President Bush has told the people of Iran that he respects them and respects their country. In his State of the Union speech, Mr Bush said he hoped that America would one day be a close ally of a free and democratic Iran. He said Iran was a nation held hostage by a small clerical elite, an elite which was isolating and repressing the Iranian people. The president also renewed his demand that Hamas lay down its weapons. The US, he said, would continue to confront the threat posed by Tehran's nuclear ambitions but he said he wanted to speak directly to the people of Iran. America, Mr Bush said, respects you. We respect your right to choose your own future and win your own freedom. America hoped one day to be the closest of friends with a democratic Iran. After he said all this Bull Shit I hope someone pointed out that Iran already has an elected government. We have an elected Government also but none could accuse it of being good, honest, ethical or moral ... http://news.bbc.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 22:03:00 01-31-06 |
Extracts of US President George W Bush's 2006 State of the Union address released in advance: |
In this decisive year, you and I will make choices that determine both the future and the character of our country. We will choose to act confidently in pursuing the enemies of freedom - or retreat from our duties in the hope of an easier life. We will choose to build our prosperity by leading the world economy - or shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity. In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting - yet it ends in danger and decline. The only way to protect our people... the only way to secure the peace... the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership - so the United States of America will continue to lead. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4668320.stm
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Editor - 20:46:00 01-31-06 |
Sheehan removed from Bush speech |
Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier in Iraq who reinvigorated the anti-war movement, was arrested and removed from the House gallery Tuesday night just before President Bush's State of the Union address, a police spokeswoman said. Sheehan, who had been invited to attend the speech by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., was charged with demonstrating in the Capitol building, a misdemeanor, said Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider. Sheehan was taken in handcuffs to police headquarters a few blocks away and her case was processed as Bush spoke. Schneider said Sheehan had worn a T-shirt with an anti-war slogan to the speech and covered it up until she took her seat. Police warned her that such displays were not allowed, but she did not respond, the spokeswoman said. Police handcuffed Sheehan and removed her from the gallery before Bush arrived. Sheehan was to be released on her own recognizance, Schneider said. ... http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-31-sheehan-arrested_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 20:30:00 01-31-06 |
Japan wealth gap fears fuel attack on PM Koizumi |
Is your annual salary lower than your age multiplied by $1,000? Do you eat lots of snacks and fast foods? Japanese readers who answered yes to these and other questions by Atsushi Miura in his recent best-seller "Karyu Shakai (Underclass Society)" were told what they may have suspected all along: they are members of an emerging class of the new poor. The book touched off debate about a new social divide in a country that has long seen itself as virtually classless, and now fears of growing disparity are fuelling a political attack against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Seiji Maehara, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, says Koizumi's market-based reforms have neglected society's weakest. "We stand for something completely different from Koizumi-style 'survival of the fittest' which is expanding societal gaps and failing to provide safety nets," Maehara recently told Reuters. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1563574
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Editor - 20:26:00 01-31-06 |
Bush outlines broad election-year agenda |
A politically weakened President Bush declared Tuesday night that America must break its long dependence on Mideast oil and rebuked critics of his stay-the-course strategy for the unpopular war in Iraq. “America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world,” Bush said as he sought to drive the election-year agenda in his annual State of the Union address. “By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.” Rejecting calls for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Bush said, “There is no peace in retreat.” He also slapped at those who complain he took the country to war on the erroneous grounds that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. “Hindsight alone is not wisdom,” Bush said. “And second-guessing is not a strategy.” ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11110276/from/RSS/
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Editor - 20:20:00 01-31-06 |
White House eyes billions for Iraq maintenance |
The Bush administration is considering asking Congress later this year for at least $2 billion in new reconstruction money, primarily for maintaining completed Iraqi facilities. Administration officials say the additional funding is needed to prevent completed projects in Iraq from falling into disrepair while the new government tries to establish a steady flow of revenue from oil and other sources to sustain the nation's infrastructure. The money would come in an Iraqi emergency, or supplemental, appropriations bill that also would finance military operations, which cost about $6 billion a month. Congress attached an extra $50 billion to this year's Pentagon spending bill for that purpose, but officials say additional money likely will be needed. An administration official declined to comment. Congress already has approved $24 billion for Iraq reconstruction, and some speculated that the White House would not ask for more. ... http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060130-113747-9568r.htm
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Editor - 19:50:00 01-31-06 |
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