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Politics and Justice without borders: what we stand for

by
Germain Dufour
Spiritual Leader of the Global Community
President
Global Parliament
Federation of Global Governments

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    Politics and Justice without borders: what we stand for
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In order to justify the Tribal Invasion, which to many experts is the root cause of problems of people of Jammu and Kashmir, some pro Pakistan writers and agents of the Pakistani establishment claim that the Tribal Invasion was the result of mass killings of Muslims in Jammu. According to these claims they went there to help Muslims. Let us analyse that in light of historic evidence.

No doubt Muslims were killed in tens of thousands in Jammu province, but the Tribal Invasion had no link with that mass killing. Those who managed the Tribal Invasion tried to link it with the Jammu Massacre after the planned invasion proved disastrous.

Apart from the Valley and some other parts of the State, the whole of Sub Continent was suffering from communal violence at that time. Tens of thousands of non Muslim migrants entered Jammu from Sialkot and other parts of Pakistan and aggravated the situation there. The Muslims in Jammu were targeted and killed. This started in the third week of August 1947.

The Tribal Invasion started on 22 October 1947. If those who planned the Tribal Invasion sincerely wanted to help Muslims of Jammu, why did they remain quiet for nearly two months? Why didn’t they send Tribesmen and other armed men towards Jammu from Sialkot which is about 28 miles from there; or from the side of Bhimber – Kot Jaimel? Instead they sent the Tribesmen via Muzaaffarbad which has vast Muslim majority and had no direct link with Jammu.

Between third week of August 1947 and second week of October the government of Pakistan remained quiet as they didn’t want to annoy the Maharaja. Plight of Jammu Muslims was not their big concern, as territory of Kashmir was much closer to their hearts.

Until second week of October the government of Pakistan assumed that the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir would join Pakistan. When the Maharaja indicated that he wanted to remain independent the government of Pakistan decided to punish him and dethrone him.

It was because of this they sent the Tribesmen to Muzaffarabad even though there was no communal violence there; and Muslims were in majority there. They knew the road to Kashmiri capitol went through Muzaffarabad. They almost succeeded in their plan to get Kashmir; but the Tribesmen let them down who wasted three valuable days in killing, looting and raping in Baramula.

Jammu massacres were tragic and shameful in which Muslims were hunted and killed, and this must be condemned; but it would be historically wrong to link the Tribal Invasion with that. The Tribal Invasion was an attempt of Pakistan to conquer Kashmir and to punish the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir for disobeying the whims of the Pakistani rulers.

Was Kashmir given to Pakistan?

Some Pakistanis and pro Pakistan Kashmiris claim that Kashmir was given to Pakistan in 1947, and India with its superior force invaded Kashmir. All this is wrong. No one gave Kashmir to Pakistan. No one had this right to give Kashmir to Pakistan.

It was a desire of Pakistani rulers that Kashmir should become part of Pakistan. We have many desires and not all of them come true. My desire is to have an oil well in my village, but this is only a desire and it won’t come true; even if it did, Pakistani rulers will take over and expel me from there and take all the benefits as they did with Mangla Dam.

After 15 August 1947 the State of Jammu and Kashmir was independent. It had bilateral agreement with Pakistan, known as Standstill Agreement; and Kashmir was in a process to finalise a similar agreement with India.

Pakistan in clear breach of this Agreement stopped all the essential items like food, petrol etc going to Kashmir in the second week of October; and on 22 October Pakistan sent its armed officers and Tribesmen to conquer Kashmir. It resulted in killings of thousands of innocent people and rapes of our mothers and daughters.

The Maharaja of Kashmir was not expecting this breach of agreement and panicked. He asked help from India. India urged the Maharaja to sign an Instrument of Accession which was signed and accepted as ‘provisional’.

To us, the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir is disputed. However, the arrival of the Indian army in Kashmir, no matter how much we dislike it and condemn it because of human rights abuses, was a result of an agreement between the ruler of Kashmir and India. But the Pakistan army and the tribesmen moved in to the Kashmir territory without any agreement; and they continue to remain there.

Right of self determination or right of accession

Many people, either innocently or by design, try to confuse the Right of self determination with right of accession. The UN gave people of Jammu and Kashmir a right of self determination in its Resolution of 13 August 1948, which on request of Pakistan, was changed to right of accession to either India or Pakistan in the next resolution passed on 5th January 1949.

When people demand implementation of the UN resolutions, assuming that they will get right of self determination, in actual fact, they demand the right of accession which was given to them in the UN Resolution of 5th January 1949. Pakistani policy makers laugh at our innocence and urge us Kashmiris to keep on demanding this, as it goes in favour of Pakistan.

This controversy has been going on for decades now, as to who is responsible for non implementation of the UN Resolutions. Pakistani propaganda in this regard has been very effective, and a lot of Pakistanis and Kashmiris believe it was India who created obstacles in implementation of the UN Resolutions. Historic facts, however, do not support this contention.

In short, the UNCIP resolution of 13 August 1948 had three parts to it, namely a cease - fire, withdrawal of Pakistani troops and irregulars present inside the State. Once the UN was satisfied that the Pakistan has withdrawn, India had to withdraw a ‘bulk’ of her forces from the State. The third stage was a plebiscite.

First stage was completed with the cease fire on 1st January 1949. In the second stage, Pakistan had to withdraw her regular and irregular forces from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, followed by a withdrawal of ‘bulk’ of the Indian forces. Only after completion of the second stage as explained in the UN Resolution, the third stage could be started?

To date Pakistan has not vacated these areas as demanded by the UN Resolution; but cleverly stated that India is not abiding by the Resolutions. Many Pakistanis and Kashmiris argue that even if Pakistan had vacated these areas India still would not have held the plebiscite. Here we are dealing with facts and not assumptions. It is difficult to give a definitive reply to this hypothetical situation - we cannot say with certainty that India would have held plebiscite or not.

Apart from that some religious extremists and agents of Pakistan try to confuse people by saying that because of the Two Nations Theory Kashmir should have become part of Pakistan. This is not true. The British Raj in India consisted of two units: British India and the Princely India. British India was directly ruled by the British through the Governor General, and the Princes were ruled indirectly by treaties.

The Two Nations Theory was applicable to the British India and not to the Princely States. There is ample evidence to prove this point, even Mohammed Ali Jinnah agreed with this. The Instrument of Accession was designed for the Princely States. Vast majority of the Princely States either willingly or by pressure joined India and some joined Pakistan. Jammu and Kashmir was among those States which did not join either India or Pakistan, hence became independent.

Some agents of the Pakistani establishment, while defaming me accuse me that I am ‘satisfied’ with the ‘accession’ to India. This is nothing else but a white lie, which these agents and foot soldiers of agencies use in order to hide their nefarious designs on Kashmir.

All my written work and speeches are available on my blog and on blogs of many other people; and all of that is compiled and regularly published. I challenge all the critics to find one speech of mine or one article which gives slightest inclination that I am satisfied with the ‘accession’ with India. I have always called the ‘accession’ as ‘provisional’ and promoted unification and independence of the entire State. Anyone who is satisfied with the accession does not fight for unification and independence of the entire State; and I have done that throughout my life.

Writer is Director Diplomatic Committee of Kashmir National Party, political analyst and author of many books and booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs.Email:drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com
To view other articles see my blog: www.drshabirchoudhry.blogspot.com

*CLAIM: I believe humans are destabilizing the Earth's crust & predisposing the Earth to earthquakes & a shift in the Earth's orbit-- as a result of Oil drilling, Nuclear bomb testing, Mining, Dams, Ground Injections of Waste Products, Skyscrapers & other human destructive activities in the Earth's outer land mass. As an example, I believe humans are converting the relatively low seismic Gulf of Mexico to a seismic geologic location ? due to Oil drilling.  I am not a geologist; I am not a seismologist; I am not a volcanologist.  But, I am concerned Homo Sapien technological activities in the Earth's crust are putting locations such as the Gulf of Mexico at great risk for seismic events i.e. Earthquakes & other geologic events.

*WARNING by INDIADAILY.COM: Indiadaily.com states: ?Uncontrolled drilling of (the) Earth's crust ? will cause major problems. The Earth's crust is brittle ?According to a computer model, if these drilling projects below the ocean & ? on the continental crust are continued, it will cause ? complete destruction of the crust?. ?Some experts believe that (the) earth's crust weakening experiments should be ? monitored by the United Nations?. (1) If humans destroy the Earth's crust & expose or breach the mantle, What unknown risks do we face? ? Do we risk increased Earthquakes &/or Volcanic activity? Do we risk a shift in the Earth's axis? Do we risk a tilt in the Earth's axis?

*RAPE METAPHOR: Humans are raping the Earth. Rape is about Power, control & domination of another entity. Homo Sapiens are Penetrating, drilling, mining, blasting, damming, extracting & bombing the Earth's outer land mass -- As a sexual predator rapes it's victim & then leaves the victim for dead. & The Earth is hurting.

*BULLFIGHTING METAPHOR: Another metaphor to describe what humans are doing to the Earth is Bullfighting symbolism. Humans are goring the Earth's crust like a Matador spears a Bull to death during a Spanish Bullfight.

*HOMO SAPIEN AGENDA: Why are humans destroying the planet Earth's crust? In my opinion these human acts of exploitation of the Earth's outer land mass are due to:

#1. Human Overpopulation.

#2. Excessive Consumption of Natural resources.

#3. The human addiction to War & Military activities.

Homo Sapiens have excessive Self-interest & addictions to pleasure that drive human Overpopulation, the super-Consumption & depletion of natural resources and the creation of Pollution & waste ? At the expense of other Animals, Trees & the Earth. Also, the Homo Sapien desire for wars consumes significant resources including Oil. Humans lack: Compassion, proactive behavior & impulse control for the Earth due to Greedy, glutinous & carnal drives for Oil, coal, dams & nuclear bomb testing.

*EVIDENCE of Human Destabilization of the Earth's crust by: Nuclear Bombs, Oil-Well Drilling, Coal Mines, Natural Gas Production, Dams & Reservoirs, Skyscrapers, etc.: While many Anthropocene (2) discussions in the media are focused on Human destruction of the Biosphere (3) i.e. the Atmosphere, Hydrosphere (oceans) & the living organic Lithosphere (4) ? What about destructive human activities in the less sensational more inorganic solid component of the Earth's Crust? [Note: Synonym of Earthquake: Temblor (5), seismic activity or tremor. (6)] The Key Sections of this paper are: I. Nuclear Bomb Testing & Earthquakes, II. The 2004 Indonesian Earthquake, III. Oil & Gas Drilling & Earthquakes, IV. Coal Mining & Earthquakes, V. Dams, Reservoirs & Earthquakes, VI. Injection of Toxic Waste Products Underground, VII. Military Testing, VIII. Skyscrapers, IX. Miscellaneous Topics, X. Discussion.

*DEFINITION:

*THE EARTH'S CRUST: The Earth's Crust is the outermost layer of the Earth & it ranges from 5-70 km in depth. The thin parts are the oceanic crust (5-10 km) ? The thicker crust is the continental crust. [en.wikipedia.org: The Structure of the Earth.]

*?The crust thickness averages about 18 miles under the continents, but is only about 3 miles under the oceans. (The ocean's floor) is light & brittle & can break. ? It is where most earthquakes originate?. (7)

I. NUCLEAR BOMB TESTING & EARTHQUAKES:

*Whiteford studied earthquakes before nuclear testing & after nuclear testing: ?In the fifty years before testing, large earthquakes of more that 5.8 occurred at an average rate of 68 per year. With the advent of testing the rate rose ?suddenly & dramatically' to an average of 127 a year. The earthquake rate has almost doubled? as a result of nuclear bomb testing. Some studies warn that ?Nuclear tests are weakening the earth's crust triggering earthquakes & causing the earth's pole to shift?. Shigeyoshi Matsumae, President of Tokai Univ. Department of Aerospace Science states: ?Earthquakes & fluctuations of the earth's axis are related in a direct cause-and-effect to testing of nuclear devices?. ?In 1991, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation published Whiteford's findings in an article called: ?Is Nuclear Testing Triggering Earthquakes & Volcanic Activity?'?

(8)

*NUCLEAR WEAPONS & VOLCANIC ACTIVITY: Babst & Krieger state: ?In the early 1980's, the world had it's greatest volcanic activity in 70 years ? At this time, many nuclear tests were being carried out by the U.S. & U.S.S.R.?. (9)

II. THE INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKE OF 2004:

*MILITARY TESTING & EARTHQUAKES: On 12/26/4 , a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused a tsunami & it killed more that 300,000 people. ?For some, the finger of blame doesn't point squarely at nature but at top secret Military testing in the waters of the Indian Ocean . The Egyptian weekly magazine Al-Osboa claimed that (this earthquake) ?was possibly' caused by an Indian nuclear experiment in which ?Israeli & American nuclear experts participated?. (10)

*NUCLEAR TESTING: Are humans causing earthquakes, volcanic activity & changes in the Earth's axis due to nuclear testing? Should nuclear agencies, governments & nuclear corporations conducting nuclear testing be held accountable for the negative effects of these tests on the planet Earth?

*CASCADE of ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS: SEISMIC TESTS of the OCEAN FLOOR for OIL & GAS, WHALE & DOLPHIN BEACHINGS & EARTHQUAKES:

?On 11/28/4 , Reuters reported that during a 3 day span 169 whales & dolphins beached themselves in Tasmania ?. Bob Brown, a senator in the Australian Parliament, said ?Sound Bombing' or seismic tests of ocean floors to test for Oil & gas had been recently carried out near the sites of the Tasmanian beachings??

?These (sound waves) are known to affect whales & dolphins, whose acute hearing & use of sonar is very sensitive?. ?

?On 12/24/4 , there was a magnitude 8.1 earthquake more than 800 km southeast of Tasmania near New Zealand .? ?

?Interestingly, the locations of the whale beachings over the previous 30 days correlates with the same general area struck by the 8.1 Australian earthquake. The seismic testing also took place in the same area. Then 2 days after the Australian tectonic plate shifted, the 9.0 earthquake shook the coast of Indonesia ?. (11)

*CONCLUSION: The Earth & it's animals & ecosystems are suffering due to Homo Sapien greed for Oil & gas and our addiction to consumer goods.

III. OIL-WELL DRILLING & EARTHQUAKES: e.g. the Gulf of Mexico .

*THE BRITISH PETROLEUM GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL: The British Petroleum oil drilling rig fire & oil spill was originally called an ?Incident? by the U.S. government ? The truth is that this man-made disaster is a major catastrophic event for the Gulf of Mexico & the world.

*THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION's Response to the BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Shannon Jones in her Gulf Oil Spill article states: ?The response of the Obama administration to the (BP Gulf of Mexico) disaster is indicative of it's prostration before the powerful corporate & financial interests it serves?. ?Following the oil rig explosion the Obama administration remained Silent & indifferent?. ?The White House continued it's silence as the scale of the disaster widened, continuing it's calls for expanded offshore drilling?. Downplaying the significance of the unfolding environmental catastrophe, (President Obama) merely called the oil spill an ?Incident'?. (12)

*SAFETY EXEMPTIONS: The U.S. exempted British Petroleum from Safety Study: ?The ( U.S. ) Interior Department exempted BP's calamitous Gulf of Mexico (Oil) drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact study. ?. Three reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was unlikely?. (13)

*RESPONSIBILITY: Who is Responsible for this Environmental Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico ? British Petroleum, Halliburton, Trans Ocean & Cameron International are responsible for the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the destruction of Gulf of Mexico ecosystems near Louisiana, the damage to the fishing industry and the killing of birds & animals including dolphins & pelicans -- & the risk for a Seismic event in the Gulf of Mexico. I feel BP, Halliburton, TransOcean & Cameron International failed to apply the Precautionary Principle in their Deepwater Horizon Oil well operation in the Gulf of Mexico ? especially with respect to safety measures such as the Blowout Preventer. (14) (15)

* GULF of MEXICO OIL RIGS : Number of Violations of the Earth's crust in the Gulf of Mexico : ?The number of U.S. (oil rigs) in the Gulf (of Mexico ) is roughly 4,000?. (16) *DEEPEST OIL WELL: The Depth of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Well: The Deepwater Horizon was ?The deepest oil & gas well ever drilled with a vertical depth of 35,050 feet (10,680 m)? (about 6.6 Miles). (17)

*OIL WELLS CAUSE EARTHQUAKES: ?Pumping out underground crude contracts the rock in oil reservoirs & sets up large pressure changes over short distances?. (18) Segall states: ?Seismicity is correlated in space & time with production from some oil & gas fields?. (19)

*HUMAN-TRIGGERED EARTHQUAKES IN SEISMICALLY INACTIVE AREAS: ?The rate of seismicity in the Gulf of Mexico is relatively low?. (20) Klose states: ?Human-triggered earthquakes are particularly dangerous ? if they occur in seismically inactive areas?. (21) Question: If a human-induced earthquake occurs in a low seismicity area such as the Gulf of Mexico , will such an earthquake be as ?dangerous? as Klose warns?

* GULF of MEXICO 2006 EARTHQUAKE: In 2006 a ?Magnitude 6.0 temblor, centered ? southeast of New Orleans , Louisiana , occurred. ?Powerful earthquakes are rare but not unheard of in the Southeast U.S. ? Most earthquakes take place near the edges of the tectonic plates ?The recent Gulf of Mexico earthquake ? occurred in the middle of a plate?. (22) Question: Was this rare 2006 Gulf of Mexico earthquake related to oil drilling in the Gulf?

*GULF of MEXICO POLLUTION: Secondary Effects of Damage to the Gulf of Mexico's Earth's Crust: The Gulf of Mexico is becoming a Toilet, a Sewer of man-made pollution from: The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil spill, Debris from land sources (including waste disposal facilities, waste water treatment plants & post-storm runoff from urban & agricultural sites) (23), Tanker debris & chemical pollutants (24), Mississippi River run-off including Dead zones & Red tide algae blooms (25), (26), etc.. Also, University studies identify: ?Flame retardant materials in ? (the) Gulf of Mexico ? & ?Human & animal feces in the Gulf of Mexico ?. (27)

* HAITI EARTHQUAKE: Was the Haiti Earthquake near the Port-au-Prince of January 12, 2010 with a magnitude of about 7 (28) -- affected by Oil drilling in the Gulf of Gonave ?

*CONCLUSION: Humans are penetrating the Gulf of Mexico with oil wells to satisfy modern society's addiction to fossil fuels ? While at the same time Homo Sapiens are putting the Gulf of Mexico at risk for earthquakes & polluting this ecosystem.

*NATURAL GAS-INDUCED EARTHQUAKES:

*Klose states ?Three of the biggest human-caused earthquakes of all time ? were a trio that occurred in Uzbekistan 's Gazli natural gas field between 1976 & 1984?. (29)

IV. COAL MINE-INDUCED EARTHQUAKES:

*?Klose has identified more than 200 human-caused temblors, mostly in the past 60 years. ?They were rare before World War II' (Klose) said. ?Most were caused by mining'?. (30)

?The most powerful earthquake in Australian history (1989) magnitude 5.6 ? was caused by human beings!? ?That quake was triggered by changes in tectonic forces caused by 200 years of under ground coal mining, according to a study by Christian D. Klose of Columbia University 's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades , New York ?. ?'Klose has indentified more than 200 human-caused trembles, mostly in the past 60 years. ?There were rare before World War II'? (Klose) said. Klose states ??Most were caused by mining ? but nearly one-third came from reservoir construction. Oil & gas production can also trigger earthquakes'?. (31)

*OTHER MINING ACTIVITIES & EARTHQUAKES: Lendman quotes Klose as stating: ?Mining activites disturb the ? stress in the upper continental crust & can trigger earthquakes?; Lendman goes on to cite past examples of human-induced earthquakes including: Potash mining, copper mining & ore mining. (32)

V. RESERVOIR-INDUCED EARTHQUAKES:

*The Koyna Dam & the Koyna Reservoir in India were built & filled with water in 1962 & 1963, respectively. In 1967 ?An earthquake with an approx. magnitude of 7.0 shook the region in & around the dam?. ?The area was believed to be seismically stable prior to this event. Most experts are convinced that this earthquake was reservoir-induced. The concept of a reservoir-induced (or dam-induced) earthquake is that the enormous pressure of the water behind the dam actually causes shifting in the underlying earth, eventually leading to increased seismicity?. (33)

* Hoover Dam: ?Perhaps the most famous example (of Reservoir Loading & Earthquakes) in the United States is that of Hoover Dam. Hundreds of earthquakes occurred as the water level rose. ? The level of seismicity ? fluctuated in direct response to (the) water level. ? The largest (shock) was about magnitude 5 ? The area had no record of being seismically active?. (34)

*Regarding China 's Zipingpu Dam & the subsequent earthquake in 2008, Lendman quotes Science magazine as stating: ?The added weight (affected the) fault, weakening it & increased the stress tending to rupture (it). The effect was 25 times that of a year's worth of natural stress loading from tectonic motions. When the fault did finally rupture, it moved just the way the reservoir loading had encouraged it to (move)?. (35)

VI. INJECTION of WASTE PRODUCTS INTO THE GROUND & EARTHQUAKES:

*Lendman states: In 1961, ?(the Army) injected ?Napalm toxic waste into the earth's crust (in the Rocky Mountains ) ? (that) likely trigger(ed) regional earthquakes?. Lendman quotes seismologist Dave Wolney as stating: If you are doing deep well injection, you are altering the stress on the underlying rocks & at some point, (it) will be relieved by generating an earthquake?. (36)

*CARBON DIOXIDE CAPTURE & STORAGE & Climate Change Management: ?During the 1950's, it was discovered that injection of fluids (into the earth) at high pressures could cause small-to-medium sized earthquakes. ? Guidelines have been developed to prevent injection-induced microseismicity. Now, regulatory agencies limit injection rates & pressures to avoid unintentional hydrofracturing. Microseismic monitoring is often done (during a project) to establish operational parameters for injection. Carbon dioxide storage projects would operate under similar guidelines (to minimize the risk of earthquakes). (37)

VII. U.S. MILITARY HAARP TESTING: Although the HAARP program involves primarily the atmosphere with secondary effects on the Earth's crust, it is another illustration of potential man-made earthquakes that can cause damage to the Earth. ?A number of independent researchers have warned? that the Military's HAARP (High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) ?Operation has a secret agenda including weather modification, mind control, hi-tech military experiments & the triggering of earthquakes?. (38)

VIII. LARGE BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION:

*Lendman states regarding Ravilious' UK Guardian article titled: ?Skyscraper May Cause Earthquakes?: The Taipei #101 (building) in Taiwan , the world's tallest building weighing 700,000 tons: ?The building's stress may have reopened an ancient fault. Before it's construction, the Taipei basin was very stable ? Thereafter, ?The number of earthquakes increased?. (39), (40).

IX. MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS:

*THE LINK BETWEEN EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANIC ACTIVITY:

?New evidence showing that very large earthquakes can trigger an increase in activity at nearby volcanoes ? has been uncovered by Oxford University scientists?. (41)

*VOLCANIC ACTIVITY & VIOLATIONS of THE EARTH'S CRUST: Question: If Volcanic activity is defined as: ?An opening or rupture in (the Earth's) surface or crust, (through) which ? hot magma, ash & gases ? escape? (42)? & Volcanoes & Earthquakes are strongly related (43) -- & There is proof of human-induced earthquakes [Material presented in this paper.] --Then why wouldn't Oil drilling or other violations of the Earth's crust predispose the Earth not only to Earthquakes, but also to increased Volcanic activity ? Or other yet unknown disasters?

*CHILEAN EARTHQUAKE in 2010 & the SHIFT IN the EARTH'S AXIS:

Although there is no evidence that the Chilean earthquake was human-induced, this earthquake demonstrates the potential of earthquakes to cause tsunamis & to affect the earth's orbit.

*?The 8.8 earthquake in ( Chile ) ? has caused considerable changes throughout the world. No only was there a tsunami some 6,700 miles away on the other side of the ocean, but the force of the earthquake ? caused the earth to shift 3 inches off her axis?. (44)

-- ?Which will shorten our day by a little over 1 microsecond?. (45) Note: ?The climate & weather patterns are determined by the earth's tilt & not rotation. The quake didn't knock the earth off it's current tilt?. (46)

*GLOBAL WARMING & TILT OF THE EARTH'S AXIS: While global warming generally involves the atmosphere, it's effects upon the ice sheets of the Earth's crust classifies it as a relevant topic for discussion in this paper. ?Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory say that global warming could actually alter the tilt of our planet's axis due to instability from (& redistribution of the Earth's weight from) melting ice sheets?. (47)

*THE HUMAN EGO: The goal of the Kola Superdeep Borehole was ?To drill as deep as possible into the Earth's crust? -- about 7 & ½ miles deep into the Earth. It is the deepest hole ever drilled -- & For what purpose? The human Ego? (48)

*NUMBER OF TOTAL PENETRATIONS OF THE EARTH'S CRUST: Due to All Human Exploitative Activities: It is difficult to quantify the total number of all human destructive events in the Earth's outer land mass. Here is a sample of numbers of exploitations of the Earth's crust: U.S. Oil wells in 2006: over 500,000; Chinese large Dams: over 22,000; France: 160 underground Nuclear tests; China : 22 underground nuclear tests; India : 6 underground nuclear tests; Pakistan : 6 underground nuclear tests. (49), (50), (51)

X. DISCUSSION:

*PENETRATING, DRILLING, MINING, EXTRACTING & BOMBING: Given the increasing Human population, the demand for Natural resources such as Oil & Technology ? Humans are destroying the Earth's crust. As we keep penetrating, drilling, mining, extracting & bombing the Earth's crust, I believe that humans are weakening the Earth's outer land mass. Also, nuclear bomb explosions underground & in the oceans are weakening the Earth's crust.

*EARTHQUAKE & VOLCANIC RISK: As we weaken the Earth's crust, we are increasing the risk of earthquakes & secondarily volcanic activity.

*THE EARTH'S AXIS: These earthquakes then have a potential to cause a shift in the Earth's axis. Climate change is also affecting the make-up of the Earth's crust & hence the tilt of the Earth's axis.

*CONSENT: We all give our consent to the Governments & Corporations to abuse the Earth. We are all responsible for this Rape of the Earth. But, the masses of people also have the power to withdraw their consent for this Violence to the Earth.

*VIOLATION of the Earth's Crust below a Sacred NATIVE AMERICAN Site: The Black Hills of South Dakota are a sacred site for the Lakota Nation -- & yet the Black Hills are being exploited for ?Scientific purposes? deep below the Earth's surface in the old Homestake gold mine. ?Far below the Black Hills of South Dakota, crews are building the world's deepest underground science lab(oratory) ? -- A place uniquely suited to scientists' quest for mysterious particles known as dark matter?. One person states regarding this Black Hills scientific laboratory: (It) ?Tickles us pink?. (52) Are the Native Americans ?Tickled pink? about this scientific project located about a mile below one of their religious sites? Are U.S. scientists placing a higher value on science & dark matter than on Respecting the Earth's crust & a sacred Native American site at Black Hills ?

CONCLUSION:

*THE HUMAN EGO: We are Not a wise species as our Homo Sapien name suggests. Rather we are Homo Violent. We humans do Not live in harmony with the Earth ? Rather we Homo Sapiens are separate from the Earth.  We are enemies of the Earth. We are predators. We seek to Dominate, conquer & destroy: the Earth, the Native Americans, the Tibetan people, the Mustangs, the Eagles, the Dolphins, the Trees, etc.. We lust for Power & Control.  Why?  The HUMAN EGO -- It is a very dangerous thing.  & I Apologize to the Universe for the Human Ego out to the 10K-1 Galaxy.

Namaste. Salaam. Shalom. Shanti. Peace.

Thank you. Respectfully, Mary Hamer, M.D.

REFERENCES:

1. www.indiadaily.com: Drilling Earth's Crust to Break into the Earth's Mantle?. Staff Reporter. 4/8/5 .

2. en.wikitionary.org: Anthropocene Definition.

3. www.google.com: Definitions of Biosphere on the Web: Referencing: www.scienceshopswales.org.uk.

4. www.google.com: Lithosphere Definitions.

5. www.google.com: Referencing: en.wiktionary.org: Temblor Definition.

6. en.wikipedia.org: Earthquake.

7. www.livescience.com: Hole Drilled to Bottom of the Earth's Crust. By Robert Roy Britt. 4/7/5 .

8. www.ratical.org : #1. Nuclear Bomb Tests & Their Relationship to Earthquakes Planetwide. Silicon Graphics. 1992. #2. Bomb Tests & Earthquakes Section: British, German, Japanese & Canadian studies & Shigeyoshi Matsumae, President Tokai Univ. Yoshio Kato, Dept. of Aerospace Science. #3. Killer Quakes & Bomb Tests Section.

9. www.wagingpeace.org: Consequences of Using Nuclear Weapons. By Babst, Dean. & Krieger, David. 1997. Referencing: Kerr, Richard A. ?Long Valley is on Low Simmer for Now?, Science. June 1984.

10. www.newdawnmagazine.com. Jeffrey, Jason. Earthquakes: Natural or Man-Made?

11. www.newdawnmagazine.com. Jeffrey, Jason. Earthquakes: Natural or Man-Made?

12. Jones, Shannon. Gulf Oil Spill Threatens Economic, Environmental Catastrophe. www.countercurrents.org. 4/30/10 .

13. www.washingtonpost.com: Eilperin. U.S. Exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico . 5/5/10 .

14. en.wikipedia.org: Precautionary Principle Definition.

15. www.aolnews.com: Oil Spill Points to Rig Fail-Safe as Utter Failure. 4/30/10 .

16. www.csmonotor.com: Science of Oil Rigs: Surviving Gulf Storms. By Kris Axtman. 7/26/5 .

17. en.wikipedia.org: Deepwater Horizon. History. Referencing: TransOcean. 9/2/9 . Deepwater Horizon Drills World's Deepest Oil & Gas Well? Press release.

18. www.thefreelibrary.com: Oil Wells Cause Earthquakes. Gale Group. Referencing Paul Segall. Earthquakes triggered by fluid extraction. Geology: October 1989. V 17. Pg 042-046.

19. Segall, Paul. Earthquakes triggered by fluid extraction. Geology. October 1989.

20. www.clas.ufl.edu: Earthquakes in the Gulf of Mexico .

21. news.nationalgeographic.com: Coal Mining Causing Earthquakes.

22. news.nationalgeographic.com: Rare Earthquake Shakes Gulf of Mexico. By Richard Lovett. National Geographic News. 9/11/6 .

23. www.gulfbase.org: Pollution. 2004.

24. www.gulfbase.org: Pollution. 2004.

25. en.wikipedia.org: Gulf of Mexico : Pollution Section.

26. www.tulane.edu: The Louisiana Environment: The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone & Red Tides by Elizabeth Carlisle.

27. pollution-control.suite101.com. Unhealthy Water Pollution in Coastal Oceans. By Bernard Nelson. 7/31/9 .

28. www.foxnews.com: Fast Facts: Haiti Earthquake.

29. www.wired.com: People Can Cause Earthquakes. By Adam Rogers. 1/5/7 . Referencing Richard A. Lovert's article at National Geographic Online.

30. news.nationalgeographic.com. Coal Mining Causing Earthquakes.

31. www.wired.com: People Can Cause Earthquakes. By Adam Rogers. 1/5/7 . Referencing Richard A. Lovert's article at National Geographic Online.

32. www.thepeoplesvoice.org: Haiti 's Earthquake: Natural or Engineered. By Lendman, Stephen. 1/27/10 .

33. www.eco.lass.org : 1967 Earthquake at Koyna Dam , India . By Adrienne Catone-Huber & Jennifer Smith.

34. www.gi.alaska.edu. by Larry Gedney. 10/21/85 .

35. www.thepeoplesvoice.org: Haiti 's Earthquake: Natural or Engineered. By Lendman, Stephen. 1/27/10 .

36. www.thepeoplesvoice.org: Lendman, Stephen. Haiti 's Earthquake: Natural or Engineered. 1/27/10 .

37. Benson, Sally. Carbon Dioxide Capture & Storage. Lawrence Berkeley National laboratory. 4/2/6 .

38. www.newdawnmagazine.com. Jeffrey, Jason. Earthquakes: Natural or Man-Made?

39. www.thepeoplesvoice.org: Lendman, Stephen. Haiti 's Earthquake: Natural or Engineered. 1/27/10 .

40. tenthmil.com: Waking a Sleeping Giant: Human-Induced Earthquakes. By Johnny Kilroy. 1/21/10 . Referencing Science Magazine 2006.

41. www.sciencedaily.com: Large Earthquakes Trigger a Surge in Volcanic Eruptions. 1/12/9 : Referencing Oxford University .

42. www.google.com: Volcanic Activity Definition. Referencing: en.wikipedia.org: Volcano.

43. www.pdc.org: Relationship between Volcanoes & Earthquakes.

44. www.associatedcontent.com: Chile Earthquake, Earth's Rotation & Big Changes. Meg G. 3/4/10 .

45. cnmnewsnetwork.com: Chile Earthquake Earth Axis 2010.

46. www.associatedcontent.com: Chile Earthquake, Earth's Rotation & Big Changes. Meg G. 3/4/10 .

47. inhabitat.com. Global Warming Could Actually Tilt the Earth's Axis. By Ariel Schwartz. 8/21/9 .

48. en.wikipedia.org: Kola Superdeep Borehole. Referencing: www.icdp-online.org : Kola Superdeep Borehole.

49. www.worldoil.com: United States Producing Oil Wells.

50. www.infoplease.com: Country with the Most Dams?

51. en.wikipedia.org: Nuclear Weapons Testing.

52. www.nydailynews.com: Dark Matter Research Excites Scientists. By Dirk Lammers. 6/24/9 .

Poetry For Palestine
To the American people who support Israel and its wars

Dear friends

I am writing this letter to you because of the devastation that is caused by your government in our lands, and because of the immanent threat to world peace that I see your government pushing for, again.

The way things are moving now, I foresee great danger, and terrible risk to peace and security to the whole world.

I am writing to you because I care very much about humanity and I love our planet, with all its inhabitants.

I am writing to you because I believe in civilised dialogues, where people can express themselves freely, without being patronized, silenced, ridiculed, imprisoned or even killed for their beliefs.

I am writing to you to build bridges not walls, and to take you on a short journey so you may see things from our perspective.

I am writing to you for the purpose of advancing more realistic and humanistic understanding and for trying together to achieve a more tolerant and peaceful world.

I see systematic efforts by most of your media pundits, to work endlessly at dehumanizing Muslims and their faith, and I see that as pre-emptive justification for more military attacks against more innocent civilians, aiming at our total destruction.

When a group of people (Muslims in this case) are seen as intrinsically evil, and when their faith and beliefs are portrayed as violent, malicious, and aggressive, then, anything done to those people is acceptable and defensible.

Without talking to one another, and without trying sincerely to put extra effort to understand the other, we will all be losers, and we’ll be driving our beautiful world towards catastrophe and devastation… that breaks my heart, as a mother, and as a human being.

Is it too much to ask “to open our hearts and our minds and listen to what the other has to say” ?

Can we learn something from little children; where prejudice and bigotry are non-existent ?

Words in your media are used and manipulated to imply deceptive meanings, so you are kept in a state of constant fear, watching over your shoulders in panic from "Islamist monsters bent on invading and destroying you", never mind how absurd and ridiculous such allegations in reality are.

The zionist-controlled media has hijacked our language, and vocabulary and disfigured our religion

They drilled in people’s heads that:

Islam is terror

Jihad is holy war

Fatwa is death penalty

Muslim women are the manifestation of oppression, uneducated, forced into wearing the veil, and enslaved by their men.

Muslim men are fanatics, cruel, sadistic wife beaters

Muslim children are terrorists in the making

When a c rime is committed, the criminal is a criminal, but when a Muslim commits a crime, even a petty one, he is immediately labelled a "Muslim criminal" irrespective the fact that his faith opposes such crimes. A Muslim criminal committing a crime becomes "a Muslim terrorist", and he committed the crime because he is a Muslim and his faith teaches evil!

If only Americans could understand that what is published in US medias and blogs, is not the truth, but as much a lie as when your bankers all told you could borrow almost limitless and never suffer any economic consequences.

The hard facts about Islam and Muslims, are different, and the vast majority of Muslims would not fit to this ugly stereotype.

Islam is peace: the root of the word Islam is Salam, which is one of the Holy Names of God. Salam is Arabic for Peace. The meaning of the word Islam is beautiful as Islam is Arabic for bring into Peace.

The word Salam is used for greeting others. Saying "as'Salam alaikum" to someone means "Peace be upon you!"

When a Muslim greets another person with "Peace be upon you," the greeter is in fact proclaiming a contract of Peace with the other person. Hence, if the greeter has non-peaceful intentions towards the other person, he would be engaging in hypocrisy, which is one of the Major Sins in Islam!

“When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy. God takes careful account of all things” Quran (4:86)

Jihad is an Arabic word that means the endeavour to do your best to make this world a better one:

Any effort to help achieve that is called jihad, or struggle, going to school to learn is a form of jihad, being a mother rearing children is jihad, spreading knowledge through teaching or writing is jihad, treating patients is jihad, looking after sick parents is jihad, also defending yourself when attacked is jihad, and struggling against oppression is jihad.

Any action that one undertakes in order to bring good to mankind is jihad

Life with all its ups and downs is a jihad

The highest form of Jihad, however, is the inner Jihad, which is the Major Jihad that means the never ending inner struggle against one’s arrogance, greed, and selfishness in order to achieve the Generous Temperaments.

The Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him, declared "Verily I was sent to this World to define (and live by) the Generous Temperament."

According to him, the codes of Generous Temperament (makarem elakhlaq) are seven:

“Pardoning those who have oppressed you

Giving to those who have deprived you

Connecting with those who have shunned you

Benefiting those who have abused you

Counselling those who have deceived you

Forgiving those who have maligned you

Forbearing with those who have angered you.”

Contrary to common beliefs, the concept of holy war does NOT exist in Islam; it is a European concept from the days of the crusaders, and has absolutely no equivalent in Islam, it does however in the minds of the new crusaders as it seems from so many video clip we have seen, of your hypocrite politicians and zionist "evangelists", and in the sick minds of those who invaded our lands and murdered our people.

To translate the concept of Holy War into Arabic is almost impossible. It would sound something like “Harb Muqaddassah” which does not exist in Arabic, even the concept of it is unheard of, never used in spoken or written language, as it is too contrary to Islamic principles and values !

How misleading and dishonest is the translation and misconception of jihad as a holy war then!

By writing this, all I am doing is reclaiming my language back.

Fatwa is nothing but an expression of an opinion by an informed person:

Being what it is, it is not for any one to enforce their “fatwa” / opinion upon anyone.

There is no hierarchy system, no priesthood, no church institution, and no clergy in Islam; and that is something totally misunderstood, and rarely ever mentioned.

Any Muslim is entitled to make his/ her opinion from their understanding of the Qur’anic text.

If those opinions are expressed by some knowledgeable person, they are called “fatwa”.

All this falsification, distortion, and misrepresentation of Islam (deliberate or not) if not addressed and sorted out urgently, logically and with open-mindedness and compassion, then our world is doomed!

Being a Muslim woman and knowing exactly what Islam teaches, I feel dismayed and heartbroken at the image that you are made to believe as a true representation of us and of our faith

Now, if I come to you and say: “well, no in fact Islam teach this or does not teach that” would you take my word for it?

Of course not, so, I “quote” some of the specific teachings in order to reflect-precisely- the position of Islam, from the most authentic source to Muslims: the Qur’an.

Democracy and Freedom of choice:

“No compulsion in religion or ideology” (2:256).

“Say: O you that reject Faith! I worship not that which you worship, and you do not worship that which I worship... To you be your Way, and to me mine”. (109:1-6)

“We showed him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)”. (76:3)

“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity”. (3:104)

"And their affairs are (conducted) through consultation among themselves." (42:38)

“If any one does a righteous deed, it ensures to the benefit of his own soul; if he does evil, it works against (his own soul). In the end will you (all) be brought back to your Lord”. (45; 15)

Relations with others:

'O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honoured of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in righteousness. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware'. (49.13)

“And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colours: verily in that are Signs for those who know”.(30-22)

Women’s’ issues

“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions”. (16-97)

“The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey God and His Messenger. On them will God pour His mercy: for God is Exalted in power, Wise”. (9:71)

“If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them”. (3-124)

“Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it”. (99:7-8)

“It is He who created you from a single soul, and made its mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love)”. (7:189)

“And among His Signs is this: He created for you mates from among yourselves that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He plants love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. 30-21

“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God’s praise; for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward”. (33:35)

War and peace:

The general rule is:

Fighting is only allowed in case of self-defence, against Aggression (odwan) or Persecution (fitnah).

'You may fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not initiate aggression. God does not love transgressors.' (2.190)

"O believers, be you guardians of justice, witness for God. Let not a group's hostility to you cause you to deviate from justice; be equitable - that is nearer to being God-conscious." (5:8)

“To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight back), because they are wronged; and verily, God is most powerful for their aid; (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,-(for no cause) except that they say, our Lord is God”. (22:39-40)

“God commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and antagonism: He advices you, that ye may be reminded.” (16-90)

"No soul shall be made to bear the burden (liability) of another." (35:18)

“But show them forgiveness, and say "Peace!" and soon shall they know!” (43; 89)

“The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God; for (God) loveth not those who are wrong-doers”. (42:40)

'If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One that heareth and knoweth all things.' (8.61)

“But God does call to the Home of Peace” (10-25)

“Ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for God can best protect both. Follow not the desires (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that ye do. Thus, have We made of you a nation justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves” (2-143)

“Show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant.” (7:199)

“It may well be that God will bring about love (and friendship) between you and those with whom you are now at odds.” (60:7)

“Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel evil with what is best: if you do so, he who is your enemy will become a close friend.” (41.34)

**********************

I am only a mother, and I am also a person who detests violence, war, weapons, killings…etc

I am sick to death with war and violence

And I wish what I have seen and what my people had seen on nobody.

Centuries of imperialism, and illiteracy followed by the brutal uprooting of a whole nation from their homeland in order to give it away to people from other parts of the world just because of their Jewish-ness, and to free the European’s mind of the guilt of the holocaust (which we –Muslims and Palestinians- had nothing to do with, but ended up having to pay the price for Europe’s crimes)

Year after year, decade after decade of injustice towards the Palestinians, accompanied by unequivocal support from USA and Europe to the Zionist entity, led the Muslims to resent the hypocritical policies of the Western world.

This blind support of the Zionists was/ is perceived by Muslims as an act of aggression and grave injustice.

Yet those fundamental basic facts are not represented to you, what you led to believe is that Muslims hate your freedom, your democracy, they are jealous of your way of life, and they hate peace… what a load of nonsense!!!

Muslims feel oppressed and persecuted by YOUR government, its unjust policies, its unconditional support of the terrorist zionist regime and its criminal wars and aggression

They feel that justice had been denied to them, and that they have been constantly under attack.

Exposed to so much injustice and oppression it is only natural that people would have resentments and would look for ways to liberate themselves from oppression and modern slavery, which is precisely the case in many Muslim countries nowadays.

And instead of trying to right the wrongs you’ve done over decades of oppression and injustice, what do you do?

You go yet again and attack more Muslim countries; you bomb Afghanistan and Iraq reducing them to rubble! And go on to threaten Iran with nukes!

You kill over a million more!

And what is more ridiculous is that you are doing so whilst claiming that you’re doing it for the sake of liberating us from our backwardness, ignorance, and our fanatics…

What are you thinking? Do you think we are idiots?

We are sick to death with your interference in our lands, and our countries

We are sick to death with your domination and your attitude of superiority towards us and the rest of the world.

We are sick to death of you trying to impose on us your ways, your thinking, your problems and your solutions.

Imperialism has no room in the future of our world, and most certainly, that must include thought imperialism.

WE WANT TO BE FREE

We want to be free in our homelands

We want to be able to exercise our rights to choose our representatives and our governments

We want our human rights that enable live peacefully and with dignity with no threat of bombing or ethnic cleansing

We want our right to go home and not to live forever as refugees

We want our right to believe in God or not to believe if we so wish to

We want our right to be equal human beings with equal value to our lives

We want to be free to solve the ills of our societies in our own ways not by copy-pasting your experiences and your solutions.

It’s not good enough to try to justify the horrors that you’ve inflected and still inflecting upon us, by dehumanizing us and belittling our faith. Period

Where to go from there?

Yes indeed, where to go from there?

Is there a way out?

As an optimist, yes of course there is always a way out:

To begin with, you must start with opening your hearts and minds to see us as equal human beings, worthy of life, love, and freedom.

Remove your prejudice against us, and with sincere efforts open dialogues with us, not to tell us what should we do or how should we think, or whom to elect as our leaders, but to listen to us as your equals in humanity. A dialogue is a two way system.

It’s also good to start educating yourselves a bit more about us, not taking your information from Hollywood but from us and our authentic sources.

We have so much to tell you, so much to share, so much good we can offer you and the world.

And that is not exaggeration; that is simply the truth. Because we are humans just like you. We all have so much to offer the world.

May I give some suggestion towards a solution?

Why not end your occupation of our lands?

Why not stop supporting those puppet regime and dictators your successive governments have forces upon Arabs for the sake of "Nation Building" which is the most heinous word one can imagine, and why not continuing by accepting our FREELY elected representatives, whom we chose through democracy ?

Why not visit and even come and live in Muslim countries without your army uniform, and without offering your bombs and missiles as gifts?

Why not drop your arms and come to us with open arms rather than coming carrying machine guns and riding offensive tanks?

Instead of pushing like crazy towards Armageddon; why not gently, lovingly, tenderly and with compassion, why not embrace a world of justice, tolerance and respect, as Jesus “peace be upon him” would’ve done if he was alive today?

Why not attentively listen to each other? Why not dream and work for a more peaceful world built upon diversity and richness of multiplicity, a world where humanity is celebrated and variety is rejoiced, a world where all are respected, where all are free to think, to believe, and to live their own way without infringing on each other, or imposing our ways upon each other?

As of now, the world already can see that the American dream is a nightmare, your s-elected and corrupt governments have made your country the most loathed country, and they have robbed you exactly as they robbed those "Arabs out there"

If you look more vigilantly, more attentively, and closer to home, you will find the REAL terrorist worthy of your alarm and disgust, are the ones amongst your midst, ruling your country, robbing your resources, thriving on your poverty, rejoicing your misery.

So why not transform this mad nightmare and ideologically driven devastation, back into a dream…. a reality?

Who is there?

Oh human

Can’t you see!

I am precisely like you

I don’t like being humiliated

I am no one’s doormat

I’m person in my own right

When I was born

I was born innocent

Happy and free

And I want to live

A normal life

With dignity

Wouldn’t you?

I realise there is a dawn

Waiting to be born

And that… after hardship… passes away

Ease will come to life… very soon

But… they’ve inflected so much

Pain and cruelty

Upon this little girl

And upon her homeland

The world is watching

Eyes open wide

In bewilderment

And disbelief

“What we are watching

Is a fiction movie

It’s not really true”

While in exile

Puzzled… I agonize

Wiping tears off my saddened face

Searching around

Any one there?

Looking up… into sky

Did You hear my cries?

Did You witness the crime?

Suddenly

Knock… knock

A gentle tap

 

Yes, coming

Who is there?

Hope is here

Smiling at my heart

Standing by my door

I am a Jerusalem-born Palestinian refugee living in exile for over 42 years. I was forced to leave my homeland, Palestine at the age of seven during the six-day war. I am a mathematician by profession. I started writing about three years ago when my friends insisted I should write about my memories, experiences, and feelings as a Palestinian. I did… but it all came out -for some strange reason- sounding -as I am told- like poetry! So I self published two books (I Believe in Miracles, and Palestine, The True Story. Write to me at: nahidaexiledpalestinian@gmail.com

The blame-game theory is still a red herring distracting us from the environmental disaster's prime suspect: All of us.

After considering laughably titled solutions like the top hat (a containment dome), the junk shot (a pressurized blast of golf balls and shredded tires) and worse, British Petroleum has proven one thing above all else: When the fossil fool hits the fan, it simply has no plan.

The fact that BP was allowed to drill along the shores of the United States in spite of its unwillingness to plan and prepare for accidents is only stunning to those haven't been paying attention to the feverish pace of deregulation since the rapacious Reagan conservatives took global culture by blitzkrieg. It certainly isn't surprising to anyone who has been paying even slight attention to BP, which boasts a decorated resume of spills and screw-ups.

According to recent revelations, a blowout preventer that could have halted the Deepwater Horizon clustergush failed a crucial pressure test hours before the April 20 explosion, and was never tested by the government engineer who approved BP's drilling operation. Those kinds of safety lapses are standard operating procedure, an oil industry whistleblower told the Huffington Post, saying he routinely witnessed 100 such shortcuts on BP rigs and others throughout 18 years of service in the sector. The fallback plan, a relief well, won't be finished until after the summer, by which there will be little reason left to live in New Orleans. Great. 

But if you've been railing for decades against the fossil fuel sector for everything from deliberately removing safeguards that could have prevented what will likely end up being the worst U.S. oil disaster in history to its lethal emissions that could, in the extreme, end up warming planet Earth to the point that human habitation is an impossibility, well, this is all old, sad news. 

Cold Oil Turkey 

"While this is a horrible disaster, it occurs to me that Americans cannot accept the fact that getting oil out of the earth is dirty, difficult, hazardous work, with great risks for society," said James Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency and Geography of Nowhere. "We don't want to know about it, as long as we can drive comfortably to the strip mall, enjoy NPR and an iced beverage. When something happens to prick our bubble of unreality, we're indignant." 

The counter-argument to Kunstler's hard-eged realism -- which is thankfully gaining steam every day the Deepwater Horizon disaster gushes hundreds of thousands, if not a million, gallons of crude into the Gulf -- is that further regulation and safety enforcement could put at least a partial stop to the fossil foolishness. Which means legally proving that BP, Halliburton and Transocean deliberately obviated what safety requirements existed so that the United States can conduct criminal proceedings which could then levy heftier damages than $75 million cap on liability under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which itself was hastily enacted by Congress under President George H.W. Bush shortly after the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

It also means exacting deeper regulation on the nation's compromised Minerals Management Service, which the Department of the Interior is considering splitting into two separate agencies. From taking drugs and having sex with energy company reps to being exempted from delivering detailed environmental analyses, the MMS is a controversy-soaked frat house. And its parent agency at Interior is the same hot mess. It's obvious that, when it comes to America's oil regime, the lunatics are drilling the asylum into the bedrock. So it's probably no surprise that neither agency returned several calls for comment. 

But add it up and it's one hell of a cleanup for a country with an unceasing appetite for hyperconsumption but little stomach for hard work. Which is why the blame-game theory, while it makes for good theater and hopefully better punitive damages, is still a red herring distracting us from the environmental disaster's prime suspect: All of us.

"BP, Haliburton and Transocean will all be financially punished for this, and they, along with other oil companies, will say, 'Screw you, America, we're moving our operations to Angola,'" added Kunstler. "All of this shucking and jiving over blame is a Chinese fire drill concealing the fact that we are all complicit in this disaster, and refuse to even consider changing our underlying behavior." 

But this is what most junkies do, when the drugs start to wear off and run out: Keep tapping that vein. A new Associated Press/GfK poll on the spill released in mid-May supports that madness. While 42 percent of respondents felt that the Obama administration is properly prosecuting the spill, even more, 50 percent to be exact, are cool with further coastal drilling for oil and gas. In spite of all that has happened, they'd rather drill for what's left of our domestic oil supply than prepare, plan and proselytize for our inevitable post-oil future. Itinerant laziness is the true culprit in this spill. BP, MMS and other alphabet nightmares are monsters of our own consumptive creation. 

"In the most general terms, I think the answer to drilling problems is better regulation and taxes to fund cleanup efforts," explained Mother Jones and Washington Monthly journalist Kevin Drum, who like Kunstler is a peak oil theorist. "Because the plain fact is that drilling is going to happen one way or another, as long as we're addicted to oil. And the answer to that is unrelated to drilling at all." 

When it comes to killing addiction, the first stage is always acknowledging one. Optimistic estimations of peak oil theory explain that global supply will start dwindling in 2020, a clear-sighted metaphor if there ever was one. Even without factoring in the always reliable underestimation that leads to disasters like Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon, that's only a decade to get our heads and engines together. In other words, a light-speed snapshot of time compared to the insane workload. 

"The administration needs to take this opportunity to explain the multiple hidden costs to our addiction to fossil fuels," argued Center for American Progress climate analyst Joseph Romm, the author of Straight Up: America's Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on the Status Quo Media, Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions. "As we're finding out with Goldman Sachs, you just can't let the industry regulate itself. But ultimately we have to get off the addiction. If the administration doesn't help us do that, it will be an incomprehensible missed opportunity." 

"We need a serious carbon tax and serious climate legislation to reduce our reliance," said Drum. "I care a lot more about that than I do about the specific issues related to oil rig safety." 

Infinite Step Recovery 

The prospects for such serious campaigns against carbon are practically dead in the water, just like the collateral damage washing up in Louisiana and elsewhere in the Gulf. The current climate legislation drafted by senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman is a capitulation to the fossil fuel industry, offering concessions like increased offshore drilling and a doubtlessly unregulated cap-and-trade derivatives market in exchange for greenhouse gas limits. This mind-numbing arrogance and collusion between the energy sector and rich nations is precisely what led to the failure of last year's climate summit in Copenhagen, according to ex-World Bank economist Sir Nicholas Stern, who crunched the numbers in 2006 and decided that doing nothing about global warming would end up costing the world around $5 trillion dollars and rising.

The prospects for this year's retreat in Cancun similarly suck. The Obama administration's special climate envoy Todd Stern admitted in May that the United States will probably have no climate bill in place by the time it gets to Mexico. Factor in robust public support for further coastal drilling in the midst of the Deepwater Horizon disaster and it becomes clear that the political will to change our energy game is weak.  

But the political capital to be reaped by anger over the spill is strong. On May 13, senators Barbara Boxer, Ron Wyden, Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell and Jeff Merkley introduced legislation to ban offshore oil drilling along the West Coast. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew support for a drilling operation off the coast of Santa Barbara. On the other side of the country, Florida representative Corrine Brown has proposed similar legislation, while governor Charlie Crist has suggested a possible constitutional amendment mandating the same. 

Yet the Obama administration is openly supporting not an outright ban on offshore drilling, but Kerry and Leiberman's weak-kneed concessions. Their bill does include provisions that allow states to ban operations within 75 miles of their coastlines, as well as a sweetener that allows them to siphon off larger revenue from those operations. But they should already have that anyway. And the Deepwater Horizon clustergush occurred over 40 miles offshore; Kerry and Lieberman's bill would have bought the Gulf coast a few extra days before it was soaked in oil. Plus, fisheries and other natural environments utterly necessary to the economic and civic health of the entire country aren't strictly on the coastline; some are miles offshore, closer to the rigs than you or I. 

Take a look at what the Department of the Interior calls "President Obama's comprehensive energy plan for the country," and it's clear that we're in for much more, not less, offshore drilling. The color-coded graphics tell it all: Exploration and production plans to cruise northeastward up from the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico to its Eastern region and up into the South and mid-Atlantic. Same goes for the comparatively oily Alaskan region. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Shell Oil starts  drilling in Alaska's cold Chuchki and Beaufort seas starting in July. 

"The Arctic region is, in nearly every respect, the exact opposite of the temperate conditions of the Gulf of Mexico,” said WWF president and CEO Carter Roberts. “Technology simply does not exist to clean up a spill in Arctic waters. And, unlike the Gulf with its robust response apparatus close at hand, the Coast Guard lacks the capacity to adequately respond to a spill in the Arctic." 

While the West Coast is currently off-limits, the Interior reminds, especially given the new legislation from Boxer and company, it's just a matter of diminishing supply until we start tapping that vein. If not for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, we might already have. But with public support and White House support fully behind further offshore drilling, and the paranoid specters of foreign terrorism rearing their fear-inducing heads up in Times Square and Arizona, it's probably going to be a long time before the United States does anything substantial about the Deepwater Horizon incident, much less greater oil exploration or even climate change.  

But one thing is most likely certain: We won't be ready as a nation to mandate change until the peak oil gong rings in 2020, or earlier. And by then, it could be too late. 

"Big Oil has obviously funded major disinformation campaigns to mislead the public about the threat of global warming, and the worst-case scenarios for a spill," Romm said. "But at some point, the painful reality of warming will be so clear that we will be desperate and start to do things differently. But what we need to do first and foremost is pass a climate and clean-energy bill. That is our top priority: Get off the unsafe dirty fuels of the 20th century and get on the safe fuels of the 21st century like wind and solar, which never run out."

Like me, many women could discover that a childfree life offers meaningful experiences that balance the loss of mothering, and theirs could be a great gift to a beleaguered planet.

It was Mother's Day, and the staff of the independent-living community where my mother resides had arranged a nice luncheon, with roses for all the mothers. When a cherubic child with golden ringlets pressed a flower into my hand, and I politely refused it, she became confused. No wonder, since it was assumed by everyone, that of course all adult women in attendance were mothers

At fifty-something I am an adult, but not a mother. And though some will gasp in horror, I consider that to be my greatest achievement as a conservationist, although finding the first saw-whet owl ever reported in my part of Virginia ranks pretty high, too.

For millennia, the relentless ticking of a woman's biological clock has equated her entire life with only one purpose: childbearing. And for my gender, menopause has always largely meant the end of meaning.

I've lived through that transition now, without despair or Prozac. And I'm not alone. Today large numbers of married women are choosing not to have children, if only because more opportunities are being offered to more women than ever before. It was my good fortune to come of age with such choices, and to find a husband who honored them.

It always seemed to me that childbearing was a quick way out of a hard hunt - providing instant meaning to life. I wanted to search for purpose elsewhere. Plus, when I first read the ingredients on jars of industrial baby food - this was long before "organic" was even a gleam in Gerber's eye - I couldn't imagine inflicting that stuff on an infant.

Which brings me to the state of the world.

Although few journalists cover this angle, almost every environmental disaster is caused by overpopulation - but not the kind many assume. It's not the black and brown babies of the developing world that most threaten our planet, but our own desire for stuff - a hunger for iPods and starter castles.

American consumption, and the global pollution associated with supplying it, is unsurpassed. It takes a Third World village to use all the resources that a single American consumes and, often, wastes every day. So even though the birthrate in America is historically low, curbing it further would be a good place to begin when trying to save the world. I am pleased to do my part.

But what about the joys that children bring? Isn't there a basic biological drive to reproduce? And aren't children our future, after all?

The only sadness occasionally seeping from my childfree decision is not having grandchildren - which my mother would have loved. Now and then, I've also wondered if my husband would have enjoyed life more with children, but I doubt it.

As for the future, I'm more concerned about the precarious outlook for saw-whet owls than the human race, which far outnumbers owls and has all the advantages. And I grieve for the generations of all living creatures that will suffer from our toxic legacy.

Meanwhile, a few fundamentalist preachers have noticed the childfree trend and condemned it because marriage, they say, is only for procreation. Others question whether the Lord really wants the world to have 9 billion people, many dying as babies because clean air, water, and enough food are only available to those able to afford them.

It seems to me that the encouragement of childfree couples is crucial to saving the planet.

A childfree life celebrates humanity's most profound conquest of nature: not the engineering of dams or genes, but control of conception. Give every woman that choice, and the world will change.

Like me, many women could discover that a childfree life offers meaningful experiences that balance the loss of mothering, and theirs could be a great gift to a beleaguered planet.

 

When Morales invited "social movements and Mother Earth's defenders" to a new kind of climate summit, it was an attempt to build a base of power behind the right to survive.

It was 11 am and Evo Morales had turned a football stadium into a giant classroom, marshaling an array of props: paper plates, plastic cups, disposable raincoats, handcrafted gourds, wooden plates and multicolored ponchos. All came into play to make his main point: to fight climate change, "we need to recover the values of the indigenous people."

Yet wealthy countries have little interest in learning these lessons and are instead pushing through a plan that at its best would raise average global temperatures 2 degrees Celsius. "That would mean the melting of the Andean and Himalayan glaciers," Morales told the thousands gathered in the stadium, part of the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. What he didn't have to say is that the Bolivian people, no matter how sustainably they choose to live, have no power to save their glaciers.

Bolivia's climate summit has had moments of joy, levity and absurdity. Yet underneath it all, you can feel the emotion that provoked this gathering: rage against helplessness.

It's little wonder. Bolivia is in the midst of a dramatic political transformation, one that has nationalized key industries and elevated the voices of indigenous peoples as never before. But when it comes to Bolivia's most pressing, existential crisis -- the fact that its glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, threatening the water supply in two major cities -- Bolivians are powerless to do anything to change their fate on their own.

That's because the actions causing the melting are taking place not in Bolivia but on the highways and in the industrial zones of heavily industrialized countries. In Copenhagen, leaders of endangered nations like Bolivia and Tuvalu argued passionately for the kind of deep emissions cuts that could avert catastrophe. They were politely told that the political will in the North just wasn't there. More than that, the United States made clear that it didn't need small countries like Bolivia to be part of a climate solution. It would negotiate a deal with other heavy emitters behind closed doors, and the rest of the world would be informed of the results and invited to sign on, which is precisely what happened with the Copenhagen Accord. When Bolivia and Ecuador refused to rubber-stamp the accord, the U.S. government cut their climate aid by $3 million and $2.5 million, respectively. "It's not a free-rider process," explained U.S. climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing. (Anyone wondering why activists from the global South reject the idea of "climate aid" and are instead demanding repayment of "climate debts" has their answer here.) Pershing's message was chilling: if you are poor, you don't have the right to prioritize your own survival.

When Morales invited "social movements and Mother Earth's defenders ... scientists, academics, lawyers and governments" to come to Cochabamba for a new kind of climate summit, it was a revolt against this experience of helplessness, an attempt to build a base of power behind the right to survive.

The Bolivian government got the ball rolling by proposing four big ideas: that nature should be granted rights that protect ecosystems from annihilation (a "Universal Declaration of Mother Earth Rights"); that those who violate those rights and other international environmental agreements should face legal consequences (a "Climate Justice Tribunal"); that poor countries should receive various forms of compensation for a crisis they are facing but had little role in creating ("Climate Debt"); and that there should be a mechanism for people around the world to express their views on these topics ("World People's Referendum on Climate Change").

The next stage was to invite global civil society to hash out the details. Seventeen working groups were struck, and after weeks of online discussion, they met for a week in Cochabamba with the goal of presenting their final recommendations at the summit's end. The process is fascinating but far from perfect (for instance, as Jim Shultz of the Democracy Center pointed out, the working group on the referendum apparently spent more time arguing about adding a question on abolishing capitalism than on discussing how in the world you run a global referendum). Yet Bolivia's enthusiastic commitment to participatory democracy may well prove the summit's most important contribution.

That's because, after the Copenhagen debacle, an exceedingly dangerous talking point went viral: the real culprit of the breakdown was democracy itself. The UN process, giving equal votes to 192 countries, was simply too unwieldybetter to find the solutions in small groups. Even trusted environmental voices like James Lovelock fell prey: "I have a feeling that climate change may be an issue as severe as a war," he told the Guardian recently. "It may be necessary to put democracy on hold for a while." But in reality, it is such small groupings--like the invitation-only club that rammed through the Copenhagen Accord--that have caused us to lose ground, weakening already inadequate existing agreements. By contrast, the climate change policy brought to Copenhagen by Bolivia was drafted by social movements through a participatory process, and the end result was the most transformative and radical vision so far.

With the Cochabamba summit, Bolivia is trying to take what it has accomplished at the national level and globalize it, inviting the world to participate in drafting a joint climate agenda ahead of the next UN climate gathering, in Cancún. In the words of Bolivia's ambassador to the UN, Pablo Solón, "The only thing that can save mankind from a tragedy is the exercise of global democracy."

If he is right, the Bolivian process might save not just our warming planet but our failing democracies as well. Not a bad deal at all.

The climate justice movement has taken up two enormous concerns: How to address ecological catastrophe and how to develop a new global economic model.

In the Bolivian village of Tiquipaya, just outside of Cochabamba, 15,000 people from 125 countries gathered for the People’s World Conference on Climate Change, which Bolivian President Evo Morales organized after the failed Copenhagen climate talks. Under a beaming sun, indigenous groups dedicated the conference to Pachamama (Mother Earth in the native Quechua), dancing, singing and playing traditional instruments like charangos and zampoñas, as rainbow-checkered flags of the Andean indigenous peoples waved.

From the podium, President Morales clarified the reason for gathering: “Either capitalism lives or Mother Earth lives.” Morales criticized capitalism: "The main cause of climate change is capitalism. As people who inhabit Mother Earth, we have the right to say that the cause is capitalism, to protest limitless growth. Capitalism is the source of the problem. More than 800 million people live on less than $2 a day. Until we change the capitalist system, our measures to address climate change are limited.”

The conference brought indigenous groups and climate justice action networks together with government delegates and several heads of state from 70 countries. There were 17 working groups and panels, which drafted in a final declaration that the Bolivian government has pledged to present to the UNFCCC’s COP 16 talks in Cancun at the end of the year.

Working groups were to hash out concerns on topics such as agriculture and food sovereignty, financing and technology transfer, the dangers of the carbon market, the impact of climate change on indigenous people and how it produces climate refugees, among others.

Expressing frustration with the non-democratic manner in which the Copenhagen Accord was drawn up, Morales underscored that it was a backroom deal between five countries -- the U.S., China, India, South Africa and Brazil.

Criticism of the UN was evident at the opening ceremony: when Alicia Barcena, representative of UN secretary-general Ban Ki Moon, attempted to give her speech, she was booed.

Morales underscored that the Copenhagen Accord ran counter to and disrespected the UNFCCC process, which stipulates transparency in protocol drafting and consensus in decision-making. It ignored the progress of the UN’s two working groups -- AWG-KP and AWG-LCA -- responsible for drafting an agreement extending the Kyoto Protocol.

Numerous countries from groupings such as the G77 (130 nations), the Alliance of Small Island States (42 countries) and the Least Developed Countries (49 nations) echoed his criticism at the recent preparatory UNFCCC meeting in Bonn, Germany.

Bolivia’s lead climate negotiator Angelica Navarro described what happened in Copenhagen: “That is not democracy. That is not the UN. For months, we were discussing our proposals with other countries. They did not listen. What we want in Bolivia is a true and participatory democracy, a grassroots democracy. If the governments do not come up with a plan for climate change, the people have to lead with a plan."

The conference sought to establish a balance of power by bringing together governmental representatives and climate justice groups from around the world.

Navarro echoed Morales’ criticism of free market solutions to global warming, saying, “You cannot create a climate market to solve climate change. You have to address the structural causes. These causes are not only to be measured in terms of greenhouse gases. They are trade, finances and economy.”

As an alternative, Morales has called for a “communitarian socialism” that would equally distribute resources and re-establish harmony between humans and nature. He outlined his plan to achieve this balance:

1. Reparations from rich countries to poor and low-lying nations, to assist them with adaptations to climate change;
2. The creation of an International Climate Justice Tribunal, modeled on the UN’s International Court of Justice;
3. The development and transfer of technology by developed nations to developing countries; and
4. A Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, modeled on the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Additionally, Morales called for borders to be opened to climate refugees.

In many ways, the conference was a success.

Some working groups reached agreements, which, if taken to the COP 16 and recognized, could be pivotal in shifting climate change policy. The forest working group starkly rejected the UN program REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). REDD is a shell game, using market mechanisms to offset carbon emissions, which allows for speculation and for companies to get around actual carbon reductions.

“REDD is branded as a friendly forest conservation program, yet it is backed by big polluters and climate profiteers. We cannot solve this crisis without addressing the root cause: a fossil fuel economy that disregards the rights of Mother Earth,” said Alberto Saldamando, legal counsel for the International Indian Treaty Council.

Tom Goldtooth, director of the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), added that “REDD is a predatory program that pretends to save forests and the climate, while backhandedly selling out forests out from under our indigenous people."

Others reached decisions outside of the working groups. Climate Justice Action (CJA) and Via Campesina left the action strategy working group the first day. To some extent, as CJA organizer Tadzio Mueller explained, “Networking is better done outside of working groups.” CJA met with various organizations -- such as 350.org, Jubilee South and Via Campesina -- outside of the PWCCC working group structure, in order to plan a series of actions for October 2010.

Even if the concluding statements developed by the working groups are not recognized by the UN, the conference gave climate justice movements the opportunity to meet, discuss and hash out differences, and reach consensus on pivotal issues related to climate change, preserving and building momentum in organizing, be it locally, regionally or internationally, be it around specific issues outside of the UN process or in preparation for the COP 16.

Yet there is also dissent. Despite Morales’ recent work on climate change -- calling for April 22 to be recognized as Earth Day by the UN, and creating this forum -- within Bolivia, various groups argue that there is a discrepancy between the president's rhetoric for Mother Earth and his policy of mineral extraction, where revenues from natural gas help to keep the poorest country in South America flush.

An 18th unofficial working group (Mesa 18) argued that its criticisms had been excluded from the conference, emphasizing the contradiction in Morales’ stance and environmental degradation brought about by mining, oil and gas extraction.

Conamaq, one of the groups within Mesa 18, called attention to environmental degradation of mining practices at San Cristobal. On the border between Bolivia and Chile, activists blocked roads and railway lines. Although the mine is owned by a Japanese company, Sumitomo Corporation, protests this week have sought to call attention to the Bolivian government’s responsibility in attending to environmental pollution. The silver and lead mines are wasting and contaminating local waters supplies.

In nearby salt flats, Sumitomo is also vying for the right to extract lithium, a key ingredient in the batteries used in cell phones, laptops and electric cars. Bolivia contains the largest lithium reserves in the world, which will become increasingly valuable as transportation shifts away from fossil fuels and to alternative energy sources.

The conference closed on Thursday, April 22, in conjunction with Earth Day. In the morning, various heads of state and government delegates met with representatives of organizations and civil society. In the afternoon, leaders met in the coliseum to present the conference’s declaration.

It was consistently underscored at the conference that it is not enough to address only the symptoms of climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions; one must go to the source of the problem -- the economic system that commodifies every aspect of our lives. In this way, the climate justice movement has taken up not one, but two, enormous concerns: how to address ecological catastrophe and how to develop a new global economic model.

Major gains for caribou and conservation in the Boreal Forest.

Greenpeace lauds historic new pact to save Canada’s Boreal Forest.

After years of campaigning for protection of the Boreal Forest, we're happy to announce one of the biggest, most ambitious conservation agreements ever. With the co-operation of major logging companies, the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement begins with a three-year planning period to identify 72 million hectares of new conservation areas, an area larger twice the size of Germany, while immediately establishing a moratorium on 28 million hectares of critical woodland caribou habitat. There is still a lot of work to do, but this landmark agreement promises vast new protected areas across Canada's Boreal Forest.

The Agreement, announced by environmental groups and FPAC at news conferences in Toronto and Montreal, covers 72 million hectares of Boreal Forest, a massive sweep of forest twice the size of Germany that stretches almost from coast to coast. Included in the agreement is an immediate moratorium on logging in 28 million hectares, covering virtually all the critical habitat of the threatened woodland caribou.

“This is our best chance to save woodland caribou, permanently protect vast areas of the Boreal Forest and put in place sustainable forestry practices,” said Richard Brooks, Greenpeace forest campaign coordinator at the news conference. “The interest of the marketplace and public has been critical in this agreement. We have a lot of work to do together to make this agreement successful and we are committed to make it happen.”

The goals of the 90-page Agreement include commitments to developing joint proposals for networks of protected areas, especially areas of intact forest, joint proposals for the recovery of species at risk, including woodland caribou, the development of world-leading practices in forest management and harvesting.

In addition, when the Agreement the FPAC companies will have established their leadership on conservation issues and will be able to operate in a more certain business environment. As a result, the forest industry in Canada will be stronger, forest communities will have a better economic future and Canadian forest products will have a stronger position in global markets.

“The importance of this Agreement cannot be overstated,” said Avrim Lazar, President and CEO of FPAC at the news conference. “FPAC member companies and their ENGO counterparts have turned the old paradigm on its head. Together we have identified a more intelligent, productive way to manage economic and environmental challenges in the boreal that will reassure global buyers of our products’ sustainability. It’s gratifying to see nearly a decade of industry transformation and hard work greening our operations, is culminating in a process that will set a forestry standard that will be the envy of the world,”

As part of the Agreement, Greenpeace, along with ForestEthics and Canopy, two other groups involved, have immediately suspended their “Do-Not-Buy” and divestment campaigns against the FPAC companies.

Greenpeace played a leading role in developing the agreement which includes a three-year timeline for completing conservation planning across the whole 72-million-hectare area.

In addition to the work of environmental groups, the Pew Environment Group and the Ivey Foundation have played an important role in supporting negotiations.

The Agreement also includes commitments to continue work already under way to involve First Nations in implementation. The role of First Nations is considered essential to full implementation.

Go to Boreal Resources for a complete set of documents on the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. Media can download high resolution photos at http://www.greenpeace.ca/gallery. For Video b-roll, please contact aube.giroux@greenpeace.org