News_&_Current_Events_issue

Since many reports herein are from other sources, a copyright would be of little use in those cases.
But, all reports herein, reprints are permitted if proper credit is given as to source - Rocky View
with URL of this page or the homepage referenced above.

Let your fingers do the paying
Smart cards and cashless payments catching on in Canada

I remember watching science fiction shows on TV that featured all sorts of cool gadgets that seemed totally impossible at the time. Computers that could talk, microchips that could be used as tracking devices, portable phones that could be used to pay for things. I remember in particular a Star Trek episode that mentioned the 'archaic' idea of cash. I thought to myself, "How much longer will paper money actually exist?" Well, judging by the popularity of debit cards and keychain payment devices, cash's days are numbered.

Esso and Shell launched their Speedpass and easyPAY systems a few years ago, and the technology is really gaining momentum. Both systems work the same way. The user just holds up their pass (which is basically a high-tech key fob) and charges appear on monthly credit card statements. Of course, it’s not quite that simple. The fob is used to transmit a radio frequency identification (RFID) code. Then, an electronic system inside the pass reader, which is located at the pump or inside the store, 'talks' to a miniature radio-like device to assess your charges. The technology sounds complicated, but it makes life so much easier.

In Japan, where technology is always at least a year ahead of ours, people are already doing away with cash. Instead, they use their cell phones to pay for everything from coffee to lunch to a new pair of shoes. To add money to their cell phone smart cards, users can put cash into docking stations, and in return their phone is credited with electronic cash. It’s expected that one in three Japanese people will be using this method of payment by 2008. What’s best is that these smart cards don't just work as cash, but also as electronic keys and air miles cards. Shoppers can carry just their cell phones and let their fingers do the buying!

Here in Canada, it’s likely that this kind of smart card will really take off. I say that because Canadians have become the world’s most avid users of debit cards and ABMs (Automated Banking Machines). Unlike debit cards, which require you to press in your account and PIN information, payments via cell phone or smart card work just like the key fobs. They use radio frequency identification to transfer account information from the embedded chip to a merchant’s point of sale terminal. Once the two connect, the transaction is completed within seconds. Credit cards aren’t going to disappear just yet, but don’t be surprised to be offered a smart card from your credit card company in the near future.

One more sci-fi payment option available in the U.S. right now is the new Pay By Touch system. Pay By Touch is a free service that allows you to pay with your fingerprint at certain stores. Your finger image securely links you, and only you, to your accounts. This system works as a kind of electronic wallet, allowing you to choose a method of payment from a Pay By Touch account that you set up on their website. You can sign up for the system at any participating store. Now, I should clarify, it’s not actually a fingerprint that gets used here, but a series of tiny measurements between data points on your finger. This leaves room for some error, since not everyone has legible data points. The scanner can’t read elderly or work-damaged hands, for instance. Obviously this is a relatively new system with a few kinks to iron out. But Pay By Touch, a world leader in biometric authentication, is sure to solve these problems.

So far, merchants seem impressed with the Pay By Touch technology. Piggly Wiggly, one of the main chains using the Pay By Touch system, has noticed a marked increase in checkout efficiency. They’ve also found that people who use Pay By Touch return to the store more often. The system is now also much more affordable to retailers than it was a few years ago. Today Pay By Touch offers fingerprint scanners for $50 each, while three years ago those same scanners were $2000 each. And at a cost of only 15 cents per transaction, it’s a much more affordable option than paying the surcharges that go with accepting credit and debit cards.

All this sci-fi spending will soon let you part with your hard-earned money even more easily. Pretty soon you won’t even need a wallet.

[I am sure that what happens here will follow in other countries, if not already happening. -- Viv]

The Government handed itself sweeping powers in the 2004 Children's Act to record information on all children in England and Wales.

    * Unique ID Number
    * whether parents provide a positive role model
    * if the child's grades are slipping
    * if they eat enough fruit and veg.
    * whether they go to church
    * whether a pre-school child is in day care

All 12 million children in England and Wales will be on the computer database, leading to a charge that they are being prepared for lives of 'prison, not freedom.'

Social Workers, teachers and doctors will have access to the to the database and have the powers to flag up 'concerns' were children are not meeting criteria laid down by the state.

Ministers insist the index will act as an early-warning system to higlight children at risk.

It will monitor whether youngsters are eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, struggling to get good marks at school.

Critics claim it sidelines the rights of parents to bring up their children as they see fit and amounts to a 'bar-coding' of younsters.

They questioned how the Government knew better than the parents on the correct way to bring up a child, and warned it would deter decent families form seeking help fo rfear of being branded 'at risk.'

Civil liberties and children's campaigners are to hold a conference at the London School of Economics to highlight their concerns.

A spokesman said: 'Who is bringing children up the parents or the state. Are parents effectively to become nannies for the state's children.' This is a very marxist attitude.

Jonathan Bamford of the Information Commissioners Office, which polices access to information said there was no justification for keeping checks on 12 million children when only a small proportion were at risk.

'We are heading towards a situation in which an entire generation of kids won't know what privacy is, we are preparing them for for a life time of surveilance rather than a life time in a free society. It is time to ask ourselves why are we prepared to sacrifice the privacy of our children first.'

The Childrens Act 2004 - section 12 of the act limits information to name, address, date of birth, gender, a unique ID, contact details of parent, carer, school, GP practice and other practitioners dealing with the child.

But the government wants to now extend the records to include detailed assessments of a child's life.

The database has already been piloted in 12 local authorities and the Government plans to expand it nationwide from next year.

It will introduce a regulation in Parliament - allowing it to become law with barely any scrutiny by MPs who it appears will by all accounts just rubber stamp it through.

TLU SA / TAU SA
194 James Avenue / Jamesrylaan 194
PO Box 912-51 / Posbus 912-51
SILVERTON / SILVERTON
0127 / 0127
T: (012) 804-8031, F: (012) 804-2014, E: info@tlu.co.za
W: www.tlu.co.za

The President of TAU SA, Mr Paul van der Walt has requested the President, Mr Mbeki, in writing to repudiate the Minister of Safety and Security after his utterances that people who complain about crime should rather leave the country. Mr Nqakula's remarks were irresponsible and thoughtless and he owes the country an apology. Notwithstanding wide critism from opposition parties, stake holders and the public, Mr Nqakula remains as silent as the graves of victims of crime.

Mr van der Walt made it quite clear in his letter, that should Mr Mbeki not repudiate his Minister in public, this will be interpreted as silent approval of his stance.

DALLAS CBS 11 has news of what could turn out to be one of the biggest discoveries in the history of both archaeology, and Christianity. A group of men, including several north Texans, believes it has found the remains of Noah's Ark, but it's not where most think.

The group made the discovery in Iran. That may come as a surprise, because Christians have always believed Noah's Ark was in Mount Ararat, in eastern Turkey.

“I really didn't think we were going to get into Iran. What are the chances that ground zero, the country that hates America the most, that we could get in?” said Texan, Arch Bonnema.

Faith and curiosity drove Dallas businessman Bonnema on a spiritual and historic journey. He says more than a thousand people have searched for Noah's Ark over the past century.

“If we can find some evidence that Noah's Ark really existed, I thought that could cause thousands and tens of thousands of people to say, ‘maybe the rest of the bible is true, too.’” Bonnema said.

He was joined by fellow Dallas businessman Boone Powell, and more than a dozen others.

“We had archaeologists, we had geologists, scientists, biblical historians, we had mountain climbers,” Bonnema said.

More than 13,000 feet above sea level, after a seven hour hike, their pilgrimage concluded with a 400-foot long object.

Bonnema says the piece was obviously man-made and it was exactly where they expected. The team's leader, Dr. Robert Cornuke, had determined that Noah's Ark couldn't be in Turkey, based on the description in the bible and the time frame.

According to Bonnema, in biblical times, Ararat was in the region which is today northern Iran.

The businessman says the petrified wood clearly bears a resemblance to a ship. “How did a ship get to 13,300 feet, except to float there?”

Bonnema says he knows there will be naysayers, but he believes the discovery will reaffirm others' faith as it did his own.

A Houston lab used by the Smithsonian tested the alleged ark. Bonnema says they found that it was petrified wood, and that fossilized sea animals were buried inside it.

How many times have you yawned at the claim Noahs Ark Has Been Discovered? Right, you say, and Elvis has been sighted again, too. People who hoped to find the famous vessel and the legendary voice have been pretty much in the same boat (so to speak)No proof. Until today.

Led by explorer, adventurer, and featured Worldview Weekend speaker Dr. Bob Cornuke, a fourteen man crew returned this week from Iran bearing stunning evidence that theirs is the long-anticipated even coveted discovery of the remains of Noahs Ark. Bobs team consisted of a Whos Who of business, law, and ministry leaders including Barry Rand (former CEO of Avis), the author and Christian apologist Josh McDowell, Frank Turek (co-author with Norm Geisler of I Dont Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist), Boone Powell (former CEO of Baylor Medical Systems), and Arch Bonnema (president of Joshua Financial).

The unusual object is perched on a slope 13,120 feet above sea level. After studying the discovery site, Bonnema observed, These beams not only look like petrified wood, they are so impressive that they look like real woodthis is an amazing discovery that may be the oldest shipwreck in recorded history.

Reg Lyle, oil and gas geologist said the object appears to be a basalt dike, however, it is absolutely uncanny that the object looks like hand hewn timbers, even the grain and color look just like petrified wood.I really need to keep an open mind about this.

The team returned to the U.S. from rugged mountains in Iran with astonishing video footage of a monstrous black formation which looks like rock but bears the amazing image of hundreds of massive, wooden, hand-hewn beams. Could it be the lost ark on which two of every animal once sailed with their human rescuer?

Bob Cornuke, president of the BASE Institute, is a veteran of nearly 30 expeditions looking for yet-to-be-discovered locations and artifacts described by the Bible. He is cautiouslybut enthusiasticallyoptimistic about the find: We have no way of confirming for sure that this object is Noahs Ark, but it is probably the most interesting and baffling object ever found by ark searchers...it sure gets my heart to pumping just thinking of what it could be.

The arkish object is about 400 feet long and consists of rocks that look remarkably like blackened wood beams while other rock in the area is distinctively brown. And one visible piece is cut at 90-degree angle. Even more intriguing, some of the wood-like rocks were tested just this week and actually proved to be petrified wood, and it is noteworthy that Scripture recounts Noah sealed his ark with pitcha decidedly black substance. Upon being cut open, one of these rocks also divulged a marine fossil that could have only originated undersea.

Scouring the mountains all around the object, team participant Steve Crampton found thousands of fossilized sea shells blanketing the landscape. Cornuke brought back a one inch thick rock slab choked with fossilized clams.

High above the ark suspect, the team also found wood splinters and broken pottery shards under snow and rock at the 15,300 foot level. It showed evidence that ancients had thought this an important worship site for hundredsif not thousandsof years. The landing location would also be an unusually hospitable place to live. The team notes that every ecosystem helpful to humans and the animals is reachable within a 25-mile radius of the arks location.

Cornuke initially got involved in the search for the ark after meeting Apollo 15, moon walking astronaut Jim Irwin. In the 1980s Cornuke participated with Irwin in several searches on Mount Ararat in Turkey but was disappointed with the results. After several years of frustrating expeditions, Cornuke started looking elsewhere for the ark.

Cornuke found clues in the Bible that the ark might be on a mountain other than the famed Mount Ararat of Turkey. His observation was based on the Genesis 11 account that says descendants of Noah came to the Mesopotamian valley from the east. According to Cornuke, that would put the Biblical mountains of Ararat somewhere in the northern reaches of Iran. He also cited ancient historians such as Nicholas of Damascus and Flavius Josephus who wrote just before and after Christ that timbers of the ark had survived in what would today be the higher mountains of Iran.

Although his research is by far the most definitive ever, Dr. Cornuke is not the first to suggest Noahs Ark came to rest in Iran rather than Turkey. In 1943 an army observer named Ed Davis said he saw the ark on a high mountain in Iran. Sergeant Davis was a road construction engineer in Iran during World War II, building army highways from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea. During his tour of duty there, some Iranian friends told Davis of the ark and led him to the site. After the war, Sgt. Davis passed a lie detector test affirming his testimony about actually seeing timbers from an ark-like object high in the mountains of Iran.

Before his death, Davis became acquainted with Bob Cornuke and gave him a map showing the way to the object. It was right where Ed said it was in his map, Cornuke relayed, After seeing it from a distance I thought it at first unimpressive, but once we stood on the object we were all amazed at how it looked just like a huge pile of black and brown stone beams.

Mary Irwin, wife of late Apollo 15 astronaut Jim Irwin, viewed the evidence and stated that it was compelling and certainly could be the actual Ark of Noah.

Many Christians will be eager to see the pictures and video footage, and hear the Biblical evidence for why Noahs Ark and the mountains of Ararat must be in Iran. Unfortunately, I also expect that Dr. Cornuke will be venomously attacked by both Christians and non-Christians. His discovery will greatly distress evolutionists who do not want the story of Noah and a worldwide flood to be verified. And many Christians that have spent years and millions of dollars searching on Mt. Ararat in Turkey will be quick to dismiss Cornukes discovery out of jealousy (and perhaps a bit of embarrassment that they spent so much time looking in the wrong place).

Dr. Cornuke has used the Bible as his primary guidebook to one Biblical location and artifact after another. Has he once again overcome huge odds to make what is arguably one of the greatest archeological discoveries of all time? Has this crime-scene-investigator-turned-explorer pieced together clues from years of examination and discovered the remains of Noahs Ark?

Some of Americas leading businessmen, an attorney who has argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and two leading apologists believed the evidence was compelling enough that they made a daring trip to the politically volatile state of Iran and climbed a harsh mountain to see the object firsthand. Now that theyve returned, they seem anything but disappointed. Elvis may have long since left the building, but it looks as if the Ark may have just appeared at the door.

[To see the pictures and videos, goto http://www.arkfever.com/ and see them there. -- Tribble]

A recent Associate Press article notes that the preliminary FBI crime report for 2005 indicates a rise in violent crime. Quoting a college criminal justice professor, the article claims the increase is due to government’s waning support of law enforcement. Even more interesting is their attempt to link this with the National Rifle Association’s increased political power:

Criminal justice experts said the statistics reflect U.S. complacency in fighting crime, a product of dramatic declines in the 1990s and the abandonment of effective programs that emphasized prevention, putting more police officers on the street and controlling the spread of guns.

“We see that budgets for policing are being slashed and the federal government has gotten out of that business,” said James Alan Fox, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University in Boston. “Funding for prevention at the federal level and many localities are down and the (National Rifle Association) has renewed strength.”

The FBI report only includes about 80% of the entire U.S. population, so results may be skewed: it covers slightly less than 250 million people, while the US population was 296 million. (The 2004 FBI report was based upon a population of over 293 million.) Second, the report notes only the number of incidents, not the rate of occurrence within the population, which grew nearly one percent last year: this adjusts rates downwards. Finally, keep in mind that the FBI revises their crime data the year after first reporting it. For example, the 2003 report noted there were 1,381,259 offenses, while the 2004 report revised the 2003 number to 1,383,676. Taking these points into consideration, this article is premature in its pronouncement.

The AP article implies that the Bush administration has done nothing to control crime, reinforcing its message that the President caters to the NRA rather than fulfilling his obligations to the American People:

Violent crimes peaked at 1.9 million in 1992 and fell steadily through the end of that decade. The number has been relatively stable for the past six years.

The FBI reports that the annual number of violent crimes dropped 10.9% during its last six reporting years, while the rate dropped 18%. More to the innuendo, the number of violent crimes dropped 4.1% during the first four years of the Bush administration, while the rate dropped 8.1%. The AP statement is misleading and untrue.

Professor Fox claims the Clinton administration did something about crime, while Bush has not. But it turns out that Fox used to be a significant contributor to the Clinton administration, having participated in:

…White House meetings with President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President Gore on youth violence, private briefings to Attorney General Reno on trends in violence, and a presentation for Princess Anne of Great Britain. He served on President Clinton’s advisory committee on school shootings…

We noted in a recent paper Clinton’s poor record in enforcing federal laws designed to imprison violent felons who use guns to commit crime. Instead, he focused on “putting more police officers on the street and controlling the spread of guns.” This is a recipe for reduced liberty. (Also here and here.)
Fox’s Own Statistics Prove Concealed Carry Works

Professor Fox’s personal site links to his Bureau of Justice Statistics page at the U.S. Department of Justice. Using Fox’s own statistical compilation on justifiable homicide (JH), we find that law enforcement is rarely there to stop an attack on a citizen, but that most law enforcement officers’ (LEO) JH are due to criminal attacks on LEO, justifying self-defense. Between 1976 and 2002, only 2% of LEO JH occurred during a criminal attack on a citizen, while 49.8% occurred during attack on LEO. Fox’s statistics also show that 27.2% of citizen JH was self-defense; 61.5% came while disrupting crime, including defense of others at risk of forcible felonies, compared to 23.6% LEO JH disrupting crimes in progress.

Fox’s own data supports concealed carry: using justifiable homicide as an indicator, citizens were more likely than police to be present to stop violent crimes in progress. Keep in mind that most defensive shootings are not fatal: Kleck and Gertz found that of all defensive gun uses, 8.3% wounded or killed the criminal attacker, and only 15.6% actually fired the gun. This means that many more crimes were averted by an armed citizen that did not result in JH. The only way to change that fact is for government to put “more officers on the street” and disarm you in order to “control the spread of guns.”
Is the NRA Anti-Law Enforcement?

Fox’s implication that the NRA supports anti-LEO policies runs counter to NRA history. The NRA established a law enforcement training program in 1960, and has continuously upgraded it to provide a variety of trainings for law enforcement officers. Furthermore, law enforcement professionals, including police chiefs and FBI agents, have either run the program or had very significant influence on its development, and its mission is to enhance officers’ safety:

Our ultimate goal is the saving of lives and prevention of injuries through the safe, effective, and timely use of the law enforcement firearm. This is done by providing the law enforcement firearm instructor with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to teach their students how to “WIN A LETHAL ENCOUNTER!”

Kayne Robinson, elected NRA’s president in 2003, retired as Assistant Chief of Police in Des Moines, Iowa and was past President of the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police. NRA supports President Bush’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at putting armed, violent criminals in federal prison where parole is not an option. In the first three years of the Bush administration, prosecution of federal gun law violators increased 67%. A recent study of the effectiveness of this program estimated that because of the longer prison sentences in federal court, numerous crimes were not committed–in Kansas alone–by habitual offenders because they were removed from society by longer sentences.

Our county district attorney, Bryan Goertz, describes his experience with Project Safe Neighborhoods as favorable. The U.S. attorney offered him assistance for particularly violent offenders who used or possessed a firearm during the crime under indictment. As a result, he has declined to prosecute some local cases in which the Feds had concurrent jurisdiction with the state, which clears the way for the Feds to pursue the case in federal court. Benefits include:

· Rather than diminishing local control, it enhances the team approach of law enforcement in protecting our communities.*

A professor with a political ax to grind is quoted as an objective authority. A media outlet beats the drum of fear by insinuating that violent criminals are being cosseted by our president at the behest of the NRA, in the finest tradition of the media’s bias against guns and conservative causes. Welcome to the election season!

PHILADELPHIA — FBI statistics confirmed yesterday what police in such big cities as Cleveland, Houston, Las Vegas and Philadelphia have seen on the streets: Violent crime in the U.S. is on the rise, posting its biggest one-year percentage increase since 1991.

In Philadelphia, homicides jumped from 330 in 2004 to 377 in 2005, a 14 percent increase, according to the FBI. Murders climbed from 79 to 109 in Cleveland, up 38 percent; from 272 to 334 in Houston, a 23 percent rise; and from 131 to 144 in Las Vegas, a 10 percent increase.

Jeffrey Sedgwick, director of the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, cautioned that it is not yet clear whether the FBI numbers reflect a real increase or what statisticians call "static noise," or ordinary year-to-year variations.

Sedgwick said it is possible that crime rates in the U.S. are approaching a floor below which it might be difficult or even impossible to go. "I’m not sure it’s reasonable to expect you can always drive the crime rate down," he said.

Some criminal-justice experts said the statistics reflect the nation’s complacency in fighting crime. Crime dropped dramatically during the 1990s, and some cities have since abandoned effective programs that emphasized prevention, such as putting more cops on the street, and controlling the spread of guns.

"We see that budgets for policing are being slashed, and the federal government has gotten out of that business," said James Alan Fox, a criminaljustice professor at Northeastern University in Boston. Still, Fox said, "We’re still far better off than we were during the double-digit crime inflation we saw in the 1970s."

In Philadelphia, which has had more than 160 murders this year, the police department has responded by creating a special unit charged with roaming the streets between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. The program, which is expected to start soon, will shift 46 officers from other assignments.

Philadelphia police Capt. Benjamin Naish said more people appear to be settling disputes with guns.

"I think that everybody continues to be frustrated within the government, within the department," he said. Philadelphia police have stressed that the number of killings is still below the averages in the mid-1990s and far below the 525 homicides in 1990.

The overall national increase in violent crime was modest, 2.5 percent, which equates to more than 1.4 million crimes. Nevertheless, that was the largest percentage increase since 1991.

Nationally, murders rose 4.8 percent, meaning there were more than 16,900 victims in 2005. That would be the most since 1998 and the largest percentage increase in 15 years.

Murders rose from 59 to 104 in Birmingham, Ala., up 76 percent; from 59 to 85 in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, N.C., a 44 percent spike; from 89 to 126 in Kansas City, Mo., a 42 percent rise; and from 87 to 122 in Milwaukee, a 40 percent jump.

Detroit, Los Angeles and New York were among several big cities where murder numbers dropped.

For the first time in five years, the violent-crime rate in the U.S. is on the rise, the FBI said.

Murders increased 4.8 percent, part of an overall violent-crime rate increase of 2.5 percent, Fox News reported June 12. The increase was the largest for a single year since 1991, and experts blamed complacency and the decline of prevention programs and initiatives to put more police on the streets and control the spread of guns.

Significant spikes in murder numbers were seen in Houston, Philadelphia, and Houston. However, murder rates declined in Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York.

Officials estimated that there were 16,900 more murder victims in the U.S. in 2005 than in the previous year.

"We see that budgets for policing are being slashed and the federal government has gotten out of that business," said James Alan Fox, a criminal-justice professor at Northeastern University. "Funding for prevention at the federal level and many localities are down and the (National Rifle Association) has renewed strength."

Robberies rose 4.5 percent, while aggravated assault increased 1.9 percent; rapes, however, declined 1.9 percent.

The U.S. violent crime rate peaked in 1992, then declined through about 2000; it has remained relatively stable since then.

(CNSNews.com) - The valedictorian of a Blue Ribbon-awarded high school in New Jersey has left teachers and administrators with a sour taste in their mouths after using his June 20 valedictory speech to describe his education as "hollow" and one filled with "countless hours wasted in those halls."

"I felt like the most important questions were not asked." said Kareem Elnahal, the top rated student at Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, N.J. "Things like ethics, things that defined who we are, were ignored so in that way I thought it was hollow." he told Cybercast News Service Wednesday.

Mainland High School was ranked 403rd among the nation's top 1,200 schools in Newsweek Magazine's "America's Best High Schools" report from August 2005.

But at the June 20 commencement, Elnahal told his audience that "the education we have received here is not only incomplete, it is entirely hollow."

"[It is] grade for the sake of a grade, work for the sake of work." Elnahal added, according to a transcript of the speech posted on the Press of Atlantic City website.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the spirit of intellectual thought is lost," Elnahal said. "I know how highly this community values learning, and I urge you all to re-evaluate what it means to be educated," he concluded before leaving the ceremony without collecting his diploma.

Elnahal told Cybercast News Service that teachers refused to discuss certain topics because they were too closely tied to religious views. In his valedictory speech, he argued that there is a connection between a person's faith and that person's power of reasoning.

"Is there a creator? And if so, should we look to it for guidance," Elnahal asked the audience gathered at the high school graduation ceremony. "These are often dismissed as questions of religion, but religion is not something opposed to rationality. It simply seeks to answer such questions through faith."

Elnahal said the reaction to his speech from fellow students was the most dramatic development on the night of June 20. "I think the story really is not me or what I said but what the reaction was. If you were there you would have seen the kids stand up and clap," he told Cybercast News Service.

"The reaction from the students to me has been overwhelmingly positive." he continued. "For some reason, I don't know if for the same reason, I think they were all disappointed in some way or unfulfilled and I think that's what the school should be thinking about."

Daniel Loggi, superintendent of the Atlantic County, N.J., School District, said he was not troubled with Elnahal sharing his thoughts, but disagreed with the manner in which he chose to do it.

"I don't have any problem with anybody speaking what they feel." Loggi told Cybercast News Service. "But there are certain parameters when you have a graduation or any kind of ceremony where you prepare for it. I don't believe the way he did it was appropriate."

Loggi added that the student did not give school administrators the chance to either approve or disapprove. "Who knows whether the Mainland administration would have approved it or not. Maybe they would have, but he didn't give them that opportunity."

He also defended the quality of education at Mainland Regional High School. "I know Mainland is one of our top high schools in this county." Loggi said. "They've been a Blue Ribbon school and received a lot of awards. The education [Elnahal] received there is permitting him to go on to Princeton."

Elnahal said he would have chosen another occasion to say what he thought, but that his graduation seemed to be the only one available. "Had there been another venue I would have used it, but there really wasn't," said Elnahal. "So I felt I had to do it there. I felt it was the right thing to do."

Had he not chosen to speak out, Elnahal said, the opportunity for change would have been lost. "I felt like nothing would change. I felt like it had to be said and if this was the only time I could say it, then I should."

The South Side homeowner, a 51-year-old landscaper, came home from work Wednesday evening as he did every other night -- parking in the alley and cutting through his backyard.

But on this night, he saw a harrowing sight through a broken garage window -- a man nosing around his garage with a shotgun. The owner, who is of medium build but strong, his family said, fought with the assailant. In the struggle, the gun fired, killing the would-be burglar, Jesse Najera, 45, Chicago Police said.

The homeowner's family, including his wife and about six others, were inside the home in the 1600 block of West 38th Place, a relative said.

Najera, of the 4300 block of South Marshfield, has several felony convictions, according to court records.

The shooting was ruled justified by police, and the homeowner has been released without charges, police said Thursday.

But that is little comfort to the family, who were too afraid to give their names or be photographed and now are considering moving. "There's a heavy thing on my mind -- Why are we the victim? Why do I have to give my life, why does my life have to change? We can't go home,'' said the homeowner's 23-year-old daughter. "We're changing a whole lifestyle for some guy who broke in to steal from people who work, from good citizens.''

The woman said her father hasn't told her much about what happened yet because he didn't want to talk about it.

The family has lived on the quiet block for 17 years. Residents say the neighborhood is a quiet, nice blend of different ethnic backgrounds, with newcomers and homeowners who have been around for decades.

"I've always loved this neighborhood,'' said Alex Mikrut, who has lived in his brick house all of his 81 years.

He said there's a younger generation now, but neighbors are still nice, for the most part. They cut their grass and say good morning.

But more than one resident said there has been a rash of break-ins on the block and the latest was the most frightening by far.

"Especially because I've got four kids,'' said Ana Santos, 25. "You think it's a calm neighborhood, and God forbid something happens in your backyard.''

Wentworth Area Cmdr. Pat Walsh said detectives are checking reports of other burglaries in the neighborhood and will review evidence to see whether Najera could have been involved.

Main Idea
Virtually every major Western leader has over the past several years expressed the view that Islam is a peaceful religion and that those who commit violence in its name are fanatics who misinterpret its tenets. This claim, while widely circulated, rarely attracts serious public examination. Relying primarily on Islam’s own sources, this documentary demonstrates that Islam is a violent, expansionary ideology that seeks the destruction or subjugation of other faiths, cultures, and systems of government.

Content
The documentary consists of original interviews, citations from Islamic texts, Islamic artwork, computer-animated maps, footage of Western leaders, and Islamic television broadcasts. Its tone is sober, methodical, and compelling.
Outline of the Documentary

Introduction
We hear from prominent Western leaders that Islam is peaceful and that those who commit violence in its name are heterodox fanatics.

Part 1: ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet’
Our interviewees affirm their belief that Islamic violence is entirely orthodox behavior for Muslims and stems directly from the teachings and example of the Prophet Muhammad and the commands of the Koran. We learn that the example of Muhammad is one of a violent warlord who killed numerous people. The Koran – the verbatim words of Allah – prescribes violence against non-Muslims and Muhammad is the perfect example of the Koran in action.

Part 2: The Struggle
We learn that jihad, while literally meaning 'struggle', in fact denotes war fought against non-Muslims in order to bring the rule of Islamic law to the world. Violent death in jihad is, according to the Koran, the only assurance of salvation. One of our interviewees tells of his personal involvement in terrorism and his leaving Islam.

Part 3: Expansion
Following the death of Muhammad, his 'rightly-guided' successors carried his wars to three continents, fighting, enslaving, and massacring countless Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and others. Islam did not spread through evangelism or through its natural appeal, but through aggressive wars of conquest. The Crusades were largely a belated response on the part of Christian Europe to rescue Christians in the Holy Land suffering under Muslim oppression. The Muslim world today, while no longer the unified empire of the Caliphs, is exceptional for being responsible for the vast majority of conflicts around the world and for almost all of international terrorism.

Part 4: ‘War is Deceit’
A great problem with Western efforts to understand Islam is due to the Islamic principle of 'religious deception', which enjoins Muslims to deceive non-Muslims in order to advance the cause of Islam. Muslim groups today in the West employ deception and omission to give the impression that 'Islam is a religion of peace', an utter fiction.

Part 5: More than a Religion
The most important characteristic of Islam not understood by the West is that it is more a system of government than a personal religion. Throughout its history, Islam has never recognized a distinction between the religious and the secular/political. Islamic law governs every aspect of religious, political, and personal action, which amounts to a form of totalitarianism that is divinely enjoined to dominate the world, analogous in many ways to Communism.

Part 6: The House of War
Islamic theology divides the world into two spheres locked in perpetual combat, dar al-Islam (House of Islam - where Islamic law predominates), and dar al-harb (House of War - the rest of the world). It is incumbent on dar al-Islam to fight and conquer dar al-harb and permanently assimilate it. Muslims in Western nations are called to subvert the secular regimes in which they now live in accordance with Allah's command. Due to political correctness and general government and media irresponsibility, the danger posed by observant Muslims in the West remains largely unappreciated.

The Jersey City City Council has adopted an ordinance limiting individuals to one handgun purchase every 30 days despite protests from gun supporters and members of the National Rifle Association, who vowed a court challenge.

During a public hearing Wednesday night, a number of speakers objected to ordinance, including Frank Caso, the only licensed gun dealer in Jersey City

Caso said many of his customers from other municipalities would fall under the restrictions. He said no gun from his shop has ever been reported to have been used in a crime.

"New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the country," Caso said. "The illegal guns on the street are coming from outside New Jersey. What we need is better enforcement of the law, not penalizing law abiding citizens."

The council voted 8-1 to adopt the ordinance, with only Councilman Mike Sottolano voting no. Sottolano cited the effect the ordinance will have on Caso's business.

SEND OUT THE CLOWNS: Circus clowns in England have been told that mandatory water restrictions apply to them, so they cannot continue their "slosh shows" where they throw buckets of water on each other. "Deliberate" violations of the water restriction orders are punishable by a 5,000-pound (US$9,100) fine. "No one else is allowed to fill buckets from a hose in their back garden and throw them over each other," said a Sutton and East Surrey Water spokesman, "so why should the clowns?" (AFP) ...They could get around the ban by simply setting each other on fire first.

As we go out to celebrate our freedom this 4th of July, let's go over a few things to make your celebration a success.

Do not claim that freedom of speech gives you the right to wear a Tee-shirt that the government doesn't like. They can put you in jail.

Tidy up you house before you leave in case it is searched while you are out. You used to have the right to freedom from search unless a search warrant is issued. Now the police can come into your home, and take whatever they want, and not tell you until 2 weeks later, if they tell you at all. They don't even have to knock on the door before they barge in.

Before leaving home make sure you check the color coded Homeland Security alert status. Be especially careful is orange or red. Don't worry about yellow. It's always yellow.

Don't use any illegal fireworks in your 4th Celebration. It is for your own safety. And the founding father's implemented a government to protect you from yourselves. Didn't they? Besides, fireworks are explosive devices and you might be considered a terrorist with weapons of mass destruction. And although the government can't find any in Iraq, you can rest assured they will find them in your car trunk. But don't worry, getting arrested, imprisoned indefinitely without formal charges, and a 5 year wait before the secret tribunal trial per the Patriot Act is a breeze. It's that secret summary execution that should make you nervous.

Make sure you are buckled up in your seat belts, there will be roadblocks and checkpoints to make sure you comply. It is for the children. Have your papers ready as you approach the holiday police checkpoints.

If you are an airline employee, lighten up for the holiday, you can always okfrajob tomorrow. Maybe you could transfer over to a Federal Airport Security Screener job. Big demand for those jobs and you don't have to be smart.

If you are a Haliburton employee, then celebrate: You probably have a raise coming from the Iraqi contract windfall.

If celebrating on any public property, make no mention of religious ideals. Government is god there. You will be apprehended.

Don't criticize the President, or other government officials; you might be in violation of the Patriot Act and considered a possible terrorist.

Don't mention the Constitution in any district court, or you could be held in contempt.

If your children get out of line this holiday, do not discipline them, or they may be kidnapped by the Dept. of Social Services and held hostage until you sign a confession, receive approved psychological therapy, and are deemed acceptable.

Show compassion this Independence Day by bringing an illegal immigrant to your celebration, or by huggnga re. BR
If an election is occurring in your locality within the next 90 days, do not talk about or publicly support any candidate, as that is no longer lawful. Keep your mouth shut.

If an officer asks to search your vehicle at the "seat belt" checks, do not be belligerent and demand a search warrant. Standing up for your fourth amendment rights is anti-social and not in tune with the new American way. Are you with Al Quada or something?

Do not get upset when the searching officer will not help you pick up your belongings that he has strewn all over the highway as he searched your vehicle. It is not in his job description and complaining will get you charged with obstructing justice.

Keep your guns at home. You are not going hunting and besides, what on earth do guns have to do with American Independence? Better yet, turn your guns into the authorities to let them know that you are a true patriotic American. You still have the right to carry a gun if you have a license, buttha wil son e gne if the United Nations passes their measure making carrying a gun illegal.

Better yet, just STAY at home. BUT do not assume that you are safe, because you are at home. If a government bureaucrat shows up at your home, he will probably be flashing a badge at you. This makes him look like a constitutional law enforcement officer. He may even be armed. Do not ask to see a warrant, and then tell him to leave if he does not have one. They will put a siege around your house. If you do not come out soon enough, they may invade, with guns drawn, or even set your house on fire. For more information, do a Google search using keywords like "Symbionese Liberation Army", "Philadelphia MOVE group", "Gordon Kahl", "The Order", "Robert Matthews", "Covenant of the Sword and Arm of the Lord", "Randy Weaver" , "Branch Davidian", or "Elian Gonzalez".

If you are counting on you congressman to protect you, understand that the average congressman is ALSO afraid to resist. For more information do Goole sarchusin keywords like "George Hanson" , "James Trafficant" or "Larry McDonald".

You used to have the right to privacy. Now they have cameras everywhere watching you. If celebrating at the mall you are probably safe as the mall is now monitored by hundreds of surveillance cameras, watched by federal security forces. Don't do anything that you wouldn't want them to see.

Bring lots of cash with you, there will be many taxes, fines, and fees to pay as you celebrate your freedoms this day.

Do not leave home without your driver's license, social security card, birth certificate, welfare card, Medicare card, medical records, W-2 Form, and two others forms of ID. You may be asked for them at the police checkpoints. Better yet, get micro-chipped, and avoid the hassle of carrying around your papers. Bring your library card, the FBI may ask you for it.

Do not put any "anti-government" bumper stickers on your car. Especially not anything about the right to keep and beararms.Polic havebeen raine by the FBI in "bumper sticker profiling". This attracts their attention at the check points, and makes you look like a terrorist.

With regard to "bumper sticker profiling" you should be especially aware of the fact that "They will get my gun, when they pry it from my cold dead fingers" is no longer mere semantics. At WACO, and at RUBY RIDGE, we learned that they WILL kill you to take your guns

ALSO, be careful not to have any unauthorized THOUGHTS. There are now serious penalties for "thought crime". Be aware that "civil forfeiture" laws make it possible to take anything that you own, by alleging that it was "intended" to be used for the commission of a crime. This could include transporting, or storing, a gun. If "civil forfeiture" proceedings are initiated against you, then you will have the burden of proof, to show that your thoughts were in compliance with government standards.

Get to know some politicians, and bureaucrats, so that you might be ableto hea off te takig of yur priate property to be given to private developers for the "public good".

If traveling by air, this Independence Day, do not give the airport screeners a hard time. They are feeling you up, and molesting your daughter, and wife, for the security of America. If you complain you could be arrested. You don't support Bin Laden do you?

Keep an eye on your fellow Americans as you celebrate this 4th of July. If you see anything suspicious, take notes so that when you get home you can call and report them to the Homeland Security Office. And remember you are not a nosey snitch, you are a great American Patriot.

Do not mention the signers of the Declaration of Independence this 4th of July. Mentioning these white subversive terrorists is not popular and could get you in big trouble. Besides what do these guys have to do with the 4th of July anyway?

Do not leave home without one or more little plastic American flags made by political slaves in Communist Cina. Mae sure ou haveone flyng fromthe antennae of your vehicle. You don't want to seem un-American do you?

Do not take a copy of the Declaration of Independence with you as it advocates the overthrow of tyrannical government. It is a terrorist document and will be confiscated at the holiday police checkpoints. Same advice for the Constitution.

And remember, as you leave home for your 4th of July outing, that the second you stepped out of your door that you probably broke hundreds of federal, state, and local laws that you are probably unaware of. However, if you tow the line, you will not be charged.

If arrested you used to have the right to a jury trial, and to be told what you have done wrong, and appointed council. Now you can be labeled an "enemy combatant" or terrorist, and be placed in jail with no trial, no lawyer, nothing for as long as they want. For more information, do a Google search on "Jose Padilla".

Don't even think about taxes on this great day. The 50 pr cent gvernmentconfiscaion of yur incom at the threat of imprisonment or at the point of a gun should not even cross your mind as you revel in your freedom. After all, April 15th is a long way off.

And whatever you do, do not let on that you really know that true freedom died a long time ago in America, just have fun for the day and then go home and stick your head back in the sand and pretend America is not becoming a fascist police state.

If you have a few decades with nothing better to do, study up on "administrative law". Laws are now made by the unelected bureaucrats, in hundreds of "administrative agencies". If you are charged with violating one of these "laws" you will not get a trial by a jury of your peers. You will be tried by the agency that made the "law" and made the charge against you. If you appeal this "conviction," your appeal will also be heard by the administrative agency that "convicted" you. Their ruling will probably be that they were right.

I hope this mesage getspast the epartmentof Home lnd Insecuity approved internet filter. How else can they protect us from unauthorized thought?

HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY This transmission screened prior to receipt by addressee pursuant to applicable sections of the USA PATRIOT Act. The Patriot Act is constitutionally illegal, but was signed into law takes away your rights and turns them into privileges, which the government can grant or take away at will. If you remember we were told that this would just be temporary. Now it has been made permanent. But no one protested did they?

You used to have the rights to not be spied on by anyone while on the phone or the internet. You also used to have the rights to your bank records being held private. Now the government can just go through your bank record data and monitor your financial transactions without question and without even telling you.
-----------------

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free. Our forefathers are crying. Our forefathers are angry. Our forefathers are loading their muskets and heading for The Green. America........Wake the hell up.

There will be many people coming out to celebrate this July 4th when they should be out protesting the rights they have lost. We need to get those rights back. And for those of you who say "Why should I care I have done nothing wrong." This just shows how much you value your rights! The government loves people like you. They can take away even more of your rights and you will just go along with them without speaking out. You deserve to lose your rights because you didn't appreciate them when you did have them.

Reports from the Kremlin today show that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has issued a ‘strong protest’ to the United States over their plan to begin a massive spraying of their population to protect them from the bird flu virus H5N1.

This planned mass aerial spraying of the American population comes after the breakthrough research in this new technology by the United States Pentagon supported Akzo Nobel Dutch chemical giant, and as we can read as reported by Reuters News Service in their article titled "Akzo Nobel to test mass bird flu vaccine", and which says:

"Dutch chemical group Akzo Nobel said on Monday it has developed a bird flu vaccine prototype that can be applied to large avian populations by spraying instead of injections. The new vaccine, developed by Akzo's animal health unit Intervet, works against avian influenza and Newcastle Disease and is scheduled to undergo field trials next year, Akzo Nobel said in a statement.

A vaccine that replaces the tedious and costly process of injecting birds individually could be available in the "near future", Akzo Nobel said."The prototype combines the efficacy of the present vaccines with a mass application tool and could prove invaluable in helping to quickly protect large numbers of birds, which currently have to be injected individually," Toon Wilderbeek, Akzo's executive in charge of pharmaceuticals, said in a statement.

The H5N1 avian influenza, which has spread out of Asia into Africa and across Europe, has killed or forced the culling of tens of millions of birds."

These reports state the United States authorities have become increasingly alarmed by their failure to mass produce a bird flu vaccine due to their involvement with the British vaccine maker Chiron, and as we can read as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle News Service in their article titled "Feds fault Chiron for not cleaning up flu shot plant", and which says:

"Chiron Corp.'s troubled flu shot factory in England earned poor marks from federal regulators last summer, just weeks before it expected to resume shipments to the United States -- and despite a 10-month effort to turn the plant around, according to a newly released report. The report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, obtained by The Chronicle under a Freedom of Information Act request, details the results of a nine-day inspection the FDA conducted in July.

Today, the same Liverpool plant is in full production for this fall's flu shot season, and the company expects to produce up to 40 million doses for the U.S. market. It also has been tapped to fill a $62.5 million federal contract to make an experimental human vaccine against the H5N1 strain of bird flu. At the time of the inspection, the Emeryville company was under heavy pressure to resume making flu shots at its Liverpool factory after its entire production run of 48 million doses -- half the U.S. flu shot supply -- had been condemned the year before and destroyed.

Despite the high stakes, FDA inspectors found that Chiron still was unable to test reliably for the presence of bacteria that had caused the previous year's shutdown and had failed to complete dozens of reports routinely required whenever problems crop up in the laborious vaccine-making process."

The greatest concern among Russian Scientists relating to this planned spraying of the American population is the ‘unproven genetic science’ behind the makeup of the new generation of altered DNA vaccines being developed by the United States and their possible effects upon all biological life-forms and eco-systems.

It has long been suspected that the United States has for years been conducting massive sprayings of their population, but to which their Government authorities have denied, and as we can read as reported by the Las Vegas Tribune News Service in their article titled "Chemtrails Are Over Las Vegas", and which says:

"Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio authored the Space Preservation Act of 2001, which sought a "permanent ban against weapons in space," specifically banning "chemtrails" as weapons. But in a subsequent version of the bill, the "chemtrails" language disappeared entirely. The missing words suggest an eyes-wide-open denial, which says as much about the cover-up as it does about the spraying that's plainly visible in the sky.

In a front-page story entitled "Conspiracy theorists look up," the Akron Beacon Journal noted that Kucinich's bill "had been rewrittenand the references to chemtrails and the other types of weapons were quietly eliminated." The Beacon Journal article, linking chemtrails to conspiracies, resulted from massive local pressure. Michel Massullo of Akron provided that newspaper with rolls of photos of plane trails and a sworn affidavit attesting to extensive aerial activity over that city.

The U.S. Air Force Website refutes the "Chemtrail Hoax" as having been around since 1996, "accusing the Air Force of being involved in spraying the U.S. population" with mysterious substances: "Several authors cite an Air University research paper titled 'Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025' that suggests the Air Force is conducting weather modification experiments. The purpose of that paper was part of a thesis to outline a strategy for the use of a future weather modification system to achieve military objectives and it does not reflect current military policy, practice, or capability."

Most interesting about these American Government denials, however, are numerous Russian Intelligence reports that detail how the United States Military themselves are the ones responsible for disseminating information linking these ‘Chemtrails’ to weather modification, but which in truth are more likely to have an application for the control of populations via the introduction of fluoride based mental sedatives, according to these reports.

The concerns of the United States in regard to the bird flu are indeed well founded however as new reports from Indonesia are showing that this virus has possible begun its final mutation to human-to-human transmission, and as we can read as reported by Canada’s Globe and Mail News Service in their article titled "Bird flu likely spread within Indonesian family", and which says:

"The World Health Organization has concluded that human-to-human transmission likely occurred among seven relatives who developed bird flu in Indonesia. In a report obtained yesterday, WHO experts said the cluster's index case was probably infected by sick birds and spread the disease to six family members. The UN agency stressed the virus has not mutated and that no cases were detected beyond the family."

A greater concern regarding this bird flu is the news coming out of China, and which shows they have not been forthcoming to the World in their knowledge of this dreaded virus, and as we can read as reported by the CBC News Service in their article titled "China had bird flu case two years earlier than Beijing admits: researchers", and which says:

"In an extraordinary turn of events, Chinese researchers have contradicted Beijing's official version of the country's H5N1 human infection timeline, revealing a Chinese man died of H5N1 avian flu fully two years before China reported its first human case to the World Health Organization in November 2005. The eight researchers reported in a letter in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine - a letter they attempted to withdraw Wednesday - on the genetic blueprint of H5N1 virus isolated from the man, who died in November 2003.

That case predates any of the 228 confirmed cases that have been reported to WHO since the current outbreak of H5N1 virus began in late 2003. Officially, the first human cases in this outbreak occurred in Vietnam in December of 2003. Influenza experts outside China have long believed the country has hidden or missed human cases of H5N1. To date the country has reported 19 cases to the WHO; 12 of those people have died."

To whatever the final outcome of these events it remains the saddest fact that these American peoples do appear to be nothing more to their Government than test subjects for some of the most vial human experiments since the days of the Nazi Germans. And as the nightmare of these imprisoned peoples grows ever darker, their ability to seek protection for themselves and their families, and against all common sense, seems to have completely disappeared from their lives.

[Ed. Note (whatdoesitmean): The United States government actively seeks to find, and silence, any and all opinions about the United States except those coming from authorized government and/or affiliated sources, of which we are not one. No interviews are granted and very little personal information is given about our contributors to protect their safety.]

Chuck Baldwin interviewed Jerry Corsi on Tuesday, June 20, 2006, in the Chuck Baldwin Live studio in Pensacola, Florida, about the current efforts by President George W. Bush to merge the United States with Canada and Mexico into a regional, trilateral government called The North American Union.

"The most common characteristic of all police states is intimidation by surveillance. Citizens know they are being watched and overheard. Their mail is being examined. Their homes can be invaded." -- Vance Packard
(1914-1996) American journalist, social critic, and author
Source: The People Shapers, 1977

"You can't say you love your country and hate your government." -- Bill Clinton
[William Jefferson Blythe III] (1946- ), 42nd US President
Source: 1995 (After the OKC bombing)

Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.

On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8 billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a 99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.

Few people know that the tolls from the U.S. side of the tunnel between Detroit and Windsor, Canada, go to a subsidiary of an Australian company — which also owns a bridge in Alabama.

Some experts welcome the trend. Robert Poole, transportation director for the conservative think tank Reason Foundation, said private investors can raise more money than politicians to build new roads because these kind of owners are willing to raise tolls.

"They depoliticize the tolling decision," Poole said. Besides, he said, foreign companies have purchased infrastructure in Europe for years; only now are U.S. companies beginning to get into the business of buying roads and bridges.

Gas taxes and user fees have fueled the expansion of the nation's highway system. Thousands of miles of roads built since the 1950s changed the landscape, accelerating the growth of suburbia and creating a reliance on motor vehicles to move freight, get to work and take vacations.

In 1956, President Eisenhower pushed to create the interstate highway system for a different: to move troops and tanks and evacuate civilians.

The Bush administration's plan to let a foreign company manage U.S. ports met a storm of protest in February. But plans to sell or lease highways to companies outside the United States have not met such resistance.

John Foote, senior fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, said the government can take over a highway in an emergency. But he objects to selling roads to raise cash.

Last year, the city sold a 99-year lease on the eight-mile Chicago Skyway for $1.83 billion. The buyer was the same consortium that leased the Indiana Toll Road — Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Sydney, Australia, and Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte of Madrid, Spain.

Chicago used the money to pay off debt and fund road projects. Skyway tolls rose 50 cents, to $2.50; By 2017, they will reach $5.

The Indiana Toll Road lease is a better deal, Foote thinks, because the proceeds will pay for urgent projects such as road and bridge improvements.

That need is precisely why cities and states have begun to look to foreign investors.

Between 1980 and 2004, people drove 94 percent more highway miles, according to Federal Highway Administration statistics. But the number of new highway lane miles rose by only 6 percent.

Washington is not likely to produce more money to build roads. The federal highway fund — which will have a balance of about $16 billion by the end of 2006 — will run out in 2009 or 2010, according to White House and congressional estimates.

About half the states now let companies build and operate roads. Many changed their laws recently to do so.

So Illinois lawmakers are examining privatizing the Illinois Tollway, New Jersey lawmakers are considering selling 49 percent of the state's two big toll roads and a gubernatorial candidate in Ohio wants to sell the turnpike.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who championed his state's toll road deal, now wants investors to build and operate a toll road from Indianapolis to Evansville.

Patrick Bauer, the Indiana House's Democratic leader, says such deals are taxpayer rip-offs.

Bauer believes Macquarie-Cintra could make $133 billion over the 75-year life of the Indiana Toll Road lease — for which Indiana got $3.8 billion.

"In five, maybe 10 years, all that money is gone, and the tolls keep rising and the money keeps flowing into the foreign coffers," Bauer said.

The road, part of state Route 91, was built and run for $130 million by California Private Transportation Company, partly owned by France-based Compagnie Financiere et Industrielle des Autoroutes. The toll road opened in 1995.

Seven years later, Orange County was looking at gridlock. But it could not build more roads because of a provision in the lease. So it bought back the lease — for $207.5 million.

To encourage more domestic investment in highways, former Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta made a pitch to Wall Street on May 23.

"The time is now for United States investors — including our financial, construction and engineering institutions — to get involved in transportation investments," said Mineta, who left office July 7.

San Antonio-based Zachry Construction Co., along with Cintra, received approval on June 29 for a 50-year lease to build and run a toll road from Austin to Seguin for $1.3 billion.

That is part of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's vision to attract more than $80 billion in private funds for roads by 2030. He wants a new tollway from Oklahoma to Mexico and the Gulf Coast, and one from Shreveport, La., and Texarkana to Mexico. Cintra-Zachry reached a $7.2 billion deal last year to develop the project's first phase. The announcement of a $1.3 billion deal in June was part of that $7.2 billion agreement, said Perry's spokesman, Robert Black.

"In Texas, our population is going to double in the next 40 years and our current infrastructure can't handle that growth," Black said.

Not everyone in Texas buys the idea. Harris County officials recently voted against selling three toll roads. Also, independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn opposes Perry's toll road plan.

The United States has spent more than a quarter of a trillion dollars during its three years in Iraq, and more than $50 billion of it has gone to private contractors hired to guard bases, drive trucks, feed and shelter the troops and rebuild the country.

It is dangerous work, but much of the $50 billion, which is more than the annual budget of the Department of Homeland Security, has been handed out to companies in Iraq with little or no oversight.

Billions of dollars are unaccounted for, and there are widespread allegations of waste, fraud and war profiteering. As 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft first reported in February, only one case, the subject of a civil lawsuit, has been unsealed. It involves a company called Custer Battles, and provides a window into the chaos of those early days in Iraq.

When U.S. troops entered Baghdad in the spring of 2003, there was no electricity, widespread looting and little evidence of postwar planning. With the American military stretched to the limit, the Pentagon set up the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to govern the country under Ambassador Paul Bremer, who began hiring private companies to secure and rebuild the country.

There were no banks or wire transfers to pay them, no bean counters to keep track of the money. Just vaults and footlockers stuffed with billions of dollars in cash.

"Fresh, new, crisp, unspent, just-printed $100 bills. It was the Wild West," recalls Frank Willis, who was the No. 2 man at the Coalition Provisional Authority’s Ministry of Transportation.

The money was a mixture of Iraqi oil revenues, war booty and U.S. government funds earmarked for the coalition authority. Whenever cash was needed, someone went down to the vault with a wheelbarrow or gunny sacks.

"Those are $100,000 bricks of $100 bills and that’s $2 million there," Willis explains, looking at a photo of brick-shaped stacks of money wrapped in plastic. "This, in fact, is a payment that we made on the 1st of August to a company called Custer Battles."

Willis says the bricks of money were also sometimes referred to as footballs, "… because we passed them around in little pickup games in our office," he says laughing.

Asked if he has any evidence that the accounting system was a little loose, Willis says, "I would describe it as nonexistent."

The $2 million given to Custer Battles was the first installment on a contract to provide security at Baghdad International Airport. The company had been started by Scott Custer, a former Army Ranger and Mike Battles, an unsuccessful congressional candidate from Rhode Island who claimed to be active in the Republican Party and have connections at the White House. They arrived in Baghdad with no money. Yet within a year they landed $100 million in contracts.

"They came in with a 'can do' attitude whether they could or not. They always said yes," Willis says.

"They were not experienced. They did not know what they were doing," Willis says.

Complaints about Custer Battles performance at the airport began almost immediately. Col. Richard Ballard, the top inspector general for the Army in Iraq, was assigned to see if the company was living up to its contract, such as it was.

"And the contract looked to me like something that you and I would write over a bottle of vodka," Ballard says. "Complete with all the spelling and syntax errors and annexes, to be filled in later. They presented it the next day, and they got awarded a — about a $15 million contract."
Custer Battles was supposed to provide security for commercial aviation at Baghdad airport, including personnel, machinery and canine teams to screen passengers and cargo. But the airport never re-opened for commercial traffic.

Instead of canceling the contract or requiring Custer Battles to return the money, the Coalition Authority instead assigned them to operate a checkpoint outside the airport.

"There was significant concern," Ballard says. "But there just were not the people in theatre to monitor that kind of thing on a day-to-day basis."

As for the bomb sniffing canine teams, Ballard says, "I eventually saw one dog. The dog did not appear to be a certified, trained dog. And the dog was incapable of operating in that environment."

Asked what he meant by "incapable of operating in that environment," Ballard says: "He would be brought to the checkpoint, and he would lie down. And he would refuse to sniff the vehicles."

"I think it was a guy with his pet, to be honest with you," he replied, laughing.

In a memo obtained by 60 Minutes, the airport's director of security wrote to the Coalition Authority: "Custer Battles has shown themselves to be unresponsive, uncooperative, incompetent, deceitful, manipulative and war profiteers. Other than that they are swell fellows."

"I think that what they were doing was of the nature of what I understand war-profiteering to be about — which is to get into a chaotic situation and milk every penny out of it you can, as fast as you can, before the opportunity goes away," Willis says.

The Coalition Authority not only refused to throw Custer Battles off the airport job, it wrote them a glowing review and continued to give them contracts including one to supply logistical support for a massive program to replace Iraq’s currency.

"Absolutely abysmally. I mean, it was beyond a joke," says British Col. Philip Wilkinson.

Wilkinson was a colonel in the British Army and was assigned to the Coalition Authority’s Ministry of Finance and charged with providing security to convoys that traveled all over Iraq, loaded with $3 billion in cash. The trucks were supplied by Custer Battles.

"And you can imagine, open trucks with that sort of money on the back, was just a red hot target for not only terrorists, but criminals," Wilkinson says. "And, therefore, we needed trucks that were going to work. When those trucks were delivered to us, some of them were physically dragged into our compound."

"When questioned as to the serviceability of the trucks was, 'We were only told we had to deliver the trucks.' The contract doesn't say they had to work," Wilkinson says. "Which, I mean, when you're given that sort of answer, what can you do?"

"Oh," says Wilkinson laughing, "I really don't know. I mean it was just a joke. The assumption that we had was that they had to have high political top cover to be able to get away with it. Because it was just outrageous: their failure to deliver that which they were contracted to do."

In fact, the company continued to work in Iraq for another year, even after Robert Isakson, one of Custer Battles' major sub-contractors, went to federal authorities with allegations of criminal misconduct. Isakson and another whistleblower claim Custer Battles bilked the government out of $50 million, and they're suing the company on behalf of U.S. taxpayers to recover some of the money.

"Well, they approached me three times to participate in a — defrauding of the United States government," Isakson says. "They wanted to open fraudulent companies overseas and inflate their invoices to the United States government."

Asked if the fraud actually took place, Isakson says, "Two weeks later, apparently, I heard they began exactly the fraud they described to me."

According to a subsequent investigation by the U.S. Air Force, Custer Battles set up sham companies in the Cayman Islands to fabricate phony invoices that it submitted to the Coalition Authority with the intention of fraudulently inflating its profits.

According to a Custer Battles spreadsheet, which was left behind after a meeting with U.S. officials, the company submitted invoices on the currency contract totaling nearly $10 million, when its actual costs were less than $4 million.

Electricity costs of $74,000 were invoiced to the Coalition Authority at $400,000. And those trucks that didn’t work were bought on the local market for $228,000 and billed to the Coalition Authority for $800,000.

Mike Battles and Scott Custer are currently under federal investigation by the Department of Justice and declined to be interviewed for this story. But in videotaped depositions for the whistleblower lawsuit, Custer disavowed any knowledge of the phony invoices.

"Would you agree with me that it is highly improper for a contractor working under a time and materials contract to simply fabricate invoices and then hand them in for payment?" attorney Alan Grayson asked during the deposition.

"Yes, the short answer, I am not a government or legal expert, but I would think it is improper to fabricate anything you would know to be true," Custer replied.

Custer and Battles blame their problems on former employees, competitors and the bureaucratic incompetence of the CPA.

"I know we were supposed to do one thing for a certain amount of money and by the time it was said and done they asked us to do many, many more things for a different, a greater amount of money," Battles said in deposition.

To date, the only action taken against them has been a one-year suspension from receiving government contracts; it has since expired.

"I think what’s happening over there is an orgy of greed here with contractors," says North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan.

He is the chairman of the Democratic Party Policy Committee, and says Custer Battles is small potatoes compared to behemoths like Halliburton and its subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), who have collected half of all the money awarded to contractors in Iraq, and, according to Department of Defense auditors, have over-billed taxpayers more than a billion dollars.

Dorgan’s committee has held hearings and heard testimony that Halliburton has overcharged for meals, and fuel and gouged taxpayers on items like hand towels.

"Instead of buying a white towel, which would be $1.60, this company said, 'No, no, no. Put, embroidery our logo on it. Five bucks,' " says Dorgan. "So, what's the difference? Well, the American taxpayer's gonna pay the bill."

Halliburton says the towels were embroidered to keep them from being stolen or lost, and that allegations it over-billed by a billion dollars are exaggerated. But Dorgan says none of this is being seriously investigated.

"Let me tell you that there’s very little oversight by anybody on anything in this Congress. We have a president and a Congress of the same party. They have no interest in doing any aggressive oversight," Dorgan says.

The only one really looking into it is Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, a position created by Congress in 2004 to monitor construction and development projects to rebuild Iraq.

Asked how he would describe the oversight early on with the CPA, Bowen says, "It was relatively non-existent."

In two lengthy reports, Bowen’s staff outlined suspected fraud and incompetence of staggering proportions. Like the $8.8 billion dollars that the coalition seems to have lost track of.

Bowen says that money is "not accounted for" and acknowledges that nobody really knows exactly where it went.

Some of the money Bowen says was spent on projects it was intended for. It’s just that there are no receipts. But some of it, like the funds to buy books and train personnel at a library in Karbala, simply vanished.

Four people have already been arrested on bribery and theft charges and more arrests will follow.

Bowen says he there are nearly 50 investigations going on right now, involving suspected "fraud, kickbacks, bribery, waste."

Shortly after this story aired, a federal jury found Custer Battles guilty of 37 separate fraudulent acts. It demanded the company repay $10 million dollars in damages and penalties to the U.S. government and whistleblowers.

The Air Force debarred the company from receiving government contracts until March 2009. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction has kept busy too. He arrested another person for fraud and is now investigating more than 70 cases of abuse in Iraq.

It is not a matter of IF, but WHEN we go to war. You think gas prices are high now? Imagine you can not travel without passing check points - "papers comrade". What will you do with rationing of food and gas? Imagine working more for less.

Are you prepared for what certainly will be coming? Are you with someone who can, and will, stand by you (physically and spiritually)? You ought to be planning for trouble. -- Tribble]

There is a very strong possibility a false flag operation will be carried out within the next few days that will be blamed on Hezbollah/Iran to create the excuse to attack Iran. The following alert was communicated to Chase Untermeyer, US Ambassador to Qatar, by Capt. Eric H. May, former Asst. Sec. Navy (Reagan Administration)... Remember Pearl Harbor... Remember the Gulf of Tonkin... Remember the USS Liberty... Remember 9/11... You’re about to witness the next major false flag attack designed to stir up a war frenzy here in the US to facilitate an attack on Iran — and then Syria... If you have relatives in Beirut, I’d ask them to stay put; they’d probably be a lot safer in Beirut than aboard a ship sent to evacuate them... As Lenny Bloom says, “This isn’t a war — It’s a con job”...

From: Captain May
To: Ambassador Chase Untermeyer
Cc: Houston FBI ; Thom Shanker NYTimes ; Houston Chronicle ; NORTHCOM ; Washington Post ; MUJCA Dr. Kevin Barret ; Shane Allen ; Cloak and Dagger Lenny Bloom
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 7:11 PM
Subject: FALSE FLAG ALERT: Israel vs. Eastern Queen (attn: AMBUNT)

I've been monitoring mainstream media all day, and have issued an alert via Cloak and Dagger radio (1200 CST) and the Dave Glover show (97.1 FM, 1700 CST) that there may be an Israeli attack on the Eastern Queen during evacuations tomorrow -- or upon another charter ship transporting US citizens from Beirut later.

There was an incident involving Israeli interdiction of the Eastern Queen this afternoon, glossed over by the US media and the US Navy, which certainly delayed the arrival of the Eastern Queen. Media isn't asking questions, and Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh is deferring to higher command on the matter -- both ominous signs of a "don't ask, don't tell" arrangement.

As former Asst. Sec. Navy, I'm sure you can appreciate my anxiety on these points, an anxiety only heightened by something I just received from one of my Ghost Troop cyberscouts. Fox News has just published a report that we should be alert to a Hezbollah attack on the Eastern Queen: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,204078,00.html <javascript:ol('http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,204078,00.html');>

In making this report, Fox is confirming work we've already been doing all weekend. We agree with them utterly -- except in a 180-degree fashion: We believe that any attack carried out on US citizens will be a false-flag Israeli attack, blamed on Hezbollah.

This isn't a hard alert to issue, as Israel committed a false-flag attack on the USS Liberty in a very similar situation back in 1967, trying to pull the US into a shooting war with their Arab enemies. Sound familiar? Please pass the alert along to your people, Chase. I'm passing it to my Ghost Troop network, and between us, we may change history in this most treacherous time.

Captain Eric H. May, MI/PAO, USA
CO, Ghost Troop, 3/7 Cybercav+
Mission of Conscience / Patriots in Action

Washington state health officials will soon start asking detailed questions about the health of some state residents — and even give them brief physical exams.

The door-to-door survey of 1,100 randomly selected households across the state will try to learn more about our health, and especially about our risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, to better target preventive educational programs.

"We want to get a snapshot of [residents'] health ... and if we can't prevent the diseases, have early detection of them," said Dr. Juliet VanEenwyk, state epidemiologist for noninfectious diseases.

The Washington Adult Health Survey is sponsored by the state Department of Health and is designed to gather a cross section of state residents. The survey will begin late this month and will take about a year, VanEenwyk said.

Cardiovascular disease — including heart disease and stroke — is of particular interest because it's the leading cause of death, killing about 15,000 state residents a year.

About 1,500 people a year die of diabetes complications, and the number is steadily increasing.

Evidence abounds that many already have the diseases or are at risk. A statewide telephone survey last year found that about a quarter of adults have high blood pressure and more than a third have high cholesterol. And state health authorities estimate about one-fifth of adults are obese.
Information

In this latest survey, selected participants will be asked about their access to health care and whether they have dental problems, osteoporosis, emphysema or cancer. Other questions will center on diet, medications and other risks for disease such as tobacco and alcohol use.

A nurse on each survey team will measure blood pressure, pulse, height, weight and waist size.

A hair sample, to measure mercury levels, will be taken from women of childbearing age and participants 60 and older.

"We'll ask about fish consumption to see if certain types cause higher levels of mercury," said VanEenwyk.

Participants will be given a $45 gift card for their help in the survey. Officials are not seeking volunteers; participants are being chosen to represent the diverse population of the state.

The survey is being financed by an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kansas and Arkansas also were awarded survey grants.

WASHINGTON — The House, displaying a foreign affairs solidarity lacking on issues like Iraq, voted overwhelmingly Thursday to support Israel in its confrontation with Hezbollah guerrillas.

The resolution, which was passed on a 410-8 vote, also condemns enemies of the Jewish state.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was the only Republican to vote against the resolution. Democrats who voted against the measure of support were Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, John Conyers, Carolyn Kilpatrick and John Dingell, all from Michigan, Jim McDermott of Washington, Nick Rahall of West Virginia and Pete Stark of California.

House Republican leader John Boehner cited Israel's "unique relationship" with the United States as a reason for his colleagues to swiftly go on record supporting Israel in the latest flare-up of violence in the Mideast.

Little of the political divisiveness in Congress on other national security issues was evident as lawmakers embraced the Bush administration's position.

So strong was the momentum for the resolution that it was steamrolling efforts by a small group of House members who argued that Congress's pro-Israel stance goes too far.

The nonbinding resolution is similar to one the Senate passed Tuesday. It harshly condemns Israel's enemies and says Syria and Iran should be held accountable for providing Hezbollah with money and missile technology used to attack Israel.

"I certainly sympathize with the Lebanese people and the Lebanese government," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told CBS' "The Early Show" on Thursday. But, he said, if Hezbollah is "going to launch attacks from the Lebanese territory, then tragically the Lebanese government and people pay a price for that."

Yet as Republican and Democratic leaders rally behind the measure in rare bipartisan fashion, a handful of lawmakers have quietly expressed reservations that the resolution was too much the result of a powerful lobbying force and attempts to court Jewish voters.

"I'm just sick in the stomach, to put it mildly," said Rep. Nick J. Rahall II, D-W.Va., who is of Lebanese descent.

Rahall joined other Arab-American lawmakers in drafting an alternative resolution that would have omitted language holding Lebanon responsible for Hezbollah's actions and called for restraint from all sides. Rahall said that proposal was "politely swept under the rug," a political reality he and others say reflects the influence Israel has in Congress.

"There's a lot (of lawmakers) that don't feel it's right ... but vote yes, and get it the heck out of here," Rahall said.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who co-sponsored the alternative resolution and also is of Lebanese descent, agreed. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobby "throws in language that AIPAC wants. That isn't always the best thing for this body to endorse," Issa said.

Nevertheless, Rahall and Issa said they were considering voting in favor of the resolution. "I want to show support for Israel's right to defend itself," Issa said.

Another lawmaker with Lebanese roots, Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., R-La., said he too planned to vote in favor of the resolution despite holding deep reservations on its language regarding Lebanon. "I think it's a good resolution. But I think it's incomplete," he said.

"This is the usual problem with any resolution that talks about Israel — there are a lot of closet naysayers up there (in Congress), but they don't want to be a target of the lobby" of Israel, said Eugene H. Bird, president of the Council for the National Interest, a group that harshly condemns Israel's military campaign.

"These guys aren't legislating. They're politicking," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.

An AIPAC spokeswoman said Congress's overwhelming support for Israel reflects the support of U.S. voters and not any pressure applied by lobbyists. "The American people overwhelming support Israel's war on terrorism and understand that we must stand by our closest ally in this time of crisis," said Jennifer Cannata.

Meanwhile, Israel is predicting its offensive could last for weeks, although international pressure is building for a quick cease-fire. Israel and the United States oppose that move, preferring a more comprehensive agreement. Lebanon's prime minister estimated Wednesday that Israel's military week-old campaign had killed some 300 people and wounded 1,000 more, most of whom were civilians.

The Bush administration said Wednesday it saw no point in leaning directly on Syria to help stop the cross-border warfare between Israel and the Hezbollah guerrillas that Syria supports.

Snow described previous diplomatic sessions with Syria as meetings where U.S. officials drank tea and sat for "five, six, 10 hours listening to polite, but long discourses on greater Syria and at the end of that having gotten nothing."

The administration has no diplomatic ties to Iran, and no contact with Hezbollah, which it considers a terrorist group.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the violence, and the possibility of international troops to police a peace, over dinner Thursday in New York with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

On Friday, Rice will receive a report from fact-finders Annan sent to the region.

Rice, herself, is expected to go there. "She intends to travel to the region as early as next week," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Approximately 2,600 U.S. citizens have been evacuated from Lebanon by the United States since Sunday.

** As the ‘Great And Powerful Oz' once said to Dorothy, "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain!" because appearances can be deceiving. You HAVE TO look behind to curtain to learn the truth.
*** Red Herring. The name of this fallacy comes from the sport of fox hunting in which a dried, smoked herring, which is red in color, is dragged across the trail of the fox to throw the hounds off the scent. Thus, a "red herring" argument is one which distracts the audience from the issue in question through the introduction of some irrelevancy. This frequently occurs during debates when there is an at least implicit topic, yet it is easy to lose track of it. By extension, it applies to any argument in which the premisses are logically irrelevant to the conclusion.

goto top .....mailto: rockyview@tellme#&1st.net
The above addresss is NOT correct. For security reasons, the "#&" characters must be removed to be a correct address. This reduces the possibility of a hacker autosearching for address links.
Simply copy and paste this address in your mail program, BUT remember to delete the "#&" characters.

	A Liger is a cross breed of a Lion male and Tiger female. Read on..
The 10ft Liger who's still growing... He looks like something from a prehistoric age or a fantastic creation from Hollywood . But Hercules is very much living flesh and blood - as he proves every time he opens his gigantic mouth to roar. Part lion, part tiger, he is not just a big cat but a huge one, standing 10ft tall on his back legs. Called a liger, in reference to his crossbreed parentage, he is the largest of all the cat species. On a typical day he will devour 20lb of meat, usually beef or chicken, and is capable of eating 100lb at a single setting. At just three years old, Hercules already weighs half a ton.
	He is the accidental result of two enormous big cats living close together at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, in Miami, Florida, and already dwarfs both his parents. "Ligers are not something we planned on having," said institute owner Dr Bhagavan Antle. "We have lions and tigers living together in large enclosures and at first we had no idea how well one of the lion boys was getting along with a tiger girl, then loo and behold we had a liger."
50mph runner... Not only that, but he likes to swim, a feat unheard of among water-fearing lions. In the wild it is virtually impossible for lions and tigers to mate. Not only are they enemies likely to kill one another, but most lions are in Africa and most tigers in Asia . But incredible though he is, Hercules is not unique. Ligers have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since shortly before World War II.
	Today there are believed to be a handful of ligers around the world and a similar number of tigons, the product of a tiger father and lion mother. Tigons are smaller than ligers and take on more physical characteristics of the tiger.
Look at the size of the head on this thing..

01	=It is for Convenience, and there is no Attempt to use this Technology Against You =Big Brother database to record the lives of all children =Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!. ="that people who complain about crime should rather leave the country..."	02	=
03	=	04	=Is it Noah's Ark?? =AP Blames NRA for Violent Crime =Valedictorian Complains of 'Hollow' Public School Education =Would-be burglar shot to death by homeowner =Islam - What the West Needs to Know =Council limits gun purchases in city: 1 a month =Going too Far =Government authorized ways to celebrate your freedoms =Russia Warns US Over Plans To Begin Massive Spraying Of American Population =Chuck Baldwin's Interview With Jerome Corsi
05	=	06	=The Government Wants To Force You To Register All Your Livestock And Pets!!
07	=	08	=
09	=	10	=
11	=	12	=
13	=	14	=
15	=	16	=
17	=Perspective on Those Traffic Cameras =Foreign companies buy U.S. roads =Billions Wasted In Iraq?	18	=
19	=Are you with someone who can, and will, stand by you?	20	=
21	=Bend over. -State to check on residents' health =House Votes to Support Israel's Confrontation in Lebanon =Israeli children sign their missiles ‘with love’	22	=
23	=	24	=
25	=	26	=
27	=	28	=
29	=	30	=
31	=	.	.