Looking into the future the Pelican feeding its young from a self-induced wound in its own breast (as depicted, mysteriously, on the state flag of Louisiana) is accepted as an appropriate symbol of both self-sacrifice and rebirth. Through his selfless efforts, man is raised from the slavery of ignorance to the condition of freedom conferred by wisdom.
   Given the current state of affairs in Louisiana, one hopes that the understanding of t he Pelican as a symbol shall point the way towards a new consciousness of ourselves as a whole, and lead us to face our futures with strength, grace, wisdom and faith, to learn from our mistakes and carry our successes and zest for living to future generations.





Canadian Public Skeptical of War in Iraq, Poll Shows



By Wallace Immen

More than 70 per cent of Canadians believe the U.S. military has become mired in a Vietnam-like situation in Iraq that will lead to increasing casualties, an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll released yesterday indicates.

And 44 per cent of Canadians believe the United States knowingly used incorrect of fabricated intelligence to make the case for going to war.

“What we’re seeing goes beyond the issues to the credibility of the U.S. administration,” said John Wright, senior vice-president of Ipsos-Reid, who compiled the results.

Only one-third of Canadians polled believe that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. And 70 per cent believe President George W. Bush should face impeachment if an investigation concludes he fabricated information to persuade Congress to approve military action.

The poll of 1,055 randomly selected adult Canadians was taken during the middle of this week. The results from a sample this size are considered accurate within 3.1 per cent plus or minus.

While Mr. Bush declared the end of combat operations in Iraq on May 1, U.S. troops cannot leave the country and opposition guerrilla attacks continue to inflict casualties. At least two-thirds of people polled in all regions of Canada saw parallels in the situation with the U.S. involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s.

The skepticism revealed in this poll is very similar to the results of a survey Ipsos-Reid took in the days before the Iraq war started in March, Mr. Wright said. While Canadians’ support for the invasion shot up when troops reached Baghdad in April, it has been falling since.

“Canadians now believe Americans are pinned down and are in for a long haul where they are facing increasing numbers of casualties,” Mr. Wright said. Only 26 per cent disagreed with that view, with that view, with Albertans most likely to disagree strongly.

Few significant differences were found between regions on the issue, but Canadians old enough to remember the Vietnam era were much more likely to say they were in strong agreement.

The proportion of Canadians who believe intelligence evidence was fabricated to justify attacking Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein continues to grow. The poll found 44 per cent agreed, up from 42 per cent when the question was asked in June.

Older and younger people are more likely than those who are middle-aged to believe that intelligence reports used to justify the war were simply incorrect.

Quebeckers are the most skeptical about claims of weapons of mass destruction, followed by people in Ontario and British Columbia.

A full 45 per cent of respondents strongly agreed that Mr. Bush should be impeached if he knew he was using fabricated intelligence. The feeling was strongest in Quebec, where half of respondents were in strong agreement and weakest in Alberta, at 38 per cent.

The results indicate a great deal of strain on the credibility and trust of the U.S. administration, Mr. Wright said, “I think this makes it harder for the administration to get Canadian support for any platform.”


General Smedley Butler states that war is a racket and he was a gangster for capitalism and for Standard Oil.




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