(Note: The Palos Verdes Peninsula Democratic Club provides the following links for reference and research only, and is not responsible for the content of any of the folowing websites, nor does its membership necessarily agree with all points of view or facts presented therein.)
(click on selection or scroll down) (yellowasterisk * = see new article):
* World News Sources (some controversial)
* International Economic & Trade Issues
* Job Outsourcing Issues - See national page
* NAFTA Issues - See "jobs" on national page
* Corporate Offshore Location Tax Avoidance (see national page)
* War in Iraq Issues
* Afghanistan & Other Middle East Issues
* Global Terrorism - see Afghan & Middle Eastern Issues (above)
* Israel/Palestinian Issues
* U.S. - European Political and Trade Issues
* International Medical and Health Issues
* Human Rights Issues
* Women's Rights Issues (see also Medical...above)
* Democracy & Civil Rights Hot Spots & Issues
* Immigration Issues - See Our National Issues Page
* Energy Issues - See Our National Issues Page
* Environmental Issues - Air - See Our National Issues Page
* Environmental Issues - Water
* Environmental Issues - Greenhouse & Energy
* Environmental Issues - Parks, Recreation, Wildlife
* Opinions & Observations from our members
World News Sources:Note: Some of these sites/broadcasts contain highly reliable materials.
Some, however, contain materials which are highly biased, controversial,
and possibly untrue. They are provided herein for your research needs only.
BBC News
Great Britain, U.S., European News, Issues, Great Information!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Manchester Guardian [Manchester, England]
Great Britain, U.S., European News, Issues, Great Disclosures!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Europe, Balkans, Middle East... Issues and Information
http://www.rferl.org
International Economic & Trade Issues:NEW 08/18/2004
"Europe Leaves the U.S. Behind"
by Steven Hill, Common Dreams [progressives website], Aug. 14, 2004
This editorial includes some enlightening facts about Europe versus the U.S. on several important issues.
"... Why are Europeans outpacing Americans on so many social, political and economic fronts?... In the political realm, Europe utilizes full representation electoral systems that gives representation to voters across the political spectrum, public financing of elections that fosters debate, universal voter registration, voting on a weekend or on a holiday, and national electoral commissions that establish nationwide standards and practices. Women and third parties have far greater representation at all levels of government. In the U.S., we are still stuck with our 18th-century winner-take-all system, privately financed elections, poor voter participation, poll-tested sound bites aimed at undecided swing voters, voting on a busy work day, and haywire decentralized election administration left to over 3000 counties scattered across the country.
In the media realm, Europe boasts a robust public broadcasting sector (radio and TV) and subsidized daily newspapers, leading to more media pluralism, a better-informed citizenry, more people reading newspapers, and a higher level of what political scientist Henry Milner calls "civic literacy." In the U.S., we are still stuck with corporate media gatekeepers, media monopolies, an astonishing loss of political ideas and a poorly informed citizenry.
In the economic realm, Europeans have developed practices such as "codetermination," which provides meaningful worker representation on corporate boards of directors, and powerful works councils in the workplaces. There is more of a balance of stockholder and stakeholder rights, forcing business leaders to confer more extensively with their workers and labor unions. There also are continent wide minimum labor and environmental standards, including more union-friendly laws.
Taken together, these fulcrum institutions work coherently to form the basis of a “European Way” that is distinctly different from the 'American Way.' This provides a rough blueprint of where institutional development in the United States needs to go in the 21st century. Those who care about the future of our country should take their cues from Europe."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0429-04.htm
"Beware saviours in hard hats - The poor of Argentina are standing up to the foreign multinationals seeking to exploit their country's natural resources."
by Naomi Klein, Manchester Guardian, Oct. 1, 2003
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1052998,00.html
Manchester Guardian (England) - various articles regarding Chechnya
http://www.guardian.co.uk/chechnya/0,2759,180787,00.html
Cost of the War in Iraq(JavaScript Error)
To see
more details, go to http://www.costofwar.com.
Check out this fabulous website!
It has a GREAT query to let you see how much each state or community is paying for this war!!!!
AND
It allows you to compare the amount spent on "Bush's War" with how else that amount of money could have been better spent!!!
AND
It allows you to compare the amount spent on "Bush's War" with how else that amount of money could have been better spent!!!
War in Iraq Issues:
"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime."
Ernest Hemingway
(more quotes: http://www.kebnekajse.tripod.com/thoughts.htm)
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data."
"Sherlock Holmes" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(more quotes: http://www.allthingswilliam.com/belief.html)
"There is nothing so absurd that it cannot be believed as truth if repeated often enough."
William James
(more quotes: http://www.kebnekajse.tripod.com/thoughts.htm)
NEW 08/17/2004
"Paying the Price: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War"
A Study by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy
A well-prepared summary list of the costs of Bush's Iraq War, itemized by type of "cost" - Human Costs, Security Costs, Economic Costs, Social Costs - plus, they show costs in terms of the costs to the U.S., Iraq, and the World.
This article has numbers, not just rhetoric! Also, it has a link to a copy of their entire report.
http://www.ips-dc.org/iraq/costsofwar/index.htm
NEW LINK 08/18/2004
"U.S.: Bush's Domestic Allies Say His Administration Is Losing Its Way In Iraq"
By Jeffrey Donovan, Radio Free Europe website, May 12, 2004
This article contains some inciteful quotes critical of Bush's policies [or lack thereof] by some conservative Republicans who used to support the War in Iraq.
"...Kristol, editor of "The Weekly Standard" magazine, was a strong supporter of going to war in Iraq, along with the influential analyst Robert Kagan of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Both men argued that toppling Saddam Hussein and establishing democracy in Iraq were noble goals that would spread progress throughout the Middle East. But both men are now sharp critics of the way the Bush administration is currently handling the war...."
"Kagan added in a recent column in 'The Washington Post': 'All but the most blindly devoted Bush supporters can see that Bush administration officials have no clue about what to do in Iraq tomorrow, much less a month from now.' Conservative columnist George F. Will, also writing in 'The Washington Post,' echoed that sentiment. 'This administration,' Will said, 'cannot be trusted to govern if it cannot be counted on to think and, having thought, to have second thoughts.'"
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/05/97ebd75a-3a09-4d93-b8fc-b17e2b972325.html
[Keep these quotes in mind for future use in discussions about Bush!]
NEW LINK 08/17/2004
Iraq to Open to Foreign Investors
"Baghdad to allow 100 percent foreign ownership except oil."
"Six foreign banks will be permitted to purchase up to 100 percent of local Iraqi banks in the next five years, al-Gailani said.... Under the reforms, foreigners will not be allowed to own land, but they will be permitted to lease it for up to 40 years...."
[Sorry, another great article removed from the MSNBC website by....]
However, thankfully, the Brits have not erased their articles, so here is one offering similar comments:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1079575,00.html
NEW LINK 08/17/2004
"Pillage is forbidden - Why the privatisation of Iraq is illegal"
by Aaron Mate, Manchester Guardian, November 7, 2003
Another impressive article by the British about what has been going on in Iraq in the business sector:
"... Among many changes, the US-UK Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), has laid off hundreds of thousands of Iraqi workers, virtually eliminated trade tariffs and enacted laws that radically alter Iraq's economy. Order 39, decreed by CPA head Paul Bremer on September 20 2003, abolished Iraq's ban on foreign investment, allowing foreigners to own up to 100% of all sectors except natural resources. Over 200 state-owned enterprises, including electricity, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals have been privatised. Iraq's highest tax rate has been lowered from 45% to a flat rate of 15%. Although foreign ownership of land remains illegal, companies or individuals will be allowed to lease properties for up to 40 years...."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1079562,00.html
[Webmaster note: I find it rather "strange" that although the Manchester Guardian once had a link to the Coalition Provisional Authority Order 39, enacted September 19 2003, referred to in this article, it is now a "page not found" error. Why can't we read this document if it is the basis for which we are "ruling" Iraq? If anyone knows where there is a copy online, please let me know so we can share it. The Google and Yahoo Search engines seem to have been "scrubbed clean" of this important document.]
Bush cronies advise on buying up Iraq
by Julian Borger in Washington, Manchester Guardian, Oct. 1, 2003
"Former US government officials with close connections to the Bush family have set up a consultancy with the former Thatcher aide Lord Powell to advise companies how to win contracts in the $87bn (£52bn) effort to rebuild Iraq."
"The emergence of New Bridge Strategies has intensified criticism that the Bush administration is putting cronyism before either Iraqi or US national interests."
Article: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1053061,00.html
The Bush Administration Adopts a Worse-than-Nixonian Tactic: The Deadly Serious Crime Of Naming CIA Operatives
By JOHN W. DEAN, Friday, Aug. 15, 2003
(Author of "Blind Ambition" (1976),"Lost Honor (1982), & "The Rehnquist Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment that Redefined the Supreme Court" - he was the White House Council to Nixon for 1000 days)
Excerpts from the article:
"On July 14, in his syndicated column, Chicago Sun-Times journalist Robert Novak reported that Valerie Plame Wilson - the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, and mother of three-year-old twins - was a covert CIA agent.
Why was Novak able to learn this highly secret information? It turns out that he didn't have to dig for it. Rather, he has said, the "two senior Administration officials" he had cited as sources sought him out, eager to let him know. And in journalism, that phrase is a term of art reserved for a vice president, cabinet officers, and top White House officials.
....Now she has herself been placed at great - and needless - risk.
....Why is the Administration so avidly leaking this information? The answer is clear. Former ambassador Wilson is famous, lately, for telling the truth about the Bush Administration's bogus claim that Niger uranium had gone to Saddam Hussein. And the Bush Administration is punishing Wilson by targeting his wife. It is also sending a message to others who might dare to defy it, and reveal the truth.
Read More!:
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20030815.html
"Administration vows cooperation in probe of intelligence leak - White House won't seek independent investigation."
by Dana Bash, CNN Washington Bureau - Sept. 29, 2003
"The White House will cooperate with the Justice Department in its initial inquiry into who leaked the classified identity of a CIA operative, but will not launch an internal probe and will not ask for an independent investigation, a spokesman said Monday."
Read this important article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/29/wilson.cia/index.html
The Bush Administration and WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction]: Then and Now
Quotes made by Bush, Cheney, & Rumsfeld - original versus current.
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_policy_foreign_iraq_ontherecord
Sixteen Questions for President Bush
by Governor Howard Dean, July 18, 2003
Lists crucial unanswered questions about statements made by the Administration members regarding the Iraq war.
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6998&news_iv_ctrl=1301
Bush Administration Knew Iraq Could Not Pay for Reconstruction with Oil Revenues
Article from NEW website created by authors of MoveOn.org regarding "misstatements" by the Bush Administration - this article showing that the Bush group knew in advance about the poor condition of the Iraq oilfields but misleadingly stated Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction costs.
http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df09232003.html
"Bush officials defend Iraq intelligence -
House leaders alleged 'deficiencies' before war."
by CNN - Monday, September 29, 2003
"Bush administration officials used Sunday's talk shows to shrug off criticism that going to war with Iraq was based on outdated, "fragmentary" and "circumstantial" evidence, as was asserted in a letter to the CIA director from the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee.
....The letter to CIA Director George Tenet was sent last week by Rep. Porter Goss of Florida, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Jane Harman of California, the committee's ranking Democrat."
Read more at:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/28/sprj.irq.wmd/index.html
Letter From Ground Zero - Learning the Obvious
by Jonathan Schell - The Nation (online) Sept. 18, 2003
GREAT QUOTE from George Bush Sr. about why we DIDN'T/SHOULDN'T go into Iraq - 5 years ago! Also, some comparisons of the Iraq War with Vietnam War issues.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20031006&s=schell
"Remember How We Got Here. US Troops Continue to Die in Iraq -- Don't Forget Who Sent Them"
Molly Ivins 9/2/03
List of Bush & Cohorts' Quotes about those "Weapons of Mass Destruction"
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=15546
Ongoing Afghanistan & Other Middle East Issues:NEW HERE 8/18/2004
"Central Asia: Drug Addiction Is On The Rise (Part 1)"
By Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe website, June 22, 2004
(shows Afghan opium field in photo)
"Central Asia in recent years has become a major transit route for the transport of Afghan opium and heroin to Russia and the lucrative European markets...."
This article shows how our virtually deserting the Afghans before really completing our mission there (in order to hurry off to war in Iraq) has lead to serious problems for the entire region.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/06/3eccd6d7-6600-4310-8656-6cfe150c5411.html
NEW HERE 8/18/2004
"Central Asia: Rumsfeld Wraps Up Visit To Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan"
By Antoine Blua, Radio Free Europe, February 26, 2004
"....Alex Vatanka Alex Vatanka is editor in chief of 'Jane's Sentinel: Russia and the CIS,' a security-assessment publication based in London. He says Rumsfeld's visit underlines the importance of the role of Central Asia -- particularly Uzbekistan -- on the way the Pentagon envisages the new allocation of its troops around the world. 'Uzbekistan -- I'm sure, at this stage -- is being examined in this context. The U.S. is very likely to reconsider how its troops oversees are distributed. One of the logical deductions one can make is that there will be a shift away from Western Europe to areas where there are more risks for instability....'"
[Webmaster comment: And where there's more oil....]
"Uzbekistan was the second-largest recipient of U.S. aid among the Central Asian nations -- receiving $86 million in 2003. Kazakhstan received the most U.S. assistance last year -- $92 million...."
"Kazakhstan also deployed about 30 peacekeeping troops to Iraq in August to help with demining and restoring water supplies...."
"Rumsfeld asked Kazakh officials to become more actively involved in NATO's Partnership for Peace program. He said Washington is committed to ensuring the security of Kazakhstan's portion of the oil-rich Caspian Sea, an area of interest for Washington as it seeks to diversify its crude-oil supply away from the Middle East. 'We talked about the U.S. support for Kazakhstan's sovereignty and independence, and our important military-to-military relationship,' Rumsfeld said. U.S. security efforts will focus on helping Kazakhstan's military ensure the security of pipelines and installations around its Caspian coastline. The U.S. is to spend $5 million this year on weapons, armor, and training to help the country build up its navy. Kazakhstan decided last year to set up its own navy and will take delivery of its first battleships in coming months.
The Associated Press quoted the Kazakh Defense Ministry as saying the two countries signed a five-year cooperation plan last September that envisages the delivery of helicopters, military cargo aircraft, and ships for Kazakhstan's Caspian Sea forces. Under the plan, the United States will also reportedly supply equipment for Kazakh troops and provide antiterrorism training. Interfax quoted James Kenney of the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan as stressing that Washington is not planning to create a military base on the Caspian. The states bordering the Caspian Sea -- Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia -- are engaged in a dispute over sharing the sea's resources."
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/02/0fdcdfff-fef7-4879-b86f-51ec52a54601.html
NEW HERE 8/18/2004
"Central Asia: Is Uzbekistan The Source Of Regional Extremism?"
By Bruce Pannier, Radio Free Europe website, April 27, 2004
"... why are certain elements specifically trying to overthrow the Uzbek government? ... one reason for the apparent focus on Uzbekistan is that President Islam Karimov is seen to head the most restrictive government in the region. ... Karimov's regime is also dangerous because when he eliminated the democratic opposition, he in fact left an ideological void, and Karimov, by doing this, painted himself into a corner,' he said [Oleg Panfilov, director of the Moscow-based Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations]....
With 25 million people, Uzbekistan has the largest population in Central Asia and is located in the heart of the region. It has the largest army and a significant police force and security network to enforce Karimov's policies.
By comparison, the governments of neighboring countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan -- are considerably weaker."
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/04/acb8c328-4064-4956-9b64-7c19a749650f.html
NEW 8/18/2004
"Central Asia: Meeting In Tashkent, Regional Leaders Discuss Ways To Control Extremism"
By Bruce Pannier, Radio Free Europe, June 17, 2004
"The leaders of Russia, China, and the four Central Asian states of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan pledged today to step up regional efforts to fight extremism.... The six presidents were meeting in the Uzbek capital Tashkent for a one-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)...." Host Uzbek President Karimov ... [stated] 'We should fight not only the manifestations of terrorism, not only those who blow up and kill innocent people. This is only the tip of the spear of terrorism. We should fight first and foremost the numerous radical and extremist centers that create the ideology of hatred and terrorism.' ... Chinese President Hu Jintao said his country would provide $900 million in loans and trade credit to SCO member states but gave no details. SCO leaders promised Afghanistan to help it stabilize its economy and also fight drug trafficking...."
"Afghanistan produces most of the heroin and opium that make its way to the SCO countries, and terrorist groups have found support and safe haven in Afghanistan and continue to do so."
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/06/02f16558-828b-4ce7-a4fa-7afd9833aac3.html
Israel/Palestinian Issues:"Little progress can be made by merely attempting to repress what is evil. Our great hope lies in developing what is good."
Calvin Coolidge
(more quotes: http://www.kebnekajse.tripod.com/thoughts.htm)
Map of Israel & Neighbors & controversial land areas (2001)(226k file)
Map of Israel & Neighbors & controversial land areas (1988)(207k)
Relief Map of Israel & Neighbors & controversial land areas (2001)(269k)
Small File Map of Israel & Neighbors & controversial land areas (21k)
Map of area of Israel & region (170k)
Set of Historical Maps of Israel & Region (Biblical; British Mandate 1920-48; U.N. Partition Plan 1947; etc.) (211k)
U.S. - European Political and Trade Issues:Senator Joseph Biden, Democrat, Sept. 2003, speaking at National Press Club - Regarding Bush's failures in international diplomacy:
"It's not leadership if noone follows."
International Medical and Health Issues:NEW 8/18/2004
"Our Bodies, Our Lives - Microbicides offer vulnerable women the power to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, including H.I.V./AIDS."
by Dara Mayers, The Ford Foundation, Summer 2004
Excellent article discussing the new "microbisides" being tested, and how they may prove valuable in male-dominant countries such as India and the Middle East where wives have little voice or choice regarding their current vulnerability.
http://www.fordfound.org/publications/ff_report/view_ff_report_detail.cfm?report_index=501
Human Rights Issues:NEW 8/18/2004
"Central Asia: Buying Ignorance -- Corruption In Education Widespread, Corrosive (Part 1)"
By Kathleen Moore, Radio Free Europe website, July 7, 2004
"A student in Tajikistan is forced to pay three times the average monthly salary for a high grade. A Kazakh teacher gets her students to pay for her trip to Moscow -- and they all pass their exam. In Turkmenistan, the obligation to pay bribes gives students there yet another reason to seek education abroad. All over Central Asia, corruption in education is a serious problem...."
[webmaster comment: sort of like getting into Yale because of daddy?]
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/07/7a4c4452-4ce5-44ee-a0e8-cbc94cb81d8a.html
Women's Rights Issues:NEW 8/18/2004
"Olympics 2004: Muslim Women Athletes Move Ahead, But Don't Leave Faith Behind"
By Kathleen Moore, Radio Free Europe website, August 6, 2004
This article about Muslim women and atheletics provides an interesting view of sports, the Olympics, and the limits religion places on participation by Muslim women due to the clothing restrictions.
[Webmaster note: Now I know why badminton is in the Olympic games.]
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/08/4378bd27-94bd-436b-bcf7-05adf4aa9d28.html
"Bride, 12, Storms Out of Romania Wedding"
By Alison Mutler, Associated Press Writer - Sept. 29, 2003
We often hear of child-brides in African and Asian nations. Here, however, is an article showing child weddings are also conducted within the gypsies of Romania.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030929/ap_on_re_eu/gypsy_wedding
Democracy & Civil Rights Hot Spots & Issues:
Environmental Issues - Water:
Environmental Issues - Greenhouse & Energy:
Environmental Issues - Parks, Recreation, Wildlife:Orangutans Could Go Extinct in 20 Years
Associated Press - Sept. 29, 2003
"Habitat destruction by illegal loggers could mean the extinction of orangutans within 10 to 20 years, a Harvard researcher studying the apes said Monday." Article discusses endangerment of orangutans, whose only natural habitats are in Indonesia and Malaysia.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=624&e=1&u=/ap/20030929/ap_on_sc/threatened_orangutans_1