Mission Statement – True North is not for everyone
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Editors Notes

Harold Wright  has become known to you as our Doctor of Punology. He has a keen mind and a sustained strain of satirical humour. Success breeds success. So today he has shouldered a second mantle in a new feature, Laughter rules in the court of Judge Harold Wright. I'm sure the Wisdom of Judge Wright will help begin or end your day, whenever you decide to read it.

Feedback is of signal importance. Standup comedians know at once if their delivery has scored or failed. We don't have the luxury of that immediate response. We do know that we're striking a chord by the fact that the number of hits we get per week has climbed to more than a thousand effective two weeks ago, and the number continues to increase by the day. But best of all, are letters to the editor. These are more important than knowing the number of hits because they represent what readers actually think. The first two letters have arrived and we present them in order of succession with considerable gratitude, for the letters as such, and for their content. Thanks. And keep 'em coming.

Now we have New Yorker magazine exposing the fact that Bush and his backyard bullies are secretly funding violent Sunni groups (the same bunch that kept Saddam in power) to fight against the very puppet government that the Americans have virtually put in power. Aside from overstepping his mandate as president, Bush is showing desperate signs of a burn-out.

Back in late 2002 and early 2003, the Larry King Show on CNN featured commentators on the prospect and then the invasion of Iraq. Always in the upper left hand corner of the screen was a retired army colonel whose name I've unfortunately forgotten. While Larry King cringed the colonel on successive shows referred to Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld as "the liars club". And indeed they were, although behind the scenes was another liar, a liar more clever than the aforementioned three, he was Carl Rove, who many think was the central brain reinforcing the dishonesty. Now we have credible allegations that in 2002 Rove ignored a serious attempt at peace negotiations by Iran. Instead we had the invasion of Iraq under false pretences. One can hardly blame the Iranians for being nervous about American ambitions.

In 1917, Russian troops against the Germans suffered incompetent leadership and a corrupt munitions industry that was so hungry for profits that they were shipping to the front shells of all kinds that were filled not with powder but with sand. They finally got so fed up, they stuck their rifles bayonet first into the earth and walked home by the thousands. American troops in Iraq have been coping with inferior equipment and stupid leadership. Now they are circulating a petition signed by more than a thousand so far calling for an end to the war. It's a long walk home but if the grunts won't fight then those who are so ruthlessly using them can't have their war.

Taiwan on Wednesday will honour thousands of people killed 60 years ago when Chinese nationalist troops carried out a bloody crackdown on rioting islanders, a massacre that went unrecognized for decades.

Unlike the English, Russians are not known for masking their feelings with seeming indifference. This final piece shows that the Russian parliament can be as rough as street fighting. There has been heckling and the occasional head-butt, hurled water bottles, and indecorous insults, bloody noses, and at least one concussion. Lawmaking in Russia's State Duma (parliament) is not a pretty sight. Neither is the attempt to make it prettier.

Sleep well tonight, for the sun will rise tomorrow.

Carl (the eternal optimist) Dow
Editor and Publisher.

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Laughter rules in the court
of Judge Harold Wright

(You already know him as Doctor of Punology. From now on he will also wear the mantle of Judge Harold Wright who holds court in the realm of satire. This continuing column represents our philosophy that there can be no life without laughter.) And so we begin:
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Letters to the Editor

• Thanks ‘Doctor Mike the Hammer’ — please don’t go away

• Excellent suggestions and questions — they all fit our Mission
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Hersh: Bush funneling money
to al Qaeda-related groups

New Yorker columnist Sy Hersh says the "single most explosive" element of his latest article involves an effort by the Bush administration to stem the growth of Shiite influence in the Middle East (specifically the Iranian government and Hezbollah in Lebanon) by funding violent Sunni groups. —  1,021 words
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GIs petition Congress to end Iraq war
More than 1,000 military personnel sign petition urging withdrawal

CBS News reports that Americans in the military have been asked to make extraordinary sacrifices in recent years, particularly in Iraq, where the casualties are mounting, the tours are being extended, and some of them have had enough. — 2,143 words.
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Ex-Congressional Aide:
Karl Rove Personally Received
(And Ignored) Iranian Peace Offer in 2003

“ . . . Bush's chief advisor Karl Rove personally received a copy of a secret offer from the Iranian government to hold negotiations four years ago. The Bush administration decided to ignore the grand bargain offer. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice recently claimed she had never even seen the document. At the time Iran said it would consider far-reaching compromises on its nuclear program, relations with Hezbollah and Hamas and support for a Palestinian peace agreement with Israel. — 3,168 words.
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Taiwan will pay tribute
to victims of 1947 massacre

Taiwan on Wednesday will honour thousands of people killed 60 years ago when Chinese nationalist troops carried out a bloody crackdown on rioting islanders, a massacre that went unrecognized for decades. — 464 words.
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Two-fisted Russian lawmakers
clash over code of etiquette

There has been heckling and the occasional head-butt, hurled water bottles, and indecorous insults, bloody noses, and at least one concussion. Lawmaking in Russia's State Duma (parliament) is not a pretty sight. Neither is the attempt to make it prettier. — 990 words.
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True North Canuck Fact of the Day

Canadian movie scored four top Genie awards

The only Canadian movie to win Genie Awards for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Actress was 1996’s Long Day’s Journey into Night starring William Hutt and Martha Henry.

Trivia compiled by Randy Ray and Mark Kearney. Visit their Web site at:   www.triviaguys.com
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Harold Wright, True North's  Doctor of Punology, says,  "Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.."
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If you have any problems with accessing the newsletter or problems with your computer, send an email to Carl Hall   chall2k5@gmail.com , and he will be more than happy to assist you.
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