- by Stephen Lendman

The world community calls them "Blue Helmets" or "peacekeepers," and the UN defines their mission as "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace" by implementing and monitoring post-conflict peace processes former combatants have agreed to under provisions of the UN Charter. The Charter empowers the Security Council to take collective action to maintain international peace and security that includes authorizing peacekeeping operations provided a host country agrees to have them under Rules of Engagement developed and approved by all parties. At that point, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations enlists member nations to provide force contingents to be deployed once the Security Council gives final approval.

False & Destructive "Solutions" to Global Warming: Groups Condemn Large-Scale Biofuels, Genetically Engineered Trees & Crops, Monoculture Tree Plantations

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Nairobi, Kenya

UNFCCC: Nairobi, Kenya-The Gaia Foundation, Global Forest Coalition, Global Justice Ecology Project, Large Scale Biofuels Action Group, the STOP GE Trees Campaign and World Rainforest Movement held a press conference today during the 12th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The event addressed the socially and environmentally devastating impacts of large-scale biofuel production, genetically engineered trees and crops, and carbon sink plantations, and explained why these schemes will not solve climate change.

- by Stephen Lendman

UN Secretaries-General aren't usually made of the kind of mettle that extends beyond their willingness to serve the interests of the dominant country that effectively runs the UN establishment. It's no secret that the world body is largely a wholly owned subsidiary of the nation where it's been prominently headquartered on Manhattan's east side since 1952. It's also true no candidate gets the top job there without first passing a careful US vetting process to assure a willingness to accede to its agenda. A little wiggle-room is allowed but only as long as it doesn't exceed the limits of the boss' tolerance.

You know its strange hey, we in Australia, have already started inquiries into things like the AWB kickbacks to saddam, and we are here wanting to sort it out as quick as possible, but even though Australia has done wrong, I don’t see the likes of the USA doing any investigations of their own on their home turf specially when it was the USA that started the war in Iraq in the first place. (the US president is quick to point the finger at other people other than himself)

It seems people are to laxed over the president of the usa and are still letting him rule with all the incompetent things he has done and said and decided, It also gets to me how the UN is not doing a thing to bring to justice what the USA president has already done (as in war crimes)…

- by Stephen Lendman

Hugo Chavez chooses his authors, political and social thinkers well, and there's no one better than Noam Chomsky. In his dramatic and courageous speech yesterday to the 61st UN General Assembly, Chavez held up a copy of Chomsky's 2003 book Hegemony or Survival (which I've read and quoted from before). In the book, Chomsky cites the work of Ernst Mayr whom he describes as "one of the great figures of contemporary biology." Mayr noted that beetles and bacteria have been far more successful surviving than the human species is likely to be. He also observed that "the average life expectancy of a species is about 100,000 years" which is about how long ours has been around, and he went on to wonder if we might use our "allotted time" to destroy ourselves and much more with us. Chomsky then noted we certainly have the means to do it, and should it happen, which he says is very possible, we likely will become the only species ever to have made itself extinct.

Rise Up Against the Empire

President Hugo Chavez,
Address to the United Nations
20/Sep/2006

Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world.

I think we could call a psychiatrist to analyze yesterday’s statement made by the president of the United States. As the spokesman of imperialism, he came to share his nostrums, to try to preserve the current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world.

[govtwatch4] take a lot more
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHEROKEE
cher...@hctc.com
November 16, 2004
--====----====---

----- Original Message -----
MOM
mom...@mailman.montana.com
November 15, 2004
Subject: take a lot more

gazette.com

By PAM ZUBECK THE GAZETTE

CRYSTAL CITY, Va. President Bush's willingness "to take a lot more body bags" from the Iraqi war will plunge the United States economy into a tailspin as European nations further distance themselves from the war with boycotts of American markets, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist predicted on Friday.

[govtwatch4] take a lot more
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHEROKEE
cher...@hctc.com
November 16, 2004
--====----====---

----- Original Message -----
MOM
mom...@mailman.montana.com
November 15, 2004
Subject: take a lot more

gazette.com

By PAM ZUBECK THE GAZETTE

CRYSTAL CITY, Va. President Bush's willingness "to take a lot more body bags" from the Iraqi war will plunge the United States economy into a tailspin as European nations further distance themselves from the war with boycotts of American markets, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist predicted on Friday.

Quote: Dear Sir,

The Iraq body count you report is presumably of violent deaths but most of the victims of war die of disease and deprivation - whether an Iraqi child is shot or dies avoidably from disease (due to destruction of sewerage and water infrastructure and lack of clean drinking water, food, medicine and medical care) the end result is the same and the CULPABILITY the same. There is horrendous mass mortality continuing in Iraq - the "excess mortality" (avoidable mortality) in Iraq has been 1.5 million since 1991; UN and UNICEF data indicate an annual under-5 mortality in Occupied Iraq (population 24 million) of about 100,000 (300 kids per day) as compared to 1000 in Australia (population 20 million); current per capita annual medical expenditure in Occupied Iraq is US$40 as compared to US$1000 in Australia.

Kens Comment: Yes, the counter in the left column only records Iraqi civilian deaths during conflict. The numbers are only approximate and are mainly gathered from the world press reports.

Just why the population voted Howard back in after involving us in the US "War on terrorism" is as baffling as Hicks being tried as a "terrorist" when he was taken prisoner of war while fighting as a Talaban soldier.

Senator Bob Brown joined Andrew Wilkie, candidate for Bennelong, today, in releasing the Greens plan for a $7.25 billion increase in international development aid over the next five years.