Our response to terrorism cannot be confined to a set of security measures. We must also examine our capacity to respond to attacks and focus on the prevention of terrorism and terrorist recruitment. Prevention must include fighting root causes of terrorism such as social exclusion, poverty, inequality and discrimination and political resentment.

The Madrid agenda is right to stress that "While poverty is not a direct cause of terrorism, economic and social policy can help mitigate exclusion and the impact of rapid socioeconomic change, which give rise to grievances that are often exploited by terrorists".

Fighting the root causes of terrorism must be based on promotion of universal values. This means upholding the civil liberties of all, promoting social inclusion, fighting discrimination and pursuing the better integration of minorities and migrants.

A European approach to social inclusion

We have recently seen growing social unrest in several European countries. In this age of globalisation, debate about welfare reform and a stronger European social model is closely linked to social inclusion.

In recent decades, EU member states have had different approaches to the integration of people living on the edges of society. While this has produced substantial improvement in living conditions and recognition of citizenship rights for some, new generations now face new forms of disillusionment. In most European towns and cities, these new generations experience the contradiction between successful cultural and civic integration and the perception of growing social and economic marginalisation.

Our duty as European social democrats is to set out political solutions to these new challenges. We begin with some reflection on different national experiences and promoting best practice to find new ways of promoting economic and social inclusion and equality.

A European strategy should be founded on two principles:

1. Inclusion begins not only with recognition of fundamental rights and citizenship rights, but when people really exercising these rights.
2. Fighting discrimination and promoting equal opportunities – in particular in education, training and employment – should be a cornerstone of all policies.

Promoting and developing the integration of minorities and migrants

The London attacks led to new political initiatives and a wide-ranging public debate about how to strengthen community cohesion and speed up integration.

Although all individuals have the same fundamental rights, causes of exclusion often build up. Victims of ethnic discrimination often have poor access to housing and education. This in turn threatens their job chances, bringing a real risk of exclusion from mainstream society. This lack of opportunity can help terrorist recruitment.

The EU must therefore make full use of its wide-ranging powers against discrimination. We insist on full respect for Article 13 of the Treaty and full implementation of European law in all member states.

Finally, the EU must actively promote civil and political rights, for failure to integrate and empower migrants can also help terrorist recruitment. The EU must set minimum standards for integration, such as civil and political rights, including the right to vote. " (End of EU PSE citation)

 

PSE is sort of the "muscle" for the EU, works most usually with U.N. types like Doudou Diene; the USA is always automatically assumed to be a population from which NO national or non-extremist, non-Socialist thereto immigrant may travel into PSE's world. Read for yourselves on PSE at their own site: http://www.socialistgroup.eu/gpes/media/documents/47230_47230_terrorism_fin_070710_en.pdf .

 

Obama has a lot of pols and activists rooting for him, but only like he's going to include all these folks, straight or gay, citizens or not in the 2008 Presidential election (or at least no-trail votomatics will); the only "change" so far pre-DNC Convention appears to be a shut-up/shut off forever case-closer that the USA WILL arrange as a Socialist oligarchy as the European Union and its friends demand (and would not otherwise have).

 

But, who talks anymore about Obama or for that matter his running mate (oh, that's right...he doesn't need one!)...on that point, McCain fares no better. The reason for this media was kind enough to excuse replays of Obama speeches, Democrat LOST/HR 1955/DREAM/LA offering to pay extremists, and so forth, meaning in such vacuum ANYBODY grinning and saying "change!" might be worth a shake; since USA politicians and officials are content to wait until the DNC and GOP Conventions to state what their ideas of change and progress and security are, your ol' curmudgeon and very interested USA citizen is on vacation until August 22, 2008, the tentative start of the DNC Convention (GOP tentatively starts Labor Day)...besides, even Congress.org has taken to using can't-read anti-robots on ALL letters to leaders til then, and Associated Press is crying that it will sue anyone who uses its video IF its video even if showing acta of officials and candidates.

 

The Scotty-Five Thousand Pyramid "sell my book" gameshow rapid clues ( to the flutey tune 'clicking' away sixty seconds ala the relevant old gameshow ): "Um, Bush lied about even non-Qaeda in Iraq", "Um, Bush uses propoganda and actually TRIES to beat AUMF subjects", "Um, Plame WAS outted even if she HAD as public CIA job and rode buses to it", you get the idea.
 
Well, no...even if the stuff some prate on and on and on and on and on WERE true, because all they can say is "we stink, sure, but McCain...McCain WILL be Bush who's got to be stopped from not appeasing the U.N. like WE would by the way no matter costs or sovereign dissolution save for public paycheck$ for being U.N. overseers leaving Husseins, Ladens, Hamas, Chavez, brutal economies and dictators in place, et al...McCain MUST be derailed we tell you, MUUUUSSSSSTTTTTT!!!!!". See, George W. Bush is the ex-President noon Eastern time January 20, 2009, so most folks today care how the next President will view the USA economy, sovereignty, respect for personal dignity, and best ways to aid folks beset by bad foreign economic managers, terrorists, dictators, and combinations thereof. 
 
I saw on here local cable media the other day that some Chicago college students were upset because Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was coming to speak at their commencement; it was said the students found him "mundane", with media then admonishing students that Mayor Daley is thought of very highly by populations abroad, one assumes including online communities, especially due to the jobs and farming he's brought to Chicago and Illinois...one presumes any un- or under-employed Chicagoans or Illinoisans are just then slackers, on evidence of well, just look at the skyline, doesn't it LOOK like more than converted offices?
 
So unless Mayor Daley is a racist, part of a right-wing conspiracy, or both, anybody a Democrat or related party pronounces a slacker kid or immigrant is one because there is, ala 1960's Professor Richard Hofstaedter, no reason to question a Democrat or liberal opinion, just be diagnosed as whatever kind of pervert or psychotic would go against obvious "sense of evidence".
 
Which brings up an interesting set of musings in re the barrage of "racist" and "right-wing conspiracy" hammerblows flying around Democrat campaign camps these days...what if such a then-resultant Presidency went about helping the majority or better STATE LEGISLATURES (which actually elect via electoral college non obstante popular vote) who had chosen  him or her, not to even have a military or Guard to command anymore, but to swat in their stead anyone of ANY race who was deemed "racist" or "right-wing", or not interfere with States "doing what it takes" to deal with issues, or both?
 
In such hypothetical Presidency, appeasing the U.N. or at least looking like it is the end-all, be-all of elitist wealth and power; HR 1955 and then more such say-so powers would be used to take any nationals, immigrants, or both who didn't fit or approve of "today's U.N. money-draining paradigm" on any given day of any coming year as "racists" or "right-wingers" or "non-Whites in servile obedience to same" or "non-Whites who don't like the NEW crop of non-Whites who have to be set up here in New Urbanism, like in their home nations but in the immigrant-friendly USA".
 
You could even sell it by saying, for example, if you speak Spanish as native language or hate Christians, an anti-racist, anti-right-winger Presidency would stomp on every White, every Uncle Tom, and every Tio Tomas and slacker kid or immigrant  to get you into the USA and set up in the inexhaustible wealth of the USA...hey, those nationals, slackers, and the servile to them had their chances, but even teachers, public payrolelrs, welfare recipients, police, medical, spouses, parents, what have you, have been found to be up to online porn, verbal abuse, what have you...they've forfeited their chance permanently, now get in here foreign populations so you can WORK and be all you can be with YOUR chance.
 
But as the population of diverse immigrants would swell and swell, more and more businiess and farm land would have to go, less and less space for oil drilling, biodiesel and ethanol production available, more reliance on foreign dictators and totalists for same at higher and higher prices, lower quality, or both, and cheesier and cheesier public healthcare predicated on contraception, homosexual activity, and abortion as the best path to child healthcare; and you'd wind up "proving" commerce online via something like putting up whole cheaply made business parks and buildings, to get them uploaded to say Google Earth where they could stay until "for sale or lease" signs rotted, and in farm and other areas...just forget to upload changes to online mapping systems. Maybe private or public or both prisons could mushroom too, just don't upload them to mappers.
 
For now, that's all just speculation...one sees the other week polls saying the economy topped even Iraq re voters, and since it's been "Bush lied about possible Qaeda ties and forget that he disrupted non-Qaeda business Al Gore And Durbin 1992 forward said Hussein was committing", "FORGET Qaeda is separate from Iraq AUMF", and "America's nothing but a bunch of racists and right-wingers in conspiracy"....at a time Doudou Diene, U.N. rapporteur, is in the USA preparing a report examing the USA as "racist, xenophobic, and nationalistic" for not taking more immigrants ad infinitum, and some Conservatives ask "why DO so many permanently have to leave their economies and homes and farms and families in the first place?". And it appears Democrats at the moment say it's bad to go even to Darfur to spread democracy, just airlift the population into the West and leave the nice genocidal dictator alone ( which is why they only feign upset over previously saying Hussein starved and killed and his people...the U.N. might be touchy).
 
The U.N. seems ready to yap about and confound the USA, its pols, people, immigrants, assets at home abroad, no matter WHAT route anybody takes here; I look forward to the quadrennial Conventions and Fall campaigns and debates to shed light, if any, upon the issue of why the USA economy with or without Iraq is not of the slightest consequence for any level of governmental elections.
 

While I understand some in Congress will necessarily be concerned about conserving over-all oil should President Bush add to the strategic reserve, taxing it if domestic and tax breaking it if foreign not only seems flailing for "goodwill" of Chavez and other dictators who NEVER are satisfied with the USA, since dictators et al will cut supplies anyway to constrain USA strategics, but seems to undercut the big commerce and good-paying jobs...the kind of good things Illinois Democrats now promise through "all-at-once" road resurfacings/widenings, promise to not use Neighborhood Stabilzation Act funds for but new immigrants/subprime/foodstamps/higher attendant costs, and building of strip malls smaller than the failed area businesses; these are important considerations, what with H&R Block now saying the stimulus payments are to be repaid from future refunds and are not "special".

It seems normal status quo market producers can cut back release of oil to the public with eye to job-making industry use as part of the strategic reserve effort, and really...unless and until one has income and purpose, what is the pressing need to drive or tool about anyway...I'm hardly "well-off", and enjoy health benefits (mental and physical) of walking, yet I walked from the day I was born through EVERY level of my income.

For these reasons, the here within following balance of text is verbatim as received from Americans For Tax Reform; having read and agreed with same, I endorse it, said text being, to-wit (addressed to U.S. Senators): 

As the economy shows some signs of entering a recession, it is disconcerting to hear Congress continue to talk about raising taxes, especially on domestic energy production.

Congress should be considering proposals that increase our nation's energy security and lower Americans' overall tax burden, not discouraging investment, hindering domestic production and killing jobs. 

It is essential to oppose all legislation that directly interferes with free-market enterprise and the basic fundamentals of a market-driven economy

I urge you to reject any tax increase on energy and instead work to promote a sound and diversified energy policy for the United States that does not punish our existing sources. I ask that you vote AGAINST any tax hike provisions that come to the floor.

Whether standalone, or part of a larger package, our economy cannot afford tax hikes on energy production.