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

To: LindyBill who wrote (98620)	2/4/2005 10:05:52 AM
From: Hoa Hao	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793623

What Turks Really think about America: To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit www.memri.org/bin/opener_...ID=SD85705 In an article titled "Partners in Murder" in the Turkish Islamic daily Yeni Safak, known for its unofficial connections to the Turkish government,(1) columnist Dr. Husnu Mahalli, of Syrian origin, described in detail America's purported murderous activities as emanating from a genetically ingrained tendency to murder. The following is the article (ellipses in the original) : (2) 'Murdering is Genetically Ingrained in American Culture' "During the [U.S.] invasion [of Iraq], when I said that the Iraqi people would resist, some said, 'You are wrong - see, no one resisted...' When the resistance did begin they said, 'They are only packs of murderers'... "It is obvious that in both cases, some want to blame the Iraqis, not America... "I wonder: If America had invaded Turkey ... what would the Turks be doing? Would they prefer to kneel in front of Bush and his gang and surrender? Could proud patriots accept that? "If there is anyone who says 'yes' to all this, I have nothing to say to 'them'... And if there still remain any who look at the developments in Iraq through American lenses, I have nothing to say to them either... "Since 9/11 I have been saying...: "America invaded Iraq with 'packs of murderers'... America went to Iraq solely to satisfy its murderous instincts. "Murdering is genetically ingrained in American culture. "The second term of Bush's administration will prove this more clearly and concretely. A mere look at Fallujah will suffice: The American military is murdering thousands by destroying the city, on the pretext of eliminating the resistance in Fallujah. "The Americans say they killed 1200 insurgents... about 20 of them foreigners! Let's assume this is true... "If it is true, we should rejoice... It means people from other countries believe in the just struggle of the Iraqi people and are going there to fight alongside them... It means they are not tourists, or interested in making 'blood money'... "Let us not forget that some 40 countries have sent troops to Iraq in support of the American occupation... Why is it that becoming an accomplice to America's murders is 'good,' but supporting and participating in the resistance of the Iraqi people is 'bad?' Or do some still see the resistance fighters as 'packs of murderers' or extremist radical Islamists...?" 'The Americans are Lying, as They Always Do' "The Americans are lying, as they always do... Television [stations] around the world showed yesterday how American soldiers enter mosques and execute the unarmed civilian wounded. They say the American military will investigate ... just like they investigated the Abu Ghraib prison tortures... Anyhow, the world has already forgotten those disgusting images [of Abu Ghraib]... "Soon they will also forget the destruction of the mosques, and the murder of unarmed wounded civilians who sought refuge in those mosques... "For heaven's sake, what's happening to us?... "We look at images of Fallujah as if watching American films - with no emotion or reaction, in undefined anger... "For God's sake, when will we see the realities?... When will we understand that this is a new Crusader war?... When will we realize that American aggression targets - and will continue to target - all Muslim countries and peoples?... When will we stop this admiration for America?... When will we [i.e. Turkish trucks] stop carrying fuel to the American airplanes that kill the Iraqi people?... When will we be ashamed of 'welcoming' the murderer soldiers of America when they reach the shores of Adana [a city in southern Turkey near U.S. military bases]?... "If our humanity does not hold us accountable for all this, certainly one day history will..." 'U.S.A. - the God-Damned Country' "Let's return to Fallujah... Mere words cannot describe the murders being committed there... A friend I spoke to yesterday told me that Americans are using Iraqi civilians as human shields to protect themselves against the insurgents. One can expect no less from the faithless, treacherous, murderous Americans... Despite their superiority of arms, both in the air and on the ground, American soldiers are scared of the resistance fighters. "After bombing the mosques of Fallujah, the American soldiers desecrate them by urinating on and soiling their walls. "After raiding homes, American soldiers strip the women and girls naked and molest them. "Fear not ... soon these images too will be posted on American websites ... just like the images of the Abu Ghraib prison tortures... "American soldiers are being helped by some Kurds and some Iranian militants too... Soon this too will be revealed... Americans are preventing Iraqi Red Crescent emergency convoys from entering the city [of Fallujah]... "For Heaven's sake, enough already!... [We] must all see reality... "Americans do not and will never intend to bring liberty, democracy or human rights to Iraq or any other place... "The Americans want to obliterate the human values of all peoples of the region. Just like Sharon, the Americans want to denigrate and humiliate us, and defile our honor. The Americans, together with Sharon, want to drag us into hopelessness and despair in order to enslave us. "The Americans gave this a name in the aftermath of 9/11... "The New Crusade ... and this is why 59 million Americans voted for Bush... "In the words of our ninth president [Suleyman] Demirel: 'Americans are acting in Iraq by the principle of 'better you die than I'... This is the U.S.A. that some among us still love and admire... "In the words of [Turkish TV personality and actor] Levent Kirca: 'U.S.A. - the God-damned country'..."(3) Endnotes: (1) The paper's owner and Turkey's prime minister have recently become related via their children's marriage. (2) Yeni Safak (Turkey), November 17, 2004. (3) A play on words. The writer gives the acronym for "U.S.A." in Turkish, "A.B.D" - which is also an acronym for the Turkish phrase meaning "God-damned country." ********************* The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request. MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.

To: LindyBill who wrote (98620)	2/4/2005 10:07:40 AM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793623

This is happening because the California Pols are cutting off their nose to spite their face. The Nevada Jobs Machine A low-tax environment is equating to hot employment in the desert. NRO By Greg Kaza Are tax rates a factor in job growth and economic development? Nevada, which does not levy a state corporate or individual income tax, has recorded the highest percentage employment growth in the U.S. for the second consecutive year. Coincidence? Total Nevada nonfarm payroll employment expanded 4.8 percent in 2004, according to data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the expansion is heating up in Nevada. Last year’s blistering employment growth was actually higher than in 2003 when Nevada’s labor market led the nation at 3.9 percent. Capital investment isn’t fleeing to Nevada because of all that water in the desert. Factors influencing any state’s robust economic development include the rule of law, infrastructure, presence of a skilled work force, consistent regulatory policy, access to markets, and favorable tax rates. Nevada’s lack of a state corporate or individual income tax has attracted capital from states like California, Arkansas, and Michigan. California has a top corporate rate of 8.84 percent and an individual rate of 9.3 percent — rates that are noticeably higher than the state’s desert neighbor. The Golden State’s labor market expanded at a much lower rate of 1.1 percent in 2004. Tax rates in Arkansas on capital investment are among the highest in the South. That state’s job-creation rate barely budged last year while the U.S. economy created 2.2 million jobs. Michigan has an abundance of water and natural resources — and a crippling “single business tax” levied by a political class that doesn’t get it. It is also the only state to record net job losses for 4 consecutive years (2001-04). (Final data for Ohio will not be available until March.) Overall, Arkansas and Michigan were among states with the worst job-creation records in 2004. Nevada, meanwhile, was among the 10 states that began 2004 with the most business-friendly (and, hence, job-producing) tax systems, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C. Another business-friendly state without a corporate income tax — Washington — ranked sixth in job creation at 2.4 percent. By contrast, Arkansas was among the 10 states with the least hospitable business-tax climates, and ranked 43rd in the Tax Foundation survey, which ranked Michigan 36th and California 38th. The Tax Foundation found that the worst state tax codes tend to feature complex, multi-rate corporate and individual income taxes with above-average tax rates; above-average sales-tax rates that don’t exempt business-to-business purchases; complex, high-rate unemployment tax systems; and high overall state tax collections with few tax or expenditure controls. Nevada’s simplified tax code, however, is a proven job-producing winner. Nevada’s labor market has been so strong in recent decades that the “metropolitan statistical areas” (MSAs) of Las Vegas and Reno have actually recorded net new jobs in periods of recession. Employment typically declines when the economy contracts, yet jobs were added in Las Vegas during the recessions of 1980 and 1990-91, and in Reno during the 2001 recession. Only a small percentage of MSAs nationwide record employment growth during recessions. A veritable job-creation machine has existed in No Tax Nevada for a long time. Nevada’s economic growth rate of 12 percent has led all 50 states since the last recession ended in 2001. Only one state — Florida — recorded more new jobs (379,000) than Nevada (124,000) in the period. Nevada also led the U.S. in job creation (68 percent) in the record 10-year expansion of 1991 to 2001. Are tax rates a factor in job growth and economic development? Yes, indeed. Nevada’s yet another case in point. — Greg Kaza is executive director of the Arkansas Policy Foundation, an economic research organization based in Little Rock. nationalreview.com