War Rant

New CIA "Intelligence": IRAN HALTED NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM IN 2003.

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence has determined that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 but believes it is continuing to develop technical capabilities that could be used for building a bomb, a government report said on Monday.

The latest National Intelligence Estimate released by the Bush administration also said Iran would likely be capable of producing enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon "sometime during the 2010-2015 time-frame."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/WBT008012.htm

Bush supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran
17 Dec 2007 17:24:41 GMT
Source: Reuters

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Dec 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday he supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran for civilian power use because it meant that Tehran did not need to pursue their own enrichment capabilities.

"If the Russians are willing to do that, which I support, then the Iranians do not need to learn how to enrich," Bush said. "If the Iranians accept that uranium for a civilian nuclear power plant, then there's no need for them to learn how to enrich."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/WBT008077.htm

Notes:

I am so tired of hearing Republicans and certain Democratic candidates flip-flopping on decisions...and it seems they continue to do so, and probably will continue for eternity. The decisions made by the US affect the entire world. No, I do not want to see a world ruled by China, a rising superpower in the global hierarchy. But I also KNOW that the US can not maintain its influence and supremacy by continuing to be dependant on funds loaned from China and a number of other countries, as the US dwindles in debt amounting to trillions of dollars. These band-aid solutions of borrowing/stealing from emergency relief funds and military defense funds will not support the nation in the long term.

Since 9/11 the fight for global peace and democracy (REAL solutions that do not cost trillions of dollars) has decreased significantly as the US and its unfortunate "supporters" has kneeled down to terrorism and helped Osama achieve his primary goal: to instill fear of black turban-clad, eye-lined Islamic suicide terrorists in the hearts of "God-fearing" Americans (aka "enemy # 1").

If anyone is interested in finding out more about how bombs and war are NOT the solution to ending the infamous "war on terror," read the book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, go to:

http://threecupsoftea.com/

"Osama is not a Product of Pakistan or Afghanistan. He is a creation of America. Thanks to America, Osama is in every home. As a military man, I know you can never fight and win against someone who can shoot you once and then run off and hide while you have to remain eternally on guard. You have to attack the source of your enemy's strength. In America's case, that's not Osama or Saddam or anyone else. The enemy is ignorance. The only way to defeat it is to build relationships with these people, to draw them into the modern world with education and business. Otherwise the fight will go on forever."
- Brigadier General Bashir Baz of Pakistan

"As the US confronts Saddam Hussein's regine in Iraq, Greg Mortenson, 45, is quietly waging his own campaign against Islamic fundamentalists, who often recruit members through religious schools called madrassas. Mortenson's approach hinges on a simple idea: that by building secular schools and helping to promote education-particularly for girls- in the world's most volatile war zone, support for the Taliban and other extremist sects will eventually dry up."
-Kevin Fedarko, Parade cover story, April 6, 2003

At a Congress presentation:

Q: Californiia Republican Congressman: "Building schools for kids is just fine and dandy, but our primary need as a nation now is security. Without security, what does all this matter?"

A: Greg Mortenson: "'I don't do what I'm doing to fight terror. I do it because I care about kids. Fighting terror is maybe seventh or eighth on my list of priorities. But working over there [in Pakistan/Afghanistan], I've learned a few things. I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death'..."He spoke about Pakistan's impoverished public schools. He spoke about the Wahhabi madrassas sprouting like cancerous cells, and the billions of dollars Saudi sheikhs carried into the region in suitcases to fuel the factories of jihad. As he hit his stride, the conference room became quiet, except for the sounds of pens and pencils furiously scratching."

"I supported the war in Afghanistan. I believed in it because I believed we were serious when we said we planned to rebuild Afghanistan. I'm here because I know that military victory is only the first phase of winning the war on terror and I'm afraid we're not willing to take the next steps...People in that part of the world are used to death and violence, and if you tell them, 'We're sorry your father died, but he died a martyr so Afghanistan could be free,' and if you offer them compensation and honor their sacrifice, I think people will support us, even now. But the worst thing to you can do is what we're doing--ignoring the victims. To call them 'collateral damage' and not even try to count the numbers of the dead. Because to ignore them is to deny they ever existed, and there is no greater insult in the Islamic world. For that, we will never be forgiven...I'm no military expert, and these figures may not be exactly right. But as best as I can tell, we've launched 114 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Afghanistan so far. Now take the cost of one of those missiles tipped with a Raytheon guidance system, which I think is about $840, 000. For that much money, you could build dozens of schools that could provide tens of thousands of students with a balanced, nonextremist education over the course of a generation. Which do you think will make us more secure?"

Q: US military officer: "Could you draw us a map of all the Wahhabi madrassas?"

A: Greg: "Not if I wanted to live."

Q: US military officer: "Could you put up a school next to each of the madrassas?"

A: Greg: "Sort of like a Starbucks? To drive the jihadis out of business?"

Q: US military officer: "I'm serious. We can get you the money. How about $2.2 millin? How many schools could you build with that?:

A: Greg: "About one hundred."

Q: US military officer: "Isn't that what you want?"

A: Greg: "People there would find out the money came from the military and I'd be out of business."