Real News 24/7

Latest News and Analysis
for February 2004

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2-25-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXIX
Dehydration Nation "For more than ten years, conscious and unconscious cognitively disabled people who use feeding tubes have been legally dehydrated to death in the United States. This intentional life-ending act—clamping feeding tubes and denying all sustenance—has become so ubiquitous that, generally, little attention is paid.This public indifference was shattered by the Terri Schiavo litigation, an epic legal, political, and media struggle that pitted Terri’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, against her quasi-estranged husband, Michael Schiavo.¼"

The bioethics movement: an emerging Culture of Death "An entire culture is unraveling because its underlying philosophy is defective. As a part of this philosophy, a new ethics has replaced our traditional medical ethics, and the core values of Western Civilization --- the worth of the individual and the sanctity of human life --- have been rejected, along with the tradition of Hippocrates, religious values, and the very idea of objective right and wrong."

Please help Terri by taking a moment to read the following link and act! Florida Senate President Jim King has expressed regret for supporting the first "Terri's Law." Use the email link to tell him he has nothing to regret and impress upon him the dangers (including murder) of allowing the legal "termination" of  those with disabilities based not on a living will or similar document, but solely on disputed hearsay: Thanks for assisting this helpless woman! URGENT! Your support for Senate Bill 692 needed now!

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 

2-25-04
Kerry defends security fence

"U.S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, described Israel's construction of a security barrier as a 'legitimate act of self defense' after Sunday's suicide bombing in Jerusalem, clarifying a position he took in October when he told an Arab American audience, 'We don't need another barrier to peace.'" (Real News 24/7: How to explain the "clarification" [that is, reversal] of his position. We suggest that somewhere along the way Kerry was pulled aside and give "advice" that after being translated from campaign gibberish probably sounded something like this: "Senator, you understand that we can make you and we can break you. If that sounds harsh, look at another way. Take a moment, and ask yourself: How many Palestinians are funding my campaign? How many Palestinians will be voting for you in November? How many Palestinians own the television networks, magazines and newspapers who can do so much to make me an attractive candidate? See, it's not that difficult to endorse a little "security fence" now, is it, Senator?) 

2-25-04
Marriage changes may shake churches' tax exemptions
"Prominent conservatives are warning that the debate over civil marriage could soon move into the religious arena and change the way churches treat marriage."

2-25-04
Earth almost put on impact alert
"Astronomers have revealed how they came within minutes of alerting the world to a potential asteroid strike last month. Some scientists believed on 13 January that a 30m object, later designated 2004 AS1, had a one-in-four chance of hitting the planet within 36 hours."

2-25-04
Phyllis Schlafly:
Restoring constitutional separation of powers

"In our nation's founding document, the Declaration of Independence, America acknowledges God as our Creator, Supreme Lawgiver, Supreme Judge, and Protector.¼God is specifically acknowledged in state constitutions.¼So how could a handful of activist judges in the last couple of years presume to ban the acknowledgment of God from documents, monuments, songs, expressions and practices that have been part of our culture throughout our history? The answer is that the federal courts, year by year, decision by decision, have been asserting judicial supremacy over the other branches of government, and Congress and the American people have been letting them get by with this unconstitutional grab for power."

2-25-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 72
Chief of the CIA warns of ‘ next wave ’ of terror "George Tenet, the director of central intelligence, has said that the world is at least as "fraught with dangers for American interests" as it was a year ago, despite the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq and successes in dismantling the leadership of Al Qaeda." (Real News 24/7: But, wait! Didn't President Bush assure us in his State of the Union speech that the world was "a better and safer" place since the invasion and didn't Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean catch all kinds of flak and even effectively ruin his chance for the White House by suggesting the opposite, namely that the world is still "fraught with dangers" for Americans? How, then is it, that Tenet can contradict the president and echo the sentiments of a now-discredited candidate? Likewise, considering the WMDs fiasco, how Tenet can get away with making any statements about Iraq these days without being thoroughly discredited?  In each instance the answer is the same: The controlled news media is content to give him a free pass. The bottom line seems to be that it's okay for "official sources" to advance such talkwho still find it vital to the maintenance of homeland security hypebut nobody else.  Of course, keeping the American people in a constant state of anxiety over a "terrorist behind every tree" threat that is "imminent" is also an essential part of the psychological conditioning that is necessary for the establishment of a police state.)

 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 

 

2-25-04


2-24-04
Watching propaganda become truth
"In 1961, I returned from the Soviet Union with a collection of propaganda posters. I used the posters to illustrate to students how government in a closed society can substitute propaganda for fact. The most dramatic poster in my collection depicts a fascist who has climbed the upraised arm of the Statue of Liberty. A fiery torch in the fascist's hand overlays the stone torch in Liberty's hand, sending forth the flames of war. Bombs are falling on dark-skinned, white-robed Arab women and children. This was Soviet propaganda's portrait of the attempt in 1956 by Britain, France and Israel to reclaim from Egypt the Suez Canal, an effort that would have succeeded but for President Eisenhower's intervention.¼"

War propaganda "War propaganda is used to confuse and demoralize enemies and also to influence public opinions in friendly countries. Often, a nation at war uses propaganda to control its own citizens. According to British scholar F.M. Cornford, 'Propaganda is that branch of the art of lying which consists in very nearly deceiving your friends without quite deceiving your enemies.'"

 

2-24-04
The hole in the doughnut
"The 'Israel right or wrong' gang in America has managed to impose such a complete embargo on any rational discussion of the subject that in order to find any intelligent analysis of the Israeli factor you have to turn to Europe, or to Israel itself, where the liberal opposition in that country can still raise its voice."

2-24-04
Government: Crude dude, outta my life
"Any nation that tolerates organizations like NAMBLA, teaches homosexuality to children who should be learning history, math, science and spelling, has a moral cancer and it's spreading rapidly. But the government dictates all this tolerance that tears down morality and the concept of the family unit. They set the standards for what shall be taught. They provided the framework and incentive for the "zero tolerance" that gets children suspended from school for a one-inch plastic toy gun.¼"

2-24-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 71   Harris Poll: Fewer Americans believe in Iraq WMDs "Fifty-one per cent of those polled believe that Saddam had the banned weapons - a drop from 61 per cent in mid-December following the capture of the former Iraqi dictator. Forty per cent of those polls do not believe Saddam had WMDs, up from 32 per cent in December."


 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 

2-24-04
China, EU trade soars
"For China, this could well be the Year of Europe. Little noticed above the clamor over China's economic boom and the size of the U.S. trade deficit with China is an economic forecast with huge repercussions for business: In 2005, the European Union is likely to become China's No. 1 trading partner, displacing the U.S. this year and Japan in 2005, according to the EU Commission in Beijing." (Real News 24/7: The death of the West continues to progress with virtually no objection. But those who worship the "Almighty Dollar" could care less if Christian Civilization goes down the tubes, as long as they get their cheap labor and maintain their profit margin.) 

2-24-04
PETA to Mel: Thou shalt not kill animals

"Mel Gibson’s controversial film 'The Passion of the Christ' depicts the suffering of Christ. And that is prompting attacks from some who say that Gibson has been causing the suffering of critters." (Real News 24/7: Not a particularly important 'Passion' article, but we couldn't resist give the folks at PETA to reminds us how totally off the wall they are.)

2-24-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXVIII  Michael Schiavo in contempt of court? "Today, the parents of Terri Schindler-Schiavo filed a motion in the Sixth Judicial Circuit asking that the court hold Michael Schiavo in Contempt of Court for disobeying a 1996 court mandate that orders him to divulge changes in his wife’s medical condition to her parents." 

Please help Terri by taking a moment to read the following link and act! Florida Senate President Jim King has expressed regret for supporting the first "Terri's Law." Use the email link to tell him he has nothing to regret and impress upon him the dangers (including murder) of allowing the legal "termination" of  those with disabilities based not on a living will or similar document, but solely on disputed hearsay: Thanks for assisting this helpless woman! URGENT! Your support for Senate Bill 692 needed now!

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 


2-23-04
 Bombshell or red herring?

British national security lawyer: Kelly "taken out" by assassination team
"Shocking new details about the death of Dr. David Kelly (below, right) emerged exclusively today on the Alex Jones radio show. Michael Shrimpton (left), a U.K. national security lawyer who was a guest on the show, revealed that sources within MI5 and MI6 are 'furious' that Kelly was murdered. Shrimpton spoke in depth about the details of Kelly's murder on 17th July 2003, information which has been withheld by the British press."

Final words of Dr. Kelly "Just three hours before Dr. David Kelly died he sent an email to warn a friend about 'dark actors' connected with his betrayal of the government. Dr. Kelly was found dead eight days after being named as the insider who informed journalists that the government deceived the public about weapons of mass destruction to justify the war on Iraq. Shortly before he died, he wrote about the problems that supposedly drove him to kill himself, dismissing them as something that would 'all blow over by early next week.'" (Real News 24/7: Doesn't sound like the words of a suicidal man to us!)

(Real News 24/7: The term "red herring" used to mean a deliberate misdirection or deception comes from hunting. Poachers, knowing that trainers used herring to create a trail when training the hounds, would interpose themselves between the prey and the hunting party and drag a red herring across the trail to mislead the dogs. The dogs, upon encountering the fish's scent, would follow that trail as if it was the one they had been trained with. While the hunters were being led down a false trail, the poachers took the opportunity to bag the prey themselves.

In the case of Dr. David Kelly's death, people [including those of us here at Real News 24/7] have doubted the claim of "suicide" from the initial reports through the official coroner's ruling. It didn't take long for these doubts to grow into the firm suspicion that he had been murdered. (Regular visitors to our website know that we have continually linked to articles bringing up the murder theory, including, most recently, an open letter from six doctors.

To do a search for these or other articles, go to Google or another search engine and type in the name or phrase followed by site:realnews247.com, such as "david kelly" death site:realnews247.com]

The point in bringing this up is that the powers-that-be may operate in secret, but they don't operate in a vacuum: They are well aware that a growing number of people aren't buying the "suicide" story and see the necessity to misdirect from the real culprits. Hence the "French/Iraqi/Syrian assassination team" red herring. Consider. What possible motive would those countries have for killing a man who helped expose government deception about WMDs used to justify the war on Iraq? None, that we're aware of, but they're convenient.

Very convenient, in fact. For an imaginary team of killers can readily conceal themselves, hiding in the same place that Mel Gibson, in a recent interview, half-jokingly said no one would find him: Near the WMDs!

But who would have reason to see him dead. Well, that's already been alluded to a bit: Those in government intelligence who "cooked the books" to give the impression that the Iraqis were some growing threat. David Kelly put a number of jobs and reputations in jeopardy. Heads would roll. The Blair administration was [and continues to be] in deep trouble. There were plenty of "dark actors," some of whom kept tabs on Dr. Kelly's comings and goings and saw to it that any other classified information he had would go with him to the grave.

So is Michael Shrimpton deliberately lying about the Kelly Case? Not necessarily. It really matters very little to promoters of disinformation whether those spreading it realize that they're giving out half-truths, so long as the mystification is allowed to play itself out before the public. It's important that the blame for Dr. David Kelly's murder continue to be placed either on the victim or on some newly invented foreign "assassination team." There is no point in looking in Paris, Baghdad and Damascus for men who are far more likely to be found in London. But British law enforcement needs to be looking for the right people in the right places.

DEMAND JUSTICE FOR DR. DAVID KELLY!!!

 

 

2-13-04
U.S. paying group that gave false leads

"The Department of Defense is continuing to pay millions of dollars for information from the former Iraqi opposition group that produced some of the exaggerated and fabricated intelligence President Bush used to argue his case for war." (Real News 24/7: Today, boys and girls, I thought I'd introduce you to a phrase that people used a long, long time ago, but today is all but forgotten. That phrase is "righteous indignation." Once upon a time in America people would feel a just anger (that is, righteous indignation) that members of our government would stoop to such behavior Today the same citizens have seen such things happening with such regularity, over such a long period, with so little resistance that their feelings have become anesthetized. What will it take to slap them back to reality?)

2-23-04
Escape to home schooling

"Home schooling has often been dismissed as a fringe activity, its practitioners caricatured as head-in-the-sand reactionaries and off-the-grid hippies. The most vocal and organized home schoolers have tended to be religiously motivated, most often conservative Christians. But a newer breed of home schooler is emerging, motivated not by religious belief or countercultural philosophy. Uppermost for such parents are concerns about violence, peer pressure, and poor academic quality in their schools."

2-23-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXVII  Terri's husband tries to stop witnesses' testimony "A husband battling Gov. Jeb Bush in court over whether a feeding tube should be removed from the man's severely brain-damaged wife will again try to block the governor's attorneys from questioning some potential witnesses."    

Please help Terri by taking a moment to read the following link and act! Florida Senate President Jim King has expressed regret for supporting the first "Terri's Law." Use the email link to tell him he has nothing to regret and impress upon him the dangers (including murder) of allowing the legal "termination" of  those with disabilities based not on a living will or similar document, but solely on disputed hearsay: Thanks for assisting this helpless woman! URGENT! Your support for Senate Bill 692 needed now!

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 

2-23-04
Is the Pope a Catholic?

"On New Years Day 2004 Pope John Paul II called for a 'new world order... based on the goals of the United Nations.' When a world leader uses this terminology, it can only mean one thing. He is a part of the Luciferian conspiracy to create a totalitarian world government. According to Piers Compton, a former Catholic priest, the Papacy was actually subverted by the Illuminati in 1958 when John XXIII became Pope. This was the culmination of a 200-year campaign to infiltrate and destroy the Catholic Church. Piers Compton was the Literary Editor of the Catholic Weekly 'The Universe' for 14 years. He documents his claims in 'The Broken Cross,' (1981) a book that is almost impossible to find because it was mysteriously withdrawn a few weeks after its release."

2-23-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 70

 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 


 

2-22-04

I'm prepared to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, in order to save peace and calm in the republic…If my child chose such a path, I myself would rip off his head.
— 1999 statement from Islam Karimov on fighting Muslim militants
(Uzbeki tyrant and President George W. Bush's ally in the War on Terrorism)


 SPECIAL REPORT
Meet Islam Karimov, living proof that all dictators are not created (or treated) equal
"Introducing Islam Karimov [shown above with President Bush¼note: blood on hand not visible from photo], one of Washington's most recent allies in the War on Terror. The neo-Stalinist autocrat presides over Uzbekistan, a vast mineral and oil rich country strategically located in central Asia. A country where dissidents are boiled alive (1); where having an Islamically sanctioned beard can get you arrested (2); where torture is widespread. In short, a country where human rights abuses are occurring on "a massive scale," (3) financed in part by the American taxpayer.¼"

US troops welcome in Uzbekistan, official says  "Uzbekistan will allow the United States to keep military forces here as long as needed for operations in Afghanistan, and would consider a permanent U.S. outpost if Washington wanted one, the Uzbek foreign minister said in an interview Saturday."

Senior US officials cozy up to dictator who boils people alive "Independent human rights groups estimate that there are more than 600 politically motivated arrests a year in Uzbekistan, and 6,500 political prisoners, some tortured to death. According to a forensic report commissioned by the British embassy, in August two prisoners were even boiled to death."

WARNING: The following article contains photos showing the effects of unspeakable torture. Mature viewers only.  
 
Uzbek dictator – Washington's reliable partner  "Speaking before the visit of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday, [Uzbek foreign minister] Sadyk Safayev also told The Associated Press that Uzbekistan is improving its much-criticized human rights record. He said two people convicted in recent high-profile cases likely would receive amnesty soon. One of the 'amnestied convicts' imprisoned by an Uzbek court is...a 63-year-old mother of a prisoner who was was tortured to death in Karimov's prison. Fatima Mukadirova, a retiree and a mother of 5, was convicted of anti-constitutional activity and possessing banned leaflets, but her family and activists claim the case was motivated by her efforts to draw attention to her son."

Above warning also applies to links on site below
Muslim Uzbekistan There are numerous links on this site to the horrors of the Karimov regime. For numerous photos, scroll down to the "Genocide in Uzbekistan" section and click on the link next to the photo. When you reach that page, scroll below the photo gallery and click on the various numbered links for more on victims of Karikov: for example, "13" is a photo gallery of the body of Muzafar Avazov, 35, the father of four whose tortures included boiling [definitely not for the faint-hearted], while "18" is another display showing pictures from a huge anti-Karimov rally in London.)

(Real News 24/7: If there was any doubt in that the American government has totally thrown aside an semblance of a principled foreign policy in favor of political experience, then our involvement with Karimov [whose rule is a true reign of terror and whose monstrous contempt for human rights was well established years before he became a partner for "freedom"] should forever end such uncertainty. Ignore the crocodile tears and the "threats" to pull back on aid if the Uzbeki human rights record isn't improved that we will inevitably hear from Rumsfeld when he visits Karimov. Careful purusal of the links gathered here will show that this sort of empty rhetoric has occurred in the not to distant past, only to be followed by increased aid after the furor simmered down. There is absolutely no reason to expect anything different this time and a long track record pointing to more of the same.  Please understand, however, that Karimov is no exception to the rule, but is just the latest dictator find favor with the New World Order. Not too long ago, it was Saddam Hussein who was the beneficiary of U.S. tax dollars, thanks to the largesse of the globalists who are in control of Washington. Tomorrow it will be someone else. And such a policy is going to continue until the American people are made aware of what's behind the GOP-Dem shell game that in November will assure the nation of another four years of unconstitutional governance in the White House no matter who gets elected!)    

 

2-22-04
Widows lead growing effort to expose what the government knew before 9/11

"
When former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean took the helm of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, more popularly known as the 9/11 Commission, the moderate Republican made a vow: He would not let his investigation become another Warren Commission, the 1964 federal inquiry criticized for failing to adequately probe the possibility of conspiracy in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy."

2-22-04
Uri Avnery:
The dancing bear: How Israel's Sharon plays George Bush
"Ariel Sharon plays games with the American bear. He makes him dance, jump, lie down and get up again, turn around and perform somersaults, much to the amusement of the Israeli public." (Real News 24/7: Ariel: I say, "Jump." George: And I say, "How high.")

2-22-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 69


 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 

2-22-04
Bipartisan Bonesmen

Mr. Russert: You both were members of Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale. What does that tell us?

Senator Kerry: Not much, because it’s a secret. — "Meet the Press," August 31, 2003

Mr. Russert: You were both in Skull and Bones, the secret society.

President Bush: It’s so secret we can’t talk about it. — "Meet the Press," Taped on February 7, 2004


(Real News 24/7: This is a perfect time for Americans to insist that such membership [as well for kindred groups, such as the Council on Foreign Relations, Bohemian Grove, Trilateral Commission, Freemasons, etc.] be open to public scrutiny. Tim Russert, in the above interviews, had a golden opportunity to have opened up this can of worms by saying something like, "Well, I'm sorry, but that's not a responsive answer. The American people want to know
and have a right to knowhow your membership affects your ability to lead the nation and to be assured that you aren't beholden to a special interest group whose agenda may not be in the best interest of the country. So before moving on to other issues, I must insist that you freely discuss this.¼" True, if Russert ever tried anything like this, he'd be looking for another job, but it's what he should have done. Our response should be the same: We should seek to inform our fellow citizens to this cover-up and urge for full disclosure and in response to Bush's "can't talk about it," insist that he and Kerry will talk about it!)

2-22-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXVI
 

Please help Terri by taking a moment to read the following link and act! Florida Senate President Jim King has expressed regret for supporting the first "Terri's Law." Use the email link to tell him he has nothing to regret and impress upon him the dangers (including murder) of allowing the legal "termination" of  those with disabilities based not on a living will or similar document, but solely on disputed hearsay: Thanks for assisting this helpless woman! URGENT! Your support for Senate Bill 692 needed now!

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 


2-21-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 68
Saddam gets Red Cross visit, writes family letter "Red Cross officials visited Saddam Hussein on Saturday for the first time since U.S. forces captured him in December and said they would pass on a letter he wrote for his daughters."


 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 

2-21-04
Conditions of war and peace
"War…is harmful, not only to the conquered but to the conqueror. Society has arisen out of the works of peace; the essence of society is peacemaking. Peace and not war is the father of all things. Only economic action has created the wealth around us; labor, not the profession of arms, brings happiness. Peace builds, war destroys." (Real News 24/7: These excerpts are taken from the writings of the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mies and while we don't agree with every point he makes, we so agree with his basic assumption that the more powerful governments get, the more they grind the rights of individuals under the wheels of faceless bureaucracy, generally, speaking, the more the conditions are ripe for war, as the government becomes their false god. That much agreed, none of the quotes here brings up the point that it has been the Christian order, developed over the past two millennia, that have provided the underlying principles for true world peace. While nayersayers will undoubtedly cite wars that have taken place down through the ages, even between Christian rulers, in an attempt to refute this, such examples do nothing of the sort, since the conflicts have been brought about by either a failure to apply or a misapplication of such principles. As the saying goes: No Christ, no peace; know Christ, know peace.)

2-21-04
'NY Times' fails to acknowledge its role in WMD hype

"The New York Times offered a sharp editorial Tuesday critiquing the indisputable role of the White House in distorting the intelligence on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, and in stampeding Congressional and public opinion by spinning worst-case scenarios--'inflating them drastically'-- to justify an immediate invasion last March to repel an alleged imminent threat to the United States.
¼However, strangely missing from the paper of record was any indictment of the national press, starting with the Times, for its obvious role in gravely misleading the institutions of government and the public when hyping the WMD threat." (Real News 24/7: When the "mainstream" news media all backed the war without any significant objections, the American people should have begun asking questions, especially since so much of what President Bush and Co. were citing as 'evidence" was dubious and being openly disputed by current and former weapons inspectors. If anyone wants to know why independent news sites such as ours exists, such coverage, knee-jerk with every government press briefing, is a good place to start.)

2-21-04
Film may be authentic, anti-Semitic

"Mel Gibson says that, in 'The Passion of the Christ,' he simply wants to tell the authentic story of the crucifixion of his Lord. Much of the Jewish community, together with some Christians, claim the film is anti-Semitic. Chances are, both are right." (Real News 24/7: We're linking this because the columnist writing it provides a fine example of how far-out, radical, essentially anti-Christian teachings masked as modern Christian theology is being promoted in the controlled news media--especially during the 'Passion' controversy--as "mainstream" [meaning moderate, middle-of-the-road] Christian thought. Example from the link here: Parroting the ADL's "scholars' committee, the falsehood that the Gospel of Saint John was a account of events deliberately distorted to placate the Romans--that is, far from being the word of God, this Gospel is a self-serving twisting of facts by someone who cared more about saving his neck than he did about the truth!)

2-21-04
Big Brother Pizza!...May I take your order? Operator: "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. May I have your national ID number?" Customer: "Hi, I'd like to place an order." Operator: "I must have your NIDN first, sir?" Customer: "My National ID Number, yeah, hold on, eh, it's 6102049998-45-54610.¼" (Real News 24/7: We'd like your Total Information Awareness Special! Hold the brain modulators, please.)

2-21-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXV
Not dead yet "For the sake of clarity, a coma is defined as a condition of depressed cerebral activity. It can occur for an indeterminate amount of time. That means there is a possibility of waking. A permanent vegetative state, or pvs, is an irreversible condition in which higher brain function is lost but brain stem activity, including heart and lung function, remains intact. No one in a pvs wakes up!"
 

Please help Terri by taking a moment to read the following link and act! Florida Senate President Jim King has expressed regret for supporting the first "Terri's Law." Use the email link to tell him he has nothing to regret and impress upon him the dangers (including murder) of allowing the legal "termination" of  those with disabilities based not on a living will or similar document, but solely on disputed hearsay: Thanks for assisting this helpless woman! URGENT! Your support for Senate Bill 692 needed now!

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 


2-20-04
Joe Sobran:
Gibson and His Enemies

"If Gibson’s film can be faulted for anything, it may be for failing to show how popular Jesus was among the ordinary Jews of Jerusalem, who had wildly welcomed him only days before his murder. This popularity, the Gospels tell us, was the reason both the Jewish and Roman authorities feared him and decided to try him at night, in secret."

Watch a crucifixion and terrify the Left "Obviously I call for people to cut way back their watching both TV and recently made movies. But that cannot be the extent of the war to save our culture. We must also support filmed entertainment that is good in the sense of Christian morals and identity. And no film made in years has terrified the Left nearly as much as has Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ." (Real News 24/7: The writer urges people to get out and support this film and we heartily echo the call. In fact, we encourage people, if they're able, to see it multiple times!) Crucifying The Passion
 

 

2-20-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXIV

Please help Terri by taking a moment to read the following link and act! Florida Senate President Jim King has expressed regret for supporting the first "Terri's Law." Use the email link to tell him he has nothing to regret and impress upon him the dangers (including murder) of allowing the legal "termination" of  those with disabilities based not on a living will or similar document, but solely on disputed hearsay: Thanks for assisting this helpless woman! URGENT! Your support for Senate Bill 692 needed now!

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 

2-20-04 Backtracking on al-Qaeda ties
"President Bush made dramatic headlines in Cincinnati before the Iraq war with his claim that there were clear links between Iraq and al-Qaeda, allegations reiterated by other administration officials over the following year. Bush’s Cincinnati speech set the tone for the war propaganda effort, where Bush Administration officials terrified Americans with the specter of al-Qaeda operatives launching more attacks on Americans — this time armed with weapons of mass destruction from Iraq. But the administration possessed no hard evidence that an Iraq–al-Qaeda terrorist connection existed."

2-20-04
The fall of America
"What is happening is the total and complete destruction of the most independent, self-reliant, and individually-free society in the recorded history of man on earth. That society has a name: America. That destructive force has a name too: Evil, which comes in all shapes and sizes of horror. The evil manifested in our time also has a name: Global Government.¼"

2-20-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 67
Powell says Iraq war justified; Dvorin's mother says no "Secretary of State Colin L. Powell today defended the war in Iraq, saying the United States made the right decision even though intelligence reports that Saddam Hussein had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction have not been borne out.¼He downplayed the significance of inspectors' inability to locate weapons even after the collapse of the Iraqi regime and the capture of Saddam Hussein."

 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 


2-19-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXIII

Please help Terri by taking a moment to read the following link and act! Florida Senate President Jim King has expressed regret for supporting the first "Terri's Law." Use the email link to tell him he has nothing to regret and impress upon him the dangers (including murder) of allowing the legal "termination" of  those with disabilities based not on a living will or similar document, but solely on disputed hearsay: Thanks for assisting this helpless woman! URGENT! Your support for Senate Bill 692 needed now!

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 

2-19-04
Bush 'troubled' by same-sex marriages

"President Bush said Wednesday he was 'troubled' by gay weddings in San Francisco and by legal decisions in Massachusetts that could clear the way for same-sex marriage. But he declined to say whether he was any closer to backing a constitutional ban on such vows." (Real News 24/7: With all due respect, Mr. President, put up or shut up!)

2-19-04
Inside the CIA museum
"It's a museum of top-secret spy stuff, a display of the once-classified gadgets used by CIA spies all over the world. It's for CIA employees only, but CBS News got a rare look behind the scenes from Dr. Donald Kerr, director for science and technology."

2-19-04
US officials knew in May Iraq possessed no WMD

"Senior American officials concluded at the beginning of last May that there were no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq.
¼"

2-19-04
"It's time to get over it": Kerry tells anti-war movement to move on
"In the battle to control the American empire, the neocons have in their corner the Partnership for a New American Century while the New Democrats have the Progressive Policy Institute. Come November, who will get your vote? Coke or Pepsi?"

2-19-04
Veterans and the Vietnamese community against Kerry (Real News 24/7: An expansive website that relentlessly attacks the "new JFK." Among other things found there, check out Kerry's communist connection.)

2-19-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 66
Anticipating the capture of Osama bin Laden "Howard Dean's bubble didn't burst in Iowa with his manic rebel yell of defeat, nor was it punctured by Al Gore's kiss of death: the bubble vanished on December 13, 2003, the day Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces."

 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 


2-18-04
ADL grasping for straws? Vatican asked to condemn The Passion
"A Jewish leader met with Vatican officials this week to ask them to restate church teachings on the Crucifixion, saying Mel Gibson's new film contradicts the church's position that the Jews as a people were not responsible for Jesus' death. A top Vatican official who met with Abraham Foxman[left], national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said yesterday that no such statement was planned." (Real News 24/7: I'll give Abe "Crazy like a" Foxman one thing, he's not shy about "instructing" the Vatican in what they believe [or at least what he thinks they should believe].)

Real News 24/7 SPECIAL REPORT: Anti-Defamation League "biblical scholar" Eugene Fisher: Brazenly dishonest or scripturally challenged?  "Just get an academic on board if you want to pervert something!"—Mel Gibson concerning the ADL's Ad Hoc Scholars Committee

Critics say Gibson film mimics a hateful book
 "Despite Mel Gibson's effort to disavow any anti-Jewish influence in his film about Jesus' death, his critics are firing back with fresh evidence that the movie closely follows an anti-Jewish book by a 19th-Century German nun." (Real News 24/7: The following link goes to a page about the saintly Augustinian nun (picture, right) whose memory is being viciously and dishonestly attacked as an anti-Semite, as well as to the "hateful" work that Mel Gibson used as a source. Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich [right] And next are examples absurdly put forth by the film's enemies as alleged anti-Semitic and problematic elements from her book.)

Mel Gibson in his own words  (Real News 24/7: The Anti-Defamation League is so desperate that it's dug around to find incriminating quotes from Mel. Some of his language is a little crude and we don't approve of him having interviewed with Playboy (1995), but otherwise there are several really solid points he makes.)

Mel Gibson's father says Holocaust exaggerated "'It's all, maybe not all fiction, but most of it is,' he said, adding that the gas chambers and crematoria at camps like Auschwitz would not have been capable of exterminating so many people." (Real News 24/7: Go, Hutton!)

2-18-04
Dean quits presidential race
"Former Vermont governor Howard Dean has announced that he is dropping out of the race to be the Democrats' candidate for the White House."

 2-18-04
Utah House passes resolution to get the U.S. out of the UN
"The Utah House of Representatives passed a joint resolution on February 2 urging Congress to consider withdrawing U.S. membership from the United Nations. The passage of H.J.R. 3 by a vote of 42 to 33 was a personal victory for the resolution’s sponsor, Rep. Don Bush, a Republican from Clearfield."
Related article (Real News 24/7: We apologize for being behind on this story, but we're putting it anyway because of its importance and because most people outside of Utah are probably still unaware of it. But compared to Arizona [see our archived entry from February 6th], whose legislature also passed a similar bill at about the same time, this is a widely covered story. A Google search for news concerning the Arizona vote comes up totally empty! Someone doesn't want this getting out. More Get US out! links)

2-18-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXII
Legally killing Canada's "undesirables"
"As early as November 1907, the Canadian press was acknowledging that the death rate within Indian residential schools exceeded 50% . And yet the reality of such a massacre has been wiped clean from the public record and consciousness in Canada over the past decades. Small wonder; for that hidden history reveals a system whose aim was to destroy most native people by disease, relocation and outright murder, while 'assimilating' a minority of collaborators who were trained to serve the genocidal system."

Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust - Chronology of Events

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 

2-18-04
What's the rush? Count votes by hand  
"After month upon months, almost a full year, of boring us to death with their promises, attack ads, gossip, and debates on topics they somehow decided were most important, what's another week or so? Why should we rush to get election results on the same day we vote?" (Real News 24/7: And just to show that the US isn't the only nation facing such problems, this just in from Ireland.
¼Taoiseach defends contentious e - voting plans "The Taoiseach [Gaelic for Prime Minister], Bertie Ahern, has defended his Government’s plans to introduce electronic voting nationwide this year despite growing opposition to the system.")

2-18-04
Lou Dobbs lists outsourcing giants
"CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight has been one of the very few network programs that have challenged the reigning wisdom on trade and immigration policies, with Dobbs’ regular reports on the social and economic impact of illegal immigration and his 'Exporting America' series." (Real-News 24/7: Dobbs's concern has one tech website slamming him as a "table-thumping protectionist," but we give him two thumbs up for taking the stand he does, though it remains to be seen how long he'll be around spouting such politically incorrect views. For the complete list, visit the
Lou Dobbs Tonight webpage and scroll down below "Face Off.")

2-18-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 65
Red Cross awaits date for Saddam visit
"The International Red Cross is waiting to fix a date with U.S. authorities so that it can visit former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein where he is being detained, officials said Wednesday."

 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 


2-17-04
John Paul II, Mahony targets of possible lawsuits
"83-year-old Pope John Paul II is one of the most famous men on the planet. Loved and revered by millions, his holiness draws enormous crowds wherever he goes. But now a group called Catholics For Truth and Transparency is issuing a list of legal demands against the Pope and Los Angeles Archbishop, Cardinal Roger Mahony." (Real News 24/7: It's time that people wake up to John Paul II's tremendous culpability in this mess: He appointed virtually all the bishops, archbishops and cardinals who have coddled, advanced, transferred, hid, defended and otherwise aided and abetted these destroyers of innocence. And not one of these men has John Paul II excommunicated for these criminal--both legally and spiritually--deeds. How can millions love and revere a man who is largely responsible, by his inaction as much as his action, for allowing these evils to go on and on. See the Roman Catholic Faithful site below for example after example of the doings of his protégés. It should not be forgotten that the Church never condemned Dante for placing certain popes in his Inferno, nor St. John Chrysostom for declaring, "The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops!")

Thousands more pervert priest cases than previously believed
"A survey of child sex abuse claims against the Catholic church in America has uncovered thousands more cases than previously believed, according to a draft report leaked to the media yesterday." (Real News 24/7: The article mentions cases going back to 1950, but the implication that sexual perversion in the clergy was as common then as now is, at least, ignorant and, at worst, calumnious. In the past the Church's response to such acts was firm, even severe at times. For example, in 1568, Pope St. Pius V issued a decree entitled Horrendum illud scelus, [literally "This horrendous act"], which ordered that clergy abusers of boys be defrocked, then turned over for the secular authority for punishment that could include decapitation! Anyone who knows Catholic theology as it was taught fifty years ago is aware that homosexual behavior was condemned as a mortal sin (that is, a sin so serious that will, if unforgiven, send the sinner to Hell). Conversely, theology as taught since Vatican II in "reformed" CINO [Catholic in name only] churches is no longer uniform: The "gay lifestyle" is identified as seriously sinful, as a mere "disorder" or even, by the most radical, as a legitimate choice.)

More on the ongoing scandal:

Roman Catholic Faithful
A lay organization dedicated to exposing the U.S. Catholic Church’s harboring of pedophiles. They say church officials continue to “stonewall” efforts to fully expose pederasts in the church.

Goodbye! Good Men
"
How did the American Catholic priesthood go from an image of wise, strong men like Spencer Tracy in Boys Town and Bing Crosby in Going My Way, to an image of "pedophile priests"? In Goodbye, Good Men, investigative reporter Michael S. Rose provides the shocking answer – an answer the mainstream news media has missed." (Real News 24/7: This is, overall, an excellent book, showing the widespread collapse of the American seminary system that has culminated in today's lurid headlines. He falls down on one important point, however, and that is his inability to see that this is the result of a conspiracy. Something of this magnitude doesn't happen systemically by accident and the sooner Mr. Rose and others in the post Vatican II church who subscribe to the accidental theory of history wake up to this fact, the sooner the restoration of the Church will begin in earnest!)

 

2-17-04
Israel sole beneficiary of Iraq occupation - Syrian PM "Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri accused Israel of not wanting peace with the Palestinians and charged that the Jewish state was the sole beneficiary of the US-led occupation of Iraq."

2-17-04
WMD - A Primer

"'Weapons of mass destruction.' No term has been more abused, or less understood. George Bush has made it his personal mantra, and the slogan of his presidency. An administration that may have concocted fake evidence to launch war on Iraq may yet conveniently "discover" unconventional weapons there - before November's U.S. elections.¼"

2-17-04
China's 'gendercide' crisis
 "In addition to an aging population, China increasingly is developing a population dominated by males. This, too, is a direct offshoot of the one-child policy, which has resulted in the 'disappearance' of millions of girls – most of whom are assumed to have been killed at birth or shortly afterward, while others were the victims of sex-selection abortion procedures."

2-17-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 64
Bremer hints he may bar Iraqi Islamic law
"Attacks against the U.S.-led occupation force have continued unabated despite the capture of Saddam Hussein on Dec. 13 and the arrest of numerous figures whom the American military has identified as key figures behind the insurgency." (Real News 24/7: Whatever else may be thought about Bremer's comments about blocking Islamic law from being the overriding basis of any future Iraqi constitution, one thing is certain: That government will not be of the people, but will be dictated to them by the occupiers.)

 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 

2-17-04
'Gay' marriage anarchy in San Francisco
"San Franciscans often joke about seceding from the union, when for all intents and purposes, they already have. For years, the city’s government has refused to comply with a variety of federal and state laws, including immigration, national security, and drug enforcement. So when San Francisco’s new mayor, Gavin Newsom, decreed this past week that gay marriage would now be legal, it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise."

2-17-04
The Harold Rosenthal Interview

"The interview is virulently anti Semitic in the sense that both men characterize this conspiracy as 'Jewish' and make many nasty racist generalizations. In fact, 'the Jews' are really the Rothschilds and a few hundred banking families and their non-Jewish allies united by intermarriage and occult beliefs. The vast majority of Jews like other people are unaware of this plot and would oppose it if they were. Jews are as much its unwitting dupes and victims as anyone else." (Real News 24/7: Can anyone confirm the authenticity of this? If it's genuine, it's a bombshell with few equals.)

2-17-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXXI
Mercy in Florida?
 "[F]ollowing the proper rules might result in the Schindlers entering the litigation as parties, thereby permitting the formidable Pat Anderson to contribute her considerable legal skills to the cause. And better yet, perhaps the decision will result in Michael and others actually having to answer crucial questions under oath (but don't hold your breath).¼"

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 


2-16-04
Why Skull & Bones matters
"As we learn more of the strange little society called Skull & Bones, it is useful to remember that what we know already is enough: America is about to choose between two presidential candidates who belonged to an organization whose values were infantile, elitist, misogynist, anti-democratic and secret and whose purposes include the mutual support and protection of its members as they make their into the upper ranks of American society and throughout their adult lives.¼"
 

America's Secret Establishment: An introduction to the Order of Skull and Bones
"For 170 years they have met in secret. From out of their initiates come presidents, senators, judges, cabinet secretaries, and plenty of spooks. They are the titans of finance and industry and have now installed a third member as United States President George W. Bush." (Real News 24/7: For more concerning Skull and Bones, see the related links on February 1st and 6th.)

More than just a handshake
"An indictment leveled at Freemasonry is that it is a secret society. The order refutes that with the rather clichéd reply that it is a society with secrets. Nevertheless, because those secrets remain within the walls of the lodges and no-one is privy to attend lodge meetings or ceremonies until having taken the obligations of membership, it remains to most people an enigma."

Freemasonry, conspiracy within, initiation and the brotherhood
"The majority of Masons today don't have a clue as to the true meaning of their rituals and symbols. And they certainly cannot be called bad people. Misled, yes, and most really are the good natured philanthropists helping their community, that we see outwardly. You see it is not required of initiates to ascend any higher than that of the third degree Master Mason. They know there are another 30 degrees if one wished to continue, but the initiation process is a tedious and drawn out affair (it might take a year to reach the third degree), which the participants, for the most part, are happy it's over with. For them it is good that they not continue. And that's just the way higher initiates, or adepts, like it. (emphasis added)"

The Brotherhood: The explosive exposé of the secret world of the Freemasons "A penetrating exposure of abuses of freemasonry in England which was made possible by the members of "The Brotherhood" who shared the authors concerns. This book was a catalyst for the sweeping changes in English freemasonry as the oldest Grand Lodge in the world was forced to go public to clean up its act."
 

 

2-16-04
Kerry denounced U.S. as 'the real criminal' in Vietnam
"During his war protest days in the early 1970s, Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry once denounced the United States of America as 'the real criminal' in the Vietnam War." (Real News 24/7: For more on Kerry's aid and comfort to the North Vietnamese Communists see the related links on February 11th and 13th.)

2-16-04

Pentagon cooking casualty counts?
"
While thousands of American military personnel have been seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, accurate and timely information about the number of U.S. casualties is not being provided by the mass media or the Pentagon. Unlike the war in Vietnam, images of wounded U.S. soldiers from Iraq are rarely seen."

2-16-04 The Terri Schindler-Schiavo File: Day CXX
Future of end-of-life laws unclear in the Florida legislature
"'Terri's Law' was actually an appropriate label for the measure passed by the Florida Legislature last fall to save the life of brain-damaged woman Terri Schiavo."
 

UPDATE! The petition mentioned in the following has been moved from the the Terri's Fight homepage. To access it, please click scroll to near the bottom of that page and click under the heading "How you can help."   ACTION ALERT! Terri's family and friends have launched a petition drive urging Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate charges that she was a victim of physical abuse. The petition says that McCabe has ignored "well-founded allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation"all felony crimes under Florida law. Please lend your support by going to Terri's website and filling out the pop-up petition. God willing, Terri someday will be able to thank you for your help!

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news about Terri when it becomes available, until either her feeding/hydration tubes are reinstated or she passes away as a result of the current cessation of treatment. See our in-depth coverage, including update, from October 15.]  

Pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo & her family
 

2-16-04
I doubt that Dr David Kelly committed suicide
"The German word for suicide is more direct than the English: Selbstmord - self-murder. Did Dr David Kelly - husband, father of three daughters and a leading world expert in chemical and germ warfare - murder himself, or was he murdered by others? When his violent death was first reported I felt he was likely a victim of a wicked system that had used him and spat him out. I was very skeptical that he could have bled to death from one cut wrist." (Real News 24/7: For more questioning the claim that Dr. Kelly committed suicide, see the related links on February 12th.)

2-16-04
The male fallout from feminism

According to Byron Weeks MD: "All Tavistock and American foundation techniques have a single goal, to break down the psychological strength of the individual and render him helpless to oppose the dictators of the World Order. Any technique which helps to break down the family unit, and the family inculcated principles of religion, honor, patriotism and sexual behavior, is used by the Tavistock as weapons of crowd control."

2-16-04 The Capture of Saddam Hussein: Day 63
Have the neo-cons killed a presidency?
"The problem, however, was this: While there is much evidence Saddam is evil, there is no evidence he was insane. He had not used his WMD in 1991, when he had them. For he was not a fool. He knew that would mean his end. Why would he then build a horror weapon now, give it to a terrorist and risk the annihilation of his regime, family, legacy and himself, a fate he had narrowly escaped in 1991?"

'US knew Iraq was WMD free'
"Iraqi nuclear scientist Dr Imad Khadduri has told Aljazeera.net he does not believe any 'errors' were made regarding WMD intelligence."

 

 NEW TO REAL NEWS 24/7  The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook  "Washington D.C., 18 December 2003 - Newly declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive show the British Embassy in Baghdad recommending Saddam Hussein to London in 1969 as a 'presentable young man' with an 'engaging smile,' 'with whom, if only one could see more of him, it would be possible to do business.' U.S. documents published in today's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook quote Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975 telling the Iraqi foreign minister "we do not think there is a basic clash of national interests between Iraq and the United States" (the Iraqi disagreed), and that Israeli influence on U.S. policy would diminish given "our new electoral law" which means 'the influence of some who financed the elections before isn't so great.'"

[Real News 24/7 will continue to carry news and other reports about the capture/incarceration of Saddam when it becomes available, until such time as there he is brought to trial and sentenced. See our daily coverage, dating back to the announcement of his apprehension on December 14th.]
 


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