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| | Cathys Horses Deformed And Disabled By Fluoridated Water Part 2 of 2 | | | Saturday, October 11, 2008 (11:41 AM)
(I'm feeling annoyed) | | one day and she did this for eight minutes." At the end Baby Doe'?, breathing became very laboured and shallow, her heartbeat went up to 120 beats per minute and she had to be euthanized.
On autopsy, Baby Doe was found to have no foal inside her. (It is probable that she had re-absorbed her foal or aborted it.) Cathy and Wayne requested tests to determine the fluoride levels in the mare's organs and other possible causes of her deterioration. Heart, lung, liver, kidney and blood samples were taken. Tests were done for various problems and infections including botulism and West Nile disease. All were negative. The vet reported that she could not find a laboratory that knew how to test for fluoride. Wayne buried Baby Doe and Cathy was distraught.
Determined that her fluoride theory should be checked out, Cathy made strenuous efforts, 'phoning from coast to coast to find a laboratory with the necessary facilities. Little more than a week later her persistence was rewarded. Cathy was given the name of Professor Lennart Krook, a veterinarian at Cornell State University, said to be an expert on fluoride. Cathy rang him up and told him she thought her horses had been poisoned by fluoridated water. "Symptoms?" was his reply. Cathy related the problems of the past fifteen years and the sad death of Baby Doe.
Dr. Krook told her he would need a bone to test for fluoride before he could give a firm diagnosis. Cathy protested "But the mare has been buried for over a week." "Dig her up." "I don't think I can do that emotionally", said Cathy with tears in her eyes. "You have to. Millions of people and animals are being poisoned by fluoride and the more evidence we can get to prove this the better" The next day Wayne took out a backhoe and dug up the mare. He excised a foreleg, which he sent to Dr. Krook. A month later, the Justuses received the veterinarian's report. Baby Doe had suffered from Chronic Fluoride Poisoning. The owners of two other dead horses that had been drinking fluoridated city water from Pagosa Springs also sent leg bones to Dr Krook and they received similar diagnoses. Cathy's remaining living horses were also confirmed as suffering from 'Chronic Fluoride Poisoning'.
Cathy tells me that Dr Krook has spent fifty years of his life studying how fluoride affects animals. Their joint paper "Fluoride Poisoning of Horses From Artificially Fluoridated Drinking Water " was peer reviewed and published in the Jan/March 2006 issue of Fluoride, the quarterly journal of the International Society for Fluoride Research.
A second paper reviewing allergic reactions of the Justus horses and improvement since the cessation of water fluoridation appeared in the April/June edition. (See www.fluorideresearch.com)
Dr Krook has told Cathy that her horses are the first horses to be diagnosed with fluoride poisoning from fluoridated water. This is because vets and doctors are not taught to recognise the very varied signs of fluoride toxicity. Dr Krook has explained to Cathy how fluoride works insidiously at the cellular level. It inhibits enzymes, the chemical catalysts which underpin all cellular chemistry, including the energy-production mechanisms of the mitochondria. It also alters the mineralisation of collagen, bringing about changes to the bones and teeth. It hardens the soft tissue of cartilage, tendons and ligaments causing joint pain which is often diagnosed as arthritis.
On 25th January 2005, the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) allowed a group of forty local residents, headed by Wayne and Cathy Justus, to voice their concerns about the fluoridation of the area's water. Cathy told how she and Wayne had successfully raised Quarter Horses before their move to Pagosa Springs. Their horses, she said, were from long lines of champions and among the best in the world. Her voice breaking at times, she recalled all the tribulations of the previous fifteen years and how, after many vets had been unable to account for the horses' symptoms, Dr Krook had finally diagnosed Chronic Fluoride Poisoning caused by fluoridation of the local city water.
On March 29th 2005, the Board of PAWSD voted unanimously to cease the fluoridation programme in Pagosa Springs. Cathy now gives talks to community groups about how fluoridation affected her horses and she addressed a fluoride conference in New York in July 2006.
In Cathy's words, "People and animals die and the true cause and reason for that death is rarely known. Fluoridation is now in its sixtieth year. Chronic illnesses like cancer, Alzheimer's, thyroid problems, birth defects, reproductive problems and arthritis have grown in leaps and bounds since fluoridation started. Could there be a connection? From my experience in the last fifteen years — without a doubt."
National Pure Water Association was founded in 1960 by the late Lord Douglas of Barloch. NPWA opposes fluoridation on scientific grounds and also because it forces a medical intervention on whole populations, regardless of individual choice. This contravenes generally accepted principles of medical ethics and violates the European Convention on Human Rights.
CHRONIC FLUORIDE POISONING
Fluoridation to 1 part per million (1ppm) provides no control on any individual's fluoride intake, which depends on the amount of fluoridated water drunk plus the amount obtained from other sources such as beverages, toothpaste, toiletries, medications, anaesthetics, pesticide residues and air-pollution. A cumulative poison, fluoride builds up in the body throughout life.
Some people already receive more fluoride than is good for them e.g. babies whose formula feed is mixed with fluoridated water, children with dental fluorosis (mottled and stained teeth caused by fluoride), kidney patients, thyroid patients, allergy sufferers and the elderly. The Government's own York Review (September 2000) could find scant support for fluoridation in the scientific literature. We invite you to help us by becoming a member or by sending a donation. Membership is £15 p.a., Unwaged, £10, Families £18. Please send cheque payable to National Pure Water Association (and marked Membership or Donation) to:-
Pagosa Water and Sanitation Board voted unanimously to cease fluoridation
Membership Secretary, NPWA, 8, Harebell Close, Walnut Tree, Milton Keynes, MK7 7BA.
NPWA acknowledges with thanks the help given by Cathy Justus and Namaste Publishing in the production of this leaflet.
National Pure Water Association
February 2007 | | | 82 Views | 4  Thumbs Up | 3 Comments |  |
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| | Cathys Horses Deformed And Disabled By Fluoridated Water Part 1 of 2 | | | Saturday, October 11, 2008 (11:39 AM)
(I'm feeling annoyed) | | By Elizabeth A McDonagh or Cathy and Wayne Justus, it was an important day. Six years married, they were leaving California for a new life at Pagosa Springs, Colorado, 900 miles to the East. Pagosa Springs was an enviable location, a small community nestling at the foot of the San Juan mountain range with spectacular views that changed with the seasons. Cathy and Wayne were thrilled with the property they had found there. It was a small farm where they could continue to breed the quality Quarter Horses for which they had already earned a reputation. For Wayne, the ever-changing scenery would provide inspiration for his fine paintings. He specialises in depicting the traditional life of the Western cowboy and incidents from the Civil War. (www.waynejustus.com.) To state it mildly, Wayne loves horses and is pretty good at painting them. Cathy, who first met him in junior high school, shares his enthusiasm and cares devotedly for their animals.
Early days at Pagosa Springs were not easy for the couple. There was no house on the farm and priority demanded that they first build a barn to house the livestock. Their pioneering work rewarded, they partitioned off the barn and shared it with the horses and dogs. Only later would they build their house and for Wayne, a large log cabin studio with a traditional stove at its heart.
By 1981 the Justuses felt the success of their horse enterprise was assured. They had bought a new mare, Lil Belle Bonanza (Belle for short). Belle was the daughter of the world-leading Quarter Horse stallion Ricky Bonanza. When purchased, she was in foal and her previous foal Bonanza's Q TBar, a filly affectionately known as Bird, followed her everywhere. Bird was developing normally and showing athletic potential. In 1982, and again in 1983, Belle produced large foals, both fillies, Satin Bow Nanza (Satin) and Perfectlydun Bonanza. The latter, nicknamed Baby Doe, soon became a great favourite with Cathy. She showed exceptional promise, being large and athletic with perfect legs and long sloping pasterns.
Wayne was away at times, trekking in the mountains or working as a cowboy to store up inspiration and ideas. When he was at home, he worked up to twelve hours a day on his paintings. Cathy took most of the responsibility for the house, the farm and the welfare of the horses. Everything seemed fine until 1985 when Belle gave birth to an unusually small filly. The foal survived only two months and at autopsy showed suppurating sores on its internal organs. No cause was found for this strange occurrence. Worryingly, Bird, by age five, had lost some of her athleticism and had developed bony lumps on her knees as well as a strange tendency to shake her head.
All the horses were afflicted by recurring bouts of colic. It was not unusual for Cathy to have to deal with two to three colic cases in a month.
In 1986, Belle produced a son, Skip Classic Edition nicknamed Mister. The colt was smaller than expected but seemed otherwise normal. Belle's next foal was also a colt, Legendary Cowboy (Cowboy) born in 1987. At about the same time, a filly was born to Belle's daughter, Bird. Subsequent attempts to breed with Bird failed and she never had another foal.
Satin, born to Belle in 1982, was a good athlete with perfect legs but she suffered from chronic colic. She foaled a small filly (Fancy Frills Bonanza a.k.a. Frills) in 1987 but subsequently showed no heat-cycle. (In 1991, Satin was sold to a ranch in California after which her health problems improved and her new owners were pleased with her.) At about ten years of age, Frills' legs started bowing and growing bony lumps.
By 1990 it was very clear that all was not well with the Justuses' horses. Problems included colic and chronic coughs, lethargy, neurological problems, crooked legs, lameness, soft tissue hardening, hard lumps on bones, thyroid, skin, kidney and reproductive problems including chronic abscesses. It was in 1990 that real disaster struck. Belle was once again in foal and was taken to California for foaling and re-breeding. Cathy and Wayne received a call that the mare was in labour but could not deliver the foal. The vet explained that a Caesarean section would be both difficult and expensive. It would also necessitate the use of drugs which would leave Belle crippled with laminitis. Worse, the mare would never again be able to conceive. The alternative of putting Belle down seemed kinder and this was the sad decision made. On autopsy, the foal, a colt, was found to be grossly abnormal. His head was less than half the normal length, he had no neck, no eyes and no nostrils. He had no muscles at all.
Meanwhile, Baby Doe had chronic colic and was lethargic, often falling asleep on her feet and dropping to her knees. For a long time she showed no sign of coming into heat. Eventually, in 1997, she was pregnant. Cathy
F
SKIN, THYROID & REPRODUCTIVE PROBLEMS
BOUTS OF COLIC
Above: Bird's hoof profile
Above: Bird's deformed front legs
National Pure Water Association
looked forward to her favourite producing a foal but when it happened there was cause for disappointment. Baby Doe's colt was extremely immature and cryptorchid (that is he had only one testicle). He did survive and was named Winning Gold Bonanza, Win for short. Shortly after birth he developed lumps under his skin, he urinated a lot and, as he grew, his hips appeared swollen. He was unsteady on his feet and often stumbled because his joints gave way causing his legs to go out from under him. By the year 2000, Baby Doe was suffering from continuous infections, thyroid problems, misshapen bones and hooves, joint problems, lameness, constant profuse urination and difficulty breathing. She exhibited the classic symptoms including the hairiness of 'Cushings Disease', (Equine Metabolic Syndrome).
Cathy was in despair. She tried changing the horses' feed but to no avail. None of her contacts could shed any enlightenment on the diverse health problems that were afflicting her horses. Vets had investigated Baby Doe's symptoms but none could offer any explanation, let alone a diagnosis. A purchased filly, Impressive N. Elegant (Siena) had developed a chronic cough and, in Cathy's words, "weird bumps all over her body" a few months after her arrival. The vets said she had "an immune dysfunction". But when Cathy and Wayne took her away to horse-shows for a few days the bumps would disappear. "The problem must be at home", Cathy reasoned. She suspected the water supply, especially as she and Wayne always drank distilled water. It would have been prohibitively expensive to distil water for the horses. Cathy asked the vets whether it was possible that the fluoride added to municipal supplies since the mid eighties could be responsible for the horses' ills. She says "They looked at me as if I was nuts".
Baby Doe's second foal, Skips Winning Bnanza (Skipper) was born in 1999. He had very crooked front legs, urinary problems and an attitude that was less than desirable. Cathy decided to try the homeopathic remedy Calc.Fluor because, as she told me, "To find the correct remedy in homeopathy you look for the distinct symptoms. Since like cures like in homeopathy and fluoride causes skeletal problems it was the most likely remedy for Skipper's skeletal problems. It worked wonderfully. " This success seemed to confirm Cathy's suspicions but there was still no proof and no professional believed as she did.
By the year 2000, Baby Doe was very sick. Attempts to get her in foal again were unsuccessful. Cathy and Wayne consulted six vets, including two from Colorado State University, where Baby Doe was taken for a time. The vets completely dismissed Cathy's fluoride-poisoning theory, one insisting that "fluoride is good for you". One vet diagnosed hormone problems including a very low T4 (thyroxin) count. E coli and Staphylococcal infections of the uterus were confirmed. The mare continued to eat and drink but her symptoms worsened.
Realising that the vets had no answers, Cathy turned again to alternative medicine. She used homeopathy, herbs chosen for their cleansing properties, fresh Aloe vera every day, acupuncture, acupressure, phototonic therapy and chiropractic. Most of the horses showed some improvement in their general well-being but the gelding who, at five, had accompanied the Justuses from California, Sargeant Spot Cash (Sarge) died. He had developed sarcomas, Cushings Disease, abscesses, joint deformities, and breathing problems.
THE FLUORIDE DECEPTION
Snow remained on the ground throughout the winter of 2003/2004, something that had never happened in the previous ten years of comparative drought in Colorado. The horses' water in the outside tank lasted eighteen days. It was usually replenished every other day. Clearly, the horses were choosing to eat snow rather than drink the city water. ( See image above left of Baby Doe's hoof during this winter period). As the winter months went by, the horses' health began to improve. For the first time in ten years there were no colics. All winter, Baby Doe shed the long hair that was a symptom of her 'Cushing's disease'. Her infections had resolved and she was again in foal. Two different vets confirmed this by ultrasound and palpation. Within two weeks of the snowmelt, colic was back. The Justuses, now certain that the city water had caused their problems, arranged for a supply of water from the San Juan River. After this, the colics ceased and, in some of the horses, other symptoms abated.
Above: (Perfectlydun Bonanza.) Baby Doe's odd hoof growth. Image shows normal winter growth and abnormal summer growth. During the winter of 2003/2004 the horses choose to eat the snow, rather than drink the fluoridated tap water.
In 2004, Cathy read Christopher Bryson's book "The Fluoride Deception". One passage in particular rang bells with her. Page 354 reported birth defects linked to an agricultural pesticide named Benlate, a compound of fluorine. Benlate had caused babies to be born without eyes, like Belle's last foal.
VETS COULD NOT OFFER EXPLANATION
Sadly, Baby Doe's pregnancy was more than her sick body could handle. The mare was lame, lethargic, with thickenings on her joints, bones and spine. She had abscesses and oozing from lymph nodes. She "popped and cracked with every movement" Cathy told me "She got so she didn’t want to stand...she would lie down and as soon as her head touched the ground her eyes would roll back and roll around uncontrolled. Her legs would go like she was running.....and her whole body would shake. I timed her | | | | 84 Views | 0 Thumbs Up | 2 Comments | |
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| | North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway | | | Thursday, October 9, 2008 (9:04 PM)
(I'm feeling exanimate) | | Its construction is imminent. It will begin in Texas with construction of what is called the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC). And eventually it would cover nearly every major region of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“It” is the “NAFTA Superhighway.” Its main purpose is to speed cheap goods produced by labor from Communist China and elsewhere in the world through Mexico and across Canada and the United States. Once completed, this monstrosity will be thousands of miles long and 1,200 feet wide, cutting each North American country into 4 overlapping “corridors.”
This massive road way would, through government abuse of eminent domain, devour tens of thousands of homes, ranches, farms, and businesses. It is to be constructed by a Spanish company called Cintra. It would all but erase today’s border checkpoints with Mexico and Canada. And, worst of all, its construction marks the acceleration of a larger plan to absorb America into a “North American Union (NAU)” with Canada and Mexico.
Nafta SuperhighwayThe roots of this Superhighway go back to the approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993. It accelerated in March, 2005 when President George W. Bush met with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canada’s Prime Minister Paul Martin at his ranch in Waco, Texas. At this meeting they quietly agreed to launch the “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” (SPP). In their quiet announcement, the three officials heralded the SPP saying it would, “make our open societies safer and more secure, our businesses more competitive, and our economies more resilient.” But all that is just a front for the real goal of the SPP... the creation of a “North American Union” anchored by the construction of a “NAFTA Superhighway.”
Ever wonder why President Bush and so many in Washington refuse to do anything to secure our borders and stop illegal aliens? Because a “North American Union” would make immigration between the United States, Mexico and Canada a moot point and borders obsolete as cheap goods and labor flow into the U.S. without any inspection other then an electronic signal given off by a “SmartPass.” These goods will be examined by no human hands until they arrive at the system’s main “SmartPort” in Kansas City, Missouri.
Incredibly, since the goods and people to be inspected originated at ports in Mexico, this “SmartPort” will be designated “Mexican Territory” and will be run and operated by the Mexican government.
Bottom line? Once constructed, the “NAFTA Superhighway” would serve as a permanent monument to a “North American Union” which would:
* Wipe out our borders and immigration laws;
* Bypass American commerce laws (including the Constitution) and replace them with a series of trade agreements;
* Replace high income American union truck drivers with cheap Mexican and foreign labor;
* Enrich Communist China and multi-national corporations which do business with Beijing by making it easier for them to flood America with cheap goods made by slave labor;
The pro-NAU “New World Order” forces claim all this is untrue. They claim there is no single “NAFTA Superhighway” and that the superhighways being planned in Texas and elsewhere are merely intended to ease traffic congestion and increase commerce. There are also those who claim the sale of major highway systems to foreign interests (such as the Indiana Toll road and the pending sale of the New Jersey Turnpike) have nothing to do with a “Superhighway” and everything to do with local budget interests. But, no matter what the road is called or how U.S. roads are absorbed into a large, foreign controlled “Superhighway”, you can reasonably expect that the larger powers-that-be will ensure that they are all eventually part of one single unit that serves the main goal of one single “North American Union.” Once built, the NAFTA Superhighway” would not be undone. It would crisscross North America eviscerating towns and counties and farms, homes and businesses along the way. It would serve as a first line of assault against anyone who seeks to preserve the independence, security, prosperity and liberty of the United States of America.
Because of the physical and undisputable damage this massive “Superhighway” will cause tens of thousands of Americans, exposing the NAFTA Superhighway and preventing its construction may also prove to be the key to exposing and halting the “North American Union (NAU) itself. | | | | 63 Views | 0 Thumbs Up | 0 Comments | |
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| | Needville ISD Violating Indian Boy's Right To Free Expression, Suit Says by Bob Dunn | | | Monday, October 6, 2008 (10:12 PM)
(I'm feeling infuriated) | | A supposed dress code exemption - granted by Needville school officials to allow a 5-year-old boy to wear his hair according to his religious beliefs - instead has become a "degrading and embarrassing" punishment, the American Civil Liberties Union says.
The ACLU, on behalf of kindergarten student Adriel Arocha and his parents, makes that contention in a suit it filed against the Needville Independent School District in U.S. District Court in Houston on Wednesday.
Since the sixth day of the school year, Needville Elementary School officials have placed Adriel in in-school suspension for coming to school with his hair tied in two braids worn outside his shirt.
"Upon arriving at his classroom every morning, Adriel is escorted away from his classmates and into another room where he sits with his ISS teacher for the rest of the school day," the suit states.
"Adriel endures this segregation for over seven hours every day with no opportunity to engage in group learning or social play with other children during class or on the playground," the suit states, adding that the Texas Education Code says ISS can extend for no longer than three days.
The boy's parents, Kenney Arocha and Michelle Betenbaugh, are seeking a temporary restraining order and an injunction to prevent school officials "from disciplining Adriel Arocha in any way that violates his rights to free exercise of religion or free expression," which in Adriel Arocha's case means being allowed to attend school with his hair kept in two long braids, worn outside of his clothing.
Adriel's parents began communicating with Needville ISD officials last year, after they made plans to move from Stafford to Needville. Betenbaugh informed officials about her son's American Indian background, and belief that, with the exception of events such as mourning the death of a close relative, his hair should be worn long.
But in a series of conversations and meetings with school officials, they were told the boy would have to live by Needville Elementary School's dress code - which includes specific rules governing hair length and style.
Needville ISD Superintendent Curtis Rhodes implied earlier this summer that it was disingenuous of Adriel's parents to seek a religious exemption from the district dress code because his American Indian father's beliefs didn't appear to be formalized.
"If they want to say it's a freedom of religion issue - what religion are you?" Rhodes said at the time. "If you're a Muslim and you have those religious tenets, that's a known... But you have to have a sincerely held religious belief."
Rhodes was out of the office on Friday and couldn't be reached for comment.
A lengthy appeals process ensued throughout the summer, in which Adriel's parents attempted to convince district officials to grant their son a religious exemption from a policy that would have required him to cut his hair short.
Then at an Aug. 20 appeal hearing before the Needville ISD Board of Trustees, Rhodes announced his recommendation that either the board deny the boy an exemption or require him to "wear his hair in a tightly woven single braid down his back with the hair behind his ears, out of his eyes and the braid tucked into the collar of his shirt."
The board voted to adopt an exemption for Adriel under the terms Rhodes had recommended.
The suit states this new "punitive policy places a substantial burden on Adriel's free exercise of his religious beliefs concerning hair as well as his right to express his American Indian religion, heritage and identity.
"Forcing a 5-year-old child to stuff a 13-inch-long braid of thick, wavy hair down his shirt and ensure that all of his hair stays 'tightly woven' and under his shirt during a typical kindergartner's day of activities is a punishment," the suit adds. "It is degrading and embarrassing; extremely uncomfortable especially in the Houston area's very hot climate...It serves no purpose other than to make Adriel ashamed or resentful of his American Indian religion, heritage and identity."
One the first day of school, the Needville Elementary School principal sent a letter home with Adriel acknowledging that he would not be required to cut his hair, because of his religious beliefs, the suit said.
But Adriel had come to school with his hair in two braids, worn outside his shirt, instead of one braid tucked into his clothes.
On Sept. 3, the principal began placing the boy in in-school suspension, spending his days alone with a retired teacher who has been supervising him.
"This social and educational isolation is particularly detrimental to the development of a five-year-old child," the suit states. "When Ms. Betenbaugh talks to Adriel about school while tucking him in each night, he often cries and tells her he is sad to be separated from his classmates."
The lawsuit called Needville ISD's actions "particularly degrading in light of the underlying history of forced assimilation and persecution American Indians faced for centuries in this country. The education system was used as a key tool in the government's efforts to force American Indians to abandon their culture and traditions."
In the suit, Adriel and his parents say that the district is calling its decision about the boy's hair and "exemption" in "a transparent attempt to avoid this suit and to back out of the previous assurances against discipline on which" the boy's parents relied.
The suit states that the district's actions violates Adriel's First Amendment rights to free expression under the U.S. Constitution; the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act; and his right to due process under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
"Adriel Arocha’s parents have raised him to practice and be proud of his religion and culture as an American Indian, which includes wearing his uncut hair in two long braids," ACLU of Texas Legal Director Lisa Graybill said in a statement. "NISD recognized that Adriel’s religious beliefs exempt him from the dress code requirement that boys have short hair, but the alternate policy they adopted for him is unlawful." | | | | 70 Views | 0 Thumbs Up | 0 Comments | |
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| | This is Why Bush's 700 Billion Dollars Bailout Plan Will Fail | | | Friday, September 26, 2008 (9:48 PM)
(I'm feeling thoughtful) | | Not long ago, the President stood before the American People to make his case for the massive bailout plan that Congress is now working to approve. With the sincerity and the passion that characterize him, President Bush made it clear that "this time is an extraordinary period for America's economy". He then went on to explain why he is urging Congress to support his plan to rescue Wall Street.
According to the President, his bailout plan represents the best we can do to solve the financial crisis and stop the mortgage meltdown.
In his plan, the Federal Government would take over bad assets from Wall Street since these assets cannot be bought or sold. They cannot be sold because they cost essentially more than what they are worth.
In other words, when banks issued loans to homeowners with their homes as collateral, they also converted these loans into financial products called mortgage-backed securities. These mortgage-backed securities were then sold to other financial institutions, therefore allowing banks to get the funds they need to issue more loans. As long as this cycle was repeated, the financial market was moving well.
Then, homes' values started to go down.
When homes' values go down, they make mortgage-backed securities become less attractive. This is because the collateral against these mortgages is now worth less than what banks want to borrow or sale the securities for. Here resides the key to the financial crisis.
The President's plan is to buy those mortgage-backed securities to allow banks to have more money.
The theory behind this is that if banks have more money and less risky assets, they will be more willing to lend to credit-seekers.
The main limit with this approach is that while the bailout may in fact put more money in banks' hands, homeowners will not see their problem solved. They will not be rescued.
Backers of the President's plan forget that we are in this crisis because homeowners defaulted. They defaulted because they could no more afford payments. At the same time, they could not refinance their mortgage to get better deals because their home was worth far less than what they owed. This created the feeling of insecurity that is now dragging our economy down. And there is even more...
Supposing that after taking over these bad assets Government allows homeowners to make lower and affordable monthly payments; the economy will still face at least one serious challenge:
Assets removed from the market by Government will still be worth less than their face value. The same will be applied to most of the other assets not necessarily concerned by this bailout plan.
As a consequence, most of the mortgage-backed securities remaining on Wall Street will be, in a certain way, less attractive.
Investors will then continue to prefer non mortgage-backed securities since they not only present prospects of better revenues; but they also provide the security that investors want. Examples of options with prospects of good revenues and security are commodities like crude oil...
And when that happens, our economy will collapse dramatically. This is because the housing market is at the heart of America's economy.
This is the reason why I think that the President's plan to bailout Wall Street is a very risky plan that will only delay the collapse of our economy.
Written by
Ben Modo | | | | 98 Views | 4 Thumbs Up | 4 Comments | |
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| | Canada: Stop the deportation of Conscientious Objector Corey Glass | | | Friday, September 5, 2008 (7:08 AM)
(I'm feeling contemplative) | | Posted: 9 July 2008
James Corey Glass
Update: The Federal court agreed not to forcibly remove Corey Glass on July 10. Corey now has the opportunity to submit new applications to remain in Canada. A final decision has not yet been made as to whether or not he will be allowed to remain indefinitely.
The Canadian authorities intend to deport US serviceman James Corey Glass on 10 July. He fled to Canada to avoid being sent back to Iraq because of his conscientious objection to the war there. If they deport him, he risks being court-martialled and jailed for between one and five years. Amnesty International would consider him a prisoner of conscience.
Corey Glass joined the National Guard in 2002, and was assigned to non-combatant duties. His unit was later ordered to deploy to Iraq, where he completed five months of active service in 2005.
According to a statement outlining his position, he had concerns about the legality of the war before he was deployed to Iraq. While serving there, he developed further serious objections to the war, including what he saw as the abusive treatment of civilians by US forces, and the military system's failure to address these abuses. He said he had reported his concerns to his superiors and asked to be relieved of duty. His request was denied but he was given two weeks' leave. He refused to return to his unit and went absent without leave (AWOL) in February 2006.
In August 2006 he went to Canada, where his application for protection as a refugee was rejected. His subsequent applications to remain in Canada were also denied and he was ordered to leave Canada.
Corey Glass has spoken out publicly about his objection to the Iraq war, and has become a member of a Canadian organisation, the War Resisters Support Campaign, which works to persuade the Canadian government to offer sanctuary to US military personnel who want to come to Canada because of their opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
US law recognizes the right to conscientious objection only on grounds of opposition to war in any form. Corey Glass would not qualify, because his objection is only to the Iraq War. Other US soldiers with similar objections, who have sought to register their conscientious objection and apply for non-combatant status, have been turned down.
Corey Glass would be the first US conscientious objector known to have been deported from Canada.
TAKE ACTION:
Please send a message immediately
* urging the authorities to cease any removal or deportation proceedings which may have been commenced against James Corey Glass;
* pointing out that US law recognizes the right to conscientious objection only on grounds of opposition to war in any form, and Corey Glass was unable to apply for conscientious objector status because his objection was solely to the Iraq war;
* explaining that, although he went absent without leave, Corey Glass took reasonable steps to secure his release from military obligations, and asked to be relieved of duty, so Amnesty International would consider him a prisoner of conscience if he were jailed on his return to the USA.
WRITE TO:
The Right Honorable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Fax: 613 941 6900
Email: Harper.S@parl.gc.ca or pm@pm.gc.ca
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
FURTHER BACKGROUND:
Amnesty International has recognised as prisoners of conscience a number of US soldiers refusing to deploy to Iraq because of their conscientious objection to the war. They include Camilo Mejía, who was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and Kevin Benderman, who was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment.
Amnesty International believes the right to refuse to perform military service for reasons of conscience is part of freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as recognised in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Canada is a state party.
Amnesty International considers a conscientious objector to be any person who, for reasons of conscience or profound conviction, either refuses to perform any form of service in the armed forces or applies for non-combatant status. This can include refusal to participate in a war because one disagrees with its aims or the manner in which it was being waged, even if one does not oppose taking part in all wars.
Wherever such a person is detained or imprisoned solely for these beliefs, Amnesty International considers that person to be a prisoner of conscience. Amnesty International also considers conscientious objectors to be prisoners of conscience if they are imprisoned for leaving the armed forces without authorization for reasons of conscience, if they have first taken reasonable steps to secure release from military obligations.
Amnesty International opposes the forcible return of any person to any country where he or she would face a substantial risk of becoming a prisoner of conscience. | | | | 82 Views | 0 Thumbs Up | 0 Comments | |
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| | INFORMATION ON BANNING HORSE SLAUGHTER IN CANADA | | | Tuesday, July 1, 2008 (6:28 PM)
(I'm feeling determined) | | ILLEGAL TRANSPORT OF HORSES NATURAL VALLEY FARMS .
- Transported shod and unseperated .
- Transported on double - decker trailers .
- No welfare check at the US and Canada border .
- Unloaded after midnight without Canadian Food Inspection Agency supervision .
- Many arriving dead .
- Evidence of pregnant mare being transported .
HEALTH CONDITIONS OF HORSES IN WAITING PENS .
- Many severly heath compromized.
-Eye conditions: some blind, some with eye infections, one missing an eye, another with final stage eye cancer that had pushed the eyeball out of the socket.
-Emaciation, fatigue, dehydration.
-No food, water or straw provided.
-injured horses not separated for their own protection.
SLAUGHTER OF HORSES
-Inaccurate captive bolt pistol hits resulting in only partial unconsciousness in many horses.
-Beating, kicking tormenting and abusing of horses in the kill box.
-Poorly designed kill box(slippery floor, full visual field of horse ahead being stabed & bled out).
contributing to terror horses experience.
COMMENT : I believe if we work together we can stop this practice here in Canada not only receiving national attention but international , so i ask all my american LV friends to get involved in the ban of the slaughter of horses here in Canada , and here is some of the information you will need .
Website http://www.humanefood.ca/petition.html
PETITION
Procedures for handling animal transport Petitions to the House of Commons
Thanks for your help in arranging a Petition to the House of Commons on animal transportation.
This petition, when signed by 25 (or more) citizens or residents of Canada, may be read into the House of Commons by a Member of Parliament, thus drawing attention to the need for revision of Canada’s outdated animal transportation standards.
The procedure is easy. Download and print three copies of the petition. Ask at least 25 people to sign the petition, and to print their name and address. The address may consist of the person’s full address, or only the city and province. Either is acceptable. It is a good idea to get more than 25 names in case one or more names is disqualified when the petitions are certified.
Start a new page once the spaces are filled, so you will need three pages for 25 or more names. Do not get signatures on the back of petitions, as they will be disqualified.
To be certified, a petition must have no erasures or alterations to the text, including crossing out or adding words or commentary.
When you have obtained at least 25 signatures, send us the completed petitions. The address is on the bottom of the petition. We will ask a Member of Parliament (MP) to read it into the House of Commons.
Thanks again for your help in bringing attention to the need for improved animal transportation standards!
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| | HORSE SLAUGHTER IN CANADA | | | Sunday, June 29, 2008 (7:20 PM)
(I'm feeling infuriated) | | Stop horse slaughter, group says
Says Sask. video shows `inhumane' practices
Jun 19, 2008 04:30 AM
Debra Black
Staff Reporter
An animal rights group, backed by Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby, is calling for an all-out ban on the slaughter of horses for human consumption in Canada – a practice that has increased here since it was stopped in the United States.
Ruby called the slaughter of horses in Canada "shockingly inhumane" and said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does not properly police such slaughter for human consumption and it should be banned.
At a news conference yesterday at Ruby's offices, representatives of the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition showed a graphic video which it says shows horses being slaughtered at Natural Valley Farms in Neudorf, Sask.
The organization says the video demonstrates violations of Canada's food inspection act including: the transportation of animals on double-decker trailers; horses transported with their horseshoes on and not separated for their own protection; the transportation of horses across the U.S./Canadian border and unloaded at night without supervision.
The group also said the video showed evidence of the transportation of injured, blind and emaciated horses (including a horse with a tumour on its face and another with eye cancer) as well as the transportation of a very pregnant mare and the discovery of a full-term foal in a rendering pit that had been eviscerated by animals.
The group also alleges that the horses are not being provided food or water as they wait overnight in pens, are too densely packed and are being improperly stunned before they are killed.
This year alone, at seven federally licensed facilities, an estimated 102,000 horses will be slaughtered in Canada for human consumption in Europe and Asia, the organization says.
It wants a total ban on the slaughter of horses for human consumption and, in the meantime, for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to shut down the Neudorf plant to end a "senseless, inhumane slaughter" of horses.
A CFIA official, who didn't want to be identified, said the agency plans a thorough investigation of the plant and will be asking for an "independent external animal welfare expert" to accompany agency officials during their investigation.
A spokesperson for Natural Valley Farms said the company was not commenting yesterday | | | | 132 Views | 6 Thumbs Up | 3 Comments | |
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