Armuts- und Reichtumsbericht: Fast 14 Prozent der Bevölkerung Deutschlands lebt in Armut (02.03.05)

Die Kluft zwischen Arm und Reich ist unter der rot-grünen Bundesregierung größer geworden. Das geht aus dem "Zweiten Armuts- und Reichtumsbericht" hervor, den das Kabinett am Mittwoch in Berlin billigte. Danach ist der Anteil der Armen in Deutschland von 1998 bis 2003 von 12,1 auf 13,5 Prozent gestiegen. Als Gründe werden die Wachstumsschwäche und die hohe Arbeitslosigkeit genannt. Gleichzeitig nahm der Anteil der Reichsten am Gesamtvermögen zu. Nach dem Bericht bezogen im Jahr 1998 rund 6000 Personen ein Nettoäquivalenzeinkommen von mehr als einer Million Euro. Der Bericht belegt, dass das Einkommen der Super-Reichen ansteigt. Das reichste 1 Prozent der Verteilung der Nettoäquivalenzeinkommen verfügte 1992 und 1995 laut Bericht über 8,4 Prozent aller Einkommen. 1998 bezog das reichste 1 Prozent bereits rund 10 Prozent des Gesamteinkommens in Deutschland.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:

http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php4?Nr=10571

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Oppose the Execution of Stanley Hall
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=7790327&url_num=52&url=http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=415

posted 02/25/05

Urge the Missouri Governor to commute Mr. Hall's sentence to life because his ineffective counsel neglected to raise crucial objections at the trial and direct appeal. The execution is scheduled for March 16 so please act today!

Record deficits, colossal debt and no clear plan for digging itself out. If the U.S. sinks, it will take Canada down with it.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/world/article.jsp?content=20050307_101541_101541
http://tinyurl.com/3zv3s


From Information Clearing House

A UK diplomat says Britain is part of a worldwide torture plot. Is he telling the truth?:

Our former ambassador to Uzbekistan refuses to go quietly. The Government should come clean about interrogation methods, he tells Raymond Whitaker

http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/articles/Independent%2020%20Feb%202005.htm


From Information Clearing House

When you close your eyes and picture America, what do you see?.

A must see Flash presentation.
http://www.aclu.org/rumsfeld/flash/index.html


From Information Clearing House

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld bears direct responsibility for the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. military custody, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First charged today in the first federal court lawsuit to name a top U.S. official in the ongoing torture scandal in Iraq and Afghanistan that has tarnished America's reputation.

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=17584&c=206


From Information Clearing House

A new "war on tyranny" is being groomed to replace the outmoded "war on terror". Far from being a semantic nuance, the shift is highly revealing of the next phase of Washington's global agenda.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/GC03Dj02.html


From Information Clearing House

The Pulitzer Prize winner said the president’s plans in the region go beyond Iraq and include bringing the administration’s brand of pro-American democracy to Iran and Syria.

http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2005030122


From Information Clearing House

British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Syria that the world is watching its actions closely, adding to diplomatic pressure on Damascus as Washington steps up calls for Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon.

http://www.620ktar.com/?nid=46&sid=30132


From Information Clearing House

"It is all these things around us," says Fatima. "The Americans, the booby-traps. No security, I can't let the kids go play outside because of car bombs and fighting."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1428207,00.html


From Information Clearing House

by AL Kennedy

Abdul Wali, he's dead now. He died after being interrogated by a CIA contractor in Afghanistan, but so what? Then there's Zaydun al-Samarrai. He's dead now. His cousin Marwan Hassoun is upset about this, but you can be sure he's overreacting - after all Sgt Tracy Perkins, one of the people who drowned al-Samarrai in the Tigris, was only given a six-month sentence, so it can't have been a big deal.

http://207.44.245.159/article8189.htm

U.S. Citizen Jose Padilla: Imprisoned Without Trial for 2 Years and 269 Days by our Government

While one of us is chained, None of us are Free...
http://www.chargepadilla.org/


Justice, finally, for José Padilla?

In South Carolina, Judge Henry Floyd, has ruled and dealt, one hopes, a fatal blow to the assertion of an unchecked presidential power to jail a citizen indefinitely and with no access to due process - a judge, lawyer, habeas corpus, charges, a trial, all the basic constitutional safeguards.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_3586485,00.html
http://tinyurl.com/3qfbs



Jose Padilla: Read: Judge Floyd's Decision: pdf format:

U.S. District Judge Henry F. Floyd ruled that the president of the United States does not have the authority to order Jose Padilla to be held.

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0228/4239834.pdf

--------

Padilla's indefinite detention puts your rights at risk:

This case is not just about Jose Padilla. It's about every citizen's liberty. If the foundations of freedom crumble under the stresses of the war on terrorism, the terrorists will have won.
http://207.44.245.159/article8197.htm


From Information Clearing House

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uspr204156187feb24,0,5203878.story


Informant: Bob Reuschlein

From ufpj-news

We're taking our campaign to protect whales from deadly naval sonar to the doorstep of NATO -- and we need your help.

Please go to http://www.savebiogems.org/whales/takeaction.asp and send a message to the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and to NATO ambassadors, urging their member countries to stop deploying high-powered sonar systems in sensitive whale habitats around the world.

Last month we began making our case directly to NATO officials. Now it's critically important that they hear a worldwide outcry from concerned citizens in support of our cause.

As the military alliance of 26 nations -- including the United States -- NATO includes the world's biggest users of lethal military sonar. In fact, several mass strandings of whales have been linked directly to joint NATO exercises, including strandings in the Canary Islands and along the coast of Greece.

There is no dispute that intense bursts of high-powered sonar can and do kill whales. The scientists of the International Whaling Commission have stated that the evidence linking such naval sonar to whale strandings appears "overwhelming."

The scientific journal "Nature" has reported that intense, active sonar may kill marine mammals by causing their internal organs to hemorrhage.

In the face of this alarming evidence, it's simply cruel and wrong to use high-powered sonar in routine training exercises without taking common-sense steps to protect whales, dolphins and other marine life. That's why a worldwide coalition of environmental groups, including NRDC, is pressuring NATO and its member countries to stop inflicting this needless suffering on marine mammals.

Please make your own voice heard in defense of whales right now. Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/whales/takeaction.asp and call on NATO to take immediate steps to protect marine mammals from deadly sonar.

Thank you for taking action.

Sincerely,

John H. Adams
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

Mit den steigenden Arbeitslosenzahlen kommt die Hartz-Reform wieder in die Kritik...

http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/19/19572/1.html

http://www.NewsTarget.com/005032.html

How Industry Manipulates Science
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/350582/

The Great Betrayal: Fraud in Science
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/394532/

Carole Currie is over the moon. Success was down to team effort.

Geoff.


Subject: O2 Mast, Bertram Drive North, Meols

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the planners report to committee is recommending REFUSAL for the third application!

The attached report only details the first half of the petition - apparently there is a supplementary sheet that goes to committee showing the final numbers - approx. 378 total petition and 197 letters in total.

http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/plg20055055rpt.pdf

A fantastic result all round !

THANK YOU for all the letters and support.

Carole (ecstatic!!!)

From Mast Network (excerpt)

'natur + kosmos' berichtet heute:

01.03.2005 - Wildtiere

Wühler im Elektrosmog

Sendehalsbänder scheinen das Leben der untersuchten Tiere zu beeinflussen.

Wenn Große Wühlmäuse per Sendehalsband verfolgt werden, ändert sich das Geschlechterverhältnis bei neugeborenen Nagern. Das haben britische Forscher herausgefunden. Sie glauben, dass dieser Effekt eine Folge von Stress sein könnte. Möglicherweise werden auch andere Tierarten durch die Sendetechnik beeinflusst, berichtet das Wissenschaftsmagazin Nature.

Der Biologe Tom Moorhouse von der Universität Oxford hat die Wühlmäuse seit mehreren Jahren untersucht. Um etwas über Wanderungen der Tiere zu erfahren, hat er einige mit Sendern ausgestattet. Es zeigte sich, dass daraufhin der Anteil weiblichen Nachwuchses um 48 Prozent gefallen ist. Moorhouse glaubt, die Sender haben die Tiere gestresst.

Unter natürlichen Bedingungen werden mehr Männchen geboren, wenn es beispielsweise wenig Futter gibt. Die Männchen verlassen dann die Gegend und erhöhen so die Chancen für die zurück Gebliebenen. Stress durch Sender könnte eine ähnliche Wirkung haben wie Stress durch Futterknappheit.

Auch bei anderen Tierarten gibt es Hinweise, dass die technische Ausrüstung einen Einfluss auf die Partnerwahl oder Nahrungssuche hat: so haben auf diese Art markierte Kaiserpinguine Schwierigkeiten beim Schwimmen und Fischen. Panda-Bären dürfen gar nicht erst mit Sendern versehen werden – nur für den Fall, dass sie die Tiere doch gefährden könnten.

Quelle: http://www.natur.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=163576

Nachricht von Reinhard Rückemann


http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/elektrosmog-liste/message/4977




Tiere und Mobilfunk
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/196960/

Indirect negative impacts of radio-collaring: sex ratio variation in water voles
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/553479/

Radio-tracking associated with ‘dramatic shift’ in water vole sex ratio
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/549254/

http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/po/050228.shtml
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050228/full/050228-3.html


Informant: JCMPelican


Indirect negative impacts of radio-collaring: sex ratio variation in water voles
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/553479/

Micro Waves Effects on Wildlife Animals
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/540756/

(Normal solar windspeed is between 200-300 range).

Current Solar Wind
speed: 607.2 km/s

density: 0.6 protons/cm3

A large coronal hole is emerging over the sun's eastern limb. A solar wind stream flowing from this hole could reach Earth on or about March 8th.


Informant: Anna Webb

1/3/2005 - Petitioner says 90% back him

AROUND 90% of people living near a proposed mobile phone mast site have signed a petition against the idea, according to one campaigner.

Peter Burley, of Fern Close, Frimley, has accused T-Mobile of putting the health of his children at risk by proposing to build a mast in Old Bisley Road just yards from his back gate.

So far his petition against it has 750 signatures.

He said: “I went to the area immediately around the proposed site, so they are all directly involved and relevant signatures.

“We have calculated that 750 signatures represents over 90% of people over voting age around the mast area — that speaks volumes and I only hope that T-Mobile listen.”

T-Mobile has not yet submitted a planning application to Surrey Heath Borough Council for the mast to be built but has made its plan clear in letters sent out to some households.

It comprises a 14.7-metre mast, three UMTS antennas and two equipment cabinets.

But the residents want T-Mobile to add this to a group of masts on the nearby ranges in Deepcut Bridge Road.

Mr Burley spoke out when the plans were first circulated and expressed his “grave concern” about the implications for his children’s health.

He said he was worried about their exposure to emissions from a mast 50 metres from his back gate and 70 metres from their bedroom.

He added: “I am not prepared to stand by and wait five or ten years to find out if my kids develop a life-threatening or debilitating condition just so that T-Mobile can make some kind of commercial gain from their customers using ‘advanced series’.”

Ward councillor Fran Bennie handed the petition to Surrey Heath Mayor Cllr Paul Ilnicki.

She said: “It is not an actual planning application yet, so I was allowed to hand in the petition and they will put it in the relevant file so if an application does come in it will be ready.

“It is unusual that we were able to present a petition before, as they are usually too late and don’t have the same impact.

“People are worried by a great density of phone masts by their houses. They are not saying please don’t have a mast, but saying put it with the existing masts nearby.

“This seems very sensible to me and there is huge support for this from the residents.”

Mr Burley said: “It is supposed to be policy for phone companies to share masts where they can.
“Orange, Hutchison and O2 are already up there. T-Mobile should share those masts and they have not given a reasonable explanation as to why they cannot.”

A T-Mobile spokesman had said previously: “The careful siting of our base stations is vital to ensure reliable coverage for users of our network.

“In line with government guidelines we consider site sharing and existing mast locations where possible.

“In this case, due to technical and structural reasons, we were not able to share a site.

“We are still considering our options in this area.”

Picture: Peter Burley and Cllr Fran Bennie with the petition


From Mast Network

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/print?id=538452


Informant: Susan

by Bob Babson

The Free Press

3/1/2005

In America, every vote should be counted correctly. Following the General Election on November 2, 2004, we have learned that there were numerous incidents of evoting machines malfunctioning and/or being tampered with and significant voter suppression. Congress is being asked to investigate. In the name of preserving democracy itself, the purpose of this article is to outline two courses of action which will help prevent future voting fraud in all 50 states.

read article:
http://nov2truth.org/article.php?story=20050301085822399

by Jesse Jackson

Chicago Sun Times

3/1/2005

This weekend in Selma, Ala., marchers will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in that city. The violence unleashed by Southern sheriffs and racial vigilantes on that day galvanized President Johnson to push through the Voting Rights Act, giving blacks the right to vote in the South for the first time since the brief reconstruction period after the Civil War.

read article:
http://nov2truth.org/article.php?story=2005030110030276

2.3.2005

KLAGE / Die Gemeinde und etliche Bürger haben Klage wegen Handymasten eingereicht. Verlegung kommt für die Betreiber nicht in Frage!

VON PETER SUWANDSCHIEFF

MÜLLENDORF / Laut Aufzeichnungen von Reinhold Jandrisovits, Arzt in Müllendorf, ist das Auftreten der Symptome Schlafstörungen, Erschöpfungszustände, Hörsturz, überaktive Kinder, aber auch die Krebsrate in Müllendorf stark gestiegen. „Absolut Besorgnis erregend ist, dass die Betroffenen immer jünger werden“, erklärt Reinhold Jandrisovits verärgert. Nach Ansicht der Gemeinde und der betroffenen Bürger ist der durch den Mobilfunksender verstärkte Elektrosmog in der Umgebung für diese absolut beängstigende Entwicklung verantwortlich.

VP-Bürgermeister Alfred Schlögl hat nun im Namen der Gemeinde Klage erhoben. Weiters besteht eine Sammelklage von 140 besorgten Müllendorfern. Aber auch Kreisarzt Omar Abudayeh ist davon überzeugt, dass von der Mobilfunkanlage eine gesundheitliche Bedrohung ausgeht und klagt ebenso die Betreiber. Das Anliegen: Die Verlegung des umstrittenen Handymastes. Die Staatsanwaltschaft wird nun ermitteln müssen, ob der Mobilfunksender für die negative Entwicklung des Gesundheitszustandes der Bevölkerung verantwortlich ist oder nicht.

„Standort des Handymastes ist doppelt ungünstig!“

Der momentane Standort sei aus zweierlei Gründen ungünstig, so Reinhold Jandrisovits. Erstens liegt er an der topografisch tiefsten Stelle der Umgebung und zweitens in unmittelbarer Nähe zur Bahnanlage. „Hier kommt es zu einer Überlagerung der Störfelder Mobilfunksender und Elektrizität der Bahn, was wiederum zu einer Erhöhung des Elektrosmogs vor Ort führt“, weiß Reinhold Jadrisovits. Aus der Sicht der Netzbetreiber - in diesem Fall T-Mobile und A1 - erschließt sich naturgemäß ein völlig anderes Bild. Thomas Barmüller, Forum Mobilkommunikation, betont, dass eine Überlagerung der Störfelder physikalisch nicht möglich ist. Die geforderte Verlegung des Handymastes kommt daher laut Barmüller nicht in Frage.

Auch Mag. Christine Lackner, Pressesprecherin Minister Gorbach, meint: „Das Ministerium hat keine rechtliche Handhabe, solange nicht bewiesen ist, dass eine Gesundheitsschädigung verursacht wird.“ Man bemühe sich jedoch, das Problem zu lösen. Für die Mobilfunk-Initiative, deren Gründer Jandrisovits ist, steht fest: Der Standort muss verlegt werden. „Heuer ist Wahljahr, wenn nötig werden wir Aktionen setzen.“

http://www.bvz.at/redaktion/bvz-eis/article.asp?Text=167412&cat=830


Beobachtungen eindeutig - Mobilfunk ist gesundheitsschädlich
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/520055/

Müllendorf: Es geht weiter...
http://ecolog.twoday.net/stories/632243/

10:30 - 02 March 2005

Residents are set to start a campaign against the possible siting of a mobile phone mast in Stroud.

An application from phone company Hutchison 3G for a 15-metre device at the Prince of Wales pub, in Cashes Green, has been received by Stroud District Council. Despite claims from the company that the mast would operate within recommended health guidelines, residents gathered at a meeting of Cainscross Parish Council and claimed possible health implications made the site unsuitable.

And councillors agreed, voting to oppose the application.

Julia Currie, owner of nearby Croft Farm, was among those who attended the meeting.

She said: "I find it quite amazing. They have the audacity to say we'll have a mast there despite all the public feeling. My own view is that it is near enough to make me feel uncomfortable as a citizen. I'm not happy with the pub site at all."

Coun Darren Jones urged anyone interested in opposing the mast to unite in protest and seek more information about the plan.

From Mast Network

Mar 2 2005

PLANNING permission for the "third generation" mast was granted to communications firm Hutchison in December by Wealden District Council.

Two weeks ago word of the scheme spread and villagers rallied to halt the project over fears of safety.

On Monday Simon Waters, joint owner of Mid Sussex Timber, disclosed that his company was pulling out but denied he was caving in to public pressure.

He said: "I did say to 3G you've got to convince the village what you are doing is safe and so far no one has been convinced.

"I've been amazed by the strength of feeling about this. I have to say it was a pretty impressive turnout on Friday.

"It has never been the intention to put the health and welfare of the population of Forest Row under any risk perceived or otherwise.

"We have listened to what people have said and I told them then that I wanted a few days to think it over.

"My wife and I spoke to a number of people over the weekend and it became clear to us both that opposition for this project was endemic."

Although no contract had been signed Mr Waters said his firm would have received about £6,000 a year from the agreement.

He added: "The financial consideration is not the be-all-andend-all. "We are part of the community and we want to get on with the community. I think we would have lost the goodwill."

The news has halted plans for another protest due to be held again this Friday.

Organiser Paula Simonis said: "I'm over the moon, overwhelmed.

"I'm very grateful to Mr Waters. Good for him. I don't think he's caved in. I think he's done it with dignity. I truly believe he was not aware of the feelings. Now he's aware of them he's man enough to say he won't put the mast on his land."

But the step has angered Hutchison 3G.

Community affairs manager Mike Davies said: "We are disappointed that Mid Sussex Timber have withdrawn.

"The site was gained democratically, with full planning consent, but mob rule seems to have prevailed in Forest Row.

"Mid Sussex Timber has bowed to pressure which is unfounded and unwarranted. It is the most appropriate site in Forest Row.

"If people are not prepared to understand the reputable science and make their judgments on hearsay and mass conjecture then there's no way you can convince anybody. The science is very strong and valid."

Mr Davies insisted H3G would press on with plans for a mast in the village, adding: "We will be looking at other sites in the area including a network in Forest Row. We are looking at lampposts on the highway. We haven't got any locations yet but that is the scenario that could happen."


From Mast Network

02 March 2005 11:27

Campaigners have refused to give up the fight against a controversial mobile phone mast and will appeal against a decision to get it switched back on.

Telecommunications company O2 has been involved in a long-running battle with campaigners over the siting of a mast on top of the police station in Yarmouth Road, North Walsham.

Last month the Evening News reported how senior politicians at North Norfolk District Council said they would have to back down on plans to take the long running North Walsham issue to the High Court, partly because of the substantial cost.

But Matthew Pennington, a member of the Campaign Against Tetra Siting (CATS) who lives on the same road as the mast, said the campaigners themselves would now be taking up the fight.

"We have now appealed the planning inspector's decision against the North Walsham mast," said Mr Pennington, who lives with his wife Rachel Kirk and three-year-old son Henry.

"We're trying for legal aid. We will be asking the planning inspector to reconsider their decision in light of the fact that health effects were not fully taken into account.

"It will be my son Henry who is appealing specifically but then any health effects with people in the region will get added to the case if we get that far."

A London barrister told council leaders that chances of success were slim and a loss in court could lay the council open to substantial costs.

But the campaigners have found an environmental solicitor in Cambridge who is willing to take their case.

"He's had advice from barristers that we've got a case that's worth pursuing," said Mr Pennington. "The solicitor is very respected and has a reasonable expertise in these matters."

The campaigner said he would like to hear from anyone else who might have experienced health effects as they just had a couple of weeks to gather evidence.

"I would feel bad if I didn't at least try," said Mr Pennington, who told the Evening News in January that he might have to move for the safety of his young son.

The Evening News has campaigned against the installation of mobile phone masts near homes and schools until it is proved they are safe.

Families believe the Tetra mast, installed as part of the emergency services Airwave communications system, has caused health problems for people living in the area.

Concerns led the council to refuse planning permission for the original mast and subsequently serve two notices on the slightly altered mast that O2 claimed did not need planning permission.

The notices led to the mast being switched off. The drawn-out row eventually saw a planning inspector allow the mast to be switched back on just a few weeks ago.

A spokeswoman for O2 Airwave said: "The planning inspector has been clear in his decision about the siting of the mast on North Walsham police station.

"The site now gives effective coverage for Norfolk police in the area."

The spokeswoman said she respected the public's right to seek a judicial review, but added it was disappointing that people were being made fearful of the move to the new communication system through "misinformation and rumour".

"It's been delivered to 48 of 51 geographical police forces in the country," she added.


From Mast Network

by Frank Ritter

Tennessean

03/01/05

To my knowledge, I've never tortured anyone. It's not in me to do that. People might be discomfited somewhat by what I write, but never have I -- nor anyone I know -- broken anybody's bones, raped them, denied them food or stuck a lit cigarette in their ear or nostrils.

But regularly these days, we receive new reports that torture is being done in your name and mine, by our government, with our tax money supporting it. In our name, to 'protect us,' our government under the Bush administration can arrest people without charge, hold them for years without access to a lawyer or family, expose them to despicable acts. 'It's necessary,' we are told, 'to fight terrorism.' Is that what we've come to as a society, a nation, a people? Torture, brutality, sexual exploitation, even murder -- it has all happened at the hands of Americans. ... [I]t's not something I ever expected in this day and time. I thought we were smarter...

http://tinyurl.com/4sev6


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

LewRockwell.Com

03/02/05

We continue to experience American society as a well-organized system of plunder, violence, warfare, and other dehumanizing attributes, because of the content of our thinking. As long as we insist upon loving these systems more than we do ourselves, our children and grandchildren will continue to be ground down and destroyed in the process. We need to stop revering and energizing these vicious agencies that have never been able to deliver on their promises of a free, peaceful, orderly, and secure world...

http://www.lewrockwell.com/shaffer/shaffer98.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

A useful debate yesterday; good to have this all on parliamentary record. Worth reading Hansard:

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/cm050301/halltext/50301h03.htm#50301h03_head0

Andy

From Mast Network

Immer mehr Frauen verdienen in der Schweiz nicht genug zum Leben. Der Anteil der Alleinerziehenden hat sich verdoppelt. Kinder werden immer häufiger zum Armutsrisiko. Artikel von Susanne Bachmann in junge Welt vom 18.02.2005 http://www.jungewelt.de/2005/02-18/010.php


Aus: LabourNet Nachrichtensammlung, Band 23, Eintrag 2

http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=4443


Informant: Sylviane

We are rolling out our PRESS RELEASE for VR's "Divestiture for Democracy" Campaign today! If you have media addresses that you feel we should add to our VR_Media list, please send to Info@VelvetRevolution.us asap !

The release is included here for distribution far and wide!

Please point your folks to http://www.VelvetRevolution.us/Campaigns/DV4D and
ask them to use the link there to
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/mailing.php?Mailing=05FC507D500021102290C
"SEND EMAIL TO THE COMPANIES"!

Thanks! Hit us with questions any questions about the campaign at
DV4D@VelvetRevolution.us

We've got new Affiliates coming on board faster than we can add them to the site, which is great!

Also, by way of heads up, we should be able to announce some Congressional support for the campaign shortly! And we understand that RAWSTORY.com is currently working up a feature on the campaign as well! Keep making noise!

We need your help! Please get on board so we can make as much noise as possible!

(See the Press Release below...and distribute!)

Brad Friedman
The VELVET REVOLUTION begins...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 28, 2005
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/DV4D
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us/Campaigns/DV4D

CONTACT:
Media - Brad Friedman, VR Co-Founder, Brad@VelvetRevolution.us
General - DV4D@VelvetRevolution.us

VELVET REVOLUTION'S
"DIVESTITURE FOR DEMOCRACY" CAMPAIGN BEGINS!
Demanding transparency and accountability from America's Voting Machine Companies

A coalition of over 80 citizen's groups nationally has formed to address the problems created by the secret vote counting that takes place on the newer electronic voting machines. We announce a nationwide effort, under the banner of Velvet Revolution, to reinstitute vote-counting procedures that are non-secret so that all American citizens can verify that democracy is indeed working properly and fairly. Trusting any person or corporation to secretly fill out ballots and then count votes (no matter if that person or corporation is tested and sworn to honesty) is itself wrong because there is never an opportunity to verify whether honesty in fact occurs. This problem has now been tremendously amplified by the thousands of complaints received on Election Day 2004 concerning observed malfunctions of voting machines.

Thus, on February 21 (President's Day), VelvetRevolution.us ("VR") sent letters to the nine major vote and vote tabulation companies -- Diebold, Sequoia Voting Systems, Election Systems and Software, HartInterCivic, MicroVote, Danaher-Guardian, TriadGSI, UniLect, and Advanced Voting Solutions -- urging them, within 60 days, to open themselves up to transparency and accountability or face a massive and sustained divestiture campaign from hundreds of organizations representing millions of Americans.

Our last national election was rife with documented voting irregularities and allegations of outright fraud because of problems with vote counting and tabulation machines, which lacked auditable paper ballots, open software and hardware, and networking safeguards. Moreover, many of the company CEOs professed strong public support for President Bush thereby calling into question the impartiality of the voting process and leading to a collapse in confidence for the electoral system.

VR and all the supporters (more than 80 Affiliate organizations) of our "Divestiture for Democracy" campaign believe that transparency and trustworthiness of elections are imperative to ensuring confidence in our democracy - the world's most important. We do not believe that companies that count our votes should hide their software under the guise that it is "proprietary," and dispense with paper ballots with the assertion that they can be trusted.

VR is demanding verifiable paper ballots for all votes cast, a paper trail of all vote tabulations, open software and hardware that is subject to independent analysis, machines that are not, and cannot be networked, no involvement in elections or politics by company executives, and independent observers of the tabulation process. These are required under existing law because the vote machine companies are merely extensions of the government in that they are performing a purely governmental function - vote counting - and being compensated using taxpayer funds.

We will broadly recognize the companies that publicly state within 60 days that they will meet our patriotic concerns. Those who choose against doing the right thing for our country will have to deal with a sustained campaign of boycott against their companies, affiliates and clients. We will also launch a broad education campaign for the American people explaining precisely the dangers that these companies represent to our beloved democracy.

Though most of VR's demands are mirrored by recent bi-partisan legislation introduced in both the House and Senate, VR believes that companies that do not voluntarily make these changes prior to any future use of their voting and tabulation machines do not deserve to have the support of the American public. VR believes that all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, should sign the Webletter on our website to send a message of support for VR to these companies, so that all of our voices may - finally - be heard loud and clear.


Informant: Hopedance

Sonnenbichl-Anwohner fühlen sich von Gemeinde allein gelassen

Peiting - Mit der Diskussion um den "Weilheimer Hof" als möglichen Standort für eine Mobilfunkantenne ist auch der von der Gemeinde als Standort favorisierte Kalvarienberg in den Fokus gerückt. Doch das, was der Gemeinderat in einer Sitzung im Januar einstimmig beschlossen hat, können die Anwohner am "Sonnenbichl" in Peiting alles andere als für gut heißen. Sie fühlen sich von der Gemeinde allein gelassen. "Lieber sollen weniger leiden als viele", kritisiert Theodora Handiak. "Aber gegen das Leiden wird nichts getan."

Das "Leiden" ist weniger als zehn Zentimeter [Anm. 10 m?] hoch, somit genehmigungsfrei, und soll in Form einer Mobilfunkantenne auf das Dach des Trafohäuschens gesetzt werden, das auf LEW-Grund neben dem Schützenheim steht - zumindest, wenn es nach dem Gemeinderat geht. Dieser hatte den Beschluss gefasst, nachdem Experten des Umweltinstituts München, den Kalvarienberg als "günstigen Standort" eingestuft hatten. "Wir sind dem Rat des Fachmanns gefolgt und irgendwie müssen wir uns ja festlegen", rechtfertigt Bürgermeister Michael Asam die Entscheidung des Gremiums. Klar sei, dass keiner begeistert sei, wenn in der Nähe des eigenen Hauses ein Mobilfunkstandort sei.

Ein Standpunkt, den die Anwohner vom "Sonnenbichl" - vertreten durch Theodora Handiak, Monika Heerd und Aloys Zaremba - anders auslegen. "Wir müssen Hilfe schreien und generell Nein sagen", so Theodora Handiak. "Das gilt sowohl für diesen Standort, als auch für den Weilheimer Hof", macht sie deutlich.

Dass den Bewohner einer Gemeinde ein Mitspracherecht über mögliche Standorte für Mobilfunk zustehen müsste, findet Monika Heerd. Seit Jahren engagiert sich die Peitingerin mit ihrem Ehemann in Sachen Mobilfunk. Sie bekräftigt: "Wir haben kein Interesse, einzelne Leute anzuklagen." Theodora Handiak ergänzt: "Wir möchten die Bevölkerung dazu bringen, zu protestieren."

Aufklärung

Die Anwohner vom "Sonnenbichl" fordern Aufklärung: "Warum ist der Standort Kalvarienberg angeblich günstiger als andere Standorte?" Zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt nicht festlegen möchte sich Diplom-Ingenieur Hans Ulrich-Raithil vom Umweltinstitut München. Auf seine erste Einschätzung hin hatte die Gemeinde im Januar den Beschluss gefasst, den Kalvarienberg als Standort anzubieten. "Vermutlich ist der Kalvarienberg als Standort geeignet", drückt er sich vorsichtig aus, eine Empfehlung hätte er bislang nicht aussprechen können, denn: "Das Verfahren läuft noch, eine Untersuchung ist noch gar nicht in Auftrag gegeben."

Untersucht hat der Münchner Experte bislang in Peiting nur die bestehenden Standorte. Raithil: "Den Standort Kalvarienberg habe ich noch nicht einmal besichtigt."

Auch wenn der Gemeinderatsbeschluss einer endgültigen Untersuchung vorausgeeilt ist, gibt der Experte mit auf den Weg: "Pauschal gesagt ist es immer gut, einen Ort von einer Anhöhe funktechnisch zu versorgen, weil dann der nahe Bereich nicht so stark mit Strahlung versorgt wird."

Bereits in den nächsten Tagen wird ein Team des Mobilfunkbetreibers E-Plus den Standort Kalvarienberg unter die Lupe nehmen. Erst dann wird sich entscheiden, ob der Betreiber vom bereits unterschriebenen Vertrag mit dem Besitzer des "Weilheimer Hofs" abrückt.

BARBARA SCHLOTTERER

02.03.2005

http://www.marktplatz-oberbayern.de/regionen/schongau/art1609,254486.html?fCMS=c1ca00aff9a146855492b721241a5567



AUFRUF ZUR DEMONSTRATION GEGEN MOBILFUNKSENDER
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/535317/

Ratlos in Gorleben: Wo ist der Castor wirklich? Die Geschichte einer Selbsttäuschung

von Andreas Maier

http://www.widersetzen.de/Andreas_Maier_Hoerartikel.htm

http://www.xs4all.nl/~sm4csi/nwo/MindControl/chemtrails-HAARP-Mass.Mind.Control.htm


Informant: Tim White

[The ACLU and Human Rights First have jointly filed suit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Mar. 1. The suit zeroes on Rumsfeld's Dec. 2, 2002, order authorizing new interrogation techniques for detainees in the "war on terror" and seeks benefits for eight victims, four from Iraq and four from Afghanistan, all of whom are ready to come to the U.S. to testify, Reuters reported Tuesday.[1] -- AP quoted the ACLU's Lucas Guttentag, lead counsel in the suit, who said that Rumsfeld "gives lip service to being responsible, but has not been held accountable . . . and the victims have not been compensated."[2] -- AP's Pauline Jelinek added that the suit "was filed in federal court in Chicago because Rumsfeld's home state is Illinois. It seeks an undetermined amount of compensation and asks for a finding that Rumsfeld violated the Constitution and Geneva Conventions on prisoner treatment." -- The ACLU sent to members a two-minute film
http://www.aclu.org/newface?orgid=EA030105A&MX=1952&H=1 and asked them to write to the attorney general
http://www.aclu.org/Prisons/Prisons.cfm?orgid=EA030105A&ID=17564&c=26&MX=1952&H=1 to ask that an independent counsel be appointed.[3] -- Eight months ago the *Seattle Post-Intelligencer* reported that post-9/11 events had "doubled the rolls of the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington over the past two years," from 10,000 to nearly 20,000.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/177034_aclu09.html -- In its May 13, 2004, statement, UFPPC went further than the ACLU and called for investigation of the role of the president, the vice president, the secretary of defense, and the attorney general in this and related matters. -- The Western Washington antiwar group called for "investigations [that] may show that the administration has deliberately violated the law, the Constitution, and international covenants and conventions to which the United States is a signatory. . . . If investigations conclude that there is substantial evidence of [the authorization of torture of prisoners], then we believe that impeachment proceedings against the President, Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General of the United States are in order, as provided for by Article II, Section IV of the Constitution of the United States: "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/568/ UFPPC delegations have met twice with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA 9) to discuss these demands, first on Jun. 4
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/718/ and again on Aug. 25.
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/1190/ --Mark]

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/2345/

SUIT ALLEGES RUMSFELD APPROVED TORTURE

by Alan Elsner

Reuters

March 1, 2005

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7775667


Informant: jensenmk

From ufpj-news

March 1st, 2005

Cynthia Mckinney Shakes Rumsfeld and Myers Over 9/11 Wargames (See the video )
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/mp3/McKinney.rm

* On February 16th Congressional leadership and two of the planners of the 9/11 attacks blocked, stalled and almost got away with ducking the central question about 9/11. Though they were not forced to answer McKinney’s question, their reaction belongs to all of us. We know. They know we know. Don’t hold your breath that Rumsfeld and Myers will ever be compelled to answer it, but also don’t ever forget the heroism coming from the last bright light on Capitol Hill.

by Michael Kane

Read this free story and other articles here:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/030105_mckinney_question.shtml#0
http://www.fromthewilderness.com

Open Letter to Richard A. Clarke regarding War Games, 9/11 Timeline and Myers/Rumsfeld Testimony
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/030105_mckinney_question.shtml#1

Several member groups of United for Peace and Justice have been working together in the development of a National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance. We want to make sure that all know about this initiative, and that you are welcome to join this effort.

The organizers of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance are launching this effort on the weekend of the 2nd anniversary of the U.S. war in Iraq: March 18-20th. For more information about the plans for that weekend and about the ongoing campaign please click here: http://www.iraqpledge.org

And just a quick reminder: if your group has plans for antiwar activities during the weekend of March 18-20 please make sure to post those on the calendar on the UFPJ website: http://www.unitedforpeace.org

Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator
UFPJ



A National Call for Nonviolent Resistance to the Continuing War in Iraq

“The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.” Dr. Martin Luther King

The war in Iraq continues to escalate, with more and more killed every day. The human toll has been enormous, claiming over 1,500 American lives and more than 100,000 Iraqi lives, while wounding, maiming and psychologically scarring hundreds of thousands more. This is not a war of liberation, or against terrorism. This is a war of empire building and corporate profiteering that threatens to destabilize Iraq for many years to come, while sowing new seeds of hate against the U.S. and fueling the cycle of violence and revenge.

The war in Iraq is a war based on lies. It is a war which violates both the U.S. Constitution and our obligations under international law. Characterized by the use of torture, collective punishment, mass bombardment and the destruction of civilian areas, it is a war that shames us morally before the world. And it is a war that is devouring hundreds of billions of dollars, robbing us of resources desperately needed in our own country for health care, housing, education, and jobs.

The bloodshed and death in Iraq will continue until we - the people of the United States - bring this war to an end, and any hope for positive international support for Iraq will be impossible until the U.S. military occupation ends and U.S. troops leave. Democracy can not be delivered in a cluster bomb, nor can it be imposed from under a tank or at the end of a gun. True democracy resides in the will of the Iraqi people. We respect their dignity and sovereignty, and their right to control of their own country.

We call for an end to the U.S. war of military occupation and for the setting of an early date for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. Iraqis must be allowed to choose their own office-holders (and not be bound by those appointed by the US occupation authorities) and their own economic policies (and not be bound by the privatization regulations imposed by pro-consul Paul Bremer). All U.S. military bases in the country must be removed; and we call upon Washington to provide funds to aid in the reconstruction of the damage caused by the illegal US war.

We Call for Nonviolent Resistance to the War in Iraq

Times of great injustice call for acts of conscience and courage. In the loving spirit and discipline of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day and others, we call on people to engage in acts and campaigns of noncooperation and active nonviolent resistance to the U.S. government, the military, the corporate merchants of war, and all institutions that feed the continuing conflict in Iraq.

To the millions who have marched, lobbied Congress or otherwise protested the war in Iraq, we call on you to continue your opposition, and to join together with others in nonviolent resistance to this immoral and unjust war. Our democratic voices of dissent joined with an unprecedented anti-war movement around the world. We must now build an equally unprecedented movement to nonviolently resist this war and bring it to an end. As the carnage increases and the military quagmire deepens in Iraq, the prospects for peace may seem dim and the momentum of war strong. But now more than ever is a time for dissent, not despair; for deepened commitment to peace, not complacency with war; for strengthened resistance, not weakened resolve.

To all who are sick of heart and conscience over the death and destruction in Iraq, we call on you to join us in nonviolent resistance to this war. For the sake of our humanity; for the sake of justice; for the sake of peace in Iraq, we must act now. And we cannot rest from our campaign of nonviolent resistance until our demands of peace and justice are met.

We call for expressions of nonviolent resistance that are many and varied. From the offices of Congresspersons and Senators to military recruiters and military bases, from our payment of federal taxes to the facilities where weapons are made that become the profits and sorrows of empire, we welcome each and every person who is moved to engage in or support noncooperation and nonviolent resistance, at whatever level, to take action.

To get more information about the Call for Nonviolent Resistance to the War and how you can get involved with nonviolent resistance efforts and campaigns, please go to our website at www.iraqpledge.org

Current endorsers of the Call as of March 1, 2005, list in formation (Please note that we are also encouraging and collecting organizational endorsements of the Call. You can find information about making organizational endorsements at our website.)

Ellen Barfield - Board Member, Veterans for Peace* and National Committee, War Resisters League

Medea Benjamin - Co-founder, Global Exchange and Co-founder, Code Pink

Phyllis Bennis - Institute for Policy Studies*

Michael S. Berg - Father of slain hostage in Iraq

Frida Berrigan - National Committee, War Resisters League

Rev. Roy Bourgeois, MM - Founder, SOA Watch*

Leslie Cagan - National Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice*

Tim Carpenter - Director, Progressive Democrats of America*

Noam Chomsky

Gordon Clark - Coordinator, Iraq Pledge of Resistance

Stephen Cleghorn - Military Families Speak Out*

David Cobb - Cobb/LaMarche Campaign, Green Party USA*

John Dear - Jesuit Priest & author

Jeff Dietrich - LA Catholic Worker

Daniel Ellsberg

Eve Ensler - Playwright and Founder, V-Day

Bruce K. Gagnon - Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space*

Arun Gandhi - Founder/President, Institute for Nonviolence, Memphis, TN

Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton - Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Detroit*

G. Simon Harak - Anti-Militarism Coordinator War Resisters League

Tom Hayden - Professor and author

Kathy Kelly - Voices in the Wilderness

Pat LaMarche - Cobb/LaMarche Campaign, Green Party USA*

Lila Lipscomb - Military Families Speak Out*

Kevin Martin - Executive Director, Peace Action*

Father John P. McNamee - Philadelphia. Catholic Peace Fellowship* and author of Diary of a City Priest

Gael Murphy - Co-founder, Code Pink

Cindy Sheehan - Military Families Speak Out* and Co-founder, Gold Star Families for Peace*

Bob Smith - Brandywine Peace Community

Norman Solomon - Syndicated columnist & author

Rabbi Arthur Waskow

Ann Wright - Resigned as US Diplomat in opposition to Iraq War

Celeste Zappala - Military Families Speak Out* and Co-founder, Gold Star Families for Peace*

Howard Zinn

USCountVotes' powerpoint presentation used this weekend at a Berkeley Teach-in is available. You are all welcome to use it to assist others in raising awareness if you would like.

http://uscountvotes.org/ucvAnalysis/US/USCVpresentation.ppt

I have also posted a presentation which details the privatization of our voting systems:

http://uscountvotes.org/ucvAnalysis/US/ThePrivatizationoftheVote.ppt

FYI, Here is a picture of me at the Teach-In in Berkeley on Saturday.

http://www.openvotingconsortium.org/

The Berkeley Teach-In was terrific because it enabled coordination of efforts at a dinner for the speakers and organizers that will move our efforts to investigate the accuracy of elections and ensure fair accurate democratic elections by 2006 forward.

USCountVotes' statistical audits of elections will be as important a measure of election integrity as exit polling. USCountVotes' is going to make all its detailed precinct level data public however, and will work with any group that conducts exit polls that plans to make their detailed data public as well.

Our database design is nearly finished, and we're making concerted efforts to obtain funding to hire full-time programmers and system administrators to finish a secure volunteer signup and login system and other systems needed to begin archiving and normalizing election data.

Best regards,

Kathy Dopp
http://uscountvotes.org

http://www.lnc-2010.de/html/aktuelle_events.html (Auszug)

Unglaublich aber wahr: unter strenger Geheimhaltung werden seit etlichen Jahren von Flugzeugen chemische Substanzen wie Barium und Aluminiumstaub in die Atmosphäre gesprüht, die der globalen Erwärmung entgegenwirken sollen, aber ungeahnte gesundheitliche Folgen für die gesamte Menschheit haben werden. Schon seit einiger Zeit geistert das Wort “Chemtrails” durchs Internet, was so viel bedeutet wie chemische Substanzen in den Kondensstreifen von Flugzeugen. Aber es sind nicht normale Kondensstreifen, und sie unterscheiden sich auch eindeutig von ihnen. Anders als diese lösen sie sich nicht rasch auf, sondern bleiben lange Zeit sichtbar. Zudem sieht es oftmals nach einer gezielten Besprühung bestimmter Gebiete aus, da teilweise die Muster kreuz und quer verlaufen und besonders bei besonderen Witterungen auftreten, ohne dass es eine meteorologische Erklärung dafür gäbe. Lange Zeit konnten Beobachter solcher Phänomene nur spekulieren, was das zu bedeuten hat. Besonders in den USA gibt es zahlreiche Internetforen, die versuchen, die Thematik zu dokumentieren und Erklärungen zu finden. Für die Meisten blieb es eine unbewiesene Verschwörungstheorie. Inzwischen gibt es einen Insider, der auspackte, und bestätigt, dass das keine gewöhnlichen Kondensstreifen sind. Auf einer Chemtrail kritischen Internetseite http://www.holmestead.ca meldete sich ein wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter zu Wort, der zugab, an dem Projekt in Kanada beteiligt zu sein und sich bereit erklärte, Fragen zu Chemtrails zu beantworten. Offenbar ist er selber davon überzeugt, dass das Shield-Project eine gute Sache ist, aber die Bevölkerung davon in Kenntnis gesetzt werden sollte. Nach seinen Aussagen sollen “Chemtrails” der globalen Erwärmung entgegenwirken.

http://www.chemtrail.de/

Diese Sendung steht im mp3 Format über diesen Link zur Verfügung:
http://tinyurl.com/56u64
Wenn Sie dieses Sendung im DVD Format bekommen wollen, schicken Sie bitte 5,-- € in Briefmarken an das live Net Concept 2010 e. V., Vorwerker Str. 31, 27412 Wilstedt. Kennwort: Chemtrails


Quelle: http://ecolog.twoday.net/stories/548072/

ES-UK is the association for the electrically hypersensitive (EHS). Charity Commission registered number 1103018. We support those made ill by electromagnetic fields/RF/microwaves and campaign for recognition of this illness. This site is regularly updated, especially the 'this week, news update page': http://www.electrosensitivity.org.uk/

http://www.gmwatch.org

Pharm Aid - contaminated U.S. aid shipments to Guatemala

"This isn't the first time developing countries have been less than pleased to use our science experiments for their sustenance. In 2002 the Bolivian Forum on Environment and Development said their World Food Program sacks of corn were contaminated by StarLink. The U.S., a primary contributor to the WFP, is the only country in the world to have ever grown Starlink."

Pharm Aid

Genetically altered corn, banned for health reasons, pops up in U.S. aid shipments to Guatemala

by Aina Hunter

February 28th, 2005

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0509,hunter,61585,6.html

Latin American environmentalists are criticizing our food aid again after a genetically altered type of corn banned for health reasons was found in the shipments.

The problem is StarLink, a type of genetically altered corn that generates its very own, built-in pesticide. It seems to cause allergy symptoms and asthma, so it's not EPA-approved. Still, a few weeks ago StarLink was detected in bags of World Food Program corn, and now activists in six Latin American countries are denouncing the U.S. for trying to palm off dangerous food on the Guatemalan poor.

http://www.humboldt.org.ni/transgenicos/denuncia_englishfeb16.htm

Five years ago, U.S. factories shut down and supermarkets pulled corn chips, taco shells, and grits off the shelves after more than 300 different kinds of corn products were found tainted with StarLink, which is supposed to be used only for animal feed and to manufacture ethanol.People were getting sick right and left, and the fiasco costStarLink developer Aventis CropScience hundreds of millions of dollars.

http://www.platformgentechnologie.nl/genetech/thema_incidenten/starlink_panel.html

StarLink was introduced in '98, but by the year '00 it was all mixed up in our food supply. Aventis argued that growers weren't isolating it, as they were supposed to, which led to pollen drift.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0153.html

In addition, grain processors inadvertently mixed StarLink with regular corn at mills and in grain elevators. It seems that no one knew the stuff was so dangerous.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/sueaventis.cfm

When that word got around,alarms went off around the world as countries demanded that the U.S. stop trying to export StarLink.

http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-ng.asp?id=40422-consumers-urge-ban

The Japanese cut U.S. corn imports by 50 pecent when they detected it in samples the U.S. Department of Agriculture said was free of StarLink.

The Koreans banned American corn all together after detecting StarLink in a shipment of tortillas that the USDA also said was clean. After that, even starving countries like India and Zambia started getting picky.

http://www.biotech-info.net/india_says_no.html
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/stories/s714981.htm

The biotech industry maintains that no one has ever proven that StarLink is bad for you. Nevertheless, after the scare, the EPA "encouraged" the developer to take it off the market. As for the huge surplus, leftover StarLink was to be fed to animals or and churned into ethanol. And, apparently, sold to the World Food Program.

All evidence to the contrary, the U.S. denies sending StarLink overseas. Ed Loyd, a spokesman for the USDA, says all corn destined for the WFP is tested for StarLink. He says he can't explain why Genetic I.D., an Iowa-based laboratory, says that 80 percent of the samples they took from aid packages to six countries tested positive for variousgenetically modified organisms (only the Guatemalans were treated to Starlink), but he told the Voice that the tests the USDA used came out clean.

http://www.genetic-id.com/

This isn't the first time developing countries have been less than pleased to use our science experiments for their sustenance. In 2002 the Bolivian Forum on Environment and Development said their World Food Program sacks of corn were contaminated by StarLink. The U.S., a primary contributor to the WFP, is the only country in the world to have ever grown Starlink.


Informant: JHW369