The Progressive Mind-II

Metafrets: Metafrets Major - The Essential Manual

2009-07-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Metafrets Major - The Essential Manual

The Metafrets guitar chord and scale system is being documented in a series of books. Currently, the book "Metafrets Major - The Essential Manual" is 175 some odd pages, and is fairly complete. It covers the major key Metafrets system. Another on the minor key is planned, and there may be a third on additional modes and chord types.

In addition, there is a printable chord chart for C Major and a chord book for all chords.

Download the book here.

Download the chord chart here.

Download the chord book here.

If you want to give me review comments, you can send them to mikezimmer-music@islandnet.com.

Regards,
Michael Zimmer

9/11 Truth: Shutting Up the Loudmouths

2008-07-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

9/11 Truth: Shutting Up the Loudmouths

Stay on Subject, please

Try to keep it civil and stay on subject. The 9-11 Truth Movement isn't about your opinions of Tom. What the hell. If it were, it'd be called "The Tom Movement", of which (no offense Tom) I probably don't want to take any part.

In any rate, I agree with the author except I believe it's better to ask simple questions rather than to make blanket statements. By asking questions, you can persuade a person to come to their own conclusions.
Some of my favorites:
1> How did 19 hijackers get NORAD to stand down?
2> Why can't Bush or Cheney answer questions regarding 9-11 under oath?
3> Who benefited from these attacks?
4> Why isn't Ossama Bin Laden wanted by the FBI for the attacks on 9-11?
5> Why is the government taking away our freedoms to protect us from people who hate us for our freedoms?
6> Why did the firemen claim to hear bombs going off in the WTCs?
7> How do cell phones work at 30,000 feet in an airplane?
8> How can CNN find Bin Laden for an interview yet our own military can't find him?
9> Where are the aircraft parts from the attack on the Pentagon?
10> Why did flight 93's debris spread over miles when it was supposed to have crashed in a field?
11> Why did the CDI (Demolition Contractor) find molen metal at the WTCs?
12> If jet fuel is mostly kerosene, why don't steel kerosene heaters melt and fall apart?
It's funny to see the people who back the official story wiggle and squirm in their seats while trying to come up with a believable answer to any of these.

YouTube - Senator Karen Johnson Brings 9/11 Truth to Arizona

2008-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Senator Karen Johnson Brings 9/11 Truth to Arizona

Obama, The Prince Of Bait-And-Switch : Information Clearing House - ICH

2008-07-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

Obama, The Prince Of Bait-And-Switch : Information Clearing House - ICH

NEWS YOU WON'T FIND ON CNN

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Obama, The Prince Of Bait-And-Switch

John Pilger describes the denigration of the of civilian casualties in colonial wars, and the anointing of Barack Obama, as he tours the battlefields, sounding more and more like George W. Bush.

By John Pilger

24/07/08 "ICH" -- - On 12 July, The Times devoted two pages to Afghanistan. It was mostly a complaint about the heat. The reporter, Magnus Linklater, described in detail his discomfort and how he had needed to be sprayed with iced water. He also described the "high drama" and "meticulously practised routine" of evacuating another overheated journalist. For her US Marine rescuers, wrote Linklater, "saving a life took precedence over [their] security". Alongside this was a report whose final paragraph offered the only mention that "47 civilians, most of them women and children, were killed when a US aircraft bombed a wedding party in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday".

Slaughters on this scale are common, and mostly unknown to the British public. I interviewed a woman who had lost eight members of her family, including six children. A 500lb US Mk82 bomb was dropped on her mud, stone and straw house. There was no "enemy" nearby. I interviewed a headmaster whose house disappeared in a fireball caused by another "precision" bomb. Inside were nine people – his wife, his four sons, his brother and his wife, and his sister and her husband. Neither of these mass murders was news. As Harold Pinter wrote of such crimes: "Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn't happening. It didn't matter. It was of no interest."

A total of 64 civilians were bombed to death while The Times man was discomforted. Most were guests at the wedding party. Wedding parties are a "coalition" speciality. At least four of them have been obliterated – at Mazar and in Khost, Uruzgan and Nangarhar provinces. Many of the details, including the names of victims, have been compiled by a New Hampshire professor, Marc Herold, whose Afghan Victim Memorial Project is a meticulous work of journalism that shames those who are paid to keep the record straight and report almost everything about the Afghan War through the public relations facilities of the British and American military.

The US and its allies are dropping record numbers of bombs on Afghanistan. This is not news. In the first half of this year, 1,853 bombs were dropped: more than all the bombs of 2006 and most of 2007. "The most frequently used bombs," the Air Force Times reports, "are the 500lb and 2,000lb satellite-guided..." Without this one-sided onslaught, the resurgence of the Taliban, it is clear, might not have happened. Even Hamid Karzai, America's and Britain's puppet, has said so. The presence and the aggression of foreigners have all but united a resistance that now includes former warlords once on the CIA's payroll.

The scandal of this would be headline news, were it not for what George W Bush's former spokesman Scott McClellan has called "complicit enablers" – journalists who serve as little more than official amplifiers. Having declared Afghanistan a "good war", the complicit enablers are now anointing Barack Obama as he tours the bloodfests in Afghanistan and Iraq. What they never say is that Obama is a bomber.

In the New York Times on 14 July, in an article spun to appear as if he is ending the war in Iraq, Obama demanded more war in Afghanistan and, in effect, an invasion of Pakistan. He wants more combat troops, more helicopters, more bombs. Bush may be on his way out, but the Republicans have built an ideological machine that transcends the loss of electoral power – because their collaborators are, as the American writer Mike Whitney put it succinctly, "bait-and-switch" Democrats, of whom Obama is the prince.

Those who write of Obama that "when it comes to international affairs, he will be a huge improvement on Bush" demonstrate the same wilful naivety that backed the bait-and-switch of Bill Clinton – and Tony Blair. Of Blair, wrote the late Hugo Young in 1997, "ideology has surrendered entirely to 'values'... there are no sacred cows [and] no fossilised limits to the ground over which the mind might range in search of a better Britain..."

Eleven years and five wars later, at least a million people lie dead. Barack Obama is the American Blair. That he is a smooth operator and a black man is irrelevant. He is of an enduring, rampant system whose drum majors and cheer squads never see, or want to see, the consequences of 500lb bombs dropped unerringly on mud, stone and straw houses.

First published in the New Statesman

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Alex Jones’ Prison Planet.com Conyers Tries To Kill Impeachment Hearings Before They Start

2008-07-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Alex Jones’ Prison Planet.com Conyers Tries To Kill Impeachment Hearings Before They Start

George Washington’s Blog
Thursday, July 24, 2008

John Conyers is now taking the position that no one at Friday’s impeachment hearing can accuse Bush or Cheney of any crime, or any impeachable offense, or dishonorable conduct, or even lying.

Moreover, Conyers is now saying that he will shut the hearing down if anyone does accuse the boys of crimes, impeachable offenses, or otherwise being naughty.

As David Swanson summarizes it:

“Apparently the rules of Congress are designed to allow impeachable offenses to be discussed only in impeachment hearings. Apparently this didn’t occur to Chairman Conyers when he decided to hold a non-impeachment impeachment hearing. As a result, his hearing may be quickly shut down, and he will have a choice of holding a real impeachment hearing, resigning, or dropping the pretense that he intends to resist Cheney and Bush in any way whatsoever.”

Please watch this must-see 10 minute video.

And read this.

World Press Network • View topic - Flashback - 1970 Bertrand Russell Statement: Palestine

2008-07-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

World Press Network • View topic - Flashback - 1970 Bertrand Russell Statement: Palestine

On 31 January 1970 Russell issued a statement which condemned Israeli aggression in the Middle East and called for Israeli withdrawal from territory occupied in 1967. The statement said that:

"The tragedy of the people of Palestine is that their country was "given" by a foreign power to another people for the creation of a new state. The result was that many hundreds of thousands of innocent people were made permanently homeless. With every new conflict their numbers increased. How much longer is the world willing to endure this spectacle of wanton cruelty? It is abundantly clear that the refugees have every right to the homeland from which they were driven, and the denial of this right is at the heart of the continuing conflict. No people anywhere in the world would accept being expelled en masse from their own country; how can anyone require the people of Palestine to accept a punishment which nobody else would tolerate? A permanent just settlement of the refugees in their homeland is an essential ingredient of any genuine settlement in the Middle East. We are frequently told that we must sympathise with Israel because of the suffering of the Jews in Europe at the hands of the Nazis. […] What Israel is doing today cannot be condoned, and to invoke the horrors of the past to justify those of the present is gross hypocrisy."

This was Russell's final ever political statement or act. 38 years on, it is apposite today...

Anti-War Movement Successfully Pushes Back Against Military Confrontation With Iran | Reproductive Justice and Gender | AlterNet

2008-07-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Anti-War Movement Successfully Pushes Back Against Military Confrontation With Iran | Reproductive Justice and Gender | AlterNet

Groups opposed to military confrontation with Iran sprang into action, including Peace Action, United for Peace and Justice, the National Iranian-American Council, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Code Pink, and Just Foreign Policy. They generated tens of thousands of emails, letters, phone calls, and other contacts with members of Congress and their staff. The first co-sponsor to change his position on the bill was Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), an influential member of Congress who chairs the powerful House Financial Services Committee. He apologized for "not having read [the bill] more carefully," and pledged that he would not support the bill with the blockade language.
Then Robert Wexler, (D-FL), peeled off, also stating that he would not continue to support the bill if the blockade language were not changed.
Most of the major media ignored the controversy, but two newspapers noticed it. The first was Seattle's Post-Intelligencer, whose editorial board denounced the resolution on June 24 and asked, "are supporters of Res. 362 asleep at the wheel, or are they just anxious to drag us into another illegal war?"

Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power | Salon News

2008-07-24T15:10:00.000-07:00

Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power | Salon News: "So far, no lawmaker has openly endorsed a proposal for a new Church Committee-style investigation. A spokesman for Pelosi declined to say whether Pelosi herself would be in favor of a broader probe into U.S. intelligence. On the Senate side, the most logical supporters for a broader probe would be Democratic senators such as Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who led the failed fight against the recent Bush-backed changes to FISA. (Both Feingold and Leahy's offices declined to comment on a broader intelligence inquiry.)

The Democrats' reticence on such action ultimately may be rooted in congressional complicity with the Bush administration's intelligence policies. Many of the war on terror programs, including the NSA's warrantless surveillance and the use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques,' were cleared with key congressional Democrats, including Pelosi, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Rockefeller, and former House Intelligence chairwoman Jane Harman, among others."

Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power | Salon News

2008-07-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power | Salon News

Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power
Salon has uncovered new evidence of post-9/11 spying on Americans. Obtained documents point to a potential investigation of the White House that could rival Watergate.
By Tim Shorrock

Jul. 23, 2008 | The last several years have brought a parade of dark revelations about the George W. Bush administration, from the manipulation of intelligence to torture to extrajudicial spying inside the United States. But there are growing indications that these known abuses of power may only be the tip of the iceberg. Now, in the twilight of the Bush presidency, a movement is stirring in Washington for a sweeping new inquiry into White House malfeasance that would be modeled after the famous Church Committee congressional investigation of the 1970s.

While reporting on domestic surveillance under Bush, Salon obtained a detailed memo proposing such an inquiry, and spoke with several sources involved in recent discussions around it on Capitol Hill. The memo was written by a former senior member of the original Church Committee; the discussions have included aides to top House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers, and until now have not been disclosed publicly.

Salon has also uncovered further indications of far-reaching and possibly illegal surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency inside the United States under President Bush. That includes the alleged use of a top-secret, sophisticated database system for monitoring people considered to be a threat to national security. It also includes signs of the NSA's working closely with other U.S. government agencies to track financial transactions domestically as well as globally.

The proposal for a Church Committee-style investigation emerged from talks between civil liberties advocates and aides to Democratic leaders in Congress, according to sources involved. (Pelosi's and Conyers' offices both declined to comment.) Looking forward to 2009, when both Congress and the White House may well be controlled by Democrats, the idea is to have Congress appoint an investigative body to discover the full extent of what the Bush White House did in the war on terror to undermine the Constitution and U.S. and international laws. The goal would be to implement government reforms aimed at preventing future abuses -- and perhaps to bring accountability for wrongdoing by Bush officials.

"If we know this much about torture, rendition, secret prisons and warrantless wiretapping despite the administration's attempts to stonewall, then imagine what we don't know," says a senior Democratic congressional aide who is familiar with the proposal and has been involved in several high-profile congressional investigations.

"You have to go back to the McCarthy era to find this level of abuse," says Barry Steinhardt, the director of the Program on Technology and Liberty for the American Civil Liberties Union. "Because the Bush administration has been so opaque, we don't know [the extent of] what laws have been violated."

Reward offered for citizen's arrest of Rice - 24 Jul 2008 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news

2008-07-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Reward offered for citizen's arrest of Rice - 24 Jul 2008 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news: "Reward offered for citizen's arrest of Rice
8:25PM Thursday July 24, 2008

A $5000 reward is being offered to any Auckland University student who can make a successful citizen's arrest of United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to the country this weekend.

Auckland University Student Association (AUSA) president David Do said the arrest would be for her role in 'overseeing the illegal invasion and continued occupation' of Iraq."

We're a Nation of Lemmings

2008-07-24T14:49:00.001-07:00

We're a Nation of Lemmings: "Two days ago, there was a report by Agence France Presse
about the ongoing destruction of the world’s remaining wetlands (60
percent have already been destroyed by man over the past century), and
how they contain within them an amount of stored carbon equal to all
the carbon currently in the atmosphere. Global warming and property
development are drying out those remaining wetlands, causing the
release of that carbon, which will more than negate even the most
radical efforts at reducing carbon emissions from power plants,
factories and automobiles."

cbs2chicago.com - Air Travelers Accuse TSA Agents Of 'Humiliating' Security Screenings At Airports

2008-07-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

cbs2chicago.com - Air Travelers Accuse TSA Agents Of 'Humiliating' Security Screenings At Airports: "Complain About X-Rated Security Screenings
TSA Agents Forced Woman To Remove Nipple Rings, Pulled Pants Off Disabled Man
CHICAGO (CBS) ― When travelers go to the airport, they know what kind of security to expect: luggage searches, metal detectors and shoe inspections.

It's all part of our post 9-11 reality enforced by the Transportation Security Adminstration. But thousands of travelers have complained that some of these screenings can become abusive and even X-rated, according to a report by CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago.

For arguing with a TSA agent, Robin Kassner wound up being slammed to the floor. She's filed a lawsuit."

Death & Destruction | Orato | True Stories, Citizen News, Eyewitness Reports, Free Notices

2008-07-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Death & Destruction | Orato | True Stories, Citizen News, Eyewitness Reports, Free Notices
Death & Destruction

This pre-emptive rush to use deadly force has more in common with gang behavior than responsible police practices.

By Citizen Correspondent John Hatch
Date Posted: 07/23/08
Reader Rating:

When mere death isn't enough...

Four members of the Hell’s Angels (and an interpreter) went to Gliwice, Poland to try and dig up dirt on Robert Dziekanski, the man Tasered to death at YVR on October 14, 2007.

Oops. Did I say Hell’s Angels? I meant the RCMP, of course. Forgive me, but it’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference. The Angels are the ones who have the annual children’s toy run, right?

Talk about adding insult to injury. Four brave Mounties kill an unthreatening, unresisting Mr. Dziekanski, who was actually glad to see them. They Taser him up to four times (they lied about that number, and even the number of officers on the scene).. They Taser him even as he convulses, helpless and then unconscious on the floor ('Hit him again!') then, in spite of extensive training in life-saving CPR, not one of them lifts a finger to assist their victim, but instead actually hinder the ambulance crew when it arrives by refusing to remove the handcuffs. Maybe they were afraid that Mr. Dziekanski would rise from the dead and slap their silly fascist faces. Because he was dead. It was homicide. Then four of them (not the same murderous four, one trusts) travel to Poland (business class?) to rudely interrogate friends and acquaintances in the hopes of obtaining information they can use to posthumously slander their victim. One of those interrogated (for three hours) called it an ‘ordeal’, and stated that she doesn’t have much respect for the RCMP. Powitanie do klubu. Welcome to the club.

Naomi Klein Helping Me UnLearn What I Learned in Business School

2008-07-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

Naomi Klein Helping Me UnLearn What I Learned in Business School: "I’m less than a third of the way through Naomi Klein’s brilliant book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, but it’s already giving me a new perspective on my years of graduate work in business school.

Klein talks about the argument made by Nobel-prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, that free-unfettered capitalism is the key to bringing all economic indicators in line, leading to a humming economy. Part of the allure of all economic theories, of course, is their ability to express their theories in terms of mathematical formulas. We have a tendency in the West, to think that numbers bestow reality on assertions. But Klein points out that Friedman implied that his free market theories had the strength of natural law."

TPMMuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Iglesias Riffs on Predictions for Upcoming OIG Report

2008-07-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

TPMMuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Iglesias Riffs on Predictions for Upcoming OIG Report: "The Justice Department's Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) have been investigating the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, including yourself, and their report is now due. The OPR has been heavily criticized lately for its failure to follow through on major investigations, and it has been manipulated--sometimes overtly--by political appointees. OIG has maintained its independence and integrity, however. Have you been interviewed in connection with this probe? Did it strike you as thorough and professional? Do you expect a report to be issued shortly, and if so, what are the major conclusions you would anticipate?"

Evil as the Absence of Empathy

2008-07-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

Evil as the Absence of Empathy: "'Absence of empathy' is likewise, I submit, 'the one characteristic that connects' most of the immoral and misbegotten tenets of Bushism: that dogmatic mix of market absolutism, libertarianism, corporatism and simple greed that falsely describes itself as 'conservatism,' and which I choose to call 'regressivism.' 'Absence of empathy' is the essence of evil which, if unchecked and unreversed, is certain to bring about the demise of the American republic as we know it, just as it led to the fall of the Third Reich.

In contrast, empathy, the capacity to recognize and cherish in other persons, the experience, emotions and aspirations that one is aware of in oneself, is the moral cornerstone of progressive politics. It is a principle recognized and taught in all the great world religions reiterated by numerous moral philosophers, and validated by the scientific study of human personality."

Press TV - Ex-US advisors: Iran attack 'disaster'

2008-07-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Press TV - Ex-US advisors: Iran attack 'disaster': "Ex-US advisors: Iran attack 'disaster'
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:29:01
Ex-advisers Zbigniew Brzezinski (r) and Scowcroft
Two former senior White House security advisors have warned that a military attack against Iran would be a catastrophe for the US.

'If we get into a war with Iran, we know there would be disaster, we know there would be a disaster,' said Zbigniew Brzezinski, ex-president Jimmy Carter's national security advisor on Tuesday.

'The United States will become involved in a four-front war, probably for roughly two decades. Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Persian Gulf,' he said during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the negotiations between the United States and Iran."

During a world food crisis, Monsanto just raised the price of its corn seed $100 a bag.

2008-07-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

During a world food crisis, Monsanto just raised the price of its corn seed $100 a bag.: "Where does one even begin?

Do you know who Monsanto is? They are a chemical corporation which made Agent Orange and after that, PCBs, with which they drowned the town of Anniston, Alabama for decades, even after knowing for sure that PCBs were highly carcinogenic. They make organophosphates, including glyphosate (Round-up) - which are highly neuro-toxic.

With this background in illness and killing, Monsanto then began 'doing' your food. It genetically engineers food."

The Canadian National Newspaper: From NAFTA to SPP-NAU to the internet: Would Canadians snore through Sermon of the Mount

2008-07-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Canadian National Newspaper: From NAFTA to SPP-NAU to the internet: Would Canadians snore through Sermon of the Mount: "(2) The Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review (CPCSR) – this is an inquiry into whether Canada Post should continue to have an exclusive privilege to handle addressed letters – which is the mechanism that pays for and provides universal postal service to all Canadians in very remote places at standard cost. Should the letter market be open to competition, to deregulation and privatization for corporate profit by American companies that are subject to the terms of the deplorable USA Patriot Act?

The neo-con Stephen Harper government has appointed a three person advisory panel that will undoubtedly be led by Robert Campbell who has already published two books on postal services in which he has advocated the end of postal monopolies. Are there to be any public hearings on this? No. And there is a tight time-frame on public submissions. Harper wants this to be a done deal before anyone hears about it and you can beg all you want to your MPs but you’ll likely hear zippo in the standard press while the Harper government tells you to shove your submissions where the sun doesn’t shine."

US lawyer seeks to sue US over Iran threats : Information Clearing House - ICH

2008-07-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

US lawyer seeks to sue US over Iran threats : Information Clearing House - ICH

US Lawyer Seeks To Sue US Over Iran Threats

By Chris Gelken

23/07/08 "Press TV" -- 22/07/08 -- Tehran -- An American lawyer has offered to represent Iran in an international lawsuit against Israel and his own government in an effort to stop Washington and Tel Aviv from initiating further sanctions against Tehran.

Francis A. Boyle says following Washington's latest ultimatum to Tehran to freeze uranium enrichment within two weeks or face further isolation, Iran needs to act quickly.

At weekend talks in Geneva, the United States delivered what it describes as a “clear and simple message” that Iran must choose between cooperation or confrontation.

In an email interview with Press TV, Boyle urged Iran to begin drafting lawsuits for presentation to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague before the two-week ultimatum expires.

Q. Precisely what would the charges against the US and Israel be? What are you hoping to achieve?

A. About two years ago Iran contacted me about a proposal I had made to sue the United States, Israel and the EU-3 (Britain, France and Germany) at the International Court of Justice in The Hague for their repeated and public threats to launch a military attack upon Iran over its undoubted right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to engage in nuclear reprocessing.

My proposal was that Iran should sue these states immediately, convene an Emergency Hearing by the World Court, and ask the Court to indicate provisional measures of protection on behalf of Iran against the United States, Israel and the EU-3 -- basically a temporary restraining order.

I felt that these lawsuits would be able to prevent a military attack against Iran and also prevent the imposition of sanctions against Iran by the United Nations Security Council. In addition, by Iran submitting this entire matter to the World Court, it would make it clear to the entire world who the real culprits are here.

The threat and use of military force clearly violates Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. The Charter also mandates the peaceful resolution of international disputes. By filing these lawsuits Iran would prove to the entire world that it intends to resolve this matter peacefully and in accordance with international law.

I notice that just this week Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei publicly stated that he would sue the United States if it attacked Iran. I am proposing that we sue the United States immediately in order to prevent any attack upon or blockade of Iran, which would be an act of war.

Q. Why are you seeing to bring this action in an international court, rather than a domestic US court?

A. This would be a total waste of time. Based upon my prior experience, there is no way a United States court would rule against the United States government on a matter like this.

Q. You are proposing to represent Iran in a court action against the US and Israel - what are you seeking from Tehran - what mandate would they need to give you. Basically, how would this work?

A. Of course if Iran wants me to represent Iran in these lawsuits I would be happy to do so. But given the fact that I am a US national, Iran might prefer to have its own lawyers file these lawsuits. Iran already has a detailed Memorandum of Law from me on these lawsuits. The Iranian lawyers can simply use my Memorandum as they see fit. I would be happy to assist them in whatever way they desire.

Q. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been in the news recently regarding a prosecution against Sudan's leader, Omar al-Bashir. Explain the difference between the ICJ and the ICC.

A. The International Court of Justice deals with disputes between states, which the nuclear reprocessing dispute is all about. The International Criminal Court deals with the personal criminal responsibility of individuals. It has no authority to rule upon or settle disputes between states, which the ICJ can do.

Q. The US does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC - what is its relationship with the ICJ?

A. The ICJ would have jurisdiction to hear lawsuits by Iran against the United States, Israel and the EU-3 irrespective of the ICC.

Q. Israel regularly disregards international court verdicts and UN resolutions (the Separation Wall, settlement expansion etc.) What makes you believe there is value in another court action?

A. Israel has never been sued at the International Court of Justice -- the Wall was only an Advisory Opinion. By suing the United States and Israel together, Iran would make it very clear to the entire world what is really going on here by putting them in cahoots together. As of now the EU-3 are no longer threatening Iran with military force, so I would hold off from suing them at this time. But if they threaten Iran with military force, or support the United States and Israel with their threats, then of course they should be sued too.

Q. Assuming a mandate or commission is given by Tehran for you to represent them, what sort of timeline are we looking at before this goes before a judge, and then a verdict?

A. Based upon my prior experience at the World Court, it would take a few days to put the papers together and file them. We could get an Emergency Hearing by the Court within 2 weeks and an Order of Provisional Measures of Protection on behalf of Iran -- a temporary restraining order against the US and Israel -- within a week thereafter.

I filed the World Court lawsuit for Bosnia against Serbia over genocide on March 19, 1993, had the emergency hearing by the Court on April 1-2, and won the Order for Bosnia on 8 April 1993.

Given the inconclusive results at weekend talks in Geneva and the decision that Iran will be given another two weeks for its final answer, I respectfully submit that Iran should start moving on this process now. The Wall Street Journal has already reported moves for more unilateral, multilateral, and Security Council sanctions against Iran, including a blockade of Iran, which would be an act of war.

At a minimum, Iran should draft the Court documents now, then see what happens after Iran presents its "final offer" in two weeks.

Q. If you achieve positive verdict, how would you expect the verdict to be worded? Are there any sanctions against a state that does not abide by the ruling?

A. I would ask for Iran to be protected from a military attack by the United States and Israel in the most comprehensive language possible, including a blockade of Iran by the United States, a termination of all threats and use of military force, and of all measures of political, diplomatic and economic coercion against Iran.

The Order would go to the Security Council for enforcement.

If the US should exercise its veto, then we could try to take it to the United Nations General Assembly under the Uniting for Peace Resolution, where we would only need a two-thirds vote. In any event, this World Court Order would make it clear to the entire world who is right and who is wrong in this dispute.

Q. You have commented on the levels of rhetoric, what influence could this have on any court action?

A. I fully stand for a peaceful resolution of this dispute by means of diplomacy. But if the United States will not engage in good faith negotiations with Iran, then their and Israel's escalating threat and use of military force against Iran will only make it easier for me to win an Order from the World Court protecting Iran from the United States and Israel and, if necessary, the EU-3

Q. Another timeline question. Assuming this court action is aimed at preventing armed conflict, how urgent is it to commence the proceedings?

A. Apparently, according to CNN today, Iran has two weeks to prepare its final answer. That would be enough time to prepare all these documents. If the talks break down after Iran submits its "final offer," then we could immediately file the lawsuits, ask for an Emergency Hearing by the World Court, and request the Orders protecting Iran.

Back in early 1992, President Bush Snr. had the Sixth Fleet on military maneuvers off the coast of Libya planning for an attack and had US jet fighters penetrating Libyan airspace to provoke an attack over the Lockerbie matter.

We filed similar papers with the World Court on behalf of Libya against the United States and the United Kingdom, asking for an Emergency Hearing by the Court. President Bush Snr. then ordered the Sixth Fleet to stand down. There was no military attack against Libya then or later. Those World Court lawsuits eventually led to a peaceful resolution of the Lockerbie dispute between Libya, the United States and the United Kingdom, which now have normal diplomatic relations. Hopefully the same can be done here by means of these World Court lawsuits.

Q. During an appearance on Press TV's Middle East Today program in April this year you requested backing from Tehran for a court action against Israel on charges of genocide against Israel. Has there been any movement, any response? What is the current status?

A. This proposal is currently pending in the Office of President Ahmadinejad. The suffering of the Palestinians constitutes genocide. I am still willing to file that lawsuit if the President so desires. But given the urgency of the situation, and the threat of a terrible war, it might be best to get these nuclear-related lawsuits against the United States and Israel underway at this time, then act to protect the Palestinians from Israel later. Of course all this is for President Ahmadinejad to decide, not me.

Q. You successfully sued Serbia - but in the political atmosphere at the time, Serbia was widely perceived as the "bad guy" and frankly, the pro-Serbia lobby in the United States is insignificant. These cases are rather different, given popular support for Israel in the US. You will be representing what is widely regarded in the US as an unpopular or even hostile government against your own country and Washington's main ally in the Middle East.

How concerned are you regarding your professional reputation at home? Potentially, how damaging could this be for you - even with a successful outcome?

A. Back in 2004, the FBI/CIA put me on all the US government's so-called "terrorist watch lists" because I refused to become an informant for them on my Arab and Muslim clients, which would have violated their rights under the US Constitution and my ethical obligations as an attorney.

So I am sure there will be further repercussions. But under no circumstance do I want to see a war between Iran and the United States, which could readily degenerate into World War III.

With all due respect to Iran's leaders, they must not underestimate the ruthlessness and cruelty of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and their Straussian Neo-Conservative advisors when it comes to their willingness to use military force against Iran.

We must do everything in our power to prevent a war and obtain a peaceful resolution of this dispute over nuclear reprocessing that in my opinion can be resolved satisfactorily. These World Court lawsuits will contribute towards a peaceful resolution of this dispute between Iran and the United States, which will then order Israel to stand down.

Copyright Press TV

TheStar.com | Opinion | Khadr and Harper; Bush and the ayatollahs

2008-07-23T00:12:00.000-07:00

TheStar.com | Opinion | Khadr and Harper; Bush and the ayatollahs: "In thinking about the Omar Khadr case – which evinces strong emotions, from both those who want him brought home to be tried in a Canadian court and those who would rather let him be in Guantanamo Bay – it is useful to consider the following:

• The issue is not how evil Khadr or his family is but rather the Canadian values at stake.

Should Canadians care that he's the last Westerner left at Gitmo?"

Winter Patriot

2008-07-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

Winter Patriot: "The Green Party's presidential ticket is set: Cynthia McKinney [top photo] has captured the nomination, and she has selected Rosa Clemente as her running mate."

AE911Truth

2008-07-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

AE911Truth

Welcome to Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth!

410 architectural and engineering professionals
and 2028 other supporters including A&E students
have signed the petition demanding of Congress
a truly independent investigation.

Architects, Engineers and all others may sign the petition!

We will post your name after verifying your A&E credentials —
and other info for non-A&E's.

Mission Statement:

To research and to disseminate the truth
of the 9/11 “collapses” of all 3 WTC high-rise buildings
to every architect and engineer

Why are Architects and Engineers Re-examining the WTC Collapses?

The years since 9/11/01 have given us the time and space to emerge from the hypnotic trance of the shocks of these attacks and to rationally evaluate the existing and new evidence that has become available.

read more...

The Mother of All Messes

2008-07-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Mother of All Messes: "Republicans think the United States is the salt of the earth and that American hegemony over the rest of the world is not only justified by our great virtue but necessary to our safety. -People this full of hubris are incapable of judgment. -People incapable of judgment should never be given power."

Fallujah Braces for Another Assault :: www.uruknet.info :: informazione dall'Iraq occupato :: news from occupied Iraq :: - it

2008-07-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Fallujah Braces for Another Assault :: www.uruknet.info :: informazione dall'Iraq occupato :: news from occupied Iraq :: - it: "FALLUJAH, Jul 21, 2008 (IPS) - U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing another siege of Fallujah under the pretext of combating 'terror', residents and officials say.

Located 69 km west of Baghdad, the city that suffered two devastating U.S. attacks in 2004 has watched security degrade over recent months.

'Ruling powers in the city fighting to gain full control seem willing to use the security collapse to accuse each other of either conspiracy (in lawlessness) or incapability of control,' Sufian Ahmed, a lawyer and human rights activist in Fallujah told IPS.

'They suddenly changed their tone from saying that the city was the safest in Iraq to claiming that al-Qaeda is a serious threat. Fallujah residents know their so-called leaders are using security threats to terrify them for their own political interests.'

In the face of U.S. military claims of improved security, violence has been rising by the day this month. The city has now been placed under tight curfew while U.S. and Iraqi military forces prepare for a new offensive, according to the local Azzaman daily."