with access to dissident groups inside Iran, Jafarzadeh was the first to break the news of Iran's nuclear programs and its secret nuclear facilities in Natanz and Arak.

Jafarzadeh describes Iran as a five-headed dragon, with each head as a deadly force: Interference in Iraq, nuclear weapons program, terrorism, opposition to peace in the Middle East and suppression of its domestic population.

"The only way to slay this dragon is to rely on the Achilles heel of the regime – the highly-motivated, dissatisfied population of young people in Iran, led by an organized opposition."

Jafarzadeh noted that Thursday marks the beginning of the "10-day Dawn" that led to the Feb.11, 1979, Islamic revolution. The regime plans high-profile activities in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will begin "making a lot of noise," which will culminate in dismissing the U.N. Security Council Resolution asking Iran to halt its enrichment programs.

Jafarzadeh says the regime is convinced the U.S. is in a weak political position that Tehran can use to its advantage. U.S. military might is not working in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq, he says.

"The way to deal with Iran is not with war, bombs or negotiations; that doesn't work," Jafarzadeh asserted. "A major change in politics and a new approach is what is necessary. The international community must support the young people of Iran, the majority of whom want a free and democratic nation. That is what will frighten the Iranian president."

The U.S., he says, must have a long-term plan to stop the Iran's aggressiveness before it gets the nuclear bomb and "turns Iraq into a sister Islamic republic."

http://www.ncr-iran.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2826&Itemid=71

Will the Democrats see the value of a long term plan?
And if the US elects a Democrat President.. what does it mean for Iraq, Israel... and the US?
Please note within the five fold plan is 'terrorism' and how it affects the US homeland.
The spread of terrorism is one of their top priorites.. and this regime has said
that it will destroy the USA. Think they are bluffing or joking? Not a real threat?
Going to stick your head in the ground like the Democrat leaders?
Wait til Iran goes nuclear... you will see.

Why don't the Democrats see we are at war?
And why don't they wish to protect YOU?
(Political ambition, or sheer blindness, perhaps?
Or, dare I ask it.. has Iran infiltrated more than Iraqi politics?
Are they only sympathizers.. or more?
Tokyo Rose.. hey? Hmmmmm..
what if it goes higher than the media networks?
And they use paranoia and conspiracy theories to their advantage -
as discussion yesterday illustrated.)

Sara.

-- January 31, 2007 1:16 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carl (and board) - What do you make of the sudden death of "One of Iran’s top nuclear scientists"
in light of this article (reference to his death below this article):

Iran To Celebrate Khomeini Revolution, Nuclear Power
From France’s AFP:

Iran celebrates revolution vowing nuclear advance
by Pierre Celerier

Iran kicks off 10 days of celebrations on Thursday marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, with officials promising the unveiling of a major advance in its controversial nuclear drive.

The festivities known as the "Decade of Fajr" (Dawn) culminate on February 11, the date 28 years ago when the US-backed Shah’s regime fell to revolutionaries led by the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has already said he will announce "good news" about the development of the nation’s nuclear programme during the anniversary celebrations…

The "Decade of Fajr" begins at 9:33 (0603 GMT) on Thursday, the exact time Khomeini landed at Tehran airport, making a triumphant return from exile in France greeted by massive crowds of fervent supporters.

As the clock strikes that minute, school and churches bells will toll, train and ship horns will be sounded and factory sirens wail.

Flowers will also be laid at Khomeini’s shrine in southern Tehran in the main cemetery where many of Iran’s war dead are buried.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran’s former president and the current head of its powerful arbitration body, will make a speech at the shrine, which marks the spot where Khomenei told throngs of his revolutionary supporters about the creation of an Islamic regime.

Iran’s outspoken populist president is then expected to make a speech on February 11 in the capital’s main Azadi (Freedom) square, where a 100-strong orchestra will play a "nuclear symphony".

"Iranian people, with faith in God, wisdom and resistance, will defend their inalienable rights… and celebrate the realization of their peaceful nuclear rights during Fajr," Ahmadinejad said Wednesday.

"The country’s overall policies are decided by the supreme leader and the government has to apply them. The president, who heads the executive power, announces our nuclear position," said Ahmadinejad, who has faced increasing domestic criticism over his handling of the nuclear issue.

In December, deputy foreign minister Mehdi Mostafavi was quoted as saying that the first phase of production of nuclear fuel for industrial needs would commence during Fajr.

Iran is planning to increase its enrichment capacity by installing 3,000 centrifuges, the machines which enrich uranium, at an underground facility in Natanz.

It is already running two pilot cascades of 164-centrifuges each in Natanz, allowing for an enrichment capacity that is currently low and research-oriented.

However, there have been conflicting reports about whether the extra centrifuges have already been installed.

Iranian leaders have so far have not shown any intention of yielding to demands of UN resolution 1737 and suspending enrichment despite a call by UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei for a "timeout" in the showdown.

Iran could however face more sanctions after February 21 when ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is due to submit a report on its compliance to the UN Security Council.

- This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Wednesday, January 31st, 2007 at 10:26 am.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/iran-to-celebrate-khomeini-revolution-and-nuclear-power

Comments:

1) crosspatch
January 31st, 2007

Wonder if this might be throwing a wrench in the works:

Tehran, 25 Jan. (AKI) - One of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, Ardeshir Hassanpour, a professor at the university of Shiraz, has died under mysterious circumstances. Hassanpour’s death was announced by Iranian state television, a week late, on Thursday. No reason was given for his death. The scientist was proclaimed the best scientist in the military field in the Islamic Republic in 2003. Hassanpour directed the centre for nuclear electromagnetic studies he had founded in 2005.

He had also co-founded the center for atomic research in Isfahan, the most important in the country, Iranian state television reported.

Last year, Ardeshir Hassanpour was awarded Iran’s most prestigious scientific award, the Kharazmi prize.

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.380293765&par=0

-- January 31, 2007 2:16 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

OK, I am trying to understand why we should NOT be concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions and terrorist threats. I think the Liberal viewpoint the MSM would bring to this is that it is overreacting to take Tehran at their word or be concerned about terrorism on US soil. Why do I think that would be the Liberal viewpoint.. well.. because when they saw this "shot across the bow" of our boat (below), they missed the significance of it entirely. Normally, if you miss that first shot across the bow in warfare, they sink your boat, you know. Here is one such representative thinker for you to consider (since its American lives at stake here, it might be worthwhile to take a definite gander through this material and to ponder it):

LATimes: US Reaction to 9/11 Just a 'Massive Overreaction'
Posted by Warner Todd Huston on January 31, 2007 - 07:37.

Nearly 3,000 Americans killed in a series of attacks on one single day -- the most American civilians ever killed in a single day with coordinated attacks -- was no big deal as far as David Bell writing for the L.A. Times is concerned. QUOTE:

"The attacks were a horrible act of mass murder, but history says we're overreacting."

==end of quote==

See, they know this because Russia had a bad time of it during WWII. QUOTE:

"...imagine that the attacks had continued, every six hours, for another four years, until nearly 20 million Americans were dead. This is roughly what the Soviet Union suffered during World War II, and contemplating these numbers may help put in perspective what the United States has so far experienced during the war against terrorism."

==end of quote==

Such a ridiculous comparison. WWII, a standard, symmetrical war, bears little resemblance to this threat we face today. The Russians were under arms facing Hitler. It wasn't a "nice" war, surely, but it was a standard war none-the-less. Hitler invaded and the Russians resisted.

Standard war stuff, really.

On the other hand, Americans on Sept. 11th, 2001 were going about their daily lives with no thought of impending attacks. No war had been imagined declared and Americans had not the slightest clue that an attack was in the making. Granted Islamofascists had declared war on us, but we faced no nation state with a constituted army and didn't take the threat seriously. Few Americans were even aware that a fight was even brewing.

The absurdity of the Times' piece gets worse as one reads onward. QUOTE:

"It also raises several questions. Has the American reaction to the attacks in fact been a massive overreaction? Is the widespread belief that 9/11 plunged us into one of the deadliest struggles of our time simply wrong? If we did overreact, why did we do so? Does history provide any insight?"

==end of quote==

Overreaction? 3,000 dead is something to ignore, something to consider insignificant??

Why is Russia's loss during a declared war 60 years ago enough to make our own loss something to just forget about? Would the Times rather we sat about and awaited to absorb 21 million deaths at the hands of Islamofascists in order to then be able to claim that we can now be outraged legitimately?

But, wait. The piece tips its hand five paragraphs down. QUOTE:

"As an instance of mass murder, the attacks were unspeakable, but they still pale in comparison with any number of military assaults on civilian targets of the recent past, from Hiroshima on down". (bold mine)

==end of quote==

Ah, there you have it. The Islamofascists are not so bad after all. It's REALLY the USA that is the great Satan. The Times cannot tell the difference between acts during mutually agreed upon warfare, and those of a craven attack on an unsuspecting nation's civilians.

They then go on to pooh-pooh the 3,000 dead from 9/11 and the soldiers we have lost since as insignificant compared to our annual traffic deaths. QUOTE:

"Even if one counts our dead in Iraq and Afghanistan as casualties of the war against terrorism, which brings us to about 6,500, we should remember that roughly the same number of Americans die every two months in automobile accidents."

==end of quote==

Using this somewhat odd comparison I would think the Times, then, would similarly find the losses of civilians in Iraq insignificant since nearly 6 million Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust? We have all seen the Times rant about how the eeevil Americans have killed so many innocent Iraqis.

And don't papers like the L.A. Times make claims that even one death by, say, the death penalty, is too much? Yet here, they seem to feel we need to reach millions of deaths for them to "count".

Now here is where the piece gets surreal. After relegating human life to sterile mathematics, Bell then goes on to explain that our "overreaction" is because of the 18th century Enlightenment thinking that created the modern west.

He explains to us that before the Enlightenment "...most people in the West took warfare for granted as an utterly unavoidable part of the social order." But that the Enlightenment "...popularized the notion that war was a barbaric relic of mankind's infancy, an anachronism that should soon vanish from the Earth. Human societies, wrote the influential thinkers of the time, followed a common path of historical evolution from savage beginnings toward ever-greater levels of peaceful civilization, politeness and commercial exchange."

He goes on to say, QUOTE:

"The unexpected consequence of this change was that those who considered themselves "enlightened," but who still thought they needed to go to war, found it hard to justify war as anything other than an apocalyptic struggle for survival against an irredeemably evil enemy. In such struggles, of course, there could be no reason to practice restraint or to treat the enemy as an honorable opponent."

==end of quote==

Sadly, Bell gets his analysis horribly wrong. There was a big reason that people didn't intellectually rise up against war before the Enlightenment. Human beings did not have any sort of freedom before the ideas of individual autonomy popularized by the Enlightenment became universal. Men were the property of the King before the Enlightenment. Their individual lives were not important in the scheme of things either as far as the powers that be were concerned or as far as the common man was concerned. The King owned all and most people were relatively resigned to that ages old concept.

Then came the Enlightenment where the focus of government was shifted from a protection of the King's rights to a protection of the individual’s. The Enlightenment's best thinkers didn't just imagine that "Human societies" would "evolve" out of a need for war merely out of the progression of time, but because the individual was ever after considered of prime importance.

This means that any attack is, indeed, an "apocalypse" because that attack isn't an attack on some far off sovereign, but one on every man, woman and child in the country. To be deprived of life is the worst violation of civilized behavior. It must be met with overwhelming force, enough to stop the attempts and return to the status quo of peace.

Bell closes with a straw-man argument made and then harkens to the left's favorite claim against Islamofascism... it's a criminal matter. QUOTE:

"Yet as the comparison with the Soviet experience should remind us, the war against terrorism has not yet been much of a war at all, let alone a war to end all wars. It is a messy, difficult, long-term struggle against exceptionally dangerous criminals who actually like nothing better than being put on the same level of historical importance as Hitler -- can you imagine a better recruiting tool? To fight them effectively, we need coolness, resolve and stamina. But we also need to overcome long habit and remind ourselves that not every enemy is in fact a threat to our existence."

==end of quote==

Setting up the straw man: Mr. Bell, no one has said this conflict is the "war to end all wars".

As to your prosaic claim that this is but a criminal matter, that absurd argument blithely ignores the fact that we have no jurisdiction over an Islamofascist movement that is spread across the globe in dozens of nations and without jurisdiction criminal charges are meaningless. Additionally, with some of those nations we have bad or no official relations and some are even PAYING for and sponsoring that very "criminal" activity. It is impossible to conduct criminal proceedings with a nation that refuses to participate in the process. Even if we wanted to treat them as criminals we would have to use military capabilities and assets to track them and capture them to bring them up on any charges.

It would end up being a military procedure anyway; either that or it would all be ineffective causing the criminal activity to go on completely unabated.

Worse, Mr. Bell's ideas would force us to sit about and wait for that 21 million Americans to die so that we would have a "crime" to investigate in any case. Otherwise, we would be presumably violating the "rights" of the terrorists planning the very attacks that he claims are but crimes.

Bell and the Times reveal their disregard for life and show their woeful lack of ability to understand and quantify the threat we face.

Comments:

1) HumanEvents Says:
January 31, 2007 - 08:32

And it looks like Bell and the LA Times also reveal their disregard for the USA.

Good point about how the MSM gets up in arms over a single murderer receiving the death penalty. But to downplay over 3000 innocent deaths on 9/11? Wow. Just like the MSM is much more concerned about how the captured terrorists are treated as prisoners (you better not play that music too loud, that's torture!).

Saying 911 "pales in comparison" to other assaults is not only sickening but also completely unnecessary. Unless Mr. Bell just has to vent his anti-American sentiments that badly.

By the way, when the federal building in Oklahoma City was blown up and when the tragedy at Columbine High School happened they both got tremendous coverage for a long time. No one was stupid and insensitive enough to say they were "only" 168 and 13 deaths respectively. Could it be because it was all federal employees that died in Oklahoma and that the Columbine killings could be used to foster their anti-2nd ammendment agenda? But on 911 we're simply talking about 3000 ordinary US citizens and the attackers were muslim (instead of like Timothy McVeigh in OK). All 3 of these events are sad and dark days for our country and the way the libs inject politics into even gross murderous attacks is appalling.

2) Mica the Magnificent Says:
January 31, 2007 - 08:42

I GET IT! If a terrorist blows up the LA Times leaving nothing but burned posters of Mao and Fidel and some smoldering contact lenses, no one should overeact! Heck, I promise I won't even notice. Thanks, David.

There's no national interest in getting involved in Iraq. We must go to Darfur and get involved. - Lib logic

3) Gary Hall Says:
January 31, 2007 - 12:22

It amazed me as to how quickly Bell went from posing his question:

"It also raises several questions. Has the American reaction to the attacks in fact been a massive overreaction? Is the widespread belief that 9/11 plunged us into one of the deadliest struggles of our time simply wrong? If we did overreact, why did we do so? Does history provide any insight?"

.... to answering his question - 6 short paragraphs later:

"So why has there been such an overreaction?"
When a writer gets there so fast, one wonders why you ever posed the question in the first place. Instead, just title the piece, "We Overreacted to 9/11." Secondly - what should we do? What should countries all over the globe do with a group of radicals whose stated goal is to kill everyone else, but their own, and to force their form of insanity upon those who do convert? Have tea?

4) EvilRoy Says:
January 31, 2007 - 08:59

What is most comtempable about Mr. Bell's screed is the unspoken idea that the 3000 who died in the Towers on 9/11 were not "important" people. One can only wonder how his tone would be if Speilberg or Cruise or Hilton had died in the attacks. Those people in New York and Pennsylvania were just regular ordinary people. Why get all bothered by them. Only their immediate family members even remember their names, why get so worked up.

I am willing to bet if LA is attacked then Mr. Bell and his fellow travelers on the Left would be frothing at the mouth wanting to know why the "gubamint" hadn't protected them and why we hadn't gotten back at the terrorists who targeted them.

To say Mr. Bell is despicable is to water down the meaning of despicable.

5) buddyc Says:
January 31, 2007 - 09:17

thanks for the info. i didn't know the la times was still in business. there have been so many staff reductions. do they have interns doing their reporting now and writing their editorials?

6) Tom1969ca Says:
January 31, 2007 - 09:38

Bell closes with a straw-man argument made and then harkens to the left's favorite claim against Islamofascism... it's a criminal matter.

Isn't that ultimately how we ended up in this mess in the first place -- the fact that, for eight years, Bill Clinton treated terrorist attacks as criminal matters? (Otherwise, why does most of The Path to 9/11 take place during his administration ... and why did he demand changes to the film?)

Memo to liberals: a guy who is willing to die for Allah isn't going to be the least bit intimidated by the prospect of doing 5-to-10 in Attica...

7) Carl Kolchak Says:
January 31, 2007 - 10:33

Excellent points! You have to remember that left wing journalists probably went to left wing colleges where they were taught by left wing college professors who see Trotsky, Lenin and Stalin as a bunch of swell guys who never did anything wrong. I'm reading a book called "Stalin's Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of WWII on the Eastern Front" by Constantine Pleshakov. He basically makes the case that Stalin was extremly incompetent during the attack by the Germans, and was in fact planning his own attack against the Germans. Here is a quote from page 11 of the book "The 27 million lives lost during the war became mere propoganda, manipulated to cajole the living into obedience"

8) emjem24 Says:
January 31, 2007 - 09:40

When I read this article, the Daryl Worley song "Have You Forgotten?" passes through my mind. I won't be shocked if the LA Times has never heard of the song (they don't seem the Country Music types). This whole article greatly saddens me. I lost 2 college classmates who worked in the North Tower that day. They left behind widows and babies they'll never see. I guess in Bell's mind (as well as the LA Times) we should just lie down and take it. Well, when we were attacked at Pearl Harbor we didn't lie down and take it then either. We mustered up as many fighters to engage Japanese fliers as we could gather. I wonder how long Bell would be able to stay unscathed if he voiced such opinions in a room full of military spouses (or 9/11 families for that matter). Probably not long. I've also lost friends in Iraq (and have friends there and in Afghanistan now). It's incredible what happens when Americans start forgetting that terrible day. I still remember where I was and how I felt. Every 9/11 I light candles in remembrance for what we lost...our innocence, our trust, our self-confidence, even our faith in humanity. I know that it has been almost 6 years since that terrible day but no matter how much time passes I will never forget and I will definitely always mention what happened that day to any children I might be so blessed to have. What a deplorable, utterly sad development when the news media now bashes 9/11 and its victims and blames America for it.

9) Dave R. Says:
January 31, 2007 - 09:59

I cannot wait to see what this historically ignorant (and I mean that both ways) individual is going to say-God forbid-after a mushroom cloud expands over one of our cities. Will he consider a response to that to be an over-reaction?

Does he consider our response to the Pearl Harbor attacks (where we declared war on Japan the very next day) to have been over-doing it?

How many innocent Americans will have to die before Mr. Bell decides enough is enough? 10,000? 100,000? 10 million?

As far as "the enlightenment" goes, I am now defining the term thusly:

The Enlightenment: The point at which Western Society decided it was no longer willing to fight for its own survival.

I guarantee you that is the definition future historians will use to define the term.

10) Warner Todd Huston Says:
January 31, 2007 - 10:02

Does he consider our response to the Pearl Harbor attacks (where we declared war on Japan the very next day) to have been over-doing it?

Yes, he DOES think that our reaction to Pearl was also an "overreaction". He says so in his piece.

At least he is consistently stupid.

11) pbanks7 Says:
January 31, 2007 - 11:01

This guy is good!

...until nearly 20 million Americans were dead. This is roughly what the Soviet Union suffered during World War II, and contemplating these numbers may help put in perspective what the United States has so far experienced during the war against terrorism.

OK. The USSR took over Eastern Europe as a result. By following his logic, it would be all right for the "imperialist" US to take over the Middle East and exploit the oil revenues for ourselves.

As an instance of mass murder, the attacks were unspeakable, but they still pale in comparison with any number of military assaults on civilian targets of the recent past, from Hiroshima on down.

Yes, and the final act of the war against Japan was to nuke two cities - so we should nuke Tehran and Damascus! Maybe a third city (Tikrit? Mecca?) because the death toll on 9/11 was about 25% higher.

Even if one counts our dead in Iraq and Afghanistan as casualties of the war against terrorism, which brings us to about 6,500, we should remember that roughly the same number of Americans die every two months in automobile accidents.

So the death toll of our soldiers, Iraqi civilians, and insurgents is insignificant. The MSM should stop reporting these insignificant deaths immediately.

See?

- Ignorance is bliss. It's easier to repeat a mindless slogan than to do some actual research.

12) Jerry Says:
January 31, 2007 - 11:44

"As an instance of mass murder, the attacks were unspeakable, but they still pale in comparison with any number of military assaults on civilian targets of the recent past, from Hiroshima on down."

This clown doesn't know the difference between an unprovoked surprise attack against an unsuspecting civilian population and the prosecution of a war against an enemy seeking world conquest. His point might be relevant IF we had leveled Hiroshima in an unprovoked attack BEFORE the war started.

I guess if some murderer gunned down his whole family, the police shouldn't over-react and try to catch the bad guy because, after all, his loss was fairly insignificant compared to many other tragedies.

What a goof-ball!

http://newsbusters.org/node/10517

-- January 31, 2007 3:33 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I suppose that if Tehran really does have suicide bomb cells in the US - soon to be armed with nukes from their new factory facilities and set off in coordinated attacks across the country - that they are looking beyond that day to winning a complete victory over America. (The word used was "destroy" America, which would require a more sustained plan.) Obviously Iran would be happy with and promote the idea of "not overreacting" to such an attack early.. long before the bombs go off. Then, they would have another plan in place to take the US down further.. wouldn't they?

Hmmm... I wonder what that plan would be?
And if anyone within the US is able to get past this "don't overreact" threat to start running scenerios for that day?
Because if the Democrats don't allow a war position.. what other choice is there?
And if we end up with a Democrat in the Whitehouse, pulling out the troops.. we are just sitting ducks..
and the scenerios should be in place for the sane to be able to take up and implement when we lose.

Sara

-- January 31, 2007 3:54 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I think with the threat of nuclear attack using terrorist cells by Iran,
the next step would be taken up by the Chinese..
as they have taken their own "shot across the bow" of the USA:

China's satellite-killer test shakes up world view
24 Jan, 2007

SHANGHAI: China has sent men into orbit and launched dozens of satellites, but its test of a satellite-killing weapon is shaking up perceptions about where the Chinese space program is headed.

The test, confirmed by Beijing on Tuesday after nearly a two-week silence, has drawn criticism from the US and Japan, and touched off fears of an arms race in space.

The Chinese test "was an overtly military, very provocative event that cannot be spun any other way,"said Rob Hewson, the London-based editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons. "So a bald assessment of that is that it's a big fat challenge."

The test is a shot across the bow of US efforts to remain predominant in space and on the ground, where its military is heavily dependent on networks of satellites, particularly the low-altitude imaging intelligence models that help it find and hit targets.

Beijing has repeatedly pledged peaceful development of its army — the world's largest — but has caused unease among its neighbours by announcing double-digit military spending increases nearly every year since the early 1990s.

However, while China's act looked aggressive, some US officials were skeptical that Beijing would do anything to attack the satellites of the United States or Japan — key trading partners.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/World/Rest_of_World/Chinas_satellite-killer_test_shakes_up_world_view/articleshow/1436680.cms

China would step in if the US was attacked with nukes..
and perhaps that strategy is already in place between Iran and China.
Call it a one-two punch.
I hope there are some folks running scenerios for this someplace..
who are really, really smart.
Fortunately, some funding appears in place:

Dyer: China's satellite-killer test - should we be worried?
Gwynne Dyer
01/27/2007

There is a thriving little industry in the United States that produces magazine articles with titles like "The Coming War With China" and "How We Will Fight China," plus the occasional full-length book like Babbin and Timperlake's fictionalized scenario for a U.S.-Chinese war. The "Chinese military buildup" is now a regular feature in the documents that the Pentagon produces each year to justify its budget demands - and now we have the dreaded Chinese satellite killer.

The Web site of the specialist magazine Aviation Week and Space Technology was the first to break the news that "the Chinese Feng Yun 1C polar orbit weather satellite, launched in 1999, was attacked by an asat (anti-satellite) system launched from or near the Xichang space centre."

On Jan. 11, China tested its first satellite killer, and immediately afterward the protests began to rain down.

The strategic point of a satellite-killing missile is that it can deprive the opponent of his electronic eyes and his ability to control an entire battle zone in real time. Now we're talking homelands, so it's getting frightening . . . but don't panic. They'll never let it get out of control. The United States and the People's Republic of China are indissolubly bound together by trade and war is inconceivable.

Maybe, but consider these remarks by Will Hutton, whose book on contemporary China, The Writing on the Wall, was published in Britain this month. "Very few [people elsewhere] understand the Bismarckian, pre-1914 feel to Asian great power politics . . . . Asia is a powder keg of competing nationalisms, battles for scarce energy resources and unresolved mutual enmities . . . . It is no longer scaremongering to warn of the small but growing risk of a devastating Asian war."

China doesn't want such a war. Neither does the United States, or Japan, or anybody else. But nobody wanted World War I, either. It came, as contemporaries said, "out of a clear blue sky."

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5096620

Sara.

-- January 31, 2007 5:16 PM ∞

---

David wrote:

Hello, again.

I've been hearing a lot about the liberal media's push concerning global warming. I thought, since it's connected to our economy, oil production and consumption, and the liberal desire to quell any substantive debate on the issue, I thought you might be interested in some information I've learned about. Following is a good summary of this information - the summary is not mine.

Dr. Lee Gerhard of the Kansas Geological Society has done extensive independent research into the global warming phenom, accepting no outside funding for his work. He's put together a PowerPoint presentation on Geologic Constraints on Global Climate Variability that should prove very educational to anyone interested in actual data.

www.kansasenergy.org/documents/Gerhard_Climate_Change.pdf

Gerhard notes that we have moved beyond the historic dispute between the geocentric and the heliocentric universe to embrace the humanocentric universe, meaning that we believe human activity to be the axis of reality. However:

There is no clear discernible effect of human activities on global temperatures.
Of all greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide represents only 0.28%. There is little or no correlation between carbon dioxide concentration and temperature change. Natural climate drivers such as solar and orbital variations, on the other hand, correlate well with temperature changes.

Since temperature constantly fluctuates,

Choosing whether earth is warming or cooling is simply a matter of picking end points.
If I start my analysis at midnight and end at noon, I see that it's getting hotter. If I start in August and end in January, I see that it's getting colder. This is the sort of simplistic trick global warming hucksters like Al Gore use to lead gullible nitwits around by the nose.

In the short term, the weather will keep getting warmer, as it has been doing for the last 250 years. In the long term, it will keep getting cooler, as it has been doing for the last 60 million years. Recent warming is an effect of the same 1,100-year solar cycle that produced the Roman and Medieval warming periods.

Gerhard asks the fundamental question and answers it:

So, if there were no people, how would climate be different? It wouldn't be different.
Now can we move on to problems that are real?

David

-- January 31, 2007 6:27 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

No change in the auction price in a week... have we hit the glass ceiling already????

-- January 31, 2007 6:33 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, David.

That post was truly great material.

I appreciate it. :)

Anthony R - I was going by Rogers post here:

http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2007/01/iraqi_dinar_dis_7.html#128566

Which said, quote:

By the way,

Picked up somewhere, the exchange is closed because of some religious doings over there, Wednesday is next.

==end of quote==

So I thought the lull was due to their current religious festivities.

Sara.

-- January 31, 2007 7:48 PM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

Sara,
I believe the religious festivities were only for one day (Tuesday) when the CBI did not hold an auction. Auctions have been held as normal on other days but there has been no movement in the NID-$US rate. Other currencies have still been moving although not always in the right direction.

-- January 31, 2007 8:17 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Yeah, they had the auction today, just no movement.

-- January 31, 2007 9:00 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Holiday was EID on Monday and Tuesday. The CBI arabic version had a notice on it that the price would hold through 2/1/2007 but when I just checked to confirm it was removed so take it for whatever value that may have.

-- January 31, 2007 9:01 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, chelseadave.

David, I thought this was interesting enuf to post on the subject,
since not much is happening in Dinarland lately...:

Sen. James Inhofe Shows Real Data to CNN's Global Warming Alarmist Miles O'Brien
Posted by Justin McCarthy on January 31, 2007 - 17:05.

With NBC and ABC hyping the global climate change news in recent days, CNN jumped on the bandwagon on Wednesday’s American Morning. Miles O’Brien interviewed one of the leading climate change skeptics, Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma. After his previous combative interview, O’Brien attempted to disprove Inhofe’s skepticism with sound bites from various climate change believers.

Inhofe slammed O’Brien for cherry picking data to verify his theory exclaiming: "Now you won’t get the [fourth assessment from the IPCC] from scientists probably until May or Juen. But this summary is all you’re going to look at."

Miles O’Brien then cited the United Nations report with "2,500 of the world’s leading scientists." The Senator shot back about the Oregon Petition, signed by 17,800 scientists, who said that the increase in the earth’s temperature is part of a natural (phenomena).

Senator Inhofe quoted to O’Brien, who once claimed that "skeptical scientists are bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry,"a French geophysicist. This geophysicists said, "the cause of global warming is unknown. The proponents of manmade catastrophic global warming are being motivated by money."

The entire transcript at bottom url.

Comments:

1)NL207 Says:
January 31, 2007 - 18:39

You and the Lord knows how many other leftists have been trying to debunk that petition for ten years. The only real way to debunk it is to go through it name by name and ask the respondents where they stand on this issue today. Attempts to do just this have been made, and just as quickly dropped when the responses received indicated that (1) a great many of the signatories were real people with real scientific credentials, and I don't mean just Bachelor's Degrees. Almost all had at least MS and most had Phd in the physical sciences or in Anthropology and its related fields. i.e. students of ancient human history. If they were not scientists, then YOU are the King of England. and (2) They actually knew what they were signing when they signed it.

Then there are the two Liepzig declarations [Wikipedia is a biased source on this topic, guess which side] and the open letter by Canadian scientists to PM Harper. These have fewer signatories, all of whom are well known and some of whom also appear on the Seitz petition.

Now, it has been over ten years since that petition was first circulated. Some of the people who originally signed it have since passed on. Some more of the peole who signed it have changed their minds on the subject and would not sign it again. More people who did not sign it originally would sign it today were it circulated again. I am one of this last group. I received this petition and did not sign it originally, because although I have a degree in Physics and advanced degrees, I have not practiced in the field in over 10 years at that time. But, once trained as a scientists, you never forget how to think that way. Those opinions were real, whether you like it or not, and this pixie dust the government is spreading about a "consensus" is just a ploy to grab power. The ONLY things there is a consensus about is that it has been getting very gradually and monotonically warmer since 1967 until 2005 and a total of about 0.6 degree C since 1850. CO2 has been monotonically increasing in the atmosphere since 1850. All the mechanisms, cause-effect relationships etc., are still debated. Many prominent scientists on both sides of the debate still believe we don't understand how all this works.

2) Unsane Says:
January 31, 2007 - 20:12

1) If the Kyoto Protocol addresses a GLOBAL problem called GLOBAL warming, why are China, Mexico, and India, among other countries, exempt from it?

2) Why does the Kyoto Protocol not address, at all the issue of tropical deforestation, which is the cause of 20% of global greenhouse emissions?

3) Why no major Atlantic hurricanes in 2006?

4) How come the world's highest recorded temperature was recorded in 1922?

5) Why did it snow south and east of San Antonio for Christmas 2004? San Antonio RARELY if EVER gets snow.

6) Why did it snow in Lisbon and New Delhi in the winter of 2005-2006? Why did it snow in Johannesburg in July 2006 during the austral winter?

7) Exit Glacier has been melting since at least 1780. What human activity back then was causing the glacier to melt?

8) Explain the appearance of icebergs in the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea in the Barrow area at the end of July 2004.

9) Why aren't the Leftists screaming for more nuclear power generation; you know, the power source that supplies 78.5% of France's needs, a nation that doesn't even have a permanent disposal site for nuclear waste?

10) Why did I spend much time earlier this month chipping away a layer of ice from my truck here in San Antonio? I thought this global warming thing was supposed to make such events more rare, not more common...

11) Twenty years ago, we were told again and again that the effects of global warming would be very noticeable right about....now. Let's see here...we are still occasionally getting snow where there isn't supposed to be any, record lows are getting set somewhere in the country every given day, and the world's record high still stands after well over 80 years. When is this thing supposed to happen, if it is supposed to happen?

Why are you so eager to destroy the world's most advanced economy on a hunch? Are you extremely angry that there are people who are content all around you (and thus you HAVE to make them ALL as miserable as you are), or is it acute self-loathing and guilt?

3) Free Stinker Says:
January 31, 2007 - 20:16

Unsane - Have any of these Moonbats ever tried to answer your questions?

Seems to me they scatter like rats when Facts get brought up. ;-)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"One thing that seperates liberals from conservatives is that liberals are craftier and work without the hinderance of a conscience." --Lynn Wooley

4) Unsane Says:
January 31, 2007 - 20:36

Only one made an attempt, if you can call it that. Word gaming, obfuscating the issue, and representing the Xinhua News Agency points of view gets you nowhere when trying to answer these questions.

Moonbats don't like to answer questions. Hence, I keep asking them. It's like showing a vampire a cross...

5) HumanEvents Says:
January 31, 2007 - 18:22

Awesome job by James Inhofe. Pathetic job by Miles O'Brien. James has facts and substance. Miles just says "All right" in response to James and then jumps to something else. And the things Miles jumps to are silly. Miles simply quotes George Bush and John McCain and then says see your own party believes in this. As if 2 is the whole party. And quoting one evangelical minister. You can easily find many who disagree, like D. James Kennedy. But what absurd logic anyway. And the MSM, since they lack facts and empirical data, resort to this all the time. As if we should take our stance on issues based on what someone of a similar religion or party to us says. Miles had no idea how to respond to Inhofe's excellent answers.

Reminds me of how Bill Clinton pathetically said he thinks abortion is okay because his pastor in Arkansas said it was. Aside from the absurdity that there are numerous pastors who would say otherwise, what kind of reason is that to formulate your opinion on abortion? How about examining the issue and coming to your own conclusions? But Billy boy knew he had no substance for being pro-abortion so he used this as a ridiculous excuse.

And don't you love how Miles said to James, "...and now say there is a certainty of that human connection. Do you still reject that certainty?" He doesn't say, "Do you disagree with them that it's a certainty?" Rather he says because these particular scientists (or policy makers!) say it's a certainty therefore it must be. And then phrases his question accordingly. What a total doofus!

http://newsbusters.org/node/10530

-- January 31, 2007 9:07 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Does anybody know if the Iraqi have a different claendar year? It's been suggested that they have a different one they go by.

Also front page USA Today had an article that states from some scientist that they are 99% sure that the Global warming is our fault and that they expect the warming to continue till the end of the 21st century.

-- January 31, 2007 9:31 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Without sounding like a radical extremist, I do believe the U.S. is on a collision course with China. I do not buy into any ones dogma on the subject, but common sense tells me China is next in line at an attempt to challenge American economic and millitary supremecy.

A successful mission to destroy an obsolete and useless space satellite should cause great concern here at home. In my opinin, we are in a very vunerable position with troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

The United States of Amercia should have a battle force ready to meet any significant challenge to our national security anywhere in the world. With our current committments, it would be difficult for the U.S. to respond to another crisis militarily. The facts are we do not have the resources to respond in that manner.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the Berlin Wall our citizens and government have been lulled into a false security. This country faces a great challenge in China. It is in our national security for the congress to triple the budget for the military. We must increase the size (manpower)and force (weaponry).

McDonald Douglass, Boeing, and Lockeed Martin should each be award multi-billion dollar contract to sufficiently equip our armed forces with airpower. Robotic firms must be allowed with government financial support to develop a robotic soldiers.

In a conventional war with China, I think the U.S. Government must begin building strong ties with India. What will be the fuse that finally ignites this conflict between China and the U.S.? Will it be Taiwan? What about Iran?

Regardless of what starts it, if this great war was fought today the U.S. is unprepared. It is time to become prepared. It is time for a covert arms build up. We must possess first strike capability.

I think this looming conflict should warrant us to prepar now.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 31, 2007 9:53 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Picked up this at the IIF=thought I would pass it on:

MENAFNMENAFN - 31/01/2007- 31 / 01 / 2007

MENAFN) The Iraqi Minister of Oil that Iraqi oil will be divided equally to the Iraqis, since the final draft of the oil law had been completed and was put on the Energy Commission to the Council of Ministers, and were unanimously approved by the Committee with some amendments in it.

It is noteworthy that some amendments will also take place when the draft to the Council of Ministers for approval, which will be submitted to the House of Representatives for the passage of legislation after the unanimous.

The minister also noted that the resources derived from oil sales will go to fund one centralized and distributed to all Iraqis in the provinces, prefectures and the proportion of the population.

.On the other hand, the law will restore activity to the National Oil Company, which will be responsible for the development of the fields to increase production and exports, where would the oil industry, however, the basic competencies Iraqi keen to provide expertise for the Iraqi people.

should be noted that the law proved essential foundations, and also develop policies and plans to develop the oil all regions of Iraq in a balanced way.

http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl.../language_tools

-- January 31, 2007 10:38 PM ∞

---

David wrote:

For those of you interested in the global warming debate here are a couple comments. This is off the dinar, so scroll past if not interested.

Apparently, NO scientist denies that there is global warming. That's not the issue. What the issue is is WHAT is causing the warming to occur. I like the conclusions Gerhard comes to: that this humanocentric society we live in easily believes that we are responsible for everything, and that we can control anything we want to. No self-respecting humanist believes that we are insignificant in the universe. To the contrary - we are the center of the universe. We are gods ourselves.

Which, of course, is hooey. In listening to the debate on global warming, always look for data. The liberals never have it - they only make emotional and anectodal arguments, and point their own computer models which are built on false assumptions. Unfortunately (for them), their models never recreate what has happened in the past, so how could they be an accurate model to show the future? According to Gerhard's figures, the human contribution to carbon monoxide is miniscule, and carbon monoxide is itself a miniscule driver for climate change. We are truly insignificant.

But insignificance is tough on political power. If you wonder why the libs and the MSM are fighting for humanism, you only need to go as far as their egos. If they can create the illusion that we are really in control of the universe, and sustain it, then the masses will support them. They HATE it when they are confronted with true insignificance. That's why atheists and agnostics and liberals are mostly one and the same. If there's a true God, then we cannot be gods ourselves.

My favorite moment in "The Horse and his Boy" in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, is when the hermit tells Bree (the once gloried war horse) that as long as he remembers he's nobody special, any more than anyone else in Narnia, he'll be alright. What a lesson in humility.

David

-- January 31, 2007 11:14 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(854)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 854 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/ 2/1 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1290 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ------ -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 86.490.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) ------
Total offers for buying (US $) 86.490.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ------ -----

-- February 1, 2007 5:02 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Baghdad swapping dollars for Dinars. Posted www.dinartrade.com

The highest bids of the Bank for selling the dollar versus high purchase offers

The sale and purchase of dollar offers from and to the Iraqi Central Bank recorded a big rise last Thursday, where the volume of demand hit 101 million and 510 thousand dollars against 65 million the day before.

The purchase orders were distributed between 15 million and 110 thousand dollars in cash, and 86, 400 thousand dollars in the form of remittances outside the country fully covered by the Bank at an exchange rate hit 1292 dinar, dropping three points from exchange rate of the day before which hit 1295 dinar.

Thursday’s session witnessed the highest offer to sell the dollar for over a year, when the 14 banks participating in the auction, made bids for the sale of ten million dollars bought by the Bank in full at an exchange rate reached 1290 dinar.

Mr. Ali Al-Yasiri, one of the dealers with the Bank, explained that sales offers will rise with time because of the entry of the Ministry of Finance to the auction to sell the dollar for the dinar, which is needed to fill the components of the budget.

Source: Iraq Directory.com

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 1, 2007 9:40 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Here is an article posted to www.safedinar.com where the National Security Advisor comments about the President's plan to secure the Iraqi Capital.

Securing Iraq’s Capital Is Vital, National Security Advisor Says
1/29/2007

Stephen Hadley says plan includes reinforcing troops, doubling reconstruction teams

The following piece was originally published in the January 29 edition of the Washington Post and is in the public domain. There are no republication restrictions.

(begin byliner)

Baghdad Is Key
By Stephen J. Hadley

The Baker-Hamilton report explained that failure in Iraq could have severe consequences for our national interests in a critical region and for our national security here at home. In my many conversations with members of Congress and foreign policy experts, few have disagreed.

The strategic review commissioned by President Bush analyzed the options for setting Iraq on a trajectory for success. Alternatives now being discussed in Congress were considered but rejected after the strategic risks and stakes were calculated.

The review considered the option of pulling U.S. forces out of Baghdad and concentrating on al-Qaeda in Iraq and training Iraqi security forces, as some in Congress recommend.

Most people agree that we must focus on fighting al-Qaeda. The president's strategy steps up this fight -- particularly in Anbar province, where al-Qaeda seeks a sanctuary. The administration also agrees that we must accelerate the training of Iraqi security forces. The president's strategy does this -- with benchmarks to track progress and bolster the size and effectiveness of those forces. Training and supporting Iraqi troops will remain our military's essential and primary mission.

But the president's review also concluded that the strategy with the best chance of success must have a plan for securing Baghdad. Without such a plan, the Iraqi government and its security institutions could fracture under the pressure of widespread sectarian violence, ethnic cleansing and mass killings. Chaos would then spread throughout the country -- and throughout the region. The al-Qaeda movement would be strengthened by the flight of Sunnis from Baghdad and an accelerated cycle of sectarian bloodletting. Iran would be emboldened and could be expected to provide more lethal aid for extremist groups. The Kurdish north would be isolated, inviting separation and regional interference. Terrorists could gain pockets of sanctuary throughout Iraq from which to threaten our allies in the region and our security here at home.

The new plan for Baghdad specifically corrects the problems that plagued previous efforts. First, it is an Iraqi-initiated plan for taking control of their capital. Second, there will be adequate forces (Iraqi and American) to hold neighborhoods cleared of terrorists and extremists. Third, there is a new operational concept -- one devised not just to pursue terrorists and extremists but to secure the population. Fourth, new rules of engagement will ensure that Iraqi and U.S. forces can pursue lawbreakers regardless of their community or sect. Fifth, security operations will be followed by economic assistance and reconstruction aid -- including billions of dollars in Iraqi funds -- offering jobs and the prospect of better lives.

As Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander of our forces in Iraq, explained in hearings before Congress last week, reinforcing U.S. troops is necessary for this new plan to succeed. Any plan that limits our ability to reinforce our troops in the field is a plan for failure -- and could hand Baghdad to terrorists and extremists before legitimate Iraqi forces are ready to take over the fight. That is an outcome the president simply could not accept.

The Baker-Hamilton report supports this conclusion. It said: "We could, however, support a short-term redeployment or surge of American combat forces to stabilize Baghdad ... if the U.S. commander in Iraq determines that such steps would be effective." Our military commanders, and the president, have determined just that.

The focus on reinforcing our troops must not overshadow the comprehensive nature of the changes in the president's strategy. Contrary to what some have suggested, reinforcing our military presence is not the strategy -- it is a means to an end and part of a package of key strategic shifts that will fundamentally restructure our approach to achieving our objectives in Iraq.

Building on experience elsewhere in the country, the new strategy doubles the number of provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) in Iraq. These civilian-led units will target development aid where it is needed and help the Iraqi government extend its reach to all corners of the country.

Because close civilian-military cooperation is key to success, 10 new civilian PRTs will be embedded with U.S. combat brigades.

The new strategy incorporates other essential elements of the Baker-Hamilton report, such as doubling the number of troops embedded with Iraqi forces, using benchmarks to help us and the Iraqis chart progress, and launching a renewed diplomatic effort to increase support for the Iraqi government and advance political reconciliation.

Ultimately, a strategy for success must present a realistic plan for bringing security to the people of Baghdad. This is a precondition to advancing other goals. President Bush's strategy offers such a plan -- and it is the only strategy that does.

(The writer is national security adviser to the president.)

(end byliner)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Securing Iraq’s Capital Is Vital, National Security Advisor Says - Source

Iraqi Dinar News Article List

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 1, 2007 9:47 AM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

All:

Iraq only needs small increase in US troops: Maliki

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday said his country only needs a slight increase in the number of US troops in Iraq to help quell violence there.
www.noozz.com

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 1, 2007 10:01 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Lame attempts at political humor:

1) Warning to posters on this blog: Tomorow is Ground Hog Day, in the United States. Pay attention to CNN, when they show Punksatony Phil, the groundhog weather prognosticator from Pennsylvania. If the groundhog sees his shadow, we're in for six more weeks of Global Warming Debate!

2) Also, pay attention February 10, for a Big Official Announcement, carried live on CNN. Barock Hussein Osama, er, excuse me, sorry, I meant Obama, will announce his candidacy for President.

3) If he loses his bid for the top job, expect Barack to be the Democratic Party Vice Predidential Candidate, under Hillary Clinton. It would be an unusual move for Hillary. She hasn't been in bed, politically, with a man, since Vince "knows too much" Foster.

4) If the Odd Couple fail at their bid for the White House, expect Morgan Freeman to direct them both in a new movie, "Driving Ms. Clinton".

5) Bill Clinton is in the news, sticking up for his wife. He says media rumours about his wife's alleged sexual interests in women have not hurt their marriage, at all. In fact, the horny hick is quoted as saying, "It gives us something we have in common."

6) The Chinese government is seeking to re-assure the United States, after launching a satellite killer. The new Chinese missile is capable of taking out American satellites, which serve as America's electronic eye, on the battlefield. Critics say the development of the new technology means America is losing it's technological edge over other countries. The Chinese government refuted this charge, stating that America was NOT losing it's scientific edge. A Chinese government spokesaman said that, like the rip-off, copyright-violating Chinese electronics and designer clothes, all the technology behind the missile was legitamately stolen by Chinese graduate student-spies at top American universities!

Thanks. I won't give up my day job.

-- February 1, 2007 11:01 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Rob N;

Thanks for your thoughts on the Chinese.
The way the Democrats act, America has only friends and critics, no enemies.
War preparation appears necessary to remain a global player militarily to me also.

Thanks for the post on oil, Marylou.

David - I appreciate the thoughts on the Global Warming debate saying that it is a case of what is causing the warming trend and to look for hard data when discussing the topic with those who are trying to make the West pay dearly for a global phenomena which has nothing to do with man as a "polluter."

As for the horse and his boy, I love C.S. Lewis and his Chronicles of Narnia and pray they do it justice in the upcoming Disney versions of his classic Narnia series for children. I was a fan of the series and it was my favorite books growing up. I remember putting down the last of the series of books as a child, looking at my wardrobe closet door and wishing Narnia was real so I could meet Aslan. It was the greatest wish I had as a child - I longed for Aslan to be real. Amazing that what I really wished for was to know Jesus Christ and that Aslan was only a picture of Him. I did not realize that at the time - I only felt a deep longing to know Aslan and a wish that the fictional character I had met in the books who seemed so real to me was something that was truly real. I longed to live in a world where Aslan was real, and I had no idea it was a longing to know God personally.

As for "The horse and his boy" the lesson which stood out to me was when Aslan claws the back of the girl - it shocked me, until He told her why she deserved it (and she did). There are lessons in theology there which explain the justice and mercy of God in ways we can know and understand. Hers was also a lesson in humility, only in a different way. It shows how disregard for human beings is seen by God, and how He views it. Since the time from her cruel act to Aslan's payment is very large in the story, it almost seemed like she got away with it, didn't it? God gave C.S. Lewis much of the material he put in his books and indeed, recently, as I was wondering about what the fifth dimension is and how it works (I was querying Him - if the fourth dimension is time, what is the fifth?), the Lord reminded me of some material in one of C.S. Lewis' books. It was one of those "ohhhh, I get it!" moments. So his thoughts and books continue to instruct and teach me even now. I'm not sure Mr. Lewis understood it was the fifth dimension he was writing of... but I do know Who inspired what was written. :)

But enough of that tangent.. :)

Thanks for the exchange rate, Chris. Glad to see you back. :)

Rob N;

Clipped from your news article post today from safedinar.com titled "Securing Iraq's Capital Is Vital, National Security Advisor Says" -

"Fifth, security operations will be followed by economic assistance and reconstruction aid -- including billions of dollars in Iraqi funds -- offering jobs and the prospect of better lives".

I see this as promising the economic leg - ie RV or movement of the Dinar - AFTER the security operations end.

Sara.

-- February 1, 2007 11:47 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

David;

Lest you think me a bit whacky..
Here is an article saying physicists are trying to figure out the fifth dimension, too.
You know it must be beyond time.. and in Narnia, if you remember, their time was not our time.
The children could spend as much time as they wished in Narnia.. and no time passed on earth.
The change in time dimension is explained by the fifth dimension, -
which C.S. Lewis must have understood quite well to write so well as he did about it.
There are other clues to the fifth dimension embedded in his writing..

Physicists probe the fifth dimension
Can we prove realms exist beyond our plane ... or ‘brane’?
By Alan Boyle Science editor
MSNBC June 6, 2006

SEATTLE - The cosmos would make perfect sense … if it turns out we're living in a 10- or 11-dimensional realm where gravity is bubbling off a different plane entirely. At least that's what's emerging as the hottest concept on the frontier of physics.

Though these sound like virtually unverifiable claims, physicists are trying to come up with ways to gather evidence to back up or disprove the extradimensional theories currently in vogue. But it’ll take several years to get that evidence, if it can be gotten at all.

The claim that the cosmos has more than the four dimensions we can perceive — that is, three spatial dimensions plus time — is exotic enough. But the quest to prove that claim brings in a virtual menagerie of mysteries: mini-black holes and dark matter, gravitational waves and cosmic inflation, super-high-energy particle collisions and ultra-powerful gamma-ray bursts.

Even the physicists behind today's most-talked-about extradimensional theory, Harvard University's Lisa Randall and Johns Hopkins University's Raman Sundrum, aren't yet exactly sure whether the approaches will pay off.

"Nothing comes with a money-back guarantee," Sundrum told MSNBC.com.

So why bother? Physicists aren't just spinning out these tales of 11 dimensions for the amusement of science-fiction writers. Rather, unseen dimensions seem to offer the best hope for solving the kinds of problems that have frustrated theorists since Albert Einstein's day...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13070896/

-- February 1, 2007 2:15 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

January 29, 2007
Sadrist lawmakers meet Barazani in Arbil
By Abdul-Hamid Zibari


Arbil, Jan 29, (VOI)- A delegation from the Sadrist parliamentary bloc met on Monday Iraq\'s Kurdistan President Massoud al-Barazani to "correct" many misunderstandings over the Sadr movement, a legislator said.
"Our meeting with President Barazani corrected many understandings about the objectives and mechanisms of the Sadr movement," legislator
Al-Aaraji, currently on a visit to Arbil, said "Barazani expressed support to the Sadr movement and we appreciated his back-up."
This is the first meeting of its kind between Barazani and the Sadrists (followers of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr), the legislator pointed out and added "many issues were discussed during the meeting which made a number of recommendations."
Branding his visit to Arbil as historic, al-Aaraji said "the Sadr movement will back the Kurdistan Coalition demands in the parliament if these demands did not clash with the national and Islamic basics."
A Sadrist delegation, composed of parliamentarians Nassar al-Rubaie, Falah Shanshal, Baha al-Aaraji and Saleh Hassan al-Ugauili, arrived on Sunday in Arbil to meet Iraq\'s Kurdistan Pesident Massoud al-Barazani.
(www.iraqinews.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 1, 2007 2:18 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Branding his visit to Arbil as historic, al-Aaraji said "the Sadr movement will back the Kurdistan Coalition demands in the parliament if these demands did not clash with the national and Islamic basics."

WOW, Rob N.
Great news! :)
Cooperation means work can get done,
FINALLY!
I hope so.

Sara.

-- February 1, 2007 3:00 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

U.S. picks up Iranian agents linked to sophisticated explosive devices in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- U.S. forces in Iraq have picked up Iranian agents they believe are giving very sophisticated explosive technology to Shia insurgent groups who use that technology to target and kill American soldiers, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns said on Thursday.

"This is a very serious situation, and the message from the United States is Iran should cease and desist," Burns said in an interview on National Public Radio.

U.S. officials have been tracking this situation for about two years, Burns said, "and there has been increased evidence over that time that Iran has given this kind of assistance to the Shia insurgent groups. In southern Iraq they attacked British soldiers near Basra, and they have now begun to mount those operations throughout the country -- at least in the Baghdad region -- as well. And so we are very concerned about it."

U.S. officials warned Iran privately on a number of occasions over the last year and a half, but the Iranians did not appear to listen, Burns said. "So now we have begun to detain those Iranian officials, and we think it is absolutely within our rights to do so. Under Article 51 of the UN charter, which is self-defense, Iran should not seek this type of role in Iraq. It should try to become a force for unity in Iraq itself, but it is not choosing that path right now."

http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=948177

-- February 1, 2007 3:14 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

Hello All, Been a long time since i posted...but have been reading most of whats been posted...been down the pub and feel like mentioning my 2 cents worth....
Really pleased to see posts from people like Roger, Rob.N, cymru001 and Chris, interesting and to the point about the dinar, as for the god squad brigade, you can harp on till the cows come home, quoting the bible or whatever, we all have own beliefs, mine are.... god is within us all...so back off, relax and live and let live.
I'm from England as you might of gathered and from what I can remember the states were a laughing stock over here for not having a president for a month, while you lot had a recount of the votes. Same sort of crap happens here (too much to mention!!)... Like it or not, I reckon Hilary will be the next president...not because she's right for the job, but because she is not a republican and is a household name. Same here Cameron will be the next prime minister, unless he screws up big time in the meanwhile.
Another thing, the topic of global warming has turned up, I,m no expert on ANYTHING but have any of you considered the environmental impact a volcano erupting has on our atmosphere, compared to what we humans are doing.....now as for the dinar, I have my concerns like Roger and others, I to have a valid interest and have bads vibes about how the exchange will pan out. This lopping off of zeros could become a reality, hope not of course, but going by the way they behave in the real world....expect the unexpected....its bound to happen...after all, there not unknown for it. Anyway, my intention isn't to provoke or annoy anyone but I'm sure I'll get a few comments....for the record, I lived in the states for 4 years, so i'm not naive to what you lot are like, and a few other places around the world....I just see it the way it is...from my point of view. Cheers, be happy, Matt.

-- February 1, 2007 3:39 PM ∞

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chelseadave wrote:

This made me laugh.

LAST WEEK WAS MY BIRTHDAY AND I DIDN'T FEEL VERY WELL WAKING UP THAT MORNING.
I WENT DOWNSTAIRS FOR BREAKFAST HOPING MY WIFE WOULD BE PLEASANT AND SAY,"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!", AND POSSIBLY HAVE A PRESENT FOR ME.
AS IT TURNED OUT, SHE BARELY SAID GOOD MORNING, LET ALONE "HAPPY BIRTHDAY." I THOUGHT... WELL, THAT'S MARRIAGE FOR YOU, BUT THE KIDS WILL REMEMBER.

MY KIDS CAME INTO BREAKFAST AND DIDN'T SAY A WORD.
SO WHEN I LEFT FOR THE OFFICE, I WAS FEELING PRETTY LOW AND SOMEWHAT DESPONDENT.
AS I WALKED INTO MY OFFICE, MY SECRETARY JANE SAID, "GOOD
MORNING, BOSS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
IT FELT A LITTLE BETTER THAT AT LEAST SOMEONE HAD REMEMBERED.

I WORKED UNTIL ONE O'CLOCK AND THEN JANE KNOCKED ON MY DOOR AND SAID,"YOU KNOW, IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY OUTSIDE, AND IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY, LET'S GO OUT TO LUNCH, JUST YOU AND ME."
I SAID, "THANKS JANE, THAT'S THE GREATEST THING I'VE HEARD ALL DAY.LET'S GO!"

WE WENT TO LUNCH. BUT WE DIDN'T GO WHERE WE NORMALLY WOULD GO. WE DINED INSTEAD AT A LITTLE PLACE WITH A PRIVATE TABLE. WE HAD TWO
MARTINIS EACH AND I ENJOYED THE MEAL TREMENDOUSLY.

ON THE WAY BACK TO THE OFFICE, JANE SAID, "YOU KNOW, IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY...WE DON'T NEED TO GO BACK TO THE OFFICE, DO WE?"
I RESPONDED, "I GUESS NOT. WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?"
SHE SAID, "LET'S GO TO MY APARTMENT."

AFTER ARRIVING AT HER APARTMENT JANE TURNED TO ME AND SAID,"BOSS, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'M GOING TO STEP INTO THE BEDROOM FOR A MOMENT. I'LL BE RIGHT BACK." "OK." I NERVOUSLY REPLIED.

SHE WENT INTO THE BEDROOM AND, AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES,SHE CAME OUT CARRYING A HUGE BIRTHDAY CAKE...FOLLOWED BY MY WIFE, KIDS, AND DOZENS OF MY FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS, ALL SINGING "HAPPY BIRTHDAY".

AND I JUST SAT THERE...

ON THE COUCH...

NAKED

-- February 1, 2007 4:22 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Sara, this was sent to me. is this right?

Q: What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?

A: Psalms 117

Q: What is the longest chapter in the Bible?

A: Psalms 119

Q: Which chapter is in the center of the Bible?

A: Psalms 118

Fact: There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118

Fact: There are 594 chapters after Psalms 118

Add these numbers up and you get 1188.

Q: What is the center verse in the Bible?

A: Psalms 118:8

-- February 1, 2007 6:21 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Robert S - I have no clue, sorry. :(

God didn't write it in Chapter and verse.. He spoke, they wrote.
Men added the numbers afterward - it makes it easier to look up.
That it worked out so cool and mathematical is interesting, though.

God has always been into order and beauty..
Just think of a hot summer day with a clear blue sky...
as you sit on a beach with your toes immersed in wet sand...
It just doesn't seem random and chaotic, does it?

Sara.

-- February 1, 2007 7:28 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Steps toward a security crack down in Iraq, this has been posted to www.safedinar.com

Iraq halts Syria flights, closes Iran border
2/1/2007

Actions taken to prepare for new security plan
By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press | February 1, 2007

BAGHDAD -- Iraq indefinitely halted all flights to and from Syria and closed a border crossing with Iran as the government prepares for a new security crackdown aimed at crushing violence in the capital and surrounding regions, a member of parliament and an airport official said yesterday.

The airport official said flights to and from Syria would be canceled for at least two weeks and that service had been interrupted on Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal the information.

Hassan al-Sunneid, a legislator and member of the parliament Defense and Security Committee, said the move "was in preparation for the security plan. The state will decide when the flights will resume."

The actions were seen as a signal to both countries not to interfere in Iraq's affairs as US and Iraqi forces prepare for the major crackdown on armed groups in the capital.

Syria is believed to be harboring former Ba'ath Party officials who support the Sunni insurgency and has been accused of allowing foreign fighters to slip across its border with Iraq. And US officials have complained that Iran smuggles weapons to Shi'ite extremists who have killed Americans and provides Shi'ite militia with training and support.

Syrian authorities yesterday denied reports arising elsewhere that it had halted Iraqi Airways flights but said it would bar landings by Iraqi airliners lacking safety requirements or those arriving without advance permission.

The official Syrian news agency, SANA, said the measure was agreed to last week by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority after Syrian technical teams found that some Iraqi planes did not meet safety codes, or that they entered Syrian airspace without notice or permission from Syrian authorities.

Iraqi Airways is now the only airline linking the Syrian and Iraqi capitals.

The UN says about one million Iraqis have fled to Syria, which has become the refuge of choice because of its relaxed entry regulations for Arabs, the relatively low cost of living and availability of schools and health care.

Sunneid refused to confirm reports that Syrian border crossings also would be closed, saying only that "more decisions would be taken." He said the Sheeb border crossing with Iran "also was closed in preparation for the (security) plan."

Meanwhile, car bombs struck mostly Shi'ite targets in Baghdad yesterday, and the bodies of three Sunni professors and a student were found days after they were seized while leaving their campus in a Shi'ite part of the city.

At least 43 people were reported killed across Iraq, including a US soldier.

Maamoun Abdel-Hadi said he was standing with a friend near his car when a mortar shell fell on the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah in northern Baghdad. The area was hit by nine mortar shells that damaged houses, shops, and streets, killing six people and wounding 20, police and hospital officials said.

Iraq halts Syria flights, closes Iran border - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 2, 2007 9:43 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

From the Associated Press, but posted on www.safedinar.com

Iraq invites neighboring countries for a meeting on the country's security
2/1/2007

Posted 2/1/2007 6:02 AM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq invited officials from Iran, Syria and other neighboring nations to Baghdad next month to discuss the security situation in the country, a government official said Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information, said the talks will be the first of 10 such meetings to take place in the Iraqi capital. Iran was the venue for the last meeting in July.

Along with Iran and Syria, Iraq has invited Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to the discussions. The Arab League, Organization of Islamic Conference and the United Nations also have been asked to attend, the official said.

The United States and the Iraqi government have accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq and fight coalition and Iraqi forces. The U.S. has accused Iran of giving support to Shiite militias.

Both countries deny the charges.

Syrian President Bashar Assad stressed his country's eagerness to promote Iraq's security, stability and territorial unity during a meeting with Sheik Harith al-Dhari, head of the powerful Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq, the official Syrian Arab News Agency report Thursday.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Iraq invites neighboring countries for a meeting on the country's security - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 2, 2007 9:46 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

More info about the Dinar exchange rate with the dollar, posted to www.iraqupdates.com

Iraqi dinar exchange rate continues hiking

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

02 February 2007 (Al-Adala)
Print article Send to friend
The Iraqi dinar (ID) exchange rate continued hiking against the U.S. dollar in the Central Bank of Iraq's (CBI) auction Jan. 23.

The U.S. dollar rate was 1295 ID on Tuesday, down from 1298 on Monday.

The CBI sales increased Tuesday. The CBI sold 60,605,000 U.S. dollars Tuesday, whereas it sold only 18,560,000 on Monday.

Fourteen banks participated in Tuesday's auction whereas 16 banks participated in Monday's auction. CBI did not buy any amount of money Tuesday.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 2, 2007 9:49 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Iraq-WTO-Update 1
Iraq to discuss trade regulations with WTO soon
By Hadi al-Hadi
(Adds official's statement)
Amman, Feb 2, (VOI) -Iraq will start several preparatory meetings with the world Trade Organization (WTO) soon on the way for Iraq's joining of the WTO, an Iraqi foreign ministry official said on Friday.
"The Iraqi high committee will soon go to the WTO headquarters in Switzerland to discuss the trade regulations necessary for Iraq's joining of the WTO," Ambassador Surud Najuib told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The talks would include proposed changes required within the Iraqi trade regulations to meet the standards set by the World Trade Organization to pave the way before Iraq to join the organization, Ambassador Najuib said.
Iraq has made every effort to meet the standards set by the World Trade Organization in an attempt to enjoy the organization membership.
On Thursday, a conference in the Jordanian capital Amman discussed Iraq's joining of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Held by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in tandem with the Iraqi-U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Industry, under the aegis of Microsoft, the 1st preparatory conference on Iraq's accession to WTO focused on the issue of investment in Iraq, which was approved by the Iraqi parliament.
"The meeting reviewed new investment opportunities and Iraq's accession to the WTO as member, not as an observer as is the case now," Greg Howell, Global Development Alliance Advisor USAID/Iraq, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Howell said "by the end of February Iraq will attend its first session with the WTO," noting he had met several times with Iraqi officials and ministers concerned, which is part of the USAID's activities."
"We are now working with Iraqi banks to practice up-to-date banking as well as laying guarantees for loans," said the USAID official.
He pointed out that the USAID's objectives through working with the Iraqi government envisage increasing the number of investment companies, creating jobs for unemployed Iraqis, laying the foundations for an investment climate that would benefit the Iraqi government and making it easy for international companies to come to Iraq.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Iraqi ministries of trade and foreign affairs as well as Iraqi companies and foreign investors.

-- February 2, 2007 3:11 PM ∞

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Dale wrote:

It's not bad enough i have an email box full of dumb jokes now i get it here too.
Somebody, somewhere outta creat a site to talk about dinar.

-- February 2, 2007 3:29 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

http://objflicks.com:80/GladiatorAmericanStyle.htm

-- February 2, 2007 4:01 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Dale, If weren't for Religion and jokes it would be mighty slow around here most of the time. With the except of the occasional news piece or new member asking question so we can rehash, all that can be said about the Dinar has probably been said.

-- February 2, 2007 4:20 PM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Dale and Robert S

Even with the other talk, things are so slow on thsi site that I heard crickets when I logged on.

Dale, I'll bet that one is not in your E-mail box

-- February 2, 2007 5:00 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

News concerning industrial investment in Iraq. This article is posted to the www.dinartrade.com site.

Minister of Industry and Minerals discusses with major American companies the opportunities of industrial investment in Iraq

Minister of Industry and Minerals, Mr. Fawzi Franzo Hareeri, discussed with major American companies the opportunities of industrial investment during his tour in the United States of America. He called on those companies to be initiative and make the necessary surveys and the economic and technical evaluations for industrial projects during the first half of this year after to being agreed on, then start implementing them during the second half of the same year. The Minister of Industry and Minerals had submitted a detailed explanation about the orientations of the Iraqi government and the Ministry of Industry in the area of encouraging investment, building new productive factories, reconstructing the companies affiliated with the Ministry and rehabilitating the production lines in them to take advantage of the available raw materials, the scientific expertise and the existing skills in the Ministry. the Minister pointed out that there important regions throughout Iraq ready for investment, emphasizing that the initiative of the American companies will have a special assessment by the Ministry of Industry, since it reflects the seriousness and commitment of these companies to invest in these vital and important projects for the Iraqi economy.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 2, 2007 5:30 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Found a really neat site, bookmark it, you're going to need it.

http://coinmill.com/IQD_calculator.html

It's an exchange calculator that is updated every day.

Just punch in your Holdings in IQD's and it will show not only Dollar, but also the value of the IQD's you're holding, in all the world currencies.

-- February 2, 2007 5:35 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

It's so slow it'll take 2 hours to watch "60 minutes".

-- February 2, 2007 5:43 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Ok you come up with a better one.

The first words have to start with:

"Its so slow....."

-- February 2, 2007 5:45 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

It's so slow we're having three breaks an hour, none under 20 minutes.

-- February 2, 2007 5:52 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

It's so slow a pedestrian got a speeding ticket.

-- February 2, 2007 5:57 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

It's so low, the TV guide announced a televised golf tournament under "Thrill and suspense"

-- February 2, 2007 5:59 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

It's so slow, the Highway Patrol got bicycles.

-- February 2, 2007 6:01 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

It's so slow, CSPAN got nbr 1 rating.

-- February 2, 2007 6:03 PM ∞

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chelseadave wrote:

Roger,
Thanks for the calculator. A very handy tool.

It's so slow I'm taking up snail racing. Watch that S car go.

-- February 2, 2007 6:14 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

It's so slow "Ash Wednesday is on Friday this year. . . P.H.

-- February 2, 2007 6:33 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

It's so slow my Dinar is still only worth 1290

-- February 2, 2007 7:45 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

It's so slow, people are interested in what Paris Hilton THINKS.

-- February 2, 2007 9:18 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

CBS's Katie Couric, while interviewing a Marine sniper asked:

"What do you feel when you shoot a terrorist?"

The Marine shrugged and replied: "Recoil."

(Hard to fault a Marine for that eloquent response)

-- February 2, 2007 10:46 PM ∞

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David wrote:

Sara -

I appreciated your comments about Narnia. I had similar feelings when I finished both Narnia and Lord of the Rings - I was sad for two reasons. 1. That the adventure that I had lived and struggled through with all these wonderful new friends was over. The three saddest words in the world to me (on this level, anyway) are, "Well, I'm back." And 2. Never again could I read those books for the first time.

Of course the lesson the girl learns when Aslan claws her back is the more profound. It's similar in its illustration of truth to the lesson Eustace learns when Aslan peels away the scales of the dragon that Eustace is clothed in in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I think people long for that kind of direct contact, however painful, with God. I know I do. It just rarely happens.

The other interesting thing about Aslan is that he only talks to a character about his own story. He may use someone else to illustrate, but only insofar as it relates to the character he's talking to - and he gives no more detail. That keeps the character humble, and keeps judgment of others in the place where it belongs - Aslan's jurisdiction.

Dale -

Put a bunch of people in a room together, give them a topic to talk about, let them get to know one another and trust what each other has to say, but then forbid them to talk about anything else. What a stupid idea. First, the people would never really get to know each other, which means they would never learn to trust each other, which means that the discussion about the topic at hand would be shallow and inconsequential. People are people, and if you expect us to be your computer, giving you information when you want it, only about topics you want, then your expectations are utterly unrealistic.

All -

Having said that to Dale, here's my comment about jokes - I think we should agree not to paste jokes we get in our email here. Dale does have a point. It is so easy to find that kind of stuff elsewhere on the internet and floating around in email. And I would say that it's not as interesting as when humor originates with us, or is applied in context with a particular discussion. Roger has the right idea, I think:

News about the dinar is so slow, I actually paid attention to what Daniel Schorr said, and remembered why I never listen to what Daniel Schorr has to say.

Now something about the dinar -

I called my local Chase branch, and they can indeed order dinars for me. I can get it for their exchange rate (as of last Monday, $863/million) plus a $5 fee. That's WAY cheaper than any of the dinar dealers on the internet. A bit of my tax refund will wind up going through Chase bank, I think.

Have a fun weekend, everyone - forget the dinar for a while and enjoy the superbowl. Or at least enjoy the commercials...

David

-- February 3, 2007 10:35 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

okay ! Dale

Talk about the dinar! We are all waiting to hear something that hasn't been said 1 thousand times before.

So common, let's hear what you think we should be talking about, at this point in time.

Roger,

It is so slow even you got it!!!! ( just kidding--how have you been? )

Carole

-- February 3, 2007 10:54 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Rpbert S.

Thanks for the Judge's poem.
He is a great American hero in my book.

Carole

-- February 3, 2007 11:02 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Hi Panhandler,

Been meaning to write you in response to your issues with disability claim denial.

First of all, the review process is established dso that almost no one can pass a first review( unless you have been dead for 6 months).
The criteria is ridiculous.

So put up a good fight.

You stated that you have no family history of heart disease. Next to family history or congential defects, the leading cause of heart disease is stress.
This is an accepted Medical Diagnostic Standard.

Stress causes people to eat too much, smoke too much, drink too much, sleep and rest too little.

Stress also depletes the body of energy and makes it impossible to get the proper exercise regime.

All of these factors are contributing to cardiac disease and a cardiac event, like a heart attack or stroke.

It would really be good if you had a lawyer present your case. The US govt will play closer attention, cause they have very limited legal reps. for the purpose of denying benefits on appeal.

I'm sure that you will get approved eventually. It will just take time. But once you do, the claim will pay from when you first filed.

You might be able to find a lawyer who works on contingency.

Good luck!

Carole

-- February 3, 2007 11:38 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Health Plans


Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement.
The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed immediately, and has a time booked for surgery the following week.

The second sees his family doctor after waiting a week for an appointment, then waits eighteen weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another month, and finally has his surgery scheduled for six months hence.


Why the different treatment for the two patients?


The first is a Golden Retriever. The second is a Senior Citizen.

-- February 3, 2007 2:05 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Carole: Thanx for the info. . . I did some research online about being injured overseas, and found that anyone working for a contractor on a military base is governed by the "Defense Base Act" and has Workers comp ins. . . I also found an attorney from Tallahassee who will represent me, and he said not to worry about anything, that I will get taken care of. . . I'm eligible to go back on the 1st of March, after a stress test. . . I'm feeling great, my b/p was 122/61 with a pulse rate of 57 this A.M. . . . I'd like it to jump way up because the "Dinar" hit. . .oh yea, and I'm still not smoking. . .that's an accomplishment all by itself. . .

-- February 3, 2007 2:23 PM ∞

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69 year old man wrote:

Good news people the Dinar is going to be worth 1:1 in 2036. Great investment just have to sit on it for another 29years and 10 months or so.Dang my retirement is going to be sweet. Bet I can get a gold plated walker. Oh aren't the dreams just beautiful.
Go Dinar!

-- February 3, 2007 6:32 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Robert S - Thank you very much for that presentation for the troops. It was excellent. :)

Robert S and Chris - Thanks for the words on how slow it is Dinar wise.. I know the topics have been off.. like Global Warming, jokes, religion.. but it is so very slowww.. and I don't think it will pick up appreciably until we see the "surge" of troops strategy end.

Thanks, Rob N, for the informative posts. :)

Roger - Thanks for the calculator.. it is the BEST one I have seen! Awesome.. appreciate it! :)

Appreciated all the "It's so slow... " responses. :)

Carole - Even though I had seen that Judge's poem in my email inbox before, I still appreciated it being posted, too. :)

Did you hear about the Texas governor today using an executive order to require by law sexually transmitted disease vaccine for all girls? I was shocked..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16948093/ Are you?
It says.. "Bypassing the Legislature altogether, Republican Gov. Rick Perry issued an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. The order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody. Moody said the Texas Constitution permits the governor, as head of the executive branch, to order other members of the executive branch to adopt rules like this one."

OK, its off topic.. but what do you think about this? Since you are into nursing and have children.. I would be interested in your viewpoint.

Sara.

-- February 3, 2007 7:03 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

I thought this interesting..
It seems the Iranians are helping foment a lot of extremist activity in the region:

Iranian agents caught in Gaza
Palestinians say 7 military trainers including Revolutionary Guard general captured
Posted: February 1, 2007
By Aaron Klein

JERUSALEM – Security forces associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party today captured seven Iranian military trainers – including a general of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – at a purported Hamas training facility in the Gaza Strip, Fatah security officials told WND.

The Fatah officials said a raid of the Hamas dominated Islamic University in Gaza yielded the Iranian agents, 1,000 Qassam rockets and equipment to manufacture the Qassams.

The officials said initial interrogation of the Iranian agents revealed one is a Revolutionary Guard general.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54062

-- February 3, 2007 7:27 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

It's so slow I started digging out my tax data today...that's not only slow it's also very sick!!

Com'on superbowl....the Bears will win because they can get 2-3 turnovers on their ball stripping talent.

-- February 3, 2007 7:49 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Hope they can pull this off and get to some middle ground.....

===============================================
Sunnis and Shiites plan to form two legislative blocs
Los Angeles Times-Washington Post

Baghdad: Sunni Arab and Shiite Muslim lawmakers announced plans on Wednesday to form two new blocs in Iraq's parliament which they hope will break away from the ethnic and religious mould of current alliances and ease sectarian strife.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/02/02/10101283.html

-- February 3, 2007 8:19 PM ∞

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Neil wrote:

Since dinar info is kinda slow and I appear to be the oldest person on this blog, I will tell you a little about long ago.

I remember very well when Pearl Harbor was bombed in December of 1941 and a sleeping giant was awakened immediately. You cannot imagine the degree of patriotism that existed. Everyone was asking "What can I do" and most everyone was making a contribution although usually insignificant such buying saving stamps at 10 cents each, saving bonds for $18.75, gathering scrap iron, planting victory gardens. Many desirable things were rationed such as sugar, cigarettes, whiskey, rubber and gasoline. I have seen people pay $5.00 for a coupon to buy 5 gallons of gas which was 15 cent per gal. It was nothing to see a car running down the road on a rim trying to get home.

Everyone was extremely frugile. Two boys were pouring out turpentine from a container onto the ground when a Doctor passed by. He stopped and asked why are you pouring out that valuable turpentine. He said "I rubbed some of that on a womans stomach and she passed a baby". The boys replied, "That's nothing, we rubbed some on a cat's ass and he passed a motorcycle.
That's what jokes were like in those days-pretty corney, huh.

People were very religious back then. My State had blue laws which prohibited the sale of almost anything other than gasoline and bread on Sunday. I remember in about 1942 on a Sunday morning that a worker down the street was replacing the wood on a porch when a man with a bible under his are came by and asked "Why are you out here working on the Sabboth" the man replied "Fella, anything I can make $1.00 an hour, I don't give a damn what day it is".

As a first-grader, we had a picture of Nathan Hale over the blackboard with a caption
"I regret that I have only one life to give for my country". My feelings at that time were that it would be the greatest thing if I could give my life and be a hero. I can see how the Arab kids can be indoctrinated to blow themselves up and be a martyr. Enough old-time trivia for now.

-- February 3, 2007 11:30 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

David,

You've got a point, we all remember those good commercials at Superbowl, but who remember what team played in 1993??

The activity on the Dinars seem to have reached a low right now.

Neil,

The times of the WW2 is something that probably never will come back again.

The technology at the time, required an enormous amount of resources to make an effect on the enemy, so an invasion fleet of 5000 ships, a bomb run of 1000 planes, the whole industry geared for war production, millions of troops, ships being built in days, was something we had to do.

I think that those short years in the last century made a mark on everyone involved, and it was almost impossible to not get involved in one way or the other.

I don't think anyone wants that war back, but as a noticeable effect of the war effort, it was a time when everybody stood up shoulder to shoulder, as one.

THAT is something we want to get back again.

Since 9/11 more time has passed than the entire length of our participation of WW2, and even though we have been in a war since then, we can't really feel it in the same way as in WW2, as we were threatened back then.

German ad Japanese subs was active just our side our coast, and from shore on the East Coast, you could see the smoke pillars from burning and sinking ships just our side of the coast.

I think we are so dull right now, because we don't PERCIEVE us being threatened.

If our enemy continues to do exactly what they are doing right now, they are on a winning streak, we will "Vietnamese" all our military activity out side of our borders, pull back, and leave the play ground for the bad guys.

The very worst the terrorists could do is to attack us again, that will pull us together again, and go after them.

That makes me wonder about the societies amnesia, it's sure a defunct memory bank the society as a generality is working with.

It seems it's like someone is pressing the "C" button on a hand held calculator, and everything just disappear.

Barbara Boxer writes over 1000 bad checks in office. (you and me would get arrested)

Someone presses the "C" button.

She gets elected again.

Washington DC,s Mayor get's busted in a Cocaine deal.

Someone presses the "C" button.

He gets elected again.

9/11 happens, everybody gets Gung Ho, and wants to get the bad guys.

Someone presses the "C" button.

Total social amnesia again sets in, and we want to quit getting the bad guys, Get the troops home, and instead buy an Infomercials Real Estate Program on how to get property without money down, save the Whales, and get a Beemer 5 series.

Think this is the enigma.

We want, and we strive and are yearning for a carefree life, without threats, stress, stable and with no interruptions.

After 9/11 the authorities said, "Go back to your life, live it like you would under normal circumstances, if you want to go to the bank, mall and supermarket, do that."

THATS what we want.

BUT.

Just by the fact that we are doing that, we put back the mechanisms, that will put a distance to 9/11, and our social amnesia. It's getting less and less real that we're in a war. Nothing that we are doing even looks like we're in a war, and getting war news, and not be able to participate, WILL distance the population, to the war.

It's like, -"We're not in a war, the Government is".

What is the fix?

I don't know, because the very thing we are trying to protect us against, another attack, is the action that will galvanise us.

It is an enigma.

-- February 4, 2007 12:45 AM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

Geez, how many holidays do they have in Iraq?

Seems they are closed every other day in 2007, sometimes even more.

-- February 4, 2007 2:09 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

What was the biggest mistake Karl Marx did when he started the Communist movement?

Looking at the Mosques in the middle east what is preached, and how is it practiced, it is pretty easy to say that the Mosques are not spiritual or religious, but are very hard core political. Tossing in the word God (Allah) here and there to make it look religious.

Karl Marx should have done the same.

He should have assigned his new Communist movement a religious cover.

The Communist meetings should have been held in the Church of "Community Blessing for the Masses of Future Freedom".

Any attack on the Communist Movement could therefore immediately be construed to be an attack on religious freedom, and the hands would have been off from the authorities.

The Communist Proletariat, taking over the world, could then be proclaimed to be religious missionary work.

Any theft of land or resources could be explained on religious ground, capitalists, captured and jailed, would underwent martyrdom, after being taught the right Communist Spiritual way of course.

That would not then be a murder, but in fact you would help the poor uneducated capitalist to see the divine religious truth.

The Communist taking over the Eastern European countries, would only be done after a lot of missionary work, it would not be a bunch of Communists killing jailing and threatening the government, it would in fact be spiritual counselors, leading the way to the truth, and even though the actions would have been exactly the same, it would have been religious, thus acceptable.

Islam in the form it is practiced today badly needs a reformation, as it is so far out of religion. The doctrines teached in the mosques, is that of woman deprivation, Jihad, and martyrs, law by example and population kept in ignorance.

What exactly is spiritual with that?

There is no reflection of existence in it, but the same propaganda that was taught to the "masses" in Communism and Nazism, where one was screaming at the crowd, and the population scream with him.

Any mass movement, where you are crowding with thousands, screaming the same thing as the screamer on the podium, will do exactly the same thing call, it Islam, Communism or Nazism.

Why do we have to bow to that?

A fanatic blows up something, get caught, and put in jail, and now we have to rip out the toilet, because it's facing the wrong direction?

There are some gullible people out there that bought the idea that this terrorists shit is holier than my shit.

-- February 4, 2007 2:21 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(855)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 855 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 2/4 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1290 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1288 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 78.295.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 5.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 78.295.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 5.000.000 -----

-- February 4, 2007 6:36 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Hi, all. Just checking in. I still read on this blog, but I'll be busy renovating a house, till summer. Just thought I'd drop in, make a couple of comments.

Re-affirming my suspicions:

Recent events, and non-events, have confirmed my original suspicions, about American intentions, in the middle east.

Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons, America is not invading Iran, America is not leaving Iraq on President Bush's watch, there is nothing in the popular media about other Gulf states starting nuclear programs, the Americans are pursuing sanctions against Iran, in the United Nations.

My original suspicion, you'll recall, came from an observation Oakie had. He said Americans were building large bases, within the country of Iraq. My guess still is, in a year or two, America will withdraw, from large cities like Bagdhad, to those bases, and stay there, and wait out the coming full-blown civil war in Iraq, which should last about a year.

Here's how I got there: The key event, that has not happened yet, is the detonation of an atomic device, within Iran. Iran, of course, already has a missile to deliver such an atomic device, to all the countries within the Gulf region. Once and if that atomic test happens, the political and military equation in the middle east changes completetly, and the political equation in the United States changes completely as well.

You'll recall that Iran and Iraq fought a long and bloody war, back in the 1980s. The reasons were about religion, and power, and oil. Those reasons have not changed, at all. Iran still has the second largest reserves of conventional oil, in the world, Iraq has the third largest. The mullahs still want to control Iraqi oil, if the Americans left. That way, they could use the enormous wealth that region could produce, to forward their radical Islamic religious, as well as political and economic agenda. A new Persian Shiite Empire.

The Iranians obviously want to dominate the region. How would you guess other states in the region feel about that? Not too good. All of the other Arab leaders in the region, led by Saudi Arabia, have to be pretty worried. If the Americans leave, and their sworn enemies, the Shiites of Tehran, possess nuclear weapons, and control of both Iraq and Iranian oil, they will use this money to fund a build-up of the Persian Shiite Empire, and try to invade all the other oil producing countries, in the region, to form a larger, pan-Arabic empire.

So, naturally, other Arab leaders are thinking about protecting themselves. They COULD develop nuclear weapons themselves, and the whole region could be armed to the teeth, ready to annihilate each other, at the push of a button. They could do this, or else they could privately support an American military presense, within Iraq, longterm, that will act as a regional counterweight to the threat of Iran. My guess is, American administration officials are quietly giving assurances to the Saudis, that they don't intend on leaving.

If America is going to have an excuse, to stick around, for forty years, they have to have a pretty darned good reason. If Iran explodes a nuclear device, they will have that reason. The next president can then explain honestly to the American public, just why the American Army must stay. My guess is, there already is a private agreement, in place, between the American government, and the Iraqi government, that allows just such a continuing American presence, to ensure Iraqi sovereignty, and independence from Iran.

Like I said, an exploding nuclear bomb, in Iran, changes the military and political equation in the middle east. It does so at home, as well. With an American strategic pullback, to bases, and the resulting sharp drop in American casualties that such a pullback would likely bring, public opposition to the American presense in Iraq would wane. Public requests for continuing American presense,within Iraq, from Arab leaders, protecting their own interests, will help turn American public opinion toward supporting a continuing American presense.

Now, I think invading Iran would be a big mistake. It would inflame the region. No one, no country would feel safe. All would want to develop nuclear weapons. With the kind of oil money available in the Gulf, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons so rampant, that if the nuclearization of the entire Gulf region starts, it won't end until the entire region is up to it's ying-yang, in atomic weapons. Not good. In fact, with the wide variety of unstable regimes in the region, with economic failures of their own, hatred of the Jews, all the while looking for a scapegoat for their own inadequacies, if the entire Gulf region gets nuclear weapons, expect a nuclear war.

The best thing, in my opinion, is containment of Iran. Continue the diplomatic and political pressure. Find ways to drive down the price of oil. Increased production in Iraq would help this. Even with high oil prices, the regime in Tehran is very unstable. There are huge demographic pressures on Iran. Most of the country is under 35, and has had a bit of access to Western culture and education. When the old mullahs die off, within 20 years, things will change in Iran. I have had young Iranian friends when I lived in Vancouver. They told me all this.

This containment, with a long term strategy of a very long American military presence in Iraq, continuing pressure from the UN, possible serious economic sanctions against Iran, driving down the price of oil to destabilize Iran, can it work? Why not?

Who says you always have to invade, to defeat a country? I was in Cuba last year. Lovely country, wonderful people, despite living in a country dominated by a now defunct ideology. I loved Cuba, especially the Varedero beaches. Anyhow, Cuba still has Young Pioneer Clubs. Remember those? they are a hold-out from the Communist era. Pioneer clubs are kind of communist boy scout clubs. They still have them in Cuba. Cuba is still communist. Think about that. America tried to invade, at the Bay of Pigs. (I went scuba-diving there, you can still see American military equipment, soaking among the corral, in the beautiful blue water) So, America actually tried to militarily invade this country, and this is one of the very last communist hold-outs. Interesting, huh? Now, I'm not saying Cuba will always be communist. Capitalism and freedom will win there, within five years, in my opinion, as long as America leaves Cuba alone. But all I'm saying is that direct military confrontation does not always work.

The other holdout from the Cold War, is North Korea. Americans fought the Korean war, to contain that regime. (Canadians fought along side the Americans, in this war. That's usually forgotten. My brother in law, a Canadian, fought in the Korean War) Anyhow, again, America fought a war against a country, and that country hasn't changed yet. I'm not saying you should never invade a country. There are good wars, and bad ones. Ones that lead to good things, ones that don't. I still support the invasion of Iraq, for a variety of reasons. I'm just stating an obvious fact, that invading a country doesn't always work. It doesn't always accomplish what you want.

I think Iran is just such a case. I think an American invasion of Iran would be a disaster, and set back American interests, in a very serious way. There are other ways to win, including the strategy I briefly outlined here, of containment. I think President Bush understands this. He has publically said he's not going to invade Iran. I trust him. He's a man of his word. I think he has already decided a containment strategy is best. America will learn to live with an atomic Iran, at least till enough pressure can be brought to bear, to change Iran, in time. Sometimes, it's best to try to change the world. Sometimes, it's best to wait, as the world changes itself. Iran will change, by itself, in time. So will Cuba. So will North Korea.

The tide of history is on America's side. Americans will know that the Cuban community in Florida, is hardworking and fairly prosperous. Well, those same people have relatives, just across the water, in a communist country, who earn one tenth of what a Cuban-American earns. That situation won't last forever. Change will start, when Castro dies. I remember, we hired a Cuban to take us out sailing. He told us he earned about 30 dollars, American, a month. Now, things are cheap in Cuba, but still, their standard of living is way way below Canadian and American standards. It turned out, this man was an engineer. He could earn more money taking out tourists, on boat rides, than working as an engineer.

Korea is the same sort of thing. A friend of mine has a Korean wife. My friend is Canadian, and is a professor in Korea. Koreans are very hardworking and prosperous people. South Korea, a generation ago, had an economy about at a level of a country in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, they are very well educated, their kids are near the top of the world, academically, and they are developing a very prosperous life. But in North Korea, none of this prosperity is occuring. So, as long as America doesn't invade North Korea, I think what will eventually happen, is the North will collapse, under the weight of it's own communist economic stupidity, and they will see how successful and prosperous their Korean cousins are in a democratic and free market capitalist South Korea, and then the North will change.

Like I said, America doesn't always have to invade countries, to win. The tide of history is on their side. America has to learn to patiently wait some things out. Like Iraq. And Iran. My advice would be: Don't invade Iran, keep up the containment strategy, stay in Iraq, pull back to bases, for the long wait.

Now, getting back to Oakie's original observation, that started me down this path, I would comment that large military bases take years of planning. So, what I'm saying is that the scenario I have outlined was probably thought of, years before America invaded Iraq. It may have been what America wanted all along, which is why they set up the bases in the first place. Bright people at the Pentagon were guessing likely scenarios, years ago, and planning for them. American military leadership is in good hands.

American political leadership, I'm not so sure about. If I remember correctly, a few of the Democratic candidates have made noises about pulling out of Iraq. That tells me, they either are posturing for political purposes, and really understand what is going on in the middle east, and are aware of the whole chess set, and they would change their tune once safely in office, or the alternative explanation may be they are incompetant, in foreign affairs. Pulling out of Iraq would have huge geo-political implications, mostly bad, and I hope that at the very least, the next American president, if he or she is a Democrat, that they understand what the implications of their actions would be. So far, from what I've heard, of Democratic candidates, I'm not hopefull, and if the next President is a Democrat, and if they pull America out of Iraq, expect a disaster.

See you later.

-- February 4, 2007 12:03 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Tim Bitts: To help you out a bit. . .there are going to be 4 military bases, and we will be there at least another 10 years. . .P.H.

-- February 4, 2007 12:36 PM ∞

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Terry853 wrote:

Another common sense post Timbits. I really don't think Israel will stand by and do nothing when it comes to Iran having a nuclear weapon tho. They, the Israel's, have dozens!! If you lived in Israel would you, as a citizen patiently wait to be nuked by the maniac and graybeards in charge of Iran. We can only hope that the citizens of Iran take their destiny into their own hands before they are nuked by the Israel's in sheer self defense. At the moment the Muslims are busy killing each other-Iraq and Palestine-Shiite vs Sunni-Palestinians killing each other in the streets, etc. But it is just a matter of time until they, the arabs once again turn their collective attention to Israel and the west. Their is a chinese curse that says May you live in interesting times!! We are certainly living in interesting times. Have fun with your reno. Say hey Panhandler-I have heard the same thing for months now, four bases to be used for many years to come!

-- February 4, 2007 2:02 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

About the 4 bases......

I know the Liberals on here will find it hard to believe, but the planning for these bases was conducted prior to the invasion. Great care was taken to retain as much of them as possible, especially the runways. I've visited Al-Asad and Balad....the majority of their infrastructure was maintained during the invasion.

Panhandler has described his working environment in the south of Iraq and it sounds like Tallil which is a large airbase and logistics area for our military.

These bases are, among other things, home to Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, large PX's and other things to make life a little better for our troops to take a quick break and rest. They're also a great place to buy Dinar.

So, the next time someone tells you that our Government and Military didn't do any planning prior to the invasion, you can tell them....."get outta my face and pack your sh_t on down the road"!!
================================================================================================
Commanders Plan Eventual Consolidation of U.S. Bases in Iraq

According to Yenter and others working on the plan, the four bases were chosen to enable U.S. forces to maintain a foothold in various regions of Iraq. Centered around airfields to facilitate resupply operations and troop mobility, the four are Tallil in the south, Al Asad in the west, Balad in the center and either Irbil or Qayyarah in the north.

Each base is being designed to hold a brigade-size combat team plus aviation units and other support personnel. Initially referred to in planning documents as "enduring bases," the term was changed in February to "contingency operating bases.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/21/AR2005052100611.html

-- February 4, 2007 4:21 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Terry853,

Good points about Israel. I think it was a former Israeli prime minister who once said Israel is a "one bomb state". What he meant, of course, was that Israel was so small, geographically, and it's population so concentrated, that a single nuclear bomb would effectively wipe it out. I looked up, on a map once, and compared a local park in Alberta, I think it was Banff National Park, for the number of square miles. Then I compared with Israel, on a hunch. They were around the same number of square miles area in both.... Not very big.... So I can see why Israel would see itself as so vulnerable. I can see why they'd want to strike first, if they seriously thought an attack was imminent. We'll see what happens, I guess.

We live, as you said, in interesting times.

-- February 4, 2007 4:30 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Neil - As I read your old time account I thought, "We are gonners. There is just no way we will fare as well as those people did back then - we aren't good enough in comparison." If "righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34) then we see a people today who will have far more reproach and less favor than those you saw then. God help us all.

Roger - The social amnesia is stunning, I agree. In the 60's they talked about the hippies tuning out from reality.. this culture exceeds them. They are able to be the most connected and the most tuned out to reality at the same time - quite a feat. It is absolutely amazing.. and frightening. You said, "the very thing we are trying to protect us against, another attack, is the action that will galvanise us" - I agree. That is why it won't happen under President Bush. The terrorists are not stupid. They do not wish to galvanize the population under a war president who is a proven hawk and good military strategist. If Hillary or Obama or some other peacenik gets in, and the terrorists strike against the US then they can expect quite a different scenerio which will end up with the US on her knees. Playing chess with Hillary or Obama is like playing with children. They know that President Bush is a man that has true military strategy and brains, in spite of how their friends in the MSM lob constant attacks aimed at deprecating his considerable faculties. They won't challenge him while he is in the President's chair. They won't have the ability to do so.

But exactly what can the terrorists expect of Hillary/Obama, etc.. or someone who runs away from the current conflict in Iraq and thinks that if they are elected they can "end the war"? (By the way, did you see the enemy - that is the terrorists - saying they would lay down their weapons if Hillary took over the Whitehouse? This is like saying by disengaging Hitler and bringing the troops home it would end World War Two.. do people really buy such complete and utter nonsense? What drugs are they taking?) The terrorists must reason.. "What would such a chicken heart do in the case of nuclear catastrophe?" The answer is - What she has always done - promise "negotiation" with the terrorists and promise them girl guide cookies if they behave themselves politely. There simply is not the willpower to see through a conflict under such a person. She is no General Patton, and as head of the army, it would be a complete catastrophe. So much evil would be done and so many mistakes would be made, that it could be the end of the United States as we know it. I think in that case, it will be.

Also, thanks for the Communist religion post.. it is right on, too. Nothing like a populace that glosses over the facts of who the enemy is we are at war with, and then denies that there is a war.. except for the government. We live in crazy times. I was watching a couple of movies recently (one of which was "Flyboys," which gave me even greater reason to feel grateful to those who serve and to pray for them - as well as an appreciation of the sacrifice of those who served in WW1) and in the beginning of one of the movies they had a preview. It was a bit corny, and likely I will never watch the movie.. but it dramatically said "Its the only warning we would ever get"... And that speaking about having only ONE WARNING given.. made me think of 911. The problem is.. the people do not see it that way.. and I do not think another warning will be given. Here is the trailer, just so you know what I am talking about.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/transformers/

I think this current conflict threatens our way of life.. and we have been given ONE WARNING which we should heed. If we do not.. the consequences are going to be devastating. That the populace has gone to sleep and into amnesia mode.. tuning out and going on with their lives.. thinking the government is involved in a war conflict but they are not.. This is indicative that our culture is committing suicide. Maybe I will watch that movie.. just to see if there are any fictional parallels that exist in the movie which reflect the true conflict of our times. After all, the young people who will be watching it will likely one day have to be holding guns to defend their lives in the aftermath of a true and devastating nuclear attack - all the while saying to one another that they didn't think 911 was all that big a deal... an acknowledgement that they missed the ONE WARNING which was given to us all.

Tim Bitts - Please give your opinion on what happens if Iran nukes Israel, and the US is brought, kicking and screaming, into a head-on confrontation with the suicide bomber culture with the face of a nation (Iran) on it. Can the US say.. "Whoopsy, sorry, we will just sit and wait for Iran to get better." ?? Or will they have to act.. and if they do not, Israel will. That is the Iranian ace in the hole which I think they will use in time. No attack on US soil.. (that is too stupid) but that doesn't mean they won't strike over there with a nuclear attempt to drag the United States into a confrontation. They WANT confrontation - and if they do that, do you think that we will give it to them? In your opinion, will the US have any choice at that point, in spite of the Democrats saying not to go to war with Iran?

Sara.

-- February 4, 2007 6:29 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Baghdad offensive set to begin - U.S. officers By Dean Yates
Sun Feb 4, 2:55 PM ET

This battle is critical....say a prayer for the safety of our troops.
============================
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S.-Iraqi campaign to stabilize Baghdad will begin soon and the offensive against militants will be on a scale never seen during four years of war, American officers said on Sunday.

Briefing a small group of foreign reporters, three American colonels who are senior advisers to the Iraqi army and police in Baghdad said a command center overseeing the crackdown would be activated on Monday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070204/ts_nm/iraq_offensive_dc

-- February 4, 2007 8:41 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

You asked, what would the United States do, if Israel was nuked? It would depend on who is in office, as president. I really don't know how any one individual would react, or act. However, I think at that point, NOT nuking Tehran would be a big, big mistake. Let's hope and pray it never comes to that. I have no desire to kill Iranians, or anyone else.

I think a conventional war with Iran would be a serious tactical mistake, and the incorrect response. A conventional war would be long and bloody and messy. If this situation ever came up, Americans would be faced with a Harry Truman moment. President Truman was faced with a big decision, at one point. President Truman, as you recall, could have conquered Japan conventionally, with up to a million casualties, all around. The Japanese were good fighters. Or, he could nuke a couple of cities in Japan, and end the war quickly, and save a lot of American lives. He chose to end the war with Japan quickly. I think he made the right choice.

Likewise with Iran. Leaving a surviving Iran, after it's leaders nuked Israel, would be very unwise. It would just embolden the mullahs. When dealing with crazy radicals, there has to be a line in the sand, with clear consequences, that are actually kept. If it was me, with my finger on the button, and Israel got nuked, in an unprovoked attack, the whole of Iran would be melted glass in about ten minutes.

I'm not trying to sound dramatic, or sensationalist, and I'm not a cruel person. I take no pleasure in saying this, and no sane human would enjoy taking such action, or making such a drastic decision. That's really what I'd do. I think it would be the right and moral thing to do, at that point. I would do it without much hesitation, either. Let's hope and pray it never comes to that.

There was a big public prayer, for world peace, in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital today. The news said about 3 million Muslims gathered, in one place, to pray for peace. I'm glad they did. I hope Muslims get leaders who lead to peace, and not violent fools who lead their culture to ruin, or nuclear annihilation, at the hands of the West. I wish them well. I wish them peace.

I've had Muslim friends, in the past. I don't care much for their religion, but on a personal level, we got along. My fondness for individual Muslims doesn't change my general perception of the large and grievous defects within their faith.

And in the end, whether a person is religious or not, Muslim or Christian, the world is a matter of survival. I consider Israel to be as much a part of the West as Toronto, or Amsterdam, or Loredo, Texas. Nuke Tel Aviv, and get nuked, yourself, I say. I hope a future president would act with this in mind, and share these values.

In my opinion, it is likely a limited nuclear war is coming, some time this century. Islam will lose very, very badly in this, and hundreds of millions of Muslims may die. The West will also suffer, but not as much. I'm guessing this is what it will finally take to reform Islam, and turn it's swords in to ploughshares. Muslims will be left with a choice: reform, or die. If they chose death, so be it.

I hope I'm wrong. This is just my opinion. I don't think any human, myself for sure, and yourself included, can say for sure, whether this will happen, or not. This is all just speculation, Sara. People, and the world, will have the final say, as always, and decide what will and won't happen.

I generally believe in kindness, and compassion for all of God's creatures. But I also believe there is a time for hard leaders, who must make very hard decisions, to ensure the future survival and peace for all.

Take care.

-- February 4, 2007 9:38 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

I think Bush should tell the people of Iran that Fat Man and Little Boy are making an encore appearance in their neighborhood soon. Give them a date to be out and then do a repeat of Hiroshima and Nagasaki if the nuclear proliferation does not stop and while they are at it the insurgent activity stop as well. When that date comes, it would suck for anybody staying at home.

We would not be hamstrung as we are now in Iraq being directed by the home team. This of course is dependant on Bush still being in the white house. If the Dems are in at this time we may as well have another Carter situation and the only redeeming value is that maybe a Reagan is waiting in the wings.

-- February 4, 2007 9:55 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Tim: Nice analogy. Only thing we would have to make sure of is that these Muslims did not die as a martyr, not enough Virgins to go around.

-- February 4, 2007 10:03 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

posted to www.iraqupdates.com

Expert calls for activating quotation system

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

05 February 2007 (NINA)
Print article Send to friend
An economic expert has called the official institutions to re-activate the central quotation department, which had been abolished by the former regime.

Kareem Abdul-Razaq, PhD, from the economic research and studies department in Baghdad University, said: "This system was one of the major systems which used to control the market and curb the increase of prices, which resulted in some stability in the Iraqi market in addition to boosting the Iraqi currency exchange rate."

He added that this system plays a great role in controlling inflation rates, which has threatened the Iraqi economy's fundamentals.

The former regime disbanded this department in the 1980s and replaced it with economic security apparatus, which was not a good alternative, and then the problem got worse after the sanction was imposed on the country, according to the source.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 4, 2007 11:03 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

posted to www.iraqupdates.com

Security

U.S. forces kill a Sadrist leader in Diala
By Aasem Taha

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

Baaquba, 05 February 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
Print article Send to friend
U.S. force killed on Sunday a local leader loyal to the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baaquba, capital city of Diala province, according to a police source.

"A U.S. force on Sunday afternoon shot and killed Ali Kadhem, head of Shaheed Sadr office in Diala outside his house at al-Howayder village in east of Baaquba," the source, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The source did not give further details on the killing of Kadhem while the U.S. army did not make a statement on the incident.

Baaquba is 57 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 4, 2007 11:11 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

I briefly heard on the TV that some American soldiers in Bagdhad had set up a football game, with two teams of American soldiers, the Colts and Bears, in the first ever Bagdhad Superbowl. Anyone hear who won?

Here's a bit of sports trivia, for sports fans, on Superbowl Day, about the name of the winning team, the Colts. The Indianapolis Colts, the winners of the Superbowl today, used to be the Baltimore Colts, for many years. After they left Baltimore, the Canadian Football League (CFL) moved in, with the Canadian game, into Baltimore. They first called their team the Baltimore CFL Colts. Then, the NFL sued the Colts, to drop the name. The NFL was successful in their lawsuit, and the Baltimore team became the Baltimore Stallions. Then, a curious thing happened. The Baltimore Stallions, formerly the Baltimore Colts, became the only American-based football team, ever, to win the top Canadian football trophy, The Grey Cup. (much like Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-American team to win the World Series) The Grey cup was donated by the British Lord, Earl Grey. If you drink tea, you'll know that name, as a tea was named after the Earl......and that's how tea, a British Lord, and CFL football, and a game in Iraq, and some NFL sports trivia, all fit together today. There you go, now go and impress your friends, with this trivia, sports fans.

-- February 4, 2007 11:15 PM ∞

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Neil wrote:

After reading the doomsday scanerios that Sara and Tim are speaking of, I have to offer my support and note that they are coming around to my way of thinking somewhat. I think that we are all pulling in the same direction but see different ways of getting there.

I am the world's biggest hawk in chasing terrorist but I have never believed that terrorists were in Iraq and I find no fault with you who think it was a necessary measure to invade Iraq. Now that we are in Iraq, I see our military personnel as a Cop on a Beat. His job is to grin and be friends with everyone he meets and to take no action against anyone until someone tips their hand by pulling a gun, a knife, or blowing themselves up. Then he must evaluate the situation and determine that the action that he is about to take is legal and prudent when he copes with the situation, otherwise he ends up in jail or as a minimum "hot water".

I do not think that our military is doing much of anything other than doing "Cop on the Beat duty", and this is what the American people are tired of.
They want to see terrorist acts stopped and some semblance of sanity existing in that area.

We have criticized and condemned Saddam for his gasing the Kerds as if this were the most inhumane act that a leader could commit but when you are dealing with idiots, you have to use the force necessary to stop them. If the American people were seeing progress in Iraq, I believe that they would get behind the effort but as it now stands, the Congress is gone, the Senate is gone and the Presidency is about to be gone. Those of you who are in lock-step with the President, please recognize that unless something changes drastically that it won't matter what Mr. Bush thinks or does as he will be gone and Hillary says that she will bring the troops home.

When we get serious about fighting terrorism and allow our soldiers to operate like the killers we hired them to be, then I think the American people will be 100% behind anything that they do.

War is not a good situation and there is nothing that can be done to make it a good situation. It is the fighting of an enemy and killing him and keeping your foot on his neck until all his aggressiveness is gone. We do not have anything resembling that situation in Iraq-Cop on the Beat is not the answer.

-- February 4, 2007 11:52 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Okie,

God info, so their crackdown is scheduled to start on Monday.

Neil,

I'm with you, a soldier is by nature a killing machine, he is trained exclusively for it. He's not a good social worker in a poor nation, even though he can score points by tossing out candy to a crowd of kids.

The coming crackdown is supposedly a "no rules" engagement, with free hands to the military.

I say, let this much talked about crack down begin, let it play out, and lets see what gives.

To connect this to the Dinar, and the activity at the CBI on the value of their currency.

I do believe that this crackdown is the talk of the town over there, and much of the activities in the Iraqi Government is very up in the air right now.

I would say, it is very explainable why the HCL law is just crawling along, why there is no bigger activity on the banks, and the value of inflation and Dinars are very low on the agenda right now.

I picture myself, a society, much like people living in a hurricane path, that is predicted to come.

People storing up on things, put the shutters on, and either evacuate or hunker down.

I think while the offensive is going on, people will be very interested in staying safe, and questions like budget, HCL, and price index ....well I don't think they care too much about those things right now.

My only objection about this operation is the publicity, the time schedules and the number of people being deployed to what locations.

We're so damn democratic and fair in everything that we haaaaaave to tell the enemy everything we can first.

PR and Intelligence never mix.

I recall years back when US troops landed in Somalia.

The military forces went ahead and did their operation, as ordered, and came with beach landing crafts in the middle of the night doing a night invasion, establishing a beach head for the rest of the troops.

Only to be met with a beach bathing in floodlights from reporters camera lights.

It's so pathetic.

We want to do such and such, we will get so and so many troops to that and that place at that and that time, and we will try to achieve this and that goal.

Bla bla bla blaaaa, bla bla bla blaaa.

Shut up....try that.

-- February 5, 2007 2:13 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(856)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 856 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 2/5 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 15 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1289 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1287 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 52.275.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 250.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 52.275.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 250.000

-- February 5, 2007 4:49 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Okie - You posted to pray for the troops, and I will and do. The troops are still attempting to weed out wicked persons who justify torture and murder of innocent civilians - of the unarmed, of women and children - people who were just going about their daily lives in Iraq. The movie "Flyboys" shows how in that conflict there was still some degree of honor among combatants.. not with this enemy. THEY may see no distinction in the lives they take.. they will reap what they sow and God will see no distinction in their lives being taken.

However.. when I look at the wickedness in the homeland, I am mindful that the media brings to light the tares among the wheat. It is not that the wheat is not there, but the tares are great and strong, flourishing like the grass...:

Psa 92:6 A brutish man does not know; neither does a fool understand this.
Psa 92:7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

My concern is not just for the good in our culture.. but for how God will bring about the destruction of these "workers of iniquity" which this refers to - such as those which the news services daily fill their pages with. I do understand and consider the hand of God in this.. that He will destroy them forever. They may be emboldened to sing as a rooster their sins from the housetops and act so in all wickedness among us, but they shall be destroyed forever.. and how will that work? How is it that you can:

Isa 3:10 Say to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Isa 3:11 Woe to the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

Perhaps I have yet to see a "surgical strike" in the way God gives them to mankind. If the US forces can use stealth bombing technology and get only the bad guys.. surely God has the ability to do the same in the US of A. We do live in interesting times..

Tim Bitts - Good assessment and I found your closing words very correct, quote: "I generally believe in kindness, and compassion for all of God's creatures. But I also believe there is a time for hard leaders, who must make very hard decisions, to ensure the future survival and peace for all."

I cannot see a peacenik in the Whitehouse - the cut-and-run fearful Annie's, or cowards - in such a time when very hard decisions must be made... because, as you just said, it is to ensure the future survival and peace for us all. Our lives are going to be in the next President's hands. They are in good hands now, and the homeland is secure under President Bush.. but can you imagine it under an openly radical feminist with alleged lesbian and adulterous affairs (according to that book you mentioned by Edward Klein, "The Truth About Hillary.") With someone with such non-mainstream views, what would be the outcome when it came to the hard decisions? What other unconventionality could we expect of her actions and thoughts?

One last thought.. a question for you, Tim Bitts, if you please. If Iran sent a nuclear armed warhead toward Israel, and Israel was a bit late getting its interceptor up.. is there even a possibility of the complete nuclear annihilation of the Palistinians as a result? What I mean is.. could Iran accidentally nuke the Palistinians out of existence during the time when they were seeking to attack Israel? Just wondering..

Neil - Good analysis of it having been "a cop on a beat" up until now. Hopefully the surge will change that dynamic and hopefully the people of the US will cause the Presidency to remain in competent hands to handle this conflict. Note also that the Congress will again be up for the taking come next election.. things can change. You may see that the people - (who are deserting the MSM sources in droves so that their circulation numbers continue to drop) - they may see through the smoke and mirrors when going to the polls next time. After all, their lives are at stake.. so it does behoove them to care about it. We will see. Your scenerio of the WH going Democrat I consider premature.. as it was predicted so far twice in recent years and each time it was wrong. Two years is a long time to pull the wool over an entire people's eyes. You know the saying, "You can fool some of the people some of the time" but that does not last long for those who still have the ability to observe and see what electing Democrats has done and is doing. The truth is getting out. I believe the people of the United States will listen to it:

Senior U.S. Military Official in Iraq to NB: Bloggers Assure Truth Gets Through MSM Filter
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on February 1, 2007 - 14:24.

Blogs such as NewsBusters play a key role in helping the truth getting through the filter of the mainstream media. That was the view that Rear Admiral Mark Fox expressed to this blogger today.

I had the opportunity to participate in a conference call for bloggers with RADM Fox, a Silver Star recipient who scored the first Navy MiG kill in Operation Desert Storm, and who now serves as the Communications Director for MNF-I in Baghdad. Given the chance to ask a question, I naturally focused, given NB's mission, on MSM coverage of the war.

I cited to Admiral Fox the headline and opening paragraph of the New York Times story on the recent battle in Najaf in which Iraqi-US forces killed over 200 enemy fighters and captured more than 400. Predictably, the Times sought to cast the success in the most negative possible light. The Times headline read: "Missteps by Iraqi Forces in Battle Raise Questions". The article's opening sentence: "Iraqi forces were surprised and nearly overwhelmed by the ferocity of an obscure renegade militia in a weekend battle near the holy city of Najaf and needed far more help from American forces than previously disclosed, American and Iraqi officials said Monday."

I invited Admiral Fox to comment on the Times coverage. His response:

"The good news is, the truth ultimately comes out. And I would applaud the efforts of people like you who assure that the truth ultimately gets through what some people call the mainstream media filter. Our collective view here at the Multi-National Force is that the incident at Najaf demonstrated very clearly the growing capability of the Iraqi security forces."

Admiral Fox stated that a small group of Iraqi police initially encountered the hostiles and relayed the information to the 8th Iraqi Army. Given the size of the forces they were facing, the provincial governor requested MNF support, which was provided in the form of a ground patrol and air support including AC-130s.

Said Admiral Fox: "Rather than characterizing it as 'they were almost overrun', the Iraqi troops did exactly what they were trained to do and what American troops are trained to do in similar circumstances. I think it's a success story for Iraqi security forces and for the provincial Iraqi control process." Admiral Fox noted that sovereignty was only transferred to Najaf province in December, so this was early on in the process. The Admiral concluded by calling Najaf "a good news story."

That won't stop the NY Times and others in the MSM from spinning this and other stories negatively, of course. But NB and others in the blogosphere will be there to help set the record straight.

Comments:

1) BD Says:
February 1, 2007 - 14:52

The problem is that while the truth usually gets out via blogs as the Admiral indicates, the lack of speed and the MSM's couching of a position critically impairs the truth in becoming the "perceived truth"

Such perception flaws are:

1.) The US went to war in Iraq because of WMD's. (The US went to war over sixteen seperate reasons as presented to the congress and UN by the administration, but the press prefers "We went in over WMD's.")

2.) Detainees at Guantanamo are being tortured. (No proof, but that has not held them up...)

3.) Our troops are uneducated victims who joined the military because they had no where else to go. (Not so.)

On a day to day basis you can hear the US public repeat such statements regardless of the inaccuracy of the position.

At the start of the GWOT, the DOD recognized that this would be an issue and planned to take it on by fielding an Information Warfare capability to handle just such issues by providing just such data as the Bloggers are now providing to limited numbers of viewers.

Sadly, due to caterwauling by the Dinosaurs, the DOD caved in and never carried through on it.

2) Tantalus Says:
February 1, 2007 - 15:07

New York Times, et al, is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a treasonous - oops sorry, liberal - Media

3) liberal_bug_zapper Says:
February 2, 2007 - 01:18

------The US went to war in Iraq because of WMD's. (The US went to war over sixteen separate reasons as presented to the congress and UN by the administration, but the press prefers "We went in over WMD's.") >------

I need to find the original case for war. I need to have those sixteen points made by the Bush administration to counter every liberal I meet. Could someone point me in the right direction?

On a second note. I hate liars and the slanderous left. Every time you call them out on lying... they just throw it back in your face and say that the Bush Administration lied about WMD and lied about the reasons for war. Every time I then point out that Saddam used WMD on his own people and on the Iranians in the Iran/Iraq war, they counter with "Well your buddy Ronny Raygun sold those weapons to him!" And when I point out that all the chemicals sold to Iraq in the 1980s were sold through a Singapore based shipping company which was owned by a German chemical company and that the only military items that we sold to the Iraqis were some old Bell Ranger helicopters and a bunch of duce-and-a-half's (big trucks) and jeeps. While the army surplus stuff we sold Iraq did come under military sales, we never sold weapons. Is it our fault that the Iraqis mounted rocket launchers on the helicopters we sold them? NO.

However, the French, the Russians, the Germans and many other countries who have been ultra critical of us.... all sold massive amounts of chemicals and actual weapons and delivery systems to the Iraqis.

But the leftists always counter with some other argument always trying to deflect the truth.

____________________________________________________

"These are the times that try men's souls." ~ Thomas Paine

http://newsbusters.org/node/10551

Roger - As for your saying, "My only objection about this operation is the publicity, the time schedules and the number of people being deployed to what locations." I am EXPECTING an intelligence blackout so far as the media are concerned. I would hope the media would be barred from knowing such things as a part of it being an act of war. It is ridiculous to transmit locations troop movements or military tactics to the enemy. But I believe the WH and the military leaders know this.. at least under the Republicans, they do.

I also agree.. Iraq's government and the coalition forces are busy with this military operation and I do not see a RV in the near future. But, hey, as one person recently pointed out to me.. it sure would help whenever it happened. So you never KNOW for sure, do you? Perhaps this operation's successful completion will be used to pave the way for the RV to happen with very little opposition or threat or concern to those involved in putting in place this leg of the war effort.

Chris - Thanks again for those numbers you post. :)

Sara.

-- February 5, 2007 9:01 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Mehdi army official killed in Iraq raid
Monday, February 5, 2007

Iraqi and US forces have killed a top official of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's organisation in a raid on his home north of Baghdad, calling him a "rogue leader" of Sadr's Mehdi army militia.

The US military said in a statement that Hamadani had reportedly been responsible for attacks on US and Iraqi troops and was believed to have "facilitated and directed numerous kidnappings, assassinations and other violence".

Iraqi and US forces have seized or killed hundreds of followers of Sadr in recent weeks in a crackdown on militias in the capital and southern Iraq.

Senior Shiite officials close to Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's government say US and Iraqi forces are mounting a campaign to seize leaders in the movement in an effort to quell sectarian violence that is pushing Iraq toward civil war.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1840866.htm

-- February 5, 2007 9:31 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

2 Key Aides to Radical Anti-American Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Killed in Iraq
Monday, February 05, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Two key members of radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political and military organization were killed just days before the U.S. and Iraqi forces planned to open a massive security drive in Baghdad.

Ali Khazim, who ran al-Sadr's political organization in volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, was killed Sunday by U.S. forces at his home in Howaider village, 12 miles east of Baqouba, Saleh al-Ageili, a spokesman for the Sadr Movement's parliamentary bloc, said on Monday.

The second official, Khalil al-Maliki, a key figure in al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia in Basra, was killed by three gunmen in a drive-by shooting on Sunday in the southern city of Basra, police reported.

As many as seven key figures in the al-Sadr organization have been killed or captured in the past two months, at least three of them by U.S. forces, after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also a Shiite, dropped his protection for the organization -- a crucial backer in his rise to power.

Also in Baghdad, gunmen wearing police uniforms and using police cars attacked an armored truck delivering cash, kidnapped five bank officials and made off with $350,000, police said.

The kidnapped bank employees were found handcuffed in the armored truck in eastern Baghdad, police said. The victims told police that 15 men wearing Ministry of Interior Police Commando uniforms and driving three government cars conducted the heist.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250258,00.html

-- February 5, 2007 9:37 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

McCain Calls Supporters of 'No Confidence' Resolutions Intellectually Dishonest
Monday, February 05, 2007

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans will oppose Democratic efforts to open debate Monday on a non-binding resolution against President Bush's troop surge in Iraq, according to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

A day before the possible debate, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain, slammed the legislation and its supporters as wrong.

Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said Sunday the resolution would make it clear that the Senate is opposed to the president's policy while still supporting the troops.

"It doesn't say we cut-and-run, does not say we withdraw, does not say we withdraw any funding for troops there," said Hagel, who appeared on ABC's "This Week."

But that's the problem with it, said 2008 presidential hopeful McCain. McCain, who appeared on the same show as Hagel, argued that the resolution sends the wrong message and those who support it are intellectually dishonest.

"I hope they keep in mind that this is fundamentally a vote of no confidence in the people that we are sending on this mission in harm's way. We are telling them we support you but we believe your mission will fail. We don't believe what you're doing," McCain said.

"I don't think it's appropriate to say that you disapprove of a mission and you don't want to fund it and you don't want it to go, but yet you don't take the action necessary to prevent it," he added.

Several Democrats want binding legislation to cap troop levels, force a new vote to authorize the war or begin bringing troops home.

To rally Republicans, McCain has offered a separate resolution expressing support for a troop increase and setting benchmark goals for the Iraqi government.

That language, Hagel said, is feckless because it does not state consequences for the Iraqi government if it fails to meet benchmarks for political and military successes.

"What are the consequences? Are we then going to pull out?" Hagel asked. "Are we going to cut funding?"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250214,00.html

Are these the only possible consequences pulling out or cutting funding?
The Democrats sound like a broken record.. these are the only things they want -
cutting funding or pulling out. I can think of other consequences, can you?

Sara.

-- February 5, 2007 9:48 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

(www.iraqupdates.com) Iraq-Syria relations strained anew
Iraqi flights to Syria grounded as Damascus expresses discontent with Iraq government accusations.
By Assad Abboud

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

BAGHDAD, 05 February 2007 (Middle East Online)
Print article Send to friend
Relations between Baghdad and Damascus that were restored just three months ago are already under strain amid allegations Syria is sheltering Iraqi fugitives but being "hostile" to genuine refugees.

Amid a quickening bombing campaign against Baghdad commercial districts that on Saturday saw 130 people killed in the second deadliest attack since the 2003 invasion, Iraqi leaders are voicing growing frustration with what they see as Syria's failure to stem the flow of militants across the border.

Syria has imposed restrictions on Iraqi refugees, suspended flights by the national carrier Iraqi Airways and welcomed Sunni cleric Hareth al-Dari, who is wanted by authorities in Baghdad.

After Saturday's massive truck bomb in a Baghdad market, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh declared that half of the violence gripping the country was the work of outsiders infiltrating from Syria.

"I confirm that 50 percent of murders and bombings are by Arab extremists coming from Syria," Dabbagh said.

"They come from Syria, we have evidence to prove it. We have already proved it to our brothers in Syria.

"We want to tell all Arabs now that those who call themselves mujahedeen come from Syria, and murder our oppressed population."

Syria reacted angrily to Dabbagh's comments decribing them as "contrary to reality and aimed at harming relations between Iraq and Syria that Damascus wants to strengthen and develop."

Syria recalled that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani made a six-day visit just last month, the first by an Iraqi head of state in three decades, during which a series of agreements were signed.

"The deals that were struck have laid the basis for the development of relations," an official source said in Damascus. "The comments made by Ali al-Dabbagh are unjustifiable."

After a series of talks during the January visit, Talabani and his Syrian counterpart President Bashar al-Assad expressed a joint "readiness to work together and do everything possible to eradicate terrorism."

But Dabbagh charged Saturday that despite Syrian promises to the contrary, "terrorist groups in Iraq receive all kinds of aid from people set up in Syria."

US commanders have repeatedly accused Syria of turning a blind eye to insurgents smuggling men and materiel across the porous border.

But Damascus counters that it has stopped thousands of would-be fighters, and that attempts to discuss cooperation have been rebuffed by Washington.

The Iraqi government spokesman has also hit out at what he called Syria's "hostile" attitude to Iraqi refugees fleeing the sectarian bloodshed that killed tens of thousands of people last year.

"Syria imposed measures on residency which are very rare. By these measures they will put hundreds of thousands of Iraqis in a dire situation, this is not a friendly attitude, but a hostile attitude," Dabbagh said Friday.

Iraqis were previously granted renewable three-month residency permits but Syria now issues two-week permits that can be renewed just once, upon presentation of documents including a rental contract.

Otherwise, Iraqis must return home for a month before they can apply again.

More than two million Iraqis have sought refuge abroad from the sectarian violence, including at least 600,000 who fled to Syria, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Dabbagh said "Iraqi refugees were headed for disaster" in Syria and that recent decisions provoked "anger among Iraqis over the Syrian attitude."

He sharply criticised a meeting of Syria's ruling Baath party that he said "glorified the butcher of Iraqis, Saddam Hussein," and slammed Damascus for "openly receiving figures with ties to terrorism."

Syria and Iraq, which was governed under Saddam by a rival branch of the Baath party, restored diplomatic relations on November 21, ending a 26-year rupture.

But on January 28, Syrian aviation authorities grounded all Iraqi Airways flights from Baghdad.

Syrian officials said they sought to ensure that Iraqi aircraft met all current international technical and safety standards.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 5, 2007 9:52 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

I thought when I quoted Wikipedia that it was a neutral source.
I supposed wrong.. and will have to be much more careful in future.
Just thought you should know about it, too..
a 'heads up!'
Sara.

Cases in point:

'Lib-pedia'? Anti-Conservative Bias Rampant At Wikipedia
Posted by Dave Pierre on February 5, 2007 - 08:57.

Wikipedia habitually delivers unflattering content about conservative media figures while giving liberals a much lighter treatment. That's the result of an informal survey of the site. According to alexa.com, Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia project that can be edited by just about anyone, is currently number 12 in worldwide traffic rankings on the Web.

When one thinks of a conventional encyclopedia entry, one expects to find rudimentary information: full name, birth date, birthplace, family, education, and career highlights. Wikipedia takes it one step further - especially with conservatives.

Unflattering personal episodes, embarrassing revelations, and factual missteps are frequently a major staple in entries about conservative figures; they are most often filed under the heading of "Controversy" or "Criticism." Meanwhile, entries on liberal personalities rarely contain such headings; unflattering episodes by liberals are often non-existent or downplayed...

Take the entry on Bill O'Reilly. Major space in the article is dedicated under the heading "Sexual harassment lawsuits." Major space is devoted to debatable comments that O'Reilly has made on the air over the years. An anti-O'Reilly web site is promoted within the article. Readers can also click on separate entries called "Bill O'Reilly controversies" and "Critics and rivals of Bill O'Reilly." And a fourth article under the heading of The O'Reilly Factor gives critics of the show a prominent voice. (By the way, you'd think an article on The O'Reilly Factor might want to mention the fact that the show has had the largest audience in all of cable news for several years. This fact is buried about a third of the way down in the article on Bill himself.) Finally, while the entry on the liberal Rosie O'Donnell devotes an entire section to her charitable causes, no mention is made of the thousands of dollars that billoreilly.com has raised for charity over the years. There's a lot more to this, but I think you get the point.

Similarly, Wiki articles on Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, and Ann Coulter devote plentiful space to past personal issues, controversial remarks, and unflattering episodes.

At this point, supporters of Wikipedia may shout, "But the content in there is true! It's factual!" Yes - but this is not the point here. The point is that Wikipedia entries on liberal personalities often avoid similar unflattering portraits.

Take the entry on the liberal Al Franken. To be honest, I think this is what a decent encyclopedia entry should look like....

This disparate treatment is par for the course at Wikipedia. And it's what we call bias. Some more simple examples:

... The article on George W. Bush spotlights criticism of his military service during the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, the entry on Bill Clinton merely states, "While at Oxford he also participated in Vietnam War protests, including organizing an October 1969 Moratorium event." There is no mention of the various ways that Clinton allegedly maneuvered to avoid his military service (such as those highlighted in this article - url).

... The entries on Air America Radio and liberal talker Randi Rhodes make no mention of a major defamation lawsuit filed against both of them. (Now if this had been Sean Hannity ...?)

... The ACLU entry makes no mention of its defense of pedophile group NAMBLA in relation to the gruesome murder of youngster Jeffrey Curley.

... An entry called "Fox News Channel controversies" is quite lengthy and challenges the network's conservative slant. So you'd probably think that the entry on "CNN controversies and allegations of bias" would present several examples of its liberal slant, right? Sorry, folks. Much of the article actually promotes allegations of a conservative bias and suggests that the network has taken "a lenient approach to the Bush administration." Good ... freakin' ... grief ... Are you getting the picture? (By the way, in less than a year-and-a-half, CNN is a topic or a related topic in over 450 articles at NewsBusters.)

I could go on and on ... But here is one final example to drive home the point: Compare the articles about Media Research Center (MRC, the operator of this site) and a liberal group, Media Matters (MMFA). Fully half of MRC's entry is devoted to unflattering "Controversy" and "Criticism"; no examples of the site's content are provided. Meanwhile, there is nary a syllable of "criticism" or "controversy" found in the body of Media Matters' entry. And unlike the entry for MRC, examples of MMFA's content are prominently displayed.

Bias? Of course. In the "discussion" board at Wikipedia's Media Matters article, a user wrote, "There is a definite slant to this article ... [T]here is no section about criticisms of MMfA or of its website." When another user replied, "So fix it," a third user named "Equinox" responded, "Fix it? Are you kidding? Attempting to 'fix' it would be dealt with very swiftly and strictly by the libs here" (bold added). Unfortunately, Equinox is completely right. My personal attempts on a number of occasions to add an honest balance to entries for MRC and MMFA have been rapidly and unceremoniously scrubbed by Wiki users. The articles were immediately reverted back to their biased accounts.

My humble advice to Wikipedia: Scrap the bogus "Controversy" and "Criticism" headings. They are waaay too susceptible to abuse, vandalism, and bias. Unflattering personal episodes and anecdotes can be linked at the bottom of entries under the "External links" heading. The credibility and reliability of Wikipedia is dubious enough. Just stick to the basics.

[IMPORTANT NOTE: Articles at Wikipedia can be changed in a matter of seconds. The content of my article should be entirely correct as of the days of my research, February 1 and 2, 2007.]

(Also: Matthew Sheffield addressed the debate of Wikipedia bias in this April 2006 post.)

http://newsbusters.org/node/10615

-- February 5, 2007 10:13 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

NY Times Ignores NIE Warning on Consequences of Iraq Withdrawal
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on February 5, 2007 - 06:57.

There's no denying that the recently-released National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq is anything but rosy. But the key question is 'where do we go from here?' The answer, for every one of the Dem presidential contenders, is 'home,' at varying rates of speed. In editorializing on the NIE report, don't you think, then, that it would have been appropriate for the New York Times to mention what the report foresaw as the result of a hasty withdrawal?

But the Times had better things to do with its ink, spending most of its editorial spinning the recent military success in Najaf in the most negative possible terms. In doing so, the Gray Lady ignored this key aspect of the report, as described here by CNN:

"The estimate also makes it clear, however, that simply walking away from Iraq may even be worse. If the U.S. makes a 'rapid withdrawal' from Iraq, a move many Democratic lawmakers have called for, the estimate said it could lead to the collapse of the Iraqi Security Forces, potentially plunging the country into a chaotic situation marked by "extreme ethno-sectarian violence with debilitating intra-group clashes."

To ignore this key conclusion, which goes to the heart of the debate raging in Washington today, is no mere negligence on the Times' part. It is nothing short of a journalistic fraud perpetrated on its readers.

- Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

http://newsbusters.org/node/10613

-- February 5, 2007 10:19 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Analysis
Bill Kristol: "Insurgents Are Worried"
Says Sunnis Are Trying To Convey "Image Of Chaos."
Feb 4, 2007

Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol said on Fox News this morning that the recent surge in Iraqi violence is a sign that the extremists are worried. Kristol said, “If I were a Sunni extremist and was worried, which I would be, about a doubling of U.S. forces in Baghdad, what would I do? I would try to convey an impression of chaos.” He added, “On the whole over the last two weeks, some of the news for Iraq is slightly optimistic.”

Video of Kristol on Fox is embedded within the link above.

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/1188/Bill_Kristol_Insurgents_Are_Worried

-- February 5, 2007 10:32 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

I guess you're right. If Iranians ever tried to nuke Israel, Palestinians could end up the same fate, as the Israelis. When you shoot at one of two men, in a phone booth, it could happen. Both could get hit. I don't think that would much bother the Iranians. I never thought they cared much for the Palestinians, other than to use them as a way to attack Israel.

Thanks for all the info you dig up.

-- February 5, 2007 10:38 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

Don't think the exec. order by Texas Gov. would ever hold up in Fed. Court. if challenged.

I personally and professionally do not believe in mandatory immunizations of ANY kind. Maybe in 3rd world countries, but not here!

It is alarming that foreigners coming into the US are protected from mandatory immunizations, but our own citizens are duped into believing that immunizations are mandatory.

On every consent form, there is an opt out options. Itis linked to religious beliefs, etc.

I have never had an immunization in my life and am better off for it. My children never had immunizations, but chose to become immunized when they went to nursing school. I tried to warn them. But they wouldn't listen.

Now there is clear evidence that the Hepatitis B vaccine has a conclusive link to Multiple Sclerosis and other auto-immune diseases.

As far as MS, we are seeing more and more of children developing MS than in all human history of the disease.
Children have been required Hep B vaccine for school.

In the last 5-7 years babies are given Hep B vac as part of their first series of immunizations as early as 2 weeks old!!

Several years ago, nursing schools required immunization of Hep B. About 1999, there was a very prominent " outbreak" of nurses who were coming down with MS, who had recieved the vac 5-10 years earlier. Some as early as 3 years after immunization.

My oldest daughter, works with the world renowned MS doctor, Stanley Van der Nort. She has traveled all over the world with MS research entities.

By the way, she now has Chron's disease, an auto-immune disease. And is now an advocate of not immunizing against Hep B.

There are several inthe medical community who would only succumb to any vaccination if a gun were to their head.
me included.

There may be a day when the opt out option may be eliminated, but for now anyone can opt out of any medical treatment or immunization---if they are aware of it AND don't get talked into the "mandatory" garbage!

NOt too many lawyers fighting for this, they are too busy protecting criminals and terrorists rights.

Carole

-- February 5, 2007 10:53 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

several years ago, because of consumer demand, Nursing homes were pressured into getting the Flu vac for their residents.

It took about 5 years for the industry to realize that about 3-6 weeks after the mass flu vac immunization event, they lost about 15% of their census(population)

Now, smart operators, walk real slow to the Health dept. to pick up their immunizations and hope that they run out before they get there.

One problem is that we have been flooded with foreign doctors who are big advocates of immunizations.

My reccommendation is that if anyone is over 40 and has never had a flu vac.DO NOT HAVE ONE! EVER!

I believe the body should have it's own chance to build up it's own immunities.

Most of these strains that are coming into our country are so quickly muted, that the vac serum is ineffective anyway, by the time it gets to the mass public.

There has been dramatic rises in so many neurological and auto-immune diseases in the last few decades, where no family history or even environmental factors are involved. Yet,diseases, from as begnign as Attention deficit disorders, autism, MS,ALS (Lou Gehrrigs disease),Chrons, and a host of other disorders that do not even have a name yet, have presented significant challenges and suspicions pointed toward immunizations.

Carole

-- February 5, 2007 11:20 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

The world is in conflict in almost every thinkable situation imaginable.

If we were lucky enough to find one lasting solution to even the smallest of dilemas, there are hundreds following and erupting each day.

Take any subject, any continent and peril is at it's doorstep.

Won't the world be ecstatic when finally a leader will come and have magical and evidential solutions to all of the problems? Won't this person be so welcomed, obeyed and adored?

Get my point?It is just a matter if time!!!

The stage has been set, the props in place, the main players are rehearsing their roles, and tickets are being sold at a speed faster than light...........soon curtain call for ACT 1

Carole

-- February 5, 2007 11:53 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq's interest in joining WTO, posted to www.dinartrade.com

Iraq to discuss trade regulations with WTO soon

Amman, Feb 2, (VOI) –Iraq will start several preparatory meetings with the world Trade Organization (WTO) soon on the way for Iraq\'s joining of the WTO, an Iraqi foreign ministry official said on Friday.
"The Iraqi high committee will soon go to the WTO headquarters in Switzerland to discuss the trade regulations necessary for Iraq\'s joining of the WTO," Ambassador Surud Najuib told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The talks would include proposed changes required within the Iraqi trade regulations to meet the standards set by the World Trade Organization to pave the way before Iraq to join the organization, Ambassador Najuib said.
Iraq has made every effort to meet the standards set by the World Trade Organization in an attempt to enjoy the organization membership.
On Thursday, a conference in the Jordanian capital Amman discussed Iraq\'s joining of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Held by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in tandem with the Iraqi-U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Industry, under the aegis of Microsoft, the 1st preparatory conference on Iraq\'s accession to WTO focused on the issue of investment in Iraq, which was approved by the Iraqi parliament.
"The meeting reviewed new investment opportunities and Iraq\'s accession to the WTO as member, not as an observer as is the case now," Greg Howell, Global Development Alliance Advisor USAID/Iraq, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Howell said "by the end of February Iraq will attend its first session with the WTO," noting he had met several times with Iraqi officials and ministers concerned, which is part of the USAID\'s activities."
"We are now working with Iraqi banks to practice up-to-date banking as well as laying guarantees for loans," said the USAID official.
He pointed out that the USAID\'s objectives through working with the Iraqi government envisage increasing the number of investment companies, creating jobs for unemployed Iraqis, laying the foundations for an investment climate that would benefit the Iraqi government and making it easy for international companies to come to Iraq.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Iraqi ministries of trade and foreign affairs as well as Iraqi companies and foreign investors.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 5, 2007 12:16 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, Tim Bitts. I think if there is any nuclear activity over there.. the very FIRST casualties are likely to be the Palistinians. Both the Israelis and the Iranians would put their own people first, not the Palistinians. That means the Palistinians are in the middle between two nuclear players and are thus relegated to being cannon fodder, in my view. Also, if they were gone and destroyed at the hands of the Iranians, it would change the dynamics of the Middle East. There would no longer be constant problems between the Israelis and Palistinians, since it would not be Israel's fault the Palistinians were destroyed, but Iran's. As far as I can see, there may not be a Palistinian cause for much longer for the world to be worried about. What will the world be like without the Palistinians in it but only a sea of nuclear glass? And who can they blame in that scenerio (?).. the bombs which did it would be Iranian. No one can blame Israel for protecting itself when the Iranians are lobbing nuclear bombs at their homeland, after all. Where the bombs ultimately land and explode would be quite a secondary consideration... well, it won't be to the Palistinians, of course.

Carole - WOW.. thanks a lot for your opinions on vaccines. That was really informative! MS and auto - immune diseases, hey? Interesting.. thank you. A family member of mine had to go to the Middle East on short notice and could not get whatever vaccine they require you to get before going to the ME. I called and talked to the nurse who told me that no vaccines are mandatory for going to other countries. I didn't know that. I suppose they rely on our ignorance about what the actual law says to sell more vaccination shots. Those drug companies sure do make a fortune on this. Interesting statements from you (who are much closer to this industry) that, "there is clear evidence that the Hepatitis B vaccine has a conclusive link to Multiple Sclerosis and other auto-immune diseases." and your view that "There are several in the medical community who would only succumb to any vaccination if a gun were to their head - me included." That opinion goes far with me.. I appreciate it. As does your recommendation, "My recommendation is that if anyone is over 40 and has never had a flu vac. DO NOT HAVE ONE! EVER!" Thank you so very much for that. Health comes from the Lord.. but it is good to listen to wise counsel!

Thank you again.. I appreciate that and will pass it on to those I know it will apply to. :)

Sara.

-- February 5, 2007 12:54 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole - By the way, do you know how long it took the medical community to see bloodletting as a practice which was incorrect and stop the practice of it? (You know, the practice that killed President George Washington, that one.) Because that might give an indication of how long it will take before they take heed to the findings about MS and auto-immune diseases being linked to vaccination procedures.. I am just wondering if that historic precedent might tell us if we have to wait for a hundred years or only ten, is all...

Modern doctors believe that Washington died from either epiglottitis or, since he was bled as part of the treatment, a combination of shock from the loss of five pints of blood, as well as asphyxia and dehydration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

Sara.

-- February 5, 2007 1:13 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

A bit of history linked to the current Middle East situation. I don't agree with all the authors comments, but I do believe the Sunnis and Shiites will have to find a solution to their religious differences. They will find a solution or fight to the finish.

The Westphalian agreement settled a lot of the religious differences, hundreds of years ago, in Europe and gives some hope that this type of agreement or understanding can work for the Middle East as well.

My beliefs include the fact that mankind has survived much worse than the Middle east conflict and we will continue to do so in the future. In any case it makes me believe that each day will be better than the day before, and in fact, might just be the best day of my life. It sure helps to have people like our President and Military on your side.

==============================================================
Is the Middle East moving to a Westphalian system?
By Iason Athanasiadis

05 February 2007 (The Daily Star)

Sunnis fighting Shiites on Beirut's streets, a civil war in Iraq and political infighting in the Palestinian territories that is externally directed from Riyadh and Tehran: a snapshot of the new, sectarian Middle East. A US-led, Israel-backed, Middle East-wide alliance of conservative Sunni and secular Muslim states is being marshaled against Iran and its allies on a backdrop of escalating confrontation between Tehran and Washington. After several months of faint rumblings, the Sunni axis is starting to take shape to a chorus of increasingly shrill condemnations by the Iranian theocracy of what it believes is an insidious policy aimed at dividing the region, the better for Washington to dominate it.
>
>
>
With emotions dangerously sharpened and Washington flailing for a strategy that will shift attention away from its role even while maintaining its influence in the region, violence will inexorably spread. Some Iranian academics and former officials are already describing this conflict as another 30 years war that will eventually lead the region to a Muslim version of the Treaty of Westphalia and the modern era. It was the 1648 Peace of Westphalia that finally buried the hatchet between Catholics and Protestants in Europe and brought into being sovereign nation states and the modern international system.

The Westphalian system allowed each state to define its religion. In the process, it created a segregated Europe cleansed of sectarianism. Such a scenario might eventually make lasting Middle Eastern peace possible, but it would also imply that in a region which gave the world its three major monotheistic religions, its Muslims have found untenable even the uneasy coexistence that characterized the first 14 centuries of Islam.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php?refid=DH-S-05-02-2007&article=14219

-- February 5, 2007 1:33 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Carole.....

Had to chuckle at your comments regarding flu shots. Years ago I had a flu shot and all it did was give me the flu and put me down for awhile. I swore off these shots

This last flu season I ignored my vow to not take them again and lined up for another one. This one knocked me down with flu and put me in bed for a few days.

What's the old saying...fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me. I won't have another flu shot!!!

-- February 5, 2007 1:54 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

David - You just GOTTA look at this one.
It seems we once had a consensus among scientists
only 30 years ago.. that there was global COOLING.
Now, Global Warming.. and, quote,
"the major mechanisms and the global temperature trends now indicate a cooling."
so we are back to Global COOLING again..
according to this top Scientist of Climatology..
Sara.

===

Another Scientist Strikes at Global Warming Hysteria
Posted by Noel Sheppard on February 5, 2007

A wonderful thing is happening in the scientific world now that the United Nations has claimed that it is 90 percent certain anthropogenic global warming is real: scientists around the world are speaking out against this assertion.

Another such scientist, Canada’s Timothy Ball, wrote an article today addressing his view of the media hysteria which marvelously began (h/t QandO, emphasis mine throughout):

Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But few listen, despite the fact that I was the first Canadian Ph.D. in Climatology and I have an extensive background in climatology, especially the reconstruction of past climates and the impact of climate change on human history and the human condition. Few listen, even though I have a Ph.D, (Doctor of Science) from the University of London, England and that for 32 years I was a Professor of Climatology at the University of Winnipeg.

For some reason (actually for many), the World is not listening. Here is why.

Believe it or not, Global Warming is not due to human contribution of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). This in fact is the greatest deception in the history of science. We are wasting time, energy and trillions of dollars while creating unnecessary fear and consternation over an issue with no scientific justification. For example, Environment Canada brags about spending $3.7 billion in the last five years dealing with climate change almost all on propaganda trying to defend an indefensible scientific position while at the same time closing weather stations and failing to meet legislated pollution targets.

No sensible person seeks conflict, especially with governments, but if we don't pursue the truth, we are lost as individuals and as a society. That is why I insist on saying that there is no evidence that we are, or could ever cause global climate change. And, recently, Yuri A. Izrael, Vice President of the United Nations sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed this statement. So how has the world come to believe that something is wrong?

Maybe for the same reason we believed, 30 years ago, that global cooling was the biggest threat: a matter of faith. "It is a cold fact: the Global Cooling presents humankind with the most important social, political, and adaptive challenge we have had to deal with for ten thousand years. Your stake in the decisions we make concerning it is of ultimate importance; the survival of ourselves, our children, our species," wrote Lowell Ponte in 1976.

I was as opposed to the threats of impending doom global cooling engendered as I am to the threats made about Global Warming. Let me stress I am not denying the phenomenon has occurred. The world has warmed since 1680, the nadir of a cool period called the Little Ice Age (LIA) that has generally continued to the present. These climate changes are well within natural variability and explained quite easily by changes in the sun. But there is nothing unusual going on.

Since I obtained my doctorate in climatology from the University of London, Queen Mary College, England my career has spanned two climate cycles. Temperatures declined from 1940 to 1980 and in the early 1970's global cooling became the consensus. This proves that consensus is not a scientific fact. By the 1990's temperatures appeared to have reversed and Global Warming became the consensus. It appears I'll witness another cycle before retiring, as the major mechanisms and the global temperature trends now indicate a cooling.

==end of quote==

Ball even addressed why many scientists go along with the charade, QUOTE:

No doubt passive acceptance yields less stress, fewer personal attacks and makes career progress easier. What I have experienced in my personal life during the last years makes me understand why most people choose not to speak out; job security and fear of reprisals. Even in University, where free speech and challenge to prevailing wisdoms are supposedly encouraged, academics remain silent.

I once received a three page letter that my lawyer defined as libellous, from an academic colleague, saying I had no right to say what I was saying, especially in public lectures. Sadly, my experience is that universities are the most dogmatic and oppressive places in our society. This becomes progressively worse as they receive more and more funding from governments that demand a particular viewpoint.

In another instance, I was accused by Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki of being paid by oil companies. That is a lie. Apparently he thinks if the fossil fuel companies pay you have an agenda. So if Greenpeace, Sierra Club or governments pay there is no agenda and only truth and enlightenment?

==end of quote==

Ball then described how this supposed consensus came about, QUOTE:

I think it may be because most people don't understand the scientific method which Thomas Kuhn so skillfully and briefly set out in his book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." A scientist makes certain assumptions and then produces a theory which is only as valid as the assumptions. The theory of Global Warming assumes that CO2 is an atmospheric greenhouse gas and as it increases temperatures rise. It was then theorized that since humans were producing more CO2 than before, the temperature would inevitably rise. The theory was accepted before testing had started, and effectively became a law.

As [Richard] Lindzen said many years ago: "the consensus was reached before the research had even begun." Now, any scientist who dares to question the prevailing wisdom is marginalized and called a sceptic, when in fact they are simply being good scientists. This has reached frightening levels with these scientists now being called climate change denier with all the holocaust connotations of that word. The normal scientific method is effectively being thwarted.

Meanwhile, politicians are being listened to, even though most of them have no knowledge or understanding of science, especially the science of climate and climate change. Hence, they are in no position to question a policy on climate change when it threatens the entire planet. Moreover, using fear and creating hysteria makes it very difficult to make calm rational decisions about issues needing attention.

===

Ball marvelously concluded, QUOTE:

Until you have challenged the prevailing wisdom you have no idea how nasty people can be. Until you have re-examined any issue in an attempt to find out all the information, you cannot know how much misinformation exists in the supposed age of information.

I was greatly influenced several years ago by Aaron Wildavsky's book "Yes, but is it true?" The author taught political science at a New York University and realized how science was being influenced by and apparently misused by politics. He gave his graduate students an assignment to pursue the science behind a policy generated by a highly publicised environmental concern. To his and their surprise they found there was little scientific evidence, consensus and justification for the policy. You only realize the extent to which Wildavsky's findings occur when you ask the question he posed. Wildavsky's students did it in the safety of academia and with the excuse that it was an assignment. I have learned it is a difficult question to ask in the real world, however I firmly believe it is the most important question to ask if we are to advance in the right direction.

==

Amen, brother.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10620

-- February 5, 2007 2:02 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Senate votes against debating troop buildup
Lawmakers decide not to debate resolution that rejects boost in U.S. forces
Feb 5, 2007

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan resolution repudiating President Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq failed to advance in the Senate Monday, dealing a serious setback to critics of the war.

The resolution needed 60 votes before the 100-member Senate could begin debate, but it got 49, with 47 voting against.

The president's call to send additional American troops, mostly to Baghdad, is widely seen as a last chance to quell the sectarian violence ravaging the capital and surrounding regions.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16995646/

-- February 5, 2007 6:37 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Sara.....

Sure am glad the debate on the resolution failed. Reason has prevailed....after a little arm twisting.

I'm sure most of the Democrats finally realized that their freedom of speech didn't include selling out our troops or yelling fire in a packed theatre. Well, most of them anyway, Hillary is still screeching.

-- February 5, 2007 7:32 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iran said to assemble two uranium units
By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer Feb 5, 2007

VIENNA, Austria - Shrugging off the threat of tougher U.N. sanctions, Iran has set up more than 300 centrifuges in two uranium enrichment units at its underground Natanz complex, diplomats and officials said Monday.

The move potentially opens the way for larger scale enrichment that could be used to create nuclear warheads. Iranian leaders have repeatedly said the Natanz underground hall would house first 3,000 centrifuges and ultimately 54,000 machines.

It also poses a direct challenge to the Security Council, which late last month imposed limited sanctions targeting programs and individuals linked to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and warned of stricter penalties within 60 days unless Iran freezes enrichment.

Speaking separately — and demanding anonymity because their information was confidential — a diplomat accredited to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency and a U.S. official said that two "cascades" of 164 centrifuges each had been set up in recent days.

The likely next step was "dry testing" — running the linkups without uranium gas inside — to be followed by attempts to spin and re-spin the gas. The process, known as enrichment, can be used to fuel nuclear power plants. But at higher levels of enrichment the material can be used for the core of nuclear warheads.

David Albright, the former U.N. nuclear inspector whose Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security tracks Iran's nuclear activities, said the country was likely capable of hooking up 300 to 500 centrifuges a month, allowing it to reach its goal of a 3,000-machine linkup this year.

Such an operation could be used to produce fissile material for two bombs a year...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070205/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nuclear_iran;_ylt=AkpET7Rg3J.3BBgmTkjLkRBI2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

-- February 5, 2007 7:35 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Newsweek's Evan Thomas: 'Our Job Is To Bash the President'
Posted by Tim Graham on February 5, 2007

On Friday night's edition of Inside Washington airing locally on Washington PBS station WETA, the first topic was whether the media's been unfair to President Bush, given his abysmal approval ratings. NPR reporter Nina Totenberg said Bush received a "free ride" for years, so now the worm has turned and the coverage is fierce. Then the host turned to Newsweek's Evan Thomas, who was frank in his assessment of the media's role, QUOTE:

Gordon Peterson: "What do you think, Evan? Are the mainstream media bashing the president unfairly?"

Evan Thomas: "Well, our job is to bash the president, that's what we do almost --"

Peterson: "But unfairly?"

Thomas: "Mmmm -- I think when he rebuffed, I think when he just kissed off the Iraq Study Group, the Baker-Hamilton Commission, there was a sense then that he was decoupling himself from public opinion and Congress and the mainstream media, going his own way. At that moment he lost whatever support he had."

==end of quote==

The message in that is very simple: the president must never "decouple" himself from the "mainstream media," because they are the key players in maintaining public opinion. Remember, Thomas also believed this "mainstream" media would be worth "maybe 15 points" to John Kerry in 2004, which didn't exactly work out. But Newsweek's polling clearly demonstrates Newsweek's desire to throw him out, in appearance if not in reality. Their end-of-January poll questions included, QUOTE:

-- "In general, do you think George W. Bush will have enough support over the next two years to make a difference in getting things done in Washington, or not?"

-- "Do you think President Bush's decisions about policy in Iraq and other major areas are influenced more by the facts or more by his personal beliefs, regardless of the facts?"

-- "At this point in time, do you personally wish that George W. Bush's presidency was over, or don't you feel this way?"

=end quote=

Now try to imagine Newsweek asking anything this anti-Clinton in its polls in 1999.

Comments:

1) iveseenitall Says:
February 5, 2007

Ah, the liberals. Sitting comfortably behind their mikes or in front of a camera-- conjecturing and lying. Then they pick up their undeserved paychecks and go back to the multi-million dollar palaces they live in. All the while our heroes fight on. Makes you sick, doesn't it? If it doesn't, it should.

NEVER, NEVER trust a liberal.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10631

I think you can call those poll questions.. LEADING questions.
That means that they are slanting the poll.. do you see that?
So don't trust the polling data you see - it is slanted as these questions show.

And the admission that they see it as their JOB to bash the President speaks for itself.
Obviously, the Bible admonition to honor those in authority holds no sway..
at least amongst the MSM. (1 Pet 2:17, Romans 13)

Sara.

-- February 5, 2007 7:52 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

The Dinar made a small move today.

We were in a long trend where they revalued the Dinar in a pattern of 2, 3 and 5 Dinars a day.

We had a long pause, and as they started to revalue the Dinar again, not according to the old pattern, right now it's too early to see any new pattern emerging.

Sara,

If an RV will happen, yes that is the billion Dollar Question.

With the new talk about those zeroes dropped off we will see where this will take us.

A dramatic shift in Iraq's welfare would immediately be noticeable if an RV would take place, but the Iraqi banking world is as secretive closed door world, (as most banks are) and news can only be analyzed from contracts, bank laws, and agreements.

Real insider news seems to come mostly from statements from an official on occasion. Given the translation of the article what they are saying, (mostly done with an automatic computerized translator) , half of what they are saying doesn't make sense.

Any other source, people that have talked with people in the banking world, oil people, relatives, brothers of a sister of an in law, analysts, have all been wrong in all the countless dates they have been setting up. ( I'm still looking for those dates though, hey, why not...)

If that RV comes, I'll take it.

I'm afraid though that they are setting up a plan to take the Dinar to a level of 1000 to 1, cut zeroes off, and make it a buck.

It's an illusion doing so, but from reading officials reports, they have very much national pride involved in getting the Dinar equal to their neighbours currency.

If as one official claims, that they want to take the Dinar to the former value in three or four years, and in the meanwhile they are saying that they think it's going to be in the vicinity of 1260 by the middle of this year, and eventually go to 1000 to one.

This IS a contradictory statement.

You can not bring up the value of a currency to the former value in three to four years, and in the same breath saying that they will use a snail pace method of doing it.

They are more obsessed with getting the currency in par with their neighbours currency, than allowing the Dinar to live it's own life in it's own value.

Right now, the Dinar is way undervalued. And held there artificially.

The Iraqis want to bring it to a way overvalued level. And get it there artificially.

Bring all that together, and I see worrying clouds on the Dinar.

The only way of doing that is to cut a bunch of zeroes.

They will lose a lot of confidence in the currency when they start to manipulate it, plus they will now get into a program of reprinting currency.

If they are doing that, they will probably just buy up the bigger denominations, but they can of course also set a time limit when (lets say 90 days) when the old Dinar have to be exchanged.

For us, that will be a problem, we will have to rush to exchange Dinars and we have very limited knowledge of how to exchange.

What if you have to go to Iraq and exchange it.

Banks might be buying and selling Dinars, but what if they don't do the currency exchange.

Dealers will pop up, doing the exchange, (for 10-15% of the face value of course, taking away all the profit we have experienced so far)

THIS is a scenario I don't want to see.

What I have not understood during this whole Dinar game, is the obvious.

The Dinar is undervalued, it has been held to rock bottom forever.

One can assume that there are educated economists, people with big knowledge in finances, and people that have been dealing with money all their life, that is connected to these events, that can see the obvious, but the right and sound decisions and actions just don't happens.

Just RV the Dinar to 10-20 cents of the Dollar value.

In a second you have changed the whole Iraqi society to one with goods jobs, and markets. In a second you have lifted up the whole middle class from poverty to one of production, and means to survive.

It's just too simple.

It just have to be endless opinions about it, endless analyzes, endless, discussions, endless this endless that.....

And then some Minister is airing his opinion about "the Dinars former glory".

Honestly, I don't think there is anyone in charge that have a clear picture, they are acting like they don't have a clue, and are most probably under such an influence of IMF that they have to check every step of the way what they think.

The IMF will advice them, and do what is good for IMF.

In my opinion, I think it is stupid and plainly irresponsible of the people in charge if the Iraqi currency to knowingly suppress the middle class in such a way as they are doing right now.

People are desperate, wonder why they want a change and start shooting on the streets?

Doing what they are doing might be either ignorance , don't know, or "I just follow order" or miseducation or whatever, but as the old saying goes, ...ignorance is not a defence.

The Iraqi middle class is held down so firmly that it probably is not even a middle class no more, it's more of a lower class citizens, very incapable of doing anything to change anything in their lives.

If you really want to suppress people, this is exactly what you are doing.

I have been with my limited time trying to find the source of the suppression, but failed. It's coming from somewhere.

Probably some board member of great influence in the IMF, greatly educated in Socialism in Ugabebe, sitting on a throne in IMF swatting himself with a flyswatter from his home country.

-- February 5, 2007 9:34 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

It is Merk Pharmaceuticals behind the pappilloma vaccine that the Tex. Gov is involved in.

Merk can't afford another lawsuit, and this gov. will be toast pretty soon.

Some kind of hanky panky going on with him doing a favor for Merk who stand to make a big profit from the immunization program. Legislators all over the country going beserk over this, esp in Texas.

You should see details coming to light soon.

Merk is big on development of
vaccines and made a killing on their chickenpox vaccine that was bought up by the World Health Organization(maybe 10 years or so ago).

This was one of those events that I culd have kicked myself about, cause I had a heads up on this and could have bought stock in Merk for about $25. After the vac was introduced stock went to over 50 and has since split a few more times.

But recently, Merk has had to defend themselves on several bad drug issues, like Vioxx and a few others. The stockholders are having to pay the cost of all the. litigation.

This last little venture with the Pappilloma vac might be their last hurrah!

And the Gov. may see recall if he is lucky, otherwise black and white stripes are soon to be his wardrobe.

It never fails to amaze me how, in the hands of greedy men, something that is meant to be for good is turned into something evil!!

Carole

-- February 5, 2007 9:45 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Roger:

Your post is definitely a change from the optimistic Roger posting when I came to the board.

From our past conversations I know you are sitting on a bunch of Dinar. I think to modify the currency now would utterly destroy what little the value of the Dinar has appreciated. If your scenario plays out, the Iraqi people will seek to hoard American dollars. The new currency will be worthless.

I just do not believe the U.S. will continue to pour billions of dollars into Iraq and attempt to bring control to a chaotic situation just to watch people starve all over again and Iraq again descend into chaos because of a worthless currency. What has been accomplished? Roger, I truly hope you are wrong.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 5, 2007 10:19 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Roger:

Could the following be rational to refute the proposition of an Iraqi Dinar zero lop?

Dinar into Dollars

Both Russia and Afghanistan are countries who have zero lopped their currency.
Lets look at their situations in relation to the Iraqi Dinar and the speculation and
rumors about Iraq doing a zero lop on their currency:

Afghanistan had 4 types of currency in circulation as a result of a civil war. It was
unknown how much of each was in circulation. For the people and the
government, this was a very difficult situation. As a result, the currency kept
losing it's value. They needed something both credible and efficient to use as
currency. You did not want people carrying around bags of money since
everything is cash based. Their zero lop happened at the same time as they
printed new currency to replace the confusing mix they had before. This ensured
everyone had the same currency, there was a known amount in circulation, and
people could buy and sell things with few notes. It has little in common to the
Iraqi Dinar and the speculation about the zero lop. Iraq has already
printed and established a single national currency, with secure features
and knows exactly how much is in circulation. The Dinar denominations are
already designed to carry high or low values without carrying around sacks of
money. It makes no sense for them to change the face of the currency, when
they are talking about increasing the value to fit their economic goals.

Russia performed zero lopping to their currency in 1998. They did this in
response to hyperinflation and to restore confidence in their currencies structure
and value. Iraq has roughly only 20% inflation. Russia also had denominations
that went too high - they had denominations of 5k, 10k, 50k, 100k, and 500k -
which were replaced with denominations of 5, 10, 50, 100 , and 500. In
comparison, Iraq's highest denomination is the 25k and has denominations all the
way down to 25 Dinar. If Iraq did zero lopping off the structure of the bills,
they would overlap denominations that already exist. This does not make
sense or fit the stated goals with the Iraqi Dinar. It seems that a zero lop, or
zero lopping would not occur with the denominations of the Dinar, but by
increasing it's value with a revalue that would benefit their economy and their
poor in a positive way.

This is a summary from the information found at Iraqi Wiki

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 5, 2007 10:54 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

One more article related to the Dinar experiencing a zero lop. The following article appeared in the Boston Magazine, October 2006.

A Fistful of Dinars
Six thousand miles from Baghdad, a Back Bay entrepreneur is making a low-profile fortune in the somewhat shady, often intoxicating, extremely risky business of trading Iraqi bank notes.
By Chris Wright

Even in Boston, Bryan Canavan is cautious to the extreme. He inisisted that his face be obscured. Photo by John Goodman. If you were looking to send someone on an under-the-radar mission to the Middle East, someone who would blend in with the locals, Bryan Canavan would not be your first choice. At 6 foot 6, with sandy-blond hair and blue eyes, he looks like Will Ferrell playing Jay Gatsby. In Boston, where Canavan lives and works, this is not an issue. But on the streets of Amman, Jordan, the towering-patrician look can be problematic, particularly if you’re alone, unarmed, carrying half a million dollars in cash.

Canavan, a 42-year-old businessman, is one of the people who make a living on the fringes of the Iraq war. He runs a firm called Dartmouth Capital, which is one of the largest Iraqi-currency traders in the United States and was, at the time of its founding a few years ago, one of the only outfits of its kind. Which, when you find out what being an Iraqi-currency trader entails, isn’t that surprising. On the spectrum of enterprises in Boston’s financial sector, Canavan’s falls into a remote category, somewhere between “highly specialized” and “nuts.”

With conventional currency trading, funds are moved around electronically—a button is pressed in Tokyo and an investor in Des Moines receives a billion yen. With the dinar, things are more complicated. Because the currency isn’t exchanged on the world market, trading it is a decidedly hands-on proposition. In order for an investor to acquire Iraqi bank notes, someone has to make the trip to the Arabian Peninsula, pick up a bundle of dinars, then schlep the bundle back to the States.

For the most part, these jobs are farmed out to security contractors, usually highly trained special-forces veterans. “We do a lot of clandestine things: We switch directions, switch clothes, we have a guy go in one way and out another looking like a different person,” says a representative of Templar Titan, one of the companies that often handle Middle East trips like these. “We’re trained, and we stay in the shadows.”

When Canavan started out, though, private security contractors weren’t part of the setup. In fact, there was no setup. You played it by ear. You asked around. You found a local who’d sell you dinars at a certain rate. Then you wired money to a Middle Eastern bank, flew over there to pick it up, made the swap, and came home. You hoped. “I’d go into the bank to get the money,” Canavan recalls. “The manager would take stacks of $100 bills, in $50,000 blocks, and put them on the table—in front of everyone in line, everyone could see me—a half a million dollars, and I’d walk out of there with all that money in a paper bag.” Canavan tells his story sitting in a Boylston Street Starbucks, his voice rising above a pair of chattering baristas. “It was stressful,” he says, shifting in his chair. “You become aware of who’s watching you—here’s this guy walking out with this big bag, you know, he’s not carrying Snickers bars.”

By disposition, Canavan is a man who values order, a systematic approach to getting things done. Just the memory of his seat-of-the-pants missions to the Middle East has him grinning like a man who’s taken a baseball to the groin. But he’s also a businessman, and there’s money to be made in dinars. So, over the space of a year or so, Canavan made more than a dozen trips to Jordan, putting himself in situations that would make your average Merrill Lynch trader yelp.

As he puts it now: “I always said to my partner, who’s my best friend, that while his dollars were at risk, if I didn’t get them back I’d be a lot worse off than he was.”

The first batch of freshly printed new Iraqi dinars descended into Baghdad International Airport aboard 27 Boeing 747s on September 17, 2003. Before long, an informal dinar-trading circuit took shape—spearheaded, for the most part, by returning U.S. troops. Iraqi insurgents, too, showed a lively interest in the money. “On 30 November, the largest battle since the end-of-war announcement was directed against two of our 35-man convoys which were delivering and collecting currency,” wrote retired Brigadier General Hugh Tant III, director of the Iraqi Currency Exchange, in a report posted on a military website. “A fierce battle ensued and many enemy were killed.”

At the time, Canavan was engaged in less stimulating pursuits. A middle-class Brooklyn native who’d come to Boston to study business and finance at Northeastern, he was working for a Waltham teeth-whitening firm, the latest ho-hum job in a peripatetic career that had included a stint in real estate and a failed cell-phone marketing startup. He recalls sitting on a bus one day, on his way to work, thinking, “This is a miserable existence.”

Canavan first learned about dinars during a chance meeting with an army reservist who’d returned from Iraq with some of the new bank notes. While others were satisfied with becoming Baghdad millionaires (in the early days, a million dinars could be bought for a few hundred bucks), Canavan had something far more ambitious in mind. He’d turn the ragtag dinar trade into a legitimate business and make some real money. Eager to get started, he went to his friend Doug Bacon—owner of the White Horse Tavern in Allston—and asked him to bankroll the venture. “I was, of course, a little hesitant,” Bacon says. “We talked about the obstacles, the risks. It was uncharted territory. It’s just so different from any other business you could start up.”

Eventually Bacon agreed to provide the capital, and Canavan set to work. He launched a website—SafeDinar.com—and did some online advertising, and the orders started trickling in. For the first year or so, he operated out of a closet-size room above the White Horse Tavern, often in the middle of the night, feeding Iraqi bank notes into a counting machine that had been placed inside a soundproof box—“I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on up there”—and handfilling FedEx packages with blocks of cash to be shipped to customers around the country.

Soon the demand for dinars grew to the point that Canavan was making trips to the Middle East every 10 days or so, bringing back more money each time. And with every trip, as he settled into a routine, things got hairier. “Too many people got familiar with me,” he says, “so I started moving around, checking into different hotels and keeping bags of my clothes there.” One of these bags, he says, was lost last year to a terrorist attack. Canavan learned about the bombing of Amman’s Grand Hyatt hotel while watching TV in Boston. A large part of the hotel’s façade had been blown away, and he could see his favorite stool, at the end of the U-shaped bar, where he would sit while waiting for the men with whom he made his exchanges. Fifty-seven people died in that and two near-simultaneous attacks, but it wasn’t bombs Canavan worried about.

“I’m out of my element there,” he says. “I had no support system. I’m putting my trust in people I never met.”

When asked how he’d made his contacts for these exchanges, Canavan says, “That’s an area that…” And then, “That’s an area…” In other words, he’s not telling. By far the riskiest part of the dinar trade is getting the money out of Iraq—“It’s difficult to even imagine the job,” Canavan says. “It’s like a suicide run.” It’s also the shadiest part, in legal terms. It isn’t illegal to sell dinars in America, or doesn’t appear to be—the Department of the Treasury merely recommends that Americans “[use] caution before purchasing Iraqi currency”—but Iraqi law makes it quite clear that money taken in and out of the country is supposed to be for personal use only.

Perhaps for this reason, or perhaps because of the risks involved, Iraqi money-runners go to extreme lengths to keep a low profile—you hear stories of people spiriting cash across the border in truck tires or fake gas tanks, or strapped to their chests like suicide belts. However the money got to his hotel room, Canavan knew these were serious people he was dealing with. He knew, too, that people have had their throats slit for far less money than he was holding, in much nicer neighborhoods.

When the moneymen came, there would be three of them: the boss and two armed guards. After a few perfunctory greetings, Canavan would scan the Iraqi notes and count out the dollars, and the guys would leave. Soon afterward he’d have to get to the airport. That was the worst part, he says—bouncing around in the back of a beat-up Mercedes, two large duffel bags beside him, two armed strangers up front, the sun dipping behind the rooftops. It was the perfect setting, like something out of a movie, for an ambush.

“One time, I noticed two younger guys getting into cars at the same time,” he says. “They leave the parking lot at the same time. You become aware of your routes—any deviation is, ‘Okay, why are you going this way?’”

Occasionally, Canavan would be jolted out of his unhappy reverie by his cell phone. “I never told anyone in my family that I was doing this. My parents in particular. They’re older and I think the strain would have been too much,” he says. “It’s funny—I’d be in a car late at night in the middle of nowhere, one of those high-stress situations, and my mother would call and say, ‘How’re you doing?’ And I’d say, ‘Ah, things are okay, same
old, same old.’”

Last year, not long after the bombings in Jordan, Canavan finally hired security contractors to handle his Middle East transactions (he won’t say who). According to at least one security professional, the move may have saved his life. Asked if he thinks it’s okay for amateurs to do these money swaps, the guy from Templar Titan, not a mild-mannered type to begin with, adopts the tone a drill sergeant would use with a recruit who’s holding his rifle the wrong way round. “No way! No way!” he barks. “All our guys are SEAL veterans. My guys are very aggressive males who served a long time. If you aren’t trained, you’re putting yourself in a bad situation. Al Qaeda watches those banks, they see the same guy go in for six months and then hit.”

For whatever reasons, Canavan managed to escape the attentions of the jihadists. Today the main threat to his livelihood comes from rival traders. There are now hundreds of people delivering billions of dinars to thousands of clients across the United States. Many traders, like Canavan, have their own slick websites, while minor players do the bulk of their business on eBay. Canavan’s dinars aren’t the cheapest on the market—he sells his for around $800 per million, $50 more than his lowest rivals’—but he insists the extra cost is warranted. “I have an infrastructure,” he says. “I have insurance and an office.”
All the same, Canavan’s aware that many look at his operation and think scam or, worse, terrorist funding. “Iraqi bank notes in Ohio?” he says. “There must be something nefarious going on.”

From the beginning, Canavan made an effort to overcome this perception. Unlike most traders, he works strictly on a cash-on-delivery basis. He has a 24-hour call center, for people with questions or concerns. Even the name of his company—Dartmouth Capital—has a ring of Brahmin circumspection to it. Canavan also refuses to employ Barnum-like sales tactics. “Some of my competitors have pictures on their sites of people being served cocktails on a yacht, or they talk about how the dinar is going to skyrocket,” he says. “I steer clear of that. You hear people who’ve bought a million dinar talking about renting a private jet. We tell people all the time, ‘You clearly need to go do your homework. This is not a given. This is a risk.’”

The approach seems to be working. Every day, dozens of phone orders come into Canavan’s answering system. The people on the line have Texas accents, or Kansas, or West Virginia, and they ask for their dinars in matter-of-fact tones, as if ordering groceries: “I’d like three million, please, in 25,000-dinar bills.” Some of the callers are women, a few sound elderly, and it’s a strange thing to imagine these people sitting in their modest homes in small-town America, waiting for their wads of Iraqi bank notes to arrive.

Not long ago, the Internet buzzed with rumors that Donald Trump had sunk $30 million into the Iraqi dinar. The fact is, most serious investors wouldn’t touch the stuff. Those who do are generally average joes, people who plow no more than a few thousand into their portfolios. The abiding hope among such investors is that as stability returns to Iraq, its currency will be revalued—perhaps even reach parity with the dollar. If that happens, the Nebraska housewife with 800 bucks’ worth of bank notes stashed beneath her bed would wake up a millionaire. It’s this, the possibility of an abrupt and staggering windfall, that keeps people coming back for more.

As a model for what they hope will happen to their holdings, these speculators point to the Kuwaiti dinar, which was valued at around $3 before the Gulf War, slipped below 10 cents at its lowest, and has since climbed past its prewar rate. The new Iraqi currency has a lot more ground to make up—it’s been trading at less than one-tenth of a cent—and investors will tell you, at least initially, they’d be satisfied with even a modest increase in worth. “I’ve paid $3,500 out of my pocket; $5,000 is where I draw the line,” says Bryan, a 41-year-old heating and air-conditioning engineer in Pennsylvania who counts himself a moderate investor. “I’m not one of those guys saying I want tens of millions of dollars. If the dinar went to a penny, I’d be happy.” Of course, he wouldn’t mind if it didn’t stop there. “I think it may exceed one-to-one,” Bryan says, referring to the much-fantasized-about dollar-for-a-dinar exchange rate. “There’s a real possibility that they might bring the dinar back to what it was before 1980.”

In 1980, thanks to some creative bookkeeping by Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dinar was worth almost as much as a Kuwaiti note is now. If the dinar did reach those levels again, Bryan would stand to make about $13 million. A lot of money, sure, but peanuts compared with the payday facing Bob, 50, a government contractor in California and one of Canavan’s best customers. “I’ve purchased close to 200 million dinars, along with friends and family,” Bob says, adding, “For years we’ve been spending all this money for gas. I’m just getting my gas money back.” And then some: Pre-1980 rates would net Bob and his little consortium $600 million, give or take.

Canavan, to his credit, scoffs at such projections. “If that happened,” he says, “you’d have garbage men from Tikrit living in the Hamptons.”

During one of our conversations, out of the blue, Canavan hands me a 25,000-dinar note. “It’s worth 20 bucks,” he says. “Take it.” The note is deep pink, with swashes of orange and green. On the front is a woman holding a sheaf of wheat, smiling in a well-fed way; on the back is the image of Hammurabi, the Babylonian king said to have written the world’s first code of law. Surrounding the king is a mythical menagerie: a serpent, two unicorns, and what appears to be some kind of big cat, possibly eating someone. It’s exquisite, a little work of art, but my eyes keep wandering to the figure in the corner: 25,000. If the dinar goes to a penny, that’s a new suit. If it goes to a dollar, a nice car. Three bucks gets me the down payment on a house.

The note is larger than an American bill. Flap it back and forth, and it makes a satisfying clicking noise. Hold it up to the light, and a horse-head watermark appears. This, too, is part of its allure—where those with a stake in other currencies are confined to looking at numbers on a screen, dinar speculators can take their money out and count it, hold it, sniff it, roll around naked in it if they please.

Dinar speculators tend to fetishize their investment. “My gut, my feelings, my intuition, my faith, my confidence tells me this is going to be a winner,” wrote one speculator recently, on one of the many online message boards devoted to the currency. As these sites make clear, there’s an emotional element to all this, an intertwining of patriotism and a yearning for personal gain: One minute people will be writing about how they’re helping to shore up the U.S. effort in Iraq, the next they’re drooling about speedboats and beachfront villas. News stories are deconstructed for clues to the dinar’s direction. Capricious inside information—tips from a cousin’s mechanic’s next-door neighbor’s dentist’s accountant who has a friend of a friend in the Iraqi government—is swapped freely. There is hardly a single aspect of Iraqi life that doesn’t get picked apart by the people who meet in these forums.

“It becomes an obsession. It’s a very addictive thing,” says Bryan, the Pennsylvania investor. “You put a pile of drugs in front of an addict, and he’s going to go crazy.”

In June, investors celebrated the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which, for many, heralded the onset of stability in Iraq. A month later, they recoiled in horror as the country’s finance minister raised the possibility of the dreaded “triple zero lop,” an act that would cut the value of a 25,000-dinar bill to 25 dinars, which would probably require the printing of new bank notes, which would leave investors holding, as one pessimist put it, “toilet paper.” “Get your money back,” responded another, “and run for the hills!” This isn’t as easy as it sounds. You can indeed go to a bank to cash in your dinars, but—and here’s the thing—you have to go to Fallujah to do it. Right now, Iraqi currency is worthless outside Iraq, unless you sell it on eBay.

To critics, the fact that the dinar’s resale value relies on the enthusiasm of other speculators makes it little more than a collectible—or worse, the central element in an elaborate pyramid scheme. Jeffrey Frankel, a Harvard economics professor, calls the activity “pretend currency trading.” “I’ve received a large number of e-mails from people saying, ‘I understand you’re an expert on Iraq. Do you have any views? Can you advise me?’” he says. “I get the feeling that all these people doing this shouldn’t be. They’re little people, they don’t know what they’re doing, and they’re going to lose a lot of money.”

The offices of Dartmouth Capital are anonymous and drab, with the colorless carpets and clunky desks favored by auto insurance brokers. And that’s exactly the effect Canavan’s going for. Even back in Boston, he keeps his head down. He stores his currency in a vault in New York, the kind employing redundant security features and handprint identification technology. “You’d need a small army to get at the place we keep it,” he says, showing me a photo of a thick steel door that has swung open to reveal a sizable stack of pink bank notes. It’s a fitting image, underscoring the point that the only people profiting from dinars right now are people like Bryan Canavan.

Since he went into business, Canavan has sold tens of millions of dollars’ worth of dinars. His current markup averages out to about 15 percent. So he’s grossed several million dollars in two years. But as with his office décor, Canavan’s personal spending reflects a kind of conspicuous conservation. There are no glistening Maybachs in his driveway, no gargantuan pinkie rings on his dresser. According to his friend Doug Bacon, Canavan’s simply not the type to go splashing his money around. “I would describe him as cautious,” he says. “He knows this is going to end. We’ve made a little money, but where do we go from here?”

How and when the dinar trade ends—and how Canavan’s future shapes up—depends on what happens in Iraq. “At some point,” he says, “the business as it exists now will be gone, and that time will be, God willing, when things settle down over there.” He adds, “If the dinar hit a penny, you’d never see a website close down so fast, because I’m stacked up pretty well.”

After the news breaks about the potential zero lop—the dramatic devaluation of the new Iraqi currency—I visit Canavan at his office, to see if he’s banging his head on his desk. He isn’t. In fact, he seems remarkably upbeat, even when outlining the potentially catastrophic implications for him and his business.

“They might lose $200 on a million dinars,” he says, referring to small-time investors, “but I’d lose hundreds and hundreds of thousands, because I own that money sitting in that vault. I’m knee-deep in this. Everything I’ve made in this company is in dinar.” If the lop led to the printing of an entirely new currency, Canavan could lose everything. He seems less alarmed by this possibility than…interested.

I ask Bacon about this, how this supposedly cautious, business-savvy guy could leave himself teetering on the edge of ruin. And not only that—how he could act so blasé about it, all that money, that toilet paper maybe, sitting in a high-tech vault in New York, after all that effort, all that risk, the bank in Amman, the paper bag, the Arab street, the moneymen, the paranoiac drive to the airport. “Bryan has entrepreneurial blood in his veins,” Bacon replies, sounding equally sanguine. “Where some people might see a problem, he sees an opportunity.” Maybe so, but you get the sense there’s something else going on here.

On the windowsill of Canavan’s office there is a tall, tapered blue bottle. It’s arak, he says, an Iraqi liqueur. He recalls sitting on the roof of a Jordanian hotel one night, drinking from a similar bottle, looking out across the palm fronds and minarets, puffing on a Cuban cigar. He describes the experience with a half smile, as if remembering a childhood camping trip. “It was an adventure,” he says. “I felt like James Bond.”

Today, a couple of years after quitting the teeth-whitening game, Canavan’s back to doing a desk job. He has to worry about things like Patriot Act compliance, turning away customers who won’t provide the necessary personal information, checking ID photos against order sheets. There are FedEx bills to pay, customs forms to fill in. Canavan guesses he spends up to 70 hours a week at work, and many more hours fretting about it. “This consumes me,” he says, sounding tired. “It follows me around.”

Then, as he stands to see me to the door, Canavan perks up again. Lately, he says, he’s been looking into a new business venture, one that promises to be quite interesting. If the zero lop does happen, investors across the United States will be looking to cut their losses—there will be “pandemonium,” a “mad scramble” to get billions of dinars back to Baghdad. It’ll be difficult work, chaotic, fraught with danger and uncertainty. Canavan is confident that he’d be the man for the job.

Originally published in Boston Magazine, October 2006.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 5, 2007 11:03 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Roger:

I know anything is possible, but have you given thought to the possibility that talk of a three zero lop is a calculated move on the part of the CBI or GoI.

Some speculators at hearing any mention of a zero lop will cut losses and diversify out of the currency. That currency is then bought back by the Central Bank further reducing the amount of Dinars in circulation.

I would be interested to know everyone's thoughts concerning my hypothesis.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 5, 2007 11:15 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(857)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 857 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Tuesday 2007/ 2/ 6 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 15 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1288 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 66.980.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 66.980.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) -----

-- February 6, 2007 5:02 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.safedinar.com

Defense Chief Lists Iraq Benchmarks, Says U.S. Not Targeting Iran
2/5/2007

Gates sees overlapping conflicts in Iraq, recommends new Pacific commander

By Vince Crawley
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington - The United States is not planning a war against Iran and believes the current diplomatic process is getting results, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said February 2.

Gates also told Pentagon reporters that he does not see a classic civil war in Iraq but, instead, four separate overlapping conflicts.

In addition, Gates outlined benchmarks the Iraqi government should meet for continued U.S. military support. He said he is recommending that President Bush nominate Admiral Timothy Keating to be the new chief of U.S. Pacific Command, which oversees military forces in East Asia. Keating currently leads Northern Command, responsible for North America.

“With respect to Iran,” Gates said, “the president has made clear; the secretary of state has made clear; I’ve made clear … we are not planning for a war with Iran.”

Speculation about U.S. motives against Iran has grown in recent weeks due to the deployment of a second aircraft carrier battle group to the Gulf, as well as a crackdown on militant networks in Iraq that has resulted in the apprehension of some Iranian operatives, Gates said.

The secretary said he ordered the second carrier to the Gulf to underscore to allies and potential adversaries that the United States continues to view stability in the region as a vital national interest. He added that recent coalition operations in Iraq have found evidence of Iranian involvement in explosively formed projectiles, or EFPs, found in sophisticated roadside bombs that can penetrate thick armor and even destroy an M1 Abrams main battle tank.

Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefing reporters with Gates, said U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq are not targeting any specific nationalities as they attempt to unravel and eliminate networks that conduct roadside-bomb attacks.

“We are working day and night to disassemble these networks,” Pace said, focusing exclusively on the enemy and not on nationality. “It is instructive,” he added, “that at least twice in the last month … we have picked up Iranians.” (See related article.)

However, Gates said he did not know if the Iranian government has been involved in the actions of its nationals inside Iraq.

Besides trying to eliminate Iranian explosive threats in Iraq, the United States is working with the international community to address the Iranian government’s program to enrich weapons-grade uranium. “We are trying to get them to stop their nuclear enrichment,” Gates said. “We are doing [that] strictly through the diplomatic process. It seems to be showing some progress. … The diplomatic process is working.”

FOUR OVERLAPPING CONFLICTS IN IRAQ

Discussing the ongoing violence in Iraq, Gates said the desire by some to label it a “civil war” actually oversimplifies an extremely complex series of overlapping conflicts.

“I believe there are essentially four wars going on in Iraq,” Gates said. “One is Shia on Shia, principally in the south. The second is sectarian conflict, principally in Baghdad, but not solely. The third is the insurgency [targeting the Iraqi government and coalition forces]. The fourth is al-Qaida. And al-Qaida is attacking, at times, all of those targets.”

The United States already has deployed one of the five combat brigades announced by President Bush on January 10 as part of a “surge” in American forces that will send an additional 21,500 troops, primarily to Baghdad. (See related article.)

However, Gates said, the United States is supporting a comparable increase in Iraqi forces, and he briefly described some of the “benchmarks” the Iraqi government should meet to fulfill its agreements as part of the surge strategy.

The Iraq government has agreed to deploy Iraqi brigades into Baghdad neighborhoods, and each of these brigades will be supported by a U.S. battalion. Gates said that performance benchmarks for the Iraqi units include: “Are the brigades showing up? Are they showing up reasonably on time? Are they showing up in the numbers that they need to be showing up? Are the politicians staying out of the decisions on which neighborhoods to go into? … Are the security forces allowed to go into all the neighborhoods where there are lawbreakers?”

Gates also told reporters that he is recommending Admiral Keating to replace Admiral William Fallon, who has headed the Pacific Command in Hawaii for the past two years. Fallon has been nominated to serve as the new chief of the U.S. Central Command. (See related article.)

Keating’s past service includes commanding the Navy aircraft carrier group based in Yokosuka, Japan, and the Navy’s 5th Fleet in the Gulf.

A transcript of the Gates-Pace briefing is available on the Defense Department Web site.

For more information on U.S. policies, see Iraq Update

Defense Chief Lists Iraq Benchmarks, Says U.S. Not Targeting Iran - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 6, 2007 9:10 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.safedinar.com

U.S. takes initial steps toward Baghdad crackdown
2/5/2007

By Associated Press
Monday, February 5, 2007 - Updated: 05:11 PM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Bombings and mortar attacks killed dozens across Baghdad on Monday as Iraqi troops set up new checkpoints and an Iraqi general took command _ indications that the much-awaited operation to restore peace to the capital is gearing up nearly a month after it was announced.

With little sign of an end to the carnage, many Iraqis have begun complaining that the security drive has been too slow in starting, allowing extremists free rein to launch spectacular attacks that have killed nearly 1,000 in the past week.

Monday’s death toll supported their frustration. At least 74 people were killed or found dead across the country _ all but seven of them in Baghdad.

Iraqi politicians _ Shiite and Sunni alike _ urged the government to speed up implementation of the plan, which President Bush announced Jan. 11. The operation would put thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops on the street to protect civilians against sectarian bombers and death squads.

In a sign that the crackdown is near, Iraqi troops manned a major new checkpoint Monday at the northern gate to Baghdad, searching cars and trucks heading to and from Sunni insurgent areas to the north. Soldiers and police said the checkpoint was set up as part of the security plan.

Elsewhere, Rahim al-Daraji, a senior official in Sadr City, said police were already moving into the capital’s sprawling Shiite slum, stronghold of the notorious Mahdi Army militia.

And Lt. Gen. Abboud Gambar, who will direct the operation, took charge of his still-unfinished command center Monday in a former Saddam Hussein palace located inside the American-controlled Green Zone.

Gambar, who was taken prisoner by U.S. troops in the 1991 Gulf War, will have two Iraqi deputies, one on each side of the Tigris River, which flows through the center of the capital. The city will be divided into nine districts, each with as many as 600 U.S. soldiers to back up Iraqi troops who will take the lead in the security drive.

In announcing the plan, Bush said he was sending 21,500 additional American troops mostly to Baghdad in what is widely seen as a last chance to quell the sectarian violence ravaging the capital and surrounding regions.

About 3,000 paratroopers from the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Iraq in late January and were expected to begin operations in the coming days. But the last of the U.S. reinforcements are not due until May.

With so much at stake, U.S. commanders have moved methodically to plan the operation and assemble the force, eager to avoid the mistakes that accompanied two failed crackdowns last year.

The U.S. military considers the operation to have been under way ever since Bush signed the order last month to start moving troops to Iraq. U.S. officers offered assurances that once the operation gets rolling, Iraqis will begin to see a difference.

”It’s going to be much more than this city has ever seen and it’s going to be a rolling surge,” Col. Douglass Heckman, the senior adviser to the 9th Iraqi Army Division, said of the operation.

Monday’s slaughter killed 15 people in back-to-back car bombings at a gasoline station in Sadiyah, a mostly Sunni neighborhood of southwestern Baghdad, police said. Eight people were killed when a bomb exploded in a garbage can in a Sunni enclave in central Baghdad, according to police.

Four mortar shells exploded about sundown in a Shiite part of Dora, killing seven people, police said.

The U.S. military reported the deaths of two American soldiers, both killed on Sunday north of Baghdad.

With violence roiling the capital, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has come under strong pressure from fellow Shiite politicians to speed up the operation because most of the recent victims of Baghdad attacks have been Shiites.

They were joined in their appeal by Iraq’s Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashimi, who said the government needs to move fast ”because people cannot tolerate ... this sort of chaos and the killing around the clock.”

”I am very much interested in fact to speed up the implementation of this plan in fact,” al-Hashimi told the British Broadcasting Corp. Two of his brothers and one sister were assassinated last year in separate unsolved murders.

U.S. officials believe the previous crackdowns faltered because the Iraqis were unable to bring enough of their own troops to the capital. Some units in southern Iraq refused orders to move to Baghdad.

This time, the Iraqis have promised up to 8,000 new troops, including well-trained Kurdish units from the north.

While Iraqi units have been arriving on schedule, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week they were at only 55 to 65 percent strength and that ”probably isn’t good enough.”

”There is no specified time for starting the security plan, but preparations and deployment of the forces including the checkpoints inside and surrounding Baghdad has begun,” Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zobaie told Al-Jazeera television.

Al-Zobaie, a Sunni, said the government had great hopes for the success of the security plan although the Iraqi military contribution would be ”less than expected.”

Public anger, especially among Shiites, has welled up since a huge truck bomb Saturday devastated the Sadriyah market in a mostly Shiite part of central Baghdad, killing 137 people. It was the fifth major bombing in less than a month against Shiite targets in Baghdad and southern Iraq.

Such attacks have discredited Iraqi security forces at a time when the government is urging people to put their trust in the army and police _ rather than sectarian militias.

Under American pressure, Shiite politicians persuaded radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to pull his Mahdi militiamen off the streets to avoid a confrontation with the Americans.

But many Shiites complain that the move effectively handed the streets to Sunni extremists before U.S. and Iraqi forces were ready to assume control.

”This delay in the implementation of the security plan is not good and has had negative consequences for Iraqis,” said Falah Hassan, a spokesman for al-Sadr’s movement. ”We demand that the plan be executed as soon as possible because the terrorists are going too far in their vicious attacks.”

In Washington, Bush said he understood that the Iraqis are eager to see improvements in security.

”We’d like to do it as quickly as possible,” he said. ”The success of that plan is going to depend upon the capacity and willingness of the Iraqis to do hard work. We want to help them do that work.”

U.S. takes initial steps toward Baghdad crackdown - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 6, 2007 9:18 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.safedinar.com

Bush: Iraq understands need for security
2/5/2007

By BEN FELLER, Associated Press WriterMon Feb 5, 11:37 AM ET

President Bush said Monday that anxiety about security in Baghdad is a not a bad thing because it means the Iraqi government understands it has the responsibility to protect its people.

"I appreciate the fact that the Iraqi government is anxious to get security inside the capital of their country," Bush said after meeting with his Cabinet at the White House.

"It's a good sign that there's a sense of concern and anxiety," the president added. "It means the government understands that it has a responsibility to protect their people. And we want to help them."

Bush said the buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq is aimed at giving the Iraqi government a window of time to make strides toward unity and peace.

"We'd like to do it as quickly as possible," he said. "The success of that plan is going to depend upon the capacity and willingness of the Iraqis to do hard work. We want to help them do that work."

Bush said the fact that Iraqi government officials are saying that it's time to implement the plan is a good step.

"It shows that they understand that now is the time to do the things necessary to protect their people," he said.

Violence raked Baghdad Monday as an Iraqi general took charge of the security operation in the capital and Iraqi police and soldiers manned new roadblocks — initial steps indicating the start of the long-anticipated joint operation with American forces to curb sectarian bloodshed.

A spokesman for the Sadr Movement, an important Shiite bloc in parliament, complained that the security crackdown had been too long in coming, especially given the series of bombings that have devastated mainly Shiite marketplaces over the past weeks.

Bush also rejected any notion that his new budget plan, released Monday, amounts to a timeline for the end of the war.

His budget calls for $145 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, down from the proposed $170 billion this year. It assumes that war spending will be down to $50 billion by 2009 — and zero beyond that.

"There will be no timetable set," Bush said. "And the reason why is because we don't want to send mixed signals to an enemy or to a struggling democracy or to our troops."

Bush sent a $2.90 trillion spending plan to the Democratic-controlled Congress, proposing a big increase in military spending, including billions more to fight the war in Iraq, while squeezing the rest of government to meet his goal of eliminating the deficit in five years.

"Our priority is to protect the American people. And our priority is to make sure that our troops have what it takes to do their job," Bush said.

Bush: Iraq understands need for security - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 6, 2007 11:02 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Maliki lashes at neighboring states sponsoring terrorism in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Jan 6 (KUNA) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki said Tuesday that Iraq would not passively watch some neighboring states interfering with its internal affairs urging Iraqi military leaders to hastily execute the new security plan.

"We hope our neighbors would be glad as we got rid of dictatorship, but obviously they prefer coexisting with dictatorship than with democracy," said Al-Maliki in a meeting with senior Iraqi military officials.

"They oppose democracy because they fear freedom would reach their countries," said Al-Maliki, who is also Iraq's Chief of General Staff.

Al-Maliki added that Iraqis were the front line in "the challenge against ignorance and terrorism that aims to defeat civilization," stressing that Iraq wanted to be an effective partner in the fight against global terrorism.

"We have fallen behind in the implementation of the new security plan, and this tardiness is sending a negative signal to Iraqi people," he said, noting that more delay would be used by Iraq enemies to undermine the people's confidence.

The new security plan, he said, would prove that Iraqis, especially security personnel, could rely on themselves and carry on their responsibilities.

Al-Maliki pledged that Iraqi security leaders would not be subjected to blackmail or political oppression. "We will not allow anyone to weaken our leaderships this time. Act with freedom in light of the obligations we assumed.

The Iraqi prime minister expressed optimism for the new security plan, asserting that its success would "silence those who ambush us from outside our borders."

http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=949686

-- February 6, 2007 12:19 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Basically, this article says that the US had cooperation from abroad (SWIFT) to defend itself from future terrorist attacks at home and abroad by having banking cooperation concerning terrorist money moving around the world. Now, because of the NY Times, the US authorities no longer will have that information - jeopardizing the homeland of America as well as US operations abroad. Way to go (NOT), NY Times, as the picture published with this article says, "My PULITZER is all-important.. So I'll blab all the military secrets I can dig up. Good luck with that anti-terrorism thing!"

Sara.

===

The Price of Publishing Leaks: SWIFT Data Flow to U.S. Must Stop by April
Posted by Noel Sheppard on February 6, 2007 - 10:24.

In a huge blow to America’s ability to defend itself from future terrorist attacks both home and abroad, the European Central Bank has told SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, that it must halt the transfer of personal banking information to American authorities by April.

Hadn’t heard about this? Well, how could you? After all, according to Google and LexisNexis searches, the only major American media outlet to bother reporting this was, coincidentally and quite ironically, the New York Times.

For those that have forgotten, the Times first released information surrounding this top secret program on June 22, 2006, much to the dismay of the Bush administration and most right-thinking Americans.

The strategy was simple and effective: identify suspicious wire transfers of funds from suspicious sources to suspicious recipients, and one might be able to thwart the terror activity being planned while capturing or killing the participants.

Doesn’t that sound like a good strategy in a post-9/11 world?

Unfortunately for America, the New York Times and its executive editor Bill Keller felt that the public’s need to know about this program was much more important than keeping it secret. In fact, this was irrespective of whether the program was illegal, as Keller stated in a letter to his readers on June 25, 2006, that the strategy appeared not to violate any known laws.

In that letter, Keller also said that the Bush administration asked the Times not to reveal this information because it might jeopardize the viability of the program. Keller didn’t agree.. (and now) this counterterrorism program is about to go the way of the dodo...

http://newsbusters.org/node/10642

-- February 6, 2007 1:55 PM ∞

---

Interesting wrote:

CBNNews .com
David Brody --
Jan 31, 2007
Romney Shoots and Scores
"Jim Bopp, is the general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee and he's endorsing Mitt Romney. ... "This is a big deal folks. Let me give you an analogy. It's like if you were competing against a half dozen players to become the starting point guard on your college basketball team (read: President of the United States) and Magic Johnson came out and said 'I want this guy as my starting point guard'. Well, people would take notice. And when you bring Jim Bopp in as your 'Magic Johnson', you've just dunked in the face of your opponents. This would be called a 'political facial'. Since day one, Romney has been pulling all the right levers." ...

-- February 6, 2007 10:38 PM ∞

---

Interesting wrote:

Power Line
Joel Mowbray (via Scott Johnson) --
Jan 28, 2007
Joel Mowbray reports: The case for Romney
"Of all the speakers this past week at the Herzliya Conference, Israel's premier counterterrorism and security gathering, no one dazzled 'em like presidential candidate Mitt Romney ... As anyone who's seen Romney knows, he cuts an impressive physical presence, he's charming and can deliver a hokey line with the best of them. What I had not seen from him before, though, was any real indication that he had more than a passing knowledge of foreign policy or a decent handle on the global struggle in which we are engaged. After what I witnessed, however, it's hard not to be a Romney cheerleader. What was most extraordinary was how clearly Romney articulated the nature of the common enemy Israel and the United States both face. It was, by far, the most remarkable speech on the topic given by an American politician of either party, on television or in person ..."

-- February 6, 2007 10:40 PM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(858)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 858 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 2/ 7 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 13 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1288 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 60.835.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 60.835.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 7, 2007 5:01 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N.

I can see you have had some serious thoughts about the possibility of a zero loop, as well as I have. Well glad some one else can see the possible threat also, but it is worrysome to have this threat over the head.

I wouldn't know if I would categorize this as being either pessimistic or optimistic, I'm just connecting the dots.

I would say, that right now the Dinar is going through it's biggest crisis since it was introduced.

The Dinar was not touched for a long time, but recently the Iraqis finally got the idea that they can do something with their currency, and immediately the dreaded zero loop argument resurfaced.

The Dinar is just in the zone where, if a zero loop would take place, would be an ideal place.

Around 1000 to 1 and it will be a comparable easy task to do that operation.

Yes, the Dinar have a very big spread, and a zero loop would overlap existing currencies, but this also gives an advantage to the zero loop advocates, in that they don't have to reprint the whole inventory of the currency, and only ad few additional face values.

If this is a ruse, to make investors fold, and call it quits, in a scare to make them cash in and in that way send more of the Dinars back to the coffers of CBI, I don't think so, it may be, but in that case the zero loop would be much more announced than just a loose slip of the tongue from a Finance Minister.

Very few seemed to even noticed.

The Dinar will change in one form or the other, value in slow or quick revaluation, or change in face value such in a zero loop or a combination of it all, but all in all it will go up in value, on that point I'm not worried, as even with a zero loop, the intended goal is ONE Dinar to ONE Dollar.

From there the Dinar have probably a clime still to 4 maybe 5 Dollars, in time.

4 or 5 times the investment in my money, I'll take it, it wont be millions, but still I'm happy with the return.

I hope the zero loop wont happen, but as the talk goes, that's the problem.

What especially disturbs me in that case, is the possibility of a time limit currency exchange.

Dealers will get my profit that I have earned so far, in doing an exchange, as I am not aware of any other place to exchange the currency other than in Iraq. If banks will do it here, is questionable.

That is my worry.

Seeing these zero loop comments, together with a snail pace value increase of the Dinar, plus a comment from the Fiance Minister that he hope that within three to four years the Dinar will have it's former value back, I start to see the very real possibility that that action is what they are planning.

If the Dinar would go to it's former value in four years, then they need to raise the value with about 0.80 cents to $1.00 per year starting yesterday.

That's not what they are doing, not if you talk about setting the Dinar to about 1260 by the middle of the year, and hopefully get it to 1000 to 1, later on.

They are doing something else here.

Of course, it leaves the door open for doing the right thing, just a plain vanilla RV, one day the dinar is worth a couple of cents, 50 cents, a buck or something similar.

By the nature of doing that, action, it has to be a lot of secrecy around that action, to stem currency gauging, and unlawful currency trading. So if the currency would RV, we wouldn't know it until it is announced.

The RV could have been done long long ago, and just the fact that they have not seen that opportunity, and are instead talking about doing complex actions with the Dinar in the near future, make me wonder where we actually are going to end up with this currency.

I would still go and get them, it IS going up in one way or the other.

As long as it is going up in value, this is a positive.

I think it can be taken as a negative, because in the zero loop scenario you "only" get 4 or 5 times the investment if you wait long enough.

If you are expecting millions, well from that perspective it could be viewed as a negative.

Either way it's going up.

-- February 7, 2007 6:07 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Fiance Minister?

-- February 7, 2007 7:23 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

posted to dinartrade.com

$338 Million Japanese Loan for Basra Water Project
Municipality and Public Works Ministry concluded an agreement with Japan Bank delegation for international cooperation to gain an simplified loan to carry out the project of desalination water in Basra province.

An authorized source at the ministry said that, signing of the agreement came after carrying out a negotiation held lately in Amman, showing that the agreement resulted donating a simplified loan out of $ 338 M for the mentioned project.

He added that the ministry faineance and carry out the main phrases in the project presenting of the opposite osmosis capacity of 6000 cubic meter in hour, pointing that the government finance the project within %25 of the whole cost of the project.

Source: Al-Sabaah

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 7, 2007 9:58 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

posted to www.safedinar.com

Gates considering next steps in Iraq
2/6/2007

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 22 minutes ago

Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted Tuesday the increase in U.S. forces in Iraq is "not the last chance" to succeed and conceded he's considering what steps to take if the buildup doesn't work.

"I would be irresponsible if I weren't thinking about what the alternatives might be," Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Gates was grilled on the war as the full Senate remained stalled over Democratic leaders' efforts to begin a debate over President Bush's course for Iraq.

Gates did not say what other options he was considering if the addition of 21,500 troops fails to control the violence in Baghdad and western Anbar province, where the Sunni insurgency is based.

"We at this point are planning for success," he said.

Gates and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to assure lawmakers the additional troops pegged for Iraq will go there with sufficient equipment for the fight.

They said that a shortage of armored vehicles in one phase of operations will be remedied by July, and troops who need them will not be deployed from their compound in Iraq until the vehicles are supplied.

Republican Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record) of Virginia pressed Gates on the question of what happens if Bush's plan doesn't work. "I have to believe we're thinking beyond the Baghdad operation," the senator said.

"It is not the last chance," Gates replied.

Despite divisions over the troop buildup, lawmakers on the committee voted 16-0 to approve Adm. William Fallon's nomination to become top U.S. commander in the Middle East.

They also approved Gen. George Casey, who has been the top U.S. general in Iraq, as the next Army chief of staff, on a 14-3 vote. Both nominations must be approved by the full Senate.

Negotiations on how to move forward on the full Senate debate were playing out alongside an emerging struggle over Bush's $624.6 billion request in defense spending.

The spending request marks the first time Bush has offered an estimate of how much the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost a year in advance.

Gates spoke a day after Bush sent Congress a proposed budget that includes nearly $142 billion for war costs for the next budget year starting Oct. 1. That would bring total spending on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the armed forces' worldwide efforts against terrorism to a massive $662 billion.

Gates acknowledged the "sticker shock" but said military spending is consuming less national wealth than during the Vietnam and Korean conflicts and after the Cold War.

A procedural vote Monday sidetracked debate on a resolution stating Senate opposition to the buildup. Most Democrats and several Republicans favor the nonbinding resolution, and Senate leaders sought to put the debate back on track.

"The president must hear from Congress, so he knows he stands in the wrong place — alone," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev.

The measure, if passed, would be a stinging critique of Bush's decision to deepen the U.S. military commitment in Iraq.

Republicans denied assertions that they were trying to block a vote on the measure. They said they were seeking fair rules and consideration of a GOP alternative measure.

"As far as stalling, we've got a week here where we can have a full debate," said Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss. "But we insist on it being a full debate and a fair one."

The two political parties were at odds after Democrats refused to give equal consideration during the debate to a Republican proposal by Sen. Judd Gregg (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire, which would protect the money for troops in combat.

While Democrats are largely supportive of the Gregg measure, they want to limit debate to only two proposals: one by Warner that states opposition to the troop buildup; and another by Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., that would support the president's position.

Several leading Democrats have endorsed Warner's measure, including Sens. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) of Illinois and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, but many Republicans were reluctant to say how they would vote. Sens. John Sununu (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire, George Voinovich (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski (news, bio, voting record) of Alaska and Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania were each considered GOP wild cards in the vote.

Gates considering next steps in Iraq - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 7, 2007 10:01 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Remember Paul Bremer? In this article, he is testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Bremer: Oversight improving on billions in Iraq aid
2/6/2007

Updated 2/6/2007 12:14 PM ET

By Matt Kelley, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Iraq's government has a "primitive" financial system that leaves it susceptible to fraud and abuse, but oversight of funds is improving, a key figure in use of U.S. funds in the region told Congress this morning.
Paul Bremer, the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, is testifying this morning before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the billions of dollars his agency spent in Iraq. It is his first appearance on Capitol Hill since he left office more than two years ago.

Bremer said prewar spending planning was inadequate and took responsibility for spending mistakes by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). But he defended his decision to funnel cash through Iraqi ministries, saying there was no other way to quickly get funds to Iraqis.

"It was not a perfect solution, but there are no perfect solutions in Iraq," he said.

Stuart Bowen, the U.S. special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, told the panel the CPA did little or nothing to ensure the Iraqi ministries were spending the money properly.

"More should have been done to find out what the Iraqi ministries were doing with the $8.8 billion," Bowen saidl. The $8.8 billion were Iraqi government funds the United Nations sent to the CPA as the de facto government of Iraq.

The hearing is part of the examination of the Bush administration's conduct in Iraq that Democrats promised after regaining control of Congress.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is a longtime critic of the administration's handling of the Iraq war and reconstruction contracts. As head of the committee, Waxman has the power to force officials to testify and hand over documents, as well as to decide what the panel will investigate.

The panel also will hold hearings this week on allegations of price gouging by contractors and mismanagement by the Department of Homeland Security.

The stakes are high. Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania and other Democrats have criticized the reconstruction effort in Iraq as wasteful, suggesting that the money would be better spent to rebuild New Orleans or improve military readiness at home.

Republicans warned Democrats today about potential grandstanding. "Self-righteous finger wagging and political scapegoating won't make Iraq any more secure," said the panel's top Republican, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia.

The president's 2008 budget proposal presented to Congress on Tuesday requests $3.4 billion in reconstruction funds, but Democratic leaders have said they would closely scrutinize the administration's spending requests for Iraq.

The committee cannot directly punish wrongdoing but can refer possible criminal conduct to prosecutors, publicize the faults and propose legislation to fix the problems.

The panel's hearing today will scrutinize spending and oversight by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which ruled Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004.

Audits by the United Nations and the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction found the provisional authority under Bremer couldn't properly account for the billions of dollars it spent. Bremer has responded that he and other CPA officials did the best they could in dangerous and chaotic post-invasion Iraq.

The inspector general, Stuart Bowen, also is scheduled to testify. Two years ago, his office found that the provisional authority never released spending guidelines and relied on a questionable Iraqi bureaucracy in spending the $8.8 billion allocated under U.N. auspices. As a result, the report said, there was no assurance that the money was spent on legitimate projects.

Last week, Bowen reported to Congress that corruption and mismanagement continue to plague Iraqi ministries, and the sectarian violence there threatens to undo the rebuilding efforts.

That report also highlighted audits finding waste and mismanagement of hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. government money, including a Baghdad police academy with serious construction defects and a State Department police training program that paid more than $48 million for a training camp that was never used but included an Olympic-size swimming pool.

Bremer: Oversight improving on billions in Iraq aid - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 7, 2007 10:04 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq reclaims its overdue debts on Yemen and other countries (www.iraqupdates.com)

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

07 February 2007 (Iraq Directory)
Print article Send to friend
The Iraqi government revealed today its constant work for collecting Iraqi money owed to it by Yemen other countries of the world.

A brief statement by government said that "the Iraqi Ministry of Finance continues its work to get Iraq's dues from Yemen, Bangladesh and Mozambique”.

The statement added: "The Ministry of Finance is making actual moves on these borrowers, through the Iraqi External Development Fund, to collect Iraq’s dues from them".

Also, the Ministry is participating in the membership of the operations room associated to the Committee of Restoring Iraqi funds abroad within its attempts in this context.

The government did not reveal the size of the funds owed to Iraq In these countries, or the nature and history of lending.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 7, 2007 10:08 AM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

Roger: If there is a zero loop at let's say for all intents and purposes, the current exchange rate of 1288, a 25k note is worth $19.41, if they loped off 3 zeros, would the new 25 dinar note be worth $19.41, or if you divided the 1288 into the 25 dinar note would be $1.29. . .I'm thoroughly lost. . .P.H.

-- February 7, 2007 11:19 AM ∞

---

Madbrad wrote:

interesting snippet!

Normalization Process in Kirkuk Takes Shape

07/02/2007
By Ma'ad Fayad

London, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Kurdistan National Assembly Speaker (KNA), Adnan Mufti disclosed that over 7,000 Arab families, who the former regime had used as a means to change the demographic map of Kirkuk with a policy of deliberate Arabization of the city, have decided to return to their places of origin in return for a generous compensation in accordance with Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution relating to the normalization of the situation in the multi-ethnic city. Deputy speaker of the KNA, Kamal Kirkuki spoke in Arbil (350 km north of Baghdad) and said that “the number of Arab families currently residing in Kirkuk who have registered their names in preparation for their return to their places of origin comes to 4,007 families.”

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat from his Abril office in a phone interview yesterday, Mufti said, “a plot of residential land and a grant of 20 million Iraqi Dinars (IQD – the equivalent of approximately US $15,000), in addition to compensation that will be paid to all citizens returning to their original cities. Their possessions in Kirkuk will be valued at generous prices and will not be undermined,” furthermore reaffirming that, “there will be no coercive action taken, it will all be legal and in accordance with Article 130 of the Iraqi constitution.” He explained that, “the city of Kirkuk and the rest of Iraqi Kurdistan’s cities are open to all Iraqis to live and settle in. They are Iraqi cities and every Iraqi citizen has the right to reside in the place of their choice provided that it does not alter the demographic map. Evidence of this is that there are thousands of Arab families residing in Kurdistan’s cities, however these families did not come with the implementation of polices such as the aforementioned, or with Arabization intentions and other such polices that the former regime had practiced.”

Mufti affirmed that “the process is fully constitutional and does not flout any laws, and that the families that want to return to their original cities are the ones who approached with their requests and that there were no coercive measures taken.” He strongly negated, “that there were Kurdish families, Iraqi or otherwise, that have been repopulated in Kirkuk.” He added that, “there are rumors circulating from unreliable sources claiming the existence of Iraqi, Iranian and Turkish Kurds that have been relocated to Kirkuk with the purpose of using them in the referendum. I challenge any party to present us with a name that comes from outside of Kirkuk and that doesn’t belong to one of the city’s original residents. We face the problem that there are Turkmen and native Kurds to Kirkuk who are living in Abril and Sulaimaniya who refuse to return to Kirkuk because of its security situation, and are moreover requesting compensation and financial privileges to return once again to their homes.”

The speaker of the KNA confirmed that the Kurdisatni parliament and government, “will respect any decision taken by the citizens of Kirkuk after the execution of the process of normalization, census and referendum, meaning, after the implementation of Article 140 with all that it entails if the citizens opt against joining the region of Kurdistan,” he added, “According to the attested historical documents and maps, Kirkuk is part of the map of the Kurdistani region and if we now consider the region to be comprised of three provinces, after the referendum it will be included in the map of the region, in the case where its citizens decide upon that.

For his part, Kirkuki confirmed in a press conference in Abril with Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the “the registration of the names of families living in Kirkuk and the surrounding areas who had arrived and settled as a result of the former regime’s Arabization policy to change the city’s demography was still in progress,” without revealing the total number of Arab families that had settled in the multi-ethnic Kirkuk.

It should be noted that the Kurds are requesting that the oil-rich city be added to the Kurdistani region while the Turkmen and the Arabs oppose that.

The Supreme Committee in charge of implementing Article 140 of the constitution has decided last Sunday upon the necessity of “the return of the Arabs, who had come to reside in Kirkuk to their places of origin in central and southern Iraq, in addition to providing them with the appropriate financial compensation.”

The committee, headed by Iraqi Minister of Justice, Hashim al Shebli, has issued the decision to return the Arabs who had arrived in Kirkuk and transfer their ration cards, and that they may return to their old jobs in their places of origin, in addition to giving them a plot of residential land and IQD 20 million. Kirkuki confirmed that “the execution of the resolution is binding and no one is capable of standing in the way of its implementation,” while Turkmen member of the committee, Tahseen Kahya said, “the resolution is optional, not compulsory.”

Article 140 stipulates the “normalization and census and concludes with a referendum in Kirkuk and other disputed territories to determine the will of the citizens, to be implemented at a date no later than 31 December 2007.” Kirkuki warned those, “who believe they are capable of standing in the way of Article 140 from the remaining dissolved Baathist party and the perpetrators of the crime of Anfal [also known as Operation Anfal, the anti-Kurdish campaign led by Saddam Hussein’s Baathist Iraqi regime between 1986-89] that their fate will not be much better than those who led the al-Anfal campaign.”

More than 1,000 Arab figures, both Sunni and Shia participating in the fourth Arab conference have rejected this. The conference was held last Sunday in Kirkuk and was the largest one since the destruction of Iraq. During the conference, the threat of ‘resorting to violence’ in defense of the historical presence of Arabs in the city was voiced

-- February 7, 2007 12:21 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim Bitts, and board.. you will find this interesting..

I see in the news here..
If the strategy succeeds, they will draw down the troops..
but in the case it fails.. withdrawl as Tim Bitts said..
within Iraq to bases out of harm's way..
until they finish squabbling about Iraq between themselves.

Sara.

===

US could reposition troops if Iraq fails : Gates
Wednesday 07 February, 2007.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said he could envision circumstances in which the United States would "reposition" its forces in Iraq to get them out of harm's way.

In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gates went further than any administration official yet in discussing what the United States might do if its strategy to stabilize Iraq fails.

"I hate to get into hypotheticals, but I certainly can see circumstances in which we would, first of all, reposition our forces to take them -- to try to move them out of harm's way as much as possible and then see where we go from there," he said on Tuesday.

If the strategy succeeds in tamping down the violence and if the Iraqis move forward on political reconciliation, he said, "I would hope that we would be able to begin drawing down our troops later this year."

http://www.ddinews.gov.in/International/International+-+North+America/US+could+reposition+troops+if+Iraq.htm

-- February 7, 2007 1:32 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Interesting;

Mitt Romney has a few interesting political positions:

Personally against abortion, but pro-choice as governor:
For safe, legal abortion since relative's death from illegal:
Opposed gay marriage but played fair and upheld law:
Supports benefits for gay partners, but not gay marriage:
Schools can teach family values, but not religion or prayer:

Subsidies for health coverage for low-income individuals
Would require welfare recipients to work
Use both military & diplomatic actions to defeat Jihadists
Withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake

Faces questions on Mormonism like Kennedy did on Catholicism. (Apr 2006)
Values family, faith, education, sport, & healing. (Jun 2001)

http://senate.ontheissues.org/Mitt_Romney.htm

I do wonder that "Jim Bopp, the general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee says he's endorsing Mitt Romney" according to your post.. since Mr. Romney has been pro-choice as a governor and is for safe, legal abortion?? But Mr. Romney is also personally pro-life, that url says... and maybe a person who straddles the fence as Mr. Romney is doing can bring in the necessary votes to become the President, Mr. Bopp may believe? I would certainly choose Mr. Romney over Hillary or Obama, myself, in Mr. Jim Bopp's shoes. If the choices Mr. Jim Bopp sees are those two (Obama and Hillary - who are both totally pro-abortionists) or Mitt Romney (who has some moderation in his views toward pro-life), then I see his reasoning. Again, the choice is not between the perfect and imperfect, black and white.. but as to which is the lesser of two "evils" as far as the Pro-life movement is concerned, so far as I can see. Chances are the MSM will not be as greatly opposed to Mitt Romney's candidacy, since he is moderate on their liberal position on several key issues, so he may have fairer media coverage as well.

Thanks for posting it.

Sara.

-- February 7, 2007 2:05 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

David;

A humorous and ironic anecdote on Global Warming for you. (Dinar news not in this post.)

Of course, silencing dissent and honest and forthright scientific skepticism is par for the course in this supposedly rational, open and "scientific" age concerning "Global Warming". Question the consensus "Global Warming" advocates have come to? Much like the outrage of a past age which proclaimed, "How DARE you oppose our hypothesis that the earth is flat! We will remove you from your position and denounce you as a heretic.." no, wait, that was the Catholic Church in the "Dark Ages" - this time it is "we will remove you as State Climatologist if you don't toe the line of our dogma" and put in your place a puppet who will endorse all our opinions (scientific ones by decree, of course) .. by the secular robe wearing establishment.
We have come so very far.. haven't we?
The Enlightened Ones in power today are nothing like the persons of that past, dark age.. or are they?

Sara.

===

Global warming debate spurs Ore. title tiff
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
By VINCE PATTON, KGW Staff

In the face of evidence agreed upon by hundreds of climate scientists, George Taylor holds firm. He does not believe human activities are the main cause of global climate change.

Taylor also holds a unique title: State Climatologist.

“Most of the climate changes we have seen up until now have been a result of natural variations,” Taylor asserts.

His opinions conflict not only with many other scientists, but with the state of Oregon's policies. So the governor wants to take that title from Taylor and make it a position that he would appoint.

Taylor declined to comment on the proposal other than to say he was a "bit shocked" by the news. He recently engaged in a debate at O.M.S.I. and repeated his doubts about accepted science.

In an interview he told KGW, "There are a lot of people saying the bulk of the warming of the last 50 years is due to human activities and I don't believe that's true." He believes natural cycles explain most of the changes the earth has seen.

A bill will be introduced in Salem soon on the matter.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_020607_news_taylor_title.59f5d04a.html

Do you find it ironic that the politicians are dictating to the scientists what they can and cannot believe? (Al Gore being chief among them.) Much as the advocates for a flat earth once dictated to a true scientist what he must believe or risk dire consequences.. including the loss of his vocation. Perhaps it is now no longer in the realm of the scientific community at all, but has become an article of a new political faith - since honest scientific skepticism and dissent is no longer tolerated.

Sara.

-- February 7, 2007 3:20 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

David;

Once they get a nomination for an Oscar.. all they say is considered sacred. ;)
(Al Gore's piece has been nominated for one.. his opinion thus becomes "gospel".)
But what if the other opinion held by these top Climatologists is eventually proved true?
And Al Gore is wrong? Won't the Oscars look like a foolish thing to receive?
That they honored a debunked myth? Won't that be like giving a flat earther an Oscar?

And you just knew that it has to all be President Bush's fault, didn't you? LOL
I cannot believe how conspiracy theorists find all these connecting dots.. to make their
pet hatred responsible for it all. It is a peculiar trait of such conspiracy theorists..

===

Gore says Bush administration paying scientists to dispute global warming
Tuesday, February 06, 2007

MADRID , SPAIN (CNN) -- Former Vice President Al Gore said in an interview on Tuesday the Bush administration is now paying scientists to dispute global warming since the administration can no longer argue against it.

During an interview with CNN affiliate Cuatro in Madrid, Gore said, "they've lost the argument and they don't want to stop dumping all this pollution into the Earth's atmosphere. The only thing they have left is cash and now they're offering cash for so-called skeptics who will try to confuse people about what the science really say. But it's unethical because now the time has come when we have to act."

Gore was the Democratic nominee against Bush in the 2000 presidential election. His film, An Inconvenient Truth, is up for the best documentary Oscar.

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/02/gore-says-bush-administration-paying.html

Actually, I thought that the gentleman from Canada who was the first Canadian Ph.D. in Climatology explained the science fairly well to us laymen.. so it isn't that there is no longer any argument against it. See his views here:

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming020507.htm

Sara.

-- February 7, 2007 3:34 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Roger:

Yes, I have thought about the possibility of a zero lop after I bought my first two million in 2005. While it is a possibility, I think it unlikely at least as long as the IMF is watching over the Iraqi Monetary.

In fact, I think little including a significant revaluation or zero lop at 1000/1 will happen as long as the IMF is in the picture.

What happens in a post IMF Iraq, is anybody's guess. I lean toward no change in the current currency. To reiterate, a change from the current IQD to a redesigned currency would be an costly expenditure to the GoI.

Next, issuance of a new currency is not in the interest of the Iraqi economy. The current rise in the exchange rate verses the dollar and euro would be rendered worthless. The average Iraqi would hoard dollars. Iraq would again fall into chaos. As an example, one African nation (I believe Zimbawie)lopped zeros from its currency. The economy is as bad post lop as it was pre lop.

Another item to consider is further ethnic strife. The IQD in its current form is used by all Iraqi's. If a new currency is introduced, how will it be designed to appeal to the various ethnic groups inside Iraq? I think the GoI and CBI would face a monumental task to try such.

If a new form of currency is about to be issued, I do not think those offering to buy Dinars back would continue to do so considering a new currency is to be issued.

To summarize, I just do not think a reissue of the IQD into a new form is in the best interest of the country, economy, and the big investors already there.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 7, 2007 5:55 PM ∞

---

Interesting/Steve wrote:

Sara,

I think Jim Bopp could have chosen to jump on board with McCain or Rudy, but Mitt is much more conservitive when it comes to abortion than either McCain or Rudy.
I believe that Mitt Romney followed and sustained the laws until he was in a position to do something about it.
Plus, what he has done for Massechusetts is amazing, it would be a gret economic advantage to have him as president.
Massechusetts was in the worst deficit since WWll and without raising taxes he helped get them out of it!
I think that he is the most confident and calm person that I have ever heard speak. He can make friends on both political fences, and international delagates love him.
Thanks,
Steve

-- February 7, 2007 7:24 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

Romney's Go-To Guy For Conservatives
By: Scott Helman
The Boston Globe
Monday, Feb 05, 2007
"On Nov. 30, as Mitt Romney pitched his conservative message to a major Republican gathering in Miami, the nitty-gritty politicking of his presidential campaign was going on privately, 1,250 miles north.

"The setting was a dinner at Princeton University for leading conservative intellectuals and opinion-makers. At a corner table, a small group challenged Romney surrogate Peter G. Flaherty on his boss's evolution from moderate to conservative. Why, they pressed, should conservatives believe it's genuine?

"'They just launched right into him,' said Princeton professor Robert P. George, who was there.

"But Flaherty, a devout Roman Catholic with deeply held socially conservative views, gave a deeply personal response, according to those at the table. His response, according to George, was this: 'Obviously I've got to believe he's for real, or I wouldn't be wasting my time.'

...

"Trading on his sincerity and reputation as a man of family and faith, the soft-spoken former prosecutor has emerged as one of Romney's most instrumental operatives.

...

"'When you see someone like Peter on Governor Romney's team, not just as show but actually doing real work, that does send a strong signal to conservatives,' said Gary L. Bauer, president of the group American Values.

"And that work is bearing fruit: Last week, after heavy courting by Flaherty, James Bopp Jr., a top conservative lawyer and anti abortion leader, joined Romney's campaign as a special adviser.

"Flaherty and Romney come from different faiths, different parts of the country, and different generations, but they are working closely together in the early days of Romney's presidential bid. Conservatives say Romney, as he tries to woo the right, is lucky to have such a straight-shooting ambassador.

...

"'I'm enthusiastic for the rest of the country to know the Governor Romney that I know and the record that he should be very proud of,' Flaherty said in an interview last week. 'Because when the rest of the country gets to know him as a person and as a governor, I'm convinced they will have the same respect for him that I do.'

...

"Flaherty was born in Brighton and raised in Arlington, the middle child of three brothers. In the Catholic community, some would say he grew up in St. Agnes parish.

...

"From Nov. 18, 2003, the day the Supreme Judicial Court issued its watershed ruling legalizing gay marriage, Flaherty established himself at the State House as Romney's go-to guy on social issues that also includes stem-cell research and abortion. He has since become almost a household name in conservative circles.

"'Peter has been extremely influential in being a one-man think tank for the governor,' said Maggie Gallagher, a prominent writer and activist against gay marriage.

"From Beacon Hill to the presidential trail, it is hard to find anyone with anything negative to say about Flaherty. He's known as a quintessential family man. He lives in Belmont with his wife, Jennifer Mugar Flaherty (the daughter of Boston businessman and philanthropist David Mugar) and their three boys. Some nights, Flaherty said, he leaves work to read to his sons before bed, then returns to the office.

"Because conservatives hold Flaherty in high esteem, his devotion to Romney carries sway. Ramesh Ponnuru, a well-known writer, cited the phrase 'personnel as policy.' Flaherty's presence, Ponnuru explained, reassures some conservatives about Romney." ...

-- February 7, 2007 7:26 PM ∞

---

Okie wrote:

Panhandler....regarding the zero lop discussion

I believe the confusion surrounding the zero lop discussion is due to the fact that people are talking about two different things at the same time.

Discussion 1- The zero lop would remove three decimals from the currency and, for example, make the 25,000 bill equal to 25.

Discussion 2- The zero lop would remove three decimals from the value of the currency, for example, change the value of the dinar from 1USD= 1288 IQD to 1USD= 1.288 IQD

I believe the Iraqi government is talking about changing the value of the currency (Discussion 2) and not changing the currency itself (Discussion 1). If this is the case, and using the current value of the dinar, then the current value of 1USD=1288 IQD would now be 1USD=1.288 IQD.

Then 1USD divided by 1.288 IQD would equal 0.7763975 USD and when rounded off is 0.78 USD.

Then each Dinar would be equal to 0.78 USD or 78 US Cents.

Theeeeeeen……..we all go to the pig roast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway….that’s the way I see it.

Glad to hear you're feeling better and still off the cigs.

-- February 7, 2007 9:19 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Allow me to weigh in a second time on Mitt. Whether it is unfortunate or not, the man is not electable as President of the United States.

Mitt has several problems that will suverly curtail his appeal to the entire country. Since he is Mormon, this alone will cause defection by the Evangelical Christians. I do not believe a Evangelical Christian will support Mitt. Next, he is a North Easterner. He will have problems appealing to the rest of the base. John Kerry had the same problem. As I do believe Hiliary will to.

In my opinion, unless Newt decides not to run the Republican nomination will likely fall to McCain. In 2008, the electorate will see McCain/Gulianni and Clinton/Obama.

Regardless of the Republican ticket, Mitt is not the right candidate at this time. In fact, he will never be the right candidate.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 8, 2007 12:16 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

Thanks for that heads up on the comments on possible American troop re-deployment. We'll see what happens. This is the key year in Iraq, in my opinion. It'll decide whether Iraq stabilizes, quickly progresses, and we get our RV, or if we have to wait a few more years, while Arabs kill each other for a while. Hope the President's troop increase works.

On Mitt Romney, I wouldn't be to surprised to see him on the ticket in a couple of years. He's very, very capable, and impresses me, and my instincts tell me the American people are sick and tired of the same old faces, at the top, in Washington.

Think about it. Who were the recent American presidents, for about the past 18 years, and counting? First, Bush Sr. for 4 years, then Clinton for 8 years, then Bush Jr. for 6 years, and counting, and now, what?, another Clinton again?, For another 4 or 8 years? I sure hope not. How about some fresh blood? America has a very big population of 300 million people, including a heck of a lot of brilliant and capable people. Why do people from the same small circle keep showing up at the White House? Something wrong here, folks. What does it say about a political system, when the spouse of a former president is the front runner to be the next president? That's pathetic. I'd expect that from a Third World banana republic like Chile, where Mrs. Peron became president following her husband's presidential tenure, or the Philipines, where Mrs. Marcos followed in the highest office of that country, after her husband's term. But not from America, please. America sets the standard for the rest of the world, and can do better.

Too much of one person or one family, in the hightest office, is not good for a country. When this sort of thing happens, it tells me there is some basic flaw in the American political system. A similar problem in American politics happened under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was elected 3 times, and in hindsight, that was too much. When one man is in power too long, power becomes too concentrated, and abuse is easier to come about. That's why Republicans brought in the 22nd Constitutional Amendment, which restricts a president to two, four year terms. Maybe America needs a new Constitutional Amendment, to stop the presidency from staying in the same family? Or maybe, a simpler solution, would be for the people who run the Democratic and Republican Parties could just, I don't know, grab a brain!

To me, Mitt looks and sounds like he'd make a good president. I especially like his pro-Bush views on Iraq, and defending America, in the War on Terror.

If America is ok with considering Hillary for president, a woman who is a radical feminist, and who is reported to have had three lesbian affairs, and is gay or bi-sexual; and America is considering Barrock Hussein Obama for president, a man who has Muslim origins; surely America can handle the thought of a pro-family, pro-military, white heterosexual Mormon, for president?

-- February 8, 2007 1:23 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim Bitts/Steve/Rob N;

I have to agree with Tim Bitts.. Mitt Romney does not look bad for President when the alternative is a radical feminist or a radical black racist and possible closet Islamofascist.. to my eyes. I am not saying he is perfect, but he is a lot better than either of those two would be on the issues. At least his values are more mainstream than those two radicals. (By the way, have you noticed Hillary is trying to downplay her radicalness in the news and the MSM is trying desperately to sell her as "moderate"? A moderate with strongly alleged homosexual and adulterous affairs? Or doesn't her personal life shape her views on say.. gay marriage? or the family? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truth_About_Hillary)

This online conservative poll at newsbuster showed Mitt Romney in second place...

Rudy Giuliani
29% (876 votes)

Mitt Romney
26% (785 votes)

Tom Tancredo
17% (507 votes)

John McCain
6% (170 votes)

Mike Huckabee
6% (176 votes)

Other (Leave comment)
18% (542 votes)

Total votes: 3056
http://newsbusters.org/node/10587

So I don't think it is an off the wall opinion that he might do for President.
Early days yet, I suppose, but I will follow his stance on the issues.
When voting in Rome.. (and America is beginning to feel that way..)
you have to look past the label of religious affiliation to the candidate's
stand on the issues.. Romney looks good from that point of view...
so far.

Sara.

-- February 8, 2007 3:12 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Newsweek Reveals Hillary’s “Religious Roots”
From Newsweek:

Hillary’s Religious Roots

What Are Hillary Clinton’s Religious Beliefs? At 13, she met a Methodist minister who became a lifelong friend.
By Susannah Meadows

Feb. 12, 2007 issue - If Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush have anything in common, it is a deeply rooted wariness of outsiders. Both the president and the woman who hopes to succeed him have always relied on a small, closed circle of friends and advisers who have been with them for years. So it’s not surprising that there are so many familiar faces on Clinton’s new campaign team. Ad maker Mandy Grunwald, pollster Mark Penn, strategist Ann Lewis and others are loyalists from Bill Clinton’s White House.

There is another person on Hillary’s shortlist of confidants who goes back farther than any of them, but whom you’ve probably never heard of. The Rev. Don Jones, a Methodist minister who is now 75, was perhaps Hillary’s earliest spiritual and political mentor. She has written of her "lifelong friendship" with him. It was Jones who first awakened young Hillary to the civil-rights movement and counseled her on questions of faith. He took them to the South Side of Chicago to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak. Jones introduced each of them to the civil-rights leader. "I think she responded to my ministry in part for its intellectual content," Jones says. "Her heart responded to the social-responsibility aspects."

Not everyone appreciated the minister’s lessons. Within two years, the conservative members of the congregation asked him to leave. After Bill Clinton admitted his affair with Lewinsky, Jones gave Hillary a Paul Tillich sermon about grace, and how it comes to you when you feel great pain. Jones says he hoped Hillary would pass the words on to her husband. "It was my secret agenda," he says. Sure enough, five days later, Jones received a thank-you note from the president. Last year he saw the Clintons at their home in Chappaqua, N.Y. The senator had called him to invite her old friend to her mother’s birthday party.

Though she’s been accused of adopting a religious patina for political gain, her relationship with Jones shows that from the time she was young, Hillary was thinking seriously about her faith. "While there may be a political dimension, it’s authentic." Jones describes Hillary’s beliefs as falling, like her politics, somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Unlike the extreme left, she understands the limitations of human beings, he says. And unlike the extreme right, he argues, she believes in humanity’s potential. She does take seriously the doctrine of original sin. And after a lifetime in politics, she’s seen plenty of it.

==end of quote==

Every day we should thank God for our independent and unbiased watchdog media.

Otherwise, how would we know what we need to know about political candidates so that we can make an informed choice?

"While there may be a political dimension, it’s authentic." he said.

Yeah, sure it is. That is why, as we noted, Hillary suddenly starting wearing a diamond-studded cross around her neck last October.

Fortunately, Clinton biographer Christopher Anderson provides us with a little more detail about Hillary’s "spiritual and political mentor," the Reverend Jones.

From Anderson’s book, "Bill And Hillary: The Marriage":

QUOTE:

In her early teens, she learned about the social gospel as a member of the First United Methodist Church. At 13, she and other teenagers were sent to baby-sit for minority migrant workers who were harvesting crops in Illinois. At 14, she was a member of the congregation’s “University of Life,” a group the Rev. Don Jones tirelessly indoctrinated with the simplistic and appealing dogmas of the Left. (pp. 95–96)

Jones showed them pictures of the victims of Franco’s forces in the Spanish Civil War. Then he took them to Chicago’s south side to show them the same conditions. His point to impressionable youngsters was obvious: America was no different from Franco’s Spain. (p. 96)

Jones also introduced Hillary and the rest of his political acolytes to activist Saul Alinsky, author of Reveille for Radicals, and to Martin Luther King, Jr., who delivered a lecture called “Sleeping Through the Revolution.” (p. 96)

She brought Saul Alinsky to the Wellesley campus to give his views on revolution. So worshipful was she that Alinsky offered her a job after she graduated. She turned him down to continue her studies. (pp. 99 - 100)

Her “University of Life” experiences now seemed important, and she carried on a correspondence with the Rev. Don Jones. Also she began to read a magazine for Methodist youth called Motive. Motive was edited by Carl Oglesby, described as a Marxist-Maoist, who—while Hillary was in college—was also president of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), an organization dedicated to the violent reform of the U.S. government. (p. 99)

===end of quote==

Yes, Ms. Rodham is ferverently religious. But it is the religion of radical socialism.

The religion Ann Coulter so accurately described in her book "Godless."

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/newsweek-reveals-hillarys-religious-roots

-- February 8, 2007 4:14 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(859)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 859 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/ 2/ 8 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1288 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 63.200.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 63.200.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 8, 2007 4:45 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

It seems a little progress toward HCL is being made. Let us hope it continues to move forward. This article is posted to www.dinartrade.com

Parliament discusses oil investment draft law

Baghdad, Feb 7, (VOI)- The Iraqi parliament discussed on Wednesday a draft law for investment in crude oil refining sector and passed a law to set up three more universities in Iraq.
A first reading of an oil investment draft law was made during the Iraqi parliament Wednesday's session which was chaired by Speaker Dr. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
The draft law allows Iraqi and foreign investors to build, operate and transfer oil refineries in the oil-rich-country in a bid to encourage the private sector's back-up of the Iraqi infrastructure.
The new law, if passed, gives investors a right to produce oil derivatives for local consumption or for export at prices never dictated by government.
The Iraqi lawmakers also voted in favor of a new Act to set up three more universities in Iraq, one in Baghdad and two more in the southern provinces of Missan and al-Muthanna.
Today's session also saw a first reading of a controversial draft law regulating up to three provinces joining of a region.
The 50-article proposed law would allow up to three provinces out of 18 the formation of a region with specific powers to each constituent province.
As soon as the provinces draft law first reading was over, Speaker al-Mashhadani ordered all media out of session for "the sensitivity of points that could be raised by legislators on the draft law."
Iraq has now only one region for the Kurds in north of the country. Iraq's Kurdistan region enjoys local govrnment, powers, House and security forces but it is linked to the federal government in Baghdad.

Source: Voices of Iraq

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 8, 2007 9:16 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.safedinar.com

U.S. should know soon if new Iraq strategy works
2/7/2007

Updated 2/7/2007 4:17 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a House panel Wednesday that the U.S. should know in a few months if the Iraqi government is making progress toward peace and whether the United States "is going to have to look at other alternatives and consequences."
In stark contrast to predecessor Donald Rumsfeld, Gates also said there was no doubt the Army and Marine Corps needed to be larger if they are to deal with future wars and give troops enough rest between combat tours.

"We need the full range of military capabilities," including ground combat forces to battle large armies and nimble special operations troops to scout out terrorist threats, Gates told the House Armed Services Committee.

"We don't know what's going to develop in places like Russia and China, in North Korea, in Iran and elsewhere," he said.

Gates testified alongside Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as the House was gearing up for its first full-fledged debate on the Iraq war since the Nov. 7 elections. House Democrats plan next week to bring to the floor a measure that would flatly oppose President Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

Pace and Gates said they did not think debate in Congress would hurt the morale of troops in combat, undercutting an assertion by many congressional Republicans that members opposing the war were undermining the fighting forces there.

"As long as this Congress continues to do what it has done, which is to provide the resources for the mission, the dialogue will be the dialogue, and the troops will feel supported," Pace said.

Gates added that troops understand members of Congress want to find the best way to win the war. "I think they're sophisticated enough to understand that that's what the debate's really about," he said.

Earlier in the hearing, Rep. Duncan Hunter, the top Republican on the panel, said he would oppose any resolution on Iraq.

"I do not think you can send a message that is going to raise the morale of the troops while at the same time sending a message that we don't support the mission," the Californian said.

Gates said U.S. forces might be able to start leaving Iraq before the end of the year, if the Iraqi government makes strides to subdue violence and reach a political settlement.

"That is essentially the best case story. And that is our hope," he told the House panel.

White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters Wednesday that it was premature to criticize the Iraqi government, which is sending fewer troops than expected to Baghdad and has fallen behind on its own target dates for enacting legislation intended to improve relations between Shiites and Sunnis.

"Our job is to work with the Iraqis and to push them. It is not to scold them," Snow said. "That doesn't do you any good. It's really lousy diplomacy, as a matter of fact."

Democrats and several Republicans say they oppose the troop buildup and that it is time the Iraqi government stepped up to defend its own country.

Tired of waiting for an opportunity to try to stop the war in Iraq, some Democrats say they want to use legislation approving billions of dollars in war spending to insist that Bush not send more troops or bring troops home by a certain date.

"The longer we delay taking action, the greater the failure in Iraq and the larger the cost in American blood and treasure," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who supports legislation that would cap the number of troops allowed in Iraq.

Sens. Barack Obama and John Kerry, D-Mass., separately pushed legislation ordering troops out of Iraq within a year.

"This is not a symbolic vote," Obama, D-Ill., said of his proposal, which is backed by two House Democrats. "This is what I think has the best chance of bringing our troops home."

Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate have pledged to their rank-and-file that a vote on a non-binding resolution opposing the troop buildup would merely be the first attempt to pressure Bush to shift course in the war. Other legislation will be binding, they said.

Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, his party's House leader, said in an interview that he hoped the GOP would be permitted to seek a vote on an alternative. If so, he said it would call for a bipartisan committee to oversee the war effort, and lay out a series of benchmarks by which people could judge whether the Iraqi government was living up to its commitments to help quell the violence.

"If you're not for victory in Iraq, you're for failure," Boehner said. "The consequences of failure are immense. I think it destabilizes the entire Middle East, encourages Iran and on top of that it's pretty clear that the terrorists will just follow us home."

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 8, 2007 10:47 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Another article posted to www.safedinar.com

Large-scale security operation under way in Baghdad: AP
2/7/2007

Large-scale security operation under way in Baghdad: AP
(Kyodo) _ A large-scale Baghdad security operation is under way against Sunni insurgents and Shiite militiamen, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said Wednesday, reports said.
French public radio said the operation was launched in the northeastern part of the Iraqi capital.

The Iraqi general who is leading the security drive took over the operation headquarters on Monday, but there had been no announcement until Wednesday that the sweep, the third attempt to crush violence in nine months, had begun, the Associated Press said.

"It is ongoing as we speak," Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the spokesman, was quoted as saying. "The implementation of the prime minister's plan has already begun and will be fully implemented at a later date, having all the parts and pieces that he wants."

Large-scale security operation under way in Baghdad: AP - Source

Iraqi Dinar News Article List

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 8, 2007 10:51 AM ∞

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Steve wrote:

Rob N./Sara/Tim

Sara

thanks for the stats.

Tim

I think that you are right on with Mitt

Rob N.

You stated... "Since he is Mormon, this alone will cause defection by the Evangelical Christians. I do not believe a Evangelical Christian will support Mitt." That is excactly what the MSM may have you believing.

We are not electing a pastor or preacher for our own church, we are electing a President. Have you heard any other candidate having so many issues with their religion, if even mentioned what religion they are? This is only a compliment to Mitt Romney's character...if all that anyone can come up with to critisize him is his religion, then he will be on the ticket. Also, there is overwhelming evidence that he has many evangelical backers from many many different religions (see links below). If a candidates religion is a persons basis for voting, then that person has proven themselves to be shallow and way out of touch with the reasons to vote in a president.
I see a great economic advantage (from his business background) and a great advantage to the family (because of his values and honesty).
Please don't take my word for it, visit these links to get an informed answer...This goes for everyone...

evangelicalsformitt.com

http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/front_page/when_does_theology_matter_1.php

http://www.stonescryout.org/archives/2005/05/would_evangelic.html

http://texansformitt.blogspot.com/

http://www.mittromney.com/ SEE "MITT TV"

Thanks,
Steve

-- February 8, 2007 1:38 PM ∞

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Turtle wrote:

A little noise from the ground... I just finished talking to one of my buddies who came back in from the initial stages of the offensive that actually started about a week ago. The news is good and bad. The bad I got from him is that the Iraqi police still are not performing very well. The good news is that we have been weeding out their crappy leaders and replacing them on the fly. Iraqi forces are being brought in from other provinces to fight in Baghdad where they have no alliances to the people that need to fall. Rules of engagement for the American forces have been opened up significantly. Troops are being allowed to go after Al-Sadr's mailitia command structure. (I'm sure you've seen the article about the Health Minister arrested - 1 bad guy down.) Just as importantly, the Iraqi government apparantly has okayed operations to take out a lot of people previously protected. Sadr City is no longer a no-go zone. According to my buddy, it is significant enough that he is considering extending a month just so he can leave feeling like he accomplished something before he left. Anyway, that's about all I can tell for now. Too early to get overly excited or hopeful, but it has the sounds of somehting that could turn good. In his words, we're finally doing what we should have done from the beginning. Daylight?

-- February 8, 2007 2:01 PM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

To All, an interesting article from Reuter.co.uk, today...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces swooped on the Health Ministry on Thursday, seizing a deputy minister accused of funnelling millions of dollars to Shi'ite militias in the first major sign that a crackdown in Baghdad has begun.

Ministry officials and witnesses said Deputy Health Minister Hakim Zamili, a member of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al- Sadr's political group, was detained during the raid, the latest operation by U.S. and Iraqi forces to target senior Sadr aides.

The U.S. military, without naming anyone, said a senior Health Ministry official had been captured on suspicion of infiltrating members of Sadr's Mehdi Army militia into the ministry and using it as a cover for sectarian killings.

"The suspect's corruption is believed to have funnelled millions of U.S. dollars into rogue JAM," it said, using the U.S. military's acronym for the Mehdi Army.

The Pentagon has identified the Mehdi Army as a greater threat to peace in Iraq than Sunni Islamist al Qaeda. Tit-for- tat killings by Sunni Arab and Shi'ite militants has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis.

In a massacre that bore the hallmarks of a sectarian killing, gunmen machine-gunned 14 men from the same Sunni family in a village north of Baghdad after dragging them from their homes and lining them up, police said.

South of Baghdad, a car bomb killed 17 people in a market in the mainly Shi'ite town of Aziziya and mortar rounds hit a Shi'ite village near Iskandariya, killing seven people and wounding 10, police said. A car bomb in Baghdad killed six.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, has vowed to tackle both Shi'ite and Sunni Arab militants in the U.S.-backed offensive that aims to strengthen his government's fragile grip over Baghdad, epicentre of the sectarian bloodletting.

Critics say previous campaigns failed because Maliki, who got the job thanks to support from Sadr's group, had resisted moving against Sadr's supporters and the Mehdi Army.

But the U.S. military has intensified operations against the group in recent months as Washington has stepped up pressure on Maliki to curb violence.

The arrest came a day after the U.S. military said the long -awaited Baghdad offensive had begun -- seen as a final attempt to halt Iraq's slide towards all-out civil war.

NEW TOP U.S. COMMANDER ARRIVES

General David Petraeus, the new top U.S. military commander in Iraq, has arrived in the country, a U.S. military official said. Petraeus, who replaces General George Casey, is due to take formal command of some 130,000 U.S. troops on Saturday.

The arrest of Zamili, sparked anger from Sadr's political movement, which accused the U.S. military of trying to provoke a confrontation. It urged the government to free the official.

There was no comment from Maliki's office. But a Shi'ite official told Reuters the arrest was deliberately made at the ministry to send a message that no suspects are above the law.
"They wanted to tell everyone that they are serious and even government officials cannot take refuge in ministries."

Some Shi'ite sources said that Zamili was a suspect in kidnappings, including the abduction of ministry colleagues.

Zamili's brother, Waleed, who said he saw U.S. and Iraqi soldiers handcuff his brother, protested his innocence, saying he was a victim of a campaign against Sadrists.

Iraqi and U.S. forces have seized or killed hundreds of Sadr's followers in recent weeks.

West of the capital, U.S. forces said they killed 13 insurgents in an air strike on two suspected foreign fighter safe houses. A doctor at a local hospital, however, said 30 bodies, including those of seven children, had been brought in from the village of Zaidan.

The U.S. military also announced the deaths of four U.S. Marines killed in combat in western Anbar province.

U.S. President George W. Bush has said he is sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq to help quell violence.

-- February 8, 2007 4:40 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

http://www.cipe.org/regional/mena/iraq/businesstalk.php

Check out video 6 and synopsis. Video is in Arabic, anybody translate?
talk of among other things 14 dinar notes and coins
I think the discussion is 10 known 4 unknown

-- February 8, 2007 5:00 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Steve:

Mitt being Mormon is just one issue he faces. We are two years out from the election and a number of things could happen between now and then.

I will admit, I am not overly excited about Mitt. I am not overly excited with John McCain he appears to be too wishy washy on certain issues.

I appreciate the pro- Mitt links, but Geroge W. Bush is still in the White House, for now I will wait and see.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 8, 2007 6:01 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Blue Ridge establishes secure VoIP network in Iraq

(MENAFN) The Chief Executive Officer at Blue Ridge Networks announced that the company has completed setting up its Iraq Command and Control Network (IC2N), the world's largest secure VoIP network, Iraq Economy reported.

The company official indicated that Iraq's Ministry of Interior has assumed control of the new network through its Civilian Police Assistance Training Team (CPATT). He added that the network provides significant solutions for secure voice and data communications in Iraq.

Source: MENAFN

Thanks,

Rob N.

posted to www.dinartrade.com

-- February 8, 2007 6:29 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

posted to www.safedinar.com

Security crackdown underway in Iraq
2/8/2007

Updated 2/8/2007 8:41 AM ET

BAGHDAD (AP) — Baghdad's streets were electric with tension Wednesday as U.S. officials confirmed the new security operation was underway. U.S. armor rushed through streets, and Iraqi armored personnel carriers guarded bridges and major intersections.
On Thursday, a parked car bomb struck a meat market in a predominantly Shiite town south of Baghdad, killing 15 people and wounding dozens, Iraqi police said.

The explosion occurred at 10:30 a.m. in Aziziyah, 56 miles south of Baghdad. Police said 15 people were killed and 50 were wounded.

Meanwhile, new coils of barbed-wire and blast barriers marked checkpoints that caused traffic bottlenecks. U.S. Apache helicopters whipped the air over parts of the capital where they hadn't been seen before.

But gunfire still rang out across the city, and some residents said they doubted life would get better. "Nothing will work, it's too late," said Hashem al-Moussawi, a resident of the Sadr City Shiite enclave who was badly wounded in a bombing in December.

Underlining the dangers, a U.S. Marine transport helicopter crashed northwest of Baghdad, killing all seven on board — the sixth American aircraft reported lost in Iraq in just over two weeks. A military statement did not give a cause for the crash, but a senior U.S. defense official in Washington said the CH-46 Sea Knight did not appear to have been hit by hostile fire. An Iraqi air force officer, however, said the chopper was downed by an anti-aircraft missile. An al-Qaeda-linked Sunni group claimed in a Web statement that it was responsible.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad confirmed Thursday that U.S. officials were investigating an incident involving a civilian helicopter on Jan. 31 but gave no further details. The New York Times reported late Wednesday that insurgents attacked the helicopter with heavy-caliber ground fire and another American helicopter rescued passengers and crew. A quick reaction force suffered several casualties while responding to the crash scene, The Times said, citing unnamed American officials.

The newspaper said a private security firm was flying the aircraft in support of State Department operations. The U.S. military had no immediate comment.

At checkpoints that seemed to have been thrown up overnight — some of them blocking half the lanes of traffic on wide streets — Iraqi police and army soldiers searched cars at random. Drivers and passengers had to get out and show identity papers.

Adding to the tension, Iraqi army and police convoys fired rounds into the air above motorists, warning them to make way for passing forces. The security troops drove over traffic medians and into incoming traffic.

In a sign of just how dangerous the security mission will be, a three-vehicle Western security company convoy came under fire near Haifa Street, a Sunni insurgent stronghold just north of the Green Zone.

The security men in the armored cars returned fire and quickly exploded green and white smoke bombs for concealment. Minutes later, after the smoke cleared, they sped away. An Associated Press reporter could see bodyguards in the convoy leaning out the car windows and pelting surrounding vehicles with water bottles to persuade drivers to clear the way.

At about the same time, four guards at a nearby building housing state television were shot and killed on the rooftop. An official at Iraqiya television said the men were hit by fire from security company personnel escorting foreign visitors to the Justice Ministry across the street. The television official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

In parts of the city only a few shops were open, a reminder of the fear people have of more car and suicide bombings, which have hit Baghdad with regularity in recent weeks.

Lines outside gas stations stretched for more than a mile, as the city is experiencing its worst fuel crisis in months. Supplies are very low because refining capacity is down, a problem compounded by hoarding.

Gunfire rang out across the capital, and the wail of police and ambulance sirens seemed incessant. The buzz of low-flying U.S. helicopters and growl of fighter jets was non-stop above a new crop of government posters and billboards speaking of Baghdad's struggle.

"Our streets are deserted and our blood is fair game," declared one that showed an empty street strewn with debris from a bombing.

Another billboard showed a young man weeping because he had not reported suspicious activity to authorities. "I should have done the right thing," he says.

Still another billboard message implored: "Be a hero and report suspicious behavior."

Most taxi drivers were refusing to take passengers to areas dominated by the other Muslim sect. Minibus drivers were demanding passengers prove they live in the region to which they wanted to travel.

The streets became nearly deserted well before nightfall, a surprising sign of fear among a population that has lived through wars for much of the past 25 years. Those with money to spare, residents say, are stocking up on fuel for generators and on basic foodstuffs like flour, grains and potatoes.

With electricity available only about two hours a day in much of the city, residents also were buying candles and lanterns. The rickety stands of some outdoor food markets, a favorite target for suicide bombers, stood empty.

"We live hand-to-mouth and don't have money to stock up on anything," said Ibrahim Mohammed, a 78-year-old retired engineer from the Azamiya district. The predominantly Sunni area in north Baghdad was likely to be high on the list of targets in the Baghdad security plan.

"No one goes to work anymore," Mohammed said.

Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said Wednesday that the much-awaited Baghdad security operation was finally underway. "The implementation of the (Iraqi) prime minister's plan has already begun and will be fully implemented at a later date, having all the parts and pieces that he wants," he told a news briefing.

The operation is the third attempt by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his U.S. backers to pacify Baghdad since the Shiite leader came to office in May. The operation, which will involve about 90,000 Iraqi and American troops, is seen by many as a last chance to curb Iraq's sectarian war.

On Tuesday, however, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told U.S. lawmakers the buildup in troops is "not the last chance" to succeed in Iraq and "I would be irresponsible if I weren't thinking about what the alternatives might be."

Many Baghdad residents said they weren't hopeful.

"If this security plan is the same as those we had before, with checkpoints delaying the traffic for hours, then I can tell you now that it will be a failure," said Murtadha Mahdi, a 35-year-old unemployed father of two who lives in Hurriyah, now a predominantly Shiite district in northern of Baghdad that saw some of the worst sectarian fighting late last year.

The security sweep in Baghdad comes nearly a year after the city became the main battlefield of sectarian violence following al-Qaeda's bombing of a major Shiite shrine north of Baghdad. Thousands have since died in the capital, victims of Shiite militiamen or suicide bombings blamed on Sunni militants. Thousands more have been displaced from their homes.

"Sunni and Shiite politicians pretend to work for reconciliation, but they curse each other when the news cameras are gone," said al-Moussawi, the Sadr City resident who was hospitalized for two months with severe wounds to his chest, right arm and leg.

The main entrance to the district now has four checkpoints manned by Iraqi police and army troops backed by armored personnel carriers mounted with large caliber guns. Hundreds have been killed in Sadr City in suicide bombings and mortar attacks in recent months.

A giant billboard near the site of a series of attacks — including the one that wounded al-Moussawi — displays the pictures of more than 40 victims, many of them children. A woman clad in black is shown weeping, her face buried in her hands.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Security crackdown underway in Iraq - Source

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 8, 2007 6:32 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Steve and others that are interested:

You speak highly of Mitt, but the man to capture the Republican nomination if he decides to run is Newt. Those of us who support Newt, here is good news from Reuters News Service.

'Gingrich says to mull decision on White House bid'
By Matthew Bigg

(Reuters) -- Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Wednesday he would wait until September before deciding whether to run for the Republican party's presidential nomination and described that race as "wide open."

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 8, 2007 6:45 PM ∞

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Neil wrote:

Newt Gingrich is my favorite but Mitt Romney is not far behind. Mitt has it all, good looks, carisma, intellect and the ability to keep his foot out of his mouth so his choice of religion is totally irrelavent to me except that I recognize Mormans as being good, honest moral people.

Obama cannot bring a Race Card into a presidential race and Hillary cannot bring a gender card into the race. If they are going to run, they will have to take their lumps along with everyone else and not reach for a crutch. The latest craze is the work "articulate" which was used to describe Obama and everyone was finding fault with it but now it has backfired and Hillary has widened the gap by 14 points as the American people are tired of this political correctness and parcing of words. Hillary needs to distance herself from P.C.. She profited once from the gender card during her Senate race debate with Rick
---------. During the debate she made an assertion and he called her hand by saying I have the opposite in front of me on this paper and went over to her and said "here it is" and the American people immediately dubbed him as maucho and a bully and he consequently lost the race to her. Hopefully we are past that kind on nonsense.

Personally I like Obama and I too think he is extremely articulate and has appeal to the people but he can't bring a race card with him.

-- February 8, 2007 10:56 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Panhandler,

IF that is IF this zero loop would take place, and lets say we're looking at the value of a 25000 Dinar note that today would hold a value of 19.41 in Dollar.

In that case, they would take three zeroes off, the Dinar, making it a 25 Dinar note, and it would now have a value of 19.41.

As someone suggested, that they would shave off the zeroes in the exchange rate, no, that is not a zero loop, that is a revaluation.

I hope that this zero loop stuff is going away, but as it was aired by the Finance Minister in Iraq as a possibility, that got me worried.

The whole state of Iraq is right now suppressed financially with their super low currency, and if IMF is calling the shots, then I'm suspicious about the IMF's intentions.

Is there a Soros pulling the strings on this?

An RV that would bring up the Dinars value overnight, in the window of 10 cents to a quarter, would immediately bring a completely different scenario on the ground in Iraq.

A war is to be fought financially as well as militarily.

We're damn good in drones, GPS guided bombs and infrared binoculars, but when it comes to how Iraq is run financially it seems like the whole US administration have no clue, and is farming out the finance matters to be run by IMF.

The US administrations only (well it's billions) financial action is to pour in money.

Either we have Soros, or a Soros like person, or unapplicable policies by IMF or uneducated idiots giving orders, or something, because the fix, could have been done long long ago, but it is suppressed, indefinitely.

Either way, this is a man handled manipulation of the Iraqi currency, and it have been so since it's introduction.

What frustrates me most is that in economics, there are about as much theories as in cosmology, and as much terminology and lingo as a psychiatrists book of symptoms.

That's all nice and ducky, but the very basic economical principles are so easy to understand that anyone running a household budget can understand it.

Same aerodynamic principles applies for a multi million Dollar Jumbo jet as a cheap balsa model aircraft.

The Iraqi Dinar is way undervalued, causing a lot of harm in that country, most of us can easily see that.

As the very low value continues year after year, there must be a reason for it.

It's not good for the Iraqis, not good for the world, but it has to be good for someone or something.

By this time, I'm pretty convinced that there are reasons the Dinar have been down in the bottom endlessly without moving significantly, bettering the situation in Iraq.

I have never been into the culture of conspiracies, and the world globe conspiracy that is claimed by conspiracy theorists is not my take.

That is not to say that conspiracies doesn't exist.

This is what doesn't make sense.

1. The Dinar is not free floating, (on Forex, free traded), therefore the Dinar is manhandled, and manipulated.

2. The Dinar is way undervalued, and except for a recent minor adjustment towards the sliding Dollar, it has not been moving.

3. It's been sitting scribing an amplification of the bottom line of any chart shown, since it's introduction.

4. An RV WILL change the Iraqi situation to a way better situation.

5. Known basic economic principals are a known to most everyday people.

6. Still the Dinar is held where it is.

Someone has a benefit from this, and this someone is blowing smoke in the eyes of our administration, as they're by ignorance in financial matters, rely heavily on military rather than economic victory.

It seems like an economic victory is -"I hope it will come", rather than firm steps to economically turn Iraq around tomorrow with an RV.

Someone is blowing smoke in our own eyes. Not much needed though, as economic matters is very boring, and not main stream matters at all, so whoever is manipulating the Iraqi currency in continuing suppression can operate almost invisible.

I just cant figure out where the suppression is coming from, as the IMF is heavily involved, the World Bank is involved, that is for me the most likely source.

Ad on a lot of people graduated from a lot of universities where the latest Socialistic "economic theory" is teached, together with a board of self proclaimed "experts" from Swahili in IMF, and we will have a mass confusion of what is right and wrong.

Perfect cover.

Whoever is behind this, will benefit from it, can profit from it.

IN THE MEANWHILE THE IRAQIS ARE POOR, WITH A CLOSE TO WORTHLESS CURENCY, YEAR AFTER YEAR, SHOOTING AT EACH OTHER, DESPERATE TO GET A LIFE.

I JUST WONDER WHEN COMMON SENSE, LOGIC AND SANITY WILL START TO SET IN ON THIS SUBJECT.

-- February 8, 2007 11:59 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Roger,

You have some interesting thoughts. The Dinar is being kept at a ridiculously, unrealistically low level. It takes away from an effective economic tool, that could aid the military, in achieving victory, in Iraq.

As I wrote before, George Soros has his hands in the cookie jar, helping manage Iraq's finances. This is public knowledge. And a French court convicted him of insider trading, so we know he's crooked.

Soros hates the Republicans. He's said so, many times. He really hates George Bush. But Soros also loves money, and what it can do, to shape the world. Soros loves the Democrats. He helped fund their national campaign, last election. And, his hand is in Iraq, in the cookie jar. My guess is Soros has lots of Dinars, and wants to pull off the biggest heist in history, in time. So, given all this pure conjecture, and assuming for minute that my speculation is true, if you were Soros, what would you do, with these motives and opportunities in mind?

You'd wait to see if the Democrats got in, in two years. Then, you'd manipulate events to revalue the Dinar, and make a killing. Then, your buddies, the Democrats, would get all the credit, as things improved quickly in Iraq. Then, privately, you'd use some of your loot to reward your Democratic buddies.

If my speculation is correct, then the RV won't come until the Democrats are in office, so the Republicans can be embarassed, as things improve quickly in Iraq, under the Democrats.

Remember the UN scandal, Oil-for-Food, involving Iraqis oil revenues, and the UN embargo, when Saddam was in power? The point is, you don't have to be paranoid to believe in the possiblility of high level, international, institutional scandals, manipulation and corruption. You just have to be reasonably observant, of what actually happens in the world. I wouldn't be totally shocked, if this all came out, some day.

So, to answer your question, when will common sense and sanity set in on this Dinar undervaluation? As soon as the Democrats get back in, maybe. Your points are true. Something is very, very fishy about this whole thing. Anyone else got any other theories, to explain it all?

-- February 9, 2007 1:41 AM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Neil,

I like your comments on the presidential contenders, for the next American election. Gingrich and Mitt are my favorite picks, as well. That would be my dream team. They both are extremely bright and equally capable. I find Mitt more personable, and I think he gets along with people very well, both Democrats and Republicans, and Gingrich is very, very smart, and is the better idea man. That's why, my choice would be, Mitt for President, and Gingrich for VP. America would do very well, under such capable leadership.

-- February 9, 2007 1:58 AM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

That was me.

-- February 9, 2007 2:11 AM ∞

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VALERIO wrote:

Roger,
It's not a zero loop, but rather a zero lop. Meaning to cut off.
Certainly not in anyones best interests. I don't think it will happen, and that rumor could even be a tool of deception. Although if it was done, the exchange period would certainly be interesting. The only people who have made money on the dinar so far are the people who have been selling them, and they would make even more exchanging them for the new bills.
Steve,
No we are not electing a leader of a small church, but rather a leader of a nation of 300,000,000 people. If thats not reason to be concerned with what a candidate worships, I wouldn't know what would be. This great nation's very constitution is based on the Bible, and the reason that we are a free people who have by God's blessing grown to be the superpower of superpowers in a little more than 200 years of existance. Those of us who believe in the one true God, the God of our fathers, the God of Issaac and Jacob, we will no doubt be concerned with a mans religious beliefs more than anything else. Now I don't know what being a Mormon means, but I gruantee you that I will before Romney gets my vote. I won't criticize you for not being concerned about a presidents religious beliefs, so don't criticize those who it is imortant to.

-- February 9, 2007 5:02 AM ∞

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Steve wrote:

All,

Bill Clinton only captured 1% of the polls about 2 1/2 years away from his first presidential win.

If the right man enters the the race, we should back him immedietly, and get the word out.

Rob N,

Thanks for the comments, Newt is a great choice, I think I would play with the idea that Tim Bitts said...Mitt/Newt ticket

Steve

-- February 9, 2007 9:48 AM ∞

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Steve wrote:

Valerio,/All

I would encourage you to look into what Mitt believes, but keep in mind, just like any religion, you can find alot of cooky things that may or may not be true.

If he was part of some whacko group practicing some crazy religion, he would not be a governer let alone a mayor. If his religion was "Global Deception" then we may have a problem with his practice. But then again, we already had a president for 8 years who followed that title!
Yes, I am concerned about a candidates religous beliefs when it comes to that aspect. He has theology that many will not agree with, but that does not mean that he does not have excellent values and leadership capabilities.

Please visit the links that I posted above. I found alot of amswers to my questions at :

www.evangelicalsformitt.org

"WHEN DOES THEOLOGY MATTER?
While we don't get many critiques here at EFM, most of those we do get begin with some variation of, "Did you know Mormons believe..."and then go on to describe (sometimes accurately, most times not) this or that aspect of Mormon theology. We have chosen not to engage those critiques, except in the most limited circumstances.

Why not? The answer is simple: the theological questions we typically receive are absolutely irrelevant to the presidency. Let me be clear: I am not saying that theology is never relevant. When theology dictates policy, it is fair and proper for a voter to take that theology into account. To take an extreme (and fictional) example, if a candidate were an elder in the "Church of Killing Canadians," it would be fair to discuss at great length whether the candidate would, in fact, use the presidency to kill Canadians. Or, to take real-life examples, fundamentalist Muslims or white-supremacists Christians or renegade Mormon polygamists all have particular religious beliefs that have (and presumably would) translate directly into horrific policy positions.

But we do not receive those kinds of questions about Governor Romney. The questions we receive deal with the Mormon view of the Trinity, the Mormon doctrine of salvation, the Mormon view of the afterlife, etc. Not only are these questions not relevant to the presidency (though certainly relevant if the Governor were applying to be your pastor), by even attempting to inject them into the debate evangelicals play a dangerous game. Do we think we can reject a candidate for theological reasons and then cry foul if the media or political opponents attack our own theology? Our beliefs may be more orthodox but that does not mean they are not often supernatural. ("Do you really believe that God will actually individually 'call' you to do something?") Christians would rightfully bristle at the notion that our view of the Trinity, of salvation, of heaven or hell, or of virtually anything else would dictate exactly how we respond to a political challenge.

When it comes to Governor Romney, we are looking at a person with a rather considerable track record regarding the role of his faith in his public life. Is he a faithful member of his church? Yes. What has that meant for his career? Well, he is a man of integrity with an unbelievable work ethic and strong convictions in favor of religious freedom, a culture of life, traditional values, and courage in the face of tyranny. He has applied those values to build companies, save the Olympics, and defend our culture at the same time that he has governed one of the most liberal states in the nation innovatively and effectively.

So, you will never see EFM address the fine points of LDS theology. We'll leave that to others. Instead, you'll see us stand up for an essential American (and we think, Christian) value: Let's judge this man, this applicant for perhaps the world's most important job, by his individual merits. Identity group politics and theological blacklisting is a leftist specialty--it should not be a Christian practice."

Steve

-- February 9, 2007 10:02 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Good news!! Since the budget is now set, maybe they can get the HCL agreed to.
==================================================================================
Iraq budget set at USD 41 bn budget, USD 1.5 mn for compensating Kuwait

ECO-IRAQ-BUDGET
Iraq budget set at USD 41 bn budget, USD 1.5 mn for compensating Kuwait

By Mohammad Al-Ghazzi BAGHDAD, Feb 9 (KUNA) -- The Iraqi parliament endorsed on Friday the country's largest budget ever of USD 41 billion, including USD 1.551 million for compensating Kuwait for the 1990 invasion, and incorporating a deficit of USD 7.14 billion.

The budget was endorsed with the majority vote of 157 MPs, thus paving the way for reconstruction and development projects that had been on hold for over a month while law makers resolved their disputes over the issue.

It allocated USD 1.551 million for compensating Kuwait for damages inflicted during the invasion of the country by the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein in 1990.

Iraqi Finance Minister Baqer Al-Zubaidi told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), "I was optimistic the parliament would make its decision and allow the government to allocate budgets for its ministries and executive councils." He said one mega-project was the construction of a large oil refinery, alongside electricity projects and building ten hospitals around the country. Schools and factories would also be set up, as well as infrastructure work.

On deficit, the minister explained it was a "projected and not realistic, and we hope to cover it with finances returned to the treasury from previous budgets." Projected revenues stood at USD 33.3 billion, mostly from oil.

The budget, he said, was calculated on the basis of USD 50 per oil barrel and an average export of 1.7 million barrels per day from Iraq's southern port.

(end) mhg.rg.

-- February 9, 2007 10:53 AM ∞

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Okie wrote:

More good news!!! It would make sense to me that Iraq would have the HCL passed well in advance of this summit!

========================================================================================
Iraq Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Summit

17-18 April , Amman, Jordan
In collaboration with the Iraqi Government, the Iraq Development Program (IDP) is proud to announce the official Iraq Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Summit. For the most important sectors of the Iraqi economy, this historic landmark event will be the first of its kind since the formation of the new Unity Government.

Iraq has the world’s second largest proven oil reserves and the Government is now finalising its new hydrocarbon laws, following the declaration of the investment laws for the extractive industries. The timing of this Summit could not be better.

The key decision makers from the Iraqi Government will be participating with the full intent of establishing relationships and entering into contractual negotiations with all international operators wishing to be part of both the upstream and downstream sectors.

http://www.iraqdevelopmentprogram.org/idp/events/iog/index.htm

-- February 9, 2007 1:07 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Steve,

I agree with you about the relavancy, or sometimes irrelavancy, of theology. It is generally irrelavant, and should be assumed so, unless it can be demonstrated that, if a person of any particular religion, running for high public office, has a given set of beliefs, and if, that set of beliefs would likely be acted upon, upon assuming high public office, by that person, then, that action may be the source of a question, that further and naturally questions the fitness of a candidate, for the American presidency. So far, I see nothing within Mitt's belief system that would make him an unfit candidate, to be president. That's not to say I agree with Mitt's religious belief system. I don't. I'm not a Mormon. I just think, so far, that Mitt's Mormonism is largely irrelavant. However, if any such relevant information, about the relationship between Mitt's religious beliefs, and how he might act, as president, becomes public knowledge, and if Mitt's private religious conviction can be shown to be detrimental to his perfomance as future president, in a way that conflicts with my own beliefs and morals, and if it can be demonstrated, based on this analysis, that Mitt is disqualified to be president, based on detrimental actions he is likely to undertake as president, based on his religious faith, then I remain open to convincing, as to Mitt's fitness or unfitness for high public office. However, I think the burden on proof is on skeptics to prove that his Mormonism is an impediment or disqualification, to the hightest office.

As a Humourous aside, and example of this, you mentioned a theoretical Church of Killing Canadians, and how that might be a belief that would be relevant, to a person's fitness for office, as he may act upon that belief.

This actually happened once, in American history. It wasn't a church, but an American political party that tried to kill Canadians.
Don't forget, that America, under the leadership of President Madison, who was the leader of an American political party, in 1812, called the Democrat-Republicans, that President Madison tried to invade Canada, and kill Canadians, in that same year. And remember what happened that time? We kicked your butts. We won. We skunked you! In the only large scale war, between Canada and the United States, we won. You all,......... lost. Badly.....Canada soundly repelled the invasion, beat the United States, and came down, in large force, with a Canadian army, to Washington, D.C., itself, and actually burned down the White House, just to get even.

The moral of the story is, don't p-off Canucks. We are usually peacable, unless invaded!

So, as a Canadian, when you mentioned a Church of Killing Canadians, first, it made me think about a South Park Movie, about an American war with Canada, (remember that one?) and then, it made me remember, that one time, we Canadians actually did win a war against the States once.

So, don't make us come down there again!..................Remember what happened last time!..............................!:)

-- February 9, 2007 1:09 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Valerio and board;

For me, also, the religious views of a person seeking office are paramount to all other concerns. What motivates a person to the Presidency and their real policies are also important. Consider how the Democrats have acted. They backed the war effort, voted to go to war.. then said they were deceived and have worked tirelessly to place themselves in strong opposition to President Bush, as an alternative political view. If they had supported President Bush, they would have not been able to hold out to the American people an alternative party view from which they could seize power. I believe they have only opposed the war effort for political gain, in order to take power - not because that is the way they truly believe. In other words, I think they are lying. And so far.. with the Congress and the Senate, their strategy has worked. I want you to consider what President Clinton, a Democrat President, said of Saddam and how he acted toward the situation when he was in office. Also, the clip I posted where Hillary talks of Saddam needing to be removed and how she knew this from the halls of power itself.. etc. President Clinton was not a friendly ally, but hostile to them - just as President Bush.
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2007/01/iraqi_dinar_dis_7.html#128563

Here is a historical snippet which I think may be how the Democrats - and particularly Hillary Clinton - is playing this political hand:
QUOTE:

In 1850 the young Otto von Bismarck, then a thirty-five-year-old deputy in the Prussian parliament, was at a turning point in his career. The issues of the day were the unification of the many states (including Prussia) into which Germany was then divided, and a war against Austria, the powerful neighbor to the south that hoped to keep the Germans weak and at odds - even threatening to intervene if they tried to unite. Prince William, next in line to be Prussia's king, was in favor of going to war, and the parliament rallied to the cause, prepared to back any mobilization of troops. The only ones to oppose war were the present king, Frederick William IV, and his ministers, who preferred to appease the powerful Austrians.

Throughout his career, Bismarck had been a loyal, even passionate supporter of Prussian might and power. He dreamed of German unification, of going to war against Austria and humiliating the country that for so long had kept Germany divided. A former soldier, he saw warfare as a glorious business.

This, after all, was the man who years later would say, "The great questions of the time will be decided, not by speeches and resolutions, but by iron and blood."

Passionate patriot and lover of military glory, Bismarck nevertheless gave a speech in parliament at the height of the war fever that astonished all who heard it. "Woe unto the statesman," he said, "who makes war without a reason that will still be valid when the war is over! (Note the same argument of Democrats today and their constant harping about WMD - Sara.) After the war, you will all look differently at these questions. Will you then have the courage to turn to the peasant contemplating the ashes of his farm, to the man who has been crippled, to the father who has lost his children?" Not only did Bismarck go on to talk of the madness of this war, but, strangest of all, he praised Austria and defended her actions. (Praising the enemy? Like praising the terrorists? See any parallels here?) This went against everything he had stood for. The consequences were immediate. Bismarck was against the war -- what could this possibly mean? Other deputies were confused, and several of them changed their votes. (Sound familiar? Even some of the Republicans have been swayed against President Bush.. ) Eventually the king and his ministers won out, and the war was averted.

A few weeks after Bismarck's infamous speech, the king, grateful that he had spoken for peace, made him a cabinet minister. A few years later he became the Prussian premier. In this role he eventually led his country and a peace-loving king into a war against Austria, crushing the former empire and establishing a mighty German state, with Prussia at its head.

Interpretation -

At the time of his speech in 1850, Bismarck made several calculations. First, he sensed that the Prussian military, which had not kept pace with other European armies, was unready for war - that Austria, in fact, might very well win, a disasterous result for the future. Second, if the war were lost and Bismarck had supported it, his career would be gravely jeopardized. The king and his conservative ministers wanted peace; Bismarck wanted power. The answer was to throw people off the scent by supporting a cause which he detested, saying things he would laugh at if said by another. A whole country was fooled. It was because of Bismarck's speech that the king made him a minister, a position from which he quickly rose to be prime minister, attaining the power to strengthen the Prussian military and accomplish what he had wanted all along; the humiliation of Austria and the unification of Germany under Prussia's leadership.

Bismarck was certainly one of the cleverest statesman who ever lived, a master of strategy and deception. No one suspected what he was up to in this case. Had he announced his real intentions, arguing that it was better to wait now and fight later, he would not have won the argument, since most Prussians wanted war at that moment (911?) and mistakenly believed that their army was superior to the Austrians. Had he played up to the king, asking to be made a minister in exchange for supporting peace, he would not have succeeded either: The king would have distrusted his ambitions and doubted his sincerity.

By being completely insincere and sending misleading signals, however, he deceived everyone, concealed his purpose, and attained everything he wanted. Such is the power of politicians hiding their true intentions.

- by Robert Greene, "The 48 Laws of Power" p. 20

===

It is because people like Valerio and I are honest Christians, as I believe President Bush is.. and not "masters of strategy and deception" that we take at face value the Democrat statements about their own views and intentions, in general. (Luke 16:8) But I think if you look very carefully, that the Democrats are under no such real religious compunction. They do not honestly think there is a God, no matter the big cross they may wear around their necks or church services they may attend for show. It is all part of the strategy to attain power for their own (Liberal/Leftist) ends, just like Bismarck did for his own ends. Professing Christianity will get you elected? Then Obama and Hillary will profess that for you. Whatever it takes to get your vote. But their REAL agenda and aims are for power - for their own agenda and motives.. and that is where the real game is at hand and what we must discern.

We must not believe their intentions honorable as ours would be.. nor that they are truly peaceloving. I believe that is only a front, as it was for Bismarck. In reality, they are employing military strategy just like Bismarck did and that they are truly far worse militaristic hawks for their own cause (cutthroat and not subject to conscience as we are) - seeking what we would see as destructive aims if they attain to power, but acting as lambs until they attain that power - truly wolves in sheep's clothing. I suppose that the fact the American people were taken in by them this last election should be no marvel, for an entire nation was taken in by Bismarck, too. You know what they say.. 'Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.' That is because the strategy of Bismarck worked to deceived one nation.. why not this one, too? Perhaps you think that because the US is a Christian nation it is not possible the elect could be so deceived.. but what if they are? What if that is true overall of Christianity, but not of all politics and every nation (even one so founded as a Christian nation under God as America was)? What will happen if those who cherish values completely opposed to Christianity, under a cloak of darkness and smokescreen of lambswool, attain to the power they seek? What are the real intentions of these new Otto Von Bismarcks? I hope that honest religious and moral people will consider the real issues we all hold in common and wake up to the real intentions behind the smokescreen enough to ask what they really stand for, what they truly embrace and support - what values they truly vote for and stand for, privately and publicly. That should give the people an idea of what they will do in office.. and if the values of the mainstream in America - your own cherished values - would be truly represented by them.

Sara.

-- February 9, 2007 1:39 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Gates: U.S. Can Prove Iran's Iraq Role
By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Friday, February 9, 2007

SEVILLE, Spain -- Serial numbers and markings on explosives used in Iraq provide "pretty good" evidence that Iran is providing either weapons or technology for militants there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted Friday.

Offering some of the first public details of evidence the military has collected, Gates said, "I think there's some serial numbers, there may be some markings on some of the projectile fragments that we found," that point to Iran.

He and other U.S. officials have said for some time that Iranians, and possibly the government of Iran, have been providing weapons technology, and possibly some explosives to Iraqi insurgents.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/09/national/w053754S77.DTL

-- February 9, 2007 4:52 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

The Democrats' Non-Strategy On Iraq
By: Victor Davis Hanson
Wednesday, February 7, 2007

For all the talk of cutting off funds, redeployment, and pulling out, the new Democratic Congress will, at least for now, probably do nothing except speak impassioned words and make implicit threats. Here’s why.

First, they have to digest what they have swallowed. Democratic critics had previously framed their opposition to the war in terms of a disastrous tenure of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld; a culpable indifference to the status quo in Baghdad and at Centcom; a failure to listen to the more intellectual generals such as David Petraeus; the “too few troops” mantra; and the lionization of Gens. Shinseki, Zinni, and other shunned military critics.

But now Abizaid, Casey, Khalilzad, and Rumsfeld are all absent, or about to be, from direct involvement in the war. The supposed villain cast of books such as Cobra II and Fiasco has exited, and the purported good guys have entered. David Petraeus will, de facto, be in charge, not just in the strictly military sense, but, given the press and politics of the war, spiritually as well – in the manner that Grant by late summer 1864 had become symbolic of the entire Union military effort that was his to win or lose.

Many of those officers involved in the “revolt of the generals” have now largely supported the surge – something Democrats themselves had inadvertently apparently called for when they serially lamented there were too few troops to win in Iraq.

All the old targets of the Democrats are no more, and it will take time for them to readjust the crosshairs to aim at men and policies that they have heretofore viewed sympathetically.

Also, given the 2008 election to come, Democrats are crafting the necessary holding position for the next few months, which will allow them to readjust their past records either to defeat or to victory – something difficult to achieve should they now vote to cut off funds before the verdict is in.

Then there is the “what next?” dilemma. It is fine for Democrats to talk of “redeployment” out of Iraq, “engagement” with Syria and Iran, more soft power, Europeans and the United Nations, organizing “regional interests,” etc. – until one realizes that we did mostly just that for most of the 1990’s.

And? We got Syrian absorption of Lebanon, Afghanistan as an Al Qaeda base, a Libyan WMD program, worldwide serial terrorist attacks, Oslo, a Pakistani bomb, a full-bore Iranian nuclear program, Oil-for-Food – and 9/11. If one doubts any of this, just reflect on why the Democrats have not offered any specific alternative plans. And when pressed, they usually talk only of “talking” and thereby bring embarrassment to even their liberal questioners.

So, privately, some sober Democrats realize that the use of force in the present was a reaction to the frustrations of the past. For all the slurs against the neocons, it could be wise to stay mum, and see whether the stabilization of Afghanistan and Iraq might well, in fact, still provide the United States with options unavailable in the past. It could be even wiser to let Bush take the heat for the ordeal in Iraq, and the slanders against democratization, and then, if it all finally succeeds, to huff, snort, nit-pick about the messy details – and then take advantage of the favorable outcome.

In contrast to the complex daily Democratic triangulation, the Republican position has solidified and can’t really be further nuanced. More troops, Secretary Rumsfeld, new tactics – these are no longer issues between a Sen. McCain and the administration. And the other front-runners likewise support the current effort, and its success or failure will help determine their own particular fates.

We are in a rare period in American political history, in which the battlefield alone will determine the next election, perhaps not seen since 1864. The economy, scandal, social issues, domestic spending, jobs, all these usual criteria and more pale in comparison to what happens in Iraq, where a few thousand brave American soldiers will determine our collective future.

Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is the author of several bestselling works of nonfiction including, most recently, “A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War.” This column originally appeared on NationalReviewOnline.com.

http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20619/The_Democrats%27_Non%2DStrategy_On_Iraq.html

-- February 9, 2007 5:06 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

The UN Carbon and DINAR Tax?

I was reading on Global Warming and there was a comment which DOES affect the Dinar holders which made me go.. uh-oh.. So I thought I would post it. The article was called, "Al Gore Sides With China Instead of U.S. on Global Warming" and it shows Al Gore supporting the Chinese against the US. One commentator mentions the UN Carbon Tax which aims to take "taxes on the consumption of fossil fuels AND ON INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS.."

Now, correct me if I am wrong.. but...
I think the Dinar counts as an international currency transaction??

Though I believe Soros may still make a tidy profit if he has to pay a huge tax on his Dinar profits.. I am wondering how this would affect you and me? Thoughts on our being taxed on our Dinar profits, anyone?

Below are the comments from that section which show some very "questionable" means to tax and raise money for the UN yearly budget. I ask you to consider, though - if those who believe in taxing for the UN get this whole program into their heads.. will they tax the Dinar profits of you and me, too?

1) acaiguana Says:

I'm sorta repeating myself here, but the goal is a UN Carbon Tax. http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no4/154finan.htm

The panel, chaired by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, was set up by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to identify innovative methods for raising the estimated $50 bn needed yearly to implement the UN's commitments to poverty reduction and sustainable growth in developing countries. Its recommendations will be considered by the UN conference on financing for development, to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, in March 2002.

"Among the proposals are taxes on the consumption of fossil fuels and on international currency transactions. The panel urges new ways to boost aid and investment flows to poor countries, and to assist countries raise funds from within their own economies through better political and economic management, including by improving their ability to collect domestic taxes. Such efforts would be supported by the establishment of an international tax organization and the holding of a summit that would address problems arising from globalization, the panel stated."

So, the Liberals will never admit the ultimate goal of Global Warming.

This is an important issue folks. It affects our sovereignty; our energy habits; our economy; and our freedoms.

ACA

...

Hillary Clinton says: "I want to take those profits."

2) RayRio Says:
February 8, 2007 - 10:55

ACA,

Right. This is only about one thing. Another way to tax us. Algore and his likes want the America taxpayer to pay an international tax to the UN and also lose our sovereignty. What ever happened to "No taxation without representation"??

3) MyKindaSpam Says:
February 8, 2007 - 14:48

Al Gore gives China a pass on polution so grievous that rivers are covered in a putrid foamy sludge that renders the water, not only undrinkable, but untouchable. Cancer rates are skyrocketing in some villages, in one village, China's own estimate is that the cancer rate is 30 times the national average. The smog over China's cities makes LA look like the the Great Plains. The soot from their coal-powered factories creates acid rain that devastates their own country, falls on one-third of China and even reaches Canada, but unlike the acid rain caused by Canada and the US which ended in the 80s, China is making no move to control it. Factories pump waste, deadly chemicals like PCBs, dioxins, benzene, hydrogen peroxide and even lead and mercury. 90% of China's urban water is contaminated. The air isn't much better. NASA has satellite photographs (1st link below) of the thick, brown haze that hovers over China, but we're the ones who are killing "Gaia." 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in China.

So, if Gore really cared about the environment and he believes that the environment is threatened like "never before," then why, by not demanding world-wide clean air and water standards, would he risk the Earth's future to keep the economy of the biggest rising pollution threat (and in some instances, current pollution threat) churning forward, which just creates even more pollution? Isn't our children's future and the future of the Earth worth the sacrifice? That's what I've heard--usually from Democrats and Gore himself. Could it be that the goal isn't a global reduction in pollution, just Western, particularly US, reduction? I'm pretty sure, though, that those 90s Chinese fundraising contributions didn't have anything to do with it.

http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/985/S2000002043056_md.jpg

http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2005-07-04-pollution-china-cover_x.htm

4) Junk Science Skeptic Says:
February 8, 2007 - 17:13

“Emerging economies such as China are justified in holding back on fighting greenhouse gas emissions until richer polluters like the United States do more to solve the problem, former Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday.”

Somewhere or other I read that the U.S. is actually a CO2 "sink" on a net basis. In other words, our trees and vegetation consume more CO2 than we emit.

So if we're already absorbing more CO2 than we emit, and we've already made more progress in further reducing our CO2 emissions than virtually all of the Kyoto signatories . . . aren't we already doing more than our part to "solve" this (unproven) problem?

5) Zenophus Says:
February 8, 2007 - 17:40

“Never before has all of civilization been threatened," Gore said.

I don't know about you guys, but I remember the cold war with perfect clarity. Imagine what a full nuclear exchange would have done to human civilization. How quickly we forget.....

6) Dave in Texas Says:
February 8, 2007 - 13:29

"Never before has all of civilization been threatened," Gore said. "We have everything we need to save it...".

Even if you accept the absolute worst case scenarios that the global warming alarmists are predicting, in no way is "all of civilization" threatened. There would be plenty of areas on the planet that would still be perfectly inhabitable. Funny how the MSM never calls him on statements like that when they interview him?

7) jonathananderson Says:
February 8, 2007 - 15:21

Hate to get all biblical but I read these verses today and they nail Al Gore to a tee.

1 Timothy 5:13

And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers [praters] also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

2 Thessalonians 3:11

For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

Titus 1:10-11

(10) For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers..

(11) Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake [for money].

http://newsbusters.org/node/10696

-- February 9, 2007 6:31 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Steve,

What is EFM?

Tim:

I truly believe that if Romney gets on the ticket as Pres. it will cost the Repub's the election. I think that the Demos. would like to see him get the ticket nomination and that is why they are not doin anything to deflect his reputation right now.

But you can bet your bippy, that if he gets it, the Mormon thing will take him down.

People in general do not trust Mormons because of their exclusivity and much secrecy in their church dogma. They have had many skeltons creep out of their closets lately and that will be played out big time during the election campaigning. Is it fair? Probably not! But what is during the campaigning time?

When have politics been fair.

For me personally, I think that Mitt/Newt ticket would get my vote. The inernational community needs Newt. Mitt could well handle our domestic issues and Newt would be a good check and balance for him as far as the religious right would be concerned.

As far as Guilliano. He is a globalist and would sell us out to the UN. He also has the morals of an alley cat.

The best thing that ever happened to him PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY was 911.

Personally, with all the flag waving in his favor he divorced his family and married his mistress of many years, without the public even noticing and if anyone did they dare not take up an issue with it during his sainthood of 911.

Professionally, 911 gave him statute he did not deserve, but was merely in the right place at the right time. He caught the ball and ran with it.

He would be a terrible mistake.

Mc Cain is not a well man physically or mentally. He has a borderline personality and suffers from post traumatic syndrome as a POW.

Carole

-- February 9, 2007 8:20 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole - Your thoughts on Tom Tancredo?
He is the one I like best so far.

Sara.

-- February 9, 2007 9:34 PM ∞

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Steve wrote:

HI Carole,

EFM = Evangelicals For Mitt

www.evangelicalsformitt.org

It is an interesting sight,

Steve

-- February 9, 2007 10:29 PM ∞

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Steve wrote:

Tim

I will never mess with a Canadian!! :)

That's a great story

Steve

-- February 9, 2007 10:33 PM ∞

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Neil wrote:

Carole:

I don't think you like me even as much as you do Roger but I am a great fan of yours. Everything that you say is in line with my thinking, from immigration to the Iraqi Situation, to Gov't spending, to political correctness to presidential candidates, you have an excellent grasp of the situation.

Your only shortcoming, IMO, is that you did not become familiar with the life of Charles Ponzi before starting your investing venture.

Tim Bitts: In addition to being a highly informed intellect, it seems that you are somewhat of a comedian also. Keep it up, we like that side of you.

-- February 9, 2007 11:38 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

You may be right about the Mormon thing being an issue for people. We'll see, I guess. I don't know, for sure. If being Mormon really is a problem, then I am missing some sort of experience that would let me understand why on earth, being a Mormon would be a problem, in the first place. I have to admit. I just don't get it..... Being a Catholic was considered an impediment, to being president, at one time...... My belief is it will all come down to endorsement from powerful leaders. I can see the religious right lining up behind Mitt and Gingrich, or Gingrich and Mitt, if that's the way things turn out.

So, my hunch still is, that this oppositon to Mitt, based on differences in religious doctrine is a temporary thing, like Catholicism and JFK. It's certainly based on fear that doesn't have any substance behind it. If there was any substance behind the fear about Mitt, and the Mormon boogey-man, I suspect it would have been found and exploited a long time ago, in the fairly liberal state that Mitt was governor of, Massachusetts. The top liberal in that state is Senator Ted Kennedy, one of the most viscious hatchet men in politics. He's the only politician I've ever seen, that always looked like he just crawled out of a pickle jar! I'm sure Ted had his people looking for dirt on Mitt, for a long time, just to discredit him. He must have found nothing.... If Hillary gets the Democrat's nomination, I think the religious right will be faced with a simple choice, as to who they will support, for President. It won't be Hillary. (Personally, she makes my skin crawl).... In spite of doctrinal difference, conservatives and Christians, if they think about it, have more in common, in terms of beliefs and morals shared, on important issues, with Mitt, than Hillary... I think the American people will give Mitt a fair hearing, if he wins the nomination.

Did you see the video clip on Glenn Beck, of Rudy Guliani, dressed up in drag, like Uncle Miltie used to do, in a dress and makeup and a blonde wig, standing beside Donald Trump, at a costume party? I hope it was a costume party! When I first saw the video, I thought Donald Trump was starting to date older women! It's a good thing Bill Clinton wasn't in the room, or he would have asked Rudy for a date!... I guess if Rudy becomes President, Americans will have to scrap playing Hail to the Chief, and instead borrow the British royal family's anthem, for President Rudy, start playing "God Save the Queen!".... Just kidding, Rudy is an Uncle Miltie prankster, not a princess.

-- February 10, 2007 12:21 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Ok just for the sake of the argument, lets say Soros is the man that are manipulating the Dinar.

I just wonder what his priorities are, political or financial.

Is he using his political power for financial purposes?

I think so, I don't think he would do it the other way around.

He sure is on the leftists agenda, but when push comes to show, what would he prefer, his money or his political dabbling? I would say his money.

I have not pinpointed anyone as to a specific person, when it comes to the suppression of the Dinar year after year, Soros might be a player, or there might be cloaked players, or it's just a result of mass confusion, where people are babbling on top of each other tossing out new economic theories, getting nothing done.

It might be a case of incompetence, or false economic "truths" as the basis of what they are doing.

I just can't put my fingers on it, all I see is a desperate population and a way undervalued currency that is held there manually.

A cultural situation that is close to a civil war, can be held down militarily, but have to be addressed in it's root problem politically and financially.

Re that 1812 war, well wasn't Canada British at the time, and the war was against the British more than against Canada. Who won that war.....? Yeah we remember that tretcherous sneak attack from the north, no better than the Japanese. Well it took you a couple of weeks to march trough, and there was still a sizeable support from our population that was still in favour of the British Crown, but that's details.

You can beat us in Hockey, we will allow that...(your players are Finns, Swedes and Russians anyway, we will set up our Finns, Swedes and Russian players in our colors , and then we can claim we are playing each other.)

Okie,

Yes this was a great piece of info, it seems to me that this is where they are selling their idea of how to get the oil going in Iraq, did you notice that present will also be the World Bank.

I agree, if they are setting up such a big event, they have to pass the HCL law first, they just can't go there and say, -"uh, we'll see next week maybe we know better."

There will be participants from all the important sectors of Iraq on this, and I just can't see that they can postpone the HCL law passed this point.

Yes the budget is passed, ( finally, things takes time over there) and that in itself is a IMF criteria met, as it is the first budget made according to international standard norms.

Now if only the Dinar would move as well.

All,

One candidate is black, one a woman and one a Mormon.

I hope thus election will not be about gender, race or religion.

At the end though, so far I have not heard anything from neither one of them that have substance to it, as time goes by, and they are starting debating the issues, you will see that issues are more important than their gender, race or religion.

I think the gender, race and religion is more important now, in the beginning of the race, before anyone have taken a standpoint, as it's more of reporters reporting now, they just have nothing more to say about the candidates other than one is black one is a woman and one is a Mormon.

It will come down to issues at the end, and that's what will matter.

Sara,

Global warming, I'm freezing my ass off, where is it?

We are right now in the tail end of an ice age cycle, and it should be warming up.

It's true that it is a known fact that if we put freon in the atmosphere it does something, as well as if we put Carbon Dioxide. We should strive after getting cleaner cars, I'm not against that in any form.

The natural swings in warming and cooling comes in unpredictable periods, some claim it's the sun that does it, some claim other causes.

The RATE of cooling and warming in the past periods is well within any temperature shift range now.

Around the time the Vikings were around, it was exceptional warm, their colony on Greenland could sustain itself on what they could grow, plus fishing and hunting, but as it cooled down they had to move (no one knows where they went). If we would have those temperature swings now, we would probably panic, as the temperature swing in that warm period was drastic.

Around the end of the medieval times into 1700's there was a very cold period, the "small ice age", and even into modern times, the war years, 39 - 45 was exceptionally cold.

During the cold years, a lot of now, always open water froze, and during the warm years, you could grow typical warm weather plants way up north.

The swings in temperature have been sometimes dramatically quick, and there is no way to tell if this temperature swing is within the normal swings or caused by man, as historical swings have been far more dramatic.

If you would claim that the climate change is purely man made, then the fifties and sixties would have been extremely warm, as the cars at that time, (even if there was fewer cars), polluted far far more than toady's cars, more than cover for all the produced cars today with today's exhaust standard.

A herd of cows release so much gas (fart) that it will make a difference, but there have always been big herds of different animals on this planet.

A forest fire will release so much CO2 that it will put automakers to shame, but there has always been forest fires, and in the past, they burned themselves out, burning the whole season until the rain snuffed them out.

Living plants takes on the CO2, and breath out Oxygen instead, oceans get saturated with CO2, (eventually we get limestone if we toss in a couple of seashells, that have calcium)

The complete cycle of our minerals is not fully known yet, the vast majority of our minerals that can one day exist(or did once exist) as a gas(such as Oxygen or CO2) is bound in the earths crust.

True, we shouldn't pollute, and I want a clear sky also, but the latest UN declaration with a number of scientists, declaring that we are at fault and the global warming is caused by humans is a bit over the line I think.

It seems to me, that a vast number of scientists doesn't agree, and by some reason or the other, they were not invited to the UN, to say their piece.

It seems from the study of the stars and the sun that the sun might be the biggest one to blame.

In the suns core there is a fusion process taking place where Hydrogen is fused to Helium, ( well it's such a turbulent place that they are knocked clean out of existence almost immediately into their smallest components, but are re-fused, and split over and over again, but the net effect is that more Hydrogen is made into Helium, and therefore we have an abundance of energy radiating from that place)

It's a fluid place, where there is no solid objects (wouldn't survive for long) and as a big gas ball as it is, there will be disturbances, small (earth size and bigger) storms, eddies, whirlwinds and a lot of other phenomenon taking place, all that as big electrical charges and magnetic fields are dancing all across the place.

So the long term is very predictable, but any wobble, disturbance and anomalies that takes place is very very hard to predict.

One known cycle is the eleven year cycle, where the sunspots are more or less active, right now we are in a bottom of a cycle but about 2012 we should be in the peak of another sun storm.

Long term scientific recording of the sun have not been possible, as science as we know it today is very young.

We have though recorded many other stars, and we know that they are not a calm shining stationary object, but some are wobbling, expanding and contracting, and doing a lot of things that makes them not stable.

As the earth takes all it's energy from the sun ( except nuclear produced here), it is not far fetched to say that the sun is probably the source that will determine a warm or cold age.

Before there was a Chevy, we have had a long number of ice ages, and warm periods. The Ice ages, was really monumental in covering the planet with ice.

As the earth was radiating off more heat than it received, it is plausible to say that the sun had a period of low radiance.

The sun is not a stable fixed rated source of heat, it is a turbulent world, with as much randomity as you can imagine, and then some, and with the latest years study of the sun and other stars in astronomy we're just starting to get a small fundamental grasp of how things affect the universe.

Some of it will probably by the nature of it's randomity always be unpredictable. A butterfly flaps it's wings in the Amazon, the effects of that is eventually a storm in Africa.

The nuclear question was solved 50 years ago, but the continuing effects and behavior of this and other stars is just about in the beginning of our learning cycle.

But what do I know, the UN knows better.

-- February 10, 2007 8:53 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

Have only heard about Tom recently, and my initial thoughts were that he might be a late starter that will finish first IF HE GETS THE MONEY TO COMPETE. I still have to learn more about him. I would think that a late starter with solid conservative stands might do very well in a race where 20 months down the road people will be ready for a new candidate's face.

Neil:

I don't know what you mean-I don't like you????
Can't remember any negative issues with you. Ah! the attributes of aging!

Tim:

See! I'm not the only one that enjoys your humor!

Roger:

You can't be serious that it will come down to the issues!?!

The issues have been the same for 20 years minus the Iraq war. The American electorate have come to distrust anyone's stand on any issue.

One big issue that would certainly have the most powerful influence on the election would be another 911 or some very evidential threat to American security. Polls have proven, besides all of the other mainstream issue, security is the one defining issue that will influence the majority way ahead of any other element.

In 20 months alot can and will happen!

All: George Soros is the grandfather of the Secular Progressives. They are focused on ONE WORLD monetary systems, power and occupation. The despise anything that is close to a biblical viewpoint of God as they have replaced God with their own interuptation of spirituality. In a nutshell it is progressive Communism with many disquises. Very powerful growing movement, that embraces much of the Islamofascist sentiments(without the arterillary, but the money to front arterillary).

I have read in many places that Soros is the most dangerous man on the planet.

Where is Magnum Force when we need it????

Carole

-- February 10, 2007 10:30 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Obama is in the middle of an old fashioned revival style announcement that he is running.

Where's the tent?

I'm waiting for the cartwheel

He's making alot of promises. He has vision for that which he will never have the funding.

If he wins, we will truly be an Obama-nation

-- February 10, 2007 11:22 AM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Roger:

Don't leave out that the Earth goes in and out of it's orbit on a fairly constant basis. sometimes nice round orbit then elliptical orbit around the Sun.

Their is plenty of evidence that volcano's erupting pretty well trumps all the other outputs of gases and debris in the atmosphere. More and more they are looking at the euphoric acid that is spewed as a major culprit to the cooling cycle at any time.

I would like to see an article that involves the thickness of the ice caps and bring into the effect that the ice is expanded by up to 25% versus its liquid stage. When I hear the dooms day water level increase I never hear that the expansion of the ice or the hole left by the ice being filled up by the water in the equation.

-- February 10, 2007 1:27 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

It's joke time... for those of you that wish not to be entertained please scroll past this it will definitely offend you.

Hillary Clinton's Indian Name

Senator Hillary Clinton was invited to address a major gathering of The
American Indian nation two weeks ago in upper New York State.

She spoke for almost an hour on her future plans for increasing every
Native American's
present standard of living, should she one day become the first female
President.

She referred to her career as a New York Senator, how she had signed "yes"
for every Indian issue that came to her desk for approval.
Although the Senator was vague on the details of her plan, she seemed
most enthusiastic
about her future ideas for helping her "red sisters and brothers".

At the conclusion of her speech, the Tribes presented the Senator with a
plaque inscribed with her new Indian name - Walking Eagle.

The proud Senator then departed in her motorcade, waving to the crowds.
A news reporter later inquired of the group of chiefs of how they had come to
select the new name given to the Senator.

They explained that Walking Eagle is the name given to a bird so full of
crap, it can no longer fly

-- February 10, 2007 1:35 PM ∞

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Okie wrote:

Several times a week I drive by a sign that's posted by a local real estate agent. Each day he posts a different message for the passing motorists. His message today was humorous and to the point....

" Ya know, maybe God is waiting on a sign from you!!! "

it made me think......

-- February 10, 2007 4:19 PM ∞

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cornish boy wrote:

hi can i ask a question why would thay do a zero lop if thay all ready have the 14 denominations.?

-- February 10, 2007 4:23 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Tim - on Canada.. If the US stood back from Canada and promised not to lay a finger on anyone who wanted to have a go at her - not to support her or defend Canada at all.. how long would the Canadian military be able to keep out their enemies from taking over Canada.. you think a full week? Maybe in the early 1800s Canada could think of taking the US in a fight.. but now.. think again. With the Canadian military budget so thin and the aging equipment (see the Canadian jokes about sea helicopters, SeaKings, I think they call them, or seahawks) as they continue to shrink and cut the budget for the military, people in Canada are afraid to enlist because they don't have the basic equipment and that which they would use is so hopelessly out of date. Canada cuts her military budget to next to nothing and prospers with business because they can afford to give the slack to the US to defend her. When they talk of military budgets it is for humanitarian purposes and not to defend herself from any real threat. Best to think of the US as an elder sibling as that is the relationship Canada has chosen when it gave up being a military power back in the last century. Read a little on the military generals of Canada and how upset they were with being made unable to stand up to the US, and their loss of sovereignty.. I think you will find that in the documentation of the 1950-60s.. Those old days of possibly fighting the US and taking them in a battle are gone.. unless we are talking hockey games. :)

I think Canada should be helping the US with all it has. It has as much to lose as the US does. The Islamofascists won't spare Canada when they seek to destroy America. Like it or not, we are in this together as One in this struggle. In time, the geopolitics will likely catch up with the reality of the power structure as it truly is. Because Canada CANNOT defend herself, she will ASK the US to defend her one day, and the US will take Canada's sovereignty in order to streamline for survival. But for now we are into polite politics.. not essential ones. We are into appearances being everything, not brass tacks to survive. That won't last when the enemy pulls off coordinated nuclear bombings - "24" style - in their coming promised American Hiroshima attack. I think they will coordinate a few spare suicide bombers to take Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto with suitcase nukes along with attempting to take the major US cities. Unless the Lord keeps both nations, the watchmen watch to protect her in vain. (Psa 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.)

Roger - As for Global Warming, if the Ice Age had happened when there was an internet and global MSM, we would surely have heard that it was as a result of man's lighting fires to cook his food by and that we need to do "war reparations" to the mammoths.. ;) Weather patterns do appear to go in a cycle, and puny man is so arrogant as to believe he is responsible for it all. Such are religions which make man the center of the universe.. and the center of climatology. I agree with you, it is more likely due to the sun than any human activity. Even volcanic activity does more damage to the ozone and atmosphere in one explosion than 100 years of humans filling the atmosphere with our waste from burning fossil fuels. Perhaps the volcanoes should be required to pay up in gold? (Robert S brought it up, too.. beat me to it, but it is true! Glad we think alike, Robert S.)

cornish boy - they wouldn't.. smart question.

Sara.

-- February 10, 2007 6:14 PM ∞

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cornish boy wrote:

i would like to add if the zero lop happend 25 would be highest note would that mean a reprint of biger notes.?

-- February 10, 2007 6:34 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

cornish boy wrote:
i would like to add if the zero lop happend 25 would be highest note would that mean a reprint of biger notes.?

-- February 10, 2007 6:34 PM ∞

Relax cornish boy Sara said it ain't going to happen so you can take that to the bank and sleep at ease tonight. Even if the zeor lop happened we don't know that the larger notes aren't already printed. The smart money is on the lower denoms.

Sara what's going to happen when Yellow Stone erupts or are we even going to survive that one long enough to see what the weather is going to be like?

-- February 10, 2007 7:16 PM ∞

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cornish boy wrote:

thank you sera and robert i will sleep better.

-- February 10, 2007 7:24 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Roger,

Yes, Roger, Canada was British, till 1867. But a lot of the Canadian Army that invaded was from Nova Scotia, and Upper Canada, (which changed it's name to Ontario). A lot of the officers were Limeys, that's true, but the ordinary enlisted men were natural born Canucks. And no, marching on Washington, DC wasn't a sneak attack. America wanted to own Canada, and invaded first, with border raids.

On the lighter side, I wonder why little piddly Canada won a war against the United States? Why did Canada win that war? My guess is, the Americans were confused when Canadian soldiers, with hockey sticks attached to the ends of their rifles, like bayonets, showed up, ready to rumble! And then the Canucks started shooting pucks at the Yanks. Bedlam ensued. My guess is, that's where the expression came from, "the puck stops here!". But, thankfully, Canadians and Americans have been able to put it behind them. We now have a lot in common. We do have worse weather, though. Sometimes I think a Canadian is just a REALLY COLD American.

On hockey, yes, Europeans have a lot of good hockey players, but Canada still produces the most number of quality hockey players. Hockey is very popular in Europe, and Europe has a population of several hundred million, and Canada is one-tenth of that, and we still dominate hockey. Hockey, on the praires, is like football in Texas. It's almost like a religion up here. People get pretty excited about it. Every little spit of a town has a hockey arena, and it's own local heroes. The province of Saskatchewan produces more hockey players per capita, than any other place, in the world. Hockey is the best sport, IMO.

George Soros is an old man. He won't be around forever. He has more money than he could ever use. At this point, I don't think money is his big motivator anymore. He already has too much lucre. Power and influence are probably more of a motivator, for him. If he can somehow move events in a way he wants, that would be more satisfaction than more loot. So, if you're thinking that his main motivation is money, I don't think that's correct. He's an intellectual. (a warped and dangerous one IMO) He likes ideas. My guess is, he's up to no good, in Iraq. Just what, I can't say, yet, for sure..... I don't think we the public really know at this point the shenanigans going on, behind closed doors. I know I don't. So I don't really have any answers, other than to agree with you, that it all looks fishy, this low value of the Dinar, and there must be things going on, we are not being told. Or, as you put it, and I agree, someone is blowing smoke in our faces.

On global warming, I watched the National One-day weather forecast regularly this week, and then kept track, the next day, to see how they did... The got it wrong twice. And now,... they want to come out with a hundred-year forecast??? Hmmmmmmm...................

Rob S,

Good joke, on a new species of eagle, known by her Indian name, "Hillary Walking Eagle". Hillary is not the first politician to have a bird name. How about Al "Chicken Little" Gore?

-- February 10, 2007 8:23 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Robert S - What is going to happen when Yellowstone erupts? Global catastrophe, of course!
But since that won't happen for a while and the REAL threat to the planet is NOT the Global War on Terror
OR the nukes the terrorists are threatening the West and this nation with..
let us fret about saving the whales.. or better yet.. Global Warming..
which, the MSM tells us will kill BILLIONS of people.. QUOTE:

The NewsBusters Weekly Recap: January 27 to February 2

Posted by Scott Whitlock on February 2, 2007 - 09:45.

When it comes to the subject of global warming, members of the media have lost all restraint. CNN’s Larry King nervously wondered if climate change might "really kill us all?" Could it "submerge cities like New York and Washington and San Francisco under floods from melting Arctic ice caps?" Not to be outdone, "Good Morning America’s" weatherman warned of the dire threat of global warming. The next day, an ABC graphic fretted, "Will billions die from global warming?"

http://newsbusters.org/node?from=120

I think you should be worried about that instead of some silly volcano in Yellowstone.. ;) (sarcasm, tongue in cheek)

In reality, this is a strategy to make people worried about Global Warming instead of their own safety at the hands of terrorists.. quite a bait and switch. Do you think the mainstream Americans are fooled by the media and will rally to this false cause instead of the one that threatens their very existence? Can you believe they said that BILLIONS will die as a result of Global Warming? Where are the casualties in the news everyday like we see from the terrorists? Can people really ignore the real threat for this fake and pumped up one? What about the terrorists daily killing people in Iraq and promising that once they are through (or have enough funds if the US pulls out and leaves those juicy oil fields to them), that YOU, dear America, are NEXT. The MSM plays as Pied Pipers, indeed...

I think someone here has wrong priorities and is seriously out of touch with reality when it is our lives which are at stake.

Sara.

===

Media Global Warming Fever Leave Facts Out In The Cold
Posted by Julia A. Seymour on February 8, 2007 - 15:50.

To listen to Harry Smith, you'd think Mickey was drowning.

ABC, NBC and CBS were so busy with their hysterics about global warming as the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) summary report was released that they missed downward revisions to predictions of rising sea levels.

“Do people here [South Beach, Fla.] know that very likely in the next – well several decades – all of this is going to be underwater?” CBS “Early Show” anchor Harry Smith asked in an interview about the appeal of Miami, Florida.

Read the full article here: http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2007/20070207122211.aspx

Comments:

1) HumanEvents Says:
February 8, 2007 - 16:09

"Media reports following the IPCC release could be summed up like this: 'The earth is warming, it’s mankind’s fault, and no one can question it.' Yes that's exactly the best way to sum up the phony MSM "reporting".

Knucklehead Sam Champion says the record breaking cold temperatures now don't mean anything because you can't go by day to day temps. Hmmm, if February was having above normal teperatures I wonder if Champion would be linking it to Global Warming.

Meredith Viera asks, "Are we all going to die?" Funny how Larry King asked the same question a few nights ago.

"Do people here [South Beach, Fl.] know that very likely in the next - well several decades - all of this is going to be underwater." Looks like Harry Smith was about to say the liberal's favorite "ten years" before "several decades"! Such unbelievable hogwash.

2) msh1973 Says:
February 8, 2007 - 16:47

This is such a joke. "Several decades", how many is several...two, four ten? What evidence does Harry have to back up this outrageous prediction?

3) HumanEvents Says:
February 8, 2007 - 16:55

It's long enough that, once the dire prediction fails, people will forget it was made in the first place.

4) dscott Says:
February 8, 2007 - 17:10

Well Harry, I haven't looked at a topographical map lately, however, unless Global Temperatures reach to at least the Medieval Optimum, the ocean is only going to rise around 18 inches. Is South Beach Florida higher or lower than 18 inches above sea level?

5) pocomoco Says:
February 8, 2007 - 17:55

As a person who grew up in the Miami and Miami Beach area in the 50s, and loved it, let me say the following:

Henry Flagler, the man who started Miami Beach in the 20’s for the ‘snow birds’ coming down from New York City, would be amused by it all.

As an entrepreneur, he would simply tell the hotels to raise their entrances up a few floors, and accommodate boats instead of cars.

As for the rhetorical question posited by ABC, “will billions die …..?”, has got to be journalism at its most irresponsible.

However, if the Army Corp of Engineers built the sea walls around Miami Beach, I’d really be worried.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10707

-- February 10, 2007 8:41 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Australian PM blasts Obama over US Iraq policy
February 11, 2007

Prime Minister John Howard has blasted US presidential candidate Barack Obama, saying his policy of withdrawing troops from Iraq will destabilise the entire Middle East.

Senator Obama, who is aiming to be the first black American president, has vowed to withdraw US forces if elected.

In a strongly worded foray into US politics on Sunday, Mr Howard said an Obama victory in the presidential election would be disastrous for the war on terrorism.

"I think he's wrong. I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilise and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists," Mr Howard told the Nine Network.

Mr Howard said the US could not win the Iraq war before March 2008, so an Obama victory would mean defeat for America.

"If America pulls out of Iraq in March 2008 it can only be in circumstances of defeat," Mr Howard said.

"There's no way by March 2008, which is a little over a year from now, everything will have been stabilised so that America can get out.

"If America is defeated in Iraq, the hope of ever getting a Palestinian settlement will be gone, there will be enormous conflict between the Shia and the Sunnis throughout the whole of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Jordan will both be destabilised."

"Al-Qaeda will trumpet it as the greatest victory they've ever had, and that will have implications in our region."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/PM-blasts-Obama-over-US-Iraq-policy/2007/02/11/1171128798393.html

-- February 11, 2007 12:31 AM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

40 days into 2007 and 18 days with no auction from CBI....

How many holidays do these guys have????

I would like to take off nearly 50% of the days for holiday.

-- February 11, 2007 1:27 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

U.S. weighs divulging Iran-Iraq proof
By KATHERINE SHRADER and ANNE GEARAN,
Sat Feb 10, 2007

WASHINGTON - After weeks of preparation and revisions, U.S. officials are preparing to detail evidence supporting administration's claims of Iran's meddlesome and deadly activities. A briefing was scheduled Sunday in Baghdad.

The Iran dossier, some 200 pages thick in its classified form, was revised heavily after officials decided it was not ready for release as planned last month. What is made public probably would be short, and shorter on details than the administration recently had suggested.

No one who has seen the files has suggested the evidence is thin. Officials from several intelligence agencies scrutinized the presentation to make sure it was clear and that "we don't in any way jeopardize our sources and methods in making the presentation," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.

The evidence on Iran is intended to give backbone to the administration's claim that an emboldened Iran is playing a dangerous game across the Middle East: meddling in conflicts and planting terrorism beyond its borders while rushing to acquire nuclear know-how that could produce a bomb.

Government officials familiar with the dossier's documents and slides, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the materials still were classified, said they make a compelling case about Iranian actions in Iraq.

Among the evidence the administration planned to present are weapons that were seized over time in U.S.-led raids on caches around Iraq, said one military official. Other evidence includes documents captured when U.S.-led forces raided an Iranian office Jan. 11 in Irbil, a city in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq about 220 miles north of Baghdad, this official said.

The dossier also details Iran's role in providing Iraqi fighters with the "explosively formed penetrator" devices that can pierce the armor of Abrams tanks with nearly molten-hot charges.

A senior U.S. government official said Saturday that members of Congress were shown proof in December. "I'm convinced from what I've seen that the Iranians are supplying and are giving assistance to the people in Iraq who are killing American soldiers," said independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

The evidence in the dossier also includes what is known about Iranian efforts to train Iraqis in making bombs, using firearms and other military skills. Analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Office of the National Intelligence Director and elsewhere have been double- and triple-checking the information to ensure it is well supported.

Officials said that is particularly the case when the material comes from sources with agendas. The vigorous fact-checking brings up a recurring problem: the precise nature of Iran's actions is often murky, but the intelligence must be solid. After mistakes on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, U.S. officials recognize there is skepticism about U.S. intelligence claims.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070210/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iran_intelligence;_ylt=AhP7eA9SvEEp75NWQJmxlUFI2ocA

-- February 11, 2007 1:57 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

British Newspaper Headline: Anti-Americanism in Europe ‘Helps Al-Qaeda’
Posted by Noel Sheppard on February 2007.

Just imagine if you opened up tomorrow’s paper and saw a headline “Anti-Americanism ‘Helps Al-Qaeda.’” Would have to be the Washington Times, or the New York Post, right?

Well, The Daily Telegraph ran a story Thursday entitled “Anti-Americanism in Europe ‘Helps Al-Qaeda,’” and frankly, the American media along with the politicians they so revere could learn how a strong U.S. ally feels about slamming Uncle Sam in public (emphasis mine throughout),

QUOTE:

Anti-American feeling in Europe is playing into the hands of al-Qa'eda and unwittingly encouraging terrorism, Australia's foreign minister said today.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Alexander Downer urged European politicians to weigh the consequences of their words before they "leap out there and attack America".

Mr Downer gave warning that criticism of America's conduct in Iraq could – inadvertently – provide an incentive for terrorist attacks.

"People in the West, and not only in Europe, blame America for a suicide bomber in a market in Baghdad," he said.

"That only encourages more horrific behaviour. Every time there is an atrocity committed, it is implicitly America's fault, so why not commit some more atrocities and put even more pressure on America?"

===end quote==

Makes sense, right? So why don’t people on the left in this country see what a foreign minister from Australia does? Regardless, the piece continued QUOTE:

Mr Downer added: "The al-Qa'eda leadership has said on many occasions that more than 50 per cent of the battle is a battle in the media. The more you can get media denigration of America, the more that the war against terrorism is seen to be an indictment of America, the better for those who started this war."

Speaking during a visit to London, Mr Downer, who has served as Australia's foreign minister for almost 11 years, said that European critics of Washington were not aiming to help terrorists, but this could be the unintentional consequence of their words.

"It's very rude to say these people want to help al-Qa'eda. They don't. But obviously America's enemies take comfort from continual attacks on America by America's friends," he said. "Before you leap out there and vigorously attack America, think about what you're saying and the consequences of what you're saying."

==end of quote==

Seems like sound advice that many on Capitol Hill and in pressrooms across our nation should heed.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10714

-- February 11, 2007 2:19 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Anthony R: Fridays are prayer day in Iraq and most Muslim states, Saturday is like Sunday for us. . .the holidays are Muharramn, (Islamic New Year) January 20th, Ramadan, Thursday, September 13th, Eid-al-Fitr Saturday, October 13th, and Eid-al-Adha, Thursday, December 20th. . . and they had an auction on Sunday, but you're just gonna have to wait till Chris posts it. . .P.H.

-- February 11, 2007 7:39 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(860)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 860 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 2/ 11 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 15 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1288 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1286 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 53.080.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 5.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 53.080.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 5.000.000 -----

-- February 11, 2007 8:13 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Global warming again,

Sorry forgot the volcanoes, can put more stuff in the air than any humans ever can do in all their lifetimes together.

We're hit with a pretty big rock every 60 or 100 million years or so, those really hurt, they even wipe out big portions of life, global warming is less of an issue when that happens, they make the whole atmosphere so full of stuff that it's dark in the daytime, blocks the sun and thus it's freezing cold for a couple of years, until the dust settles.

After all the arguments about more colossal events that put so much more stuff in the atmosphere, I still think it's a very good idea to have clean exhaust pipes.

Panhandler,

I dont get it, if they are following our year time table, and have 2007 now in Iraq, and not 1400 something, for the Iraqis, what exactly are the 31st of Dec and 1st of January for them? Wouldn't that make the passing and beginning of the new year, with the 12 o clock as the time when the year changes?

Tim Bitts,

There was once this giant ice hockey machine, the Soviet team. I grew up around that time, and followed the hockeyscene.

Only on occasion could another nation beat them, and in hockey countries that was cause for big celebration.

They were so good that they got careless, had a night out and came to one very important match, where they got beaten by Poland with 14 to 1. The Swedes and the Czech was the only team that came somewhat close, to the Soviets, those three teams would beat the Canadians pretty regularly but took a beating themselves on occasion.

The Canadian and the US teams that were professional players could not play in the World Tournament at that time, and there was a big question whether the Pros, was better or not.

When the opportunity finally came most pro teams from this side of the big waters turned up to suck pretty much. They were outright bad. Most European hockey teams beat the crap out of them, almost in an embarrassing way.

That's the time when the pro teams started to import players, and by early 70's a lot of players on this side of the world had funny names.

Time has change, style has change and development has taken place, but it seems that the four big hockey nations still are Canada, Sweden, Czech, and Russia. Russia or former Soviet, have lost it's complete dominance in hockey though.

As for that damn old 1812 war, well you were Brits at the time, you won a battle, but we won the war, so whataya say now.

As for Soros, I don't know, point a gun to his head and make him take a choice of either continue being a radical communist, or take all his money away from him, I think he will choose the money.

Okie,

Signs posted on private property can sometimes be very funny.
There was one in the state of Washington that I used to pass by regularly. This was in the 90's.

One day it read:

-"Long long time ago'
In a Galaxy far far away
Clinton had a clue".

-- February 11, 2007 2:41 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Sara,

I agree with you, Canada SHOULD be doing more to fight terrorism.

We should, but WILL we? Will we spend more, on the military? Let's think about this, from a Canadian, or European point of view.

Canadians tend to rely on the Americans, to protect us. That's true. So do the Europeans. I read in the paper today, that there was a significant increase in the Pentagon Budget. America now spends more on their military, than all the other industrialized countries, COMBINED.

So, let me be the devil's advocate for a minute. I ask you, why should Canada spend more on defence, including the War on Terror? America is willing to pay our bills. America is willing to pay the defence bills for Western Europe. America has done this faithfully for over half a century. So, why should they as well spend more money on defence? Isn't America working against their own interests, by paying everyone else's military bills?

Think about it. The Cold war is over. Looking back in history, Europe has a thousands of year of record of mostly war, punctuated by peace. If America wasn't in Europe, militarily, Europe would have to grow up, and look after themselves, including paying for their own military defence. Then, in time, Europeans would develop a more pro-military attitude, and be better partners for the US, in the war against Islamofascists. If America leaves Europe, militarily, then, for the first time, in a long time, Europeans will feel very vulnerable. And what do people do when they feel vulnerable? Try to protect themselves.

Right now, Europeans know they can depend on the Americans to protect them. So they know they are safe from large scale invasion, and they are free to spend their money elsewhere; and at the same time, scoff at the Americans as aggressive, and militaristic knuckle-draggers; all the while hypocritically hiding behind the protection of Uncle Sam. And who made that possible?........... Uncle Sam, in my opinion,......... who is too generous and good natured, and is willing to pay other people's bills.

So, in a way, I blame successive American governments, both Democrat and Republican, for this. Now, it's my belief, paying other people's bills encourages laziness, whiny hypocritical self-indulgent dependency, and a smug sense of moral superiority that comes from being spoiled, overly protected, and not being burdened by adult responsibility.

The average Canadian or European knows, Uncle Sam can do all the dirty work, in the world, keeping everyone safe, and Canadians and Europeans can play the role of critic, happy to be protected, free of charge, while feeling free to criticise the Americans as "warlike". We know we can get away with it, because we know America may be a giant, but they are a Friendly Giant. Unless provoked, America generally wouldn't hurt a flea. It is the most benign super-power in history. We know that is the reality, despite all the left-wing clap-trap to the contrary. That's why we all feel safe to criticise America, and American leadership. People make jokes about President Bush all the time, because they know he won't be coming after them. Europeans live in fear of making jokes about Muslims, because these people will kill them over the slightest offence, or a cartoon about their prophet Mohammed. America, by contrast, is slow to anger, and won't invade us, or anyone, without some kind of provocation. I know this. I never feel more safe, than when I see an American soldier.

America is like an unwise parent, with adult children living at home, not working, still living off mom and dad. America is still foolishly paying the rent for their "children", and then wondering why the "kids" are so immature. So, who's the problem in this situation? The parent, in my opinion, for putting up with, and encouraging this sort of nonsense.

Now, while the Cold War went on, I think America had a moral responsibility to protect the free world. They stood up for their responsibilty, and I am grateful for it. But realistically, the Cold War has ended, the children should be allowed to grow up. A parent who won't let his or her adult children grow up, these parents hav a problem. They don't want to admit, times have changed, the world has moved on. Time to change the rules of the game, even if it means no longer being the big dog in Europe. I think that's what America doesn't want to give up. Power in Europe. America is like a parent that holds on to the adult children, because they don't know what they would do with their time, once the kids have moved out, they have been looking after them, for so long. That parent needs to learn to let go, and move on to other things.

You can blame the kids, in you want, Sara, but I think that is missing the point. Sara, most people will usually do the easy thing, all things being equal. For instance, if you were to send me a checque each month, to cover my rent, I wouldn't work so hard. Can you blame me?

This giant economic subsidy, compliments of the American taxpayer, is in reality, basically welfare, for nations. Every government only has a limited amount to spend. They have to make choices, as to allocation of resources. This international welfare-economic subsidy allows us Canadians and Europeans to do other things with our money, like national universal healthcare. Thanks...... I appreciate the subsidy.

-- February 11, 2007 3:29 PM ∞

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Tim Bitts wrote:

Roger,

America may have done well in the war of 1812, but Canadians successfully re-invaded the U.S. Our beachhead is Hollywood, and the music business. The Canadian invasion includes Mike Myers, Martin Short, Jim Carey, John Candy, Lorne Green, Pamela Anderson, Shania Twain, Willian Shatner, and Celine Dion.

So, I guess we're even.

-- February 11, 2007 3:48 PM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Tim Bitts. . thank God for Canandian Club and Tim Hortons

Roger. . .the Iraqis also celebrate our holidays. . .but only to the extent of lobbing a mortar or 2, or maybe sendin a few RPG'S our way to help us celebrate. . .P.H.. . .hope to send you a post from over there next week. . .

-- February 11, 2007 4:41 PM ∞

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chelseadave wrote:

Tim Bitts,

While I agree with most of what you say regarding America subsidising many countries military bills, I think Britain is an exception. If you take the money spent on Afghanistan and Iraq and average it per head of population in the respective countries, I don't think Britain would be too far behind the US. I don't have any figures to back this argument yet but I will try to investigate this.

-- February 11, 2007 4:44 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

To fight terrorism with military, well it works when you fight a country that either is occupied by terrorists or when you fight a country that sponsor terrorism, it works when you fight cells of terrorists, or when you can locate a strong hold, hideout or terrorist safe house, but the main fight can never be won by military means.

To arm Canada to it's teeth militarily, just to fight terrorism is probably not the way to go.

A terrorist is a product of indoctrination belief and guidance from a source that in itself is indoctrinated take guidance and have the same belief that, in turn, his mentor has.

By most accounts there is a situation where the recruits are coming from a lower class, poor and destitute, uneducated or criminal backgrounds.

That is not to say that just because a person is poor, low educated or lower class he will get an excuse to be a terrorist, some rich and well off people have also joined the ranks, but in general the broad field of terrorists comes from ignorant circumstances.

Low education, non or low literacy makes up the general recruiting field.

The military can only do military actions against a terrorist movement. The police can only act against a de facto criminal.

The military or police can not address or rehabilitate the reasons he became a criminal or terrorist in the first place.

We need police and military against the terrorists, but it seems like the main strategy right now against terrorism is mainly military action.

The hearts and mind, in that war, we're not doing too good.

The idea seems to be, to write a check and the problem goes away.

Just by following the Dinars progress in Iraq I have concluded that the war for the hearts and mind, is not even fought at all.

The enemy's propaganda have won over the MSM, and we're swallowing it, and want to give up.

When I see radio and TV stations in the Middle East, running day and night, on any position of any TV or radio Dial, with programs, that in a "Saturday Night Live" style makes fun of the terrorists and their followers I believe we're doing something.

Are we doing anything like that? No.

Aljazeera is running the show down there.

It's like leaving Goebbels in charge of the German Radio Network after Germany's capitulation.

When it comes to military, we're good at that, but when it comes to the battle of the heart and the mind, it seems like we don't have a clue.

The Dinar could have revalued years ago, changing the situation on the ground to a far better environment, but no, nothing.

More incompetence and again clueless.

We could export Howard Stern, we don't need him, over there they desperately need a guy like that.

Set up Middle East Idol, and run talents like they do here.

Teach the Iraqis and all in the middle east the thrill of nightly drag races at the red light.

Make Kuwait the Las Vegas of the Middle East, with a strip that will spare no cost.

We're going to win the heart and mind of the people for heavens sake, they hate politicians as much as we do.

Some dignitary standing up telling the world about democracy, they don't get any democracy from that, they don't get any values from that here either, so why should they get any better of it.

The concept of free thinking, and of choices, be it clothes, religion or politic, has to be feed but that can only happen when they have choices.

When they HAVE something they can start picking and choosing.

We have not given them any alternative so far.

There is another regime in Iraq, but they can't even spell Democracy yet, and that concept is way over the head of most. For them it's just something else in power.

Still the Clan Chief tells them what to do and think, still the Iman tells them what to do and think.

Their rights and wrongs still comes from the same sources.

We have not given them any alternative to that, we have not even tried yet. Probably never will.

Like the Dinar in Iraq, no one have a clue.

-- February 11, 2007 4:52 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Wasn't it a Canadian band that sang..."-American woman, stay away from me"

-- February 11, 2007 4:55 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Panhandler,

Well, if they lob a couple of mortars our way to help us celebrate, isn't there some big way that we can help them with their celebrations?

-- February 11, 2007 5:10 PM ∞

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Robert S wrote:

Guess Who?

-- February 11, 2007 5:13 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

chelseadave,

While we are on good foot with the Brits, and have a lot in common, there is a fundamental difference.

We know they're up to something.

We have tried to figure it out for quite some time, we have had agents there, and the best in both science and education tried to figure it out, but to no avail.

Diplomatic efforts always ends up in long explanatory statements, that in the end frankly cant be understood. It seems like the Brits are honestly trying to tell us, but it looks like a cover story, as the explanations are so far fetched.

We even had the best from NASA to check into it, but they gave up.

The biggest computers running programs long into the wee hours have netted no result.

We don't know if this is a from of communication, a feint, or a code, we don't even know the purpose of it.

It just doesn't make any sense, as no line of logic, or reason is connected to it in any way or form.

All we know is the codeword for it.

Cricket.

-- February 11, 2007 5:30 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Defense officials: Weapons sent to Iraq from 'highest level' of Iran's government
Updated 2/11/2007

BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. military officials charged on Sunday that the highest levels of the Iranian leadership ordered Shiite militants in Iraq to be armed with sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs that have killed more than 170 American forces.

FROM THE U.S. MILITARY: Pictures, descriptions of Iranian support to insurgents (PDF) here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/pdf/iran-in-iraq.pdf

The deadly and highly sophisticated weapons the U.S. military said were coming into Iraq from Iran are known as "explosively formed penetrators," or EFPs.

The presentation of evidence was the result of weeks of preparation and revisions as U.S. officials put together a package of material to support the Bush administration's claims of Iranian intercession on behalf of militant Iraqis fighting American forces.

Senior U.S. military officials in Baghdad said the display of evidence was prompted by the military's concern for "force protection," which, they said, was guaranteed under the United Nations resolution that authorizes American soldiers to be in Iraq.

Three senior military officials who explained the evidence said the "machining process" used in the construction of the deadly bombs had been traced back to Iran.

The experts, who spoke to a large gathering of reporters on condition that they not be further identified, said the supply trail began with Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, which also is accused of arming the Hezbollah guerrilla army in Lebanon. The officials said the EFP weapon was first tested there.

The officials said the Revolutionary Guard and its Quds force report directly to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The display of evidence appeared to be part of the White House drive that has empowered U.S. forces in Iraq to use all means to curb Iranian influence in the country, including killing Iranian agents.

It included a power-point slide program and a handful of mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades which the military officials said were made in Iran.

The centerpiece of the evidentiary display, however, was a gray metal pipe about 10 inches long and 6 inches in diameter, the exterior casing of what the military said was an EFP, the roadside bomb that shoots out fist-sized wads of nearly molten copper that can penetrate the armor on an Abrams tank.

The EFPs, as well as Iranian-made mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades, have been supplied to what the military officials termed "rogue elements" of the Mahdi Army militia of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. He is a key backer of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The U.S. officials said there was no evidence of Iranian made EFPs having fallen into the hands of Sunni insurgents who operate mainly in Anbar province in the west of Iraq, Baghdad and regions surrounding the capital.

"We know more than we can show," said one of the senior officials, when pressed for more evidence that the EFPs were made in Iran.

An intelligence analyst in the group said Iran was working through "multiple surrogates" — mainly in the Mahdi Army — to smuggle the EFPs into Iraq. He said most of the components are entering the country at crossing points near Amarah, the Iranian border city of Meran and the Basra area of southern Iraq.

The analyst said Iraq's Shiite-led government had been briefed on Iran's involvement and Iraqi officials had asked the Iranians to stop. Al-Maliki has said he told both the U.S. and Iran that he does not want his country turned into a proxy battlefield.

During the briefing, a senior defense official said that one of the six Iranians detained in January in the northern city of Irbil was the operational commander of the Quds Force.

He was identified as Mohsin Chizari, who was apprehended after slipping back into Iraq after a 10-month absence, the officer said.

The Iranians were caught trying to flush documents down the toilet, he said. They had also tried to change their appearance by shaving their heads. Bags of their hair were found during the raid, he said.

The dates of manufacture on weapons found so far indicate they were made after fall of Saddam Hussein — mostly in 2006, the officials said.

In a separate briefing, Maj. Gen. Jim Simmons, deputy commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq, said that since December 2004, U.S. helicopter pilots have been shot at on average about 100 times a month and been hit on an average of 17 times in the same period.

He disclosed a previously unknown shootdown, a Blackhawk helicopter hit by small arms fire near the western city of Hit. The craft crash-landed but there were no casualties. Simmons was on board.

The major general said Iraqi militants are known to have SA-7, SA-14 and SA-16 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles but none of the most recent five military crashes were caused by those weapons. He said some previous crashes had been a result of such missiles but would not elaborate.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-02-11-iraq-iran_x.htm

-- February 11, 2007 5:40 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Robert S,

Wouldn't you say the Guess Who was singing that song to try to keep people way from them, as it is well known that the Canadian moose spits on any human being.

Considering the indisputable and long known fact that most Canadians have layers of Moose saliva drooling from them, ( the layers closest to their bodies always in a fermented state), it would be very plausible that the group Guess Who is in actual fact warning the American woman, to -"stay away from me".

I was in Canada once, the moose is terrible, they're packed of them, standing along the side of roads, spitting at everything, inner cities as well as out in the boondocks.

I tried to take a bicycle tour there once, and had to have two umbrellas, to cover both right and left.

This moose slime is everywhere, car washes is 50% of the economy, the other is laundry mats.

The national Folk Dress in all the provinces is the rain gear.

It's a biological wonder, the Canadian moose produces between 55 to 60 gallons of spit per day.

Why they spit on the Canadians, no one have really figured that out, but a statistic average of moose slime a normal Canadian is receiving per day is about a bucket, rest goes on driveways, garages, air vents and other convenient places.

Anomalies do exist, people in Alberta gets showered with about three buckets a day.

-- February 11, 2007 6:02 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Roger;

About your saying that there needs to be a reaching of minds and not just the use of force..
this illustrates one aspect of the problem, and this solution:

The study is the latest to call for textbook reform in the Islamic world. Such efforts are under way or planned in Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait to remove slurs against non-Muslims or promotions of extremism and terrorism.

Let us hope and pray that this effort to bring principles of religious tolerance to the people of the Middle East succeeds - that we may all live together in this increasingly "small" world with peace.

Sara.

===

Study says Iran textbooks urge martyrdom
By THOMAS WAGNER,
Feb 8, 2007

LONDON - Textbooks used in Iran's schools are instilling students with hatred toward the West, especially the United States, and urging them to become "martyrs" in a global holy war against countries perceived to be enemies of Islam, a new study says.

An Iranian human rights activist, Ghazal Omid, praised the findings, saying they prove hard-liners in Iran are using the books to turn children into "ticking bombs."

The books emphasize the teachings of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and repeatedly refer to the United States as the "Great Satan" and to Israel as "the regime that occupies Jerusalem," said the study by the Israel-based Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace.

Omid, who fled Iran and wrote "Living in Hell," an autobiography about her experiences there, urged changes to textbooks in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East.

"I am an Iranian, a practicing Muslim woman, who sees it as her responsibility to stand up to hard-line Muslims who use Islam to brainwash children of that faith, in particular Iranian children, who the Iranian government is turning into ticking bombs," she said.

Omid, who lives in Canada, spoke at a news conference in London on Wednesday with study author Aron Groiss, director of research at the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace.

The study analyzed 95 textbooks and 20 teacher's guides used at Iran's state-run schools. Groiss said the curriculum "reflects Iran's belligerent intentions which should sound the alarm to anyone who is committed to peace and stability in the world."

The study noted, however, that Western culture "is not rejected in principle" in the books and that the attitude to other religions is generally "not hostile." The books include discussion sections on respecting other religions and don't say people should be forced to convert to Islam.

Textbooks used in Iranian elementary schools included stories and poems that hailed martyrs such as those who died in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Groiss said. Another picture book for 10-year-olds provides a basic acquaintance with weaponry, explosives and military tactics, he said.

The United States is referred to as the "Great Satan," the "World Devourer" and the "Arrogant One" in the books, and Israel is shown on maps as "Occupied Palestine."

The study is the latest to call for textbook reform in the Islamic world. Such efforts are under way or planned in Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait to remove slurs against non-Muslims or promotions of extremism and terrorism. Israeli textbooks have undergone revisions since the 1990s to remove anti-Arab bias and present a more balanced account of Palestinian views and aspirations.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iranian_textbooks;_ylt=A0WTUZPYs85FyKQAXCGs0NUE

-- February 11, 2007 6:11 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

More Facts Emerge on Mitt Romney
Ted Kennedy, Moderate
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on February 11, 2007

Ted Kennedy is a moderate.

Don't believe me? Ask the Boston Globe. Better put, have a gander at the paper's editorial cartoon of today. What does the Globe mean by saying that Mitt Romney "once worshipped at the church of moderation"? No doubt the Globe has in mind Mitt's glory days of 1994, campaigning against Ted Kennedy for his Senate seat.

As the Globe documented here (see url below), in 1994, Romney aligned himself with Kennedy on abortion, arguing that it should be safe and legal. He also voiced support for the controversial abortion pill RU-486. And when it came to gay rights, Romney portrayed himself as being an even more ardent advocate for the cause, promising "more effective leadership" than Kennedy on winning "full equality" for gays and lesbians, opposed a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and advocated gays serving openly in the military.

If Romney, version 1994, who positioned himself if anything slightly to the left of Ted Kennedy on abortion and gay rights, was a moderate, then surely Ted Kennedy is a moderate, too. QED!

url for Globe documentation:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2006/12/17/romneys_journey_to_the_right/?page=3

Comments:

1) HumanEvents Says:
February 11, 2007

To the liberal media, there is no such thing as a liberal. Liberals are moderates or normal people. Moderates are right wingers and conservatives are extremists. No wonder they don't see themselves as having a liberal bias. In their eyes it's not even possible.

2) DebraJMSmith Says:
February 11, 2007

Yes, Republican Mormon (not a Biblical Christian) Mitt Romney also broke the law in Massachusetts when he gave his orders to "marry" homosexuals. To read up on this, go to: http://www.debrajmsmith.com/romney.html

http://newsbusters.org/node/10757

-- February 11, 2007 6:29 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.iraqupdates.com

New US general in Iraq hotseat
General David Petraeus heads American-led forces in Iraq, says ‘prospects for success are good’ in war torn country.
By Bill Ickes

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

BAGHDAD, 11 February 2007 (Middle East Online)
Print article Send to friend
General David Petraeus, a 54-year-old paratrooper with a reputation as a deep thinker, took on the toughest job in the US military on Saturday as head of American-led forces in Iraq.

Petraeus was named commander of the 140,000-strong force at a ceremony in Camp Victory, a massive American base on the outskirts of Baghdad, the violent epicentre of a bitter sectarian war.

He is tasked with turning around a faltering mission which faces mounting US casualties and a dramatic collapse in domestic political support.

"Now is the time for all Iraqis to reject violence and crime and corruption and to rise up against those who employ such methods to further their goals," the general told assembled dignitaries.

"The rucksack of responsibility is very heavy. In truth, it's too heavy for any one person to bear, and we will all have to share the burden and move forward together," he said, adding "the prospects for success are good."

"Failing that, Iraq will be doomed to continued violence and civil strife," he warned, promising to provide "the best leadership I can muster."

Petraeus, who has a doctorate in international relations, took over command from General George Casey, who has been promoted to army chief of staff.

The ceremony, conducted under a crystal chandelier in the grandiose rotunda of one of ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's former palaces, was presided over by US Central Command leader General John Abizaid.

Even as the handover took place, violence continued around Iraq, with police reporting at least nine Iraqis killed in various attacks.

Four people were killed in central Baghdad and nine wounded, including two policemen, when a car bomb exploded, according to security sources.

South of the capital, in the town of Al-Mussayib, two women and a man were killed in a gun attack on their house, said police Captain Mthanna Hassan.

A suicide car bomber killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded five people, including two troops, in an attack on a patrol near the northern town of Tall Afar, Colonel Abdelkarim Al-Juburi said.

In nearby Mosul a policeman was shot dead in his car, he added.

Petraeus's chances of success hang on the latest in a series of what have so far been failed US attempts to regain control of Baghdad and central Iraq, a region plagued by Shiite militias and roving gangs of Sunni insurgents.

Daily attacks on US-led forces and Iraqi civilians have increased steadily since the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003, and more than doubled in the 12 months since Sunni bombers destroyed a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra.

Ahead of the ceremony, Casey told reporters: "My greatest fear is that the Iraqis can't put the past behind them.

"We liberated them from 35 years of tyranny. We can't liberate them from the fears and prejudices that grew up in that 35 years. They have to do that themselves," he said.

Handing command to Petraeus, he smiled: "Dave, as we say in Iraq, 'Lots done, lots to do'. You won't want for hard work."

More than 3,100 US soldiers have died since the invasion and support for a continuing US presence in Iraq among American voters is at an all-time low, despite President George W. Bush's promise of a new strategy.

At least 16 US, British and Polish troops have died this week alone.

As one of the architects of the new plan, which will see 21,500 extra US troops flown in to work with Iraqi units trying to pacify Baghdad and Anbar province, Petraeus is now the figurehead for a controversial gamble.

Petraeus -- who has spent a total of two-and-a-half years in Iraq since the invasion as commander of the 101 Airborne Division and head of the mission to train Iraqi forces -- is hailed as an intellectual and Iraq's best hope.

But critics of the "surge strategy" of pouring in more troops to kill off the sectarian war and impose Iraqi government authority warn the situation may already have spun beyond the control of the brightest minds.

"Some disasters are irretrievable," warned a report from the influential Washington think-tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, released Friday.

According to a new counter-insurgency manual drafted under Petraeus himself, for victory he would need "at least double the number of troops the United States will have on the ground once the surge is implemented."

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 11, 2007 7:18 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Roger, I know what you mean about the Canadian moose. While living in Anchorage I think a few wandered in and boy what a mess. They eventually were forced to become more domesticated and my last visit there they were considerably nicer other than the fact now they go around and cause small cars and trucks to become totaled. So maybe they are spiting on the roads more than some suspect.

I'll have to get back to you on the lyrics although I suspect you are correct.

-- February 11, 2007 7:45 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Roger,

Yes, it was, in fact, a Canadian band, The Guess Who, that sang that song, American woman. The band is from my hometown, of Winnepeg, the coldest large city, in North America. (Also called Winterpeg, known for sub-zero weather in July, igloos used as garages, and also known for three inch long mosquitoes, that are equipped with Black and Decker drill bit, for biting) An interesting thing, about the band name, The Guess Who. Burton Cummings always thought the Americans would never remember their original band name, as the band members were covered with the smell of moose spit, being Canadians, and this smell is known to suppress memory. So, when they toured the States, to help their forgetful audience, they would always start each show with, "How are you. Guess Who?" The name stuck.

-- February 11, 2007 8:27 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Tim Bitts wrote: the Americans would never remember their original band name

Al and the Silvertones WOW!!! Would their music been the same had they continued this name?

-- February 11, 2007 8:50 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Roger,

I agree with you on terrorism. It is bred, ultimately, by ignorance, and poverty. Long term, education and money are the solution. Once Muslim societies prosper, they stand a fighting chance of defeating the camel jockeys from the 14th century. Until then, notsomuch. Democracy and fine principles are nice desert, but where is the main course, of Dinars, that are worth something? Militarily, America is amazing, for big wars. But for common sense economics, to win hearts and minds, notsomuch. An RV would help the military achieve victory, in Iraq, and still it's not done. Someone, somewhere, is clueless.

Someone should re-write The Art of War, to put a bit of thought into economics. So far, not a clue.

-- February 11, 2007 9:00 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Montana Restaurant:
This is a great story! The radio station America FM was doing one of its "Is
Anyone Listening?" bits this morning. The first question was, "Ever have a
celebrity pull up with the 'Do you know who I am?' routine?"
A woman called in and said that a few years a go, while visiting her cattle
rancher uncle in Billings, MT, she had occasion to go to dinner at a restaurant
that does not take reservations. The wait was about 45 minutes; many ranchers
and their wives were waiting.

Ted Turner and his ex-wife Jane Fonda came in the restaurant and wanted a table.
The hostess informed them that they'd have to wait 45 minutes. Jane Fonda asked
the hostess, "Do you know who I am?" The hostess answered, "Yes, but you'll have
to wait 45 minutes." Then Jane asked if the manager was in. When the manager
came out, he asked, "May I help you?" "Do you know who we are?" both Ted and
Jane asked. "Yes, but these folks have been waiting, and I can't put you ahead
of them."
Then Ted asked to speak to the owner. The owner came out, and Jane again asked,
"Do you know who I am?" The owner answered, "Yes, I do. Do you know who I am? I
am the owner of this restaurant and I am a Vietnam Veteran. Not only will you
not get a table ahead of my friends and neighbors who have been waiting here,
but you also will not be eating in my restaurant tonight or any night. Good
bye."

Only in America - what a great country.

To all who received this e-mail, this is a true story and the name of the steak
house is:
Sir Scott's Oasis Steakhouse, 204 W. Main, Manhattan , MT 59741 (406) 284-6929

If you ever get there, give this fellow a sharp salute, buy a steak, and tip the
waitress. Keep passing this on. We should never forget our national traitor

-- February 11, 2007 10:33 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Horses and Terrorists

You can lead a horse to water,
but you cannot make him drink.
You can lead a Muslim to wisdom,
But you cannot make him think.

-- February 11, 2007 11:21 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Tim Bitts,

Heard the mosquito's up there is the four engine model.

I have walked the arctic mountains in Scandinavia amongst reindeer and Aurora Borealis, have seen the sun in my face at 12 o clock at night, and been fishing from small streams , fighting the mosquito's and have been sitting at numerous camp fires up there.

I have not seen the North Americas northern parts but assume that these are similar.

It's a certain existence or spirit if you would, that can't be described, but has to be experienced.

I just hate the cold and snow. That stuff that comes down in flakes, I call it "white trash".

Take away that from the equation and it's a perfect living up there.

-- February 12, 2007 3:42 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(861)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 861 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 2/ 12 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 15 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1288 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 33.365.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 33.380.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 12, 2007 5:01 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraq Shi'ite cleric urges calm on bomb anniversary
By Ibon Villelabeitia

Feb 12, 2007 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric urged followers on Monday not to seek revenge against Sunni Arabs on the first anniversary of a Shi'ite shrine bombing that has pitched the country to the brink of civil war.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said the bombing of the Samarra mosque, which has been blamed on Sunni militants, had plunged Iraq into a cycle of "blind violence" and called on Shi'ites to exercise restraint during a day of mourning.

Shi'ite television stations said government offices stopped work for 15 minutes to mark the anniversary of the Samarra blast, which falls on February 22 in the Gregorian calendar.

In a speech to followers in Baghdad, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the powerful Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, urged the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to speed up reconstruction of the shrine and to protect Shi'ite pilgrims from attacks by Sunni militants.

Hakim accused supporters of former president Saddam Hussein and extremist Sunni groups of fomenting sectarian strife.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2868007

-- February 12, 2007 9:19 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

An interesting response from Iran..
What exactly is needed to constitute "proof" in Iran's view?
In the view of the rest of the world? Is the proof acceptable to
the ones they were trying to convince? I can't say I expected
Iran to admit to it in the case of it being the truth - would you?

===

Iran Says U.S. Hasn't Proved the Country Supplied Iraq Bombs
By Ladane Nasseri

Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry said the U.S. hasn't backed up allegations that members of the country's Revolutionary Guards provided bombs to Shiite Muslim militias in neighboring Iraq.

``Documents that have been presented are very weak and are unacceptable,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters today in Tehran. ``The accusations cannot be proved.''

Officials at the ``highest levels'' in Iran ordered bombs made there to be delivered to Iraq, the Associated Press reported from Baghdad, citing a senior U.S. intelligence officer who briefed reporters yesterday on condition he not be further identified. The ``explosively formed projectiles'' are capable of destroying an Abrams tank and have killed more than 170 coalition soldiers since June 2004, AP said, citing the officer.

While U.S. officials have long said such explosives originated in Iran, they hadn't previously said top Iranian leaders were involved, AP reported. President George W. Bush's administration accuses Iran, which is run by Shiite clerics, of fuelling violence and political unrest by supporting Shiite militias in Iraq.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aMkNrA4ngrwo&refer=worldwide

-- February 12, 2007 9:35 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraqi Budget News, posted to www.dinartrade.com

$42 billion dollar budget approved

Following heated discussions which dragged on for nearly three weeks, Iraqi legislators have approved the 2007 budget.

Legislators battled over every single paragraph in the budget and had to vote on each one of them separately.

The $42 billion budget is said to be the biggest in Iraqi history due to skyrocketing oil revenues.

Although the country’s oil output is still below the pre-war levels, the royalties are expected to be the highest ever due to high oil prices.

Most contentious paragraphs were those related to benefits to senior officials such as the presidency, the cabinet and the legislature.

These articles still remain undecided and parliamentary speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani has said the parliament will have to meet again to have them approved.

Many MPs said the benefits and salaries of senior officials were extremely high and wanted to have them slashed and earmark the difference for social security programs.

Source: Azzaman

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 12, 2007 9:51 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.dinartrade.com

Dollar demand lower, exchange rate stable in Iraqi auction

Dollar demand was lower on Sunday, the first trading session this week, in the central bank daily auction to $53.080 million compared to $63.200 million on Thursday.

In its daily statement on Sunday the bank said it covered all bids which were $22.880 million in cash and $30.200 million in foreign transfers at an exchange rate of 1,288 dinars per dollar, unchanged from Tuesday.

Fifteen banks participated in Sunday’s auction and offered to sell five million dollars which the central bank bought all at 1,286 dinars per dollar rate.

Ali al-Yaseri, a trader at the auction, said "the dollar stable exchange rate for the fourth session running encouraged more transactions in the central bank daily auction for both selling and buying dollar."

Source: VOI

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 12, 2007 9:53 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Interesting article about investment in the iraqi stock exchange. Posted to www.dinartrade.com

Bridges To Babylon: New Fund Focuses On Iraq

Foreign investors are not yet allowed to trade on the two-and-a-half-year-old Iraq Stock Exchange—“They have said, ‘within six months,’ for the last two-and-a-half-years,” Englund laments, though he adds optimistically, “there is a possibility it will happen by the end of the year, but nobody really knows”—so you need locals on the ground.

Englund’s colleagues in the war-torn country are directors Ismail al-Rashidi and Fouad Cheragwandi, the former an ex-vice chairman of the Iraqi Federation of Industries and one-time Iraqi delegate to the World Trade Organization. He’s also co-founded a number of banks in Iraq, including the Commercial Bank, Economic Bank of Iraq and Investment Bank of Iraq.

For now, trading on the Iraq Stock Exchange is a decidedly small-scale affair. Its total market capitalization is just US$2 billion—half the size of Jordan’s—and it trades for only two-and-a-half hours a day, twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. During those sessions, Englund says, only about a quarter of the roughly 80 securities listed on the exchange trade, with a total turnover of between US$2 million and US$4 million, at best, which is less than half the size of the fund.

“One of my worries,” Englund admits, “is that we might end up a strategic player, and that’s not our intention.” So, to blunt the force of his fund on the market, only about a quarter of its assets will be invested on the ISX. Another quarter will be invested directly in Iraq through a combination of internationally-traded Iraqi bonds, dinar-denominated six month Iraqi Treasury bills and some private equity investments. The rest will be invested in foreign companies that do business with Iraq.

Englund suspects that once the foreign investment restrictions are lifted, the floodgates will open. “There is a lot of interest from foreigners to enter the Iraq Stock Market,” he says. “But now you have to get around [the restriction], and many people don’t want to take that risk.” There are also concerns about a lack of transparency, but Englund argues that such risks are the nature of the emerging market—without them, there wouldn’t be the fantastic returns that investors often see in developing economies.

“Many people complain that you cannot find the stock price on the Iraq Stock Exchange on the Internet. You cannot find the data,” he says. “But when you have that, the market has already risen 100% or 200%. There are a lot of unknowns here.”

Source: Fin Alternatives

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 12, 2007 10:49 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

The war in Iraq is very intricately tied to our investment in Dinar.
The debate in the Senate on Iraq resolutions is therefore important to us and our investment, too.

Basically, concerning the debate over Iraq resolutions, the GOP wanted a BROAD debate over all the issues, and the Democrats wanted to limit the debate to the few issues on which they knew they could win.

If it went to the overall picture of Iraq, the Dems would lose big time, but if they could keep it focused on the narrow, small issues which they had some support on, they would have some chance of victory. They are, after all, military strategists in the field of politics and knew that the best tactic is to break up the debate into small parts and claim small victories, since they have lost the big picture victory long ago. I thought it worthwhile mentioning that this is the real issue in this supposed "blocking" of debate in the Senate..

Summary below:

===

Lott Scolds CBS's Schieffer on GOP 'Blocking' Iraq Resolutions: 'Totally Incorrect'
Posted by Brent Baker on February 12, 2007 - 01:45.

When, on Sunday's Face the Nation, host Bob Schieffer asserted that after the Senate debate over resolutions on Iraq “came to a halt, every newspaper in the country that I know about had a headline on the front page that said 'Republicans block debate on Iraq war,'” Republican Senator Trent Lott corrected Schieffer and all the other misguided journalists: “That was totally incorrect.” A befuddled Schieffer asked about the spin which dominated the media early in the week: “How can all of them have been wrong?” Lott explained: “Because we didn't block debate. Actually, the vote was to continue debate.” Indeed, Senate Republicans wanted to allow votes on several proposed resolutions while the Democratic leadership wanted debate limited to two resolutions.

Schieffer himself endorsed the spin unfavorable to Republicans. On Wednesday's Early Show, as noted in Michael Rule's NewsBusters posting, Schieffer castigated Republicans: “So they did the only thing that they could do, they used the Senate rules to block the vote. Now that group will give you another version of all this, but basically that's what happened.”

The Wednesday, February 7 MRC CyberAlert recounted, QUOTE:

FNC's Brit Hume on Tuesday night scolded the mainstream media for framing their coverage, of the Senate battle over Iraq resolutions, around a spin favorable to Democrats. Citing headlines, such "GOP blocks a debate over Iraq policy" in the New York Times, Hume countered: "In fact, of course, both sides were trying to have the debate on terms most favorable to their party, but in this case as it happened, the Republicans were actually seeking a broader debate with more resolutions considered while the Democrats wanted to address just those that seemed most likely to come out their way."

==end of quote==

On the February 11 Face the Nation, guest questioner John Harris of The Politico, raised with Lott the public's frustration with the “debate about the debate” in the Senate over resolutions on Iraq policy, QUOTE:

Lott: “Well, you know, the Senate's been in session six weeks, we voted on two major bills, not one of them has gone to the President for a signature. One of the lessons that should have come out of last year's elections was the American people want action. They want us to step up and act on these issues, and yet we haven't produced one solid result yet. But here, I want to go back to the substance. All we were asking was that we have an opportunity to have an open debate, offer more than one resolution, but at least have a vote on whether or not we support funds for the troops that are in Iraq. Isn't that an important part of the debate? That's all it was really about. And we were told, 'No, no, no. We don't want you to have a vote on we support funds for the troops in the field,' because that would have been the top voting issue, and they -- the Democrats did not want that. I believe the American people want us to support our troops with the funds when they are doing a mission, even if you don't agree with the details of the mission. That was the crux of the debate. You can argue about the debate over the debate, but the substance really did matter. And we're going to have that debate. We're ready to go forward now. But we're not going to be dictated to that you can't have a vote on an issue as critical as providing funds for the troops....”

Comments:

1) liberal_bug_zapper Says:
February 12, 2007 - 02:41

To the question; "How can all of them have been wrong?"

Lott should have said... "They were not wrong, they were lying through their teeth, there is a big difference."

2) Carpareus Says:
February 12, 2007 - 02:42

I'm not sure which is more irritating- Mr. Schieffer's displacement or the illogic of liberals in general. Regarding logic and liberals- several years ago, after what I thought were either differing premises or communication failures on my part at a local cooperative's e-group, I laid out some very basic logic truth tables and was told it ain't necessarily so by the individual who was being the most illogical. Thus I learned that logic has enemies and it is pointless to attempt rational discussion with some.

3) Carpareus Says:
February 12, 2007 - 03:11

My thanks to Newsbusters and MRC. While it is important to keep up with the inaccuracies of the MSM I find them so irritating that, for the most part, I cannot watch them directly for any length of time. I noticed this “effect” several years ago; it's nice to know that others understand.

4) pbanks7 Says:
February 12, 2007 - 09:41

Exactly. After I saw the over-the-top bias in the way the D and R conventions were covered in 1992 and 1996, I could no longer watch any MSM "news" "coverage," except as an excercise in catching the bias. I knew back then that all political coverage was like "home team" coverage.

I hate newspapermen.....I regard them as spies.....If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast. - Gen. William T. Sherman

5) American Infidel Says:
February 12, 2007 - 09:43

To prove the point further the New York Times and the Washington Post said the exact opposite when the Republicans were in charge, here and here. It's almost stunning how the democrat run media lies. Did they think they wouldn't get caught?

We've finally given liberals a war against fundamentalism, and they don't want to fight it. They would, except it would put them on the same side as the United States. - Ann Coulter

6) Caringwhiteguy Says:
February 12, 2007 - 10:10

I agree with L_B_Z. If anything Lott's response was too tepid. If Lott wants to regain respect from those who were sorely disappointed in his last "Leadership" role, he has to continually smack these creeps who misinform, distort and just plain lie. And if anyone should know about how being "nice" gets you treated, it should be Lott. The guy caught it from MSM and both ends of Pennsylvania Ave. a couple of years ago. Deal from strength!!!

http://newsbusters.org/node/10765

-- February 12, 2007 10:57 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Willie, Carole, Valerio.. board -

Now, if Obama was this kind of "black" Christian -
his color/gender would not be the issue, but his heart.
If he had this kind of a heart for God,
I certainly would be looking to support his Whitehouse run.
Worth the watch, and installing the player
(just uncheck getting the bar, if you do.)
Hope you enjoy this title:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JoQfEZapI_o

-- February 12, 2007 12:49 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

This from July 2006 and may have been posted and disected Just don't remember...

Repercussions of the Iraqi Dinar/US Dollar Parity
Ali Mahmoud al-Fakiki Al-Hayat - 11/07/06//

Today, the US dollar corresponds to 5.7 Egyptian pounds and 116 Japanese yen. Can we say that the Egyptian pound is stronger than the Japanese yen, and that the Egyptian economy is stronger than the Japanese economy since the number of Egyptian monetary units required for purchasing one dollar is less than the required number of Japanese units?

Successive Iraqi governments have adopted the slogan of 'Improving the Iraqi dinar exchange rate', as if they were promising Iraqis the key to 'Ali Baba's Cave'. This slogan was the 'promise' given by the governments of Dr. Iyad Allawi and Ibrahim Jaafari, among the priorities of their economic agendas. Today, Nouri al-Malki's government is doing the same thing. Saddam Hussein and his son, Odai, had also previously made such promises.

According to the statements of Bayan Jabr Al-Zubeidi, the Iraqi Minister of Finance on June 26, 2006, to 'Al-Sabah' newspaper, published in Baghdad, the government intends to remove three zeroes of the dinar to make it equivalent to the dollar. Thus, we may conclude that the planned process will be nothing but currency exchange, which neither revaluates nor devaluates the dinar.

It is estimated that the ratio of replacement will be 1500 of the current dinar for one new dinar. Accordingly, if an employee currently earns 150 thousand dinars, he will be paid 100 new dinars (unless the salary brackets are changed). This will be equivalent to 100 dollars. Thus, the exchange rate of one dinar is equal to one dollar. For example, the current price of one kilo of mutton, which is 8000 dinars, will accordingly be around 5.33 new dinars.

The monthly salary of 150 thousand dinars currently buys 18.75 kilograms of mutton in Baghdad. When the dollar exchange rate is equal to the dinar, according to the new process, the monthly salary of 100 new dinars (equivalent to 150 thousand of the current dinar) will also buy 18.75 kilograms of mutton. This means that the salary will have the same purchasing power of the current salary of 150 thousand dinars.
Hence, the proposed or planned process is simply an illusion, just like changing daylight saving time. It is all the same, whether the clock was moved an hour ahead or the formal working hours were increased. Thus, the proposed process of equating the US and Iraqi exchange rate should not be celebrated. Many third world countries, like Turkey in the 1980s, applied this policy.

It is well known that the Iraqi dinar is a local, not a global, currency. It will remain the same both in the foreseeable and distant future. The country's import capacity, the consumption levels, and the welfare of the Iraqi individual, all depend on the circumstances of oil exports and the policies and methods of handling them. It is also known that about 99% of foreign exchange revenues in Iraq are petro-dollar revenues, since oil prices are paid in dollars and have nothing to do with dinars.

If the Iraqi economy and currency were like the Japanese economy and currency, for example, the foreign exchange rate would have a significance that would render it a source of a serious commercial intensification. This happened between the US and Japan, and later between the US and Germany, throughout the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s. The Japanese yen went down against the US dollar, becoming a protective measure for the Japanese industry. The move hindered the flow of American products to the Japanese market, weakening their competitiveness. It facilitated the flow of Japanese products to the American market and strengthened the competitiveness of Japanese companies in that market.

The exchange rate against the dollar in the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s was 230-250 yen. However, the continued pressures of US President Ronald Reagan on Japan and Germany in the annual conferences of the Big Seven (it did not yet include Russia), and in other conferences, led Japan to almost double the value of the yen through monitory procedures. The value of the yen was raised from the level of 230-250 yen against the dollar to the level of 120-110 yen from the second half of the 1990s.

In brief, the value of the dinar against the dollar differs in several aspects from its value against global currencies. This is just a formal issue of no use, and that is not to be celebrated.

Today Iraqis are looking forward to more important issues, including the following:

First: Macroeconomics

1 - Lowering the unemployment rate to 2-3% along with an effective system of unemployment compensation and insurance. The unemployment rate today is 18%, while pseudo-labor is about 31%, according to the Ministry of Planning.
2 - Lowering the inflation rate to 2-3%, compared to the current 20-30%, most of which is due to inflation resulting from high prices.
3 - Continuous improvement on the standard of living by 20-30% annually, with a significant rise in the living standards of the marginalized populations.
4 - A spending policy which compensates for poor territories and geographical areas that have been suffering inequity and deprivation during 80 years of feudal, nationalist and Baathist rules.

Second: Microeconomics

1 - Handling the accumulated deficit in the housing sector. There is a need to build 300-320 thousand housing units per year over the next ten years. The annual rate of achievement for the year 2004 and 2005 was around 15% of this figure. It is not expected that the rate of achievement for this year will exceed the rates of both years. There is an economic slogan that goes: 'Success of construction guarantees overall success'.
2 - Handling the accumulated deficit in the road sector. The density of roads in Iraq is expressed by the total length of the roads, divided by the area of the country. It is among the lowest densities in the world (only 0.09). The rate in Thailand is 0.14, in Brazil 0.24, in Korea 0.85, and in Japan 2.04 or approximately 34 times the rate of Iraq. There is a need to establish main and secondary roads amounting to 8-10 thousand kilometers per year, over ten years. Moreover, there is a need to repair and rehabilitate the current debilitating road network. The current rate of achievement is about 10% of the required rate.

If the state meets these important demands among others, we should not be concerned about the rise of the exchange rate of the dinar to be the equivalent of the dollar or leaving it at its current state.

*Mr. Ali Mahmoud al-Fakiki is an Iraqi economic expert

-- February 12, 2007 12:55 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

More about Iraqi oil and gas from www.iraqupdates.com

12 February 2007 (MENAFN)
Print article Send to friend
Officials at the Iraq Development Program announced that the program, in cooperation with the Iraqi government, will organize the Iraq Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Summit in Amman, Jordan in April, Iraq Directory reported.

The IDP officials indicated that top Iraqi officials will participate in the summit along with Arab and foreign investors from several countries. They added that the summit aims to attract investments to the war-torn country after the issuance of its investments law.

It is worth mentioning that Iraq has the world's second largest proven oil reserves.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 12, 2007 2:00 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Robert S.

I for one do not believe the zero lop will happen to the New Iraqi Dinar. There really is no reason for the Iraqi's to alter their currency.

There are many factors that causes me to draw such a conclusion. The long term growth of the Iraqi economy is better served with a stable currency. The CBI auctions of late has shown the currency is stable within the country.

Next, unnecessary redundancy. If Iraq lops three zeros from the 5K, 10 K, and 25K bills what type of lop will be done to the 500 dinar bill for example? Will Iraq lop the three large bills and not lop the smaller bills? If so, would you not agree this would create redundancy?

Finally, I believe the Bremer Dinar will prevail. Billions of dollars were spent to issue this currency. I do not believe a cosmetic change is necessary to make this currency competitive on the Forex market.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 12, 2007 3:05 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Voices of Iraq: Iraq-Currency
كتب: saleem في يوم الأثنين, 12 فبراير, 2007 - 06:06 PM BT

Iraq-Currency
Bank fails to cover bids for dollar in Iraqi auction-trader
By Dergham Mohammed Ali
Baghdad, Feb 12, (VOI) – Dollar demand was sharply lower on Monday in the central bank daily auction to $33.380 million compared to $63.200 million on Sunday as the bank failed to cover bids for dollar.
In its daily statement on Monday the bank said it only covered bids which were $33.365 million in cash at an exchange rate of 1,288 dinars per dollar, unchanged from Tuesday.
The bank said in the statement it failed to cover bids for $15,000 in today's session.
Fifteen banks participated in Monday’s auction and none offered to sell dollar.
Ali al-Yaseri, a trader at the auction, blamed the decline in today's demand for dollar for what he described as "the central bank's failure to cover bids made in the daily auction for dollar

-- February 12, 2007 5:29 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara:
That was truly a beautiful video.Thanks for sharing.

Finally met face to face with my RE friend. Talked alot about the Dinar. He has a rationale for all discussions ( arguments), to the side of the RV inevitable very soon.

I think the most impressive part of th4e discussion, was when he said he now owns 400million dinars.

He chuckled when he said he now owns about 200 million more than Bush!

when my daughter asked him how he knew that, he laughed and walked out of the room. I asked his wife if this could be true. She says that is the 2nd time she has heard him say that in public. She has no reason to believe it isn't true.

I can't recite our 2 hour conversation, but I came away with a very exhillarating feeling and have since bought more, just today.

My husband and I are considering buying his house, so I am sure we will see much more of him.

Anybody have any questions you want me to ask?

Carole

-- February 12, 2007 6:31 PM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

Carole: Is the house on the front nine or the back nine?. . .lmao. . .P.H. . . p.s. b/p is 110/67 pulse 57

-- February 12, 2007 7:03 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole;

If 'Bush' only has that much, he is underpaid for what he has had to put up with to finally get that piddly amount. :)

Just kidding.. its not a bad amount. Glad to hear so many will be blessed - you and your friend included. Glad you liked the video. Could you ask a hint as to the RATE, not just the date?

Sara.

-- February 12, 2007 9:46 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Carole, is your friend really in the KNOW on this, or is he just over optomistic?

I am hoping for the earlier but guessing the later.

For a while after the elections I was pretty psyched and optomistic. The people have spoken, they want change, and elected majority democrat. As I posted earlier on this board, I think that speaks volumes and its inevitable that when the big election comes they will follow suit and go democrat again.

Also, as I stated earlier, the brass in Iraq have also seen this same exact thing, and it is no coincidence that just after those elections we started to see positive movement in the Dinar.

I was guessing, that they did this so that by the time the presidential election rolled around they would be ready to stand on thier own instead of having the USA spoon feed them.

You can't blame them for lolly gagging, after all, as long as GWB and the USA are willing to use our resources and manpower to take care of them, why would they bother trying to use thier own resources to fix the problem. They might be thinking ahead and that a dem president might give them the ol proverbial sink or swim.

Anyway, the Dinar was progressing at a good clip in November and December of 06, but in 07 it has been moving at a snails pace and currently even slower (no movement at all in about a week).

Anyway, with this near complete halt in progress on the Dinar front, it has me thinking that they either can't keep things moving at a steady rate, or that they figured aw what the heck lets take our chances, maybe the next pres will keep up the tradition.

Either way, I don't like our chances of a pig roast in 07. I don't expect one in 08. Also I am not optomistic about a pig roast at all. (Unless the nuclear war that lots are calling for, including some people on this board, happens, then we will all be roasted little piggies.... I think if the US let loose one of Uncle Sams nukes, other nations would follow suit in kind right back at us, don't be so naieve as to think that other countries don't have the proverbial bullet to our head).

Anyway, my super psyched enthusiasm for the Dinar has now done nearly a complete 180. I am TEMPTED to turn to good old eBay and put my 25000 Dinar notes on there during the peak business hours spaced about an hour apart. I would make a profit like this if I were to do it now with the going eBay sales. I just wouldn't make the profit I had in mind when I initially bought into this game of Russian Roulette.

I won't do the eBay thing as I have been on this boat for the long haul. If it goes down, I go down with it, if it happens to brave the rough waters I will be there with it then too.

I am just saying I am hoping for the best with this investment but prepared for the worst.

-- February 13, 2007 1:27 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(862)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 862 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Tuesday 2007/ 2/ 13 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1288 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1286 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 79.030.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 2.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 79.030.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 2.000.000 -----

-- February 13, 2007 5:09 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

House Democrats Unveil Resolution Opposing Iraq Plans
2/12/2007

By Jonathan Weisman and Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, February 12, 2007; 12:16 PM

House Democrats today unveiled a tightly worded resolution of opposition to President Bush's Iraq war plans, declaring that Congress "disapproves of the decision" to deploy more than 20,000 additional U.S. combat troops to Iraq.

The simple resolution, just 10 lines in length, will frame three days of debate on the war, beginning tomorrow and culminating in a vote on Friday that is likely to put the House formally on record against the president.

After the Senate found itself tied in parliamentary knots last week over a far more complicated resolution, House leaders opted for the simplest statement possible, hoping to unite Democrats and drive a wedge between Capitol Hill Republicans and a White House that has commanded their strict allegiance for more than six years.

Republicans were girding for broad defections on their side over the narrowly worded rebuke of Bush's troop-surge plan.

The nonbinding "concurrent resolution" says that while Congress and the American people "will continue to support and protect" U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq, "Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq."

It was submitted by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; and Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.), a member of the Armed Services Committee.

Both parties were jockeying for prime time on the House floor before the C-SPAN cameras, with leaders claiming the best time slots and rank-and-file members trying to make the most of the five minutes each will be allotted. If all 435 House members use their five minutes, debate will last 36 hours. It is likely to begin by late morning Tuesday and run until late Thursday, with a vote on the resolution coming Friday.

After watching their counterparts in the Senate stall and sputter last week, unable to agree on ground rules for a debate on Iraq, House leaders are forging ahead, determined to send a statement to the White House to condemn a troop buildup.

Republicans were expected to try to broaden the dispute and seed doubt in the Democratic approach. Although Senate Republicans were able to block debate on a resolution condemning Bush's war policies last week, it will be much easier for Democrats in the House to bring a measure to the floor.

The GOP, whose members have conceded they are likely to lose, is treating the debate like a mini-political campaign, deploying a rapid-response team to counter Democrats' statements, aggressively trying to get its leaders on television and radio, and creating a "resource center" off the House floor where members can fill their arms with maps, research material, videos or other visual aids to use during their floor time.

"We may lose the vote, but we'll win the debate," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

Other Republicans are not so sure they will win even that much. If Democrats stick to their plan of narrowly focusing debate on the president's deployment of 21,500 additional troops to Iraq, the more contentious issues that Republican leaders want to highlight could fail to resonate.

"What we have now is a dispute in tactics," said Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.), who once supported the administration but is opposed to the troop increase. "This is a situation where we've been dealt a bad hand, where we've made a lot of mistakes, where we should have addressed the problems in Baghdad a long time ago, and now a surge on the scale the president has proposed is unlikely to move us forward."

One House Republican close to the GOP leadership spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to be blunt. "This next week is going to be a very tough one for us to get through," he said. "The Democrats know that. We can sit back and hope they overplay their hand, but I don't think they will."

Although the order of speakers has not yet been set, Democrats and Republicans are vying for the most desired slots at a time when attention in Washington will focus on the House. Lawmakers from the West Coast do not want to speak early in the morning, when their constituents are asleep; those from the East do not want to appear at 11:25 p.m. And nearly everyone wants to talk in time to make the evening news and beat the daily newspapers' deadlines.

The last time an Iraq resolution came before the House was in June, when the Republicans controlled Congress. After two days of largely partisan debate, the House easily approved a measure declaring that the United States must complete "the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure and united Iraq," without setting "an arbitrary date for the withdrawal" of troops. Forty-two Democrats bucked their leadership to join a virtually united GOP.

But this debate will be different, lawmakers from both parties agree.

This time, Democrats drafted the resolution, and the war -- already unpopular in June -- is now clearly opposed by most voters. The party is united, even the left wing, which ultimately wants troop withdrawal from Iraq but is content to see the resolution as a first step.

House Republicans say as few as 20 or as many as 60 Republicans could vote with the Democrats, regardless of the wishes of the Republican leadership and the White House.

"Every time I go to another funeral, every time I go to Walter Reed, people are really gracious, but what do you say? What are we doing over there now?" asked Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-Md.), whose Eastern Shore district has lost 23 service members in the war.

GOP leaders and conservatives may apply some pressure to stay off the Democratic resolution, but, Gilchrest added: "My internal soul goes a lot beyond my minuscule political career."

By its nature, the House is quicker to bend to public opinion than the Senate; House members are never more than two years away from an election. Gilchrest voted with the Republican leadership in June, but last month he was one of eight House Republicans who signed a letter stating that the deployment of additional U.S. troops to the sectarian fighting in Iraq would only make matters worse.

A senior Republican aide said the GOP leadership knows that Republicans from districts where the war is unpopular will have to vote with the Democrats to protect themselves. "And that's okay," he said, adding that Republican leaders will not tell their members to stick with the party line.

Gilchrest collected 29 Republican signatures on his own letter pleading with Bush to open diplomatic dialogue with Syria and Iran to find a way out of Iraq, then personally handed the letter to Bush at a bill-signing ceremony in the Oval Office. He is now working with Democratic Reps. Gregory W. Meeks (N.Y.), James P. McGovern (Mass.) and Solomon P. Ortiz (Tex.) to further that diplomatic push.

For some Republicans, the Democratic takeover of Congress has been liberating. A barrage of recent hearings into malfeasance under the U.S. occupation authority in Iraq, the stretched state of the military and the cost of the war have brought to light new information while underscoring congressional acquiescence under GOP control, said Jones, a longtime Republican war critic who co-sponsored the resolution introduced today.

"My party did not want to do anything to embarrass the administration," he said.

House Democrats Unveil Resolution Opposing Iraq Plans - Source

Iraqi Dinar News Article List
(www.safedinar.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 13, 2007 9:25 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Anthony,

I hear your frustration, and I think most here feel the same way. I also, don't know that much about economics or the DInar in general.

Most of what is posted here by people who are in the know, seem to have a better grip on the picture. EXCEPT for factoring the element of a crazy sociopolitical society that baffles the normal human intellect on any front. In my estimation, those bred with an ounce of Middle-east blood can only be described as a sub-culture. To try to ascribe any of our values or perception of "normal" to any of them ( Israelis included)is truly an effort in futility. They have perplexed the brightest of minds of our time. So who are we to expect to understand them?

Having said this, I think you are looking at the activity of the Dinar wrongly.

What you saw in Oct and Nov and Dec. as far as activity of the Dinar, is irrelevant to what Dinar investors are in the game for. The movement of the Dinar is the result of their inflationary factors, and nothing more. If we are to depend on that sort of movement, we will never attain any true profit or wealth.

The IMF controls who is in the game of world currency and who is not. Iraq is not a player (member) in that element. And until it is, our Dinar will continue to be essentially worthless.

Last Aug. the IMF set up criteria for Iraq, and have given them until July 7, 2007 to accomplish those goals. Namely, eliminating billions of dollars of international debt. As of now they have met those goals, by negotiating with many of their international debtors. The majority of these negotiations are deals made around the oil futures.
The pledges have been made, but as of yet the money hasn't flowed, and probably won't until 2 things happen.

1. The violence must stop. Not because those involved care if another Shite or Sunni is slaughtered, but because if they are promised a big piece of the pie in exchange for debt relief, they need to be able to go after the piece of pie.(which means being able to go after the oil with millions of dollars of equipment and technology, etc.)

#2. They need to be involved in Iraq's economic structure on equal or near equal playing fields. This can only happen with the RV of the Dinar.

On order for #1 to have a chance of becoming a reality, there were laws that needed to be passed to pave the way. This has been done with the passing of the new international investment laws( I beleive passed in Sept.)The other law was the passing of the HCL law. Which I believe was passed last week. The final draft was so screwed up and ambiguous, that it needed revising and ammending. I have not been made aware of how that turned out. But the real players must have come to some sound negotiations, or it would have never passed.
Now the last and just as critical issue to be solved is the civil issues of getting control of the insurgent factors.

For those involved in the economic factors of the future of the country, have little or nothing to do with whether we have a demo or repub. in office.

I believe that when the time comes, you will see the Iraq government do a 360 and take control by whatever means necessary to ensure and solidify the efforts of becoming a member of the IMF.And this will have to happen pretty quickly as July is almost here.

This is the big picture we must keep our eyes on.

Oh the Demos and Repubs will surely make a political issue
out of it all, but this element of the Iraqi picture is not political, it is purely financial. And I believe that we will see a usurping of the Democratic ideology be put aside or on hold if it becomes necessary to accomplish those goals.

Frankly, I believe our presence there as trying to instill democracy and peace is a smokescreen.

GWB and his administration is on a fast forward mission to establish bases that will be there forever, no matter who is in office. I BELIEVE WE ARE THERE FOR THE OIL
( and rightly so) as are the other world powers. Except we are smarter, by establishing our bases there. No other country has or will do this. But our allies will ride on our shirtails from this effort if it is successful, and I am sure that it will be,they all stand to benefit.

The insurgent elements are consisted of a mob of mongrels. One day they are Iraqis the next they are Irainians, etc. We made a big mistake of not securing the borders when we first arrived. But in retrospect, it may have worked well for us. Because peace established before we could build and secure our bases would have hurt us, and robbed us of the goals that needed to be accomplished.

Yes, alot of lives have been lost, and billions have been spent, but our position in a country with the second largest oil reserves will be secured for ever.

Short of a nuclear blast to those bases, no other power in the world will have the stronghold that we will have.

Now concerning your ambitions and aspirations of how the last election turned out: the demos won by default. The voter turn out of the most powerful political faction in this country, did not paritcipate, at a level of influence that was needed to keep control of the government. That faction is the conservative religious right. BIG BIG MISTAKE. But I think you will see that changed for the presidential election.

All the players so far on both sides are spinning their wheels and self eliminating each day.

Sara's post about the REAL ROMMNEY, is just the tip of the iceberg.

I beleive that BIG BIG conservative silent majority is just waiting for the REAL candidate to surface. ANd I ever-so hope that one does. because as of yet there hasn't been one.

If one does ressurect, he/she will win with a landslide. And the only residual downside will be that the first 2 years in office will be a stalemate, until the Repubs get control of both houses again.

It is imperative that Mitt does not get on the ticket, the more and more I analize this.

JFK's election as a Catholic was an anomalie. And let us not forget that he won the presidency by the electoral college only. HE LOST THE POPULAR VOTE by millions.

Since that time, checks and balances have been put in place regarding the electoral college, and I doubt you will ever see anything like that happen again.

What will be the biggest threat to the next election will be a third party candidate. Ross Perot won the election for Clinton. Don't forget that.

I am hoping that the CFR
( the establishment, if you will) does not allow that to happen.

Now concerning our own country and it's internal future: we are in a fight for our existence as we have known it. There are multiple Marxist factions in our country that have an old agenda to destroy what our forefathers put in motion 200 + years ago. Their ideology runs counter to our culture.

Our forfathers constructed a government that allowed for all to be free with room under the Domain of our Constitution. BUT NOT TO OVERTHROW OR MUTATE IN ANYWAY THOSE ESTABLISHED PRINCIPALS AND PRECEPTS.

There has and should always be room for dissent, BUT WE SHOULD NEVER MOVE OVER FOR THE INSTILLATION OF ANY IDEOLOGY THAT RUNS COUNTER TO OUR JUDEO-CHRISTIAN heritage, which has ensured equality for all( even athesists).

Realistically, we are losing that battle everyday. BUT WE WILL HAVE OIL!! :)

My only recommendation to save our country from the very slippery slope we are on, is for everyone to get behind the conservative movement.regardless of where you stand religiously.Because all have been secured and free under the umbrella of the Judeo-Christian ideology instilled and instituted by our forefathers.

I have said this before and I will say it again: if we as a nation can not turn around the tide of social, moral decay permeating in our society, unless some dreaded disease overtakes us, our generation, and for sure the next generation will die either defending our country( as we have known and loved) or
defending our faith.

THIS IS NOT A TIME FOR TOLERANCE OF NON-CONFORMISTS OR RADICAL IDEOLOGY!!! OR A TIME FOR IMMORAL TOLERANCE.

My dad once said" this NEW morality is just the OLD immorality".

Now, where, you might ask do we get all the strength to accomplish the unbelievable goals ahead of us?

Well, everyone needs to find their own answer, I suppose.
I choose to put my energy in scripture where God says
" if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" 2Chronicles 7:14

You might want to read the rest of that chapter----very appropriate and interesting, to say the least.

One last side story.
As I watched the Iman make a complete fool of himself on the Hannity show, I couldn't help but think of an incident that happened to me some 40+ years ago.
My first job as an RN was working in a doctors office. This community was dominated by middleasterners, including conservative and orthodox jews.
The year was 1964. The family I had just ushered into an examining room were Persians ( Iranians today). After, I did the routine tasks, I left the room. A few minutes later, I re-entered only to find them ransacking the drawers, taking instruments, bandages, tape and bandaids, etc.
I immediately went and got the doctor. he was furious when he entered the room and started accusing them of stealing. They started screaming at him and denying that they would do such a thing. I pointed to the lady's purse, at which time the doctor grabbed the purse and opened it, only to have all of the things they had stolen fall out to the ground.

They all started screaming that the items in her purse were hers that she had brought from home. What I remember most was the volumne of her voice and her words "prove that these things are yours, where is your name on them????"

NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN 40 YEARS OR 400 HUNDRED YEARS OR 2000 YEARS

get my drift???

Carole

-- February 13, 2007 9:29 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Oracle confirmed as key sponsor of Iraq Information Communication Technology and Education Summit

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

13 February 2007 (PortAl Iraq)
Print article Send to friend
Oracle Middle East has confirmed its keynote sponsorship of the Iraq Information Communication Technology and Education Summit (ICTE) in Sharjah, UAE, to be held Feb. 27 and 28.

According to the Iraq Development Program (IDP), the summit aims to facilitate the Iraqi government's strategy for forming and strengthening relationships with leading international operators to bring best-in-breed technology, training and management skills to the country. The summit will welcome a delegation of senior level officials from the Iraqi Ministries of Communications, Science and Technology, and Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The official Iraqi delegation will be led by Minister of Communications HE Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, Minister of Science and Technology HE Raed Fahmi and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research HE Abed Theyab. It will also host a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), to be led by HE Dr. Idris Hadi Salih, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Ministerial objectives include "the establishment of computer and electronic communication standards, secure communications networks, developing mobile telecommunications infrastructure and equipment, modernization of information technology infrastructure, IT procurement, provision of computer training for government employees and planning for Iraq's IT programs."

"Oracle is pleased to be associated with this event," Ali El Tahtawi, Communication Manager for Oracle MEA, said. "The new Iraq is demanding the best in IT infrastructure to support its growth. By our involvement, we have clearly demonstrated our commitment to support the growth of Iraq through technology."

The summit will also be attended by relevant officials from the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office (IRMO), as well as a number of leading global education institutions.

All attending Iraqi Ministries will be looking to work with public and private industry, governmental agencies and educational institutions to lead scientific and technological development for the purpose of fostering the restoration and improvement of Iraq's infrastructure and industrial base, according to the IDP.

"All Iraqi officials will be attending to speak about their ministries' requirements for their relevant sectors in front of an audience of senior corporate executives, before holding private consultations with some of the pre-eminent operators in the ICT and education sectors," an IDP announcement stated.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 13, 2007 9:30 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Pan:

Congradts! on the vitals!! Good job!! Pay attention to the LDH and triglycerides on your blood panel.

I'm alittle dense..."front 9 or back 9" ???????? don't get it, but glad tyou got a laugh----the best medicine!!

carole

SARA: I hesitate to tell you that he predicts $5.00 by 2008. I, for one, am not holding my breath.

Again, the only thing that has gotten my attention is his heavy investment. When I first met him, his invesment was pocket change to him. He is a multimillionaire. Now he is past pocket change. If I have calculated it right , his investment is $500,000 dollars.

I am actually spending the day with him today. No crowds like Sat. night. I will get all the scope I can.

Poor guy, he just thinks he is buying me lunch!!! :)

Carole

-- February 13, 2007 9:43 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Telecoms

Al Mazaya Telecommunications Selects VeriSign's PrePay Solution to Serve Its CDMA Network in Iraq

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

13 February 2007 (Market Wire Incorporated)
Print article Send to friend
3GSM WORLD CONGRESS -- VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of digital infrastructure for the networked world, today announced that Iraqi based Al Mazaya Telecommunications chose VeriSign PrePayIN to support its prepay service in Iraq. The new service, which is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2007, is the first installation of PrePayIN in the Middle East.

"VeriSign PrePayIN allows us to launch feature-rich prepay wireless service to Iraq and provide a superior customer experience to millions of users," said Mr. Alaa Sami Kazim, Chairman of Al Mazaya Telecommunications. "In addition to enabling us to compete in the growing Iraqi prepay market by offering next-generation services, this solution allows us to accurately bill customers in real-time."

Al Mazaya Telecommunications will use PrePayIN rating flexibility to deliver targeted plans for voice and short message services (SMS), popular in the Middle East. The real-time billing will provide customers with detailed, up-to-date usage information and account status. The service will also allow carriers to bill for new services, including next-generation content and data services such as streaming video, file transfer and multimedia message services (MMS).

"For service providers to expand into new markets and grow their subscriber base, they must be able to offer accurate billing services combined with content that customers demand," said Kevin Bresnahan, director, VeriSign Prepaid Product Management. "Our solution allows Al Mazaya Telecommunications to expand into its target market of Iraq and offer more services and plans that can be rated, billed and delivered -- anywhere, anytime."

The prepaid market has experienced steady growth in the Middle East. According to the Yankee Group's recent report, "Global Mobile Premium Forecast, September 2006," total prepaid market revenue is forecasted to grow from 1.7 million Euros in 2003 to over 6.9 million Euros by the year 2010.

VeriSign's current prepay services support more than 30 million subscribers worldwide. VeriSign offers one of the world's broadest and most comprehensive portfolio of next-generation communications, commerce and content solutions.
(www.iraqiupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 13, 2007 10:12 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Well if it goes to 5 Dollars to a Dinar in 08, I'll take it, but I'm a bit sceptic.

Probably the biggest certainty in this is the uncertainty.

The Dinar run, have some very close similarities with the Quantum Mechanics Uncertainty Principle.

Anything can happen, one outcome is not secured, there are a number of possible outcomes.

This is the charm in the Dinar game, in order to be in, you got to invest, take the risk and and live with the hand that is given.

It's not necessarily a guarantee that they will follow established routes, in fundamental economics.

There are so many hands in the Dinar right now, so many "experts" both in direct operation of it, and sitting on the sideline giving both correct and false information, depending on, from what school of economics they have been educated in.

A lot of interested parties are pushing in their directions, some for good, some for their own agenda.

Seems like a logic fundamental step, needed to be implemented is met with a casual "Interesting, well we look into it". Like this is just another "theory " amongst others that are presented, and the actors sitting in their executive roles, at the end, don't really know what is right and wrong.

The problem with this economy is that there are so many darn hands in it, pushing in different directions.

US and it's administration, for sure have a lot of weight, The Iraqis themselves, trying to set up something they never have had before, The World Bank, and IMF, setting up the agenda and what to do. The different schooling's in economics, where anyone and his brother knows all the rights and wrongs in economics, and they seem to collide more often than not.

There are two fundamental ideas in this world on economics, free trade capitalistic, principles, and socialistic economy.

One works the one that is based on sound economic principles, and one doesn't work, the one that is based on Social ideas about "fairness", that economic principle actually sucks.

"Experts" from the Socialist side of things always have a tendency to be very loud, and dominating. They seem to have an ability to always walk into the center of the room and scream, getting all the attention ( see Global Warming)

The WB and IMF, have UN collaboration, as the WB was set up as a help institution after WW2 to help kick start countries in ruin.

Since then the UN have developed into a Socialistic debate forum, and is today far far from it's intended purpose and original function.

Anything that have to do with the UN have an inherently risk of corruption in it (UN, oil for Food, where the UN was to monitor the Saddam regimes Sanctioned oil for food program, got itself involved in the Saddam corruption)

Possibly Soros or a Soros figure or two might also be involved.

The Dinar game is kind of messy, and it, in my eyes comes down to my earlier statement, they don't seem to have a clue.

The Dinar game is like the Italian society, one of mass confusion, everything moves in different directions, none of the details or particulars make any sense, and each particular can be immediately criticised for it's counter productivity, or confused direction, without any guidance or leadership. but it moves ahead with one colossal inertia.

It's like watching an ants nest being built, commenting on the ants, that is pulling one straw in different directions.

-- February 13, 2007 11:06 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole wrote, "SARA: I hesitate to tell you that he predicts $5.00 by 2008. I, for one, am not holding my breath."

Hmm.. ok, well, I will take all he has to say with a grain of salt, too.
Can you find out the OPENING Rate he is hearing?
It sounds like he is hearing an opening followed by a float which will go up?
Or is is incremental steps up at a set rate?
How exactly do they get to that rate?
Just wondering..

I like rumors and those who hear things fascinate me. :)
I wonder if they are being "fed" misinformation calculated for us to hear.. or if there is anything to it?
All I can see so far is that, dispite the information, nothing has happened. :(

My view is that the whole disappointment thing on the RV is military.. "don't let anyone know what you are doing.. for the good of the country." type stuff. After all, this is part of a military strategy - the financial leg of the strategy to win in Iraq. Smoke and mirrors have been the way of things til this day.. so I am not sure this is clarity yet. But I do so enjoy listening to those with an ear to the know.. I think it likely you have good contacts, I do believe you.. I just think they may be fed misinformation for strategy's sake. After all, if WE know what is going on.. so will the enemy. The enemy could just just read a Dinar board post from someone "inside" like we do, you know. Not a good idea, perhaps. Red herrings would allow the enemy to expend all kinds of efforts on things which in reality do not matter. I think it likely this is the reason for the false information on the Dinar RV and when and how much it will be. Being a Christian means you have a relationship with God. That means that when you pray TO God you sometimes hear BACK from Him, though not always.. He is not "on tap" as it were. And also, when He speaks to you about something, it is for YOU, for your story, and not necessarily applicable for the entire world. If I ask Him where I should move and He tells me Texas or Florida, that does not mean everyone else should move there, too! But I think it worthwhile for each Christian to listen to what the Lord would speak to their hearts to gain direction and guidance from Him. I think this is the most important thing for a Christian to come to know the Lord's voice to their life and follow it. As Jesus said:

Joh 10:3 the sheep hear His voice: and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out.

Joh 10:4 And when He puts forth his own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Joh 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they do not know the voice of strangers.

No matter how you cut that Scripture.. Christians are sheep and they HEAR God's voice. Having gravely given a Christian apology for the leading, I will confide in you that last November I asked the Lord when the Dinar would go.. He replied to me, "When no one believes the rumor posters anymore." That was an interesting reply, and I think this idea of military strategy explains why. I certainly scratched my head on the issue when He first gave it to me, though. And the reference was to the Fab 5 of the time.. which, I think.. are almost at that point of being quite generally discounted? I believe that when they are discounted.. then the intelligence smokescreen is complete. Thus, their being discounted at this point may mean.. well, we will see. :)

I believe it is likely the Dinar will go with a sudden RV and I'll be happy whenever it goes, as I think, like you, that it is not this snail-pace which will help Iraq achieve her goals as a nation. I think it takes a lot more to kickstart their economy and get things moving along a path of self-improvement which will help the Iraqi people and nation for many, many years to come. I am hoping this is part of that strategy you indicate is in place of a very LONG view as to Iraq and whomever is in office will have that plan to follow suit. If so, the casualties and lack of RV now is calculated toward much bigger goals that are not self-evident yet. I believe we are being told that the current strategy is incompetent only because we are not informed what is truly going on because we cannot be, lest the enemy know it too. Obviously the Democrats would trumpet all strategy they know from the housetops for the enemy to know.. and I think those truly "in the know" have moved to obfuscate and protect what they are really doing. (I know I would.. and so why would they not think to do so, too? And I would NOT correct the MSM press and tell them the "smart" things I was doing, but let them think me a knucklehead. It helps them go down a garden path.. taking the enemy with them. It is, after all, war. And war means strategy.)

I believe that the Administration has some deep strategy, as you said, with the bases.. and also with the RV as well as other things concerning Iraq. Things can change so quickly and you only reveal all your cards to the other players when you are certain you have the winning hand.. at the end, not in the middle of the game. We are certainly NOT at the end of this game, yet. So why do we think we see all the cards? The only frustrating thing I see is the lack of faith in the wisdom being pursued by the leaders within the mainstream populace and the ability of that populace to be moved and swayed by someone who IS speaking all the secrets of the day they can find to our enemies (MSM). Even within Congress and the Senate.. how many could you trust with the information about what you are truly doing? How many would further their own careers by giving it to the media? I think there are not many who can be trusted... hence we see those Republicans who are swayed toward voting against the Administration which are those on the outside who have no faith in their party and its values and no understanding of what those in the know are doing. You can't tell every Tom, Dick and Harry the information that is cleared to be known by the top fellows, can you? Why is this obvious point not understood? (particularly within the party.) You think in a democracy that the man on the street must have classified information? If he does, won't the enemy, too? Pretty obviously, if they can discuss it in meetings in the Congress.. it isn't a secret from the enemy. Is that how you conduct a war.. with the enemy knowing everything you do?

I agree on the need for a truly Right of Center candidate and that person's likelihood to make President. Mitt Romney's change of heart from his old position can be nothing more than calculated political posturing.. and if he can change his mind once.. he can do so again. This is not conversion to a religion we are talking about concerning Mitt Romney, but a change of heart (perhaps for political gain, to gain the Religious right's votes). Since he does not profess a religious experience with his change of heart on abortion, etc.. I do not believe he should be believed. No matter how sincere, he can be led to be just as sincere in the other direction, without a religious experience from God. He does not attribute the change of heart to God nor has he changed his religious profession. I therefore think he is someone blown about by every wind of doctrine and by the cunning of men (Eph 4:14), not good to be running the country. No matter how sincere, I could not endorse someone with a "permanent" record in heaven showing support to the far left of Ted Kennedy. Only if that record were wiped out and he was no longer accountable for it by the blood of Jesus would I begin to give some sway to him. After all, if Jesus forgave him, I must, too. But this "change of heart" was just going by better arguments.. or political opportunism. Since I cannot tell which of those two account for his change of heart, I wish a better candidate with a clear record of where they stand which has not changed. So far, Tom Tancredo is the man I see. He is not at all a shining media superstar, but he is a solid conservative in his views and that is what I look for when I wish to see the Policymaker in that office. Read this page for his Right of Center views: http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Tom_Tancredo.htm

So far, he is by far the best and most Conservative among them. If the Dinar does RV.. how much can I give to his campaign? Anyone know? :)

Sara.

-- February 13, 2007 11:51 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

I really enjoyed your last post!.. A-One!..... I have always wished there were more women involved in conservative politics. Women are often good at seeing through BS, and look at underlying motives, and realities. You did this, in my opinion, in seeing through the social, politically correct verbal smokescreen, set up by liberals, in the general social and media dialogue, around the topic of people and religion. Your comments reflected the fact that you were able successfully, to see Muslims for what they are, and to also see through the rhetoric of our own Western leaders, in regards to Iraq, and to see unapologetically, why we are there in the first place: oil and power.

It reminded me of a conversation I had, about Iraq, with a brother-in-law, who is a typical, anti-American, Bush-hating liberal:

Bro-in-law: "Bush is only there for oil and money and power!!!"

Tim Bitts: "Well, duuhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

You also placed Oakie's original observation, about the long-term role of bases in Iraq, in a very sensisble geo-political and economic analysis. Well done.

Women, generally speaking, more so than men, are people watchers and situation analyzers. You are obviously interested in that. I've noticed that about you, in the past, in your posts. You always seem to be looking beyond the words, to try to figure out who this person is, what they think, what their weaknesses and strengths are. That is a great strength, when it comes to thinking about politics.

I guess is comes from being a bright person, and raising 4 daughters. My observation, about sons and daughters is this: Daughters usually fight mental and psychological warfare. Sons usually fight more toward direct, and less subtle confrontations. This relates to something you have said, in the past. A long time ago, when you posted that you didn't think you could be an equal contributor to a Dinar discussion, I had a good laugh, with my wife, over that comment.

As I said to my better half, at that time, any educated woman who raises 4 daughters successfully, has undergone practical, experiential training in human nature, and psychological warfare, and the complexities of the human psyche, and should probably be awarded, at the very least, a Masters Degree in Practical Clinical Psychology.

This all relates to the Dinar, because, as you have said, political problems need to be understood and resolved, in order for the Dinar to be revalued. And politics is all about people, and human nature. And that is a subject you obviously have a lot of familiarity with, and are an informed voice, on this subject.

You have made some observations, based on practical observation, that I agree with. For example, you referred to insurgents as, "a mob of mongrels". Well put. I would add "deranged" to that description. And, IMO, the best and most sensible thing to do, with a deranged mongrel mutt, is to put it out of it's misery. Your story on the Iranian thieves was hilarious, and informative.

On the middle east, in general, you commented, they have a "crazy socio-political society that baffles the normal human intellect." I agree with that, as a generalization about Muslim countries, but the people who live in Israel are largely European by now, culturally, as they immigrated from Europe, where my ancestors were kicking them around for a couple thousand years. I agree with the late Pope John Paul II, who called for an historical reproachment, between Jews and Christians, based on common Judeo-Christian principles. In the coming confrontation with Islam, Christians will need friends and allies. The Jews are a good choice.

Many Jewish intellectuals are starting to support the Christian right, because they have understood that the continuing existance of Israel is largely dependent on the strength of the Christian culture, in the United States. My observation is, the democratic and human rights record of Jews is a thousand times better, than the Arabs. Our heritage, as you have said, is "Judeo-Christian". Well, Jesus was a Jew, as were most of the apostles, so they can't be all bad, right? I'd pick a Jew, over an Arab, any day.

On Mitt Romney, time will tell, whether he is the right leader. I remain open to be convinced, one way, or another, as to his fitness for high public office.

A comment on JFK. I watched a documentary the other day, on JFK, and Frank Sinatra, and the Mob. They claimed the election that got JFK elected was so close, that the slight edge JFK got, was largely thanks to the Italian Mafia, turning out the vote, in key states.

Have a good one.

-- February 13, 2007 12:07 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraq: Borders With Syria, Iran to Close
Commander: Iraq Will Close Its Borders With Syria and Iran for 72 Hours
By KIM GAMEL

BAGHDAD, Iraq Feb 13, 2007 (AP)— Iraq will close its borders with Syria and Iran for 72 hours as part of the drive to secure and pacify Baghdad, the Iraqi commander of the crackdown said Tuesday.

Lt. Gen. Abboud Gambar, addressing the nation on behalf of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, did not say when the borders would be closed. A government official said it was expected within two days.

The government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the borders with Iran would only be partially reopened even after the 72-hour period ended.

The U.S. military announced last week that the sweep was already in progress. But an al-Maliki aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said the operation had not yet begun, as far as the Iraqi government was concerned.

Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the Interior Ministry spokesman, told state-run TV that an Iraqi and two foreigners were arrested in the Shorja market attack.

The attack appeared timed to coincide with the first anniversary on the Muslim lunar calendar of the bombing of a Shiite shrine in the town of Samarra north of Baghdad, an al-Qaida provocation that unleashed months of sectarian bloodletting.

On Sunday, joint U.S. and Iraqi forces temporarily sealed an adjacent neighborhood. The operation was part of the latest Baghdad security push to which President Bush has committed an additional 21,500 American troops. The U.S. military would not say if it had increased security patrols against potential violence on the Samarra anniversary.

The recent bombs apparently are part of a bid by Sunni insurgents to target Shiite commercial centers and livelihoods and kill as many people as possible.

The nation's main Sunni clerical organization, the Association of Muslims Scholars, condemned Monday's bombing. The association blamed the attack on "criminals" and "external groups" seeking to foment civil war.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2871631

-- February 13, 2007 12:40 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Tim,

Thanks for all the compliments. I need to make a correction, I have 5 daughters, Maureen-41, Elizabeth-40, Barbara Lynn-38, Rosette-36,Brenda-34. All 5 born within 7 years.

I have 7 grandsons and 5 grandaughters.

4 of my daughters have been divorced and 2 have remarried.

Life has had many ups and a few downs.

But it seems that the dust has settled and all are doing well. Our biggest reward of our efforts is that they are all women of faith. More than anyother of their multitude of attributes, that is the one that gives us the most peace of mind.

Now regarding the Jewish people. I don't mean to mislead you about how I feel about them in general. I too would take a Jew over a Arab, anytime. Actually, come to think of it I would take a leper infested with magets over an Arab!

I have Arab friends (??). They are trying desperately to coat themselves with western ways, and I give them credit for that. But it will take generations of cultural indoctrination to make a dent in their persona.
Cause surer than shoot when the surface is shed by some issue or experience----here it comes, the dispicable ignorance and stiffnecked beligerance.

The movement in the Hebrew culture that is distastful to me has come out of the Reformed sect of Judism. That entire movment, rooted in America, became the bedrock for groups like the ACLU. I would guess this is what happened in Germany and other parts of Europe in the 20's and 30's also.

There have been times on this post that I have had emotional outbursts that have reacted to the current political rhetoric. One recent one was when I got sick and tired of hearing about our troops being massacred and I was adamant about bringing the troops home. This usually happens when I lose site of the big picture and join the rest of the snap-shot view spectators. It is easy to get caught up in that.

But if I back off, and relieve myself of too much information stimuli, my mind gets back into focus.

In this day of information sharing exhuberance, there is very little new or provocative thought or ideas.
At least any with non-radical or constructive outcomes. I have thoroughly enjoyed your discussions, as I have said before. I absolutely wait for your humorous postings!!

I wished I could say I am a big Canadian fan, maybe someday, when they change their entire socioeconomic structure and almost all of their cultural mores!!!LOL

But until then, you are my most favorite Canadian, and because of you Canada has hope!!:) I would still vote for you to be President of the World, and I would still be willing to be your campaign manager!!

Have a good one too!! Did you finish your painting?

Carole

-- February 13, 2007 12:50 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger,

I like your way of looking and describing all the elements in this DInar game. You are so correct. it is an intractable mess ON THE SURFACE. Because there are so many inconsequential hands in the pot.

I happen to think that Sara is on the right track in wondering if there isn't some bigger element in control of the outcome.

If this is true and I really believe it is, no matter what the little ants are doing,making themselves crazy busy, with all kinds of hopes and aspirations-----the engine on the plow has been started, the land surveyors have blueprints in hand, with the contract that has the deadline in BIG BOLD PRINT.

Time is running short---but time will tell.

Carole

-- February 13, 2007 1:11 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

You are putting your thought processes on the situation trying to understand it.

Once you can step back and think like and Arab, you will make no sense of anything.

If you do accomplish thinking like an Arab, then you will have the attributes of the Iman or the Persian family I dealt with 40 years ago.

More importantly, you will have to come to the conclusion, that if anything of any value or significance
is to come out of all of this, it will not be because of any action or lack of action from the peoples of the middle east. It will be a very powerful, very smart, and very well resourced entitity that will make all things happen.

I see the US as that power. Soon when their goals have been accomplished they will start pointing their fingers and making assigments to everyone involved on what to do!!! Not what one might think is the best thing to do, but definite hardcore directions, and demands, if you will.

Probably starting with telling Israeal to bomb Iran.

As a dispensationist, I have a concern with current day claims of visions and voices from God. I believe scripture very clear in it's warnings about getting distracted by these neo-psychic experiences. We are admonished in scripture that they are not of God.

I have watched those who have paid attention totheir visions and Words form God. they are on a continual rollercoaster, and are always trying to second guess God's leading in thier lives. Many have lost confidence in the Lord and fallen away from the faith, because of their experiences with visions and voices. It is the enemy's way of disarming the believer.

I offer you this advice in love and in Christ's name.

Carole

-- February 13, 2007 1:28 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole - I appreciate your viewpoint and concern about those of us in the faith who believe God can lead us directly rather than only going by the "playbook" of the Bible. I think you see I stick very close to the Bible, more so than some Christians. But I certainly am open to hearing from God and listening to Him if He has a leading for my life or illumination on a query I may have about an issue. I appreciated your words to Roger that, "I happen to think that Sara is on the right track in wondering if there isn't some bigger element in control of the outcome." So there is some degree of agreement, though you are right to be cautious about anyone presenting a personal leading to the inspection of all. I think I once shared a dream I had and you also felt it was of the Lord. I am cautious about sharing what the Lord speaks to me, because I know it is mainly for me, not for others, to lead and guide my life as He wishes, according to my story and toward His aims for my life. I shared that puzzling leading in the last post with caution, knowing that others think that it is wrong to hear directly anything from God. How they see the Scriptures about hearing God's voice, obviously, differs from a literal interpretation of those words. And I would be the first to admit that God leads different Christians in different ways. But I have learned from the Lord that it is unwise to ignore His leading and I have been protected from so very many dangers by listening to Him:

Isa 30:21 And Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.

Not sure how you see that one, either.. but as you can see, I am simple enough in my faith to take it quite at face value...

An anecdote.. A friend called me and told me her father was dying and if I wished to say goodbye, I should come to the hospital. It was a courtesy call and she did not truly expect me to come. After I hung up, I got a brother to pray for me for wisdom as to whether I should go or not. I had so many things to do and I was not inclined to go, but I did care.. should I go? He came back with a leading from the Scripture the Lord gave him which said I should go and the Lord would go with me. I went based on that leading, praying fervently and uplifted in prayer. When I arrived, after a time, I asked for a little time alone with him and I asked him if he was ready to face God yet. He said he supposed so. I asked if he had ever asked God to forgive him for all his sins? He said he guessed he would do that when he saw Him. I asked him whether he would not like to ask for God's forgiveness of his sins now, in prayer, before he died. He said he would, and we prayed a simple prayer of faith. When I finished praying with him, the Presence of God was so strong in the room, and I looked up into his eyes and we both had tears in them. "You know," he said, "My mother was religious like you, always preaching from the Bible." And I had a witness in my heart that her prayers had gone before to prepare his heart for this day.

Later, he had a visit from two men who explained that he would be moved to a long term care facility which was very difficult to get into and his family had applied to, but which they never thought they would be able to get him into. These two men prepared him fully for the journey, explaining everything to him and answering all his questions and concerns about the process involved in his care up to his death. When he mentioned this to his family, they checked with the desk who said no one had visited him. Then they called the facility and they said no one had been sent from the facilty, but that they had approved taking him at the facility. He was moved to the facility and died peacefully there within a very short space of time. Who were those men who the nursing staff and the facility said never existed who prepared him for moving to the facility before his own family knew he would be going there? And what of me - if I had not listened to that leading of that brother and the Scriptures he presented to me that day.. where would this man be today? You may say "Many have lost confidence in the Lord and fallen away from the faith, because of their experiences with visions and voices. It is the enemy's way of disarming the believer." - thus attributing personal leadings to the work of satan and saying that such seeking of God's will leads people away from God, but I admit here that I have never found it so.

Sara.

-- February 13, 2007 2:46 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Couric Touts (Slight) Opposition to Funding Surge, Skips Even Split on Iraq Resolution
Posted by Brent Baker on February 12, 2007 - 20:41.

A new CBS News poll, released Monday night, determined that Americans are almost exactly evenly split on whether Congress should “pass a non-binding resolution against sending additional troops to Iraq” with 44 percent in favor and 45 percent opposed. But in highlighting how the Senate on Tuesday “will begin a three-day debate on a non-binding, symbolic resolution stating its disapproval of President Bush's Iraq troop build-up,” CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric ignored that finding of an evenly-divided nation. Instead, she focused on how “a total of 53 percent say Congress ought to block funding for additional troops or for the war entirely.”

In offering up that number, which combined two answers, she obscured the poll question’s real news: A piddling 8 percent wish to “block all funding” for the war in Iraq. As an on-screen graphic showed, to get to 53 percent Couric and CBS producers combined the 8 percent with the 45 percent who want to “block funding for more troops” -- a percent only slightly higher than, and within the three-point margin of error, the 42 percent who want to “allow all funding.” CBS’s graphic did not include the 42 percent result.

Couric read this short item on the February 12 CBS Evening News:

“Tomorrow the House will begin a three-day debate on a non-binding, symbolic resolution stating its disapproval of President Bush’s Iraq troop build up. But our new CBS News poll shows a majority of Americans wants Congress to go even further. A total of 53 percent say Congress ought to block funding for additional troops or for the war entirely.”

The PDF of the CBS News poll, conducted February 8-11, reported:

The war in Iraq continues to take a toll on opinions of the President, but when it comes to what Congress ought to do about the war in Iraq, the public remains divided, much as it was last month. A slight majority thinks Congress ought to either block funding for more troops or block funding for the war entirely.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO ABOUT FUNDING FOR WAR?
Block all funding: 8%
Block funding for more troops: 45
Allow all funding: 42

77% of Democrats want Congress to block funding for additional troops or for the war entirely, while 69% of Republicans think Congress should allow all funding for the war. 44% would like to see Congress pass a non-binding resolution against sending additional troops to Iraq. Nearly the same percentage -- 45% -- oppose the resolution.

These views are highly correlated with partisanship. 57% of Democrats think Congress should pass a non-binding resolution against sending more troops to Iraq, while 65% of Republicans think they should not do so. Independents are divided.

Comments:

1) whodat Says:
February 12, 2007 - 21:19

How can Congress claim to support the troops ....

then deny them the help (more troops) they need?

2) Blonde Says:
February 12, 2007 - 21:57

Sheesh...I am pulling my hair out by the roots.

The "vast majority" has no clue about the parliamentary rules in the Senate and the House.

They rely upon the (arghh) old media to understand what is happening.

This is a false premise, rooted in a canard, based upon a lie.

How much more idiotic does it get?

Unbelievable.

I would never, for one half of one second, believe that half of this country cares to defund the war while we have troops in harms way.

This idiocy is beyond all belief.

Shame on you, Katie Couric. You are filthy and beyond the pale.

3) old cro Says:
February 13, 2007 - 03:44

I would also like to question the Democrat's "mandate" that has appeared all of a sudden. Geez, you win a couple seats in congress and you rule the world! Remember how the press dismissed president Bush when he claimed a mandate after the 04 elections. I am getting quite annoyed at the MSM and the strings they are constantly jerking people around with. Their word manipulation and factual omission in "reporting" is beyond the pale.

4) kittlesnbits Says:
February 13, 2007 - 09:17

So the 42% who support all funding are irrelevant. I've seen the msm do some incredible things, but to make the 42% disappear into thin air?? AMAZING! They could show the David's... Blaine & Copperfield... a thing or two.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10786

-- February 13, 2007 2:54 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

It has been said many times and in many ways and Carole mentioned it in her post. It is imperative for U.S./Iraqi forces gain control of Baghdad and the Al-Anbar province. Why has marshall law not been imposed?

Stabilization will bring forth peace. Prosperity will take care of itself. On some fronts, Iraq is definitely making progress. In contrast, Robert S pointed out in his post that the Central Bank of Iraq failed to cover all the bids for the auction in yesterday's (Feb 12, 2007)auction. This has caused me some concern. I am curious to know why the CBI failed to cover all the bids. Does anyone have a plausible explination?

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 13, 2007 3:05 PM ∞

---

willie wrote:

Iraqi Army, 2-7 Cavalry Take Down Insurgent Operation; Solve Murder
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division and A Co., 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, raided several buildings in northeast Mosul on Feb. 9 in response to intelligence received about a possible weapons cache.

2-7 Cavalry Soldiers arrived on site and began receiving small-arms fire from the upper floor of an adjacent mosque.

They managed to suppress the fire while the IA soldiers investigated. No additional fire was reported and the 2-7 troops continued their mission.

10 suspects were detained in the southern compound, five of which tested positive for explosive residue.

Millions of Dinar, worth thousands of dollars in U.S. currency, was also found in an underground storage room along with over 400 fake identification cards.

One suspect was detained in the northern compound, and a tunnel gave way to the discovered cache of ordnance and weapons.

o approximately 250,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition
o grenade fuses
o dozens of rockets
o 100 grenades
o over 200 mortar rounds
o more than a dozen rocket launchers
o approximately 100 pounds of IED-making material
o more than a dozen small arms

All of the ordnance was turned over to explosive ordnance disposal teams, and the remaining evidence was processed along with the 11 detainees.

Soldiers from 2-7 Cavalry continue to partner with members of the Iraqi army and Iraqi police in rooting out illegal weapons and shutting down illegal operations that harm the citizens of Ninewa Province.

Source: Multi-National

NOTE: MILLIONS OF DINAR RECOVERED.

-- February 13, 2007 5:54 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

Thanks for the nice compliments. I finished painting.

-- February 13, 2007 8:24 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Carole,

Thanks for the nice compliments. I finished painting.

-- February 13, 2007 8:25 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Ladies and Gentlemen Sar'd has left the building!

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq plans to close its borders with Iran and Syria for 72 hours in an attempt to secure the capital, the Iraqi commander in charge of Baghdad's security plan announced Tuesday.

Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, spelled out the details of the security crackdown in a televised address Tuesday.

As details of the border closure with Syria became public, senior Bush administration officials were saying radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been in Iran for the past two or three weeks.

Iraqi sources have not confirmed Sadr's departure, and a source close to the cleric told CNN that his presence in Iran is a "rumor."

As recently as Thursday, Sadr's office told CNN the cleric was in Najaf.

The U.S. officials said they did not know why Sadr had departed Iraq for Iran or how long he might stay. The officials suggested his departure was tied to the increase of American troops ordered by President Bush and that it could be a sign that he was in fear for his life.

Whatever the reason, it was not clear what effect Sadr's absence -- if he is, in fact, in Iran -- would have on his Mehdi Army.

As part of the security clampdown closing the Syrian border, the curfew in Baghdad will be extended and Iraqi forces plan to suspend civilian licenses for weapons and ammunition.

Qanbar's announcement warned citizens they will be subject to "interrogating, searching and detaining people when necessary and in accordance with the law."

The security plan covers 10 districts in Baghdad.

Some observers have predicted that followers of al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia -- which has been blamed for a large part of the sectarian violence in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq -- would be overlooked, because the al-Sadr movement has backed al-Maliki, who is also a Shiite.

Qanbar did not say when the borders would close, but a government official said it was expected within two days, The Associated Press reported.

During the closures, Iraqi officials will install improved security equipment at checkpoints, including upgraded bomb detection devices, an Iraqi official told CNN.

-- February 13, 2007 8:30 PM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

The Story of O
(submission)

There once was a man named Obama,
Whose name sounded like Osama.
After sucking back some gin,
He said, if I win,
Osama promises, he won't a-bomb-ya!

-- February 13, 2007 8:42 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

Without belaboring the subject, I agree that as Christians, being indwelled with the Holy Spirit we need to be alert and keen to His knudging and leadings, But within the confines of His infallible Word.

I find quite a distinction between your friend guiding and counseling you through scriptures ,in comparison to a "reply" from God telling you that the Dinars will hit when the rumors are over.

Jesus, in Mark 13:22 warns of last day false christs, and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders, if possible, to lead the elect astray....

I find it quite surprising that you would refer to the Bible as a " playbook ".

What exactly did you mean in that description?

Carole

-- February 13, 2007 10:13 PM ∞

---

Neil wrote:

Having read several posts alluding to GOD directing or speaking to someone, I have to say that I do not believe that GOD gets involved in our daily pursuits. I think that HE put this world in motion and gave us the intelligence to conduct our lives in any way that we see fit and he will judge us in the end.

I have never seen a miracle. I have never known of anyone receiving a message from GOD that was anything other than their idea. If GOD were in the middle of our daily lives, it would be so unfair such as Preachers meeting an untimely death and sorry bastards living to a ripe old age.

If I could see one example of an individual with a deformed arm being straightened out and become a normal arm or an enucleated eye being replaced, then I could take this evidence and prove to the world that Christianity is real and they are a fool not to believe in it.

I am a Christian but I have a few problems with it such as the Bible says divorce and remarriage is wrong but most Pastors will perform the ceremony, that drinking alcohol is wrong but Jesus turned the water into wine and he and his deciples drank it.

-- February 13, 2007 11:47 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Neil,

I appreciate your honesty and your quandry.

Question: After your last breath, and you stand before the Holy Almighty to be judged, and he asks you "why Neil should I let you into my PERFECT KINGDOM?" What will your answer be?

Remember, you will stand alone and have to give an account of YOUR OWN LIFE. Not of the comparison of your's to anothers, etc....

Question:Is your problem with what the Bible says or with what people do with what the Bible says?

Question: Why do you feel God is not interested in the workings of our everyday lives?

If you are a father, did you just give your children the gift of life and then abandon their lives to chance?

I feel compassion for anyone who has not expeienced miracles. They are all around us, millions of them in a lifetime. Truly, look and I feel sure you will find some.

Glad you are here, and thanks for your post.

Carole

-- February 14, 2007 2:07 AM ∞

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dale wrote:

I might be wrong & probably am, but I thought the bible said drunkiness was bad, not the drinking. If thats the case me & 12 of my closest friends having some wine with dinner would be just fine.

-- February 14, 2007 3:24 AM ∞

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Carol wrote:

By chance did you ask your friend about the date he told you to circle on your calender? I am sure you remeber what i am talking about. The day came & went & nothing happened, at least that we we aware of. Just curious. Hope your lunch with him went well. thanks
dale

-- February 14, 2007 3:26 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Dale,

You are very right about the drinking thing.

My lunch went very well, thank you.
And I did in fact ask him about the smile he told me to put on Jan.12. His answer was, I don't know why you weren't smiling, lots of us were( with a big smirk).

He is an odd sort of a guy and it is hard for me to read him. I will just throw out a few of his snippets.

When I asked him about the Dinar currency rumors that they may change the currency.... his answer"bush would never let that happen, he gave Iraq the money to make the New Dinar.."

I shared with him my conjectures about the IMF. He said I was very right, but did I know about the cheese that the IMF was waving in front of the Iraq minister of finance?
Of course I said "no". He said that the IMF has given Iraq the opporotunity for a 685 million (US) dollar loan, which converts to trillions in their money, but they must get their security problems solved. Their deadline is March 17. Then he questioned himself and said "or maybe it was April 17th".

We talked about several things. All in all, he would not ever consisder putting money in the bank in Iraq.

Inspite of all the problems that some have had with money in the Camens, that is where he intends on putting his profits from the Dinar.

To date he has 300K invested in the Dinar.

He showed us some property today, that my husband and I were ready to deal on. He stopped us because he said wait 6 months and I will show you what you can buy. And he took us to an unbelievable property.

He could have made a very handsome sell today. I am ready to buy what we looked at today, but my husband says let's wait for the 6 months.

As far as his house, I don't think he really wants to sell it. It is remarkable, but it is HIS house. He has all of his "toys"and their own little housings all over the 20 acres. I would say about 12-15 of those acres are not usuable, but provide seclusion for him. I love the house, but that is about it! Oh! the view is spectacular too! Maybe if I were 20 years younger.... but I am not and 20 years ago, I couldn't afford the maid quarters!!:)

So all in all Dale, it is still a wait, watch and see game!!!

Sorry, wished I had more to share...

Carole

-- February 14, 2007 4:12 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(863)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 863 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 2/ 14 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 12 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1286 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 49.685.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 49.685.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 14, 2007 4:49 AM ∞

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dale wrote:

carol,
ty

-- February 14, 2007 8:20 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Are you ready for some good news, enjoy this article from www.military.com

A Ramadi Rebirth - One Block at a Time
ON Point | Andrew Lubin | February 13, 2007
There's more news from Ramadi than just gunfire, IEDs, and Marine casualties. This is a city that is slowly returning to life.

The catastrophic destruction, visible throughout the town, was inflicted both by Iraqi insurgent and militia groups, as well as by Marines. But recently, the local residents have said "enough," fought back, and started rebuilding their city.

The most visible symbol in Ramadi -- a city of over 400,000 and the capital of Al Anbar Province -- is the Government Center. This building is the political heart of the province. And despite the presence of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and a smattering of other local insurgents, the Government Center is open for business.

Inside the building, Al Anbar Province Governor Mamouon Sami Rasheed presides over a council of Deputy Governors. His ministries include Education, Water, Sewage, Housing, Fire Stations, Health, and Communications & Telecom. Also represented is an elected Provincial Council. Like any provincial council, they meet, they discuss, and they work on plans for rebuilding their city. The new mayor, Latif Obaid Ayadah, just took office two weeks ago.

“I want to give the work to those who have come forward to help secure our city,” said Mayor Latif, according to a recent Marine Corps News article. “We don’t want to concentrate on certain individuals, but spread the work to involve more of the people.”

According to the article, the growth of Ramadi’s police force is the mayor’s top goal for the near future. “I hope for the return of all the police to the city for its security, because reconstruction cannot happen without it,” Mayor Latif said in the report.

But until the police return in full strength, the Marines will be on the streets. One recent result of the Marine presence is the reopening of markets. People shop -- during the day, at least -- for food, petrol, and clothing.

While American dollars are always welcome, the Iraqi Dinar is increasing in value. The local currency has strengthened 10 % since October 2006 against the Dollar, decreasing from D1500 to D1300 against U.S. $1. Ramadi’s contractors prefer payment in dinars instead of dollars. In Ramadi, the government’s food distribution system now operates as it did before the war. People don’t eat well, but they don’t starve.

The men of 1st Battalion, 6th Marines (1/6) have contributed to Ramadi’s resuscitation. Lieutenant Colonel William Jurney, 1/6 commanding officer, took the Marine concept of “clear -- hold -- build” and refined it. Instead of making these three separate tasks, he had his Marines work them simultaneously in each Marine outpost, in conjunction with Iraqi soldiers, policeman, and neighborhood citizens as the situation allowed.

Schools are also re-opening. Marines from Captain Kyle Sloan’s Alpha Company keep tabs on two schools that have 2,000 students. Teachers operate 4 shifts each day, the Marines said. With Ramadi having an educated, middle-class populace, a combination of retired Sunni Iraqi Army officers and educated civilian professionals, the locals are trying to regain a normal life for themselves and their children. By patrolling the area, the Marines say, they have enabled the residents to regain the normal life that “the terrorists” had forced away.

Shortly after the Marines arrived in Al Anbar in 2004, Al Qaeda in Iraq, or AQI, destabilized the government -- which had remained relatively intact -- through a reign of terror and brutal intimidation. Some of the smaller sheiks and tribal leaders tried to stand against them. They were killed, decapitated, or simply disappeared.

Unlike the civil war in Baghdad, the brutality in Ramadi has been slightly easier to define. Although multiple Sunni insurgent groups emerged -- AQI, Ba’ath loyalists, fundamentalists, and Mafioso-style sheiks -- they all attacked anyone who worked with Americans. The local government was equally targeted. The result? Tribes refused to cooperate with the Americans. To do so meant death.

In referring to AQI, the term “terrorist” was used commonly by the locals, as it accurately described the tactics used. These men and their hired local guns targeted Iraqi Police, their families, the IP stations, Marines, their convoys, and any other high visibility targets available.

Because massive artillery, air, and infantry attacks could not be used to stabilize the city, the Marines have employed classic counterinsurgency concepts. They have pushed outposts into the city, handled security on a block-by-block basis, and then promptly handed over newly-secured areas to the Iraqi Police. Then, the battalion moves further into the city.

Although suicide attacks, firefights and IED explosions continue, those attacks are measured now in how many per week, instead of how many per day. As the “Outpost Concept” has proven successful, the local citizenry has bought into the idea and begun to co-operate. The largest tribes banded together, effectively saying that they’d “had enough” of AQI’s killing sprees. The elders sent their young men to join the Iraqi Police and root out “the terrorists.”

Last year only 40 local men volunteered to join the IPs. But this December, 800 volunteered to serve. In Ramadi, a job as an IP is now considered an honorable and respected position.

It took a year before the people of Ramadi were convinced that the Marines could and would provide the protection and security they needed. But now that they understand this, the tribal elders have banded together, joined forces with the Marines, and worked together to begin Ramadi’s restoration.

The city of Ramadi still has years of recovery ahead. Fortunately, the locals have begun taking the lead in the reconstruction. With the Marine concept of “simultaneous clear-hold-build” enabling the sheiks and locals to fight back against AQI and their hired thugs, the future of Ramadi might be one of the brightest in the Sunni Triangle.

“It’s neighborhoodism before nationalism,” said Major Daniel Zappa, 1/6 executive officer. To their credit, the Marines of 1/6 have aggressively used this motto to their advantage in their fight against Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 14, 2007 9:30 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.dinartrade.com

The Central Bank is planning to reduce inflation

A source at the Iraqi Central Bank said that the bank is preparing plans to reduce the rates of inflation which amounted to about 70% last year because of the oil derivatives prices which rose ten times.

Within last year's budget, the government anticipated the inflation would not exceed 20-25%; however, the consumer price index rose to 70% due to the rise in the prices of oil products and electricity rose it to 80%. If energy is excluded, the index would range between 30 and 35% only.

The fuel price, for example, increased from 50 dinars to 400 dinars after the removal of government subsidy on fuel gradually; most of the main petroleum products were subsidized by the government since the former regime.

Stopping the government subsidy was one of the recommendations of the IMF which requests the application of an economic reforms program by 2008 before approving to write off 80% of Iraq's debt to the creditor nations that are not members of the Paris Club.

Due to this escalation in prices, the Central Bank was compelled to increase the interest rate to 20 % after being 8% at the beginning of 2006, and the last intervention by the Central Bank was recorded in December of that year.

Source: Iraq Directory

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 14, 2007 9:34 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

More Iraqi investment in Iraq by the U.S.. This time it is a $500 million loan via the World Bank.

World Bank endorses power project in Iraq

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

14 February 2007 (Kuwait News Agency (KUNA))
Print article Send to friend
World Bank (WB) Managing Director, Dr. Juan Jose Daboub arrived in the Iraqi capital Baghdad Monday and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, a government statement said.

Both officials, alongside with Iraqi Finance Minister Baqer Jabr Al-Zubaidi and Al-Maliki's economic advisor Kamal Al-Basri held a meeting to discuss financial support presented by WB to Iraq, especially regarding the international accord and the USD 500-million loan the bank pledged, a statement issued by the premier's office said.

Iraq was and still is a prosperous country in its potentials and heritage, yet security and economic quandaries it currently living were the outcome of 30 years of deluded policies implemented by the prior dictatorial regime, which led to burden Iraq's shoulder with debts used to finance wars, Al-Maliki said. He also lauded WB and other international organizations' efforts to financially aid Iraq, especially during this rough phase.

WB accredited a program to endorse power sector in Iraq, conditioned that the Iraqi government should decompress its financial hold up on oil derivatives, in exchange for the loans.

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world in mission of global poverty reduction and the improvement of living standards

Thanks,

Rob N.

(www.iraqupdates.com)

-- February 14, 2007 10:49 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole wrote, "Without belaboring the subject, I agree that as Christians, being indwelled with the Holy Spirit we need to be alert and keen to His knudging and leadings, But within the confines of His infallible Word."

I agree and that was the point I was making. I am glad you did not differ from it nor say the Lord cannot "knudge" or "lead" someone at all, only that the leadings and knudgings must be within the confines of His infallible Word. Once again, I agree.

Exactly how, though, would you apply the Word of God to when the Dinar will hit? Chapter and verse? You cannot. Therefore, any "knudge" or "leading" - while taken with a grain of salt because we are all fallible and could be hearing wrongly, could help us to understand even this obtuse subject better. That is, if you are walking with God, you can ask Him if you should take job A or job B and the Lord could lead you to reject one job offer and take another. Or, He can lead you as to which person you should marry or which house you should buy. Those are not in the Bible, either. They are personal guidance, as this was.

In asking for further enlightenment as to why the Dinar was not moving forward (an elusive subject, you must admit), I was open to hear, without qualification, whatever the Lord would say. It did not come from my own mind or thoughts what I heard. The proof of that to me was that it did not fit with my own reasoning about the matter and made me scratch my head and say, "What on earth does He mean by that?" And, of course.. "Why?" You also did not understand what I said for I did not say I heard from Him that "the Dinars will hit when the rumors are over." I don't think that is even possible, because there will ALWAYS be more and more rumors from many sources.

What He did say is that He would move actively to discount the rumor posters credibility with the people, and until they stopped trusting in the rumor posters He would not allow the Dinar to RV. From thinking deeply on the subject, I have formed the opinion that God has led many, many of His people into this venture with the Dinar and they are His primary concern within it, to prosper and to lead them. He wants them (the elect) to look to HIM and not to the rumor posters - I think the problem here is some kind of idolatry. If insider A gives a prediction of the Dinar pegging and it does peg, then who will get the Glory for it? I have noticed that people put the rumor posters on pedastals, as though they were Something. THEY have contacts, and the rest of us do not. The prosperity and blessing of the Dinar revalue they attribute to them. But that is not true. Prosperity comes from God alone, not from men.

Deu 29:9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
1Sa 2:7 The LORD makes poor, and makes rich: He brings low, and lifts up.
Hag 1:9 You looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when you brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? says the LORD of hosts..

Here, prosperity is given in context of following His covenant and shows that it is the LORD who makes poor or rich - explaining that prosperity comes from God alone to His people, as a blessing flowing from His hands. In the last verse God says that if you look for much (in the Dinar Revaluation) He can bring it to little by "blowing" upon it so that it flies away. Why? Well, in this case I believe it is because the people look to men to make the revaluation happen. The rumor posters are revered and almost seen as sacred or holy for their inside contacts. It is like they are priests of the revaluation. The people are not looking to the Lord for the revaluation but to men. It is my belief that the Lord will not share His Glory with anyone, not even rumor posters.

I have noted that there are those who have also made predictions as to when the Dinar will peg by their looking to occult means and published that on various rumor sites (IDI particularly). They feel that by asking for when it will peg from the Ouiji board or by contacting and channelling spirits, they will have the inside track. Again, I ask, if they do have the correct information given, who will they look to as the giver of their prosperity? It is the same issue here. I suggest that the Lord is displeased by His people looking to any other source than HIM for this prosperity and I believe that the delay is due to a wrong view of who is doing this and for what purposes. To the non-Christians, they ride on our coattails, as their freedoms also proceed from the Judeo-Christian ethics embedded by God in the Constitution of the United States of America. God is bringing this blessing to all for His elect's sake, even as the USA has freedom for their sake. He said He would spare Sodom and Gomorrah itself if He could find ten righteous in it. Those were CITIES full of people, remember? God moves for His own - if the movie The Ten Commandments (Charlton Heston's version I am thinking of) showed anything, it was that the testimony of the Bible is that God moves in history for His own people and for His Glory. Pharoah and his people were not the center of what God was doing, the elect were then and always are. The eternal questions have to do with God and what He is doing among men.

I have noted many think we are in Iraq for oil. Obviously, the oil is a factor in the equation, undeniably. But there is a higher purpose than that - God's purpose. GOD put the US into Iraq, not men. It was HIS will and purpose and plan on the earth. Looking at the people involved will not change Who did this. It only obscures what the truth of the matter really is. It is when people look to that which they can see in the natural as the "be all and end all" - when they look at the US or at the rumor posters or their inside connections - then God becomes displeased and He will not bless and make it move forward. It is as if He said, "I will not let the Dinar peg until I have smashed this trust of My people in their rumor poster idols" as I do think that is what He meant. Until the elect stop looking for a scrap of information coming from MEN and look to GOD for the Revalue, I don't think God is going to let it happen.

I do agree with you that the Bible warns of those who lead the elect astray - in this case, I think the purpose of the explanation I got was to explain to me that the elect must look to Jesus for the RV and not to the rumor posters. Therefore, in this case, those with the responsibility not to lead the elect astray.. are those who are like you, with insider contacts. I do not say you are intentionally leading people astray, but do consider the way you are revered for your inside track and the way people clamour to hear what your inside contacts have to say. It puts you above other people, does it not? You have something people want? You must be cautious concerning the danger you are in, the danger of possibly leading weaker Christians astray.. away from their dependency on the Lord and looking to His hand for all their blessings and prosperity. If men look to YOU (or your contacts) instead of to the Lord for this RV, they will look in vain. I do not think God will allow it to happen UNTIL they have their eyes on Jesus and not on the rumor posters for the blessing to come to them (which may make the delays and roadblocks God sets up of a long duration unless this factor changes).

I am not accusing you of having evil motives yourself or of deliberately seeking to lead people astray. I believe you and the other rumor posters can and do use the information you are given for good purposes, and it does not need to be an idol TO YOU or even when you share it, carefully. It is like the brother who can eat meat offered to idols, it does not affect your walk at all. However, you are not in control of how others see what you post on a public internet forum and how they take it. They may be "weaker" brothers and sisters who may lean ALL their being on your words, and when/if they do not come true, they may have serious problems emotionally or financially, because the promised RV has not come. This indicates that they are looking to YOU and to your words for the revaluation. Their center is not in God. I have seen this happen with good Christian people who listened to the rumor poster Clay from IIF. Clay posted a lot of good information, which, no matter how he heard it would happen, would be thwarted and delayed. Also, the more sober and cautious Dr. Cashflow - indeed EACH of the Fab 5, predicted from his inside sources what would happen.. and it did not. Were these men lying, then? I emphatically deny the false and slanderous people who, in their disappointment, turned and raged against them as false men and liars. I defend them as reputable, honorable and good people. I have known each of them and call several of them my friends. I also do not believe that you are lying. I believe the sources you - and they - hear from are true.

What I debate here is whether your inside sources have the POWER or ability to cause, predict or know about a future event - the revaluation of the Dinar. You see, men can lay the best plans they will to, but if God does not will it to happen.. it will not happen. In this case, I believe God put His finger on what I was asking, which was, "Why won't YOU revalue the Dinar, Lord?" If He wills it, it will happen. As a Christian I am certain you understand this. But the converse is also true. If the Lord does NOT will it, it hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of ever happening - Psa 127:1 "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:" All attempts to "build" the Dinar's valuation are subject to God's hand. Unless He builds it, all the insider, government and financial institution's attempts to make it work are in vain. My question was why God was not allowing the Dinar to Revalue dispite the numerous efforts of many good and godly men to make it happen. His reply was, to all intents and purposes, that this is His work and He will not share the Glory for this happening with any rumor poster. You may take issue with that but that is what I believe I heard.

If by your sharing the insider information you have, you cause a weaker brother or sister (one of the elect) to rely upon you and your word so that they trust YOU for their prosperity and blessing and think of YOU as the bringer of their "break" in life, then you have taken to yourself the Glory which I believe He will not share. I believe that you yourself must cast the crown of prosperity He gives to you before His feet and say that all comes from His hand and you are but a vessel, and not the source of anything you received in this life.

Think about this.. Although I can say with sincerity that when the Dinar revalues I will look to God as the sole author of the peg, how many can make the same claim? Do they not think it is the responsibility of Maliki or President Bush to revalue the Dinar? Or the IMF? Or some other factor? To what do they then attribute the prosperity they receive from this revaluation? Is it not to these people or institutions and their intermediaries - such as you are or any of the rumor posters are? People who "hear" things, and pass the insider information to us are acting as giving us the information we wish from these sources which will GIVE US THE REVALUATION, right? But I think that is wrong. It is not THEM who will revalue the Dinar, but God. And until the people of God take their eyes off all of you - the rumor posters and their intermediaries - all those who are the work of His hands to bring His work to fruition; until they look beyond you to the One who is moving all circumstances into alignment with His will and for His Glory and to their prosperity... I don't think we will see a revaluation happen. That is the long form of what I got, and I think it accurate, Biblical and Christ centered, though I cannot prove the revelation with a Bible chapter and verse and it was a personal revelation to me for my information and in answer to my question.

As for the reference to the Bible as the "playbook" - that is a colloquialism or less theological definition of what historic Chrisitanity has always taught - that the Bible is the sum total of all revelation we need for all life and PRACTICE in this life. The "playbook" for the game of life. Even as the various sports look to their "playbooks" about whether a play is in bounds or out of bounds according to the rules of their various games, so we look to the Bible to see if the "play" is of the Lord or not of Him. That is how I was using the term.

Sara.

-- February 14, 2007 12:23 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

PS I forget some don't have my background.. I referred at length to this:

Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Or rumor posters ;)

Sara.

-- February 14, 2007 12:29 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Bush: 'Do not know' if Iran leaders tied to Iraq weapons...
February 14, 2007

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Wednesday he did not know if Iranian leaders sent weapons used to kill U.S. troops in Iraq but Iranian-made bombs were having a deadly effect and the United States had to respond.

"We know [the bombs are] there, we know they're provided by the Quds force. We know the Quds force is a part of the Iranian government," he told a news conference.

"I don't think we know who picked up the phone and said 'the Quds force, go do this,' but we know it's a vital part of the Iranian government. What matters is, is that we're responding."

"My job is to protect our troops, and when we find devices that are in that country that are hurting our troops, we're going to do something about it, pure and simple. ... Does this mean you're trying to have a pretext for war? No. It means I'm trying to protect our troops. That's what that means," Bush said.

The Quds force is part of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard, and is involved in special operations, according to the CIA World Fact Book.

Bush cautioned the Democrat-majority Congress that they don't undermine the troops in Iraq -- whether they agree with his strategy or not.

"I am going to make it very clear to the members of Congress starting now that ... they need to fund our troops, and they need to make sure we have the flexibility necessary to get the job done," he said.

Bush said there was progress on the civilian side in Iraq as well.

"The Iraqi government's making progress on reforms that will allow more of its citizens to re-enter political life," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/14/bush.conference/index.html

-- February 14, 2007 2:04 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Neil;

About alcohol and divorce (no Dinar in this post):

I agree with dale, drinking alcohol does not appear to be evil in itself according to the Bible. Probably the most stunning verse in the entire Bible on this subject (and boy, will this cause controversy, but.. I think it makes the point) was this one concerning not only wine but strong drink (spirits):

Deu 14:26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or for strong drink, for whatever your heart desires; and you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

That does say that God allowed the people of God to have their heart's desires - even wine or strong drink - and to drink and enjoy it before the Lord. Therefore, drink (alcohol) is not evil in itself, but drunkenness is specifically said to be evil and wrong as Ephesians 5:18 says, "do not be drunk with wine." However, if by being an example of drinking alcohol a Christian person causes a weaker person to take drink and become drunk, they should not touch it.

I knew a brother in the Lord who was once a drunkard. He became saved and was sober but told me that alcohol was evil in itself. For him, if a Christian drank alcohol in his presence, he would think them evil. Also, if we were to attempt to convince him that it was fine and he drank and became entangled in that addiction again, we would not be serving the Lord's aims for his life. He was weak toward alcohol, it had once mastered him. Therefore, it was unkind to drink around him and would cause offense to a weaker brother. The Bible says not to do that (1 Cor 8). Perhaps he may be weakened in his God-given resolve against drunkenness and become entangled in that sin again, because of our poor example. Therefore, those who choose not to drink for the sake of a godly example are doing good as is admonished in Scripture. But when you are in the company of those to whom it will do no harm and drinking will not lead them into the sin of drunkenness, I see no problem with it. We are not to live selfishly.. but to consider always the good of others in our conduct. (And moderation in all things.. Phil 4:5)

As for the Bible saying divorce and remarriage is wrong.. Jesus said:

Luk 16:18 Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Note that it says that if a person MARRIES another they commit adultery. The fact is, this states that such persons do get married. God knew they would. He states it right here. It is just a question of how God looks at that particular kind of 'marriage'. As you can see, Jesus says here that a person divorcing and remarrying is committing adultery - even though they have a piece of paper from the pastor and government saying they were legitimately married. If God sees that union as adultery - even though they are married in the eyes of the law.. well, just because a pastor MARRIES them together, it does not mean God endorses the union, does it? Does it miraculously cease to be the sin of adultery because of signing the piece of paper? It in no way confers legitimacy on the union from God, only from the viewpoint of men (the pastor, state certificate).

As for the pastor himself who marries the one who divorced their spouse, God would likely have to judge that pastor according to the fact that he was helping them to commit adultery in God's eyes while claiming to be under a 'legal' (lawful.. whose law?) contract of marriage. What force does that piece of paper have before God as far as legitimacy is concerned? I see it as similar to the idea of any other thing contrary to the Bible becoming 'lawful'. Just because the state or a certain pastor endorses some conduct with their blessing and a piece of paper does not mean God has to say, "Amen!" His judgement is final on all matters and THEY will be judged by HIM. If they fall short.. that is their thorny issue before God.

Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

It is a tangled web, but God will sort it out and judge all things completely righteously in the end. If they are living in sin (yet with a piece of paper saying the union is legitimate) they will reap it. Yours is just to keep your nose clean so you do not fall into that condemnation before His judgement seat. Since it obviously bothers you, be careful not to violate your own conscience on the matter. Don't divorce your spouse and marry another. Don't do that which your own conscience is telling you is wrong and is sin. Normally, the conscience can be a good guide (though not always, the Nazis killed without conscience, obviously there are exceptions to making it the final guide). As for thinking they are "getting away with sin", let God judge those who do that which you find wrong in your own good conscience. I am sure He has all such matters well in hand. He is, after all, Omnipotent.

1Co 5:13 But those who are outside (the faith) God judges.

Sara.

-- February 14, 2007 2:51 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

From www.iraqinews.com

February 14, 2007
Saudi FM voices hope over achieving stability in Iraq
By


Riyadh, Feb 14, (VOI) - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faysal voiced hope on Wednesday over achieving stability in Iraq and eliminating all sources of violence in the war-torn country.
The Saudi minister said in a news conference that he had talks with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zibari in the Saudi capital Riyadh on the latest developments in Iraq, expressing hope that "the efforts could achieve its goals in realizing peace in the country".
Al-Faysal hoped also for "stamping out all sources of violence and terrorism and realizing the national reconciliation among the country\'s different factions in accordance to the constitution and fair distribution of wealth".
Zibari inaugurated on Tuesday the Iraqi embassy in the Arab kingdom after more than 16 years of closure.
The ceremony was attended by a number of Saudi and foreign diplomats.
In a speech delivered at the ceremony, Zibari said that the reopening of the Iraqi embassy in Saudi Arabia is an expression of a sincere desire to develop the political, economic and social ties between the two countries.
The Iraqi embassy, the largest in Riyadh, is built on an area of 3,000 sq m.
The Iraqi embassy in Saudi Arabia was closed in December 1990 after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
The Iraqi-Saudi ties were resumed after a visit by the former Iraqi Prime Minster Iyad Allawi to Saudi Arabia in July 2004.
SH

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 14, 2007 5:33 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

February 14, 2007
Exchange rate declines bringing dollar demand down
By


Baghdad, Feb 14, (VOI) Dollar demand was lower on Wednesday in the central bank daily auction to reach $46.685 million compared to $79.030 million on Tuesday.
In its daily statement the bank said it covered all bids which were $14.185 million in cash and $35.500 million in foreign transfers at an exchange rate of 1,286 dinars per dollar, two ticks lower than yesterday.
Twelve banks participated in Wednesday\'s auction and none offered to sell dollar.
Ali al-Yaseri, a trader at the auction, blamed the decline in today\'s demand for dollar for the decline in the exchange rate.
SH

Thanks,

Rob N.

www.iraqinews.com

-- February 14, 2007 5:34 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

February 14, 2007
U.S. forces arrest 27 suspects in Iraq
By


Baghdad, Feb 14, (VOI) – U.S. forces in Iraq arrested on Wednesday morning 27 suspects in a series of raids targeting al-Qaeda network in Baghdad and Ramadi city, the U.S. army said.
"During a series of raids in Ramadi, Coalition Forces detained 20 suspected gunmen with alleged ties to the al-Qaeda in Iraq networks.", the U.S. army said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Computers and electronic devices were confiscated in the operation, the statement noted.
"In Baghdad, Coalition Forces detained four suspected gunmen and detained three more suspects in Karmah, all with alleged ties to the al Qaeda in Iraq network. ", the statement added, without giving further details.
SH

Thanks,

Rob N.

www.iraqinews.com

-- February 14, 2007 5:36 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Neil;

This one is straight theology in answer to Neil (no Dinar).

Neil, you say you are a Christian, but your post indicates that God seems to you to be a million miles away from you and not real to your life? That appears to be what you are saying when you say, "I do not believe that GOD gets involved in our daily pursuits." and "If GOD were in the middle of our daily lives, it would be so unfair.."??

When you say, "HE put this world in motion and gave us the intelligence to conduct our lives in any way that we see fit".. that says to me that you are not living your life by the Bible but according to "any way that (you) see fit". A Christian is a person who FOLLOWS CHRIST.. that means they do not conduct their lives "in any way that we see fit" but must live according to the written precepts and commandments of the Bible as Jesus taught. However, this is not a burden as Jesus said:

Mat 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Therefore, though a Christian is obligated to follow Christ, it is an easy yoke and a light burden compared to those who labor under the yoke of other masters or teachers, including the master of self. You cannot define yourself as a Christian and not follow Christ. You can say you are a good person, or moral, or you try to do your best, but you cannot be a Christian without Christ and the necessity of following Him and His teachings.

You say, "I have never known of anyone receiving a message from GOD that was anything other than their idea." Do you take the Bible as the inspired Word of God? What of Moses who received the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone? Is that someone who received a message from God in your estimation? What of Elijah, Elisha, and their miracles? What of Jesus? What I am asking is.. do you take the revelation given in the Bible - in that one book (though it is 66 books, really, Genesis to Revelation), as being from God? Historic Christianity does take the Bible as the definitive message from God, including all its miracles, you know. Are you a real, historic Christian, according to this definition?

You say, "If I could see one example of an individual with a deformed arm being straightened out and become a normal arm or an enucleated eye being replaced, then I could take this evidence and prove to the world that Christianity is real.." but it isn't a present day miracle which is important to see in order to prove that Christianity is real. What I think is more important is that God is real TO YOU and in your heart so that you may personally understand and be guided by God and His will for your life. If you take Him as your Lord and Saviour, He will guide you because He says:

Psa 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with My eye.

God has many ways of guiding those who follow Him, and sometimes it can be in miraculous ways but it need not be spectacular in that way. But you should see some degree of His guidance in your life if you are truly His and a witness in your heart of His leading you in your life. This is because the Bible says that if you truly have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God will give you power to become a son of His, His very own child:

Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name:

If you acknowledge Jesus Christ as God who came to earth and took on human form, walked among us sinlessly and died as a substitution for our sins (wrongdoings which displease God) on the cross - and if you ask Him to forgive you for all your sins and receive Him as your Lord and Savior - God makes you a son of God, a child of His own - one who can have a relationship with God Himself as a child does with a father. And, the Bible teaches that, just like a child with its father, He will correct you, sometimes chastening (like spanking) you when you do wrong, even as a parent does their child whom they love:

Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."
Heb 12:7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
Heb 12:8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate (bastards) and not sons.

If you do not have this correction in your life then I suggest you are not a Son of God, not a real Christian. I cannot emphasize this enough. Since you profess to be a Christian, you must take great care in answering this question honestly before God. Carefully examine yourself to see if you are really in the real faith of Christianity - or if you are illegitimate and not a son at all.

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.

The question should not be whether there are outward miracles for you to place your faith into, but the real question is a question of your own heart as to whether you have Jesus Christ in your heart and know this to be indisputable fact. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Do you know Jesus Christ is in you and do you know that God is your Father and has given you the ability and power to be a child of his? (Gal 4:6) If this assurance is not in you, then you are not a Christian and I urge you to come to the true and living faith in God. Only then will the miracles you see be truly that which can lead you toward God and not away. For there are those who are true in their profession of miracles, but also there are those who are false, and the only way you can know the true from the false is to know God in your heart. As Carole pointed out, the false ones are of the antiChrist...

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

You must not follow signs and wonders, no matter how glittery or done with fanfare. They may be legitimate or they may not be. Instead, you must learn to follow God from your heart. Any true miracle or sign will glorify God, not men. If you end up thinking of the messenger or miracle worker and putting them on a pedestal, that is not of God. And if it draws away from anything taught in the Bible it is also not of God. Be careful, Neil. Do not seek miracles, but the true miracle worker, Jesus Christ. His miracles as recorded in the Bible should be all you need to know. Nothing can add to that revelation and anything further to its revelation should only confirm that revelation of the Bible. I have seen many great and miraculous things, but I point you not to them, but to Christ alone. There is no peace for your heart in the outward things, only in Christ. Turn to Him and make certain this day of whether you are truly in the faith and are a Christian. This is your obligation if you profess the faith (2 Cor 13:5, above). Examine yourself if you can say this is your profession of faith (below, my brackets):

Rom 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (that is, that Jesus is the LORD), and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.

To be saved, you must be able to do this, according to this Scripture. You must be able to say that Jesus is the Lord (God come in the flesh), fully confessing the LORD JESUS and you must believe in His finished work on the cross which was proven to be accepted by the Father when Jesus rose from the grave itself (the only founder of a religion to rise from the dead, ever). Examine yourself, because your total lack of any witness that God is in your life leads me to the conclusion you could be deceived in thinking you are of the faith of Christianity when you have no faith in your heart at all - no real relation with Jesus, the Son of God. This is key because:

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name given under heaven among men by which we must be saved.

Sara.

-- February 14, 2007 5:46 PM ∞

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OBSERVATION wrote:

Hey Rob why dont you start posting on investorsiraqforum, at least they talk about the dinar. Here you are the only one

-- February 14, 2007 9:24 PM ∞

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willie wrote:

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL THE LADYS AT TRUCK N BARTER!!!!!

-- February 14, 2007 9:43 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

Observation:

Thanks for the suggestion. I visit investorsiraqforum once in a while. When the Dinar news is slow, the off topic discussions are interesting. The ones I do not find interesting, I scroll through.

Stick around and test the waters. Once you become comfortable join one of the off topic discussions. I think you will enjoy it.

Since this is a Dinar discussion board, I will try to keep posting useful information.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 14, 2007 11:13 PM ∞

---

Neil wrote:

Sara:

I indeed appreciate the time and effort you went to, to rebut my post and my hat is off to you, you are a terrific person. I am rapidly getting to that time of judgement and like everyone, I would like to live forever but because I was born into a religion, does that make it the sole or best religion or should I look around and see what everyone else is believing and evaluate their faith.

In my church, if you question anything, then there is something drastically lacking in your faith and you are not as dedicated as the rest of us.

As the end is approaching, I am trying to find answers to some troubling questions that I have and the response that I usually get is that you are not much of a believer if you question anything because all of the rest of us know for a fact that our faith is sound.

I am not trying to sharpshoot religion, I am just trying to ascertain that I am on the right track
with my beliefs. Sara and Carole-I just wish that I had your faith.

-- February 14, 2007 11:26 PM ∞

---

Mary Lou wrote:

Thought I would pass this along for your review and possible comments:

House Democrats' New Strategy: Force Slow End to War

By: John Bresnahan
February 14, 2007 01:06 PM EST


Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., center, flanked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, and Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)



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Top House Democrats, working in concert with anti-war groups, have decided against using congressional power to force a quick end to U.S. involvement in Iraq, and instead will pursue a slow-bleed strategy designed to gradually limit the administration's options.

Led by Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., and supported by several well-funded anti-war groups, the coalition's goal is to limit or sharply reduce the number of U.S. troops available for the Iraq conflict, rather than to openly cut off funding for the war itself.

The legislative strategy will be supplemented by a multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign designed to pressure vulnerable GOP incumbents into breaking with President Bush and forcing the administration to admit that the war is politically unsustainable.

As described by participants, the goal is crafted to circumvent the biggest political vulnerability of the anti-war movement -- the accusation that it is willing to abandon troops in the field. That fear is why many Democrats have remained timid in challenging Bush, even as public support for the president and his Iraq policies have plunged.

Murtha and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have decided that they must take the lead in pressuring not only Republicans but also cautious Senate Democrats to take steps more aggressive than nonbinding resolutions in challenging the Bush administration.

The House strategy is being crafted quietly, even as the chamber is immersed this week in an emotional, albeit mostly symbolic, debate over a resolution expressing opposition to Bush's plan to "surge" 21,500 more troops into Iraq.

NPR's Interview with Rep. Murtha

Murtha, the powerful chairman of the defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, will seek to attach a provision to an upcoming $93 billion supplemental spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan. It would restrict the deployment of troops to Iraq unless they meet certain levels adequate manpower, equipment and training to succeed in combat. That's a standard Murtha believes few of the units Bush intends to use for the surge would be able to meet.

In addition, Murtha, acting with the backing of the House Democratic leadership, will seek to limit the time and number of deployments by soldiers, Marines and National Guard units to Iraq, making it tougher for Pentagon officials to find the troops to replace units that are scheduled to rotate out of the country. Additional funding restrictions are also being considered by Murtha, such as prohibiting the creation of U.S. military bases inside Iraq, dismantling the notorious Abu Ghraib prison and closing the American detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"There's a D-Day coming in here, and it's going to start with the supplemental and finish with the '08 [defense] budget," said Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, who chairs the Air and Land Forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

Pelosi and other top Democrats are not yet prepared for an open battle with the White House over ending funding for the war, and they are wary of Republican claims that Democratic leaders would endanger the welfare of U.S. troops. The new approach of first reducing the number of troops available for the conflict, while maintaining funding levels for units already in the field, gives political cover to conservative House Democrats who are nervous about appearing "anti-military" while also mollifying the anti-war left, which has long been agitating for Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to be more aggressive.

"What we have staked out is a campaign to stop the war without cutting off funding" for the troops, said Tom Mazzie of Americans Against Escalation of the War in Iraq. "We call it the 'readiness strategy.'"

Murtha's proposal, which has been kept under tight wraps, is likely to pass the House next month or in early April as part of the supplemental spending bill, Democratic insiders said, if the language remains tightly focused and does not threaten funding levels for combat forces already in the field. The battle will then shift to the Senate. Anti-war groups like Mazzie's are prepared to spend at least $6.5 million on a TV ad campaign and at least $2 million more on a grass-roots lobbying effort. Vulnerable GOP incumbents like Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnestoa, Susan Collins of Maine, Gordon Smith of Oregon and John Sununu of New Hampshire will be targeted by the anti-war organizations, according to Mazzie and former Rep. Tom Andrews, D-Maine, head of the Win Without War Coalition.

Mazzie also said anti-war groups would field primary and general election challengers to Democratic lawmakers who do not support proposals to end the war, a direct challenge to conservative incumbents who are attempting to straddle the political line between their pro- and anti-war constituents.

If the Senate does not approve these new funding restrictions, or if Senate Republicans filibuster the supplemental bill, Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership would then be able to ratchet up the political pressure on the White House to accede to their demands by "slow-walking" the supplemental bill. Additionally, House Democrats could try to insert the Murtha provisions into the fiscal 2008 defense authorization and spending bills, which are scheduled to come to the floor later in the year.

"We will set benchmarks for readiness," said a top Democratic leadership aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity. If enacted, these provisions would have the effect of limiting the number of troops available for the Bush surge plan, while blunting the GOP charge that Democrats are cutting funding for the troops. "We are not cutting funding for any [unit] in Iraq," said the aide, who admitted the Democratic maneuver would not prevent the president from sending some additional forces to Baghdad. "We want to limit the number who can go ... We're trying to build a case that the president needs to change course."

Mazzie, though, suggested that Democrats ought to directly rebut the Republican charge that Democrats are threatening the safety of American forces in the field by pushing restrictions on war funding. "Cutting off funding as described by the media and White House is a caricature," Mazzie said. "It has never happened in U.S. history, and it won't happen now."

Andrews, who met with Murtha on Tuesday to discuss legislative strategy, acknowledged "there is a relationship" with the House Democratic leadership and the anti-war groups, but added, "It is important for our members that we not be seen as an arm of the Democratic Caucus or the Democratic Party. We're not hand in glove."

Andrews's group has launched a new Web site, MoveCongress.org, and he has already posted an interview with Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., one of the founders of the "Out of Iraq Caucus" in the House. An interview with Murtha on his legislative strategy will be posted on the site Thursday.

"I don't know how you vote against Murtha," said Andrews. "It's kind of an ingenious thing."

-- February 15, 2007 12:31 AM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Neil,
Wow! Give them a chance and they will execute judgment, tell you everything you need to do, say, pray, and believe. You been listening to them for to long, ands thats the reason you can't make sense of all the confusion. Theres no doubt a man will have doubts when he has questions that aren't getting answered. Have you ever asked some questions, and have someone go on forever with words and words with all their answers, then you say OK that sounds good just so you don't have to hear the same explaination again, but you still don't understand any better than you did before? Wouldn't it be nice if we could get some real answers that don't require throwing common sense out the window?

-- February 15, 2007 1:11 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Responding to OBSERVATION:

My counter-observation is, there are a lot of bright people on this site. As Rob N pointed out, when things are slow, some off-topic conversations come up. Now, the thing is, people here are very broadminded. They can see connections between political events, economic news, and religious discussions, for example.... Now, anyone who can't see the ties between these topics, just has their head in the sand... I find different people bring different things to the table, and we are a diverse bunch. I think that's good.

The other thing is, bright people sometimes get bored. They need stimulation, not just the sameoldsameold. That's why, when things are slow, and someone gets into a temporary debate about global warming, for example, it's a good thing. It shows we are not small minded. We like to think about stuff. The kind of passionate intelligence that gets sidetracked into off-topics also brings the same passion and energy, back into the discussion of the factors that will affect our investment in the Dinar. And I have learned an awful lot by reading everyone's contribution, to the discussion. I sure couldn't have come up with all this stuff posted, by myself.

So, I take Rob N's advice. Tune in, when an off-topic interests me. And I scroll by, when it doesn't. I find lots of thoughts that are gems, that way.

-- February 15, 2007 2:12 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(864)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 864 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/ 2/ 15 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 11 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1285 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1283 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 70.165.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 2.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 70.165.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 2.000.000 -----

-- February 15, 2007 5:04 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq's foreign minister urges calm
2/14/2007

By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press WriterTue Feb 13, 5:35 PM ET

Iraq's neighbors should refrain from intervening in its affairs and should not be under the illusion that they will benefit from the difficulties facing the country, Iraq's foreign minister said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Iraq plans to host a conference next month bringing together foreign ministers from its neighbors, plus a few other countries, including Egypt, to discuss the issue.

"We don't want Iraq to be the battleground for settling scores at the cost of the Iraqi people," Zebari told reporters shortly after officially opening Iraq's Embassy in Riyadh.

The embassy inside the Diplomatic Quarter was closed after Saddam Hussein's troops invaded neighboring Kuwait in August 1990. Saudi Arabia and Iraq restored relations in July 2004, more than a year after Saddam's regime collapsed. The embassy began functioning with a skeletal staff in November 2005.

"We are very pleased and honored today to raise the Iraqi flag again in the sky of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh," Zebari said.

"We appreciate very much the Saudi government position toward supporting the Iraqi people and backing their move toward stability and security and for their support for the political process," he said.

Zebari also held talks with Crown Prince Sultan and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to discuss the new security plan to try to stem the violence in Baghdad.

Zebari said Iraq's neighbors have a duty to help stabilize the situation in his country.

"Iraq's neighbors have a responsibility ... to refrain from intervening in its internal affairs," Zebari said. "We have tried to engage these countries constructively to stop meddling in our internal affairs, but this is a process. It won't happen overnight."

Zebari refused to name any country in particular, but the United States has blamed Iran and Syria for fueling the crisis in Iraq. Damascus and Tehran have denied the allegations.

"Nobody should have any illusion" that they could benefit from Iraq's difficulties, Zebari said.

"Imagine tomorrow these terror networks will spread, this chaos will spread, the sectarian violence will spread," he added. "Then they have to blame themselves."

Zebari, whose country has mounted a diplomatic initiative with Damascus in recent weeks, said Iraq has worked to restore relations with Syria and to establish security commissions.

Results, he said, will come after the two countries establish security commissions to control their long border that insurgents use to infiltrate into Iraq.

Iraq's foreign minister urges calm - Source
(www.safedinar.com)

Thanks,
Rob N.

-- February 15, 2007 9:06 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq launches Baghdad security crackdown
2/14/2007

by Dave Clark2 hours, 56 minutes ago

Iraq imposed draconian new security rules on its war-torn capital as US President George W. Bush accused Iranian agents of supplying weapons that have killed scores of American troops.

The plan -- now dubbed "Fard al-Qanun" or "Operation Law and Order" -- swung into effect with thousands of Iraqi troops throwing up roadblocks and carrying out searches across the city as US jet bombers roared overheard.

Political tensions were also running high, with supporters of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr denying a claim by the US military that the figurehead of the feared Mahdi Army militia had fled across the border to Iran.

"Today, the Baghdad security plan is in effect. There will be no safe haven for outlaws, even in holy places, because human life is holier," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said during a visit to the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

Under a decree issued Tuesday by Maliki's operational commander, a joint Iraqi police and military force will have sweeping new emergency-style powers to deal with unrest in Baghdad, a city steeped in sectarian bloodletting.

Nevertheless, US officers and Bush himself warned that the plan -- which by May will see 84,000 American and Iraqi personnel in the neighbourhoods and streets of Baghdad -- would take time to turn back the tide of violence.

"It's a plan that's beginning to take shape," Bush said at his first press conference of 2007, cautioning that "the operation to secure Baghdad is going to take time, and there will be violence.

"The fundamental question is, can we help this government have the security force level necessary to make sure that the ethnic cleansing that was taking place in certain neighbourhoods is stopped?" Bush asked.

The security plan is expected to bring US forces into more confrontation with Shiite militias, which up until now have been able to operate under a degree of political cover from factions in Maliki's government.

US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell welcomed the security decree, which he said showed that such political interference had stopped and that Iraqi military units would be free to quell sectarian violence.

Washington accuses Iran of fomenting unrest in Iraq by supplying some Shiite factions with cash, weapons and training to attack coalition and Iraqi forces.

Bush joined his voice to that of military officers in Baghdad who allege that the Al-Qods Force, the undercover wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, had supplied devastating armour-piercing bombs to Iraqi militias.

"I can say with certainty that the Qods Force, a part of the Iranian government, has provided these sophisticated IEDs that have harmed our troops," he said, referring to improvised explosive devices like roadside bombs.

Caldwell said that the Iranian-built bombs, known as "explosively formed penetrators" or EFPs, had killed 170 US and allied soldiers and wounded 650 since they appeared on the Iraqi battlefield in May 2004.

"We're asking the Iranian government to assist in stopping that occurring. The reason why we have gone public is because it is a force protection issue... because of the devastating effect the EFP produces," he said.

Iran's role in Iraq was also under the spotlight in the case of Sadr, the most powerful of Iraq's Shiite militia leaders and a fierce critic of the United States despite his close ties with Maliki's government.

Caldwell told reporters that US forces "closely track" Sadr and believe that he left Iraq last month and travelled to Iran, a charge fiercely denied by the cleric's supporters, who nevertheless failed to produce him.

Iran's state news agency IRNA quoted an unnamed official as denying that Sadr had entered the country.

Sadr has not been seen publicly in several weeks, but Nassar al-Rubaie, the head of the cleric's parliamentary bloc, insisted he was "still inside Iraq and working normally," without fear of US forces.

Bassem al-Aathari, an official at Sadr's office in Najaf, said the cleric is still in the Shiite holy city.

Meanwhile, the ongoing fighting claimed at least 10 more lives, including four civilians killed in a car bomb attack that smashed windows at a children's hospital in a mixed area in southeastern Baghdad.

Iraq launches Baghdad security crackdown - Source
(www.safedinar.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 15, 2007 9:08 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Information posted to www.iraqupdates.com concerning Iraq's reformed constitution.

Iraq may model its reformed constitution on Malaysia's, says Iraqi official

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

15 February 2007 (AP Worldstream)
Print article Send to friend
Strife-torn Iraq may model its reformed constitution on that of Malaysia, where ethnically diverse races have lived in harmony for decades, an Iraqi official was quoted as saying Thursday.

"Our trip to Malaysia is an eye-opener as to how Malaysia's multiracial population lived and worked together in unity," Hummam Hammoudi, the head of a committee considering amendments to the Iraqi constitution, was quoted as saying by Malaysia's national news agency Bernama.

It said Hammoudi was speaking in the northern state of Penang at a dinner hosted by the state government for a delegation of 16 Iraqi members of parliament and U.N. officials that he is leading.

Hammoudi or Iraqi Embassy officials could not be immediately reached to confirm his comments.

Hammoudi is president of a committee formed last year to consider amending Iraq's constitution to bring peace to a land wracked by sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis.

Bernama quoted Hammoudi as saying that his committee found Malaysia's constitution as among the best model.

About 60 percent of Malaysia's 26 million people are Malay Muslims. Three-quarters are Chinese and about 10 percent are Indians. All three races have equal political, social and religious rights although a power-sharing agreement has ensured that a Malay party dominates the ruling coalition.

Malays also dominate the government and enjoy a host of privileges under policies tacitly accepted by the Chinese and Indians, some of whom nevertheless complain about being treated as second-class citizens.

"Our trip to Malaysia is an eye-opener as to how Malaysia's multiracial population lived and worked together in unity," Hammoudi was quoted as saying.

Hammoudi is a Shiite lawmaker and cleric on the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which makes up the largest party in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling coalition.

"Iraq is now moving towards an era of striving for freedom, democracy and good leadership after half a century of dictatorship. The presence of foreign troops has affected Iraq's sovereignty to a certain extent," Hammoudi was quoted as saying.

Hammoudi's 29-member committee is dominated by 12 members from the Shiite bloc. The others are Kurds, Sunnis, other minorities and secularists.

The amendments it is considering are Iraq's identity as an Arab country, federalism and de-Baathification, or purging of the elements of Saddam Hussein's Baath party.

The committee is expected to propose the amendments by mid-May 2007. They must be approved by a majority vote in the 275-member legislature before a national referendum is held on the amendments.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 15, 2007 9:10 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

A Time of War

Ecclesiastes 3 says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." This is A Time of War. The peaceniks who ALWAYS and at all times want peace will never acknowledge that there can be a season or a time for war. They will not acknowledge this verse of the Bible can EVER be the truth. For them, there is no season nor time for war, ever.

This time of war was unlooked for and thrust upon us, coming to our collective attention on 911.. but the work and purpose of God in war is still there as much as His purpose in the time of peace ("a time to every purpose under the heaven" - it has purpose). There is a time to love our enemies, and there is a time to hate them. This is a time of hate. They have shown themselves to be unrepentant and desiring of the deaths of innocent Iraqi civilians as well as Western peoples only for being Western and of a different ideology - the ideology of tolerance and freedom of religion and belief. In this they are uncompromising in their hatred. We cannot return love for hatred when it is a time of war. The time for returning love for hatred is when it will accomplish an aim in the plan of God. Loving Hitler did the world no good. He had to be defeated. It was a time of war, and our ancestors had to fight that war whether they wished to or not. This conflict is the same. It is a Global War on Terror. Without defining that there is no going back from this war, the US falls into the error of having "itching ears" and listening to those who tell them what they WANT to hear.

Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Luk 9:62 And Jesus said to him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Those in the Congress/government who voted to go to war, putting their hands to that plough.. and who now look back from what they once purposed.. God has no pleasure in them - they are unfit to lead or command. They once determined it was a time of war and not a time of peace. They read those signs correctly. It is a time of war. They only aid and abet the enemy in this war by trying to pretend that we are in a time of peace. NOTHING they can do can change the times we live in, nor the fact we are now living in a time of war. It is denial, as much as it was when Germany was gassing Jews in their concentration camps and the world was attempting to "avert" war and appease and pacify Hitler. It cannot be done. These Islamofascists will not lay down their weapons, no matter if the peaceniks themselves seize power. It is folly and a great evil when a people will listen to those who say, "Peace, peace" but there is no peace (Jer 6:14).

Another reason the Islamofascists do not attack the US on her own soil is to help lull the American public into thinking this is a REGIONAL conflict.. something happening "over there" to THOSE people, and not a threat to us. If they attack America itself, they galvanize opinion behind those who will defend her and the Islamofascists wish the American people to think they can withdraw from Iraq and have peace again - like in Vietnam. The Islamofascists made a mistake by attacking in Britain, and showing their hand reaches across the globe. They learned from that. The people then supported Blair very strongly against them on a war footing. It is better strategy for them.. WAR strategy... if they make it seem that the goal of peace COULD be attained by the peaceniks. They can then siphon off strength which could potentially be fatal to them into these channels of peaceniking aims. Good people, not discerning the times we live in, will indeed be deceived into thinking that if we only pull the troops out of Iraq, we will all be safe. Think again, America. You are at war. Those who now are scared there is a "pretext" of war against Iran are those who are obscuring the truth that we ARE AT WAR NOW, and that we cannot change that fact. They are trying to appease a power which is determined and has stated its aims (wipe Israel off the map, destroy the United States and the Christian West, etc), just as the allies once tried to pacify Hitler after he took his first bold step and took his first country. This time, the country they want is Iraq. Will America give it to them? If so, the war will go a lot longer.. and millions will likely have to die as they did in World War two. So many deaths can be averted now, if they choose correctly and see the times we live in.

The world once faced a man named Hitler. His goals were clear. He wished to take over the world for his ideology, and those who believed as he did supported his cause. The world now faces another threat which is also a world domination ideology. This is no Vietnam, where, if we retreat from the current country the conflict is in, we will have peace. This is a global threat, an ideology of world domination with many tentacles. If we do not assess the threat and act carefully, we will be like those who let Hitler grow in his power until he could wage war and almost take the entire known world for his fascist aims.

We live in a time of war. We cannot go back to peace. Those we elect will either help us win or lose. The choice, dear America, of which of those two alternatives you wish for the country is yours to make.

A Religious War

Rob N;

Concerning your post today, they should stop equating Iraq's situtation to other countries which dealt with "ethnic cleansing" - in reality it is a global jihad against those who believe differently, not a race issue at all. It is a religious war, not an ethnic war. This is not about race or color.. it is about creed or faith. When the terrorists post their filthy videos on youtube, they are seen to be gesturing over dead Iraqis and Americans yelling to their God not yelling in happiness that another race is killed. The talk of disbanding the Baath party shows that the problem is RELIGIOUS affiliation not ethnic. There are both sunni and shiites in that party. It is like saying "The Communist party" - they are loyal to an ideology, a religious ideology.

The cloaking of the war in terms like ethnic battle, Civil War, and so on.. causes the US populace to think they CAN withdraw the troops and have peace and an end to the hostilities of war. In reality, if the Democrats are successful, there will be millions more epitaphs on gravestones of future Americans when the enemy has the resources to arm themselves with suitcase nukes and smuggle them into the US for their second phase which they openly admit they will do and have labelled as American Hiroshima. If America is unwilling to take the threats of their enemies at face value, they will indeed face the consequences for believing the deception and lies of their peacenik leaders. Those who lead America lead them now to destruction - they are moving the country against the continuance of the United States itself in the future.

The slow bleed strategy MaryLou posted called, "House Democrats' New Strategy: Force Slow End to War" proposes by its title that the war can end. The conflict in Iraq may end, but that will not end the Global War on Terror. It is like saying by balancing the budget we will eliminate the deficit itself. They are different areas entirely. One is much smaller than the other. The Global War on Terror will not end no matter what we do in Iraq. That is why we went to war in the first place, to deal proactively with the threat to America's future. Given the breathing space of not having to fight America in Iraq, the terrorists will regroup to attack America itself, as they have stated they will. And, if America forces a loss in Iraq, the terrorists will come back even more powerful, having the resources of that entire country at their disposal. Those who are supporting the terrorist aims in America are doing it slowly so the American public does not see what they are doing. QUOTE:

"Led by Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., and supported by several well-funded anti-war groups, the coalition's goal is to limit or sharply reduce the number of U.S. troops available for the Iraq conflict, rather than to openly cut off funding for the war itself. The legislative strategy will be supplemented by a multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign designed to pressure vulnerable GOP incumbents into breaking with President Bush and forcing the administration to admit that the war is politically unsustainable."

These people who lead toward ending the "war in Iraq" will not end the Global War on Terror. They may be seeking to balance the budget, but the deficit is growing at an alarming rate and the budget debate is dwarfed by the real issue of the deficit, just as the War on Terror dwarfs the War in Iraq. The enemy TO AMERICA is not removed by withdrawing from Iraq, but emboldened and grown exponentially larger. These who are attempting to end the war in Iraq are simultaneously aiming at taking down the United States itself and are traitors and guilty of high treason against the country. But that will become evident in time, after the fact.. when it is far too late for America to do much about it... after the nukes go off in the major cities of America. I ask where the "multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign" money comes from.. and why someone would possibly expend such resources? What are their motives.. and is it for the good of the COUNTRY or not? If not, who does it serve, what aims? Moving toward the election of Democrats into seats of power? The furthering of the aims of the terrorists? Certainly.

Isa 3:12 O my people, they which lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.

The end of this path is destruction... the destruction of America itself. By not going to war in a time of war, America will not have peace, but only be caught unawares by a strengthened enemy, to her folly and destruction. America is a great nation with much good in her, must she be blind and unable to see so that this will be her end? I grieve the millions of American lives which will be lost in the future of the Global War on Terror, as America sticks it head in the sand and pretends we are living in a time when they can attain peace with the Islamofascist enemy by pulling out of Iraq. It is out of seeing the reality of that misery and grotesque evil that the Democrats in America are aiming the country toward that I raise my voice in protest, asking for prayer and action against this evil before it is too late for the millions of Americans who will die because of it.

It is a time of WAR..

Sara.

-- February 15, 2007 12:08 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Baghdad Sweep Meets Little Resistance
Associated Press | February 15, 2007
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Thousands of U.S. troops swept house-to-house through mostly Shiite areas virtually unopposed Wednesday in the opening phase of the long-awaited Baghdad security crackdown. But four U.S. Soldiers were killed outside of the capital in an area not covered by the operation.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers and police set up new checkpoints across the city of 6 million people, snarling traffic and forcing people to walk across bridges jammed with cars and trucks.

The U.S. military said 14 suspects were detained and four weapons caches discovered during the day's operation - seemingly a low tally. But U.S. officials say they are more concerned about establishing a long-term presence in the areas so that the public will gain confidence in security forces to protect them.

Outside the capital, fighting continued.

The military said four U.S. Soldiers were killed Wednesday in an explosion in Diyala province, among six new U.S. deaths announced by the military. U.S. officers have expressed concern that insurgents and militias are leaving Baghdad to transfer the fight to Diyala and other provinces that border the capital.

Iraq's Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, warned that advance publicity on the security operation had given Shiite militias time to flee the city for bases elsewhere in the country.

"I have information that numerous of their leaders are now in Basra and other southern provinces in safe havens," he told Al-Arabiya television. "I believe that those who were behind the bloodshed and the chaos should be pursued and criminals must face justice."

At least 38 Iraqis also were killed or found dead nationwide, including four civilians who died when a parked car bomb struck a predominantly Shiite district in central Baghdad. Only five bullet-riddled bodies were found on the streets of the capital, an unusually low number of apparent victims of so-called sectarian death squads mainly run by Shiite militias that have killed thousands in the past year.

The Baghdad neighborhoods targeted by the Americans - Shaab, Ur and Baida - lie north of the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City, which had been off-limits until Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lifted his protection of the notorious Mahdi Army, the largest Shiite militia.

Last year, U.S. Soldiers came under intense sniper fire in those neighborhoods from Mahdi Army militiamen who were expanding into Shiite areas outside Sadr City.

This time, however, Iraqis watched in curiosity as some 2,500-3,000 troops - or an entire Stryker brigade - fanned out in the area, going house-to-house looking for weapons or suspected militia fighters as part of what it called "Operation Law and Order."

The increased security measures drew a mixed response from Iraqis - some angry over the inconvenience, others embracing any effort to stop the rampant violence.

"My friends and I who are the old women of the neighborhood went to the Soldiers and welcomed them and prayed that God would help them to defeat the terrorists," said Um Sabah of the Mashtaal area in eastern Baghdad. "Although, the presence of army and vehicles is not very comfortable, we welcome it because it is for the sake of Iraq."

There was little if any resistance. Soldiers even teased one young girl about her taste in music after they found her doing homework on a couch, wearing white and pink socks with a poster of Shakira on the wall.

Some people left their doors open as the troops arrived, and little evidence of hostilities turned up other than some pictures of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, an illegal bolt action rifle and a heavyset man watching an insurgent propaganda video that he said had appeared while he was channel surfing.

Al-Maliki, a Shiite, is an ally of al-Sadr, and his failure to confront the sectarian violence carried out by the cleric's Mahdi militia had been partly blamed for the failure of two previous security operations. But the prime minister has promised not to let politics interfere with the current crackdown.

Conflicting reports, meanwhile, emerged about al-Sadr's whereabouts. The chief U.S. military spokesman, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, said the cleric had left the country and was believed to be in Iran, but al-Sadr's supporters insisted he was still in Iraq. Al-Sadr commands a following of tens of thousands, and his influence could sway the delicate political balance in Baghdad.

Underscoring the dangers as the U.S. steps up its presence in the capital, Entifadh Qanbar, the uncle of a kidnapped Iraqi-American Soldier, said a Shiite militant group had released a video to prove the missing Soldier was alive. The U.S. government has offered a $50,000 reward leading to the recovery of Iraqi-born American Army translator Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, a 41-year-old reserve Soldier who was abducted by gunmen on Oct. 23.

The operation in the northeastern Baghdad was expected to take several days before troops from the 82nd Airborne Division move in with Iraqi forces to occupy the area, one of 10 districts being targeted by the military action aimed at stopping the violence that has threatened to tear the country apart. President Bush has committed 21,500 more Americans to a force that is expected to involve a total of 90,000 Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers.

But Baghdad residents had seen little evidence of the new measures until Wednesday, a day after the Iraqi commander, Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, announced that Iraq will close its borders with Syria and Iran and ordered the return of unlawfully seized homes as part of the drive to end the violence that has threatened to divide the capital along sectarian lines.

Staff Sgt. Michael James, 32, of Chillicothe, Mo., said the area in northeastern Baghdad had been targeted before but not in such force.

"This is the final clearing. We're trying to hit all the major hotspots. I don't think it has ever been cleared as fully as it will be today," said James, of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

James said he wasn't surprised that the troops did find more as they hunkered down in a so-called Joint Security Station in the area for the night.

"It's never clear. These guys are going to have safe-houses all over the place. Whenever we come into one area, I'm sure they just move on," he said. "Just our presence alone is enough to push the bad guys out. They're not stupid enough to fight an entire battalion, because they will lose."

Senior military officers also appeared throughout the area to explain the operation to the Iraqis as the troops papered car windows and building facades with purple stickers listing telephone numbers and an e-mail address where they can send intelligence tips.

Bestoon Abdul Kadder, 23, an aspiring pop artist, was pessimistic about the Iraqis' ability to overcome the violence.

"Iraqi people are so bad. They just do not want to work together. I think it'll take 10 years before things will change," he said in English.
(www.military.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 15, 2007 1:32 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Like al-Sadr, Mahdi Army Leaders Run Away To Iran
From South Africa’s Mail & Guardian:

Mehdi army commanders withdraw to Iran
15 February 2007 08:46

Senior commanders of the Mehdi army, the militia loyal to the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, have been spirited away to Iran to avoid being targeted in the new security push in Baghdad, a high-level Iraqi official told the Guardian on Wednesday.

On the day the Iraqi government formally launched its crackdown on insurgents and amid disputed claims about the whereabouts of al-Sadr, the official said the Mehdi army leadership had withdrawn across the border into Iran to regroup and retrain.

"Over the last three weeks, they [Iran] have taken away from Baghdad the first and second-tier military leaders of the Mehdi army," he said. The aim of the Iranians was to "prevent the dismantling of the infrastructure of the Shia militias" in the Iraqi capital — one of the chief aims of the United States-backed security drive.

"The strategy is to lie low until the storm passes, and then let them return and fill the vacuum," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Tehran authorities were "playing a waiting game" until the commanders could return to Baghdad and resume their activities. "All indications are that Moqtada is in Iran, but that is not really the point," he added…

The Mehdi army has launched two failed uprisings against US troops and has been linked to death squads preying on Sunnis. The new security operation in Baghdad will be the third attempt by US forces and their Iraqi allies to end violence that soared following the bombing of the sacred Shia shrine in Samarra a year ago.

"They [the Iranians] are calculating that the security operation will continue for a certain period of time, and that it will do serious damage to the Sunni jihadists and the insurgents," the official said. "While in Iran they will be able to get more training and then once the Sunnis have been pacified, they plan to return."

The claims appeared to be partially confirmed in the holy city of Najaf, south of the capital, on Wednesday by a senior figure in the Mehdi army, Karim al-Moussawi. He said most of the militia leaders had gone to Iran, but on their own initiative. "They were neither ordered to go by Sayid Moqtada nor invited to enter by the Iranian authorities," he said. "Simply they were seeking sanctuary as individuals from expected targeting by the US occupying forces during the security drive in Baghdad." A number of commanders had also gone to Najaf and the southern provinces, he added. "The US forces should be targeting the real terrorists," he said…

Reports of the vanishing Mehdi fighters came amid mounting speculation over the whereabouts of al-Sadr. The chief US military spokesperson in Baghdad said the anti-Western cleric had fled to Iran.

"He is in Iran and he left last month," said Major General William Caldwell. US forces were tracking him "very closely", he said.

The assertion was hotly contested by senior members of the Sadr movement, who said their leader had been in Najaf meeting local officials. One pro-al-Sadr satellite channel showed footage of al-Sadr that it said was taken in Najaf three days ago. Falah al-Akaily, a pro-Sadr MP, said: "This is just a rumour sent around to confuse people. Sayid Moqtada is available and has not left Iraq. Why would he need to do so? The movement has declared its support for the security crackdown and its full cooperation in defeating the terrorists."

A statement by the al-Sadr movement’s office in Sadr City accused the US of playing games: "This is a lie put out as part of a psychological and media campaign by the US occupation to hurt the reputation of the brave national leader." …

==end of quote==

Yes, these are brave leaders who courageously attack unarmed civilians, but who flee at the first sign of a real fight.

Meanwhile, from al-Sadr’s concerned friends at the Associated Press:

Iraq adviser: al-Sadr in Iran

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An adviser to Iraq’s prime minister said Thursday that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran, but denied he fled due to fear of arrest during an escalating security crackdown. Sami al-Askari said al-Sadr traveled to Iran by land "a few days ago," but gave no further details on how long he would stay. A member of al-Sadr’s bloc in parliament, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, said he left three weeks ago.

"I confirm that Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran on a visit," said al-Askari. "But I deny that his visit is a flight."

Another lawmaker loyal to al-Sadr, Saleh al-Ukaili, insisted that al-Sadr is in Iraq and claimed the accounts of his departure were part of a "campaign by the U.S. military" to track down the elusive cleric…

==end of quote==

No, of course he’s not running away. He’s just taking a well-deserved vacation after all that drudgery of overseeing the kidnapping and torturing and murdering of so many of his fellow Muslims.

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Thursday, February 15th, 2007 at 9:03 am.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/senior-mahdi-commanders-join-al-sadr-in-iran

-- February 15, 2007 1:32 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

I wrote what I did in my post on "A Time of War" long before finding this just now.
This article did cause me to add to it a few of my own comments in brackets, noted below.

The House Debates Iraq
BY DANIEL HENNINGER, deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal
Thursday, February 15, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST

The most striking impression from the debate is the most obvious: The nation is polarized. Of what I saw, there was no common ground between the two parties, none. Mainly, it was Blue America (Massachusetts, New York, cities, blue California) versus Red America (Florida, Texas, suburbs, red California).

The conventional wisdom now is that the "independent" vote is ascendant. But if Iraq is hot next year, the presidential runners will have to turn the trick of surviving the cauldrons of their boiling blue and red primaries and then purporting in the general election that they've emerged from them a lovely, independent pink. On foreign policy, that won't be easy, especially for Hillary and Barack.

Both need to find a worldview somewhere, because their party doesn't have one that extends beyond the suburbs of Baghdad.

In the House debate, it was the calculation of Speaker Pelosi and her leadership to keep the focus on the poll-proven unpopularity of the Iraq war and the 21st century's most famous bogeyman, "George Bush." The GOP calculation was to move the debate off Iraq and onto the broader war on terror.

Politics aside, the result on public view was a Democratic side that looked small, mired in talk of American "failure," while a number of senior Republicans--John Boehner, Pete Hoekstra, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, even Peter King--produced almost stirring speeches on the substance and meaning of the global threat.

Pete Hoekstra, recently chairman of the intelligence committee, gave what must be the severest attack on radical Islam ever by a U.S. public figure. Mr. Hoekstra's argument was that the enemy is not some vague thing called terrorism: "We are not at war with a tactic. We are at war with a group of militant Islamists who hate us and who hate much of the rest of the world." (Note - not a sectarian war "over there" - Sara.)

John Boehner reviewed each Islamic terrorist act directed at the U.S. dating to the Iran hostage-taking of 1979. "Too bad it took so long to open our eyes," he said, "but they are open now." (Note - except for the American public who believes we can withdraw from Iraq without consequences. - Sara.)

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen quoted the famous blueprint of al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri: "The first stage: expel the Americans from Iraq." (Note - The Democrats are helping the blueprint to come true, helping the enemy. Is this not called treason? - Sara.)

Rep. Charles Boustany said plausibly that other Arab nations could never help with a political settlement if the region is engulfed in violence after a U.S. exit. (Note - This war withdrawl will lead to a regional conflict over there, followed by lots of mayhem over here if the terrorists are to be taken at their word concerning an American Hiroshima. Who wins their goals in this scenerio>> - The terrorists. This is the end result of the aim "for peace" during a time of war. - Sara.)

Even allowing for the politics of the Iraq-only script, it got a little weird watching speaker after speaker (excepting freshman and former Navy admiral Joe Sestak) pretend that the world and all its troubles can be telescoped down to the Sunni Triangle. (Note - If the public ever gets it into their brain that it isn't OVER THERE in the Sunni Triangle, but threatens their lives OVER HERE, we might have a chance against this very wily enemy and their allies furthering their aims in the House. - Sara.)

Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the foreign affairs committee and nominally responsible for a larger view, simply wrote off Iraq's government--"They have made minimal and cosmetic efforts"--and the entire Iraqi people: "Iraqis themselves don't seem to want it."

The more difficult political problem, though, is still Vietnam. All the while the Democratic members were withdrawing support for the U.S. commitment in Iraq, they were at pains to inoculate themselves against their toxic experience with Vietnam. So horrifying are the famous images in the 1970s of what presumably were not evangelicals spitting on GIs coming home from Vietnam, that House Democrats, with every second intake of breath, spoke of the troops and their families ("their wonderful families"--Rep. Ike Skelton). History may view this as progress.

Then there is the matter of the also-famous 1975 decision to withhold appropriations for the war in Vietnam. Democrats insist they won't pull the plug on the troops in Iraq, preferring what they call, with no apparent irony, a "fully funded withdrawal." Still, several invoked the "power of the purse" (Messrs. Conyers and McGovern), referring to next month's vote on an appropriations supplemental. And Rep. Jim McDermott said he'd duplicate the 1971 Hatfield-McGovern amendment to bring the troops home.

It will be the job of Speaker Pelosi and candidates Clinton and Obama to convince the wider world that these hell-no, we'll-never-go compulsions aren't simply bred into the party's genetic code after 30 years. Starting with why so many House Democrats, led by Ms. Pelosi, called the Bush surge an "escalation," from the hallowed anti-Vietnam lexicon.

The debate offered the inevitable amusements of politicians in full throat. Both sides (Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York on the left, Pete Sessions of Texas on the right) claimed that the Iraq Study Group proved their positions, driving the final stake into the corpse of "bipartisanship." Colin Powell and Gen. John Abizaid were raised up more than once as heroes of the Democratic opposition (still not too late to disown the honor). And after the House chamber had filled with learned references to Robert Frost, Douglas MacArthur and John Stuart Mill, came Rep. Jim Pascrell (D., N.J.) that "Iranians are ethnically of Indo-European descent; their language is similar in structure to classical Latin." Over this, I believe, there was bipartisan head-scratching.

Mr. Henninger is deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page. His column appears Thursdays in the Journal and on OpinionJournal.com.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/dhenninger/?id=110009669

-- February 15, 2007 1:58 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

I logged onto ebay last night to see what prices the 25000K Dinar note is bringing. One observation regards one dealer stating the Dinar could RV between .08 to .12 in March or April.

Carole's friend who has 300K worth of Dinar speculated an RV of $5.00 (Please correct if I am wrong). Honestly, I do not think the speculation could encompass a broader range.

Unfortunatley, there are some issues inside Iraq I think preventing a revaluation of the exchange rate from occuring:

1. Iraq must meet basic economic benchmarks set by both the IMF and World Bank. We complain at the movement in the exchange rate. This limited movement is designed to meet those economic benchmarks.

2. Security is the paramount issue. Without security the fledgling democracy cannot function. All sectors of soceity are currently paralyzed. How can an RV occur in this type of environment. In my estimation it cannot.

3. Basic services are still in short supply. This issue, indirectly returns to the security issue. Without security the GoI cannot meet its citizens basic needs.

4. A new constitution. I am really not sure of the immediate or long-term impact upon the Iraqi society. Obviously, the government must define its rights and responsibilities along with those of its citizenry. If the new constitution promotes ethnic peace, it may be a positive step.

In summary, security is the paramount issue. The gentleman in one of my postings today said, "it may take ten years for the Iraqi's to work together." Since I am invested in the Dinar, I am willing to wait that long if need be.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 15, 2007 3:56 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Neil,

You are a sheer delight. I say with 100% confidence, that so long as you continue to acknowledge and confront your mortality, and want to be "ready", God will not leave you hanging.

Don't ever stop asking questions! It is your life and your eternal destiny that is at stake!

I know first hand how awful it is to be somewhere that won't allow questioning.

Jesus, himself, said in Matthew, chapter 7- "seek and ye shall find..knock and it will be opened to you...

What man, when his son asks for bread, gives him a stone?"

I learned a long time ago, if someone can not answer my questions with solid biblical principles and answers, thenit is no answer at all. Only another human with a bright idea!

My life and destiny is way too important to put at the hands of even the brightest mind.

The faith that you refer to that Sara and I have( others as well on this board) can be any and everyone's.

Scripture tells us God is the author and perfecter of our faith.

The only credit we possibly could take ( and I am not even sure of saying that) is that as you are doing now, we sought after the same answers you are. And He was faithful " not to give us a stone."

Go back and read Sara's last posting to you, BUT before you do, ask God to give you a clear understanding.

God bless you , sir. I feel sure your humble heart will be honored.

Carole

Carole

-- February 15, 2007 5:22 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Sara,

You did not need to go to such and extreme explaination to justify your inside scoop with God. Really!!!

And concerning the "rumor" thing. By vitrue of the definition of a rumor, one would be foolish to hang the future of ANYTHING on a rumor.

I do not get the sense at all, that ANYONE ON THIS BOARD IS THAT FOOLISH OR STUPID.

Carole

-- February 15, 2007 6:08 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

ALL:

Candidate John Edwards is toast!!
For Repub. Party, I am staring to take a serious look at Duncan Hunter.

Anybody got any news on him?

Bank of America should be called Bank of Mexico. I just closed all my accounts with them. Cost me $900.00 on early withdrawl on CD.

I told the branch manager it was the best money I ever spent for standing up for America.

While I was in line, with about 12 other people, 5 others were doing the same thing.

Anybody else had similar experiences?

It may not matter to anyone that little ole' me ( a 26 year customer) quit doing business with them, but a few thousand of us, might make a difference.

I'm sure that they thought they were making a good business decision. 12 million potential customers, with $500.00 deposit limited security credit cards at 19.89% interest rate is what it took for this institution to turn it's back on the US and the rule of law.

My gut feeling is that true American Depositors will not stand for their act of treason.

Now if there was someone really smart out there, and just happened to own a bank and offered to help me out with my $900 loss, NOW THAT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD BUSINESS DECISION! :)

Carole

-- February 15, 2007 8:19 PM ∞

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Laura Parker wrote:

All,

Just wanted to let you all know that I have been monitoring the site all along. Alot of politics; i.e., congress, the President, and the clearing of Baghdad. It would appear that militias have moved out of Baghdad for the Shiiti militias. Some are saying they went to Iran and I also read that the commanders and units are getting further military train in Iran. I think I read this in Washington Post. This information would lead me to wonder, what the USA will do upon the return of these Madhi militias members to Iraq. I would hope, the USA/Iraq army would detain these people and look for arms etc.

I hope this security clearing will improve security conditions for the capitol of Iraq and if it does not, than it would probably be time for the bases that Tim Bitts talked about earlier to protect our troops. Their military mission would probably be redefined to protecting Iraq from outside interference.

Iraqi's and their government will have to take control of their security or the country will have another coupe (a strong man to control the country militarily).

I think I am just restating what others have said, however, I think the USA is at this point due to politics in our country and what is not happening in Iraq. We are probably going to have to pull back if the security crack down does not work.

Laura

-- February 15, 2007 10:42 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Laura,

I believe that the military crackdown will take place no matter what will need to take place for that to happen. If a coupe, needs to be put in place, it will be done, but with the United States backing it and with the arrangement ( or agreement) that our bases will be there, no matter what.

They may be willing to back track on the democracy thing, BUT, I doubt they will go backwards on any other agenda, like their own military build up or, for sure their economic (international oil) issues.

You know, it has been suggested here ( and I can't remember who intiated the idea), that we were too quick to throw a democracy based government at them.

I agreed then and I do now. The more I think about it, the people of that part of the world have had centuries of some type of dictatorship.
It is what they know.

No people anywhere should be subject to tyranny, as one like under the Saddam regime.
But a dictator who would be able to "keep the siblings" from fighting or else....might be their only answer for now...until the violence can be stopped and the socio-economic structures can be put in place to have the citizens experience what the rest of the free world does. And that is the ability to put a decent roof over their heads and food on the table, and a job and safe schools to go to everyday, etc.etc.

Not to mention the stature and all the amenities that would go along with a nation that is a productive oil producing nation with international clout.

I do not believe that those in the know, are going to miss out on the opporotunity the international community is offering them. And you are right, the clock is ticking and time is running out.

It was an impossible expectation to expect a democratic government to somehow magically come in and make the behavior of the heart of the people comply.

It would have been a different situation if there was already some underground effort at democracy going on that needed our help to overthrow the dictatorship of Saddam.

It may be more realistic for them to take baby steps to democracy, or a more capitalist society.

Democracy gone a muck turns into an anarchy, and I think that is what we see Iraq heading for if some other type of governmental influence does not take over and prevail for awhile.

In order for our own country to be of any assistance to them, we need leadership that can assure our own strong presence there while keeping a watchful eye and handle on our own forces of evil going on right here.

Iraq has a militia insurgency that threatens their future. We have a political insurgency that threatens our future.

Both situations will take some sort of leader or leadership to turn the picture around. If and more importantly, how quickly this can be done, I believe will determine the plight of humanity on this planet.

Now that only addresses the political and socio-econmic issues. The one other VERY important dynamic issue is the spiritual one.

IF, in fact all that we are watching and experiencing is due to prophetic times that we are in, then the story and it's ending has already been written and determined, and what we are watching is merely the unfolding of it all.

How does all of this impact us, one might ask? Or more importantly, as indivduals, what must we do at this point in time and history?

I say, draw the circle around your life that best protects your family from the penetrating of any of those evil forces. That can only be done by living a righteous life, defining and distincting wrong from right.

Aside from that, do what you can to have an influence on your community ( government officials, schools, etc).

Americans have bought into the deception of the evil forces at work in our own land that have told us that we have "rights" to hold onto. We can do say, be whatever we want as indiviuals, regardless of the recklessness of the consequences of that ideology. We have lost sight of the fact that it is a "privelege" to be the heirs of democracy. One that must be revered not expected or demanded.

And the change has to start with you and me.

One might ask, where do we start?
I believe it must start withour relationship with our Creator.

From that point on, the practical steps are for our families , and other cicles of influence in our lives must see us praying and submitting to an obedient life.

We must be willing to go to city council meetings, and get involved in our schools. Making tough choices and actions necessary to win the war against the evil that has been allowed to take place.

I believe we must disempower those with money and might, namely the entertainment industry. Never go to another movie or any form of entertainment that goes against clean and righteous ideology.Instill this kind of living in your young.
As your life is blessed others will see the benefits of exchanging "rights" to "priveliges". This will make their choices easier.

Vote uncompromisingly, for all to hear and see.

Be willing to stand up to evil, confront it and defy it.

Make your day of worship, truly a special day, and not just a day off from work. Chose another day for rest
BUT that should not be your day of worship.

All of this is a tall order. But this is what our forefathers did. However, with little to no resources, poorer health, fewer numbers, etc.

We didn't become a great nation because of a "wish".
The entire world benefited from the success of our forefathers in their endeavor.

We can not "re-become" a great nation by a "wish". And now, the entire world is and will continue to be affected by the future of the United States.

Can this good all come about... only by His mercy, grace and strength responding to a broken people who want restoration......

Carole

-- February 16, 2007 3:35 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Laura,

PS-- a country in repair, a world in repair--- a Dinar that "hits"--------

EUPHORIA!!!!! :)

-- February 16, 2007 3:45 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Willie!

You are so cute and sweet!

Thanks for the Valentine greeting!

My husband bought me 3 pieces of my favorite See's truffles.

On a very strict diet for health problems lately, so I savored every bite!! :)

Hope you had a special day too!

Carole

-- February 16, 2007 3:53 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Budget news from Iraq.

Iraq budget said "largest" ever, projecting oil output rise

Excerpt from report "Council of Representatives approves the largest budget in Iraq's modern history", carried by Iraqi Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq newspaper Al-Adalah on 10 February

The general state budget of 2007, which has been endorsed by the Council of Representatives, is the largest in Iraq's modern history since the endorsement of the first budget in 1921.

Economic experts believe that the budget has a strategy that depends on investment in increasing oil revenues by raising production and exports to face a possible cut in international grants and aid this year and in the coming years. This is why the budget has allocated around $3 billion for building new refineries to reduce the imports of oil byproducts from neighbouring countries. This is in addition to the sum of $2.4 billion for investment in the oil sector, while adopting a policy of reforming government subsidy and offsetting the damage done to the economic luxury of individuals through the "social protection programme." This includes cash payments for affected individuals.

[Passage omitted] For his part, the chairman of the Financial Committee at the Council of Representatives said yesterday, Friday, that the deficit in the new Iraqi budget is estimated at less than 10 trillion dinars. It will be financed from the surplus achieved in last year's budget because its allocations were not fully spent and because of the rise in oil prices globally.

Dr Iyad al-Samarra'i, chairman of the Financial Committee, told the Voices of Iraq News Agency that the Iraqi budget for this year is estimated at 42 trillion dinars (42,000 billion dinars), while expenditures amount to 51.7 trillion dinars. The deficit is less than 10 trillion dinars. Al-Samarra'i added: We depended on the Iraqi dinar when drafting the 2007 budget, rather than the dollar. The exchange rate of the Iraqi currency has seen a clear improvement. The dollar is now exchanged for 1,260 dinars after it had been exchanged earlier for 1,500 dinars.

On the deficit in the new budget, the parliamentary official said: The deficit is estimated at less than 10 trillion dinars, but it will be paid from the surplus of the 2006 budget. He said that there are around 9 trillion Iraqi dinars left from the 2006 budget, which means that the surplus is almost equal to the deficit. Answering a question on why there is such a surplus in last year's budget, Al-Samarra'i said: The surplus is either because the state was unable to spend the money on investment projects and reconstruction or due to the increase in global oil prices. He elaborated on this as follows:

In last year's budget, $3.5 billion were allocated to the Oil Ministry. It only spent 10 per cent of it, which was allocated for correcting the situation of wells and transportation. He added: Little or no funds were spent from the amounts that were allocated for construction in the governorates. It was clear that expenditure was running low. In the year 2005, the state could not spend its entire budget, which also created a surplus that was carried over to the next year. Crude oil prices went up globally, which caused an increase in the state treasury.

The chairman of the Financial Committee of the Council of Representatives said that the 2007 budget depended on the following figures: the current oil price is around $50 per barrel and our daily production is 1.7 million barrels. He added that although the current production now is around 1.6 million barrels, the Iraqi Oil Ministry pledged to raise its production to 1.7 million.

The Council of Ministers decided to cancel one of the articles of the budget, which was not approved by the MPs and which is related to grants and loans that come to the state from abroad.

Source: Al-Adalah, Baghdad, in Arabic
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 16, 2007 9:10 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Sadr Orders Militia Heads Out of Iraq: President
2/15/2007

By REUTERS
Filed at 3:44 p.m. ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered heads of his Mehdi Army militia to leave Iraq and asked the government to arrest ``outlaws'' under a U.S.- backed crackdown, Iraq's president said on Thursday.

President Jalal Talabani made the remarks after Iraq closed its borders with Iran and Syria and as U.S. and Iraqi troops tightened their grip on Baghdad, patrolling neighborhoods and setting up checkpoints that searched even official convoys.

Insurgents defied a sweep by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers of the volatile southern, mainly Sunni, Doura district, exploding two car bombs that killed four people. A bomb planted on a bus in the Mehdi Army stronghold of Sadr City killed three people.

Talabani said he was unaware of Sadr's whereabouts. The U.S. military has said the anti-American cleric is in Iran, but his aides insist he is in Iraq's holy Shi'ite city Najaf. An Iraqi government official said he was in Tehran, but only for a short visit.

``I think many of his top Mehdi Army officials have been ordered to leave Iraq to make the mission of the security forces easier,'' the president was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.

Washington calls the Mehdi militia the greatest threat to Iraq's security. U.S. and Iraqi forces have arrested hundreds of Mehdi Army members in recent months.

The statement from Talabani's office added that Sadr supported the crackdown and had given the government the go- ahead to arrest any ``outlaws.''

Talabani told a news conference that Sadr had asked Mehdi members to leave the country.

His comments and the melting away of many ordinary Mehdi fighters from Sadr City's streets are the clearest signs yet that the militia will not stand and fight like it did in 2004, when it twice rose up against American forces.

Some Shi'ite officials outside Sadr's movement say the militia wants to avoid a battle to protect the young cleric's political gains. Sadr's movement holds a quarter of the parliamentary seats in the ruling Shi'ite Alliance of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

An Interior Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the closure of Iraq's four border crossings with Iran and two with Syria took effect on Wednesday.

U.S. officials have long accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross its long, porous border into Iraq, and at the weekend presented evidence of what they said were Iranian- manufactured weapons being smuggled into Iraq.

Iraq had said it would shut the borders for 72 hours. The U.S. military said on Wednesday border checkpoints were to be revamped to establish ``transfer points'' to search vehicles.

Some 3,000 Iraqi and British troops locked down the southern oil port of Basra, where feuding Shi'ite groups and criminal gangs have threatened security. Checkpoints were tightened on all roads out of the city as part of a 72-hour crackdown.

TIPPED OFF

In Baghdad, low-flying fighter jets thundered over the capital, rattling windows. A spokesman for the U.S. military, Major Steven Lamb, said 17 suspects were arrested and three weapons caches seized.

The crackdown aims to clear Baghdad neighborhoods of militants and weapons and then secure them in a bid to break the power of Shi'ite militias and Sunni insurgents who have turned the capital's streets into killing fields.

But military analysts say the advance publicity given to the Baghdad security plan means many militiamen are likely to have left Baghdad or are lying low until the operation is completed, rather than confront security forces.

A senior Sadr official, Salam al-Maliki, told Reuters that although Sadrists backed the new security clampdown, ``some of the brothers who are wanted by the Americans have moved house because we've been targeted before.''

More checkpoints appeared overnight and residents reported that even official government or security convoys were stopped and asked for weapons permits and identification papers.

``I'd rather suffer from traffic jams than explosions. I am really happy they have finally decided to check all vehicles, including government convoys,'' said Hussein Alwan, the 21-year-old owner of a computer software shop.

Guns were seized even from civilians with permits for the weapons, and only people with Interior and Defense Ministry badges allowed to keep their arms. Some people were arrested for not having identification documents.

Sadr Orders Militia Heads Out of Iraq: President - Source

Iraqi Dinar News Article List
(www.safedinar.com)

-- February 16, 2007 9:15 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Large-scale security operation launched in Basra
By Malek Saadon

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

Basra, 16 February 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
Print article Send to friend
The spokeswoman for the British forces in southern Iraq said on Thursday a large-scale security operation was launched in the southern Iraqi city of Basra to "curb" the armed groups active in the city.

"A security operation, first of its kind in southern Iraq, was launched in the early hours of Thursday," Captain Katie Brown told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The spokeswoman said "the operation aims at curbing the criminals and militias and closing the borders through a series of security operations to be carried out by the Multi-National forces along with Iraqi troops."

The operation in Basra is coincided with the implementation of a plan to secure the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Captain Brown added "the operation will continue for 72 hours in preparation to impose a buffer zone around Basra."

"It is a first step for a possible transfer of the security responsibility in Basra to the Iraqi forces," she said.

The operation includes, Captain Brown pointed out, "positioning combined checkpoints on the highway to Basra, carrying out naval patrols in the Iraqi territorial waters and closing the borders."

"A large-scale search and arrest campaign will also be implemented by British and Iraqi forces in various parts of Basra," the spokeswoman added.

On Wednesday, the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared launching a plan to secure Baghdad.

A day earlier, top military commander Lt. Gen. Abbod Gambar had said that the Baghdad security plan envisages a 72-hour closure of four crossing points with Iran and Syria, in addition to the extension of the night curfew in Baghdad.

The General unveiled that "Sheiba" checkpoint will be partially closed and will be reopened after 60 days of closure.

A curfew from 8 pm to 6 am will be imposed on Baghdad as part of the plan, he added.

The plan will divide Baghdad into 10 security districts: Kadhimiyah city, Al-Mansour, Rasafa ,Sadr City, Adhamiyah neighborhood , Karada, Karkh, New Baghdad, Rashid, in addition to the regions submitted to the divisions 6, 7, in an attempt to drive out gunmen and illegal militias.

Weapons permits would be restricted only to the Iraqi and US military.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 16, 2007 9:19 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Rob N.

Very good information. Thanks for sharing it.

I believe a real effort would be more obvious when we see numbers like "1700 insurgents captured with dozens of weapons caches confiscated".

Also, a 72 hour curfew???

With as slow as those people move, and with as much scrutiny that the allied forces are under, I would think that a 72 day curfew would get the job done.

72 hours just gives the insurgents time for a good nap to re-energize them and their subversive plans.

Otherwise, I would categorize their efforts as some sort of placating strategy.

Carole

-- February 16, 2007 12:12 PM ∞

---

willie wrote:

Thanks Carole, I notified B of A last week that when I get back from Hawaii I will be closing out my acct. Then I'll march across the street and open one at Wells Fargo. They are reaping what they sowed.

-- February 16, 2007 3:01 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

'Al-Qaeda in Iraq deputy is in detention, not killed'
Last updated at 17:04pm on 16th February 2007

An al-Qaeda deputy has been jailed south of Baghdad, casting doubt on reports that he was killed and the group's leader was wounded in clashes.

The Interior Ministry spokesman, Brigadier General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said terror leader Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was wounded and an aide killed Thursday in a clash with Iraqi forces near Balad, north of Baghdad.

Khalaf declined to say how Iraqi forces knew al-Masri had been injured, and deputy Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Hussein Ali Kamal later said he could not confirm the information.

An Iraqi army officer said the aide, identified as Abu Abdullah al-Majemaai, had been detained on February 9 and remained in custody in a jail near Mahmoudiya, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Baghdad.

Khalaf said the clash occurred near Balad, a major U.S. base about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital, and identified the dead aide as Abu Abdullah al-Majemaai.

Al-Masri took over the leadership of al-Qaeda in Iraq after its charismatic leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a U.S. airstrike last year in Diyala province north-east of Baghdad.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=436626&in_page_id=1811

-- February 16, 2007 3:20 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraq Qaida group denies leader injured
2007/2/17
DUBAI/BAGHDAD, Reuters

An al-Qaida-backed Iraqi group denied on Friday that the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, had been wounded in a clash north of Baghdad, according to a statement posted on the Internet.

The authenticity of the statement could not be verified but it was posted on a Web site often used by Islamists.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/latestnews/2007217/44395.htm

-- February 16, 2007 3:52 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

OK, off topic.. but..
how did this hijacker get two pistols on a commercial flight?

Sara.

===

Mauritanian Hijacker’s First Name Is… Mohamed

What a shock, huh?

From those defenders of the faith at the Associated Press:
Fast-thinking pilot foiled hijack
February 16, 2007

TENERIFE, Spain (AP) — A fast-thinking pilot, with the help of passengers, fooled a gunman who had hijacked a jetliner flying from Africa to the Canary Islands, braking hard upon landing then quickly accelerating to knock the man down so travelers could pounce on him, Spanish officials said Friday.

A lone gunman brandishing two pistols hijacked the Air Mauritania Boeing 737, carrying 71 passengers and a crew of eight, Thursday evening shortly after it took off from the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott for Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, with a planned stopover in Nouadhibou in northern Mauritania.

He wanted to divert the plane to France so he could request political asylum, said Mohamed Ould Mohamed Cheikh, Mauritania’s top police official.

The hijacker has been identified as Mohamed Abderraman, a 32-year-old Mauritanian, said an official with the Spanish Interior Ministry office on Tenerife, another of the islands in the Atlantic archipelago. He spoke under rules barring publication of his name. Mauritania has said the hijacker was a Moroccan from the Western Sahara.

The hijacker ordered the pilot to fly to France, but the crew told him there was not enough fuel. Morocco denied a request for the plane to land in the city of Djala in the Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, so the pilot headed for Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, the original destination.

Speaking to the gunman during the hijacking, the pilot realized the man did not speak French. So he used the plane’s public address system to warn the passengers in French of the ploy he was going to try: brake hard upon landing, then speed up abruptly. The idea was to catch the hijacker off balance, and have crew members and men sitting in the front rows of the plane jump on him, the Spanish official said.

The pilot also warned women and children to move to the back of the plane in preparation for the subterfuge, the official said.

It worked. The man was standing in the middle aisle when the pilot carried out his maneuver, and he fell to the floor, dropping one of his two 7mm pistols. Flight attendants then threw boiling water from a coffee machine in his face and at his chest, and some 10 people jumped on the man and beat him, the Spanish official said.

Around 20 people were slightly injured when the plane braked suddenly, the official said.

Spanish officials — and some passengers — had initially been concerned that the hijacking was terrorism-related; it came on the day a trial began of 29 people accused of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

"We were afraid. We thought it was people from al-Qaida or the Algerian GSPC who were going to cut our throats," said Aicha Mint Sidi, a 45-year-old woman who was on the plane. The GSPC is a Muslim extremist group.

"I trembled during and after the hijacking. I thought the plane was going to blow up any minute, either in mid-air or on landing," said another passenger, Dahi Ould Ali, 52. Both spoke after returning to Nouakchott.

The hijacker was arrested by Spanish police who boarded the plane after it landed at Gando airport, outside Las Palmas.

Air Mauritania identified the heroic pilot as Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine, a 20-year-veteran of the company.

==end of quote==

Though to be fair, it should be noted that the heroic pilot also has a Mohamed in his name.

Why has the hijacker’s name not been mentioned before? Why is it buried even in this article?

And why the confusion about his nationality? QUOTE:

"The hijacker has been identified as Mohamed Abderraman, a 32-year-old Mauritanian, said an official with the Spanish Interior Ministry office on Tenerife, another of the islands in the Atlantic archipelago. He spoke under rules barring publication of his name. Mauritania has said the hijacker was a Moroccan from the Western Sahara."

Is he a Moroccan or a Mauritanian? (Not that there is really that much of a difference, since the populations in both countries are 99% Muslim.)

And speaking of confusion, quote, "Spanish officials — and some passengers — had initially been concerned that the hijacking was terrorism-related…"

Thankfully that can now be ruled out. Of course the poor man was only seeking political asylum.

Why would he lie?

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Friday, February 16th

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/mauritanian-hijackers-first-name-is-mohamed

-- February 16, 2007 4:32 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Will Media Report ‘Dazzling Successes’ in Baghdad?
Posted by Noel Sheppard on February 16, 2007 - 13:30.

As America’s elected officials debate non-binding resolutions to rebuke President George W. Bush over his troop surge in Iraq, news comes from that country’s prime minister of “dazzling successes” in Baghdad.

Anyone care to wager whether this will get any attention from the media this evening?

As reported by Agence France-Presse (h/t Drudge, emphasis mine throughout): "Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told US President George W. Bush by videolink that the first few days of their countries' joint security plan in Baghdad had been a great success."

The article quoted Maliki's office directly:

"He told President Bush that the security plan had seen dazzling success during its first days and that the government will deal with every outlaw in a firm manner whatever group they belong to," according to his office.

Seems that such an announcement would be important to Americans, especially as Congress debates anti-war resolutions, dontcha think?

Regardless, the article continued: “‘He said the sheikhs of the tribes in Anbar Province play a very important role in the hunt for Al-Qaeda and that the government will supply all kinds of support to these tribes and start reconstruction efforts,’ his office said.”

My money is on "no mention this evening" by any of the broadcast networks during their nightly news programs. Anyone disagree?

http://newsbusters.org/node/10872

-- February 16, 2007 4:42 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Our investment is tied to the security of Iraq.

That security is being created by brave American and coalition forces -
along with the Iraqi troops. I think they deserve better treatment by the supposedly
"friendly" media back home concerning the coverage of their mission, which,
as Maliki said today, is a "great success." Some have even stronger ways
of saying this and I quote a few responses to get a "feel" for those viewpoints
which are out there in the public opinion.

Sara.

===

Chris Matthews: U.S. Faces 'Humiliation,' and 'Annihilation' in Iraq
Posted by Geoffrey Dickens on February 16

It's one thing to call the war in Iraq tough and a struggle but it's quite another to say our brave fighting men and women in the region are facing "humiliation," and "annihilation," yet those were the words MSNBC's Chris Matthews used on last night's Hardball as he opposed the surge policy. During a discussion with the National Review's Kate O'Beirne and Democratic strategist Steve McMahon, Matthews once again threw his hands up in defeat as he depressingly declared the following on the February 15th edition of his show.

Chris Matthews: "I will repeat what I've said 100 times and will say 100, a 100 times more. The worst thing this president did in terms of U.S. policy was put our country, which we are in now, a situation where there are no good alternatives. That is not good leadership, to lead you into a blind canyon when all you can do is face complete humiliation over there, or continued annihilation over there and horror over there or this weird sort of redeployment stuff. I don't know what the great alternative is now. That's the failure of this policy, we done have any alternatives now."

Comments:

1) BD Says:
February 16, 2007 - 14:23

Dear Chris Mathews.

What is the largest US unit to be "Annihilated" to date in Iraq? Company? Battalion? Regiment?

Actually it is at the squad level in which a single squad was killed in an aircraft crash. If this is a field formation being "Annihilated", then we obviously lost WWII when we lost entire divisions in the field.

What a moron.

2) gopgirl Says:
February 16, 2007 - 16:03

And what's even more annoying is that idiots like Chissy think they're actually helping our troops by calling for their withdrawal, no matter how many of our troops tell them that progress is being made and they want to finish the job they started.

Libs like him are like little children who stick their fingers in their ears and say "la la la la, I can't hear you, la la la", whenever statements from our military are contrary to the libs' retreat and defeat agenda.

3) cvgbuckeye Says:
February 16, 2007 - 14:29

Although Chris Matthews is not the only one, he is certainly one of the captains of the team. Matthews, the MSM AND most of the DEMOCRAT party have a vested interest in the defeat of The United States of America in Iraq.

So much so that they have gotten brazen enough to fall juuuuuust short of rooting against our forces publicly. You can bet that in private, they raise their fists in the air and cheer with anything negative that happens to us in Iraq.

I HONESTLY believe that Matthews and his ilk would pull the trigger and shoot an American serviceman, to up the body count by one more so they could crow even louder. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT!

They would only fall short of one method that I wish that the MSM, Matthews and his ilk AND the DEMOCRAT party would use and that would be to employ suicide bombing. But in a way they are already doing that but it is with American lives; not their own.

These detractors have the blood of countless American soldiers on their hands with their terrorist embolding positions.

4) dabal Says:
February 16, 2007 - 14:32

Matthews knows good and well that Iran is supplying the insurgency.

Vietnam was the same in this respect, but we would have had to declare war on China in order to stop the insurgency in Vietnam. This would have turned into WWIII in a heartbeat. Bombing Iran into submission, however, will prevent WWIII by taking mass-produced nuclear warheads away from those who do not subscribe to M.A.D. as a deterrent. They want to die, let's give it to them. Precision guided munitions are great at decapitating governments and dealing decisive blows to enemy morale. We should strike at their Shiite hearts and keep striking until they 'understand' what they are up against.

5) Jerry Mack Says:
February 16, 2007 - 14:33

Finally there is admittance by one of the Dims mouth pieces that they do not have a plan. Way to go Chrissy!

6) JIMMY1660 Says:
February 16, 2007 - 15:35

if one of our troops is killed our harmed after this vote, Murtha shall be arrested on treason. dragged through the streets of Bagdad for all his cronies to see.

hard to believe this man was a Marine. No way.

7) acaiguana Says:
February 16, 2007 - 14:48

From a recent (last year or so) student of MSM bias on this site I'd have to say that as the 'surge' goes forward and the tide changes at even a greater pace; as the Al Qaeda elements in Iraq are killed and exposed; as Iran's QUDs forces are killed and exposed; we will see an agonizing breakdown of the Leftist Media on a scale not yet witnessed.

Look for near tirades by these people to include screaming fits to impeach Bush growing louder and as Iraq grows more and more peaceful; watch for the American people to turn tide also and let the bums know they are no longer being listened to or believed.

ACA

8) Newsbusterbrown Says:
February 16, 2007 - 15:11

U.S. Faces 'Humiliation,' and 'Annihilation' in Iraq

Hardball Faces 'Humiliation,' and 'Annihilation' in Nielsen Ratings

Much better now.

9) Galvanic Says:
February 16, 2007 - 15:15

Matthews essentially declared a US defeat months ago, and with each passing week that the US doesn't heed Murtha's absurd 'redeployment' advice, Matthews' hyperbole gets worse. Humiliation? Annihilation? What'll this (nut) spew out next month?

10) tumbler_2007 Says:
February 16, 2007 - 16:08

Upon reflection, there's a terrific upside, and advantage for the Right; about the lunacy Chris Matthews keeps mouthing in his appearances. Like any lunatic, he shows his stripes even when he's trying hard to seem the great pundit. It's not that easy to remain persuasive in a TV strobe. As any director knows, the camera never blinks; every minced word, all the tics, the body language:

Have an accumulative effect on the viewers. Along in time comes the unavoidable feeling; "This guy's nuts." He harms his own credibility and with it the agenda he keeps touting. I hope he enjoys many more years of his madness.

Every day he'll shake up another few Lefties, sending them into a bout of self-awareness. Man, is that my party ? ? ? Is this blather the convictions of a liberal ? I gotta snap out of it !" --In short; Matthews is GOOD for the GOP. He's GOOD for George W. Bush.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10873

-- February 16, 2007 5:14 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Is the surge beginning to work. Read this article from www.military.com

Civilian Deaths in Iraq Drop Overnight
Associated Press | February 16, 2007
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The number of Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad's sectarian violence fell drastically overnight, an Iraqi military official said Friday, crediting the joint U.S.-Iraqi security operation that began in force just days ago.

Iraqi army Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, a spokesman for the Baghdad commander, said only 10 bodies had been reported by the morgue in the capital, compared to an average of 40 to 50 per day.

"This shows a big reduction in terror and killing operations in Baghdad," he said on Iraqi state television.

Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, also reported a reduction in violence, attributing it to both the increased U.S. and Iraqi security presence and an apparent decision by the militias and insurgents to lay low.

"They're watching us carefully. There's an air of suspense throughout the city. We believe, there's no question about it, that many of these extremists are laying low and watching to see what it is we do and how we do it. How long that will last, we don't know," he said.

A U.S. military spokesman, meanwhile, said there were no indications that the al-Qaida in Iraq leader had been killed or wounded in a raid, contradicting reports from the Iraqi government. Further calling the reports into question, an Iraqi army officer said the al-Qaida leader's deputy - said to be killed in Thursday's raid north of Baghdad - has been jailed for a week south of the city.

Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said earlier Friday that terror leader Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was wounded and an aide killed Thursday in a clash with Iraqi forces near Balad, north of Baghdad.

Khalaf declined to say how Iraqi forces knew al-Masri had been injured, and deputy Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Hussein Ali Kamal later said he could not confirm the information.

But spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said the U.S. military had no information to corroborate the account.

"We do not believe that he was either killed or wounded last night," Garver said of al-Masri. He said he also could not confirm any information about the aide.

An Iraqi army officer also said al-Masri's aide, identified as Abu Abdullah al-Majemaai, had been detained on Feb. 9 and remained in custody in a jail near Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information, said he could not comment on al-Masri's whereabouts.

The al-Qaida-affilated Islamic State of Iraq also denied al-Masri had come to harm.

The announcement, on a site frequently used by the terror group, carried the logo of The Islamic State of Iraq, a militant network that includes al-Qaida. Its authenticity could not be independently verified.

In the statement, the militant group said the Iraqi government was "making up such news, that have been denied even by their masters, the Americans."

Separately, the U.S. military said a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq cell leader accused in roadside bombs and rocket attacks was detained Thursday in Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles north of Baghdad.

Al-Masri took over the leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq after its charismatic leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a U.S. airstrike last year in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad. In October, false reports surfaced that al-Masri was killed in a raid, and the U.S. military performed DNA tests on a slain militant to see if he was the al-Qaida leader.

Al-Zarqawi was widely believed to have fomented sectarian war through his campaign of brutal suicide attacks against Shiite civilians. The first steps of the security operation display the sectarian divides complicating any plan to calm Baghdad - which is key to begin stabilizing the rest of the country.

Moussawi, the Iraqi military spokesman, said the 107 displaced families had returned to their homes in the Sunni enclave of Salman Pak, as well as some other areas, although he did not give more details.

The U.S. military said that five suspected militants had been detained and numerous pistols, rifles, AK-47s and small arms munitions seized during searches of more than 3,000 structures since an operation began Tuesday in mainly Shiite northeastern Baghdad. It also said clearing operations were continuing in the predominantly Sunni northern neighborhood of Azamiyah.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has promised to target Shiite militia and Sunni violence equally as part of the neighborhood-to-neighborhood security sweep that he hopes will end the sectarian violence that has been on the rise since the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra.

Sunni cleric Harith al-Obeidi warned the government not to target mosques as part of the military action.

"Harming mosques and innocents are red lines to us," he said. "Mosques are places for worship and are symbols of peace."

Iraqi security officials also said 34 armed men belonging to a messianic Shiite cult were detained near Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad.

The Soldiers of Heaven, or Jund al-Samaa, cult was involved in a gunbattle last month with Iraqi forces who accused the group of planning to kill Shiite clerics and others in a bid to force the return of the "Hidden Imam" - a descendant of Islam's Prophet Muhammad who disappeared as a child in the 9th century. Shiites believe that he will return one day to bring justice to each.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 16, 2007 5:21 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Obviously, not only the public, but even some in the MSM networks are disgusted by this.
And, like Carole and Willie attest concerning the B of A - sometimes it takes voting with your feet.

===

NBC Military Analyst Quits Network, Citing Left-wing Bias
Posted by Matthew Sheffield on February 15

NBC military analyst Ken Allard, a former army colonel, has resigned from the network, citing a general drift to the left at MSM outlet, especially following NBC's inaction over scurrilous remarks made by one of its other analysts, a leftist named Bill Arkin, that implied the military was full of "mercenaries" raking in "obscene amenities."

(This was the same Bill Arkin who has hated the military for years and released a book called "Code Names" in which he exposed classified military codenames to the world. Of course, the same media that has clamored about "treason" and "scandal" in the Valerie Wilson nonsense has no such compunction when it comes to this type of exposure of military secrets.)

After NBC failed to take action against its rogue analyst, Allard decided that he would, detailing why he has resigned in a column for a San Antonio newspaper:

Has anyone else noticed the network's precipitous retreat from journalistic and ethical standards? Not only were no apologies given and no pink slips
issued for Arkin's outburst, but on his MSNBC show last week, Keith Olberman went out of his way to defend this "valid criticism" of our military.

In January, Conan O'Brien was allowed to escape without apology after airing a particularly tasteless gay skit deriding Christianity: "Oh, Jesus, I love you, but only as a friend." (Just try doing that sometime using Mohammad's name!)

And only this week, questions have been raised about the cozy relationships between CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo and the companies she covers as a supposedly objective journalist. The response by Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE and godfather of the NBC family: "Substantially, I don't think she
did anything wrong."

Fine: Let's hope he's right. But sometimes the only way to show where you really stand is to vote with your feet. And so with great reluctance and best wishes to my former colleagues, with this column I am severing my 10-year relationship with NBC News.

Comments:

1) Galvanic Says:
February 16, 2007 - 00:04

I salute fellow retired comrade-in-arms Ken Allard for his resignation from NBC. His action and press statement demonstrate to NBC that we will not compromise our integrity and sit silent while they entertain and underwrite the vile utterances of scum like William Arkin.

2) foolnomore Says:
February 16, 2007 - 09:38

The rank stench from being in the front lines of defeatism has woken up another good, honest man.. the days ahead can only get better sir,

Thank you Colonel Ken Allard

3) saurus Says:
February 16, 2007 - 15:36

In case nobody read Kens article, his email address was listed.

May I suggest all right thinking Americans write to him with our thanks and congratulations for his rebuke to NBC?

WARHEADS6@aol.com

http://newsbusters.org/node/10857

-- February 16, 2007 5:29 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Hi all,

Long time no see, not much about Dinar on this site.

Well, guess there is a lull right now.

Condi is in Baghdad, presumably kicking someones butt. HCL stuck. Oil conference in Jordan. Crackdown going on, and the insurgency is hunkering down.

I had expected to see some more reports like the battle of Fallujah, but guess the insurgency have got more smart, and are not facing the US military head to head.

So that shows we can put a lid on the insurgency, but it can be done only as long as we keep the lid on.

From there, the jobs have to come, other options other than running around with an AK have to be offered.

That will take time, and in the meanwhile the lid has to be on.

It's not the time to talk about timetable of withdrawal.

It's a longer process of getting the HCL not only passed, but actually enacted upon. The jobs have to come, and in the meanwhile as the jobs are not there, the lid has to be in place.

By the efficiency and speed the Iraq Gov, have acted, and is acting, I got my doubts about a speedy recovery.

And in the meanwhile the IGov, is blabbing, millions are spent by us to just keep the lid on.

Perhaps some encouragement to get to the job in the first place could be put in place. All the delegates would get one morning a waiting escort, waiting at the door, armed and the engines still running.

If they refuse because they say they have a flu, a doctor would immediately step out from the waiting escort and do an exam. If there is nothing wrong with the guy, he comes along to the Green Zone where he works, and is escorted physically to his chair at the Government building.

The Govt in Iraq are having long and complex negotiations and debates about how they are going to compensate themselves, in this job. They have sure made sure they have compensated themselves very handsomely, with a pay in comparison with most other Iraqis that is a heaven sent.

Perhaps the agenda could be the implications for those that believe they have a job in name only, and now have a pension plan and salary whether they are there doing a job or not.

Miss one session, get a verbal warning two sessions a written warning, three sessions and you are out, forefeiting all pay and pensions together with a penalty ticket.

As of now, just to get at least half of the delegates to be on the job, is an accomplishment.

If they don't care for being there, why letting them have the job.

I think it is in line with the age old corruption culture, where you expect something for nothing, and the idea that they actually have to do a job, is less important, as long as you have secured your income.

So the HCL drags, the investment law, that was passed some time ago, took forever to get there.

All in the meanwhile as the participants in the Iraq Govt, are showing very casual attitude about their country, dragging their feet, having a goat barbie rather then go to the job, we are forking out millions a day, just keeping a lid on THEIR situation.

The ministry that was to oversee bribes and corruption, in the Iraqi Govt, was itself targeted for corruption, so who in the heavens and earth will enforce anything with these guys. None.

Bush screams on occasion, and the Iraqis, tells him what he wants to hear, but in actual fact, the end result is that they turn to themselves, roll their eyes and smile and agree that they will do just about as much to get the pressure off their backs so they can go back to their goat barbie without delay.

The negotiations in the Govt corridors are not about Iraq's future but about who will be invited to Abdullah Alis niece's wedding ceremony where a couple of more goats will be barbied.

Iraq, who cares, I've got my salary and title, and important family matters like this, as usually always have number one priority, there just can't be any way around that fact.

"My uncle Baba Muhammad, have very good cars for sale, only driven to the mosque, no explosive surprises, want me to give him a call???, oh by the way, don't forget my % on the deal"

"What's that bell??? call to session??? if you want to make the car deal I have to take you to Baba now...do you have the Dinars?? I take Dollars too. lets leave..."

"Iraq who cares, Americans spending millions keeping the security while we do barbie, who cares, it's not our money, by the way, they have no way out anyway, so they have to keep doing what they're doing , but lets not talk about that, lets talk about the ingredients of the goat barbie sauce"...

-- February 17, 2007 4:36 PM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Interesting thoughts Carole,

However, when I was thinking about coupe, I was thinking of the Iraqi eruption of "Civil War" that the leftist press has been reporting about. With the Sadr's troops out of the way in Iran etc., the USA will clear Baghdad and these folks will return. The killing could return. At some point, there could be civil strife again amoung the militia's.

It maybe that someone (amoung the Iraqi's) in all of this may again decide to stage a coupe without USA intervention. How could the USA stop them?. It is suppose to be their country.

All that I am saying is that this situation could come unravelled. Homo-statis will have to come about one way or another. If the USA pulls back-- as the USA is saying this is last chance at stablization, then the bases are probably next.

I think, we are at a point of just waiting to see. Also, in just waiting to see, the democratic congress did not win the non-binding resolution in congress on the vote today. Thought you all would like to know.

Laura

-- February 17, 2007 6:37 PM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

Roger,

Interesting thoughts on the Iraqi congress. However, they are least have an excuse. People are trying to kill them. We cannot offer the same type of excuse for our own congress. We can't get to work either, except for today.

One news report I was watching stated that congress has not worked a work week in some time. However, this same congress voted pay raises for themselves or simply let the raises go into effect (which amounts to same end).

Our own government has their own issues with corruption--- and congress did not do their own job of over sight in how these funds were spent back when we were fighting this terrorist war. This needs to be corrected. Corruption comes about because of lack of oversight.

I hardly think as a country that the USA is with without corruption. The History Channel carried a series today on the Presidents of the United States. I think this series would prove to be insightful to those who think our own history is without corruption.

I know, I know! Roger, impatience at looking for the dinar to re-value. I understand. However, the Iraq nation is very young at self government.

Laura

-- February 17, 2007 6:54 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger,

Your satirical dialogue is probably closer to the truth of the situation than anything I've heard.

It boils my blood!!

It is a wait and see game, but for how long?

My logic and assumptions on the matter could be way off!

I could be giving "them" way more credit for having insight than they really have or deserve.

If we could all just go to sleep for about 3 years and wake up to see how this all turned out, we would probably have to take much less pepto-bismol.

Carole

-- February 18, 2007 3:53 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(865)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 865 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 2/ 18 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 12 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1285 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 43.240.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 43.240.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) -----

-- February 18, 2007 7:38 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

This is a theology reply to Neil and Anonymous - who posted a while back.

Anonymous wrote:

Have you ever asked some questions, and have someone go on forever with words and words with all their answers, then you say OK that sounds good just so you don't have to hear the same explaination again, but you still don't understand any better than you did before?

===end of quote ==

As I read this post by Anonymous where he states that he cannot "hear" (understand) what I was saying (.. going so far as to say I was among those someones who will "go on forever with words and words... but you still don't understand any better." ) I recalled to mind that the Bible is a supernatural book. Oh, I don't mean in the sense of it telling about miracles such as Jesus walking on water or stopping the storm at sea (controlling the weather). What I mean is that there is a way in which someone can speak plain words from the Bible, and those hearing those words cannot "see" (understand) a word of what you are saying - but they are BLIND in their minds so that they cannot understand what you on about.

2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them.

This is describing a spiritual reality, not a trite explanation to discount those who are truly seeking to understand. The Bible is a supernatural book, and one which will be opposed when it is spoken on a spiritual level by those who have something to lose in the spirit realm. This Scripture says that there are those whose minds are blinded so that they cannot see or understand what the Scriptures are saying. Unless a person understands that this can be describing them, they will simply think they are understanding but it doesn't make any sense. In reality, the sound emitting from the speaker is sound (the explanation is sound) but there is a problem with the ears being used for the reception of that sound (the reception of that explanation). Try and understand.. there is a possibility, Anonymous, that your MIND is blind. When you hear a person go "on and on" but then say "you still don't understand any better than you did before", that shows this principle of darkness is in place. If you said, a person went "on and on" and you DID understand but don't choose to believe it, that is one thing. That is your choice. But when you say you "still don't understand any better than you did before", that has very dire eternal consequences.

I sympathize, by the way. I am not sitting up on some "understanding" pedestal saying I have understanding but you do not.. too bad. This "blinding" has happened to me, many times. There was a time when I could read an entire page of Scripture and not understand one word. I mean that literally. I could not even understand "this is a day which the Lord has made" if I read it. It was like I could read words, but there was no ability whatsoever to comprehend the words as they were written. The Bible was a closed book to me. It was completely blocked. It was like when you turn on background music.. after a while you just don't hear it. Only this was like TRYING to hear the background music and being UNABLE to. Once I realized I could not understand it, I found it rather frightening. And, I wanted to know what it was saying. But, if you are saying, well, I could understand what was posted, what it means.. (followed by a complete repeat of what was said in essence with a grasp of the words and what was being taught).. then good, you are starting in advance of my level and in time I could understand it, so there is hope for the condition. All I am saying is that at one point, my understanding was blocked completely. I was blind. It was like when you tune someone out because you no longer wish to listen to them.. only it was no longer ME tuning them out.. I couldn't hear them even when I tried very very hard to. All I wanted at that point was to understand the position as it was being taught from the Scriptures themselves. That took some time to get to but it is something you can do. Furthermore, I found:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This says some things cannot be received by some persons from God's Holy Spirit. They appear to that person to be foolishness and this person "cannot know them" because some kind of spiritual discernment is not present in them to receive. This is where anonymous indicates that this is not making any sense and a person can multiply words upon words of explanation.. but it does him no good. All explanation seems "gobbledygook" and there is no understanding even after someone finishes a long and elementary level explanation. Such persons are spoken of as being unable to receive these things "of the Spirit of God" - and further says it seems foolish to them (against "common sense" in Anonymous' post). The Bible teaches that in such a case, they "cannot know them" because they are "spiritually discerned" in some way they cannot fathom.

If a person has this supernatural block, they are in great danger. Someone could come along claiming to have an explanation of the words of Scripture for them who is from a cult or persons who have a false understanding and such a "blocked" person could place their faith in that person or their interpretation or the interpretation of their church or group instead of God (which will seem far easier to do than to seek to understand the text when they read it themselves). Instead of overcoming the "block" and coming to an accurate understanding of what was just said, they could be led to those who change the meaning of it to force it to make sense to their "natural" mind. In the case of Anonymous, I felt from that post that the person merely gives up in dispair after trying many times to "get" it. There is definitely no understanding given there of comprehending what was said from the post.

I will say again, the Bible is a supernatural book. It is not easy to understand in the sense that some men (people) can have it blocked to their understanding. The only way around that block, once it has happened, is to look to God Himself in prayer and pray for God to open the mind to hear. Jesus often said, "for those who have ears to hear, let them hear." (Matt 11:15, 13:19, 13:43, Mark 4:9, 4:23, 7:16, Luke 8:8, 14:35.) Why did He say this phrase if everyone could hear (??).. after all, they all had ears. He was referring to this phenomena which I just described.. where ears can be open to hear, or closed to hearing. In my humble opinion, it is an invitation to cry out to God for explanation that you may learn what is being said from Him alone. Neil asked if he should begin comparing with other religions to see if there is a better understanding which will satisfy his soul out there amongst cults and other religions which teach other spiritual paths of enlightenment. I suggest that the real area which needs attention is removing this "block" so that a heartfelt understanding is enabled. If the problem is that "the natural man" cannot receive these things from God, going away from God's Spirit is not going to give more discernment, it will mire you in darkness until your soul is lost. You must seek understanding from God Himself in order that the words spoken are opened up to you, so that you may know them and truly comprehend:

Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Here Paul prayed for the people to "comprehend" and "to know" to love of God. If everyone could comprehend and know the Love of God naturally, why did he have to pray for this? (Don't you wish the Islamic extremists comprehended and understood the love of God - as that would end suicide bombings and the daily body count we hear of in Iraq completely, you know.) Also, in the same manner, if people can comprehend and know naturally what the Scriptures are on about, why did God choose to write the Bible to enlighten us? There would be no need of Holy Writ at all, and we could live, as Neil once put it, "however we see fit." But that will not satisfy a soul's heartcry to know God or the thirst we have for knowledge of the holy (Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.). Do not stop short of real understanding. Do not be satisfied with unholy knowledge which is not real understanding. Continue to ask, seek, knock.. until the door is opened to you and you "see" what God is on about in the Scriptures. Don't turn to men to give you their "natural" understanding of that book's supernatural message. It won't satisfy you. Turn to the light for enlightenment.. read the pages of the Scripture itself and ask God to show you what it says. As Carole said, if someone truly asks of God for His heavenly bread which sustains our inward souls, will He give them a stone instead? Jesus said:

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.

If you are spiritually thirsty, look to Jesus for your spiritual drink. God is not unwilling to give you this blessing from His hand, but it must be obtained by your earnest seeking. This I can say I know from experience, for if I had sought to remove my lack of understanding by one of the myriad misunderstandings of Scripture which are out there, who knows where I would be by now. God forbid you turn away from the fresh stream of living water which Jesus offers to you to quench your soul - and instead choose to drink the muddy slop of a poisioned or dry well of men's carnal (natural) understanding. Instead, seek to quench your thirst from God Himself.. come to Jesus for that lifegiving drink for your soul and don't stop until you obtain it from His hand.

Sara.

-- February 18, 2007 11:02 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Hi, all.

Just saw Harry Reid on CNN, being interviewed. He's one of the top Democrat opponents to the President's vision for Iraq, and a top Democraticic critic of the War in Iraq. He called the war in Iraq, "the biggest foreign policy blunder in American history. Bigger than Vietnam". (I give the man a mark of A for wind-blown, baseless hyperbole.)

My impressions of the man? In summary: What a tube! A zero! A know nothing Nabob of Negativity!

CNN went into his background. His dad killed himself. He grew up in Nevada, surrounded by gambling and drugs like marijuana and prostitution. His parents were n'er-do-well white trash. They made a lot of bad choices. They spent a lot of money on booze and illicit entertainment, blowing a lot of dough, endangering his family's finances. A young Harry was happy when his parents were broke, "because then they were sober."

From experience, I think I can shed some light on this man.

Having grown up around a fair number of emotionally dysfuntional white trash, I understand these people. Although I'm quite well off by now, I keep in touch with people I grew up with. A friend of mine, from childhood, Bob, is an alcoholic and drug user. He has gone from job to job his whole life, never doing well. His daughter, Jennifer, watched all this growing up. It's interesting to watch her reaction to an extremely dysfunctional childhood:

Jennifer became a Mormon.

Mormons don't condone alcohol or smoking or drugs. (also not caffeine) They often live clean, and steady lives.

Jennifer is of the marrying age, and is looking for someone who is sober, doesn't condone drug or alcohol abuse, and is straightlaced, and is well educated and ambitious. In other words, someone who is the opposite of her dad.

Jennifer is smart, and ambitious, and wants to pursue a university education. She's close to my family, and we have had many conversations together. Having looked back at her father's life, with his rejection of education, and his drug and alcohol abuse, she can see clearly where these stupid choices lead: Nowhere. Having known her for her whole life, I think that's why she embraced Mormonism. It filled a need in her life, compensating for the deficiencies in her father. It's interesting that so much of Mormonism is the complete opposite of her father's life, and fills in the holes, where the deficiencies of her father and background left her feeling adrift in life.

Children of alcoholics often fit Jennifer's mental patterns. They are often, like Jennifer, over-achievers, who live their lives in ways that are, in some ways, sharply opposed to, and opposite, that of their parents. Having been emotionally traumatized by the deficiencies of their warped parents, they often seek values in the world to compensate for these parental deficiencies. In Jennifer's case, Mormonism was a perfect fit, and has helped her a lot.

When I saw Harry Reid on CNN, talking about his alcoolic, n'er do well dad, and his burning ambition to get out of the small town of Searchlight, Nevada, I thought of Jennifer. Like Jennifer, Harry Reid is a convert to Mormonism, and wanted to leave the past behind, and was ambitious. My guess is, Harry is happy as a Mormon for much the same reasons Jennifer is.

Harry Reid went on to talk, on CNN, about his general philosophical view in life. Harry said, "I believe in pessimism. The glass is half-empty. That way, I am not disappointed in life." What a loser! What a twisted man! He obviously is emotionally damaged goods, even at his age. His twisted outlook, I think, comes from a twisted childhood. Think of him as the anti-Reagan. Reagan was sunny and cheerful and optimistic, and believed the glass was half-full. That's why people loved Reagan. Half-glass Harry is a different matter. There's a black cloud over his head, just like the rest of the Democratic Party. Don't fall for it. Harry's vision of Iraq is not a result of facts or reality. It's all about understanding who Harry is.

Harry talked about Iraq. From his comments, I'd say, the man does not have a clue about the world, outside the United States. He's a very small minded and insular man. What he said about Iraq could have been gleaned from tuning in to CNN once a year, in a half-awake state of mind. Pathetic. It was bland and generic, and had no depth. I didn't know whether to laugh, or cry.

Then he started playing politics with the whole thing, about Iraq. He said America should withdraw, "but not right away." He left open the possibility, if the Democrats got into the Presidency, they could change their minds, as it suited them, and stay longer, if they felt like it.

Now, Mormonism has obviously done a lot of good for Harry Reid, and I commend this religion for reaching out to an emotional wreck, like this man, and helping him make something of his life. My objection here, is not to Mormonism. Mormons do good work, at times, in helping needy people, and down and out people. My objection to Harry Reid is not his Mormonism, which has obviously helped the man, and gave him a community of caring, and a purpose and meaning in life. That's all good. My objection to Harry Reid is that he is so obviously and transparently a flawed, and emotionally scarred human being, and I think this has deeply affected his outlook in life, and how he perceives the world, and it's potential. He's a glass is half empty sort of guy, in a powerful position, and he pontificates about a world, specificially about Iraq, and it's obvious he doesn't have a clue about the war, and he views that world through the bottom of a whisky glass. People take this clown seriously, in spite of his disconnect from the real world. The bottom of a whisky glass, if you live there too long, without crawling out, or too many Mary-Jane marijuana joints, can warp your children's perception of reality, if they see this too long, and it can leave in them, permanently, a disconnect between reality, and the real world. Like it did in the young Harry Pothead. This disconnect, between reality, and his perception of it, is harmless in an ordinary, screwed-up person, but in this case, is a very dangerous thing for the world, considering the position he is in. Iraq is a real country. Iraqis are real people, who have real children, who deserve a real future, free of the insanity of the past. If President Bush has his way, that will happen. The future will be bright, for these people, and their children. If Harry Reid gets his way, they won't have a chance. This is a pivot moment in history. Will the negative losers come out on top? Or the optimistic people? What America does and doesn't do will have profound implications for Americans, as well as Iraqis, for generations to come. American foreign policy is too serious a business to be left up to scarred, and deeply flawed men like Harry Reid.

And this emotionally-stunted, mentally light-weight, loser, is heading up the Democrats in the Senate? Pathetic. America should be embarassed that this Sad-sack, pathetic man, is a leading member of the ruling political class in America. The man belongs on a psychiatrist's couch, not on the floor of the United States Senate.

-- February 18, 2007 1:38 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

One sunny day in 2009, an old man approached the White House from across
Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke
to the Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet
with President Hillary Clinton." The Marine replied, "Sir, Mrs. Clinton
is not President and doesn't reside here." The old man said, "Okay," and
walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to
the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary
Clinton". The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mrs.
Clinton is not President and doesn't reside here." The man thanked him
and again walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the
very same Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President
Hillary Clinton." The Marine, understandably agitated at this point,
looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you
have been here asking to speak to Mrs. Clinton. I've told you already
several times that Mrs. Clinton is not the President and doesn't reside
here. Don't you understand?"

The old man answered, "Oh, I understand you fine, I just love hearing
your answer!"

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow,
sir."

-- February 18, 2007 3:47 PM ∞

---

Annon Demi Nacilbuper wrote:

We are soon to have our first female President. Because the Rep's don't have anyone. And I do not believe the US is ready for a former Muslim.

-- February 18, 2007 5:00 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Annon Demi,

In the end it will come down to issues rather than race gender or religion.

From your handle Demi, I can assume you're a Democrat, and from your assumption that the next president is female I can assume, as the only female candidtate from the Democratic party is Hillary, that you are telling us how the world will look in the future with your Democratidc candidate Hillary in the driver seat.

Your last name "republican" spelled backwards tells me you can put a curse on the Rep's by repeating their name backwards, like the way you're suppose to listen to the Devil by playing recordings backwards.

(Sending sublime messages to youngster, thus brainwashing them)

Annon, short for anonymous, makes me believe you dont look people in the eyes, but rather act in cloak.

What other powers do you have?

-- February 18, 2007 9:37 PM ∞

---

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous is Roger on a friends pjuter

-- February 18, 2007 9:43 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Annon Demi Nacilbuper:

I disagree, the republicans have a very smart man in the wings and his name is Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House.

Will Newt Run? Any decision will not be made until September. Given the choices in political candidates both Republican and Democrat. Newt seems to be the best choice.

Newt unlike Mitt Romney is electable.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 18, 2007 9:59 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Does anyone know how this turned out?

Officials To Meet Sat In Jordan On Iraq Oil Law

AMMAN -(Dow Jones)- Former Iraqi oil officials and well-known oil experts and economists will hold a one-day seminar Saturday in Amman, Jordan, to discuss Iraq's controversial hydrocarbon law, an organizer said Friday.

"Some of the articles in the law need either to be amended or explained in a manner that would serve the interest of the Iraqi people before submitting it to the government and the parliament for approval," he said.

"The meeting has no political agenda and it is held under no one's umbrella," he said, adding that it would discuss and review the draft law on a professional and technical manner.

The seminar would be attended by more than 50 former Iraqi officials who are experts on oil, economy and law, he added.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi oil official, close to the committee entrusted with the law said that the draft document should be submitted to the government and parliament very soon.

"The current security plan in Baghdad, which is being implemented by Iraqi and U.S. forces, has forced parties who have disputes on the law to put their differences apart and agree on speeding up the approval of the law," the oil official in Baghdad said.

Senior Iraqi officials called off a key seminar, planned for Feb. 10 in Baghdad, at which they were to announce the completion of the draft law.
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 18, 2007 10:25 PM ∞

---

Neil wrote:

Amen Robert N.-Newt is our man.

-- February 18, 2007 10:48 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

All,

I found a site that was rather interesting to all of you who have realized wikapedias liberal flaws:

conservaperdia.com

"Conservapedia is a much-needed alternative to Wikipedia, which is increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American. On Wikipedia, many of the dates are provided in the anti-Christian "C.E." instead of "A.D.", which Conservapedia uses. Christianity receives no credit for the great advances and discoveries it inspired, such as those of the Renaissance. Read a list of many Examples of Bias in Wikipedia.
Conservapedia is an online resource and meeting place where we favor Christianity and America. Conservapedia has easy-to-use indexes to facilitate review of topics. You will much prefer using Conservapedia compared to Wikipedia if you want concise answers free of "political correctness".

Tim,
Enjoyed your comments on good ol' Harry. Just so you know, he does not practice much of what his religion preaches.

Rob/Neil,

I hope Newt joins the race, I really think that a Newt/Mitt ticket would be strong arrow in the republican quiver.

Steve

-- February 19, 2007 2:05 AM ∞

---

gimp wrote:

well that was simple if it actually worked

-- February 19, 2007 7:02 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Hi Tim!

Poor Harry!!! Wonder, what he is making of all fo the revelations of fraud and misrepresentation going on in the mormon church.

Also, since DNA analysis has become so sophisticated, their purported GENEALOGY is being proven to be a hoax. And that is a cornerstone of their religion.

Carole

-- February 19, 2007 7:31 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(866)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 866 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 2/ 19 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 19 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1285 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1283 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 57.660.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 5.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 57.660.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 5.000.000 -----

-- February 19, 2007 7:41 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Heated exchange at Doha US-Islamic Forum over Iraq

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

Doha, 19 February 2007 (The Peninsula)
Print article Send to friend
Yesterday saw some heated debates at the US-Islamic World Forum, with the Iraq issue occupying pride of place.

At a media briefing yesterday to discuss the early part of the day's proceedings, Peter W Singer, Senior Fellow and Director of the 21st Century Defence Initiative at the Brookings Institution, said: "Delegates were upset, there was anger and pessimism on the situation in Iraq. These feelings were shared by both American and Muslim leaders present."

Whether US forces are pulled out or if additional forces are taken to Iraq, the consequences would be terrible. "A Muslim leader said that a pullout would cause chaos. The violence is not just television images, but there is an impact on neighbouring states. And a civil war has the ability to spread rapidly," said Singer.

The question of refugees was also a contentious issue.

"There is concern about the refugees, on how to support and protect them. Some may carry the conflict with them as they (refugees) have done in places like West Africa," said Singer.

A Muslim leader asked in one of the sessions as to who makes up Iraq's legitimate government. "Iraq is the centre of all headlines. In the US, it is the foreign policy issue. In the fall, American voters voted due to Iraq, which is revolutionary," said Singer.

The issue of the overlapping of religion and politics was also discussed in the sessions. "One scholar said evidence shows people embrace religions as political forces as they agree with their values," said Singer.

Yet another scholar said in the case of Palestine, religion is not a driving force. "The evidence shows Palestinians are not necessarily more religious. The support for Hamas appears to be not a religious affiliation."
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 19, 2007 9:01 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Wolfowitz takes actions to gear up World Bank for Iraq

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

19 February 2007 (Odious Debt)
Print article Send to friend
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) has learned from inside sources that World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is currently negotiating a contract with a new resident Iraq Country Director. This step strongly suggests that Wolfowitz intends to expand Bank-funded projects there dramatically in the near future, despite the deteriorating security situation and recent disclosures of massive corruption in "reconstruction" efforts.

This development bears out the fears expressed by senior career staff and Board members when Wolfowitz was appointed by the Bush administration in June 2005. Only three months after Wolfowitz' arrival, the Bank's Board tried to restrain his management of World Bank operations in Iraq explicitly, issuing an unprecedented directive to his office to "[K]eep the Board regularly updated on developments in the country (Iraq) and implementation of the ISN" (Interim Strategy Note, September 2005, see GAP Web site). One year later, 30-year veteran Christiaan Poortman, vice-president for the Middle East, resigned from the World Bank rather than comply with Wolfowitz's directives to prepare to increase lending and add staff in Iraq.

The unilateral appointment of a resident Iraq country director can only aggravate an already tense standoff between Wolfowitz and the Bank Board. Members of the Board have already expressed concerns about misuse of other donors’ funds in the country and emphasized to the US-appointed President ". . . the need for compliance with the Bank's fiduciary and safeguard requirements," also according to the ISN 2005.

"Wolfowitz's apparent determination to use the World Bank to further questionable American military goals in the Middle East is a fundamental distortion of the Bank's mission, a violation of its founding Articles of Agreement, and a reckless waste of donor resources," said GAP International Program Director Bea Edwards.

Appointing a resident Country Director for Iraq now puts Wolfowitz in opposition to Board members who have expressed increasing concern about the country’s deepening conflict and creditworthiness. Although the Board did approve a limited loan program for Iraq of U.S. $500 million in September 2005, funds were not approved for disbursal, as of December 31, 2006. Disbursement was contingent on "critical progress in several areas important to IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) creditworthiness, including security and external debt-relief," according to an internal memo from December 2006 (See GAP's Web site). The required progress has not occurred. Currently, regular staff travel to Iraq is prohibited, meaning that lending operations cannot be properly monitored.

To date, the Bank has relied on Iraqi staff based in the country, meetings with Iraqis outside the country, videoconferencing facilities in Baghdad, and long-distance supervision from the Interim Office for Iraq in Amman, Jordan. The current director for Iraq, Joseph Saba, is not a resident in the country – due to World Bank stipulations detailing terms for re-entry into a post-conflict situation. Instead, Saba manages five countries from Washington D.C.

Unlike the current director, the soon-to-be-named country director will exclusively manage Iraq for the Bank and will be stationed in Baghdad, according to inside sources. Wolfowitz first floated the idea of a resident Country Director and staff in Iraq in May 2006, when optimists in his office predicted greater stability as 2006 advanced. But the past year has seen an increase in violence, and the Bank's lending and staffing plan remains unchanged.

"In fact, the Bank is prohibited from operating in a conflict like this," added Edwards. "In the simplest financial terms, there is no functioning banking system, the government does not control its territory and it cannot guarantee loan repayment. Any emergency or social funding in Iraq should come from donors’ grants, not loans."

To engage in Iraq, the World Bank must justify reconstruction spending on economic grounds. If the conflict is ongoing, and the government is unstable, this cannot be done. Even assuming that the conflict ends soon, which no one is predicting, Bank Procedure 2.30 ("Development Cooperation and Conflict") stipulates that, to operate in a country emerging from a conflict, the Bank must prepare a "watching brief," develop a transitional support strategy, begin transitional reconstruction, then begin post-conflict reconstruction, and finally return to normal lending.

World Bank management under Wolfowitz has not taken these steps. Naming a resident country director and sending Bank staff to Baghdad, although no solution to the conflict appears likely, signifies increasing disagreement between Wolfowitz and the World Bank Board. The Board representative for Germany has long opposed any increase in Bank activity in Baghdad. His government is worried about staff safety. In addition, poorly monitored "reconstruction" projects will constitute a lucrative new source of income for corrupt officials who are party to the ongoing conflict.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 19, 2007 9:07 AM ∞

---

mattuk wrote:

Iraq VP wants Shi'ite militia named terror group
Sun 18 Feb 2007 16:24:11 GMT

DUBAI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The United States should classify radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia as a "terrorist" group, Iraq's Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said in comments aired on Sunday.

"What is expected from the U.S. administration, to avoid double standards, is to classify the Mehdi Army and the militias that worked under its umbrella and banner as terrorist militias and to apply international standards against them," al-Hashemi, a Sunni, told Al Jazeera television.

Deemed by the Pentagon to be the biggest threat to Iraq, the Mehdi Army has kept a low profile, appearing on the streets without their guns, since U.S. and Iraqi troops launched an offensive last week to quell sectarian violence.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani last week said Sadr had ordered his militia leaders to leave Iraq while the security operation was under way.

The U.S. military says Sadr has fled to Iran, although Iran again denied this on Sunday. The cleric's aides insist he is still in Iraq.

"I urge the U.S. administration to issue this classification so that the leaders of these militias would be pursued," said al-Hashemi.

Sadr, whose Mehdi Army is blamed by Sunni Arab leaders for many death squad killings, is a political ally of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

-- February 19, 2007 10:16 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks for the heads up, Steve! Here is the link to the mainpage:

http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page

I will undoubtedly use it instead of wikipedia, thanks! :)

Tim Bitts, I appreciated your post on Harry Reid. In a similar piece to what you posted about Harry Reid, Brit Hume brought to bear a very similar assessment on Congressman Murtha recently and I thought it worthwhile mentioning:

Brit Hume Finally Says What Media Dare Not Concerning Congressman Murtha
Posted by Noel Sheppard on February 18,

Since Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) became the media’s antiwar darling, he has been allowed to say virtually anything he wants with total impunity. Ignoring rules of engagement that clearly don't apply to him, FNC’s Brit Hume finally took the congressman to task on the most recent installment of “Fox News Sunday.”

During the panel discussion, host Chris Wallace played a video clip of a recent statement by Murtha concerning Iraq. Hume took issue with the congressman's views, and said what many on the right have been waiting for since the media unjustly crowned this man as a voice of reason concerning all things military (video available here): http://movies.crooksandliars.com/FNS-Hume-Murtha.wmv

"That sound bite from John Murtha suggests that it’s time a few things be said about him. Even the “Washington Post” noted he didn’t seem particularly well informed about what’s going on over there, to say the least. Look, this man has tremendous cache among House Democrats, but he is not — this guy is long past the day when he had anything but the foggiest awareness of what the heck is going on in the world."

Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. Thankfully, Hume wasn't done:

"And that sound bite is naivete writ large, and the man is an absolute fountain of such talk, and the fact that he has ascended to the position he has in the eyes of the Democrats in the House and perhaps Democrats around the country tells you a lot about how much they know or care about what’s really going on over there."

Bravo, Brit. Nice to see someone in the media not bowing down to this despicable caricature of a grossly-corrupt and has-been legislator.

1) kubob21 Says:
February 18, 2007 - 21:51

I am coming to believe that Murtha actually hates the military, hates the Marines of which he was once a part. I can think of nothing else that would explain the recent Arkin-like "living in palaces" comment, or the callous "slow bleed" strategy to put US troops at risk to further his political power, or the leaping to the worst conclusions about Haditha. He has a hatred for the military that can only come from at some point being spurned by the military. There have been many rumours of his career in the Marines not being so illustrious, that his purple heart was questionable, I wonder if he was denied rank in the Marines, IE being perceived as a failure as an officer. As far as I know he only held staff positions in Vietnam, his refusal to disclose his military record stinks of a cover up ala Kerry. We don't know if he ever actually faced combat, and if he shirked from it and was eased out of the Corps because of it, it would do much to explain his hatred of and willingness to deny reinforcements to our troops. He actively seeks our defeat, thats a lot of hate at work.

2) Blonde Says:
February 18, 2007 - 22:30

And this was supposedly going to be the "most ethical Congress in history"?

Pelosi is trying to appoint a man who was caught red-handed (oops...$90K in the freezer) to the commitee who is in charge of FEMA?

And we wonder why a known bribe-taker shouldn't be on the Homeland Security committee?

Thank you, Nancy Pelosi.

Sheesh.

3) MikeB Says:
February 18, 2007 - 22:53

You must admit this Congress, so far is exactly as ethical as the Clinton administration. (Sandy Burglar, Rose Firm billing records, Billy Dale's firing, FBI records, "bimbo eruptions", cattle futures, perjury, obstruction of justice, suborning perjury, rape, attempted rape, and on and on and on...)

"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." - Ronald Reagan

4) austinhook Says:
February 19, 2007 - 01:22

Kubob -- but how do you reconcile the idea that his curent anti-military stance, as you derive from his posture now, proves he always hated the military, when he used to have a pro-military stance and there is no deriving the opposite then. I am not saying I understand it, maybe he had a stroke or something. All I can see is political opportunism -- when it paid to be pro-military, then that's what he was. Now that the bets are swinging in the other direction he finds a new posture to fit the times. I really wonder if he cares pro or con. I can only conclude it's worse than that -- it's only self interest speaking. It's not a liberal or conservative bias -- it's just a callous self-interest bias, and he doesn't give a damn about the more abstract philosophy of matters at all.

5) nkviking75 Says:
February 18, 2007 - 21:57

The Dems chose Murtha as a spokesperson for one reason only: He could be portrayed as a "war hero", and thus could be said to have credibility when he spoke out against the war. But the attention has clearly gone to his head. He was someone most of America had never heard of before a couple of years ago. Now he thinks he deserves more time in the spotlight. He was no more qualified as an expert on the military and diplomacy than a local McDonald's manager is qualified to be promoted to the CEO of the whole corporation.

6) liberal_bug_zapper Says:
February 19, 2007 - 02:58

Hey.... fighting in a war does NOT make him a hero.... I won't give him that status. Many traitors fought in wars and battles for us before they betrayed us. Fighting does not make heroes, fighting couragously and proudly supporting your country and not playing politics with the troops could be construed as heroic... but Murtha.... a hero? No, he is a traitor. Time to do some house cleaning as far as I am concerned.

"These are the times that try men's souls." ~ Thomas Paine

7) 10thAmendment Says:
February 18, 2007 - 22:25

The question I would like them to ask Murtha, Reid, Kennedy (hic), Pelosi and the others is this:

"If you were a traitor, trying to kill American soldiers and aid the enemy, what would you be doing differently than your current actions?"

It's just a question I would like to ask.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

8) ScottyDog Says:
February 18, 2007 - 22:28

John Murtha is a crook and should have been tried and convicted 12 years ago in the ABSCAM investigation.

I too think he has a problem with his illustrious military career as he refuses to release his service records.

Nobody would do that unless they have something to hide, not a proud Marine so I suspect he had some real problems in the military.

He is a traitor to his country-IMHO

9) austinhook Says:
February 19, 2007 - 01:35

I find the invariable, hindsight, reinterpretation of people's military records a bit too convenient for the critics of a person's current convictions.

It's probably more like this: yesterday's hero is not an infallable guide to today's hero. You have to look at new positions on their merits and forget about oversimplifications of how to understand how a person is many years later.

10) Grant Abrahamson Says:
February 18, 2007 - 22:43

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/24/AR2006122400919.html

WaPo slipped this article in (on their web site) at 1 AM on Christmas morning, to insure minimum coverage. Bet most folks have never seen it! It is a rare Lame Stream Report which tells the truth about St. Murtha.

11) acaiguana Says:
February 19, 2007 - 09:25

This quote is part of a longer discussion regarding Murtha calling our Marines 'cold blooded murderers'. Of course, that comment did not demonstrate 1) a hatred of our troops or 2) senility.

Huh?

Now it looks like Murtha once again has jumped the gun, seemingly anxious to paint US forces as murderous now that his earlier assertion of helplessness has been shown false. He has made this leap despite the investigation continuing into the incident, and in advance of any determination by the military. Not only has he convicted the Marines without benefit of a complete investigation, let alone a court-martial, he has also found them non compus mentis by reason of "combat stress". In other words, Murtha says they're war criminals, but it's the fault of the Bush administration.

If you are interested, there are a lot more quotes in this discussion. I recommend you read the link.

12) liberal_bug_zapper Says:
February 19, 2007 - 02:55

I think I have a whole new respect for Brit Hume. All I can say is that it is about time that someone started pointing out that these Elected Democrats are a bunch of freaking idiots. They're so slow, that even the short bus passes them by.

I swear, I thought that a Republican style government was supposed to protect us from having this many idiots in the Congress... what frightens me is that this means that all those who voted for these people are just as stupid. The older I get, the more I realize that people are just plain stupid. When I was younger, I just wrote it off as a difference of opinion, but now I know it's pure stupidity breeding more ignorance and stupidity... I have great fear for our country.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10906

-- February 19, 2007 10:26 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Concerning Mr. Murtha's haste to pass judgement on the Marines of Haditha as guilty and murderers:

Pro 29:20 Do you see a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

From The Father Of Haditha Marine, Justin Sharratt
From Mr. Sharratt’s website:

Justin Sharratt - My Son

Written by Darryl Sharratt

I am the father of L/Cpl Justin Sharratt. On August 16, 2003 the dreams of a little boy became reality. My son Justin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school graduation. Since the age of six, Justin dreamed of a military career. The combat boots, camouflage fatigues and helmet he wore as a child would soon become his uniform of the day as a United States Marine. To serve and protect the United States of America from all enemies both domestic and foreign; a duty he did not take lightly. Justin’s first combat tour of duty was the city of Fallujah, Iraq. It was here, in the heat of the Iraqi desert, a boy became a man. Sharratt, Stone, Mitchell, Stevens and Wolf soon became ‘brothers by different mothers.’ In a battle known as “Hell House” they fought toe to toe with Iraqi insurgents bent on the destruction of U. S. Marines. They formed a bond forged in the furnace of combat; a bond that will last a lifetime. Semper Fidelis. Upon his return from Iraq Justin joined us while on leave. He was transformed into the man all fathers dream and hope they will be. While on leave, Justin broke his ankle and was put on medical leave. It was at this time I realized what it meant to him to be an infantry rifleman, a grunt. He stared me in the eyes and said “Dad, all I want to do is get my ankle healed. I have to return to Iraq with 3-1 Kilo Company. The guys are counting on me to cover their six and I will never let them down.” Discussion ended—my son the warrior.

The city of Haditha, Iraq was the destination of 3-1 Kilo Company on Justin’s second deployment. Known to be a hot bed of Iraqi insurgency, the Marines of 3-1 Kilo Company could only envision what to expect. Seasoned from their tour in Fallujah, most of the Marines were on their second Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment, many their third. They were experienced combat veterans, drilled on the Rules of Engagement yet sensitive to their alien environment and the Iraqi populace. On November 19, 2005, a convoy of four Marine humvees was ambushed on a city street in Haditha. A massive IED explosion ripped the fourth humvee in the column apart. One Marine was killed and two were seriously wounded. 3rd platoon, 3-1 Kilo Company, my son’s unit, was now in a firefight for their lives. There was no time for rage or revenge. Justin needed to apply his Marine Corps training and experience to preserve the lives of his fellow Marines. All the Marines in 3rd platoon responded in like manner- to preserve the lives of fellow Marines. Reinforcements were called in and an ambulance was needed to attend the wounded. Marines were positioned to defend their precarious position and a comm link was established to FOB Sparta. All done in the best of Marine Corps tradition and training while taking enemy fire. In the aftermath of this engagement, 24 Iraqis were killed. A U.S. Congressman has called these Marines murderers. Time magazine has enlisted the propaganda of foreign journalists to sell its political agenda. Iraqi civilians have been schooled in making false statements. An Iraqi girl missed a day of school because she was afraid the bomb blast would injure her. Interesting reading, but I truly believe the American people can see through this barrage of media conjecture. I ask you not to prejudge my son, not to prejudge these Marines. They have served this country with honor, truth and diligence. I say unto you. the Few, the Proud, the Marines……….. War is a tragic thing. The enemy we are fighting has had centuries to prepare. They wear no uniforms, fight by no Rules of Engagement or follow the Geneva Convention. Using civilians as human shields is a common practice and their hatred for non-Islamic cultures is endemic.

The United States government has taken 12 months and spent millions of dollars and countless man-hours investigating the Haditha engagement. On December 21, 2006, four NCOs and four officers were charged with violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. My son, LCpl Justin Sharratt faces three counts of unpremeditated murder. This is not the forum to discuss these charges but my son stands strong in the fact he followed the Rules of Engagement, protected his fellow Marines and did nothing wrong. All of these men are innocent of these charges. In the aftermath of 9-11, these men have risen to honorably serve their country. Some have given a lifetime of dedicated service, others were just beginning. They have demonstrated to the world there is “No better friend, No worse enemy” than a U.S. Marine. For now, the handshakes will be tighter, the hugs will be longer and the tears sliding down my face are not a sign of weakness- they affirm a father’s love for his Marine son.

===end of quote==

Mr. Sharratt has been desperate to tell his story, but absolutely no one in our watchdog media will even give him the time of day.

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Sunday, February 18th, 2007

Comments:

1) wardmama4
February 18th, 2007 at 2:09 pm

Of course not - to make even one of these Marines look normal, human or even to have come from normal families will start to make the ‘Haditha Cold Blooded Murders’ to be actually or quite possibly what they were - an act of war against an enemy who thinks nothing of hiding behind woman and children to provoke the ire and sympathy (misplaced though it is) of the whinners, appeasers and spineles of the World. Besides the anti-war turncoat Rep John Murtha (TRAITOR) already stated that the Marines killed in cold blood. So why should anyone want to hear from the parents of marauding, murdering blood thirsty, mindless bushbot killer Marines?

Could be that some of us still believe in the American justice system to be declared ‘innocent until proven guilty’ but I guess that doesn’t count for Marines. . .

2) sheehanjihad
February 18th, 2007 at 6:48 pm

This site is probably one of five that actually believes that haditha was nothing more than our soldiers doing their duty. This is why I encourage any fighting soldier who reads or hears about haditha…..do not…I repeat…do not take prisoners, nor leave anyone who can be used as a witness. Especially, embedded reporters from the ABC networks.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/from-the-father-of-haditha-marine-justin-sharratt

-- February 19, 2007 11:17 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

And I think your prediction, Carole, that Mitt Romney hasn't a chance because
they will roast him concerning the unorthodox views of Mormonism is beginning to prove true.

===

Stephanopoulos Challenges Romney's Depiction of Mormon Theology
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on February 18

When's the last time you saw an MSMer dispute a politician on the tenets of his own faith? It happened today on Good Morning America when George Stephanopoulos challenged Mitt Romney's depiction of a tenet of Mormonism.

Weekend GMA host Kate Snow noted to the "This Week" host that at a Mitt Romney event Friday someone called out to the candidate that he didn't "know the Lord." Snow asked George to what extent Romney's Mormonism might be a "big hurdle" for him.

Stephanopoulos: "Polls certainly show that it is. He faces a lot of skepticism from evangelical Christians. When I spoke with him, I asked him how Muslims might perceive the Mormon belief that Jesus will return to the United States and reign personally here for a thousand years."

GMA then rolled a clip of Romney saying the following: "Our belief is just like it says in the Bible, that the Messiah will come to Jerusalem, stand on the Mount of Olives, and the Mount of Olives will be a place where there's a great gathering, and so forth. It's the same as the other Christian tradition."

Stephanopoulos: "Actually, we checked in with a Mormon spokesman who said that's not exactly true. They believe the New Jerusalem is here in the United States, in Missouri, and that's where Jesus is going to come."

View video here.: http://media.newsbusters.org/media/2007-02-18ABCGMAStephanopoulos.wmv

Just what was George's point? Is he concerned that Mormon theology would make Romney less appealing to Muslim voters in the U.S.? Or perhaps that it would undermine his effectiveness as president in dealing with Muslim countries?

In any case, ABC has now conferred with a religious spokesman for purposes of challenging a public figure on his religious beliefs. Should we expect to see ABC challenge pro-choice and pro-gay rights Christians and Jews with statements from spokesmen from their respective faiths? Will ABC challenge Muslim guests with statements from Islamic experts? Or does ABC limit its theological challenges exclusively to Mormons?

http://newsbusters.org/node/10898

-- February 19, 2007 11:36 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Unlike Media and Al Gore Americans View Global Warming as Low Priority
Posted by Noel Sheppard on February 19, 2007

A new study just released by the University of Oregon indicates that despite all of the attention given to global warming by the media and pols like Al Gore, most people believe that solving the problem is a low priority (emphasis mine throughout):

"Most Americans believe global warming is real but a moderate and distant risk. While they strongly support policies like investing in renewable energy, higher fuel economy standards and international treaties, they strongly oppose carbon taxes on energy sources that put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere."

How deliciously refreshing. The study in question was done by Anthony Leiserowitz, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Oregon, and had some rather fascinating conclusions, QUOTE:

"Although the data demonstrating climate change have grown stronger in recent years, Americans rank global warming as a low priority compared to other national issues such as the Iraq war, the economy, health care and education, and environmental issues such as air and water pollution, Leiserowitz said."

There was a somewhat comical side to Leiserowitz’s findings, QUOTE:

The survey, detailed in Chapter 2 of the book, also identified two particular groups, or "interpretive communities," of Americans at the extremes of global warming beliefs:

* Alarmists, who have apocalyptic visions, envision "death of the planet" or post-nuclear-war-like scenarios. "These visions are well beyond the most extreme scientific scenarios," Leiserowitz said. Alarmists, he found, are slightly more likely to be liberal and to hold strong egalitarian values.

* Naysayers, who deny, discount or disbelieve the reality of climate change. "These people claim that there is no scientific evidence, blame global warming on media hype, or even hold dark conspiracy theories, such as scientists making up data to protect their job security," he said. "Naysayers are much more likely to be white, male, conservative, Republican, very religious, hold strongly individualistic or hierarchist values and to get their news and information from radio talk shows."

===

And, of course, NewsBusters. :)

http://newsbusters.org/node/10908

-- February 19, 2007 11:46 AM ∞

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mattuk wrote:

To all, This I found, thought may be of interest....

Countdown to war in Iran
By: Lambros on: 18.02.2007
(
Where are the mullahs and crazed ayatollahs - if US and British newspapers couldn't find them, they'd have to make them up. Especially now when the US's response to its military failure in Iraq is to fabricate the case for war on Iran. In coming months, vast acreage of newsprint will be devoted to pump-priming us with fear that Iran is nuclear enemy number one. The Iranian President Ahmedinejad will fill the post of "New Hitler" vacated by Saddam. Politicians will perform somersaults to justify a pre-emptive strike, possibly as soon as April.Ready-made dossiers are already being circulated to provoke the necessary agitated mood. Which is why the US chose this moment to leak "evidence" that the Iranians are promoting Sunni insurgents' attacks on its troops. Why Iran would do this when its natural affinity is with the Shia majority in Iraq, condemned the 9/11 attacks, and supported the US in Afghanistan, is not made clear. It will not be examined too closely because to do so would be to allow too many questions to muddy our vision.

It will not be explained that in 2005 the supreme authority in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa which forbade the stockpiling, production, and use of nuclear weapons. Nor the complication that others believe an Iranian nuclear weapon is the only safeguard against the US using a "battlefield" - or low-yield - nuclear bomb on Iran. And will anyone pick up on this observation by President Chirac - stating the obvious? "Where would it (Iran) fire that bomb? At Israel? It wouldn't have travelled 200 metres through the atmosphere before Tehran was razed."

A script is being played out as surely as during the lead-up to the war on Iraq - but this time at an accelerated rate.

Already, for instance, the fiction is perpetuated on mainstream TV that Ahmedinejad called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". I have no illusions about this populist and regressive president. But Ahmedinejad never made the quoted remark. Farsi speakers have pointed out that he was mistranslated. The Iranian president was quoting a statement by Iran's first Islamist leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, that "this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time", just as had the Shah's regime in Iran.

That reference to the "page of time" suggests he did not expect it to happen soon, nor even believed that Iran would be involved in making it happen. But the propaganda impact of this distortion increases each time it is repeated. It entrenches the view that Iran is threatening to exterminate Jews.

These anomalies will be overlooked if we are panicked into supporting the Bush administration's next act of military lunacy. Those Christian fundamentalists of the White House feel they have nothing left to lose. The "cakewalk" of Iraq has become a bloodbath. US imperialism has lost the political, ideological and moral argument, and it is left only with the gun, the boot, and the bomb to ensure tame or favourable regimes.

Attacking Iran will be an 11th-hour attempt by the US to reassert its superpower status in a world where this is challenged by nations such as China. War now seems to be the option of choice for a country which is the world's largest debtor nation, and whose politicians regard militarism as a means of enforcing corporate interests, not least in respect of gas and oil links to Israel and the Mediterranean Sea.

This policy falls under the aegis of what the neo-cons themselves call the Project for the New American Century, named after an institute which mapped out its vision as far back as 2000 - before the 9/11 attacks. (To access details, for your own reference, see www.newamericancentury.org)

How soon might the next war start? Some reports suggest the US is only awaiting the most opportune moment - which could be any time this year - or may prompt Israel to act as its proxy. That could mean bombing nuclear facilities close to Tehran which could pump radioactive plutonium over a city of around 12 million people. The result could be a Middle East war cascading worldwide. Several senior Pentagon and White House figures, after all, have openly canvassed for the use of "battlefield" nukes on Iran. This might not be the spark for outright nuclear conflagration, but it would bring that possibility much closer.

In any event, we would be told that wartime realities dictate we must rally in common purpose. War abroad would be paralleled by political and legalistic authoritarianism at home.

Little of this seems close as we sit in the comfort zone of our liberal democracy and are largely unmolested by the state.

Yet historical evidence suggests that we often sleepwalk into the most cataclysmic events. There may be little prospect of us halting this descent into hell once it has begun. Bush and his sponsors will have unleashed a war of uncontrollable savagery.

I hope I am very wrong. But if this sounds crazy, consider what those crazies in the White House have already done in Iraq.

Why would they stop now?

nyoung@westernmorningnews.co.uk

-- February 19, 2007 11:58 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

And IRAN is continuing its proxy war against America,
using both sides to foment violence toward their aims -
starting of course, in the forefront of their battle - Iraq.
(Just remember, it won't END there, in Iraq... and,
their stated goals are much further than that country.)

How the Iraq war is turning into America's defeat
By Mark Steyn

The week's news from Iraq: According to the state television network, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was wounded in a clash with security forces just north of Baghdad. A senior deputy was killed.

Meanwhile, the punk cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has decided that discretion is the better part of mullahs and has temporarily relocated to Iran. That's right: The biggest troublemaker in Iraq is no longer in Iraq. It may be that his Persian vacation is only to marry a cousin or two and consult with the A-list ayatollahs, but the Mookster has always had highly sensitive antennae when it comes to his own physical security — he likes being the guy who urges martyrdom on others rather than being just another schmuck who takes one for the team. So the fact that urgent business requires him to be out of town for the Big Surge is revealing at the very least of how American objectives in Iraq are not at the mercy of forces beyond their control; U.S. military and political muscle can shape conditions on the ground — if they can demonstrate they're serious about doing so.

Which these days is a pretty big "if." Reporting the sudden relocation, the New York Times decided — in nothing flat — that it was yet another disastrous setback. In Iraq, no news is good news, and Sadr news is badder news:

''With the new American offensive in Baghdad still in its early days, American commanders have focused operations in the eastern part of the city, a predominantly Shiite area that has long been the Mahdi Army's power base.

''If Mr. Sadr had indeed fled, his absence would create a vacuum that could allow even more radical elements of the Shiite group to take power.''

As my National Review colleague Rich Lowry marveled: ''So now we need to keep Sadr in Iraq because he's such a stabilizing influence!'' Of course! As Hillaire Belloc wrote, ''Always keep a hold of Nurse/For fear of finding something worse'' — and, even when Nurse Sadr is blowing up the kids in the nursery every day, it's best to cling to her blood-drenched apron strings because the next nurse will be an even bigger psycho. America is a big helpless baby who's blundered into a war zone he can never hope to understand.

According to a report by the New York Sun's Eli Lake last month, Iran is supporting Shia insurgents in Iraq and Sunni insurgents in Iraq. In other words, it's on both sides in the so-called civil war. How can this be? After all, as the other wise old foreign-policy "realists" of the Iraq Study Group assured us only in December, Iran has "an interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq.''

Au contraire, the ayatollahs have concluded they have a very clear interest in fomenting chaos in Iraq. They're in favor of Sunni killing Shia, and Shia killing Sunni, and if some vacationing Basque terrorists wanted to blow up the Spanish Cultural Center in Mosul, they'd be in favor of that, too. The Iranians don't care who kills whom as long as every night when Americans turn on the evening news there's smoke over Baghdad. As I say in my book, if you happen to live in Ramadi or Basra, Iraq is about Iraq; if you live in Tehran, or Cairo, or Bei-jing, Moscow, Pyongyang or Brussels, Iraq is about America. American will. American purpose. American credibility.

There was a TV station somewhere — was it Thunder Bay, Ontario? — that used to show a continuous loop of a roaring fireplace all night, and thousands of viewers would supposedly sit in front of it for hours because it was such a reassuringly comforting scene. The networks could save themselves a lot of money by adopting the same approach: Run a continuous loop of a smoking building in Baghdad all night while thousands of congressmen and pundits and think-tankers and retired generals run around Washington shrieking that all is lost. America is way out of its league! A dimwitted tourist in a fearful land of strange people who don't watch "American Idol." Iraq is so culturally alien that not a single Sunni, Shia or Kurd has come forward claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole's baby!

Get a grip, chaps! In Iraq, everyone's a tourist. This al-Qaida honcho, al-Masri, is an Egyptian. His predecessor, Zarqawi, was a Jordanian. Al-Sadr is a Persian stooge. For four decades, the country was a British client. Before that, it was a Turkish province. The Middle East is a crazy place and a tough nut to crack, but the myth of the unbeatable Islamist insurgent is merely a lazy and more neurotic update of the myth of the unbeatable communist guerrilla, which delusion led to so much pre-emptive surrender in the '70s. Nevertheless, in the capital city of the most powerful nation on the planet, the political class spent last week trying to craft a bipartisan defeat strategy, and they might yet pull it off. Consider this extraordinary report from the Washington Post:

"Democratic leaders have rallied around a strategy that would fully fund the president's $100 billion request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but would limit his ability to use the money. . . . The plan is aimed at tamping down calls from the Democrats' liberal wing for Congress to simply end funding for the war.

"The Murtha plan, based on existing military guidelines, includes a stipulation that Army troops who have already served in Iraq must be granted two years at home before an additional deployment. . . . The idea is to slowly choke off the war by stopping the deployment of troops from units that have been badly degraded by four years of combat."

So "the Murtha plan" is to deny the president the possibility of victory while making sure Democrats don't have to share the blame for the defeat. But of course he's a great American! He's a patriot! He supports the troops! He doesn't support them in the mission, but he'd like them to continue failing at it for a couple more years. As John Kerry wondered during Vietnam, how do you ask a soldier to be the last man to die for a mistake? By nominally "fully funding" a war you don't believe in but "limiting his ability to use the money." Or as the endearingly honest anti-war group MoveCongress.org put it, in an e-mail preview of an exclusive interview with the wise old Murtha:

"Chairman Murtha will describe his strategy for not only limiting the deployment of troops to Iraq but undermining other aspects of the president's foreign and national security policy."

"Undermining"? Why not? To the Slow-Bleed Democrats, it's the Republicans' war. To an increasing number of what my radio pal Hugh Hewitt calls the White-Flag Republicans, it's Bush's war. To everyone else on the planet, it's America's war. And it will be America's defeat.

http://jewishworldreview.com/0207/steyn.php3

-- February 19, 2007 12:08 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

White House disputes Iraq as 'worst mistake'
February 19, 2007

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House on Sunday disagreed with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's claim that the Iraq war was "the worst foreign policy mistake" in U.S. history.

White House press secretary Tony Snow said it was important to remove Saddam Hussein from power and noted that a majority of senators voted in 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq.

He said President Bush should not see votes in Congress in opposition of his new Iraqi strategy as a rebuke.

"The strategy has barely had a chance to begin working," Snow said.

The House passed a nonbinding resolution Friday that rejected the president's 21,500-troop buildup in Iraq. The vote put Bush on the defensive going into a far more consequential confrontation over paying for the plan.

On Saturday, Senate Republicans foiled a Democratic bid to repudiate Bush's deployment of additional combat troops. The 56-34 vote fell four short of the 60 needed, but Democrats quickly claimed victory, noting that a majority of senators voted against the escalation.

"This war is a serious situation," Reid said Saturday. "It involves the worst foreign policy mistake in the history of this country. ... We find ourselves in a very deep hole. We need to find a way to dig out of it."

Snow disagreed.

"The war is tough, but the solution is not to get out. It is to provide the kinds of resources and reinforcements our forces need to get the job done, and at the same time say to the Iraqis `You guys got to step up,"' Snow responded.

He said the president understands the importance of debate about the war on Capitol Hill and understands lawmakers' anxiety about the war.

"What I would say to members of Congress is: Calm down and take a look at what's going on, and ask yourself a simple question: If you support the troops, would you deny them the reinforcements they think are necessary to complete the mission?"'

Snow cited surveys that showed a majority of Americans do not want Congress to cut the purse strings for the war.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/19/wh.congress.iraq/index.html

-- February 19, 2007 12:21 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Mattuk;

In that article you posted, it says that it was all a misunderstanding and a mistranslation of ONE single comment concerning the threat to Israel and the US from Iran. It further says of Ahmadinejad that "he did not expect it to happen soon, nor even believed that Iran would be involved in making it happen. But the propaganda impact of this distortion increases each time it is repeated." Thus, it proports that the Iranians and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in particular, are peaceful and not seeking any quarrel with the US. Yet, if you search for articles about the subject as I just did, this will come up:

Iran: Israel, US will soon die

Ahmadinejad: Be assured that the US and Israel will soon end lives
Yaakov Lappin

Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday during a meeting with Syria's foreign minister, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) website said in a report. Iran's official FARS news agency also reported the comments.

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad… assured that the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel will soon come to the end of their lives," the Iranian president was quoted as saying.

Ahmadinejad has threatened the State of Israel with annihilation several times in recent months, and has recently added the US and Britain to the list of countries he says will be destroyed.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1%2C2506%2CL-3356154%2C00.html

===

Ahmadinejad: “We Will Soon See Israel’s Disappearance”
From France’s AFP: Israel doomed ‘to destruction’: Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN –– Iranian President Mamhoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel was doomed ‘to destruction” and would soon disappear, in his latest verbal attack on the Jewish state, local news agencies reported.

“As this regime goes against the path of life, we will soon see its disappearance and its destruction,” Ahmadinejad.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/ahmadinejad-we-will-soon-see-israels-disappearance

===

Iran Threatens To Destroy Israel If Nuke Sites Attacked
From Associated Press:

Iran: We Will Retaliate Swiftly to Any Israeli Attack
Sunday , November 12, 2006

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that his country’s Revolutionary Guards would strongly and immediately respond to any Israeli attack as hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad harshly criticized the U.N. Security Council over its efforts to impose sanctions because of Tehran’s controversial nuclear program.

"If the Zionist regime commits such stupidity, the response by the Iranian military will be swift, strong and crushing," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini said. "Iran will take no longer than a second to respond."

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/iran-threatens-to-destroy-israel-if-nuke-sites-attacked

===

Ahmadinejad: “We Must Get Ready To Rule The World”
From Iran's Rooz Online:

Iran’s officials compete on who is God’s representative?
05 Sep 2006

The head of the Assembly of Experts in the opening of its sixteenth majlis announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only legitimate form of government in the world. “Our system is bound to God, and our powerful leader is God’s representative on earth, our army is God’s army. Our young people are Hezbollah and the majority of our people are friends of God which is an honor for us.”

The list of Ahmadi Nejad’s special relations to the divine sources has been long in the last year. Among these claims are that he saw a halo around himself when delivering his speech at the United Nations (in his talk with Ayatollah Javad Amoli) and the claim made by Ayatollah Janati, the deputy of Council of Experts, stating that “Ahmadi Nejad’s letter to G.W. Bush was a message from God”. These claims have resulted in new heavenly Promises – Mr. Ahmadi Nejad announced that “ we must get ready to rule the world. And that the Islamic government in Iran is the pre-requisite for a world wide Islamic state.”

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/iranian-leaders-argue-over-who-is-holyist

-- February 19, 2007 1:16 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Not forgetting the IEDs being supplied by Iran and have killed American troops -
a fact which was so recently in the news, consider these findings as well:

Iran Fires Missiles With Multiple Warheads In War Games
From Reuters:

Iran fires missiles in war games: TV
By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired missiles carrying cluster warheads to shouts of "God is the greatest" at the start of 10 days of military maneuvers on Thursday, state television reported.

Tehran had said the maneuvers, dubbed "The Greatest Prophet" and which will include drills in the Gulf and Sea of Oman, were to demonstrate "defensive strength." …

"Dozens of missiles were fired, including Shahab-2 and Shahab-3 missiles. The missiles had ranges from 300 km (190 miles) up to 2,000 km (1,240 miles)," Iran's main state television channel reported.

Footage showed six missiles, which television said included Shahabs, being fired from mobile launchers and leaving long vapor trails as they soared into the air above the desert near the holy city of Qom in central Iran.

State TV said the cluster warheads could carry 1,400 bombs…

Experts say Iran's Shahab-3 missiles have a maximum range of some 2,000 km, making them capable of hitting Israel as well as U.S. military bases in the Gulf. They say the Shahab-2 missile has a range of up to 700 km…

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/iran-fires-missiles-with-multiple-warheads-in-war-games

===

Iran Threatens “Harm And Pain” For US Over Nukes

From the Associated Press:
Iran Threatens U.S. With ‘Harm and Pain’
By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press

VIENNA, Austria - Iran threatened the United States with "harm and pain" Wednesday for its role in hauling Tehran before the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/iran-threatens-harm-and-pain-for-us

-- February 19, 2007 1:23 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

And just in case you are STILL skeptical about the aims of the enemies of the USA here.. let us look at a few utterances by the terrorists, including those from Tehran, and see what they have to say with their own words. This is edited for brevity, click on the link below for ALL the comments.. there are very many of them.

===

What The Terrorists Want - In Their Own Words

In his speech today on terrorism President Bush referenced some of the intentions of our enemies, the terrorists. The White House has issued a press release listing some of what our enemies have in mind for us.

(But unlike the press releases from their DNC masters, which are then reported as headline or front page above the fold news, this information will be ignored by our one party media.)

In Their Own Words: What the Terrorists Believe, What They Hope to Accomplish, and How They Intend to Accomplish It
September 5, 2006

Bin Laden: "It Is Very Easy To Target [America's] Flimsy Base And … We Will Be Able Crush And Destroy Them." BIN LADEN: "In conclusion, America is definitely a great power, with an unbelievable military strength and a vibrant economy, but all of these have been built on a very weak and hollow foundation. Therefore, it is very easy to target that flimsy base and concentrate on their weak points and even if we are able to target one tenth of these weak points, we will be able [to] crush and destroy them and remove them from ruling and conquering the World." (Translation Of Purported Bin Laden Audio Message, Posted On Islamist Site, 2/14/03)

The Terrorists On Their Propaganda Strategy

Osama Bin Laden: Al-Qaeda Intends To Launch "A Media Campaign … To Create A Wedge Between The American People And Their Government." (Letter From Osama Bin Laden To Mullah Omar, Released By The White House Press Office, 9/5/06)

Bin Laden: This Media Campaign Will Stress "That [The American] Government Would Bring Them More Losses, In Finances And In Casualties." (Letter From Osama Bin Laden To Mullah Omar, Released By The White House Press Office, 9/5/06)

Bin Laden: "[The American People] Are Being Sacrificed To Serve The Big Investors, Especially The Jews." (Letter From Osama Bin Laden To Mullah Omar, Released By The White House Press Office, 9/5/06)

Bin Laden: The Media Campaign "Aims At Creating Pressure From The American People On The American Government To Stop Their Campaign Against Afghanistan." (Letter From Osama Bin Laden To Mullah Omar, Released By The White House Press Office, 9/5/06)

The Terrorists On Their Belief That America Is Weak

Osama Bin Laden: America's "Combat Strategy Is Heavily Dependent On The Psychological Aspect Of War … Which Hides The Cowardice And Lack Of Fighting Spirit Of The American Soldier." BIN LADEN: "It has been made clear during our defending and fighting against the American enemy that this enemy's combat strategy is heavily dependent on the psychological aspect of war due to its large and efficient media apparatus and of course its indiscriminate aerial bombing which hides the cowardice and lack of fighting spirit of the American soldier. … Likewise, let me remind you of the defeat of the American forces in Beirut in 1982, soon after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, when the Lebanese resistance was personified by the truck laden with explosives that struck the main military base of the US Marines in Beirut, killing 242 soldiers – towards Hell was their destination and what an evil destination that is." (Translation Of Purported Bin Laden Audio Message, Posted On Islamist Site, 2/14/03)

Bin Laden: "In Somalia … The United States [Pulled] Out, Trailing Disappointment, Defeat, And Failure Behind It." BIN LADEN: "We found that out from our brothers who fought the Americans in Somalia. They did not see it as a power worthy of any mention. It was the big propaganda that the United State used to terrify people before fighting them. Our brothers, who were here in Afghanistan, also tried the Americans. God gave them and the mujahidin success in Somalia and the United States pull out, trailing disappointment, defeat, and failure behind it. It achieved nothing. It left quicker than people had imagined." (Full Text Of Interview With Al-Qaeda Leader Osama Bin Laden, 10/21/01)

Ayman al-Zawahiri: "There Is No Hope In Victory." ZAWAHIRI: "This is the fumbling that precedes the defeat. Bush and Blair are hiding the true disaster they are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan. They know better than others that there is no hope in victory. The Vietnam specter is closing every outlet." (Al-Qaeda's Al-Zawahiri Predicts Failure of US 'Crusade' Against Muslim States, Posted On Jihadist Websites, 12/7/05)

The Terrorists On The Importance Of Iraq

Osama Bin Laden: Baghdad Is "The Capital Of The Caliphate." (Text Of Bin Laden's Audio Message To Muslims In Iraq, Posted On Jihadist Websites, 12/28/04)

Bin Laden: "The Most Important And Serious Issue Today For The Whole World Is This Third World War … Raging In [Iraq]." BIN LADEN: "I now address my speech to the whole of the Islamic nation: Listen and understand. The issue is big and the misfortune is momentous. The most important and serious issue today for the whole world is this Third World War, which the Crusader-Zionist coalition began against the Islamic nation. It is raging in the land of the two rivers. The world's millstone and pillar is in Baghdad, the capital of the caliphate." (Text Of Bin Laden's Audio Message To Muslims In Iraq, Posted On Jihadist Websites, 12/28/04)

Bin Laden: "This Is A War Of Destiny Between Infidelity And Islam." (Text Of Bin Laden's Audio Message To Muslims In Iraq, Posted On Jihadist Websites, 12/28/04)

Bin Laden: "The Whole World Is Watching This War And The Two Adversaries; The Islamic Nation, On The One Hand, And The United States And Its Allies On The Other. It Is Either Victory And Glory Or Misery And Humiliation." (Text Of Bin Laden's Audio Message To Muslims In Iraq, Posted On Jihadist Websites, 12/28/04)

Ayman al-Zawahiri: We Must "Establish An Islamic Authority … Over As Much Territory As You Can To Spread Its Power In Iraq … [And] Extend The Jihad Wave To The Secular Countries Neighboring Iraq." ZAWAHIRI: "So we must think for a long time about our next steps and how we want to attain it, and it is my humble opinion that the Jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals: The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq. The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority or amirate, then develop it and support it until it achieves the level of a caliphate – over as much territory as you can to spread its power in Iraq … The third stage: Extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighboring Iraq. The fourth stage: It may coincide with what came before: the clash with Israel, because Israel was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity." (Complete Text Of Al-Zawahiri Letter To Al-Zarqawi, 7/9/05, Available At: http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20051011_release.htm, Accessed 9/5/06)

Bin Laden: "The War Is For You Or For Us To Win. If We Win It, It Means Your Defeat And Disgrace Forever." BIN LADEN: "Finally, I would like to tell you that the war is for you or for us to win. If we win it, it means your defeat and disgrace forever as the wind blows in this direction with God's help." (Bin Laden Threatens New Operations, Offers 'Long-Term Truce,' Posted On Al-Jazirah Net, 1/19/06)

The Terrorists On Their Absolute Hostility Towards America

Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah: "Death To America." NASRALLAH: "Let the entire world hear me. Our hostility to the Great Satan is absolute. … I conclude my speech with the slogan that will continue to reverberate on all occasions so that nobody will think that we have weakened. Regardless of how the world has changed after 11 September, Death to America will remain our reverberating and powerful slogan: Death to America." (Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah Supports Intifadah, Vows 'Death to America,' Aired On Beirut Al-Manar Television, 9/27/02)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "We Will Soon Experience A World Without The United States And Zionism." AHMADINEJAD: "Undoubtedly, I say that this slogan and goal is achievable, and with the support and power of God, we will soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism and will breathe in the brilliant time of Islamic sovereignty over today's world." (Iran's President Warns Muslims Of 'Conspiracies Of World Imperialism,' Available At: www.sharifnews.com, Accessed 10/26/05)

President Ahmadinejad: "Your Doomed Destiny Will Be Annihilation, Misfortune And Abjectness." AHMADINEJAD: "Open your eyes and see the fate of Pharaoh. … Open your eyes and see what happened to the Portuguese Empire. See the final fate of the British Empire. … I am telling you [major powers], if you do not abandon the path of falsehood and return to the path of justice, your doomed destiny will be annihilation, misfortune and abjectness." (President Ahmadinejad Says Iran To Respond To Nuclear Proposals By 'End Of Mordad,' Aired On Islamic Republic Of Iran News Network Television (IRINN), 6/21/06)

President Ahmadinejad: "The Anger Of Muslims May Reach An Explosion Point Soon … [And] The Waves Of The Blast Will Not Remain Within The Boundaries Of Our Region." AHMADINEJAD: "The anger of Muslims may reach an explosion point soon. If such a day comes, they [Western governments] should know that the waves of the blast will not remain within the boundaries of our region and will engulf the corrupt powers that support this fake regime too." (Iran: President Reaffirms Warning Of Explosion Of Muslim Anger In Tabriz Address, Aired On Tehran Islamic Republic Of Iran News Network Television (IRINN), 7/11/06)

President Ahmadinejad: "If You Would Like To Have Good Relations With The Iranian Nation … Bow Down Before The Greatness Of The Iranian Nation And Surrender." AHMADINEJAD: "And you, for your part, if you would like to have good relations with the Iranian nation in the future, recognize the Iranian nation's right. Recognize the Iranian nation's greatness. And bow down before the greatness of the Iranian nation and surrender. If you don't accept [to do this], the Iranian nation will later force you to surrender and bow down." (Iran: Ahmadinejad Says US, UK 'Resorted To Tricks' 'To Postpone' Cease-Fire, Aired On Tehran Islamic Republic Of Iran News Network Television (IRINN), 8/15/06)

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/what-the-terrorists-want-in-their-own-words

-- February 19, 2007 1:35 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N.

Found this article, scrolled the pages and found that you have already posted it, well done.

The piece about Wolfowitz and the World Bank is a very important piece, and I'm afraid it will be drowned out in the ordinary background noise.

What we got from this article was the essence of what I have been saying for some time, but it also gives a very good opportunity to change things (finally) in the Iraqi bank system.

As far as we can read it, Iraq Central Bank, that is runned by IMF have been runned by the Director Joseph Saba, that has been sitti9ng in Washington DC and runned Iraq as one of 5 countries on his dispatch board. Meaning, he can give ONE FIFTH of his attention to Iraq.

The policies and hold back from the IMF and WB have been the security situation, and even though the CBI is operating from within the Green Zone, the secured area of Iraq, the WB consider the Iraq Bank and regime to not being in control over the country ( wrong, three out of eighteen provinces are in turmoil) and therefore have restricted the operation of the CBI as to even in some parts being illegal, (or, not as per the intention of IMF).

So right now there is a pretty big shake up when it comes to the Iraq banking system , as runned by WB and IMF.

Christian Poortman a 30 year old veteran (stiff), the Vice President of the Middle East affairs in the WB have resigned, and it seems to be some head butting in the WB right now, as Wolfowitz have come in and stirred things up on the Iraqi front in the WB.

Wolfowitz are setting the WB reps IN Baghdad, and not in an office in Washington DC with someone that has been doing nothing for years, and have been in charge over five countries.

Hope this will get the banking going, the set up going, the criteria completed with, and the currency revalued or set on Forex as soon as possible.

If Wolfowitz is a good or bad guy, I don't know, but one thing for sure, the WB and IMF have been dragging, prolonging and made sure the CBI have been handled with the most possible delay and inefficiency you can imagine, and the changes ahead is a much better deal for our Dinars, then when the IMF was sitting with an opinion about things in an office in Washington DC.

This is as far as I can see, a WB shakeup, and this is exactly what they need, preferably a couple of more stiffs from the WB and IMF could resign as well.

An RV could have been done long ago, changing the economical landscape dramatically, giving people hope, and a future. The insurgency, could have been either eliminated in the first place or kept to very small proportions, had the RV happened early.

Incompetent WB and IMF office owls, sitting in a cubicle in Washington DC knows better, and as long as the participants get their paycheck, they don't care, they don't even seem to have the most fundamental knowledge of what a ridiculously undervalued currency can do to hurt a country.

Mouth open, and the tongue hanging, drooling and dripping on their suit, and doesn't even notice it.

They have a very real and immediate reality about the Washington DC's rush hour traffic, the parking problems, and the clauses of their employment contract as to whether they have dental or not, but have no clue as to Baghdad's needs, life and problems.

"-I don't need to go there, I just have to watch the MSM".

I'm very glad this shakedown are rocking the WB, and hope this is what is needed to get things going on the financial sector in Iraq.

-- February 19, 2007 4:58 PM ∞

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DinarAdmin wrote:

Anonymous, please read the top of the page:

Note that due to childishness of some commenters, a moderator -- codename DinarAdmin - will be making sure personal attacks are immediately deleted.

DinarAdmin

-- February 19, 2007 6:08 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Muslim Cabbie Charged With Running Over Students After Religious Dispute
Monday, February 19, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Muslim cabdriver from Somalia ran over two college students near Vanderbilt University after getting into an argument with them about religion, police said.

At some point, according to the police, the two men exited the cab, and the cabbie also got out. They paid him his fare, and then they exchanged words.

According to the incident report, Ahmed then returned to his cab as the students fled on foot. Ahmed then allegedly drove across a parking lot, jumped a curb and struck the two men.

One of the students, identified as Jeremy Invus, was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with critical injuries. The other passenger, Andrew Nelson, avoided the cab.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C252783%2C00.html

-- February 19, 2007 10:23 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Iran says will not halt uranium enrichment
Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:34am ET
By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will not agree to suspend uranium enrichment as demanded by the U.N. Security Council, which has given Tehran until February 21 to halt sensitive atomic work, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Other top Iranian officials have also insisted Iran will press ahead with its nuclear program, which the West believes is a clandestine program to build atomic bombs. Iran denies this, saying it only wants to make fuel for power plants.

Iranian officials have indicated they might consider some compromise proposals, including one that Iran continue spinning the enrichment centrifuges it already has, but without injecting the uranium feedstock.

Diplomats say several Western countries oppose this idea because it could still help Iran to master the process.

Tehran has so far enriched tiny quantities of uranium to the low levels needed for power plant fuel. However, it has said it is determined to increase output by installing a network of thousands of centrifuges.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-02-18T153553Z_01_BLA828171_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAN-NUCLEAR.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

-- February 19, 2007 10:28 PM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Not much in the way of movement lately
Will have access problems this week
If somebody wants to post the exchange rate thru Sat. I would appreciate it!
Have a good week all!

Announcement No.(867)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 867 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Tuesday 2007/ 2/ 20 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 17 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1283 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 89.410.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 89.410.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 20, 2007 4:42 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Wire Service Spreads Misleading Bush-Killed-Kyoto History
Posted by Tim Graham on February 20, 2007

One common media-created misconception in the Bush years is that the Clinton administration fully supported the international Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but the Bush administration arrived and refused to take any action on it. In reality, while Vice President Al Gore signed the Kyoto agreement for the United States, the Clinton administration never submitted it to the Senate for ratification (just like Bush), and the Senate voted 95 to zippy in a nonbinding sense-of-the-Senate resolution against Kyoto in 1997, because the agreement would curb American and European emissions, but place no restrictions whatsoever on China or other polluting "developing" nations.

Agence France Presse was the latest to use bias by omission to relay the Bush-killed-Kyoto theory. It was a story on that global savior Al Gore, declaring he would not run for president in 2008, QUOTE:

Gore was the US negotiator for the international Kyoto Protocol that set global goals on emission of so-called greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

The protocol was agreed in 1997 and took effect in February 2005, but Bush refused to ratify it, citing its high economic cost and the fact that China and India, the world's largest producers of greenhouse gases after the United States were, as developing nations, not bound by it.

==end of quote==

It's quite astounding that liberals would both (1) vote unanimously to avoid Kyoto and (2) trash Bush as the main stumbling block to Kyoto.

http://newsbusters.org/node/10934

-- February 20, 2007 6:43 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Some slow progress on the HCL law.

Draft Law on Oil Money Moves to Iraqi Cabinet
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By JAMES GLANZ
Published: February 19, 2007
KARABILA, Iraq, Feb. 18 — A draft version of the long-awaited law that would govern the development of Iraqi oil fields and the distribution of oil revenues has been submitted to Iraq’s cabinet, the first step toward approving the legislation, two members of a senior negotiating committee said this weekend.

The move seemed to signal that negotiators had arrived at the outlines of a compromise that would satisfy the Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni members of the committee and break a deadlock that has held up approval of the law for months. Because the Iraqi budget depends almost entirely on oil revenues, the law is considered an essential element of creating a stable and functioning government.

Earlier drafts of the law described to The New York Times indicate that Iraq’s central government in Baghdad would retain substantial control over oil revenues and the right to review the contracts that regional governments sign with Iraqi and international companies to develop the fields and to pump oil.

Negotiations had snagged because of the insistence by the Kurds that they maintain a degree of autonomy in managing their northern fields. But two members of the negotiating committee confirmed that a draft had been sent to the cabinet, indicating that a compromise might be in sight.

Neither of those negotiators — Hussain al-Shahristani, the current oil minister, and Thamir Ghadban, a former oil minister — provided details of the compromise. But a senior official in the Kurdish regional government also said that a deal was near and hinted that the Kurds had received concessions on how the law would affect existing contracts with oil companies that agreed to work in the north.

If the cabinet approves the draft law, it would then be sent to Parliament for ratification. Parliament for the most part automatically passes laws that have been approved by leaders of the main political parties, which run along ethnic and sectarian lines.

Qais Mizher contributed reporting from Baghdad and Yerevan Adham from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 20, 2007 7:31 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, Rob N..
Hopefully sometime soon.

===

Iraq's Maliki orders security forces to crush foes
Tue Feb 20, 2007
By Claudia Parsons and Dean Yates

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki told his security forces on Tuesday to show no mercy toward insurgents in a security crackdown in Baghdad.

Making a rare foray into Baghdad's violent streets, Maliki called for an end to sectarian divisions. Iraqiya state television showed Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist leader, talking to an Iraqi soldier near an armored vehicle in central Baghdad. The soldier pointed to an area from where he said insurgents had been firing at security forces.

"Don't just fire back, crush the place where the fire came from," Maliki replied. "Don't treat them with leniency. This is an armored vehicle here, use it."

The prime minister met Iraqis who had been forced out of their homes. He told them they would return to their neighborhoods as heroes.

The U.S.-led offensive against Shi'ite militias and Sunni insurgents had sharply reduced the number of death squad killings in Baghdad when it began a week ago.

It had dropped to just three on Sunday and in previous days to around five each day, but the numbers have begun rising, to 20 on Monday and 25 on Tuesday, a police source said.

Before the crackdown, police had been finding 40 to 50 bodies a day.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-02-20T212053Z_01_L16903919_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-1.xml&src=rss

-- February 20, 2007 7:58 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraqis take Basra command as UK plans troop cuts
Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:28pm ET
By Peter Graff

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain put Iraqis in command of the main Iraqi army unit in Basra on Tuesday, a move billed as paving the way for Washington's main ally to formally announce major cutbacks in troops.

"The Iraqi Army division based in Basra has transferred from under coalition command, and is now -- for the first time -- taking its orders direct from an Iraqi headquarters in Baghdad," the British military said in a statement.

"The transfer is a significant step toward Iraqi forces taking responsibility for security in the city."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Sunday that Britain would draw down its force in Iraq once Iraqis were responsible for security in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city.

"It is absolutely true, as we've said for months, that as the Iraqis are more capable down in Basra of taking control of their own security, we will scale down," Blair said in an interview on Sunday.

"The operation that we've been conducting in Basra is now complete. And that operation has specifically been to put the Iraqi forces in the main frontline control of security within the city. And it's actually been successful as an operation."

The British handed over security responsibility for two of their four provinces to Iraqis last year.

Its force is now concentrated in Basra itself and at a nearby air base. Commanders say they hope to withdraw from the city and keep a reserve force on standby at the base.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-02-20T172810Z_01_L2089358_RTRUKOT_0_TEXT0.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-L1-RelatedNews-1

-- February 20, 2007 8:05 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Bush Unconcerned About Congressional Action on Iraq
By Kenneth T. Walsh
Posted 2/20/07

President Bush is confident that congressional Democrats won't be able to muster support for withdrawing from Iraq no matter what legislative gambit they use, according to White House officials.

Bush, believing he retains a strong position on Capitol Hill regarding the war, at least for now, is much more focused on what's happening in the field than on the jockeying in Congress.

"Our concern is winning in Iraq," says White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. Bush was so sure of his strong position that he sent word to aides last Friday that he didn't watch the House vote on a nonbinding resolution symbolically rejecting his "surge" of 21,500 additional U.S. troops. Neither did Snow. The press secretary went to the White House gym for a workout and didn't get back to his office until after the balloting. On Saturday, Senate Democrats–living up to West Wing officials' predictions–failed to bring that same nonbinding resolution to a vote, representing a victory for the administration.

This victory suggests to White House strategists that Republicans in the Senate will serve as a bulwark against unwise actions by the House over the long term.

"Pretty soon Congress is going to have to make a binding commitment to support the troops" when legislators vote on funding the war, Snow said. White House officials don't think that majority Democrats, in the end, will have the votes or the gumption to vote down the funding. Since the surge began, Snow says, the Iraqi government has begun improving security operations, stabilizing violent neighborhoods, taking action to equitably divide up oil revenue within Iraq, and improving its performance across the board. This will eventually reduce antiwar feelings, GOP strategists believe.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070220/20iraq.htm?s_cid=rss:site1

-- February 20, 2007 8:11 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Defiant Ahmadinejad mocks nuclear West
By David Blair, Diplomatic Correspondent
Last Updated: 20/02/2007

Iran's president demanded that western countries halt their nuclear programmes today as the hours ticked by on a new international deadline for Teheran to stop enriching uranium.

The United Nations Security Council has given Iran until tomorrow to halt this sensitive process, which can produce the material essential for making a nuclear bomb.

If Iran misses this deadline, further sanctions are likely to be imposed.

America has ruled out holding direct talks with Iran unless it complies with the Security Council's demand and halts uranium enrichment.

America and other western countries are likely to press for tighter sanctions on Iran if diplomacy does not produce results in the medium term.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/20/wiran120.xml

-- February 20, 2007 8:30 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

U.S. admiral questions Iran's motives
POSTED: February 20, 2007

Meeting with reporters at his headquarters in Bahrain on Monday, Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh, commander of the Fifth Fleet, said Iran is sending a message to the region that is "provocative and intimidating."

"Specifically, the concern with Iran is the combination of rhetoric and the exercises have taken on a very bellicose and pugnacious tone."

Walsh told reporters he was not trying to add to tensions with Iran, but said, "The trend line with Iran is one that is very concerning and troubling."

U.S. military officials also say Iranian patrol boats have probed defensive measures near Iraqi offshore oil terminals. The officials called those moves part of a continuing effort by Iran to raise its naval presence in the Gulf.

The Bush administration on Tuesday blasted those critics who say it's preparing for military action against Iran, warning that such speculation could undercut diplomatic efforts to break the impasse over Tehran's nuclear program.

"It's just been an interesting tactic in terms of trying to create a sense of aggression on the part of this administration that is not only unwarranted, but unwelcome in terms of trying to do diplomatically what we think ought to be done with Iran," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters.

Snow said "suspicion and skepticism" could hinder efforts to persuade Iran to halt its production of nuclear fuel, as the United Nations has demanded, "right after we've demonstrated the success of diplomacy in North Korea using the same means and methods that we're trying to employ with the Iranians."

"Therefore, it just strikes as curious why people persist in trying to stoke up rumors about something that simply isn't true," he said.

However, the Navy commander's remarks added new fuel to the rumors.

Walsh said the exercises and training by Iran that involve the areas around the Strait of Hormuz are his "greatest concern."

For Iran "to focus on the most constricted part of the gulf which serves as the economic artery to the community of nations is one that we can only conclude is an act done in provocation; to intimidate and to strike fear in those in the region," he said.

Walsh noted that a year ago he told reporters that the contacts the U.S. Navy had with the Iranians in the Persian Gulf were professional, but now the tone has changed.

"When they take that tone and they have very aggressive displays of a warlike bellicose sort of attitude, it's hard for me to arrive at that same characterization," he said.

Bush's January announcement that he had ordered a second aircraft carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf and would share Patriot air-defense missile systems with U.S. allies in the region raised fears that the Iraq war could spread. So have its accusations that Iran is supplying advanced explosives to Shiite Muslim militias inside Iraq.

American-led raids have led to the arrests of several Iranians, and the administration has authorized the use of deadly force against suspected Iranian agents in Iraq. But Snow said the issue is being dealt with as a force-protection measure within Iraq.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/20/iran.us/

-- February 20, 2007 8:38 PM ∞

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Mary Lou wrote:

This post and the next go hand in hand-both quite long-but thought you all would like to see them:

New Iraq Oil Law To Open Iraq's Oil Reserves to Western Companies

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The Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar has obtained a copy of the proposed oil law and has just translated it into English. He discusses the new law with Antonia Juhasz, author of "The Bush Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a Time.” [includes rush transcript]
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In one of the first studies of Iraqi public opinion after the US-led invasion of March 2003, the polling firm Gallup asked Iraqis their thoughts on the Bush administration’s motives for going to war. One percent of Iraqis said they believed the motive was to establish democracy. Slightly more – five percent – said to assist the Iraqi people. But far in the lead was the answer that got 43 percent - “to rob Iraq”s oil.”
Well, with the four-year mark of the Iraq war less than a month away, the answer may come into clearer view. After a long negotiation process involving US officials, the Iraqi government is considering a new oil law that would establish a framework for managing the third-largest oil reserves in the world.

What would this new law mean for Iraq? With me now from Washington DC is Raed Jarrar - He is the Iraq Project Director for Global Exchange. He has obtained a copy of the proposed oil law which he translated from Arabic and posted on his website. And Antonia Juhasz is on the phone with us -- She has written extensively about the economic side of the US occupation of Iraq and is the author of the book, “The Bush Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a Time.” Antonia is a Tarbell Fellow at Oil Change International. We welcome you both to Democracy Now!

Raed Jarrar Iraq Project Director for Global Exchange. He is an Iraqi blogger and architect. He runs a popular blog called "Raed in the Middle."

Antonia Juhasz, author and activist. She is a Tarbell Fellow at Oil Change International. Her latest book is called "The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Econony at a Time."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUSH TRANSCRIPT
This transcript is available free of charge. However, donations help us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution.
Donate - $25, $50, $100, more...

AMY GOODMAN: With me now in Washington is Raed Jarrar. He is the Iraq Project Director for Global Exchange, and he has obtained a copy of the proposed oil law, which he translated from Arabic and posted on his website, raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com. Antonia Juhasz is also with us on the telephone. She has written extensively about the economic side of the US occupation of Iraq and is author of the book, The Bush Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a Time. Antonia is currently a Tarbell Fellow at Oil Change International. We welcome you both to Democracy Now!.

Raed Jarrar, first, how did you get this document?

RAED JARRAR: The document was leaked by Professor Fouad Al-Ameer and published on a website called al-ghad.org. And then it was leaked to other important websites like niqash.org and other places. There are different ways of -- different copies of it. Some of it are scanned, and others of the original document, but it just hit the internet last week.

AMY GOODMAN: And explain what it says, now that you’ve finished translating it.

RAED JARRAR: It said so many things. I don’t think we can summarize it this short, because it’s a very long document, around thirty pages. But majorly, there are three major points that I think we should talk about. Financially, it legalizes very unfair types of contracts that will put Iraq in very long-term contracts that can go up to thirty-five years and cause the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars from Iraqis for no cause.

And the second point is concerning Iraq's sovereignty. Iraq will not be capable of controlling the levels -- the limits of production, which means that Iraq cannot be a part of OPEC anymore. And Iraq will have this very complicated institution called the Federal Oil and Gas Council, that will have representatives from the foreign oil companies on the board of it, so representatives from, let’s say, ExxonMobil and Shell and British Petroleum will be on the federal board of Iraq approving their own contracts.

And the third point is the point about keeping Iraq’s unity. The law is seen by many Iraqi analysts as a separation for Iraq fund. The law will authorize all of the regional and small provinces’ authorities. It will give them the final say to deal with the oil, instead of giving this final say to central federal government, so it will open the doors for splitting Iraq into three regions or even maybe three states in the very near future.

AMY GOODMAN: Antonia Juhasz, what is the significance of this for Western oil companies?

ANTONIA JUHASZ: Well, in my mind, the law certainly opens the door to US oil companies and the Bush administration winning a very large piece of their objective of going to war in Iraq, at least winning it on paper. The law does almost word for word what was laid out in the Baker-Hamilton recommendation, which I discussed previously on your show, which is, at the very basic level, to turn Iraq's nationalized oil system, the model that 90% of the world’s oil is governed by, take its nationalized oil system and turn it into a commercial system fully open to foreign corporate investment on terms as of yet to be decided. So it leaves vague this very important question of what type of contracts will the Iraqi government use. But what it leaves clear is that basically every level of the oil industry will be open to private foreign companies.

And, as Raed said, it introduces this very unique model, which is that ultimate decision making on contracts rests with a new council to be set up in Iraq, and sitting on that council will be representatives -- executives, in fact -- of oil companies, both foreign and domestic. In addition, it does maintain the Iraq National Oil Company, but gives the Iraq National Oil Company almost no preference. It’s almost in all cases just another oil company among lots of other companies, including US oil companies. And this council, the new oil and gas council, is going to be the decision making body to determine what kind of contract the Iraqis can sign, and all contract models are still on the table, yet to be determined. I think that’s left vague or open, so that the very necessary criticism to earlier drafts of the law, which included specifically production sharing agreements, might be quieted.

But the law definitely sets up a very dangerous setup for Iraq's future economic stability, economic development, and certainly sets the stage for a tremendous amount of increased hostility and violence to US soldiers positioned on the ground, as being seen as the implementers of this oil hijack.

AMY GOODMAN: Antonia, what about the advocates’ argument for Western company involvement, that they need to come into Iraq to kick-start the oil development?

ANTONIA JUHASZ: Iraq's oil development has actually been going quite well since the invasion under the guidance of the Iraqis themselves. Prior to the war, Iraq produced 2.5 million barrels of oil a day. Since the war, it’s been producing about 2.2 million barrels of oil a day. That’s definitely dropped most recently, because of the intense violence in Iraq of late. And there have definitely been targeted actions against the oil system as demonstrations of opposition to the occupation. So I believe there is a very concrete argument that can be made that the best thing that Iraq can do right now to see its oil infrastructure secure and pumping at a reasonable level is to see the US occupation end.

Given that Iraq's oil only costs less than a dollar per barrel to pump and oil is selling at over $50 per barrel, the Iraqis are already making a tremendous return on their oil. The danger is that under the different models of oil contract that are being put on the table, that the Iraqis would lose the vast majority of that profit to the foreign oil companies.

Now, just really quickly, Iraqis have lost a fair amount of expertise, technical know-how, as technology has increased over the past eleven years and the Iraqis were shut out because of the sanctions. The answer to that is found in the models put forward by their neighbors, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are technical service contracts that countries sign with foreign companies to bring in that expertise, but under very limited time frames and very specific economic benefits to the companies and to the country, not these 35-year contracts, as Raed said, and the potential for vast profits leaving the country.

AMY GOODMAN: Raed Jarrar, what is the response of Iraqis, of people in Iraq?

RAED JARRAR: No one in Iraq knows about the law. The law has been kept in a very low profile, and there is a huge propaganda campaign by the government trying to portray the law as straight and good for Iraq, a law that will turn Iraq into heaven on earth, because it will bring all of the foreign investments. Even parliamentarians in the Iraqi government, the ones who will have the final say to pass this law, haven’t received a copy of this law yet. I sent them the copy three or four days ago, and I sent a copy to many of the other Iraqi bloggers and journalists, because I think it’s very important to raise awareness about this and make it an issue. The Iraqi government and the Bush administration are trying to keep a very low profile in Iraq on this law. I think they’re planning just to, you know, surprise the parliamentarians one morning and have them vote on it without any knowledge of what the law actually causes.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk, Raed Jarrar, about the control, the dispute over federal or regional control of oil in Iraq?

RAED JARRAR: Most of the control will be under the regional and provincial authorities. They have all of the authority of monitoring and even dealing with small disputes. Now, there is this bigger council that is very complicated, very bureaucratic. This council just has the authority to veto what the regional and provincial authorities decide. So in case the council just stayed silent, everything can go without any interruption. So, you can see that this council is kind of controlled by foreign companies, as well, so the possibilities of the council vetoing what’s happening on the regional level will be very small. So we end up having a situation where Iraqis in different provinces will start signing contracts directly with foreign companies and competing between themselves, among themselves, among different Iraqi provinces, to get the oil companies to go to there without any centralized way in controlling this and thinking of the Iraqi interest and protecting Iraq as a country.

AMY GOODMAN: This document that you’ve translated into English was originally written in Arabic?

RAED JARRAR: No, the document was originally written in English. It was sent to the Iraqi oil ministry, and some parts of it were changed, and some parts were edited, some parts were added. So when I translated it, I made my translation based on a previously leaked English copy, which is the original version of this law. The English copy leaked in mid-2006. So this -- the Arabic version now is totally based on that one. There are, I think out of the twenty-nine or thirty pages, there are around six or seven totally new pages, and there are new sections here and there.

But the major differences, as I mentioned, are regarding the authorities that can control oil, and it can show very clearly what the Iraqi leaders, who are influential and can control these laws, are planning to do. It can show very clearly that there are very influential separatist Iraqi leaders who are trying to use this law to fund the separatist project and to turning Iraq into three states.

In fact, one of the things that I did while translating is I kept some traces of the original one and put a line over the -- like struck them, so that people can see the small differences, how many of the authorities that were supposed to be a given to the central government and to the ministry now were shifted to the regional authorities. Like, this is the most interesting thing that happened in the changes. But overall, it’s a law that is promoted by the Bush administration and the IMF. It’s not at all an urgent item on the Iraqi agenda. It’s just an urgent item on the Bush and the IMF agenda.

AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Antonia, who has the largest oil reserves in the world, the top three?

ANTONIA JUHASZ: Saudi Arabia is one. Iraq is two. Iran is three. And I think in that list, particularly obviously Iraq and Iran, you can see pretty clearly a key focus for the Bush administration in its remaining years in office.

AMY GOODMAN: Do you think that is related to this current intensification of focus on Iran, the possibility of a US strike on Iran?

ANTONIA JUHASZ: Oh, most certainly. You know, to be clear, oil is about a lot of things. Oil is about profit, and it’s about the money that the oil interests in the United States, which of course also include members of the Bush administration, can get.

But controlling the second and third largest oil reserves in the world also has a tremendous amount to do with imperial power and global power that the Bush administration wants. Controlling that oil denies it to other countries that want it, like China and India, countries that the Bush administration now sees itself in rivalry to.

And it also gets the government in control of a resource that is obviously dwindling in supply and which they want to hold onto. And they have been quite clear, meaning members of the Bush administration, but also the United States government, in its dedication to securing Middle East oil for the United States, and that agenda has hit high speed under this administration, where corporate and oil interests are part and parcel to government interest.

And I definitely think that if we in the United States want to end the war in Iraq and want to prevent another war in Iran, we have to pull back this curtain over that three-letter word, “oil,” and expose this agenda. The four-year anniversary of the war, coming up March 19th, is a critically important opportunity to do that and in the lead-up to that anniversary to really target our attention on demanding that our members of Congress defund the war and that we direct our attention and our protest energy on revealing this oil agenda. And to that end, Oil Change International, the organization I work with, is going to be in the coming weeks working with our allies to pull together some clear lists of activities and actions that folks can do, particularly on exposing the oil law in Iraq. So I encourage folks to come to our website to check that out.

AMY GOODMAN: Antonia Juhasz, I want to thank you for being with us, Tarbell Fellow at the Oil Change International, author of The Bush Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a Time. And Raed Jarrar in Washington, D.C., is the Iraq Project Director for Global Exchange. His blog is raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com.

To purchase an audio or video copy of this entire program, click here for our new online ordering or call 1 (888) 999-3877.

-- February 20, 2007 10:15 PM ∞

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Mary Lou wrote:

The Official Draft of the Oil and Gas Law of The Iraq Republic
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry its very long but here we go

English translation of the Leaked Document

Global Research, February 20, 2007
Al-Ghad and Uruknet - 2007-02-19

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Updated - Thanks to the efforts of Raed Jarrar the text of the laws is now available in English (see link below).

Front Page of Iraqi Oil and Gas Law

Al-Ghad is publishing the full text of the draft Law of Oil & Gas which has been kept away from Iraqi and international public opinion. This will make possible an objective evaluation of this major project and its possible far reaching consequences for the Iraqi people and the world oil industry. We have already published an extensive analysis of the previous draft, by a prominent oil expert, and we are in the process of publishing an update by the same writer, we see no need to introduce this important document.

See the full text of the Draft Law (Arabic)
Full text of the Draft Law (English) With thanks to Raed.
Read Al-Ghad’s Expert Commentary on the Law (in Arabic)

The New Iraqi Oil: Leaked

by Raed Jarrar

I spent the weekend translating this leaked copy of the Iraqi oil law with niki (thank you salam for sending me the link). Translating legal documents can be really hard!

We just finished the translation, and you can download it by clicking here or here

Please feel free to widely distribute this document. It's important to start a stronger debate and to try to educate Iraqis and Americans about this catastrophic law that will facilitate the further looting of Iraqi oil, and will achieve nothing other than increasing the levels of violence and anger in Iraq.

This law legalizes PSAs (production sharing agreements) in Iraq. Iraq will be the only country in the Middle East with such contracts privatising Iraqi oil and giving foreign companies crazy rates of profit that may reach to more than three fourth of the general revenue. Iraq and Iraqis need every Dinar that comes from oil sales. In addition to the financial aspects of this law, it can be considered the funding tool for splitting Iraq into three states. It undermines the central government and distributes oil revenues directly to the three regions, which sets the foundations for what Iraq's enemies are trying to achieve in terms of establishing three independent states.

Privatizing Iraq's oil and splitting Iraq into three regions are just two negative features of this 29 pages law. I am translating some important analysis written by Iraqis and other Arabs, and am also working with British and U.S. experts to publish more analysis soon.

The Official Draft of the Oil and Gas Law of The Iraq Republic

Preamble

CHAPTER I: Fundamental Provisions

ARTICLE 1: Ownership of Petroleum Resources

ARTICLE 2:Scope of Application

ARTICLE 3 :Purpose

ARTICLE 4 :Definitions

CHAPTER II: Management of Petroleum Resources

ARTICLE 5 :Competence Of Authorities

ARTICLE 6: Creating the National Iraqi Oil Company

ARTICLE 7: Re-Arranging the ministry of oil

ARTICLE 8: Oil Fields’ development and production

ARTICLE 9: Grant of Rights

ARTICLE 10: Mechanisms of negotiations and contracting

ARTICLE 11:Oil revenue

ARTICLE 12: Participation of the State

CHAPTER III: UPSTREAM OPERATIONS

ARTICLE 13 :Exploration and Production Contract

ARTICLE 14: obligations of the Holders of Exploration and Production right

ARTICLE 15: building local expertise

ARTICLE 16: Unitisation

ARTICLE 17: Conservation

ARTICLE 18: Access to Main Pipelines and Field Pipelines

ARTICLE 19: Ownership of Data

ARTICLE 20: Restrictions on Production Levels

CHAPTER IV: Transportation

ARTICLE 21: Main Pipelines

ARTICLE 22: Rights and Obligations regarding Pipelines

CHAPTER V: Natural Gas

ARTICLE 23: investment of Gas

ARTICLE 24: Associated Gas

ARTICLE 25: Flaring of Natural Gas

ARTICLE 26: Non-Associated Gas

CHAPTER VI: Regulatory Matters

ARTICLE 27: Regulations for Petroleum Operations

ARTICLE 28: Use and Benefit of Land and Rights of Way

ARTICLE 29: Access to Zones Subject to Maritime Jurisdiction

ARTICLE 30: Inspection

ARTICLE 31: Environmental Protection and Safety

ARTICLE 32: Transfer of Ownership and Decommissioning

CHAPTER VII: Fiscal Regime

ARTICLE 33: General Principles of Taxation

ARTICLE 34: Royalty

ARTICLE 35: Other Taxation Issues

CHAPTER VIII: Miscellaneous Provisions

ARTICLE 36: Transparency

ARTICLE 37: implementing anti-corruption laws

ARTICLE 38: attracting competitive participation

ARTICLE 39: Existing Contracts

ARTICLE 40: Resolution of Disputes

ARTICLE 41: Relationship to Existing Legislation

ARTICLE 42: Entry in Force

PREAMBLE

WHEREAS the Iraqi Republic has entered a new era after the adoption of the Constitution In 2005;

WHEREAS, ARTICLE 111 of the said Constitution declares Oil and Gas as the property of the whole nation in all Its Provinces and Governorates;

WHEREAS, ARTICLEs 110, 112, 114 and 115 seen in the light of ARTICLE 111 broadly define the authorities and responsibilities of the Federal and Provincial authorities within the Petroleum sector;

WHEREAS, the Iraqi Republic is endowed with rich Oil and Gas resources, a great portion of which is already discovered and ready for Development whilst more Petroleum resources are yet to be discovered;

WHEREAS, Iraq's Production capacity during the last decades has been low and at great disparity with its exceptionally rich Oil and Gas resources;

WHEREAS, the Iraqi nation finds Itself at the crossroad to a new and more prosperous future which will require quick and substantial funding of reconstruction and modernization projects;

WHEREAS revenues from oil and Gas represent the most important basis for redeveloping the country in general and the Iraqi economy In particular on sustainable and robust basis in a planned and coordinated manner that takes into consideration the objectives of the Constitution Including the unity of the Iraqi Republic, the exhaustible nature of Petroleum resources, the need for preserving the environment;

To help the Iraqi Ministry Of Oil focus on its main duties of creating policies, planning, and supervision, while achieving the necessary upgrading to enhance operational quality, the oil activates operated solely by the Ministry of Oil have to be transferred to technical and commercial entities and institutions including an independent national Iraqi oil company, and the Iraqi provinces and regions should be given more authorities.

WHEREAS. the rehabilitation and further development of the petroleum Industry will be enhanced by the participation of international and national investors of recognized technical, managerial and operational skills as welt as robust capital resources to help upgrade and develop national expertise and efficiency in the petroleum sector;

WHEREAS, the national private Industry directly and indirectly related to the Petroleum sector are in need of proactive encouragement and support to play a prominent role in the development of the sector;

WHEREAS, the positive interplay between the Federal and Provincial authorities requires appropriate legislative and institutional framework conditions to ensure efficient co-ordination;

WHEREAS, the introduction of a variety of national and international players in the development of the Petroleum sector calls for clear legislative, institutional and operational framework conditions to ensure co-ordination and efficiency between the Iraqi authorities and the commercial players as well as among these players;

WHEREAS, the development of the petroleum sector must be closely coordinated and harmonized with the development of the society and the national economy in a manner that maintains sustainable development for the economy and the environment and in the long term decreases dependence on Oil and Gas revenues;

WHEREAS, the terms and conditions regulating the Petroleum sector are of great importance to the whole nation as well as to all Investors in the sector, there is a need for a clear, fair, transparent and efficient system of governance that inspires confidence, efficiency and co-operation among all participants in the petroleum sector be that on the authorities side (Federal, Provincial or Governate level) or among the national and International actors;

THEREFORE .......

CHAPTER I

FUNDAMENTAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 1

OWNERSHIP OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES

Ownership of oil and natural gas is vested in the entire Iraqi Federal Oil and Gas Council in all provinces and regions.

ARTICLE 2

SCOPE OF APPLICATION

A- This law applies to Petroleum Operations in all the territory of the Republic of Iraq, including the soil and subsoil on land, as well as inland waters and territorial waters.

B- The scope of this Law excludes the refining of Petroleum, its industrial utilization as well as the distribution and the marketing of Petroleum Products.

ARTICLE 3

PURPOSE

A- This law establishes the regime for the management of Petroleum Operations in the Republic of Iraq, taking Into account the existing International agreements between the Republic of Iraq and other countries on crude oil transportation.

B- The law aims to build upon existing co-operation between the relevant Ministries in the Federal Government administration, in addition to building a base for coordination and discussions among the federal, regional, and provincial oil producing authorities.

ARTICLE 4

Definitions

For the purposes of this law, the following terms and expressions shall have the meaning indicated as follows, unless the context in which used requires a different meaning:

1- "Discovery": the first Petroleum encountered in a Reservoir by drilling that is recoverable at the surface by conventional petroleum industry methods;

2- "Commercial Discovery": a discovery which has been deemed to be commercial for Development purposes by the holder of Exploration and Production right;

3- region: Kurdistan region or any other regions created in Iraq after issuing this law according to the Iraqi constitution

4- "Good Oilfield Practices" All those practices related to petroleum operations that are generally accepted by the international petroleum industry as as good, safe, environmentally friendly, economic and efficient In exploring for and producing Petroleum

5- "Good Pipeline Practices" - all those practices related to transportation by pipelines including the design, construction, commissioning, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of pipelines that are generally accepted in the international petroleum industry as good, safe, environmentally friendly, economic and efficient in transporting Petroleum:

6- "Production" - the extraction and disposal of Petroleum;

7- "Petroleum" - all Crude Oil or Natural Gas, or other hydrocarbons produced or

capable of being produced from Crude Oil, Natural Gas, oil rocks or tar sands;

8- "Development": the activities carried out by the holder of Exploration and Production right based on either the Field Development Plan or the Main Pipeline Development Plan, which aim at Production and transportation of Petroleum;

9- "Exploration": the search for Petroleum by geological, geophysical and other means including drilling of Exploration and appraisal wells;

10 -"Field" - An area consisting of a single Reservoir or multiple Reservoirs all grouped on, or related to, the same individual geological structural feature or stratigraphic condition. The field name refers to the surface area, although it may refer to both the surface and the underground productive formations.

11- "Field Pipeline" - a pipeline, including valve stations, pump stations, compressor stations and associated installations, collecting crude oil or natural gas from a field or a group of fields and delivering it to a transfer point for further transportation;

12- Pipeline: an entity that consists of a linear pipeline accompanied with other components on the ground level including stations of pumping, valves, compression, and other accompanied accessories for gauging, supervision, telecommunications, remote control, for the purposes of transporting crude oil and natural gas from the transfer point to the delivery point.

13- "Main Pipeline" - The principal pipeline, including valve stations, pump stations, compressor stations and associated installations built by the transporter, for the transportation of crude oil or natural gas from one or several fields or sources insid or outside Iraq;

14- "Field Development Plan" - a scheduled programme and cost estimate specifying the appraisal and development activities required to develop and produce petroleum from a specific field or group of fields by the holder of an exploration and production contract, prepared in accordance with this law and the relevant provisions in the Regulations for Petroleum Operations and the Exploration and Production Contract covering that contract Area;

15- "Main Pipeline Development Plan" - A scheme and cost estimate specifying all activities to be carried out by the transporter for the transportation of petroleum by pipeline inside Iraq and across the territory of neighbouring States, prepared in accordance with this Law, the relevant provisions in the regulations for Petroleum Operations and the Exploration and Production Contract covering that Contract Area and any relevant bilateral agreements.

16- "Decommissioning Plan": a scheme for the closure of Petroleum Operations and restoration of the operating environment including the removal and disposal of all installations;

17- "Iraqi Person"- Any citizen with Iraqi nationality or any company or institution with legal personality established and registered pursuant to Iraqi legislation, with its headquarters in Iraq and having at least 50% of its share capital held by national citizens or by Iraqi public or private companies or institutions;

18- "Foreign Person" Any non-Iraqi citizen or any company or institution with legal personality established and registered pursuant to Iraqi legislation, and , having less than 50% of its share capital held by national citizens or by Iraqi public or private companies or institutions;

19- "Petroleum Operations" - all or any of the activities related to Exploration, Development, Production, separation and treatment, storage, transportation and sale or delivery of Petroleum at the Delivery Point, Export Point or to the agreed Supply Point inside or outside Iraq. And includes Natural Gas treatment operations and the closure of all concluded activities;

20- "Natural Gas" - all hydrocarbons which are in a gaseous state at atmospheric conditions of temperature and pressure, that might be associated or not with liquid hydrocarbons, as well as the residue gas remaining after the extraction of liquid hydrocarbons from the reservoir;

21-"Associated Natural Gas": Natural Gas which under reservoir conditions is either in solution with liquid hydrocarbons or as gas-cap gas which overlies and Is in contact with Crude Oil;

22- "Non-associated Natural Gas" - The free Natural Gas other than Associated Natural Gas;

23- "Operator" -the entity designated by the Government, in consultation with the holder of Exploration and Production right, to conduct Petroleum Operations on behalf of the latter;

24- Producing province: any Iraqi province that produces crude oil and natural gas continually on rates more than 150 thousand barrels a day (needs revision)

25- "Reservoir" - a separate accumulation of Petroleum in a geological unit limited by rock characteristics, structural or stratigraphic boundaries, contact surfaces between Petroleum and water in the formation. Or a combination of these, so that Petroleum Production from any portion of the accumulation will affect the pressure in the accumulation as a whole;

26- "Contract Area": the area within which the holder of an Exploration and Production right is authorized to explore for, develop and produce Petroleum;

27- "development and Production Area": a part of the Contract Area which following a Commercial Discovery has been delineated according to the terms and conditions of the Exploration and Production Contract;

28- "Crude Oil" - all hydrocarbons, regardless of specific gravity, which are produced and saved from the Field in liquid state at atmospheric pressure and temperature, including asphalt, tar and the liquid hydrocarbons known as distillates or condensates obtained from Natural Gas within the Contract Area;

29- 'Transporter" - the entity designated by the Council of Ministers to receive Crude Oil or Natural Gas from the holder of Exploration and Production right at the Transfer Point and deliver Crude Oil for export or Natural Gas to the holder of Exploration and Production right at the Delivery Point.

30- "Production Measurement Point" - the place(s) at which volumes and qualities of Crude Oil or Natural Gas to be transferred at the Transfer Point are measured;

31- "Transfer Point" - the inlet flange(s) of the outgoing Pipelines from the Production Measurement Point, where the Transporter shall receive Crude Oil or Natural Gas from the holder of Exploration and Production right;

32- "Delivery Point" - the point(s) of the loading facility at which Crude Oil reaches the inlet flange of the receiving tank-ship or such other point inside or outside Iraq, as agreed to under the Exploration and Production Contract. In the case of Gas it Is the flange of the inlet to the receiving installation for Natural Gas;

33- "Supply Point" - the place at which Crude Oil or Natural Gas is transferred from a Main Pipeline or a Field Pipeline to a different type of transport, processing or use;

34- "The Ministry" - is the Ministry of Oil in the Republic of Iraq and other companies and organizations specifically authorized by it;

35- Specialized institute: Ministry of Oil, National Iraqi Oil Company, or regional institute

36- Regional institute: specialized ministry in the regional government.

CHAPTER II: MANAGEMENT OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES

ARTICLE 5: COMPETENCE OF AUTHORITIES

A. The Council of Representatives

First: shall enact all Federal legislation on crude oil and natural gas;

Second: council of representatives shall approve all international petroleum treaties that Iraq signs with other countries that are related to petroleum operations

B. Council of Ministers

First: The council of ministers shall be responsible for recommending proposed legislations on the development of the country's Petroleum resources for introduction into the National Assembly.

Second: The Council of Ministers is the competent authority to formulate Federal Petroleum policy and supervise its implementation. It also administers the overall Petroleum Operations including the formulation of Federal policy on all matters within the scope of this law including i.e. Exploration, Production, Transportation, Marketing, the proposal of Petroleum -legislation, and the approval of such regulations as may be necessary from time to time on the said matters.

Third: In carrying out the above functions, the Council of Ministers shall ensure that the Ministry adopts appropriate and effective mechanisms for consultation and coordination with the Provincial, Govenatorial petroleum production authorities

C. Federal Oil and Gas Council

First: To assist the Council of Ministers in creating Petroleum policies and related plans, arranged by the ministry in coordination with the producing provinces and regions, and to put important legislations for exploration and production based on

ARTICLE 9 of this law the ministers council creates an entity to be named "the Federal Oil and Gas Council". The Prime Minister or his/her representative shall be the president of this council, and the council should include:

1- Federal Government’s Ministers from the ministries of oil, treasury, planning, and cooperative development.

2- The director of the Iraqi central bank

3- A regional government minister representing each region.

4- A representative from each producing province not included in a region

5- Executive managers of from important related petroleum companies including the national Iraqi oil company and the oil marketing company

6- Three or less experts specialized in petroleum, finance, and economy to be hired for a period not exceeding 5 years based on a resolution from the council of ministers.

Second: the Federal Oil and Gas Council holds the responsibility of putting federal petroleum policies, exploration plans, fields’ development and main pipelines plans inside Iraq, and this council has the authority to approve any major changes in such plans and policies.

Third: the Federal Oil and Gas Council reviews and changes the exploration and production contracts that give the rights of petroleum operations according to

ARTICLE 9 of this law inside Iraq.

Fourth: the Federal Oil and Gas Council approves the types of exploration and production contracts, and chooses the appropriate contract type for the field nature or exploration area or based on offers.

Fifth: the Federal Oil and Gas Council decides the special instructions for negotiations pertaining to granting rights or signing development and production contracts, and setting qualification criteria for companies.

Sixth: To assist the Federal Oil and Gas Council in reviewing exploration and production contracts and petroleum fields’ development plans, the council rely on the assistant of a bureau called the "independent consultants’ bureau" that includes crude oil and natural gas experts, both Iraqis foreigners, this council decides their number, and they should be qualified and have a good reputation and long practical experience in exploration and production operation and in petroleum contracts, and they should be chosen by consensus of the council and contracted for a renewable one year contract. The independent consultants’ bureau gives its recommendations and advice to the Federal Oil and Gas Council in issues related to rights contracts, fields’ development plans, and any other related issues requested by the Federal Oil and Gas Council.

Seventh: the Federal Oil and Gas Council is the competent authority to approve the transfer of rights among holders of Exploration and Production right and associated amendment of contracts provided this does not adversely affect the national content including the percentage of national participation.

Eighth: the Federal Oil and Gas Council is responsible for ensuring that Petroleum resources are discovered, developed, and produced in an optimal manner and in the best interest of the people in accordance with legislation, regulations and contractual conditions as well as recognised international standards.

Ninth: The Federal Oil and Gas Council have the right to create any entities important for implementing its duties, and to create its bylaws.

Tenth: Members of the Federal Oil and Gas Council can suggest policies and law drafts to the Federal Oil and Gas Council.

D. Ministry of Oil

First: The Ministry is the competent authority for proposing Federal policy, laws and plans.

Second: The Ministry creates legislation as well as issuing regulations and guidelines to implement the feral plans.

Third: The Ministry undertakes the necessary monitoring, supervisory, regulatory and administrative actions required to ensure the proper, coordinated, and unified implementation all over Iraq.

Fourth: On the basis of policies, regulations, guidelines and requirements under ARTICLE 5/D/First and 5/D/Second above, and in accordance with the overall economic and social policies of the Federal Government, the Ministry shall in consultation with the petroleum producing provinces and regional authorities draw up Federal policies and plans on Exploration, Development and Production on an annual or as needed basis. Such policies and plans shall address both the short term as well as the long term requirements. The geographical distribution and timing of actions and projects shall comprise proposals from the Provinces and Governorates in accordance to ARTICLEs 1, 2 and 3. The suggestions for petroleum policies and related plans are to be submitted to the Federal Oil and Gas Council to be reviewed and approved.

Fifth: The Ministry is the competent authority to represent the Iraqi Republic in regional and international forums.

Sixth: The Ministry is empowered to negotiate international and bilateral agreements related to Oil and Gas with other countries and organizations subject to approval in accordance with the Constitution.

Seventh: The ministry is responsible of monitoring petroleum operations to ensure adherence with the laws, regulations, and contracting terms. In addition to its administrative and technical monitoring duties, the ministry shall carry out verification of costs and expenditures incurred by the holders of rights to ensure correct and justified cost recoveries for the purpose of determining revenues accruing to government. The ministry shall through inspection, technical audits and other appropriate actions verify conformance with legislation, regulations, contractual terms and internationally recognised practices. The ministry must coordinate with regions’ governments and producing provinces to create specialized entities that carry out the ministry’s responsibilities.

Eighth: The Ministry has the right to execute contracts related to Oil and gas supply services other than those covered by ARTICLE 5/B/second and in other applicable legislation.

E. Iraqi National Oil Company

First: The Iraqi National Oil Company (INOC), in accordance with ARTICLE 6 of this law, can participate in exploration and production operations inside Iraq on behalf of the Iraqi government. INOC is obligated to sell its share of crude oil to the Oil Marketing Company based on the delivery price that covers the cost in addition to a reasonable profit that would facilitate the company’s development in exploration and production.

Second: The tasks and scope of operation of INOC shall include carrying out Oil and Gas Exploration, Development, Production, Transportation, Storage, Marketing and sales down to the Delivery Point in accordance with the rights and obligations under this Jaw including the necessary contracts, permits and approvals applicable to all other holders of rights.

Third: INOC shall have the right to participate as a commercial partner in international projects related to the transportation, marketing and sale of Oil and Gas. It may also participate in Exploration and Production contracts outside the Republic of Iraq subject to approval by the Council of Ministers.

Fourth: INOC shall form fully owned Subsidiary companies in selected areas in Iraq based on the location of fields, size of petroleum reserves, production capacity and cost benefit analysis, or based on rearrangements and task management of existing companies based on its work capacity leading to better efficiency based on appropriate bylaws and procedures to be issued for the purpose.

Fifth: INOC shall have the right to establish in association with others affiliated companies or acquire shares in existing companies inside the Republic of Iraq. INOC may also undertake the same outside the Republic of Iraq subject to the approval of the Council of ministers.

Sixth: INOG shall have the right to acquire tangible and intangible assets belonging to natural or legal entities for the purpose of achieving its objectives and in accordance with the law.

Seventh: INOC shall also establish wholly owned subsidiary companies to perform common services in participation with partners from regions and producing provinces.

F. Provincial Authorities

The provincial authorities shall have the following competencies:

First: The Province authorities shall undertake the necessary preparations in order to propose to the Federal authorities activities and plans on behalf of the Province to be included in the Federal plans for Petroleum Operations. It shall further assist the Federal authorities in discussions leading to the finalisation of the Federal plan as required.

Second: Participate in the licensing process regarding activities within its respective province related to exploration and production of discovered but undeveloped fields mentioned in appendix number 3 according to mechanisms motioned in ARTICLE 9 and based on contracting types prepared by the Federal Oil and Gas Council and in accordance to regulations issued by Federal Oil and Gas Council with qualified international oil companies adherent to the bases put by the Federal Oil and Gas Council.

Third: Be represented in discussions carried out by the Oil and Gas Commission In accordance with ARTICLE [5/C/First] of this law.

Fourth: Collaborate with the Ministry to undertake the monitoring and supervision of Petroleum Operations to ensure adherence to legislation, regulations, guidelines and the specific terms of the relevant Exploration and Production Contracts. Such functions shall be carried out in close coordination and harmonisation with the Ministry to ensure uniform and consistent implementation throughout the Republic of Iraq.

ARTICLE 6

Iraqi National Oil Company

A- The Iraqi National Oil Company (INOC) a holding company fully owned by the Iraqi Government and based in Baghdad. INOC is financially and administratively independent and is based on commercial bases.

B- Its scope of operations shall include:

First: Managing and operating existing producing fields mentioned in appendix 1, and both the North Oil Company and the South Oil Company are linked to it.

Second: Participation in the Development and Production of discovered and yet not developed fields mentioned in appendix 2.

Third: Carrying out for Exploration and Production operations in new areas outside its respective areas in adherent to this law through applying for Exploration and Production rights in the new areas based on competition.

Fourth: INOC shall also own, manage and operate the Main oil and Gas Pipeline network and the export ports in the Republic of Iraq and enter into contracts with existing and future shippers of oil and Gas in accordance with this law. The company continues its responsibilities in operating the Main oil and Gas Pipeline network and the export ports in Iraq during a transitional period not exceeding two years until rearranging the ministry of oil companies. Then, the Federal oil and gas Council decides the entity responsible of operating the Main oil and Gas Pipeline network and the export ports in Iraq based on a proposal submitted by the ministry after coordinating with the INOC in adherent to this law and after the approval of the ministers council.

Fifth: To ensure and develop the coordination and collaboration with regions and producing provinces, the INOC establishes subsidiary companies which it owns in total and which will control the petroleum operations in the regions and producing provinces; these subsidiary companies will be represented on the INOC board and will be paid for the cost they incur in addition to a specific reasonable profit in order that they can develop and enhance their operations

Sixth: The board of the INOC oversees the INOC and its subsidiary companies; in accordance to the INOC law, the board includes members from the federal government, the regions, and the producing provinces

Operation 7

Ministry of Oil

A- The ministry, according to law, must create the important institutional and methodology changes to cope with its new responsibilities and duties. In particular, the ministry has to create a new department as soon as possible specialized in planning, developing, and following up the process of obtaining rights. This new department must consist of members of the ministry trained and specialized in operating bids and auctions and conduct professional negotiations with oil companies to sign contracts of exploration and production rights in adherent to the ministry’s authorities and in accordance to ARTICLE number 9 of this law. In addition, this department must include in each and every negotiations representatives from the related producing provinces. It is permissible that the negotiation and rights teams include expert advisers with a distinguished international reputation and experience.

B- The law of rearrangement the ministry of oil must include the suggested mechanisms that will be the basis of re-structuring the relationship between the ministry and other related companies and regulating entities in a way that guarantees a full separation between on the one hand the production companies and oil services and on the other hand the regulatory, monitory, supervisory, departments in the ministry. In addition, the production departments must be separated yet integrated from the services departments in a way that guarantees increasing productivity and maximizing profits.

ARTICLE 8

Fields development and oil and gas exploration

A- Regarding the priorities aimed at restoring and increasing production related to existing fields, the INOC is the operator and is authorized to directly sign services contracts or administrative contracts with appropriate oil or services companies, in case this was needed to accelerate reaching to the goals stated in the ARTICLE.

B- The ministry, and after coordinating with regions and producing provinces, and in adherence to ARTICLE 9 of this law, is to propose to the Federal oil and gas Council the best methods to develop the discovered but yet not developed fields.

C- The ministry prepares model exploration and production contracts to be approved by the Federal Oil and Gas Council and to be appended to this law. These model contracts must guarantee the best levels of coordination between the oil ministry, INOC, and the regions each according to their specific responsibility in relation to both this law and the international oil companies.

D- The utmost efforts must be put into insuring speedy and efficient development of the fields discovered but partially or entirely not yet developed when this law is enacted, and it is permissible to develop these fields in collaboration with reputable oil companies that have the efficient financial, administrative, technical, operational capabilities according to the contracting terms and the regulations issued by the Federal Oil and Gas Council.

E- The Federal oil and gas Council, the oil ministry, INOC, and the regional entities have to carry out an exploratory program in Iraq to asses the oil and gas assists, compensate production, and add new reserves.

F- The ministry must provide the federal oil and gas council with a comprehensive proposal for oil and gas exploration throughout the Republic of Iraq in coordination with the regions and the producing provinces, sorting out the areas according to their oil and gas potentials, implemented within a short time table in order to guarantee increasing reserves and continuing and developing production

ARTICLE 9

GRANT OF RIGHTS

A- The rights for conducting Petroleum Operations shall be granted on the basis of an Exploration and Production contract. The contract shall be entered between the Ministry (or the regional entity) and an Iraqi or Foreign Person, natural or legal, which has demonstrated to the Ministry the technical competence and financial capability that are adequate for the efficient conduct of Petroleum Operations according to what the Federal oil and gas Council and mentioned in ARTICLE 5/C/Fifth, and in accordance to the mechanisms of negotiations and contracting mentioned in ARTICLE 10 of this law. shall not be granted to Foreign Persons, singular or plural whose countries of Origin do not allow Iraqi entities to seek reciprocal opportunities. The contracts shall be approved by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Iraq.

B- The licensing process shall be based on transparent and accountable tendering and shall take into account recognised practices by the international petroleum industry. It shall adhere to the following principles and procedures:

First: Competitive licensing rounds based on clearly defined terms and terms of application as well as the criteria to be used in the selection of successful candidates.

Second: The contractual terms offered to applicants shall be specified in model contracts accompanying the letter of invitation.

Third: The form and terms of the model contract shall take account of the specific characteristics and requirements of the individual area, field or prospect being offered, including whether the resources are discovered or not, the risks and potential rewards associated with the investments under consideration, and the technological and operational challenges presented.

Fourth: All model contracts shall be formulated to honour the following objectives and criteria:

1- National control,

2- Ownership of the resources,

3- Optimum economic rent to the country,

4- An appropriate return on investment to the Investor,

5- Reasonable incentives to the investor for ensuring solutions which are optimal to the country in the long-term related to:

a- Improved and enhanced recovery,

b- Technology transfer.

c- Training and development of Iraqi personnel,

d- Optimal utilisation of the Infrastructure,

e- Environmentally friendly solutions and plans.

Fifth: The Model Contracts may be based upon Service Contract, exploration risk contract, or exploration and production contract Buy-back Contract and Production Sharing Contract (PSC) provided they are adapted to best meet the objectives and criteria under 9/b above which serve the best interest of the Republic of Iraq.

Sixth: Only pre-qualified companies by the ministry or the regional entity shall be considered in any licensing round. The criteria for prequalification shall be specified in the Invitation to bidding according to the regulation and instructions put by the Federal oil and gas Council.

Seventh: Evaluation of pre-qualified applicants shall aim at establishing a short list of successful candidates for negotiations.

Eighth: The selection and ranking of successful applicants shall be on the basis of the quality and relevance of the proposed work plan and the anticipated economic rent to the nation.

Ninth: The overall allocation of Exploration and Production rights throughout the Republic of Iraq shall aim at achieving variety among oil companies and operators with different background, expertise, experience and approach so as to enhance efficiency through positive competition, benchmarking of performance and transparency. The possibility of using consortia of selected companies, particularly in large fields, should be considered.

Tenth: Not later than two months after the endorsement of approval of Exploration and Production contracts by the Council of Ministers the text of the contract shall be made public.

C- The granting of rights for the activities referred to in ARTICLE 1/6 shall always respect national interests, including but not restricted to those related to defence, navigation, research and development, conservation, health and safety and a high level of environmental protection.

d- The Ministry is to regulate the form and manner in which rights are granted under this ARTICLE in a manner consistent with this law and the regulations of the Federal Oil and Gas Counicl.

ARTICLE 10

Mechanisms of Negotiations and contracting

A- The Ministry, the INOC, or the regional entity, based on their respective specialties and responsibilities, and after completing initial procedures for granting rights as indicated in ARTICLE 9, there will be an initial signing of exploration and production contracts with the selected contractor

B- The exploration and production contracts mentioned in ARTICLE 10/A must include the following: "the contract is valid unless it is rejected by the federal oil and gas council"

C- The initial contract mentioned in ARTICLE 10-B must be submitted to the federal oil and gas council within thirty days from the day of the initial signing or it will be considered cancelled

D- The federal oil and gas council must adhere to the following steps when deciding on the contracts submitted to it by Ministry, INOC, or the regions:

First: Submitting the initial contract mentioned in ARTICLE 10/C, if the Federal Oil and Gas Council finds it advisable, to the independent consultants bureau for analysis who will provide their opinion and assess whether the contract adheres to the model contracts approved by the Federal Oil and Law Council and to its regulations pertaining to exploration and production rights in accordance to ARTICLE 9

Second: In case the initial contract has serious discrepancies as compared to the model contracts and regulations approved by the Federal Oil and Gas Council, the Federal Oil and Gas Council will make a decision on the contract based on the recommendations of the independent consultants bureau; the decision requires a 2/3 majority of the members in attendance

Third: The Ministry, INOC, or the regional entity must be informed of the rejections of the initial contract in accordance to the legal reasons within (60) sixty days of receipt of the initial contract by the Federal oil and gas Council, and the contract is to be considered approved in case no decision was made by the Federal Oil and Gas Council within the mentioned period. In case the Federal Oil and Gas Council could not hold a meeting within 60 days of receiving the initial contract due to extraordinary reasons, the council must take a decision regarding the contract within the second (60) sixty days using all the possible means, and the contract will be considered approved in case no decision was made by the Federal Oil and Gas Council within the mentioned period.

C- The Ministry, INOC, or the regional entity must fix the reasons behind the rejection of the Federal Oil and Gas Council trough changing the initial contract in the necessary way to get approved and submit it again according to the regulations mentioned in this ARTICLE.

ARTICLE 11

Petroleum revenue

A- According to the constitution (articles 106, 111, 112, 121 third) regarding the ownership of the oil and gas resources, the distribution of its revenues, and monitoring the federal revenue distribution, the ministers council must submit a federal law draft to the representatives council regulating these matters in adherence to the sections of this article.

B- The oil revenues include all the government revenues from oil and gas, royaltys, signing rewards and production rewards of petroleum contracts with foreign or local companies.

C- The revenues mentioned in article 11/A must be deposited in an account called "the oil revenue treasury" opened under the name of the Iraqi Central Bank specifically for this reason, and managed by the Council of Ministers and the ministry of treasury. The oil revenue treasury must be administrated by an independent entity headed by an employee whose rank is a minister. This entity must include representatives from the federal government, regions’ governments, provinces, and a number of independent consultants, and the entity must be associated with the Council of Ministers and must be formed directly after issuing this law. This entity must create its own bylaw, and must periodically publish all the financial data related to the oil revenue treasury.

D- The government’s revenue, including the oil revenue, must be distributed in through the federal budget in a fair and just way in adherence to the constitution.

E- Another treasury must be created under the name "The Future Treasury", and a certain ratio of oil revenue must be deposited in this treasury regulated by the law.

ARTICLE 12

PARTICIPATION OF THE STATE

A- The Republic of Iraq shall aim at achieving substantial national participation in the management and Development of its Petroleum resources in adherence to Article 111 of the constitution.

B- The Exploration and Production rights with regard to existing producing fields are hereby given to the INOC. The formal granting of additional Exploration and Production rights to INOC regarding not yet developed Fields shall be affected by the Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council in accordance to article 6 and appendix 2 of this law.

C-The Main Pipeline network inside Iraqi territories is hereby assigned INOC or any specialized companies created by the ministry. The formal procedure for this assignment and necessary approvals shall be affected by the Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council in accordance with article 21 this Law.

D- The Republic of Iraq reserves the right to participate in Petroleum Operations on in any phase of Petroleum Operations on terms and conditions that are established by contract.

E- The Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council is authorised to designate INOC to exercise the Republic of Iraq's participation share in accordance with Article 12/4 of this law.

CHAPTER 3

FIELDS EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVATES

ARTICLE 13

EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION CONTRACT

A- An Exploration and Production Contract shall give the holder an exclusive right to conduct Petroleum Exploration and Production in the Contract Area. In addition, the contract shall give the holder the right of transportation in accordance with ARTICLE 21/A of this law.

B- Except if additional time is needed to complete the operations to assess a Discovery, the exclusive Exploration and Production right shall be granted as follows:

1- A First Period shall be a maximum of four years.

2- Subject to having fulfilled all commitments by the holder, the Ministry specialized entity may grant a Second Period of two years provided however that a substantial work programme is committed to under this period.

C- A Third Period of Exploration can for special considerations of continuity be granted by the Ministry specialized entity provided however that such extension is justified by the quality and substance of the work programme and does not exceed two years.

D- All extensions shall be subject to the provisions concerning the relinquishment of Contract Areas in adherent to the petroleum regulations.

E- In the event of a Discovery, the exclusive Exploration and Production right may be retained by the holder for the purposes of completing the operations initiated within a specified area to assess or determine the commercial value of a Discovery for an additional period of two years or, in the case of a non-associated Natural Gas Discovery, for an additional period not to exceed four years.

H- On the basis of a Field Development Plan prepared and approved in accordance with this law and the relevant contract, INOC and other holders of an Exploration and Production right may retain the exclusive right to develop and produce Petroleum within the limits of a Development and Production Area for a period to be determined by the Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council varying from 15 to 20 year not exceeding 20 years dating from the date of approval of the Field Development Plan, depending on considerations related to optimal oil recovery and utilisation of existing infrastructure. In cases which for technical and economic considerations warrant longer Production period, the Council of Ministers, on newly negotiated terms, has the authority to grant an extension not exceeding 5 years. The remaining acreage outside the Development and Production Area shall be relinquished at the end of the Exploration and Production right.

I- The appointment of an Operator shall be approved by the Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council (the specialized entity) and the procedures for such appointment are contained in the Contract.

ARTICLE 14

OBLIGATIONS OF THE HOLDERS OF EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION RIGHT

A holder of Exploration and Production right is obliged, mutatis mutandis, to:

A- Conduct Petroleum Operations in accordance with the terms of this law, the Regulations for Petroleum Operations as well as other applicable legislation and Good Oil Field Practices;

B- Promptly report any Discovery within the Contract Area to the Ministry;

C- Conduct the necessary delineation and evaluation of the Discovery with a view to determining its commercial potential and keep the Ministry fully informed of progress and results;

D- In the event of a Commercial Discovery, prepare and submit to the Ministry specialized entity, in accordance with the Regulations for Petroleum Operations, a Field Development Plan for the Discovery:

E- Prepare and submit a revised Field Development Plan for any material amendment to the original Plan for approval by the Ministry specialized entity

F- Implement the Field Development Plan or the revisions thereto once these have been approved by the Ministry specialized entity;

G- Submit a Decommissioning Plan to the Ministry, not later than two years before the planned termination of Production;

H- Compensate the Injured parties for any losses or damages resulting from the conduct of the Petroleum Operations as provided by law;

I- When the national Interest so requires, give preference to the Ministry in the acquisition of Petroleum produced in the Contract Area, and access to pipeline transportation, in accordance with terms and conditions to be agreed upon with the Ministry;

J- Provide the greatest possible support for required research and development activities in connection with Petroleum Operations and endeavour to carry out as much of these activities by Iraqi institutions;

K- Collect, organise and maintain in good condition usable data from all phases and on all aspects of Petroleum Operations in accordance with this Law and with Petroleum regulations, and

L- At no cost, supply the Ministry and affiliated companies, with, all data collected and assembled from Petroleum Operations, in accordance with ARTICLE 19 of this Law.

ARTICLE 15

COMPETENCE BUILDING AND LOCAL CONTENT

A- The Republic of Iraq aims at the development of a competent and effective Iraqi private sector capable of substantial participation in Petroleum Operations including the acquisition, alone or together with international companies, of Exploration and Production rights. Such development shall however adhere to the objectives of professional competence in accordance with this law. Towards this end holders of Exploration rights are encouraged to pursue cooperation and association with serious and qualified Iraqi private Initiatives.

B- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production rights shall give preference to the purchase of Iraqi products and services whenever they are competitive in terms of price, comparable in terms of quality and available on a timely basis in the quantity required.

C- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production rights shall to the maximum reasonable extent undertake to employ Iraqi citizens having appropriate qualifications and shall undertake to train and prepare potential candidates towards this objective.

D- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production rights shall maximise to the greatest reasonable extent, training and technology transfer opportunities for Iraqi nationals, at all levels of Petroleum Operations including management.

E- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production rights are required to diligently seek and develop associations, affiliations, joint ventures and other forms of partnership and or co-operation in order to promote the rapid growth of an Iraqi private sector capable of assisting and enhancing Petroleum Operations to the mutual benefit of the said holders and the nation.

ARTICLE 11

UNITISATION

A- A Petroleum Discovery which is located partly in one Contract Area and partly in another Contract Area shall be developed and operated jointly pursuant to a unitization agreement which shall be submitted for approval by the Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council to be approved. Should the right-holders fail to reach agreement on the modalities of unitisation, the Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council has the right to decide on the terms six months after serving notice to the parties to this effect.

B- A Petroleum Discovery which extends from areas authorized for Production into areas not authorized for Production shall be developed only after consultation with the Ministry Federal Oil and Gas Council about the measures necessary to protect the interests of the Republic of Iraq.

C- The Council of Ministers shall adopt the necessary measures to protect the interests of the Republic of Iraq in Petroleum Discoveries extending beyond the borders of the Republic. In such cases efforts shall be made to seek joint solutions with the said neighbouring countries.

ARTICLE 17

CONSERVATION

A- The extraction of Petroleum resources shall aim at the avoidance of waste, including preventing leakages from Pipelines, and the optimal maintenance of energy in the Reservoir in accordance with Good Oilfield Practices and Good Pipeline Practices.

B- INOC and other holders of an Exploration and Production right shall diligently apply the latest technologies and oilfield practices that lead to optimum recovery from the individual Reservoir or a group of Reservoirs that are targeted under the Field Development Plan(s).

C- The Field Development Plan shall be based on thorough investigations of alternative extraction strategies in order to select a solution that combines the highest level of Petroleum recovery with acceptably high levels of Production and as low cost as possible.

D- Subsequent to the approval of a Field Development Plan, INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production right shall continue to improve Reservoir understanding through optimal data collection and Reservoir monitoring and shall accordingly seek to identify and implement actions that would Improve Petroleum recovery.

ARTICLE 13

ACCESS TO MAIN PIPELINES AND FIELD PIPELINES

A- The Main Pipelines are the property of the federal government.

B- INOC as the Transporter with respect to Main Pipelines and the holder of Exploration and Production right under ARTICLE 17/A with respect to Field Pipelines have the obligation to transport, without any discrimination and on reasonable commercial terms, the Petroleum of third parties, provided in general that:

1- Capacity is available in the Field Pipeline;

2- There are no insurmountable technical problems that prevent such utilisation of the Field Pipeline.

C- Details shall be provided for the modalities of the system of access by third parties to Field Pipelines in regulations to be made by the Ministry in coordination with the regions and producing provinces.

D- Whenever there is a dispute concerning the commercially reasonable terms for the transport of Petroleum in a Main Pipeline or a Field Pipeline for Oil or for Natural Gas, the availability of uncommitted capacity in the pipeline in question or a proposed increase of its capacity, the dispute shall be first referred to the Ministry for resolution, the ministry must work in coordination with regions and producing provinces.

Thereafter, resolution shall be sought according to the procedures set out in ARTICLE 30 of this Law.

ARTICLE 19

OWNERSHIP OF DATA

A- All data obtained pursuant to any Contract provided for under this Law is the property of the Iraqi Government, and shall not be published, reproduced or exported without the prior approval of the Ministry.

B- The terms and conditions for the exercise of rights in respect of primary, differentiated, processes, interpreted and analysed data related to oil and gas in Iraq including but not limited to geological and geophysical reports, engineering data, samples, logs and well surveys, shall be established in data supply obligations in the relevant contract and by regulations.

C- The Ministry submits copies of the current available petroleum data to the INOC and to the regions, and the INOC and regions must take the responsibility of supplying the Ministry with new data and updates resulted from the petroleum operations implemented by them in a continues and periodic fashion.

D- Anyone who has the information in his possession or sells, buys, transfers, receives, deals with any of the information or data mentioned in this article shall be considered in violation, unless the contract terms states otherwise, and shall be prosecuted under the Iraqi criminal and civil law. No one has the right to own such data and information.

E- Without prejudice to section D of this article, it is allowed for someone to have a permission from the specialized entities to own, buy, sell, transfer, or receive data and information indicated in section F of this article under the condition of supplying the specialized entities with copies of the data, and his permission should not be revoked without logical reasons.

F- Old Data, for the purposes of this law, mean all primary, differentiated, processes, interpreted and analysed data and information related to oil and gas in the republic of Iraq indicated in section [b] of this article.

ARTICLE 20

RESTRICTIONS ON PRODUCTION LEVELS

In the event that, for national policy considerations, there is a need to introduce limitations on the national level of Petroleum Production, such limitations shall be applied in a fair and equitable manner and on a pro-rata basis for each Contract Area on the basis of approved Field Development Plans.

CHAPTER IV

TRANSPORTATION

ARTICLE 21

MAIN PIPELINES

A- INOC, or the specialized company created by the Ministry, shall own all Main Pipelines. Such Pipelines shall be constructed and operated by the INOC subsidiary representing Transporter for the purpose of transporting Oil or Natural Gas to specified Delivery Points for Oil and Natural Gas respectively. The Ministry in coordination with INOC and in consultation with Operators shall ensure that the Main Pipeline network is optimally designed, operated and maintained so as to serve the overall requirement for Petroleum transportation in the Republic of Iraq.

B- The construction and operation of Main Pipeline or any major modification thereof shall be subject to approval by the Ministry on the basis of a Main Pipeline Development Plan outlining the proposed work. If the proposed work is undertaken by the INOC subsidiary company specialized company representing Transporter in association with Iraqi or Foreign Persons, the agreement between' the parties shall accompany the Main Pipeline Development Plan. Such agreement shall outline the terms of financing, implementation, and the modalities of utilisation and operation of the new or modified Main Pipeline.

C- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production right shall deliver Oil and Natural Gas to the Main Pipeline at appropriate Transfer Point(s) In accordance with ARTICLE 13/A. The transportation of Crude Oil or Natural Gas beyond the Transfer Point shall be carried out by the INOC subsidiary company specialized company representing Transporter on the basis of a contract.

D- All the above activities shall be carried out in accordance with Good Pipeline Practices.

E- The co-ordination of tasks related to the transport of Crude Oil through new Pipelines outside the Iraqi territories is the responsibility of the Ministry. The Follow up of operations subsequent to the approval of the necessary bilateral agreements shall be the responsibility of INOC in accordance with the said bilateral agreements and any specific instructions from the Ministry.

ARTICLE 22

RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS REGARDING PIPELINES

A- The Exploration and Production Contract shall provide a non-exclusive right to access Main Pipelines on reasonable commercial terms. It shall also confer the right to construct and operate Field Pipelines to deliver Oil or Natural Gas from the Contract Area to the Transfer Point, for further transportation through the Main Pipeline to the Delivery Point.

B- INOC and of her holders of Exploration and Production right shall Implement the Field Development Plan and construct Field Pipelines connected to the Main Pipeline or the modifications thereto following approval of such plans have been approved by the Ministry;

C- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production right shall prepare and submit a revised Field Pipeline Development Plan for any material amendment to the original Plan for approval by the Ministry;

D- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production right shall negotiate with INOC or the specialized company as the Transporter for the right to use the Main Pipeline. The Ministry Is to be kept informed on the progress of these negotiations;

E- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production right shall submit a Decommissioning Plan to the Ministry, not later than two years before the planned termination of Production;

CHAPTER V

NATURAL GAS

ARTICLE 23

GAS UTILISATION

A- Natural Gas is a valuable Petroleum resource of increasing importance in the economic development of the Republic of Iraq and the Middle East. It shall be utilised to generate additional revenues through optimal utilisation partly through improving oil recoveries by gas injection into suitable Reservoirs; through utilisation for power generation, utilisation in petrochemical and chemical industries, utilisation for domestic purposes, utilisation in Industrial processes, utilisation for export and/or through the replacement of fluid fuels. The latter will have the additional benefit of reducing the impact on the environment while at the same time maximising revenue by freeing more crude and fuel oil for export.

B- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production rights shall diligently pursue all alternatives for optimal utilisation of surplus volumes of produced gases in accordance with the objectives of ARTICLE 23/B above. Should they fail to identify commercial utilisation, the volumes of surplus Natural Gas shall be offered after treatment to Government at no cost at the Field's outlet. The cost incurred by the holder of Exploration and Production rights shall be recoverable under the respective contract.

ARTICLE 24

ASSOCIATED GAS

A- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production right are entitled to use, free of charge, the quantity of Associated Natural Gas necessary for Petroleum Operations.

B- INOC and other holders of Exploration and Production right shall in the Field Development Plan propose optimal plans for the utilization or disposal of Associated Natural Gas.

C- All Associated Natural Gas produced from a Reservoir which is neither used in Petroleum Operations, utilised or re-injected in the Field, shall be offered for delivery free of charge to the Ministry in accordance with ARTICLE 23/B above.

ARTICLE 25

FLARING OF NATURAL GAS

A- Flaring of Natural Gas is only permitted for the purposes of commissioning, testing of installations, safety precautions or while awaiting the completion of transportation facilities provided the flared volumes are strictly kept to a minimum and the Ministry is promptly notified.

B- The flaring of Associated Natural Gas shall be kept to a minimum. It shall not be permitted beyond a maximum period of one year during which measures shall be completed to utilise the gas or deliver it to a nominated government entity in accordance with ARTICLE 23/B above

ARTICLE 26

NON-ASSOCIATED GAS

A- The Development and Production of Natural Gas or liquid components thereof from a Non-associated Natural Gas Discovery shall be subject to the approval of the Ministry of a Field Development Plan supported by signed agreement(s) for the sale of Natural Gas from the Discovery and approved by the Council of Ministers. In the event that only liquid Petroleum is to be produced, a scheme for the re-injection of Natural Gas or other acceptable schemes for its disposal shall be presented in the Field Development Plan.

B- The flaring of Non-associated Natural Gas may only be permitted in accordance with ARTICLE 25/B.

CHAPTER VI

REGULATORY MATTERS

ARTICLE 27

REGULATIONS FOR PETROLEUM OPERATIONS

The Ministry, in coordination and collaboration with the INOC, regions, and producing provinces, shall approve regulations for Petroleum Operations and submit it to the Federal Oil and Gas Council to be Approved.

1- Such regulations shall include among other matters, the following:

a) Modality, terms and conditions of Contracts;

b) Petroleum Operations practices including resource management, safety, health and environmental protection;

c) Submission of plans, reports, data, samples, information and accounts by INOC and other holders of rights as provided for In the respective contracts;

d) Utilisation of pipeline systems for Oil and Natural Gas;"

e) The procurement of equipment, goods and services for Petroleum Operations.

f) The utilisation of local goods and services in Petroleum Operations.

g) Guidelines and conditions related to reciprocity of granting of rights with the country of origin of applicants to rights.

2- The Ministry shall prepare and submit regulations for Petroleum Operations under this Law as required, to be approved by the Council of Ministers.

3- The Ministry may

-- February 20, 2007 10:17 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, Mary Lou!
It is a long read, but very worthwhile.
It is good economic news for Iraq, for sure.
Appreciate the post.
Folks I have spoken with today say it looks well for a RV soon.
I hope they are correct. :)
I am still thinking June, but I would not mind if it is sooner.

Sara.

-- February 21, 2007 1:34 AM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

Announcement No.(868)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 868 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 2/ 21 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 17 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1282 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1280 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 73.620.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 1.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 73.620.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 1.000.000 -----

-- February 21, 2007 3:23 AM ∞

---

chelseadave wrote:

I just heard on TV that British troops are to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2008.
I will not have access to post exchange rates tommorow. Here are the current rates for other currencies around the world. European Euro
EUR
1685.092
1684.250

British Pound
GBP
2507.880
2506.626

Canadian Dollar
CAD
1096.862
1096.314

Swiss Franc
CHF
1037.271
1036.752

Swedish Krona
SEK
181.960
181.869

Norwegian Kroner
NOK
209.077
208.972

Danish Krone
DKK
226.083
225.970

Japanese Yen
JPY
10.683
10.677

-- February 21, 2007 4:26 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, chelseadave.

Sara.

-- February 21, 2007 8:20 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Sara:

Why do you think a revalue of the Iraqi currency (New Iraqi Dinar) will occur in June? What factors are leading you to this conclusion? Does your source offer a range for the revaluation?

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 21, 2007 9:11 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq economy growing despite conflict

Iraq's economy continues to grow despite continued civil unrest, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.

In its report on productivity in the Middle East, the New York-based economic research group said that Iraq's gross domestic product growth rate increased by 7.3 percent in 2005, compared to a 14.2 percent decrease posted in 1995.

Iraq's growth reflected the overall expansion seen in the region, the board said. Nevertheless, it warned that stagnant productivity levels continue to hold back economic growth in the Middle East and there was still a lack of a middle class that could push economic expansion forward.

Overall, productivity had actually fallen over the past decade in the region compared to U.S. levels to 40 percent in 2005 from 54 percent posted in 1987.

Source: United Press International
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 21, 2007 9:12 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

McPherson to lead financial repair of Iraq

By MELISSA SANCHEZ

The State News

STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

MSU President M. Peter McPherson will leave the university during the summer to attend to financial needs of post-war Iraq. McPherson is a former employee of the U.S. Treasury Department.



MSU President M. Peter McPherson will join coalition efforts to restore the Iraqi government.
McPherson met with the Bush administration in Washington on Thursday to discuss the financial reconstruction of Iraq.

The university president obtained financial experience while working second in command for the U.S. Department of Treasury under former President Ronald Reagan.

"It is true that the White House has been talking to Peter about some sort of borrowing of him for work in Iraq for the next couple months," MSU Trustee Colleen McNamara said, adding McPherson "may be back by the beginning of fall term."

It is unknown when McPherson will leave for Iraq and MSU spokesman Terry Denbow said the president has no plans to permanently leave MSU.

In January 1999, the MSU Board of Trustees offered McPherson a position as a senior consultant, making him eligible for retirement status. He has to remain president until 2003 under the deal, which will pay half the average of the five highest deans or directors.

Provost Lou Anna Simon will act as MSU's interim president during McPherson's absence. Simon did not return repeated phone calls and McPherson declined comment Thursday night.

Thursday morning, McPherson told Peter Magrath, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, he plans to leave MSU for at least two months to take part in the rebuilding of Iraq.

In the past month, Iraq has seen major warfare followed by civilian looting and mayhem. Coalition forces have set up a temporary government run by the U.S. military.

McPherson's future duties in Iraq aren't clear, but economics Professor Charles Ballard said the task of rebuilding Iraq's economy won't be easy. Iraq owes hundreds of billions of dollars in unsettled debts and claims to several countries.

Ballard added McPherson's experience at the Bank of America dealing with indebted Latin American countries such as Peru will help in negotiating Iraq's finances.

Ballard said expecting McPherson back at MSU by the fall is optimistic.

"If the job of restoring Iraq's financing could be completed in that time that would be quite an accomplishment," he said.

The White House has not made an official announcement of the appointment and many MSU officials have deferred comment until that happens.

The board will hold a public meeting at 9 a.m. today in the Administration Building's fourth floor boardroom to examine how to proceed without McPherson, McNamara said.

Despite McPherson's absence, the board still will need to handle upcoming budget cuts, maintain a $1.5-billion fund-raising campaign and continue to compete for a federally funded Rare Isotope Accelerator this summer.

Michael Perez, co-founder of Students for Peace and Justice, said he was concerned about what kind of statement McPherson's new role would make for the university.

"By doing this he's taking a stance on the war by approving it indirectly or tacitly," the anthropology graduate student said. "It's a smack in the face to the student body who took a stance against the war."

The university can expect student opposition and demonstrations as a result of McPherson's decision, Perez said.

McPherson's background in international financial relations makes him a top pick for running the new Iraqi government's treasury department.

"I, over a number of years, had a broad range of financial management experiences that clearly are helpful in thinking of (university) issues," McPherson said in an interview last month.

From 1989 to 1993, McPherson served as group vice president of the San Francisco-based Bank of America.

He was responsible for the bank's work in Canada and South America and for managing the "bad debt portfolio" - an international portfolio of debts totaling $8 billion.

Previous to McPherson's work in the Bank of America, he was deputy secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department under Reagan, serving as one of three negotiators for the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

Six years previously, McPherson was an administrator with the Agency for International Development and led a year-long delivery of more than 2 million tons of food to Africa during a famine in the mid-1980s.

He also was a special assistant to President Gerald Ford and director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office from 1975 to January 1977.

Staff writer Amy Bartner contributed to this report.
(www.statenews.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 21, 2007 9:14 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

New oil find in Iraq gives hope to Sunni areas
2/19/2007

KARABILA, Iraq: In a remote patch of the Anbar desert just 30 kilometers from the Syrian border, a single blue pillar of flanges and valves sits atop an enormous deposit of oil and natural gas that would be routine in this petroleum-rich country except for one fact — this is Sunni territory.

Huge petroleum deposits have long been known in Iraq's Kurdish north and Shiite south. But now, Iraq has substantially increased its estimates of the amount of oil and natural gas in deposits on Sunni lands after quietly paying foreign oil companies tens of millions of dollars over the past two years to re- examine old seismic data across the country and retrain Iraqi petroleum engineers.

The development is likely to have significant political effects: the lack of natural resources in the central and western regions where Sunnis hold sway has fed their disenchantment with the nation they once ruled. And it has driven their insistence on a strong central government, one that would collect oil revenues and spread them equitably among the country's factions, rather than any division of the country along sectarian regional boundaries.

Although Western and Iraqi engineers have always known that there are some oil formations beneath Sunni lands, the issue is coming into much sharper focus with the new studies, according to senior Iraqi Oil Ministry officials. The question of where Iraq's oil reserves are concentrated is taking on still more importance as it appears that negotiators are close to agreement on a long-debated oil law that would regulate how Iraqi and international oil companies would be allowed to develop Iraq's fields.

The new studies have increased estimates of the amount of oil in a series of deposits in Sunni territory to the north and east of Baghdad and in a series of deposits that run through western Iraq like beads on a string, and could contain as much as a trillion cubic feet, or .03 trillion cubic meters, of natural gas. And while it would take years to actually begin pulling gas and oil out of the fields even if the area soon became safe enough for companies to work in, energy corporations have been excited about the area's potential, even if it falls short of reserves in the Shiite south and Kurdish north.

The analysis, still little known outside a small circle of specialists, is important enough that on Friday, Brigadier General John Allen of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, who is deputy commanding general of Multi-National Force-West, which has responsibility for Anbar Province, made the long trip into the desert to visit the blue wellhead. Allen's duties include promoting the economic development of Anbar. The deposit beneath is the Akkas field, one of the beads on the string that runs from Nineveh Province in the north to the border with Saudi Arabia in the south.

"It's phenomenal standing here," Allen said. "What this does is, it gives Anbar and the Sunnis an economic future different from phosphate and cement," he said, referring to products of some of the aging factories in the area.

"This gives them a future and a hope," he said. Nearby, a few pieces of laundry flapped in front of one of the only structures in sight, a cinder-block shack probably belonging to a shepherd.

Iraqi oil production peaked at around 3.7 million barrels a day in 1979, as Saddam Hussein was coming to power, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The figure fell and rose over the years and stood at 2.6 million barrels a day just before the 2003 invasion. Current production is less than the prewar figure, a major disappointment for the American and Iraqi engineers who have struggled to rebuild the national oil infrastructure.

That production has always been concentrated in the north and south. But at various times, Iraq has drilled a few exploratory wells in the Anbar desert and in a series of deposits north and east of Baghdad, where there has also been limited production, Natik al- Bayati, director of reservoirs and field development at the Ministry of Oil, said in a recent interview.

For all of its wells, Iraq has also collected seismic data — records of the tremors that ripple through Earth's crust and can be used like X-rays to investigate underground structures. But Iraq's long isolation from the rest of the world meant that the data had never been analyzed with the latest technology, Bayati said in the interview, which was attended by his chief geologist and another ministry expert on reservoirs and authorized by the oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani.

It was partly for that reason, Bayati said, that Iraq allocated up to $25 million each for agreements with some 40 international oil companies, which have provided training, legal consulting, and technical help — including access to the latest software — with the data analysis. In the process, "We got some pleasant surprises," Bayati said.

A re-examination of one series of wells running from Taji, just north of Baghdad, to an area southeast of the capital nearly doubled the estimate of recoverable reserves after raising the estimated total to around 15 billion barrels, Bayati said. That is one of a series of similar structures that form a brevet- like pattern in Sunni areas north of Baghdad and are still being studied, he said. Current estimates for all proven reserves in Iraq amount to about 115 billion barrels.

Bayati said that the studies, which were conducted across the whole country, also increased estimates of the natural gas reserves in Sunni-dominated Nineveh and Anbar provinces in the west. He said that the amount of natural gas that could theoretically be extracted from the Akkas field alone would be the energy equivalent of around 100,000 barrels of oil a day.

The promise of the oil and gas fields in Sunni territory comes with numerous cautions, including the challenges of doing almost anything at all with the fields as long as Iraq remains such a dangerous place to work, particularly for foreign companies with substantial expertise and resources.

Even if companies can develop the fields, it could be years before wells can be dug and pipelines built to move the oil and gas from the fields.

New oil find in Iraq gives hope to Sunni areas - Source
(www.safedinar.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 21, 2007 9:53 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Pentagon to Fill Iraq Reconstruction Jobs Temporarily
2/20/2007

By THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 — The Pentagon and State Department have worked out a deal to send a small number of military personnel and Defense Department civilians to Iraq for several months until Foreign Service officers and State Department contract workers with specialized skills can fill those jobs, senior officials said Monday.

The internal administration discussions over filling the posts had exposed tensions between the military and civilian agencies over how to share responsibilities in carrying out President Bush’s new strategy for stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq — in particular, how to fill hazardous positions in new provincial reconstruction teams.

The State Department had asked the Pentagon to come up with military personnel or civilians to fill about one-third of the 350 new State Department jobs in Iraq. While the numbers involved are relatively small, the debate raised larger issues of whether the government was properly organized to carry out a long-term occupation of a country like Iraq.

The State Department’s written request for military personnel to fill some of the positions temporarily, received in late January, was met with frustration by a number of senior Pentagon officials and military officers.

But last week, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates agreed to the State Department request. About 120 military personnel or Pentagon civilians will fill the jobs for up to four months, according to three senior officials who were briefed on the discussions.

The officials said the stopgap measure would give the State Department time to identify Foreign Service officers to serve in political and economic development jobs in Iraq and to use new Congressional financing to hire people with technical skills that are not routinely part of diplomatic missions overseas.

The officials said the jobs included industrial development specialists, public health advisers, engineers, veterinarians, agricultural experts and lawyers who specialize in creating or enhancing judicial institutions.

While those skills are not a standard part of the diplomatic corps, they are found among active duty military and reserve personnel. It is those people who will be asked to step in temporarily.

“We are moving forward to try and fill many if not all of those positions, and can certainly manage it for 60, 90 or 120 days,” a senior Defense Department official said.

Another senior Pentagon official said, “Rather than waiting for the funding and contracting process, we want to push the envelope to get the provincial reconstruction teams running as rapidly as we can.”

Mr. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have not publicly discussed the specifics of the agreement. But they met at the State Department last week, and Ms. Rice spoke in positive terms of cooperation between the departments.

“This is one of several meetings that the secretary and I have been holding and will continue to hold on major issues that Defense and State are confronting together in the global war on terror,” Ms. Rice said at the time. “It gives us a chance to get the people who are really responsible for managing these issues on a day-to-day basis together with us to solve the problems that we face and to take advantage of the opportunity.”

The president’s new strategy calls for the State Department to step up its efforts in Iraq, by doubling to 20 the number of provincial reconstruction teams. That increase would be in tandem with the deployment of 21,500 more troops to Baghdad and Anbar Province to the west.

“We need to put more energy into government at lower levels, at the provincial level and, in some cases, at the municipal level,” a senior Defense Department official said.

Another official said the additional provincial reconstruction teams, to be managed by State Department personnel, would not focus on “brick and mortar” construction, but on “trying to reconstruct governmental capacity — the ability for the Iraqi government at all levels to effectively deliver services.”

The State Department-run reconstruction teams will rely on military personnel for security and to escort convoys, Pentagon and State Department officials said. Striking a balance between assigning troops to day-to-day combat missions versus providing security for nonmilitary efforts has caused some tensions in the past.

At the core of the debate is a clash of cultures, civilian and military, and assessments of the mission. Many in the military have said that while administration officials routinely speak of the United States as “a nation at war,” by far the bulk of the mission is being carried by those in uniform, while the rest of the government is not on a similar war footing.

But across the civilian agencies, which have only a fraction of the Pentagon’s personnel and budget, government workers say the question is whether a few hundred unarmed civilians spread across Iraq can make a significant difference in promoting democracy and reconstruction in the middle of a war zone, when more than 130,000 troops are not succeeding in that task.
(www.safedinar.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 21, 2007 9:55 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraqi Oil Wealth Stays Locked Up
2/20/2007

Draft Law Shows
Hurdles to Entry
For Foreign Firms
By CHIP CUMMINS in London and HASSAN HAFIDH in Amman, Jordan
February 20, 2007; Page A8

Foreign technology and capital are seen as vital to restoring Iraq's crumbling oil industry. But as a draft petroleum law inches its way toward the Iraqi parliament, fresh opposition to the legislation is emerging, underscoring the difficulty that may still lie ahead for any move to invite in international oil companies.

A petroleum law could provide a significant political boost for Iraq's shaky government, by setting down how money from newly developed fields would be shared among the country's three dominant ethnic regions -- the mostly Kurdish north, the Sunni center and the Shiite south. Reaching an agreement on sharing Iraq's energy resources, by far the nation's major source of wealth, will be critical to achieving long-term peace in the war-torn country.

U.S. officials and petroleum experts have been advising Iraqi politicians almost from the start of the American occupation nearly four years ago about how to build a legal framework that would enable foreign oil-field development. International majors have been reluctant to venture into the country until violence subsides and before politicians endorse a law spelling out legal rights and financial terms for foreign firms.

In recent months, Iraqi politicians have made some progress. In its current form, the legislation envisions the re-creation of an Iraqi state oil company, and it gives broad latitude to officials from the country's various regions to encourage foreign investment and development. Kurdish officials had balked at earlier provisions calling for specific federal approval of development deals between regional governments and foreign firms.

The Iraqi cabinet discussed a revised draft of the petroleum law late last week. The cabinet is expected to meet perhaps as early as this week to take up the issue again, according to Assem Jihad, a spokesman for the Ministry of Oil in Baghdad. If the cabinet agrees on a working draft, it would be forwarded to parliament for debate and ratification.

The legislation still faces significant political hurdles. Earlier this month, an influential union of oil workers in the country's south said it will oppose the legislation. In a speech to more than 200 delegates at a conference in Basra in early February, union leader Hassan Jumaa condemned the legislation as opening Iraq's oil wealth to foreign exploitation.

"History will not forgive those who play recklessly with our wealth," he said. "We consider the new law unbalanced and incoherent with the hopes of those who work in the oil industry. It has been drafted in a great rush in harsh circumstances."

The rhetoric echoes the sentiment of many everyday Iraqi citizens. The nationalization of the Iraqi oil industry in the 1970s under Saddam Hussein remains a point of pride for many Iraqis, and opposition still runs deep to any hint of foreign interference.

Also, opposition has emerged from prominent former Iraqi oil officials, who have recently fled the country's chaos but continue to hold some sway in Baghdad's oil bureaucracy. Because of the escalating sectarian violence and political polarization, these officials fear, rushing through a petroleum law could cause more harm than good to the industry.

Write to Hassan Hafidh at hassan.hafidh@wsj.com1

Iraqi Oil Wealth Stays Locked Up - Source

Iraqi Dinar News Article List

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 21, 2007 9:58 AM ∞

---

Tim Bitts wrote:

Hi,

I just saw something on the Canadian television, about cell phones and fighting terrorism, in Afghanistan. They were interviewing a Canadian military commander. He said that it took a while, but they were starting to gain the trust of the Afghani people. He said, once that happened, cell phones were of great assistance in fighting terrorism.

The way it works is simple: Most Muslims are not crazy. They just want peace and stablity for their families. Once they feel safe enough to rat on the terrorists, they do so. Cell phones help to do this safely and easily. There are free numbers to call, to tell the good guys where the terrorists are, and then they can be dealt with.

Human intelligence is the great American military weakness. It takes more than the best weapons in the world to defeat terrorists. The American Army has very few speakers of foreign languages. That fact is a great military handicap, that gives the enemy a big advantage. People tend to trust other people who speak their own language more than people who don't. That's true of all humans. With lack of trust comes lack of communication, and the sharing of information. Without trust, real co-operation and rebuilding is difficult. Iraq's real fight is the fight for trust. With trust will come victory. Americans are having a heck of a time understanding the complexities of Bagdhad because unless you speak the language of a country, it is very difficult to understand the complex social reality around you.

This is a long term policy problem, in military planning that will take years to correct. No doubt the Pentagon is working on this.

But in the meantime, working with the Iraqi Army, something as simple as the cell phone can eventually have a very dramatic effect on the outcome of the war, provided America sticks it out. The occupation of Afghanistan started a couple of years earlier than Iraq, so it may be a little while before this simple thing starts to have large military consequences. I know for a fact that cell phone usage is growing like mad in Iraq, so I would be surprised if the Pentagon had not thought of this years ago. I'd be surprised if this idea, to encourage cell phone use, and using them against terrorists, was not an actual part of the war strategy.

Cell phone use is certainly was part of the terrorist's war plans. They have a long track record of calling each other, on their cell phones, to issue orders, for killing people, and then throwing away their cell phones. Well, as they will soon find out, it works two ways. The phones will eventually be used against them.

-- February 21, 2007 12:25 PM ∞

---

Turtle wrote:

Tim Bitts: The Americans have been doing the same thing in Iraq. The catch to the story you quoted is getting the locals to trust you to protect them after they rat someone out. The rash of gains we made a couple months back against Al-qaeda occured because a local told us where to find one of their top guys. That happened after 4th ID ran a mission to secure a small area outside Baghdad and set up outposts within the area. The point being that to gain peoples' trust, you have to have a presence. They have to get to know you so to speak. That is what we are currently doing with the new offensive. We are sending troops into the city, including Sadr City. There are situations where we have 3 buildings in a row. The first is the police, the second is our troops, and the third is the Iraqi Army. We have a presence. The locals are starting to get familiar with our guys and we've had some successes. The catch is that having a presence leaves our guys open for sniper attacks. So... As this has been a political war, we have wins and loses in THAT field. Just as something of a report, our guys have made some slow gains in the sweeps. We have been attacked a couple times and destroyed the attackers. Big shock I know but... The good news is that I have one report of the Iraq Army forces being atacked just outside Sadr City and not needing any assistance in putting it down. I say good because that is the only report I have from a source I trust who was on call to give support if needed. It's a start.

-- February 21, 2007 1:35 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Good thoughts, Tim Bitts - appreciated. :)
I didn't think of all those cel phones as an advantage
strategically to the war effort, before.

As for Iraq in the news, I am a little sick of the media lies
saying that the UK is withdrawing and the coalition crumbling.

In reality, the current troop reduction is part of the longstanding
coalition plan to gradually hand over responsibility to the Iraqis
and then cut back coalition forces as the Iraqis take over. You
might remember President Bush saying, "they stand up, we stand down"..
gradually, but as quickly as is possible.

In reality this is a great victory that the Iraqis are able and ready
to "stand up" so quickly. They should be commended and honored
for their commitment and for their swift takeover from the coalition forces -
assuming control of their country's forces themselves. But you would think,
from the news, that the terrorists had forced a cowardly retreat in haste..
or that the UK thought better of any support of the war effort - as that is the
impression and leftist spin that the MSM gives it.

There's nothing like the MSM saying they are denying something when in fact
it is the MSM accusing them of it in a sneaky way. By putting it in
this form of a denial of an accusation the MSM made up, the MSM is able
to makes people think those they are accusing are covering up something
underhandedly when in fact they are not.

Wouldn't you just love to have the MSM roast your life like they do with
the governmental powers, saying - "_______ (your name) DENIES that..."
as the headline for a false accusation against you? Must be fun to be in
government and deal with that hateful spin placed on anything they say daily, hey?
Wouldn't you love to walk down the street after they print a false accusation
about YOU and have the people look at you and whisper...
"Did you hear ___(your name) denied that.." ??
NOT.
And people wonder why we don't have a lot of top quality choices for leaders..
(who needs it?)

Here (below) is one article that at least gives the true story, even if the
headline shows what the MSM is accusing the coalition of.

===

Rice denies US-led coalition in Iraq is crumbling
BERLIN 21/02/2007

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied on Wednesday that the US-led coalition in Iraq is crumbling after Britain announced it would reduce its troop mumbers by 1,600 in the coming months.

"The coalition remains intact and in fact the British still have thousands of soldiers deployed in Iraq, in the south," Rice said after talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier ahead of a meeting of the Quartet for Middle East peace.

Rice said the British pullout was occurring according to the coalition plan to gradually hand over responsibility for security to the Iraqis.

"It is the plan that as it is possible to transfer responsibilities to the Iraqis, coalition forces would no longer be needed in those circumstances."

Prime Minister Tony Blair added that British troops would remain in Iraq as long "as we are wanted and have a job to do."

http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=33825

Ask yourself.. who is the person or persons making the accusation that the coalition is crumbling?
Answer: It starts in the head of the media, then others take up the call once they get it spun
the way they want it to be.. called influencing people to believe what you want them to..
and putting your prey on the defensive, so they are debating your accusation and not putting
out a positive press report on the real progress going on in Iraq.

-- February 21, 2007 2:18 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Here is a total disconnect in the MSM..
they just do NOT understand how this is not a retreat.

Indeed.. here, they see the reduction in the UK troops which is a
result of the Iraqi forces stepping up as being a complete contradiction
to saying that a withdrawl before the Iraqi forces are ready to take
control will invite the enemy - "to persist with the destabilisation
and the mayhem and the bloodshed."

Can someone explain that when the UK forces leave, there will no destabilization
BECAUSE the UK troops are not turning tail and running without accomplishing
their mission but they are leaving some good and capable Iraqis forces in control?
(Duhh...) Note the headline:

Howard backflips on British withdrawal
Thursday Feb 22 2007
By ninemsn staff and wires

The Howard Government has described Britain's plan to withdraw troops from Iraq "good sense".

British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the withdrawal of 1600 troops from the country's 7100-strong contingent last night, shortly followed by Denmark announcing it would remove all 460 Danish ground troops from Iraq and replace them with a small helicopter unit.

"It makes good sense," Downer said. "What we are all trying to do is increasingly transfer responsibility for security to the Iraqi security forces."

Meanwhile, The Australian reports that Australia is gearing up to double its forces in Afghanistan, with Canberra approving initial planning for the deployment of up to 450 extra personnel.

"A reduction has been in the wind and the reason I understand Mr Blair will give is that conditions have stabilised in Basra," Howard said.

"I don't think it follows that there should be a reduction in our 550."

The Prime Minister's compassion for Blair's decision contradicts a statement Howard made just last week.

"If governments start nominating dates by which forces are going to be withdrawn, what they are doing is inviting our enemies, inviting the terrorists in Iraq, to persist with the destabilisation and the mayhem and the bloodshed," Howard said on February 14.

The change of opinion..

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=228746

There is no contradiction or change of opinion..
I totally think the journalists should have to take logic courses..
if they truly think this is a change in opinion, or that it therefore
follows that others will withdraw their troop levels prematurely.

Sara.

-- February 21, 2007 4:07 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Rob N;

As for the June mention, that is just my own thoughts on it..
from all I have heard, seen and read.

Sara.

-- February 21, 2007 4:30 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

My gosh ! if losing 1700 British troops in Iraq over the next 14 months is going to cause us to lose the war, we might as well put up the white flags now!!!

Does the MSM ever report anything right, or better yet, intrepret their findings with some commonsense.

They are truly mental midgets!

Carole

-- February 21, 2007 8:33 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

I would LOVE to see a June RV. But, I can't see it happening. Matter of fact, you heard it hear first, I look for another month or so of the modest increases we are seeing in the auctions, then a gradual fall back. I see the end of the year auctions being very close to what they were at the start of 06.

A lot of you are going to ask me what I am baseing this on... thats fine, here is the answer. I have no concrete facts, just like everyone else, and until I see something concrete, positive, and undeniable regarding a revalue, then I am gonna be prepared to sit on my 4 million plus monopoly money.

In short, I am not confident in the issues we face in Iraq ever being resolved in a mannor favorable to us as investors.

-- February 21, 2007 8:49 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

sorry folks, left out a word. It should say start of NOVEMBER 06.

-- February 21, 2007 8:52 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Mary Lou,

A gem, thanks. The guy "Raed Jarred" that got hold of a copy of the HCL law, seems to me to be an anti something.

He translated the thing, and sent it to members of the Iraqi parliament together with his own "warnings of the oil theft".

There will always be a conspiracy theorist involved, but hey, the ME is full of conspiracy theories so this might not matter.

Sara,

We might very well be in the RV right now, a slow process that during the years can escalate as the income of Iraq escalates, sometimes an RV at a certain date might seem as most possible or logical.

At the end of the summer in Aug-Sep last year I had connected all my dots to that point, but ....nothing.

I'm just curious as to what dots you have and what make you say June.

Right now, I can not see, or have seen any obvious sign that says that a one step RV will happen, but it's more of a long climb instead.

Hope I'm wrong and you are right, but I just wonder what you're take is, I know you see things I cant see, religiously and vice versa, but financially, you lost me.

Have had much less of a time to follow this lately compared with a half year ago, so I might have missed out on some important point.

A fine point on that, you gotta read this,(and it's a true one)

My grand parents on my dads side had all together 6 kids, they were fairly spaced apart and the youngest one, a boy, grew up when the oldest daughter had moved away from home.

It was so clear for everybody, and obvious for everybody, and it was completely assumed that everybody knew who was who.

The eldest daughter came home on occasion, and visited, as daughters do, and there was noting to it.

Well time passed, the youngest son was now well up in his late teens.

THEN he found out that the woman coming on visits on occasion was HIS SISTER.

So , Sara, I might have missed something very obvious in this Dinar game.

Rob N,

See, the things are falling onto place, Wolfowitz are rumbling in WB, and suddenly there are reports about modernization, and reorganization in CBI.

-- February 21, 2007 9:09 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Anthony R,

You posted while I was writing, otherwise you would have been included in my first post.

Can you also please expand a bit on why you think this will happen when you say it will.

It doesn't matter if this is just a free spinning wheel, but I would like to see in people what they think will connect the dots to the datum they predict.

Even if you don't have anything really concrete, there is something that makes you say those dates, as well as Sara have come to another date, I just would like to know the thinking behind, even if it is loosely hinged.

-- February 21, 2007 9:20 PM ∞

---

Anthony R wrote:

Roger... its just my gut feeling, nothing more, nothing less.

I just have a really bad vibe about the whole thing now.

Call me crazy, but I am going to trust my own gut instincts before someones 3rd cousins best friends uncles step kid 12 times removed.

Until I something happens to change my view and outlook, there you have it.

-- February 21, 2007 10:43 PM ∞

---

carole wrote:

oger, Sara, Rob & all:
I find it interesting all of your "feelings" about when the Dinar will rv, based on all sorts of resources, even gut feelings.

I have become desensitized, and never really was sure that this investment was ever going to become a reality.

But recently, my heart has skipped a few beats ONLY based on what I know about my RE friend's now $450k US dollar investment. I talked to him today, and he bought another $150k. A week or so ago, when I saw him last he had $300k. His information is RV in April, no later than June OR not for several years. His source, has never changed, according to him--a big wig with one of the largest oil interests in Iraq, who gets his info from the Minister of Finance in Iraq.

Interesting-huh? Time will tell. But I can't help but think that someone withthis huge amount invested, and still buying, might be the most reliable indicator yet.

What do you all think?

Carole

-- February 22, 2007 4:40 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Committed to IMF's instructions

Dr. Amirah Al-Baldawi, member of the Economic and investment Committee in the Parliament, prepared a study on the Iraqi budget for this year, presented the basis and principles on which it was based.

She said in the study: “The paragraphs of the budget have not concealed its abidance to the terms of the IMF to write off Iraqi debt after canceling the subsidy of oil derivatives and foodstuffs (the ration card)”. She added: “The national strategy aimed, as stated in the federal budget, to reduce the subsidy, and then gradually withdraw from this policy that has a negative impact on the overall economy. Implementation has started in the 2006 budget when the allocations to support the ration card were reduced by 25% of the budget in 2005 and the policy continues for the 2007 budget. The subsidy was actually lifted all at once in time of oil crises and repeated jams in the distribution of oil derivatives in all Iraqi governorates, as well as the absence of a clear environment for investment in the oil sector, that may help to alleviate the crisis; this means Iraq will witness a high rise in the prices of derivatives in the coming months, if the decision of lifting the subsidy is not accompanied by intensive negotiations and bold”.

She explained: “The strategy of the 2007 budget contained the program of supporting the ration card adopting the necessary allocations, but it might be appropriate to decrease some items in the ration card or reduce them to the basic ones such as flour, baby milk, rice and tea leading to the reduction of no less than 15% of the allocations, in addition to not including citizens like traders, industrialists, contractors and other segments whose incomes are not below a certain level”.

She Stated: “The social benefits included in the budget such as the allocations of the ration card, the social protection network, allowances for military employees of the dissolved Ministry of Defense and the expenses of aid to those displaced have fell by 2.4% this year, less than what they were in 2006”. She pointed out: “allocations to the ration card also decreased from 45 00 billion dinars to 3928 billion dinars by 12.7%. The gradual withdrawal from the subsidy could be in favor of the Iraqi economy, but the needy segments would not benefit from it since it is accompanied by financial corruption mechanisms that serve the interest of only specific segments, like those involved in contracts of supplying the ration card materials, transferring and distributing them. Many areas, displaced families and needy families are still demanding their share of the ration card materials”.

She stressed: “the need for the State to establish a policy for protecting the needy and not to keep such procedures, like the non-including of rich merchants, contractors and others, as mere proposals”.

She wondered: “What are the mechanisms taken by the State to write off the names of these rich segments? How were they counted? How can we make sure that they would not penetrate the regulations put by the State to write off their names?” Adding: “in this area, the Ministry of Planning should play a role. It should organize a form for each family’s income, and then isolate the high-income families without any exceptions in order to treat the situation of poverty and need; also, the amount allocated for the ration card should go to those who really need the card’s materials which should be of fine qualities and quantities filling the need of the Iraqi citizen without needing to demand it”.

She continued: “As for social insurance and the social protection network which include limitted-income families, their allocations rose to 84% from last year to become 920 billion dinars in order to included the largest number possible of needy families who were about one million families last year; however, these allocations will not be able to include more than one million and five hundred thousand families with minimum salaries that has not even risen to an average level”.

She said: “As for the displaced families and victims of the deteriorating security situation, their allocations has been decreased by 5.6%, in addition to a modest budget to the Ministry of the Displaced and Migration, that does not match with the increasing numbers of the displaced and their exacerbating problems especially in winter, schools season and others. As for the victims’ compensations which are given to victims of terrorist attacks, whether they were civil or military, it is regrettable that these allocations were reduced by 50% from last year at a time when terrorist attacks increased and large numbers of Iraqis are becoming victims to them, leaving greater numbers of orphans, widows, the poor and damaged”. explaining: 'If the State does not take the increasing numbers of damaged Iraqi people into consideration and guarantee them what fills their needs without being compelled to resort to voluntary contributions, as happened in the incident of Imams Bridge, if they do not withdraw from the specialties of some of the huge bodies and add for the benefit of the victims and needy or at the very least, the social benefits allocations of the presidential bodies should be classified in a way that the largest part of them should go to the damaged people, and instead of opening the door for disaster donations, the Presidency of the Republic and the ministers should make those donations on behalf of all the sons of the Iraqi people in respond to any disaster or emergencies. Other than that, it is totally unacceptable to reduce the allocations of the needy and increase those of the luxurious without clear information of how will they be spent”.

Retirement Law
Dr. Amirah Al-Baldawi said: “The unified retirement law which was voted for by the previous National Assembly ensures that the retired will get 80% of his actual salary. Large numbers of citizens awaited the implementation of this law to retire from their jobs with a pension that guarantees them a decent life; however, implementing this law was stopped following the advice of the International Bank which sees that there is no country in the world spends all these enormous amounts to subsidize people who do not provide the State with any benefit in return”.

She continued: “The International Bank has presented a project included in the 2007budget; it proposed the establishment of a retirement fund financed through the discount of 12% of each governmental institution for the purpose of its employees’ retirement; also, discounting 7% of the government employees’ salaries to be deposited in this fund to be invested in order to increase them and provide the State with profit, as well as being deposited for the benefit of the retirees”.

She explained: “The wages of health and laboratory services had risen to 94% while the allocations of medicines were reduced by 16% this year compared to the year 2006, at a time when the numbers of the injured and those in need for treatment is increasing ; also, the health sector needs to be rehabilitated and supplied with modern medical devices and laboratory services, as well as provide opportunities for training and improving the performance of the medical cadre, the intermediate and advanced, since this sector is witnessing a great development in the neighboring countries and in the world. In addition, the State should start working by the health insurance card which will be of great benefit for the needy and the poor as well as improve the health service; it is very natural in a rich country such as Iraq that the needy are treated for free”. She added: “A quick look at the preparations of the 2007 budget for the deprived, in all their kinds, we find that the State has prepared itself to get rid of its obligations in the subsidy area without any clear plans or alternative solutions”.
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 22, 2007 9:30 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Maliki: imposing law plan will end militias

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

Baghdad, 22 February 2007 (Al-Sabaah)
Print article Send to friend
The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has reassured that Baghdad Security plan will end the militias and armed groups existence and every body might dared and challenge the state's will in prevailing order and law.

During receiving the Australian Ambassador in Iraq Mark Anz Brown who handed the Iraqi Prime Minister a message from the Australian Prime Minister John Howard, al-Maliki said: the biggest achievement realized by the law imposition plan is that this plan has firmly established to the citizen the feeling that all is equal in front of the law.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 22, 2007 9:32 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Dinar hasn't been served to investors in Iraqi cash
Some are hungry to get money back

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

21 February 2007 (Chicago Sun Times)
Print article Send to friend
The pitch had just enough detail to make it sound like the next big thing: Buy Iraqi dinars over the Internet at a low price, wait for oil-rich Iraq to stabilize, and watch your investment soar in value.

The only problem was, the local company selling the Iraqi currency wasn't giving consumers anything, much less making their investment dreams come true, according to complaints to the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois.

The bureau has logged 77 complaints about United World Exchange -- which also does business as www.usdinar.com -- from consumers in 31 states as well as in foreign countries who said they never received the dinars they paid for. Several complaints came from soldiers and civilian contractors in Iraq, said Steve Bernas, president and CEO of the local bureau.

Considered very risky

A reporter's call to United World Exchange's Oak Brook office Friday was disconnected, and a follow-up call went straight to voice mail.

Mark Johnson of Yorkville thought he'd done his research when he paid $805 for a million Iraqi dinars last June. The company said it was registered with the federal Treasury Department, and the customer service people answered all his questions.

"I thought it would be kind of a neat thing to invest in with some discretionary money," Johnson said.

He's still waiting for his dinars, and the company has stopped answering his calls and e-mails. "I've never been ripped off before," said Johnson, who's still hoping to recover his money.

Many companies and independent eBay sellers are peddling Iraqi currency online.

But investing in such currency is considered enormously risky. If Iraq's war continues, the value could drop even further. Also, most dealers and U.S. banks won't buy back the dinars.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 22, 2007 9:36 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Some good news concerning the oil law.

Draft Law on Oil Money Moves to Iraqi Cabinet

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

21 February 2007 (The New York Times)
Print article Send to friend
A draft version of the long-awaited law that would govern the development of Iraqi oil fields and the distribution of oil revenues has been submitted to Iraq’s cabinet, the first step toward approving the legislation, two members of a senior negotiating committee said this weekend.

The move seemed to signal that negotiators had arrived at the outlines of a compromise that would satisfy the Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni members of the committee and break a deadlock that has held up approval of the law for months. Because the Iraqi budget depends almost entirely on oil revenues, the law is considered an essential element of creating a stable and functioning government.

Earlier drafts of the law described to The New York Times indicate that Iraq’s central government in Baghdad would retain substantial control over oil revenues and the right to review the contracts that regional governments sign with Iraqi and international companies to develop the fields and to pump oil.

Negotiations had snagged because of the insistence by the Kurds that they maintain a degree of autonomy in managing their northern fields. But two members of the negotiating committee confirmed that a draft had been sent to the cabinet, indicating that a compromise might be in sight.

Neither of those negotiators — Hussain al-Shahristani, the current oil minister, and Thamir Ghadban, a former oil minister — provided details of the compromise. But a senior official in the Kurdish regional government also said that a deal was near and hinted that the Kurds had received concessions on how the law would affect existing contracts with oil companies that agreed to work in the north.

If the cabinet approves the draft law, it would then be sent to Parliament for ratification. Parliament for the most part automatically passes laws that have been approved by leaders of the main political parties, which run along ethnic and sectarian lines.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 22, 2007 9:38 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Enclosed, is today's exchange rate as posted on www.cbiraq.org

Number of banks 15 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1282 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 49.175.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 49.175.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 22, 2007 9:39 AM ∞

---

willie wrote:

Carole, The word for today is OIL, OIL, OIL. Without it, all industry ceases.

-- February 22, 2007 11:38 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Chuckle.. Thanks, Carole. So glad to hear a voice of common sense amidst my monitoring and reading all the utter nonsense in the MSM news out of Iraq. Refreshing to hear your cheery voice of sense and reason after being thoroughly up to my ears in the writings of the doom and gloomers.. the MSM should put a sign around their neck which says, "The end is near!" and never take it off.. pessimists one and all.

Roger - I think the conspiracy theories out there that are rampant (in and out of Baghdad) are being capitalized on by those who can use unstable souls and minds for their own agendas - such as Iran.

If the Iraqis think the West is after stealing their oil, they will be less cooperative and put up roadblocks.. JUST what the Iranians want in order to delay the strengthening of the Iraqi government even more and to help them in their aims to decimate their country - moving in concert with their eventual agenda of a takeover of Iraq.

The Iranians do state they are the ONLY legitimate government on earth and the one with a mandate from God to take over the earth. Remember the article above which I quoted which said, "The head of the Assembly of Experts in the opening of its sixteenth majlis announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only legitimate form of government in the world... Mr. Ahmadi Nejad announced that, "we must get ready to rule the world." And that the Islamic government in Iran is the pre-requisite for a world wide Islamic state.”

This is their heartfelt belief, and if these conspiracy theories will help aid them in that aim which quite obviously encompasses Iraq (not to mention the rest of the world), then they will play on the fears and concerns of the simple and easily deceived people living in a country at war.

If Iran slides up beside them and whispers in their ears that they are being deceived by the Americans and being taken for a ride, many simple people do not question the source of those whispers. They fix their eyes on what the whisperer is directing them to see, looking away from the whispering snake-in-the-grass standing beside them and contemplating only the warts on the nose of the fellow currently speaking to them in the parliament. It is all done for whatever furthers their fascist cause, I suppose, the Iranians think.

Just as the Democrats would speak of their political cause as first above all, instead of the country. It is always wise to look at motives and who most benefits by your believing a conspiracy theory, and the Bush conspiracy theories sure do benefit the Democrats a lot.. don't they?

I just wish the Iraqis believing these conspiracy theories would look at how difficult a task it is which is set before their country to do and how few are willing to help them do it, and seek to move forward for the good of all their people and country rather than blocking momentum and giving the terrorists further cause to rejoice at the delays which give them room to bomb and kill more innocents, and fit into their disruptive takeover plans.

Money would bring the Iraqis a greater prosperity and peace.. faster. If they would only wake up to the necessity of seeing that as of paramount concern for the country and well worth pursuing quickly, though carefully - but not with the timidity of a mouse but the heart of a lion - we might see them making bold moves to get the country working and moving ahead. They need the FIL and HCL laws to be working, not gathering dust as paperwork while they send it to a committee for peer reviewing for a year or two. Real opportunity rarely knocks twice. Let's hope they don't drop the ball here for a "conspiracy" theory yarn some whisperer has put in their ears for their own shortsighted and selfish ideological purposes. It does test the Iraqi mettle.. I pray they might prove themselves men, not timid mice. It takes much to lead and not follow others, nor cower in fear. I hope they find the assurances they need, and get the work done so it might be implemented to turn their homeland around.. that no man might say the country once rested on the backs of knaves and fools, but men who will be remembered in history for accomplishing much for their homeland.

I think the Iraqis should look at the past record of the US - what happened to defeated Germany.. or Japan.. or to Panama (which now is an independent country which controls and runs their own canal)? Did the US take over their assets themselves and put them all under subjection, stripping them of their land and resources? How about the collapse of the Cold War and the Wall.. when the enemy (Russia) was suddenly helpless. Did the US invade and take over all their vast assets? NO.. so just perhaps the US doesn't intend to do so this time around, either?? Do they teach them history as well as the Koran over there in their Universities? (just tongue in cheek) Point is.. believing that conspiracy theory is utter nonsense if they look at it. The only ones to benefit from such a lie is.. well.. the terrorist cause which is trying to kill them all and steal their government. By all means proceed with caution, but don't you think some haste to get deliverance from these problems is in order as well? Before the enemy takes too much ground and there is no going back, I mean?

I'll take Carole's big investor who said, "His information is RV in April, no later than June OR not for several years." See? He has the June thing, too.. it appears to be cutoff time for getting it done. Either the Iraqis get their country up and going by then.. or opportunity stops knocking for them for some time to come...

I think they can and are going to do it... but, by their past record.. they almost always wait until the LAST SECOND POSSIBLE.. hence, June.

Sara.

-- February 22, 2007 1:01 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

U.S. Troops Find Chemicals in Iraq Raid
February 22, 2007 AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. troops raided a car bomb factory west of Baghdad with five buildings full of propane tanks and ordinary chemicals the military believes were to be used in bombs, a spokesman said Thursday, a day after insurgents blew up a truck carrying chlorine gas canisters.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said the chlorine attack Wednesday -- the second such "dirty" chemical attack in two days -- signaled a change in insurgent tactics, and the military was fighting back with targeted raids.

He suggested the strategy was backfiring by turning public opinion against the insurgents, saying the number of tips provided by Iraqis had doubled in the last six months.

One of those tips led U.S. troops to a five separate buildings near Fallujah, where they found the munitions containing chemicals, three vehicle bombs being assembled, including a truck bomb, about 65 propane tanks and "all kinds of ordinary chemicals."

Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, an Iraqi military spokesman, said the investigation into the attack was still under way.

"But what is obvious to us that the terrorists are adopting new tactics to cause panic and as many casualties as they can among civilians. But our plans also are always changeable and flexible to face the enemy's new tactics."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-factory-raid,1,6486241.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

-- February 22, 2007 2:18 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Is anyone familiar with ameraq.org?

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 22, 2007 3:04 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

There is also the distinct possibility that Maliki may be replaced soon. Why?
Well.. being a traitor to Iraq should have some consequences?
Being blatantly on the Iranian's side might not be the wisest course for the PM of Iraq,
if he wishes to keep his job.
It also sheds light on why he has not RVed the currency.
Obviously the RV is not in the interests of Iran.. so why would their agent do so?

Sara.

===

Iraqi PM advices Mahdi Army leaders to hide in Iran, leaked letter
2/20/2007 KurdishMedia.com

London (KurdishMedia.com) 20 February 2007: The Iraqi Prime Minister advised the Mahdi Army leaders to hide in Iran, revealed a leaked letter from the office of the prime minister and posted online by the Kurdish website peyamner on Tuesday.

A letter issued by the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, with the coordination of the Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rabii, advices Muqtada al-Sadir to hide the leaders of his militants, the Mahdi Army, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in case they are “arrested or killed by the American forces”. Al-Maliki, in his letter states, “The current situation requires to keep the leaders of the Mahdi Army, who are affiliated to the organisation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, away from the front line.”

The letter, dated 14 January 2007 and signed by Iraqi Prime Minister, is written after a telephone conversation between Muqtada al-Sadir and the Iraqi Prime Minister. The Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rabii appears to be part of the operation. The letter is classified as confidential, private and immediate.

The letter states the name of 11 leaders of the Mahdi Army who have links with the Islamic Guards and who are advised by the office of the Prime Minister to leave to Iran. They are: Abas al-Kufi, Amir Muhsin Khwja, salim Hussein, Azhar al-Maliki, al-Shiekh Farhan al-Sayidi (Najaf), Fadhil al-Sarii (the adviser of the Prime Minister), Riyadh al-Nuri (Najaf), Ali al-Firtusi, Hayidar al-Araji, Ahmad al-Darraji and Amir al-Sayidi.

The letter is copied to the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, the leadership of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the office of al-Sadir.

Click here for the letter: Iraqi PM letter to Mahdi Army: http://peyamner.com/filesbank/img/200207035424.JPG

http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=14098

-- February 22, 2007 3:15 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Sara:

Your post regarding Malaki's tresonous activities are quite disburbing yet answering why the U.S. seems to be making little progress in Iraq.

If the letter is authentic, Malaki should immediately resign. The constituion is in place to choose another Prime Minister. I think Iraq's prime minister must have a grasp of the following issues:
1.He must believe the necessity of national reconciliation. Malaki mouths the right words, but little effort is made by him to reach reconciliation.
2. He must have an understanding of economic and budgetary concepts. Push the country ahead on both fronts to bring prosperity. An inherent desire to rid his country of the IMF and World Bank.
3. He must put the welfare of the country and its citizens before any ethnic tribe.
4. He must be a strong leader not easily influenced, yet understands the intricacies of the Iraqi constitution.
5. He must have an appreciation of what the U.S. is attempting to accomplish there.

If Malaki is removed or resigns, it will be interesting to see who takes his place. Let us hope the new PM will possess an urgency to revalue the Iraqi Dinar to a practical exchange rate with both the dollar and the pound.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 22, 2007 5:44 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

If this leaked letter is legit. I am outraged even though not surprised.I believe Maliki deserves an appointment at the guilliteen!!!

How much different, if not worse than Saddam. His acts of treason, have caused many their lives and possessions, torment and massacre. Financial devestation to his country and possibly ours too!

Factor in the free elections whereby his countrymen put their trust in him and gave him the position of PM.

Pull out all his fingernails and toenails first, the loop the rope and pull back the floor!!!!!

I can just imagine what the MSM will do with this story!!

Bush better be ready to have a radical response to this radical revelation!! Lest he be taken ALL THE WAY DOWN on the shirtails of Maliki.

Carole

-- February 22, 2007 7:07 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Malaki have been a Quistling for quite some time, and it has been obviously so.

What amazes me most is our own position to it.

It's like an all forgiving mother with a Criminal son, he can do murder, but in the eye of the mother, he is getting away scott free, always forgiven no matter what.

Perhaps we should get a couple of high dignitaries from Washington drunk, and while being drunk, tattoo this letter on their fore head.

THEN suddenly the issue would gain importance.

It would perhaps be a very good idea that the Iraqi PM Mr Malaki would include himself on the list of people that he advices to hide in Iran.

A Quistling he is.

-- February 22, 2007 8:14 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole wrote: "I can just imagine what the MSM will do with this story!!"

Carole - look at the date on the article. It was published on the web two days ago at kurdmedia. The MSM is IGNORING it.. because doing so fits with their agenda that the US lose. To rout a louse and put in someone capable would not be in their interests if the Liberal MSM wants the country of Iraq to go down to defeat so they can help elect the Democrats who own the news outlets into power (presuming the article is true, that is. I am always reluctant to take up a negative report on first blush, and with good reason. But this does appear to be true info.) I have yet to see those with true conservative Christian principles owning the major news networks. (He who has the gold, makes the rules.. ) At most, they give lip service to any semblance of faith in God (to help the view that the "religious right" should trust them and the Democrats, since it is the religious right which are the swing group which can make or break who actually gets into power.)

In my opinion, I think the Bush Administration must have the gumption to remove Maliki if this report of him is true. However, I note that Mr. Maliki is acting very conciliatory toward them lately.. like he fears he might lose his position? So perhaps they have put a few hot rocks under him to make him move and see what loyalties he truly has. This information will be a key they will have to take into account. You cannot have a spy running the country, and that appears to be what the US is facing with a continuing Maliki government. He is obviously working against the best interests of Iraq and helping an army within the country to work in concert with the goals of a foreign power - Iran. This includes terrorizing, kidnapping, torturing, raping and killing his own people. I agree.. shades of Saddam.

We will have to wait and see it play out, but I predict no big spread in the MSM news. They ignore the REAL issues all the time, don't they? This is major news.. and not a peep in two days. NOT a promising development. I rely on the Lord first, then the good sense of the Administration to work on the behalf of the interests that best serve victory for the US/coalition and the best interests of the Iraqis.. at least with the Administration we know they have that goal right (dispite conspiracy theories and views to the contrary.) :)

Sara.

-- February 22, 2007 8:47 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Sara,

Ok I buy June, have been hopping around a bit and checked other predictions, the site "Iraqi Investors Forum," is hilarious, and they are most any time I'm there looking in, saying what they are going to do WHEN the RV to 1.50 Dollars to the Dinar will come next month.

It's always a month or two away on that site, and the numbers they are wishing for is very high.

Carl (yes he is alive) but have a situation and have been away for a while. If and when he's back he can tell about it himself.

Carole,

Yes, either he's got so much money that the sums doesn't matter, and it is in his eyes as risky as for us dealing in lesser sums, or he actually have a very good indication that this is something that REALLY will take place.

If it happens it happens, and if not, well then at least I do believe the Dinar will do a slow and continuous rise, so either way the Dinar is a winner.

From all the catastrophes and disillusions coming from there, together with endless procrastination, incompetence, and a complete confusion of where their loyalty is, or should be, I just wonder if there is anything on this earth that can actually make the situation worse.

Santa Ana Fires, Mudslides, Earthquakes and Riots, a known California occurrence is a piece of cake compared with the situation in Iraq, so I just have a feeling that from this point on...it doesn't matter.

Any problem added to the current situation in Iraq, must by nature be a very small problem.

Any solution given to these people is immediately corrupted, twisted, not complied with or altered to a state where it will not get the originally intended effect.

This is, from our viewpoint the point that eludes us over and over again.

Do A, B and C and you will get X.

The actions, plans, schedules, behaviour, we want, to get "product X" , is a straight line, because we have done it, we know it works, we are brought up with that work discipline, and assume that you are suppose to be at work on time and punch the clock when the factory whistle blasts.

Even if we whine about our government, we expect to get our SS check on time, some depend with their life on it, we expect the court to decide and we know that the judge has the last word, we know that if we get stopped and have lapsed on our car insurance we're in trouble.

If we hit someone, we better hope a camera didn't catch it, because it WILL be repercussions.

We have checks and balances, freedoms and barriers.

We want freedoms, but know that the game is existing barriers, and we better respect those barriers.

From our child hood, we constantly test the boundaries of freedom, once over stepped we can get a slap, or detention.

Once we have grown up we usually make some mistakes in late teens and early twenties, but after that we have pretty much figured out the game of life.

Those checks and balances guide our culture, and that's why we have credit cards, speed limits, and mortgages.

Rights and duties.

Once we have graduated into life, we (well not criminals) don't need a police to watch over us, we know the inns and outs, rights and wrongs, freedoms and barriers, duties and rights.

We just live in the society playing those rules.

By doing all that we have learned, we have poor, rich and a spoiled middle class. Freeways, Internet, cellphones, and Malls, tolls, road construction, and dentist appointments.

From this functioning society, we are looking straight into the Iraq situation, and just shake our heads, frustrated, that those silly simple things don't get in the head of those people.

"I'm sure we can reach an agreement with the farmers in this area about the price of wheat, but can you please first release the grain silo repairman's daughter, that you are holding as hostage".

"Ok the car deal was a bad deal, but why did you have to shoot the car salesman?"

Discussions along that line over here would be a ridicilus discussion.

Over there, they do things of this sort, and it is common.

They get away with it, without consequences, we don't.

A sniper in a US town shooting the head off a policeman, videotaping it, and putting it on the web, WILL get caught. That is a given.

Iraq, not at all, they wouldn't know who did it. No fingers are pointed in the direction of the shooter.

If you would set up a shop where you made car bombs here in the US, it would be tracked down pretty quick, over there, ....first the neighbours have to be CONVINCED, that it is wrong, before they tell about it.

Go to a county Road and start digging a hole, to plant an IED, and see how far you will get in that operation, not too far.

Over there hundreds perhaps thousands have been dug, where is the 911 call?

The rights and wrongs we have in order for us to achieve what we have, those rights and wrongs are not there in Iraq.

The checks and balances they have in their society is not working the way our checks and balances are.

Thousand digged down IED's must have been seen by five thousand people at least. That bomb kills a GI, well what to do if we by magic would get hold of all the passers by, the witnesses, they didn't stop the bomber, told him to go, or held him for the authorities, or took a licence number, or alerted the authorities.

Our check and balances says that this is a partner in a murder crime just by knowing and don't do anything about it.

Imagine we hang five thousand Iraqis along the roadside (after a quick trial) and hanged a sign around their neck, saying that this is a yellow, scared, treasonous, scum, doing nothing when they clearly saw an IED being buried.

It would probably work, and it would implement OUR checks and balances in a hurry, but where would that leave us? We have to hang almost the whole darn Iraqis population that have any other values than we have.

Their checks and balances are geared from a very recent, and still functioning Clan society, where they do law by example, rather than the book of law.

The frustration that I have, is the cultural clash between the Iraqi Clan way, and our western societies checks and balances, that makes our way work.

If it is a death sentence to be a cannibal, and we find a cannibalistic tribe in the jungle somewhere, we can either be very right about it, and hang them all, and we have done the right thing as the law is concerned, the moral of humankind, and the ethical behaviour of fellow citizen on this earth.

The only problem is, we eradicated them ALL in our effort to save them.

The societies in the Middle East, is by our standard of living, our standard of ethic and morale, our rights and wrongs, not "up" to snuff, and I agree with any debate that this is really that way, they have a lot of education to catch up on.

They have oil, that will save them for now, but Saudi, Kuwait, Dubai Iraq, Iran and what not, will have to gear into other checks and balances, because they will not have oil forever.

The rebuild of Iraq is a hurry matter, but try to say that to them, because their priorities are so much different than ours.

Clan, sectarian or their religion, present in the field of vision, is more important, what's beyond the horizon is not important, perhaps a few can see it, perhaps a few more are ready to have another vision, but all in all illiteracy, religious and clan matters dictate the majorities thinking over there.

The only reason I'm actually interested in what they are doing is two fold, some of them wants to kill any westerner, and I want the Dinar to be higher valued.

If I would get my Dinar payout, and if I know that the Islamic threat was taken care of, I would gladly leave all their problems to themselves to solve, they can have their Clan society, religion and their sectarian faction as best they can, I will probably go to vacation in Miami, anyway.

-- February 22, 2007 9:59 PM ∞

---

Robert S wrote:

Roger wrote:
"Perhaps we should get a couple of high dignitaries from Washington drunk, and while being drunk, tattoo this letter on their fore head."

Preferably Democrat dignitary

BTW What are you going to do when the Dinar revalues?

-- February 22, 2007 11:10 PM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Sara,

If our Pres. and our administration do not take some strong visible action against Maliki, we are jsut as guilty of the consequences to our troops and the good Iraq people, by default.

Remember that in war PERCEPETION IS A Vital element. If Bush lets this one go by, he partners the subversity and the harm that it is doing and has done.

I have been watching cable news and no mention of it either. In my heart, I am hoping that this story leak is bogus. I can't imagine the Hannity types not grabbing this story.

Sara, have you noticed how Roger communicates in parables? Much like our Lord!

I find it very cute and interesting.

I have picked up on this months ago, but was too irritated with him to use the word cute........ :)

Carole

-- February 23, 2007 3:04 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Roger,

Thanks for your response.

I like your parables!

My friend supposedly has millions. But probably alot of it on paper. He seems very intense about his investment now in comparasion to about a year ago, when he was "just dabbling" in the Dinar project.

Hope he is right.

Carole

-- February 23, 2007 3:08 AM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

Subject: Not So Good

Things aren't so good!!

This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan , Taliban Minister of Migration,
Mohammed Omar , warned the United States that if military action against Iraq
continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America 's supply of convenience
store managers.

And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next,
followed by Dell and AOL customer service reps. and Motel 6 managers.

This is getting ugly

Time to take your pack off and relax a bit. . . lol. . .P.H.

Carole: I have you pegged for somewhere in the Southern Cal desert, maybe Palm Desert, I don't think Palm Springs, you seem too classy for the "Springs" but if you do reside in that area, and haven't ever heard the "front 9 or back 9" saying and know that it refers to a golf course, then shame on you. . . lol. . .it's almost sacreligious. . .lol. . .bp 121/60 pulse 57, had a chemical stress test and an echo-cardio. . .got the clean bill of health. . should be traveling back to Iraq by next Friday. . .I'm keeping my fingers crossed. . .I'll keep you all posted from the ground. . since I'm in the procurement field over there, I can pretty much tell what's going on on the ground in the local economy. . . P.H.

-- February 23, 2007 7:01 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Posted to www.ipsnews.net

Wolfowitz May Bring Bank Back to Iraq
Emad Mekay

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (IPS) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz may appoint a new resident director for Iraq soon, a move that sources inside the Bank say could contradict the institution's policies on engagement in conflict-stricken areas and put his role in the 2003 U.S. invasion back into the limelight.

The move by Wolfowitz, the former number two official at the Pentagon and a main architect of the U.S.-led war, likely means the Bank would release new loans to the occupied Arab nation, despite the deteriorating security situation and recent disclosures of massive corruption in reconstruction efforts.

"This is exactly what he shouldn't be doing and what the [World Bank] board was initially afraid that he would do, which is to use the financial resources of the World Bank to take some of the heat off the U.S. Treasury and U.S. policy," Bea Edwards of the Washington-based watchdog group Government Accountability Project told IPS.

In a previous statement, Edwards argued that "Wolfowitz's apparent determination to use the World Bank to further questionable American military goals in the Middle East is a fundamental distortion of the Bank's mission, a violation of its founding Articles of Agreement, and a reckless waste of donor resources."

The Bank has a policy called Procedure 2.30 ("Development Cooperation and Conflict"), which states that to operate in a country emerging from a conflict, the Bank must first prepare a "watching brief," develop a transitional support strategy, begin transitional reconstruction, then begin post-conflict reconstruction, and finally return to normal lending.

Unlike the Bank's Interim Office for Iraq, which is based in Amman, Jordan, the soon-to-be-named country director would exclusively manage Iraq for the Bank from Baghdad, according to GAP, which first leaked the information, citing inside sources.

Other sources inside the Bank said talks with the new country director had taken place in January and continued until earlier this month. They say that a draft contract was being negotiated with the candidate who has some experience in post-conflict regions and speaks some Arabic.

This development has reportedly upset some Bank board members and senior staff who are concerned about staff safety and possible corruption given the numerous reports of shoddy work, mismanagement and labour abuses by private contractors hired to carry out major reconstruction projects in the country.

When Wolfowitz was first appointed in June 2005, there was an outcry at the board because of his close association with planning the Iraq war. For the past year and a half, Wolfowitz has kept a relatively low profile on the issue and tried to publicly tone down his ideological leanings.

Anticipating that Iraq could eventually take a more prominent role at the Bank, the board has periodically issued official statements -- a highly unusual measure -- telling Wolfowitz that they want to be updated on any plans for Iraq.

The news that he is discussing a contract with a new country director has caused those concerns to resurface.

Several board members declined on the record interviews for this article. For the past three days, Dina el-Naggar, a World Bank media officer, said she has not been able to arrange for World Bank officials working on Iraq to respond to written questions submitted by IPS.

Some critics note that Wolfowitz has been trying to polish his name by launching a widely publicised campaign against corruption in World Bank projects, but now appears to be moving ahead with new projects in Iraq despite ample evidence of wrongdoing there.

The World Bank has been involved through the Iraq Trust Fund, within the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, which has financed 15 projects worth 410 million dollars to improve education, health, household data collection, irrigation and drainage, social protection, telecommunications, urban infrastructure, and water supply and sanitation.

The Washington-based lender says it has also approved 275 million dollars in International Development Association credits for education, electricity and transport.

In May 2006, Joseph Saba, country director of the Middle East Department, said the Bank was ready to strengthen its existing presence in Iraq, timed with the advent of a new Washington-backed government.

The Bank at the time said it was looking into hiring a "volunteer", meaning the job assignment will not be mandatory, to serve as Iraq country director based in Baghdad's Green Zone.

But political chaos and lack of security have so far limited the plans even though the Bank has promised that the new country director would be guarded by a dedicated security team, including for occasional controlled visits outside the Green Zone.

The Bank's operational work in Iraq has relied until now on a growing cadre of professional Iraqi staff based in the country, regular meetings with Iraqis outside of Iraq, use of the Bank's videoconferencing facilities in Baghdad, and close support from the Interim Office for Iraq in Amman.

The Bank has not had a major presence inside Iraq since a bombing on Aug. 19, 2003 claimed the life of a Bank staffer and those of 21 U.N. employees at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.

Yet ever since he came to office in June 2005, senior Bank staff and some board members have expressed fears that Wolfowitz's ideological leanings would push the Bank towards more involvement in the controversial conflict in Iraq.

Some inside sources say that the 30-year World Bank veteran Christiaan Poortman, who was vice-president for the Middle East, resigned last year because he objected to Wolfowitz's directives to prepare to increase lending and add staff in Iraq.

Edwards of GAP also points to the lack of a functioning system in Iraq that could guarantee that the Bank loans or projects will be dealt with in a transparent manner.

"In fact, the Bank is prohibited from operating in a conflict like this," said Edwards.

"In the simplest financial terms, there is no functioning banking system, the government does not control its territory and it cannot guarantee loan repayment. Any emergency or social funding in Iraq should come from donors' grants, not loans." (END/2007)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 23, 2007 10:44 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Scramble for Iraq's oil begins as troops start to pull out
By Saeed Shah
Published: 23 February 2007
We are about to find out if the invasion of Iraq really was a war for oil. The country is on the verge of passing a petroleum law, which will set down rules for investing in its oil industry. That will set off a race among the foreign oil giants, scrambling for their slice of Iraq's vast oil riches. Britain's two world-leading oil companies, BP and Shell, both say they want to enter Iraq. Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Total, Russia's Lukoil and the Chinese will also form part of the rush.

Even while the security situation in Iraq remains dire, it seems the prize will be just too great for the oil majors to resist. The country has proven reserves of 115 billion barrels of oil, around the same as Iran, but it is thought that its actual reserves could be anywhere up to 300 billion barrels - which would make it bigger than Saudi Arabia. Much of the west of Iraq remains unexplored.

John Teeling, chairman of Petrel Resources, the explorer listed on London's AIM market which has had interests in Iraq since 1997, says: "Iraq has 70 discovered, undeveloped fields. You'd die for any one of them. Even the small ones have a billion barrels. If this isn't the holy grail, it's right next door to it."

It is hard to exaggerate the scale of the opportunity in Iraq, especially given the fact that foreign companies are, essentially, shut out of the rest of the Middle East and Russia is increasingly hostile to international players.

"It costs $1 a barrel to get oil out in Iraq. If you're getting $60 for it, that's good economics. You don't have to go to Harvard to figure that out," Mr Teeling says.

War-torn Iraq is currently producing less than 2 million barrels a day, well down on the 2.8 million barrels before the 2003 invasion by the US and Britain.

Tariq Shafiq, a former executive in the Iraq National Oil company and one of the experts called in to draft the country's petroleum law, says Iraq could "very easily" get to 3.5 million barrels a day. He says it is "physically" capable of producing 10 million barrels a day - around the current output levels of Saudi Arabia, the pre-eminent producer today.

Mr Shafiq, who now works for the consultants Petrolog & Associates, says that foreign involvement in Iraq's oil industry is needed for its technical knowledge, not capital - given the high price of oil, investment is pretty much self-financing. "Iraq has been left behind," he says.

The former president Saddam Hussein cut Iraq off from foreign oil technology, first by pursuing the war with Iran in the 1980s, then the international sanctions of the 1990s. Advanced oil recovery techniques, such as water injection, passed the country by.

The petroleum law, which is now in its third draft and is expected to go before the Iraqi parliament soon, allows wide-ranging and deep involvement in the sector. It envisages three type of international contract - buy-backs, production-sharing agreements (PSAs) and service contracts.

The PSAs are the deals most favoured by big oil, as they allow the foreign company to book the reserves. Buy-back contracts typically require upfront investment from the international company, with a guaranteed rate of return to repay the money.

Mr Shafiq says that the draft law does not specify a figure for the permitted rate of return, it talks of a "fair" return. This he interprets as being no more than 20 per cent.

The law awards much power to the regions for negotiating contracts, with the central government given an oversight role, a feature that did not exist in the Mr Shafiq's original draft and one that he believes will play into the fracturing of Iraq. However, the oil revenues will be shared between the provinces, according to their populations, not their oil resources - that gives the oil-poor Sunni areas a big stake in the success of the industry.

While the oil industry's majors and super-majors are not currently in Iraq, the minnows such as Petrel and the Norwegian group DNO, which is actually producing oil in the relatively safe Kurdish north, have shown that it is possible to operate in the country.

The lack of a law setting out the rules for the oil industry and the extreme security problems have kept the big operators formally away. But they have been active behind the scenes and, once the petroleum law is enacted, it is expected that all of them will rush to the Iraq oil ministry's negotiating table.

Shell and BP, for instance, have obtained precious knowledge of two of Iraq's biggest oilfields by providing free assistance. These projects do not involve having company personnel on the ground in Iraq. BP has studied the reservoir data from the Rumaila field in the south, to advise on how to maximise future production.

BP says: "Once the security situation permits, and the Iraqis seek assistance, we would consider opportunities there, as we would elsewhere in the world."

Shell is currently undertaking a reservoir study of the Kirkuk field, in the north, "in order to assist the Ministry of Oil to enhance production from this field".

Shell is more forthright. It says: "Shell has a very long history of working in Iraq. We would welcome the opportunity to help Iraq re-build its energy industry, but we will only enter the country once security, living and working conditions are improved. We have had discussions with Iraqi officials from the Ministry of Oil from outside the country, in order to better understand the complex situation in Iraq. We have experience with the technical and operational challenges that Iraq will face in future. This is based on our experience with similar situations in the Middle East. We aspire to establish a long-term presence in Iraq and a long-term relationship with the Iraqis, including the newly elected Government."

The Western oil majors will almost certainly have to wait until the security situation in Iraq improves before they are prepared to put their people on the ground. However, they are likely to tie up the Ministry of Oil in negotiations over projects until that happens - assuming that Iraq does not simply dissolve into all-out civil war. And, as the south and the north of the country, where most of the oil lies, are relatively less violent, it may be possible to operate in the country even while the central region around Baghdad continues to be a bloodbath.

The Russians and Chinese are almost certain to send their people in, no matter what the risks. Here the US group ConocoPhillips has pulled off a clever arrangement. Lukoil negotiated with the regime of Saddam Hussein for rights to the giant undeveloped West Qurna field. ConocoPhillips has taken a 20 per cent equity stake in Lukoil - a deal approved by the Kremlin - and it has apparently negotiated a 50 per cent share in Lukoil's West Qurna interest. So the Russian personnel would take the risks but Americans would still benefit.

Iraq's oil wealth is just too great for the majors to miss. The question is not if they will go in, but when.
(www.news.independent.co.uk)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 23, 2007 10:47 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole;

I am hoping the Administration used this knowledge
to good use about Maliki's friends being warned to go to Iran.
Looks like it may be so.
Maybe they can catch the questionables when they come back?

===

Shiites say U.S. arrested leader's son
By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer Feb 23, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops arrested the son of Iraq's top Shiite politician Friday as he returned to the country from Iran, Shiite officials said.

Amar al-Hakim, son of political leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, was taken into custody at the Zirbatyah crossing point and was transferred to a U.S. facility in Kut, according to the elder al-Hakim's secretary, Jamal al-Sagheer.

Security guards accompanying the younger al-Hakim were also detained, al-Sagheer said.

U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said he was looking into the report.

Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim is leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the country's largest Shiite party with longtime ties to Iran.

U.S. authorities have complained about Iranian weapons sales and financial aid to major Shiite parties in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=AnT6.SmyjBZ_uGBKpXJFPnrMWM0F

Seems to me they have valid reasons to detain and question
all those coming across the border from Iran.

-- February 23, 2007 11:48 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I believe this should merit a mention...

Cheney criticizes China's arms buildup
By ROHAN SULLIVAN, AP
Feb 23, 2007

SYDNEY, Australia - China's recent anti-satellite weapons test and its continued military buildup are "not consistent" with its stated aim of a peaceful rise as a global power, Vice President Dick Cheney said Friday.

In a speech in Sydney, Cheney also expressed wariness about North Korea's commitment to a landmark deal on ending its nuclear programs.

Cheney praised China for playing an "especially important" role in the negotiations that resulted in the North Korea deal, under which the North is to seal its main nuclear reactor and allow international inspections in exchange for fuel oil.

"Other actions by the Chinese government send a different message," Cheney told the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue, a private organization that promotes ties between the two countries.

"Last month's anti-satellite test, China's continued fast-paced military buildup are less constructive and are not consistent with China's stated goal of a peaceful rise," he said.

Beijing previously said its Jan. 11 firing of a missile into a defunct weather satellite was for scientific purposes, but the test was widely criticized as a provocative demonstration of China's growing military clout.

China's military has grown rapidly along with its economy in recent years, prompting concern that the balance of military power in the Pacific could start to shift away from the United States.

China said in late December it was strengthening its military to thwart any attempt by Taiwan to push for independence, but vowed it was committed to the peaceful development of its 2.3 million-strong military, the world's largest.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070223/ap_on_re_as/asia_cheney;_ylt=AoXw1EGu6yPTmYMv8MxYUp1I2ocA

-- February 23, 2007 12:33 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

By the way...
how experienced are Obama or Hillary at dealing with the Chinese... ??
Just wondering.. in case the Chinese decide to make another war front
(over Taiwan) in the unlikely event either of them are elected?

Sara.

-- February 23, 2007 12:37 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Another NY Times Reporter Goes on Charlie Rose and Says Bush's Surge May Work
Posted by Clay Waters on February 23, 2007

Does Public Editor Barney Calame know about this?

Another Times reporter has gone onto PBS's Charlie Rose show and suggested that putting more U.S. troops in Iraq may have a "good effect."

Let's just hope she doesn't get into trouble like Michael Gordon did on the Rose show in January for saying that Bush's "surge" was worth trying.

Furthermore, Sabrina Tavernise says an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would be an "unmitigated disaster." Below, an excerpt from Tavernise's lead-off interview with Charlie Rose (video available) Wednesday night.

Tavernise: "It's surprising, I know, because it seems like such -- you know, such an unmitigated sadness and tragedy for a lot of people -- you know, for the nation, for the people there, but, you know, it's really – it's really true that if you held an election tomorrow and you asked every single Iraqi, are you -- would you do it again? Would you have the U.S. do it again? You'd have close to 80 percent of the population, which is the Shiites and the Kurds, saying yes, they should.

"You know, there were mistakes and they'll make a lot of caveats, but I had a -- I went to cover the constitutional referendum, it was when Iraqis voted to accept the constitution that had been written by the politicians in Iraq, in Baghdad. And there were a bunch of Shiite sort of very poor fellows who had been brought out as election workers. They were running the polling stations, and they were in a very hostile Sunni area -- they were in Anbar.

"And I remember asking one fellow who was -- I don't know what his job was, I don't remember -- he was a janitor, something like that. I said, why did you come all the way out here? You know, you're leaving your family for a week. I think they were being paid 20 bucks or something -- it was very small -- to help run this -- this -- this election. What – what's in it for you? And he said, yes, it's dangerous, but now it's a useful danger, as opposed to under Saddam, when it was dangerous basically for no -- no hope for anything better. And I think for Shiites, that`s really true, that, yes, it's dangerous; yes, you can get blown up at a market; yes, there's all this violence, but at the end of the day, we're in power now and it's our show."

Charlie Rose: "Is there a sense that the surge will work or not work? Or that whatever happens will simply be temporary?"

Tavernise: "When you say work -- I think that the surge could definitely have an effect, a good effect, in the neighborhoods for bringing violence down. I think it could. I mean, I studied a number of different neighborhoods where the mere presence of American troops actually did bring down the murder rate. In one particular example, by about a third, which is significant, you know, significant. It's a lot of bodies that aren't turning up in sewers every morning. So that's not small.

"At the same time, I don't think that more American troops on the ground in Iraq is going to stop, you know, what is essentially kind of an historical process that has begun. I don't think that, you know, people are all of a sudden going to embrace each other and say, now we're brothers. It's just, you know, it's gone so far. And people, over the course of two years, essentially, having from saying, we are all brothers, how dare you even bring up the sect of my child and my wife, to we don't trust those people, they're Sunni. The Sunnis are responsible for all of these bombings. I mean, it's changed so much.

"That, I don't think, is something you can, you know, really have much effect on with setting up a roadblock or doing a sweep or -- you know, that –- that's going to be –- that's going to have to burn itself out. It really will.

"I think that American soldiers have a very important function in Iraq right now. I think that -- that if everyone left immediately, it would be an unmitigated disaster. Now, you know, there is some semblance of normal life that goes on."

http://newsbusters.org/node/11021

-- February 23, 2007 4:26 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

A few posts ago I asked if anyone was familiar with www.ameraq.org. Since I am impatient instead of waiting for an answer I decided to call them.

According to the person I spoke with, ameraq is an investment fund working with Warka Bank. According to this gentleman, a deposit of a million dinar is required. You may also deposit USD too. According to him, the funds growth depends upon whether or not the Dinar finally revalues or is traded on the foreign exchange market.

There does not seem to be an advantage in opening this account when I can continue holding the physical paper. To me, this sounds like a scam. If it were me, I would stay clear of it. This is just my opinion.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 23, 2007 5:16 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

International Relations

Are things coming together for George W. Bush in Iraq?
By Mai Yamani

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

23 February 2007 (The Daily Star)
Print article Send to friend
Doctors use the word "crisis" to describe the point at which a patient either starts to recover or dies. President George W. Bush's Iraqi patient now seems to have reached that point. Most commentators appear to think that Bush's latest prescription - a surge of 20,000 additional troops to suppress the militias in Baghdad - will, at best, merely postpone the inevitable death of his dream of a democratic Iraq. Yet with the "Battle of Baghdad" having begun in the past few weeks, factors beyond Bush's control and not of his making may just save Iraq from its doom.

One key factor is that, for the first time since the United States and Britain invaded Iraq, Arab Sunni leaders are backing a US military plan for that country. These Sunni leaders live in abject fear of the geopolitical earthquake that any disintegration of political authority in Baghdad would bring. They believe that all-out civil war would invariably follow - a war that would not respect international borders.

Of course, America has been encouraging Sunni leaders in this belief. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent tour of Middle East capitals helped spread the word to Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states that any US failure and sudden withdrawal would be certain to destabilize them. Given the fragile grip that these leaders have over their societies, America's warnings have been taken to heart.

But the truly curious factor that might bring success to Bush is that those who have opposed or resented America's presence in Iraq, such as the Iranian-backed Shiite parties, now also appear to want Bush's new strategy to succeed. They are for it because they believe it will defang Moqtada al-Sadr, the rogue Shiite cleric whose power has mushroomed over the past three years - to the point that he now dominates much of Baghdad and holds the allegiance of countless angry young Shiite men.

Of course, attacking Sadr's Mehdi Army in the name of fighting militia death squads has the potential to draw American military forces into a level of urban warfare unseen since the Falluja assaults of 2004 and 2005. Sadr is seen as the protector of the Shiites of Iraq and has an estimated 60,000 fighters in his militia. But he is deeply mistrusted by other Shiite leaders, who fear that they may one day have to take him on by themselves. Better to let the Americans do it, though of course these Shiite leaders prefer a slow strangulation of Sadr to a direct and bloody assault.

But make no mistake: How Sadr is handled is the big test of Bush's new strategy. Should the US choose to face him and his forces head on, they risk alienating Iraq's Shiites, adding fuel to the anti-occupation resistance and thus probably dooming Bush to failure.

Iran and Syria, which have played a spoiler role in Iraq up to now, may also now be anxious to find a way to pull the country back from the brink. Bush still refuses to talk to either of them, and has lately ordered US troops to arrest Iranian agents in Iraq. Yet Iran may already see itself as victorious, with the current Iraqi government friendlier than any the Iranians have ever known. So maintaining that government in office has now become a strategic priority for Iran, particularly as it is now clear that any US hopes of using Iraq as a permanent military base are dead.

The "surge" also opens, perhaps for the first time, a serious possibility of pouring water on the insurgent fires in Anbar Province, the heartland of the Sunni insurgency. The US has achieved relative successes in the province through alliances with Sunni tribes. The hope is that such realistic and pragmatic accommodations will be extended to Iraqis who are fighting under the banner of a nationalist and anti-occupation agenda.

So some of the stars have come into alignment for Bush. But to keep them there in the long term, the Iraqi government will need to amend the constitution in a way that appeases the Sunni community. Reassuring Iraq's Sunnis that they have a place in the new Iraq will also reassure neighboring Sunni governments, which have mostly turned a blind eye to the support for the insurgency that has come from their lands.

Of course, should the US see failure ahead, it could seek to broaden the war beyond Iraq's borders by attacking Iran, a policy reminiscent of "Operation Sideshow," when the US failure in Vietnam in the late 1960s enticed President Nixon into attacking Cambodia and Laos. But Iran has resources that Cambodia and Laos could never muster; indeed, its ability to retaliate could set the region ablaze. Whereas America's war in Indochina was a tragic mistake, the cost of a wider war precipitated by the crisis in Iraq would be much greater - for both the patient and the doctor.

Mai Yamani is an author and broadcaster. Her most recent book is "Cradle of Islam." THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).

Source: www.iraqupdates.com

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 23, 2007 5:22 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Implementing service projects alongside the security plan

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

23 February 2007 (Iraq Directory)
Print article Send to friend
The Director of the National Coordination Team in the American embassy said that his government has allocated amounts of money to implement service projects in Baghdad as part of the first phase of the security plan implemented by the Iraqi government.

Eric Olson said in a press conference inside the Green Zone in Baghdad: "There are ten transitional teams from the American national Team in Baghdad and eight others in the provinces participating within the reconstruction transitional teams in building Iraqi institutions, the rule of law, police operations, establishing law institutions and infrastructure projects".

He added: "The team is building (150) service projects and supporting infrastructure projects by defining the needs of construction, project management and quality control".
He said: "We will support the available teams by bring (350) experts and specialists from civilians after the vacuum was filled by the American Ministry of Defense. The teams will arrive in stages in the months of March, August and at the end of this year".

Olsen said: “six other teams from the National Team in Baghdad will work with the military teams which are carrying out their military duties and a seventh team will be north of Babylon working with the military forces there. The team will be subject to the Executive Committee which has representatives, to implement service tasks, from six committees of the members of the Security Group including two military leaders, one from Iraq and the other from America, to implement service projects in electricity, water and sewage in addition to the Data Committee whose mission is to provide all information about the districts’ needs of services; there will also be a public support Committee in the provinces to improve the security situation".

Olsen confirmed: “we will announce, during the coming days, the American budget for 2007 and the amounts of money allocated to support projects in Iraq. There is also one billion dollars of Iraqi funds that has not been spent yet, so the Iraqi Ministry of Finance has decided to include it within the current year’s budget to be spent on services, in addition to other allocations set for services within budget".

He explained: "We asked for $ 200 million to be allocated for the financial support of Iraqi provinces, in addition to $100 million for projects in Baghdad, and $40 million for Basrah, as well as $400 million for the leaders of provinces to implement other projects".
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 23, 2007 5:24 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Security

U.S. soldiers branch out to Iraqi hotspots with new tactics of war and peace
By LAUREN FRAYER

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

23 February 2007 (AP Worldstream)
Print article Send to friend
In a muddy, half-collapsed police station northeast of Baghdad, in the heart of insurgent territory, 30 American and 60 Iraqi troopers hunker down amid constant mortar fire and study how to undermine an enemy who is literally next door.

Such ramshackle compounds are likely signs of the future in Iraq.

Militants, once dismissed as "dead-enders" on their "last legs," continue to confound American tacticians, and U.S. war planners are shifting strategy.

Instead of storming an area to drive away militants and then withdrawing to the relative safety of big bases, select forces are being stationed among the insurgents themselves in the heart of communities around Iraq, where soldiers are warned to be "ready each day to be greeted with a handshake or a hand grenade."

The idea is to fight the "three-block war" _ in the words of the Pentagon's first new counterinsurgency manual in 20 years, a 242-page document written in part by the new commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus.

The hope is that increased contact with ordinary Iraqis will pay off with goodwill and sharper tips on militant activity and let Iraqi soldiers learn how to rule the streets on their own. But there are obvious risks.

On Monday, a suicide bomber and gunmen laid siege to a similar post north of Baghdad, killing two U.S. soldiers and wounding 17.

"Our battle space is villages and towns, and you have to engage the people as much as you engage the enemy," said Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division's 3rd Brigade and the top U.S. officer in this province.

On a recent patrol, American soldiers shadowed Iraqis going house-to-house handing out school supplies. Suddenly, all were forced to dive into a dusty roadside crevice when Buhriz reverberated with gunfire _ first from what was believed to be a rooftop sniper, then from the deafening pop of a 25 mm machine gun mounted on a Bradley fighting vehicle. Shell casings whizzed across an intersection, and the Americans quickly evacuated.

"Buhriz embodies the new counterinsurgency plan, which tells us: `Clear, hold, build,'" said the 45-year-old Sutherland. But he notes it often is just a matter of keeping a foothold.

When U.S. soldiers first arrived in Buhriz, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of Baghdad, they found fliers taped to lampposts with an ominous warning to residents: "If American forces come, go into your houses or we'll kill you, too."

Still, the unit launched a daring raid to reclaim the Buhriz police station, which had been abandoned by Iraqi forces and overtaken by insurgents months earlier. The operation required help from Apache helicopters and more than 13,000 rounds of ammunition, and left a two-story section of the station flattened.

Hauling in food, cots, surveillance equipment and ammunition, soldiers set about making this crumbling cement structure their home. Crates of Gatorade and Pepsi are stacked in sooty corners. A medic plays solitaire on a laptop.

An adjacent barracks was refurbished, and, weeks later, skittish Iraqi soldiers were persuaded to move in.

The Buhriz police station is one of several joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol bases in the suburbs of Baqouba, a mostly Sunni town that extremists claim as the capital of an Islamic state. Fierce fighting rages as U.S. troops engage insurgents believed to be streaming out of Baghdad during a security crackdown.

Capt. Peter Chapman is a 30-year-old company commander with the Army's 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division. He was one of hundreds of military officers who attended a five-day seminar on the new counterinsurgency manual last October.

"It gives us more purpose and helps us understand how smaller things lead to bigger things," he said. "Like how it's better to talk to people than shoot at them, and how it's better to have the Iraqi army up front working with us.

"But sometimes we find ourselves talking less and less and shooting more."

Recently, soldiers hauled huge bags of brightly colored sneakers and stuffed animals to pass out to children as they cleared houses along narrow passageways.

But nearly every house was mysteriously empty. A space heater still glowed red in one living room, suggesting its inhabitants had left moments earlier.

In another house, medical supplies _ saline bottles, IV bags, syringes _ were scattered about. U.S. soldiers believed it was a makeshift aid station for insurgents.

That day, the bags of toys came home with the soldiers.

Chapman's battalion commander, Lt. Col. Morris Goins, 41, expects it will be awhile before locals accept their new neighbors.

"Killing someone is simple. It's easy. But getting people to come to the table _ building a country _ that takes time," said Goins, on his third tour in Iraq.

Life is much easier on a large American military base nearby, but Goins said about half his 1,000 soldiers are off-base at any given time, embedded in Iraqi villages at posts like this one _ an arrangement he concedes is "not at all conventional."

"I'm working with the provincial council, I'm meeting with sheiks, I'm trying to train the Iraqi police and Iraqi army, and, oh, yeah, I also have to engage in a firefight once in a while," he said with a smile. "It's difficult, but it's our best shot right now."
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 23, 2007 5:31 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

I went to breakfast with Mitt Romney. WOW!!! I know that some of you may not be fans, but this guy is the real deal. I hope that Newt jumps in so their would be two "men" in the race.
His international wisdom and plans for the future with Iraq, "jihad", and dealing with China are the best that I have heard. He has an great plan that would help America be energy self sufficiant in the next 10-20 years. I have heard firsthand many many political candidates and he is by far the best I have witnessed in quite some time. If you are not a fan, you may want to look into him a little more. I can assure you that I have no indication whatsoever that his religion is a concern that others are making it. It is exactly the weapon that the MSM wants to use against him, don't fall for it! If so, you may want to look into the mirror and see if there are two faces staring back at you.

Steve

-- February 23, 2007 8:23 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

Notice how McCain voted

The following senators voted against making English the official language
>> of America:
>> Akaka (D-HI)
>> Bayh (D-IN)
>> Biden (D-DE)
>> Bingaman (D-NM)
>> Boxer (D-CA)
>> Cantwell (D-WA)
>> Clinton (D-NY)
>> Dayton (D-MN)
>> Dodd (D-CT)
>> Domenici (R-NM)
>> Durbin (D-IL)
>> Feingold (D-WI)
>> Feinstein (D-CA)
>> Harkin (D-IA)
>> Inouye (D-HI)
>> Jeffords (I-VT)
>> Kennedy (D-MA)
>> Kerry (D-MA)
>> Kohl (D-WI)
>> Lautenberg (D-NJ)
>> Leahy (D-VT)
>> Levin (D-MI)
>> Lieberman (D-CT)
>> Menendez (D-NJ)
>> Mikulski (D-MD)
>> Murray (D-WA)
>> Obama (D-IL)
>> Reed (D-RI)
>> Reid (D-NV
>> Salazar (D-CO)
>> Sarbanes (D-MD)
>> Schumer (D-NY)
>> Stabenow (D-MI)
>> Wyden (D-OR)
>> Now, the following are the senators who voted to give illegal aliens
>> Social Security benefits. They are grouped by home state. If a state is
>> not listed, there was only NO votes.
>> Alaska: Stevens (R)
>> Arizona: McCain (R)
>> Arkansas: Lincoln (D) Pryor (D)
>> California: Boxer (D) Feinstein (D)
>> Colorado: Salazar (D)
>> Connecticut: Dodd (D) Lieberman (D)
>> Delaware: Biden (D) Carper (D)
>> Florida: Martinez (R)
>> Hawaii: Akaka (D) Inouye (D)
>> Illinois: Durbin (D) Obama (D)
>> Indiana: Bayh (D) Lugar (R)
>> Iowa: Harkin (D)
>> Kansas: Brownback (R)
>> Louisiana: Landrieu (D)
>> Maryland: Mikulski (D) Sarbanes (D)
>> Massachusetts: Kennedy (D) Kerry (D)
>> Montana: Baucus (D)
>> Nebraska: Hagel (R)
>> Nevada: Reid (D)
>> New Jersey: Lautenberg (D) Menendez (D)
>> New Mexico: Bingaman (D)
>> New York: Clinton (D) Schumer (D)
>> North Dakota: Dorgan (D)
>> Ohio: DeWine (R) Voinovich(R)
>> Oregon: Wyden (D)
>> Pennsylvania: Specter (R)
>> Rhode Island: Chafee (R) Reed (D)
>> South Carolina: Graham (R)
>> South Dakota: Johnson (D)
>> Vermont: Jeffords (I) Leahy (D)
>> Washington: Cantwell (D) Murray (D)
>> West Virginia: Rockefeller (D) by Not Voting
>> Wisconsin: Feingold (D) Kohl (D)
>> SEND THIS TO ALL YOU KNOW. THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES
>> NEEDS TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION, UNLESS THEY DON'T MIND SHARING THEIR
>> SOCIAL SECURITY WITH FOREIGN WORKERS who didn't pay in a dime
>> Any U.S. citizen that didn't pay into FICA or doesn't' have enough qtrs.
>> they don't get Social Security.....why should illegal aliens get benefits
>> if they paid nothing!!!

Steve

-- February 23, 2007 8:32 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

A Post on Health

I have been thinking about an issue to do with health. This post is the result.. and it is not Dinar related. But.. it might be lifesaving to you and your health and the health of your friends and loved ones in time, so it might be worth looking at. I have put together and connected a few dots. Maybe I got this completely wrong. If so, just discount it, no big deal. But.. if I got this right.. we are facing something of epidemic proportions which may devastate the entire population. Here is my case on it.

Where to begin? I am backtracking a bit here to try to give you an idea of the scope of the problem. Let me first introduce you to one person who has helped me with a big part of the puzzle, a Physician & Scientist named Arden Andersen. Here is the bio on him from a review of his latest book: Arden Andersen was first a soil scientist and agricultural consultant, then a physician. He specializes in nutritional management, and advises farmers. He has taught a variety of classes on such subjects as soil and crop management. Now he has written a new book, Real Medicine, Real Health, drawing on his wide-ranging expertise to share with readers a vision of healing based on creating a sound body through solid nutrition and a healthier environment, rather than expensive “magic bullet” pharmaceuticals. As he explains, patients have many more options for the treatment of disease than mainstream medicine would lead them to believe.

In an interview with Acres USA, he gave some information which allows us to understand something of what is going on. In North America, the problem is very serious. Let me quote from the interview when it began to deal with Genetic Modification of food so you can understand where I am heading:

ANDERSEN: I think that the whole issue of trying to circumvent nutrition by playing around with the gene really creates a Frankenstein potential here. I certainly don’t mean to be overly dramatic about that, but the bottom line is that when you start messing with the genes, the body’s enzymes don’t recognize that as food. As the studies in Europe have already shown, these altered, unusual genes can be taken up by other organisms and made a part of them, so you end up with significant potential defects in the genetic structure of whatever organism consumes those genes. Certainly the research done at the Rowett Institute in England by Pusztai was one of the first official studies to reveal that possibility.

ACRES U.S.A.: It seems to us that this monkeying around with these genes would have a cumulative effect over a period of time. What will happen can’t really be discerned, can it, for a generation or two or three?

ANDERSEN: That’s true. Certainly in the insect studies that have been done, it happens in the first generation, but obviously everything that happens to the human genome takes quite a bit of time — one, two, three generations. And we know that by past experiences of those things that alter genetics. For example, with alcoholism, you don’t find fetal alcohol syndrome showing up until the second generation or, worse, the third, even worse in the fourth, and so on and so forth. So absolutely, there’s a cumulative decline in that genetic material and then subsequent physical manifestation of it.

ACRES U.S.A.: Is this what we’re seeing with the young people and with obesity becoming a national problem and a few other things like that, including cancer and strokes showing up in kids as young as 1 and 2 years old?

ANDERSEN: I think we definitely have to look at that as a contributing factor.

===end of quote===

Please note the highlight above which says that "in the insect studies that have been done, it happens in the first generation." Below is a very serious article about a "mystery ailment" which has devastated the bees in North America. If it is true that what we are seeing happen here is a result of genetic modification of foods with the first generation, what will happen to the human species within three generations? The fate of these bees will be what happens to us humans in the not so distant future. Consider..

Bees are used to cause pollination of crops.. how important is that? Enough that this article (below) it says that if the bees all die out, quote: "it could threaten the crops that need bees for pollination." What crops are those? Below, it says "most food crops"... think about that just for a second. Let that sink in. QUOTE:

".. in order to bear fruit, three-quarters of all flowering plants —including most food crops and some that provide fiber, drugs and fuel — rely on pollinators for fertilization."

What happens if the bees all die off (Colony Collapse)? No fertilization of these crops.. we don't have pollination and, according to the article, that "threatens" these crops.. that is, it threatens MOST OF OUR FOOD CROPS.

Mystery ailment devastates honeybee industry
Feb 11, 2007

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country, threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and possibly crops that need bees for pollination.

Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder.

Reports of unusual colony deaths have come from at least 22 states. Some affected commercial beekeepers — who often keep thousands of colonies — have reported losing more than 50 percent of their bees. A colony can have roughly 20,000 bees in the winter, and up to 60,000 in the summer.

Along with being producers of honey, commercial bee colonies are important to agriculture as pollinators, along with some birds, bats and other insects. A recent report by the National Research Council noted that in order to bear fruit, three-quarters of all flowering plants —including most food crops and some that provide fiber, drugs and fuel — rely on pollinators for fertilization.

Hackenberg, 58, was first to report Colony Collapse Disorder to bee researchers at Penn State University. He notified them in November when he was down to about 1,000 colonies — after having started the fall with 2,900.

One beekeeper who traveled with two truckloads of bees to California to help pollinate almond trees found nearly all of his bees dead upon arrival, said Dennis vanEnglesdorp, acting state apiarist for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Among the clues being assembled by researchers:

- Although the bodies of dead bees often are littered around a hive, sometimes carried out of the hive by worker bees, no bee remains are typically found around colonies struck by the mystery ailment. Scientists assume these bees have flown away from the hive before dying.
- From the outside, a stricken colony may appear normal, with bees leaving and entering. But when beekeepers look inside the hive box, they find few mature bees taking care of the younger, developing bees.
- Normally, a weakened bee colony would be immediately overrun by bees from other colonies or by pests going after the hive's honey. That's not the case with the stricken colonies, which might not be touched for at least two weeks, said Diana Cox-Foster, a Penn State entomology professor investigating the problem.

"That is a real abnormality," Hackenberg said.

Cox-Foster said an analysis of dissected bees turned up an alarmingly high number of foreign fungi, bacteria and other organisms and weakened immune systems.

Researchers are also looking into the effect pesticides might be having on bees.

In the meantime, beekeepers are wondering if bee deaths over the last couple of years that had been blamed on mites or poor management might actually have resulted from the mystery ailment.

"Now people think that they may have had this three or four years," vanEnglesdorp said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17104191/

The article explains that Colony Collapse is happening to commerical bee keepers. Commerical bee keepers contract out for a price to pollinate the crops of farmers. After pollinating one crop they take their bees to another farm which needs pollinating. Notice what the article says is threatened.. "most food crops and some that provide fiber, drugs and fuel." These also happen to be the crops which are most likely to be genetically altered. Fibre is wheat, fuel crops we use are corn and canola, and the staple crops are things like tomatoes and potatoes, which are also genetically altered. These commercial bees gather from these genetically altered crops almost EXCLUSIVELY, so they do not supplement their diets with natural unaltered crops in any quantities, only the crops of genetically modified organisms. Remember that Dr. Arden Andersen said that the effects of GMOs will turn up in the first generation of insects. That is because the genetic code of insects is so simple that it devastates their systems much more quickly than our more complex DNA when they take up the GMOs and incorporate them into their own cells.

The article says that there is a problem - a mysterious disease has been decimating the bee population for perhaps the last 3 or 4 years. They examined dead bees from this mysterious illness and found that they are always full of various fungi, bacteria and other organisms and have weakened immune systems. They can't quite figure out what the problem is - they don't seem to be infected with the same disease or fungi, yet they all are dying. The common problem is likely a weak immune system. If a creature has a weak immune system it will quickly fill up with fungi, bacteria of various kinds until it dies. (Like AIDS - where a person doesn't die of AIDS but of a compromised immune system so that they become vulnerable to every common illness and succumb to them). So the culprit is probably an immune compromising substance with which the bees have contact - one which has been only a recent development and has begun to affect them strongly for the last 3 or 4 years. The "disease" or disorder is in at least twenty-two states. It seems to have spread very quickly, so quickly that they suspect that it must be something man is doing, and they are investigating pesticides as possible candidate. However there is another candidate, the plants themselves. Many seed companies have been genetically altering the seeds of tomatoes, corn, canola, potatoes and most other food crops by crossing their DNA with bacteria, viruses and fish DNA. They have been steadily replacing and interbreeding these unnatural foods with our normal food supply, so that many of the foods at the grocery store are genetically altered. This is in spite of the fact that people have made it clear to the big genetically altering industry that they do not want to eat these GMO foods, and attempts to bring about labelling these potentially dangerous foods has fallen on deaf ears.

Just for a bit more background on what genetic modification actually IS (as in.. what do they do to make it a genetically modified crop?) - in the DVD presentation "The Future of Food" it says, quote, "It's really a cell invasion technology. You know, people have heard they are taking a flounder gene and putting it in a tomatoe so the tomatoe can last in cold temperatures. But people don't ask, "How does that flounder gene get in that tomatoe? How does it get in there?" And what really happens is - the only thing you can do is to invade the cell of the tomatoe and deposit the flounder gene. Well, what's good at invading cells? Bacteria and Viruses. (The DVD presentation then describes how they create one genetically altered crop (corn) using soil bacteria and ecoli bacteria combined together and then injected into the corn plants using one of three methods. One of those methods consists of injecting the soil/ecoli bacterium recombination into the organism they want to modify using another kind of soil bacteria which naturally causes tumors on plants to break the cell walls. The presentation then continues..) Each of these three methods needs a promoter gene that turns on the desired characteristics. The promoter gene is often extracted from the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus."

The section continues: "This capacity of bacteria and viruses to invade mammals in different ways is what really has a lot of people edgy about biotechnology because that's really what the tools are all about. In order to move the genetic material from one organism to another that don't normally cross, you've got to behave like a bacteria and virus and invade into the cells and become established just like the virus must become established."

Dr Ignacio chapela, a Microbial Ecologist of the University of California Berkeley concludes, "As we move on into this biotech revolution and we start producing more and more transgenic manipulations, we'll start seeing pieces of DNA interacting with each other in ways that are totally unpredictable. I think this is probably the largest biological experiment humanity has ever entered into."

==end of quotes==

As one reviewer of the DVD explained: "Do you know HOW they genetically modify food? The way they get the genetically modifying factor into the cells of the plant is by using Viruses or Bacteria. It made me wonder, if you are injecting parts of viruses and bacteria into cells (the parts which are being used as a mechanism to inject change into each of the cells of the modified organism) could we be injecting into the food things which could cause disease? If you are eating in every bite of genetically modified food a part of the replicated mechanism of a virus or bacteria, exactly how can we be sure how this altered thing will be perceived by the human gut? There are no long term studies, of course. I found it interesting in the presentation, too, that when fed genetically modifed pollen, butterflies die, but nobody cares about that?"

Note it says that "when fed genetically modifed pollen, butterflies die", and here, we are seeing Colony Collapse of bees... could this be related? You judge... (I found that DVD here:

http://www.amazon.com/Future-Food-Deborah-Koons-Garcia/dp/B000BQ5IXM/sr=1-1/qid=1172269537/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3718846-8405633?ie=UTF8&s=dvd )

I think it wise to keep in mind Dr. Andersen's words (above), "the bottom line is that when you start messing with the genes, the body’s enzymes don’t recognize that as food. As the studies in Europe have already shown, these altered, unusual genes can be taken up by other organisms and made a part of them, so you end up with significant potential defects in the genetic structure of whatever organism consumes those genes." Is it possible that the bees had genetic defects created by eating these modified foods (pollen) which made their immune systems defective, leaving them vulnerable to attacking organisms such as fungi, bacteria and other organisms? And if so, will it happen to the human population within three generations, too? Remember Dr Andersen said, "in the insect studies that have been done, it happens in the first generation, but obviously everything that happens to the human genome takes quite a bit of time — one, two, three generations."

The article notes that when a hive dies off due to this mysterious illness, the other hives often do not touch the honey as they normally do, they leave it. This is very unusual for bees to do. Perhaps when they eat the honey made from genetically altered pollen it makes them ill, so they leave it. Genetically altered plants have only been around in recent history, coinciding with the time this "disease" has been around. This disorder "appears to be limited to the Western Honey Bee in North America." In countries that do not allow genetically altered crops this mysterious disorder is absent. The search for the guilty manmade cause of this disorder ("pesticide") has so far proved fruitless. Although bee problems have happened in the past, they can be attributed to urbanization, pesticide use and mites - but this one seems to have none of those links. Though the general public has shown they do not want any type of genetically altered food, yet the foods, which do not have a lot research on their longterm safety, continue to appear in grocery stores and in marketplaces all over the world. Why? Well, you can't patent corn, but you can patent a genetically altered corn, making it a lucrative market. And it's only the beginning. They have suceeded in growing corn which has toxic manmade pesticides in each and every cell - also plants with suicide genes which reproduce sterile seeds and then die. If some of these varieties (the ones which aren't in the food supply yet) manage to interbreed with the food supplies of the world the results could be disastrous. We may be staring a global worldwide famine in the face as well as human "colony collapse" from genetically altered food induced disease. Genetically altering food crops appears to be more useful as a weapon when viewed from this viewpoint, as GMOs are unfit for the role of food and food's role of supporting continuing human health.

Sara.

-- February 23, 2007 9:23 PM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

Rob N.
I would not say Ameraq is a scam. The fact that a funds growth is dependant on weather or not the dinar Rv's, or gets on the Forex, is not uncommon with the currency itself. What we all are waiting on is an RV, or the Forex. Whats the difference? I have an account with them for diversity. It's always risky to send money to someone you don't know much about, but we all do it often in some way. Your right it could be a scam, and if it is we are talking millions of US dollars here, and someone will do some real time. I don't think it is however. Knowing the risks of physically acquiring large quantities of dinars and removing them from Iraq, it makes perfect sense to have an alwarka account that you can fund with USD and convert to dinars. The only problem with dealing this way is getting the dinar buyers to trust in doing business this way. Of the billion or so dinars that Ameraq holds in their Al-Warka bank account, 1 million of those are supposed to be accounted to me. The fact that I can log in and veiw my account doesn't mean much to me, the real test will be after the RV when I make that withdraw straight into my US bank fast and easy. Either way I will definately let you know how it worked out.

-- February 24, 2007 1:18 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Pan:

Again, congadts! on health status! Curious, what ever happened with your disability claim? Did employer come to their senses.

I am in So. Cal, and have had businesses in PS.( when it was the place to be! It grieves me to see what has happened there. Transceint types, meth addicts etc...

There is some re-furbishing going on, but from Cathedral City out to La Quinta
( mostly Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert) is where all the money is now.

I ran into an old Chamber and Rotarian friend from PS not long ago, and he told me that PS has become the stomping grounds for the homosexual community of SO. Cal. He claims great pains have been taken to make sure they don't migrate to Rancho Mirage or Palm Desert.

Developers are moving further east into Indio
( what I call the armpit of America) and redeveloping the Salton Sea area.

My second daughter, bought one of our homes from us several years ago in PS. It is a very nice section, but she claims she is the only straight person on the block!
In time, she will sell it and move further east.

Desert Hot Springs continues to decay! It is awful!

Now concerning front 9 or back 9: I play golf ( not as much as I used to, in fact not at all since I got sick). I have heard the expression, but still can't relate it to the prospect of buying my friends home. Oh well, I am alittle dense sometimes :)

Be careful in Iraq!! Take care

Carole

-- February 24, 2007 9:36 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Steve,

Your enthusiasm for Romney is understandable after having a personal audience with him.

Speeches, presentations, personal encounters, are common places for political propraganda.

America moves forward or backward based on how our Official Representatives conduct the people's business.

In the last 5 years or so, how has he voted? Has he voted the will of the people who put him in office? What legislation has he authored? Does it reflect the will of the people who trusted him to represent their issues?
Does he say one thing and do another? Does he flip-flop in his judgements, ideals, and values? Great ideas, strategies, etc, are a dime a dozen, we all have them. But his yea or nay record tells the real story.

Tell me what you come up with.

You are right! The MSM will make mincemeat out of his affiliation with the MOrmon church. Whether we agree or disagree with his religious views, it will cost us the election.

I love Sen. Alan Keyes. He represents all of my ideals, and he is a great statesman, but he is UNELECTABLE! Mostly because the MSM would make mincemeat out of him, because of his strong evangelical affiliations.

Get my drift?

Carole

-- February 24, 2007 9:56 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Kurdish leader says he now accepts new oil law, a major benchmark for progress in Iraq
February 24, 2007 AP

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq: Kurdish authorities have agreed to back a draft law to manage and share Iraq's vast oil wealth, removing the last major obstacle to approving the measure and meeting a key U.S. benchmark in Iraq, a top Kurdish official said Saturday.

Massoud Barzani, president of the self-governing Kurdish administration in the north, made the announcement at a joint press conference with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and President Jalal Talabani.

Barzani said he and Talabani had discussed the latest draft law by telephone with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and "the results were good."

"We reached a final agreement," Barzani said. "We accept the draft."

There was no comment on the announcement from Khalilzad or Talabani, and Barzani did not elaborate. It was unclear whether new concessions had to be made to win his approval.

Al-Maliki's government had promised to enact a new oil law by the end of 2006 but missed the deadline due to objections from the Kurds, who wanted a greater role in awarding contracts and administering the revenues.

The Cabinet discussed the draft Thursday but failed to reach an agreement. Once the Cabinet signs off, the measure goes to parliament for final approval once the legsilators return from a recess early next month.

President George W. Bush's administration, facing growing pressure to end the Iraq conflict, has been urging the Iraqis to finish the new oil law. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed for early enactment during her one-day visit to Iraq last week.

A new law is needed, most outside experts believe, to encourage international companies to pour billions into Iraq to repair pipelines, upgrade wells, develop new fields and begin to exploit the country's vast petroleum reserves, estimated at about 115 billion barrels.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/24/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Oil-Law.php

-- February 24, 2007 5:17 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

I must concur with Carole.. as sweetness-light.com reported today,
it will be a media frenzy, with no balance concerning Mitt because he is a Republican.

===

AP Reports Romney Family’s Polygamy, But Not Obama’s
From a deeply concerned Associated Press:

Romney Family Tree Has Polygamy Branch
By JENNIFER DOBNER and GLEN JOHNSON
February 24, 2007

While Mitt Romney condemns polygamy and its prior practice by his Mormon church, the Republican presidential candidate’s great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12.

Polygamy was not just a historical footnote, but a prominent element in the family tree of the former Massachusetts governor now seeking to become the first Mormon president.

Romney’s great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney married his fifth wife in 1897. That was more than six years after Mormon leaders banned polygamy and more than three decades after a federal law barred the practice.

Romney’s great-grandmother, Hannah Hood Hill, was the daughter of polygamists. She wrote vividly in her autobiography about how she “used to walk the floor and shed tears of sorrow” over her own husband’s multiple marriages.

Romney’s great-great grandfather, Parley Pratt, an apostle in the church, had 12 wives. In an 1852 sermon, Parley Pratt’s brother and fellow apostle, OrsonPratt, became the first church official to publicly proclaim and defend polygamy as a direct revelation from God.

Romney’s father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, where Mormons fled in the 1800s to escape religious persecution and U.S. laws forbidding polygamy. He and his family did not return to the United States until 1912, more than two decades after the church issued “The Manifesto” banning polygamy…

B. Carmon Hardy, a polygamy expert and retired history professor at California State University-Fullerton, said polygamy was “a very important part of Miles Park Romney’s family.”

Hardy added: “Now, very gradually, as you moved farther away from it, it became less a part of it. But during the time of Miles Park Romney, it was an essential principle of the Romney family life.”

Other Mormons have run for the White House, including Romney’s father in 1968 and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in 2000. But Mitt Romney’s stature as a leading 2008 contender has renewed questions about his faith and its doctrines…

===end of quote===

Funny how the media hasn’t mentioned Barack Obama’s father’s polygamist ways. That is, apart from this from the UK tabloid, the Daily Mail:

A drunk and a bigot - what the US Presidental hopeful HASN’T said about his father…
27.01.07

.… At 18, he married a girl called Kezia. But Obama Sr was more interested in politics and economics than his family and his political leanings had been brought to the notice of leaders of the Kenyan Independence movement…

At the age of 23 he headed for university in Hawaii, leaving behind the pregnant Kezia and their baby son.

Relatives say he was already a slick womaniser and, once in Honolulu, he promptly persuaded a fellow student called Ann - a naive 18-year-old white girl - to marry him. Barack Jr was born in August, 1961.

Two years later, Obama Sr was on the move again. He was accepted at Harvard, and left his little boy and wife behind when he moved to the exclusive east coast university…

Mr Obama Jr claims that racism on both sides of the family destroyed the marriage between his mother and father.

In his book, he says that Ann’s mother, who went by the nickname Tut, did not want a black son-in-law, and Obama Sr’s father ‘didn’t want the Obama blood sullied by a white woman’.

In fact Ann divorced her husband after she discovered his bigamous double life…

Obama Sr was forced to return to Kenya, where he fathered two more children by Kezia. He was eventually hired as a top civil servant in the fledgling government of Jomo Kenyatta - and married yet again.

Now prosperous with a flashy car and good salary, his third wife was an American-born teacher called Ruth, whom he had met at Harvard while still legally married to both Kezia and Ann, and who followed him to Africa…

==end of quote==

And this is Obama’s Muslim father, not his great-great grandfather.

And speaking of fathers, how is it none of this was ever mentioned when Mitt’s father George ran for the presidency in 1968?

Was it because he was adamantly against the Vietnam War, and therefore a far preferable choice to Richard Nixon — at least in the eyes of our watchdog media?

And how often was Mo Udall’s Mormonism mentioned when he ran for president? What were his great grandparents up to?

Or for that matter, who has ever brought Harry “Pinky” Reid’s Mormon ancestors during his campaigns?

Funny how even this article had to drag in yet another Mormon Republican, Orin Hatch, rather than mention Mr. Reid — the most powerful elected Democrat in the land.

Related Articles:
UK Paper: Obama’s Dad Was A Drunk Polygamist Bigot
Meet Barack Obama’s Pastor And “Spiritual Mentor”
Obama’s Church - Afrocentric, Racist And Bush-Hating

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/ap-horrified-by-romney-familys-polygamy-but-not-obamas

-- February 24, 2007 8:59 PM ∞

---

gimp wrote:

carol: earlier you asked if there where any questions to ask of your friend I would be curious as to his input to the zero lop aspect. I do believe rogers explanation makes the most sense that a 30 cent intro can be handled right now, the lower end merchants would take a hard hit for a short term and then as america had a gold rush I can see an oil rush a happenin and iraq is about to be swarmed with more money than they ever have imagined considering it is #3 in oil reserves and ONLY 10% has been explored for oil I would not be surprised that number would rise, for some reason the movie series deadwood comes to mind and iraq is about to see some very serious changes come about. and the dubuai style of expansion starts to take place and their entire culture starts to go to hell in a hand basket. but the money rolls in and what is probably my last chance at a decent retirment hangs in the balance of my little 1 million I am of course concerned as many that reads and does not post what impact this would mean to the many that does not have but the 1 or the 2 or maybe 5 or 6 you know the dream of rags to riches and the prospect that a 0 lop would wipe that out and of course would do excrutianting damege to a lot of us small timers that silently wait. my question is of course what is his outlook on a 0 lop. at his level he would break pretty much break even or some profit at my level and age I am deeply concerned as to whether I can get the hell out of arkansas and move to thialand where my small investment might reap a reward of a bamboo house on the beach and a margeritta as the sun goes down and maybe to catch a fish.

-- February 24, 2007 9:39 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraqi government to hike fuel prices by 15%

REUTERS

1:10 a.m. February 23, 2007

BAGHDAD – Consumer fuel prices will be hiked by around 15 percent in March as Iraq implements an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to cut subsidies, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said.
Iraq has the world's third largest known oil reserves but decades of war, sanctions, under-investment and now widespread violence and sabotage have left it critically short of fuel. It has to import much of its gasoline.

Advertisement



The government continues to control prices, fostering a thriving black market in fuel for those unwilling to queue for hours, sometimes days, to fill their vehicles.
Shahristani told Arabiya television in an interview broadcast on Friday the price of benzene would rise from 350 dinars (about 27 U.S. cents) to 400 dinar and the price of gasoline would rise from 300 dinar to 350 dinar by mid-March.

Iraq won a loan accord with the IMF in December 2005 and a $14 billion debt swap with private lenders. Since then, the price of a litre of ordinary gasoline has risen from 20 dinars.
(http://www.signonsandiego.com)

-- February 24, 2007 9:42 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Sara,
There you go! And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I think the bigger issue is the doctrinal errors and down right criminal activity that goes on in that religion.

People will question the intelligence and judgement of a man that attest to such doctrines.

I tell you he will lose the election for us, if is on the ticket.

Carole

-- February 24, 2007 11:59 PM ∞

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Carole wrote:

Panhandler:

As a matter of fact I did ask him. I think I posted about it.

His comment was that Bush would never let any changes happen to the DInar, as He ( Bush) gave them the money to print the New Dinar.

As afr as the zero loop, I have a friend that is a Mexican National who happens to own 10mil Dinar. When I brought the subject to him, he equated it with the peso dropping zeros. Didn't do anything to the value, just had to do fewer and easier math calculations. I had metntioned it to Rpger, and he gave me an explanation, but I don't rmrber now what it was.

Plus, I really do not understand the consequences either. Maybe someone else can explain in laymans terms.

Carole

-- February 25, 2007 12:08 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Carole;

I would prefer Mitt Romney not be on the Republican ticket as well,
as I think you are right, it would lose the election for the Republican party -
due to the MSM blowing up and playing seek and destroy about his Mormonism.
It just isn't a smart move, politically.

Sara.

-- February 25, 2007 2:01 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Robert S,

What I will do when my Dinars revalues?

I will do everything to enhance my wealth, body and soul.

I will join Scientology, buy a small European country, and get a Russian mailorder bride.

I reserve the right to reneg on one, or all options though.

Sara,

Re hormones, Europe are very much against hormones, and will not allow hormone treated food. The US ( don't know about Canada though) have hormone treated cows that will swell up and give a lot of meat, more than natural.

I do believe I have read what you referred to in an article posted above, that HORMONES TRAVEL.

We can assume that as we are one of the most meat eating countries, that the hormones given to the cows to swell up and give a lot of body mass is also doing a pretty big number on the population.

I bet there is a correlation between the epidemic obesity we can see here and hormones given to cows to be big.

Cows are females, and even though I have seen some really chunky males, the most eye catching obesity cases I have seen is female.

I think you're onto something there with that article.

Carole,

I don't know if I write as our Lord are writing, I personally don't think God have written anything, whatever is written is written by men, that have an interpretation of God.

As for the zero lop, well we have gone through it several times, but I'm patient, we can do it again again, for the fifth time,( or thereabout).

You don't want a zero lop.

A zero lop will neither revalue or devalue the currency, all it does is change the face value of the currency.

If the currency is healthy it will remain healthy, if it is weak it will remain weak.

Any inherent problem with the currency is not solved by changing the face, but will still remain.

If you have a weak and unhealthy currency it's like giving an old clunker a spray can job.

The size of the face of the bills changes, that's all.

Lets say you do 5000 Dollar a month. Ok, now we zero lop ONE zero, that means you do 500 Dollars a month, but as the currency have change for everyone, buyer and seller employee and employer, everything you now buy is one tenth cheaper.

So you came from 5000 and ended up with 500. However, all the prices have changed exactly the same as if you were to buy something for 5000 in the past, you can now buy it for 500 instead.

You have won and lost nothing.

The ONLY advantage with it is if the currency is so rotten that you have to haul a bundle of bills, with millions on them just to buy small everyday things.

If an egg is a billion, and a car is a trillion, and you have to cart a wheel barrow to get to the merchant, it is a matter of convenience, because it is so cumbersome to deal with stashes of bills.

The face of the currency is less important, there are in fact very few currencies IN THE WORLD that have higher value of the bills other than the US, there is the Sterling, the Euro and only a few others that have this high value.

Japan deals with units (Yen) that is about a hundreds of units less than the Dollar, and still they have a very modern productive society.

In our case, the Dinar, because it is so low valued currently, some have proposed to zero lop it.

So a 25000 Dinar bill would be valued 25 Dinars instead.

Well noting lost nothing gained, as the value of that currency would apply to the whole economy, wages, pricing, and the whole line in between.

I'm sure you have heard the expression, "put some lipstick on this pig" .

For us, as investors, this zero lop would hit us pretty hard, as possibly some denominations, most likely the higher valued ones, MIGHT get a dead line to be exchanged for the new bill.

This is a possibility with the zero lop.

The Iraqi currency as it is now, is not a cumbersome currency, it has so much spread so there is not much of inconvenience to shop with it. No need for the wheel barrow, like in post war Germany after WW1.

Then again I'm not clairovyant and can't read the mind in the powers of the people in charge of the currency.

One thing I can see is that the Dinar is not a rotten currency, it has very much potential, and I think the Iraqis can see that also.

One thing I am afraid of is if they want to get the value up to former heights, and do a short cut, while it is around 1000 to 1.

THAT is around this time, they can actually do the zero lop about now, if they wanted to, and in a swoop get the Dinar to about 1 to 1 with the Dollar.

I know from the statements from a few Iraqi officials that they really want the currency to go up in value to it's "former glory" , and the pitfall in this is that they might be so darn proud of the Dinar and coax it there with a zero lop just because the status of having the currency in par with the Dollar.

Big mistake, but hey , it's their currency.

In that case we will have our invested Dinars pretty much in par with the Dollar, except that the three last zeroes on our bills doesn't count no more.

In that case the expected rise of the Dinar is still pretty good, 3,4 or 5 Dollar is not impossible, and that means that our investment will go up 3, 4 or 5 times depending on where we want to cash in.

Still a pretty good investment, but far from the possible big money would they stick with the currency faces as they have now, and let the Dinar either revalue slow or revalue over night.

A complete change in the Iraqi society would happen pretty quick if they would do an overnight RV.

Some are hoping for big numbers, but if an RV happens they have to aim for as close as possible the nominal value of the Dinar. What that value is, is very hard to say as it is not sold and bought on Forex , but an estimate as good as any, and I don't think I'm too far off on this, is that the nominal value of the Iraqi dinar is somewhere between 10 and 30 cents right now.

If you have undervalued currency you have inflation, and very low buying power outside of your border with the money you are presenting.

If you have over valued currency, you have a field day buying imported stuff, you get it cheap and abundant, but your own export is suffering.

Iraq have 85% of their export in oil, that one is pegged to the Dollar anyway, and the rest of the export that is depending on the Dinar is only 15%, so the fun thing with Iraq is that they CAN over value their currency, and not hurting to much.

Almost anything they (the Iraqis) see on any shelf is imported stuff, and in my eyes it is almost criminal that they have let the Iraqis suffered for so long with a ridiculous undervalued currency.

The main difference if an RV would happen for the Iraqis would be that suddenly they can afford to buy stuff, suddenly there is an abundance of stuff, and suddenly they can HAVE things.

I think it is criminal to the point of suppressive the way the Iraqi economy have been handled up until now.

Ok,Carole, this was a rehearse of things from the past but I think it is important that we as investors know what the zero lop is all about, and by all means, there might be a new onlooker to this blog that , for them this was all new, so I don't mind going over it again.

Gimp,

Whataya mean, only a million, that could be worth quite a lot some day. It's "only" a million when you compare it with someone that has more than that, but if you compare it with someone that has 2 or 300.000 Dinars, then you suddenly got a bunch. Quite a lot of people has that amount I can imagine. If this goes well, you will have your fish in Thailand. I wish you well.

Valerio,

Well, sounds interesting, I can see that per see, the Dinars sitting in an investment account would in itself be invested, and the return would be on that investment, like any other fund you put it into here in the US.

An RV would help matters of course, but there would be a difference in that if you invest in Dinars , hold on to it and it revalues, you now have the payout on the original investment.

If you invest in a fund, or similar in Iraq, the currency revalues, the fund increases in value in proportion to the reval, but it is locked up in another type of investment, and it can be hard to see what the exact value would be, as a fund is a payout over time based on profit from an investment basket.

If lets say, the basket is ten companies, three goes sour, three goes ok, and four goes very well, the average payout of those ten companies is your profit.

What I'm saying is, to simplify it, lets say that the basket consist of ONE company. The money you invested goes to that company, the currency in Iraq revalues, but the company goes belly up. Then it doesn't matter if the currency reevaluates, because you lost all your money anyway.

Hopefully there is an enough spread on the investment and a lot of companies are invested in.

This is basically two animals we are talking about here, straight investment in companies and reval of the currency.

The benefit of the investment is the reval on the profit ( hopefully) from the investment, AND the profit from the straight investment in the companies.

Both a risky proposition.

The first one, we're all into that one, investing in the Dinar, hoping for better value.

But then again, you can do a killing.

For me, I think I'm taking a big enough risk just by buying this currency, and you are braver than I am, aiming for a double whammy.

Good luck it might just work, and perhaps your investment will beat us all in profit, who knows, but if it does, you have to buy me a sweet cigar at the roast in the Keys.

Rob N,

Well, if you invest in a fund, the fund itself is basically a basket where a lot of people put their money into, and those money is put into another basket consisting of a lot of companies preferably with a big spread. Classic purchase is shares of a company.

Companies are producing, the profit from those product goes into the companies coffers, where the budget is done, for the coming quarter or year. This determine the profit that can be payed out to the shareholders.

The shareholders are then payed per share, or in this case to the basket, where the profit is payed out periodically.

A fund that is basically DEPENDING on a currency's RV then is not an investment in companies, production, but basically, someone tells you, to send him your money, for him to hold until it revalues.

I can do that myself very well thank you.

If the fund is not investing in anything, but just sits there on your money, then it's a scam, but if it is an investment in any form, bonds, shares, or what not, then I would not say it is a scam, as the invested money in the first place will work for you.

Are you sure that the exact business concept is as you're saying, that the profit depends on an RV, or did they say that the amount of profit FROM THE INVESTMENT will of course depend on an RV, because that's two completely different things?

-- February 25, 2007 4:08 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Rob N,

I need to clarify it a bit, I would rather say, that... amount of PROFIT RETURN FROM THE ORIGINAL INVESTMENT WILL OF COURSE DEPEND ON AN RV, as opposed to the fact that, an RV WILL GENERATE THE PROFIT, is two completely different things.

Ok Rob N, I got it this time. Hope you see the difference.

-- February 25, 2007 4:18 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(870)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 870 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 2/ 25 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 15 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1282 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 50.450.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 50.450.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 25, 2007 5:43 AM ∞

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dale wrote:

Roger, maybe you should cut & past that whole zero lop explination & send it in an email to your self, save that email & you will be on easy street when the subject comes up again, & it will. You know it will. anyway thanks again for that exsplination
dale

-- February 25, 2007 7:13 AM ∞

---

The unknown Mormon wrote:

President George Bush is related to the 14th President of the United States, Franklin Pierce. Barbara Bush, his mother, is a direct decendent of Franklin Pierce, according to "The First Mom", by Barbara Bush.

President Pierce is noted by historians as being the most pro-slavery president in history.

Mitt had polygamist ancestors? So? Bush had racist one. Why should anyone be responsible for the sins of our fathers?

-- February 25, 2007 10:56 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Dale,

You're right, after repeating the same thing so many times, I think I rather propose another solution next time anyone ask......spray WW-40 in the ears.

Unknown Mormon,

I'm with you, I would accept no blame nor shame for what my ancestors did.

I'm pretty pragmatic, and from pure physics, the past doesn't exist, other than in our mind.

The future doesn't exist, and can be postulated only.

The existence is in present time, and that is a timeless existence.

What is within you is life, and it's your responsibility to make that existence survive here and now.

We feel pain because we have created it, we feel love because we have created it.

Pain from times past does not belong in present time.

Our forefathers polygamy and slavery can stay in the past where it belong.

All,

Anyone seen ANY reaction in the MSM about Malakis letter to the leaders of the insurgency to hide in Iran?

Re Auction,

Same today, seems like a flat spot now.

-- February 25, 2007 7:26 PM ∞

---

Laura Parker wrote:

All,

I wanted to bring to everyone's attention on 2/22/07 from Support Iraq update Daily News from Iraq Update has an artice on Shi i Iraqi MP Expects Arrests of Known Figures; Defends Al-Sadr. The artice was written/published on 2/21/07. I thought the article interesting as to how Iraqi's view themselves in the midst of their circumstances. It looks to have been reported through BBC Monitoring. It's an article that touches upon economic conditions, mililary operations, and the political side. I thought the article worth a look. If someone like Rob N. or Sara could copy it to this blog than everyone could take a look.

I am aware of the document that the Kurdist Political Arm published about Maliki. I am suggesting that Maliki has known all along about the politics of Sadr with Iran. We have missed the history of the Kurds and Shiiti's with Iran. They have always had close ties except under Saddam.

It will be interesting to see what the Kurds and the rest of the population is saying about the Kurdish article published about Maliki's warning to Shiiti militias and Sadr. Or, is it seen as part of the political process that everyone already knows?.

Laura

-- February 25, 2007 7:42 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Roger:

From my understanding the fund holds your investment (the minimum of 1,000,000 dinar) until the currency revalues or is released to forex. Once you begin to withdraw (after the RV or Forex)the company takes a percentage of the profits.

Unknown Mormon:

Evangelical base of the Republican party is not going to elect Mitt Romney. Christianity and Mormonism are direct polar opposites. Furthermore, the Evangelical Christian already has suspicion concerning Mitt's true position on abortion. I think this eliminates Mitt as a viable candidate.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 25, 2007 8:05 PM ∞

---

Use your own brain not someone elses wrote:

Regardless of religious beliefs. All will be judged for their actions while on earth and will be held accountable for those actions. Or, you will just live the way you choose to live and disappear into nothingness after living the way you feel you should live. Regardless of what you believe you are the one making the choices of how to live and should not be lead astray by history. Live your own life and not someone else’s. History tells us those who win the battles write history. That necessarily does not make history correct. It is a distorted man manipulated truth. So take a second and think about what you are saying when you are quoting and interpreting text from a man manipulated gospel.

-- February 25, 2007 10:38 PM ∞

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Steve wrote:

It is very apparent that a few of you on this site are one issue voters.
Last time I checked, Liberals always vote that way. How can you claim to be conservative,
when all you can talk about when it comes to Mitt Romney is his religion?????
It is apparent that you don't have a problem with the candidate, but his religion.

-- February 25, 2007 11:08 PM ∞

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Neil wrote:

Rob N:

You are a valuable member of this blog and I agree with most everything that you say, but you seem to have a bias against Mitt Romney. I have to disagree with you on that man. He appears to be an honest, upright, forthright person who comes from a religion that is probably as rigid as any religion in this country. His position on abortion is like most everyone else, we just don't know what is best.
Sure, it is wrong to kill a developing baby but put yourself in the shoes of a lady who is trying to find her place in life and becomes pregnant and doesn't want the baby. Should she give up all her aspirations in life and adhere to the more's of society and have a baby that she does'nt want.

Abortion is a contraversial issue and I surely do not have the answer but I am not ready to condemn a woman for aborting an unwanted preganancy.

I am not totally sold on Mitt Romney but I am not ready to write him off because he is a Morman or he is an abortion advocate.

-- February 25, 2007 11:11 PM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

The answer is simple, if she doesn't want the pregnacy, keep her pant on is the answer. Not kill the baby after the fact.

-- February 25, 2007 11:24 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Rob N:
Carole:
Sara:

Rob, let's not be so quick to assume that "evangelicals" do not support Mitt Romney

Go to : evangelicalsformitt.com Notice the word "evangelicals"!!!

I happen to know and respect many Mormons. They are some of the worlds most "Christian" people. DO some real research please. It is a real dicredit to your character when things on this sight are posted as fact about the Mormon religion.

Saturday, February 24, 2007
MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER AND OTHER MYSTERIES
What did my great-great-grandfather do for a living? Was his marriage good or bad? These questions entered my mind as I read this article the AP put out today called "Polygamy A Prominent Feature In Romney's Family Tree." The article talks about Gov. Romney's great-great-grandfather and his great-grandfather, both of whom had multiple wives. The article points out great-grandfather Miles Romney

married his fifth wife in 1897. That was more than six years after Mormon leaders banned polygamy and more than three decades after a federal law barred the practice.
The ominous tone of the rather long article got me thinking. My dad had a very politically incorrect job: He made paper. (Gasp--he cut down trees! In fact, he had a bumper sticker that read "Trees Are a Renewable Resource.") He was born on Monteagle Mountain in the Tennessee foothills, to a coal miner who at some time owned a saloon. (I remember the wonderful aroma of his pipe.) But, my grandfather's dad? I know he was part Cherokee Indian, but the rest is rather fuzzy in my memory.

I haven't given this much thought, until now...What if I wanted to run for President one day? Would the character of my distant family reflect poorly on my personal politics and morality?

Of course not. However, articles like this one will continue as the media tries to scare Republicans away from voting for Gov. Romney. Now why, you ask, would they want to do that?

Look closely at the article:

In 1862, while Utah was a territory, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, banning plural marriage. In 1882, Congress also passed the Edmunds Act, an anti-polygamy law. That was followed in 1887 by the Edmunds-Tucker Act, which disincorporated the church and threatened to seize its nonreligious real estate as part of the crackdown on polygamy.
What's significant about this fact? The government can and has changed the way some people feel about marriage. Indeed, the Mormon church officially outlawed polygamy in the 1890s, after the government effectively "persuaded" it.

Similarly, Gov. Romney did all he could to reverse a bad Massachusetts court decision which allowed "gay marriage" in his commonwealth. (And he may prevail yet.)

In other words, his beliefs about marriage are disturbing, but not to those who believe in the sanctity of marital vows. (As is oft-repeated, he and Ann have been married for 37 years.) No, his beliefs are anathema to liberals who seek to legalize gay "marriage" all over America--this is the real reason foreboding articles about Gov. Romney's ancestors will continue unabated from now until 2008.

Since we're talking about how my family might effect my personal politics, I guess I should confess all except my immediate family are Democrats. Sssshh...if I ever run for President, I'd love for AP reporters to venture up on the mountain and try to interview them.

-- February 25, 2007 11:30 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

The last post was mine

-- February 25, 2007 11:31 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

Ronald Reagan is not here to give his opinion, but his son is....

Friday, February 16, 2007
MICHAEL REAGAN
The son of President Reagan wrote the following in Human Events:

Some Republicans insist that the only perfect candidate would be a clone of my Dad, Ronald Reagan. Aside from the fact that there is no such thing, it’s important to recognize that Ronald Reagan, as he often admitted, was anything but perfect.
One of the criticisms about former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney focuses on his record concerning the abortion issue. We are told by the modern day Diogenes clones that he can’t be trusted to fight abortion because he once, more or less, supported a woman’s right to butcher her baby.

It may come as a surprise to these purists, but Ronald Reagan once supported abortion too. Yet nobody ever questioned his strong pro-life credentials after his conversion to Republicanism. They accepted his sincerity. Why can’t they accept Mitt Romney’s?

Romney’s record shows he should be totally acceptable to all conservatives, yet because of one dubious question concerning the validity of his conversion to the pro-life side, he is deemed unsuitable to carry the conservative banner.

Steve

-- February 25, 2007 11:34 PM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Looks like we hit a stall
Is the GOI on holiday again?

Announcement No.(871)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 871 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 2/ 26 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1282 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 45.050.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 45.050.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 26, 2007 4:56 AM ∞

---

Mattuk wrote:

From...army-technology.com

Army Engineers Work to Improve Iraq's Oil Export

23 January 2007 16:59

The regime change in Iraq has opened many new opportunities and important development projects in the southern oil fields of Iraq.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working on various projects to ramp up oil production for the new democratic country and help improve Iraq's economy.

One important project is the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, formerly known as Mina Al-Baker and now called 'ABOT', and is considered to be the gateway to Iraq's prosperity.

"Right now oil is Iraq's major export. It isn't easy to increase oil exports, but the Corps has plans to raise the crude output to meet three million barrels per day in 2007," said Bob Tillisch, oil program manager with the Basrah Area Office of the Gulf Region South District.

Tillisch explained that the ABOT previously operated without a functioning fire and gas protection system, and that there were no fire or gas detection sensors or pressure alarm systems.

The emergency shutdown valves were either corroded or missing, and the firewater pumps did not work effectively.

"During phase two, we (USACE) provided a modern fire-fighting system with both diesel and electrical fire-water pumps throughout the platform in case of fire. Also, this new system will have fire-fighting foam capabilities in order to increase its effectiveness. This replaces the previous system which was outdated," he added.

Tillisch said the USACE will supply modern metering devices for platforms A and B, which will ensure that the total amount of oil exported from the ABOT can be accurately measured electronically.

"The renovation includes new radio communication equipment at eight sites throughout the southern Iraq oil fields and refineries including the ABOT," Tillisch said. "This will ensure that pumping oil from the mainland to the ABOT can be done more safely and effectively by a modern communication system.

David Anderson, a construction representative with the Basrah Oil Office, said, "USACE will provide an emergency shutdown system that will consist of an electrical control station and all associated wiring and valves. In case of an emergency, the SOC operators will have a safe and efficient means to turn off the loading to the oil tanker which is tied alongside the pier."

In order to provide a reliable source of lighting and power for the ABOT, USACE refurbished the four old diesel generators installed in 1979.

The Corps is also providing life-saving equipment and life rafts for evacuation from the ABOT in case of an accident.

-- February 26, 2007 5:45 AM ∞

---

Mattuk wrote:

Iraqi oil gangs syphon off billions

By Jim Muir in Baghdad
Last Updated: 2:07am BST 28/04/2006

A new class of grand mafiosi sucking billions of pounds out of Iraq's vital oil sector is crippling efforts to rebuild the nation, according to an official report published in Baghdad.

The findings of the Oil Ministry's independent inspector-general painted a sordid picture of massive abuses pervading every corner of the industry, from the well-head to the petrol pump. It said that since Saddam Hussein's overthrow in 2003, the spread of smuggling had turned Iraq from a major exporter of petrol products into an importer.

Smuggling and other rackets cost Iraq more than £10bn a year

"These problems have led to the loss of billions of dollars, both in direct actual losses and in lost opportunities," the report concludes.

"This is robbing Iraq of historic opportunities for revival and reconstruction and of basic necessities for a ruined nation and heavily-burdened people." It calls for "radical and urgent action" to stop the abuses and punish those involved, including new legislation and penalties to make oil smuggling a crime of "grand economic sabotage".

Walid Khadduri, economics editor of the pan-Arab al-Hayat newspaper, estimates that smuggling and other rackets in Iraq are costing the country more than £10 billion a year in direct losses and missed opportunities.

"There is no accountability, no punishment, and it goes all the way to the top - the smuggling gangs are in cahoots with local authorities and politicians because they need protection," he said. "There was corruption under Saddam but nowhere near this."

The ministry report says smuggling has created a "new class of grand mafiosi" and a corrosive environment of corruption that is affecting everybody in the oil business and destroying public faith in politicians. The report documents abuses ranging from direct theft from oil consignments and pipelines, to frauds involving false documentation for imported petrol.

Even roadside supplies of black-market petrol sold locally were worth an estimated £500 million a year to the illegal profiteers, the report says.

Iraq factfile

It estimates that 10 to 20 per cent of the refined products Iraq is now obliged to import from neighbouring Turkey, Syria and Jordan are being smuggled back to their countries of origin after receiving Iraqi government subsidies to bring the price down for local consumption.

This could be netting crooks up to £500 million a year.

Part of the problem is that product prices in those countries are significantly higher than Iraqi levels, which are government-subsidised to the tune of nearly £4 billion a year to keep them within reach of the distressed Iraqi consumer.

source. telegraph.co.uk

-- February 26, 2007 5:58 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Carole: A long time ago me and several other men from the San Fernando valley used to go to Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, Cathedral City and play golf. . .usally 2 or 3 day tournaments, and I always said "when I retire, I want to retire on a golf course" and someone would always say "front 9 or back 9" I'd always say who gives a sh-t. . .it's on a golf course. . .an when you said that you were thinking of buying your RE friends home. . .I assumed he had to be by one of the finer golf courses. . .but from what you describe. . looks like his whole property is a golf course. .

And to your other question about the insurance. . .I haven't gotten a plugged nickel from those SOB's. . . I've gone thru almost all my saving, and a coupla CD's and I'm just about to get into a small 401 that I have. . .it's a crying shame that one person has the power to do this to another person just because of what he or she thinks. . .this gal doesn't feel that my MI was work or stress related. . .DUH. . .this is how it works over there. . .WORK, EAT, SLEEP, end of story. . .anyways, I'm also going to sell a million dinars, so, if you or anyone else is interested, you can e-mail me at mugle13906@hotmail.com. . . Thanx P.H.

-- February 26, 2007 6:52 AM ∞

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Carole wrote:

PH

I sure hope you have a good lawyer for your case. If you are in Ca. Bender and Bender is a good law firm for just the situation you are in. I could get the number if you are interested.I may have a buyer for yoru Dinar. Hate to see you sell them though. Are you back to work?

Carole

-- February 26, 2007 7:53 AM ∞

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panhandler wrote:

Carole: Thanks Carole, I have an ex-miami cop who was hurt on the job, and didn't feel he was getting treated fairly, so he became an attorney. . .according to him. . I will get paid. . .when is the question. . .my stress test and echo results are to be sent to KBR today, then it's up to their Doctor to sign the return to work slip, then I have to wait on travel. . .you know as the squeaky wheel turns. . .I'm sitting on 7 million, so I think I can part with 1 mil, that should hold me til the 1st of April, and I don't think I'll have a problem replacing them and getting more, at the rate things are happening now. . .you have my address, and I can give you my phone number over my hotmail address. . .I would be very much appreciative. . P.H.

-- February 26, 2007 8:26 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Neil wrote, "Sure, it is wrong to kill a developing baby but put yourself in the shoes of a lady who is trying to find her place in life and becomes pregnant and doesn't want the baby. Should she give up all her aspirations in life and adhere to the more's of society and have a baby that she does'nt want."

Neil, she doesn't have to give up all her aspirations in life, just take the baby to term (9 months out of her life) and then give it to a couple who will love and nurture and care for it happily for the rest of its life. Just because SHE doesn't want it, does not mean it will be unloved. She can even choose private adoption so she can screen who become the parents. Then she moves on with her life and all her "aspirations" without committing the sin of murder. Seems a bit kinder than consigning the baby to death for her career goals, to me.

I also do not condemn a woman for her choice to murder her unborn child. I am not God. But I do call a spade a spade and won't whitewash a sin. Anyone committing sin needs forgiveness from God and the removal of the guilt before God for committing that act of sin. The sin of abortion (murder of the unborn) is one sin which fits into mankind's universal need. However, it is a very serious sin, since other sins that are committed have restitution ability (repay for the thing stolen, pay a penalty for the lie given - jail if it is under oath, etc) but there is no restitution available in this life for taking the life of another human being, no matter how tiny. The sin of murder by the populace is abhorrent at any stage of life, for any reason.

Mattuk - Interesting articles. Great one on the army engineers improving the exports! :)
But the one about the oil gangs siphoning off oil made me wonder if it is easier to let them siphon off oil and still let production continue or go around trying to defend the pipeline from being blown up all the time. If the terrorists get money from it, they wont blow it up, will they? Perhaps it is allowed to continue for a while to prevent further terrorists attacks.. a kind of extortion, if you will.. until the US/coalition/Iraqis can crush the insurgency. They will, if given the time and manpower to do so, as the terrorists are well aware.

Roger;

Not a peep in the MSM I can see on the letter leaked to the media about Maliki telling the terrorists to flee to Iran.

I agree with you about the hormones being fed to the animals to make them large and the idea it might cross over to humans, making for obesity. Dr. Andersen brought that up later in the interview and I almost posted on it, but that was a long enough post as it was, I felt, covering a lot of ground.

The problem, as I see it, is that mankind thinks the worse thing we face is the terrorists. Humans with infernal designs, I mean. Certainly, no one wishes to admit there could be a superior intelligence to mankind seeking gains against our species of mankind and using our ignorances against us. I happen to believe otherwise. That is, while I do not believe the GMO makers are intentionally designing a plague, I think it is being "designed" by a higher order intelligence which is malevolent to the continuation of our race and able to use the GMO maker's greed, ignorance and innocence as a tool and weapon to strike further with their intended arsenal. This fits with Christian theology.. there really is a devil, and his minions, and he is active in the world today.

As I have thought upon this plague which I believe is being designed from human ignorance and experimentation with our food supply, I noted several other factors. Bovine encephalopathy or BSE (Mad Cow Disease) is also believed by some, like Dr. Andersen, to be due to microtoxins - something which could be boosted by GMOs. Dr Anderson noted in the interview:

ANDERSEN. It’s interesting to look at the government research on microtoxins — the exact same symptoms from certain microtoxins appear in Mad Cow disease, as well as some of the work out of England with organophosphates causing that prion to develop that’s associated with the Mad Cow disease syndrome. The bottom line still is, what is the integrity of the body, its ability to withstand these organophosphates and whatever else might be in the environment, pesticides, etc.?

ACRES U.S.A. Are you familiar with the Mark Purdey theory on bovine spongiform encephalopathy?

ANDERSEN. Which one was that, the one about the cause being organophosphates?

ACRES U.S.A. Yes, rather than the tainted meat being fed back to other animals.

ANDERSEN. Right... Yes, I am familiar with his theory.

http://www.acresusa.com/magazines/archives/0904AndersenInt.htm

Here, the bottom line for disease to develop (whether by organophosphates or tainted meat) is microtoxins attacking the cells. Mistakes in the genetic code, due to the uptake of foreign genetic material into our human DNA code, would make the human race more susceptible to microtoxin invasion, just as the bees became more susceptible to fungi, bacteria and virus invasion, killing them off in "Colony Collapse."

The feeding of animals ruminants (with Mad Cow - other dead animals were being fed back to the cows as additional "protein"), is thought to be a part of the disease process. Presumably, if those dead animals had any foreign genetic material incorporated into their DNA structure, the uptake of that material as it was breaking down and beginning to rot by the living animals would make incorporation of the genetic material into the new animal happen at a faster rate. A cow getting altered DNA from ruminants as opposed to the uptake from organic plant material may enhance the speed of the process of "Colony Collapse", is all I am saying.

Bird flu is another disease which would become susceptible to the process, since the chickens are also being fed rotting meat which would likely have some copying mistakes from the previous generation eating GMO foods - that is, they would have incorrect incorporation of material which was mistaken by their bodies to be natural food. The next generation, feasting on GMO altered rotting flesh, could have an acceleration of the Colony Collapse phenomenon. As the Lord said to me, "You have no idea.. they will literally rot from the inside out." Kinda gross, but there you have it. (and it was not I, but my brother in the Lord who heard this, and maybe he heard wrong, but.. then again, maybe he didn't, and this supports the idea.. ) That is what the bees died from.. a disease in which they rotted to death from the inside out. Remember the article said, "dissected bees turned up an alarmingly high number of foreign fungi, bacteria and other organisms" - these are just like you find in rotting corpses. And mankind is stupid enough to allow this to proliferate until they are dying from it because they believe the threat could never happen. Why? Because the people involved are too nice to be willingly designing a plague. They never look one step higher (or lower, rather) to a radical intelligence not on the side of the terrorists or the West or the pharmaceutical companies or the government or big business.. but one which moves to kill off all of them and exterminate our entire human race... using our ignorance and belief in the good intentions of others. What is it they say? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." That is because hell uses the good intentions of mankind to pave the road.

Sara.

-- February 26, 2007 8:48 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

Neil:

Yes, I do have a bias against Mitt. My bias is his religion. I adamantly disagree with his Mormon religion. This evangelical will not be voting for Mitt Romney.

Concerning abortion. Neil, you posted: "Should she give up all her aspirations in life and adhere to the more's of society and have a baby that she does'nt want." My answer is yes, it is called sacrifice.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 26, 2007 9:36 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Agreement to share oil wealth
Kurdish authorities have agreed to back a draft law to manage and share Iraq’s vast oil wealth, removing the last major obstacle to approving the measure and meeting a key U.S. benchmark in Iraq, a top Kurdish official said Saturday.

Approval of a new oil law could help open the way for international oil companies to invest billions to upgrade Iraq’s decrepit wells and pipelines and exploit the country’s reserves, among the world’s largest.

The bill also provides a formula for distributing revenues among all major ethnic and religious groups, easing Sunni fears of being cut out of a future bonanza because their central and western homelands lack extensive reserves.

Massoud Barzani, president of the self-governing Kurdish administration in the north, announced the agreement at a joint press conference with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and President Jalal Talabani. Barzani said he and Talabani had discussed the latest draft law by telephone with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

“We reached a final agreement,” Barzani said. “We accept the draft.”

Delay in adopting deal
There was no comment on the announcement from Khalilzad or Talabani, and Barzani did not elaborate. It was unclear whether new concessions had to be made to win his approval.

Al-Maliki’s government had promised to enact a new oil law by the end of 2006 but missed the deadline due to objections from the Kurds, who wanted a greater role in awarding contracts and administering the revenues.

The Cabinet discussed the draft Thursday but failed to agree. Once the Cabinet signs off, the measure goes to parliament for final approval once the legislators return from a recess early next month.

Opening doors to investment
The Bush administration, facing growing pressure to end the Iraq conflict, has been urging the Iraqis to finish the new oil law.

A new law is needed, most outside experts believe, to encourage international companies to pour billions into Iraq to repair pipelines, upgrade wells, develop new fields and begin to exploit the country’s vast petroleum reserves, estimated at about 115 billion barrels.

According to Iraqis familiar with the deliberations, the draft law would offer international oil companies several methods to invest, including production-sharing agreements. Those would give U.S. and other international companies a substantial share of the oil revenues to recover their initial investments and then allow them big tax breaks.

That angers some Iraqis, who believe foreigners will get too much control of the nation’s wealth.

Power struggle
But the biggest battle is over who gets the most say in awarding contracts and managing the revenues. The Kurds, who have run their own mini-state in the north since 1991, want regional administrations to have a bigger role.

Most of the country’s proven oil reserves lie in the Kurdish north or the Shiite south, which also wants to establish a self-ruled region. That has led the Sunnis to demand more power for the central government, to assure them a share of the wealth.

To win Kurdish approval, the current draft gives a major role to the regional administrations in awarding contracts but allows a committee under the prime minister to review them.

To satisfy the Sunnis, oil revenues would be distributed to the 18 provinces based on their populations — not on whether they have oil. It’s unclear whether Sunni Arabs would accept a population-based formula since they have consistently challenged figures showing them as a minority.

While the Kurds want more control of revenue generated from their fields, others think the new proposals give the regions too much control.

If implemented, “The balance of power in the management of Iraq’s oil and gas resources would have shifted alarmingly from the center to the regions,” Tariq Shafiq, a former oil official who helped draft the first version, said in Amman, Jordan, this month.

Source: MSNBC
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 26, 2007 9:38 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq to join WTO, says U.S. source

Iraq's government has fulfilled all requirements and procedures to apply for the membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a USAID official in Baghdad said on Saturday.

"The Iraqi government is now getting ready to have its first dialogue with WTO in April 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland," Greg Howell, Director of Private Sector Development at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said in a press conference.

Howell said "Iraq had applied in 2004 to obtain WTO membership. A task force was set up to study the application and coordinate with the Iraqi government over reforms in trade policies and requirements for accession."

"Iraq's WTO membership would guarantee Iraqi commodities and services undistinguished access to global markets and it would also give a strong sign to re-merge Iraq into the international community," the USAID official noted.

He said this membership would also bring Iraq more stable trade relations, enhanced income, stimulated economic growth, more jobs and less corruption.

Source: Voice of Iraq
(www.dinartrade.com)

Rob N.

-- February 26, 2007 9:39 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger:

Aye!! Dios mio!!!You are making me a headache!!!!

Okay, you explain the zero loop as having no esssential affect on the value of the currency---I got that!

Then you say investors would really lose if this would happen---don't get that!!!

What am I missing here?????

Carole

-- February 26, 2007 11:38 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraqi cabinet agrees draft oil law -oil official
Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:20am ET

BAGHDAD, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Iraq's cabinet has endorsed a draft oil law crucial to regulating how the country's vast oil wealth will be shared between its ethnic and sectarian groups, a senior Iraqi oil official said on Monday.

The law will also set out terms regulating how foreign oil firms will be able to operate in Iraq.

The draft now goes to parliament for a vote after the cabinet agreed the draft on Monday, with the backing of Kurds who had been haggling over the terms of some articles.

Iraq has the world's third largest proven oil reserves but has been hampered in developing them by decades of sanctions under Saddam Hussein and nearly four years of violence since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2007-02-26T152049Z_01_PAR654231_RTRIDST_0_ENERGY-IRAQ-CABINET-UPDATE-1.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna

-- February 26, 2007 12:01 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Iraqi vice president dodges bomb; 10 die
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, AP Feb 26, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's Shiite vice president escaped an apparent assassination attempt Monday after a bomb exploded in municipal offices where he was making a speech, knocking him down with the force of the blast that left at least 10 people dead.

Adel Abdul-Mahdi was bruised and hospitalized for medical exams, an aide said. Police initially blamed the attack on a bomb-rigged car, but later said the explosives were apparently planted inside the building.

The attack sent another message that suspected Sunni militants could strike anywhere despite a major security crackdown across the capital. Hours before the blast, U.S. military teams with bomb-sniffing dogs combed the building, said workers at the site.

The bomb struck while Abdul-Mahdi was addressing municipal officials in the upscale Mansour district, which has many embassies and saw a rise in private security patrols after past kidnappings blamed on militants.

Abdul-Mahdi is one of two vice presidents. The other, Tariq al-Hashemi, is Sunni.

"The aggression against you this day is further proof that these groups are doing their best to destroy Iraq's unity," said a message to the vice president from Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, who heads Iraq's largest Shiite political group.

At least 10 people were killed and 18 injured in the blast, police said.

Separately, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was in stable condition in a hospital in Amman, Jordan, on Monday, recuperating from exhaustion and lung inflammation, Iraqi officials said.

Talabani, 73, fell ill Sunday and was unconscious when he was rushed to a hospital in Sulaimaniyah, his hometown in northeastern Iraq. He was then flown to neighboring Jordan for extensive examination.

In Diyala, the province northeast of Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi forces seized a weapons cache that includes parts for sophisticated roadside bombs that are believed to originate in Iran.

Military officials told the AP that the arsenal discovered Saturday is one of the biggest found north of the Iraqi capital and contains components for so-called EFPs — explosively formed projectiles that fire a slug of molten metal capable of penetrating armored vehicles.

The U.S. military has said elite Iranian corps are funneling EFPs to Shiite militias in Iraq for use against American troops. The area where the cache was found is dominated by Sunni insurgents, but also includes pockets of Shiites.

Along with the EFPs, the weapons cache contained more than two dozen mortars and 15 rockets. There were enough metal disks to make 130 EFPs, the military said.

Capt. Clayton Combs, the commander of the company that found the cache, said they had found one or two EFPs previously, but this was the first discovery of an assembly facility for them.

"This is a significant amount," he said during a news conference in Baghdad. "Before we have found one or two EFPs at the most and those are usually at the site of deployment. This is the first cache ... that has actually been found as far as a production facility."

Last week, U.S. troops found a suspected Shiite weapons hideout in the southern city of Hillah that also included parts to make the lethal roadside bombs. The New York Times reported that the stash included a bomb-rigged fake boulder made of polyurethane that was apparently ready to be placed for an attack and a U.S. explosives expert said the device — like others found in the raid — has been used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Iran is believed to be a major supporter of Hezbollah.

A statement from the U.S. military Monday said that 63 weapons caches have been discovered during major U.S.-Iraqi security sweeps around Baghdad that began Feb. 14. The arsenals included anti-aircraft weapons, armor-piercing bullets, bomb components and mortar rounds, the statement said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070226/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

-- February 26, 2007 12:26 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Carole,

Re: zero lop, howcome the currency essentially stay the same, but we, as investors will lose out on it if it zero lops.

Me and others have written about this in so many posts now, it would be very beneficial if you do some back reading on this, I will otherwise start sounding like a broken record, a high risk already, as all the basics have already been covered on this blog, plus they have been covered from any possible angle on top of it all.

Carole, it's all there, just scroll back.

If you would take the time to go, lets say only ONE year back in time, and reread everything, you will come out as a financial economical Dinar semi-expert afterwards.

It's really worth you time to actually do it Carole.

Most blogsites consider it even a curtesy to do the back reading first, and if it isn't there, then ask.

Panhandler,

Hope you will come out allright, bummer you have to sell a mil of your Dinars, if there is a way, keep them, but if not, well you have to do what you have to do.

Medical care here in the US is one of the most undeveloped sections, compared with ANY other developed country.

It's almost absurd and bizarre, that an insurance company have a say over your health.

Insurance companies by function of what they are must make money.

A persons health and medical needs, is in direct proportion to higher risk for the insurance company.

Two entities that can not coexist without conflicting interest.

The insurance company ALONE will now determine how much of an insurance risk you are, thus setting their profit possibility.

The more medical attention you need, the less possibility of being financially sponsored.

Thus, we don't have any real medical back up for the US population, as all other modern developed countries.

We can break a leg, get a flu, and get something that is temporary. We will be covered.

If we REALLY need long deep and extensive medical care, to get well.....

Well, then we're too high risk, and get dropped from the insurance policy.

That's the exact same insurance policy we bought, so that in CASE we REALLY need deep long and extensive care, wouldn't have to go broke.

Pay them to have coverage, pay them for years and years, use the policy, in a medical situation where it might be costly.......and they say no, we wont pay...you're too high risk.

As long as the health of people of this country are in the hands of the insurance man, this will continue on and on.

-- February 26, 2007 5:26 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

END OF MAY.. RV in JUNE??? :)

Iraq cabinet endorses landmark draft oil law
26 Feb 2007
Source: Reuters
By Claudia Parsons and Mariam Karouny

BAGHDAD/BEIRUT, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Iraq's cabinet on Monday endorsed a draft oil law crucial to regulating how wealth from the country's vast oil reserves will be shared by its ethnic and sectarian groups, a move hailed as a major political milestone.

Passing a law to help settle potentially explosive disputes over the world's third largest oil reserves has been a key demand of the United States, which has linked it to continuing support for the Shi'ite-led national unity government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told Reuters that Iraq's leaders had pledged to have the law enacted by the end of May. The draft has to be approved by parliament first.

"The political leadership have committed to have the law and other associated laws and regulations be implemented by the end of May 2007 -- admittedly tough, and a gruelling schedule, but economic and political imperatives of the country require all of us to rise to the challenge," Salih said.

"The cabinet endorsement ... represents a major breakthrough for Iraq's political and economic transition," added Salih, who is also head of the committee that drafted the law.

Speaking later to reporters, Maliki said: "The benefits of this wealth will form a firm pillar for the unity of Iraqis and consolidate their social structure."

Salih said that as previously agreed, revenues would be put in a central account and distributed according to population.

Planning Minister Ali Baban, a Sunni, said all main political forces in the government agreed the draft.

"This law will add a real and practical dimension to the ... the unity of the Iraqi people," he said.

Iraq needs billions of dollars in foreign investment to revive the oil industry.

Iraq has the world's third largest proven oil reserves but has been hampered in developing them by decades of sanctions under Saddam Hussein and nearly four years of violence since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

The world's top oil companies have been manoeuvring for years to win a stake in Iraq's prized oilfields such as Bin Umar, Majnoon, Nassiriyah, West Qurna and Ratawi -- all located in the south of the country.

Russia's LUKOIL would be prepared to start work at West Qurna if Baghdad were to validate its deal struck under Saddam, analysts said. China's contract for the al-Ahdab oilfield, signed during the same period, is under review.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR654231.htm

-- February 26, 2007 5:40 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq Sunni VP says U.S. needs a 'Plan B'
2/26/2007

Posted 2/26/2007 2:21 PM ET

BAGHDAD (AP) — The most prominent Sunni in Iraq's fragmented government said Monday that the United States is going to have to come up with a "Plan B" if the current crackdown fails to stem the violence in the capital.
Tariq al-Hashemi, the Sunni vice president, also warned that the Shiite-led government has no choice but to use force against sectarian militias, even though it may be too late to keep them from resuming killings and kidnappings when the Baghdad security crackdown ends.

He spoke as the country's other vice president, a Shiite, escaped an apparent assassination attempt in a bombing that killed 10 people. Adel Abdul-Mahdi suffered a minor leg injury in the blast and was hospitalized for medical exams, his office said.

Al-Hashemi, head of Iraq's biggest Sunni party, said he warned U.S. officials during a visit to Washington last December that sectarian rivalry had paralyzed the unity government and that the U.S. needed to think about alternatives if its current security strategy fails.

"I was very frank with the American administration. I encouraged them to think seriously about 'Plan B,'" he said. "What sort of alternative do we have in the future in case the current security plan fails?"

Al-Hashemi said he has received no indication whether his advice was accepted.

He blamed much of the security crisis on the government's failure to curb Shiite militias, even though many Iraqis believe the latest bombings have been the work of Sunnis.

"I don't read these car bombings as sectarian but political," al-Hashemi said. "It is true that they hit Shiite areas but they kill as many Sunnis as Shiites."

He said the attacks were aimed at discrediting the Iraqi government and "there are many parties that have an interest in this."

Al-Hashemi said the government, which took office with great fanfare last spring, had failed to bring Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds together and restore peace because all the major decision-making remains in the hands of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

"We need teamwork" so "there will be a healing for the country," he said. "So far the country is run as a one-man show."

The Sunni leader also criticized efforts by al-Maliki, a Shiite, and his predecessor to grant Shiite hard-liners — notably anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — a role in government. The young cleric's Mahdi Army militia has been blamed for much of the sectarian killings in Baghdad.

"This cost the Iraqi people a good opportunity and as a result ... people were slaughtered, burned and forced from their homes," al-Hashemi said of the Shiite political strategy.

"The option of a political solution failed, and there is no choice now for the government except to use force against these militias — but it's too late," he said.

Al-Hashemi said he did not expect the Baghdad security operation, launched Feb. 15, to bring a quick end to violence, despite a sharp decline in execution-style assassinations blamed on sectarian death squads.

He said advance publicity on the operation and the slow arrival of U.S. and Iraqi reinforcements gave Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents an opportunity to go into hiding and bide their time until the crackdown is over.

President Bush announced plans to send 21,500 U.S. reinforcements to Iraq, most of them to Baghdad. The last of the U.S. military units earmarked for the operation are not due here until May.

Sunni leaders have also complained that the crackdown has focused on their neighborhoods while leaving the Mahdi Army stronghold in the Baghdad district of Sadr City virtually untouched. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also urged Iraqi leaders to "rise above sectarianism" during her visit this month, according to an Iraqi official.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

"Up to now, legal procedures have not been observed," al-Hashemi said. "The human rights of Iraqis have not been respected as they should be. In this regard, this (security) plan is being implemented in the same way the previous ones were. This is surely regrettable."

At the same time, he said efforts to lure Sunni insurgents to lay down their arms was "moving at the speed of turtles" because the Shiite parties are reluctant "to bring them into the political process."

"They view the resistance as a terror group that is no different from al-Qaeda and that's the problem we are facing now," he said of the Shiites.
(www.safedinar.com)

Could the RV be be plan B?

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 26, 2007 6:03 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Dollars to dinars: We did get the money to Iraq
John B. Taylor Published: February 26, 2007

STANFORD, California: Earlier this month, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing that criticized the decision to ship American currency into Iraq just after Saddam Hussein's government fell.

The currency that was shipped into Iraq in the days after the fall of Saddam Hussein's government was part of a successful financial operation that had been carefully planned months before the invasion.

Its aims were to prevent a financial collapse in Iraq, put the financial system on a firm footing and pave the way for a new Iraqi currency.

Contrary to the criticism that such currency shipments were ill-advised or poorly-monitored , this financial plan was carried out with precision and was a complete success.

The plan, which had two stages, was designed to work for Iraq's cash economy, in which checks or electronic funds transfers were virtually unknown and shipments of tons of cash were commonplace.

In the first stage, the United States would pay Iraqi government employees and pensioners in U.S. dollars. These were obtained from Saddam's accounts in American banks, which were frozen after he attacked Kuwait in 1990 and amounted to about $1.7 billion. The second stage was to print a new Iraqi currency for which Iraqis could exchange their old dinars.

The final details of the plan were reviewed President George W. Bush and the National Security Council on March 12, 2003. I attended that meeting.

President Bush approved the plan with the understanding that we would review the options for a new Iraqi currency later, when we knew the situation on the ground.

To carry out the first stage of the plan, President Bush issued an executive order on March 20, 2003, instructing United States banks to relinquish Saddam's frozen dollars. From that money, 237.3 tons in $1, $5, $10 and $20 bills were sent to Iraq.

During April, U.S. Treasury officials in Baghdad worked with the military and the Iraqi Finance Ministry officials — who had painstakingly kept the payroll records despite the looting of the ministry — to make sure the right people were paid.

The Iraqis supplied extensive documentation of each recipient of a pension or paycheck. Treasury officials who watched over the payment process in Baghdad in those first few weeks reported a culture of good record keeping.

On April 29, Jay Garner, the retired lieutenant general who headed the reconstruction effort in Iraq at the time, reported to Washington that the payments had lifted the mood of people in Baghdad during those first few confusing days. Even more important, a collapse of the financial system was avoided.

This success paved the way for the second stage of the plan. In only a few months, 27 planeloads (747 jumbo jets) of new Iraqi currency were flown into Iraq from seven printing plants around the world. Armed convoys delivered the currency to 240 sites around the country, from where it was distributed to 25 million Iraqis in exchange for their old dinars, which were then dyed, collected into trucks, shipped to incinerators and burned or simply buried.

The new currency proved to be very popular. It provided a sound underpinning for the financial system and remains strong, appreciating against the dollar even in the past few months. Hence, the second part of the currency plan was also a success.

The story of the currency plan is one of several that involved large sums of cash. For example, just before the war, Saddam Hussein stole $1 billion from the Iraqi central bank. American soldiers found that money in his palaces and shipped it to a base in Kuwait, where the U.S. Army's 336th Finance Command kept it safe. To avoid any appearance of wrongdoing, American soldiers in Kuwait wore pocket-less shorts and T-shirts whenever they counted the money.

Later, American forces used the found cash to build schools and hospitals, and to repair roads and bridges. General David Petraeus has described these projects as more successful than the broader reconstruction effort.

But that wasn't the only source of dollars. Because the new Iraqi dinar was so popular, the central bank bought billions of U.S. dollars to keep it from appreciating too much. As a result, billions in cash accumulated in the vaults of the central bank. Later, with American help, the Iraqi central bank deposited these billions at the New York Federal Reserve Bank, where they could earn interest.

Finally, when Iraq started to earn dollars selling oil, the United States transferred the cash revenue to the Finance Ministry, where it was used to finance government operations, including salaries and reconstruction.

Many of these transfers occurred in 2004, long after the financial stabilization operation had concluded. Iraqi Finance Ministry officials had already demonstrated that they were serious about keeping the controls they had in place. The 360 tons mentioned by Henry Waxman includes these transfers as well as the 237.2 tons shipped in 2003 in the stabilization.

One of the most successful and carefully planned operations of the war has been held up in this hearing for criticism and even ridicule.

As these facts show, praise rather than ridicule is appropriate: praise for the brave experts in the U.S. Treasury who went to Iraq in April 2003 and established a working Finance Ministry and central bank, praise for the Iraqis in the Finance Ministry who carefully preserved payment records in the face of looting, praise for the American soldiers in the 336th Finance Command who safely kept found money, and yes, even praise for planning and follow-through back in the United States.

- John B. Taylor, under secretary of the U.S. Treasury from 2001 to 2005, is the author of "Global Financial Warriors."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/26/opinion/edtaylor.php

-- February 26, 2007 6:18 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Rob N, I must agree with you that the best Plan to work in concert with the surge is the RV. I certainly see them as complimentary strategies - not that the RV replaces the surge or the military surge replaces the RV. BOTH are necessary components, in my view. BOTH are part of "A" plan.

The article you posted quotes a Sunni parlimentarian saying, quote, "efforts to lure Sunni insurgents to lay down their arms was "moving at the speed of turtles" because the Shiite parties are reluctant "to bring them into the political process. "They view the resistance as a terror group that is no different from al-Qaeda and that's the problem we are facing now," he said of the Shiites." (end of quote)

This was a Sunni speaking.. and I cannot blame the Shiites. This is why. In an article today called, "Egypt closes Satellite TV feed from Iraq", it discusses a Sunni lawmaker from Iraq who stands accused in Iraq of "embezzling $7 million from an oil pipeline security fund in October." This man fled with his ill gotten gains to Syria and started a rogue TV feed which, he says, "shows the real image of resistance" - a characterization I would also dispute. This station, paid for by ill gotten dollars embezzled by this man, stands accused of the following:

His Al-Zawraa broadcasts pictures of insurgent attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces, showing their vehicles exploding. It also shows bloody and mutilated bodies of civilians, including women and children, saying they are Sunnis who were killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces or Shiite militiamen.

The article continues:

"Iraqi security forces shut down Al-Zawraa's Baghdad offices in November, saying it was "inciting hatred and instigating violence." But it has managed to continue operating, apparently working from Sunni areas of Iraq."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022600549.html

If this station is not serving the interests of the terrorists, whose interests does it serve? Certainly not the Iraqi government's. Why would the Iraqi government embrace those who support such things when the government has ASKED the US to be there? Do these Sunni supporters of terrorism/resistance/insurgency think attacks on the Iraqi forces and deaths of Iraqi civilians should be shot round the world for the al-Qaeda and other terrorists to rejoice over? And those are the fellows this man thinks should be welcomed at lightning speed to the political table instead of at a turtle's pace? They should be consulted on delicate diplomacy and political matters - sensitive government information? What assurances does the government have that these Sunnis won't give it to their comrades in arms? It is a thorny issue.. and one which takes much more than simplistic thinking along ethnic lines. It requires assessing true loyalties, something I feel the Iraqi and US intelligence services should be able to ascertain... But then again, I thought they would move on the information they have about Maliki giving out a warning to the militia leaders to run away to Iran, too..

War is insanity which is often overcome by a big stick. Force is one stick.. money another. I am hopeful these strategies will prevail to bring sanity into the minds and hearts of all the Iraqis and make them willing and able to work together for a united goal, by purging the evil and rewarding the good. I think many of them are good. I pray for the demise of those who oppose democracy and freedom for Iraq - and also for the demise of those who wish to impose what they think is God's will on others at the point of a sword. It is they and not the valiant US, coalition and Iraqi forces who are responsible for the "bloody and mutilated bodies of civilians, including women and children" - and such criminals have already taken their bows for such reprehensible acts, justifying their acts of political aggression under a religious banner.

It only takes a minute to see under which rulership women and children and Iraqi civilians are terrorized, tortured, raped and murdered in cold blood. Though no side is without the hand of satan seeking to destroy both sides by inciting individual acts of barbarism under the banner of military power, the consistent daily picture of civilian murder and mayhem belongs to the "resistance fighters" who are as much terrorists as the al-Qaeda by their heinous acts of merciless slaughter for political aims. Such are those who cannot understand the true way the spiritual kingdom of God is to spread and who cannot see truth such as these gracious words of Jesus:

Luk 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

These bloody revolutionaries who think they speak in the name of God do not see what this One whom they agree is a prophet from God said to them. The kingdom of God will not come with observation or by bloody earthly battles. It is furthered by that which is of the heart - in that which is within you - a true and godly desire to please and serve God and His aims of love and peace and goodwill toward all of mankind. (Luk 2:13-14)

Sara.

-- February 26, 2007 7:39 PM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi Cabinet approved a draft law Monday to manage the country's vast oil industry and distribute its wealth among the population — a major breakthrough in U.S. efforts to press the country's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish groups to reach agreements to achieve stability.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254798,00.html

Steve

-- February 27, 2007 12:18 AM ∞

---

Steve wrote:

Typical Liberal Hypocrasy...

Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own “Inconvenient Truth”
Gore’s home uses more than 20 times the national average

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=367

-- February 27, 2007 12:25 AM ∞

---

Carole wrote:

Roger,

I have gone back and read time and again. It was my questions that you answered.

They are paradocial.

At least to me. I am sure you know what you are talking about, I just can't follow your way of explaining.

If I have 250,000 Dinar and the zero loops and now I have 25,000. What difference does it make if I am an investor or an Iraqi standing in a grocery line?

Please, can you just answer that?

Carole

-- February 27, 2007 3:33 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Even a dead fish can swim downstream faster than the NID is moving!!!

Announcement No.(872)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 872 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Tuesday 2007/ 2/ 27 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 14 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1281 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 81.545.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 81.545.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 27, 2007 5:01 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Lot's of discussion about Mitt

My question is are there any conservatives left in what I hear people from MA refer to as "the peoples republic of MA"

Not sure that any MA politicians are mainstream, They tend to be too far left for middle America.

-- February 27, 2007 5:10 AM ∞

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gimp wrote:

I do not pretend to be an expert by no means but in my view the simple thing is that as an inveestor I do not intend to buy apples and oranges in Iraq I intend however to buy dollor bills in the US I do not believe that the US will zero lop the dollar bill to acomadate the iraqi dinar therefore if I had 1 5000 dinar note it gets whacked to 500 I have lost 4500 dinar... in iraq that is nothing because the apple and orange also got whacked but as for me over in the states that dollar bill will still cost the same it did not get whacked and you now have 4500 dinar less to buy it with and that is only if they lop 1 0 from the dinar as you can see for the investor it would be really quite terrible therefore I asked the earlier question that only you really answered from your buddy in saying that simply busch would not let that happen it had a lot more logic to it than someone leses answer to my question that answer was to spray wd-40 in my ear well that a rude and pointless response however I do appreciate your follow up thanks

-- February 27, 2007 7:23 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

To modernize the Iraqi Central Bank

An expert in the Iraqi Central Bank expected that positive effects, in the long perspective, will result from the monetary policy of the Bank in fighting inflation through raising the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar. The Director-General of the Statistics and Research Center in the Iraqi Central Bank, Madhar Muhammad Salih, said that the Bank seeks within its reforms to establish a modern and developed infrastructure for the central banking in Iraq through strengthening the payment systems that link the Central Bank to the banks working with automatic systems. He pointed out that this mechanism will enable the Central Bank to lend banks daily, when they are exposed to some of problems in the availability of liquidity, as well as reducing the risk of manipulation and fraud since this mechanism contains a high level of secrecy and confidentiality.

Salih revealed that there are procedures related to the development of bonds’ auction and remittances of the Central Bank, as well as encouraging open market operations; stressing its deep impact on liquidity ratios and growth of cash blocs. He explained that the sales rates in an auction increased from 200 billion dinars, after being 100 billion dinars each auction previously.

Salih called on following a coordinated financial policy with the Central Bank monetary policy to reach an economic stability based on the promotion of investment expenditure and reduce consumer spending in a way that helps in operating unemployed energies in economy, whether materialistic or human, as well as fighting against poverty and achieve the welfare of the poor within the social protection systems, stressing the need to focus the consumer expenditure upon these sectors, which requires reconsidering the support activities that must be given to the production sector as a priority, but not at the expense of the health, service and educational sectors.

Source:Iraq Directory
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 27, 2007 10:31 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

The Iraqi debt burden has become little

The efforts of creative Financial minds, the fine Iraqi diplomacy and the support of friends had a great role in reaching the Paris Club agreement to drop 80% of Iraq's debts to the (19) States of the Club, in addition to (56) States outside the Club.

The problem of Iraq's foreign debts, was one of the most serious dilemmas faced by Iraqi economy after security at the present stage; it was not expected that the day may come when economic analysts and experts in the world would predict that Iraq, whose economy was one of the largest economies in the Arab world and after it was one of the most important petroleum exporting countries, would borrow money, request others’ help and be tied by foreign debt of more than $125 billion in addition to the compensations which were adopted after 1991 and amounted to $ 35 billion of which Iraq paid more than $ 17 billion.

The mechanism of debt reduction is 30% directly at the beginning of 2005, and this reduction program was based on emergency aid, just like the post-conflict with the IMF which is a reduced international program in terms of conditions.

There are 30% we obtained after the (Stand by) agreement was signed with the International Monetary Fund, and at the second half of 2005 we will get the remaining (20%).

In fact, when we reach the year (2008) the debts will be reduced to (80%); this means that we will pay back only (20%) of the debt, and the payment will be over (23) years beginning of the year (2011); this means we have (6) years of permit from (2005 till 2011); however, we may be able to get rid of the remaining (20%) or change them into bonds and investments by agreement with some of the creditor States, which means that we may be able to restructure the debt before (2011), especially that there are some countries which cancelled their debt on Iraq by 100% like the United States, Australia and Malta.

It can be said now that the burden of the debt has become little upon the coming years’ budget.

There are a number of options that could ease the burden of the remaining debt depending on our negotiation strength, through convincing the debtors to change their debt into contracts and investments; we could also buy the debt from the market if Iraq's financial capabilities are developed in future. Debts are bought and sold; they are sometimes sold at 10 or 20% of their nominal value or according to the buyer’s capacity to pay.

There is also another method, we have managed to follow but achieved an unsteady success, when the government converted its debts into bonds; these are all good economic issues that Iraq has not entered before; however we achieved some steps ahead in ending the subject of commercial creditors, big and small.

Because of these bold steps, Iraq occupied a status among the nations entering the international market after it has settled its commercial debt; a solution which guarantees Iraq good relations with the world and with the international economic community, as well as create a proper investment environment.

Source: Iraq Directory
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 27, 2007 10:37 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

www.iraqiupdates perspective on the oil law.

Iraq approves draft oil legislation
By Steve Negus

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

27 February 2007 (Financial Times)
Print article Send to friend
Iraq's cabinet yesterday approved the draft of a law governing the country's oil industry that would open the door to much-needed investment, officials said.

The law has to be approved by parliament, and several documents need to be written to complete the legislative package governing the oil industry.

But approval by the cabinet, which includes members of the country's three main sectarian-political blocs, the Shia, Sunni Arabs and Kurds, is a step towards ending a months-long stalemate over the powers of Iraq's federal and regionalgovernments.

The US has pressed both Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq to produce a law, the absence of which is holding back the foreign investment deemed critical to boosting oil production. Output has fallen to less than 2m barrels per day - down from 2.5m bpd before the war - in a country with the world's third largest reserves.

"This draft law, the endorsement of the cabinet of this legislation, represents a breakthrough for Iraq's political and economic transition," said Barham Salih, Iraq's deputy prime minister. He said that the parties in government were committed to enacting the entire oil legislation package by the end of May.

Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador, welcomed the approval of the draft, declaring that it was the "first time since 2003 that all major Iraqi communities have come together on a defining piece of legislation".

It was unclear whether there had been any changes to a draft which the leaders of Iraq's Kurdish parties, who had championed regional control of oil, had approved at the weekend.

But it is unlikely, given months of wrangling, that ministers of the Kurdistan Alliance bloc would have agreed to legislation that seriously diverged from what their leadership had approved.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 27, 2007 10:45 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Multi-National Forces in Talks with Al-Mahdi Army- Spokesperson
27/02/2007
By Mina Al-Oraibi

London, Asharq Al-Awsat -- Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman for the Multi-National forces in Iraq, has affirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Multi-National forces are holding talks with commanders of Muqtada al-Sadr's Al-Mahdi Army with the "Iraqi Government's blessing."

Caldwell also stated that talks are not limited to the commanders of the Al-Mahdi Army, but also include several Iraqi armed groups, as part of the implementation of the political part of the new Baghdad security plan.

Caldwell noted that the Multi-National forces have divided the armed groups in Iraq into two groups: "either reconcilable or irreconcilable." He explained that the second group includes "al-Qaeda and Shiite extremists." Caldwell added that Muqtada al-Sadr "is not in Iraq and has not been in Iraq for some time. He is currently in Iran."

Regarding reports about talks between the Multi-National forces and commanders in the Al-Mahdi Army, Caldwell said, "With the Iraqi Government's blessing, the Multi-National forces have on-going talks with militia groups, including the Al-Mahdi Army. However, the Al-Mahdi Army is so fractured, and for example, we might speak to one group in Baghdad, but another group in Basra would be different". He added that, "It would be irresponsible not to pursue all avenues – the political part of the plan means engagement and bringing all into the political process. There are irreconcilable groups, that includes Al-Qaeda and Shiaa extremist elements that we view as being irreconcilable – these are often personality based rather than group-based".

He noted that the Multi-National forces and the Iraqi forces have launched "an intense operation against the death squads, and we have detained 700 elements of these squads until now." Caldwell explained that the forces needed to implement the new Baghdad security plan, known as the "Law Enforcement" plan, are not complete yet, as additional American forces will not arrive before May. He said, "The plan is just beginning and all the parts are not in place yet and won't be until May when all the additional forces arrive in Baghdad." He added that the additional Iraqi forces earmarked for carrying out the plan have not been deployed in Baghdad yet. Caldwell explained that the deployment of 50,000 Iraqi troops in Baghdad would be completed within two weeks. He drew attention to the relative success of the security plan against the death and assassination squads. He explained that during the past two weeks, murders and assassinations in Baghdad declined by 46 percent...

http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=8146

-- February 27, 2007 11:54 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

I think we have reason to be joyous. The oil law is a significant financial step forward for Iraq. It is good news.

Sara's article Dollars to dinars: We did get the money to Iraq is a good reminder of the long term planning that went into Iraq. Included in long term planning was the design of the New Iraqi Dinar.

I do not believe the NID will experience a zero lop. In my opinion, a good reason to do so does not exist. Iraq is not experiencing hyper inflation. The security issues have not impacted consumer confidence in the New Iraqi Dinar. Instead, I think we will see in the short-term a slow continual rise in the exchange rate.

Once oil companies begin to invest in the Iraqi oil infastructure and oil begins to flow. Investors may see a revaluation or it may be traded on forex.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 27, 2007 11:54 AM ∞

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Anthony R wrote:

Good info Rob N.... now if the USA would only follow suit and do something to eliminate our own national debt.

-- February 27, 2007 1:43 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

US Invites Iran and Syria to Iraq Talks
Associated Press | February 27, 2007
WASHINGTON - The United States and the Iraqi government are launching a new diplomatic initiative to invite Iran and Syria to a "neighbors meeting" on stabilizing Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday.

"We hope these governments seize this opportunity to improve their relations with Iraq and to work for peace and stability in the region," Rice said in remarks prepared for delivery to a Senate committee. Excerpts were released in advance by the State Department.

The move reflects a change of approach by the Bush administration, which previously had resisted including Iran and Syria in diplomatic talks on stabilizing Iraq.

Poll: Was the US wise to start negotiations with Syria and Iran over Iraq?
"I am pleased to announce that we are also supporting the Iraqis in a new diplomatic offensive: to build greater support, both within the region and beyond, for peace and prosperity in Iraq," Rice said, adding that U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that success in Iraq "requires the positive support of Iraq's neighbors."

At the White House, press secretary Tony Snow told reporters the administration is "happy that the government of Iraq is taking this step and engaging its neighbors. And we also hope and expect that Iran and Syria will play constructive roles in those talks."

But Snow cautioned people to be patient, noting that "this is one where the agenda is being set up by the government of Iraq. And the conditions, especially for bilateral conversations with the Iranians, are pretty clear."

The administration in recent weeks had increased its public criticism of Iran's role in Iraq, charging it with supplying deadly weapons, including advanced technologies for the most lethal form of roadside bombs. The administration also has accused Syria of harboring anti-Iraqi government forces and allowing weapons to cross its border.

Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were testifying Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the administration's budget request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(www.military.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 27, 2007 6:00 PM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

Carol,
To make the zero lop more understandable lets bring it closer to home for you. What do you have about 10 million dinars? (not asking) And to make it simple lets say you have about 10k in them. We are hoping that with appreciation over time we will gain 1000x's are money and turn your 10 million dinars into 10 million dollars. If they lop 3 zeros off the dinar you would now have only 10k dinars, so now your 10k investment has only bought you 10k dinars, and now the dinar is pegged to the dollar at 1 to 1. The dinar may gain in value against the dollar from this point to maybe 3 dollars for a dinar, or even 10 dollars for a dinar, and you could make some money, but this would end the possibility for us to realize our dreams of making a 1000x's our money. Can you see? The Iraqi in the market is going to buy bananas for 1K dinar bill, after the 3 zero lop his bill is now 1 dinar, and it still buys the same bananas. That why Roger was saying it don't mean anything to him, unless of coarse he had a savings of a dinars and was hoping for a revalue like all of us. If you still don't get it just put it on the shelf.

-- February 28, 2007 2:02 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(873)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 873 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Wednesday 2007/ 2/ 28 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 10 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1280 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 39.520.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 39.520.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- February 28, 2007 4:54 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq prepares to allow foreign firms to exploit its oil and gas riches

Iraqi leaders yesterday approved a draft law opening the country's oil reserves to foreign investors.

The bill, a benchmark laid down by President George W Bush for America's continuing commitment to Iraq, came amid immense pressure from British and American diplomats to enable foreign involvement in what was a nationalised industry under Saddam Hussein.

The oil minister, Hussein Shahristani, promised that oil and gas resources would be "the property of the Iraqi people" and that revenues would be distributed equally among the regions.

advertisement"The exploitation of Iraq's fields will be decided by a process of open bidding, based on model contracts," Mr Shahristani said. "The process will be transparent and open."

Mr Shahristani said the cabinet agreed the draft law unanimously and expected it to "sail through" parliament.

Sunni Muslims, who live in mainly oil-poor areas, had argued that oil and gas profits would be controlled by the ruling Shia majority.

Kurdish leaders, who control half the reserves, stalled the bill last year in an attempt to preserve contracts signed independently with Turkish and Norwegian firms.

Deputy prime minister Barham Salih said the regional goverment's deals would be modified to comply with the new legislation.

Iraq's oil reserves are among the world's largest but production has fallen for decades and is set to tailspin this year. Washington forecasts a drop in output to 1.3 million barrels a day by the end of the year from just under two million in January.

Under the new plans, foreign companies will be encouraged to establish joint ventures with a reconstituted national company.

The son of Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, joined aides yesterday in denying that his father was gravely ill in Jordan after a heart attack. They said Mr Talabani, 74, was suffering from fatigue.
The vice-president, Adel Abdul Madhi, was slightly hurt in a failed assassination attempt on his convoy in Baghdad.

Source: Daily Telegraph
(www.dinartrade.com)

-- February 28, 2007 9:12 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq reconstruction summit

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

28 February 2007 (AME Info FZ LLC)
Print article Send to friend
Iraqi government officials will discuss security and civil aviation in Iraq at a conference in London from 28-29 March.

The Iraq Aviation, Electricity and Security summit is part of a series of conferences on Iraq's reconstruction.

Defence and transport ministers will also give an overview of current infrastructure rebuilding progress.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 28, 2007 10:24 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Bombed Restaurant Begged Cops Not to Return
Eyewitnesses to Baghdad's Surreal Mix of Violence and Calm
Posted 16 hr. 5 min. ago
Photo by Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP.
An Iraqi soldier mans a checkpoint in Baghdad on Tuesday.
Baghdad’s surreal mix of worsening and improving security conditions continued today. Several bomb blasts proved that the violence has not abated, and yet in many areas of Baghdad, armed militants are no longer seen in the street, according to IraqSlogger’s eyewitness sources. Doubts remain over the long-term prospects of the city.

Some areas of the capital continue to enjoy better daily circulation, and Slogger sources report seeing more women venturing out into the streets recently. Still, there are many empty, but quiet, areas such as like Hayy Al-Jami'a, and the Western sides of Mansour and Ghazaliya.

In Karrada, however, a popular restaurant suffered a suicide car bomb attack, as reported elsewhere. Slogger sources report that the restaurant was most likely targeted because it was becoming a hangout for Iraqi police. The owner of the restaurant had begged the police not to come to his establishment, because he feared that he would be targeted. The police kept coming and the restaurant was hit.

The Iraqi police and National Guard captured a shipment of weapons in Al-Muasalat (near Hay Al-'Amil and Bayya'). The shipment had come to the area days before the security plan, sources say.

Shi'a areas that border Sunni areas are reporting more attacks. In these places, support for the security plan is mixed, sources say, because residents feel more vulnerable without the protection of the Mahdi Army, which is laying low during the crackdown. In such areas, residents have complained that attacks against their neighborhoods are on the increase. In Washash, for example, several young Shi'a men were killed in the last two days, Slogger sources in the area report.

In Kadhimya, two mortar bombs fall on a palm date oil factory. Also in that area, American troops searched a textiles factory in Kadhimya and destroyed a poster of SMS that they found in one of the rooms, according to a Slogger source. They also reportedly found gas masks in the factory, and were confused about them. It turns out that these masks were put in the factory in the 1991 war, and they are not usable now.

Only a month ago, the predominantly Sunni area of Ghazaliya was under the control of a militant Islamic group, part of the “Islamic Imara” in Baghdad, as were Dora and Khadhra'. The militants were forcing the shari'a law on the residents, prohibiting smoking, trousers on women, men’s shaving their beards, and many other things that they found counter to their mores.

As is often the case in neighborhoods controlled by militias, anyone who had a security problem in Ghazaliya would need to go to the militants, not to the police. Before the security plan, militants would conduct patrols in large numbers -- 30 to 40 cars, residents say.

Slogger sources report a “mutual understanding” between the militants and the Iraqi National Guard, who manned checkpoints around Ghazalia: “You don't bother us, and we won't attack you,” as a Slogger source described. For example, the National Guard once impounded a car that was filled with arms. The militants came in their cars to the checkpoint and took the car back, arms inside, without a fight.

Before the security plan, almost daily turf battles would occur in Ghazaliya between the militant groups and the Mahdi Army, who were entrenched in the areas close to Shula. Both groups would also kidnap civilians from the other side, residents report.

Today, Ghazaliya is calmer, residents report. However, streets are still empty and sources report a tangible tension in the neighborhood. The militant groups no longer leaflet the streets, and they are not the chief armed presence in the area. However, according to Slogger sources, militants have not been eradicated from the neighborhood, and residents still live in fear. Two days ago, residents report, the Americans attacked the commander of the local insurgent group, and the neighborhood is bracing for a revenge attack.

Residents also report that in many areas local councils remain under the control of either the Mahdi Army or Sunni armed groups, which provides them with a source of money and power.

In some areas the National Guard are reportedly welcomed by residents. The Guard is known for blaring nationalist songs in their cars as they conduct their operations. Some Slogger sources report a kind of excitement in their battles against militant groups that some Baghdadis enjoy.

In Jisr Dyala, twenty displaced families returned to their homes. The daily average of families returning home is between 40 and 50. At this rate, many families will live in displacement for years.
(www.iraqslogger.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 28, 2007 10:35 AM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

YES!!!! They did it!!
The Iraqi Parliament approved of the new oil law!!

===

Iraqi parliament approves new oil draft law
MENAFN - 28/02/2007

(MENAFN) The Iraqi Oil Minister announced that the parliament collectively agreed on the oil draft law that permits foreign companies to invest and work in the Iraqi oil reserves and projects, the Iraq Directory reported.

Though the US expects a fall to 1.3 million barrels a day in the oil production, the government assures that the new law will guarantee a fair share of the profits to all Iraqis in all of the 18 provinces, said the minister.

He added that the utilization of the Iraqi oil reserves will be determined by open tenders provided by the ministry and based on model contracts.

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093144717

-- February 28, 2007 12:27 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Death Squad Leaders Seized in Iraq
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007 By AP/BRIAN MURPHY

BAGHDAD, Iraq—U.S.-led strike forces seized suspected Shiite death squad bosses Tuesday in raids that tested the fragile bonds between the government and a powerful militia faction allowing the Baghdad security crackdown to move ahead.

The sweeps through the Sadr City slum were part of highly sensitive forays into areas loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has ridiculed the 2-week-old campaign for failing to halt bombings by suspected Sunni insurgents against Shiite civilians.

Al-Sadr withdrew his powerful Mahdi Army militia from checkpoints and bases under intense government pressure to let the security push go forward. But the U.S.-backed government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also worries that al-Sadr could pull his support if he feels his militiamen are being squeezed in Baghdad.

Bombings have not slackened off, with at least 10 people killed in blasts around Baghdad on Tuesday. However, an apparent success of the clampdown can be measured in the morgues: a sharp drop in the number of bullet-riddled bodies found in the streets of the capital, victims of sectarian death squads.

The number of bodies found this month in Baghdad _ most shot and showing signs of torture _ has dropped by nearly 50 percent to 494 as of Monday, compared with 954 in January. The figure stood at 1,222 in December, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.

"We have seen a decrease in the past three weeks _ a pretty radical decrease," said Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq.

Many Sunnis have long alleged that most of killings were by Shiite militias, such as the Mahdi Army or rogue elements within the Shiite-led police.

The U.S. military said the raids targeted "the leadership of several rogue" Mahdi Army cells that "direct and perpetrate sectarian murder" _ an apparent reference to execution-style slayings and torture. At least 16 people were arrested.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told Al-Arabiya television that forces "will increase our operations in the coming days," but noted that the security crackdown in the capital should continue until at least October.

Added Odierno: "We will keep at this until the people feel safe in their neighborhoods."

Iraqi authorities, meanwhile, have arrested a suspect in the attempted assassination of Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, an aide said.

In the southern Qadisiya province, Iraqi security forces said they captured 157 suspects linked to a shadowy armed cell called the Soldiers of Heaven, or Jund al-Samaa. The group was involved in a fierce gunbattle last month with Iraqi forces who accused it of planning to kill Shiite clerics and others in the belief it would hasten the return of the "Hidden Imam" _ a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad who disappeared as a child in the 9th century. Shiites believe he will return one day to bring justice.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1594363,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

-- February 28, 2007 12:56 PM ∞

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Anonymous wrote:

Rob N,

Yes, hyperinflation, and currency in extremly big denominations, to buy very small everyday items is the only practical reason for "zero lop".

None of which is true for the Iraqi Dinar.

The spread of the existing currency and the numbers on the face of the Dinar bills are not in any range where you have to have a bundle as big as the New York phone book just to buy a loaf of bread.

Still I can see one reason to zero lop, in case they want to get very quick in par with the Dollar.

That would be a mistake though, as the Dinar now is valued in the vicinity of 1000 to 1 (well 1280 to 1, but in the vicinity of 100 to 1)

That means that the value climb windov is very big, they can appreciate the Dinar 1000 times and more, but if they would zero lop it, the value window to revalue the Dinar upward would immediately be much less.

In itself there is no absolute margins set , where the currency can't go over or under, it can go anywhere if it is freely traded, but if it is zero loped, and THEN it takes off very much in value, the currency will get into another phenomenon, where it has so much extreem buying power that the denominations are TOO BIG.

This is an extrem and would most probably not happen, but if you can imagine, that your wages are 19 cents a month, and a nice Hi Def big screen TV would cost 16 cents.

You would get into a bit of a problem getting a cup of coffee in the minimart in the morning.

This would be an extreme case of deflation, the opposite of inflation.

A theoretical fully possible economical condition, but highly unlikely as economy have an inherent inflation trend in it, in any economy.

Looking at the current situation in Iraq, they are on the other side of that spectra, so dont worry.

Valerio,

Good analysis.

All,

Too early to predict a new trend, but two days in a row, it's been 1 point a day.

If this will hold the Dinar value increase will be 971 to 1 by the end of the year.

Dont believe any trend will continue for long though, it will take some time to enact and implement the HCL law, but once implemented, it will have such a big impact on the economy, that the value change day by day on the Dinar will be accelerated.

-- February 28, 2007 1:39 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

I was looking to see this news confirmed elsewhere.. (just to be sure)
and here, the trade bank of Iraq mirrored the menafn news bulletin..
so it does appear likely that the new oil draft law was approved.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007 Iraqi parliament approves new oil draft law

(MENAFN) The Iraqi Oil Minister announced that the parliament collectively agreed on the oil draft law that permits foreign companies to invest and work in the Iraqi oil reserves and projects, the Iraq Directory reported. Though the US expects a fall to 1.3 million barrels a day in the oil production, the government assures that the new law will guarantee a fair share of the profits to all Iraqis in all of the 18 provinces, said the minister. He added that the utilization of the Iraqi oil reserves will be determined by open tenders provided by the ministry and based on model contracts.

http://www.tbiraq.com/menafn_news_bl.asp?inc_name=news_details&n_id=1093144717

-- February 28, 2007 2:36 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Concerning the zero lop, here is a brief comment on the subject from www.iraqiwiki.org

look at the other countries that lopped zeros- those denominations were replaced with same size notes and same markings just different value

iraq has 25 and 100 dinar coins 50, 250, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000, & 25000 notes

lopping zeros would give you some denominations THAT ALREADY EXIST

Lopping off zeros could never be an option for the iraqis as they need a sustainable currency to gain relevance in the world market for goods and services.

A tell-tale sign of this certainly not happening would be the volume of notes printed thus far. THese are smart folk with a well thought-out plans. To cut zeros off after producing tons of notes not only would be insanity defined but destroy what they want to achieve, wealth for the country.

I suspect the only time this talk will be relevant is in about 5 years when they join the fray in the GCC, possibly taking lead in this avenue.

AS they begin the process of online banking and debit/credit card use, you will see the CBI start to pull back the larger notes.

I also suspect that the revaluation after this first one will see the production and supply of the smaller denoms people are curious about. This shouldn't be surprising at all.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- February 28, 2007 2:43 PM ∞

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Valerio wrote:

I agree with Rob N. There are no good reasons to zero lop, and many reasons not to. I don't believe it will ever happen. I have been in this thing since 2004, and as I access what I have seen, heard, learned, and wittnessed, I believe even more now in my original ideas of how this adventure would play out.
There have been all the date setters, and every one of them were false. The awaited dates for the RV came, and nothing happened except a new date to wait for. I compared this dinar adventure some time ago to cultivating, planting, fertilizing, weeding, and then pesticide, and then the taste of the fruit of the harvest. It don't happen like magic in an instant. I had also suggested that the insurgency was not as critical at the time as would be supposed. You have to let the weeds grow up a bit so you can spot them and pull them out more easily, and you don't spray pesticide until the buds appear. But look at what we see now, one by one the much anticipated laws have been accomplished, and even now the HCI law is agreed to in draft, and the Iraqis have stepped up to start the weeding process and our president has committed more of our troops to help. The dinar has moved from 1480 to 1280 in recent months as the conception of a dream has been confirmed. The signs of progress toward the birth of our dream will happen more and more frequently, as they have been ( remember in 2005 & 2006 when we talked for weeks about religion, Einstein, matter, space, and there was no daily post for the CBI rate cause it was the same as it was last week, month, actually last year ). Remain patient and watch from afar, and take care of business at home. If you need the RV you are already in trouble, and your wait will be like watching a tree grow, but those who are patient will not be lusting after the thoughts of spending that money, and before they know it they will be looking up and saying how did the tree get so big so fast.
I guess what I'm saying is that this is really going quite well considering the complexities, and challenges. The dream is alive, but still liable to die. I believe we are still 5 to 9 years from the dinars full potential. Things take time, especially building a country, heck even as great as we think we are, after 5-1/2 years we still have not rebuilt ground zero, but we're working on it. Now if we are all rich in 07, I won't mind at all when you come up to me at the ROAST ( I'll be having beef- no pork for me )and tell me I was wrong, although it would be the first time.
Still having fun watching this happen.
Valerio

-- March 1, 2007 2:22 AM ∞

---

Valerio wrote:

I agree with Rob N. There are no good reasons to zero lop, and many reasons not to. I don't believe it will ever happen. I have been in this thing since 2004, and as I access what I have seen, heard, learned, and wittnessed, I believe even more now in my original ideas of how this adventure would play out.
There have been all the date setters, and every one of them were false. The awaited dates for the RV came, and nothing happened except a new date to wait for. I compared this dinar adventure some time ago to cultivating, planting, fertilizing, weeding, and then pesticide, and then the taste of the fruit of the harvest. It don't happen like magic in an instant. I had also suggested that the insurgency was not as critical at the time as would be supposed. You have to let the weeds grow up a bit so you can spot them and pull them out more easily, and you don't spray pesticide until the buds appear. But look at what we see now, one by one the much anticipated laws have been accomplished, and even now the HCI law is agreed to in draft, and the Iraqis have stepped up to start the weeding process and our president has committed more of our troops to help. The dinar has moved from 1480 to 1280 in recent months as the conception of a dream has been confirmed. The signs of progress toward the birth of our dream will happen more and more frequently, as they have been ( remember in 2005 & 2006 when we talked for weeks about religion, Einstein, matter, space, and there was no daily post for the CBI rate cause it was the same as it was last week, month, actually last year ). Remain patient and watch from afar, and take care of business at home. If you need the RV you are already in trouble, and your wait will be like watching a tree grow, but those who are patient will not be lusting after the thoughts of spending that money, and before they know it they will be looking up and saying how did the tree get so big so fast.
I guess what I'm saying is that this is really going quite well considering the complexities, and challenges. The dream is alive, but still liable to die. I believe we are still 5 to 9 years from the dinars full potential. Things take time, especially building a country, heck even as great as we think we are, after 5-1/2 years we still have not rebuilt ground zero, but we're working on it. Now if we are all rich in 07, I won't mind at all when you come up to me at the ROAST ( I'll be having beef- no pork for me )and tell me I was wrong, although it would be the first time.
Still having fun watching this happen.
Valerio

-- March 1, 2007 2:22 AM ∞

---

Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(874)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 874 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/ 3/ 1 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 12 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1280 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 63.110.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 63.110.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- March 1, 2007 4:43 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

More good news!

Iraqi Business Restoration Progressing

Defense Department official Monday discussed the ongoing work to improve Iraq's business and economic stability during at press conference at the Combined Press Information Center here.

Paul Brinkley, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Business Transformation and director of the Task Force to Improve Business and Stability Operations in Iraq, spoke about the progress that has been made and what is in store for the future.

"We've been coming to Iraq now for several months, and for the past few months, bringing sizable groups of business executives from outside of Iraq into Iraq working with one objective, and that is to restore economic opportunity and create a sense of potential economic growth for the Iraqi people," Brinkley said.

Representatives from several dozen American and international businesses will be engaging both business communities and Iraqi officials in an effort to get an understanding of the situation here to prepare for the work ahead.

"In an effort to connect the Iraqi economy to the global economy to drive demand and opportunity to Iraqi business and to create a sense of economic hope and prosperity," Brinkley said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will also try to revitalize the agricultural industry which has a huge role in Iraq's economy.

"We have a stellar group of agricultural and agribusiness representatives from major American universities and from international businesses who are here and are going to be working to ensure that we synchronize our industry revitalization efforts with the agriculture sector, which is obviously a major part of the overall Iraqi economy," Brinkley said.

Brinkley states that the economic efforts will help the Fardh Al-Qanoon plan and not work against it.

"We're working in collaboration with our commands as the Fardh Al-Qanoon unfolds to ensure that we are working to revitalize industry in areas as security is restored," Brinkley said.

Problems plague some factories due to many issues but a majority of them can be easily identified and dealt with.

"In most case, it requires a small amount of investment," Brinkley said. "We're working with the government of Iraq to get those investments made to deal with, in some cases, maintenance and spare parts."

Others, such as the cement and phosphate industries in Al Anbar require a larger and more complicated approach.

"They require huge amounts of steady, continual electrical power," Brinkley said. "We're working closely with the minister of electricity and our own reconstruction organizations to identify the most rapid path to power restoration which will enable the re-employment of people in the Al Anbar region."

The amount of jobs that the reconstruction would generate for the Iraqi population would be astronomical.

The official statistics go as high as 500,000 jobs, Brinkley said.

Brinkley has a positive outlook on how this will affect the economy as a whole.

"The optimism we have is that as we restore these industrial operations, this will create immediate uplift to other parts of the economy," Brinkley said.

If there were any concern as to how much money the Iraqi government is willing to spend to fix their fledgling economy, Brinkley is quick to reassure.

"I know 10 billion dollars has been set aside by the Iraqi government," he said.

The road ahead is difficult, but Brinkley and his team are working together to bring about a better tomorrow.

"The next several months are key to our ability to demonstrate to the Iraqi people a sense of optimism and to give them hope in a brighter future," Brinkley said. "I think this year that's going to be a huge amount of our energy dedicated to this."

Source: New Blaze
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 9:42 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Fewer Iraq deaths during security sweep
2/28/2007

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press WriterTue Feb 27, 3:11 PM ET

The Baghdad security operation has been under way less than three weeks, but it has already registered one small success: a sharp drop in the number of bullet-riddled bodies found in the streets — victims of sectarian death squads.

The number of bodies found so far this month in Baghdad — most of them shot and showing signs of torture — has dropped by nearly 50 percent to 494 as of Monday night, compared with 954 in January and 1,222 in December, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.

Since the crackdown was formally launched Feb. 14, a total of 164 bodies had been found in the capital as of Monday, according to AP figures, which are compiled from police reports. The AP count showed 390 bodies were discovered in the same period in January.

"The intensive security measures have forced the gunmen to leave Baghdad and quit throwing bodies in the streets," said Kamil Abdul-Nour, a 42-year-old Sunni teacher. "Still, I am afraid that this phenomenon will appear again if the security measures end," he said.

Bombings and other violence continue in the capital despite the crackdown; on Tuesday three U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb on the southwestern outskirts of the city.

The Shiite vice president, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, was slightly injured in a blast Monday that killed at least 10 people. And on Sunday, 41 people died when a suicide bomber blew herself up at a mostly Shiite college in eastern Baghdad.

Nevertheless, execution-style killings are clearly down, although U.S. officers caution against concluding that the death squads are out of business permanently.

"We have seen a decrease in the past three weeks — a pretty radical decrease," Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, told reporters Tuesday.

"I'm not willing to draw any conclusions yet though, because it's only (been) three weeks" and "we have had short periods of time before when there's been some success and then it changes," he said.

Officials of the Shiite-led government have touted the declining body count as a sign that the security operation is already a success. Two days into the operation, Iraqi army Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi proudly announced that only 10 bodies were in the Baghdad morgue — down from an average of 40-50 per day.

"This shows a big reduction in terror and killing operations in Baghdad," he said.

Many Sunnis have long alleged that most of the death squads were from Shiite militias such as the Mahdi Army or rogue elements within the Shiite-led police.

The U.S. military has boosted the number of U.S. troops working with the police — and Mahdi Army chief Muqtada al-Sadr pulled many of his fighters off the streets under pressure from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his political ally.

U.S. commanders have also said Sunni and Shiite extremists were shifting from the capital to surrounding provinces such as Diyala.

All that may have also led to a drop in the execution-style killings.

Sunni and Shiite extremists began such slayings in 2004. But the sectarian slaughter soared after the February 2006 explosion that heavily damaged a major Shiite shrine in the Sunni city of Samarra.

Morgues filled, and unidentified bodies were quickly buried in unmarked graves to make room for new victims.

Baghdad's Deputy Mayor Naim al-Kaabi said last year was the bloodiest for sectarian massacres and he was hopeful the decline would continue.

Ahmed Saddoun, a Shiite owner of a laundry, was cautiously optimistic that the worst of the death squad era had passed.

"I think that the drop in the numbers of bodies found is a result of the tight security measures that have pushed both militiamen and insurgents outside the capital. We hope that we will see less and less bodies as the security plan goes on," he said.

For Ahmed Abid al-Dulaimi, however, news of the drop in sectarian deaths is too little, too late.

His older brother, Khudir, a 62-year-old Sunni driver for the Oil Ministry and the father of six, was kidnapped by gunmen two months ago as he was going to pick up his salary.

Al-Dulaimi said the family has gone to the morgue several times but Khudir's body has not been found. He believes his brother has been killed because he is a Sunni.

"I don't want to say this ... we are Muslims first and Iraqis second," he said. "We just wish these new security procedures had been implemented a year ago."

___

AP researcher Julie Reed in New York and AP reporter Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Fewer Iraq deaths during security sweep - Source
(www.safedinar.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 11:16 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq neighbors agree to security summit
2/28/2007

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writers 27 minutes ago

Iraq's neighbors including Iran and Syria have agreed to join U.S. and British representatives to discuss the Iraqi security crisis at a regional conference March 10 in Baghdad, the government said Wednesday.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he will be issuing formal invitations shortly to the neighboring countries and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China — to send deputy foreign ministers or senior officials to the meeting.

Zebari, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Sweden, said Iran has agreed to participate in the meeting with the other neighbors but "they have some questions" about a meeting that would be held the same day with the five permanent council members.

His words seemed to indicate that Iran was at least partly unhappy with the arrangements for the meeting, and weighing the extent of its own participation.

Iran has had little public comment on the meeting so far. But in the past, Iranian leaders have been vocal in accusing the United States of trying to use the U.N. as a way to "gang up" on it, and the presence of the key Security Council countries at the Iraq meeting might give Iran pause.

For their part, Sunni Arab countries like Egypt still hold grave concerns about the direction taken by Iraq's Shiite-led government, raising concerns the conference will make little headway on key issues like security.

Iraq's relations with its Arab neighbors have been rocky because of fears that the Shiite-led government is falling under Iran's influence. Originally, the Iraqi government had been reluctant to endorse the regional conference, fearing pressure from Sunni-dominated regimes, but it dropped those objections last year so long as the gathering was held on Iraqi soil.

Two Arab diplomats in Cairo said Wednesday that the U.S. recently increased pressure on some Arab governments to press them to attend the meeting, after they initially had turned down invitations from the Iraqi government. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

The March meeting got a big boost Tuesday when Washington said it would attend, leading to the possibility it could discuss Iraq's security with adversaries Syria and Iran.

The Bush administration had waited to embrace the idea until Iraq made progress on a deal governing national distribution of oil revenue. The difficulty in getting such a deal is symbolic of Iraq's regional, factional and political divisions, and the deal was seen by the United States as a key marker of the government's will to work across divides.

"They thought the timing was right for them to hold the conference, and so we encouraged them to move forward with it," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Wednesday.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is sending the U.N. envoy in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, to attend the meeting as an observer, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said.

"The secretary-general hopes that the participants in the preparatory meeting will focus on urgently needed steps to reduce violence in Iraq and help stabilize the situation in the region," Montas said.

Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi said the United States, Britain, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran said they will attend.

"The conference will be important. It will prove that Iraq is politically capable of holding such a conference. It will send a message to the world," said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's adviser, Sami al-Askari.

Syria and Egypt confirmed separately they would attend, but there was no immediate comment from Jordan or Saudi Arabia. Bahrain, Turkey and Kuwait were also invited, along with the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Arab countries had been reluctant to accept an invitation previously, because of Iraqi security issues as well as their hesitancy to be seen as supporting the Baghdad government by attending the gathering there, Arab diplomats said.

Iraq and its neighbors have held nine meetings, Zebari said. At the last meeting, in Tehran in July 2006, Zebari said "I demanded that the next meeting should be in Iraq. ... I told them we are capable, we are confident, we can ensure your security."

Asked about Iran's participation in the conference, a spokesman for Iran's U.N. Mission sidestepped the question:

"We believe if the United States really wants to reach a solution there is hope that they can achieve that," the spokesman said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said it was important to involve Iraq's neighbors.

"We believe Iraq's security is related to all its neighboring countries, and they have to help settle the situation," Larijani said.

But Mustafa Alani, an expert in Iraqi affairs at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai, said while the meeting will officially focus on Iraq's security, neighboring Sunni Arab countries and the U.S. will use it to convey their disquiet at Iranian influence.

Each side has accused another of being responsible for the spiraling violence in Iraq. The U.S. claims Iran is sending weapons and money to Shiite extremists in Iraq. Iraqi officials, meanwhile, have complained that Syria harbors former Saddam Hussein loyalists and allows weapons and foreign fighters to slip into the country, while Sunni countries believe the fault lies with Iraq's Shiite-led government.

____

Lederer reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Anna Johnson and Salah Nasrawi in Cairo, Egypt, Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran also contributed to this report.

Iraq neighbors agree to security summit - Source
(www.safedinar.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 11:22 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Japan to provide additional $104.5m to Iraq

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

01 March 2007 (United Press International)
Print article Send to friend
An Official in the Japanese government announced that Japan will send additional fund aids to Iraq estimated to $104.5 million through UN Development Program.

The Japanese government will distribute the allocated budget among several UN agencies, such as the UNChildren's Fund, the Office of UN high Commissioner for Refugess and the International Organization for Migration to send them to Iraq, added the official.

He explained that the government will consider the geographical balance of distributing the aid in an attempt to support national reconciliation plans between Iraqis.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 11:26 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Consumers beware of Iraqi currency scam

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

01 March 2007 (BizTimes Daily)
Print article Send to friend
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureaus is warning consumers to be wary when considering foreign currency investment, particularly alleged investment deals for the Iraqi dinar.

The BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois has seen a recent spike in consumer complaints focused on dinar investment. To date, it has received 93 complaints – including one from a Fond du Lac man - against a company called United World Exchange located in Oak Brook, Ill.

The Fond du Lac man paid $220 to receive 250,000 Iraqi dinars last September. He never received the currency he purchased, despite numerous attempts to contact the company. Other complainants paid as much as $7,000 and have not received their currency. The complainants come from 33 states and eight countries, including Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Canada and Iraq.

Many complaints are coming from military personnel or civilian contractors in Iraq, claiming fraud over dinar investment deals.

United World Exchange (www.usdinar.com) also does business as B & G Currency Trading of San Diego and Mid America Trade LLC of Chicago. All three companies are owned by the same people and have unsatisfactory ratings with their local BBBs. According to the Chicago BBB's investigation, the owners allegedly have started multiple new websites for Iraqi dinar exchange, only to close sites and rename the business when complaints, problems and investigations begin to surface.

Consumers who have purchased dinars and have not received them are urged to report the issue to the Chicago and Northern Illinois BBB office at www.chicago.bbb.org or by calling (312) 832-0500.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 11:29 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Enclosed is a poll from www.noozz.com concerning Iraq. I found it quite encouraging.

NOOZZ POLL



CURRENT POLL

Do you think that Bush's new Iraq plan, with both a reconstruction and troop surge, will regain the political momentum for the Iraqi government and disarm the militias?

Yes 129
69%
Unsure 15
8%
No 42
23%

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 6:02 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Allawi Plotting to Bring Down Maliki?
Sadrist Site Warns of Opposition Efforts to Depose Government
Posted 2 hr. 23 min. ago
Photo by Ali al-Saadi/AFP.
Back in the saddle? Iyad Allawi, shown here in 2005, might be involved in a plot to bring down the Maliki government, according to reports.
Iraqi MPs, led by former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi, may make a play at replacing the Maliki government with a government of "national salvation," the Sadrist website nahrainnet.net is warning.

The site refers to broadcast reports from Sawt al-Iraq which suggest a plan involving ex-PM Allawi and his "Iraqi National List" bloc, along with the Iraqi Accord Front, and some members of the governing Shi'a bloc, with the goal of "pulling the rug out" from under the governing coalition and achieving a no-confidence vote in PM Maliki himself.

According the the report, the major goals of this bloc include the repeal of the de-Ba'thification law, and the reintegration of some former Ba'thists into the state. The Sadrist site, naturally, opposes this policy. Nahrainnet.net also wonders if this rumor is part of a larger plot to strike down the new-found power of the Iraqi Shi'a, and push back the Sadrist current.

In another report, nahrainnet.net points to meetings that Allawi held in Iraq and in Amman, Jordan, with various Iraqi opposition leaders as further evidence of this alleged upcoming maneuver.
(www.iraqslogger.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 6:05 PM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

US Preparing Major Push into Sadr City
House-to-House Searches and Fixed US Presence
Posted 1 hr. 17 min. ago
Photo by Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP.
Mahdi Army supporters march in Sadr City in November 2006, carrying a banner featuring the "three Sadrs." The fighters have lain low since the start of the Baghdad security plan. US forces are preparing their largest push ever into Baghdad's Sadr City, stronghold of the Mahdi Army, according to a Reuters report.

"We have conducted special operations in Sadr City for some months but this will be the first time we will launch full-scale operations there and the first time we will have a permanent presence there," Colonel Billy Don Farris told Reuters. Farris is US commander for the Sadr City and Adhamiya neighborhoods.

"There will be no sanctuaries in Iraq," Farris continued. "We are going to go to every building and every house and incrementally clear the area. We will target any group that attacks Iraqi and US troops."

Operations will include house-to-house searches, joint US-Iraqi checkpoints in the area, as well as the establishment of a "joint security position," one of many mini-forts established around the capital where US and Iraqi troops will be stationed with the task of controlling the immediate neighborhood.

Until now, the US has avoided stationing troops in Sadr City, viewed as one of the most hostile areas in the city to the US presence in Iraq. Muqtada al-Sadr has repeatedly called for an end to the US occupation in Iraq, although he has also indicated support for the Maliki government.

The plan was finalized Thursday in a meeting between US and Iraqi military officials and the mayor of Sadr City, Reuters reports.

This will be the first time that US forces have been stationed on a permanent basis in Sadr City since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Since the beginning of the security plan, Mahdi Army leadership has been laying low. Many reports assume that the top leaders of the militia are in Iran, with others in southern Iraq. As such, it is unclear what US forces will find in searches in Sadr City, or what damage they expect to inflict on the militia organization.

Also unknown is the level of resistance that US and Iraqi forces will encounter.
(www.iraqislogger.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 1, 2007 6:07 PM ∞

---

Pat wrote:

Hello, could somebody please tell me how I can open an account in Iraq ? I read some info in the 04 bloc that explains how to ,but that is old news and the bank they were talking about is not avalible or just not there anymore. Is it not the safest way to buy the dinar ? Can someone please help me with my pipe dream ? Thanks

-- March 1, 2007 9:39 PM ∞

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Pat wrote:

My email is patman2671@aol.com if somebody wants to email the info.Thanks, I love this site. So imformative !!

-- March 1, 2007 9:43 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Pat,

If you just want to buy the currency, you dont need to open up an account in Iraq.

You can of course do that too, many has, but from what I understand, you just want to get into some of the Iraqi currency. Get your hands on some Iraqi Dinar.

You don't need to do any international transaction at all to do that.

You can get the Dinar via two sources now, either dealers or via bank.

If you are getting it via dealers, I would recommend SafeDinar, I had luck with them, and have heard nothing but praise from others dealing with them, they are somewhat expensive but very reliable fast and safe.

Chase One Bank is also dealing with Iraqi Dinars, they have 24 hrs to 1 weeks turnaround time.

Good luck, come back and let us know how how it went.

-- March 1, 2007 10:32 PM ∞

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Pat wrote:

I have a couple million dinar in hand. I wan't to cover another base by getting an Iraqi account in dinar.If the money(dinar) changes for ANY reason, I, a US citizen don't have anywhere to exchange it as of yet. Please ,somebody tell me I am wrong ! SOOOOO Is there a way to get an account in Iraq ? if so I would love to here from you. As long as this account is held ,with money in it of course, iraq can change the dinar all they want , because your account will stay current with the changes. Again ,I just want to cover another base.I think it is worth what little money needed for this possible dinar dream to come true !!

-- March 1, 2007 11:12 PM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Thanks, Rob N.. great posts.
I appreciate you sharing them.

Sara.

-- March 2, 2007 12:41 AM ∞

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Sara Madgid wrote:

Oh, and speaking of Al Gore..
this was so utterly SUPRISING and interesting..
that I just had to share it with you.

===

Economist Counters Al Gore: Cars Are Saving the Planet
Posted by Noel Sheppard on February 27, 2007

Dr. Global Warming, aka Al Gore, in his 1992 book “Earth in the Balance,” proclaimed that the internal combustion engine was “a mortal threat . . . more deadly than that of any military enemy.”

An op-ed written by an economics professor at the University of Georgia counters Gore’s dire assertions, and fervently stated that this invention is actually saving the planet.

In his piece published Tuesday in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dwight R. Lee wrote (h/t JunkScience.com, emphasis mine throughout): "The motto of all environmentalists should be 'Thank goodness for the internal combustion engine.'"

Got your attention? Good, for Lee was armed for Gore, err, I mean bear, QUOTE:

The abuse heaped on the internal combustion engine by environmentalists was never justified. But a recent story on cow flatulence in the British newspaper, The Independent, makes the environmental benefits from gasoline-powered engines even more obvious. Based on a recent study by the Food and Agricultural Organization, The Independent reports that "livestock are responsible for 18 percent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together."

Long before global warming became an environmental concern, the move from the power provided by animals to that provided by gasoline had greatly improved the environment. The emissions that came out of the tailpipes of horses were much more lethal pollutants that those now coming out of the tailpipes of cars. Horse emissions did more than make our town and cities stink; they spread fly-borne diseases and polluted water supplies that killed people at a far greater rate than the pollution from cars and trucks ever have.

Photochemical smog is clearly a health risk, but not nearly the health risk of cholera, diphtheria and tetanus that have been largely eliminated with the help of gasoline powered transportation.

Before the internal combustion engine it wasn't just cows, sheep and pigs emitting pollution down on the farm. Tractors and other types of gas-powered farm machinery eliminated the horses, mules and oxen that had provided most of the power necessary to grow and harvest our food and fiber. This not only reduced the problem that still exists from animal waste that environmentalists, with justification, still complain about. The internal combustion engine also eliminated the need to produce food to fuel millions upon millions of agricultural beasts of burden. It has been estimated that in 1900 it took about 93 million acres of land to grow the food for the farm animals that were replaced by current farm machinery. Most of that land has now gone back to woodlands, greatly increasing the number of trees that are reducing the problem of global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide.

==end of quote==

That’s not something you’ll hear from Dr. Gore or any of his global warming sycophants in the media, is it?

http://newsbusters.org/node/11081

-- March 2, 2007 12:59 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Pat,

Some B of A banks in the Boston area, the M&I bank,(main office in the Great Lake area) and all their branches, Chase ONE, will BUY and SELL Dinars per reports.

If the Dinar is zero loped, or otherwise goes to a warmer place, this will affect any holding in a foreign country as well.

If you are really bent on getting an account in Iraq, go ahead, many has, as I said, but I just want to touch on the point you are concerned about. The Dinars vulnerability. The Dinar investment will be a risky proposition however you turn it.

If something happens that will affect the Dinar, then any account in any bank will not protect you.

You have the benefit of getting some % interest while you're waiting for the magic exchange rate numbers to appear, ( can take years) if you put them into an account in Iraq.

There is no FDIC insurance over there, that is not to say that they are at higher risk, most banks are serious banks, and you should be able to find one, but remember that you are giving your money for someone else to hold.

That is another risk in itself.

I prefer to have the currency under my matras, (well at least in a safety box)

The most positive reports I have read from my fellow investors that have gone that way is the Iraqi business bank WARKA.

Try them, they seem to have the most modern and for us westerners most appealing bank system so far.

-- March 2, 2007 3:27 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Money doesn't buy you happiness, and it would be foolish to measure your happiness with earthly possessions, but I must admit that money is pretty comparable with oxygen, on my "can't live without" list.

-- March 2, 2007 3:44 AM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Sara,

So the parliament approved the HCL, good, it's done....I hope.

I have been reading for so long that:

It is ready for a signature.
They only have one hurdle to overcome
They are now handing it over to the cabinet.
It's now ratified by all parties.
We are expecting it to be done in just a few days....

...and so on.

I'm not completely up to snuff with the Iraqi parliamentary decision process, and don't know if this is now something that is completed, or if it's now something that will be brought forward to another entity that will sign it, and "prepare" it for the final signatures.

It reminds me about the Publishers Warehouse that will send you a message saying " You Have Won", but to claim the price you have to go through a maze of things to do, licking coupons on a sheet, that will be the "official temporary" certificate that will enable you to order your "permanent" certificate, that cant be had, unless you have 560 points. To get 560 points you have to earn the "right of passage" by subscribing to five magazines, and when you have donated to family members, at least another five subscriptions, you have now won the "heart of Gold" award, that is a prerequisite for .......on and on....

I think they stopped doing that stuff after they had about ten retired older (somewhat senile) persons a week, coming to their headquarter in Florida knocking on the door claiming the million Dollar prize they believed they had won.

Sara, the HCL...is it really over now, or do we have more stations to go to first?

-- March 2, 2007 4:12 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Higher demand for dollar in Iraqi Central Bank auction
By Dergham Mohammed Ali

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

Baghdad, 02 March 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
Print article Send to friend
Demand for the dollar increased in the Iraqi Central Bank’s daily auction on Thursday to reach $63.110 million, compared with just $39.520 million on Wednesday.

In its daily statement the bank said it had covered all bids, which included $16.490 million in cash and $46.620 million in foreign transfers, at an exchange rate of 1,280 dinars per dollar, unchanged since yesterday.

None of the 12 banks that participated in Thursday's auction offered to sell dollars.

Ali al-Yaseri, a trader at the auction, told VOI that a stable exchange rate had discouraged banks from selling dollars.

The Iraqi Central Bank runs a daily auction from Sunday to Thursday.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 2, 2007 10:54 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Turkey, Iraq, U.S. to meet on Iraq oil

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

ANKARA, Turkey, 02 March 2007 (UPI)
Print article Send to friend
Turkey's energy minister said Ankara was asked for help developing oil in northern Iraq and will meet with U.S. and Iraq officials this month.

But Hilmi Guler said the negotiations will be with the central Iraqi government, not the Kurdish leaders that control the oil rich north and are at odds with Turkey.

The meeting this month will be the first step in talks on developing Iraq ' s northern oil, the Turkish Daily News reports. Investment in Iraq's oil sector will be governed by a hydrocarbons law that has been approved by the Iraqi cabinet but hasn't reached the Parliament yet. Negotiations have been heated and took nearly a year. At issue is who has control over development, the regions or the central government.

The meetings, which will take place in Turkey, were instigated by Iraqi officials, Guler said.

Turkey has said it could invade Kurdistan if the Kurdistan Regional Government attempts to break away from the rest of Iraq. Turkey, along with Iran and Syria, fear an Iraqi Kurdish move would empower their Kurdish populations.

Iraq has 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, of which the KRG controls a large share, though not the majority.

Turkey is deciding whether to form diplomatic relations with the KRG.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 2, 2007 10:57 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Halliburton sees Iraq contract awards in 2nd qtr

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

02 March 2007 (Reuters)
Print article Send to friend
Halliburton Co., whose KBR unit is the largest private contractor in Iraq, said on Wednesday it expected the U.S. Department of Defense would announce awards for new Iraq contracts in the second quarter, later than the company expected.

The Houston company, which will complete its split off of the engineering and construction business KBR (KBR.N: Quote, Profile , Research) in the coming months, said last month it expected the Pentagon would announce the LogCAP IV contracts by the end of the first quarter.

KBR has so far booked more than $20 billion in revenues from its work in Iraq and has been the target of several investigations into the company's billing practices. It has also faced complaints from some U.S. lawmakers about the company's close ties to the Bush administration.

Vice President Dick Cheney formerly served as Halliburton's CEO before taking up his current office.

In its annual 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Halliburton said its awards under a new LogCAP contract would reduce its revenues from the Pentagon.

"We expect our overall volume of work to decline as our customer scales back the amount of services we provide. However, as a result of the recently announced surge of additional troops in Iraq, we expect the decline to occur more slowly than previously expected," Halliburton said in the filing.

The LogCAP contract includes logistical services for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, including transportation, laundry, entertainment and dining services.

KBR had also previously held contracts to help rebuild Iraq's damaged oil producing infrastructure.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 2, 2007 10:59 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraqi forces 'clash with al-Qaeda'

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

02 March 2007 (Aljazeera)
Print article Send to friend
Iraqi security forces have clashed with suspected al-Qaeda fighters, police say, as data from Iraqi authorities showed that February had the lowest number of civilian deaths in four months.

The number of those killed on Wednesday in the fighting between Iraqi forces and suspected al-Qaeda fighters in western Anbar province was uncertain.

On Thursday, a prominent Shia cleric was apparently targeted in a roadside bomb attack. He escaped unhurt but several of his bodyguards were wounded.

Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer said he was attacked while his convoy was travelling through a Sunni area southwest of Baghdad.

Abdul Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for the Iraqi interior ministry, said foreign Arabs and Afghans were among some 80 people killed and 50 captured in the clashes between troops and al-Qaeda suspects in Amiriyat al Falluja.

But one police official in the area put the number of fighters killed at 70, with three police officers killed.

"Because it was so many killed we can't give an exact number for the death toll," Reuters reported a police source as saying.

Another report said that only "dozens" were killed.

There was no immediate verification of the number of casualties from medical sources.

US forces not involved

Witnesses said that the village in Anbar province was attacked, prompting residents to flee and seek help from the Iraqi security forces.

Major Jeff Pool, a US military spokesman in Falluja, said US forces were not involved in the battle.

The US military is said to have encouraged an alliance of Sunni tribesmen in the area to oppose al-Qaeda fighters in the province, while in Baghdad, Iraq's capital, US and Iraqi troops concentrate their efforts to calm violence in the city.

The fighting comes as the US military plans to send 4,000 US troops as reinforcements to the province, a desert area military sources say is at the heart of a Sunni Arab uprising in Iraq.

While the US is planning to increase troop numbers, Gediminas Kirkilas, Lithuania's prime minister, said on Thursday that the Baltic state would "most probably" withdraw its 53 soldiers from Iraq.

The move comes after Britain and Denmark announced troop withdrawals.

Civilian deaths

On Thursday, a car bomb killed at least five people and wounded 10 in a convoy that was headed to a police officer's wedding, Lieutenant Wessam Mohammad said.

In the Shia city of Iskandariyah, four Iraqi civilians were killed and 10 others injured in a mortar attack, the US military said.

The average number of bodies found in Baghdad has decreased since the Baghdad security plan officially began on February 14, while the number of Iraqi civilian deaths fell to its lowest level in four months, according to figures from Iraq's interior, defence and health ministries.

But February still saw 1,645 civilian deaths, according to the figures leaked by ministry officials, still far above the 545 civilian deaths recorded a year ago during February 2006.

The Iraqi government has stopped publishing casualty figures and has banned officials from giving numbers to the media.

Arms discovery

Separately, the US military said on Thursday that it had found a large weapons cache along a major highway near the suburb of Youssifiyah in southwestern Baghdad.

The arsenal included two Sanger missiles, two 122m rockets, 18 rounds of 60mm mortar as well as grenades, rockets, explosives and 2,000 rounds of Kalashnikov ammunition.

Fighters have been seeking to control over routes from Youssifiyah into the Iraqi capital.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 2, 2007 11:01 AM ∞

---

Rob N. wrote:

All:

Mayor: US base welcome in Sadr City
Daraji says local people would not cooperate with Iraqi snatch squad but accepts presence of US base.

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

BAGHDAD, 02 March 2007 (Middle East Online)
Print article Send to friend
Iraqi and US security forces will be allowed to set up a base in the militia bastion of Sadr City, the district's mayor said Friday, but should rein in a controversial special unit.

Sheikh Rahim al-Daraji, mayor of the large Shiite district of east Baghdad, said local leaders had held talks with US and Iraqi commanders and that a joint security station would begin operating on March 13.

"Other technical details related to Baghdad security plan have also been agreed on. A place at the entrance of the city shall be used as a first centre," he said Friday.

But Daraji, who is close to Moqtada al-Sadr's movement, said local people would not cooperate with what he called the "dirty squad", a US-led Iraqi special unit that has carried out arrests in the area.

US troops have no permanent base inside Sadr City, a sprawling Shiite slum area, and the area has become a stronghold of Sadr's Mahdi Army, an illegal militia of black-clad Shiite fighters.

Now, after a year of sectarian violence in Baghdad, a joint force of US and Iraqi troops and police has begun an ambitious operation to regain control of the city district by district.

Already, 15 fortified outposts known as "joint security stations" have been built in flashpoint districts and Sadr city is one of the next places in line for a permament US military presence.

Sadr himself has disappeared from public view -- US and Iraqi officials claim he has gone to Iran -- but this week he issued statements calling on the Iraqi security forces not to cooperate with the "enemy occupier".

Among the claims of his supporters in Sadr City is that a shadowy force of Iraqi commandos and US advisers has committed abuses during night-time raids.

"We have submitted more than seven reports on the violations of this unit but we got no answer. Therefore, we are not committed to cooperate with them," Darraji warned, demanding an investigation into the squad.

The US military regularly reports the results of raids in Sadr City, describing them as operations against "rogue" units of the Mahdi Army suspected of "sectarian murder, torture and kidnapping".
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 2, 2007 11:04 AM ∞

---

Mae West wrote:

"I've been rich. I've been poor...Rich is better!"

-- March 2, 2007 12:59 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Roger wrote:

Sara, the HCL...is it really over now, or do we have more stations to go to first?

Roger - I am also thinking we won the Publishers Warehouse weekly prize.. and I wonder if I am one of those ten retired older (somewhat senile) persons who is knocking at the door and claiming a prize which I believed was stated..

In other words.. I haven't a clue, even though it was there in black and white that it did pass parliament. BUT.. it looks like the latest info out there that I can see says that the Iraqis have approved the HCL law in their CABINET and then they have sent it to the PARLIAMENT.. and they further pledge to mull it over for the next two months and definitely do something by the END OF MAY on it. That article saying it passed was just another Publishers Warehouse coupon for the suckers.. I guess.

JUNE.. remember? I am still thinking June...

Oh, I loved your expose on the Publishers Warehouse and was "laughing out loud" (LOL) on that one.. thanks for the chuckle. :) Worth reproducing the quote:

"It reminds me about the Publishers Warehouse that will send you a message saying " You Have Won", but to claim the price you have to go through a maze of things to do, licking coupons on a sheet, that will be the "official temporary" certificate that will enable you to order your "permanent" certificate, that cant be had, unless you have 560 points. To get 560 points you have to earn the "right of passage" by subscribing to five magazines, and when you have donated to family members, at least another five subscriptions, you have now won the "heart of Gold" award, that is a prerequisite for .......on and on....

I think they stopped doing that stuff after they had about ten retired older (somewhat senile) persons a week, coming to their headquarter in Florida knocking on the door claiming the million Dollar prize they believed they had won."

==end of quote==

Priceless!

Thanks for the great articles Rob N.. I have been a bit busy to do my regular Dinar rounds.. just contributing a bit here and there when I can, so I appreciated all the good info in one place.

Glad to see that "data from Iraqi authorities showed that February had the lowest number of civilian deaths in four months." in another of your posts. GREAT news! :)

Obviously the strategy is paying off in immediate dividends. There are still clashes, of course... and I note that the article put this cheery news out first, then went into all the fighting still going on and said that Lithuania said it would "most probably" withdraw its 53 soldiers from Iraq and "The move comes after Britain and Denmark announced troop withdrawals." The article attempts to lead a person to think that these withdrawls are RETREATS from battle, in the context of the article, when in fact they are not. They are just downsizing due to the Iraqi forces stepping up and taking over from the coalition troops, and also the 53 Lithuanians can go home when the US is sending 20,000 troops to take their place. Yet they must portray this as a defeat... Such pessimists and defeatists the MSM are... their constant defeatist slant and bias always gets my ire up. I truly think if they put a sign around the MSM neck with "The End is Near".. the public would have a greater idea of how to take their views which they present in the news. I am glad those with the real power aren't listening to the MSM media.. as evidenced by the progress we see in Iraq and on many other significant fronts.

The article on Sadr who, while still out of the country, "issued statements calling on the Iraqi security forces not to cooperate with the "enemy occupier"" shows me that he is still trying to maintain his intimidation and fear on the populace, even from another country. He has his stooges saying to the people not to cooperate (or else! - no doubt) and saying smugly to the MSM that the locals in the areas they were holding which are now under US control will not cooperate with the US bases. Well, those people are being prudent, since Sadr is issuing commands which show he is not going away and it is obvious that he is telling them he will be back to cause terror, murder, torture and mayhem on any who do cooperate. The Iraqi people may not be cooperating in those neighborhoods out of the atmosphere of fear and intimidation he is still able to foster over the minds of those in the public - even from the distance of being in Iran. Sadr learned his tactics well from Saddam.. a man who managed to have so many people fear him that he still held sway over many who had to pretend to be loyal until the day of his execution for fear he would return to power in Iraq.

I was glad to read, "The US military regularly reports the results of raids in Sadr City, describing them as operations against "rogue" units of the Mahdi Army suspected of "sectarian murder, torture and kidnapping"." --- I was glad to hear that those who are brave enough to point out those who are murdering, torturing and kidnapping the populace have the US military to help them. If the public could be sure those killers would not return tomorrow with Sadr from Iran, they would certainly be more forthcoming with information on the whereabouts of the bad guys.

Mae West.. I like that saying. ;)

Sara.

-- March 2, 2007 5:12 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Here, Roger.. note the TWO MONTHS til it will be done by Parliament in this article:

New oil law a victory for Iraqis
Vol XXIX NO. 345 Wednesday 28th February 2007

BAGHDAD: Iraq's new draft oil law has been hailed as a victory for Iraqi unity..

Under the terms of the oil law, which is expected to go before parliament in the next two months, Iraq's oil industry will be overseen by a Federal Oil Council and an independent national oil firm.

Revenue will be concentrated in a federal account, and redistributed to provinces on the basis of their populations..

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=171288&Sn=BUSI&IssueID=29345

-- March 2, 2007 5:24 PM ∞

---

Sara Madgid wrote:

Did you know that..
the operation to secure Baghdad has been wildly successful thus far, with "attacks and killings" in the city having "dropped by 80 percent" since the implementation of the security plan.

===

New Iraq Strategy Succeeding So Far
By Jeff Emanuel | March 1, 2007
Were there any semblance of balance in the media's reporting on Iraq, the immediate effect of the new strategy would be better-known to the American public by now.

President Bush announced several weeks ago that, in a vigorous attempt to right the leaking ship in Iraq, he was making four fundamental adjustments to the "strategy" currently being carried out there.

First, Lt. General David Petraeus, PhD, Princeton graduate, former Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), former head of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq (the command responsible for training Iraqi forces), and author of Army FM 23-4, "a field manual devoted exclusively to counterinsurgency operations" (emphasis added), was named Commander of Multinational Forces in Iraq, and tasked with putting his field manual into practice.

Second -- and perhaps most important -- the rules of engagement (ROEs) in Iraq were adjusted to provide for more effective targeting of insurgents and insurgent leaders (as well as forces from Iran). With this alteration in strategy, the troops on the ground can concentrate once again on rooting out and arresting or killing terrorists and insurgents, instead of having completely to restrict their operations, out of fear of upsetting the fragile Iraqi governing coalition (not to mention setting off a media firestorm, which is always a threat), to driving back and forth on the same IED-infested roads and performing the same "show of force" or security missions, day-in and day-out, with little to show for it except for more dead or wounded troops.

Third, more pressure was to be put on the Iraqi government to crack down on sectarian violence and on insurgent leaders like Muqtada al-Sadr, and to work harder and more quickly toward self-sufficience, both in governance and in security.

Fourth, in order to support the other three elements of his "new way forward in Iraq," the President announced that a "surge" of 21,500 more troops would be sent to the Iraqi theater, for the purpose of securing Baghdad, and to facilitate the implementation of LG Petraeus's counterinsurgency, defense training, and stabilization plan.

Immediately attacked as an "escalation of the war in Iraq," the troop surge became a hot-button issue from the moment that it was announced, and, since the advent of the 110th Congress, the situation -- with regard to the surge and to the prospects for success in Iraq with what we have there already -- has worsened considerably. Under new Democrat leadership (which campaigned largely on an anti-Iraq war platform), the House and Senate have both been increasingly vocal about their desire to derail the US efforts in Iraq. Whether out of the desire to "save the lives of future American soldiers," or simply out of the long-held yearning for defeat and to disgrace the hated President Bush, attempts to hamstring current operations, and to prevent flexibility and adjustment in strategy going forward, have moved to front and center on Congressional Democrats' agendae since taking over the legislative branch of government.

This frustratingly political -- in the most pejorative sense possible -- process began with the introduction, first in the Senate (where Republicans used a procedural move to block the vote) and then in the House (where it easily passed), of non-binding resolutions condemning the President's troop "surge."

Were there any semblance of balance in the media's reporting on Iraq, the immediate effect of the new strategy -- more specifically, the influx of new troops, the changing of ROEs, and the move to secure Baghdad -- would be better-known to the American public by now.

For example, were the media as aggressive in reporting the good news from Iraq as it is in reporting the bad, the American public would know that the operation to secure Baghdad has been wildly successful thus far, with "attacks and killings" in the city having "dropped by 80 percent" since the implementation of the security plan. Traffic moving through the city is being stopped in areas where security checkpoints have long been nonexistent. People are learning to live with more restrictive security measures because of the noticeable result.

"Omar" and "Mohammed," two Iraqi bloggers who have done yeomen's work in getting the truth from the region out on the internet via their site Iraq the Model (ITM), have posted several updates since the Baghdad operation began, and have provided eyewitness accounts of both the good and the bad. "We are hearing fewer explosions and less gunfire now than two weeks ago," wrote Mohammed last week, "and that, in Baghdad, qualifies as quiet."

Muqtada al-Sadr, murderous leader of the Iran-funded Mahdi Army and thorn in the side of the coalition since shortly after the conclusion of major combat operations, saw the writing on the wall and fled Iraq for Tehran shortly after President Bush announced his new strategy. The stated change in ROEs, geared toward more aggressive pursuit of insurgents and sectarian fighters, has had more success than forcing a preemptive cutting-and-running of a major militant figure, though -- in implementation, it has also given the insurgents fewer places to hide. As ITM's Omar wrote ten days ago:

"The most significant raid conducted yesterday [Feb. 14] was the one on Buratha mosque, one of the most important Shia mosques in Baghdad, which is considered SCIRI (Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq) territory.

"The raid ended without blood but the preacher of the mosque…expressed his dismay about the raid "because it was American soldiers who searched the mosque," [which] seems to be one of the changes in rules of engagement. [In the past] there was a rule that only Iraqi soldiers or police were allowed to walk into places of worship while American troops had to stay outside.

"This raid is also of political significance, as it [proves] that the operation is impartial and not directed against one sect [and not] the other."

Apparently gone are the days when American soldiers were forced to halt their pursuit of insurgents -- and to cease returning fire -- when the latter fled into mosques which doubled as safe houses and arms caches. This change in ROE could not have come soon enough.

All four aspects of the President's new plan seem, at this early stage, to be working well, and the difference is already being seen and felt by the people of Baghdad. As Mohammed wrote days ago:

"The best part…remains the return of displaced families to their homes; the latest count for this shows that more than 600 families have returned so far.

"More occupied mosques are also being returned to their original keepers, and earlier today Sunni and Shia worshippers gathered to hold joint prayers in several places in Baghdad."

The President's new strategy has thus far produced results which can only be viewed as good by all who seek anything but our failure and defeat in Iraq, and it only makes sense to allow the plan to proceed with the full support of the American people and the American government. Unfortunately, though, the "anti-war" left and their allies in Congress, both of whom have invested so much in pursuit of an American failure in the Middle East, are anything but willing to give the President a chance to make a success out of the current situation. As the blogger known as "California Yankee" so aptly noted at conservative weblog RedState.com, "Al-Sadr has fled or is in hiding, arrests of bad guys are up, and attacks are down. No wonder [the Democrat] party is so opposed to the so-called surge" and the rest of the President's newly-enacted plan. "It seems to be working."

It does indeed seem to be working, and we may use this early progress as a reason for more optimism in the Iraqi front of the war on terror. As Omar so eloquently put it only days ago:

The progress made so far invites hope and optimism, but it's still too early to celebrate. Terrorists will keep trying to carry out attacks... They want sow as much death and destruction as they can in order to shake the people's confidence in the security plan. Such criminal attacks are still quite possible in Baghdad, but even if they happen we must not let that stop us from pursuing the objectives of our efforts to stop the death and deterioration, and to turn the tide and make progress.

His words are absolutely true. If America can only hold together her fractured populace, and hold at bay those in government who seem to be working as hard as they can to ensure what they see as a Bush failure in Iraq (never minding that it would be an American failure, and one which would come at a terrible price in terms of our national security), long enough for a strong final push, then success in Iraq will not only be possible, but may be within our grasp. Our soldiers and our military leaders have the desire, the drive, and the know-how to win in Iraq. All that we have to do is pull together enough to let them do it.

http://www.aim.org/guest_column/5271_0_6_0_C/

-- March 2, 2007 5:45 PM ∞

---

panhandler wrote:

SARA, ROB N, ROGER, CAROLE, NOT YOU ANTHONY S, YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT, OAKIE, CHRIS AND YOU GOTTA BE DONE WITH THAT HOUSE BY NOW TIM BITTS: THIS ARTICLE ABOUT GEORGE SOROS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE AS KBR AND HALLIBURTON ARE SPLITTING UP, THE CONTRACTS THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT ARE SERVICE CONTRACTS AND KBR WILL BE A STAND ALONE COMPANY IN APRIL, AND THE TALK AROUND CAMP IS SO THAT KBR CAN DO THE SERVICES CONTRACTS, AND HALLIBURTON WILL DO THE OIL THING. . .WHICH MAKES MORE SENSE IN SOROS BUYING HALLIBURTON STOCK, WHICH WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY ARE PROBABLY ALREADY A SHOE-IN FOR A MAJORITY OF THE OIL EXPLORATION, REPAIRING AND REBUILDING CONTRACTS, PROBABLY A TIP-OFF . . . .I'M MOST LIKELY LEAVING NEXT WEEKEND FOR IRAQ, I'LL GIVE YOU A HEADS UP ON MY TRAVEL DATE. . .HOPE EVERYONE HAS A NICE WEEKEND. . . P.H.

-- March 2, 2007 8:51 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Happy trails to Iraq PH.

We badly need someone on the ground over there now. Turtle has been quiet for a while, Lance is invisible, Outlaw stopped posting once he got over there, so all in all we're desperate for reports from the ground.

Re Soros, PH gave me the best analysis of Soros possible intention.

Soros seem to go for the jugular, our energy.

Sara,

"You have already won"............another 2 months,... figure.

June, ok, but it will cost you a sweet cigar at the Pig Roast if this prediction comes true.

Al Sad'rs sudden departure, ....I think we had something to do with his decision process.

Knowing that no secrets can survive as a secret for long in those neck of the woods, probably a leaked memo describing Sad'rs capture and immediate execution together with all his close cronies, in a "Top Secret" memo to the Iraqis, masquerading as a security plan of action, in the upcoming (now ongoing)security clamp down, went straight to Sad'r and his men.

All planned and with good effect.

That left the Shiia insurgency without leaders, none got killed and martyred, during the security clamp down, and any and all communication between them and Sad'r , now sitting in Iran, can most probably be monitored.

I'm happy to see the crackdown as planned have very positive effects and that it seems to be working.

Not only for the sake of our investment, and the possible rise in value of the Dinar, but for the Iraqi man on the street, he deserves a better life. Even if it is basically their problem, you can't avoid being touched by it.

Some Dinar stuff,

Well, the Dinar has been stuck for quite some time now, it's done a very small move, if you would slice a balloony, you would be able to see right through those slices.

This elusive, always promised HCL, that never seem to get through, have brought our hopes for some time, and I hope the two additional months they are now promising us, will go quick in my calender.

Still time to get a few more mils.

Their only hope for a revolutionary turnaround in the Iraqi society is a revaluation of their currency to a level where they can start buying goods.

There might actually be a resistance to that from the industry in Iraq that is not dependant on oil, as right now anything they export is very easy to sell, and is dirt cheap for the buyer.

This resistance can however not be too big of a force, as the non oil export is very very low, and in fact almost everything that is bought in Iraq is imported.

They have agriculture, but the internal market is huge for the growers, thus very little dependency on a low Dinar.

There is no bigger industrial base in Iraq right now, the big export they have from the mining industry, cement, will in an economic boom condition turn very quickly into a national market rather than an international market, and thus also no dependency on a weak (or cheap) Dinar.

Almost anything they produce and right now have dependency on a cheap Dinar will turn around in a boom economy from export goods, to sought after goods nationally.

There is a new and fledgling industry starting it's baby steps in Kurdistan right now, the tourist industry.

This, I predict will look a little bit different from the other tourist resorts in the Arab region.

Luxurious places like Bahrain, UAE and a few other places where they compete with each other in building the most luxurious hotel, have the most expensive dinner experience and the highest sky scraper, overlooking the artificial archipelago made in the form of a palm three, where they sell homes for a fortune, and you have valet service or everything, is geared for the very rich.

Those places are one of the most expensive places on earth, a place where money is no object.

Kurdistan have the possibility to set up resorts, hotels and holiday targets, for the middle class.

The middle class will probably see the very expensive places along the Gulf coast as economically off limits, but they can afford to get a hotel in Kurdistan, and let lose two weeks.

In the early to mid 60 the Danish travel mogul Simon Spies, chartered cheap propeller aircraft's and started to take the Northern Europeans to Spanish Majorca and Canaries Island's, for a price most of the middle class could afford.

This became a boom industry, where suddenly the middle class could afford to go "all the way to Spain" (and get drunk).

Kurdistan have the same possibility, their tourist target would be their own nationals.

Same there, no bigger dependency on a weak Dinar.

All they have to do is just to revalue the Dinar and everybody would live happily ever after.

-- March 3, 2007 12:47 AM ∞

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Turtle wrote:

Yeah, Turtle now has a best friend on the outskirts of Sadr City. I was told a couple weeks ago that he will be one of the guys going in to Sadr City. Thus, I've been really busy watching the reports. So far, I can't really tell you anything you don't already hear. The initial stages of this security crackdown seems to be going well. Not as bumpless as it sounds some times but significant improvements have been made. The rules of engagement change has made a huge difference. We get to use artillery again in case you did not catch that slid sideways in a couple news reports. In particular, we get to use it in places we were not allowed to before. All in all, I hate to say it but it is still shaky ground. We have reason to be positive but it's far from assuring. I think I said it in October, but we have all the right players here ot make it work. They added the 82nd Airborn at the last second (literally 2 weeks notice to pack and arrive in Kuwait) which was a nice move. I hate it for personal reasons but from a strategic perspective, it was brilliant. We now have almost all of the players who were here in the initial invasion. They all have an understanding of the conditions here and none of them know how to fail.

A couple months back when I told you to keep an eye on fat boy, we had just gotten some reports that he had been killed. Most of us were hoping but even the initial reports said the information was questionable and doubtful. We later got info that he was probably in Iran. In truth, I have not heard anything of certainty for a while but I expect someone knows and everyone is leaning towards him being in Iran. I can tell you that rumors of intercepts of Malaki telling the Mahdi leaders to get out was passed down to us as truth. I don't know the context of that communication but we have not arrested or killed him yet so I just keep assuming that it was something we may have requested. Just has a CIA ring to it don't it? Tell the leaders to get out, we'll move in, the Mahdi won't know what to do without its leaders, and we can pick them off as they come back. Best part, they just stood up in classroom so we could see who they all are. Just me thinking on that one though, I can't make sense of the guy still breathing if things went as the media reported.

Halliburton/KBR. According to a KBR employee that I'm friends with, KBR has already lost one-third of the contract that involved services like running the Dining Facilities. I do not have anything official but coming from him, I consider it reliable info. As KBR loses contracts, a lot of abuses are surfacing so I would not be surprised to see law suites against KBR in the future. Also, I was informed that all third country who do not have Iraqi visas are being forced out of Iraq. Countries like the Philippines are refusing to allow their people to come back so this should create some tough situations in the near future regardless of who has that contract. (This could have implications for those of us on base too. Could this lead to Iraqis serving chow again or will they pay the price to get Americans here?) I do not recommend KBR stock.

-- March 3, 2007 5:25 AM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Turtle,

Cool, we're starving for news from the ground, good report.

The letter Malaki sent was catched and it is now on the internet.

Has this CIA ring to it, yes agree, probably the CIA knew that Malaki is playing both hands, and used that to get Sad'r off the map without making a martyr of him.

It also exposed Malaki at the same time, so this was a double whack.

Yes we're also getting reports here about a somewhat bumby ride regarding the security crackdown, but all in all things seem to work in the big picture and things are getting normalized.

Enjoy the moon eclipse. You should be able to see it very good in Iraq.

-- March 3, 2007 7:35 PM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Announcement No.(875)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 875 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/ 3/ 4 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 16 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1280 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 67.810.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 67.810.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

-- March 4, 2007 7:11 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

03 March 2007

U.S. Envoy to Iraq Applauds Passage of National Hydrocarbon Law
Op-ed by Ambassador Khalilzad links management of Iraqi oil, unification

The following op-ed by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad appeared March 3 in the Washington Post and is in the public domain. There are no reproduction restrictions.

(begin byliner)

A Shared Stake in Iraq's Future
How the Oil Agreement Points the Way Forward

By Zalmay Khalilzad
March 3, 2007

Under the national hydrocarbon law approved this week by Iraq's Council of Ministers, oil will serve as a vehicle to unify Iraq and will give all Iraqis a shared stake in their country's future. This is a significant achievement for Iraqis' national reconciliation. It demonstrates that the leaders of Iraq's principal communities can pull together to peacefully resolve difficult issues of national importance.

Resolving concerns about control of oil is central to overcoming internal divisions in Iraq. The country has the third-largest oil reserves in the world, and more than 90 percent of federal income comes from oil revenue. The effective and equitable management of these resources is critical to economic growth as well as to developing a greater sense of shared purpose among Iraqi communities.

The goal of Iraq's leaders was to draft a law that ensured that all Iraqis could be confident they would receive their fair share of the benefits of developing the country's resources, that the revenue from oil and gas would enable a decentralization of power while maintaining national unity, and that Iraq would adopt the best international practices for the development and management of its mineral wealth. By these standards, the hydrocarbon law is a great success. It:

• Reaffirms that oil and gas resources are owned by all the people of Iraq and contains a firm commitment to revenue-sharing among regions and provinces on the basis of population.

• Establishes a predictable framework and processes for federal-regional cooperation that demonstrate the government's commitment to democracy and federalism.

• Creates a principal policymaking body for energy -- the Federal Council on Oil and Gas -- that will have representatives from all of Iraq's regions and oil-producing provinces.

• Ensures that all revenue from oil sales will go into a single national account and that provinces will receive direct shares of revenue, thereby significantly increasing local control of financial resources.

• Establishes international standards for transparency and mandates public disclosure of contracts and associated revenue and payments. This is essential to build confidence in the new political order and to counter corruption.

The law defines a role for the Oil Ministry that is primarily regulatory, which is the modern standard and which will also harness the market to achieve the optimal development of Iraq's resources. It provides the legal framework to enable international investment in Iraq's oil and gas sectors, a break from the statist and overcentralized practices of the past. It also requires best practices in environmental protection and field management and development, ensuring that the environment is not damaged and that hydrocarbon assets are not wasted by poor practices of the past.

While the draft law will need to be enacted by the Iraqi Council of Representatives when it returns from recess, the prospects for passage are excellent because all the major parliamentary blocs are represented in the cabinet. Companion legislation will be required in several areas, and Iraqi leaders hope to complete the entire package of hydrocarbon legislation by the end of May.

Arriving at this agreement was not easy. It has taken other countries years to complete such legislation. While negotiating this law presented special challenges for the federal government, the Kurdistan regional government and the leaders of key political blocs, the approval of the draft by the Council of Ministers sets a precedent for problem-solving and cooperation that is critical to the stabilization and development of Iraq.

This is the first time since 2003 that all major Iraqi communities have come together on a defining piece of legislation. A national reconciliation that stabilizes Iraq can be achieved if similar compromises are made on the future of de-Baathification and on amending the constitution. The agreement on the oil law should give us confidence that Iraqis are willing and able to take the steps needed for Iraq's success.

(The writer is the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.)

(end byliner)
(http://usinfo.state.gov)

-- March 4, 2007 7:00 PM ∞

---

Roger wrote:

Just south of Fallujah a Marine and an insurgent was found badly wounded.

Investigators had found out that following had happened.

The Marine was going north, and the insurgent was going south on the road, both saw each other about the same time, and quickly took cover on each side of the road in the ditch.

Verbal exchange had taken place just before both got wounded, the marine exclaimed Saddam as a "low life cheap dictator that is below pigs." The insurgent had exclaimed that "Ted Kennedy is a rat , a slug, cheating, delusional drunk".

A sensitive microphone picked all this up, the Marine screamed that "Osama Bin Laden is a cross dressing liar that looks like a lesbian", and the insurgent countered with "Hillary Clinton is the same".

The truck driver that hit, them claimed that he saw two men jumping out in front of the truck shaking hands.

-- March 5, 2007 12:24 AM ∞

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Chris wrote:

Will be off line until Fiday if somebody wants to post the exchange rate
Have a good week all!!!!

Announcement No.(876)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 876 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Monday 2007/ 3/ 5 so the results were as follows :

Details Notes
Number of banks 13 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1279 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ 1277 -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 35.555.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) 4.000.000
Total offers for buying (US $) 35.555.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) 4.000.000 -----

-- March 5, 2007 4:47 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

INTERVIEW-World Bank to boost Iraq presence despite shooting
Fri 2 Mar 2007 3:01 PM ET
By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - The World Bank's No. 2 official on Friday defended the lender's decision to ramp up its presence in Iraq after a staff driver was caught in cross-fire and wounded at a checkpoint in Baghdad last month.

Managing Director Juan Jose Daboub said the World Bank regretted the incident and had evacuated the Iraqi man to neighboring Jordan for treatment.

"We are in many countries and Iraq is not an exception," Daboub, who visited Baghdad last month for discussions with the Iraqi government, told Reuters in an interview.

"We define our offices in each country according to our programs," he said, noting that the bank's strategy was to support Iraqi government efforts to rebuild the country, including restoring basic services and enabling private-sector development.

The World Bank's involvement in Iraq has been a delicate issue for bank President Paul Wolfowitz, the former U.S. deputy defense secretary. He still faces questions about his role in the planning of the four-year war, which is opposed by some of the bank's biggest members including France and Germany.

A Washington-based whistle-blower protection group this week charged that the bank was trying to cover up the shooting as it prepares to broaden its operations in Iraq and appoint a new country director despite an increase in violence.

Quoting inside sources, the Government Accountability Project said a bullet pierced the driver's right shoulder while he waited to cross a checkpoint on his way to the protected Green Zone, from where the bank operates.

"Wolfowitz's apparent determination to use the World Bank to further questionable American military goals in the Middle East is a fundamental distortion of the bank's mission, a violation of its founding Articles of Agreement, and a reckless waste of donor resources," Bea Edwards, the group's international program director, said in a statement.

STAFF MEETING

Daboub said he informed staff of the incident in a regional meeting he called the day after he returned to Washington from a seven-nation Middle East tour.

"We are not hiding anything," said Daboub, a former El Salvador finance minister. "The bank has previously worked in many such countries, and currently have two offices in Sudan," he added, citing the bank's role in rebuilding El Salvador, where a 12-year civil war killed an estimated 75,000 people and drove a million people from their homes.

The bank has nine employees in Iraq and will soon increase the number to 11, Daboub said.

He said the bank's planned expansion in Iraq followed pressure from both donor countries eager to ensure foreign aid is properly spent and the Iraqi government looking to restore services to Iraqis.

Daboub said he urged Iraqi officials during his visit to Baghdad to speed up the disbursement of already approved funds for reconstruction projects.

The bank has approved $700 million in rebuilding funds for Iraq -- $285 million from its own resources and $411 million from a pot of cash contributed by donors.

The European Commission, Japan, Spain and Britain are among the biggest contributors to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, which consists of two trust funds.

Mindful of his own experiences in El Salvador, Daboub said of rebuilding Iraq, "There is a good possibility as long as people ... do not allow the challenges to become obstacles."
(www.today.reuters.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 5, 2007 9:08 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Iraq joins the World Trade Organization

Greg Howell, official in charge of developing the private sector in the American Agency for International Development in Baghdad, said on Saturday that the Iraqi government has completed the procedures to request membership in the World Trade Organization.

Howell added in a press conference held in Baghdad that the Iraqi government is preparing to hold the first dialogue with the Organization next April in Geneva, Switzerland. He pointed out that Iraq had submitted a request for membership in the Organization in 2004 and formed a working group to examine the demand and coordinate with the Iraqi government on reforming the trade policy and the requirements needed to join the World Trade Organization.

He pointed out that the Iraqi government has completed all procedural conditions in order to convene a meeting for the Group in charge of joining the Organization, pointing out that the gains of joining WTO are ensuring access of Iraqi goods and services without discrimination to foreign markets, as well as gaining more stable trade relations.

Source: Iraqdirectory.com
(www.dinartrade.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 5, 2007 9:15 AM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Al-Maliki says US, Iraqis working to identify politicians, top officials for arrest over extremist ties
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

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

05 March 2007 (AP Worldstream)
Print article Send to friend
Iraq's prime minister has confirmed that U.S. and Iraqi authorities are working together to arrest and prosecute Iraqi politicians and top Iraqi officials suspected of links to armed extremist groups.

"There is coordination between us and the (U.S.-led) Multinational Forces (that) started at the beginning of this year ... to determine who should be arrested and the reasons behind arresting them," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday.

His comments were in response to a question about whether lists had been prepared of senior Iraqi officials, politicians and lawmakers targeted for arrest.

Al-Maliki said Iraqi authorities would begin preparing cases against unspecified officials and would refer them to investigative judges, who under the Iraqi legal system can issue indictments like American grand juries.

The prime minister gave no further details, such as how many people were targets of investigations nor any specific names. He also did not specify when cases would be forward to investigative judges.

U.S. officials would not comment on the purported lists or even confirm if they exist, citing a policy not to discuss intelligence operations.

"We will not discuss actual, alleged, or potential intelligence activities in order to protect operational security," said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver. "Obviously, such a list would fall under this type of activity."

Garver noted that the coalition does have authority to "take all necessary measures" to maintain security, but said it would not arrest people "for political reasons."

Five Iraqi officials _ two of them generals and the others from Sunni and Shiite parties _ have told the AP that U.S. officials and Iraqi intelligence agents were drawing up such lists of top officials and politicians to be arrested under the Baghdad security plan.

All five said they had direct knowledge of the lists, but none would speak on the record because the case is so sensitive.

An Iraqi army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, alluded to "lists" but stopped short of confirming its existence.

"This subject has some delicate intelligence elements," he said at a press conference last month, without elaborating.

One of the Iraqi officials who spoke to AP said al-Maliki had asked the Americans to make the arrests to provide his government with political cover.

"There is a list of lawmakers, undersecretaries at several ministries and politicians who are involved in terrorist activities," the official said. "There is no immunity for lawmakers. "The prime minister is determined to pursue this."

A U.N. Security Council resolution gives the U.S.-led coalition the authority to detain anyone suspected of presenting a security risk to multinational forces.

One Iraqi general said some people on the list were believed to be providing financial help to extremists.

Deputy Health Minister Hakim al-Zamili was arrested Feb. 9 by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers for allegedly diverting millions of dollars from his ministry to the Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army.

Iraqi officials give various estimates about the number of people on the list, ranging from 50 to more than 100. The discrepancy could not be explained, but it could be due to changes in the list based on intelligence operations.

The number discrepancy could be linked to an effort by Iraqi leaders to pare the list down for political reasons.
(www.iraqupdates)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 5, 2007 2:24 PM ∞

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Rob N. wrote:

All:

Arab League's Iraq committee meets to discuss draft resolution

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

Cairo, 05 March 2007 (BBC Monitoring)
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The Arab League's Committee on Iraqi Affairs held a meeting on Sunday [4 March] in the presence of AL chief Amr Musa before meetings of the 127th session of the Arab League's ministerial council later in the day.

The committee will discuss the AL secretary-general's report on Arab efforts in Iraq and means to deal with the Iraqi issue as well as putting into effect decisions taken in the committee's last meeting held in December of 2006. The committee will also take up a draft resolution submitted by Iraq on Arab stance towards situation in Iraq.

The draft resolution urged the Arab ministerial committee in charge of Iraqi affairs and the AL Secretariat to intensify their contacts in the coming period to indulge different political forces in the Iraqi reconciliation council which will be held under the auspices of AL.

The draft resolution, which will be referred to the AL ministerial meeting, highlighted the importance of results of the preparatory meeting of the Iraqi reconciliation council held at the AL HQ in Cairo on 5 December.

The draft resolution also praised Iraqi prime minister's initiative to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq, terming it an important step to accomplish political process in Iraq.

The draft resolution calls for offering Arab support to Iraq government and to render the conference of Iraq's neighbours conference due to be held in Baghdad in March successful.

The draft resolution also called for reopening Arab diplomatic mission in Iraq as well as exchanging delegations to enhance Arab cooperation with Iraq.

The draft resolution severely condemns terrorist operations in Iraq and consider it a threat to stability and security there.

Source: MENA news agency, Cairo
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- March 5, 2007 2:26 PM ∞

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Roger wrote:

Rob N.

A comment regarding the article on Iraqi membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

It will take some time for Iraq to be full member, as of now they are in the application phase.

Before they are full members, they must let lose their currency.

They might not let it lose on the Forex, and they might have it still pegged (Like the Gulf states right now) but the currency must for sure be tradeable in banks on any international scene.

That means banks in order to trade it, must first buy the currency.

If requests are coming in from banks all over the world for Iraqi Dinars, there will be a sellers market, meaning the Dinar will get a higher value.

When the oil sector takes off, the Iraqi export sector will, with a high probability, be swung into it's own market instead of export, as the domestic demand for all kind of goods will skyrocket.

Iraq therefore as a whole, will probably be a mainly importing country, a situation where a strong Dinar will favour their purchases abroad.

-- March 6, 2007 12:11 AM ∞