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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has once again demonstrated how dishonest and hypocritical he is by his appearance at the recent Topanga fires here in Southern California. How could Schwarzenegger in good conscience force a group of firefighters to stand behind him in mock support while he simultaneously attacks firefighters' pensions, benefits and livelihoods? This act is the epitome of insult. His conduct in this case is particularly reprehensible considering that he recently rejected almost all of the recommendations put forward by a Fire Service Blue Ribbon Committee, a committee he commissioned, that was intended to improve public safety during urban interface...

U.S. won't cut troop levels in OkinawaThe Yomiuri Shimbun The United States, citing a possible surprise assault on Taiwan by China's special forces as a realistic scenario, has told Japan it will be difficult to reduce or relocate to the Japanese mainland any of its marine corps combat units stationed in Okinawa, government sources said Wednesday. Washington has made this position on the marines in Okinawa known to the Japanese side through bilateral talks including consultations over the realignment of U.S. troops and their bases in Japan, the sources said. The United States has about 18,000 marines stationed in Okinawa....

NEW YORK - John Kerry's $50 million post-Labor Day advertising effort will start in seven states before expanding to an additional 13, creating a coast-to-coast presidential battleground map by Nov. 2. The Democrat's commercials begin airing Friday in Ohio, then next week in Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, according to Democratic officials familiar with the buy. In an unusual strategy, the campaign was reserving airtime over the entire two-month period until the election. The rest of the states — Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Michigan, Arizona, Louisiana, Colorado, Arkansas and North Carolina and West Virginia...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and India should jointly spearhead a global anti-nuclear proliferation campaign, US Senator Hillary Clinton (news - web sites) said as she launched a senate group to strengthen ties between the world's two largest democracies. She said the offensive was crucial to stop North Korea (news - web sites) and other rogue states from using the nuclear card to terrorise the world. "The nuclear issue is an issue for all of humanity and the US and India, as democracies, have to lead us into a new century of cooperation in order to prevent proliferation of...

MONTREAL (AP) -- Blitz, the Montreal Alouettes' mascot, received a reprieve - and a stern reprimand - after being given a penalty for pecking an official during a Canadian Football League game. Alouettes head coach Don Matthews wanted the bird mascot cut after drawing a 15-yard penalty for knocking an official on the head during Montreal's 30-10 victory over the Ottawa Renegades on Sunday. Team spokesman Louis-Philippe Dorais said Monday the mascot will keep his job, but will be confined to the sidelines. He didn't reveal the identity of the person in the costume. "He's been given a warning, but...

Why Bush backs a blitz on Hamas June 13 2003 at 10:37AM The White House squarely blamed resurgent Middle East violence on the extremist group Hamas, as American diplomats scrambled to salvage the tattered road map to Israeli-Palestinian peace. The administration also signalled support for a crackdown on Hamas after reviewing Israeli intelligence and criticism from pro-Israeli groups, those involved in the talks said on Thursday. Israel drew a stern public rebuke from President George Bush after Tuesday's helicopter strike on Palestinian militant leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi. That sparked a backlash from Israel's supporters in the United States, who defended its...

On standby ... RAF Tornadoes like these THREE dozen RAF bombers are on standby to lead an air blitz on Iraq. Tornados, Jaguars and Harriers have a fortnight to prepare to fly to the Gulf. The RAF package will be beefed up by reconnaissance aircraft, refuelling tankers and early warning AWACS jets. Defence chiefs have ordered 60 extra aircraft to fly to Kuwait and Turkey ready for an air war. They will be armed with the latest "fire and forget" laser and satellite-guided missiles, making them 100 times more powerful than those used in the Gulf War. Britain already...

Germany's president wants the word Luftwaffe removed from official aircraft used on government business. Johannes Rau believes the word was once a symbol of the country's proud military past and is tarnished by its Second World War associations. Instead he wants Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) written on the fuselage of official Airbus planes. Mr Rau's inspiration is the US president's plane, Air Force One, which is emblazoned with the words United States of America rather than US Air Force. German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has also reportedly expressed a wish to depose the tradition of identifying VIP aircraft with...

Support H.R.5193, "The Back To School Tax Relief Act"H.R.5193, "The Back to School Tax Relief Act," provides a tax cut for low to moderate income families, allowing them to deduct up to $3000 in expenses related to elementary and secondary education in public or private schools. The legislation is currently being debated by the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington with significant opposition coming from the expected sources - the National Education Association and the public school PTA. Continuous support in the form of telephone calls, e-mails, and faxes to the members of the NJ Congressional House Delegation is...