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*Marine Corps considers ending contract with Trijicon; Top U.S. military official defends vendor* BY Stephanie Gaskell<http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/Stephanie%20Gaskell> DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Tuesday, January 19th 2010 <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/01/19/2010-01-19_trijicon_company_contracted_by_marine_corps_inscribed_thousands_rifle_scopes_wit.html> [image: Trijicon, a Michigan company, has been making thousands of rifle scopes for U.S. Marines that have Bible passages engraved on them.] ABC Trijicon, a Michigan company, has been making thousands of rifle scopes for U.S. Marines that have Bible passages engraved on them. Take our Poll Soldiers of God? How do you feel about the fact that U.S. troops are using guns branded with Bible verse? I am all for it. Our troops need all the support they can get -- God's especially. I am against it. Military rules prohibit proselytizing, and this may offend civilians in Muslim nations. Not sure. - Trijicon takes flak for rifle scopes with Bible verse<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/01/19/2010-01-19_firm_takes_flak_for_rifle_scopes_with_bible_verse.html> The Marine Corps <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/U.S.+Marine+Corps> is reconsidering its contract with a Michigan<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Michigan>company that has engraved hundreds of thousands of rifle sights with Bible inscriptions, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. "We are aware of the issue and are concerned with how this may be perceived," USMC spokeswoman Capt. Geraldine Carey<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Geraldine+Carey>told ABC News <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/ABC+Inc.>. "We will meet with the vendor to discuss future sight procurements." Trijicon, based in Wixom <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Wixom>, Mich., has been making the rifle scopes for the Marines since 2005 - and carving references to Bible passages next to the scope's serial number. U.S. military <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/U.S.+Armed+Forces> rules prohibit any service member from proselytizing while serving in Iraq<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Iraq>or Afghanistan <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Afghanistan>, which are primarily Muslim nations. But one top U.S. military official defended the inscriptions, saying it doesn't violate any rules. "The perfect parallel that I see is between the statement that's on the back of our dollar bills, which is 'In God We Trust,' and we haven't moved away from that," said Maj. John Redfield<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/John+Redfield>, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/U.S.+Central+Command> . "Unless the equipment that's being used that has these inscriptions proved to be less than effective for soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and military folks using it, I wouldn't see why we would stop using that," he said. Mikey Weinstein <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Mikey+Weinstein>, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Military+Religious+Freedom+Foundation>, said the sights endanger troops. "This plays right into the hands of maniacs who say, 'Look, it's a jihad,'"" he said, adding that he's received several complaints from soldiers and Marines. Weinstein is calling for a Congressional hearing to review the contracts. * Chavez says US 'weapon' caused Haiti quake View Video <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9QtZkT8OBQ> * Thu, 21 Jan 2010<http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116688§ionid=351020704> US soldiers land by helicopter at the garden of the damaged Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince on January 19. Thousands more troops have been tasked with providing security for aid distribution. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez Wednesday accused the United States of causing the destruction in Haiti by testing a 'tectonic weapon' to induce the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country last week. President Chavez said the US was "playing God" by testing devices capable of creating eco-type catastrophes, the Spanish newspaper ABC quoted him as saying. A 7.0-magnitude quake rattled the desperately poor country on January 12, killing an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 people. As Haiti looks to the world for basic sustenance, the authorities say the biggest dangers facing survivors are untreated wounds and rising disease. Following the quake, appeals for humanitarian aid were responded to globally. However, the nation is struggling with violence and looting as aid is still not enough for the tens of thousands left homeless and injured. Chavez said the killer earthquake followed a test of "weapon of earthquakes" just offshore from Haiti. He did not elaborate on the source of his claim. The outspoken leader had earlier accused the US of occupying Haiti "under the guise of the natural disaster." At least 11,000 US troops have been dispatched to the country to provide security for aid distribution efforts. Venezuelan media have reported that the earthquake "may be associated with the project called HAARP, a system that can generate violent and unexpected changes in climate." HAARP, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is a study run in Alaska directed at the occasional reconfiguration of the properties of the Earth's ionosphere to improve satellite communications. Former US Secretary of Defense William Cohen in 1997 expressed concerned over countries engaging "in eco-type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves." *The Caspian Sea Region: A Look at Future U.S. and Allied Military Missions*Authors: Jon E. Chicky<http://www.stormingmedia.us/authors/Chicky_Jon_E_.html>; NAVAL WAR COLL NEWPORT RI<http://www.stormingmedia.us/corpauthors/NAVAL_WAR_COLL_NEWPORT_RI.html> *Abstract:* The Caspian Sea is rapidly becoming a region of increased attention to both U.S. civilian And military policymakers and planners. The region's large amounts of oil and gas reserves will allow the U.S. and its allies to diversify their sources of oil imports, and therefore, reduce the dependence on Middle Eastern oil. However, the Caspian is an inland sea and the export of the resources to markets is of critical concern. The pipelines, required to transport the oil and gas, will need to traverse a region complete with internal and external ethnic animosities, border disputes, and regional powers competing with each other for influence and control over the Caspian and its resources. Given this background, the U.S. and its allies may have to conduct military operations to secure their investments of capital and influence in the region as well as to resolve or prevent disputes among the Caspian nations and the other regional powers as the Caspian oil reaches full production in the next 10 to 15 years. The missions of peace operations, humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism, foreign internal defense, and others possibly await U.S. and NATO forces in the twenty-first century. *Limitations:* APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE *Description:* Final rept. *Pages: * 42 *Report Date:* 11 MAR 1998 *Report Number: * A159843 The Caspian Sea: an uncertain future.Link to this page The Caspian Sea <http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Caspian+Sea> the largest inland body of water on Earth with a total surface area of 371,000 square kilometres and one of the world's smallest seas, geographically represents the intersection of Europe and Asia. This explains the uniqueness of its biodiversity and the strategical importance of its enormous oil and gas supplies, which have been the main points of concern for Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Islamic+republic>An *Islamic republic*, in its modern context, has come to mean several different things, some contradictory to others. Theoretically, to many religious leaders, it is a state under a particular theocratic form of government advocated by some Muslim religious leaders in the Middle of Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation<http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Russian+Federation> Russian Federation: see Russia. and Turkmenistan-the countries surrounding the Sea. However, environmental issues have rarely been a high priority for the national governments, nor have they been a major concern for private companies operating in the region. Cooperation among States with respect to environmental issues is vitally important in order to prevent a dramatic decline of the Caspian Sea before it is too late, as has happened to the Aral Sea <http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Aral+Sea> Aral Sea (ăr`əl), salt lake, SW Kazakhstan and NW Uzbekistan, E of the Caspian Sea in an area of interior drainage. To the north and west are the edges of the arid Ustyurt Plateau; the Kyzyl Kum desert stretches to the southeast. . (See UN Chronicle <http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/UN+Chronicle> The *UN Chronicle* is a publication of the Outreach Division of the United Nations department of public information. *External links* - Homepage , Issue 1, 1999, page 38, "Dry Tears of the Aral".) The area is home to 400 unique species, but the population of some of these species has been close to an unstable equilibrium<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Unstable+equilibrium>, which means they will face extinction if the ecological situation does not change for the better. The reason for this threat is the agricultural run-off, saturated in chemical substances, that kills thousands of living species whose immune systems are sensitive to the changes in the water's composition. The situation has been worsened by the careless extraction of resources leading to the spills from the natural oil and gas drilling process. These by-products of commercial activity in the region have resulted in significant soil, land and water contamination. In addition, the construction of gigantic industrial refining complexes has led to the destruction of the coastal line, causing damage to many settlements surrounding the Caspian Sea. The Volga and Ural rivers, which cross the territory of Russia and flow into the Caspian, have been the major source of untreated waste disposal into the Sea. Heavy industry has been responsible for contamination of these rivers, having disposed of sewage into the rivers for years. The financial difficulties many industrial complexes have been facing since the 1990s have made the installation of recycling devices impossible. During the cold-war era, enormous natural resources in the Caspian basin had been the major source of economic prosperity for two surrounding countries: Iran and the Soviet Union. The region had become the world's oil production centre by the end of the twentieth century. Extraction of non-renewable natural gas and oil was so extensive that it was decided to extend drilling into the Caspian Sea. The overwhelming results of decades of over-exploitation of the Caspian resources and the neglectful<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/neglectful> ne·glect·ful *adj.* Characterized by neglect; heedless: neglectful of their responsibilities. See Synonyms at negligent. ------------------------------ *ne·glect* attitudes towards potential environmental risks were first made known after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The consequences were the combined result of man-made activity and natural processes. Thus, the natural rise of the Caspian sea level, which has not yet been explained scientifically, creates additional concern for all surrounding countries. According to <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/according+to> according to *prep.* *1. *As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. *2. *In keeping with: according to instructions. *3.* scientific data, the Sea has risen more than 2.2 metres since 1978, resulting in floods that have damaged a number of municipal structures and roads and destroyed human settlements. Climate change has also led to inevitable changes in the biological productivity of some species. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] The Caspian Sea accounts for 90 per cent of the world's caviar<http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/caviar> caviar or caviare (kăv`ēär), the roe (eggs) of various species of sturgeon prepared as a piquant table delicacy. production. The black caviar has always been a synonym <http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Synonym> synonym (sĭn`ənĭm) [Gr.,=having the same name], word having a meaning that is the same as or very similar to the meaning of another word of the same language. Some are alike in some meanings only, as *live* and *dwell.* of prosperity and a high living standard for those involved in the business. In the 1970s and 1980s, the rapid decline in sturgeon<http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Sturgeon> sturgeon, primitive fish of the northern regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. Unlike evolutionarily advanced fishes, it has a fine-grained hide, with very reduced scalation, a mostly cartilaginous skeleton, upturned tail fins, and a mouth set well back on the stock due to overfishing<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Overfishing> *Overfishing* occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans. More precise biological and bioeconomic terms define 'acceptable level'. and water pollution became evident, but preventive measures were not taken in time. As a result, their population has been significantly reduced. Historically, Iran and the former Soviet Union were major caviar exporters. The recent Caspian oil and gas boom also has had a devastating<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/devastating> dev·as·tate *tr.v.* *dev·as·tat·ed*, *dev·as·tat·ing*, *dev·as·tates* *1. *To lay waste; destroy. *2. *To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. impact on human health. When western oil consortiums came to the region in the 1990s, citizens of surrounding States were promised prosperity, but in reality it has never reached them. Oil has been flowing through the pipelines to the West, bringing profits in the millions to companies operating in the region, while the population has been receiving none of the wealth. Historically, many collective farms created during the Soviet Union period were located very close to the oil and gas reserve fields at a time when extraction of resources was not extensive. However, during the last decade, oil and gas extraction has expanded significantly into the steppes due to the rising number of commercial projects. Local communities are located very close to gigantic oil and gas fields, and as a result of short-sighted resource exploitation, local people have had to bear a heavy impact on their health. Berezovka, one of the settlements located among the steppe<http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/steppe> steppe (stĕp), temperate grassland of Eurasia, consisting of level, generally treeless plains. It extends over the lower regions of the Danube and in a broad belt over S and SE European and Central Asian Russia, stretching E to the Altai and S to lands of western Kazakhstan, is a vivid example. Only several kilometres away from Karachaganak, one of the nation's largest petroleum fields, Berezovka's population has been suffering from a number of illnesses (see graphs), and the mortality rate has steadily increased. The results of a small study undertaken by Crude Accountability, a non-governmental organization<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Non-governmental+organization>“NGO” redirects here. For other uses, see NGO (disambiguation). A *non-governmental organization* (*NGO*) is a legally constituted organization created by private persons or organizations with no participation or representation of any government. which focuses on environmental protection and justice issues in the Caspian basin and which has implemented an environmental health programme in the area, are disturbing. Among nearly 200 students surveyed in 2003, unusual symptoms and illnesses included memory loss, hair loss and muscular-skeletal problems (see graphs on page 45). The lack of environmental education among the native Kazakh people and the insufficient health care in remote areas make the situation even worse. Berezovka is not the only village in the Caspian region that feels the negative impact of petroleum extraction on the health of its citizens. There is no special environmental regulation to deal with situations similar to that in Berezovka. According to the norms of Kazakhstan's national law, the village must be relocated as a settlement in a "sanitary-protection zone", and people should be compensated for damages. However, few commercial firms are willing to provide compensation for the negative consequences of their businesses. The probable reason is simple: these companies are not willing to absorb the costs involved. But the reality is that people's lives are priceless and cannot be quantified in monetary terms. Environmental regulations have only recently become a major concern in the former States of the Soviet Union and there are now hopeful signs that this will lead to greater environmental protection of the Caspian Sea. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/United+Nations+Convention+on+the+Law+of+the+Sea>For maritime law in general see Admiralty law. The *United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea* (*UNCLOS*), also called the Law of the Sea Convention and the Law of the Sea Treaty (*LOST* , adopted in 1982, identifies navigational rights, territorial sea<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/territorial+sea>A belt of ocean space adjacent to and measured from the coastal state's baseline to a maximum width of 12 nm. Throughout the vertical and horizontal planes of the territorial sea, the coastal state exercises sovereign jurisdiction, subject to the right of innocent passage of vessels on limits, the legal status of resources on the seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, the conservation and management of living marine resources and other important features. However, the Caspian Sea is beyond the jurisdiction of the Convention, and the norms of the international law of the sea do not apply to it. The Caspian needs specific legal regulation because of its uniqueness: it is neither a sea nor a lake. More than ten years ago, the littoral<http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/littoral> littoral /lit·to·ral/ (lit´ah-r'l) pertaining to the shore of a large body of water. ------------------------------ littoral pertaining to the shore. Caspian States-Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Turkmenistan-agreed on two fundamentally important points: the exclusive rights to Caspian resources belong to them, and the Convention regarding the status of the Caspian Sea may be adopted only through the mutual approval of these States. In reality, the negotiations have been complicated because of a divergence of opinions on important international issues, such as navigation, fishery, natural resources and the environment. The position of the States concerning the division of the Caspian deserves special attention. The Russian Federation suggested dividing the Caspian seabed according to a modified median line<http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Median+line> median line *n.* *1. *Anterior median line. *2. *Posterior median line. , while the water surface would remain for general use. In other words<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/in+other+words> *Adv.* *1.* *in other words* - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , the seabed and the water surface should be considered as objects with separate sets of regulations. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan suggest similar bimodal<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bimodal> bi·mod·al *adj.* *1. *Having or exhibiting two contrasting modes or forms: "American supermarket shopping shows bimodal behavior schemes: the water area and seabed must be considered as separate objects and be subject to independent regulations. However, Iran proposed to either establish a condominium<http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Condominium> *condominium* In modern property law, individual ownership of one dwelling unit within a multidwelling building. Unit owners have undivided ownership interest in the land and those portions of the building shared in common. regime or divide the Caspian into five national sectors, including Iran's 20-per-cent share. These and other points of contention on various Caspian issues have complicated negotiations. The first step towards the creation of an effective Caspian regime was taken by the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan in 1998 when they reached agreement on identifying sovereign rights regarding the exploitation of the Caspian interior resources. Four years later, in May 2002, they signed a Protocol to the agreement establishing the geographical position of the median line. Later that year, the Presidents of the Russian Federation<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/presidents+of+the+Russian+Federation>The following is a list of Presidents of the Russian Federation since its independence on December 26, 1991. Boris Yeltsin (July 10, 1991 – December 31, 1999) two terms (resigned during the second term). and Azerbaijan also signed an agreement on the division of the contiguous Caspian seabed, which identifies the median line according to which the parties to the treaty would extract mineral resources<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mineral+resources> *Noun* *1.* *mineral resources* - natural resources in the form of minerals natural resource, natural resources - resources (actual and potential) supplied by nature *.....* Click the link for more information.. In 2003, a similar agreement was signed between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Finally, a trilateral agreement identifying the junction point of all the median lines was signed by the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which specifies that the northern 64 per cent of the sub-surface boundaries were to be divided, giving 19 per cent to the Russian Federation, 18 per cent to Azerbaijan and 27 per cent to Kazakhstan. The special representative of the Russian President in the Caspian region. Viktor Kaljuzhnij, stated that "final adjustment concerning the Caspian status will be achieved through bilateral and trilateral agreements when the whole seabed of the Caspian Sea is divided into five zones". However, there is still no agreement signed by all five littoral States, which leaves the Caspian status still undefined. Health Ailments Among Adult Population of Berezovka, Kazakhstan (Total Adult Population, Approximately 886 Persons) Number of Respondents Memory loss 688 Muscular-Skeletal problems 599 Significant hair loss 423 Tooth loss 423 Vision loss 413 Cardiovascular 401 Gastroenterological 375 Respiratory illness 308 Skin ailments (rashes) 260 Source of graphs: Crude Accountability Note: Table made from bar graph. By Oksana Kim, for the Chronicle -- -- Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (evil) with what is better; then the enmity between him and you will become as if it were your friend and intimate! Visit: sultan.org Subscribe: [email protected] Post to group: [email protected]
