OT: 'Kyoto tax' on the US

[chingei]

Originally posted by Shaolinlueb



I don't want to get into a political debate. but bush tends to do things that benefit him and his friends and basically say screw the people. i thought the president was suppossed to help the people, not just his friends and the rich? poverty is a growing problem in the usa, that sint being resolved with this guy like it was when clinton was in office. i drive a honda low emissions vehicle, honda was voted the cleanest car company in the world. im jsut saying he has a job to do as president, and he should think about others before himself which he doesnt seem to do from the stuff i have seen and read. he doesnt even do his job good.

-- Federal Energy and Carbon Sequestration Programs. FY '04 budget request
includes $1.7 billion to fund Federal technology research, development,
and deployment activities. Major new initiatives for FY '04 and beyond
include:

-- Hydrogen Energy. President Bush launched his Hydrogen Fuel Initiative
in this year's State of the Union address. The goal is to work closely
with the private sector to accelerate our transition to a hydrogen
economy, both on the technology of hydrogen fuel cells and a fueling
infrastructure. The President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative and the
FreedomCAR Partnership launched last year will provide $1.7 billion over
the next 5 years to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cells, a hydrogen
infrastructure, and advanced automobile technologies, allowing for
commercialization by 2020. The United States will pursue international
cooperation to affect a more rapid, coordinated advance for this
technology that could lead to the reduction of air pollutants and a
significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation
sector worldwide. For more information on this initiative, please visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/hydrogen-fuels.html.

-- "FutureGen" -- Coal-Fired, Zero-Emissions Electricity Generation. In
February 2003, President Bush announced that the United States would
sponsor, with international and private-sector partners, a $1 billion,
10-year demonstration project to create the world's first coal-based,
zero-emissions electricity and hydrogen power plant. This project is
designed to dramatically reduce air pollution and capture and store
greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative is part of an international
Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, chaired by the Secretary of Energy,
to work cooperatively with our global partners--including developing
countries--on research, development and deployment of carbon sequestration
technologies in the next decade. In June 2003, the inaugural Forum meeting
was held in Virginia, and attended by representatives of Australia,
Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway,
Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission. These
global partners signed the first international charter setting the
framework for international cooperation in research and development. For
more information, please visit
http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/powersystems/futuregen/.

-- Fusion Energy. In January 2003, President Bush committed the United
States to participate in the largest and most technologically
sophisticated research project in the world to harness the promise of
fusion energy, the same form of energy that powers the sun. If successful,
this $5 billion, internationally supported research project will advance
progress toward producing clean, renewable, commercially available fusion
energy by the middle of the century. Participating countries include the
United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, China, and Canada. To read the President's
statement, please visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...30130-18.html.

Federal Climate Change Science Program (CCSP): Includes $1.7 billion in FY
'04 budget request to fund Federal, multi-agency research program, with
$185 million requested for the Climate Change Research Initiative in FY
'04.

10-year Federal Strategic Research Plan Released. The Interagency U. S.
Climate Change Science Program proposed a 10-Year Strategic Plan in
November 2002, accompanied by a 1300-person workshop, with representatives
from over 35 countries. The final, comprehensive plan was released in July
2003 by Secretary Abraham and Secretary Evans, as well as White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Marburger. The document
describes a strategy for developing knowledge of variability and change in
climate and related environmental and human systems, and for encouraging
the application of this knowledge. Secretary Evans also announced a $103
million, two-year Federal initiative to accelerate the deployment of new
global observation technologies, focused on oceans, atmospheric aerosols,
and the natural carbon cycle. To read the plan, please visit
http://www.climatescience.gov/Librar...3/default.htm.

U.S. Hosts Inaugural Earth Observation Summit. The first-ever Earth
Observation Summit was held July 31, 2003 to generate strong,
international support to link thousands of individual technological assets
into a coordinated, sustained, and comprehensive global Earth observation
system. The purpose of the system is to provide the tools needed to
substantially improve our ability to identify and address critical
environmental, economic, and societal concerns.

More than 30 countries and 20 international organizations participated in
the Summit. Participants adopted a Summit Declaration recognizing the need
to support development of a comprehensive, coordinated Earth observation
system. For more information, please visit
http://www.climatescience.gov/Librar...ummit2003.htm.

[chingei]

Originally posted by Shaolinlueb



I don't want to get into a political debate. but bush tends to do things that benefit him and his friends and basically say screw the people. i thought the president was suppossed to help the people, not just his friends and the rich? poverty is a growing problem in the usa, that sint being resolved with this guy like it was when clinton was in office. i drive a honda low emissions vehicle, honda was voted the cleanest car company in the world. im jsut saying he has a job to do as president, and he should think about others before himself which he doesnt seem to do from the stuff i have seen and read. he doesnt even do his job good.

Fuel Economy Increase for Light Trucks. On April 1, 2003, the Bush
Administration finalized regulations requiring an increase in the fuel
economy of light trucks for Model Years 2005 - 2007, the first such
increase since 1996. The increase from 20.7 miles per gallon to 22.2 miles
per gallon by 2007 more than doubles the increase in the standard that
occurred between Model Years 1986 and 1996, when it increased from 20.0
miles per gallon to 20.7 miles per gallon. The new standards are projected
to result in savings of approximately 3.6 billion gallons of gasoline over
the lifetime of these trucks with the corresponding avoidance of 31
million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reduction Initiatives with Business and Industry.
The Federal government administers nearly 60 different voluntary programs
on energy efficiency, agricultural practices, and greenhouse gas
reductions. Major initiatives announced by the Bush Administration
include:

-- "Climate VISION" Partnership. In February 2003, President Bush
announced that twelve major industrial sectors and the membership of the
Business Roundtable have committed to work with four of his cabinet
agencies (DOE, EPA, DOT, and USDA) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in
the next decade. Participating industries included America's electric
utilities; petroleum refiners and natural gas producers; automobile, iron
and steel, chemical and magnesium manufacturers; forest and paper
producers; railroads; and the cement, mining, aluminum and semiconductor
industries. To read the President's statement, please visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...20030212.html.

-- Climate Leaders. Announced by EPA Administrator Whitman in February
2002, Climate Leaders is an EPA partnership encouraging individual
companies to develop long-term, comprehensive climate change strategies.
Under this program, partners set corporate-wide GHG reduction goals and
inventory their emissions to measure progress. Over 35 major companies are
now participating, including General Motors, Alcoa, BP, Pfizer, Staples,
International Paper, IBM, Miller Brewing, Eastman Kodak, and Target. For
more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/.

-- Voluntary Registry for Reporting GHG Reductions. Responding to
President Bush's February 2002 charge, the Secretaries of Energy,
Commerce, and Agriculture, and the EPA Administrator provided the
President with their initial recommendations for enhancing and improving
the DOE's greenhouse gas emissions reduction registry. The improvements
are intended to enhance the accuracy, reliability, and verifiability of
greenhouse gas reductions measurements. As part of the 2002 public comment
process, DOE hosted workshops in Houston, Washington, San Francisco, and
Chicago. Final guidelines are anticipated in early 2004.

-- Targeted Incentives for Greenhouse Gas Sequestration. On June 6, 2003,
Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced that, for the first time,
consideration will be given to management practices that store carbon and
reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in setting priorities and
implementing USDA's forest and agriculture conservation programs, such as
the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Reserve
Program. USDA would provide financial incentives, technical assistance,
demonstrations, pilot programs, education, and capacity building, along
with measurements to assess the success of these efforts. For more
information, please visit
http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2003/06/0194.htm.

International Outreach:

International Cooperation. The U.S. is engaged in extensive international
efforts on climate, both through multilateral and bilateral activities.
Multilaterally, the U.S. is by far the largest funder of the activities of
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, and leads R & D projects through the Generation
IV International Forum, which is developing the next-generation nuclear
systems to produce electricity and hydrogen for transportation use without
emitting greenhouse gas emissions. Bilaterally, the U.S. has developed a
number of agreements with major international partners to pursue research
on global climate change and deploy climate observation systems,
collaborate on energy and sequestration technologies, and explore
methodologies for monitoring and measuring GHG emissions. To date, new
bilateral agreements have been established with countries representing
over 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions: Australia, Japan,
China, India, Italy, Canada, Russia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand,
Mexico, the European Union, and CONCAUSA, an organization of seven Central
American countries.

Global Environmental Facility (GEF). As part of a $2.2 billion
international replenishment agreement, the Bush Administration has pledged
$500 million to the GEF over the next 4 years to help developing countries
address environmental problems, including global climate change. The GEF
is the financial mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change and the United States' contribution is the largest of
any country. This commitment, which will fund technology transfer and
capacity building in developing countries, represents a 16 percent
increase over the U.S. contribution in the previous replenishment.

United States Agency for International Development. The Administration
intends to spend at least $175 million in FY '04 for all USAID climate
change programs including those that fund the transfer of advanced
technologies to developing countries, including cleaner, more efficient
energy technologies, technologies to make manufacturing and agriculture
more productive and efficient, and programs to foster responsible forestry
practices.

President's Initiative Against Illegal Logging. On July 28, 2003,
Secretary of State Powell launched the President's Initiative Against
Illegal Logging, developed with the objective of assisting developing
countries in their efforts to combat illegal logging, including the sale
and export of illegally harvested timber, and in fighting corruption in
the forest sector. The initiative represents the most comprehensive
strategy undertaken by any nation to address this critical sustainable
development challenge, and reinforces the U.S. leadership role in taking
action to counter the problem and preserve forest resources that store
carbon. For more information, please visit
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/22843.htm.

Tropical Forest Conservation. In FY '04, the Bush Administration will
direct $50 million for tropical forest conservation. These funds will
provide the resources needed to pursue additional "debt-for-nature"
projects under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act and contribute to the
Congo Basin Forest Partnership launched by Secretary of State Powell and
then-EPA Administrator Whitman in September 2002 to preserve eleven key
landscapes in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the
Congo. To view the fact sheet, please visit
http://www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/fs/2003/22973.htm.

(end fact sheet)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
NNNN

[chingei]

Text: U.S. Scientists to Set Up Climate Monitoring Network

(Observations to be made available to users around the world) (920)

Scientists are preparing to set up a new, high-tech climate monitoring
network made up of 100 automated stations that will record temperature,
precipitation, solar radiation and wind speed throughout the United
States.

According to a November 25 press release, the ground stations of the U.S.
Climate Reference Network (CRN) -- scheduled to debut nationwide in
January 2004 -- will use environmental satellites of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to transmit data in near real-time
to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The
data center will make the observations available online to users around
the world.

"The CRN will give America a first-class observing network for the next 50
to 100 years, and serve as a benchmark for climate monitoring," said NOAA
Assistant Administrator Gregory Withee.

He said that the network will help national government and industry
decision-makers shape policies that are affected by changes in America's
climate. "The CRN . . . will provide future long-term observations of
surface air temperature and precipitation that can be compared to past
long-term observations which will better detect present and future climate
variability and change," he added.

Following is the text of the press release:

(begin text)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
November 25, 2003

NOAA TO COMMISSION NEW CLIMATE MONITORING NETWORK

A new, high-tech climate monitoring network designed by NOAA scientists to
keep tabs on the nation's temperature and precipitation trends is set to
debut nationwide in January 2004. The U.S. Climate Reference Network
(CRN) will improve the ability of America's decision-makers to form
policies about programs impacted by climate variability and change. NOAA,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is part of the U.S.
Department of Commerce.

The CRN currently plans to include 100 automated observing stations
throughout the United States that will monitor temperature, precipitation,
solar radiation and wind speed. NOAA's Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellites will transmit the data received from these ground
based stations in near real-time to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center
(NCDC) in Asheville, N.C. NCDC will make the observations available
online in near real-time to users around the world. NOAA is currently
fine-tuning the network, software and data calibration checks.

"The CRN will give America a first-class observing network for the next 50
to 100 years, and serve as a benchmark for climate monitoring," said
Gregory W. Withee, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and
Information Service.

Withee added that the network will help national government and industry
decision-makers shape policies that are affected by changes in America's
climate. "The CRN will give us more answers to the changing climate. It
will provide future long-term observations of surface air temperature and
precipitation that can be compared to past long-term observations which
will better detect present and future climate variability and change."

He said the network underwent a rigorous testing and evaluation phase
earlier this year to verify that it was ready for installation and
operation, before additional stations were deployed. After two years of
testing and calibrating sensors, a pair of observing stations was
installed in the Asheville area. There are now 45 stations operating in
26 states, with additional deployments for the next two years planned at a
rate of about 27 each year.

The basis of the network can be credited to Thomas Karl, NCDC director,
who proposed 10 climate principles that were adopted by the National
Research Council. These principles include: extensive information on
instrument status and health; local conditions around the station;
assessing changes in the network on monitoring climate variability and
change; freedom of access to the data and supporting information.

Karl said a critical aspect of this network is that all stations are
located in fairly pristine environments to help eliminate local human
influences from confounding the interpretation of any observed changes in
climate. Most of the 50 states, including nine large-scale climate
regions, are represented in the network. The observing stations will be
established at locations sensitive to climate change, and placed at or
near stations having long-term historical climate records.

NCDC oversees the science component and the selection of the sites with
help from NOAA's Regional Climate Centers. NOAA's Office of Systems
Development in Silver Spring, Md., is managing the field operation and
maintenance of the network and NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory's
Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division at Oak Ridge, Tenn., is
developing and installing the instrument suites. Issues related to
science requirements of the network are presented to external scientists
and stakeholders.

NOAA's Satellites and Information Service, the parent agency to NCDC,
operates three data centers, which house global databases in climatology,
paleoclimatology, oceanography, solid Earth geophysics, marine geology and
geophysics, and solar-terrestrial physics.

NOAA's Satellites and Information Service is the nation's primary source
of space-based meteorological and climate data. It operates the nation's
environmental satellites, which are used for weather and ocean observation
and forecasting, climate monitoring and other environmental applications,
including sea-surface temperature, fire detection and ozone monitoring.
NOAA's commercial licensing program draws on NOAA's heritage in satellite
operations and remote sensing applications.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety
through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events
and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine
resources.

For more information on the network see -
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/uscrn/

[chingei]

Originally posted by Shaolinlueb



I don't want to get into a political debate. but bush tends to do things that benefit him and his friends and basically say screw the people. i thought the president was suppossed to help the people, not just his friends and the rich? poverty is a growing problem in the usa, that sint being resolved with this guy like it was when clinton was in office. i drive a honda low emissions vehicle, honda was voted the cleanest car company in the world. im jsut saying he has a job to do as president, and he should think about others before himself which he doesnt seem to do from the stuff i have seen and read. he doesnt even do his job good.

Fact Sheet: U.S. Energy Dept. Releases Guidelines for Reporting Greenhouse

Gases
(Voluntary reporting registry to improve accuracy and verifiability)
(1560)

A November 26 fact sheet says the U.S. Department of Energy has released
proposed guidelines for the voluntary reporting of heat-trapping
greenhouse gas emissions to encourage major companies and institutions to
take actions to reduce emissions and stimulate actions to address the risk
of global climate change.

Following is the text of the fact sheet:

(begin fact sheet)

Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, DC
November 26, 2003

U.S. Department of Energy Releases Proposed Guidelines for the Voluntary
Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Revisions to 1605(b) Registry Provide For Greater Accuracy & Completeness

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released proposed guidelines for
the voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and reduction efforts
designed to improve the accuracy, verifiability and completeness of
greenhouse gas emission data reported under the registry program. The
issuance of this proposal represents another significant step toward the
establishment of a broad national effort to reduce greenhouse gas
intensity of the U.S. economy, and address the risk of global climate
change.

The registry program was established as a voluntary program by section
1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. The proposed revisions to the
guidelines for the 1605(b) registry fulfill President George W. Bush's
directive that DOE enhance its voluntary reporting program. The proposed
revisions are a key element in the Administration's efforts to encourage
and document voluntary efforts to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Changes to the federal registry are necessary to significantly improve the
documentation of participating entities efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.

We believe these changes will provide a more complete accounting of
efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by companies that report on
their emission reduction programs. Such clarity and transparency will
encourage increased participation in the registry by those companies that
take their reduction programs seriously, said Under Secretary of Energy
Robert Card, who led an interagency process that developed the changes to
the 1605(b) program. Participants in the interagency process included DOE,
the Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Department of Agriculture, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the
Office of Management and Budget.

The proposed revisions would enable the Department of Energy to fully
recognize those participants in the registry who provide an accurate and
complete accounting of their efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. The
proposed guidelines will encourage major U.S. companies and institutions
to undertake comprehensive reviews of their greenhouse gas emissions and
to take actions to reduce emissions. By emphasizing the importance of
providing a full accounting of all greenhouse gas emissions and emission
reductions, the revised guidelines are designed to stimulate the type of
broad, economy-wide effort that is needed to make substantial progress
toward achieving the President's goals for reducing the greenhouse gas
intensity of the U.S. economy.

Under the revised guidelines, a wide range of entities, including
utilities, manufacturers, landowners and citizens, will be able to
register their greenhouse gas emissions reductions if they provide
entity-wide emissions data and demonstrate entity-wide emission reductions
after 2002.

Other provisions encourage participation in the registry by small emitters
of greenhouse gases, such as households, farmers, and small businesses.
Reporters not seeking to register reductions on an entity-wide basis can
continue to report emissions and emission reductions without meeting the
new entity-wide requirements. However, participants are encouraged to take
full advantage of the opportunity to do entity-wide reporting, which can
best showcase successful reduction efforts.

Other technical changes to registry reporting requirements are being
developed and will be made available for review and comment at a later
date.

The proposed guidelines being released today take into consideration the
opinions of and strike a balance among the many comments received from
states, industry and environmental groups during the numerous stakeholder
reviews and meetings conducted by the interagency group. The proposed
guidelines will be published in the Federal Register for a 60-day public
comment period.

To implement the President's directive, DOE led extensive interagency
consultations, issued a public Notice of Inquiry, established a website to
distribute background analyses and receive stakeholder comments, held four
public workshops (USDA hosted two additional workshops on agricultural and
forestry issues), and met with numerous stakeholder groups. DOE will host
another public workshop in December 2003 to discuss today's proposal. More
information on this workshop and on the proposed guidelines being released
today is available at: www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/. Those
wishing to offer comment on the proposed guidelines can do so by emailing:
1605bgeneralguidelines.comments@hq.doe.gov

[SanShou Guru]

LOL chingei is all I will say.

[SanShou Guru]

Just to post another view.

Bush Wages War on Parks, Wilderness
by T. A. Barron

The following commentary was first published in the Boston Globe on August 17, 2003.

A war is raging.

It involves lands essential to our nation, and will dramatically affect future generations. No, I am not speaking of Iraq or Afghanistan. This war is right here: the Bush administration’s radical, all-out attack on America’s wilderness and public lands. To camouflage this campaign, the president’s political staff put together a series of August photo ops in our national parks and forests.

What is at stake? These are the lands whose scenery inspired the song "America the Beautiful." But they are much more than that.

Our national parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, and other public lands total 623 million acres—14 times the size of all 6 New England states, or almost 6 times the size of California. They constitute a natural engine that cleans our drinking water, purifies the air we breathe, produces medicines, provides resources, and enhances our quality of life in countless other ways. Most important of all, these lands connect Americans directly with the miracle of God’s creation.

Moreover, these natural treasures are an important part of our heritage. The very idea of a national park was born in America: Yellowstone became the world’s first in 1872. However we define homeland security, our wilderness and public lands must be at the core of what we seek to defend.

Not for President Bush and his team, however. Fueled by zealous anti-environmentalism and corporate special interests, they have launched what amounts to a sustained and systematic attack on America’s public lands. Instead of honoring the public trust that requires protecting these national assets for our children and grandchildren, they have aggressively pushed exploitation by the mining, timber, oil and gas, and snowmobile industries. Well aware of the public outcry that such radical policy changes would provoke, they have pursued this war with stealth and deception.

While Americans look the other way, at more visible conflicts, this ground war advances. A few examples:

Right after the 2002 election, the Bush administration decided to allow a significant increase in the number of snowmobiles roaring through Yellowstone, despite overwhelming public opposition and serious air pollution. The Bush team is also trying to rip giant holes in a policy that prohibits road building and commercial logging across 58.5 million acres of roadless lands in our national forests. Recently, Interior Secretary Gale Norton summarily removed any portion of 262 million acres from possible wilderness protection, thereby paving the way—literally—for extractive industries. By renouncing all federal authority to study or protect wilderness values in these lands, this action removed even the possibility that future generations might ever choose to conserve them.

These are merely a few of the frontal assaults. Behind the scenes, Bush and company have forced sweeping changes in public lands management policies, abandoning decades-old bipartisan approaches in favor of immediate exploitation. They have encouraged Alaska, Utah, and other states to recognize abandoned trails, burro paths, and even dry washes as public rights of way across federal lands—thereby opening up the possibility that trucks could lay down pavement through national parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas.

They have removed protections from America’s wetlands and small waterways. They outright revoked the longstanding Wilderness Inventory handbook, which guides land managers in assessing appropriate uses of potential wilderness.

Aware of the radical extent of these changes, the Bush team has worked hard to hide them from public view. Norton’s action affecting 262 million acres, for example, came after no public hearings, no open debate, and no congressional oversight. It was not even announced on the Interior Department’s Web site. It was simply revealed in a legal settlement with Utah and released on a Friday night, after reporters’ 5 o’clock deadlines, just after Congress had left for spring recess.

Such stealth attacks have enabled Bush and company to radically alter environmental policies without changing the laws or risking negative public outcry. Their methods include inviting lawsuits that could weaken protections, then settling them out of court; simply burying potentially embarrassing information such as the files on Vice President **** Cheney’s energy commission; and quietly dropping enforcement of key environmental policies.

And with a flair for public relations, they have cynically named new policies: the Healthy Forests initiative aggressively promotes logging in the national forests, and the Clear Skies program is really a major rollback of Clean Air Act protections.

As a nation, we are what we save. The value of America’s public lands cannot be measured in board feet, tons of coal, or sales of all-terrain vehicles. Once wilderness is lost, it is lost forever. And the biggest losers will be generations of Americans yet unborn.

Bush’s war on our public lands is unwise, unjustified, and unprecedented. It is tantamount to an assault on the national treasury. But defending our public lands does more than protect valuable physical assets: It protects our homeland security of the soul.

[Christopher M]

Less filling!!!

[chingei]

Text: Ashcroft Decries Corruption as "Tax on the Poor"

(Joins officials to sign U.N. anti-corruption convention) (950)

Condemning corruption as a "tax on the poor," U.S. Attorney General John
Ashcroft joined senior officials from around the world in signing the new
U.N. Convention Against Corruption at a December 9-11 conference in
Mexico.

"By combating corruption, we restore confidence in democracy and the rule
of law," Ashcroft said December 9. "We strengthen the open trade and
investment that drive the world economy."

The U.N. treaty requires governments to pass criminal laws against the
bribing of their own and foreign officials and against acts such as
embezzlement and money laundering. The pact requires governments to take
preventive measures against corruption, facilitates cooperation for
extradition and asset recovery and creates a vehicle for
information-sharing and technical assistance in anticorruption matters.

"Bribery ... was [once] simply a part of human nature, a trivial issue, a
necessary oil to lubricate the wheels of business or even promoted as a
normal expense to be deducted from taxes at home," Ashcroft said.

In contrast, corruption is now seen as "unacceptable in any form" and
countries now agree on the need to cooperate on the issue, Ashcroft said.
The new U.N. convention is the "permanent enshrinement of the new global
attitude towards corruption," he added.

More than 100 nations were expected to sign the treaty during the
three-day meeting in Merida, Mexico. The convention will take effect once
ratified by the legislatures of at least 30 signatory countries.

[chingei]

U.S. Embarking on Largest Global Health Effort Ever, Official Says

(AIDS funding to target prevention, treatment, care, Tobias adds) (680)
By Kathryn McConnell
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- By contributing $15 billion in five years beginning in 2004
to fight HIV/AIDS, the United States is embarking on the largest
commitment by a government to an international health initiative, says the
Bush administration's new global AIDS coordinator.

In disbursing the funds, the administration will focus on helping
countries teach people about prevention, treatment and care, said Randall
Tobias, the U.S. government's first AIDS coordinator.

Speaking December 11 at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, Tobias,
who recently returned from visiting several countries in sub-Saharan
Africa, said international discussions about how to deal with AIDS have
shifted from those of "prevention versus treatment" to how to meet the
challenge of eliminating the stigma of the disease so people can be
diagnosed early and treated effectively.

Removing the stigma of getting tested for AIDS would encourage more people
to take the diagnostic test, he said.

Tobias said 2004 will bring "hope of a new approach" for dealing with
AIDS. A sign of that hope is the increasing number of world leaders who
are admitting their countries are being affected by the disease, he said.

He challenged country leaders to publicly announce that they are getting
tested to encourage others to do so.

The official commended the cooperation among governments and
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that has produced "proven programs"
to change behaviors. He thanked NGOs for helping governments become more
focused on the issue of AIDS. He added that the private sector will also
be important in future anti-AIDS efforts.

He said the United States' approach will be to look at evidence-based
results of programs and at how to make programs sustainable. Initially,
he said, the United States will focus its AIDS efforts on 14 countries in
Africa and the Caribbean.

Tobias said the first phase of the United States' new global AIDS strategy
will be concentrated in five areas. These are teaching prevention,
especially to youth; rapidly expanding anti-retro viral treatment
programs; helping governments improve their support services, such as
maintaining a safe blood supply; teaching safe medical practices, such as
administering clean injections; and caring and educating children left
parentless by AIDS.

The United States also wants to work with recipient governments to help
them learn how to effectively absorb donated funding to combat AIDS, he
said.

Tobias said coordination among all organizations involved in addressing
the disease is vital so all aspects of helping its victims can be
addressed. Efforts include programs that provide adequate nutrition and
safe drinking water to patients so they can most effectively respond to
therapy, he said.

The battle in AIDS prevention, treatment and care "will be won or lost" in
country after country at the community level, Tobias said. He recounted
visiting an infected couple in a village where a community health worker
had taught the husband how to take his medicines and monitor his wife's
health to know when she would need to start taking doses.

Modern drug therapies, if continued regularly and as directed, can now
allow a person to live a long life, Tobias said. The newer drugs are
giving hope to people who feared getting tested and learning that they
would soon die. Now people are realizing that if they are tested and
learn they are infected, the drugs can help them live much longer than was
previously possible.

Illustrating the scope of the global AIDS problem, Lee Hamilton, director
of the Wilson Center, said that in some African countries, more than
one-forth of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS, leading to economic
decline and a rise in violence.

Further, Tobias said the daily death toll from the disease equals the
number of passengers on twenty 747 jets. He said in some countries the
rate of AIDS among women is significantly higher than among men.

Stressing the urgency of the problem, Tobias said that without increasing
intervention at the international level, 85 million people could be
infected by the disease by 2010.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.

[chingei]

U.S. to Launch New Program to Facilitate Foreign Visitors

(Interview with U.S. Borders & Transportation chief Asa Hutchinson) (780)
By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

Miami -- The Bush administration will launch a new security program
January 5, 2004, that will serve the dual purpose of speeding the entry of
legal foreign visitors into the United States while keeping out potential
security threats.

In a December 10 interview in Miami, Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for
borders and transportation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
said the program, called U.S. Visit, is an example of the how the Bush
administration seeks to apply the latest in high technology to increase
security at U.S. ports of entry.

Hutchinson said U.S. Visit will use a biometric (fingerprint) confirmation
of those holding valid visas to enter the United States. The program,
Hutchinson said, will minimize the possibility of document fraud and
identify individuals who are on a terrorist watch list with the goal of
preventing them from entering the country.

As originally approved by the U.S. Congress before the September 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks on the United States, the program "was designed to
attack the problem of visa overstays in the United States," said
Hutchinson. "But obviously it was accelerated after 9/11 and the security
aspects of it have been dramatically increased."

Hutchinson noted that U.S. Visit will initially be applied at U.S.
airports and seaports, and will later be expanded to other ports of entry.

The program, he said, will be directed at visitors from all parts of the
world who wish to come into the United States. Hutchinson emphasized that
the United States wants to continue to be a "welcoming nation" and the new
program "will help us to focus on the 'at-risk traveler' and to facilitate
(the entry of) people who are no risk or frequently visit the United
States." He added that "this is not a matter of inconvenience because as
we develop the system, we will be able to quickly identify someone who has
a good record of visiting the United States, who has honored our visa
laws, and we will expedite their entry into" the country.

Hutchinson defined the at-risk traveler as anyone with a connection with
terrorism, who has a history of overstaying their visas, or who has not
followed U.S. legal requirements for entering or staying in the country.

Asked about U.S. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge's reported comment
that illegal aliens in the United States should be given "some kind of
legal status," Hutchinson said the comment "reflected the ongoing debate
within the Bush administration and the U.S. Congress over how to address
the complex immigration issues" facing the United States.

Hutchinson said his agency has an "influence" on the policy debate over
that controversial issue, but he said his primary mandate is to secure the
borders and transportation systems of the United States from terrorists
and weapons of mass destruction.

During a later speech to a conference on the Caribbean, Hutchinson said
that in the two years since the September 11 attacks, "the international
community of nations has moved toward tighter regulations on the flow of
money to prevent the facilitation of terrorism."

Concomitantly, Hutchinson said this crackdown against terrorism has also
presented a "challenge to maintaining commerce, tourism, and friendship
between our neighbors" in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Hutchinson said if a terrorist gets into one country in the region, it
presents a security risk to the rest of the nations in the "neighborhood."


To minimize this risk, he called for the creation of a "neighborhood
security zone" in which "we all participate, in which we all have
(security) standards), and we all make efforts to invest in security."

Such a security zone, Hutchinson said, will provide an economic benefit to
the Caribbean region, particularly in trade and tourism.

Secure air transportation is an "absolute necessity" for tourism in the
Caribbean, he said. Alternatively, inadequate airline security, Hutchinson
cautioned, would dramatically reduce the number of U.S. and European
tourists willing to visit the Caribbean islands.

Hutchinson said his agency is committed to "not just protecting America
but also to facilitating travel and commercial exchange between good
friends." This will be done, he said, by "making a commitment to the
balance between security and commerce."

Hutchinson noted that President Bush said in February 2001 that his vision
of foreign policy "starts in the neighborhood," meaning the Caribbean,
Latin American region.

In that spirit, Hutchinson said that "we are neighbors, friends, and
allies. Let us be committed to strengthening each other -- both
economically and in terms of security."

[chingei]

Iraqi Women's Political Involvement Growing, U.S. Official Says

(Women's achievements under-reported, State Dept.'s Ponticelli adds) (690)
By Kathryn McConnell
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Iraqi women are increasingly becoming involved in political
and economic decisions that will affect the future of their country, a
senior State Department official says.

Women's growing involvement in political decision-making is an
under-reported "good news story" of the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, said
Charlotte Ponticelli, senior coordinator for international women's issues.

Ponticelli was interviewed December 10 -- International Human Rights Day
-- on the Voice of America's "Global Exchange" program. During the
Hussein regime, she said, Iraqi women had a "freedom deficit."

Ponticelli said under Hussein's regime women were "double victims," losing
their basic human rights, as did men, and also being victims of "honor
killings." Since Hussein legalized the killing of women accused of
supposedly bringing some dishonor to their families, she said, more than
4,000 women were killed in the past decade for this reason. Hussein also
had a special militia that singled out and raped women: Rape was used as a
weapon of intimidation, she said.

Ponticelli, who recently returned from a visit to Iraq, said that without
the involvement of Iraqi women in all levels of their country's politics,
the success of reconstruction would be "at risk."

As one sign that Iraqi women now are rapidly advancing in Iraq's new
society, Ponticelli cited a decision in November by several women to
establish a national women's council. The council, still being developed,
will serve as an "umbrella" for nongovernmental organizations focusing on
women, she said.

She said women are "stepping forward" to get involved in the many local
councils making decisions about their communities. Most of these women
are participating in politics for the first time in their lives, she said.

"Iraqi women are determined and confident," said Ponticelli. "They are
very capable."

Ponticelli said it is a "myth" that Iraqi women were better off under the
Hussein regime and had a higher status than women in other Arab and Muslim
countries.

She said she spoke to several women who told her that, having earned
college degrees, they were not allowed to practice their specialties if
they didn't join the Ba'ath party. In fact, Ponticelli said, Iraqi women
-- 77 percent are illiterate -- "took giant steps backwards" under
Hussein.

Ponticelli said the women she spoke to expressed much hope about the
future for themselves and their country. She said they also said they are
"hungry" for technical skills, training and education about democracy,
which the United States will help provide. They also want representation
in the drafting of a national constitution, she said.

The official said she expected much of the nearly $20 billion recently
approved by Congress for reconstruction in Iraq will go to programs that
help women, such as improving the health care system, which received no
funding from Hussein. For example, all of the country's doctors need
training to bring their medical skills up to current international
standards, she said.

The United States also will fund the building of nine women's centers
throughout the country where women can learn about their legal rights and
receive other training, she said. "They want a higher voice" in the new
Iraqi society, she said.

In addition, the United States is working with the Iraqi governing council
to ensure that more women are included on the national body, Ponticelli
said.

Immediately after the fall of Hussein, Pnticelli said, Iraqi men "were not
focused specifically" on women-related issues. But because of outreach by
members of the Coalition Provisional Authority and others working with the
United States, she said, "men are increasingly getting the point" that the
public participation of women is vital to their country's future.

Ponticelli said Iraqi women told her security is one of their main
concerns and 100 women have already joined security details. But they
told her that reports of wide-scale crime are exaggerated, and they
attributed what crimes are committed to Hussein's release of criminals
from prisons before the war, not to lawlessness in the entire society,
Ponticelli said.

These are "isolated crimes" compared to Hussein's massive killings, she
said.

[chingei]

Text: Bush Proclaims December 10 Human Rights Day

(Bill of Rights Day and Human Rights Week to follow) (440)

The United States will "continue to stand with those who struggle for
democracy," President Bush said upon proclaiming December 10, 2003 as
Human Rights Day and the beginning of Human Rights Week. In addition, Bush
named December 15 as Bill of Rights Day.

Bush called on nations such as Burma, Belarus, Zimbabwe, Cuba and North
Korea to strive for democracy saying, "freedom is the right of mankind and
the future of every nation." He continued, "It is not America's gift to
the world; It is God's gift to every man and woman who lives in this
world."

December 10 is also recognized as International Human Rights Day.

Following is the text of the President's proclamation:

(begin text)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
December 10, 2003

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, BILL OF RIGHTS DAY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS WEEK, 2003

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

America's founders dedicated this country to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. During Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and
Human Rights Week, we recognize the advances we have made expanding
freedom, democracy, and individual rights in this country and around the
world.

America has helped bring liberty to Afghanistan and Iraq. In countries
like Belarus, Cuba, and Zimbabwe, we continue to stand with those who
struggle for democracy. We will continue to call on Burma's ruling junta
to release political prisoners and engage in an inclusive dialogue with
the democratic opposition to bring democracy to Burma. We also look
forward to the day when the men and women of North Korea can live in a
free society.

Freedom is the right of mankind and the future of every nation. It is not
America's gift to the world; it is God's gift to every man and woman who
lives in this world.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 10, 2003, as Human
Rights Day; December 15, 2003, as Bill of Rights Day; and the week
beginning December 10, 2003, as Human Rights Week. I call upon the people
of the United States to mark these observances with appropriate ceremonies
and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-eighth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

(end text)

[Christopher M]

MORE TASTE!!!!

[chingei]

President Bush signed into law a bipartisan plan that modernizes Medicare with a prescription drug benefit that will help make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors and their families.

America made a commitment to provide seniors affordable, quality care. The President is keeping that promise by modernizing Medicare with a prescription drug discount card that will help them save 10 to 25 percent on most medicines or as much as $300 every year. Millions of low income will receive an additional $600 to cover prescription drug costs.

This historic law that modernizes Medicare after 40 years accomplishes much for America's seniors:

1. Helps to make prescription drugs more affordable. The plan provides prescription drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries.

2. Offers health care choices to help seniors get the coverage they need. Seniors will now have more health care choices to find the health coverage that best meets their needs.

3. Encourages early treatment to prevent illnesses. It makes Medicare more efficient -- providing screenings that will enable doctors and patients to diagnose and treat health problems early.

4. Health savings accounts to help pay health care costs. It enables Americans to pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses through new Health Savings Accounts.

Thanks to President Bush's leadership, a bipartisan majority in Congress and a variety of seniors groups -- including the AARP and the American Medical Association -- support this extraordinary achievement for America's seniors.

[shaolin kungfu]

MONKEY NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!