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Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 416

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/hyscien1/public_html/talk/mods/phpbb_fetch_all/posts.php on line 414

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Log in (or Register - it's easy)

Subject: 1993 Apology Disclaimer

to all:

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?406f85c9-f309-4988-9e2d-259f43ea680f

1993 Hawaiian Apology Resolution 'Disclaimer' Negates Its Legal Power

By Frank Scott Jr., 3/2/2009 10:27:37 AM

The ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court to prevent the sale of ceded lands by the State of Hawaii pending settlement of any indigenous claims lacks justification. Thus the state's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to counter this decision is crucial.

There are two main actions that the Hawaii Supreme Court either denies or misinterprets. First, the ceded (former Royalty lands) in question were transferred outright to the State of Hawaii at the time of statehood. This would indicate that the State of Hawaii should be able to make decisions on these lands, as is the case with other states as long as there is compliance with Federal mandates.

Secondly, any ruling by the court should be supported by officially recorded historical data rather than opinion. In this case, the indicated decision on ceded lands by the Hawaii Supreme Court is reportedly justified on the basis of the 1993 Apology Resolution, which accuses the U. S. of playing a significant role in the 1893 overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani.

But the Apology Resolution is not a statement of historical fact but simply a document based on the assumption that U. S. Government officials were involved in instigating the 1893 overthrow.

Since there was no organized review of the Apology Resolution either by the U. S. Congress or by the State of Hawaii there is no assurance of its validity. In fact, the 1894 Morgan Report by the U. S. Congress exonerates the U. S. from involvement in the overthrow.


This negates the earlier Blount Report ordered by President Cleveland, which relies primarily on the views of the deposed Queen but provides the input for the concept of U.S. participation in the overthrow.

Regardless of the validity of the Apology Resolution, it contains the following disclaimer, which invalidates its use as a supporting reference document. The statement in the document that "Nothing in this Joint Resolution is intended to serve a settlement of any claims against the United States" should be sufficient to deny its use as a legal finding by the Hawaii Supreme Court.


Frank Scott Jr. is a resident of Kailua, Hawaii

Comment: The most difficult task in dealing with the Drop Breed Hawaiian racists is exposing all their lies.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 03/03/2009 01:33 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Quo Warranto

to all:

Attorney General, Eric H. Holder Jr.
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington , DC 20530-0001

March 1, 2009

Honorable Attorney General Holder

Re: Request a Special Assistant for the United States to relate Quo Warranto on Barack Hussein Obama, II to Test His Title to President before the Supreme Court

Relators, Major General Carroll Childers, Ret; Lt. Col Dr. David Earl-Graef; Navy and Police officer Mr. Clinton Grimes; Lt. Scott Easterling, currently serving in Iraq; Major James Cannon, US Marine Corps, Ret; New Hampshire State Representative Mr. Timothy Comerford; Tennessee State Representative Mr. Frank Nicely, State of Alabama 2008 electoral college elector. Mr. Robert Cusanelli bring information for Quo Warranto on Barack Hussein Obama, II, testing his title to President per attached relation.

Relators include:

Robert Cusanelli, Elector for 7th District, State of Alabama , in the 2008 Electoral College;

Frank Nicely, State Representative of Tennessee in his official capacity;

Timothy Comerford, State Representative of New Hampshire in his official capacity;

Major General Carroll Childers, 29th Infantry Div VA retired, lifetime subject to recall; Numerous decorations

1st Lt. Scott R. Easterling OD LG US Army on active duty in Iraq ;

Clint Grimes, Sergeant Long Beach Police Officer & CDR/0-5 US Navy (Active Reserve). Numerous decorations, including two National defense medals, two Navy commendation medals

Dr. David Earl-Graef, Lieutenant Colonel Air Force MC, Military Surgeon- Active Reserve. Numerous decorations including Air Force outstanding unit with valor.

James Cannon Major US Marine Corps, Ret, lifetime subject to recall. Numerous awards, including Bronze Star with combat V and two Purple Hearts

Relator�s oath of office grants standing. Relators are affected by actions of Respondent Obama and the outcome of this Quo Warranto, and thus have interest above citizens.

Information on Quo Warranto against a Federal Officer is normally related to the Attorney General to raise on behalf of the United States in U.S. District court of the District of Columbia per DC Code 16-3502. However, the Attorney General defends the office of President and is appointed by the President. For the Attorney General to bring Quo Warranto on the President raises an intrinsic conflict of interest. USAM 3-2.170 Historically, a Special Prosecutor or Independent Counsel was appointed to eliminate such conflicts of interest, e.g., Attorney General Elliot Richardson appointed Archibald Cox as the Watergate Special Prosecutor over issues touching on President Nixon.

This information on Quo Warranto includes action between the United States ex rel. and the State of Hawaii over original birth records of Barack H. Obama II being withheld per Hawaii �s privacy laws. Hawaii �s action obstructs the constitutional duties of election officers to validate or evaluate President Election Obama qualifications to become President under U.S. CONST. art II - 1 and Amend. XX � 3.

As President Elect, Respondent Obama failed to submit prima facie evidence of his qualifications before January 20, 2009 . Election officers failed to challenge, validate or evaluate his qualifications. Relators submit that as President Elect, Respondent Obama failed qualify per U.S. CONST. Amend. XX � 3.

Such negligence and misprision threaten to nullify these essential safeguards. Thus Relators request this Quo Warranto be related to the Supreme Court under its original jurisdiction.

Enclosed is a summary motion for leave to file Quo Warranto on Barack Hussein Obama II aka Barry Soetoro, with the Supreme Court. The list of Questions Presented is attached. A full brief supporting this motion is in preparation.

1) Relators respectfully pray that the Attorney General recuse himself over bringing this Quo Warranto for the United States on Barack H. Obama II, by reason of intrinsic conflict of interest.

2) Relators pray the Attorney General appoint a Special Assistant (prosecutor) of Archibald Cox�s reputation and expertise, to relate this Quo Warranto to the Supreme Court per 28 USC 543.

3) Relators request that their attorney, Orly Taitz, ESQ DDS, assist in relating this Quo Warranto, being recognized at bar before the Supreme Court.

4) Relators further request the assistance of Patrick Fitzgerald, United States Attorney General for the Northern District of Illinois, as having familiarity with issues involving Barack H. Obama II while Senator from Illinois and as President Elect.

5) Relators request guidance from the Attorney General, within one week of receipt of this information, regarding his decision on whether to appoint such a Special Assistant.

With respect, in absence of such guidance, Relators will proceed to request leave from the Supreme Court to relate information for this Quo Warranto on Mr. Obama to test his title.

Yours Sincerely,

Orly Taitz, ESQ

Attorney for Relators
26302 La Paz
Mission Viejo , CA 92691

949-683 5411



Encl. Motion to Supreme Court for leave to relate Quo Warranto on Barack Hussein Obama II, testing his title to the Federal office of President.

# Posted by harry at 03/03/2009 01:17 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Hawaii Correctional Statistics

to all:

Hawaii Correctional Statistics!

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090302/BREAKING01/90302025

1 in 32 Hawaii adults in correctional system, study says
Read comments (8)

By HERBERT A. SAMPLE
Associated Press

One in 32 Hawaii adults are either behind bars, on probation or parole, according to a new study released today by the Pew Center on the States.

That ratio was the 19th highest in the nation, according to the report, "One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections,"

The study also found that nationally, one in 31 adults are in state or federal prisons, or under supervision by probation or parole systems.

(A story on the full report is posted under Breaking News/Updates on The Advertiser's homepage.)

"Most states are facing serious budget deficits," Susan Urahn, managing director of The Pew Center on the States, said in a statement. "Every single one of them should be making smart investments in community corrections that will help them cut costs and improve outcomes."

The report found that as of the end of 2007, one in 45 Hawaii adults, or more than 22,000, were on parole or probation. One in 108, or nearly 9,300, were in prison, including those prisoners transferred to public or private facilities located in other states.

The total number of persons in the correctional system totaled more than 31,600, the report found.

That is a significant increase from 25 years before, when one in 90 Hawaii adults were in prison or on probation or parole, the report said.

According to the study, spending on corrections accounted for 4.3 percent of Hawaii's general fund in the 2008 fiscal year. In that year, only four cents was spent on the parole and probation systems for every dollar the state expended on prisons, the study found.

"After an extraordinary, quarter-century expansion of American prisons, one unmistakable policy truth has emerged: We cannot build our way to public safety," the report's executive summary stated.

"Serious, chronic and violent offenders belong behind bars, for a long time, and the expense of locking them up is justified many times over," the report added. "But for hundreds of thousands of lower-level inmates, incarceration costs taxpayers far more than it saves in prevented crime."
>>>

Some local newspaper readership commnets:

applemartini wrote:

In the future, more tourist will stop coming to Hawaii, because other than the sun and sea ... it has become one of the biggest drug states. Who wants to spend their vacation worrying about the homeless, the drug epidemic, the unemployment and the crowded streets of Honolulu
03/02/2009 8:40:02 a.m.
>>>

StanManley wrote:

1 in 32? What I'm concerned about is these adults who are in corrections will have children who will likely follow in their footsteps. Like animals, we need to control the pet population by spaying and neutering many of these adults.
03/02/2009 8:39:54 a.m.
>>>

westlaker062 wrote:

Three words can easily explain this: ice, ice, ice. It is about a drug problem that is epidemic in Hawai'i.


03/02/2009 7:59:42 a.m.
>>>

redbones wrote:

Make the prison system so harsh that no one wants to come back. Screw those human right activists. They are put in there for a reason. The US prison system should take an advice or two from the Chinese one and make them work for the stay.

There is also the mindset that having a criminal record is like a badge of honor for some groups of people. Need to detroy that idea by making prison sentences as humiliating as humanly possible.
03/02/2009 8:00:53 a.m.
>>>

Comment: When one considers that the state of Hawaii is inundated with drug abusers, it seems odd that so many of them have been incarcerated. Please recall that even the lard barrel Department of Education provides a sanctuary for drug abusers.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 03/02/2009 02:56 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Human Traffickers Arrested

to all:

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_53255.php

Human trafficking gang rounded up

26 Feb, 2009, 09:22 (GMT -04:00)

WILLEMSTAD � With the arrest of four suspects yesterday morning and the rescue of five victims, the authorities have put an end to the activities of a criminal organization that was dealing in people and human trafficking from Surinam to Trinidad and Cura�ao.

The Surinamese authorities have requested the Public Prosecutor to trace a number of victims that were deprived of their freedom and the arrest of the suspects involved that fled from Trinidad to Cura�ao and forced a number of victims to go with them.

Two men and two women between the age of 22 and 29 were arrested on the property Dorus H in Sta Catharina yesterday morning. All four are from Surinam. They imprisoned five compatriots, two men and three women. The five persons will be received by social workers and eventually returned to Surinam.

The suspects recruited men and women in Surinam to work in the horeca (hotel, restaurants and cafes) in the Netherlands. To do so, they first had to go to Trinidad to follow a course. After paying thousands of euros, dozens of men and women were taken from Surinam to Trinidad. Once in that country, the gang confiscated the victims� passports, they were forced to do heavy physical labour in and around the home of the suspects. The victims were also ill-treated and forced to have their family in Surinam transfer money from Surinam to Trinidad for the benefit of the suspects.

When the suspects realized that the Surinamese- and Trinidad authorities were after them, they fled from Trinidad to Cura�ao. Some of the victims got a chance to escape and returned to Surinam, where they were received by the Surinamese authorities. The suspects forced some victims to go with them to Cura�ao, where they arrived in November and December of last year. The suspects tried to do the same thing they were doing in Trinidad, but they were caught this morning.

Comment: Our readership should recall that the Kalpoes originate from Suriname. Suriname has been identified as the hub of human trafficking for South America. Entering a conduit to Suriname would have been easy for human traffickers in possession of Natalee.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/27/2009 02:09 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Federal Government suppots State in Ceded Lands Dispute

Federal Goverment Backs State In SCOTUS 'Ceded Lands' Case

Ceded Land Case Series
By Robert Thomas, 2/26/2009 12:37:22 PM

Editor's note: Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett argued for the State yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court in the ceded lands case and the U.S. Solicitor General under the Obama administration used 10 minutes of Bennett's 30-minute presentation to endorse the state's position. The transcript of yesterday's oral arguments in the "ceded lands" case is posted here:

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/07-1372.pdf


What Issues Are Presented?

Assistant to the Solicitor General William Jay argued for the Obama Administration as amicus curiae, supporting the state's position. His initial argument -- that "three federal laws" (the Newlands Resolution, the Organic Act, and the Admission Act) make it clear that the State of Hawaii has absolute fee simple title to the ceded lands -- was immediately challenged by the Chief Justice as perhaps being beyond the the Question Presented (whether the Apology Resolution had any substantive legal effect). Jay responded that the other issues have been in the case since the start, and were considered by the Hawaii Supreme Court. The Question Presented also posed the issue of the impact on the state's sovereign authority to control the ceded lands. Justice Alito voiced some skepticism:


JUSTICE ALITO: Well, I don't see where this law -- where those laws get us. The -- the argument that is made on the other side is that the Native Hawaiians have a moral claim to these lands, not that they have a property-right claim to the lands.


And if the State of Hawaii, acting through any branch of its government -- and that is not a matter of concern to us -- says they have a moral claim to the land and, therefore, there should not be any land transfers for some period of time, what's inconsistent with Federal law in their doing that?

Tr. at 19-20.


Moral Obligation?

Justice Scalia addressed the "moral obligation" that OHA has been urging as a basis for its claims to the ceded lands:

JUSTICE SCALIA: Is -- is it the function of the Hawaiian Supreme Court to declare moral obligations?

MR. JAY: Well, Justice --

JUSTICE SCALIA: Would there be any problem -- certainly there is noted the legislature deems there to be a moral obligation and gives the land away on that basis. But do you -- do you think there -- there might be some democracy problem if -- if the Supreme Court of Hawaii goes around pronouncing moral obligations and --and giving away land on that basis?

MR. JAY: Well, Justice Scalia I guess the second half to my answer to Justice Alito as well, which is that the State supreme court is not free as a matter of State trust law or otherwise to formulate obligations that don't relate to the State's obligation as trustee of the Federal trust --

Tr. at 20-21.


From Where Do Native Hawaiians Claims Originate?

Responding to Justice Stevens' question about whether the state is free to dictate the duties of a trustee, Jay noted that the state "must comply with the limitations set out in section 5(f) of the Admissions Act," and while the state has broad discretion on how to allocate lands, neither the state legislature nor a state court can "rely on considerations that are all together outside the trust." Tr. at 21.

Jay argued that the state could enact a moratorium, but it would have to be based on the 5(f) trust and Native Hawaiians' status as one of the beneficiaries of the trust, and not as a property claim that they -- and not the state -- has title. In other words, any Native Hawaiian rights regarding the ceded lands come from section 5(f) of the Admission Act.

Justice Souter pointed out his view "that doesn't seem to be what the Supreme Court of Hawaii has done. The Supreme Court of Hawaii, in effect, has said the land is tied up until these people who are currently negotiating, the State, the Native Hawaiians and -- what is it, the United Church of Christ, all come to a -- in effect, a resolution and reconciliation." Tr. at 24.


What Did The Hawaii Supreme Court Rely On?

The Justices then returned to the question of whether the Hawaii Supreme Court based its decision on the Apology Resolution, or on state law:

MR. JAY: Well, I wholly agree, Justice Souter, that the State supreme court thought that the Apology Resolution had significance and that the Apology Resolution --

JUSTICE GINSBURG: More than significance. I am reading the sentence that immediately follows the one that General Bennett brought to our attention on page 85A. It says, "Accordingly, the Apology Resolution dictates that the ceded lands should be preserved pending a reconciliation between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people."

It is very fear language, dictates. And that's why I am really puzzled as how this Court has any business wading into any question other than telling the Hawaii Supreme Court either their right about what the resolution dictates or they are wrong, and they are wrong because it's a nice apology but it's without substantive effect.

MR. JAY: Well, I certainly agree, Justice Ginsburg, that the State supreme court thought the Apology Resolution dictated the entry of the injunction, and the -- also on page 85A the State supreme court says that the Apology Resolution gives rises to the -- to a fiduciary duty to Native Hawaiians.

And it is -- it is that principle that the State supreme court was able to find a fiduciary duty and impose it on the State's trusteeship obligation, even though that fiduciary duty arises outside the section 5(f) trust. And that is why we think that the scope of the State -- of the State's obligation as trustee is within the Court's review at this stage.

Tr. at 26-27.

The merits and amici briefs in the case, and links to media reports and commentary, are posted on our ceded lands page here http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/cededlands.html


Also See related stories and documents in Hawaii Reporter:

"'Heavy Hitters' Battle in the Nation's Supreme Court Over Rights to Hawaiian Ceded Lands"

"Hawaii Ceded Lands Case: U.S. Supreme Courts Grants Cert Review"

The amicus brief filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation in the case is posted here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/04/cert-petition-2.html

The State's petition is posted here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/04/cert-petition-2.html

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Brief in Opposition: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/07/brief-in-opposition-in-ceded-lands-cert-petition.html

The brief of 29 states supporting Hawaii is here, and the amicus brief of the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands supporting cert is here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/06/another-amicus-brief-supporting-cert-in-ceded-lands-case.html

The Supreme Court's case docket is here: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/docket/07-1372.htm

Robert Thomas is the Hawaii representative for the Pacific Legal Foundation. He helped author an amicus brief supporting the State's arguments. Reach him at mailto:rht@hawaiilawyer.com

Comment: None

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/26/2009 07:49 pm - reply- forum

Subject: 1993 Apology Symbolic!

State Tells US Supreme Court: 1993 Congressional 'Apology Resolution' to Hawaiians Was Only Symbolic

Ceded Land Case Series
By Robert Thomas, 2/26/2009 12:40:05 PM

The transcript of yesterday's oral arguments in the "ceded lands" case is posted here:

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/07-1372.pdf

Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett argued for the State yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court in the ceded lands case. He began by asserting that the Apology Resolution did not alter the state's right to transfer the lands, and that it was, "as its sponsor said at the time, a simple apology, and no more."

He argued yesterday before the US Supreme Court that the Apology Resolution did not cloud the state's perfect title to the ceded lands, title that was derived from the United States' title, transferred to the state in the Admissions Act.

Equitable Interest?

Justice Stevens started off the questioning, asking whether that proposition addresses OHA's claims to an "equitable" interest in the ceded lands.

Bennett responded by pointing out that "from day one in this case," OHA argued that it has a property right in the land.

Justice Kennedy asked hypothetically whether under Hawaii law, the state as new owner of the land could determine that it has new trust duties, to which Bennett responded that the Admission Act gives the state the right to determine what happens to the law according to Hawaii law, and that the political branches may determine how the lands will be used consistent with the five purposes set out in the Admission Act.

Justice Kennedy then asked whether there was a difference if the Hawaii legislature made that decision, or whether it was the Hawaii Supreme Court.


Bennett pointed out that OHA argued -- and the Hawaii Supreme Court held -- that the Apology Resolution prohibited the state from exercising its Admissions Act duties.


Apology Resolution

Justice Ginsburg asked whether the inquiry should be limited to the Question Presented (whether the Apology Resolution had any substantive legal effect), and whether the Court should say no more than the Resoltion is symbolic and just stop there.


Bennett argued that included within that question is the issue of whether the Apology Resolution could -- or did -- affect the state's sovereign authority to determine disposition of the ceded lands.

Justice Souter joined in, stating that the Court should understand the rationale of the Hawaii Supreme Court's opinion and that "this much is clear from the Hawaiian opinion: That they think the Apology Resolution seriously affect the claim. That we can deal with, but once we get out of that, the -- the whole case seems murky to me."

Justice Ginsburg addressed that issue, noting that the Hawaii Supreme Court:

[C]ould not have been clearer. They repeated five times that their decision rested on the resolution, that everything turned on the resolution having substantive effect. That's why they said that their decision was driven by Federal law. And I don't know why we shouldn't take the Hawaii Supreme Court at its word repeated so many times.

Tr. at 8. This is the "independent and adequate state grounds" issue, which OHA has been pressing since the petition stage, arguing that the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision rested on state law grounds, and that SCOTUS has no jurisdiction.

Under Michigan v. Long, 463 U.S. 1032 (1983), however, if a state decision rests on state and not federal law, the state court must say so plainly.

Justice Kennedy seemed to agree with Justice Ginsburg, noting "I certainly do think you have a powerful argument if the Apology Resolution presents us with a Federal question."

He continued, perhaps foreshadowing the Court's opinion: "It seems prudent for us to confine our decision to the effect of the Apology Resolution and whether or not the Hawaiian Supreme Court got that part of it right."

Tr. at 10. Justice Alito seemed to agree, and then Justice Souter pointed out that the Hawaii Supreme Court's opinion rested on the Apology Resolution and "some kind of State equity law or trust law. Now, that trust law may ultimately be inconsistent with prior Federal acts, but the only -- the only thing they are disclosing right now is -- aside from the Apology Resolution, seems to be State trust law."

Justice Souter asked what would happen if the Supreme Court ruled the Apology Resolution did not support the Hawaii Supreme Court's injunction:

I don't know whether at that point the Hawaiian Supreme Court is going to say, okay, all we have got left to deal with now is State trust law, or whether they've got to pull another rabbit out of hat and say, but there is -- there is some kind of -- of prior -- there is some kind of a -- a claim against which prio Federal law could not prevail.

Tr. at 13. He concluded that he didn't know, so it would be "impurdent to wade into it at this point."

Justice Alito pressed the point of whether the state would be satisfied with a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that the Apology Resolution was simply symbolic and had no substantive legal effect.


Bennett stuck to his argument that the Court must also consider the property claims of OHA, and that those claims are "clearly inconsistent with Federal law, the Newlands Resolution, and the Admission Act, and that there is no reason for this Court not to reach such a clear claim."

Native Hawaiian Allocation?

Justice Scalia's interest was piqued by Bennett's assertion that if the Hawaii Legislature decided to allocate all of the proceeds from the ceded lands to the exclusive betterment of the conditions of Native Hawaiians, "[t]hat would not violate the Admission Act." Tr. at 17. Justice Scalia asked:

Please, let me put my question again. Let's assume that the legislature does not say, we want to give it to the Native Hawaiians because we like the Native Hawaiians or because we think they deserve it; but, rather, we think we have to give it to the Native Hawaiians because it's theirs.

Tr. at 18. Bennett responded: "I think that would be contrary to Federal law, Your Honor," to which Justice Scalia replied, "I think it would be."

Bennett reserved the remainder of his time for rebuttal, and the argument turned to the Obama Administration, which argued in favor of the state. We will digest those arguments and those of OHA's in separate posts.


The merits and amici briefs in the case, and links to media reports and commentary, are posted on our ceded lands page here http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/cededlands.html

Also See related stories and documents in Hawaii Reporter:

"'Heavy Hitters' Battle in the Nation's Supreme Court Over Rights to Hawaiian Ceded Lands"

"Hawaii Ceded Lands Case: U.S. Supreme Courts Grants Cert Review"

The amicus brief filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation in the case is posted here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/04/cert-petition-2.html

The State's petition is posted here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/04/cert-petition-2.html

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Brief in Opposition: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/07/brief-in-opposition-in-ceded-lands-cert-petition.html

The brief of 29 states supporting Hawaii is here, and the amicus brief of the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands supporting cert is here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/06/another-amicus-brief-supporting-cert-in-ceded-lands-case.html

The Supreme Court's case docket is here: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/docket/07-1372.htm

Robert Thomas is the Hawaii representative for the Pacific Legal Foundation. He helped author an amicus brief supporting the State's arguments. Reach him at mailto:rht@hawaiilawyer.com

Comment: None

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/26/2009 07:45 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Reliance on 1993 Apology II

In US Supreme Court, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Challenges State's Authority Over Ceded Lands

Ceded Land Case Series
By Robert Thomas, 2/26/2009 12:50:20 PM

Washington, D.C. attorney Kannon Shanmugam argued for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), a state agency challenging the state administration over land rights.

He began by asserting that the issue in the case should be very narrowly drawn: whether the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision was based on the Apology Resolution.

He staked OHA's entire argument on the factual issue of whether the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision was based on the state's fiduciary duties to Native Hawaiians under state law, and whether the court only relied on the Apology Resolution as a recognition that Native Hawaiians have political claims.

He conceded that if the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision was based on the Apology Resolution, OHA should lose:

And it's for that reason, Justice Ginsburg, that we freely concede that if the Hawaii Supreme Court had relied on the Apology Resolution as creating some Federal duty, that would be problematic. That would be not -- Tr. at 36.

State Law Only?

The Justices questions reflected some skepticism with the argument that the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision was based only state law. This is the "independent and adequate state grounds" issue, which OHA has been pressing since the petition stage, arguing that the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision rested on state law grounds and that SCOTUS has no jurisdiction. Under Michigan v. Long, 463 U.S. 1032 (1983), if a state decision rests on state and not federal law, the state court must say so plainly.

Responding to a question from Justice Souter about whether the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision was based on the Apology Resolution and state law (meaning the case is reviewable), Shanmugam conceded that the Hawaii Supreme Court acknowledged the Apology Resolution "together with State law, gave rise to the fiduciary duty," but argued that the real substance of the Hawaii court's opinion -- the ratio decedendi if you will -- was state law. Justice Ginsburg didn't seem to buy it:

Then how to you explain the language, over and over again, I won't repeat it, but they said this resolution of ours is dictated by, compelled by, the Apology Resolution? Without the Apology Resolution it would be an entirely different case. And now you seem to be taking what the Hawaii Supreme Court put as the necessary link, the Apology Resolution, before that this would have been impossible, and you are treating it now as sort of window dressing, icing on the cake, really didn't matter.

But we would disrespect the Hawaii Supreme Court if we didn't take them at their word and say --using words such as "dictated," "compelled." You -- you are treating this as sort of just part of the atmosphere.

Tr. at 28-29. Shanmugam responded by conceding the Apology Resolution "wasn't window dressing," since it confirmed the "factual predicate" for the state law claims. He agreed that "if the Hawaii Supreme Court's opinion is read to construe the Apology Resolution as creating some affirmative duty or obligation as a matter of Federal law, we agree that that would be erroneous." Tr. at 31.

A State/Federal Conflict?

Justice Scalia asked if the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision was based on state law alone, whether state law conflicts with federal law. He stated that his view of federal law is that it "extinguished all property rights" in the ceded lands.

As I read the Federal law, it extinguished all property rights in these lands; the lands were transferred to the Federal Government; and the Federal Government transferred them in absolute fee without any encumbrances to the State of Hawaii. Now if you are telling me the Hawaii Supreme Court is now finding as a matter of State law that there is a property interest on the part of the Native Hawaiians --I don't care what you call it, equitable or whatever --it seems to me that is flat contradiction of Federal law, and probably is an issue that we ought to address in this opinion.

Tr. at 32. The Chief Justice also asked that if the case were to be sent back to the Hawaii Supreme Court, and that court affirmed the injunction under state law, whether state law would violate federal law. Shanmugam responded that the issue was not presented in the case as presently postured. Later, however, the Chief Justice noted that any decision by the Hawaii Supreme Court regarding the state's fiduciary duties must be consistent with federal law under the Supremacy Clause. Tr. at 42.

What Remedy?

Justice Breyer, joined by the Chief Justice, jumped in asking:

[D]o you object to a three-sentence pro curiam opinion in this case where we say, to the extent that the Hawaiian Supreme Court could be read to suggest that the Apology Resolution either resolved or cast a cloud, legally speaking, on the title of the trust land, or suggested in any way that land be enjoined -- the sale be enjoined, the Court made a mistake; and insofar as it is resting on State law, that's up to them.

Tr. at 33. Shanmugam responded, "I think we would acquiesce in that with one small quibble." The quibble being that the underlying claims may only be resolved in the political branches, not in court.

Breyer responded, "[n]ow I have read this Apology Resolution about six times, and I certainly don't see anything" suggesting it created an obligation to enjoin sales pending a political resolution of Native Hawaiian claims. Interestingly, Shanmugam conceded the point:

Yes. And we agree that the Apology Resolution could not be read to create some affirmative duty not to sell the ceded lands.

JUSTICE BREYER: You agree that the Apology Resolution does not say who's right about the claim?

MR. SHANMUGAM: No. There are various --ere are various findings in the Apology Resolution that could potentially be relevant to the ultimate disposition of the land.

Tr. at 34-35. Justice Ginsburg again voiced her skepticism: "And the political process question I think is really bothersome, that the Hawaii Supreme Court chose to use this Federal crutch. It seems a very weak reed."

Tr. at 36. Responding to a question from the Chief Justice, Shanmugam agreed that the Court could simply vacate the Hawaii decision as erroneous and remand to the Hawaii Supreme Court:

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So you would have no -- just to carry on the opinion-drafting process, you would have no objection to an opinion that said no source of Federal law gave rise to a duty under State law, fiduciary or otherwise; that any further proceedings on remand should be based solely on State law?

MR. SHANMUGAM: Well, I think that that is right in the sense that we certainly think that the Hawaii Supreme Court in the first place intended to rely on a State law of fiduciary duty. And we would certainly have no problem with and indeed would welcome a remand that afforded the Hawaii Supreme Court an opportunity to do what we think they did in the first place.

Tr. at 37. Justice Scalia wondered what would happen if the Supreme Court remanded the case to the Hawaii Supreme Court, "and the Hawaii Supreme Court smiles, and doesn't do a blessed thing. Leaves -- leaves the injunction against any distribution of the land in effect. What -- what happens then?" Tr. at 38. Shanmugam argued that it was unlikely the Hawaii court would do nothing, but would likely vacate the injunction and send the case back to the trial court.

Substantive Effect?

The Chief Justice compared the Apology Resolution to Congress' resolution apologizing for the internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II, which was a purely symbolic act by Congress. Not until Congress enacted a separate law providing for compensation was there any substantive right. Justice Scalia also questioned the assertion that the Apology Resolution was not simply symbolic. Commenting upon Shanmugam's argument that the Hawaii Supreme Court relied upon Congress' recognition of the need for reconciliation, Justice Scalia noted:

JUSTICE SCALIA: And all this comes from the fact that Congress made reference to and approved a so-called reconciliation process?

MR. SHANMUGAM: Well, Congress did support that --

JUSTICE SCALIA: So in -- in perpetuam, this land can't be transferred because Congress approved the this reconciliation process?

MR. SHANMUGAM: Only until the claims of the Native Hawaiians are resolved. And what is clear --

JUSTICE SCALIA: I see.

Tr. at 46-47.

Hawaii Legislature Moots The Question?

Shanmugam seemed to refer to a bill working its way through the Hawaii legislature to put a de facto moratorium on the sale or transfer of ceded lands:

MR. SHANMUGAM: -- regardless of the degree of the reliance on the Apology Resolution, Justice Scalia, is that the Hawaii legislature has substantial discretion to act and to act in a way that essentially vacates the terms of the injunction. So if the Hawaii legislature either says, we're going to reach a definitive solution of the underlying claims of the Native Hawaiians by giving them land or additional monetary compensation, or the Hawaii Supreme Court determines that --

JUSTICE SCALIA: Or denying it to them?

MR. SHANMUGAM: Or denying it to them. Then presumably, according to the terms of the injunction, it would no longer have any force. So the Hawaii Legislature remains empowered to act in such a way as to get out from under the terms of the injunction to the extent they are restrictive.

Tr. at 47. The argument concluded with questions by the Court of whether the state's recent public statements that it has no intention of selling any ceded lands deprived the Court of article III jurisdiction.

Also See related stories and documents in Hawaii Reporter:

"'Heavy Hitters' Battle in the Nation's Supreme Court Over Rights to Hawaiian Ceded Lands"

"Hawaii Ceded Lands Case: U.S. Supreme Courts Grants Cert Review"

The amicus brief filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation in the case is posted here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/04/cert-petition-2.html

The State's petition is posted here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/04/cert-petition-2.html

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Brief in Opposition: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/07/brief-in-opposition-in-ceded-lands-cert-petition.html

The brief of 29 states supporting Hawaii is here, and the amicus brief of the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands supporting cert is here: http://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2008/06/another-amicus-brief-supporting-cert-in-ceded-lands-case.html

The Supreme Court's case docket is here: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/docket/07-1372.htm

Robert Thomas is the Hawaii representative for the Pacific Legal Foundation. He helped author an amicus brief supporting the State's arguments. Reach him at mailto:rht@hawaiilawyer.com

Comments: None

With aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/26/2009 07:40 pm - reply- forum

To all:

While in Hawaii, Obama spends most of his time within the military complexes.

In a message dated 2/26/2009 1:45:06 P.M. Hawaiian Standard Time:

SHMUEL (SAM) VAKNIN
Read Dr. Vaknin's CURRICULUM VITAE
Born in 1961 in Qiryat-Yam, Israel.
Served in the Israeli Defence Force (1979-1982) in training and education units.

Dr. Vaknin has written extensively about narcissism.

Dr. Vaknin States "I must confess I was impressed by Sen. Barack Obama from the first time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He looked youthful, spoke well, appeared to be confident - a wholesome presidential package. I was put off soon, not just because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of haughtiness in his demeanor that was unsettling. His posture and his body language were louder than his empty words. Obama's speeches are unlike any political speech we have heard in American history. Never a politician in this land had such quasi "religious" impact on so many people. The fact that Obama is a total incognito with zero accomplishments, makes this inexplicable infatuation alarming. Obama is not an ordinary man. He is not a genius. In fact he is quite ignorant on most important subjects."

Barack Obama is a narcissist.

Dr. Sam Vaknin, the author of the Malignant Self Love believes "Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist." Vaknin is a world authority on narcissism. He understands narcissism and describes the inner mind of a narcissist like no other person. When he talks about narcissism everyone listens. Vaknin says that Obama's language, posture and demeanor, and the testimonies of his closest, dearest and nearest suggest that the Senator is either a narcissist or he may have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Narcissists project a grandiose but false image of themselves. Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of People's Temple, the man who led over 900 of his followers to cheerfully commit mass suicide and even murder their own children was also a narcissist.

David Koresh, Charles Manson, Joseph Koni, Shoko Asahara, Stalin, Saddam, Mao, Kim Jong Ill and Adolph Hitler are a few examples of narcissists of our time. All these men had a tremendous influence over their fanciers. They created a personality cult around themselves and with their blazing speeches elevated their admirers, filled their hearts with enthusiasm and instilled in their minds a new zest for life. They gave them hope! They promised them the moon, but alas, invariably they brought them to their doom. When you are a victim of a cult of personality, you don't know it until it is too late. One determining factor in the development of NPD is childhood abuse.

Obama's early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations," says Vaknin. "Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went through a divorce when he was an infant (two years old). Obama saw his father only once again, before he died in a car accident. Then his mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia , a foreign land with a radically foreign culture, to be raised by a step-father. At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. She died of cancer in 1995".



One must never underestimate the manipulative genius of pathological narcissists. They project such an imposing personality that it overwhelms those around them. Charmed by the charisma of the narcissist, people become like clay in his hands. They cheerfully do his bidding and delight to be at his service. The narcissist shapes the world around himself and reduces others in his own inverted image. He creates a cult of personality. His admirers become his co- dependents. Narcissists have no interest in things that do not help them to reach their personal objective. They are focused on one thing alone and that is power. All other issues are meaningless to them and they do not want to waste their precious time on trivialities. Anything that does not help them is beneath them and do not deserve their attention.

If an issue raised in the Senate does not help Obama in one way or another, he has no interest in it. The "present" vote is a safe vote. No one can criticize him if things go wrong. Those issues are unworthy by their very nature because they are not about him. Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review led to a contract and advance to write a book about race relations.



The University of Chicago Law School provided him a lot longer than expected and at the end it evolved into, guess what? His own autobiography! Instead of writing a scholarly paper focusing on race relations, for which he had been paid, Obama could not resist writing about his most sublime self. He entitled the book Dreams from My Father.



Not surprisingly, Adolph Hitler also wrote his own autobiography when he was still nobody. So did Stalin. For a narcissist no subject is as important as his own self. Why would he waste his precious time and genius writing about insignificant things when he can write about such an august being as himself? Narcissists are often callous and even ruthless. As the norm, they lack conscience. This is evident from Obama's lack of interest in his own brother who lives on only one dollar per month.



A man who lives in luxury, who takes a private jet to vacation in Hawaii, and who has raised nearly half a billion dollars for his campaign (something unprecedented in history) has no interest in the plight of his own brother. Why? Because, his brother cannot be used for his ascent to power.

A narcissist cares for no one but himself. This election is like no other in the history of America . The issues are insignificant compared to what is at stake. What can be more dangerous than having a man bereft of conscience, a serial liar, and one who cannot distinguish his fantasies from reality as the leader of the free world? I hate to sound alarmist, but one is a fool if one is not alarmed. Many politicians are narcissists. They pose no threat to others...They are simply self serving and selfish.

Obama evidences symptoms of pathological narcissism, which is different from the run-of-the-mill narcissism of a Richard Nixon or a Bill Clinton for example. To him reality and fantasy are intertwined. This is a mental health issue, not just a character flaw. Pathological narcissists are dangerous because they look normal and even intelligent. It is this disguise that makes them treacherous.

Today the Democrats have placed all their hopes in Obama. But this man could put an end to their party. The great majority of blacks have also decided to vote for Obama. Only a fool does not know that their support for him is racially driven. This is racism, pure and simple. The downside of this is that if Obama turns out to be the disaster I predict, he will cause widespread resentment among the whites.

The blacks are unlikely to give up their support of their man. Cultic mentality is pernicious and unrelenting. They will dig their heads deeper in the sand and blame Obama's detractors of racism. This will cause a backlash among the whites.

The white supremacists will take advantage of the discontent and they will receive widespread support. I predict that in less than four years, racial tensions will increase to levels never seen since the turbulent 1960's.

Obama will set the clock back decades... America is the bastion of freedom. The peace of the world depends on the strength of America , and its weakness translates into the triumph of terrorism and victory of rogue nations.

It is no wonder that Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, the Castrists, the Hezbollah, the Hamas, the lawyers of the Guantanamo terrorists and virtually all sworn enemies of America are so thrilled by the prospect of their man in the White House. America is on the verge of destruction. There is no insanity greater than electing a pathological narcissist as president

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/26/2009 07:21 pm - reply- forum

to all:

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?1c68aeb8-fc49-4031-847f-f59d7c7be911

Al Gore Retracts False Claim in 'An Inconvenient Truth'

By GreenWatch America, 2/24/2009 9:08:29 AM

Global Warming advocates have made a habit of arguing that Global Warming not only will lead to more natural disasters, but actually has already done so. Climate realists, including this newsletter at times, have just as frequently pointed out that there is no evidence to support this claim. Well it seems our side has a new ally: Al Gore. That's right. The Goracle himself has removed a slide from his oft-rebutted PowerPoint presentation "An Inconvenient Truth" that contained a graph which purported to show an incredible spike in disasters in recent years. He culled the data from Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). Andrew C. Revkin of the New York Times explains:

"The graph, which was added to his talk last year, came just after a sequence of images of people from Iowa to South Australia struggling with drought, wildfire, flooding and other weather-related calamities. Mr. Gore described the pattern as a manifestation of human-driven climate change. "This is creating weather-related disasters that are completely unprecedented," he said. (The preceding link is to a video clip of that portion of the talk; go to 7th minute.)

"Now Mr. Gore is dropping the graph, his office said today. Here's why.

"Two days after the talk, Mr. Gore was sharply criticized for using the data to make a point about global warming by Roger A. Pielke, Jr., a political scientist focused on disaster trends and climate policy at the University of Colorado. Mr. Pielke noted that the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters stressed in reports that a host of factors unrelated to climate caused the enormous rise in reported disasters."

In fact, this isn't the only bogus claim of Gore's recently debunked. Al Gore and United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon published an Op-Ed in The Financial Times last month that claimed that there are significantly more jobs to be found in the wind-energy industry than in the coal industry.

A related article claimed that there were 85,000 jobs in wind and just 81,000 in coal. But according to The Christian Science Monitor:

"...it's a bogus comparison. According to the wind energy report, those 85,000 jobs in wind power are as "varied as turbine component manufacturing, construction and installation of wind turbines, wind turbine operations and maintenance, legal and marketing services, and more." The 81,000 coal jobs counted by the Department of Energy are only miners. Their figure excludes those who haul the coal around the country, as well as those who work in coal power plants."

Using faulty statistics to support their position is not the behavior of a movement confident in their position. And how could they be confident, with global temperatures declining, arctic ice levels matching those from 30 years ago (more on that below) and the American public growing more and more resistant to their claims?

Comment: Retractions have been long overdue!

With Aloha,

# Posted by Hyscience at 02/26/2009 01:19 pm - reply- forum

to all:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090225/NEWS07/902250382/1001

DOE contracts to be probed
Favoritism, fraud alleged in audit of procurement process
Read comments (9)

By Loren Moreno
Advertiser Education Writer

Superintendent Pat Hamamoto has reported possible criminal violations of the state Department of Education's procurement practices to the attorney general's office. The potentially fraudulent actions were found in a recent audit.

State Auditor Marion Higa said DOE contracts were awarded based on favoritism and documents used in the selection of contractors were falsified. In general, Higa said she found "a culture of disregard" for procurement rules and procedures within the DOE.

"If we had known it was going on for certain, we would have stopped it," Hamamoto said. "The only way you can get to it is to bring in a third party to do an audit."

Hamamoto requested the audit of the department's construction procurement practices, saying the DOE has been handling the work only since 2005. The department inherited its current procurement system from another state agency under the Reinventing Education Act of 2004.

Higa's audit covered the the fiscal year from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007. Higa said she found widespread circumventing of procurement laws and rules within the DOE and in particular within the Office of School Facilities and Support Services, which handles repair and maintenance of buildings.

"We encountered numerous instances of department personnel manipulating the professional services selection process and awarding contracts to predetermined consultants," Higa said.

In one case, an engineering firm with ties to the DOE was chosen for a $300,000 construction management contract. A high-ranking official in the firm was a former assistant superintendent, Higa said.

The process was led by a department head who hand-picked members for the selection committee, served as its chairman, sent the results and the documents to himself. He then approved the $300,000 contract to the firm.

In addition to alleged ethical or criminal violations, Higa said she found that the DOE was regularly spending large amounts to outsource work that could be handled within the department.

For instance, the department spent some $21 million on management contracts to oversee $160 million in construction work.

Hamamoto said she did not view those contracts to be wasteful, believing that the work could not have been handled by the current staff within the DOE.

"To manage these construction projects in-house, we would have to hire more people. We can't hire people in government," Hamamoto said.

Not only were those contracts wasteful, Higa said, but they were awarded with lack of competition and obvious conflicts of interest involved.

In one case, Higa found that a management consultant was assisting the department in the procurement process while also bidding for work. The consultant was later awarded a $2.4 million contract.

Hamamoto said the DOE inherited a procurement system from the Department of Accounting and General Services that was flawed. But she said most of the problems found in the audit don't stem from lack of procedures or policies.

"We had a lack of internal controls, a lack of enforcement of the policies and procedures," Hamamoto said.

"The enforcement of internal controls of checks and balance was not as strong as we would have liked it to be," she said.

Hamamoto said she requested the audit to examine the DOE's current procurement practices. Because the DOE had not conducted the awarding of construction projects before 2005, she said the department was seeking third-party recommendations to fix its current system.

Higa claims much of the problems stem from a mentality of "just get it done" regardless of procurement laws and procedures.

"Based on the numerous violations and unethical activities we observed during our audit, this mentality is apparently shared by many Office of School Facilities staff involved in procurement," Higa said.

Hamamoto noted that the DOE is under extreme pressure by the public to make sure schools are repaired and maintained quickly and efficiently.

"A lot of it came from just wanting to get the job done. Anything that became a roadblock ... they rather go around it. That's something that has to stop," Hamamoto said.

The DOE is currently engaged in creating "check points" within the process to ensure that contracts are awarded and handled appropriately, Hamamoto said. The DOE also intends to adopt Higa's recommendation to strengthen the procurement process and adopt internal checks and balances, she said.

Comment: Since the DOE cannot teach, administer, or display accountability is it any wonder that fraud extravaganza infest their procurement processes. Please note that the DOE is strongly supported by US Senator Akaka and US Congressman Abercrombie. With that character of leadership, waste, fraud and abuse flourishes.

I have not even addressed the $2+ Billion in state taxes sponged up annually by this lard barrel institution. I do not believe that it a large leap to conclude that the DOE in state of Hawaii equates to massive corruption. Furthermore, who is checking?

With Aloha,
>>>

Harry

# Posted by Hyscience at 02/26/2009 11:14 am - reply- forum

Subject: Reliance on 1993 Apology Questioned!

to all:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090226/NEWS23/902260363

We're cautiously optimistic," said OHA board Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona.

As important as the ceded lands issue is for Hawaiians, OHA and its supporters feared that yesterday's hearing might result in the justices exploring the larger question of Hawaiians-only programs and funding.

But in an hourlong hearing, justices did not raise the issue of a potential violation of the federal Constitution, particularly the 14th Amendment relating to equal protection.

That doesn't mean the high court won't mention Hawaiians-only programs in its majority opinion, but indications were that wasn't going to happen.

Meanwhile, the justices hinted that they may be thinking about sending the ceded lands case back to the Hawai'i Supreme Court, which would please most OHA supporters.

The state, represented by Attorney General Mark Bennett, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling that prevents the state from selling ceded lands � the 1.2 million acres that once belonged to the Hawaiian monarchy � until Hawaiian claims to those lands are resolved.

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, who flew to Washington to attend the oral arguments, said the questioning appears to be good news for OHA because sending the case back to the Hawai'i court could result in a continuation of the ban on the sale of ceded lands.

"I think it's a victory for OHA," she said.

Sherry Broder, an OHA attorney who sat in on yesterday's oral arguments, said "it was quite clear that the justices had done their homework ... and seemed apprised of the history of the Hawaiian people ... and the inequities they had experienced."

Broder said it remains to be seen how the justices will rule.

Hanabusa said she also found it interesting that many of the justices' questions dealt with the state Legislature's ability to manage the lands through new laws.

Prayers and chants
The ceded lands issue has been an emotional one for Hawaiians who held gatherings around the state and in several Mainland cities.

About 300 people supporting OHA's position gathered yesterday at 4 a.m. at the state Capitol for a 12-hour vigil of chants and prayers.

The action was part protest against the Lingle administration, part calling on the kupuna to help them fight the appeal.

A majority of those gathered were members of hula halau or Hawaiian charter schools.

Mapuana de Silva, kumu hula of Halau Mohala Ilima, said she brought about 25 members of her group not just to help the cause, but to teach her students about the historically close relationship between Hawaiians and the land.

A good number of traditional chants speak of the land and love for the land, de Silva said.

"You take the land away and Hawaiians do not have a base," she said.

Daniel Anthony, a 30-year-old subsistence farmer who grows and sells his own taro, also spoke of the close relationship with the land.

"Our big focus right now is sustainability," Anthony said. "To me, if we no more land and no more water, we're not sustainable."

The gathering brought together younger and older Hawaiians.

Shanelle Naone, 21, a University of Hawaii-Manoa communications major, was doing homework between chants. Naone said the reputation students have for being apathetic is being shed, noting that there are many youth-based Hawaiian programs.

"The tide is definitely turning," Naone said.

Retired crane operator Jerome Cox, 71, said most Hawaiians don't want to force non-Hawaiians off the land.

Opponents of Hawaiian programs also found reason to be pleased with the oral arguments before the court.

"We're ... pleased that it appears the Supreme Court will make a broad rather than a narrow decision with regards to issues in the apology," said Richard Rowland, founder of the conservative Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, referring to the U.S. government's apology in 1993 for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i a century earlier.

"We feel that at the heart of this case is the constitutional principle that all citizens should be treated equally under the law, as well as the state's authority to manage public lands for the good of all of its citizens rather than one special racial class," Rowland said.

case may come back
Several justices, by their questioning, indicated that they were inclined to send the case back to the Hawai'i Supreme Court with the narrow ruling that the state court should not have relied on the 1993 Apology Resolution as its main rationale for deciding to block the sale of ceded lands.

Bennett, the attorney general, said if they do that, the Hawai'i Supreme Court will need to follow the higher court's mandate and reconsider the case.

"The court seem sympathetic to our argument that the Hawai'i Supreme Court based its decision on federal law and ... the Apology Resolution was a symbolic resolution that did not change the law ... and that the Hawai'i Supreme Court improperly relied on it to strip the state of its sovereign authority to transfer its lands and to use and manage the lands and its proceeds for the benefit of all in the state of Hawai'i," Bennett said afterward.

"I'm cautiously optimistic of the result."

Meanwhile, the Hawaiian Independence Action Alliance called a news conference yesterday to proclaim that it does not recognize the actions of any U.S. courts.

Alliance spokeswoman Lynette Cruz said the lands in question were "seized not ceded," making the situation an international rights issue.

The issue should be resolved by an international court or tribunal, Cruz said.

Comment: Obviously, Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Moon's reliance on the 1993 Apology questions the competency and integrity of the entire Hawaii Judicial system.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/26/2009 08:51 am - reply- forum

Subject: 1993 Apology Crutch

to all:

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?query=hyscience&s_it=keyword_rollover

Reliance on apology concerns judges

A Supreme Court justice says the state high court used the Apology "as a crutch"

STORY SUMMARY

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule later this year after hearing arguments yesterday on the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision barring the state from selling or transferring 1.2 million acres of ceded lands that once belonged to the Hawaiian kingdom.

Some justices seemed troubled by the state court's reliance on the 1993 Apology Resolution, suggesting they might overturn the ruling and return the case to the state high court to decide the issue based solely on state law.

Kannon Shanmugam, an attorney for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said OHA would welcome that move because the state court - despite language to the contrary in its ruling - intended to base its decision on state law.

Attorney General Mark Bennett asked the justices to overturn the state court's decision, but OHA supporters and others fear that a wide-ranging decision by the justices could undermine native Hawaiian claims to the ceded lands.

� Ken Kobayashi

Comment: None!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/26/2009 08:35 am - reply- forum

Subject: Ceded Land Display

to all:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090225/BREAKING01/90225008

Hawaiians turn to tradition for help in ceded-lands fight

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

About 300 people supporting the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' position on ceded lands gathered from 4 a.m. today at the state Capitol and held a series of chants and prayers

The action was part protest against the Lingle administration, part calling on the kupuna, or ancestors, to help them fight the appeal.

A majority of those gathered were members of hula halau or Hawaiian charter schools.

Mapuana de Silva, kumu hula of Halau Mohala Ilima, said she brought about 25 members of her group not just to help the cause, but to teach her students about the historically close relationship between Native Hawaiians and the land.

A good number of traditional chants speak of the land and love for the land, de Silva said. "You take the land away and Hawaiians do not have a base," she said.

Daniel Anthony, a 30-year-old subsistence farmer who grows and sells his own taro, also spoke of the close relationship with the land.

"Our big focus right now is sustainability," Anthony said. "To me, if we no more land and no more water, we're not sustainable."

The gathering brought together younger and older Native Hawaiians.

Shanelle Naone, 21, a University of Hawaii-Manoa communications major, was doing homework between chants. Naone said the reputation students have for being apathetic is being shed, noting that there are many youth-based Hawaiian programs.

"The tide is definitely turning," Naone said.

Retired crane operator Jerome Cox, 71, said most Native Hawaiians don't want to force non-Hawaiians off the land. "They only have to support the Hawaiian community," he said.
>>>

Some local newspaper readership comments:

saipele wrote:

Give the Hawaiians their land back! Enough of this imperialism.
02/25/2009 5:09:11 p.m.
>>>

justanadabruddah wrote:

OHA and other Hawaiian groups go on about how the state should give the ceded lands back to Native Hawaiians, But where we see large communities of native hawaiians we see a trashed beach and community. Why would the state return the ceded lands when so far native hawaiians have shown is how they can trash what they have. What happened to the old Hawaiian culture of protecting the Aina. Show that you can take care of your own community and then you might have an opportunity for more.
02/25/2009 4:47:21 p.m.
>>>

emagination808 wrote:

I'm just curious as to why the sovreignty movement chose to fly the Hawaiian flag upside down since it was designed and chosen by King Kamehameha?
02/25/2009 3:16:26 p.m.
>>>

CashnCarry wrote:

[Liliuokalani herself, who was vehemently against the overthrow, and vehemently against the Republic of Hawaii, and vehemently against annexation, changed her mind. She embraced being a part of the United States, and her compatriots, Robert Wilcox and Prince Kuhio FOUGHT for statehood.

I ask that those who believe the victimhood narrative of 1893, please, what would it take for you to embrace being a part of the US, the same way the people who LIVED through the Hawaiian Revolution and annexation did?

P.S.: The Kingdom of Hawaii was multi-racial from its inception.[/QUOTE]

If Hawaii does not want to be part of the US, then stop asking for US handouts like free medical, foodstamps, welfare checks, and protection from the US militiary. Fend for yourselves and see how far you get

02/25/2009 12:23:27 p.m.
>>>

Frynd wrote:

WHAT? These students that wrote songs and sang them at this vigil are in PUBLIC, govt. funded schools?!!!! NOT private schools?

What the heck happened to "separation of church and state?!" This is said to be SPIRITUAL in some way. Oh NO they don't...........not with our tax dollars!! Where is the outcry on this?? It better start heating up.

Doesn't work just to squash the thumpers (no offense to anyone please) that speak of Jesus.....all religious events are not allowed with PUBLIC school TIME and money, so knock it off.

Man, I knew when Democrats are in power that they are soo biased against christianity, and here is yet another example........nothing spiritual, folks.

"To focus spiritual energy" the article says. NO............no focusing anything spiritual on govt. money in schools. ILLEGAL, right? or shall I enter public schools tomorrow in Jesus' name and begin MY focusin??
02/25/2009 12:01:17 p.m.
>>>

Comment: None!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/26/2009 01:03 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_52277.php

Drug-catch was 408 kilo cocaine

2 Feb, 2009, 08:55 (GMT -04:00)


WILLEMSTAD � The bags with drugs that were confiscated on Friday morning appeared to contain 408 kilo cocaine. The street value in the Netherlands would have been about 20.4 million euro. One gram cocaine costs in the Netherlands around the 50 euro and in Curacao 10 to 20 guilders. One kilo cocaine costs between 10.000 and 15.000 guilders nowadays. A few years ago, these cost around the 6000 guilders; that�s when the Royal Navy didn�t have the radar yet. During searched in three homes in Bonam and Kirindongo, the police found two pistol s of the brand Pietro Barreta and Lugar, one shotgun, 37 live ammunition, eight mobile telephones, and the bags with drugs. Two Dominican men were arrested.

Comment: Drugs, Drugs, Drugs!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/03/2009 09:45 am - reply- forum

To all:

I am very concerned about what is happening in Washington, D.C. right
now, and I believe you will be too.

The House has passed, and the Senate is currently debating, an $825
billion "stimulus" bill that will be the largest spending
bill ever enacted by Congress, accounting for inflation. This
bill makes the New Deal pale in comparison. And the money is
only borrowed, and will have to be paid back--so this
"stimulus" is equivalent to borrowing $10,520 from every
family in America.

But it gets worse. All this spending is in addition to the
regular budget. At this rate, we're on track for the
largest budget deficits in American history.

These are the facts compiled by The Heritage Foundation's
experts about the hidden liberal policy agenda inside the
"stimulus bill":

* No New Jobs or Money. The proposed $825 billion
"stimulus" package would not put any new money into
the economy. Every dollar lawmakers "inject"
into the economy must first be taxed or borrowed out of the
economy. Robbing Peter to pay Paul will not make us
wealthier or create jobs.

* Wasteful Spending. Special interests are lining up to get
their piece of the pie. For example, the bill will spend $21
million on new sod for the National Mall in Washington, $600
million on cars for government bureaucrats, and $650 million for
digital television converters.

* More Bailouts. The "stimulus" rewards states
that irresponsibly wasted taxpayer dollars. The legislation
contains $87 billion to bail out states that overspent on other
programs and didn't leave money for Medicaid spending.

* The Numbers Don't Add Up. President Obama claims
that spending $800 billion would create 3.7 million new
jobs. That means taxpayers pay $217,000 per job!
Even the average pediatrician or lawyer does not earn nearly as
much as these new jobs would cost. It would be cheaper to
mail each of these workers a $100,000 check.

Policymakers need to pursue stimulus policies that work, not
ineffective policies that push our country further and further into
debt. An effective policy should extend tax cuts or make them
permanent for individuals. It should also help businesses create
jobs by reducing tax rates on employers so that they can better
compete against foreign firms.

All of us at Heritage are doing everything we can to impress upon the
President and Congress the importance of resisting the temptation to
blindly turn to big government as the answer, and we need your help to
get that message out to your community.


Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D., President
214 Massachusetts Ave, NE
Washington, DC 20002
1-800-546-2843
www.heritage.org

Comment: What can I say: Change We Can Believe In!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 01/30/2009 04:18 pm - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090107_Northwestern_Hawaiian_isles_might_get_UN_designation.html

Northwestern Hawaiian isles might get U.N. designation

By Craig Gima

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 07, 2009

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands could become the second United Nations World Heritage site in Hawaii, joining Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The United States will nominate the marine monument, along with George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, President Bush said yesterday.

The two sites are the first submissions from the U.S. in 15 years. There are 21 UN heritage sites in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and the Statue of Liberty.

If accepted by the United Nations, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will join 878 sites in 145 countries already recognized for their cultural and natural heritage significance.

Native Hawaiian fisherman William Aila said the UNESCO designation for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument has both natural history and cultural value. The designation would "put it on a much higher pedestal in terms of importance to the world."

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands could become the second United Nations World Heritage site in Hawaii, joining Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The United States will nominate the marine monument, along with George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, President Bush said yesterday.

The two sites are the first submissions from the U.S. in 15 years. There are 21 UN heritage sites in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and the Statue of Liberty.

If accepted by the United Nations, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will join 878 sites in 145 countries already recognized for their cultural and natural heritage significance.

Native Hawaiian fisherman William Aila said the UNESCO designation for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument has both natural history and cultural value. The designation would "put it on a much higher pedestal in terms of importance to the world."

Comment: President Bush will receive more recognition for his conservationist efforts!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 01/07/2009 09:03 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2008/12/23/navy-buys-more-virginia-class-subs/

Navy Buys More Subs

By Greg Grant Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 9:10 pm
Posted in Naval

The Navy signed, Dec. 22, the expected five year, $14 billion contract with General Dynamics to build eight new Virginia class submarines. The contract calls for a production rate of one ship per year in 2009 and 2010 and two per year in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Virginia class are built under a teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat as the prime and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding as its partner, each building portions and alternating delivery of the submarines.

The Navy said the increased production rate is possible because it was able to shave $400 million off the $2.4 billion authorized for 2012 for Virginia construction. That cost target was set by then Navy Chief Adm. Michael Mullen back in 2005. A Navy press release said that half the savings came from increasing production to two ships per year, thereby spreading production costs over more ships. The Navy also spent $600 million to redesign portions for more efficient production and to reduce construction time from 84 to 60 months.

The redesign involved 100 �discrete� changes, the release said, the most extensive being the replacement of the sonar sphere with a Large Aperture Bow Array, said to provide better �passive listening,� and the 12 vertical launch tubes with two large diameter Virginia Payload Tubes. The Navy says the replacement tubes reduce lifecycle costs and allows the subs to fit a wider variety of payloads. �The payload tube interface is identical to the SSGN�s tubes so what we put in one, we can put in the other, and with two hatches instead of twelve we�ve cut out a lot of maintenance,� said Rear Adm. William Hilarides, program executive officer for submarines.

Comment: At least one branch of government oversight seems to be alert to cost efficiency!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 01/01/2009 06:57 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081203/BREAKING01/81203068

North Shore's 25-foot waves: 'Don't get too close'
Read comments (3)

Advertiser Staff

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf warning through tomorrow and Friday for O'ahu's North Shore. The weather service predicted that wave faces of up to 25 feet would continue through both days due to a new northwest swell arriving tonight.

Forecaster Norman Hui urged people traveling to the North Shore to see the area's famous big waves to avoid going into the ocean, and even to keep a distance from the shoreline.

"Don't get too close to the coast," he said this evening. "A rogue wave could might come in and get you. And it always helps to check with a lifeguard."

Otherwise, Hui said trades winds are expected to come in from the east at around 15 mph, providing excellent surfing conditions for those with the experience and qualifications to ride the mammoth waves.

He said the surf will slowly decline over the weekend.

Comment: Wave face means the distance between the creat and trough of the wave face (shoreline observer's view). The local Hawaii method employs a different measurement favoring the surfer's view:

http://askville.amazon.com/surfers-measure-wave-heights-back-front-face-ride/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=512154

In Hawaii, the way most locals call wave heights is using the "Hawaiian scale." It roughly translates to around half of the wave face height. Thus, a three-foot Hawaiian scale wave has about a six-foot face (what some would consider "head-high"), six-foot Hawaiian has about a 12-foot face (around "double-overhead"), and so on. The Hawaiian scale seems to get somewhat more nebulous the higher you get, with a lot more bull$#it and/or bravado coming into the picture. Interestingly, it seems the Hawaiian scale is slightly different between the North Shore and Town, with us "Townies" calling it slightly higher than the Country guys would.

How the "Hawaiian scale" came about is an issue that's shrouded in mystery. Some say the scale measures waves "from the back." When a wave starts to break, it draws water from shore so that the wave trough in the front drops below mean sea level, making the face bigger than the back. Most people scoff at this "from the back" concept, saying that it's impossible to measure the waves from shore, and nobody surfs the back of the wave anyway. Point taken.

Another thought was that the scale was created by California "sandbaggers" who intentionally called the waves smaller than they really were to scare off newcomers. These North Shore pioneers were a fairly tight crew who were always pushing each other to ride bigger and bigger waves, and I could imagine them cutting down each other's calls. More reasonable, but still suspect since wide proliferation of the standard would be difficult.

Recently however, former big wave aficionado Ricky Grigg (who happened to be one of those aforementioned pioneers) wrote a story in The Surfer's Journal (volume 12, number 1) describing his opinion on how the Hawaiian scale got established. He said that back in the day, when the lifeguards made their daily surf height reports they would purposely call it smaller than it really was. Lowering the report typically meant fewer beachgoers for them to worry about and allowed them (most surfers themselves) more time to partake in the waves. As time went by, Grigg surmised that the scale slowly evolved into what it is today. This is the most plausible explanation I've ever heard.

Regardless of how the Hawaiian scale came about, we seem to be pretty well entrenched in it. It has been reinforced and perpetuated by the media, with U.S. surf magazines and local surf reporters aligning with this standard.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 12/04/2008 05:43 am - reply- forum

To all:

FOXNews.com - Saudi Arabia King Says Oil Price Should Rise to $75 a Barrel - International News | News of the World | Middle ..

Saudi Arabia King Says Oil Price Should Rise to $75 a Barrel
Saturday, November 29, 2008



CAIRO, Egypt � Saudi Arabia's king says the price of oil should be $75 a barrel, much higher than it is now, but his oil minister indicated Saturday that no measures will likely be taken until OPEC meets again next month.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi said that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will "do what needs to be done" to shore up falling oil prices when the cartel meets Dec. 17 in Algeria.

Naimi did not entirely rule out the chance that the cartel would slash output at a hastily convened meeting of OPEC members in Cairo Saturday, but he said the bloc needs to wait until the Algeria meeting to assess the impact of earlier production cuts.

His comments came after Saudi King Abdullah told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah in an interview published Saturday that oil should be priced at $75 a barrel.

"We believe the fair price for oil is $75 a barrel," he said, without saying how the price could be raised.

The price of crude stood at about $147 a barrel in mid-July. On Friday, the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for January delivery was trading at about $54 per barrel.

The king was echoed by Qatar's Oil Minister Abdullah Bin Hamad al-Attiya, who told the Arab news channel Al-Arabiya that prices needed to rise to guarantee investment into the oil sector.

The price between 70 to 80 (dollars a barrel) is the one encouraging in investment and developing new or current oil fields," he said. "It falls below 70 (dollars), the investment would freeze, which will lead to a crisis in supply in the future."

The cartel has already held an emergency meeting in Vienna on Oct. 24 to announce a production cut of 1.5 million barrels per day.

The cut failed to stop the price drop, and the cartel hastily convened the Cairo gathering on the sidelines of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries' meeting.

"There is total confusion" among OPEC's 13 members, said Fadel Gheit, managing director of oil and gas research at Oppenheimer & Co. in New York. "These people ... really have no business model. They basically thrive when oil prices go up, and now they are crying uncle when prices go down."

And down they have gone, in an avalanche sped along by a world financial meltdown that also threatens to cut deeply into OPEC member states' government budgets.

Kuwait's oil minister, Mohammed al-Aleem, said he believes there is no need for OPEC to make a decision in Cairo on cutting output. But he warned the market is oversupplied, and didn't rule out the need for OPEC to cut production further.

"We believe a decision could be taken ... but I think it will happen in Algeria," he said.

Al-Aleem said current prices could undercut investment in future projects and were not good for either producers or consumers.

The recent price drop has left OPEC price hawks Venezuela and Iran clamoring for further reductions of at least 1 million barrels a day. Both countries need crude at about $90 per barrel to meet spending needs aimed in part at propping up domestically unpopular regimes.

Other OPEC members, such as Nigeria and Ecuador, face budget problems too, making them reluctant to implement more cuts that might shrink revenues further.

The Saudis are better positioned to cope with the drop in prices. The International Monetary Fund estimates Riyadh needs crude in the range of about $50 per barrel for 2008 fiscal accounts to break even.

OPEC itself, along with the International Energy Agency, has significantly revised down its projections for demand growth in 2009.

Meanwhile, global crude inventories are growing, as evidenced by a U.S. government report showing a surprisingly large 7 million barrel build in stocks last week in the world's largest energy consumer.

OPEC's last round of cuts would put its total production at about 30.5 million barrels per day, according to the IEA. That is about 500,000 barrels per day higher than the forecast call on OPEC crude in much of 2009.

A Nov. 24 Oppenheimer research report says that for oil to rebound to $65 a barrel, OPEC would need to cut crude production by more than 3 million barrels per day from its September levels � a move it called highly unlikely.

Comment: Consumers are becoming more gas conscious, so the cuts projected to OPEC oil output may not achieve the desired results.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 11/29/2008 01:35 pm - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444508,00.html

Scientists Grow Bigger, Better Diamonds

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

By Andrea Thompson

If you thought that rock on the ring in the window of Tiffany's was big and beautiful, the diamonds treated in labs with a newly-developed method will really blow you away.

Diamond, a particular form of pure carbon, is of course used for more than adding sparkle to jewelry. It is also used for making scalpel blades, electronic components, and even quantum computers.

But the very properties of diamond that make it perfect for these uses � its hardness (it's the hardest known naturally-occurring mineral), optical clarity and resistance to chemicals, radiation and electrical fields � can also make it a difficult substance to work with.

Defects can be purged from diamond by a heating process called annealing, but this process can turn diamond into graphite, another form, or allotrope, of carbon that is soft and gray and used in pencil leads.

To prevent graphitization, diamond treatments have previously required using high pressures (up to 60,000 times atmospheric pressure, or the pressure we experience at sea level) during the annealing process, but such high pressure/high temperature processes are expensive and put limits on the size and amounts of diamonds that can be treated.

A team of scientists at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C., have found away to get around these issues � and make bigger, better diamonds.

Growing diamonds

They use a method called chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to grow synthetic diamonds.

Unlike other diamond-growing methods that use high pressures like those found deep in the Earth where natural diamonds are formed, CVD produces single-crystal diamonds at low pressure. These diamonds can be grown very rapidly and have relatively few defects.

The Carnegie team could take these synthetic diamonds and anneal them at temperatures up to 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius) at pressures below atmospheric pressure.

The annealing process turns the diamond crystals, which are originally yellow-brown, colorless or light pink. The process also has minimal graphitization.

"It is striking to see brown CVD diamonds transformed by this cost-efficient method into clear, pink-tinted crystals," said study team member Chih-shiue Yan.

The researchers also figured out what causes the pink tint: A nitrogen atom takes the place of a carbon atom in certain place in the crystal structure.

This finding "may also help the gem industry to distinguish natural from synthetic diamond," Yan said.

The new method, detailed in the Oct. 27 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also lets the researchers grow diamonds bigger.

"The most exciting aspect of this new annealing process is the unlimited size of the crystals that can be treated," said study team member Ho-kwang Mao. "The breakthrough will allow us to push to kilocarat diamonds of high optical quality."

The Hope Diamond is a mere 45.52 carats.

Comment: Crystalline growth is discussed in:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Emergence/Justice-Hawk/e/9780595344413/?itm=4

Just as this CVD method enables crystalline growth, enhanced by laboratory, controlled conditions, there exists a good argument that natural crystals grow in certain conditions, questioning our definition of life.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 10/28/2008 08:42 pm - reply- forum

To all:

http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20081027.@04&irec=3

Cleric may face criminal charges: Commission

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) is planning to report to police a rich Muslim cleric in Semarang, Central Java, who married a 12-year-old girl, accusing him of having illegal sex with a minor.

KPAI secretary Hadi Supeno said Sunday the commission's fact-finding team sent to Semarang at the weekend found that cleric Pujiono Cahyo Widianto, 43, owner and head of an Islamic boarding school there, had married and very likely slept with 12-year-old Lutfiana Ulfa.

"According to the girl's parents and some witnesses, the marriage between Pujiono and her is valid according to religion (kawin siri), but it is not registered with the state," Hadi told The Jakarta Post.

"What surprises us is that she was selected through a contest involving Puji's first wife and followers as a panel of judges. Puji married the girl after she beat her competitors."

He said Lutfiana's parents admitted they had married her to Pujiono because of their financial difficulties.

"They said they couldn't afford to send their children to school and hoped the marriage would improve their economic situation."

Hadi said the commission would immediately report Pujiono, his 26-year-old first wife and Lutfiana's parents to the Central Java Police for a criminal investigation.

All those involved in the case, he said, could be charged under Articles 81, 82 and 83 of the 2002 Law on Child Protection. If found guilty, they would face a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail and a fine of Rp 300 million (US$30,000), for "forcing", "swindling" and/or "trading" a minor to sleep with another person.

The law defines a minor as anyone under the age of 18.

Hadi said Pujiono and the minor's parents might have also violated the 1974 Marriage Law, which states a person must be at least 16 to marry.

Hadi said it would require a psychological test to prove whether the cleric could be termed a pedophile.

"We hope the police or the court, if the case is brought to trial, can determine this," he added.

Pujiono reportedly married Lutfiana as his second wife in August and has declared he plans to marry two even younger girls -- a seven-year-old and a nine-year old. The "eccentric" cleric refused to name the children out of concern it would spark "wider criticism".

Hadi said the KPAI would also ask the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue an edict forbidding marriages to minors, saying such unions could occur among community members out of financial hardship and respect for community leaders.

"Puji is a community leader who has many followers. If he is allowed to continue doing this, we're afraid that many other people will follow suit. This will victimize children," he said, adding that minors are neither physically nor mentally ready to engage in sexual activity.

"Such activity will destroy their right to develop, to play and to gain an education."

Ahmad Rafiq, secretary-general of the MUI's Central Java chapter, earlier said no adult should marry a minor because it would be harmful to the minor's mental state.

Comment: I wonder if McCrae's Review has been advertising their products overseas? Their operatives made porn films of middle-school-aged girls engaged in sex acts for distribution.

Amazingly, it is even illegal to engage in sex with a 12-year-old in Indonesia, regardless of which police officer you know!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 10/27/2008 06:10 pm - reply- forum

To all:

SEC Asleep at the Switch!

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?e0fb1cac-6cbe-4e3b-bb91-f2459d89678d

SEC Failed in Oversight of Investment Banks

By U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, D-OH, 10/23/2008 7:54:35 AM

The SEC Inspector General has issued two reports on the SEC programs for overseeing the safety and soundness of investment banks. The reports are posted below. Senator Grassley requested these audits by the SEC watchdog in April (included at the end of this memo). He also requested a review of the SEC's decision not to pursue action against Bear Stearns over a mortgage-backed securities issue. That review is expected from the Inspector General any day. Here is Senator Grassley's comment about the Inspector General reports today:

"These reports are another indictment of failed leadership. We had it at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it was throughout Wall Street, and these reports document the failure of regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission to either make its oversight program work or seek authority from Congress so that it could work. Instead, the SEC Inspector General found that officials responsible for monitoring the safety and soundness of our nation's largest investment banks ignored red flags and risky behavior. Those institutions are now gone or re-organized and our financial system is in crisis. As Chairman Cox said himself, the program was an utter failure. I appreciate the thorough work of the Inspector General in conducting this review."

Here is a summary of the new reports:

The Consolidated Supervised Entity Program:

The audit noted that the Trading and Markets division (TM) failed to act in the face of potential red flags regarding Bear Stearns' "concentration of mortgage securities, high leverage, shortcomings of risk management in mortgage-backed securities and lack of compliance with the spirit of certain" international standards.

Specifically, among the Inspector General's findings were:

The CSE program's capital and liquidity requirements may not be adequate, given the collapse of Bear Stearns despite compliance with the capital and liquidity limits.

TM failed to limit Bear Stearns' mortgage securities concentration, despite being aware of the growing concentration of such securities beyond Bear Stearns own internal limits.

TM should have required a leverage ratio limit on CSE firms, and should have forced Bear Stearns to reign in its leverage.

Despite having knowledge of them, TM failed to encourage Bear Stearns to address serious deficiencies in their risk management and pricing models.

TM concurred with 20 of the 23 relevant recommendations.

The Broker-Dealer Risk Assessment Program:

Among the Inspector General's findings were:

The Trading and Markets Division (TM) failed to fully implement a 2002 OIG recommendation that would ensure the pertinence of broker-dealers filings.

The TM failed to enforce filing requirements, leading nearly one-third of broker-dealers to be out of compliance.

TM has yet to determine whether the two existing former Bear Stearns broker-dealers are obligated to file the under Broker-Dealer Risk Assessment program.

While TM requires reporting by 146 broker-dealers, they only actively monitor the filings of the largest six, thereby imposing an undue burden on firms.

TM does not process and review the filings of the six regularly-monitored broker-dealers in a timely manner.

TM does not maintain sufficient documentation to identify those broker-dealers that are exempt from filing.

The TM concurred with eight of the nine recommendations.TM took exception to the recommendation that they should notify broker-dealers annually of their filing obligations.Instead, they argued that the filing requirements are mandated, and that the covered firms should file regardless of prompting by the SEC.

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release


Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Grassley seeks review of SEC decision to decline case against Bear Stearns

WASHINGTON � Senator Chuck Grassley has asked a top government watchdog to find out why the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission declined to bring a case last year against Bear Stearns for improperly valuing mortgage-related investments.

In a letter sent today to the Inspector General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, David Kotz, Grassley requested a thorough investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the agency's decision not to pursue enforcement action against Bear Stearns. Grassley also asked Kotz to follow up on previous audit work on the Division of Trading and Markets at the Securities and Exchange Commission. The assessments affect large broker-dealers such as Bear Stearns.

Last year, Grassley along with Senator Arlen Specter issued a report on the Securities and Exchange Commission's failed investigation of Pequot Capital Management. The report found that senior agency officials showed extraordinary deference to a particular witness due to his prominence. The August 2007 report is available at http://finance.senate.gov. Click on legislation. Documents are posted in reverse chronological order.

The text of Grassley's letter to the Inspector General today follows below, along with a December 2007 story from the Wall Street Journal.

April 2, 2008

The Honorable David Kotz

Inspector General

US Securities and Exchange Commission

100 F Street, NE

Washington, DC 20549-2736


Dear Inspector General Kotz:

According to regulatory filings and a December 2007 Wall Street Journal article, the SEC Enforcement Division declined to bring a case against Bear-Stearns for improperly valuing mortgage-related investments. Given the later collapse and federally backed bail-out of Bear-Stearns, Congress needs to understand more about this case and why the SEC ultimately sought no enforcement action.

Moreover, I am particularly interested in this case in light of the SEC's failed investigation of Pequot Capital Management. As you know, in the final report of the Senate's inquiry into that matter, we found that senior SEC officials showed extraordinary deference to a particular witness because of his "prominence" as the head of Morgan Stanley.

Request for Investigation

In light my earlier investigation I need to know whether the same problems identified in the Pequot investigation were repeated in the Bear-Stearns case. Accordingly, I request that you conduct a thorough investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the decision to not pursue an enforcement action against Bear-Stearns. Please provide a final report on whether there was any improper action or misconduct relating to SEC investigation of Bear Stearns and its decision to close the investigation. The report should also describe and assess:

the nature, extent, and propriety of communications between Bear-Stearns executives or their representatives and senior SEC officials;

the decision-making process which led to the SEC's failure to bring an enforcement action following the drafting of a Wells notice; the reasons for declining to proceed with an enforcement action; and the degree to which more aggressive action by the Enforcement Division may have led to an earlier and more complete understanding of the issues that contributed to the collapse of Bear Stearns.

Request for Audit

In addition to this investigative request, I would also like your office to follow-up on previous audit work relevant to issues surrounding Bear Stearns. The Division of Trading and Markets (Division) is responsible for regulating the largest broker-dealers and the associated holding companies. Offices within the Division are staffed with accountants and economists who are responsible for reviewing the market and credit-risk exposures of the broker dealers. Their review includes assessing broker-dealers' quarterly financial filings, ensuring broker-dealers are meeting net-capital requirements and that other financial ratios, such as liquidity ratios, are adequate. There is a special emphasis in reviewing the five very large broker-dealers, including Bear Stearns, known as the Consolidated Supervised Entity (CSE) Program. The Division staff exercises additional oversight of these firms and examines their risk models.

I understand that the OIG conducted a prior audit of these responsibilities in 2002. Please provide an update of the previous findings, determine whether earlier recommendations were implemented, and analyze the current function of these offices. The review should include a description and assessment of their missions, how the programs are run, their policies and procedures, the adequacy of any reviews conducted regarding Bear Stearns, and recommendations for improvements in the process.

Sincerely,


Charles E. Grassley

Ranking Member


December 10, 2007 Monday

SECTION: Pg. C1

LENGTH: 1215 words

HEADLINE: Did Authorities Miss a Chance To Ease Crunch? --- SEC, Spitzer Probed Bear CDO Pricing in '05, Before Backing Away

BYLINE: By Michael Siconolfi

BODY:

Federal and state authorities may have missed an opportunity two years ago to get ahead of the mortgage-securities-pricing crisis now gripping Wall Street.

In 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission and New York state's attorney general's office launched separate investigations into whether Wall Street securities firm Bear Stearns Cos. harmed investors by improperly valuing complex mortgage securities. Determining the prices of these securities, often based on mathematical models, involves some guesswork, particularly in distressed markets.

An SEC branch office said it intended to recommend that Bear Stearns be charged for improperly pricing about $63 million of mortgage securities it sold to a bank; the New York attorney general's office, headed at the time by Eliot Spitzer, had sought information about how Bear priced $16 million of mortgage securities it sold to an institutional client.

In each case, government authorities dropped the enforcement cases, according to regulatory filings and people familiar with the matter.

The two aborted cases have new resonance amid the credit crunch and resulting crisis engulfing the financial world. It was Bear Stearns 's disclosure of badly priced mortgage securities in two of its internal funds that helped spark this year's mortgage-market and credit convulsions.

High-profile enforcement cases could have sent a message to Bear Stearns and other Wall Street firms to attempt to more accurately price mortgage securities. Such a message could have helped blunt the impact of the current crisis, which has led to investor uncertainty over how firms price these mortgage-related instruments.

"The right kind of case can have an impact marketwide," says Edward Fleischman, a former SEC commissioner and now a senior counsel at law firm Linklaters.

Spokesmen for the SEC and the New York attorney general declined to comment. Bear Stearns said it cooperated with both investigations.

The 2005 probes cut to the heart of the issue roiling markets since this summer: determining the true value of securities backed by risky mortgages. Unlike stocks or bonds traded on exchanges, these securities are traded privately between dealers. Values often are based on mathematical pricing models.

Wall Street traders long have had a motive to inflate the value of securities because their bonuses often are tied to them. The problem is exacerbated when market trading dries up, as it has in recent months in the mortgage area.

During the summer's credit crunch, more than 80% of investors in bonds tied to the mortgage market said they had trouble getting price quotes from bond dealers, according to a survey of 251 institutional investors by Connecticut consulting firm Greenwich Associates.

Financial firms have disclosed write-downs totaling more than $40 billion this year involving mortgage-related assets, partly stemming from mark-downs following cuts in the credit ratings of complex securities known as collateralized debt obligations. The SEC in recent months opened broad, new investigations into whether a number of financial firms are properly valuing such investments.

In deciding which enforcement cases to bring, regulators must balance factors including the severity of the activity, the difficulty of winning the case and limited staff. The SEC and attorney general's office, for instance, have filed other major enforcement actions in recent years involving securities-firm abuses of small investors. The potential victims in the 2005 probes were savvier institutional investors.

Still, enforcement actions can chill bad behavior. The New York attorney general and the SEC have had success brokering settlements and changing industry practices after alleging abuses in stock research and initial public offerings of stock at securities firms and trading abuses involving mutual funds. The office of the current New York attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, recently issued subpoenas to several Wall Street firms, including Bear Stearns, seeking information on the packaging and selling of debt tied to high-risk mortgages.

In mid-2005, the SEC's Miami office planned to recommend that Bear Stearns be civilly charged for the way it priced and valued $62.9 million of collateralized debt obligations it sold to W Holding Co.'s Westernbank Puerto Rico bank unit. The probe involved whether Bear Stearns had committed fraud, a person familiar with the matter says.

In a regulatory disclosure at the time, Bear Stearns said the SEC staff "intends to recommend that the Commission bring a civil enforcement action" involving the firm's "pricing, valuation, and analysis" of the CDOs, or investments that package pools of loans. The SEC subsequently informed Bear Stearns it had closed the investigation, a separate regulatory filing shows.

"You've got me in a situation where my hands essentially are tied," says David Nelson, director of the SEC's Miami Regional Office, which had planned to recommend enforcement action against Bear. Mr. Nelson declines to say why the SEC dropped the case, saying: "Unless something is filed in a court of law, I can't comment."

At W Holding, "we took the prices for granted," said President Freddy Maldonado. He said the company believed poor market conditions led to declines in the CDOs it bought from Bear Stearns.

Mr. Maldonado says the bank ultimately took a $20 million loss after selling its $63 million CDO portfolio. He says the SEC asked W Holding executives "different questions about pricing" of the CDOs by Bear. W Holding received a letter from the SEC saying its investigation into the bank's "investments in corporate bond and loan obligations has been completed and closed."

In a separate 2005 probe, the New York attorney general's office subpoenaed Bear, seeking information tied to some $16 million of such CDOs, a regulatory filing shows.

In that case, Bear Stearns was valuing CDOs for an institutional client at more than 90 cents on the dollar, say people familiar with the matter. But when the client wanted to sell the securities back to Bear, the firm priced the CDOs in the high-30s, the people say. A junior employee had handled the pricing of multiple CDOs, the people say.

Last month, Bear warned investors it will take a write-down of $1.2 billion for its 2007 fiscal fourth quarter related to mortgage securities, specifically CDOs -- creating the first quarterly loss in its 84-year history. In June, two of its internal hedge funds holding mortgage securities began imploding, costing investors more than $1 billion.

The Bear funds initially reported a 6.75% loss for April 2007 but were forced two weeks later to tell investors the loss actually was about 18%.

Amid the turmoil this year, SEC Chairman Christopher Cox said publicly the agency had opened about a dozen investigations involving CDOs or related investments. He hasn't discussed specific probes but said the SEC is in general looking into how investment funds value their assets.

It isn't just regulators who may have missed a chance in 2005 to get ahead of a big problem. Before the attorney general's office dropped its case, it held talks with Bear Stearns about its CDO pricing procedures and staffing levels for valuing the securities.

License this article from Dow Jones Reprint Service

NOTES:

PUBLISHER: Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

LOAD-DATE: December 19, 2007


IG Report on the Consolidated Supervised Entity Program


Appendices to IG Report on the Consolidated Supervised Entity Program


IG Report on the Broker-Dealer Risk Assessment Program

Comment: A review of the Akaka Bill thread will enlighten as to the cornucopia of federal oversight agencies asleep at the switch. The problems at the SEC are not the exception, they are the rule. The American government is broken, and it has infected most, if not all, state bureaucracies.

The Akaka Bill thread highlights the incompetence and outright indifference of governmental employees. Mob rule reigns in these bureaucracies.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 10/23/2008 03:45 pm - reply- forum

To all:

Space Colonies in our solar system will be constantly supplied by the Interplanetary Transport Network (ITN). Though a slow process, it will require less fuel expenditure. Cargo can be pipelined in an as needed bases to the colonies and stored in the Lagrange points. the Lagrange points will act as transshipment stations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Network

The Interplanetary Transport Network (ITN)[1] is a collection of gravitationally determined pathways through the solar system that require very little energy for an object to follow. The ITN makes particular use of Lagrange points as locations where trajectories through space can be redirected using little or no energy. These points have the peculiar property of allowing objects to orbit around them, despite the absence of any material object therein.

Lagrange points:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange_points

The Lagrangian points (IPA: /ləˈgreɪndʒiən/, French pronunciation: [lagʁɑ̃ʒjɑ̃]; also Lagrange point, L-point, or libration point), are the five positions in an orbital configuration where a small object affected only by gravity can theoretically be stationary relative to two larger objects (such as a satellite with respect to the Earth and Moon). The Lagrange points mark positions where the combined gravitational pull of the two large masses provides precisely the centripetal force required to rotate with them. They are analogous to geostationary orbits in that they allow an object to be in a "fixed" position in space rather than an orbit in which its relative position changes continuously.

A more precise but technical definition is that the Lagrangian points are the stationary solutions of the circular restricted three-body problem.[1] For example, given two massive bodies in circular orbits around their common center of mass, there are five positions in space where a third body, of comparatively negligible mass, could be placed which would then maintain its position relative to the two massive bodies. As seen in a rotating reference frame with the same period as the two co-orbiting bodies, the gravitational fields of two massive bodies combined with the centrifugal force are in balance at the Lagrangian points, allowing the third body to be stationary with respect to the first two bodies.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 10/18/2008 03:56 am - reply- forum

To all:

From an e-mail:

Who Am I?

I am under 45 years old, I love the outdoors, I hunt,
I am a Republican reformer, I have taken on the Republican
Party establishment, I have many children, I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office.

WHO AM I?






Scroll Down






I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900.


With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 09/28/2008 02:00 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/18/international/i122418D85.DTL

100s of new creatures found on Australian reefs

By KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, September 18, 2008

(09-18) 21:04 PDT SYDNEY, Australia (AP) --

Marine scientists have discovered hundreds of new animal species on reefs in Australian waters, including brilliant soft corals and tiny crustaceans, according to findings released Thursday.

The creatures were found during expeditions run by the Australian chapter of CReefs, a global census of coral reefs that is one of several projects of the Census of Marine Life, an international effort to catalog all life in the oceans.

"People have been working at these places for a long time and still there are literally hundreds and hundreds of new species that no one has ever collected or described," said Julian Caley, a scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science who is helping to lead the research.

"So in that sense, it's very significant in that if we don't understand what biodiversity is out there, we don't have much of a chance of protecting it," he said.

Scientists at several Australian museums have begun the complex process of working with the samples for genetic barcoding and taxonomy, the formal system of naming living things. That work is expected to take years, Caley said.

Among the creatures researchers found were about 130 soft corals � also known as octocorals, for the eight tentacles that fringe each polyp � that have never been described in scientific literature, and scores of similarly undescribed crustaceans, including tiny shrimp-like animals with claws longer than their bodies.

The 10-year census, scheduled for final publication in 2010, is supported by governments, divisions of the United Nations and private conservation organizations.

The Australian researchers conducted three expeditions, one each in the waters off the Great Barrier Reef's Lizard and Heron islands, and one in the Ningaloo Reef, on Australia's northwest coast. Thousands of samples were collected during the three-week research trips, which took place between April and September.

Researchers plan to explore the three sites annually for the next six years to learn more about soft corals, which are poorly understood, despite making up a large part of the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists are also looking to catalog how many animal species live on Australia's coral reefs, how many are unique to the reefs and how they respond to human disturbance.

Researchers also pegged 36 plastic house-like structures to the ocean floor in various locations around the three sites. Animals are likely to be attracted to the structures and make them their home. Researchers will go back and study the life inside each house over the next few years. The structures will also be placed in reefs in other parts of the world, providing a standardized method for studying marine life internationally, Caley said.

The project marks the first time any group has made a concerted effort to understand the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef, said Ron Johnstone, a marine science professor at the University of Queensland who is familiar with the research.

The scientists' findings could have direct benefits for humans, Johnstone said. Marine life is used in medicines, and the creatures could also provide clues as to how they cope with climate change and pollution � issues people wrangle with as well.

"Some people say, 'Going out and collecting samples � of what value is that?'" he said. "It's a bit like saying we don't know what we have in the shop so we don't know what we can use to survive, and at the same time we don't know what bits of the machine fit together to make it work."

Comment: If humans are the ultimate of evolution, then why are there so many new creatures being discovered? Were they there all along, as the article suggests, or have they recently evolved? Considering that the Great Barrier Reef has been dived for more than a century, it seems unlikely that we could have missed all these creatures. And, considering that most divers are rather intelligent creatures with aspirations of inquiry and science, winning the lottery might provide better odds than those overlooking these creatures for so long. Consequently, they evolved recently! And, more are coming!

PS: Main Street science is in error!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 09/20/2008 02:51 pm - reply- forum

To all:

Recommended article on Illegal Aliens!

http://www.hillsdale.edu/news/imprimis/archive/issue.asp?year=2008&month=07

Birthright Citizenship and Dual Citizenship: Harbingers of Administrative Tyranny

Edward J. Erler

Professor of Political Science, California State University, San Bernardino
Edward J. Erler is professor of political science at California State University, San Bernardino, and a senior fellow of the Claremont Institute. He earned his B.A. from San Jose State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in government from Claremont Graduate School. He has published numerous articles on constitutional topics in journals such as Interpretation, the Notre Dame Journal of Law, and the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. He was a member of the California Advisory Commission on Civil Rights from 1988-2006 and served on the California Constitutional Revision Commission in 1996. He has testified before the House Judiciary Committee on the issue of birthright citizenship and is the co-author of The Founders on Citizenship and Immigration.

The following is adapted from a speech delivered at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar on February 12, 2008, in Phoenix, Arizona.

BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP�the policy whereby the children of illegal aliens born within the geographical limits of the United States are entitled to American citizenship�is a great magnet for illegal immigration. Many believe that this policy is an explicit command of the Constitution, consistent with the British common law system. But this is simply not true.

The framers of the Constitution were, of course, well-versed in the British common law, having learned its essential principles from William Blackstone�s Commentaries on the Laws of England. As such, they knew that the very concept of citizenship was unknown in British common law. Blackstone speaks only of �birthright subjectship� or �birthright allegiance,� never using the terms citizen or citizenship. The idea of birthright subjectship is derived from feudal law. It is the relation of master and servant; all who are born within the protection of the king owe perpetual allegiance as a �debt of gratitude.� According to Blackstone, this debt is �intrinsic� and �cannot be forefeited, cancelled, or altered.� Birthright subjectship under the common law is thus the doctrine of perpetual allegiance.

America�s Founders rejected this doctrine. The Declaration of Independence, after all, solemnly proclaims that �the good People of these Colonies. . . are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.� According to Blackstone, the common law regards such an act as �high treason.� So the common law�the feudal doctrine of perpetual allegiance�could not possibly serve as the ground of American (i.e., republican) citizenship. Indeed, the idea is too preposterous to entertain!

James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the Constitutional Convention as well as a Supreme Court Justice, captured the essence of the matter when he remarked: �Under the Constitution of the United States there are citizens, but no subjects.� The transformation of subjects into citizens was the work of the Declaration and the Constitution. Both are premised on the idea that citizenship is based on the consent of the governed�not the accident of birth.

Who is a Citizen?
Citizenship, of course, does not exist by nature; it is created by law, and the identification of citizens has always been considered an essential aspect of sovereignty. After all, the founders of a new nation are not born citizens of the new nation they create. Indeed, this is true of all citizens of a new nation�they are not born into it, but rather become citizens by law.

Although the Constitution of 1787 mentioned citizens, it did not define citizenship. It was in 1868 that a definition of citizenship entered the Constitution, with the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. Here is the familiar language: �All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.� Thus there are two components to American citizenship: birth or naturalization in the U.S. and being subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. We have somehow come today to believe that anyone born within the geographical limits of the U.S. is automatically subject to its jurisdiction. But this renders the jurisdiction clause utterly superfluous and without force. If this had been the intention of the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment, presumably they would simply have said that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are thereby citizens.

Indeed, during debate over the amendment, Senator Jacob Howard of Ohio, the author of the citizenship clause, attempted to assure skeptical colleagues that the new language was not intended to make Indians citizens of the U.S. Indians, Howard conceded, were born within the nation�s geographical limits; but he steadfastly maintained that they were not subject to its jurisdiction because they owed allegiance to their tribes. Senator Lyman Trumbull, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, rose to support his colleague, arguing that �subject to the jurisdiction thereof� meant �not owing allegiance to anybody else and being subject to the complete jurisdiction of the United States.� Jurisdiction understood as allegiance, Senator Howard interjected, excludes not only Indians but �persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, [or] who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers.� Thus �subject to the jurisdiction� does not simply mean, as is commonly thought today, subject to American laws or American courts. It means owing exclusive political allegiance to the U.S.

Consider as well that in 1868, the year the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified, Congress passed the Expatriation Act. This act permitted American citizens to renounce their allegiance and alienate their citizenship. This piece of legislation was supported by Senator Howard and other leading architects of the Fourteenth Amendment, and characterized the right of expatriation as �a natural and inherent right of all people, indispensable to the enjoyment of the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.� Like the idea of citizenship, this right of expatriation is wholly incompatible with the common law understanding of perpetual allegiance and subjectship. One member of the House expressed the general sense of the Congress when he proclaimed: �The old feudal doctrine stated by Blackstone and adopted as part of the common law of England . . . is not only at war with the theory of our institutions, but is equally at war with every principle of justice and of sound public policy.� The common law established what was characterized as an �indefensible doctrine of indefeasible allegiance,� a feudal doctrine wholly at odds with republican government.

In sum, this legacy of feudalism�which we today call birthright citizenship�was decisively rejected as the ground of American citizenship by the Fourteenth Amendment and the Expatriation Act of 1868. It is absurd, then, to believe that the Fourteenth Amendment confers the boon of American citizenship on the children of illegal aliens. Nor does the denial of birthright citizenship visit the sins of the parents on the children, as is often claimed, since the children of illegal aliens born in the U.S. are not being denied anything to which they have a right. Their allegiance should follow that of their parents during their minority. Furthermore, it is difficult to fathom how those who defy American law can derive benefits for their children by their defiance�or that any sovereign nation would allow such a thing.

There is no Supreme Court decision squarely holding that children of illegal aliens are automatically citizens of the U.S. An 1898 decision, U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, held by a vote of 5-4 that a child of legal resident aliens is entitled to birthright citizenship. The Wong Kim Ark decision, however, was based on the mistaken premise that the Fourteenth Amendment adopted the common law system of birthright citizenship. The majority opinion did not explain how subjects were miraculously transformed into citizens within the common law. Justice Gray, writing the majority decision, merely stipulated that �citizen� and �subject� were convertible terms�as if there were no difference between feudal monarchy and republicanism. Indeed, Chief Justice Fuller wrote a powerful dissent in the case arguing that the idea of birthright subjectship had been repealed by the American Revolution and the principles of the Declaration.

The constitutional grounds for the majority opinion in Wong Kim Ark are tendentious and it could easily be overturned. This would, of course, require a proper understanding of the foundations of American citizenship, and whether the current Supreme Court is capable of such is open to conjecture. But in any case, to say that children of legal aliens are entitled to citizenship is one thing; after all, their parents are in the country with the permission of the U.S. It is entirely different with illegal aliens, who are here without permission. Thus repeal of the current policy of birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens would not require a constitutional amendment.

We have seen that the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment unanimously agreed that Indians were not �subject to the jurisdiction� of the U.S. Beginning in 1870, however, Congress began to pass legislation offering citizenship to Indians on a tribe by tribe basis. Finally, in 1923, there was a universal offer to all tribes. Any Indian who consented could become an American citizen. This citizenship was based on reciprocal consent: an offer on the part of the U.S. and acceptance on the part of an individual. Thus Congress used its legislative powers under the Fourteenth Amendment to determine who was within the jurisdiction of the U.S. It could make a similar determination today, based on this legislative precedent, that children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens are not subject to American jurisdiction. A constitutional amendment is no more required now than it was in 1923.

Dual Citizenship and Decline
The same kind of confusion that has led us to accept birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens has led us to tolerate dual citizenship. We recall that the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment specified that those who are naturalized must owe exclusive allegiance to the U.S. to be included within its jurisdiction. And the citizenship oath taken today still requires a pledge of such allegiance. But in practice dual citizenship�and dual allegiance�is allowed. This is a sign of the decline of American citizenship and of America as a nation-state.

It is remarkable that 85 percent of all immigrants arriving in the U.S. come from countries that allow�and encourage�dual citizenship. Dual citizens, of course, give the sending countries a unique political presence in the U.S., and many countries use their dual citizens to promote their own interests by exerting pressure on American policy makers. Such foreign meddling in our internal political affairs has in fact become quite routine. Thus we have created a situation where a newly naturalized citizen can swear exclusive allegiance to the U.S. while retaining allegiance to a vicious despotism or a theocratic tyranny.

Elite liberal opinion has for many years considered the sovereign nation-state as an historical anachronism in an increasingly globalized world. We are assured that human dignity adheres to the individual and does not require the mediation of the nation-state. In this new universe of international norms, demands on the part of the nation-state to exclusive allegiance or for assimilation violate �universal personhood.� In such a universe, citizenship will become superfluous or even dangerous.

Those who advocate open borders tend to share this cosmopolitan view of transnational citizenship. Illegal immigrants, they say, are merely seeking to support their families and improve their lives. Borders, according to them, should not stand in the way of �family values��those universal �values� that refuse to recognize the importance or relevance of mere political boundaries. Somehow, for those who hold these views, political exclusivity and the requirement of exclusive allegiance are opposed to these universal �values� if not to human decency itself.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon was in California recently pushing for more liberal immigration policies. He assured his fellow citizens who reside in the U.S. that he is �actively working to defend their human rights.� �No matter their immigration status,� Calderon said, �they are human beings with dignity and rights that should be respected. We are working, with the full effort of the [Mexican] government, to bring a halt to the campaigns that harass migrants.� However much Calderon may be worried about the human rights of his fellow citizens, he is fully cognizant of the fact that Mexico�s economy depends on the remittances of its citizens working abroad. These remittances have become Mexico�s second largest source of revenue, trailing only its rapidly declining oil revenues. It is far easier�and politically safer�for Mexico to export its poverty than to reform its own political and economic system.

We must constantly remind ourselves, however, of the historical fact that constitutional democracy has existed only in the nation-state, and that the demise of the nation-state will almost certainly mean the demise of constitutional democracy. No one believes that the European Union or similar organizations will ever produce constitutional government. Indeed, the EU is well on its way to becoming an administrative tyranny. Nor would the homogeneous world-state�the EU on a global scale�be a constitutional democracy; it would be the administration of �universal personhood� without the inconvenience of having to rely on the consent of the governed. The doctrine of birthright citizenship and the acceptance of dual citizenship are signs that we in the U.S. are on the verge of reinstituting feudalism and replacing citizenship with the master-servant relationship. The continued vitality of the nation-state and of constitutional government depends on the continued vitality of citizenship, which carries with it exclusive allegiance to what the Declaration calls a �separate and equal� nation. Unless we recover an understanding of the foundations of citizenship, we will find ourselves in a world where there are subjects but no citizens.

*****

Comment: Prof. Erler compares the notion of birthright in systems of common law allegiance and citizenship. In systems of allegiance, children of illegal aliens born within a territory become subjects to the reigning authority. Whereas, in systems of citizenship, they owe no such allegiance; however, they are likewise not considered to be citizens by birthright alone. In order to acquire citizenship, children born of illegal aliens must become subject to the jurisdiction of the territory in question (Fourteenth Amendment (1868) for USA).

As a result of the Revolutionary War (outcome) and the Declaration of Independence, jurisdiction no longer followed from birthright. Permission from the United States of America is required in order to come under the jurisdiction of the United States of America. Specifically, parents residing within the USA have permission for their children to become citizens; however, illegal aliens do not have any such permission ... are not subject to USA jurisdiction and, therefore, are not citizens.

Very well written!

With Aloha,

PS: Michelle Malkin has an article on National Security in the same issue Imprimis.

# Posted by harry at 08/09/2008 02:35 pm - reply- forum

To all:

Videos of Erupting Volcan on Big Island of Hawaii:

http://www.khnl.com/global/story.asp?s=8705781

Explosive Big Island eruption

Updated: July 20, 2008 10:04 PM

Featured Videos

By Paul Drewes

BIG ISLAND (KHNL) - Kilauea's eruption has delighted thousands over the past 25 years. And this impressive natural attraction is at it again, giving volcano viewers a spectacular and explosive show where the lava enters the ocean.

Above the roar of the volcano's elemental battle between fiery hot magma and water, explosions of gas can also be heard. At the Waikupanaha ocean entry.

Ash, dust and lava are fired into the air.

"Its extremely exciting and a rare event. There were explosions of red hot lava rock," said Jock Goodman, a Waimea resident.

The intense heat over the cool waters even creates some unusual weather features.

"The real interesting thing was the twisters, the vortex spinning off the water spouts because of the current and all the violence," said Goodman.

And the spectacular show went well into the night. Rocks and lava were shot a hundred feet in the air. From nearly a mile away, the strong explosions were watched intensely, by the hundreds who came out. The explosions at the ocean entry picked up on Friday and delighted volcano watchers all weekend long.

"It wasn't like liquid fountains of molten lava, it was an explosion. Like a dynamite explosion under red hot rock being shot into the air. It was pretty darn exciting," added Goodman.

All the lava heading into the ocean at that entry site is also kicking up a steam plume rising thousands of feet in the air. It's so big, weather satellites are picking up the plume clouds from space.

Comment: Enjoy the linked videos in the article!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 07/21/2008 07:57 am - reply- forum

To all:

No Weapons of Mass Destrcution?

http://www.military.com/news/article/us-removes-uranium-from-iraq.html

US Removes Uranium From Iraq

July 06, 2008
Associated Press

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium - reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.

The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" - the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment - was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.

What's now left is the final and complicated push to clean up the remaining radioactive debris at the former Tuwaitha nuclear complex about 12 miles south of Baghdad - using teams that include Iraqi experts recently trained in the Chernobyl fallout zone in Ukraine.

"Everyone is very happy to have this safely out of Iraq," said a senior U.S. official who outlined the nearly three-month operation to The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

While yellowcake alone is not considered potent enough for a so-called "dirty bomb" - a conventional explosive that disperses radioactive material - it could stir widespread panic if incorporated in a blast. Yellowcake also can be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, nuclear weapons using sophisticated equipment.

The Iraqi government sold the yellowcake to a Canadian uranium producer, Cameco Corp., in a transaction the official described as worth "tens of millions of dollars." A Cameco spokesman, Lyle Krahn, declined to discuss the price, but said the yellowcake will be processed at facilities in Ontario for use in energy-producing reactors.

"We are pleased ... that we have taken (the yellowcake) from a volatile region into a stable area to produce clean electricity," he said.

The deal culminated more than a year of intense diplomatic and military initiatives - kept hushed in fear of ambushes or attacks once the convoys were under way: first carrying 3,500 barrels by road to Baghdad, then on 37 military flights to the Indian Ocean atoll of Diego Garcia and finally aboard a U.S.-flagged ship for a 8,500-mile trip to Montreal.

And, in a symbolic way, the mission linked the current attempts to stabilize Iraq with some of the high-profile claims about Saddam's weapons capabilities in the buildup to the 2003 invasion.

Accusations that Saddam had tried to purchase more yellowcake from the African nation of Niger - and an article by a former U.S. ambassador refuting the claims - led to a wide-ranging probe into Washington leaks that reached high into the Bush administration.

Tuwaitha and an adjacent research facility were well known for decades as the centerpiece of Saddam's nuclear efforts.

Israeli warplanes bombed a reactor project at the site in 1981. Later, U.N. inspectors documented and safeguarded the yellowcake, which had been stored in aging drums and containers since before the 1991 Gulf War. There was no evidence of any yellowcake dating from after 1991, the official said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have guarded the 23,000-acre site - surrounded by huge sand berms - following a wave of looting after Saddam's fall that included villagers toting away yellowcake storage barrels for use as drinking water cisterns.

Yellowcake is obtained by using various solutions to leach out uranium from raw ore and can have a corn meal-like color and consistency. It poses no severe risk if stored and sealed properly. But exposure carries well-documented health concerns associated with heavy metals such as damage to internal organs, experts say.

"The big problem comes with any inhalation of any of the yellowcake dust," said Doug Brugge, a professor of public health issues at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Moving the yellowcake faced numerous hurdles.

Diplomats and military leaders first weighed the idea of shipping the yellowcake overland to Kuwait's port on the Persian Gulf. Such a route, however, would pass through Iraq's Shiite heartland and within easy range of extremist factions, including some that Washington claims are aided by Iran. The ship also would need to clear the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf, where U.S. and Iranian ships often come in close contact.

Kuwaiti authorities, too, were reluctant to open their borders to the shipment despite top-level lobbying from Washington.

An alternative plan took shape: shipping out the yellowcake on cargo planes.

But the yellowcake still needed a final destination. Iraqi government officials sought buyers on the commercial market, where uranium prices spiked at about $120 per pound last year. It's currently selling for about half that. The Cameco deal was reached earlier this year, the official said.

At that point, U.S.-led crews began removing the yellowcake from the Saddam-era containers - some leaking or weakened by corrosion - and reloading the material into about 3,500 secure barrels.

In April, truck convoys started moving the yellowcake from Tuwaitha to Baghdad's international airport, the official said. Then, for two weeks in May, it was ferried in 37 flights to Diego Garcia, a speck of British territory in the Indian Ocean where the U.S. military maintains a base.

On June 3, an American ship left the island for Montreal, said the official, who declined to give further details about the operation.

The yellowcake wasn't the only dangerous item removed from Tuwaitha.

Earlier this year, the military withdrew four devices for controlled radiation exposure from the former nuclear complex. The lead-enclosed irradiation units, used to decontaminate food and other items, contain elements of high radioactivity that could potentially be used in a weapon, according to the official. Their Ottawa-based manufacturer, MDS Nordion, took them back for free, the official said.

The yellowcake was the last major stockpile from Saddam's nuclear efforts, but years of final cleanup is ahead for Tuwaitha and other smaller sites.

The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency plans to offer technical expertise.

Last month, a team of Iraqi nuclear experts completed training in the Ukrainian ghost town of Pripyat, which once housed the Chernobyl workers before the deadly meltdown in 1986, said an IAEA official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decontamination plan has not yet been publicly announced.

But the job ahead is enormous, complicated by digging out radioactive "hot zones" entombed in concrete during Saddam's rule, said the IAEA official. Last year, an IAEA safety expert, Dennis Reisenweaver, predicted the cleanup could take "many years."

The yellowcake issue also is one of the many troubling footnotes of the war for Washington.

A CIA officer, Valerie Plame, claimed her identity was leaked to journalists to retaliate against her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, who wrote that he had found no evidence to support assertions that Iraq tried to buy additional yellowcake from Niger.

A federal investigation led to the conviction of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Comment: Uranium inhaled will eventually end up in the bones where its emitted alpha-particles will play havoc with our blood cell reproduction ... like tossing grenades in classrooms will filled with children.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium

As for the potential dirty bomb comment:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Candi/Justice-Hawk/e/9780595267828/?itm=1

The figure 550 metric tons of yellowcake, in the right hands, could produce weapons-grade nuclear material ... dirty bombs or much worse!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 07/06/2008 12:50 pm - reply- forum

To all:

He Made It!!!!

http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=7359

Posted on: Saturday, July 5, 2008 10:13 AM HST

Man finishes journey from Hawaii to Japan in wave-powered boat
Trip took more than 3 months

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP)Japanese adventurer Kenichi Horie took more than three months to sail from Hawaii to Japan in a boat powered by the energy of ocean waves, but says he was blessed with good weather and tasty fish.
"The sea was so calm, and the weather was so great throughout my journey. That's why it took me so long," he said today.

The 4,800-mile (7,800-kilometer) voyage, which began in Honolulu in March, ended Friday when his 3-ton yacht docked in Wakayama in western Japan.

he trip � which Horie claims was the world's longest solo voyage in a wave-powered boat � is just the latest journey using green technology for the 69-year-old sailor.

In 1992, Horie pedaled a boat from Hawaii to Okinawa in southern Japan. In 1996, he sailed nearly 10,000 miles (16,090 kilometers) from Ecuador to Tokyo aboard a solar-powered boat made from recycled aluminum beer cans.

Horie's most recent trip would have taken just 10 days in a regular diesel-powered boat. But he said he is raising awareness about ecology, although his endeavors may take a bit longer.

His boat, which relies on wave energy to move two fins at its bow and propel it forward, sailed at an average speed of 1.5 knots � slower than humans walk.

"I've been thinking about riding a wave-powered boat for 30 years, and finally my dream came true. The journey was so fun, and it was easy," he said in a telephone interview from his yacht in Osaka Bay in western Japan.

Horie ate mostly rice and curry that he brought along on the boat, but sometimes ate squid and flying fish that he caught.

"They tasted great," he said.

The 31-foot (9.5-meter) boat, the Suntory Mermaid II, was designed to right itself if it capsized and was equipped with an engine and a sail for emergencies. But they were never needed because Horie didn't encounter a single storm.

Equipment on the boat, made of recycled aluminum, was all solar-powered, including navigation radios, microwave and even Horie's razor.

"All my equipment worked perfectly," he said.

Comment: At 69, voyaging on wave motion alone (and solar power) from Hawaii to Japan ... what does that say about the Native Hawaiian Voyager Society that had to be towed into land half-way through their similar trek to Japan.

Without question, naval architecture & engineering has a new horizon to explore with great vigor! 4,800 miles on no fuel!

Omedotou, Hori-san!

# Posted by harry at 07/06/2008 03:29 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=110909&d=15&m=6&y=2008

Suicide bombing? Perish the thought

Shafquat Ali, shafquat.ali@arabnews.com

Four-year-old Duha can barely hold back her tears as she watches her mother getting dressed to leave home. Knowing full well she will not be accompanying her, she implores: �Mommy, what are you carrying in your arms instead of me?�

There are no answers. Not until a day later. Just when teary-eyed Duha has all but given up questioning her mother�s return with eyes transfixed on the door, the evening news tells it all. Her mother, it turns out, had blown herself up, killing four Israelis.

The little girl, inconsolable as she is, seeks solace in her mother�s belongings. Rummaging through her dead mother�s bedside table, Duha finds a hidden stick of dynamite. She picks it up.

And embraces it. By the looks of it, little Duha may well grow up to follow in her mother�s footsteps.

That may not be a true a story � it was a macabre music video that appeared on a television show for Palestinian children � but there�s no denying that it drew inspiration from any number of similar real-life stories circulating in the Arab street.

Take Reem Riyashi, a Palestinian mother of two who blew herself up in a suicide attack against Israeli soldiers at a Gaza border crossing in January 2004, for instance. A video statement released hours after her death showed her in battle fatigue, brandishing a semiautomatic rifle.

�I have always wished to knock at the door of heaven carrying skulls belonging to the sons of Zion,� Riyashi said menacingly, with a scowl on her face.

Not surprising then that, four years after her bloody death, she continues to be hailed as a courageous resistance fighter throughout Gaza and the West Bank.

But, at the same time, one cannot help but wonder if people had noticed how she was also fighting to ensure that her tough talking did not betray her hidden emotion. The emotion of a mother who was going on a mission from which she would never return to embrace her two children. To take care of them, to caress them.

Never mind. The fact of the matter is: With the number of Riyashis growing everyday, it is not easy to sketch a picture of an archetypical suicide bomber. Not any more.

Today, a suicide bomber could be a weary old man in a wheelchair asking for help on the streets of Baghdad. An elderly lady holding out her palms for charity in a bazaar in Ramallah. Or it could be a zesty young lad cheering along with the crowd at a sporting event in Kandahar.

He could also be a brooding figure offering a hand as a dear one is laid to rest at a cemetery in Mingora town in Pakistan�s Swat Valley or a trendy young lad standing outside the discotheque in Tel Aviv.

On the other hand, she could be a mentally handicapped woman nudging past in a Shiite shrine in Karbala or a pretty, young lady sitting next to you on a bus in Colombo.

But that�s not all, if slain Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in a bomb-and-suicide attack in Rawalpindi last year, was to be believed, it could be also be an innocent baby.

In her memoirs, she raised suspicion that a baby a young man was holding out to her at a rally in Karachi was laden with explosives. Moments later, a suicide attack killed 180.

Yes, it is true, such pictures of suicide bombers are now etched in our recent memory.

It�s worrisome enough that suicide bombers seem to be springing up everywhere. But, what�s worse is the fear that they are no longer shadowy figures that were once described as the pride and joy of former PLO chief Yasser Arafat�s arsenal.

Today, they are the most deadly weapons of mass destruction which have no known defense. And the reason for their very existence � and subsequent demise � ranges from political vendetta to social vengeance and from ideological differences to economic disparity.

To put it bluntly, suicide bombers today are furiously crawling out of the woodwork and could even be right next to you as you read this.

No, I am not trying to paint a scary picture and suggest suicide bombers have taken over the world in general and the Middle East in particular. Far from it, they exist in pockets. But those pockets are growing alarmingly deeper � and at a far greater pace than you and I had ever imagined.

What�s more, the picture of the quintessential suicide bomber � if there was one � is being rapidly replaced by everyday faces.

But now, the question is: Why are people much like you and me dying to kill themselves, knowing only too well there will be no dignity in death?

Moments after they have pressed the trigger to blow themselves and others around them up, their bodies would be splattered into tiny pieces that may never see a funeral, let alone get recognized in the pool of blood and gore. Also, whatever it is that they choose to answer their Creator thereafter, one thing is clear: They will have to explain why they decided to play God.

And took it upon themselves to end the lives of their victims. It would certainly weaken their case if they have to account for innocent women and children in those numbers.

Without venturing into a debate on the merits or demerits of suicide bombings � given that the term is being increasingly replaced by martyrdom operation � the increase in attacks against civilians, as opposed to military targets, does raise alarm bells.

A Hamas training manual, for instance, apparently notes �It is foolish to hunt for the tiger when there are plenty of sheep around.� And that�s something we can ill afford to dismiss sheepishly.

Comment: None!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 06/15/2008 06:59 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356018,00.html

Rebel Documents Present Damning Evidence of Venezuelan Aid to FARC

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Venezuela offered substantial military help to Colombian rebels in their fight against the Colombian government, according to a report Thursday by the Washington Post, which cited internal rebel documents.

The Post reports that Venezuelan officials set up contacts with Australian arms dealers and arranged for missile training in the Middle East, according to the documents, which were on computer hard drives seized by Colombia.

Venezuela's ties to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, came under further scrutiny Thursday when Interpol said it had concluded that the Colombian government hadn't tampered with the seized computers.

Interpol's report bolsters Colombia's claims that the computers contain evidence of meddling by Venezuela in its neighbor's war with FARC. Venezuela has asserted the files on the computer are bogus, and on Thursday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced the Interpol report as "ridiculous."

The developments come on the heels of Chavez's warning Wednesday that Colombia should not allow a U.S. military base on the border between the two countries, or else Venezuela would consider it an act of "aggression" that would revive a decades-old territorial conflict in the region known as La Guajira.

"We will not allow the Colombian government to give La Guajira to the empire," Chavez said, referring to the U.S. during a speech to a packed auditorium of uniformed soldiers. "Colombia is launching a threat of war at us."

Diplomatic relations between Caracas and Bogota have been rocky for months. They worsened last week when Colombia unveiled documents allegedly showing that Chavez sought to arm and finance Colombian rebels.

Interpol's findings are sure to increase pressure on Chavez, and more revelations are likely to emerge, since Interpol also turned over 983 decrypted files to Colombia and left it up to Colombian officials to decide whether to make the contents public.

Colombian commandos recovered the three Toshiba Satellite laptop computers, two external hard drives and three USB memory sticks after destroying the rebel camp just across the border in Ecuador. FARC foreign minister Raul Reyes and 24 others were killed in the March 1 raid.

The 39-page forensic report by Interpol concluded Colombian authorities did not always follow internationally accepted methods for handling computer evidence, but said that didn't taint the data.

The France-based international police agency limited itself to verifying whether Colombia altered the files and correctly handled the evidence, but did not address the contents of the documents.

More than a dozen internal rebel messages detail several years of close cooperation between top Venezuelan and FARC officials, including rebel training facilities on Venezuelan soil and a meeting inside Venezuela's equivalent of the Pentagon, according to the Associated Press, which reviewed text files provided by a senior Colombian official.

The Washington Post reported Colombian officials said they had no evidence that the guerrillas obtained antiaircraft missiles with Venezuela's help, but Venezuelan authorities seem to have provided rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other weaponry to FARC.

"They are serious allegations about Venezuela supplying arms and support to a terrorist organization," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington. "Certainly, that has deep implications for the people of the region."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/14/AR2008051403785.html?sub=AR

Comment: It appears that the Bolivian Revolution, envisioned by Che Guevara, remains active in the imaginations of South American leadership! When we consider the produce that we acquire from South America, the fallout from such a revolution would have a devastating impact on the United States of America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 05/15/2008 07:28 pm - reply- forum

To All:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/blackhole_jets_040817.html

Twisted Physics: How Black Holes Spout Off

By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 17 August 2004
06:58 am ET

Black holes are complex beasts. Among their mysterious traits are intense jets of matter that sometimes shoot out from the rotational poles at nearly light-speed.

The jets are the result of some really twisted physics, according to a new computer model. And to unravel the mystery, a researcher invokes some imaginary string, a corkscrew and a certain child's plaything -- the Slinky.

First, the puzzle. At the centers of some galaxies are supermassive black holes that can hold more material than a billion Suns, theorists say. From some of these galaxies, focused beams of hot gas shoot into space at more than 99 percent the speed of light. The plasma emits X-rays, radio waves and other radiation, all of which has been widely observed.

Researchers assume the material is accelerated by some mechanism related to the black hole. But there are multiple theories.

One idea is that the spinning of the black hole drags space and time, which twists magnetic field lines and generates a coiled force akin to what allows Tigger to bounce on his tail. Researchers led by Vladimir Semenov of the State University in St. Petersburg, Russia, have created a new computer model that supports this notion.

Semenov's colleague, Brian Punsly of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, explained what the team thinks is going on.

Plasma, a superheated gas considered the fourth state of matter, infuses the inner part of a galaxy. Some of it spins into a fairly flat disk around the equatorial region of the central black hole as it gets sucked inward.

"The plasma takes weak strands of magnetic field along for the ride, depositing them near the black hole," Punsly said in an e-mail interview.

This accumulation of magnetized plasma creates a strong magnetic field near the black hole. The lines arc outward like rigid strings that can be envisioned as the skeletal remains of giant space pumpkin. Plasma tends to stick to field lines, effectively forming strings of plasma.

"Plasma sticks to them for the same reason that iron filings trace out a magnetic line of force around a magnet," Punsly said in an e-mail interview. At the heart of the galaxy, all this gets very interesting. "The strings wind around the black hole."

But this is no simple winding action. The black hole is spinning very fast, and according to Einstein it drags space-time with it. Very close to the black hole, the magnetic field is dragged, "twisting up the strings like a corkscrew," Punsly said. Then it all comes rather undone as the contorted setup propagates out along the black hole's rotational axis, taking the plasma with it.

You can try this at home.

Take a long flexible wire and imagine it is the magnetic string. Try to make a Slinky by twisting one end relative to the other -- that's the space-time dragging force.

"If you try to do this, the wire won't conform to the Slinky's shape," Punsly predicts. "It will try to spring apart. It is a torsional spring. You will feel two forces, one the uncoiling and a second is an expansion force along the axis of the helix that results from trying to compress the individual coils together. If you release your hands it will spring apart axially."

Roger Blandford, a California Institute of Technology professor who has been theorizing about black hole jets since the 1970s, said the idea that a rotating black hole directly drags the magnetic field, thus accelerating the plasma, is probably the current leading theory for how the jets are produced. "However, the specifics are controversial," he said.

And Blandford and others say there are at least two other processes that could be at work.

The orbiting disk of material coming into the black hole might drag the magnetic field, launching jets from the accretion disk, not from near the hole, explained David Meier, an astrophysicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who has also modeled black hole jet formation on computers. Or perhaps the black hole drags the disk around, which drags the field around, and thereby indirectly accelerates the jet,

"The field is still very much up in the air," Meier told SPACE.com.

The problem, of course, is that black holes can't be seen. Even the environments around black holes, being so chaotic and full of energy and bright plasma, thwart close scrutiny. The key to figuring all this out, Meier said, would be to measure black hole spin rates -- something that astronomers don't yet know how to do.

"If we could determine -- as we suspect -- that black holes with powerful jets are spinning rapidly while those without strong jets are not, then we would at least understand that it is the black hole rotation that creates the jets," Meier said.

Background articles:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/06/020604073033.htm

Black Hole Dynamo May Be Cosmos' Ultimate Electricity Generator
>>>

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353195,00.html

Astronomers Solve Mystery of Black Hole Jets

By Clara Moskowitz
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

While we may never know what it looks like inside a black hole, astronomers recently obtained one of the closest views yet.

The sighting allowed scientists to confirm theories about how these giant cosmic sinkholes spew out jets of particles travelling at nearly the speed of light.

Ever since the first observations of these powerful jets, which are among the brightest objects seen in the universe, astronomers have wondered what causes the particles to accelerate to such great speeds.

http://www.space.com/php/video/player.php?video_id=080428_blazar-coil

A leading hypothesis suggested the black hole's gigantic mass distorts space and time around it, twisting magnetic field lines into a coil that propels material outward.

Now researchers have observed a jet during a period of extreme outburst and found evidence that streams of particles wind a corkscrew path away from the black hole, as the leading hypothesis predicts.

We got an unprecedented view of the inner portion of one of these jets and gained information that's very important to understanding how these tremendous particle accelerators work," said Boston University astronomer Alan Marscher, who led the research team.

The results of the study are detailed in the April 24 issue of the journal Nature.

The team studied a galaxy called BL Lacertae (BL Lac), about 950 million light years from Earth, with a central black hole containing 200 million times the mass of our Sun.

Since this supermassive black hole's jets are pointing nearly straight at us, it is called a blazar (a quasar is often thought to be the same as a blazar, except its jets are pointed away from us).

The new observations, taken by the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope, along with NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and a number of optical telescopes, show material moving outward along a spiral channel, as the scientists expected.

These data support the suggestion that twisted magnetic field lines are creating the jet plumes.

Material in the center of the galaxy, such as nearby stars and gas, gets pulled in by the black hole's overwhelming gravity and forms a disk orbiting around the core (the material's inertia keeps it spiraling in a disk rather than falling straight into the black hole).

The distorted magnetic field lines seem to pull charged particles off the disk and cause them to gush outward at nearly the speed of light.

"We knew that material was falling in to these regions, and we knew that there were outbursts coming out," said University of Michigan astronomer Hugh Aller, who worked on the new study. "What's really been a mystery was that we could see there were these really high-energy particles, but we didn't know how they were created, how they were accelerated.

"It turns out that the model matches the data. We can actually see the particles gaining velocity as they are accelerated along this magnetic field."

The astronomers also observed evidence of another phenomenon predicted by the leading hypothesis � that a flare would be produced when material spewing out in the jets hit a shock wave beyond the core of the black hole.

"That behavior is exactly what we saw," Marscher said.

Comment: I selected these three articles, because what has not been acknowledged is that: If Black Holes generate magnetic fields, then it is quite possible that the four fundamental forces remain as one unified field within a Black Hole. And, if we allow our imaginations to roam, then it may be conceivable that the four fundamental forces do exist in our reality as one force, begetting the other four as the situation dictates.

Generation, as described in the articles, may well be the conversion of a unified force into the four fundamental forces. We could have induced our reality incorrectly!

Superstring theory could be leading to this very conclusion.

Now, if we add our suppositions about the Higgs Field, the magnetic field observed emanating from a Black Hole could actually be an energy-to-mass conversion process. If this is true, then Black Holes are not the demons of the Cosmos for which they have been portrayed ... they are conversion portals! As the Higgs Boson has been affectionately referred to as the God Particle, then Black Holes would equate to Heaven!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 05/03/2008 05:51 pm - reply- forum

To all:

Lies Told by Democrats!

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/OPINION02/804090371/1108

mideast

Not true that war in Iraq is all about oil

A recent letter asserted that the war in Iraq only concerns oil. This is not true.

More than 73 percent of our oil comes from other sources: Iraq ranks eighth in importing nations, right above the Virgin Islands.

Here are a few facts rarely reported and all are verifiable on the Department of Defense Web site.

The Iraqi government employs 1.2 million people, and 47 countries have re-established their embassies there.

Iraq has a fully operational air force and navy plus a counter-terrorist unit and a commando battalion.

The Iraq police service has more than 55,000 trained and equipped officers and its five police academies produce more than 3,500 new officers every eight weeks.

More than 3,000 schools have been renovated, and there are 364 new schools and 263 under construction. Iraq's higher education system consists of 20 universities, 46 institutes or colleges and four research centers.

Iraq has an independent media consisting of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations.

There are more than 1,100 new building projects that include schools, public clinics, hospitals and railroad stations, plus water, electrical and oil facilities.

By accentuating the negative, our media undermines world perception of the U.S. and discourages the average American.

It demoralizes our troops who have chosen to serve and believe in their mission.

Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes accepted as fact � "it's all about the oil" is one of those lies.

Janna Wyman
Mililani

Comment: Amen!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 04/09/2008 08:47 am - reply- forum

To all:

Science Explains Religion!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,343674,00.html

Researchers: Asteroid Destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah

Monday, March 31, 2008

A clay tablet that has baffled scientists for 150 years has been identified as a witness's account of the asteroid suspected of being behind the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Researchers who cracked the cuneiform symbols on the Planisphere tablet believe that it recorded an asteroid thought to have been more than half a mile across.

The tablet, found by Henry Layard in the remains of the library in the royal place at Nineveh in the mid-19th century, is thought to be a 700 B.C. copy of notes made by a Sumerian astronomer watching the night sky.

He referred to the asteroid as a "white stone bowl approaching" and recorded it as it "vigorously swept along."

Using computers to recreate the night sky thousands of years ago, scientists have pinpointed his sighting to shortly before dawn on June 29 in the year 3123 B.C.

About half the symbols on the tablet have survived and half of those refer to the asteroid. The other symbols record the positions of clouds and constellations. In the past 150 years scientists have made five unsuccessful attempts to translate the tablet.

Mark Hempsell, one of the researchers from Bristol University who cracked the tablet's code, said: "It's a wonderful piece of observation, an absolutely perfect piece of science."

He said the size and route of the asteroid meant that it was likely to have crashed into the Austrian Alps at K�fels. As it traveled close to the ground it would have left a trail of destruction from supersonic shock waves and then slammed into the Earth with a cataclysmic impact.

Debris consisting of up to two-thirds of the asteroid would have been hurled back along its route and a flash reaching temperatures of 400 Centigrade (752 Fahrenheit) would have been created, killing anyone in its path.

About one million sq kilometers (386,000 sq miles) would have been devastated and the impact would have been equivalent to more than 1,000 tons of TNT exploding.

Dr Hempsall said that at least 20 ancient myths record devastation of the type and on the scale of the asteroid's impact, including the Old Testament tale of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the ancient Greek myth of how Phaeton, son of Helios, fell into the River Eridanus after losing control of his father's sun chariot.

The findings of Dr. Hempsall and Alan Bond, of Reaction Engines Ltd., are published in a book, "A Sumerian Observation of the K�fels Impact Event."

The researchers say that the asteroid's impact would explain why at K�fels there is evidence of an ancient landslide 3 miles wide and a quarter of a mile thick.

Tale of devastation

"Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven; and he overthrew those cities and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities ... [Abraham] looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace."

Source: Genesis 19:24-28

Comment: Interesting deduction from a series of pictures on an assortment of clay tablets!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 03/31/2008 04:20 pm - reply- forum

To all:

Normalization!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336278,00.html

Venezuela: Relations With Colombia Normalized Following Cross-Border Dispute

Sunday, March 09, 2008

CARACAS, Venezuela � Venezuela said Sunday that it was restoring full diplomatic ties with Colombia that were broken off in a regional crisis sparked by a cross-border Colombian attack on a leftist rebel camp in Ecuador.

Comment: The cross-border Cocaine War is over.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 03/09/2008 09:53 pm - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,333175,00.html

Devastation of Ocean Trawling Visible from Space

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Bottom trawling for fish stirs up billowing plumes of sediment that can be seen from space and destroys entire seafloor ecosystems, new imagery reveals.

The technique, used all over the world, is a way to catch fish in deeper parts of the ocean with huge, deep nets, now that many near-shore fish populations have been virtually wiped out from over-fishing.

Several studies have shown the significant impact that trawling has on ecosystems, killing corals, sponges, fish and other animals.

New and previously released satellite images show the extent of the plumes of material kicked up. And a video of the seafloor reveals how trawling denudes an underwater world.

"Bottom trawling is the most destructive of any actions that humans conduct in the ocean," said zoologist Les Watling of the University of Hawaii. "Ten years ago, Elliott Norse [of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute] and I calculated that, each year, worldwide, bottom trawlers drag an area equivalent to twice the lower 48 states.

Most of that trawling happens in deep waters, out of sight," he added. "But now we can more clearly envision what trawling impacts down there by looking at the sediment plumes that are shallow enough for us to see from satellites."

Watling presented his findings on Feb. 15 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.

Persistent plumes

As nets are dragged across the seafloor, they can crush coral reefs, drag boulders across the bottom, and trap fish and animals not intended to be caught, called bycatch.

All this activity stirs up sediments from the seafloor, which create the persistent plumes in the wake of the fishing ships.

Watling and his colleagues say that the plumes visible in satellite images are likely just the "tip of the iceberg" as most trawling is in waters that are deep enough that the plume remains hidden by the water above.

"Bottom trawling repeatedly plows up the seafloor over large areas of the ocean," said fellow presenter John Amos of SkyTruth, a digital mapping non-profit group aimed at environment issues based in West Virginia. (Images of these plumes can be seen on the group's Web site.)

Bans and restrictions

Scientific studies showing the impacts that trawling has on ecosystems have led to increasing restrictions on the practice.

In 2005, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean banned trawling there below depths of 1,000 meters (3, 289 feet).

The United States closed large deep-sea areas off the coast of Alaska to bottom trawling in 2006.

Many South Pacific nations have also put a stop to the practice, and the United Nations began deliberations on a trawling moratorium in the high seas in 2006.

But there are still tens of thousands of trawlers operating in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of many Latin American countries, off the west coast of Africa, in Chinese waters, and the North Sea.

"We're a long way from protecting the ocean floor from bottom trawling," Norse told LiveScience.

Comment: I was fortunate enough to work with Papua New Guinea's Ministry for Fisheries concerning sustainability issues in the Western Pacific Ocean. We saw this coming, as Deep Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) continued their onslaught of the ocean floors. I can say that I contributed to the cessation of bottom trawling.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/28/2008 04:18 am - reply- forum

To all:

Litigators: Commence Your Lawsuits:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331568,00.html

Dozens of Unindicted Lacrosse Players File Federal Lawsuit Against Duke

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

DURHAM, N.C. � More than three dozen current and former Duke lacrosse players plan to file a federal lawsuit against the university, the city of Durham and others involved in the case.

A spokesman for Washington-based attorney Charles J. Cooper said the civil lawsuit will be filed Thursday on behalf of 38 players who were not charged in the notorious case.

Spokesman Robert Bork Jr. declined Wednesday night to release the specific allegations made in the 30-count, 100-page lawsuit.

"It covers a whole lot of things, including violation of privacy," Bork said. "It's not just emotional distress."

Duke officials declined to comment.

Former Durham County prosecutor Mike Nifong won indictments against three lacrosse players in 2006, accusing them of raping a stripper at a team party.

But the case unraveled amid the accuser's constantly changing story and a lack of evidence. State prosecutors who took over the case dropped all charges and said the accused players were innocent. Nifong was later disbarred for his handling of the case.

The three accused players reached an undisclosed financial settlement with Duke in June, but later filed their own federal civil rights lawsuit against Nifong, the City of Durham and the police detectives who handled the case.

That case is still pending, as is a separate federal lawsuit filed by three unindicted players who sued the university, Nifong and dozens of others for inflicting emotional distress.

Comment: Duke University a subsidiary of the Duke Lacrosse Team!

One usually requires a scholarship in order to attend college; however, few attend college in order to retire immediately ... on a lifetime scholarship!

They may need to increase tuition at Duke in order to compensate for the ostracizing of the Lacrosse team. And, it is warranted, since so many were so quick to convict! Let us witness, if they are as quick to pay the increased tuition in order to attend a university that treats civil rights and social responsibility so indifferently!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/20/2008 10:28 pm - reply- forum

To all:

Rockslide Update:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS01/802190338/1001/NEWS01

Work begins soon on 8 sites with rockfall risks

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

The state is about to launch work at eight roadside sites on O'ahu to reduce the risk of rockfalls and help protect motorists in Kailua and Wahiawa, and through Kipapa Gulch on Kamehameha Highway.

The rockfall projects, which will cost $2.08 million in all, could begin in two weeks pending permits, and be completed by late summer, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transpotion.

Comment: Basic Rule of Thumb: Greater than 40 degree angle of repose, the rocks will come down! It is good to read that this thread conveyed basic geology to the state Department of Transportation.

# Posted by harry at 02/19/2008 07:51 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://starbulletin.com/2007/11/24/editorial/letters.html

Watada's actions violate cultural tenet

Jim Hennessy's letter (Nov. 23) lashes out at the "race-baiting" letter of James Tanabe, saying that Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada's race has nothing to do with the case at hand.

I beg to differ. The fact of Watada's Japanese roots is the very reason there is controversy. Not because of race, but because of culture.

In Sen. Daniel Inouye's memoirs, "Journey to Washington," he relates the conversation with his father upon his induction into the 442nd. Hyotaro tells his son that the Japanese word "On" is the very heart of Japanese culture. "On" incurs a debt that is never canceled. That because America has been good to them, it was Daniel's responsibility to return that goodness to this wonderful nation.

Thousands of issei parents instilled these cultural traits upon those nisei of the 442nd/100th battalion. The results of this lecture on a never-ending commitment to this country is legendary.

Today, some of us AJAs feel that Watada's actions are a disgrace and violate what our issei forefathers had imparted upon us; the spirit of "On." And for that, many veterans amongst us consider Watada's actions an unfortunate disrespect upon the culture instilled upon us by our ancestors.


Damon M. Senaha
Retired Navy lieutenant commander

Comment: On & Giri go together like a horse & carriage in Japanese culture. In this letter to the editor, LtCDR Senaha explains the concept on Giri or the burden of obligation.

On & Giri refers to the mutual obligation created between a superior and a subordinate. Today, On & Giri are witnessed more between a corporation and its employees where faithful service is reciprocated with lifetime employment. Also, patrons to one company or establishment will continue to frequent that establishment, even when prices are lower at other locations out of an On & Giri relationship. Loyalty reigns supreme in this On & Giri relationship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giri_(Japanese)

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 11/24/2007 07:22 pm - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070714/NEWS01/707140342/1001/NEWS01

Posted on: Saturday, July 14, 2007
Keck observatory sees universe's infancy


By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer


An international team of astronomers using Mauna Kea's twin Keck telescopes has peered farther back in time than anyone ever has � 13 billion years � to collect information about the universe when it was very young.

Using natural "gravitational lenses" in space, the researchers have seen the most distant objects ever spotted, believed to be galaxies in which stars were actively forming.

Since no existing telescope is powerful enough to see these events, the astronomy team employed massive galaxies whose gravity is so great that they magnify objects behind them.

These galaxies themselves are more than 2 billion light years from our own. (A light year is the distance traveled by light in a year's time, or about 5.9 trillion miles.)

Viewing radiation amplified by these galaxies, the researchers believe they have spotted features that significantly add to the knowledge of the early universe.

"Gravitational lensing is the magnification of distant sources by foreground structures. ... We have located six star-forming galaxies seen at unprecedented distances, corresponding to a time when the universe was only 500 million years old, or less that 4 percent of its present age," said team leader Richard Ellis of the California Institute of Technology.

Those objects were so far away that astronomers calculated the light collected by the Keck telescope mirrors left the galaxies 13 billion years ago. The universe began, according to current astronomy theory, with the Big Bang, which took place about 13.5 billion years ago.

The latest work shows that stars � a lot of them � were actively being formed 500 million years after the Big Bang.

"We only surveyed a tiny area ... so it's a bit like looking through the eye of a hypodermic needle. If we find anything, it suggests either we were incredibly lucky or there is a dominant population of early sources out there. We conclude the latter," Ellis said by e-mail from London.

"The objects we see are very young, with very low mass, but we are seeing the characteristic signature of stars forming. These are galaxies which are undergoing a burst of star formation," said Caltech graduate student Dan Stark.

COSMIC DAWN

Astronomers believe that about 300,000 years after the Big Bang, there were no stars � a period they refer to as the Dark Ages. At some point, stars and galaxies began forming and emitting light � an undetermined time some call the "cosmic dawn."

What's not yet clear is whether the early stars seen by Ellis' team are among the very first stars to form. They may not be, Stark said.

"Were these the first generation of star-forming objects? Is this the cosmic dawn? We don't have enough information to say. I wouldn't think of these objects as truly primordial. There should be objects earlier in the history of the universe," he said.

But it likely will be several years before anyone can know for sure. Astronomy will need much more powerful telescopes to see any farther back in time. Plans for two such telescopes are in the works. One is the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2013. The other is the land-based Thirty Meter Telescope, which organizers hope to open in 2015.

The astronomy community believes that if you look with a big enough telescope, you should find something, Stark said.

"The light is out there, we think," but it is extremely faint, he said.

FINDINGS SUPPORTED

The researchers concede there may be skeptics who suggest their galaxies are not as old as they say. But preliminary findings from another group of astronomers who are using the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes support the conclusions of the research done with Mauna Kea's Keck telescopes, they said. That second group is led by Caltech astronomer Johan Richard.

The Ellis team did some preliminary work on the Keck I telescope, and spotted the ancient galaxies on the Keck II.

"When we began this survey, there was naturally some risk in spending so much observing time hoping we'd find something. We might, quite honestly, have found nothing at all. But the universe has cooperated and we're very excited at this glimpse of the early phases of its history," Ellis said.

Comment: Article has some graphics that display the procedure described above.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 07/14/2007 01:09 pm - reply- forum

To all:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289044,00.html

Sting Operation Nets Government License to Handle Radioactive Materials

Thursday, July 12, 2007

WASHINGTON � Congressional investigators set up a bogus company with only a postal box and within a month obtained a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that allowed them to buy enough radioactive material for a small "dirty bomb."

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who will ask the NRC about the incident at a Senate hearing Thursday, said the sting operation raises concerns about terrorists obtaining such material just as easily.

Nobody at the NRC checked whether the company was legitimate and an agency official even helped the investigators fill out the application form, Coleman said in an interview Wednesday.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission acknowledged that more checking is needed in such licensing and said that since being told of the GAO sting operation it has tightened licensing procedures.

"We've fixed the problem," said NRC Commissioner Edward McGaffigan in an interview Wednesday. He said that such licenses now will require visits to the company or in some cases company officials will have to come to NRC offices.

The license that was obtained allowed for the purchase of up to five portable moisture density gauges widely used in construction, in which are encased small amounts of cesium-137 and americium 241, two highly radioactive isotopes.

Individually, these devices pose little threat because of the small amount of radioactive material, radiation experts say. Still the devices require an NRC license to be purchased and must be closely safeguarded by companies that use them to avoid theft.

But the investigators from the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, found a way to purchase as many as 45 of the gauges and could have bought many more because they duplicated the NRC-issued license and removed the restrictions on the amount that could be purchased.

"With patience and the proper financial resources, we could have accumulated from other suppliers substantially more radioactive source material than what the two supplies initially agreed to ship to us," says the GAO in a report prepared for Thursday's hearing.

Coleman, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs investigations subcommittee, said the NRC "still has this good-faith assumption. The problem is there are bad-faith people out there."

He said "there is no question" they could have obtained enough radioactive material to make a dirty bomb because the GAO was able to duplicate the certificate and no one checked on the company or whether the counterfeit license was legitimate.

A so-called dirty bomb could spread radiation by a conventional explosion but does not have a nuclear detonation. While experts believe such a bomb would not cause casualties beyond those affected by the explosion, such an attack could have significant psychological impact and have serious economy consequences because of cleanup problems.

The GAO said that investigators operated the sting from their Washington office, although they provided a postal box in West Virginia. At one point, an NRC license examiner called them to caution that the gauges are subject to special security at the construction site.

The GAO said that it contacted two suppliers of the gauges and that one "offered to provide twice as many machines as we requested and offered a discount for volume purchases." The investigators also were told that the supplier does not check with NRC to confirm the terms on the license, a copy of which was sent to the supplier along with the purchase order.

The GAO investigators never finished the deal because they didn't have the money to buy the machines � which can cost several thousand dollars apiece � and also didn't have any place to safely store them.

The GAO also tried to get a license from the state of Maryland, one of 34 states that the NRC has given authority to handle such licensing. Unlike the NRC, the Maryland officials said they wanted to visit the company, so the investigators withdrew their application.

Comment: Apparently, Iran could just order the bomb materials from the USA!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 07/12/2007 09:57 am - reply- forum

To all:

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/newton-papers-reveal-apocalypse/20070619115009990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Newton Papers Reveal Apocalypse Calculation
Documents Shed Light on Scientist's Religious Beliefs
By MATTI FRIEDMAN
AP
Posted: 2007-06-19 11:52:07

JERUSALEM (June 18) - Three-century-old manuscripts by Isaac Newton calculating the exact date of the apocalypse, detailing the precise dimensions of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and interpreting passages of the Bible - exhibited this week for the first time - lay bare the little-known religious intensity of a man many consider history's greatest scientist.

Newton, who died 280 years ago, is known for laying much of the groundwork for modern physics, astronomy, math and optics. But in a new Jerusalem exhibit, he appears as a scholar of deep faith who also found time to write on Jewish law - even penning a few phrases in careful Hebrew letters - and combing the Old Testament's Book of Daniel for clues about the world's end.

The documents, purchased by a Jewish scholar at a Sotheby's auction in London in 1936, have been kept in safes at Israel's national library in Jerusalem since 1969. Available for decades only to a small number of scholars, they have never before been shown to the public.

In one manuscript from the early 1700s, Newton used the cryptic Book of Daniel to calculate the date for the Apocalypse, reaching the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060.

"It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner," Newton wrote. However, he added, "This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."

In another document, Newton interpreted biblical prophecies to mean that the Jews would return to the Holy Land before the world ends. The end of days will see "the ruin of the wicked nations, the end of weeping and of all troubles, the return of the Jews captivity and their setting up a flourishing and everlasting Kingdom," he posited.

The exhibit also includes treatises on daily practice in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. In one document, Newton discussed the exact dimensions of the temple - its plans mirrored the arrangement of the cosmos, he believed - and sketched it. Another paper contains words in Hebrew, including a sentence taken from the Jewish prayerbook.

Yemima Ben-Menahem, one of the exhibit's curators, said the papers show Newton's conviction that important knowledge was hiding in ancient texts.

He believed there was wisdom in the world that got lost. He thought it was coded, and that by studying things like the dimensions of the temple, he could decode it," she said.

The Newton papers, Ben-Menahem said, also complicate the idea that science is diametrically opposed to religion. "These documents show a scientist guided by religious fervor, by a desire to see God's actions in the world," she said.

More prosaic documents on display show Newton keeping track of his income and expenses while a scholar at Cambridge and later, as master of the Royal Mint, negotiating with a group of miners from Devon and Cornwall about the price of the tin they supplied to Queen Anne.

The archives of Hebrew University in Jerusalem include a 1940 letter from Albert Einstein to Abraham Shalom Yahuda, the collector who purchased the papers a year earlier.

Newton's religious writings, Einstein wrote, provide "a variety of sketches and ongoing changes that give us a most interesting look into the mental laboratory of this unique thinker."

# Posted by harry at 06/19/2007 12:58 pm - reply- forum

To all:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Apr/18/br/br4197835206.html

Supreme Court upholds ban on abortion procedure

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON � The Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long-awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench.

The 5-4 ruling said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

The opponents of the act "have not demonstrated that the Act would be unconstitutional in a large fraction of relevant cases," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion.

The administration had defended the law as drawing a bright line between abortion and infanticide.

Reacting to the ruling, Bush said that it affirms the progress his administration has made to uphold the "sanctity of life."

"I am pleased that the Supreme Court has upheld a law that prohibits the abhorrent procedure of partial birth abortion," he said. "Today's decision affirms that the Constitution does not stand in the way of the people's representatives enacting laws reflecting the compassion and humanity of America."

CONSERVATIVES VS. LIBERALS

The decision pitted the court's conservatives against its liberals, with President Bush's two appointees, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, siding with the majority.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia also were in the majority.

It was the first time the court banned a specific procedure in a case over how � not whether � to perform an abortion.

Abortion rights groups as well as the leading association of obstetricians and gynecologists have said the procedure sometimes is the safest for a woman. They also said that such a ruling could threaten most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, although government lawyers and others who favor the ban said there are alternate, more widely used procedures that remain legal.

The outcome is likely to spur efforts at the state level to place more restrictions on abortions.

"I applaud the Court for its ruling today, and my hope is that it sets the stage for further progress in the fight to ensure our nation's laws respect the sanctity of unborn human life," said Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, Republican leader in the House of Representatives.

Said Eve Gartner of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America: "This ruling flies in the face of 30 years of Supreme Court precedent and the best interest of women's health and safety. ... This ruling tells women that politicians, not doctors, will make their healthcare decisions for them." She had argued that point before the justices.

More than 1 million abortions are performed in the United States each year, according to recent statistics. Nearly 90 percent of those occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and are not affected by Wednesday's ruling.

OPINIONS FROM THE DISSENTERS

Six federal courts have said the law that was in focus Wednesday is an impermissible restriction on a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

The law bans a method of ending a pregnancy, rather than limiting when an abortion can be performed.

"Today's decision is alarming," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in dissent. She said the ruling "refuses to take ... seriously" previous Supreme Court decisions on abortion.

Ginsburg said the latest decision "tolerates, indeed applauds, federal intervention to ban nationwide a procedure found necessary and proper in certain cases by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists."

Ginsburg said that for the first time since the court established a woman's right to an abortion in 1973, "the court blesses a prohibition with no exception safeguarding a woman's health."

She was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens.

The procedure at issue involves partially removing the fetus intact from a woman's uterus, then crushing or cutting its skull to complete the abortion.

Abortion opponents say the law will not reduce the number of abortions performed because an alternate method � dismembering the fetus in the uterus � is available and, indeed, much more common.

HISTORY OF ABORTION CASES

In 2000, the court with key differences in its membership struck down a state ban on partial-birth abortions. Writing for a 5-4 majority at that time, Justice Breyer said the law imposed an undue burden on a woman's right to make an abortion decision.

The Republican-controlled Congress responded in 2003 by passing a federal law that asserted the procedure is gruesome, inhumane and never medically necessary to preserve a woman's health. That statement was designed to overcome the health exception to restrictions that the court has demanded in abortion cases.

But federal judges in California, Nebraska and New York said the law was unconstitutional, and three appellate courts agreed. The Supreme Court accepted appeals from California and Nebraska, setting up Wednesday's ruling.

Kennedy's dissent in 2000 was so strong that few court watchers expected him to take a different view of the current case.

Kennedy acknowledged continuing disagreement about the procedure within the medical community. In the past, courts have cited that uncertainty as a reason to allow the disputed procedure.

But Kennedy said, "The law need not give abortion doctors unfettered choice in the course of their medical practice."

He said the more common abortion method, involving dismemberment, is beyond the reach of the federal ban.

While the court upheld the law against a broad attack on its constitutionality, Kennedy said the court could entertain a challenge in which a doctor found it necessary to perform the banned procedure on a patient suffering certain medical complications.

Doctors most often refer to the procedure as a dilation and extraction or an intact dilation and evacuation abortion.

The law allows the procedure to be performed when a woman's life is in jeopardy.

The cases are Gonzales v. Carhart, 05-380, and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood, 05-1382.

Comment: Abortion is here to stay!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 04/18/2007 02:25 pm - reply- forum

To all:

Rumor has it that Dave Holloway intends to continue the fight for Natalee's cause after 31 May 2007 date (two years). What he plans to do is uncertain. I suppose Dave's intentions resemble the "South Shall Never Die" slogan. It is fun to hear, but nothing will ever materialize.

Well, I guess sustaining the Natalee cause gives Dave something to do.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 04/10/2007 06:54 am - reply- forum

To All:

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-826--5-5--.html

Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

US biofuel policy could spark world 'holocaust', says Castro

Published on April 05, 2007

HAVANA, Castro (AFP): Fidel Castro on Wednesday warned that US energy policies could spark a global "holocaust," in his second newspaper column in a week, a hint the Cuban leader is recovering his feisty self.

Castro said making fuel from grain would divert food from the world's poor in order to satisfy the demands of drivers in wealthy countries.

"The worst may yet be to come: a new war to ensure gas and oil supplies, which could consume the entire human race in a total holocaust," Castro wrote in the Cuban Communist Party paper, Granma.

The article, titled "The Globalization of Genocide," condemned US President George W. Bush for pushing the global production of grain-based alternative fuels.

It continued the theme of a March 29 article in which Castro said Bush's promotion of ethanol was putting "more than three billion people" at risk of starvation.

The newspaper columns are another sign that the 80-year-old Cuban leader could be on the road to recovery after eight months out of the public eye.

In July, Castro handed over power to his brother Raul, the country's defense minister, following gastrointestinal surgery.

In the Granma article on Wednesday, Castro took note of recent discussions Bush held with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on promoting biofuels.

"Who will supply the more than 500 million tonnes of corn and other cereals that the United States, Europe and the rich countries need to produce all the ethanol that the big US companies demand?"

"Where will the poor countries of the Third World obtain the minimal resources to survive?" Castro asked.

Bush "declared his intention to apply this formula around the world, which means only the globalization of genocide," he said.

"It is not my intention to harm Brazil, nor interfere in the domestic affairs of this great country," he wrote, without mentioning US-Brazilian cooperation on ethanol production, in which Brazil is a global leader.

Lula's top international adviser, Marco Aurelio Garcia, called Castro's criticism a product of "faulty understanding."

"World hunger is not a problem of food shortages, it is problem of a lack of profitability," Garcia said. Besides, he said, Brazil's agricultural land will not be used for biofuels.

"We do not want to turn ethanol into an ideological problem."

US ethanol is distilled mostly from corn, the price of which is at its highest in decades, while Brazil's ethanol is based on sugarcane.

Castro's article came on the heels of a new US study that showed the boom in ethanol fuels in the United States and elsewhere could have devastating effects on food prices and worsen world hunger.

C. Ford Runge and Benjamin Senauer of the University of Minnesota wrote in the May/June edition of Foreign Affairs published Tuesday that the rush into ethanol threatens to divert massive amounts of corn and other food crops into biofuels.

Cuba produces ethanol and is planning to cooperate with Venezuela on large-scale biofuels production -- but from sugarcane waste, to spare food crops.

Castro's two articles in recent days came after increasingly frequent comments by Cuban officials and Castro's friends that he is recovering from his surgery, which has never been disclosed in detail. Cuba considers Castro's health a national security issue.
Several officials have said over the past month that they expected him to return to work soon, and even stand for re-election to the presidency in early 2008.

The leader of this Caribbean nation of 11 million for nearly five decades wrote in Granma that he had spent his eight-month recuperation mulling global problems like energy, the environment and the survival of mankind.


Comment: By attempting to escape the stranglehold of fuel oil-terrorism. Castro accuses the USA of genocide. I guess shifting to ethanol does strike a chord with terrorism.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 04/05/2007 06:48 am - reply- forum

To All:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,262604,00.html

Arizona Police Charge 14 Travel Agency Workers for Allegedly Smuggling Illegal Immigrants

PHOENIX � Fourteen travel agency owners or employees were indicted on human smuggling and other charges, accused of selling airline tickets they thought would be used by illegal immigrants, officials said.

Authorities said a records analysis showed six travel agencies sold tickets to an estimated 6,800 illegal immigrants in the United States since mid-2005. But Thursday's charges were connected only to the sale of tickets to undercover officers.

The travel agency employees were working independently of one another when they sold the tickets, said Bart Graves, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

The undercover officers made it clear they were arranging travel for illegal immigrants and paid cash for dozens of one-way tickets across the nation, authorities said. The travel agencies offered advice on being discreet at airports, they said.

"They were so blatant about it because they hadn't been touched," Phoenix police Lt. Vince Piano said. "They would say, 'OK, you need to dress them like this. You need to walk them in through this. Does he have an ID?"'

The travel agency workers were charged under state human smuggling laws because they were facilitating the human trafficking, authorities said. Some faced charges of money laundering, conspiracy, racketeering and participating in fraudulent schemes.

All 14 have been arrested, Graves said. It was unclear Thursday evening whether any remained in custody.

"I am speechless," said 38-year-old Carmen Cortez of Phoenix, who is charged with human smuggling and illegally conducting an enterprise. "That's all I have to say."

Phoenix, 180 miles (289.7 kilometers) from the Mexican border, serves as a hub for transporting illegal immigrants across the country. Smugglers take immigrants to "stash houses" in Phoenix and make their travel arrangements.

If immigrants are to be flown to their destinations, smugglers buy tickets and, in many cases, drive them to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas because of tight security at the Phoenix airport, investigators said.

The tip that led to the investigation came from a money laundering case that tracked the wire transfers of suspected immigrant smuggling proceeds, state Attorney General Terry Goddard said. The tip led police to a stash house where they found 30 illegal immigrants, plane tickets and itineraries.

Investigators found the names of travel agencies in the stash house, Goddard said.

The indictments mark another example of authorities trying to chip away at businesses that help smugglers transport their customers.

More than two years ago, nearly two dozen used-car-lot workers were indicted on charges of faking documents and committing other crimes to help sell vehicles to smugglers, known as "coyotes." Authorities said the vehicles were used to ferry drugs and illegal immigrants from Mexico.

Comment: One has to wonder just who was in charge of the oversight at INS!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 03/30/2007 04:01 am - reply- forum

To All:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,259870,00.html

Britain Says Schools Can Ban Muslim Veils

LONDON � The British government said Tuesday that schools can ban students from wearing Muslim veils if teachers believe they effect safety, security or pupils' learning.

School administrators have the right to ban students from covering their faces under a new uniform policy, but educators should speak with parents before introducing such a ban, the Education Ministry said in a statement.

"Schools should consult parents and the wider community when setting uniform policy," Schools Minister Jim Knight said.

"And while they should make every effort to accommodate social, religious or medical requirements of individual pupils, the needs of safety, security and effective learning in the school must always take precedence," he said.

The ministry said head teachers had always had the right to set their school's uniform policy. Several recent court cases have challenged schools' decisions to ban some forms of Islamic dress.

Britain's highest appeals court ruled a year ago that a school acted properly in refusing to allow a student to wear a jilbab � a long, flowing gown covering all her body except her hands and face. The school said the clothing item was not permitted under school policy.

The issue of face-covering veils has sparked a debate over religious tolerance and cultural assimilation in Britain, which is home to 1.6 million Muslims.

Comment: Soon, in order to live in the West, a Muslim woman will have to forego the veil. Florida is gather ammunition to ban burqas.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 03/21/2007 06:47 am - reply- forum

To All:

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?854403e9-5672-460c-8fe2-739363133990

Colorado University Instructor Posts Death Threat Against Former Hawaii Cartoonist

By Jim Paine, 3/13/2007 11:18:57 AM

As reported on first on the Drunkablog.com and then on PirateBallerina.com, a posting on Colorado University instructor Benjamin Whitmer's try-works blog has threatened the life of anti-Churchill documentarian Grant Crowell. (Crowell, who has authored articles and published cartoons in Hawaii Reporter on the controversial Colorado University Professor Ward Churchill, is a former cartoonist at the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Kaleo newspaper).

The threat reads:

"Comes the moment of our forthcoming 1-on-1 in Chicago, Walking Eagle, we�re volunteering right here and now to administer unto you a desperately-needed hot lead enema.

'"Two or three in succession, if need be."

See http://tryworks.org/blog/2007/03/11/thats-why-we-call-him-walking-eagle/

The post, authored by Whitmer's pseudonymous co-contributor "Charlie Arthur" (who, since he began contributing to try-works well over a year ago, has demonstrated a remarkably intimate, even encyclopedic, knowledge of Ward Churchill's personal and professional history), clearly identifies Grant Crowell as the "Walking Eagle" to whom he refers.

PirateBallerina.com contacted numerous Colorado University administrators, including Colorado University Ethnic Studies chairman Albert Ramirez (to whom Whitmer and Churchill are responsible) yesterday evening for comment, but as of Tuesday, March 13, 2007, no representative had responded.

Whitmer originally posted pseudonymously on the try-works blog for two years, calling himself "John Moredock" (historically, a notorious Indian-hater--Whitmer maintains he adopted the pen-name as an ironic gesture--and fictionally, a character in Herman Melville's The Confidence-Man; the term "try-works" itself is an obsolete term for blubber-rendering facilities). Whitmer's true identity was uncovered by Crowell, who during an email exchange with "Moredock," examined the email headers and learned Moredock's emails were actually coming from Benjamin Whitmer, a University of Colorado instructor who teaches for CU's Ethnic Studies department.

When news of Moredock's actual identity was publicized on both PirateBallerina and the Drunkablog, Whitmer erased every vestige of his blog--entries, comments, book recommendations, everything. While the blog did publish the occasional pro-Churchill essay, its notoriety was based primarily on Whitmer and "Arthur's" never-ending sophomoric fantasies of the fates they wished upon their myriad enemies, those fantasies often sexually sadistic in nature (eg: one posting on try-works wished for the editor of Westward, a Denver periodical, to be "fucked [...] with a wood-rasp"; another said of Rocky Mountain News opinion-page editor Vince Carroll: "f*** him with every ghastly medieval torture device known to humankind.... Had we our way, we'd stake his lower intestine to the ground and make the motherfucker take a half-mile walk.")

Shortly after the panicked deletion of two year's worth of such postings, Whitmer began posting to try-works once again, this time under his own name, and for a couple of weeks, the blog was rather subdued--at least by comparison to its earlier incarnation. The past couple of weeks or so, however, have seen a return to the blog's former levels of sadistic vitriol.

For more on this story, log onto Jim Paine's http:pirateballerina.com

Comment: Apparently, the Liberal-Democrat agenda includes sadistic death threats from Ward Churchill's buddies.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 03/13/2007 08:07 pm - reply- forum

Subject: 84-year-old abuses 11-year-old!

To All:

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Feb15/0,4670,BRFOctogenarianSexAbuse,00.html

PORTLAND, Ore. — An 84-year-old woman who confessed to having sex with an 11-year-old boy in her foster care reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted sex abuse, officials said.

Georgie Audean Buoy will serve 36 months in prison, said Leslie Wolf, chief deputy district attorney for Wasco County. She was originally charged with six counts, including attempted rape, for which she faced eight years in prison, Wolf said.

In a taped confession, Buoy admitted to having sex with the boy while he was in her care in 2004, Wolf said. Her age and lack of prior criminal convictions played a role in the plea deal.

Buoy's attorney, Andrew Carter, did not return messages Thursday.

Buoy, of The Dalles, was a longtime member of her church and volunteered at the county jail, Wolf said.

She must register as a sex offender after serving her sentence at a women's prison, and must pay $5,000 to the victim, as well as up to $7,500 in restitution for counseling.

Comment: Of what use is sentencing an 84-year-old to 36 months in prison ... other than advertisement?

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/16/2007 06:04 am - reply- forum

Subject: Not So Fast!

To All:

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/scientists-find-lakes-under-antarctica/20070215183309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Scientists Find Lakes Under Antarctica

AP and Reuters
AOL Wire Services

WASHINGTON (Feb. 15) - Beneath the snow, ice and bitter cold of Antarctica, scientists -- using space-based lasers -- have discovered a network of lakes that fill and empty with rapidly flowing water.

It's a finding that may improve understanding of the interaction between global warming and the melting of Antarctic ice, which could contribute to a worldwide rise in ocean level.

Researchers studying data from satellites were able to measure rises and falls in the overlying ice as the lakes filled and emptied.

More than 100 lakes have been found in West Antarctica, according to research published Thursday in the online issue of the journal Science.

The ice above the lakes is moving as fast as two yards a day - "really ripping along" in the words of Robert Bindschadler of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, one of the study's co-authors.

It's the fast-moving ice that determines how the ice sheet responds to climate change on a short timescale," he said in a statement.

"We aren't yet able to predict what these ice streams are going to do. We're still learning about the controlling processes. Water is critical, because it's essentially the grease on the wheel. But we don't know the details yet," he said.

Lead author Helen Fricker of the University of California San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography said the researchers were surprised by how fast things were moving.

"We thought these changes took place over years and decades, but we are seeing large changes over months," she said.

"We need computer models to be faithful to the processes that are actually going on on the ice sheet," she said. At this point, computer models do not show how the subglacial water is moving around.

The researchers studied images from NASA's ICESat, or Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite collected from 2003 to 2006. The images gave a much larger view of ice movement.

Previously researchers had to drill deep holes in the ice to determine what was going on underneath, a process that limited then to studying only small areas at a time.

About 90 percent of the world's fresh water is locked in the thick ice cap that covers Antarctica.

Comment: Apparently, Antarctica has more secrets to reveal than our top-notched scientists have led themselves to believe.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 02/16/2007 05:24 am - reply- forum

Subject: Global Warming Alert: Punxsutawney Phil Fails to His See Sha

Permanent link to Global Warming Alert: Punxsutawney Phil Fails to His See Shadow

Excerpt: Fox News reported today that Punxsutawney Phil had to be pulled from his stump this year, and since it occurred on the same day that the 12-page "Summary for Policymakers" of the a semi-political "Fourth Assessment Report" of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is reported, an obvious correlation, the report of dire man made global warming changes has therefore been validated - using the thinking of the scientists whose votes resulted in the UN report on global warming:Phil did not see his shadow on Friday, which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter. Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 15 times and there are no records...

# Posted by hybot at 02/02/2007 02:31 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Iraq Not A Religious War - Integral Part Of WOT

Permanent link to Iraq Not A Religious War - Integral Part Of WOT

Excerpt: Iranian-born journalist Amil Taheri says at the NY Post today that what's happening in Iraq is neither a civil nor a sectarian war, rather a political one - between those who wish Iraq to succeed as a new democracy and those who want it to fail:Those who want the new Iraq to succeed represent the overwhelming majority of Iraqis of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Those who want it to fail are made up of Saddamite bitter-enders, some misguided pan-Arab nationalists, death squads financed by Tehran - and a variety of non-Iraqi terrorist outfits who have come to Iraq to kill and die in the name of their perverted vision of Islam.In short, he says that the the war in Iraq is part of the...

# Posted by hybot at 02/02/2007 08:18 am - reply- forum

Subject: Muslim Students Disrupt Daniel Pipes Speech at UC Irvine (Vi

Permanent link to Muslim Students Disrupt Daniel Pipes Speech at UC Irvine (Video): Is UC Irvine A Hotbed of Radical Islam?

Excerpt: When the Muslim Students Union at UC Irvine staged a threatening, thuggish disruption of a talk by Daniel Pipes, LGF readers were there with their cameras.UC Irvine is a hotbed of Muslim radicalism, as we've documented many times at LGF, but you may not have understood how bad it is until you see this. Daniel Pipes was discussing the fate of Israel and the threat of Islamofascism. In the following clip, starting at around five minutes and forty seconds, members of UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union (MSU) protest and shout down Daniel Pipes. The singing you hear as the Muslims are escorted out of the auditorium is from the pro-Pipes crowd, a well-known song Am Yisrael Hai (Israel Lives): Here's a longer video that begins...

# Posted by hybot at 02/02/2007 07:40 am - reply- forum

Subject: More Ahmadinejad: News Chirac Must Have Missed

Permanent link to More Ahmadinejad: News Chirac Must Have Missed

Excerpt: Official Iranian radio has completed broadcasting a lengthy series on the imminent appearance of a messianic figure who will defeat Islam's enemies and impose Islamic Shiite rule over the entire world

# Posted by hybot at 02/02/2007 06:30 am - reply- forum

Quote from above:

"Because high-level generals were possibly involved, the Pentagon said, it raises questions about the loyalty and trustworthiness of Iraqi military officers at the highest levels."

Raises questions?

An erudite way of saying we do not trust the Iraqis anymore. If the high ranking officers are traitors, what does that say about the lower ranking Iraqis?

# Posted by Sandstorm at 02/01/2007 02:27 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Casey: U.S. Troops Will be Stationed In Sadr City

Permanent link to Casey: U.S. Troops Will be Stationed In Sadr City

Excerpt: In his written Q & A, Casey states flatly that U.S. troops soon will be stationed" in the Shia stronghold of Sadr City alongside Iraqi security forces. The big question is whether or not we can trust those Iraqi commanders and how long the al-Sadr militia members will be hiding out elsewhere will the heats on - only to come back later and start killing Sunnis all over again....

# Posted by hybot at 02/01/2007 12:34 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Researchers Creat Blood-Cell-Sized Memory Circuit

Permanent link to Researchers Creat Blood-Cell-Sized Memory Circuit

Excerpt: "In 1959, physicist Richard Feynman said it should be possible some day to store all of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the tip of a needle," Stoddart said. "We're not there yet, but we're not far off." [The bluish-grey area in the center of the photo contains the 160,000-bit memory array developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Los Angeles. The greenish circles nearby are white blood cells. (Photo: Jonathan Green, John Nagarah and Habib Ahmad, California Institute of Technology)] Researchers from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena have created an ultradense memory device the size of a white blood cell that has enough capacity to store the Declaration of Independence and still have space left over. The...

# Posted by hybot at 02/01/2007 11:37 am - reply- forum

Subject: A Must Read By All: 'A hearty F*** You to William Arkin'

Permanent link to A Must Read By All: 'A hearty F*** You to William Arkin'

Excerpt: I'm not even going to bother writing a commentary for this scolding clock-cleaning of the WaPo's William Arkin, a typical disgusting anti-military, naive, Leftist/Journalist - by Black Five. (Caution: X-rated language appropriately delivered against a total jerk) Black Five definitely does a good enough job on his own!...

# Posted by hybot at 02/01/2007 09:48 am - reply- forum

Subject: Outrage Of The War! New York Times Posts Video and Pictures

Permanent link to Outrage Of The War! New York Times Posts Video and Pictures of Dying US Soldier!!

Excerpt: I failed to get this story up yesterday, and I'm mad at myself for failing to do so. The New York Times has proven itself over and over again to be the most anti-American, anti-military, anti-administration print media in the nation, and has probably single handedly done more to compromise the safety and security of our citizens than most spy agencies of our enemies. However, this time the NYT has gone far beyond the pale and reached to the deepest depths of depravity, inhumanity, and compassion, and violated standard ethical constraint when it broadcast the video of an American Marine being shot, and reported his death without officially contacting his family. (Gateway Pundit posts that as of Thursday 2-1-07, 6:00 AM CST, The New York...

# Posted by hybot at 02/01/2007 09:24 am - reply- forum

Subject: For Jacques Chirac, Nuclear Iran Is No Problem At All

Permanent link to For Jacques Chirac, Nuclear Iran Is No Problem At All

Excerpt: Apparently Chirac, and perhaps many of our European allies as well, think that the old Soviet era concept of mutually assured destruction works for radical Islamists and an Islamic regime that prays for armageddon. Why else would he say something so outlandishly insane as, "If Iran had one or two nuclear weapons, it would not pose a big danger, and that if Iran were to launch a nuclear weapon against a country like Israel, it would lead to the immediate destruction of Tehran."? Chirac has once again exposed his absolute naiveté of radical Islam and especially Iran's radical Islamic regime. Other coverage: Captain Ed has some more commentary - "This so clearly shows why the EU and "Old Europe" cannot be trusted on Iran and...

# Posted by hybot at 02/01/2007 08:26 am - reply- forum

Subject: Beheading Plot In Britain Updated: Ninth Suspect Arrested

Permanent link to Beheading Plot In Britain Updated: Ninth Suspect Arrested

Excerpt: The plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier on videotape which led to the arrests eight men in Birmingham, England continues to unfold. With police still saying that the investigation is at the "foot-hills" of a major inquiry, a ninth terrorist suspect has now been arrested. And a Sky News' crime correspondent has been told by police sources that up to 25 people could have been targeted. The victim was to be picked out of a hit list of as many as 25 British Muslims and was to be recorded pleading to Prime Minister Tony Blair for his life in return for Britain's pullout of troops from Iraq. The plotters had been planning the attack for months, and allegedly were ready to strike....

# Posted by hybot at 02/01/2007 07:43 am - reply- forum

Subject: The Islamic Mein Kampf (Video)

Permanent link to The Islamic Mein Kampf (Video)

Excerpt: We cannot afford to lose Europe. We cannot afford to see Europe transformed into a launching pad for Islamist jihad. <em>And we cannot afford to let it happen in the United States!</em>

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 05:57 pm - reply- forum

Subject: A Queer Decision Mocks Immigration Law

Permanent link to A Queer Decision Mocks Immigration Law

Excerpt: Please, pray tell, since when is being Gay a basis for political asylum? Where else but in California? Does this mean that 12 million illegal aliens are now going to declare themselves homosexuals?...

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 04:49 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Obama Messiah Watch: Is Obama Jesus Christ?

Permanent link to Obama Messiah Watch: Is Obama Jesus Christ?

Excerpt: Timothy Noah asks at Slate if Barack Obama - junior U.S. senator from Illinois, best-selling author, Harvard Law Review editor, Men's Vogue cover model, and "exploratory" presidential candidate--the second coming of our Savior and our Redeemer, Prince of Peace and King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Apparently, Noah feels that Obama's press coverage suggests we can't dismiss this possibility out of hand, and he has established the Obama Messiah Watch, which will "periodically highlight gratuitously adoring biographical details that appear in newspaper, television, and magazine profiles of this otherworldly presence in our midst." Today's item is from a Los Angeles Times profile by Larry Gordon about Obama's two years at Occidental College (before he transferred to Columbia). Noah invites his readers to submit "similar details...

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 04:24 pm - reply- forum

Subject: More Questions About The Battle At Najaf

Permanent link to More Questions About The Battle At Najaf

Excerpt: So how is it that a messianic Shiite cult with obvious military skills, the "Soldiers of Heaven," accumulate so many weapons and no one even know about them? How did a shadowy cult that few Iraqis had ever heard of manage to assemble such a huge force seemingly without attracting the attention of the authorities earlier? What was this battle about? Juan Cole believes that the Najaf battle was most likely Shiite-on-Shiite violence, with millenarian cultists making an attempt to march on Najaf during the chaos of the ritual season. Seattle Pi has an analysis. The WaPo calls it a plot to kill Shi'ite Clerics. Consider for a moment who benefits from the mass murder of Shia pilgrims and senior Shia clerics who support reconciliation...

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 03:20 pm - reply- forum

Subject: On Giving The Mullahs Too Many Passes And When Is Letting Ir

Permanent link to On Giving The Mullahs Too Many Passes And When Is Letting Iranians Get Away With Murdering 'Handcuffed' American Troops Too Much Of A Freebie?

Excerpt: Iran is now in the U.S. sights, and the US approach brings to mind the preparatory phase of the Iraq war - down to the last detail.

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 02:20 pm - reply- forum

Subject: John Kerry Making Headlines Again... In Iran!

Permanent link to John Kerry Making Headlines Again... In Iran!

Excerpt: Kerry blames the current tension between Iran and the US on the lack of understanding in the US: And the Iranians are loving it ......

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 12:08 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Staff Sargeant In Afghanistan: 'It is only possible to defea

Permanent link to Staff Sargeant In Afghanistan: 'It is only possible to defeat an enemy who kills indiscriminately by utterly destroying him.'

Excerpt: Black Five has a "manifesto of sorts from a Staff Sergeant in the fight in Afghanistan." Apparently he had an experience recently while on mid-tour leave to see his wife and baby boy that for him "was the last straw". Every damned word of it needs to be read twice, then sent to every politician in Washington....

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 11:37 am - reply- forum

Subject: Eight Arrested In Plot To Kidnap And Behead British Muslim S

Permanent link to Eight Arrested In Plot To Kidnap And Behead British Muslim Soldier

Excerpt: He would eventually be beheaded on film in a sick mirror of the torture and savage killing of British hostage Ken Bigley if Mr Blair refused.

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 11:02 am - reply- forum

Subject: Multiculturalism's Anti-Assimilation Is Killing Our Nationho

Permanent link to Multiculturalism's Anti-Assimilation Is Killing Our Nationhood

Excerpt: Whether it be 'Islamization' or 'Mexicanization', both cases stem from multiculturalism's anti-assimilation environment - an environment that must be changed if we are to survive with our national identity intact.

# Posted by hybot at 01/31/2007 10:13 am - reply- forum

Subject: Stonehenge Clues

To All:

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/ancient-village-sheds-light-on/20070130162209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Ancient Village Sheds Light on Stonehenge
AP

WASHINGTON (Jan. 30) - A village of small houses that may have sheltered the builders of the mysterious Stonehenge - or people attending festivals there - has been found by archaeologists studying the stone circle in England. Eight of the houses, with central hearths, have been excavated, and there may be as many as 25 of them, Mike Parker Pearson said Tuesday at a briefing organized by the National Geographic Society.

"These are people who knew how to party," he told CNN.

The ancient houses are at a site known as Durrington Walls, about two miles from Stonehenge. It is also the location of a wooden version of the stone circle.

The village was carbon dated to about 2600 B.C., about the same time Stonehenge was built. The Great Pyramid in Egypt was built at about the same time, said Parker Pearson of Sheffield University.

Julian Thomas of Manchester University noted that both Stonehenge and Durrington Walls have avenues connecting them to the Avon River, indicating a pattern of movement between the sites.

Clearly, this is a place that was of enormous importance," he said of the new find.

The researchers speculated that Durrington Walls was a place for the living and Stonehenge - where cremated remains have been found - was a cemetery and memorial.

The wooden houses at the new site were square and about 14 feet along each side. They were almost identical to stone houses built at about the same time in the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, Parker Pearson said.

He said there were indications of bed frames along the side walls and of a dresser or storage unit of some sort on the wall opposite the door.

Stone tools, animal bones, arrowheads and other artifacts were uncovered in the village. Remains of pigs indicated they were about nine months old when killed, which would mark a midwinter festival.

Stonehenge was oriented to face the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset, while the wooden circle at Durrington Walls faced the midwinter sunrise and midsummer sunset.

Two of the houses, found by Thomas, were separate from the others and may have been the dwellings of community leaders or perhaps were cult houses used for religious rituals. Those sites lacked the debris and household trash that was common in the other homes, he noted.

Durrington appears "very much a place of the living," Parker Pearson said. In contrast, no one ever lived at the stone circle at Stonehenge, which was the largest cemetery in Britain of its time. Stonehenge is thought to contain 250 cremations.

The research was supported by the National Geographic Society, Arts & Humanities Research Council, English Heritage and Wessex Archaeology.

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 01/31/2007 08:05 am - reply- forum

Subject: No Stoning

To All:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248819,00.html

Canadian Town of Herouxville Posts Controversial 'Norms' For Immigrants, Like 'No Stoning'

Attention immigrants, the town of Herouxville in Quebec has a message for you: no stoning women, and no pouring acid on them either.

According to the Canadian Press, the town's council recently passed rules targeting immigrants to make sure there are no misunderstandings about the culture they're joining.

According to reports, the rural town of about 1,300 recently adopted a declaration of "norms" that would-be immigrants need to know if they plan on settling there.

Among the "norms:" kids can't bring weapons to school — no ceremonial daggers used by Sikhs or others. It's also all right for boys and girls to swim together in the same pool. Also, female police officers are empowered to arrest people, and are also allowed to drive, dance and make their own decisions.

Andre Drouin, one of the members of the town council, reportedly said the rules aren't meant to be anti-immigrant. "We're telling people who we are," Drouin said.

According to the reports, B'nai Brith Quebec called the declaration "anti-ethnic backlash," and a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Montreal called the measure insulting and full of stereotypes.

Drouin reportedly insists that Herouxville welcomes immigrants, despite having just one immigrant family.

The declaration is posted on the town's website.

Since passing the "norms," the town council has reportedly received some 2,000 emails, mostly in support of the measure.

Comment: Reads like an interesting measure to me!

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 01/31/2007 07:55 am - reply- forum

Subject: Good News

To All:

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?b36101d9-e87b-4643-97d6-dff55a955ade

Power of the Press Helps Bring Recognition to Big Island Hero

By Hawaii Reporter Staff, 1/30/2007 10:54:15 AM

University of Hawaii-Hilo graduate Steve Sakoda volunteered for active combat duty after witnessing on September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks on American soil.

He was deployed to Iraq as a Sergeant in the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army. His wife, other family members and friends were devastated when they learned Sakoda was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb.

Wanting to help honor Sakoda for his sacrifice, his classmates nominated him as a candidate for the Distinguished Alumni from the University of Hawaii.

They were surprised, shocked and saddened when the selection committee instead chose to honor Mr. Russell Okata, Executive Director of the HGEA, Mr. Maurice Kaya, the Chief Technology Officer from DBEDT and Mr. Yukio Takeya, the owner of Ala Kai Realty.

Christian Wong, a friend of Sakoda, turned to Hawaii Reporter readers for help, asking them to write letters of support to the UHH Alumni and Friends Association at: mailto:alumni@hawaii.edu and to tell them that Sakoda should also be honored as a Distinguished Alumni.

Wong reports that Hawaii Reporter readers worked magic.

While Sakoda won’t be honored as a Distinguished Alumni from the University of Hawaii this year, the University is creating a whole new award for soldiers like him.

Wong writes: “Since I last emailed you the UH Hilo Alumni Association called me to let me know they are starting an annual award for ‘Distinction in Military or Public Service’ with Steve being the very first recipient right along side the Distinguished Alumni and Service awardees. We are all quite pleased with the outcome.”

He adds: “The many letters your readers sent were wonderful and I have no doubt it is because of them Steve is receiving this award. Power of the Press!”

The ceremony will be held on February 23, 2007, at 5pm in the Hilo Hawaiian Moku Ola Room.

“Sgt. Sakoda has continued the legacy of the Hawaiian Soldier first started by the warriors of the 442nd in WWII. He has represented our great state honorably, the least we can do is to honor his memory and celebrate his life,” Wong says.

For more information on Sakoda, log onto http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/02/news/story02.html

'''Reach Malia Zimmerman, editor and president of Hawaii Reporter, via email at mailto:Malia@hawaiireporter.com

With Aloha,

# Posted by harry at 01/30/2007 08:32 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Calling All Human Shields

Permanent link to Calling All Human Shields

Excerpt: Soon it may be time to head for Iran....

# Posted by hybot at 01/30/2007 12:17 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Iran Watch: North Korea And Iran Working Together To Develop

Permanent link to Iran Watch: North Korea And Iran Working Together To Develop 'Killer Missile'

Excerpt: As for North Korea and Iran, we can sit around and twiddle our thumbs while two of the nuttiest regimes on the planet develop atomic bombs and the means to deliver them to American cities, or we can ...

# Posted by hybot at 01/30/2007 12:16 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Churches Across U.S. Adopting Disturbing New Fad - 'Intro

Permanent link to Churches Across U.S. Adopting Disturbing New Fad - 'Intro To Islam' Classes

Excerpt: An admirable goal indeed, but lacking critical elements:... Many a peace-loving individual prefers to give political issues time to work themselves out. It is fundamentally Christian, after all, to believe the best of one's "enemies". ... However aware of evil one believes himself to be, its real presence can escape the most sensitive amongst us. How many don't dare to look evil in the face, define it, or even speak its name? It may be simpler to refuse to believe that real evil is suddenly all around us rather than to seem paranoid or racist. ... churches across the U.S. are adopting a new fad in adult education classes: an introduction to Islam. These classes abound with the Christian ideal of tolerance. Islam is held...

# Posted by hybot at 01/30/2007 10:32 am - reply- forum

Subject: Alan Colmes And Chuck Norris Must Live In A Cave

Permanent link to Alan Colmes And Chuck Norris Must Live In A Cave

Excerpt: where did Chuck get it that only 2% of Muslims support jihad?

# Posted by hybot at 01/30/2007 10:03 am - reply- forum

Subject: Eiliat Homicide Bomber's Mother Is 'Proud Of Him'

Permanent link to Eiliat Homicide Bomber's Mother Is 'Proud Of Him'

Excerpt: The JP reports that the mother of Muhammad Faisal Saksak, the 21-year-old suicide bomber who carried out Monday's attack in Eilat, said she was aware of her son's plan to blow himself up and that she had wished him "good luck." Dozens of Palestinians, chanting slogans against Israel and the US, converged on the family's home to "congratulate" them on the success of the attack. ... she last saw her son on Friday morning, when he walked out of his home in the Slateen neighborhood near Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. ... As he walked out of the house, he asked me to wish him good luck," she said. "I wished him good luck and I knew of his decision to become a...

# Posted by hybot at 01/30/2007 09:13 am - reply- forum

Subject: Bernard Lewis: 'Muslims 'about to take over Europe'

Permanent link to Bernard Lewis: 'Muslims 'about to take over Europe'

Excerpt: According to Prof. Bernard Lewis, one of the most widely read scholars of the Middle East, whose advice is frequently sought by policymakers, Islam could soon be the dominant force in a Europe which, in the name of political correctness, has abdicated the battle for cultural and religious control. The Muslims "seem to be about to take over Europe," Lewis said at a special briefing with the editorial staff of The Jerusalem Post. Asked what this meant for the continent's Jews, he responded, "The outlook for the Jewish communities of Europe is dim." Soon, he warned, the only pertinent question regarding Europe's future would be, "Will it be an Islamized Europe or Europeanized Islam?" The growing sway of Islam in Europe was of particular concern...

# Posted by hybot at 01/29/2007 04:05 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Surge Plan Doomed To Failure - To Have Split Command Structu

Permanent link to Surge Plan Doomed To Failure - To Have Split Command Structure

Excerpt: End the PCness, surge full steam ahead with no hamstringing our troops and their commanders, or bring our guys home - starting with my son!

# Posted by hybot at 01/29/2007 01:31 pm - reply- forum

Subject: For Those 72 Virgins, Heaven May Have A Whole Different Mean

Permanent link to For Those 72 Virgins, Heaven May Have A Whole Different Meaning

Excerpt: First there's the life of submission to men, humility, celibacy, and creature comforts. And when you die, there's heaven: Hat tip: Flopping Aces....

# Posted by hybot at 01/29/2007 08:26 am - reply- forum

Subject: Iran Planning To Expand Role In Iraq

Permanent link to Iran Planning To Expand Role In Iraq

Excerpt: Up to now Iran's role in Iraq has been to fuel the fires of hate and violence, and now, at a time when the Bush administration has been warning the Iranians to stop meddling in Iraqi affairs, Iran is planning to expand "economic and military ties with Iraq." That, of course, is Iranian doublespeak for increased meddling in Iraqi affairs, which would make not only the U.S. unhappy, but also the Saudis, who are very seriously concerned about Iran expanding its power in the region. Related: Vinnie asks at Java Report, "So, just who is it that's going to go to war for oil?"...

# Posted by hybot at 01/29/2007 08:19 am - reply- forum

Subject: Iraq Watch

Permanent link to Iraq Watch

Excerpt: For a quick roundup of Iraq news, you can't beat Greg Hoadley's piece at IraqSlogger today:The big East Coast dailies lead their Iraq coverage with the story of the big battle near Najaf in which 250 militants were killed. However, accounts still differ as to the identity of the combatants. It's clear that Iraqi ground forces and US aircraft were involved. The identity of the militant group is reported differently in different papers, and the USAT suggests that US ground forces may have participated in the battle. Several articles gear up for Senate debates this week, and the Times gets a scoop with a long-awaited interview with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq.And be sure to catch the NYT story on the 15-hour battle that raged...

# Posted by hybot at 01/29/2007 07:49 am - reply- forum

Subject: Debunking The Top 10 Myths Of The Iraq War

Permanent link to Debunking The Top 10 Myths Of The Iraq War

Excerpt: Strategy Page does a good job of debunking 10 myths of the Iraq war, and notes that there are more but ten is a manageable number: 10- The War in Iraq is Lost. By what measure? Saddam and his Baath party are out of power. There is a democratically elected government. Part of the Sunni Arab minority continues to support terror attacks, in an attempt to restore the Sunni Arab dictatorship. In response, extremist Shia Arabs formed vigilante death squads to expel all Sunni Arabs. Given the history of democracy in the Middle East, Iraq is working through its problems. Otherwise, one is to believe that the Arabs are incapable of democracy and only a tyrant like Saddam can make Iraqi "work." If democracy were...

# Posted by hybot at 01/29/2007 07:04 am - reply- forum

Subject: Obama , Truth, And The Race Card

Permanent link to Obama , Truth, And The Race Card

Excerpt: For Obama, truth appears to be what you want it to be:... Mr Obama's book, Dreams From My Father, is flying off the shelves of US book stores, exciting and astonishing readers in equal measure. It is a bestseller, and no wonder - because the story just gets better and better. ... an investigation by The Mail on Sunday has revealed that, for all Mr Obama's reputation for straight talking and the compelling narrative of his recollections, they are largely myth. ... with a gift for words that makes Mrs Clinton's utterances seem stiff and stale, he has turned it into another component of the myth.And playing the race card seems to be his favorite ploy. Related: Perhaps Obama might tell us about his church's...

# Posted by hybot at 01/29/2007 06:35 am - reply- forum

Subject: The Anti-War Crowd Defined

Permanent link to The Anti-War Crowd Defined

Excerpt: ... By these scenes from the anti-war protest in Washington DC January 1, 2007: Classic! And these people are allowed to both vote and breed. You'd think these people were time warped back in the 60s. Astounding. HT - Jawa Report...

# Posted by hybot at 01/28/2007 10:50 pm - reply- forum

Subject: 24 PC As Ever

Permanent link to 24 PC As Ever

Excerpt: Check out Egyptian Sandmonkey's thoughts on 24 "After watching 5 back to back episodes":4) Nuclear explosions are not a problem, it seems. You can have one in your city and it's all good! 8) The new Black President is way too eager to give terrorists what they want! He is a pussy. Me hates him. And his sister is annoying! Where is his wife btw? What? A single AND black President? Yeah, cause that's plausible! ... I am not sure you could call this show racist against arabs or bigoted against muslims, because for every bad arab or muslim they show (Bin Diesel, AKHMED) they have a good one (the head of the IAA and Nadia). I think they do the whole PC dance very...

# Posted by hybot at 01/28/2007 10:39 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Palestinians Doing What They Do Best

Permanent link to Palestinians Doing What They Do Best

Excerpt: Committing violence - this time with each other instead of against Israelis:... In the third consecutive day of violence between Hamas and Fatah, security sources said gunmen tried to kill the bodyguard of a top aide to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and a top Hamas figure was kidnapped in front of a video news crew. ... The Associated Press released video of the abduction, as well as a separate clip of a man identified as Abu Jabal, head of Al Aqsa Brigades in Nablus, saying, "Our demand is the resignation of the interior minister and the suppression of the executive force in Gaza."They can't even get along peacefully with each other, so how can we expect them to get along with their neighbors? Odd twist...

# Posted by hybot at 01/28/2007 09:58 pm - reply- forum

Subject: John Kerry - American Traitor

Permanent link to John Kerry - American Traitor

Excerpt: Let there be no doubt. There's no way to spin it otherwise, no matter how hard the Koz Kids try. The guy that the Democrats wanted to be president shared a stage in Davos, Switzerland, with "a rogue's gallery of enemies, including the former president of Iran and his Iraqi puppet." And what Charles at LGF descibes as "Nearly beyond belief," here is John F. Kerry - doing what he does best: giving aid and comfort to the enemies of America during wartime. Also from LGF, here John Kerry is actually giving the Ayatollah Khatami an autograph. [He even had a meeting with Khatami] Here's more of Kerry's appalling and traitorous blast of his own country during a time of war: Sen. Kerry Blasts...

# Posted by hybot at 01/28/2007 10:11 am - reply- forum

Subject: Four U.S. Soldiers Abducted, Killed In Iraq attack

Permanent link to Four U.S. Soldiers Abducted, Killed In Iraq attack

Excerpt: Described as perhaps the boldest and most sophisticated attack in four years of warfare, gunmen speaking English, wearing U.S. military uniforms and carrying American weapons abducted four U.S. soldiers last week at the provincial headquarters in the Shiite holy city of Karbala and then shot them to death. ... the military said two of the soldiers were handcuffed together in the back seat of an SUV near the southern Iraqi town of Mahawil. A third dead soldier was on the ground nearby. The fourth soldier died on the way to the hospital. The brazen assault, 50 miles south of Baghdad, was conducted by nine to 12 gunmen posing as an American security team, the military confirmed. The attackers traveled in black GMC Suburban vehicles (the...

# Posted by hybot at 01/27/2007 12:06 am - reply- forum

Subject: 'CNN Airhead' Chats With Radical Islamist

Permanent link to 'CNN Airhead' Chats With Radical Islamist

Excerpt: LGF has the video: Christiane Amanpour takes a stroll with Anjem Choudray while he chats about murdering infidels, hating the Pope, and shari'a law....

# Posted by hybot at 01/26/2007 10:54 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Autopsy Confirms Downed Blackwater Helicopter Crews In Iraq

Permanent link to Autopsy Confirms Downed Blackwater Helicopter Crews In Iraq Were Not Killed By 'Shot To The Head'

Excerpt: The fourth man to die in the second bird survived the hard landing, and fought to the death.

# Posted by hybot at 01/26/2007 09:21 pm - reply- forum

Subject: Iraq: One Front In A Regional War

Permanent link to Iraq: One Front In A Regional War

Excerpt: Eli Lake's piece at The New York Sun, Debate Erupts Among Spy Services Over Iran's Role in Battle of Iraq, provides evidence for the proposition long argued by Michael Ledeen, that Iraq is one front in a regional war that cannot be won in a single theater (HT - Powerline): As America's generals prepare for an increase in troops in Iraq, the American intelligence community has been fiercely debating the extent to which operatives directed by Iran's security services have penetrated the Iraqi government. Several lists containing names of suspected moles have been circulating in the intelligence community since December, according to one American diplomat and two American intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. But the names of the suspected Iranian agents themselves...

# Posted by hybot at 01/26/2007 09:11 am - reply- forum

Subject: Senate Democrats Quash Proposal To Increase Civil Fines On E

Permanent link to Senate Democrats Quash Proposal To Increase Civil Fines On Employers Who Hire Illegal Aliens

Excerpt: Obviously, the Senate Democrats are not very serious about handling the illegal immigration problem. I wonder how many of the fine Democratic Senators (and which Republican Senators) are receiving money from the likes of La Raza (also here)....

# Posted by hybot at 01/26/2007 08:52 am - reply- forum

Subject: More Davospeak

Permanent link to More Davospeak

Excerpt: About which, Jules has some observations - and some suggestions. The history of Davospeak goes back a ways....

# Posted by hybot at 01/26/2007 08:51 am - reply- forum

Subject: Iran Caught In Another Lie - Revolutionary Guards Quds Force

Permanent link to Iran Caught In Another Lie - Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Director Of Operations Arrested In Iraq By U.S. Forces

Excerpt: Only 12 days ago, Iran denied that the men arrested in Iraq by U.S. forces were involved in backing insurgents

# Posted by hybot at 01/26/2007 07:59 am - reply- forum

Subject: On The West's Cowardess In The Face Of The Islamists: Henryk

Permanent link to On The West's Cowardess In The Face Of The Islamists: Henryk Broder's 'Hurray We're Capitulating'

Excerpt: Europe's effort at cultural tolerance since World War II slowly morphed into a surprisingly deep self-loathing of Western culture that denied the instinct for cultural and national self-defense.

# Posted by hybot at 01/26/2007 07:11 am - reply- forum

Subject: Bethlehem Christians In Fear Of Muslim Neighbors

Permanent link to Bethlehem Christians In Fear Of Muslim Neighbors

Excerpt: Increased attacks on Christians by Muslims over the past few months have resulted in Christians breaking their silence. According to the families, many Christians have long been afraid to complain in public about the campaign of "intimidation" for fear of retaliation by their Muslim neighbors and being branded "collaborators" with Israel. "The situation is very dangerous," said Samir Qumsiyeh, owner of the Beit Sahur-based private Al-Mahd (Nativity) TV station. "I believe that 15 years from now there will be no Christians left in Bethlehem. Then you will need a torch to find a Christian here. This is a very sad situation." Qumsiyeh, one of the few Christians willing to speak about the harsh conditions of their community, has been the subject of numerous death threats....

# Posted by hybot at 01/25/2007 08:16 pm - reply- forum

Subject: New Surveillance Video Of Fleeing 7/27 Bomber

Permanent link to New Surveillance Video Of Fleeing 7/27 Bomber

Excerpt: Via Charles at Little Green Footballs (hat tip - Kasper), here's new surveillance video of the moment when Yassin Omar, another of the failed 7/21 bombers, tried to set off his bomb on a London tube train:The actual explosion is off camera, but you do see the would-be terrorist fleeing through the station. Eyewitnesses report that his "primer" charge (that was supposed to set off the much larger explosion) went off and blew him up to the top of the car. And he was going to his death with a bottle of aftershave and a copy of the DVD release of "Meet the Fockers" in his rucksack. Related: 'How could he do this?': The bride of one of the alleged July 21 bombers was found...

# Posted by hybot at 01/25/2007 07:47 pm - reply- forum

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