The US and Iran are planning to hold talks on current issues but are planning to limit it towards the Iraq issue. To this day, this dilemma has not yet been resolved and hopefully Vice President Dick Cheney will have something solid to discuss with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Many would undermine that the resort would be to open new talks. However, they are all centralized on the current security issues surrounding the Iraq issue. While there are various feelers that there may be some sort of resistance on the side of the Bush administration’s stand on the matter, the US is determined to make ends meet and address far more pressing issues rather than the seemingly hopeless case on national security and taking of innocent lives.

With the talks with Iran, the US is aiming to cover some headway in its new approach towards conflicts of interest between the nations involved. Should talks fall through, the approach may be deemed a good way of following a new and peaceful direction towards resolution of standing issues.

[tags]politics, iran, iraq, united states, us troops, national security, terrorism[/tags]

The surveillance and unorthodox manner of being able to monitor terrorist activities in the region of the United States has been overwhelming but the various practices and resort in being able to do so have its limits as well. Among the controversial means that has drawn the ire of most is that of the TALON program or Threat and Local Observation Notice database that was put into place in 2003.

Based on the assessment of undersecretary of defense James Clapper, there is no merit and has actually produced disappointing results as seen from the program. It has catered more in sparkling controversial information by invading privacies in terms of collecting information on peace activists and monitoring anti-war protests across the country.

The whole purpose of the TALON program has evidently failed and from the looks of it, it shall soon be rebuked. That is if defense secretary Robert Gates has nothing to say about this issue.

[tags]TALON program, defense, united states, pentagon, james clapper, robert gates[/tags]

Finding something else that can stir up some noise, it is now the turn of illegally residing individuals in the area of the United States to feel the heat. President Bush has now promised to make better reforms to distinguish the authentic from the illegally residing individuals in the country today.

While there is no threat that can be seen in the form of the fight for terror, it is better safe than to be sorry. Problem is even the people who are just after greener pastures will have to bear the attention and laws that would be passed out from such.

People have viewed this as a means of trying to win back potential votes for President Bush, something that he has been losing lately due to various run-ins with Congress and questionable leading. While such an issue may sound to be interesting, it still isn’t in the area of what he has already done. But basing everything on what he has already done, it looks like Bush still has a lot of catching up to do from hereon.

[tags]bush, illegal immigrants, tnt, pardon, occupancy, migration, status, alien resident, alien, residency[/tags]

And so the new twist has Great Britain in the center of things with the capture of 15 British sailors and marines in Iran who were caught in Iran waters. Apparently, the Iranians are bargaining for the release of 5 Iranians held by US forces.

With the Americans in the mix, President Bush has lambasted the demands, making it another media circus where the negotiations being pushed for are totally uncalled for since the 15 captives were purely on routine.

While Bush pledged full support for Great Britain Prime Minster Tony Blair, everything lies on a stand still. As each day passes, more issues on this matter is sure to escalate. But Bush proclaims that peaceful efforts as headed by Britain’s PM Blair will be the best solution. Hopefully the Iranians would also see it in the way that they do to avoid further controversies and bloodshed if ever no compromise would be reached.

[tags] british sailors, british marines, iran, bush[/tags]

Just when everyone thought that the nuclear issue with North Korea had already been settled, the Nokors have now threatened to continue nuclear activities if the $25 million frozen at the Macau bank are not released soon. The said money was connected with regards to the money laundering issue conducted by the US Treasury Department at the Banco Delta Asia.

Although a part of the frozen funds have been released, North Korea’s President Kim Kye Gwan said Pyongyang was expecting all the funds to be released last February 13 upon an agreement to which they would close down all nuclear facilities that has become a widespread issue to the world today.

In this regard, North Korea has again emphasized that it shall not put a halt the nuclear activities until all the frozen funds have been cleared and released. Although nothing has been officially ironed out, chief American negotiator Christopher Hill strongly believes that the BDA issue will be settled soon and officially end the impending issue regarding this nuclear dilemma made popular today.

[tags]north korea, money laundering, banco delta asia[/tags]

Remembering the events of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11 will forever be in the mind of people in the world, the signal of the start of terrorism. Still fresh in the minds that lead to a series of conflicts that is headed by the world’s acknowledged power; the suspected mastermind has openly admitted his hand in staging the planning of the unforgiving tragedy that claimed the lives of thousand of people on that faithful day now known as 9/11.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted before a military hearing his alleged mastermind of the whole thing at the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Mohammed also took responsibility for other terrorist activities that have transpired and also some future planned attacks of terror that have yet to be executed.

The list of the confessions made by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is contained in a 26 page transcript from the Pentagon. Some remarks were marked out but among those that were included were assassination attempts and other acts of terror, some of which have not yet been carried out yet.

[tags]world trade center, 9/11, khalid sheikh mohammed[/tags]

As expected, all key personnel associated with the poor medical service given to the injured US troops. Army Surgeon General Kevin C. Kiley was the third high ranked official to step down due to enormous pressure for the mess and it does not seem to be getting any sweeter for all people connected with the scandal that has been brought out in the open.

It will be recalled that the first two officials, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Army Secretary Francis Harvey, voluntarily resigned due to the mounting pressure especially when it concerns one of the critical issues today that of which is all issues surrounding the US troops and the war in Iraq.

This issue has surely become a big mess and a big dent on the credibility that the Bush administration has at the moment. While the people responsible for it are slowly being pinpointed one by one, the damage has been already done.

[tags]walter reed medical center, us troops, gates, bush, harvey, kiley[/tags]

People who are considering a political career should take heed that sitting pretty in government offices is not similar to laying down on a bed of roses. The limelight and attention is astounding that it may go to the extent of haunting people and their past. Moreover, every move that political
figures would make will be monitored closely by people simply wanting a new scoop to catch the frenzied attention of people all over the world.

Take the case of GOP hopeful Rudy Giullani, who is the front-runner in the Republican presidential hopeful. His history of having three wives and the series of events that have occurred, including a reported public humiliation of his second wife in public has been circulating and creating chinks in his credibility.

Also, there is now a new issue with regards to investing in stocks as another candidate in Barack Obama was cited for making investments in the stock market, particularly in AVI Biopharma and Skyterra Communications which were misjudged as a form of bribe by media.

In politics, anything is possible. Even the impossible becomes possible.

[tags]politics, senate, political careers[/tags]

As expected from the previous blog entry, the evident resignation of Army Francis J. Harvey was indeed intended for an impending turmoil that has focused on the below quality service that the said medical facilities have been giving towards their inbound patients, mostly military personnel. Such has become a political circus and has become a feeding ground for political figures in making it one of their stepping boards towards media attention today.

The outrageous issue has gotten out of control, especially since it concerns the condition of injured troops who are in the middle of the nation’s attention of the ongoing war. Different testimonies led by high ranked military personnel are set to support the congress’ obvious outrage of this breaking news. The most significant highlight of this issue is the supposed exodus of skilled staff that has lowered the quality of service provided by the medical facility and further risking the injuries and conditions of the wounded troops.

[tags]walter reed medical center, harvey, us troops, war[/tags]

Perhaps in one of the alarming news that has graced leading tabloids and newspapers is the downfall of the stock market, a crisis that has alarmed most parts of the world. The stocks have been pummeling and the people are slowly panicking. Rightfully so, this is not a good sign for investors and the overall economy of the world as a whole.

People would not understand the importance of stock falls. Their worth in the market is something that has significant contribution especially in trading practices of leading corporations and one company’s downfall becomes a domino effect that will include the other companies who trade and offer their stocks for sale to raise the essential funds to keep themselves at par.

Additional capital in the form of stocks offered in the market is its main prerogative and low turnouts and stock value tumbling affects the entire economy and not just one corporation. The impact that falls in the stock market impacts everything in the world of business and such feedbacks of market downfall is indeed a cause for alarm in most cases.

[tags]stock market, trading, company shares, IPO[/tags]