A senior Clinton administration national security official offered a stunning admission this week, confessing during a national television interview that Democrats are secretly rooting for the Bush administration's war of terrorism to fail.
In comments largely overlooked by the mainstream press, former Clinton National Security Council member Nancy Soderberg discussed the recent outbreak of democracy in the Middle East with "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart. "As a Democrat, you don't want anything nice to happen to the Republicans, and you don't want them to have progress," Soderberg observed, before quickly adding, "But as an American, you hope good things would happen."
However Soderberg quickly undermined her own caveat, noting: "It's scary for Democrats, I have to say."
After noting that the U.S.'s stunning foreign policy success followed the toppling of one of the three members of the axis of evil, Soderberg suggested again that the more success America has in defeating global terrorism, the worse it is for her party.
"Well, there's still Iran and North Korea, don't forget. There's still hope for the rest of us ... There's always hope that this might not work."
Only OpinionJournal.com, the Washington Times and Rush Limbaugh reported the former Clinton official's outrageous remarks.
Ms. Soderberg appeared on the "Daily Show" to promote her new book: "The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might."
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Anger against Iraqi insurgents grows
BAGHDAD, Iraq - As more people lose loved ones to the relentless violence, Iraqis are becoming increasingly angry at insurgents, even staging public demonstrations condemning militants.
While it is impossible to precisely gauge public opinion, it is clear many Iraqis have grown tired of two years of insecurity, and some are directing their wrath at those behind the bombings and attacks.
"I demand that they be put in the zoo along with the other scavengers, because that is where they belong," said Bassam Yassin, who lost his brother to an insurgent attack in Mosul. He spoke Wednesday after relatives of victims protested outside a police station in that northern city.
Iraq's majority Shiite Arabs and ethnic Kurds have long criticized the largely Sunni Arab insurgency, portraying the militants as terrorists, loyalists of the Saddam Hussein regime and foreign fighters.
But the insurgents are now also being criticized publicly by prominent Sunnis, including opponents of the U.S. presence.
"The real resistance should only target the occupiers, and no normal person should consider dozens of dead people to be some kind of collateral damage while you are trying to kill somebody else," cleric Ahmed Abdul-Ghafur told worshippers Friday at Um al-Qura, the main Sunni mosque in Baghdad. "Everybody should speak out against such inhumane acts."
The growing anger was underlined this week in Hillah, a predominantly Shiite Muslim city south of Baghdad where a suicide car bombing killed 125 people Monday - the deadliest single attack since Saddam's ouster.
It touched a nerve in Hillah. More than 2,000 people chanting "No to terrorism!" demonstrated Tuesday outside the clinic where the bomber drove into a crowd of Iraqi police and army recruits, setting off an explosion that also killed civilians at a nearby market.
On Friday, hostility to the insurgency apparently boiled over into bloodshed in Wihda, 25 miles south of Baghdad. Townsmen attacked militants thought to be planning a raid on the town and killed seven, police Capt. Hamadi al-Zubeidy reported.
Anger against insurgents is being fed, in part, by a government television campaign. Last week, U.S.-financed Al-Iraqiya TV aired a series of reports showing men describing themselves as insurgents calmly talking about how they had beheaded dozens of people, kidnapped others for ransom, and raped women and girls before killing them.
"People are realizing that the captured insurgents are not superheroes. They are timid people who kill for money and they have nothing to do with jihad," said Karim Humadi, head of programming for Al-Iraqiya.
Insurgents have attacked Nineveh TV, Al-Iraqiya's affiliate in Mosul, where most of the purported confessions were taped.
Last week, gunmen kidnapped one of the Mosul station's anchorwomen, shot her four times in the head and dumped her near her home. The victim, Raiedah Mohammed Wageh Wazan, had called the insurgents "terrorists" on air.
The anger over deaths caused by insurgents does not always translate into acceptance of U.S. troops, who are still widely blamed for the chaos in Iraq. And many people support the insurgents, arguing they are fighting a just war to rid the country of U.S.-led troops who invaded in 2003.
"The Iraqi people are brave and won't accept any foreigner on their soil. They will fight the occupation troops until force them to leave Iraq," said Haitham Abdul Razak, who was a captain in Saddam's army, which was disbanded by U.S. authorities.
Although American military deaths in Iraq passed 1,500 this week, they do not approach the toll among Iraqi civilians and their security forces. Bombings and other attacks killed more than 300 Iraqis just in February.
Groups like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq have made no secret that they hope attacks aimed at Iraq's Shiite majority will provoke Shiites into a sectarian war with Sunni Arabs, who make up the core of the insurgency.
They hope such a war will mobilize the Sunni Arab community, thought to comprise 15 percent to 20 percent of Iraq's 26 million people but who dominated under Saddam's regime.
Yet the insurgents' tactics are increasingly denounced by prominent Sunnis like Abdul-Ghafur, a cleric with the influential Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars, believed to have ties to insurgents.
"This is not the right way to drive the occupation out ... killing Iraqis is not the way to liberation," he told worshippers. "We call upon those who have power over these groups to stop massacring Iraqis."
While it is impossible to precisely gauge public opinion, it is clear many Iraqis have grown tired of two years of insecurity, and some are directing their wrath at those behind the bombings and attacks.
"I demand that they be put in the zoo along with the other scavengers, because that is where they belong," said Bassam Yassin, who lost his brother to an insurgent attack in Mosul. He spoke Wednesday after relatives of victims protested outside a police station in that northern city.
Iraq's majority Shiite Arabs and ethnic Kurds have long criticized the largely Sunni Arab insurgency, portraying the militants as terrorists, loyalists of the Saddam Hussein regime and foreign fighters.
But the insurgents are now also being criticized publicly by prominent Sunnis, including opponents of the U.S. presence.
"The real resistance should only target the occupiers, and no normal person should consider dozens of dead people to be some kind of collateral damage while you are trying to kill somebody else," cleric Ahmed Abdul-Ghafur told worshippers Friday at Um al-Qura, the main Sunni mosque in Baghdad. "Everybody should speak out against such inhumane acts."
The growing anger was underlined this week in Hillah, a predominantly Shiite Muslim city south of Baghdad where a suicide car bombing killed 125 people Monday - the deadliest single attack since Saddam's ouster.
It touched a nerve in Hillah. More than 2,000 people chanting "No to terrorism!" demonstrated Tuesday outside the clinic where the bomber drove into a crowd of Iraqi police and army recruits, setting off an explosion that also killed civilians at a nearby market.
On Friday, hostility to the insurgency apparently boiled over into bloodshed in Wihda, 25 miles south of Baghdad. Townsmen attacked militants thought to be planning a raid on the town and killed seven, police Capt. Hamadi al-Zubeidy reported.
Anger against insurgents is being fed, in part, by a government television campaign. Last week, U.S.-financed Al-Iraqiya TV aired a series of reports showing men describing themselves as insurgents calmly talking about how they had beheaded dozens of people, kidnapped others for ransom, and raped women and girls before killing them.
"People are realizing that the captured insurgents are not superheroes. They are timid people who kill for money and they have nothing to do with jihad," said Karim Humadi, head of programming for Al-Iraqiya.
Insurgents have attacked Nineveh TV, Al-Iraqiya's affiliate in Mosul, where most of the purported confessions were taped.
Last week, gunmen kidnapped one of the Mosul station's anchorwomen, shot her four times in the head and dumped her near her home. The victim, Raiedah Mohammed Wageh Wazan, had called the insurgents "terrorists" on air.
The anger over deaths caused by insurgents does not always translate into acceptance of U.S. troops, who are still widely blamed for the chaos in Iraq. And many people support the insurgents, arguing they are fighting a just war to rid the country of U.S.-led troops who invaded in 2003.
"The Iraqi people are brave and won't accept any foreigner on their soil. They will fight the occupation troops until force them to leave Iraq," said Haitham Abdul Razak, who was a captain in Saddam's army, which was disbanded by U.S. authorities.
Although American military deaths in Iraq passed 1,500 this week, they do not approach the toll among Iraqi civilians and their security forces. Bombings and other attacks killed more than 300 Iraqis just in February.
Groups like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq have made no secret that they hope attacks aimed at Iraq's Shiite majority will provoke Shiites into a sectarian war with Sunni Arabs, who make up the core of the insurgency.
They hope such a war will mobilize the Sunni Arab community, thought to comprise 15 percent to 20 percent of Iraq's 26 million people but who dominated under Saddam's regime.
Yet the insurgents' tactics are increasingly denounced by prominent Sunnis like Abdul-Ghafur, a cleric with the influential Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars, believed to have ties to insurgents.
"This is not the right way to drive the occupation out ... killing Iraqis is not the way to liberation," he told worshippers. "We call upon those who have power over these groups to stop massacring Iraqis."
Has Osama given up?
Geopolitical expert: Message to Zarqawi amounts to surrender
Osama bin Laden's recent message to colleague Abu Musab al-Zarqawi asking him to launch attacks on U.S. soil represents the surrender of the terror leader, says a leading geopolitical expert.
In a column on his intelligence website, To the Point, Dr. Jack Wheeler says the war on terrorism may have been won on March 1, when U.S. intelligence announced it had intercepted bin Laden's message to the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.
"The media went into a tizzy, bombarding Homeland Security officials with demands as to how they were going to protect us from this latest threat. And maybe there is a threat. Far more likely it's an announcement of surrender," writes Wheeler.
On his site, dubbed "the oasis for rational conservatives," Wheeler then translates bin Laden's Arabic message "into plain English":
"Dear Abu. I'm afraid I must announce to the world that, as a pitiful schmuck hiding in a mountain cave, I am powerless to organize or conduct any more terrorist attacks on the Great Satan of America. Can you do anything? I know you're being hunted down in every mud-hole in Iraq right now, and it might be a little difficult for you to make your way undetected to the U.S., create your own terrorist network since mine obviously no longer functions, and start your own terrorist war there � but do your best, OK? I am depending on you, since our Islamofascist brothers can no longer depend on me. Yours, Osama."
Wheeler says nearly a year ago he pointed out in a column: "It's entirely possible that the War on Muslim Terrorism could be won quickly," stating that in 1984 he began making speeches predicting the imminent fall of the Soviet Union, which at the time was thought to be a far-off development.
Concludes Wheeler: "Osama's plea to Zarqawi is a signal of hopelessness. It is part of the tectonic shift taking place throughout the Muslim world since the re-election of George W. Bush. The great hope of the terrorists was his defeat. Kerry would have postponed the elections in Iraq, giving hope to Zarqawi that he could win, and perhaps even started negotiating with al-Qaida. Now, despite Zarqawi's lashing out with suicide bombers blowing up Iraqis, the war in Iraq is all but won."
Osama bin Laden's recent message to colleague Abu Musab al-Zarqawi asking him to launch attacks on U.S. soil represents the surrender of the terror leader, says a leading geopolitical expert.
In a column on his intelligence website, To the Point, Dr. Jack Wheeler says the war on terrorism may have been won on March 1, when U.S. intelligence announced it had intercepted bin Laden's message to the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.
"The media went into a tizzy, bombarding Homeland Security officials with demands as to how they were going to protect us from this latest threat. And maybe there is a threat. Far more likely it's an announcement of surrender," writes Wheeler.
On his site, dubbed "the oasis for rational conservatives," Wheeler then translates bin Laden's Arabic message "into plain English":
"Dear Abu. I'm afraid I must announce to the world that, as a pitiful schmuck hiding in a mountain cave, I am powerless to organize or conduct any more terrorist attacks on the Great Satan of America. Can you do anything? I know you're being hunted down in every mud-hole in Iraq right now, and it might be a little difficult for you to make your way undetected to the U.S., create your own terrorist network since mine obviously no longer functions, and start your own terrorist war there � but do your best, OK? I am depending on you, since our Islamofascist brothers can no longer depend on me. Yours, Osama."
Wheeler says nearly a year ago he pointed out in a column: "It's entirely possible that the War on Muslim Terrorism could be won quickly," stating that in 1984 he began making speeches predicting the imminent fall of the Soviet Union, which at the time was thought to be a far-off development.
Concludes Wheeler: "Osama's plea to Zarqawi is a signal of hopelessness. It is part of the tectonic shift taking place throughout the Muslim world since the re-election of George W. Bush. The great hope of the terrorists was his defeat. Kerry would have postponed the elections in Iraq, giving hope to Zarqawi that he could win, and perhaps even started negotiating with al-Qaida. Now, despite Zarqawi's lashing out with suicide bombers blowing up Iraqis, the war in Iraq is all but won."
Judge to hear abuse claims in Schiavo case
Florida judge will hear arguments next week on whether the state's social services agency will be allowed to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case with an investigation of alleged abuse by her estranged husband.
The Department of Children and Families has filed a petition, made public yesterday, that contains 30 new allegations of "abuse, neglect or exploitation."
The DCF said the allegations came through its anonymous abuse hot line.
Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer will hear the accusations, which include failure to investigate experimental medical procedures, denial of legal counsel, lack of communication and visitation and lack of therapy.
If neglect or abuse can be proved, the state can take over guardianship from Michael Schiavo.
The Department of Children and Families has filed a petition, made public yesterday, that contains 30 new allegations of "abuse, neglect or exploitation."
The DCF said the allegations came through its anonymous abuse hot line.
Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer will hear the accusations, which include failure to investigate experimental medical procedures, denial of legal counsel, lack of communication and visitation and lack of therapy.
If neglect or abuse can be proved, the state can take over guardianship from Michael Schiavo.
No WMD In Iraq ? There Was According To This !
Friday's report also said the U.N. inspectors agreed with Duelfer, whose CIA (news - web sites)-organized Iraq Survey group had expressed concern about biological materials that were unaccounted for since 1991.
The new U.N. report noted that the Iraqis had handed over 90 unopened vials of biological agents to weapons inspectors. But it declared that 13 vials of "seed stock" or strains of microorganisms had been used, some in biological arms programs.
"The issue remains as part of the residue of uncertainty with respect to the continued existence in Iraq of seed stocks that could possibly be used in the future for the production of biological weapons agents," Perricos said in the report.
"Given its unresolvable nature, the issue could best be dealt with through monitoring to detect inter alia any possible future activity associated with biological weapon agent production or significant laboratory research work," he said.
The new U.N. report noted that the Iraqis had handed over 90 unopened vials of biological agents to weapons inspectors. But it declared that 13 vials of "seed stock" or strains of microorganisms had been used, some in biological arms programs.
"The issue remains as part of the residue of uncertainty with respect to the continued existence in Iraq of seed stocks that could possibly be used in the future for the production of biological weapons agents," Perricos said in the report.
"Given its unresolvable nature, the issue could best be dealt with through monitoring to detect inter alia any possible future activity associated with biological weapon agent production or significant laboratory research work," he said.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Dems blast Globe over reporter's anti-Kerry blog
Democrats heaped criticism on The Boston Globe yesterday for failing to more aggressively punish technology reporter Hiawatha Bray, who criticized Sen. John F. Kerry's campaign in Internet postings as he covered the race.
Former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, a close Kerry friend, said in a written statement, ``As someone who has seen what the right wing can do to destroy people and how the media can be complicit, I just can't get over the fact a reporter at a major newspaper was smearing John Kerry [related, bio] and he isn't even held accountable. Why does he have a job?''
Democratic National Committee spokesman Jano Cabrera said Bray's conduct ``merits more than a rebuke.''
Kerry's office had no comment and Massachusetts Democrats demurred, saying they believe the matter was properly handled within the Globe, which said Bray stopped blog posting when asked. Bray again declined comment yesterday.
Former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, a close Kerry friend, said in a written statement, ``As someone who has seen what the right wing can do to destroy people and how the media can be complicit, I just can't get over the fact a reporter at a major newspaper was smearing John Kerry [related, bio] and he isn't even held accountable. Why does he have a job?''
Democratic National Committee spokesman Jano Cabrera said Bray's conduct ``merits more than a rebuke.''
Kerry's office had no comment and Massachusetts Democrats demurred, saying they believe the matter was properly handled within the Globe, which said Bray stopped blog posting when asked. Bray again declined comment yesterday.
DCF doc mentions abuse allegations in Schiavo case
The state's social services agency is seeking to delay the removal of a brain-damaged woman's feeding tube so it can investigate about 30 new allegations of "abuse, neglect or exploitation" by her husband, according to a court document made public today.
In a petition filed last week, the Department of Children & Families said it received the abuse and neglect allegations through its anonymous abuse hot line. It sought a 60-day stay blocking the removal of 41-year-old Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, now scheduled for March 18.
Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, has been engaged in a bitter legal fight to remove the tube, arguing that she did not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have fought to keep her alive, contending she had no such end-of-life wishes and is not in a vegetative state as court-ordered doctors have determined.
The department said the abuse and neglect accusations include failure to investigate experimental medical procedures; denial of legal counsel; lack of communication and visitation; and lack of manipulation of Terri Schiavo's arms, "causing severe contractures."
"The allegations ... go to the heart of whether abuse, neglect and/or exploitation has been perpetrated by (Michael Schiavo)," DCF adult investigations supervisor Michael Will wrote in the petition.
Judge George Greer is expected to hear arguments next week on whether DCF should be allowed to intervene.
Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment Friday but has said that DCF's last-minute attempt to intervene "reeks of political arm-twisting." He said previous investigations of abuse allegations against his client have failed to turn up any evidence. Michael Schiavo denies ever harming his wife.
Gov. Jeb Bush has said he is searching for a way to keep Terri Schiavo alive. DCF's attempt to intervene came as Greer moved to set a new date for removal of the feeding tube.
Bush got involved in the case in October 2003, pushing a law through the Legislature authorizing him to resume Terri's Schiavo's feedings six days after the court stopped them. The law subsequently was ruled unconstitutional.
Terri Schiavo suffered severe brain damage 15 years ago when her heart stopped beating for several minutes because of a chemical imbalance possibly brought on by an eating disorder.
Her parents believe she could improve with therapy.
In a petition filed last week, the Department of Children & Families said it received the abuse and neglect allegations through its anonymous abuse hot line. It sought a 60-day stay blocking the removal of 41-year-old Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, now scheduled for March 18.
Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, has been engaged in a bitter legal fight to remove the tube, arguing that she did not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have fought to keep her alive, contending she had no such end-of-life wishes and is not in a vegetative state as court-ordered doctors have determined.
The department said the abuse and neglect accusations include failure to investigate experimental medical procedures; denial of legal counsel; lack of communication and visitation; and lack of manipulation of Terri Schiavo's arms, "causing severe contractures."
"The allegations ... go to the heart of whether abuse, neglect and/or exploitation has been perpetrated by (Michael Schiavo)," DCF adult investigations supervisor Michael Will wrote in the petition.
Judge George Greer is expected to hear arguments next week on whether DCF should be allowed to intervene.
Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment Friday but has said that DCF's last-minute attempt to intervene "reeks of political arm-twisting." He said previous investigations of abuse allegations against his client have failed to turn up any evidence. Michael Schiavo denies ever harming his wife.
Gov. Jeb Bush has said he is searching for a way to keep Terri Schiavo alive. DCF's attempt to intervene came as Greer moved to set a new date for removal of the feeding tube.
Bush got involved in the case in October 2003, pushing a law through the Legislature authorizing him to resume Terri's Schiavo's feedings six days after the court stopped them. The law subsequently was ruled unconstitutional.
Terri Schiavo suffered severe brain damage 15 years ago when her heart stopped beating for several minutes because of a chemical imbalance possibly brought on by an eating disorder.
Her parents believe she could improve with therapy.
Judge's error to save Terri !
'Clear mistake' led to dismissal of crucial testimony
Attorneys for the parents of Terri Schiavo filed a new motion claiming a trial judge made a reversible error that affected his determination of whether the brain-damaged Florida woman would want to be keep alive in her present condition.
Parents Robert and Mary Schindler contend Pinellas County Probate Court George Greer made a "clear mistake" when he discounted the testimony of Diane Meyer, who said that in 1982 Terri Schiavo told her she did not agree with the well-known decision by Karen Ann Quinlan's parents to take their daughter off life support.
Florida law allows for consideration of oral expressions of end-of-life wishes. Husband Michael Schiavo claims his wife told him she would not want to be keep alive through artificial means, but her parents don't believe that.
Terri Schiavo is not hooked up to any machines, but she requires a small feeding tube for nourishment and hydration. In 2000, Greer ordered that the tube be removed, and last week, denying a motion for a further stay, gave the Schindlers until March 18 at 1 p.m. to appeal before the order is carried out.
At the 2000 trial, Greer, although initially finding Meyer's testimony 'believable,' concluded that the conversation could not have occurred in 1982, because he believed Quinlan died in 1976. At that time, Terri would have been only 11 or 12 years old and, therefore, would not have made her end-of-life wishes as an adult.
The new motion contends it was Greer who was mistaken and not Meyer, because Quinlan did not die until 1985, about 9 years after her court case ended and her respirator was removed.
None of the attorneys working on the Schiavo case in 2000 apparently noticed the mistake in dates, according to the Schindlers' attorney David Gibbs.
"No one told Judge Greer that Karen Ann Quinlan was alive in 1982, making it entirely appropriate for Diane and Terri to discuss her situation in the present tense," his firm said in a statement.
Gibbs said that if Greer's 2000 order authorizing husband Michael Schiavo to end his wife's life were a criminal death sentence, Terri Schiavo would be entitled to a new trial on the basis of a reversible error.
"Although Terri is not a criminal, she is still under a court-imposed death order, an order that is the equivalent of a death penalty," Gibbs said. "Therefore, we are asking Judge Greer to correct his mistake by either reversing his 2000 order or conducting a new trial."
As WorldNetDaily reported last week, Greer denied the Schindlers' motion for an indefinite stay to pursue medical tests that might prove their daughter could benefit from physical therapy.
Terri Schiavo collapsed under disputed circumstances Feb. 25, 1990, suffering severe brain damage when her heart stopped momentarily. Michael Schiavo contends his wife had an eating disorder, and the court agreed she is in a "persistent vegetative state," but her parents suspect he tried to strangle her, and insist that while mentally handicapped, she recognizes people and responds to stimuli.
The Schindlers want to get TV cameras in their daughter's room at the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., where she lives, to document that she is not "comatose," as often has been reported. But Michael Schiavo keeps tight control of the vistors list and has barred filming and photographing.
The family's hopes also have been lifted by news that Florida's Department of Children and Families is launching an abuse probe. If neglect or abuse can be proved, the state can take over guardianship from Michael Schiavo.
The Schindlers have filed motions to remove their son-in-law as Terri's guardian, arguing he is her husband in name only and consistently has sought to withhold care and therapy. Michael Schiavo has been living for 10 years with fiance Jodi Centonze, with whom he has two children, and plans to marry her upon Terri's death.
Another option for the Schindlers is an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on religious liberty grounds, asserting Terri Schiavo's Catholic beliefs would be violated by invoking her "right to die."
Meanwhile, the National Right to Life Committee is calling on Congress to enact a bill to be introduced by Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., that would give the Schindler family access to a federal court to argue for the life of their daughter.
"Congress can act to ensure a federal court hearing on whether or not Terri will die of starvation and dehydration," said Lori Kehoe, congressional liaison for NRLC's Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics.
Kehoe said a proceeding known as the "writ of habeas corpus" been used to give a hearing to those whose liberty has been constrained by state courts in violation of the Constitution or federal laws.
Weldon plans to introduce the bill March 8.
"We call on all citizens to immediately contact their U.S. senators and representatives and urge them to support Representative Weldon's bill to amend the Habeas Corpus Act to allow its use when a state court orders denial of food or fluids in cases like Terri's," Kehoe said.
Attorneys for the parents of Terri Schiavo filed a new motion claiming a trial judge made a reversible error that affected his determination of whether the brain-damaged Florida woman would want to be keep alive in her present condition.
Parents Robert and Mary Schindler contend Pinellas County Probate Court George Greer made a "clear mistake" when he discounted the testimony of Diane Meyer, who said that in 1982 Terri Schiavo told her she did not agree with the well-known decision by Karen Ann Quinlan's parents to take their daughter off life support.
Florida law allows for consideration of oral expressions of end-of-life wishes. Husband Michael Schiavo claims his wife told him she would not want to be keep alive through artificial means, but her parents don't believe that.
Terri Schiavo is not hooked up to any machines, but she requires a small feeding tube for nourishment and hydration. In 2000, Greer ordered that the tube be removed, and last week, denying a motion for a further stay, gave the Schindlers until March 18 at 1 p.m. to appeal before the order is carried out.
At the 2000 trial, Greer, although initially finding Meyer's testimony 'believable,' concluded that the conversation could not have occurred in 1982, because he believed Quinlan died in 1976. At that time, Terri would have been only 11 or 12 years old and, therefore, would not have made her end-of-life wishes as an adult.
The new motion contends it was Greer who was mistaken and not Meyer, because Quinlan did not die until 1985, about 9 years after her court case ended and her respirator was removed.
None of the attorneys working on the Schiavo case in 2000 apparently noticed the mistake in dates, according to the Schindlers' attorney David Gibbs.
"No one told Judge Greer that Karen Ann Quinlan was alive in 1982, making it entirely appropriate for Diane and Terri to discuss her situation in the present tense," his firm said in a statement.
Gibbs said that if Greer's 2000 order authorizing husband Michael Schiavo to end his wife's life were a criminal death sentence, Terri Schiavo would be entitled to a new trial on the basis of a reversible error.
"Although Terri is not a criminal, she is still under a court-imposed death order, an order that is the equivalent of a death penalty," Gibbs said. "Therefore, we are asking Judge Greer to correct his mistake by either reversing his 2000 order or conducting a new trial."
As WorldNetDaily reported last week, Greer denied the Schindlers' motion for an indefinite stay to pursue medical tests that might prove their daughter could benefit from physical therapy.
Terri Schiavo collapsed under disputed circumstances Feb. 25, 1990, suffering severe brain damage when her heart stopped momentarily. Michael Schiavo contends his wife had an eating disorder, and the court agreed she is in a "persistent vegetative state," but her parents suspect he tried to strangle her, and insist that while mentally handicapped, she recognizes people and responds to stimuli.
The Schindlers want to get TV cameras in their daughter's room at the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., where she lives, to document that she is not "comatose," as often has been reported. But Michael Schiavo keeps tight control of the vistors list and has barred filming and photographing.
The family's hopes also have been lifted by news that Florida's Department of Children and Families is launching an abuse probe. If neglect or abuse can be proved, the state can take over guardianship from Michael Schiavo.
The Schindlers have filed motions to remove their son-in-law as Terri's guardian, arguing he is her husband in name only and consistently has sought to withhold care and therapy. Michael Schiavo has been living for 10 years with fiance Jodi Centonze, with whom he has two children, and plans to marry her upon Terri's death.
Another option for the Schindlers is an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on religious liberty grounds, asserting Terri Schiavo's Catholic beliefs would be violated by invoking her "right to die."
Meanwhile, the National Right to Life Committee is calling on Congress to enact a bill to be introduced by Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., that would give the Schindler family access to a federal court to argue for the life of their daughter.
"Congress can act to ensure a federal court hearing on whether or not Terri will die of starvation and dehydration," said Lori Kehoe, congressional liaison for NRLC's Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics.
Kehoe said a proceeding known as the "writ of habeas corpus" been used to give a hearing to those whose liberty has been constrained by state courts in violation of the Constitution or federal laws.
Weldon plans to introduce the bill March 8.
"We call on all citizens to immediately contact their U.S. senators and representatives and urge them to support Representative Weldon's bill to amend the Habeas Corpus Act to allow its use when a state court orders denial of food or fluids in cases like Terri's," Kehoe said.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Russia Moved Iraqi WMD
Moscow Moved Weapons to Syria and Lebanon
According to a former top Bush administration official, Russian special forces teams moved weapons of mass destruction out of Iraq to Syria.
"I am absolutely sure that Russian Spetsnatz units moved WMD out of Iraq before the war," stated John Shaw, the former deputy undersecretary for international technology security.
According to Shaw, Russian units hid Saddam's arsenal inside Syria and in Lebanon's Bekka valley.
"While in Iraq I uncovered detailed information that Spetsnatz units shredded records and moved all WMD and specified advanced munitions out of Iraq to Syria and Lebanon," stated Shaw during an exclusive interview.
"I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives. Moscow made a 2001 agreement with Saddam Hussein to clear up all Russian involvement in WMD systems in Iraq," stated Shaw.
Shaw's assertions match the information provided by U.S. military forces that satellite surveillance showed extensive large-vehicle traffic crossing the Syrian border prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Moscow Paranoid About WMD
Shaw's information also backs allegations by a wide variety of sources of Russia's direct involvement in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. One U.N. bioterrorism expert announced that Russia has been Iraq's "main supplier of the materials and know-how to weaponize anthrax, botulism and smallpox."
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Goldberg cited former U.N. weapons inspector Richard Spertzel, who stated that Moscow supplied Baghdad with fermentation equipment to produce biotoxins.
According to Spertzel, the Russians on the U.N. inspection team in Iraq were "paranoid" about his efforts to uncover smallpox production.
Goldberg noted that no country has "done more to rebuild" Saddam's chemical and biological weapons programs or "been more aggressive in helping hide the truth" than Russia.
It is a fact that Saddam Hussein rose to power backed by Russian weapons and Russian money. Saddam was in debt to Moscow for over $8 billion for the arms he purchased from Russia when he was captured by U.S. forces.
The primary Iraqi chemical weapons were VX nerve gas and mustard gas, a blistering agent, both obtained from Russia.
According to the book "Russian Military Power," published in 1982, "It is known that the Soviets maintain stocks of CW (chemical weapons) agents."
The two primary Russian chemical weapons in the 1982 Soviet inventory were the nerve agent "VX" and "blistering agents - developments of mustard gas used so effectively in World War I."
Russian Chemical Weapons in Iraq
Iraq did most of its WMD killing using Russian-made MiG and Sukhoi aircraft equipped with chemical sprayers. In addition, Saddam used French-made artillery and helicopters to dump gas on Iranian troops and Iraqi Kurds.
Iraq obtained Russian delivery systems and the same inventory of Russian-made chemical weapons at the same time. Iraqi SU-22 Fitter attack jets were armed with Warsaw Pact-designed bombs filled with chemical weapons. Iraq used these Russian jet fighters to drop chemical weapons on Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq war.
Iraq tried to use these SU-22 jets during the 1991 Gulf War, but they were detected and destroyed on the ground before they could launch a deadly chemical attack.
Other Russian weapons found with chemical weapons include the FROG-7 missile, 122 mm rockets, 152 mm artillery and the M-1937 82 mm mortars. All the Iraqi artillery missiles, rockets, shells and mortar rounds filled with chemical weapons are of Russian design.
Iraqi forces were trained by Russians in the use of chemical weapons and equipped by Russia with anti-chemical suits. The Iraqi armed forces were trained, equipped and supplied with the proper logistics to perform chemical warfare by Russia.
Lebanon and Syria
The arming of Iraq with such weapons has a direct impact on events today in the Middle East. The presence of former Iraqi WMD systems in Lebanon raises serious questions surrounding the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Many blame Syria for Hariri's murder.
However, the possibility that Hariri discovered the location of the Iraqi WMD systems inside his country lends some credible backing to a Syrian assassination effort to silence him.
In addition, the sudden sale of advanced missile and other weapons to Damascus by Moscow also supports the allegation that Syria is hiding something for Russia.
Russian weapons makers have previously insisted on hard, cold cash payments for their missiles, especially after the fall of Saddam and the collapse of credit deals done with Baghdad. More importantly, the Syrian economy is in bad shape, making it difficult for Damascus to come up with the required money for advanced Russian weapons.
Instead, it now appears that Moscow has extended both very good terms and no down payment required to Syria for an extensive purchase of advanced missiles and weapons. This is in contrast to weapons sales to other "good" Russian customers such as China, which can afford to pay up front for weapon systems.
CIA Failed
There is no question that the Russian effort to remove Iraqi WMD systems was the most successful intelligence operation of the 21st century. The Russians were able to move hundreds of tons of chemical, biological and nuclear materials without being discovered by CIA satellites or NSA radio listening posts.
"There is a clear sense on how effective they were," noted Shaw.
"The fact that the CIA did not know shows just how successful the Russian operation was," he concluded.
According to a former top Bush administration official, Russian special forces teams moved weapons of mass destruction out of Iraq to Syria.
"I am absolutely sure that Russian Spetsnatz units moved WMD out of Iraq before the war," stated John Shaw, the former deputy undersecretary for international technology security.
According to Shaw, Russian units hid Saddam's arsenal inside Syria and in Lebanon's Bekka valley.
"While in Iraq I uncovered detailed information that Spetsnatz units shredded records and moved all WMD and specified advanced munitions out of Iraq to Syria and Lebanon," stated Shaw during an exclusive interview.
"I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives. Moscow made a 2001 agreement with Saddam Hussein to clear up all Russian involvement in WMD systems in Iraq," stated Shaw.
Shaw's assertions match the information provided by U.S. military forces that satellite surveillance showed extensive large-vehicle traffic crossing the Syrian border prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Moscow Paranoid About WMD
Shaw's information also backs allegations by a wide variety of sources of Russia's direct involvement in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. One U.N. bioterrorism expert announced that Russia has been Iraq's "main supplier of the materials and know-how to weaponize anthrax, botulism and smallpox."
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Goldberg cited former U.N. weapons inspector Richard Spertzel, who stated that Moscow supplied Baghdad with fermentation equipment to produce biotoxins.
According to Spertzel, the Russians on the U.N. inspection team in Iraq were "paranoid" about his efforts to uncover smallpox production.
Goldberg noted that no country has "done more to rebuild" Saddam's chemical and biological weapons programs or "been more aggressive in helping hide the truth" than Russia.
It is a fact that Saddam Hussein rose to power backed by Russian weapons and Russian money. Saddam was in debt to Moscow for over $8 billion for the arms he purchased from Russia when he was captured by U.S. forces.
The primary Iraqi chemical weapons were VX nerve gas and mustard gas, a blistering agent, both obtained from Russia.
According to the book "Russian Military Power," published in 1982, "It is known that the Soviets maintain stocks of CW (chemical weapons) agents."
The two primary Russian chemical weapons in the 1982 Soviet inventory were the nerve agent "VX" and "blistering agents - developments of mustard gas used so effectively in World War I."
Russian Chemical Weapons in Iraq
Iraq did most of its WMD killing using Russian-made MiG and Sukhoi aircraft equipped with chemical sprayers. In addition, Saddam used French-made artillery and helicopters to dump gas on Iranian troops and Iraqi Kurds.
Iraq obtained Russian delivery systems and the same inventory of Russian-made chemical weapons at the same time. Iraqi SU-22 Fitter attack jets were armed with Warsaw Pact-designed bombs filled with chemical weapons. Iraq used these Russian jet fighters to drop chemical weapons on Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq war.
Iraq tried to use these SU-22 jets during the 1991 Gulf War, but they were detected and destroyed on the ground before they could launch a deadly chemical attack.
Other Russian weapons found with chemical weapons include the FROG-7 missile, 122 mm rockets, 152 mm artillery and the M-1937 82 mm mortars. All the Iraqi artillery missiles, rockets, shells and mortar rounds filled with chemical weapons are of Russian design.
Iraqi forces were trained by Russians in the use of chemical weapons and equipped by Russia with anti-chemical suits. The Iraqi armed forces were trained, equipped and supplied with the proper logistics to perform chemical warfare by Russia.
Lebanon and Syria
The arming of Iraq with such weapons has a direct impact on events today in the Middle East. The presence of former Iraqi WMD systems in Lebanon raises serious questions surrounding the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Many blame Syria for Hariri's murder.
However, the possibility that Hariri discovered the location of the Iraqi WMD systems inside his country lends some credible backing to a Syrian assassination effort to silence him.
In addition, the sudden sale of advanced missile and other weapons to Damascus by Moscow also supports the allegation that Syria is hiding something for Russia.
Russian weapons makers have previously insisted on hard, cold cash payments for their missiles, especially after the fall of Saddam and the collapse of credit deals done with Baghdad. More importantly, the Syrian economy is in bad shape, making it difficult for Damascus to come up with the required money for advanced Russian weapons.
Instead, it now appears that Moscow has extended both very good terms and no down payment required to Syria for an extensive purchase of advanced missiles and weapons. This is in contrast to weapons sales to other "good" Russian customers such as China, which can afford to pay up front for weapon systems.
CIA Failed
There is no question that the Russian effort to remove Iraqi WMD systems was the most successful intelligence operation of the 21st century. The Russians were able to move hundreds of tons of chemical, biological and nuclear materials without being discovered by CIA satellites or NSA radio listening posts.
"There is a clear sense on how effective they were," noted Shaw.
"The fact that the CIA did not know shows just how successful the Russian operation was," he concluded.
IAEA: Iran Burying Nukes Against Attack
Iran is using reinforced materials and tunneling deep underground to store nuclear components - measures meant to deter "bunker busters" and other special weapons in case of attack, diplomats said Thursday.
The diplomats spoke as a 35-nation meeting of the U.N. atomic watchdog ended more than three days of deliberations focusing on Iran and North Korea. An agency review read at the meeting faulted Tehran for starting work on the tunnel at Isfahan without informing the International Atomic Energy Agency beforehand.
The review said Iran, following prodding by the IAEA, has in recent months provided "preliminary design information" on the tunnel in the central city that is home to the country's uranium enrichment program, and said construction began in September "to increase capacity, safety and security of nuclear material."
Earlier in the meeting, the IAEA also said Iran was ignoring calls to scrap plans for a heavy water reactor and continuing construction. On Thursday, a diplomat described that as no secret, saying satellite imagery had revealed that work at the city of Arak had progressed to the point where crews "were pouring the foundations."
Experts estimate the Arak reactor can yield enough plutonium from its spent fuel for one bomb a year. Additionally, the nearly 40 tons of uranium Iran partially processed as part of its enrichment program could yield up to five crude bombs.
Iran has suspended work on its enrichment program pending negotiations with France, Germany and Britain. But it repeatedly has said the freeze is short-term, despite hopes that it will fully scrap its plans.
Asked for details on the tunnel, a diplomat familiar with Iran's dossier said parts of it apparently would run as deep as half a mile below ground and would be constructed of hardened concrete and other special materials meant to withstand the severest of air attacks.
Other diplomats said such moves were clearly motivated by Iranian concerns of strikes by the United States or Israel, which both accuse Tehran of trying to secretly build nuclear weapons. All the envoys are close to the IAEA and follow Iranian developments, and they spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Hundreds of bunker busters were used in U.S. airstrikes on hostile fortified underground command centers, living quarters and storage areas in Afghanistan and Iran.
Israel last year said it was buying about 5,000 smart bombs from the United States, including 500 1-ton bunker busters capable of destroying 6-foot-thick concrete walls, fueling speculation of possible preparation for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
While not ruling out the possibility of a U.S. attack, Washington has toned down its rhetoric against Iran. Washington is awaiting the results of European negotiations aimed at getting Tehran to renounce all plans to enrich uranium in exchange for economic concessions and other forms of support - and is even considering backing such incentives.
Uranium enrichment is "dual use" - meaning it can generate fuel for nuclear power as well as form the core of warheads.
President Bush said fears that Washington was preparing an attack were "ridiculous," but he nonetheless said last week that "all options are on the table."
Iran links its fear of attack to a decision to bar U.N. nuclear inspectors from some sensitive sites during debate at the Vienna meeting, a gathering of the IAEA board of governors.
Suggesting that leaks could be exploited by Iran's enemies, senior Iranian envoy Sirous Nasseri said Tehran's worries about "confidentiality of information" gathered on such visits "are more intense in view of potential threats of military strikes against ... facilities visited by (the) agency."
IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei said the "ball is very much in Iran's court to come clean" by cooperating to clear lingering suspicions about possible nuclear weapons ambitions.
Still, the agency has not been able to support U.S. assertions that nearly 20 years of Iran's covert nuclear programs discovered more than two years ago were aimed at making nuclear weapons - not generating electricity, as Tehran claims.
On North Korea, its other main concern, the meeting urged Pyongyang to return to six-party negotiations over its nuclear program and to let the agency return to monitoring its atomic activities.
The threat represented by North Korea is "a serious challenge ... to peace and stability in Northeast Asia," and to attempts to control the global spread of nuclear weapons, a board statement said.
In a separate attempt to defuse the North Korean threat, top U.S. and Chinese officials in Seoul discussed tactics meant to lure Pyongyang back to the multiparty talks.
International efforts to bring North Korea back to the talks have gained urgency since Pyongyang's Feb. 10 claim that it had built nuclear weapons and would boycott international disarmament talks indefinitely.
The diplomats spoke as a 35-nation meeting of the U.N. atomic watchdog ended more than three days of deliberations focusing on Iran and North Korea. An agency review read at the meeting faulted Tehran for starting work on the tunnel at Isfahan without informing the International Atomic Energy Agency beforehand.
The review said Iran, following prodding by the IAEA, has in recent months provided "preliminary design information" on the tunnel in the central city that is home to the country's uranium enrichment program, and said construction began in September "to increase capacity, safety and security of nuclear material."
Earlier in the meeting, the IAEA also said Iran was ignoring calls to scrap plans for a heavy water reactor and continuing construction. On Thursday, a diplomat described that as no secret, saying satellite imagery had revealed that work at the city of Arak had progressed to the point where crews "were pouring the foundations."
Experts estimate the Arak reactor can yield enough plutonium from its spent fuel for one bomb a year. Additionally, the nearly 40 tons of uranium Iran partially processed as part of its enrichment program could yield up to five crude bombs.
Iran has suspended work on its enrichment program pending negotiations with France, Germany and Britain. But it repeatedly has said the freeze is short-term, despite hopes that it will fully scrap its plans.
Asked for details on the tunnel, a diplomat familiar with Iran's dossier said parts of it apparently would run as deep as half a mile below ground and would be constructed of hardened concrete and other special materials meant to withstand the severest of air attacks.
Other diplomats said such moves were clearly motivated by Iranian concerns of strikes by the United States or Israel, which both accuse Tehran of trying to secretly build nuclear weapons. All the envoys are close to the IAEA and follow Iranian developments, and they spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Hundreds of bunker busters were used in U.S. airstrikes on hostile fortified underground command centers, living quarters and storage areas in Afghanistan and Iran.
Israel last year said it was buying about 5,000 smart bombs from the United States, including 500 1-ton bunker busters capable of destroying 6-foot-thick concrete walls, fueling speculation of possible preparation for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
While not ruling out the possibility of a U.S. attack, Washington has toned down its rhetoric against Iran. Washington is awaiting the results of European negotiations aimed at getting Tehran to renounce all plans to enrich uranium in exchange for economic concessions and other forms of support - and is even considering backing such incentives.
Uranium enrichment is "dual use" - meaning it can generate fuel for nuclear power as well as form the core of warheads.
President Bush said fears that Washington was preparing an attack were "ridiculous," but he nonetheless said last week that "all options are on the table."
Iran links its fear of attack to a decision to bar U.N. nuclear inspectors from some sensitive sites during debate at the Vienna meeting, a gathering of the IAEA board of governors.
Suggesting that leaks could be exploited by Iran's enemies, senior Iranian envoy Sirous Nasseri said Tehran's worries about "confidentiality of information" gathered on such visits "are more intense in view of potential threats of military strikes against ... facilities visited by (the) agency."
IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei said the "ball is very much in Iran's court to come clean" by cooperating to clear lingering suspicions about possible nuclear weapons ambitions.
Still, the agency has not been able to support U.S. assertions that nearly 20 years of Iran's covert nuclear programs discovered more than two years ago were aimed at making nuclear weapons - not generating electricity, as Tehran claims.
On North Korea, its other main concern, the meeting urged Pyongyang to return to six-party negotiations over its nuclear program and to let the agency return to monitoring its atomic activities.
The threat represented by North Korea is "a serious challenge ... to peace and stability in Northeast Asia," and to attempts to control the global spread of nuclear weapons, a board statement said.
In a separate attempt to defuse the North Korean threat, top U.S. and Chinese officials in Seoul discussed tactics meant to lure Pyongyang back to the multiparty talks.
International efforts to bring North Korea back to the talks have gained urgency since Pyongyang's Feb. 10 claim that it had built nuclear weapons and would boycott international disarmament talks indefinitely.
Hezbollah: We'll be 'destroyed' if added to terror list
Violent Lebanese group fears request for EU sanctions
If the European Union follows Israeli recommendations this week and places Hezbollah on a list of official terror organizations, the economic consequences of sanctions would "destroy" the Lebanese terror group, Hezbollah's leader told Arabic language television.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom Monday called on the European Union to add Hezbollah to its list of terrorist groups � a step Europe so far has been reluctant to take. The request follows a suicide bombing Friday in Tel Aviv that Israel says was directed by Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad with funding and assistance from Syria.
Shalom said he reiterated the long-standing Israeli request regarding Hezbollah during a meeting this week with his Belgian counterpart, Karel De Gucht, and will express the Jewish state's concerns to other EU members.
Shalom told reporters Hezbollah operates dozens of terror cells, directs a group of Palestinian terrorists and offers millions of dollars in assistance to West Bank militants.
"We see they make every effort to sabotage progress in the peace process," Shalom said.
The United States also has attempted to persuade the EU to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said European blacklisting would "destroy" his group.
Designating Hezbollah a terror group in Europe will mean "the sources of [our] funding will dry up and the sources of moral, political and material support will be destroyed," Nasrallah told Al Manar, Hezbollah's satellite television station.
"The political option [used by the Israelis], which is more important and dangerous, is manifested by the Israeli-Zionist unceasing efforts to lay siege to [Hezbollah] in Lebanon and in the future in Palestine and globally, internationally, regionally and even locally in Lebanon. That is the most dangerous challenge we have had to face during the past few years, and we stand firm today and will stand firm in the future," said Nasrallah.
France has already responded to Israel's Hezbollah request, with French President Jacques Chirac claiming the timing was not right for such a move.
Israeli officials told reporters the French are aware of the information linking Hezbollah to terrorism, but they are now allegedly focusing their efforts on the civil uprising in Lebanon and say they don't want to risk harming relations with the group.
France's objections are considered the main obstacle to the EU approving the move to add Hezbollah to the terror list.
Israel this week also launched a major diplomatic offensive lobbying for increased international isolation of Syria. Military intelligence chiefs in Jerusalem met several foreign ambassadors, mostly from European countries, to present information linking Syria to the Tel Aviv bombing. Presentations are also scheduled for Washington, London and Paris.
"What we are doing is trying in every capital of the world ... to show them the direct links from Syria to Islamic Jihad, which has a direct connection to what we saw on Friday evening in Tel Aviv," said Ron Prosor, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry.
If the European Union follows Israeli recommendations this week and places Hezbollah on a list of official terror organizations, the economic consequences of sanctions would "destroy" the Lebanese terror group, Hezbollah's leader told Arabic language television.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom Monday called on the European Union to add Hezbollah to its list of terrorist groups � a step Europe so far has been reluctant to take. The request follows a suicide bombing Friday in Tel Aviv that Israel says was directed by Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad with funding and assistance from Syria.
Shalom said he reiterated the long-standing Israeli request regarding Hezbollah during a meeting this week with his Belgian counterpart, Karel De Gucht, and will express the Jewish state's concerns to other EU members.
Shalom told reporters Hezbollah operates dozens of terror cells, directs a group of Palestinian terrorists and offers millions of dollars in assistance to West Bank militants.
"We see they make every effort to sabotage progress in the peace process," Shalom said.
The United States also has attempted to persuade the EU to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said European blacklisting would "destroy" his group.
Designating Hezbollah a terror group in Europe will mean "the sources of [our] funding will dry up and the sources of moral, political and material support will be destroyed," Nasrallah told Al Manar, Hezbollah's satellite television station.
"The political option [used by the Israelis], which is more important and dangerous, is manifested by the Israeli-Zionist unceasing efforts to lay siege to [Hezbollah] in Lebanon and in the future in Palestine and globally, internationally, regionally and even locally in Lebanon. That is the most dangerous challenge we have had to face during the past few years, and we stand firm today and will stand firm in the future," said Nasrallah.
France has already responded to Israel's Hezbollah request, with French President Jacques Chirac claiming the timing was not right for such a move.
Israeli officials told reporters the French are aware of the information linking Hezbollah to terrorism, but they are now allegedly focusing their efforts on the civil uprising in Lebanon and say they don't want to risk harming relations with the group.
France's objections are considered the main obstacle to the EU approving the move to add Hezbollah to the terror list.
Israel this week also launched a major diplomatic offensive lobbying for increased international isolation of Syria. Military intelligence chiefs in Jerusalem met several foreign ambassadors, mostly from European countries, to present information linking Syria to the Tel Aviv bombing. Presentations are also scheduled for Washington, London and Paris.
"What we are doing is trying in every capital of the world ... to show them the direct links from Syria to Islamic Jihad, which has a direct connection to what we saw on Friday evening in Tel Aviv," said Ron Prosor, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry.
Combat Marines Defend Pantano
A U.S. Marine being investigated for murdering Iraqi citizens has received strong support from his fellow combat soldiers and officers who believe the charges are bogus.
A special investigative hearing will soon be held about the actions of Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano relating to the deaths of two Iraqi during combat in Fallujah in April of 2004.
Time magazine recently noted, "[This] trial will be one of the most closely watched of any to come out of the Iraq war."
Sometime in the next couple of months, Lt. Pantano will appear before a Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 32 investigating officer at Camp Lejeune, N.C. At issue: are there reasonable grounds to believe Pantano committed the offenses of a pair of premeditated murders on April 15, 2004 while serving as a platoon commander in Iraq?
As he did as an infantry platoon commander in Iraq, Pantano will be fighting for his life, this time in a military courtroom, not the bloody streets of Iraq where Marines have been engaged in the worst kind of close-in urban warfare.
The preliminary hearing will be open to the public and so, most likely, will a general court-martial, should it follow, noted Time. "This one will get tried on TV - not at some small base in the middle of nowhere," said a former Marine lawyer.
Marines Rally to Pantano
According to the Time report, many of Pantano's fellow officers believe that the case reflects the gap between the way military leaders prefer to portray the war in Iraq to the public and the grim, blood-and-guts way it is actually being fought.
"The single biggest problem with the Iraq operation is that the military is at war but the nation is not," sums up one officer.
Several Marine officers who served with Pantano in Iraq, and who spoke to TIME on condition of anonymity, criticized the Marines for pursuing the case. Pantano, they maintain, had two choices. He could hold fire and risk his life and those of his men, or shoot to kill.
A special investigative hearing will soon be held about the actions of Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano relating to the deaths of two Iraqi during combat in Fallujah in April of 2004.
Time magazine recently noted, "[This] trial will be one of the most closely watched of any to come out of the Iraq war."
Sometime in the next couple of months, Lt. Pantano will appear before a Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 32 investigating officer at Camp Lejeune, N.C. At issue: are there reasonable grounds to believe Pantano committed the offenses of a pair of premeditated murders on April 15, 2004 while serving as a platoon commander in Iraq?
As he did as an infantry platoon commander in Iraq, Pantano will be fighting for his life, this time in a military courtroom, not the bloody streets of Iraq where Marines have been engaged in the worst kind of close-in urban warfare.
The preliminary hearing will be open to the public and so, most likely, will a general court-martial, should it follow, noted Time. "This one will get tried on TV - not at some small base in the middle of nowhere," said a former Marine lawyer.
Marines Rally to Pantano
According to the Time report, many of Pantano's fellow officers believe that the case reflects the gap between the way military leaders prefer to portray the war in Iraq to the public and the grim, blood-and-guts way it is actually being fought.
"The single biggest problem with the Iraq operation is that the military is at war but the nation is not," sums up one officer.
Several Marine officers who served with Pantano in Iraq, and who spoke to TIME on condition of anonymity, criticized the Marines for pursuing the case. Pantano, they maintain, had two choices. He could hold fire and risk his life and those of his men, or shoot to kill.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Michael Schiavo:'When is that bitch going to die?'
In a stunning affidavit sworn , Carla Sauer Iyer, a registered nurse who was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in Largo, Fla., from April 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo was a patient there, testified: "Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, " would say, 'When is she going to die? Has she died yet?' and " Iyer charged. "Other statements which I recall him making include, 'Can't anything be done to accelerate her death, won't she ever die?' When she wouldn't die, Michael [Schiavo] would be furious."
Conversely, Iyer said that when she would have to call Schiavo to inform him of a downturn in Terri's condition, Schiavo would be elated.
"Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled even, hoping that she would die," Iyer recalled. "He would blurt out, 'I'm going to be rich,' and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died, which included a new car, a new boat and going to Europe, among other things."
Conversely, Iyer said that when she would have to call Schiavo to inform him of a downturn in Terri's condition, Schiavo would be elated.
"Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled even, hoping that she would die," Iyer recalled. "He would blurt out, 'I'm going to be rich,' and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died, which included a new car, a new boat and going to Europe, among other things."
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Terri Supported Placing Her Grandmother On A Ventilator
Schiavo said his wife told him several times she would not want to be kept on life support. His brother, Scott, and the wife of another brother also said Mrs. Schiavo told them the same thing.
The Schindlers say they don't believe that and wonder why Schiavo never mentioned it until 1998, after his wife had spent eight years in a coma.
The parents testified their daughter never talked to them about life support. But, they and Meyer said, Mrs. Schiavo supported placing her grandmother on a ventilator and opposed Karen Ann Quinlan's parents, who gained national attention in the 1970s when fighting to remove their daughter from life support.
The Schindlers say they don't believe that and wonder why Schiavo never mentioned it until 1998, after his wife had spent eight years in a coma.
The parents testified their daughter never talked to them about life support. But, they and Meyer said, Mrs. Schiavo supported placing her grandmother on a ventilator and opposed Karen Ann Quinlan's parents, who gained national attention in the 1970s when fighting to remove their daughter from life support.
Judge Greer refuses to hear the divorce petition and Other Motions in Terri's Case !
On Monday, attorney David Gibbs filed 11 motions, including a petition for divorce. The petition for divorce states that Michael Schiavo has been co-habitating with Jodi Centonze for over 10 years and has fathered two children with her. Living in open adultery is a 2nd degree misdemeanor in Florida (FS 798.01 Living in Open Adultery).
Judge Greer refused to hear the divorce petition, along with the motions to remove Michael Schiavo as guardian and to allow news medical tests. The links to several motions filed today are below.
Motion for Divorce (denied by Judge Greer)
Motion to allow natural feeding
Motion for family access while Terri is dying (Michael has repeatedly banned the family from visiting Terri at hospice)
Motion to allow Terri to die at home
Motion for burial (Michael has an order to cremate Terri's body without a Christian funeral or burial)
Motion to leave feeding tube port intact
Judge Greer refused to hear the divorce petition, along with the motions to remove Michael Schiavo as guardian and to allow news medical tests. The links to several motions filed today are below.
Motion for Divorce (denied by Judge Greer)
Motion to allow natural feeding
Motion for family access while Terri is dying (Michael has repeatedly banned the family from visiting Terri at hospice)
Motion to allow Terri to die at home
Motion for burial (Michael has an order to cremate Terri's body without a Christian funeral or burial)
Motion to leave feeding tube port intact
Combat Marine Investigated for Murder
At issue: Are there reasonable grounds to believe Pantano committed a pair of murders in Iraq? A growing number of critics wonder why Pantano � in doing his duty � must face what they see as second-guessing of a military leader's actions in the field.
Schiavo Parents Seek Divorce for Daughter
NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
TAMPA, Fla. - Terri Schiavo's parents asked a judge Monday to allow the severely brain-damaged woman to divorce her husband, accusing him of adultery and not acting in his wife's best interests.
It was one of a flurry of 11 motions filed by Bob and Mary Schindler, who have less than three weeks to find a way to keep their daughter alive. Michael Schiavo says his wife, who has spent 15 years in what doctors call a vegetative state, once told him she would never want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents have fought his efforts but Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer ruled that Schiavo can have her feeding tube removed on March 18.
The Schindlers' attorney, David Gibbs, said Greer had indicated he will not hear the divorce request and five of the other motions filed Monday, but that only means that the matters are now on their way to being appealed.
Appearing at a rally in Jacksonville, the Schindlers called on Gov. Jeb Bush to look into the circumstances that led to their daughter's 1990 collapse and asked Attorney General Charlie Crist to investigate whether Terri Schiavo's civil rights have been violated.
"We have filed divorce proceedings because of (Michael Schiavo's) total disregard for Terri as his wife," Bob Schindler said. "He is married to Terri, but he is living with another woman and he has two children by her. It has become quite obvious that his priorities are not in Terri's best interest."
"Remaining married to him is an embarrassment," Gibbs said.
Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, called the new motions little more than an attempt to clog the case with further delays. Felos has said even if Michael Schiavo were to divorce his wife, any new guardian would be obligated to remove Terri Schiavo's feeding tube because the court has ruled it is her wish not to be kept alive artificially.
"I think everyone knows the parents are going to try anything, including throwing in the kitchen sink, to frustrate the court's final judgment and Terri's wishes," Felos said.
Other motions by the Schindlers ask that some news reporters be allowed to see Terri Schiavo's interactions with her parents, since they contend she responds to them; that they be allowed to take pictures with her before she dies and that those photographs not become Michael Schiavo's property, as a current court order now requires; that she be allowed to die at home; and that they be allowed to bury her rather than the cremation her husband has planned.
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
TAMPA, Fla. - Terri Schiavo's parents asked a judge Monday to allow the severely brain-damaged woman to divorce her husband, accusing him of adultery and not acting in his wife's best interests.
It was one of a flurry of 11 motions filed by Bob and Mary Schindler, who have less than three weeks to find a way to keep their daughter alive. Michael Schiavo says his wife, who has spent 15 years in what doctors call a vegetative state, once told him she would never want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents have fought his efforts but Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer ruled that Schiavo can have her feeding tube removed on March 18.
The Schindlers' attorney, David Gibbs, said Greer had indicated he will not hear the divorce request and five of the other motions filed Monday, but that only means that the matters are now on their way to being appealed.
Appearing at a rally in Jacksonville, the Schindlers called on Gov. Jeb Bush to look into the circumstances that led to their daughter's 1990 collapse and asked Attorney General Charlie Crist to investigate whether Terri Schiavo's civil rights have been violated.
"We have filed divorce proceedings because of (Michael Schiavo's) total disregard for Terri as his wife," Bob Schindler said. "He is married to Terri, but he is living with another woman and he has two children by her. It has become quite obvious that his priorities are not in Terri's best interest."
"Remaining married to him is an embarrassment," Gibbs said.
Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, called the new motions little more than an attempt to clog the case with further delays. Felos has said even if Michael Schiavo were to divorce his wife, any new guardian would be obligated to remove Terri Schiavo's feeding tube because the court has ruled it is her wish not to be kept alive artificially.
"I think everyone knows the parents are going to try anything, including throwing in the kitchen sink, to frustrate the court's final judgment and Terri's wishes," Felos said.
Other motions by the Schindlers ask that some news reporters be allowed to see Terri Schiavo's interactions with her parents, since they contend she responds to them; that they be allowed to take pictures with her before she dies and that those photographs not become Michael Schiavo's property, as a current court order now requires; that she be allowed to die at home; and that they be allowed to bury her rather than the cremation her husband has planned.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Terri Schiavo Case:INDEX OF DOCUMENTS
This link contains 31 documents relating to the Terri Sciavo case. Anyone of them in and of themselves would probably not be enough to warrant an investigation into the circumstances that led up to Terri's collapse and the motives of her husband afterward. However the combination of some or all of these 31 documents certainly warrant "Reasonable Suspicion" of Mr. Schiavo's actions before and on the day of Terri's collapse and the activities and intentions of Mr. Schiavo after Terri's hospitalization.
It is my opinion that a "full" investigation is warranted of the allegations here and should be conducted by an "uninterested" entity (an organization that is not already involved in the Schiavo case, possibly the FBI since I believe that Terri's and the Schindler's civil rights may have been violated)
J.R.Talk Show America
It is my opinion that a "full" investigation is warranted of the allegations here and should be conducted by an "uninterested" entity (an organization that is not already involved in the Schiavo case, possibly the FBI since I believe that Terri's and the Schindler's civil rights may have been violated)
J.R.Talk Show America
See The Official Results of Terri's Bone Scan
These are the official results of Terri's bone scan !
On May 6, 1990, two months after the mysterious incident that left Terri Schindler Schiavo severely mentally disabled, Dr. Hamilton, an Orthopedic Surgeon, examined her. A year later Terri was demonstrating painful reactions to physical therapy treatment, so on March 5, 1991, the Mediplex therapist director ordered a bone scan.
This bone scan revealed a healed broken right femur bone and healed bone fractures in Terri Schindler Schiavo�s ribs, pelvis, spine and ankle.
Dr. W. Campbell Walker concluded that Terri has a history of trauma and presumed that the other multiple areas of abnormal activity also relate to previous trauma.
As Terri�s lone guardian, Michael Schiavo has been able to conceal the bone scan and examinations from her parents, brother, and sister for over ten years. To date, Michael Schiavo has not allowed the family to see the results of the May 6 examination, the emergency room records from the day of the incident, nor any of the accompanying x-rays.
Michael Schiavo's inability to be forthright over the bone scan brings into question his lone description of Terri's activity at the time of the incident. His choice to have his wife terminated rather than rehabilitated may not be in pursuit of her interests, but to continue to conceal the level of physical violence he displayed toward Terri.
On May 6, 1990, two months after the mysterious incident that left Terri Schindler Schiavo severely mentally disabled, Dr. Hamilton, an Orthopedic Surgeon, examined her. A year later Terri was demonstrating painful reactions to physical therapy treatment, so on March 5, 1991, the Mediplex therapist director ordered a bone scan.
This bone scan revealed a healed broken right femur bone and healed bone fractures in Terri Schindler Schiavo�s ribs, pelvis, spine and ankle.
Dr. W. Campbell Walker concluded that Terri has a history of trauma and presumed that the other multiple areas of abnormal activity also relate to previous trauma.
As Terri�s lone guardian, Michael Schiavo has been able to conceal the bone scan and examinations from her parents, brother, and sister for over ten years. To date, Michael Schiavo has not allowed the family to see the results of the May 6 examination, the emergency room records from the day of the incident, nor any of the accompanying x-rays.
Michael Schiavo's inability to be forthright over the bone scan brings into question his lone description of Terri's activity at the time of the incident. His choice to have his wife terminated rather than rehabilitated may not be in pursuit of her interests, but to continue to conceal the level of physical violence he displayed toward Terri.
Phone conversation between Cindy Shook and Bob Schindler Jr.,
April 2001
I started by speaking with Investigator Kim. Kim informed me that she was presently with Cindy Shook at her home and has spoken to Cindy at length about events and conversation that occurred between her and Michael Schiavo when the two of them were dating.
I asked Kim if Cindy would speak to me. Kim informed me that Cindy would but that she is not going to come forward because of her existing fear she has for Michael.
Cindy then came to the phone. I initially thanked her for taking the time to speak with Kim. I asked if she would speak to our lawyers regarding this information. She told me absolutely not! I asked her why? She told me that Michael is insane and she is so scared that if she did speak about this, that he would cause harm to her husband and kids. I said to her, �Cindy, if you have information that will save my sister�s life, then it is your responsibility to come forward.� She said that she understood why we were asking her to do this and understood our love for Terri but her children�s safety was more important than what would happen to Terri.
Cindy then went on to briefly tell me about their relationship when her and Michael were dating. �He was insane,� she told me. (Cindy stated this several times throughout our conversation) After we broke up, �He stalked me,� Cindy said. She had to get her husband (boyfriend at the time) involved so Michael would stop stalking her. She told me that Michael had tried to run her off the road on one occasion. She also included that at one time she thought the only way he was going to stop harassing her was by getting a restraining order against Michael.
I said to her that we would do anything we could so that Michael would not go near her and her family if she agreed to testify. She said that no one could ever guarantee that Michael, at some point, would not do something to her family, particularly her children. She continually stated that, �You have no idea the person (Michael) you�re dealing with.� She explained to me that if she were single she would be there for my family but because of all the money involved, she was convinced, that Michael would retaliate against her family.
I asked Cindy, �what is it I could say that would convince you that you need to testify.� I tried to explain to her that by knowing what you know and letting him get away with it that she was essentially letting Michael get away with murdering my sister. She told me there was nothing that I can say that would ever convince her otherwise and she would not testify to any of this, no matter what my family did to try and get her to testify. In fact, she vowed to forget everything if we subpoenaed her. She apologized and said she felt awful but her family meant more to her than anything, even my sister dying. At that point I sensed Cindy was getting upset. I said that I hope she would change her mind and asked her to put Kim back on the phone.
When I spoke to Kim, I told her that I could not believe how scared Cindy was of Michael. It was frightening. Kim agreed.
I started by speaking with Investigator Kim. Kim informed me that she was presently with Cindy Shook at her home and has spoken to Cindy at length about events and conversation that occurred between her and Michael Schiavo when the two of them were dating.
I asked Kim if Cindy would speak to me. Kim informed me that Cindy would but that she is not going to come forward because of her existing fear she has for Michael.
Cindy then came to the phone. I initially thanked her for taking the time to speak with Kim. I asked if she would speak to our lawyers regarding this information. She told me absolutely not! I asked her why? She told me that Michael is insane and she is so scared that if she did speak about this, that he would cause harm to her husband and kids. I said to her, �Cindy, if you have information that will save my sister�s life, then it is your responsibility to come forward.� She said that she understood why we were asking her to do this and understood our love for Terri but her children�s safety was more important than what would happen to Terri.
Cindy then went on to briefly tell me about their relationship when her and Michael were dating. �He was insane,� she told me. (Cindy stated this several times throughout our conversation) After we broke up, �He stalked me,� Cindy said. She had to get her husband (boyfriend at the time) involved so Michael would stop stalking her. She told me that Michael had tried to run her off the road on one occasion. She also included that at one time she thought the only way he was going to stop harassing her was by getting a restraining order against Michael.
I said to her that we would do anything we could so that Michael would not go near her and her family if she agreed to testify. She said that no one could ever guarantee that Michael, at some point, would not do something to her family, particularly her children. She continually stated that, �You have no idea the person (Michael) you�re dealing with.� She explained to me that if she were single she would be there for my family but because of all the money involved, she was convinced, that Michael would retaliate against her family.
I asked Cindy, �what is it I could say that would convince you that you need to testify.� I tried to explain to her that by knowing what you know and letting him get away with it that she was essentially letting Michael get away with murdering my sister. She told me there was nothing that I can say that would ever convince her otherwise and she would not testify to any of this, no matter what my family did to try and get her to testify. In fact, she vowed to forget everything if we subpoenaed her. She apologized and said she felt awful but her family meant more to her than anything, even my sister dying. At that point I sensed Cindy was getting upset. I said that I hope she would change her mind and asked her to put Kim back on the phone.
When I spoke to Kim, I told her that I could not believe how scared Cindy was of Michael. It was frightening. Kim agreed.
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