#61: Ron Paul's Enemy, Empire: HR1955, 911. Cri & Media: Paris: AU, UK? US Future/Past:.Taiwan/ Cptlsm.. JGoodwin. 07.10.31=3 10pm -08.3.4=2 5pm.

'Our Enemy, The Presidency' 2/18/2008: http://tinyurl.com/23qrt4
'Election Madness', by Howard Zinn : 2/24/2008: http://tinyurl.com/2ddzyo
'Why Do So Many Want To Kill and Torture?' 2/18 http://tinyurl.com/2of6gs
'Gitmo ‘Attack Dog’ Turns on His Pentagon Masters' 3/4/08 http://tinyurl.com/ys43xj
'The US Military: An Uncontrollable Juggernaut?'2/18 http://tinyurl.com/287yjm
'...Civilization Wars (fought from afar)' 2/18/2008: http://tinyurl.com/ypthd6
'EXCLUSIVE: Rigged Trials at Guantanamo' 2/20/2008: http://tinyurl.com/2j94yo
'Drip, Drip, Drip: Then the Dam Collapses' 2/18/2008 http://tinyurl.com/ytpnwd
'What Do We Stand For?' 2/18/2008: http://tinyurl.com/3xyg34
'The Most Wanted List: International Terrorism' Noam Chomsky 2/27/08: http://tinyurl.com/35rueo
'US Plotted To Overthrow Hamas After Election Victory' 3/4/08 http://tinyurl.com/22mbsm

'Business:Rights at Risk in the Global Economy Companies Harm Human Rights Worldwide'
2/19/2008: http://tinyurl.com/ytpven
'US “Agent Orange” Ruling Disappoints Vietnamese; Pleases Monsanto, Dow Chemical' 2/23/2008: http://tinyurl.com/23gtab

Death Penalty: http://tinyurl.com/2h2eec
Wild parrots in US once: http://tinyurl.com/3bxcnm

US '..Opposes ..to Control Use of Cluster Munitions'2/17 http://tinyurl.com/2c5lkv
'Children Are Forty Percent of Cluster Bomb Casualties' 2/19/2008: http://tinyurl.com/2zg8xf

'US Trained Peruvian Soldiers on Trial for Torture and Murder' 2/12/2008: ----- http://tinyurl.com/2g9kjp
'Asia’s Hidden Arms Race' 2/13/2008: http://tinyurl.com/38ayzj
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http://tinyurl.com/2k55bx
'H.R. 1955: Government Suppression of Free Thought and Free Expression' 2/9/08.
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' Taxi to the Dark Side: Oscar-Nominated Documentary Film Explores U.S. Abuses in “War on Terror” ' Feb 1, 08: http://tinyurl.com/2ltywm
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'The 9/11 Commission & Torture: How Information Gained Through Waterboarding & Harsh Interrogations Form Major Part of 9/11 Commission Report' DemocracyNow! 2/7/08: http://tinyurl.com/yp4fux

9/11 Truth: http://www.911sharethetruth.com/

ae911truth: http://www.ae911truth.org/info/23

911truth.org: http://tinyurl.com/3c2kgm
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Indonesia: 'US Must Atone for Aiding Suharto' 2/3/08: http://tinyurl.com/25oh4n
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'US Insists Cluster Bombs...' CommonDreams, 1.16=3 http://tinyurl.com/2sh69l
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'Tip-Off Thwarted Nuclear Spy Ring Probe': http://tinyurl.com/39r3re
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"Christianity and War and Other Essays Against the Warfare State", by Laurence M. Vance ; Vance Publications; 2nd ed. (Jan. 14, 2008) : http://tinyurl.com/2xjctl

"" Editorial Reviews: Review: ... ... I challenge the reader to not simply accept what he writes, but to test what he writes by holding it against the pale of orthodox Christianity, the Bible, and history itself. This book is a clarion call that challenges the modern American church, the military member, and all citizens as to their beliefs concerning the historical and moral aspects of warfare. For me, it was literally life changing. --From the Foreword by Mike Reith (USAF, Major, Ret.)

Product Description: ... ... one underlying theme: opposition to the warfare state that robs us of our liberty, our money, and in some cases our life. ... ... It is the author's contention that Christian enthusiasm for the state, its wars, and its politicians is an affront to the Saviour, contrary to Scripture, and a demonstration of the profound ignorance many Christians have of history. ""

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'...African Americans to Experience Greatest Loss of Wealth in Modern U.S. History' DemocracyNow! 1.17=4 http://tinyurl.com/2sh69l
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“Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (And Stick You with the Bill)”, by David Cay Johnston, Portfolio Hardcover (December 27, 2007): http://tinyurl.com/2mqlvd
'' shows how, under the guise of deregulation, a whole new set of regulations quietly went into effect—regulations that thwart competition, depress wages, and reward misconduct. From how George W. Bush got rich off a tax increase to a $100 million taxpayer gift to Warren Buffett, Johnston puts a face on all of the dirty little tricks that business and government pull ''

http://tinyurl.com/2td4dm :'' Johnston reveals how government subsidies and new regulations have quietly funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the rich and politically connected. ''
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Iraq! 'Kicking the Can Down the Road' LewRockwell 1.10=4: http://tinyurl.com/yrckta
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' 'A Heartbeat Away' From War With Iran and Pakistan ' Antiwar 1.9=3: http://tinyurl.com/2jhk9w

'Official Version of Naval Incident Starts to Unravel'1.11=5 CommonDreams:
< http://tinyurl.com/2s6ry3
'Gareth Porter: Official Version ... Starts to Unravel'1.11=5 DemocracyNow!:
< http://tinyurl.com/26h7w3

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"Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World": http://tinyurl.com/ytbacm

: by Mike Davis ; Verso (July 2002): http://tinyurl.com/29udgt

"" the creation of what we now call "The Third World," through a complex series of seemingly disparate natural and market-related events beginning in the 1870s. Davis dives into the data and journalism of the period with a vengeance, showing that the seemingly unprecedented droughts across northern Africa, India and China in the 1870s and 1890s are consistent with what we now know to be El Ni¤o's effects, and that it was political and market forces (which are never impersonal, Davis insists), and not a lack of potential stores and transportation, that kept grain from the more than 50 million people who starved to death. ... ... the horrific deaths by hunger and thirst that besieged the peasantries of the afflicted c0untries. As in City of Quartz, Ecology of Fear and Magical Urbanism, Davis's synthetic powers, rendering mountains of data into an accessible and cogent form, are matched by his acid castigations of the murders and moral failings that have attended the advance of capitalism, "" :- Publishers Weekly.
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'Mind Forg’d Manacles: The Left’s belief in the helplessness of the poor is a self-fulfilling prophecy',3 January 2008 : http://tinyurl.com/yo2aka
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'Dr. Gates vs. Dr. Paul': http://tinyurl.com/2phxsl
'Conservative Life of the Lie': http://tinyurl.com/2pxnju
'Did Racist Voters Cost Obama The Primary?': http://tinyurl.com/26kklu
But: 'The Morning After: Race or Gender? Neither' http://tinyurl.com/3ysvme
'Hillary Booed at NH Democratic Party Dinner'12.5: http://tinyurl.com/33wvo6
John Edwards: http://tinyurl.com/3dqv2o
But:-------- http://tinyurl.com/2zztn3
Mike Huckabee: http://tinyurl.com/37osen
'This Repulsive Campaign': http://tinyurl.com/37ky7t
All War-Mongers: http://tinyurl.com/2c8zo3
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Anti-War Soldiers: http://tinyurl.com/3ahf2k
World Military Expenditure: http://tinyurl.com/yvkv4
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Atrocity-Linked U.S. Officials Advising Democratic, GOP Presidential Frontrunners: http://tinyurl.com/2blb3d
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World Order video: http://tinyurl.com/2gmljp
'ENDGAME- ALEX JONES - Blueprint for ...'
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Enemy's Resume? http://tinyurl.com/24p5j6 http://tinyurl.com/27eka8
Kroll: http://tinyurl.com/2gy69r
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Vermont group wants Cheney, Bush charged with war crimes: http://tinyurl.com/2hhvo2
American Gulf War Veterans Association (AGWVA): http://tinyurl.com/29llsc
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Ron Paul in Paris: http://tinyurl.com/228nce
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Ron Paul < Noam Chomsky: http://tinyurl.com/33jl69
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Ron Paul's Enemies: http://tinyurl.com/3dxaq9 http://tinyurl.com/27jdxk
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http://tinyurl.com/23e3at
' Old Media Crater – LRC Soars', by Burton S. Blumert ; LewRockwell.com ; Dec 28, 07:

"" When the NY Times called Ron Paul a "Nazi," in a smear typical of the newspaper that printed press releases for Josef Stalin, LRC blew the whistle, and mobilizing the Ron Paul movement, forced the newspaper to retract. Has that ever happened before? When Tim Russert on Meet the Press slammed Ron in a nasty attack-interview, we helped get the truth out, and made sure Tim and NBC heard about our concerns. When Glen Beck said that Ron Paul supporters were potential "domestic terrorists," LRC helped make sure his sponsors knew our outrage. Next thing you knew, Glenn was hosting Ron for an hour interview that was, by Beckian standards, pretty darn fair. This is the 21st century, and 18th-century technology like newspapers, and 20th-century technology like television, better get used to the Internet. LRC and the Ron Paul Revolution are holding them all to account. Indeed, LRC has more readers than at any time in our eight-year history. We have greater influence than ever before. Yet we are in danger of being put out of business.

The trouble began almost a year ago. LRC had become Ron Paul Central, ""
... ...
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FDR & Truman to US' Perpetual War: http://tinyurl.com/2zof8q
'Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace', By Harry Elmer Barnes, Posted on 12/22/2007
http://tinyurl.com/2523nq
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WW2 War Song: praise the lord and pass the ammunition http://tinyurl.com/25qkrd
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'NORTH AMERICAN UNION & VCHIP TRUTH': http://tinyurl.com/34tjzd
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http://tinyurl.com/28oyyp
'“Today’s Decision Would Make George Orwell Proud”—FCC Commissioner Michael Copps on the FCC’s Vote to Rewrite the Nation’s Media Ownership Rules' DemocracyNow! 07.12.26
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12.3=1 campaign myth: http://tinyurl.com/yrej7h
12.3=1 dinosaur http://tinyurl.com/3dcbc2
12.2=7 time nature? http://tinyurl.com/2lx9ot
12.21=5 Blair's legacy: http://tinyurl.com/2oxuw5
12.21=5 Rudy Guiliani? http://tinyurl.com/3bm26h
"Giuliani, when he was merely in charge of New York’s garbage collection, zoning rules, and a municipal police force, developed a reputation as a power-hungry, dissent-intolerant authoritarian, obsessed with secrecy and expanding his own power."
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US' Future? A Berkeley writer/musician on Ron Paul "youth movement":
http://tinyurl.com/37sttl

"One Nation, Indivisible? A Study of Secession and the Constitution" author: Ron Paul & "New" Congress: http://tinyurl.com/2gxoay

OR “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” author: Slow Descent into Fascism? http://tinyurl.com/yojwzn
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US' Past? A Korea's American Catholic son-in-law's "Emperor Lincoln": http://tinyurl.com/2nuywt
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"H.R. 1955"? http://tinyurl.com/36dx5u
"Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007"?
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Taiwan: http://tinyurl.com/2c4zyk
' 我告ISO侵害姓名權 瑞士開庭 : 初審法庭首度開庭 明年二月辯論庭 ', 自由電子報, The Liberty Times , 2007年11月9日 星期五 :

"" 〔中央社日內瓦八日專電〕因「ＩＳＯ三一六六」國名與地區編碼表將台灣稱為「中國台灣省」，台灣控告國際標準組織（ＩＳＯ）侵害姓名權案今天在日內瓦邦初審法庭首度開庭，ＩＳＯ提出原告、被告及法院三者皆不適格。法院在簡單形式詢問後，定明年二月二十一日開辯論庭。

非政府組織ＩＳＯ的總部設在日內瓦，它所訂定的「ＩＳＯ三一六六」國名與地區編碼表將台灣稱為「中國台灣省」，廣為國際沿用，令台灣感到國格受侵害，而於今年七月二十日向日內瓦邦法院提起訴訟，要求ＩＳＯ改正使用「中華民國（台灣）」的名稱。

ＩＳＯ提原告、被告及法院皆不適格

今天上午九時的開庭，僅代表法院已正式展開此案審理程序，對雙方進行簡單的人別和訴訟立場確認，大約十分鐘即告結束。台灣的委任律師桑布克隨後向中央社表示，被告方面提出了三點反對立場。

第一點，是台灣不具備起訴能力。桑布克說，由於今天的庭訊僅需陳述基本立場，尚未加以闡述，所以還不能論斷對方的詳細論據為何；但他說，在拉法葉艦弊案中，瑞士聯邦法院已判定台灣具有訴訟能力。

ＩＳＯ所提的第二點，是它本身不具備被訴能力；第三點與此緊密相關，是日內瓦邦法院不具備管轄權。桑布克說，他猜測，ＩＳＯ之所以如此主張，可能是因為它最初成立於倫敦。

不過，他認為這完全不成立，因為ＩＳＯ的中央秘書處分明在日內瓦，「任何人只要上ＩＳＯ的網站，也會看到它自稱設在日內瓦。」

他引述法院決定說，ＩＳＯ必須在明年一月十一日前提出正式答辯狀，接下來台灣有一個多月時間研究，在二月十五日前提出書面回應，然後雙方在二月二十一日出庭交鋒。

國家尊嚴法律戰 日內瓦辦事處拚了

中華民國駐日內瓦辦事處處長沈呂巡表示，台灣的立場和準備都很充分，將盡力打這場法律戰。他說，「為了維護國家尊嚴，這件事老早就該做了。」

台灣在提起訴訟之前，已多次由駐日內瓦辦事處與ＩＳＯ溝通、交涉，並透過律師正式致函，但未獲具體結果。期間ＩＳＯ曾表示，三一六六表自一九七四年就已建立，且以中國台灣省稱呼台灣是依據聯合國做法，並非ＩＳＯ自創。

但對於一再被張冠李戴不勝其擾的台灣來說，挑戰聯合國的難度極高，因此決定透過控告ＩＳＯ，尋求至少在國際上非官方組織的正名。 ""


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Capitalism's Future: http://tinyurl.com/2mhf3u
' Democracy, Corpocracy & > Immigration, Kleptocracy : Corporate Crime Reporter ': Published on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 by Corporate Crime Reporter : Online by Common Dreams NewsCenter :

"" Democracy - government by the people.
Corpocracy - government by the corporation. > One Example: Immigration'
Kleptocracy - government by the corporate criminals.

Now there’s a three step program Wall Street can relate to.

Brought to you by Robert Monks in his new book - Corpocracy: How CEOs and the Business Roundtable Hijacked the World’s Greatest Wealth Machine - and How to Get it Back (Wiley, 2007).

Bob Monks ain’t your wide-eyed hippy.
He’s New England WASP. ""
... ...

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Corpocracy > Immigration: http://tinyurl.com/39rfk3
' Wall Street and Immigration: Financial Services Giants Have Profited from the Beginning ', Peter Cervantes-Gautschi | December 4, 2007 ; Americas Program, Center for International Policy (CIP): americas.irc-online.org

"" Life began to get hard for most Americans beginning in the late 1990s due to increased family debt. During the same period, life got a lot harder for most Mexicans for the same reason. The same financial institutions created and profited from much of the family debt in both countries. ""
... ...
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http://tinyurl.com/2j9g5q
' Indigenous Peoples Vow to Bring Down Apartheid Border Wall ', Brenda Norrell | November 29, 2007 ; Americas Program, Center for International Policy (CIP)
americas.irc-online.org

""The Indigenous Peoples' Border Summit of the Americas 2007 began with a human rights delegation visit to the border and after four days of activities concluded with a vow to "bring down the wall."

Indigenous delegates to the border on Tohono O'odham Nation land took a tour of conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border here and returned in outrage. ""
... ...


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Organized Crimes:
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http://tinyurl.com/ywp5yp
'Russian Organized Crime', by Fred Burton and Dan Burges ; November 14, 2007 1421 GMT ; Stratfor:

"" When the dust settled following a bus explosion in Togliatti, Russia, on Oct. 31, few explanations emerged as to who was responsible for the attack, which killed eight people and injured at least 50. Although terrorism is a possibility, two leading theories place the blame on Russian organized crime.

One such theory suggests that a person (or people) riding the bus was a target of the Russian mob and the other casualties simply collateral damage. Though this act might seem excessive, Russian organized crime has a history of ensuring that it eliminates its targets through excessive use of explosives. A second theory is that Russian organized crime targeted the bus itself as retribution against the bus company, perhaps because the company refused to pay protection money to the mob.

Given the speculation, it is a good time to explore the nature of Russia's crime syndicates and to examine just how far they reach and the lengths they will go to ensure that they maintain an iron grip on the enterprises under their control.

The Network

Russian organized crime is an intricate network throughout Russian society whose operations include extortion, fraud, cargo theft, prostitution, drug- and arms-trafficking and more. The Russian mafia has penetrated business and state-run enterprises to a degree unheard of anywhere in the Western world, a fact that start-up firms soon discover. Moreover, its reach in the business realm extends throughout the former Soviet Union.

Unlike the normal situation in civilized societies, there is no clear distinction in Russia between criminal enterprises and the government. In fact, criminal organizations and their leadership often have direct ties to oligarchs and others in positions of power. In order to conduct business in Russia, companies are finding that dealings with the government lead directly to dealings with thugs demanding pay, not for product or services but for protection and other vague promises, including "permission" to conduct business. The protection they are purchasing, however, is from the people they are paying.

When demands are not met or lines are crossed, the result often is a violent and bloody death, regardless of who erred or what sin he committed. In the fall of 2006, a rash of mob-related murders occurred in Russia, often targeting high-profile Russian businessmen in the financial and banking sectors. Contract killings, car bombs, planted explosives and even death by wood chipper are techniques in the Russian mob's repertoire, as would be expected in a country in which "incitement to commit suicide" is a crime.

The Roots of Organized Crime

Corruption in the Soviet Union was bred largely by a state-run economy that left citizens lacking basic goods. Small groups of entrepreneurs emerged to provide items otherwise not available -- and the black market was born. During the transitional period to the Russian Federation, however, organized crime was called upon to facilitate reform in the region -- and the line between business and the criminal underworld became significantly more blurred, perhaps even nonexistent. The new Russian government, however, felt that combating such corruption, at least in the initial stages, would hinder the shift to capitalism.

The social, political and economic crises in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union have caused significant concern in the West, though the connection between Russia's dilemmas and organized crime is not often acknowledged. Moreover, since the Iron Curtain fell, Russian organized crime groups have used the economic reforms and crises to increase their wealth and influence. When then-President Boris Yeltsin called Russia the "biggest mafia state in the world" and "the superpower of crime" in 1994, even he probably had little idea that the situation would only worsen -- particularly in the late 1990s. According to a 1997 report on Russian organized crime by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Western intelligence agencies had proof that the ruling oligarchy protected organized crime syndicates.

In 1992, when Russia began to privatize state property, Russian organized crime groups snapped up the assets. This not only helped to expand and solidify the emerging relationship between the state and organized crime but also gave the crime groups tremendous economic and political power -- as the property gave the criminal organizations direct access to the Russian government. Over the years, organized crime also has conducted certain functions of the government, including dividing territory among competing economic actors, regulating business markets, imposing "taxes" (protection fees) and setting up tariffs, legitimizing the Mafia in the eyes of many Russians as a type of de facto government. Many of the organization' s actions are enforced through violence or other forms of coercion -- and it is that propensity for violence that brings organized crime in conflict with the state.

Russian organized crime developed from four main centers of criminality. The first was the historical criminal elite in Russia, the Vory v zakone (thieves-in- law), which was primarily made up of common criminals. This group has been around since before the Soviet Union and has established its own code of conduct and organization.

A second central group was formed by corrupt Communist Party members, government officials and businessmen of the Soviet elite who abused their positions and established mutually beneficial relations with criminal groups. They operated through bribery, payoffs and an underground barter economy. The high profiles of many members of this group and their actions throughout the Soviet era laid the groundwork for the corruption and criminality that followed the collapse of the Soviet system, especially since many of them remained in positions of power. Additionally, former KGB, Spetsnaz commandos and other government officials continue to provide a significant amount of expertise to the Russian mob, including intelligence operations, weapons and demolitions training, as well as operational security techniques.

Another center of organized crime is rooted in Russia's various ethnic and national groups. Among the most influential are the Chechens, Armenians, Azeris, Dagestanis, Georgians and Ingush. These ethnic-based groups are active throughout Russia, as well as in Central Eurasia, and are considered the most violent of criminal groups. Unlike in the United States, however, most organized crime groups in Russia are not based on ethnicity.

The largest of the four centers is a compilation of disparate criminal associations, some controlling a certain geographical sector, others engaging in only one kind of criminal activity and still others with shared experiences, common membership in a sports club or a common leader. These groups operate as organized crime, though they also could be classified under the U.S. definition of a gang.

The diversity of organized crime in Russia is one of the main challenges to fighting it, mainly because it is increasingly difficult to adopt a single approach to the different problems each organization presents. Furthermore, because of the relationships between the government and organized criminal groups, the state finds itself in the unique position of trying to fight the very groups with which it is collaborating.

Unlike groups such as La Cosa Nostra, Russian organized crime cannot be diagrammed using the typical pyramid structure. This is because Russian organized crime is made up of gangs that act autonomously for the most part and have only loose ties to regional, national or international networks. This is where the media portrayal of the monolithic "Russian Mafia" diverges from reality because Russian organized criminal groups are not distinct, centralized entities, and they usually lack the membership rules and codes of honor described in most mafia stories.

Expansion

Organized crime is a problem in many parts of the former Soviet Union, including Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Ukraine -- much of it originating in Russia. Russian organized crime initially moved from Russia into Eastern Europe and from there into Western Europe, eventually landing in the Western Hemisphere (specifically the United States). Moreover, there are indications that the Russian organized crime sphere of influence now includes Latin America and the Caribbean.

Reports from Interpol and other law enforcement agencies indicate that a variety of Russian criminal organizations, including Poldolskaya, Tambovskaya, Mazukinskaya and Izamailovskaya, have moved into Mexico, operating through multiple small cells and engaging in a wide variety of criminal enterprises. These groups, among others, are known to engage in extortion, prostitution and trafficking in drugs, arms and humans, as well as kidnapping and credit card fraud. Links between Russian organized criminal groups and one or more of the principal Mexican criminal organizations have allowed the Russians to obtain and transport illicit narcotics at a low cost and under relatively secure circumstances for shipment to Europe and Russia. In order to maintain low profiles in Mexico, these groups often operate out of resorts owned by their Mexican business partners.


U.S. law enforcement also has established links between Russian organized crime in the United States and La Cosa Nostra. The two groups appear to be cooperating in such ventures as gambling, prostitution, fraud and extortion. The Russian Mafia is responsible for vice operations from Miami to Tokyo to the Persian Gulf, and it also is deeply tied into Turkish and Israeli organized crime, most of which came from Russia. Additionally, Russian organized crime groups reportedly have been involved in such enterprises as drug trafficking, money laundering and counterfeiting with several other international organized crime groups, including the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra, the Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads, Turkish drug traffickers and Colombian drug cartels.

The Challenge Ahead

With the arrest in August of Vladimir Barsukov, leader of the Tambov crime group, the Russian government took the first step toward cracking down on organized crime -- though the move could have been motivated by internal politics or business. Although ridding Russia of organized crime is probably impossible, if there ever was a time to begin the process, now could be it. Russian President Vladimir Putin might just be powerful enough to attack the Russian Mafia and begin to dismantle its operations from the inside out -- with the government happily taking the pieces -- and he might be able to do so without direct retribution against himself.

With powerful allies (and members) of the Russian mob operating at the highest levels of government, Putin would need to begin with internal housecleaning, forcing those members who abuse their positions for reasons of money and power to choose their loyalty. The most significant source of power for the Russian mob is its connections within the government, and destroying those connections would be a huge feather in Putin's cap.

With hundreds of small groups operating with relative independence and very little formal structure, however, Russian organized crime will not simply collapse should the bosses be taken into custody. Also, with the expansion of the Russian mafia into numerous countries, its members literally can run from the law like rats from a fire. They will find holes to operate in, means for monetary income and illicit activities by which to maintain their chosen lifestyles. Therefore, should Moscow attempt serious overt actions against Russian organized crime families, it will be a critical first step down a long, hard -- and very bloody -- path. ""


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Individuals:
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Johnathan Goodwin: http://tinyurl.com/2ano86
'Motorhead Messiah', Fast Company:

"" Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him? ""
... ...


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Media:
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Media US: http://tinyurl.com/bdyd5


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Nations:
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China: http://tinyurl.com/276n5e
' China special: Growing pains of a superpower ', Peter Aldhous, Gregory T. Huang ; From issue 2629 of New Scientist magazine, 07 November 2007, page 48-49 :

"" * China special: The solar power king
* 07 November 2007
* China special: The backbone of spinal research
* 07 November 2007
* China special: Small farmer/big pharma
* 07 November 2007
* China special: One child, one big problem
* 07 November 2007
* China special: Exposing the science charlatans
* 07 November 2007
* China special: Beyond the Great Firewall
* 07 November 2007
* China special: Quantum revolution
* 10 November 2007
* China special: Engineers rule, OK?
* 07 November 2007
* Search New Scientist
* Contact us

Web Links

* China: The next science superpower?
* CIA World Factbook - China
* World Bank China Data and Statistics
* National Bureau of Statistics of China

State of the Nation
THE 21st century, we are told, will be China's. Usually this is intended as a warning: if the world's leading economies fail to respond to the Chinese "threat", we will face a second-class future trailing in the wake of the People's Republic.

This blinkered view gets us nowhere. China is a proud nation with a turbulent history, and it makes no secret of its superpower ambitions. It is certainly a fierce competitor for resources - witness the panic in the US about China's thirst for oil, and what that means for fuel prices. But this vast and diverse country is already much more than a simple adversary. Without China's supply of cheap manufactured goods, massive overseas investment and talented labour, the world's economy would be in serious trouble.

In this age of globalisation, China is also a partner - which is why we should all be concerned about the challenges ahead. China faces immense social, political and environmental problems, and whatever is a problem for China is by definition a problem for everyone else too. Today in rich western countries, people worry about poisoned Chinese pet food and imported toys tainted with lead. Tomorrow, it could be a global climate meltdown driven by China's exploding demand for energy.

China's leaders are no fools. Most senior members of the central government were trained in that most practical of disciplines, engineering. They know that the nation's present trajectory is unsustainable, both economically and environmentally. If China is to continue its remarkable development, it must transform itself from an exporter of cheap manufactured goods built to western blueprints into what its leaders call an "innovation nation" - able to sustain its growth through home-grown ingenuity. So they are pouring huge sums into science, particularly at the applied end of hot fields like nanotechnology and renewable energy. China's spending on research and development has more than doubled in the past five years, and official plans call for a further rise - from 1.34 per cent of GDP in 2005 to 2.5 per cent by 2020.

If the plan bears fruit, some of the innovations that will be needed to solve global problems are likely to come from China. Already, top Chinese researchers and entrepreneurs trained abroad are returning to their homeland in unprecedented numbers. They are emphatic about one thing: wanting China to be able to stand with the US and other leading nations as an equal partner.

Can China really reinvent itself as a lean, green technological superpower? Will the rural poor get left behind as the urban middle class reaps the benefits of rapid economic growth? Or will the economic miracle falter or even collapse? And can the Communist Party maintain its grip on power through it all? Will it ultimately be an engine of reform, or an obstacle to change? Will China eventually embrace democracy as it is practised in the west? Or does conflict lie ahead?

These are interesting times in China. Talk to westerners who live there and you will hear the refrain: "The longer I stay, the more I realise that I don't understand." So rather than trying to provide a top-down view of what China is all about, we sent our reporters across the country with a simple brief: profile fascinating people and compelling projects to give a snapshot of a superpower in the making. We also asked a leading China-watcher to comment on what it's like to be governed by a Politburo of engineers.

Over the following 22 pages you'll meet an observant Muslim who grows grapes in the province that borders Kazakhstan, a science writer who moonlights as a fraudbuster, and entrepreneurs in Beijing who are giving the internet a Chinese flavour. Along the way you'll learn of an epidemic of spinal injury, China's ambitions to build the world's first quantum computer, and a growing debate over whether the notorious "one-child policy" needs to be relaxed. There is some good news, some bad news, and more than a few surprises.

If you care about the future, you should care about China. If you want to see its future in the making, you really should visit. Failing that, let us be your guide.

China special: The solar power king

China special: The backbone of spinal research

China special: Small farmer/big pharma

China special: One child, one big problem

China special: Exposing the science charlatans

China special: Beyond the Great Firewall

China special: Quantum revolution

China special: Engineers rule, OK? ""

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Mexico: http://tinyurl.com/27gsos

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USA: http://tinyurl.com/2jszrr
' The Media’s Plan To Ambush Ron Paul ', by Mike Whitney

"" "The American Republic is in remnant status. The stage is set for our country to devolve into a military dictatorship, and few seem to care."
~ Rep. Ron Paul

First we stop the killing, and then we restore the Constitution. These are our two main priorities. And that’s why I’m voting for Ron Paul. He is the only candidate (with a chance to win) who’s promising to do both. And he’ll keep his word. That makes him the only truly American candidate running for president.

Paul is serious about withdrawing US troops from Iraq. He knows that the war was a mistake and believes that the American occupation must end. He has promised to stop the ongoing slaughter of Iraqi civilians. That should be the primary moral consideration for anyone casting a ballot on November 3.

Will you vote to stop the killing or not? It’s as simple as that.

Paul has also promised to restore the rule of law – to repeal the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act; to reinstate Posse Comitatus, due process, habeas corpus, and the "presumption of innocence." He’ll make sure that US prisoners – whether they be American citizens or foreign nationals – are treated in way that complies with our treaty obligations, the Geneva Conventions, the Bill of Rights, and the basic tenets of human decency.

Under Paul, the torture will stop. Period.

What other candidate will stop the torture of US prisoners? What other candidate will stop the government’s spying on the American people? What other candidate will challenge Bush’s claim that the president can arbitrarily cast an American citizen in prison and keep him there as long as he chooses without charging him with a crime?

Bush has abolished the basic safeguards which protect the citizen from the long-arm of the state. The legal system needs to be purged of his executive signing statements and presidential decrees. Only Paul promises to restore the Constitution. There is no second choice.

Paul is the only candidate who grasps the economic problems facing the nation from our massive deficit spending, the destruction of our manufacturing base, and the falling dollar. He may not be able to pull us back from the brink, but he will rebuild confidence in our currency, our markets, and our trade policies. That’s the best we can hope for given the mess that Bush has created.

On November 5, Guy Fawkes Day, the Paul campaign raised over $4.07 million in one day, mostly from private citizens. He surpassed all the other candidates except Hilary Clinton and has raised more than $6.84 million in the first five weeks of this quarter alone. Paul’s "purely" grassroots movement is energized by working class Americans who see his candidacy as a last-ditch effort to end the war in Iraq, reestablish fiscal sanity, and restore civil liberties.

Despite the fact that Paul has strong personal approval ratings and polls well against his competitors, the media has deliberately – and very successfully – kept him out of the public eye. That will be more difficult to do now that his campaign war-chest is bursting with contributions and his base of support is expanding across the country.

We expect the media to abandon its failed strategy of simply ignoring Paul and take the more aggressive approach of attacking him outright. Now that Paul has established himself as a credible threat to the warmongering, autocratic corporate elites, he will have to be discredited through a coordinated media-blitz which will target his voting record, his character, and any other personal foible which may incite public scorn.

He’s got a bull’s-eye on his back.

We’ve seen it all before, haven’t we? The politics of personal destruction organized and directed from the penthouse suites of the media’s corporate offices?

Perhaps, it will be a repeat of the "Dean Scream," where the voice of antiwar candidate Howard Dean was isolated from the crowd noise – and played on the mainstream media over 900 times in 48 hours – making Dean look like a maniac and torpedoing whatever chance he may have had of winning the Democratic nomination.

Or maybe it will be like John McCain’s "rumored" out-of-wedlock black baby in the South Carolina primary? Or the "Swift-boating" of John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election? Or the attacks on Dan Rather following his report that the president was a slacker who vamoosed from the "Champagne Unit" of the Texas National Guard during wartime?

Whatever the plan may be, we should know by now that the media will continue to act as the chief adversary of the American people and the cause of liberty.

But don’t expect the Paul supporters to throw in the towel like the weak-kneed Dean throng. These guys are stubborn and resolute. And they won’t budge on matters of principle. They’re not taken in by the media’s cheesy smear-campaigns and they won’t jump off the bandwagon at the first sign of trouble.

The Paul crowd has some heavy artillery of their own, too – and they’re wheeling it into place right now. Their ranks are gradually swelling, the money is pouring in, and they are not going to give up their country without a fight.

This election is shaping up to be a clash of ideals between the people who still believe in freedom and those who don’t. It’s going to be hand-to-hand combat and it’ll probably crack the country in two.

Good. Let the battle begin. As Thomas Jefferson said, "Every generation needs a new revolution."

November 8, 2007

Mike Whitney's [send him mail] "stock-n-trade" is landscaping. He never even sat down at a computer keyboard until Bush gave his "axis of evil" speech. Then, he figured it was time to get to work.

Copyright © 2007 LewRockwell.com """H.R. 1955," otherwise known as "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007."