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Abortion is a good thing to be positively negative on. I am not sure what the answer is. I do n=know I want to see a lot less of them.
Shermann
Nosey - It is impossible to prove anything with you - You only read the side you support. Ronald Reagan was a Great President. Jesus believe that peace was the answer.
However, you ar full of Hate. How do you explain that???
Shermann
You are a poor twisted soul if you believe that either party is above the problems you talk about.
There are men far greater than ourselves that have been talking about it for centuries.
Shermann
I am willing to bet you have never walked through Arlington Cementary.
If you have, you will not see any reason on the gravestones as to why people died.
OOPS
Shermann
The Arguments are not about Liberals or Conservatives. They are both well connected in our Government.
Have you ever found peace about anything in your Hear???
I doubt it - You are negative on everything.
May the Peace of Jesus be with you.
Shermann
The death toll is way more than 3,000. Since 1990.
435,00 veterans of 630,000 in Gulf War I are on disability.
280,000 Iraqis were killed in Gulf war I according to the study commisioned by Bush 1.
400,000 to 600,000 Iraqi died due to sanctions from 1991 to 2003 according to WHO, International Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Unicef.
Around 500,000 Iraqis have died in Gulf War II. Plus 3,000 American Soldiers. And another 28,000 incapacitated.
We have used over 3,000 TONS of Depleted Uranium contaminating the Ground Water and Habitat.
When is enough enough.
Shermann
It is a wonderful Life.
Everyone here is so negative.
No solutions, just complaints.
I wonder why nothing ever gets accomplished.
No one bothers to read all the great writings of all the sides are out there.
Life is always good when sticking to one point for view. But no-one wants peace. Just War and Hate. Which begets more war and hate.
OOPS.
Shermann
As a White Christian Reagan Republican, I have not lived through the problems of many individuals in this country.
My job as an american is to talk to people who have been through that which I have not been through to learn what they experience.
Shermann
I have read your posts, and realize you disagree with this. I am not a big fan of saying that either.
However, GW is not what we need to focus on to solve problems. He has only veto'd one bill while in congress.
We need to focus on those that write the bills from both parties.
Shermann
You need to do a lot more research on this issue. You will find the answers are a lot different.
For example, The Bureau of Indian Affairs has misplaced 12 Billion of their dollars. There is going to be no investigation. Wonder Why??? This involves both parties.
Shermann
Isnt that the American way????
It still does not make the dent we need. Give a dollar to a homeless guy some day????
Why not take him to lunch and ask him why he is homeless. I have done it many times. You will be surprised by the results.
Shermann
The founders of the USA were the greatest gathering of intellectuals at one time the world has ever seen.
For Example - We are not a Democracy on purpose. We are a constitutional republic to protect the rights of the minorities.
"Democracy is the Tyranny of the Majority" - Thomas Jefferson
Shermann
And then there is Matthew Chapter 23.
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
2
2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
3
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.
4
They tie up heavy burdens 3 (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
5
4 All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
6
5 They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
7
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
8
6 As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
9
Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.
10
Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah.
11
The greatest among you must be your servant.
12
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13
7 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven 8 before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
14
) 9
15
10 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
16
11 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
17
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
18
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
19
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
21
one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
22
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.
23
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes 12 of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. (But) these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
24
13 Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
25
14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
26
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.
27
15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
28
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
29
16 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, 17 you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
30
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
31
Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
32
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!
33
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna?
34
18 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,
35
so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36
Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
37
19 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!
38
Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate.
39
I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Table of Contents Previous Chapter Next Chapter
Footnotes
1 [1-39] The final section of the narrative part of the fifth book of the gospel is a denunciation by Jesus of the scribes and the Pharisees (see the note on Matthew 3:7). It depends in part on Mark and Q (cf Mark 12:38-39; Luke 11:37-52; 13:34-35), but in the main it is peculiar to Matthew. (For the reasons against considering this extensive body of sayings- material either as one of the structural discourses of this gospel or as part of the one that follows in Matthew 24-25, see the note on Matthew 19:1-23:39.) While the tradition of a deep opposition between Jesus and the Pharisees is well founded, this speech reflects an opposition that goes beyond that of Jesus' ministry and must be seen as expressing the bitter conflict between Pharisaic Judaism and the church of Matthew at the time when the gospel was composed. The complaint often made that the speech ignores the positive qualities of Pharisaism and of its better representatives is true, but the complaint overlooks the circumstances that gave rise to the invective. Nor is the speech purely anti-Pharisaic. The evangelist discerns in his church many of the same faults that he finds in its opponents and warns his fellow Christians to look to their own conduct and attitudes.
2 [2-3] Have taken their seat . . . Moses: it is uncertain whether this is simply a metaphor for Mosaic teaching authority or refers to an actual chair on which the teacher sat. It has been proved that there was a seat so designated in synagogues of a later period than that of this gospel. Do and observe . . . they tell you: since the Matthean Jesus abrogates Mosaic law (Matthew 5:31-42), warns his disciples against the teaching of the Pharisees (Matthew 14:1-12), and, in this speech, denounces the Pharisees as blind guides in respect to their teaching on oaths (Matthew 16-22), this commandment to observe all things whatsoever they (the scribes and Pharisees) tell you cannot be taken as the evangelist's understanding of the proper standard of conduct for his church. The saying may reflect a period when the Matthean community was largely Jewish Christian and was still seeking to avoid a complete break with the synagogue. Matthew has incorporated this traditional material into the speech in accordance with his view of the course of salvation history, in which he portrays the time of Jesus' ministry as marked by the fidelity to the law, although with significant pointers to the new situation that would exist after his death and resurrection (see the note on Matthew 5:17-20). The crowds and the disciples (Matthew 23:1) are exhorted not to follow the example of the Jewish leaders, whose deeds do not conform to their teaching (Matthew 23:3).
3 [4] Tie up heavy burdens: see the note on Matthew 11:28.
4 [5] To the charge of preaching but not practicing (Matthew 23:3), Jesus adds that of acting in order to earn praise. The disciples have already been warned against this same fault (see the note on Matthew 6:1-18). Phylacteries: the Mosaic law required that during prayer small boxes containing parchments on which verses of scripture were written be worn on the left forearm and the forehead (see Exodus 13:9, 16; Deut 6:8; 11:18). Tassels: see the note on Matthew 9:20. The widening of phylacteries and the lengthening of tassels were for the purpose of making these evidences of piety more noticeable.
5 [6] Cf Mark 12:38-39. "Rabbi': literally, "my great one," a title of respect for teachers and leaders.
6 [8-12] These verses, warning against the use of various titles, are addressed to the disciples alone. While only the title "Rabbi' has been said to be used in addressing the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:7), the implication is that Father and "Master' also were. The prohibition of these titles to the disciples suggests that their use was present in Matthew's church. The Matthean Jesus forbids not only the titles but the spirit of superiority and pride that is shown by their acceptance. Whoever exalts . . . will be exalted: cf Luke 14:11.
7 [13-36] This series of seven "woes," directed against the scribes and Pharisees and addressed to them, is the heart of the speech. The phrase woe to occurs often in the prophetic and apocalyptic literature, expressing horror of a sin and punishment for those who commit it. Hypocrites: see the note on Matthew 6:2. The hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees consists in the difference between their speech and action Matthew 23:3 and in demonstrations of piety that have no other purpose than to enhance their reputation as religious persons (Matthew 23:5).
8 [13] You lock the kingdom of heaven: cf Matthew 16:19 where Jesus tells Peter that he will give him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The purpose of the authority expressed by that metaphor is to give entrance into the kingdom (the kingdom is closed only to those who reject the authority); here the charge is made that the authority of the scribes and Pharisees is exercised in such a way as to be an obstacle to entrance. Cf Luke 11:52 where the accusation against the "scholars of the law" (Matthew's scribes) is that they "have taken away the key of knowledge."
9 [14] Some manuscripts add a verse here or after Matthew 23:12 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. Because of this, you will receive a very severe condemnation." Cf Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47. This "woe" is almost identical with Mark 12:40 and seems to be an interpolation derived from that text.
10 [15] In the first century A.D. until the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70), many Pharisees conducted a vigorous missionary campaign among Gentiles. Convert: literally, "proselyte," a Gentile who accepted Judaism fully by submitting to circumcision and all other requirements of Mosaic law. Child of Gehenna: worthy of everlasting punishment; for Gehenna, see the note on Matthew 5:22. Twice as much as yourselves: possibly this refers simply to the zeal of the convert, surpassing that of the one who converted him.
11 [16-22] An attack on the casuistry that declared some oaths binding (one is obligated) and others not (it means nothing) and held the binding oath to be the one made by something of lesser value (the gold; the gift on the altar). Such teaching, which inverts the order of values, reveals the teachers to be blind guides; cf Matthew 15:14. Since the Matthean Jesus forbids all oaths to his disciples (Matthew 5:33-37), this woe does not set up a standard for Christian moral conduct, but ridicules the Pharisees on their own terms.
12 [23] The Mosaic law ordered tithing of the produce of the land (Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22-23), and the scribal tradition is said here to have extended this law to even the smallest herbs. The practice is criticized not in itself but because it shows the Pharisees' preoccupation with matters of less importance while they neglect the weightier things of the law.
13 [24] Cf Lev 11:41-45 that forbids the eating of any "swarming creature." The Pharisees' scrupulosity about minor matters and neglect of greater ones (Matthew 23:23) is further brought out by this contrast between straining liquids that might contain a tiny "swarming creature" and yet swallowing the camel. The latter was one of the unclean animals forbidden by the law (Lev 11:4), but it is hardly possible that the scribes and Pharisees are being denounced as guilty of so gross a violation of the food laws. To swallow the camel is only a hyperbolic way of speaking of their neglect of what is important.
14 [25-26] The ritual washing of utensils for dining (cf Mark 7:4) is turned into a metaphor illustrating a concern for appearances while inner purity is ignored. The scribes and Pharisees are compared to cups carefully washed on the outside but filthy within. Self-indulgence: the Greek word here translated means lack of self-control, whether in drinking or in sexual conduct.
15 [27-28] The sixth woe, like the preceding one, deals with concern for externals and neglect of what is inside. Since contact with dead bodies, even when one was unaware of it, caused ritual impurity (Numbers 19:11-22), tombs were whitewashed so that no one would contract such impurity inadvertently.
16 [29-36] The final woe is the most serious indictment of all. It portrays the scribes and Pharisees as standing in the same line as their ancestors who murdered the prophets and the righteous.
17 [29-32] In spite of honoring the slain dead by building their tombs and adorning their memorials, and claiming that they would not have joined in their ancestors' crimes if they had lived in their days, the scribes and Pharisees are true children of their ancestors and are defiantly ordered by Jesus to fill up what those ancestors measured out. This order reflects the Jewish notion that there was an allotted measure of suffering that had to be completed before God's final judgment would take place.
18 [34-36] There are important differences between the Matthean and the Lucan form of this Q material; cf Luke 11:49-51. In Luke the one who sends the emissaries is the "wisdom of God." If, as many scholars think, that is the original wording of Q, Matthew, by making Jesus the sender, has presented him as the personified divine wisdom. In Luke, wisdom's emissaries are the Old Testament "prophets" and the Christian "apostles." Matthew's prophets and wise men and scribes are probably Christian disciples alone; cf Matthew 10:41 and see the note on Matthew 13:52. You will kill: see Matthew 24:9. Scourge in your synagogues . . . town to town: see Matthew 10:17, 23 and the note on Matthew 10:17. All the righteous blood shed upon the earth: the slaying of the disciples is in continuity with all the shedding of righteous blood beginning with that of Abel. The persecution of Jesus' disciples by this generation involves the persecutors in the guilt of their murderous ancestors. The blood of Zechariah: see the note on Luke 11:51. By identifying him as the son of Barachiah Matthew understands him to be Zechariah the Old Testament minor prophet; see Zechariah 1:1.
19 [37-39] Cf Luke 13:34-35. The denunciation of Pharisaic Judaism ends with this lament over Jerusalem, which has repeatedly rejected and murdered those whom God has sent to her. How many times: this may refer to various visits of Jesus to the city, an aspect of his ministry found in John but otherwise not in the synoptics. As a hen . . . under her wings: for imagery similar to this, see Psalm 17:8; 91:4. Your house . . . desolate: probably an allusion to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. You will not see me . . . in the name of the Lord: Israel will not see Jesus again until he comes in glory for the final judgment. The acclamation has been interpreted in contrasting ways, as an indication that Israel will at last accept Jesus at that time, and as its troubled recognition of him as its dreaded judge who will pronounce its condemnation; in support of the latter view see Matthew 24:30.
I would have to say that the most persecuted race in the US is the Native American. We tried to exterminate them, and now relegate most of them to reservations with a 60% unemployment rate.
Shermann
And now a message about peace in Iraq:
http://vitw.org/ipt/
Shermann
President Bush is a good man. Unfortunately, he does not know the seeds he has sowed. He has the Dark overlord Dick Cheney to tell him.
Harry Reid was asked two weeks ago why impeachment is not on the table.
He said I have two words for you - Dick Cheney.
Shermann
Here is one link:
http://www.bcbsr.com/survey/pbl39.html
If you truly want to know what Islamic organizations think, it is all over the internet and easily found by google.
The problem is that I find few people who want to know.
I asked the minister in August who presided over my moms funeral. The best he could tell me is that people in the US need someone to hate. He told me that most people wanted life black and white with no gray.
Shermann
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
http://www.bcbsr.com/survey/pbl39.html
My feeling is extremely simple.
The lesson of Jesus was a lesson of Peace.
Mohammad learned it from Jesus.
Gandhi learned it from Jesus and Mohammed.
Martin Luther King Jr. Learned it from Gandhi.
Peace is the natural progression of things. It may take Millenia, but it will happen.
Shermann
Interesting point. It was there. Why was it not reported??? Why is GW Bush so convinced that Islam is a religion of peace. There are 1.2 Billion Muslims in this world. Why is it that near 100% are praying rather than being extreme??? Why has Al Sadr and Sistani issued explicit orders not to kill US Soldiers???
Shermann
Throughout History, all evidence says that violence escalates. I have lost 3 relatives this year. It is not fun.
However, Gandhi accomplished something no-one ever had. He won a war with peaceful nonviolence. Martin Luther King Jr. Helped changed the US for blacks through peaceful non-violence.
The key is to fix the problem, and not the blame.
Shermann
"There is no Path to Peace. Peace is the Path" - Gandhi
"An Eye for an Eye will make the Whole World Blind" - Gandhi
Islam has not been hijacked, and there was large outrage in the Muslim community after 9-11.
The Question is Why is the Main Stream Media not talking about it.
I feel that if you search deep enough you will find that we have begun the wars over natural resources. Scarcity is the defining principle of economics. How much is an innocent life worth? It does not matter the nationality, race, religion, or socio-economic status. Through the study of Genomics, we have found that all of mankind has its roots in africa, and we are all brothers.
Shermann
Oh - Silly me. I thought you were a huge GW fan. Thought you might enjoy his quotes.
Show me one post where I have mentioned Goverment Conspiracies.
Quite succinctly put, The death penalty is a sin against God.
WWJD???
Suffice it to say that I consider the Death Penalty to be evil.
Suffice it to say that I consider the Death Penalty to be evil.
There are so many Christians that teach the gospel of Hate and War which are the antithesis of what Jesus taught.
Jesus, in his time, did not even belong to a specific religion. He was opposed to the Pharises which are Jewish Clerics.
Shermann
"The God Muslims worship is the same God Christians and Jews worship." - George Bush
""America treasures the relationship we have with our many Muslim friends, and we respect the vibrant faith of Islam which inspires countless individuals to lead lives of honesty, integrity, and morality. This year, may Eid also be a time in which we recognize the values of progress, pluralism, and acceptance that bind us together as a Nation and a global community. By working together to advance mutual understanding, we point the way to a brighter future for all."
George Bush - Presidential Message Eid al-Fitr
December 5, 2002
""When it comes to the common rights and needs of men and women, there is no clash of civilizations. The requirements of freedom apply fully to Africa and Latin America and the entire Islamic world. The peoples of the Islamic nations want and deserve the same freedoms and opportunities as people in every nation. And their governments should listen to their hopes."
Remarks by the President George W. Bush at the 2002 Graduation Exercise of the United States Military Academy
West Point, New York
June 1, 2002
Read the rest of the (5) pages of Bush on Islam.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/ramadan/islam.html
Shermann
The unfortunate thing about the execution of Saddam Hussein is that we will never get to read future writings that we can learn from.
President Nixon had writings of sheer brilliance after he resigned.
President Carter has said that he would have been a far better president if he knew then what he knows now.
Shermann
I am definitely not a Nancy Pelosi fan. I think she is corrupt, and does not have the best interests of the US Citizens in mind.
Having said that, I am willing to give her enough rope to hang herself with. No-one has ever succeeded without a chance to succeed.
Shermann
I think anyone with an Iota of common sense will realize that both parties are equally corrupt, and most have been bought and paid for.
We are blessed to have a man like Howard Dean who is willing to Fight the Inside the Beltway Dems, and the DLC. He cannot be bought, and the last election was a triumph for his 50 state strategy.
Now we need a similar movement on the right.
Shermann
The problem with the Use of Depleted Uranium is that most people do not know we are using it.
We are Poisining our own soldiers, yet we support the troops??
"War is a necessary Evil, but it is still Evil" - Jimmy Carter
Shermann
Legacy of Treason - Depleted Uranium and the Poisoning of Humanity
Alok O'Brien
June 24, 2006
In recent years I have become aware of the issue of depleted uranium (DU) and its use by the US Military in Iraq in 1991 and again in the current Iraq war. The photos of birth deformities and stories of suffering resulting from DU shocked me, reminding me of the Agent Orange victims of America's Vietnam war. Then I watched David Bradbury and Peter Scott's new film, Blowin' in the Wind . Its content shocked and appalled me, and spurred me into researching and writing this article. It is undoubtedly by far the most significant issue on the planet today, and yet the mainstream media stays quiet.
Depleted uranium (DU) is what is left after raw uranium has been enriched to the highly radioactive isotope U-235 used for weapons and power generation. For every ton of U-235 produced, there are seven tons of DU. Estimates vary, but it seems that currently the US alone has in excess of five million tons of stockpiles of DU. This has no commercial use beyond its use as a radiation shield in medical devices, and for adding to concrete to form radiation containing bunkers. However, this requires an insignificant quantity of the DU produced each year.
The half-life of DU is 4.5 billion years, so storing it safely and indefinitely is cost prohibitive. To remedy the situation, the US Department of Energy has made it freely available to the Pentagon and US armaments and armour manufacturers, and it has been used in weapons exported to 29 countries. It is simply cheaper to make it into weapons than store it.
It is widely accepted that DU itself is fairly stable, as the dangerous alpha particles which it emits cannot pass through more than a couple of centimetres of air. The problems arise when DU is in contact with water or is used in weaponry and explodes. (See the photo above — the sparks are DU that is on fire and exploding.) It then creates a vapourised, radioactive gas comprising of tiny nano-particles. The microscopic particles in this vapour are then littered, depending upon prevailing winds, up to 100 kms around (estimates on this vary — with some sources citing up to 1000 kms), where they fall on crops, water, or just on the ground to be picked up by the next gust of wind or by car tyres. Later, when this gas enters the atmosphere, it can spread worldwide.
The nanoparticles of DU enter the body, from the air, from landing on clothing or skin and from food or water. These nanoparticles penetrate all protective clothing and masks, and once it comes in contact with the body it immediately disperses and begins to alter DNA. As it is not soluble it cannot be excreted from the body. Uranium is a toxic chemical element, just like lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium.
According to the declassified Groves memo from the Manhattan Project in 1943, the properties of DU in weapons has been known and strategised with for 60 years. It is clear that the US has known for 60 years about the effects of DU on the battlefield, also the danger to its own soldiers.
Why is DU so useful as a weapon?
DU is very hard, the hardest and densest of metals, and so is used for armour piercing rounds, fired from tanks, ships, aircraft and snipers, and for the bunker buster bombs made famous in the 2003 attack on Baghdad. It is also in the Tomahawk Cruise missiles fired from ships. Being so hard, it is also used extensively in the armour plating of tanks and armoured cars.
DU is a pyroforic metal, meaning it burns. The bullets and large calibre shells are actually on fire when they come out of the gun barrel because they are ignited by the friction in the barrel and explode on contact — armour piercing incendiary ammunition. Most of the DU metal becomes a metal vapour, so it is really a radioactive gas weapon once the initial destruction has occurred. DU weaponry are nuclear weapons. No question.
However, the military use of DU violates current international law including the principle that there is no unlimited right to choose the means and methods of warfare.
When speaking of the quantities of DU used in various wars it is worth understanding that the amount of uranium used in the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima was approximately 13kg, about the size of a two-litre milk container. A Japanese professor, Dr. K. Yagasaki, has calculated that in terms of the atomicity, (the amount of radiation produced), a ton of DU used on the battlefield releases the equivalent of 100 Hiroshima bombs worth of radiation released into the atmosphere. Thus when experts refer to the 2000 tons of DU dropped on Iraq in the past three years, what is being released in the Iraqi atmosphere, and then spreading worldwide, is the equivalent of 200,000 Hiroshima bombs. The total amount of DU the US has used since 1991 is approximately 4600 tons (1000 in the first Gulf War, 800 in Kosovo, 800 in Afghanistan and a further 2000 tons in the current Iraq war.) This amounts to approximately 460,000 Hiroshima bombs, ten times the amount of radiation released into the atmosphere from all previous nuclear testing worldwide.
Sailors sort blue-tipped depleted uranium MK-38 25mm machine-gun shells while another fires them out to sea in exercises at Shoalwater Bay. Notice the protective clothing and gloves.
Gulf War Syndrome
Over the past 18 months there has been an erupting scandal in the US in the Department of Veterans Affairs as DU is blamed by more and more respected scientists for Gulf War Syndrome (and also, Balkans War Syndrome).
Of the 580,000 US soldiers that served in Iraq in 1991, by mid 2004 518,739 were on medical disability pensions. This figure is 150,000 higher than just one year earlier. There are no more recent statistics, but it would appear that by now the percentages of soldiers affected would be reaching 100%
According to Leuren Moret in a group of 251 soldiers from a study group in Mississippi who had all had normal babies before the first Gulf War, 67% of their post-war babies were born with severe birth defects. They were born with missing legs, arms, organs or eyes or had immune system and blood diseases. In some veterans' families now, the only normal or healthy members of the family are the children born before the war. 'The use of depleted uranium weapons is a crime against humanity, a crime against all species, and a war against the earth,' says Moret. 'It is imperative that we demand a permanent international moratorium on the sale and the use of depleted uranium weaponry.'
DU: Coming to a country near you
A 20-year agreement was signed last year between the United States and Australia, the specific terms of which are secret, but which allows the US military to train and test its latest weapons in Australia. This involves bombing ranges in the pristine Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton in Queensland and at Lancelin, the lobster fishing village 150kms north of Perth where there would be ship-to-shore bombing from nuclear powered and capable US navy ships.
Also in the Northern Territory a 'test' bombing range has been designated where B52s and Stealth bombers will, as of January 06, and as you read this, be dumping their payloads on their flights from Guam. The US Navy uses DU in its shelling, and the B52s will be most likely (presumably they will be testing the weapons they actually use) carrying bunker buster bombs with their 2.2 tons of DU each. Retrospective legislation was passed to remove the need for any Environmental Impact Study (EIS) before or after the duration of this agreement.
When asked in the Australian Senate about whether or not the US would be using DU in its bombing of Australian sites, Defence Minister Senator Hill said, 'In relation to Depleted Uranium used by our allies we have said that, if they believe it is the most appropriate element to use in their particular munitions in certain circumstances, we do not think it is appropriate for us to press a different view upon them.' Senator Hill has since retired from Australian politics and has taken up residence as the Australian UN Ambassador in New York
The death economy
More and more it appears that the things which are most important are simply those that generate the biggest growth in profits, in the GDP. Sickness generates business, cancer rates generate research dollars, war accelerates growth, and we wonder why peace is so elusive when we worship the economy. The following is equally applicable to Australia now as it was to the US in the 1960s.
Too much and for too long we seem to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product now is over $800 billion a year.
But that gross national product, if we judge the United States of America by that, counts air pollution, and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors, and the jails for people who break them. It counts the destruction of redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and it counts nuclear warheads, and armoured cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television program which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our passion nor our devotion to our country.
It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America — except why we are proud that we are Americans.
— Robert Kennedy, 18/3/1968
Ultimately we do not know how much DU is being used in Shoalwater Bay, or Lancelin or dumped daily in the Northern Territory.
We do know that Japan, the Philippines and Puerto Rica no longer allow the US to bomb their lands with DU, and that there is no ship-to-shore bombing allowed anymore on the US mainland.
We know that there are hundreds of very vocal groups in opposition worldwide to the use of DU, who have devoted their lives to this issue.
We also know that the US government does not particularly care about the safety of their troops or anyone else's, and is seemingly content to poison the world for eternity, and poison themselves in the process. We know that weapons usage is classified and that such information will never be freely supplied to the Australian people, while nuclear powered and armed ships are cruising the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. In January, the largest nuclear powered and capable aircraft carrier in the world, boasting 6000 marines on board, docked in Brisbane.
If the contamination of Shoalwater Bay and Lancelin is anything like Iraq, Kosovo, or Afghanistan, then the vicinity of these places should be avoided. But it would be a mistake to think that the troubles are confined to those areas. The beef and pineapples from Rockhampton, and the seafood from Lancelin, could be contaminated and end up on your bbq. After this article was first published a reader contacted the West Australian Government who assured them that the Federal Government had told them, in writing, that DU was not being used in WA. The Federal Government may in fact believe what it is saying, but given the photo that appeared on the US Navy's own website, of DU shells being loaded into a ship's gun in Shoalwater Bay (see http://www.c7f.navy.mil/ts05/photos.htm , scroll to near bottom of page), it beggars belief that they would not be using DU in WA. After all, according to the Defence Department, DU is perfectly safe. They test weapons that they use, and they certainly use DU weapons.
According to Leuren Moret, it is simply no longer possible to go to Afghanistan or the Middle East without being contaminated. How long before that is also true of Australia?
There are questions that need to be asked by everyone related to the integrity of our political leadership.
Does our government have our best interests in mind
• when they sign up for bombardments on Australian soil and in Australian waters by DU tipped weaponry?
• when they refuse to stipulate that no nuclear weapons are to be used on our shores, and will they guarantee that our children will not grow up breathing in DU nanoparticles?
• when they sign up for Son of Star Wars , which will cost in excess of $50 billion? (To protect us from what? Who?)
Does our government have our best interests in mind when they decide to sequester large tracts of land in the Northern Territory for eternity for a nuclear dump, so the US and UK can dump their 'spent' nuclear fuel and we can export more uranium?
Do they have our best interests at heart when they sign up for a de facto [unshielded] nuclear dump under the guise of a joint bombing facility in the Northern Territory?
Who is running the agenda that says that all of a sudden it is OK to talk about new nuclear power stations as if nuclear power is an answer to global warming? David Goodstein, professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) said on ABC's Lateline in October 2004 that if nuclear power were to provide all of the energy that fossil fuel currently provides there would be enough uranium for just 10 years!
Westinghouse and GE build most of the nuclear power stations in the world, and also happen to own significant stakes in most major media companies in the US, which is largely why no real discussion will arise from the US on this issue. Nuclear power becomes unviable if the cost of disposing of the DU is factored in, which is why it is given to the Pentagon. Now Australia wants to expand the number and size of its uranium mines to sell to India and China (Who knows how they will dispose of their DU!). Now Australia, thanks to John Howard, is talking seriously about building power stations when our largest single electricity supplier, the Snowy Mountains company, is running at 13% capacity! (SMH,24/5/06)
Together we need to do something. Research the internet, find out for yourself what the DU debate is about. Do the research before you speak to anyone so you know what you are talking about, as you will find that most people will not want to believe that this is happening. The list of websites supplied at the end of this article is by no means definitive, but is a good place to start. Get in touch with any of the many groups that have mobilised over this issue all over the world. Start your own group. Do not let the size of the opposition and the scale of the ignorance and unwillingness to know the truth that you will be confronted with, convince you that you are helpless and cannot do anything about DU. This is what they depend on .
Contact your local politician, and do not accept anything that smells like a brush-off. This may well be the most important thing you ever do.
Buy a copy and arrange a showing of the film Blowin' in the Wind at your local cinema, and get your local community radio station to broadcast talks, interviews and lectures like those available on www.alternativeradio.org or www.traprockpeace.org and many other websites.
If you live or holiday near the affected areas, make lots of noise with the local councillors and media. Be disobedient. Be seditious. Get the use of DU weaponry stopped. It is nuclear weaponry.
Find out who provides the Public Liability insurance for the army, and does that insurer know the risks associated with DU? Perhaps the way to stop this is through the public liability requirements that the Australian population is tied up with. Any insurance lawyers out there?
This is our home that is being poisoned. It is our country. Demand that it is respected and protected for our children and their children. History will not forgive us if we stand by idly.
Not to put a damper on this, but every administration since kennedy has been developing biological, chemical, and radioactive weapons for offensive use.
Shermann
Some Get Smart humor still good today!!!
Maxwell Smart: I'm getting complaints from the landlord about the gun battles in the hall, and the bombs in the lobby, and the knife fights in the elevator.
Chief: Well, when you rent an apartment to a secret agent, you've got to expect those things.
Maxwell Smart: But he doesn't know I'm a secret agent.
Chief: Well, how do you explain people attacking you and shooting at you?
Maxwell Smart: Well, I told him I work for the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
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Agent 99: Oh, Max, how terrible.
Maxwell Smart: He desereved it, 99. He was a Kaos killer.
Agent 99: Sometimes I wonder if we're any better, Max.
Maxwell Smart: What are you talking about, 99? We have to shoot and kill and destroy. We represent everything that's wholesome and good in the world.
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Chief: I'm sure Congress will reconsider our budget cut.
Agent 99: Well, why doesn't Congress cut the CIA's budget?
Maxwell Smart: How can they? Nobody knows what their budget is.
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KAOS Agent: Look, I'm a sportsman. I'll let you choose the way you want to die.
Maxwell Smart: All right, how about old age?
I am Catholic, but not a devout Catholic so to speak. I have seen many who go to church for one of the following two reasons:
1. It is a social event - especially for prestige.
2. So they can be forgiven and be a jerk for another week just to keep repeating the same cycle.
I find it so Ironic that Jesus is the prophet Jesus Peace in the religion of Islam.
Being a truly spiritual person seems to be religion independent to me. All of the religions have some great parts to them and need to be appreciated by all of mankind. Peace seems to be the one common thread.
Shermann
That is simply the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.
Unfortunately, I make lots of mistakes.
You are a breath of Fresh air also, and I am a better person for having listened.
There are many things in life that are harder than others.
Peace is harder to achieve than war.
People need to realize that this Partisinship is intentional. Its purpose is to keep people divided and take their eye off the real prize.
Spiritual is a great word. I much prefer it to religious.
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
I really do believe that the situation in Iraq is Solvable. We just need to get the rest of the world involved. This administration does not want to do that. Maybe the next will??? what do you think?
Shermann
P.S. - My dad always said to lead by example, and I also believe it is the best philosophy.
I think that Howard Dean is one of the best things to happen in Politics - Regardless of Party or anything!!!
He is a Fiscal Conservative who hates politicians. Just like one of our local heroes here - John Kasich.
I can tell you for a fact that neither man can be bought!!!
Shermann
Clinton Hires Evangelical Consultant for Presidential Campaign
NOTE: Whatever Happened to the days when we got to know exactly what the candidate stands for instead of being told what we want to hear??
An “evangelical consultant” has been hired by Hillary Clinton to help attract Christian conservatives in her likely 2008 presidential campaign.
by Anne Thomas
Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006, 9:45 (GMT)
An “evangelical consultant” has been hired by Hillary Clinton to help attract Christian conservatives in her likely 2008 presidential campaign.
More than one-quarter of the USA's voters identify themselves as evangelical, a voter bloc that has long been courted by Republicans.
In addition, a similar political operative has successfully aided Democratic candidates in several states in the midterm elections.
Clinton’s new hire is Burns Strider, an evangelical Christian who directs religious outreach for House Democrats and is the lead staffer for the Democrats’ Faith Working Group, headed by incoming Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina.
Incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi created the group last year when Democratic strategists observed that the party lost ground in the previous election in part because candidates failed to reach centrist and conservative voters in rural areas, who tend to be churchgoers concerned with moral issues, according to the Washington, D.C.-based publication The Hill.
Strider was an aide to Pelosi when the group was formed and joined Clyburn’s staff as policy director of the Democratic Caucus earlier this year, the paper reported.
"Observers of Clinton’s expressions of faith say religion has always been important to her, that she attended prayer group meetings while first lady, and that she joined a Senate prayer group shortly after winning election in 2000,” The Hill reports.
"Reporters anticipating Clinton’s ’08 presidential run wrongly discount her expressions of faith as cynical political maneuvering," the observers add.
Clinton is not the only potential Democratic candidate for the White House to launch efforts to appeal to religious voters.