Jews central to UK Labor scandal

"A campaign financing scandal in which two of the principal players are Jewish is dealing a heavy blow to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s already weakened administration."

With M-16s on their shoulders, Jewish soldiers mark Chanukah in Iraq

"Jewish U.S. soldiers stationed at Camp Taji in Iraq prepared this menorah for a communal service celebrating Chanukah."

Huckabee wanted to isolate AIDS patients

"Republican presidential hopeful former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks with supporters after a fundraiser Friday, Dec. 7, 2007, in Bluffton, S.C. Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could 'pose a dangerous public health risk.' As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)"

Rice warns Israel against East J'lem construction

"On Friday, Rice warned Israel that the construction plan threatened U.S.-backed efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinians."

Building of Jerusalem settlement to continue: Israel minister

A general view of the Jewish settlement of Har Homa in east Jerusalem 05 December 2007. Construction of the Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem will continue despite criticism from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, an Israeli minister said on Friday.(AFP/File/Ahmad Gharabli)

""Construction will continue at full flow, and our friends must be told this," Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a deputy premier, told public television."

Keith Olbermann: You sir, have no business being president

One of Keith's better "special comments." Keith is the best the MSM has to offer ~ the most disappointing is Hardball's Chris Matthews.

Iran’s pragmatic energy policy

An answer for those who asks, why does Iran need nuclear energy?

A drip-drip of revelations

"The waterboarding controversy has lifted the veil on the fact that the Bush White House gave the CIA a green light to use illegal torture techniques."

IDF to show US nuclear data on Iran

"Disappointed after failing to make their case on Iran and influence the outcome of the United States's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released this week, Military Intelligence will present its hard core evidence on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program on Sunday to the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff during a rare visit he will be making to Israel."

You mean the same type of "hard core evidence" they showed the US about Iraq's WMD program?

Don't believe your own 16 intelligence agencies, they've got it all wrong, they're conspiring against you ~ believe us...

Has US Abandoned Israel on Iran?

"A U.S. intelligence report made public this week has some Israelis wondering if Israel may be forced to go it alone in a possible military strike against Iran."

I certainly hope so... What is so conveniently left out of the oft repeated story that Israel "destroyed" Iraq's Osiraq nuclear facility is the fact that Iraq was neck deep in the war with Iran and more importantly, Iran had successfully attacked and damaged the facility a year earlier.

Rice criticises Israel's settlement expansion plan

"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticised Friday an Israeli decision to expand a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem. Referring to last week's Annapolis Middle East peace conference, Rice told a press conference in Brussels, "I made it clear that we are in a time when the goal is to build maximum confidence with the parties. "This is not going to build that confidence.""

Romney's 'Religious' American Government Leaves out the Equivalent of California and Virginia Populations

"Mitt Romney flatly ignored in his speech on religion today about 45 million Americans who profess no particular faith, and about 18 million of those who are absolutely certain there is no 'god' that Romney spoke of. In the speech that was supposed to calm evangelicals concerns about Romney being a Mormon, the country instead heard yet another GOP candidate for president who wears his religion on his sleeve for political gain."

A smart side to US intelligence

U.S. wants details on plan to build homes in East Jerusalem

Construction in the E. Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa. (Alex Levac)

"The U.S. has requested that Israel provide clarifications on its plan to build more than 300 new homes in an East Jerusalem neighborhood, Israeli officials confirmed to Haaretz on Thursday."

Two Israelis arrested in Thailand for possession of 23,000 Ecstasy pills

"Two Israelis were arrested Tuesday in Thailand after police found 23,000 Ecstasy pills in their possession, the foreign ministry said Friday. Israeli Consul Hanoch Amadi in Bangkok said he expected the two to be held for a long time for drug-dealing."

A GENEROUS OFFER TO THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEES?

"Anyone familiar with Israeli politics, was not surprised that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not acknowledge Israel’s occupation in his speech at Annapolis. What was surprising was, that, short of mentioning the “R” word- refugees,Olmert acknowledged the Palestinian refugee problem."

Anatomy of a Turnabout

"The Bush administration decided to release new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) extracts reporting that Iran terminated its nuclear weapons program in 2003 at least in part because some officials feared leaks and accusations of a cover-up if the material were kept secret, according to current and former U.S. intelligence officials."

Helen Thomas: No nukes in Iran, just as in Iraq

"Israel is believed to have the only nuclear arsenal in the Middle East but has never permitted the U.N. to inspect its weapons program and has never signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Nor has any U.S. president publicly pressured it to do so."

Hayden says CIA videotapes destroyed

"The CIA videotaped its interrogations of two top terror suspects in 2002 and destroyed the tapes three years later out of fear they would leak to the public and compromise the identities of U.S. questioners, the director of the agency told employees Thursday."

'Homegrown Terror' Act an Attack on Internet Freedom?

"There are many causes for concern in HR 1955. The legislation specifically singles out the Internet for "facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process" in the United States. Such language may well be the first step toward US government regulation of what we are allowed to access on the Internet. Are we, for our own good, to be subjected to the kind of governmental control of the Internet that we see in unfree societies? This bill certainly sets us on that course."

Iran: Why Won't We Take Yes For An Answer?

"The Lobby is frantically calling in all its chips in a desperate effort to repair the damage and get their war-wagon rolling again. Congress recently passed a "package" of sanctions on Iran proffered by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Tel Aviv), who phrases his advocacy of isolating us from the Iranian people in terms of "talking" to Tehran in the language of "carrots and sticks." Which means: first the stick, and then – maybe – a skinny shriveled up little carrot."

American Christians come to Iran on journey for peace

"A multi-denominational Christian delegation from the United States has come to Iran to meet religious and political figures and the Iranian people in order to “build bridges of peace and security” between Iran and the U.S."

Muslim student spearheads "Bikes or Bust" a project to aid needy children

"Noor Khazendar, 17, "was the brainchild of the project," Peterson said. "I decided to help Bikes or Bust because everyone remembers how it feels to ride their first bike. I know I remember (mine). Riding it meant the world to me." Pedaling without a parent's helping boost is "a memory that you just don't forget." "I'm a Muslim and I remember when I took charge of this project it was during the month of Ramadan where Muslims do good deeds and give money to the poor," Noor said. She new Bikes or Bust "gave back to the less fortunate in our community. My family and I are all about helping others.""

Abrahams, Lord Levy and Mendelsohn: Some People Never Learn the Lesson

"The Labour Party did not learn its lesson following the Lord Levy ‘Cash for Honours’ scandal. Once again they let the supporters of Israel take care of their material needs, argues Gilad Atzmon."

House prices seen falling 30 pct

"Housing markets from Punta Gorda, Florida, to Stockton, California, will crash and suffer price drops of more than 30 percent before the housing crisis is over, a report from Moody's Economy.com said on Thursday."

Mitt and Mormonism

"As former Massachusetts governor and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney prepares to deliver a major address tomorrow night at the George Bush presidential library, he finds himself in an almost impossible bind. The subject of the talk is faith and politics. The bind: how do you sell Mormonism to conservative Christian primary voters in a way that will not later alienate less religious voters in a general election?"

Romney: No religious test for president

"Republican Mitt Romney declares in a speech being delivered Thursday that he shares "moral convictions" with Americans of all faiths, but should not have to explain his own religion just because he's striving to become the first Mormon elected president."

The more significant proposition here is not being addressed. This issue is being discussed in terms of "Christianity" but the real question is, would a "Christian" nation elect a "non-Christian" president? Of course, it may be assumed, at this point in time, that the "non-Christian" president would be Jewish. And, this leads to a much deeper question ~ would a "Christian" nation that holds Jesus as Saviour elect a president that attaches no particular significance to Jesus, and in some cases may deny his very existence?

Perhaps at this point, the "Christians" will finally realize how far apart Christianity and Judaism really is. After all, regarding Jesus, Christianity is much closer to Islam.

U.S. 'Marranos' unwelcome in Israel

"The authorities would probably call the 30 U.S. citizens who scoured the Negev last week Christian tourists. But the members of the group think of themselves as American Marranos, and they are determined to return to the faith they say their ancestors were forced to renounce and strike root in Israel."

Segregation at Petach Tikvah religious school

"Four Ethiopian girls isolated from other students in separate classes, recess, and transportation."

But, it's not like we're racists or anything...

Israel's Public Security Minister Dichter cancels U.K. trip over fears of 'war crimes' arrest

Israel's Public Security Minister Avi Dichter. (Dan Keinan)

"Public Security Minister Avi Dichter canceled a trip to Britain over concerns he would be arrested due to his involvement in the decision to assassinate the head of Hamas' military wing in July 2002."

Two States or One? - It's time to choose

"Almost immediately after the hollow show in Annapolis, a ray of hope has appeared from an unexpected source -- Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert."

Debunking Iran's Nuclear Program: Another 'Intelligence Failure' -- On the Part of the Press?

"Press reports so far have suggested that the belated release of the National Intelligence Estimate yesterday throwing cold water on oft-repeated claims of a rampant Iranian nuclear weapons program has deeply embarrassed, or at least chastened, public officials and policymakers who have promoted this line for years. Gaining little attention so far: Many in the media have made these same claims, often extravagantly, which promoted (deliberately or not) the tubthumping for striking Iran."

It Turns Out Ahmadinejad Was the Truthful One

President Bush meets with reporters at Tuesday’s White House press briefing. - AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took office as Iran’s president in August of 2005, two years after Iran’s nuclear weapons program ended, has now been vindicated in his claims that Iran has abandoned the weaponization program. Not so Bush, who has summarily dismissed the intelligence community’s findings and, using his favorite tactic in dealing with debacles, is sticking to his original story."

Empire and Nuclear Weapons

"Like cannibalism and slavery, nuclear weapons can be abolished. The question is whether we humans have the will and courage to choose life."

Losing and Restoring the Republic

"John Quincy Adams told the Congress that if America ever rejected its limited-government philosophy in foreign affairs and began going abroad “in search of monsters to destroy,” she would become a “dictatress” of the world, which would simultaneously damage the spirit of liberty that accompanies a free society."

Sounds like something Ron Paul would say...

Seven Days in December?

"Just because the facts on which he based his white-hot rhetoric about Iran possibly sparking World War III have been debunked, W. said with his usual twisted logic, why should his policy change?"

Okay, let's see ~

1. A major "re-direction" in the intelligence on Iran.

2. Israel was caught unawares of (a) the recent US sponsored UN resolution on the Mid-East Peace process, which they later objected to and (b) the "new" intelligence on Iran.

Might the differences in the NIEs issued previously on Iraq and Iran, and the more recent one on Iran be because the Israelis and the Zio-cons were kept OUT of the loop this time around?

U.S. report on Iran's nukes puts Israel in difficult position

"Israel says it will continue to scrutinize Iran's nuclear capabilities, including this facility at Bushehr, despite a U.S. report saying Iran froze its nuclear weapons program in 2003."

"With Israel's warnings about the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran having been undermined from the least expected source, Washington, Israeli officials are scrambling to figure out their Plan B."

I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that a similar picture is hanging somewhere in Ahmadinejad's office and the Iranians are keeping a close eye on the comings and goings at Israel's Dimona WMD facility.

Iran : Armageddon is postponed

"Bombing Iran, it seems, is now off the table. There's no other reasonable take on the latest National Intelligence Estimate that concludes Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003."

Analyst: New NIE shows US intelligence has 'rediscovered its spine'

"Appearing on the BBC World news program, Joseph Cirincione, the director of nuclear policy at the Center for American Progress, said that the US military and intelligence agencies were reasserting themselves as President Bush enters the final year of his administration. Cirincione agreed with the BBC host that intelligence had "rediscovered its spine.""

Bolton Calls For Congressional Witch-Hunt Into Anti-Bush ‘People In The Intelligence Community’

"Yesterday’s National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, pouring cold water on neoconservative calls for bombing Iran. Like his ideological kin Norman Podhoretz, former U.N. ambassador and Iran war hawk John Bolton has been attempting to slander the U.S. intelligence community’s collective judgments."

Podhoretz’s ‘Dark Suspicion’: Intel Community Trying To Sabotage Bush With NIE

"Yesterday’s NIE proved Podhoretz’s claims were false. Rather than modify his views on Iran, Podhoretz — who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 — aired a nasty conspiracy theory yesterday, attacking the authors of the NIE and accusing the intelligence community of deliberately “leaking material calculated to undermine George W. Bush.”

You gotta give even the devil his due ~ The Zio-cons, rather than admit that they just may have been wrong about Iran, is suggesting that the entire intelligence community is conspiring against Bush to head off a war with Iran. Now, that takes chutzpa.

Are they suggesting that Bush fire the intelligence community and rely solely on them for information?

Bush calls on Iran to 'come clean'

President Bush makes a statement about Iran, and former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, who is running for the Senate in Nebraska, not pictured, upon his arrival at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Bush, trying to keep pressure on Iran, called on Tehran Wednesday to "come clean" about the scope of its nuclear activities or else face diplomatic isolation.

A wise man once said: "A man who knows and knows that he knows is a wise man and should be followed ~ A man who knows but doesn't know that he knows is confused and should be taught ~ But, a man who doesn't know and doesn't know that he doesn't know is a fool and is dangerous and should be shunned."

In which category would you put Bush? The President is either terribly delusional or has had another one of his up-close-and-personal chats with God about Iran's nuclear energy program? Either way, he's a clear and present danger to the world.

The man who knew too little

"The tragedy in the US policies, which is gradually turning the world into a graveyard, is never based on facts but on probabilities and possibilities. It is a sure thing that the situation could have been different in Afghanistan and Iraq if the US government had relied more on facts in their calculations."

Biden: Bush compulsive liar

"Are you telling me a president that's briefed every single morning, who's fixated on Iran, is not told back in August that the tentative conclusion of 16 intelligence agencies in the US government said they had abandoned their effort for a nuclear weapon in '03?" the Delaware senator said. "You cannot trust this president. He is not trustworthy," he added.

Ahmadinejad: Security Council is an example of injustice

"President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said here on Tuesday that the UN Security Council was not “established based on justice” and its administrative system is an example of injustice in the world."

A Dumbed-Down Civilization

"Watching last week's televised debate between the US Republican Party's presidential aspirants made me realize to what profound depths the level of American politics has fallen. Apart from Ron Paul, the Great Unknown, it seemed almost impossible to get a straight answer out of anyone. John McCain, as expected, was righteous and right on the question of torture, magisterially rebuking Mitt Romney for his reptilian evasion of the question of whether "waterboarding" is torture."

Jerry Falwell's Liberty University Used University Resources To Promote Presidential Candidate

"Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. violated federal tax law by using school resources to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, Americans United for Separation of Church and State told the Internal Revenue Service today."

Ordinary Palestinians Ruined By Gaza Siege, Hamas Not So Much

Palestinian police officer affiliated with Hamas collecting Israeli missiles after airstrike. Image Credit: Mohammed Omer, Rafah Today 2007-12-04.

"It pains me to see that all of my year's work was in vain, my options gone," said one of the farmers feeding his flowers to his camel. "I've been waiting all year for this season and in preparation for the expected sales, I've spent thousands of dollars on water, seeds, and on planting and tending flowers," he said, adding: "Israel has closed all borders with Gaza. Now, Israel doesn't even want us to export flowers to Europe, nor strawberries."

Rice won't respond directly to Ahmadinejad

"I am not going to comment on that comment except to say that what the National Intelligence Estimate shows, and the transparency with which the administration released it, is what it means to live in a democracy and I hope one day that the people of Iran will live in a democracy too," she said.

There's political spin and then there's neo-conic mombo-jumbo. This is neo-conic mombo-jumbo at it's best. Condi actually said this with a straight face ~ like Bush and the gang have been absolutely "transparent" with the American people. This NIE is actually a rebellion by the intelligence community. They are simply putting the powers that be on notice that this time around they will not be the fall-guys for the mis-adventures of Bush and the Zio-cons.

In Gaza, 'what's important is to kill' - Barak

"Israel vowed to keep targeting militants in Hamas-run Gaza Tuesday as it mulled launching a wide-scale offensive against the territory amid revived peace talks with the Palestinians."

Arab-American paratrooper faces deportation after Afghan service

"Sgt Hicham Benkabbou has been served with an order to stand trial for deportation as soon as he arrives home, despite the fact that he has been on active service in Afghanistan for almost two years with the 508th parachute infantry regiment, known as the Red Devils."

Hersh: Bush Told Olmert Of NIE Two Days Before President Was Allegedly First Briefed On It

"...Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker’s Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist, revealed that Bush actually knew about the NIE at least two days earlier and had a “private discussion” about it with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before the Middle East peace summit in Annapolis, MD, last week."

Transcript:

BLITZER: But you were suggesting that there was a real run-up to war developing within the administration, even as there were some in the administration — the intelligence community — suggesting, Hey, hold off. Maybe they did suspend or freeze their nuclear weapons program.

HERSH: Well, of course. I think it’s still not over.

BLITZER: Because I want to press you on this. Does that mean, now that this new NIE has been released publicly, it is over, the run-up to a potential military confrontation with Iran?

HERSH: Well, there’s always Israel.

BLITZER: What’s that mean?

HERSH: Well, it means that Israel can always decide to take military action, or with us covertly. Israel objects to this report. I’m told that Olmert had a private discussion with Bush about it during Annapolis — before Annapolis. Bush briefed him about it. The Israelis were very upset about the report. They think we’re naive, they don’t think we get it right. And so they have a different point of view.

Ron Paul Vindicated on Iran

"Ron Paul is the only non-Armageddon presidential candidate among the Republicans. He is the only person who staunchly opposes a massive first strike against Iran because of its alleged nuclear program. He has long been ridiculed for his aversion to preemptive genocide in the Middle East."

The Failure of Annapolis

"Despite the best efforts by the Bush administration of putting a positive spin on the recently completed summit in Annapolis to restart the "Performance-Based Road Map to Peace," there is little reason to expect that it will actually move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward as long as the United States insists on simultaneously playing the role of chief mediator and chief supporter of the more powerful of the two parties."

No Iran Attack? Don't be so sure...

"The release of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program has everyone breathing a sigh of relief. According to our best intelligence, the Iranians stopped their weapons program in 2003. The liberal pundits and the more reasonable Sullivanesque conservatives are shouting "Hallelujah!" War has been averted! My response: not so fast."

Guantanamo Detainees' Fate at Stake in Boumediene

by Marjorie Cohn - December 3, 2007

http://marjoriecohn.com/2007/12/guantnamo-detainees-fate-at-stake-in.html

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday in Boumediene v. Bush. Most of the 34 detainees whose fate hangs in the balance in this case were brought to Guantánamo after being picked up by bounty hunters or tribesmen in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yet the Bush administration has fought hard to keep them away from any independent court where they could contest the legality of their confinement.

In February, two judges on a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that strips the statutory rights of all Guantánamo detainees to have their habeas corpus petitions heard by U.S. federal courts. The Supreme Court will decide in Boumediene whether these men still have a constitutional right to habeas corpus.

If the lower court decision is left to stand, they can be held there for the rest of their lives without ever having a federal judge determine the legality of their detention.

Background on the Guantánamo cases:

In June 2004, the Supreme Court decided Rasul v. Bush, which upheld the right of those detained at Guantánamo to have their petitions for habeas corpus heard by U.S. courts, under the federal habeas statute.

The ink was barely dry on Rasul when Bush created the Combatant Status Review Tribunals, ostensibly to comply with the Rasul ruling. But these tribunals amounted to an end-run around Rasul. They were established to determine whether a detainee is an enemy combatant.

At the end of last term, the Supreme Court struck down Bush's military commissions in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld because they did not comply with due process guarantees in the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Conventions. Military commissions are criminal courts to try prisoners for war crimes.

Then, in October of last year, in another end run, this time around Hamdan, Bush rammed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 through a Congress terrified of appearing soft on terror in the upcoming midterm elections. The Act does many things, but it notably amends the habeas corpus statute to strip statutory habeas rights from all Guantánamo detainees.

Do detainees retain constitutional right to habeas corpus?

The two-judge majority in Boumediene upheld the Military Commissions Act's stripping of statutory habeas jurisdiction that the Supreme Court had recognized in Rasul.

Art. I of the Constitution contains the Suspension Clause, which says that Congress can suspend the right of habeas corpus only in times of rebellion or invasion when the public safety may require it. We are not now in a state of invasion or rebellion, and Congress did not make such a finding.

The two-judge majority in Boumediene said: (1) in the absence of a statutory habeas right (which Congress eliminated in the Military Commissions Act), the Constitution only protects the right of habeas corpus that was recognized at common law in 1789; (2) the law in 1789 did not provide the right of habeas corpus to aliens held by the government outside of the sovereign's territory; and (3) Guantánamo is outside U.S territory for constitutional purposes, even though the U.S. has complete control over it.

This reasoning is erroneous for three reasons.

First, the Supreme Court held in INS v. St. Cyr that the Constitution protects the writ as it existed in 1789 "at the absolute minimum." The high court in Rasul cited St. Cyr.

Second, although the Boumediene majority relies on the treaty that says Cuba, not the U.S., has sovereignty over Guantánamo, the Supreme Court rejected that argument in Rasul, when it said: "By the express terms of its agreements with Cuba, the United States exercises 'complete jurisdiction and control' over the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, and may continue to exercise such control permanently if it so chooses. . . Aliens held at the base, no less than American citizens, are entitled to invoke the federal courts' authority under §2241.

"Third, although the Rasul Court was analyzing the pre-Military Commissions Act habeas statute, it also cited Johnson v. Eisentrager, which construed the constitutional right of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court in Eisentrager denied habeas jurisdiction to German citizens who had been captured by U.S. forces in China, then tried and convicted of war crimes by an American military commission in Nanking.

The Eisentrager court listed six factors to determine whether an alien is entitled to constitutional habeas jurisdiction in U.S. courts. These factors were cited in Rasul, which said:

"In reversing that determination, this Court [in Eisentrager] summarized the six critical facts in the case:

“We are here confronted with a decision whose basic premise is that these prisoners are entitled, as a constitutional right, to sue in some court of the United States for a writ of habeas corpus. To support that assumption we must hold that a prisoner of our military authorities is constitutionally entitled to the writ, even though he (a) is an enemy alien; (b) has never been or resided in the United States; (c) was captured outside of our territory and there held in military custody as a prisoner of war; (d) was tried and convicted by a Military Commission sitting outside the United States; (e) for offenses against laws of war committed outside the United States; (f) and is at all times imprisoned outside the United States.”

"On this set of facts, the [Eisentrager] Court concluded, “no right to the writ of habeas corpus appears.”

The Rasul court continued:"Petitioners in these [Guantánamo] cases differ from the Eisentrager detainees in important respects: They are not nationals of countries at war with the United States, and they deny that they have engaged in or plotted acts of aggression against the United States; they have never been afforded access to any tribunal, much less charged with and convicted of wrongdoing; and for more than two years they have been imprisoned in territory over which the United States exercises exclusive jurisdiction and control.

"Not only are petitioners differently situated from the Eisentrager detainees, but the Court in Eisentrager made quite clear that all six of the facts critical to its disposition were relevant only to the question of the prisoners’ constitutional entitlement to habeas corpus."

Combatant Status Review Tribunals not adequate substitute for habeas corpus.

In Boumediene, the Bush administration asked the Court of Appeals to review the Combatant Status Review Tribunals. But the court declined, saying it had an inadequate record before it.

The Combatant Status Review Tribunals do not provide a meaningful opportunity to challenge detention. The prisoner is not entitled to an attorney, only a "personal representative," and anything the detainee tells his personal representative can be used against him. After reviewing the cases of 393 detainees, a Seton Hall legal team found that in 96 percent of the cases, the government had not produced any witnesses or presented any documentary evidence to the detainee before the hearing. Detainees were allowed to see only summaries of the classified evidence offered against them, and that evidence was always presumed to be reliable and valid. Requests by detainees for witnesses were rarely granted.

In addition, the personal representatives said nothing in 14 percent of the hearings and made no substantive comments 30 percent of the time. Some personal representatives even advocated for the government's position. In three cases, the detainee was found to be "no longer an enemy combatant," but the military continued to convene tribunals until they were found to be enemy combatants. These detainees were never told of the favorable ruling and there was no indication they were informed or participated in the second or third hearings.

As the dissenter in Boumediene pointed out, the procedure set up in the Detainee Treatment Act for reviewing decisions of the Combatant Status Review Tribunals "is not designed to cure these inadequacies. The court may review only the record developed by the CSRT to assess whether the CSRT has complied with its own standards. Because the detainee still has no means to present evidence rebutting the government's case - even assuming the detainee could learn of it contents - assessing whether the government has more evidence in its favor than the detainee is hardly the proper antidote."

The suspension of habeas corpus will certainly have profound effects on non-citizen detainees. Consider the case of Abu Bakker Qassim, an Uighur from China who was held at Guantánamo for four years. He wrote in the New York Times: "I was locked up and mistreated for being in the wrong place at the wrong time during America's war in Afghanistan. Like hundreds of Guantánamo detainees, I was never a terrorist or a soldier. I was never even on a battlefield. Pakistani bounty hunters sold me and 17 other Uighurs to the United States military like animals for $5,000 a head. The Americans made a terrible mistake."

Rasul v. Bush was a 6-3 decision. Justices Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer, O'Connor and Kennedy voted with the majority. The dissenters were Justices Scalia, Thomas and Rehnquist.

The Supreme Court should reverse the Court of Appeals decision in Boumediene, probably in a 5-4 vote with Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito voting with the dissent. Surely the Court will not decide that Bush has succeeded in placing the detainees beyond the reach of our federal courts by sending them to Guantánamo. It should also conclude that the judicial review of the decisions of Combatant Status Review Tribunals does not provide an adequate substitute for constitutional habeas corpus.

Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the President of the National Lawyers Guild. She is the author of "Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law."

Her articles are archived at www.marjoriecohn.com.

Israel to build homes in east Jerusalem

"Israel said Tuesday it is seeking bids to build more than 300 new homes in a disputed east Jerusalem neighborhood, drawing Palestinian condemnations that the move is undermining the newly revived peace talks held last week in Annapolis, Md."

But, but, we really want peace ~ trust us, we're God's choosen people.

Neo-cons have it wrong on Pakistan

"The argument pushed by Bolton and others that if not for Musharraf and the military, Pakistan would have fallen into the hands of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, is a beaten, much repudiated idea. Nothing displays the neo-cons' ignorance of Pakistani society and politics more clearly than this drummed-up fear."

IAEA: US Iran Report Matches UN Agency

"A U.S. intelligence review that concludes Iran stopped developing a nuclear weapons program in 2003 is consistent with the U.N. atomic watchdog agency's own findings and "should help to "defuse the current crisis," the organization's chief said Tuesday."

In other words, Iran, like Iraq were telling the truth all along. The only ones lying during this entire period have been Bush and his neo-Zionists cabal.

Confessions of a Covert Agent

"I’ve seen the worst things imaginable, hell on earth. Had friends die in my arms. Seen piles of rotten corpses. Seen men, women and children tortured. I’ve seen the eyes of terrified and confused children being sold into a vicious life of slavery and an early death."

America is going fascist

"The signs are all there for anyone to see, and time is getting short for action."

Women and Islam

"The Islamic faith has historically upheld tenets that respect women and their role in society, although these teachings have been misrepresented and misinterpreted by Muslims and non-Muslims alike."

PM: New U.S. report on Iran nukes proves need for sanctions

"Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that a new U.S. intelligence report on Iran's nuclear program released the day before demonstrate the need for tighter international sanctions in order to ensure the Islamic republic can never acquire nuclear weapons."

The typically twisted logic of Israelis, Israeli Firsters, and Zionists. This behavior must be associated with at least one mental disorder.

America, Land of 371 Billionaires and 3.5 Million Homeless

"In the United States of America, the greatest country in the world, as many as three and a half million people experience homelessness in a given year (1% of the entire US population or 10% of its poor) and of that, 1.37 million (or 39%) are children under the age of 18."

Colonising a metaphor

"There is a cry of anguish from the depth of my heart, to my spiritual relatives. Please, please hear the call, the noble call of our scripture," Bishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize beseeched Israelis at "The Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel" conference sponsored by Friends of Sabeel North America, a Christian Palestinian group in Boston recently. "Don't be found fighting against this god, your god, our god, who hears the cry of the oppressed," Tutu said.

Bush Negotiates Permanent Presence in Iraq

"The revelation that Bush will sign an agreement for a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq before his term is up confirms the real reason he invaded Iraq and changed its regime."

Does U.S. tolerate anti-Muslim speech?

A target? Some observers say Muslim-Americans, like these worshipers at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, Ohio, are the subject of hate speech.Melanie Stetson Freeman – staff/file

"My sense is that you could say anti-Muslim comments that you could never get away with, saying for example, as anti-Jewish comments," said Stephen Wessler of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence in Portland, Maine. "There's a much greater public level of acceptance of denigrating Muslims."

US Admitting Fewer Iraqi Refugees

"The United States admitted only 362 Iraqi refugees in November, almost 100 fewer than in October, and far less than half the number it needs per month to meet a goal of 12,000 by the end of this budget year, according to State Department statistics obtained by The Associated Press on Monday."

Europeans See Murkier Case for Sanctions

"The Bush administration’s new intelligence assessment that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 is likely to complicate efforts to impose new sanctions on Iran at the United Nations Security Council, European officials said Monday."

Israel snubs US report on Iran

"While the U.S. intelligence services should be given credit for trying to correct their mistake, they failed to explain how they reached their new conclusions regarding Iran's nuclear program."

Israel doesn't want to accept the NIE findings regarding Iran's nuclear energy program ~ imagine my complete lack of surprise....

Time for a new foreign policy

"Instead of projecting our might around the world, maybe it's the moment for strategic military nonengagement."

The Lobby Strikes Back

"One prism through which to gauge the impact of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt’s The Israel Lobby and American Foreign Policy is a September incident involving Barack Obama. His campaign had placed small ads in various spots around the Internet, designed to drive readers to its website. One turned up on Amazon’s page for the Walt and Mearsheimer book. A vigilant watchdog at the New York Sun spotted it and contacted the campaign: Did Obama support Walt and Mearsheimer?"

A Miracle: Honest Intel On Iran Nukes

"For those who have doubts about miracles, a double one occurred today. An honest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran's nuclear program has been issued, and its "Key Judgments" were made public."

The Anti-Iran Annapolis Conference

"At the Annapolis Middle Eastern peace conference much more went on behind the scenes than took place before the cameras. The prearranged commitment of the Palestinians and Israelis to talk again was little enough gain from the one-day meeting, particularly as the agreement did not explicitly address any of the substantive issues that continue to divide the two sides. One Palestinian described the concluding remarks as "more of the same," with the United States essentially adhering to a status quo defined by Israel."

An Assessment Jars a Foreign Policy Debate About Iran

The White House is still wary of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. (And, President Ahmadinejad is probably still wary of the White House.)

"Rarely, if ever, has a single intelligence report so completely, so suddenly, and so surprisingly altered a foreign policy debate here."

That's what happens when the "intelligence" is based on fabrications and mis-representations.

Barak: Iran likely restarted nuclear arms program

"Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday that Iran had probably restarted its nuclear weapons program, contradicting a U.S. intelligence report that said it was frozen in 2003 and remained on hold."

The Israelis never quit ~ they never stop trying to get Americans to die to protect their theocracy. No, Israel IS NOT a democracy.

Analysis : Who is anti-Semitic?

"It's become almost impossible to say anything about Jews, even as a mild joke. An African-American actress jokes about a photo showing her with a big nose ("That's my Jewish cousin")"

Don't Die Stupid

A Collection of Journalist Truths Suppressed By The Mainstream Media

"What sort of Truth is it that crushes the freedom to seek the truth?"

US Attorney General Mukasey to light menorah

"Michael Mukasey, the U.S. attorney-general, will light the Chabad Lubavitch chanukiyyah on the Ellipse in front of the White House."

Iran stopped it's nuclear weapons program in 2003, but still enriches uranium

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attends a news conference after the opening of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Doha, December 3, 2007. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR)

"Iran halted its nuclear weapons development program in the fall of 2003 under international pressure but is continuing to enrich uranium, which means it may still be able to develop a weapon between 2010 and 2015, senior intelligence officials said Monday."

Damn! Damn! Damn! Iran stopped the nuclear weapons program ~ DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! - Senior Busch Admin Saurce

Sen. Webb: Bush using 'fear tactics' for more war funding

"Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) went on the offensive over the delay of supplemental funding for the war in Iraq, dismissing recent comments by President Bush saying delays in funding puts troops in harms way as "fear tactics." Appearing on the program , Webb also suggested that the issue at the heart of the current fight over war funding is how long American troops will be deployed in Iraq."

Paul: Republicans Face Certain Defeat With Pro-War Candidate

"Ron Paul has a message for the Republican base who continue to offer blinkered support for the endless occupation of Iraq - pick a candidate who has vowed to bring the troops home immediately or surrender the White House in 2008."

Muslims in America: What you probably didn't know

"In America, Islam has had a long history dating back to the 18th century, when African slaves brought Islam to our shores. During the 19th century, Muslim immigrants arrived from the Middle East. In the early-to-mid 20th century, leaders like Malcolm X inspired a new group of African-Americans to convert to Islam."

Back in Israel, adopting American-style blacklisting

"First, a follow-up on our post about the George Washington University instructor “on loan from Hebrew University” and sponsored by Mitchell Bard’s American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, who quit in a huff mid-semester after students–Jewish students actually– complained that she was too “pro-Israel” in her course on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

The U.S. dollar: The long farewell?

"It’s just straws in the wind so far. India’s Ministry of Culture announces that foreign tourists can no longer pay in dollars when visiting the Taj Mahal and other heritage sites; they have to pay in good, hard rupees."

Today's Republicans might not elect Reagan

"They want to put his face on Mount Rushmore, but Republicans today are demanding such ideological purity that they might not even nominate Ronald Reagan for president if he were to run now."

Rep. Ron Paul does it his way

""You always know where he stands,'' said Texas gun dealer Alan Jones, whose engraved .22-caliber rifles have become popular auction items at Paul fundraisers. "The thing you wish for is that there were more politicians in Washington that voted the way that they really think instead of doing it because of politics.""

The West Banksy

"A local resident takes a picture of a Banksy art work showing a soldier being frisked by a young girl - Photograph: picturesonwalls.com/PA."

First of 6 pictures.

Why Hillary won't win

"The flaw at the heart of Hillary Clinton's campaign to be US president: poll after poll shows that many voters don't like her or trust her."

Ahmadinejad offers Gulf Arab states security pact

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) attends the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Doha. Ahmadinejad has offered to sign a security pact with Gulf Arab leaders as he became the first president from the Islamic republic to be invited to their annual summit.(AFP/Karim Jaafar)

""We are proposing the conclusion of a security agreement," Ahmadinejad told the opening session of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, saying insecurity would affect all countries bordering the Gulf."

Threat to Israel from within, not without

"Israelis are concerned about Iran's nuclear programme, which they believe is an existential threat. Supporting this argument they misquote the Iranian president as saying he wants to wipe Israel off the map. They are right to be worried but their concerns are misplaced. Israel's continued existence as a Jewish state may be in the balance but this has nothing to do with Iran."

O’Malley Hugs Olmert, While USS Liberty Is Forgotten

"On June 8, 1967, 34 Americans on the USS Liberty were slaughtered by the IDF, including one Marylander, William B. Allenbaugh, (CT-3, U.S. Navy). Two of its slain crew members, Lt. Commander Philip McCutcheson Armstrong, Jr. and Lt. Stephen Spencer Toth, were graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy. The Zionist Propaganda Machine has insisted the attack, which took place in international waters, was “an accident.” This is the same dubious excuse used to justify the IDF using a 60-ton bulldozer to run over and kill peace activist Rachel Corrie, at Rafah, Occupied Palestine, on March 16, 2003. She was a resident of Olympia, WA, who was trying to stop a Palestinian home from being destroyed by the IDF. Ms. Corrie was only 23 years old. The Israeli bulldozer, all 60 tons of it, ran over her not once--but twice!"

Officials: Shin Bet used "extraordinary measures" on 17% of Gaza detainees

"The Shin Bet security service has interrogated 270 detainees from Gaza since the beginning of the year, officials told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Sunday. In one out of six cases, or 17 percent, the Shin Bet used extraordinary measures, as permitted by emergency regulations."

"Extraordinary measures" ~ Israel's euphemism for torture...

The US’s War In Darfur

"The Darfur region of Sudan possesses the third largest copper and the fourth largest uranium deposits on the planet, in addition to strategic location and significant oil resources of its own. Is the US-based "Save Darfur" movement snowing the US public on the fundamental nature of the conflict in Sudan?"

Vladamir Putin: “The world's most popular leader”?

"Vladamir Putin is arguably the most popular leader in Russian history, although you'd never know it by reading the western media. According to a recent survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal, Putin's personal approval rating in November 2007 was 85% making him the most popular head of state in the world today."

Bombs away?

"To attack Iran, they're going to need a nice lull period. That's what they're pushing with this whole surge right now. They're creating the perception that things are quieting. I don't know how many people picked up on it, but one day we're told that 2007's been the bloodiest year for U.S. forces in Iraq, the next day we're told that attacks against American troops are dropping at a dramatic pace. So, what's the media focus on? The concept of attacks dropping at a dramatic pace. No one's talking about the fact, wait a minute, we've just lost more guys than we've ever lost before."

It's time to talk about Israel's nukes, and ours, too

"Many months ago Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, let slip a reference to Israel's nuclear weapons. While it embarrassed him, it was no surprise to the rest of the world. It has been known for decades that Israel has nukes. Estimates are that there are probably as many as 200 in the Israeli arsenal, including thermonuclear (hydrogen) ones."

Hillary’s Defense Dough

"The defense sector as a whole gave Hillary $122,988 this quarter, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, compared with Romney’s $82,975, Giuliani’s $58,400, and Obama’s $57,990. Only Chris Dodd, who has a major General Dynamics submarine project in Groton, Connecticut, fared better than Hillary, with $168,900."

Wolfy Returns

"The Bush administration has offered the former World Bank president a new public service position."

National debt grows $1 million a minute

"Like a ticking time bomb, the national debt is an explosion waiting to happen. It's expanding by about $1.4 billion a day — or nearly $1 million a minute."

Sudan pardons 'teddy bear' row teacher

British teacher Gillian Gibbons -- who was jailed in Sudan for insulting religion -- will be released after she was granted a presidential pardon.(AFP/Friends Reunited/File)

"I've heard the voice of my conscience and there's no where to hide."

"I've heard the voice of my conscience and there's no where to hide." - Vanunu, 1987

by eileen fleming - December 2, 2007

"We are speaking on this occasion, not as members of this or that nation, continent, or creed, but as human beings, members of the species, Man, whose continued existence is in doubt ... We shall try to say no single word which should appeal to one group rather than to another. All, equally, are in peril, and, if the peril is understood, there is hope that they may collectively avert it. ... The question we have to ask ourselves is: what steps can be taken to prevent a military conflict of which the issue must be disastrous to all species?"- Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein, July 1955, at the height of the Cold War.

Another core issue Annapolis did not address is the fact on the ground that Israel is the only Middle Eastern state possessing nuclear weapons. Israel has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has never opened up its nuclear facilities to international inspections. Being an honest broker for peace would require America hold the state of Israel, to the very same standards of any other state or nation regarding their nuclear research and weapons facilities and demand an open and thorough inspection of the dinosaur that is the Dimona.

In March 2006, three months after the start of an historic year and a half long court case fighting for his freedom to speak to foreign journalists in 2004, Mordecahi Vanunu informed this civilian Internet journalist, "The Dimona is [over] 46 years old; reactors last 25 to 30 years. The Dimona has never been inspected and Israel has never signed the NPT but all the Arab states have… The Israelis have 200 atomic weapons and they accuse the Palestinians and Muslims of terrorism. The world needs to wake up and see the real terrorism is the occupation and the Palestinians have lived under that terror regime for 40 years." [page 111, Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory, Eileen Fleming]

Israel was the first and remains the only state in the Middle East to have nuclear weapons and thus, Israel bears a burden for the volatile region; for human nature is to desire whatever the other one has.

"Israel operates on an ossified nuclear world view can be seen in the fact that it still relies on the pre-independence State of Emergency regulations of 1945 to safeguard its nuclear activities, as if the world had stood still in the post World War II era. The sheer absence of the minutest nuclear transparency in Israel, breached by the "Vanunu affair" in the mid-1980s, reflects a society stuck in the past, clinging to a pre-globalization state of mind that perpetuates a "fortress Israel", as if it is an island immune from globalization's net of interdependencies."http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IK30Ak04.html

The "Vanunu affair" began in 1986 when Vanunu shot two rolls of film documenting that Israel had gone nuclear. Just a few days after being baptized a Christian, Mordechai Vanunu, a secular Jew and Israeli nuclear technician was kidnapped in Rome by the Mossad, drugged,clubbed and secretly transported back to Israel. He was tried and convicted in a closed door trial of treason then spent the next 18 years of his life in prison, most of it in solitary. Vanunu was released to house arrest imprisonment under the draconian British Emergency Mandate regulations imposed on him when he moved out of his tomb sized cell without windows in Ashkelon prison to open air captivity in east Jerusalem on 21, April 2004.

In 1987, Vanunu wrote, "Why do I see the whole engine? Why do I see the precipice?...A monster...it's there all right...I do see the monster. I'm part of the system. I signed this form. Only now I am reading the rest of it. This bolt is part of a bomb. This bolt is me."

Between 1976 and 1985, Vanunu was employed at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, which manufactures nuclear weapons underground in the Negev desert. During Vanunu's employ the sign outside read "TEXTILE PLANT" and all employees signed a form agreement to never speak to anyone of what they did underground in the Negev. Vanunu kept that promise during his employment, it was nearly a year after he left Israel did he speak to anyone about what he had learned was going on underground at the Dimona WMD plant.

Because he was a good worker, Vanunu was cross trained to work in many departments and only then, did he realize that he was but a cog in the machinery of weapons of destruction and he acted because, "I've heard the voice of my conscience and there's no where to hide." [Vanunu,1987]

A few days ago, over 50 nations and international groups under the leadership of President George W. Bush came together in Annapolis and have publicly committed to the process of forming a steering committee to move towards the over due establishment of a viable Palestinian state which is the only hope for security and peace for Israel.

May the leaders of the world who attended and those who were shut out also be allowed to be heard, so that the voice of conscience acting in the spirit of peace in this season of reflection also address and have mercy upon all the little children caught in the crossfire of militancy inflicted upon them from all sides because of the inhumanity of particular men.

Just days before the Annapolis meeting, the International Statementfor a Middle East free of all Weapons of Mass Destruction was endorsed by USA, UK and Norway peace seeking organizations and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates calling for the Middle East to be a zone free from nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

The International Statement calls on Israel, as the only Middle Eastern state possessing nuclear weapons, to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and become fully transparent by opening its clandestine nuclear facilities to international inspections and supervision by International Atomic Energy Agency.

The International Statement disputes Iran's nuclear program, and requests that this issue be resolved through peaceful means, through negotiations and dialogue with the representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and through such measures deemed necessary by the IAEA, in accordance with the guidelines of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which Iran is a currentsignatory.

The International Statement welcomes Iran's declaration of the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and urges Iran's full co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The International Statement concluded by strongly condemning the Israeli government for its continued harassment, conviction and now prison sentence imposed on Mordechai Vanunu, for simply talking to foreign journalists. The International Statement calls upon the Israeli authorities to lift all restrictions on Vanunu and allow him to go free.

All the core issues can be reduced down to the issue of the need for justice; and justice requires states and nations to honor their obligations as outlined under international law and the Declaration of Human Rights that was established in 1948 and upon which the statehood of Israel was contingent upon upholding.

Forty years of military occupation aided and abetted by the 'Christian Nation' America is at the very root of much of the distress in the Middle East. While Tony Blair was still a Prime Minister he admitted that 70% of the world's problems with terrorism can be traced back to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

2,000 years ago Jews and Gentiles both understood that when Jesus said: "Pick up your cross and follow me." He was issuing a POLITICAL statement, for the cross back then had no religious meaning. But the main road to Jerusalem was lined with crucified agitators, rebels, dissidents and any others who disturbed the status quo of the Roman Military Occupying Forces.

On the third day of my fifth journey to Israel Palestine, on July 16,2007 - which is also known as the 9th day of Av, the day the Jewish Temple was destroyed, I crossed paths with Vanunu on Nablus Road in East Jerusalem.

Vanunu remarked, "This is the very spot where they stoned to death the first Christian martyr for freedom of speech."

Vanunu's appeal against the six month jail sentence for interviews he gave in 2004 is scheduled to be heard January 8, 2008 and we had crossed paths in front of St. Stephen's Church.

Saint Stephen was the first follower of Jesus to be stoned to death for speaking truth to power 2,000 years ago. Stephen was martyred before the term Christian was even coined. Stephen lived in the days when those who loved Jesus were called followers of The Way; the way being in actually doing what Jesus taught; nonviolence, speak truth, seek peace and do the will of God-in a nutshell - "be just, be merciful, and walk humbly with your Lord." -Micah 6:8

May the current leaders of the world hear the voice of conscience and that all the core issues demanding justice are all on the table.

Only justice will reap security and peace in Israel Palestine.

Conscience requires the dismantling of the forty year military occupation of Palestine and justice requires equal human rights for all.

Conscience requires that Jerusalem remain open to all of Abraham's children and the world.

Justice demands that the rights of refugees be addressed and compensation be made for their displacement, pain and suffering in being denied the inalienable right to return home.

Conscience compels all to recognize and resist the inhumane harassment at hundreds of West Bank check-points and delays from road blocks.

Justice demands The Wall which has been deemed illegal by the Court of Justice in the Hague must fall.

Conscience repents that over nearly one and a half million people are imprisoned in Gaza - most under the age of eighteen - and in the dead of night, little children are thrown from their beds from vibrations due to the close proximity and hours of over flights of Israeli jets above their little heads.

May the voice of conscience be raised in this season of reflection as songs of peace echo within warm comfortable USA churches as sisters and brothers in Christ sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" that they will remember all the little children of Bethlehem in the 21st century who are born, live and die under military occupation. Just as Jesus did.

"I've heard the voice of my conscience and there's no where to hide."- Vanunu, from Ashkelon Prison, 1987 - www.vanunu.com

December 2, 2007 (c) Copyright Eileen Fleming, Reporter and Editor http://www.wearewideawake.org/.

Author - Keep Hope Alive and Memoirs of a Nice Irish American Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory

Producer - "30-Minutes With Vanunu."

Permission is granted for reprint in print, email, blog, or web media if this credit is attached and the title remains unchanged.
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Only in Solidarity do "we have it in our power to begin the world again."- Tom Paine