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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: kumar who wrote (21851)	12/27/2003 10:29:37 PM
From: MSI	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793682

Agreed on both points. Speaking for myself, I'm certainly appreciative of a naturalized citizen making their home here. It's a great compliment, and a challenge to every citizen to be worthy of that compliment. More than once my wife and I found ourselves walking by the Masonic Auditorium on Calif. street in San Francisco on the Tuesday per month they have swearing-in of new citizens. Some had tears in their eyes and practically hugged you if you struck up a welcoming conversation. These are people you feel kinship with, trust to be part of one's community, and for whom you would do anything to justify their unvarnished faith in this country. It's a great experience, I recommend it to anyone wondering about immigration policies. The contrast with illegales on a vineyard I worked in high school is that even tho' some became friends, the whole situation stank. They live in a parallel illegal and furtive community, unable (and therefore unwilling) to make a contribution to the society other than labor, sending money back home, avoiding any public activities, being forced to use charity and free medical care. And that's completely aside from the criminal element and Mexican Mafia that thrives in this underground environment. It's a sick environment, only benefitting the employers of cheap labor, who are allowed by ignorance and corruption of the political process to further exploit it with a small tithe to the local Congressman, or larger ones to the administration.

To: kumar who wrote (21851)	12/28/2003 4:48:12 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793682

What if the assassins succeed in Pakistan? India’s Hindustan Times presents a short-term reassuring and longer-term alarming analysis of the implications of a successful assassination attempt on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Evidently, the top layer of Pakistan’s ruling military is fairly solidly pro-American. Relations with India would be set back, especially the current round of talks, but Pakistan is unlikely to immediately fall into Islamo-fascist hands. But longer term, below the level of Lieutenant General, apparently the Jihadists are well-represented in the upper military ranks within Pakistan. This should be great cause for worry, for India, for America, and for all civilized nations. What if Pervez Musharraf is killed Pramit Pal Chaudhuri New Delhi, December 27 What will happen to the peace process if the next attempt on Pervez Musharraf's life proves successful? For New Delhi, it would most certainly mean that the diplomatic momentum built up through this year would be lost. Any new Pakistani leader would need to go through a period of consolidation of one to two years before recommitting himself to a dialogue with India. The general view is that Musharraf's successor would be Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Muhammad Yusuf. Yusuf is seen as a moderate — and even more friendly to Washington than Musharraf. Yusuf would probably not have too many problems with his senior officers. Only two or three of the 10 corps commanders are seen as Islamicists. B. Raman, RAW's former Pakistan expert, says only one of the 30 officers of lieutenant-general rank and above is definitely a jehadi. Some Indian sceptics argue Yusuf would be a better bet for India than Musharraf, who showed his true colours at the Agra summit. The tougher question would be the choice of the president. If Musharraf dies, Mian Muhammad Sumroo would become the full-fledged president and elections would have to be held in three months. There is no question of the army going back to the barracks, say diplomatic sources. But the posts of president and army chief have to be separated within a year. Result: A hunt for a pliant civilian for the presidency. No one expects Pakistan to have major problems if Musharraf dies. "Not even the US expects chaos to happen," says G. Parthasarathi, ex-Indian envoy to Islamabad. He believes that even the US is shedding its previous dogma that Musharraf is its Great Brown Hope regarding Pakistan. Definitely, the US has seen to it that the entire second rung of the military leadership has been purged of "beards". Raman argues that this may only be a temporary respite. Below lieutenant-general rank, he says, the Pakistan military has "large numbers" of jihadi types, who will assert themselves in a few years' time. He does not rule out Muhammad Aziz Khan, present joint chiefs of staff chairman, eventually replacing Yusuf in case Musharraf is assassinated. "Yusuf is a weak general," he says. The overall view: Musharraf's death would put the peace process on hold for at least a year. His successor would not return to resume a policy of confrontation with India. If it is Yusuf, he could even be friendlier. But beyond a five-year horizon, the sky is cloudy. hindustantimes.com

To: kumar who wrote (21851)	12/29/2003 4:49:32 AM
From: KLP	Respond to of 793682

A miracle baby: Six-month-old infant rescued alive two days after Bam earthquake www.chinaview.cn 2003-12-29 17:17:35 news.xinhuanet.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- A six-month-old baby was rescued alive two days after the devastating earthquake which ruined the southeastern Iranian city of Bam and killed more than 20,000 people, reported the Iranian news agency IRNA on Monday. Her mother, who hugged the infant, Nassim, and other family members, were reported dead under piles of rubble. A doctor said that the baby is in generally good conditions. The earthquake, which were measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, flattened the city and suburban villages at 05:28 a.m. local time (0158 GMT) on Friday. Iranian Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari said some 20,000 bodies had been recovered and the death toll was likely to rise considerably. Over 11,000 quake-stricken injured treated Iran`s Health Ministry said 11,500 injured persons have received treatment so far. An official from the ministry, Baqer Shoulayee, said the Bam city has been divided into eight areas to offer medical treatment. Meanwhile, Akbar Talebpour Arani, a Commerce Ministry official,said 1,602 tons of foods have been sent to the disaster area. The consignment consisted of 500 tons of flour, 200 tons of rice, 250 tons of oil, 250 tons of sugar and sugar cube, 200 tons of red meat, 200 tons of chicken and 2.5 tons of tea. Enditem

To: kumar who wrote (21851)	12/29/2003 4:56:36 AM
From: KLP	Respond to of 793682

Couple of things kumar: 1) re: Illegal vs Legal Immigrants....You know my thoughts on both. IMO, the illegals should be made to go back to their own country, and come in legally. For those legally here, and who are now citizens: CONGRATULATIONS!!! In fact, today, I had a friend call who needed a referral for a general maintenance person with experience in HVAC/AC in particular, they had been very happy with two men who were originally from Russia, and I gave her a good referral....this person would know MANY people of many countries, who have recently become new US Citizens. (and BTW, CONGRATULATIONS to you...You made it to Citizenship two years before Arnold Schartznegger did....) Re Mad Cow: Much more needs to be determined about this cow, and IMO, perhaps a good look at all meat from ALL countries that are imported into the US, and from the US. This should have been done long ago, again IMO, but isn't hindsight terrific? canada.com and another observation: oregonlive.com