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California, six other Western states and four Canadian provinces launched plans on Wednesday for one of the world's largest carbon-trading systems, a sweeping effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The North American program, like a similar market-based system in Europe, focuses on heavy polluters such as electric utilities, oil refineries and large industrial and commercial facilities. Environmental groups immediately questioned whether the plan will be tough enough on polluters, while industry groups said the program lacks details. California officials said the proposal will be an integral part of the Golden State's ambitious goal of reducing...

A North American deal made in the dark, asserts federal NDPer Concern over Canadian sovereignty is growing as New Democratic Party MP Peter Julian lectures citizens on a national tour. The disquiet is stemming from a little-known extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement that doesn't require parliamentary approval and whose meetings take place behind closed boardroom doors. The "dialogue," known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, was instigated in Mar. 2005, with a goal of increasing security and prosperity by harmonizing standards between Mexico, the United States and Canada. However, the partnership, which is neither...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2008 – Troops serving in Iraq this February will see a little Valentine love from the states thanks to a partnership between a troop-support group and a regional video store. On Jan. 15, 25 Family Video stores in the Central Illinois area began collecting DVDs and Valentines for the troops, said Eric Schuller, president of Operation Homefront’s Illinois chapter. The effort is part of the “Send a Soldier a Movie and a Valentine” campaign, which will end Jan. 29. Operation Homefront is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2007 – Military spouses now have a larger scholarship pool to draw from, thanks to a new partnership between the National Military Family Association and the Fisher House Foundation. The collaboration will enable the NMFA to expand its Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program to many more deserving spouses, association officials said. “With 55 years of combined experience serving military families, both NMFA and Fisher House Foundation are acutely aware of the challenges and hardships facing today’s military families,” Tanna Schmidli, chairman of the NMFA’s board of governors, said. “We are thrilled to be working...

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2007 – There must be a “full and complete” partnership between coalition and Iraqi security forces for success in the country, the coalition’s day-to-day commander of ground operations in Iraq said here today. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, spoke as the 1st Cavalry Division – commanded by Army Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil – transferred authority for Multinational Division Baghdad to the 4th Infantry Division – under Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond – during a ceremony here. Odierno said that when the 1st Cavalry took command of the Multinational...

LISBON, Portugal (AP) -- Senior officials from the European Union, three U.S. states, Canada, Norway and New Zealand launched an international effort Monday to fight climate change by building a global carbon trading market. The International Carbon Action Partnership aims to add momentum toward low-carbon economies by grouping countries and regions that cap and trade environmentally damaging carbon dioxide emissions. Under the scheme, local authorities place an annual ceiling on carbon dioxide emissions and issue "pollution permits" to companies, which can then buy and sell them. ICAP intends to push for a worldwide marketplace that will allow cross-border trading in...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2007 – The United States has stood as a friend and partner of Israel since its independence in 1948, and that situation won’t change, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here yesterday evening. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates receives the Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award from Robert Stevens, chairman of Lockheed Martin, at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs annual dinner in Washington, D.C., Oct. 15, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by Cherie A. Thurlby   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In an age of Middle Eastern-sourced terrorism with global reach that is...

Iraq plans to propose one final extension to the UN Security Council mandate for the American deployment, the AP reports this morning. After the end of 2008, Iraq wants to directly negotiate a bilateral security arrangement with the US similar to that of Kuwait and Qatar: Iraq wants the U.N. Security Council to extend the mandate of the 160,000-stong U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq only through the end of 2008, then replace it with a long-term bilateral security agreement, Foreign Ministry officials said Saturday. Aides to Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the mandate extension for the U.S.-led coalition, due to...

CANBERRA, Australia, Sept. 21, 2007 – The commander of U.S. Pacific Command wrapped up two days of meetings here today with Australian government and military leaders to explore ways to enhance their already rock-solid partnership in promoting stability in the region and beyond. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, right, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, renders a salute after inspecting a formation of Australian troops on his arrival at the Australian Defense Force headquarters in Canberra, Australia, Sept. 21, 2007. Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Australia’s defense chief, looks on. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

FORT COLLINS, Colo., Aug. 13, 2007 – A troop-support group and a national home-building company launched their new partnership with a surprise announcement during an Aug. 11 event here. John Gonsalves of Homes for Our Troops (left), Tracy Keil (center), Gabe Lopez of Pulte Homes and Army Sgt. Matthew Keil (seated) are all smiles at American Military Family's "Hoedown for Heroes" event Aug. 11, 2007 in Fort Collins, Colo. Defense Dept. photo by David Evans  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Homes for Our Troops and Pulte Homes announced their intent to build an adapted home for Army Staff...

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) was launched in March of 2005 as a trilateral effort to increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing. This trilateral initiative is premised on our security and our economic prosperity being mutually reinforcing. The SPP recognizes that our three great nations are bound by a shared belief in freedom, economic opportunity, and strong democratic institutions. The SPP provides the framework to ensure that North America is the safest and best place to live and do business. It includes ambitious security...

The United States and the European Union have signed up to a new transatlantic economic partnership at a summit in Washington. The pact is designed to boost trade and investment by harmonising regulatory standards, laying the basis for a US-EU single market.

From the Desk of Congressman Conaway Reply Thank you for contacting me in regards to the North American Partnership. I appreciate the opportunity to respond. In March of 2005, President Bush along with the former Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin and Mexican President, Vicente Fox, reached broad agreements that would enhance security in North America. The goals of the agreement are to ensure the highest continent-wide security standards and streamlined risk-based border processes. Part of the agreement will develop a consistent traveler security screening process at foreign ports and develop a cargo security strategy that ensures compatible screening methods at...

Author Jerome Corsi says he expects his new book will bring a great deal of criticism from those who don't want the truth exposed about the Security and Prosperity Partnership -- a White House-endorsed policy he says could result in a "North American Union." In The Late Great U.S.A.: The Coming Merger With Mexico and Canada, Dr. Corsi contends that the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) created in 2005 has the goal of creating what amounts to a North American version of the European Union. He describes the SPP as "a treasonous plan" to create a new government "in stealth...

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2007 – The traditional concept of defense has given way to a new model of security, bringing concepts such as partnership and cooperation to the fore, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe said here. Navy Adm. Henry G. Ulrich delivered that message to the 124 participants of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies' Program in Advanced Security Studies during an address here March 1. Ulrich is also commander of Allied Joint Task Force Command Naples, in Italy, and has operational responsibility for NATO missions in the Balkans, Iraq and the Mediterranean....

ARLINGTON, Va., March 1, 2007 – International partnership is vital in the war on terror, a senior defense official said yesterday at the 18th annual Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Symposium here. “Our foreign special operations face is absolutely critical,” Thomas W. O’Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, said. O’Connell said there are new models of success in the war on terror, and mentioned the 2002 U.S.-Philippine combined action against the Abu-Sayyaf organization as an example of international cooperation against the global threat. U.S. special operations forces there trained and assisted Filipino forces, and...

A consortium of seven newspaper chains representing 176 daily papers across the country is announcing a broad partnership with Yahoo to share content, advertising and technology, another sign that the wary newspaper business is increasingly willing to shake hands with the technology companies they once saw as a threat. In the first phase of the deal, the newspaper companies will begin posting their employment classified ads on Yahoo’s classified jobs site, HotJobs, and start using HotJobs technology to run their own online career ads.

COLUMBUS, Ohio , Sept. 15, 2006 -- In a significant event in the diplomatic arena, an agreement signed here a week ago kicked off a partnership between the state of Ohio and the Republic of Serbia. Serbian President Boris Tadic (left) holds a Minutemen statue presented to him by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, during a Sept. 7 dinner for Tadic at Blum’s home at Fort McNair, in Washington. Tadic endorsed Serbia’s participation in the National Guard’s State Partnership Program with Ohio during his visit to the U.S. Photo by Master...

Welcome to the Minuteman Project The Minuteman Project and "Operation Sovereignty" by Jim Gilchrist, Founder of The Minuteman Project and Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D.From all over the nation, volunteers of The Minutemen Project are loading up their lawn chairs and binoculars, preparing to head to Laredo, Texas to join us on the border for Operation Sovereignty. From 9/11 until the November Election Day, The Minutemen Project plans to bring to national attention the threat to our national sovereignty that this massive invasion of illegal immigrants represents. As co-authors of Minutemen: the Battle to Secure America's Borders, we have sought to...

Sgt. Karim Bourhim, who worked as an interpreter for V Corps Artillery during events at the Sgt. Roberto Arizola Jr. Range, MNC-I, shows an Iraqi Soldier how to operate the M-249 squad automatic weapon. Department of Defense photo. CAMP SLAYER -- As part of program to help U.S. service members build stronger ties with their Iraqi counterparts, the U.S. Army’s V Corps Artillery recently provided primary marksmanship instruction to Iraqi Soldiers.The Partnership for Peace program has as its goal the strengthening of bonds between U.S. and Iraqi troops, to improve their effectiveness in joint security and other types of operations.Soldiers...

John Hawkins apparently has taken on a mission to prove that the Bush Administration is not creating a North American Union to replace the United States, or a new currency -- the Amero -- to replace the U.S. dollar. Recently, in a blog debate on this website, I exchanged views with Mr. Hawkins. When Mr. Hawkins declined to respond in what the editors termed “Round 4” of that debate, I concluded Mr. Hawkins allowed me to have the final word because he lacked a convincing rejoinder. Now, we see Mr. Hawkins wants to carry on the debate but this time...

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, the Virginia Republican who has assumed leadership of his party's more liberal members of Congress, said yesterday that conservative groups such as the Club for Growth are hurting the party by refusing to help candidates who don't pass their "litmus test" and by attacking some incumbent Republicans. Mr. Davis said he and his group, the Republican Main Street Partnership, "don't go after Republican incumbents. Ultimately, that's not how you build a governing majority." The partnership consists of 58 members of the House and Senate, plus four governors. --snip-- Mr. Davis said his partnership, unlike the...

Sometimes you read an article in the newspaper, and you just wonder aloud how some people's views of the world can be so skewed, and wonder if they are even from the same planet as you. Now I admit that usually, in the context of politics, that is me reading the latest rant of a Howard Dean or an Al Gore. But in the article I am referring to today, it is Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia, a Republican, who heavily quoted in an article in today's Washington Times entitled, GOP Left Slams Club for Growth. Davis is the head...

With virtually no mention in the mainstream media, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez convened on June 15, the first meeting of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), an apparently extra-constitutional advisory group organized by the Department of Commerce (DOC) under the auspices of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). A March 31 press release on the White House website, under the title “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: Progress,” announced the formation of the NACC. The press release noted that the NACC would meet annually “with security and prosperity Ministers and will engage with senior government officials on an...

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2006 – Now that they have collected the goods, it's time to send them. Checkers/Rally's, the nation's largest double drive-through restaurant, has teamed up with a grassroots troop support group called Operation Gratitude in a drive to collect packages for America's servicemembers overseas. The partnership, called the Patriotic Drive, started on May 8 and ended yesterday with 720 drive-through restaurants across the country offering drop-off points. Packages will be delivered to the troops by July 4th. "Our troops throughout the world will know they are appreciated and supported at home this Fourth of July when they...

NEW DELHI, June 5, 2006 – The top U.S. general spent today meeting with India's defense and military leaders to consider ways for the United States and India to further expand their military partnership. Marine Gen. Peter Pace (right), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, takes part in a briefing in New Delhi on June 5, along with his Indian counterpart, Adm. Arun Prakash (center). The visit to India is Pace's first as chairman. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "We want to explore possibilities that allow us to have...

by Jerome R. Corsi The idea to form the North American Union as a super-NAFTA knitting together Canada, the United States and Mexico into a super-regional political and economic entity was a key agreement resulting from the March 2005 meeting held at Baylor University in Waco, Tex., between President Bush, President Fox and Prime Minister Martin. A joint statement published by the three presidents following their Baylor University summit announced the formation of an initial entity called, “The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” (SPP). The joint statement termed the SPP a “trilateral partnership” that was aimed at producing...

The idea to form the North American Union as a super-NAFTA knitting together Canada, the United States and Mexico into a super-regional political and economic entity was a key agreement resulting from the March 2005 meeting held at Baylor University in Waco, Tex., between President Bush, President Fox and Prime Minister Martin.

President Bush is pursuing a globalist agenda to create a North American Union, effectively erasing our borders with both Mexico and Canada. This was the hidden agenda behind the Bush administration's true open borders policy. Secretly, the Bush administration is pursuing a policy to expand NAFTA to include Canada, setting the stage for North American Union designed to encompass the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. What the Bush administration truly wants is the free, unimpeded movement of people across open borders with Mexico and Canada. President Bush intends to abrogate U.S. sovereignty to the North American Union, a new economic and...

SACRAMENTO — Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spent Monday trolling the Capitol for political support, dropping in on old Democratic friends and allies to wangle more money for transportation projects and to build momentum for his plans to take over Los Angeles public schools. Villaraigosa's most surprising ally was not on the calendar, but his presence was palpable. The Democratic mayor has found plenty of common ground in recent months with California's Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two have struck an improbable relationship that could yield a windfall for Los Angeles and boost the fortunes of two of California's most...

ANKARA, Turkey, March 24, 2006 – The war on terrorism is a partnership that will require all elements of international power and the patience of populations, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. "There is no nation so large that it can do it all by itself," Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace said to a crowd representing 34 nations at the Global Terrorism and International Cooperation Symposium. "And there is no nation that is so small that it cannot have strategic impact and participate in a very meaningful way." Good governance, economic development, and education are...

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2006 – The United States and India have built a strategic partnership based on shared democratic values and a desire to defeat terrorism, President Bush said in New Delhi today. "Terrorism has no place in democracy, and terrorism must be defeated for our children and grandchildren to be able to live in a peaceful world," Bush said during a news conference hosted by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "We're working as partners to make the world safer." The president said India and America both believe that "every person matters, every person belongs, and everybody should be...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2006 – India and Pakistan are key allies in the long war against global terrorism and important partners in spreading democracy, President Bush told an Asia Society audience here today. Bush, who is scheduled for an upcoming trip to both countries, said the United States, India and Pakistan face a common threat in Islamic extremism and laid out how both countries are working with the U.S. to defeat this shared enemy. For instance, India and the U.S. are sharing intelligence and cooperating on law enforcement issues, the president said. "Our two governments are sharing vital information on...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2006 – Since his last mission, during Operation Just Cause in Panama, the tiny hallways and rooms in Tom Caldwell's North Carolina house have made simple tasks, like going to the bathroom, a multiperson affair. Kurt Muse (center) tells the story of his rescue by Tom Caldwell at the groundbreaking ceremony for the rebuilding of the Caldwell house in Hope Mills, N.C., Dec. 19, 2005. He is flanked by Caldwell and Patricia Driscoll, President of the Armed Forces Foundation. Photo by Wyatt Smith  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Caldwell, a Special Forces veteran, lost the...

NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , WASHINGTON Tuesday, Nov 01, 2005,Page 7 Senior Republicans in Congress are angry with the Bush administration for proceeding with a deal to help India build civilian nuclear power plants without involving Congress so far, especially given that Congress will have to change one or more laws to make the deal viable. "As it stands, the situation is both strange and unusual in that the Indian authorities know more about this important proposal than we in Congress," Representative Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, complained last week in an unusual...

MOSCOW - With Russia and China pledging to develop their partnership, investment and energy issues topped the agenda of their bilateral summit in the Russian capital. The countries also lashed out at perceived US unilateralism by issuing a declaration demanding a curb on outside interference in nations' internal affairs. During his visit to Russia from June 30 to July 3, Chinese President Hu Jintao discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation, including investment and the energy sector, and signed a declaration with President Vladimir Putin denouncing "monopoly and domination in international affairs" and calling for an end to "attempts to divide...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton teamed up at a May 11 press conference with one goal in mind -- to get Congress to pass, and the president to sign, a health information technology bill. Gringrich told Fox News's Bill O'Reilly that the bill's sponsors (Reps. Patrick Kennedy, a R.I. Democrat, and Tim Murphy, a Pennsylvania Republican) said if he and Sen. Clinton appeared together at the press conference, they'd get a lot more publicity for the bill they both support. As for the suggestion that Sen. Clinton is using Gingrich to show that...

President and German Chancellor Schröder Exchange Toasts Grosser Saal Lobby Electoral Palace Mainz, Germany 11:58 A.M. (Local) CHANCELLOR SCHRÖDER: (As translated.) Dear Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, ladies and gentlemen: Let me begin by sharing with you how very pleased, indeed, my wife, Doris, and I are about this opportunity of welcoming you, Mr. President, and your wife, Laura, not only to Germany, but here to Mainz, as well. Your visit is a strong sign of the true friendship -- and I emphasize friendship -- and trusting cooperation that has developed between Germany and the United States of America. I still...

(Talon News) -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced on Wednesday a proposal for "jobs and prosperity" which she says would provide Americans with "the opportunity to succeed, to live a secure and comfortable life including good jobs here at home, affordable health care, a growing economy with stable prices, investments in new technologies, and fiscal responsibility in government." "With nearly 8 million Americans unemployed, the need to create jobs is urgent," Pelosi said. "It takes significantly longer to find a job today than in years past ... and too many people have simply given up hope and given...

Doris Matsui had seen her stock investments plummet two years ago to a point where she decided she wanted to shift some of her money elsewhere. Matsui, who is running in a March 8 special election to replace her late husband in Congress, figured real estate was a better way to go. Matsui recalled Friday that she said as much back then to major Sacramento developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, whom she has considered a friend for three decades. "Everybody when they get together at parties talks about their real estate, about how much more your house is worth than it was...

WICHITA, KS (Talon News) -- Pro-life action group Operation Rescue said on Tuesday that a representative from the La Quinta Inns corporate offices conducted an internal investigation into allegations that one of their hotels in Wichita, Kansas was being used by an abortion doctor. As previously reported by Talon News, Operation Rescue had called on its supporters to boycott the national hotel chain La Quinta Inn in protest of one of their locations being used by a nearby abortion clinic to provide medical services to pregnant women who were in town to have an abortion. La Quinta Inn has denied...

Buffalo, New York. November 28, 2004. Buffalo attorney and author, James Ostrowski, will hold a press conference Monday, November 29, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. in front of Memorial Auditorium to release his 2000-word critique of the Bass Pro deal, entitled “Bass Pros at Corporate Welfare.” Ostrowski is an adjunct scholar at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and a columnist for one of the most popular economics sites in the world, Mises.org. Ostrowski will also announce his plans to form Buffalo’s first independent think tank—Free Buffalo. Free Buffalo will attempt to reverse the top-down, top-heavy political model that has devastated this...

(CNSNews.com) - A coalition of homosexual advocacy groups says it is "alarmed" that some Massachusetts employers plan to eliminate domestic partner benefits, now that same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts. The advocacy groups signed a joint statement arguing that domestic partnership is not a substitute for marriage, nor is marriage a substitute for domestic partnership. "The two options serve different purposes for different people in different situations," the statement says. "Marriage and domestic partnership can and will continue to exist side by side." The city of Springfield, Mass., Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, and Babson College are among the employers that...

Fort Worth, Texas – In an effort to become a more comprehensive source of information for its viewers, FamilyNet Television announces a strategic three year alliance with FOX News through NewsEdge, their news service. This relationship will give FamilyNet access to 170,000 stories per year fed through the NewsEdge service. “NewsEdge will provide FamilyNet stories on American politics, business news and consumer issues, entertainment news, health and medicine and human interest features,” said Bob Sutton, Chief Executive Officer of FamilyNet. “Because FOX News' coverage has a commitment to represent all sides this will be an excellent match for the FamilyNet...

In response to Gov. Gray Davis' signing of the bill, state Sen. Pete Knight, R-Palmdale, filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court to stop the implementation of the new law providing most marriage rights to domestic partners. Knight cited Proposition 22, the ballot initiative voters approved in 2000 confirming that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in the state of California," as the basis for the lawsuit. The lawsuit argues the bill violates the state constitution because of Proposition 22, which Knight wrote. It names Davis, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley and two...

LOS ANGELES Steve Jobs and his team at Pixar Animation Studios are feeling pretty good these days. . On May 3, several hundred Pixar employees crowded the Paramount Theater in downtown Oakland, California, dressed in tuxedos and gowns, to watch a private screening of "Finding Nemo," the fifth film from Pixar. . After the movie, they flocked to the Oakland Museum of Art for a celebration. There, John Lasseter, the director of "A Bug's Life" and the "Toy Story" movies, served wine to favored guests. . "Finding Nemo" may be Pixar's most important movie since "Toy Story," both at the...

WASHINGTON - The US and Israel have signed a letter of intent outlining the terms of Israel's participation in the development of the next-generation Joint Strike Fighter jet due to be completed by 2012. Israel will pay tens of millions of dollars over the next several years for the right to participate and purchase the planes. US Undersecretary of Defense, Technology and Logistics Edward Aldridge Jr. signed the letter of intent on Thursday at the Pentagon in the presence of Israeli ambassador to the US Danny Ayalon. Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron also signed the letter on Israel's behalf...

ANKARA, Turkey - A top U.S. counterterrorism official opened a regional conference on battling terror Monday and said that global cooperation was vital in fighting groups like al-Qaida. Francis X. Taylor, the head of the State Department's office of counterterrorism, said that security forces have already disrupted planned attacks by Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites)'s al-Qaida network. "I am convinced ... that we are making success against al-Qaida. We are disrupting their networks. We have disrupted plans for attacks and we will continue to work to do that," he said. He gave no details. Taylor, a retired...