"Freedom is indeed a noble thing, but the world still waits to taste it."--Joan McAlpine, journalist

"I actually think that Bush is the greatest threat to life on this planet."--Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London

I have been reading a number of political articles and I began to feel a sense of tragedy as I read the article "Countdown to Armageddon?" by historian Dr. Raphael Johnson. In the last few days I watched the video "Exposed: The Carlyle Group," I reviewed the stories regarding the jailing of Russian oligarch Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, former CEO of Yuko's oil company and the richest man in Russia, then we all got the news of the fall of Lord Black of Crossharbour and early Thursday morning we received the news of more bombings in Istanbul, Turkey.

It is a world which is getting more violent as this world is getting more divided; the past fictitious war against communism has been replaced by the fictitious war against terrorism and as a consequence the militarised industrial power of the United States is positioning for the takeover of the world's resources.

We have delegated our freedom to think for ourselves to the lying of political and business leaders and they in return deceptively identify societal problems to the so-called bad guys, that is, the enemies of freedom and the sponsors of terrorism. It is a sham!

Today, I know that the real bad guys are the ones developing further nuclear capabilities along with other weapons of mass destruction, while at the same time preaching the freedom to annihilate any people, or any country who could be of any future challenge to their hegemonic power. This is the real freedom Bush is pursuing, the freedom to boss around anybody and then as a hypocrite he asks the question "Why do they hate us?"

We must recover our intelligence and understand the roots of these problems. As far as terrorism is concerned, we cannot listen anymore to the lies, omissions and half truths of the Bush administration and its powerful minions. We must have the individual responsibility to understand the relationships between the Bushes and the bin Ladens and the Saudi royalty; between The Carlyle Group, Exxon and Yuoko's oil company; between the CIA and the Mossud; between the 9-11 terrorists, Pakistani general Mahmud Ahmad and US congressmen Senator Bob Graham and Representative Porter Goss; and so forth. It is imperative that we don't delegate our thinking to these deceptive political and corporate leaders. We have philanthropic and billionaire George Soros who is fighting corruption around the world and yet he has been protesting the supposed illegal jailing of Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, former CEO of Yukos. But how can we ever legally justify the privatisation of Russian state assets for $300 million and have some seven years later a mushroomed Yukos business worth $40 billions?

On Wednesday, journalist William Bowles provided this quiz:

"What connects Richard Perle to Douglas Feith, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, ELF Oil, Lord Black, Iraq, Israel, Iran, Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, Bush Snr and Bush Jnr, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, China, Adnan Kashoggi, Saudi Arabia, Global Crossings, Boeing, Halliburton, the DoD?"

Bowles was also kind enough to help us out and provided this answer:

"Money, filthy lucre, loot, cash, dosh, greenbacks, call it what you will, the so-called leaders of the 'free world' are hooked on its possession and will do anything to get their grubby hands on it. All else is window dressing for the 'masses'. What connects the money together? Hollinger International."

Our culture is impregnated with Greed, and Greed has become the fundamental root problem of our decadent democracy. Our main problem is not terrorism, it is American capitalism and we can change it, and we can get rid of the Bush administration and their minions. Journalist and author William Greider explains:

"the problem originates in the contest of clashing values between society and capitalism and, since this human society cannot surrender its deepest values, it must try to alter capitalism's. As we look deeper for the soul of capitalism, we find that, in terms of ordinary human existence, American capitalism doesn't appear to have one."

References

Pertinent articles published in Ensign

White House President Bush Discusses Iraq Policy at Whitehall Palace in London November 19, 2003 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/20031119-1.html

McAlpine, Joan The kind of freedom that makes others pay the price (PDF) November 20 2003 The Herald,

Morris, Nigel Livingstone Says Bush is 'Greatest Threat to Life on Planet' November 18, 2003 lndependent/UK http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1118-01.htm

Johnson, Raphael Countdown to Armageddon? (PDF) 7, 2003 American Free Press, http://www.americanfreepress.net/11_07_03/Countdown_to_Armageddon/countdown_to_armageddon.html

VPRO Tegenlicht Exposed: The Carlyle Group August 28, 2003 http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3995.htm

Ward, Olivia Armageddon Back on the Table. U.S. ratchets up debate on `usable' nuclear weapons. Critics fear fallout from Bush cadre's pro-nuke strategy November 16, 2003 Toronto Star, http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1116-11.htm

Ford, Peter 'Why do they hate us?' September 27, 2001 The Christian Science Monitor, http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0927/p1s1-wogi.html

Toensing, Chris Muslims Ask: Why Do They Hate Us? September 25, 2001 AlterNet, http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11590

Stewart, Sinclair and Jacquie Mcnish & Richard Blackwell SEC subpoenas Hollinger (PDF) November 20, 2003 Globe and Mail, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031119.wxholl2_20/BNStory/Business/

Kupferberg, Chaim There's Something About Omar: Truth, Lies, and The Legend of 9/11 October 21, 2003, Global Research, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/KUP310A.html

Saradzhyan, Simon The Buzz Is About Yukos in Boston (PDF) November 14, 2003 Moscow Times, http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2003/11/14/001.html

Schneider, Greg Arrested Russian Businessman Is Carlyle Group Adviser (PDF) November 10, 2003 Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20638-2003Nov10.html

Obrien, Timothy L. How Russian Oil Tycoon Courted Friends in U.S. (PDF) November 5, 2003 New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/05/international/europe/05YUKO.html

Bowles, William Investigating the new imperialism. Poisonous Perle November 17, 2003 http://www.williambowles.info/ini/ini-0141.html

Greider, William The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy Simon & Schuster, 2003, p. 35, http://www.williamgreider.com/books/soul/

Goff, Stan Dear American serviceperson in Iraq November 15, 2003 Counterpunch, http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1115-06.htm

Meyer, Dick The Predator Class, November 19, 2003 CBSNews.com, http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5256.htm