There are many questions how the federal government can implement citizen verification for health care access. Currently, illegal immigrants go to hospital emergency rooms, and health insurance customers pick up the tab through having thier insurance premiums increased. At this point there is nothing to guarantee the American tax payer that this same scenario will not be repeated with the reform now proposed in health care, although President Obama has said that illegal immigrants will not be covered. But there is an easy way to resolve this issue.
All countries have accounts with each other, and if they don't, then they can be created. When an illegal immigrant walks into the emergency room—and it must be an emergency—the illegal is attended to and the illegal immigrant's government is sent a bill for the illegal immigrant's hospital bills and his/her imminent deporation. The same would hold true for Americans who are illegal in other countries.
The benefits of this arrangement keep the issue simple to resolve, and emergency assistance is not denied anyone. Another important factor to be considered is this: it will compel the governments of Canada and Mexico to secure their borders, and take some of the pressure off the United States border patrol.
Lately some of the most interesting news bits come to me through Twitter. Check out this one from a proud Canadian --> http://stratosphear.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/33-7-million-canadians-are-not-shona-holmes/
RT @EileenLeft If you live in Canada,Britain,Netherlands,Australia, anywhere u have universal health care, SPEAK UP! Don’t let our GOP lie and thrash you!
July 21, 2009
By Padmini Arhant - Forwarding Facts Presentation by NCHC
As per the thorough, insightful and informative presentation of –
FROM: The National Coalition on Health Care – NCHC Cost Fact Sheet 2009 - Thanks
Source: http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml
FACTS ON HEALTH CARE COSTS:
In 2008, health care spending in the United States reached $2.4 trillion, and was projected to reach $3.1 trillion in 2012. Health care spending is projected to reach $4.3 trillion by 2016. Total health care spending represented 17 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
More @http://www.padminiarhant.com
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
Listening to CNN this morning, the reporter said "What's In It For Me?" seems to be the main question being asked about health care reform. Sounds greedy, selfish, and obscene, doesn't it? Can't we as Americans do better than that? Hasn't this attitude put us in the sinking boat we are in? I only hope that President Obama can patch this boat before we all become shark bait, and I don't mean those big fish that swim in the sea.
Today, I also heard a Canadian, yes, a Canadian, doing an ad for www.patientsunitednow.com who alleges that American health care reform will be a copy of the Canadian version that seems to leave Canadians out in the cold. I object to two things about this group: (1) The group used a Canadian to interfer in American life and politics, and (2) EVERYTHING President Obama wants for American health care has little to do with the Canadian version. Patientsunitednow,com reeks of misinformation, if not flat out lies. This group should be called to account.
I sincerely hope that Republicans will be voted out of office for 50 years or so. Everything I have seen indicates that they care about their party, but hang the American people and anything that does not benefit the Republican party. It must not be forgotten that the Republican party is to blame for eights years of incompetence, greed, and self interest. Why should the American people give them credibility? They don't dseserve it.
One thing for sure: Congress had better pass strong health care reform that benefits the American people, especially those Americans who lose their insurance or do not have it to begin with. It has to be accessible and affordable for all. If health care reform is written off or degraded, those members of Congress can be sure their seats will be taken from them in future elections, and those members who harm the American people will be chided and degraded by the American people. Enough of nothing. Other countries with less do better than our Congress. It's time our Congress got its act together. It's time our Congress started to really work for the American people.
What if: every state designed a single-payer universal coverage plan and put that plan out to bid to all of the insurers large enough to handle it. Aetna, Blue Cross, and any other insurer, could bid on the health coverage for every person in the entire state. With 50 states, there would be enough business to go around. Participation would be universal and mandatory, as it is in Canada. Premiums could be paid by individuals, by their employers, or by state/federal funding for persons qualifying for assistance.
The state would have an oversight duty to make sure that no reasonable service was denied. The insurers would cover the entire population, not just the healthy. The state/fed government would be spared the cost of insuring only the sick that were rejected by the insurers.
Additionally, facilities, such as hospitals, labs, etc., could be funded according to capacity, not according to how many aspirin tablets were dispensed. The state/fed could provide this funding directly, or could require the funding as part of the single payer plan. This would eliminate much of the accounting costs on the part of the providers and the insurers, freeing up more resources for direct patient care.
I believe the idea I have written here, having the insurers compete to become a state’s single payer, could form the basis for a workable solution.
I am a management consultant from California, a U.S. citizen living in BC, Canada. I lost my coverage in California a few years ago when my employer went out of business. With no business, there was no COBRA. I was born in Canada, so I am able to live here with full health benefits. Here is a description of my experience with the BC health plan.
On the few occasions when I have needed medical attention, I was seen very quickly, and I was referred to a specialist when that was warranted. The rumors being spread in the U.S. that Canadians can’t access their health care system just aren’t true, except that there are some places where there can be a long wait in the emergency room, just as there is in the U.S. (I was seen for an eye injury in the E.R. here within a minute, though, without the need to go through a lengthy registration and payment arrangement process.) Where population growth causes these delays, the Province goes to work to expand capacity in that location, funded in part by increased premium revenues from the population growth. In those cases where the need exceeds capacity, patents are sent to another province or to the U.S. for care, but that care is paid for by the health plan of the home province.
Yes, there are some waiting lists for some procedures with certain doctors, but at least people are on a list for a funded solution to their problem. Countless millions of people in America don't even have the hope of being on a waiting list. In the vast majority of case (I estimate well over 95%), patients receive excellent, appropriate care promptly.
Individuals here are required to pay premiums, which are modest by U.S. standards. If they qualify for assistance, they pay reduced or no premiums. Employers can pay the premiums for their employees, and can offer extended benefits, such as dental care and eyeglasses. Affluent individuals can access non-covered services, such as elective plastic surgery, in private clinics.
Every doctor I am aware of in BC is in private practice, ranging from solo practitioner to large group. They are free to take care of the patient’s needs, without worrying about what the patient can afford. Anyone can see any primary care physician they want, and the primary care physician can refer the patent to specialists, which they do without reservation when warranted. The physicians bill the BC medical plan (I believe they would revolt if they had to deal with U.S.-style insurer billing). The hospitals are funded separately – I believe they are funded according to their capacity. I don’t believe they bill per patient day or per unit of service of any kind. There is no patient billing at all.
Canadians love their health care system, and can’t fathom why there are strong voices in America opposed to universal coverage. It won’t be easy, but I am confident that, if we rally around him, President Obama can lead the way to overcoming these hurdles.
There was an article featured by the Green Team – Matthew Van Dongen and Tiffany Mayer in the St Catharines Standard today about RETScreen International. You can email them at: standard@stcatharinesstandard.ca Subject: Green Team
RETScreen International is Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Technologies. This software program has been used for local water power generators and biomass plants. RETScreen is a federal government software program that evaluates potential renewable energy projects. For sustainable energy worldwide and has over 200,000 users. Greg Leng is the Director of the Natural Resources Canada Program. The software program was created by Greg Leng at the University of Massachusett’s Master’s Thesis and it’s aimed at professional engineers, planners and architects. But it can be used to estimate energy production, building costs and green house --gas savings for projects of any size.
Non- technical homeowners make use of the program too. RETScreen will tell you if you have enough solar energy in your area to justify installing a solar water heater. It will determine how much energy, and money you’ll save and provide a list of product supplies. Larger Product Developers will use the program to cut costs on preliminary research and “screens out the bad projects” quickly.
It was used to determine whether to build a wind farm in Niagara. The question was; Is it worthwhile pursuing this project? In past it might have cost you $50,000 to $100,000 to answer that question. Expert Program will do it for $500 or $1,000. The Program can save millions of dollars for fledgling green energy development projects. Greg Leng said the program has saved about $4 billion over the last decade.
They say that, “Projects associated with RETScreen will keep the equivalent of 20 million tones of carbon dioxide annually out of the environment by 2012.”
It’s a proven money saver – the Federal Government gives out the software for free. “The goal of the program has always been to remove barriers to a much broader implementation of clean energy, not to store them up,” Leng said.
The United Nations, The World Bank and even NASA have all invested in RETScreen over the last decade. The program is available in 35 languages. In St Catharines, Rankin Construction used the program for a “ball park” potential of its proposed hydro power project on the Welland Canal by Engineer Jordan Beckhuis. The company is now finishing the last of the three two-megawatt turbines using canal water to pump out electricity.
This software program is being used in over 170 Universities and Colleges. If you want to check out the program for yourself visit: http://www.retscreen.net/ang/home.php
You can also watch a 2 minute video at: http://www.retscreen.net/ang/video.php
I was still shocked to learn that Canada slaughters hundreds of thousands of innocent seals for their fur every year. These animals, often babies who are just weeks old, have their skulls smashed in or are shot. Then they are skinned for their fur - often while they are still conscious. How can we still let this happen! As a American sports enthusiast, I cannot support the games in all honestly if this continues to go unnoticed. It's just like in China, where I learn the hundreds of thousands of innocent cats and dogs were and perhaps still being slaughers for their fur. Just like the "Wild Mustang Horses" http://www.wildhorserescue.org/, Example: Illinois bill threatens to re-0pen horse slaughter plant! http://www.wildmustangcoalition.org/id15.htmlAll eyes are on Canada, (I hope you are Pres. Obama) as it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Please help end the seal slaughter immediately so that the reputation of the Vancouver Olympic Games won't be tarnished.
Thanks
The new administration is still in the process of filling positions and since the beginning, there has been problems with some major cabinet appointments as the nominees had withdrawn from considerations to avoid political challenges during the hearing process.
Lately, it appears to be the nominee CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
It is evidenced in the following article;
Gupta won’t be next surgeon general
Neurosurgeon and TV Correspondent withdraws from Consideration
By Richard Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press - Thank you.
CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta won’t be the next surgeon general, the Obama administration confirmed Thursday.
Gupta 39, a neurosurgeon with star appeal, was seen as President Barack Obama’s first pick for the job. He would have brought instant recognition to the office of surgeon general, a post that has lacked visibility since the days of C. Everett Koop during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
An administration official said that Gupta had been under “serious consideration” but took himself out of the running because he wants to focus on his medical career and spend more time with his family.
“We know he will continue to serve and educate the public through his work with media and in the medical arena,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of nominations.
The official said there were no problems that would have disqualified Gupta, and it was his decision to withdraw.
The surgeon general is the nation’s doctor, and while the job doesn’t involve much policymaking responsibility, it’s a bully pulpit for promoting public health. Gupta could have helped Obama pitch his health care reform plan.
Initial reports in early January that Obama had approached Gupta about the job created a stir. The new president had not yet taken office. The chairman of the American Medical Association’s board said at the time it would be a boon to the government if Gupta accepted.
But Gupta would have had to give up a lucrative career. He hosts “House Call” on CNN, contributes reports to CBS News and writes a column for Time magazine. He also practices surgery at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, which sees more than its share of trauma cases.
Political opposition had started to form.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., called Gupta inexperienced and circulated a letter urging Obama not to appoint him. Conyers is a leading supporter of health care reform that would create a government system similar to Canada’s and is particularly influential among liberals.
Gupta does have some Washington experience. During the Clinton administration, he served as a White House fellow and a special adviser to then-first lady Hillary Clinton.”
———————————————————————————————————————
Washington Hypocrisy:
Strangely enough, with recent appointees for high profile cabinet positions involving decision-making on International crisis affecting billions of lives around the globe “experience” didn’t seem to matter to the members of the hearing committee.
Some were sworn in with a mere formality hearing and they were aptly called by the media a shoe-in appointment.
Also, there was swift approval of nominees considered “controversial” with tax issues, conflict of interest notwithstanding the nation’s critical cabinet post supposedly being “unconstitutional.”
However, an administrative post with none or minimal policymaking responsibility as cited in the above article, aroused skepticism in the minds of certain members prompting them to an all out campaign against the adequately qualified and nationally as well as internationally prominent candidate with White House experience, reveals the true colors of Washington Politics.
Last fall, history was made for a reason. People of the human race overwhelmingly came together to convey a loud and clear message…
It is no longer the “red states” or the “blue states”, but it is the United States of America.
Apparently, like everything else it is being regarded a catchy campaign slogan rather than embracing and most importantly practicing to keep democracy alive.
Courage vs Arab Muslim racist (anti Jewish apartheid) hijacking of Durban
Canada: Durban II Promotes Racism http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/016733.php
Denmark threatens boycott of Durban II ... Other European countries have warned against crossing EU "red lines."... http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15657&Itemid=86
Danish foreign minister threatens Western boycott of Durban II ...Oct 28, 2008 ... Why the UN's Durban Review Conference Must Be Boycotted ... European MPs earning £1 million profits in a term, report finds ... http://europenews.dk/en/node/15473
Learning the lessons from the Arab racist hijacking of the UN link...
The U.S. terror war as seen through the eyes of a prisoner
When we first began corresponding with Khalid Awan in 2007, we had no idea why he was serving time in U.S. federal prison. We soon discovered Awan was one of the first of thousands of Muslims taken prisoner in the post-9/11 U.S. "terror war." As the story began unfolding in our letters, we began to realize that this honest, humble and sincere man was not only innocent, but the ongoing injustice being done to him provides critical insight into the mindless, meanspirited, bureaucratic-yes-men idiocy fueling the illegal U.S. "war on terror" (and just about everything else that is going wrong in this country). At our insistence, Awan wrote his story and supplied us with whatever documents we requested. And now, after three months of cooperative efforts, the story of Khalid Awan can be told. We have come to know Awan as a peaceful man engaged in peaceful work who has been wrongfully accused, detained and repeatedly convicted of crimes he did not commit because he was a Muslim with international connections and an office in New York on 9/11. We present this to you in faith that you will realize a deeper understanding of the levels of complicity necessary for the "land of the free" to tolerate the phony war on terror year after year and in hope that Awan—and all the other million or more political prisoners being held by this country—will one day be reunited with their families.
By Khalid Awan
My name is Khalid Qayyam Awan. My rights have been eroded in the name of "national security." Since I am a Muslim, my story has been written, produced, directed, choreographed and staged by U.S. government officials.
The Department of Justice and the FBI have been under pressure by the Bush administration to find "terrorists" in this country and to preemptively convict them before they can strike at the U.S. Although there is good evidence that there are few, if any, potential terrorists in the Muslim communities of the United States, U.S. attorneys who are not able to find any real "terrorists," target, prosecute and convict innocent Muslims on phony or inflated criminal charges to show they are politically "loyal to the president," and to avoid being fired for political reasons, as recent news revelations strongly suggest. These prosecutions have destroyed families in a country that is renowned for its human rights activities around the world.
Background
I am a 46-year old Canadian citizen and native of Pakistan. Throughout my life I studied in Catholic Christian schools and read the Bible every morning. I received my Masters Degree in Political Science at the University of Karachi in Pakistan and I am one of the founding members of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission. As a result of my belief in humanity and equality, I moved to Canada in 1993, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1996. In Canada I worked as an immigration consultant and was a member of the Canadian Bar Association. As part of my business, I also had an office in New York, which is where I was on Sept 11, 2001.
October 2001
On October 25, 2001, U.S. government agents entered my house in Garden City, NY, without knocking and yelled at me to drop everything or they would shoot me. They forced me to lie on the ground while they handcuffed me and placed me under arrest.
They claimed they had received an anonymous tip that I was a material witness for the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack. After my arrest, I was taken in front of New York Judge Michael Mukasey (current U.S. attorney general known for his Israeli sympathies). After a detailed investigation by the FBI and U.S. Naval Intelligence, I was put in front of a Grand Jury. The case was dismissed on November 6, 2001.
Charge #2
Before I was released from custody, on November 5, 2001, the U.S. government imposed new charges: "Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Money Laundering." They alleged that I stole/misused the identity profiles of my clients, people who come to me seeking to obtain Canadian visas and citizenship in the U.S., although there was not a single complaint from any of my clients or any banks.
(Note: Journalist Dr. Paul Craig Roberts stated in his 12/11/06 column, America’s Injustice System is Criminal: "The criminal justice system today consists of a process whereby a defendant is coerced into admitting to a crime in order to escape more severe punishment for maintaining his innocence. Many of the crimes for which people are imprisoned never occurred").
Every defense attorney knows that today prosecutors can purchase testimony against a defendant by paying "witnesses" with money, dropping charges against them or reducing prison sentences to testify against defendants. Jurors tend to trust government prosecutors and are generally unaware that they will withhold exculpatory evidence and suborn perjury and bear false witness to obtain convictions.
Months went by. Then a year had passed and I was still "detained" without a trial for crimes I did not commit. My lawyer advised me to plead guilty. He said it was in my own best interests as I would be "facing 10 years on the money laundering charge" due to the current climate in New York courts and my being a Muslim and a native of Pakistan. By this time I had served 17 months in detention, so I pled guilty to $95,000 of fraud conspiracy, which carried a maximum sentence of 15 to 24 months. The plea agreement—release for time served—was not even honored and I was sentenced to five years, the sentence for approximately $2,400,000 in credit card fraud.
Appeal to Canada
In January, 2005, when I was finally able to apply for a "treaty transfer" to Canada. I learned from my case manager that my citizenship was listed in the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) computer as "Pakistani" instead of "Canadian." All my Canadian documentation—passport, citizenship card, social insurance and health cards and Canadian drivers license—were in the possession of the FBI. I wrote the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo, NY, to request that they fix this problem so I could be transferred back to Canada. On March 30, 2005, the Canadian Consulate sent a letter to the jail to correct my citizenship status, but the FBOP ignored the request and did not correct the computer.
I realize now that the BOP intentionally left my citizenship as "Pakistani" to make me administratively ineligible for transfer to Canada and keep me in the U.S. while the U.S. government prepared new charges against me.
A year later, six weeks before my scheduled release date, I was transferred from Allenwood FCI to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, NY, supposedly in preparation for my deportation back to Canada. I signed the immigration deportation papers, which incidentally, contained my correct citizenship status. Later I learned the Allenwood FCI warden had been given a summons from Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Lawrence Ferazani in January, 2006, requesting for me to appear in federal court in Brooklyn, NY, on February 15, 2006.
Family threatened
Once in Brooklyn, on January 31, 2006, I phoned my family in Montreal. I learned that Officer Buttazzoni from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had contacted my sister regarding the whereabouts of my wife. He was told that she had returned to Pakistan. Buttazzoni left his phone number with my brother-in-law, telling him to please tell my wife to call him back immediately. She called Buttazzoni several times and left messages on his voice mail, after which Buttazzoni told my brother-in-law to tell her not to call him again.
Then on February 17, 2006, I was brought by AUSA Ferazani to an office in New York to be interrogated by the FBI without an attorney present. I was told by AUSA Farazani that if I did not talk they would arrest my sisters in Montreal and my wife, who had returned to Pakistan. He said, "We just have to make a call."
I was surprised and scared that he knew where my family lived. He stated, "If you don’t tell me [what I want to know] I can recommend lethal injection to the court and call the press and tomorrow morning you will be in every newspaper as a big terrorist."
Another federal agent told me that if I did not cooperate, they would turn me over to the Indian government, an enemy of Pakistan, which would treat me as an enemy.
At this time I was certain that my family was in danger because they were living in countries that work closely with U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. After seeing my liberty evaporate when I was cleared of being a material witness in the World Trade Center tragedy, I had every reason to believe that the overarching power of the government would secure my family members’ arrests and inflict severe punishment on them. I strongly believed the RCMP was working in collaboration with the FBI to harass me to admit to charges of crimes that I did not commit. I thought about how the RCMP officials had played a role in other discrimination cases that included the interrogation and torture of Canadian citizens Mahrar Arar, Abdullah Almalki and Ahmed EI Matti, whose only "crimes" were being Canadian Muslims.
Because I felt I had no other choice, I signed the Miranda Rights waiver forms the agent gave me, waiving my right to an attorney’s presence during questioning and spoke with agents of the U.S. government on Feb. 17 and 20, 2006.
February 17, 2006: Interrogation…and bribe
I was pushed to the edge during this interrogation. Even though I could not answer all of their questions, I was determined to provide anything they wanted, even if the questions made no sense. I tried to give answers so they would be pleased and not give me the death penalty or harm my family.
During this interrogation, the agents offered me the opportunity to work for them in an "under cover capacity" abroad in Pakistan and Canada. They wanted me to testify against a group of Sikh people, on fabricated statements, based on my association with them from when I lived in Pakistan. I refused. So they told me to keep in mind that they wanted me to testify against people who are of the Sikh religion from India, an enemy of Pakistan and, because I am a Muslim, I should not have any concern for them.
I said, "But they are human beings! If they did something wrong and I knew about it, I would be more than happy to help the law, but you are asking me about something which I know nothing about."
The agents waited a couple weeks and then started asking me again, this time through my attorney. Upon my continued refusal, Officer Buttazzoni in Montreal again approached my family. I told them to get an attorney and not to go to his office without a legal written notice from him. They followed my advice and the RCMP stopped calling them—but not before the FBI was able to create a self-incriminating statement based on "evidence" they secured during their interrogation of me without the presence of my attorney. As a result of this, prosecutors were able to go in front of a Grand Jury and indict me, based on my own (fabricated) statements, prepared by federal agents without my signature.
Third charge March 16, 2006
On March 15, 2006, I completed the term of my imprisonment and was to be deported back to Canada. Before I could even go out onto the street I was arrested a third time and charged with "Providing Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist," and "Money Laundering to Support Terrorism," for supposedly providing support to the Sikh organization Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), through a man of the Sikh religion, Mr. Paramjit Singh Panjwar (PMJ), whom I met once when visiting Pakistan.
These charges emerged while I was still in prison and had no capability to provide KCF with any kind of support. It was difficult for me to get enough finances together to pay my legal fees while I was in prison for five years and I could not launder any money because I did not have any. In the plea agreement I signed for my previous "money laundering" charge, it is mentioned that no further money laundering charges would be brought against me, so this was double jeopardy and a violation of the 5th Amendment of the Constitution.
August to December, 2006: administrative detention
I appeared in court and pled "not-guilty" for my second "superseding indictment" on August 2, 2006. Upon my unwavering refusal to work for the government on their fabricated statements against the Sikh people, FBOP officials placed me into the Segregation Housing Unit (SHU), for 210 days of segregation and isolation despite the fact that I was rated as needing low security on the government’s "Male Custody Classification Form."
Segregation was continuous torture as we were not given basic amenities or respect and the building was cold and leaky. I went on a hunger strike for four days and after that I filed various complaints with the FBOP higher authorities, but no action was taken.
October 2006
After my refusal to work for the government on their case against "two individuals" they had identified as "potentially to be joined in this matter, but at this stage we don’t have enough evidence to charge," the government went to them and indicted them and, giving them a lot of benefits, prepared them to testify against me.
During my pre-trial hearing, the first two counts of my indictment were dismissed due to lack of facts and figures. Within two weeks, AUSA indicted me again, probably to cover up for their huge embarrassment. This hastily drawn up indictment was also full of factual errors and creative legal theories.
This time, in the bill of particulars/indictment, AUSA Farazani included the names of the following participants as co-conspirators in this "conspiracy."
1) Khalid Awan—me
2) Paramjit Singh Panjwar—Leader of Sikh Khalisto Commando Force (KFC), residing in Pakistan (not indicted).
3) Gurbax Singh—Indicted as co-conspirator #1
4) Baljinder Singh—Indicted as co-conspirator #2
5) Jatinder Singh—Residing in Texas (not indicted).
6) Dr. Pritpal Singh—Residing in California (not indicted).
Except for me, all the "co-conspirators" are elected leaders of the Sikh religion, a group of people known in Pakistani history books as the worst killers and rapists of the Pakistani nation, having killed, raped, burned and cut into pieces a hundred thousand Pakistani Muslim men, women, girls and infants during the world’s largest migration from India to Pakistan in 1947.
Sikh Background (a little history)
To better understand the game the U.S. government was playing with me and the Sikh people, a brief history is necessary. The mid-1980s to the mid-1990s was a decade of violent political opposition in Punjab, an area divided between India and Pakistan. The pattern of unlawful and indiscriminate arrests and killings during that time has left a lasting legacy of "catch and kill" police practices in the state. In the early 1980s, the Indian army attacked the Sikh Holy place called the Golden Temple in the Punjab State of India. About 10,000 civilian lives were lost while hundreds of people were detained without charge or trial and thousands of "disappearances" and extrajudicial executions were carried out by the police.
As a result, thousands of Sikhs fled to various countries for asylum. Many of the Sikhs who were living near Pakistan took refuge inside Pakistan, having the advantage of speaking the same language and the area being home to established holy places where Sikhs from all over the world came annually to perform their pilgrimage to the Pakistan side of the Punjab state. Pakistan is like a Vatican for the Sikhs, because the Sikh religion was started there and is the birthplace of their holy guru.
Paramjit Singh Panjwar (PMJ)
Among these Sikhs, PMJ also took refuge after members of his family were arrested and killed by the Indian police. In Pakistan he started producing videos about the attacks and killings of Sikhs by the Indian police, and started printing and distributing literature on the Sikh problems at the hand of the Indian government. He also started broadcasting a daily radio program and running various charities for Sikh families in India and Pakistan whose bread-winning family members had been killed by the Indian government.
I met PMJ during a visit to Pakistan when he was living next to my brother-in-law and I invited him to a wedding. He wrote his phone number down for me on a piece of paper. He also wrote down the number for Baljinder Singh, his friend in New York, because he was a community advocate for the Sikh people who might refer clients to me for immigration purposes. I kept the number, but did not call him.
The FBI had been after Baljinder Singh ever since he delivered a speech in front of the White House at the "Sikh Million March" on Washington in 2000. The FBI had called him for interrogation from 2000 to 2006, but was unable to arrest him. When they interrogated me on February 17, 2006, they told me they needed me to testify in court that the Pakistani government was taking care of terrorists in Pakistan and New York. It was Baljinder Singh, and Gurbax Singh, a close relative of PMJ, that they wanted me to testify against, and since they found his and PMJ’s phone numbers during their search of my office in New York after my arrest in 2001, they deputized their paid Sikh informant, Harjeet Singh, into my unit at MDC in 2006.
Harjeet told me he would be released from federal custody in the next six months and he wished to visit Pakistan for the annual Sikh pilgrimage there. He asked me if I knew some Sikhs in Pakistan who might take care of him during his visit. I replied that I did know Paramjit Singh Panjwar, who was there on asylum and introduced them over the phone.
The FBI then went to Baljinder and Gurbax Singh and convinced them to testify that I had transferred $4000 (two $2,000 transactions allegedly conducted between 1998 and 2002) from them to Pakistan on behalf of PMJ. In exchange for this, they dropped the charges they had against them and promised amnesty from the Indian government (for armed attack on Indian police) and U.S. green cards for them and their families.
PMJ has not been indicted by the U.S. nor convicted by the Indian courts of anything. No effort has been spent for his extradition by U.S. "terror war" ally, Pakistan, though the Pakistani government has, according to AI, handed over 700 Muslim citizens to the U.S. government.
According to my attorneys, no American citizen of the Christian faith nor of the Sikh faith has ever been arrested for providing material support to the KCF, even though the KCF is a Sikh organization that draws its support from members of the Sikh community.
I, on the other hand, a Canadian citizen of Pakistan origin and Muslim faith, on Sept 12, 2007, am the only person in the U.S. to be convicted of terrorism, on fake, fabricated and government purchased testimonies of the Sikh’s religious people, for transferring $4000. I was convicted and sentenced on three counts:
1) Conspiracy to provide material support (14 years)
2) Providing material support to foreign terrorists (10 years)
3) Money laundering to support terrorism (14 years)
Total: 38 years to run concurrently (14 more years in prison).
Jail
The government sent me to FCI Terre Haute Prison in Indiana, a "medium" prison with the exception of one isolated unit, called the "Guantanamo Bay on American Soil,"—Unit D, the "dog unit."
According to the history of this jail, this unit was built in the 1930s for Cuban people, after which it was used for convicted members of the Ku Klux Klan. Then it was used for death row inmates until its "permanent closure." It was re-opened with minor repairs for Muslim inmates because they are worse than death-row inmates—not because of their "crimes" but because of their religious beliefs.
We are denied many privileges according to BOP policy because we are Muslims. Visits must be through glass and phone calls and outgoing mail are routed through Washington D.C. The buildings are old and leaking so it’s cold in the winter, flying insects in the summer and air circulation is poor year round. Lead is seeping out of the walls and many inmates suffer chronic joint pain.
The government is trying to goad us to act violently so they can justify their claim that we are dangerous, but they have failed. According to the jail guards this Muslim unit is the most peaceful they have ever seen in any prison anywhere and they ask to be allowed to work here.
I agree that those guilty of terrorism should be prosecuted, but innocent people should not be targeted. Locking us down in this dirty, old, cold, leaking building and prohibiting us from hugging our children and restricting our calls to them will never bring peace to this country or make this nation safer.
To the American people:
I have been singled out, isolated and discriminated against because of my race and religion. I am being held here in detention against my will for crimes that I never committed. I am not a terrorist and I should not be treated like one.
The AUSA succeeded in getting a verdict against me from the jurors in December, 2006, with the help of the media glamorization of the "war on terror." I have been convicted of guilt by association; of making the FBI angry and vengeful by refusing both to work for them abroad in an undercover capacity and to testify against members of the Sikh religion using their fabricated statements; and of being a Muslim and native of Pakistan.
Isn’t it time that all humans are equal? Isn’t it time that everyone is free to choose his faith? Are human rights protected by law? We hear this, but we would like to see it – especially in this country called the United States of America that claims itself across the world as a champion of human rights.
This article was edited for publication in the hardcopy edition of The IO. The full-length version is posted online at The IO website under the Nov., 2008 update. You can correspond with Awan by writing to:
Khalid Awan, #50959-054, Federal Correctional Inst., PO Box 33, Terre Haute, IN 47808
(With thanks to Anne Wilder Chamberlain for her dedication and persistence in helping to tell Awan’s important story).
http://khalidawancanadian.today.com/ http://www.awankhalid.com/
Très belle cérémonie d'investiture ce matin à Washington ! C'était remarquable de voir les soldats (14 000 !) rendrent hommage à Barack Obama, le premier président Noir de l'histoire des États-Unis. J'ai particulièrement aimé comment se sont faites les choses, voir les deux premières dames quitter ensemble en auto, Barack Obama qui remercie et félicite M.Bush, franchemment ça change des querelles ici au Canada entre nos politiciens.
Nous avons tellement dit que les Américains étaient ignars, violents et racistes....Mais le Canada a un président de droite, et ce n'est pas demain la veille qu'on va voir un politicien Noir ou Arabe prendre le pouvoir.
Voilà, c'est seulement une réflexion, j'ai vu qu'on pouvait faire un petit blog ici donc je me suis lancée.
...I have yet to see a single politician muster the courage to do the right thing and to 'tell the "TRUTH" like it is' - they've chosen to silently side with the 'spin' and let the status-quo be - either they're afraid of consequences to their political careers, or they're simply corrupt, or they're just plain stupid - or all of the above (and beyond) - whatever the reason, while I'm not shocked or surprised at the behavior of the puppet morons in politics, I'm disgusted at their complete lack of integrity and conscience...and to not have a SINGLE one of them telling the 'real' story behind this attack on humanity is just ticking me off...
In 1968, Canada (a province of Great Britian) changed their flag from the old "Union Jack" to the beautiful Maple Leaf of today.
The design was wonderful, it pleased the British (the red end stripes) plus it gave the French and others who wanted to rid their history and start anew a new symbol - one that the world has come to know and associate with that great Nation: the maple leaf.
Even school children or sports fans know of the "Roots" maple leaf logo. Hockey fans see the flag lowered along with the US flag before each game that involves a US/Canada game.
I apologize if my facts are not totally correct, as this was not researched prior and I am going strictly by memory and decided to write this as a 'whim'. I am not a writer, let alone one who writes a 'blog' - I've only read one or two blogs. I am way too busy with volunteering, charity work, working on Native American rights, etc. to read or write blogs.
However, when I tried to log onto the Obama/Biden website, I was almost 'forced' to creat a blog, so here goes:
I have a wonderful idea for a new US flag - one that I am sure will take a long time to become considered, accepted and come to fruition, if at all.
The idea occurred to me on election night as the returns came in. It was such an exciting day and I was so inspired.
I am prompted by my amazement at being able to see the first African-American US President in history in my lifetime - never did I ever imagine to see the first woman or black president before I became elderly! Now I know that so much more is still possible.
What an exciting time and an inspiration for females and/or children of minority, etc. to know that, YES, they too can become what they want and to see their dreams come true.
I am very much devoted to the creation of a Department of Peace (as opposed to the Dept. of War/Defense) and also to the possible selection of a wonderful choice for the NY State Senate seat: Ms. Caroline Kennedy - a wonderful, fresh choice. I can't see how anyone could possibly see a downside to her being selected.
More next time on the flag design . . .
Regards,
Kateri
The dead of winter. Every morning Harvey, my cat, puts me through the same ritual. He gets up, has a bite for breakfast (wherein he demands a new Fancy Feast can each day, whether he has eaten the old one or not), and then attempts to slip past me while I am making my sally out to get the papers. That never works because I am always ready for his not-so-subtle attempt. However, just after I begin to read the papers, with a cup of hot coffee on my chair arm and ABC's morning program on the tele, he begins his blatant sales presentation. Meow this and meow that. Sitting on the top of the chair, above my head, and swishing his tail into my face and eyes. He thinks he is a groundhog. But a new groundhog every day. He just has to go out there for five to ten minutes to reassure himself that it is still horrid and unlivable winter. I hate it. If I let him go, he instantly disappears somewhere. Behind a snowbank, under the pines or around a corner. He does it on purpose. I just know it. So then, after yelling his name, I have to go get dressed and search the great outdoors. No bath, shower, or shave. Just rough clothes on, boots without socks, coat without hat or gloves....and I am out there in it. You see, I can't just sit there and let him wander. It is too cold and too miserable. He knows all this, of course, being a cat and all. This morning I have slipped up here to get away from him. Besides, after checking out the front pages and the editorials I threw the papers down in disgust. Crap. It is a day of news crap.
There was a long article on how we just are not covering Iraq anymore, and with good reason. You must understand that the press has to spend it's dwindling funds covering stuff where something is happening. Iraq is passe'. Comparatively, not many American kids are being killed there. So we have closed all three network bureaus in Baghdad. We were out of there long ago anyway. Bush and team terrorized the media and booted them out a few years ago, along with bringing in the phony 'surge.' Now the rage is Afghanistan. That is where the new 'surge' is going to take place. So they are staffing up. The media only staffs up now to support the administration. They report what the Pentagon wants reported. Or they get dead or blown to hell and gone. Remember Jim Webb? He lipped off to George Bush, with respect to his son's service in Iraq, when he was only a few days in office two years ago (basically, he told the Commander in Chief that he had no business inquiring after his son). Mistake. When your son is controlled by that same guy, his life on the line because of where or what he might be exposed to, it is wise not to piss that guy off. And we have heard what from Jim Webb since he was elected? Nothing. Not a damn thing. He trotted out a bill to get Iraqi veterans preferred treatment for education purposes (at the expense of all veterans who came before) and that was it. What do you suppose the 'behind closed doors conversation' was like between Webb and the president's men later on? Webb still has a sock stuffed in his mouth, and will have until the end of January. Just an example of the naked power those people have to do just about anything they want. Cheney signed off on torture. Who cares? Not the media. And not the public because the public does not hear about it. Cheney says that the president is above the law in 'time of war' and the same thing happens. Nothing. Bush does his Howdy Doody imitation, day after day, giving final life to Letterman's special segments, and little else. He is above it. He has made his billions. They all have. Now they just want to go quietly and keep the billions.
William Kristol, one my favorite sleaze pundits (not of the caliber of that slug Bill Bennett, but up there), writes this day of how neat it is that he will be out of the country for the presidential inauguration. It appears he is speaking up in Canada. Hopefully, he is engaged to speak about something he is really good at, like how old men can be successful with young women if they have enough power and money. Anyway, he writes of Rick Warren and how great that is. I mean that Warren is going to get to do the invocation. How the raging wild-eyed liberals will be chained back by his selection to fill that role. Out of that will come less abortion. Out of that will come real patriotism. Out of that will come recognition that these new Old Testament Christians have come into their own.
I am one of the few people who know how William Kristol is getting up there to his speaking engagement in Canada. He is driving up in a Gran Torino.
from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com
by Steve Rennie - Published on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 by The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR - Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan confirmed his forces raid the homes of suspected Taliban militants after nightfall, a controversial practice that some say stokes anger and resentment among ordinary Afghans against foreign troops.
"There's nothing worse than busting into somebody's house in the middle of the night," he said.
"However, in the cases where we actually go into a compound, it's either in self-defence or it's as a result of a long string of intelligence gathering that has led us to a certain compound.
"And invariably when it comes time to execute the raid, there are no innocent civilians there - there are just bad guys."
Thompson made the remarks in response to a scathing report released yesterday by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, which said lethal air strikes and "abusive" overnight raids by coalition forces threaten to turn Afghans against foreign military forces........
ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/558036
In this handout picture from the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Marine prepares to conduct a raid at a suspected al-Qaeda group hideout in Afghanistan on Jan. 1, 2002. (AP Photo)Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar, said yesterday that while he is "philosophically against such raids," the nighttime incursions are necessary in the coalition's battle against a persistent insurgency.
by Rick Westhead @ thestar.com (Canadian)
The International Criminal Court should probe allegations some Canadian officers serving in Afghanistan told subordinates to look the other way when Afghan soldiers and local interpreters sodomized young boys, says one of Canada's leading human-rights lawyers.
In a story published yesterday in the Star, former Canadian soldier Tyrel Braaten said that during his tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2006, he witnessed Afghan interpreters bringing young boys inside buildings at Forward Operating Base Wilson, a remote Canadian base outside Kandahar. The boys were then sodomized by the interpreters and Afghan soldiers, Braaten said............
ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/article/553770
Former soldier Tyrel Braaten says some Canadian officers turned a blind eye to the sexual abuses of boys by Afghan interpreters at his base.University of British Columbia international law and politics expert Michael Byers, who was among a group of academics who sought to have former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet detained as a war criminal, said he plans to ask the ICC to begin its own inquiry into the charges.
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Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
BLOG December 8, 2008
Just opened a communiqué from Keri Anne, an acquaintance in Canada, which says that in her part of the world they are reviewing international Social Watch reports published by the United Nations and a pattern is increasing exponentially, they are finding:
“The Government of Canada must ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable citizens don’t lose their right to shelter, food, health and education in order to balance the books,” said Nancy Baroni, Gender Budget Coordinator with the Feminist Alliance for International Affairs.
Consequently, the US citizens aren’t the only people on the planet highly concerned over the global financial situation effecting their daily existence. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The North South Institute, and the Feminist Alliance for International Affairs are reporting similar points of view when they speak to heads of state. “The poorest are the most vulnerable” during such recessionary economic times and this goes even beyond Canadian borders and is a great concern in 59 nations. When the economy drops “shelter, food, health and education” needs which are needed considerably in all nations diminish. Those individuals and programs that were sharing and donating become more protectorate of their own home front hence, the charity slows down and those programs dependent on assistance start scrambling for other means of sustenance or disappear. And though the services may disappear the people in need aren’t. Isn’t it interesting that the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights will occur on December 10th., that international budgets are being cut for social services so do we really have much to celebrate? As we wait on January 20th getting here, which isn’t getting here fast enough for some of us, President elect Barack Obama will undoubtedly come into office with the highest need of mounting human services responsibilities in the world, and we don’t see human social needs decreasing anytime soon.
Todd and Minerva Hoover, Santa Clarita Valley
During my Camp Obama training my group was asked what it expected of an Obama presidency. One suggestion I offered is the idea that it capitalize on its grassroots mobilization for change and continue this movement. That is what these house parties represent to me; change not only at the top but a continual change provided from the grassroots level as well. President Obama (January 20, 2009) would be better served if his administration kept its hand on the pulse of the people and his organization has proven the most effective instrument by which to accomplish this.
What new ideas could come from a house party that has not been discussed before? Let me answer that here; one person who is attending my house part this coming Saturday is driving from Ottawa Canada and he asked me this very question. He questioned whether or not it would be worthwhile to have a person from Canada attending an event discussing issues concerning the United States. I explained that president-elect Obama, when he takes the oath of office, not only presides over domestic but international affairs as well. He may be the chief executive and commander-in-chief of the United States of America but he is also a leader of the free world. There is much we can discuss concerning our Canadian relations, our concerns over free trade, border security, governmental relations, and much more. Len did mention that our Canadian neighbors would like to ask if they could “borrow” Obama for weekends but I explained he may be a bit too busy, at least at first, to accommodate such a request. Seriously, there is no reason to exclude other nations from getting involved in our grassroots movement; for it is not only the citizens of this country that will provide his administration with the best insight as to its problems and promise but to the people of those nations who can best illuminate us as to the same (or perhaps some new) issues that concern them as well.
So, I explained to Len that, as he asked whether or not he could host his own house parties in Canada, I could add that to my feedback information and wait for the new administration’s response but it would probably be heartened and readily agree to such a noble offer. After all, as he explained, there is much enthusiasm about president-elect Obama in Canada and as explained, why not tap into that in the same way we do here, through our house party networks?
So, there you have it, the first good reason for continuing our house parties, before my first guest has even arrived. I can only guess how many more reasons I can provide after it is over.
![[In this handout picture from the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Marine prepares to conduct a raid at a suspected al-Qaeda group hideout in Afghanistan on Jan. 1, 2002. (AP Photo)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/nightraids-1224.jpg "nightraids-1224.jpg")
![[Former soldier Tyrel Braaten says some Canadian officers turned a blind eye to the sexual abuses of boys by Afghan interpreters at his base.]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/afghan-1215.jpg "afghan-1215.jpg")
