DECEMBER 2005
STOPPRESS STOPPRESSSTOPPRESS
Création
de Mariali :
AND TO ALL, A GOOD NIGHT
A Christmas Tale for the Children
John Chuckman
It was only a matter of time before Santa Claus himself came under the Neanderthal-eyed scrutiny of American intelligence. After all, Santa’s citizenship is unknown, and he crosses borders with no passport or other form of identification. No one knows whether he even has a valid pilot’s license.
Although his image is well known, there is no official photograph on file with American border control, and he has never been fingerprinted or body-searched. Most disconcerting of all, he delivers parcels to children all over the world, including the children living in the Axis of Evil. His intentions with this activity are not understood beyond some fuzzy generalization about kindness and generosity to all. Clearly, here was the world’s largest unplugged pipeline to potential terrorists.
It
was only after receiving no response to several urgent
letters from the State Department requesting an immediate
meeting in
As the planes first zoomed over the icy silence of the North Pole workshop, one of the pilots decided to swoop down for a closer look. He was one of those daring fly-boys, and his tail struck the only wire for thousands of miles around, the North Pole Telegraph, sending his plane hurling into the workshop in a ball of flames with tons of ammunition and missiles exploding.
Santa and Mrs. Claus rushed out of their snow-blanketed gingerbread house to see what was happening, trying to calm the terrified reindeer running from their stable at one end of the house. The elves, too, scurried towards the stable, trying to stop the reindeer from running or flying off.
Above, in the dark vault of sky, the other pilots observed the explosion and saw missile trails smoking into the air. They also saw the frantic activity below and quickly concluded their comrade had come under anti-aircraft attack. So they swooped down in attack formation, rapid-fire canon tearing into everything ahead of them.
Most of the reindeer fell in the snow, spurting warm blood across the bluish-white surface. Most of the elves, too, fell gasping for life. Mrs. Claus received a wound in the head and instantly fell limp. Santa tried heroically to reach his wife but realized the situation was hopeless and turned, running into the darkness accompanied by Prancer, the only surviving reindeer.
The
only witness to the massacre is one surviving elf now
living somewhere in
Realizing the horrific mistake they had made, the pilots dropped white phosphorus bombs with the intention of incinerating all evidence. The entire North Pole lit up and Santa and Prancer could be seen in the distance on a huge block of ice drifting off into the dark sea, the ice everywhere cracked and weakened by the combined effects of white phosphorus and years of global warming.
Within
in a few hours, the beating sound of a black helicopter
approached Santa and Prancer. The elf, from his hiding
place in a snowdrift, could only make out intermittent
sounds across the howling coldness, but it seems armed
men emerged from the helicopter, shot Prancer and
shackled Santa, shoving him into the dark, beating
machine. The elf heard a word that sounded like
palestine emergency as Israelis use sound bombs that can cause miscarriage of children and internal bleeding:
Just Put The Decorations Up, You MoronPeople always
moan about christmas decorations going up too
early, and I agree it is a legitimate if rather
hackneyed complaint. There is something worse,
however: |
London burning:
Douglas
Beddwell
I used to be a tanker driver based at Buncefield and was also the union's health and safety representative. It's always had an exemplary safety record. The containers are designed to smother any fire that might erupt.
In theory you need two explosions to create the fire - one to break the pipe and one to set it alight.
My
congratulations to Professor Sami Al-Arian and his
family for his acquittal.
THE CANADIAN ISLAMIC
CONGRESS
MEDIA COMMUNIQUE
ISLAMIC CONGRESS APPEALS FOR
RELEASE OF CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER CAPTIVES IN IRAQ
December 4, 2005
The Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) today expressed its
sincere regret over the kidnapping of four Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT) workers in Iraq this past week. As
a faith-based organization, CPT has been respected and
well known to Muslim and non-Muslim Canadians alike for
its dedication to justice in occupied Palestine, often
under very difficult and dangerous conditions. For years,
CPT members have played a major role in protecting the
property and lives of Palestinians, defending their homes
and agricultural lands against destruction by the Israeli
military, and protecting Palestinian children on their
way to and from school against harassment and attacks by
illegal Jewish settlers.
In Canada, CPT has
worked proactively in politics and with the general
public, campaigning tirelessly against the invasion and
occupation of Iraq. Its members have strongly defended
the rights of Muslims and taken clear positions against
the discriminatory singling out of Muslims within Canada.
CPT has worked equally hard to accompany and support
indigenous peoples fighting for their land and treaty
rights, such as native fishers in Burnt Church. While CPT
is an openly faith-based group that operates according to
Christian teachings and example, it is unlike most
traditional missionizing and evangelistic organizations.
CPT members do not proselytize or ever attempt to
"convert" those for whom they offer support.
Rather, they are individually and collectively motivated
by their faith to devote their lives to helping the
oppressed, working for justice, and fighting against ar
by peacefully "getting in the way" of violence
against the innocent. They have practiced and
demonstrated a deep respect for Islam and for the right
of Iraqis, and all Arab and Muslim peoples, to pursue
just self-
determination. They do not work under the auspices of any
government, nor do they accept money from any government
or governmental agency.
All four CPT
members being held captive in Iraq -- two Canadians, one
Briton and one American -- have put their lives on
the line to resist the darkness and misery of war and
occupation. They took on their duties with one simple and
courageous purpose: to bear witness to injustice and to
sincerely work alongside the people of Iraq for justice
and peace. We appeal urgently for their quick release and
sincerely hope that their commitment to justice and their
role in standing beside and supporting all oppressed
people -- especially Arab and Muslim peoples in Canada,
Iraq, and
Palestine -- will be appreciated and understood.
CONTACTS:
Mrs. Wahida Valiante
(905) 771-1023
e-mail: nvp@canadianislamiccongress.com
FOR FRENCH MEDIA:
Dr. Mohamed Nekili
(514) 745-1255
e-mail: mohamed.nekili@videotron.ca
Re. the Christian
Peacemaker Team kidnapped in Iraq: PLEASE SIGN THIS
PETITION: URGENT APPEAL: PLEASE RELEASE
OUR FRIENDS IN IRAQ
Arabic version at http://electroniciraq.net/news/2210.shtml
Sign the petition at http://freethecpt.org
Dec.3rdAtlast they are satisfied, though the Russians
told them long ago that OIL is not going to run out......
BLACK-GOLD
BLUES
'Fossil
fuel' theory takes hit with NASA finding
New
study shows methane on Saturn's moon Titan not biological
Posted: December 1,
2005
11:48 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
NASA scientists are about to publish conclusive studies showing abundant methane of a non-biologic nature is found on Saturn's giant moon Titan, a finding that validates a new book's contention that oil is not a fossil fuel.
"We have determined that Titan's methane is not of biologic origin," reports Hasso Niemann of the Goddard Space Flight Center, a principal NASA investigator responsible for the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer aboard the Cassini-Huygens probe that landed on Titan Jan. 14.
Niemann concludes the methane "must be replenished by geologic processes on Titan, perhaps venting from a supply in the interior that could have been trapped there as the moon formed."
The studies announced by NASA yesterday will be reported in the Dec. 8 issue of the scientific journal Nature.
"This finding confirms one of the key arguments in 'Black Gold Stranglehold: The Myth of Scarcity and the Politics of Oil,'" claims co-author Jerome R. Corsi. "We argue that oil and natural gas are abiotic products, not 'fossil fuels' that are biologically created by the debris of dead dinosaurs and ancient forests."
Methane has been synthetically created in the laboratory, Corsi points out, "and now NASA confirms that abiotic methane is abundantly found on Titan."
The realization that hydrocarbons are produced inorganically throughout our solar system was a key insight that led Cornell University astronomer Thomas Gold to write his 1998 book, "The Deep Hot Biosphere: The Myth of Fossil Fuels." Gold wrote:
It would be surprising indeed if the earth had obtained its hydrocarbons only from a source that biology had taken from another carbon-bearing gas – carbon dioxide – which would have been collected from the atmosphere by photo-synthesizing organisms for manufacture into carbohydrates and then somehow reworked by geology into hydrocarbons. All this, while the planetary bodies bereft of surface life would have received their hydrocarbon gifts by purely abiogenic causes.
Gold wryly noted that he was sure there had not been any "big stagnant swamps on Titan" to produce the biological debris that conventionally trained geologists think was required on Earth to produce oil and natural gas as a "fossil fuel."
"If petroleum and natural gas are abiotic as we maintain in 'Black Gold Stranglehold,'" Corsi commented, "then the 'peak oil' fear that we are going to run out of oil may have been based on a giant misconception."
Paradigms in science change slowly and with great resistance, he noted, "But NASA has given us today incontrovertible evidence that Titan has abundant inorganic methane."
"If the scientists have ruled out that biological processes created methane on Titan, why do petro-geologists still argue that natural gas on Earth is of biological origin?" Corsi asked.
Related special offer:
"Black Gold Stranglehold: The Myth of Scarcity and the Politics of Oil"
Christian Peacemaker Teams Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq e-mail: cptiraq@cpt.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2005; 1:00 A.M. (Baghdad)
Update on Missing Persons in Iraq
We were very saddened to see the images of our loved ones
on Al Jazeera
television recently. We were disturbed by seeing the
video and believe that
repeated showing of it will endanger the lives of our
friends. We are deeply
disturbed by their abduction. We pray that those who hold
them will be
merciful and that they will be released soon. We want so
much to see their
faces in our home again, and we want them to know how
much we love them, how
much we miss them, and how anxious and concerned we are
by what is happening
to them.
We are angry because what has happened to our teammates
is the result of the
actions of the U.S. and U.K. government due to the
illegal attack on Iraq
and the continuing occupation and oppression of its
people. Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has worked for the rights of Iraqi
prisoners who have
been illegally detained and abused by the U.S.
government. We were the first
people to publicly denounce the torture of Iraqi people
at the hands of U.S.
forces, long before the western media admitted what was
happening at Abu
Ghraib. We are some of the few internationals left
in Iraq who are telling
the truth about what is happening to the Iraqi people We
hope that we can
continue to do this work and we pray for the speedy
release of our beloved
teammates.
We can confirm the identities of those who are being held
as follows:
Tom Fox, age 54, is from Clearbrook, Virginia and is a
dedicated father of
two children. For the past two years, Mr. Fox has worked
with CPT in
partnership with Iraqi human rights organizations to
promote peace. Mr. Fox
has been faithful in the observance of Quaker practice
for 22 years. While
in Iraq, he sought a more complete understanding of
Islamic cultural
richness. He is committed to telling the truth to U.S.
citizens about the
horrors of war and its effects on ordinary Iraqi
civilians and families as a
result of U.S. policies and practices.
Mr. Fox is an accomplished musician. He plays the bass
clarinet and the
recorder and he loves to cook. He has also worked as a
professional grocer.
Mr. Fox devotes much of his time to working with
children. He has served as
an adult leader of youth programs and worked at a Quaker
camp for youth. He
has facilitated young people's participation in opposing
war and violence.
Mr. Fox is a quiet and peaceful man, respectful of
everyone, who believes
that "there is that of God in every person"
which is why work for peace is
so important to him.
Norman Kember, age 74, is from London, England. He and
his wife of 45 years
have two married daughters and a 3-year old grandson. He
has been a pacifist
all his life beginning with his work in a hospital
instead of National
Service at age 18. Before his retirement he was a
professor teaching medical
students at St Bartholemew's
Hospital in London. He is well-known as a peace activist,
and has been
involved in
several peace groups. For the past 10 years he has
volunteered with a local
program
providing free food to the homeless. He likes walking,
birdwatching, and
writing
humorous songs and sketches. In his younger days he
enjoyed mountaineering.
James Loney, 41, is a community worker from Toronto,
Canada. He has been a
member of Christian Peacemaker Teams since August 2000,
and is currently the
Program Coordinator for CPT Canada. On previous visits to
Iraq, his work
focused on taking testimonies from families of detainees
for CPT's report on
detainee abuse, and making recommendations for securing
basic legal rights.
James was leading the November 2005 delegation in Iraq
when he went missing.
James is a peace activist, writer, trained mediator, and
works actively with
two Toronto community conflict resolution services. He
has spent many years
working to provide housing and support for homeless
people.
In a personal statement from James to CPT, he writes:
"I believe that our
actions as a people of peace must be an expression of
hope for everyone. My
hope in practising non-violence is that I can be a
conduit for the
transformative power of God's love acting upon me as much
as I hope it will
act upon others around me."
Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32 is a Canadian electrical
engineer. He is studying
for a masters degree in English literature in Auckland
University in New
Zealand to prepare for a teaching career. He enjoys art,
is active in squash
and worked part time as a local squash coach. His family
describes him as
peaceful and fun-loving and he is known to be passionate
about the plight of
the underprivileged around the globe. He works tirelessly
in his spare time
to educate and help others.
Christian Peacemaker Teams has been present in Iraq since
October 2002,
providing first-hand, independent reports from the
region, working with
detainees of both United States and Iraqi forces, and
training others in
non-violent intervention and human rights documentation.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is a violence reduction
program. Teams of
trained peacemakers work in areas of lethal conflict
around the world.
HEBRON, PALESTINE :VIOLENCE FROM SETTLERS INCREASING
Riot on Tel Rumeida street
by Aaron Zanthe
Nov 2005
Hebron, West Bank
"Hey Arab", three members of a Jewish settler
militia had cornered a young man walking home from the
university. "You are not a man", they
prominently displayed the automatic weapons in their
hands, "you are a dog". The ranking militia
member, wearing a kippa, a checkered collared shirt and
dark sunglasses, continued, "and your mother is a
[expletive] dog". The Palestinian man, named Ra'id,
backed off as the three Israelis made threatening
gestures at him. He responded, "is that right? Am I
a dog?". Myself and two of my compatriots got
between them with a video camera and asked if they wanted
to repeat themselves on record. Of course not, they said,
"it's for him, not for the television".
This was Tel Rumeida early Saturday evening, a
neighborhood in the West Bank city of Hebron. A few
metres up the street there was a size-able crowd of
uninvited guests, a couple hundred Israeli fanatics
who were bussed in from their colonies on West Bank land.
The advertisements promoting the events of the day
explained that the people were coming to express their
support for the Zionist "pioneers" of Hebron on
the day that Abraham buried Rachel in the Jewish
tradition. On the street this came to mean a state of
siege in a Palestinian neighborhood, with all the dark
skinned residents locked in their houses. Many of them
observed from their windows and rooftops as pioneering
Israelis staged an all-out race riot.
My colleagues and I started escorting Ra'id to his home
amidst the provocation of members of the settler militia.
We moved quickly because having a Palestinian man out in
the open air was attracting a lot of attention, mainly
glares and spit. I put my arm around him to be able to
stay close as we moved through the crowd as fast as we
could without running. The group received a couple of
comments along the lines of, "oh, the poor baby
needs to be walked home, eh?". We had been
accompanying Palestinians to walk home safely all day,
but it wasn't until we were in the middle of the crowd
that I realized that the
situation had escalated. The settlers began chanting
something that I now understand to be "death to
Arabs" and their eyes were set on us.
I was doing my best to separate the settlers from Ra'id
when a settler man charged at me and started kicking and
shoving us towards a wall. The Israeli army had cordoned
off a part of the area and one of the
soldiers came and held back the aggressive settlers long
enough for us to make our escape. By the time we were on
the other side of the soldier line the settlers had taken
over the entire top end of Tel Rumeida street. The
Israelis were throwing stones at the Palestinians in
their houses and banging on the green doors, some of them
mocking the Islamic prayer call and making sheep noises.
A group of settlers positioned themselves next to the
checkpoint down the street, yelling obscenities at the
Palestinians passing through.
Groups of fanatics, many of them with side arms and
automatic weapons, were running around to the back ends
of Arab homes, throwing stones through people's windows
and threatening to kill them if they go outside. I took a
picture of the hostile mob and some forty of them
surrounded me and threw stones at me. "I hope god
burns all the Arabs in hell", somebody screamed in
my direction, "[..] don't take another picture or
we'll kill you". The settler mob surrounded and
besieged various housing complexes on Tel Rumeida street,
shouting and throwing objects. Military police, including
a special forces unit, had been on patrol in the area
throughout the day in heavy numbers, but they pulled a
disappearing act during most of the actual riot. The
police took one young settler away in handcuffs and the
army blocked off a
single street, but for the most part, Israeli authorities
neglected to control their citizens. Settlers broke into
a house on shuhaddah street and attempted to break into
several others. Visited the house the next day and spoke
to a man named Issa al-Bayat and his family. His wife,
Fawziyyah, brought out sage tea and the couple explained
that the door to their home was forced open by six early
twenty-somethings.
Issa was away from the house at his construction job and
Fawziyyah was home with two small daughters. They said
that they were very scared and that the settler youth
remained in the house for fifteen minutes, breaking
things and screaming in Hebrew and broken Arabic. I asked
them about what kind of things specifically the settlers
were shouting and Fawziyyah replied evasively, "very
bad words". Issa elaborated that they were Muslims
and could not repeat what the settlers said to them
precisely, but that the Jewish colonists tried to order
the family out of the house. The settler youth went back
outside and within minutes they were throwing projectiles
through the rear windows.
Fawziyyah called the police and they told her on the spot
that they weren't going to show up. No big surprise.
Non-enforcement of the law on West Bankcolonists has been
documented in detail by the Israeli
human rights group Bt'selem. Tel Rumeida in particular is
a heavily affected neighborhood. Tel Rumeida, a small
area, has only two main roads; Tel Rumeida street and
Shuhaddah street. There are five army posts on these two
streets that are usually manned and two posts on rooftops
which are sometimes manned. Anyone who walks longer than
a block in this community is liable to be asked to show
his ID, to be searched or detained by soldiers at one of
these posts on the ground. At the end of Tel Rumedia
street there is a military checkpoint, painted to look
like the bricks on the surrounding walls, that residents
must pass
through anytime they want to leave the neighborhood and
visit the rest of the city. But why the security blanket?
The small neighborhood is also home to two Israeli
settlements blocks, called Ramat Yeshai and Beit
Hadassah, both of which enjoy a certain amount of
notoriety for aggressive behavior even amongst the
Israeli mainstream. Both colonies are entirelysubsidized
by the state of Israel and their members largely do not
work to earn a living. Even the roads in Tel Rumeida look
like Apartheid. Only Israelis are allowed to drive on the
roads; Palestinians must walk. In an letter to the
international groups working in Hebron, spokesmen for the
settlements explained themselves [News from within,
September-October 2005]."Divine justice has brought
the Jews back to their homes and property in Israel and
here to Hebron", they explained that "this act
of G-D serves as a mighty beam of light in the struggle
of the free world against Arab-Islamic terror".
"The first target of their murderous attacks is
Israel, yet beyond Israel stands their real target - the
entire world". The letter also refers to the
children's school in Tel Rumeida as "the Islamic
Jihad school". Well said,
David Wilder.
The school in question, called Cordova, is located across
the street from Beit Hadassah. Kids walking home from
Cordova are frequently targeted for assault by the
settlers on the other side of the street, as documented
by the Tel Rumeida Project in conjunction with the
International Solidarity Movement. Both groups make it a
project to accompany the Cordova children on their way
home from school and
intervene in the event of settler provocation. It's been
an honor to live and work with these groups in Tel
Rumeida for the past week. My experience here has been
dramatic but it is only one example of the
pressure on Palestinians by the state of Israel to leave
their land. Today I spoke with Norwegian journalist
Thomas Mandal, who summed up the events of Saturday
beautifully, "It was a mob, the onlycomparable thing
that I have seen is a football riot, it was that same
kind of mentality, except that sports was replaced by
religion and that the mob had guns".