BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Mr.Bush's verbal error's
A news team takes a in-depth look at Mr.Bush's verbal error's during his stay in the White House..... At least its funny, I wonder what this looks like to the rest of the world.
Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases
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Forces Kill, Capture Terrorists, Seize Weapons CachesAmerican Forces Press Service | |
WASHINGTON, March 30, 2008 – U.S. aircraft killed 14 terrorists during two anti-insurgent operations conducted in Baghdad today, and coalition forces killed or captured dozens of additional terrorists during other operations throughout Iraq over the past two days, military officials reported. An American aircrew killed 12 insurgents today after they attacked a U.S. infantry patrol in northern Baghdad. Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team pursued the insurgents after they had broken off their attack. U.S. military aircraft arrived to provide air-to-ground support. After positively identifying the attackers, the air weapons team engaged and killed the 12 terrorists. |
Killing Fields' journalist dies
Killing Fields' journalist dies | ||
A Cambodian-born US journalist whose enslavement and escape from the Khmer Rouge became the subject of the famous film, The Killing Fields, has died. Dith Pran died at a hospital in New Jersey from pancreatic cancer at the age of 65, according to his former New York Times colleague, Sydney Schanberg. They were in Cambodia in 1975 to report the fall of Phnom Penh to Khmer forces. Mr Dith was not allowed to leave, and had to endure four years of torture and starvation before escaping to Thailand. In 1980, Mr Schanberg described his colleague's ordeal in a magazine article, and later a book, called "The Death and Life of Dith Pran". It became the basis for the Oscar-winning Hollywood film, The Killing Fields. "Pran was a true reporter, a fighter for the truth and for his people," Mr Schanberg told the Associated Press.
"When cancer struck, he fought for his life again. And he did it with the same Buddhist calm and courage and positive spirit that made my brother so special." Mr Dith himself coined the term "killing fields" to describe the horrifying scene he witnessed on his journey to freedom in Thailand. The Khmer Rouge was the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, during which it was responsible for one of the worst mass killings of the 20th Century. The regime claimed the lives of more than a million people - some estimates say up to 2.5 million perished. Under the Marxist leader Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge tried to take Cambodia back to the Middle Ages, forcing millions of people from the cities to work on communal farms in the countryside. But this dramatic attempt at social engineering had a terrible cost, and whole families died from execution, starvation, disease and overwork. to many of our young people are not interested in our past, if you watch this movie, it gives mean to the many people who's lives were lost The Killing Field's Movie STREAMED |
what has changed in the sandbox
RAHMAT GUL, teacher: In our village, security has actually improved a bit. But living conditions haven't changed much. People are poor, there are no jobs and the crop is poor because of lack of water.
I have a job as a teacher and my salary is about US$60. It is not enough to maintain my family.
Rahmat Gul
Rahmat Gul - inflation is now a big issue
In my opinion, one good way to improve our lives is to provide us opportunities to export our grapes and raisins because they are of a very good quality.
MOHAMMED SHARIF, village chief: Rahmat is right, but I think a better way to bring prosperity to our village is to set up factories, which make fruit juices.
We can sell our good fruit to these factories, and residents can get jobs there. So it will solve the problem of unemployment and our farmers can make money too.
RAHMAT GUL: Unfortunately, not much has been done in our village. Out biggest problem is water. We just don't have enough water to irrigate our land.
We had two wells when you last visited us. Since then, the government has dug out two more wells.
Inflation has gone up and food costs more in the market.
A bag of flour used to cost 900 Afghanis ($19) two years ago, today it costs 1400 Afghanis (US$30). Five kilograms of vegetable oil used to cost 200 Afghanis (US$4) two years ago, now it costs 340 Afghanis (US$7). Beef costs more too - from 120 Afghanis (US$2.5) for a kg of meat two years ago, it has now gone up to 200 Afghanis (US$4).
We need more water to irrigate our fertile land. With enough water we can have two crop seasons - one to grow paddy (rice), and the other - to grow grains and fruits. Do you know that we can easily grow peach, apricot, pomegranates, apple, pears, watermelons, cherries and grapes?
This used to be a very fertile area before the Soviets bombed our irrigation canals. I had apple trees full of the fruit, my brother had two dozen peach trees at home. Now things are different.
MOHAMMAD SHARIF: There was a time before the Soviets invaded us Asad Khyl was so prosperous that we used to feed poor people coming to the village.
RAHMAT GUL: The government did build a canal, which passes through the village, but it does not help irrigate our land. The water is of no use to us - there is no way we can channel it from there to our lands.
Shukrullah
Shukrullah - now teaches football at school
There have been a few minor achievements though - when you visited us last, we did not have electricity. Now a generator has been installed in the village, which supplies us with electricity for five hours between 7 pm and 11 pm every day. We have to pay 75 Afghanis ($1.55) for every light bulb a month.
With electricity available, 60% of the people in the village have television sets and have more entertainment, compared to only listening to the radio.
Television has made us more aware, and better informed. When we see TV, we realise how backward we are. At the same time, we want to preserve our Islamic values.
SHUKRULLAH, student: I love watching educational programmes and music programmes on TV. TV has helped me understand mathematics better and has taught me some English.
Shukrullah, what kind of changes happened in your life since last time? What is your most urgent need now? Kamran, Birmingham
Map showing Asad Khyl
SHUKRULLAH: I am 20 years old now, I am studying in the sixth grade. I study Dari, geography, geometry, mathematics, English, Pashtun and history four hours a day at school. These days I also go to the local madrassa [religious school] in the morning.
I still want to become a civil engineer. I still help my father to weave carpets in my free time. We earn $170 for a carpet but it takes two months to weave one.
The one change that has happened is that I have become a football trainer at school. I always played football, but now I teach the game to the youngsters.
What scares me is the joblessness that I see around me. Factories and new towns need to be built so enough jobs are created. I worry a lot when I see people hanging around with no work.
It is often argued that Afghanistan was peaceful during the Taleban rule, and that after their fall, the country has not enjoyed the same level of peace and stability. Do you agree? Do you see the presence of foreign forces important for the future of Afghanistan or should the Taleban be invited to participate in a broad national government? Farid Mamundzay, Birmingham, UK
RAHMAT GUL: You are partly right. People did enjoy peace and stability. But Taleban laws were harsh and draconian. Now the laws are within the framework of a democracy and if we implement them we could have more peace and security.
To your second question - I think foreign forces should coordinate their operations with Afghan forces in a bigger way to avoid civilian casualties.
The thing is that if you invite the Taleban to join a broad-based national government, there will be no need for foreign troops in the country at all. It would not be such a bad idea, though I wonder how the Taleban would react to such a proposal.
It would be a good idea to declare an amnesty for all the indigenous Taleban and bring them into the mainstream of politics. The foreign Taleban should be kept out.
What are your hopes for an end to corruption and fighting? Anne Thorpe, Conder, Australia
RAHMAT GUL: Corruption has become a big problem in Afghanistan. It openly mocks the laws. I haven't been affected personally, but I keep hearing stories of how deep-rooted and wide-spread it is.
MOHAMMAD SHARIF: I can tell you some stories about how corruption is ravaging our society.
Two months ago, a judge in Qarabagh district [Asad Khyl is in Qarabagh] was caught taking a 10,000 Afghani (US$210) bribe from a man in return for forging some land documents. The man complained to the shura [village council] and the judge was caught and sacked by the villagers.
Mohammad Sharif
Mohammad Sharif - the village was very prosperous before the Soviets
When I became village chief last year, I went to Kabul to get a letter of approval about my position from authorities. The officer made me wait for a couple of days, and then he demanded a bribe for the letter.
Whenever you visit government offices, employees are telling you, 'shirni bee', which means 'give me sweets.' 'Sweets' is a euphemism for a bribe. So 'shirni' has become a dreaded word in Afghanistan now.
The only way to curb corruption is to punish officials. But the salaries of government workers should also be increased. They are paid too little, so there is a lot of incentive to take bribes.
Are you happy by the efforts by the government to improve the condition of the people? Ritesh, Hyderabad, India
RAHMAT GUL: I think that the government has done a fairly decent job. They have built some roads and schools, provided some electricity. Twenty four new schools have been opened in the Qarabagh district alone.
But the progress is very slow, and a lot more needs to be done.
The international community should help more. They should give aid directly to the government, and not through NGOs to help us. I know that people working with NGOs have very high salaries, so most of the aid actually goes back to the foreign countries as pay and prerequisites.
The government should set up an independent commission, which will be responsible for receiving aid and allocating it to various departments. The commission should have honest, patriotic people at the top so that the money is not stolen or misused.
How passionate do you feel about your right to vote and about building a democratic Afghan society? Savannah, Houston, Texas
RAHMAT GUL: Democracy only in name is nonsense. It should be put into practice. Democracy alone does not deliver much. People should work hard and be honest.
Yes, I am passionate about my right to vote. I use my vote carefully - I must know the person and his work well enough to vote for him. I voted for Hamid Karzai in the presidential election. I also voted in the parliamentary election.
What do you see as the biggest threat to the future of Afghanistan - the Taleban, the West, corruption, illiteracy, poverty, drought or something else? Kate Mather, London, England
HAJI ABDULLAH SALEH, village elder: The Taleban is the biggest threat to the future of Afghanistan. They are not powerful enough to topple the government, but they are a big problem. Pakistan and Iran are supporting them with arms and funds.
Haji Abdullah Saleh
Haji Abdullah Saleh - the Taleban are bad for Islam
They don't want the country to stand on its own feet, prosper and become peaceful. They destroyed most of the country, and their legacy is all about burning schools, gardens and houses. This is unacceptable and it is against Islamic law.
The Taleban have made a comeback in the past year, they have re-grouped. You can even see them in the north of the country these days. They have begun using suicide attackers. This is another big worry. Recently, they killed some schoolgirls. All this is all very worrying.
It seems people are supporting the Taleban on the pretext that the Taleban are defending Islam against Western values. Do you agree? Ezra Kaimukilwa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
HAJI ABDULLAH SALEH: The Taleban has trampled upon the good name of Islam. They don't observe Islamic values and laws. They are against education.
If they served Islam, people would not have hated them, and they would have succeeded. They don't even have the power to defend Islam, let alone protect it. They get outside support to create trouble.
Do you still think Americans can establish democracy in Afghanistan? Is President Hamid Karzai acting independently or as a puppet of US? Saran , Bremen, Germany
HAJI ABDULLAH SALEH: American style democracy is not going to work in Afghanistan. Our democracy has to be moulded by ourselves, not any outsider.
As for Karzai - yes, he cannot act independently. He had to release people who worked against Islam because of pressure from foreign powers - the Muslim man who converted to Christianity was released.
Villagers having lunch
Village men discuss changes over lunch
He could not secure the release of the kidnapped Afghan translator of an Italian journalist, who was also taken hostage by the Taleban. The journalist was freed, but the translator lost his life.
Karzai should be the puppet of the Afghan people, instead he is the puppet of the US.
Has support for the Taleban risen due to lack of improvements in daily life? Karen DeBiase, Chester, VA
HAJI ABDULLAH SALEH: Support for Taleban is coming from countries like Pakistan.
There is a big rumour these days that the US is actually helping the Taleban to keep the war going. The Taleban were created by the US and the US has all the powers in the world, so people here find it very difficult to believe that the US can't take them out. It just doesn't make sense.
Would you like to see the grandson of the previous king back in power and would he able to unite the country? Simon, London, UK
HAJI ABDULLAH SALEH : It is possible. People are still fond of the royal family. The grandson of the former king is a member of a coalition of parties opposed to the government. It is possible for the royal family to reunite the people. They will get a lot of support from the people.
Shaista, have you been able to carry on going to school and do you still plan to be a doctor? Thone, Liege, Belgium
SHAISTA: I am in grade seven in school. I want to reach my dream and still wish to become a doctor and help my people.
Shaista
Shaista - still dreaming of being a doctor
There are still a lot of difficulties I am facing - I don't have shoes, I don't have proper school clothes, I don't have enough books.
I bought eight books for school recently. I needed more, but I could afford to pay only for eight. Each book cost 20 Afghans (US$0.40). This was from my own money that I had saved.
Now we have electricity for few hours in the evening, and I watch TV, some educational programmes and Indian serials.
I've never missed a class.
But my father tells me these days that I should stop going to school from next year.
My father and other people say girls don't go to school, only boys do. But I want to continue, study medicine and graduate. It is my dream to become a doctor.
Are there more opportunities for women to work and support themselves? What kind of education opportunities do they have? Tammy Georgeson, Salt Lake City, US
LAL BIBI, widow : There are no opportunities for women to work here. Women always stay home.
If men are jobless at least they can go to bazaar and find work there. But for women like us there are no opportunities.
Lal Bibi
Widow Lal Bibi - no aid gets to me
I have tried a lot to find some work for myself, but I have not succeeded.
I need to do some tailoring, embroidery and literacy courses, which would be helpful to earn a living.
There is absolutely no opportunity for education for women. We have not received any aid from foreign NGOs.
In fact no-one is helping women here. If the government or the NGOs that are working for women establish some courses in tailoring, embroidery and literacy, that can help women to make a living.
I did a month-long training course last year, conducted by a Dutch NGO on how to keep cows and livestock.
I passed the training, borrowed some money and bought a cow. I collect fodder for the cow from the gardens.
I sell the milk in the market to buy sugar, tea and basic food.
That is not enough for me. Everything is expensive.
I can work as a tailor, embroider, carpet weaver. But there is no such opportunity. Life is too difficult for me.
News for Sale
This video is from Freedom Journal Iraq
making these videos are common practice, to promote misinformation. we have hundreds of thousands of troops there and these are the results... 500 highschool kids get a school and it took 7months.... at a cost over of 500,000.00 How is that cost justified when the local people provided labor? you do the math.... how much dose a school cost to rebuild?
Also we have our troops guarding oil tankers... and checking truck drivers paper to counter corruption .. Is that the best spending of our ever growing trillions of dept?
Take a close look at these actors.... is this truth or un-truth? watch this video and you decide.... from pentagonchannel
War you get what we pay for!
The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War,[35] Operation Iraqi Freedom (U.S.),[36] Operation TELIC (UK),[37] or the occupation of Iraq,[38] is an ongoing conflict which began on March 20, 2003 with the United States-led invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition composed of U.S. and UK troops supported by smaller contingents from Australia, Denmark, Poland, and other nations.[39]
The main rationale for the invasion offered by U.S. President George W. Bush and coalition supporters was the allegation that Iraq possessed and was actively developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in violation of a 1991 agreement.[40][41] U.S. officials argued that Iraq posed an imminent, urgent, and immediate threat to the United States, its people, allies, and interests.[42][43] The supporting intelligence was widely criticized,[44] and weapons inspectors found no evidence of WMD.[45] After the invasion, the Iraq Survey Group concluded that Iraq had ended its WMD programs in 1991 and had none at the time of the invasion, but that they intended to resume production if and when the Iraq sanctions were lifted.[46] Although some earlier degraded remnants of misplaced or abandoned WMD were found, they were not the weapons for which the coalition invaded.[47] Some U.S. officials claimed Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda had been cooperating,[48] but no evidence of any collaborative relationship has been found.[49][50] Other reasons for the invasion stated by officials included concerns over Iraq's financial support for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers,[51] Iraqi government human rights abuses,[52] spreading democracy,[53] and Iraq's oil reserves.[54][55][56][57]
The invasion led to the quick defeat of the Iraqi military, the flight of President Saddam Hussein, his capture in December, 2003 and his execution in December, 2006. The U.S.-led coalition occupied Iraq and attempted to establish a new democratic government. But shortly after the initial invasion, violence against coalition forces and among various sectarian groups led to asymmetric warfare with the Iraqi insurgency, civil war between many Sunni and Shia Iraqis, and al-Qaeda operations in Iraq.[58][59] Estimates of the number of people killed range from over 150,000[31] to more than 1 million.[2] The financial cost of the war has been more than £4.5 billion ($9 billion) to the UK,[60] and over $845 billion to the U.S., with the total cost to the U.S. economy estimated at $3 to 5 trillion.[61] Member nations of the Coalition began to withdraw their forces as public opinion favoring troop withdrawals increased and as Iraqi forces began to take responsibility for security.[62][63]
Iraqi (under Saddam Hussein): 375,000+ regular forces.[citation needed] Post-Baathist government, multi-sided conflict: PKK: ~4,000 | Coalition ~300,000 invasion ~177,000 current Contractors* ~182,000 (118,000 Iraqi, 43,000 Other, 21,000 US)[11][12] Peshmerga 50,000 invasion 180,000 current New Iraqi Army 165,000 Iraqi Police 227,000[13] Awakening Council militias 65,000-80,000[14] Turkish Armed Forces: 10,000 |
Casualties and losses | |
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Iraqi combatant dead (invasion period): 7,600-10,800[15][16] Insurgents dead (post-Saddam): 16,178-22,007 per these reports. PKK: 412 killed (Turkish government claim) | Iraqi Security Forces (post-Saddam, Coalition allies) Police/military killed: 10,020 See: Casualties of the Iraq War Coalition dead (4,004 US[20], 176 UK, 133 other): 4,313[21][22][23] Coalition missing or captured (US): 4[23] Coalition wounded:29,314 US, ~300 UK[23][24][25] Coalition injured, diseased, or other medical:**28,645 US, 1,155 UK.[23][22][25] Contractors dead (US 242): 1,025[26][27][28] Contractors missing or captured (US 4): 12 Contractors wounded & injured: 10,569[26] Awakening Councils: Turkish Armed Forces: |
All Iraqi violent deaths, Opinion Research Business. As of August 2007: 1,033,000 (946,000-1,120,000). Causes; gunshots (48%), car bombs (20%), aerial bombing (9%), accidents (6%), another blast/ordnance (6%). [2] ***Total deaths (all excess deaths) Johns Hopkins (Lancet) - As of June 2006: 654,965 (392,979-942,636). 601,027 violent deaths (31% by Coalition, 24% by others, 46% unknown)[29][30] All Iraqi violent deaths. Iraqi Health Ministry casualty survey for the World Health Organization. As of June 2006: 151,000 (104,000 to 223,000).[31][32][33][34] |
911 truth or un-truth
I remember it well, soon i would come to learn that that was the day the "E-merica was sold out! I soon learned like many of you, that it just did not add up.
You have to seek the truth, So many question and so few answers
This video was linked to me... It shows detailed facts of what really happened.
god bless those poor souls.
E-merica
The opening of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, states as follows:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Many people understand these statements to refer to the biblical idea that God created humans in His image. The thinking is that if we are all created in His image, we are all of equal value and possess the same God-given rights. Others feel these statements illustrate the idea of natural rights, a philosophical concept of the Enlightenment; many of the ideas in the Declaration were borrowed from the English liberal political philosopher John Locke
under these words our country was born... The bill of rights furthered our scope of freedom...
- First Amendment – Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly; right to petition
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
- A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
- Third Amendment – Protection from quartering of troops.
- No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
- Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
- The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
- No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
- Sixth Amendment – Trial by jury and rights of the accused; Confrontation Clause, speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel
- In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
- Seventh Amendment – Civil trial by jury.
- In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
- Eighth Amendment – Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
- Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
- Ninth Amendment – Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
- The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
- Tenth Amendment – Powers of states and people.
- 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.
The true answer is "men are not equal"... The dividing line is "knowledge".
Knowledge is defined (Oxford English Dictionary) variously as (i) expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject, (ii) what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information or (iii) awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation. Philosophical debates in general start with Plato's formulation of knowledge as "justified true belief". There is however no single agreed definition of knowledge presently, nor any prospect of one, and there remain numerous competing theories.
Knowledge acquisition involves complex cognitive processes: perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning. The term knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject with the ability to use it for a specific purpose if appropriate.