Posts tagged "vote"

Parties battle for Turkish vote

Parties battle for Turkish vote
Campaigning for Turkey’s election enters its final days with the ruling AKP party pushing for a big enough majority to change the constitution.
Read more on BBC News

Critics say new Alabama immigration law will be costly
Opponents of Alabama’s sweeping new illegal immigration law said Thursday it will create a new civil rights struggle in a state already notorious for using the law to discriminate against minority residents. What’s your opinion? Vote in our poll.
Read more on Birmingham News

A better way to size up distant galaxies
New research may shed light on the stellar explosions used as cosmic mileposts. [More]
Read more on Scientific American

Churchill’s During World War II and Its Aftermath

The growing rapacity of German gluttony forced Hitler to take over Austria in 1938 and threaten Czechoslovakia. In Britain this produced a national crisis which resulted in Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s meeting Hitler in September 1938 at Berchtesgaden. Chamberlain returned from the meeting announcing ‘peace in our time’ which was abruptly smashed when Hitler invaded Prague in March 1939. Soon after given Western weakness and hesitation to work with the Soviet Union Stalin formed a pact with the Nazi’s guaranteeing Russian security and the partitioning of Eastern Europe between the Bear and the Hun. There was nothing to stop Hitler from destroying Poland and then turning his malevolence towards the West.

Public anger which had exploded after the subjugation of Prague had forced Chamberlain to give the improvident pledge to guarantee Poland’s security. Militarily and rationally this was an impossibility. The British did not possess a large enough standing army to lend help to Poland to stem a German advance and the logistics of transferring military relief to Poland was never calculated. Only the Navy was possessed war making power and there was little the Navy could do to defend Poland. She was invaded on the first of September and the Second World War began. Churchill was immediately recalled into power as First Lord of the Admiralty – the very same post he had assumed control of 25 years previous on the eve of the First World War.

From day one of the war Churchill was the true Leader of Britain. Chamberlain was defeatist and broken hearted remarking bitterly how his life’s work was now tragically sundered. He did not have the capability to rouse a nation and persevere to the bitter end. Winston as Naval War Lord was not only attacking the enemy on the seas but combating defeatist elements at home and trying to prod the blind neutral nations into action. Only Churchill could utter with true conviction and spirit, “Now we have begun; now we are going on; now with the help of God, and with the conviction that we are the defenders of Civilisation and Freedom, we are going on, and we are going on to the end.”

The Royal Navy was the only strong force that Britain possessed and from the opening bell the naval squads were on the offensive. Churchill worked at least an 18 hour day. Plans were drawn for a blockade of the German coast, convoy arrangements were made; mine-sweeping was instituted, enemy raiders harassed and submarines sunk. By the end of 1939 the Royal Navy had sunk half of all German submarines. However the war was only in its infancy. Great battles loomed.

On May 10 1940 the Germans began their vicious assault on the West. The Hun streamed into Holland and Belgium. That night the King of England sent for Churchill and asked him to form a government. Thus began the creation of the Churchill legend and his enshrinement into history. The story of the British war effort under Churchill falls into two distinct categories – the struggle to survive and the establishment of the alliance with the USA and Russia and the ultimate destruction of Germany and Japan.

The battle to survive covers the twelve or so months that Britain fought Germany completely alone in 1940-1. This period covered the dazzlingly quick disappearance of France under the heel of the Gestapo in June of 1940 to the German attack on Russia in June of 1941. This grim year brought horrible highlights; the partition of France, the formation of the pro-Nazi French Vichy government, the battle of Britain, the blitz on London, the beginning of the North African desert war, the defeat of Greece, and the British Commando raids along the Norwegian and French coasts.

It was during this sombre episodic current of ruin that Churchill became the most inspirational Leader of the Western world in the 20th century. He portrayed the towering, implacable fierceness of a proud nation, and of liberty, and expressed every free man’s tenacity to fight in words that no other could have summoned forth. Winston’s knowledge of military matters and his close operational vigilance over all affair animated and excited the British war effort with a boldness that astonished. British prestige in this desperate hour reached its highest ever pitch. The world over prayed for its salvation and success.

The immense energy and illimitable skill that throbbed and turned in his heart and mind was at last released from its bondage and given full scope of use. Churchill no longer knew the frustration of ideas that could not be brought alive, vitality that could not be expended, or ingenious approaches that could not be tested. The supreme challenge was met by a man of supreme stature. The Government was turned upside down. Routine was destroyed. Twenty four activity the rule with Churchill as the master organiser. All knew their place and role. Churchill immediately established a small War Cabinet to make effective and quick decisions. At first the membership was four which grew during the war to seven. This tiny all powerful directing force was supported by sixty or seventy other ministers of all parties who formed the core membership of the Coalition government but responsible only for their own departments. As Churchill pointed out, it was only the members of the War Cabinet, “who had the right to have their heads cut off on Tower Hill if we did not win.”

Never before in modern history did one man have so much power. Churchill was everywhere. He not only controlled the government but the operational side of the conflict as well. He was not only the King’s First Minister but Leader of the House of Commons and, even more important Minister of Defence also. The military Chiefs of Staff instead of reporting to their own ministries reported instead directly to Churchill. The Joint Planning Committee – a body of professional staff officers of all three services – worked under Churchill as part of the Ministry of Defence rather than under the Chiefs of Staff. Thus by permission of the War Cabinet and Parliament Churchill became the penultimate democratic Leader.

No one can study Churchill’s part in the war without being staggered by the colossal output of interests, dictation’s, orders, speeches, broadcasts, plans, promotions and prunings. In military matters he covered an almost incomprehensible range of activity. When Britain stood alone and the nation was bracing itself for the storm of invasion Churchill was racing about the government demanding attack plans, offensive action and targets of British incursions. He demanded the end of the passive war. Thus the commando raids were born. He participated during the war in every operational plan and strategy demanding full technical elaboration’s and missives to be sent to his attention. “During the war,” the American General Eisenhower later testified, “Churchill maintained such close contact with all operations as to make him a virtual member of the British Chiefs of Staff; I cannot remember any major discussion with them in which he did not participate.”

Churchill’s power was dependent upon the War Cabinet. It is a tribute to his skill of persuasion that unlike Roosevelt or Stalin, who were by their constitutions absolute military leaders of their nation, Churchill exercised his authority only by the permission of the War Cabinet who were willing to grant this authority only so long as Winston commanded the confidence of Parliament. Much of Parliament’s confidence was bolstered by Churchill’s impassioned, humanised and soaring orations. No man or women in the British Commonwealth who heard on June 4 1940 that France was being devoured by the German beast, will forget the tingling of emotion and courage when Churchill uttered in a strange, hoarse voice: “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever he cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle until in God’s good time, the new world, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”

Another Leader may have uttered, “We will do what is necessary to win this war and persevere in its struggle until it is won. This government believes in the ultimate ability of our nation to come through to victory.” Or something to that effect. Very few would have evinced the crescendo of emotional “We shall’s” in a peroration. Churchill gave the roar to the British lion and heart to the British public. Romance, history, philosophy and leadership all running in the cloud-burst of Churchill’s speeches and leadership of the war effort. But though he carried his role with pride, prompt execution and relish in no way implies a cold heart or an acceptance of war’s carnage. The suffering that he saw, and he saw a lot with his own eyes as he inspected damage through Britain, on more than one occasion pushed him into tears. When Churchill saw a small shop in ruins and wondered out loud to his private secretary the anguish that the owner must feel to have his whole life exploded and ruptured so completely, he became so visibly upset that he resolved at that moment to compensate all damaged property with state payments. Thus the policy of war damage for private assets came into effect. If Churchill enjoyed the waging of war he certainly suffered from the anguish it induced and endeavoured to share its destruction with the common man and woman.

The second phase of the war lasted from the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 1941 until the end of the war. Until 1944 the British and Russian armies bore the brunt of the struggle against the demented German race. From early 1944 onwards the Americans assumed a greater share and responsibility of the war effort and began to relegate the British to a supporting role in the drive to victory. Roosevelt and Churchill met nine times during the war establishing a strong if short lived friendship. The Americans including Roosevelt were incorrectly convinced that Churchill and the British wanted to expand their Empire.

This calamitous suspicion allowed the Russians more freedom in Eastern Europe than the British would ever have tolerated. As early as 1943 with victory a matter of time and logistics Churchill implored the American leadership not to let Soviet ambition run unimpeded in Eastern Europe. The American reply was incredibly purblind and vague. It appears in scouring the documents and American communiqués that they trusted the Soviets to behave themselves more than their close allies the British ! Eisenhower and many of his chiefs remarked in letters and in meetings that they could not understand why the British constantly mixed politics and military affairs.

To the British this represented reality and the best hope to avoid another world war with the Soviets after the defeat of Germany. Churchill and his advisors even preached that upon the war’s closing everything necessary should be attempted to revive Germany as a bulwark against the pending Soviet menace. The Americans felt that such targets as Prague, Berlin and Vienna were unnecessary military ventures that would endanger the lives of their men. If the Soviets wanted to shed more life in attacking these seemingly remote locations than the Americans were content to let them. The British just shook their heads in dismay unable to impress the Americans with their superior logic. Victory was attained but it set the stage for the Cold War.

The fact that the British survived the early years of the war when Germany swept all before it and that the British evaded a complete national disaster at Dunkirk and defeated the Nazi’s in the air during the Battle of Britain, issued during the remainder of the war and for a short period after it, an inflated sense of self destiny and strength and even an isolationist mentality. The collective suffering and emotional agony endured by the entire British nation also gave express an imbued spirit of egalitarianism. The depth of this communal desire was the most profound in British history and exercised a new faith in social planning and cohesion. During Churchill’s premiership in the war the most celebrated social reconstruction document of the period was the report by William Beveridge which outlined a radical scheme of comprehensive social security, financed from central taxation. This new state aided social plan included maternity benefits, child allowances, universal health and unemployment insurance, old age pension and death benefits – an entire cradle to grave policy. From 1940-45 Britain moved more rapidly to the left than at any time in history a move marked by the important positions Labour ministers occupied in the war government.

At the end of World War II in 1945, Britain was still one of the Big 3 powers, indeed it was ranked as a great power, an illusion that held until about 1963. The British still had their empire in 1945 and in the ensuing years they could still produce great artists and Nobel prize winners, but much to the chagrin of Churchill and the leadership class British glory was long past. The rapid decolonisation of most of its empire — India, Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka — and parts of Africa shedded from British finance much unneeded expense and worry, and solidified Britain’s secondary role in world affairs subordinate to the USA and Russia.

Success in conflict notwithstanding the British electorate in the 1945 general election shockingly kicked Churchill and the Conservatives from office by an overwhelming share. For the third time the Labour party was called forth to govern. Churchill after leading the democracies to attain the supreme glories and garlands of success instantly found himself shorn of privilege and casted into opposition. It was a role he obviously did not appreciate. For Churchill defeat was only explained by the plain fact that people believed his government to be a war council, unprepared for the extended restructuring of society that peace demanded. Labour presented a sharper and more intelligent platform and catalogue of change. The Conservatives were quite content to rest upon Churchill’s name and ignore the organisation and deliverance of a viable alternative to the Labour programme.

Whilst Churchill harried the Labour government and began the rebuilding of the Conservative party to respond to public and peace-time pressure he began the personal memoirs of the great struggle and in the absence of anything else offered by the other leaders – Stalin, Roosevelt, Truman, or Hitler – Churchill was able to dictate on the best terms and in the most convincing language possible, his and Britannia’s exalted position in the struggle against evil. It was an incomparable success, ensuring that in times forward, historians would favourably compare the works of Thucydides and those of Churchill. Both men represented and recorded their times and events on an unparalleled scale.

What Churchill was able to offer the reader was a glimpse into the details of history’s most horrible man-made disaster. The wicked folly of the conflict was evident at the war’s end. Whole nations lay in ruins. Towns, cities, industrial plants and transportation facilities were erased. Food and life essentials were unavailable to great migratory populations. Cynicism and disillusionment in Europe and elsewhere bred the shift to the political left. Marxism replaced Fascism as an acceptable form of social order. Communism erupting from poverty, spread like an open wound across Asia and Europe. With the complete eradication of Nagasaki and Hiroshima the nuclear age dawned. Moral questionings loudly divided those in the West over the usage of weapons of such finality – especially against a prostrate Japan. Dropping two bombs three days apart on a nation that was in the process of trying to negotiate an exit from the war seemed to many morally reprehensible. It was an inauspicious beginning to the scientific era.

The United States and Russia emerged from the rubble of the war as opponents. Russia was mauled and mutilated by the war with over 20 million dead and whole sections of her country raped. The USA stood at war’s end possessing a massive ego and the greatest economic supremacy in history. The big two were joined by the little third – Great Britain – and the three during the war and after drove the discussions regarding the build up of the United Nations. Most vexing to the Allies in the construction of the United Nations Assembly was whether members were obliged to surrender part or all of their own independence to the new body in order to maintain peace. How would it be possible to invest such a supranational body with enough force to enforce decisions ? How would the large powers relate to the smaller in the decision making of such a forum ? At Moscow in 1943 the Big Three resolved many of these issues and in Washington in 1944, joined by China, hammered out the shape of the new international body. At the Yalta conference in 1945, the Big Three came to terms on the matter of securing for each of the major powers the right to veto decisions of the new international body. This allowed the creation of the UNO charter at San Francisco in April 1945 which clearly identified the principles and responsibilities of the new organisation. Fifty one founding nations signed the document and in September 1945 the UNO opened its headquarters in New York.

Comprising the UNO were principally the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat. Most power resided in the Security Council which was given the task of maintaining the peace. Five permanent members sit in the council; the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, China and France and six other nations are elected for two year terms as non-permanent members. The permanent members retained veto power with all resolutions needing the consent of the five permanent nations before passing.

In contrast to the Security Council the UNO General Assembly was shaped by all the member states each wielding one nation one vote rights. International problems are to be solved in an open forum and mandates need to be passed by majority vote. This effectively gives the smaller nations more voice in international affairs. The Secretariat acting as the permanent secretary of the UNO concerned itself with internal operations with its Secretary General the highest profiled member of the UNO, exerting wide diplomatic powers emanating from the prestige of the office.

Thus the founding of the UNO was an expression of hope by the survivors of the Second World War. Quickly this vision was marred and jaded by political ineptitude and quivering resolve by the UNO in major affairs. There was little effective work during the Cold War that could be resoundingly accomplished. This war which was contested by two sides that viewed the other as monolithic or controlling inimical forces, could never have been settled via diplomatic channels. The mental straitjackets of both sides; with the Soviet Union believing that the capitalist West controlled by a few monied financiers who desired the destruction of communism and especially the Soviet Union and which would never grant the Russians fair credit in defeating Hitler; and the West believing that Russia controlled the communistic movement world-wide and that communism and especially Russia wanted to overthrow the better functioning liberal states, could only end with the breakdown of one of the combatants. The demise of Marxism gave spring to the hope of a liberal-democratic world.

The major events since 1945 can be summarised in a short list;
- The Collapse of Communism
- The Triumph of Capitalism
- The beginning of the High Tech Era
- The Decline of the USA and the re-emergence of Europe, Japan and China
- The Fragmentation of parts of the world into tribes
- Ecological dislocation
- Growing disparity between the have and have-not nations
- Emerging militant Islamism
- Questioning over the role of the UNO

The most momentous and important event however has been the spread of globalism. Economically, morally, and spiritually people are viewing themselves regardless of race, kin, geography or circumstance as belonging to the entire human race and not a limited defined tribe. Though tribalism in some areas of the world is taking hold even within these identified units a greater consciousness is emanating out to the rest of the globe that though distinct there resides a desire and need to be integrated into a global framework. Economics, peace and ecological salvation commonsensically dictate this. So do the various images from space capturing a small blue ball in the surroundings of space. Somehow this humbles even the largest of egos. So even as, in some parts of the world, balkanisation is shattering mature states, the pieces will still be forced to bond not only together but somehow they will need to align themselves to the greater puzzle that resides outside their narrow borders. It is only by collective effort that the solutioning of poverty, ecological rapine, and the stoppage of war can be peacefully effected.

Churchill died just after the Cuban missile crisis during a bitter period of Cold War strife, which almost pushed the world into a nuclear confrontation. Though he felt certain of liberal-democracy’s triumph he did not see the maturity of his concept. And though he sustained an undying faith in the ability of man to overcome his worst problems we can be sure that without using the leadership skills presented through his example we will have a very difficult time indeed.

C. Read
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/churchills-during-world-war-ii-and-its-aftermath-700338.html

Dixie Chicks: Reluctant Warriors in the Battle for America’s Soul

“On the altar of God, I swear eternal hostility against all forms of tyranny over the mind of man”. – Thomas Jefferson

“I don’t mind saying it’s a sad, sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a complete stranger. How in the world could the words that I said send somebody so over the edge that they’d write me a letter saying that I better shut and sing or my life will be over?” – from “Not Ready to Make Nice”; Dixie Chicks

WACKO in the name of Patriotism is still WACKO!

Whether it’s Donald Rumsfeld likening critics of the Iraq war to the appeasers of the Nazi movement, or Rush Limbaugh declaring that we absolutely should question the patriotism of anyone who is against the war, or Dick Cheney accusing those who oppose the war as hoping that America loses, punishing free-speech in the name of patriotism is simply WACKO. A corrosive mind-set has sprung forth in the national identity, a mind set that openly condemns and ridicules differing thoughts and unashamedly feeds on anyone who dares challenge presidential actions, especially actions related to war. The cloak under which this new bigotry shields itself is “patriotism”. Wacko in the name of patriotism – Wacko-Patriotism.

Theodore Roosevelt hated such behavior. “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

George Washington said “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.”

Mark Twain observed that “The government is merely a servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.”

All of this historic wisdom is falling on deaf ears. Government is indeed determining what is wrong or right, who is and isn’t a patriot. Disagreement with the President has become a crime, though for the time being at least, only in the court of public opinion and rhetoric. The jury prosecuting the commission of the crime wraps itself in the red, white and blue of Wacko-Patriotism. This movement has taken to the streets, the media, the PACs and even the halls of Congress. It has become the accusation d’jour. You can hijack any conversation, deflect any criticism, excuse any behavior and attack any opponent simply by injecting patriotism, or a lack of it, into the mix.

No one is immune to the voracious appetite of the beast, and thus it was that, undeterred by the sage warnings of our founding fathers, the Wacko-Pat movement unleashed its hysterical anti-patriotic obsession on the Dixie Chicks. And for what? Because lead singer Natalie Maines had the audacity to criticize President Bush for invading Iraq. Huh?

Never mind that 70% of the American people agree with Maines’ criticism. Never mind that an army of conservative Bush supporters have leveled much harsher criticism at Bush than the Chicks ever did. Never mind that the ENTIRE COUNTRY spoke loud and clear in November that they are sick and tired of the nasty rhetoric and misguided foreign policy. The Chicks are still paying the price for their outspokenness.

There is so much wrong with this picture that it’s hard to know where to begin. First of all, that red white and blue piece of cloth you Wacko-Pats so fondly wave is called An American Flag. It represents the highest standard of freedom and democracy in the entire freaking world. It represents “The land of the free and the home of the brave”. Based on your logic, every revolutionary that stood up to King George in 1776, was a traitor who should just shut up. I guess it’s a darn good thing that the Revolution didn’t start in the country music bread basket of America. Someone might have burned the Declaration of Independence in protest!

Next, as you feverishly sharpen your fangs and your rhetoric on the Dixie Chicks, you should pay attention to this very limited Who’s Who of Bush critics, all of them Conservative, and all of them more critical of the President than the Chicks ever were:

Newt Gingrich – “The US went off a cliff in Iraq”

Kenneth Adelman, former Rumsfeld assistant, called Bush’s Iraq strategy “mind-bending incompetence” and “shameful”; described Bush’s national security team as “…they were deadly, dysfunctional.”

Richard Perle, chairman of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board and a staunch Bush advocate before the Iraq war – “the dysfunction within the Bush administration has turned U.S. policy in Iraq a disaster… you have to hold the President responsible.”

Pat Buchanan – “Iraq was an unnecessary war that may become one of the great blunders in U.S. history… He (Bush) should never have gone in!”

Shameful, dysfunctional, off-the-cliff, deadly, he never should have gone in to Iraq, greatest blunder in U.S. history. Yep, sure sounds like criticism of the President to me. Maybe the Wacko-Pats should write letters to Barnes … Noble threatening to never buy another thing if they don’t rid their shelves of the anti-American propaganda of these traitors? Maybe libraries and coffee houses could set up trash cans outside so the Wacko-Pats can show their unified disgust as they discard this un-American trash. Yeah! That will teach them. Any of you courageous middle-American country music fans want to send a death threat? That will definitely get them to shut up and … whatever, huh?

Now, what was the horrible disrespectful, insulting the troops, hate-America, unpatriotic slander that the Chicks said? Oh yeah. “We’re embarrassed that the President is from Texas.” That was it. Cutting satire, isn’t it? Yeah, easy to see why you’re all so outraged.

The hypocrisy doesn’t stop there. While the Wacko-Pats earnestly call the Dixie Chicks sluts for speaking their minds, they tolerate the vulgar behaviors of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan – a trio of chicks that give all chicks a bad name – flashing their panty-less genitals and breasts in public, getting publicly drunk and acting like their value as human beings is limited to their bodies and their level of indecent behavior. Meanwhile, I don’t see any of you self-righteous, family values, macho patriot flag-wavers objecting to their slutty behavior. Is that all it takes to get your vote? Flash a tit or your crotch, show you can shotgun a Budweiser while smoking a cigarette, release a sex video, and BAM! You’re cool. Those bastions of American values seem to have no problem with certain slut-like antics. But, be a good wife and mother, take care of your family and dare to speak out about something you believe in, and they’ll fry your ass in the media, ridicule your lifestyle, try to destroy your livelihood and threaten to kill you. Ooooh. Makes one so proud, doesn’t it?

Come on cowboys, who would you rather have raising your kids? And all you country moms, which role model do you want your daughters following? What kind of woman do you want junior bringing home to Thanksgiving dinner?

Even now, three years after the initial frenzy, the mugging continues. In October 2006, NBC publicly refused to air the TV advertisements for The Dixie Chicks’ indy film “Shut Up And Sing”, stating that they were following a “policy of not broadcasting ads that deal with issues of public controversy… [and] cannot accept these spots as they are disparaging to President Bush”. Hmm, could NBC be kissing some White House ass to compensate for their decision to refer to Iraq as a Civil War, contrary to the wishes of the President? Hey, can’t have those Wacko-Pats boycotting “ER”, can we? CBS, so far, has been the only major television network which has agreed to air the ads for the film.

Check out this heavily edited excerpt from an Ann Coulter column appearing on pugbus.net on October 30, 2006:

“NBC was right in refusing to air an ad for “Shut Up … Sing or We’ll Kill You, B****-a** Whore”, the fluffumentary “movie” about Blue-State-America’s favorite singing treasonistas, the Dixie Chicks. I have seen this piece of s***, people, and let me tell you, it was enough to make any god-fearing, barbeque-loving, towel-head-pussy-hating, truck-driving, ball-scratching man or woman want to commit road rage on those b****-ass whores, the Dixie Chicks.” Oh my, Ann. You’re so … eloquent. And I thought Annie was just a harmless, vitriolic, conservative humorist. Whew! Can you spell misogynist?

The demonizing of the Chicks isn’t the first time in history that a self-righteous minority sought to silence those who disagreed with its agenda. 2500 years ago, the corrupt Greek senate set out to silence Socrates. Given the opportunity to “shut up and… whatever”, Socrates refused to make nice with his critics and was forced to drink poison. Well, that’s one way.

Christopher Columbus was almost arrested by the powerful Spanish Inquisition because he suggested that (gasp!) the earth wasn’t flat in direct opposition to the established position of the Catholic Church. “Just Shut Up and draw your stupid maps, Chris!”

Alice Paul valiantly protested for Women’s Suffrage in 1920, which angered the male chauvinistic society of the times. During an attempted hunger strike while she was imprisoned in a mental hospital (for refusing to shut up), her “patriotic” captors forced metal tubes into her mouth while she was strapped helpless in an electro-shock chair which resulted in having to swallow her own vomit and endure a fractured jaw. I guess all you patriotic women (especially Coulter) would gladly give up your right to vote and would be much happier today if Alice had just followed the sincere pleas of her husband as he signed the legal papers which had her committed to the mental institution, “Why can’t you just stop this nonsense and be a good mother to our children?” (In other words, “Shut Up and … whatever”)

More recently, Joe Darby refused to shut up. He was with the MP unit guarding the prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and accidentally came across the much publicized pictures showing the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Responding to his moral sense of right and wrong, Darby blew the whistle on what became an international scandal. He was labeled as “a traitor to his country” and “a coward who knows nothing about loyalty”. When his life was threatened and he had to move his family from his home town, critics continued the public onslaught. “Darby should be scared. What he did was wrong. He should have thought of the ramifications before he decided to open his big trap!!”, “He should have just turned a blind eye”. Oh yeah, Wacko-Pats do not like it when someone speaks out against authority. (Does it all make you proud, Annie? These are your god-fearing, barbeque-loving, ball-scratching men and women at work here.)

I can almost understand some men being angered or intimidated by The Dixie Chicks, especially if your view of women is that they should, well “shut up and… cook your dinner/take care of the kids/clean up the house/etc.”. These aren’t that kind of women which just might seem disrespectful to some macho dudes. But, no matter how testosterone-driven you are, if you admire such “guy “ traits as integrity, guts and persevering in the face of adversity, you ought to admire the Chicks. When faced with the choice between protecting their careers and livelihood , or standing up for what they believed in, they chose honor. How many of you macho patriotic guys out there could pass the test they’ve passed? When I was growing up we were taught to respect and defend that kind courage, not threaten to stomp it out. Of course, I never had the privilege of being a country music fan. Maybe that’s why I just don’t understand.

And I REALLY don’t understand what you women are so pissed about. These are decent, self-respecting ladies here. They’ve done more to demonstrate real dignity and equality than any politician in DC has in the last decade. Why aren’t you outraged at the Spears/Hilton/Lohan slut parade instead, which celebrates the lowest, most exploitable female traits? Maybe you’re pissed off because the Chicks have raised the bar on what it is to be a self-expressed woman and mother. Maybe they represent a level of freedom and independence that you wish you had but don’t because you happen to be living with one of those traditional guys that think you should “shut up and … whatever”. Sucks being you.

The most frightening thing about the Wacko-Pat mentality is that it seems to spring from the most tyrannical thinking of the 20th Century. Herman Goering, Hitler’s 2nd in command, at the Nuremberg trials said:

“Of course, the people don’t want war. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy … All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

Whatdya think, Annie? Is this your kind of guy or what?

In closing, I have two things to say to The Dixie Chicks. First, I apologize for sitting on my ass and not writing this article sooner. I was lazy and you three, who have put your collective asses on the line, deserve better from your supporters. I won’t shut up now, though. You can count on that.

Second, you will get back to that place, Martie. And you’ll get there because you ladies are indeed warriors in the most traditional and honored sense of the word. Your iron will, indomitable spirit and love of truth cannot be squashed forever. It’s in your blood to write poetry and put it to music and that gift is more durable than Wacko-Pat rhetoric or corporate greed. I’m sorry you’ve had to endure all that’s happened, but thank you for doing it.

And oh yeah. F U T K!! (See the documentary if you don’t know what I mean!)

Fred Tutwiler
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/dixie-chicks-reluctant-warriors-in-the-battle-for-americas-soul-81143.html

Cma-cgm: Jacques Saadé, Désespéré, Menace…

Traduction libre de l’article du quotidien égyptien

« Al Moujaz » du 13 novembre 2006

Des échauffourées au procès

de l’affaire des conteneurs de Damiette

Les avocats de Jacques Saadé menacent…

• Des provocations et des insultes de la part de la partie de Jacques Saadé.

• Maintien des détentions de Massad et les autres prévenus avec insitance sur la poursuite des fugitifs…

• Les avocats de certains prévenus clament la recherche des vrais intéressés après que leurs clients ont reconnu la corruption.

Les infractions commises par le Président de la ligne maritime française (CMA CGM), Jacques Saadé, n’en finissent pas. Après la série de scandales auxquels, Jacques Saadé fait face, allant des deux ports de Damiette et de Lattaquié, en dévoilant d’autres implications de grandes envergures dans d’autres ports arabes et internationaux, l’audience publique consacrée au jugement de l’ex-directeur Général de la société des Conteneurs de Damiette, Ali Massaad avec 6 autres prévenus, ne fait que démasquer la façon dont les responsables de la ligne française se comportent vis-à-vis de la partie adverse et notamment les avocats libanais représentés par Maître Antoine Kozah.

Maître Kozah déclare avoir été insulté à sa sortie de la 5ème chambre au 3ème étage du tribunal du Nord du Caire. Il rajoute qu’ un des avocats de Jacques Saadé, Khaled Aino, appartenant au Cabinet d’avocats Al Dib, qui défend la CMA CGM et Jacques Saadé, lui a proféré des menaces et a tenté de le frapper en présence d’un grand nombre de témoins. L’avocat libanais s’est alors précipité à l’intérieur de la Salle d’audience, mais, hélas, le procureur général et le conseiller Ahmad Refaatl’ avaient déjà quitté. . Par la suite l’équipe d’avocats libanais est sortie du Tribunal sous protection des forces de l’ordre qui témoignent de cette attaque dont ils ont fait l’objet dans l’enceinte même de la cour de justice égyptienne. Des milieux avertis et informés sur l’affaire de Damiette, s’étonnent du comportement indélicat de l’avocat de Jacques Saadé au tribunal, un fait que plusieurs considèrent comme étant un signe de débâcle totale de l’équipe de défense de Jacques Saadé, qui essai d’écarter son implication et lui épargner ses retombées. Jacques Saadé pour sa part, d’après certaines informations, a ordonné parait-il, à un de ses collaborateurs, Fadi Issa, de s’installer au Caire ayant pour mission de restructurer la société en Égypte, dans une ultime tentative de redorer son blason après la mauvaise réputation conséquente aux affaires de corruption, de pots de vin et d’atteinte aux fonds publics du port de Damiette.

Les avocats déclarent qu’il faut démasquer celui à qui profite le crime.

En retour à l’audience du tribunal, la situation est restée inchangée. La détention de Ali Massaad et les autres prévenus continue, et l’intensification des opérations de recherches des fugitifs. L’affaire a été transférée à un autre district du Tribunal. En marge du procès, l’avocat égyptien, Rafic Mohamad Rachad, le conseiller des 3ème et 7ème inculpés, déclare que ses clients ont reconnus les faits mais que d’après la loi égyptienne il bénéficient de circonstances atténuantes car après tout ceux ne sont que des employés qui n’ont pas l’autorité pour distribuer des sommes aussi importantes en pots de vins, et il insiste sur le fait de tout mettre en œuvre pour démasquer les vrais bénéficiaires de cette affaire.

Le Jeudi 9 Novembre à 11 heures, Ali Massaad fait son entrée au tribunal, habillé en Blanc, évoquant son innocence devant la Cour, mais malgré sa persistance à nier les faits qui lui sont reprochés, la reconduction du procès et son maintient en détention ont été ordonnés. Les épisodes dans cette affaire ne sont pas encore au point de s’arrêter, compte tenu de la position de Ali Massad qui ne reconnaît pas les faits alors que les autres inculpés sont passés aux aveux dévoilant ainsi leurs rôles dans la corruption dont Ali Maassad avait touchée.

A la cour pénale du Caire, une deuxième audience a eu lieu dans le procès du scandale des conteneurs du port de Damiette ». Les enquêtes avaient révélé d’importantes opérations de falsifications, corruptions et de vols s’élevant à quelques millions de dollars dans une complicité avérée entre la société française (CMA CGM) et les anciens responsables de la société égyptienne du port de Damiette, dont certains parmi eux sont toujours en arrestations provisoires, sur ordonnance du Président Ahmad Rifaat. Ali Massaad, allias « Al Bey », le principal inculpé devrait répondre de trois chefs d’accusations dont les plus importants seraient l’obtention de pots de vin de la part de la société étrangère, avoir faillit aux obligations et devoirs de sa mission et avoir dilapidé des fonds publics.

Suites aux enquêtes conduites par Le Procureur Général Wadih Hanna An Nached , et à la découverte de pièces et de preuves rajoutées à celles dévoilées par la commission de contrôle administratif, Ali Massaad Saad avec 6 autres inculpés ont été déférés par devant la cour pénale.

Un des faits les plus étonnants que la commission d’enquête administrative a pu mettre en évidence, c’est que le Président de la société de Damiette recevait des pots de vin de la société CMA-CGM, des documents le prouvant ont été saisie au siège de la société en Egypte. Le plus surprenant encore c’est que malgré les efforts déployés par le Président de la société de Damiette pour que la ligne maritime française atteigne les 70 000 Conteneurs par an pour justifier l’application du barème de facturation de la 3ème colonne, toutes ces tentatives sont restées vaines, ce qui a précipité le démasquage de la corruption.

Les investigations de la commission de contrôle administratif ont révélé une modification des barèmes tarifaires (Système de colonnes de prix) des prestations de transport et de manutention appliquées pour la facturation de la ligne maritime française, engendrant une baisse dès que le flux dépasserait les 70 000 conteneurs transités par an. L’enquête arrive à la conclusion que le Président du Conseil d’administration de la société des conteneurs de Damiette était directement derrière cette manipulation. Suite à un accord conclus avec les responsables de la ligne maritime française, à l’occasion d’une visite qu’il a effectué à Marseille, siège de la société française, là il a modifié illicitement la date de prise d’effet de cet accord ce qui a permis à Ali Massaad (en détention) d’octroyer à la ligne maritime française un délai supplémentaire lui permettant ainsi d’atteindre les 70 000 conteneurs et de bénéficier de la 3ème colonne tarifaire dont les prix sont préférentiels, entraînant ainsi une perte de plus de 20 millions de dollars au préjudice du trésor égyptien et en faveur de la société maritime française. Cette Commission a dévoilé aussi que Ali Massad le Président du Conseil d’administration de la société des conteneurs de Damiette percevait depuis 1997 une indemnité mensuelle de 3000 dollars à titre de pots de vin de la CMA CGM à l’époque ou il était directeur du secteur maritime dans la société. Cette somme a été ramenée à 3500 dollars par mois après son accession à la fonction de Président du Conseil d’administration de cette même société. En dehors de cette corruption Ali Massaad avait encaissé la somme de 8425 dollars en couverture de ses frais de voyage au siège de la société française à Marseille des fonds de la société en Egypte, malgré que la CMA CGM avait pris en charge tous les frais de ce voyage.

Par ailleurs, L’autre surprise fut que Ali Massaad Saad avait réclamé 50 000 dollars pour la modification de la date du contrat et que cette somme après négociation, a été ramenée à 30 000 dollars. Cette négociation a eu lieu avec le troisième accusé, le directeur général de la ligne maritime française en Egypte et le directeur financier de la société française, et que cette somme a été entièrement réglé a Ali Massaad par le directeur de la succursale de Damiette de la CMA CGM.

Le rapport du comité tri partite constitué par des experts du ministère la Justice, des finances publiques et des ressources illégales, lors de son évaluation du nombre exacte de conteneurs appartenant à la ligne française ayant circulé a constaté que le chiffre n’atteignait pas les 70.000 permettant l’application du tarif préférentiel de la 3ème tranche, mais malgré ce fait la société française a pu profiter des tarifs bas, grâce à la complicité de Ali Massaad Le Président de la société des conteneurs de Damiette.

D’après ce rapport la CMA CGM aurait pu faire des économies de l’ordre de 5.53190 dollars qu’elle aurait du payé à la société de Damiette et que jusqu’à la date de la découverte de ce préjudice la perte de la société nationale de Damiette dépassait les 3 millions de dollars.

La commission a également dévoilé d’autres infractions graves commises par le directeur de la société Damiette, notamment des sommes de 15.500 Dollars et 21.639 Livres égyptiennes, avaient été décaissé de la trésorerie de la société par ailleurs le directeur financier, le deuxième inculpé, avait détourné 10.600 dollars et 3.500 livres égyptiennes sans aucun justificatif. Le rapport en question a certifié que des dépenses des caisses de la société française sous la rubrique « récompenses de Damiette » arrivent à un total de 38.150 dollars, et une somme dépensée pour le compte du « Bey » (alias Ali Massaad) de 38500 dollars. Les dates de ses dépenses coïncident avec le début des infractions commises par les 7 inculpés.

L’affaire a été appelé localement « La Grande Affaire de corruption des conteneurs de Damiette », et « Damiette Gate », dans le reste du Monde. Dès la première audience trois des six accusés, le troisième, le cinquième et le sixième ont reconnu avoir eu un rôle dans les pots de vins reçus par Ali Massaad, alors que ce dernier persiste à nier tout ce qu’on lui reproche.

Les six accusés , Ali Massaad, Président du Conseil d’Administration de la Société des conteneurs de Damiette, Jihad Anis Dagher employé à la Société Leader Group, Nabil Elie Bassil directeur financier et administratif régional de la société leader Group (Filiale de la CMA CGM), Mostapha Mohamad Khalil Abdel Menhem, directeur de la succursale de Damiette, Jamal Abdel Razek Adbdel Sadek et Ahmad Mahmoud Ahmad Yacoub ont été déféré par le Procureur Général des affaires Financières par devant la cour pénale, dont la deuxième audience était fixée à jeudi dernier 9 Novembre.

D’après des informations frappantes, le successeur d’Ali Masaad, à la tête de la Société des conteneurs de Damiette, suivrait le même chemin de corruption que son prédécesseur ce qui a amené le Procureur Général à ouvrir une deuxième enquête portant sur la période d’après Ali Massaad. Mais cette enquête a été remise à une date ultérieure suite au congé judiciaire et à la promotion du Procureur Wadih Hanna Nached. Cette affaire tombe sous la compétence de 2 autorités le procureur Général des affaires financière et la Cour pénale.

En attendant le dénouement de cette affaire, l’accusé principal restera en détention provisoire, et le dossier dans tous ses aspects, égyptiens, libanais et français suscite beaucoup d’intérêts.

La presse égyptienne révèle qu’il ne s’agit pas là d’un premier cas de corruption dans le secteur du Transport Maritime en Egypte. Or l’ancien Procureur Général Maher Abdel Wahed avait déjà ordonné au Président du Conseil d’administration de la société Damiette, Ali Massaad, son assignation à résidence et son interdiction de disposer de ses biens propres jusqu’à l’achèvement des investigations et cette interdiction a été notifié à la banque centrale d’Egypte, la direction des finances et le cadastre.

L’enquête a été ouverte par le Procureur Général suite à une déclaration du président de l’organe Central de Comptabilité concernant les relevés de comptes de la société appartenant à la société Holding de transport terrestre et maritime présidée par le Général Mohamad Youssof, déjà inculpé dans l’affaire de détournement du Bateau « Salem 2 » dans le port d’Alexandrie. Le Président de la cour d’Appel district du Caire du Sud, Ahmad Khalifé avait fixé au 29 mai dernier l’audience sous la présidence Adel Joumaa de pour se prononcer sur l’ordonnance du Procureur Général. Les investigations avaient révélé un complot entre l’ingénieur Ali Massaad et des responsables de la ligne Maritime étrangère, qui a entraîné la signature d’un accord aux termes duquel la compagnie étrangère pouvait obtenir des remises exceptionnelles au préjudice de la Société publique Damiette atteignant 5,5 millions de dollars.

Ce scandale préoccupe, et l’opinion publique égyptienne et le milieu politique à la fois, car il arrive après les affaires de la direction des transports, la Banque du Caire et le vol de fer et métaux. L’instruction a fait la preuve sur l’existence d’un complot entre le premier inculpé, Ali Massaad Saad et le Président de la ligne Maritime française, qui a entraîné dans un premier temps la disparition de quelques 6 millions de dollars des caisses du trésor Egyptien. Lors d’une perquisition au domicile de l’inculpé, il s’est avéré qu’il percevait depuis des années, régulièrement, des pots de vins pour son compte personnel en provenance de France.

Dans un rebondissement surprenant, l’instruction a révélé que les responsables de la Ligne maritime internationale dont le siège social est situé en France, à Marseille, ont remboursé un montant de 3,1 million de dollars par chèque bancaire à l’ordre de la Société Damiette dans le cadre d’un compromis visant a étouffé l’affaire, après que le Procureur Général avait déclenché les poursuites judiciaires à l’encontre de cette société et procédé à la saisie des biens de Ali Massaad. Ce chèque n’a pas mis fin aux poursuites engagées, mais il a fait découvrir un autre aspect de l’affaire mettant en évidence l’implication directe de la Société française dans la corruption de fonctionnaires égyptiens.

Malgré le démenti de la CMA-CGM de tout rapport avec cette corruption et sa déclaration qu’une enquête interne est en cour en collaboration avec les autorités égyptiennes, le journal le Sunday Express a révélé que La CMA-CGM présidée par Jacques Saadé , versait déjà plus de 10 000 Dollars par mois à Ali Massaad, et avait tenté de rembourser 3,1 millions de dollars comme indemnité pour le port Egyptien de Damiette.

Jacques Saadé déclare au même journal, que les prévenus ont été payées par le bureau en Egypte et qu’il n’y a pas eu de transfert par le siège français et que sa société ouvre une enquête interne à ce sujet avec l’aide des autorités égyptiennes et que plusieurs cadres ont été entendus y compris le responsable comptable.

Le Sunday Express, explique que la situation est extrêmement sérieuse et l’inquiétude envahie plusieurs autres pays et notamment les Etat Unis. Or des pressions politiques ont fait de sorte que la CMA CGM fut interdite de prendre les parts de la Compagnie anglaise P&O dans le port américain de DUBAI DP WORLD, pour des raisons de sécurités, et que les autorités américaines mènent une enquête à propos de cette affaire.

D’autres informations survenues en marge des investigations secrètes, indiquent que plusieurs points dans cette affaire demeurent obscurs. Le point le plus important qui a été révélé jusqu’à présent c’est le faux contrat, qui fait l’objet principal de l’enquête, et qui portait la signature de Farid Salem, Directeur Général de la CMA-CGM et en l’occurrence le beau frère du Président Jacques Saadé.

Le Journal Al Ahram du 26 mai 2006, indique que les investigations des services de contrôle financiers, font apparaître que le principal accusé recevait régulièrement des sommes importantes en contre partie de ces infractions.. L’ex Procureur Général Wadih Hanna Nached avait lancé des mandats de perquisition dans les locaux de la ligne Maritime en question (CMA-CGM) à Alexandrie qui ont aboutis à la saisie de nombreuses preuves attestant de transferts de sommes importantes des comptes de cette société en faveur de l’accusé.

Le Magazine Rose El Youssof » publie une longue enquête sur ce dossier. Dans ce dossier on déclare que le Président de la société Damiette est propriétaire de 2 grands palace dans la ville de Damiette sur les bords du Nil, sans oublier les dizaines de propriétés et 3 villas dans le village touristique de Yasmina à Port Said en plus des 5 hectares de terrain agricole dans la même ville, tout cela ajouté aux 20 millions de livres égyptiennes sur des comptes bancaires en son nom propre et ceux de son épouse et ses enfants, et un certain nombre de comptes à l’étranger dont l’inventaire n’était pas encore connu. Par ailleurs, ajoute l’article, Ali Massaad avait un prête-nom, « Le Bey », à l’ordre duquel les chèques reçus étaient libellés.

Les enquêtes ont révélé aussi que le nombre de conteneurs que la CMA-CGM avait fait transiter par le port de Damiette, ne dépassait pas les 70 000 sur les 12 derniers mois permettant à la société française de bénéficier de remises de près de 5,5 millions de dollars. Ce qui les a poussé à faire modifier illicitement le contrat avec la Société Damiette en versant des pots de vins en plus des rétributions mensuelles octroyées à Ali Massaad en récompense.

Rose al Youssof ajoute que Ali Massaad prétend avoir amasser sa fortune en Arabie Séoudite là ou il a travaillé pendant 12 ans et à Bahrein pendant 5 ans. Mais il n’était pas en mesure de présenter des preuves le disculpant. L’étrange aussi, c’est qu’il a comparu devant la cour qui a ordonné la saisie de ses biens et ceux de son épouse, portant des vêtements de très mauvaise qualité, dans une tentative de dissimuler sa fortune. Etonnant encore, le cabinet d’avocats qui assure sa défense est l’un des plus grands cabinets spécialisés dans les affaires maritimes, Cabinet Ad Dib, et qui s’occupe des affaires de Mamdouh Ismaeel le propriétaire des « Navires de la Mort ».

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L’enquête avance dans l’espoir de faire la lumière sur d’autres points dans ce dossier complexe. Une forte probabilité existe pour que le Procureur Général lance des poursuites contre les réels bénéficiaires de ce complot, ce point rajoutera un élément de surprise au conflit autour de la propriété de cette société, et serre encore plus l’étau autour du président de la ligne maritime française au tribunal.

Une nouvelle affaire en Syrie

Malgré le caractère spectaculaire et surprenant de l’affaire des conteneurs de Damiette d’autre affaires n’en demeurent pas moins surprenantes, que se soit dans le port syrien de Lattaquié, en France ou au Etats-Unis, ce qui a rendu les infraction de la ligne maritime française, un fin appât pour les média égyptiens, arabes ou internationaux.

Les dernières informations font actuellement la une de la presse arabe. Il s’agit d’un nouveau scandale impliquant Jacques Saadé dans le port de Lattaquié ressemblant au détail prés à celui de Damiette en Egypte, et qui dégage des odeurs nauséabondes de corruption, de pots de vin et de faux.

Boursat wa Asswak, un magazine syrien, fait état dans son dernier numéro d’un scandale dans le port de Lattaquié similaire à celui d’Egypte et qu’une plainte judiciaire a été déposée par un citoyen en Syrie à l’encontre de Jacques Saadé l’accusant de falsification de documents et de fraudes dans le but d’une mainmise sur les fonds publics. Les faits se passaient par le biais d’émission de faux manifestes indiquant que les « Nolis » sont acquittés à l’étranger et non en Syrie et ce contrairement à la réalité. Ce montage est fait dans le but de frauder la fiscalité en Syrie en se soustrayant à la réglementation en vigueur en terme d’impositions dues à l’Etat syrien.

D’après ce magazine cette plainte déposée à Lattaquié par devant le 1er Juge d’Instruction avait subitement été classée avant la date d’audience prévue.

Quelque temps après, la Société CGM CMA avait réclamé à la Société des Agences Maritime à Lattaquié la restitution de la somme de 500.000 (cinq cents mille dollars américains) sous prétexte que les « Nolis » avaient été perçus à Lattaquié et étaient donc dus à la ligne maritime et devaient faire l’objet d’un remboursement. Par ce fait la Société des Agences Maritimes a enquêté sur ce dossier et a pu se rendre compte de l’ampleur des fraudes dans cette affaire. Une plainte pénale fut présentée à l’encontre de Abed Mounayer, Directeur de la Société CGM CMA à Lattaquié. Mais le dossier a été classé une deuxième fois par le juge d’instruction après avoir entendu Abed Mounayar qui d’après le magazine, est devenu l’associé de Jacques Saadé. Abed Mounayer a été remis en liberté avant même la date de l’audience du 31 octobre 2006, Malgré le fait que la Société des Agences Maritime à Lattaquié au cours de sa plainte, des documents rejetant les allégations de la ligne maritime CGM CMA. Les échanges de correspondances émises par le siège social à Marseille ont révélé que les nolis avaient été réglés à l’extérieur et ce contrairement aux connaissements et qu’il n’y avait plus lieu de les percevoir à Lattaquié. Alors qu’en réalité ces montants avaient été perçus en Syrie avec la complicité de certains employés de la Société des Agences Maritimes et de la Société CGM CMA dirigée par Abed Mounayer à Lattaquié.

Entre Damiette et Lattaquié, de nombreuses questions se posent sur l’ampleur et les ramifications des manœuvres opérées par la CMA CGM et sur l’éventualité que d’autres ports arabes et internationaux dans le monde soient atteints.

A Damas, le procès contre Jacques Saadé entamé par son frère Johnny par devant la cour supérieur de cassation, pour falsification d’une procuration pour le partage d’un bien familial à Lattaquié, avec la complicité de l’avocat libanais Choucry El Khoury, qui aurait agit pour le compte de Jacques Saadé. Ce faux et usage de faux étaient au préjudice de son frère Johnny Saadé. La justice syrienne à l’époque, s’était opposée à se partage, et l’affaire s’était transformée en affaire pénale par devant le juge d’instruction à Lattaquié et le procureur général poursuit Jacques Saadé et Choucri El Khoury pour le délit de falsification de documents officiels. L’affaire prend son court.

En résumé, cette affaire de Damiette devient un ensemble d’autres affaires qui se déplaçant comme des « Conteneurs à problèmes » de capitale en capitale de pays arabe ou étrangers à un autre. De fortes présomption pour que des éléments nouveaux ressurgissent dans les prochains jours, mettant encore plus Jacques Saadé en difficultés, car il demeure presque impossible pour lui de se sortir indemne de ces combat judiciaires.

D’autres Scandales

Le site Internet ‘www.mistralholding.com, appartenant à la société de Johnny Saadé, Mistral Holding sal, contient une quantité énormes de documents, rapports et de pièces judiciaires maîtresses qui expliquent le conflit entre les deux frères. Ce conflit qui a été suivit par la presse libanaise, arabe et internationale avec beaucoup d’intérêts. Parmi ces documents un rapport de 9 pages établi par les experts financiers Antoine Gaudino avec la collaboration de Philippe Carrié , passe en revue les circonstances internes à la société CMA qui ont déclenché ce conflit.

On peut lire à travers les passages de ce rapport que le conflit entre les 2 frères Saadé en tant que principaux actionnaires du groupe CMA-CGM est repris par les média grâce aux déclarations de Jacques Saadé comme étant essentiellement un conflit familial, mais Johnny qui possédait 48,41 % des actions de la CMA accuse son frère de dissimulation d’informations en règle générale concernant la gestion de la société et plus précisément sur toutes les opérations montées par Jacques tant en France qu’à l’étranger.

En réalité, l’origine du conflit remonte à l’absence de transparence quant à l’acquisition de la CGM par la CMA et la tentative de Jacques Saadé de s’accaparer du contrôle total du groupe à son profit personnel. L’enquête préliminaire entamée par Gaudino le 29 Août 1997 à la demande de la Société Mistral holding, révèle que le système de gestion adopté par Jacques Saadé pour la CMA suscite les craintes de son frère, en tant que principal actionnaire, sur l’avenir de la Société.

En approfondissant l’enquête, plusieurs infractions fiscales et autres ont été découvertes lesquelles représentent en partie la nature de la discorde entre les frères. Nous pouvons faire un arrêt sur les principales phases historiques du conflit qui se résument ainsi :

1. La société anonyme CMA (Compagnie Maritime d’Affrètement) a été constituée par les frères Johnny et Jacques Saadé, le 8 septembre 1986 et immatriculée au RCS de Marseille, le 8 avril 1987, sous le numéro 340 353 911. Le capital initial ressortait à 250.000 F. Il devait, à la suite d’augmentations successives en 1986, 1987 et 1993 et sur autorisation d’une AGE en date de 26 mai 1994, s’élever, en fin de compte, à hauteur de 60.000.000 F représentés par 600.000 actions d’une valeur nominale de 100 F.

A cette dernière date, d’après le registre des mouvements de titres de la CMA, les actions étaient principalement réparties entre les trois sociétés libanaises qui étaient : Merit SAL 48,41 %, propriété de Jacques Saadé, Mistral holding 48,.41 % propriété de Johnny Saadé,

Les actions intitulées « Famille Jacques Saadé», au nombre de six, étaient détenues par M. Jacques Saadé, son épouse Mme Nayla Salem,sa fille Tania, son fils Rodolphe, son beau-frère M. Farid Salem et M. Tristan Vieljeux.

Les trois sociétés actionnaires relevant du droit libanais, sont toutes immatriculées au RCS de Beyrouth et domiciliées dans ladite ville, à la même adresse

La Société Rodolphe Saadé & Co ressort être une sociétés détenue par Jacques et Johnny Saadé, chacun pour 50% des titres, respectivement au travers de MERIT SAL et MISTRAL HOLDING SAL.

2. CGM (Compagnie Générale Maritime), SA au Capital de 1.275.948.600 F ; et immatriculée au RCS de Nanterre sous le numéro 562 024 422 ; était transférée du secteur public au secteur privé, Par arrêté ministériel du 21 octobre 1996.

Le capital de la CGM était réparti de la façon suivante :

90 % des actions revenaient à la CMA SA, 6% au nom de Jacques Saadé personnellement et 4% réparties sur 3 autres actionnaires.

3. Pour finir Le groupe CMA CGM avait obtenu suite à la privatisation 96 % des actions de la CGM alors que les 4% des actions restantes étaient détenues par 3 autres actionnaires, et la part de Jacques Saadé a atteint 51 % alors que celle de Johnny à travers Mistral holding ne dépassait pas les 49,9%.

4. Les premières constatations soulèvent d’ores et déjà un certain nombre d’anomalies notamment les plus importantes seraient sur les tenues d’Assemblées.

Une assemblée générale extraordinaire s’était tenue au siège de la CMA, le 12 décembre 1996, sans que MISTRAL HOLDING SAL n’ait eu la possibilité d’y participer.

Or cette assemblée avait pour ordre du jour l’autorisation à donner au conseil d’administration d’augmenter le capital social, en une ou plusieurs fois. Cette autorisation portait sur une durée de 5 ans et prévoyait ainsi d’élever le capital de la CMA, de 60 000 000 F au montant maximum de 135 000 000 F.

Le rapport ajoute que, Jusqu’à la date du 12 décembre 1996, la direction de la CMA avait constamment convoqué MISTRAL HOLDING SAL par courrier express remis par la Société DHL en le doublant d’une télécopie. Face aux important délais d’acheminement du courrier au Liban. D’une manière inhabituelle, la convocation pour l’Assemblée Générale Extraordinaire du 12 décembre 1996 était envoyée, le 26 Novembre 1996, à MISTRAL HOLDING SAL par voie de lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception.

Tout était donc organisé pour empêcher Johnny Saadé, d’être informé à temps et par voie de conséquence de participer aux prises de décisions importantes dont le vote pour l’augmentation du capital.

C’est dans ce contexte que Johnny Saadé a saisi le Tribunal de Commerce de Marseille, qui désigna le 23 décembre 1996 un huissier de justice avec mission de se faire communiquer tous les documents relatifs aux conseils d’administration et assemblées générales tenues par la CMA.

A la suite de cette décision, M. Johnny Saadé a pu relever des diverses irrégularités. Quatre conseils d’administrations s’étaient tenus les 7 Juin, 20 septembres, 14 et 15 novembre 1996, sans que MISTRAL HOLDING SAL, à ait été convoquée tandis que sur les procès-verbaux était portée la mention « absent et excusé ».

Une assemblée générale était tenue le 27 mars 1997 pour annuler l’augmentation de capital décidée à l’assemblée générale du 12 décembre 1996,.

Cette annulation n’effaçait pas pour autant les anomalies découlant des transferts d’actions, par conséquent, à la majorité acquise au profit de Jacques Saadé en la faisant passer de 48,41 % à 50,001 %.

5. Des anomalies sont également constatées au niveau de la présentation des bilans. Or, dans l’offre de la reprise de la CGM du 3 octobre 1996, il, ressortait de ces bilans que la CMA jouissait d’une situation financière solide et avait conforté ses capitaux propres atteignant 700 MF, et le projet de reprise de la CGM permettait un retour de l’équilibre financier de cette dernière dès 1999.

Mais les constatations faites sur la nature de certaines écritures comptables, remettaient sérieusement en cause le niveau des fonds propres qui étaient largement inférieurs à la réalité. Ces fonds propres étaient nettement inférieurs aux 200.000.000 millions, et enfin l’opération de reprise de la CGM était une affaire juteuse dont Jacques Saadé s’est réservé la totalité du pactole au détriment de son frère Johnny.

Le rapport Gaudino évoque aussi le fait, chiffre et documents à l’appui, que les bilans présentés étaient faux et ne reflétaient pas les vérités comptables de la CMA, ce qui mettait en danger l’avenir de cette société et portait préjudice aux intérêts de Johnny Saadé, le principal actionnaire.

Le rapport résume en substance que Jacques Saadé avait mis en minorité son frère Johnny par étapes successives et avec préméditation en préparation de l’opération de reprise de la CGM à son profit personnel et plus tard toutes les tentatives de Jacques Saadé pour « la fuite en avant » était dans l’espoir de s’épargner les poursuites judiciaires qui s’aggravaient de jour en jour.

Un arrêt sur l’évolution de ce conflit : la réouverture d’une enquête financière au tribunal de Paris portant sur les infractions comptables et les fraudes fiscales commises par la gestion de Jacques Saadé du groupe CMA-CGM. D’autres sources informations indiquent que les tribunaux égyptiens, enquêtent actuellement sur un dossier de corruption d’envergure touchant le Port de Damiette depuis les années 90 et tentent de déterminer l’importance de ces corruptions opérées par des représentants de la ligne française pour le compte de la direction à Marseille en collaboration avec la complicité d’agents locaux, En attendant les suites des évènements, le directeur du Port de Damiette demeure en détention provisoire.

Suite aux plaintes déposées par Mistral holding, les tribunaux Parisiens lancent une information judiciaire concernant des faux bilans de la CMA-CGM L’enquête a été confiée à deux magistrats célèbres dans le milieu français. Le but de cette enquête serait de faire la lumière sur des éventuelles fraudes fiscales et des dissimulations aggravées de ces bénéfices réels remontant à la date de la signature d’une convention mettant fin au conflit entre les frères Jacques et Johnny Saadé.

Préparé par la section des enquêtes

Businessurgent
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/cmacgm-jacques-saad-dsespr-menace-85367.html

Government Jobs for Sale – Pay to Play Gone Wild

Most Americans sit in wonder of the long path from the Founding Fathers, whose best intentions were patriotic, to the “Floundering Fathers” whose best intentions are greed, self-importance and power lust. Attempting to conjure the images of Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams or George Washington, wallets open, handing money to partisans for a plum position in government is repulsive. The reality is that the path from honorable government to dishonorable government has swung wide and long into what has become the politically acceptable game of “Pay to Play”: Paying huge sums of money to a political party with the forward-thinking intent of garnering a seat in the Senate, House of Representatives or a governorship as an accepted, albeit, less than honorable means to an end.

Pay-to-play is so deeply ingrained into American politics that the floor of the Senate is littered with special interest lobbyists, highly paid, to sway government to their thinking. The position of the rest of citizenry, in terms of rights, is hazy at best. Government bought is government owned. The bigger the price tag, the bigger the parcel of ownership of government. To call such a political fantasy democracy is to contort the definition of the word, as it is commonly understood.

When big business has become big government, citizens lose on every level. Freedoms, enacted and legislated by constitution, become games of double entendre. Laws apply only according to financial status. Elitism abounds and serfdom rears its ugly head, even in the most modern of governments, when a seat in the Senate has a price tag.

Who is most responsible for “Pay-to-Play”? In a word, party bosses. These demons of the political world call all the shots. They and their closest inner circle cronies determine who can and will represent their party. From that point on, cronyism plants its roots that extend to the floor of the Senate, the House of Representatives and even, the Supreme Court. With a bastion of cronies at the ready to fill positions once their political star has won an election, the price tags are merely a matter of protocol. A shot at the position of governor only requires the fortunes of the Robber Barons for political support. But, a shot at a Senate or Congressional Rep seat is handled in truest party boss tyranny.

Each party boss believes in his own political divinity to the extent that “yes” men fairly bow at their feet. This cannot be construed as the honor of the Founding Fathers. Therefore, it must be construed as the dishonor of the Floundering Fathers. It is the dedicated virtue of all party bosses to totally annihilate any tendencies toward populism. If their political star doesn’t make hearts flutter or pant breathlessly, there’s always the electoral vote to bring in the desired results.

Presidents can undo an entire seated jury’s verdict with a simple pardon. Governors select state court judges, influence local politicians and on occasions, believe in the purity of selling Senate seats. With the audacity of a visionary, placing a price tag on a political position requires no accountability or integrity.

For more information on politics, visit http://senateseatforsale.com.

John Parks
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/government-jobs-for-sale-pay-to-play-gone-wild-704779.html

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The Art Of Networking

Wikipedia defines the World Wide Web (“Web”) as “a system of interlinked, hypertext documents that runs over the Internet. With a Web browser, a user views Web pages that may contain text, images, and other multimedia and navigates between them using hyperlinks.” The Web has only been around since 1990, and yet, it already counts trillions of Web pages.

With so much information and the number of Web surfers increasing on a daily basis, the challenge of directing users to the appropriate source of information is becoming increasingly complex. That role belongs to search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN who are competing fiercely in order to come up with the best and most accurate search results. Search engines act as “filters” in differentiating between the relevant and the irrelevant. Yet, how do they know what is “relevant” and what is “irrelevant” or “less relevant”?

They rely on whatever is found on a Web page and they rely on links that direct to a specific Web page. Whatever is found on a Web page can easily be manipulated, but what is found on another person’s Web page is harder to control. That leads us to the intrinsic nature of the Web, which is a network of “interconnected” Web pages. The connectedness of Web pages is complicated by the fact that webmasters, the creators of the Web pages, have their own agenda, which often conflicts with the objectives of Web surfers. Webmasters want to increase their websites’ exposure (which would translate into increased traffic), whereas Web surfers want to find information that is the most relevant to them. It is in this type of environment that search engines come into play in trying to act as arbitrators.

How do they do that? They evaluate the quality, relevancy, and weight of each incoming link in order to assign a value to it. The whole idea is based on the “democratic” nature of the Web. Why is it necessary for search engines to “assign a value” to incoming links (or, in other words, why aren’t all links of equal value)? Because search engines recognize the fact that “corruption” exists within the system and assigning a value to incoming links is a way to fight that corruption. The corruption comes mainly from webmasters that are trying to bend the rules in their favour in order to achieve higher rankings.

In this kind of environment, how to maximize a website’s exposure while respecting generally accepted guidelines of website development and promotion? By networking with other websites and making the case for votes. Sounds like an election? It is! Except that this election does not take place every four years, but every minute of every day, with no end in sight. The never-ending election it is called.

There are two facets to networking: (1) expanding a network and (2) strengthening a network. Expanding a network means to have the most exposure as possible while strengthening a network means getting votes. Other webmasters might know about a certain site, but they are under no obligation to link to that site. In that regard, the easy way to win a vote is to provide some incentives to other sites, meaning paying them a fee to add a link on their site (“sponsored link”) or reciprocating with a link back. The problem with this approach is that it costs money, is time consuming, and might only trigger a “vote” coming from a “link exchange” page, which is of poor quality. A more difficult approach to networking is to create “partnerships” with other websites where each side would benefit or creating quality content that would warrant inbound links.

This latter approach to networking has the advantage of (1) creating links that are more contextual, meaning that they will also have more value for search engines; (2) costing nothing because they are given out of free will; and (3) meeting accepted guidelines of proper website development.

This is where the two aspects of search engine optimization connect. On-page and off-page optimization go hand in hand because quality content is key to successful and sustainable networking. This is also where webmasters and Web users connect as quality content is also what most people are looking for when they search the Web.

John Stronack
http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/search-engine-optimization-seo-the-art-of-networking-88832.html

Why do Democrats still dodge questions about their astonishing corruption by accusing the GOP?

Blaming the GOP does not make Democrat corruption go away.

Democrat corruption is real, and it must be addressed. This is by far the most outrageously corrupt government I have ever seen in my entire life.

It’s time for rank and file Democrats to stop dodging the question, and face the reality of how corrupt their party has become.

We really are on the brink of tyranny. Democrats need to stop giggling and taunting and pointing fingers, and face the reality of where our nation is really headed right now.

Have Democrats ever heard that the buck stops here? Guess not.

Talk about your tired Democrat play book … the Democrat Party, according to Talking Points Memo plans to call the Republicans the party of GWB and continue the blame Bush game.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/2010-campaign-preview-democrats-to-say-gop-still-party-of-bush.php?ref=fpb

This strategy will go over as well as Obama’s policies have since he has become President. There is a reason why Obama’s and Democrat poll numbers have sunk. One year into the Obama Presidency and it is no longer about GWB. Certainly by 2010 no one wants to hear the blame game.

No matter how the Democrats want to spin this, the 2010 midterms are going to be a referendum on Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. We the People will take care of matters in 2010 and create some real CHANGE the likes that has not been seen in years.

The Obama administration is desperate to pass this health care legislation and I believe that all Americans are now aware of this. But what has happened to the morals and character of this great nation that the people and the media seem to be OK with “how” Obama is getting this bill passed? What has happened to any sense of decency in our Congress and from our elected officials?

Obama knows that he just needs 60 votes to get this bill passed through Congress – and most of these Congressional imbeciles will readily do whatever Obama wants – even if it means selling out the taxpayers. But there are a few “holdouts” who just weren’t sure as to whether they would vote “yes” or “no”. So what does Obama do? He openly and without shame bribes them! Blatantly and un-constitutionally doling out millions of taxpayer dollars to be used in the payoffs!

Senator Ben Nelson, Nebraska – Took a $100 Million bribe to change his vote to “yes”. He was against the federal government paying for abortions – he was adamantly against abortion – that is until Obama gave him $100 Million. How much would you require to sell out the American people? Would you sell your soul and that of the American people for $100 Million? Nelson did.

http://www.examiner.com/x-26212-Long-Island-Democrat-Examiner~y2009m12d19-Harry-Reids-Senator-Ben-Nelson-60th-Healthcare-vote-purchase-The-49-state-tax-payer-funded-bribe

Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana – She was adamantly against the health care bill – that is until Obama doled out $300 Million to her and her state. Voila! She changed her vote to “yes”. So, Nebraska and Louisiana are all set. Do you want to pay extra for Louisiana and Nebraska? Well, Obama wants you to – he doesn’t care – he is forcing you to pay more to these states – how do you like that?

http://www.examiner.com/x-19160-Bucks-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m11d21-Healthcare–Money-talks-Arrogance-walks

The reason Obama is life or death with this bill is because this bill fundamentally changes the way the American government operates. It gives the federal government massive amounts of additional power and control – just what the Marxist obama wants.

This is what Obama promised during his campaign and it is what he wants to deliver – “fundamentally changing America”. He wants to change how our government operates solely so that he may REDISTRIBUTE the wealth of this country. o_O

True News 5: The Truth About Voting

The truth about voting.
highdef: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igbBItLemsM&fmt=18

http://www.freedomainradio.com

Practical Politics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-YMMd1xKIM&fmt=18

Duration : 0:16:50

Read more…

Politicians Need to Answer the Cries of a Bronx Community

The Politicians are remaining silent as a Bronx community is left on their own to protest against the police brutality. The last few weeks has presented a different type of challenge for the Bronx county residents. Drug dealers have the residents scared and they are staying indoors and the police are treating everyone like a criminal. Justice, all but silent as the cries for peace in the Bronx goes unheard by the politicians. 1240 Walton Avenue is not the only area where things need to change, several months ago a man was shot to death on the corner of Mount Hope Place and Morris Avenue, and there still are no police on patrol in the area. The City Councilman still has not made any official statement to the residents of this Bronx community, so he should not be voted back into office in 2009. The residents have to learn that a person who cares needs to be elected here in the Bronx because justice needs to be present in the community. If the politicians are silent except during the election year then they need to be ousted. If someone is going to make a change it has to be someone familiar with the problems of the community by having lived in the community. There can never be justice if the death of a Youngman and police brutality is allowed to continue without consequences. Protesting injustice is a great start, but there must be a continuance and a campaign in the community to fight against police brutality. If the local courts and the police department do not take the community seriously, a complaint needs to be filed with the State department to ensure satisfaction. No longer can the law be allowed to do whatever they fell like it, no longer should any resident be spoken to by the police without respect and it just be brushed under the rug. Police protection should be diversified and every African American, Latino, or minority should not be treated like criminal. The resident who goes to work must pay taxes to the City to pay the salary for these same police officers who treat them with ill manner and a lack of respect.

The vote of a community is what makes the change, no more four-year free riders in the City Councils office. The complaints of verbal brutality have gone unheard and now a young man is dead as a result. The Youngman did have a weapon but what happened to shooting not to kill? The blue wall cannot be allowed to be stronger than doing right by the community that pays for protection. The Tremont Avenue station bag checks with ten to twelve police officers in the train station is now making people nervous, the trust in the police protecting the community has been tarnished. The politician who is the mediator should be here making statements, not choosing sides but saying something to comfort the community. Let them not forget 2009 is around the corner and elect someone who is going to make a change. NYC as a whole has the same politicians, doing the same thing year after year. There come’s a time when things that are not working should be moved along so a change can come.

Arthur L Burton III
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/politicians-need-to-answer-the-cries-of-a-bronx-community-85030.html

To Young Citizen of India

Indian Social Security, a national level people movement has initiated a countrywide awareness campaign for youth on social, economic & political justice in India, which is the main urge of the Preamble of our Constitution.

If we look into the past 60Years after independence, a harsh conclusion come in the sight that the sacrifices of the countless Indians during freedom struggle have been cheated by large number of selfish & anti -national political leaders who grab & retain power with resources. Some of the questions that strike our hearts today are as follows:

…After 60 Years of Independence, Is this our dream country :-

• Where there is no economical & Least Social Security;
• Where corruption is deep-rooted in all spheres of citizen administration;
• Where fake medicine trades are booming;
• Where poverty level has risen to 55%;
• Where farmers do die of Hunger;
• Where dowry deaths are unabated;
• Where there is no security against terror attacks;
• Where majority of the children in the country are without education;
• Where religion, caste and money rule the mandate in democracy;
• Where there is no protection from floods & droughts each year;
• Where discriminate policies lead millions of citizens to unemployment;
• Where justice gets diluted due to indefinite delay;
• Where Judges comment “Even God cannot save this Country”!
• Where major population is deprived of equal opportunities starting from education;
• Where taxes are whimsically hiked due to mismanagement of tax payer money;
• Where taxes are paid whole through life but no old age security is being provided;
• Where there is no housing, food, healthcare, and Clothing for Millions;
• Where politically motivated groups kill other citizens in the name of Religion;
• Where thousands of Girls & Women are raped daily;
• Where lakhs of children die due to water born diseases & malnutrition;
• Where food adulteration is maximum in comparison to other countries;
• Where lakhs of females are thrown to flesh trade & exploitation;
• Where thousands are killed on roads due to inadequate roads & traffic management;
• Where lakhs of young generation fall prey to drug abuse;
• Where huge percentage of political leaders have criminal records;
• Where only 10 %– 20% of total subsidies from central government reach poor citizens;
• Where there are 100 – 1000 schemes of rural upliftment but none achieve the objective;
• Where most of the citizens of disturbed states suffer for years due to lack of proper solution;
• Where largest number of violent organizations in a country operates in India;
• Where uninterrupted electricity, pure drinking water, healthy food, sanitation & other basic
  amenities are still a distant dream

Do we think that India is our own country? If we think yes, then we need to protect our country India like we protect our house & valuables as a fundamental duty. We earn & pay taxes within a ratio upto 50% of our income in Direct & Indirect taxes (To earn 50% for the country or government, Half Life of each tax payer citizen exists for the country). That Tax Money runs the government machinery & the social upliftment programmes. Whenever that tax money fall short to run the government machinery, more taxes are levied to each citizen. This happens only when the taxpayer money is diluted in corruption. All Citizen feel burdened sooner or later. We are getting looted by few corrupt individuals due to our negligence. We vote for change but the outcome of these democratic right results only in change of politicians rather than the change in system for fair governance. This is because, most of the existing corruption pattern, selfish political parties cannot give results of Social & Economic Justice to People of India.

The criticism to the existing Social & Political Structure is possible to a certain extent only. After that, Strength of Mankind should be applied to bring positive change.

We believe in ideology of truth & courage to take this Country on a Prosperous Path.
We will strengthen each and every citizen to be “a Leader & a Soldier” towards this endeavour

Gurbinder Singh
http://www.articlesbase.com/social-marketing-articles/to-young-citizen-of-india-683220.html