End of Issue #18 |

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Editorial and Rants
Imagine if Hitler gave this much warning. &bbsp;Oh wait... he did.
August 24, 2005 - From: http://www.theage.com.au
Al-Qaeda Chiefs Reveal World Domination Design
By Allan Hall
THE al-Qaeda master plan to take over the world and turn it into an Islamic state has been revealed for the first time.
For a new book, Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein interviewed top lieutenants of the terrorist network, including the mastermind of many atrocities in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Al-Zarqawi -- al-Qaeda's Second Generation is published only in Arabic, but could be translated into English.
Hussein says al-Qaeda views its struggle as a long-term war with seven distinct phases.
Phase one is the "awakening" in the consciousness of Muslims worldwide following the September 11, 2001, suicide attacks. The aim of the attacks was to provoke the US into declaring war on the Islamic world and thereby mobilising the radicals.
Phase two is "Opening Eyes", the period we are now in and which should last until 2006. Hussein says the terrorists hope to make the "Western conspiracy" aware of the "Islamic community" as al-Qaeda continues to mould its secret battalions ready for battle.
Phase three, "Arising and Standing Up", should last from 2007 to 2010, with increasingly frequent attacks against secular Turkey and arch-enemy Israel.
Phase four, between 2010 and 2013, will see the downfall of hated Arab regimes, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Oil suppliers will be attacked and the US economy will be targeted using cyber terrorism.
Phase five will be the point at which an Islamic state, or caliphate, can be declared -- between 2013 and 2016.
Phase six, from 2016 on, will be a period of "total confrontation". As soon as the caliphate has been declared, the "Islamic army" will instigate the "fight between the believers and the non-believers" that has so often been predicted by al-Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden.
Phase seven, the final stage, is described as "definitive victory".
Hussein writes that in the terrorists' eyes, because the rest of the world will be so beaten down by the "One-and-a-half billion Muslims", the caliphate will undoubtedly succeed. This phase should be completed by 2020, although the war should not last longer than two years.
I hope San Fran doesn't ever need any tax payer money to build a levy!
September 2, 2005 - From: http://sfgate.com
$27 Million Jury Award in Girl's Killing
Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer
A San Francisco jury awarded $27 million Thursday to the family of 4-year-old girl killed in 2003 when she was struck by a Muni truck.
After 3 1/2 weeks of trial, jurors deliberated almost five days before deciding for the family of Elizabeth Dominguez.
"I just want to thank God that justice has been done," said her father, Humberto Dominguez, at a press conference in front of City Hall. "My daughter, who is in heaven, is happy."
The jury found that the driver, Sebastian Garcia, had been negligent when he drove into the intersection of Potrero Avenue and 24th Street on Feb. 11, 2003. Elizabeth was walking on the sidewalk with her mother when Garcia's truck hit her, pinning her against a restaurant. The girl died at the scene.
Authorities investigated whether Garcia had run a red light, but the San Francisco district attorney wound up charging him with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, rather than a more serious felony. The girl's family said Garcia deserved more severe prosecution, but a spokesperson for then-District Attorney Terence Hallinan said at the time that conflicting witness accounts dictated what charges could be filed.
Garcia, who is still employed at Muni, is scheduled to stand trial in January.
"We would like to thank the jury," said Brian Panish, the attorney who represented the Dominguez family in the civil lawsuit against the city that was decided Thursday. "It's been a long fight for this family, and they just want to move on with their lives."
If the verdict stands, it would be the largest personal injury award ever made by a jury against the city and county of San Francisco, according to Matt Dorsey, spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera.
"We asked first for a written apology from the mayor," said Panish, when asked about attempts to settle the matter, which began with a claim filed against the city for $25 million. "We tried to settle the case, and they refused to do that."
Dorsey said a settlement hadn't been reached before trial because "the plaintiff's attorneys weren't willing to engage in reasonable settlement negotiations" and because, given "the number of facts in dispute in the case, there's no way to say that any outcome was preordained."
In their lawsuit, the Dominguez family argued the city should have improved safety at the busy intersection before the accident occurred.
"We continue to believe that the evidence does not support an award of $27 million," Dorsey said, adding that city attorneys were reviewing all post- trial options, including an appeal to a higher court.
"We all acknowledge this was a horrific human tragedy, and our hearts go out to the family of Elizabeth Dominguez as well as to the driver whose life has been forever altered by this terrible accident," he said.
Muni spokeswoman Maggie Lynch declined to comment.
Sept. 6, 2005 - From http://www.praguemonitor.com
President's Spokesman Warns EU to Keep Off His Property
(PDM staff with CTK) 6 September - The spokesman of President Vaclav Klaus has mounted a signpost on the edge of his private estate welcoming passers-by to the Czech Republic and informing them that the EU does not extend beyond the perimeter of his private property.
The sign, written in Czech and English, is furnished with the Czech coat of arms and a distinctly crossed-out EU flag.
"Some people write 'no trespassing' on their signs and I simply put this there instead", explains Petr Hajek, the spokesman of an EU-member's head of state.
Though he concedes the sign is in part a playful exaggeration, he points out it does reflect his opinion.
Hajek is known for his irritation with EU symbols. When asked why an EU flag was not hoisted beside the Czech flag on Prague Castle during last year's elections to the European Parliament, Hajek responded: "We did not even consider doing so, it never crossed our minds. The mere thought is chilling to me, I just recollect those Soviet banners".