Clinton Camp’s Dirty Tricks?

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Courtesy Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

In Iowa, New Hampshire and now Nevada, the Clinton campaign has sought to suppress the vote of her rivals’ supporters.

The headlines say the latest schism among the top Democratic presidential candidates is over gender and race. But on the ground in the presidential season’s opening states, there is a darker narrative: that Hillary Clinton will not just fight hard, but fight dirty, to win. And her tactic of choice is attempting to suppress the votes of her rival’s supporters.

The latest example is from Nevada, where the Nevada State Education Association is widely seen as filing a suit on Clinton’s behalf to stop Las Vegas’ most powerful union, Culinary Workers Local 226, from caucusing inside downtown casinos after the union endorsed Obama. The tactic foments a split along racial and class lines in arguably the strongest union city in America.

“It’s horrible,” said one longtime Nevada activist, who didn’t want his name used. “It will cause fights and damage that will last for years.”

But the Clinton campaign has made similar moves in New Hampshire and Iowa.

In the first primary state, her supporters — backed by New Hampshire Democratic Party officials — pressured poll workers to remove observers stationed by the Obama campaign. These volunteers had intended to track voters as part of their get-out-the-vote effort. That tactic came after the Clinton campaign sent a mailing targeting women that said Obama would not “stand up and protect” a women’s right to choose because he had voted “present” — but not yes — on a few abortion-related bills in the Illinois legislature.

“I’ve kept most mailers I got from every presidential candidate this year, and that mailer was the absolute worst,” wrote New Hampshire blogger Peter Glenshaw. “Never mind that Obama has a 100 percent approval rating from Planned Parenthood in Illinois. Never mind that Planned Parenthood asked him to vote ‘present’ on those bills.”

And in Iowa, the Clinton campaign — with the help of the state’s largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register, which endorsed her — was discouraging students from returning from winter break to vote, even though their right to do so was legal, said Rick Hasen, who writes a respected election law blog. “Indeed such voting could help to compensate for the otherwise anti-democratic nature of Iowa’s role in the presidential election process,” he said.

As the nomination process has unfolded and Clinton has encountered resistance in every state so far — including Obama’s Friday endorsement by the 60,000-member Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union — her campaign’s increasingly critical rhetoric has been accompanied by voter suppression tactics aimed at her rival’s core voters.

While Clinton campaign surrogates have verbally accused Obama of many things, from “fairy tale” answers on Iraq to being a drug user while they served the country more nobly, intentionally suppressing voters — especially under-represented, low-income minority union members — stands out in 2008’s Democratic presidential campaign.

After all, the Democratic National Committee moved Nevada’s caucuses to the top of the primary lineup so minority voices could be heard — and no organization is more aligned with those voters in Nevada than the Culinary Union, whose training materials for its members are printed in four languages. In contrast, the state teachers, whose suit seeks to stop those workers from caucusing in nine “at-large” precincts in big downtown casinos, have a statewide base because its members work throughout Nevada.

The NSEA suit claims the at-large casino caucuses are not fair to the state’s other voters because they will likely be overrun with voters, thereby skewing the proportional representation of Clark County delegates to the state party convention.

Neither NSEA officials nor their Las Vegas lawyers returned calls on Monday. However their suit states that “by packing as much as 10 percent or more delegates into the county convention, the at-large precinct caucus system (created for the casinos) substantially diminishes the voting power of delegates from other county precinct caucuses.”

In other words, a strong turnout from the tens of thousands of Culinary Workers Union members in Las Vegas, where 70 percent of Nevada voters live, could swing the state’s early foray into presidential politics. In 2000, fewer than 1,000 people participated in Nevada’s caucuses. In 2004, that number was about 9,000. This year, estimates are in the tens of thousands.

Nevada political insiders say the NSEA lawsuit is designed to suppress Obama’s voters.

“That’s the common narrative at this point,” said Pilar Weiss, the Culinary Workers Union’s political director, when asked if there was any other way to interpret the suit. “A caucus system is all proportional representation. It’s not unfair in any way. They (the state Democratic Party) made an accommodation for Clark County.”

Another Nevada activist who has worked for years in the state was even blunter.

“This (caucus) plan was created by some of the same people who are plaintiffs in the suit against it,” he said. “It’s not that they didn’t like the plan when Clinton was ahead.”

10-4

Palestine and Israel Within the American “Empire”

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By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

Berkeley–With our “Presidente” in the Middle East last week, I decided to take out my notes on Dr. Phyllis Bennis’ talk at last August’s Palestine Conference in this city.

Phyllis Bennis is a Jewish-American scholar specializing on the Palestinian crisis with considerable intellectual and moral depth. I reported on her and a Palestinian scholar’s comments on the Annapolis meeting of the end of last November. That article appeared on these pages a mere few weeks ago.

Phyllis’ comments revolved around the symbiotic relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv. The United States early realized that the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) were useful, and that our foreign policy should take this into account, but “We have a history to make amends” for it!

Israel has become important to America. We can live with them for they are perceived here as authoritarian but not totalitarian! To the West, it is ostensible as not only anti-Communist but also as presently “anti-terrorist” ally. They have become important to the US because it is where three regions merge. Although not an oil producer, Israel is surrounded by petroleum producers, and is seemingly stable.

Therefore, the US has been propping up Israel for the past forty years, but to do so we have taken part in the suppression of the surrounding Arabs.

Dr. Bennis, remarked on Jimmy Carter’s recent controversial book on Palestine that, “…Carter has done more since he has left the Presidency than when he was in Office.” He now takes risks! With his book he has securely shown the relationship of the Palestinian/Israeli crisis with South African apartheid.

The American mind is still caught within the Cold War; i.e., “moderate” and “extremist” – “good” Shiite versus “bad” Sunni.”

Iran has a democracy, but structurally it is a closed one. Hezbollah filled the void in Southern Lebanon following Jerusalem’s abandonment of the region after the last Civil War.

The States insisted on elections in the mini-State of Gaza until, as the Carter observers attested, Hamas won them fair and square. Also, Iraq has become a new “Province” in the American Empire – especially with W.’s. plans for permanent bases in Mesopotamia. We have configured Iraq into probably the most Capitalistic State in the World.

Israel is the centrally most destabilizing force in the Middle Eastern locality. The American and Israeli Trade Unions’ rank and file have to acknowledge the Divestment Movement, too.

Tel Aviv has finally admitted that they are a nuclear power. This is a very dangerous situation, for MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) does not operate in the Theater. One tactical nuclear missile hitting Egypt’s Aswan Dam would kill twenty million inhabitants! Your author personally feels if Jewish Jerusalem would back down to a reasonable nuclear arsenal to a logical defense, Tehran would not perceive them as menacing, and they would cut back on their program. Bennis goes even further by calling for a “nuclear free zone” over the Middle East.

But, unfortunately, Phyllis Bennis, feels “We [the U.S.] are proud of its Empire!”

Pride of empire indicates unwillingness to let go.

10-4

FBI Finds Blackwater Trucks Patched

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By Lara Jakes Jordan and Matt Apuzzo, AP

WASHINGTON – Blackwater Worldwide repaired and repainted its trucks immediately after a deadly September shooting in Baghdad, making it difficult to determine whether enemy gunfire provoked the attack, according to people familiar with the government’s investigation of the incident.

Damage to the vehicles in the convoy has been held up by Blackwater as proof that its security guards were defending themselves against an insurgent ambush when they fired into a busy intersection, leaving 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

U.S. military investigators initially found “no enemy activity involved” and the Iraqi government concluded the shootings were unprovoked.

The repairs essentially destroyed evidence that Justice Department investigators hoped to examine in a criminal case that has drawn worldwide attention. The Sept. 16 shooting has strained U.S. relations with the Iraqi government, which wants Blackwater expelled from the country. It also has become a flash point in the debate over whether contractors are immune from legal consequences for their actions in a war zone.

Blackwater’s four armored vehicles were repaired or repainted within days of the shooting, and before FBI teams went to Baghdad to collect evidence, people close to the case said. The work included repairs to a damaged radiator that Blackwater says is central to its defense.

The damage and subsequent repairs were described to The Associated Press by five people familiar with the case who discussed it in separate interviews over the past month. All spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

The repair work creates a hurdle for prosecutors as they consider building a case against any of the 19 guards in the Sept. 16 convoy. It also makes it harder for Blackwater to prove its innocence as it faces a grand jury investigation and multiple lawsuits over the shooting. The company is the target, too, of an unrelated investigation into whether its contractors smuggled weapons into Iraq.

Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said any repairs “would have been done at the government’s direction.” Blackwater’s contract with the State Department requires that the company maintain its vehicles and keep them on the road.

The State Department would not comment on whether it ordered the repairs to the vehicles involved in the shooting.

Blackwater’s chief executive, Erik Prince, has pointed to the damaged trucks to counter accusations that his contractors acted improperly.

In interviews this fall, he said three of Blackwater’s armored vehicles were struck by gunfire and that the radiator from one was “shot out and disabled” during the shooting in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square. An early two-page State Department report supports Prince’s statements. The report noted the Blackwater command vehicle was “disabled during the attack” and had to be towed.

Prince has indicated he expects the FBI investigation to clear his company. Yet people close to the case say the vehicles and radiator alone probably will not be enough to do that because repairing the trucks made it difficult for investigators to say whether the convoy was fired on — or not.

As for the radiator, investigators have verified that it was damaged. But it, too, was repaired before the FBI arrived two weeks after the shooting.

No bullets were found inside the radiator to prove it had been shot, as opposed to being broken during routine use. That makes it hard for scientists to say for certain what caused the damage or when, according to those close to the case.

The preliminary State Department report noted “superficial damage” to the vehicles; and photographs exist showing bullet damage. People who have seen the photos said there are no time stamps or other indications of when and where that damage occurred.

One photo, obtained and broadcast by CBS News, bore no notations indicating when it was taken or even if the vehicle pictured was involved in the shooting.

The evidence gaps will force investigators to rely more heavily on testimony and other statements from witnesses. But even those efforts have been hampered by a State Department deal that gave Blackwater guards limited immunity for their statements following the incident. As a result, the Justice Department cannot use those interviews in its criminal investigation.

There were 19 security guards at the scene. Investigators believe only a few fired their weapons. Investigators are pushing ahead with the search for additional evidence and so far are focusing on as many four guards who could face criminal charges.

Over the past two months, prosecutors have brought several guards before a Washington grand jury to describe their recollection of the shooting. According to the initial State Department report, the shooting occurred as the Blackwater convoy was responding to a car bombing about a mile outside the U.S.-protected Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government and several embassies.

James Sweeney, a lawyer representing several guards, would not discuss the forensic gaps or whether the grand jury investigation is helping authorities bridge them. He said Blackwater guards are patriots, not aggressors.

“They are good, solid intelligent Americans. They’re good people,” Sweeney said. “They’re protecting U.S. diplomats.”

North Carolina-based Blackwater is the largest private security company protecting U.S. officials in Iraq. It has been paid more than $1 billion from federal contracts since 2001. Despite criticism, Blackwater notes that no official under its protection has been killed or seriously injured.

Blackwater also strongly denies wrongdoing in a weapons smuggling investigation by federal officials in North Carolina. Two former employees, who prosecutors say are aiding the investigation, were sentenced to probation Thursday on gunrunning charges.

Blackwater and other contractors operate in a legal gray area. They are immune from prosecution in Iraqi courts. If the Justice Department wants to bring criminal charges such as assault, manslaughter or murder in a U.S. court, prosecutors would have to do so under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act.

That would require the government to show that State Department contractors were “supporting the mission of the Department of Defense overseas.” Defense lawyers are expected to argue that guarding diplomats was a purely State Department function, one independent from the Pentagon.

The Justice Department has said it could be some time before it decides whether it will bring charges in the case.

10-4

Play-Doh

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Play-Doh is a non-toxic compound similar in texture to bread dough that has been sold as a children’s toy around the world for over half a century. Its exact makeup is a trade secret, but it is primarily a mixture of wheat flour, water, deodorized kerosene or another petroleum distillate (which provides the smooth texture), salt, a drying agent such as borax (which deters mold), an alum-based hardening agent, and colorings and perfume. It is non-toxic, non-staining, and soluble in soapy water. When kept in a sealed container, Play-Doh remains pliable, but when exposed to air it hardens in about a day. However, because it tends to crack during hardening, it is not good for projects one wants to save.

Play-Doh was invented by Noah and Joseph McVicker in 1956 and awarded U.S. Patent 3,167,440 in 1965. One of many common products invented by accident, it was meant as a wallpaper cleaner. It was marketed by toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts, and first sold at the Woodward & Lothrop department store in Washington, D.C.

Play-Doh is available in several different colors and sizes, and has a distinctive smell and texture. Over 900 million pounds have been sold so far. The product is now owned by American toy giant Hasbro.

In 2006, the distinctive Play-Doh smell was turned into a limited-edition fragrance by the Demeter Fragrance Library to celebrate the product’s 50th birthday. There is also a national Play-doh Day on September 18.

While Play-Doh is registered, there are many different recipes for generic play doughs with various differences, such as to edibility, odor, or color.

10-4

Iranian Video of Straits of Hormuz Incident

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Video provided by Iranian patrol boats.

It was confirmed by IRNA ( Islamic Republic News Agency) and by the Iranian authorities.

Source: PressTV ( www.presstv.com )

Election Watch 2008: TMO Endorsement of Ron Paul

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Unique Opportunity For Michigan Muslims

The American Muslim community can make a big impact on the political scene by voting in large numbers in the Michigan Primary on Tuesday, January 15. Every media headline makes us believe that the fight for the top position is between McCain and Romney on the Republican side. The democrats have no such match going on due the de-franchising of the Michigan democrats by the National Democratic Party, after the state decided to move its primary ahead. Edwards and Obama surrendered to the party bosses and dropped their names from the ballot and agreed not to campaign, except Clinton – she exhibited the courage to challenge the party leadership and has her name on the ballot.

The Muslim community in Michigan has a unique opportunity to beat the pundits by voting as a block for Ron Paul as the Republican candidate. The primary process in Michigan allows to pick either of the two ballots, Democrat or Republican, for the vote. This meets one of the goals of AMPEC, “Promote ideas and the people that are consistent with Muslim community thought. At the same time the Muslim community shall identify those elements that are highly undesirable for peace, stability and humanity, both inside and outside US, and ensure their failure right at the onset.” The Muslim community must very honestly understand that the system of governance in this country follows in the same general direction, irrespective of who is in leadership. With Democrats, the paths may be less treacherous than if the Republicans are in power, but are leading in the same direction! Unless the system gets an overhaul, there will be very little change in the way whole system operates in this country.

The Muslim community’s failure to recognize the importance of primary elections and their vital role in the overall elections process will mean that this year, as usual, a small minority of voters will make decisions for everyone else and the outcome most likely will not be pleasant for the American Muslims. Let’s beat the odds, let’s vote.

Ron Paul meets the Muslim community’s major concern about “War in Iraq” – an issue that every media outlet has ignored in the primary political campaign in Michigan. To the Muslim community, it is the source of major problems in America – security, jobs, education, healthcare, etc.; and the world peace. The Republican candidate who voted “NO” against War in Iraq, is against the Patriot Act and is in favor of bringing the troops back home – deserves our full support in the Michigan Primary; THAT CANDIDATE IS RON PAUL.

Vote Smart on January 15, 2008

Beat the political machine in Michigan – Vote REPUBLICAN and for RON PAUL

U.S., Turkey Discuss Solution to PKK

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U.S. President George W. Bush (R) and Turkey's President Abdullah Gul talk to the media after their meeting at the White House in Washington January 8, 2008. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

By David Morgan, Reuters

WASHINGTON–U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday said the United States would continue to help Turkey fight Kurdish guerrillas along its border with Iraq but also urged Ankara to find a long-term political solution to the problem.

During a White House visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Bush praised Turkey as a model for democracy in the Muslim world and said it should be admitted to the European Union as a “constructive bridge” to the Islamic world.

But White House officials said Bush’s wide-ranging discussion with Gul also addressed the need for political reform and economic development in southeastern Turkey to stop the area’s Kurdish minority from providing fresh fighters for the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

“A common enemy is the PKK,” Bush told reporters on the White House lawn, where he appeared alongside the Turkish president. “It’s an enemy to Turkey, it’s an enemy to Iraq and it’s an enemy to people who want to live in peace. The United States, along with Turkey, are confronting these folks and we will continue to confront them.”

Added Gul: “We are working against our common enemy, the PKK. And we have once again underlined the importance of our cooperation.”

White House officials said Turkey has shown restraint in its military response to attacks by the PKK and called on Ankara to seek open dialogue with Iraq to resolve problems along the two countries’ border.

Turkey, which has been waging an aerial bombing campaign against PKK positions in northern Iraq, blames the rebels for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people since 1984 when the PKK took up arms to fight for an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey.

The United States and European Union, like Turkey, classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Turkey has as many as 100,000 troops along its mountainous border with Iraq and has carried out military operations with assistance from U.S. intelligence.

A senior administration official said the two leaders discussed the need to expand the struggle against the PKK beyond military action.

“Military rule would be one part of dealing with this terrorist threat. And working politically and improving the lives of the Kurds within Turkey to make sure that there isn’t a disaffected minority that would be a recruiting pool for the PKK is also part of a long-term solution to that issue,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bush did not offer Gul assistance beyond the military and intelligence cooperation agreed on last November, the official said.

Bush also called for the NATO ally’s admission to the European Union as a step that would aid peace.

“I strongly believe that Europe will benefit when Turkey is a member of the European Union,” Bush said at the meeting, intended to demonstrate improved U.S.-Turkish relations after years of tensions over Iraq and other issues.

“I view Turkey as a bridge between Europe and the Islamic world, a constructive bridge. And so I believe it’s in the interests of peace that Turkey be admitted into the EU,” Bush added.

Tuesday’s meeting marked Gul’s first visit to Washington as president. He and Bush had lunch afterward.

(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan; Editing by Bill Trott)

10-3

‘Happy’ New Year!…

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A boy eats corn inside a shelter for displaced people in Nairobi, January 9, 2008. African Union chief John Kufuor met Kenya's president and opposition leader on Wednesday to try to break a political impasse behind post-election turmoil that has killed about 500 people. REUTERS/Antony Njuguna (KENYA)

By Emma Khakula

Editor’s Note: This is a letter written as a report of Kenya’s election crisis.

I thought we would be feeling the same but it’s been a crazy two weeks. I have been meaning to write to all of you..today I finally get round to doing so….dont worry about it being group mail … thanks for your concern and prayers and mail.

I guess we all thought that our right to vote automatically brings change in terms of the kind of leadership we wanted…but shock on us! Sometimes leaders want to stay in power and it does not matter what it costs them or the people they lead!

Kenya was in shock that evening when the results were fiiiinnnnaaalllly announced and 8 mins later the swearing in ceremony took place …rather fishy don’t you think…

I have never seen such tribal rage…the elections brought out a side of my people that I had never seen…the burning.. looting…shootings…rape…vandalism has been shocking! People took to the streets with such rage and they did not spare anything that crossed their path… My friend called to tell us their neighbor’s house was burning and they had to leave their home in Eldoret (they had gone to be with their parents for Christmas) and fly back to NBI , they are lucky they could afford a flight and could even get one…those who could not afford had to seek refuge at police stations…Mothers and children burnt to death in churches!!

It was such a shock to wake up one mornig and find that we could not shop because supermarkets were scared of the insecurity, and when they did open and let 10 people in at a time…we could not get basic commodities like milk, bread, fresh vegetables… Suddenly everyone was filling up their cars and there was panic and thats when we all knew things were serious and how much we take peace and security for granted.

Everything is paralyzed…Uganda, Rwanda, etc depend on us for fuel (gas) and use our port to receive goods and that has been paralyzed because of roadblocks mounted by vigilante groups that terrorize people using the highways….As at yesterday the police are now escorting trucks, buses and other vehicles to point of destination…the opening of schools has been postponed to 14th & 15th of this month, hopefully by then the transport sector will be running smoothly

Yesterday was the first Sunday (since elections) that people were able to go to church…I must say every Church had the same message of Reconciliation, repentance and forgiveness… At my church Pastors representing different ethnic groups spoke about what the history of their tribes and what the characteristics of those tribes were like and how they contributed to what has been going on. It came out clear that some tribes always wanted leadership, some felt it was time for them to lead, some were arrogant, some looked down upon and despised other tribes, others felt left out and other deep painful issues from the past came up. Each pastor then led his tribe into prayer and asked for forgiveness…it was so powerful seeing people hug each other, forgive each other and pray… People wept and it was painful to see that even within the congregation People had lost family…then in the evening we all observed a 1 hr time of prayer via TV where leaders from different religious backgrounds said prayers for the Nation…I feel in my heart that yesterday made a change in the lives of many and as at today people are talking differently, they realize that they were caught up in emotion and it has cost us as a Nation.

On the news this evening the death toll stands at 547. The ministry of health has waived hospital 7 morgue bills for victims of the crisis. Honorable Kivuitu of the ECK (Electoral Commission of Kenya) was disbarred this evening and the judges that presided over the swearing in ceremony have been asked to resign and the Attorney General’s statement (issued two days ago may be acted upon)…members of the ODM party are still in negotiations…there will be no re-count of votes as they probably have been tampered with by now, there will be no court case as our court system cannot handle such a case and it could drag on forever, the option being given consideration is a re-election…meanwhile the 10th parliament opens on the 15th of this month with a majority of the MPs from ODM & ODM Kenya (so one wonders how the opposition did not get presidency!)

The Red Cross is now taking care of the IDPs (food, blankets, medical stuff)… They have been assured that they can return to their homes (what is left of it) when the dust settles and will be given security as re-build their lives. Other Kenyans are also sending stuff through the Red Cross and it’s touching to see people helping out after sobering up enough to realize that we still need each other and its the diversity that makes Kenya what it is…

My prayer is that an amicable solution is reached and Kenya goes back to being the peaceful, beautiful country it has always been.

Thanks again for your prayers and words of comfort and encouragement. God will intervene for this Nation.

I know you have seen the footage…all I ask is for all of you to pray for this nation

Warm Regards
Emma

10-3

Iran Accuses U.S. of Faking Persian Gulf Video

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The guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) sails through the Pacific Ocean in this file photo taken on December 13, 2005. On Tuesday 1/7/08 The Pentagon said five Iranian boats had made aggressive maneuvers showing hostile intent towards three U.S. Navy ships at the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz. REUTERS/Zack Baddorf/U.S. Navy photo/Handout (UNITED STATES).

By Nazila Fathi

TEHRAN — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard accused the United States on Wednesday of fabricating video showing armed Iranian speedboats confronting United States Navy warships in the Persian Gulf over the weekend, according to a report carried by the semi-official Fars news agency as well as state-run television.

“Images released by the U.S. Department of Defense about the navy vessels, the archive, and sounds on it are fabricated,” an unnamed Revolutionary Guard official said, according to Fars. The news agency has close links to the Revolutionary Guard. It was the first time Iran had commented on a video the Pentagon released Tuesday.

President Bush chastised Iran on Tuesday for committing a “provocative act.” On Wednesday, Stephen J. Hadley, Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, again warned Iran, saying at the start of a trip with Mr. Bush to the Middle East, that Iran has “to be very careful about this, because if it happens again, they are going to bear the consequences of that incident.”

The unnamed Revolutionary Guard official asserted that the video had been released to coincide with Mr. Bush’s trip and “was in line with a project of the Western media to create fear.” The official said the sounds and the images on the video did not go together. “It is very clear that they are fake,” the official said.

The video and audio were recorded separately and then matched, Naval and Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

The episode took place Sunday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and was initially described by American officials on Monday.

They said five armed Iranian speedboats approached three United States Navy warships in international waters, then maneuvered aggressively as radio threats were issued that the American ships would be blown up.

The confrontation ended without shots fired or injuries.

The video runs just over four minutes and, according to Pentagon officials, was shot from the bridge of the guided missile destroyer Hopper. It supported the American version of events, showing Iranian speedboats maneuvering around and among the Navy warships.

“I am coming to you,” a heavily accented voice says in English. “You will explode after a few minutes.”

Navy officials said the voice was recorded from the internationally recognized bridge-to-bridge radio channel.

An American sailor then is heard repeating the threat, stating, “He says, ‘You will explode after a few minutes.’ ” The American is also heard identifying the Navy vessel as a “coalition warship” and announcing: “I am engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law. I intend no harm.”

Bush administration officials say they believe that Iran was trying to provoke the United States on the eve of the president’s visit to the Middle East.

“We viewed it as a provocative act,” Mr. Bush told reporters in the Rose Garden on Tuesday, just hours before he left for the weeklong trip to the Middle East. “It is a dangerous situation, and they should not have done it, pure and simple.”

Mr. Bush said pointedly that he would use the trip to remind American friends and allies in the region that Iran poses a danger.“I’m going to remind them what I said in that press conference when I sat there and answered some of your questions,” Mr. Bush said.

“Iran was a threat, Iran is a threat, and Iran will continue to be a threat if they are allowed to learn how to enrich uranium,” he added. “And so I’m looking forward to, you know, making it clear that the United States of America sees clearly the threats of this world, and we intend to work with our friends and allies to make that part of the world more secure.”

Mr. Bush made his comments, his first on the event, during an appearance intended to put a spotlight on the first anniversary of his speech announcing a troop buildup in Iraq.

After conducting a videoconference with combat commanders and members of civilian “provincial reconstruction teams,” he sounded upbeat about progress in Iraq, saying that 2007, particularly the end of the year, had been “incredibly successful beyond anybody’s expectations.”

Mr. Bush has repeatedly said he will not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. But his efforts to convince the world that Iran is, in fact, a nuclear threat, have grown more complicated since the release of a new National Intelligence Estimate that concluded that Iran had abandoned its nuclear arms program.

Mr. Bush conceded that the report had complicated his efforts. “One of the problems we have is that the intelligence report on Iran sent a mixed signal,” he said.

Mr. Bush will visit three Gulf states — Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — during his stay in the Middle East. Experts on Iran said the episode in the Strait of Hormuz gave Mr. Bush an opening to press his message that Iran is a danger.

“I think he’s realized that a lot of the international steam on Iran has been lost in the wake of the N.I.E.,” said Michael Jacobson, an expert on Iran at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a research organization in Washington. “I think he’s doing what he can to try to refocus the international community on the dangers that Iran poses.”

The video may also help Mr. Bush make his case.

While it is difficult to judge exact distances, Pentagon officials said at least one Iranian boat came within about 200 yards of the Hopper, a distance that could have been covered in a matter of seconds at top speed.

In the tape, horns are sounded, and the American crew member also radios to the Iranian vessels: “Inbound small craft: You are approaching a coalition warship operating in international waters. Your identity is not known. Your intentions are unclear.”

The American warns the Iranians that if they do not “alter course immediately to remain clear,” then the small boat will be “subject to defensive measures.”

Pentagon officials said the commander of the Hopper had been on the verge of issuing an order to fire on the Iranian speedboat with a high-powered machine gun when the Iranian craft suddenly steered away.

10-3

Nokia Siemens Wins $935 Mln Saudi Arabia Deal

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Show attendees talk in front of the Nokia booth during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 8, 2008. REUTERS/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES)

By Tarmo Virki and Souhail Karam

HELSINKI/RIYADH, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Nokia Siemens Networks has won a $935 million order for a mobile network in Saudi Arabia, the firms said on Monday, while U.S. Motorola would deliver a smaller share of the deal.

Nokia Siemens (NSN) and Motorola won the deal awarded by Kuwait’s Zain telecom operator to build the whole second and third generation wireless networks in Saudi Arabia, from Ericsson and China’s Huawei Technologies.

NSN, the 50-50 joint venture between the world’s largest cellphone maker Nokia and Germany’s Siemens, said it would also deliver managed services to Zain’s Saudi affiliate over five years.

“It’s a very sizeable deal. Very good news indeed for Nokia,” said eQ analyst Jari Honko. Its the largest deal in the nine-month history of Nokia Siemens.

Motorola won a contract to supply some of the radio network, but Zain declined to give its value, saying it would be announced in due course.

“Motorola will supply us radio network (equipment), it represents 30 percent of the total infrastructure that we need,” said Marwan al-Ahmadi, Zain Saudi Arabia’s Chief Executive.

“Ericsson and Huawei were bidding for the two contracts won by Nokia and Motorola,” Ahmadi told Reuters in Riyadh.

Shares in Nokia were 0.4 percent lower at 24.57 euros by 1431 GMT, outperforming the DJ Stoxx European technology index which was down 1.6 percent.

“This customer has traditionally been co-operating with Ericsson,” said Handelsbanken analyst Karri Rinta. “Nokia was rather late going into these markets, it seems that NSN is now getting a firmer position there.”

Telecom equipment makers, like Nokia Siemens and Ericsson, are suffering as operators in Western countries curb investment and competition for large deals in emerging countries intensifies.

This has pushed prices so low that vendors have started to walk away from some deals.

Walid Moneimne, Nokia Siemens Chairman for the Middle East and Africa, said markets in this region promise huge revenues for equipment suppliers in the medium-term.

“The number of mobile phone users in this region (Middle East and Africa) is expected to double from 300 million to 600 million by the end of 2010,” he told a news conference in Riyadh.

Shares in Ericsson fell after the news and were 1.6 percent lower at 13.96 crowns in Stockholm.

The two contracts will provide Zain Saudi Arabia with a network capable of managing up to 8 million mobile phone users, Ahmadi said. Zain Saudi Arabia, which paid the Saudi government $6.1 billion in fees for the mobile licence, will begin commercial operations this year.

(Additional reporting by Agnieszka Flak and Terhi Kinnunen in Helsinki, Adam Cox in Stockholm and Ulf Laessing in Kuwait; editing by Sue Thomas/Rory Channing)

10-3

AMPEC – American Muslim Political Education Committee

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U.S. Republican presidential candidate Texas Rep. Ron Paul visits a polling station in Manchester, New Hampshire January 8, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES)

By Masood Rab, AMPEC

Are Muslims ready to participate in the US political process in a responsible manner?

Many issues are stake in the election of candidates for political offices in US. The American Muslim community is recognizing the importance of being active in the political arena of this country. Many Muslims contribute money, time and other resources in the process of political activism – mostly making financial contributions and getting photo opportunities in return.

The Muslim community in Michigan now has taken another step in the direction of proactive politics – Vote Smart.

The un-scientific survey conducted by AMPEC highlights the Muslim community issues, which need to be used for evaluating the political candidates to benefit the Muslim community and America. The Muslim community issues, that are most dear to the community and need to be presented to the political candidates for 2008 elections, cover the breadth and depth of the American life spectrum. The analysis of the AMPEC survey conducted by AMPEC and responses provided by the Muslim community is summarized here to determine the most critical issues and then learn about the candidate positions for casting ballot in January 15, 2008 primary election in Michigan.

The most highly rated issue for the Muslim community is the War in Iraq. The survey asked,

“The United States was justified in its invasion of Iraq in 2003”, the response was: Strongly Agree: 1%: Agree: 2%; No Opinion: 4%; Disagree: 16%; Strongly Disagree: 74%; with 2% no input (with a small error in rounding off to nearest whole number).

The American Muslim community considers the US invasion of Iraq as unjustified by a whopping ratio of 90 to 3% while 6% had no opinion.

The next highly rated issue was the Foreign Policy of the American Government. When asked, “America should do more to negotiate a peaceful two-state solution between Israel and Palestine”, the response was: Strongly Agree: 42%: Agree: 35%; No Opinion: 8%; Disagree: 6%; Strongly Disagree: 6%; with 2% no input (with a small error in rounding off to nearest whole number). The American Muslim community feels that a peaceful resolution of Israeli-Palestinian issue would promote world peace and 77% of the surveyed consider a two state solution as a step for peace.

The next two issues that the American Muslim community considered more important were Security and Education. When asked, “The USA Patriot Act has allowed government officials to engage in racial profiling and discrimination against particular ethnic and religious groups”, the response was: Strongly Agree: 44%: Agree: 32%; No Opinion: 11%; Disagree: 2%; Strongly Disagree: 6%; with 5% no input.

When asked, “Vouchers should be available so parents can send their kids to a school of their choice”, the response was: Strongly Agree: 30%: Agree: 46%; No Opinion: 10%; Disagree: 11%; Strongly Disagree: 2%; with 2% no input (with a small error in rounding off to nearest whole number).

The candidate positions summarized below on the “War in Iraq” are obtained from NY Times, NPR and other miscellaneous sources.

Vote Smart on January 15, 2008

Based on the analysis of one of the issues of importance to the American Muslim community and America, AMPEC strongly recommends voting REPUBLICAN and for RON PAUL in the Michigan Primary on January 15.

Hillary Clinton:

Position: Absolutely oppose the war in Iraq. (Oct 2007); Bring out as many combat troops as quickly as possible. (Oct 2007); Goal to remove all troops from Iraq by 2013, but no pledge. (Sep 2007)

Voting Record: Voted for Iraq war based on available info; now would not. (Apr 2007); Critic of Iraq war, but won’t recant 2002 vote in its favor. (Nov 2006); Regrets Bush’s handling of war, but not her war vote. (Oct 2006); Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008. (Mar 2007)

John Edwards:

Position: End combat missions & focus on removing all combat troops. (Sep 2007); 40,000 troops out by 2009, but no pledge for all out by 2013. (Sep 2007); Focus on political progress in Iraq. (Sep 2007); All combat troops out of Iraq in the first year in office. (Oct 2007)

Voting Record: Apologized for Iraq war vote; others must search conscience. (Apr 2007); Wrong on Iraq war vote about WMDs and about Bush’s lead-up. (Feb 2007); Got war vote wrong based on bad intelligence and Bush incompetence. (Feb 2007); Made mistake in voting for Iraq war resolution. (Dec 2006)

Rudy Giuliani:

Position: Winning in Iraq is one battle in overall terrorist war. (Aug 2007); We’ve never won a war while discussing how to retreat. (Sep 2007); Desirable but unneeded to ask Congress to attack Iran nukes. (Oct 2007); Democrat timetable for retreat “fundamentally irresponsible”. (May 2007); We did not invite the 9/11 attack by attacking Iraq. (May 2007); Keep option open to attack Al Qaeda in Pakistan unilaterally. (Aug 2007); Withdrawal from Iraq encourages future terror attacks. (Nov 2006); Failure should never be the option; self-fulfilling prophecy. (May 2007); No need to understand reasons for terrorism-just stop them. (Oct 2001)

Mike Huckabee:

Position: We needed 300,000 troops to win Iraq; must finish the job. (May 2007); Many don’t comprehend the threat: they want our obliteration. (Sep 2007); We made Saudis rich; pressure them to help win with honor. (Aug 2007); Don’t judge Iraq war while we’re in the middle of the war. (May 2007); Opposing Bush’s troop surge is a dangerous position. (Jan 2007); Make sure we finish the job in Iraq and finish it right. (Jan 2007); Strength is more effective deterrent to war than weakness. (Jan 2007)

John McCain:

Position: I would much rather lose a campaign than lose a war. (Oct 2007); Bring troops home the right way: home with honor. (Sep 2007); Surge is working; let it continue until it succeeds. (Sep 2007); Support the surge even if benchmarks are not met. (Aug 2007). Okay to leave troops in Iraq for 100 years if no casualties. (Jan 2008).

Voting Record: Congress has no authority to cut off funds for Iraqi use. (Jan 2007); Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007. (Jun 2006); Voted NO on investigating contract awards in Iraq & Afghanistan. (Nov 2005)

Barrack Obama:

Position: Leave troops for protection of Americans & counter-terrorism. (Sep 2007); Hopes to remove all troops from Iraq by 2013, but no pledge. (Sep 2007); Surge has not succeeded because it ignores political issues. (Sep 2007); Tell people the truth: quickest is 1-2 brigades per month. (Sep 2007) Deal with al Qaeda on Pakistan border, but not with nukes. (Aug 2007); Get al Qaeda hiding in hills between Afghanistan & Pakistan. (Aug 2007); Military action in Pakistan if we have actionable intelligence (Aug 2007)

Voting Record: Late to vote against war is not late to oppose war. (Jun 2007); Spending on the Cold War relics should be for the veterans. (Jun 2007); Would have voted no to authorize the President to go to war. (Jul 2004); Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008. (Mar 2007); Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007. (Jun 2006): Voted YES on investigating contract awards in Iraq & Afghanistan. (Nov 2005)

Ron Paul:

Position: Mercantilist oil dependency was reason for war. (Oct 2007); We went into Iraq under false pretenses of WMD and 9/11. (Sep 2007); Radicals come to kill us because we occupy their lands. (Sep 2007); Preemptive war is against Christian doctrine of just war. (Sep 2007); Take marching orders from Constitution; not from al Qaeda. (Sep 2007); Neocons hijacked our foreign policy to invade Iraq. (Sep 2007); Iraq war is illegal; undeclared wars never end & we lose. (Aug 2007)

Voting Record: Voted against war because Iraq was not a national threat. (May 2007); Opposes Iraq war and opposes path toward Iran war. (Jan 2007); Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. (May 2007); Voted NO on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date. (Jun 2006); Voted NO on approving removal of Saddam & valiant service of US troops. (Mar 2004); Voted NO on authorizing military force in Iraq. (Oct 2002)

Mitt Romney:

Position: After surge, move to support phase, based in Kuwait. (Sep 2007); Slow progress vs. frightening consequences of withdrawal. (Aug 2007); It’s time for people of America to show a surge of support. (Aug 2007); Keep option to attack Al Qaeda in Pakistan, but don’t say it. (Aug 2007); Right to invade Iraq, but not what came after. (Jun 2007); Iraq part of global jihadist effort to bring down the West. (May 2007); Don’t decide policy by polls; don’t leave Iraq precipitously. (May 2007); Withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake. (Dec 2006)

Fred Thompson:

Position: Stabilizing Iraq, and not leaving, is the right policy. (Oct 2007); Iraq certainly had WMDs in the past & would have nukes now. (Oct 2007); World becomes more dangerous if we leave Iraq. (Aug 2007); I would do essentially what the president’s (Bush) doing in Iraq. (Jun 2007); Iraq is a war between civilization and evil. (Jun 2007); Internationalizing war effort will not win the war. (Jun 2007); If world doesn’t stop Iran nukes, Israel will. (May 2007); President must decide on war based on unclear evidence. (Jun 2007)

Voting Record: Voting for the war then against funding is just poll-based. (Jun 2007); Voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq. (Oct 2002);

Next Week – More on candidate positions on the Muslim community issues.

10-3

Iraqi Soldier Who Killed U.S. Troops Is Seen as a Hero in Iraq

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A U.S. Army soldier with the 101st Airborne Division walks past a member of the Iraqi CLC (Concerned Local Citizens) guard during a patrol in Baiji December 27, 2007. REUTERS/Bob Strong (IRAQ)

Courtesy Ali Al-Fadhily, IPS News

The recent killing of two U.S. soldiers by their Iraqi colleague has raised disturbing questions about U.S. military relations with the Iraqis they work with.

On Dec. 26, an Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S. soldiers accompanying him during a joint military patrol in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. He killed the U.S. captain and another sergeant, and wounded three others, including an Iraqi interpreter.

Conflicting versions of the killing have arisen. Col. Hazim al-Juboory, uncle of the attacker Kaissar Saady al-Juboory, told IPS that his nephew at first watched the U.S. soldiers beat up an Iraqi woman. When he asked them to stop, they refused, so he opened fire.

“Kaissar is a professional soldier who revolted against the Americans when they dragged a woman by her hair in a brutal way,” Col. Juboory said. “He is a tribal man, and an Arab with honor who would not accept such behavior. He killed his captain and sergeant knowing that he would be executed.”

Others gave IPS a similar account. “I was there when the American captain and his soldiers raided a neighborhood and started shouting at women to tell them where some men they wanted were,” a resident of Mosul, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS on phone. “The women told them they did not know, and their men did not do anything wrong, and started crying in fear.”

The witness said the U.S. captain began to shout at his soldiers and the women, and his men then started to grab the women and pull them by their hair.

“The soldier we knew later to be Kaissar shouted at the Americans, ‘No, no,’ but the captain shouted back at the Iraqi soldier,” the witness told IPS. “Then the Iraqi soldier shouted, ‘Let go of the women, you sons of bitches,’ and started shooting at them.” The soldier, he said, then ran off.

The Association of Muslim Scholars, a Sunni organization, issued a statement saying the Iraqi soldier had shot the U.S. soldiers after he saw them beat up a pregnant woman.

“His blood rose and he asked the occupying soldiers to stop beating the woman,” they said in the statement. “Their answer through the translator was: ‘We will do what we want.’ So he opened fire on them.”

The story was first reported on al-Rafidain satellite channel. That started Iraqis from all over the country talking about “the hero” who sacrificed his life for Iraqi honor.

The U.S. and Iraqi military told a different version of the story.

An Iraqi general told reporters that Kaissar carried out the attack because he had links to “Sunni Arab insurgent groups.”

“Soldier Kaissar Saady worked for insurgent groups who pushed him to learn army movements and warn his comrades about them,” a captain of the second Iraqi army division told IPS. “There are so many like him in the army and now within the so-called Awakening forces (militias funded by the U.S. military).”

One army officer speaking on condition of anonymity described Kaissar’s act as heroic. “Those Americans learned their lesson once more.”

Sheikh Juma’ al-Dawar, chief of the major al-Baggara tribe in Iraq, told IPS in Baghdad that “Kaissar is from the al-Juboor tribes in Gayara — tribes with morals that Americans do not understand.”

The tribal chief added, “Juboor tribes and all other tribes are proud of Kaissar and what he did by killing the American soldiers. Now he is a hero, with a name that will never be forgotten.”

Many Iraqis speak in similar vein. “It is another example of Iraqi people’s unity despite political conspiracies by the Americans and their tails (collaborators),” Mohammad Nassir, an independent politician in Baghdad told IPS. “Kaissar is loved by all Iraqis who pray for his safety and who are ready to donate anything for his welfare.”

Col. Juboory said Kaissar who had at first accepted collaboration with the U.S. forces “found the truth too bitter to put up with.” The colonel said: “I worked with the Americans because being an army officer is my job, and also because I was convinced they would help Iraqis. But 11 months was enough for me to realize that starving to death is more honorable than serving the occupiers. They were mean in every way.”

Independent sources have since told IPS that Kaissar was captured by a special joint Iraqi-U.S. force, and he is now being held and tortured at the al-Ghizlany military camp in Mosul.

Despite a recent decline in the number of occupation forces being killed, 2007 was the deadliest year of the occupation for U.S. troops, with 901 killed, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

10-3

Govt Favors Smooth Flow Of Credit To Minorities

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By Nilofar Suhrawardy

NEW DELHI – Highlighting the government’s stand on enhancing flow of credit to minorities, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said last week (January 4): “Every bank has reported that their credit to minorities is moving up as a proportion of total credit. Some have even done 11 percent and some have done 12 percent. But all of them are moving up. There is not one bank, which said that it is not able to improve the credit to minorities.”

While chairing a quarterly review meeting of chairpersons of 28 public sector banks, Chidambaram also drew intention to the target of 15 percent priority sector lending to minorities by 2009-10. In this direction, the banks have been asked to prepare a road map laying down specific state-wise annual targets over a period of three years to ensure that the overall level of priority sector lending to the minority communities is raised from the current level of 9 per cent to 15 per cent in 2009-10.

The communities, notified as minorities, by ministry of welfare include Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians and Buddhists. Under pressure from Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has since last year included “minority communities” in the list of “weaker sections” for purpose of priority-sector lending by banks.

As per a circular issued by RBI, each bank is expected to set up a cell to ensure smooth flow of credit to minority communities. Besides, the lead bank in each of the minority concentration districts is expected to have an officer for looking exclusively after problems regarding credit flow to minority communities. This officer’s responsibility include publicizing among the minority communities various programs of bank credit and also preparation of suitable schemes for their benefit in collaboration with branch managers. The government also forwarded last year a list of 103 minority concentration districts having at least 25 percent minority population, excluding states/union territories where minorities are in majority (Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Lakshdweep). The scheduled commercial banks have been advised to ensure that minority communities receive a fair and equitable portion of credit within the overall target of the priority sector. Around forty percent of the 103 districts are also being monitored to ensure compliance with this aim.

Though a much needed beginning has been made to ensure credit flow for enhancing economic standing of minorities, it may be noted, it is as yet too early to judge its impact. With the program still in the stage of infancy, there is little doubt that the aggrieved minorities are not yet fully aware of the advantages it can spell for them. Besides, the banks expected to ensure credit for the minorities’ welfare have not yet prepared the roadmap needed for achieving the set target by March 2010. Only 19 banks have prepared such a roadmap. With instructions in this regard having been issued by the department of financial services only in October, the banks also cannot be blamed for having failed to fully implement the same.

By January 1, even the country’s largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI) had reportedly neither prepared a road map nor appointed a nodal officer to exclusively look into problems of minorities and ensure smooth credit flow to them. While six banks are yet to respond to department’s query on steps being taken to open more branches in minority-concentrated districts, five banks have not yet elaborated on steps they have taken to increase credit access to minorities in minority-concentrated districts. Likewise, 21 public sector banks have yet to respond on steps they have taken to create awareness of credit access to minorities in selected districts.

Signaling that the government is not going to remain a mute spectator to its stand on credit for minorities being sidelined by the banks, the ministry has taken several measures. In this direction, the ministry has requested the Reserve Bank of India to open a website to display data on credit given to minorities. The lead banks in districts have been asked to monitor disposal of loan applications received from minorities and provide reasons for rejections on a quarterly basis on the website.

Notwithstanding the noise made by sections of saffron brigade against the importance given to minorities by finance ministry, it may be noted that there has not been any pause in this direction. Despite the saffron brigade blaming the government for “communalizing” the budget, though a little slowly, measures have been initiated to help minorities. Towards the fag end of last year, the government approved a fully sponsored central scheme to provide 1.5 million scholarships to meritorious students belonging to notified minority communities. On this, Chidamabaram had said: “Thirty percent scholarships would be earmarked for girl students and the income eligibility would be up to Rs 2 lakh (0.2 million) per year.” This scheme is yet to be implemented.

With due respect to concern displayed towards improving the financial conditions of the country’s minorities, it cannot be ignored, that concrete measures are being taken when the government is nearing its term in power. It was only towards second half of last year that the RBI agreed to amend its master circular on priority sector lending to include five minority communities. In this context, critics are bound to view this government’s minority-oriented financial policy as more of an election-package and less of a welfare-program!

10-3

Compressed Air Car set for Launch in India

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Guy Negre, head of French company MDI enterprises s.a, sits behind the wheel of one of his cars, which runs entirely on compressed air, producing zero emissions, in Carros, southeastern France, in this January 4, 2008 file photo. What seemed like a pipe dream may soon become reality as Frenchman Negre hopes versions of his compressed air car will be produced in India this year by Tata Motors Ltd after a 15-year quest for backers for his invention. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/Files (FRANCE)

By Pierre Thebault

CARROS, France, Jan 7 – A car that runs on air?

What seemed like a pipe dream may soon become reality as Frenchman Guy Negre hopes versions of his compressed air car will be produced in India this year by Tata Motors Ltd after a 15 year quest for backers for his invention.

Negre believes the time is right for his design with oil prices at record highs and pressure on carmakers to improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles.

“It is clear that with oil at $100 a barrel this will force people to change their use of fuel and pollute less,” Negre told Reuters in an interview at his firm Motor Development International (MDI), based near Nice in the south of France.

“My car is zero pollution in town and almost no pollution on the highways,” he added, saying the vehicle could travel 100 kilometres at a cost of one euro in fuel.

The former Formula One motor racing engineer’s invention depends on pressurised air to move the pistons, which in turn help to compress the air again in a reservoir. The engine also has an electric motor, which needs to be periodically recharged, to top up the air pressure.

The bottles of compressed air — similar to those used by divers — can be filled up at service stations in several minutes.

The latest versions of the cars — MDI made an entire series of prototypes of engines and vehicles — also include a fuel engine option to extend the car’s range when not in reach of a special power plug or service station.

Tata, India’s largest carmaker with revenue of $7.2 billion in its last financial year, concluded a deal in 2007, investing 20 million euros ($29.4 million). Pre-production in India is set for 2008, Negre said.

The vehicle, protected by some 50 patents, will cost some 3,500 to 4,000 euros. Using composite materials, it will weigh not more than 330 kilos (727.5 lb) and its maximum speed is 150 kilometres (93.21 miles) per hour.

“The lighter the vehicle, the less it consumes and the less its pollutes and the cheaper it is; it’s simple,” Negre said.

MDI’s models which typically have a rounded shape a bit like a speech balloon in a cartoon include the Minicat urban vehicle, the Citycat for longer distances with an added tank for ethanol, diesel or bio-fuel and a taxi version.

Negre said he aimed to set up mini factories in regions where the car is used. “No transport, no parts suppliers. Everything will be made at the place of sale in production units that can make one car per half hour,” said Negre.

“That is more profitable, more ecological than the big factories of the large carmakers.”

Negre is not the only inventor working on compressed air engines. Urugay’s Armando Regusci, Australia’s Angelo di Pietro and South Korea’s Chul-Seung Cho have also produced designs.

But Negre has the backing of Tata, whose global ambitions were last week underscored when it was named preferred buyer of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands from Ford Motor Co. (Writing by Marcel Michelson; Editing by David Holmes)

10-3

Zeal, and Worry, Greet India’s “People’s Car”

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Tata Group's newly launched

By Jonathan Allen

NEW DELHI, Jan 8 (Reuters) – As of this writing, India’s “People’s Car” has yet to be unveiled and the advertising campaign has not even begun, but some Indians are already raving about Tata Motor’s new $2,500 car–despite the fears of environmentalists.

“I am really excited and definitely buying the cheapest car in the world as soon as they launch it,” said Arindam Sapui, a rice trader in Burdwan, a small town in West Bengal in eastern India.

This is exactly the kind of unbridled enthusiasm that environmentalists have been dreading as they predict a plague of ever-cheaper cars and ever-swelling clouds of climate-changing fumes.

Tata will unveil its 100,000 rupee car on Thursday.

Selling for less than half price of the current cheapest car in the market, it hopes it will tap into the growing ranks of India’s middle class — rather like the Volkswagen Beetle did in Germany or the Mini in England.

Sapui currently zips between villages for work on a scooter, and was thinking about upgrading to a more powerful motorbike.

“But my wife said the 1-lakh car would be cheaper and much safer,” he said, using the word for 100,000 in the Indian counting system.

Several more-established middle class consumers who already owned one car also said it would make for an affordable second car for a spouse, son or daughter.

But environmentalists may be relieved that some people interviewed in New Delhi and Mumbai were more muted.

Some echoed fears that car sales will rocket as more people become able to afford them. They were not thinking of gas emissions so much as the horror of the commute to the office in cities where roads are jammed and public transport is miserable.

“I don’t think the car should be launched at all,” said Kishan Aswani, 75, who commutes for an hour each weekday to his south Mumbai office.

“There is already a lot of traffic on the roads. Travelling by train is impossible, you simply cannot get in or move out.”

Tata Motors says a lot of these fears are unfounded. It says the car will meet emission standards and that car sales are already growing fast without the help of the People’s Car.

“Given the rate at which the entire industry will grow, even if we market it very heavily, it will still be a miniscule percentage of the cars entering the roads,” a company spokesman said.

He added that although the company is targeting first-time buyers, it was also expecting a large portion of sales to come from people trading in their old car as well as from people already considering buying a second-hand car.

Widespread poverty is another limiting factor.

For people like Anil, a 22-year-old rickshaw driver in Delhi, even the world’s cheapest car still seems ludicrously expensive.

“No money,” he said, rubbing his fingers and pouting. He earns almost exactly the national average income, and so the People’s Car amounts to more than three years’ earnings.

Likewise, Rakesh Kumar, a taxi driver, pointed out that only scooters and motorbikes could fit down the tight alleys that thread through the slums where he and tens of millions of other urban Indians live.

But as millions more people join the estimated 50 million strong middle class in the coming years, cars remain an important marker of status.

“It’s the same dream anywhere in the world,” said Jyoti Anand, a used-car salesman in Delhi. “You want a good home, a good car, and a beautiful wife.”

Baliram Thakur, a taxi driver, was also thinking of his wife when he said he planned to make a booking right away. Then someone told him the cheapest model came without air-conditioning, and his resolve wavered.

“No AC?” he said, taken aback. “The wife will get hot, and she won’t like that.” (Additional reporting by Bappa Majumdar in Kolkata and Swati Pandey in Mumbai; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Alex Richardson)

10-3

Make Yourself the Example

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Imam El-Amin

By Imam Abdullah El-Amin, MMNS

O YE WHO BELIEVE! Save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe who do not hesitate from carrying out the commands they receive from ALLAH, but do (exactly) what they are commanded to do.

Qur’an 66: 6

Forget rock stars, cartoons, Hanna Montana, and the kid down the block. The one your children are most influenced by is YOU. It is very important to give your offspring a positive outlook on life in the present, and the future.

Does your child go around sulking all day and feels everything will go against him/her? Is poor academic performance something your child expects? (Or worse still, is it something you expect?) It is not the place you want your family to be. This is especially true since low self-esteem and a negative attitude put kids at a higher risk for depression and poor performance in life. If this case scenario seems to fit your situation, you might take a look at yourself as the main cause of their state of mind. I don’t mean to put you in a defensive mode and shut you down; I’m merely trying to point out some very real pictures in the sea of life.

As the above sura points out, you must be in position to save your offspring first. This is impossible if you can’t save yourself. Kids model your behavior. If you are gloomy, negative and unsure of yourself in life, guess what? They will most likely be likewise.

You have a big say in your child’s experiences. You are the one that decided where they live; where they go to school; where they worship; even what they worship. For the most part, they have no choice. This is the time to put those positive thoughts in their mind so they can grow. This is the time to tell them they can instead of they can’t. This is the time to teach them to look beyond the brick walls and boulders in their path and either go around it, over it, under it, or knock it down. Whatever is possible.

It is not the time to fix all their problems for them. If you do this, they will not be able to learn how to solve problems on their own. Then what happens when you die?

No one else is going to baby them like you did so they will be at the mercy of the wolves that surely lie in wait. You know how safe and confident you feel when you approach something with knowledge and competence? Whatever it is it is less scary and intimidating.

It’s the same with your offspring. Let them see you being confident and they will approach their situations with less fear; so they probably will be more successful.

Another way of saving your children from the fire is to be active with them. Try doing new things with them.

This takes them out of their comfort zone and gives them new experiences to build strength and character on. Don’t worry about failing.

Just point out that most great occurrence in the world came after many failures first. Teach them how to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and start all over again (to use the words of a great song).

With ALLAH’S name, the Merciful Benefactor, Merciful Redeemer

As Salaam alaikum
(Al Hajj) Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin

10-3

The Attack on Patriarchy

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Elder George

By Elder George

When we refer to light and dark, hot and cold, and noisy and quiet, we tend to think of six influences, but upon examination we find only three. Regarding light and dark, we can only control light, which we can either add or remove, but we cannot create dark. We can only add or remove heat, but we cannot make cold (refrigerators remove heat from the food and dump it into the kitchen, and air conditioners remove heat from the room and dump it outside). We cannot make quiet, we can only add or remove noise. There are lighting, heating, and sound engineers; dark, cold, and quiet engineers do not exist.

Two assertive influences cannot accomplish anything; they would oppose each other. Each Solar system contains but one Sun. Each family has only one head. This natural arrangement known as patriarchy came into being when God created the physical universe. Every society in the world practiced some form of patriarchy except Europe. One would think that this fact alone would indicate that European society is an aberration. Instead it is looked upon as a leader because of its material gain. Sufi al Hasan al Basri in referring to Jesus and material gain said, “This world has neither worth nor weight with God, so slight it is…It was offered to our Prophet (s), with all its keys and treasures…but he refused to accept it, and nothing prevented him from accepting it—for there is naught that can lessen him in God’s sight, but he disdained to love what his Creator hated.”

The major factor motivating people to pursue the Western way of life is the desire for material gain, an objective that all scripture indicates warrants our avoidance. The pursuit of individual freedom and material gain has become and obsession in all societies influenced by the West. When money and matters material become an object of pursuit for their own ends morals and ethics disappear, or more correctly, when morals and ethics disappear the pursuit of materiality and self-indulgence become paramount.

The patriarchal structure preserves morals and ethics; its purpose is the propagation and preservation of the species and its spiritual development. Therefore, the West in its efforts to promote a one-world government devoid of gender and religion makes intensive efforts to destroy patriarchy, and the last major stronghold can be found in the practice of Islam.

The West has no problem with the tenets of Islam; it just wants to neuter its influence, which is done by the imposition of democracy. Removing male authority makes of religion a toothless tiger. Proof of this can be seen in American Christendom. The rate of divorce among Christians has increased to the level of those who have no religious affiliation whatsoever. The ten states that comprise the Bible Belt have a rate of divorce 50% higher than the national average. Women no longer cover their heads in church, and are elevated to clerical positions.

These effects of the breakdown of patriarchy have already shown up in the American Islamic community. Increasing numbers of imams complain that they get more calls from Muslims asking about divorce than from those asking about marriage. Family courts now have increasing numbers of Muslims on the docket. Muslimas are encouraged to have “careers” other than being wives and mothers.

The effect in the West of the destruction of patriarchy is societal chaos and decadence. “Such are those who buy the life of the world at the price of the Hereafter. Their punishment will not be lightened, neither will they have support.”

Elder George’s website is www.mensaction.net and he can be reached at 212-874-7900 ext. 1329.

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From Cowboy to Caped-Crusader?

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U.S. President George W. Bush (L) and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert smile during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv January 9, 2008. REUTERS/Larry Downing (ISRAEL)

By Sumayyah Meehan, MMNS

This week, January 8-16, marks the beginning of a tour of the Middle East by U.S. President George W. Bush. Bush will kick-off the tour by first visiting Israel and Palestine for a continuation of talks which were iniated this past November in Anapolis, Maryland. Both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised to find some common ground, at the Anapolis talks, by the end of this current year. Bush also plans to make stops in other countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Critics around the World have questioned the underlying motives behind the Bush visit to the Middle East. After all, his Presidency has not exactly been about diplomacy but rather to ‘shoot first’ and ask questions later. So, why is Bush trading in his cowboy hat, albeit temporarily, and donning the hat of a diplomat? There are several possible reasons for Bush’s 360-degree turnaround.

Perhaps this last ditch effort, which comes during the last year of Bush’s reign as U.S. President, is an attempt to renew the tattered image of the U.S. in the Middle East and by extension help Bush in a self-serving motive to make himself look less like a war monger and more like a public servant in the pages of history. If he could honestly succeed where other sitting-Presidents, like former U.S. President Bill Clinton, failed and bring the Israelis and Palestinians together in a viable two-state solution then perhaps the success will create a more favorable legacy for Bush than the combined body counts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Or maybe the visit is actually all about Bush bowing to pressure from his own political party, the Republicans. It’s no mystery that the race for the 2008 White House is one of the hottest U.S. Presidential races in history. Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama is already a league ahead of all of his opponents including Republican front-runner Mike Huckabee. If Bush could use his Mideast tour to repair some of the damage his Presidency has done in the region, perhaps American voters will be more forgiving and have faith enough to elect another Republican President.

However, leave it to analysts situated right in the Middle East, to see a more sinister side to Bush’s ‘eleventh-hour’ visit to the region and that is to shore up support from Arab nations for a possible U.S. led attack on Iran. Why else would Bush be touring so many of Iran’s neighbors, like Egypt and Kuwait, dailies in the surrounding areas of the Gulf have rhetorically asked readers? Political commentators in both the English and Arab media have speculated for months that Kuwait specifically could be singled out by Bush to launch a pre-emptive attack on Iran. Perhaps that is why Bush is reportedly planning to release all the Kuwaiti inmates of Guantanamo Bay prior to his visit in order to ‘butter-up’ Kuwaiti officials.

Regardless of his motives, Bush’s visit in the Middle East is expected to cause a furor and result in angry protests at all of his stops. Even before Bush has set foot in the region detractors and extremists are already doing their part to see that Bush’s visit fails. For example- this past week, Al-Qaeda, who is suspected of having sleeper-cells in many regions of the Middle East, have encouraged their supporters, “…to receive him not with flowers or clapping but with bombs and booby-trapped vehicles.” The statement was just one of many in a newly released in a 50-minute long Al-Qaeda video featuring their American Spokesman, Adam Gadahn.

The Bush presidency has gone on for 7 long years without giving the people living in the Middle East a chance to speak let alone be heard. So, Bush’s first Presidential visit to the region will more than likely be viewed in the global arena as being a case of too little, too late.

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Investments–Rule Number One

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By Bob Wood, MMNS

One of the greatest investors of our time, Warren Buffett, is also famous for sharing his simple rules for making money in the stock market. To him, Rule Number One is: ‘’Don’t lose money.’’ I’m constantly amazed at how few investors have taken time to consider why this great investor considers this rule the most important part of his investing strategy.

To Buffett, protecting what you have is at least as important as trying to grow it. I am sure that far too many investors think that they must be invested in the stock market at all times, regardless of stock valuation or economic conditions. But I am as sure as I can be that what hurts investors more than anything else is their staying in bad markets for too long. Secular bear markets like the one we are enduring in the domestic markets now are the killer of investor hopes and dreams.

Currently, Buffett is famously sitting on a pile of cash rumored to be somewhere between 40 and $50 billion. And this is not the first time he has protected mountains of cash for which he could find little use in the stock market.

In 1969, he closed out his investment partnership, sending money back to investors and bemoaning the fact that there was little to buy with their money at prices that seemed fair. Sure enough, the stock market slipped into a nasty bear market in 1972, and the 1973-74 bear cycle saw prices in the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall roughly 40%.

While other investors were counting their losses, Buffett was piling millions back into the stock market; that mountain of cash was now available for scooping up what he saw as bargains. The rest is history, of course, since we now know that this buying opportunity is largely responsible for the great wealth Buffett has accumulated. Had this great investor remained fully invested in the stock market during the cyclical bear market that did so much damage to other investors, he most likely would have had little cash and less desire to dive into the stock market at what became “the low point” of the decade.

Buffett has said on several occasions that he doesn’t really concern himself with economic conditions in general. He simply looks to buy assets at fair prices — and nothing more. With today’s stock market selling at multiples similar to those of 1969, it is not surprising that he once again is holding a huge amount of cash.

Of course, a careful observer will see many other similarities to 1969 in today’s bigger picture. The U.S. is again involved in wars overseas – wars that offer little hope of victory. War costs in terms of both human life and national treasure continue to mount in nauseating ways. Another glaring similarity is high inflation, as seen in the rising price of energy.

We also find ourselves firmly in the middle of a secular bear market. The long-term bull market in stocks, which began shortly after the end of World War II, came to an end in 1964. By 1969, it was obvious to Buffett that the stock market downturn was no short-term event.

Investors today can also see clearly that the stock market, as evidenced by the S&P 500, is lower today than it was at the end of the last secular bull market in early 2000. This provides a clear sign to today’s investors that the current bear market is of the secular, or long-term, variety.

The idea held by many — that an investor can remain fully invested during a secular bear market — is a sure sign that rational thinking is not part of the process for far too many investors. In today’s stock market, we see record trading volumes, making it appear as though the long-term bull market never ended!

Part of the problem for many investors is that losing money in the stock market occurs in subtle ways. A case in point is that today’s Standard & Poor’s 500 is about 7% lower than it was at the bull market peak in early 2000.

Those investors who have hung in there, remaining with the ‘’stocks for the long run’’ argument might think they are close to even too. But even if we accept the government’s lowball numbers for inflation as running close to 3% per year since early 2000, the investor who stuck with the domestic markets is well behind where he started in terms of the buying power of his investments.

The big problem is this: most investors, even professional mutual fund managers, tend not to outperform indexes such as the Standard & Poor’s 500. But even the rare investors who have been able to match returns of that major index over the past eight years still find themselves about 30% poorer than they were in early 2000.

What will happen to today’s investors should the current secular bear market endure as long as secular bear markets have tended to last over time? For a more extreme example, look at the Japanese stock market as shown by its major index, the Nikkei 225.

That index topped out at about 39,000 on the first day of 1990. Today, it remains more than 60% below that previous peak 18 years ago, before inflation. Even if the investor in that market had managed to break even in nominal terms over the past 18 years and his account today is at the same level as it was 18 years ago, he would still need 70% more money to buy what his investments would have bought then.

The average investor there would need 1.7 million Yen to buy what 1 million Yen would have bought in 1990. But with the Nikkei down over 60% since then, he has a mere 400,000 yen to do the job with, or thereabouts. In other words, he can now buy about one quarter of what his investments would have bought 18 years ago!

Yes, this represents an extreme example, and conventional wisdom insists that it could never happen to us. But I wonder what kind of reaction I would have heard back in 1990 if I had suggested to a Japanese investor that his home stock market would be 60% lower in 18 years than it was on that day?

I also wonder how many investors in America in 1928, at the height of the Roaring 20s, thought that both the stock market and overall economy would reverse course and deal them brutal losses? The Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at 381 in 1929. It hit bottom at 41 in 1932. How many then would have accepted the premise that the stock market could possibly fall that far?

While I remain a Bear — or a realist, as I prefer to be called — in today’s markets, I am in no way suggesting that domestic stock markets will fall to that degree in the coming years. But I am about as sure as I can be that the best case scenario in the coming few years is that the stock market will be no higher than it is today.

What I am suggesting, however, is that at some point in the future we may well find a wonderful buying opportunity much like the one Warren Buffett took full advantage of in 1973 and 1974. What concerns me is that too few investors will be holding enough cash to take advantage of that opportunity!

The time to invest in the stock market is when valuations are low and investor enthusiasm is even lower. A recent example of this type of situation occurred in the summer of 2002 when the Standard & Poor’s 500 fell almost 50% lower and the NASDAQ was 80% lower than they had been at their peaks in early 2000.

How many investors do you know who have been sitting on cash, ready to load up on stocks at prices much lower than they have been in previous years? Only those investors who have paid sufficient attention to Buffett’s Number One Rule for making money will have the ability to do just that.

That time will come again, at some point in the future, when the skeptical realist who sat out the worst of the bear market will be able to walk into a scarcely populated stock market and take full advantage of the bargains that will abound.

I have every intention of being one of them.

Have a great week.
Bob

Bob Wood ChFC, CLU Yusuf Kadiwala. Registered Investment Advisors, KMA, Inc., invest@muslimobserver.com.

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