Will we come to discover we were short "changed?"

Maybe the poor aren't as poor as the politicians would have you believe. Furthermore, if there is a top there also must be a bottom. The key to elevating the bottom is never deny those on the bottom the opportunity to improve their lot. Education and training are their best hope and self-responsibility is a necessitous key.

It is politically popular to cite the widening disparity between the top and bottom. Well, Professor Brad Schiller has some statistics to support his Monday Wall Street Journal, op ed piece entitled; "The Inequality Myth." What Schiller reveals is that the American family has changed and declined and thus the average household income implies a higher standard of living for the average household member.

Schiller also discusses the nominal annual $4 trillion increase in GDP since 2000 and pointed out that if all the money went to the wealthiest 10% their average income would be $350,000. However, according to the Census Bureau it averages only $200,000 so some money must have dripped down notwithstanding the politician's bleeding and inaccurate comments that the poor have fallen so far behind.

As the nation's ability to reason sinks the emotional appeal of hyped political rhetoric can become more convincing and determining. Perhaps this is why the current crop of politicians have been able to turn out the numbers with their "change" pitch. Perhaps one day after all the smoke has cleared we will discover we have been short changed.

Give Iran a break seems to be the growing and prevailing attitude. And why not. All Iran wants to do is eliminate Israel. Then peace will descend upon the world.

Meanwhile, Hamas admits its fighters are trained in Iran, as if there was any doubt. (See 1 and 2 below.)

Super-sonic plane being pursued by U.S. Air Force. (See 3 below.)

Israel keeps sticking their thumb in everyone's eye by proposing expanded settlements in East Jerusalem. Perhaps the Israelis learned from us as we trudged West and dispersed Native Americans. It is one thing if Israel washed its hands of the "peace process" but it is another to come into court with unclean hands.(See 4 below.)

It can't possibly be that al Qaeda claims it is in trouble in northern Iraq and how insensitive for Marcus and Crook to suggest Congress cease funding Palestinians simply because one of their terrorist killed eight bible studying Israeli students. (See 5 and 6 below.)

Report suggests Hezballah has re-armed and is ready for war. (See 7 below.)

Dick

1) BBC poll: Support for tough moves against Iran decreased


Support for military strikes or sanctions to stop Iran's nuclear program has fallen in more than half the countries surveyed in an international poll, according to a British Broadcasting Company survey released Tuesday said.

The BBC World Service poll comes as big powers have been upping pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes but the West suspects is aimed at producing nuclear weapons.

Although the survey was conducted between the end of October last year and January, most interviews were carried out after the release of a United States intelligence report last December which found Tehran had halted work on nuclear weapons in 2003.

The U.S. report took some impetus out of a drive for tougher sanctions against Iran, although the United Nations Security Council did agree on a new sanctions resolution last week.

The poll found support for economic sanctions or a military strike against Iran had fallen in 13 out of 21 countries compared with a similar poll in June 2006.

"It appears that people in many countries are interested in ramping down the confrontation with Iran, while still using UN inspectors to ensure that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons," Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland in the United States, which helped conduct the poll, said in a statement.

Support for military action or economic sanctions dropped by 10 points in Australia compared with 2006 (42 percent compared with 52), by nine points in Britain (34 percent from 43), by nine points in Germany (37 percent from 46) and by six points in the United States (60 percent from 66), the poll found.

Only three countries showed an increase in support for military strikes or sanctions -- Israel (where support for tough action rose to 71 percent from 62), South Korea (53 percent compared with 47) and Turkey (33 percent compared with 21).

In the other five countries surveyed, support was broadly similar to the 2006 poll.

Israel has said a nuclear Iran would be a threat to its existence while South Korea's neighbour, North Korea, agreed last year to dismantle its nuclear program. The rise in support for tough action among Turks was unexpected as the two countries cooperate in areas such as energy.

On average across the 21 countries, 43 percent favored diplomacy to solve the crisis and 14 percent would apply no pressure at all. Twenty-six percent supported sanctions and eight percent military strikes.

The poll found many people would be prepared to allow Tehran to produce nuclear fuel for electricity, provided it was accompanied by a full program of UN inspections.

The pollsters surveyed opinion in another 10 countries for the first time. Across all 31 countries surveyed, most respondents opposed the use of economic sanctions or military strikes, the survey said.

More than 32,000 people were interviewed between Oct. 31, 2007 and Jan. 25, 2008. The margin of error per country ranged from plus or minus 2.4 to 4.4 percent.

2) Palestinian group Hamas admits that its fighters are trained in Iran.
By Marie Colvin

THE Palestinian group Hamas, blamed for last week's massacre of eight students at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem, has revealed hundreds of its fighters have been trained in Iran.

A senior commander interviewed by The Sunday Times said 300 of the group's "best brains" had been secretly sent to Tehran.

Half are still being trained by Revolutionary Guards. They are learning how
to make explosives from everyday items and produce deadlier rockets.
The rest have already returned from a Revolutionary Guard base in Tehran.
Some have been trained as snipers. Others have learnt to use tunnels in
attacks on Israeli forces.

"Iran is our mother," the commander said. "She gives us information, military supplies and financial support."

Seven separate groups of Hamas militants have spent up to six months in
Tehran since the training began in 2005.

The scale of Iran's operation exceeds Israeli intelligence suspicions that
Hamas had dispatched "tens" of fighters to Tehran. Yuval Diskin, the head of
Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security service, said last week: "I see this
as the strategic danger, more than any weapons smuggled into Gaza."

Israeli officials believe that Iran is waging a "proxy war" against their
country on two fronts - through Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The
Hamas commander said Iranian-trained instructors had also taught more than
700 fighters at a base in Syria.

3) Aiming high: the quest for hypersonic speed


US defence officials believe that air-breathing hypersonic propulsion has the potential to revolutionize warfare by providing US forces with the ability to take the fight to the adversary more quickly, at greater distances, and with greater firepower.

Missiles powered by supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engines, traveling at four to 15 times the speed of sound, would vastly improve US capabilities against mobile targets, hardened and deeply buried facilities and the adversary's ability in general to deny US forces access to a theater of operations. Likewise, scramjet-equipped strike aircraft based in the USA could strike targets globally within several hours and hypersonic transports and reconnaissance aircraft could place any destination within timely reach.

Air-breathing hypersonic propulsion would also enable unprecedented safe, affordable access to space, enabling new avenues of space exploration and exploitation.

Despite the promise of this technology, US funding for hyper-sonics research has been sporadic. This is partly the result of the unfulfilled expectations of past projects like the overly ambitious single-stage to orbit National Aerospace Plane (NASP) of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is also in part because there has been no clearly defined military need to exploit hypersonic capabilities and a belief that the command and control (C2) and sensor infrastructure is too immature to make the technology worthwhile.

Although the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently concluded two successful 'free flights' of a four-inch scramjet-powered projectile in ground tests, the USA has yet to demonstrate an air-breathing hypersonic engine in actual flight. Hopes of surmounting this symbolic barrier were dashed in June when the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) had to abort the inaugural flight of its X-43A 'Hyper-X' scramjet-powered aircraft due to an anomaly with support equipment. A second attempt may not now occur until next year.

Nevertheless, US scientists and engineers say they have made great strides in recent years in materials and engine technologies, have validated them in ground testing and are gearing up to demonstrate them in flight in the next five to 10 years.

The US Air Force (USAF) concluded ground tests in January, when engineers successfully ran a scramjet engine at speeds of M4.5 to M6.5 and recorded net thrust under operational conditions. The engine, developed by Pratt & Whitney under the USAF's Hypersonic Technology (HyTech) program, used commercially available hydrocarbon-based jet fuel without any additives. Joaquin Castro, manager of Pratt & Whitney's hyper-sonics programmes says that "this is a significant step in the history of propulsion development for aerospace".

Officials involved with the program say the ability to run the engine without fuel additives under operational conditions equates to "lighting a match in a hurricane" in terms of engineering difficulty. A derivative of this engine is scheduled to fly as part of the NASA-USAF X-43C project around 2006. If flight tests prove successful and funding is provided, Castro believes an operational scramjet missile could be possible within 10 years.

4) US, UN, EU, deplore Givat Ze'ev project



The UN, the EU and the US on Monday deplored Israel's plans to build some 400 new homes in the Givat Ze'ev settlement.


UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over the previous day's decision to approve the plan for a new haredi neighborhood in the settlement located just north of Jerusalem.

"The secretary-general expresses his concern over the government of Israel's approval of a resumption of construction of 750 housing units in the West Bank settlement of Givat Ze'ev," Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

"Any settlement expansion is contrary to Israel's obligations under the Road Map and to international law," continued the statement. "The secretary-general calls on the government of Israel to halt settlement expansion and reiterates that the fulfillment of Road Map obligations by both parties is an important measure underpinning the political process between them."

For the initial stage of the project known as Agan Ha'ayalot, contractors were given permission to begin work on 330 units and to complete 200 units on which work had already begun before the project was frozen in 2000, according to the Construction and Housing Ministry. But the intent, the ministry's spokesman said was to allow for the completion of all 750 units.

The Bush administration said the plan does not help the progress of US-backed peace talks.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters US policy on expansion of settlements in disputed areas is well-known, and it is important to keep the atmosphere positive.

She made the comments after a meeting at the State Department with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Earlier, Rice's spokesman had called Sunday's announcement unhelpful. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack noted that Rice had spoken to Israel's defense minister twice in two days.

Meanwhile, Javier Solana, the EU's foreign and security affairs chief, said the bloc remained committed to supporting the peace process despite recent violence casting a shadow over the peace effort launched at the Annapolis summit.

"The position of the European Union is to continue to do the utmost to move the peace process forward," Solana said after discussing the Middle East with the EU foreign ministers.
But he said "we deplore" Israel's announcement of the construction of new homes in east Jerusalem. "That may put in jeopardy the peace process."

Solana said the settlements question "is part of the first phase of the roadmap (to peace). We do not like to see the extension of the settlements."

Separately Monday, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering called for an immediate halt to violence, saying, "I condemn the violence by Hamas and other Palestinian extremists, and I call on government of Israel to listen to those voices calling for peace rhetoric to be replaced by peace acts and peace deeds."

Given the dire conditions in the Gaza and last week's attack on Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner suggested the US, the EU, Russia and the UN meet soon to assess chances for peace between Israel and the Palestinians after the recent spike in violence.

She gave no date for a meeting of the so-called "Quartet" of peacemakers, nor did the EU foreign ministers take up her proposal. The EU leaders open two days of talks in Brussels on Thursday and may visit that issue.

Ferrero-Waldner said a Quartet meeting should assess "how the negotiations are going and what we can do to enhance conditions" for a peace agreement by year's end.

Several EU foreign ministers dismissed any possibility of the EU agreeing to bring Hamas into the process. The Islamic militant group seized control of the Gaza Strip last year, leaving the Palestinians split between rival leaderships.

"It is very important to stick to the position that we should work with all those who want peaceful processes and peaceful outcomes in the Middle East," said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. "Only a political solution ... can bring security to Israelis and an end to the hardships faced by Palestinians."

Also Monday, Jordan's King Abdullah II blasted Olmert's approval. Speaking to reporters in Amman after a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Abdullah called the construction project an "obstacle to peace."

Construction and Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim rebuffed the criticism, saying that the approval for the project was issued eight years ago.

Boim said the authorization was given in accordance with the tenders then issued, but that the project was frozen due to the outbreak of the second intifada in October 2000.

He added that the approval was reissued the following appeals by construction companies to the court.

5) Al-Qaeda Commander in Northern Iraq: We Are in Dire Straits

On February 12, 2008, the Qatari daily Al-'Arab published an interview with Al-Qaeda commander in northern Iraq Abu-Turab Al-Jaza'iri. The interview, at an Al-Qaeda hideout in northern Iraq, was conducted according to Al-Qaeda's stipulations - including no disclosure of the region where it took place and no communications or recording equipment of any kind brought to the site.

During the interview, Al-Jaza'iri acknowledged that Al-Qaeda's position in Iraq was difficult, and that Al-Qaeda had committed mistakes, including indiscriminately murdering civilians, which had caused its popularity to decline sharply. He also termed the most recent terrorist attacks in Algiers 'folly.'

The following are excerpts from the interview: [1]
We Have Been Forced to Withdraw from Several Cities

Asked about Al-Qaeda's position in Iraq, with reference to the U.S. announcement that it had been paralyzed, Al-Jaza'iri replied: "…[The Islamic Republic of Iraq] is alive, striking, bombing, and planning to attack various military targets belonging to the Crusaders and to betrayers of Islam, i.e. the Shi'ites and Kurds who have joined the occupier…

"It is true that we have lost several cities and have been forced to withdraw from others, after a large number of [Sunni] tribal leaders betrayed Islam and when their tribe members joined forces against us. However, we are still fighting, and the 'paralysis' mentioned by the Crusaders is true only for some of the regions. [Besides,] it is common knowledge that any war always involves advance and retreat, so that [even] in those regions I wouldn't call our position 'paralysis,' but rather 'the [changing] conditions of the war.'"

Al-Jaza'iri added: "…I do not want to paint a false picture: Our position is very difficult, but we are fighting, and will continue to do so…"
Reasons for the Decrease in Al-Qaeda's Popularity

Asked about possible reasons for the decrease in Al-Qaeda's popularity, Al-Jaza'iri said that indiscriminately murdering civilians had been a mistake that had "harmed the organization's reputation."

He stated: "In the Al-Anbar [district], for example, Sunni Iraqis voluntarily enlisted for jihad activity not because [they believed in] it, but because they hated the Americans and [wished] to take revenge on them and on the betrayers of Islam. Some were motivated by financial considerations, and got carried away with murdering and executing futile attacks, which killed a lot of unfortunate individuals.

"Neither can I ignore the U.S. and Iraqi intelligence apparatuses, or the media, which caters [to the Americans] and which has accused us of carrying out attacks in which we had no part - such as the attack at the Al-Habbaniyah mosque west of Al-Faluja, or the [attacks] in Al-Faluja and Al-Ramadi, where lethal chlorine gas was used. The killing of the Crusaders and of the tribal leaders who collaborated with the betrayers of Islam should have been carried out more intelligently."

Our Brothers in Algeria Disregarded the Rules

Regarding the latest incidents in Algeria, Al-Jaza'iri said: "…The attacks in Algeria sparked animated debate here in Iraq. I believe that had I been a leader there, this would not have happened - because most of the youths who enlisted in Al-Qaeda were still adolescents, motivated by resentment, revenge, and hatred of the ruling regime and the rich, who were sucking the blood of the people, rather than by shari'a.

"This is exactly what happened in Al-Ramadi, a city in western Iraq about which I have told you, where a few individuals caused a lot of bloodshed. Algeria is not under occupation like Iraq; its army and the police force are from among the people, and its people are Muslims. We have a religious principle: 'There is no imperative to kill every person whose apostasy has been proven.' How much less so if [such a person] attests that 'there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.' [Furthermore, there must be a distinction between] incidents in which the apostasy has been proven and the apostate persists in it - in which case the qadi sentences the apostate to death - and [incidents] in which the apostate [confesses] and renounces his mistake - [in which case] his repentance is accepted...

"[My] brothers in Algeria disregarded all these laws - [an omission] which has harmed our good name, and which, moreover, has damaged the entire Salafi movement - while the only one to profit was the regime that had betrayed Islam and its allies.

"By Allah! Had they told me they were planning to harm the [Algerian] president and his family, I would say: Blessing be upon them! But explosions in the streets, blood [flowing] knee-deep, the killing of soldiers whose wages are not even enough for them eat at third-rate restaurants, let alone second- or first-rate ones! - and calling all this jihad - by Allah, it's sheer idiocy!

"I appeal to them to come to the country of glory, Iraq, and to wage jihad here, in the Land of the Two Rivers. However, if they decide to remain in hiding, carrying out attacks that harm the poor, the deprived, those who are ignorant in questions of religion, and those who sin out of ignorance - [such behavior] is forbidden, and those [guilty of it] are sinners.

"Had they planned to kill the Interior Minister or his deputy, or a leader of the oppressive Algerian [regime], I would say, 'By Allah, they have devised [a worthy plan],' and we would all pray for their success. However, I have not seen or heard anything like that.

"I realize that what I have been saying will be vehemently opposed by some here in Iraq, as well as outside it in Algeria, but I stand by it. My opinion is firm, and is shared by some other commanders..."

Al-Qaeda Members Who Have Harmed Our Good Name Must Be Expelled

Asked about how to rectify Al-Qaeda's mistakes, Al-Jaza'iri replied: "...[These mistakes] can be rectified by expelling the elements that have harmed Al-Qaeda's [good name] and by following the principle of 'quality over quantity.' Today, our [organization] numbers over 9,000 fighters, but only 3,000 can be relied upon. The rest are unreliable, since they keep harming [the good name] of Al-Qaeda - as you call it - [that is,] of the Islamic State of Iraq..."

Further on in the interview, Al-Jaza'iri said: "...Al-Qaeda has been infiltrated by people who have harmed its reputation... We have started expelling them and driving them out of our ranks. This year will be marked by rectifying [mistakes] and [waging] jihad..."

The Next Few Months Will Prove Decisive

On the change in Al-Qaeda's strategy and the continuation of attacks, Al-Jaza'iri said: "It is clear that the strategy [of capturing cities and turning them into Al-Qaeda bases] has failed, so today we are fighting a guerilla war, or, as some call it, 'street fighting.' The efficacy of this [strategy] has been proven in various contexts. We have been instructed to focus our attacks on targets that are strategically and morally important to our enemies, on the eve of the U.S. election campaign."

He continued: "...It is the type of attacks and the way they are planned that will be changed. Accordingly, we will be focusing on operations that cause the maximum pain and bewilderment to the enemy. This [shift] will open a new page in the fighting, which you will notice on the fifth anniversary of the occupation of Iraq..."

Addressing Iraq's Sunnis, Al-Jaza'iri said: "The next few months will prove decisive, and by Allah! We have prepared for this - we have humiliated the Crusaders, and have made their blood flow in the streets... And what is to come will be even worse and more bitter. Therefore, I say to those who claim that we have failed, or are paralyzed...: You will receive our answer in the next few weeks..."


[1] Al-Arab (Qatar), February 12, 2008.

6)Palestinian Authority Daily: Killer of eight young men is Holy Martyr- Shahid
Action should cost PA $150 million in US aid
By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook

Mahmoud Abbas's official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper has honored the killer of the eight high school students gunned down this week with the status of Shahid - Holy Islamic Martyr. In so doing, the PA is sending its people a straightforward message of support for the terror murders and the murderer. According to the PA interpretation of Islam, there is no higher status that a human being can achieve today than that of Shahid.



The official PA daily Al Hayat Al Jadida prominently placed a picture of the killer on the front page, with the caption, "The Shahid Alaa Abu D'heim." In a Page One article on the terror killings, his act is again defined as a "Shahada achieving" action.




This honoring of terror and terrorists by the PA has significant financial ramifications, particularly at this time. Last week the US Administration sent a request to Congress to allocate $150 million to the Palestinian Authority. In response to earlier PMW reports on the widespread Palestinian honoring of terror, Congress made it illegal for the US to give money to entities that "advocate" terror, as follows:



"[The US] shall terminate assistance to any individual, entity... which she has determined to be involved in or advocating terrorist activity." Congress further legislated that "none of the [US] ... assistance under the West Bank and Gaza Program may be made available for the purpose of recognizing or otherwise honoring individuals who commit, or have committed acts of terrorism."

-2008 Foreign Operations Bill Sec. 657.B - C.1

Since a society's honoring of terrorists is one of the greatest terror promotions, and as the budget for the PA newspaper comes from the PA's general budget, the incessant honoring of this and all recent terrorists by Abbas's PA as Holy Islamic Shahids should render the Palestinian Authority ineligible to receive any American money under the terms of US law.

7) Defense official: Hizbullah ready to fight Israel
By Hanan Greenberg and Neta Sela


Intelligence assessment says Lebanese Shiite organization has completed its military, logistic preparations for resumed confrontation with IDF



The Hizbullah organization has completed its military and logistic preparations for a confrontation with Israel, a senior defense official told Ynet on Monday evening, based on recent intelligence assessments.


Hizbullah's preparations reinforce the intelligence estimate that a conflict in northern Israel is closer than a wide-scale conflict in the Gaza Strip. This may be one of the reasons why the IDF is not rushing into a comprehensive operation in Gaza.


Intelligence Report:
'Chances of 3rd intifada slim' / Roni Sofer
(Video) Outbreak of limited violent revolt possible should number of Palestinian casualties increase significantly, intelligence officials tell cabinet in annual briefing, adding that Syria can be persuaded to sever ties with Iran in exchange for Golan Heights
Full story
Senior defense establishment officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak, admitted several months ago that in terms of Hizbullah's missile arsenal, the group has closed the gaps created after the Second Lebanon War.


The annual intelligence review, presented to cabinet ministers Sunday by officials from the Shin Bet internal security service, Miltary Intelligence and the Mossad, said that the likelihood for a wide-scale Hamas attack in 2008 was slim.


However, the likelihood that Hizbullah will resume its violent acts against Israel is higher than the likelihood for an escalation on other fronts. An escalation on one front may lead to a similar situation on additional fronts.


Hizbullah monitoring IDF's movements
Hizbullah fighters are closely monitoring the IDF's movements on the northern border, and have even come up with dozens of scenarios for the moment Israel acts against the organization.


According to the defense establishment, Hizbullah's plans focus both on the activity in southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley.


Another estimate is that Hizbullah has decided to carry out a terror attack in response to the assassination of the group's senior official Imad Mugniyah in Damascus. Although there is no evidence that Israel was involved in the killing, the organization will seek to respond at the first opportunity it gets.



These estimates illustrate the risk in an escalation on the northern front this year, as expressed in the intelligence briefing presented to the cabinet ministers on Sunday. The IDF is preparing for such a possibility, holding a large number of exercises both among soldiers in compulsory service and among reserve forces.



Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that "the intelligence assessment presidents a wide picture of threats on Israel's security, from Jerusalem to Iran. We must look at reality as it is, without any illusions, and prepare for the real threats we are facing."



Barak spoke during a visit to the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, where eight students were shot to death by an Israeli Arab terrorist Thursday.


In south: Lull, with or without agreement

Barak said earlier Monday that the operational activity in Gaza would continue. According to Barak, "Whoever thinks that this is the end of the story and that there's already a truce is wrong… We haven't finished anything and the important trials are still ahead."



The minister noted that the defense establishment's goal was to stop the rocket fire at Israel and the terror emanating from Gaza, while dramatically reducing weapon smuggling into the Strip.



A ceasefire can only be considered once these things materialize, he said.



Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also addressed the issue Monday, saying that "We don't believe in (arriving to) a situation whereby Hamas can choose when it attacks and when it doesn't in order to strengthen itself."

According to Livni, "in the Middle East, every hesitation is taken as weakness. The states in the region are testing the leadership in the international community.


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She added that the problem of weapons smuggling from Egypt into the Gaza Strip cannot be neglected.



Despite the Israeli denials, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed the existence of a truce between Israel and Hamas. "There is an agreement in principle," he told reporters following a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman.