Monday, August 20, 2007

NDP LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO EXPOSE SPP



Published on NDP (http://www.ndp.ca)
Created 2007-08-20 15:01


NDP launches national campaign to expose SPP



As Harper meets behind closed doors, the NDP holds public forums to raise awareness


OTTAWA – Today, the NDP is launching a national campaign to halt further implementation of the so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) agenda. The launch will take place at a public forum hosted by NDP MP Paul Dewar (Ottawa-Centre) and will feature leading opponents of the SPP: Rick Arnold, coordinator of Common Frontiers, Gustavo Iruegas, minister of International Relations for the Legitimate Government of Mexico, Anne Wright, former U.S. Army colonel and anti-war activist, and NDP International Trade critic Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster).


“Harper is fast tracking the complete sellout of our sovereignty. We’ve seen this happen with the softwood sellout and the ongoing campaign of privatization of our public services and policies. Like the Liberals before him, Harper is ignoring the will of Parliament and excluding Canadians from the decision-making process. The Conservatives must conduct a transparent and accountable public debate of the SPP process. I am appealing to all Canadians to join the NDP in this fight,” noted NDP Leader Jack Layton.


The NDP has denounced the SPP agenda and process as being anti-democratic and has been fighting it in Parliament since it was launched in the first place by then-Liberal prime minister Paul Martin in 2005. The SPP infringes on Canada’s sovereignty, and has grave implications for Canada’s ability to develop and implement its own policies and directions in such key areas as human rights, water, energy, food safety, health, security policy and civil rights.


The NDP’s public forum tour will kick off today in Ottawa. Other venues are set for Regina, Sault Ste. Marie, Fredericton, and Halifax. More dates will be announced in the coming days.


The campaign will focus on helping inform Canadians about the realities of the SPP agenda and its serious implications for Canada.


“The NDP is working alongside civil society groups and labour unions to increase pressure on the Harper government to stop SPP implementation until there is a meaningful public consultation and a full debate and a vote in Parliament,” stated Peter Julian.


© 2007 New Democratic Party, all rights reserved. Authorized by the registered agent for Canada's NDP.

Source: http://www.ndp.ca/page/5614
P.S. NDP: The New Democratic Party (NPD; Nouveau parti démocratique in French) is a political party in Canada with a progressive social democratic philosophy that ... (WIKIPEDIA).

TEAR GAS FIRED AT MONTEBELLO SUMMIT

Tear gas fired at North American summit protesters
Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:57 PM EDT139
(Page 1 of 2)

Top News
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By Louise Egan

MONTEBELLO, Quebec (Reuters) - Protesters and riot police clashed on Monday outside a posh Canadian resort where North American leaders are meeting to discuss trade, security, and the recent turmoil in global credit markets.

Police fired tear gas as they pushed back about 150 people outside the Chateau Montebello resort in Montebello, Quebec, which is about 70 km (40 miles) east of Ottawa. The demonstrators tossed bottles and vegetables, having tried earlier in the day to break through police lines.

One person was arrested, police said.

The protesters were among about 2,000 people who demonstrated for several hours outside the site of the meeting of U.S. President George W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

The leaders downplayed the demonstration. "I've heard it's nothing... A couple hundred? It's sad," Harper said to reporters before going into a meeting with Bush.

A 3-metre (10-foot) high fence has been erected around the site to keep demonstrators out.

The protesters represented a variety of political causes, but many are upset about the three leaders' plan to discuss what is known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership, or

SPP.

The plan was drafted in 2005 to ensure North America is a safe place to live and do business, but critics on the left and right say it ignores the concerns of ordinary citizens and is a threat to national sovereignty.

"One of the main things we are aiming for is to force the leaders to make these meetings more transparent," said Alberto Arroyo, a spokesman for the Red Mexicana de Accion Frente al Libre Comercio (Mexican network against free trade).

Most of the demonstrators appeared to be from Canada. Continued ...

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2007-08-20T225743Z_01_N20281757_RTRIDST_0_CANADA-SUMMIT-PROTEST-COL.XML

WHERE'S GEORGE?

French-
Monsieur: Ou est Georges, le President d'Etats-Unis?

Spanish-
Senor: Donde esta Jorge, el Presidente de los Estados Unidos?

Anglais-
Mister: Where is George, the President of the United States of America?


The Continental Triumvirate conducts a Summit in Chateau Montebello, Quebec (au Canada), and the Mass Media, nary says a word about it?

Does Rupert Murdoch own all the MASS MEDIA?
You see what happens when you corner the (news) market?
Anti-trust, anyone?

Is there a self-imposed news black-out on this Summit?
Or was it mandated?

Or, is the importance of the whole affair being blown out of proportion by the 'cannon fodder'?
Might it just be 3 intellectuals bonding and playing golf, in the great white north, in late summer? I think not. I have a gut feeling the merger madness is not restricted to big business, and newspapers.
---Kno' a mean?

President Bush: No fanfare before your trip to Canada? Why? What's so hush-hush, about the mission?

Aug. 20, 2007, 4:32PM
Bush bolsters ties with Mexico, Canada


MONTEBELLO, Canada — President Bush and the leaders of Mexico and Canada worked Monday to craft a plan to secure their borders in the event of a terrorist strike or other emergency without creating traffic tie-ups that slowed commerce at crossings after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper want their homeland security experts to figure out the best way to protect citizens in an emergency, perhaps an outbreak of avian flu, without snarling business among the trading partners.

More broadly, the goal of the North American summit was to seek middle ground on shared concerns about the border and a host of other issues ranging from energy to trade, food safety to immigration. The three-way meeting at a highly secured red cedar chateau along the banks of the Ottawa River focused on administrative and regulatory issues, not sweeping legislative proposals for North America.

Few, if any, formal announcements were expected. The meeting served to address thorny problems between the U.S. and its neighbors to the North and South and bolster a compact — dubbed the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America — that serves as a way for the nations to team up on health, security and commerce.

Several hundred demonstrators protested on issues such as the war in Iraq, human rights and integration of North America. One carried a banner that said: "Say No To Americanada."

Calderon and Harper both want tight relations with Bush, yet don't want to be seen as proteges of the unpopular president or leave the impression that the U.S. is encroaching on their sovereignty.

To that end, Harper is asserting his nation's claim to the Northwest Passage through the Arctic.

The race to secure subsurface rights to the Arctic seabed heated up when Russia sent two small submarines to plant a tiny national flag under the North Pole. The United States and Norway also have competing claims in the vast Arctic region, where a U.S. study suggests as much as 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas could be hidden.

Canada believes much of the North American side of the Arctic is Canada's, but the United States says that the thawing Northwest Passage is part of international waters.

"We look at the Northwest Passage as an international waterway, and want the international transit rights to be respected there," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "But certainly President Bush will listen to what Prime Minister Harper has to say."

Harper also plans to raise concerns about new passport requirements for travelers, longtime U.S. restrictions on Canadian softwood lumber exports and the war in Afghanistan.

Harper has said Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will not be extended beyond 2009 without a consensus in the country and the Parliament. Canada has 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, fighting against the Taliban in the violet southern parts of the nation. Other countries, such as Germany ad Italy, restrict the use of their forces to more peaceful areas in the north.

With Hurricane Dean bearing down on Mexico, Calderon might have to cut his meetings short with Bush and Calderon. This is his first meeting with Bush since the U.S. immigration legislation died in the Senate. Calderon has called that a "grave error" and also is rankled by the Bush administration's newly announced crackdown on employers who use illegal immigrants.

It's unclear whether the United States will use the summit to announce a major new aid plan to help Mexico fight violent drug trafficking. U.S. anti-drug officials have been impressed with Caldron's crackdown on drug traffickers since he took office.

But Calderon has repeatedly pushed the U.S. to take more responsibility in fighting the two countries' common drug problem, including doing more to stop the flow of illegal U.S. arms into Mexico and trying to combat the demand for drugs north of the border. The issue of U.S. aid is a sensitive subject among Mexicans wary that U.S. help could lead to interventions that violate Mexican sovereignty.

Bush stepped off Air Force One and onto a red carpet at an airport in Ottawa where he was greeted by a bagpiper and a ceremonial honor guard dressed in red jackets and tall, black fur hats. Bush flew to the resort on the Marine One presidential helicopter, which landed in a grassy clearing along the water.

A few hundred protesters amassed at the gate of the resort. Police in riot gear used tear gas to hold back about 50 of them, who responded by flinging rocks, branches and plastic bottles. A line of police in riot gear jostled with about 50 demonstrators. A few hundred marched on the front gate of the summit compound shouting taunts.

"I've heard it's nothing," Harper said, dismissing the protests as Bush arrived at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello. "A couple hundred? It's sad."

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/5069249.html

SCRAP THE SPP!

August 18, 2007 03:19PM EDT

Bush, Harper and Calderon meeting in Montebello, Quebec - Scrap the SPP!

From August 20-21, 2007, George Bush, Stephen Harper and Felipe Calderon will be in Montebello, Quebec. They are meeting as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), also known as the "Three Amigos," Summit.

By imc montebello

From August 20-21, 2007, George Bush (President of the USA), Stephen Harper (Prime Minister of Canada) and Felipe Calderon (President of Mexico) will be in Montebello, Quebec, just 90 minutes from Montreal.

They are meeting at the Chateau Montebello, as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), also known as the "Three Amigos," Summit. They claim to be talking about security and prosperity, but many critics are calling the SPP “NAFTA on steroids”.

The People’s Global Action Bloc (PGA-Bloc) is a coalition of various anti-capitalist groups from Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, and Vancouver who will be organizing actions in Montebello and across Canada from August 19-21 to show their resistance to the SPP.

related links: Schedule of Events PGA-Bloc PGA Bloc, Ottawa Stop the SPP Coalition, Ottawa Block the Empire Montreal People’s Global Action IMC Montebello CKUT community radio, Montreal Centre des Medias Alternatives du Quebec

Keywords: Analysis, Global, Government, Globalization,

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) was founded in March 2005 at a summit of the Heads of State of Canada, the US, and Mexico. SPP is not an official treaty; it is not an official law; rather, it is being presented as a vague 'diaologue based on shared values'.

The North American Forum sponsored one of the various secretive meetings in Sept 2006 in Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada. When asked by the media if he was in attendance, Stockwell Day (Public Safety Minister of Canada) refused to confirm he was there, but said that even if he was, it was a "private" meeting that he would not comment on.

The SPP is a NAFTA-plus-Homeland-Security model. The founding premise of the SPP is that an agenda of economic free trade and national security will result in human prosperity. Yet opponents of the SPP claim that the so-called "prosperity" of previous free trade agreements such as NAFTA have only brought corporate prosperity, with increasing rates of poverty and displacement for the majority of people.

The People’s Global Action Bloc (PGA Bloc) has called for 3 days of actions to disrupt the SPP summit in Montebello. August 19th will be a day of creative resistance and popular education against the SPP in the Montebello area. August 20th will be the day of disruption of the SPP summit, beginning at noon in Montebello, and continuing through until August 21.

Parallel to the demonstrations, there will also be a self-managed protest camp just outside of Montebello in the village of Notre Dame de la Paix. The Camp is an open collective life zone fostering reflection and creation in order to allow committed individuals and groups to bring their actions together for the development of a society based on solidarity. (www.uncampement.net)

The Ottawa based Stop the SPP coalition, as well as the Council of Canadians, also plan on holding family-friendly demonstrations in Montebello on August 20. (www.stopspp.ca)

==> WHO IS BEHIND THE SPP?

"No item - not Canadian water, not Mexican oil, not American anti-dumping laws - "is off the table"; rather, contentious or intractable issues will simply require more time to ripen politically."
- Leaked Minutes of a 2004 meeting of the Task Force on the Future of North America

The North American Competitiveness Council (NACC) was launched as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) in June 2006. It is the only formal advisory board to the SPP and is made up of 30 corporate leaders from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico with ten advisors from each of the SPP signatory states.

Minutes from a January 10, 2006 tri-national Public-Private Sector Dialogue on the Security and Prosperity Partnership" reveal exactly why the NACC was created - to "engage substantively and pragmatically on trade and security issues without undue deference to political sensitivities." A September 13, 2006 story in Maclean's magazine describes NACC as a "cherrypicked group of executives who were whisked to Cancun [Mexico] in March by the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and asked to come up with a plan for taking North American integration beyond NAFTA."

The NACC has become the concrete reality emerging from proposals by corporate think-tanks such the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Consejo Mexicano De Asuntos Internacionels (COMEXI) to have a trilateral corporate body which would advise the three governments on issues ranging from military integration to securing energy resources to controlling migration.

In Canada, the CCE is a CEO organization whose corporations administer in excess of C$2.1 trillion in assets. In January 2003, CCCE launched its North American Security and Prosperity Initiative to increase investment and capital flows, integrate security agreements and military defence, and expedited means of resource (oil, natural gas, water, forest products) extraction. This has essentially become the template for the SPP. In short, the NACC, representing private corporate interests, has been "institutionalized" as a policy-making body, thus formalizing and deepening the existing patterns of influence that corporations already have.

Related links:
PGA-Bloc (www.psp-spp.com)
Stop the SPP Coalition, Ottawa (www.stopspp.ca)
Block the Empire Montreal (www.blocktheempire.blogspot.com)
People’s Global Action (www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp)
IMC Montebello (www.imc-montebello.org)
CKUT community radio, Montreal (www.ckut.ca)
Centre des Medias Alternatives du Quebec (www.cmaq.net)

IS THIS AMERICA?

IS THIS AMERICA?

By Mary Ann Collins

August 9, 2007



The old movie "A.D." features a Roman centurion who becomes a Christian. In one scene, he goes into the coliseum after some Christian children have been killed by dogs. He looks at the mangled bodies of the children and he says, "This is not Rome!" This centurion, who spent his entire adult life enduring danger and hardship for the sake of the Roman empire, suddenly realizes that this is no longer the country that he thought it was.

There have been times when something similar happens to me. I read something in the newspaper, or in a book, or on the Internet, or I see something happen when I am out in the world, and I say to myself, "This is not America!" This is not the country that I grew up in. It is not the country that I studied in civics classes. It is not the country that I learned about in my classes on American history. It is no longer a country that our Founding Fathers would recognize as being American.

Following are some of the reasons why this is no longer the America that I used to know -- why this is no longer the country that generations of soldiers have fought and died for.

BUREAUCRATS GIVING AWAY PARTS OF AMERICA

Bureaucrats in the State Department are in the processing of giving eight Alaskan islands to Russia. This includes hundreds of thousands of square miles of sea beds that are rich in oil, gas, minerals, and fisheries, worth billions of dollars. In addition, because of their location, these islands are of strategic military importance.1

Since when do bureaucrats have the power to give away American territory, especially when it compromises our national security? We aren't talking about the President, and Congress, with advice from the military. We are talking about State Department bureaucrats.

These negotiations have been kept secret from the American public. Congress has been bypassed. The will of the people has been ignored.

An organization called State Department Watch has tried to make people aware of it. However, the Attorney General of Alaska issued a "Cease and Desist" Order that prohibits them from telling people about it.2

So whatever happened to the Constitutional guarantee of free speech?

This is precisely the kind of situation where free speech is most needed. A bunch of bureaucrats are giving part of America to Russia, along with much needed oil reserves. And they are gagging concerned citizens who want the American public to know what is going on.

The Alaska legislature asked the Governor and Attorney General of Alaska to fight the giveaway. The vote was nearly unanimous in both houses of the State Legislature. However, the Governor and Attorney General refused to do anything about it.3 Is this America?

GIVING OUR NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY TO A "NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY"

In 2001, the Institute for International Economics published Robert A. Pastor's book "Toward a North American Community: Lessons from the Old World for the New." Taking the European Union as a model, it discusses ways of creating a union between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Some people refer to this as being a North American Union, similar to the European Union. Basically, this means giving up America's national sovereignty.

The starting point is the NAFTA trade agreement. It is notable that the starting point of the European Union was also a trade agreement.

In 1957, six countries signed the Treaty of Rome, to pool their steel and coal resources. That began a series of events that resulted in today's European Union. In May 2007, the European Union celebrated its 50th anniversary. First it was called the European Economic Community.

Then it was called the European Community. Now it is called the European Union. Such things are accomplished one stage at a time.4

By pages 114-115 of the book, Pastor's vision of economic integration has expanded. It develops to the point that he discusses the possibility of developing a common currency, the "Amero" (similar to the Euro of the European Union).

Chapter 7 is titled, "Is a North American Community Feasible? Can Sovereignty Be Transcended?" Please stop for a moment and look at those words slowly and carefully.

Pastor is talking about whether or not it is feasible to develop a "community" that takes priority over our national sovereignty. He takes it for granted that it would be good to do this. His only question is whether or not it is feasible, at this time, to make it work in practical terms.

On pages 152-154, Pastor discusses "alternative approaches to sovereignty." He talks about the possibility of developing a "political entity that could transcend traditional conceptions of sovereignty."

To "transcend" national sovereignty means to abolish it, for all practical purposes. You might retain some of the trappings and some of the vocabulary, but in essence, there would be no more real national sovereignty.

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) strongly approves of Pastor's approach. The CFR was founded in 1921 in order to build a "network of globalist support groups."5 (Globalism is an approach to politics that sees individual countries as being "states" in a global government. One approach would be to have something comparable to the United Nations govern the world. Another approach would be to have every nation become part of something comparable to the European Union.)

The CFR is highly influential because its membership includes high- ranking politicians. Among them are Senators and Congressmen, some of whom are running for President in 2008. In addition, there are high- ranking politicians who have connections with the CFR (and are thereby influenced by it), even though they are not members of it.

In 2005, the Council on Foreign Relations (along with its Canadian and Mexican counterparts) produced a Task Force Report which was published as a book with the title "Building a North American Community." The Task Force has three "co-chairs" (one from each country) and three "vice chairs" (one from each country). Robert A. Pastor is the American Vice Chair of the Task Force. (You can get the book at Amazon.com. Just search for the title.)

According to the Foreword, the CFR Task Force offers detailed proposals that are based on the "Texas summit of March 2005." This was a meeting that President Bush held at his ranch with President Vicente Fox of Mexico and Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada. After that meeting, the three heads of state issued a press release announcing that they had made an agreement to form the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP).

The Foreword also says that the "central recommendation" of the report is the establishment of a "North American economic and security community" by the year 2010. The boundaries of this community would "be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter." In other words, going from Mexico to Canada via the United States would be similar to going from Virginia to Maryland, via Washington D.C. The identity would be trinational, rather than national. We would lose our national sovereignty.

On page 8, the report recommends the establishment of "a common security perimeter by 2010." This would effectively remove any security perimeters between the three countries. So our security would be at the mercy of Mexico and Canada. This would not be good, because a lot of terrorists are already getting into America across the Mexican border. (See Congressman Tom Tancredo's book "In Mortal Danger: The Battle for America's Border and Security.")

On page 10, the report recommends that by the year 2010, the groundwork should be laid for enabling a "freer flow of people within North America" (i.e., from Mexico to Canada). On page 25, it recommends "open skies and open roads." Judging by its failure to secure the Mexican border, the Bush administration appears to agree with these recommendations.

Phylis Schlafly's article "Pursuing the ‘North American' Agenda" gives a good overview of the situation.6 The Eagle Forum has a web page with links to numerous articles on the subject.7

We can expect the recommendations of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) to be taken seriously, because many of the Democrats and Republicans who are running for President in 2008 are either members of the Council on Foreign Relations, or else have ties with it. In addition, others are globalists, and the CFR is a globalist organization. (The following information comes from the "US Presidential Candidate Fact Sheet" of Hope for the World, Summer, 2007. The research was done by Gary Kah and Carl Teichrib.)

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES -- Joe Biden is President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. Hillary Clinton was a guest speaker at the CFR. In addition, her husband founded the Clinton Global Initiative. Both Clintons are strongly globalist. Christopher Dodd is a member of the CFR. John Edwards is a member of the CFR. Al Gore has been a speaker at the CFR and appears to be generally supportive of the organization. There is no definitive CFR membership information, but many secondary sources present him as being a member. Mike Gravel doesn't appear to be a CFR member, but he is strongly globalist.

Dennis Kucinich is not a member of the CFR, but he is strongly globalist. Barack Obama's wife Michelle is the director of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. (This is the Chicago branch of the CFR, but under a different name.) Barack Obama has spoken at the CFR in Washington, DC and at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Bill Richardson is a member of the CFR.

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES -- Sam Brownback doesn't have any connections with the CFR. Neither does Jim Gilmore. Newt Gingrich is a member of the CFR. He is also a 33rd degree Mason. Rudi Giuliani has given presentations to the CFR. The law firm that he works with (Bracewell & Giuliani) is directly involved with the NAFTA superhighway program.

Mike Huckabee doesn't have any substantial connections with the CFR or other globalist organizations. Duncan Hunter has consistently voted against globalist free trade programs. John McCain is a member of the CFR. Ron Paul is the founder of the Liberty Committee. He has consistently opposed globalism. Mitt Romney isn't connected with the CFR. Tom Tancredo isn't connected with the CFR. He has taken a strong stand on securing our borders. Fred Thompson is a member of the CFR. According to the US Presidential Candidate Fact Sheet, he may not be as conservative as he appears. Tommy Thompson isn't connected with the CFR.

MOB RULE

Chuck McIlhenny is the pastor of a little church in San Francisco that has less than 50 members. He hired a church organist who turned out to be a practicing homosexual. He had a talk with the man and then fired him. It is not surprising that the organist was upset by this, or even that he filed a lawsuit against Pastor McIlhenny. What is surprising is that the incident escalated to the point where an angry mob beseiged the church, chanting "Bring back the lions!" (That's a reference to Christians being fed to the lions in ancient Rome.)

The pastor's wife was grabbed by some men in the mob, and was being pulled into the mob. Some policemen were present, but they did nothing to help her. Some men from the congregation were able to grab her and pull her back to safety. I thought that American policemen were supposed to protect people. If policemen refuse to protect a woman from a mob of angry men -- is this America?

For years, Pastor McIlhenny received threatening phone calls at all hours of the day and night. There were death threats, and threats of raping his children. Then his church was set on fire. And his home was fire bombed in the middle of the night, when the family was asleep. They barely escaped with their lives.

I never read about it in the newspapers. Did you? But you can read about it in the book "When the Wicked Seize a City" by Chuck and Donna McIlhenny. (It's available at Amazon.com.)

If we didn't read about Pastor McIlhenny's situation in the newspapers, then what else is the press failing to tell us? Our watch dogs seem to be sleeping.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND CONCENTRATION CAMPS

We have gotten used to the idea of "political correctness," but that is not what America used to be like. In the past, people had debates about controversial subjects. Such disagreements were expected.

Sometimes they were heated, with colorful language. That was accepted as being a normal part of life. People didn't have to walk on eggshells, for fear of offending somebody. They didn't have to worry about being politically correct. They had their opinions, and they made them known, and they expected other people to do the same.

Historically, when people have to worry about being "politically correct," sooner or later they wind up having to endure oppression and abuses of power. That happened in Germany under Hitler, and in Russia under Lenin and Stalin. It is happening right now in Communist China and North Korea, where "dissidents" are put into prisons.

America has barbed wire camps for detaining American citizens. It also has official rules for making prisoners on Army installations do work.8 Barbed wire camps combined with forced labor sounds like concentration camps. That sounds more like Nazi Germany or Communist Russia than America.

Who are those camps for? Political dissidents? People who aren't politically correct? What are camps like these doing in the United States of America?

During his 1997 White House Conference on Hate-Crimes, former President Clinton expressed concern that "A lot of hate crimes still go unreported.... If a crime is unreported, that gives people an excuse to ignore it." Then he announced a Justice Department website which invites children to tell "trusted adults" about "hateful" or exclusive attitudes they see in their relatives at home or in friends in school.9 In other words, he wanted children to report what their family members say and do to the Justice Department. This is similar to what happened in Communist countries, where everybody was afraid to say anything for fear that somebody would report them.

Under the Bush administration, the State Department no longer has that special website for children to report "hate crimes." But a precedent has been set, and the policy could be reinstated in the future.

The U.S.A. that I learned about in high school and college wouldn't have "political correctness" or labor camps. And it wouldn't tell children to tell the Federal Government what their parents and other family members are saying and doing.

Is this country still America?

OUR SOURCE OF SECURITY

Senator Zell Miller said that his party (the Democrats) left him. Congressmen Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo might want to say something similar about much of the Republican party.

To our sorrow, America, as we have known it, is being dismantled. However, America is not our source of security.

As Christians, we are, first and foremost, citizens of Heaven. And our source of security is the Lord Jesus Christ, and His love, and His faithfulness. As the old hymn says, "On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear..." (Psalm 46:1-2a)

"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" (Psalm 118:6)



See also The emerging New World Order The UN Plan for Global Migration

Barbed Wire Camps for American Citizens Real Conspiracies -- Past and Present


Endnotes:

1. Summary of Giveaway of 8 American Alaskan Islands to the Russian Government http://www.statedepartmentwatch.org/GiveawaySummary.htm

2. Free Political Speech Imperiled by Alaska Attorney General: "Cease and Desist" Order Issued to Stop Publicity About Giveaway of 8 Alaskan Islands and Vast Oil-Rich Seabeds to Russia http://www.statedepartmentwatch.org/AlaskaAGOrder.htm

3. Gov. Frank Murkowski and Atty. General Gregg Renkes Admit Failure to Fight Giveaway of 8 Alaskan Islands and Vast Oil-Rich Seabeds to the Russians -- Legislature Urges Officials to Fight the Giveaway http://www.statedepartmentwatch.org/AlaskaGovSenAG.htm

4. The EU and the North American Union

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55614

5. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/globalism/cfr.htm

6. Pursuing the "North American" Agenda

http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/2006/sept06/psrsept06.html

7. North American Union (This web page has links to numerous articles.) http://www.eagleforum.org/topics/NAU/

8. Barbed Wire Camps for American Citizens http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/internment.htm

9. Why "Hate Crime" Laws Would Ban Biblical Christianity http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/hate-crimes.htm


Home Articles UN Chronology The transformation of America The Enemy of the People

Source: http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/america.htm

Sunday, August 19, 2007

CLERGY COLLECTS WEAPONS IN BUY BACK PROGRAM


Clergy Collecting Weapons In Church
08-19-2007

Rochester D & C

An unexpected number of people chose butter over guns Saturday when the Rochester Police Department ran out of grocery store gift cards in its second firearms-exchange program of the summer.

Officers collected 102 guns Saturday, more than the previous total number of guns collected since the program was created last year. People who turned in a gun at one of five churches Saturday were given a $50 gift card, donated by Wegmans Food Markets.

At one point, the officers ran out of cards and Police Chief David Moore had to rush to a store to get more, said the Rev. Deloris Simpson, a member of the Clergy Response Team.

"Thank God for Wegmans," said Simpson. "They've given people the incentive to say 'enough is enough.' One lady turned in four guns and she didn't even want a certificate. She just wanted them out of her house."

The police collected 29 long guns, 69 handguns and four air guns. Officer Deidre Taccone said the department was just as pleased to get the air guns because they're also commonly used in crimes.

The gift-card incentive was added this year and was credited for improving it. Thirty-four guns were collected in June — more than all of last year.

"Given last year's numbers, we thought we could help the program. But even we didn't anticipate this level of success," said Wegmans spokeswoman Jo Natale.

Source: http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=3568

SECURITY AND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP

SPP-eak no evil

Linda McQuaig

Linda McQuaig

August 9, 2007 3:15 PM

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/linda_mcquaig/2007/08/sppeak_no_evil.html

Nothing better illustrates the sorry state of progressive politics in North America than the fact that opposition to one of the most anti-democratic developments in recent memory is being spearheaded by Lou Dobbs.

The cantankerous CNN anchor is of course an odd political mix: on one hand, he's a fierce rightwing advocate for a muscular US foreign policy aimed at crushing "Islamofascism"; on the other, he's a populist who at times delivers a refreshing rant against the unchecked power of big business.

In this second role, he's used his dinner hour show to mount something of a crusade against the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), a far-reaching treaty currently being negotiated by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the aim of integrating the three economies more fully.

Dobbs's concern no doubt springs from his phobia that Mexicans will overrun the United States, or that dangerous Canadian ideas about providing medical care for all will be forced down the throats of freedom loving Americans.

But he's correct on at least one important point: the SPP is being negotiated with input exclusively from the business elites in the three countries. Given the wide scope of areas under negotiation - national security, energy, trade - surely there's a need for a much wider consultation involving the public.

Since the SPP initiative was officially launched in March 2005, the public has been effectively shut out of the process. There's been little awareness, let alone public debate, about what's going on. The key advisory body in the SPP is an all business group called the North American Competitiveness Council, made up of 30 CEOs from the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It's fine to have input from business. But why only business? Corporations have interests that aren't necessarily the same as the broader public interest. In fact, these two sets of interest are often in conflict.

Take the case of harmonisation of regulations - a process being carried out under the SPP in the name of removing "trade barriers". (Harmonisation has been underway for more than a decade under the North American Free Trade Agreement, but it is being fast-tracked as part of the SPP.)

Here's an actual example of how this works: Canada recently raised the limit on the amount of pesticide residue allowed on fruits and vegetables, in order to bring Canadian standards in line with weaker US standards.

This suits the interest of agribusiness, which considered the tougher Canadian standard a "trade barrier" to the easy export of American fruits and vegetables to the Canadian market. But one person's trade barrier is another person's dinner.

As a Canadian who likes to eat fruits and vegetables, I find this act of harmonisation alarming. And it is no doubt the beginning of things to come.

Canada's standards are already weak enough - much weaker, for instance, than European standards. (Canada permits the pesticide permethrin to be used at levels 400 times higher than the European Union permits; Canada allows methoxychlor at levels 1,400 times above the European limit, according to Canadian environmental lawyer David Boyd.)

Another key area being negotiated under the SPP is national security. This involves Canada and Mexico becoming bit players in beefing up protection of the "homeland" - that is, going along with the Bush administration's excesses in the name of border security and surveillance of "terror" suspects.

A stated aim of the SPP talks is "North American energy security," which essentially boils down to the United States obtaining guaranteed access to Canadian energy. Apart from the obvious compromise this represents to the Canadian national interest, there are also broad environmental issues at stake.

Washington is keen to ensure the rapid development of Alberta's enormous oilsands. The problem is that vast quantities of fresh water and natural gas are required to transform the tar-like substance into oil - a process that is not only wasteful but also produces particularly high levels of greenhouse gases.

Bush is coming to Canada later this month to discuss the progress of the SPP with Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and Mexican president, Felipe Calderon.

At the meeting, to be held August 20-21 in Montebello, Quebec, the political leaders will weigh the advice of their business council, while an extensive security cordon will make sure that they continue to hear nothing from the people.

Still, it would be good if the protest noise they hear somewhere off in the background is more than just the voice of Lou Dobbs.

Source: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/linda_mcquaig/2007/08/sppeak_no_evil.html.printer.friendly

P.S. BOLDS ADDED FOR EMPHASIS. Blogmaster

2 CASUALTIES AT FIRE NEAR GROUND-ZERO

Officials Investigate Standpipe in Manhattan Fire
Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

Photographs of the two fallen firefighters hung on Sunday at their firehouse at Sixth Avenue and Houston Street. More Photos >

Published: August 19, 2007

The Fire Department is investigating whether a malfunctioning standpipe sent tons of water cascading into the basement of the flaming Deutsche Bank skyscraper at ground zero on Saturday, denying water to air-starved firefighters battling the seven-alarm blaze above, including the two men who were killed.

Members of Engine Co. 7 said they connected their hose to the standpipe and pumped thousands of gallons into the building, but one investigator said today that the water never made it beyond the fifth floor, leading to suspicions of a cracked or broken valve. The basement, officials said, was filled with water.

Firefighters were forced to spend crucial moments carrying and pulling hoses up the sides of the ghostly black building — a scarred remnant of the 9/11 attacks that is being dismantled — as wind-driven flames caught on 13 different floors after snaking up and down through voids and holes.

Officials were still trying to determine the cause of the blaze — eyeing either a tossed cigarette or faulty electrical panel — but one thing was clear: from the beginning, even before the standpipe failed, the blaze presented a series of unique challenges to those fighting it.

Asbestos had been removed from the building, and sealed plywood hatches in stairwells divided the floors, forcing firefighters — possibly including the two who died — onto the wide-open floors where they could easily become disoriented. Containment areas of plywood and polyurethane meant to keep in potentially dangerous particles sucked in air, fanning flames. Plywood outside of many floors can be seen burning in photographs.

Flames got around and under the firefighters, Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33. Firefighter Beddia was heard on one radio transmission saying he had run out of oxygen and was trying to follow his hose out. It was his last transmission.

“There were problems getting water on the fire,” said one official. “They are trapped and they run out of air because of how rapidly the conditions change and now they have no refuge and they cannot get out. They now, cannot see, and they have no air.”

Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., which owns the building, promised investigations, and an official with the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration has cited the company doing the demolition for 20 serious violations at the building. At the same time, officials said tests revealed that the air around the Deutsche Bank building was safe, and downtown residents in the area expressed an array of frustrations.

“You’d think that after six years, we would have learned something, but when this fire broke out, there was no notification system in place and the people who live around here didn’t know what to do,” said Patricia L. Moore, who lives at 125 Cedar Street, in the shadows of the burned building.

“Some of us left the building and some of us stayed, but we’re all concerned.”

Avi Schick, the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, said the fire was “a perfect storm of misfortune that worked together to turn what is, under any circumstance a hazardous situation, into something that was perhaps even more treacherous.”

Mr. Schick said the mechanism to ensure negative air pressure within the containment areas might have worsened conditions by bringing in a supply of outside air that wound up feeding the flames and by drawing smoke across the floor without fully venting it, since the exhausts have filters designed to trap particulates.

“It’s likely that the very measures that were insisted upon by the E.P.A. to protect those on the outside had a less than salutary effect when the fire started, because there were too many pulls on the oxygen,” he said. “And the firefighters paid the ultimate price.” Officials said the fire would delay the dismantling of the building by about three weeks.

In addition to the transmission from Firefighter Beddia, fire department radios captured other snippits of Saturday’s chaos and confusion. One fire investigator said that as many as 20 mayday calls were issued from the 14th and surrounding floors in the fatal moments that claimed the two men, apparently when the conditions of the fire changed quickly.

A senior official, captured in live fire department radio communications, cursed as he said he did not care about the building — “Where are my men?”

Sewell Chan, William K. Rashbaum, Fernanda Santos, Maureen Seaberg and Kate Hammer contributed reporting.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/nyregion/19cnd-fire.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER

Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki and General David Petraeus.


Will Petraeus' report be different from the Baker-Hamilton Study Group's conclusions?

Or, will General Petraeus betray us?

Saturday, August 18, 2007

PBS INTERVIEWS CHAPLAIN BARRY BLACK

PBS Interviews Barry Black

Barry BlackOn June 22, 2007, PBS’s Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly featured an interview of Barry Black, chaplain of the United States Senate and a Seventh-day Adventist minister, by Kim Lawton. Here’s an excerpt:



LAWTON: There’s been a chaplain in the House and Senate since 1789. Some argue that violates the separation of church and state, but Black insists it is constitutional. Although Seventh-day Adventists actively spread their faith, Black says he’s well aware of boundaries in his job.

Chaplain BLACK: Having been a military chaplain in a pluralistic setting of religious diversity for 27 years, I am very, very comfortable with an environment where I am encouraged to support but not to proselytize.



To read the entire uncut interview transcript, click here. You can also watch the video of the program here for a RealPlayer version.

Posted: August 3rd, 2007 under NewsFlections.
Comments: 1

Comments

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THE THRUTH WILL BE THEIR STANDARD


The Truly Obedient Will Not Fall

But when the world makes void the law of God, what will be the effect upon the truly obedient and righteous? Will they be carried away by the strong current of evil? Because so many rank themselves under the banner of the prince of darkness, will God's commandment-keeping people swerve from their allegiance? Never! Not one who is abiding in Christ will fail or fall. His followers will bow in obedience to a higher authority than that of any earthly potentate. While the contempt placed upon God's commandments leads many to suppress the truth and show less reverence for it, the faithful ones will with greater earnestness hold aloft its distinguishing truths. We are not left to our own direction. In all our ways we should acknowledge God, and He will direct our paths. We should consult His Word with humble hearts, ask His counsel, give up our will to His. We can do nothing without God.

There is the highest reason for us to prize the true Sabbath and stand in its defense, for it is the sign which distinguishes the people of God from the world. The commandment that the world makes void is the one to which, for this very reason, God's people will give greater honor. It is when the unbelieving cast contempt upon the Word of God that the faithful Calebs are called for. It is then that they will stand firm at the post of duty, without parade, and without swerving because of reproach. The unbelieving spies stood ready to destroy Caleb. He saw the stones in the hands of those who had brought a false report, but this did not deter him; he had a message, and he would bear it. The same spirit will be manifested today by those who are true to God.

The psalmist says, "They have made void thy law. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold" (Ps. 119:126, 127). When men press close to the side of Jesus, when Christ is abiding in their hearts by faith, their love for the commandments of God grows stronger in proportion to the contempt which the world heaps upon His holy precepts. It is at this time that the true Sabbath must be brought before the people by both pen and voice. As the fourth commandment and those who observe it are ignored and despised, the faithful feel that it is the time not to hide their faith but to exalt the law of Jehovah by unfurling the banner on which is inscribed the message of the third angel, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

No Concessions to the Mystery of Iniquity


Let not those who have the truth as it is in Jesus give sanction, even by their silence, to the work of the mystery of iniquity. Let them never cease to sound the note of alarm. Let the education and training of the members of our churches be such that the children and youth among us shall understand there are to be no concessions to this power, the man of sin. Teach them that although the time will come when we can wage the war only at the risk of property and liberty, yet the conflict must be met, in the spirit and meekness of Christ; the truth is to be maintained and advocated as it is in Jesus. Wealth, honor, comfort, home--everything else--is to be a secondary consideration. The truth must not be hid, it must not be denied or disguised, but fully avowed, and boldly proclaimed.

The Lord has faithful watchmen on the walls of Zion to cry aloud and spare not, to lift up their voice like a trumpet, and show His people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. The Lord has permitted the enemy of truth to make a determined effort against the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. He designs by this means to awaken a decided interest in that question which is a test for the last days. This will open the way for the third angel's message to be proclaimed with power.

Let not one who believes the truth, be silent now. None should be careless now; let all urge their petitions at the throne of grace, pleading the promise, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do" (John 14:13). It is a perilous time now. If this land of boasted liberty is preparing to sacrifice every principle which enters into her Constitution, making decrees to suppress religious freedom, and for the enforcing of papal falsehood and delusion, then the people of God need to present their petitions in faith to the Most High. There is every encouragement, in the promises of God, for those who put their trust in Him. The prospect of being brought into personal danger and distress, need not cause despondency, but should quicken the vigor and hopes of God's people; for the time of their peril is the season for God to grant them clearer manifestations of His power.

We are not to sit in calm expectancy of oppression and tribulation, and fold our hands, doing nothing to avert the evil. Let our united cries be sent up to heaven. Pray and work, and work and pray. But let none act rashly. Learn as never before that you must be meek and lowly in heart. You must not bring a railing accusation against any, whether individuals or churches. Learn to deal with minds as Christ did. Sharp things must sometimes be spoken; but be sure that the Holy Spirit of God is abiding in your heart before you speak the clear-cut truth; then let it cut its way. You are not to do the cutting.

Not to Unite With the World

There is to be no compromise with those who make void the law of God. It is not safe to rely upon them as counselors. Our testimony is not to be less decided now than formerly; our real position is not to be cloaked in order to please the world's great men. They may desire us to unite with them and accept their plans, and may make propositions in regard to our course of action which may give the enemy an advantage over us. "Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy" (Isa. 8:12). While we should not seek for controversy, and should not needlessly offend, we must present the truth clearly and decidedly, and stand firm to what God has taught us in His Word. You are not to look to the world in order to learn what you shall write and publish or what you shall speak. Let all your words and works testify, "We have not followed cunningly devised fables" (2 Peter 1:16). "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place" (2 Peter 1:19).

The apostle Paul tells us, "After that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. 1:21). This was the carrying out of God's plan for the conviction and conversion of men, who are constantly tempted to magnify their own powers. The Lord would make it manifest whether men by their own finite wisdom could acquire a knowledge of the truth, whether they could know God, their Creator. When Christ came to our world, the experiment had been fully made, and it proved the boasted wisdom to men to be but foolishness. Finite wisdom was utterly unable to come to right conclusions in regard to God, and therefore man was wholly incompetent to judge in regard to His law. The Lord has allowed matters in our day to come to a crisis, in the exaltation of error above truth, that He, the God of Israel, might work mightily for the greater elevation of His truth in proportion as error is exalted.

With His eye upon the church, the Lord has again and again allowed matters to come to a crisis, that in their extremity His people should look alone for His help. Their prayers, their faith, together with their steadfast purpose to be true, have called for the interference of God, and then He has fulfilled His promise, "Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am" (Isa. 58:9). His mighty arm has been stretched out for the deliverance of His people. God reserves His gracious interposition in their behalf till the time of their extremity; thus He makes their deliverance more marked, and their victories more glorious. When all human wisdom fails, the Lord's interference will be more clearly recognized, and He will receive the glory that is His due. Even the enemies of our faith, persecutors, will perceive that God is working for His people in turning their captivity.

Ellen G. White, Selected Messages Book 2 (1958), page 368-372.

ADVENTIST AND EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE

Adventist Church & World Evangelical Alliance: A Joint Statement to Be Released



In a news release entitled “Adventist Church Expects Joint Statement with World Evangelical Alliance”, the Adventist News Network reports that:




“The Seventh-day Adventist Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) are expected to announce a joint statement within the next few months identifying the common goals and results of theological discussions between the two institutions, delegates from both organizations announced in an August 9 press release.




“Each organization plans to vote on recommendations stemming from conversations when representatives met in the United States at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, August 5 to 10.”




According to the WEA website, “World Evangelical Alliance is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus in their communities. WEA is a network of churches in 128 nations that have each formed an evangelical alliance and over 100 international organizations joining together to give a worldwide identity, voice and platform to more than 420 million evangelical Christians.” WEA uses theologian Leon Morris’s definition of “evangelical” to explain what it means by the term.




The ANN press release indicate that “Adventist participants agreed with the WEA Statement of Faith, which focuses on seven “fundamentals” of Christian faith.




WEA is a body that connects regional evangelical associations such as the National Association of Evangelicals in the U.S. and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and other “global partners” and “associates.”




Some random questions that arise in my mind are:




* If influential Adventist scholars can engage in a conversation with groups such as WEA whose theologican position is essentially in agreement with Desmond Ford, does this represent a greater openness or tolerance toward those Adventists who agree with Ford in emphasizing the fundamental points of the gospel (as defined by WEA) and challenge some of the distinctive understandings of the Adventist church’s tradition?




* Reading this release reminded me of Review editor Bill Knott’s poignant question to GC vice president Lowell Cooper in the June 28 issue of Adventist Review: “Do you think Adventists are more combative when we talk to ourselves than when Adventist theologians talk to theologians of other faiths, or when scientists talk with their peers in the scientific world? Are we less careful with one another?”




* Would the Adventist church also be willing to dialogue with and make joint statements with progressive bodies of Christians or a much more fundamentalist network of Christians? I’m simply wondering about the limits and parameters of formal dialogues and joint statements. Is there a guideline? Should there be? What about other religions? I’m sure it will be possible to agree on areas of common interest and causes with most religions of the world.




* How are Adventist representatives to these consultations chosen? What are the criteria? How does one become a truly representative representative of Adventism? Given the fact that GC president Jan Paulsen has emphasized respect for diversity in so many of his sermons and writings, should the diversity of views in Adventism today be reflected in the representation of Adventism? What would that do to the dialogue? How would such a dialogue impact us?




Posted on August 13th, 2007 under NewsFlections, TheoFlections Comments: 2




Source: http://progressiveadventism.com/

Friday, August 17, 2007

ISAIAH 56

Isaiah 56

1Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

2Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

3Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

4For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

5Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

6Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

7Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

8The Lord GOD, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

9All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

10His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

11Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

12Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.