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"In the name of tolerance, your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse," the Pope told a group of bishops from Ontario. "In the name of freedom of choice, it is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children."
Such laws, Benedict said, are the result of "the exclusion of God from the public sphere."
He lamented that Catholic politicians had yielded to "ephemeral social trends and the spurious demands of opinion polls."
Uh huh homosexuality and abortion are hardly 'ephemeral', sorry Benny they have been with us since the begining of human society. Historical abortion beliefs of the Christian church
Of course there is a certain irony in his saying any of this since he was once a Nazi. nd his predecessor, to whom Benny was a close advisor, was a supporter of the extreme rightwing Catholic movements in Latin America and Eastern Europe.
It's not often you hear a paean of praise to the Spanish fascist dictator General Franco these days. And you certainly don't expect to hear it in the European Parliament."Thanks to the Spanish army and Franco the communist attack on Catholic Spain was thwarted. The presence of such people in European politics as Franco guaranteed the maintenance of traditional values in Europe and we lack such statesmen today. Christian Europe is losing against atheistic socialists today and this has to change."
And though there is dissent in the Church it is a minority who do not reflect the intoleance of this ossified institution.
The Catholic Church is historically a venal and evil political insititution, who tortured and murdered those whom opposed it or would not convert.Reminding us that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones....Practising Catholicism
All the incoming slaves were automatically baptised as Catholics and were encouraged (forcibly, or through more indirect pressure) to practice the new religion. The result was a complex process of disguise, accommodation, and incorporation. Joseph Murphy says it well: "In the New World, the Yoruba were forced into a new religious system of pervasive power. This new tradition shaped their lives, and their native vision of the world was gradually adapted to complement and reflect the Catholic worldview. A new bilingual tradition emerged, at once a resistance to Catholic oppression and an accommodation to Catholic values. It came to be called santería, the way of the saints, because the devotions to the orishas were carried out beneath the images of the Catholic saints. What may have once begun as a subterfuge, an attempt to fool Catholic observers while preserving the ways of the orishas, became a genuine universal religious vision in which a Catholic saint and a Lucumi [Yoruba] orisha were seen as different manifestations of the same spiritual entity" (31-32).
THE INTEGRATION OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM INTO VODOU IN HAITI
Catholicism was brought to Haiti and indeed to the new world with the arrival of the colonialists. The Roman Catholic church was a strong power that had influence in every European country as well as in their colonies. With the "discovery" of the new world the Roman Catholic church set out to "civilize" and convert any pagan civilizations. The role of the church in Haiti was typical of many different colonies up to the time of the Haitian Revolution. The Vatican assigned all church positions in Haiti and ordained the Catholic priests. The vast majority of the priests were therefore white colonialists, with only very few colored priests being ordained over the years. Since the church set out to abolish paganism, vodou was a practice that in the eyes of the church had to cease to exist. The Catholic church was also aware of the power given to the vodouiants through the practice and participation in vodou rituals. The sense of belonging and the connection to their heritage empowered the enslaved people and many times drove them to revolt. This endangered the power the church held over the enslaved people. They therefore set to persecute vodou and they used every means available to them to do this.
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One man, Paul Summerville, was given a place of prominence by NDP leaders and was heralded as having a new vision for the future of the party. Summerville was a keynote speaker at both conferences, and is being strongly promoted by the heads of the party as a top priority candidate. These facts show quite clearly that Summerville’s vision, made clear in his speeches, is one that the leadership shares.
A former investment banker and economist, Summerville insisted that for the NDP to be a factor in Canadian politics, it had to re-adapt itself to the new world economy. “Today, virtually every social democratic political party in the world understands one simple truth. The truth is, whatever we may think about the rules of global capitalism, today with a bias to trade that is free, investment that is global, labour that is mobile, a central bank that is independent, and annual government budgets that are balanced, Canada does not have much say in how the global economy operates and if we want a seat at this table then these are the rules we are going to be working with.” The Progressive Liberal Party of Canada - NDP
And while I support the Socialist Caucus in the NDP and a shift to the left the fact is that the old party is old, and lacking not an economic vision so much as any vision that appeals to Canadians interested in change. Under Layton the party has become a smorgasborg of issues, all aimed at gaining seats. The party needs to champion one cause and one cause only, Parliamentary reform. And that seems to have been last years issue, unfortunately.
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The Bloc yesterday also pressed the Tories for more aid to the Quebec softwood industry, but did not make this a condition of voting for the deal. Mr. Bernier offered no promises of aid for the softwood sector, saying what forestry companies really want is their share of the $4-billion in refunded duties. "What industry asks us is to [get their] money back," he said. "That will be the best aid we can give to the industry."Bloc move assures softwood agreement will pass
Contrary to Mr. Duceppe's assertions its about what is best for Quebec it is what is best for positioning both the Bloc and the Tories in Quebec for votes. Its a sellout by anyother name, all for a bump in the polls. Shame, shame. NDP blasts Bloc for supporting Harper softwood sell-out
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Defying the Laws of Supply and demand
For the past two years, crude oil prices have doubled, while US crude oil inventories increased by roughly 22% during the same time period. Spot oil prices climbed the slippery slope to as high as $78.40 /barrel, supported by fears of supply disruption due to Iran's nuclear program, attacks on Nigeria and Iraq's oil pipelines, and political mischief by Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. On the demand side, a robust world economy, growing at a 5% annualized clip, led by
So much for the laws of capitalist economics. Monopolization and Oligopolies distort the market is the real law, not supply and demand. The investment newsletter goes on to explain what the U.S. strategy may be around Iran, the real politick.
If the US knocked out Iran’s oil refineries and interrupted both its exports of crude oil in the Gulf region and the import of gasoline to Iran, with unemployment rates as high as 20%, any disruption in both food and gasoline subsidies, as a result of the drying up of oil revenues, could trigger violent Iranian street uprisings and lead to the downfall of the Ayatollah’s regime within a few months.
Wishful thinking that. As our investment advisor says;
Does the Bush administration hold a straight flush, capable of beating
For now, sentiment in the crude oil market is ruling out these dire scenarios, after placing great faith in them for the past 12-months.
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Mohammad Ghannadi Maragheh, Research and Technology Deputy at the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Reveals Details About Iran's Nuclear Project
Interviewer: "I wanted to know what is the link between the Arak heavy-water
reactor and what we now have at Natanz. Or perhaps these are two separate
processes?"Mohammad Ghannadi Maragheh: "Obviously, these are two completely separate
processes. What happens in the enrichment process is intended primarily for
light-water power plants, and for light-water research reactors. What we
have in Arak is heavy water, which is used for heavy-water reactors and CANDU reactors. Since our future plans do not include the production of plutonium. In fact, we have no plans to separate uranium and plutonium for the purpose of fission. We are interested only in the radio-isotopes. We don't care which project will be the first to yield results - whether it is a heavy-water or light-water reactor. Canada has many heavy-water reactors. India has many heavy-water reactors - heavy-water research reactors. One country uses them to produce radio-isotopes, while the other uses them to produce weapons. It's up to the country."
What is uranium enrichment you ask, it is the production of yellow cake, or processed uranium used in CANDU reactors. As I said before the issue is NOT weapon production in Iran but the creation of yellow cake for nuclear reactors for energy purposes. However even with reprocessed plutonium in a CANDU reactor this is turned into fuel and destroys its weapons grade nature.
What is interesting is that CANDU has not sold a reactor to Iran, however they appear to be modeling their reactor on the CANDU's sold to China and India. The assertion is that China provided Iran and Pakistan with CANDU reactor technology. The reason is that it is the best nuclear reactor in the world.
Now can we all have some realistic cool headed understanding of what is going on here. Iran is moving into nuclear energy production as an alternative to oil and gas reliance, no different than Canada which also has oil and gas reserves and has nuclear power plants. And they are CANDU the safest and most efficient nuclear reactors in the world.Compared to light water reactors, a heavy water design is "neutron rich". This makes the CANDU design suitable for "burning" a number of alternative nuclear fuels.
To date, the fuel to gain the most attention is mixed oxide, or MOX. MOX is a mixture of natural uranium and plutonium, such as that extracted from former nuclear weapons. Currently there is a worldwide surplus of plutonium due to the various US and Soviet agreements to dismantle many of their warheads, and the security of these supplies is a cause for concern. By burning this plutonium in a CANDU, it is removed from use, turning it into highly radioactive waste. Plutonium can also be extracted from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. While this consists usually of a mixture of isotopes that is not usable for weapons, it can be used in a MOX formulation reducing the net amount of nuclear waste that has to be disposed of.
Photo courtesy of Cogema, Inc."Yellowcake" is another name for uranium oxide, named for its color and texture. After uranium is mined and separated from ore, it is made into "yellowcake" and shipped to a conversion plant for more processing. Uranium must first be converted into a gaseous form and then go through a long process of "enrichment" before it can be used by a nuclear power plant.
Since his 2002 State of the Union speech, when he singled out Iran as part of an "axis of evil," Bush has tried without success to roll back Tehran's nuclear energy program. He has asserted, without offering proof, that it is a cover for weapons development.
The other fact is that yes these facilites could become used for weapons grade plutonium production but that is also the case for any country that has nuclear power plants. As India and Pakistan have shown, who are not members of the Non Proliferation Pact, while Iran is.
BASIC: Chamberlain on the Iran-EU Agreement and the NPT Regime - 10-03However, all of the agreements outlined in Iran's declaration could be reversed. There will always be a risk, even if Natanz is fully inspected and under safeguards, that a completed facility could be switched to HEU weapons production within days. Moreover, Iran can legally withdraw from the NPT at three months notice, as did the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). As Iran has proved itself capable of building such a facility there is also a risk that even if it ceases work on Natanz, it could again build another gas centrifuge plant in secret. Iran may also, at some stage, have the capacity to produce and extract fissile plutonium and divert that to a clandestine nuclear weapons programme.
The same accusation could be put to all States parties to the NPT with civil nuclear programmes. The key is to create an international political and security environment in which it is universally agreed that nuclear weapons have no role to play.
Editorial: Los Alamos bomb role needs public hearings
The National Nuclear Security Administration has proposed restarting full-scale plutonium pit production at the lab by 2012, to replace deteriorating pits in the nation's existing nuclear warheads.
Plutonium pits, often called the "triggers" of thermonuclear weapons, are the cores of modern hydrogen bombs, and the NNSA says the old pits need replacing to ensure the reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Critics, however, contend it's a ruse to design, fashion and manufacture new types of bombs, including mininukes and "bunker busters."
US Plans Massive Military Detonation of Bunker Buster
Nuclear Bunker Busters, Mini-Nukes, and the US Nuclear Stockpile ...
"Bunker Busters": Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator Issues, FY2005 ...
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said in St. Petersburg that Russia was ready to set up an international centre providing nuclear fuel-cycle services on its territory. All countries interested in developing nuclear energy for civilian purposes would have equal access to its output, Putin said. The IAEA also regards the creation of common fuel sources as a key element in nuclear power regulation and non-proliferation measures
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Calgary MP Jason Kenney, once an outspoken critic of China's human rights policy and now Prime Minister Stephen Harper's parliamentary secretary, will meet privately with Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader on Saturday morning. "This is essentially a courtesy meeting ... this is not a political meeting," Mr. Kenney said yesterday. "It's greeting a respected world figure to Canada, and I quite frankly don't know what we might end up discussing, but obviously I think it's appropriate for Canadians to offer a friendly welcome to an important international figure."
Hey Jason he is not just an international figure he is a Canadian citizen now.......Zhang Weidong, minister and counsellor at China's embassy in Ottawa, said he has already urged the Canadian government not to meet the Dalai Lama privately or even attend his public events.
"We hope [Mr. Solberg] will not go," Mr. Weidong said.
Immigration Minister Monte Solberg will attend a public gathering to hear the Dalai Lama speak on Saturday. But Mr. Solberg will not meet with the Nobel laureate, who is viewed by China as a political activist and separatist, said Lesley Harmer, the Minister's director of communications."
Oh so now China is dictating how the government can welcome its newest Canadian citizen.....and of course the Tories capitulate......Monte will not welcome Canada's newest citizen, he will drink his Timmies and listen to the Dalai Lama speak....call 'em all talk no action Tories ......of course Nortel is big in China.....that might have something to do with it.....
