.....Some policy analysts and non-profit groups such as OMBWatch,[4] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,[5] and the Tax Policy Center[6] have attributed some of the rise in income inequality to the Bush administration's tax policy. In February 2007, President Bush addressed the rise of inequality for the first time, saying "The reason is clear: We have an economy that increasingly rewards education and skills because of that education".[7].....

...have pointed out that education fails to explain the rising gap between the top 1% and the bottom 99%, which has been the site of most increases in inequality. They point out that if education were to blame, a larger group would be pulling ahead of the rest of the population, and that wages of highly educated earners have fallen far behind those of the very rich. Furthermore, they point out that the U.S. is unique among developed countries in seeing such a sharp rise in inequality, while the composition of its economy and labor force is not - if education were to blame, one would expect the same trend across all post-industrial nations.[8] Bartels has asserted that the skill base explanation is partially used as it is more "comforting" to blame impersonal forces, rather than policies.[9]

The tax cuts have been largely opposed by American economists, including the Bush administration's own Economic Advisement Council.[10] In 2003, 450 economists, including ten Nobel Prize laureate, signed the Economists' statement opposing the Bush tax cuts, sent to President Bush stating that "these tax cuts will worsen the long-term budget outlook... will reduce the capacity of the government to finance Social Security and Medicare benefits as well as investments in schools, health, infrastructure, and basic research... [and] generate further inequalities in after-tax income."...

....In contrast to the claims made by Bush, Cheney, and Republican presidential primary candidates such as Rudy Giuliani, there is a broad consensus among even conservative economists (including current and former top economists of the Bush Administration such as Greg Mankiw) that the tax cuts have had a substantial net negative impact on revenues (i.e., revenues would have been substantially higher if the tax cuts had not taken place), even taking into account any stimulative effect the tax cuts may have had and any resulting revenue feedback effects.[13] When asked whether the Bush tax cuts had generated more revenue, Laffer stated that he did not know. However, he did say that the tax cuts were "what was right," because after the September 11 attacks and threats of recession, Bush "needed to stimulate the economy and spend for defense."[14]

In terms of increasing inequality, the effect of Bush's tax cuts on the upper, middle and lower class is contentious. Most economists argue that the cuts have benefited the nation's richest households at the expense of the middle and lower class,[15] while libertarians and conservatives[16] have claimed that tax cuts have benefitted all taxpayers.[17]b Economists Peter Orszag and William Gale described the Bush tax cuts as reverse government redistribution of wealth, "[shifting] the burden of taxation away from upper-income, capital-owning households and toward the wage-earning households of the lower and middle classes."/b[18]....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_policy_of_the_George_W._Bush_administration#Tax_policy

Artful Dodger: But it's not from wikileaks .... it's from

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/12/09/the_wikileaks_vindication_of_george_w_bush_108195.html




Saddam's nuclear arsenal? A scattering of yellow powder

Villagers sell deadly uranium to the US army at $3 a barrel

* Patrick Graham in Al Mansia
* The Observer, Sunday 5 October 2003 01.41 BST
* Article history

Dhia Ali makes a throwing motion as he tells how he dumped out the blue barrels of powder. The nine-year-old and his brother, Hussein, weren't looking for weapons of mass destruction when they went into the low brown buildings, known to UN weapons inspectors as Location C, near his home last April. They just wanted the blue barrels.

The yellow cake powder they poured out and breathed into their lungs - a form of natural uranium - was part of the nuclear programme which, the Iraq Survey Group's recent report claims, somewhat vaguely, was being restarted before the last war. The report won't do much for Dhia or Hussein - they haven't even been examined by a doctor yet.

'If you inhale even a small amount, it stays in your lungs,' said one of the senior scientists who worked on Iraq's atomic programme. He spoke anonymously because, like many of the country's best researchers, he didn't want any trouble from the Americans.

Even the ducks in the canal in the village of Al Mansia, where they dumped the barrels, later tested for increased radiation. When the US army offered a reward of $3 a barrel, the villagers fished them out and sold them.

The report's claim that Iraq was revamping its nuclear programme in such a way that it could constitute any serious threat was described as 'ridiculous' by the scientist. By 1991, when the he left the programme, Iraq had succeeded in producing no more than one kilogram of enriched uranium - 6 to 14 kgs short of a bomb. By 1997, the programme had been exposed and most of its capabilities destroyed.

To produce more would be impossible. Nuclear research, he pointed out, is a massive undertaking and difficult to conceal, especially under sanctions while being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/05/iraq1

Übergeek 바둑이: I believe in tax breaks for EVERYONE. People who work hard, who have invested smartly, who inherited it, WHATEVER, all deserve to keep as much of it as possible. Our government does NOT use it wisely, and they should not be using as much as they are.

Artful Dodger:

> Most American feel that in this economy, all tax levels should remain the same.

I think that makes sense, not just in the USA, but in Canada and western Europe. Lowering taxes will just add to a bad deficit (something George W. Bush completely refused to admit in spit4e of the ever increasing costs of the war). Raising taxes will solve the deficit, but take money away from consumers. Obama seems to understand that, but he is too weak to stand up to those Republicans who want tax breaks. At this point in time, it is irresponsible to engage in tax breaks. It was irresponsible of the Bush administration to do it, and it is still irresponsible considering the deficit problem. The government needs to trim the fat, and that means no more bailouts and reducing military spending. Well, the realities of healthcare costs and increasing pressures on the pension system will eventually catch up to our governments. At some point it will be impossible to keep giving free rides to the big monopolies, keep throwing away money in wars, AND provide essential services to those in need. The public will force politicians to chose. Stimulating the economy with tax breaks sounds great and it is always a popular move, but can the government really afford it?

rod03801:

All I can say is this: Do you make over $250K a year? If you do, I can understand defending a tax break for the rich, because you will directly benefit from it. If you make under $250K a year, then a tax break for the rich is of no direct benefit to you. I suppose defending the political and economic interests of the wealthy elite really, really helps the lower middle calss.

Artful Dodger:

> "Chemical weapons, especially, did not vanish from the Iraqi battlefield. Remnants of Saddam's toxic arsenal, largely destroyed after the Gulf War, remained. Jihadists, insurgents and foreign (possibly Iranian) agitators turned to these stockpiles during the Iraq conflict -- and may have brewed up their own deadly agents"

If that were true, there would be not a few thousand dead soldiers, but hundreds of thousands. I think these analysts have their heads right up their keisters. It takes no genius to figure out that if Iraq had WMDs, and the insurgents had inherited those, then the Coalition would be in serious trouble. Why use suicide bombing when you can release a toxin that could wipe out an entire army base? It is illogical!

Even after all these years people are trying to make excuses for the simple fact that Tony Blair and George W. Bush manufactured intelligence and lied to the public to justify a war whose final aim was to make billions of dollars for Haliburton, Exxon and other big oil companies. Why winge on about WMDs? They should just be honest and admit the truth.

Übergeek 바둑이: NO. The government is TOO big. We don't need more taxes. We need smaller government and less government spending. Like you, I can call the people that believe the democrats' silly ideology and vote for it dumb, as well.

rod03801:

> many people aren't able to think enough to realize that it is these people "earning $250,000 and higher"
> are the ones who create the jobs that everyone needs and if they are taxed even more, the unemployment
> situation is only going to get worse.

The truth is that the rich ALREADY have massive tax breaks that others don't enjoy. When it comes to "job creation tax breaks" nothing beats the "capital gains tax exemption". In Canada (I am not sure of the rates in the USA, but taxation law is not that different across the border) a person can declare income as capital gains. The exemption allows a person to pay NO TAXES on the first $250,000 of capital gains. This lifetime exemption was actually lowered from $500,000 because the government was losing billions of dollars in "exempt" income. Not only that, but when capital gains are declared, the taxation rate is 15%. That is less than half of the average 32% that the middle class pays.

Let's add to that exemptions based on "capital expenditures". If you are the owner of a business, you can take your income and invest it in upgrading infrastructure or buying equipment. That means that you can offset most of the taxes paid if you declare buying property as a "capital expense". I know rich people who declare everythingas a capital expense. Their car is a "company car". Their food is a "business meal". Their dentist is a "medical benefit" payed to an employee. I know this guy who bought himself a luxury sports car, and had the cheek to declare it as a business investment, and he got away with it.

Then we come to who actually creates the jobs. The answer is that consumers of products and services create the jobs. A rich man can open a clothing store, but if nobody buys clothes, the store fails. It is simple economics. Then who are the "consumers" in society. It is the working class, who make up the majority of the population. With no "capital tax breaks", it is the working class that carries the burden of paying taxes and sustaining the government. I wonder how many millionaires go to Walmart or MacDonalds and consume all those goods and all that food that makes the rich richer.

The idea that tax breaks for the rich stimulates the economy is the excuse that those on the right use to give tax breaks to themselves. Interestingly, those people who vote for them are dumb enough to buy the ideological crap, without actually looking at how the rich make their money and how they get away with paying less taxes.

In recent reports on some of the sensitivity of information released on Wikileaks. The revealing of certain strategic installations in Europe as designated by the USA gov was condemned.

.. That they were to any person of even moderate intelligence.. known was ignored. Apart from some new ones, most have been known as significant targest logistically or economically back to the days of the KGB and the cold war.

Among the new was the gas pipeline link from Russia. Europe's main source of gas.

The Col: Who did they poll? Nimrods who don't understand economics? And any Fox poll is no worse than any other poll that would be quoted. They are all pretty commonly skewed to show whatever view the poller is hoping to show.

Still can't deny that the recent election certainly showed that "vast numbers" do NOT agree with what the wonderful Libs/Obama have been up to. I suppose this doesn't automatically narrow it down to this specific tax situation as many people aren't able to think enough to realize that it is these people "earning $250,000 and higher" are the ones who create the jobs that everyone needs and if they are taxed even more, the unemployment situation is only going to get worse.

The Col: Maybe he should get Anonymous on his side!!

rod03801: Do you really think you'd find a major network poll (other than Fox News) with results greatly different?

O'bama was handed a gift, and he blew it spectacularly.The Republicans play hardball, he's way over his head

The Col: And I'm sure someone else could find a poll with higher numbers and lower numbers too. Fact remains that "vast numbers" do NOT support the recent direction that our federal govt. had been heading.

And yes, Obama is incompetent. He is "rolling over" because he sees it as possibly his only chance to continue torturing our country after 2012. I hope it doesn't work.

rod03801: "Just 26 percent of Americans say they support extending the cuts for all Americans, even those earning above the $250,000 level, which is the GOP proposal"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20024494-503544.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody


If Obama can't find the will to battle that fight, and concedes outright, he's frankly not doing his job. He rolled over.

The Col: If a "vast number" of our citizens agreed with our incompetent president, why did we vote in droves to empty as much as possible, the House of his cronies? The numbers agreeing aren't THAT vast.

... The liberal Democrats here are under criticism especially by University students. Many signed (and as such was party policy) that there would be no increases in the maximum yearly fees cap. Yet, the cap set at £3290 is now increasing to a max of £9000.

Today, before two votes are taken.. It's a day of compromise... The whips wearing out shoe leather is a likely scenario.

The Col: Sometimes you have to stand up for what you, and the vast number of your citizens believe.This guy is like the wimp who continues to try and reason with the bully who has already landed another punches to close one eye, defend yourself Obama! grow a pair!

http://crooksandliars.com/media/play/wmv/18985/

The Col: And just what part of hillary's agenda is any different?

He's breathtakingly weak, remove him from office before he does more damage.Can you imagine if he was President during the early years of WW2?

We'd all be goose stepping right now, and eating shnitzel

2. (S) Soliman led off the New Year's Eve meeting by telling the Codel that the region is at a special, critical juncture. Egypt is America's partner. Sometimes we have our differences. But Egypt will continue to provide the USG with its knowledge and expertise on the critical regional issues, such as Lebanon and Iraq. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the core issue; Soliman contended a peaceful resolution would be a "big blow" to terrorist organizations that use the conflict as a pretext. For this reason, President Mubarak is committed to ending the Israeli-Arab "stalemate."

3. (S) Soliman applauded the Administration's efforts, commenting that Annapolis had given hope and begun a process. The timing is right for progress based on four factors. First, the PA leadership is moderate and willing to negotiate. Second, Hamas is isolated and politically cut off in Gaza. Third, the Israelis are ready for peace; Soliman assessed that the GOI coalition is broad and strong, and larger than Rabin's coalition of the mid-nineties. Fourth, Arab states are ready to see an end to "the struggle."

4. (S) Soliman stressed that Egypt stands ready to help the U.S. effort. The GOE knows both the Palestinians and the Israelis, and knows the obstacles to peace. Soliman recommended two steps be taken. First, both the Israelis and Palestinians must be pressed hard to sign an agreement, which the U.S. and international community could endorse, to be implemented at the proper time. Second, the U.S. should insist that "phase one" of the Roadmap should be completed before the end of 2008.

5. (S) Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Soliman opined that the Palestinian Authority was ready to sign an agreement, but that establishment of a state may take between 1-3 years. While Hamas is isolated politically and unable to stop an Israeli-PA agreement, it remains entrenched in Gaza, and it was unclear to Soliman how long that would last. At one point in the discussion, Soliman seemed to imply Hamas may remain in control of Gaza for more than a year; at another juncture, he told Senator Voinovich that if negotiations proceeded briskly, Hamas may be forced to cede power in Gaza in 3-4 months. The bottom line for Hamas, according to Soliman, is that they must be forced to choose between remaining a resistance movement or joining the political process. They cannot have it both ways, he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cables-wikileaks

Fancy that... teething problems!!

Well, well,well.....Qantas has confirmed that the A380 problems are a manufacturing problem by Rolls Royce. tut, tut, tut...cheap labour

On a more serious note. Documents leaked to Wikileaks reveal concerns Pakistan and the safety of weapons grade nuclear material being sneaked out. Not the stealing of a bomb, but over time enough material to make one.. They cannot say with 100% certainty that all of the 100,000+ people employed are without sympathies to terrorist causes.

.. China, is getting tired of N Korea, and would happily accept a united Korea. As long as it is not another satellite state for the USA.

Wow... people in the south of the USA don't like the Democrats.. Like they didn't in the 60's when they swapped from the Dem's to the Repug's.

.. North and South!!

Democratic or Republican, it doesn't matter when the voting is rigged and controlled by electronic programs

The prince also addressed Russian influence in central Asia, stating that "the United Kingdom, Western Europe (and by extension you Americans, too) were now back in the thick of playing the Great Game. More animated than ever, he stated cockily: 'And this time we aim to win!' "

"The Great Game" originally referred to the 19th century struggle between Britain and Russia for control of central Asia.

The cable continued that Prince Andrew indicated he had little patience for the media interfering in the negotiation of business deals, condemning "these (expletive) journalists, especially from the National Guardian, who poke their noses everywhere."

According to the ambassador's account, the prince also "railed at British anti-corruption investigators, who had had the 'idiocy' of almost scuttling the Al-Yamama deal with Saudi Arabia." That deal was a multibillion-dollar defense contract between BAE Systems and the Saudi government that became the target of a U.K. Serious Fraud Office corruption inquiry.)

Warming to her theme, Ambassador Gfoeller continues: "He then capped this off with a zinger: castigating 'our stupid (sic) British and American governments which plan at best for 10 years whereas people in this part of the world plan for centuries.'"

But she saves perhaps the best for last, referring to Prince Andrew's "unmitigated patriotic fervor."

One British guest at the lunch had noted that despite the might of the American economy, British investment in Kyrgyzstan was of a similar magnitude.

"Snapped the Duke: 'No surprise there. The Americans don't understand geography. Never have. In the U.K., we have the best geography teachers in the world!'"

Übergeek 바둑이: I believe there are recorded instances of Osama Bin Laden thanking America for it's support.. and Pakistan too for helping them kill their Soviet invaders.

It is said.. that a recruitment process went on. To which.. Islamic radicals were "imported" from the rest of the world to the training camps inside Pakistan.

When it comes to CIA trained and protected terrorists, nobody beats Cuban-born Luis Posada Carriles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Posada_Carriles

He is wanted in Cuba and Venezuela for bombing an airplane and killing 73 people. He also carried out bombings of hotels and tourist facilities in Cuba in order to disrupt the tourist trade in the island.

His partner in crime and terrorism is Orlando Bosch, another CIA agent who became both a terrorist and criminal who carried out bombings in Cuba as well as against an American airline that wanted to resume flights to Cuba.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Bosch

Of course, somebody who cimmits an act of terrorism in the name of Western Democracy is a hero. Somebody who does it against Western Democracy is a criminal and a terrorist. Men like Posada Carriles and Bosch have now become an embarrassment and a liability to the American government, even though they were heros during the Cold War. Osama Bin Laden and the Moujahadeen are the smae. Dubious allies during the Cold War, terrorist enemies now.

well.. I see Big Brother (aka 1984) rewriting of history is in place.

one instant blows everything else outta da window. Not the various uses of hijacking by various USA AUTHORITIES... not the various factions in Europe seeking homeland rule or representation.

... curious I read that Bin Laden was protected from arrest by order of various people before 9/11 despite being highly wanted.

.... Would the capture of Bin Laden cause international problems if he was interrogated over the training and support he was given by the CIA to kill Soviet troops, and how they learnt to hijack??

mmmmmmm

Artful Dodger: OK....so as was said below....apples & oranges.

Artful Dodger: hmmmmmmm....I better start thinking then ROFLMBO....don't want to be thought not to be thinking....but was there such a word as "terrorist" as it is used today, then? Would he have been called that?

Artful Dodger: thanks...that is fascinating...I would love to hear if they recover any remains. And what a way to go....jumping out of a Jet...wow

don't sound like terrorism to me.

Artful Dodger: all I get is something about a missing ballerina :(

Vikings: .. "(muslim)" no.. Al Qaeda.. yes.

Oranges.. there are later dates for Americans of a non Muslim stance using planes for revenge.. like the one in the 90's who decided after being sacked by Fedex to do a kamikaze run on a main office.

I was using that particular era in history to show how many 'states' have used terrorism. Not as a be all and end all list.

(V): apples- Terrorist (muslim) are attempting to blow up American aircraft, TODAY

Oranges-D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane for money 39 YEARS AGO.

Vikings: Old. yes, out dated... I disagree. Trivia.. without the previous decades of hijacking the precautions that were in place before 9/11 to stop hijackings have prevented many more groups from hijacking.

I was actually surprised to hear the CIA had used hijacking. I didn't know they went that far in state sponsored terrorism!! But then again that kinda info would have not been available to Joe Public or schools in the West in that era.

(V): well that's interesting information, but it is however, 100% , 37 year old out dated, completely out of context trivia

Between 1948 and 1957 there were 15 hijackings worldwide, an average of a little more than one per annum. Between 1958 and 1967, this climbed to 48—an annual average of about five. The number grew to 38 in 1968 and 82 in 1969, the largest number in a single year in the history of civil aviation; in January 1969 alone, eight airlines were hijacked to Cuba.[4] During the third 10-year period between 1968 and 1977 there were 414 hijackings, an average of 41 a year.

The Nixon Administration in 1973 ordered the discontinuance by the CIA of the use of hijacking as a covert action weapon against the Castro regime. The Cuban intelligence followed suit. That year, the two countries reached an agreement for the prosecution or return of the hijackers and the aircraft to each other's country. The Taiwanese intelligence also followed the CIA's example-vis-а-vis China.

Korea March 31, 1970: Japan Airlines Flight 351, carrying 131 passengers and 7 crew from Tokyo to Fukuoka, is hijacked by nine members of the Japanese Red Army group. 23 passengers were freed at Fukuoka Airport, mainly children or old aged. 108 passengers and all crew members with Red Army group left Fukuoka, bound for Gimpo Airport, near Seoul. Three days after, Red Army group ask to be flown to North Korean capital Pyongyang, before leaving from Seoul, 103 passenger and crew hostages are freed, and nine Red Army group members surrendered to North Korean authorities.

July 1, 1970: a Cruzeiro do Sul Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI R registration PP-PDX en route from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo with 31 occupants was hijacked by 4 persons who demanded the release of political prisoners that were to be taken to Cuba. The aircraft was stormed and hijackers arrested. There were no victims and the hijack lasted less than a day.

September 1970: As part of the Dawson's Field hijackings, PFLP members attempted to hijack four aircraft simultaneously. They succeeded on three and forced the planes to fly to the Jordanian desert, where the hijackers blew up the aircraft after releasing most of the hostages. The final hostages were freed in exchange for seven Palestinian prisoners. The fourth attack on an El Al plane by two people including Leila Khalid was foiled by armed guards aboard.

October 15, 1970: Aeroflot Flight 244 was hijacked from Batumi, Adjar ASSR, Georgian SSR, to Trabzon, Turkey by a Lithuanian national and his son. An air hostess was killed and some other crew were injured in a shootout. The hijackers later received American citizenship.

January 30, 1971: Indian Airlines Fokker F27 on scheduled Srinagar-Jammu flight is hijacked to Lahore by two self-proclaimed Kashmir Separatists. All passengers were released by February 2 and repatriated to India, but the aircraft was blown-up—leading to an India-Pakistan air-travel ban, and suspension of overflight rights until 1976.

Republic of China March, 1971: Philippine Airlines flight was hijacked in March 1971 by six students from the Mindanao State University, opposed to the Marcos government. The plane landed in Guangzhou (Canton) in southern China, and the Chinese authorities let the students stay in the country. The plane was then allowed to fly back to the Philippines. No one was hurt.

May 1971: an IL-14 with 4 staff members and 16 passengers was hijacked by 6 men at the Oradea Airport (Romania), then forced to flew to Budapest (Hungary), then Vienna (Austria). The passengers and the crew were released in Vienna, while the hijackers flew to West Germany.[7]

November 24, 1971: A man who became known as D. B. Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727-100 aircraft flying from Portland, OR, to Seattle, WA, received US$200,000 in ransom, and parachuted from the plane. The actual name of the hijacker remains unknown. The hijacker revealed what appeared to be a bomb to a flight attendant and demanded the ransom and parachutes. The flight landed in Seattle, and FBI agents provided the ransom money and parachutes. Cooper then released all passengers and one flight attendant. After refueling, the aircraft took off again and flew toward Reno, NV. Cooper opened the aft stairs and jumped from the plane with a parachute during a heavy rainstorm. The aircraft was forced to land with the aft stairs deployed. The FBI believes Cooper most likely did not survive, but the case remains unsolved.[8][9][10]

January 12, 1972: Braniff Flight 38, a Boeing 727, was hijacked as it departed Houston, Texas bound for Dallas, Texas. The lone armed hijacker, Billy Gene Hurst, Jr., allowed all 94 passengers to deplane after landing at Dallas Love Field but continued to hold the 7 crewmembers hostage, demanding to fly to South America and asking for US $2 million, parachutes, and jungle survival gear, amongst other items. After a 6-hour standoff, the entire crew secretly fled while Hurst was distracted examining the contents of a package delivered by Dallas police. Police officers stormed the craft shortly afterwards and arrested Hurst without serious incident.[11][12]

January 28, 1972: TWA Flight 2, Los Angeles to New York, was hijacked by con man and bank robber Garrett Trapnell while over Chicago. Trapnell demanded $306,800 in cash (to recoup the loss of a recent court case), the release of Angela Davis (as well as that of a friend of his who was also imprisoned), and clemency from President Richard Nixon. The FBI was able to retake the aircraft during a crew switch at Kennedy Airport; Trapnell was shot and wounded, no one else was hurt. Trapnell's hijacking came after a string of domestic incidents and resulted in an overhaul of flight procedures by the Nixon Administration, procedures that remained in place until the September 11, 2001 hijackings.

November 10, 1972: Southern Airways Flight 49, was hijacked by three men and flown to multiple locations in the United States, and one Canadian city. At one point, the hijackers threatened to fly the plane into the nuclear reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, if their demands for $10 million in cash were not met. While stopped for refueling at McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando, the FBI shot out the plane's tires, prompting the hijackers to force pilot William Haas to take off. The hijacking came to an end when the plane landed on a partially foam-covered runway in Havana, Cuba, and the hijackers were captured after attempting to escape.

Artful Dodger: all our maintenance is done off-shore.....cheap labour.....and what price is a life....people were more than a little angry ....the plane was taxiing the runway and the passengers could here the engine making all sorts of funny noises....too scary. On the other hand THE A380 took off for London 15 minutes earlier with the CEO of Qantas on board.

Artful Dodger: ANOTHER Qantas jet engine failure....747-400 engine failure on take off...Singapore, Heathrow had to be abandoned last night and will take off in about 1/2 hour from Sydney....I wouldn't fly Qantas for all the (T) in china as I said in a post further down the page.

Artful Dodger: are you now telling me i ROFL'd for nothing........

ROFL....

Apparently some blame this on JFK and how he turned his political campaign to one of dirty tricks and unlimited campaign funds.

Artful Dodger:

I know. It is unfair in the sense that the focus is on her, and she did it in Fox News. As with George W. Bush and other previous presidents, the president's gaffes are mostly ignored by the media. As the potential Republican presidential candidate, she will be scrutinized by all those who oppose her (both in the Democrat and Republican parties). Sarah Palin has made a few comments that have put in question her experience in foreign policy. Doubtlessly her oponents will milk this to the extreme. Politics is a dirty game. Her strength as a politician will be shown in her ability to come out of things like this without being brought down by her opponents.

Just as an additional to my last post, the real king of political gaffes was Dan Quayle!

All politicians suffer from foot-in-mouth disease. Take a last name, say Clinton. Now add -ism at the end: Clintonism. Now do a search in Google. The search Reaganism, Nixonism, Bushism, Obamaism, Palinism. You will come with hundreds of very amusing bloopers, stupid speeches, misread cues, etc. Sarah Palin made one more this week. Now she is a member of the club!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2cfOcP606k

Goof or stupidity

What has happend to the hand held scanners over there? Dont they use them any more? They have been using them here for years. No need for touching just use the hand held scanner.

rod03801: If the parents agree for them to walk though the scanner, there should be no need for that. But are not some refusing to do so.

Servant:

> Islam is as much a political view as it is a religious view

All religions (I am trying hard to think of an exception) have been used as political tools at some point.

The Greeks used religion, as did the Persians, the Romans and even the Mongols. In China the Tang dynasty almost broke apart due to infighting between Buddhists, Taoists and Confucians. So the emperor declared all three as state religions in order to stop the empire from falling apart. In India the Hindus nearly exterminated the Buddhists. The Islam rose, destroyed Buddhism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, went to war over the Holy Land, and built several huge caliphates that were later destroyed by Christianity. Christians went onto exterminate 60 million natives in the Americas, along with their cultures and religions. Then Christians turned on themselves and pitted Catholics against Reformers.

Today we have fundamentalist Islam as a political movement, and people in the Tea Party preaching that "Christian" principles should be enshrined in the constitution. Some Tea party members go so far as to say that the separation of church and state is wrong and invented by "communists". Then we have Al Quaida, the Taliban, radical Zionism, Fundamentalist Christian cults, TV preachers, etc. The fun never ends.

Religion is a tool in the hands of unscrupulous people who want to cement their wealth and power. They abuse people's need for spiritual guidance and use people's religious beliefs as a conduit for political and economic beliefs. Our western society is not immune, as the influence of religion on politicians shows.

Mousetrap: Aye.. there have been many conflicts in which child soldiers are used by various factions. Seeing a kid carry an AK47 and 'ok' about it and killing.

but then again, we are in the UK not far off from when kids were cheap labour, such as going up chimneys to clean them (many got stuck and died) and other dirty and dangerous jobs where kids made ideal 'staff'... especially as they were cheaper to hire, especially in the era of the industrial revolution.