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COMMENTARY -- WAR -- (the news is directly below):
You have gone back in time and are standing in the midst of a lush ancient forest. You hear and see some large vegetarian dinosaurs feeding on the moist soft leaves of brush and trees. You also see skulking about like a cat after a mouse, other smaller dinosaurs with a lighter build about them trying to catch and eat even smaller dinosaurs. You also see small dinosaurs feeding on the vegetation. Suddenly you hear a loud screech which terrifies every creature in this setting and sends them running for fear. The screech is coming from a large version of the lighter built and fast moving dinosaur with teeth designed to rip and tear other animal flesh. It quickly moves up on the large vegetarian. It lacks the weight of the vegetarian it is pursuing but has more speed and agility. It's massive and powerful jaws are set into motion as it lunges upon the vegetarian and immediately draws blood as it rips and tears away at a vital spot. The vegetarian tries to defend itself by using its heavy tail to whack the aggressor but it was too slow this time in defending itself and it quickly weakened because of pain and loss of blood. Dizzy and in weakness it dropped to the ground and took its last breath. The aggressor ruthlessly tore away at the most tasty spots and then left the carcass for scavengers.
In the natural world this story describes the "food chain" and the "predatory" character of those creatures at the top of the food chain. The predatory behavior is driven by hunger and the instinct of the predator to feed and care for it's young. Although all animals have some kind of reasoning capability their instincts most often prevail and their reasoning is subordinate to these instincts to make them more effective at surviving.
How does this story relate to war? Is war wrong? Is war necessary? What is accomplished by war?
Mankind is to be above the animals, that is he should be exercising his reasoning capabilities over his instincts. But mankind often does not do that. Tribal behavior is something like wolf pack behavior. There is a kind of civilized order within the pack but anything outside the pack is considered fair game. There is usually a pack leader. In many ways, the societies and cultures and communities of mankind are like the pack where the reasoning capabilities of the individuals in the pack and the consensus of the pack is directed at serving the primitive instincts of survival.
Although man is more technically capable as he sits atop the food chain, many of the nations, societies, cultures, and communities of man are more predatory in character with leaders that know how to control the pack and maintain their control over the pack. If allowed, these predatory packs of mankind will act just like the predatory dinosaur. No amount of talk or reasoning will prevent the attack because the overall social behavior is predatory and reason is used to make the predatory behavior more successful. The only defense against such predators is to be both prepared and more capable if attacked. But often a defensive posture will fail as it did with the vegetarian dinosaur which was no threat to the other dinosaurs. Many animal packs that are vegetarian adopt defensive and preventative postures as a pack to minimize any predatory attack on members within the vegetarian pack. Buffalo, cattle, and many other animals do this.
But only mankind has two things the animals don't have. Man is smart enough to anticipate a predatory attack and respond in a defensive manoeuvre of defense to disable or kill the predatory enemy before the "screech" of death is heard. Man has the means and abilities to develop sophisticated weaponry. Compare this weaponry to the teeth of the attacking dinosaur and the tail of the vegetarian dinosaur.
But if a society or community of man is not aware of such dangers by other predatory type societies and communities then it peacefully and obliviously eats, drinks, sleeps, reproduces, plays, and in other ways occupies itself. When the "screech" of impending death is heard it may be too late. This is especially true if the predatory society has technological superiority and readiness to use that technology in an aggressive manner. This susceptibility scenario is also true if a society or community of man has been deceived into thinking that the predators are their friends or that arbitration, deals, and discourse will stop the aggression. Nothing will stop the predatory nation or community from its behavior other than its own destruction. A predatory human or human society is far more committed to violent aggression than is a predatory animal seeking a prey for a source of food. A predator is ruthless and uncaring whether it be a dinosaur, a wolf, or man. The "whimper" (or dialog to prevent aggression) that precedes death is understood by the predator as victory and the prey can be savaged. There are those that feel that a kind of social remedial exercise involving discourse, and various other forms of reward and penalty administered against the predatory society, by some powerful majority, will cause such predatory communities to change. This is foolishness as long as the pack leader remains leader. The leaders drive the communities. This is true even in western democratic nations. Sometimes leaders reflect the views of the community that elected them and perhaps leaders exploit the community that elected them.
When leaders have control of the key social institutions they can use these institutions to brain wash the community as a whole. If leaders don't have control of the key social institutions then new potential pack leaders can use these institutions to brain wash the community and thereafter supplant the pack leader. For example, often the educational institutions are infiltrated with authority figures that have a profound influence on those they teach. So it is not unusual in just about every society to see social discontent first voiced by universities and institutions of higher learning. The so called media in the form of newspapers, magazines, radio and TV industry, the publishing industry, and the movie industry are powerful means of brainwashing a society and re-engineering the "average" social mentality. A third category is the religious institutions, seminaries, and related organizations. Whoever controls the content of these institutions inevitably controls the pack mentality. Laws and government are derived from this mentality. As the mentality changes so also do the laws and inclinations of government.
As long as the average human being allows himself or herself to be herded along in a pack type social environment there will be predatory societies that feed on the other societies. They will skulk about and wait for their moment. They will form unholy and wicked alliances with each other only to eventually turn on one another. War in this context simply realigns those at the top of the food chain. War is for the purpose of establishing different leaders, it rarely occurs for the purpose of true peace and prosperity directed from a global perspective. Although the word peace is used a lot today its meaning varies depending upon who uses it. Peace as used by world leaders means the establishment of their objectives at the cost of their opponents. World leaders shake each others hands in such deceptive gestures of peace. It is a paradox. It is a horrible dilemma. If any society disarms, adopts arbitration and dialog to effect change then they will be perceived as manipulatable through that dialog. They will also be perceived by the potential aggressor as weak because they rely too heavily on a so called diplomatic solution to disputes. Meanwhile the predatory society or societies will take whatever gain they can through the dialog and when their moment comes, lunge, and with their mighty jaws and sharp teeth rip and tear away at the vulnerabilities of their prey.
Therefore, God must manipulate the devil who influences man towards predatory behavior. The devil incarnate is Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ or Satan is any human being that uses their reasoning capabilities to serve their primitive instincts. By so doing they have opened up and turned over their mental "real estate" to the spiritual forces of darkness that bring only death. The spiritual force of evil is only able to influence the human mind through the mechanism of our primitive instincts for survival. If we lust and are preoccupied with the things and values of a world driven by such instincts then we have been deceived into a form of mental slavery that brings only hatred and death in its wake.
Jesus Christ is the answer. He is both an example of what we must be like as humans and he is the facilitator/mediator/interface whereby we can all know and experience the love/caring of God.
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns you can email this ministry at thilts@help-for-you.com
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. . . Day by Day with VOA .. . . BBC -- Thursday, 9 January, 2003, 20:59 GMT . Internet helps
write the book of life
.
The Austin blind
salamander: Discovered only in 2002
The internet and the development of DNA sequencing technology make the goal achievable, they say. This should create "a one-stop shop" of data which both amateur and professional naturalists can use.
Professor David Hillis, of the University of Texas, US, says about 1.7 million species have been described so far, although estimates of the total number range from 10 million to 100 million. He told BBC Radio 4's environment programme Costing the Earth: "Many fields of biology suffer from our lack of knowledge. Galloping losses "We're very bad at making predictions about ecological systems, for instance, because we know so little of the species interactions - because we know so few of the species. "Yet each is a novel solution for how an organism survives in the world. So there's a genetic goldmine of information within every species. "We can't protect things we don't know about. The biomedical implications are enormous."
He told the programme: "Extinction rates have accelerated by about a thousandfold over the average that's been seen over the roughly 600 million year sweep of the fossil record. "There are various further lines of evidence that point to further acceleration by a factor of perhaps 10 over the coming century. "We are today standing on the breaking tip of the sixth great wave of extinction in the history of life on Earth, different from the others in that it's unambiguously associated with us. "The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to keep all the pieces. Do you want to live in a grievously impoverished world, the world of the cult movie Bladerunner?" Harnessing technology Professor John Lawton, who heads the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc), says without taxonomy the whole of modern biology would be impossible. He told Costing the Earth: "Imagine having a library in which you didn't know where any of the books were, and you didn't know what their titles were, and then trying to find the right book." About 1.5 million species have been identified so far, with a further 10,000 or so added annually. Lord May said: "At that rate it's going to take us about 500 years just to complete the catalogue, leaving aside the fact that extinctions might help us by wiping a lot of them out, which is hardly a cheerful solution."
He says the task is as visionary as the Moon landings and the discovery of the human genome. But he thinks it can be done. The secret, the Foundation says, lies in combining the power of the internet with the development of DNA sequencing. Closing the loop Instead of the time-consuming present system of comparing new discoveries with museum species, there will be a worldwide web-based database. DNA information can be quickly submitted and examined to see whether it is related to known organisms, or is from a genuinely new species. One example of the sort of new discovery the Foundation is looking for is the Austin blind salamander, which lives in natural pools in the city of Austin, Texas. People have swum there for years. But it was only in 2002 that the Austin blind was found and identified as a new species. Salamander images copyright and courtesy of Dee-Ann Chamberlain Costing the Earth is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 2100 GMT on Thursday 9 January 2003. . BBC -- Thursday, 9 January, 2003, 16:38 GMT . Polar bear
'extinct within 100 years'
.
The bears face
pollution and climate threats
The animal, which relies on sea ice to catch seals, is already starting to suffer the effects of climate changes in areas such as Hudson Bay in Canada.
Dr Andrew Derocher of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, has used the data to assess the impact on the Arctic's top predator. Top carnivore He believes the polar bear could disappear in the wild by the end of the century unless the pace of global warming slows. He told BBC News Online: "Polar bears are a species whose whole life history is dependent on having sea ice.
"As the sea ice disappears, so will the polar bears." Polar bears are uniquely adapted to survival in the Arctic. They are the world's largest land predator, feeding mainly on seals. They use the sea ice as a floating platform to catch prey and they travel across it on their way to their dens. British polar expert Dr Peter Wadhams of the University of Cambridge says the bear faces a gloomy future unless it is able to change its habits. "It could be that a polar bear could adapt to a new habitat and adopt habits like the brown bear in Alaska which hunts salmon in streams and other small animals on land," he said. Fragile ecology Scientists believe that Ursus maritimus, the "sea bear", evolved about 200,000 years ago from brown bear ancestors. Whether it can 'change its spots' and behave more like a brown bear is another matter. Lynn Rosentrater, climate scientist in the WWF International Arctic Programme, thinks it unlikely. There have been cases of polar bears scavenging in bins for food in summer, she said, but the animals need seal fat to get through the winter. "In the absence of sea ice the whole basis of polar bear ecology ceases to exist," she explained. Polar bears are currently found in Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway. Populations in southern limits such as Hudson Bay are at most risk of dying out. Bears stand most chance of surviving, in isolated groups, in the western Arctic or the Canadian archipelago. Photos courtesy of Andrew Derocher. . BBC -- Friday, 10 January, 2003, 04:31 GMT . Sony offers
vision of 'reborn TV'
.
Kunitake Ando: Sees
new role for TVs
The company's Chief Operating Officer, Kunitake Ando, predicted the rebirth of the TV as he touted the new products and strategies at the largest consumer electronics show in the world. "The first 50 years of colour television was just the infancy stage," he said during a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "The TV is going to be reborn as an always on and connected device." The Japanese media giant is keen to develop the potential of the TV as a gadget to deliver its vast library of music, movies and TV shows to home viewers over the net. Anywhere, anytime It realises that few people are willing to watch a film on their computer.
"Sony's vision is a ubiquitous value network," said Mr Ando, "all devices connected so that you can enjoy content anytime, anywhere." Broadband is a key part of the company's strategy and the Sony boss stressed the need to encourage more people to sign up to fast internet access. "The broadband wave will wash over us, and it is coming fast. My message is we need to collaborate now in order to realize our broadband dreams," he said. Linux machine Sony is in a unique position to take advantage of the internet as a tool to supply films and music.
"Hardware and content are completely dependent on each other," said Mr Ando. "Thanks to broadband, hardware and content will integrate in a new way." Mr Ando showed off Sony's Cocoon, a device about the size of a DVD player that hooked up the TV to the internet by broadband. The machine runs on Linux and has a hard disc that can record 100 hours of video. It is already gone on sale in Japan. "Cocoon will transform TV into an interactive, intelligent experience," said Mr Ando. Online piracy
The Sony boss recognised that one of the big issues facing media companies is how to stop illegal copies of their material appearing on the net. But Mr Ando spoke of the need to strike a delicate balance between the interests of companies and what people want. "We are working to solve piracy online in a way that satisfies users and companies," he said. "We are committed to the secure distribution of digital content." The Consumer Electronics Show runs in Las Vegas until 12 January. . India Tests Nuclear Capable Missile; More Tests Expected . . India has carried out another test of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead deep into the interior of nuclear arch-rival Pakistan. The medium range Agni-1 missile, with an acknowledged range of 800 kilometers, was fired early Thursday at a remote testing range on India's eastern coast. The Agni-1 was first tested a year ago. A longer-range version of the Indian missile is capable of hitting targets in China. Indian news reports say scientists also plan to test at least two more missiles this week, including a supersonic Cruise missile jointly developed with Russia. Britain said Thursday's launch sends a wrong signal to the region and beyond, and urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint in weapons development. The U.S. State Department urged both sides to tone down their rhetoric. Last week, India announced the formation of a command structure to manage its nuclear arsenal, and reaffirmed its vow not to initiate nuclear war. But New Delhi warned its retaliation for a major biological, chemical or nuclear strike would be massive and inflict catastrophic damage. Pakistan has not yet ruled out the first use of nuclear weapons. India says the test-firings are routine events that occur annually. Wednesday, Pakistan unveiled its own nuclear-capable Ghauri missile at a ceremony attended by President Pervez Musharraf at the Kahuta Research facility outside Islamabad. India and Pakistan came to the brink of war after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing Pakistan-based Muslim militants who attacked the Indian parliament in December of 2001. Tensions finally eased late last year after an intense international diplomatic effort led by the United States. Some information for this report provided by Reuters.
. Israel Asks South Africa to Investigate Sharon Loan . . .
South African justice minister Penuell Maduna is reviewing the documents received from Israel and is expected to announce his decision on the request to further investigate the loan by the end of next week. His spokesman said the Israeli attorney general has asked that the matter receive urgent attention. The businessman who made the loan, Cyril Kern, told VOA he lent money to Mr. Sharon's sons who needed the funds for the family farm that they manage for their father. Mr. Kern said he and Mr. Sharon are close friends who maintain frequent contact and that his assistance was no more than that given between longstanding friends. He said the loan, reported to be $1.5 million, has been repaid with interest. Mr. Kern has known the Israeli leader since 1948, when the two served together in Israel's defense forces. He told VOA that he is a British citizen and that he has no interest in Israeli politics. But reports from Israel say the money may have been used as collateral for bank loans taken out by Mr. Sharon to repay illegal contributions to his Likud party's 1999 election campaign. Foreign political funding is illegal in Israel. The report of the loan was disclosed earlier this week by the left of center Ha'aretz newspaper and comes only weeks ahead of general election in Israel. Since the disclosure, Mr. Sharon's Likud Party has slipped significantly in the polls but still leads other parties. Mr. Sharon has dismissed the allegations as political libel with the aim of unseating him as prime minster. He says he will demonstrate his innocence in a television address scheduled for later Thursday.
. New Fighting Erupts in Ivory Coast . . . Rebels in Ivory Coast say government helicopters attacked a western town on Thursday. The reported attack came despite plans for a new round of peace talks that are scheduled to begin in Paris next week. Rebels with the Ivorian Popular Movement of the Far West, one of three insurgent groups involved in the country's almost four-month-old insurrection, say army helicopters fired on the town of Grabo, Thursday. The insurgents said at least 15 people were killed. An army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Jules Yao Yao, said loyalist forces had carried out operations in the area of Grabo Thursday, but did not confirm the casualties. Grabo, near Ivory Coast's border with Liberia, fell to rebels last week. Witnesses said the town appeared to be deserted on Thursday afternoon. The latest attack came even after all sides, including the government, agreed to come together for new peace negotiations next week. The talks, to be held in Paris starting on Wednesday, will be brokered by France, the former colonial power in Ivory Coast. French President Jacques Chirac has described the negotiations as a last chance for peace in the conflict, which has killed hundreds, and left the once stable West African country divided in three. The Patriotic Movement of Ivory Coast, whose followers launched a failed coup attempt in September, control most of the north of the country, while two smaller groups control the west. Only the south remains under the control of the government of President Laurent Gbagbo.
. North Korea Announces Withdraw From Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty . . North Korea has announced it is withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but says that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. The official Korean Central News Agency says the North Korean government is pulling out of the global nuclear arms control treaty, effective immediately. It says this step is necessary due to what it called a hostile U.S. policy that is threatening North Korea's sovereignty and security. The KCNA reports that the United States has accused the North of nuclear violations and has manipulated the U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency to threaten Pyongyang with sanctions. North Korea however says it will only pursue peaceful nuclear activities and not develop weapons. North Korea stunned the world in December by starting to reactivate the Yongbyon nuclear facility, capable of producing weapons grade plutonium. A flurry of diplomatic activity involving the United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and other nations has followed.
. North Korea Withdraws from Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty . . North Korea has announced its immediate withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The announcement, carried by North Korea's Central News Agency, said that although the Pyongyang government was pulling out of the global nuclear arms control treaty, it had no intention of producing nuclear weapons. The official news agency said that nuclear activities in North Korea at this stage will be confined only to peaceful purposes such as the production of electricity. The move followed an urgent call to North Korea by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear monitoring body, to readmit international inspectors that Pyongyang expelled last month. News about the announcement came, as two North Korean diplomats were meeting with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson. The meeting was taking place in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico, where Mr. Richardson is serving as Governor. Mr. Richardson greeted North Korea's deputy U.N. ambassador Han Song Ryol and First Secretary Mun Jong Chol late Thursday at the governor's mansion in the New Mexico capital, Santa Fe. More meetings were scheduled for Friday. North Korea's U.N. Ambassador (Pak Gil Yon) had asked Governor Richardson for a meeting. Mr. Richardson led a number of high-level diplomatic missions for former President Bill Clinton, including at a trip to North Korea. The governor says he is willing to help his country and backs the Bush administration's position that North Korea must give up its nuclear weapons program. But he stressed he is not an official negotiator. State Department officials said earlier the North Korean diplomats may be carrying an official message after the United States said earlier this week it is willing to hold direct talks over the North's nuclear weapons program. The White House says it is willing to talk to Pyongyang, but not negotiate. It says North Korea must live up to its 1994 agreement to give up its nuclear weapons program. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia James Kelly leaves Friday for talks in South Korea, China and Japan on the North Korean situation. He also will stop in Indonesia and Singapore. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
, Sharon Denounces Newest Corruption Charges . . Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has denied any wrongdoing in a corruption scandal that has rocked his Likud party less than three weeks before national elections. During a nationally-televised press conference Thursday evening, Mr. Sharon denounced the bribery and fraud allegations against him and his two sons as "despicable lies". He accused his Labor party opposition of being behind the charges in an effort to make the Likud party look like "Mafia" criminals for political purposes. Before Mr. Sharon was finished speaking, the chairman of Israel's Central Elections Committee ordered the press conference taken off the air. The chairman cited a violation of broadcasting laws that prohibits the airing of "election propaganda" in the month before an election. The corruption allegations surfaced in Tuesday's Ha'aretz newspaper, which cited an Israeli Justice Ministry document that allegedly implicates Mr. Sharon and his sons, Omri and Gilad, with accepting illegal campaign contributions from a South African businessman. Israel's Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein has launched an investigation into the charges, but says it will not be completed before the January 28 election. Earlier Thursday, Israel's Supreme Court overturned a ruling barring two Israeli-Arab legislators from standing in the January 28th parliamentary elections. The Commission had argued that Ahmed Tibi and Azmi Bishara had expressed support for Israel's enemies. In a separate decision, the Court rejected Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz's parliamentary candidacy on technical grounds. It ruled that the former army chief of staff could not run because he has not been out of the army for the required six months before entering politics. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
State Department: India's Missile Test Sends Wrong Signal to Region and Beyond . . .
The Bush administration has devoted considerable diplomatic efforts to defusing two crises in the past year between India and Pakistan that nearly erupted into full-scale hostilities. And it used India's test-launch Thursday of its Agni-1 ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching most targets in Pakistan, as an occasion to appeal to both South Asian nuclear powers to restrain their military activities and try to reduce tensions.
"We're disappointed when we see ballistic missile tests in this region," he said. "India did issue a public notice that this test would occur. Nonetheless, we think tests like this contribute to a charged atmosphere and make it harder to prevent a costly and destabilizing nuclear and missile arms race. We continue to urge both India and Pakistan to take steps to restrain their nuclear weapon and missile programs, including no operational deployment of nuclear armed ballistic missiles, and we've urged them to begin a dialogue on confidence-building measures." Mr. Boucher said confidence-building measures, championed by Secretary of State Colin Powell on his last trip to the region in late July, would reduce the likelihood that weapons of mass destruction might be used, and could be part of a broader dialogue on the sub-continent to reduce tensions. The U.S. spokesman also said it would be "helpful" if both sides reduced recent threatening rhetoric about the potential for conflict saying that, too, heightens tensions in the area. India and Pakistan came to the brink of war a year ago after India accused Pakistan of backing Muslim militants who attacked the Indian parliament in December of 2001. Tensions surged again last July amid friction over Kashmir and were defused in part by intensive U.S. diplomacy that include crisis missions by Mr. Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
. Turkey Agrees to US Military Assessment of Bases, Ports . . . Turkey has agreed to allow a U.S. military survey team access to Turkish bases and ports in order to assess their possible use in a war against Iraq.
Western diplomats said the decision was very positive, but added that it did not commit Turkey to participation in a war against Iraq. Turkey played a pivotal role in the 1991 Gulf War when it opened its bases to U.S. and British warplanes launching bombing raids against Iraqi targets. It is widely expected to do so once again in the event of another war. But this time, Washington is asking Turkey to allow the deployment of some 80,000 U.S. ground troops. Those troops are expected to cross through Turkish territory into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq opening a second Northern front against Saddam Hussein's forces. But Turkish military leaders and politicians have expressed reservations about the presence of U.S. troops in Turkey. They are particularly concerned about what possible role U.S. forces may play in shaping the future of Kurdish controlled northern Iraq. Turkey's chief fear is that under U.S. protection the Iraqi Kurds will be allowed to form their own independent state, one that would serve as a magnet for Turkey's own restive 12 million Kurds. The Bush administration has repeatedly dismissed such claims, saying it is committed to preserving Iraq's territorial integrity Recent opinion polls here show nine out of 10 people are opposed to Turkey's participation in a war against Iraq. That is one of the arguments being put forward by Turkey's newly elected government formed by the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party as it resists U.S. pressure to make a decision about Turkey's role in a possible war against Iraq. But analysts say that public opinion counts for little on issues of national security. And the Turkish parliament, regardless of its ideological makeup, almost always acts in line with recommendations from the Turkish military.
Turkey says it cannot commit itself to any war effort until the United Nations weapons inspectors issue their final report on Iraq at the end of this month and the U.N. itself authorizes the use of force against Baghdad. Turkey also has powerful economic arguments against the war, saying it lost as much as $80 billion (US) in foregone trade with Iraq because of U.N. sanctions slapped on Baghdad following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. A defiant Ankara is sending its trade minister to Baghdad Friday together with some 300 Turkish businessman seeking deals under the U.N.'s oil for food program, under which Iraq is permitted to purchase non-military use goods out of proceeds from its oil sales.
. UN Inspectors Want More Information from Iraq . . .
The weapons inspectors say six weeks of inspections have thus far been carried out without incident, and their efforts are "inching forward." But they say they are not satisfied with the 12,000 page weapons declaration Iraq issued November 27, because it failed to clarify many important issues. Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iraqi assertions that many weapons and documents have been destroyed are not sufficient. "We have told them that, if you cannot produce documents, at least you should be able to produce people who have participated in that destruction process, or at least provide residues of the destructive items that were destroyed," he said. "We cannot just simply take their word for it, that this item has been destroyed, and we do not have a document, because then, we cannot provide the [UN Security] Council any degree of certainty that that item has been destroyed." Mr. ElBaradei said such questions will continue to undermine the inspections, unless Baghdad comes forward with convincing evidence of destruction. He pointed out he told Security Council members that suspicions that Iraq was using aluminum tubes to enrich uranium to produce nuclear arms appear to be incorrect. He said the team has concluded that Baghdad is using the tubes for the production of rockets. Mr. ElBaradei went on to say Iraq has not sufficiently cooperated with the inspection team's access to Iraqi scientists, and it may become necessary to interview scientists outside of Iraq. Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, said the presence of government operatives is undermining the inspection team's interviews with scientists. "We carry out a lot of interviews," he said. "Frequently, minders are present. They are not useless. However, Iraq is a totalitarian country. We do not want people intimidated, and that has happened in the past. We are ready to use the options we can, but at the same time we cannot force any individual to speak, go abroad or defect." The chief inspectors return to Iraq January 19. They are to present the Security Council with a detailed report January 27. Both made clear that they disagree with the view put forth by the United States that the January 27 report represents a deadline for Iraq. But they said it is incumbent upon Iraq to show that it is fully complying with inspections, before the patience of the Security Council wears out.
. UN Says Iraq Arms Report Incomplete, But no 'Smoking Gun' . . Top U.N. weapons inspectors say Iraq's recently-submitted arms report is incomplete and leaves many questions unanswered, but add they have not found a "smoking gun" proving Baghdad possesses weapons of mass destruction. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and chief nuclear inspector Mohamed Elbaradei told the U.N. Security Council Thursday that Iraq must take a more "proactive" approach in dealing with U.N. inspectors, particularly in allowing inspectors to interview Iraqi military scientists in private. They also said Iraq has failed to answer outstanding questions about missing supplies of explosives and chemical agents. Mr. Blix added that though U.N. inspectors have not uncovered any banned weapons, inspections are in the early stages. Meanwhile, an Iraqi liaison spokesman, General Hossam Mohammed Amin, denied Iraq had failed to answer inspectors' questions and said Iraq's weapons report is complete. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday the United States has begun providing U.N. inspectors with "significant" intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs. He said there does not need to be a "smoking gun" to constitute a violation of the U.N. resolution on Iraq, but instead a pattern of behavior that shows Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is not revealing the absolute truth. In Washington, a White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said U.S. officials know "for a fact" that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, but said the Bush administration will wait to see what U.N. inspectors uncover. U.N. inspectors in Iraq are to present to the Security Council a preliminary assessment of Iraq's weapons program by January 27. Speaking at the United Nations in New York, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Negroponte said Iraq's weapons report is a deliberate effort to deceive by omission. He repeated the U.S. view that the omissions constitute a so-called "material breach" of the U.N. resolution and called on Baghdad to disarm. The British ambassador to the United Nations, Jeremy Greenstock, said Iraq is missing an opportunity to clear up questions that were not answered in its weapons report. The French ambassador, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, said Iraq must provide the U.N. with additional information to lift uncertainty. Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.
. US Congressman Urges Immediate Food Aid for Ethiopia, Eritrea . A U.S. Congressman has urged immediate help to prevent the spread of famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Congressman Frank Wolf says thousands of people could die of starvation over the next three months unless help arrives quickly. Mr. Wolf, a Republican from the state of Virginia, recently visited drought-stricken areas of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The congressman said Thursday the scenes he witnessed were reminiscent of Ethiopia in 1984, when nearly a million people died of starvation. An estimated 11-million people are at risk in Ethiopia, while in Eritrea over one-and-half million people are in need of food aid because of drought. Congressman Wolf urged rich nations, including the United States, to make prompt and significant food-aid pledges to Ethiopia. He suggested that President Bush consider traveling to Ethiopia when he visits Africa. Mr. Wolf said the president would be moved by what he sees in Ethiopia. Mr. Wolf also called on the Ethiopian government to consider a sweeping land reform policy that would allow farmers to own their property instead of keeping all the country's land in government hands. The International Red Cross has launched an appeal Thursday for almost $30-million in international aid and supplies to help avert famine in Ethiopia. The chief of Red Cross operations in the Horn of Africa, Dr. Jacques de Maio, says the aid money will go toward food and quality seeds for the next planting season, which starts in February or March. Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AP.
. US General Says Terrorist Groups Operate in South America . . .
General Hill calls the presence of Islamic terrorist groups, such as al Qaida, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah of Lebanon and Palestinian extremists from Hamas in the tri-border area "a real threat." He says a large amount of money is flowing directly from Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil to the terrorist organizations. "I could not take you at this second to a smoking gun of al Qaida presence in the tri-border area, an absolute smoking gun," he said. "It is there, but I could not hand you the intelligence to show it to you. I can and could hand you intelligence on Hezbollah, Hamas, al Gamat [Egyptian terrorist group 'Al-Gamat'Al-Islamiyya'] and many others where there is huge amounts of money." General Hill confirmed the accuracy of a report released in October in The New Yorker magazine, which detailed the activities of hard-core extremists from Hezbollah in the tri-border region. According to the article, radical Islamic groups in the Triple Frontier raise funds both through legitimate businesses and drug smuggling. The article reports that two-years ago, Hezbollah raised tens of millions of dollars in the area where open borders and general lawlessness have created a haven for terrorists. General Hill says drug sales continue to fuel terrorism. He called on Latin American governments to improve border-control by transferring responsibility from police to military personnel. "General Hill made his comments at the private Americas Society where he discussed the role of the United States in working with Colombia to fight narcotics trafficking," he said. "Drug smugglers in Colombia are the world's leading exporters of cocaine and a growing source of heroine." General Hill says shifting U.S. priorities have cut back on the military effort to help Colombia combat the drug crisis. "It would be disingenuous for me to sit here and tell you that I am not taking some budget cuts both in terms of dollars and more importantly in terms of assets that come my way because of higher priorities for the United States Military and the United States government," he said. "Your question said 'have I got enough to do my job?' and the answer is yes but I am hanging on and we are having to do different things and we are having to work different ways to do it. And that is a challenge." General Hill warns that the violence in Colombia, which last year left nearly 30,000 people dead, has the potential to de-stabilize the entire region.
. US States Consider Raising Taxes While Bush Pushes for Federal Tax Cuts . . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The first rule of
intelligent tinkering is to keep all the pieces 
