Legal Justice for me

Monday, August 27, 2007

PAUL BARRESI THREATENS ME


Paul Barresi update as of
Sunday, August 26th, 2007
at 11:49 PM.

I have documented and have Documentation
of my visit to The West Valley

Police Station regarding Paul Barresi's E-mails that
he sent to me and his Telephone message's he left on
my telephone answering machine with:

LAPD Officer Jensen, Badge # 37340.

MORE-TO-COME..................

MarioGeorgeNitrini111
mariogeorgenitrini111
_____________
The OJ Simpson Case


Mr. Paul Barresi,


I got your threatening E-mail that you sent me. How stupid
do you think I am?
And just a little while ago you sent me another E-mail.
You got something to say to me
Mr. Barresi? Say it in a public setting so EVERYONE
can read and/or hear what is on your mind concerning me.

I WAS right about the chickens concerning Paul Barresi:
Anthony Pellicano "USES" Chuck Philips for PR purposes
at The Los ...

Paul Barresi? YOU sold me out for Bill Pavelic and I caught
you at it.

What happened to your Anthony Pellicano book Mr. Barresi
Hollywood Tell-All Book Exclusive: "Pellicano's Enforcer"-
The Heterosexual Tom Cruise (and more) Scandal Chapter! -
that you were "SUPPOSEDLY" to have published?
Are you "SCARED" of Bert Fields?
Are you "SCARED" of Tom Cruise?
Are you "SCARED" of John Travolta?

Mr. Barresi? when you make a statement like this to me:

"Now you tell me where to meet with you and I
will be there,"

AGAIN ,
How stupid do you think I am?

You say this Mr. Barresi TWICE in your first E-mail to me:

"THIS IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION"

Paul Barresi, you truly are a
SUPER-DUPER COWARD.............





Check out the last two comment's here on Joseph Bosco's:
The LongBow Papers
Talking About O.J. (Redux)
and this:
AC Note on "Curio" and Cyber-Stalker Mario Nitrini

MarioGeorgeNitrini111
mariogeorgenitrini111
_____________
The OJ Simpson Case


For The record:

Paul Barresi called and left a message on my telephone answering machine just a
little while ago saying, and I quote Mr. Barresi:

"My name is Paul Barresi. I am trying to get a hold of Mario Nitrini. Please have
him call me at _________ I'm in Studio City today, I would love to see him.
My number again is ________"

With the E-mail's that Paul Barresi sent me this morning, and with this message
he left on my telephone answering machine, here in the VERY NEAR Future I
am maybe going to be filing criminal charges against Paul Barresi if applicable.
I'll Legally find out if I can.

Interesting that Barresi pronounces his last name:

BA-REE-ZE

MarioGeorgeNitrini111
mariogeorgenitrini111
__________
The OJ Simpson Case

Gravatar Paul Barresi called me again and left another telephone message. Here's the text:

"This is Paul Barresi again calling for Mario Nitrini. (Pause).
I want you to find him, this is what I want you to do.

Here in a few minute's, I am going to West Valley Police Station and filing legal paperwork on/against Paul Barresi. When I get back, I will give everyone an update.

And this time he pronounced his last name as it sounds, Barresi.

MarioGeorgeNitrini111
mariogeorgenitrini111
__________
The OJ Simpson Case

74 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Nitrini,

I knew that your fall 2006 opinion of Barresi woudl soon change -- congrats. Sorry for all the fightin on Hollywood Interrupted but was necessary at the time...

11:04 PM  
Blogger Victims of Gregg & Mark Houseboi con said...

Barresi claims to be an expert on Cruise’s sexuality but reading all recent articles and comments posted by Barresi one will see that he has done nothing other than what the general public has done! That is Barresi has observed that Cruise has a number of ex-wives and former girlfriends and since the number of women outweighs the number of homosexual claims, Barresi has deduced that Cruise is straight. Well, any idiot could have done the exact same thing. There is nothing that points out Barresi as special or possesses any particular investigation skills. I even challenge that he is registered as a private detective in California! I spoke to Michael Fochs of US MALE SPORT productions who said they can no longer use Barresi as a director as he is paranoid and makes the performers nervous and he is abusive to everyone. Joseph Amster who promoted the hell out of a Barresi directed video called First Down for US MALE SPORT confirms this. He said Mr. B was paranoid and hallucinogenic thinking people were following him. Barresi took this person who now writes for LA’s gay rag, Frontiers to Louise’s restaurant on Ventura and Laurel Canyon and Barresi kept imagining that a homeless person outside was spying on him. A paranoid Barresi kept saying, “Keep your voice down!” Mr. Fochs also said that many of Barresi’s videos were poor sellers as Barresi designed bad covers for them. When Barresi was approached on this issue her shouted “don’t criticize!” and then charged at the staff members with murder in his eyes. Many people quit this company as well as Genetto DiMasolo’s company due to being afraid of Barresi. DiMasolo has given his employees strict instructions to call the police should Barresi appear on the property. JET SET, another gay porn company that Barresi has directed for, has their receptionist on the lookout for Mr. B. Whenever Barresi or his car is spotted the receptionist gets on the loudspeaker announcing Paul Barresi is on the property. Suddenly doors close and people disappear as no one can stand him. Everyone in the building hides as they fear his paranoia. JET SET also has donated numerous videos for AIDS charities like Will Clark’s Pool Parties and just because Barresi’s name is listed on the videos he shows up to these high profile events demanding free entrance claiming he will return with a gun if they do not let him in. Barresi looses nothing from JET SET’S tax-deductable donations and refuses to pay the same entrance that every other director in porn does. Funny thing is though, on his sets, Barresi is notorious for associating homosexuality with AIDS and making many lewd and insulting remarks to this point. Barresi told porn star Bret Dimineo in 2002 to dye his hair red so he could be bigger than “Big Red” and he told Big Red to dye his hair black including suggesting using “Just for Men” products on his pubic regions as redheads were not marketable! He also promises new kids on the block the world. He thinks he knows what will sell and gets really hot new comers to the industry to cut their hair and ruin their look. He also instills rotten attitude into these impressionable youngsters. Jonathan Weeks of Village TV has had Barresi and many of his haughty, vain, young models escorted away. Gay publications cannot stand Barresi either! One company which produces several gay magazines based in LA was so harassed by Barresi that they not only got a restraining order against him but they moved into the same building as the Israeli consulate to keep Barresi and his riff-raff away due to the added security!

5:22 PM  
Blogger Gracky-crackey et al said...

One ought 2 call manager n credit manager of the North Hollywood Public Storage facility 4 scoop on Real Paul Barresi bahavior who stored illegal pornography and drug paraphanalia there for 4 years and then did not pay his bill for 7 months. Barresi had to be evicted and the illegal materal handed over to the authority. Public Storage has documented abuse, vulgarity and threats out of Paul Barresi’s mouth towards employees. He bashes women and gay people and is a biggot from hell too, using the “N” word left and right. Looking at the Public Storage credit report on him too includes many cases of fraud, lies and cheating!

4:28 PM  
Blogger mah said...

Paul Baressi is trying hard to have a big bite go along with his silly sissy, grilish bark again! However, Anthony Pellicano is facing 3 life sentences and poor baby Baressi has no toys to play with + no drug. extohrtion and protection money from the former mob! Today, Saturday 28 June 2008, Baressi put some really stupid stuff on the net which he thought would turn heads but instead it took the right click of a mouse and they were gone in 20 minutes! Haven't you got any better methods Paully? Poor Baby! NO ONE CARES! You are tired and haggard and your cheap-ass porn has been going straight into the $4.99 special bin for 7 years now and no one likes you! And yo are Butt ugly girl (and I do mean GIRL!). Several professional hit men have offered Free Services to at least 50 of yor enemies and you are on a dangerous wire cause at this point all one of these 50 or so people gotta do is snap a finger and you will be gone for good + the hit man's birthday will be declared a National Holiday! And, oh yeah, 45 is the new 25!!!! Get a life!

7:56 PM  
Blogger trah la la la said...

Regards to Baresssi hideos cruise claims - it is matter of commnicate w/ correct people. fond this1:
There are certain facts that can be established with uncanny corroborating evidence:
1) Red was in London in 1999. A passport check was done on him and there are countless photos of him at events around the UK recorded for that year.
2) Tom Cruise WAS INDEED living in Highgate, North London at the time and he was filming Eyes Wide Shut; Stanley Kubrick was contacted re: production scheduling and this has been confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt.
3) Cruise had a body guard named Mickey, he was definitely British much to Pelicano’s dismay when he confirmed this and it has since been confirmed time and again and he had hairy knuckles. Red described these knuckles in fantastic detail. Per the American Anthropological Association, knuckles are something one notices last about someone he or she normally meets. Red would have to have spent considerable time in Mickey’s presence. This has been recorded time and again by various reliable sources.
4) FACT: Mickey is serving a life sentence for a murder conviction. Pelican did research and then went to prison himself. Barresi used this fact to corroborate red’s story as true when it was convenient for him to do so; then when it was inconvenient for him to promote this ‘story ‘any further he changed things on ridiculous blog sites and cheap tabloids but he has never commented on the “Mickey” situation and refuses to do so countless times.
5) Mickey proves beyond doubt that red was in the presence of Cruise’s personal bodyguard and probably geographically close to cruise, in London UK, 1999. PERIOD!
6) Sir Roy Moseley who has written Biographies people that he clearly know intimately proven by “E-Channel”, MTV and BBC Productions as well as countless press releases and photos, is seen in various photos at famous places around the world with “Red.” Among other bios written: Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Duke of Edinburgh, Grace Kelly, Princess Victoria of Sweden, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, John Lennon, Vivian Leigh, Joan Plowright, Elizabeth Taylor, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Ronald Reagan, Maria Callas, Mick Jagger, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Redford, Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Elvis, Fred and Ginger, Noel Coward, Ralph Richardson,. Barbra Streisand (an it is confirmed that Red dated for her son too / not as a hooker! IT was real! & More to be revealed!), Mae West, and others… In a book in red’s possessions that he left in his flat in London a book entled A Life with the Stars and many other books signed by the author were left behind. Confirmed by roommates and landlord.
7) Also in red’s possessions were deeds to an apartment in the Paris 7th arondissement (on rue du General Bertrand) as well as a country house in St. Martial de Viveyrols (Dordogne / Perigord / Aquitaine).
8) Red did work at Westminster Abbey; we are in possession of his ID and pay stubs; we are also in possession of red’s 2007 rent receipts for a flat near Goodge Street Tube Station in London and they are signed by a “Bill Panifer.”
9) It is also a fact that Roy Moseley personally introduced red to Pitt, Cruise and Banderas at a 2002 Santa Barbara Event. There are many witnesses.
10) Fact: red was interviewed by a certain Rene Zuiderveld in the Netherlands (and was photo graphed in Gronnighan, Marken and Amsterdam) in 2001 and there were references to the Cruise events. This was in May 2001 before red met Barresi in July 2001 through a certain Nick di Martino.
11) Fact: The letter from Bertram Fields to an unknown recipient is dated 17 months after Barresi claims to have interrogated red.
12) Fact: red was interviewed by a certain “Adam Smith” at the National Enquirer in August 2001 and again in August 2004.
13) Fact records from Pelicano’s office show that red visited there a total of 6 times and only one time states that Barresi was present.
14) Fact: tape recordings from Pelicano’s office demonstrate a conversation where Pelican asks red to describe B. Pitt and red described in great detail a scar under Pitt’s left eye that the public never sees due to make-up. He also describes a cruise scar on a knee and reddish brows and lashes (these have been confirmed by reliable sources representing cruise and pitt).
15) Fact: Pelican has been in custody since 2002 and all his office material and records have been examined thoroughly!
16) Fact: red was a known art collector and was in possession of a painting by Picasso whose previous records according to Swiss insurers was Nicole Kidman. This is currently on loan to a museum in Moscow.
17) Fact red’s estate has paintings on loan to museums in Europe, Israel, Japan, Korea, Australia, Brazil and the United States.
18) Fact: a famous Hollywood psychic to the stars named VOXX predicted a public and embarrassing trial for Pelicano, indictment of Barresi and Fields. Fields’ disbarment and 3 year sentence with parole after 14 months and a 14 year sentence for Barresi with no parole and judgments against him to lose his home and every possession

10:29 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

BIG RED, SIR NAME THEODORE RAGSDALE, IS NOW LIVING WITH HIS FATHER, ALSO NAMED THEODORE RAGSDALE IN FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA. THE PERSON FROM THE ENQUIRER HE SPEAKS OF IN HIS POST IS NOT ADAM SMITH, IT IS ALAN SMITH. BIG RED, AKA NATHAN HAMILTON, WAS A PORN STAR WHO BARRESI USED IN SEVERAL VIDEOS. HE WAS NEVER FEATURED ON A SINGLE BOX COVER BECAUSE HE WAS JUST TOO HOMELY. THEODORE RAGSDALE SR. IS A CPA, WORING IN FULLERTON. NONE OF THE CLAIMS MADE ABOVE ARE TRUE. BIG RED IS A LIAR.

1:25 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

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Cyber Stalkers
By Paul Hook -- May 30, 2001
Not Me! Well, that is what you would say isn’t it? But it might surprise you to know just how likely it is that you will become the victim of a stalker. Would you believe one in ten? That’s right, one of every ten on the Internet today will become the victim of a cyber stalker.
This is why we are campaigning for Internet Safety Awareness!

It is imperative that the message be spread far and wide.



As we showed in the first article in this series, the condition of the Internet public’s awareness of the issues of Internet Safety is in deplorable condition. This is at the very heart of the problem.
Yes, there are laws, and more coming, that address specific aspects of the crimes that are perpetrated against people on the Internet, but even this has its problems. There are more dangers than the laws address and the Internet is International in scope, which makes enforcement more difficult.

We submit that even more effective than laws that punish the criminal after the commission of a crime, is a high profile promotion of Internet Safety Awareness combined with a comprehensive understanding of the broad definition of Internet Safety and instruction for developing defenses against the dangers that exist on-line.

Cyber Stalking an Enormous Problem

Cyber stalking is one of the most prevalent problems, as we earlier made claim. Have you even realized the full impact yet of the idea that one in ten will become the victim of a cyber stalker? Let’s look at what that really means.

According to the United States Department of Justice, in a study done in 1999 the figure is actually a little higher than 1 out of ten.

Stalking is more prevalent than previously thought: 8.1 percent of surveyed women and 2.2 percent of surveyed men reported being stalked. Source – USDOJ (http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/183781.txt)

This shows a total of 10.3% have been stalked. Again, not a statistic that really hits home. The big shock comes when you apply these figures to the total Internet population.

In a 1999 Commerce-Nielson report (http://www.commerce.net/) the total Internet population for the United Sates and Canada was 92,200,000. If we adjust that figure for a modest (many sources say it is much higher) 8% growth since that report, the figure has now exceeded 100,000,000.

This means that based on the DOJ study there are now 10,300,000 current and future cyber stalking victims on-line. Over ten million in the United States and Canada alone!

Understanding the Offense

In order to understand the offense it helps to first know what a cyber stalker is. A stalker is anyone who contacts you or seeks to gain intimate personal knowledge of you without your consent, or after being told to cease.

Merriam-Webster defines stalker as: to pursue quarry or prey stealthily from the Old English bestelcian, which means to steal.

What better way to prey stealthily than behind the alias of an Internet account? It seems as though the fact that on the Internet everyone chooses his or her own identity has brought out of the woodwork every kind of unstable minded individual.

So the definition of a cyber stalker would be: one who contacts or seeks to gain intimate personal knowledge of another through the Internet or other on-line method of communication without their consent, or after being told to cease. This is the offense; unwelcome communication, remember it.

The “contact” of a stalker can range from unwelcome advances and obscene offerings, to disparaging, demeaning, slanderous, vile, or threatening comments made in a chat room, on a bulletin board, through Email, instant message, or any other on-line communication medium.

The big problem is that you never know when, or whom, or how far they are going to go in pursuit of their deranged goal, whatever that might be. What starts out as a seemingly innocent exchange can progress from amorous advances to name calling to threats to…? You just don’t know where it is going to end.

You must, however, be prepared for the worst and take the appropriate steps as soon as you begin to suspect that you have become victim. The reason? Because of how bad it can get!

According to statistics from W.H.O.A. (Working to Halt On-line Abuse, http://www.haltabuse.org) 19.5% of cyber stalking cases escalate to offline stalking. This brings a pretty scary reality into view.

One out every five cyber stalking cases becomes an off line, real world stalking case. Remember we were working with an estimated 10,000,000 victims. This means that 2,000,000 of those will have cases that escalate into the real world.

Is that enough reason for caution? Is that enough reason for action? Is that enough reason to stop now and take the time to learn about this and other dangers that exist in cyberspace? To prepare defenses? And to make sure that those you care about are aware of these things?

They Come to Conquer

The cyber stalker can come from anywhere. From a chat room, a newsgroup, a bulletin board, or email. Virtually any medium of communication available on-line affords them the opportunity to pick a victim.

This is not to say that all cyber stalkers go looking for victims, some of them become cyber stalkers after being spurned by someone they were attracted to. This is why we must be watchful of our communications at all times.

We do not know what kind of people they are nor do we know what they are capable of. We do know that once we have become the object of a cyber stalker, we have a one in five chance that it will actually reach our home. We do know that once a cyber stalker has begun, they are here to conquer, and some will use any means necessary to feel that they have won a great victory.

Besides the other types of contact previously described, cyber stalkers are also known to send electronic viruses, send masses of spam mail, and even hack your computer for the purposes of identity theft.

For the most part their goal seems to be to intimidate, create fear, and get a reaction. This makes them feel as though they have some sort of power, and in a sense they do. The power to generate fears, the power to achieve the desired result in your reaction of fear and panic.

It is important to understand this because this is part of your first round of defenses against these individuals.

The Effects

The effects of a cyber stalker on the life of their victim are real. These effects include psychological trauma, which manifests itself in many forms. From paranoia, to agoraphobia, to the extremes of a complete nervous breakdown, those who have found themselves to be the target of a stalker can go through a full range of changed behavior.

The threat of real physical danger to yourself or your loved ones is not to be discounted and so this becomes a driving force behind these changes.

But these are victories to the cyber stalker and we are here to reduce, if not eliminate, the victories that these denizens of cyberspace seek to achieve. Therefore, the best defense is to understand the underlying psyche of the cyber stalker and rip the taste of victory out of their grasp before they can even taste it.

As we just mentioned their goal is to see the effects of intimidation and fear, and to many this is the sum total of their goal. To others there is no end in sight of the lengths to which they will go to feel satisfied that they have accomplished their objective.

Be Prepared

The best way to be prepared is to understand beforehand how to react, and the appropriate steps to take once you realize that you have become a victim.

The first is to remain calm and objective, not reacting to flames with flames, threats with threats, just not reacting. Remember, to react is to feed the fire.

Once someone begins a campaign the best course is to simply and calmly speak to them one time, whether by email, chat, bulletin board, or whatever method is being used, and tell them that you no longer wish to have any communication with them whatsoever. If you feel that you should in your particular circumstance, include the fact that you are prepared to follow established reporting procedures if they fail to comply with your request to cease contact. Save a copy of your request and make that your last communication with them.

You have just set the stage for a complaint if they should continue. You have notified them that any further communication is unwelcome and if it persists it now falls under the definition of cyber stalking in a very concrete way.

Now you have a couple of decisions to make. Do you keep your current account open so that you will have reportable evidence should the person continue or do you block them from access? This is up to you and is a decision that you should make based on your own level of comfort. Just remember if you choose to keep access open, do not respond to anything, at all, period.

If you receive further communications you can report the offender to both their ISP (Internet Service Provider) and your own. Most ISPs will, with sufficient grounds, terminate the offender’s accounts.

Realize this, however; if you can bear to just ignore the communications while you gather evidence, you stand a greater chance of the offender just getting tired of being ignored and going away. On the other hand, if you report them and they have their account terminated, they can get another account somewhere else and may be thrilled that they got a reaction, or angry at the termination, and press further.

If the stalking continues, you may have to go to the extremes of either changing your accounts, or changing your ISP altogether. You may have to find new places to visit if that is feasible. If they found you before in an on-line venue that you frequent, it would be easy enough to find you again even under a new account, unless you can also change your style of communication so drastically that they would not recognize you.

Be Prepared to Go All the Way

Your next step is to go your local police, and enlist the assistance of one of the on-line organizations that work with cyber stalking cases. Some of these organizations are,

WHOA – http://www.haltabuse.org
WiredPatrol – http://www.wiredpatrol.org/
National Center for Victims of Crimes - http://www.ncvc.org/
As drastic as it sounds, we mentioned be prepared for the worst, so be prepared even to relocate if you find that your stalker has discovered your whereabouts. Remember, one in five cases escalate to off-line stalking. Don’t assume you must the moment you realize that you are being cyber stalked, but be prepared in case you have to. There are many cases where this has been the only recourse. We have resources on our main web site that include links to some of these stories if you care to see just how extreme it can get.

The main thing is to be prepared. Be prepared for anything. Don’t let these statistics escape your mind. Think about those you care about and share this information with them. And if we haven’t provided enough already, we will finish with these.

Based on analysis of the National Violence Against Women Survey results, it is estimated that 8.2 million women have been cyberstalked at some point in their lifetime . . . (Cyberstalking,1999). Source – National Center for Victims of Crimes

One percent of these were cyber stalked during the previous year. That is 82,000 female cyber stalking victims during the year, or 225 victims per day! Based on a study from two years ago! How much has the Internet grown since then? And that is just female victims. Further studies by the US Department of Justice indicate that men make up approximately 20% of the stalking victim total.

*Based on a Spring 1999 CommerceNet/Nielsen Internet Demographic Survey with projections for an 8% growth through 2000. Source – CommerceNet

Are these statistics that we can ignore, or even risk becoming a part of? I say no! It’s your Internet, you can make a difference. How? By promoting Internet Safety Awareness. Not as an alarmist, but as a realist. The Internet is an amazing and wonderful tool if used appropriately, but like any other tool, safe use must be considered.

We will look at some more, equally shocking statistics in next week’s article which discusses the vastly important topic of Child Predators, this one will make you angry. This topic will also include more information on reporting.

Internet safety should be a concern of all who are connected with the Internet, and we have an opportunity to make a difference.

Copyright © 2001
All Rights Reserved
Paul Hook

About the Author
Paul Hook is the owner of TheGuardianAngel.com TM . . . The site's goal is to create an environment of safety on the Internet through promoting awareness of all of the dangers that exist on the Internet, and through its interactive database, Positive ID Profile System, which was created to give you the ability to know who you, or your kids, are talking to on the Internet.
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1:35 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

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Articles > Other Internet Related

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Author's permission is required to use the respective listed article.


Cyber Stalkers
By Paul Hook -- May 30, 2001
Not Me! Well, that is what you would say isn’t it? But it might surprise you to know just how likely it is that you will become the victim of a stalker. Would you believe one in ten? That’s right, one of every ten on the Internet today will become the victim of a cyber stalker.
This is why we are campaigning for Internet Safety Awareness!

It is imperative that the message be spread far and wide.



As we showed in the first article in this series, the condition of the Internet public’s awareness of the issues of Internet Safety is in deplorable condition. This is at the very heart of the problem.
Yes, there are laws, and more coming, that address specific aspects of the crimes that are perpetrated against people on the Internet, but even this has its problems. There are more dangers than the laws address and the Internet is International in scope, which makes enforcement more difficult.

We submit that even more effective than laws that punish the criminal after the commission of a crime, is a high profile promotion of Internet Safety Awareness combined with a comprehensive understanding of the broad definition of Internet Safety and instruction for developing defenses against the dangers that exist on-line.

Cyber Stalking an Enormous Problem

Cyber stalking is one of the most prevalent problems, as we earlier made claim. Have you even realized the full impact yet of the idea that one in ten will become the victim of a cyber stalker? Let’s look at what that really means.

According to the United States Department of Justice, in a study done in 1999 the figure is actually a little higher than 1 out of ten.

Stalking is more prevalent than previously thought: 8.1 percent of surveyed women and 2.2 percent of surveyed men reported being stalked. Source – USDOJ (http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/183781.txt)

This shows a total of 10.3% have been stalked. Again, not a statistic that really hits home. The big shock comes when you apply these figures to the total Internet population.

In a 1999 Commerce-Nielson report (http://www.commerce.net/) the total Internet population for the United Sates and Canada was 92,200,000. If we adjust that figure for a modest (many sources say it is much higher) 8% growth since that report, the figure has now exceeded 100,000,000.

This means that based on the DOJ study there are now 10,300,000 current and future cyber stalking victims on-line. Over ten million in the United States and Canada alone!

Understanding the Offense

In order to understand the offense it helps to first know what a cyber stalker is. A stalker is anyone who contacts you or seeks to gain intimate personal knowledge of you without your consent, or after being told to cease.

Merriam-Webster defines stalker as: to pursue quarry or prey stealthily from the Old English bestelcian, which means to steal.

What better way to prey stealthily than behind the alias of an Internet account? It seems as though the fact that on the Internet everyone chooses his or her own identity has brought out of the woodwork every kind of unstable minded individual.

So the definition of a cyber stalker would be: one who contacts or seeks to gain intimate personal knowledge of another through the Internet or other on-line method of communication without their consent, or after being told to cease. This is the offense; unwelcome communication, remember it.

The “contact” of a stalker can range from unwelcome advances and obscene offerings, to disparaging, demeaning, slanderous, vile, or threatening comments made in a chat room, on a bulletin board, through Email, instant message, or any other on-line communication medium.

The big problem is that you never know when, or whom, or how far they are going to go in pursuit of their deranged goal, whatever that might be. What starts out as a seemingly innocent exchange can progress from amorous advances to name calling to threats to…? You just don’t know where it is going to end.

You must, however, be prepared for the worst and take the appropriate steps as soon as you begin to suspect that you have become victim. The reason? Because of how bad it can get!

According to statistics from W.H.O.A. (Working to Halt On-line Abuse, http://www.haltabuse.org) 19.5% of cyber stalking cases escalate to offline stalking. This brings a pretty scary reality into view.

One out every five cyber stalking cases becomes an off line, real world stalking case. Remember we were working with an estimated 10,000,000 victims. This means that 2,000,000 of those will have cases that escalate into the real world.

Is that enough reason for caution? Is that enough reason for action? Is that enough reason to stop now and take the time to learn about this and other dangers that exist in cyberspace? To prepare defenses? And to make sure that those you care about are aware of these things?

They Come to Conquer

The cyber stalker can come from anywhere. From a chat room, a newsgroup, a bulletin board, or email. Virtually any medium of communication available on-line affords them the opportunity to pick a victim.

This is not to say that all cyber stalkers go looking for victims, some of them become cyber stalkers after being spurned by someone they were attracted to. This is why we must be watchful of our communications at all times.

We do not know what kind of people they are nor do we know what they are capable of. We do know that once we have become the object of a cyber stalker, we have a one in five chance that it will actually reach our home. We do know that once a cyber stalker has begun, they are here to conquer, and some will use any means necessary to feel that they have won a great victory.

Besides the other types of contact previously described, cyber stalkers are also known to send electronic viruses, send masses of spam mail, and even hack your computer for the purposes of identity theft.

For the most part their goal seems to be to intimidate, create fear, and get a reaction. This makes them feel as though they have some sort of power, and in a sense they do. The power to generate fears, the power to achieve the desired result in your reaction of fear and panic.

It is important to understand this because this is part of your first round of defenses against these individuals.

The Effects

The effects of a cyber stalker on the life of their victim are real. These effects include psychological trauma, which manifests itself in many forms. From paranoia, to agoraphobia, to the extremes of a complete nervous breakdown, those who have found themselves to be the target of a stalker can go through a full range of changed behavior.

The threat of real physical danger to yourself or your loved ones is not to be discounted and so this becomes a driving force behind these changes.

But these are victories to the cyber stalker and we are here to reduce, if not eliminate, the victories that these denizens of cyberspace seek to achieve. Therefore, the best defense is to understand the underlying psyche of the cyber stalker and rip the taste of victory out of their grasp before they can even taste it.

As we just mentioned their goal is to see the effects of intimidation and fear, and to many this is the sum total of their goal. To others there is no end in sight of the lengths to which they will go to feel satisfied that they have accomplished their objective.

Be Prepared

The best way to be prepared is to understand beforehand how to react, and the appropriate steps to take once you realize that you have become a victim.

The first is to remain calm and objective, not reacting to flames with flames, threats with threats, just not reacting. Remember, to react is to feed the fire.

Once someone begins a campaign the best course is to simply and calmly speak to them one time, whether by email, chat, bulletin board, or whatever method is being used, and tell them that you no longer wish to have any communication with them whatsoever. If you feel that you should in your particular circumstance, include the fact that you are prepared to follow established reporting procedures if they fail to comply with your request to cease contact. Save a copy of your request and make that your last communication with them.

You have just set the stage for a complaint if they should continue. You have notified them that any further communication is unwelcome and if it persists it now falls under the definition of cyber stalking in a very concrete way.

Now you have a couple of decisions to make. Do you keep your current account open so that you will have reportable evidence should the person continue or do you block them from access? This is up to you and is a decision that you should make based on your own level of comfort. Just remember if you choose to keep access open, do not respond to anything, at all, period.

If you receive further communications you can report the offender to both their ISP (Internet Service Provider) and your own. Most ISPs will, with sufficient grounds, terminate the offender’s accounts.

Realize this, however; if you can bear to just ignore the communications while you gather evidence, you stand a greater chance of the offender just getting tired of being ignored and going away. On the other hand, if you report them and they have their account terminated, they can get another account somewhere else and may be thrilled that they got a reaction, or angry at the termination, and press further.

If the stalking continues, you may have to go to the extremes of either changing your accounts, or changing your ISP altogether. You may have to find new places to visit if that is feasible. If they found you before in an on-line venue that you frequent, it would be easy enough to find you again even under a new account, unless you can also change your style of communication so drastically that they would not recognize you.

Be Prepared to Go All the Way

Your next step is to go your local police, and enlist the assistance of one of the on-line organizations that work with cyber stalking cases. Some of these organizations are,

WHOA – http://www.haltabuse.org
WiredPatrol – http://www.wiredpatrol.org/
National Center for Victims of Crimes - http://www.ncvc.org/
As drastic as it sounds, we mentioned be prepared for the worst, so be prepared even to relocate if you find that your stalker has discovered your whereabouts. Remember, one in five cases escalate to off-line stalking. Don’t assume you must the moment you realize that you are being cyber stalked, but be prepared in case you have to. There are many cases where this has been the only recourse. We have resources on our main web site that include links to some of these stories if you care to see just how extreme it can get.

The main thing is to be prepared. Be prepared for anything. Don’t let these statistics escape your mind. Think about those you care about and share this information with them. And if we haven’t provided enough already, we will finish with these.

Based on analysis of the National Violence Against Women Survey results, it is estimated that 8.2 million women have been cyberstalked at some point in their lifetime . . . (Cyberstalking,1999). Source – National Center for Victims of Crimes

One percent of these were cyber stalked during the previous year. That is 82,000 female cyber stalking victims during the year, or 225 victims per day! Based on a study from two years ago! How much has the Internet grown since then? And that is just female victims. Further studies by the US Department of Justice indicate that men make up approximately 20% of the stalking victim total.

*Based on a Spring 1999 CommerceNet/Nielsen Internet Demographic Survey with projections for an 8% growth through 2000. Source – CommerceNet

Are these statistics that we can ignore, or even risk becoming a part of? I say no! It’s your Internet, you can make a difference. How? By promoting Internet Safety Awareness. Not as an alarmist, but as a realist. The Internet is an amazing and wonderful tool if used appropriately, but like any other tool, safe use must be considered.

We will look at some more, equally shocking statistics in next week’s article which discusses the vastly important topic of Child Predators, this one will make you angry. This topic will also include more information on reporting.

Internet safety should be a concern of all who are connected with the Internet, and we have an opportunity to make a difference.

Copyright © 2001
All Rights Reserved
Paul Hook

About the Author
Paul Hook is the owner of TheGuardianAngel.com TM . . . The site's goal is to create an environment of safety on the Internet through promoting awareness of all of the dangers that exist on the Internet, and through its interactive database, Positive ID Profile System, which was created to give you the ability to know who you, or your kids, are talking to on the Internet.
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The rise of the cyber-stalker


These days men don't need to hang around their exes' homes to torment them - all they need to do is log on. Julie Bindel on an old crime in new clothing

Wednesday January 10, 2007
The Guardian

When Karen Allison ended her marriage she knew her husband wouldn't let her go quietly. "He had been abusive," she says, "so I expected him to punish me for leaving."
She was right. Last November, Darlington magistrates court heard evidence of a two-year campaign of harassment Thomas Welsh had directed at Allison since their split. Immediately after ending their relationship, she had been bombarded with sexually explicit text messages and photographs on her mobile phone. Worse was to come. She soon discovered that her details had been posted on a website aimed at cross-dressers and sado-masochists, where she had been advertised as being "available for sexual services". "It was horrific," she says. "I was getting all these disgusting emails and phone calls."

Article continues

The court fined Welsh, imposed an indefinite restraining order banning him from going within 100 yards of Allison and also banned him from putting her details on the internet.
In the most recent British Crime Survey, published last summer, 8% of women and 6% of men said they had been stalked within the previous year. And 20% of all women are stalked at some stage of their lives. In the case of men stalking women, the harassment usually starts when a woman ends an abusive relationship or rejects the sexual advances of a man prone to violence and jealousy. According to research carried out at Leicester University, more than 200 women leave the UK each year because a stalker has made their lives unbearable; the average length of time that a woman is stalked is seven and a half years.

Cyber-stalking - the use of technology such as the internet and mobile phone - to track victims has increased sharply in the past few years. Many of the offenders are men who are disgruntled and angry at being rejected by their partners. Rather than creeping around outside the victim's home, or following her to work, though, some of these men, as Allison found, post details of their victim on websites containing sexually explicit material.

Others email pornographic photographs and videos of the victim (often taken without her knowledge or consent) to family members and work colleagues.

Welsh, who runs a transvestite mail-order and cross-dressing service for men, used his personal website to post Allison's details. Other cyber-stalkers sign their victims up directly to public sites where people advertise for casual sex, often writing their victim's profile as if she is available for all manner of sexual activity with strangers.

Such men, according to Hamish Brown, a former police officer and an expert on stalking and harassment, fit the profile of the "obsessional stalker" - an ex-partner who refuses to believe that a relationship is over. "These men refuse to give up, however clearly the victim tells him she doesn't want to know. He has this attitude of, 'If I can't have her, no one will'," says Brown.

When Sophie Green started getting emails from her ex-partner, Simon Ward, saying things such as, "Oh, you saw so-and-so and went to that bar at that time, did you?", she realised he was tracking her movements through information she had written on her personal blog. "There was always an implicit threat that he would track me down so I stopped blogging, which I really resented." Green began to receive sexually explicit emails from Ward, often containing pornographic photographs. "I found them really disturbing and felt sexually violated, which is presumably what he wanted, because I would not have sex with him any more," she says.

"Simon knew I had been raped when I was 13, although he insisted on calling it 'surprise sex'. He discovered my email address and password and then would subscribe me to really violent rape sites."

Green changed her personal email address, but Ward soon discovered her work one, and began sending her pornography and threats on a regular basis.

When sexually explicit emails are sent to a victim's workplace, they risk humiliation and even losing their jobs. Jane Thompson split from her boyfriend of only three weeks, "because I felt smothered by him". One morning soon after, when she arrived at work, a colleague asked her if she had emailed her from home over the weekend. It turned out that her ex-boyfriend had sent Thompson's colleague "a folder with about 10 photos of us both having sex", she says, "and at that moment I wanted to die."

Thompson's ex had used a method common to cyber-stalkers - tracing their victim's email address and sending messages from that address containing offensive, pornographic and even libellous material.

According to research by an expert on stalking, Dr Lorraine Sheridan of Leicester University, half of all victims are now harassed via the internet. And despite the image of the stalker as a creepy loner, there is a growing online community to help and support the cyber-stalker's efforts. So-called "revenge" websites, such as Avengers Den and Get Revenge on Your Ex, are becoming more popular, says Sheridan.

I spent an hour surfing such sites and what I found was profoundly disturbing. One site advertised itself as being able to assist those wishing to experience "the pure, unadulterated satisfaction you get from totally crushing your ex's self-esteem and annihilating their reputation". Another offered a service called "fake SMS", where a message can be sent "to your ex" which appears to come from someone else. One satisfied customer wrote that, "I sent the bitch a message saying she is a dirty slut (etc etc) and made it come from her mum's boyfriend!!!"

One man had sent his ex a text message saying, "I know I said you were the best sex ever, but I lied - it was the drugs talking and I needed them to fuck you", and programmed it to repeat on the hour, as well as play down her phone answering service on her landline.

These sites are not specifically targeted at men wanting to exact revenge on women (there are women who post on such sites, often describing how they sent advertisements for Viagra, or penile enlargement operations) and there are no figures to give a breakdown on the gender of users. But trawling through them, the majority of those leaving posts seem to be men.

"Whether the stalker harasses his victim by letter, in person or by email is irrelevant," says Brown. "But victims of cyber-stalking have often told me they get terrified of the 'invisible' stalker who is hiding in cyberspace, because he could be anyone and everywhere."

One woman who responded to a request I posted on an anti-stalking website told me that her ex-husband posted her name and address on a website used to meet sexual partners, posing as her, and offering "group sex with her". "It was really scary," she tells me in an email, "because when I read the posting it said I like to act out rape fantasies, so men in twos and threes should break into the house, have sex with me and ignore my screams of terror, as that is all part of the game."

The good news is that cyber-stalkers are more likely to be caught than others, because there is usually a trail of evidence from computers and mobile phones. However, stalkers are usually determined, and often put time and effort into becoming technical experts.

"I had no idea that what he was doing was illegal," says Green. "The police need to make it clear, and get the message out to women that sending malicious communications - whether by hand, post or computer - is a crime."

The effects on victims of stalking do not go away when the stalker finally does. "It will take me years to get over what he did and to feel safe again," says Allison. "I just wish something had been done to stop him before he almost ruined my life"

· Some names have been changed.



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The rise of the cyber-stalker


These days men don't need to hang around their exes' homes to torment them - all they need to do is log on. Julie Bindel on an old crime in new clothing

Wednesday January 10, 2007
The Guardian

When Karen Allison ended her marriage she knew her husband wouldn't let her go quietly. "He had been abusive," she says, "so I expected him to punish me for leaving."
She was right. Last November, Darlington magistrates court heard evidence of a two-year campaign of harassment Thomas Welsh had directed at Allison since their split. Immediately after ending their relationship, she had been bombarded with sexually explicit text messages and photographs on her mobile phone. Worse was to come. She soon discovered that her details had been posted on a website aimed at cross-dressers and sado-masochists, where she had been advertised as being "available for sexual services". "It was horrific," she says. "I was getting all these disgusting emails and phone calls."

Article continues

The court fined Welsh, imposed an indefinite restraining order banning him from going within 100 yards of Allison and also banned him from putting her details on the internet.
In the most recent British Crime Survey, published last summer, 8% of women and 6% of men said they had been stalked within the previous year. And 20% of all women are stalked at some stage of their lives. In the case of men stalking women, the harassment usually starts when a woman ends an abusive relationship or rejects the sexual advances of a man prone to violence and jealousy. According to research carried out at Leicester University, more than 200 women leave the UK each year because a stalker has made their lives unbearable; the average length of time that a woman is stalked is seven and a half years.

Cyber-stalking - the use of technology such as the internet and mobile phone - to track victims has increased sharply in the past few years. Many of the offenders are men who are disgruntled and angry at being rejected by their partners. Rather than creeping around outside the victim's home, or following her to work, though, some of these men, as Allison found, post details of their victim on websites containing sexually explicit material.

Others email pornographic photographs and videos of the victim (often taken without her knowledge or consent) to family members and work colleagues.

Welsh, who runs a transvestite mail-order and cross-dressing service for men, used his personal website to post Allison's details. Other cyber-stalkers sign their victims up directly to public sites where people advertise for casual sex, often writing their victim's profile as if she is available for all manner of sexual activity with strangers.

Such men, according to Hamish Brown, a former police officer and an expert on stalking and harassment, fit the profile of the "obsessional stalker" - an ex-partner who refuses to believe that a relationship is over. "These men refuse to give up, however clearly the victim tells him she doesn't want to know. He has this attitude of, 'If I can't have her, no one will'," says Brown.

When Sophie Green started getting emails from her ex-partner, Simon Ward, saying things such as, "Oh, you saw so-and-so and went to that bar at that time, did you?", she realised he was tracking her movements through information she had written on her personal blog. "There was always an implicit threat that he would track me down so I stopped blogging, which I really resented." Green began to receive sexually explicit emails from Ward, often containing pornographic photographs. "I found them really disturbing and felt sexually violated, which is presumably what he wanted, because I would not have sex with him any more," she says.

"Simon knew I had been raped when I was 13, although he insisted on calling it 'surprise sex'. He discovered my email address and password and then would subscribe me to really violent rape sites."

Green changed her personal email address, but Ward soon discovered her work one, and began sending her pornography and threats on a regular basis.

When sexually explicit emails are sent to a victim's workplace, they risk humiliation and even losing their jobs. Jane Thompson split from her boyfriend of only three weeks, "because I felt smothered by him". One morning soon after, when she arrived at work, a colleague asked her if she had emailed her from home over the weekend. It turned out that her ex-boyfriend had sent Thompson's colleague "a folder with about 10 photos of us both having sex", she says, "and at that moment I wanted to die."

Thompson's ex had used a method common to cyber-stalkers - tracing their victim's email address and sending messages from that address containing offensive, pornographic and even libellous material.

According to research by an expert on stalking, Dr Lorraine Sheridan of Leicester University, half of all victims are now harassed via the internet. And despite the image of the stalker as a creepy loner, there is a growing online community to help and support the cyber-stalker's efforts. So-called "revenge" websites, such as Avengers Den and Get Revenge on Your Ex, are becoming more popular, says Sheridan.

I spent an hour surfing such sites and what I found was profoundly disturbing. One site advertised itself as being able to assist those wishing to experience "the pure, unadulterated satisfaction you get from totally crushing your ex's self-esteem and annihilating their reputation". Another offered a service called "fake SMS", where a message can be sent "to your ex" which appears to come from someone else. One satisfied customer wrote that, "I sent the bitch a message saying she is a dirty slut (etc etc) and made it come from her mum's boyfriend!!!"

One man had sent his ex a text message saying, "I know I said you were the best sex ever, but I lied - it was the drugs talking and I needed them to fuck you", and programmed it to repeat on the hour, as well as play down her phone answering service on her landline.

These sites are not specifically targeted at men wanting to exact revenge on women (there are women who post on such sites, often describing how they sent advertisements for Viagra, or penile enlargement operations) and there are no figures to give a breakdown on the gender of users. But trawling through them, the majority of those leaving posts seem to be men.

"Whether the stalker harasses his victim by letter, in person or by email is irrelevant," says Brown. "But victims of cyber-stalking have often told me they get terrified of the 'invisible' stalker who is hiding in cyberspace, because he could be anyone and everywhere."

One woman who responded to a request I posted on an anti-stalking website told me that her ex-husband posted her name and address on a website used to meet sexual partners, posing as her, and offering "group sex with her". "It was really scary," she tells me in an email, "because when I read the posting it said I like to act out rape fantasies, so men in twos and threes should break into the house, have sex with me and ignore my screams of terror, as that is all part of the game."

The good news is that cyber-stalkers are more likely to be caught than others, because there is usually a trail of evidence from computers and mobile phones. However, stalkers are usually determined, and often put time and effort into becoming technical experts.

"I had no idea that what he was doing was illegal," says Green. "The police need to make it clear, and get the message out to women that sending malicious communications - whether by hand, post or computer - is a crime."

The effects on victims of stalking do not go away when the stalker finally does. "It will take me years to get over what he did and to feel safe again," says Allison. "I just wish something had been done to stop him before he almost ruined my life"

· Some names have been changed.



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Direct from Company Cholesterol Complete
Save! Direct from manufacturer. Natural Cholesterol Complete...
SeniorLifeHealth.com/ph800-969-5131
10 Rules to Cut Belly Fat
Lose 9 lbs every 11 Days with these 10 Idiot Rules of Diet &...
FatLoss4Idiots.com
Green Tea for Belly Fat
Instant Weight Loss Energy Drink! "Pixie Dust" is no Diet...
Green.TeaUltraLean.com
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The rise of the cyber-stalker


These days men don't need to hang around their exes' homes to torment them - all they need to do is log on. Julie Bindel on an old crime in new clothing

Wednesday January 10, 2007
The Guardian

When Karen Allison ended her marriage she knew her husband wouldn't let her go quietly. "He had been abusive," she says, "so I expected him to punish me for leaving."
She was right. Last November, Darlington magistrates court heard evidence of a two-year campaign of harassment Thomas Welsh had directed at Allison since their split. Immediately after ending their relationship, she had been bombarded with sexually explicit text messages and photographs on her mobile phone. Worse was to come. She soon discovered that her details had been posted on a website aimed at cross-dressers and sado-masochists, where she had been advertised as being "available for sexual services". "It was horrific," she says. "I was getting all these disgusting emails and phone calls."

Article continues

The court fined Welsh, imposed an indefinite restraining order banning him from going within 100 yards of Allison and also banned him from putting her details on the internet.
In the most recent British Crime Survey, published last summer, 8% of women and 6% of men said they had been stalked within the previous year. And 20% of all women are stalked at some stage of their lives. In the case of men stalking women, the harassment usually starts when a woman ends an abusive relationship or rejects the sexual advances of a man prone to violence and jealousy. According to research carried out at Leicester University, more than 200 women leave the UK each year because a stalker has made their lives unbearable; the average length of time that a woman is stalked is seven and a half years.

Cyber-stalking - the use of technology such as the internet and mobile phone - to track victims has increased sharply in the past few years. Many of the offenders are men who are disgruntled and angry at being rejected by their partners. Rather than creeping around outside the victim's home, or following her to work, though, some of these men, as Allison found, post details of their victim on websites containing sexually explicit material.

Others email pornographic photographs and videos of the victim (often taken without her knowledge or consent) to family members and work colleagues.

Welsh, who runs a transvestite mail-order and cross-dressing service for men, used his personal website to post Allison's details. Other cyber-stalkers sign their victims up directly to public sites where people advertise for casual sex, often writing their victim's profile as if she is available for all manner of sexual activity with strangers.

Such men, according to Hamish Brown, a former police officer and an expert on stalking and harassment, fit the profile of the "obsessional stalker" - an ex-partner who refuses to believe that a relationship is over. "These men refuse to give up, however clearly the victim tells him she doesn't want to know. He has this attitude of, 'If I can't have her, no one will'," says Brown.

When Sophie Green started getting emails from her ex-partner, Simon Ward, saying things such as, "Oh, you saw so-and-so and went to that bar at that time, did you?", she realised he was tracking her movements through information she had written on her personal blog. "There was always an implicit threat that he would track me down so I stopped blogging, which I really resented." Green began to receive sexually explicit emails from Ward, often containing pornographic photographs. "I found them really disturbing and felt sexually violated, which is presumably what he wanted, because I would not have sex with him any more," she says.

"Simon knew I had been raped when I was 13, although he insisted on calling it 'surprise sex'. He discovered my email address and password and then would subscribe me to really violent rape sites."

Green changed her personal email address, but Ward soon discovered her work one, and began sending her pornography and threats on a regular basis.

When sexually explicit emails are sent to a victim's workplace, they risk humiliation and even losing their jobs. Jane Thompson split from her boyfriend of only three weeks, "because I felt smothered by him". One morning soon after, when she arrived at work, a colleague asked her if she had emailed her from home over the weekend. It turned out that her ex-boyfriend had sent Thompson's colleague "a folder with about 10 photos of us both having sex", she says, "and at that moment I wanted to die."

Thompson's ex had used a method common to cyber-stalkers - tracing their victim's email address and sending messages from that address containing offensive, pornographic and even libellous material.

According to research by an expert on stalking, Dr Lorraine Sheridan of Leicester University, half of all victims are now harassed via the internet. And despite the image of the stalker as a creepy loner, there is a growing online community to help and support the cyber-stalker's efforts. So-called "revenge" websites, such as Avengers Den and Get Revenge on Your Ex, are becoming more popular, says Sheridan.

I spent an hour surfing such sites and what I found was profoundly disturbing. One site advertised itself as being able to assist those wishing to experience "the pure, unadulterated satisfaction you get from totally crushing your ex's self-esteem and annihilating their reputation". Another offered a service called "fake SMS", where a message can be sent "to your ex" which appears to come from someone else. One satisfied customer wrote that, "I sent the bitch a message saying she is a dirty slut (etc etc) and made it come from her mum's boyfriend!!!"

One man had sent his ex a text message saying, "I know I said you were the best sex ever, but I lied - it was the drugs talking and I needed them to fuck you", and programmed it to repeat on the hour, as well as play down her phone answering service on her landline.

These sites are not specifically targeted at men wanting to exact revenge on women (there are women who post on such sites, often describing how they sent advertisements for Viagra, or penile enlargement operations) and there are no figures to give a breakdown on the gender of users. But trawling through them, the majority of those leaving posts seem to be men.

"Whether the stalker harasses his victim by letter, in person or by email is irrelevant," says Brown. "But victims of cyber-stalking have often told me they get terrified of the 'invisible' stalker who is hiding in cyberspace, because he could be anyone and everywhere."

One woman who responded to a request I posted on an anti-stalking website told me that her ex-husband posted her name and address on a website used to meet sexual partners, posing as her, and offering "group sex with her". "It was really scary," she tells me in an email, "because when I read the posting it said I like to act out rape fantasies, so men in twos and threes should break into the house, have sex with me and ignore my screams of terror, as that is all part of the game."

The good news is that cyber-stalkers are more likely to be caught than others, because there is usually a trail of evidence from computers and mobile phones. However, stalkers are usually determined, and often put time and effort into becoming technical experts.

"I had no idea that what he was doing was illegal," says Green. "The police need to make it clear, and get the message out to women that sending malicious communications - whether by hand, post or computer - is a crime."

The effects on victims of stalking do not go away when the stalker finally does. "It will take me years to get over what he did and to feel safe again," says Allison. "I just wish something had been done to stop him before he almost ruined my life"

· Some names have been changed.



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1:41 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Shakespeare homepage | Hamlet | Act 1, Scene 1
Next scene
SCENE I. Elsinore. A platform before the castle.

FRANCISCO at his post. Enter to him BERNARDO
BERNARDO
Who's there?
FRANCISCO
Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.
BERNARDO
Long live the king!
FRANCISCO
Bernardo?
BERNARDO
He.
FRANCISCO
You come most carefully upon your hour.
BERNARDO
'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco.
FRANCISCO
For this relief much thanks: 'tis bitter cold,
And I am sick at heart.
BERNARDO
Have you had quiet guard?
FRANCISCO
Not a mouse stirring.
BERNARDO
Well, good night.
If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,
The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.
FRANCISCO
I think I hear them. Stand, ho! Who's there?
Enter HORATIO and MARCELLUS

HORATIO
Friends to this ground.
MARCELLUS
And liegemen to the Dane.
FRANCISCO
Give you good night.
MARCELLUS
O, farewell, honest soldier:
Who hath relieved you?
FRANCISCO
Bernardo has my place.
Give you good night.
Exit

MARCELLUS
Holla! Bernardo!
BERNARDO
Say,
What, is Horatio there?
HORATIO
A piece of him.
BERNARDO
Welcome, Horatio: welcome, good Marcellus.
MARCELLUS
What, has this thing appear'd again to-night?
BERNARDO
I have seen nothing.
MARCELLUS
Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy,
And will not let belief take hold of him
Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us:
Therefore I have entreated him along
With us to watch the minutes of this night;
That if again this apparition come,
He may approve our eyes and speak to it.
HORATIO
Tush, tush, 'twill not appear.
BERNARDO
Sit down awhile;
And let us once again assail your ears,
That are so fortified against our story
What we have two nights seen.
HORATIO
Well, sit we down,
And let us hear Bernardo speak of this.
BERNARDO
Last night of all,
When yond same star that's westward from the pole
Had made his course to illume that part of heaven
Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,
The bell then beating one,--
Enter Ghost

MARCELLUS
Peace, break thee off; look, where it comes again!
BERNARDO
In the same figure, like the king that's dead.
MARCELLUS
Thou art a scholar; speak to it, Horatio.
BERNARDO
Looks it not like the king? mark it, Horatio.
HORATIO
Most like: it harrows me with fear and wonder.
BERNARDO
It would be spoke to.
MARCELLUS
Question it, Horatio.
HORATIO
What art thou that usurp'st this time of night,
Together with that fair and warlike form
In which the majesty of buried Denmark
Did sometimes march? by heaven I charge thee, speak!
MARCELLUS
It is offended.
BERNARDO
See, it stalks away!
HORATIO
Stay! speak, speak! I charge thee, speak!
Exit Ghost

MARCELLUS
'Tis gone, and will not answer.
BERNARDO
How now, Horatio! you tremble and look pale:
Is not this something more than fantasy?
What think you on't?
HORATIO
Before my God, I might not this believe
Without the sensible and true avouch
Of mine own eyes.
MARCELLUS
Is it not like the king?
HORATIO
As thou art to thyself:
Such was the very armour he had on
When he the ambitious Norway combated;
So frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle,
He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice.
'Tis strange.
MARCELLUS
Thus twice before, and jump at this dead hour,
With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch.
HORATIO
In what particular thought to work I know not;
But in the gross and scope of my opinion,
This bodes some strange eruption to our state.
MARCELLUS
Good now, sit down, and tell me, he that knows,
Why this same strict and most observant watch
So nightly toils the subject of the land,
And why such daily cast of brazen cannon,
And foreign mart for implements of war;
Why such impress of shipwrights, whose sore task
Does not divide the Sunday from the week;
What might be toward, that this sweaty haste
Doth make the night joint-labourer with the day:
Who is't that can inform me?
HORATIO
That can I;
At least, the whisper goes so. Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride,
Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet--
For so this side of our known world esteem'd him--
Did slay this Fortinbras; who by a seal'd compact,
Well ratified by law and heraldry,
Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands
Which he stood seized of, to the conqueror:
Against the which, a moiety competent
Was gaged by our king; which had return'd
To the inheritance of Fortinbras,
Had he been vanquisher; as, by the same covenant,
And carriage of the article design'd,
His fell to Hamlet. Now, sir, young Fortinbras,
Of unimproved mettle hot and full,
Hath in the skirts of Norway here and there
Shark'd up a list of lawless resolutes,
For food and diet, to some enterprise
That hath a stomach in't; which is no other--
As it doth well appear unto our state--
But to recover of us, by strong hand
And terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands
So by his father lost: and this, I take it,
Is the main motive of our preparations,
The source of this our watch and the chief head
Of this post-haste and romage in the land.
BERNARDO
I think it be no other but e'en so:
Well may it sort that this portentous figure
Comes armed through our watch; so like the king
That was and is the question of these wars.
HORATIO
A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye.
In the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets:
As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood,
Disasters in the sun; and the moist star
Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands
Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse:
And even the like precurse of fierce events,
As harbingers preceding still the fates
And prologue to the omen coming on,
Have heaven and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and countrymen.--
But soft, behold! lo, where it comes again!
Re-enter Ghost

I'll cross it, though it blast me. Stay, illusion!
If thou hast any sound, or use of voice,
Speak to me:
If there be any good thing to be done,
That may to thee do ease and grace to me,
Speak to me:
Cock crows

If thou art privy to thy country's fate,
Which, happily, foreknowing may avoid, O, speak!
Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,
For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death,
Speak of it: stay, and speak! Stop it, Marcellus.
MARCELLUS
Shall I strike at it with my partisan?
HORATIO
Do, if it will not stand.
BERNARDO
'Tis here!
HORATIO
'Tis here!
MARCELLUS
'Tis gone!
Exit Ghost

We do it wrong, being so majestical,
To offer it the show of violence;
For it is, as the air, invulnerable,
And our vain blows malicious mockery.
BERNARDO
It was about to speak, when the cock crew.
HORATIO
And then it started like a guilty thing
Upon a fearful summons. I have heard,
The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat
Awake the god of day; and, at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
The extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine: and of the truth herein
This present object made probation.
MARCELLUS
It faded on the crowing of the cock.
Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long:
And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad;
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallow'd and so gracious is the time.
HORATIO
So have I heard and do in part believe it.
But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad,
Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastward hill:
Break we our watch up; and by my advice,
Let us impart what we have seen to-night
Unto young Hamlet; for, upon my life,
This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him.
Do you consent we shall acquaint him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?
MARCELLUS
Let's do't, I pray; and I this morning know
Where we shall find him most conveniently.
Exeunt

Shakespeare homepage | Hamlet | Act 1, Scene 1
Next scene

1:44 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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8:53 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

Web www.expertlaw.com

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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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8:53 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

Web www.expertlaw.com

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Legal Help > Criminal Law > Criminal Charges > Crimes Against Justice
Filing a False Police Report
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Crimes Against Justice Offenses which interfere with the justice system, including perjury, flight from justice, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
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[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
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8:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For those millions of you who enjoyed Big Red in life, loath tom cruise and ESPECIALLY hate Paul Barresi check out:

http://paulbarresipsychoasswipe.blogspot.com/2008/06/paul-barresi-is-psycho-ass-wipe.html

Also give mr. barresi a ring on his cell phone: 818: 355-7937

Funny how per his own writing barresi calls red hot, young stud of 25 or so and now he is too homely to cast -- barresi thinks hman beings are disposable and on the planed for his use and concenience - - STOP THIS MAD-Beast of an excuse of a man!

9:08 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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8:53 PM

5:44 AM  
Blogger Jean said...

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
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8:53 PM

5:45 AM  
Blogger Jean said...

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Web www.expertlaw.com

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Filing a False Police Report
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Crimes Against Justice Offenses which interfere with the justice system, including perjury, flight from justice, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
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You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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8:53 PM

5:45 AM  
Blogger Jean said...

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Paul Barresi said...
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#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



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Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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8:53 PM

5:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually nothing derogatory about Barresi here or elsewhere on the web is false! The idiot cannot even spell, "surname"!!!!
KRAZY BARRESI must be stopped - for all that hate him, his abuse and his harassment please blog on:
http://paulbarresipsychoasswipe.blogspot.com/

12:33 PM  
Blogger Mrs, J. Barresi said...

Dear Concerned Readers:
Paul is having lots of problems yet I love him and stand by him. Yes he hits me and he cheats on me all the time with men, women and animals. girls love him and so do boys case he is a sweet daddy at first (I was twelve and he was 40 when we started going out and it was a dream!) I realize Paul is hotstuff and I cannot expect to have him for myself. I do deserve the blackeyes and occaisional stitches due to his temper. He is over all a good guy who gives beautifl young men to make a real 300-500 dollars for penetrating eand ejaculating each other on camera! This is soooooooooo generous as out beemer is a couple of years old now an d Pal only clears abot 60 K per shoot. And you know how italians like to drink. To keep him hot in the bedroom,I replace his paxil with sugar candy and his trazadone with diet pills. He is a good man who likes to be tough and fuck his lover with the barrel of his m13 a2! it is hot and after all his dick has already been every where else. Please stop bothering him so he can focus on his work and get porno back into mainstream cinema. This wold be an incredible service to the world. He is working on getting Tom Cruise and Hugh Jackman to do a hot nde gay scene together and then they are both going to go down on my hubby paul! hot!
Yours truly, Jeanetta B.

9:34 AM  
Blogger Paul Barresi said...

subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Filing a False Police Report
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Crimes Against Justice Offenses which interfere with the justice system, including perjury, flight from justice, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


ExpertLaw - Archive - Law Articles - Articles Index - About ExpertLaw - Terms of Use - Site Map - Contact Us - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
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8:53 PM
5:45 AM
Paul Barresi said...
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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8:53 PM
Paul Barresi said...
Web www.expertlaw.com

Home
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Legal Help > Criminal Law > Criminal Charges > Crimes Against Justice
Filing a False Police Report
User Name Remember Me?
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Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts Search

Crimes Against Justice Offenses which interfere with the justice system, including perjury, flight from justice, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

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You may not post new threads
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BB code is On
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[IMG] code is On
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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
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8:53 PM
5:45 AM

5:58 PM  
Blogger Paul Barresi said...

subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 2004 - 2007 ExpertLaw.com, All Rights Reserved
8:53 PM
Paul Barresi said...
Web www.expertlaw.com

Home
Legal Articles
Expert Witnesses
Investigators
Litigation Support
Links
Lawyers
Law Forums
ExpertLaw Forum - Help With Your Legal Questions

Legal Help > Criminal Law > Criminal Charges > Crimes Against Justice
Filing a False Police Report
User Name Remember Me?
Password
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts Search

Crimes Against Justice Offenses which interfere with the justice system, including perjury, flight from justice, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

Forum Sponsor
Criminal Defense Attorney
Protect your freedom. Consult a criminal defense lawyer for free.



Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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8:53 PM
5:45 AM
Paul Barresi said...
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

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Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



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Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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5:59 PM  
Blogger Paul Barresi said...

subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Crimes Against Justice Offenses which interfere with the justice system, including perjury, flight from justice, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

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#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



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Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
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8:53 PM
5:45 AM
Paul Barresi said...
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:27 PM.


Information provided in the forum is not intended to substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to professional legal advice. If you submit a question or comment it is assumed that you are interested in soliciting, receiving or giving general information and not legal advice. Laws vary by state, and the laws described in this forum may be different in your state or may have been changed since the information was posted. The legal help offered in this forum comes from volunteers who may not have any formal legal training or knowledge, and all information should be confirmed with a qualified legal professional. All information is made available on an "as is" basis. You should accept legal advice only from a licensed legal professional with whom you have an attorney-client relationship. Use of this forum is subject to the ExpertLaw terms of use.


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8:53 PM
Paul Barresi said...
Web www.expertlaw.com

Home
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Legal Help > Criminal Law > Criminal Charges > Crimes Against Justice
Filing a False Police Report
User Name Remember Me?
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Crimes Against Justice Offenses which interfere with the justice system, including perjury, flight from justice, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

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Thread Tools Display Modes
#1
03-18-2006, 06:26 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Filing a False Police Report
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested? if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?

2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes
What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?

Thanks.

#2
03-18-2006, 01:16 PM
aaron
Administrator

Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 22,769
Re: Filing a False Police Report
Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
1. Is it a crime to file a false police report or complaint? If so will the person be arrested?
If the police and prosecutor choose to pursue the matter, the person could be charged with a crime.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
if so
a. What type of crime is it (i.e. misdemeanor, felony, etc)?
B. For a 1st time offender usually what is the punishment (i.e. fine, community service, etc.)?
New York has three different statutes for filing false police reports, Penal Code Sections 240.50, 240.55, and 240.60. The penalty can be a misdemeanor or felony.

Quote:
Quoting MercedezBlue
2. Once it is deemed that the report/complaint was false can the victim sue (in civil court) the person who made the complaint? If yes What would be the basis (i.e. libel, slander, etc)?
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?

#3
03-22-2006, 06:51 AM
MercedezBlue
Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 20
Re: Filing a False Police Report
What happened as a result of the police report? Was somebody wrongfully arrested or prosecuted?


Ok to answer your question so you can hopefully answer mine here is the short history: The boss of my company filed a complaint saying I stole & forged a check. Despite me swearing I didn't steal or forge anything the detective didn't believe me. I was charged. I spoke to a lawyer who said my defense would cost 3k for him and 3k for his handwriting expert since the DA won't pay for one because the amount was so little ($692.00). Knowing I didn’t have that kind of money I went online looked up my own expert who charged me $200 and wrote a report stating in his expert opinion the check was not forged and in fact was signed by my boss so the DA dropped all the charges. I feel she should pay me not only that check (for services I preformed for her as an independent contractor) but the bank fees I was charged after she said I stole the check and forged it (the funds were reversed out of my account putting me in the negative) as well as the fee for the expert.

#4
03-22-2006, 12:12 PM
Mr. Knowitall
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: California
Posts: 19,304

Those facts may support an action for defamation, and possibly for intentional infliction of emotional distress (although it is typically very hard to satisfy the elements of that particular cause of action).

Sponsored Links



« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

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You may not post new threads
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Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Police Report Filed Against Me riverten Defamation, Slander And Libel 5 02-15-2007 07:54 PM
Filing False Police Report w/affidavit jjackson243 Crimes Against Justice 1 10-09-2006 12:32 PM
Drug addict charged with filing a false police report cypress Crimes Against Justice 2 08-26-2006 09:05 AM
False police report golightly Assault, Battery And Domestic Violence 17 08-13-2006 05:03 PM


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8:53 PM
5:45 AM

5:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is in EVERYONE's best interest that this blog be edited and cleaned up -- we fully spport Mr. Nitrini's right to freedom of speech but the crazy repetitive nonsense and mutual insults of people not involved with Nitrina ought to be removed -- THANK YOU!

9:05 PM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

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11:46 PM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

Here's a book about me 2:

http://books.google.com/books?id=RtrMOtuG3IUC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=Steven+McCarthy+aka:+Madam+Dish&source=web&ots=WGllTv59dM&sig=Ych6x0dtKILm9N22pB0fKKgrNQs&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA117,M1

11:47 PM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

and Furthermore:

East L.A. Gays Overjoyed

Eastern Group Publications, News Feature, Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou, Posted: Jun 22, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- Some couples just want a modest wedding ceremony.

But it seemed many couples were not likely to get their wish this past Tuesday, which marked the first day same-sex marriage licenses were issued by the county, after the state Supreme Court called the ban on gay marriages unconstitutional.

Larger than normal crowds were expected at the county clerk’s office. But couples who applied for licenses or exchanged vows at the East Los Angeles county clerk’s office had the place mostly to themselves.

The East Los Angeles location gave out over 100 marriage licenses and conducted just 15 ceremonies.

So lines there were short compared to those at the main Norwalk office and West Hollywood branch, which topped all other branches with 204 licenses and 114 ceremonies.

The county processed 648 marriage licenses and 279 marriages in all, while the usual average in the month of June is 194 per day, according to Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan.

But even though couples at the East Los Angeles location avoided the fanfare, their ceremonies were no less historic for it.

Couples involved in committed relationships for decades marveled in disbelief that they were finally legally married.

Youthful newlyweds could barely contain their giddiness and excitement about their future.

Lourdes Ninette Aguilar, County Supervisor of the Birth, Death and Marriage Section, presided over East Los Angeles’ first same-sex marriages — a gay male couple and a lesbian couple.

Lyn Parks and Steven McCarthy was the first couple. They had their commitment ceremony 23 years ago. They chose to hold their marriage ceremony at the East Los Angeles branch because they felt the area’s diversity represented Los Angeles.

“This is the heart of Los Angeles,” McCarthy said.

They also chose the branch because Aguilar seemed like she was very receptive to same-sex marriages.

During Parks and McCarthy’s vow exchange, tears welled up in Aguilar’s eyes, prompting one party to stop and ask if she was alright.

“I’ve been doing this forever,” says supervisor Aguilar. “It’s become routine… but it was emotional. They’re wonderful couples.”

She married long-time lesbian couple Miki Jackson and Cate Uccel, friends of Parks and McCarthy, immediately afterwards.

“We’ve been together for 25 years. It’s the icing on the cake.” Jackson said. “After 25 years, you’ve pretty much figured it out.”

She sees marriage a way for her and Uccel to attain equal rights and protections.

Even though domestic partnerships in California afford many of the same privileges given to married couples, Jackson says they lose out on inheritances, health benefits at work, and some medical rights.

“It takes us one step closer to being able to take care of our families,” Jackson says. “If someone becomes ill, society will be more accepting of the spouse being there at the hospital bed.”

She says domestic partnership couples have to struggle to assert their rights and get recognized as an official couple. Wills by domestic partners need to be airtight she says. “When one person dies I’ve seen the family seize everything,” she says.

While some couples looked to protect the lives they’ve built up over many years, others sought a rite of passage into the next step in their life as a couple.

Twenty-seven year-old Elizabeth Balbaneda is in a domestic partnership with her girlfriend Nohemi Martinez, but she experienced firsthand the limits of their status when one of her heterosexual friends got married.

“You get a different reaction. You get happiness. You get excitement,” Balbaneda says.
“I been living vicariously through her,” she says.

Baldenedo says married couples get the kind of recognition that domestic couples don’t get. They treat you as a serious couple, she says.

For Martinez, marriage serves to validate her feelings for Baldenedo in the eyes of others.

“It’s something I want to defend,” she says. “To have someone outside of my life tell me I’m not right… nobody should tell you what to feel and how to love. It is an intrusion. I’ll stand up for that.”
Balbaneda and Martinez had only planned to get their marriage license that day, but the county clerk staff told them there was room for them to hold the ceremony, which is normally only by appointment.

Balbaneda said she was just going to “be cool.” But to her surprise, upon sealing their marriage, Balbaneda leaped up and began giggling and crying simultaneously.

“There are few things in life where you don’t know whether to laugh or cry, and this is one of them,” she said.

Related Articles:

Editorial: First Day of Gay Weddings in California

Families Celebrate Latino Gay Pride

Be Gay, Be Anything You Want – Just Not Single



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11:48 PM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE - some guy got his start in my play when I needed to replace a "certain quelque'un" who went to Rehab:

FilmPosted: Tue., Sep. 17, 1996Strip
By JULIO MARTINEZRead other reviews about this film

Powered By Strip (Bare-ly Legal) (Globe Playhouse, West Hollywood; 99 seats; $ 20 top) Madame Dish Prods. Inc. presents a play in one act, created by Steven J. McCarthy (aka Madame Dish) with Miki Jackson, Lyndel S. Parks & the Original Co. Directed by McCarthy and Parks. Executive producer, Jackson. Choreography, Euri; original music, Alex Verden; scenic/technical design, Lyndel S. Parks; costume design, Shon LeBlanc. Opened, reviewed Sept. 13, 1996; runs through Nov. 2. Running time: 75 min. Cast: Madame Dish (Ms. Kitty), Michael Ellis (Mr. Mephistopheles), Jamie St. Anthony (David Weinstock), Nick Salamone (Dr. Todd Richards), Bob Prest (Uncle Mortie), Penny Peyrot (Felicia), Thomas J. Potter (Matt), Eddie Shapiro (Lawrence Weinstock), Bethany Carpenter (Zelda Weinstock). Tomcats: Euri (Julio), Kevin Kramer (Golden Boy), Kris Anderson (Jimmy Bob), Joe Elvis Alway (Beau), Bo Stallion (Zeus), Fabricio Gamboa (Precious). Somewhere in and around 75 minutes of practically nonstop male stripping, there is an illusion of a play being presented in the environmental comedy "Strip." But the characters in the "drama" portion of the evening merely offer intermittent accents to the real show, as nine men take their turns dressing down completely to their bare essentials, all under the guidance of "dominatrix of ceremonies" Miss Kitty ( Steven J. McCarthy, aka Miss Dish) and her assistant, Mr. Mephistopheles (Michael Ellis). Audience and cast members intermingle as all are invited into the infamous Cat Club for an evening of adult entertainment provided by Miss Kitty and her Tomcat dancer-stripper ensemble. Special guests of the evening are Dr. Todd (Nick Salamone) and his significant other, David Weinstock (Jamie St. Anthony), who are celebrating 18 years of co-habitational bliss. Party guests include David's ex-wife Felicia (Penny Peyrot), their 18 -year-old son Lawrence (Eddie Shapiro), Felicia's lover Matt (Thomas J. Potter), David's mother, Zelda (Bethany Carpenter), and family friend Uncle Mortie (Bob Prest). There is absolutely no character or plot development involved as the guests sit there and enjoy the show, while interacting in character with various audience members. St. Anthony and Salamone are a very relaxed couple as they luxuriate in the attention being paid them by the jockstrap-wielding dancers. Peyrot attempts some interplay with Potter and the dancers, but it is lost in the din of activity surrounding her. A major distraction is the unintelligible, improvised dialogue of Carpenter as David's sexually charged mother, which is never in synch with the onstage activity. McCarthy offers a properly sultry persona as Miss Kitty, who prefers gentle persuasion in her relationships with her dancers, despite the presence of her many-thonged lash. She handles her chanteuse duties well, purring out such original ditties as "Sweet Fornication" and "I Want to Hurt You So Bad." Michael Ellis is amusingly stoic as the always helpful Mr. Mephistopheles. The Tomcats, performing to Alex Verden's rhythm-heavy pre-recorded music, display varying abilities as dancers with choreographer-dancer Euri keeping the steps pretty basic. The main motivation is to get down to the final piece of minuscule apparel as soon as possible; once that is discarded, the number is over. Shon La Blonc's break-away costumes offer no hindrance to the dancers' activities. This production is a fundraising source for Aunt Bee's Free Laundry & Housekeeping Service, which is the only agency in Los Angeles County that does household laundry free of charge for people who have AIDS. Julio Martinez )






Variety is striving to present the most thorough review database. To report inaccuracies in review credits, please click here. We do not currently list below-the-line credits, although we hope to include them in the future. Please note we may not respond to every suggestion. Your assistance is appreciated.

More than one option(Person) Michael Ellis
Screenplay, Consulting Producer
(Person) Michael Ellis
Sound Editor, Editor, Assistant Editor
(Person) Michael Ellis
Assistant Director, Production, Production Assistant
(Person) Michael Ellis
Main Title Design, Rerecording, Visual Effects
(Person) Michael Ellis
Consultant
(Person) Michael Ellis
Actor
(Person) Michael Ellis
CinematographerMore than one option(Person) Madame Dish
(Person) Steven J McCarthy
More than one option(Person) Kevin Kramer
Assistant Production Coordinator, Actor
(Person) Kevin Kramer
LoggerDate in print: Tue., Sep. 17, 1996, Links posted in this story:David Weinstock, Eddie Shapiro, Julio Martinez, Kris Anderson, Nick Salamone, Shon LeBlanc, Strip, Thomas J, Todd Richards

12:01 AM  
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3:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A Journey of Faith:
Trapped in the Land of Lehi on 9/11
by Peter Johnson, Director



"...we are watching the murderous acts of terrorists against
America. They’re probably from the Middle-East and we are
sitting here in the middle of Yemen."

It had been a long and intense day of filming. A glaring hot sun sent the camera crew searching for the right filters. An incessant wind blew dust and sand all over the equipment and swirled it into our faces. And a group of angry French tourists kept trying to ruin the shot with their boisterous heckling because they weren’t permitted to enter the compound—the recently discovered fabulous temple of the Queen of Sheba. Still, we got some great footage, and to a film maker, the dust, the sweat, the public relations efforts, the lack of sleep all seem a small price to pay when the footage is “spectacular.”

But our excitement ended suddenly when we reached our hotel and someone cried, “Something horrible has happened. Turn on CNN.”

My small documentary film crew sat transfixed in front of the television in one of our hotel rooms and watched the shocking events of 9/ll unfold in their horrific, graphic detail. After some time of riveted, breathless attention, I quietly said, “Well, we are watching the murderous acts of terrorists against America. They’re probably from the Middle-East and we are sitting here in the middle of Yemen. What are your feelings as to what we should do?”

Another cruel act of terrorism
We were deep in the Arabian desert, a very long way from Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, and a sudden sense of vulnerability and apprehension filled the crew. We were starkly reminded of our aborted attempt to film here almost a year earlier because of the bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni harbor of Aden. Another cruel, deadly act of terrorism. We were literally going to buy the flight tickets on the day the USS Cole was bombed, but now a year later, we had been thrilled to actually be filming in the land crossed by Lehi and his family as they made their epic journey to their promised land.

I was honored to be with this crew of top LDS filmmakers and scholars. My respect for the wisdom, credibility, and knowledge of our scholars was enormous.

Our documentary on Lehi’s journey was being produced for FARMS (Foundation of Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at BYU). For some time I had been enamored with the stunning discoveries that FARMS scholars had made in their pursuit of greater truth and understanding of Lehi’s journey through this region of the old world. Now, to be here and film the very land that had been trod by these great Book of Mormon heroes was a singular experience.

The Birth of the Motion Picture
From the beginning, my excitement for the documentary was consuming. And as I worked on it, a sense of taking this profound information to the “next level” gradually grew to an obvious conclusion. Not only should this scholarly documentary be made, but the grand, epic, dramatic, theatrical motion picture should also be made.

I approached my colleague and Executive Producer for the documentary, Steve DeVore, about producing the longer, dramatic film and he immediately caught the vision. But we committed to each other, that such a film had to have the ring of veracity to it. It had to be true to the text and spirit of Nephi’s account without unnecessary embellishments for dramatic enhancement. The Book of Mormon is so dramatically potent, why would anyone want to fictionalize it anyway? And so we launched into our own epic journey of faith to make both films.

Now, as we traversed and filmed the land crossed by Lehi and his family, we researched, observed, and absorbed each new location with the larger purpose in mind—making a stunning documentary to illuminate with greater understanding the profound research of our scholars, and to be uniquely prepared with firsthand, penetrating knowledge to produce a momentous dramatic motion picture worthy of the noble lives and rich characters found in the sacred text.

A Team of Scholars & Rare Footage
We depended on our great friend Brent Hall, Director of Operations for FARMS, who shepherded our crew through the logistics of being in Yemen. Dr. Kent Brown, Professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU, was our lead expert, and had made arrangements with Dr. Yusuf Abdullah, President of Antiquities, Museums, and Manuscripts for Yemen, and Dr. Abdu Ghaleb, an amazing Yemeni archeologist, to allow our crew to film in places rarely seen by Westerners.

Dr. Arnold Green, Director of the BYU Jerusalem Center, and one of the foremost experts on this part of the world, added his insights and expertise as we filmed and explored this amazing land.

We each tried to absorb the ambience, feel the character of the landscape, and imagine those intrepid travelers crossing a desert so formidable as to almost defy comprehension. Most members of the Church would never have the opportunity to see firsthand the stark and vivid landscape that would require the prophetic direction of Lehi and the unyielding faith of Nephi.

A key site we filmed was the area known as Nahom. Other than Jerusalem, Nahom is the only place that Nephi records as an already existing name. When Ishmael died he was buried at “the place which was called Nahom.” It would have been virtually impossible for Joseph Smith to know that there was a place on the Arabian peninsula known as Nahom.

Mummies from Nahom
Furthermore, this place was a burial ground. Our Yemeni archeologist, Dr. Abdu Ghaleb, discovered mummies buried there which have been dated to around 600 BC. In an interview, Dr. Abdu stated, “This is the land of Nahom. After the discovery of this burial ground, we surveyed the whole area to see how many tombs were in this area, and we found that a the whole area was used as a burial ground. Anybody can be buried within this area starting with 600 BC.”

We filmed these burial mounds, (there are hundreds) and the 600 BC mummies that were found at the site. We had a sense of the emotional anguish and grief the family experienced there.

As Dr. Brown explained, “They’d have buried Ishmael here to great mourning. One of the reasons the people felt to mourn was because he was an Israelite, and to be buried away from his home was something of a loss, but there was no way that his family members could take him back home. They were now 1400 miles south of Jerusalem. They had to keep going”.

From Nahom to Bountiful
Nahom was also a turning point in their journey. Nephi states that after burying Ishmael, they turned Eastward and continued that direction until they reached their “Bountiful.”

We followed that route and explored the land with the sweeping and probing eye of the camera — and the journey visually came to life as we experienced the unrelenting rugged terrain that marked the journey of these courageous travelers. Our empathy for this band of sojourners,—Nephi, Sam, Lehi, Sariah, and the others—was enhanced as we observed the true difficulty of the journey demanding a remarkable test of faith and endurance.

“Given the conditions that we know exist in the deserts of Arabia," observed Dr. Brown, "one cannot blame in a way members of the family who came through here and saw nothing but heat, sand, flies, scorpions.

" This desert crossing was a furnace of affliction. I think that this was the place which tried the souls of people, and proved them, whether they were on the Lord’s side or not.

"Some of the members of the family did fine, they swallowed their pride—proud people from Jerusalem, Israelites, members of God’s people —and they accepted what the Lord offered them and went on. For the others who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, this must have been a horrific trial.

"Yet, for those who would pass the test," concluded Dr. Brown, "God had formed them in his crucible. Had shaped them and molded them so that they were ready to begin another people of God.”

Trapped Near an Al-Qaeda Camp
With smoke billowing across Manhattan from the attack, the first of the Trade Towers collapsed. We stared in disbelief at our primitive hotel television set. We called the American Embassy in Sana’a and were told that we were safer out in the desert (only a few miles from an Al-Qaeda camp) than in the city or at the airport. All flights to the US had been canceled. There were few flights that left Sana’a each week under normal situations. So, saddened as we were, we decided to exercise our own faith and felt a sense of peace to keep filming until arrangements could be made to return home.

As part of our permission to film in Yemen, the government provided us with a military escort—about 20 Yemeni soldiers who were always at the front and rear of our “caravan” of Landcruisers. The rear vehicle was a military truck fitted with a 50 caliber machine gun.

Genuine Sorrow
We had an early call the next morning after the terrorist attack, and as I approached our vehicles, I noticed many of the drivers and soldiers were somber and would hardly to look at me. I went to the commander of the soldiers who expressed through his very limited English how sorry they all felt. With tear moistened eyes, he said they were embarrassed and very sad for us.

I expressed to him my genuine feelings of affection for the Yemeni people and told him that, even though this horrible act of terror had been done, we were glad for our friends in his country. He seemed relieved and moved by that, and from then on we experienced an increase of kindness and consideration from our escorts.

Later that day, as we stopped to rest from many hours of traveling across the forbidding sand dune desert of the great Arabian “empty quarter,” I marveled that as far as I could see in all directions, there was nothing but sand dunes. Some of them rose hundreds of feet. Bedouin guides had led us across this hot and threatening desert for we were not on any road.

Appreciation for the Liahona
As I pondered Lehi and his small family caravan, I had renewed appreciation for the necessity of the Liahona. One would not last long wandering in this environment without knowing where water and food could be obtained. In his mercy, God provided them with the critical “compass” to guide them and make their survival possible.

Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly felt a hand grasp mine. I looked over to see one of our young Bedouin guides smiling at me. He then took a ring off his finger and held it out for me to inspect. I admired it and handed it back to him but he refused to take it. No matter how I tried to give it back, he insisted that I keep it. Neither of us spoke the other’s language and I was deeply touched by his own attempt to reach out to me and offer some sympathetic gesture.

Our journey to film the land of Lehi’s journey would have been a thrilling once-in-a-lifetime adventure without the added dimension of being caught in a land positioned too closely to terrorist activity. But that unexpected world event caused me to reflect all the more on the mercy of God toward his children on earth.

Soon after Lehi’s exodus, Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed by the Babylonians. It was because of his concern, faith, and obedience that Lehi saved his family from death or captivity even though their journey to a promised land put them through an excruciatingly difficult test.

Soul Searching Journey of Faith
Every film maker knows that to make a film, whether documentary or theatrical, a soul searching and often challenging journey of faith must also be made—developing and writing a terrific screenplay, meticulously researching the financial and distribution feasibility, preparing the prospectus and obtaining the financing—and THEN the work really begins.

But I am happy that a year after that singular experience in Yemen, we have a completed screenplay for the dramatic theatrical film, the documentary is moving along well with more filming planned, and financing the film is well under way.

A committed staff of top professionals are putting their best efforts to prepare and guide "A Voice from the Dust: Journey to the Promised Land" to its eventual completion and look forward to sharing our vision with an audience that we know is as passionate about the subject as we are.

MORMONSTUFF u Know

3:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Donny Osmond
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Donny Osmond


Background information
Birth name Donald Clark Osmond
Born December 9, 1957 (1957-12-09) (age 50)
Origin Ogden, Utah, USA
Genre(s) Vocal, Pop, Rock, Comedy, Musical Theatre
Occupation(s) Singer, Musician, Actor, Radio and TV Presenter, Former Teen idol
Years active 1961 – present
Associated acts Marie Osmond, The Osmonds
Website Donny.com
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, musician, actor and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk show and game show host, record producer, race car driver, and author. He is known for being half of the brother-sister singing act Donny & Marie and a member of the "Osmond Brothers" singing group.

Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Career
1.3 Personal life
2 Discography (solo, unless otherwise stated)
2.1 Charted singles
3 References
4 External links



[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life
Osmond was born in Ogden, Utah, the son of Olive May Osmond (née Davis) and George Virl Osmond. He is the brother of Alan, Jay, Jimmy, Merrill, Wayne, Marie, Tom, and Virl Osmond. Alan, Jay, Merrill, Wayne, and Donny were members of the popular singing group The Osmonds (also known as The Osmond Brothers). Osmond later traced his family ancestry back to Merthyr Tydfil in Wales; his journey was documented in a BBC Wales program, Donny Osmond Coming Home.[1] On the BBC One Show with Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley (usually Myleene Klass), a plaque was unveiled in the town saying roughly: ' This plaque commemorates the ancestors of Donny Osmond'.


[edit] Career
After seeing the Osmond Brothers (Alan, Wayne, Merrill & Jay) perform at Disneyland as a barbershop quartet, Andy Williams asked the boys to audition for The Andy Williams Show. They soon became regulars on the show and gained popularity quickly. Donny made his debut on the show at the age of 4 singing "You Are My Sunshine". The brothers continued to perform on the show throughout the 60's along with their brother Jimmy and sister Marie.

Donny then became a teen idol in the early 1970s as a solo singer, in addition to performing with his older brothers. He and David Cassidy were easily the biggest "Cover Boy" pop stars for Tiger Beat magazine in the early 70's. He had his first solo hit with "Sweet and Innocent," which peaked at #7 in the U.S. in 1971. His solo songs "Go Away Little Girl" (1971) (#1 in the U.S.), "Puppy Love" (U.S. #3), and "Hey Girl/I Knew You When" (U.S. #9) (1972) vaulted him into international fame. The fame was further advanced by his appearance on the "Here's Lucy" show, where he sang "Too Young" to Lucille Ball's niece played by Eve Plumb.

In the mid '70s, he teamed up with his younger sister, Marie. After being seen co-hosting an episode of the "Mike Douglas Show", Donny & Marie were offered a show of their own, "The Donny & Marie Show." The duo recorded several albums together prior to and while starring in their own television variety series which aired on ABC between 1976 and 1979.

His first foray into Broadway musical theatre, playing the title role in Little Johnny Jones in a Broadway revival, ended in dismal failure with the production opening and closing on the same night in March 1982.

Osmond had to work to re-invent himself as a solo artist and get away from a "goodie two shoes" image created by the T.V. series. He made an unlikely appearance as one of several celebrities and unknowns auditioning to sing for guitarist Jeff Beck in the video for Beck's 1985 single "Ambitious." He spent several years as a performer, before collaborating with Peter Gabriel and returning to the US charts in 1989 with the song "Soldier Of Love" and its follow-up "Sacred Emotion". The campaign to market "Soldier Of Love" received considerable airplay with the singer being presented as a 'mystery artist', before his identity was later revealed.[2]

Donny was often reluctant to perform his earliest songs, in particular "Go Away Little Girl", but was convinced to sing the song live for KLOS-FM's 'Mark & Brian Christmas Show' on December 21, 1990.

Osmond found success in musical theater through much of the 1990s when he starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for over 2,000 performances. During this period, he suffered from Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder. Social Anxiety Disorder is a mental illness that affects how a person interacts with other people. In Donny's case he felt light-headed and extremely nervous during his performances.[3]

Donny was the guest vocalist on Dweezil Zappa's star-studded version of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" which appeared on Dweezil's 1991 album 'Confessions'. The song also included guitar solos from Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, Warren DeMartini, Nuno Bettencourt and Tim Pierce.

Donny co-hosted a talk show with his sister, in 1998, also called Donny And Marie. The show ran for two seasons, and marked the first time the brother and sister had professionally been together in twenty years. Though ratings were high and they were nominated for an award as best talk show, the series was canceled. One of the 1999 episodes of the show, featuring Jefferson Starship promoting their album Windows Of Heaven, has since become a classic among Starship fans, with Donny and Marie performing Volunteers live with Jefferson Starship.

Donny went on to host Pyramid in two countries -- a syndicated television game show that ran two seasons in the US, from 2002 - 04, and a British version of Pyramid on Challenge in 2007.

Within the past few years, he has released a Christmas album, an album of his favorite Broadway songs, and a compilation of popular love songs; his voice can also be heard in the Disney animated film Mulan, in which he sings "I'll Make A Man Out Of You". In 2004, Donny returned to the UK Top 10 for the first time as a solo artist since 1973, with the George Benson-sampling "Breeze On By," co-written with former teen idol Gary Barlow, from the 1990s UK boy band Take That, reaching number 8. In the animated television series Johnny Bravo, Osmond voiced himself as a recurring character. He has also done guest spots on numerous other television shows such as "Friends" and "Diagnosis Murder".

Donny can be seen dancing in the music video of "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "White & Nerdy". The song is a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'", and is on Yankovic's 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood. In the video, Osmond's role is analogous to that of Krayzie Bone's role in Chamillionaire's "Ridin'". Weird Al asked Donny to appear because he was the 'whitest guy' he could think of.[4]

He returned to Broadway on September 19, 2006, in the role of Gaston in Disney's Beauty And The Beast. He was scheduled to perform for nine weeks but due to popular demand he extended his run through December 24th. Liz Smith, of the New York Post wrote "I am here to tell you he is charmingly campy, good-looking and grand as the villain "Gaston," patterned after our old friend Elvis and noting "Donny is divine". On July 29, 2007, Osmond played Gaston again for the final performance of Beauty And The Beast'.[5]

Donny and Marie were part of a Pepsi Twist commercial in 2006 with the Osbournes (Ozzy Osbourne and family).

Osmond returned to ABC as host of The Great American Dream Vote, a prime-time reality/game show that debuted in March, 2007. The return would prove short-lived; after earning lackluster ratings in its first two episodes, the program was canceled.[6]

Osmond hosts the British version of the game show Identity on BBC Two during the daytime. On March 5, 2008, it was announced that Osmond's temporary position as co-host of The Insider has been made permanent, replacing Pat O'Brien.[7]

Osmond remarked in an interview recently that with his movie appearance on College Road Trip and upcoming appearances on two Disney Channel shows he would coming about full circle since he and his family were discovered by Walt Disney.

Donny and Marie are slated to be the new permanent act at the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas, NV.

Osmond appeared in the North American version commercial for the Playstation 2 video game, Buzz! the Mega Quiz.


[edit] Personal life
Osmond married Debra Glenn on May 8, 1978 at the LDS Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Together they have five sons: Donald Clark Osmond Jr. (b. July 31, 1979), Jeremy James Osmond (b. June 8, 1981), Brandon Michael Osmond (b. January 29, 1985), Christopher Glenn Osmond (b. December 12, 1990) and Joshua Davis Osmond (b. February 16, 1998)

Donny Osmond became a first-time grandfather on August 21, 2005, when his second son Jeremy and his wife Melisa had Dylan Osmond. Donny and his family welcomed a granddaughter, Emery, on February 25, 2008. This is the first girl born into Donny's immediate family, as he is father to five boys.

Osmond, like the rest of his family, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He received some criticism from members for not serving a mission as his religion encourages, but most of the furor over this lack of service has died down[citation needed]. In retrospect, he states, "It would have been nice to be able to have served a regular full-time mission, but when I was of that age, my career was such that everyone, including my parents and the leaders of the church, thought that I could do a lot of good in the world by continuing being in the public eye, by living an exemplary life and sharing my beliefs in every way that I could".[8] He continues sharing his beliefs in an extensive letters-and-comments portion of his website.[9]

His mother suffered a stroke on November 13, 2001. She died on May 9, 2004 at age 79 from stroke complications. On November 6, 2007 his father died of natural causes/old age; he was 90.


[edit] Discography (solo, unless otherwise stated)
From Donny With Love (2008)
Love Songs of the 70's (2007)
What I Meant To Say (2004)
Love Songs (Donny & Marie Osmond, 2004)
Osmondmania! The Osmond Family's Greatest Hits (2003)
Ultimate Collection (Osmonds) (2003)
Somewhere In Time (2002)
The Singles (Osmonds, 2002)
The Singles (2002)
The Best Of Donny Osmond: The Millennium Collection (2002)
The Best Of The Osmonds: The Millennium Collection (2002)
The Best Of Donny And Marie: The Millennium Collection (2002)
This Is The Moment (2001)
The All-Time Greatest Hits of the Osmond family (2000)
Four (1997)
Christmas At Home (Donny Osmond, 1997)
The Best Of Donny Osmond" (1996)
The Very Best Of The Osmonds (1996)
25 Hits (Donny Osmond, 1995)
21 Hits (Osmonds, 1995)
Best Of Donny Osmond (1994)
Greatest Hits (1992)
Eyes Don't Lie (1990)
Donny Osmond (1989)
America Fest (Osmonds, 1984)
Goin' Coconuts (Donny & Marie Osmond, 1978)
Greatest Hits (Osmonds, 1977)
A Winning Combination (Donny & Marie Osmond, 1977)
New Season (Donny & Marie Osmond, 1977)
Donald Clark Osmond (1977)
The Osmond Christmas Album (1976)
Disco Train (1976)
Brainstorm (Osmonds, 1976)
Just For You (1975)
Around The World, Live In Concert (Osmonds, 1975)
I'm Still Gonna Need You (Osmonds, 1975)
Make The World Go Away (Donny & Marie Osmond, 1975)
Donny & Marie - Featuring Songs From Their Television Show (Donny & Marie Osmond, 1975)
Donny (1974)
Mexico (1974)
Japan (1974)
Love Me For A Reason (Osmonds, 1974)
I'm Leaving It All Up To You (Donny & Marie Osmond, 1974)
Collector's Edition (Osmonds, 1974)
Superstar (1973)
A Time For Us (1973)
Perfect (1973)
Alone Together (1973)
The Plan (Osmonds, 1973)
My Best To You (1972)
Live (Osmonds, 1972)
Too Young (1972)
Crazy Horses (Osmonds, 1972)
Portrait Of Donny (1972)
Phase III (Osmonds, 1971)
Homemade (Osmonds, 1971)
To You With Love (1971)
The Donny Osmond Album (1971)
Osmonds (Osmonds, 1970)
Various artists

Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack (1998)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (musical soundtrack, 1994)



[edit] Charted singles
Year Song UK US Hot 100 US AC
1971 "Sweet and Innocent" - 7 -
1971 "Go Away Little Girl" - 1 14
1971 "Hey Girl"1 - 9 21
1972 "Puppy Love" 1 3 -
1972 "Too Young" 5 13 23
1972 "Why"² 3 13 19
1973 "The Twelfth of Never" 1 8 7
1973 "Young Love" 1 25 26
1973 "A Million to One" - 23 -
1973 "When I Fall in Love" 4 55 31
1973 "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" - 14 -
1974 "I'm Leaving It (All) Up to You" (with Marie Osmond) A 2 4 1
1974 "Morning Side of the Mountain" (with Marie Osmond) 5 8 1
1974 "Where Did All the Good Times Go" 18 - -
1975 "I Have a Dream" - 50 45
1975 "Make the World Go Away" (with Marie Osmond) B 18 44 31
1975 "Deep Purple" (with Marie Osmond) 25 14 8
1976 "C'mon Marianne" - 38 25
1976 "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (with Marie Osmond) - 21 17
1977 "You've Got Me Dangling on a String"³ - 109 -
1977 "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" (with Marie Osmond) - 38 18
1978 "On the Shelf" (with Marie Osmond) - 38 25
1987 "I'm in It for Love" 70 - -
1988 "Soldier of Love" 29 2 20
1988 "If It's Love That You Want" 70 - -
1989 "Sacred Emotion" - 13 4
1989 "Hold On" - 73 -
1990 "I'll Be Good to You" - - 10
1990 "My Love Is a Fire" 64 21 -
1991 "Sure Lookin'" - 54 -
1991 "Love Will Survive" - - 24
2004 "Breeze On By" (with Jonathan Ernest) 8 - 37

1"I Knew You When" charted as a tagalong b-side of "Hey Girl" on the Hot 100.
2"Lonely Boy" charted as a tagalong b-side of "Why" on the Hot 100.
3"You've Got Me Dangling on a String" did not chart on Billboard's Hot 100, but peaked at number nine on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

A"I'm Leavin' It All Up to You" reached #17 on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1974.
B"Make the World Go Away" reached #71 on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1975.

[edit] References
^ Donny Osmond Coming Home from the BBC
^ Gold, Tayna. I hated being me, says former teen idol Donny Osmond. Daily Mail. 05 Oct 2007. Accessed 21 Nov 2007. "In 1988, after nearly ten years of playing high school halls, and waiting, Donny's promoter released Soldier Of Love as a mystery song - they played the song without revealing Donny as the singer."
^ Donny Osmond Joins ADAA Board as Honorary Member from the Anxiety Disorders Association of America website
^ The Weird Al Yankovic interview, by Robert Berry, September 27, 2006, retrocrush.com
^ [1], by Bruce Glikas and broadway.com, July 29, 2007, broadway.com
^ ABC dumps Donny Osmond-hosted TV show, by Steve Gorman, Mar 30, 2007, Reuters
^ Osmond Reclaims Fame with New TV Gig - AOL Television
^ Donny
^ My Beliefs on official website of Donny Osmond

[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Donny OsmondDonny.com, his official website
Donny Osmond at the Internet Movie Database
Interview on Reel.com
Donny Osmond Interview on Fox News Radio
Marie and Donny Show
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donny_Osmond"
Categories: 1957 births | American film actors | American game show hosts | American Latter Day Saints | American pop singers | Americans of English descent | Americans of Welsh descent | American television actors | Living people | People from Ogden, Utah | Utah actors | Utah musicians
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6/07/08 ... Robert "Bob" R. Ross, Sr., 67, of Portland, Maine died Saturday, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine after a battle with lung cancer.
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6/04/08 ... Bertha Gray, 102, died peacefully at the Island Commons with her family by her side and staff and Ginny in attendance. A celebration of the life of Bertha Gray will take place on Saturday, June 21 at 11:00 AM, in the Chebeague Island United Methodist Church.
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3/25/08 ... Dorothy M. Ross, 92, of Melrose, MA died quietly at her home.
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8/15/07 ...Dr. Henrietta Leonard, 53, died peacefuly in the early morning hours surrounded by loving family and friends at home on Chebeague.
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7/24/07 ... Donal Guptile Parr, 80, died at the Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs, after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.
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7/21/07 ...Donald Chapin Root Jr., 73, died peacefully surrounded by his family at Cape Cod Hospital after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Donald is the brother of Charlotte Morse.
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7/7/07 ...Congratulations Elizabeth Cashman Hill to Tom Reinier Schutte on their wedding. The first wedding on the Town of Chebeague.
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7/7/07 ... Congratulations to Merrill Hall, III ("Chip") who participated in the first contemporary strongman contest in the state of Maine, sponsored by North American Strongman. Mr. Hall qualified for NAS's Masters Nationals this year. Chip is the son of Ester Knight brother to May.
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5/29/07 ... Woldemar Weiss, 95, died at home with family at his side in Stuart, Florida.
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5/13/07 ... Born to Loralee Clark (daughter of Lesley Clark - Camp Providence) and Chris Carone, a daughter, Lydia Abigail Carone. She weighed 6 pounds, 9.7 ounces and was 20 inches long. Mom had a hard time after the birth, but everyone is doing great now. Lydia joins her brother Ian (now 4) in their home in Williamsburg, VA.
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5/5/07 ... Phyllis MacArthur, 82, died peacefully at her residence in Branchburg, NJ.
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5/2/07 ... Born to Laura (daughter of Betsy Gaston) and Greg Kline, a daughter, Estar Ever Ohana, in Ridgewood, NJ. She is our first child and weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces at birth.

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5/1/07 ... Donald F. Whitney, 90, died peacefully in Freeport, Maine. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
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4/26/07 ... Born to Danielle Rich and Shawn Rideout, a daughter, Alexandria Marie Rideout. She was born at 3:34 pm, weighed 5 lbs 13 oz and was 18" long.
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4/19/07 ... Born to Philip and Lesley Grant, a daughter, Ainsley Elizabeth Grant in Vermont. Grandparents Schuyler and Linda Grant are of course waiting for her to enjoy her first visit to Chebeague.

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4/18/07 ... Richard Stayner Graves III, 64, died unexpectedly Wednesday, at his home on Chebeague Island. A celebration of his life will be May 19 at 1pm at the Chebeague Church. A reception will follow at his home weather permitting.
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4/3/07 ...Elizabeth (Lib) B. Ross, 76, died at Mercy Hospital following a brief illness.
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3/22/07 - Born to Amina and Zachary Grunko of Arlington, MA , Lucia Annabelle Grunko, 5 lbs, 6 oz, 19 inches long. All are doing well, especially the grandparents Beth and Michael Grunko of Somerville, MA and Chebeague Island, Maine.
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3/19/07 ... Born to Laura Trask and David Tyler, a daughter, Mabel Sophia Tyler, in Rockport. Mabel was born at 6 p.m., weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces, and is 20 3/4 inches long. She is the granddaughter of Mimi Moulton, and of Jackie and Bud Trask and is the great-granddaughter of Sanford and Mabel Doughty. She is named in honor of her namesake, Mabel Doughty.

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3/11/07 ,,, Theo Stavropoulos, 76, died at home on Chebeague surrounded by his family. A celebration of his life will happen on June 3rd.
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3/9/07 ... Born to Mary Taylor and Andrew Todd, a daughter and son, Sadie Mae and Aiden Philip. Sadie Mae was born at 1:30AM. She weighed 6 lb. 10 oz and is 19 3/4 inches long. Aiden Philip was born at 1:36 AM. He weighed 6 lbs and is 19 inches long. Mother and babies are doing great!
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3/4/07 ... Nils Y. Wessell, 92, died Sunday, in Naples, of complications from a fracture in his shoulder
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3/2/07 ...Born to Heidi and Dave Pomerleau, a daughter, Cali Suzanne Pomerleau. She weighed 7 lbs and 9 oz and is great granddaughter of Suzanne and Roy Jackson and the great granddaughter of of Richard and Margaret Dyer. Heidi is the daughter of Cindy and Larry Godin.
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3/1/07 ... Geneva C. Bowen, 87, died at the Barron Center in Portland.
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2/25/07 ...Lloyd Allen Bump Parker, 71, died unexpectedly in Portland.
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2/22/07 ... Born to Brooks and Lauri Traina, two sons, Philip Joseph Traina and Shaun Albert Traina. Born at 9:26 and 9:27AM at Maine Medical and are now home in Windham, ME and doing great! They are the grandchildren of Al and Vail.
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2/16/07 ...Alexander Harding Morton "Mort", 86, passed away at home. Mort ran the Island View Inn along with Bob Follette in the 60's.
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2/8/07 ... Born to Amy and Jon Rich, a daughter, Catherine Grace Rich, a 5 am. She weighed 10 lbs 2 oz.
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1/29/07 ... William T. Galey III, 91, died in Portland flollowing brain surgery.
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1/19/07 ... Bob Parker, 63, died in Augusta after a long illness.
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1/19/07 ... Tom Adams Rothschild, 64, died in Newton surrounded by his family. Memorial Service for Tom on Sunday, July 8 at 3:15 pm at the Church. Reception to follow at the Parish House.
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1/18/07...Born to Jason Skillin and Christina Sawtelle, a son, Jeffrey Herman. Jeffrey weighed in at 8 lbs, 11 oz, and is 21 inches long. He is the grandson of Fred and Donna Skillin and the great grandson of Leona Boxer. Everyone is doing fine and all are very excited about the new addition to the family.
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1/1/07 - George C. Droggitis, 51, of Biddeford died Monday Jan. 1, 2007, at his home. He is the brother-in-law of Cindy Riddle, Julie Doughty and Cathy MacNeill.
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12/12/06 -Verlyn Alton Mason, 84, died in Florida. He is the father of Paula Libby.
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12/1/06 - Born to Jaedra and Brandon Rideout, a daughter, Emery Rideout. She was born at 7:30 am and weighed 9lb 10oz. Emery is the granddaughter of Vicky and Chip Emery and the great granddaughter of Kenneth and Jeanette Hamilton.
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11/11/06 - Congratulations to Brian and Brianne Martindale who were married in Burlington, NC. Brian is the grandson of Ross Martindale and nephew of Fred and Donna Martindale.

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10/31/06 - Gladys E. Bennett, 93, died at the Island Commons.
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10/27/06 - Hazel Beatrice Pierce" Colbeth" was re-interred here on Chebeague Island
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10/24/06 - David L. Adams, 74, of Falmouth, died at Falmouth by the Sea.
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10/21/06 - Congratulations to April Caldwell who was chosen Homecoming Attendant at Tullahoma,Tn. High School. She is the daughter of Barbara Ross Caldwell and granddaughter to Poochie and Priscilla Ross.
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9/24/06 - Virginia Semple Kane, 87, died at Mercy Hospital in Portland.Virginia's burial Saturday on Chebeague is at 11 o'clock and all welcome - NOTE TIME CHANGE.
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9/16/06 - Congratulations to Beth Dyer and Jeff Putnam who were married on Chebeague.
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9/4/06 - Betty Louise Johnson, 78, died at the Gorham House after a short battle with cancer.
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8/ 29/06 - Born to Janie and Phil Johnson, a daughter and son, Lilly and Luke Johnson, Lilly 6 1/2 lbs and Luke 5 1/2 lbs in Chesapeake Virginia. The fraternal twins and Janie are well but grandparents Phil and Betty Johnson are well but very tired.
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8/22/06 - Born to Rebecca Grunko and Alex Kern, a daughter, Ruthanna Kern at 6:46 PM. Ruthanna weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs, 6.6 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long.Both baby and mother are in fine health and her father was present. Her big brother, 4 year-old Elias, got to meet his little sister and gave her gentle kisses.
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8/11/06 - Born to Stacy (KomLosy) and Matthew Stewart, a son, Ozric Hassan Stewart at 11:43 am. He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz., is 19 3/4 " long and has lots of dark brown hair.
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7/10/06 ...Born to Jing and Phil Jordan, a son, Adrian Philip Jordan, in Princeton, NJ. He is the first child and weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Mother, son and father doing well. Grandparents -- Phil and Sheila Jordan -- are ecstatic and heading south to see Adrian.
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7/2/06 - Born to Hugh Bowen and Danielle, a son, Connor Thoreson Bowen. He weighed 6 lbs 14 oz. Hugh is the son of Richard Bowen.
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7/2/06 ...Born to Jill (Trower) and Darren Sparling, a son, Malcolm David Sparling, at 8:24 pm. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Second grandchild for David and Ann Trower. All doing well.
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6/24/06 ... Congratulations to Lindsay Crapser and Peter Klorer who were married on Chebeague on a very foggy, soggy, beautiful day! Lindsay is the daughter of Rich and Sally Layng Crapser.
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6/22/06 ... Born to Elizabeth C. Hill and Tom R. Schutte, a girl, Evelyn Nancy Wilhelmina Schutte in The Hague, Netherlands. She weighed 8 lbs 10 oz and was born at 3:49 AM Netherlands time. Mother and daughter are doing great and so are the grandparents Nancy (who is with her) and David Hill.
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6/21/06 ... Virginia (Woolfrey) Shattuck, 53, died at home in West Groton after a lengthy illness.
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6/17/06 ...Congratulatioins to Adam Carter Johnson who graduated from Santa Clara University with a BS in Computer Science. He will be working for Mantech, Inc, a computer security company in Vermont. Adam is the son of Charlotte and Scott Johnson.
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6/10/06... Congratulations to Bryan York, son of Terry Dyer York and Gerald York of Orrs Island, Maine. Bryan is the grandson of Suzanne and Roy Jackson and Richard and Peggy Dyer. Bryan will attend Maine Maritime in the fall.

Congratulations to our Greely graduates Chris Martin and Jim Stefanilo.

Congratulations to Chris Martin who has been excepted into the Elementary Education program at St Joseph's College in Windham.


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6/10/06 ... Congratulations to John Oderda and Katie Murray who were married in Salt Lake City, Utah.They'll continue to live in Salt Lake City as John finishes one more year in the University of Utah Masters in Architecture program and Katie enters her second year of the 4-year Doctor of Pharmacy Program at the College of Pharmacy.

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6/3/06 ... Mary McGee Morton, 95, a resident of Greenpoint since 1996 and a former resident of Milford, NH, died Saturday.
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5/31/04 Born to Rebecca (Towle) and Michael Benson of South Portland, a daughter, Cambell Rebecca. Wgt 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 inches long. Grandparents are Allyson and Lindy Smith.
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5/28/06 ...Congratulations to Matt McCollom who graduated from the University of New Haven with a Bachelor's in Fire Science. He will be fishing and working locally this summer while he applies to the State Police Academy.
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5/28/06 Congratulations to Kathryn W. Emery, daughter of Chip and Vicki Emery, who graduated magna cum laude from Colby College. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Italian Studies. Kate will be working in Florence, Italy this summer and then will return to the states to teach for Readak Educational Services in the fall.
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5/13/06...'Congratulations to Benjamin Charles Adams, son of Thomas Adams, who graduated from the University of Southern Maine. He received his Bachelor of Arts(B.A.) in Business Administration.'
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5/13/06 ...Congratulations to Lauren Barker Miller who graduated from University of Maine at Farmington with an Elementary Education Degree.
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5/10/06--Thelma J. O'Donnell, 90, died after a brief illness in Portland. Thelma is the great-grandmother of Cassidy Jeffers and friend of May Hall, Ester Knight and Beatrice Crossman (among many others). She will be missed.
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5/6/06 ... Congratulations to Gina Oderda who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Menlo College. She was the recipient of the Senior Thesis award and the Outstanding Psychology Student award. She plans on moving back to England in the fall to explore graduate school plans (law or psychology).
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5/6/06 ... Robert H. Morin, 67, died in Rotonda West, Florida. Memorial Celebration of Bob's life at Ben and Pat Prescotts, July 8th 3pm.
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5/6/06 ...Doris Evelyn Croudis, 94, passed away Saturday morning at St. Andre Health Care Facility in Biddeford.
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4/26/06 ... Born to Meredith (Lestan) and Jean-Louis Beaupre, a son, Riley Joseph. He is home and doing fine with his brother, 22 month Logan and 9 year old Jade.
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4/15/06 ... Congratulations to Lindsey Hamilton and Nathan Barba on their marriage.
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4/14/06 ... Born to Rebecca (Towle) and Michael Benson of South Portland, a son, Bradyn (Brady) Michael Benson. Wgt 7 lbs 10 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Grandparents are Allyson and Lindy Smith.
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3/19/06 ...Born to Vicki & Stephen Todd at 1:29 am, a son, Caleb Stephen. He weighted 9lbs 6oz and is 21 inches long. Everyone is doing just fine and big brother Cameron and big sister Emily can't wait to have their new brother come home.
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3/18/06 ... Born to Ashley (Sidor) Adams and Kai Adams, a daughter, Morgan LeeAnn Adams, at 2:20 am. She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long. She joins her sister, Whitney, who will be two years old on April 9.

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3/10/06 ... Theresa (Jane) Sawyer, 81, died at home in South Portland.
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3/9/06 ... Roland Ivan Webber, 81, died unexpectedly from complications after a hospital stay in February.
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3/7/06 ... Clayton Helbig, 47, died suddenly and unexpectedly. Clay was the husband of Judy, the son of Gayle Helbig of Chebeague, and the nephew of Phyllis MacArthur of Nj and Chebeague. He is also survived by his brothers Colton and Steffan, sister Claudia, and a large extended family. A memorial service was held in NJ on March 11, and he will be buried on Chebeague at a later date.
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3/5/06... Grace Bennett Hamilton, 95, died peacefully in Gardiner, Maine.
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2/25/06 ... Evelyn Shirley Blaisdell Varney Stover, 85, died at Coastal Manor in Yarmouth where she had resided for the past nine years.
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2/8/06 ... Tracy Walker Howell, 42, died after a sudden and brief illness. A summer memorial on the island is planned.
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2/8/06 ...Jim Morse, 50, passed away at his home after a brief illness.
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1/26/06 ... Born to Brooke (West) and John Williams, a daughter, Ellie Elizabeth Williams. She weighs 9 lbs. 4 ozs and is 20 inches long. All are doing well. Ellie is named after to two great grandmothers - Ellie Hill and Betty Shute. The very proud grand parents are Gail and Jack Williams and Susan and Rich West
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1/20/06 ... Born to Jennifer and David Horner, a daughter, Grace Catherine Horner. She weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and was 22 3/4" long.
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1/13/06 ... Alfred Fonny Alfonzo Doughty, 79, died unexpectedly at his home at the Betsy Ross House.
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1/10/06 ... Born to Mikhele Kuntz and John Gaudet, a son, John Martin Gaudet. He was 7 lbs. 10 oz and 20" long.
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12/19/05...Born to Mika (Holliday) and Nathaniel Lentz, a daughter, Addison Grace Lentz. She weighs 9 lbs and is 21 inches long. The very proud grand parents are Alice and Peter Mellin and great grandmother Eleanor Morse.

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12/11/05 ... Nancy C. Hackenberger, 84, died at Mercy Hospital surrounded by her family.
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11/24/05 ... Born to Patti (Perkins) and Bob Watanabe, a son, Makoto David Watanabe. He was 7lb 14 oz, 21" long and was born at 10:50 pm Thanksgiving day! Their address is 88 Bennett Rd., New Gloucester, ME 04260
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11/18/05 ... Born to Edward and Regina Leonard, a daughter, Mary Regina Leonard. She was 6lb 10oz and 18 inches (not sure of exact length) Mom and baby are doing well.
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11/5/05 ... Doris E. LeClaire Allen, 88, passed away from complications following hip surgery.
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11/2/05 ... Richard L. Freeman, 77, passed away unexpectedly on Chebeague. A service is scheduled for Sunday, November 6, 1 pm at the Chebeague Methodist Church. There will be a memorial service next summer.
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10/27/05 ... Neil G. Doughty, 72, passed away at Seaside Rehabilitation in Portland.
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10/23/05 ... Marjory Sprague Richardson, 97, passed away yesterday morning in Farmingdale, Me.
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10/22/05 ...Born to Catarina and John Jordan, a daughter, Lucia Gray Jordan. Lucia weighed 5bs and was 19 inches long.
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10/15/05 ...Nathan Edward Stewart, 25, died in a work related accident off Staten Island, New York. He is the son of Jimmy Stewart of Chebeague Island (mailing address:PO BOX 540, Yarmouth ME 04096), and Mary Ellen Stewart Clayman of 120 Maquoit Drive, Freeport, ME 04032.
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10/10/05 ...Alnah Doughty, 35, died after a long battle with lung cancer.
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10/05/05 ...Jim Kennedy, 65, died in California from Cancer brought on by Hepetitis C. Jim loved Chebeague and his ashes will be buried in the cemetery next spring.
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10/05/05 ...Madeline Craven passed away peacefully this morning at Hawthorn House in Brunswick. There will be a memorial service here on Chebeague Monday, October 24th at Chebeague Methodist Church at 1 pm. In leiu of flowers donations may be made to Chebeague's Samaritan Fund.
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9/24/05 .. Congratulations to Jon Rich and Amy Quattrucci who were married on Chebeague.
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9/22/05 ... Kathy Capps, 89, died peacefully at the Island Commons on Thursday morning.. There will be a service next summer on the Island.

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9/10/05 ... Congratulations to Nancy Barton and Jim Vachon who were married at Joseph's by the Sea in Old Orchard Beach Maine. Jeffery and Jeremy Putnam were groomsmen, Ruthie Noble matron of honor and Ruthie Putnam bridesmaid.
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9/6/05 ...Born to Pam and Rich Brewer, a daughter, MacKenzie Helen Brewer, at Mercy Hospital at 9:28 pm. She weighed 6lbs. 8 oz and measured 20 1/2 in. in length. She is very healthy and happy....
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8/25/05 ...Bertwell W. Hamilton, Jr., 79, died in Temecula, California. Bertwell grew up and went to school on Chebeague. His father was Bertwell W. and mother Eva Ricker Hamilton
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8/2/05 ... Born to Laura and Tom Zubricki, a boy, Matthew Zubricki. He weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and is 21.5 inches. His grandparents are Paul and Norma Johnson.

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7/13/05 ... Born to Born to Michael and Christina (Freeman) Feinberg,, a boy, Aaron Michael, He weighed 6#, 1/2 oz. and mother and child both doing well now.
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7/11/05 ... Robert B. Weld passed away in Las Vegas. His heart will forever hold a special place with Chebeague having spent over 60 summers here up until August 2001.
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7/05/05 ... Capt. Ronald Lee Doughty, 63, of Taft Ave. and formerly of Chebeague Island, passed away at his home with his wife by his side after a long illness.

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7/03/05 ... Angela M. 'Angel' Douglass, 34, died unexpectedly at her residence.
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6/30/05 ...Lillian Etoile Langhorst, 80, died in Dix Hills, New York after a long illness. She summered on Chebeague for many years. She is deeply missed by her two daughters, Linda and Diane, and their families. She leaves behind five grandchildren, Stephanie, Matthew, Geoffrey, Tyler and Jonathan, who all enjoy Chebeague.

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5/19/05 ...Beverly Ann Hamilton, 72 passed away after a long battle with cancer.
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5/15/05... Leland Hamilton, 57, of Chebeague Island passed away in his sleep. Leland leaves behind his wife, Karen and daughters Jamie, Danielle, Lindsey, Loretta, Anna and Trisha, and Danny and Rebecca. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Chebeague United Methodist Church.
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5/1/05 ... Ross Martindale Jr., 61, died peacefully in his sleep from complications of diabetes at home in Caldwell, New Jersey.
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4/29/05 ...Louise Weiss, 87, passed away peacefully in her sleep. She and Wally have been living at Sterling House, 3401 SE Aster Place, in Stuart, Florida, 34994. for the past 6 months. Louise had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease. A Memorial service & burial will be arranged at a later date on Chebeague Island.
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4/13/05 ...Joann Perkins, 87, died at Brentwood Nursing Home in Yarmouth. She was surrounded by her family and with the help of Hospice, died peacefully: free of pain at last. She will be missed. There will be calling hours on Wednesday, April 20th from 2 to 4 PM at Hobbs funeral Home .. 230 Cottage Rd. South Portland.
Her funeral Mass will be on Thursday, the 21st of April at 11:00AM at The Sacred Heart Church in Yarmouth (the stone one).
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3/24/05 ...Born to Andrew Sharp and Jennifer Dunfee, a daughter, Acadia Jane Dunfee Sharp to be called "Cady", in McLean, Virginia.- Her grandparents are Nancy and Will Sharp.
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3/16/05 ... Born to John and Libby Kinnealey, a son, Austin Bates Kinnealey, in Boston, Mass. Austin is the seventh grandson for Bill and Barbara Marshall.
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3/1/05 ... Freemont (Monty) MacNeill, 75, died in Portland in a rehab center.
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2/24/05 ... Dugan Middleton passed away peacefully in Hospice Care from complications of thyroid cancer.
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2/01/05... James(Jim)Leonard,66,passed away peacefully from pancreatic cancer. There will be a Memorial Service at the Chebeague Methodist Church, Chebeague Island, Maine at 1100 AM Saturday June 18, 2005. There will be a reception for friends and family immediately following the Service at the Chebeague Island Hall. Those needing help with transportation or logistics can contact either Cap Leonard (207 846 0801) or Priscilla Ross (207 846 4072). In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Chebeague Island Library, in memory of James Birdsell Leonard.
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1/30/05... Born to Lisa Martindale Brown and her husband Jason, a girl, Emily Clark Brown. She weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces and was 173/4 inches. Mother and child are doing fine. Emily is the great granddaughter of Ross Martindale, Sr., granddaughter of Ross Jr. and the grand niece of Fred Martindale.
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1/28/05...Born to James and Gina Kuntz, a son, Liam Arthur Kuntz, at 11:50p.m. in Brunswick, Maine. He weighed 8lbs 14oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Liam and the entire family is doing very well and look forward to introducing Liam to Chebeague this summer.
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1/23/05... David Nyhan, 64, died in Brookline after shoveling snow. Islanders recall writer's summers on Chebeague (Portland Press Herald invites people to share any stories about David Nyhan and his time in Maine)
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12/29/04 ... Harry Turner Martindale, Jr., 99, died in Newport Beach, California. Harry is the brother to Ross and uncle to Fred and Ross.
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12/24/04 ... Dwight Benson, 52, died at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota after a long illness. Dwight is the husband of Kathi Paul and son-in-law of Ruth Bradish.
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12//18/04 ... Born to Kelly and Sherman Rich, a son, Zachary Soule Rich. He weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and was 21 1/2" long
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12/15/04 ... Born to Jessica (Jackson) and Rich Fleck, a son, Sean Trower Fleck, in Denver, CO. He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. He will spend his first Christmas with his parents Jess (Jackson) and Rich Fleck, sister Greta, Grandparents Jen and Leon Hamilton, and great aunt Marty Trower.
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12/14/04 ... Anne L. Gowen Brown, 76, of Hog Fat Hill Road, passed away Dec. 14, 2004 at Bridgton Hospital. Anne is the mother of Bob Brown.
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12/11/04 ... Everett Wood, 88, father of Gunnar Wood and uncle of Laurie Wood, passed away at his home in Hanover, NH.
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12/6/04 ... Donald E. Fish, 77 of West Cumberland, died at a Portland hospital after a brief illness. He has worked for the CTC as a driver for about10 years.
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11/14/04 ... Congratulations to Victoria Leilani Garcia and Joseph Gray who were married in Denver. Victoria is the Daughter of Nancy Hill and the Niece of Beverly Johnson, Charlotte Johnson, Glenn Ross, and Charlie Ross.
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11/4/04 ... Edward Kendall White, 88, died peacfully in Naples, Florida with family nearby.
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10/27/04 ... Beatrice York Kendall, 98, of Monson and Chebeague Island, died peacefully at home.
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10/25/04 ... Born to Mikhele Kuntz and John Gaudet, a son, Zebadiah Pomerleau Gaudet, at Mercy Hospital. Zeb weighs 7 lb. 9 oz and is 20" long. Everyone's doing fine.

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10/10/04 ... Carol Scott Stranahan, 83, died in Mercer, Pennsylvania while preparing for an art exhibit of her work.
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9/29/04 ... Born to William and Fiona ( Komlosy) Cole, a son, Seamus Eli Cole, at Palm Beach Gardens. He weighted 6# 12 oz. and is 19" long. Fiona is the daughter of Anna and the late Capt. Fred Komlosy of North Palm Beach and Chebeague.

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9/26/04 ... Born to Lindsey (Webb) and her husband Clay Samford, a boy, Elijah John Samford, in Denver, Colorado, (8 pounds, 20 inches long). Grandchild to Rod and Elise Webb.
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9/26/04 ... Congratulations to Zachary Grunko and Amina Kock Lee who were married at Friend's Meeting in Cambridge, MA. Zac is the son of Beth and Michael Grunko.
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8/25/04 ... Clayton Hamilton Allen, 86, of Chebeague Island, died Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004 following a brief illness.
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8/14/04 ... Congratulations to Thomas Hall and Graciela Lamy were married on a rafting party off Clapboard Island. Graciela is the daughter of Estela Viegas and sister of Maria Notaroberto of Uruguay. Tom is the son of Ester Knight of Chebeague and Merrill Hall of Cousins Island, brother of May and Charles Hall of Chebeague and James and Merrill Hall of Freeport. Nephew Cassidy Jeffers, of Chebeague, was ringbearer.

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8/9/04 ... Born to Jill (Trower) & Darren Sparling, a son, James Darren Sparling. He is the first grandchild for David & Ann Trower and the first nephew for Wendy.
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8/8/04 ... Ruth Slowik, 82, died at the Island Commons on Chebeague following a brief illness.
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8/8/04 ... Born to Bill & Jamie Calthorpe, a son, David William Calthorpe. He weighed7 lbs., 14 oz. and is 20 1/2 inches long.
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8/7/04 ... Congratulations to Benjamin Scott Johnson and Courtney Hardie on their marriage. Ben is the son of Scott and Charlotte Johnson of Hartford, VT, and Chebeague Island. Courtney is the daughter of Steve and Connie Hardie of Dubuque, Iowa. Ben and Courtney are both graduates of the University of Chicago. Ben is working for the Aegis Corporation in Falls Church, VA, and Courtney is teaching at Field School in Washington, D.C. Ben is also attending graduate school at Johns Hopkins University.
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8/1/04 ... Bernice McLellan White died peacefully in Naples, Florida. Her memorial will be at the island church on August 29th at 1PM.

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8/1/04 ... Frank Warren Haines Jr., 83, died at Tandem Health Care, Lawrenceville, N.J.

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7/31/04 ... Geraldine L. Small Killian, 82, died at Twin Rivers Health & Rehab in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
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7/28/04 ... Alger Frances Burgess, 85, died at his daughter's home on Chebeague Island.
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7/21/04 ... Adelaide Rispoli Crosman, 101, died in Natick, MA. She is the aunt to Beverly, Nancy, Charlotte, Charlie and Glenn Ross who visited often on Chebeague in the 60's and 70's.
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7/9/04... Eva Conrad, 88, passed away peacefully at Springbrook Nursing Home.
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7/1/04 ...Capt. Frederick A. KomLosy, Jr., 75, of North Palm Beach, Fla., died.
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6/11/04 ... Born to Scott and Marci Martindale in So. Charleston, West Virginia, a daughter, Kassie Lynn Martindale. She weighed 6lbs. 11 ozs. and is 24" long! She joins her cousins Steven 14, and Hilary 9, all grandchildren of Fred and Donna Martindale and Great grand children of Ross Martindale.

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6/3/04 ... Katharine (Worthen) Downey, 91, died at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in New Hampshire.
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6/2/04 ... Jack Zaugg, 86, died in California. There will be a "Gathering" in San Mateo next Sunday and there will be something planned for Chebeague in the summer.

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5/31/04 ...Born to Rebecca (Towle) and Michael Benson of South Portland, a daughter, Cambell Rebecca Benson. Wgt 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 inches long. Grandparents are Allyson and Lindy Smith.

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5/28/04 ...Congratulations to Anne Muller, daughter of Brien and Emily (Gaston) Muller, who graduated from Mt. Holyoke College with a BA in American Studies.
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5/20/04 ... Born to Tracy and Jeremy Ames, a daughter, Alissa Sally Ames. She is 20" long and weighed 7lb, 14 1/2 oz. Jeremy spent a lot of time on Chebeague a few years back.

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5/04 ... Congratulations to Sarah Corson who graduated from Columbia University School of Nursing with B.S.N., it's her second degree, she has a B.A. in Psychology from Washington College.
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5/04 ...Congratulations to Chip Corson who graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in Philosophy.

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5/15/04 ...Congratulaitons to Ryan Ross, son of Doug and Gina Ross, who graduated from Stonehill College with a B.S. in Business Administration.
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5/15/04 ... Congratulations to Jaedra Emery, daughter of Chip and Vicki Emery who graduated from the University of New England. She received her B.A. in English with a Teacher Certification for grades 7-12.
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5/15/04 ... Congratulations to Laurie Wood who received her Master's Degree in American and New England Studies from the University of Southern Maine.
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5/15/04 ... Richard C. Hudgins, 68, died Saturday at home in York, Maine. He is the husband of Sally McCullom Hudgins, brother-in-law of Bruce and Joanne McCullom Anderson, Tommy & Jeannette McCullom, Billy & Liz McCullom.
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5/13/04 ... Sally Wile, 96, died. Sally's husband George died in 1989.
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5/11/04 ... Albert L. Marsh, 70, died surrounded by family in Massachusetts.
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5/8/04 ... Herbert J. Coombs, 78, passed away at his residence following a brief illness. Mr. Coombs is the father of our minister Glenn Cooms.
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4/23/04 ... Born to Laurie (Webb) and her husband Whit, a boy, Micah Rodman Hall, in Venice, CA. (7 lbs. 4 ounces, 20 inches long.) Grandchild to Rod and Elise Webb.
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4/9/04 - Born to Ashley and Kai Adams, a daughter, Whitney Elizabeth Adams. She weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz, 18" long, and was born at 9:14 am. She is the grandchild of Mike and Lee Robinson and great-grandchild of Donald and Janet Whitney and Joan Robinson.
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3/29/04 - Born to Kim (Kuntz) and Chris Gogan, a daughter, Lillian Rose Gogan, She weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz and was born at 5:02 p.m.

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3/29/04 .. Born to Jeffrey and Lynda Feeney of Ball Ground, Georgia, a son, Daniel James Feeney , pictured with his big brother Zachary William Feeney. He is the great grandchild of the late Bill (Wild Willie) and Doris Freeney and the grandson of the late Daniel Feeney. He was born April 29, 2004 at 07:50 am. He is 6lbs 12oz and is 21 1/4" long.

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3/28/04 ... Carroll Rines, 88, died peacefully in his sleep in at the Seaside Nursing Home.
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3/09/04 - Born to Rebecca (Rich) and Jim Koppmann, a son, Nicholas James Koppmann. Nicholas weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 20 inches long and born at 2:15 pm.
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3/08/04...Born to Erin (Layng) and Eric Benisek, a son, Zackary William Benisek. He weighed 8 lbs 11 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. He is already looking forward to summers on Chebeague!
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3/07/04... Born to Paige (Lestan) and Ricka Boisvert, a son, Rohan Edward Boisvert. Rohan weighed 9 lbs 3 oz and was born at 6:04 pm.
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3/07/04 ...Born to Catarina and John Jordan, a daughter, Catarina Ana Jordan. Katarina weighed 7lbs 9 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long at and born at 9:22 am.
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3/04/04 .. Elizabeth Ann Johnson Leonard, died after a long and courageous battle with cancer in North Carolina. She was surrounded by husband Lou and family. There will be a service in North Carolina on Saturday and one in Hartford on March 13 and she will be buried on the Island in the Spring.
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2/28/04 ... Congratulations to Danielle Hamilton and Jeremy Bradley on their marriage. Danielle is the daughter of Leland and Karen Hamilton. The couple were married at the Fort Eustis Chapel in Virginia. They will reside in Virginia.

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2/25/04 ...Albert Ricker Hamilton, 81, died in a Portland Hospital.
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2/08/04 ...Stephen Reid Capps, 89, died suddenly at the Island Commons on Chebeague Island.
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2/9/04 ... Born to Jennifer (Vintinner) and David Horner, a son, Luke David Horner at 8:45 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 21 inches long. He, his parents and his grandparents Doug and Gina Ross are all doing fine.
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1/31/04 ... Doris Ruth Worch Feeney, 84, formerly of Falmouth, Maine passed away peacefully in the Utah home of her daughter, Doneen Feeney Mitchell.
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1/15/04...Congratulations to Bob and Sarah Prescott on their adoption of Irena Betty Prescott, Born October, 23, 2002, in Kirovrahad, Ukraine.
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1/14/04 ...Priscilla J. Rich, 79, died at a South Portland Nursing Home.
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1/07/04 ... Oscar E. Hanscom, 91, died in Portland.
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1/04/04 ... Robert A. Muniak, 63, died in Connecticutt. There will be a service at the Chebeague Church on Sunday, January 11. More information to come.
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12/23/03 ...Born to Lindsey Hamilton and Nathan Barba a son, Nathanial. He was born at approx. 3:30 am at in Goodyear, Arizona. Mother and baby doing fine. Lindsey is the daughter of Leland Hamilton and Bertha Butterfield
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12/20/03 ... John David Scott, 77, died in Portsmouth, N.H. Visiting hours will be held 6-8 pm Tuesday, Dec 23, at Conroy-Tully South Portland Chapel, South Portland. Prayers will be recited 8:15 AM Wednesday at the South Portland Chapel followed by a 9 AM Mass of Christian Burial at St. Maximillian Kolbe Church, 150 Black Point Road, Scarborough.
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11/26/03 ... Louise Capps Scranton - 91 - died in Indianapolis the day before a Thanksgiving reunion - She was recovering from pneumonia and passed in her sleep. During her last days she often spoke of "Being lost in the woods near Deer Point" and of a "woman there who was helping her find her way". Clearly Chebeague was in her heart 'til the end. The family will have a service some time around Late June on Chebeague.

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11/15/03 ...Nancy Soule Rice Plummer, 77, died at home in Hamden Connectucut surrounded by her family. The family will have a service next May or June on Chebeague.

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11/11/03 ... Born to Libby Marshall Kinnealey and John Kinnealey, a son, Alexander "Zander" Marshall Kinnealey, in Boston, Massachusetts.

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11/7/03 ... Born to Margo and Bob Pancerella, Kerry Anna, she weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces, 19 inches long. Sister to Kassidy, granddaughter of Betsy Gaston, great granddaughter of Margaret Gaston...
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10/27/03... A few weeks ago Al Marsh had a serious stroke and has recently been moved to a Rehab Hospital where he is improving slowly. He really loves getting cards and they can be sent to the house and he will get them - the address is:
Albert Marsh 14 Hemlock Dr. Medway, MA. 02053

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10/26/03 ... Clinton K. Dobson, 83, died.
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10/3/2003 ...born to Jen and Ramon Serrano, a son, Zachary Ramon. Zach was born in New London, CT. He weighed 10lbs 11oz and measured 20.5"long. Grandparents Bob & Sue Buxbaum brought his big sister, Susanna, over to tell him all about going to the island on Poppy's boat.

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9/21/03 ...Robert Lessing, 81, of Princeton and Chebeague Island, ME died at his home in Princeton.
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9/13/03 ... Born to Charles Hall and Althea Dugliss, a son, Henry Malcolm Dugliss Hall. Henry is the grandson of Ester Knight and Merrill Hall.

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8/22/03 ....Angela Varney Weagle, 35, died in Portland of complications from breast cancer. As per Angela's wishes there will be one service at Portland Headlight at 4 PM Monday, August 25. All are welcome, carpooling is encouraged and the family will provide refreshments.
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8/9/03 ... Congratulations to Nancy & Sam Hackenberger (Jeffrey, Jeremy & Ruthie Putnam's grandparents) who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a surprise party given by their daughters. They were so surprised and overwhelmed & would like to thank all the well wishers and cards they received from their friends on Chebeague.

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7/29/03 ....Peter Sullivan, 35, of Hingham, MA, died of a heart attack early Tuesday morning. Peter is the son of Marjorie Sullivan and nephew of Ester Knight. Peter is survived by wife Christine, son Josh and daughter Kelly. Services are Friday in Massachusetts.

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7/27/03 . . .Congratulations to Dick and Kitty Freeman who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with reaffirmation of their vows on Chebeague.
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7/21/03 . . .Congratulations to Nancy Hill who just graduated as a paramedic and passed the state and national tests!
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7/15/03 ... Joy McLellan, died in Freeport surrounded by family. A memorial service was held on Sunday July 20, for Lawson and Joy.
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7/13/03 ... born to Melisa Erder and Kelly Wright, Lydia Maude Littlefield Wright, of Chebeague and Portsmouth NH. Her brother, Orson, is introducing her to all her boy cousins on Chebeague - Wesley, Sam, Matthew, William and Andrew Marshall as well as Alex and Luke Bates. We all appreciate the readiness of the CTC and the Chebeague Island Rescue to respond to Lydia's impending arrival 24/7. Everyone is relieved that all went smoothly via the regular ferry.
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7/11/03...Born to Jessica (Jackson) and Rich Fleck, a daughter, Greta Helen Fleck, in Denver, CO in the early hours of the morning. Greta weighed in at 7 lbs. 10 oz. and is 20 inches long. Jennifer and Leon Hamilton are the proud (first time) grandparents. Ben Jackson is the proud uncle.

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7/5/03 ...Born to Edward and Regina Leonard, triplets, Barbara Ann, George Edwin Linden IV, Margaret Elizabeth. Four months later Margaret and George are over 12 pounds and Barbara over 10 pounds. Mom, Dad and babies are doing great and looking forward to next summer on the Island. A big thanks to all who helped them celebrate in July!

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7/2/03 ....Dorothy Forbes Griffin, 96, died peacefully at the Island Commons.
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6/27/03 ... Clarence E. Deming, 69, died unexpectedly in Portland.

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6/12/03 ...Congratulations to Ben Johnson (son of Scott and Charlotte) who graduated with honors from the University of Chicago where he majored in Computer Science and played varsity soccer for four years. He has already begun working for Aegis Research Corporation in Falls Church, Virginia, and has been accepted to graduate school at Johns Hopkins University.

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6/11/03 ...Elda Gwillim died in Hilton Head surrounded by her family.
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6/11/03 ... Nedra Baker, 88, died at a local hospital after a long illness.
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6/8/03 ... Congratulations to Elizabeth Hill on her graduation from Yarmouth High School. She will be leaving in July for Holland to spend a year as an au pair.

6/8/03 ....Congratulations to Bradley Putnam who graduated from Greely High and is heading to Harvard.



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6/1/03 ...Edward Harris, 85, died in Annapolis, Maryland. More information will be coming soon.
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5/26/03...Congratulations to Loretta Hamilton on her graduation from Auga Fria High School in Arizona. Loretta is the daughter of Leland Hamilton. Loretta will be moving back to Maine to attend college. Great job Loretta!
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5/17/03 . . .Congratulations to Jenny (Levey) DeCristoforo & Bart DeCristoforo (living in Casco) on the arrival of their daughter, Cloe Mei DeCristoforo from Jiangxi Province, China. Cloe is 14 months old and doing great!
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5/16/03 . . .Congratulations to Lindsey Hamilton (daughter of Leland Hamilton) on her graduation from Estrella Community College in Arizona. Lindsey will continue on to Arizona State University in the fall.
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5/10/03.... Congratulations to Rob McCollom who graduated from Maine Maritime Academy. He was on the Dean's list this semester. He's on his final cruise until the first week of July and will go to the Canary Islands, Belgium, Halifax and back home.

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4/28/03 ...Born to Matt and Jenn Keegan, a girl, Vivian Sherburne Keegan.
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4/18/03 ...Lucy Griswold Hamilton, 78, died in Vermont.
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4/5/03 ...Born to Bill and Jamie Calthorpe, a girl, Jenna Danielle Calthorpe, weighing 6 pounds and 13 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long.

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3/28/03 ...Samuel Gaston, 87, died unexpectedly in New York.
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3/21/03 ... Lawson McLellan, 84, died unexpectedly after an operation in Ocala, Florida. The family is planning a memorial service for him in July.
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3/17/03... Born to Peter Brenton and Carol Koskelowski, Richard Michael Brenton. "Ricky," as he is called, was welcomed by his little sister, Allie, who is 2 years old.
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3/15/03... Born to Loralee Clark and her husband Chris Carone, a son, Ian Christopher, inWilliamsburg, VA. Mother and son are doing great. He weighed 5 pounds, 13.7 ounces and was 18" long! Grandson of Lesley Ann Clark.
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3/11/03 ...Born to Hayes and Dana MacArthur, a girl, Ella Gibbs MacArthur. She weighed 7lbs, 8ozs. Grand daughter of Carol Macarthur, grand daughter of S. Hayes MacArthur Jr., Great grand daughter of Phyllis MacArthur and great neice of Gail Helbig.

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3/8/03 . . .Elery Fowler ,74, died at Maine Medical in Portland after a long illness.

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3/7/03 . . .Born to Robert & Alison Bilodeau , a son, Alec Robert Bilodeau, at 7:14 am and weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz. Alison is the daughter of Betsy (Waller) & Dennis Bilodeau, granddaughter of Caroline Waller Bradley.

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3/2/03 . . .Born to Steven and Maggie Parker, a girl, Sydney Elizabeth Parker in Vista, CA. She weighed 4 lbs. l5 ozs. l7 l/2" long. She was born nearly a month early, but is now home and doing well.
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2/23/03 . . .Born to Heather and Mike Dougan, a girl, Anna Loxley Dougan. She weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 19 1/2" long. She is the first grandchild to Jill and Allen Malony.
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2/21/03 . . .Ossie Edward Beal, 79, died at a Bangor hospital.
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2/12/03 . . .Robert Riddle Sr., 58, died at his home in Burlington.

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2/4/03 . . .John K. Moulton, 88, died at Maine Medical Center.
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1/29/03 . . .Born to May Hall, a girl, Beatrice Emma Althea Crossman. She was born at 9:33pm at Ballard House in Portland. She
was 7lbs exactly, and 21 inches long. Her brother, Cassidy, was there for the birth, and is extremely excited about having a new sister.

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1/20/03 . . .Steven Charles Hudgins, 42, son of Sally (McCullom) and Dick Hudgins died of a heart attack while on vacation with his parents in Palmetto, Fla. Sally summered here for many, many years and she now lives in York, ME. Joanne (McCullom) Anderson & Tommy McCullom are his aunt and uncle.
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1/7/03 . . . Hermine L. Stevens, 92, died on Chebeague.
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12/21/03 . . .Congratulations to Jamie Hamilton and Bill (Bagoomba) Calthorpe , who were married on Chebeague at 3 PM.
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12/17/02 . . .Born to Jessica & Russ Boisvert, a boy, Leif Travis Boisvert at 10:31pm. Leif weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 oz. 21 1/4inches long. Grandparents are Dick & Dodo. Great-grandmother is Leona Boxer. His first visitor was his brother Erik who was very excited about his baby brother. Leif weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 oz. 21 1/4inches long.

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12/16/02 . . .Born to Molly and Mayo Shattuck, a girl, Lillian Jessie Shattuck. Lillian weighed 7 lbs. 8 oz. and joins her siblings Mayo IV, Katie, Spencer and Wyatt in saying hello to all our island friends. The name Jessie, comes from Mayo's grandmother who most Chebeaguers will remember as "Gaga." Lillian comes from a great aunt on my Jane's side.

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12/10/02 . . Daniel J. Feeney, 52, died unexpectedly.
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12/9/02 . . .Born to Stephen and Vicki Todd, a boy, Cameron James Todd. He was born 4:01 PM and weighed 10 lbs, 11 oz and was 22" long.
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11/23/02....Congratulations to Libby Marshall and John Michael Kinnealey, who were married in Cohasset, MA. She is taking the name Libby Marshall Kinnealey.

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11/18/02 . . .Dorothea Lunt, 87, died at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.
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11/11/02 . . .Walter V. Knight, 76, died in Cumberland.
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11/1/02 . . . Born to Margaret Irwin and Richard Yenco, a girl, Lucille Miriam Yenco was born at 5:43 a.m. on November 1st. She weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 1/2 " long. The generosity and support from the island have only reaffirmed our belief of how lucky Lucy is to be brought up in such a wonderful community.

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10/29/02 ...Anne Marie Skillin Boxer 'Ree', 49, died in Portland after a brief battle with breast cancer.
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10/27/02 . . Gertrude Jones, 100, died in Hartford, CT.
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10/11/02. . .Congratulations to Bradley Smith, Jr. , son of Pam and Brad Smith, and Peg Gordon. A Pennsylvania wedding is planned in the fall of 2003.

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10/8/02 . . .James Henry Murray, Jr., 78, in Portland. (He was recently employed by the CTC)
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10/1/02 . . June Scamman, 86, died on Chebeague.
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9/2/02 . . . Emery V. Doughty, Sr., 59 passed away at his camp in Burlington, Maine.

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8/3/02 . . .Congratulations to Lindsey Webb and Clay Samford who were married on the front lawn of the Webb cottage on Cottage Road. A grand time was had by all.
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7/27/02 . . .Howard T. Dunn, 52, died in New Jersey.
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7/6/02 . . .Born to Rebecca Grunko and Alex Kern, a boy, Elias Levering Kern, weighing 7 lbs 4.2 oz, 20 inches long at 12:35. First grandchild for Elizabeth and Michael Grunko.
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6/9/02 . . .Congratulations to Kim Kuntz and Chris Gogan who were married at Point Sebago Resort. Mikhele was her sister's maid of honor

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6/7/02 . . .David J. Scott, 42, died while on duty as a police officer in Tennessee.
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6/6/02 . . .Born to Sam and John Birkett, a girl, Hannah Eva Marie Birkett, weighing 9lbs 14 oz, 22 inches long at 2:21 AM.
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5/30/02 . . .Born to Heather & Joseph Hutchins, Caroline Faith Hutchins, weighing 9lbs 1oz. 20&1/2 inches long. Grandparents are Vicki & Dan Boxer. Great-grandmother is Leona Boxer.

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4/25/02 . . .Born to John and Catarina Jordan, a boy, David Thomas Jordan. He weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces and was 21" long.
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4/17/02 . . .Congratulations to Stacyann B. KomLosy and Matthew R. Stewart who are engaged! The wedding is set for September 7, 2002, on Chebeague!
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4/10/02 . . .Born to Grant and Suzanne Sharples on April 10, 2002 a boy, Mark James Sharples. Grandparents Jim and Sandy Sharples. Weight was 7 lbs.

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4/3/02 . . . John D. 'Jack' Woodworth, Jr., 62, died at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Mass.
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3/21/02 . . .Born to Scott and Christina Varney, a boy, Jacob Mathew Varney. He weighed 6 pounds and 2 ounces.
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3/18/02 . . .Ellsworth Miller, 91, died at Maine Medical Center. Visiting hours are 2-4, 6-8 Thursday March 21, at Hay and Peabody and the funeral is on Chebeague, Friday, March 22, at 1 pm.
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3/13/02 . . .Alice K. Gray, 79, died in Portland.
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3/12/02. . . Ginna Toohey Ensign, 85, died on Cape Cod.
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3/11/02 . . . Everett (Bill) Ross, 84, died at Maine Medical Center.
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3/8/02 . . . Melba Genese (Hamilton) Miller, 89, died at Maine Medical Center.
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3/4/02 . . . Gloria Bates (Tobey) Perini, 71, died in Jupiter, Florida.
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2/26/02 . . . Edna Webber, 96, of Yarmouth, died in a Yarmouth nursing home.

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2/24/02. . . Archie E. Ross, 77 died in Yarmouth
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2/20/02 . . . Charles E. Graves, 85, died in Freeport.
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2/4/02 . . . Born to Grace and Ehrhardt Groothoff, a daughter, Ehryn Grace Groothof. She weighed 7 lbs.
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1/17/02. . . Katherine W. Morrill, 76, died in Portland.
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1/10/02 . . . Born to Sheila and Tom Phipps, a boy and a girl, Robert Mara Phipps and Julia Stetson Phipps at 2:35 pm at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Robert was 4 lbs 15.5 oz and 18.5 inches long and Julia was 5lbs, 2.6 oz and 17.75 inches long. Tom is the brother of Jim Phipps and the son of summer resident Geraldine Phipps.

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1/09/02 . . .Congratulations to Evan Smith and Ann DeBord on their upcoming wedding May 25, 2002.
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1/08/02 . . .Alden Howland Hayden, M.D., 77, died in Pitsfield, New York.
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12/31/01 . . .Born to Jen & Ramon Serrano, a girl, Susanna Grace Serrano. She weighed 8lbs 6oz. Her grandparents, Bob & Sue Buxbaum, were there at Bethesda Naval Hospital within minutes to love her up and start her dreaming of summers on the island!
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12/30/01 . . . Born to Erin & Eric Benesik, a girl Zoe Layng Benisek, in San Francisco. She weighed 7lb 4oz girl and her grandparents, Brian & Sue Layng were on hand to welcome her and give directions to Chebeague!
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12/26/01 . . . Mary A. Doughty, 85, died in Portland. A funeral service will be held at 11 am on Saturday at the Chebeague Island United Methodist Church. Interment will follow at the Chebeague Island Cemetery.
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12/21/01 ... Born to Paige and Ricka Boisvert, a girl, Isabelle Grace Boisvert. She was born at 9:15 AM in the Penobscott Bay Medical Center and weighed 9 pounds six ounces.
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12/12/01 . . .Charles Graves is now at a nursing home in Freeport and would love to hear from people. The address is 3 East Street, Freeport, ME 04032. His tel number is 841-0795
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12/2/01 . . . Earl Halliday Bradley, 93, died in Providence.
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11/23/01 . . . Nancy H. Hubbell, 81, died at Brentwood Nursing Home in Yarmouth.
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11/18/01 . . .Frank L. "Bud" Bennett, 65, died at Cedars Nursing Center after a long illness with emphysema.
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11/15/01 . . .Betty Hamilton, longtime summer resident of Chebeague Island, died in a nursing home in Portland. A memorial service will be held next summer on Chebeague.
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11/10/01 . . . Frank Cofran, 80 died in Portland.
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11/7/01 . . . Phyllis MacArthur underwent major surgery on 11/7/01, Encouraging notes can be sent to her at 212 Lamington Rd., Somerville NJ 08876--or emailed carolencore@webtv.net her daughter will print them out for her.
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10/5/01 . . .Marjorie E. O'Donnell, 82, died at a nursing home in South Portland after a long illness.
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10/3/01 ... Louis Osgood, 72, died in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. (Louis is Fran Calder's brother and Dawn Osgood Katz' father)
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10/1/01 . . .James F. Kuntz, 72, died on Long Island from cancer.
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8/23/01 ... Bill Munroe had triple by-pass surgery and is at MMC and is doing well. He will be in the hospital until next Monday or Tuesday.
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8/22/01 . . .Capt. Richard H. "Rick" Hall, 68, died at nursing home in Portland after a long illness.
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8/6/01 ... Mark Doughty, 33, Lost at sea when his fishing boat was struck by a larger vessell. Chebeague was Mark's home for many years and he leaves behind a wife and two young daughters. In memory of Mark and to benefit his family a fund has been set up at the Chebeague Methodist Church to go directly to his wife and children. Checks can be made payable to Chebeague Methodist Church with Mark's name in the memo area.
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7/7/01 ... Bill (Billy) Shuttleworth died in Florida
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7/4/01 . . . Born to Sherman and Kelley Rich, a son, Braeden James Rich. He weighed 8 pounds 10 1/2 ounces and was 21 1/2 " long.
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6/24/01 . . . Priscilla Webber, 91, died in Cape Elizabeth
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5/25/01. . . Island Market has been in business 40 year today.
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5/22/01. . .Born to Jennifer and Paul Belesca, a son, Aaron Paul Belesca. He was born at 11:59 AM on May 22nd, weighed 8 lbs 12 oz, and was 22 inches long.
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5/16/01 . . . Congratulations to Lindsey Hamilton who graduated from Auga Fia High School.
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4/23/01. . . Born to Vance and Cheryl Benoit, a daughter, Lillian Benoit at 1:55 pm. She weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces with brown curly hair.
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4/16/01. . . Born to Kara and Warren Mathisen, a daughter, Ashleigh May, at 3:13 PM. Ashleigh weighed 7 pounds and is 20 1/2 inches long, and has long, brown curly hair . Grandparents are Jeffrey and Ann Boxer.
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4/10/01 . . . Horace C. Stinson, 79, died in Vermont.
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4/10/01 . . .Born to Virginia and Tom Calder, a daughter, Tiffany Lisa Calder at 3:17 pm. She weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces.
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4/3/01 . . .Anne Marie Dobush Chaplin, 40, died April 3, 2001 after a long battle with brain cancer.
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4/2/01 ... Patience Webb, 56, wife of Rev. Hendy Webb, died at their home in Amherst, NH, after a long illness.
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4/1/01 . . . Rodney C. Harrington Sr., 66, died in Portland. Service will be Thursday at the St. Ansgar Lutherine Church, Portland 11:00 am.
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4/1/01 . . .Born to Rebecca Rich Koppmann and Jim Koppmann, a daughter, Hannah Elizabeth Koppmann. She weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces.
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3/01 . . . Carolyn Banker Royce died in Arlington Virginia.
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3/27/01. . .Born to Tina Pang Mayer and Eldon C. Mayer lll , a daughter, Elise Pang Mayer in Fremont, California.
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3/26/01. . . Susie A. Naugler Johnson, 91, died in a Medford, Massachusetts extended care facility. Susie is the mother of Scott, Paul and Philip Johnson.
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3/15/01 . . . Born to Michael and Christina (Freeman) Feinberg, Heather Michelle, she weighed 6 pounds, 13.5 oz.
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2/25/01 . . . We have just learned of the passing of Marilyn Martin Southwick, mother of Karen Requia. She was the daughter of Albert & Kathleen (Hill) Martin and a cousin of Ray Hamilton. She spent many summers growing up on Chebeague, and to her it was always home. She passed away on February 1, 2001 at Falmouth-by-the-Sea nursing home in Falmouth Foreside.
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2/20/01 . . . Helen D. Olson Race, 81, mother of Mrs. Donald M. (Cheryl) Buxbaum, died at Mercy Hospital in Portland.
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2/20/01 . . . Richard (Dick) Brenton, 69, husband of Marianne Webber Brenton, died suddenly on the ski slope at Bridgton, Maine of cardiac arrest. There will be a service in Burlington, Massachusetts within a few days. There will also be a memorial service on Chebeague next summer.
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1/26/01 . . . Born to John and Catarina Jordan, a son, John Stanford Jordan at 1:25 am. He weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces.
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1/17/01 . . .Born to Molly and Mayo Shattuck, a son, Wyatt Augustus Shattuck. He weighed 7 Pounds, 5 ounces.
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1/15/01 . . . Jeanne Layng, 84, died at the Naples Community Hospital after a cardiac arrest yesterday. All her children will assemble in Naples, FL later this week for a service and again on the Island this July.
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1/9/01 . . . Congratulations to Cindy MacNeill and Bruce Riddle who were married at 4:30 PM on Chebeague.
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1/1/01 . . . Born to Andrea and Adrian Jackson, a daughter, Gabriella Murphy Jackson, at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, 7lbs. 13ozs. All are well, including her grandparents, David & Tina Murphy.
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12/29/00 . . . Congratulations to Brooke West and John Williams who announced their engagement. The wedding date has been set for June 29, 2002 on Chebeague.
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12/15/00 . . . Bill Shuttleworth, 80, died in Florida. There will be a memorial service on the island July 7, 1pm at the church.
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12/12/00 . . . Born to Carol and Peter Brenton, a daughter, Alieda Ann Brenton, who arrived at Winchester Hospital weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Her parents are doing fine and so are her proud grandparents Dick and Marianne Webber Brenton.
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12/09/00 . . .Archie Ross is comfortable at home after a week in the hospital for tests. It has been determined that his liver is not functioning. He and Claire wish to thank everyone for their support and comfort. Their email address is claireross@pobox.com and I'm sure he would love to hear from everyone.
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12/07/00 . . . Raymond Newcomb, 85, died unexpectedly at home.His funeral will be Monday, 1:30 on Chebeague.
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11/18/00 . . . Barbara Doughty Wilcox, 61, died at Maine Medical Center
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11/9/00. . . Arthur Ferguson Mead has been hospitalized with diabetes and has had to have his right leg amputated. He is recovering at home in Montclair. His address is 172 Montclair Ave, Montclair, NJ 07042.
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11/1/00 . . . Robert Leo Wheldon, 80, of Chebeague Island died at a local nursing facility.
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10/20/00. . . Born to Chris and Lori, a boy, Elias York Rich at 1:04 pm. He weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and they are all doing great!
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9/1/00. . . John Q. Stranahan, 79, died in Grove City, Pa.
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9/1/00. . . Christine Billings Lord, 98, died in Gorham.
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8/31/00 . . . Born to John and Monica Rogers. a girl, Mallory Rogers. She joins her sisters Caitlyn and Julia. They are the grandchildren of Ted and Biz Rogers.
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8/29/00. . . Jaye Peklo, 61, died on Chebeague following a brief illness. She died surrounded by her family and freinds.
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8/20/00 . . . Vennard Bell Tobey (Brother Tobey), Jr., 63, died of kidney failure in Boston.
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8/20/00 . . Congratulations to Stephen Todd and Vicki Riddle who were married on Chebeague.
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8/13/00 . . . Sam Hackenberger home now and is recovering well from his open heart surgery. he just celebrated his 86th b'day
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7/23/00 . . .Sam Hackenberger was admitted to Maine Medical unexpectedly on Friday. He will have open heart surgery today.
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7/14/00 . . . Lewis Carroll Ross, 81, died at Maine Medical Center.
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7/9/00 . . . Lewis Ross is at Maine Medical Center in intensive care.
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7/9/00 . . .Wally Weiss is now home with hospice care.
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6/30/00 . . . Lorena Colbeth Salo, died of lymphoma.
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6/8/00 . . . Born to Laura Johnson and Thomas Zubricki, a girl, Victoria (Tori) Rose Zubricki. Tori weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces. Grandparents are Paul and Norma Johnson, grandmother is Sue Johnson.
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6/2/00 . . . Wally Weiss was transferred to Martin Restorative Care Center, 6011 S.E. Tower Drive, Stuart, Fl. 34997. He should be there for about a month post open heart surgery. He hopes to be in Maine by mid-summer.
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5/28/00 . . . Julie McDonald and Jonathan Fortin became engaged on Boston Common. No date has been set but they expect to marry sometime in 2002. Both are busy persuing their graduate degrees.
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5/24/00 . . . Woldemar [Wally] Weiss is recovering from open heart surgery on May 5th at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, Fl, 33140.
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5/14/00 . . . Ross Martindale Jr. is in rehab @ Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, 240 Central Ave, East Orange, NJ 07018 - He will be there for two to three weeks.
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5/11/00 . . . Ellen Hamilton, 95, died on Chebeague.
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5/6/00 . . . Ross Martindale Jr. (not senior) is in the intensive care unit at Mountainside Hospital, Glenridge, NJ and is expected to make a full recovery from a severe diabetic reaction.
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4/23/00 . . . Born to Steve and Fiona (Shepherd) Davis, a girl Henley Marie Davis, a sister for Avery Lynn(7/16/98). Henley weighed 8lbs 10 oz. Fiona is the daughter of Barrie and Mhairi Shepherd. The Davises live in Virginia Beach and both are stationed at the Naval Hospital.
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4/22/00 . . . Bill Shuttleworth fell and broke his foot about three weeks ago and is now recovering at a Nursing home. He can be contacted at c/o Salerno Bay Manor, 4801 S.E. Cove Rd., Stewart, FL 34991.
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3/26/00 . . . Eleanor Morse is recovering from a broken hip which happened last Sunday. She has been at Maine Med and is now at the New England Rehab Center, 335 Brighton Avenue, Portland, ME 04102. She will be there for at least a few weeks.
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3/21/00 . . . Born to Heather and Joseph Hutchins, a girl, Hannah Rose Hutchins. Hannah weighs 9 pounds and is 20 inches long. Danny and Vickie Boxer are the grandparents and Leona Boxer is the great-grandmother. Everyone is doing fine.
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3/18/00 . . Congratulations to Nancy Emery and Omer D. Lizotte who were married in Taunton, MA.
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2/28/00 . . .Geneva A. Dobson, 76, died in Pownal after a long illness.
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2/19/00 . . . Congratulations to Gertrude A. Putnam and Robert B. Ross who were married and will reside in Sarasota, Florida and Chebeague Island.
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2/16/00 . . .Born to Paul and Jennifer Belesca, a boy, Ethan Merle Belesca, at 12:56. He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 20" long.
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2/10/00 . . . Born to Melisa Erder and Kelly Wright in Manhattan a son, Orson Ali Erder Wright, at 12:47 AM. The baby weighted 7 pounds 14 ounces and is thriving.
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2/10/00 . . .Ellen Hamilton is now a resident at Island Commons as of January 31st and is settled in and enjoying all the loving attention and great meals she is getting. Ellen's roomate for this month is Gladys Bennett who is vacationing at Island Commons while Roy and Suzanne are in South Carolina.
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2/8/00 . . . Nunna Wood is seriously ill and not doing very well and is at Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover NH 03755.
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2/7/00 . . . Jeff Boxer had a quadruple bypass on January 5, is doing well and recuperting at home.
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2/6/00. . . born to St. John M. Hall III and Judith K. Hall, a boy, Nathaniel Merrill-Anthony Hall Grandparents are S. Merrill Hall of Cousins Island, Ester C. Knight of Chebeague, and Adrian and Linda Angrim of Tampa, FL. Nate has two half-brothers, John and Alexander Hall.
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2/1/00 . . .William Francis Swann, 85, died at his home in Yarmouth.
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1/27/00 . . . Leah Webber, 92, died at Brentwood Nursing Care Facility. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, February 4, 1PM on Chebeague.
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1/25/00. . . Harry M. Ross Sr., 57 and Lawrence O. Rich Sr., 54 of South Portland and Long Island died when the vessel Two Friends sank off Boon Island Ledge. Contributions for the families may be sent to Changeing Tide Foundation, RR 1 Box 98, Long Island, Maine 04050 in care of Sharon Marr.
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1/21/00 . . .Oscar Mauritz Froding, 88, died at home on Chebeague.
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1/07/00 . . . Born to Rob and Mary Phipps, a girl, Anna Marie Phipps, at 7 AM. She weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce.
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1/04/00 . . . Born to Frank and Rosalyn Weagle Glassock, a girl, Devan Faith Glassock. She weighed 8 lbs 8 oz. Shea has beautiful blue eyes like her big sister Jordan E lizabeth.
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12/31/99 . . . Born to Edward and Diana Freeman Smith a girl, Elizabeth Paige Smith. She weighed 9 ounds, 9 ounces.
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12/30/99 . . . Born to Grace and Ehrhardt Groothoff, a son, Luke Alexander Groothof.
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12/25/99 . . .Frederick Lyons III, 56, of Long Wharf at Dimillo's died.
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12/11/99. . . Vern Tobey (also known as Brother or Big Red), has been in the hospital. He is now better and recuperating in a nursing home. He would love to hear from everyone - his address is: Vern Tobey, Village Manor Nursing Home, 25 Alpine Street, Hyde Park, MA 02136
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11/26/99 . . . Born to Angela and Erik Weagle, a boy, Ashton Forbes Weagle. He was 5 pounds, 14 ounces. Both Angela and Ashton are home and doing well!
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10/1/99 . . . Born to Rob and Joyce Parker, a girl, Autumn Rae Parker. She weighed 7.8 pounds and was 20" long.
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9/25/99 . . .Eleanor Soule Johnson, 87, died unexpectedly at home on Chebeague.
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9/25/99 . . .Gertrude "Jackie" Case Winters, 80, of Wiscasset, died at her home. She is the mother of Wesley Winters.
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9/14/99 . . Judith W. Caldwell, 80, died at Rutland Regional Medical Center.
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8/25/99 . . . Born to Victoria Garcia and Peter Gurule' , a girl, Amaya Kamalani Garcia Gurule'. She was born in SanDiego at 12:32 PM and weighed 7 pounds 15 oz and was 20 1/2" long. The first grandchild for Nancy and David Hill! Elizabeth, KK, and Mandy's first niece!
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8/6/99 . . . . Mary Ross Newcomb, 76, died in Gorham.
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7/31/99 . . . .Diana M. Prescott, 83, died at Brentwood Manor, Yarmouth.
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7/10//99 . . . Best wishes to Rebecca Grunko who was married to Alex Kern at Friend's Meeting, Cambridge MA.
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7/9/99 . . . Born to Karen and Leland Hamilton, a girl, Trisha Lee Hamilton. She was born at Me. Med at 4:38 AM, weighed 7 lbs 2 oz, and was 21" long.
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7/2/99 . . . Richard MacCormack, 76, died on Chebeague.
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6/25/99 . . . Congratulations to Rebecca Elizabeth Rich and James Joseph Koppmann who were married this day at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Yarmouth, Maine.
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5/24/99 . . . Born to Margo and Bob Pancerella, a girl, Kassidy Elizabeth Pancerella, at 9:10 pm. She weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces, and measured 19 1/2 inches long. She is the first grandchild for Betsy Gaston and the first great-grandchild for Margaret & Sam Gaston.
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5/3/99 . . . Jamien Morehouse 48, died at home in Rockland, Maine.
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4/11/99 . . . Barbara Ross Graves, 83, died at home on Chebeague.
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4/10/99 . . . Born to Brent and Teresa Bennett, a boy, Nicholas "Nick" Bennett, who weighed 8lb. 9 0z.
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4/4/99 . . . Jamien Morehouse's family has dedicated a website for her in order that her friends and acquaintenances can share their love and concerns. She is the wife of Philip Conklin, Island Institute Director and she is very ill with cancer.
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3/14/99 . . .Stephen Bennett Graves, 53, died unexpectedly at home on Chebeague. I have included here a few pictures of Steve. I have added more pictures and some poems!!
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3/11/99 . . .Bertha Korder Graves, 80, died in Topsham, Maine
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3/9/99 . . . Alice Cleaves Blackwell, 93, died
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3/7/99 . . . Elliot Middleton, Jr, 73, died on Chebeague- I have included information omitted by the Newspaper.
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2/28/99 . . . Ruth Goodrich, 76, died in Yarmouth Nursing Home
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2/24/99 . . .Frederick M. Munroe, 63, died in Lewiston.
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2/22/99 . . . Born to Sue and Patrick Williams, a girl, Lauren JoAnne Williams. She was born at 4:54 pm, weighed 7 lbs 2 oz, and was 20 1/2" long.
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2/20/99 . . . 13 people jumped into the water at Bennetts Cove, Chebeague for the first annual Polar Bear Swim
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2/18/99 . . . John Donnelly, 84, died in West Hartford, Connecticut
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2/13.99 . . . Charles and Bertha Graves moved into the Highlands in Topsham, Maine early in the winter. Bertha has not been well and has been moved into the Highlands special care Home. Cards messages could be sent to her at 26 Elm Street Topsham, Maine 04086.
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2/5/99 . . . Ross Martindale has just gone into Brighton Medical, room 213, tel. 879-8629 for 10 days of rehab.
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2/3/99 . . . Ross Martindale is recovering comfortably at Maine Medical Center from hip replacement surgery. He will be going to Brighton Medical shortly for rehab.
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2/1/99 . . . William Robinson is back home and doing great!! They don't have an email address anymore but I can certainly give them messages. They want to thank everyone for the well wishes and support.
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1/28/99 . . . William Robinson, son of Alnah and Gene has been in the hospital since last Monday and is recovering from a respiratory problem. An Email address has been established at Maine Medical Center and he would love to hear from all his friends. His address is islandwill@hotmail.com
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1/28/99 . . . Beatrice A. Horr, 87, died on Long Island
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1/24/99 . . . Dorothea Lunt is recovering from a fall and broken hip at home New Hampshire.
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1/24/99 . . . Andy Grannell had knee surgery on the 20th and is doing well.
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1/11/99 . . . Elizabeth 'Betty' 'Libby' C. Rush, 91, died unexpectedly at her home in Cumberland.
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1/04/99. . . Elisabeth Weiss, 83, died unexpectedly at her home on Chebeague. Memorial Service will be Saturday, June 26th at 1 o'clock at the church on the Island



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1/03/99 . . .born to Andy and Jennifer Mansfield Phillips, a boy, Jacob Davenport Phillips. He weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20" long.
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12/30/98 . . . Born to Taylor and Darby Ricketts a daughter, Sela Raines Arden Ricketts. She was born at 2:40 pm and weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces.



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12/26/98 . . . Madeline Brewer, 86, died at home on Chebeague.
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12/24/98 . . . Born to Heather Hurford and Raphael Mijares a son , Raphael Mijares, at 3:17 pm Christmas Eve. Raphael is the great grandson of Elizabeth Shute.
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12/12/98 . . . John G. Gibson, 69, died in Portland.
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12/11/98 . . . Born to Chris and Lori, Stephen Christoper York Rich, 6 pounds 5 ounces , born at about 9 pm.
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12/1/98 . . . . Harper Brown, died in Illinois following surgery.



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11/29/98 . . . Born to Mayo and Molly Shattuck a son, Spencer Shattuck.
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11/24/98 . . . Gordon Turner Trower, 82, of Chebeague Island and Montreal died Tuesday at The Highlands in Topsham
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11/22/98 . . . Born to Chad and Krista, Andrew Tyler Davis, 7 pounds 13 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long in Enola, Pennsylvania. Grandson of Carol Lynn Davis.
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11/5/98 . . . . David Lawrence Bowman, age 81, died at a Freeport Nursing Home.
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10/29/98 . . . William Edward Lunt Jr. died at the New London, New Hampshire Hospital.
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10/17/98 . . . Rev. Nellie Rose Lane age 95, died at Seaside Nursing and Retirement Home in Portland.
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10/13/98 . . . Bob Ensign died peacefully at his new home on Chebeague, surrounded by his wife Ginna and step daughters. A memorial service is planned for Saturday, October 24 at 3:30.
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10/11/98 . . . . Born to Stephanie and Dean, Madeline Margaret Coffin, at 4:10 in the morning, she weighed 10 pound, and a full head of hair too.
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10/11/98 . . . . . .Victor Bowen, 93 died
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9/30/98 . . . Viktoria Glenn Johnson became a United States Citizen.
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7/16/98 . . . Born to Fiona (Shepherd) and Steve Davis, Avery Lynn Davis at Portsmouth (VA) Naval Hospital she weighed 7lbs 5 oz. Steve is still on duty in Iceland but both he and Fiona begin work at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital at the beginning of September.
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7/10/98 . . . Born to Brenda (Johnson) and Dave Klenda, Luke Sherman Klenda. He weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces.
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5/31/98 . . . Gordon Hamilton died
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5/27/98 . . . Dr. Loewenstein, age 108 died in Clearwater
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5/25/1998 . . . Born to Tim and Jane LeSiege, a boy, Zachary Earl LeSiege He was born at 2:21 AM. He weighed in at 7 lbs 1 oz, and was 20 inches long. He joins Tatyana (blonde hair, six years old(1/15/92)) and Erica (brunette, three years old (8/18/94).
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5/23/98 . . . Born to Julie and Edmund Doughty, a boy, Dylan Earle Doughty. He was born at 11:10 pm and weighed 8 pounds. Dylan joins his 8 year old brother Josh.
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5/23/98 . . . Born to Grace and Ehrhardt Groothoff, a boy, Jonathan Daniel Groothoff Sat. morning 4:57am.
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5/20/98 . . . Edward W. MacCormack, 77, of Rye, New Hampshire died.
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5/15/98 . . .Matthew E. Cobb, 14, of Windham died unexpectedly.
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4/23/98. . . Born to Cliff and Jane Habig, a boy, Collin Howell Habig. He weighed 5 1/2 pounds.
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3/25/98 . . . Born to George and Carolyn Belesca Edward, a boy, Owen Scott Edward. He weighed 6 pounds 15 oz in New Hampshire.
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3/24/98 . . . Mary Raymond, 87, died in Durham, North Carolina
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3/16/98 . . . Grace Trappan, age 92, died in Portland
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3/10/98 . . . David J. Corson, 58, died in Yarmouth
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3/7/98 . . . Clyde Wellington Colbeth Jr., 80, died in Silver Springs, Md.
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2/23/98 . . .Born to Paige & Rikka Boisvert a boy, Noah Armand Boisvert
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2/9/98 . . . Harriet W. Hutchison, 78, died at home on Chebeague.
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2/7/98 . . . Born to Caroline and Joe Partlow, Carmelita Fernades Partlow, at 1:29 pm, she weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces.
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2/1998 . . . Christopher LeSiege is engaged to marry Debora Pelletier - wedding is scheduled for August 8, 1998.
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2/98 . . . . .Lillian Hutchinson Keenan died.
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1/30/98 . . . Madeline Brewer had a serious stroke and is at Brentwood Manor, Yarmouth, ME 04096.
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1/31/98 . . . Bobby Riddle is out of the hospital and doing well. He is recovering at his mother in-laws Berle O'Neil in South Portland.
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1/22/98 . . . Dorothy Walker, 94, died. She and her brother Warren have summered for over 85 years. Warren can be contacted at 23343 Bluewater Circle, Apt B 203, Boca Raton, FL 33433.
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1/11/98 . . . Bobby Riddle has received a liver transplant today and is doing well. He is at New England Medical Center, Room 7035 North, 7050 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111.
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1/9/98 . . . Kate von Moschzisker Disston, 84, died in Falmouth.
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1/8/98 . . . Born to Debbie and Jason Currier, Catherine Annalyn Currier, she weighed 8 lbs 15 oz.
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1/4/98 . . . Alice Estelle Desmond Schmieder, 95 died in Rhode Island.


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12/23/97 . . . Nancy Cooke Tucker, 73, died.



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12/15/97 . . . Bobby Riddle is in serious condition at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston. The doctors are doing tests and are still in hopes of a transplant. An account has been set up at Peoples Heritage Bank for his Medical needs. Donations may be sent to: Bobby Riddle Fund, c/o Jean Libby, Peoples Bank, 200 U.S. Route # 1 Falmouth, Maine 04105 .
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12/7/97 . . . Joseph C. "Bud" O'Neil Jr., 78, died Sunday at his home after a long illness.
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12/7/97 . . . .Bernard W. Doughty, 95, died Sunday at Brentwood in Yarmouth.
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12/4/97 . . . Born to Neil and Vickie Taliento, Michelena Lynn Taliento at 7:11 a.m. She weighed 8 pound 12 ounces.
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11/30/97 . . . Marian Sigler Wessell, died in Naples, Florida. "Remembering Marian" by Nils Wessell. Nils' new email address: Nywessell@aol.com
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11/16/97 . . . Mabel D. Campbell, 74 died at home after a lengthy illness.
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11/14/97 . . . Edward Harris is recovering from a stroke which has paralyzed his right side. He can receive mail 8105 River Crescent Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401.
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11/11/97 . . . Born to Michael and Chris Freeman Feinberg, David Philip Feinberg at 8:24 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces and was 21" long.
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10/19/97 . . . Born to Gail and Andy Todd, Addie Frances Todd. She weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces.
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10/11/97 . . .Born to Scott and Laurie McCollum Shoshanna Rose McCollom at 11:26 p.m. (after a wonderful ride in the Chebeague Island Rescue!) she weighed 8 pounds 11oz (we figure 11 is her lucky number).
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10/6/97 . . . Born to Virginia and Tom Calder, Timothy Calder at 3:00 am. He weighed 10 pounds 8.5 ounces. Tom and Virginia would like to thank everyone for the gifts and thoughts that have come their way to express the joy and welcome of Tim to their lives.
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10/5/97 . . . William Grant Robinson came home , he weighs nearly 8 pounds.
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10/1/97 . . . .Francis Marion 'Put' Putnam age 90 died after a brief illness. Put wrote: The Joys of a Summer Vacation in Maine
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9/16/97 . . . . David C. Perkins age 87 died on Chebeague
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9/15/97 . . . . Helen L. Slowik age 41 died after a brief illness
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9/9/97 . . . . Adopted by Beverly and Stephen Johnson, Viktoria Glenn, 12 years old from Slavyansk n/Kuban.
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8/29/97 . . . Born to Brian Phipps and Sarah Thomson, Lucas (Luc) Richard. He weighed 7 pounds 15 oz.
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8/13/97 . . . . Janet Sue Kuntz age 59 died
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8/5/97 . . .Born to Gene and Alnah, William Grant at 3:10 am. He weighed 2 pounds 9 oz. William remained at Maine Medical until 10/5/97.
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8/4/97 . . . Denis Soule Johnson and Darya Ross Johnson became United States Citizens.
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7/24/97 . . . . Edith Jackson F. McCullom-MacLellan age 88, died
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7/15/1997 . . . Lloyd B. Tanguay age 85 died
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6/30/97 . . . Lewis Kendell died in Portland
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6/24/97 . . . Brooke Putnam Olsen age 21 died from injuries sustained in a car accident
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6/23/97 . . . Born to Eliza Jane Adams, twins, Oliver Bradford and Timothy Edward at 4:30 and 5 pm. They weighed 5 pounds and 5.2 pounds.
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6/9/97 . . . Gerald Thompson Littlefield, age 79 died on Chebeague
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5/26/97 . . . David A. Buxbaum age 83 died in Yarmouth
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5/97 . . . Joanne LaGanke died
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4/23/97 . . . Lida Hamilton Small age 92, died
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4/21/97. . . .Bud Robinson age 69, died in Portland
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4/17/97. . . . Francis Otey age 97, died in Florida
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4/11/97 . . . . Lewis Kendell is at Park Danforth facility and Bea Kendell is recuperating at her daughters house
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4/7/97 . . . . . P. J. Hale age 76, died in Portland


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4/2/97 . . . . .Phyllis Beal Johnson, age 78 died after being hit by a car in Florida.



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3/28/97 .. . . . Dick MacCormack is in Maine Medical Center intensive care unit after having an aneurysm
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3/18/97 . . . . John Warren Holt, age 77 died in Portland.


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3/18/97 . . . . Bea Kendall is in Maine Medical Center with a broken hip she got when she fell visiting Lewis.


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3/12/97 . . . . Lewis Kendall is in the intensive care unit at Maine Medical Center



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2/25/97 . . . . Dr. Peter Picard Rodman, 87 died in Chestertown, Md.
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2/24/97 . . . Victoria Smith has a broken ankle she received after slipping on the ice and will be operated on at Maine Medical .
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2/22/97 . . . Doris A. Nida, 87 died in Portland.
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2/18/97 . . . Raymond Hamilton and Madeline Brewer are both home and doing well.
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2/14/97 . . . Raymond Hamilton is at Mercy Hospital. Madeline Brewer is at Maine Medical and working in rehab after a small stroke and is hoping to be home next week. Leah Webber is now at Brentwood where Lida Small, Bernard Doughty and Joanne Perkins are. Phil Hale (from Peaks but use to live on Chebeague) is at the Barron Center.
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2/6/97...Clara Sause died at the Viking in Cape Elizabeth after many years of Alsheimers. She is the mother of Joan Phipps.
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1/27/97 . . . Weston Ross died in Malden, Mass. Weston was 90 years old and will be buried this summer on Chebeague.
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1/27/97 . . . Joseph Dyer died.
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1/26/97 . . . Richard Henkel died in an automobile accident, he was 55 and it is believed he had had a seizure before he left the road and hit a tree.
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1/23/97 . . . Joe Dyer and Bernard Doughty are both at Brentwood Manor.
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1/10/97 . . . Bernard Doughty just went over on the rescue to the hospital, he is 94.
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1/7/97 . . . Doris Allen came home from the hospital today and is doing well!
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1/5/97 . . . Robert White has been home for a few weeks now and is recovering wonderfuly after bypass surgery. GREAT NEWS!
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Fall 96 . . .Born to the children of Carolyn and Albert Marsh , Thomas P. O'Connor and James R. Marsh. All are healthy and surviving their first New England winter. They will make their first visit to the Island sometime this summer.
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12/29/96 . . . Dr. Anne Janet Clark Rodman died in Chestertown, Md.

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12/25/96 . . . Born to Terry and Cricket Dyer Ullom in Texas a boy, Mitchel, 9lbs 3oz - CONGRATULATIONS!

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Doris Allen is at Mercy Hospital where she has been for about a week.
Lida Small and Joanne Perkins are at Brentwood Manor in Yarmouth
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12/24/96... James Morahan died, husband of Norma Sanderson Morahan, summer resident of Fenderson Road
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12/20/96... Iris Gwillim died in Florida
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12/19/96... Beatrice Grover Bowen died in Falmouth
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12/6/96... Kittie Mayer died
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12/1/96 . . . Born to George and Carolyn Belesca Edwards in Windham, NH a girl Isabel Clare, 7lbs 12 oz. CONGRATULATIONS!

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November....Rory Campbell died
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November... Laura Froding died on Chebeague
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10/25/96... Richard Knight died in Pennsylvania
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10/16/96... Verna Hamilton Jones (nee Verna Gertrude Hamilton), born Chebeague Island December 19th 1903, died in Yarmouth, Maine
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9/17/96... Denis Soule and Dasha Ross adopted by Beverly and Stephen Johnson
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9/10/96... Benjamin Nicholai adopted by Darren and Cheryl Hillicoss

4:01 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

I was truly moved! It was October 10, 2007 and I watched in my Anthropology 107 class at Fullerton College a video entitled “The Cult Questions,” produced by MTV. In this documentary video, I saw real-life people sharing their experience with different cult religions. I was quite familiar with one of the cults –Scientology! This brought back memories and I re-lived my life circa 1999 when I was involved briefly in a relationship with a member of that organization. As individuals in the video shared about their experience my spirit was overcome with the sense of re-living that period of my life all over again. Even more moving for me was a mother who, as a young widow with three boys, joined a Christian cult along with her children. Realizing it was a cult and not wanting to get in any deeper, she pulled out. But the cult members turned her three sons against her telling them that their mother was a follower of the devil. The kids moved in with other cult members and the mother struggled to get them back. She hired a professional “detoxer” who worked diligently to re-unite mother and children. This took months and months and to date only the two youngest children have returned to a loving relationship with their mother; the oldest son is very bitter and very involved with the cult.
The reason I felt I could relate to the mother losing her son to the cult is that I too have lost a loved one to a cult religion. It was Eddie, my life partner of six years. I truly believed for most of that six years that Eddie and I would be together forever and that our life was wonderful. But, there were a series of events that led to Eddie becoming very vulnerable. The first thing that happened is that Eddie, who had come from an alcoholic home, had, over many years, developed a drinking problem. I myself was in a Twelve Step (spiritual, not religious) program, so it was easy for me to help Eddie go to AA meetings and work the Twelve Steps to overcome his addiction. Eddie indeed worked hard and recovery from Alcoholism was the major focus of his life for eighteen months. It is also my experience from being in the program that one needs to work hard, particularly during the first eighteen months, and that during this time the individual seeking recovery experiences a massive “spiritual cleansing!” After this spiritual cleansing, it is truly natural for one to start asking questions about his spirituality. Right around the time Eddie had eighteen months in the program, he suddenly lost his job through no fault of his own. This was a devastating blow and he fell into a deep depression. I tried my best to help him but he was determined that he had to help himself. Suddenly, one day Eddie came home and said that his life had changed. He had met some people who had shared with him the “True Religion” and he intended to convert. I was taken aback.
As I talked with Eddie about this new “True Religion” I became most skeptical and somewhat fearful. I grew up in the Mormon religion and the Mormons are also adamant that they are the only “true religion.” They are also adamant that what their leaders say is absolute truth! From an early age, I had to spend hours and hours attending meetings and had intense dogmatic rules drilled into my head. Meetings were seven days a week, including Monday to Friday meetings before school at 5:30 AM! Growing-up with homosexual feelings, I felt horrible as Mormons are 100% against homosexuality. I felt that I had to hide who and what I am. At the age of nineteen, I, like all men of this age, had to become a missionary. The process of becoming one included an intense psychological ceremony in the exclusive “temple” which unlike a Mormon “church” is not open to the general public. I also had to spend two months at the Missionary Training Center to learn Spanish and have more Church dogma drilled into my head. I was sent to South America where I was overcome by my homosexual feelings and fell in love with a local man of my age. The Church threatened me with severe physical violence and my family was instructed to cut me off (which they did for thirteen years!). I was abandoned and afraid to go back to the States where the Mormons could act against me. I stayed in South America with my first partner for quite some time until political and economic problems in that part of the world prevented me from staying any longer. Immigration issues made it impossible for my partner and I to remain together and I returned to the USA struggling in different jobs and different cities before I landed a job as a production assistant in Hollywood. Whilst working in the Film Industry, I met a famous male actor who is a Scientologist. He and I started meeting clandestinely as Scientology is also 100% against homosexuality. I was given a set of rules – things I could and could not do as well as places I could not be seen at. It was difficult. Because I was on the film-set, it was okay for me to be seen with this actor from time to time and I made associations with some of his Scientologist friends. They too were adamant that Scientology was the only “true religion!” I was also mortified to see how closed-minded they were to people of different backgrounds and orientations. It was their way or nothing! They all also assured me that their leaders state the absolute truth which must be followed. The relationship with this actor fell apart and I received numerous letters from his attorney warning me to never speak of the relationship or face serious legal consequences. (Oddly enough, two years later said actor successfully sued a man who had stated in a French Magazine that he had an affair with the actor.) The harshness of two different religions which caused me to lose friends, partners and family, also led to my own depression. I found escape in the use of drugs and alcohol. Fortunately, I had friends in the Film Industry who helped me find a rehabilitation program and I started attending Twelve-Step meetings. These meetings are of a spiritual nature and are not affiliated with any religious sect. In these meetings, I found love and support and a God of my understanding. This is where I developed a spirituality which works for me. Eddie and I met through a mutual friend and it was love at first site. The relationship blossomed and Eddie entered the same program of spiritual recovery as me. I truly thought when Eddie lost his job that we would get through it and be stronger in the end. But, I was in for a rude awakening.
Eddie told me that his new religion was Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism (sometimes abbreviated as: N.S.) and that they were followers of the one and only “True Buddha!” I did not know what this meant and when I asked Eddie, he could not elaborate. He said that he had made an incredible amount of new friends which loved and supported him unconditionally and that these friends made him feel better than he ever did in his life! I asked Eddie to act with caution but he responded that he was never surer of anything. Eddie showed me a string of beads that the Buddhists use to chant with. I was familiar with other sects of Buddhism but had not seen beads like this before . Eddie also showed me a number of books from the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist sect. I said that I would study them. Eddie also removed from the house all references to religion. This included bibles, pictures with religious images in them, Christmas and Easter decorations and a crucifix that belonged to his grandfather. He stated that “True Buddhists” do not use statues or images of Buddha and asked me to put my collection away. Eddie further made it clear to me that on October 13, 2006 he was going to do a special ceremony called Gojikai where he would be confirmed a “True Buddhist.”
Even though I sincerely hoped something would happen to change his mind, Eddie became a Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist within five weeks of his first contact with the group. Within days of his Gojikai ceremony, I noticed his energy changing. He had created a corner in the house where he mounted a wooden box on the wall called a bustadon and he would open this box to chant to his gohonzon inside . He had a book of Japanese characters with Western-alphabet sounds spelled out below and he literally spent six to seven hours per day chanting to the gohonzon. He seemed hard-pressed and exhausted. I also noticed that he was not looking for work and was spending many hours per week going to religious meetings. He seemed grumpy too; I was afraid to confront him with anything. I later learned that he was assigned to spend several hours per week cleaning the temple as well. One day, he came to me and said that I needed to convert to Nichiren Shoshu. I told him flat out no! He began to cry and said that I had to as it was part of his religion and he had been given the “assignment” to convert me. I hugged him while he wept but I was not going to join a religion that claimed “true” anything… I was feeling empty inside. I told Eddie that this practice was exhausting him and that he needed a rest. He said with a fearful gaze that he couldn’t rest. He was required to do all he was doing and more.
Eddie’s situation continued to worsen and I, who had not studied the books as promised, finally said that I would meet some of the members of his religion. Eddie took me to a Hokkeko meeting at a member’s home. There I was given a presentation along with other non-member guests on the basics of practice of Nichiren Shoshu. It was re-iterated time and again that N.S. was the only true religion on the earth today. Afterwards, I was free to chat and mingle and I got several telephone numbers of members willing to share their experience with me. I hesitated to call these people as I did not wish to be proselytized. Eddie’s condition grew worse and I began to smell alcohol on his breath. He denied that he was drinking again but I am certain that he knew that I was aware that he was lying. One day, I found marijuana in the house. That was the last straw. I urged Eddie to go to a recovery center. He would not. I told him that I was prepared to leave if he did not get immediate help for his substance abuse. He did not. Not knowing where to turn I began calling the N.S. members from the Hokkeko meeting. I was amazed that not one of these members was concerned with Eddie’s drinking or illegal substance use. I was informed that if it is his karma to abuse drugs, so be it. I also got a feeling that drug abuse was common in the cult and that members felt that they were above the law. Everyone I spoke to also insisted that my life would change if I would chant to Eddie’s gohonzon and I was being a disservice to my partner by not converting. I was ever reminded that N.S. was the only true religion and their teachings and doctrine were absolute truth! Through all of this, I did meet one member who showed remorse because the N.S. members had destroyed an object belonging to her deceased mother that they perceived as a heretical religious symbol. I also spoke to a lesbian woman who showed a drop of sadness because N.S. directed her to separate from her disabled lover of more than two decades so she could focus more on her chanting. I saw uncanny similarities among Mormonism, Scientology and Nichiren Shoshu. I was also not about to involve myself anymore with this or any cult. I had had enough for one lifetime.
Eddie told me he relapsed on substance abuse because I did not love him enough to join his religion. This made me feel terrible. But, I also would not tolerate him in the state he was in. When he refused again to get help I decided to leave. I had already missed so much school that term due to the stress this situation caused that I simply withdrew from my classes and went to Europe for five months. My last communication with Eddie was shortly before I returned. He said that he was living with three N.S. members in a house in Palm Springs and he was to focus on the religion twenty-four hours per day/seven days per week! He told me that he was not going to have contact ever again with anyone who was not an N.S. member and that there was a guy in his house with a gun who would shoot me should I come looking for him. This saddened me. Nevertheless, I came back a new person and decided to return to my studies at Fullerton College. I was especially excited about enrolling in Anthropology 107 – Magic, Witchcraft and Religion, as it would help me to take off the lenses that I had acquired through being conditioned by the Mormons, Scientologists and N.S. When I saw on the course syllabus that we were to do an interview with a religious specialist, I immediately began to imagine whom from Eddie’s temple I could contact and interview. I called a few times and presented myself as “finally open to converting…” I managed to get the e-mail address of Don Metzger who holds the position of Koto at the Myohoji Temple of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism in West Hollywood. I e-mailed Don three times and established that I had looked at a lot of literature that Eddie had given me and studied numerous websites on Buddhism, etc. Don and I set up a time for me to call for a long chat on Friday, October 12, 2007, at 4 PM. The interview went well and I managed to use the information from the literature and websites to construct a great conversation. I was able to ask and suggest a lot of things that provided me with totally new information about Nichiren Shoshu. (Please see interview, attached.)
Remembering the mother who had lost her son to a cult in MTV – The Cult Questions, makes me wonder if I too could hire a “detoxer” to find and save Eddie from this life of intense trauma. On the other hand, I am grateful that I have survived the intensity of three cults and that I am pressing on with my education. I also feel that I have indeed been able to take off the “lenses” that I was conditioned to wearing from my own cult experiences. By doing so, I feel that I am a better anthropologist! Writing this particular paper and interviewing Don Metzger, the Koto, of the Myohoji Temple of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, has really stretched me to separate myself from my personal views and gain a greater understanding of the processes and functions of religion in our society.

8:12 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

Interview with Don Metzger, Koto of the Myohoji Temple of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism at 1401 N. Crescent Heights Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90046 – This was a prearranged telephone interview and took place on Friday, October 12, 2007 at 4 PM:

Don : Hello?

Nathan: Hi Don, its Nathan Hamilton, Eddie’s friend, calling per my e-mail. I have wanted to talk to you for a while. I have got so many questions.

D: I can imagine. What’s going on?

N: Well, I am particularly interested in talking to you about Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism because of your position as Koto of the Myohoji Temple in West Hollywood. I understand that Koto is the highest position a layperson can hold. It is like being a minister, right?

D: Yes, Nathan, I have been Koto since I retired in1995. I answer only to Reverend Takano, the high priest for all the United States. My duties would be similar to a pastor or minister in a Christian church. But, as you know we do not associate with Christians or members of any other religion. To actually become a priest like Rev. Takano you have to be born in Japan and be of 100% Japanese heritage. So, I do hold the highest position available to me.

N: Wow! That’s impressive and I understand that Nichiren Shoshu’s only temples outside Japan are here in the USA. I also believe that Rev. Takano answers to the High Priest in Japan.

D: Yes, while we have members in countries like China, Taiwan, Thailand and Korea our headquarters is in Japan at the base of Mount Fuji at Taisekiji. In 1960 we began to open temples in the USA and we have a total of 6. Reverend Takano travels back and forth from America to Japan and visits frequently all our temples. All our members are a required to make a Tozan to the Taisekiji complex twice a year.

N: A Tozan is a spiritual journey to the N.S. temples in Japan?

D: That is right. We organize 4 or 5 trips for our members each year and Rev. Takano takes them to Taisekiji for 7 – 10 days at a time. The members pay their own way to Japan.

N: Wow! Can you tell me where the US temples are located?

D: Well by far the largest is here in West Hollywood on Crescent Heights Blvd. We have others in Honolulu, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco and New York.

N: Friends tell me that aside from the West Hollywood temple, which is a grand building that the other temples are far from the city centers and are often a small residence, gutted out to have a room large enough for a meeting.

D. That is correct. But, we are a growing religion. Our goal is to double the number of Bodhisattvas by the year 2012, which is when restoration of one of the 12th century temples at our Taisekiji headquarters is, scheduled to be completed.

N: So you are a proselytizing religion?

D: Yes, we call our “missionary work” Kosen-Rufu which is declaring the message of TRUE BUDDHISM to our fellow human beings. It is essential in this religion to spread the word of True Buddhism as we are the only true religion on the earth today. When someone converts to the truth he or she has a ceremony where Reverend Takano blesses them by touching their head with a spiritual stick called Gojikai and this fills him or her with True Buddhism and then that person is a Bodhisattva.

N: It is interesting to say that it is the ONLY TRUE RELIGION. I was raised a Mormon and from early childhood it was drilled into me that Mormonism was the only true religion. They say they are Christians but there have numerous books of Holy Scripture besides the Bible. At age nineteen, I had to become a fulltime missionary and go door to door to spread “the truth.” I felt so much pressure to convert others and this pressure was on top of repressing my homosexual feelings. Mormons adamantly oppose being gay and do not recognize the good in any other religion. They have strict rules and secret ceremonies which can be psychologically damaging. And, as you know my life partner is Eddie who joined your religion a year ago. This was hard for me…

D: Well, Nathan, I think you know that I too am gay and I can relate. I was raised Evangelical Christian and joined N.S. in 1965 after a suicide attempt. My family had disowned me. I was homeless and all alone. It was by chance that a cousin happened by me on the street and took me in By the way in those days I was a redhead like you (laughs!). I now see it was Karma leading me to receive gojikai, as my cousin had just joined True Buddhism. I really dove into this because N.S. is the only religion where you can change your own Karma in this lifetime. The other Buddhists say you can change your Karma for future lives only. But, the other Buddhists do not have the teaching of the True Buddha. The True Buddha lived in Japan in the 12th century. He translated the Lotus Sutra into Japanese and corrected it. It is this version of the Lotus Sutra that we use. All our readings and all our chants are done in the Japanese language.

N: How was this “True Buddha” related to the Buddha known as Prince Siddhartha who sat under a bohdi tree?

D: Nathan it is very important for you to understand reincarnation. You and I have lived millions of lives and each life brings us closer or further from enlightenment The Buddha you are referring to reincarnated in Japan in the 12th century . His name was Nichiren Daishonin. He declared that all other religions were wrong and that images or symbols of any religion are heretical. He established the first temple at Taisekiji and wrote the only true teachings of religion. This is the only way a human being can find enlightenment. There is no heaven or hell; there is no judgment; there is only karma and we create it through cause and effect. If we do not like the effect of our causes we can change them through chanting to Nichiren Daishonin. We do this by having in our homes and temples a Gohonzon which is a scroll with hand painted Japanese characters on it copied after the original scrolls that Nichiren Daishonin wrote. That original scroll is the focus of our worship and the reason we make a Tozan to Japan. It is called the Dai-Gohonzon. Our homes and temples do not have any images of Buddha as those who use statues of Buddha are heretical and do not follow the teachings of the True Buddha. Likewise, when someone converts to N.S. they have to rid their home of all books and magazines which have religious images or references in them as well as all references to religion in images and art. This sometimes is a great sacrifice as family bibles, Christmas ornaments, paintings, jewelry and family heirlooms all must be destroyed by the new convert. Many people manage to get rid of their Judeo-Christian items but when we inspect their homes we often find a statue of Buddha in the garden or a souvenir image of Buddha from dinner in Chinatown or a trip to the Orient. These images all must be destroyed! One thing that we do use is flowers. As Nichiren Daishonin died on October 13th and the cherry blossoms bloomed out of season as a result of the great power this man possesses.

N: Yes Eddie, loved the cherry blossoms and the idea that they bloomed out of season. He was very attracted to your religion as he liked the art of flowers. I know that October 13th is a holiday called Obessan in your religion. That is one of the main reasons I wanted to talk to you as Eddie converted last year during Obessan. You also mentioned the Gohonzon. This is what you chant to, right? I noticed Eddie having to chant 6-7 hours per day. It was insane for me!

D: Yes it is difficult to learn to chant but that is the basis of the True Religion ! It is hard for many to learn the words in Japanese but it is essential that they be pronounced properly. Chanting is the only way to change karma. We must not intervene in the karmic progression of those around us either. As the only enlightened people on earth we let things go. If we want to help someone we merely chant for them and later share the message of Kosen-Rufu. And, to improve our own lives we chant. We chant every morning and every evening and have special silent prayers written into the chants. Yes we chant for a good part of our day.

N: Do you really feel that chanting is enough? I mean I was raped by an uncle when I was 8. When I have tried chanting even to a great amount, the trauma of that event in my life does not lessen –

D: (cutting me off) Nathan, being raped is the effect of a cause you made! Simple as that! You, before the age of 8, or in another lifetime did something that brought this about! The only way to stop future intense experiences is to chant. Chanting channels the energy through different venues but it may take many years to purify the causes you have made in all your lifetimes, and as the Enlightened ones, we have to let these things happen. That is a big difference between the heretical religions and us! We do not try to save anyone because they need to experience their own effects of karma.

N: So, my brother and his wife have two little boys. If we were all going to a family reunion and I noticed the uncle that raped me making eyes at my nephews, I shouldn’t say or do anything (by your way of thinking)????

D: That is right. We have to let Karma happen as it is meant to happen, If it was your uncle’s karma to be punished he would have been. If it is your nephews’ karma to be raped then you let it happen – plain and simple!

N: Eddie joined your religion to help him deal with traumatic events in his life. I was skeptical, even suspicious of any group that would call themselves the “True” anything…due to my background. In fact, since leaving the Mormon Church I personally have found a universal truth that runs through many religions. I believe in a God of my understanding and have found inner peace through this. I remember Eddie, being a new convert to your religion, while we were still living together, and really stressing out over learning and memorizing pages and pages of a chant in Japanese. He did not speak Japanese and he seemed to be really intimidated and hard-pressed. I wanted to help him so I opened up conversation which led him to taking me to a Hokkeko meeting where I met some members of your religion. In order to gain a better understanding, I struck up friendships and gave out my cell phone number making arrangements to meet with a few people. One of these was a woman named Claire who told me that she was a lesbian and that after 35 years of her and her lover being members of your religion, the lover had a stroke and needed special care. Claire was informed that it was her lover’s karma to go into a rest home and that Claire should be rid of her so she could use her energies to chant more productively. I was saddened that Claire followed this advice. The other woman I met with was Dvorah, a 1st generation American and the daughter of Hungarian Holocaust (Shoah) survivors. She said that she converted due to marriage and after 24 years of practice, the N.S. Buddhists invasively inspected her home and found a menorah which her mother hid from the Nazi’s at Auschwitz. The N.S. inspectors took the cherished menorah from her and destroyed it. Naturally, Dvorah was quite saddened by this. She even cried when she recalled the story to me. She further stated that her sadness was seen by the other N.S. members as a weakness and felt condescended, looked down-upon and even babysat. She said that another N.S. member was assigned to watch over her or follow her around for months.

D: Nathan, your ex-Mormon ways are coming out. We have all been chanting for you to make this phone call for a long time and your actions are proving the validity as to why you needed to make this call. I suggest you learn to chant right away. You should stop focus on school and work and focus on your Karma. If that means withdrawing from your classes than do it. You will achieve more success through chanting than from hard-work or education.

N: Hmmmmmmmmmm back in 1999, and shortly before I met Eddie, I was in a brief relationship with a famous Scientologist . Because of my homosexuality, I was given strict rules to abide by and was threatened with death should I expose this Scientologist in any way. The relationship inevitably fell apart and the Scientologist used an attorney to make statements saying that he was not homosexual and was not involved with me or any other gay people. You might know this, because so many people in my life do, and I do not realize it. You see, I was interviewed by the press on numerous occasions about this Scientologist who is high-up in that organization. So, I do not just look at all this from a Mormon point of view, I met numerous scientologists as a result of my relationship with this person. AND, I am recognizing alarming similarities of a cult to your religion. I definitely feel that Scientology is indeed a cult! Eddie was a recovering alcoholic doing very well when he lost his job suddenly. He had about 18 months in recovery and as a 12-stepper myself with considerably more time in the program, I have observed that between 18 months and one year in the program it is natural for one to open himself up to questioning spiritual matters. The first year and a half of recovery is an intense cleansing of old ways. This, on top of losing the job, made Eddie very vulnerable. Out of the blue, he was suddenly “love-bombed” by the overwhelming wave of what appeared to be unconditional acceptance and support by the Nichiren Shoshu group. He was hastened into membership, receiving the gojikai ceremony in less than 5 weeks from his first contact with the group. Then, he was instantly slammed with responsibilities of memorizing 7-hour long chants, cleaning the temple, attending upwards of 15 meetings a week, having to come up with airfare to Japan and more. He had to give up his 12-step meetings and had no time to look for work. When he had second thoughts about staying in the religion he was actually confronted with physical violence. At first, they said they would beat him up if he left your religion and later he was told that if he did not chant and practice perfectly they would shoot him. And, I did speak to another member from the Hokkeko meeting that said she, herself had experienced beating for not conforming the way the group wanted her to.

D: Well, again it is about Karma. I have never been beaten or beat anyone but if this happens those who do it make a certain cause and those who receive it get it as a result of something they did. These are the laws of Universe. As far as Scientology, I know many former-Scientologists who joined that religion and had to take classes and study many, many years to get to the next level. After many more years of study they continued up the ladder and finally when the rare few actually reach the top echelon, they get a chance to go into L. Ron Hubbard’s personal quarters, alone where they find a message waiting on a table for them. This message says to read Nichiren Daishonin’s translation of the Lotus Sutra! Funny how some have the Karma to become enlightened by coming direct to us and others need to spend decades in Scientology to get the same message!

N: Well, that is an incredible story! Don, I thank you for your time and enlightenment.

D: Thank you too Nathan I will be chanting for you.

N: Oh! I just thought of something else

D: Yes?

N: I wanted to ask you about the other groups that call themselves Nichiren Believers. I have been looking at websites and there are many other groups who follow Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings and the largest of these groups broke off from you in 1994. I understand that there was a law suit and an official split and many famous people including Tina Turner went with the other group.

D: Well over nearly 800 years in Japan many events occurred. Inevitably copies of Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings fell into the wrong hands. We believe in an evil spirit named Sansho-Shima who seeks to destroy the True Religion. Many groups broke off the True Buddhist teachings as a result of Sansho-Shima. The Edo period (1600-1867) was a great time of a great persecution of the True Believers and many were killed and prevented from their Tozan at Taisekiji. This caused many to go astray. Also, after WWII many new ideas were introduced to Japan and heretical values from Christianity were adopted by many Japanese and the High Priest at Taisekiji had to keep us separate from the heretics. Today there are about 6 groups who read Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings but we are the only group allowed by law to call Nichiren Daishonin the “True Buddha” and call ourselves the “True Buddhists”.

N: Allowed by law?

D: Yes, in the early 1990s the largest group was sued by us both in the USA and Japan and we won the right to prevent them from visiting the temples at Taisekiji, using our Gohonzons and from using the term “True Buddhism.”

N: I believe that this group is called the Soka Gakkai and that a lot of famous people in the music industry including Tina Turner and Courtney Love have left your organization and joined them. I also heard that the Soka Gakkai is now a huge political party in Japan…

D: You are correct Nathan. We are saddened to lose many members to the Soka Gakkai which is led by Sansho-Shima himself! We chant for these people and as the only True Religion we are often persecuted by the forces of evil.

N: The idea of Sansho-Shima is interesting. It is like Satan in Christianity yet you believe there is no God.

D: There is no God but there are evil spirits. Humans are capable of achieving enlightenment by being born, dying and being born again. The way to make this process smooth is to chant to Nichiren Daishonin who has already attained his enlightenment. I encourage you to come to temple Nathan and to chant. Your Karma will improve.

N: Thanks Don. I will think about that. Thanks also for your time. Goodbye.

D: Goodbye.

8:30 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

The HOBEN CHAPTER

Myo ho ren ge kyo.
Ho ben pon. Dai ni.

Ni ji se son. Ju san mai.
An jo ni ki. Go shari hotsu.

Sho but chi e. Jin jin mur yo.
Go chi e mon. Nan ge nan nyu.

Is sai sho mon. Hyaku shi butsu.
Sho fu no chi. Sho i sha ga.

Butsu zo shin gon. Hyaku sen man noku.
Mu shu sho butsu. Jin gyo sho butsu.

Mur yo do ho. Yum yo sho jin.
Myo sho fu mon. Jo jeu jin jin.

Mi zo u ho. Zui gi sho setsu.
Is hu nan ge. Shari hotsu.

Go jeu jo butsu ir ai. Shu jeu in nen.
Shu jeu hi yu. Ko en gon kyo.

Mu shu ho ben. In do shu jo.
Ryo ri sho jaku. Sho i sha ga.

Nyo rai ho ben. Chi ken hara mitsu.
Kai i gu soku. Shari hotsu.

Nyo rai chi ken. Ko dai jin non.
Mur yo mu ge. Riki. Mu sho i. Zen jo.

Ge das. San mai. Jin nyu mu sai.
Jo jeu is sai. Mi zo u ho.

Shari hotsu. Nyo rai no. Shu jeu fun betsu.
Gyo ses sho ho. Gon ji nyu nan.

Ek ka shu shin. Shari hotsu.
Shu yo gon shi. Mu ryo mu hen.

Mi zo u ho. Bus shitsu jo jeu.
Shi shari hotsu. Fu shu bu setsu.

Sho i sha ga. Bus sho jo jeu.
Dai ichi ke u. Nan ge shi ho.
Yui butsu yo butsu. Nai no ku jin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3X
Sho ho jis so. Sho i sho ho.
Nyo ze so. Nyo ze sho.
Nyo ze tai. Nyo ze riki.

Nyo ze sa. Nyo ze in.
Nyo ze en. Nyo ze ka.
Nyo ze ho. Nyo ze hon mak ku kyo to.


Juryo Chapter:
Myo ho ren ge kyo. Nyo rai ju ryo hon.
Dai ju roku.

Ji ga toku bur rai. Sho kyo sho kos shu.
Mur yo hyaku sen man. Oku sai as ogi.

Jo sep po kyo ke. Mu shu oku shu jo.
Ryo nyu o butsu do. Ni rai mur yo ko.

I do shu jo ko. Ho ben gen ne han.
Ni jitsu fu metsu do. Jo jeu shi seppo.

Ga jo jeu o shi. I sho jin zu riki.
Ryo ten do shu jo. Sui gon ni fu ken.

Shu ken ga metsu do. Ko ku yo sha ri.
Gen kai e ren bo. Ni sho katsu go shin.

Shu jo ki shin buku. Shichi jiki i nyu nan.
Is shin yok ken butsu. Fu ji shaku shin myo.

Ji ga gyu shu so. Ku shutsu ryo jeu sen.
Ga ji go shu jo. Jo zai shi fu metsu.

I ho ben rik ko. Gen u metsu fu metsu.
Yo koku u shu jo. Ku gyo shin gyo sha.

Ga bu o hi chu. I setsu mu jo ho.
Nyo to fu mon shi. Tan ni ga metsu do.

Ga ken sho shu jo. Motsu zai o ku kai.
Ko fu i gen shin. Ryo go sho katsu go.

In go shin ren bo. Nai shutsu i sep po.
Jin zu riki nyo ze. O as ogi ko.

Jo zai ryo jeu sen. Gyu yo sho jeu sho.
Shu jo ken ko jin. Dai ka sho sho ji.

Ga shi do an non. Ten nin jo jeu man.
On rin sho do kaku. Shu jeu ho Sho gon.



Ga shi do an non. Ten nin jo jeu man.
On rin sho do kaku. Shu jeu ho Sho gon.

Ho jeu ta ke ka. Shu jo sho yu raku.
Sho ten gyaku ten ku. Jo sas shu gi gaku.

U man da ra ke. San butsu gyu dai shu.
Ga jo do fu ki. Ni shu ken sho jin.

U fu sho ku no. Nyo ze shitsu jeu man.

Ze sho zai shu jo. I aku go in nen.
Ka as o gi ko. Fu mon san bo myo.

Sho u shu ku doku. Nyu wa shichi jiki sha.
Sok kai ken ga shin. Zai shi ni sep po.

Waku ji i shi shu. Setsu butsu ju mur yo.
Ku nai ken bus sha. I setsu butsu nan chi.

Ga chi riki nyo ze. Eko sho mur yo.
Jum yo mu shu ko. Ku shu go sho toku.

Nyo to u chi sha. Mot to shi sho gi.
To dan ryo yo jin. Butsu go jip pu ko.

Nyo i zen ho ben. I ji o shi ko.
Jitsu zai ni gon shi. Mu no sek ko mo.

Ga yaku i se bu. Ku sho ku gen sha.
I bon bu ten do. Jitsu zai ni gon metsu.

I jo ken ga ko. Ni sho kyo shi shin.
Ho itsu jaku go yoku. Da o aku do chu.

Ga jo chi shu jo. Gyo do fu gyo do.
Zui o sho ka do. I ses shu jeu ho.

Mai ji sa ze nen. I ga ryo shu jo.
Toku nyu mujo do. Soku jo jeu bus shin.

Second Silent Prayer: I offer profound appreciation and pray to repay my debt of gratitude to the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, which was bestowed upon the entire world; to Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law; and to Nikko Shonin. I offer appreciation and pray to repay my debt of gratitude for Nichimoku Shonin.

Third Silent Prayer: I pray that the great desire for kosen-rufu be fulfilled. I pray that I will personally contribute to kosen-rufu during my lifetime. I offer appreciation and pray to repay my debt of gratitude to all those who have taught me Nichiren Buddhism.

Fourth Silent Prayer: I pray to bring forth Buddhahood from within my life, change my karma, and fulfill my wishes in the present and the future. (Offer additional prayers here.)

Fifth Silent Prayer: I pray for my deceased relatives and for all those who have passed away, particularly for these individuals: (Sound the bell continuously while offering prayers.)

Sixth Silent Prayer: I pray for peace throughout the world and the happiness of all living beings.
Sound the bell and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times to conclude

8:52 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

Nichiren Shōshū
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Nichiren Shōshū (日蓮正宗) is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren (1222–1282). Nichiren Shōshū claims Nichiren as its founder through his disciple Nikkō (1246–1333), the founder of the school's Head Temple Taiseki-ji. It has adherents throughout the world, with the largest concentrations in Indonesia and Japan and many more in Taiwan; South Korea; North, Central, and South America; the Philippines; Europe; and Ghana.

Contents [hide]
1 Overview
2 Doctrines and practice
2.1 View of Nichiren's lifetime of teaching
2.2 Object of veneration
2.2.1 The Dai-Gohonzon
2.2.2 Transcriptions of the Dai-Gohonzon
2.3 Positioning of the Dai-Gohonzon and further differences with other Nichiren schools
2.3.1 Specific doubts about the Dai-Gohonzon's authenticity
2.4 Practice
3 Soka Gakkai Split
4 External links
4.1 Official websites
4.2 Unofficial websites
4.3 Critical websites
5 Sources and references
5.1 English
5.2 Japanese
6 Japanese for Buddhist terms
7 See also



[edit] Overview
Nichiren Shoshu is one of the larger sects of Nichiren Buddhism with a substantial international membership. Its head temple, Taiseki-ji is located on the lower slopes of Mount Fuji. The name Nichiren Shoshu is of relatively recent coinage, dating from the Meiji Era (post 1868) and means "Orthodox Nichiren School". Before then the school had been known under a number of names, most notably "The Fuji School" in reference to Taiseki-ji's location. It is one of the Nichiren schools that sees itself in the lineage of Nikko, one of Nichiren's senior priest-disciples, whom it considers to be the first high priest of the sect.

The central point of Buddhist practice within Nichiren Shoshu is the Dai-Gohonzon (Great Gohonzon). All other gohonzons are considered to be copies of the Dai-Gohonzon and to derive their beneficial power therefrom. Taiseki-ji is often visited by pilgrims from around the world who come for a chance to pray to this gohonzon. Nichiren Shoshu has over 700 local temples and temple-like facilities in Japan, nearly a dozen in the Americas, and several in Europe, Africa, and Asia outside Japan.[citation needed]

Nichiren Shoshu is currently led by High Priest Nichinyo Hayase (1935–). Members of Nichiren Shoshu believers hold that he received the "Heritage of the Law" in an unbroken line of succession that began with Nichiren.

Nichiren Shoshu priests distinguish themselves from those of most other schools in that they wear only white and gray robes and a white surplice, believing this to be exactly as Nichiren himself did. Since the Meiji Era, Nichiren Shoshu priests, like those of many other Japanese Buddhist sects have been permitted to marry.

The Nichiren Shoshu faithful are organized in temple-based congregations known as Hokkeko. Most attend services at a local temple, or in private homes when no temple is nearby, at least once a month. Services are usually officiated by a priest, but lay leaders sometimes fill in when no priest is available. When they gather, believers frequently study Nichiren Shoshu teachings, particularly the writings of Nichiren, called Gosho.

Religious study is generally led by the priest, and congregations are usually loosely organized, though specifics differ from temple to temple and region to region.


[edit] Doctrines and practice
Much of Nichiren Shoshu's underlying teachings are, overtly, extensions of Tendai (Cn: Tiantai) thought, including much of its worldview and its rationale for criticism of Buddhist schools that do not consider the Lotus Sutra to be Buddhism's highest teaching. For example, Nichiren Shoshu doctrine adopts or extends Tendai's classification of the Buddhist sutras into five time periods and eight categories (goji-hakkyō), its theory of 3000 interpenetrating realms within a single life-moment (Ichinen Sanzen), and its view of the Three Truths (Santai). Because of these similarities, as well as space considerations, this article will confine itself to discussion of the hows and whys of Nichiren Shoshu's central doctrine: How it views Nichiren and his lifetime of teaching, and why its believers practice the way they do.


[edit] View of Nichiren's lifetime of teaching
Nichiren Shoshu holds that in revealing and propagating his teachings, Nichiren was fulfilling the mission of his advent according to a prophecy made by the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama; 563?–483?BC). Sakyamuni foretold that the True Buddha (Kuon Ganjo no go-hombutsu; see also Eternal Buddha) would appear in the "fifth five hundred-year period following the passing of Sakyamuni", at the beginning of a later age called Mappō, and spread the ultimate Buddhist teaching (Honmon, or the "true" teaching) to enable the people of that age to attain enlightenment, as by then his own teachings (Shakumon, or the "provisional" teaching) would have lost their power to do so.

In this way, Nichiren Shoshu believes that Nichiren is the True Buddha and that his Dharma, or Mystic Law (Myōhō: mystic in the sense of profound, sublime, or unfathomable), is the True Buddha's ultimate teaching. Nichiren Shoshu's recognition of Nichiren as the True Buddha is its reason for referring to him as Nichiren Daishōnin ("Great Sage Nichiren"), in contrast to the Nichiren Shōnin ("Sage" or "Saint" Nichiren) appellation used by other schools, most of which contend that Nichiren was merely a great priest or saint.


[edit] Object of veneration
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhists believe that personal enlightenment can be achieved in one's present form and lifetime (即身成仏 sokushin jōbutsu). Central to their practice is chanting Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō to the object of veneration, called a Gohonzon.

Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is called the daimoku ("title") since it comprises Nam and the Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra, Myōhō-Renge-Kyō. It can be understood as a sort of invocation meaning "I submit myself (or "dedicate my life") to the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect." The believer's practice (gyōriki: power of practice) and faith (shinriki: power of faith) are believed to call forth the power of the Buddha (butsuriki) and the power of the Law inherent in the Gohonzon (hōriki) to expiate the believer's negative causes (some people call it "negative karma") and bring forth a higher life condition, a process called zaishō shōmetsu: "eradicating sins and their resulting impediments".


[edit] The Dai-Gohonzon
Defining the Gohonzon is a little more complicated. Nichiren Shoshu's fundamental object of veneration (the honzon; note that some refer to it as an object of worship) is called the Dai-Gohonzon ("great" or "supreme" object of veneration). The Dai-Gohonzon is essentially a mandala inscribed in by Nichiren in Chinese and Sanskrit characters on October 12, 1279. The most important part of the inscription is the line down its center, which reads Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo Nichiren. This signifies that the Law of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and the Buddha who proclaimed it (Nichiren) are one; i.e., two facets of a single entity (ninpō ikka: "oneness of the person and the Dharma"). Hence the Dai-Gohonzon is revered as the very entity of Nichiren and his enlightenment, and every Nichiren Shoshu temple and household possesses a transcription of it.

The Dai-Gohonzon is enshrined in a sanctuary (kaidan; often called an "ordination platform" in other Buddhist schools) at Taiseki-ji. The sanctuary is both the place where a Gohonzon is enshrined and that where worship services (see Practice, below) take place.

The Dai-Gohonzon, its sanctuary, and the Law of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo are collectively called the San Dai Hihō[1] (Three Great Hidden, or Secret, Laws) as their existence is believed to have been "hidden" between the lines[2] of Sakyamuni's Lotus Sutra and therefore remained secret until Nichiren revealed them. Singly, they are called, respectively, Honmon no Honzon, Honmon no Kaidan, and Honmon no Daimoku, where honmon may be understood to mean "of the ultimate, or 'True', Teaching". They come together in the Dai-Gohonzon, which is called Honmon Kaidan no Dai-Gohonzon ("the Great Object of Veneration of the Sanctuary of the True Teaching") and is believed to embody them collectively as facets of itself. The Dai-Gohonzon is thus revered as the ultimate object of veneration—ultimate because, like no other, it opens up the possibility for all people, and enables all those who worship it, to attain enlightenment, making it the culmination of Nichiren's lifetime of teaching (Ichi Dai Hihō[3]: the One Great Secret Law).


[edit] Transcriptions of the Dai-Gohonzon
The transcriptions of the Dai-Gohonzon are called, simply, Gohonzon (go is an honorific prefix indicating respect). Most transcriptions in temples are on wood tablets into which the inscription is carved (the tablets are coated with black urushi and the characters, gilted), while most of those in homes are in the form of a paper scroll. Although Gohonzon enshrined in temples and similar facilities are personally inscribed by the high priest, those in private homes can be either personally inscribed or printed using traditional wood-block printing. Personally inscribed Gohonzon are bestowed upon believers of long standing or in recognition of major accomplishments in faith and have a dedication on the far right naming the recipient. Printed Gohonzon have the dedication "for the recipient" on them.

Regardless of their type, all Gohonzon have been consecrated by one of the successive high priests of Nichiren Shoshu in a ceremony[4] conducted in the Dai-Gohonzon's sanctuary, and all have the same power provided that one believes in the Three Treasures as defined by Nichiren Shoshu. A Nichiren Shoshu priest, acting as proxy for the high priest, bestows the Gohonzon on new believers upon their initiation into the faith at a local temple. No two Gohonzon are said to be identical, as the Gohonzon is said to be the mirror of each believer's soul. As such, a personal Gohonzon is enshrined in the home within a Butsudan on an altar. Home altars generally include a candle, a bell, incense, a vessel containing water, and an offering of fresh greens or fruit. When a Gohonzon is bestowed upon an individual they pledge to protect and preserve the Gohonzon throughout their lifetime.


[edit] Positioning of the Dai-Gohonzon and further differences with other Nichiren schools
The significance of the Dai-Gohonzon (and its constituent facets) in Nichiren Shoshu is that it is regarded by the school as the penultimate Buddhist teaching revealed by the True Buddha, which also makes it the purpose of Nichiren's advent. Altogether, this interpretation of Nichiren's appearance in this world and the meaning of his lifetime of teaching, is the core-most tenet of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. As well as being the point on which the school differs most from other Nichiren schools, it is also the starting point for almost all other differences, including Nikkō's reason for forsaking Mt. Minobu and the other Nichiren schools' reason for disputing Nikkō's legitimacy as Nichiren's successor.

A handy example of derivative differences might be that of the interpretation of the Three Treasures, an important concept common to all forms of Buddhism. Called sambō or sampō[5] in Japanese, the Three Treasures are the Buddha (butsu: he who reveals the Law), the Law (hō: Dharma or "body of teachings"), and the Priest (sō: he who receives from the Buddha, maintains the purity of, and transmits the Law). Nichiren Shoshu differentiates itself from other Nichiren schools in that it regards Nichiren himself as the Treasure of the Buddha; the Mystic Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the Treasure of the Law; and Nikkō, as primus inter pares among its successive high priests, as the Treasure of the Priest. The other Nichiren schools define another Buddha (usually Sakyamuni) as the Treasure of the Buddha, and Nichiren as the Treasure of the Priest. Nichiren Shoshu considers the Law of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and by extension the Dai-Gohonzon (i.e., the embodiment of that law), to be the Treasure of the Law, whereas other schools go only as far as defining Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo (i.e., just the invocation) as the Treasure of the Law.

Another important difference arises again out of this last one: Nichiren Shoshu permits worship of only the Dai-Gohonzon (and its transcriptions) because the school sees it as the embodiment of the Treasure of the Law, whereas other schools are often ambivalent on their object of worship, sometimes changing it and even allowing worship of statues or collections of statues and paying homage to various Buddhist and Shinto deities.


[edit] Specific doubts about the Dai-Gohonzon's authenticity
Several schools and critics contend that while Nichiren's own writings provide ample evidence that he inscribed several Gohonzon, they supply no evidence to support the notion that he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon. This alternative perspective is put forth in the "Controversy over the authenticy and validity of the Dai-Gohonzon" entry in the Wikipedia article on Nichiren.


[edit] Practice
The daily practice of Nichiren Shoshu believers consists of affirming and renewing their faith by performing gongyō twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. Gongyo is a prayer service—Nichiren Shoshu's form of meditation—that entails reciting certain sections of the Lotus Sutra, held to be Shakyamuni Buddha's highest and most profound teaching, and chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to the Gohonzon while focusing on the Chinese character myō ("jewel" which symbolizes "mystic law") at its center. Morning Gongyo consists of a series of five sutra recitations followed by silently recited, prescribed prayers; whereas evening gongyo encompasses only three sutra recitations and the second, third, and fifth silent prayers. This practice, particularly when shared with others, is regarded as the True Cause for attaining the tranquil condition of enlightened life that allows believers to experience and enjoy more meaningfully fulfilled lives and to confidently confront and overcome the challenges of everyday life.

The logic behind this is that through thoughts, words, and deeds, every being creates causes, and every cause has an effect. Good causes produce positive effects; bad causes, negative ones (see karma). This law of causality is the universal principle underlying all visible and invisible phenomena and events in daily life. Nichiren Shoshu believers strive to elevate their life condition by acting in accordance with this law in their day-to-day lives and by sharing their faith with others, believing their Buddhist practice to be the ultimate good cause for effecting changes in life and attaining enlightenment.


[edit] Soka Gakkai Split
Nichiren Shoshu has historically been represented by lay organizations working in conjunction with the priesthood for the propagation of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.

In 1991, Nichiren Shoshu officially severed ties with its, then, largest lay organization, Sokka Gakkai, over doctrinal disputes between the priesthood and the Soka Gakkai leadership. Soka Gakkai now operates as a doctrinally and organizationally independent group. Many authorities now classify the Soka Gakkai as a "new" religion [6].

The reasons for the split remain highly controversial. For readers researching the dispute, the Wiki articles on Soka Gakkai and Hokkeko might provide some useful information and links, and other links are provided below. The Web also offers numerous sites providing information and commentary, though—as is often the case in such disputes—application of critical eye is warranted.


[edit] External links

[edit] Official websites
http://www.nst.org/ Nichiren Shoshu temple organization in the US
http://www.nsglobalnet.jp/ Nichiren Shoshu web presence
http://www.nst.org/articles/100Q&ABook.pdf A PDF book describing Nichiren Shoshu's position on doctrinal disputes with the Soka Gakkai.

[edit] Unofficial websites
http://www.elbudismo.com.ar

[edit] Critical websites
http://nichiren.com Web presence of the Association of Youthful Priests Dedicated to the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu, a group of priests who sided with Soka Gakkai
http://www.nstemple.net/ Private website critical of Nichiren Shoshu's previous high priest, Nikken Abe
http://www.sgi.org/ Soka Gakkai International
http://www.sgi-usa.org/ Soka Gakkai International-USA

[edit] Sources and references

[edit] English
The Doctrines and Practice of Nichiren Shoshu, Nichiren Shoshu Overseas Bureau, 2002. Also available online in its entirety.
A Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts, Nichiren Shoshu International Center (NSIC), Tokyo, 1983. ISBN 4-88872-014-2. (Note: Despite its name, NSIC is no longer affiliated with Nichiren Shoshu; however, the dictionary largely reflects Nichiren Shoshu interpretations of terms and concepts.)

[edit] Japanese
Nichiren Shōshū yōgi (日蓮正宗要義: "The essential tenets of Nichiren Shoshu"), Taiseki-ji, 1978, rev. ed. 1999
Nichiren Shōshū nyūmon (日蓮正宗入門: "Introduction to Nichiren Shoshu"), Taiseki-ji, 2002
Dai-Nichiren (大日蓮), monthly magazine published by Nichiren Shoshu. Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, Japan (numerous issues)
Dai-Byakuhō (大白法), the Hokkekō organ newspaper. Tokyo (numerous issues)

[edit] Japanese for Buddhist terms
^ 三大秘法
^ 文底秘沈
^ 一大秘法
^ 開眼式 kaiganshiki, "Opening of the Eyes Ceremony." This expression is common among Buddhists schools that use images as objects of veneration.
^ 三宝
^ The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A desk reference for the Curious Mind, St. Martin's Press, New York, 2004. ISBN 0-312-31367-5. pp.516-517

[edit] See also
Sōka Gakkai International
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichiren_Sh%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB"
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9:00 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

Les sectes en France

N° 2468




----





ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE



CONSTITUTION DU 4 OCTOBRE 1958



DIXIÈME LÉGISLATURE






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Enregistré à la Présidence de l'Assemblée nationale le 22 décembre 1995.



RAPPORT



FAIT

AU NOM DE LA COMMISSION D'ENQUÊTE (1) SUR LES SECTES,


Président
M. Alain Gest,


Rapporteur

M. Jacques Guyard,





Députés.

----




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Cette Commission est composée de : MM. Alain Gest, président, Jean-Pierre Brard, Mme Suzanne Sauvaigo, vice-présidents, MM. Eric Doligé, Rudy Salles, secrétaires, Jacques Guyard, rapporteur ; MM. Jean-Claude Bahu, Pierre Bernard, Raoul Béteille, Mme Christine Boutin, MM. Jean-Pierre Brard, Jean-François Calvo, René Chabot, Mme Martine David, MM. Pierre Delmar, Bernard Derosier, Eric Doligé, Jean-Pierre Foucher, Jean Geney, Alain Gest, Jean Gravier, Jacques Guyard, Pierre Lang, Gérard Larrat, Claude-Gérard Marcus, Thierry Mariani, Mme Odile Moirin, MM. Georges Mothron, Jacques Myard, Mme Catherine Nicolas, MM. Francisque Perrut, Daniel Picotin, Marc Reymann, Marcel Roques, Rudy Salles et Mme Suzanne Sauvaigo.

Droits de l'Homme et libertés publiques.


S O M M A I R E
_____


PAGES
INTRODUCTION 5
I.--UN PHÉNOMÈNE QUI, BIEN QUE DIFFICILE A APPREHENDER
SEMBLE SE DEVELOPPER 8
A.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE DIFFICILE À DÉFINIR 8
1.- L'impossible définition juridique 8
2.- L'imprécision et la diversité des définitions issues du langage courant 10
a) L'approche étymologique 10
B) L'approche sociologique 11
c) L'approche fondée sur la dangerosité des sectes 11
d) La conception retenue par la Commission 12
B.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE DIFFICILE À MESURER 14
1.- L'évaluation par les Renseignements généraux 15
2.- L'évaluation par les différents experts 27
C.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE EN EXPANSION POTENTIELLE 32
1.- Les grandes tendances actuelles 32
a) La nature des sectes 32
B) La structure des sectes 34

c) Les thèmes développés par les sectes 34

d) La perception du phénomène sectaire 35
2.- Les facteurs d'expansion potentielle 37
a) La réponse à des besoins importants 37

B) Des techniques de recrutement de plus en plus sophistiquées 41

c) Une puissance financière 46
II.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE MULTIFORME AUX EFFETS COMPLEXES 49
A.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE DIVERSIFIÉ 49
1.- La méthode adoptée par les Renseignements généraux 49
2.- Les résultats de l'enquête 60
B.- DES PRATIQUES SOUVENT DANGEREUSES 66
1.- Des illégalités nombreuses et variées 66
2.- Une nocivité qui dépasse largement le champ des illégalités constatées par les tribunaux 74
a) Les dangers pour l'individu 76
B) Les dangers pour la collectivité 80
III.- LA NÉCESSITÉ D'UNE RIPOSTE ADAPTÉE À LA DANGEROSITÉ
DES SECTES
82
A.- UN DISPOSITIF D'ENSEMBLE ÉQUILIBRÉ, QUI NE JUSTIFIE PAS DE RÉVOLUTION JURIDIQUE 83
1.- Un régime qui, tout en garantissant la liberté de religion, permet de réprimer les abus des mouvements sectaires
85
a) Les mouvements spirituels disposent de plusieurs cadres légaux pour s'exprimer 85
B) Un arsenal juridique important permet de sanctionner les " dérives " sectaires 90
2.- Une réforme radicale ne paraît pas souhaitable
95
a) L'inopportunité d'un régime juridique spécifique aux sectes 97
B) Les risques d'une reconnaissance des sectes comme religions à part entière 101
B.- POUR UNE RÉPONSE PRAGMATIQUE AU PHÉNOMÈNE SECTAIRE 102
1.- Mieux connaître et faire connaître 102
2.- Mieux appliquer le droit existant 110
3.- Améliorer le dispositif juridique 116
5.- Aider les anciens adeptes 123
CONCLUSION
126

INTRODUCTION

88 membres de la secte des Davidsoniens morts par suicide ou à l'issue d'affrontements avec la police à Waco au Texas le 19 avril 1993 ; 53 membres de la secte du Temple solaire morts suicidés ou assassinés en Suisse et au Canada le 4 octobre 1994 ; 11 morts et 5.000 blessés dans l'attentat au gaz perpétré dans le métro de Tokyo par la secte Aoum le 5 mars 1995 : sans revenir sur des faits plus anciens - mais tout le monde a encore en mémoire le suicide collectif des 923 membres du Temple du Peuple au Guyana en 1978 - voilà, sur moins de trois ans, le bilan des agissements criminels les plus graves dont se sont rendues coupables certaines sectes. Lorsque surviennent de tels faits, les media s'empressent de titrer sur le phénomène sectaire, l'opinion s'émeut - à juste titre - puis l'attention retombe jusqu'à l'épisode spectaculaire suivant qui fera l'objet du même traitement. Mais, pendant ce temps, un certain nombre de sectes continuent insidieusement à accomplir leurs méfaits quotidiens dans l'indifférence quasi-générale.

Le rapport rédigé par Alain Vivien à la demande du Premier ministre et publié en 1985 sous le titre " les sectes en France : expression de la liberté morale ou facteurs de manipulation " , qui présentait une photographie du phénomène sectaire et en analysait les principaux aspects avant de formuler un certain nombre de propositions, a eu le grand mérite de constituer la première étude approfondie et objective sur les dangers des sectes et d'alerter les pouvoirs publics et l'opinion sur une réalité jusque là fort mal connue. Cela étant, voici maintenant plus de dix ans que ce document a été réalisé, et force est de constater que, les mesures qu'il préconisait étant pour la plupart, malgré leur intérêt et leur simplicité, restées lettre morte, les sectes continuent de prospérer en exploitant, pour leur plus grand profit, le désarroi dans lequel l'évolution de notre société plonge nombre de nos contemporains, prêts à se laisser abuser par l'apparente spiritualité d'un discours dont ils ont l'illusion qu'il peut apporter la réponse à leurs attentes.

Il était donc légitime que la représentation nationale se préoccupe de prendre la mesure d'un phénomène dont l'évolution, depuis le rapport de M. Alain Vivien, est mal connue, d'apprécier les dangers qu'il fait courir aux individus et à la société, et de faire le point des mesures nécessaires pour le combattre. Aussi l'Assemblée nationale a-t-elle, en adoptant à l'unanimité le 29 juin dernier la proposition de résolution présentée par M. Jacques Guyard et les membres du groupe socialiste, créé une commission d'enquête " chargée d'étudier le phénomène des sectes et de proposer, s'il y a lieu, l'adaptation des textes en vigueur " .

Constituée le 11 juillet dernier, la Commission a décidé, lors de la réunion qu'elle a tenue le 18 juillet pour organiser le déroulement de ses travaux, de placer sous le régime du secret l'ensemble des auditions auxquelles elle procéderait afin de permettre la plus grande liberté de parole aux personnes dont elle solliciterait le témoignage. En application de l'engagement pris auprès des témoins, le présent rapport ne comportera donc pas en annexe le compte-rendu des auditions qui ont nourri les réflexions de la Commission, ni même la liste des personnes qu'elle a entendues. Dans le même esprit, n'est pas mentionnée dans le rapport l'origine des propos dont il est fait état.

Vingt auditions ont été effectuées dans ces conditions, pour une durée globale de vingt et une heures. Elles ont permis à la Commission de prendre connaissance des informations, de l'expérience et des analyses de personnes ayant, à des titres divers, une connaissance approfondie du phénomène sectaire, qu'il s'agisse de responsables administratifs, de médecins, de juristes, d'hommes d'Eglise, de représentants d'associations d'aide aux victimes de sectes, et, bien sûr, d'anciens adeptes de mouvements sectaires et de dirigeants d'associations sectaires. La Commission a, par ailleurs, sollicité le concours de diverses administrations pour tenter d'affiner au mieux la connaissance du champ de son étude. Force lui est de constater qu'il a été répondu à ses demandes avec un empressement et un zèle inégaux. Si le ministère des Affaires sociales, celui des Affaires étrangères, la Préfecture de Police de Paris et, surtout, le ministère de l'Intérieur (Direction centrale des Renseignements généraux), ont aidé très efficacement la Commission dans ses recherches et ses réflexions, le ministère de l'Economie et des finances (Direction générale des impôts), et le ministère de la Justice (Direction des affaires criminelles et des grâces) n'ont en effet transmis que très tardivement les informations dont ils disposent.

Tel qu'il est présenté dans le présent rapport, le résultat de l'ensemble des travaux menés par la Commission décevra ceux qui se seraient attendus à y trouver des révélations ou des anecdotes inédites. Elle n'avait pas les moyens, et, au demeurant, ce n'était pas ainsi qu'elle concevait sa mission, de se livrer à des recherches ou à des mises en cause qui relevaient de la compétence des services de police et, le cas échéant, de la justice. En s'appuyant sur le travail d'un très grand intérêt réalisé par la Direction centrale des Renseignements généraux, sur les recherches et les analyses menées par des spécialistes de différentes disciplines, enfin, sur les témoignages oraux ou écrits de personnes ayant elles-mêmes vécu au sein d'une secte ou dont les proches ont connu ou connaissent cette expérience, elle a tenté d'appréhender au mieux une réalité mouvante, complexe et souvent travestie de faux-semblants.

Comme on le verra, elle a été, dès l'abord, confrontée à la difficulté de définir le terme de sectes pour délimiter le champ de son étude. Néanmoins, elle a choisi de ne pas se laisser arrêter par ce qui n'est en réalité qu'un faux obstacle, et de suivre avec persévérance une démarche empirique que d'aucuns pourraient juger insuffisamment ambitieuse mais dont la modestie cache un souci de réalisme et d'efficacité. C'est donc sans esprit de système, sans a priori d'aucune sorte, et en prenant toujours le plus grand soin de ne pas procéder à des amalgames abusifs ni de tomber dans la paranoïa, sans pour autant faire preuve d'angélisme ou, au moins, de naïveté, que la Commission a tenté d'apprécier les contours d'un phénomène qui, bien que difficile à appréhender, semble se développer, avant de constater qu'il revêt des formes diversifiées et se caractérise souvent par des pratiques dangereuses, et, enfin, de dégager les moyens d'une riposte adaptée à cette dangerosité.


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I.--UN PHÉNOMÈNE QUI, BIEN QUE DIFFICILE A APPREHENDER SEMBLE SE DEVELOPPER

La Commission a tout d'abord cherché à apprécier l'ampleur actuelle du phénomène sectaire et, à la lumière de certaines de ses caractéristiques ainsi que de son évolution récente, à dégager les tendances probables de son devenir. Malgré les difficultés qu'elle a rencontrées à définir le phénomène faisant l'objet de son étude et à le mesurer, il lui est apparu qu'il recèle des potentialités d'expansion qui doivent justifier une vigilance accrue de la part des pouvoirs publics.


A.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE DIFFICILE À DÉFINIR

A priori, l'approche du phénomène des sectes, comme de tout autre, suppose que ce concept soit clairement défini.

Or, toutes les études, tous les ouvrages consacrés aux associations dites sectes reconnaissent la difficulté d'une telle démarche, que la Commission a mesurée tout au long de ses travaux : en effet, la notion de secte, particulièrement difficile à définir dans le langage courant, est totalement inconnue du droit français.

A l'évidence, cette situation n'a pu que rendre sa tâche plus ardue. Ayant été confrontée à cette difficulté dès le début de ses recherches, la Commission n'a pas voulu se laisser enfermer dans l'alternative à laquelle elle conduit logiquement : soit tenter de donner une définition juridique à la notion de secte destinée à servir de base à la suite de ses travaux, au risque de heurter le principe de la liberté de conscience, soit considérer qu'elle ne pouvait valablement continuer à travailler en raison de l'impossibilité de procéder à une telle définition. Elle a, avec modestie mais aussi dans un souci d'efficacité, suivi une démarche empirique, en constatant l'existence d'organismes divers communément dénommés sectes et en cherchant à préciser les contours de ce qui peut être englobé sous cette appellation pour en dégager les caractéristiques qui peuvent justifier que l'on s'y intéresse, voire que l'on s'en préoccupe.

1.- L'impossible définition juridique

L'absence de définition juridique des sectes en droit résulte de la conception française de la notion de laïcité.

L'origine de cette conception est à rechercher dans l'article 10 de la Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du citoyen qui dispose que " nul ne doit être inquiété pour ses opinions, même religieuses, pourvu que leur manifestation ne trouble pas l'ordre public institué par la loi " . Les rédacteurs de la Déclaration ont ainsi clairement posé le principe de la neutralité de l'Etat, de sa discrétion à l'égard des opinions religieuses.

Cette attitude doit être complétée par une approche plus positive, qui confie à l'Etat le soin d'assurer à chacun le libre exercice de la religion qu'il a choisie : l'article 2 de la Constitution du 4 octobre 1958 précise ainsi que la France, République laïque, " assure l'égalité devant la loi des citoyens sans distinction d'origine, de race ou de religion " et qu'elle " respecte toutes les croyances " . Cette consécration constitutionnelle récente avait été ébauchée par le préambule de la Constitution de 1946 qui, quels que soient les débats relatifs à sa portée juridique, rappelait l'attachement du peuple français à la déclaration de 1789 et aux " principes fondamentaux reconnus par les lois de la République " .

Le régime juridique des cultes qui résulte d'une telle conception de la laïcité est tout entier contenu dans les deux premiers articles de la loi du 9 décembre 1905 relative à la séparation des Eglises et de l'Etat, qui disposent que " la République assure la liberté de conscience ] garantit le libre exercice des cultes " (art. 1) et qu'elle " ne reconnaît, ne salarie, ni ne subventionne aucun culte " (art. 2).

Le principe de neutralité de l'Etat signifie donc que les croyances religieuses ne sont pas un fait public sous réserve des restrictions liées au respect de l'ordre public, que le fait religieux relève des seuls individus, de la seule sphère privée des citoyens.

Ainsi s'explique que l'Etat, fidèle à son " indifférence " affichée à l'égard des religions, n'ait jamais donné une définition juridique de celles-ci. Si la doctrine admet qu'elles se caractérisent par la réunion d'éléments subjectifs (la foi, la croyance) et d'éléments objectifs (le rite, la communauté), nulle définition d'une religion ne peut être constatée dans le droit positif.

Celui-ci se borne à réglementer la vie des structures juridiques ainsi que des pratiques sociales qui constituent le support des religions (associations, cultuelles ou non, congrégations religieuses) ; il n'opère aucune distinction juridique entre les différents cultes, n'effectue aucune discrimination, positive ou négative, entre eux.

On conçoit dès lors l'impossibilité juridique de définir les critères permettant de définir les formes sociales que peut revêtir l'exercice d'une croyance religieuse, a fortiori de distinguer une Eglise d'une secte.

La commission d'enquête a donc été confrontée dès le début de son activité au paradoxe de devoir travailler sur un secteur juridiquement inexistant. Sa position était d'autant plus délicate que, impossible à définir en droit, la notion est également difficile à manier dans le langage courant.

2.- L'imprécision et la diversité des définitions issues du langage courant

La notion de secte, même dans le langage courant, n'est pas univoque : différents niveaux d'analyse ne suffisent sans doute pas à témoigner de la diversité - et de la richesse - du concept.

a) L'approche étymologique

Une étude étymologique montre que le terme " secte " est apparu aux alentours des XIII - XIVèmes siècles et qu'il peut être rattaché à deux racines latines : l'une le rattachant au verbe suivre, l'autre au verbe couper.

Cette hésitation sur l'origine sémantique imprègne aujourd'hui encore l'ensemble des dictionnaires.

Significative est la définition fournie par le dictionnaire Littré, pour qui la secte est " l'ensemble des personnes qui font profession d'une même doctrine " ou " qui suivent une opinion accusée d'hérésie ou d'erreur " .

Le dictionnaire Robert distingue quant à lui entre les personnes " qui ont la même doctrine au sein d'une religion " et celles qui " professent une même doctrine " .

Dans tous les cas, les deux origines supposées de la notion induisent, simultanément ou alternativement, les deux idées de croyance commune et/ou de rupture par rapport à une croyance antérieure.

C'est sur ce concept de rupture qu'insiste le dictionnaire des religions (PUF, 1984) qui définit la secte comme " Au sens originel, un groupe de contestation de la doctrine et des structures de l'Eglise, entraînant le plus souvent une dissidence. Dans un sens plus étendu, tout mouvement religieux minoritaire " .

B) L'approche sociologique

La sociologie fournit quant à elle une définition de la secte par opposition à celle d'Eglise. C'est ainsi que Max Weber a procédé pour préciser ces deux notions l'une par rapport à l'autre : pour lui l'Eglise est une institution de salut qui privilégie l'extension de son influence, alors que la secte est un groupe contractuel qui met l'accent sur l'intensité de la vie de ses membres.

Ernst Troeltsh a poursuivi l'oeuvre de Weber et souligné que l'Eglise est prête, pour étendre son audience, à s'adapter à la société, à passer des compromis avec les Etats. La secte, au contraire, se situe en retrait par rapport à la société globale et tend à refuser tout lien avec elle, et même tout dialogue. Elle a une attitude identique à l'égard des autres religions, de sorte qu'en ce sens l'oecuménisme pourrait servir de critère pour distinguer Eglise et secte.

c) L'approche fondée sur la dangerosité des sectes

Le terme " sectaire " , apparu, lui, au cours des guerres de religion, est empreint d'une forte connotation péjorative. Il est appliqué au membre d'une secte caractérisé par son intolérance, son adhésion aveugle, son étroitesse d'esprit.

Le langage moderne a été fortement marqué par cette connotation péjorative : de nos jours, le terme " secte " fait référence à des mouvements religieux ou pseudo-religieux d'apparition récente, minoritaires, sécessionnistes ou non.

Le débat sur les " sectes dangereuses " ou les " dérives sectaires " a encore accentué l'aspect péjoratif du concept.

Plusieurs personnalités entendues par la Commission ont développé devant elle des approches de la définition des sectes fondées sur la dangerosité des mouvements. L'une d'entre elles a formalisé ainsi le résultat de cette démarche, en donnant comme définition des sectes :

" Groupes visant par des manoeuvres de déstabilisation psychologique à obtenir de leurs adeptes une allégeance inconditionnelle, une diminution de l'esprit critique, une rupture avec les références communément admises (éthiques, scientifiques, civiques, éducatives), et entraînant des dangers pour les libertés individuelles, la santé, l'éducation, les institutions démocratiques.

Ces groupes utilisent des masques philosophiques, religieux ou thérapeutiques pour dissimuler des objectifs de pouvoir, d'emprise et d'exploitation des adeptes. "

Dans une telle optique, l'accent est mis en outre sur le caractère insidieux de la dérive sectaire, car il est difficile de tracer une frontière entre le fonctionnement " légitime " et la zone dangereuse, c'est à dire entre :

- la libre association et le groupe coercitif,

- la conviction et les certitudes incontournables,

- l'engagement et le fanatisme,

- le prestige du chef et le culte du gourou,

- les décisions volontaires et les choix totalement induits,

- les recherches d'alternatives (culturelles, morales, idéologiques) et la rupture avec les valeurs de la société,

- l'appartenance loyale à un groupe et l'allégeance inconditionnelle,

- la persuasion habile et la manipulation programmée,

- le langage mobilisateur et le néolangage (la " langue de bois " ),

- l'esprit de corps et le groupe fusionnel.

On mesure à quel point il est, dans ces conditions, difficile de raisonner de manière objective, de se situer entre la banalisation et la diabolisation, entre la cécité et la tolérance abusive d'une part, la suspicion généralisée d'autre part : c'est pourtant cette voie qu'a choisi la Commission.

d) La conception retenue par la Commission

La Commission a en effet constaté que si la difficulté à définir la notion de secte a été soulignée par toutes les personnalités qu'elle a entendues, la réalité visée semble unanimement cernée, sauf naturellement par les adeptes et dirigeants des sectes qui nient ce caractère à leur groupement (tout en pouvant le reconnaître à d'autres) et préfèrent évoquer les termes d' " Eglises " ou de " minorités religieuses " .

La Commission n'a pas la prétention de réussir ce à quoi tous ceux qui travaillent sur la question des sectes, souvent depuis de nombreuses années, ne sont pas parvenus, c'est-à-dire donner une définition " objective " de la secte, susceptible d'être admise par tous. Les travaux de la Commission s'appuient donc sur un certain nombre de choix éthiques qu'elle ne cherche pas à dissimuler.

Parmi les indices permettant de supposer l'éventuelle réalité de soupçons conduisant à qualifier de secte un mouvement se présentant comme religieux, elle a retenu, faisant siens les critères utilisés par les Renseignements généraux dans les analyses du phénomène sectaire auxquelles procède ce service et qui ont été portées à la connaissance de la Commission :

- la déstabilisation mentale ;

- le caractère exorbitant des exigences financières ;

- la rupture induite avec l'environnement d'origine ;

- les atteintes à l'intégrité physique ;

- l'embrigadement des enfants ;

- le discours plus ou moins anti-social;

- les troubles à l'ordre public ;

- l'importance des démêlés judiciaires ;

- l'éventuel détournement des circuits économiques traditionnels ;

- les tentatives d'infiltration des pouvoirs publics.


Votre Commission insiste sur le fait que, la définition des sectes s'avérant à bien des égards difficile, elle a conduit ses travaux en se gardant de faire siennes les définitions des sectes proposées par ses interlocuteurs, par nature engagés, à un titre ou à un autre dans la promotion des nouvelles religions ou dans la lutte contre leurs excès - réels ou supposés --.

Elle a été consciente que ni la nouveauté, ni le petit nombre d'adeptes, ni même l'excentricité ne pouvaient être retenus comme des critères permettant de qualifier de secte un mouvement se prétendant religieux : les plus grandes religions contemporaines ne furent souvent, à leurs débuts, que des sectes au nombre d'adeptes réduit ; bien des rites établis et socialement admis aujourd'hui ont pu à l'origine susciter des réserves ou des oppositions.

Le champ de son étude a ainsi été volontairement restreint à un certain nombre d'associations réunissant, le plus souvent autour d'un chef spirituel, des personnes partageant la même croyance en un être ou un certain nombre d'idées transcendantales, se situant ou non en rupture avecles religions " traditionnelles " (chrétienne, musulmane, hindouiste, bouddhiste) qui ont été exclues de cette étude, et sur lesquelles ont pu, à un moment ou à un autre, peser le soupçon d'une activité contraire à l'ordre public ou aux libertés individuelles.

La difficulté de définir la notion de secte, qui sera pourtant utilisée dans la suite de ce rapport, a conduit la Commission à retenir un faisceau d'indices, dont chacun pourrait prêter à de longues discussions. Elle a donc préféré, au risque de froisser bien des susceptibilités ou de procéder à une analyse partielle de la réalité, retenir le sens commun que l'opinion publique attribue à la notion.

A défaut, elle n'aurait pu, constatant les difficultés rencontrées lors de la tentative de définition du phénomène, qu'interrompre ses travaux. Une telle attitude aurait sans doute dérouté, et aurait, de plus, empêché que soient analysés les réels problèmes posés par le développement d'un certain nombre d'associations.

Difficile à définir, le phénomène des sectes ne peut de surcroît - mais aussi de ce fait - être mesuré avec précision.

B.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE DIFFICILE À MESURER

Toute tentative de mesure globale du phénomène sectaire se heurte à un certain nombre d'obstacles, qui doivent être brièvement évoqués.

L'imprécision entourant la définition de la notion est bien entendu le premier d'entre eux : comment mesurer un phénomène dont il n'existe pas de définition admise par tous ?

Il est en deuxième lieu difficile de quantifier l'activité des multiples associations gravitant autour de tel ou tel mouvement, d'assimiler, par exemple, l'auditeur régulier de conférences organisées par une association proche d'une secte, à un adepte de cette dernière.

Le choix du critère servant à mesurer le phénomène est en troisième lieu lui aussi aléatoire : doit-on retenir le nombre d'adeptes ou celui des sympathisants, à supposer que l'une et l'autre de ces deux notions puissent recevoir une définition satisfaisante ? Compte tenu de l'impact familial ou social du phénomène, doit-on inclure l'entourage des personnes directement concernées pour apprécier correctement le nombre de " victimes " ?

Au demeurant, les sectes elles-mêmes ne sont pas toujours en mesure de quantifier avec une relative précision le nombre de leurs adhérents. Différents indices permettent même d'affirmer que certaines d'entre elles le gonflent artificiellement afin d'accréditer l'idée d'une audience qu'elles n'ont pas dans la réalité, alors que d'autres le minimisent volontairement dans le but de ne pas attirer l'attention des pouvoirs publics.

L'audience réelle des différentes sectes ne peut, enfin, être mesurée à l'aune de seuls critères numériques : l'implantation internationale de la secte, ses capacités financières, sa stratégie éventuelle d'infiltration contribuent pour beaucoup à son audience, sa capacité d'ingérence, sa dangerosité.

Ces réserves méthodologiques posées, il reste toutefois nécessaire d'essayer de mieux cerner, sur le plan quantitatif, le phénomène sectaire.

Deux types d'évaluation ont été communiqués à la mission : l'une résulte des observations de la Direction centrale des Renseignements généraux; l'autre, plus indirecte, des études d'un certain nombre d'experts.

1.- L'évaluation par les Renseignements généraux

Le phénomène sectaire fait l'objet, depuis une vingtaine d'années, d'un suivi régulier par les Renseignements généraux. Toutefois, l'actualité du phénomène et les moyens limités de la DCRG n'autorisent pas l'exécution fréquente de travaux de synthèse.

Deux bilans ont à ce jour été dressés, l'un dans le cadre de l'élaboration du rapport de M. Alain Vivien " Les sectes en France " , en 1982, l'autre à la demande de la commission d'enquête.

L'analyse très complète et très fine à laquelle ont procédé les Renseignements généraux retient une définition de la secte fondée sur la dangerosité supposée des différents mouvements, elle-même déduite de l'existence d'un ou plusieurs indices parmi les suivants : déstabilisation mentale, exigences financières exorbitantes, rupture avec l'environnement d'origine, atteintes à l'intégrité physique, embrigadement des enfants, discours antisocial, troubles à l'ordre public, démêlés judiciaires, détournements des circuits économiques, infiltration des pouvoirs publics. Sur ces bases, ont été recensés, dans le cadre de chaque département métropolitain, les associations remplissant l'un au moins de ces dix critères.

Ils ont de surcroît distingué, pour chaque mouvement, " l'organisation mère " des différentes " filiales " qui gravitent autour d'elle, que celles-ci soient " officielles " (antennes locales portant le nom de la secte), ou " masquées " (associations diverses, voire sociétés civiles ou commerciales).

Les différentes " organisations-mères " ont, de plus, fait l'objet d'une évaluation quantitative permettant de les répartir entre celles qui comptent moins de 50 adeptes, entre 50 et 500 adeptes, entre 500 et 2.000 adeptes, plus de 2.000 adeptes. Il est à signaler que seul le mouvement des Témoins de Jéhovah dépasse en France les 10.000 fidèles (leur nombre est évalué à 130.000).

Pour la plupart, les mouvements ésotériques ou se rattachant à l'anthroposophie (), bien que prédisposant parfois des individus fragilisés à un " cheminement sectaire " , n'ont pas été mentionnés, en raison de leur innocuité objective. De même, l'immense majorité des groupes se réclamant exclusivement du Nouvel Age, multiples et à l'audience souvent confidentielle, ont été exclus de cette étude car se situant encore aux " franges sectaires " .

L'agrégation, au niveau national, des résultats obtenus par département permet de tirer un certain nombre d'enseignements, relatifs au nombre des sectes en premier lieu, à celui de leurs adeptes en second lieu, à la dynamique du mouvement enfin.


les structures sectaires
Le nombre de mouvements recensés par la DCRG et répondant à l'un des critères de dangerosité indiqués ci-dessus s'élève aujourd'hui à 172 pour les " organisations-mères " . L'inclusion des " filiales " dans l'étude permet de constater l'existence, en France, d'une véritable " nébuleuse sectaire " comptant plus de 800 satellites.

Une étude de la répartition géographique des sectes montre que le phénomène n'a pas une ampleur uniforme sur le territoire français.

Les organisations mères se concentrent pour l'essentiel sur quatre grandes régions (carte no 1) :

- la première englobe l'Ile-de-France et ses départements limitrophes pour s'étendre jusqu'à la Manche et une partie de la Bretagne ;

- la seconde irradie autour de l'estuaire de la Gironde pour toucher le Nord de l'Aquitaine et le Sud de la région Poitou-Charentes ;

- la troisième dessine le sillon rhodanien pour s'élargir à la quasi-totalité de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ;

- la quatrième enfin est circonscrite à deux départements lorrains, la Moselle et la Meurthe et Moselle.

A l'inverse, les régions Centre, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Maine et Loire, Franche-Comté semblent relativement épargnées.

L'inclusion des " filiales " dans la représentation cartographique ne modifie pas la représentation du phénomène sectaire, même si elle accroît l'impression de diffusion sur l'ensemble du territoire national (carte no 2).

Cette impression est encore accrue si l'on adjoint à cette dernière représentation cartographique l'influence représentée par les Témoins de Jéhovah, dont les lieux de culte ( " salles du royaume " ) sont nombreux dans un certain nombre de départements peu touchés par le reste du phénomène sectaire, notamment le Calvados, le Finistère, les Pyrénées Atlantiques, le Doubs (carte no 3).








Les adeptes des sectes
Même s'il est difficile de procéder à un chiffrage précis, tant il est ardu de distinguer le véritable adepte du disciple occasionnel ou du simple sympathisant, les Renseignements généraux estiment à 160.000 le nombre d'adeptes au moins occasionnels, et à 100.000 le nombre de sympathisants.

Il est cependant nécessaire d'affiner ces résultats en faisant valoir que 80 % des mouvements regroupent moins de 500 adeptes, près de 60 sectes comptant même moins de 50 adeptes. On constate donc une concentration du phénomène sectaire sur une quarantaine de mouvements, dont on verra, de surcroît, que ce sont ceux qui répondent le plus souvent à un grand nombre de critères de dangerosité.

Les listes suivantes présentent, classées par ordre alphabétique et pour chaque classe d'effectifs définie, le nom des mouvements pouvant, à l'aune des critères définis, être qualifiés de sectaires.

- Mouvements sectaires de moins de 50 adeptes :

Alliance Rose Croix / Association Recherches Culturelles
AMPARA
Association Culturelle ALPHA
Association de soutien à l'oeuvre de Sundari - L'Ecole de l'essentialisme
Association Le Droit de survie
Association spirituelle d'Haidyakhan
Centre d'applications psychiques "Raphaël"
Centre d'épanouissement et aide François de Sales
Centre de développement humain
Centre de thérapie Dalmatie
Clé de l'univers
Club prélude à l'Age d'or
Communauté de la Thébaide
Communauté Les boucheries
Cosmicia
Cosmos - Intuition - Ailes
Dakpo Shampa Kadgyu
Ecole de la préparation de l'évacuation extra terrestre
Eglise Khristique de la Jérusalem Nouvelle ordre de Raolf, d'Arnold et d'Osmond
Eglise philosophique Luciférienne
El - Etre son corps
Emissaries of the divine light
Enseignement et thérapie de recherches évolutives
Etre-Exister-Energétique
Fondation Saint-germain
Grande loge souveraine internationale magique et theurgique de rite égyptien - Cagliostro
Ermitage du Christ de la paix
Imagine
Insight seminars - Innergy
Institut de psychanimie
Institut de recherches psychanalytiques
Institut Frank Natale
Kofuku no kagaku (institut pour la recherche du bonheur de l'homme)
L'arbre au milieu
La nouvelle ère
Le suicide des rives
Landmark education international - Le forum
Le club des surhommes
Le village du verseau
Les amis de la confrérie Saint-Andréas
Les amis de Marie - Les pauvres de Marie
Les croisés de la nouvelle Babylone
Les jardins de la vie
Loisirs et santé - Le corps miroir
Lumière dorée
MAEV
Méthode Sylva de contrôle mental
Ordonnance des scribes scientifiques et des mystères initiatiques
Ordre des chevaliers de France et de la Trinité Sainte
Ordre du temple universel
Red concept limited
Révélation de la 7ème heure
Sanctuary
Savoir changer maintenant
Shinji Shumeikai France
Spiritual Emergence Network France - Respiration holotropique
Viveka


- Mouvements sectaires de 50 à 500 adeptes :

Amis de la croix glorieuse de Dozule
Arche de Marie
ASPIRAL
Association de défense des libertés d'expression dans l'institution française (ADLEIF)
Association de méditation en France
Association Nouvelle Acropole France (ANAF)
Association pour l'unification du christianisme mondial
Association pour la promotion des arts industrieux (APPAI)
Association pour la recherche et l'étude de la survivance (APRES)
Association Vo Vi de France - Amis de la Science du non être de France
ATHANOR
AZAZEL INSTITUTE INC
Centre d'Etudes Gnostiques
Centre d'information OSHO
Centre de documentation et d'information et de contact pour la prévention du cancer
Centre de méditation Mahatayana
Centre du cygne Djivana Prana - Source de vie
Centre du Paraclet
Centre international de parapsychologie et de recherche scientifique du Nouvel Age
Cercle initiatique de la licorne Wicca occidentale
Comètes oxygènes - Le moulin du soleil
Communauté pour la propagation de la vie universelle
Communion de satonnay
Eckankar France
Eija
Energie et création - Energie et créativité
Energy world
Espace culturel Etre maintenant (ECEM)
Etude tradition et recherche en énergétique (E.T.R.E.)
Faculté de parapsychologie
Famille de Nazareth
Fédération française pour la conscience de Krishna
Fédération internationale pour le développement de l'alimentation instinctive (FIDALI)
Fondation Elan vital
Harmonie holistique
Humana France - TVIND
Iesu no mitama kyokai (Eglise du Saint Esprit de Jésus)
Institut de recherche physique et conscience
Institut de Saint-Preux
Institut des sciences holistiques de l'Ouest
Institut théologique de Nimes
L'Eglise à Paris
La famille (ex-enfant de Dieu)
La science du mental
La voie de la lumière (unité de recherches pour l'évolution de la lumière)
La voie internationale
Le grand logis
Lectorium rosicrucianum (Rose-Croix d'or)
Lumière du Maat
Maha Shakti Mandir
Mandala 33
Mission Swmi Atmananda Atma Bodha Satsanga
Mission Timothée
Mouvement humaniste
Office culturel de Cluny - Fédération nationale d'animation globale
Ogyen Kunzang Choling
Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordre apostolique - Therapeutic healing environment
Ordre du Graal ardent
Ordre du lys et de l'aigle
Ordre monastique d'Avallon
Ordre rénové du Temple (ORT)
Oxyon 777 (ex-Harmonia)
Paravidya sagesse suprême
Partage international communication
Philosophe de la nature
Reine de la paix - Ordre du coeur immaculé de Marie et de Saint Louis de Montfort
Reiyukai
Saint Bani
Saman
Seimeikyo Europe
Siderella
Sister mouvement rasta
Société holosophique de France
Star's edge international - Méthode Avatar
Sukyo Mahikari - Lumière de vérité
Tradition Famille Propriété
Trans-mutations
Venture
Vital Harmony SA


- Mouvements sectaires de 500 à 2.000 adeptes :

Alliance universelle
ANTHROPOS - Association pour la recherche sur le développement holistique de l'homme
Association Subud de France - Susila Dharma France
Association Sri Chinmoy de Paris
Culte Antoiniste
Domaine d'Ephèse
Eglise évangélique de Pentecôte de Besançon
Eglise universelle de Dieu
Eglises du Christ international en France
Fraternité blanche universelle
Fraternité Notre Dame
Invitation à la vie intense
L'oeil s'ouvre
La maison de Jean
La parole de foi - Evangélisation mondiale
Mouvement du Graal en France
Ontologie méthodique culture et tradition
Paris Dharma Sah - Lotus Sangha of European social buddhism
Société internationale de trilogie analytique -sarl-
Union des associations centres et groupes Sri Sathya Sai
Université spirituelle internationale des Brahma Kumaris
Vie chrétienne en France - Centre de vie chrétienne
Viswa Nirmala Dharma - Sahaja Yoga


- Mouvements sectaires de 2.000 à 10.000 adeptes :

Association Lucien J. Engelmajet
CEDIPAC SA (ex-GEPM)
Chevaliers du Lotus d'or
Communauté des petits frères et des petites soeurs du Sacré-coeur
Eglise de scientologie de Paris
Eglise néo-apostolique de France
Eglise universelle du royaume de Dieu
Energie humaine et universelle France - HUE France
Institut de science vedique maharishi Paris - C.P.M. - Club pour méditants ( " Méditation transcendentale " )
Mouvement Raëlien français
Shri Ram Chandra Mission France
Soka Gakkai internationale France


Enfin, le nombre des Témoins de Jéhovah peut être estimé à 130.000.


Dynamique du phénomène sectaire
On pourrait a priori penser apprécier la dynamique du phénomène sectaire en comparant les deux bilans dressés à treize années d'intervalle par les Renseignements généraux ().

Un certain nombre de raisons interdisent toutefois de pouvoir tirer des conclusions significatives d'une telle comparaison. En effet :

- l'enquête de 1995, à la différence de celle effectuée en 1982, n'incorpore pas les résultats de l'enquête (en cours) dans les DOM-TOM ;

- la moindre sensibilisation des enquêteurs à la spécificité du phénomène sectaire n'avait pu, en 1982, permettre d'inclure dans l'étude les " filiales masquées " ;

- la qualification de certains mouvements considérés comme sectaires en 1982 (dissidences chrétiennes, anthroposophie, groupes ésotériques) a été revue en 1995. A l'inverse, de nouveaux mouvements ont été qualifiés de sectaires en 1995 alors qu'ils n'apparaissaient pas comme tels en 1982 (Association Lucien J. Engelmajer, dite " Le Patriarche " ). La question reste de surcroît pendante pour des groupements récemment apparus, qui n'ont pas été retenus en 1995 (Le Groupement, Herbalife).

Seules de grandes tendances peuvent donc être dégagées, qui peuvent être synthétisées dans le tableau ci-après :


1982 1995
Nombre de mouvements ~ 190 ~ 170
Nombre de filiales non estimé ~ 800
Nombre d'adeptes ~100.000 ~160.000
dont Témoins de Jéhovah 75.000 130.000
Nombre de sympathisants " 50.000 " 100.000

La plus importante semble être la multiplication des " filiales " des mouvements sectaires, beaucoup plus nombreuses aujourd'hui que celles décelées en 1982, même si un dénombrement précis n'avait pas alors été effectué. Comme il a déjà été dit, le phénomène des " satellites cachés " était embryonnaire à l'époque et, de façon générale, les sectes étaient nettement moins disséminées qu'aujourd'hui. A titre d'exemple, on mentionnera que, selon la DCRG, près de 60 filiales sont rattachées à l'Eglise de Scientologie.

L'augmentation du nombre de mouvements sectaires est indéniable. Une étude typologique (cf. infra) montre que cette augmentation est due pour partie à la vigueur du courant " Nouvel Age " , qui a vu le nombre de ses structures considérablement augmenter, même si celles-ci ne rassemblent qu'un faible nombre d'adeptes.

La progression du nombre d'adeptes et de sympathisants est considérable puisqu'elle est de 60 % pour les premiers et de 100 % pour les seconds.

Même si elle ne peut être mesurée avec une exactitude scientifique, la dynamique sectaire est donc importante, quel que soit le critère retenu pour l'apprécier.

Cette appréciation est corroborée par les constatations, plus indirectes, des experts ayant étudié le phénomène sectaire.

2.- L'évaluation par les différents experts

Deux grandes associations ont aujourd'hui pour objet la lutte contre le phénomène sectaire.

La plus ancienne est constituée par l'Union Nationale des Associations pour la Défense de la Famille et des Individus (UNADFI), qui regroupe vingt associations locales, dont la première fut fondée en 1974.

C'est sept ans plus tard qu'a été créé le Centre de documentation, d'éducation et d'action contre les manipulations mentales (CCMM), à l'initiative de Roger Ikor, à la suite de la mort de son plus jeune fils, victime d'une secte.

Il est à signaler que d'autres experts disposent d'une compétence reconnue sur le phénomène sectaire : médecins, universitaires, hommes d'Eglise, journalistes, ils appartiennent aux horizons les plus divers.

Le tableau ci-après récapitule les estimations fournies sur le nombre d'adeptes de certaines sectes par un certain ombre d'ouvrages parus entre 1977 et 1987. Il montre clairement qu'en l'espace de ces dix années, le nombre supposé des adeptes de chacune d'entre elles a considérablement augmenté, exception faite de la Mission de la Lumière divine.

L'UNADFI a par ailleurs communiqué à la Commission une estimation, pour 1995, du nombre d'adeptes des principales sectes implantées en France. Ce recensement partiel fait apparaître, pour la seule trentaine de sectes citées, qui n'inclut pas les Témoins de Jéhovah, un nombre d'adeptes supérieur à 120.000. Cette estimation semble donc sensiblement supérieure à celle des Renseignements généraux, qui évaluent à 160.000 le nombre des adeptes des quelque 172 groupements qu'ils reconnaissent comme sectes.

Le même écart est perceptible pour le nombre de structures sectaires, évalué le plus souvent entre 200 et 300 (un des interlocuteurs de la Commission a même avancé le chiffre de 1.000).

La déclaration suivante, faite devant la Commission, traduit bien l'importance estimée du phénomène sectaire en même temps que la difficulté à l'appréhender.

" En quantité, il est très difficile de chiffrer le fait sectaire. Les maximalistes voient des sectes partout et considèrent qu'il y a des centaines de milliers de Français qui sont touchés. Je crois qu'il faut être plus raisonnable. Il y a sans doute des formes un peu aberrantes de religiosité qui ne sont pas pour autant des sectes, dont le comportement des adeptes n'est pas en lui même particulièrement remarquable, ni même condamnable. Ce que je dirai, c'est qu'il doit y avoir en France, à l'heure actuelle, entre 200 et 300 sectes qui ont une importance et une audience extrêmement variées, que ces milieux sont tout à fait instables, à la fois parce que certaines, comme toutes les organisations humaines, se développent alors que d'autres meurent, qu'elles sont influencées par l'étranger, ce qui signifie que des passages de populations étrangères s'effectuent et qu'en même temps des Français s'expatrient dans d'autres sites où la secte est implantée. Toutes ces associations doivent concerner, directement ou indirectement, environ un demi-million de Français. Quand je dis ``directement'', je pense bien entendu aux adeptes eux-mêmes, ceux qui sont entrés dans une secte et qui en sont sortis, à la rigueur ceux qui sont sur le point d'y entrer, mais également tout l'environnement familial et social des adeptes de sectes qui subit naturellement les répercussions des pratiques et des comportements sectaires de ceux-ci. "

LES ADEPTES DES SECTES (1) DANS LES ANNEES 1970 - 1980 : ESTIMATIONS

Nom de la secte Alain Woodrow Claude Petit-Castelli Jean-François Mayer Janine & J. Marie Vermander Jean Vernette René Girault
Les nouvelles sectes Seuil 1977 Les sectes : Enfer ou Paradis Ed. de Messine 1977 Les Sectes Nouvelles Cerf 1977 Des sectes Diablement Vôtres Ed. Soceval 1986 Des sectes à notre porte Chalet 1987
Enfants de Dieu
(Famille d'amour) 6.000 15.000.000 10.243 - 7.000
250 à 300 - - - 200
Adventistes du 7ème jour 2.500.000 - - - 4.100.000
5.000 - - - 8.400
MORMONS : Eglise de J.C. des Saints derniers jours 3.500.000 4.000.000 - 3.000.000 6.000.000
10.000 - - - 15.000
Témoins de JEHOVAH 2.200.000 4.000.000 - 2.000.000 3.200.000
64.019 - - 15.000 92.397
Antoinistes 150.000 en 1900 - - - 20.000
- 20.000 - - 2.000
Scientistes Chrétiens
Christian Science 1.500.000 - - - 1.500.000
2.500 - - - environ : 1.000
Conscience de KRISHNA 5.000 17.000 - - -
plusieurs centaines quelques milliers 450 - plusieurs centaines
Guru MAHARAT JI
Mission de la Lumière Divine 7.000.000 7.000.000 - - 16.000.000
2.000 3.000 - - 1.000
MOON
Eglise de l'Unification du Christianisme Mondial 2.000.000 2.000.000 de 100.000 à 3.000.000 600.000 500.000
1.000 - 100 à 200 - plusieurs centaines
SOKA GAKKAI
Nichiren Shoshu 20.000.000 15.000.000 - - 7.000.000 (Japon)
1.000 3.000 - - 6.000
Méditation transcendantale 1.000.000 1.500.000 2.500.000 - -
90 prof. 20.000 20.000 - 40.000
RAELIENS - - 7.200 à 10.000 - 5.000
- - 2.500 - 1.500
SCIENTOLOGIE 2.000.000 2 à 3.000.000 - - 1.000.000
1.000 + 10.000 - 20.000 - 2.000

Dénombrement des adeptes de sectes en 1995 par l'UNADFI

Nom de la Secte Adeptes
France Monde
Alliance universelle 1.000 2.000
Antoinistes 2.500 200.000
Communauté des Chrétiens 300 80.000
Eglise du Christ de Paris 700
Eglise du Christ scientiste 800 480.000
Eglise évangélique de Pentecôte de Besançon 500
Eglise néo apostolique 17.700 7.187.000
Eglise universelle de Dieu 300 100.000
La Famille (ex Enfants de Dieu) 250 12.000
Fraternité blanche universelle 20.000
Krishna 1.000 80.000
IVI 7.000
Longo mai 200 + 70 enfants
Mahikari-Sukyo Mahikari 15 à 20.000 500.000
Mandarom ou Chevaliers du Lotus d'or 2.000
MT Méditation transcendantale 3.500.000
Moon ou association du Saint esprit pour l'Unification mondiale 500 180.000
Mormons ou Eglise de Jésus Christ des Saints des derniers jours 25.000 8.406.985
Mouvement du Graal 950 9.000
Mouvement parti humaniste 200
Nouvelle Acropole 10.000
Raja Yoga ou Organisation spirituelle des Brahma Kumaris 200
Ram Chandra mission 60 précepteurs
pour 600
" Abhiasys "
Raeliens 1.000 20.000
Sahaja Yoga Matapi 200
Saint Erme 350
Scientologie 1.000 + 6.000 clients 11.000.000
Sokka Gakkai + Nichiren Soshu 6.000 17.000.000

Une mesure indirecte de l'activité sectaire peut être fournie par l'analyse des appels téléphoniques reçus par le centre parisien de l'ADFI qui, en 1994, s'est vu interroger sur les activités de 1.150 associations ou mouvements. Si cette mesure s'apparente plus à un sondage qu'à une analyse précise, elle permet toutefois d'apprécier le prosélytisme des différents mouvements, ainsi que, probablement, leur audience relative en région parisienne.

Consultations reçues par téléphone
dans les locaux de l'ADFI (centre parisien) et relatives à certains groupes

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
Scientologie 389 829 976 862 563 414
Témoins de Jehovah 104 215 345 101 231 236
G.E.P.M. NR 10 130 300 496 946
Nouvelle Acropole 20 59 118 125 118 82
Sahaja Yoga (Sri Mataji) 27 38 111 127 36 21
T.F.P. (Avenir de la culture) 32 89 101 45 26 27
Mandarom (Aumisme) NR NR 97 <10 48 42
I.V.I. 73 50 96 88 113 105
Sokka Gakai 66 27 82 90 122 90
Eglise du Christ 9 25 71 94 95 217
Moon 57 102 65 40 79 41
Krishna 84 16 57 25 24 31
Ecoovie 79 23 55 34 57 34
Rose Croix 17 15 49 70 65 68
Rael 24 40 44 70 48 110
Le Patriarche 9 10 40 30 27 70
Mormons NR 12 38 17 31 33
Méditation transcendantale 17 34 26 25 46 36
Graal NR 24 <15 23 16
Pentecôtistes NR 24
Hommes d'affaires du plein Evangile NR NR 24 <10 <10 31

NR : non répertorié. Source : ADFI Paris

Par ailleurs, les différents experts auditionnés par la Commission ont, en règle générale, confirmé qu'au cours des dernières années, le mouvement sectaire s'est, tant en termes de structures que de nombre d'adeptes, considérablement développé, même s'ils ne disposent pas de données chiffrées précises sur cette tendance.

Au-delà des difficultés de mesure, il n'apparaît pas contestable que le phénomène sectaire est aujourd'hui en France bien réel, et qu'il semble en progression.

Par ailleurs, les caractéristiques de son évolution laissent présager des potentialités d'expansion qui ne laissent pas d'inquiéter votre commission.


C.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE EN EXPANSION POTENTIELLE

Le phénomène sectaire a connu depuis quelques décennies d'importantes évolutions qui influent sur les tendances actuellement constatées ; une appréciation prospective montre de surcroît la tendance à une expansion potentielle.

1.- Les grandes tendances actuelles

Il n'est évidemment pas possible de procéder dans le cadre de ce rapport, dont ce n'est au demeurant pas l'objet, à une étude historique du phénomène sectaire, dont les spécialistes soulignent la permanence dans le temps et l'universalité.

Tite Live dans son ouvrage " Les sectes religieuses en Grèce et à Rome " se livrait déjà à un récit circonstancié de l'affaire des Bacchanales, adeptes du culte de Bacchus.

Sous l'empire romain, les premières communautés chrétiennes furent persécutées tant à cause de leur refus du serment à l'Empereur qu'en raison des accusations de sorcellerie (réunions nocturnes) ou d'anthropophagie (rite de la communion) dont elles firent l'objet. Les procès en sorcellerie dont furent victimes au Moyen-Age jusqu'au début de la Réforme, près de 100 000 personnes en Europe témoignent de la persistance du phénomène sectaire. Les religions chrétiennes ne sont pas la seule source d'exemples : ainsi l'Islam dont un courant ésotérique est représenté par le soufisme a-t-il donné naissance à la secte des Hashishins, qui combattit les Templiers en Terre sainte.

L'évolution récente du phénomène sectaire permet toutefois de dégager un certain nombre de grandes tendances relatives respectivement à la nature des sectes, à leur organisation, aux thèmes développés par elles, à la façon dont elles sont perçues enfin.

a) La nature des sectes

Une étude des sectes actuellement implantées en France montre que celles-ci se sont installées en deux vagues bien distinctes.

La première remonte au début du XXe siècle, qui a vu des mouvements religieux nés pour la plupart dans des pays anglo-saxons s'enraciner dans la société française. Témoins de Jéhovah, Mormons, Pentecôtistes, Adventistes, Baptistes : tous ces mouvements issus du monde protestant vinrent joindre leur contestation de la doctrine officielle de l'Eglise à celle déjà exprimée par des groupes issus de la mouvance catholique (Antoinistes, adeptes du Christ de Montfavet).

La seconde vague déferle à la fin des années 1960, toujours en provenance des Etats-Unis, mais marquée par une plus grande empreinte orientaliste d'une part, ésotérique ou gnostique d'autre part. Relèvent notamment du premier courant l'Association internationale pour la conscience de Krishna (fondée en 1966), l'Association pour l'Unification du Christianisme mondial (AUCM, ou secte Moon) et la Soka Gakkaï.

Au titre du second courant, on citera les groupes liés à Rose-Croix, l'Eglise de Scientologie ou l'anthroposophie. D'autres sectes proposant des alternatives globales fondées sur l'écologie (Ecoovie), la croyance aux extra-terrestres (Mouvement raëlien), les techniques de méditation (Méditation transcendantale), voire la fraternité (Nouvelle Acropole) connaissent également un essor rapide.

Ce mouvement orientaliste et ésotérique ne doit pas cependant faire oublier la permanence, voire la montée en puissance, de mouvements issus du tronc judéo-chrétien, qu'ils soient millénaristes (Témoins de Jéhovah, nébuleuse des mouvements du Nouvel Age) ou guérisseurs (Invitation à la Vie Intense, IVI).

Cette évolution, tracée à grands traits, permet de dégager un certain nombre de caractéristiques :

- la prolifération croissante de ces mouvements, d'origine relativement récente. Aucune classification ni description ne peut être considérée comme définitive ou satisfaisante, tant de multiples mouvements mélangent les genres ou les influences précédemment définis : si les renseignements généraux dénombrent avec une relative précision les mouvements pouvant être qualifiés de " sectes " , toute énumération en la matière encourt le reproche d'être incomplète, car par nature limitative ;

- la place croissante que jouent dans ce mouvement les organisations d'origine confessionnelle entièrement nouvelles proposant une explication globale du monde, au détriment des organisations se présentant comme une sécession, un schisme d'une Eglise précédemment établie ;

- l'évolution dans la nature du public touché. Les mouvements protestants de la première vague recrutaient leurs adeptes dans des milieux relativement défavorisés, chez les personnes adultes, le plus souvent du sexe féminin. Les organisations s'étant développées après 1968 sont caractérisées par la jeunesse et la mixité de leur public, issu en général des classes moyennes.

Au-delà de ces éléments relatifs à la nature des sectes, on constate en général d'autres points communs qui, sans s'appliquer à l'ensemble des sectes citées ci-dessus, sont néanmoins caractéristiques d'une évolution de leurs structures et des thèmes développés par elles : c'est ainsi la façon dont sont perçues les sectes qui est profondément modifiée.

B) La structure des sectes

La plupart des sectes, poursuivant en cela une évolution depuis longtemps entamée, sont organisées sur un modèle pyramidal garantissant l'exercice du pouvoir au profit d'une personne (le gourou) et/ou d'une élite restreinte.

Comme toutes les structures pyramidales, elles reposent sur une coupure entre les adeptes de base et les dirigeants, tempérée par l'existence d'échelons intermédiaires, dont le nombre se réduit au fur et à mesure que l'on progresse vers le sommet.

Il s'établit entre ces différents échelons des liens complexes de dépendance, organisant la distribution des rôles, du savoir, du pouvoir. Un tel système garantit l'existence de filtres efficaces restreignant les voies d'accès au gourou ou à l'élite, protégés de la base par leur isolement et la symbolique de leur pouvoir.

Réciproquement, les adeptes sont récompensés de leur fidélité par une progression au sein de la secte, matérialisée par l'obtention de grades et de diplômes, voire par des bénéfices plus matériels. Le passage à un échelon supérieur est souvent l'occasion d'une cérémonie initiatique.

Encore convient-il de souligner que, dans bien des mouvements, coexistent plusieurs types de structures pyramidales relatives à l'organisation cultuelle de l'enseignement, des services administratifs et financiers : cette prolifération des structures rigidifie encore l'organisation décrite.

c) Les thèmes développés par les sectes

A la différence des thèmes développés par les organisations schismatiques d'Eglises établies, qui se concentrent sur un certain nombre de critiques et de propositions alternatives de nature religieuse, le discours tenu par les nouvelles sectes fait une large place au perfectionnement individuel, préféré à l'action collective ou profane.

C'est dans cet esprit que sont le plus souvent promus les thèmes de l'exemple personnel, du prosélytisme. C'est pour cette raison qu'est souvent prônée, sous des formes diverses, une certaine ascèse se caractérisant par l'abstention d'un certain nombre de pratiques (consommation de tabac et d'alcool), la promotion de nouvelles habitudes alimentaires ou sexuelles, voire la réduction du temps du sommeil.

A l'extrême, une telle ascèse peut conduire à la rupture avec les relations antérieures, au travail au bénéfice partiel ou exclusif de la secte, voire à la vie en commun. Une telle attitude de repli sur soi ou sur un groupe restreint est en contradiction avec tout engagement extérieur à la secte.

On conçoit que l'évolution considérable de la nature, des structures, des thèmes développés par les sectes modifie considérablement la manière dont elles sont perçues.

d) La perception du phénomène sectaire

Alors que jusqu'au début des années 1970, les mises en garde contre les sectes étaient avant tout le fait des Eglises, qui se situaient dans une logique résolument théologique et pastorale, les débordements de certaines organisations, les atteintes réelles ou supposées à l'ordre public ou aux libertés individuelles, ont contribué à une modification brutale de la façon dont elles sont perçues.

Ce phénomène s'est traduit par la constitution d'associations de défense (Centre Roger Ikor, UNADFI en France) et le développement d'un contentieux judiciaire relativement important. La gravité des agissements criminels de certaines sectes (attentats, suicides collectifs, assassinats) a à juste titre ému les média et l'opinion publique.


Date Lieu Secte Nombre de morts Circonstances
18/11/1978 Jonestown Guyana Temple du peuple 923 suicide
03/06/1983 Smithville (Arkansas) Groupe Comitatus 2 affrontement
15/05/1985 Philadelphie (Pensylvanie) Move 11 affrontement
19/09/1985 Mindanao (Philippines) Datu Mangayanon 60 suicide
01/11/1986 Wokayama (Japon) Eglise des amis de la vérité 7 suicide
28/08/1987 Séoul (Corée du sud) Park Soon ja 32 suicide
21/08/1992 Naples (Idaho) Mouvement Identité Chrétienne 3 affrontement
19/04/1993 Waco (Texas) Davidsoniens 88 suicide affrontement
04/10/1994 Suisse Canada Temple solaire 48 5 assassinats et suicides
5/03/1995 Tokyo (Japon) Aoum 11 morts 5000 blessés attentat

Source : J.P. MORIN - Futuribles - Novembre 1994 - Tableau complété pour les événements postérieurs à 1994.

S'il convient de ne pas surestimer les risques que se produisent en France de tels débordements, une vigilance accrue s'impose.

Et si la focalisation médiatique sur des dérapages extrêmement alarmants ne doit pas conduire à couvrir d'un même opprobre toutes les sectes, elle ne doit pas non plus, en mettant en " valeur " des groupes extrêmement minoritaires, conduire à sous-évaluer les risques que font peser sur leurs adeptes des mouvements de grande ampleur et d'une dangerosité beaucoup plus considérable bien que - et en même temps, parce que - beaucoup moins évidente.

Cette remarque est d'autant plus importante que l'on peut aujourd'hui dénombrer un certain nombre d'indices qui font penser - et craindre - que le phénomène sectaire a des potentialités de développement non négligeables.


2.- Les facteurs d'expansion potentielle

Deux principaux facteurs permettent d'avancer l'idée d'une expansion potentielle du phénomène sectaire : les sectes disposent en effet aujourd'hui de moyens financiers puissants, mis au service de leur prosélytisme actif ; surtout, elles répondent à des besoins importants, bien qu'exprimés de manière diffuse.

a) La réponse à des besoins importants

Il serait faux de présenter le développement du phénomène sectaire comme se réduisant exclusivement à la manipulation de personnalités fragiles par des groupes coercitifs par l'application de techniques psychologiques éprouvées.

Une telle explication serait singulièrement réductrice d'un phénomène extrêmement complexe. La commission a pu constater que le phénomène sectaire était au contraire indissociablement lié à l'existence d'une demande, de besoins qui ne trouvent pas d'autre moyen d'être satisfaits.

Un médecin auditionné par la Commission, peu suspect de complaisance à l'égard du phénomène sectaire, a ainsi insisté sur la complexité de la dialectique entre l'offre et la demande en ce domaine : " vous rencontrez le meilleur et le pire dans les sectes (...). Parfois, par le biais des sectes, des personnes se retrouvent dans un groupe chaleureux, d'autres redonnent un sens à leur vie, d'autres encore se structurent. Parmi mes patients, certains sont entrés dans des sectes. Je ne voudrais pour rien au monde qu'ils en sortent, car cela leur sert momentanément de tuteur. Bien entendu, cela ne légitime pas l'ensemble du phénomène, mais c'est vous dire qu'il y a des aspects très positifs. Si on ne le comprend pas, on ne comprendra pas davantage le succès des sectes. Nos contemporains ne sont pas des imbéciles. S'ils se ruent par centaines de milliers dans ces mouvements, c'est qu'ils ont des raisons et surtout qu'ils y trouvent des réponses (...) " .

L'émergence de besoins spirituels nouveaux résulte de la conjonction d'un certain nombre de facteurs connus, qui ne seront rappelés ici que pour mémoire.

Il est certain que la contestation du productivisme, l'effondrement des idéologies politiques, les remises en cause du scientisme, du matérialisme, le déclin continu des religions " traditionnelles " ont fortement remis en cause le modèle sur lequel les sociétés occidentales s'étaient développées depuis le XIXe siècle.

Cet ébranlement des croyances traditionnelles et des grands principes d'organisation sociale a suscité nombre de déceptions, de frustrations, de tentatives de redéfinition. L'incertitude de l'avenir a dès lors contribué à la multiplication des groupes proposant une explication globale de l'Homme, de nouvelles religiosités.

Ce retour du religieux ou, plus précisément, du spirituel, n'a paradoxalement pas profité aux Eglises traditionnelles - et plus particulièrement en France à l'Eglise catholique, toujours confrontée à une baisse continue de la pratique religieuse et des vocations.

Il n'était évidemment pas dans le rôle de la Commission de s'attacher à une étude approfondie de ce phénomène. Nul cependant, même au sein de l'Eglise catholique, ne cherche à nier le décalage entre les attentes des fidèles ou anciens fidèles et le discours tenu par l'Eglise, même si celle-ci tente parfois de dégager sa responsabilité en accusant la mentalité contemporaine, qui vise à la " satisfaction immédiate et au confort matériel, érige la ``liberté en absolu'', sans référence à la Vérité et à des valeurs autres que celles ``de l'individu, du milieu et du groupe''. Les nouvelles formes de religiosité, le développement des sectes révèlent les lacunes de ``l'athéisme pratique'' qui se développe partout en Europe " . (conclusions du Synode Est-Ouest, 1991).

Il a résulté de l'ensemble de ces évolutions une certaine spontanéité spirituelle : la croyance est aujourd'hui vécue de manière relativement libertaire, en tout cas hors des institutions traditionnelles.

C'est sur ce terreau favorable à l'éclosion de nouveaux mouvements religieux que sont intervenus la crise économique et le bouleversement des structures familiales.

Le Rapport Vivien signalait déjà " des aspirations à plus de bonheur familial bien compris ou à plus de plénitude affective préexistant à l'entrée dans une secte et cela malgré l'apparence de relations familiales harmonieuses " . L'entrée dans une secte représente souvent une réponse sécuritaire à l'expression de besoins affectifs ou conviviaux qui ne sont pas satisfaits dans le cadre familial ou celui du travail.

Enfin, l'individualisme des années 1980 a suscité un courant prônant la transformation personnelle, l'amélioration des capacités de chacun. Il est rare que ce thème ne soit pas exploité par les associations sectaires. Ainsi que l'a précisé à la Commission une des personnalités auditionnées, " il est vrai que si l'on se mobilise, on augmente ses capacités. Les troubles fonctionnels légers - petits maux de ventre, de tête ou rhumatismes - disparaissent pour peu que l'on ait une forte motivation. Les sectes obtiennent donc des résultats. C'est vrai que l'on augmente ses capacités, c'est vrai que si l'on se mobilise autour de n'importe quoi, même le culte de la betterave, on peut devenir meilleur, plus fort, plus efficace et plus dynamique (...). Nous sommes tous tentés de développer notre potentiel. Qui d'entre nous ne le serait pas ? (...). Les personnes se ruent dans les sectes parce qu'elles ne trouvent plus dans le monde que nous leur avons construit les repères, les moyens de mobilisation, la crédibilité des appareils. Bien sûr, nous sommes lourdement responsables. On attrape les mouches avec du vinaigre. Les gens ont besoin d'idéal. On entre dans une secte avant tout par idéal. Il ne faut pas se tromper. Les sectes manient une langue de bois que l'on n'ose même plus pratiquer ailleurs ! " .

On livrera enfin le témoignage d'un ancien adepte d'une secte, particulièrement révélateur des raisons pouvant pousser des individus à s'agréer à de telles structures : " Tout d'abord, je crois qu'il y a ce mal du siècle, ce mal de vivre qui est de plus en plus présent. La cellule familiale est souvent éclatée, le père en particulier est souvent absent ou, au contraire, trop présent, par sa violence par exemple. A travers une secte, l'on recherche une famille, un père d'emprunt, une autorité, un modèle qui nous a fait défaut. Du jour au lendemain, on se retrouve avec deux cents, trois cents amis, qui vous recevront, qui vous accueilleront. Votre couvert sera mis. On vous entendra. Vous vous sentez en confiance.

Les personnes qui entrent dans les sectes sont souvent des idéalistes, des personnes qui recherchent la perfection, pas toujours, mais en partie.

Personnellement, l'éclatement familial, le désir idéaliste m'ont poussé.

Le gourou nous disait : ``Le monde va mal''. Il suffit d'allumer la télévision à l'heure des informations pour s'en convaincre. Il y a des guerres, des maladies, des problèmes partout. Le monde va mal. Que peut-on faire à titre individuel pour essayer qu'il aille mieux ? C'est ce que nous proposait le gourou.

Voulions-nous améliorer la situation de la terre, de la planète, des autres ? " Commencez par vous-même, commencez par vous transformer et vous transformerez le monde " . J'y croyais. Je me transformais pour transformer le monde " .

On conçoit dès lors que la vision du monde proposée par les sectes séduise un nombre croissant d'individus dans toutes les couches de la population française.

L'hypothèse d'un profil déterminé préexistant à l'entrée dans une secte et donc y prédisposant, est aujourd'hui largement battue en brèche. De nombreuses études ont montré que le profil psychologique des adeptes des nouveaux groupes religieux se situe dans une zone normale, même si l'existence d'un épisode dépressif semble un facteur favorable à l'attirance pour un groupe sectaire. Ainsi que le relevait le rapport Vivien, " même si on ne peut conclure sur l'existence ou non d'un profil de clientèle sectaire, il semble que des difficultés ou des souffrances aigües constituent toutefois un terreau propice. "

Il faut de surcroît signaler que le thème du perfectionnement individuel a attiré vers les sectes une clientèle qui lui était encore récemment inaccessible : celle des étudiants (cherchant à accroître leurs performances pour la réussite à un examen...), des élites intellectuelles, et notamment scientifiques.

De nombreux interlocuteurs de la Commission ont tenté d'expliquer ce phénomène par la difficulté pour certains scientifiques de supporter l'idée de doute, et, en conséquence, par leur attirance pour des mouvements proposant des explications globales. Par ailleurs, les intellectuels sont pour la plupart convaincus de leur capacité à résister aux techniques suggestives des sectes: " Qui davantage qu'un intellectuel est certain de ne pas être manipulé ? L'homme de la rue se méfiera, mais l'intellectuel dira : ``je ne suis pas manipulable''. La vulnérabilité des élites réside précisément dans la certitude de ne pas être manipulables. "

Il résulte des précédents développements qu'il est particulièrement difficile - pour ne pas dire impossible - de définir un profil des adeptes des sectes qui soit différent de celui de la population générale.

Quelques tendances peuvent néanmoins être dégagées :

- les adeptes sont majoritairement issus des classes moyennes et aisées de la société, beaucoup plus rarement des classes modestes, ce qui s'explique en partie par le souhait des sectes de rencontrer un public " solvable " ;

- si l'âge des adeptes est extrêmement variable, deux groupes semblent dominer : celui des jeunes adultes (25 - 35 ans), dans les sectes orientalistes, gnostiques ou du Nouvel Age, celui des personnes de 50 - 60 ans dans les groupes de prière ou de guérison ;

- l'adhésion à la secte représente souvent une réponse à des conflits sociaux ou familiaux auxquels le futur adepte est confronté.

Dans le même esprit, il est à noter que l'Eglise de Scientologie a précisé à la Commission que " ses adeptes appartiennent à toutes les catégories sociales. Il s'agit principalement de gens socialement intégrés et mûrs puisque leur moyenne d'âge est de 35 ans " .

B) Des techniques de recrutement de plus en plus sophistiquées

Les techniques de recrutement des sectes sont aujourd'hui largement connues. Elles ne s'appuient en aucune manière sur un processus coercitif, à la différence de certaines méthodes employées lorsque l'adepte est mieux intégré au sein de la structure sectaire, et qui conduisent à des pratiques de " captation de consentement " manifestes, comme on le verra ci-après. La particularité des méthodes de recrutement utilisées par les sectes explique la situation paradoxale du nouvel adhérent d'une secte qui se trouve être une victime consentante.

Les techniques de recrutement des sectes s'appuient sur une très grande diversité de thèmes et d'instruments ; la démarche psychologique des futurs adeptes est aujourd'hui mieux connue.

Les thèmes de propagande utilisés par les sectes sont extrêmement divers. On mentionnera, outre les thèmes religieux :


les thèmes éthiques : un grand nombre de sectes se présentent, elles-mêmes ou des institutions qui leur sont liées, comme des défenseurs de l' " éthique " . Particulièrement significatif à cet égard est le journal de l'Eglise de Scientologie dénommé " Ethique et Liberté " . Un certain nombre d'associations liées à l'Eglise de Scientologie agissent officiellement pour le respect des droits de l'Homme, celui des libertés ou la promotion de la tolérance : on mentionnera notamment le Comité français des scientologues contre la discrimination, la commission des citoyens pour les Droits de l'Homme, le Mouvement pour la Paix en Europe. L'Association des femmes pour la Paix mondiale, la Fédération interreligieuse pour la Paix mondiale, l'Association des familles internationales et Familles et vie dépendent, elles, de la secte Moon.

les thèmes écologiques : la secte " Ecoovie " qui prône ainsi l'exclusion des acquis contemporains de la vie sociale et économique et le retour au mode de vie des tribus indiennes primitives, s'est longtemps fait connaître par les actions de l'association " SOS Déserts " , qui s'est donné pour but d'arrêter la progression du désert dans le Sahel.

les thèmes médicaux : les sectes guérisseuses, comme l'Association " Invitation à la Vie intense " (IVI), affirment le caractère prétendument curable de maladies pour lesquelles le diagnostic médical est fort réservé, ou bien concurrencent les services médicaux de soins palliatifs. Sans rappeler les polémiques liées aux actions de l'Association Lucien J. Engelmajer (gestionnaire des centres d'accueil " Le Patriarche " ), il est à noter que nombre de sectes ont développé des centres de soins pour toxicomanes (Narconon, pour l'Eglise de Scientologie).

les thèmes culturels : bien que la plupart des sectes aient développé des associations à caractère culturel, on mentionnera plus particulièrement la Nouvelle Acropole, dont les différentes ANAF (Association Nouvelle Acropole France) proposent nombre de conférences, réunions et cycles de formation.

les thèmes éducatifs : de nombreuses écoles privées sont liées à des sectes, et proposent par des publicités affichées sur les murs des grandes villes un enseignement de soutien ou de rattrapage.

les thèmes liés à la transformation personnelle : on a déjà vu toute leur importance pour les sectes étant apparues après 1968. On signalera ici qu'ils sont essentiellement exploités par la Faculté de Paraspychologie de Paris, la Scientologie, la Méditation transcendantale ou la Famille de Nazareth.

les thèmes liés à l'épanouissement de la sexualité : ils sont particulièrement exploités par les sectes Analyse Actionnelle Organisation, la Famille ou les Raëliens.
Les instruments de propagande utilisés par les sectes sont eux aussi extrêmement divers : démarchage dans la rue ou à domicile, diffusion de journaux, publicité par voie d'affichage ou de presse, conférences, cycles de formation.

Quels que soient les thèmes et instruments utilisés par les sectes, la démarche psychologique du futur adepte semble aujourd'hui mieux connue.

Ainsi que l'indique le Dr Jean-Marie Abgrall (Le cerveau prisonnier), " le recrutement d'un adepte passe par trois phases, à partir desquelles l'adhésion va s'obtenir progressivement, en même temps qu'apparaît une forme de dépendance intellectuelle et affective. Tour à tour, le nouvel adepte va être séduit, persuadé puis fasciné par la secte et ses membres recruteurs " .

La première phase du recrutement est évidemment celle de la séduction. Elle vise à proposer une alternative séduisante aux difficultés de la vie quotidienne. Il est rare que les futurs adeptes se présentent spontanément à une structure sectaire : les premiers contacts ont lieu le plus souvent à l'initiative des agents recruteurs des sectes, eux-mêmes jugés à l'aune de l'efficacité de leur prosélytisme.

Le principe de séduction veut que le premier contact soit destiné à favoriser le processus d'identification entre le recruteur et le recruté. Cette identification repose sur un certain nombre de critères permettant au futur adepte éventuel de percevoir une similitude entre lui-même et son interlocuteur. Ce sentiment peut être obtenu par des ressemblances d'attitude, l'approbation systématique du bien-fondé des interrogations exprimées par le futur adepte. La réussite de cette phase de séduction est bien sûr largement conditionnée par le choix du public au sein duquel le recrutement est opéré , et donc celui des lieux de rencontre, qui sont en général déterminés en fonction de leur densité de fréquentation. Le Dr Abgrall précise ainsi qu' " un démarchage à domicile " (type Témoins de Jéhovah) utilisera des démarcheurs en famille (père, mère, enfant, ou présumés tels), la famille recrutante étant souvent illusoire et constituée sans liens familiaux réels. L'aspect " jeune cadre dynamique " des scientologues conviendra mieux au démarchage dans des cités universitaires, des clubs de gymnastique, ou des cafés à la mode (...). Qui ne sait reconnaître les jeunes évangélistes Mormons, aux cheveux coupés ras, à l'éternel blazer bleu marine et à la cravate club discrète ? Comment ne pas noter le caractère bon chic bon genre mais un peu désuet des Témoins de Jéhovah ?

Tout ceci fait l'objet de choix délibérés, procédant d'une étude précise de l'image à transmettre à l'autre. "

Le sentiment d'identification est également obtenu par le choix des outils utilisés pour la première prise de contact : si le fameux " test de personnalité " de l'Eglise de Scientologie peut être proposé à tout passant paraissant quelque peu désoeuvré, l'organisation d'un cycle de conférences sur les civilisations antiques se prêtera plus aux préoccupations des étudiants des facultés d'histoire qu'à celles des élèves d'économie, davantage intéressés par une initiation aux techniques de communication ou d'amélioration de l'efficacité... On rappellera enfin que le principe de séduction avait été poussé dans sa logique ultime par David Moïse, fondateur de la secte Enfants de Dieu, qui avait clairement prôné la " pêche par le flirt " ou " racolage missionnaire " pour recruter de nouveaux adeptes, et dont le mouvement fut dissous en 1978 pour prostitution.

En tout état de cause, le recruteur doit disposer d'une bonne capacité à percevoir le cadre de référence de son interlocuteur, ses composantes émotionnelles.

La seconde phase du recrutement, une fois supposés établis des liens de sympathie, consiste à persuader le futur adepte de la crédibilité du discours. Lionel Bellanger (La persuasion, PUF, 1985) définit les " 4 C " de la communication persuasive saine : pour qu'un message soit persuasif dans l'hypothèse d'un libre arbitre reconnu à l'éventuel futur persuadé, il convient que ce message soit crédible (il faut qu'il puisse s'appuyer sur des preuves), cohérent (absence de contradiction intrinsèque), consistant (continuité du propos) et congruent (adéquation entre le message délivré et l'attente de celui auquel il s'adresse). L'objectif du recruteur, dans le domaine du prosélytisme, consiste à faire passer progressivement son interlocuteur du monde réel à celui des croyances, sans susciter de phénomène de rejet définitif. Ce passage progressif s'obtient par la fabulation (travestissement du réel), la simulation (crédibilisation d'un message erroné), la dissimulation, la calomnie, l'équivoque, soit un ensemble de techniques permettant de s'adapter aux attentes de l'interlocuteur, de passer de la persuasion à la mystification. Ces techniques parfaitement au point ne sont pas en elles-mêmes répréhensibles ; en tout cas, elles sont à la base des actions de marketing de tout ordre et ne tombent en rien sous le coup de la loi. Une des personnalités auditionnées par la Commission a ainsi présenté la défense qui pourrait être invoquée par les sectes : " Tout est manipulation, il n'y a rien à faire. Le commercial, le politique, le processus amoureux, la discussion démocratique, la publicité, la télévision, tout vise à manipuler les personnes. De toute façon, il ne faut pas s'affoler : tout le monde manipule tout le monde. " .

On verra que la dangerosité du discours de persuasion tenu par les sectes ne tient pas tant aux techniques utilisées, qu'aux conséquences de l'adhésion à laquelle elles ont conduit.

La dernière composante de la démarche conduisant à l'adhésion est la fascination, obtenue le plus souvent lors de la rencontre avec la pièce maîtresse de la dynamique sectaire (résultats positifs à un test, assistance à un rite, rencontre du gourou, etc...), qui introduira le caractère magique dans la relation entre le futur adepte et la secte, suscitera l'irruption dans l'univers symbolique de la secte et conduira à la volonté d'engagement.

Cet exposé rapide des traits dominants des techniques de recrutement utilisées par les sectes montre le caractère très particulier de la démarche, qui vise à obtenir le consentement exprès du futur adepte ne sont pas des techniques de coercition mais de persuasion qui sont mises en oeuvre : l'adepte est formellement consentant.

Plusieurs interlocuteurs de la Commission ont mis en évidence ce paradoxe : l'originalité des groupes sectaires réside dans le fait que, notamment lors du processus aboutissant à l'adhésion, la victime est acteur. Un certain parallélisme peut être établi avec la démarche des toxicomanes : " Nous avons des controverses avec les parents de toxicomanes. Ceux-ci pensent - d'une certaine façon à juste titre - que sans l'horrible dealer leur enfant serait un ange. Ils oublient les neuf dixièmes du trajet qu'a parcouru le malheureux enfant, responsable ou non, mais de son fait, pour se rendre dans les bras dudit dealer. Il ne faut pas exclure la part volontaire de l'adepte, qui n'est pas un imbécile que l'on manipulerait - c'est vous et moi --, mais (...) qui s'est rendu délibérément " . Dans cette optique, les recruteurs des sectes ont pu être présentés comme des " dealers de transcendance " . A cet égard, une image utilisée par une personne entendue par la Commission paraît particulièrement apte à faire comprendre le caractère conscient de la démarche du futur adepte : " les sectes ne sont pas un filet qui s'abat sur des gens, mais une nasse dans laquelle ils se rendent " .

c) Une puissance financière

Il est indéniable qu'un certain nombre de sectes disposent de moyens financiers particulièrement importants.

Lafayette Ron Hubbard, fondateur de la scientologie, avait d'ailleurs proclamé, non sans cynisme, dans son discours de Newark : " Si l'on veut vraiment devenir millionnaire, le meilleur moyen consiste à fonder sa propre religion. "

Ce fait est patent, reconnu par la plupart des dirigeants des sectes auditionnés par la Commission, même s'ils se sont montrés très évasifs sur les budgets exacts de leurs associations. Une appréciation de ceux-ci demeure donc largement le fait de ceux qui s'opposent aux sectes, et encourt donc le risque d'être jugée surévaluée. Cela étant, si les sectes estiment que les informations qui circulent ne sont pas conformes à la réalité, il ne tient qu'à elles de faire preuve de la plus grande transparence dans la présentation de leurs moyens financiers, ce qui est très loin d'être le cas. Elles auraient dès lors mauvaise grâce à se plaindre - ce qu'elles ne manquent pourtant pas de faire - de l'absence d'objectivité des jugements portés sur leur assise financière.

L'ouvrage collectif du Centre Roger Ikor " Les sectes, état d'urgence " comporte de nombreux renseignements permettant de prendre conscience du véritable empire financier constitué par certaines associations.

Les cas de la secte Moon ou de la Scientologie sont trop connus pour être ici rappelés.

Le CCMM estime, concernant la Méditation transcendentale, que le droit à l'initiation est fixé au quart du salaire mensuel, que le prix d'un cours de Sidhi s'élève à 40.000 F.

La même source avance, pour le mouvement raëlien, une cotisation de 3 % des revenus annuels nets pour l'admission au mouvement français, de 7 % pour l'adhésion au mouvement international et de 10 % pour l'appartenance au gouvernement mondial géniocrate.

La puissance financière de la Soka Gakkaï se déduit, selon la même source, des récents investissements immobiliers de la secte (domaine des Forges à Trets, château des Roches à Bièvres).

L'importance des sommes en jeu explique la stratégie de nombreuses associations, qui choisissent de s'implanter dans des pays dotés d'une législation fiscale " tolérante " : ainsi en va-t-il des Etats-Unis (où le premier amendement à la Constitution est interprété dans un sens extrêmement libéral), de nombreux Etats d'Amérique du Sud ou des pays européens anciennement communistes.

Les dirigeants des sectes auditionnés par la Commission n'ont en général pas nié cette puissance financière, allant même, non sans humour ou sans cynisme, jusqu'à affirmer que leurs associations ne représentent pas des religions prônant la pauvreté comme vertu.

Ils ont fait en général valoir :

- que leurs ressources proviennent des contributions volontaires versées par les fidèles en contrepartie de certains services (religieux ou non), de la vente de publications et de dons financiers émanant de particuliers ;

- que leurs comptes sont approuvés par des cabinets d'experts-comptables dont la réputation n'est plus à faire ;

- qu'ils sont en règle avec l'administration fiscale, ayant le plus souvent accepté les redressements imposés par l'administration.

Certains dirigeants vont même jusqu'à reconnaître les liens particuliers les unissant à des entreprises. Dans la contribution écrite déposée devant la Commission par l'Eglise de Scientologie de Paris, on peut ainsi lire : " De plus, comme tout citoyen, certains scientologues travaillent dans le monde des affaires et à ce titre dirigent des entreprises privées. Il leur arrive de soutenir l'Eglise par des dons financiers mais ceci n'est en aucun cas une obligation. C'est à la discrétion de la personne.

Enfin, il existe une structure appelée WISE qui regroupe des entreprises ayant décidé d'employer la technologie de management de Monsieur Hubbard et ont pour but de créer un monde des affaires où règne une plus grande éthique. "

Quant aux anciens adeptes dont la Commission a auditionné un certain nombre, il ressort de leurs témoignages :

- que le montant des contributions excède largement les services rendus... et les moyens des adeptes, souvent amenés à verser une grande part de leurs revenus aux sectes, voire à s'endetter dans des proportions difficilement imaginables ;

- que le caractère volontaire de ces contributions peut souvent être sujet à caution, tant l'état de dépendance des donateurs à l'égard de la secte conduit à s'interroger sur la permanence de leur libre arbitre ;

- que le mode de vie des dirigeants laisse présumer que l'intérêt bien compris de ceux-ci semble parfois primer les buts religieux officiellement déclarés de leur association.

Une telle situation ne laisse par d'inquiéter : en effet, les associations affectent d'importants moyens au prosélytisme et mettent de surcroît en place des structures juridiques leur permettant d'accroître les moyens dont elles pourraient bénéficier.

C'est en effet en se fondant sur une interprétation stricte du caractère cultuel des associations constituées par les divers mouvements religieux ou philosophiques que le Conseil d'Etat a jusqu'à maintenant refusé à certaines d'entre elles le bénéfice de la possibilité de recevoir des dons et legs.

L'arrêt Association fraternité des serviteurs du Monde nouveau (CE, 21/01/1983) confirme ainsi la légalité d'un décret du Premier ministre, rejetant le recours administratif de l'association contre un arrêté préfectoral lui refusant l'autorisation de percevoir un legs en considérant que " admettant même que l'association (...) ait aussi pour objet l'exercice d'un culte, il ressort des pièces du dossier qu'elle se consacre depuis sa création à l'édition et à la diffusion de publications doctrinales : qu'ainsi (...) elle n'a pas exclusivement un tel objet, que dès lors elle n'est pas fondée à soutenir que c'est à tort que le décret attaqué a confirmé la décision préfectorale lui refusant l'autorisation de recevoir un legs . "

Dans un cas de la même espèce (Association cultuelle de l'église apostolique arménienne de Paris, CE, 29/10/1990), le Conseil d'Etat, sans même mettre en avant l'existence d'une activité commerciale, confirme le rejet de la requête de l'association : " Considérant qu'aux termes de l'article 2 de ses statuts... l'association cultuelle de l'église apostolique arménienne de Paris a notamment pour but de ``promouvoir la vie spirituelle, éducative, sociale et culturelle de la communauté arménienne'' ; que l'association requérante ne peut, dès lors, être regardée comme ayant exclusivement pour objet l'exercice d'un culte... " .

C'est pour l'ensemble de ces raisons qu'un certain nombre d'associations ont choisi de distinguer au sein de leurs activités plusieurs pôles, en séparant notamment de leurs activités exclusivement cultuelles, exercées au sein d'associations cultuelles, leurs activités commerciales (édition, librairie) effectuées au sein de sociétés à responsabilité limitée.

Une telle évolution, au demeurant parfaitement légale, ne peut toutefois manquer d'inquiéter, la plupart des associations affichant clairement (et on ne peut, d'un seul point de vue juridique, le leur reprocher) leur volonté d'affecter à l'expansion de leur mouvement une large part de leurs moyens financiers : tous les dirigeants des sectes entendus par la Commission ont affirmé la vocation de leur association à se développer et à répandre leurs croyances par le prosélytisme.

L'importance des moyens dont disposent un certain nombre d'associations sectaires, dont témoigne notamment le luxe des documents présentant leurs activités qui ont été remis aux membres de la Commission, vient incontestablement renforcer le pouvoir d'attraction des sectes et augmenter l'efficacité des techniques de recrutement utilisées.

II.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE MULTIFORME AUX EFFETS COMPLEXES

A.- UN PHÉNOMÈNE DIVERSIFIÉ

Il est particulièrement difficile de dresser un tableau complet du phénomène sectaire en France, en raison de l'extrême diversité des mouvements qui le composent.

Le rapport de M. Alain Vivien répartissait, en 1982, les 116 sectes recensées en trois catégories : orientales, syncrétiques et ésotériques, racistes et fascistes.

Les Renseignements généraux ont aujourd'hui adopté une démarche qui permet d'affiner considérablement l'analyse. On exposera la méthode retenue par la DCRG et les principaux résultats de son étude, tels qu'ils ont été communiqués à sa demande à votre commission.

1.- La méthode adoptée par les Renseignements généraux

La démarche suivie par les Renseignements généraux consiste à rattacher chaque mouvement étudié à une " famille " de pensée ou de pratique. Treize qualificatifs ont été retenus pour procéder au classement, qu'il convient, pour la clarté de l'analyse, de préciser brièvement.

- Analyse des critères de qualification doctrinale des sectes


Les groupes " Nouvel Age " .
On a regroupé sous ce qualificatif les organisations se réclamant du courant néo-spiritualiste se référant à l'absolu comme " énergie-conscience " et mettant en oeuvre différentes techniques pour connecter l'adepte avec cet absolu.

Les doctrines du Nouvel âge (), popularisées par un grand nombre d'auteurs, reposent sur l'idée que le monde est sur le point d'entrer dans une nouvelle ère, celle du Verseau, correspondant à une nouvelle prise de conscience spirituelle et marquée par de profondes mutations. Elles se fondent donc sur un millénarisme pour l'an 2000 (le millenium est le règne de mille ans attendu avant le jour du Jugement dernier).

Les tenants de ces doctrines ont souvent pour objectif de définir la nouvelle religion mondiale destinée, selon eux, à se substituer aux religions chrétiennes de l'ère du Poisson qui ont elles-mêmes supplanté les religions mosaïque (ère du Bélier) et babylonienne (celle du Taureau).

Comme l'indique le dictionnaire des religions, ces doctrines se fondent sur un certain nombre de convictions, parmi lesquelles " la réincarnation et la loi du karma. La réalisation spirituelle comme objectif de l'existence individuelle et l'éveil à une conscience planétaire comme objectif de l'existence collective, la nature divine de la conscience intérieure, et le rôle du corps comme lieu d'intégration au cosmique, une anthropologie faisant place au corps subtil, éthérique, astral; et une cosmologie faisant place aux anges et aux esprits, la croyance à un Christ cosmique animant l'univers comme une énergie subtile, et à l'existence d'avatars christiques, tel Jésus, venant guider périodiquement l'humanité vers son destin spirituel " .


Les groupes " alternatifs "
Ils proposent en général une organisation différente des circuits économiques, du mode de production, du commerce mondial, des rapports humains.

Le mouvement Humana France (écoles TVIND) a ainsi pour doctrine l'aide humanitaire (essentiellement consacrée aux victimes de la famine, de la guerre, de la maladie, des catastrophes), l'assistance à la promotion de projets dans le tiers-monde et d'études visant à contribuer à la recherche sur les causes de la pauvreté et de la souffrance.

Le Mouvement humaniste, fondé en 1969 par l'Argentin Mario Rodriguez Cobos, dit Silo, repose, lui, sur l'idéologie du siloïsme se donnant pour but d'éradiquer la violence et la souffrance personnelle par le développement personnel et la transformation sociale. Celle-ci est axée sur la solidarité, la non-violence active, la non-discrimination, la lutte contre les monopoles, les coopératives, l'autogestion.


Les groupes " évangéliques " et " pseudo-catholiques " .
On regroupe sous ces deux qualificatifs les mouvements qui, tout en se référant à la tradition chrétienne (protestante dans un cas, catholique dans l'autre) sont réunis autour de personnes (pasteurs, anciens prêtres) développant une attitude de gourou. Dans le cas des groupes " pseudo catholiques " , leur doctrine est le plus souvent tellement éloignée de la théologie de l'Eglise qu'ils sont exclus de sa communion.

Parmi les groupes évangéliques les plus actifs, on peut notamment citer l'Alliance universelle, l'Eglise évangélique de Pentecôte de Besançon, la Famille (ex Enfants de Dieu) et, bien sûr, la secte Moon.

La secte Moon (Association pour l'unification du christianisme mondial) professe l'échec de Jésus, mort pauvre et sans avoir pu créer une famille parfaite. Il revient au révérend Moon de créer cette famille, conformément au souhait même de Jésus-Christ, qui lui est apparu en 1936. Pour la réalisation de cet objectif, le révérend doit notamment acquérir une puissance économique qui lui permette de vaincre Satan. Cette organisation est très représentative des mouvements évangéliques purs.

Parmi les mouvements pseudo-catholiques les plus actifs, on mentionnera Invitation à la Vie Intense (cf. infra), ou Traditions Famille Propriété, liée à l'association " Avenir de la Culture " .

L'objectif de TFP est de restaurer la civilisation chrétienne (campagnes d'Avenir de la culture contre le Minitel rose, la distribution de préservatifs, campagnes de TFP contre les fils Je vous salue Marie, ou la tentation du Christ) mais aussi de lutter contre la réforme agraire au Brésil (le fondateur de TFP est le brésilien Plinio Correa de Oliveira), contre le socialisme et de rétablir la monarchie.


Les mouvements " apocalyptiques "
Ils prédisent tous un prochain cataclysme mondial (tel celui déjà annoncé par les Témoins de Jéhovah à quatre reprises pour 1874, 1914, 1925 et 1975), en se référant soit à l'Apocalypse de Saint Jean, soit à la doctrine hindouiste des cycles.


Les mouvements " néo-païens "
Alors que dans la perspective chrétienne, les païens sont les membres des peuples n'ayant pas été atteints par la prédication chrétienne ou l'ayant refusée, la notion de néo-paganisme renvoie, elle, à celle d'hommes se référant à d'autres dieux que celui de la Bible.

Les mouvements " néo-païens " se réfèrent le plus souvent aux mythologies celtiques ou nordiques, voire à l'animisme.

On citera, pour la France, trois mouvements professant de telles doctrines : l'Ordre monastique d'Avallon, le Suicide des Rives et Clé de l'Univers.


Les mouvements " sataniques "
Ces mouvements ont pour point commun de rendre un culte à l' " Adversaire " de la tradition biblique, Satan, dans une démonologie foisonnante.

Relèvent de ce courant, les mouvements Azazel Institute, le Cercle initiatique de la licorne occidentale, l'Eglise philosophique luciférienne ou les Croisés de la nouvelle Babylone.


Les mouvements " guérisseurs "
On peut qualifier de " guérisseuses " les théories professant un mode de guérison non reconnu par la science médicale actuelle.

Le degré de dangerosité de ces théories varie suivant quelles complètent ou se substituent à des techniques plus scientifiques, qu'elles entraînent ou non des interactions avec des substances actives prescrites par des médecins.

Les mouvements guérisseurs sont extrêmement divers.

Un des plus anciens est le culte antoiniste, fondé par Louis Antoine à la fin du dernier siècle. La notion de maladie est niée, de même que celle de la mort (croyance en la réincarnation) : c'est l'intelligence qui crée la souffrance, c'est la seule foi en elle-même qui la supprime, et non l'intervention des professionnels de santé.

Le mouvement HUE France (branche française de l'Institute for Human and Universal Energy Reseach Inc - IHUERI) se rattache, lui, au courant plus Nouvel âge ou orientaliste. La thérapie proposée consiste à " injecter de l'énergie universelle dans l'organisme du patient (...) en débloquant les canaux d'énergie " , grâce à une action consistant à maintenir les chakras ouverts. L'ensemble des pathologies est couvert par les techniques de l'IHUERI.

Plus récent et d'apparence catholique, le groupe Invitation à la Vie Intense (IVI) a été fondé en 1977 par Yvonne Trubert. La doctrine, fondée sur l'affirmation du caractère bénéfique de certaines " harmonisations " et " vibrations " , emprunte à de multiples théories, y compris médicales.

Il est à signaler que les mouvements guérisseurs recrutent, dans des proportions non négligeables, parmi les professionnels de la santé, médicaux ou para-médicaux, ce qu'un des interlocuteurs de la Commission a expliqué de la manière suivante : " Aujourdõhui, de nombreux m- ce nõest pas moi qui prendrai position - les e classique. Ils cherchent donc des voies nouvelles dans les ms que lõon voit fleurir: mn particulier les m amen ÇÊJõai trouvous sommes en train dõe nouvel arrivant a ainsi la caution de ses confrante, jõallais dire sur un plan scientifique. Il entre donc dans la secte, il y dle. Tous les gourous que jõai ntelligence ! "

Les mouvements " orientalistes "
On regroupe sous ce qualificatif une extrême diversité de mouvements se référant, tout en les dévoyant, aux religions et doctrines métaphysiques orientales, tel le bouddhisme, l'hindouisme ou le taoïsme.

On peut regrouper dans ce courant l'Association Sri Chinmoy de Paris, le Centre de méditation Mahatayma, la Fédération française pour la conscience de Krishna, Maha Shakti Maudir, la Mission Snimi Atmananda Afma Bodha Satsanga, la Shi Ram Chandra Mission, et bien sûr la Soka Gakkaï.

La Soka Gakkaï prétend enseigner (malgré le schisme de 1990 avec Nichiren Shôshû) la doctrine de Nichiren, moine bouddhiste du XIIIe siècle qui professait une version nationaliste et intolérante du bouddhisme. L'accès à la paix et au bonheur est garanti au fidèle qui respecte un certain nombre de pratiques, parmi lesquelles la récitation gonkyo de certains chapitres du Sûtra du Lotus, la récitation daïmoku de la formule sacrée d'adoration, la dévotion au mandala, rouleau où s'inscrivait cette invocation. La Soka Gakkaï se pose comme une religion universelle, qui unifiera le bouddhisme et la société.


Les mouvements " occultistes "
On désigne par occultisme la croyance en l'existence et en l'efficacité de pratiques (le dictionnaire Robert évoque notamment l'alchimie, l'astrologie, la cartomancie, la chiromancie, la divination, la magie, la nécromancie, la radiesthésie, la télépathie) qui ne sont reconnues ni par les religions, ni par la science, et requièrent une initiation particulière.

Alors que l'ésotérisme postule l'existence d'une tradition primordiale de l'Homme qui ne lui aurait pas été révélée et qui ne peut être connue que par l'enseignement, l'occultisme est la recherche de pouvoirs magiques initiatiques. Il existe néanmoins d'innombrables passerelles entre les deux courants qui autorisent certains à parler d'un courant d'ésotéro-occultisme.

Pour ceux-ci, l'Homme est formé de trois principes (le physique, l'astral et le divin) dont l'équilibre a été rompu, et qu'il convient de restaurer par l'initiation, qui permet de rétablir un lien entre le visible et l'invisible, ce que l'on perçoit et ce qui échappe aux sens.

Relèvent de ce courant aux pratiques les plus diverses le mouvement d'otonlogie méthodique Culture et Tradition, l'Association Nouvelle Acropole France (ANAF), la Rose-Croix d'Or, l'Ordonnance des Scribes Scientifiques et des Mystères Initiatiques.

En relevait également l'Ordre du Temple Solaire, fondé en 1984 par Luc Jouret et dont les activités ont tragiquement pris fin le 5 octobre 1994 (massacres de Morin Heights et de Fribourg, au Canada et en Suisse).

Les mouvements " psychanalytiques "

Difficile à cerner, le mouvement " psychanalytique " développe diverses techniques parapsychologiques prétendant guérir l'inconscient de traumatismes divers.

La Faculté de Parapsychologie, la Famille de Nazareth (fondée sur l'enseignement de la psychologie existentielle, confondant les rôles du psychothérapeute et du maître spirituel) sont des représentants de ce mouvement, dont l'Eglise de Scientologie est cependant l'élément dominant.

Une publication de l'association, diffusée à l'occasion du quarantième anniversaire du mouvement, présente ainsi la doctrine de la Scientologie :

" La scientologie comprend un ensemble de connaissances qui proviennent de certaines vérités fondamentales. Parmi les premières de ces vérités sont les suivantes :

L'homme est un être spirituel et immortel.

Son expérience va bien au-delà de la durée d'une vie.

Ses capacités sont illimitées même si elles ne sont pas réalisées dans le présent.

De plus, la Scientologie considère que l'homme est fondamentalement bon et que son salut spirituel dépend de lui-même et de ses semblables ainsi que de l'accomplissement de sa fraternité avec l'univers. Ainsi, la Scientologie est une philosophie religieuse au sens le plus profond du terme, car elle se préoccupe de la réhabilitation complète de l'identité spirituelle innée de l'homme - ses aptitudes, son état de conscience et la certitude de sa propre immortalité. En outre, étant donné que la religion s'intéresse à l'esprit par rapport à lui-même, à l'univers et aux autres formes de vie, et est essentiellement la croyance en des êtres spirituels, la Scientologie suit une tradition religieuse qui remonte au moins aussi loin dans le temps que l'humanité. Et pourtant, ce que la Scientologie représente somme toute est nouveau. Sa technologie religieuse est nouvelle, son organisation ecclésiastique est nouvelle, et sa signification pour l'homme du Xxème est entièrement nouvelle (...).

Le premier moyen d'appliquer les vérités fondamentales de la Scientologie à la réhabilitation de l'esprit humain s'appelle l'audition. Il s'agit là de la pratique centrale de la Scientologie et elle est administrée par un auditeur, du latin audire, " celui qui écoute " . (...).

Les auditeurs de la Scientologie aident des individus à atteindre ce but en leur faisant examiner leur existence par le biais d'une série d'étapes soigneusement conçues par Ron Hubbard. En suivant ce processus graduel, ces personnes peuvent améliorer leur capacité à faire face à ce qu'elles sont et à leur environnement - en retirant une à une les couches d'expérience qui les oppriment si pesamment.

L'audition n'est donc pas une chose qu'une personne subit. On ne peut en tirer de bienfaits qu'au moyen d'une participation active et une bonne communication.

L'utilisation de l'électropsychomètre, ou électromètre, par les auditeurs est propre à la religion de Scientologie et unique en son genre- ainsi que révolutionnaire dans le domaine du développement spirituel. Les auditeurs utilisent l'électromètre pour aider à localiser les zones de détresse ou de souffrance spirituelle qui existent au-dessous du niveau de conscience actuel de la personne. Lorsque ces zones pénibles sont mises en évidence, la personne peut alors les examiner sans les influences subjectives qui accompagnent les pratiques du conseil spirituel des autres religions.

Ron Hubbard a mis au point l'électromètre en sachant que l'esprit retient des images mentales, de véritables enregistrements d'expériences passées. Ces images renferment de l'énergie et de la masse. Lorsqu'une personne regarde l'une de ces images mentales ou pense à quelque chose, l'électromètre enregistre avec précision les changements que subissent cette masse et cette énergie mentales. (...)

La Dianétique a annoncé la découverte d'une partie jusqu'alors inconnue et néfaste du mental qui contient beaucoup d'enregistrements d'expériences de douleur et d'inconscience, sous forme d'images mentales. Celles-ci se trouvent en dessous du niveau de conscience d'une personne et leur ensemble compose ce qu'on appelle le mental réactif - la source de toutes les craintes, les émotions, les douleurs et les maladies psychosomatiques indésirables. Etape par étape, l'audition agit sur le mental réactif jusqu'à ce que son contenu soit révélé et que ses effets néfastes sur l'individu soient supprimés. Quand cela s'est produit on a atteint un nouvel état d'être que l'on appelle en Scientologie état de Clair. La personnalité fondamentale d'une personne, ses aptitudes artistiques, sa force personnelle et son caractère individuel, la bonté, l'honnêteté qui lui sont inhérents sont rétablis.

Clair est un nouvel état pour l'homme, mais le Pont le conduit à des sommets de liberté spirituelle encore plus élevés. Au-delà de l'état de Clair apparaissent les niveaux de Thétan Opérant (OT, en anglais Operating Thetan). Le thétan est l'être spirituel immortel, l'individu lui-même, non pas son corps ni son mental, ni quoi que ce soit d'autre. Il ne s'agit pas de ce qu'il a, mais de ce qu'il est, un état de fait qui se révèle clairement à ces niveaux supérieurs.

L'état de Clair vise à l'élimination de ce qui n'appartient pas de manière inhérente à l'être spirituel lui-même. Le but du Thétan Opérant est de vaincre les souffrances de l'existence et de retrouver la certitude et les aptitudes de son état d'être spirituel premier. A ce niveau, il sait qu'il est bien séparé des choses matérielles telles que la forme physique et l'univers physique. (...)

Une autre pratique fondamentale de la religion de Scientologie est la formation ou entraînement - l'étude des principes de la Scientologie. La religion de Scientologie offre de nombreux cours d'entraînement parce qu'une personne peut, comme on l'a dit, se servir des vérités découvertes en Scientologie pour améliorer les conditions de chaque domaine de la vie. Cela dit, les cours d'entraînement les plus importants sont ceux qui permettent de devenir auditeur. Ceci parce que le principe premier pour tous les cours est que la Scientologie est une philosophie religieuse appliquée, et tout l'entraînement insiste sur l'application.

Le chemin emprunté par le scientologue qui reçoit de l'audition et étudie les écrits de Scientologie appelle Le Pont. Ceci donne corps à un concept ancien - une voie imaginée depuis longtemps qui relie l'abîme existant entre l'état actuel de l'homme et des niveaux de conscience beaucoup plus élevés. Le Pont se compose d'étapes graduelles pour que les bénéfices acquis soient progressifs, prévisibles et apparents. (...)

Voici donc l'essence de la Scientologie : Le Pont, l'audition et l'entraînement ; et ceux-ci ont lieu chaque jour de l'année dans toutes les églises de Scientologie du monde entier. La mission de la Scientologie n'est ni plus ni moins que la réhabilitation de l'esprit humain. Et quatre décennies après la naissance de l'Eglise, c'est cette aptitude à atteindre ce but qui remonte à la nuit des temps qui fait que de plus en plus d'hommes et de femmes de tous les milieux et cultures se tournent vers la Scientologie. "

Les mouvements " ufologiques "

L'ufologie est la croyance en la pluralité des mondes habités et à la réalité des visiteurs de l'espace : elle postule en d'autres termes l'existence d'extra-terrestres.

L'association la plus connue de ce courant est sans conteste le mouvement Raëlien.

Le mouvement Raëlien a été fondé en 1975 par Claude Vorilhon. Celui-ci aurait été contacté en 1973 par le président du conseil des Eternels afin qu'il répande, en tant que prophète, la nouvelle religion athée. Celle-ci repose sur la croyance de l'existence des Elohim, habitants d'une planète située à neuf milliards de kilomètres et créateurs scientifiques de toutes les formes de vie sur terre. Ceux-ci lui auraient révélé la véritable signification des événements relatés dans la Bible (la baleine de Jonas était un sous-marin atomique, la tour de Babel une fusée spatiale) et inspiré son message, fondé sur la remise en cause du système démocratique au profit de la " géniocratie " , la hiérarchie des races humaines et la promotion de valeurs eugénistes. La " méditation sensuelle " , qui permet d'atteindre l'orgasme cosmique, constitue l'une des pratiques prônée par les Raëliens, toujours en quête d'un lieu - et de ressources - propice à l'édification d'une ambassade où les Elohim viendront prendre contact officiellement avec les hommes.

Les mouvements syncrétiques

On a regroupé sous le terme " syncrétique " l'ensemble hétérogène des mouvements présentant une synthèse entre les différentes religions, y compris primitives, voire entre les traditions orientale et occidentale.

Ce courant regroupe des mouvements extrêmement divers, comme le domaine d'Ephèse, la Seimeikyo Europe, l'Association de méditation en France.

Les deux associations regroupant le plus grand nombre d'adeptes sont sans doute les Chevaliers du Lotus d'Or et la Fraternité Blanche Universelle.

Fondée par Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov en 1947, cette dernière se présente comme une école initiatique proposant un ésotérisme syncrétique, fondée sur l'adoration du Soleil, les lois du karma et la " galvanoplastie spirituelle " .

L'Association des Chevaliers du Lotus d'Or a été fondée par Gilbert Bourdin en 1967. Elle a pour principale doctrine l'aumisme, qui professe que la première parole de Dieu à l'origine de la création de l'Univers fut " Aum " . Il en résulte que les Chevaliers se livrent à une pratique consistant à transmettre le son " om " des millions de fois ou à réciter le mautra " Om Ah Hum " censé neutraliser les vibrations des forces occultes. Cette nouvelle mystique universelle et syncrétiste capable d'unir l'orient et l'occident a pour but de sauver la terre et le cosmos de l'autodestruction pour que s'installent l'Age d'Or et sa nouvelle société.

Gilbert Bourdin, alias le Christ-roi de la Nouvelle Alliance, alias Hamsah Manarah, alias Melkisedeg s'est proclamé en 1990 " Messie cosmoplanétaire " , après une longue suite de combats contre une multitude d'ennemis. La cité sainte du Mandarom est installée à Castellane.

Pour une analyse plus fine encore, les Renseignements généraux ont, le cas échéant, complété le " type dominant " par un " type associé " , retenu parmi les mêmes critères déjà exposés.

- Les notions de types " dominant " et " associé "

Cette analyse conduit, par exemple, à distinguer au sein du mouvement du " nouvel âge " , les sectes ne pouvant se réclamer que de cette seule mouvance de celles dont la doctrine emprunte certains de ses éléments aux courants " guérisseur " , " syncrétique " ou " orientaliste " .

De la même manière, on peut, au sein des mouvements apocalyptiques, distinguer les mouvements " évangéliques " de ceux plus " orientalistes " .

A côté des Témoins de Jéhovah dont la doctrine est trop connue pour qu'il soit nécessaire de la rappeler ici, l'Eglise universelle du Bien est une autre secte du type " apocalyptique/évangélique " . Fondée par l'américain Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1896), elle s'est développée en Europe dans les années 1950. Sa doctrine repose sur " l'anglo-israélisme " , selon lequel les véritables israélites, descendants des dix tribus d'Israël, sont les Anglo-saxons et les européens de l'Ouest. La restauration de l'Eglise anglo-israélienne impose de reconnaître en la reine d'Angleterre l'héritière légitime du roi David. Celle-ci devra néanmoins céder son trône au Christ à l'occasion du retour sur terre de celui-ci.

L'université spirituelle internationale des Brahma Kumaris est, elle, plus représentative du courant orientaliste des sectes apocalyptiques. Fondée par Brahma Baba Lekk Raj, l'Université annonce l'imminence de l'holocauste nucléaire et de la survenance du monde futur. La paix intérieure de l'Homme résulte, dans l'attente de cet événement, d'un certain nombre de pratiques, au rang desquelles le Raja-Yoga.

Il est précisé que dans l'hypothèse - très fréquente - où des sectes ne peuvent être rattachées à un unique courant de pensée, les Renseignements généraux ont eu tendance à considérer comme dominant le type auquel est attaché, empiriquement et implicitement, le plus fort degré de dangerosité. Ainsi, les critères " apocalyptique " , " guérisseur " , " psychanalytique " et " satanique " sont-ils le plus souvent retenus prioritairement devant les neuf autres types possibles qui pourraient être décelés pour la secte considérée : telle secte dont le nom évoque spontanément la mouvance orientaliste (Sri Sathya Sai par exemple) sera ainsi classée comme relevant du courant " guérisseur " dans la mesure où certains éléments de son discours sont manifestement thaumaturges.

2.- Les résultats de l'enquête

L'analyse réalisée sur ces bases par les Renseignements généraux et communiquée à votre commission permet d'une part de procéder à la répartition des sectes entre les courants de pensée, d'autre part de dégager les grandes lignes de l'évolution du mouvement sectaire.


Répartition des sectes entre les courants de pensée
La répartition des sectes par type dominant fait apparaître le poids prépondérant du courant " Nouvel Age " . Parmi les sectes retenues dans l'étude des Renseignements généraux (173 au total), 49 relèvent du courant " Nouvel âge " , 19 du courant " orientaliste " , 18 du courant " guérisseur " , 16 du courant " occultiste " , 15 du courant " apocalyptique " , 13 du courant " évangélique " . Les catégories " pseudo-catholique " , " psychanalytique " et " syncrétique " regroupent chacune 9 mouvements. Enfin, les courants " ufologique " (5 mouvements), " alternatif " (4 mouvements), " satanique " (4 mouvements) et " néo-païen " (3 mouvements) sont nettement minoritaires.

Sur les 173 mouvements étudiés, 69 sont rattachés à un unique courant de pensée. Une étude de la répartition des " types associés " sur les 104 autres sectes montre la prédominance du critère " guérisseur " (cité 46 fois) et du critère " nouvel âge " (20 cas). Les autres types associés ne sont évoqués que moins de 10 fois.

On constate toujours, si l'on raisonne en termes de nombre de structures, une très grande diversité au sein du mouvement sectaire : l'application des deux critères " type dominant " et " type associé " conduit à recenser 56 catégories de sectes... Aucune de ces catégories ne regroupe plus de cinq mouvements, à six exceptions notables :

- le mouvement " Nouvel Age/guérisseur " regroupe vingt mouvements, dont le nombre d'adeptes est toutefois faible (à l'exception de Hue-France).

- le mouvement " Nouvel Age " pur regroupe dix-sept mouvements à l'audience relativement confidentielle (moins de 500 adeptes) ;

- le mouvement " orientaliste " pur comprend neuf structures, dont certaines regroupent un nombre élevé d'adeptes (Sri Chinmoy, Shri Ram Chandra, Soka Gakkai) ;

- le mouvement " évangélique " pur réunit huit mouvements d'audience limitée ;

- le mouvement " guérisseur / Nouvel Age " regroupe six structures d'audience limitée ;

- le mouvement " évangélique/guérisseur " , bien que peu nombreux (5 groupes) dispose lui d'une audience forte puisqu'il regroupe l'Alliance universelle, l'Eglise évangélique de Pentecôte de Besançon, l'Eglise néo-apostolique, la Parole de foi et Vie chrétienne en France.

Une étude restreinte aux seules sectes dont le nombre d'adeptes est relativement important (supérieur à 500) conduit toutefois à relativiser l'impression de la forte prévalence des sectes de type " Nouvel Age " ou " Guérisseur " .

Typologie des sectes dont le nombre d'adeptes est supérieur à 500


Nom de la secte Type dominant Type associé
Alliance universelle Evangélique Guérisseur
ANTHROPOS - Association pour la recherche sur le développement holistique de l'homme Nouvel Age Guérisseur
Association des Témoins de Jéhovah Apocalyptique Evangélique
Association Lucien J. Engelmajer Guérisseur Psychanalytique
Association SRI Chinmoy de Paris Orientaliste
Association Subud de France - Susila Dharma France Orientaliste Syncrétique
CEDIPAC SA (ex-GEPM) Evangélique
Chevaliers du Lotus d'or Syncrétique
Communauté des petits frères et des petites soeurs du Sacré-coeur Pseudo-catholique
Culte Antoiniste Guérisseur Syncrétique
Domaine d'Ephèse Syncrétique Nouvel Age
Eglise de scientologie de Paris Psychanalytique Guérisseur
Eglise évangélique de Pentecôte de Besançon Evangélique Guérisseur
Eglise néo-apostolique de France Evangélique Guérisseur
Eglise universelle de Dieu Apocalyptique Evangélique
Eglise universelle du royaume de Dieu Guérisseur Evangélique
Eglises du Christ international en France Apocalyptique Evangélique
Energie humaine et universelle France - HUE France Nouvel Age Guérisseur
Fraternité blanche universelle Syncrétique Guérisseur
Fraternité Notre Dame Pseudo-catholique
Institut de science vedique maharishi Paris - C.P.M. - Club pour méditants Orientaliste Guérisseur
Invitation à la vie intense Pseudo-catholique Guérisseur
L'oeil s'ouvre Apocalyptique Guérisseur
La maison de Jean Nouvel Age Syncrétique
La parole de de foi - Evangélisation mondiale Evangélique Guérisseur
Mouvement du Graal en France Guérisseur Occultiste
Mouvement Raëlien français Ufologique Guérisseur
Ontologie méthodique culture et tradition Occultiste Ufologique
Paris Dharma Sah - Lotus Sangha of European social buddhism Orientaliste Guérisseur
Shri Ram Chandra Mission France Orientaliste
Société internationale de trilogie analytique Psychanalytique Guérisseur
Soka Gakkai internationale France Orientaliste
Union des associations centres et groupes Sri Sathya Sai Guérisseur Orientaliste
Université spirituelle internationale des Brahma Kumaris Apocalyptique Orientaliste
Vie chrétienne en France - Centre de vie chrétienne Evangélique Guérisseur
Viswa Nirmala Dharma - Sahaja Yoga Orientaliste Apocalyptique

On constate que les courants " orientaliste " , " évangélique " et " apocalyptique " regroupent respectivement 7, 6 et 5 mouvements, alors que le courant " Nouvel Age " n'en comprend que 3.

Par ailleurs, si le courant " guérisseur " ne réunit que cinq sectes, ce critère est cité 15 fois au titre du type associé.

Le travail effectué par les Renseignements généraux fournit, outre cette photographie du phénomène sectaire, des éléments permettant de suivre son évolution sur moyenne période.


Evolution typologique du phénomène sectaire
Il est possible de dégager les quelques grandes tendances suivantes dans l'évolution du phénomène sectaire.

- Le " Nouvel Age " semble responsable du recul des " alternatifs " et prépare peut-être le développement des " Apocalyptiques " .

Le " Nouvel Age " , courant spirituel et philosophique " fourre-tout " , importé des Etats-Unis au milieu des années 80, est le premier vainqueur de la compétition sectaire à l'approche du troisième millénaire. Actuellement, il se crée presque chaque jour de nouveaux groupuscules ou réseaux consacrés à l' " ère du Verseau " alors que, dans le même temps, des sectes importantes et déjà anciennes (FBU, Nouvelle Acropole...) tentent de " rafraîchir " leur doctrine en y incorporant des thèmes " new-age " .

Véritable nébuleuse, constituée autant par de simples organisateurs de stages à la recherche d'une clientèle que par de véritables gourous contrôlant une structure, le " Nouvel Age " est dangereux parce qu'il peut prédisposer ses adeptes à s'engager dans des voies plus périlleuses de type " apocalyptique " par exemple.

L'approche de l'an 2000 pourrait, en effet, correspondre à une multiplication considérable des groupes " apocalyptiques " ou millénaristes à partir du message mal compris (car il est fondamentalement optimiste) des " new-agers " . En outre, de gros bataillons d'adeptes déçus des rangs évangéliques (Témoins de Jéhovah, adventistes...) ou syncrétiques pourraient nourrir ce mouvement.

Le " Nouvel Age " a en tout cas fait régresser dans de notables proportions une dominante exclusive " alternative " qui était fortement ancrée dans le paysage sectaire depuis les années 70 (communautés de " retour à la terre " , à caractère tribal comme Ecoovie...).

- Les sectes " orientalistes " se renouvellent.

Les sectes " orientalistes " actuelles sont le noyau dur et les héritières des sectes religieuses dominantes des années 70-80. Celles-ci, telles Krishna, la Méditation Transcendantale, la Soka Gakkaï se sont le plus souvent seulement maintenues, alors que de nouveaux coreligionnaires d'importance sont apparus (HUE, sectes japonaises...).

La spiritualité orientale fascine toujours, même si, aujourd'hui , elle est concurrencée par le " Nouvel Age " et si elle incorpore de plus en plus de préceptes " guérisseurs " particulièrement dangereux.

- La dominante " guérisseuse " envahit, à l'instar du " nouvel âge " la plupart des courants sectaires.

Avec la composante " Nouvel Age " , les pseudo-thérapies d'origine divine ou " naturelle " façonnent maintenant pour une large part le paysage sectaire. Confinée jusqu'à ces dernières années dans la sphère religieuse orientale (Mahikari, HUE...) ou chrétienne (IVI, groupes évangéliques...), la dominante " guérisseuse " se greffe aussi aujourd'hui sur la plupart des autres grands courants sectaires (occultiste, syncrétique, psychanalytique).... quand elle ne se suffit pas à elle-même en tant qu'unique objet de la secte (Fédération internationale pour le développement de l'alimentation instinctive).

S'imposant à des degrés divers, depuis la simple prière jusqu'à des processus " thérapeutiques " complets, cette dominante présente également une dangerosité variant selon ses prétentions à apporter ou non une solution aux maladies les plus graves, à imposer ou non l'abandon de la médecine officielle.

- Le vaste courant " occultiste " semble peu menacé par ses stables voisins " néo-païens " et " sataniques " .

A côté des nombreux mouvements ésotériques non pris en compte (rosicruciens AMORC, martinistes...), de multiples structures néo-templières, initiatiques etc... perpétuent un courant " occultiste " souvent mâtiné, aujourd'hui , d'apports du " nouvel âge " ou " guérisseurs " .

En marge de ces confréries souvent intéressées principalement par l'assise financière de leurs membres, ont gravité de tout temps des groupes néo-païens (les " druides " ..) ou sataniques (WICCA...) dont l'aspect folklorique ne doit pas faire oublier l'idéologie élitiste, agressive, fréquemment raciste.

Tous ces courants " magiques " paraissent avoir peu évolué sur l'échiquier sectaire. Mais l'extrême discrétion des groupes qui en relèvent ne permet pas de les détecter systématiquement et les groupuscules sataniques inspirent des craintes qui ne doivent pas être prises à la légère, car, à l'instar de leur " coreligionnaires " des Etats-Unis et des pays scandinaves, les lucifériens français sont susceptibles de délaisser leurs activités folkloriques actuelles pour des actions criminelles : profanation de cimetières, trafic de drogue, crimes de sang...

- Les courants " évangélique " , " pseudo-catholique " et " syncrétique " résistent plus ou moins bien.

A l'instar du courant orientaliste, qui dispose d'atouts exotiques pour garder son rang sur la scène sectaire, ces mouvements à dominante religieuse éprouvent de plus en plus le besoin de développer, à titre accessoire et rémunérateur, un enseignement (et des prestations) axé sur la guérison divine.

Les " petites églises " conduites par de faux évêques se maintiennent aussi grâce à une utilisation caricaturale des rituels romains ou catholiques orientaux. De leur côté, les mouvements à dominante évangélique, souvent animés par d'authentiques pasteurs ayant basculé dans le rôle de gourou, profitent toujours des libertés offertes par les structures protestantes officielles pour prospérer à leur lisière. Les groupes syncrétiques, quant à eux, résistent difficilement à la vague " nouvel âge " .

- Un engouement pour les sectes " modernes " affichant des prétentions en matière psychanalytique est indéniable.

Le courant " psychanalytique " occupe sans conteste dans la dynamique sectaire de ces dernières années la troisième place d'un podium déjà occupé par le " nouvel âge " et les " guérisseurs " . La difficulté de cerner avec précision ce courant explique que les données quantitatives le concernant ne traduisent que fort imparfaitement son influence.

Avec des fers de lance comme la Scientologie, ce courant apparaît aujourd'hui comme l'un des substituts privilégiés des doctrines religieuses traditionnelles. Il n'est que d'observer la prolifération d'officines proposant stages et séminaires de " développement personnel " .... financés parfois dans le cadre de la formation professionnelle.

Il y a certes plus de " clients " que d' " adeptes " fidélisés, mais les cas de dérives sectaires se multiplient. Les dommages causés aux victimes sont particulièrement graves (ruine, démence, suicide...) car, dans ce type de secte, les techniques de manipulation mentale sont extrêmement perfectionnées.

- Le courant " ufologique " demeure restreint mais prospère.

Emmenés par le Mouvement Raëlien et Siderella, les " soucoupistes " font peu école. Leurs effectifs progressent moins que les tarifs des prestations proposées par les responsables. Ici encore, le pittoresque du discours cache souvent des concepts plus inquiétants comme la " géniocratie " (ou " gouvernement des élites " ) chez les Raëliens.


B.- DES PRATIQUES SOUVENT DANGEUREUSES

Les dangers que présentent les sectes, autrement appelés " dérives " sectaires, méritent au premier chef d'attirer notre attention. En effet, ce sont eux qui justifient l'attention particulière que doivent leur porter les pouvoirs pubics et, rappelons-le, la création de notre commission d'enquête.

Il convient donc de les analyser dans le détail.

Mais auparavant, il est nécessaire de dissiper un éventuel malentendu : tous les mouvements spirituels autres que les religions traditionnelles et communément appelés sectes ne sont pas dangereux, comme, par exemple, les baptistes, les quakers ou les mormons. Leur rôle peut même être, parfois, considéré comme très positif : " Vous rencontrez les sectes] le meilleur et le pire " a ainsi déclaré un médecin à la Commission. Et d'ajouter: " Parfois, par le biais des sectes, des personnes se retrouvent dans un groupe chaleureux, d'autres redonnent un sens à leur vie, d'autres encore se structurent. Parmi mes patients, certains sont entrés dans des sectes. Je ne voudrais pour rien au monde qu'ils en sortent, car cela leur sert momentanément de tuteur " .

La commission a donc bien pris garde de faire un amalgame entre tous les groupes spirituels existants. Elle a considéré qu'elle devait se cantonner à examiner les nuisances provoquées par les seules sectes dangereuses. Et ce, pour mieux tenter de dégager les moyens de les combattre.

Ces effets négatifs ont été maintes fois dénoncés, que ce soit par la presse ou par les pouvoirs publics eux-mêmes. Le rapport d'Alain Vivien de 1983, l'avis de la Commission nationale consultative des Droits de l'Homme du 10 décembre 1993 et les réponses du Gouvernement aux questions parlementaires en témoignent, ainsi que, sur la scène internationale, les rapports de M. Richard Cottrell, du Parlement européen, en 1984, ou de Sir John Hunt du Conseil de l'Europe, en 1991. D'ailleurs, la Commission a constaté, au cours de ses travaux, que personne n'en démentait l'existence.

Pour analyser les dangers que font courir un certain nombre de ssectes, la Commission s'est fondée principalement sur deux sources d'information, qui présentent les plus grandes garanties d'objectivité, à savoir les décisions judiciaires et les données collectées par les Renseignements généraux. Elle a aussi utilisé, dans une moindre mesure et avec la prudence requise, les témoignages directs d'anciens adeptes.

La démarche suivie fait apparaître que si les décisions judiciaires témoignent de nombreuses illégalités commises par les sectes ou certains de leurs membres, elles ne rendent compte que très partiellement de leurs multiples dangers.


1.- Des illégalités nombreuses et variées

De l'ensemble des décisions de justice auxquelles la Commission a eu accès, notamment de celles fournies par la Direction des affaires criminelles et des grâces du ministère de la Justice, il ressort que de nombreuses sectes se sont, au cours des dix dernières années, rendues coupables d'illégalités. Celles-ci relèvent de six domaines principaux :

( Il s'agit, en premier lieu, de délits relatifs aux atteintes physiques à la personne humaine : mauvais traitements, coups et blessures, séquestration, non assistance à personne en danger ou pratique illégale de la médecine.

Ainsi, le Tribunal de grande instance de Versailles a-t-il établi, dans une décision des 8 et 9 février 1995 (no 234) que M. et Mme Mihaes, les dirigeants de la secte " la Citadelle " , se sont rendus coupables, entre autres, de violences sur mineur de quinze ans, d'enlèvement et de séquestration. Le compte-rendu des faits par le tribunal est éloquent :

" Attendu que M. Solomon, qui avait appartenu à ce groupe Citadelle] à partir de 1974, l'avait quitté en 1990, rejoint quelques temps plus tard par son épouse, alors que leurs deux enfants majeurs Karen et Pascal ainsi que leur fille mineure Dana Solomon étaient restés dans le mouvement ;

" Que M. Solomon et son épouse étaient parvenus à reprendre avec difficultés leur fille Dana le 25 août 1991, alors quelle se trouvait au château de Courcillon (72), propriété du couple Mihaes ;

" Que Dana Solomon devait expliquer que dans cette communauté les enfants étaient habituellement séparés de leurs parents et qu'ils subissaient divers mauvais traitements qui leur étaient infligés, notamment par Mme Mihaes, Mme Esther Antoine et M. Axel Schmidt ;

" Qu'elle-même avait été à plusieurs reprises frappée, séquestrée, contrainte au jeûne et privée habituellement d'une nourriture suffisante ;

" Attendu qu'il est établi que, sous couvert d'application de préceptes bibliques, les enfants ont été contraints aux jeûnes, aux confessions publiques, ont été soumis à des punitions qui, outre les coups, pouvaient s'exercer en un isolement ainsi qu'en a été victime Dana Solomon, retenue contre sa volonté dans la maison de gardien de la propriété du Vésinet, sans chauffage pendant les mois d'hiver et ne disposant que d'une nourriture extrêmement frugale, mais qui pouvait aussi s'exercer sous forme d'un déplacement de résidence ainsi qu'en avait été victime Claire Solomon placée, ``en punition'', au domicile du couple Bahjejian et séparée de ses frères et soeur ;

" Attendu qu'en ce qui concerne plus précisément les prévenus, il est établi que Mme Delia Mihaes, qui a toujours contesté les accusations portées contre elle, a commis les faits qui lui sont reprochés dans la prévention, en se livrant, à de multiples reprises, à des actes de violence à l'égard des enfants Stéphane, Jonathan, Céline et Claire Antoine, Dana Solomon ainsi qu'à l'égard de ses fils jumeaux Octavius et Flavius ;

" Qu'elle a gravement compromis la santé et l'éducation de ces enfants en leur faisant subir les privations et les brimades précédemment exposées ;

" Qu'il est par ailleurs établi qu'elle s'est rendue complice de séquestration exercée sur la personne de Dana Solomon (...) " .

Le Tribunal de grande instance de Dijon a, par ailleurs, été amené, dans un jugement du 9 janvier 1987 (no 118-87), à condamner le directeur-adjoint du centre Narconon de Grangey-sur-Ource pour non assistance à personne en danger. Ce centre, créé par l'Eglise de Scientologie, propose des cures de désintoxication en appliquant les méthodes de Ron Hubbard, à savoir la procédure de " purification " , fondée principalement sur plusieurs heures de sauna par jour, des " auditions " et une absorption importante de vitamines. En l'espèce, la victime était depuis longtemps soignée pour épilepsie et s'était adressée à cet organisme car elle souhaitait se " libérer des médicaments " . Le centre l'a, sans examen médical préalable, placée dans une chambre de " sevrage " . Or, les expertises médicales ont montré que le décès était dû à " un état de mal épileptique dû à l'absence de traitement suffisant à son début et de traitement d'urgence pendant l'état de mal. " Le jugement ne laisse aucun doute sur la responsabilité du centre :

" Que si Jocelyne Dorfmann avait pris la décision de réduire sa consommation médicamenteuse, puis de l'interrompre au risque de compromettre son état de santé, les prévenus ne l'ont à aucun moment prévenue de la nécessité d'un examen médical d'admission, lequel aurait vraisemblablement permis de contre-indiquer la cure de sevrage ; qu'il est inconcevable que la victime ait pu être acceptée sans cet examen et sans entretien sérieux malgré ses déclarations sur son état de santé et son épilepsie, alors que les prévenus ont reconnu savoir qu'en cas de maladie grave, le traitement médical ne devait pas souffrir d'interruption ;

" Que si lors de la survenue de la première crise, les prévenus ont pu se méprendre sur la nature exacte, la répétition des crises et leur intensité croissante devaient leur évoquer une origine distincte d'un état de manque qui, selon les médecins experts, ne peut être confondu avec un état épileptique ;

" Qu'ils n'ont pas jugé utile de demander directement à la victime, alors qu'elle était encore consciente, si ces manifestations pouvaient correspondre aux crises d'épilepsie auxquelles elle avait fait allusion ou de faire appel au médecin le plus proche. (...) "

Plusieurs cas d'exercice illégal de la médecine ont, en outre, été observés ces dernières années. On évoquera, par exemple, le cas assez significatif de M. Main, chef d'une communauté religieuse appelée " Le Bon pasteur " , qui, se réclamant du titre d'évêque (il avait été ordonné tel par des ecclésiastiques n'obéissant plus à Rome après le Concile de Vatican II), prétendait guérir ou soulager ses " fidèles " par des paroles, des prières, des appositions des mains, l'utilisation d'un pendule et des pratiques d'exorcisme et de désenvoûtement. Les conclusions du Tribunal de grande instance de Périgueux, dans sa décision du 22 juin 1994 (no 894), sont se passent de commentaires : M. Main a été reconnu coupable d'exercice illégal de la médecine par le tribunal de grande instance de Périgueux dans un jugement du 22 juin 1994.


De nombreuses condamnations ont également été prononcées en matière de violation de certaines obligations familiales, notamment de parents adeptes de sectes à l'égard de leurs enfants.
Ainsi, par exemple, la Cour d'appel de Rennes a-t-elle, dans une décision du 13 février 1993 (Epoux Durand), jugé que M. et Mme Durand, membres de la secte Sahaja Yoga, avaient " compromis gravement par manque de direction nécessaire la santé et la sécurité de ] enfant Yoann " et tomb aient, de ce fait, sous le coup de l'article 357.1 du code pénal, en l'envoyant à l'âge de six ans et demi en Inde dans une école de Dharamsala dirigée par les adeptes de cette secte. Les motifs de la décision méritent d'être cités :

" (...) considérant (...) que sur la foi d'un simple prospectus donnant de simples orientations générales (...), Dominique et Josette Durand (...) ont pris la décision d'envoyer en avril 1990 (...) leur enfant Yoann sans d'ailleurs l'accompagner dans son voyage, dans une école dont le contenu de l'enseignement, en anglais et hindi, ne leur était pas vraiment connu (...), qu'ils n'offraient à l'enfant des garanties sur l'issue de cet enseignement, sur les conditions d'accueil et de vie dont le dossier révèle qu'elles étaient notamment sur le plan climatique très rudes (...) sans s'assurer de l'infrastructure médicale et des conditions sanitaires qui attendaient l'enfant, sans même avant son départ s'informer auprès de la médecine spécialisée sur les risques qu'il encourait dans une région du monde frappée de graves maladies épidémiques pour l'essentiel inconnues en Europe, sans mesurer les risques pour un enfant de 6 ans et demi d'un sentiment d'abandon, voire de rejet alors qu'il savait la naissance proche d'un autre enfant dans le foyer et qu'il entretenait des relations particulièrement privilégiées avec ses grands-parents maternels, les époux Héline ;

" (...) que le rapport établi par trois experts qui ont examiné l'enfant le 5 juillet 1991 constate d'importantes dégradations psychiques liées à la séparation brutale et prolongée exactement décrites par le tribunal, des examens postérieurs révélant une nette amélioration chez un enfant revenu dans son cadre familial et poursuivant une scolarisation normale ; "

Parfois, les faits ne sont pas aussi manifestement répréhensibles. Le juge s'abstient alors de condamner directement les parents adeptes, mais leur refuse l'exercice de l'autorité parentale ou le droit de garde. C'est en ce sens, par exemple, que statua le Tribunal de grande instance d'Avignon le 25 mai 1992 (décision no 673/92) :

" Il n'appartient certes pas au Tribunal de se prononcer sur les bienfaits ou méfaits de la secte (...) des Témoins de Jéhovah mais seulement, selon " l'intérêt des enfants mineurs " , (...) d'indiquer le parent chez lequel les enfants ont leur résidence habituelle et de statuer sur l'exercice de l'autorité parentale.

" Après avoir énuméré une partie de l'impressionnante liste des interdits que les adeptes de cette secte - à laquelle Madame ...... ne conteste pas avoir adhéré - doivent respecter, Madame Audoyer remarque à juste titre dans le rapport d'enquête sociale qu'elle a déposé qu'ils sont susceptibles d'entraver un avenir pour des enfants telles que Debora et Flora.

" L'éducation des enfants ne saurait en effet consister en un endoctrinement basé sur une vision particulièrement cataclysmique du monde dont seuls les adeptes de la secte seraient préservés, mais au contraire en un éveil de l'esprit, une ouverture à tous les domaines de la connaissance et à toutes les disciplines, ainsi qu'aux relations avec les autres sans discrimination de race, de religion ou d'idées.

" En l'état actuel, afin de préserver tant le présent que l'avenir de ces deux enfants (...), il apparaît nécessairede fixer leur résidence habituelle chez leur père qui exercera l'autorité parentale. (...) "

Les sectes se sont, en outre, maintes fois rendues coupables de diffamation, dénonciation calomnieuse ou violation de la vie privée au cours de la période récente.

Ce fut notamment le cas de l'Eglise de Scientologie.

Ainsi, le Tribunal de grande instance de Paris a-t-il, dans un jugement du 13 octobre 1993 (M. Abgrall c/ Mme Lefèvre), condamné pour diffamation Mme Lefèvre, directeur de la publication d' " Ethique et liberté " , l'une des revues de l'Eglise de Scientologie.

En effet, un article de cette publication, titré " Une milice de la pensée " et consacré à l'Association de défense de la famille et de l'individu, faisait état d'enlèvements et de séquestrations commis par les membres de cette association, et notamment de l'internement en hôpital psychiatrique en 1991 d'un scientologue de Marseille, réalisé avec la complicité de J.M. Abgrall, psychiatre, alors que ces faits n'ont nullement été prouvés.

Dans le même sens, la Cour d'appel de Douai a, dans sa décision du 18 mars 1982 (no 302), reconnu le Centre Hubbard de Dianétique coupable de " diffamation publique, assimilée à l'injure " , pour avoir écrit en faisant référence à l'ADFI :

" ... Il me paraît vital pour la liberté de religion et pour la liberté d'opinion de dénoncer et d'arrêter les agissements de ce groupe fascisant qui tire sur tout ce qui bouge qui soit nouveau ou différent...

On peut également évoquer le cas d'une dénonciation calomnieuse confirmée par la Cour de cassation dans un arrêt du 28 avril 1987 (A.J.), ainsi que celui d'une violation de la vie privée par l'association " Ethique et liberté " , dans une décision rendue le 15 mars dernier par le Tribunal de grande instance de Paris (no 9).

Plusieurs décisions juridictionnelles témoignent aussi d'une pratique assez fréquente de la fraude fiscale par certaines associations.

La Cour de Cassation a, par exemple, confirmé dans un arrêt du 25 juin 1990 (Blanchard Henri et autres) l'arrêt de la Cour d'appel de Paris du 26 janvier 1988, condamnant le Président de l'Association pour l'unification du christianisme mondial (AUCM), qui est la branche française de la secte Moon, pour fraude fiscale. Cet arrêt montre notamment que cet organisme a, sous le couvert d'une association à but religieux, réalisé d'importants bénéfices non déclarés :

" (...) Attendu que Henri Blanchard a été renvoyé devant le tribunal correctionnel pour avoir soustrait frauduleusement l'AUCM dont il était le président à l'établissement et au paiement de l'impôt sur les sociétés, et pour avoir sciemment omis de passer ou de faire passer dans les documents tenant lieu de livre-journal et de livre d'inventaire tout ou partie des écritures ;

" Attendu que (...) les juges énoncent que l'AUCM n'a que les apparences d'une association et qu'elle exerce, par la mise en vente d'un journal, une activité lui procurant des bénéfices dont une partie importante, non portée en recettes, a servi, par l'intermédiaire de prête-noms, à des acquisitions mobilières ou immobilières occultes, dont, pour certaines, l'affectation n'a pu être précisée ; (...) " .

Ont également été convaincues de fraude fiscale, entre autres, l'Association internationale pour la conscience de Krishna (AICK) (cf. notamment l'arrêt du 19 octobre 1989 de la Cour d'appel de Bourges, no 461/89) et l'Eglise de Scientologie (cf. notamment l'arrêt du 3 février 1995 de la Cour d'appel de Paris, no 7). Là aussi, ces organismes avaient réalisé de substantiels bénéfices commerciaux par le biais d'associations à but soi-disant désintéressé.

Par ailleurs, l'arrêt du 3 février 1995 de la Cour d'appel de Paris a établi que l'Eglise de Scientologie présentait un passif de l'ordre de 41 millions de francs et l'a mise en redressement judiciaire. En outre, le tribunal de commerce de Paris a prononcé, le 30 novembre 1995, la mise en liquidation judiciaire de l'Eglise de Scientologie de Paris, pour des impayés à l'administration fiscale et à l'URSSAF d'un montant de 48 millions de francs.

On constate également plusieurs cas d'escroquerie, de tromperie ou d'abus de confiance.

Le Tribunal de grande instance de Draguignan a ainsi, dans une décision du 20 mars 1995 (no 882/95), condamné pour escroquerie deux personnes (M. Galiano et Mme Pison) se présentant respectivement comme une réincarnation du Christ et de la Vierge. Et ce, pour les raisons suivantes :

" Il résulte ainsi de l'ensemble de ces éléments que les mis en examen, par des mises en scène dans des réunions publiques, ont persuadé des gens crédules de l'existence de pouvoirs surnaturels leur permettant d'espérer un mieux vivre ou une guérison, tout en utilisant l'alibi de la science, à savoir la profession de psychanalyste pour l'un et de dentiste pour l'autre. En tentant de se faire remettre ou en percevant des sommes, ils ont commis le délit d'escroquerie. "

La Cour de cassation a, par ailleurs, jugé, dans un arrêt du 15 novembre 1995 (A. Pouteau), que la SARL Wide, dont Alain Pouteau était le gérant et dont l'enquête a montré qu'elle était " sous l'obédience de l'Eglise de Scientologie " , " exploitait un centre de formation aux métiers de la vente et faisait diffuser des annonces dans la presse et des lettres circulaires auprès des maires dans lesquelles elle s'engageait à procurer aux candidats, à l'issue de leur formation, une place dans une entreprise sérieuse " , s'est rendue coupable de tromperie, car elle " n'était pas en mesure de garantir des emplois à ses stagiaires " .

La fameuse affaire de la secte du Fréchou illustre, d'autre part, parfaitement le cas d'abus de confiance commis par les dirigeants de sectes au détriment de leurs adeptes. En l'occurrence, ils se prévalaient indûment du titre de prêtre, ce qui leur avait permis d'extorquer à leurs fidèles un montant important de dons (cf. notamment l'arrêt du 10 mai 1991 de la Cour d'appel d'Agen, no 215/91).

Enfin, la jurisprudence fait état de multiples violations du droit du travail ou de celui de la sécurité sociale.

" La dénonciation de l'exploitation impitoyable de l'adepte par les dirigeants, mépris des lois sociales, durée du travail, pas de rémunération, ni de couverture sociale (...) trouvent leur confirmation dans le fait qu'Ecoovie ne verse au débat aucun contrat de travail, aucun bulletin de salaire, aucune déclaration à la sécurité sociale ou au fisc concernant les adeptes qu'elle emploie, se bornant à alléguer que ceux-ci sont bénévoles. " . C'est ainsi, par exemple, que le Tribunal de grande instance de Paris décrivait, dans son arrêt du 10 juillet 1985 (no 263), la façon dont la secte Ecoovie concevait l'application des règles du droit du travail et de la sécurité sociale.

Maintes condamnations ont donc été prononcées sur des points très divers à l'encontre des sectes au cours des dernières années, sur la base de faits matériels incontestables.

Toutefois, la Commission a été amenée à constater que cette approche ne rend qu'incomplètement compte des dangers de certains mouvements sectaires.

2.- Une nocivité qui dépasse largement le champ des illégalités constatées par les tribunaux

Tous les actes répréhensibles commis par les sectes ne font évidemment pas l'objet d'une condamnation. Loin s'en faut. Une telle condamnation, nécessite, en effet, la réunion de plusieurs conditions qu'il est souvent difficile d'obtenir :

- il faut, tout d'abord, que la personne ayant subi un préjudice en soit consciente. Or, pour les adeptes, la règle qui leur est imposée par leur gourou est forcément bonne. Il faut donc que l'adepte ait pris suffisamment de distance vis-à-vis de la secte, généralement en en étant sorti, pour accéder à cette prise de conscience ;

- il convient ensuite que l'intéressé décide de porter plainte. Or, cette démarche est loin d'être systématique : beaucoup préfèrent " tourner définitivement la page " d'une période traumatisante de leur histoire ; d'autres se confient volontiers à des associations de défense mais n'osent pas intenter d'action en justice par manque de confiance ou par peur de représailles ;

- la preuve du délit ainsi que la responsabilité de son auteur est, de l'avis de la plupart des personnes entendues par la Commission, difficile à appporter, ne serait-ce qu'en raison de " l'originalité " des délits sectaires, desquels les victimes sont parfois, par leur consentement d'un moment, les propres acteurs ;

- il faut aussi que les faits correspondent à une incrimination prévue et sanctionnée par la loi, ce qui n'est pas évident dans les cas de manipulation mentale par exemple ;

- reste enfin, au cas où une condamnation est intervenue, à la faire appliquer, ce qui se heurte parfois à de grandes difficultés, en raison de la multiplicité des moyens que certains mouvements peuvent déployer : procédures dilatoires, pressions de tous ordres, auto-dissolution ou, tout simplement, fuite à l'étranger.

Les informations fournies à la Commission par les Renseignements généraux ainsi que les témoignages qu'elle a reçus l'ont conduite à penser que les dangers que font courir certains mouvements sectaires aux individus et à la société sont, en réalité, à la fois plus nombreux, plus étendus et plus graves que ne le suggère la seule lecture des décisions judiciaires.

L'énumération ci-dessous regroupe, en dix catégories, les dangers que présente le phénomène sectaire pour les individus d'une part, pour la société d'autre part, tels que la Commission a pu les appréhender au travers de l'ensemble de ses travaux.

a) Les dangers pour l'individu

La déstabilisation mentale est le premier d'entre eux.

On entend par cette expression le fait, par la persuasion, la manipulation ou tout autre moyen matériel, de déstabiliser quelqu'un pour le soumettre à son emprise.

Selon les Renseignements généraux, les 172 mouvements sectaires coercitifs qu'ils ont recensés recourraient à des pratiques pouvant être ainsi qualifiées.

La déstabilisation mentale peut prendre des formes très diverses, et, notamment, très insidieuse, comme l'illustrent le test de personnalité et les " auditions " proposés par l'Eglise de Scientologie. Voici comment un ancien adepte de cette association a décrit à la Commission l'expérience du test :

" Ce test, qui comporte environ 200 questions ayant trait à l'argent, la famille, au travail, etc., a, à mon sens, un fondement psychologique vrai mais donne ensuite lieu à une analyse - sur ordinateur, aujourd'hui, ce qui lui donne un aspect sérieux qui en impose beaucoup - tendant avant tout à mettre en valeur les défauts - ce qui est somme toute simple --.

" Les défauts sont donc amplifiés tandis que les qualités sont plutôt sous-estimées, ce qui permet d'arriver au constat qu'il y a des choses à faire et que le centre de dianétique a des choses à vous proposer.

" (...) Et à partir de là, gens] sont tentés d'aller plus loin " .

Dès lors, le processus de déstabilisation mentale est déjà commencé. Il franchit une étape supplémentaire lorsque l'intéressé va effectivement " plus loin " et accepte de se livrer à des " auditions " dianétiques :

" J'ai fait cinq ou six heures d'audition. Dans ces auditions dites dianétiques(...), on vous fait fermer les yeux - un peu comme chez un psy - et on vous fait revivre les moments difficiles. Personnellement, j'ai parlé de mon premier amour d'adolescent - j'ai fait la même chose que ce que l'on fait devant un psy --, ce qui a entraîné chez moi une remontée émotionnelle qui m'a un peu perturbé.

" Là, le mal était bel et bien fait car j'avais envie d'aller plus loin. (...) " .

L'intéressé est effectivement " allé plus loin " , ce qui l'a conduit à un état d'aliénation et de dépendance extrêmes.

Cette pratique, on le voit, est très insidieuse, car elle se pare d'un fondement scientifique et s'exerce avec l'accord de la victime, de façon progressive et dans un cadre parfaitement légal.

Certains procédés sont, en revanche, nettement plus brutaux. Il s'agit, par exemple, d'affaiblir l'individu en lui imposant une discipline très rigoureuse, ou de réduire son esprit critique en l'astreignant à des actes ou des prières répétitifs afin d'obtenir sa complète obéissance. Les témoignages recueillis sur la journée type d'un adepte de l'Association internationale pour la conscience de Krishna, avec, notamment, ses onze heures de travail et ses six heures de dévotion par jour, l'attestent.

Ces procédés peuvent même parfois conduire les adeptes à un état d'asthénie pathologique avancé.

On constate également, bien que plus rarement, le recours à des techniques sophrologiques, pouvant aller jusqu'à l'hypnose profonde ou à la prescription de drogues, permettant de réaliser, pour reprendre l'expression du colonel Morin, un véritable " viol psychique " de l'adepte.

Ces formes de déstabilisation mentale peuvent avoir de graves conséquences sur le psychisme de ceux auxquels elles ont été appliquées, telles que dépression, envoûtement, attitude schizophrénique ou profond état de dépendance.

Certaines sectes ont, en outre, à l'égard de leurs adeptes, des exigences financières exorbitantes.

Selon les Renseignements généraux, ce serait aujourd'hui le cas de 76 sectes.

Il en est notamment ainsi de l'Eglise de Scientologie. Celle-ci facturerait, en effet, certains cours à plus de 70.000 francs. Plusieurs témoignages recueillis par la Commission montrent qu'elle aurait conduit de nombreux adeptes à une grave situation d'endettement.

On peut citer également l'Association pour l'unification du christianisme mondial qui aurait demandé entre 7.000 et 14.000 francs à chacune des 72.000 personnes mariées collectivement par le Révérend Moon à Séoul au mois d'août dernier.

L'exploitation financière serait aussi le fait, notamment, de l'Alliance Rose Croix, la Nouvelle Acropole, les Chevaliers du Lotus d'Or, l'Eglise universelle du royaume de Dieu, le Grand logis ou le Mouvement raëlien français.

La rupture de l'adepte avec l'environnement d'origine est fréquemment constatée. Elle est évidente lorsqu'il s'agit de sectes pratiquant la vie en communauté, mais celles-ci ne sont pas les plus nombreuses. Elle est plus insidieuse mais tout aussi réelle dans le cadre de sectes dont les adeptes continuent, en apparence, de mener une vie familiale et sociale normale, mais dont l'engagement les conduit progressivement à cesser toute relation véritable avec le monde extérieur au mouvement dont ils sont membres. Et c'est précisément là le but auquel les dirigeants de sectes veulent parvenir, en incitant l'adepte à consacrer le plus possible de son temps à la secte, à ses rites et à ses croyances : faire cesser tout contact avec les personnes qui seraient susceptbiles d'insinuer le doute dans l'esprit de l'adepte, de réveiller son sens critique et, finalement, de le détourner de la secte.

D'après les informations recueillies par votre commission, 57 mouvements spirituels présenteraient ce danger, notamment l'Alliance universelle, l'Eglise de scientologie, les Témoins de Jéhovah, IVI, la Famille ou le Mouvement humaniste.

On se bornera, pour l'illustrer, à rappeler un témoignage communiqué par un ex-adepte des Témoins de Jéhovah :

" (...) Si je me décide aujourd'hui à écrire, c'est pour casser le silence de vingt années maintenant de souffrance morale durant lesquelles à cause d'une secte, qui est (...) " la secte des Témoins de Jéhovah " , j'ai vécu l'enfer.

" Les gens vivent en autarcie, ne participent en rien à la vie économique, culturelle ou autre d'un pays. Ils sont un danger parce qu'ils vous détruisent tout simplement ; vous écartent de votre famille, de vos amis, de la société même. Vous êtes isolés de tout, il y a un endoctrinement commun à tous les disciples et gare si vous essayez d'être vous-même. C'est interdit. "

( Les pratiques de certaines sectes portent atteinte à l'intégrité physique des adeptes. Selon les renseignements qui ont été obtenus par votre commission, 82 sectes feraient courir un tel danger à leurs membres.

Il peut s'agir de mauvais traitements, coups et blessures, séquestrations, non assistance à personne en danger ou exercice illégal de la médecine, mais aussi d'agressions sexuelles.

Plusieurs plaintes ont ainsi été déposées contre le gourou du Mandarom, Gilbert Bourdin, pour viols, tentatives de viols et agressions sexuelles. L'intéressé a d'ailleurs été mis en examen et placé sous contrôle judiciaire en juin dernier.

Il est bien connu qu'au sein de la secte Les Enfants de Dieu (aujourd'hui dissoute) la prostitution et l'inceste étaient couramment pratiqués. Voici, par exemple, comment la fille de David Berg, le fondateur du mouvement, raconte l'attitude de son père à son égard dans le " Shukan Bushun " du 30 juillet 1992 :

" Mon père m'a pressée pour la première fois d'avoir un rapport sexuel avec lui, quand j'avais huit ans, au Texas. J'ai résisté, néanmoins, j'ai été violée. Cela a été si brusque que j'en étais totalement bouleversée et incapable d'en parler à quiconque.

" (...) Malheureusement, quand mon père était saisi par le désir sexuel, il ne pouvait pas se contrôler, même si l'objet de son désir était sa propre fille.

" (...) Un jour, mon père rassembla les membres de la famille royale et annonça : " l'inceste est une bonne chose. C'est ainsi qu'Adam et Eve ont eu beaucoup de descendance " (...) "

Une autre adepte fait part, elle, de la pratique du " flirty fishing " consistant à prostituer des enfants " avec l'intention déterminée de gagner plus d'adeptes et d'acquérir des appuis " .

Auto-dissoute en 1978, cette secte aurait été recréée sous une autre appellation ( " La Famille " ), sous laquelle existe effectivement aujourd'hui une association sectaire.

Chacun garde enfin en mémoire les drames à grande échelle que furent, entre autres, les suicides collectifs du Guyana en 1979, qui ont fait 923 victimes, ou de Waco en 1993, qui ont tué 88 personnes.


Enfin, l'embrigadement des enfants serait le fait de 28 mouvements.
Outre " la Citadelle " dont les exactions ont déjà été évoquées, pratiqueraient l'embrigadement des enfants sous une forme plus ou moins insidieuse, les Témoins de Jéhovah, l'Association pour l'unification du christianisme mondial, la Communauté de la Thébaïde, l'Eglise de Scientologie de Paris, l'Eglise kristique de la Jérusalem nouvelle, la Fédération française pour la conscience de Krishna, la Famille et le Grand Logis.

Au-delà de ces effets négatifs sur des individus déterminés, les sectes peuvent également se révéler particulièrement nocives pour la collectivité dans son ensemble.


B) Les dangers pour la collectivité

Certaines sectes ont, en premier lieu, un discours clairement antisocial.

Cela n'est d'ailleurs pas étonnant : les mouvements qui préconisent des pratiques contraires aux lois et à la morale commune doivent bien les justifier ; ils expliquent donc souvent à leurs adeptes que ces lois et cette morale sont mauvaises et que seuls les principes de la secte méritent d'être suivis.

46 organisations auraient un discours antisocial selon les Renseignements généraux, parmi lesquelles les Chevaliers du lotus d'or, la Fédération française pour la conscience de Krishna, la Famille, le Suicide des rives, le Mouvement raëlien et l'Ordre du coeur immaculé de Marie et de Saint Louis de Montfort.

Plusieurs organisations provoquent, d'autre part, des troubles à l'ordre public.

Selon les indications fournies à votre commission par le ministère de l'intérieur, ce serait le cas de 26 sectes, parmi lesquelles les Témoins de Jéhovah, la Nouvelle Acropole, l'Eglise de Scientologie, la Fédération française pour la conscience de Krishna, le Suicide des rives et le Mouvement raëlien français.

Les témoignages recueillis concernant la Nouvelle Acropole, assimilant la secte à un mouvement néo-fasciste, sont assez éloquents. En voici un extrait :

" (..) Or, malheureusement, à la Nouvelle Acropole, au fur et à mesure que les années passent, les idées trépassent. C'est-à-dire que rentré dans une école de philosophie à la façade honnête, vous vous retrouvez très rapidement dans une secte aux visées politiques, au caractère extrême-droite et de type néo-fasciste, et si vous ne réagissez pas rapidement, vous risquez de vous retrouver en uniforme de style para-militaire (bleu-marine pour les femmes, noir pour les hommes et marron pour les officiers), le brassard au bras, l'étendard dans une main, chantant des chants guerriers au rythme de musiques militaires, puis baissant la tête, le genou à terre, saluant le bras levé un rapace dans un soleil !!!

" (...) Ce sont de plus des ennemis déclarés de la démocratie, uniquement bonne aux lâches et aux faibles, aux dires des dirigeants de la Nouvelle Acropole. De plus, ils sont hostiles à toute forme d'opposition, et sont susceptibles de devenir très dangereux. Pour eux, la fin justifie les moyens (...) " .

( Certaines sectes sont coutumières des démêlés judiciaires, comme en témoignent les affaires évoquées plus haut.

Toutefois, il convient de préciser que les rapports difficiles qu'entretiennent certaines sectes avec la justice peuvent prendre deux visages : les poursuites dont elles font l'objet en raison du caractère délictueux ou préjudiciable de leurs actes ; les actions qu'elles intentent elles-mêmes à l'égard des personnes qui ont, selon elles, terni leur image.

A cet égard, la Commission a eu l'occasion de constater que la plupart des personnes auditionnées qui se sont publiquement exprimées sur les effets négatifs de certains mouvements sectaires ont été assignées en justice par ceux-ci pour diffamation. L'Eglise de Scientologie est, par exemple, très coutumière du fait. En général, les tribunaux déboutent les mouvements.


On constate également de nombreux cas de détournement des circuits économiques, de telles pratiques étant le fait de 51 organismes, selon les analyses des Renseignements généraux.
Il en serait ainsi de l'Association pour la recherche sur le développement holistique de l'homme, l'Association Nouvelle Acropole France, Athanor, le Centre de documentation d'information et de contact pour la prévention du cancer, la Clé de l'univers, l'Eglise de Scientologie, du Mouvement raëlien français ou de la Soka Gakkaï internationale France.

On a vu, de fait, comment certaines sectes pouvaient avoir recours au travail clandestin ou à diverses formes de fraude ou d'escroquerie.


Par ailleurs, plusieurs personnes ont évoqué devant la Commission les infiltrations ou tentatives d'infiltration auxquelles se livreraient les sectes au sein des pouvoirs publics. Dans le même sens, certains journalistes se sont attachés depuis quelques années à démontrer l'influence que pouvaient exercer certaines sectes - au premier chef l'Eglise de Scientologie - dans l'appareil d'Etat.
Votre commission, quant à elle, ne s'estime pas autorisée à faire état dans le présent rapport d'allégations portées à sa connaissance au cours de ses travaux mais dont elle n'a eu aucun moyen de vérifier le bien-fondé. Certains pourraient voir là de la naïveté et la juger déplacée face aux entreprises subtiles de groupes qui savent très habilement mettre en oeuvre les moyens leur permettant d'arriver à leurs fins. Il n'en est rien. Simplement, la Commission juge de son devoir de faire preuve de prudence et de refuser de rapporter des allégations dont les conséquences pourraient être d'une certaine gravité, sans pouvoir en apporter la moindre preuve. Pour autant, elle n'a pas manqué d'être alarmée par certains éléments qui lui ont été communiqués. Aussi attire-t-elle l'attention des responsables administratifs sur la nécessité, sans tomber dans la paranoïa, de faire preuve de la plus grande vigilance, de façon à éviter, au moins, que soient attribués des subventions ou des marchés à des sectes ou des organismes gravitant dans leur mouvance, par méconnaissance de leur nature exacte.

Multiple, divers, complexe, le phénomène sectaire présente des dangers indéniables pour l'individu comme pour la société. Et ce, d'autant qu'ils peuvent prendre les formes les plus insidieuses. Aucune catégorie sociale ou professionnelle n'y échappe et si les jeunes paraissent davantage touchés, on trouve dans les sectes des personnes de tous âges.

Une question essentielle se pose alors aujourd'hui : ces dangers tendent-ils à s'accroître depuis dix ans ?

On ne peut guère apporter de réponse précise à cette question, car il est, en l'état actuel des choses, impossible de mesurer avec exactitude leur évolution dans l'ensemble des mouvements. Toutefois, les avis recueillis par la Commission de la part de plusieurs observateurs laissent penser que si les pratiques des sectes ne sont pas plus dangereuses aujourd'hui qu'hier, beaucoup plus de personnes en sont victimes.

Dans ces conditions, il paraît particulièrement important de savoir, d'une part, si le dispositif juridique existant est suffisant pour y faire face et, d'autre part, ce que les pouvoirs publics peuvent faire pour mieux lutter contre ces dérives.


III.- LA NÉCESSITÉ D'UNE RIPOSTE ADAPTÉE À LA DANGEROSITÉ DES SECTES

Si l'on cherche à analyser les causes de la difficulté que les pouvoirs publics éprouvent à enrayer les dérives sectaires, il apparaît que cette situation peut tenir à trois causes : soit les moyens de droit existants ne permettraient pas de les contrecarrer ; soit le dispositif juridique actuel est globalement adapté mais incomplet et ne permet donc que partiellement d'y faire face ; soit, enfin, il est suffisant, mais n'est pas appliqué de manière totalement satisfaisante.

L'étude du dispositif juridique conduit votre commission à penser qu'il est globalement adapté aux problèmes posés par les sectes et ne nécessite pas, de ce fait, une réforme d'ensemble.

On constate néanmoins, comme on l'a vu plus haut, qu'il est souvent difficile de faire condamner des organismes qui ont eu un comportement délictuel.

La réponse à ces problèmes passe donc par une attitude très pragmatique, fondée avant tout sur une forte action de prévention, une meilleure application de la loi et l'amélioration sur quelques points du dispositif juridique existant.


A.- UN DISPOSITIF D'ENSEMBLE ÉQUILIBRÉ, QUI NE JUSTIFIE PAS DE RÉVOLUTION JURIDIQUE

Tout mouvement spirituel, dans la mesure où il exprime des convictions religieuses ou, à tout le moins, des croyances, est protégé par le principe de la liberté de conscience.

Cette liberté, qui se définit comme le pouvoir d'agir conformément aux indications de sa conscience, notamment en matière religieuse, est, rappelons-le, garantie par l'article 10 de la Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen de 1789, le 5e alinéa du préambule de la constitution de 1946, ainsi que par l'article 2 de la constitution de 1958.

Elle est également consacrée, de façon encore plus précise, par plusieurs conventions internationales auxquelles la France est partie. Ainsi en est-il de l'article 9 de la Convention européenne de sauvegarde des droits de l'Homme et des libertés fondamentales, ratifiée par la France en 1973 et de l'article 18 du pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques de 1966, entré en vigueur en France en 1981.

Tout mouvement spirituel jouit, d'autre part, de la liberté de réunion garantie par la loi du 30 juin 1881, ainsi que de la liberté d'association, prévue par l'article 2 de la loi du 1er juillet 1901 relative au contrat d'association.

Ces trois libertés ne peuvent toutefois s'exercer que dans certaines limites.

D'abord, celle du respect de l'ordre public, c'est-à-dire, au sens large, la tranquillité, la sécurité, la salubrité et la moralité publiques. Ainsi, l'article 3 de la loi du 1er juillet 1901 précitée dispose que " toute association fondée sur une cause ou en vue d'un objet illicite, contraire aux lois, aux bonnes moeurs, ou qui aurait pour but de porter atteinte à l'intégrité du territoire national et à la forme républicaine du Gouvernement, est nulle et non avenue " . Ainsi, dans un arrêt du 14 mai 1982 (Association internationale pour la conscience de Krishna), le Conseil d'Etat a-t-il estimé que les seules restrictions susceptibles d'être apportées à l'exercice du culte krishnaïte pouvaient être tirées du respect de la tranquillité publique et de la nécessité de garantir les dispositions en matière d'hygiène et de sécurité dans les établissements recevant du public.

Deuxièmement, celle du respect de la liberté et des droits d'autrui, car, comme l'affirme l'article 4 de la Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen de 1789 : " la liberté consiste à faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui " . Ainsi, par exemple, il ressort de la réponse apportée par le ministre de l'Intérieur à deux questions écrites de M. Alain Vivien, que poursuit une action de caractère délictuel, en infraction avec la loi no 78-17 du 6 janvier 1978 relative à l'informatique, aux fichiers et aux libertés, la secte qui, par le biais d'enquêtes ou de sondages sur l'usage des tranquillisants, adresse à ses adhérents et à des tiers non adhérents des questionnaires comportant des demandes de renseignements sur l'identité, le domicile, le profession ou les coordonnées téléphoniques des personnes interrogées et des personnalités connues de ces dernières, du monde politique, médiatique, artistique, judiciaire ou financier (Rep. quest. écrites min. int. n. 8465 et 8467 : JOAN ] 10 avril 1989, p. 1691).

Enfin, celle du respect du principe de laïcité, sur lequel repose la séparation des Eglises et de l'Etat décidée par la loi du 9 décembre 1905, ainsi que sur la neutralité de celui-ci vis-à-vis des cultes. L'article 9 de cette loi dispose, en effet, rappelons-le, que " la République ne reconnaît, ne salarie, ni ne subventionne aucun culte " .

Fondé sur un équilibre entre, d'une part, les libertés de conscience, de réunion et d'association et, d'autre part, le respect de l'ordre public, des droits et libertés d'autrui et de la laïcité de la République, le régime des cultes permet donc, tout en assurant l'expression de toutes les croyances, de faire face aux dangers sectaires.


1.- Un régime qui, tout en garantissant la liberté de religion, permet de réprimer les abus des mouvements sectaires

Si les mouvements spirituels disposent des moyens juridiques pour exister et se développer, la loi prévoit un arsenal important permettant de sanctionner les abus qui pourraient être commis sous couvert de l'exercice de la liberté religieuse.

a) Les mouvements spirituels disposent de plusieurs cadres légaux pour s'exprimer


Ces mouvements peuvent, en premier lieu, s'organiser en association non déclarée.
Les associations non déclarées peuvent, selon l'article 4 de la loi du 1er juillet 1901 , recueillir des cotisations. Elles peuvent aussi créer un fonds commun destiné à faire face aux dépenses de l'association, ouvrir un compte de chèques postaux et passer des contrats de travail.

Elles ne font l'objet d'aucun contrôle administratif spécifique.

Le fait de ne pas être déclarées les empêche, en revanche, de jouir de la capacité juridique. Il s'ensuit qu'elles ne peuvent acquérir ni posséder un patrimoine immobilier, ni ester en justice.

Il est très difficile de savoir combien de mouvements sectaires optent pour ce statut, qui ne suppose aucune forme de publicité, mais ils sont vraisemblablement peu nombreux.


Le cadre juridique semble-t-il le plus utilisé par les sectes est celui des associations déclarées prévu par la loi du 1er juillet 1901.
Pour bénéficier de ce statut, il suffit, en application de l'article 5 de cette loi, de :

- faire une déclaration à la préfecture du département ou à la sous-préfecture de l'arrondissement où l'association a son siège social, mentionnant " le titre et l'objet de l'association, le siège de ses établissements et les noms, professions, domiciles et nationalités de ceux qui, à un titre quelconque, sont chargés de son administration ou de sa direction " ;

- y joindre deux exemplaires des statuts ;

- rendre publique l'association dans un délai d'un mois par insertion au " Journal officiel " d'un extrait contenant la date de la déclaration, le titre et l'objet de l'association, ainsi que l'indication de son siège social.

Dotées de la capacité juridique, ces associations peuvent, outre exercer les droits reconnus aux associations non déclarées, notamment :

- acquérir, posséder et administrer les cotisations de leurs membres, le local destiné à leur administration et à la réunion de leurs membres et les immeubles strictement nécessaires à l'accomplissement du but qu'elles se proposent ;

- posséder des meubles corporels et incorporels, ainsi qu'être titulaire d'un droit au bail relatif à un immeuble d'habitation ;

- recevoir des dons manuels, des libéralités des établissements d'utilité publique, ainsi que des subventions publiques de l'Etat, des régions, des départements, des communes et des établissements publics ;

- retirer rétribution de services rendus ;

- ester en justice.

En contrepartie, elles peuvent être soumises au contrôle fiscal (article 1999 du code général des impôts) et à celui de l'inspection du travail (article 143.5 du code du travail), possibilités dont on peut d'ailleurs regretter qu'elles ne soient pas davantage utilisées.

D'autre part, elles ne peuvent - à l'exception de celles qui sont reconnues d'utilité publique et de celles qui ont pour but exclusif l'assistance, la bienfaisance, la recherche scientifique ou médicale - recevoir des donations ou des legs.

Très facile à obtenir, le statut d'association déclarée offre beaucoup de droits tout en imposant peu de contraintes. Aussi, la plupart des sectes l'adoptent-elles.


Beaucoup moins nombreux sont les mouvements religieux qui jouissent du statut d'association cultuelle.
Ce régime est défini par la loi du 9 décembre 1905 relatif à la séparation des Eglises et de l'Etat.

La création des associations cultuelles est soumise, outre aux conditions prévues pour les associations déclarées, à certaines autres obligations particulières. Ainsi doivent-elles avoir pour objet exclusif l'exercice d'un culte et être composées d'au moins sept personnes dans les communes de moins de 1.000 habitants, de quinze personnes dans les communes de 1.000 à 20.000 habitants et de 25 personnes majeures dans les communes de plus de 20.000 habitants.

Elles bénéficient de tous les droits accordés aux associations déclarées, hormis celui de recevoir des subventions de l'Etat, des départements et des communes, en raison du principe de séparation entre les Eglises et l'Etat.

De plus, elles peuvent recevoir, outre le produit des quêtes et collectes pour les frais du culte et des rétributions pour les cérémonies et services religieux, des libéralités testamentaires et entre vifs (article 19, alinéa 4 de la loi du 9 décembre 1905). Toutefois, cette possibilité est soumise à une autorisation délivrée par arrêté préfectoral quand la valeur de la libéralité est inférieure ou égale à 5 millions de francs et par décret en Conseil d'Etat lorsqu'elle dépasse ce montant.

D'autre part, en application des articles 200 et 238 bis du code général des impôts, leurs bienfaiteurs peuvent déduire de l'impôt sur le revenu ou de l'impôt sur les sociétés, dans une certaine limite, un pourcentage des libéralités qui leur sont accordées.

Il convient enfin d'observer que, au titre de l'article 24 de la loi du 9 décembre 1905, les édifices affectés à l'exercice du culte appartenant à l'Etat, aux départements ou aux communes, sont exemptés de l'impôt foncier et que les ministres des cultes peuvent être affiliés, en application de l'article L.721.1 du code de la sécurité sociale, à un régime spécial de sécurité sociale.

Enfin, ces associations font l'objet d'un contrôle financier par l'administration de l'enregistrement et par l'inspection générale des finances.

Peu de sectes se sont vu reconnaître ce statut jusqu'à présent.

Certaines se déclarent elles-mêmes associations cultuelles, y compris dans leur intitulé. C'est le cas par exemple de l' " association cultuelle des Témoins de Jéhovah " et de la secte du Mandarom, qui s'est qualifiée en 1991 d' " association cultuelle du temple pyramide de l'unité des religions " . Mais cela ne signifie pas pour autant qu'elles se sont vu reconnaître cette qualité par l'administration. D'ailleurs, en l'espèce, elles ne bénéficient pas de ce statut.

C'est la jurisprudence administrative qui a précisé les contours de la notion d'association cultuelle, en en donnant une définition restrictive.

Sa conception de l'objet cultuel l'a ainsi conduite à refuser ce statut à l'Union des athées (CE, Union des athées, 17/06/1988), alors que la Commission européenne des droits de l'Homme considère, elle, que cette association pouvait, par une analogie des contraires, être considérée comme cultuelle. Par ailleurs, le Conseil d'Etat a jugé que l'édition et la vente de livres religieux (CE, Association Fraternité des Serviteurs du Monde Nouveau, 21/01/1983) ou une activité éducative, sociale et culturelle, fût-elle le prolongement d'une activité cultuelle (CE, 20/10/1990, Association cultuelle de l'Eglise apostolique arménienne de Paris), ne pouvaient être considérées comme des activités cultuelles.

D'autre part, le Conseil d'Etat a refusé de reconnaître le statut d'association cultuelle aux Témoins de Jéhovah dans un arrêt d'assemblée du 1er février 1985 (CE, 1/02/1985, Association Chrétienne des Témoins de Jéhovah), considérant que cette association n'avait pas une activité conforme à l'ordre public et à l'intérêt national.

L'absence de motivations précises de cette dernière décision a d'ailleurs suscité des critiques d'une part de la doctrine, notamment du Professeur Jacques Robert, qui a estimé qu'elle devrait conduire l'administration à saisir le Procureur de la République pour faire constater la nullité de ladite association par le tribunal de Grande Instance, conformément aux dispositions des articles 3 et 7 de la loi du 1er juillet 1901, et qu'une telle restriction à la liberté des cultes aboutissait à la reconstitution des cultes reconnus, situation à laquelle la loi du 9 décembre 1905 entendait précisément mettre un terme.

Toujours est-il que c'est en fonction de ces critères jurisprudentiels que le statut d'association cultuelle est accordé par l'administration. Encore ne l'est-il d'ailleurs que de façon indirecte par le bureau des cultes ou les préfectures à l'occasion d'une demande visant à bénéficier des avantages prévus par l'article 19, alinéa 4 de la loi du 9 décembre 1905 (libéralités) ou des articles 200 et 238 bis du code général des impôts (déductions d'impôts). Compte tenu de la multiplication des associations qui se présentent comme l'expression de nouveaux mouvements religieux et susceptibles de demander à bénéficier du statut d'association cultuelle, il n'est pas certain que ces administrations disposent à elles seules des moyens de statuer en toute connaissance de cause sur de telles demandes.


Certains mouvements religieux exercent leurs activités dans le cadre de congrégations.
Il existe actuellement en France environ 500 congrégations, dont la moitié a été reconnue depuis 1970. La quasi totalité relève de la religion catholique, mais on compte parmi elles quatre orthodoxes, six bouddhistes et une protestante.

Leur régime juridique est organisé par le titre III de la loi du 1er juillet 1901. Ce texte prévoit qu'elles sont reconnues par décret pris sur avis conforme du Conseil d'Etat et leur accorde les mêmes avantages que ceux conférés aux associations cultuelles.

Mais la loi ne donne pas de définition de la congrégation et la jurisprudence est extrêmement rare sur ce point.

En tout état de cause, selon le bureau des cultes du ministère de l'Intérieur, peu de sectes ont demandé à bénéficier de ce statut. Une requête a été formulée en ce sens par le Mandarom de Castellane (Chevaliers du Lotus d'or) dans la période récente, mais elle a été rejetée.


D'autres sectes recourent également, directement ou indirectement, au statut de sociétés.
Il en est ainsi, par exemple, de l'Eglise de Scientologie qui diffuse sa doctrine au travers de multiples sociétés de formation et de services.

S'applique alors le régime de droit commun de la forme juridique de la société créée.


Il convient, enfin, de mentionner l'existence de divers régimes spéciaux.
Il s'agit, en fait, de particularismes juridiques propres à certains départements et dont l'existence tient à des raisons historiques.

C'est le cas notamment du régime des cultes d'Alsace-Moselle, fondé sur un statut de concordat. Il est caractérisé principalement par le maintien de la distinction entre cultes reconnus et cultes non reconnus, la gestion des cultes reconnus par des établissements publics, la rémunération des prêtres, certaines obligations financières, des avantages fiscaux particuliers et un contrôle plus étroit par l'administration.

C'est le cas également du régime des missions religieuses dans les territoires d'outre-mer et à Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, ainsi que du régime départemental confessionnel propre à la Guyane.

Si les mouvements spirituels bénéficient donc de plusieurs cadres juridiques pour s'exprimer, la loi permet cependant de réprimer les abus auxquels certains peuvent se livrer.

B) Un arsenal juridique important permet de sanctionner les " dérives " sectaires

Pour s'en convaincre, il suffit d'examiner, pour chaque type de danger sectaire identifié par l'étude des Renseignements généraux, les moyens juridiques à la disposition des victimes et des pouvoirs publics pour s'y opposer.


Pour des raisons évidentes, la répression des pratiques de déstabilisation mentale est particulièrement délicate. Cela étant, un certain nombre de dispositions peuvent être utilisées pour y parvenir. On peut notamment citer :
- l'article 31 de la loi du 9 décembre 1905 concernant la séparation des Eglises et de l'Etat, punissant " de la peine d'amende prévue pour les contraventions de la 5ème classe et d'un emprisonnement de dix jours à un mois, ou de l'une de ces deux peines seulement, ceux qui, soit par voies de fait, violences ou menaces contre un individu, soit en lui faisant craindre de perdre son emploi ou d'exposer à un dommage sa personne, sa famille ou sa fortune, l'auront déterminé à exercer ou à s'abstenir d'exercer un culte, à faire partie ou à cesser de faire partie d'une association cultuelle, à contribuer ou à s'abstenir de contribuer aux frais d'un culte. "

- les sanctions prévues à l'encontre des appels téléphoniques malveillants ou des agressions sonores réitérés en vue de troubler la tranquillité d'autrui (art. 222.16 du nouveau code pénal) ;

- les peines réprimant les outrages aux bonnes moeurs, les attentats aux moeurs et le harcèlement sexuel (art. 283 et suivants et art. 330 et suivants du code pénal ; art. 227.23 et suivants, 222.32, 222.33 et 227.25 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- les dispositions pénales concernant le trafic des stupéfiants (art. 222.34 et suivants du nouveau code pénal), dans l'hypothèse où une secte inciterait ses adeptes à la consommation de drogues ;

- les peines relatives à l'exercice illégal de la médecine (art. L-372 et suivants du code de la santé publique) ;

Mais votre Commission constate - pour le regretter - qu'il n'est guère fait recours à ces dispositions dans le cadre de la lutte contre les dérives sectaires.

En outre, à côté de ces dispositions traditionnelles, le nouveau code pénal en application depuis mars 1994 comporte une incrimination nouvelle susceptible de constituer un moyen juridique supplémentaire pour lutter contre les pratiques de certains mouvements sectaires. Il s'agit de l'article 313-4, aux termes duquel " l'abus frauduleux de l'état d'ignorance ou de la situation de faiblesse, soit d'un mineur, soit d'une personne dont la particulière vulnérabilité due à son âge, à une maladie, à une déficience physique ou psychique ou à un état de grossesse, est apparente ou connue de son auteur, pour obliger ce mineur ou cette personne vulnérable à un acte ou à une abstention qui lui sont gravement préjudiciables, est puni de trois ans d'emprisonnement et de 2.5000.000 F d'amende. " . Entièrement nouveau, - de même que les articles 225-13 et 225-14 qui seront évoqués plus loin à l'occasion de l'examen des moyens de lutter contre les escroqueries et abus de confiance - cet article, sans être spécifique aux sectes, semble être d'un intérêt particulier pour réprimer des faits de déstabilisation mentale perpétrés par des sectes destructrices qui passaient précédemment entre les mailles du filet du droit pénal. Votre Commission ne peut donc qu'émettre le souhait que les juges fassent usage de l'article 313-4 chaque fois que cela permettra de sanctionner des actes répréhensibles commis par des sectes.

Enfin, mais il ne s'agit plus là de répression, le code civil comporte des dispositions relatives à la protection des majeurs, qui peuvent trouver à s'appliquer dans certains cas de profonde déstabilisation. Ainsi, la loi protège-t-elle " le majeur qu'une altération de ses facultés personnelles met dans l'impossibilité de pourvoir seul à ses intérêts " ou celui qui, " par sa prodigalité, son intempérance ou son oisiveté, s'expose à tomber dans le besoin ou compromet l'exécution de ses obligations familiales " (art. 489 du code civil). Il en est également ainsi " lorsque les facultés mentales sont altérées par une maladie, une infirmité ou un affaiblissement dû à l'âge " (art. 490 du code civil). Un régime de sauvegarde de justice (art. 491 et suivants), de tutelle (art. 492 et suivants), ou de curatelle (art. 508 et suivants) peut alors être appliqué.


Pour battre en brèche les exigences financières exorbitantes de certaines sectes, on dispose :
- des articles du code pénal et du nouveau code pénal punissant le vol (art. 379 et suivants du code pénal et 311.1 et suivants du nouveau code pénal), l'escroquerie (art. 405 du code pénal et 313.1 du nouveau code pénal) et l'abus de confiance (art. 406 et suivants du code pénal et 314.1 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- des sanctions existant en matière de publicité fausse ou trompeuse (loi no 73.1193 du 27 décembre 1973, art. 44 ; loi no 78.23 du 10 janvier 1978, art. 30) ;

- de la réglementation des quêtes sur la voie publique (circulaire du 21 juillet 1987 relative à l'appel à la générosité publique) ;

- des articles 225.13 ( " Le fait d'obtenir d'une personne, en abusant de sa vulnérabilité ou de sa situation de dépendance, la fourniture de services non rétribués ou en échange d'une rétribution manifestement sans rapport avec l'importance du travail accompli est puni de deux ans d'emprisonnement et de 500.000 F d'amende " ) et 225.14 ( " Le fait de soumettre une personne, en abusant de sa vulnérabilité ou de sa situation de dépendance à des conditions de travail ou d'hébergement incompatibles avec la dignité humaine est puni de deux ans d'emprisonnement et de 500.000 F. d'amende " ) du nouveau code pénal, qui permettent de sanctionner des formes d'exploitation financières directes ou indirectes manifestes. On ne peut que souhaiter que ces dispositions nouvelles reçoivent une application fréquente de façon à lutter efficacement contre l'exploitation financière des adeptes par les sectes.


Plusieurs moyens permettent de faire face aux ruptures avec l'environnement d'origine :
- les obligations imposées par le code civil aux époux (art. 212 et suivants du code civil). On citera notamment l'article 215, qui précise que " les époux s'obligent mutuellement à une communauté de vie " et que " la résidence de la famille est au lieu qu'ils choisissent d'un commun accord " , ainsi que l'article 220.1, qui prévoit que " si l'un des époux manque gravement à ses devoirs et met ainsi en péril les intérêts de la famille, le juge aux affaires familiales peut prescrire toutes les mesures urgentes que requièrent ces intérêts " ;

- les obligations parentales fixées par ce même code et les sanctions prévues par celui-ci dans les cas où elles ne sont pas respectées : déchéance (art. 378 et suivants), perte ou privation provisoire de l'autorité parentale (art. 373 et suivants) ;

- l'article 371.4 du code civil, disposant que " les père et mère ne peuvent, sauf motifs graves, faire obstacle aux relations personnelles de l'enfant avec ses grands parents " et qu'en considération de situations exceptionnelles, le " juge aux affaires familiales " peut accorder un droit de correspondance ou de visite à d'autres personnes, parents ou non ;

- les peines en matière de délaissement de mineur, d'abandon de famille, d'atteintes à l'exercice de l'autorité parentale ou à la filiation ou de mise en péril des mineurs (articles 227.1 et suivants du nouveau code pénal).


De nombreuses dispositions permettent de sanctionner les atteintes à l'intégrité physique, qu'il s'agisse :
- d'enlèvements et séquestrations (art. 341 et suivants et 354 et suivants du code pénal ; art. 224.1 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- de coups et blessures (art. 309 et suivants du code pénal ; art. 222.7 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- de tortures (art. 303 du code pénal ; art. 222.1 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- de non assistance à personne en danger (art. 63 du code pénal ; art. 223.6 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- d'homicide (art. 296 et suivants du code pénal ; art. 221.1 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- de viol (art. 332 et suivants du code pénal ; art. 222.23 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) et d'agressions sexuelles (art. 222.22 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ;

- de prostitution et de proxénétisme (art. 334 et suivants du code pénal ; art. 225.5 et suivants et R.625.8 du nouveau code pénal) ;

- d'incitation à la débauche et de corruption de mineurs (art. 334.2 du code pénal ; art. 227.22 du nouveau code pénal) ;

- des dangers menaçant la santé, la sécurité ou la moralité d'un mineur non émancipé ou les conditions de son éducation (art. 375 et suivants du code civil, permettant à la justice d'ordonner des mesures d'assistance éducative).


S'agissant de l'embrigadement des enfant, outre les dispositions précitées permettant de s'opposer aux ruptures avec l'environnement d'origine, il peut être fait application des règles concernant l'obligation scolaire (loi du 28 mars 1882, ordonnance no 59.45 du 6 janvier 1959 et décret no 66.104 du 18 février 1966 sur l'obligation scolaire et décret no 59.39 du 2 janvier 1959 sur les bourses) et des sanctions pour détournement de mineur (art. 354 et suivants du code pénal ; art. 227.7 et suivants du nouveau code pénal).

Les principes de liberté de pensée et d'expression empêchent évidemment que les sectes qui développent un discours anti-social puissent être inquiétées pour ce motif, pouvant seuls être sanctionnés, les cas échéant, les actes de diffamation ou d'injure à l'égard des institutions publiques ou de leurs représentants (art. 30 et suivants de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse ; article 1er de la loi du 11 juin 1887 concernant la diffamation et l'injure commises par les correspondances postales ou télégraphiques circulant à découvert) ;

En matière de troubles à l'ordre public, le dispositif est à la fois préventif et répressif.
Concernant les mesures préventives, il s'agit de l'ensemble des dispositions qui permettent de garantir la sécurité, la tranquilité, la santé et la morale publiques. On peut citer, par exemple, les règles de sécurité dans les établissements recevant du public (art. R 123-1 et suivants du code de la construction et de l'habitation), dans les établissements privés d'enseignement (loi du 15 mars 1850 sur l'enseignement, loi du 30 octobre 1886 sur l'organisation de l'enseignement primaire, loi no 59-1557 du 31 décembre 1959 sur les rapports entre l'Etat et les établissements d'enseignement privé, décret no 60-389 du 22 avril 1960, relatif aux contrats d'association à l'enseignement public passé par les établissements d'enseignement privé), ou la réglementation de la publicité en faveur de matériels et procédés thérapeutiques (art. L 551 et suivants et R 5055 et suivants du code de la santé publique). On peut noter à cet égard que l'appréciation du trouble à l'ordre public ne paraît pas toujours très sévère à l'égard des sectes, en comparaison de la façon dont elle est portée à l'étranger, comme en témoigne le fait que le révérend Moon a récemment pu tenir une conférence dans notre pays alors que l'autorisation lui en a été refusée dans plusieurs pays européens.

En matière répressive, on peut évoquer, entre autres, outre le principe général de l'article 3 de la loi du 1er juillet 1901 précité, l'article 7 de cette même loi, fixant les modalités de dissolution des associations fondées sur une cause ou en vue d'un objet illicite, contraire aux lois, aux bonnes moeurs ou qui aurait pour but de porter atteinte à l'intégrité du territoire national et à la forme républicaine du Gouvernement, son titre V régissant la police des cultes ou les dispositions permettant la dissolution des groupes de combat et milices privées (loi du 10 janvier 1936 relative aux groupes de combat et milices privées, art. 1er).


Concernant les démélés judiciaires, il convient, comme on l'a vu, de distinguer deux cas :
- les poursuites dont certaines sectes font l'objet en raison du caractère délictueux ou préjudiciable de leurs actes, qui, tout en révélant un danger, sont elles-mêmes une sanction ;

- les actions qu'elles intentent à l'égard des personnes qui ont, selon elles, terni leur image, contre lesquelles celles-ci peuvent faire valoir, selon les cas, le délit de diffamation ou d'injure (art. 30 et suivants de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse), les atteintes à la personnalité (atteintes à la vie privée (art. 226-1 et suivants du nouveau code pénal) ; atteintes au secret (art. 226-13 et suivants de ce code) ; dénonciation calomnieuse (art. 226-10 et suivants de ce code) ; atteintes aux droits de la personne résultant des fichiers informatiques (art. 226-16 et suivants de ce code), ou celles relatives au secret des correspondances (art. 226.15 de ce code) ou à l'inviolabilité du domicile (art. 226-4 et suivants de ce code)), ainsi que l'article 700 du nouveau code de procédure civile (condamnation aux dépens ou aux frais exposés non compris dans les dépens).


Les détournements des circuits économiques peuvent être sanctionnés notamment par la direction générale des impôts et la direction générale des douanes, pour les violations des règles du droit fiscal, l'inspection du travail, pour les infractions au code du travail, les différents services de sécurité sociale, pour non respect du code de la sécurité sociale. Comme cela a déjà été signalé, votre Commission regrette toutefois le trop faible nombre des contrôles opérés, par manque de moyens et/ou en raison d'une insuffisante sensibilisation des services concernés aux problèmes posés par les sectes.
Le droit français offre donc, on le voit, beaucoup de moyens - d'autant que la liste ci-dessus n'est pas exhaustive - pour parer aux différents dangers présentés par certains mouvements sectaires. Force est de constater cependant que les dispositions évoquées ci-dessus ne sont que - trop- rarement utilisées pour réprimer les actes répréhensibles commis par certaines sectes. Le problème n'est donc pas tant de réformer un dispositif que votre Commission estime globalement adapté à la lutte contre les dérives sectaires que de l'appliquer avec la détermination nécessaire.


2.- Une réforme radicale ne paraît pas souhaitable

Un certain nombre de personnes engagées à un titre ou à un autre dans la lutte contre les dangers que présente le phénomène sectaire considèrent que le dispositif juridique actuel devrait être profondément réformé. Les réflexions menées en ce domaine prennent deux directions différentes, les uns estimant nécessaire d'élaborer un régime juridique spécifique aux sectes, les autres étant favorables à la reconnaissance des sectes comme religions à part entière. Sans méconnaître l'intérêt de ces démarches, votre commission est parvenue à la conclusion qu'il ne serait ni utile ni opportun de bouleverser notre édifice juridique.

a) L'inopportunité d'un régime juridique spécifique aux sectes

Créer un régime juridique propre aux sectes pour répondre aux dangers spécifiques qu'elles présentent peut paraître a priori une idée séduisante.

En effet, plusieurs arguments militent en ce sens.

En premier lieu, il est vrai que le phénomène sectaire a des caractéristiques intrinsèques : la séparation avec les religions traditionnelles, la fréquente présence d'un gourou ou les fortes contraintes souvent imposées aux adeptes en témoignent. D'où l'idée qu'à ce phénomène singulier devrait correspondre un cadre juridique propre.

D'autre part, il s'agit, on l'a vu, d'un phénomène qui tend à s'amplifier et dont les formes changent. Il pourrait donc, là encore, justifier une adaptation du droit.

Troisièmement, il présente des dangers importants et multiples justifiant une action de plus grande ampleur des pouvoirs publics, ce qui passe le plus souvent par la mise en place de dispositifs juridiques nouveaux.

Certains spécialistes considèrent, en outre, que notre arsenal juridique n'est pas parfaitement bien adapté aux problèmes posés par les sectes. Ainsi, par exemple, le colonel Morin développe-t-il la thèse, exposée notamment dans Sectarus, selon laquelle le droit français ne permet pas de réprimer le viol psychique et déplore cette lacune.

Voici, par ailleurs, comment l'UNADFI, dans le numéro 36 (4ème trimestre de 1992) de sa revue " Bulles " , consacré aux sectes et au droit, envisage la question :

" Dès lors, sans en méconnaître la difficulté et même l'apparente impossibilité, est-il vraiment exclu de légiférer en la matière ? De même qu'un prévenu peut être relaxé du délit de diffamation s'il rapporte la preuve de la vérité des faits diffamatoires, de même ne pourrait-on reconnaître qu'un délit de " manipulation " est constitué à condition de pouvoir rapporter la preuve de la vérité des faits manipulatoires ?

" Pour ce faire, il ne serait pas forcément nécessaire de recourir à des expertises psychiatriques (des psychiatres peuvent aujourd'hui encore ignorer le processus de la manipulation mentale pratiquée par les sectes). Il semble qu'il soit possible d'apporter la preuve de la manipulation vécue dans une secte, à partir de critères vérifiés dans des faits précis, parfaitement démontrables, d'autant plus probants qu'ils ne sont pas individuels ou isolés mais collectifs et répétitifs. Ces faits permettraient de prouver que les adeptes ont perdu, en ce qui concerne les pratiques perverses de la secte, leur esprit critique et leur libre arbitre et sont devenus parfois des inconditionnels fanatisés, prêts à croire, dire et faire tout et n'importe quoi. (...) "

Et de citer l'existence en Italie du délit de " piaggio " , c'est-à-dire de l'envoûtement, destiné à condamner toute pression exercée sur une personne par des moyens de fascination personnelle relevant de la supériorité sociale ou culturelle.

D'autres spécialistes insistent enfin sur le fait que, non seulement le régime actuel ne permet pas de lutter efficacement contre les dangers des sectes, mais que, de plus, il traite de façon inégale les différents mouvements spirituels. Le professeur Joël Benoît d'Onorio note d'ailleurs sur ce dernier point dans " La Semaine juridique " (no 20, 1988) :

" L'assemblage de textes épars peut révéler un certain statut des institutions catholiques dans la communauté nationale : la loi et le décret de 1901, puis la loi de 1921 sur les congrégations religieuses, l'aide-mémoire avec le Saint-Siège sur la consultation gouvernementale préalable à la nomination des évêques, l'échange de lettres diplomatiques de 1923 sur les associations docésaines substituées, pour les catholiques, aux associations cultuelles de 1905 refusées par Rome, le concordat de 1801 pour les trois départements d'Alsace-Moselle ainsi que la prise en compte par la jurisprudence de certains éléments du droit canonique composent un ensemble juridique spécial. A la vérité, on ne peut rayer d'un trait de plume, fût-ce au moyen d'une loi voire d'une Constitution, une expérience historique de plusieurs siècles : la France est un pays laïque de tradition catholique. Elle est devenue, en quelque sorte, " catholaïque " .

" Dans une certaine mais moindre mesure, vu leur représentativité sociologique, les autres cultes anciennement reconnus (protestant et israélite) bénéficient aussi d'un traitement particulier de la part des pouvoirs publics qui ont appris à les connaître depuis bientôt deux siècles, ce qui n'est pas le cas pour les nouveaux mouvements religieux même inoffensifs.(...) "

D'où l'idée qu'il conviendrait d'élaborer un régime juridique propre aux nouveaux mouvements spirituels, susceptible à la fois de garantir qu'ils se conforment aux lois de la République et de mieux les reconnaître. Il pourrait, selon certains, prendre la forme d'un concordat ou de conventions passés avec ces mouvements. Ainsi par exemple, Philippe Gast écrit-il dans " Les Petites affiches " (no 90, 28/07/1995) : " A l'heure où l'actualité amène régulièrement les délires de telle ou telle secte, ou les abus de telle ou telle religion, il convient de se pencher sur la nécessaire élaboration de critères permettant de distinguer les mouvements religieux et les " mauvaises " sectes des " bonnes " . Pour cela, il faut d'abord envisager quelques réflexions conceptuelles sur ce thème avant de tenter d'élaborer des solutions positives qui pourront donner lieu à une charte des mouvements spirituels authentiques. "

Au terme de ses travaux, il n'apparaît toutefois pas souhaitable à votre commission de préconiser l'élaboration d'un régime juridique spécifique aux sectes.

Une telle entreprise se heurterait d'abord à un problème de définition. On a vu, en effet, combien il était difficile de définir la notion de sectes et les limites que présentaient les différentes approches possibles. Or, la mise au point d'un régime juridique propre aux sectes obligerait nécessairement à faire un choix en faveur de l'une d'elles, ce qui ne manquerait pas de prêter le flanc à toutes les contestations.

Supposons, par exemple, que l'on retienne l'acception la plus large, et que l'on considère comme des sectes l'ensemble des nouveaux mouvements spirituels, par différence avec les religions traditionnelles : comment alors justifier que ces mouvements, qui peuvent parfois présenter les mêmes caractéristiques qu'elles, soient soumis à un régime différent ? Comment expliquer aussi qu'on applique un même droit spécifique à des phénomènes aussi dissemblables que des courants spirituels pacifiques et des sectes dangereuses ? Si l'on optait, au contraire, pour une définition restrictive, selon laquelle les sectes correspondent à l'ensemble des mouvements spirituels présentant des dangers pour l'individu ou la collectivité, le problème se poserait alors de savoir quel(s) critère(s) de dangerosité choisir. Or, le caractère multiforme, nuancé et changeant du phénomène rend à l'évidence cette entreprise pour le moins périlleuse.

En deuxième lieu, ce régime paraît peu compatible avec plusieurs de nos principes républicains.

En effet, il conduirait à ne pas traiter de façon identique tous les mouvements spirituels, ce qui risquerait de porter atteinte, non seulement au principe d'égalité, mais aussi à celui de la neutralité de l'Etat vis-à-vis des cultes.

D'autre part, dans la mesure où il aurait notamment pour but d'empêcher les " dérives " sectaires, il se traduirait probablement par un encadrement plus étroit des activités des sectes auquel il serait très difficile de parvenir sans toucher aux libertés de religion, de réunion ou d'association.

Troisièmement, les arguments invoqués à l'appui de cette proposition ne semblent pas pertinents.

On a vu, en effet, que le droit français ne manquait pas de ressources pour combattre les dangers présentés par les sectes, bref qu'améliorer la situation actuelle supposait moins l'adaptation du dispositif existant que son application effective.

En ce qui concerne l'argument selon lequel le droit positif ne permettrait pas de combattre certaines formes de manipulation mentale telles ce que certains qualifient de viol psychique, il convient d'observer que les sanctions prévues par le nouveau code pénal à l'encontre de l'escroquerie, de l'exercice illégal de la médecine, de l'abus de faiblesse ou de l'abus de vulnérabilité constituent de bons moyens de défense face à ce genre de pratiques. D'autre part, il semble, en fait, difficile d'aller plus loin dans la répression des méthodes de persuasion, sous peine de porter atteinte au principe de la liberté d'expression.

Enfin, si l'ensemble des croyances spirituelles et religieuses ne sont pas soumises au même régime, elles ne sont pas non plus dans la même situation, ne serait-ce que parce que certaines présentent des dangers et d'autres pas. Il est vrai toutefois que certaines différences ne s'expliquent que pour des raisons historiques : c'est notamment le cas pour le régime spécial d'Alsace-Moselle.

L'idée de créer un régime juridique spécifique aux sectes a, d'ailleurs, dans l'ensemble, été rejetée par les pouvoirs publics et les spécialistes.

Ainsi, la Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'Homme déclare-t-elle, dans son avis du 10 décembre 1993, qu'elle " estime que la liberté de conscience garantie par la Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen (1789), par la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'Homme, par la Convention européenne des droits de l'Homme (article 9) rend inopportune l'adoption d'une législation spécifique au phénomène dit des sectes, qui risquerait de porter atteinte à cette liberté fondamentale " .

De même, Alain Vivien déclarait-il dans une interview accordée au " Figaro " le 29 avril 1992 : " Il ne faut pas créer de législation particulière au risque de faire apparaître les sectes pour des martyrs. L'arsenal dont nous disposons est tout à fait suffisant, il suffit de l'appliquer ! " .

Enfin, au cours de ses travaux, votre commission n'a guère entendu soutenir l'idée d'une législation spécifique aux sectes, les rares personnes qui y seraient favorables dans l'absolu convenant qu'en fait toute initiative en ce sens serait à tout le moins inopportune.

B) Les risques d'une reconnaissance des sectes comme religions à part entière

D'aucuns considèrent qu'il conviendrait, sans créer de régime spécifique, de reconnaître les nouveaux mouvements religieux comme des religions à part entière.

Cette idée a été défendue, notamment au cours d'un colloque sur les Témoins de Jéhovah, organisé le 26 novembre 1993 à l'Assemblée nationale par le Centre de formation et d'études judiciaires.

La raison principale invoquée à l'appui de cette thèse, est que, bien qu'étant des religions, ces mouvements ne bénéficient pas du même statut que les religions traditionnelles.

Il est vrai, on l'a vu, que le statut d'association cultuelle et de congrégation est en général refusé aux mouvements communément appelés sectes. De plus, on peut arguer que leur accorder le bénéfice de ce statut permettrait aux pouvoirs publics de mieux les contrôler.

Toutefois, cette idée ne semble pas devoir être retenue.

En effet, on ne voit pas comment il serait possible de reconnaître comme religions à part entière des mouvements qui, comme un certain nombre de sectes, soit ne poursuivent pas un but exclusivement religieux, soit ont des pratiques contraires à l'ordre public et aux droits et libertés d'autrui.

De ce point de vue, l'équilibre sur lequel repose la loi du 9 décembre 1905 entre la liberté de conscience et d'association, d'une part, et le respect de l'ordre public, d'autre part, n'a pas lieu d'être remis en cause.

Cela dit, il est parfaitement normal que les mouvements dont l'objet est exclusivement cultuel et qui se conforment aux lois de la République se voient reconnaître, à leur demande, le statut d'association cultuelle ou de congrégation. Mais c'est, en application de la loi, à l'administration, voire au juge administratif en cas de contentieux, qu'il appartient d'examiner si ces conditions sont effectivement remplies.

Il n'est donc pas nécessaire de procéder à une réforme radicale du régime juridique existant pour résoudre les problèmes posés par les sectes ; il s'agit, en fait, plutôt, en s'appuyant sur lui, d'imaginer les moyens pratiques d'y faire face.


B.- POUR UNE RÉPONSE PRAGMATIQUE AU PHÉNOMÈNE SECTAIRE

Votre Commission est donc bien convaincue, d'une part, de l'impossibilité, tant juridique que de fait, de s'orienter dans la voie d'une législation spécifique destinée à lutter contre les agissements des sectes en ce qu'ils peuvent être considérés comme dangereux, d'autre part des risques que comporterait l'inaction fondée sur une conception poussée à l'extrême de la liberté de conscience. Il lui apparaît dès lors que la seule riposte adaptée au phénomène sectaire ne peut être, pour des raisons à la fois de principe et de faisabilité, que pragmatique et diversifiée, de façon à prendre en compte le mieux possible une réalité complexe.

Plusieurs interlocuteurs de la Commission lui ont fait part des réflexions qu'ils mènent, pour certains depuis de fort nombreuses années, sur les moyens aptes à lutter contre les dangers que font courir certaines sectes aux individus et à la société. Tous, y compris ceux qui dans l'absolu seraient partisans d'une législation spécifique anti-sectes mais conviennent que telle ne peut pas être la solution, adoptent une démarche comparable, faite de réalisme et de pragmatisme, même s'ils ne donnent pas nécessairement la priorité aux mêmes mesures, ce qui ne fait que refléter la diversité des horizons dont ils proviennent.

Une telle approche conduit aujourd'hui votre Commission à considérer que le dispositif susceptible de lutter avec efficacité contre les dangers que font peser les sectes sur les individus et la société doit s'articuler autour de trois axes principaux : l'amélioration de la connaissance des sectes et de la diffusion de cette connaissance ; l'application plus stricte du droit existant ; le renforcement sur quelques points de la législation existante. Par ailleurs, il convient d'aider de manière plus efficace les anciens adeptes qui se trouvent parfois totalement démunis sur le plan matériel et psychologique et auxquels n'est actuellement offerte aucune forme d'assistance correspondant à leurs besoins.

1.- Mieux connaître et faire connaître

Combattre de façon efficace et équitable les " dérives " sectaires suppose avant tout d'avoir une bonne connaissance du phénomène. Faute de bien le cerner, on risque, en effet, de mal apprécier les dangers qu'il peut présenter et, ainsi, de mettre en oeuvre pour y remédier des moyens inadéquats.

Encore faut-il aussi que l'information ainsi recueillie fasse l'objet d'une diffusion appropriée, fondement d'une politique de prévention qui reste, votre Commission en est convaincue, le meilleur moyen de lutte contre le développement du phénomène sectaire. Cette action de diffusion de la connaissance sur les mouvements sectaires et leurs pratiques doit être menée auprès de l'ensemble des services administratifs concernés et du grand public, en particulier des jeunes.

a) Mieux connaître

Force est de reconnaître qu'on ne dispose pas aujourd'hui d'une connaissance suffisamment précise du phénomène sectaire.

Ainsi a-t-on vu, par exemple, à quel point il était difficile de mesurer son importance quantitative - que ce soit en nombre d'adeptes ou de groupements - ou d'apprécier de manière précise sa progression.

Il apparaît à votre Commission qu'il serait opportun pour combler cette lacune de créer un observatoire d'étude des sectes, qui ne pourra pleinement jouer son rôle que si parallèlement est amélioré le dispositif d'information et d'analyse existant au sein de chaque ministère.

1. Créer un observatoire interministériel rattaché au Premier ministre

Il n'existe aujourd'hui en France aucune structure dotée de moyens suffisants pour suivre avec précision l'ensemble du phénomène sectaire.

Certes, le ministère de l'Intérieur collecte grâce à une quarantaine d'agents des Renseignements généraux répartis sur tout le territoire, une information riche sur l'implantation des sectes, leurs effectifs et leurs agissements. Mais il ne peut s'agir que d'une information partielle. Les services de police n'ont en effet pas les moyens et il n'entre pas dans leurs missions de se livrer à une analyse des aspects sociologiques, psychologiques, médicaux ou juridiques du phénomène.

L'Institut des hautes études de sécurité intérieure (IHESI) a, par ailleurs, créé en 1992, un groupe de travail sur les sectes. Toutefois, ce groupe n'a pas d'existence officielle. En outre, il ne dispose pas de moyens suffisants pour assurer un suivi global des activités sectaires.

Une mission d'étude a également été mise en place au sein du ministère des Affaires sociales. Depuis 1992, un agent de la Direction de l'action sociale est chargé de suivre, entre autres questions, celle des sectes. D'autre part, le ministère a passé en 1993 avec l'Association pour une recherche interdisciplinaire sur l'existence et la santé (ARIES) une convention de recherche. Celle-ci prévoit que l'ARIES remettra en 1996 au ministère un rapport d'étude sur les sectes. Cela étant, ce dispositif est lui aussi très limité en termes de moyens.

On ne saurait, enfin, négliger le rôle important joué par les associations de défense des victimes des sectes - Union nationale des associations de défense des familles et de l'individu (UNADFI) et Centre de documentation, d'éducation et d'action contre les manipulations mentales (CCMM) - dans la collecte et l'exploitation de l'information sur les mouvements sectaires.

Face à la progression du phénomène sectaire et aux dangers que présentent certains mouvements, un organisme d'étude doté d'une existence administrative et juridique propres ainsi que de moyens spécifiques apparaît donc nécessaire.

D'ailleurs, une telle structure est réclamée depuis longtemps.

Déjà, en 1982, le rapport Ravail avait suggéré la création d'une commission interministérielle. En 1983, dans son rapport au Premier ministre, M. Alain Vivien suggérait " qu'un haut fonctionnaire soit désigné auprès du Premier ministre pour suivre l'ensemble du problème des sectes, coordonner la réflexion et, le cas échéant, mobiliser les départements ministériels intéressés... A l'initiative de ce haut fonctionnaire, la commission interministérielle suggérée par le rapport Ravail pourrait se réunir à chaque fois qu'il le faudrait sans nécessairement sécréter une administration excessive dont la rigidité présenterait sans doute bien des inconvénients " .

La Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme, dans son avis du 10 décembre 1993 concernant le phénomène dit des sectes, proposait " que soit mise en place une structure de coordination interministérielle destinée à faire périodiquement le point sur l'évolution du phénomène dit des sectes et à coordonner l'application des mesures législatives et réglementaires pertinentes ; et que soit créé un centre d'information publique sur ces groupes, recueillant et diffusant toutes informations et assurant une assistance juridique aux victimes " .

Cette idée a, en outre, été défendue dans le cadre de la commission des questions juridiques et des droits de l'Homme du Conseil de l'Europe. Ainsi, Sir John Hunt, dans son rapport de 1991 sur les sectes et les nouveaux mouvements religieux, affirmait-il que " des organismes indépendants devraient être créés pour collecter et diffuser une information concrète et objective sur la nature et les activités des sectes. "

Par ailleurs, de nombreuses personnes entendues par la commission d'enquête ont suggéré la création d'un observatoire interministériel.

Cet organisme devrait assurer trois missions principales :

- étudier et suivre le phénomène, en liaison notamment avec les services administratifs concernés (ministères de l'Intérieur, des Affaires sociales, de la Justice, des Finances, de l'Education nationale, des Affaires étrangères...), dans une approche pluridisciplinaire, tant sociologique, économique, administrative que juridique et médicale.

- informer le Premier ministre et, avec son autorisation, les services administratifs concernés, du résultat de ses observations et de ses études, notamment s'agissant des problèmes d'actualité.

- faire des propositions au Premier ministre visant à améliorer les moyens de lutte contre les dangers des sectes, qui pourraient faire l'objet d'un rapport annuel d'activité qui serait rendu public.

Cet organisme devrait être doté d'un statut qui lui permette de remplir au mieux ses missions. Sans entrer dans le détail, il paraît souhaitable qu'il présente les principales caractéristiques suivantes :

être un service interministériel directement rattaché au Premier ministre, comme le sont, par exemple, la Commission pour la simplification des formalités (COSIFORM), le Collège de la prévention des risques technologiques ou le Comité central d'enquête sur le coût et le rendement des services publics. Le rattachement à tel ou tel ministère n'aurait en effet pas de justification, s'agissant d'un phénomène qui touche aux attributions de plusieurs.

être un observatoire, car il ne s'agirait, ni d'assumer une fonction de gestion ou d'exécution comme un service administratif classique, ni de disposer d'un pouvoir propre de décision.

être composé de personnes susceptibles, par leurs compétences diversifiées, d'assurer la nécessaire approche pluridisciplinaire du phénomène. Les membres de cette instance, nommés par le Premier ministre, devraient donc comprendre, outre des représentants de tous les services administratifs concernés, des spécialistes de diverses disciplines, sociologues, juristes et médecins notamment. Il serait peut-être préférable, afin de garantir à ces membres une parfaite indépendance et de les protéger contre tout risque de pression, que leur nom ne soit pas rendu public.

disposer de moyens propres. Pour accomplir ses missions, l'observatoire devrait avoir des ressources financières spécifiques, même si on aurait sans doute intérêt à retenir, dans un premier temps, l'idée d'une structure légère dotée des moyens juridiques adaptés à l'accomplissement de sa mission. Il faudrait ainsi lui donner le pouvoir d'obtenir auprès de toute personne communication d'un document, sous réserve du secret professionnel, du secret concernant la défense nationale, la sûreté de l'Etat ou la politique extérieure, et du respect de la vie privée.

Compte tenu de l'importance du travail déjà réalisé au sein du groupe constitué à l'Institut des hautes études de sécurité intérieure, il serait sans doute de bonne méthode d'utiliser, dans le cadre du nouvel observatoire tel que défini ci-dessus, les compétence qui ont maintenant fait leurs preuves sur le sujet.

2. Améliorer dans chaque ministère concerné le dispositif d'étude des sectes

La connaissance des mouvements sectaires par les ministères concernés a incontestablement beaucoup progressé au cours des dernières années.

La mise en place par la Direction centrale des Renseignements généraux d'un maillage d'agents - les " correspondants sectes " - chargés de suivre localement le phénomène, la réalisation d'un guide des mouvements sectaires en 1994 et son projet actuel d'une banque de données interne l'attestent. La mission d'étude créée à la Direction de l'action sociale en 1992 en témoigne également.

Toutefois, le dispositif pourrait encore être amélioré. Ainsi, le compte-rendu de la réunion interministérielle du 9 avril 1991 précise-t-il que " les services sont parfois dans l'ignorance de la nature de secte de certaines associations " . Ainsi, il n'existe, semble-t-il, aucune personne chargée de suivre particulièrement le problème des sectes aux ministères de l'Education nationale, de la Justice ni des Affaires étrangères.

Dans ces conditions, il serait utile que chaque ministère concerné engage une réflexion sur les moyens d'améliorer sa connaissance des sectes et de mieux faire face aux problèmes qu'elles soulèvent.

Il serait également opportun que, dans chacun d'eux, soit désignée une personne chargée de suivre ces questions, au besoin en liaison avec l'observatoire interministériel dont la création a été préconisée ci-dessus, de façon à éviter que, comme c'est parfois le cas aujourd'hui, deux services fassent chacun de leur côté, le même travail.

Enfin, il serait souhaitable que les ministres intéressés, par la voie d'une circulaire ou d'une instruction, attirent l'attention de leurs services sur les problèmes posés par les sectes et leur indiquent les principes devant guider leur action pour y répondre.

B) Mieux faire connaître

La plupart des personnes auditionnées par la Commission ont été d'accord sur au moins un point. La prévention est certainement le mode d'action qui doit être privilégié dans la lutte contre le développement des sectes. L'information, notamment des jeunes, apparaît donc comme un maillon essentiel du dispositif à mettre en oeuvre.

Certes, les associations de défense des victimes et les media mènent déjà certaines actions en ce sens.

Ainsi, outre les publications qu'il assurent, l'UNADFI et le CCMM organisent régulièrement des conférences ou des réunions d'information dans divers établissements tels que des écoles, des lycées, des clubs ou des hôpitaux. Le CCMM a même réalisé en 1993, avec l'aide de l'association " Je, tu, il " , un film d'une demie-heure intitulé " Les sectes... les pièges ! " , présentant quatre scènes de la vie courante pouvant donner lieu à un recrutement. L'UNADFI devrait, elle, sortir prochainement un court métrage sur le sujet, destiné à servir de support aux réunions qu'elle organise.

Toutefois, les interventions de ces associations sont, par nature, ponctuelles et localisées. D'autre part, leur message peut toujours être suspecté d'être partisan. Un membre d'une de ces associations déclarait d'ailleurs à la Commission : " Les associations n'ont pas toujours les moyens d'investigation. Je ne dis pas qu'elles sont suspectes et sectaires, mais elles manquent de moyens, parfois de distance. Ce n'est pas l'idéal. On ne peut se substituer aux procureurs, jouer les inquisiteurs. Nous recevons des signalements ; il nous faut parfois six mois ou un an pour recouper des informations. C'est extrêmement compliqué. " .

Les media, de leur côté, se sont beaucoup intéressés à la question des sectes au cours des dernières années, notamment à la suite du drame de Waco au Texas en avril 1993, de la mort de cinquante-huit membres du Temple du Soleil en Suisse en octobre 1994 et de l'attentat perpétré par la secte Aum à Tokyo en mars dernier. Le problème est que cette information est intermittente et focalisée principalement sur les aspects les plus folkloriques ou sensationnels. Comme le déclarait un spécialiste reconnu de la question à la Commission : " journalistes] aiment le sensationnel. Nous entretenons avec eux les rapports les meilleurs du monde, mais je suis extrêmement déçu. Chaque fois que l'on tue trente personnes, je passe à la télévision et puis cela retombe jusqu'à la prochaine fois. Quand je suis informé d'une mesure, je me dis : " Je vais avoir cinq télés à faire, plus trois radios, plus... " . Ensuite, cela retombe pour six mois ou un an (...). "

Il convient donc que l'Etat prenne lui-même largement en charge la diffusion de l'information sur les dangers que peuvent présenter les sectes, auprès du public le plus large possible par une campagne médiatique, et de manière " ciblée " auprès des enfants et des adolescents au sein de l'Education nationale. Cette action d'information devrait être complétée par une amélioration de la formation des professionnels, et notamment des fonctionnaires, concernés par le problème.

1. Informer les jeunes par l'Education nationale

Aucun dispositif général d'information des élèves n'a pour l'instant été mis en place dans le cadre de l'Education nationale.

Toutes les sources le confirment, les recrutements sont particulièrement nombreux chez les jeunes, parce qu'ils peuvent présenter une certaine fragilité, que leur jugement n'est pas définitivement formé et qu'ils sont enclins à rechercher des idéaux que certaines sectes prétendent offrir. La nécessité de consentir un effort d'information en leur direction a été soulignée par de nombreux interlocuteurs de la Commission. Or, rien n'est fait actuellement en ce sens au sein de l'Education nationale.

Il serait donc souhaitable que l'on inscrive dans les programmes d'instruction civique l'étude du phénomène sectaire.

Par ailleurs, il faudrait organiser chaque année une réunion d'information dans l'ensemble des établissements scolaires, du primaire au supérieur, pour sensibiliser les jeunes à cette question. Toutefois, il est essentiel que cette information soit parfaitement objective. La difficulté d'une telle entreprise tient à la nécessité de dispenser une information qui ne puisse être suspectée de partialité, alors que l'objectivité est une notion particulièrement délicate à définir et à mettre en oeuvre dans ce domaine. Pour y tendre au maximum, ces sessions d'information devraient être organisées sous l'autorité de plusieurs enseignants qui auraient reçu des instructions à cet effet. La création d'un support vidéo réalisé sous le contrôle de l'Education nationale constituerait un outil pédagogique appréciable.

2. Organiser une campagne d'information du grand public, notamment par le canal des chaînes de télévision publiques

Au-delà des jeunes, il convient d'informer l'opinion publique tout entière des dangers que peuvent présenter certaines sectes.

En effet, il est utile que les parents soient informés, car la sensibilisation à ces problèmes passe aussi par l'éducation qu'ils donnent à leurs enfants. D'autre part, les adultes aussi peuvent, et en grand nombre, se laisser piéger. Cette information générale du public s'avère également nécessaire pour éviter que les responsables publics ou privés ne soient amenés, en toute bonne foi, à apporter leur soutien à des associations nuisibles faute de connaître leurs activités véritables. On a vu, en effet, que de nombreuses sectes tentaient de " s'infiltrer " dans les plus hautes sphères de l'Etat, de séduire des collectivités locales ou négocier des conventions avec des entreprises nationales ou privées.

Seule une information à grande échelle pourra réduire ces influences.

Votre Commission propose donc que le Gouvernement organise une vaste campagne d'information notamment télévisée - en s'appuyant au premier chef sur les chaines publiques - mais recourant également aux autres média.

Cette campagne pourrait être organisée par le Comité français d'éducation pour la santé, au même titre que cette institution organise des campagnes contre le SIDA ou la toxicomanie.

3. Etendre et perfectionner la formation des personnes qui, dans le cadre de leurs activités professionnelles, notamment les fonctionnaires, sont confrontées aux problèmes posés par les sectes

Il est apparu nécessaire à la Commission d'enquête au cours de ses travaux que les personnes qui sont à un titre ou à un autre confrontées aux problèmes des sectes dans leurs activités professionnelles, les fonctionnaires en particulier, reçoivent une formation ad hoc dans ce domaine.

On ne saurait, en effet, trop oublier combien le phénomène est à la fois vaste, complexe et clandestin. Car, comme l'affirment plusieurs spécialistes de la question, " les sectes avancent souvent masquées " .

Les personnes concernées sont principalement les policiers et les gendarmes, les magistrats, les enseignants, les personnels sociaux, mais aussi les médecins et les notaires.

Il semble donc opportun de prévoir, dans la formation initiale ainsi que dans la formation continue des agents publics, mais aussi des personnes du secteur privé concernées, des programmes ou , à tout le moins, des actions de sensibilisation - sous la forme de conférences par exemple - sur les problèmes posés par les sectes et les moyens auxquels ils peuvent recourir pour y porter remède.

La Direction centrale des Renseignements généraux (DCRG) a montré la voie en ce domaine au cours de la période récente. Ainsi, depuis trois ans, les élèves-commissaires, les élèves-inspecteurs et les inspecteurs nouvellement affectés aux RG reçoivent une formation relative aux sectes. D'autre part, la DCRG organise une fois par an une ou deux journées de formation à l'attention des agents chargés de suivre les sectes.

Il apparaît indispensable, à cet égard, qu'une formation spécifique soit également prodiguée aux élève de l'Ecole nationale de la magistrature, à ceux des écoles de commissaires et d'inspecteurs de police, de gardiens de la paix, ainsi que de gendarmerie. Il est également important que les élèves-professeurs et ceux qui se préparent à la profession de médecin ou de notaire en bénéficient.


2.- Mieux appliquer le droit existant

On ne reviendra pas sur l'arsenal juridique permettant de lutter contre les dangers des sectes, dont on a vu qu'il était diversifié et suffisant pour couvrir l'ensemble des agissements des mouvements sectaires qui présentent un caractère nuisible pour les individus et/ou la société. Mais les travaux qu'a menés la Commission l'ont très vite conduite à avoir l'impression - devenue certitude au terme de sa réflexion - que les possibilités offertes par les dispositions existantes ne sont pas toujours - loin s'en faut - pleinement utilisées.

Plusieurs interlocuteurs de la Commission ont ainsi affirmé qu'il existait une disproportion sensible entre le nombre d'illégalités commises par les sectes, celui des plaintes et celui des condamnations. D'autres se sont étonnés du petit nombre de dissolutions administratives ou judiciaires prononcées au regard du nombre d'associations coercitives existantes.

Votre Commission est donc convaincue que le développement des sectes pourrait être efficacement freiné par une meilleure application du droit. Celle-ci suppose une sensibilisation accrue des professionnels concernés à la dangerosité du phénomène sectaire et à la nécessité de mobiliser tous les moyens existants pour y faire face. Tout en étant bien conscient qu'une telle évolution des mentalités ne sera pas immédiate, votre Commission est persuadée qu'elle est un des éléments - pour ne pas dire l'élément essentiel - du dispositif de lutte contre le phénomène sectaire. Cette prise de conscience sera bien sûr favorisée par les actions générales d'information dont il a été question ci-dessus. Mais celles-ci doivent être complétées dans certains domaines très directement concernés par les agissements des mouvements sectaires, par des instructions précises de l'Etat à ses agents sur l'attention particulière dont ils doivent faire preuve. Une telle démarche devrait, selon votre Commission, être suivie à l'égard des magistrats du Parquet, des services de police et de gendarmerie, des administrations exerçant des fonctions de contrôle sur certaines activités des associations de type sectaire, ainsi qu'en matière de dissolution des associations et de versement d'un certain nombre d'allocations, notamment le RMI.

1. Une instruction générale du Garde des Sceaux aux magistrats du Parquet leur demandant d'examiner avec plus d'attention les plaintes émanant des victimes des sectes et de se saisir, chaque fois que nécessaire, des problèmes dont ils pourraient avoir connaissance.

A de multiples reprises, il a été indiqué à la Commission que le Ministère public aurait refusé d'ouvrir une instruction ou de poursuivre une information ouverte sur un dossier alors que, selon ceux qui faisaient état de cette inaction, le cas l'aurait tout à fait justifié.

Il convient de préciser, à cet égard, que, selon le ministère de la justice, sur les 60 plaintes relatives aux sectes adressées aux parquets généraux des cours d'appel () entre 1990 et 1995, 27 procédures ont été clôturées. Elles concernent notamment des faits d'escroquerie, de menaces sous conditions, vols et violations de sépultures, homicides involontaires, détournements de mineurs, séquestration de personnes, non représentation d'enfant, violences, injures, exercice illégal de la médecine, violences et voies de fait. Sur ce total, 16 ont donné lieu à un classement sans suite, 7 à un non-lieu et 3 à une condamnation.

La commission n'entend pas porter de jugement sur le fonctionnement de la Justice à cet égard, d'autant qu'elle ne dispose pas des éléments pour apprécier de façon précise les situations en cause. Toutefois, elle ne peut totalement négliger ces doléances, dont certaines lui ont paru, il est vrai, a priori pertinentes. Au-delà même de leur caractère plus ou moins exact, le fait qu'une telle opinion soit couramment véhiculée est en lui-même très regrettable car susceptible de décourager les victimes de sectes de se tourner vers les tribunaux.

Il serait souhaitable, dans ces conditions, que le Garde des Sceaux adresse une instruction générale aux magistrats du Parquet afin d'attirer leur attention sur l'étendue du phénomène sectaire, ses formes, ses dangers, la nécessité de combattre plus efficacement ceux-ci et les moyens juridiques existants pour ce faire. Il leur serait demandé d'examiner avec plus de vigilance les plaintes émanant des victimes des sectes et, si besoin est, de se saisir eux-mêmes de problèmes dont ils pourraient avoir connaissance.

2. Une instruction générale du ministre de l'Intérieur aux services de police et du ministre de la Défense aux services de gendarmerie les enjoignant de manifester davantage de vigilance vis-à-vis des " dérives " sectaires

Pour que les exactions commises par les sectes puissent donner lieu à des poursuites et être, le cas échéant, sanctionnées, encore faut-il qu'elles puissent être constatées par les services de police et de gendarmerie et que ceux-ci en saisissent le Ministère public.

C'est la raison pour laquelle il conviendrait que les ministres de l'Intérieur et de la Défense attirent l'attention de leurs services concernés sur le phénomène sectaire, la vigilance dont ils doivent faire preuve à son sujet, ainsi que les mesures qu'ils doivent prendre en cas d'infractions, notamment s'agissant de la protection des victimes et de la saisine du Ministère public.

3. Demander à l'administration d'être plus rigoureuse dans ses missions de tutelle et de contrôle à l'égard des sectes qui présentent des dangers ou ne respectent pas la loi.

Il n'est pas acceptable que des administrations et entreprises publiques puissent, comme cela s'est déjà produit, passer des contrats de fourniture ou de services avec des organismes liés à des sectes dangereuses ou leur accorder des autorisations. Il n'est pas non plus tolérable que certaines associations puissent en toute impunité transgresser les règles du droit fiscal, du droit du travail ou de la Sécurité sociale.

Il est donc nécessaire que les ministres, chacun dans son domaine de compétence, demandent à leurs services de manifester plus de rigueur dans les passations de contrats avec des organismes extérieurs, l'octroi d'autorisations et les missions de contrôle. Dans cette démarche, les administrations devraient avoir recours aux informations que serait en mesure de leur délivrer sur leur demande l'observatoire interministériel dont la création a été préconisée ci-dessus.

4. Inciter les personnes publiques à être plus prudentes dans l'octroi de subventions à certaines associations.

Certaines sectes dangereuses, on l'a vu, ont bénéficié de subventions publiques.

Certes, cela ne concerne, semble-t-il, qu'un nombre de cas limités. Il serait tout de même opportun que les personnes publiques examinent de façon plus rigoureuse la destination des subventions qu'elles accordent aux associations. Et ce, au besoin, en liaison avec l'observatoire interministériel sur les sectes.

Le Premier ministre pourrait attirer l'attention du Gouvernement sur ce point et le ministre de l'Intérieur, DE l'ensemble des collectivités territoriales.

5. Prononcer la dissolution des organismes mis en cause lorsque cela s'impose.

De nombreuses associations sectaires, on l'a vu, violent la loi et constituent de véritables dangers pour les individus et pour la société. On ne peut, dès lors, que s'étonner du petit nombre de celles qui se sont dissoutes. Ainsi, sur une soixantaine d'associations sectaires coercitives déclarées à Paris, aucune n'a fait l'objet d'une dissolution administrative ou judiciaire.

Il serait donc souhaitable que les procédures de dissolution existantes soient systématiquement appliquées lorsque les conditions prévues par la loi sont réunies. C'est particulièrement le cas pour la procédure judiciaire.

Certes, cela ne constituerait pas une réponse radicale. On constate, en effet, que les sectes poursuivies en justice ou menacées de dissolution manifestent une étonnante capacité à s'auto-dissoudre et à se reconstituer sous la forme d'un autre organisme. Ainsi, l'association des Pionniers du Nouvel Age a été dissoute en janvier 1981, mais ses responsables se retrouvent aujourd'hui dans l'Eglise de l'Unification, l'Association pour l'Unification du Christianisme mondial et la Croisade internationale pour un monde uni. De même, les responsables de l'Association Dianétique, dissoute en 1982, poursuivent leurs activités au sein de l'Association de Défense des Scientologistes Français et ceux de la Méditation transcendantale Paris Est, dans la Fédération française de Méditation.

Il n'empêche que des dissolutions systématiques et rapides pourraient avoir un fort effet dissuasif. On peut penser que si, parallèlement, les responsables sont poursuivis, voire condamnés, la recréation de ces associations sera beaucoup plus difficile.

Il est, en tout état de cause, important que les services de police essaient d'identifier les associations qui sont en fait identiques à celles qui auraient été dissoutes, et de vérifier avec une attention particulière qu'elles se conforment à la loi.

6. S'assurer que les bénéficiaires de certaines allocations, membres d'une secte ne reversent pas tout ou partie du montant de ces prestations à la secte dont ils font partie.

D'après les informations fournies à la Commission, il semblerait que les membres de certaines sectes, bénéficiaires du revenu minimum d'insertion, reversent intégralement ou en partie le montant de cette allocation à la secte dont ils font partie. Une telle pratique constitue à l'évidence un détournement de l'objet du RMI. Votre Commission est bien consciente de la difficulté pour les services compétents de repérer l'existence de tels faits. Néanmois, ce type de dévoiement ne peut qu'être extrêmement préjudiciable à l'égard de la très grande majorité des personnes qui bénéficient de cette prestation conformément à la loi. Aussi, conviendrait-il, lorsqu'il aura pu être constaté qu'un membre de la secte reverse à celle-ci tout ou partie du RMI qu'il perçoit, de rappeler à la personne concernée ses obligations et, au besoin, suspendre le versement de l'allocation tant que celles-ci ne sont pas respectées.

La même vigilance doit s'exercer pour l'attribution d'autres allocations ayant une affectation précise, par exemple les bourses.

7. Accroître la coopération internationale, communautaire notamment.

Un renforcement de la coopération internationale se révèle indispensable aujourd'hui.

En effet, beaucoup de sectes dangereuses ont, comme on l'a vu, une dimension internationale. Elles pourront donc d'autant plus facilement être démantelées que les Etats seront en mesure de mettre en place une action commune.

En outre, les sectes poursuivies en France décident souvent de transférer leurs activités à l'étranger. Comme l'écrit un groupe de spécialistes dans un rapport confidentiel transmis à la Commission : " ...l'exercice illégal de la médecine, le non respect des règles élémentaires contenues dans le code du travail français les obligent à fuir vers des cieux plus favorables leur garantissant une évasion fiscale ou leur permettant d'échapper au règlement de leurs cotisations sociales obligatoires " . Et de conclure : " une approche nationale ne permettant pas à elle seule une compréhension correcte et une action efficace, une coordination internationale s'impose. "

Cette coopération est, comme on le verra, également nécessaire pour mieux secourir les Français expatriés en proie à des difficultés avec les sectes.

Si cette coopération n'est pas facile à mettre en oeuvre à l'échelle internationale, elle devrait au moins exister au sein de l'Union européenne. Or, aucune action particulière ne semble exister dans ce domaine.

Il convient d'évoquer, à cet égard, la création à Paris en 1994 de la Fédération européenne des centres de recherche et d'information sur le sectarisme (FECRIS) dont l'objet est, selon ses statuts, de " rechercher et informer quant aux pratiques et aux effets du sectarisme destructeur sur les individus, sur les familles et sur les sociétés démocratiques ; de secourir les victimes ; de les représenter en ces matières auprès des autorités civiles et morales responsables, pour attirer leur attention et seconder leur action " . Toutefois, cette association est trop récente pour que l'on puisse tirer des conclusions de son action. En toute hypothèse, il s'agit d'une initiative purement privée et non une action concertée des Etats membres de l'Union européenne.

Il serait donc souhaitable d'instaurer une coopération intergouvernementale. Celle-ci commencerait au moins entre les Quinze dans un premier temps. Elle reposerait d'abord sur un échange d'informations et l'élaboration de propositions.

Ce processus pourrait déboucher ensuite sur des accords internationaux sur un certain nombre de points clés.

C'est d'ailleurs ainsi que M. De Puig concevait les choses dans son avis sur les sectes et les nouveaux mouvements religieux, rédigé dans le cadre du Conseil de l'Europe : " On peut faire beaucoup dans le domaine de la coopération internationale pour augmenter l'efficacité du contrôle des sectes et pour obtenir des informations et les divulguer. Il serait donc désirable de conclure les accords internationaux nécessaires à cet effet. " .

Pour être efficaces, ces accords devraient concerner : l'étude du phénomène et l'échange d'informations grâce, notamment, à une banque de données ; la coordination des dispositifs de contrôle, compte tenu de la disparité des systèmes juridiques ; la recherche des personnes poursuivies en justice ou par l'administration ; la recherche des personnes disparues.


3.- Améliorer le dispositif juridique

Si l'arsenal juridique permettant de lutter contre les dangers que font courir les sectes aux individus et à la société paraît globalement adapté, il pourrait néanmoins être complété ou modifié sur quelques points de façon à rendre plus efficace la riposte contre les dérives sectaires.

1. Entreprendre une étude sur l'effet dissuasif des sanctions encourues par les sectes et sur l'opportunité de les aggraver

Selon plusieurs avis recueillis par la Commission, les peines et les indemnités pour dommages-intérêts qu'encourent les sectes ne seraient pas suffisamment dissuasives.

Ainsi, par exemple, une personne qui s'est exprimée devant commission, qui a eu plusieurs procès avec des sectes, qu'elle a tous gagnés, a calculé que le montant du préjudice qu'elle avait subi directement du fait des sectes et qui n'a pas été réparé s'élevait à environ 120.000 francs.

Il est difficile de se prononcer a priori sur l'effet dissuasif des sanctions encourues par les sectes et sur l'opportunité de les aggraver.

Malgré les travaux qu'elle a menés, votre Commission ne s'estime pas en mesure de se prononcer sur le caractère suffisamment dissuasif ou non des sanctions encourues par les sectes, et, moins encore, sur l'opportunité de les aggraver. Elle n'en est pas moins encline à penser que la question mérite sérieusement d'être posée.

Aussi, estime-t-elle qu'il serait intéressant que l'observatoire dont la création est préconisée fasse une étude approfondie de cette question, suivie, le cas échéant de propositions.

2. Revoir le régime de la diffamation

Certaines sectes sont, on le sait, coutumières de la diffamation. Mais elle ne peuvent pas toujours être poursuivies, donc moins encore condamnées.

En effet, comme la Commission l'a constaté, certaines sectes ont trouvé un moyen de contourner la loi concernant les règles relatives à la prescription de cette infraction. L'article 65 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse dispose, rappelons-le, que " l'action publique et l'action civile résultant des crimes, délits et contraventions prévus par la présente loi se prescriront après trois mois révolus à compter du jour où ils auront été commis ou du jour du dernier acte d'instruction ou de poursuite s'il en a été fait. " Or, ces sectes publient parfois des revues contenant des articles diffamatoires, pour lesquelles elles satisfont aux obligations de dépôt légal, mais sans les distribuer, sauf éventuellement à un public restreint; puis elles attendent trois mois pour procéder à leur diffusion, ce qui leur évite d'être attaquées.

Il parait souhaitable à votre Commission de remédier à cet état de fait.

Une première possibilité serait d'allonger le délai précité de trois à six mois. Toutefois, cette solution présenterait plusieurs inconvénients. D'abord, elle ne résoudrait pas définitivement le problème : les organismes en question attendraient alors six mois avant de procéder à la diffusion. Toutefois, distribuer une revue six mois après la date de publication qu'elle mentionne constituerait sans doute une gêne. L'obstacle le plus sérieux réside plutôt dans les difficultés à la fois politiques et pratiques que soulèverait la modification de la loi de 1881 sur la presse sur ce point. Serait-il opportun, en effet, de toucher à une législation importante, qui traduit un certain équilibre, et à laquelle la presse est très attachée ? Il ne semble pas.

Une deuxième solution consisterait à prévoir que la date à laquelle a été commise la diffamation correspond à celle de la première mise en distribution au public - au sens de grand public, par opposition à un cercle restreint, sauf si celle-ci n'a vocation qu'à être diffusée à un tel cercle - de la publication qui la contient.

C'est d'ailleurs en ce sens que semble évoluer la jurisprudence. En effet, il a été jugé que l'accomplissement des formalités du dépôt légal n'établit aucune présomption que la publication ait eu lieu à cette date et ne doit être tenu que comme un élément d'appréciation (Cass. Crim. 1er juillet 1953, Bull. crim. no 228) ; que, d'autre part, le point de départ du délai de prescription de trois mois n'est pas la date portée sur la couverture des exemplaires du numéro d'un hebdomadaire, mais celle de sa publication effective résultant de sa mise en vente, indépendamment de la date fictive portée sur la couverture à des fins purement commerciales (Paris, 28 janvier 1977, D. 1978.IR.80).

Encore reste-t-il cependant à préciser que cette distribution effective est bien celle destinée au public. Votre Commission est encline à penser que la meilleure solution est sans doute de laisser la jurisprudence apporter cette précision.

3. Renforcer la protection des experts mandatés auprès des tribunaux

Les experts mandatés auprès des tribunaux ne sont sans doute pas aujourd'hui suffisamment protégés.

Certes, l'article 434.8 du nouveau code pénal prévoit-il que " toute menace ou tout acte d'intimidation commis envers un magistrat, un juré ou toute autre personne siégeant dans une formation juridictionnelle, un arbitre, un interprète, un expert ou l'avocat d'une partie en vue d'influencer son comportement dans l'exercice de ses fonctions est puni de trois ans d'emprisonnement et de 300.000 francs d'amende. " . D'autre part, l'article 222.12 du même code dispose que les violences commises sur, entre autres, un magistrat, un juré, un avocat, un officier public ou ministériel ou toute autre personne dépositaire de l'autorité publique ou chargée d'une mission de service public, dans l'exercice ou à l'occasion de l'exercice de ses fonctions ou de sa mission, ayant entraîné une incapacité totale de travail pendant plus de huit jours sont punies de trois ans d'emprisonnement et de 300.000 francs d'amende.

Toutefois, il n'est pas évident, en premier lieu, que l'article 222.12 s'applique aux experts judiciaires. Même si c'était le cas, cet article présente deux limites principales : il faut qu'il y ait eu des violences ayant entraîné une incapacité de travail pendant plus de huit jours ; ces violences doivent avoir été commises dans l'exercice ou à l'occasion des fonctions. Ce qui signifie, dans le cas de violences graves n'ayant pas provoqué cette incapacité et de celles - quelle que soit leur gravité --commises lorsque les fonctions sont définitivement terminées, à titre, par exemple, de revanche, que l'expert ne bénéficie d'aucune protection particulière.

S'agissant de l'article 434.8, il ne couvre pas non plus l'hypothèse des mesures de rétorsion à l'encontre de l'expert après l'avis ou le procès.

Selon les informations recueillies par la Commission, l'absence d'une protection suffisante pour les experts aurait au moins trois conséquences dommageables :

- soit les experts en question renoncent simplement à se prononcer sur des affaires susceptibles de leur attirer ce type d'ennuis ;

- soit ils continuent de remplir ces fonctions, mais ils prennent le risque d'en subir un préjudice dont il n'est pas certain qu'ils pourront obtenir réparation car il n'est pas toujours facile dans ce genre de situation d'identifier le coupable et de prouver sa culpabilité ;

- enfin, on ne peut exclure qu'ils puissent être amenés à édulcorer leur compte-rendu ou à s'auto-censurer , ce qui serait un grave obstacle au bon déroulement de la justice.

Votre Commission estime donc souhaitable de renforcer la protection juridique dont bénéficient les experts afin de les mettre autant que possible à l'abri de toute pression ou de toute mesure de rétorsion.

On pourrait, pour ce faire, s'inspirer des diverses dispositions protégeant actuellement les magistrats. Il s'agit notamment des articles 222 et 223 (outrages à magistrat), 227 (tentatives de pressions), 228 (violences et voies de fait), 306 (menaces), 310 et 311 (coups et blessures) et 434 (destructions, dégradations et dommages) du code pénal.

4. Permettre aux associations de défense des victimes de se porter partie civile.

Aucune disposition ne permet actuellement aux associations de défense des victimes des sectes de se porter partie civile dans des affaires concernant ces personnes.

Certes, ces associations ont parfois réussi à se porter partie civile en s'appuyant, lorsque l'objet de l'affaire le leur permettait, sur certaines dispositions existantes. Ainsi, par exemple, l'article 2.2 du code de procédure pénale prévoit-il que " toute association régulièrement déclarée depuis au moins cinq ans [] dont l'objet statutaire comporte la lutte contre les violences sexuelles [] peut exercer les droits reconnus par la pa Ce n'est donc que dans la mesure où le cas d'espèce autorise les associations de défense des victimes des sectes à se " glisser " dans des dispositifs dont la finalité principale ne correspond pas à leur objet spécifique qu'elles peuvent se porter partie civile. D'ailleurs, deux associations ont fait savoir à la Commission qu'il leur avait été plusieurs fois refusé de se constituer partie civile dans des affaires concernant des victimes de sectes.

Il serait pourtant utile de leur accorder systématiquement ce droit. Et ce pour trois raisons principales :

- ces associations pourraient mieux s'associer aux victimes et les aider dans leurs démarches auprès de la justice, notamment celles qui sont les plus fragiles ;

- elles pourraient les suppléer lorsque, pour des raisons diverses tenant notamment à la crainte que leur inspirent les responsables de la secte elles n'osent pas agir elles-mêmes ;

- elles pourraient enrichir l'information des magistrats et les débats judiciaires par leurs interventions.

Accorder à ces associations la possibilité de se porter partie civile dans les affaires concernant les victimes des sectes pourrait se faire, soit en ajoutant une disposition spécifique à la liste des associations mentionnées aux articles 2.1 à 2.14 du code de procédure pénale, soit en prévoyant à l'article 3 du code de la famille que les associations de défense des familles bénéficient, au même titre que l'Union nationale et que les unions départementales des associations familiales, de ce droit.

5. Prévoir la transmission à la préfecture du budget annuel et des comptes-rendus d'assemblée générale des associations dont le budget annuel est supérieur à 500.000 F.

Comme on l'a vu, certaines sectes, non seulement exploitent financièrement leurs adeptes, mais recourent à des moyens frauduleux tels que, par exemple, la dissimulation de certaines ressources, l'utilisation de sociétés ou d'associations écrans ou la poursuite d'activités lucratives dans le cadre d'associations déclarées.

Il conviendrait donc de soumettre ces sectes à des obligations de transparence en matière financière. Mais étant donné qu'il serait difficile, pour des raisons déjà évoquées, de réserver un sort particulier aux sectes, ces obligations devraient être imposées à toutes les associations à partir d'un certain niveau de budget.

Il paraît raisonnable à votre Commission de prévoir que toutes les associations dont le budget annuel est égal ou supérieur à 500.000 francs devront transmettre chaque année à la préfecture de leur département une copie de celui-ci ainsi que les comptes-rendus de leur assemblée générale. Ce choix d'un seuil de 500.000 francs constitue, semble-t-il, un bon équilibre entre le souci de transparence financière et le souhait de ne pas engorger les préfectures. Cette mesure ne concernerait de fait qu'environ 16.900 associations sur un total estimé à 187.600, soit 9 % d'entre elles.

Les services fiscaux pourraient ensuite exercer un contrôle sur ces documents de leur propre initiative ou à la demande du préfet.

6. Créer un Haut conseil des cultes composé de représentants des autorités religieuses, scientifiques et administratives, chargé de donner un avis conforme sur les demandes relatives à la reconnaissance d'association cultuelle, voire celles concernant l'obtention du statut de congrégation.

Plusieurs organismes considérés communément comme des sectes demandent aujourd'hui à bénéficier du statut d'association cultuelle prévu par la loi du 9 décembre 1905.

La question se pose aujourd'hui de savoir si le dispositif juridique existant est satisfaisant pour faire face à ce type de demande.

On comprend bien qu'il serait dangereux de reconnaître ce statut à des mouvements pseudo-religieux, qui ne se présentent sous forme d'une religion que pour mieux séduire, mais qui, en réalité, poursuivent d'autres objectifs tels que l'enrichissement, le pouvoir ou un quelconque intérêt personnel. La commission a, sur ce point, été plusieurs fois alertée. Ainsi, un des spécialistes qu'elle a entendus, au demeurant l'un des plus mesurés, lui a déclaré : " sur quoi prolifèrent les sectes ? Sur le silence, sur leur côté dissimulé ; par le langage, qui est celui du langage religieux. Il faut commencer par leur refuser ce qu'elles demandent, à savoir un statut religieux, ce qui serait le piège des pièges. L'argument allégué serait un meilleur contrôle. Mais pour le peu de contrôle que cela permettrait et que l'on peut obtenir par d'autres moyens ! Rendez-vous compte du prestige qui leur serait offert si on leur accordait un statut confessionnel. Ce serait une véritable catastrophe. "

En revanche, rien n'est plus normal que les mouvements religieux authentiques qui souhaitent être reconnus comme association cultuelle et sont prêts à se conformer à leur régime puissent en bénéficier.

Il convient donc que le bureau des cultes du ministère de l'Intérieur puisse, sur demande de l'organisme intéressé et après examen de son dossier, délivrer directement ce statut. Actuellement, la qualité d'association cultuelle n'est, en effet, reconnue qu'indirectement aujourd'hui par le bureau des cultes du ministère de l'intérieur ou les préfectures à l'occasion d'une requête visant à faire bénéficier une association des libéralités prévues à l'article 19 alinéa 4 de la loi du 9 décembre 1905, ou des articles 200 et 238 bis du code général de impôts, qui permettent à leurs bienfaiteurs d'obtenir des déductions d'impôt sur le revenu. Il semblerait nettement préférable à votre Commission que la reconnaissance de cette qualité fasse l'objet d'une procédure spécifique, sur demande des organismes intéressés. C'est bien entendu au bureau des cultes que devrait incomber le soin d'accorder le statut d'association cultuelle. Mais compte tenu de la difficulté qu'il y a souvent aujourd'hui à apprécier la nature cultuelle d'une association, notamment lorsque celle-ci poursuit des buts multiples, votre Commission estime qu'il serait nécessaire que le bureau des cultes se prononce sur l'avis d'un conseil de personnes compétentes pour en juger.

Elle propose donc de créer un Haut conseil des cultes, qui serait composé d'une trentaine de personnes nommées par le Premier ministre. Il comprendrait un tiers de représentants des différentes religions reconnues, un tiers de personnalités témoignant d'une compétence incontestable dans le domaine des religions et d'un tiers de représentants des différentes administrations intéressées (bureau des cultes et bureau des libertés publiques du ministère de l'Intérieur, Direction centrale des Renseignements généraux, Direction de l'action sociale, ministère de l'Education nationale, etc...). Son avis s'imposerait au bureau des cultes.

Il conviendrait, en conséquence, d'amender légèrement la loi du 9 décembre 1905 en indiquant que la qualité d'association cultuelle est reconnue par le ministère de l'Intérieur sur avis conforme du Haut conseil des cultes composé selon les modalités définies ci-dessus.

Le même problème pouvant se poser pour les demandes relatives à l'obtention du statut de congrégation, il est proposé, afin d'assurer un parallélisme des procédures, que la reconnaissance légale de ce statut soit accordée, non pas par décret sur avis conforme du Conseil d'Etat, comme le prévoit aujourd'hui l'article 13 de la loi du 1er juillet 1901 relative au contrat d'association, mais par décret sur avis conforme du Haut Conseil des cultes.


5.- Aider les anciens adeptes

Il est, certes, important de prévenir les dangers que font courir les sectes et de mieux les combattre. Mais il faut aussi aider les anciens adeptes, dont certains ont vécu, parfois pendant plusieurs années, quasiment voire totalement coupés de la société, que cet isolement soit physique ou seulement mental. Aussi, après leur sortie de la secte, rencontrent-ils généralement de grandes difficultés de réinsertion dans la société. En même temps, ils ignorent le plus souvent à qui s'adresser pour se faire aider dans cette entreprise. Votre Commission pense qu'il serait donc nécessaire qu'ils puissent disposer d'un interlocuteur privilégié au sein de l'administration. Par ailleurs, une attention particulière doit être portée à la situation des anciens adeptes à l'étranger.

1. Instituer dans chaque département un responsable pour l'aide aux anciens adeptes.

De façon à ce que les personnes venant de quitter une secte puissent se renseigner facilement sur les services publics, qu'ils ne connaissent généralement, pas, votre Commission propose qu'un responsable pour l'aide aux anciens adeptes soit nommé dans chaque département, soit par le Préfet, soit par le Président du Conseil général - le choix de l'autorité de nomination ne change pas fondamentalement la réponse apportée au problème. Il convient que cette personne, que cette fonction n'occuperait pas nécessairement à plein temps, ait une bonne connaissance du phénomène sectaire et de l'administration publique. Elle aurait pour mission d'étudier l'évolution des mouvements sectaires dans son département ainsi que les problèmes posés aux victimes, d'accueillir celles-ci et de les orienter vers les services administratifs et les associations susceptibles de résoudre leurs difficultés. Elle rendrait compte de ses études et de ses activités à son autorité de nomination ainsi qu'à l'observatoire des sectes dont la création est proposée par ailleurs. Elle pourrait d'ailleurs se tourner vers cet organisme pour obtenir des informations, voire des conseils.

2. Secourir plus efficacement les adeptes expatriés qui le souhaitent.

Selon diverses sources, le nombre de Français appartenant à une secte et vivant à l'étranger serait assez important, sans que l'on ait le moyen de le chiffrer avec une précision même approximative. Mais c'est un fait avéré que plusieurs sectes ont une dimension internationale et n'hésitent pas, comme, par exemple, Moon ou l'Eglise de la scientologie, à envoyer à l'étranger des adeptes recrutés en France. De plus, on ne peut oublier que certaines organisation poursuivies par la justice ou l'administration ont quitté le territoire national.

Or, ces personnes sont souvent dans une situation encore plus précaire que les adeptes résidant sur le territoire français, se trouvant dans un environnement qui leur est peu familier, et isolés de leur famille et de leurs anciennes relations.

Les services diplomatiques et consulaires apportent aujourd'hui une aide substantielle pour retrouver des personnes disparues et pour les rapatrier.

La Direction des Français à l'étranger du ministère des Affaires étrangères tente chaque année de répondre à plusieurs centaines de demandes de renseignements de familles au sujet de personnes disparues. Cependant, les postes diplomatiques et consulaires dépendent souvent étroitement de la bonne volonté et de l'efficacité des autorités locales pour obtenir une réponse. De plus, quand bien même la personne disparue serait retrouvée, si celle-ci ne souhaite pas qu'on divulgue son adresse, le ministère des Affaires étrangères est obligé de se conformer à ce voeu en application du principe de respect de la vie privée. La moitié des personnes retrouvées expriment d'ailleurs ce souhait.

D'autre part, le ministère dispose d'une ligne de crédit de l'ordre de 5 millions de francs pour assurer des rapatriements sanitaires et d'urgence ainsi que pour des personnes indigentes. Le ministère demande aux familles de financer les autres formes de rapatriement.

Deux mesures seraient susceptibles d'améliorer l'action des pouvoirs publics dans ce domaine.

En premier lieu, il conviendrait, dans le cadre du renforcement de la coopération internationale évoquée plus haut, que la France obtienne d'un nombre de pays aussi important que possible la garantie d'une collaboration soutenue pour ce genre de problèmes. Aucun pays, il est vrai, n'a intérêt à voir se développer sur son territoire une organisation illégale et dangereuse.

Deuxièmement, nos services diplomatiques et consulaires pourraient, dans ce cadre, accroître leurs contacts et leurs liens avec les autorités locales susceptibles de les aider dans la recherche de personnes disparues.

CONCLUSION

Difficile à définir, peu aisé à mesurer, impossible à saisir dans sa globalité, le phénomène sectaire n'en constitue pas moins une réalité tangible du monde contemporain : l'expression de multiples mouvements spirituels distincts des religions traditionnelles et caractérisés par des croyances et des pratiques spécifiques.

De fait, il est étroitement lié aux grands problèmes qui se posent aux sociétés actuelles, qu'il s'agisse du déclin des religions traditionnelles, de la mutation des structures familiales, de la remise en cause des valeurs morales, de la place du politique ou de la crise économique et sociale. Il en est même, d'une certaine façon, le reflet.

Si sa diversité et sa complexité empêchent de rendre compte avec précision de son évolution quantitative et qualitative, les recherches effectuées montrent qu'il s'est amplifié au cours de la dernière décennie en France et à l'étranger. Et ce, tant en nombre d'organismes que d'adeptes et de sympathisants. En même temps, il présente des formes plus variées, il met en oeuvre des techniques plus sophistiquées et dispose de moyens financiers accrus.

Les adeptes, en nombre croissant, s'engagent souvent totalement, jusqu'à perdre une partie de leur identité. Et c'est là que le risque de déviation devient grave, quand l'engagement et la confiance absolue conduisent à ne pas se soigner, à couper les liens avec la famille, à donner tout l'argent dont on dispose. L'intervention des pouvoirs publics s'impose quand l'engagement conduit à une dépendance psychologique qu'exploitent des dirigeants à leur propre profit.

Les décisions judiciaires rendues ces dernières années montrent bien que nombre d'entre eux se rendent coupables de délits, pouvant aller de la tromperie ou de la fraude aux mauvais traitements, aux coups et blessures et à la séquestration. De surcroît, les informations fournies à la Commission et les témoignages qu'elle a reçus ne laissent pas de doute sur le fait que les affaires révélées par la justice ne rendent compte que d'une partie des dangers que font courir les sectes, qui sont en fait à la fois plus nombreux, plus étendus et plus graves.

L'Etat ne peut, à l'évidence, laisser se développer en son sein ce qui, à beaucoup d'égards, s'apparente à un véritable fléau. Rester passif serait, en effet, non seulement irresponsable à l'égard des personnes touchées ou susceptibles de l'être, mais dangereux pour les principes démocratiques sur lesquels est fondée notre République.

Votre Commission estime donc indispensable de réagir. Cela étant, il lui est apparu que la meilleure façon de riposter au développement des sectes dangereuses n'est sûrement pas la plus spectaculaire, sous la forme d'une législation anti-sectes que l'ampleur de notre arsenal juridique ne rend pas nécessaire et qui risquerait d'être utilisée un jour dans un esprit de restriction de la liberté de pensée. L'essentiel, selon elle, est bien d'utiliser pleinement les dispositions existantes, leur application systématique et rigoureuse devant permettre de lutter efficacement contre les dérives sectaires. Pour y parvenir, il est d'abord nécessaire de mieux connaître- ce que permettrait la création d'un observatoire ad hoc - et, surtout, de mieux faire connaître le phénomène et les dangers qu'il peut recéler. D'autre part, il faut s'attacher à ce que les institutions chargées d'appliquer le droit dans ce domaine y soient sensibilisées. En outre, certains aménagements à la législation existante paraissent souhaitables pour mieux tenir compte de l'évolution des associations sectaires. Enfin, il est important que les anciens adeptes puissent être aidés à se réinsérer dans la société. Toutes mesures qui, selon votre Commission, devraient être mises en oeuvre dans les meilleurs délais . Nous ne nous sentons pas en France menacés par une tragédie de type Waco, voire un attentat du genre de celui perpétré par la secte Aoum dans le métro de Tokyo au printemps dernier. Mais les germes de tels drames existent sur notre territoire, et la prévention s'impose.

Cela dit, il faut être lucide : les mesures proposées ici ne suffiront probablement pas à elles seules à faire disparaître ces dangers. Reflet des difficultés du monde actuel, symptôme d'un profond malaise social, image d'une crise morale autant que civique, le phénomène sectaire appelle aussi, en effet, une réponse globale à l'ensemble des grands problèmes de l'époque contemporaine.


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La Commission a examiné le présent rapport au cours de sa séance du 20 décembre 1995 et l'a adopté à l'unanimité.

Elle a ensuite décidé qu'il serait remis à M. le Président de l'Assemblée nationale afin d'être imprimé et distribué, conformément aux dispositions de l'article 143 du Règlement de l'Assemblée nationale.


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9:04 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

Explanation of the Hoben Chapter

by Reverend Kanno Tajima and Reverend Rikido Takeyasu

Today, for this Overseas Believers Summer Study Tozan held here at
the Head Temple Taisekiji under the aegis of the Dai-Gohonzon of the
High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings, during the time I have
available I will give an explanation of "Myoho-Renge-Kyo Hoben-pon
Dai-ni," the Hoben Chapter that we recite during each morning and
evening Gongyo.
Because of time limitations, I will not be able to lecture on all of the
Hoben Chapter, so I hope you will study the rest of the text after you
return home to your own countries.

Introduction
It goes without saying that the Lotus Sutra is the supreme sutra in
the Buddhism of Shakyamuni Buddha. Among the many sutras from
ancient times, few sutras have been as treasured by common people
for as long as the Lotus Sutra.
Many factors have made the Lotus Sutra loved by common people:
its seven parables that are so easy to understand; the amazing
sermon in the Hoto Chapter, which is quite beyond the imagination;
and the brilliant, resplendent figure of the eternal Buddha who
appears in the Juryo Chapter. Why, though, is the Lotus Sutra so
great? The real reason is that much more than in other sutras, the
Lotus Sutra emphasizes the awesome nature and importance of life,
which is eternally here throughout the three existences.
Many of the Daishonin's Goshos make it clear that owing to their
gravity, the Hoben and Juryo Chapters are the core of the Lotus
Sutra. For example, in "Recitation of the Hoben and Juryo Chapters,"
the Daishonin teaches:
As I said before, though no chapter of the Lotus Sutra is negligible,
among the entire twenty-eight chapters, the Hoben chapter and the
Juryo chapter are particularly outstanding. The remaining chapters
are all in a sense the branches and leaves of these two chapters.
(M.W., Vol. 6, p. 10; Shinpen, p. 303)
This is the background to why we recite the Hoben and Juryo
Chapters in Gongyo every morning and evening.
The innermost depths of Shakyamuni's Buddhism are all
encompassed within the Lotus Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra contains
the most fundamental principles and forms the very marrow of all
the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha's lifetime. Therefore, if we do
not understand the reason for this, we will not be able to understand
the essence of Shakyamuni's Buddhism. Moreover, we must recognize
the importance of the Lotus Sutra in order to understand the
difference between Shakyamuni's Buddhism and the Daishonin's
Buddhism, which is the Buddhism for the age of Mappo (Latter Day
of the Law) The Lotus Sutra is not merely the culmination of
Shakyamuni's Buddhism; it also predicts the appearance of the Nam-
Myoho-Renge-Kyo of Nichiren Daishonin, and was preached as the
preparation for its appearance. In a word, the Lotus Sutra teaches
the Law that will enable all people to reach the most august life-state
of the Buddha. It is the sutra at the summit of Buddhism. Various
other sutras preach that the Buddha is an august being, and various
sutras reveal wisdom for solving the sufferings of life. However, no
other sutra can compare to the Lotus Sutra in the sense of leading all
common mortals to Buddhahood itself.
The Hoben Chapter teaches of the insight into the ultimate truth of
all phenomena that is the Buddha's wisdom. It explains that the
purpose of the Buddha's appearance in this land is to open the door
of the Buddha's wisdom to all living beings, show the Buddha's
wisdom to all living beings, cause all living beings to awaken to the
Buddha's wisdom, and cause all living beings to enter into the path of
the Buddha's wisdom. The Hoben Chapter makes it clear that the life
and wisdom of the Buddha fundamentally exist inside the lives of all
living beings. As evidence of this, the Hoben Chapter teaches that
Shakyamuni's disciples Shariputra and Mahakashyapa will attain
Buddhahood.
However, Nichiren Daishonin is the one who revealed the Original
Law for attainment of Buddhahood and who established the Entity of
that Law. Therefore, the true reason that the twenty-eight chapters
of the Lotus Sutra are so magnificent is that they tacitly include this
Original Law. In other words, the Lotus Sutra will truly come alive
when we know of the Original Law for attaining Buddhahood that
Nichiren Daishonin taught, and return back to the Lotus Sutra and
read it from that viewpoint. Reading and studying the Lotus Sutra
will have no meaning if we neglect to read it in this way.
The Lotus Sutra begins with the Muryogi Sutra ("Sutra of Infinite
Meanings"), which serves as the introduction to the Lotus Sutra. The
Muryogi Sutra is, so to speak, a preface that leads into the main
subject. The Muryogi Sutra states, "Infinite meanings are born of this
one Law."1 It is the Lotus Sutra that teaches the Original Law to
which from innumerable meanings come forth. In addition, the Kan
Fugen Bosatsu Gyoho Sutra ("Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva
Universal Wisdom") is preached after the Lotus Sutra as its closing
sutra. The word "fugen" means "universally wise," or "universality."
Thus, the one Law that is taught as the origin of infinite meanings
then moves outward to pervade everything.
The "Annotations on the Lotus Sutra"2 states:
Because this Lotus Sutra is the Entity of the Law that is endowed
with the mutual possession of the ten worlds and the three thousand
[factors], the three thousand factors and ten worlds are all, without
exception, the universal wisdom. The realm of the ultimate reality
(universe) is the universal wisdom, without leaving out even a single
phenomena. (Shinpen, p. 1798)
In this way, the Lotus Sutra is the philosophy of life that returns
from infinite meanings to the one Law and then spreads outward
universally throughout all phenomena.
Out of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the first fourteen
(from the Jyo {"Introduction"} Chapter to the Anrakugyo {"Peaceful
Practices"} Chapter) are called the theoretical teaching. The last
fourteen chapters (from the Yujutsu {"Emerging from the Earth"}
Chapter to the Kanbotsu {"The Encouragement of Bodhisattva
Universally Wise"} Chapter) are called the essential teaching.
The theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra is preached from the
position of a Buddha who attained enlightenment for the first time in
India. The core of the theoretical teaching is the Hoben (second)
Chapter, which discloses the wisdom that can only be understood and
shared between Buddhas Ñ the ultimate truth of all phenomena and
the ten factors. It also states that all living beings possess the Buddha
nature and teaches the attainment of Buddhahood by people of the
two vehicles (learning {shomon} and self-attained realization
{engaku}). This is known as "opening the three vehicles to reveal the
one vehicle," that is, opening up the three vehicles of learning, self-
attained realization, and bodhisattva to reveal that there is actually
one vehicle: the Buddha vehicle.
The essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra discloses that Shakyamuni
"actually attained Buddhahood in the remote past" of Gohyaku-
jindengo (five hundred dust-particle kalpas). This core idea appears
in the Juryo (sixteenth) Chapter, which teaches that Shakyamuni
himself actually attained the Way in the remote past of Gohyaku-
jindengo. This is called "opening the near to reveal the distant": this
concept refers to how Shakyamuni shows that his recent attainment
of Buddhahood in India was actually based far in the past. The Juryo
Chapter also shows how this attainment of Buddhahood actually
occurred by revealing the True Cause, True Effect, and True Land of
the Buddha's enlightenment. Furthermore, there is the specific
entrustment to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth in the Jinriki (twenty-
first) Chapter.
When we consider Nichiren Daishonin and Myoho-Renge-Kyo, what
we cannot afford to overlook is the distinction between the Inner
Realization of the Buddha's enlightenment and the External Function
of the Buddha's enlightenment. First, viewed from the standpoint of
the External Function, the "Four Teachers in Three Countries" occupy
the position of External Function for propagating the Lotus Sutra.
This Nichiren Daishonin himself stated in Goshos such as "On the
Buddha's Prophecy" and "On the True Cause." The Four Teachers in
Three Countries are Shakyamuni Buddha, who preached the Lotus
Sutra (India), the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, who lectured on the Lotus
Sutra (China), the Great Teacher Dengyo, who established the
ordination platform of the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra
(Japan), and of course Nichiren Daishonin himself.
Next, viewed from the standpoint of Inner Realization, Nichiren
Daishonin has hidden within himself the reality that he is the
Original Buddha of Mappo.
The one idea that is most important in revealing this Inner
Realization is the importance of "time" in the propagation of
Buddhism. One must also understand the existence of the "three
kinds of Lotus Sutra" that arise in accordance with the sequence of
"time." I am sure you already know that in time, the propagation of
Buddhism is divided into three periods: Shobo (Former Day of the
Law), Zobo (Middle Day of the Law) and Mappo (Latter Day of the
Law). The Shobo period is the first one thousand years after
Shakyamuni's passing. During this age, there were many people with
a deep causal relationship to Shakyamuni. The Zobo period is the
next one thousand years. It is an age of people with a shallow causal
relationship to Shakyamuni. Finally, the Mappo period is the age
from two thousand years after Shakyamuni's passing. In this age, the
people who are born have absolutely no causal relationship to
Shakyamuni Buddha. Therefore, the Buddhism taught by
Shakyamuni cannot save them.
The three kinds of Lotus Sutra appeared in the sequence that
corresponds to their suitability for the three periods of Shobo, Zobo
and Mappo.
Nichiren Daishonin taught that there is only one Law that can save
the people of Mappo, who have no relationship to the Buddhism of
Shakyamuni. This Law is Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which is hidden in
the depths of the Juryo Chapter.

Why We Recite the Hoben and Juryo Chapters
Why, out of all the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, do we
recite the beginning of the Hoben (second) Chapter and the whole
Juryo (sixteenth) Chapter during our daily Gongyo in the morning
and evening? In the "Recitation of the Hoben and Juryo Chapters,"
which I mentioned before, Nichiren Daishonin teaches:
As I said before, though no chapter of the Lotus Sutra is negligible,
among the entire twenty-eight chapters, the Hoben chapter and the
Juryo chapter are particularly outstanding. The remaining chapters
are all in a sense the branches and leaves of these two chapters.
Therefore, for your regular recitation, I recommend that you practice
reading the prose sections of the Hoben and Juryo chapters. In
addition it might be well if you wrote out separate copies of these
sections. The remaining twenty-six chapters are like the shadows
that accompany a form or the value inherent in a jewel. If you recite
the Juryo and Hoben chapters, then the remaining chapters will
naturally be included even though you do not recite them. (M.W.,
Vol. 6, p. 10; Shinpen, p. 303)
However, even though the Hoben and Juryo Chapters are extremely
important, if we just recite the words in and of themselves, this
would still be the Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni. We would be merely
reading the surface meaning of the words. In Mappo, reciting the
Lotus Sutra has a completely different significance.
Therefore, although the words of the Hoben and Juryo Chapters are
the same, Nichiren Daishonin's recitation of these same words is as
"the theoretical teaching that I recite" from the standpoint of the life
condition of the Original Buddha of Mappo and as "the Juryo Chapter
of my Inner Realization" Ñ that is, their recitation is to reveal and
praise the merit of the Gohonzon of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo hidden
in the depths of the words. In short, we don't recite the Hoben and
Juryo Chapters as the Entity of the Law of the Lotus Sutra; we recite
them for the sake of Buddhist practice. Overall, Buddhism has two
aspects: the Entity of the Law and Buddhist practice.
In Nichiren Shoshu, the "Entity of the Law" is Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo
of the Three Great Secret Laws. In Mappo, absolutely nothing other
than this should be the object of worship.
The significance of our recitation of the Hoben and Juryo Chapters for
the sake of Buddhist practice, then, is as follows: The recitation of the
Hoben Chapter is first, recitation "for the sake of refutation," and
second, recitation "to borrow the words." The first of these, recitation
"for the sake of refutation" means that we read the Hoben Chapter in
order to refute all the sutras, since Shakyamuni's Buddhism is not
the Buddhism for the age of Mappo. That is, we read it to follow what
Nichiren Daishonin taught in many Goshos:
Now in the Latter Day of the Law, neither the Lotus Sutra nor the
other sutras lead to enlightenment. Only Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can
do so. ("The Teaching for the Latter Day," M.W., Vol. 3, p. 266;
Shinpen, p. 1219)
Also:
With the coming of the Latter Day of the Law, however, with regard
to these Hinayana sutras, Mahayana sutras and the Lotus Sutra . . . .
though the words of these sutras still remain, they will no longer
serve as medicine for the illnesses of living beings. The illnesses will
be too grave, and these medicines too ineffectual. ("Reply to
Takahashi Nyudo," M.W., Vol. 6, p. 125; Shinpen, p. 887)
Recitation "for the sake of refutation" means to read the Hoben
Chapter to refute all the other sutras, following the teachings of
Nichiren Daishonin.
Next, recitation "to borrow the words" means that we borrow the
words of the Hoben Chapter so as to reveal the enlightened life
condition of Nichiren Daishonin and the merit of Nam-Myoho-Renge-
Kyo. The purpose of recitation lies in borrowing the words.
Next, our recitation of the Juryo Chapter is first, recitation "for the
sake of refutation" and second, recitation "for the sake of utilization."
First, recitation "for the sake of refutation" is exactly the same as in
the case of the Hoben Chapter. The second sense, recitation "for the
sake of utilization," means that we recite the Juryo Chapter in order
to adopt it, since Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is hidden in its depths.
We recite the Hoben Chapter "to borrow the words" because the
Hoben Chapter was, in a surface sense, taught for the sake of the
people of Shakyamuni's day. In contrast, we recite the Juryo Chapter
"for the sake of utilization" because the Juryo Chapter was itself
taught for the age of Mappo.
When it comes to the essential teaching, the main purpose of our
recitation is "for the sake of utilization," the second of the two.
This was Nichiren Daishonin's own way of reciting the Juryo Chapter.
This is obvious according to what is written in the "Annotations on
the Lotus Sutra," the record of Nichiren Daishonin's lecture on the
Lotus Sutra written down by Second High Priest Nikko Shonin.
Nichiren Daishonin states:
When it comes to understanding the Lotus Sutra, I have only a
minute fraction of the vast ability that T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo
possessed. ("The Opening of the Eyes," M.W., Vol. 2, p. 118; Shinpen,
p. 540)
This indicates that the understanding of the surface meaning of the
words of the Lotus Sutra had already been completed in every detail
by T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo. However, after the appearance of Nichiren
Daishonin, reciting the surface meaning of the words no longer has
any meaning.
At present, the best method for gaining a true and correct
understanding of the Lotus Sutra is to study the transmission
documents of Nichiren Daishonin, such as the "One Hundred and Six
Articles," "On the True Cause," and the "Annotations on the Lotus
Sutra." In any case, at today's meaningful Overseas Believers
Summer Seminar, I hope you will gain an understanding of the
significance of reciting the Hoben and Juryo Chapters. Now that I am
sure you understand this, I would like to speak about the part of the
Hoben Chapter that is in our sutra book, beginning with the words,
"ni ji seson."

"Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Hoben-pon, Dai-ni" (this is the full title of the
Hoben Chapter. )
"Ni ji seson. Ju sanmai. Anjo ni ki. Go Sharihotsu."
Translation:
At this time, the World Honored One serenely rose from his samadhi
(state of deep meditation) and addressed Shariputra.
Explanation:
The title of the Hoben Chapter is "Myoho-Renge-Kyo Hoben-pon Dai-
ni." The commonly-held standpoint is that "Hoben-pon Dai-ni" means
"Chapter Two: Expedient Means." In ordinary sutras, though, such as
the Kegon Sutra or Agon Sutras, only the names of the chapters
themselves appear in the chapter titles. The title of the sutra is not
mentioned. In contrast, all twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra
begin with "Myoho-Renge-Kyo." This indicates a deep significance,
that none of the chapters can exist apart from Nam-Myoho-Renge-
Kyo.
Fundamentally, the Lotus Sutra is the pure, perfect one truth (jun'en-
ichijitsu). Therefore, the Lotus Sutra itself does not contain any
expedient teachings. The "expedient means" referred to in the title of
the Hoben Chapter refer to the fact that the Hoben and other
chapters of the Lotus Sutra reveal how the Buddha had used various
expedients to teach people in the pre-Lotus sutras. In other words,
the Lotus Sutra explains the different types of expedients used by
the Buddha.
Just before preaching the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni preached the
Muryogi Sutra and entered into a state of deep meditation called
muryogi-sho-zanmai. Here, "muryogi" refers to the three thousand
(sanzen) realms, or all phenomena, and "sho" refers to the one mind
(ichinen) that is the source from which they all arise. The Seppo
("Preaching the Law") Chapter of the Muryogi Sutra states, "Infinite
meanings are born of this one Law. (Kaiketsu, p. 84) It is the Lotus
Sutra that teaches what this "one Law" is.
That is, prior to preaching the Lotus Sutra (the ultimate purpose of
his appearance) Shakyamuni Buddha deeply considered the Law of
ichinen sanzen (the core doctrine of the Lotus Sutra). In order to
determine how to best teach this, he entered into a state of deep
meditation wherein his mind was concentrated wholly in one place.
This is called muryogi-sho-zanmai (literally, "the samadhi on infinite
meanings"; samadhi is a Sanskrit Buddhist term meaning a state of
mental concentration on one object). When Shakyamuni Buddha
entered muryogi-sho-zanmai, his body and mind did not move and
he did not preach the Law.
Various strange phenomenon occurred when he entered into this
state. Lotus flowers fell from the sky, a ray of light came forth from
between the Buddha's eyebrows and illuminated eighteen thousand
worlds showing the state of living beings in them all, and the world
shook in six directions (east, west, south, north, up and down). At
that time, Bodhisattva Maitreya asked Bodhisattva Manjushri, "What
is the reason for these mysterious phenomena?"
Bodhisattva Manjushri said:
In past existences, the Buddha Sun Moon Light preached various
laws. However, it was when he was about to preach the Myoho-
Renge-Kyo, the purpose of his advent, that mysterious phenomena
the same as these occurred. Based on this, Shakyamuni Buddha is
surely about to preach the Myoho-Renge-Kyo (Lotus Sutra), the
deepest and most secret Law, and fulfill the purpose of his advent.
Bodhisattva Maitreya and the rest of the assembly were delighted to
hear this. They tensely waited for Shakyamuni to begin preaching,
determined not to miss a single word. This is the situation referred to
in the first words of the Hoben Chapter, "at this time" (ni ji).
At that time, Shakyamuni entered meditation and quietly
contemplated. Then he stood up overflowing with conviction, as he
had attained full confidence about how to unfold his sermon on the
doctrine of the ultimate truth of all phenomena (shoho jisso) Ñ
ichinen sanzen Ñ and how to finally lead his disciples to attain
Buddhahood, so that they would harvest the true benefit of his
Buddhism. The sutra describes this as, "the World Honored One
serenely rose from his samadhi."
Shakyamuni then turned to his shomon (learning) disciple
Shariputra, who was said to be "foremost in wisdom" among all his
disciples, and began to preach. Why did he preach to Shariputra?
The purpose of the Hoben Chapter is to reveal the Law of ichinen
sanzen, and the basis of ichinen sanzen is the mutual possession of
the ten worlds. Shakyamuni taught that each of the ten worlds
possesses the ten worlds within itself. Therefore, all people possess
the world of Buddhahood and are able to attain Buddhahood. He
taught this to refute the idea that "people of the two vehicles cannot
attain Buddhahood," which Shakyamuni himself had continuously
preached for forty-some years. He taught this to predict that his
disciples of the two vehicles, such as Mahakashyapa, Shariputra, and
Maudgalyayana, would attain Buddhahood.
When Shakyamuni taught that the people of the two vehicles would
attain Buddhahood, this meant that the attainment of Buddhahood
was recognized for all people. This was the case even though
Shakyamuni did not predict the attainment of Buddhahood for each
and every individual. Nichiren Daishonin speaks of this in the Gosho
"Letter to Horen":
The Lotus Sutra. . . reveals the principle that all living beings will
attain Buddhahood. For example, if one breaks one joint of a
bamboo, then all the other joints will also break. It is like the move
called shicho in the game of go. If one stone dies, then many stones
will also die.3 (Shinpen, p. 815)
It was in this sense that Shakyamuni Buddha taught the Law to
Shariputra, as a representative of the people of the two vehicles.

When the Buddha Begins Preaching Without Being Asked
Usually, the sutras were taught in response to questions people
asked the Buddha about the Law. However, in the Hoben Chapter
Shakyamuni Buddha stood up from his samadhi and began to preach
even though no one had asked him anything. This is called "teaching
of the Buddha's own accord without being asked."
If a teaching is especially deep, its content will be beyond people's
consideration. Thus they will not even be able to ask questions about
it. Shakyamuni therefore chose Shariputra, "foremost in wisdom,"
and began to preach to him one-sidedly. This indicates how
important and profound are the doctrines in the Hoben Chapter.

"Shobut-chie. Jinjin muryo. Go chi-e mon. Nange nannyu."
Translation:
The wisdom of the Buddhas is incomparably profound and
immeasurable. The gate to this wisdom is difficult to understand and
difficult to enter.
Explanation:
The Japanese word "chi-e" in this passage has been translated
"wisdom," since both its characters (chi and e) roughly mean wisdom.
The "Daijo Gisho" of Kumarajiva contains this passage about the true
wisdom of the Buddha: "'To illuminate and see' we call 'chi,' and 'to
completely understand' we term 'e.'"
"To illuminate and see" means to view the differences between all
things. In other words, the character "chi" indicates viewing the
entire realm of the ultimate reality (universe) from the aspect of
discrimination. "To completely understand" means to view from the
aspect of sameness; thus, the character "e" means to view everything
from the aspect of equality. The true wisdom of the Buddha is
incomparably profound and immeasurable; the Buddha sees through
to the ultimate truth of all phenomena correctly Ñ from both aspects
without leaning to either side.
"Jinjin" (incomparably profound) means to be exceedingly deep, or
boundless in the vertical direction, penetrating all truths. "Muryo"
(immeasurable) means to have limitless width in the horizontal
direction.
"The gate to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to
enter" ultimately means that it is impossible to jump right into the
realm of the Buddha's wisdom with the wisdom of a common mortal.
In the end, there is no way for us to enter except through faith.

"Issai shomon. Hyakushibutsu. Sho fu no chi."
Translation:
None of the shravakas or pratyekabuddhas are able understand it.
(or: None of the people of learning or self-attained realization are
able to understand it.)
The original Sanskrit Buddhist term for "people of learning" is
"shravaka," which is "shomon" in Japanese. This term literally means
"one who hears the voice," in other words, one who hears the Law.
(Thus shomon is written with Chinese characters that mean "voice-
hearer.") The shravaka are disciples who completely eliminate the
illusions of thought and desire of the threefold realm. Among
Shakyamuni's disciples this category included Shariputra, who was
foremost in learning, Ananda, who was foremost in hearing the
sermons of Shakyamuni, and Maudgalyayana, who was foremost in
supernatural powers.
The original Sanskrit Buddhist term for "people of self-attained
realization" is pratyekabuddha. (The word "hyakushibutsu" is the
transliteration of that term into Chinese characters as pronounced in
Japanese.) In Japanese, "engaku" is the term that is usually used for
pratyekabuddha. Pratyekabuddhas, like shravakas, eliminate
illusions of thought and desire, but they do this by achieving
realization on their own, through some relation such as seeing leaves
fall. (Thus engaku is written with Chinese characters that mean
"relation-awakening.") However, pratyekabuddhas are even stricter
than the shravakas. They also eliminate the faint, unconscious
movements of the mind that remain as remnants of the illusions of
thought and desire, in the same way that the scent of incense still
lingers in one's clothing, etc., even after the incense has burned
completely. Thus, as disciples they are one stage higher than the
shravakas.
Reaching the levels of shravaka or pratyekabuddha (which are
known as the two vehicles) is the result of an extremely long and
arduous practice. It is very seldom that anyone achieves this.
However, even if one were to reach these levels of learning, one
would still not know the method for attaining the wisdom of a
Buddha. Shravakas and pratyekabuddhas eliminate all earthly
desires and also accumulate a great deal of practice and learning.
However, they practice and study for themselves alone in order to
break free of the cycle of birth and death among the six paths. They
lack the compassion and motivation to widely save many living
beings. Their situation is as if they have fallen into a big hole with no
way to get out. For this reason, they cannot attain Buddhahood.
Even with faith in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, one will never
understand the Daishonin's Buddhism as long as one only maintains
faith for oneself alone. We must reflect on ourselves to see if we are
merely repeating the theories of Buddhism, to see if we are lacking
in the real feeling to propagate True Buddhism so as to enable people
in other religions to take faith in the True Law. In order to truly
awaken to Buddhism and attain Buddhahood one must trust, respect,
and follow the High Priest, who has inherited the Heritage, propagate
Buddhism under one's direct teacher (chief priest, etc.) and
encounter various troubles and difficulties.

"Sho-i sha ga. Butsu zo shingon. Hyaku-sen-man-noku. Mushu
shobutsu. Jin gyo shobutsu. Muryo doho. Yumyo shojin. Myosho fu
mon. Joju jinjin. Mizo-u ho. Zui gi sho setsu. Ishu nange."
Translation:
Why is this? A Buddha has personally attended a hundred, a
thousand, ten thousand, a million, a countless number of Buddhas
and has fully carried out an immeasurable number of religious
practices. He has exerted himself bravely and vigorously, and his
name is universally known. He has realized the Law that is profound
and never known before, and preaches it in accordance with what is
appropriate, yet his intention is difficult to understand. (Watson, The
Lotus Sutra, p. 23-4)
Explanation:
Why is the wisdom of the Buddha so profound? In the past, the
Buddha intimately approached innumerable Buddhas Ñ a hundred,
thousand, ten thousand, million Ñ and thoroughly carried out
Buddhist practices such as the practices of wisdom and endurance,
and devoted himself courageously and energetically to each of these
paths. As a result, his name became admired not only in this impure
saha world, but also in all worlds throughout the ten directions.
To "fully carry out" means to endeavor by putting one's whole heart
and soul into something and to do one's best. It is very important
that we endeavor this way in our practice of Buddhism, until it
penetrates into our faith.
This portion of the Hoben Chapter contains the phrase "yumyo
shojin," which is translated here, "exert oneself bravely and
vigorously." Nichikan Shonin explains the meaning of this phrase in
his work "Interpretation Based on the Law,"4 saying that yu
(courage) means to boldly carry out, myo (valiant) means to exhaust
all one's wisdom, sho (pure energy) means to exert oneself with a
pure, unadulterated heart, and jin (progress) means to move forward
continuously without a break. Yumyo is to endeavor bravely in faith,
and shojin is to embrace the Gohonzon wholeheartedly and chant
Daimoku without mixing in anything else. The Buddha teaches the
Law to save infinite varieties of living beings in accordance with the
people and the time, using the Supreme Law never before known.
This Supreme Law cannot be understood at all even by shravakas,
pratyekabuddhas, or bodhisattvas. This mind of the Buddha can
never be fathomed by common mortals.

"Sharihotsu. Go ju jobutsu irai. Shuju innen. Shuju hiyu. Ko en gonkyo.
Mushu hoben. Indo Shujo. Ryo ri shojaku."
Translation:
Shariputra, since I attained Buddhahood, through using various
causes and relations and various similes I have widely set forth the
spoken teachings, and have led the people using innumerable
expedient means to enable them to separate from their attachments.
Explanation:
Shariputra, in the forty-some years since I attained Buddhahood, I
have taught the various causes and relations that span the three
existences of past, present and future of various people. Or, I have
lead people by teaching them using various similes, and I have
exerted myself to make them uphold Buddhism by separating them
from their mind to neglect Buddhist practice. They neglect Buddhist
practice because they are so attached to trivial things that it is as if
they live in a dream.
When people cannot attain Buddhahood even though they embrace
the True Law it is because they are attached to trivial things. Thus it
is important to remove those attachments. Buddhism enables us to
get rid of foolish, mistaken attachments by correctly penetrating
through to the ultimate truth of all phenomena. Buddhism teaches
and leads us along the practice of Buddhism one step at time in order
for us to have the same mind as the Buddha.

"Shoi shaga. Nyorai hoben. Chiken haramitsu. Kai i gusoku."
Translation:
Why is this? Because the Thus Come One is fully possessed of
expedient means and the paramita of knowledge and insight.
Explanation:
The Buddha possesses each and every kind of expedient means and
the paramita of knowledge and insight. "Chiken" is the Buddhist term
that has been translated as "knowledge and insight." The "chi" of
chiken means to realize with the mind, while the "ken" means to see
with the eye of the five sense organs. That is, "chiken" means the
power to see through to the truth with wisdom. The word paramita
means to cross over to the opposite shore, that is, to receive or be
made to receive enlightenment. In the first part of the "Annotations
on the Lotus Sutra" the Daishonin teaches:
Therefore, "chiken" (knowledge and insight) is the Mystic Law. It is
to open the mind of the Buddha, which possesses the nine worlds,
through the chiken (knowledge and insight) of the Lotus Sutra.
(Shinpen, p. 1728)
Ultimately, "chiken" means that the world of Buddhahood also exists
within the common mortal. It means to see through to the truth that
one can attain Buddhahood. The Buddha correctly discerns not only
all truths, but also that all living beings possess Buddhahood, and he
possesses the power to make all attain Buddhahood.

"Sho-i shoho. Nyoze so. Nyoze sho. Nyoze tai. Nyoze riki. Nyoze sa.
Nyoze in. Nyoze en. Nyoze ka. Nyoze ho. Nyoze honmak-kukyo to."
Translation:
That is to say, all phenomena [have] the suchness of their
appearance, the suchness of their nature, the suchness of their entity,
the suchness of their power, the suchness of their influence, the
suchness of their cause, the suchness of their relation, the suchness
of their effect, the suchness of their retribution, the suchness of
absolute identity of beginning and end.
Explanation:
The ultimate truth of the universe is such that when all things are
viewed in terms of cause and effect, they possess ten "suchnesses" Ñ
the ten aspects of appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, cause,
relation, effect, retribution, and absolute identity of beginning and
end. (These "ten suchnesses" have also been called the "ten factors of
life.") The "beginning" (appearance, nature, and entity) and the "end"
(effect and retribution) are always equal.
These ten factors are all possessed by each of the ten worlds, making
one hundred factors. Since the ten worlds are all each endowed with
the ten worlds, this makes one thousand factors. And since these
possess the three realms of existence (the realms of living beings,
land, and five components), this makes three thousand factors.
Moreover, the aspects of all three thousand (sanzen) are within our
"one mind" (ichinen).
"Absolute identity of beginning and end" means that the beginning
and end are, in the last analysis, equal. The first of the ten factors
(appearance) may be regarded as "beginning" and the last
(retribution) as "end"; or, appearance, nature, and entity may be
regarded as "beginning" and the last seven of the ten factors as "end";
or, the first three factors may be regarded as the Thus Come One of
original enlightenment and the last seven factors as the living beings
of the nine worlds Ñ in any case, the beginning and end are always
absolutely identical, or equal.

About the "Ten Factors of Life"
"Appearance" is outward appearance. "Nature" is natural disposition
that exists within; characteristics that are not easily changed, such as
water being cool and fire being hot. "The Threefold Secret Teaching"5
by Nichikan Shonin teaches, "nature" is that which is fixed in the
inner heart and will not change in future existences.
"Entity" is the physical constitution that makes up the body, the
substance of things. In the "Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra"6
there is a passage that states, "The principle quality is termed the
'entity'."
"Power" is the functioning brought about by the uniting of body and
mind. "Influence" is action that the immanent power does in relation
to the outside. "Cause" is a condition that produces an effect. For
example, a cause would be setting firewood on fire. The effect would
be the end result, when the firewood has completely burned up and
turned to ashes. But the firewood will burn more easily if favorable
conditions (such as putting on oil and dryness) are added, while the
fire will go out midway if bad conditions (such as becoming wet) are
added. Conditions that are added midway are "relation." They alter
the ultimate effect. "Effect" is the end result that is brought about by
"relation" added to "cause." "Retribution" is the reward or
punishment received owing to the effect. For example, causing an
accident is a cause, while becoming physically handicapped as a
result is an effect. And suffering for a long time because of that is
retribution.7 The "absolute identity of beginning and end" means
that with the first of these, "appearance," there is beginning and with
the last of these, "retribution," there is end; if the beginning is bad,
this will give rise to a bad effect. A bad effect will in turn become a
bad cause. And since this bad cause will also give rise to a bad effect,
it is said that the beginning and end are ultimately identical.
The Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, "With the ultimate truth there is
sure to be all phenomena; with all phenomena, there is sure to be the
ten factors; with the ten factors, there is sure to be the ten worlds;
with the ten worlds, there is sure to be the body and land."8 These
are called the "four certainties." The ultimate truth is the true aspect
in all nature in the universe. If all things in nature are viewed in
terms of cause and effect, they will definitely possess the ten aspects.
If viewed from another angle, they will be portioned into ten worlds,
from hell at the bottom to Buddhahood at the top. Moreover, if the
ten worlds exist, so will the place where they exist, the realm of the
land. All of these things are ultimately identical.
It is not only that the ten worlds all mutually possess each other. The
land also possesses the ten worlds and the ten factors. The ten
factors possess the ten worlds, the land, and the three realms of
existence. The mutual possession of the ten worlds makes one
hundred worlds; that they possess the ten factors makes one
thousand factors, and that they possess the three realms of existence
(living beings, land, and five components) results in the quantity of
three thousand realms (sanzen) in one mind (ichinen). (This has also
been termed "three thousand realms in a single moment of life.")
This is the makeup of ichinen sanzen. Strictly speaking, "three
thousand" means infinite, since it designates all phenomena.
The ultimate truth is in itself all phenomena; this expands outward to
three thousand realms, becoming ichinen sanzen Ñ "three thousand
[realms] in one mind." The one ultimate truth, which is the source, is
in itself "three thousand realms in a single moment of life" (ichinen
sanzen). Hence the source passage for the theory of ichinen sanzen is
this passage in the Hoben Chapter about the ten factors, which
contains the meaning that everything is within a single moment of
life. The deep significance of ichinen sanzen is particularly indicated
in the final words of this passage, "ultimately identical."

1. Kaiketsu, p. 84.
2. The "Ongi Kuden." A translation of the full formal title of the "Ongi
Kuden" is "Oral Transmission of Annotations on the Lotus Sutra."
3. The game of "go" is a board game in which two opponents place
round stones on a board with a grid on it (one person uses white
stones and the other uses black). If a player uses his own stones to
surround one of the other person's stones, it is said that the stone
"dies." (It is removed from the board.) One can also make a whole
group of the opponent's stones die by surrounding the whole group.
4. The "Egi Hanmon Sho," one of the Six Volume Writings of Twenty-
sixth High Priest Nichikan Shonin. The term "egi hanmon" means "to
interpret the words of the sutras based on the deep meaning hidden
within."
5. The "Sanju Hiden Sho," one of the Six Volume Writings of Twenty-
sixth High Priest Nichikan Shonin.
6. The "Hokke Gengi" by the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai.
7. The English word "retribution" may refer to both good and bad
things that are received. It has been used in that sense here.
8. For reference, please see M.W. 1, p. 89 for another translation of
this quote.

©1995 Nichiren Shoshu Monthly. All rights reserved

9:06 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

eau de la sagesse (chisui, 智水). Métaphore du pouvoir de la sagesse de laver les désirs terrestres et les illusions. Généralement il s'agit de la sagesse du Bouddha.

Eben, 恵便 (coréen Hyepyon). Moine du VIe siècle originaire de Koguryo, ancien état de la péninsule coréenne. Il était moine lorsqu'il arriva au Japon, mais le bouddhisme ne s'y étant pas encore répandu, il retourna à la vie séculière. En 584, Kafuka (Noksim) fit le même voyage en transportant deux statues des bouddhas Manjushri et Shakyamuni. Soga no Umako, fonctionnaire à la cour, enchâssa ces deux statues et ordonna à Shiba Tatsuto de rechercher un moine bouddhiste. Eben put alors retourner à la vie religieuse sous la protection de Soga.

Ebisu ou Yebisu. Divinité de la bonne fortune et de l'océan particulièrement vénérée pas les pêcheurs.


Echi, (依智). Lieu situé dans ce qui est maintenant la ville d'Atsugi où Honma Rokuro Zaemon, vice gouverneur de Sado, avait sa résidence principale. Après l'échec de la tentative de décapitation à Tatsunokuchi, Nichiren fut gardé à vue pendant un mois sur le domaine de Honma, à Echi, avant de partir pour l'île de Sado, le 10e jour du 10e mois 1271.


Ecoles bouddhiques citées par Nichiren
Hokke shu = école Tendai avant le syncrétisme Shingon
Hosso
Jojitsu
Kegon Guirlande de fleurs
Kusha
Rinzai
Ritsu (Préceptes)
Shingon (Paroles Véritables, Ecole des Mystères)
Terre pure (Jodo shu)
Tiantai (Tendai)
Sanron shu (Ecole des Trois Traités)
Zen
Voir le gosho Traité sur la dette de reconnaissance ainsi que le tableau comparatif des différentes écoles

Ecoles bouddhiques se réclamant actuellement de Nichiren (liste non exhaustive)
1) Ecole Minobu provenant de Mimbu Ajari Niko, supérieur du temple Kuon-ji. Son école rejeta la pratique de shakubuku et adopta celle de shoju. Pendant la période Edo (1600-1867), Minobu bénéficia du soutien du gouvernement Toku-gawa et étendit son influence. Avant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, de nombreuses petites écoles Nichiren furent absorbées par cette école à la suite des efforts du gouvernement pour unifier les groupes religieux.
2) L'école Nichiro, fondée par Nichiro et ses disciples. A l'origine, elle était basée au temple Hommon-ji à Ikegami et au temple Myohon-ji à Hikigayatsu, à Kamakura. Vers la fin de la période Kamakura (1185-1333), le disciple de Nichiro, Nichizo, se rendit à Kyoto pour y propager les enseignements. Bien qu'expulsé à diverses reprises en raison des pressions exercées par les autres écoles, il finit par obtenir gain de cause et par construire le temple Myoken-ji. L'empereur lui donna un terrain à Shijo, à Kyoto. Son école s'appela donc l'école Shijo. D'autres branches de l'école Nichiro comprennent les écoles Happon ou Hommon Hokke Shu, Butsuryu Shu, Hokke Shu Shimmon, Fuju Fuse Komon, Jimmon, et quelques autres.
3) L'école Nakayama, à l'origine centrée autour de trois temples à Shimosa, le Marna Guho-ji, le Nakayama Hommyo-ji et le Wakamiya Hokke-ji. Le Nakayama Hommyo-ji fut la résidence de Ota Jomyo, le Wakamiya Hokke-ji, le temple familial de Toki Jonin. Le fils de Ota, Nikko (à ne pas confondre avec le second patriarche de la Nichiren Shoshu) exerça les fonctions de supérieur dans les deux lieux. Le Marna Guho-ji fut d'abord un temple Tendai; quand Toki Jonin le convertit, son fils adoptif Nitcho, qui était également l'un des six disciples aînés de Nichiren, en devint le principal. Mais Toki Jonin et lui tombèrent en disgrâce. Nichiju, fils légitime du seigneur Toki, en devint alors le principal. Bien plus tard, Nitchu et son disciple, Nichigen, propagèrent la doctrine de l'école Nakayama à Kyoto. Selon certains, Nichiju, le fondateur de l'école Jumon, aurait tout d'abord étudié la doctrine Nakayama.
4) L'école Hama, ou école Nissho, provenant de Nissho et de ses disciples. A l'origine, elle fut centrée autour des temples Hamado Hokke-ji et Myoho-ji à Kamakura. Plus tard, elle fut affiliée à l'école Minobu et prit le nom de Nichiren Shu, branche de Minobu.
N.B. la Soka Gakkai n'est pas une école religieuse mais un mouvement laïc lié à l'origine à la Nichiren Shoshu mais dont elle s'est séparée officiellement en 1991. Voir différentes lignées nichireniennes

Ecole de la Terre Pure (Jodo shu)

Ecole des Mystères (Paroles Véritables, Shingon)

Ecoles de Chine du Nord et du Sud

écrits de l'extérieur ou écrits profanes. Les écrits non bouddhiques, tels que ceux du brahmanisme ou du confucianisme.

écrits de l'intérieur ou écrits sacrés. Les sutras bouddhiques.

écrits de Nichiren

effet fondamental ou principe mystique de l'effet fondamental (honga-myo). L'Eveil primordial de Shakyamuni. Un des dix principes mystiques de l'enseignement essentiel (honmon) formulés par Zhiyi dans le Hokke Gengi. Il est indiqué dans un passage du chapitre XVI du Sutra du Lotus qui dit: "Depuis que j'ai atteint la boddhéité, une période inimaginablement longue s'est écoulée." Dans le bouddhisme de Nichiren, il désigne l'Eveil du Bouddha primordial qui est sans commencement ni fin. Cf. Trois principes mystiques.

égalités [trois]

egibuego (selon la signification et non les mots)

ego (ga, atma)

eho Le monde objectif ou l'environnement non sensible. Ce terme est utilisé par opposition à shoho, l'individualité vivante ou subjective. Ils représentent tous deux des phases inséparables d'une même entité de vie. Le "e" de eho signifie "dépendre", indiquant ainsi que l'être vivant dépend de son environnement. "Ho" signifie effet manifeste, c'est-à-dire que la rétribution karmique prend forme dans cet environnement. Cf. Non-dualité de la vie et de son environnement.

eho fu ejin (selon le Dharma et non la personne, Dharma et non la personne)

echi fu eshiki (selon la sagesse et non les jugements)Eikan voir Yokan

Eihei-ji. Temple principal de l'école zen Soto, fondé en 1244 par Dogen. Son architécture se caractèrise par les passages couverts qui relient entre eux les 70 bâtiments.


Eisai, 栄西 (Yosai Myosan Eisai - 1141-1214), déclaré à titre posthume Senko Kokushi (Maître de la Nation Senko), fondateur de l'école Zen Rinzai au Japon. Dans sa jeunesse, il reçut les préceptes au mont Hiei. Il fit deux voyages en Chine, en 1168 et 1187, et en rapporta la doctrine Zen de l'école Linji (Rinzai). Le Shofuku-ji, qu'il a fondé en 1195, est considéré comme le premier temple Zen du Japon. L'opposition des moines Tendai du mont Hiei rendant difficile la propagation de sa doctrine à Kyoto, il se rendit à Kamakura où il construisit le temple Jufuku-ji et se consacra à la propagation. Il obtint également le soutien du shogun Minamoto no Yoriie et, grâce à lui, put fonder le Kennin-ji à Kyoto. Dans cette ville, il ressentit la nécessité de transiger avec les écoles anciennes; le Kennin-ji, par exemple, ne fut jamais une institution exclusivement Zen mais inclut des lieux où l'on pratiquait le Tendai et le Shingon. Sans être le premier à avoir introduit les idées Zen au Japon, Eisai est celui que l'on tient pour responsable de la formation du Zen en tant qu'école indépendante. Ses ouvrages comprennent le Kozen Gokoku Ron et le Kissa Yojo Ki (Boire du thé pour améliorer sa santé et prolonger sa vie).Il aurait rapporté de Chine des feuilles de thé rendant cette boisson populaire à cour.


Eizon ou Eison, 叡尊 ou Shien, 思円 (1201-1290). Rénovateur de l'école Ritsu pendant la période Kamakura. Il étudia d'abord le bouddhisme ésotérique mais, déçu par le déclin des préceptes bouddhiques, passa son temps à les étudier au temple Todai-ji. Il gagna de nombreux partisans à la cour et parmi les fonctionnaires du shogunat, et conféra les ordres à un grand nombre de personnes selon le rite Ritsu. Il procéda aussi à une cérémonie de prières ésotériques pour écarter l'invasion mongole. Il reçut le titre posthume de bodhisattva Kosho. Il eut pour disciple Ryokan du temple Gokuraku-ji.


Ekan, 慧灌 (coréen Hyekwan, Huaigan). Fondateur de l'école Sanron au Japon. Il naquit au VIIe siècle au Koguryo, royaume de la péninsule coréenne. Il se rendit en Chine sous la dynastie des Sui et y étudia les doctrines de l'école Sanlun (Sanron) sous la direction de Jizang. En 625, il vint au Japon et vécut à Nara, dans le temple Gango-ji, où il commenta le Chu Ron, le Junimon Ron et le Hyaku Ron, les trois traités sur lesquels se base l'école Sanron. Bien que les prêtres coréens Eji (coréen Hyecha) et Kanroku (Kwalluk) aient introduit la doctrine Sanron au Japon avant Ekan, c'est ce dernier qui, de par ses explications systématiques, contribua à la fondation de l'école de ce nom. Il fit des prières pour obtenir la pluie qui eurent leurs effets, aussi fut-il nommé administrateur des moines (sojo). Il fonda également le temple Ikami-dera dans la province de Kawachi.

Ekavyavaharika : une des branches du Mahasanghika, soutenant que les choses et tous les phénomènes ne sont que des noms et n'ont pas de nature intrinsèque.

éléments [cinq] (goün, punca skandha)

éléments [quatre grands]

éléphant [parabole de l'] : parabole qui se trouve dans le 32e volume du Sutra du Nirvana. Un roi demande à son Premier ministre de présenter un éléphant à des aveugles, de les laisser le toucher et de leur demander de le décrire. L'un des aveugles, qui avait posé les mains sur le ventre de l'éléphant, dit qu'il a la forme d'un pot; un autre qui a touché sa queue, dit qu'il a la forme d'une corde; un troisième, ayant touché la trompe, est prêt à jurer qu'il a la forme d'un pilon, etc. Dans cette parabole, Shakyamuni comparait le roi, qui connaissait la vérité à la sagesse du Bouddha, le Premier ministre au Sutra du Nirvana, l'éléphant à l'état de bouddha, et les aveugles, ignorant l'état de bouddha, au commun des mortels dans l'illusion.


Ema Mitsutoki 江間光時 ou Hojo Mitsutoki. Petit-fils de Hojo Yoshitoki (second régent du gouvernement de Kamakura) et fils de Hojo Tomotoki. Il fut seigneur de Shijo Kingo et gouverneur de la province d'Echigo. En 1246, soupçonné de fomenter une rébellion contre le régent Hojo Tokiyori, il fut exilé à Izu puis pardonné. Son fils, Hojo Chikatoki, répondait également au nom de Ema no Shiro.

émanations d'un bouddha atemporel (funjin, 分身). Bouddhas qui sont des manifestations multiples, distinctes et provisoires d'un seul bouddha éternel. Le terme japonais pour émanation, funjin, 分, signifie littéralement "corps fractionné". Selon la croyance du Mahayana, un véritable bouddha qui a révélé l'éternité de sa vie peut diviser son corps à l'infini, et apparaître dans d'innombrables mondes à la fois, pour sauver ceux qui les habitent. Dans le chapitre XI du Sutra du Lotus, Shakyamuni rappelle à lui, de tous les points de l'univers, les bouddhas qui sont ses émanations.

Embudai (Jambudvipa)

Emma (Maître de l'enfer, Yama)

émouchoir : sorte de chasse-mouches, généralement constitué de plumes.


empereurs du Japon au temps de Nichiren : Go-Horikawa 1221-1232; Shijo 1232-1242; Go-Saga 1232-1242; Go-Fukakusa 1246-1259; Kameyama 1259-1274 Go-Uda 1274-1287; Fushimi 1288-1298. En savoir plus.

en accord avec l'esprit des autres (zuitai) voir enseignements provisoires

encens voir gandha

Enchi : moine du Seicho-ji, où Nichiren avait reçu l'ordination. Il nourrissait dans son coeur une forte opposition à Nichiren et connut une fin misérable.

Enchin, 円, dit Chisho, 智証 ou Chisho Daishi (814-891). Cinquième patriarche du temple Enryaku-ji, temple principal de l'école Tendai-Shingon. Il naquit dans la province de Sanuki et fut un des neveux de Kukai, fondateur du Shingon. Il entra d'abord à l'Enryaku-ji pour y étudier et pratiquer les doctrines ésotérique et exotérique sous la direction de Gishin. En 853, il se rendit en Chine des Tang, s'installa au mont Tiantai où, sous la direction de Shan-wuwei, il étudia les traités de l'école Tiantai et apprit à pratiquer les techniques de concentration (samadhi) et de méditation (dhyana). Il étudia également au temple Qinglong-si où il se consacra à l'étude des doctrines ésotériques des mandalas du Monde de la Matrice et du Monde du Diamant sous la direction de Faquan. De retour au Japon, il s'installa au mont Hiei où il conduisit souvent des rituels ésotériques. En 868, il devint supérieur du temple Enryaku-ji. Il fit aussi construire, au temple Onjo-ji, la salle où devaient avoir lieu les cérémonies ésotériques d'onction. Il est l'auteur du Hokke Ron Ki (Commentaires du Hokke Ron), du Juketsu Shu et du Dainichikyo Shiiki (Notes à propos du Sutra Vairochana). Près de cent ans après sa mort, des moines de sa lignée se séparèrent du mont Hiei et fondèrent leur propre école, le Jimon (Ordre du Temple). Sur le plan doctrinaire, Enchin affirma que le Sutra du Lotus exposait la vérité et que celle-ci était équivalente à l'enseignement ésotérique. De plus, il assimila le bouddha Shakyamuni au bouddha Vairocana


Encho, 円, dit Jakko Daishi (771-836). Deuxième grand patriarche du Enryaku-ji, temple principal de l'école Tendai. Disciple de Dochu puis de Saicho. Il modifia la doctrine du Tendai en y incorporant les enseignements du Shingon. La transmission par les textes (Sutra du Lotus) fut remplacée par la transmission "face à face" inspirée du Zen.

Endo Saemon-no-jo, 遠藤左衛門. Disciple laïc de Nichiren. Probablement un samoura. Il vivait à Sado et Nichiren lui a adressé une lettre pour l'aide qu'il en a reçu durant son exil.

enfants de bouddha (busshi, 仏子). Disciples du Bouddha. Dans les sutras, ce terme s'applique particulièrement aux bodhisattvas. A partir du Sutra du Lotus il désigne tous les êtres, en ce qu' ils possèdent potentiellement la nature de bouddha.

enfer (jigoku, 地獄, naraka ou niraya). Dans la cosmologie indienne, il existe:
- 8 grands enfers glacés (hakkan-jigoku, 八寒地獄, hahava, atata, halala, ababa appelés ainsi d'après les cris poussés par ceux qui y souffrent; puis enfer du lotus bleu, du lotus rouge (guren), du lotus écarlate (daiguren), du lotus blanc qui tirent leur nom de la couleur de la chair quand le froid la fait éclater
- 8 grands enfers brûlants (hachinetsu-jigoku, 八熱地獄): enfer des excréments, enfer des mesures, enfer du mortier, enfer du coq de flammes, enfer du nuage noir, enfer du pus et du sang.
Selon les régions de l'Inde, le nombre et les descriptions des enfers varient et les fautes qui y conduisent également. Dans le volume 6 de son Hokke Gengi, Zhiyi distingue 136 sortes d'enfers: huit enfers majeurs, chacun ayant seize enfers subsidiaires. Le dernier, et le pire des huit enfers majeurs, est l'enfer des souffrances incessantes (avici).
A la différence des enfers occidentaux de la même époque, la notion de karma en fait des endroits de tourments temporaires et non pas éternels. Un être tombe en enfer selon la loi de causalité: les violents subissent des violences à leur tour, les menteurs coupables de duplicité sont sciés comme des troncs d'arbre, etc. Mais lorsque les conséquences de leurs actes arrivent à leur terme, les êtres sont libérés de l'enfer et peuvent renaître dans des "mondes" différents. Le bouddhisme du Sutra du Lotus modifie la vision de l'enfer en plaçant ce "monde" dans le système dynamique d'ichinen sanzen (une pensée - 3000). Tout enfer est dès lors un "état de vie" qui comporte, à l'état latent, 3000 possibilités dont l'état de bouddha. C'est une façon de signifier que la pire souffrance peut être transformée et que d'elle peut naître l'état de bouddha. Voir dix mondes.


enfer avici ou enfer aux souffrances incessantes ou enfer des souffrances sans rémission (abi, 阿鼻地獄, mukenjigoku, 無間地獄, avici ou avichi, appelé également grande citadelle des souffrances sans fin, (abi-daijode, 阿鼻大城 ou mukendaijo, 無間大城). Dans la cosmologie indienne, c'est le plus terrible des huit enfers de feu. Ceux qui y tombent souffrent sans connaître le moindre répit et renaissent avec un karma qui les mène de nouveau en enfer. Y tombent ceux qui commettent les cinq fautes cardinales. Pour Nichiren, c'est l'enfer de ceux qui détruisent l'enseignement du Sutra du Lotus, refusant d'admettre que l'état de bouddha est inhérent à toute vie, le situant en dehors de soi et accessible par des pratiques magiques. Sur le plan psychologique, c'est l'impasse à laquelle on aboutit en voulant détruire l'autre pour un problème qui n'est dû qu'à soi.


enfer [monde-état d'] (jigoku-kai, 地獄界). La première et la plus basse des trois mauvaises voies et des Dix mondes-états. En tant qu'état de vie, l'enfer est une condition de souffrance mentale ou physique extrême, caractérisée par une pulsion destructrice, la rage de se détruire et de tout détruire avec soi.(Voir: enfer dans la cosmologie indienne).

engaku (éveillé pour soi, pratyekabuddha)

Engaku-ji 円覚寺 (Zuirokuzan Dai-Engaku Kosho Zenji). Temple principal de la branche Engaku-ji du Zen Rinzai, construit par Hojo Tokimune en 1282. Les tentatives d'invasion mongoles de 1274 et 1281 avaient échoué mais en entraînant la mort de dizaines de milliers de soldats. Tokimune fit construire ce temple pour le salut des âmes des soldats morts, y compris celles des ennemis et invita le moine Mugaku Sogen (1226-1286 ), un moine chinois, au titre de moine fondateur. Le temple fut prospère tout au long de la période de Kamakura en particulier du fait de la protection de Tokimune et du succès du Zen parmi la classe des samouraïs. On y. Ce temple, où on vénérait la statue de Shakyamuni couronné, fut désigné lieu officiel de prière par le gouvernement de Kamakura et considéré comme l'un des cinq principaux temples Rinzai de Kamakura.


engyo (doctrine parfaite) voir huit enseignements

Enma (Maître de l'enfer, Yama)

Enniou Bennen, 円爾 (1202-1280). Moine Zen Rinzai. Après son retour de Chine où il passa six ans, il enseigna la doctrine Zen à la cour et obtint le soutien de la noblesse, devenant le premier supérieur du Tofuku-ji, temple construit à Kyoto par Fujiwara no Michiie. Sa lignée est appelée la branche Tofuku-ji du Rinzai. La Cour impériale lui donna le nom posthume de Shoichi Kokushi (Maître de la nation Shoichi).

Ennin, 円仁 ou Jikaku, 慈覚 (Eveil compassionnel) ou Jikaku Daishi, 慈覺大師 (Grand-maître Jikaku), (794 - 866? ou 864). Moine d'obédience Tendai. Troisième supérieur du temple Enryaku-ji. Il naquit dans la province de Shimotsuke et étudia sous la direction de Kochi au temple Daiji-ji. A 15 ans, il devient disciple de Saicho (Dengyo) au mont Hiei. Vers 814, une cérémonie lui conféra la position de ajari (acarya). En 838, il arrive en Chine où un long périple assez aventureux lui permet d'apprendre le sanskrit et d'étudier différents aspects du bouddhisme. Il est oint par Quan-ya au cours d'un rituel shingon conférant un statut ésotérique. Il reçoit également une copie du Maka Shikan des mains de Zhiyuan au mont Wutai. Il se rend à Changan, où Yuanzheng, Yizhen et Faquan lui confient les doctrines ésotériques du Monde du Diamant et du Monde de la Matrice. Il étudie aussi les doctrines de l'école Tiantai sous la direction de Zong-ying. De retour au Japon en 847, il est nommé supérieur de l'Enryakuji. Il mêle aux doctrines du Tendai des enseignements du Shingon. Il place le Sutra Vairocana à la première place, et le Sutra du Lotus à la deuxième, parmi tous les sutras. Bien que Saicho ait désigné le Sutra du Lotus et les sutras Konkomyo et Ninno, Ennin désigne à leur place les sutras ésotériques Vairocana, Soshitsuji et Kongoch7o comme les trois sutras de base pour protéger le pays. Il considérait le bouddha Vairocana du Monde du Diamant comme objet de culte et révérait Shan-Wuwei comme son maître. On lui doit, entre autres le Nittoguho-junreiko-ki 入唐求法巡礼行記, (Pèlerinage en Chine à la recherche du Dharma).


En no Ozunu ( 役小角) ou En no Ubasoku ou En no Gyoja (né en 634?). Considéré comme le fondateur du Shugendo, bien qu'il n'ait jamais crée d'école. Sa vie est presque entièrement composée de légendes : il vole dans les airs, marche sur les eaux, etc. Il a passé une trentaine d'années au mont Katsuragi où il enchâssa dans une grotte, une statue du dieu Roi-Paon (Shin Kujaku-o), et s'engagea dans la récitation de formules magiques afin d'acquérir des pouvoirs occultes. En 699, il fut exilé à Izu mais fut plus tard pardonné. Le lieu de sa mort reste inconnu. Il est l'initiateur d'un grand nombre de temples dans la région actuelle du Kinki, dont le centre est Kyoto. Il existe encore quelques écoles (principalement kurdes) qui suivent ses pratiques.

Enryaku-ji 延暦寺. Temple principal de l'école Tendai. Voir Mont Hiei.


Ensai, 円載 (? - 877). Moine de l'école Tendai, disciple de Saicho. En 839, il effectua un pélerinage sur le Mont Tiantai en Chine où il soumit une liste de 30 ou 50 questions préparées au Enryaku-ji, son temple d'origine. Ayant reçu des réponses, il renvoya au Japon deux disciples. Lui-même resta en Chine pendant près de quarante ans. Il périt en mer lors d'une tempête, alors qu'il revenait au Japon avec de nombreux textes bouddhiques et confucéens.

enseignements antérieurs [au Sutra du Lotus] (nizenkyo, 爾前教). Enseignements provisoires exposés avant le Sutra du Lotus, qui correspondent aux sutra des périodes Kegon, Agon, Hodo, Hannya.

enseignement bouddhique (bukkyo, 仏教, buddha-shasana, buddha-sasana). Enseignement du Bouddha Shakyamuni. Shasana signifie doctrine.


enseignement définitif (jikkyo, 実教). L'enseignement dans lequel Shakyamuni révèle directement son Eveil. Le terme est utilisé par opposition à enseignements provisoires ou enseignements que le Bouddha expose temporairement, comme moyen pour conduire les êtres humains à l'enseignement définitif. Zhiyi définit l'enseignement définitif comme étant le Sutra du Lotus

enseignements de la Voie sacrée voir enseignements sacrés

enseignements du Bouddha voir huit enseignements

enseignements du Mahayana provisoire (gon daijokyo, 權大乘教 gondaijo, 權大乘). Le terme semble antérieur aux systèmes de classifications de l’école du mont Tiantai. Toutefois si l’on se rapporte au système des cinq périodes, il désigne la première, Kegon (Guirlande de Fleurs), troisième, Hoto (Déploiement) et quatrième Hannya (Perfection de la prajna) périodes. Ne sont donc pas comprises la période des enseignements du Theravada, Agon (Traditions) ni celle du Lotus et du Nirvana. A la différence du Mahayana définitif, les enseignements provisoires ne révèlent que certains aspects de la vérité exposés par le Bouddha

enseignements (ou sutras) du Mahayana véritable ou Mahayana définitif (jitsu daijokyo, 實大乘教, jitsudaijo, 實大乘). Terme opposé à enseignements du Mahayana provisoire. Enseignement permettant à tous les êtres de devenir bouddha. Dans les sutras du Mahayana provisoire, cette capacité est déniée à certains êtres : les personnes des deux véhicules (nijo) ou bien des femmes, des animaux ou des hommes mauvais. Dans le système de classification de l’école Tiantai, dit des cinq périodes, il désigne la cinquième et dernière période, celle de l’enseignement du Lotus et du Nirvana.

enseignement essentiel ou primordial ou originel (honmon, 本門) Littéralement, hon = origine; mon = portail que l'on doit franchir pour recevoir un enseignement. Doctrine enseignée dans les quatorze chapitres qui constituent la seconde moitié du Sutra du Lotus (du chapitre XV, Surgis de la terre, au chapitre XXVIII, Exhortation du bodhisattva Fugen). Shakyamuni y parle non plus en fonction des capacités de ses disciples mais de sa propre initiative et en fonction de sa propre sagesse, révélant sa nature de Bouddha atemporel. Enseignement généralement mis en parallèle avec l'enseignement théorique (shakumon). En savoir plus

enseignements ésotériques (kenkyo, 顕教). Enseignements révélés secrètement, par opposition aux enseignements exotériques ou explicites. Pour Nichiren ce terme renvoie au classement des enseignements selon la méthode établi par Zhiyi (kegi no shikyo). Ce sont 1) enseignement soudain, tout de suite après son Eveil, tonkyo; 2) enseignement graduel, (zenkyo); 3) enseignement selon les capacités ou secret (zuitai) himitsu, 4) enseignement pour tout être humain à son écoute, fujokyo. On range sous le terme générique d'enseignement ésotérique tous les enseignements que le Bouddha dispense de telle manière que ses auditeurs en tirent un bienfait différent, chacun en fonction de ses capacités, sans même qu'ils en aient conscience.
Au Japon on qualifie d'ésotériques principalement les enseignement du Shingon introduits par Kukai et qui attribuent à Vairocana des propriétés qui ne peuvent être comprises par de simples mortels mais que l'on peut activer par des formules magiques. Il est cependant important de noter que le terme "ésotérique" est la plupart du temps synonyme de "enseignement concret", vérifiable uniquement par la pratique, par opposition à enseignements exotériques qui peuvent être compris par le mental et exprimés verbalement.

enseignements exotériques Enseignements qui furent explicitement révélés, par opposition aux enseignements ésotériques. Le Shingon définit les enseignements de Shakyamuni comme exotériques, et ceux de Vairocana comme ésotériques.

enseignement graduel (zen-kyo) voir quatre méthodes d'enseignements

enseignement indifférencié (fujo-kyo) voir quatre méthodes d'enseignements

enseignement parfait (en-gyo, 円教) ou doctrine "ronde" ou doctrine globale. Suprême enseignement du bouddhisme. En Chine, des théoriciens firent de nombreuses tentatives pour organiser en systèmes cohérents le grand nombre de sutras qui avaient été introduits en désordre de l'Inde. Dans ces systèmes de classification comparative (kyoso-hanjaku), comme on les appelait, le sutra que l'on plaçait au-dessus des autres était l'enseignement parfait. Par exemple, Hui-guang (Eko) divisa les enseignements du bouddhisme en trois catégories (graduelle, abrupte et parfaite) et désigna le Sutra Kegon comme l'enseignement parfait. Zhiyi appela le principe de shoho jisso (la relation mutuellement inclusive de la réalité ultime et de tous les phénomènes) l'enseignement parfait. Il distingua deux sortes de doctrines parfaites: celle qui est exposée dans les enseignements antérieurs au Sutra du Lotus (nizen no en) et celle qu'enseigne le Sutra du Lotus lui-même (hokke no en). Toutes deux affirment qu'il est possible d'atteindre l'état de bouddha en tant que simple mortel. Mais la première ne fait que mentionner cette possibilité, sans donner d'exemple prouvant que cela s'est déjà produit, ou encore énumère diverses exceptions et distinctions. Alors que la deuxième affirme que tout le monde sans exception peut atteindre l'Eveil et illustre ce fait à l'aide d'exemples. Le terme "doctrine parfaite" est souvent utilisé comme synonyme du Sutra du Lotus. Et dans ce dernier cas on parle souvent de doctrine pure et parfaite. Dans ce cas "pure" indique qu'il s'agit d'une doctrine exemplte d'expédients salvifiques.

enseignement, pratique et preuve (kyo gyo sho, 教行証). L'enseignement du Bouddha, la pratique de son enseignement, et la preuve, c'est-à-dire le "bienfait" à strictement parler, l'Eveil qui est le résultat de la pratique de l'enseignement. En savoir plus

enseignements provisoires (gonkyo, 權教). Enseignements que Shakyamuni utilisa comme une étape, un moyen de conduire les êtres à l'enseignement définitif. On les appelle en japonais zuitai (en accord avec l'esprit des autres) parce qu'ils tiennent compte des capacités de ceux à qui ils s'adressent, tandis que l'enseignement définitif est appelé zuiji (en accord avec son propre esprit [celui du Bouddha]) parce que le Bouddha y révèle directement son Eveil. Les enseignements provisoires n'exposent que certains aspects de la vérité à laquelle parvint le bouddha, tandis que l'enseignement définitif énonce la vérité dans son intégralité. Du point de vue de la classification de Zhiyi des enseignements du Bouddha en cinq périodes, les enseignements provisoires correspondent à ceux des quatre premières périodes, soit Kegon, Agon, Hodo et Hannya, et l'enseignement définitif (jikkyo) est celui du Sutra du Lotus.

enseignements sacrés ou enseignements de la Voie sacrée (shodo-mon 聖道門). Enseignements qui affirment qu'une personne parvient à l'Eveil par son propre pouvoir (jiriki). Ces termes sont utilisés en opposition aux enseignements de la Terre pure qui affirment que le salut n'est possible que par l'intercession ou le pouvoir d'un autre (tariki), en l'occurrence le bouddha Amida. La classification des enseignements bouddhiques en ces deux catégories - enseignements de la Voie sacrée et enseignements de la Terre pure - fut formulée par Daochuo dans son Anraku Shu. Il y affirmait que les enseignements de la Voie sacrée étaient trop difficiles et profonds pour le commun des mortels et que seule la pratique du Nembutsu (celle des enseignements de la Terre pure) permettait aux personnes ordinaires d'obtenir le salut.

enseignements sacrés [quatre vingt mille]

enseignements selon les capacités (zuitai, himitsu) voir quatre méthodes d'enseignements

enseignement selon son propre esprit (zuijii, 随自意). Enseignement dispensé par le Bouddha sans tenir compte des capacités de ses auditeurs. C'est le contraire de zuitai, l'enseignement selon les capacités des personnes. Ces deux procédés sont exposés dans le Sutra du Nirvana. Le Sutra du Lotus, où Shakyamuni parle de sa boddhéité et de l'éternité de la vie, appartient aux enseignements donnés selon l'esprit du Bouddha.

enseignement soudain (ton-kyo) voir quatre méthodes d'enseignements

enseignement théorique (doctrine transitoire, doctrine éphémère, shakumon, 迹門). Enseignement des quatorze chapitres qui constituent la première moitié du Sutra du Lotus (du chapitre I, Prologue, au chapitre XIV, Pratiques paisibles). Le chapitre II (Moyens salvifiques) est considéré comme le cœur de cet enseignement théorique et est mis en parallèle avec l'enseignement essentiel (honmon). En savoir plus. Ce qu'en dit Nichiren

enseignement théorique [bodhisattvas de l'] (shakke no bosatsu). Bodhisattvas instruits et guidés par un bouddha provisoire. Dans les enseignements antérieurs au Sutra du Lotus et dans l'enseignement théorique du Sutra du Lotus, Shakyamuni ne révéla pas sa véritable identité, son Eveil dans le lointain passé de gohyaku jintengo. Les bodhisattvas à qui il enseigna sous cette identité provisoire sont appelés bodhisattvas de l'enseignement théorique et leur apparition est prédite dans les deux premiers millénaires après la mort du Bouddha, aux époques du Dharma correct et du Dharma formel. Au contraire, les bodhisattvas Surgis de Terre sont appelés bodhisattvas de l'enseignement essentiel et sont considérés comme ceux à qui incombe la tâche de propager le véritable Dharma à l'époque des Derniers jours du Dharma.

enseignements zuiriki / zuitai voir enseignements provisoires et sutra zuiriki / zuitai

ensemencement (geshu-yaku), maturation (chojuku-yaku), récolte (gedatsu-yaku) ou shu juku datsu ou les trois bienfaits (sanyaku, 三益). Concept tiré du Sutra du Lotus et développé par Zhiyi qui compare le processus par lequel le Bouddha mène les hommes à l'Eveil à la pousse d'une plante. La graine est d'abord plantée dans la terre, puis c'est la germination, la croissance, la maturation et la récolte. De la même façon Shakyamuni a planté la graine de la boddhéité dans la vie de ses disciples dans un passé infini (gohyaku jintengo), il les a nourris en les aidant à s'approcher progressivement de l'Eveil, et enfin il les a amenés à la maturation par l'exposé du chapitre XVI du Sutra du Lotus. Les écoles nichireniennes qualifient de bouddhisme de la récolte (datchaku-buppo, 脱益仏法) le bouddhisme de l'époque de Shakyamuni et de bouddhisme de l'ensemencement (geshu-buppo) la pratique de Namu Myoho Rengue Kyo destinée aux êtres qui n'ont aucun lien passé avec les enseignements de Shakyamuni.

entité de la vie Traduction maladroite de l'anglais "entity of life". En français, "entité" désigne, au mieux, ce qui fait l'essence d'un être et plus souvent la chose considérée comme une individualité. Cela pourrait faire croire à une transcendance, un sorte d'âme cachée derrière les phénomènes. L'anglais est resté plus proche du latin où ens, entis signifiait "être" et que l'on traduit de plus en plus par "ainsité", ce qui est ainsi.

entré dans le courant (srotaapanna) : celui qui décide de se consacrer à la recherche de la boddhéité, le courant étant la pratique de l'enseignement du Bouddha. Dans le bouddhisme theravada c'est le premier pas vers la réalisation de soi; suivent ensuite les stades de sakridagamin (celui qui ne renaît qu'une fois avant le nirvana) et d'anagamin (le Sans-Retour, celui qui vit sa dernière incarnation).

entrées voir douze entrées

envoyé de l'Ainsi-venu (nyorai-no-tsukai, 如来の使, tathagata-duta). Emissaire ou messager de l'Ainsi -venu. Celui que le Bouddha envoie pour propager ses enseignements après sa mort. Shakyamuni en parle en ces termes dans le chapitre X du Sutra du Lotus : Sache-le Yakuo, ces gens renoncent d'eux-mêmes à la rétribution de leurs actes purs; après mon passage en parinirvana, ils renaîtront en un âge mauvais par pitié pour les êtres et exposeront largement ce Sutra. Si quelqu'un, fils ou fille de foi sincère, après mon passage en parinirvana, prêche le Sutra du Lotus du Dharma merveilleux, n'en serait-ce qu'un verset, en secret, à une seule personne, il faut savoir que cette personne est un messager de l'Ainsi-Venu, envoyé par l'Ainsi-Venu pour mener l'oeuvre d'Ainsi-Venu. A plus forte raison pour qui prêche largement aux gens d'une vaste multitude.

envoyé du Bouddha (hotoke no ontsukai, 佛の御使). Personne missionnée par le Bouddha pour aider à la propagation du Sutra du Lotus. Cf. chapitre XV Sutra du Lotus, Surgis de la terre. Ce qu'en dit Nichiren

enzoku santai (triple évidence harmonieuse, sandi)

éon (ko, gong, kalpa)

épreuves [neuf grandes épreuves du Bouddha]

eranda (iran, 伊蘭). Dans la tradition indienne, grands arbres dont l'odeur nauséabonde, semblable à celle d'un corps en décomposition était, disait-on, perceptible sur une distance de 40 yojana. On disait qu'une seule feuille de santal suffisait à dissiper l'odeur putride des eranda.


ère (nengo) 1. Chaque souverain japonais, à son avènement, décrétait une ère nouvelle et en changeait si les circonstances le demandaient ou si, plus simplement, il lui convenait de marquer une scission dans la continuité de son règne. Le premier nom d'ère fut inauguré, à la mode chinoise, en 645. La perception du temps est qualitative avant d’être quantitative. A l’époque de Nichiren, vu les désordres sociaux et naturels, les ères ont changé à un rythme particulièrement rapide. Une même ère a souvent été suffisamment mauvaise pour ne durer qu’un an, ou bien on a changé d’empereur ou de régent. On pensait que donner un nom plus approprié au temps serait de bon augure. En savoir plus.
2. ère historique : désigne une période caractérisée par le rayonnement de la capitale du gouvernement effectif : période Nara (710-794); période Heian (794 à 1185); période Kamakura (1185 à 1333).


ère du Dharma juste (période du Dharma correct saddharma)

ère finale

eriogikyo fu efuryogikyo (selon les sutras aux sens définitifs et non les autres)

erreur [quadruple]

Eryo, 慧亮 (801-859). Moine de l'école Tendai. Il étudia à la fois les doctrines ésotériques et exotériques. Il était l'administrateur d'un temple appelé Hodo-in, sur le mont Hiei.

érythrina ou arbre corail : Son nom vient du grec eruthros qui signifie rouge, en allusion à la couleur des fleurs.


Eshin voir Genshin

esho funi (non dualité du sujet et de son environnement)

ésotérisme: "qui est intérieur", notion qui se définit par opposition à exotérique "qui est extérieur". Le mot vient du grec "eso" qui correspond au latin "in". En Grèce on distinguait la partie extérieure d'un enseignement, celle qui pouvait être mise par écrit et à la porté de tous, de la partie profonde, intérieure, qui faisait l'objet d'un enseignement oral destiné uniquement aux disciples qui en étaient jugés dignes. On leur relevait le monde débarrassé des illusions et lieux communs.
Lorsque Nichiren parle de Dharmas ésotériques (cachés) c'est dans la continuité de l'enseignement de Shakyamuni qui décrivait notre monde comme parfaitement illusoire, perçu à travers nos sens pervertis par l'ignorance fondamentale et les passions. L'accession à l'Eveil permet d'appréhender le monde dans sa vacuité. Les instruments pour entrer sur la voie de l'Eveil sont dits ésotériques car, relevant de l'expérience, ils ne peuvent être compris s'ils sont séparés de la pratique (daimoku, Gohonzon, encrage dans un environnement). Il est important de savoir qu'au Japon on considère comme "exotérique" tout ce qui est théorique et comme "ésotérique" les techniques mentales et spirituelles qui en sont des applications pratiques
En occident, la distinction entre initiés (esoteros) et non-initiés entraîne la plupart du temps la constitution d'un groupe élitiste dont sortent avec une grande facilité les sectes les plus fantaisistes. Mais là on entre dans le domaine de l'occultisme que Nichiren condamne sans appel. En savoir plus sur l'ésotérisme japonais

ésotériques [trois grands Dharmas] (san dai hiho)

esprit voir non-dualité corps-esprit

esprits (kijin, 鬼神). Etres possédant des pouvoirs surnaturels. Ils se divisent en esprits malfaisants ou démons et esprits bienfaisants ou protecteurs. Il s'agit, bien entendu, de fonctions de la vie et non d'entités concrètes. Le bouddhisme du Lotus n'est pas compatible avec le spiritisme.

esprits affamés ou esprits faméliques (gaki, 餓鬼, ou heirei 薜茘, preta). Deuxième des dix mondes, des trois et des quatre mauvaises voies. Etat dans lequel on est à la merci d'un désir insatiable de nourriture, de richesse, de gloire, de pouvoir, ou de tous autres objets ou conditions. Dans cet état, on est consumé physiquement et spirituellement par un besoin impossible à satisfaire. On en attribue les causes à des tendances telles que l'avidité, la mesquinerie et la jalousie. Aux débuts du bouddhisme, le royaume des preta était considéré comme un lieu concret, situé à cinq cents yojanas sous la terre, où les êtres étaient affectés en rétribution d’actes graves et de dépossession d’autrui. Au même titre que les damnés de l’enfer, les preta dépendaient de l’autorité du roi Yama. Le Abidatsuma junshori Ron décrit trois sortes d'esprits affamés, voraces et faméliques, chacune étant sous-divisée en trois. Ces sortes de démons tenaillés par la faim peuvent représenter un danger pour les vivants. Leur apparence est repoussante. Ils sont "...nus, noirs, faibles, hauts et grands, dévorés par la faim, cherchant de la nourriture et faisant entendre çà et là des cris lamentables. Quelques uns ont la bouche comme le trou d’une aiguille, d’autres ont une tête de bœuf; semblables pour la taille à des chiens plutôt qu’à des hommes, ils vont, les cheveux en désordre, poussant des cris et dévorés par la faim.". Ils incarnent donc une condition inférieure et douloureuse où l’être n’est mu que par un désir incontrôlable, ils sont hagards et incapables même de reconnaître ce qui pourrait étancher la terrible soif qui les torture. Le Sutra Shobonenjo dénombre 36 sortes d'esprits faméliques. Voir le tableau des 10 mondes. Ce qu'en dit Nichiren


esprit de bodhi ou esprit de la voie suprême (mujodoshin). Disposition d'esprit qui porte à rechercher l'Eveil et le Dharma bouddhique. Pratique qui vise à produire une telle disposition d'esprit. Notion proche de l'aspiration à l'Eveil (bodaishin).

esprits maléfiques (akki, 餓鬼). Il s’agit d’êtres comme par exemple les rakshasi ou les yaksha. Leur action est néfaste et consiste à tourmenter, dérober la vitalité ou gêner la pratique de l’ascèse bouddhique. Ces esprits sont représentatifs du monde des esprits affamés, destination mauvaise. Dans cette symbolique, ce sont donc des défunts qui sont tombés dans une mauvaise voie et qui exercent sur les vivants une action néfaste. Selon le Maka shikan, ils sont l’une des causes de la maladie. Ils nuisent également en faisant se développer les raisonnements pernicieux et en égarant les gens. Le Sutra du roi vertueux (Ninno kyo) les rends responsables des désordres qui affectent le pays ou la société. Ce qu'en dit Nichiren


Eshin [école]. (Eshin-ryu, 恵心流). Branche de l'école Tendai qui considère Genshin comme son fondateur.

Essais sur le monde de la paix et du plaisir voir Anraku Shu

Essais sur le Paradis de l'Ouest voir Anraku Shu

essence du Sutra du Lotus en quatre phrases (shiku-no-yobo, 四句の要法). Enseignement transmis à Jogyo et les autres bodhisattvas Surgis de Terre dans le chapitre XXI du Sutra du Lotus. Il s'agit d'un commentaire des paroles de Shakyamuni: "Les pouvoirs supranaturels des bouddhas sont à ce point innombrables, infinis, inconcevables. Si je devais, à l'aide de ces pouvoirs supranaturels, exposer durant d'innombrables, d'infinis milliers de millions de myriades de quantités incalculables de kalpa les mérites de ce Sutra afin d'en assurer la passation, je serais encore incapable d'en venir à bout. Pour en dire l'essentiel: l'ensemble des enseignements possédés par l'Ainsi-Venu, l'ensemble des pouvoirs supranaturels et souverains de l'Ainsi-Venu, l'ensemble du réceptacle des secrets de l'Ainsi-Venu, l'ensemble des modes fort profonds de l'Ainsi-Venu sont tous révélés et manifestés dans ce Sutra." En d'autres termes, le Sutra du Lotus contient et revèle:
1) toutes les doctrines des Ainsi-venus;
2) tous les pouvoirs supranaturels des Ainsi-venus;
3) tous les secrets des Ainsi-venus;
4) tous les concepts profonds des Ainsi-Venus.
Dans son Ongi Kuden, Nichiren explique ce passage comme la mission confiée à Jogyo de propager les cinq caractères de Myoho Renge Kyo.

estrade d'ordination voir kaidan

étapes [cinquante deux] voir étapes

étapes [six étapes]

état originel (honnu, 本有). Traduction qui prête à confusion. Hon signifie origine. Mais le Sutra du Lotus proclame un espace-temps sans commencement (kuon ganjo); dans ce contexte origine équivaut à ainsité (tathata). L'état originel est donc celui dont les caractéristiques sont identiques depuis toujours. Il serait plus juste de parler d'état primordial, faute de pouvoir employer un adjectif formé sûr "ainsi". On distingue par ailleurs la nature de bouddha inhérante ou primordiale (shoin bussho), la sagesse pour concrétiser cette nature de bouddha (ryoin bussho) et les conditions ou les pratiques pour la manifester (en-in bussho).

êtres (shujo, 衆生, sattva), littéralement, la multitude de ce qui est né. Autrement dit, tous ceux qui, par naissance, sont liés de façons multiples à la précarité et au cycle perpétuel des vies et morts.

êtres aux deux jambes. (兩足).Expression utilisée dans les sutras pour désigner l'ensemble hommes/dieux.

êtres des deux plans et huit groupes (nikai hachiban 二界八番). Etres présents à la Grande Assemblée lors de l'exposé du Sutra du Lotus : 1) les dieux du monde des désirs; 2) les dieux du monde de la forme; 3) les rois-dragons et leur suite; 4) les rois kimnara et leur suite; 5) les rois gandharva et leur suite; 6) les rois ashura et leur suite; 7) Les rois garuda et leur suite; 8) le roi du monde des humains, Ajatashatru, et sa suite.

être et non-être (u mu, 有無). A la fois "être" et "non-être" sont la double nature de tous les dharma. Parce que les dharma naissent de la production conditionnée, ils existent et donc témoignent de 1'être. Mais aussi, puisque c'est la production conditionnée les fait apparaître, ils n'ont pas de nature propre, et, ainsi, c'est le "non-être" qui transparaît. Chacun des dharma est en fait déterminé à travers une double polarité : 1'être et le non-être. Le caractère inconcevable de notre pensée est le lieu où cet antagonisme se résout et cela même est désigné par le terme myo, qui qualifie 1'enseignement du Lotus.

êtres sensitifs ou êtres émotionnels (ujo, 有情). Existences dotées d'affectivité (animaux, hommes). Terme opposé à hijo, 非, non-sensitifs, ce qui est dénué de sentiments et de conscience, par exemple les minéraux. Le bouddhisme n'établit pas de séparation nette entre les deux catégories donnant pour exemple les formes primitives de vie à la limite du règne minéral et végétal ou de plantes qui se comportent comme des animaux. L'absence de coupure entre sensitifs et non sensitifs amène à la conception d'un état de bouddha latent dans les plantes. Nichiren développe ce concept dans son Ongi Kuden - Somoku jobutsu kuketsu.

Eveil (kaku 覺, ou bodai 菩提, bodhi). Expérience et révélation fondatrices du bouddhisme. Le terme par lui-même désigne la prise de conscience et la connaissance intime de ce qui était inconnu. Il y a donc différentes sortes d’éveils, y compris une expérience ultime à laquelle renvoie l’expression Eveil correct, complet et sans supérieur qu’a réalisé le Bouddha qui est l’Eveillé par excellence. Dans les textes français, on parle souvent d'illumination, terme qui conviendrait mieux au satori des écoles Zen car l'illumination implique un passage soudain de l'ignorance à la lumière, ce qui n'est pas le cas de l'Eveil. Voir atteinte de la boddhéité dont ce terme est synonyme.
A distinguer :
1) Eveil relatif (celui des pratyekabuddha, ces "éveillés pour soi")

2) Eveil en tant qu'étape du progrès spirituel des bodhisattvas en 52 étapes : Eveil d’indifférenciation, togaku, 等覺 (51e degré), Eveil merveilleux, myogaku, 妙覺 ou engaku, 円覚 (52e degré). Voir les étapes de la pratique

3) Eveil primordial souvent appelé abusivement Eveil originel (sans commencement, hongaku, 本覚 ou 本覺) Terme opposé à Eveil initial ou Eveil différé (shigaku, 始覺). L'Eveil primordial est celui dont nous sommes pourvus depuis toujours. D'après Ashvaghosha, au temps sans commencement l'Eveil primordial et l'Eveil différé ne forment qu'un. Mais dans le monde Saha soumis au temps, la nature atemporelle de notre vie nous est devenue imperceptible, et ainsi est née la distinction entre Eveil primordial et différé. Aveuglé par les passions, l'homme ordinaire ne conçoit pas cet Eveil et ne se rend donc pas compte, qu'à la fois lui-même et les phénomènes qui l'entourent, sont le bouddha. On distingue par ailleurs la nature de bouddha inhérante ou primordiale (shoin bussho), la sagesse pour concrétiser cette nature de bouddha (ryoin bussho) et les conditions ou les pratiques pour la manifester (en-in bussho).

Eveil complet sans supérieur ou Grand Eveil ou Eveil suprême ou Eveil complet manifeste (anokutara sammyaku sambodai ou anokubodai, anuttara samyaksambodhi); anuttara = "sans supérieur", qualificatif employé à propos du Bouddha. Ce terme n'est pas simplement laudatif, il indique que le bouddha se situe sur un plan où toute analyse graduelle n'a plus cours : il n'y a ni supérieur ni inférieur, les choses sont tatha (ainsi), au delà des dichotomies bien / mal, vie / mort, etc. Samyaksambodhi : "pleinement et complètement (samyak-sam) éveillé (bodhi)" désigne le Bouddha par excellence, celui qui a parcouru la carrière du bodhisattva et pratiqué les paramita, sans l'aide ni l'enseignement de quiconque, avant d'atteindre l'Eveil "plein et parfait" et de redécouvrir par lui-même le Dharma.
Alors que l'Eveil des auditeurs-shravaka et des pratyekabuddha (les deux véhicules) consiste à éliminer la souffrance, l'Eveil anuttara consiste dans l'intuition universelle; il est de l'ordre de la connaissance qui va au-delà du contingent. Pour décrire l'Eveil anuttara, différentes écoles ont mis l'accent sur l'un ou l'autre de ses aspects: connaissance de l'ainsité, de l'ultime réalité, de la non-substantialité (vacuité). D'après le Sutra du Lotus, les significations de l'Eveil correct complet et sans supérieur sont innombrables et seul le bouddha peut les connaître toutes. Cet Eveil correspond à la cinquante deuxième et dernière étape de la pratique des bodhisattvas (myogaku). Ce qu'en dit Nichiren

Eveil des plantes (somoku-jobutsu, 草木成仏) ou Eveil des êtres non-sensitifs. Eveil de l'herbe, des arbres, des rochers, de la terre, ou de tout ce qui ne possède ni émotion ni conscience. Ce principe est un corollaire du principe d'ichinen sanzen énoncé par Zhiyi. L'un des concepts sur lesquels s'appuie ce principe est ce que l'on appelle en japonais kokudo seken, le domaine de l'environnement ou monde non sensible, objectif. Ichinen sanzen implique qu'un être vivant et son environnement non vivant, ou les êtres sensitifs et non sensitifs, sont deux manifestations d'une même entité de vie et possèdent tous les deux la potentialité d'arriver à la boddhéité. Dans le Kongobei Ron, Zhanlan réfute les arguments du Kegon qui affirme que les êtres non sensitifs ne possèdent pas la nature de bouddha. Il écrit: "Une plante, un arbre, un caillou, un grain de poussière, tout possède la nature innée de bouddha ainsi que les autres causes et conditions nécessaires pour atteindre la boddhéité." Les Veda professaient une doctrine assez proche en considérant toute chose comme une vibration. Les objets émettent des "sons" (ondes) qui sont de même nature que les sons émis par la voix humaine et qui constituent des mantra.
Selon Nichikan il y a deux façons dont les êtres non-sensitifs peuvent atteindre l'état de bouddha. La première est grâce à l'influence des êtres sensitifs. Quand un de ces êtres atteint la boddhéité, son environnement atteint le même état simultanément selon le principe de non-dualité de sujet et de son environnement (esho funi). Dans ce cas, l'état de bouddha est révélé aux êtres non sensitifs tels qu'ils sont. Cela s'appelle "atteindre la boddhéité sans changer d'état initial" (fukaihon'i no jobutsu). La seconde façon est de devenir un objet de vénération. Quand la vie du bouddha est insufflée à du papier ou à du bois, ce matériau devient une entité capable de manifester, de lui-même, la nature de bouddha. Cela s'appelle "l'Eveil des représentations peintes ou en bois" (mokue nizo no jobutsu). C'est le principe qui sous-tend l'inscription du Gohonzon comme objet de vénération.
Ce que dit Nichiren sur les représentations du Bouddha.

Eveil dès ce corps voir atteinte de la boddhéité au cours de cette vie

Eveil des représentations peintes ou en bois voir Eveil des plantes

Eveillé voir Bouddha, sens 1 et 3.

éveillé. Personne ayant atteint l'Eveil au sens 1ou 2.

éveillé pour soi voir pratyekabuddha

évidence (voir triple évidence, enzoku santai)

Exhortation à la sauvegarde (Kanji hon, 勸持品, Quanchi pin). Chapitre XIII du Sutra du Lotus. Au début du chapitre, le bodhisattva Yakuo et sa suite de vingt mille bodhisattvas font, devant Shakyamuni, le vœu de propager le Sutra du Lotus dans ce monde après sa mort. A leur différence, cinq cents arhats qui (dans le chapitre précédent) ont reçu la prophétie d'obtenir l'Eveil à l'avenir, et huit mille auditeurs-shravaka (dont certains étudient tandis que d'autres n'ont plus rien à apprendre) font le voeu de le propager dans d'autres mondes. Shakyamuni prédit ensuite l'Eveil de Mahaprajapati, sa tante maternelle, et de Yashodhara, son épouse, avant qu'il ne renonce au monde. Toutes deux, avec leurs suites de six mille nonnes, font également le vœu de propager le Sutra après la mort du Bouddha. Puis 80 myriades de millions de nayutas de bodhisattvas s’engagent également à ne pas laisser le Dharma dépérir dans les âges mauvais qu’ils dépeignent sous des couleurs sinistres. Les ignorants seront vindicatifs et les moines auront une sagesse pervertie. Ils se vanteront de leurs médiocres réalisations spirituelles et seront avides de biens. Ils se plairont à critiquer les croyants et le Sutra du Lotus et intrigueront auprès des puissants. Néanmoins les bodhisattvas font le serment d'une résolution inébranlable. Leur vœu est prononcé en vers et l'on s'y réfère souvent comme aux "vingt lignes versifiées du chapitre Kanji". Les persécutions énumérées furent plus tard rangées sous la dénomination "les Trois Grands Ennemis" par le Grand-maître Zhanlan. Lire ce chapitre

Exhortation du bodhisattva Fugen (Sage-Universel) (Fugen bosatsu kanbotsu hon, 普賢菩`勧発品, Puxian pusa quanfa pin). Chapitre XXVIII du Sutra du Lotus. Le bodhisattva Fugen (Samantabhadra) et sa suite arrivent de l’orient pour se joindre à l’assemblée, il rejoint notre monde de saha car il sait que le Lotus est enseigné et veut l’entendre. Le Bouddha lui déclare que quatre conditions sont nécessaires pour obtenir ce sutra :
- être protégé par l’attention des bouddhas
- avoir planté une multitude de vertus
- entrer dans le groupe correctement déterminé
- concevoir l’intention de sauver tous les êtres.
Fugen fait vœu de protéger ceux qui garderont ce sutra dans l’âge mauvais et ce, en leur apparaissant sur un éléphant blanc à six défenses. Il leur apprendra le Lotus et le récitera avec eux. Il fournit même une formule détentrice (darani) et déclare que, s’il se trouve dans le Jambudvipa des croyants pour accepter et garder ce sutra, c’est dû à sa force. Il ne laissera pas ce sutra s’éteindre. Le Bouddha approuve son projet et protégera ceux qui connaîtront le nom de ce bodhisattva. Celui qui dans les cinq cents années suivantes (gogohyakusai, houwubosui) aura foi et connaissance dans le Lotus deviendra un bouddha. Ceux qui railleront la pratique à laquelle se livre une telle personne seront privés d’yeux, ceux qui les critiqueront, même avec raison, contracteront des maladies graves. Après cet exposé, l’assemblée du Lotus, qui s’était majestueusement rassemblée dans le chapitre du Prologue, se disperse heureuse, en seulement quatre mots (sa rai ni ko, zuo li er qu, ils saluèrent et partirent), et cet inachèvement, cette rapidité dans l’expression, peut donner le sentiment que cette assemblée assez intemporelle ne s’est pas vraiment dispersée. Lire ce chapitre

existence voir vie

Expédients [chapitre des](Moyens salvifiques, Hoben pon, 方便品, Fangbian pin). Chapitre II du Sutra du Lotus et chapitre-clé de l'enseignement théorique dans lequel Shakyamuni déclare que la venue de tous les bouddhas en ce monde a pour seul but d'éveiller chez tous les êtres la sagesse de bouddha, de les aider à la développer et de leur permettre d'atteindre la boddhéité. Au début du chapitre, le Bouddha émerge du recueillement dans lequel il était entré au chapitre précédent, s’adresse à Shariputra et déclare que la sagesse de tous les bouddhas est infiniment profonde et incommensurable, bien au-delà de la compréhension des auditeurs-shravaka et pratyekabuddha. Seuls les bouddhas, dit-il, peuvent comprendre l'aspect réel de tous les phénomènes (shoho jisso) la qui consiste en apparence, nature, entièreté, potentialité, énergie manifestée, cause latente, cause externe, effet latent, effet manifeste et leur cohérence du début jusqu'à la fin. Cette révélation que toute vie est dotée du même schéma d'existence (les dix modalités d'expression de la vie) forme la base théorique qui permet d'affirmer ensuite que tous les êtres ont la possibilité d'atteindre l'état de bouddha.
Malgré sa sagesse Shariputra ne peut imaginer ce Dharma si profond. Les arhats présents dans l’assemblée sont troublés. Ils croyaient avoir réalisé la délivrance et voilà que le Bouddha évoque quelque chose de supérieur. Shariputra se fait leur porte-parole et demande par trois fois au Bouddha de préciser son propos. Quand celui-ci se prépare à le faire, cinq mille croyants présents dans l’assemblée saluent le Bouddha et quittent les lieux, leur orgueil les portants à croire qu’ils savent déjà tout cela. Le Bouddha commence alors son exposé.
Il révèle que tous les bouddhas apparaissent au monde pour "une grande raison": permettre à chacun d'atteindre le même Eveil qu'eux. Spécifiquement, ils apparaissent afin "d'éveiller en chaque être la sagesse du Bouddha, la révéler, permettre à tous les êtres de la connaître et de la comprendre" (kai ji go nyu). Il poursuit en affirmant que les trois véhicules des auditeurs-shravakas, des pratyekabuddhas et des bodhisattvas ne représentent pas des fins en eux-mêmes, comme il l'a enseigné dans les sutras provisoires, mais sont de simples expédients (hoben) pour conduire les êtres au véhicule unique de l'état de bouddha.. Le vœu de Shakyamuni s’accomplit maintenant que le Sutra du Lotus est révélé et le Bouddha prédit à Shariputra, aux autres auditeurs-shravaka et bodhisattvas présents qu’ils deviendront des bouddhas. Lire ce chapitre

expédients salvifiques (moyens salvifiques, moyens habiles, expédients salvifiques, hoben, fangbian, 方便 upaya). Enseignements et procédés que le Bouddha utilise pour amener à lui les êtres. Le Sutra du Lotus, notamment dans le chapitre des Moyens, révèle que 1'important ne réside ni dans ces procédés eux-mêmes, ni dans leur signification, mais dans ce à quoi ils sont censés mener. La volonté de distinguer très nettement la fin des moyens, dans 1'enseignement du Bouddha, est 1'une des constantes de la pensée de Nichiren.

extinction (metsudo). Annihilation du moi par suppression de tout désir. Etat supérieur dans la recherche de boddhéité dans le Theravada

extinction à l'origine (genmetsu). Processus d’annihilation des douze liens causaux par production de l’Eveil qui détruit le premier d’entre eux l’obscurité fondamentale (ignorance originelle, mumyo, avidya), et empêche donc leur production successive.

Ezo [tribus]. Habitants autochtones du nord du Japon. Certains textes des périodes de Nara (710-794) et Heian (794-1185) les présentent comme des tribus barbares ayant autrefois occupé la totalité de l'archipel japonais que la force militaire avait repoussé au nord-est du pays. Les avis sont très partagés sur la question de savoir si les anciens Ezo étaient des ancêtres des habitants du Hokkaido connus sous le nom de Ainu et qui étaient des Japonais non "pacifiés", ou de quelque autre peuple inconnu


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9:09 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

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􀀞 􀀁 􀀃􀀃 􀀆 􀀜 􀀝 􀀃􀀁 􀀃􀀃 􀀃 􀀃􀀅
􀀇 􀀈 􀀃􀀊 􀀃􀀆 􀀆 􀀃􀀈 􀀃􀀊 􀀊
July August September
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
􀀂 􀀌 􀀋 􀀃 􀀐
􀀇 􀀑 􀀉 􀀂􀀃 􀀍 􀀎 􀀆 􀀓 􀀑 􀀒 􀀊 􀀗
􀀗 􀀘 􀀂􀀆 􀀔 􀀕 􀀂􀀃 􀀚 􀀘 􀀙 􀀂􀀇 􀀂􀀉 􀀞
􀀃􀀁 􀀃􀀂 􀀃􀀇 􀀛 􀀜 􀀂􀀊 􀀁 􀀂 􀀃􀀄 􀀇
􀀃􀀈 􀀈 􀀃􀀊 􀀃􀀆 􀀃􀀇 􀀊 􀀈 􀀉 􀀄􀀁
􀀋
October November December
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
􀀎 􀀋 􀀋 􀀃 􀀇
􀀏 􀀐 􀀈 􀀕 􀀌 􀀍 􀀅 􀀒 􀀑 􀀒 􀀊 􀀗
􀀖 􀀗 􀀂􀀅 􀀜 􀀊 􀀂􀀁 􀀂􀀂 􀀙 􀀘 􀀙 􀀂􀀇 􀀞
􀀝 􀀞 􀀃􀀂 􀀃􀀆 􀀚 􀀛 􀀂􀀉 􀀃􀀃 􀀁 􀀂 􀀃􀀄
􀀆 􀀇 􀀃􀀉 􀀃 􀀄 􀀃􀀆 􀀉
􀀊
*There is no lodging available before or after the Goreiho-Mushibarai-e and Gotai-e Ceremony Tozan(4/5􀀁11/22),and after the
Summer Study Tozan(8/25􀀂26).
*Members making use of the lodging temple need to arrive no later than nine o􀀁clock at night.
2008 Head Temple Gokaihi Ceremony Schedule
*The Gokaihi Ceremony will be conducted on days that appear on this schedule, basically at 1:30PM.
*Believers may stay at lodging temple on circled dates. There will be no overnight lodging on days without this indication.
􀀆􀀂􀀇􀀁􀀈􀀖􀀔􀀏􀀐􀀌􀀋􀀓􀀋􀀐
􀀅􀀃􀀂􀀅􀀄􀀁􀀉􀀎􀀔􀀏􀀐􀀑􀀐
􀀊􀀕􀀖􀀍􀀗􀀁
􀀅􀀅􀀂􀀁􀀁􀀊􀀖􀀒􀀒􀀎􀀓􀀁
Nichiren Shoshu Religious Affairs, Overseas Department

9:12 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

Nichiren Shoshu

Buddhism




NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO
Would you like to explore a new belief system and gain ways to be truly free and explore and lead the life that you wish to create?

The Buddhism of the Mystic Law expresses the very essence of universal life within ourselves It is the ultimate expression of the life force within us which is inseparably related to the society and the environment we live in.

Do you wish to awaken to your own truth and gain the power to create your life in the way you want?



The Buddhism of the Mystic Law expresses;

1. A paradigm shift in the way we view our picture of reality. The world view of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is that the universe is living. Through our connection with universal consciousness we achieve self empowerment, self actualization and enlightenment.

2. Quantum Reality

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo expresses the simultaneouty of the law of cause and effect which is a quantum process. It also expresses implicitly the understanding that we have the facility to heal and empower both ourselves and others where ever they may be either alive or deceased.

3. We can create our reality

We enhance our lives to create the fortune and happiness that is within the deepest core of our being. Through the power of intention and focus and prayer by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo we align ourselves with the creative process originating within our consciousness and interrelated with the whole universe. By chanting we realize that we are all connected in an interdependent wholeness.

4. Our ability to heal the past

Chanting is like peeling the skin of an onion. As we gradually let go of the past and access our truth we can understand our old responses and get to the root of our wounding. Our defences become resolved as we begin to understand that the core of our being is compassion. We see our life change in remarkable ways both within and around us.



Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Society International



This centre has been formed in order to facilitate the awakening to the Mystic Law, the absolute and perfect principle, intrinsic to the Universe, defined and crystallised by Nichiren Daishonin.

The lineage of wisdom which is Buddhism was handed down from Shakymuni Buddha through the great scholars and masters of the Hinayana and Mahayana teachings to the Buddha of the Essential Teaching Nichiren Dai Shonin - the original Buddha of time without beginning (Kuon Ganjo).

Once we chant we begin to break through the matrix of delusion and begin to regain control and mastery of our lives, happiness and real compassion, not only for ourselves but for our family, friends and community. Chanting is a tremendous experience. We unravel our human potential, renew our immune system and brain and start to find who we really are!

Contact Information
Email: buddhistcentre@ozemail.com.au



For the emancipation and freedom of all Humankind

9:14 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

Sekai no koritsu toshokan (Toshokangaku taikei)
Seimei kagaku ni okeru kagaku to shakai no setten o kangaeru
Nihonkoku Keiho no zento
Shomono no sekai to zenrin no bungaku
Jubakusareta Nihon
Gendai Kenpogaku no ronten
Kaikyo boei
Keizaigaku no kosumoroji
Yamato no "tenri" ni kyukyoku no ikikata
Soren Too shokoku no kazoku kozo to kino ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA output)
Waga jinsei Aso no funen
Senryaku Dai Toa Senso
Maikuro shiryoron (Toshokangaku taikei)
Sosaho
Otoko mo ikuji kyushoku =
Shinrin to ningen: Sono genjo to mirai
Minpogaku no uchi to soto (Seibundo sensho)
Shusho Kantei no chishibuki: Namanamashii Sori Kantei no higeki taiken jitsuroku
Keiho no shoso (Nakayama Kenichi Sensei koki shukuga ronbunshu)
Zuibun Nihon romanha
Tokyo-ken sengo bebi bumu sedai no kyoju sentaku no kachikan chosa
Hojinzei jitsumu mondoshu
"Maikuroerekutoronikusu ni kansuru sogo kenkyu 1985" ni taisuru sekai no yushikisha 100-nin no iken (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Kenpo kaiseiron e no shotai (Seibundo sensho)
Hikaku Tegataho, Kogitteho
Nichi-Bei-O ni okeru seisaku kenkyu no doko, 1981-1982 (NIRA output)
Kyoiku no senso sekinin
Hasan hogaku
Kenpo riron
Shi no jiritsu
Gengogaku wa kagaku de aru
Jiyu Yoyogi hoso
Bujutsu densho no kenkyu
Gendai sekai no kozo (Seibundo sensho)
Nitchu kensetsu kigyo kanri hikaku kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Hotetsugaku josetsu
Raten Amerika kazoku to shakai
Daitoshi shuhen ni okeru chiiki shakai keisei no arikata ni kansuru jisshoteki kenkyu (NIRA output)
Sabisu keizairon taikei
Shuten Doji no kubi
Gendai kyoiku no joshiki o utagau
Oyako no kankei
Yosano Akiko to shuhen no hitobito
Beigun ga kirokushita Nihon kushu
Gaikokujin rodosha no shakaiteki juyo shisutemu ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Kensetsugyo no hai-teku senryaku
Chiho shinku tanku no kongo no yakuwari
Chika taikei no riron to hyoka
Osaka jinbutsu jiten
Keiho ni okeru jijitsu no sakugo
Zaisanho ni okeru kenri no kozo
Fuyu no cho
Uta no seisei, uta no yukue
Chokusetsu toshi to keizai seicho ni kansuru kenkyu: Higashi Ajia no kongo no kadai = A study on direct investment and economic development
Wahei no shishatachi (Oshiego ni kataru watakushi no senshi)
Gendai Yoroppa keizairon
Keiji sosho no kozo to kyusai
Dai Nihon Shoho Kaishaho (Meiji 26-nen) shakugi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Risei to boryoku
Ki no sumai to Nihonjin
Kikai kogyo to shitaukesei
No-chiku-suisanbutsu no ryutsu no kadai to sono taisaku (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Muromachi jidaigo no kenkyu
Yamato no Kuni musokunin nikki
Igirisu no joken furi chiiki seisaku to waga kuni chusankan chiiki mondai ni kansuru kenkyu =
Eikoku kizoku ni natta watakushi
Nihongo no seiritsu shomei
Hoseisakugaku no kokoromi (Hoseisaku kenkyu)
Hikigatari onna gidayu ichidai
Yamaneko no yuigon
Mori no Barokku
Doitsu Minpo ron (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Rodo kumiai wa honto ni yaku ni tatte iru no ka (Hosei Daigaku Ohara Shakai Mondai Kenkyujo sosho)
90-nendai shoto no seiji choryu to senkyo (Nihon Seiji Sogo Kenkyujo sosho)
Joho shori kanren ryakugo jiten
RahXephon Artworks (in Japanese)
Aajia no kazoku kozo to kino ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA output)
Beikoku senso kengenho no kenkyu
Hoken jigyo to kisei danwa
Joho tsushin kiban kaihatsu koso (terekomu taun koso)
Kokusai kankyo henka no moto de no Nikkan keizai (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Kigyo keiei to roshi kankei no Nikkan hikaku
Iwashi to aenakunaru hi
Sakura o kou hito
Gendai kigyo, kinyuho no kadai
Watakushi no "Kenpo" sobyo (Aru kenpo gakusha no zakkicho)
Tako wa naze genki nano ka
Shizen to bunmei no sozoryoku
Gendai seikatsu to keizaigaku
Essensharu hogaku
Kokusai koryushi
Heisei 7-nen kaisei Doro kotsuho no kaisetsu
Seiji keizaigaku
Shukyo to atarashii keizai rinri (Gendai Kirisutokyo gakusai sosho)
Kojin to kokka
Kihon kakuritsu =
Sokyu to kyosei
Inochi to inochi no aida de
Seisaku kettei katei
Gakko wa yomigaeru no ka
Kanko rodoho (Gendai rodoho koza)
Mihshu shugi to wa nandaro ka (Tsurumi Shunsuke zadan)
Hanzaigaku
Tabu e no chosen
Watakushi no Shiberia yokuryuki
Senryogun ianjo: Kokka ni yoru baishun shisetsu
Shogaisha ni meiwaku na shakai
Kokinaru ningen no shikei
Kokusai tsushin hosei no henkaku to Nihon no shinro
Miyazawa Kenji no Bukkyo
Nihon bunken chizu chimei soran, 1997
Kazoku to wa nandaro ka (Tsurumi Shunsuke zadan)
Amerika no Paresuchinajin
Bijutsushi no danmen
Butsuzo shojiten
Kenpo saibanken no riron
Miyazawa Kenji, Ihatobu no mori
Kenpo (Meiji 22-nen) kogi: Tsuketari, Giinho, Shugiin giin senkyoho, Kaikeiho, Kizokuinrei (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Daitoppa
Sho Nihon shugi
Iriomotejima shizenshi
Shizen to bunka
Sobieto nikki
Nani ga kawaru ka, nani o kaeru ka
Gendai kigyoho
Yasukuni shinko to Nihonjin
Keiho no riron (Nakayama Kenichi Sensei koki shukuga ronbunshu)
Senso hoki joko no seiritsu keii
Kaigai zeimu handobukku
Minpo (Meiji 23-nen) seigi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Toshi jutaku no hikaku kenkyu no tame no kiso chosa hokokusho (NIRA output)
Hakubutsukan to "hyogen no fujiyu"
Megami no shima yori
Kinsei chuo shijo no kaitai
Masukomi sendo
Fuji sanroku kinsei nomin seikatsushi
Chikazuku "heiwa Kenpo" shuen no hi
Shimin koeki katsudo kiban seibi ni kansuru chosa kenkyu =
Eshi Chichibu Jiken
YA dokusho annai
Shuchu kogi Minji soshoho
Hanrei enshu Minpo
Doko e yuku no yo, Nihonjin
Soka Gakkai mondai to janarizumu
Chikamatsu no josei gunzo
Gendai kigyoho no shomondai
Kokyaku risuto torihiki o meguru hoteki shomondai
Dekasegi
Shakuchiken to hosho
Keiji koso ripposhi no kenkyu
Taruho Nyudo to joshoku
Ten no yumi Nasu no Yoichi
Hito jugun nikki
Kokudo keiei ni okeru daitoshi no kino to yakuwari buntan ni kansuru kenkyu (Nira output)
Hachigatsu jugonichi no tenkizu: Shito Okinawa Kotobukiyama
Gendai keizaigaku no kiso riron
Gunshireikan ni misuterareta zanryu shohei no higeki
Sosho jokenron no saikosei
Shinko shukyo bumu to josei
Senshokoku Igirisu e Nihon no iibun
Shoho (Meiji 23-nen) shakugi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Shakai shugizo no tenso
Sanson wa ima
Senzenki Mitsui Ginko kigyo torihiki kankeishi no kenkyu
Haininzai rikai no saikosei
Konpyuta hanzai to ni kansuru Keiho ichibu kaisei (chushaku)
Motomu! kojigen rida
Keiji shiho no kokusaika (Kokusai keiho kenkyu)
Shomono Kirishitan shiryo shichu
Hametsu e itaru kogyoteki kurashi
Teika Meigetsuki to watakushi
Maboroshi ni mukatte hito wa tatsu (Aohyo sensho)
Kenpo taikei no ruikeiteki kenkyu
Edo bakufu seijishi kenkyu
Chusho kigyo no sentan gijutsu senryaku
Kyushu bundan nikki
Heiwa to kyoiku no ashiato
21-seiki e no teigen
Hojinzei kihon tsutatsu chikujo kaisetsu
Fudosan hanrei shusei
Shokai Takuchi tatemono torihikigyoho
Gomi no shimatsusho
Taisei Yamaoka Tesshu
Kodo kagaku to soshiki kakushin
Chugoku Mondai ni Kansuru Honkon Kaigi hokokusho (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
10.20 risaikuru no hi
Yomigaeru shibi
Otozureru botsuraku
Boku wa Hachirogun no shonenhei datta
Shitte okitai seiji keizai jiji yogo & sekai kakkoku yoran
Hojinruigaku no chihei (Ajia hososho)
Jihi shuppan-dokuhon
Chikujo kaisetsu Kenkyu koryu sokushinho
Zaisei katei
Toshi to koreisha
Nihon wa kono mama de ii no ka
Kokusai boeki to chukan seisanbutsu
Bakumatsu ishinki ni okeru shukyo to chiiki shakai
Soren to yobareta kuni ni ikite
2000-nen ni itaru Taiheiyo keizaiken no kozo to tenbo (NIRA output)
Tonan Ajia ni okeru "chiiki nogyo" no kaihatsu ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA output)
Junsui na shizen no zoyo
Sandaime Uotake Hamada Shigeo (Century press)
Shin keizai seisakuron
Gendai yakuza no ura chishiki
Chugokujin no monosashi Nihonjin no monosashi
Gyosei kyusai no hanrei kenkyu (SBC gakujutsu bunko)
Nudes
Chuseigo ronko
Yume
Iden joho no kagaku (Gakusai rekucha shirizu)
Kindai Doitsu kanryo kokka to jichi
Kurisuchan Josefu Hiko
.hack//analysis -Project .hack- (.hack//analysis -Project .hack Settei Shiryoshu-) (in Japanese)
Heian jidai no shinko to shukyo girei
Donaru? Chosen Hanto to Nihon
Senso to wa nandaro ka (Tsurumi Shunsuke zadan)
Tennoji Gakusho shiryo (Seibundo shiryo sosho)
Akahige Hikosa no yabunirami
Fullmetal Alchemist TV Animation Vol. 1 (Hagane no Renkinjyutsushi) (in Japanese)
Bungaku no naka no hokankaku
So Sun, "eiyu" ni sareta Kita Chosen no supai
Tatakaiowatta sono hi kara
Minpo jikai
Kurashi no "bi" are kore katarogu
Fukkokuban Sakura Taisen Genga & Settei Siryo Shu
Jirei ga oshieru Rodo ho (SR bukkusu)
Ki no ryoshi Kuroshio ni katsuo o ou
Nikkei Kanadajin
Waga kuni no seisaku kettei shisutemu ni kansuru kenkyu =
Kokujin no kazoku to kurasu
Ijimerarete, sayonara
2001-nen tenbo
Yuhei Montenrupa
Daini kaikokuron
Matsuri to ibento no tsukurikata
Hokuso noson minzokushi
Kankoku to Nihon
Miyazawa Kenji no seishun
Sore yuke! YABO
Kazoku wa doko made yukeru ka
Mini seito senkyo (Nihon Seiji Sogo Kenkyujo sosho)
Kensetsugyo ni okeru gaikokujin rodosha mondai to gaikokujin kenshusei no ukeire
Danjo koyo byodo to kintoho
Kokusai tsushin o meguru kazei mondai no ittan
Komon no tokei dake ga shitte iru
Nitchu Shanhai Shinpojumu Ajia Taiheiyo Chiiki no Hatten to 21-seiki ni Mukau Nitchu Kankei
Yuin shokenho no kenkyu
Hasso to shite no no
Roshin to tomoni ikiru
Tegata Kogitteho no kiso
Saigunbi no seijigaku
Nichi-Bei-O no keizai masatsu o meguru seiji katei (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Yokohama toshi no rokumeikan
Kujishi kujiyado no kenkyu
Ai amu myujikaru
Ima ni ikiru Kawachi no kodo, Higashi Koya Kaido (Rekishi no michi shirizu)
Shukyo to kyosan shugi
Sabisu boeki to kazei mondai: Shohi kazei o chushin to shite
Nichiren Shonin kyogaku no kisoteki kenkyu
Hasanho kowa
Kiri ni kieta heitai
Shakai towa nandaro ka (Tsurumi Shunsuke zadan)
Keihogaku genron
Gendai no koreisha taisaku
Hyakusho monogatari
Nikkeijin shomei
Heiwa no tobira
"Zaigai" Nihonjin
Shinran no shin no dainamikkusu
Shonen shiho to tekisei tetsuzuki
Utsuriyuku sugata
Keiji seisaku kakuron
Minken no shishi
Nihon shoki sho no kokugogakuteki kenkyu
Uo wa ningen no te de wa tsukurenai
Chiho jichiho (Gendai horitsugaku taikei)
Rakkasan kishu butai
Soma-han seiki
Sangyo keizairon
Taisho demokurashi to kyoiku
Rikugun senpaku senso
Shido keikaku no sakusei to shido no kufu
Minji sosho hogaku no arata na tenkai
Chugoku keizai no genkyo to tenbo
Keizai to keiho (Nakayama Kenichi Sensei koki shukuga ronbunshu)
Furuta Oribe no sekai
Shoho kogian
Zenkai uriagezei
Kenri gimu ho no kosokuryoku
Keiho unyoron
Bessei kekkon e no sentaku
Toshibi soshutsu no tame no dezain kontororu shuho (NIRA output)
Kokusai terorizumu no kenkyu
Ningen to gijutsu, sono chowa o motomete
Atarashii kokusai shigen seisaku
Kankoku no seisaku kenkyu kikan no doko (NIRA output)
Bunka gyosei no kore made kore kara (NIRA output)
Kore kara no Hokuriku
Kigyoho
Saiken kakuron kogi
Hisa kankin
41-sai jumyosetsu (Century press)
Gendai Nihonjin no jitsuzo
Ki no inochi ki no kokoro, jin
Seito kokkaron to kenpogaku
Shinran no tetsugaku to shinko
Keiei kokusaika jidai no kanri to soshiki
Gendai gyosei to kokusaika
Gendai kagaku no kosumoroji
Enshu keizai keiho
Shuto kino no iten ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu hokokusho)
Ho to jitsuzon
Nihon senryoka Barito kara no hokoku
Kinsei bungaku no koryu
Fudosan o meguru gendai zaisanken no horitsu to hyoka
Keiho yoron
Beikoku seizogyo no fukkatsu ni kansuru chosa kenkyu
Gakusai kenkyu no susume
Senkyo to kuni no kihon seisaku no sentaku ni kansuru kenkyu =
Nihon sodo jiten
Nihon o suibo e michibiku "Tokyo Saiban shikan"
Konmei no Roshia keizai saizensen
Gorufujo bokokuron
Oumu to Zenkyoto
Minpo (Meiji 29-nen) Saiken (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Shukanteki ihosei no riron
Soren ni okeru taigai keizai kankei no tenbo
Ajia to Kirisutokyo
Shojo no Nichi-Bei kaisen
Beikoku ni okeru shorai no jutaku taisaku
Edokko geisha ichidaiki
Sentan gijutsu ga chikyu o sukuu
Kyakusen ga yuku
Kyokasho no shiso
Bejitarian no bunkashi
Nihon-gata chusho kigyo
Shokuryo kankei shuyo hokishu: Shuyo shokuryo no jukyu oyobi kakaku no antei ni kansuru horitsu kankei shuyo hokishu
Nippon shiso no shuryotachi
Midori no kakumei (Taiyo no michi)
Tenshin no futari
Shojo to shite no gakko gensetsu
Inochi o dakishimete
Keiho (Meiji 13-nen) kogi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Saiseisanron kyokoron kenkyu
Hariuddo kara Hiroshima e
Fudaihan jokamachi Himeji no kenkyu
Sekai toshi Tokyo no sozo (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Zaimu taishitsu henkaku no keiei senryaku
Haikyo ga katarikakeru toki Gunkanto
Gyogyo seido reikishu
Sugao no hansen jinushi
Nihon supa hattatsushi nenpyo
Ajia Taiheiyo chiiki no shorai to arata na Nisso kankei (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Kyukyu iryo ni mesu
Eigyo hokokusho ni miru kigyo no kankyo joho kaiji
Otokotachi yo zenmen kofuku ka
Kenpo (SBC hogaku kogi noto shirizu)
Nihonkoku Kenpo no joken
Jinken to kenpo saiban
Kokusai keizaiho
Gendai engeki marukajiri
Hiki Kyuryo, fudo to bunka
Ki de ekitai o tsutsumu
Nichiren Shoshu shi no kisoteki kenkyu
Heiankyo kara no michi
Onmitsu teishintai
Rodo horitsu kankei no tojisha
Tekisuto kokusai keiji jinkenho soron
Lady New York
Kigyo hanzai yokushi no hori
Tezukuri no machi
Chiisana zasshi de machi-zukuri
Senzenki Nihon no boeki to soshikikan kankei
Nihon Minpo (Meiji 23-nen) gikai (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Agonshu sekai heiwa e no michi
Bijinesuman no seishin byoto
Hataraku josei e no shien ni kansuru kokusai hikaku
Kasenho kaisetsu
Saishin rodoho
Okinawa Handy Map
Kokoro no jidai
Yuugatou Hanako Asada Photographs
Echiopia de ido o horu
Nichi-Ei ryogo ni okeru gairaigo shakuyogo
Shoe kyoronshu (Tendai shukyo seiten)
Nihon chuo shijoshi kenkyu
Shiko no arashi
Bungaku ni egakareta kyoshitachi
Koreisha kaigo to kazoku
Nakahara Chuya no shi to seikatsu
Gakusha kono kigekitekinaru mono
Shogen Sanbetsu Kaigi no tanjo (Hosei Daigaku Ohara Shakai Mondai Kenkyujo sosho)
Henbosuru chiho keizai
"Eiri to shakai seigi" no keiei
Shinzokuho, Sozokuho kogi
Yanagita Kunio tankyu
Eigyo joto joju no riron to jissai (Hogaku no izumi)
Tanpo bukkenho
Seimei to keiho (Nakayama Kenichi Sensei koki shukuga ronbunshu)
Tokai daimyo Ieyasu
Minpo nyumon
Taikeiteki ryokeiron
Gaikoku hojin kazei no jitsumu to riron
Kokumin no shiho sanka to shiho kaikaku
Kodai gaikoshi kara mita "Yamataikoku" to sono jidai
Kinoteki keiho to kashitsu (Keijiho kenkyu)
Fain Seramikkusu Kokusai Foramu '86 Nagoya
Kihon Shoho kogi
San Tendai Godaisan ki
Tegata kabuken ronshu
Zenkoku daigakubetsu sayokukei kyoju soran
Wakariyasui hojinzei (Jitsumuka yosei shirizu)
Nintendo daisenryaku: Mario ga Toyota o koeru hi!
Kisarazu no machi
Nihonjin no fuan
Takkusu heibun no jittai
Shuyo chiho shinbun ni miru shakai shihon seibi no hensen (kodo keizai seichoki) (NIRA output)
Gaikoku kokka, kokuyu kigyo to no kokusai torihikijo no mondaiten
Nihon o meguru kokusai sozei kankyo
"Toshi sogo kenkyu" taisei no teian
Kaishaho
Rekishisho no buntai
Tomodachi no ehon
Genji monogatari dobutsu ko (Kokken sosho)
Bijutsu kenchikushi Sugawara Eizo (Sumaigaku taikei)
Chugoku no chiiki kaihatsu senryaku ni kansuru kenkyu =
Kinkyu kyujo no kenkyu
Gakko toshokanho kaisei
Hanzai higaisha no kenkyu
Rodo sosho (Gendai rodoho koza)
Kana hyoki ronko
Kyo no daiku toryo to shichinin no shokuninshu
Kenpogaku yoron josetsu
Keiho yoron
Muromachi bushi Yuza-shi no kenkyu
Nagano Orinpikku sodoki
Hayabusa nanmei no hate ni
Yuenchi no genzaigaku (Turtle books)
Kensho jugun ianfu
Seisansei no bunseki to keizai seisaku
Keiji saiban no riron to jitsumu
Eiga de miru seishin bunseki
Keiji shiho o meguru gakuri to jitsumu
Emaki, Muromachi monogatari to setsuwa (Setsuwa ronshu)
Ayamaranai Amerikajin sugu ayamaru Nihonjin
Zokibayashi no keizaigaku
Mizu to hito to no kakawari ni kansuru kenkyu
Kenpo kogi
Ochanoma Kenpo rongi
Kojiki Shaku Nihongi Fudoki no bunkengakuteki kenkyu
Gendai no keizai shakai taisei
Daihonei sakusen shido no gaisetsu
Bei-O-Nichi ni okeru seisaku kenkyu no doko, 1983-1984 (NIRA output)
Chugoku no keizai taisei kaikaku no jirei kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Tai no shinko kogyokoku e no tenkan (NIRA output)
Nihon-ban shuyojo retto
Terepoto: Toshizukuri no johoka senryaku
Gendai haiteku chiiki sangyoron
Horitsu goi shoko
Sekai boeki taisei
Koshihikari wa abunai (Century press)
Daichi no kawa
Ransei no shuyaku to wakiyaku
Koko kyoiku no keisei
Zuzan Eiso, Shuzan Toki
Chiisana machi no okina kokoromi
Kokusai koku unsonin no sekinin seido
Nihon keizaishi daikyu bunken
Yao-shi Kyuhoji ni okeru kigyo kankyoken sosho no kiseki
Sangyo kakumei no shiso to bunka
Koyo hosho (Gendai rodoho koza)
Ima kujira e no omaju
Keiji soshoho (Gendai horitsu sensho)
Shinran no shinnen to shiso ni ikiru
Shin sekkanke den
Rodo kachiron to kokumin shotokuron
Zetsumetsu dobutsu no yogen
Chiiki sangyo no shinko senryaku
Koten no tobira o hiraku
Keiei kaigai itenron
MP no jipu kara mita senryoka no Tokyo
Minpo (Meiji 23-nen) seigi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Kindaika no shoso
Hogaku to seijigaku no shoso
Joshi teishintai no kiroku
Yutori shakai to machizukuri michizukuri
Sanshakan romu kyokyu keiyaku no kenkyu
Nichi-Bei senso wa kaihi dekita
Hiroshima
Churetsu batsugun Taiwan Takasago giyuhei no funsen
Kitahara Hakushu ron (Mimizuku sosho)
Fusui shiso ronko
Nara bugyosho kiroku (Seibundo shiryo sosho)
Gendai shakai to jiko ketteiken
Zojoji no shinpei monogatari
Fullmetal Alchemist Limited Edition Vol. 2 (Hagane no Renkinjyutsushi Shokai Gentei Ban) (in Japanese)
Janarizumu-dokuhon
Anaunsa wa naze kieta no ka
Kokoro de ikiru
Kotoba no shitsuke hyakka
Hoken no gendaiteki kadai
Nichi-Bei no atarashii keizai hokan kankei (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Nichi-Bei kaisen no nazo
Zen Tokyowan
Riron to jissen, kabunushi daihyo sosho
Kokusai keiei gairon
Jiko no kizuato
Shukyo jidai
Nihon keizai no ayumi to katachi
Bunseki hogaku to gendai (Kiso hogaku sosho)
Shokuryo kanri kankei shuyo hokishu
Shikosuru kuwagata
Noshiron
Keiho (Meiji 13-nen) jutsugi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Rizoto kaihatsu e no keisho (Shirizu Risaikuru)
Mimeshisu no higeki
Igo dai 27 sensuikan no katsuyaku
Umai sakana ga kuitai
Dasshi bunmei
Kigyo no takokusekika to ho (Kigyo no takokusekika ni tomonau hoteki shomondai)
Gakko wa naze kawaranai ka
Sekaiichi no machizukuri da
Shuken kokka to shinsekai chitsujo
Nitchu Kyoto Shinpojumu Ajia Taiheiyo Chiiki no Hatten to Chiikikan Koryu
Takokuseki kigyo ni okeru kogaisha no saikensha hogo (Kigyo no takokusekika ni tomonau hoteki shomondai)
Hon to konpyuta
Kihon Shoho kogi
Tenkanki no seiji katei
Keizai no gemu bunseki =
Endo Shusaku, sono bungaku sekai (Kokken sensho)
Shiryo ni yoru Kyushu taiheiki
Meiji no "Yokohama no hito"
Chugoku no chiiki keizai kakusa to chiiki keizai kaihatsu ni kansuru jisshoteki kenkyu =
Dictionary of Buddhist terminology (based on Yogacarabhumi): Sanscrit-Tibetan-Chinese & Tibetan-Sanscrit-Chinese = Bukkyogo jiten
Nihon Yomeigaku kiseki no keifu
Engi toshi to shintai
Edo shitamachi mikoshi ("Matsuri to mikoshi no hon" shiruzu)
Myuzu no uta
Nichiren to sono jidai
Bakumatsu ishin Kyoto chonin nikki
Kenpo hyoron
Kankyo sozo o mezasu 21-seiki no kaiyo kaihatsu
Hikaku tokkyo shingai hanketsurei no kenkyu
Zoku Nyonin mandara
Harem
Hannya shingyo
Shako dansu to Nihonjin
Keiho soron
Shiyosha gainen to rodosha haken
Kitahara Hakushu saihakken
Tenpu jinkenron to kori shugi
Kaisha eigyo joto no hori (Gakujutsu sensho)
Nerawareru kokumin no ashi
Kappa no aramitama
Hanzai jikko koiron
Gaisetsu Keiho
Nippo jisho teiyo
Amerika kenkoku no rinen to Nichi-Bei kankei =
Nihon ni sumu to Nihon no kurashi
Hasekura Tsunenaga ibun
Keiji seisaku no ronten
Shin Kenpo ron josetsu
Kinyu seido to makuro keizai
Nihon chusei no ho to keizai
Nihonjin no shimei: Sekai wa Nihonjin ni yori heiwa to naru
Kankoku Kenpo Saibansho 10-nenshi
Minji shikko, hozenho yosetsu
Nihonjin no wasuremono
Kokusai tosanho no kochiku to tenbo
Naimen no bungaku
Kabunushikan keiyaku
Shin ikite iru Keiji soshoho
Miyazawa Kenji no shinpiteki sekai
Keiho ni okeru cho kojinteki hoeki no hogo
Shinshutsu e no ketsudan
"Bi" ni yoru shihai no paionia
Nanboku mondai no shorai tenbo to waga kuni no taio ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA output)
Biruma senki
Wareware wa ikani ikiru ka
Showa no Tenno
Gendai kaishaho, hokenho no kihon mondai
Kekkan shohin sosho to seizobutsu sekinin
Tenno to Nikkan kodai senshi
Patonashippu no homu to zeimu
Keizai jinruigaku no taiiho
Gurobaru nettowaku jidai no chiiki bunka
Tokugawa Keiki-ke no kodomo-beya
Chiiki sangyo, shakai to gaikokujin rodosha
Nihon no shukyo to seiji
Kigyo to kisei (Kansei Gakuin Daigaku Sanken sosho)
Masatsu jidai no kaikokuron
Zoku Keiji sosho no kihon kozo
Muromachi jidaigo ronko
Keizaigaku no kiso chishiki to Nihon keizai
Hi no kami no futokoro ni te
Rekidai koan (Shiryo sanshu)
Chiiki sangyo jidai no seisaku
Minpo (Meiji 23-nen) seigi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kogekitai no kiroku
Gurobarizeishon
Shoho gairon
Chusho kaishaho no kenkyu
Nyu media gyosei
Keiho no juyo mondai
Gakko toshokan e no konpyuta donyu
Manshon kanriho nyumon
Kokusai keiho no kihon mondai (Kokusai keiho kenkyu)
Shonen hiko to hoteki tosei
Nihon kenposhi no shuhen (Seibundo sensho)
Kokugogaku soko
Chushaku Keiho
Kinzoku, oni, hitobashira sonota
Kenpo no shiten to ronten
Sapporo Nogakko
Shito Tenpozan
Izumi no Kuni kawata-mura shihai monjo
Yuki no gunzo
Kankoku no kensetsu sangyo =
Pari--Tokyo eiga nikki
Kokusai boekiron
Kita Taiheiyo chiiki ni okeru kokusai kankei to Hokkaido no yakuwari (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Ato manejimento to bunka seisaku: Waga kuni no bunka seisaku no shorai koso ni kansuru kenkyu = Arts management and cultural policies
Shogaikoku to Nihon no kazoku kozo to kino no hikaku kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Aru Nikkei nisei ga mita BC-kyu senpan no saiban
Shoho kogi
Kienai ashiato
Asu e no Nihon keizai
Rodo kankeiho no kokusaiteki choryu: Hanami Tadashi Sensei koki kinen ronshu = New trends of labour law in international horizon
Kihon hanrei Kenpo 25-ko
Kyoiku no kiki
Haha to ko de miru Daigo Fukuryu Maru
Oumu kara no kikan
Oroshiuri shijo kankei horei tsutatsushu
Jokyo e
Tokyowan de sakana o ou
Senso wa mada owatte inai: Shin no heiwa e no michi
Nichi-Doku Minji soshoho taihi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Gaboroji =
Nihon gaiko no hatten to chosei (Nihon gaikoshi kenkyu)
Sangyo gijutsu no kokusaiteki sogo izon kankei ni kansuru chosa kenkyu =
Sentan gijutsu no paburikku akuseputansu to sono eikyo ni kansuru Nichi-O hikaku kenkyu (NIRA output)
Chusho kigyo to chiiki inkyubeta
Nisso chohosen no kiseki
Kofuku no kakikata
Dai Nihon Shoho Hasanho (Meiji 26-nen) shakugi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Taiheiyo Senso hishi
"Shi" no sodatekata
Kago reika jiten
Ocha no aru kurashi
Shakai undo no kiso rironteki kenkyu
Toruko to Chuto (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Sagami no mikoshi
Osaka no seso (Okamoto Ryoichi shironshu)
Kagurabayashi ga kikoeru mura: Geihoku chiho no kodomotachi
Shimin katsudo shienho
Nichiren Shonin no shokyo sekai
Keiji saishin riyu no handan hoho
Tannisho o ajiwau
Waga kuni no naikakusei no tenkai
Isomi Teruo zen hanga
Time Bokan The Complete Works (Japanese Language Text)
Nihon no chokusetsu toshi ni taisuru Amerika no seron (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Seijuku no naka no kiki
Kagaku to iu kangaekata
Genkainada no kanata ni
Anata wa naze damasareru no ka!
Kokyo bumon to keizaiteki kosei
Yunion aidentiti daisakusen (Rodo kumiai kaizo koza)
Shanhai no sangyo hatten to Nihon kigyo
Manyo no kahi o tazunete
Bakuhansei kaitaiki no keizai kozo
Kyokaku Ainokawa Matagoro ichidaiki
Keiji seisaku no kiso riron
Kogyo Daishi no shogai to shiso
Rippo katei no kenkyu
Nureginu
Dai Jingisukan
Wild Arms Chronicle:F (Wild Arms Chronicle:F) (in Japanese)
No moa marijji =
"Zainichi" gaikokujin
Mizu no jidai o hiraku
Mori Kazuo eigatabi
Nyu media no gyakusetsu
Saishin Nichi-Chu-Ei erekutoronikusu yogo jiten
21-seiki o tenbosuru hogaku to seijigaku
Seizobutsu sekininho no riron to jitsumu
Saiken kakuron kogi
Rekishi to bunka gyosei
Kaidoku, Nakahara Chuya no shi
Senki shio
Shoho enshu
Chiiki ni okeru seisaku kadai no nettowaku kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Beikoku sangyo boeki kozo no hensen to tenbo (NIRA output)
Hanzaisha no shakainai shogu
Kamosu
Kokusai Gurin Foramu hokokusho: Toshi to midori no bunka senryaku = International Green Forum, '86 Osaka Japan
Seikatsu suijun no rekishiteki suii (NIRA output)
Moko, 50-nen no yume
Hoshina Masayuki-ko: Edo bakusei no genro
Gendai shakuchi shakuya hogaku no kadai
Nihonjin no rogo
Toshindai no Kankokujin, toshindai no Nihonjin
Kokusai sozeihojo no shomondai (Kigyo no takokusekika ni tomonau hoteki shomondai)
Nihon no anzen hosho to shinsekai chitsujo
Jibun no honzukuri
Watakushi ni totte no Tanaka Shozo
Ashita no taikouchi e
Kojutsu keiyaku, jimu kanri, futo ritoku (Kojutsu horitsugaku shirizu)
Keizai keiei bunseki no tame no puroguramingu =
Jikan to tsutei
Koten to sakka (Kokken sosho)
Tairiku no chiisana kazoku
Minzoku ni kansuru kiso kenkyu =
Tokyo toshinbu ni okeru ofisu supesu no juyo doko (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Kigyo bunka no tsuyosa to yasashisa
Kaishaho
Konpyuta hanzai to ni kansuru Keiho ichibu kaisei (chushaku)
"Sei" o mezasu
Kasai to keiji sekinin
Keiji fuhoron no kenkyu
Kamigataban kabuki kankei ichimaizuri ko
Keijiho to saiban no shomondai
Niigata-ken no rekishi to minzoku
Kyuka no keizai, shakaiteki yakuwari (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
90-nendai no chusho kigyo mondai
Gendai minpogaku no shomondai
Hopposhi to kinsei shakai
Tochi seisaku no kihonteki kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Shinpojumu Bonchi no Uchu, Rekishi no Michi
Shusen 50-nen to "Nihon"
Nichi-Bei boeki, sangyo kozo no hendo katei ni kansuru jissho kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Shogai gakushu e no ayumi
Hyakka no jidai ima izuko
Nihon no keiji shiho sairon
Gendai shakai to Keiho kakuron
Jinsei 80-nen no shakai shisutemu no kochiku ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA output)
Murasaki Shikibu nikki ko
Ihosei no ishiki no kanosei
Josei no shakai sanka to kadai (NIRA shimin foramu)
Datsugenpatsu, kyosei e no michi
Shocho to iu kirifuda
Kike! Nihon muzai no sakebi
Gendai Chugoku sozokuho no genri
Chusei Ise Shinto no kenkyu
Zenkai shohizei
Koreika shakai e no sogo seisaku
Tobaku gunshi Hirano Kuniomi
Nichiren Shoshu Taisekiji no shotai
EC no ho to saiban (EC sosho)
Matsu to Nihonjin
Jisho ga konnani omoshirokute ii ka shira
Gendai Chugoku keizairon
Joho shakai no hikari to kage (Asahi Daigaku Sangyo Joho Kenkyujo sosho)
Nakamigawa Hikojiro no kareina shogai
"Taiyo" o kaidokusuru
Mondai kiji
Hojo Soun to sono shison
Gaikoku zeigaku kojo no jitsumu
Nihon kindai shiso to kyoiku
Kaijo unsonin sekininho no tenkai
Setsuwa bungaku no hoho (Setsuwa ronshu)
Gyoseiho enshu
Nihon shihon shugi no genzo
Ki no kuni kara no shucho
Shizoku jusanshi no kenkyu
Nihon-teki toshi keiei no tokushitsu to kadai (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Nichi-Bei kinyu sogo izon kankei ni kansuru kenkyu
Keiji hogaku no kadai to tenbo
Gendai no keizai kozo to roshi kankei
Gyoseiho (Gendai horitsu sensho)
Shuto kino iten to chiho gyo-zaisei shisutemu to to no kankei ni kansuru kenkyu =
Kinsei kaiun no keiei to rekishi
Ryakumyo dodai
Senryakuteki maketingu
Ningen Rennyo
Dogen no jikanron
"Inochi" ni tsuite no diarogosu
Sengo Nihon no kabushiki-gaisha zaimuron
Heisei 5-nen kaisei Tochi kukaku seiriho, toshi kaihatsu shikinho no kaisetsu
"Rengo jidai" no rodo undo
Seihin no shiso
Yamato genki
Gencho Chugoku tokoki
Ringyo jiritsu no tame no zeisei no arikata ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA output)
Mukanshin no hoshu
Taishoshiki shohizei kankei horei tsutatsushu
Kinsei gyogyo shakaishi no kenkyu
Jodokyo bunkaron
Splendor
Tegata kobenron
Nakasone to wa nandatta no ka
Shinkashinai Nihonjin e
Goze
Nihon kigen no nazo o toku
Genso monogatari no bunpo
Edomae no sushi
Kokyosuru nettowakingu
Souru no Nihongo shinbun wa kaku
Gendai Nihon no kokusai kankei (Gendai Nihon no seiji keizai)
Bunka shuto no kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu hokokusho)
Okada Mokichi ni okeru shukyo to geijutsu (Shinpigaku sosho)
Gurobaru-ka jidai no keizaigaku
Keizaiho gairon
Denki tsushin sangyo ni okeru jigyoshamo sogo setsuzoku ni kansuru kenkyu
Yukoku no uta
Kumano no shuraku to chimei
Otona no kuni Igirisu to kodomo no kuni Nihon
"Koko" o kangaeru
"Zeneishi" no jidai
Senkyo to giseki haibun no seido
Terebi media to Nihonjin
Higashi Ajia no kodai o do kangaeru ka: Higashi Ajia kodaishi saikjochiku no tame ni
Jawa gokuchuki
Nihon keizai no shintenkai
Kaisei Keiji soshoho ron (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Akibiyori, Higanbana
"Shushogi" o yomu
Kusaki yobanashi ima ya mukashi
Teigen, toshi sozo
Takokuseki kigyo to kokusaiho
Kokusai kankyoho
Kaisha torishimariyaku seido no shiteki tenbo
Chiho gyokakuka no jichitai roshi kankei
Hijojo-shi no hitobito
Manhattan karucha sukuru =
Zoku Nazo no kodai sekai hakkutsu
Sumai no esunoroji
Kita Taiheiyo chiiki ni okeru keizai hatten to kokusai seijiteki antei (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Keieigaku yoron
Genba hokoku Nihon no seiji
Hideyoshi to Osakajo (Okamoto Ryoichi shironshu)
Shoko no kyareru
Kaiga to shikisai to Akiko no uta
Grandia 2 World Guidance (Granndia 2 Koushiki Settei Shiryoushu) (in Japanese)
Kokusaiho senrei shiryoshu
Hanrei de manabu koyo kankei no hori
Jinen honi
Gendai shakai ni okeru bosshu, tsuicho
Minamijujisei
Blooming Minayo - September 28
Sengo iryo hosho no shogen
Chiikijutsu
Uchi no ko ga, naze!
Gendai maketingu to shohisha kodo
Chiho sangyo shinko to kigyoka seishin
Chugoku Minji soshoho no riron to jissai (Chugoku hogaku zenshu)
Raten Amerika toshi to shakai
Akai kenryoku no taikei
Katsuragi (Kinki Nihon bukkusu)
Keiho kogi
Daigaku kyoiku no kakushin to jissen
Keiji seisaku no kihon mondai
1990-nendai no Nihon to ASEAN: Gekido no kokusai kankyo ni okeru arata na yakuwari = ASEAN-Japan in the 1990s
Shukyo to igaku no hazama ni tachite
Hanrei minji josoho
Murakami Haruki no nigenteki sekai
Bun Senmei, shiso to toitsu undo
Shiboruto to Nihon no kaikoku kindaika
Atarashii tochi zeisei
Nihon sangyo no kokusaiteki chosei
Bunka kyoryoku ni okeru minzoku to kokka =
Tsukuba sanroku mura-gurashi
Keiho kakuron kogi noto
Ofuna monogatari
Hasan to kaikei (Gakujutsu sensho)
Kaishaho kaisei no ronri
Hatten-tojokoku to chokusetsu toshi
Jidai o shissoshita kokusaijin Enomoto Takeaki
Shuoshi kuhi junrei
Minji soshoho juyo mondai kogi
Omi shonin no keieishi
Keiho ni okeru jikko kiken sakugo
21-seiki no Tohoku no bijon
Noshi
Daitenkan no jidai
Ikoma to Heguri (Kinki Nihon bukkusu)
Hokatsu ichizai no kenkyu
Setsuwa to gunki monogatari (Setsuwa ronshu)
Seikyo bunri gensoku no tekiyo kijun ni kansuru kenkyu
Kaso ni idomu
Kinsei nosonshi no kenkyu
Zansho
Nehane no kenkyu
Shinsei Roshia keizai no ririku
Nihon no bunka to shakai keizai shisutemu (Gendai Nihon no seiji keizai)
Shi to shosetsu no kosumorojii
Emonfu bunin
Shin kogai genron
Minpo (Meiji 23-nen) seigi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Nihonjin no seikatsu ishiki to tetsugaku
Keizai hendo to keiyaku riron
Hyoden Inoue Kowashi (Hannan Daigaku sosho)
Kokin shogu no riron to jissen
Shichiyashi no kenkyu
Hanzainin hikiwatashiho no riron (Kokusai keihu kenkyu)
Osaka Machibugyosho jiken hikae
Waga kuni no anzen hosho
Gendai bijutsu e no shotai
Yamato no Kuni Takase Michitsune nendaiki (Seibundo shiryo sosho)
Asahi ni otoshimerareta gendaishi
Nijuisseiki shihon shugi keizai no kadai
Denki jidosha no donyu to sono shakai keizai kankyo enerugi-teki inpakuto no kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Kyukyoku no ningengaku
Furanku to yobareta otoko
Minji soshoho (Meiji 23-nen) seigi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Issei to shite Amerika ni ikite
Gendai kogyo keieiron (Gendai kogyo keieigaku zensho)
Kanada no enerugi shigen to enerugi seisaku (NIRA output)
Nihongo to Ainugo
Hebiichigo o meshiagare
Risoku seigenho to kojo ryozoku
Korekutashippu
Giin jiritsuken no kozo
Shokuryo kanri kankei shuyo hokishu
Aa nasakenaya Nihon
Furuhonjutsu
Takuchi kaihatsu horei tsutatsu gyosei jitsureishu
Shin Doro kotsuho: Doho shikorei, shiko kisoku
Gendai fudosanhoron
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Kita Chosen ni kieta onna
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Kinsei no setsuwa (Setsuwa ronshu)
Shiruku rodo no Chosenjin
Kabushiki no baibai to hyoka no zeimu: Mondoshiki
Boku no Nihon jidoshashi =
Kinsei Osaka to chishikijin shakai
Bukkyo to Nihonjin
Kindai kigyoho no keisei to tenkai (Okushima Takayasu Kyoju kanreki kinen)
Shakai undo no gendaiteki iso
Jidai ni totte, soshite wareware ni totte Nihon Shinto to wa nande atta no ka
Arata na seisaku kadai to keiryo bunseki shuho ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA kenkyu sosho)
Hibi no itami o kate to shite
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Rodo no ningenka no shintenkai
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Shukyo, gakumon no keisho, chokoku
Shakuhachi
Chugoku Shikoku chiho ni okeru sabisu keizaika jidai no chiikizukuri
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Otoko wa doko ni iru no ka
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Anata wa Nihon ga suki desu ka
Tonan Ajia Kajin shakai no shukyo bunka ni kansuru chosa kenkyu
Miyazawa Kenji o toku
Sabakareru Nihon-teki keiei
Kaigai hi hahei no ronri
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Ashio Dozan no shakaishi
Los Angel[e]s gigyu ondo
Mukashibanashi to kokoro no jiritsu
Machizukuri tokuhon
Taiwan kigyo no soshiki fudo no jisshoteki kenkyu
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Kindai Nihon dogyo kumiai shiron
Futari no otto kara no okurimono
Akiraka ni sareta Jinmu izen
Fullmetal Alchemist TV Anime Vol. 1 (Hagane no Renkinjyutsushi) (in Japanese)
Minpo (Meiji 23-nen) seigi (Nihon rippo shiryo zenshu)
Kokusai jinken kijun ni yoru keiji tetsuzuki handobukku
Daijo kishinron dokushaku
Gyokusaishinakatta heishi no shuki
Ko Haruto zenshu
Tamesareru kotoba (21-seiki o ikihajimeru tame ni)
21-seiki e mukete no sentan gijutsu kenkyu kaihatsu kankyo no arikata ni kansuru kenkyu (NIRA output)
Kigyo no kokusaiteki kyosei: Nichi-Bei no ronri = International corporate kyosei
Afurika ongaku tankenki
Senpaku hoken yakkan kenkyu
Tanaka kakuei
Minpo sosoku kogian
"Chumon no oi ryoriten" no sekai
Kitai to kaiso
Keiji kososhin
Toyota shinwa no shuen
Nihon no ido
Tobu Nyu Ginia koshahotai tsuiokuki
Nihon no kigeki
Baishunsuru otokotachi
Sotenken Shinjuwan 50-shunen hodo
Nichi-Ro Senso igo no Nihon gaiko
Henshuteki hasso
Nihon no miira-butsu o tazunete
Edo muketsu kaijo no uso
Nichi-Futsu Minji soshoho kenkyu
Zusetsu hanketsu genpon no isan
Nichi-Bei kankei ni okeru esunishiti no yoso =
Kindai Nihon ni okeru "kokka to shukyo"
Kojutsu Sozokuho (Kojutsu horitsugaku shirizu)
Johoka jidai no jinzai ikusei
Nihon e no dekasegi Banguradeshu rodosha no jittai chosa = A survey, experiences of Bangladeshi workers in Japan (NIRA research report)
Matsuo Chusa to sono haha
Okura Kihachiro no gokainaru shogai
Nihon Retto minkashi
Minji soshoho kaisei mondai
Akutagawa Ryunosuke

9:15 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

多宝富士大日蓮華山大石寺
総本山
法主 貫主

9:38 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

大石寺
出典: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』
移動: ナビゲーション, 検索
大石寺(たいせきじ)は、静岡県富士宮市にある日蓮正宗の総本山。

目次 [非表示]
1 概要
2 起源と歴史
3 境内
4 寺宝
5 「宗教法人大石寺」役員
6 堂宇・建造物
6.1 現存する堂宇・建造物
6.2 過去にあった堂宇・建造物
7 塔中坊
7.1 表塔中
7.2 西裏塔中
7.3 東裏塔中
7.4 それ以外の坊舎
8 廃寺・旧名
8.1 衛坊
9 その他の施設・建造物
10 月例行事
11 年中行事
12 関連項目
13 外部リンク



[編集] 概要
山号は「多寶富士大日蓮華山」(たほうふじだいにちれんげさん)で、「大日蓮華山」と略すこともある。

日興の法脈を継承し、過去には、勝劣派、宗祖本仏論を奉ずる富士門流に属し、静岡県の駿東地方に分布する 北山本門寺、 西山本門寺、 下条妙蓮寺、 小泉久遠寺とともに同門流の「富士五山」を構成し、さらに 京都要法寺、伊豆実成寺、保田妙本寺とあわせて「興門八本山」と称される時代もあった。明治期には富士門流の統一教団日蓮宗興門派(のち本門宗)の結成に参加、興門八本山より輪番制で就任する同宗の管長には、第4代として日布、第15代として日応などが着任した。以上の経緯は、当時の憲法による門下統一の指針により致し方なくされた処置であった。しかし、大石寺との本末関係にある寺院には他山の影響はなく、日興以来の血脈に随い、大石寺法主を日蓮の生まれ変わりとして信奉し、法改正に伴い日蓮正宗総本山として念願の独立を果たした。戦後は上述の下条妙蓮寺をはじめ、讃岐本門寺、日向定善寺などが本山として法累寺院とともに帰一している。

住所は静岡県富士宮市上条2057番(北緯35度16分41.98秒 東経138度35分19.99秒)。墓苑の一部は同市北山に属する。 駐車場、売店を除く境内地は墓苑を含めて南北約1550m、東西約1150mで約70ヘクタールに及ぶ。明治の作家・大町桂月は、「大石寺を見ずして寺を語ることなかれ」と評している。

なお、1950年代初期に、創価学会の第二代会長・戸田城聖によって、創価学会員の大石寺への月例登山会が実施されるようになった。その後、法華講(古くからの日蓮正宗の信徒組織)でも、法華講連合会の発足後は、法華講員の月例登山会などを行なうようになったが、それ以降、1990年頃から創価学会が日蓮正宗の教義から逸脱したことにより1991年に日蓮正宗宗門から破門されるまでの間は、学会員の登山者数の方が、法華講員の登山者数よりも圧倒的に多かった。現在(学会員が日蓮正宗の信徒資格を喪失した1997年以降)は、大石寺に登山・参詣できるのは、法華講員のみに限られる。日蓮正宗の信徒でない一般の人は、境内の散策・見学は自由であるが、教義と防犯上の理由のため、奉安堂内部に立ち入ることは出来ないものの、その他の堂宇は外部からの見学は自由になっている。また、石之坊には午前9時から午後5時まで自由に入ることが出来る。ただし、日蓮正宗信徒以外の一般の人が(信徒以外の者は立ち入りを許可されていない奉安堂以外の)諸堂宇内部に立ち入ることが出来るのは、原則として、法要をはじめとする諸儀式・諸行事などが行なわれていない時に限られている。また、信徒でも本山到着時に内拝券の交付を受けていない場合は奉安堂内部への立入りはできない。さらにいえば、毎年四月六日・七日は霊宝虫払い、十一月二十日・二十一日は宗祖御大会という大法要が奉修されるため、あらかじめ許可を得た信徒以外は参詣できない。


[編集] 起源と歴史
日向および身延の地頭・波木井実長が日蓮の教えを捨て去る謗法(非法)行為に及んだと判断した日興(身延山久遠寺・現日蓮宗総本山の第2世住職)が、宗祖日蓮の「血脈法灯」を継承するは自らであり、清浄なる法を守るとして、身延山久遠寺を離山。後に、上野の地頭であった南条朝臣時光の招請を受けて1290年(正応3年)、富士山麓の大石ヶ原(「おおいしがはら」と読む)に移り住んだのが大石寺のはじまりである。これに供奉した主要の弟子が塔中(脇寺)を建立し、現在の大石寺の原型ともいえる姿ができた。

大石寺は「本門戒壇の根本霊場」と位置づけられており、本門戒壇が建立されたときは正式寺号である大本門寺を公称するとの言い伝えもある。また、「本門戒壇の大御本尊」が安置されていることからこの世における唯一の常寂光土とも位置付けられている。

開山以来、日蓮の法を内証に付嘱される法主が大石寺の住職であり、大石寺末寺すべてを束ねる。現在でいう宗教法人上の代表役員、管長である。現在の大石寺住職は第68世日如。

1876年、富士門流の統一教団日蓮宗興門派の結成に参加。
1881年-1882年、第55世法主日布が日蓮宗興門派の第4代管長に就任。
1891年-1892年、第56世法主日応が日蓮宗興門派の第15代管長に就任。
1899年、日蓮宗興門派は日蓮本門宗(本門宗)と改称。
1900年、大石寺は末寺等87ヶ寺とともに本門宗をはなれ、日蓮宗富士派を結成。
1912年、宗派名を日蓮正宗と改める。

[編集] 境内
境内(敷地内)には、五重塔(重要文化財)、御影堂(県指定文化財)、三門(県指定文化財)などの堂宇がある。1998年に純和風の客殿、2002年に宗旨建立750年を記念して、正本堂跡地に奉安堂(宗祖日蓮真筆「本門戒壇之大御本尊」を安置)が建立された。そのほかに1958年建立の大講堂や1988年建立の六壷、1994年建立の広布坊などがある。

境内地東方には11ヘクタール、16,000基となる日蓮正宗の墓苑があり、大石寺歴代法主の墓地、僧侶墓地に続いて一般信徒の墓地もある。一般信徒の墓地には日蓮正宗の熱心な信者でもあった創価学会初代会長の牧口家の墓や第二代会長の戸田家の墓(なお、戸田城聖・創価学会第二代会長本人の墓は、五重塔のそばに建っている)などがある他、俳優赤木圭一郎の墓もある。大石寺の総門・三門から御影堂に至る参道には表塔中(脇寺)が立ち並んでいる。これら表塔中は大石寺開山直後の建立であり、いずれも700年を超える古刹である。しかし、諸堂宇については耐震強度の問題から、現在は十八箇坊の新築工事を行い、完成と同時に順次落慶されている。

大石寺境内には桜の木が数多く植えられており、表塔中の枝垂れ桜は景勝地として知られているほか、境内を南北に流れる御塔川(潤井川)や常灯ヶ峰の桜は静岡県内の名所として有名である。開花の時期に合わせて多くの観光客やカメラマンが訪れるが、霊宝虫払大法会が行われる毎年4月6日と7日は、曜日に関わらず一般者の立ち入りが禁止されるので注意が必要である。

総門と三門を結ぶ石畳の両側には、総門より三門に向かい左手に、5階建ての常灯坊(現在立替工事中)、柱に遮られる事のない1000畳を超える大広間を持つ広布坊、総二坊があり、総二坊と石畳を挟んでシンメトリーのように総一坊が聳え立っている。この総一坊・総二坊ともに230畳を超える広間が、1階に1室、2階と3階にそれぞれ4室(4室のうち2室に本尊が安置)があり、信徒の宿坊や集会所として使用される。総一坊東側玄関前には団参用のバスターミナルもあり、三門前には国道469号が横断している。また三門より表塔中を上りきって右手に折れると、大石寺開山700年記念事業で整備された日本庭園「法祥園」が明鏡池を中心としてひろがり、その右手には東裏塔中がある。


[編集] 寺宝
秘仏とされる「本門戒壇之大御本尊」(弘安2(1279)年10月12日建立、奉安堂に安置)
日蓮奠定の最初仏とも称される御影像(祖師像)(奉安堂・戒壇本尊に向かって右側の宮殿に安置)
日蓮の遺骨である舎利灰骨(奉安堂・戒壇本尊に向かって左側の舎利塔に安置)
日蓮の歯である「御生骨」(御肉牙、日蓮の遠忌と法主の代替法要の際にのみ公開)
日蓮が祈雨の際に用いた「雨の祈りの三具足」
本尊
日蓮真筆の本尊(戒壇大御本尊以外)
弘安3(1280)年3月の「師資伝授之御本尊」(「紫宸殿御本尊」との異称は誤謬伝と決判されている。)
文永11(1274)年12月の「万年救護本尊」(大講堂安置の常住板御本尊、真筆は保田妙本寺)
建治元年11月の本尊
弘安3年5月9日南之坊開基の少輔公日禪へ授与の御本尊
弘安3年11月本門寺重寶の本尊
日興真筆の本尊
「御座替わり御本尊」(正応2(1289)年10月3日書写、宝永3(1706)年に客殿安置本尊として模刻造立)
「御手続御本尊」(正慶元(1332)年11月3日書写)
「御筆止御本尊」(正慶2(1333)年1月27日書写)
嘉元元(1303)年8月13日書写、之を模刻・開眼し六壷に安置するところの常住板御本尊(これと全く同じものが品川区・妙光寺本堂に安置されている。)等
その他の本尊
御影堂安置の常住板御本尊(年月日不明、日蓮真筆の本尊を模刻)
五重塔安置の常住板御本尊(31世日因が寛延2(1749)年2月28日に書写)
三門安置の常住板御本尊(年月日不明、25世日宥が書写)
納骨堂安置の導師板御本尊(67世日顕が平成16(2004)年10月に書写)
画像、御影像
宗祖日蓮「鏡の御影」
御影堂安置の宗祖等身大御影像(元中5(1388)年造立、越前法橋快恵作)
客殿安置の宗祖御影像(万治3(1660)年造立)
日蓮御真蹟
諌暁八幡鈔
衆生心身御書
南条殿御返事
宝軽法重事など
刀剣
北条弥源太が日蓮に奉納したと伝わる刀剣一振り(国宝)のちに盗難に遭い、現在行方不明。
これらの重宝は「御霊宝」と称され、毎年4月7日に奉修されている御霊宝虫払大法会で虫干しされ、参詣檀徒に披露されている。本尊については120体ほど収蔵されているが、虫払大法会で虫干しされる本尊は9世・日有以前の60体ほどで、残りの本尊は日を改めて関係者のみによって虫干しされる。


[編集] 「宗教法人大石寺」役員
住職(法主) 早瀬日如
主任理事兼執事 佐藤慈暢(百貫坊住職)
理事兼執事 小川只道(理境坊住職)
執事 関快道(久成坊住職)
理事 駒井専道(観行坊住職)
同 山崎慈昭(総一坊住職)
同 田爪鏡道(蓮成坊住職)
総代渡辺定元(了性坊信徒)
同 土橋昌訓(了性坊信徒)
同 井出光彦(百貫坊信徒)

[編集] 堂宇・建造物

[編集] 現存する堂宇・建造物
奉安堂(平成14(2002)年10月建立)
奉安殿(昭和30(1955)年11月建立、現在は仮御影堂として使用)
御影堂(静岡県有形文化財)(寛永9(1632)年建立)
五重塔(国重要文化財)(寛延2(1749)年建立)
三門(静岡県有形文化財)(享保2(1717)年建立)
大坊(内事部)(昭和37(1962)年新築)
大書院(昭和56(1981)年10月建立)
大奥(庫裡)
客殿(平成10(1998)年3月再建)
不開門(勅使門)(平成10(1998)年3月再建)
大講堂(昭和33(1958)年2月建立)
六壷(昭和63(1988)年10月再建)
御宝蔵(寛政2(1789)年建立)
御経蔵(昭和48(1973)年再建)
多宝蔵(平成2(1990)年3月建立)
富士見庵(昭和33(1958)年再建)
蓮葉庵(平成2(1990)年3月再建)
日蓮正宗宗務院(昭和56(1981)年建立)
三師塔中央大塔(宗祖日蓮、二祖日興、三祖日目、以上三師の墓、墓苑内、元禄年間・宗祖400回遠忌記念に建立)
三師塔西大塔(宗祖日蓮、二祖日興、三祖日目、以上三師の墓、墓苑内、享保年間・宗祖450回遠忌記念に建立)
三師塔東大塔(宗祖日蓮、二祖日興、三祖日目、以上三師の墓、墓苑内、昭和36(1961)年・宗祖680回遠忌記念に建立)
大納骨堂(中央に三師塔がある)(平成17(2005)年3月再建、三師塔は平成8(1996)年に建立)
大忠霊塔(大東亜戦争戦没者顕彰塔、墓苑内)
熱原三烈士碑
宝永六萬塔
平成六萬塔(平成6(1994)年4月建立)
鐘樓(平成2(1990)年3月再建、梵鐘は昭和28(1953)年鋳造)
鼓樓(平成2(1990)年3月再建)
中講堂(富士学林)(昭和63(1988)年建立)
鬼門(朝日門)(享保2(1717)年建立)
二天門(寛永15(1638)年建立)
裏門(昭和63(1988)年再建)
総門(黒門)
十二角堂(開山堂・位牌堂)(昭和35(1960)年再建)
典礼院(墓苑事務所)(昭和59(1984)年再建)
法華講事務所
閼伽堂(御華水)(昭和48(1973)年再建)
医薬坊
浣衣堂(浴場)
洗浴堂(浴場)
この他に塔中坊などあわせて五十以上の堂宇からなる。


[編集] 過去にあった堂宇・建造物
正本堂(昭和47(1972)年9月建立、平成10(1998)年4月解体)
大客殿(昭和39(1964)年3月建立、平成7(1995)年9月解体)
六壷(旧)(昭和40(1965)年建立、昭和62(1987)年解体)
大化城(昭和35(1960)年建立、昭和63(1988)年解体)
総門(鉄筋コンクリート作り)(昭和47(1972)年建立、平成10(1998)年解体)
広布の塔
題目供養塔(皆成仏塔)
宝物館(奉安殿内に設置)
納骨堂(昭和35(1960)年完成、昭和44(1969)年解体)
大納骨堂(旧)(昭和44(1969)年建立、平成16(2004)年解体)
垂迹堂
天主堂(天拝堂)

[編集] 塔中坊

[編集] 表塔中
蓮蔵坊(学頭寮)(れんぞうぼう)
浄蓮坊(じょうれんぼう)
理境坊(りきょうぼう)
久成坊(くじょうぼう)
百貫坊(ひゃくかんぼう)
蓮東坊(れんとうぼう)
寂日坊(じゃくにちぼう)
本住坊(ほんじゅうぼう)
観行坊(かんぎょうぼう)
本境坊(ほんきょうぼう)
蓮成坊(れんじょうぼう)
了性坊(りょうしょうぼう)
南之坊(みなみのぼう)
この他に、大石寺総門より約2km離れた場所に下之坊(しものぼう)がある。現在の大石寺は、もともとは大檀那である上野殿の上屋敷のあった場所であり、これに対して下屋敷の後に立てられたのが下之坊である。距離は離れているが、飛び地のような存在として考えられており、間違いなく大石寺の一宇である。大石寺の塔中坊は大石寺内事部の管理下であるが、下之坊は大石寺の境内地の外にあるため、静岡北布教区(大石寺を除く富士宮市、芝川町を管轄)の管轄となる。 境内には本堂の他に三師塔、墓所、旧本堂などがあり、また、広範囲にわたる藤棚は誠に見事であり、富士宮の観光名所でもある。

さらには、「不浄」となった身延を離れた日興が暫く逗留したのもこの地であり、荷物を解いたときの蔓(つる)がそのまま根付いたといわれる樹木も生えている。毎年12月15日には法主の大導師により、妙蓮寺ほか近隣の寺院の住職や大石寺の役僧を迎えて下之坊におけるお会式が奉修される。

なお、大石寺境内の塔中の各坊にも、全国の末寺と同じように、法華講の支部が設置されているが、このうち、理境坊には法華講理境坊支部(古い時代からの法華講中)と理境坊所属妙観講支部が、また、南之坊には法華講南之坊支部(古い時代からの法華講中)と南之坊所属蘇生講支部がある。一方、檀家がいない坊や数所帯のみの坊では支部が結成されていない。


[編集] 西裏塔中
妙泉坊(みょうせんぼう)
妙住坊(みょうじゅうぼう)
妙遠坊(みょうおんぼう)(平成20年暮れに東裏塔中・報恩坊北隣に移転予定)
遠寿坊(おんじゅぼう)

[編集] 東裏塔中
報恩坊(ほうおんぼう)
遠信坊(おんしんぼう)
東之坊(ひがしのぼう)
本種坊(ほんしゅぼう)
石之坊(いしのぼう)(本堂を「常唱堂」と呼ぶ。境内には、大石寺大坊完成までの間、日興が説法のために座ったと伝承される「御説法石」がある。)
雪山坊(せっせんぼう)

[編集] それ以外の坊舎
総一坊(そういちぼう)-1階には登山事務所が設置されている。
総二坊(そうにぼう)
広布坊(こうふぼう)
常来坊(じょうらいぼう)
常灯坊(とこひぼう)(別名・開闡(かいせん)会館)
常楽坊(じょうらくぼう)(旧衛二坊)
妙護坊(みょうごぼう)(旧衛三坊)
法護坊(ほうごぼう)(旧衛四坊)

[編集] 廃寺・旧名
寿命坊(じゅみょうぼう)
対山坊(たいざんぼう)
芙蓉坊(ふようぼう)
奉天坊(ほうてんぼう)、現在は理境坊奉天出張所となっている。
一之坊(いちのぼう、現在は総一坊)
二之坊(にのぼう、現在は総二坊)
三之坊(さんのぼう、現在は総一坊)
四之坊(よんのぼう、現在は総二坊)
五之坊(ごのぼう、現在の広布坊の位置にあった)

[編集] 衛坊
衛一坊(えいいちぼう)
衛二坊(えいにぼう、現在は常楽坊)
衛三坊(えいさんぼう、現在は妙護坊)
衛四坊(えいよんぼう、現在は法護坊)
衛五坊(えいごぼう)

[編集] その他の施設・建造物
法祥園(大石寺開山700年記念事業により整備された庭園)
東山駐車場(旧・池田山)
バスターミナル(書籍販売コーナーを併設)
塔の原グラウンド
常灯山(とこひやま)

開白橋
珠珙之橋
御塔橋
冨士見橋
大石橋
龍門橋(国道469号)


なお、大石橋と龍門橋の間の潤井川には、大石滝という滝がある。
地下道
清貫洞
華山函
華吉函
その他、各地に出張所が存在する。

また、2006年6月には、日蓮正宗宗務院発行の書籍類などを出版・発売する新たな出版社として設立された大日蓮出版(代表取締役社長・宮野審道(宗務院副教学部長、埼玉県鶴ヶ島市・啓信寺住職))の本社も大石寺内に設置され、同年9月に、大石寺境内に隣接する場所で起工式が行なわれて社屋が建設され、同年12月18日に落成式が行なわれた。2007年1月から、落成した社屋での業務が開始されている。


[編集] 月例行事
毎日 丑寅勤行〔午前2:30 客殿〕
第一日曜日 広布唱題会〔午前9:00 客殿。必要に応じて大講堂でも同時放送〕(6、7月は夏期講習会登山と重なり前夜に行う)
1日 晨朝衆会、御経日(先祖代々諸精霊追善回向)〔六壷〕
7日 晨朝衆会、開山日興上人御報恩御講〔午前7:00 御影堂、2月の祥月命日のみ客殿〕
13日 晨朝衆会、宗祖日蓮大聖人御報恩御講〔午前7:00 御影堂〕(塔中坊および全国末寺では第二日曜日)
15日 晨朝衆会、三祖日目上人御報恩御講〔午前7:00 御影堂、11月の祥月命日のみ客殿〕
これらの行事は法主の大導師のもと奉修される。

〔〕は法要会場。太字は特別法要


[編集] 年中行事
1月1日 元旦勤行〔午前2:30 客殿〕
1月中毎朝 唱題行〔客殿、初登山会中は大講堂も使用〕

2月3日 節分会〔御影堂〕
2月6日,2月7日 興師会(開山日興上人祥月命日)
2月16日 宗祖日蓮大聖人誕生会〔午前7:00 御影堂〕、御塔開き〔五重塔〕
3月春分の日 春季彼岸会〔午後4:00 客殿〕
3月28日 立宗内証宣旨報恩会〔午前7:00 御影堂〕
3月下旬 得度式〔六壷〕
4月6日,4月7日 御霊宝虫払大法会〔奉安堂、御影堂、客殿〕
4月下旬 教師補任式〔客殿〕
4月28日 立宗会〔午前7:00 御影堂〕
5月1日 大行会(開基壇那南条時光祥月命日)〔午前7:00 客殿〕
8月15日 盂蘭盆会〔午前10:00 客殿〕、前後の日に墓参り
9月12日 御難会(龍の口法難会)〔午後6:00 御影堂〕
9月18日,9月19日 寛師会(第26世日寛祥月命日)〔客殿、常唱堂〕※奉納角力大会・花火大会も同時開催
9月秋分の日 秋季彼岸会〔午後4:00 客殿〕
9月29日 有師会(第9世日有祥月命日)
11月14日,11月15日 目師会(第三祖日目祥月命日)〔客殿〕
11月20日,11月21日 宗祖日蓮大聖人御大会〔御影堂、客殿と大講堂で同時放送〕
これらの法要は法主の大導師のもと奉修される。

〔〕は法要会場と開式時間(変更が生じる場合あり)。太字は宗門主催の特別法要

上記以外で、歴代上人の遠忌法要等の宗門法要も執り行われる。


[編集] 関連項目
大石寺住職一覧
勝劣派
富士門流
本門宗
富士五山 - 北山本門寺、上条大石寺、西山本門寺、小泉久遠寺、下条妙蓮寺
興門八本山 - 富士五山に加えて伊豆実成寺、保田妙本寺、京都要法寺
池上本門寺
日本の寺院一覧
日蓮正宗寺院一覧
宗祖日蓮大聖人御大会

[編集] 外部リンク
日蓮正宗公式ページ
日蓮正宗総本山大石寺写真集
"http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E7%9F%B3%E5%AF%BA" より作成
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最終更新 2008年6月22日 (日) 11:11。

9:39 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

日蓮正宗
出典: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』
移動: ナビゲーション, 検索
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仏教
基本教義
縁起 四諦 八正道
三法印 四法印
諸行無常 諸法無我
涅槃寂静 一切皆苦
人物
釈迦 十大弟子 龍樹
如来・菩薩
仏の一覧
部派・宗派
原始仏教 上座部 大乗
地域別仏教
インドの仏教 中国の仏教
韓国の仏教 日本の仏教
経典
聖地
八大聖地
ウィキポータル 仏教
日蓮正宗(にちれんしょうしゅう)は、日蓮を宗祖とし、日興を派祖とする仏教の宗派の1つ。日蓮系の諸宗派のなかでは、日蓮本仏論、勝劣派などを教義とする富士門流(日興門流)に属し、「興門八本山」のうち、大石寺(総本山)、下条妙蓮寺(本山)の二本山が所属する、富士門流中の有力宗派である。

目次 [非表示]
1 概要
2 教義
3 歴史
4 現在の宗門の体制
4.1 法主の地位と権限
4.2 宗務行政
4.3 出家制度
4.4 僧侶の階級
4.5 宗門役僧
5 日蓮正宗の信徒団体
6 日蓮正宗の機関誌(教誌)
7 日蓮正宗信徒の活動
8 日蓮正宗に対する教学上の批判
9 現在の日蓮正宗と他教団との紛争
10 日蓮正宗に対する外国政府による評価
11 主要寺院
12 行事
13 関連項目
14 外部リンク



概要
宗祖の入滅後、六弟子の1人であった日興が総本山大石寺(たいせきじ)を建てて「御開山」すなわち事実上の開祖となり、その教義的方向性を決定づけたが、日興は7ヵ年留まると石川氏の招きにより大石寺を退出、晩年は重須談所(現在の日蓮宗北山本門寺根源・重須本門寺)に移住し、日目に血脈を譲ったのち、晩年は師弟の教育・指導にあたり、ここで没した。

日蓮正宗と正式に名乗るのは明治最初の頃で、それまでは日蓮宗勝劣派の一宗派(大石寺派)、一時は富士門流各山と連合し日蓮宗興門派・日蓮本門宗という富士門流八本山による連合宗派も作っていた。日蓮本門宗時代は管長は八本山からの輪番制となったが、大石寺本末・中末の独立が公許されこれより独立し、1900年(明治33年)に日蓮宗富士派と公称し、1912年(明治45年)に日蓮正宗と改称し現在に至るが、法華経正宗分の意味合いからであろうか少なくとも江戸時代中期には自宗派を正宗と呼ぶことがあったことが、金沢郷土史の文献(「正宗の題目」とある)から分かる。


教義

師資伝授の本尊勝劣派の教義全般については「勝劣派」を参照。

1279年(弘安2年)の10月12日の宗祖日蓮所顕と伝えられる本門戒壇之大御本尊(総本山大石寺奉安堂に安置)を帰命依止の本尊と定め、宗祖の出世の本懐(ほんがい)であり、宗祖所顕の曼荼羅の中でも究境の大曼荼羅として位置づけている。教義の基本は、正しい本尊(本門戒壇之大御本尊)を信じて自行化他に題目を修行しさえするならば、どんな者でも必ず一生のうちに成仏できる、ということである。また、仏教各宗派によってさまざまな戒律が説かれているが、日蓮正宗における戒とは「三大秘法の受持」の意である。よって信徒個人レベルにおける戒律の実践は、「一切の謗法を捨てること(=日蓮正宗以外の本尊を拝まないこと)」、「勤行唱題および弘教活動(=広宣流布)を実践すること」で十分である、とされる。すなわち日蓮正宗においては、本尊こそが「三大秘法」の中心として考えられている訳である。

この他に宗派独自の主張として目立つものは、

宗祖は、外用としては法華経に予証された末法の世を救う上行菩薩であり、その内証は久遠元初の自受用報身(すなわち御本仏)である。なお、宗祖を日蓮大聖人と称している。大聖人の称号を末法の御本仏に対する尊称として用いるのは富士門流だけであり、日蓮宗(一致派、等)で用いる場合には日蓮大菩薩を意味している。
宗祖は、1253年(建長5年)の3月28日に立宗を内示され、4月28日に立宗を宣した。
日興は、1282年(弘安5年)の二箇相承にもとづき、宗祖から「唯授一人の血脈相承(ゆいじゅいちにんのけちみゃくそうじょう)」を受けたとされている。以後、第3祖日目、第4世日道、第5世日行と順次に伝えて現法主第68世日如に至っている。
等々の教義があげられる。

現在、所依の経典としては、法華三部経・宗祖遺文(『日蓮大聖人御書』)・第2祖日興遺文・第9世日有遺文・第26世日寛遺文を正依としているが、天台宗系統の摩詞止観10巻および弘決・法華玄義10巻および釈籤・法華文句10巻および疏記をも傍依としては認めている。

仏教の基礎である三宝は、宗祖を久遠元初の仏宝とし、南無妙法蓮華経の妙法大曼荼羅を法宝とし、「血脈付法の人」である第2祖日興を随一として歴代の法主を僧宝であるとしている。宗祖こそが「本因妙の教主釈尊」であって、インドの釈迦(釈尊)は、法華経を説いて当時の衆生を救済するかたわら、末法における本仏(=宗祖)の出現を予証するために現れた仮の姿の「釈尊」(=迹仏)とされてされており、多宝塔や釈迦・多宝如来、等の仏像の制作・崇拝は現在では一切禁止されている。

従来「法華経では、女人は成仏できない五障の身である」と宗派として公式に主張していたが、昭和20年の敗戦後GHQによる封建的風潮除去の動きに従い、「女人成仏を説いたのは法華経のみ」と解釈を180度転換した(他に女人成仏を説いたものとして勝鬘経がある)。ただし、この方針転換は「泣く子も黙る進駐軍」の威光を前に宗派の未来への存続を賭けて止むを得ず行われたもので、戦時中、翼賛体制への迎合から寺院で神札を祭ったのと同じく、決して日和見主義やあさましさに由来するものではないとする見方も存在する。

※法華経のうち、提婆達多品には八歳の竜女が即身成仏したことが説かれているため、我が国では古来より法華経を女人成仏の経典として貴ばれており、聖武天皇の命により全国に設置された国分尼寺には必ず法華経が安置された。

また日蓮遺文には

殊更(ことさら)女人成仏の事は此の経より外は更にゆるされず(女人成仏抄)

法華経には女人成仏之(これ)有り。(星名五郎太郎殿御返事)

但法華経計(ばか)りこそ女人成仏、悲母の恩を報ずる実の報恩経にては候へ(千日尼御前御返事)

とあるように、宗祖日蓮の思想の中に既に「女人成仏」の思想がたくさんあるのであるから、この批判は事実相違であるとも思われる。


歴史
日興は、宗祖の本弟子六老僧の1人として積極的な折伏に目覚しい成果をあげ、特に駿河において強力な教団組織を創りあげた。この急速な布教展開は他宗派関係者や鎌倉幕府内権力者の警戒心を招き、1279年(弘安2年)には熱原郷付近の僧俗が徹底的な弾圧を受け、最終的に3名の農民信徒が殉教を遂げるという事件も起きている(熱原法難)。宗祖日蓮滅後、廟所の六弟子による輪番制が敷かれたが、戦乱や疫病、遠方の布教活動を理由に日興以外の五弟子が輪番制を放棄。本弟子六老僧の1人の日向の示唆によって地頭波木井坊六郎実長が謗法行為をして、身延山久遠寺別当職の日興はやむなく身延離山したと、日蓮正宗や日蓮本宗などの日興門流では主張している。

日興は 1289年(正応2年)に多宝富士山下之坊を開山し、多宝富士山下之坊は現在では富士門流・日興門流発祥の聖地とされている。翌1290年(正応3年)、日興は南条時光の寄進によって富士山の麓に大石寺を開いた。その後長きにわたって、通称として富士門流または日興門流と呼ばれた「日興の日蓮宗」の流れを汲む諸派は、勝劣派・一致派48本山が戦前の宗教政策により連合した日蓮宗とは教義的にも宗教行為の交流はないが、学術面での交流を持っており、日蓮宗僧侶が大石寺を訪れることがある。とりわけ日蓮正宗では現在でも、日蓮の正しい教えが日興 - 日目 - 日道と続く法脈以外には伝わらなかったとして、日朗系などの全ての他門流、さらには他の富士門流諸派(後世になって日蓮宗と妥協的な態度を取るようになり、大石寺に従わなくなった)までも、すべて謗法としている。

江戸時代、大石寺は江戸城では独礼席を許され、また第25世の日宥は後水尾天皇の皇孫であり第6代将軍徳川家宣正室の天英院の猶子(養子)に迎えられている他、皇室や公家・将軍家や大名家などの崇敬を得たが、他の宗派と同様に布教活動は江戸幕府の厳しい統制を受け続け、加賀藩・仙台藩・伊那・尾張藩・八戸藩などの各地では法難が続発した。なお、金沢法難は身延山久遠寺を総本山とする一致派日蓮宗の石川県羽咋市・金栄山妙成寺(後に本山)が、加賀藩に虚偽の答申をしたために日蓮正宗が被った法難で、後に一致派日蓮宗妙成寺は虚偽答申の犯罪行為が露見し閉門蟄居の刑を受けている。このように日蓮正宗が被った法難の殆どは身延山久遠寺を本山とする一致派日蓮宗の讒言によって被るに至った例が多い。なお、この金沢法難については郷土史家の向敏子の著による『金沢法難を尋ねて』に詳しく書かれている。

1868年の明治維新によって、大石寺教団と国家権力との間には新たな緊張関係が生まれた。すなわち、神道の国教化を宗教政策の根幹とした明治政府は、仏教各派に対しては、行政制度上の統合整理強制によって分割支配をはかる方針を採った。この背景として、日蓮宗管長・新井日薩らによる「全日蓮門下の統合」を目指す画策もあった。大石寺第54世日胤は、1873年に教部省へ「大石寺一本寺独立願」を提出し、以降も数度にわたって諌暁を繰り返したが遂に容れられず、結果的に1876年より、富士門流の系列に属する大石寺・下条妙蓮寺・北山本門寺・京都要法寺・小泉久遠寺・保田妙本寺・西山本門寺・伊豆実成寺の八本山は行政上、日蓮宗興門派(後に日蓮本門宗と改称)として分類され、行政上の宗派代表としての「興門派管長(本門宗管長)」の職は、八本山が交代で務めるという形を余儀なくされ、1881年-1882年にかけては第55世法主日布が第4代の、1891年-1892年にかけては第56世法主日応が第5代の管長に就任している。

大石寺派僧俗にとってみれば、大石寺の住職は依然変わりなく法主(ほっす)の地位ではあるが、管長の地位は謗法の人間が占めている場合もある、などという、信仰上極めて耐え難い異常事態が続き、教団の存立そのものも危ぶまれる事態となった。しかしその後、第55世日布・第56世日応と、数度にわたり政府への抗議活動と他の七本山に対する破折活動が続けられた結果、ようやく1900年、本門宗からの分離独立が認可されて日蓮宗富士派と公称するようになった。そして1912年6月7日、第57世日正の決定により、現在の「日蓮正宗」へと宗派名の変更が行われた。

なお、1930年(昭和5年)に、牧口常三郎、戸田城聖らにより、日蓮正宗の教義と牧口の「価値論」を合体させた教義を奉ずる教育団体として創価教育学会が設立され、初代会長には牧口が就任したが、日蓮正宗では信徒団体として認めなかった(牧口は調書に「創価教育学会は純然たる日蓮正宗ではなく、自分の価値論を実践する一個の独立した団体」と供述している)。太平洋戦争終結後、第2代会長に就任した戸田は、創価教育学会の名称を創価学会と改称し、以後、日蓮正宗も格段に発展することとなった。とりわけ、1960年(昭和35年)の第3代会長池田大作(現・名誉会長)の会長就任以降、大石寺には、従来の法華講(旧来の檀家)と創価学会信者の寄進により大客殿や正本堂などが建立されるなど、長らく双方の間には蜜月状態が続いた。しかし、次第に創価学会側からの教義の変更が相次ぐようになり、1970年代後期の昭和52年路線問題を経て、1991年11月28日に、日蓮正宗宗門は、当時の第67世法主日顕の名前で創価学会を破門処分にした。

しかし宗務院録事にも創価学会の組織結成を許可した事実が記載されていないため、日蓮正宗と創価学会は一致派日蓮宗と立正佼成会の関係と同じで、正規の信徒団体とはいえないとも指摘されている。日蓮正宗の信徒団体(講中)は末寺住職(指導教師)と信徒の代表が宗務院に「組織結成許可願」を提出し、宗務院で審議の得て日蓮正宗の管長である法主が組織結成許可書に署名押印するが、創価学会は組織許可書の交付も受けていなければ指導教師も初めから存在しておらず、宗内ではゲスト的に扱われていた。

日蓮宗はその開教以降、幾多の宗派に分派したが、その中でも日蓮宗の祖山とされる身延山久遠寺は武家の帰依者が多く、幕府統治下で勢力を拡大し、日蓮宗の総元締といえるほどとなった。

その一方、唯授一人の血脈相承者と称する日興門派の大石寺は総門を黒木の御所造(黒門)、三門は朱塗りで二天門には菊紋を施し勅使門を設けるなど、建築で自派の公家への影響力を主張した。 ただし、上記の建築物は、戦前までは勅許無しでは建てられなかった形態であるので、上記建築物こそが大石寺に勅許が下っている証拠ともいわれる。

それら日蓮宗二派の情勢を評して上記のような歌が詠まれたとされているが、事実的な部分については疑問視する意見もある。

歌の初出は、慶長年間の歌集「美楊君歌集」である。そこに歌詠み知らずで「武家の身延に公家の冨士石山禁裏の御用達」とある。


現在の宗門の体制

法主の地位と権限
唯授一人の血脈相承を受けた法主(ほっす)が、日蓮正宗の宗門における僧侶の最高位であり、僧侶の階級は大僧正(だいそうじょう)である。近年の宗規では、法主のみが管長推戴会議の選定を経て宗務行政の長である管長の職に必ず就くことになっている。また法主は総本山大石寺の貫首(住職)をも兼ねている。現在の法主は、第68世早瀬日如である。

次期法主候補者があらかじめ公表されている場合、次期法主候補者は学頭に任じられる。学頭の僧侶としての階級は権大僧正(ごんだいそうじょう)となる。ただし公表されない場合は、学頭は空席のままである。法主の下には若干名の能化(のうけ)が、法主に次ぐ高僧衆として存在し、現在は前法主の日顕を除く10名の僧侶が能化の位にある。

法主の尊称として「御法主日○上人猊下」「日○上人」が用いられる。生前に退座して隠居した前法主は御隠尊猊下または御隠尊上人と敬称される。 なお、上人の称号は、法主の許可により、能化をはじめ、法主経験者以外の者にも贈与または追贈されることがある。また、日の字がつく法名を日号(にちごう)といい、僧侶には存命中に与えられる。ただし能化(権僧正)以上の高僧しか存命中に公称することは許されない。ただし死後は、やはり法主の許可により、一般僧侶も、また在家信徒にも戒名中に日号がつけられる場合がある。上人号・日号等の授与権は、本尊書写権や教義裁定権と並んで「法主のみの権能」とされている。こういった重要権限の「中央集権」化は総本山の指揮統制を離れる「単立本山」の成立を許さない姿勢の表れであり、地元の住職が独自に文字曼荼羅本尊を書写し親しい信徒に下賜することもある身延系の日蓮宗とは対照的である。


宗務行政
宗務院の事務を総理する長として、管長の職を置く。管長は法主・大石寺住職が兼任する。宗務院は、総本山大石寺境内に置かれている。管長を補佐する宗務総監の指揮監督の下、庶務部・教学部・海外部・渉外部・財務部の5部門によって宗務行政が分担される近代的事務機構が構築されている。なお、管長・総監に次ぐ役職として重役も設けられており、顧問的役割を持つ。各部には部長、副部長(現在、海外部と財務部は空席)、主任が置かれており、特に庶務部長は実質的に総監を補佐する立場にある。この他に、僧侶の中から選挙によって議員が選ばれる宗会、綱紀粛正機関である監正会、管長が任命した権大僧都以上の者5名による参議会などの合議システムも導入されている。

宗務院は全国に大布教区と大布教区に統轄される布教区を敷いている。総本山塔中には特別布教区を敷いている。特別布教区の事務は、大石寺内事部において取り扱われている。内事部では法主のもと塔中坊の住職の中から主任理事が1名、執事が1名ないし2名、理事が若干名任命され総本山の寺務の責任者となる。法的に、大石寺の代表役員は法主が務め、主任理事、理事、総代が責任役員となる。

また、主任理事、執事は法主の大石寺住職としての法務を補佐する立場にあり、法主不在の場合代理で法要の導師を務めるなどする。


出家制度
日蓮正宗寺院の住職・主管、副住職・副主管は明治維新以降の伝統仏教でよく見られるような世襲制、家族経営ではなく、管長の辞令により総本山から派遣される極めて中央集権的なシステムとなっている。そのため、短期間で住職が交代したり、2つの寺院の間で住職が入れ替わるということもある。副住職・副主管に関しては、宗規で、住職・主管が教師の中から選び、法主の承認を得て着任する決まりとなっている。したがって、住職は寺院の財産を私的に用いる(相続など)ことは出来ない。

僧侶となる場合、かつては宗内の僧侶が弟子をとることもあったが、現在は得度審査に合格して法主上人の弟子となる。大半の僧侶は少年得度で12歳、小学校卒業と同時に出家する。それ以外の一般得度者も随時募集される。出家得度し高校3年生まで総本山大石寺で修業した後、地方寺院(主に本山格寺院や大都市周辺の寺院)で4年程度在勤し、最後に総本山で1年在勤したのち教師に補任され(説法を許される)、管長の辞令があれば地方寺院の住職(副住職の場合もあり)として派遣される。一部の僧侶は得度以来総本山で一生を過ごす者もいる。法衣は全階級とも白五条袈裟に薄墨色の衣(僧階が上がると模様が入るなどの違いはある)であるが、袈裟・衣は管長の免許がなければ着用することはできないことになっている。

概ね創宗蜜月時代といわれていた昭和40年代辺りの得度の世代だと、創価学会からの多大な寄進で新寺院が急増し僧侶の「粗製濫造」が進んだことが一部で指摘されているが、他の伝統仏教に比べ在家出身の修行僧が多いため、現在では僧侶としての厳格な素養教育には定評がある。


僧侶の階級
日蓮正宗では僧侶の階級(僧階)は次のようになっている。

教師
大僧正(法主及び法主経験者)
権大僧正(学頭)
僧正
権僧正
(これより上が能化となる)
大僧都
権大僧都
僧都
権僧都
大講師
講師
少講師
訓導
権訓導
非教師
一等学衆
二等学衆
三等学衆
沙弥
それぞれの階位の授与等は内部規定による。


宗門役僧
管長 早瀬日如(総本山大石寺住職)大僧正
前管長 阿部日顕(前・総本山大石寺住職)大僧正
総監 八木日照(東京・法道院主管、法華講本部指導教師、前・大石寺主任理事)権僧正
重役 藤本日潤(東京・常泉寺住職、元・総監)僧正
宗会議長 細井珪道(東京・常在寺住職)
教学部長 水島公正(所沢・能安寺住職、法華講本部指導教師)
庶務部長 阿部信彰(東京・妙国寺住職、法華講本部指導教師)
海外部長 漆畑行雄(富士宮・本山妙蓮寺住職)
財務部長 長倉教明(札幌・日正寺住職)
渉外部長 秋元広学(東京・宣徳寺住職)
副教学部長 宮野審道(埼玉・啓信寺住職、(株)大日蓮出版代表者)
副庶務部長 斎藤栄順
副渉外部長 梅屋誠岳

日蓮正宗の信徒団体
法華講
法華講は日蓮正宗唯一の信徒団体である。各末寺に檀家グループの○○講(講中)が存在し、この○○講の総称を法華講という。法華講は日常の唱題行や総本山への団参登山を行うものとして、宗史上古来より存在していたが、1962年にこれらの○○講の連合体として日蓮正宗法華講全国連合会(略称全連)が結成されて加盟するようになった。この全連は1967年に日蓮正宗法華講連合会(略称連合会)に改称され、現在に至っている。
日蓮正宗の信徒団体を作るには、末寺の住職が信徒団体の指導教師となって信徒団体を作ろうとする代表者と連名で「組織結成許可願」を宗務院に提出し、宗務院での審議を得て日蓮正宗の管長である法主が「組織結成許可書」に署名押印して「組織結成許可書」が交付されて指導教師から○○講に手渡される。これは明治時代からのシステムであるが、第2祖日興の「この法門は師弟子をたゞして仏になる法門にて候なり」(佐渡国法華講衆御返事)の伝統と慣習を踏襲したものであり、「組織結成許可書」に類する江戸期の古文書も残っている。こうして結成された○○講は、日蓮正宗法華講全国連合会に加盟申請書を提出し、総本山内の日蓮正宗法華講全国連合会事務所(通称法華講事務所)で加盟手続きが行われる。よって「組織結成許可願」と指導教師のない団体は日蓮正宗の正規の信徒団体とはいえないことになっている。
なお法華講では、日蓮正宗法華講連合会発行の大白法(だいびゃくほう)が唯一の機関紙となっている。毎月1日と16日に発行され、定価は100円である。
法華講の役員
各末寺の法華講の役員には講中の代表者の講頭、副講頭、幹事、会計がいるが、法華講の役員はすべて「組世話役」と定義され、他の寺院に所属する講員に対して指導することは指導教師(住職・主管)に対する越権行為に当たるのでしないことになっている。日蓮正宗法華講連合会には事務機構上、委員長、副委員長、理事、地方部長などの役職があるが、これも「組世話役」と定義され、「連合会」に加盟する各法華講を指導・監督することはない。また名誉職として総講頭、大講頭の称号があるが、信徒を指導することはない。大勢の信徒の前でスピーチをする場合には「挨拶」や「激励」の名目で行う。
海外の法華講
海外では50か国弱で法華講が存在し、寺院や布教所などが建立されている。特にインドネシアでは60万人(インドネシア政府による公称)の信徒がいるとされ、また台湾では5か寺が建立され信徒は増加傾向にある。

日蓮正宗の機関誌(教誌)
大日蓮
日蓮正宗唯一の機関紙誌(教誌)は大日蓮(だいにちれん)である。時局に応じて号外も発行されている。宗務院録事、総本山録事、宗務広報、法主の説法、布教講演及び論文、総本山の動き、末寺の動き、海外の動き、住職普山の挨拶などが載せられていて、定価は300円である。宗務院録事には、総本山での法要などの達示、住職などの辞令、講中組織結成許可、檀徒団体の法華講の役員の承認、末寺の檀家総代の承認などが掲載されている。総本山録事には、総本山における人事が載せられている。総本山の動きには総本山で奉修された法要など、末寺の動きには末寺で奉修された法要などが掲載されている。1916年創刊。この他、各末寺で寺報が発行されており、大日蓮と末寺の寺報のみが機関誌紙とされている。

日蓮正宗信徒の活動
信徒の修行としては、本尊に向かって「南無妙法蓮華経」の題目を唱え、法華経を読誦すること(自行の題目)と並び、それを他の人に伝える折伏の修行(化他の題目)が基本となる。自行としての日常の勤行は、妙法蓮華経方便品・如来寿量品(長行、自我偈)の読誦、唱題(「南無妙法蓮華経」の題目を唱えること)を基本構成とし、古来からの朝五座・夕三座の格式を守って行われている。末寺や総本山への「登山参詣」(総本山大石寺に参詣すること)なども修行の一環として、成仏への功徳を積むことができる行為と考えられている。

日蓮正宗の檀信徒名簿へ登録を受けるためには、末寺において授戒を受け、さらに大曼荼羅本尊を下付されなければならない。授戒のみ受けて本尊未下付の者は内得信仰と呼ばれ公式の信徒数には数えない。いずれにせよ、日蓮正宗の信仰をする者は必ず存命中に授戒を受けていることとなる。ただし、妙観講では「授戒のみでも世帯数に数える」ことになっている。


日蓮正宗に対する教学上の批判
日蓮宗の諸派は伝統的に、「本門戒壇の大御本尊=偽作」説と「二箇相承=偽書」説、さらに「三大秘法抄=偽書説」等でこの宗派を批判してきた。しかし、本門戒壇の大御本尊は日蓮大聖人の魂魄が宿るとされているため、放射線による科学的な鑑別などは一度行われたことはあるが、二箇相承および三大秘法抄の原本も現在存在しないため、700年にわたる論争に未だ決着はついていないとされる。

本門戒壇の大御本尊については鎌倉時代の工具の痕跡があるが、日蓮が生きていた時代の日蓮宗の財力では製作不能といった状況証拠や花押が日蓮の物と違う、禅師授与漫荼羅との酷似等の理由で、後世の偽作ではないかといわれている。三大秘法抄については日蓮宗僧侶の伊藤瑞叡らの研究グループによってコンピュータ解析がなされて、真跡だと確定しつつある。二箇相承についても日蓮宗の中で特に富士門流の流れを汲む僧侶の中では真書説が取られている。

一方、正信会、創価学会との対立のなかから、法主個人への絶対帰依や権力の集中を指摘する主張が生まれてきた。しかし日蓮正宗側ではこうした主張は成り立たないと主張している。根拠としては、日興遺戒置文などにおいて法主と他の僧侶の関係が示されることで法主として判断の客観性が担保されていることなどがある。このような批判がなされる背景には、日本仏教における伝統宗派の多くは、1970年代以降「下からの近代化」を目指す動きの中で試行錯誤しながら教団体質の民主化を進めてきたのと対照的に、日蓮正宗は伝統的に管長一人に権力をより集中させており中央集権制を維持していることが挙げられる。

独特の仏罰論、死相観に対しては以前より賛否両論がある。つまり、入信しないと不幸になる、入信しないで死んだ人は死体が真っ黒になり重くなる、といった発言による勧誘や、自派に関わる科学的・歴史的な批判は受け入れないが、他宗派を激しく攻撃する際には武器として扱う等、言動は明らかに他の仏教宗派と一線を画し、排他的な傾向が強いと批判されることがある。


現在の日蓮正宗と他教団との紛争
過去においては他宗教は全て謗法・邪宗であると定義し、これらに対する折伏を行ってきている。その意味であらゆる宗教と対立関係にあるといえる。ただし、折伏はあくまで常識と礼儀をもって行われるべきものと宗祖自身が規定しており、あくまで教義的な対立に限られる。このため、現状で「紛争」といえるような対立関係(教義以外についての対立関係)があるのは創価学会や正信会、冨士大石寺顕正会などがあるが、特に組織の規模として創価学会が目立っている。

創価学会は、1990年(平成2年。正式な破門は翌1991年)に日蓮正宗に破門されて以来、日蓮正宗からの攻撃に多くの時間と労力を費やしており、「仏敵を責めること」が重要であるという立場から、聖教新聞などの機関誌では連日のように日蓮正宗への誹謗中傷を繰り返しており、特に前法主日顕を含む高僧に対しては、とりわけ激しい中傷が繰り返されている。他にも、横須賀法照寺では創価学会信者が2度にわたって放火で現行犯逮捕されるなど、刑事事件も頻発した。ただし、こうした暴力攻撃も現在では比較的収まってきているが、スパイを送り込んだり、スパイを恐れ正宗寺院の人の出入りの監視を行っている。


日蓮正宗に対する外国政府による評価
台湾では、阿部日顕管長が外省人主体のマスコミにより新聞、TVなど各種媒体で「花和尚」(好色僧)と紹介された。
マレーシアでは仏教団体でこの宗派のみが僧侶の常駐を許可されている。
フランスでは、1980年代に「日蓮正宗(創価学会)」の名称でセクトとする報告が国民議会へ提出されたこともあるが、1996年の新しい報告書において該当部分はSGIフランスと書き改められており、日蓮正宗と創価学会を分離した上で判断を下しているが、一部の民間団体では創価学会と同様のセクトと主張する団体も存在する。
アルゼンチンではマザー・テレサへの日蓮正宗のみが正しい宗教で他の宗教は邪教とする基準での評価が誹謗中傷と判断されたことと、政府の許可を得ずに布教所の開所式を行ったことによって、現地の法人格を抹消されて僧侶も国外退去処分を受けたと創価学会機関紙「創価新報」では報じられているが、現在は布教所は儀式を奉修して、寺院活動は継続されている。この背景にあるものはアルゼンチン創価学会の工作により誤解の生じたもので、大統領令によって1年に亘って公式に活動はできなかったが、「法人取り消し及び活動禁止処分の停止の仮処分」が現地裁判所で認められた。
ヨーロッパでは元は創価学会の親団体であったということ以外その存在をほとんど知られていない。欧米では日蓮仏教=創価学会という認識が一般的である。創価学会がカルトと同一視されるようになったため、組織的に別のものであることが強調される。他の宗派はすべて邪宗であるとの主張が批判されることもある。

主要寺院
総本山
多宝富士大日蓮華山大石寺(たほうふじだいにちれんげざんたいせきじ、静岡県富士宮市)
本山
多宝富士山妙蓮寺(みょうれんじ、静岡県富士宮市)
高永山讃岐本門寺(ほんもんじ、香川県三豊市)
日知屋山定善寺(じょうぜんじ、宮崎県日向市)
 由緒寺院
多宝富士山下之坊(しものぼう、静岡県富士宮市)ほか

行事
年中行事・恒例行事(総本山の行事は大石寺の項目を参照)

1月1日 元朝勤行
正月3ヶ日 新年勤行会
1月成人の日 成人式(各寺院で檀信徒に新成人がいない年は行わない)
2月3日 節分会
2月7日 興師会(開祖・日興の祥月命日) 
2月16日 宗祖御誕生会
3月春分の日 春季彼岸会
4月28日 立宗会
虫払い法要(宝物がある一部の古刹寺院のみ、大石寺では毎年4月6日、4月7日に営まれる)
8月15日 盂蘭盆会
9月12日 竜口法難会
9月18日、9月19日 寛師会(第26世日寛上人祥月命日)
9月秋分の日 秋季彼岸会
10月 - 11月前半 宗祖日蓮大聖人御大会(大石寺では11月20日から11月21日にかけて営まれる)
11月15日 目師会(三祖・日目の祥月命日。七五三を兼ねる)
11月20 - 21日 宗祖日蓮大聖人御大会(日程は末寺によって違う場合あり)
毎月1日 御経日(信徒精霊、先祖供養)
毎月第1日曜 広布唱題会(大石寺と全ての末寺で一斉に午前9時からの1時間唱題会)
毎月第2日曜 日蓮大聖人御報恩御講(大石寺大坊では13日のみ、一部の寺院では命日にあたる13日にも行われる)
御経回(春秋の彼岸やお盆に僧侶による檀家回りが行われる)
冠婚葬祭(日蓮正宗の冠婚葬祭は化儀に則って行われるが、地域の風習などで多少の違いがある)

結婚式
葬儀
起工式
上棟式
初参り
七五三
成人式




関連項目
大石寺住職一覧
日蓮正宗寺院一覧
日本国外にある日蓮正宗寺院一覧
かつて日蓮正宗に属していた寺院一覧
富士門流
日蓮本門宗(本門宗)
勝劣派
門流
宗祖日蓮大聖人御大会

外部リンク
日蓮正宗公式ホームページ
新興宗教等、邪宗退治の「百禍繚乱」
創価学会vs宗門戦争資料館
日蓮正宗寺院一覧
"http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E8%93%AE%E6%AD%A3%E5%AE%97" より作成
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最終更新 2008年6月11日 (水) 21:35。 All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (詳細は 著作権 を参

9:41 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

本尊 (日蓮正宗)
出典: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』
移動: ナビゲーション, 検索

本門戒壇の大御本尊日蓮正宗の本尊は、本門戒壇之大御本尊(通称・板曼荼羅)という。また、一閻浮提総与(いちえんぶだいそうよ)の御本尊とも呼ばれ、宗祖日蓮が楠樹に図顕(ずけん)し、和泉公日法師が彫刻したものである。中央に南無妙法蓮華経の題目、題目の下に日蓮の花押、題目の周囲に諸尊を勧請し、四隅に四大天王、左右に不動・愛染の梵字が書かれているのが特徴である。また、本門戒壇之大御本尊には、「本門戒壇」「願主弥四郎国重」や「法華講衆等敬白」などと添書きがなされている。

日蓮正宗の末寺には、法主が本門戒壇之大御本尊を書写した漫荼羅御本尊が安置され、信者にも、法主(ほっす)が本門戒壇之大御本尊を書写したという漫荼羅が下附される。

目次 [非表示]
1 本門の本尊
2 本尊の形態
3 本門戒壇之大御本尊
4 紫宸殿御本尊
5 安置形式と仏壇・仏具
6 外部リンク



[編集] 本門の本尊
日蓮正宗では、1279年(弘安二年)10月12日の宗祖所顕と伝えられる本門戒壇の大御本尊(総本山大石寺奉安堂に安置)を帰命依止の本尊と定め、宗祖の出世の本懐としている。

さて、宗祖所顕の大曼荼羅本尊であるが、美術愛好家の間において文字曼荼羅・十界曼荼羅などと呼ばれているものもあるが、これらはすべて本門戒壇之大御本尊を木の幹とした枝葉である。「南無妙法蓮華経」の題目と宗祖の名「日蓮」および判形からなる首題が特徴的な筆さばきで中央に縦書きされ、その左右を仏界の釈迦牟尼仏・多宝如来から、菩薩や神々、地獄界の提婆達多に至るまで、一念三千に包含される衆生を代表する数多くの名前が取り囲む、という構造になっている。この御姿は、本尊七箇之相承の「中央の首題、左右の十界、皆悉く日蓮なり」と仰せの如く、霊山会上の儀式の姿を借りて、日蓮大聖人の一心に具わるところの十界互具・百界千如・事の一念三千の全体を顕すのである。すなわち中央の南無妙法蓮華経・左右の十界の聖衆ともに、日蓮大聖人の御生命全体を顕わすのである。故に大聖人は、「日蓮が魂を墨にそめながして書きて候ぞ、信じさせ給へ」と仰せられるのである。

日蓮正宗の各寺院・施設および各信徒宅には、時の法主によって授与された宗祖所顕の大曼荼羅本尊、もしくは歴代法主による書写の曼荼羅本尊が安置されており、本尊に対する日々の給仕は「生身の日蓮大聖人にお仕えするのと同じ気持ち」で行うべきことが、当然とされている。御本尊は生身の御仏、すなわち「御本仏日蓮大聖人」のお悟りそのものであると同時に人本尊(にんほんぞん)としての宗祖の御境界と境智冥合して、人法一箇(=相即一体)の関係において顕わされているわけである。この御本尊に朝夕に勤行唱題することこそが、”どんな者でも必ず仏になれる”という法華経の文底に秘沈された事の一念三千の法を、単なる理屈ではなく、実際に一生成仏を遂げるための実践法、つまり観心修行として体現するものであることが知られる。

第二祖の日興は、神天上の法門を厳格に主張して他宗勧請の神社をすべて謗法と断じた反面、広宣流布が達成された暁においては、日本全国の神社仏閣すべてに御本尊が安置されることから、参拝を解禁すべき旨をも書き残している。このためか、静岡県富士宮市の大石寺周辺の神社には、神体として日蓮正宗の本尊が安置されているところがある。


[編集] 本尊の形態
本尊の形態には「紙幅本尊」と「板本尊」がある。

紙幅本尊は表具をつけて掛軸の形にしてあり、法主直筆の「常住本尊(書写本尊)」と、法主直筆の曼荼羅を印刷した「形木本尊」に分けられる。寺院所蔵の紙幅本尊はすべて「常住本尊」であり、葬儀の際に掲げられる「導師本尊」も同じく「常住本尊」である。信徒宅に貸し下げられる本尊は「形木本尊」(特別形木本尊もある)で、信心熱心な信徒が所属寺院を通して総本山に申請すれば「常住本尊」が授与されることもある。

「板本尊」は、すべてが「常住本尊」である。総本山の諸堂、各寺院の本堂に安置され、「本門戒壇之大御本尊」を模して、黒漆塗りの板に文字を刻み、文字には金箔が施されている。蓮華座に本尊の臍を差し込んで安置されている。大石寺客殿安置の「御座替わり御本尊」(日興書写)など、周囲に金色の枠が施されている本尊もあるが、施設に関しては紙幅本尊のところもあれば板本尊のところもある。

なお、此処に書かれている常住板御本尊と本門戒壇大御本尊の形状は同じではない。本門戒壇大御本尊様は丸木を半分にしたような形をしているので、およそ「板」という概念には当てはまらない。 また、本尊には書写年月日、所蔵寺院名、安置場所、願主名などが脇書として書かれることもあり、本尊を書写した時の法主の名と判形(花押)も下部に書かれている。


[編集] 本門戒壇之大御本尊
本門戒壇之大御本尊(ほんもんかいだんのだいごほんぞん)は、1279年(弘安2年)10月12日に御図顕された日蓮の出世の本懐であるとされる。大石寺奉安堂に安置の本門戒壇之大御本尊の横には宮殿(厨子)があり、最初仏と呼ばれるわずか三寸の日蓮の像が安置されているが、これは本門戒壇之大御本尊を建立されたときの楠樹で和泉公日法師が彫刻し、日蓮がこれを見た時に「よく似ている」と仰ったという逸話(伝説)が残っている。本門戒壇之大御本尊については、他派からはその真贋について議論が絶えない。明治44年に出版された「日蓮聖人」という本の扉に掲載された写真は、由比一乗が著者に与えたものである。細かい点は見えないが首題・四大天王・花押はしっかりと確認できる。この鑑定から、弘安3年5月8日日禅授与曼荼羅と酷似していることが指摘されている。


[編集] 紫宸殿御本尊

紫宸殿御本尊通称、紫宸殿御本尊(ししんでんごほんぞん)と呼ばれるものは、富士大石寺と京都要法寺にある本尊である。しかし、大石寺と要法寺のものは、まったくの別物である。

大石寺のものは、1280年(弘安3年)太歳庚辰3月日、日蓮の真筆で紙幅の漫荼羅であり、富士宗学要集5巻には「紫宸殿御本尊と号す」と記載され、天皇が日蓮の仏法に帰依したとき、天皇に下附し紫宸殿に奉掲するための特別の本尊とされている。また別な伝説によれば、大石寺9世日有の時代に、本門戒壇之大御本尊を盗賊から守るため沼津の井出という家の洞穴におかくまいして、紫宸殿御本尊を板に刻み「身代わり御本尊」としたと伝えられている。紫宸殿御本尊という名称は、もとより伝承であり長い間親しまれてきたが、2002年のお虫払い法要の砌において大石寺67世日顕の説法があり「その名称も見直しが行われるべきであり師資相承之御本尊または師資伝授之御本尊と呼ぶのが正しい」とされている。

要法寺にあるものは、1756年(宝暦6年)、紫宸殿において天覧に奏した紙幅の漫荼羅であるが、日蓮の真筆では無いとされている。

紫宸殿は、京都御所にあり、かつては天皇の住居とされていた。天皇が東京の皇居に移ってからは、文化財として国の管理下にあり、観光施設として拝観することができる。

各寺院所蔵の本尊のうち、枕経・通夜・葬儀の際に掲げられる「導師本尊」は、故人を霊山浄土へ導くとされる即身成仏のための本尊で、「即身成仏の御本尊」ともいわれる。また、総本山大石寺をはじめとする寺院の納骨堂には本尊が安置される場合もある。納骨堂に本尊を安置する場合も同じ意味で導師本尊が安置される。


[編集] 安置形式と仏壇・仏具
本尊の安置形式は、通常は本尊のみを安置する形式であるが、一部の寺院では、大石寺の御影堂のように本尊の前に日蓮の像を安置する「御影堂式」、または、大石寺の客殿のように中央に本尊を安置し、本尊に向かって左側に日蓮の像、本尊に向かって右側に日興の像を安置する「別体三宝式」の安置形式をとっているところもある。
日蓮正宗では、本尊を厨子に安置する。また、仏壇に位牌を置くことはない。葬儀においては白木の位牌が用いられるが、五七日忌または七七日忌などに納骨を行う際に、過去帖に記入し、白木の位牌はお寺納めとする。したがって、朝夕の勤行においては、過去帖を見ながら物故者の追善を行う。また、日蓮正宗の仏壇は、他宗派の仏壇とは構造が大きく異なり、内側に厨子が付いているものが特徴である。また、寺院の厨子を模した家庭用仏壇もある。
信徒が仏壇に位牌を置くことはないが、大石寺の大講堂の仏前には日興と日目の位牌が安置されている。これは、日蓮が説法し、血脈を直接受け継いだとされる弟子の日興と日目が日蓮の見守る中、説法する意味が込められている。


[編集] 外部リンク
『所謂「本門戒壇之大御本尊」の真偽について』
DaiGohonzon of Taiseki-ji: Gohonzon Gallery
"http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%AC%E5%B0%8A_%28%E6%97%A5%E8%93%AE%E6%AD%A3%E5%AE%97%29" より作成
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最終更新 2008年6月11日 (水) 13:22。 All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (詳細は 著作権 を参照)
Wikipedia® は Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. の米国およびその他の国における登録商標です。
プライバシー・ポリシー ウィキペディアについて 免責事項

9:43 AM  
Blogger Steven McCarthy aka: Madam Dish said...

菩薩
出典: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』
移動: ナビゲーション, 検索
この項目では仏教の菩薩について記述しています。雅楽の菩薩については菩薩 (雅楽)をご覧ください。
この項目には、オペレーティングシステムやブラウザなどの環境により表示が異なる文字があります。「薩」の文字は公式の表記「」と異なる可能性があります。

仏教
基本教義
縁起 四諦 八正道
三法印 四法印
諸行無常 諸法無我
涅槃寂静 一切皆苦
人物
釈迦 十大弟子 龍樹
如来・菩薩
仏の一覧
部派・宗派
原始仏教 上座部 大乗
地域別仏教
インドの仏教 中国の仏教
韓国の仏教 日本の仏教
経典
聖地
八大聖地
ウィキポータル 仏教
菩薩(ぼさつ、bodhisattva(sanskrit))は、仏教において、成仏を求める(如来に成ろうとする)修行者。

後に菩薩は、修行中ではあるが、人々と共に歩み、教えに導くということで、庶民の信仰の対象となっていった。

目次 [非表示]
1 概要
1.1 菩薩五十二位
2 前提概念
2.1 修行者としての菩薩
2.2 現世で活動するための菩薩
2.3 インドの大乗僧
3 日本における菩薩
3.1 神仏習合
3.2 高僧の称号



[編集] 概要
サンスクリット語のボーディサットヴァ(bodhi-sattva)を音写したものである。bodhi は「覚」であり、sattva は「生きている者」の意味で衆生とか有情と意訳された。このため、「覚りを求める人」と「悟りを具えた人」の二つの意味で呼ばれるので、インドでの菩薩には2種類の菩薩が、さらに中国では「インドの大乗仏教の僧」を菩薩と呼んだから、同じ菩薩に3種類あることになる。ただし「覚りを求める」だけでは声聞(しょうもん)、縁覚(えんがく)、辟支仏(びゃくしぶつ、Pratyekabuddha)と同じになってしまうので、これをさけるために初期大乗経典である般若経群では菩薩摩訶薩と、摩訶薩(偉大な衆生)を付加して大乗の菩薩を差別化している。

なお、玄奘訳の般若心経には後段に「菩提薩埵」という語があるが、これは漢訳における語源学的解釈(nirukti)で意図的に〈菩提+薩埵〉と分割したという説[1]がある。玄奘訳大般若波羅蜜多経では菩薩摩訶薩となっている。


[編集] 菩薩五十二位
大乗の菩薩の概念が定着すると、次は菩薩の階位が設けられた。これは、大乗仏教の発展とともに細分化、構造化されたが、経論によって所説が種々不同になった。『華厳経』及び『菩薩瓔珞本業經』では、菩薩の境涯、あるいは修行の階位は、上から妙覚、等覚、十地、十廻向、十行、十住、十信の52の位にまで分けられ、この52位を採用することが多い。

妙覚(みょうかく)
菩薩修行の階位である52位の最後の位で、等覚位の菩薩が、さらに一品(いっぽん)の無明を断じて、この位に入る。なお一切の煩悩を断じ尽くした位で、仏・如来と同一視される。
等覚(とうかく)
菩薩修行の階位である52位の中、51位であり菩薩の極位で、その智徳が略万徳円満の仏、妙覚と等しくなったという意味で等覚という。
十地(じっち、じゅうぢ)
菩薩修行の階位である52位の中、第41~50位まで。上から法雲・善想・不動・遠行・現前・難勝・焔光・発光・離垢・歓喜の10位。仏智を生成し、よく住持して動かず、あらゆる衆生を荷負し教下利益することが、大地が万物を載せ、これを潤益するからに似ているから「地」と名づく。
十廻向(じゅうえこう)
菩薩修行の位階である52位の中、第31~40位まで。上から入法界無量廻向・無縛無著解脱廻向・真如相廻向・等随順一切衆生廻向・随順一切堅固善根廻向・無尽功徳蔵廻向・至一切処廻向・等一切諸仏廻向・不壊一切廻向・救護衆生離衆生相廻向の10位。十行を終わって更に今迄に修した自利・利他のあらゆる行を、一切衆生の為に廻施すると共に、この功徳を以って仏果に振り向けて、悟境に到達せんとする位。
十行(じゅうぎょう)
菩薩修行の位階である52位の中、第21~30位まで。上から真実・善法・尊重・無著・善現・離癡乱行・無尽・無瞋根・饒益・観喜の10位。菩薩が、十住位の終に仏子たる印可を得た後、更に進んで利他の修行を完うせん為に衆生を済度することに努める位。布施・持戒・忍辱・精進・禅定・方便・願・力・智の十波羅密のこと。
十住(じゅうじゅう)
菩薩修行の位階である52位の中、第11~20位まで。上から灌頂・法王子・童真・不退・正信・具足方便・生貴・修行・治地・発心の10位。十信位を経て心が真諦(しんたい)の理に安住する、という意味で「住」と名づく。あるいは菩薩の十地を十住という説もある。
十信(じゅうしん)
菩薩修行の位階である52位の中、第1~10位まで。上から願心・戒心・廻向心・不退心・定心・慧心・精進心・念心・信心の10位。仏の教法を信じて疑心のない位。
なお、十信を外凡、十住~十廻向までを内凡あるいは三賢と称し、十信~十廻向までを凡と総称する。また十地と等覚を因、妙覚を果と称し、十地~妙覚までを聖と総称し、凡と相対する。


[編集] 前提概念
大乗仏教運動が起こった背景にはさまざまな理由が考えられるが、声聞の修行をしていた部派仏教(小乗仏教)の僧侶が誰も成仏できなかったことから起こった運動とも考えられる。

その大きな要因を二つ考え、欠けた者たちを次のように呼んでいた。

仏陀の教えを聞いて覚った声聞
独力で悟りながら他人に説かない縁覚、辟支仏
初期大乗仏教ではこれらを二乗と呼び、成仏できないとされた。


[編集] 修行者としての菩薩
初期から、悟りを開く前の修行時代の仏陀のことを菩薩と呼んでいた。さらに釈迦の前生物語である本生話(ジャータカ)では、釈迦の前生の姿も菩薩と呼んでいる。

この菩薩の代表として創造されたのが、次に成仏すると伝えられる弥勒菩薩である。弥勒菩薩は56億7千万年の修行を経て、この世に弥勒仏として現れるとされる。後に阿弥陀仏となった法蔵菩薩などもこの代表的事例である。


[編集] 現世で活動するための菩薩
すでに悟りを得ているにもかかわらず、成仏を否定した菩薩も創造された。これは仏陀自身の活動に制約があると考えられたためで、いわば仏陀の手足となって活動する者を菩薩と呼ぶ。

この代表者が、釈迦三尊の文殊菩薩と普賢菩薩である。彼らは、釈迦のはたらきを象徴するたけでなく、はたらきそのものとして活動するのである。他にも、観世音菩薩、勢至菩薩なども、自らの成仏とはかかわりなく、活動を続ける菩薩である。


[編集] インドの大乗僧
中国では、インドの有様が詳細に伝わったわけではないので、ことに初期大乗仏教の学僧たちを菩薩と尊称した。龍樹菩薩、世親菩薩などとするのがこれである。

注意が必要とされるのは、弥勒菩薩である。創造された一生補処(あと一回の生で仏を補う処にある)の菩薩としての弥勒菩薩と瑜伽師地論を編纂したと伝えられる弥勒(仮託説もある)とがいる。


[編集] 日本における菩薩
日本では信仰の対象となった。主な菩薩として、母性的なイメージが投影される観音菩薩、はるか未来で人々を救う弥勒菩薩、女人成仏を説く法華経に登場し女性に篤く信仰されてきた普賢菩薩、知恵を司る文殊菩薩、道端にたたずみ最も庶民の身近にある地蔵菩薩などが、尊崇されてきた。


[編集] 神仏習合
神仏習合の一段階として、日本の神も人間と同様に罪業から逃れ自らも悟りをひらくことを望んでいるという思想が生まれた。それに基づき、仏道に入った日本の神の号として、菩薩号が用いられた。八幡大菩薩が代表的である。


[編集] 高僧の称号
朝廷より、高僧に菩薩の称号を下されることがあった。例えば、行基菩薩などである。

"http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8F%A9%E8%96%A9" より作成
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最終更新 2008年7月4日 (金) 16:46。

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9:46 AM  
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2008年8月11日(月)
5:23:27 PM



2008年8月12日(火)
9:23:27 AM

5:23 PM  
Blogger Interessn said...

All human societies have a belief system and practices that people turn to in order to identify diseases and effectively find a cure. These belief systems and practices vary, but in both non-industrialized as well as modern technological cultures, it is always possible to see a close relationship between the cause and treatment of illness, and religion (or spirituality). In the USA, we have, for quite some time, depended primarily on Western Medicine for cures. This basically means one gets sick, one goes to the doctor and gets some medicine, one takes it and gets better. However, this system has been highly criticized for not being effective at truly curing some diseases. Looking at various other societies, we see that the “supernatural” provides a widespread explanation for disease. Throughout the world it is possible to place these “supernaturally caused” diseases into five categories: (1) sorcery, (2) breach of taboo, (3) intrusion of disease object (4) intrusion of a disease-causing spirit (5) loss of soul. Looking at an example of each of the five categories as well as their traditional treatment, and comparing them with Western Medicine provides a unique insight as to the diversity, and a similarity, of the world’s healing practices. Also, taking an in-depth look at some of the alternative healing practices in the USA today, we might pave the way for further acceptance of the benefits of ethnomedicine in our society.
Traditional ancient hunter-gatherers, because of smaller numbers, mobility, and isolation, lacked epidemic infectious diseases. Epidemic diseases first appeared among farmers and city dwellers. There are records from ancient Egypt, one of the world’s oldest cultures, of a spiritual connection to the cause and cure of disease. Egyptians believed that disease and misfortune were derived from malign spirits and hostile dead. A method of treatment was to invoke the healing powers of a deity by reciting a spell over medical items such as brews to be swallowed or applied to the skin, vaginal tampons, or amulets representing the deities. As European civilization developed, many widespread epidemics of the black plague, which were believed to be a punishment from God, were experienced. This, along with the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, led Europeans to a strict adherence of the Bible. In addition to this, several centuries of spreading Christianity resulted in the ethnocentricity of Christians, who let go of their ancient practices, resulting in the loss of many traditional healing methods. This allowed mainstream Western Medicine to flourish.
When Europeans arrived in the Americas many of the indigenous peoples could not ward off the diseases that were brought. Over four hundred years of urbanization and destruction of the rainforests resulted in the loss of many cultures. Approximately eighty-seven indigenous cultures were lost in the 20th Century alone. Oddly enough, some groups of indigenous people managed to remain completely isolated until recent times. One of these groups is the Yanomamö of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. According to the film, Contact: the Yanomami Indians of Brazil, a shaman from the Yanomamö tribe first encountered outsiders in the 1950s. Shortly thereafter, his village was devastated by an attack of influenza and a large portion of his people perished. Since then, a huge “gold rush” has occurred and many outsiders have arrived trading pots and pans, tools and weapons with the Yanomamö. The shaman says that asking for white man’s things is the first step of a dangerous path! There have been new outbreaks of influenza, tuberculosis and especially malaria. (The spread of malaria has been linked to population growth and deforestation. ) According to the shaman, any disease the Yanomamö traditionally experienced was a result of the sorcery of a rival village. Today, disease is blamed on the sorcery of the white man! Some Yanomamö with this terrible “coughing disease” have to travel two to three days by foot to get to the only medical outpost in the area. A missionary nurse then treats them. But, it is believed that this medicine only cures the “symptoms” of the white man’s disease. Many Yanomamö, as well as the nurse who is also stricken with malaria, visit the shaman to reverse the white man’s sorcery. The shaman uses a feathered headdress, drums and chanting in a ritual to remove the spell the white men have cast. Shamanism can be found in societies all over the world and shamans are believed to communicate directly with spirits to heal people struck down by illness. Sorcerers, on the other hand, are driven by spite or envy.
Taboos are rules of behavior within a society that, to the outsider, might seem ridiculous. Examples are that Jews do not eat pork and a Polynesian chief’s body is sacred and should not to be touched by a commoner. Just like sorcery, a breach of a taboo can be a cause of disease. One Navajo “taboo” is that the sick be surrounded by their families and that the family and other connections of the sick participate in healing rituals . Robert Bergman, a western psychiatrist working among the Navajos, accounts in his article, A School for Medicine Men, of a visit he made with several Arizona Navajo medicine men to a New Mexico Indian Hospital. The Navajos were horrified at the pediatric ward because the children were so lonely. They urged that provisions be made so parents could stay with their children and that hogans be built at the hospital for healing ceremonies. In these hogans, the Navajos use three types of medicine men – herbalists, diagnosticians and singers. The singer’s job is particularly difficult as it requires letter-perfect performance of fifty hours or more. Navajos believe that disease is caused by disharmony with the universe and a singer restores this harmony with the help of the extended family by performing a ceremony specific to the needs of the ill-person. Bergman also commented on the singers’ extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology. To see children with no family or medicine men around them must have given the Navajos little wonder as to why the children had not recovered from their illnesses in the hospital.
Among the Aguaruna of Northeastern Perứ, there is a fine line between shamanism and sorcery. Shamans and sorcerers get their power from the same source, both receiving “spirit darts” from a trusted instructor. The sorcerer works in secret using “spirit darts” to inflict pain and suffering on others. The shaman works openly using his “spirit darts” to thwart the sorcerer’s schemes. In his article, Dark Side of the Shaman, Michael Forbes Brown tells of a shaman called Yankush who successfully removed the intrusion of diseased objects from two female patients. The objects were the “spirit darts” of the sorcerer. These “darts” which can only be seen by the sorcerer or shaman, are bits of grass, bone, thorns or spiders. The two women came to Yankush complaining of specific pains and discomforts. To treat them, Yankush put himself into a trance by taking an herbal hallucinogenic concoction. Waving a bundle of leaves he instructed the women to lie on banana leaves and as his trance deepened he sang and looked for darts on their bodies. After much ritual including sucking on the neck of one woman to take away a sore throat, he announced that the women would recover. He further recommended that they take an injection of a commercial antibiotic as follow-up.
Members of the Japan-based Johrei fellowship, follow the ancient Japanese belief that disease is caused by intrusion of a disease-causing spirit. The followers of Johrei, as well as many other Japanese, believe that illness is caused by negative spirits “building clouds” on the area of the body where the pain or illness occurs. To remove these clouds the Johrei practitioner and his client sit in chairs facing each other. The practitioner wears a gold amulet (often concealed beneath his clothing) called an Ohikari or “focal point;” this does two things. First, it awakens the “inner-being” chakra and secondly it pulls in the positive energy of the surrounding area. The practitioner raises the palm of his hand and holds it open focusing it on all areas of the client’s body for several minutes each. The client is then instructed to turn around and the other side of the body is then focused on. The areas that the client is experiencing pain or discomfort receive additional attention. Johrei teaches that this practice dispels the spiritual clouds created by disease-causing spirits. Members benefit from both giving and receiving Johrei. Members also are instructed to gradually stop taking medications – ESPECIALLY minor medications for colds, and pain relievers. After someone has practiced for a few years, they are expected to use Johrei as the only treatment of any illness that might occur. Western Medicine is looked down upon. Johrei was introduced to America in 1953 by Mokichi Okada. It is a Japanese fellowship for the curing of disease and promotion of health, beauty and organic diet. They have many centers in several states.
Loss of soul is perhaps the most devastating! Recovering Drug Addicts say that the obsession to abuse drugs and alcohol caused them to lose their soul. The most popular treatment for drug addiction is a spiritual program of recovery based on the Twelve-Steps. Today, in hospitals and addiction recovery centers, in the USA and many other countries, the main focus of treatment is on the Twelve Steps. The Twelve Steps were created in 1935 by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) founders Bill W. and Dr. Bob. (Note: in keeping with AA’s tradition of anonymity the last names of the founders are not used.) Bill W. struggled for many years with his own addiction to alcohol. To find a cure he tried medicine, religion and psychiatry. None of these methods worked for him and he realized that there were many others suffering like him. Working with his friend, Dr. Bob, a doctor of Western Medicine, he realized that addiction to alcohol was a disease for which there was no known cure. Medicine could not help for people with this disease had lost their soul! Bill W. and Dr. Bob realized that a loss of a soul is a spiritual disease and that a spiritual disease needed a spiritual treatment. The Twelve Steps are a simple spiritual, not religious practice. They do require a belief in God or a Higher Power. Steps one to three are about acknowledging powerlessness over the addiction and that a Power Greater than one’s self could restore one to sanity. Step four is about writing out an inventory of all the events in one’s life and sharing them with another addict. Steps five through seven are about asking God to remove one’s shortcomings. Eight and nine are about making amends to others that were harmed as a result of one’s addiction. Ten through twelve are about praying to God for a power to carry out his will, and carrying the message of recovery to others. Originally the Twelve Steps were only focused on alcohol but in 1953 another organization, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) was founded. This was primarily as a result of the Korean War veterans being addicted to substances other than Alcohol. NA took the Twelve Steps further to cover addiction to all drugs. The only requirement of joining both AA or NA is a desire to stop drinking or using drugs. They do not discriminate against anyone based on sex, sexuality, creed, religion, race or lack of religion. When one joins he works the Twelve Step with a person who has already done so. NA and AA members attend regular meetings and help each other stay free from substance abuse by sharing their experience strength and hope with one another.
The Navajos wanted to build hogans in a hospital of western medicine. The nurse in the Brazilian Rainforest also consulted with a traditional shaman and the Aguaruna shaman recommended western antibiotic injections to his clients. Only the practitioners of Johrei did not endorse Western Medicine, but they did state that members are asked to “gradually” stop using it. NA and AA have been very successful as an alternative form of treatment and they conduct meetings in hospitals and institutions of Western Medicine. Many doctors also recommend NA and AA to their patients as there is no known medical cure for substance abuse. Seeing that traditional ethnic healers are, for the most part, open to Western Medicine and that Western doctors and Nurses are open to some non-traditional treatments, I began to think of the alternative treatments I have sought in my own life. The one which really stands out is acupressure for weight loss.
Being overweight was extremely discontenting to me. I tried many mainstream medical diets and met many others who had struggled for years to lose weight. Like the drug-addicts, it seemed that there was no known cure for these people. In 2004, when I was vacationing in Mexico, I noticed a group of attractive, in-shape Mexican women who had a series of small band-aids around one ear each. After building up some courage, I asked them what the band-aids were for. I was told that the band-aids were part of an alternative method for weight reduction and body toning. I was intrigued. I learned that this method was popular in Mexico and that it was a rare form of acupressure. The band-aids held tiny ball bearings to the skin and the person wearing them was to let them fall off naturally. Back in the States, I looked on the internet for this type of ethnomedicine and could not find anything. Then, at a family gathering, my cousin told of how her cleaning lady, who is from Mexico, told her about this alternative treatment for weight loss. My cousin had lost a considerable amount of weight and I immediately looked at her ears – She had the same band-aids! I went to visit the practitioner of this form of acupressure. His name is Guillermo Flores and he has a business called, Control de Peso 2000. Guillermo is also from Mexico and speaks very little English. He has an office in East Los Angeles and certain days of the week he travels to other areas. He was very impressed that I speak Spanish. He does not take appointments. His office is simply open on certain days and certain hours and his clients show up and wait their turn.
On my first visit, Guillermo spent a little extra time with me to explain the whole process. He says that he treats for weight reduction, stress management and motivation, and migraines. I thought “Wow! I suffer from all three!” Guillermo then gave me a paper with two lists of foods. The first list contained many meats, sea foods and vegetables, etc. He explained that from the first list I could eat anything, in any quantity, and at any time of day. He also said that the food could be prepared in any way, as long as they were not breaded. He further stated that the second list contained things that I was to always avoid. This list contained many sweet items, and many carbohydrates, plus sugar was specifically mentioned. He further qualified sugar as all varieties of product called sugar, plus NutraSweet, saccharin, Splenda and honey. He said that contrary to popular belief a low-fat diet is not what is effective; it is low carbohydrate and no sugar or sweetener of any kind that gets results. I thought this diet would be daunting but he showed me a tiny brass ball-bearing and explained that he would adhere them around my ear with small band-aids. He said to avoid scrubbing the area in the shower and to leave them on until my next visit in one week or until they fell off naturally. He then placed the ball bearings around my left ear. I was instructed that the acupressure points would tell the organs in my body what to do. This meant that I would crave less food and stop wanting carbs and sugars. He also told me that I would feel less stress and that my migraines would disappear. The first twenty-four hours were difficult but after that, my cravings did disappear and I stopped feeling so much stress and the migraines ceased.
On my second visit to Guillermo, I was weighed and I lost thirteen pounds. He then cleansed the area of my left ear, removing all the band-aids. I was told that the left ear was for weight reduction and the right was for body toning and tightening. He placed the band-aids on my right ear this time. I continued visiting Guillermo weekly for four months. I lost a total of 107 pounds and my body tightened to accommodate my new weight. I was then put on the second stage of the diet which is a fun sensible diet. I continued to get the acupressure but only once every two to three weeks. Because Guillermo is so popular in the Mexican-American community of Los Angeles, there is often considerable wait time to see him. During this time, I have chatted in Spanish with various other clients. I talked to a nine year old girl who had been ridiculed in school for being fat but had lost considerable weight and gained self-esteem. I talked to a forty year old woman who had lost 320 pounds and did not need surgery to re-align her body, after the weight loss, because of the right-ear therapy. I also learned that in the rare cases that one does not respond to the acupressure, Guillermo forces the client into weight loss by shocking the acupressure points electronically! Of the hundreds of people I met through Guillermo, everyone has lost weight and has been really happy.
I was curious as to why this technique was popular in the Mexican community. I learned that acupressure is a term encompassing any number of massage techniques that use manual pressure to stimulate energy points on the body. I then started researching healing techniques in Mexico. I learned that folk healing is very popular in Mexico because it is based on ancient traditions and many towns have curanderos or “curers. ” I also learned that ancient Mexicans had their own form of acupressure which they called hand-casting. It was believed in ancient Mexico that the major cause of sickness was disharmony with either the gods or ancestors. The curer would, through applying pressure with the hands on power points of the afflicted body, realign the power associated with the Gods and ancestors. Studying a webpage on Mexican Curanderos, I learned that acupressure in the form of massage is widely practiced in Mexico today. Speaking further with Guillermo, I learned that his techniques are based both on the traditions of the curanderos as well as Chinese Medicine which has mastered the art of sending the body messages though applying pressure on power points. I was quite fascinated by this and wondered what other benefits we might obtain by studying the folk medicines of other cultures. I also wondered about the countless benefits possible from combining techniques from two or more different cultures. I have experienced the benefits of the curandero tradition and feel that they have done for me and many others what Western Medicine could not. The Twelve Steps does for sufferers of substance abuse what Western Medicine cannot do as well. The members of Johrei turn completely from Western Medicine and a Nurse in Brazil visits the shaman in addition to the medicine she practices. All of these practices clearly provide something beneficial to those who receive it. Opening our minds to receiving and exploring the benefits of ethnomedicine, will truly pave the road to further understanding about curing disease.

9:58 AM  
Blogger Dish@MadameDish.com said...

Ching chong choi no maka zuma noi, ho hoang zjhi no "San Pedro" desu no taka cho chou chu chi chai no taka ama hara ni kamzumari matsu kama rogi kama romi no mikoto moshite... no "Orange County" to 101 Freeway... sumi miomi kami no maga goto shikari "Studio City" dese choi chon chi chai noan hoan noko toko ni.

3:54 PM  
Blogger Soina Cabate no Brede e Circos (sala bar!) said...

Isabel-F. disse...
bem
interessante ..."hermafroditas" - deve ser complicado viver com isso ... sempre chamaram a minha atenção.

beijinho

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 07h04min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Isabel, eu diria : COMPLICADISSIMO. E quando menino de ginásio, essa aula foi inesquecível.

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 07h14min00s BRT
valter ferraz disse...
Eduardo, complicado e interessante. Você teve essa aula no ginásio? no Dante? Puxa! a cabeça devia voar naquele tempo, não?
Sugere grandes interpretações.
Costumo dizer que a natureza é sábia. Até quando dá suas mancadas!
Abraço forte

melhorou?

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 09h42min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Valter, estou ótimo, obrigado.
No Dante. Acredito que nesses casos a natureza estava distraída!Ou na dúvida. Deu coluna tres!

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 10h19min00s BRT
Sonia disse...
Interessante essa tela. Não conhecia o artista norueguês Odd Nerdrum. Obrigada por me apresentar. O site ArtCyclopedia é ótimo, já consultei várias vezes para fazer post sobre Edward Hopper, que eu gosto demais!

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 12h03min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Sonia, como o Odd faz uma pintura ACADÊMICA CLÁSSICA tem muitas resistências da crítica, e da mídia que apreciam e festejam quem não sabe desenhar ou pintar! Este sabe tudo.

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 12h49min00s BRT
Géh disse...
Belo trabalho, Parabéns!

Escrevi um artigo sobre Hermafroditismo, meses atrás...

Cito aqui uma parte do artigo:

Um dado estatístico extremamente importante é apresentado por Santos e Araujo (2006) "Na década passada, divulgava-se uma incidência de 1:14.000 nascimentos (Hurtig, 1992); todavia, com o aprimoramento contínuo das técnicas diagnósticas, estima-se que esta incidência pode ser tão alta quanto 1:2.000 nascimentos (Wilchins, 2002). O impacto provocado por tal atualização epidemiológica fortalece, portanto, o interesse clínico pelos aspectos psicológicos envolvidos nesta problemática".

O que me faz indagar: o que levou a este aumento drástico? Um aprimoramento na avaliação médica? Avaliações feitas erroneamente, ou até, para estudo de casos? Ou, ainda, que mudança biológica ocorreu nesses últimos anos para possibilitar esse aumento em tão grande escala? Reitero que se tratam somente de indagações pessoais.

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 14h44min00s BRT
valter ferraz disse...
Eduardo, meio envergonhado venho te confessar uma coisa apesar de saber que não és nem o Bentinho XVI e menos ainda padre:
Só hoje, neste exato momento é que me dei conta que tens os links do MUSEU DE PIACABA e GALERIA DE ARTE DE PIACABA alí em baixo.
Passeei por lá, encantado. E volto à busca da penitência.
Para quem é assíduo frequentador, erro imperdoável.
Muito belas as obras por lá postadas,se dinheiro tivesse corria te encomendar uma por e.mail.
Fico na contemplação. Já vale.
Parabéns de novo e de novo.
Um grande abraço

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 16h15min00s BRT
Lord Broken Pottery disse...
Eduardo,
Imagino um menino de ginásio tentando entender o que é ser hermafrodita. Daria um belo conto.
Abração

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 16h23min00s BRT
Lord Broken Pottery disse...
Eduardo,
Você também estudou no Dante? Então é daí que conheço o sobrenome. Devo ter conhecido você ou parentes seus. Estive lá de 1960 a 1972.
Abração

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 16h26min00s BRT
Lord Broken Pottery disse...
Eduardo,
Só para lembrar que do Dante Alighieri sairão, os mais valorosos pioneiros. A gente dava uma adaptada na letra, mas começava assim, lembra? Com o maestro Callia regendo.
Abração

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 16h28min00s BRT
Fábio Fontana disse...
Oi amigo, muito obrigado pelos elogios a meu blog (www.blogzanzando.blogspot.com). Fiquei muito feliz com a sua visita por se tratar de uma pessoa com um perfil tão qualificado. (dei uma lida no seu perfil do blogger). Já coloquei um link para seu blog lá no zanzando. Seu blog é muito, mas muito mesmo interessante, é um incentivo a cultura. Um abraço e espero sempre contar com a sua visita.

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 16h56min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Géssica, muito curiosa sua informação. Confesso que hoje em dia essa estória já não me preocupa ou espanta como nos tempos de colégio, mas é intrigante esses ERROS da natureza. E se os números estiverem realmente aumentado?

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 18h07min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Meu caro VALTER, estas perdoado pelos seus pecados. Rese tres aves Marias e vá, meu filho!
Valter, por essas e outras é que de quando em quando dou uns toques, como recentemente no caso da Aninha no VARAL.
Mas não foi só você não. Só a Belinha, que ganhou a companhia da Aninha é que descobriu. Além da Sonia, claro, que sabe de tudo! Forete abraço, e fico contente que tenha gostado. Criamos esses dois novos espaços para desentulhar o Varal que vai ficando insuportavelmente poluido de imagens! Abração, amigo.
FINALMENTE hoje estou de DELL NOVO e Instalado.. Vamos ver se dura!

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 18h13min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Lord, com seu NOME atual não posso lembrar. Mas nessa época estava por lá, com o Paulo meu irmão, o Arnaldo, meu primo. Quebrando potes,Não me recordo, mas na diretoria com o PORTA e o PORRETA , Marino na portaria , e Callia na regência," sidete bambini, tomati nota" ... eramos colegas de jogo de bolinha de gude ao pé dos eucaliptos e companheiros do melhor sanduiche de presunto e queijo, num pãozinho francês inesquecível.Forte abraço.

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 18h21min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Fábio, quem agradece a visita comentários sou eu, que estou linkando o ZANZANDO no Varal.Obrigado pelo honroso link lá! Volte sempre. Tem uma turma animada todos os dias batendo papo, jogando conversa fora e ensinando, com humor, o que ainda tenho a aprender.Abraços.

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 18h25min00s BRT
valter ferraz disse...
Eduardo, pronto, já rezei a três ave-marias. Com a presença do Bntinho por aqui eu achei que vc iria ser mais rigoroso nas penitências. As ave*marias tirei de letra!
Então estamos de maquina nova? Agora não dá mais xabú!
abraço forte

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 21h29min00s BRT
ery disse...
Eduardo, estas telas são a verdadeira arte em todo seu magnífico esplendor. Este blog está uma beleza, parabéns!

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 21h40min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Ery, como não ficar vaidoso e cheio de si, diante de palavras tão generosas e simpáticas. Saiba que o esplendor e beleza deste blog, são feitas por presenças e comentários como os seus e que nos honram muito.Forte abraço.

Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 22h02min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Esta postagem foi removida pelo autor.
Quarta-feira, 9 de Maio de 2007 22h03min00s BRT
art&tal disse...
nao sei pl

penso que a graça trabalha bastante com o computador mas....

desenha muito

que tal um contacto com ela

é muito boa pessoa

abraço

c.

Quinta-feira, 10 de Maio de 2007 02h49min00s BRT
Meg disse...
Eduardo, LOrd, Valter e todos os demais leitores maravilhosos do Eduardo:
Creio que sim, é no ginásio, como se dizia in illo tempore:-) que devemos ter ou deveríamos ter essa informação.
Pois, como diz o Valter, "a natureza é sa´bia até quando dá suas mancadas"

Eu não diria que são mancadas da Natureza, pois ela é nem justa nem injusta;
E, penas, é.
E entrar em contato com as exceções, impedem preconceitos e o insulto e a discriminação.
Pois eu só fui tomar conhecimento dos hermafroditas, quando li um livro, chamado The Freaks (As aberrações)
Calculo a dor de quem se sente injustiçado e ferido por nascer assim.

A ARTE na qual não deposito confiança , o suficiente, também os exibe como aberrações

Afinal, artistas, por melhores que sejam, são pessoas, comuns e com suas vidas talhadas da como formadas

Com exceção do Eduardo, é claro hohoho.

E aí Edu, vou votar. às 4 da manhã
Beijos, muitos,
Meg

Quinta-feira, 10 de Maio de 2007 03h39min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Cesar, não entendi. Quem é a graça? Se vc acha por que não conhece-la. Mas quem é?

Quinta-feira, 10 de Maio de 2007 06h08min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Meg, querida. Aos poucos vamos nos revelando. Eu com minhas absurdas limitações para POESIA, e você , agora declarando :A ARTE NA QUAL NÃO DEPOSITO CONFIANÇA , SUFICIENTE...., COM EXCEÇÃO DO....Eu adoro sua inteligência e franqueza. Quatro da manhã não é hora de votar...Estou aqui as 6:00 depois de um sono dos justos .Beijo grande.

Quinta-feira, 10 de Maio de 2007 06h17min00s BRT
luisa brehm disse...
um mundo que me fascina, Eduardo, e este trabalho está fabuloso !!!

Segunda-feira, 14 de Maio de 2007 15h14min00s BRT
Eduardo P.L. disse...
Luisa, obrigado.Bom ouvir isso de você!

Segunda-feira, 14 de

7:17 AM  
Blogger Soina Cabate no Brede e Circos (sala bar!) said...

Eths 141 Chicana/o Studies; FC – Summer 2008
WITHIN THESE
“WALLS”

•A look at what went on within the “walls” of the California Misión San Gabriél, Arcangelo &
•Looking at how “WALLS” keep us ethnocentric, and intolerant!
“There are political walls, borders, prison, walls of defense / protection & psychological / emotional walls that prevent potential of human equality”
By: “Nathan” student ID#: 809
Instructor: Adela Lopez – Eths 141, Chicano/a History; CRN#: 30048
Fullerton College, 1st Summer Session 2008; Due: 30 June 2008 (extended due to illness)

Unos Grandes Desafios!

Unas ideales para solciónes nuevas…

Receipts:

L.A.’s Olvera Street Post Cards

Previous Pages: Photo Credits (all are public domain images or photos taken by me personally)
Title Page:
1)Mission San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, CA
Page # 2:
1)Auschwitz
2)Berlin Wall
3)New York State Prison at Sing-Sing
4)Great Wall of China
5)Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall
6)US Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay
7)USA – Mexico Border at Arizona
8)Los Angeles River (A wall separating the rest of Los Angeles from East L.A.)
9)A US Immigration holding facility
10)International Border at San Ysidro, CA
11)Bush compared to Mussolini
12)Human suffering at Guantanamo Bay, US Military Installation Base ― illegally occupied since 1898!
Page # 3:
1)Guernica by Pablo Picasso
2)Gandhi
3)Mexican Inspirational-Artist and Spiritual Leader, Freda Kahlo
4)Che Guevara
5)Celia Cruz
6)Rita Moreno (1st Latina to receive an academy award!)
7)Artist Alma Lopez as the Virgin of Guadalupe
8)Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
9)Golde Meir
10)Salma Hayek
11)Bob Marley
12)Gael Garcia Bernal
13)Martin Luther King
14)Cesar Chavéz
15)Chicana Identity image
16)Susan B. Anthony Dollar
17)Chief Joseph ― who c. 1877 stated: “I shall fight no more, forever…”
18)Carmen Miranda = 1930s-1950s epitome of US image of Latina & Latin America (ironically a native of Portugal!)
19)Eva Peron
20)L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa
21)São Paulo, Brazil’s Memorial da America Latina
Page 5 & 6: Post Cards from Olvera Street:
1)Painting of the Old Pueblo
2)Traditional Dancers by artist Leo Politti

10:28 AM  
Blogger Soina Cabate no Brede e Circos (sala bar!) said...

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Check CPAP filters weekly. Foam filters may be washed but should be replaced every few months. Replace dirty or old pollen filters to eliminate bacteria.

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Buying the right CPAP mask for you could be difficult but is one of the most important decisions when it comes to comfort and compliance. There are many different types of masks to choose from so you should not sacrifice your happiness and comfort or feel you must stick with one mask. In fact, having a few different CPAP masks is recommended. Try out a few masks in actual situations. The mask choice should be based on some simple guidelines:

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Quality of Seal - Your mask should have a quality seal and should not leak. It should not require very tight headgear.
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Accessory Replacement Guidelines:

Accessories
Replacement Schedule
Full Face Mask Every three months
Full Face Mask Cushion Every two months
Nasal Mask Every three months
Nasal Mask Cushion Every two months
Nasal Pillows (Cannula-style interface) Every two months
Headgear Every six months
Air Filter(Disposable) Every month
Air Filter (Non-Disposable) Every three months
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If your face becomes red or sore, try nasal pillows, a skin protection tape or mask spacers.

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If nasal draining or sneezing occurs, change filter on your machine, use a humidifier or increase humidification on your unit. A doctor should be advised if symptoms persist.

A chin strap or heated humidifier should help mouth leaks.









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10:36 AM  
Blogger Soina Cabate no Brede e Circos (sala bar!) said...

Resolved QuestionShow me another »
Anthropology major planning on going to med school... what should i minor in?
I'm currently going into my junior year and am majoring in anthropology. I have finally decided what i want to do after undergrad... which is to go to med school. In order to do that, i will have to take two years of chemestry, one of biology, physics, and calculus before i graduate.
with anthropology, i have to take a minor... what should i minor in?
3 months ago
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by Cytosine Member since:
March 29, 2008
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Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
You could minor in general science if your university offers it. In my univ, that program covers bio, chem, physics and math.

You could also minor in biology, as it is good preparation for the first med school years. (but have to take all the other prerequisites)

Or, you could minor is something else you like, not necessarily science related, but follow the premed curriculum at the same time.

Those are just my tips, if you want really professional advice, perhaps you could consult the premed adviser in your university.
3 months ago
Source(s):
I'm a premed, double major in biology and anthropology :)
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10:37 AM  
Blogger Soina Cabate no Brede e Circos (sala bar!) said...

GEOBLOG
Este Blog tem a intenção de tornar-se uma ferramenta para divulgação da geografia e auxílio aos alunos em relação à pesquisa e atividades.

Quarta-feira, Agosto 20, 2008
Fazenda sugere a Lula vetar licença-maternidade maior
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 20/08/08




O ministro Guido Mantega (Fazenda) recomendou ao presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vetar o projeto aprovado pelo Congresso de ampliação da licença-maternidade para seis meses. A Folha apurou que os motivos alegados por Mantega para a derrubada da medida foram a pressão do setor produtivo -que vem se manifestando contra a prorrogação - e o impacto fiscal, que deve ultrapassar R$ 800 milhões por ano.

A reportagem é do jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 20-08-2008.

Em reunião do Conselho Político ocorrida ontem, o presidente queixou-se do pedido feito pela Fazenda e sinalizou que não deverá atender à recomendação da equipe econômica. Vetar a ampliação do benefício seria um ônus político com efeitos negativos na popularidade do presidente, já que a medida foi comemorada por líderes sindicais.

Em reunião com líderes partidários que integram o Conselho Político do governo, Lula não escondeu a insatisfação com o fato de o Congresso não ter barrado a aprovação do projeto. O presidente mencionou outras recentes ocasiões em que foi obrigado a vetar matérias aprovadas por deputados e senadores diante da recomendação de técnicos do governo - como aconteceu com o projeto que tornava invioláveis os escritórios de advocacia do país durante investigações.

Segundo participantes do encontro, o presidente disse que "não poderia arcar com o ônus de vetar um projeto tão popular, um projeto dessa magnitude", como propõe a Fazenda. "Se eu vetar, vai parecer que sou contra as mulheres. Vocês [congressistas] me botaram uma camisa-de-força e agora tenho que decidir", disse o presidente, segundo relatos.

Em respostas, os deputados também reclamaram da falta de interlocução e de assessores parlamentares dentro do Congresso. O presidente teria prometido resolver esse problema.

Atualmente, a licença-maternidade é de 120 dias e o pagamento é feito pelas empresas que deduzem o valor das contribuições a pagar ao INSS (Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social). De acordo com o projeto aprovado, que ainda aguarda sanção de Lula, serão acrescidos 60 dias para as funcionárias de empresas que aderirem ao programa Empresa Cidadã. Nesse caso, o salário dos dois meses adicionais de licença pago à trabalhadora poderá ser descontado do Imposto de Renda das empresas.

A medida vale tanto para a iniciativa privada como também para o setor público federal, estadual e municipal, que estão autorizados a adotar programa semelhante.

No caso do setor privado, porém, o benefício ampliado só vigorará a partir de 2010. Isso porque não haverá tempo de incluir os recursos para a renúncia fiscal no Orçamento do próximo ano.

Segundo informa o jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 20-08-2008, o líder do governo, deputado Henrique Fontana (PT-RS), admitiu as restrições da área econômica, mas disse que há 90% de chances de o presidente sancionar a lei:

— A tendência é que a lei seja sancionada. Apenas se disse que não era um assunto fácil de se decidir, porque (a conta) fica para o Tesouro.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:23 0 comentários
ESTUDANTES COM RENDA DE ATÉ 3 SALÁRIOS TÊM MAIS ACESSO À UNIVERSIDADE
Conversa Afiada - 20/08/08




Dados da Pnad (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios), tabulados pelo Iets (Instituto de Estudos do Trabalho e Sociedade), mostram que aumentou o número de estudantes que têm renda familiar de até três salários mínimos no ensino superior brasileiro. O aumento foi de cinco pontos percentuais: em 2004 10% dos estudantes do ensino superior brasileiro tinham renda famílias de até três salários mínimos; em 2006, esse número passou para 15%. Três salários mínimos em 2006 era o equivalente a R$ 1,05 mil.

O pesquisador do Iets Simon Shwartzman disse em entrevista ao Conversa Afiada nesta quarta-feira, dia 20, que o acesso ao ensino superior no Brasil cresceu de forma generalizada.

“Na verdade, o sistema de educação do ensino superior brasileiro cresceu, está dando mais acesso, há mais acesso também a pessoas relativamente de baixa renda”, disse Shwartzman.

Segundo Shwartzman, os dados da Pnad mostram que em 2004 40% dos estudantes do ensino superior brasileiro faziam parte do grupo dos 10% mais ricos do país. Em 2006 esse número caiu para 38%.

“É importante. Não estou dizendo que não é. Não mudou o perfil, é uma melhora... Eu acho que o Governo tem feito um esforço muito grande para aumentar o acesso de estudantes de baixa renda ao ensino superior, o ProUni é o principal exemplo disso”, disse Shwartzman.

O professor Shwartzman destacou que os dados publicados pelo jornal Folha de S. Paulo sobre esse estudo estavam errados.

“Essa informação da Folha de S. Paulo está equivocada. O dado que eu passei para a Folha de S. Paulo, que é um dado tirado da Pnad, ele mostra que houve um aumento de cinco pontos percentuais do número de estudantes com até três salários mínimos de renda familiar. Em 2004 eram 10% e em 2006 eram 15%. Isso não é um aumento de 50%, porque você não pode calcular porcentagem de porcentagem. Esse é um erro da reportagem da Folha de S. Paulo”, explicou Shwartzman.

Leia a íntegra da entrevista com o pesquisador Simon Shwartzman:

Conversa Afiada – Quais são os principais pontos desse estudo?

Simon Shwartzman – Eu gostaria de começar explicando que essa informação da Folha de S. Paulo está equivocada. O dado que eu passei para a Folha de S. Paulo, que é um dado tirado da Pnad, ele mostra que houve um aumento de cinco pontos percentuais do número de estudantes com até três salários mínimos de renda familiar. Em 2004 eram 10% e em 2006 eram 15%. Isso não é um aumento de 50%, porque você não pode calcular porcentagem de porcentagem. Esse é um erro da reportagem da Folha de S. Paulo. E se você olhar os números absolutos de quantas pessoas que têm renda familiar até três salários mínimos havia, houve um aumento muito grande. Mas esse aumento que houve tem a ver com o fato de que o salário mínimo no Brasil nos últimos anos vem aumentando muito. Então, uma família que tem três salários mínimos de renda familiar, ela ganha mais de R$ 1 mil por mês. Em 2006 ela estava ganhando R$ 1,05 mil por mês, o salário mínimo era R$ 350. Esse nível de renda, tem um estudo do Marcelo Nery que saiu recentemente e ele classificava esse nível de renda como de classe média. Então, na verdade, o que você tem é um aumento de números de pessoas com renda familiar até três salários mínimos. Mas como esse salário mínimo vem aumentando de valor, isso não nos permite dizer muita coisa sobre o que acontece com estudantes pobres. Quando eu faço uma análise, e isso está no meu site, você pode dar uma olhada, quando eu faço uma análise mostrando a distribuição das pessoas por nível de renda, você divide em dez níveis de renda a população brasileira, você vai ver que esse grupo que ganha três salários mínimos está entre o 30% mais ricos do Brasil. Porque no Brasil a maior parte da população é muito mais pobre do que isso. A primeira metade da distribuição da renda no Brasil aumenta muito pouquinho nesses dois anos. Então, na verdade, o sistema de educação do ensino superior brasileiro cresceu, está dando mais acesso, há mais acesso também a pessoas relativamente de baixa renda, mas a distribuição de renda no ensino superior brasileiro não tem se alterado muito.

Conversa Afiada – Agora, o que a gente pode concluir, professor, desses dados tabulados e esse aumento do acesso que o senhor acabou de expor, o que houve de mudanças nesses últimos anos?

Simon Shwartzman – Você teve alguns programas como o ProUni, mas, na verdade, se você olhar pela distribuição da população em termos de renda, não houve uma mudança muito grande. O sistema de ensino superior no Brasil cresceu, vem crescendo muito. Então, ele tem admitido mais estudantes de todas as rendas. Tem mais estudantes ricos, estão entrando mais estudantes de classe média, estão entrando mais estudantes de renda um pouco mais baixa. Mas se você olhar o dado que está lá no meu site, você vai ver que em 2004 40% dos estudantes brasileiros de nível superior estavam nos 10% mais ricos da população. Isso melhorou um pouquinho, foi para 38%, de 40% passou para 38%. O sistema de ensino público e privado brasileiro continua muito elitista.

Conversa Afiada – Mas de qualquer forma em dois anos passar de 40% para 38% é uma mudança significativa, não é professor?

Simon Shwartzman – É importante. Não estou dizendo que não é. Não mudou o perfil, é uma melhora.

Conversa Afiada – Mas isso mostra uma tendência?

Simon Shwartzman – Olha, eu acho que o Governo tem feito um esforço muito grande para aumentar o acesso de estudantes de baixa renda ao ensino superior, o ProUni é o principal exemplo disso. Agora, a principal limitação em relação a isso é que os estudantes de baixa renda muitas vezes não conseguem terminar o ensino médio. Como o ensino médio brasileiro está estagnado, não está melhorando, não está formando as pessoas com melhores condições, isso é um atraso para a expansão do acesso ao ensino superior.

Clique aqui para acessar o site do professor Shwartzman.

Clique aqui para acessar o site do Iets.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:20 0 comentários
UM ESQUELETO NO ARMÁRIO

Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 20 de agosto de 2008 às 11:38 | Publicado em 20 de agosto de 2008 às 11:37

DO OBSERVATÓRIO DA IMPRENSA:

CASO NOVOJORNAL
Um esqueleto no armário

Marco Aurélio Carone


"Quando se busca o entendimento de determinados acontecimentos é regra necessária retroagir no tempo para encontrar e entender os verdadeiros motivos do ocorrido no presente."


Após desligar o telefone celular que me informara que uma promotora - acompanhada de uma dezena de policiais, dois fardados e o restante em traje civil - acabava de entrar na redação do portal Novojornal para cumprir um mandado de busca e apreensão, veio-me a mente meus 10 anos de idade, na solidão de um colégio interno no interior de Minas Gerais, indagando ao padre Henrique, um salesiano franzino e de fala baixa, sobre o que estava acontecendo no mundo real, fora da fortaleza do Colégio Dom Bosco, instalado no antigo quartel da cavalaria da guarda imperial portuguesa, onde serviu o alferes Tiradentes, em Cachoeira do Campo, na época distrito de Ouro Preto. Estávamos no período conturbado que antecedeu o golpe de 1964. Dentre outros ensinamentos, aprendi com o padre Henrique o método reproduzido na epígrafe deste texto.

As indagações feitas com meu inseparável e eterno amigo, depois compadre, hoje falecido, Roberto Versiani Valadares, diziam respeito às notícias que chegavam através do rádio e tinham a ver com meu pai, que ocupava na época o cargo de prefeito de Belo Horizonte. Meses depois seria afastado e cassado em seus direitos políticos.

O tempo passou, vieram às eleições estaduais de 1982 e Tancredo Neves elegeu-se governador de Minas Gerais. Participei ativamente de sua campanha, minha gráfica confeccionou gratuitamente todo material dos candidatos que o apoiavam na região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte.

Depois de eleito, devido à estreita relação de minha família com a de Tancredo, o governador mandou me chamar a seu apartamento situado na Praça da Liberdade, em Belo Horizonte. Ele solicitou então que ajudasse seu neto, Aécio, porque ele estava vindo morar em Minas.

Foi o que fiz. Briguei com todas as jovens lideranças do PMDB, principalmente as da capital, e participei das articulações que elegeram Aécio Neves dirigente do PMDB Jovem. Ali começava a vida política do atual governador de Minas. Juntos, participamos da Campanha das Diretas e a seguir da campanha de seu avô à Presidência da República. Com a morte de Tancredo, afastamo-nos. Em 2002 nos reaproximamos novamente, ao disputarmos a eleição para governador de Minas. Muitos inclusive afirmavam que minha candidatura servira apenas para auxiliar Aécio, no combate ao candidato Newton Cardoso.


Objetivo maior


Aécio foi eleito e implantou medidas de austeridade, mas ao término do primeiro mandato já integravam seu governo figuras totalmente descomprometidas com a moralidade pública. Seu comportamento ultrapassava em muito o limite ético e até mesmo cerimonial exigido de um governador. Mas eu tomava conhecimento desses fatos apenas por intermédio de políticos adversários do governador, e por isso suspeitos em seus relatos.

Eu havia mudado para minha terra natal, Visconde do Rio Branco, interior de Minas. Lá permaneci até julho de 2004, quando sofri um acidente automobilístico que me obrigou voltar a Belo Horizonte e permanecer na cama, em recuperação, por mais de um ano. Foi quando comprei um computador com conexão à internet, e um mundo todo novo se abriu para quem não se adaptara sequer às modernas máquinas de escrever elétricas.

Já tinha experiência da área jornalística, pois havia dirigido dois jornais diários na capital, o Jornal de Minas e Diário de Minas. Na internet, evidentemente estava atrás de notícias. E percebi então que existia uma enorme fatia de mercado disponível para ser ocupado por um sítio de notícias online.

Não deu outra: em 2006, ao sair da cama, aluguei uma loja, comprei quatro computadores a prestação, providenciei a instalação de cabos, redes e outras adaptações necessárias para funcionamento do Novojornal, agora retirado do ar pelo Ministério Público de Minas e pela Polícia Militar [ver "O empastelamento do Novo Jornal"].

De volta ao meio jornalístico no início de 2006, tomei conhecimento do que estava acontecendo em Minas Gerais. Denúncias, acompanhadas de farta documentação comprobatória das irregularidades, chegavam diariamente à nossa redação. Diversas vezes fui questionado pela não publicação desse material.

Crente no espírito cristão da recuperação humana - e em função do respeito que sempre tive em relação ao seu avô Tancredo -, entregava pessoalmente as denúncias contra Aécio Neves à sua irmã Andréa, aconselhando que tomassem as medidas necessárias. De nada adiantou. Diante disso, fiquei decepcionado e com a consciência pesada - assim como grande parte dos companheiros de Tancredo - por ter ajudado a introduzir na política do estado um político que liquidaria qualquer princípio ético e moral da sociedade mineira para, em seu nome, utilizar-se de um cargo público para chegar à Presidência da República.

Decidi que dali em diante os assuntos relativos a irregularidades praticadas pelo governo mineiro, assim como pelos demais poderes, seriam apuradas e, se comprovadas, publicadas pelo Novojornal.


Artifício capcioso


Sem qualquer dependência comercial, com custos baixos e vivendo apenas do arrecadado por meio de anúncios, o Novojornal foi um sucesso. E isto deve ser creditado à independência e qualidade de nossos jornalistas, à publicação de matérias investigativas e à ajuda e assessoria da velha guarda do jornalismo mineiro.

Todas as matérias investigativas publicadas pelo Novojornal foram sempre acompanhadas de documentos e provas que as fundamentavam. Nas poucas vezes que fomos questionados judicialmente, argüimos a exceção da verdade e provamos que o noticiado era verdadeiro. Este procedimento passou a incomodar aos poderosos, que perderam a tradicional prática chantagista de ameaçar "processar" o contendor.

A esta altura, não era mais segredo para ninguém que em Minas a censura à imprensa transformara-se em regra oficial. A publicação de matérias no Novojornal questionando o comportamento de autoridades como o governador, procurador-geral, presidente da Assembléia Legislativa, deputados estaduais, conselheiros do Tribunal de Contas, para ficar apenas no plano estadual, destoava do noticiado pelos demais veículos - o que os obrigava a abordar, mesmo que superficialmente, esses assuntos.

A denúncia de irregularidade em licitações de obras e compras do governo estadual nas empresas Cemig, Copasa e Codemig, além de algumas prefeituras municipais, inclusive a da capital, passaram a incomodar, além dos governantes, empresários de diversos setores.

O comportamento do procurador-geral de Justiça, Jarbas Soares, de impedir o andamento de investigações contra integrantes dos três poderes e de grandes empresas foi amplamente noticiado e questionado pelo Novojornal. Quando o Ministério Público lançou a campanha "O que você tem a ver com a corrupção", aproveitando-se do tema e do selo o Novojornal dirigiu a pergunta ao procurador-geral. Este não aceitou a crítica e ofereceu uma denúncia que, ainda na fase de inquérito, sem sequer ter-se transformado em um processo, recebeu decisão favorável de um juiz para a retirada do Novojornal da internet.

Ao contrário do argumentado pelo Ministério Público, o Novojornal encontra-se rigorosamente dentro da lei, inclusive com diretor-responsável registrado na DRT, detentor do MTE nº 000311/MG, respondendo o mesmo por todas as matérias não-assinadas publicadas no Novojornal. Prática adotada conforme disposto no art. 8º I e 28º II da lei 5.250/67 e art. 5º do Decreto-Lei nº 927/69, alterado pela Lei nº 5.696/71 e nº 6.612/78 e nº 6.727/79 e nº 7.360/85. Dessa forma, comprovado está que jamais existiu o anonimato argüido pelo MP-MG. Inclusive o diretor-responsável e o endereço de sua sede encontram-se registrados no Registro.br, cadastro oficial de todos os sítios da internet no Brasil.

Como os artigos nº 20, 21 e 22 da Lei de Imprensa estão suspensos por decisão do Supremo Tribunal Federal, para atender o interesse do procurador-geral utilizaram-se do lamentável artifício de argüir o anonimato. Evidente que ao Ministério Público caberia evitar que ocorresse a quebra da liberdade de imprensa. Mas deu-se o contrário: por esse artifício, o MP-MG vem descumprindo a Constituição Federal, que atribui à polícia civil a competência de polícia judiciária.


Negócio nebuloso


Instalado no 3º andar da sede da Procuradoria Geral de Justiça, em Belo Horizonte, há um serviço de informação administrado e operado por militares da área de informação da Polícia Militar, oriundos da Casa Militar do Palácio da Liberdade. Por meio de um sofisticado equipamento de espionagem, que inclui escuta telefônica, o Executivo mineiro é municiado diariamente de informações que seriam legalmente de domínio e conhecimento apenas do Poder Judiciário, mediante autorização de um juiz.

O Novojornal estava com uma matéria pronta para ser publicada, comprovando o monitoramento realizado por esse serviço clandestino de informação das atividades de deputados estaduais, desembargadores, alguns juízes das varas da Fazenda Pública e delegados, líderes sindicais, religiosos e partidários mineiros. Este "SNI" do MP-MG vem monitorando até mesmo funcionários públicos suspeitos de serem contrários ao governo. A justificativa para existência desse serviço secreto é a de combater o crime organizado.

Já havíamos noticiado que o "SNI" do MP-MG há mais de um ano vinha nos monitorando "informalmente". Agora, comprovadamente o está fazendo de maneira oficial desde junho deste ano, conforme demonstra o inquérito nº 0024.08.141.377-5.

Cabe uma indagação. Por que estavam monitorando quem acessava o Novojornal à procura de notícias? Que crime esse ou essa internauta estaria cometendo? Desde 2007, toda a rede de internet que serve a repartições do governo mineiro impede o acesso ao endereço do Novojornal.

A busca e apreensão efetuadas na quinta-feira (14/8) por agentes da PM 2 no Novojornal tinham outras finalidades: estavam à procura da documentação que nos permitiria comprovar duas matérias praticamente nascidas em nossa redação: a lista de Furnas e a compra da Light pela Cemig.

No caso da lista de Furnas, os arquivos procurados demonstram que a lista confeccionada por Dimas Toledo não é apenas legítima, mas foi baseada em outra lista constante de uma correspondência encaminhada pelo secretário de Governo Danilo de Castro, em papel timbrado do governo de Minas Gerais e em nome do governador.

No caso Light-Cemig, as declarações de imposto de renda da empresa Lidil Comercial Ltda. dos exercícios de 2006 e 2007, tornadas públicas nos autos de Ação Popular, Processo nº 0024.08.008.068-2 em tramitação no Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais. Empresa detentora de apenas 4% do capital da Light S/A, as declarações comprovam que a Cemig, ao adquirir a Lidil por meio da Rio Minas Energia (RME), assumiu uma dívida de R$ 482 milhões - e desta forma pagou por 4% das ações da Light S/A quase o mesmo valor pago por 75% de ações da mesma empresa.


Instituição desvirtuada


Foi imposta ao Novojornal uma condenação antes mesmo da apuração da denúncia, que se procedente transformar-se-ia em processo onde poderíamos nos defender. O Ministério Público requereu e o juiz autorizou que o Novojornal fique fora do ar "enquanto durarem as investigações".

O método adotado não é novo. Em 1995, o atual procurador-geral Jarbas Soares, na condição de promotor eleitoral, fez o mesmo com o jornal Diário de Minas, também em período eleitoral, por causa de denúncias publicadas sobre irregularidades praticadas pelo então candidato ao governo de Minas, Eduardo Azeredo. O jornal ficou impedido de circular durante o período das eleições. Depois do pleito, uma juíza hoje desembargadora desculpou-se, liberando a circulação do jornal e confessando que estava enganada. O jornal foi prejudicado na sua periodicidade, perdeu anunciantes e foi obrigado a fechar as portas.

Outra vez, coincidentemente no período eleitoral e um dia após a publicação de uma entrevista com o ex-deputado Rogério Correia, dissidente e opositor da candidatura da aliança "informal" PT-PSDB à prefeitura de Belo Horizonte, denunciando o comportamento do governador mineiro, principal articulador da aliança, ocorre a "busca e apreensão" e a retirada do ar do Novojornal.

Empresários ligados à Federação das Indústrias do Estado de Minas Gerais (Fiemg), inconformados com a entrevista, avisaram-me que estávamos atrapalhando o projeto político do governador. Para os que apóiam o candidato da coligação "informal" PT-PSDB, foi estratégico o bloqueio do servidor de um sítio de internet que contém uma enorme quantidade de matérias denunciando práticas criminosas do candidato apoiado pelo governador, e que fatalmente seriam utilizadas no horário eleitoral gratuito.

Se estávamos atrapalhando o projeto político do atual governador de Minas Gerais não sabemos: cumpríamos apenas nosso dever de informar.

Todos mineiros com alguma responsabilidade assustam-se com o comportamento dos integrantes dos poderes legislativo e judiciário, que fazem de conta não estar vendo que somos governados por alguém que não governa, apenas atende aos interesses dos grupos econômicos que comandam o estado.

Pior ainda: o Ministério Público, que em outras épocas chegou a destituir um de seus membros por envolvimento com a máfia dos caça-níqueis, nada faz diante do comportamento de seu atual procurador-geral, que primeiro transformou a instituição numa repartição do Executivo, depois num enorme incinerador de investigações e, agora, em serviço de informação e repressão política, ideológica e partidária.

O procurador desvirtuou uma instituição criada para fiscalizar e defender o cumprimento das regras do Estado Democrático de Direito, transformando-a em embrião de um temido e tenebroso Estado de exceção. Promotores e procuradores do Ministério Público mineiro com mínimo conhecimento de suas funções deveriam comparecer ao 3º andar do prédio da sede da Procuradoria Geral de Justiça, em Belo Horizonte, para conhecer o que ali se encontra instalado.


Poderes transitórios


O Novojornal reconhece de público a existência em Minas Gerais de juízes, desembargadores, promotores, procuradores e membros da Polícia Militar Gerais que não concordam com o que está acontecendo. Ao contrário do que se imagina, querem mudanças e precisam apenas do apoio da opinião pública para promovê-las, mantendo a autonomia e a independência de cada instituição.

O Novojornal foi apenas o primeiro. Se providências não forem tomadas, outros serão igualmente sacrificados. Nossas reportagens jamais tiveram o objetivo de difamar ou prejudicar a carreira do governador ou de qualquer político. Seus aliados podem cometer a arbitrariedade de retirar Novojornal do ar, mas honrosamente não vamos negociar: recorreremos ao Poder Judiciário na busca da correção dessa injustiça.

Ao contrário do que alegam, não existe qualquer anonimato. O responsável pelo Novojornal de acordo com a lei sou eu: Marco Aurélio Flores Carone. O procurador-geral de Justiça e o governador de Minas sabem onde me encontrar. Humildemente lanço um desafio público a eles, para que me processem e provem que o Novojornal em qualquer momento publicou uma notícia que não estivesse fundamentada em documentação e provas.

Ao contrário do que imaginam o governador e o procurador-geral, o fechamento do Novojornal, assim como seus transitórios poderes, não será capaz de impedir a retirada de um esqueleto do armário da política nacional. Antes que ele venha assombrar as futuras gerações.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:50 0 comentários

Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 20 de agosto de 2008 às 11:38 | Publicado em 20 de agosto de 2008 às 11:37

DO OBSERVATÓRIO DA IMPRENSA:

CASO NOVOJORNAL
Um esqueleto no armário

Marco Aurélio Carone


"Quando se busca o entendimento de determinados acontecimentos é regra necessária retroagir no tempo para encontrar e entender os verdadeiros motivos do ocorrido no presente."


Após desligar o telefone celular que me informara que uma promotora - acompanhada de uma dezena de policiais, dois fardados e o restante em traje civil - acabava de entrar na redação do portal Novojornal para cumprir um mandado de busca e apreensão, veio-me a mente meus 10 anos de idade, na solidão de um colégio interno no interior de Minas Gerais, indagando ao padre Henrique, um salesiano franzino e de fala baixa, sobre o que estava acontecendo no mundo real, fora da fortaleza do Colégio Dom Bosco, instalado no antigo quartel da cavalaria da guarda imperial portuguesa, onde serviu o alferes Tiradentes, em Cachoeira do Campo, na época distrito de Ouro Preto. Estávamos no período conturbado que antecedeu o golpe de 1964. Dentre outros ensinamentos, aprendi com o padre Henrique o método reproduzido na epígrafe deste texto.

As indagações feitas com meu inseparável e eterno amigo, depois compadre, hoje falecido, Roberto Versiani Valadares, diziam respeito às notícias que chegavam através do rádio e tinham a ver com meu pai, que ocupava na época o cargo de prefeito de Belo Horizonte. Meses depois seria afastado e cassado em seus direitos políticos.

O tempo passou, vieram às eleições estaduais de 1982 e Tancredo Neves elegeu-se governador de Minas Gerais. Participei ativamente de sua campanha, minha gráfica confeccionou gratuitamente todo material dos candidatos que o apoiavam na região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte.

Depois de eleito, devido à estreita relação de minha família com a de Tancredo, o governador mandou me chamar a seu apartamento situado na Praça da Liberdade, em Belo Horizonte. Ele solicitou então que ajudasse seu neto, Aécio, porque ele estava vindo morar em Minas.

Foi o que fiz. Briguei com todas as jovens lideranças do PMDB, principalmente as da capital, e participei das articulações que elegeram Aécio Neves dirigente do PMDB Jovem. Ali começava a vida política do atual governador de Minas. Juntos, participamos da Campanha das Diretas e a seguir da campanha de seu avô à Presidência da República. Com a morte de Tancredo, afastamo-nos. Em 2002 nos reaproximamos novamente, ao disputarmos a eleição para governador de Minas. Muitos inclusive afirmavam que minha candidatura servira apenas para auxiliar Aécio, no combate ao candidato Newton Cardoso.


Objetivo maior


Aécio foi eleito e implantou medidas de austeridade, mas ao término do primeiro mandato já integravam seu governo figuras totalmente descomprometidas com a moralidade pública. Seu comportamento ultrapassava em muito o limite ético e até mesmo cerimonial exigido de um governador. Mas eu tomava conhecimento desses fatos apenas por intermédio de políticos adversários do governador, e por isso suspeitos em seus relatos.

Eu havia mudado para minha terra natal, Visconde do Rio Branco, interior de Minas. Lá permaneci até julho de 2004, quando sofri um acidente automobilístico que me obrigou voltar a Belo Horizonte e permanecer na cama, em recuperação, por mais de um ano. Foi quando comprei um computador com conexão à internet, e um mundo todo novo se abriu para quem não se adaptara sequer às modernas máquinas de escrever elétricas.

Já tinha experiência da área jornalística, pois havia dirigido dois jornais diários na capital, o Jornal de Minas e Diário de Minas. Na internet, evidentemente estava atrás de notícias. E percebi então que existia uma enorme fatia de mercado disponível para ser ocupado por um sítio de notícias online.

Não deu outra: em 2006, ao sair da cama, aluguei uma loja, comprei quatro computadores a prestação, providenciei a instalação de cabos, redes e outras adaptações necessárias para funcionamento do Novojornal, agora retirado do ar pelo Ministério Público de Minas e pela Polícia Militar [ver "O empastelamento do Novo Jornal"].

De volta ao meio jornalístico no início de 2006, tomei conhecimento do que estava acontecendo em Minas Gerais. Denúncias, acompanhadas de farta documentação comprobatória das irregularidades, chegavam diariamente à nossa redação. Diversas vezes fui questionado pela não publicação desse material.

Crente no espírito cristão da recuperação humana - e em função do respeito que sempre tive em relação ao seu avô Tancredo -, entregava pessoalmente as denúncias contra Aécio Neves à sua irmã Andréa, aconselhando que tomassem as medidas necessárias. De nada adiantou. Diante disso, fiquei decepcionado e com a consciência pesada - assim como grande parte dos companheiros de Tancredo - por ter ajudado a introduzir na política do estado um político que liquidaria qualquer princípio ético e moral da sociedade mineira para, em seu nome, utilizar-se de um cargo público para chegar à Presidência da República.

Decidi que dali em diante os assuntos relativos a irregularidades praticadas pelo governo mineiro, assim como pelos demais poderes, seriam apuradas e, se comprovadas, publicadas pelo Novojornal.


Artifício capcioso


Sem qualquer dependência comercial, com custos baixos e vivendo apenas do arrecadado por meio de anúncios, o Novojornal foi um sucesso. E isto deve ser creditado à independência e qualidade de nossos jornalistas, à publicação de matérias investigativas e à ajuda e assessoria da velha guarda do jornalismo mineiro.

Todas as matérias investigativas publicadas pelo Novojornal foram sempre acompanhadas de documentos e provas que as fundamentavam. Nas poucas vezes que fomos questionados judicialmente, argüimos a exceção da verdade e provamos que o noticiado era verdadeiro. Este procedimento passou a incomodar aos poderosos, que perderam a tradicional prática chantagista de ameaçar "processar" o contendor.

A esta altura, não era mais segredo para ninguém que em Minas a censura à imprensa transformara-se em regra oficial. A publicação de matérias no Novojornal questionando o comportamento de autoridades como o governador, procurador-geral, presidente da Assembléia Legislativa, deputados estaduais, conselheiros do Tribunal de Contas, para ficar apenas no plano estadual, destoava do noticiado pelos demais veículos - o que os obrigava a abordar, mesmo que superficialmente, esses assuntos.

A denúncia de irregularidade em licitações de obras e compras do governo estadual nas empresas Cemig, Copasa e Codemig, além de algumas prefeituras municipais, inclusive a da capital, passaram a incomodar, além dos governantes, empresários de diversos setores.

O comportamento do procurador-geral de Justiça, Jarbas Soares, de impedir o andamento de investigações contra integrantes dos três poderes e de grandes empresas foi amplamente noticiado e questionado pelo Novojornal. Quando o Ministério Público lançou a campanha "O que você tem a ver com a corrupção", aproveitando-se do tema e do selo o Novojornal dirigiu a pergunta ao procurador-geral. Este não aceitou a crítica e ofereceu uma denúncia que, ainda na fase de inquérito, sem sequer ter-se transformado em um processo, recebeu decisão favorável de um juiz para a retirada do Novojornal da internet.

Ao contrário do argumentado pelo Ministério Público, o Novojornal encontra-se rigorosamente dentro da lei, inclusive com diretor-responsável registrado na DRT, detentor do MTE nº 000311/MG, respondendo o mesmo por todas as matérias não-assinadas publicadas no Novojornal. Prática adotada conforme disposto no art. 8º I e 28º II da lei 5.250/67 e art. 5º do Decreto-Lei nº 927/69, alterado pela Lei nº 5.696/71 e nº 6.612/78 e nº 6.727/79 e nº 7.360/85. Dessa forma, comprovado está que jamais existiu o anonimato argüido pelo MP-MG. Inclusive o diretor-responsável e o endereço de sua sede encontram-se registrados no Registro.br, cadastro oficial de todos os sítios da internet no Brasil.

Como os artigos nº 20, 21 e 22 da Lei de Imprensa estão suspensos por decisão do Supremo Tribunal Federal, para atender o interesse do procurador-geral utilizaram-se do lamentável artifício de argüir o anonimato. Evidente que ao Ministério Público caberia evitar que ocorresse a quebra da liberdade de imprensa. Mas deu-se o contrário: por esse artifício, o MP-MG vem descumprindo a Constituição Federal, que atribui à polícia civil a competência de polícia judiciária.


Negócio nebuloso


Instalado no 3º andar da sede da Procuradoria Geral de Justiça, em Belo Horizonte, há um serviço de informação administrado e operado por militares da área de informação da Polícia Militar, oriundos da Casa Militar do Palácio da Liberdade. Por meio de um sofisticado equipamento de espionagem, que inclui escuta telefônica, o Executivo mineiro é municiado diariamente de informações que seriam legalmente de domínio e conhecimento apenas do Poder Judiciário, mediante autorização de um juiz.

O Novojornal estava com uma matéria pronta para ser publicada, comprovando o monitoramento realizado por esse serviço clandestino de informação das atividades de deputados estaduais, desembargadores, alguns juízes das varas da Fazenda Pública e delegados, líderes sindicais, religiosos e partidários mineiros. Este "SNI" do MP-MG vem monitorando até mesmo funcionários públicos suspeitos de serem contrários ao governo. A justificativa para existência desse serviço secreto é a de combater o crime organizado.

Já havíamos noticiado que o "SNI" do MP-MG há mais de um ano vinha nos monitorando "informalmente". Agora, comprovadamente o está fazendo de maneira oficial desde junho deste ano, conforme demonstra o inquérito nº 0024.08.141.377-5.

Cabe uma indagação. Por que estavam monitorando quem acessava o Novojornal à procura de notícias? Que crime esse ou essa internauta estaria cometendo? Desde 2007, toda a rede de internet que serve a repartições do governo mineiro impede o acesso ao endereço do Novojornal.

A busca e apreensão efetuadas na quinta-feira (14/8) por agentes da PM 2 no Novojornal tinham outras finalidades: estavam à procura da documentação que nos permitiria comprovar duas matérias praticamente nascidas em nossa redação: a lista de Furnas e a compra da Light pela Cemig.

No caso da lista de Furnas, os arquivos procurados demonstram que a lista confeccionada por Dimas Toledo não é apenas legítima, mas foi baseada em outra lista constante de uma correspondência encaminhada pelo secretário de Governo Danilo de Castro, em papel timbrado do governo de Minas Gerais e em nome do governador.

No caso Light-Cemig, as declarações de imposto de renda da empresa Lidil Comercial Ltda. dos exercícios de 2006 e 2007, tornadas públicas nos autos de Ação Popular, Processo nº 0024.08.008.068-2 em tramitação no Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais. Empresa detentora de apenas 4% do capital da Light S/A, as declarações comprovam que a Cemig, ao adquirir a Lidil por meio da Rio Minas Energia (RME), assumiu uma dívida de R$ 482 milhões - e desta forma pagou por 4% das ações da Light S/A quase o mesmo valor pago por 75% de ações da mesma empresa.


Instituição desvirtuada


Foi imposta ao Novojornal uma condenação antes mesmo da apuração da denúncia, que se procedente transformar-se-ia em processo onde poderíamos nos defender. O Ministério Público requereu e o juiz autorizou que o Novojornal fique fora do ar "enquanto durarem as investigações".

O método adotado não é novo. Em 1995, o atual procurador-geral Jarbas Soares, na condição de promotor eleitoral, fez o mesmo com o jornal Diário de Minas, também em período eleitoral, por causa de denúncias publicadas sobre irregularidades praticadas pelo então candidato ao governo de Minas, Eduardo Azeredo. O jornal ficou impedido de circular durante o período das eleições. Depois do pleito, uma juíza hoje desembargadora desculpou-se, liberando a circulação do jornal e confessando que estava enganada. O jornal foi prejudicado na sua periodicidade, perdeu anunciantes e foi obrigado a fechar as portas.

Outra vez, coincidentemente no período eleitoral e um dia após a publicação de uma entrevista com o ex-deputado Rogério Correia, dissidente e opositor da candidatura da aliança "informal" PT-PSDB à prefeitura de Belo Horizonte, denunciando o comportamento do governador mineiro, principal articulador da aliança, ocorre a "busca e apreensão" e a retirada do ar do Novojornal.

Empresários ligados à Federação das Indústrias do Estado de Minas Gerais (Fiemg), inconformados com a entrevista, avisaram-me que estávamos atrapalhando o projeto político do governador. Para os que apóiam o candidato da coligação "informal" PT-PSDB, foi estratégico o bloqueio do servidor de um sítio de internet que contém uma enorme quantidade de matérias denunciando práticas criminosas do candidato apoiado pelo governador, e que fatalmente seriam utilizadas no horário eleitoral gratuito.

Se estávamos atrapalhando o projeto político do atual governador de Minas Gerais não sabemos: cumpríamos apenas nosso dever de informar.

Todos mineiros com alguma responsabilidade assustam-se com o comportamento dos integrantes dos poderes legislativo e judiciário, que fazem de conta não estar vendo que somos governados por alguém que não governa, apenas atende aos interesses dos grupos econômicos que comandam o estado.

Pior ainda: o Ministério Público, que em outras épocas chegou a destituir um de seus membros por envolvimento com a máfia dos caça-níqueis, nada faz diante do comportamento de seu atual procurador-geral, que primeiro transformou a instituição numa repartição do Executivo, depois num enorme incinerador de investigações e, agora, em serviço de informação e repressão política, ideológica e partidária.

O procurador desvirtuou uma instituição criada para fiscalizar e defender o cumprimento das regras do Estado Democrático de Direito, transformando-a em embrião de um temido e tenebroso Estado de exceção. Promotores e procuradores do Ministério Público mineiro com mínimo conhecimento de suas funções deveriam comparecer ao 3º andar do prédio da sede da Procuradoria Geral de Justiça, em Belo Horizonte, para conhecer o que ali se encontra instalado.


Poderes transitórios


O Novojornal reconhece de público a existência em Minas Gerais de juízes, desembargadores, promotores, procuradores e membros da Polícia Militar Gerais que não concordam com o que está acontecendo. Ao contrário do que se imagina, querem mudanças e precisam apenas do apoio da opinião pública para promovê-las, mantendo a autonomia e a independência de cada instituição.

O Novojornal foi apenas o primeiro. Se providências não forem tomadas, outros serão igualmente sacrificados. Nossas reportagens jamais tiveram o objetivo de difamar ou prejudicar a carreira do governador ou de qualquer político. Seus aliados podem cometer a arbitrariedade de retirar Novojornal do ar, mas honrosamente não vamos negociar: recorreremos ao Poder Judiciário na busca da correção dessa injustiça.

Ao contrário do que alegam, não existe qualquer anonimato. O responsável pelo Novojornal de acordo com a lei sou eu: Marco Aurélio Flores Carone. O procurador-geral de Justiça e o governador de Minas sabem onde me encontrar. Humildemente lanço um desafio público a eles, para que me processem e provem que o Novojornal em qualquer momento publicou uma notícia que não estivesse fundamentada em documentação e provas.

Ao contrário do que imaginam o governador e o procurador-geral, o fechamento do Novojornal, assim como seus transitórios poderes, não será capaz de impedir a retirada de um esqueleto do armário da política nacional. Antes que ele venha assombrar as futuras gerações.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:50 0 comentários
Multinacionnal do aço importa mão de obra chinesa
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 19/08/08




Os três chineses seqüestrados estão no Rio a serviço da ThyssenKrupp CSA Siderúrgica do Atlântico, uma usina de placas de aço que está sendo implantada em Santa Cruz. Eles trabalham na construção da coqueria (onde se produz o carvão) da ThyssenKrupp, divisão que produzirá insumos para a fabricação de aço. Os representantes da siderúrgica alemã pretendiam trazer para a construção da usina três mil chineses, mas houve um acordo com o governo brasileiro para contratar no máximo 600.

A notícia é do jornal O Globo, 19-08-2008.

A ThyssenKrupp responde a uma ação civil pública na 1a. Vara do Tribunal Regional do Trabalho (TRT) por suposto uso irregular de mão-de-obra estrangeira.

Proposta pela Procuradoria Regional do Trabalho 1a. Região, a ação pede que a empresa seja proibida de contratar estrangeiros para funções que não exijam mão-de-obra especializada.

Em nota, a ThyssenKrupp diz que o uso de mão-deobra estrangeira obedece à legislação brasileira e a exigências do Ministério do Trabalho.

Segundo a empresa, cerca de 300 chineses trabalham hoje como técnicos na construção da coqueria e estão legalmente no país, com vistos temporários de trabalho. Os profissionais teriam sido requisitados pela estatal China International Trust & Investment Corporation (Citic) devido à falta de brasileiros qualificados, uma vez que a última coqueria montada no Brasil dataria de mais de 30 anos. A construção de uma coqueria, diz a empresa, difere de uma obra civil por exigir rigor milimétrico em sua montagem, para evitar acidentes.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:48 0 comentários
Quem é a Veracel Celulose?
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 19/08/08




É uma joint venture de duas das maiores empresas do ramo de papel e celulose do mundo: a sueca-finlandesa Stora Enso e a Aracruz Celulose, cada uma detentora de 50% das ações. Área: possui cerca de 205 mil hectares de terras no extremo Sul da Bahia, sendo cerca de 96 mil hectares de monocultura de eucalipto.

Produção:

Mais de um milhão de toneladas de celulose destinadas à exportação, sendo que metade pertence à Aracruz Celulose.

Financiamento público:

BNDES (R$ 1,43 bilhões)

Quem a Veracel financia:

Jaques Wagner, atual governador da Bahia (R$ 100.000 para sua campanha em 2006).

Empregos para quem?

Gera apenas 410 empregos diretos na fábrica. Possui mais de 180 empresas terceirizadas; há mais de 800 ações movidas contra a empresa por direitos trabalhistas; Hoje, em 146.927 hectares da Veracel, moram apenas 71 pessoas, e são gerados apenas 1 emprego em cada 156 hectares de terras;

– Mais de 800 pessoas tiveram que sair das suas casas por causa da Veracel, perdendo seu meio de sustento;

Em Santa Cruz de Cabrália, dos 193 trabalhadores e empregados que existiam nas terras compradas pela Veracel, apenas 56 trabalhadores restaram, e dos 240 moradores, restaram apenas 14;

No município de Porto Seguro, o número de trabalhadores/empregados passou de 88 para dois, e o de moradores passou de 138 para nove.

Fonte:

Jornal Brasil de Fato, 14 a 20 de agosto de 2008.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:46 0 comentários
Empresa da Stora Enso e Aracruz é condenada na justiça por desmatar Mata Atlântica
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 19/08/08




Em decisão inédita, a Justiça Federal da cidade de Eunápolis (BA) condenou a Veracel Celulose – uma joint venture de duas das maiores empresas do ramo de papel e celulose do mundo: a sueca-finlandesa Stora Enso e a Aracruz Celulose – e os órgãos ambientais de âmbito estadual e federal – o Centro de Recursos Ambientais (CRA) e o Instituto Brasileiro de Meio Ambiente (Ibama) – pelo desmatamento da Mata Atlântica. Pela ação movida pelo Ministério Público Federal (MPF), a empresa terá que restaurar, com vegetação nativa, todas as suas áreas compreendidas nas licenças de plantio de eucalipto liberadas entre 1993 e 1996. As áreas ficam no extremo sul da Bahia. A notícia é do jornal Brasil de Fato – Edição 285 - 14 a 20 de agosto de 2008 em reportagem da jornalista Luciana Silvestre.

A sentença da justiça significa que uma extensão de 96 mil hectares, coberta por eucaliptos, deverá ser reflorestada por árvores da Mata Atlântica – um dos biomas mais diversos do planeta e, ao mesmo tempo, mais ameaçados do mundo. A Veracel também foi condenada a pagar uma multa de R$ 20 milhões pelo desmatamento da Mata Atlântica, com tratores e correntão, nos seus primeiros anos de funcionamento (1991-1993).

O Ibama e o CRA foram condenados por concederem, indevidamente, autorizações para a Veracruz implantar os plantios de eucalipto. O Ibama terá que apresentar o Estudo de Impacto Ambiental (EIA/RIMA) para licenciamento da Veracel. Já o CRA precisará pagar 10% do total da multa.

Para o padre José Koopmans, de Teixeira de Freitas (BA), que acompanhou todo o processo de implantação da empresa no extremo sul do Estado, a sentença da Justiça foi uma vitória. “Apenas agora, quinze anos depois, estamos vendo o resultado das primeiras denúncias que fizemos contra a Veracel. Ficou comprovado que aquele processo de implantação sem os estudos necessários foi ilegal”.

Padre José reitera que, passados tantos anos, o que ficou para a região foi uma total degradação. “Além da completa destruição da fauna e da flora, houve muitos impactos socioeconômicos. A população foi expulsa do campo, sob falsas promessas de emprego. O que vemos hoje é um crescimento da violência e do desemprego, bem como uma falta de estrutura básica, de saúde e educação nesses municípios onde se instalou a monocultura do eucalipto”, ressaltou Koopmans.

O que mais chama a atenção do Fórum Socioambiental do Extremo Sul, integrado por ONG’s, movimentos sociais, pesquisadores e estudantes, é a facilidade com que a empresa conseguiu se fixar na região. Mesmo sem a realização dos estudos necessários, os órgãos ambientais estaduais (CRA) e federais (Ibama) expediram licenças que continuam sendo liberadas indiscriminadamente até hoje.

“Essas empresas sempre contaram com o apadrinhamento do Estado, que continua licenciando o plantio de eucalipto, mesmo admitindo que não tem condições técnicas para acompanhar e fiscalizar um projeto desse porte, e mesmo sabendo que a Veracel não cumpre a maioria das condicionantes para continuar em execução”, explicou Ivonete Gonçalves, coordenadora do Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas para o Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul (Cepedes).

Projeto de expansão

Com a intenção da empresa de duplicar seu empreendimento com a construção da Veracel II, a liberação de licenciamentos ambientais ganha centralidade. Os órgãos desrespeitam a lei e, sob a influência do poder econômico, concedem autorizações mesmo sem estudos como o Zoneamento Econômico Ecológico. É o que confirma Andréia Bragagnolo, diretora de estudos avançados do meio ambiente do Instituto do Meio Ambiente (IMA), antigo CRA. “Não podemos parar a máquina do Estado para esperar a realização dos estudos. Não podemos parar o licenciamento. Temos que continuar e inclusive agilizar o licenciamento em geral. O que dá pra fazer é intensificar a fiscalização”, afirmou.

Essa relação de favorecimento entre os órgãos licenciadores e a empresa Veracel Celulose é objeto de um inquérito civil, instaurado em junho deste ano pelo Ministério Público Estadual da comarca de Eunápolis. Estão sendo apuradas denúncias sobre a omissão do Estado da Bahia e de órgãos ambientais estaduais na realização de estudos imprescindíveis para a implantação de projetos como o da monocultura de eucalipto na região, a fim de favorecer a empresa Veracel Celulose na execução de seu projeto.

“Estamos acompanhando o inquérito do MPE e confirmando o que já suspeitávamos: que a Veracel inaugurou uma forma própria para consolidar seu empreendimento junto ao Estado, envolvendo funcionários públicos para obter benefícios em função do aumento da produção e do lucro”, relatou Ivonete.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:45 0 comentários
Buraco sem fundo
Blog do Nassif - 19/08/08




Do Estadão

Economista prevê quebra de 'grande banco americano'



Kenneth Rogoff, que já trabalhou no FMI, disse que pior ainda está por vir.

SÃO PAULO - A crise financeira global irá piorar, com um grande banco americano provavelmente quebrando nos próximos meses, segundo um ex-economista do Fundo Monetário Internacional (FMI).

Kenneth Rogoff, atualmente professor de Economia da Universidade de Harvard, disse em uma conferência em Cingapura que a economia americana ainda não saiu do perigo como alguns acreditam.

"Eu iria além e diria que o pior ainda está por vir", disse Rogoff.

"Nós não vamos ver apenas bancos de porte médio quebrando nos próximos meses", afirmou o economista, que trabalhou no FMI entre 2001 e 2004.

"Nós vamos ver um grande (quebrando), um dos grandes bancos de investimento ou outro grande banco", completou.

Os comentários de Rogoff foram feitos ao mesmo tempo em que as ações das duas maiores empresas de hipoteca dos Estados Unidos, Fannie Mae e Freddie Mac, despencaram em meio a relatos de que elas serão nacionalizadas.

Rogoff fez uma previsão de que, em alguns anos, as duas empresas "provavelmente" não existirão em sua forma atual.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:37 0 comentários
Bernanke e as expectativas inflacionárias
Blog do Nassif - 19/08/08




Da coluna de Delfim Netto, no Valor

Depois de termos mencionado num artigo publicado neste mesmo espaço o discurso de Ben Bernanke, o atual chairman do Federal Reserve dos EUA (o famoso Fed), que abriu a 53ª Conferência Anual do Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, no dia 9 de junho último, recebemos pedidos de atentos leitores solicitando mais informações sobre ele. (...) Aqui só nos interessa a última questão: expectativas inflacionárias.

"(...) Vou dividir minha análise em três tópicos.

Primeiro necessitamos entender melhor quais os fatores que determinam as expectativas inflacionárias da sociedade, tal como discuti com mais detalhes em uma conversa no National Bureau of Economic Research, transcorrida no último verão (10/07/2007). (...) Seria de bastante proveito para os próprios formuladores da política monetária que conhecessem mais acerca de como as expectativas inflacionárias são influenciadas por ela mesma, pela sua comunicação e por outros fatores econômicos, tais como os choques nos preços de petróleo.

A crescente literatura sobre o aprendizado em modelos macroeconômicos parece ser um veículo útil para abordar muitos desses tópicos. No modelo tradicional, com expectativas racionais, estrutura econômica fixa e objetivos políticos estáveis, não há papel para aquele aprendizado por parte da sociedade. Nele existe normalmente uma única taxa de inflação de equilíbrio no longo prazo, que é perfeitamente antecipada: a sociedade não realiza inferências a partir das comunicações ou das ações dos banqueiros centrais. O fato, porém, é que a sociedade tem apenas informações incompletas tanto acerca da economia quanto dos objetivos dos formuladores da política, fatores que podem, aliás, mudar ao longo do tempo. Considerar a possibilidade de aprendizado por parte da sociedade é mais realista e, ademais, tende a gerar conclusões mais razoáveis a respeito de como as expectativas inflacionárias mudam e, em particular, de como elas podem ser influenciadas pela ação e pronunciamentos da política monetária.

A segunda categoria de questões envolve os canais por meio dos quais as expectativas inflacionárias afetam a inflação presente. A via fundamental é a das expectativas para as negociações salariais, ou há outros mecanismos relevantes? Um achado algo perturbador sobre este problema foi revelado por uma pesquisa entre empresários acerca de decisões de como eles formam seus preços, conduzida por Blinder e outros (Asking about Prices, N.Y., 1998). Apenas uma pequena parcela dos entrevistados afirmou que a inflação agregada esperada afetava seus preços. Como podemos conciliar esse resultado com nosso forte pressuposto de que as expectativas são centrais para explicar a inflação? Talvez as expectativas afetem a inflação presente por meio de algum canal que seja relativamente indireto. A crescente literatura sobre fixação desagregada de preços talvez possa lançar alguma luz nessa questão.

Finalmente, um grande conjunto de questões gira em torno de como o banco central pode monitorar da melhor maneira possível as expectativas inflacionárias do público. (...) Infelizmente, as informações sobre as expectativas dos próprios formadores de preço são muito limitadas, especialmente a dos empresários. Qual das expectativas desses agentes é a mais importante para a dinâmica inflacionária, e como os banqueiros centrais podem extrair melhor a informação relevante a partir das várias medidas disponíveis?"

Que falta fez essa humildade esclarecida para moderar a precipitada política monetária "tempestiva" do nosso Banco Central, tão a gosto dos "cientistas" do sistema financeiro nacional. Estes, obviamente, supõem "saber" muito mais do que Bernanke sobre como se "controla" as expectativas inflacionárias...

Comentário

Para quem acompanha o comportamento real dos agentes econômicos, a fala de Bernanke é um bálsamo. A discussão econômica no Brasil tornou-se tão rasa, tão em cima dos manuais, que essas questões pareciam indagações de alienígenas. O comentarista que trabalha no FMI é mestre nesses chavões desmontados por Bernanke.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:28 0 comentários
A presença do Brasil na América do Sul
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 19/08/08




Líder natural na América Latina, devido às dimensões de seu território e de sua economia, o Brasil vem consolidando sua hegemonia usando como instrumento estatais que dão inveja aos vizinhos: BNDES, Petrobras, Eletrobrás e Embrapa, que, juntos, estão espalhados por 17 países no continente. Somente o BNDES financia US$ 3,8 bilhões na região, com potencial de US$ 12 bilhões em novos contratos. Os recursos do banco para obras de infraestrutura em 2007 chegou a US$ 490,023 milhões, um volume 73,5% superior ao de dez anos atrás. A reportagem é de Eliane Oliveira e Gustavo Paul e publicada pelo jornal O Globo, 18-08-2008.

— Incentivamos a integração física na região, com obras de infra-estrutura, além de ajudarmos a aumentar as exportações brasileiras de bens e serviços — diz Luiz Antonio Dantas, superintendente do BNDES Exim.

Ele lembrou que, além do BNDES, existe o Programa de Financiamento às Exportações (Proex), que financia operações de empresas brasileiras no exterior, especialmente de serviços.

Dantas citou o metrô de Caracas, na Venezuela; um gasoduto na Argentina; uma hidrelétrica no Equador; e o sistema de transporte coletivo na Colômbia. Além de outros projetos ainda na gaveta: a rodovia que ligará Riberalta a Rurrenabaque, na Bolívia; e a ferrovia para o transporte de carvão siderúrgico, na Colômbia, no valor de US$ 600 milhões.

A Petrobras está presente em todos os países sul-americanos. Sua atuação é mais forte na Argentina, onde tem planos de investimentos de US$ 2,8 bilhões até 2012. O México é o mais novo parceiro comercial.
Lá, a estatal está num projeto de revitalização de campos de gás com a japonesa Teikoku Oil e a mexicana Dia Vaz.

Especialista vê impulso político

Fortalecida por uma medida provisória que se transformou em lei em abril, a Eletrobrás começou em julho a tornar realidade o desejo do Palácio do Planalto de que ela seja uma empresa global. O principal foco da estatal é a América do Sul. A construção de usinas e linhas de transmissão nos países vizinhos deverá servir de alternativa de fornecimento futuro de energia ao país, como já ocorrer com a Usina Binacional de Itaipu, no Paraguai.

A Eletrobrás já estuda a construção da hidrelétrica de Garabi, no Rio Uruguai, na fronteira do Brasil com a Argentina, além de aproveitamentos hidrelétricos no Peru e a interligação dos sistemas elétricos e energéticos com a Venezuela.

Parte significativa dos projetos tem participação de estatais vizinhas, e os investimentos somarão perto de US$ 6 bilhões. O maior projeto é uma geradora a ser construída em Inambari, no Peru, por US$ 2 bilhões, com capacidade de 1,5 mil megawatts (MW). A ela se somarão outras três usinas naquele país. No caso da Venezuela, está em estudo também a viabilidade da conexão dos sistemas de comunicação brasileiro e venezuelano, por meio de fibras óticas nas linhas de transmissão.

A Embrapa também tem presença marcante na região. São exemplos a transferência de tecnologia para um pólo de fruticultura no Equador e a instalação, em Caracas, de um escritório para apoio à produção de leite, ovos, milho e outros grãos. A atuação da Embrapa na América do Sul ocorre desde os anos 80, mas foi intensificada no atual governo. A empresa incentiva seus escritórios regionais mais próximos às fronteiras a trocar experiências e prestar assistência técnica aos vizinhos.

— A nova orientação do governo é dar atenção aos países vizinhos, só que não é para sermos bonzinhos ou altruístas. A ocorrência de febre aftosa na Bolívia ou Paraguai afeta nossa pecuária, e a entrada da mosca da carambola pela Guiana é um risco — afirma José Geraldo Eugênio França, diretor-executivo da Embrapa.

O movimento das estatais brasileiras é natural e reflete o processo de amadurecimento das empresas do país, que seguem a onda de maior sofisticação e internacionalização da economia, pensa o professor de Relações Internacionais da Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Alcides Costa Vaz.

Para ele, a presença estatal responde ao impulso político do governo para aumentar a integração continental:

— A região é o espaço prioritário da política internacional e para a expansão das empresas brasileiras.

O presidente da Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Base (Abdib), Paulo Godoy, por sua vez, alertou que o investimento no exterior não pode se sobrepor ao doméstico:

— Os recursos aplicados no exterior só fazem sentido se forem voltados para ações que permitam, a longo prazo, o desenvolvimento de projetos no país.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:27 0 comentários
Deve Obama, se eleito, romper com a política de Bush para a América Latina?

Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 18 de agosto de 2008 às 19:09 | Publicado em 18 de agosto de 2008 às 17:02

por Mark Weisbrot

Na última década mudanças políticas varreram a maior parte da América Latina. Boa parte da região -- inclusive a maior parte da América do Sul -- é governada pela esquerda. Estes governos se tornaram muito mais independentes dos Estados Unidos -- em sua política externa são mais independentes do que a Europa. O sonho de Washington de fazer a Área de Livre Comércio das Américas (ALCA) morreu e foi enterrado. A tentativa de substituí-la com acordos de "livre comércio" bilaterais perde impulso a cada dia.

Muito disso é resultado da escolha democrática do eleitorado da América Latina. Em vários países -- Argentina, Bolívia, Brasil, Equador, Nicarágua, Paraguai, Uruguai, Venezuela -- os eleitores rejeitaram a política econômica do Consenso de Washington depois de mais de duas décadas de fracasso econômico sem precedentes. De forma similar e por demanda popular o governo do Equador anunciou que a mais importante base militar de Washington na região será fechada quando o aluguel terminar em 2009.

A reação do governo americano a essa nova realidade da América Latina tem sido caracterizada pela negação e pela hostilidade. Apoiou golpes na Venezuela (2002) e no Haiti (2004). Financiou grupos de oposição em países como a Bolívia e a Venezuela, provocando mais fricção. Os Estados Unidos têm sido claramente uma força desestabilizadora da região, solapando a democracia.

O governo Bush tentou dividir as democracias de centro-esquerda entre "esquerda boa" (Brasil e Chile) contra "esquerda ruim" (Venezuela, Bolívia, Equador e algumas vezes a Argentina). O objetivo é isolar a "esquerda ruim", especialmente a Venezuela. Mas essa é uma política externa baseada na fantasia.

O presidente do Brasil, Lula da Silva, por exemplo, da "boa esquerda", tem consistentemente defendido o presidente venezuelano Hugo Chávez contra os ataques de Washington e se juntou às principais iniciativas da Venezuela, como o Banco do Sul. O Brasil recentemente aumentou seu compromisso com Cuba, um país com o qual o partido de Lula, o Partido dos Trabalhadores, tem relações antigas - historicamente mais antigas, na verdade, que as da Venezuela de Chávez. Cuba é outro exemplo da política fracassada dos Estados Unidos em relação à América Latina. Washington mantém o embargo econômico e outras hostilidades contra Cuba há meio século. Isso só rendeu condenações do resto do mundo, expressas em votações expressivas nas Nações Unidas, que semeiam desconfiança na América Latina.

A estratégia da Guerra Fria de "dividir para conquistar" na América Latina só comprometeu a posição de Washington na região, que está pior do que nunca.

Obama teria uma chance de começar de novo. Mas ele vai fazer isso? Por enquanto há poucos sinais disso.

Ele adotou a mesma retórica hostil em relação à Venezuela, prometeu manter o embargo contra Cuba e até apoiou o ataque da Colômbia ao Equador no dia primeiro de março. Foi uma violação da soberania e uma perigosa regionalização do conflito - apoiada pelo governo Bush - que foi rejeitada por quase todos os governos do hemisfério.

Contra essas inclinações, a promessa de Obama de possivelmente se encontrar com Hugo Chávez e Raul Castro não é causa para otimismo e na verdade há pouco esperança de mudança entre os diplomatas latino-americanos de Washington.

Naturalmente, os governos da América Latina são suficientemente sofisticados para saber que a retórica de uma campanha presidencial nos Estados Unidos sempre se orienta aos cubano-americanos do sul da Flórida. De fato, se houver 800 mil americanos que acreditam que Elvis Presley ainda está vivo e se eles estiverem concentrados em um estado que tem 27 votos no Colégio Eleitoral devemos esperar alguns discursos [dos candidatos] sustentando essa idéia exótica.

Assim, talvez Obama esteja brincando quando adota a retórica e a posição política do governo Bush em relação à América Latina. Por enquanto é a única esperança à qual podemos nos agarrar.

Mark Weisbrot is Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in Washington, D.C. (www.cepr.net).


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:18 0 comentários
COMO A INTERNET ESTÁ MATANDO A TELEVISÃO

Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 18 de agosto de 2008 às 17:06 | Publicado em 18 de agosto de 2008 às 15:24

Perdi a paciência com os comerciais. Completamente. Acho que estou acostumado com o Tivo, o aparelho através do qual arquivo até 80 horas de programas de televisão em um servidor. Pago mensalidade pelo espaço alugado na central do Tivo.

A cobertura das Olimpíadas da rede americana NBC é um horror. Minha paciência acabou. A NBC só mostra os atletas americanos. Corta transmissões ao vivo no meio para os comerciais. E mostra a cerimônia de entrega de medalhas uma dúzia de vezes na mesma noite: sempre que atletas americanos ganham medalha de ouro.

Em resumo, é muita patriotada e pouca competição. Minha saída: ver as transmissões pela internet, no site da própria NBC. O streaming tem um anúncio no começo e outro no fim, de 15 ou 30 segundos. E só. Fico livre dos anúncios e dos narradores.

Isso não significa que a NBC está perdendo dinheiro. A audiência tem sido espetacular. E ela também ganha no site. De qualquer forma, parece que tem mais gente pensando e fazendo como eu. Abaixo, o resumo mal traduzido de uma reportagem a respeito:

Is the Internet finally killing TV?

Gregory M. Lamb, do Christian Science Monitor

É este o verão em que a internet finalmente matou a televisão que um dia conhecemos? A maior parte dos observadores da indústria ainda não faz essa previsão, citando algumas barreiras significativas que ainda existem no caminho. Mas o crescente número de negócios e aparelhos anunciados sugerem que uma profunda mudança na forma como as pessoas assistem vídeo -- e que tipo de vídeo elas vêem -- está a caminho.

A fronteira entre "televisão" e vídeo via internet já se tornou vaga e pode desaparecer nos próximos anos. Pelo menos um analista da indústria diz que a "TV morreu" e dá as boas vindas à nova idade do vídeo em qualquer lugar. Cada vez mais os americanos estão escolhendo onde e em que tipo de tela assistem vídeo. E cada vez mais a programação é de novas fontes que ameaçam acabar com o domínio de Hollywood na produção de conteúdo.

Vídeo agora é transmitido para aparelhos de todas as formas e tamanhos, das telas gigantes a projetores domésticos, dos aparelhos de alta definição a monitores de computador, dos laptops às telas de iPods e telefones celulares. Enquanto isso, a NBC Universal anuncia sua cobertura das Olimpíadas de Pequim como "a mais ambiciosa cobertura digital da história". Além da cobertura em várias emissoras de sua rede, a NBC faz o streaming de 2.200 horas de competição ao vivo, de 25 esportes, no site da NBCOlympics.com.

"O telespectador das Olimpíadas pode definir sua própria experiência como nunca fez antes", disse Gary Zenkel, presidente da NBC Olympics, ao anunciar o plano de cobertura no mês passado. A mídia especulou que acesso à cobertura das Olimpíadas nos locais de trabalho poderia derrubar o sistema da NBC.

[...]

Nessa primavera e verão, negócios para tornar o acesso a vídeo se tornaram cada vez mais freqüentes:

* A Netflix, companhia que aluga vídeos pelo correio, fez vários acordos para oferecer conteúdo online. Uma nova caixa de 100 dólares da Roku do tamanho de um livro permitirá a usuários assistir cerca de 10 mil filmes da Netflix em suas TVs (mas a maior parte do acervo da Netflix continuará acessível apenas por DVD através do correio). A LG, da Coréia do Sul, anunciou que vai oferecer um player de DVD em alta definição capaz de acessar filmes em alta definição da Netflix via internet. E a Microsoft vai permitir streaming nos consoles do videogame Xbox;

* A Sony diz que vai oferecer o download de filmes e programas de TV como uma opção para o videogame Playstation;

* A Apple, que vende milhões de vídeos online através de sua loja iTunes, relançou o seu Apple TV player, que pode mandar conteúdo a um aparelho de tv;

* A Amazon.com agora oferece vídeo on demand, que dará acesso imediato a 40 mil filmes e programas de TV. Esse vídeo só pode ser visto em um computador;

* Pelo menos meia dúzia de fabricantes, inclusive a Sony, Hewlett-Packard e Samsung vão vender aparelhos de TV que podem ser conectados continuamente à internet banda larga, permitindo que conteúdo da rede seja visto na maior tela da casa;

* A TiVo, gravadora de vídeos, vai fornecer vídeos do YouTube, o site famoso pelos vídeos curtos e muitas vezes amadores;

* O Hulu foi lançado em março como um site da internet oferecendo streaming de programas de TV e filmes da NBC, Fox e outras redes.

[...]

Cerca de 80 milhões de americanos (43% dos que freqüentam a internet) já assistiram a um programa de TV na rede, de acordo com uma pesquisa feita em fevereiro pelo Solutions Research Group de Toronto. Um ano atrás esse número era de 25%.

O consumo de vídeo vai aumentar de seis horas por dias para oito horas por dia até 2013, na previsão da Solutions, e menos de quatro horas serão diante da TV convencional.

Mas nem todos estão convencidos de que os vídeos da internet e a TV estão convergindo. "É a história mais exagerada do mundo tech de hoje", diz Phillip Swann, presidente e editor da TVpredictions.com. "Simplesmente não é conveniente".

Swann também não concorda que a programação de TV será jogada fora pelo fato de que as pessoas podem escolher o que querem ver e quando. "As pessoas gostam da rotina. Gostam de saber antecipadamente o que vai ao ar às 8 da noite", ele diz.


[...]

De acordo com a empresa de pesquisas Nielsen, mais de um terço de todos os assinantes da telefonia celular - cerca de 91 milhões de americanos - têm um telefone capaz de receber vídeo. Do total, 6% dos assinantes (14 milhões de americanos) pagam um plano para receber vídeo.

Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:16 0 comentários
A ira, a saudade, a esperança

Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 18 de agosto de 2008 às 13:56 | Publicado em 18 de agosto de 2008 às 13:50

Máhmude Deruíche: a ira, a saudade, a esperança*

Uri Avnery, 16/08/08

Uma das frases mais sábias que jamais ouvi em minha vida ouvi-a de um general egípcio, poucos dias depois da visita histórica de Anuar Sadat – a visita da vitória –, a Jerusalém.

Fomos os primeiros israelenses a chegar ao Cairo, e, dentre outras curiosidades, queríamos muito saber: como os egípcios haviam conseguido nos surpreender, no início da guerra de outubro de 1973?

O general respondeu: "Em vez de ler relatórios dos serviços de inteligência, vocês deveriam ler nossos poetas."

Pensei nestas palavras na quarta-feira passada, no funeral de Máhmude Deruíche.

DURANTE a cerimônia em Ramállah, vários referiram-se a ele como "o Poeta Nacional da Palestina".

Aquele morto foi muito mais do que isto. Foi a encarnação do destino dos palestinenses. Seu destino pessoal coincidiu com o destino de seu povo da Palestina.

Deruíche nasceu em al-Birwa, vila na estrada Acra-Safad. Há 900 anos, um viajante persa contou que visitou esta vila e ajoelhou-se nos túmulos de "Esaú e Simeão, que descansem em paz." Em 1931, dez anos antes de Máhmude nascer, viviam na mesma vila 996 habitantes, dos quais 92 cristãos; os demais, muçulmanos sunitas.

Dia 11 de junho de 1948, a cidade foi ocupada pelo exército de Israel. Suas 224 casas foram derrubadas logo depois da guerra, exatamente como em outras 650 vilas da Palestina. Só alguns cactos e poucas ruínas ainda testemunham que aquelas vilas um dia existiram. A família Deruíche fugira pouco antes da chegada das tropas; e o pequeno Máhmude, de sete anos, partiu com os parentes.

Não se sabe como, a família conseguiu voltar – para onde então já era território israelense. Receberam documentos de "ausentados presentes [1]" – espantosíssima invenção israelense. Significava que eles seriam residentes legais em Israel, mas que suas terras lhes haviam sido roubadas, nos termos de uma lei que dizia que qualquer árabe perderia a propriedade de suas terras se não estivesse fisicamente presente na vila quando fosse ocupada. Nas terras da família Deruíche foi construído o kibbutz Yasur (do movimento de esquerda israelense) e implantou-se a vila-cooperativa Ahihud.

O pai de Máhmude instalou-se na vida árabe mais próxima, Jadeidi, de onde podia ver de longe as suas terras. Aí Máhmude cresceu e sua família ainda vive, até hoje.

Durante os 15 primeiros anos do Estado de Israel, os cidadãos árabes viveram sob um "regime militar" – sistema de repressão severa que controlava todos os aspectos da vida, inclusive todos os movimentos. Nenhum árabe podia viajar para fora de sua vila sem permissão especial. O jovem Máhmude Deruíche várias vezes violou esta proibição; e sempre que foi apanhado foi encarcerado. Quando começou a escrever poesia, foi acusado de incitar a sublevação e posto sob "detenção administrativa", sem julgamento.

Na prisão, então, escreveu um de seus poemas mais conhecidos, "Carteira de Identidade", poema em que se manifesta a ira de um jovem que cresceu em condições de humilhação. O primeiro verso troveja para o mundo: "Lembrem: sou árabe!"

Neste período encontrei Deruíche pela primeira vez. Procurou-me e trouxe outro jovem árabe, nascido em outra vila árabe, e com forte compromisso político nacional, o poeta Rachid Hussein. Lembro do que Hussein disse-me, naquele dia: "Os alemães mataram seis milhões de judeus, e apenas seis anos depois os judeus fizeram a paz com a Alemanha. Conosco, os judeus não querem a paz."

Deruíche alistou-se no Partido Comunista, o único partido, político, então, em que um nacionalista árabe poderia atuar politicamente. Editou jornais. O partido mandou-o estudar em Moscou, mas o expulsou quando Deruíche decidiu não voltar a Israel. Em vez de voltar, alistou-se na OLP e foi para os quartéis de Iásser Árafate em Beirute.

LÁ O REENCONTREI outra vez, num dos eventos mais emocionantes de minha vida, quando cruzei a fronteira em julho de 1982, no auge do sítio de Beirute, e tive uma reunião com Árafate. O líder palestinense insistiu em que Máhmude Deruíche assistisse àquele encontro simbólico: era a primeira vez que Árafate encontrava-se com um israelense. Mandou chamar Deruíche.

A descrição do sítio de Beirute é um dos trabalhos mais impressionantes de Deruíche. Naqueles dias, converteu-se em poeta nacional da Palestina. Acompanhou a luta dos palestinenses; nas sessões do Conselho Nacional Palestinense – instituição que uniu todo o povo da Palestina, eletrizava multidões com seus versos, que ele mesmo declamava.

Naqueles anos, Deruíche viveu muito próximo de Árafate. Árafate foi o líder político do movimento nacional na Palestina; Deruíche foi seu líder espiritual. Deruíche escreveu a Declaração de Independência da Palestina, adotada na sessão de 1988 do Conselho Nacional por iniciativa de Árafate. É muito semelhante à Declaração de Independência de Israel, que Deruíche aprendera na escola primária.

Ele claramente entendeu a significação de seu discurso: ao adotar este documento, o parlamento palestinense no exílio aceitava, na prática, a idéia de estabelecer-se um Estado palestinense lado a lado com o Estado israelense, apenas numa parte da Palestina, como Árafate propusera.

A aliança entre os dois rompeu-se quando foram assinados os acordos de Oslo. Para Árafate, tratava-se de "o melhor acordo possível, na pior situação possível". Deruíche entendeu que Árafate concedera demais. O coração nacional impôs-se à mentalidade nacional. (Este debate histórico ainda não está concluído hoje, embora os dois já estejam mortos.)

Desde aquela época, Deruíche viveu em Paris, Aman e Ramállah – o palestino errante, que substituiu o judeu errante.

NUNCA QUIS ser o poeta nacional. Não queria fazer poesia política; queria ser lírico, poeta do amor. Mas para qualquer lado para o qual se virasse, o longo braço do destino dos palestinenses o alcançava e o arrastava de volta.

Não tenho capacidade para avaliar seus poemas ou a grandeza artística de Deruíche. Reconhecidos especialistas em língua árabe ainda discutem furiosamente entre eles o significado de seus versos, nuances, camadas, imagens e metáforas. Foi mestre em árabe clássico, e também vivia à vontade entre poetas ocidentais e israelenses. Para muitos, Deruíche foi o maior poeta da língua árabe e dos maiores de nosso tempo.

Pela poesia, conseguiu o que não conseguira fazer por outros meios: unificar todas as fraturas e fragmentos que dividem ainda o povo palestinense – na Cisjordânia, na Faixa de Gaza, em Israel, nos campos de refugiados e em toda a Diáspora. Pertenceu a todos os palestinenses. Os refugiados identificavam-se com Deruíche porque era um deles; os cidadãos palestinenses-israelenses também, porque também era um deles; e os que vivem nos territórios palestinenses ocupados, porque foi um guerreiro incansável contra a ocupação.

ESTA SEMANA, alguns cabeças da Autoridade Palestinense tentaram explorá-lo, na luta contra o Hamás. Duvido muito que Deruíche concordasse com isto. Embora fosse palestinense absolutamente secular e muito distante do mundo religioso do Hamás, ele manifestava os sentimentos de todos os palestinenses. Também falava à alma dos membros do Hamás em Gaza.

DERUÍCHE foi o poeta da ira, da saudade, da esperança e da paz. Estas foram as cordas de seu violino.

Ira, pela injustiça cometida contra o povo palestinense e contra cada filho da Palestina, individualmente. Saudade, do "café de minha mãe", das oliveiras de sua aldeia, da terra dos antepassados. Esperança de que a guerra chegue ao fim. Apoio à paz entre israelenses e palestinenses, baseada em justiça e respeito mútuo. No documentário da francesa-israelense Simone Bitton, Deruíche apontou o burrico como símbolo do povo palestinense; o burrico é inteligente, paciente e sempre encontra meios para sobreviver.

Entendia a natureza do conflito mais claramente que a maioria dos israelenses e dos palestinenses. Dizia que aquele conflito era "uma luta entre duas memórias". A memória histórica da Palestina colide contra a memória histórica dos judeus. Só haverá paz quando um lado entender a memória do outro lado – seus mitos, suas saudades secretas, as esperanças, os medos.

Este o significado do que disse o general egípcio: a poesia manifesta os sentimentos mais profundos dos povos. E só onde se compreendam estes sentimentos pode haver verdadeira paz. A paz costurada pelos políticos não vale grande coisa, se não houver alguma paz entre os poetas e a emoção dos muitos que a poesia manifesta. Por isto Oslo foi um fracasso. Por isto também o "acordo de prateleira" que está sendo negociado será também completamente inútil: nada tem a ver com as emoções e os sentimentos de palestinenses e israelenses, os povos.

Há oito anos, o então ministro da Educação de Israel, Yossi Sarid tentou incluir dois poemas de Deruíche no currículo das escolas em Israel. Houve escândalo, e o primeiro-ministro, Ehud Barak, decidiu que "o público israelense não está preparado para isto". É o mesmo que Barak ter decidido que o público israelense não está preparado para a paz.

Talvez ainda seja verdade. A verdadeira paz entre dois povos, paz entre as crianças que nasceram na semana corrente; no dia do funeral de Deruíche, em Telavive e em Ramállah, só será viável quando os alunos árabes puderem ler os versos imortais de Chaim Nachman Bialik "O vale da morte", sobre o pogrom de Kishinev, e quando os alunos israelenses puderem ler os versos de Deruíche sobre a Naqba [a Catástrofe]. E, sim, também os poemas da ira, inclusive o verso "Vão! E levem daqui a morte de vocês!"

Sem entender e encarar com coragem a ira flamejante contra a Catástrofe e suas conseqüências, jamais entenderemos as raízes da guerra e não saberemos construir a paz. Como escreveu outro grande intelectual da Palestina, Edward Said: sem entender o impacto do Holocausto na alma dos judeus, os palestinenses nunca entenderão os israelenses.

Poetas são os generais na luta entre duas memórias, entre os mitos, entre os traumas. Precisamos muito de poetas na estrada que levará à paz entre israelenses e palestinenses, entre dois Estados, para construirmos um futuro comum.

Não estive presente às cerimônias funerais organizadas pela Autoridade Palestinense na Mukata, tão organizadas, tão encenadas. Cheguei duas horas depois, quando o corpo de Deruíche foi enterrado numa bela colina, pairando sobre o cenário.

Impressionou-me o povo, reunido sob sol escaldante à volta do túmulo, ouvindo uma gravação da voz de Deruíche declamando seus versos. Gente simples, gente menos simples, unidos com o homem morto, numa comunhão privada. Apesar de serem milhares, abriram alas para nos deixar passar; nós, israelenses, que ali estávamos para reverenciar Máhmude Deruíche.

Nos despedimos silenciosamente de um grande filho da Palestina, um grande poeta, um grande ser humano.

* URI AVNERY, 16/8/2008, "The Anger, the Longing, the Hope", em Gush Shalom [Grupo da Paz], e em:

http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1218922126/.

Tradução de Caia Fittipaldi. Reprodução por internet autorizada pelo autor e pela tradutora, desde que citada a fonte. Copyleft.


[1] No original "present absentee" (ing.).


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:15 0 comentários
O óbvio que vem com a crise
Blog do Nassif - 18/08/08




É batata! Basta algum movimento especulativo que fuja à normalidade, para porta-vozes do mercado falarem em nova ordem mundial, nova economia, novo padrão de análise. O óbvio e o bom senso só retornam depois que a bolha se esvazia e não há mais como tapar o sol com a peneira, nem os prejuízos com sofismas.

No primeiro governo FHC, os “novos economistas”, como ironizava Delfim Netto, falavam em impossibilidade de crise internacional porque o financiamento das contas externas seria ilimitado.

Quando houve o boom nos preços dos ativos, economistas justificavam como sendo algo estrutural, diretamente ligado a uma queda irreversível dos juros.

Quando começou o boom das matérias primas, invocaram-se razoes estruturais, como o aumento do consumo mundial de alimentos, o crescimento da China etc.

Fugiram do ponto central: quando se tem tal mobilidade de capitais, como hoje em dia, qualquer movimento em uma direção – ainda que tecnicamente fundamentado – atrai capitais especulativos em tal intensidade, que provocam um “overshooting”.

Agora, o próprio Estados Unidos começa a discutir seriamente a questão da especulação dos fundos no mercado de petróleo, conforme matéria do The Wall Street Journal, publicado no Valor (clique aqui).

Novos dados oriundos do mercado de commodities mostram que especuladores são uma peça maior do que se pensava do mercado de petróleo, o que joga lenha na fogueira do debate sobre a influência de operadores nos preços.






No mês passado, a maior autoridade americana para a operação de commodities reclassificou um operador não identificado como especulador "não comercial". Essa decisão fez com que muitos analistas passassem a perceber o mercado de petróleo não mais como uma praça diversificada, mas sim como uma concentração de participantes financeiros que entram com grandes apostas. (continua).


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:12 0 comentários
AMAZÔNIA, DANTAS, MUTRAN E OUTROS BICHOS

Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 17 de agosto de 2008 às 21:40 | Publicado em 17 de agosto de 2008 às 18:39

Amazônia, Dantas, Mutran e outros bichos

Rogério Almeida


O crime é o semblante mais nítido na disputa pela terra em latitudes amazônicas? As investidas do considerado banqueiro Daniel Dantas sobre a fronteira agro-mineral do sudeste do Pará parece inaugurar um novo capítulo de uma novela antiga conhecida pela prática do ilícito, a apropriação do estado para a garantia da benesse de uma meia dúzia de “espertos”, o assassinato de representações políticas populares, a devastação da floresta e um horizonte de impunidade.

O elemento Dantas, que a mídia grandalhona insiste em tratar como banqueiro, nos derradeiros três anos fez sem muito estardalhaço um pequeno feudo numa região considerada das mais tensas na disputa pela terra no país. Ainda é uma incógnita o verdadeiro interesse do senhor Dantas em solo paraense. O controlador do Banco Oppotunity, celebrizado por suspeitas de ter cometido um catatau de crimes de variadas ordens, entre elas, espionagem de pessoas influentes do governo, fraudes no mercado financeiro, beneficiamento em mega-transações de privatizações de estatais, lavagem de dinheiro e formação de quadrilha reacende poderosos holofotes sobre a legalidade das terras na região.

No sul e sudeste do Pará registram-se inúmeras redes econômicas, políticas e sociais na disputa pelo controle do solo farto em recursos naturais, onde se destaca o minério. Muitas destas redes têm nos trilhos da ilegalidade o seu caminhar. Seria essa a perspectiva original do senhor Dantas em controlar num tempo pequeno uma vasta extensão de terras num lugar considerado barril de pólvora, a possibilidade de encontrar novas fontes de minério para posteriormente negociar obtendo grandes vantagens?

Não são nítidos os interesses, a quantidade exata de terras e gado sob o controle da pessoa jurídica do senhor Dantas em terras do Pará, a pecuária Santa Bárbara Xinguara, dirigida pelo ex-cunhado Carlos Rodenburg. Estima-se em cerca de 40 fazendas distribuídas em nove municípios do sul e sudeste do estado. Algumas matérias realizadas por jornais regionais indicam que os fazendeiros locais festejam as ações da pecuária Santa Bárbara.

A legitimidade de posse de terras na região é uma questão delicada. Uma guerra de mapas ladeada pela ausência de dados seguros por parte dos diferentes níveis de intervenção de governos anima ainda mais a intervenção de diferentes setores sobre áreas na região. Calcula-se que somente 10% dos títulos das terras na Amazônia sejam passíveis de legalidade. A grilagem de floresta na região do Xingu pelo empreiteiro Cecílio Rego Almeida é dado revelador nesse sentido. Sem falar na comercialização de áreas consideradas públicas na internet.

Antecedentes regionais

Houve um tempo em que os castanhais das terras do Araguaia-Tocantins[1] eram livres. Os rios configuravam as principais vias de transporte. Os dias reinaram assim até o ano de 1920 do século passado. Na época a Amazônia respirava o ocaso do ciclo do extrativismo da borracha. O Comércio dos irmãos Chamom fazia o aviamento[2] nos municípios de Marabá e Tucuruí (na época Alcobaça), sudeste do Pará. Desta forma era ativado o extrativismo da castanha[3]. Enquanto cabia as empresas Bittar irmãos, Dias & Cia, Nicolau da Costa e A Borges & Cia, entre tantos, a empresa em Belém. Europa e Estados Unidos foram o destino da produção. Explica a pesquisadora Marília Emmi, na obra, A Oligarquia do Tocantins e o Domínio dos Castanhais.

Até então os índios gavião e seus sub grupos (krikateje, parketeje e akrikateje), bem como, kaapor, xicrin, atikum, guajajara, suruí, entre outros povos, eram os senhores do lugar. Ainda que o estado viesse a declarar durante o regime militar a porção de terras um vazio demográfico. Trabalho escravo, mandonismo e clientelismo davam contorno ao poder dos coronéis.

Conforme pesquisa de Emmi, o comerciante e político Deodoro de Mendonça e sua parentela hegemonizam no domínio dos castanhais até 1940. No período aportaram na região descendentes de sírios-libaneses, a família Mutran, oriunda do município de Grajaú, Maranhão, que data da década de 1920. Já em 1930 arrenda e adquire várias terras. Coube a empresa A Borges & Cia aviar a família.

Foi a partir de uma política de indutora do Estado na Amazônia, em particular no sudeste do Pará que a atividade da pecuária ganhou proporção. Os anos eram de chumbo, e além da pecuária o estado incentivou a atividade madeireira e minerária. A idéia era fazer com que a região prosperasse a partir desses três pólos: madeira, minério e gado. Assim vastas extensões de terras foram transferidas ou apropriadas por empresas nacionais do centro sul e internacionais. Entre elas podem ser encontrados bancos como o Bradesco e o extinto Bamerindus, sem falar na Volkswagen. Por falar em banco, outro que antecipou Dantas foi Calmon de Sá, do falido Banco Econômico. A renúncia fiscal foi a política adotada para a atração de empresas. Tal renúncia fiscal tinha nos agentes de planejamento e financeiro estatais a ponta de lança, leia-se Superintendência de Desenvolvimento da Amazônia (SUDAM) e Banco da Amazônia (BASA).

Região explosiva

O xadrez de agentes e suas respectivas redes que atuam no sudeste do Pará é complexo. Cá atuam a grande mineradora Vale, privatizada desde 1997, numa operação considerada um crime de lesa pátria. Por ser a detentora de tecnologia de ponta é ela quem estrutura e desestrutura o território do lugar, como ocorre em várias partes do Pará, a exemplo da tensão registrada no município de Ourilândia do Norte e vizinhança, onde inúmeras famílias de projetos de assentamentos da reforma agrária estão sendo expulsas por conta de sua Mineradora Onça Puma (MOP), que explora níquel.

Agem ainda pelo controle do território grupos indígenas, em certa medida já aculturados pelos hábitos do mundo branco. Na década de 1980, quando a disputa pela terra torna-se mais aguda, ganha ares de esquadrão da morte a partir da ação da União Democrática Ruralista (UDR), ligada a fazendeiros do Bico do Papagaio, norte do Tocantins, sul do Pará e oeste do Maranhão. Com tal contexto, ninguém ousou indicar que o campesinato da fronteira iria se territorializar. Hoje a categoria controla mais de 50% do território no sul e sudeste paraense através de projetos de assentamento. O reconhecimento de áreas ocupadas, algumas delas há mais de duas décadas teve no trágico episódio do Massacre de Eldorado o estopim.

Não resta dúvida quanto ao peso dos fazendeiros na região, mas a conversão de fazendas ocupadas em projetos de assentamentos demonstra o avanço do poder de mobilização dos movimentos sociais camponeses da região, expressos através da Federação dos Trabalhadores Rurais na Agricultura do Pará e Amapá (FETAGRI), regional sudeste, com atuação de mais de uma década. Mesmo período contabiliza o MST. Além desses agentes registra-se a presença de garimpeiros. Além dos projetos de assentamento há outras expressões de poder do campesinato local, traduzidas através da efetivação da Escola Família Agrícola (EFA), cursos de nível superior, como Agronomia, Pedagogia e Letras, assento de representações da categoria nas câmaras e executivos municipais.

O sudeste do Pará é uma região que merece atenção especial por parte do poder público. Ela coleciona graves passivos oriundos da experiência dos grandes projetos. A região é recordista em trabalho escravo, assassinatos contra dirigentes e militantes da reforma agrária, concentra boa parte dos municípios mais violentos do país, sem citar a devastação florestal. O cenário atual não soa animador. Um exame no Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC), sinaliza para maior pressão sobre a terra e os recursos nela existentes. Há uma série de obras de infra-estrutura: rodovias, hidrovias, hidrelétricas na bacia do Araguaia-Tocantins que irão reorientar, como nos anos da ditadura, o cenário econômico, social e político da região.

Ligações perigosas de Dantas

O poder da grana suspeita do senhor Dantas o ajuda a manter o bom arsenal de informações privilegiadas, influenciar a imprensa, conquistar a bajulação de jornalistas, transitar entre políticos de diferentes colorações partidárias, angariar a simpatia de elementos da alta corte do judiciário. O poder da grana de Dantas aluga empresas de espionagens, acessa informações de fazendeiros adeptos do trabalho do escravo, grilagens de terras e um vasto histórico de indiferenças com a letra da justiça, como o caso da família Mutran, tronco com maior envergadura no controle de extensões de castanhais no Pará.

Família Mutran – A senhora dos Castanhais

Na paisagem das oligarquias dos castanhais, a dos Mutran se tornou a de maior destaque. Notabilizou-se na história da região pelo abuso da violência. A condição de escravidão, ou modo similar de submissão, continua a ocorrer nas terras do Araguaia Tocantins. O modelo é apenas uma face das várias modalidades de violência que povoam a atmosfera da região.

São muitas as acusações de crimes que pesam nas costas do clã dos Mutran. Assassinatos, corrupção na administração da prefeitura de Marabá, manutenção de cemitérios clandestinos em “suas” fazendas, submissão de trabalhadores rurais à condição de trabalho escravo.

Em listas sujas divulgadas pelo Ministério Público do Trabalho (MPT), constam três propriedades da família. As “listas sujas” do trabalho escravo foram divulgadas nos anos de 2003 e 2004. As propriedades são: Fazenda Cabaceiras, ocupada pelo MST desde 26 de março de 1999, a Fazenda Peruano, também ocupada pelo MST em abril de 2004, e a Mutamba, onde o MST ocupou, mas não conseguiu se manter. Sob força de liminar os nomes das fazendas foram retirados nas listas. Desta forma o fazendeiro pode pleitear financiamento público.

A fazenda Cabaceiras mantinha cemitério clandestino. A denuncia veio à tona em setembro de 1999, através de reportagem assinada por Ismael Machado, publicada na revista Caros Amigos, São Paulo, edição de número 30. A presença de cemitério clandestino na fazendeira Cabaceiras foi realizada por uma testemunha de 64 anos, que foi mantida no anonimato. O depoimento ocorreu no dia 21 de julho na Procuradoria da República do Pará. A fazenda foi desapropriada pelo INCRA recentemente.

Foi com Benedito Mutran Filho que o senhor Dantas negociou a compra de inúmeras fazendas, entre elas a Maria Bonita, ocupada por cerca de 600 famílias ligadas ao MST no dia 25 de julho, quando se celebrou o Dia do Trabalhador Rural. A ação do movimento foi um ato contra a corrupção no país, no sentido de se obter mais agilidade na política de reforma agrária. Boa parte das terras sob o domínio da família é uma cessão de uso do estado para fins do extrativismo da castanha, e não podem ser repassadas para terceiros. As fazendas São Roque e Cedro também seguiram a mesma linha.

Aforamentos

Trata-se de um mecanismo de cessão de uso da terra concedido pelo Estado a terceiros. No caso do sueste do Pará os registros históricos indicam que a prática remonta aos anos de 1920 do século passado. No Pará o aforamento abrange um período de concessão de 1955 a 1966 (a partir daí eles só serão adquiridos por transferências de direitos dos foreiros originais). O Estado nesse período concedeu 252 aforamentos. Destes 168, ou seja, 66.66% foram em Marabá, informa pesquisa da professora Marília Emmi. A obra da professora da Universidade federal do Pará (UFPA) esclarece que a Lei de nº 913 previa a concessão de um único aforamento com área de 3.600 hectares para cada requerente, o que se observou desde o início foi uma tendência e concentração do domínio das áreas de castanhais por grupos familiares.

O bom negócio residia na coleta e comércio da castanha. Através da força, arrendamento e aforamento, as terras públicas foram transferidas para o poder privado. Desta forma a família Mutran, a partir de 1950, vai se configurar como senhora da vida e da morte de muitos camponeses e coletadores de castanha. Na pesquisa de Emmi há indicadores de que em 1960 a família chegou a ser detentora de 80% dos castanhais.

A partir do presente cenário, em certa medida anuviado, dos reais interesses do senhor Dantas no Pará - em parceria com fazendeiros da mais fina estampa - é que se dirige a ação de ocupação da área tratada como Maria Bonita em Eldorado do Carajás, um rincão distante dos palácios, bolsas de valores, redações e catedrais.

Rogério Almeida é colaborador do www.forumcarajas.org.br, articulista do IBASE e Ecodebate.

[1] A bacia do Araguaia-Tocantins banha três regiões do território nacional: Norte, parte do Nordeste e Centro Oeste. Mede 813.674 Km2 e corta os estados do Maranhão, Tocantins, Pará, Goiás, Mato Grosso e parte do Distrito Federal. Dois biomas integram a bacia do Araguaia –Tocantins, cerrado e a Floresta Amazônica, com predomínio do primeiro. Para melhor compreender a disputa pela terra na região sugiro a leitura da obra A Oligarquia do Tocantins e o Domínio dos Castanhais, da pesquisadora e professora da Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Marília Emmi,1999.

[2] Aviamento consistia no forma de poder dos comerciantes com os coletadores de castanha. Os comerciantes adiantavam suprimentos necessários aos dias de trabalho floresta, cabendo ao coletador a venda obrigatória da castanha ao comerciante.

[3] Castanha do Pará (Bertholletia Excelsa), é uma frondosa árvore. Em remotos tempos, abundou em vários estados do Norte. É do ouriço, o fruto, que se extrai a castanha.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 13:59 0 comentários
Ao Brasil, notícias da fome na Etiópia. Depoimento de um jovem médico
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 17/08/08




"Onde está a "mão invisível" que regula o mercado? Nenhuma das pessoas que vi morrer de fome por aqui (na Etiópia) parecia conhecê-la", escreve David Oliveira de Souza, médico, 32 anos, responsável pela Unidade Médica de Médicos Sem Fronteiras no Brasil, especialista em medicina de família e comunidade pela Uerj e em clínica médica pela UFRJ, mestre em relações internacionais pelo Instituto de Estudos Políticos de Paris, professor de saúde coletiva da Universidade Federal de Sergipe, em artigo publicado no jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 18-08-2008.

Eis o artigo.

É consenso para organizações internacionais como Unicef e FAO (Fundo das Nações Unidas para Agricultura e Alimentação) que a produção mundial de alimentos é mais que suficiente para cobrir as necessidades terrestres. Porém, durante a leitura deste artigo, 60 crianças no planeta morrerão de desnutrição e, ao fim do dia, serão quase 20 mil. Na Etiópia, onde trabalho em uma emergência nutricional com Médicos Sem Fronteiras (MSF), todos os dias me pergunto por onde anda a mão invisível e mágica do mercado global, o melhor regulador da economia. Nenhuma das pessoas que vi morrer de fome por aqui parecia conhecê-la.

Em Kambata, no sul da Etiópia, fica bem clara uma das lógicas geradoras de fome. Dedicadas à produção de gengibre para o mercado externo, muitas famílias de pequenos produtores deixaram de produzir comida para consumo próprio, imaginando que, com a venda da colheita, poderiam comprar os insumos necessários a seu sustento. O preço do gengibre, contudo, ficou abaixo do esperado, o custo dos alimentos subiu, agravado pela crise mundial e pelo clima local e, como resultado, a fome chegou.

Crise semelhante se deu no Níger, em 2005, onde à insuficiente produção de subsistência uniram-se a seca e os ataques de gafanhotos à lavoura. Nesse país, onde MSF já cuidou de mais de 500 mil crianças desnutridas, ao mesmo porto de onde partiam navios abarrotados de cereais para exportação chegavam carregamentos de ajuda alimentar para a faminta população local. Embora o aumento do custo dos alimentos seja um importante fator de crise, é preciso lembrar que ele apenas agrava uma situação crônica.

Segundo a OMS (Organização Mundial da Saúde), a desnutrição representa 10% de todas as doenças e já vem sendo há muito tempo negligenciada pela comunidade internacional. De acordo com a Campanha de Acesso a Medicamentos Essenciais, iniciativa de MSF, apenas 3% dos 20 milhões de crianças com desnutrição severa recebem o tratamento recomendado pela ONU. Quando a escassez de comida é intensa, as famílias reduzem o número de refeições e precisam abrir mão de bens essenciais, como gado e até a própria casa. Se a situação piora, as estruturas da comunidade entram em colapso, aumenta a violência, iniciam-se grandes ondas migratórias e os indivíduos menos valorizados na cadeia produtiva, como meninas e órfãos, tendem à marginalização. O momento final e mais grave ocorre quando há falta absoluta de alimentos, afetando uma grande população por um longo período. Nesse caso, o cenário é desolador, e a mortalidade, altíssima.

Em um acelerado processo de degradação humana, parte de um povo vai sendo consumido e sua descendência poderá ter a capacidade cognitiva prejudicada pela falta de acesso aos nutrientes adequados. Aqui em Kambata, diariamente mais de 3.000 pessoas procuram nossos centros de nutrição. Há dias que precisamos interromper as atividades, com medo de perder o controle da multidão desesperada. Alguns pacientes estão tão fracos que nem conseguem engolir. É difícil descrever a aparência da fome. A criança desnutrida é triste, parada, tem cara de velhinho e, algumas, por causa da carência protéica, ficam com as pernas e o rosto inchados.

Mesmo assim, é possível salvar muitas vidas e, especialmente no caso das crianças, após duas semanas de tratamento, o rosto muda tanto que quase não dá para reconhecer.

Duas identidades me são evocadas no trabalho na Etiópia. A de médico e a de brasileiro. A de médico de MSF Brasil me faz lembrar que é muitas vezes nos centros de saúde que fenômenos como a fome e a violência mostram sua cara mais feia e que, embora sejam essenciais programas de desenvolvimento para evitar as crises, eles não devem ser feitos em detrimento de respostas emergenciais necessárias. A de cidadão brasileiro me faz desejar que nosso país, que tem produzido algumas tecnologias bem-sucedidas de combate à pobreza e à fome, seja mais proativo em sua política de cooperação com outras nações do Sul. O Brasil que precisa de ajuda também tem condições de ajudar. Há alguns dias, perdemos Mamushe, uma menina com nove anos, desnutrição severa e ares de princesa etíope. Sempre que Mamushe me perguntava onde era o Brasil, eu respondia: "Longe". Na madrugada em que tentei reanimá-la, o corpo fraquinho não resistiu e se foi. Ao ouvir o pranto de sua mãe, lembrei-me de uma frase proferida pelo escritor moçambicano Mia Couto na ocasião do tsunami: "Nunca é longe o lugar de onde nos chega um grito de apelo. O sofrimento atingiu também a nós. O vosso luto é o nosso luto".


Postado por GEOBLOG às 13:57 0 comentários
Modelo norueguês une fundo social e controle do Estado
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 17/08/08




Considerada pelo governo o melhor exemplo a ser seguido no setor de petróleo, a estatal norueguesa Petoro garantiu ao governo de seu país uma receita adicional de US$ 14,8 bilhões no primeiro semestre de 2008. Os recursos são destinados ao fundo soberano Government Pension Fund, também alimentado pelos impostos sobre a produção de petróleo e pela fatia do governo nos lucros da empresa mista StatoilHydro. A opção pelo modelo da Noruega, dizem especialistas, não demandará grandes mudanças na atual Lei do Petróleo no Brasil. A reportagem é de Nicola Pamplona e publicada pelo jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 17-08-2008.

“Há alguma confusão com relação ao modelo norueguês, que não é tão diferente do brasileiro”, diz o diretor do Instituto Brasileiro do Petróleo (IBP), Ivan Simões. Como no Brasil, a Noruega usa o modelo de concessões exploratórias, que garante a empresas ou consórcios o direito de explorar e produzir o petróleo encontrado em blocos cedidos pelo governo, que é compensado com uma carga tributária que chega a 78%.

A diferença entre Brasil e Noruega é que não há leilões de petróleo no país nórdico. Lá, o escritório responsável pelas concessões avalia as propostas de empresas interessadas e escolhe o concessionário segundo critérios como expertise técnica, capacidade financeira, conhecimento geológico, experiência na Noruega ou em bacias similares e outros.

Também como no Brasil, a Noruega tem uma empresa que é controlada pelo governo mas tem capital negociado em bolsas, a StatoilHydro. Como a Petrobrás, a companhia participa das concorrências por áreas exploratórias e pode associar-se a companhias privadas e estrangeiras. A StatoilHydro é hoje responsável por cerca de 70% da produção local de petróleo e tem atuação internacional, com negócios até mesmo no Brasil, onde detém participação em 11 áreas exploratórias e em uma prestes a entrar em produção, o campo Peregrino.

A principal diferença entre os países - e a que parece encantar a ministra-chefe da Casa Civil, Dilma Rousseff - é a existência, na Noruega, de uma companhia 100% estatal, que representa os interesses do governo no setor. Criada em 2001, a Petoro opera como um braço de participações do fundo State’s Direct Finance Interests no mercado de petróleo, com presença na área de exploração e produção e transporte de petróleo e gás.

A confusão citada por Simões reside no fato de não haver na Noruega contrato de partilha de produção, visto com simpatia por algumas autoridades em Brasília. Lá, a Petoro entra como sócia não operacional em projetos considerados importantes pelo governo. No ano passado, por exemplo, integrou 6 dos 48 consórcios agraciados com novas licenças exploratórias no País, com participações entre 20% e 30%.

Especialistas explicam que os consórcios são obrigados a aceitar a participação da Petoro, caso queiram arrematar áreas de interesse da estatal. A empresa tem hoje participação em 90 concessões, com 18 consórcios, que representam 1/3 das reservas e 1/4 da produção norueguesa de petróleo e gás. Tem ainda fatias em seis oleodutos, quatro gasodutos, um terminal de petróleo e sete terminais de gás natural.

A lei de criação da Petoro determina que a companhia tenha um máximo de 60 empregados e seu orçamento e plano de negócios sejam aprovados pelo Parlamento. A companhia divide os investimentos nos projetos em parcela equivalente à sua participação acionária, que também define sua fatia na produção. A venda do petróleo e do gás, porém, fica a cargo da StatoilHydro, que repassa os ganhos ao fundo State’s Direct Financial Interests, verdadeiro proprietário dos ativos gerenciados pela Petoro.

No ano passado, os repasses da Petoro ao fundo somaram US$ 20,7 bilhões. O valor equivale a uma vez e meia o lucro da Petrobrás no período, de R$ 21,5 bilhões - dos quais apenas um máximo de 8% chega ao governo por meio de dividendos. Na Noruega, os ganhos da estatal são repassados ao Government Pension Fund, que acumula ativos de US$ 396,5 bilhões, e já foi chamada de Fundo do Petróleo (The Petroleum Fund). O objetivo do governo é fazer com que a receita com a atividade petrolífera garanta o bem-estar de futuras gerações, assegurando, entre outros fins, recursos para a previdência social.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 13:54 0 comentários
Produção de petróleo cairá à metade em 2030
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 17/08/08




A atual crise do petróleo poderá se agravar nas próximas décadas com a continuação do aumento da demanda e a redução da produção. A reportagem é de Graça Magalhães-Ruether e publicada pelo jornal O Globo, 17-08-2008.

Para Wolfgang Blendinger, do Instituto de Geologia e Paleontologia da Universidade Técnica de Clausthal, até 2030 a produção será reduzida à metade do que é hoje, com conseqüências dramáticas para os países que são apenas consumidores.

Segundo ele, o Brasil será até 2020 um dos maiores centros de produção de combustível — tanto petróleo como biocombustíveis — tornandose a “Arábia Saudita da América do Sul”, mas o aumento da produção brasileira não será bastante para “saciar a fome de combustível do mundo”.

O preço do petróleo subiu mais de 100% ao longo de um ano e cerca de 400% em relação a 2000. Analistas atribuem o aumento à especulação, mas Blendinger, um dos principais especialistas em geologia do petróleo da Europa, explica o fenômeno como um resultado simples de aritmética:

— Desde 2005 não houve aumento da produção do petróleo, enquanto a demanda continuou, e continua, crescendo. Apenas em três lugares do mundo a perspectiva é de um aumento significativo da produção.

Um deles é o Brasil, onde a Petrobras descobriu, em 2007, o campo de Tupi, na camada pré-sal, com estimativa de reservas de até oito bilhões de barris de petróleo. Blendinger destaca ainda o fato de a produção de biocombustíveis não rivalizar com a de alimentos.

— Trata-se de um dos poucos países com capacidade de aumentar a produção (de biocombustíveis) sem comprometer o plantio de alimentos. Mas isso não significa que eles poderão compensar a redução da produção de petróleo — diz.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 13:50 0 comentários
Sábado, Agosto 16, 2008
George Soros tem R$ 1,3 bi na Petrobrás
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 16/08/08



O bilionário George Soros comprou US$ 811 milhões (R$ 1,3 bilhão) em papéis da PetrobrasO Globo, 16-08-2008. no segundo trimestre. A notícia é do jornal

Com isso, a estatal brasileira tornou-se o maior investimento do Soros Fund Management. Em 30 de junho, a participação deste na Petrobras respondia por 22% da carteira de ações e American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) do fundo de investimento, de US$ 3,68 bilhões, segundo declaração entregue pela instituição à Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC, o órgão regulador do mercado financeiro americano). Desde aquela data, os papéis da Petrobras recuaram 28%, puxados principalmente pela queda da cotação do petróleo no mercado internacional.

A queda desde então das ações ordinárias (com direito a voto) da Petrobras negociadas nos EUA teria reduzido o valor da participação de Soros em US$ 235 milhões.

No segundo trimestre, os papéis da Petrobras foram negociados à média de US$ 64,83.

Segundo a declaração entregue à SEC, o fundo de Soros tem 11.456.800 ADRs da Petrobras, o equivalente a 22.913.600 ações. O documento não discrimina se elas são preferenciais ou ordinárias, mas a correlação é a mesma: cada ADR corresponde a duas ações da empresa negociadas na Bolsa de São Paulo. Isso significa que, com relação ao capital social total da Petrobras, a participação de Soros seria de apenas 0,26%. Já do total de ações em ADRs (2.604.867.062), ele tem 0,88%. Os ADRs são certificados negociáveis nos EUA e representam ações de uma companhia estrangeira.

Um banco americano emite os recibos e as ações são mantidas em custódia no país de origem destas.
Soros vem aumentando seu portfólio em ações de mineradoras e commodities. No primeiro trimestre, o fundo comprou papéis de empresas como a brasileira Vale e a canadense Talisman Energy, de petróleo e gás. Em novembro a Petrobras anunciou a descoberta do campo de Tupi, com reservas estimadas de até 8 bilhões de barris de petróleo, a maior nas Américas desde 1976.

— A Petrobras tem muito petróleo e a perspectiva de encontrar mais ainda — disse Ricardo Kobayashi, administrador de fundo de ações do UBS Pactual, no Rio.

Peter Wells, analista petrolífero da britânica Neftex Petroleum Consultants, estima que o campo de Tupi, na camada do pré-sal, deve guardar até 50 bilhões de barris de petróleo.

E é justamente a forte participação de estrangeiros na estatal que está motivando discussões em torno da criação de uma nova estatal para explorar a riqueza do pré-sal.

O fundo de Soros não informou ter em carteira ações da Petrobras no fim do primeiro trimestre. Mas notificou participações menores na estatal brasileira em 2007, entre as quais 150 mil ADRs, com valor de mercado de US$ 17,3 milhões em 31 de dezembro.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 12:39 0 comentários
Lagoa dos Patos. Alerta para o nível de oxigênio
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 16/08/08




Um estudo internacional apontou o nível de oxigênio da Lagoa dos Patos, no Rio Grande do Sul, como um dos seis mais preocupantes do Brasil. No país, estão incluídas na mesma classificação a Baía de Guanabara e a Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, no Rio de Janeiro; a Bacia do Pino, em Recife; a Lagoa da Conceição, em Florianópolis; e a Lagoa de Imboassica, em Macaé (RJ). A reportagem é do jornal Zero Hora, 16-08-2008.

O trabalho, desenvolvido por pesquisadores do Instituto Virgínia de Ciência Marinha (EUA) e da Universidade de Gothenburg (Suécia), foi publicado ontem na revista norte-americana Science, uma das publicações científicas mais respeitadas do mundo.

Em parte da lagoa, segundo o estudo, a quantidade de oxigênio é inferior a 0,2 ml por litro de água, situação conhecida como hipóxia ou zona morta. De acordo com o biólogo Albano Schwarzbold, doutor em ecologia aquática e professor do Departamento de Ecologia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), o baixo nível de oxigênio na Lagoa dos Patos se concentra no Saco da Mangueira, localizado entre a área urbana de Rio Grande e o pólo industrial.

Especialista culpa esgoto por poluição

A situação, segundo o especialista, decorre da grande concentração de esgoto doméstico e industrial lançado sem tratamento no local, o que faz aumentar a necessidade de oxigênio para decompor a matéria orgânica. Com a redução do índice de oxigênio na água, o ecossistema aquático fica mais suscetível a mortandades de peixes.

De forma geral, a maioria dos processos de hipóxia em regiões costeiras são provocados pelo homem. A poluição das águas gera a proliferação de bactérias, que consomem o oxigênio. Em lugares de grande extensão geográfica, como a Baía de Guanabara, por exemplo, a hipóxia costuma permanecer restrita ao fundo da baía, distante da abertura para o oceano.

Nas últimas décadas, a quantidade de zonas mortas duplicou no mundo, chegando a 400 ecossistemas costeiros marinhos afetados. As regiões atingidas de forma mais crítica se encontram no norte da Europa e nos Estados Unidos, segundo o estudo da revista Science. A expectativa é de que o volume de zonas mortas aumente a partir das próximas pesquisas, quando serão incorporados dados de países com grande extensão territorial, como China e Índia.

O coordenador do curso de Oceanografia da Fundação Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (Furg), Luiz Carlos Krug, explicou que as zonas mortas são regiões que, pelas precárias condições ambientais, não oferecem condições para o desenvolvimento de organismos vivos.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 12:37 0 comentários
Sexta-feira, Agosto 15, 2008
Dois idiotas: Bush e Saakashvili

Resisitir Info - 15/08/08

"Presidente Bush: Por que não te calas?"

por Paul Craig Roberts [*]

Os neocons do regime Bush e dos media americanos ocupados por Israel estão a encaminhar o mundo inocente rumo a uma guerra nuclear.

Nos anos Reagan o National Endowment for Democracy foi criado como uma ferramenta da guerra fria. Hoje o NED é um agente controlado pelos neocons para a hegemonia mundial dos EUA. Sua principal função é despejar dinheiro americano e apoio eleitoral às antigas partes constituintes da União Soviética a fim de cercar a Rússia com estados fantoches dos EUA.

O regime neoconservador de Bush utilizou o NED para intervir nos assuntos internos da Ucrânia e da Geórgia de acordo com o plano conservador a fim de estabelecer regimes políticos amigos dos EUA e hostis à Rússia nessas duas antigas partes constituintes da Rússia e da União Soviética.

O NED também foi utilizado para desmembrar a antiga Jugoslávia, com as suas intervenções na Eslováquia, na Sérvia e no Montenegro.

Em 1991, Allen Weinstein, o qual ajudou a redigir a legislação que estabelecia o NED, contou ao Washington Post que grande parte do que o NED faz "hoje era feito camufladamente 25 anos atrás pela CIA".

O regime Bush, tendo estabelecido um fantoche, Mikhail Saakashvili, como presidente da Geórgia, tentou trazer aquele país para a NATO.

Para os leitores demasiado jovens para saber, o Tratado da Organização do Atlântico Norte (NATO) foi uma aliança militar entre os EUA e países da Europa ocidental para resistir a qualquer movimento soviético em direcção à Europa ocidental [e para assegurar que os países europeus se alinhassem por trás dos EUA, e comprassem seus sistemas de armas]. Já não há qualquer razão para a NATO desde o colapso político interno da União Soviética há quase duas décadas. O neocons transformaram a NATO em outra ferramenta, tal como o NED, para a hegemonia mundial dos EUA. As administrações seguintes dos EUA violaram os entendimentos que o presidente Reagan havia alcançado como Mikhail Gorbarchev, o último líder soviético, e incorporaram partes da antiga União Soviética na NATO. O objectivo neocon de cercar a Rússia com uma aliança militar hostil já foi proclamado muitas vezes.

O membros da NATO da Europa ocidental recusaram a admissão de Geórgia, pois entenderam-na como uma afronta provocatória à Rússia, de quem a Europa Ocidental está dependente quanto a gás natural. Os europeus ocidentais também estão perturbados com as intenções do regime Bush de instalar defesas de mísseis balísticos na Polónia e na República Checa pois a consequência será os mísseis nucleares de cruzeiro russos alvejarem capitais europeias. Os europeus não vêem vantagem em ajudar os americanos a bloquearem uma retaliação nuclear russa contra os EUA a expensas da sua própria existência. Defesas de mísseis balísticos não são utilizáveis contra mísseis de cruzeiro.

Todo país está cansado de guerra, excepto os EUA. A guerra, incluindo a guerra nuclear, é a estratégia neoconservadora para a hegemonia mundial.

O mundo inteiro, excepto os americanos, sabe que o estalar do conflito armado entre forças russas e georgianas na Ossétia do Sul foi inteiramente devido aos EUA e seu fantoche da Geórgia, Saakashvili. Os americanos, só eles no mundo, estão inconscientes de que as hostilidades foram iniciadas por Saakashvili, porque Bush, Cheney e os media americano ocupados por Israel mentiram-lhes.

Toda a gente no mundo sabe que o instável e corrupto Saakashvili, o qual proclama a democracia e dirige uma polícia de estado, não teria enfrentado a Rússia com o ataque à Ossétia do Sul a menos que Washington lhe desse sinal verde.

A finalidade do ataque georgiano à população russa da Ossétia do Sul é dupla:

Para convencer os europeus de que a sua acção em retardar a entrada da Geórgia na NATO é a causa da "agressão russa" e de que para salvar a Geórgia deve-lhe ser dada a condição de membro da NATO.

Para limpar etnicamente a Ossétia do Sul da sua população russa. Dois milhares de civis russos foram alvejados e mortos pelo Exército georgiano equipado e treinado pelos EUA, e dezenas de milhares fugiram para a Rússia. Tendo atingido este objectivo, Saakashvili e seus mestres em Washington apelaram rapidamente a um cessar fogo e a um alto à "invasão russa". A esperança é de que a população russa ficará receosa de retornar ou possa ser impedida de retornar, removendo assim a ameaça secessionista.

Não há dúvida de que o regime Bush pode enganar a população americana, tal como fez com armas de destruição maciça iraquianas, ogivas nucleares iranianas e o próprio 11 de Setembro, mas o resto do mundo não está a embarcar nisto, nem mesmo os aliados europeus comprados e pagos pela América.

Escrevendo no Asia Times, o embaixador M. K. Bhadrakumar, um antigo diplomata de carreira do Indian Foreign Service, nota a desinformação que está a ser propalada pelo regime Bush e pelos media dos EUA e informa que "quando estalou a violência, a Rússia tentou fazer com que o Conselho de Segurança das Nações Unidas emitisse uma declaração apelando à Geórgia e à Ossétia do Sul para deporem armas de imediato. Contudo, Washington esteve desinteressada".

O embaixador Bhadrakumar nota que o recurso dos americanos e georgianos à violência e propaganda pôs fim à crença do governo russo de que a diplomacia e a boa vontade podem levar a um ajustamento da questão da Ossétia do Sul. Se a Rússia quisesse, ela poderia terminar à vontade com a existência da Geórgia como um país separado, e não haveria nada que os EUA pudessem fazer quanto a isso.

É certo que a invasão georgiana da Ossétia do Sul foi um evento orquestrado pelo Regime Bush. Os media americanos e os think tanks neocon estavam prontos para os seus ataques de propaganda. Os neocons tinham pronto um artigo em favor de Saakashvili na página editorial do Wall Street Journal que declara "a guerra na Geórgia é uma guerra pelo Ocidente".

Confrontado com o colapso do seu exército quando a Rússia enviou tropas para proteger os ossetianos do Sul das tropas georgianas, Saakachvili declarou: "Isto já não é acerca da Geórgia. É acerca da América, dos seus valores".

A neocon Heritage Foundation em Washington, D.C., rapidamente convocou uma conferência que tinha o instigador de guerra Ariel Cohen como mestre de cerimónias, "Urgente! Evento: Guerra russo-georgiana: Um desafio para os EUA e o mundo".

O Washington Post abriu espaço para os tambores da guerra de Robert Kagen, "Putin Makes His Move".

Só um louco como Kagen poderia pensar que se Putin pretendesse invadir a Geórgia faria isso a partir de Pequim, ou que depois de enviar o exército georgiano com treino americano para as urtigas ele não continuaria e conquistaria toda a Geórgia a fim de por um ponto final nas maquinações americanas na fronteira mais sensível da Rússia, maquinações que provavelmente podem acabar em guerra nuclear.

O New York Times deu espaço às arengas de Billy Kristol, “Will Russia Get Away With It?” ("Será que a Rússia escapará impune?"). Kristol troveja contra "regimes ditatoriais, agressivos e fanáticos" que "parecem felizes de trabalhar em conjunto para enfraquecer a influência dos Estados Unidos e dos seus aliados democráticos". Kristol apresenta um novo eixo do mal – Rússia, China, Coreia do Norte e Irão – e adverte contra "retardamentos e falta de resolução" que "simplesmente convidam a ameaças futuras e perigos mais graves".

Por outras palavras: "ataquem a Rússia agora".

Dick Cheney, o insano vice-presidente americano, telefonou a Saakashvili para exprimir a solidariedade dos EUA no conflito com a Geórgia e declarou: "A agressão russa não deve ficar sem resposta". Só um idiota diria a Saakashvili qualquer coisa diferente de "pare imediatamente".

Qual será o efeito sobre os serviços de inteligência e os militares dos EUA da declaração propagandística e irresponsável de Cheney em apoio aos crimes de guerra da Geórgia? Será que alguém realmente acredita que a CIA ou qualquer serviço de inteligência americano disse ao vice-presidente que a Rússia iniciou o conflito com uma invasão? As tropas russas chegaram à Ossétia do Sul depois de milhares de ossetianos terem sido mortos pelo ataque georgiano e depois de dezenas de milhares de ossetianos terem fugido para a Rússia a fim de escapar ao ataque georgiano. Segundo os noticiários, forças russas capturaram americanos que estavam com as tropas georgianas a dirigirem seus ataques aos civis.

Os militares estado-unidenses certamentte não têm recursos para uma guerra contra a Rússia em acréscimo às guerras perdidas no Iraque e no Afeganistão e à guerra planeada com o Irão.

Com a sua aventura georgiana, o Regime Bush é culpado de uma nova série de crimes de guerra. Qual será a consequência?

Muitos responderão que tendo escapado do 11 de Setembro, Afeganistão, Iraque e com os seus preparativos para atacar o Irão, o Regime Bush escapará também da sua aventura georgiana.

Contudo, desta vez o Regime Bush possivelmente ter-se-á excedido.

Certamente a Rússia agora reconhece que os EUA estão determinados a exercer hegemonia sobre a Rússia e que a Rússia é o seu pior inimigo.

A China percebe a ameaça americana ao seu próprio abastecimento energético e, portanto, à sua economia.

Mesmo os aliados europeus da América, irritados no seu papel de fornecedores de tropas para o Império Americano, devem agora perceber que ser uma aliado americano é perigoso e não traz benefícios. Se a Geórgia se tornar um membro da NATO e renovar seu ataque à Ossétia do Sul, isto deve arrastar a Europa a uma guerra com a Rússia, um importante fornecedor de energia à Europa.

Além disso, se forem enviadas tropas russas que atravessem fronteiras europeias, não há nada que possa travá-las.

O que tem a América para oferecer à Europa, além dos milhões de dólares que paga para subornar líderes políticos europeus a fim de assegurar que eles traiam os seus próprios povos? Nada que se veja.

A única ameaça militar que a Europa enfrenta é ser arrastada para as guerras da América pela hegemonia americana.

Os EUA estão financeiramente em bancarrota, com défices orçamentais e comerciais que excedem os défices combinados de todo o resto do mundo em conjunto. O dólar murchou. O mercado consumidor americano está a morrer devido à deslocalização de empregos americanos e, portanto, rendimentos, e ao efeito riqueza dos colapsos do imobiliário e dos derivativos. Os EUA nada têm a oferecer à Europa. Na verdade, o declínio económico americano está a matar as exportações europeias fazendo subir o valor do euro.

A América perdeu no terreno moral há muito. A hipocrisia tornou-se a característica mais conhecida da América. Bush, o invasor do Afeganistão e do Iraque na base da mentira e do engano, troveja para a Rússia por vir em defesa das suas forças de manutenção da paz e dos cidadãos russos na Ossétia do Sul. Bush, que arrancou o Kosovo do coração da Sérvia e entregou-a aos muçulmanos, tomou uma posição firme contra outros movimentos separatistas, especialmente o ossetianos do Sul que pretendem ser parte da Federação Russa.

O neopilotado Regime Bush está furioso porque o urso russo não ficou intimidado com a agressão apoiada pelos EUA do seu estado fantoche, a Geórgia. Ao invés de aceitar a lei da hegemonia americana que o roteiro neocon exigia, a Rússia pôs o americanizado exército georgiano a fugir de medo.

Tendo fracassado com as armas, agora o Regime Bush desencadeia a retórica. A Casa Branca está a advertir a Rússia que se não se submeter à hegemonia americana isso poderia ter um "impacto significativo a longo prazo nas relações entre Washington e Moscovo".

Será que os idiotas que compõem o Regime Bush realmente não entendem que excepto um ataque nuclear de surpresa à Rússia não há nada que os EUA possam fazer a Moscovo?

O Regime Bush não possui qualquer divisa russa que possa afundar. Os russos possuem dólares.

O Regime Bush não possui títulos russos que possam afundar. Os russos possuem títulos dos EUA.

Os EUA não podem cortar quaisquer abastecimentos energéticos à Rússia. A Rússia pode cortar a energia dos aliados europeus da América.

O presidente Reagan negociou o fim da guerra fria com o presidente soviético, Gorbachev. Os neoconservadores, que Reagan despediu e afastou da sua administração, estavam furiosos. Os neocons esperavam vencer a guerra fria, portanto estabelecer a hegemonia americana.

O Establishment republicano reestabeleceu sua hegemonia sob Bush I, que fora perdida com Ronald Reagan. Com esta façanha, a inteligência foi afastada do Partido Republicano.

Os neocons projectaram o seu retorno com a Primeira Guerra do Golfo e sua propaganda, puras mentiras, de que tropas iraquianas cravaram baionetas em bebés em hospitais do Kuwait.

Os neocons fizeram um novo avanço com o presidente Clinton, a quem convenceram a bombardear a Sérvia a fim de permitir que movimentos separatistas se tornassem estados dependentes da América.

Com Bush II, os neocons tomaram o comando. A sua agenda, a hegemonia americana mundial, inclui a hegemonia israelense no Médio Oriente.

Até agora os esquemas destes ideólogos ignorantes e perigosos deram com os burros na água. O Iraque, antigamente nas mãos de sunitas seculares que eram uma barreira ao Irão, está, após a invasão e ocupação americana, nas mãos de religiosos xiitas aliados ao Irão.

No Afeganistão, o Taliban está a renascer, e há um grande exército NATO/EUA incapaz de controlar a situação.

Uma consequência da guerra afegã dos neocons foi a perda de poder do fantoche americano que preside o Paquistão, um país muçulmano armado com ogivas nucleares. O presidente fantoche agora enfrenta o impeachment, e os militares paquistaneses disseram aos americanos para parar de efectuar operações militares em território paquistanês.

Os fantoches americanos no Egipto e na Jordânia podem ser a próxima queda.

No Iraque, os xiitas, tendo completado a sua limpeza étnica dos sunitas das vizinhanças, declararam um cessar fogo a fim de contradizer a propaganda dos EUA de que a retirada americana levaria a um banho de sangue. Negociações sobre datas de retirada estão agora a caminho entre os americanos e o governo iraquiano, o qual já não se comporta como um fantoche.

No ano passado Hugo Chávez ridicularizou Bush perante as Nações Unidas. Putin da Rússia ridicularizou Bush como Camarada Lobo.

Em 12 de Agosto de 2008, o Pravda ridicularizou Bush, "Bush: Por que não te calas?".

Os americanos podem pensar que são uma super-potência diante da qual o mundo treme. Mas não os russos.

Aqueles americanos bastante estúpidos para pensar que o "super poder" da América defende os seus cidadãos do perigo precisam ler o desprezo total exibido pelo Pravda para com o presidente Bush:

"Presidente Bush,

Por que não te calas? Na tua declaração de segunda-feira respeitante às acções legítimas da Federação Russa na Geórgia deixaste de mencionar os crimes de guerra perpetrados pelas forças militares georgianas, apoiadas por conselheiros americanos, contra civis russos e ossetianos.

"Presidente Bush,

Por que não te calas? Teu fiel aliado, Mikhail Saakashvili, estava a anunciar um acordo de cessar fogo enquanto suas tropas, com os teus conselheiros, estavam a concentrar-se na fronteira com a Ossétia, a qual eles cruzaram sob o manto da noite e destruíram Tskhinvali, alvejando estruturas civis tal como as tuas forças fizeram no Iraque.

"Presidente Bush,

Por que não te calas? Teus aviões de transporte americanos deram uma boleia para casa a milhares de soldados georgianos do Iraque, directamente para a zona de combate.

"Presidente Bush,

Por que não te calas? Como podes tu explicar o facto de que entre os soldados georgianos que ontem fugiam do combate se podia ouvir claramente oficiais com pronúncia do inglês americano a darem ordens de "Voltem para cá" ("Get back inside") e como explicas o facto de que há informações de soldados americanos entre as baixas georgianas?

"Presidente Bush,

Por que não te calas? Será que realmente pensas que alguém dá alguma importância ao que quer que seja das tuas palavras após oito anos do teu regime e das tuas políticas criminosas e assassinas? Será que realmente acreditas que tens qualquer base moral e imaginas que haja realmente um único ser humano em qualquer lugar neste planeta que não levante o dedo médio cada vez que apareces num écran de TV?

Acreditas realmente que tens o direito de dar qualquer opinião ou conselho após Abu Ghraib? Após Guantanamo? Após o massacre de milhares de cidadãos iraquianos? Após a tortura por operacionais da CIA?

Acreditas realmente que tens qualquer direito de fazer declarações sobre qualquer assunto do direito internacional depois das tuas trombeteadas invenções contra o Iraque e a subsequente invasão criminosa?

"Presidente Bush,

Por que não te calas? Suponha que a Rússia por exemplo declare que a Geórgia tem armas de destruição em massa (ADM)? E que a Rússia saiba onde estão estas ADM, nomeadamente em Tíflis e Poti e no Norte, Sul, Leste e Oeste dali? E que isto deve ser verdadeiro porque há 'magnífica inteligência estrangeira tais como fotos por satélite de fábricas de leite em pó e de cereais para bebés que produzem armas químicas, as quais estão actualmente a serem 'transportadas em veículos pelo país'? Suponha que a Rússia declare por exemplo que 'Saakashvili empesteia o mundo' e 'já é tempo de mudar o regime'?

Impecável e simples, não é, Presidente Bush?

"Então, por que não te calas? Oh, e a propósito, envia mais alguns dos teus conselheiros militares para a Geórgia, eles estão a fazer um excelente trabalho. E todos eles parecem engraçados vistos à noite, todos verdes". [1]

Os EUA não são uma super potência. São uma farsa em bancarrota dirigida por imbecis que foram instalados [no governo] através de eleições roubadas amanhadas por Karl Rove [2] e pela Diebold [3] . São uma fonte de gargalhadas, que ignorantemente afronta e tenta intimidar um enorme país equipado com dezenas de milhares de armas nucleares.

_______
[1] Alusão aos binóculos de visão nocturna, em que as imagens aparecem verdes.
[2] Karl Rove: Ex chefe de equipe do presidente Bush, envolvido em escândalos. Demitiu-se em 2007.
[3] Diebold: fabricante de máquinas de votar electrónicas.

[*] Ex secretário assistente do Tesouro na administração Reagan. Foi editor associado da página editorial do Wall Street Journal e editor colaborador da National Review. É co-autor de The Tyranny of Good Intentions . Email: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com

O original encontra-se em http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts08132008.html

Postado por GEOBLOG às 21:41 0 comentários
Mais perto do hidrogênio com combustível
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 15/08/08




O uso do hidrogênio como combustível é o sonho dos ecologistas. Ao ser queimado – numa caldeira ou num motor de carro – produzirá apenas vapor de água, um gás que não apenas não tem efeito sobre o aquecimento global, mas que limpa e protege. Mas o problema é que na Terra não há praticamente hidrogênio livre (H2); o que existe é, precisamente, água (H2O). E, claro, se for necessário gastar energia para romper a molécula de água para extrair o hidrogênio, já não compensam os benefícios do uso do hidrogênio com combustível. As informações estão publicadas no jornal espanhol El País, 12-08-2008. A tradução é do Cepat.

O círculo pode ser rompido com um sistema idealizado por cientistas do prestigioso Massachusetts Institute of Tecnology (MIT). Trata-se de conseguir que a quebra da molécula de água necessite menos energia que a que o hidrogênio proporcionará depois. Daniel Nocera e Mattew Kanan publicaram um artigo no Science no qual descrevem como idealizaram um sistema que facilita esse processo. Trata-se de acrescentar catalisadores (basicamente fosfatos, uma substância abundante na Terra, e cobalto) na água antes de lhe aplicar eletrodos para rompê-la (processo conhecido como eletrólise).

Dessa maneira, a reação química resulta energeticamente favorável: gasta-se menos energia para obter o hidrogênio do que ao queimá-lo depois. Além disso, para que tudo seja mais limpo, usaram energia solar para as eletrólises. Desta maneira, todo o ciclo se converte num processo mais limpo e menos poluidor.

A descoberta foi muito bem recebida pelos cientistas. A produção do hidrogênio é “gargalo da garrafa” deste tipo de energia, assinalou José Ramón Isasi, do Departamento de Química e Edafologia da Universidade de Navarra, num comentário publicado no portal de comunicações científicas do centro educativo onde seus especialistas destacam as notícias mais inovadoras.

Não bastasse isso, o método tem ainda outra vantagem. Em muitas reações químicas que necessitam de catalisadores (uma espécie de intermediários que provocam ou aceleram os processos), estes acabam se deteriorando ou contaminando. Neste caso, isso não acontece, assinala Isasi: “Quando se desconecta o eletrodo, os íons de cobalto de regeneram”, razão pela qual estes não se gastam.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 21:32 0 comentários
DANTAS, O QUADRILHEIRO, VOLTA À CONDIÇÃO DE HERÓI
Conversa Afiada - 14/08/08




Leitura dos portais do PiG da Chuíça (*) – clique aqui para ir ao UOL; e clique aqui para ir ao Estadão – indica que Daniel Dantas recuperou a ofensiva e a condição de herói do “Estado de Direita”.
. A Folha (da Tarde *2) deu em manchete em toda a extensão horizontal da primeira página, de forma irresponsável e cúmplice, uma afirmação difamatória e caluniosa do quadrilheiro Dantas contra um servidor público exemplar, de que os brasileiros sérios se orgulham, o Dr. Paulo Lacerda, diretor da Polícia Federal quando era Republicana e de lá removido, porque pretendia cumprir o dever profissional de prender o quadrilheiro Daniel Dantas.

. A manchete da Folha (da Tarde *2) agasalha e acoberta a difamação de Dantas e lhe dá o verniz de credibilidade que Dantas jamais mereceu.

. A Folha (da Tarde *2) se presta ao papel de materializar a estratégia contida no Golpe do “Estado de Direita”.

. Qual seja: desmoralizar os investigadores, tratá-los como loucos – como fez um colonista da Folha, clique aqui para ler – e dar o púlpito de que um quadrilheiro precisava para retomar a iniciativa política.

. A CPI dos Grampos não terá nenhuma função para definir uma política para o uso do grampo.

. Quem vai fazer isso é o Supremo Presidente, do Supremo Tribunal Federal, que governa, de fato, o “Estado de Direita”.

. A função da CPI dos Grampos é proteger os ricos e brancos e dinamitar o trabalho da Polícia.

. Dantas foi depor na CPI dos Grampos, que ele controla.

. Clique aqui para ler.

. Foi com um HC no bolso: podia não responder, mentir e não ser preso.

. Portanto, ele deu a sua versão – sem contestação.

. E o PiG reproduziu as versões de Dantas de forma acrítica, tais como ele as formulou.

. Dantas é o herói do PiG.

. Ele não tem nada a perder.

. Ele pode dizer qualquer coisa.

. O Supremo dá as “facilidades” de que ele necessita.

. Não é à toa que o Supremo Presidente Gilmar Mendes lhe conferiu dois HCs em 48 horas, um record mundial, que enaltece a qualidade do Judiciário brasileiro.

. Dantas mente.

. E o PiG o leva a sério.

. Quando o ínclito Delegado Protógenes Queiroz e o corajoso juiz Fausto De Sanctis depuseram lá, a repercussão no PiG foi moderada.

. Agora, não, o quadrilheiro retoma o controle da opinião pública – quer dizer, do PiG.

. Ele faz a agenda.

. Ele sai de acusado, de quadrilheiro, de criminoso, a acusador.

. E o PiG o absolve.

. Dantas acusa Paulo Lacerda, Protógenes Queiroz, o Governo do Presidente que tem medo – ele vai foi ao ataque.

. E o PiG oferece a ele o stand de tiro para atirar.

. Foi para isso que o deputado serrista Marcelo Itagiba – clique aqui para ler os serviços que Itagiba prestou a Serra e a Dantas, já que ele funciona como um rodízio de churrasco, tem sempre uma peça nova a oferecer ao freguês – montou essa CPI.

. Para desmoralizar a Polícia Federal e servir aos brancos e ricos.

. Não há nada mais branco e rico do que Daniel Dantas.

. Um branco de olhos azuis ...

Em tempo: vamos imaginar que Elliot Ness, da Polícia Federal, tenha prendido Al Capone. Finalmente, depois de todo mundo saber – a Polícia estadual, o Judiciário, o Legislativo – que Al Capone contrabandeava uísque falsificado do Canadá para vender nos speakeasy de Chicago. Mas, Elliot Ness era corajoso e honesto. Resistiu a todas as pressões. E conseguiu pôr algemas em Capone. Aí, o Congresso americano montou uma CPI para tratar da Lei Seca. Chama Al Capone para depor, como suspeito de ser o maior contrabandista de uísque dos Estados Unidos. O deputado Joseph Kennedy, que distribuía uísque de Al Capone no mercado de Boston, presidente da CPI, fez uma pergunta de bandeja para Al Capone. Al Capone acusa Elliot Ness. Diz que ele era um policial desonesto, movido por interesses subalternos quando decidiu, por fim, colocar as algemas nele. Caro leitor, você acha que o Chicago Tribune, o principal jornal de Chicago, seria capaz de dar credibilidade a Al Capone e colocar na manchete essa “suposta” acusação a Elliot Ness ? ? Nem pensar, não é isso, caro leitor ? Pois foi o que a Folha fez: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/cp14082008.htm.

(*) Chuiça é o que os paulistanos querem impingir ao resto do Brasil. Que São Paulo – onde há uma greve de policias, que recebem o mais baixo salário do país – tem o dinamismo econômico da China e o IDH da Suíça ...


Postado por GEOBLOG às 21:29 0 comentários
DANTAS DIZ UMA COISA EM NY E OUTRA À CPI. ONDE ELE MENTIU ?
Conversa Afiada - 14/08/08




O Conversa Afiada reproduz reportagem da Teletime News, que mostra que Dantas disse uma coisa na CPI dos Grampos, ontem, quarta-feira, dia 13, e outra à Justiça de Nova York: "Em 2007, Dantas dizia que fundos e Citi conspiravam com governo para fazer uma fusão ilegal. Agora, se contradiz e defende a fusão".

Leia o texto da Teletime:

À CPI, Dantas diz o contrário do que disse para a Justiça de NY
quinta-feira, 14 de agosto de 2008, 01h02

Daniel Dantas, que depôs nesta quarta, 13, à CPI das Interceptações Clandestinas, fez afirmações aos deputados que são diametralmente opostas àquelas feitas pelo próprio banqueiro à Justiça de Nova York quando se defendia do processo movido pelo Citibank.
À CPI, Dantas disse que as investigações da Operação Satiagraha teriam como objetivo oculto o interesse de "setores do governo" que estariam descontentes com o fato de haver uma negociação para a fusão entre Brasil Telecom e Oi, o que tiraria a BrT do controle destes "setores". A Satiagraha faria parte então, na interpretação do banqueiro, de uma orquestração para criar constrangimentos à fusão.
Mas esse argumento é o contrário daquele usado pelo grupo Opportunity em julho de 2007 na Justiça de Nova York. Na ocasião, ao acusar os fundos de pensão e o Citibank de conspirarem contra ele, Dantas descreveu: "(...) os fundos de pensão abriram discussões com a Telemar, onde os fundos têm participação de controle. Como já dissemos, a venda da Brasil Telecom para a Telemar (Oi) é proibida. Os fundos estão, contudo, buscando a venda da Brasil Telecom para indivíduos politicamente favorecidos e entidades, tais como os controladores da Telemar".

Lulinha

As acusações feitas pelo Opportunity contra a fusão entre Telemar e Brasil Telecom, com insinuações de favorecimentos políticos e corrupção, seguem em vários trechos do documento apresentados à Justiça de Nova York: "a Telemar armou a mudança das leis que proíbem a venda da Brasil Telecom para a Telemar tentando influenciar o governo Brasileiro por meio de um investimento com sobrepreço muito favorável (e corrupto) na empresa na qual o filho do presidente do Brasil tinha participação. O esquema, no fim, desabou quando o investimento da Telemar na empresa do filho do presidente e os esforços para mudar a lei permitindo à Telemar comprar a Brasil Telecom vieram a público". Dantas disse ainda, em 2007, que "o Citibank e os esforços dos fundos para avançar com o objetivo político da venda da Brasil Telecom para a Telemar continuam até hoje. Por exemplo, novos esforços para mudar a lei que proíbe a transação da Telemar estão em andamento e esperam que o esquema político seja reavivado". À CPI, contudo, Dantas defendeu a fusão entre Oi e Brasil Telecom e disse que sempre defendeu a operação. De fato, Dantas, em entrevista ao Jornal Valor, em 2001, defendeu a fusão, e também tentou entrar no controle da Telemar adquirindo a participação da Inepar, ato considerado irregular pela Anatel, que determinou a perda dos poderes de controle destas ações adquiridas pelo Opportunity em 1999. As declarações de Dantas à Justiça de Nova York estão disponíveis no site www.teletime.com.br/arquivos/oppf_answer.zip.
O processo foi encerrado este ano depois de acordo entre o Opportunity, Citibank e os fundos de pensão.

Durou pouco

Dantas é um dos maiores beneficiados com a operação de venda do controle da Brasil Telecom para a Telemar, operação esta defendida pelos fundos e pelo governo. Ele receberá prêmio de controle por todas as suas ações (mesmo aquelas que não faziam parte dos acordos de acionista entre controladores) e embolsará perto de US$ 1 bilhão. Os fundos de pensão, o Citibank, a Brasil Telecom e os controladores da Oi (incluindo a Andrade Gutierrez) ainda acertaram com Dantas um acordo judicial pelo qual a BrT, os fundos e o Citi desistem de todas as demandas na Justiça contra Dantas e a Oi paga ao banqueiro R$ 145 milhões (valor já desembolsado).
Os fundos de pensão e o Citi vêem agora, menos de quatro meses após o armistício, Dantas voltar a acusá-los.
Os fundos poderiam prever que isso aconteceria, já que a Telecom Italia, no começo de 2005, também pagou ao banqueiro 50 milhões de euros pelo fim das agressões judiciais e hoje é constantemente acusada por Dantas de espionagem, conspiração e corrupção.

Sem consistência

Não é a primeira vez que Daniel Dantas diz uma coisa a uma CPI (protegido por habeas corpus, que o libera de dizer a verdade) e cai em contradição com alguma declaração dada oficialmente. Outro caso aconteceu em 2005, durante a CPMI dos Correios (que investigou o mensalão).
Naquela ocasião, Daniel Dantas depôs na qualidade de informante e foi afirmativo ao falar que apenas teve conhecimento do conteúdo das investigações do caso Kroll em uma apresentação feita em Nova York, na sede do Citibank, e que foi orientado por seus advogados, quando a Brasil Telecom contratou a Kroll para fazer investigações, a não ter acesso aos conteúdos dos trabalhos. Acontece que em depoimento à Polícia Federal referente à Operação Chacal (que apurou justamente as investigações da Kroll), em abril de 2005, Dantas afirmou ter recebido relatório elaborado pela empresa de investigação possivelmente em 2000. Ele também admitiu pelo menos duas reuniões no Brasil com pessoas da Kroll. A ex-presidente da Brasil Telecom, Carla Cico, que também falou à PF, disse ainda ter havido uma reunião com a presença dela (Cico) e Dantas para tratar de questões contratuais com a Kroll. Durante seu depoimento desta quarta, 13, Dantas disse que foi a Brasil Telecom quem contratou a empresa.

Mariana Mazza e Samuel Possebon


Postado por GEOBLOG às 21:05 0 comentários
Ação russa expõe fiasco do Ocidente
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 14/08/08



A decisão do Kremlin, na terça-feira, de decretar um cessar-fogo após cinco dias de ataques contra a Geórgia deixou a Rússia dona da situação no litoral do Mar Negro e na bacia do Cáspio, ricos em petróleo. A reportagem é de Ian Traynor e Ian Black, publicada pelo The Guardian e reproduzida pelo jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 14-08-2008.

A vitória rápida e fácil expõe a atual incapacidade do Ocidente de pressionar diante da Rússia que renasce, apesar de vários anos de fortes investimentos políticos dos EUA na Geórgia. Na briga pela supremacia em uma região estratégica, o equilíbrio pende perigosamente para um lado. Pela primeira vez desde o colapso do comunismo, a Rússia mostrou com sucesso, e em plena impunidade, seu poder de fogo em outro país. “Esta não é a Rússia de 1993 ou 1994, quando estava terrivelmente enfraquecida”, disse um representante da União Européia. “Os russos agora estão negociando de uma posição de força.”

As conseqüências da impensada jogada do presidente da Geórgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, de invadir a Ossétia do Sul, na semana passada, e a derrota total dos georgianos pelas mãos de Vladimir Putin serão sentidas em várias direções. Em menos de uma semana, o premiê russo redesenhou o mapa político da região disputada entre Rússia, Turquia e Irã.

“Não estamos numa boa situação”, disse um ex-funcionário do Pentágono que durante muito tempo se dedicou à Geórgia. “Trabalhamos na questão georgiana por quatro anos, e fracassamos. Todo mundo é culpado. Mas Putin está jogando suas cartas de modo brilhante. Ele sabe exatamente o que está fazendo e as conseqüências são todas negativas.”



Enquanto a Rússia se gaba, Saakashvili, de 40 anos, lutará para continuar sendo um dos mais jovens presidentes do mundo. Por outro lado, os europeus já estão divididos e vulneráveis às acusações de terem mostrado indecisão e impotência. O racha da Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte (Otan) a respeito da Geórgia e da Ucrânia deverá aumentar. A política americana na região sofreu um grave revés e a política energética do Ocidente é estranha.

LINHA VERMELHA

“Esta foi uma guerra por procuração, não pela Ossétia do Sul, mas porque Moscou resolver traçar uma linha vermelha para o Ocidente”, disse Alexander Rahr, especialista em Rússia do Conselho para Relações Exteriores da Alemanha e biógrafo de Putin. “Os russos marcharam Geórgia adentro para desafiar o Ocidente. E o Ocidente ficou impotente. Estamos tratando com uma nova Rússia.”

Após o pedido de cessar-fogo do presidente russo, Dmitri Medvedev, a prioridade é uma trégua propriamente dita, que terá de ser acertada, depois aplicada e monitorada, ou seja, tudo é muito complicado e dá ampla margem para novas confusões, interrupções e derramamento de sangue.

Moscou está ditando as condições. Segundo representantes europeus, ouvidos sobre as conversações de terça-feira em Moscou com o presidente francês, Nicolas Sarkozy, os russos insistem no fim do acordo pelo qual, há 15 anos, as tropas georgianas fazem parte das forças de paz na separatista Ossétia do Sul e exigem que Saakashvili assine um compromisso rejeitando o uso de forças armadas contra as províncias da Abkházia e Ossétia do Sul, pró-Rússia.

Nos últimos meses, Saakashvili recusou-se repetidas vezes a assumir o compromisso. “A Rússia aparentemente tem todas as cartas”, disse outro representante do bloco europeu. “Os soldados russos estão na Ossétia do Sul e na Abkházia há 15 anos. O resultado das negociações provavelmente será o fortalecimento da presença russa em ambos os enclaves.”

O resultado fere profundamente o presidente georgiano, talvez fatalmente. Moscou já lançou uma propaganda política que pinta Saakashvili como um criminoso de guerra e usa analogias da Guerra dos Bálcãs para acusá-lo de “genocídio”. Moscou quer livrar-se dele. O assassinato moral desse personagem e as farsas dos serviços secretos aumentarão as dúvidas a respeito de Saakashvili no país e no exterior, na esperança russa de que o eleitorado do presidente georgiano se volte contra ele, mesmo que ainda não haja um sucessor óbvio.

Saakashvili tem desfrutado de um forte apoio dos americanos. “Ele precisa ser protegido a todo custo”, disse o ex-funcionário do Pentágono. Mas muitos governos europeus mostram-se pouco preocupados, por considerá-lo “o pior inimigo de si mesmo”, e esperam que Barack Obama se afaste do presidente georgiano.

O PREÇO DA VITÓRIA

Se por um lado o Kremlin está comemorando uma aparente situação de vitória total, grande parte do mundo está apavorada pelo fato de a Rússia ter invadido um vizinho pequeno e indefeso. Como reagirá o Ocidente? Houve conversações sobre a possibilidade de retirar a Rússia do G-8. E alguns países pediram à União Européia que congele as negociações com Moscou sobre um novo pacto de parceria de longo prazo.

Mas, com um excesso de petrodólares e controlando as válvulas da energia que aquece a Europa, o Kremlin parece menosprezar uma possível vingança européia. As relações entre a Rússia e o Ocidente já estão comprometidas e se agravarão mais, mas é improvável que haja penalidades concretas. Os russos vêem o teste do Cáucaso como um jogo de soma zero, e eles ganharam. Isso significa prejuízo exclusivo para o Ocidente.

O objetivo fundamental para Putin era desestabilizar a Geórgia para prejudicar sua intenção de ingressar na Otan. Talvez tenha sido bem-sucedido. O presidente dos EUA, George W. Bush, já havia tentado incluir a Geórgia na aliança militar em abril, durante uma reunião de cúpula da Otan. Bush, porém, foi derrotado por Angela Merkel, da Alemanha, e Nicolas Sarkozy, da França. Agora, dificilmente conseguirá convencê-los

Postado por GEOBLOG às 20:58 0 comentários
Quinta-feira, Agosto 14, 2008
Das manchetes pegadinhas
Blog do Luis Nassif - 13/08/08




No seu depoimento de ontem, na CPI do Grampo, o juiz Fausto Martin de Sanctis deu as seguintes informações relevantes:

• A legislação contra o crime organizado é muito mais rígida nos Estados Unidos. Grande parte das medidas legais lá seriam consideradas ilegais aqui. Logo a legislação brasileira é muito branda.

• A escuta por períodos prolongados é fundamental para desbaratar o crime organizado e é intrínseca ao processo de colaboração com agências internacionais e polícias de outros países.

• Deu uma aula clara sobre o sistema de pesos e contrapesos de um inquérito policial: a PF pede, o Juiz submete ao Ministério Público, tem instâncias de apelação etc.

• Deu um conjunto de declarações incisivas, desmontando os principais ataques à operação Satiagraha. Para quem gosta de conflitos e escândalos, deu sua versão para o episódio da desembargadora – que teria dito ao Ministro Gilmar Mendes que Sactis admitira a escuta no STF -, deixando-a em má situação.

Nada disso foi considerado pela “Folha”. A manchete é apenas uma pegadinha: “Lei de país civilizado não serve ao Brasil, diz juiz” (clique aqui).


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:37 0 comentários
CARTA CAPITAL: OS GRAMPOS DO BNDES

Site do Azenha - 13/08/08 - Atualizado e Publicado em 13 de agosto de 2008 às 19:55

CARTA CAPITAL, edição 87, de 25 de novembro de 1998

POR BOB FERNANDES

- O negócio tá na nossa mão, sabe por que Beto? Se controla o dinheiro, o consórcio. Se faz aqui esses consórcios borocoxôs, são todos feitos aqui. O Pio (Borges, vice-presidente do BNDES) levanta e depois dá a rasteira. (Luiz Carlos Mendonça de Barros, ministro das Comunicações, em conversa com o irmão José Roberto, secretário executivo da Câmara de Comércio Exterior.)

- Temos que fazer os italianos na marra, que estão com o Opportunity. Combina uma reunião para fechar o esquema. Eu vou praí às 6h30 e às 7 horas a gente faz a reunião. Fala pro Pio que vamos fechar (os consórcios) daquele jeito que só nós sabemos fazer. (Luiz Carlos Mendonça de Barros para André Lara Resende, presidente do BNDES, sobre a intenção de operar em favor do consórcio integrado pelo banco de investimentos Opportunity e a Telecom-Itália.)

- Vai lá e negocia, joga o preço para baixo. Depois, na hora, se precisar, a gente sobe e ultrapassa o limite. (André Lara Resende para Pérsio Arida, sócio do Opportunity.)

A revista CartaCapital ouviu fitas gravadas na presidência do BNDES. A revista Veja conta ter tido acesso às duas fitas que o governo enviou para a Polícia Federal. São muitas as fitas. Fala-se em 27, mas certeza só tem quem participou dos grampos. As fitas ouvidas por CartaCapital têm trechos – os explosivos fragmentos acima – que, pelo relato de Veja, não constam das fitas repassadas pelo governo à Polícia Federal.

É certo que são fitas editadas, como tem repetido o ministro das Comunicações, Luiz Carlos Mendonça de Barros, mas é certo também que os diálogos ouvidos por CartaCapital existem e, claramente, não são uma montagem. Têm uma seqüência – sem espaços – e uma lógica que indicam extrema dificuldade para uma edição de diálogos.

Filhos corretores. Das fitas que se conhece, as gravações mais importantes foram feitas entre 21 de julho e 12 de agosto últimos, mas os grampos na sala da presidência do BNDES (os diálogos em celulares são capturados) foram instalados no início deste ano.

O alvo principal era o ministro Mendonça de Barros, então presidente do BNDES. Seus adversários buscavam, com os grampos, conversas entre Mendonça e seus filhos, Marcello e Daniel. Nas fitas por ora na praça não há registros de tais conversas.

Os filhos do então presidente do BNDES tornaram-se sócios-proprietários de uma corretora na Bolsa de Mercadorias & Futuros (BM&F). A Link Corretora de Mercadorias Limitada, registrada na Junta Comercial em 2 de fevereiro, quatro meses depois, em junho, já era a terceira operadora no ranking de volumes de operações no mercado de Índice Bovespa futuro.

Cerca de 40% desse índice, então, era composto pelas ações da Telebrás. Empresa sob comando do ministro. E que seria privatizada em operação de R$ 22 bilhões pilotada por Mendonça de Barros, o pai.

Pérsio e os italianos. O leilão de privatização do Sistema Telebrás deu-se no dia 29 de julho. O central e incisivo numa seqüência de mais de 30 conversas grampeadas é a tentativa de favorecer um consórcio que uniria o banco de investimentos Opportunity e a Telecom-Itália.

"Os italianos", como diz o ministro Mendonça de Barros inúmeras vezes ao longo dos diálogos. Favorecer "os italianos" em detrimento do consórcio Telemar, formado pelo Grupo La Fonte (do empresário Carlos Jereissati), a Andrade Gutierrez, a Brasil Veículos, Macal e Aliança do Brasil. O Fundo de Previdência do Banco do Brasil, a Previ, é peça decisiva nas negociações e nos telefonemas.

Mendonça de Barros, o presidente do BNDES, André Lara Resende, Pio Borges, vice-presidente do BNDES, e Pérsio Arida, sócio do Opportunity, combinam como pressionar a Previ para que feche com "os italianos" e o Opportunity.

Enfim, a explosão. Nos telefonemas, o presidente da República, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, chamado de "a bomba atômica", é instado a pedir à Previ que feche com o Opportunity. O mesmo se dá com o diretor do Banco do Brasil, Ricardo Sérgio de Oliveira.

As conversas e a montagem de pressões chegam ao auge quando Mendonça de Barros sugere:
—— Temos que falar com o presidente.

E André Lara Resende responde:

—— Isso seria usar a bomba atômica.

André Lara Resende usa a bomba atômica. Em telefonema, pede ao presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso:

—— Precisamos convencer a Previ.

Na conversa com o presidente (que também não consta na reprodução das duas fitas em posse do governo), Lara Resende não cita o interesse dos "italianos" que freqüentam seus diálogos com Mendonça de Barros. Ao presidente da República, repassa outra informação:

—— Os portugueses (Telecom Portugal) estão interessados...

No mesmo telefonema para Fernando Henrique, o presidente do BNDES tece considerações sobre a "necessidade de um operador estrangeiro" etrata como "aventureiros" os integrantes do Telemar, que não disporiam de "capacitação técnica".

Ao final do telefonema, o presidente diz que vai falar com a Previ. Não se sabe se falou ou não. A Previ ajudou alguns dos seus sócios no consórcio Telemar a bancar o pagamento da compra da Tele Norte Leste. Já o Opportunity ficou com os italianos na Tele Centro Sul.

Questões semânticas. Outro trecho que parece ausente nas fitas do governo – ao menos de acordo com o relato de Veja –, é a referência ao ministro da Fazenda, Pedro Malan, e ao secretário executivo Pedro Parente. Conversam Mendonça de Barros e Lara Resende. O ministro das Comunicações refere-se aos companheiros de governo Malan e Parente como "babacas".

O ministro Mendonça de Barros, em suas versões orais editadas para a imprensa, tem relatado apenas o carinhoso diminutivo "babaquinha", e dedicando-o apenas a Parente. O ministro Malan e Parente seriam "babacas" por terem aceitado argumentos do consórcio Telemar e, quiçá (aqui trata-se de uma ilação não obtida em fitas), por divergirem do conjunto da obra. A propósito de divergências, há outras entre o que ouviu CartaCapital e o que se divulgou das fitas do governo.

Mendonça de Barros, nas fitas, chama integrantes do consórcio Telemar de "ratada", e não "rataiada", conforme relatos oficiais do próprio reproduzidos pela imprensa. As já anunciadas investigações do procurador-geral da República, dr. Geraldo Brindeiro, por certo esclarecerão essa pinimba semântica quanto a roedores.

Algumas contradições. Mendonça de Barros, que iria ao Senado prestar esclarecimentos na quinta-feira, 19, nesta segunda quinzena de novembro tem repetido, em conversas, os argumentos da incapacidade técnica da "Telegangue", da "ratada " – ou, "rataiada". Informa, ainda, que gestões suas, suprimidas nas fitas gravadas, foram feitas também em favor da formação do consórcio Telemar. Restam, então, duas questões.

Por que o ministro, ou quem de direito, não se valeu das regras do processo de privatização para desqualificar uma empresa que não tinha "capacidade técnica"? Por que, uma vez que se tratava de uma "Telegangue", a empresa, mais uma vez, não foi afastada do processo?

A intervenção deu-se apenas no instante em que o Telemar comprou a Tele Norte Leste, com suas 16 operadoras de telefonia fixa na faixa entre Rio de Janeiro e Amazonas.

Na hora da liquidação da compra, o BNDES interveio e arrebanhou para si 25% das ações do Telemar, alegando tratar-se de um consórcio "chapa-branca", devido às seguradoras terem capital estatal. Mais uma vez, pergunta-se: por que o consórcio não foi desqualificado a tempo?

A peça-chave. Vale lembrar. O Tribunal de Contas da União determinou inspeção no BNDES para apurar a legalidade e a regularidade dos atos dos dirigentes da entidade nessa operação. Se o consórcio é "chapa-branca", a ação do BNDES o tornaria ainda mais chapa-branca. Não fosse, é claro, a intenção do ministro em fazer a Telecom-Itália entrar no jogo.

Peça-chave em todas as negociações, e nos diálogos grampeados, é a Previ. Recordemos, então, outra porção do processo de privatização, a da Vale do Rio Doce. À época, a Previ, que parecia compor-se com o grupo capitaneado por Antônio Ermírio de Moraes, à última hora bandeou-se para a nau pilotada por Benjamin Steinbruch.

O mesmo Opportunity integrou também o consórcio vencedor na privatização da Vale. Mais: o mesmo banco Oppportunity, do mesmo Pérsio Arida, ex-presidente do Banco Central no atual governo, tem assento no conselho de administração da Vale. Segundo palavras do próprio ministro Mendonça de Barros, quando do leilão da Vale, o mesmo grupo de senhores "estimulou a competitividade".

O bem da Pátria. Revela o ministro que, então, procurou a Previ – que negociava com Ermírio – e pediu que o fundo entrasse no consórcio da CSN. Tudo em nome da competitividade e, é claro, pelo bem da Pátria.

Naqueles dias, em entrevista à Veja, Antônio Ermírio bateu duro na operação e cutucou o presidente Fernando Henrique. No domingo, 21 de setembro de 1997, a caminho de Fortaleza, vindo de Sobral, o ex-ministro da Fazenda, Ciro Gomes, disse a CartaCapital:

—— O Antônio Ermírio é inteligente. Viu que querem engoli-lo, e berrou a tempo. Agora, pode dizer ao presidente que não é bem aquilo o que ele disse, mas não vão mais atropelá-lo.

Ermírio não mais foi atropelado. Nos leilões de privatização do setor elétrico no Rio Grande do Sul e São Paulo, a Previ estava ao lado do Grupo Votorantim.

No caso do Telemar, em que pesem as pressões de integrantes do governo para que a Previ jogasse preferencialmente com "os italianos" e o Oppportunity, é preciso recordar que o Fundo do Banco do Brasil – que terminaria integrando o Telemar – tem antigas e extensas relações de negócios com o Grupo La Fonte, de Carlos Jereissati.

E o que diz a lei? Nas fitas, o sócio do Opportunity, Pérsio Arida, não apenas surge em conversas com André Lara Resende, como é anunciada sua presença durante um diálogo. Mendonça de Barros, enquanto negocia com Jair Bilachi, presidente da Previ, para que o fundo se una ao Opportunity informa:

—— Estamos aqui eu, André, Pérsio e Pio...

Ainda nas fitas, ao comentar os mandados de segurança contra o leilão, Mendonça de Barros, em conversa com Lara Resende, cita o jurista Celso Antônio Bandeira de Mello, a quem se refere como "aquele pavão". A propósito de juristas, talvez seja útil recordar alguns artigos da Constituição, da Lei de Improbidade Administrativa e da Lei de Licitações.

Diz o artigo 37 da Constituição que a administração pública direta e indireta de qualquer dos poderes da União, Estados, do DF e dos municípios, obedecerá:

...aos princípios da legalidade, impessoalidade, moralidade... Desses, dois são fundamentais. A impessoalidade e a moralidade.

A Lei de Improbidade Administrativa, a de nº 8.429, de 2 de junho de 1992, trata de atos de improbidade que causem lesão ao Erário nos termos do artigo 100, inciso 80: Constitui improbidade administrativa frustrar a licitude do processo licitatório. Penas: perda da função pública, suspensão de direitos políticos de 5 a 8 anos...

Já a profética Lei de Licitações, a nº 8.666, de 1993, no artigo 90, diz: Frustrar ou fraudar, mediante ajuste, combinação ou qualquer outro expediente, o caráter competitivo do procedimento licitatório com o intuito de obter, para si ou para outrem, vantagem decorrente da adjudicação do objeto de licitação. Penas: detenção de 2 a 4 anos. E multa.

O artigo 94 da mesma lei, proíbe: Devassar o sigilo da proposta apresentada em procedimento licitatório, ou proporcionar a terceiros o ensejo de devassá-lo. Penas: detenção de 2 a 3 anos. E multa.

É importante observar: em nota distribuída na segunda-feira, 16, o Ministério das Comunicações admitiu conhecer o valor da proposta do consórcio liderado pelo Opportunity no leilão da Tele Norte Leste. Está dito na nota que a oferta do Opportunity era superior à do Telemar em R$ 1 bilhão. O lance do Telemar foi de R$ 3,43 bilhões.

Improbidade administrativa. A informação, percebida em seu teor, mas não em seu valor nas conversas grampeadas, e reafirmada na nota oficial, surpreende. O lance do Opportunity, ainda lacrado, foi destruído no pregão da bolsa de valores.

Recordemos, por fim, o artigo 11, inciso 30 da Lei de Improbidade Administrativa: Revelar fato ou circunstância de que tem ciência em razão das atribuições e que deva permanecer em segredo. Penas: suspensão de direitos políticos de 3 a 5 anos e multa de até 100 vezes o valor da própria remuneração.

Por fim, a Constituição, no artigo 50, inciso 73, reza: Qualquer cidadão é parte legítima para propor ação popular que vise anular ato lesivo à moralidade administrativa.

A divulgação da fitalhada, segue duas lógicas. Numa matriz, a de quem grampeou os telefones, ou recebeu o produto dos grampos. A lógica destes é pressionar – chantagear, sustentam o governo e os seus – o governo, ou setores do governo. A lógica na outra matriz é a do governo, no roteiro da divulgação.

Conteúdo minado. No primeiro final de semana de novembro, a fitalhada, junto com o papelório que teria vindo das Ilhas Cayman, surge nas páginas embrulhada como mera chantagem. Pari passu com a armação caymanesca. Em um salto extraordinário, uma semana depois, a fitalhada ganha contornos, e conteúdo, de escândalo para, em seguida, ir tendo seu conteúdo minado.

No intervalo, na quinta-feira, 12, em ação incomum até para quem conhece Brasília a fundo, o ministro das Comunicações faz sua edição primeira, oral e antecipada, das fitas. Dá detalhes, minúcias e explicações sobre o quê? Sobre algo que nem sequer se conhecia e que, depois, por ele mesmo seria renegado como um conjunto de montagens.

Tudo não teria passado de um enredo de conversas patrióticas, de homens públicos interessados em estimular a competitividade e elevar a Pátria. Apesar da oposição, aqui e ali, dos babacas – ou babaquinhas –, da ratada – ou rataiada – e de um conjunto de comunistas que, à frente, tinha um ou outro pavão.

Nem o ministro nem os envolvidos imaginam ter atropelado em qualquer momento algum item de um conjunto que resulta em algo conhecido como Estado de Direito. Grampos telefônicos, ninguém desconhece, ferem também o tal Estado.

Versões estranhas. Se, ao se ouvir as fitas, ou mesmo o que vem dizendo o ministro, alguém manifestar dúvidas sobre onde começa o BNDES e onde termina o Opportunity, assim como o vice-versa, a resposta estará pronta:

—— Trata-se de uma chantagem, propiciada por grampos, e tudo não passa de uma montagem.

Quanto à chantagem, imagina-se que os chantageados sabem o que estão dizendo. Grampos, escuta ilegal, segundo o tal Estado de Direito, dá cadeia. Uma vez que o presidente da República recebeu a fitalhada em mãos, estranha-se que só após o vazamento, quase um mês depois, tenham sido acionadas a Polícia Federal e a Procuradoria Geral da República.

Da mesma forma, estranhas são as versões do governo. Primeiro, a captura das fitas teria sido obra dos espiões da agência de inteligência, a Abin. Depois, elas teriam chegado às mãos do general Cardoso após terem sido encontradas debaixo de um viaduto. Há aí um ruído.

Como, admitiu o próprio Lara Resende em conversa com o ex-deputado Aloísio Mercadante, o presidente havia recebido as denúncias, fica sem se saber quem foi até o viaduto: o general Cardoso, um dos seus agentes, ou o próprio presidente?

André admite. Por fim, a montagem. Nesse quesito, dá-se outro bololô. Ora o conteúdo das fitas é admitido. Lara Resende, por exemplo, ao receber o relato de Mercadante, confirmou a veracidade dos diálogos expostos. O ministro Mendonça de Barros, na suas edições-orais-oficiais republicadas pela imprensa, em um momento dedica-se a explicar o teor de fitas que não têm valor e, noutro instante, empenha-se em desqualificar as fitas.

As fitas existem. Os diálogos existem. As fitas ainda são muitas e, com o passar do tempo, mais ainda deverão surgir. Sempre que surgirem, anote, primeiro se discutirá a forma, o grampo (criminoso, ilegal, dá cadeia, como todos já sabem), não apenas por ser isso inescapável, mas de forma que a discussão da forma empane, se possível, o conteúdo.
Da junção da fitalhada com o obscuro papelório das Ilhas Cayman, é possível observar algo. O papelório, sem origem oficialmente conhecida e, ao menos até agora, sem confirmação de absolutamente nada decisivo, informa haver uma conta bancária no Exterior em nome do presidente da República, do governador Mário Covas, do ministro José Serra e do finado ministro Serjão Motta.

Digitais comprometedoras. O que parece pouco crível (uma vez que, posta de lado a discussão, importante, sobre o caráter dos envolvidos, uma operação do gênero exigiria enorme ingenuidade), torna-se ainda mais estranho quando se sabe o nome de alguns dos personagens da história.

Nela, percebem-se as digitais de Fernando Collor, Paulo Maluf, Lafaiete Coutinho, Gilberto Miranda, Cleto Falcão, etc., etc., etc... Ao que parece, seriam 40 ao todo. Não se sabe se a reunião decisiva deu-se no Brasil ou na Flórida. Nem se foi realizada em uma caverna.

Porque, ainda que diante da precariedade do até agora conhecido no papelório, dúvidas surjam quando Fernando Collor, com seu rútilo olhar, murmura: "Quero ver se ele (o presidente Fernando Henrique) vai manter toda essa indignação daqui a três meses". Por que o frisson quando um dos 40 alerta que o papelório sustentaria "seis homeopáticos meses de campanha"?

O que não existe como comprovado – ao contrário da física evidência das fitas –, sobrevive. Talvez, para buscar uma explicação, seja útil ressuscitar o conceito das duas éticas sempre exposto pelo professor Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Relendo Weber. O conceito, segundo os que são do ramo, seria uma cardosiana releitura de escritos do sociólogo alemão Max Weber. Uma das éticas, expôs o professor, valeria para a política e seus interesses. A outra, valeria para o resto da sociedade. Na verdade, sabem todos, é o que acaba se dando.

Haveria, no entanto, uma regra nesse dueto de éticas. O que vale para a política deve permanecer subjacente, silencioso. Quando exposto, há o choque, traumático, com a ética da sociedade. Remember o ocorrido quando do vazamento das leis de Ricupero, e da necessidade do seu imediato afastamento.

Quando, como no caso da fitalhada, o que deve permanecer subjacente emerge e não são tomadas providências, o embaralhamento das duas éticas leva a um encurtamento de distâncias. Se o que está na fitalhada não é nada, é coisa sem importância, apenas um conjunto de atos patrióticos, torna-se possível que, quem sabe, não soe tão pouco crível algo com as digitais de Collor, Lafa, Maluf e Cia.

O presidente da República diz que "deveria estar na cadeia" quem está por trás do papelório, numa clara referência a Fernando Collor. Pois bem: Collor foi condenado a pagar uma multa superior a US$ 1 milhão pelo Conselho de Contribuintes. Valesse uma lei dos dias do próprio Collor, ele poderia ter sido preso.

As duas éticas. A lei, que tratava do Imposto de Renda, permitiu a captura de PC Farias. Porém, enquanto se comiam castanhas e perus, no dia 26 de dezembro de 1995, o presidente Fernando Henrique sancionou a Lei 9.249, na qual o artigo 34 extinguiu a pena de prisão para sonegadores, desde que paguem a dívida antes da denúncia. Lei votada na Câmara com 101 emendas e relatada por quem seria seu ministro mais adiante e havia sido ministro de Collor: o deputado Antônio Kandir.

Ainda quanto às duas éticas do professor Cardoso. Quando ambas se confundem, desaparecem os parâmetros. Cayman parecem ser tão reais quanto, por exemplo, os telefonemas no BNDES. Ainda que nem seja. O caso da fitalhada é ainda mais difícil de ser abordado por uma outra característica destes tempos e deste governo.

Empresas de comunicação, muitas, são sócias do processo de privatização. Disputaram e venceram nacos da telefonia – celular e convencional –, das TVs a cabo, dos pagers, etc., etc. Negócios de bilhões e bilhões de dólares.

Pressões crescentes. Legalmente, não há problema algum em tais associações, mas, num instante em que surgem severas suspeitas em relação à privatização da Telebrás – onde também estão empresas de comunicação –, como esperar que poderosos setores da mídia investiguem, com o devido apuro e a propalada isenção, um processo ao qual tantos estão, direta ou indiretamente, associados?

Não por acaso são crescentes as pressões do ministro das Comunicações sobre determinadas empresas. Não por acaso, em algumas redações, o reportariado – sempre disposto e ávido, é bom lembrar – está a festejar o rompimento do lacre.

Como nos idos do governo Collor, pode estar-se aproximando a hora do Grande Salto. Aqui e ali, quem atacava os pessimistas e chorões em artigos, colunas e matérias, começa a criticar os juros – mas não ainda os responsáveis –, as dívidas – mas sem nominar seus autores – e a dependência externa – ainda que sem responsabilizar o responsável.

Crise econômica, expectativa de recessão, fitalhada, rumores das Cayman, evidências de disputa – fissura? – no sistema de poder? É hora de se posicionar para o Grande Salto.

Governos, por poderosos que sejam, passam. Jornais, revistas, emissoras de televisão, rádio, pretendem ficar. Jornalistas, ainda que confiem pouco na memorabilia amarela, querem permanecer. Dias de ajustes, chi lo sa, para a possibilidade do Grande Salto.

::

“A imprensa está muito favorável, com editoriais”
Trechos das fitas enviadas pelogoverno à Polícia Federal

O ministro Luiz Carlos Mendonça de Barros, André Lara Resende e Pérsio Arida estão reunidos. Eles conversam com Jair Bilachi, presidente da Previ, o fundo de pensão dos funcionários do Banco do Brasil. O trio quer que a Previ se junte ao Opportunity, visando formar um consórcio para arrematar a Tele Norte Leste:

“Estamos aqui eu, André, Pérsio e Pio (Borges, vice-presidente do BNDES)”, diz Mendonça de Barros a Bilachi. “Mas estamos muito preocupados com a montagem que o Ricardo Sérgio está fazendo do outro lado (junto ao consórcio de Carlos Jereissati). Porque está faltando dinheiro, doutor. E a gente está sabendo que uma das alternativas (do consórcio concorrente) é fundir as empresas com a holding. Aí, o negócio não fica limpo e a minha primeira preocupação, e o presidente já me ligou, é que a gente ponha em pé este negócio. Senão, o que aparentemente for um puta sucesso pode ficar um negócio amargo.”

“Ministro, nós estamos concentrando forças e a nossa proposta é bem diferente”, responde Bilachi. “Mas é justo na linha dos negócios. Nós estamos cacifando aqui. Mas, essa questão do outro negócio (apoio de Ricardo Sérgio de Oliveira, do Banco do Brasil, ao grupo de Jereissati), acho que vocês deviam conversar com o Ricardo Sérgio.”

“Tudo bem”, diz Mendonça de Barros. “Mas o importante para nós é que vocês montem com o Pérsio, evidentemente chegando a um acordo, e tudo o que precisar nós ajudamos. Temos um probleminha agora que é a carta de fiança. E é chato chegar agora, no meio da tarde, e o Banco do Brasil dizer que não vai dar.”

“Vou falar com ele (Ricardo Sérgio)”, diz Bilachi.

“Sei que ele (Ricardo Sérgio) está falando com a Telefónica de España, um negócio meio esquisito.”

O ministro das Comunicações telefona para o diretor do Banco do Brasil, Ricardo Sérgio de Oliveira. E revela: o Opportunity quer participar do leilão da Tele Norte Leste, mas depende da concessão de uma fiança do Banco do Brasil:

“Está tudo acertado”, diz Mendonça de Barros para Ricardo Sérgio. “Mas o Opportunity está com um problema de fiança. Não dá para o Banco do Brasil dar?”

“Acabei de dar”, responde Ricardo Sérgio. “Dei para a Embratel e 874 milhões para o Telemar (Tele Norte Leste). Nós estamos no limite da nossa irresponsabilidade. São três dias de fiança para ele”, continua o diretor do Banco do Brasil, quase rindo.

“É isso aí, estamos juntos”, diz Mendonça de Barros.

“Na hora que der merda (Ricardo Sérgio se refere ao astronômico valor da fiança), estamos juntos desde o início.”

O presidente Fernando Henrique liga para o ministro Mendonça de Barros na sede do BNDES. FHC queria saber como estava o andamento do leilão das teles:

“Estamos aqui praticamente com o quadro fechado”, diz Mendonça de Barros ao presidente.
“Você acha que, no conjunto, vai dar o quê?”, pergunta FHC.

“Vai dar uns 16 bi, que é o que eu tinha dito”, responde o ministro. “O nosso preço mínimo é de 13 bi e 400, e nós chegaremos a uns 16 bi, que é muito dinheiro.”

“Ajuda, né?, as reservas”, comenta FHC.

“A imprensa está muito favorável, com editoriais”, diz Mendonça de Barros.

“Está demais, né?”, diz FHC em tom de brincadeira. “Estão exagerando, até.”

::

Estado de direito ferido
O governo interferiu no processo

CartaCapital: O senhor esteve com o presidente do BNDES, André Lara Resende?
Aloísio Mercadante: Estive. Disse a ele que tinha tido acesso ao conteúdo das fitas, mas, como elas eram editadas, queria confirmar sua veracidade. Ele, a princípio, negou.

CC: E depois?
AM: Quando relatei diálogos, ele admitiu que eram verdadeiros, que aquelas conversas, entre aquelas pessoas, haviam acontecido. E me disse que o presidente da República já havia recebido as fitas e que providências seriam tomadas. O André tentou ainda defender a posição deles. Argumentou que consórcios não tinham capacitação técnica e que eles estavam tentando estimular a competitividade.

CC: Qual foi, então, sua posição?
AM: Disse a ele que esperava que as providências fossem realmente tomadas e discordei dos argumentos. Disse-lhe que, para mim, a ação deles caracteriza uma claríssima intervenção no processo de privatização, fere o Estado de Direito e coloca sob suspeita todo o processo de privatização.

CC: E ele, respondeu o quê?
AM: Lamentou-se. Disse que a intenção dele era apenas ajudar...

CC: Lê-se, nesses dias, que ele teria dito que iria cair fora...
AM: A mim ele disse a mesma coisa.

CC: Por que o senhor não denunciou?
AM: Porque era um relato sem provas, mas à medida em que o conteúdo das fitas se torna público, o Congresso terá de instalar uma CPI da privatização da Telebrás.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:31 0 comentários
Volks paga por ofensa racista

Site do Azenha - 13/08/08 -Atualizado em 13 de agosto de 2008 às 13:04 | Publicado em 13 de agosto de 2008 às 13:04
Volks é condenada a pagar R$ 268 mil por ofensas racistas a ex-funcionário

Marina Diana, do Última Instância

O juiz Carlos Alberto Oliveira Senna, da 12ª Vara do Trabalho de Brasília, condenou a Volkswagen do Brasil a indenizar um ex-empregado em R$ 268 mil. O ex-funcionário alega ter sido ofendido por um supervisor hierárquico que lhe enviou um e-mail com palavras humilhantes de teor racista. Cabe recurso.

Em um dos e-mails enviados pelo então supervisor ao autor da ação, o juiz retirou trechos e anexou à sentença, como: "ok, pelo tipo de pele entendo a sua colocação. Este é um fato típico da senzala. Nós que somos de cútis mais clara não compreendemos certas considerações até porque não possuímos correntes atadas aos pés ou sofremos qualquer tipo de chibatadas quando ocorremos em fatos errados, o que não é normal, para nós humanos".

No entendimento do juiz, ficou caracterizado o ato preconceituoso, racista, ofensivo, vexatório e humilhante. "O que se extrai de tamanha aberração verbalizada é o total e pleno desrespeito deste supervisor pelo autor na esfera profissional e pessoal, pois promove ofensa em razão da cor da pele como também da própria condição humana".

Em sua defesa, a empresa afirmou que não teria responsabilidade sobre os atos praticados pelo supervisor. Mas, na sentença, o juiz afirma que o comando diretivo, organizacional e disciplinar do empregador implica na obrigação de fiscalizar o ambiente de trabalho e o respeito funcional entre os trabalhadores que estão sob o seu comando.

"A classificação da ofensa moral é da maior gravidade ante tamanho descalabro de cunho racista, humilhante e vexatório, cuja dimensão mundial da empregadora somente agrava tal prática discriminatória", citou o magistrado na decisão, que considerou responsabilidade da empresa os atos praticados por seus agentes em relação a todos os demais funcionários — subordinados diretos ou não.

A reportagem de Última Instância entrou em contato com a assessoria de imprensa da Volkswagen, mas ainda não obteve retorno.

Sexta-feira, 8 de agosto de 2008
fonte: http://ultimainstancia.uol.com.br/noticia/54533.shtml


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:26 0 comentários
DANIEL DANTAS DEIXA NO AR AMEAÇAS AOS ADVERSÁRIOS

Site do Azenha - 13/08/08 -Atualizado em 13 de agosto de 2008 às 22:32 | Publicado em 13 de agosto de 2008 às 18:50
O banqueiro Daniel Dantas está usando o seu depoimento à CPI das Escutas Telefônicas para se apresentar como vítima e para deixar implícito que existem muitas informações que teriam potencial embaraçoso para seus adversários políticos.

Quando falou sobre a privatização da telefonia, ainda no governo de Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Dantas lembrou que nem todos os grampos telefônicos feitos na época foram divulgados. Ele sugeriu que apenas os grampos referentes aos negócios dele são de conhecimento público. Dantas fez menção a grampos que teriam sido feitos no prédio do BNDES. Só duas de 51 fitas são de conhecimento público, disse Dantas.

A origem das gravações nunca foi esclarecida. Ninguém sabe onde é que estão as fitas nunca divulgadas. Meu ponto: lembrar a existência delas serve aos propósitos de Dantas, já que comunica aos tucanos que detalhes potencialmente embaraçosos sobre as privatizações da telefonia ainda estão por aí.

Os grampos derrubaram o então ministro das Comunicações Luiz Carlos Mendonça de Barros; o irmão dele, José Roberto Mendonça de Barros, que era da Câmara de Comércio Exterior; e o presidente do BNDES, André Lara Resende.

No depoimento Dantas também disse que é vítima de uma facção do governo Lula, que teria sido liderada pelo ex-ministro Luiz Gushiken. O interesse dessa facção seria o de assumir o controle da Brasil Telecom.

O banqueiro voltou a mencionar a existência de uma acusação, feita na Itália, segundo a qual a Telecom Itália teria pago propina a integrantes do governo brasileiro. Dantas também mencionou que, durante depoimento à Polícia Federal, o delegado Protógenes Queiroz teria dito a ele que pretendia investigar "até o fim" os filhos do presidente Lula.

Essas duas últimas afirmações são uma ameaça velada aos integrantes do atual governo.

Para explicar a Operação Satiagraha, Daniel Dantas mais uma vez se colocou como vítima. O algoz, neste caso, seria o ex-diretor-geral da Polícia Federal, Paulo Lacerda. Como se sabe, a revista Veja publicou uma reportagem dando conta da existência de contas bancárias no Exterior do presidente Lula e de outras autoridades do governo, inclusive Lacerda. Dantas nega que tenha sido a fonte para a reportagem. A Veja diz que foi ele.

Dantas lembrou uma frase atribuída ao delegado: "Ele iria me botar um par de algemas".

O banqueiro disse que, antes mesmo da posse do governo Lula, em 2002, tinha informações de que "Lula ia entrar em guerra contra mim". Daniel Dantas disse que, na época, mandou publicar em um jornal de Minas Gerais mensagens criptografadas que descreveriam a armação contra ele.

Daniel Dantas não apresentou qualquer prova para suas acusações. Fez ilações e suposições. Mas seu objetivo foi claro: se colocar como vítima.

"Eu já fui expelido do setor de comunicações", disse Dantas aos integrantes da CPI.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:20 0 comentários
AL CAPONE ACUSA ELLIOT NESS NA CPI DA LEI SECA
Conversa Afiada - 13/08/08




O quadrilheiro Daniel Dantas subiu ao palco que lhe proporcionou a CPI dos Grampos, aquela CPI que Dantas controla.
. Clique aqui para ler como Dantas controla a CPI.

. A CPI desempenhou seu papel: dar espaço a que os defensores do “Estado de Direita” possam livremente expor suas idéias.

. Dantas chegou à CPI munido de um HC.

. Ou seja: poderia mentir e não ser preso.

. Para que, então, serve a CPI ?

. Para criar um ambiente político que desmoralize os grampos – e dificulte o trabalho da Polícia quando prender branco e rico.

. Esse é um dos ingredientes da ideologia do “Estado de Direita”.

. Ainda bem que a Polícia Federal fez ontem uma operação para desmoralizar o Supremo e algemou todo mundo.

. Clique aqui para ler no jornal O Globo.

. É o que deveriam fazer os policiais do Brasil (Menos os de São Paulo, que estão em greve. Clique aqui para ler.

. Deveriam algemar todo mundo e chamar o Ministro (?) Marco Aurélio de Mello para ver se ele concorda ...

. A CPI dos Grampos ouviu Dantas dizer que não grampeou ninguém.

. Ele não conhece ninguém.

. Grampo ?

. Que grampo ?

. Imagine, caro leitor, se o Tribunal de Nuremberg – que foi sério, em nada parecido com essa CPI dos Grampo – perguntasse a Adolfo Hitler se ele tinha mandado alguém para Auschwitz e ele dissesse que não mandou ninguém.

. Hitler seria absolvido ?

. Só a colonista Monica Bergamo (clique aqui para ler o verbete colonista) foi capaz de dizer – sem que ninguém lhe jogasse pedras – que se o Chicaroni dissesse que não subornou o delegado de Policia Federal todo o processo contra Dantas ia por água abaixo.

. É a teoria do PiG: quando um representante do “Estado de Direita” diz que não cometeu um crime, não houve crime ...

. Os deputados da CPI dos Grampos se dividem entre os que não sabem nada sobre Dantas e os que sabem tudo sobre Dantas.

. O Presidente da CPI, por exemplo, o deputado serrista Marcelo Itagiba.

. Esse, tem uma folha corrida de serviços prestados a Serra e, portanto, a Dantas.

. Clique aqui para ler sobre os serviços que Itagiba prestou aos dois.

. A CPI dos Grampos cumpriu o seu papel.

. Foi desmoralizada pelos depoimentos do ínclito Delegado Protógenes Queiroz, do corajoso juiz Fausto de Sanctis, e, hoje, pela farsa do depoimento de Dantas.

. A CPI não serviu para nada.

. Apenas para ocupar espaço no PiG e difundir a campanha “Nada de grampo contra ricos e brancos !”.

. Nem algema !


Em tempo: vamos imaginar que Elliot Ness, da Polícia Federal, tenha prendido Al Capone. Finalmente, depois de todo mundo saber – a Polícia estadual, o Judiciário, o Legislativo – que Al Capone contrabandeava uísque falsificado do Canadá para vender nos speakeasy de Chicago. Mas, Elliot Ness era corajoso e honesto. Resistiu a todas as pressões. E conseguiu pôr algemas em Capone. Aí, o Congresso americano montou uma CPI para tratar da Lei Seca. Chama Al Capone para depor, como suspeito de ser o maior contrabandista de uísque dos Estados Unidos. O deputado Joseph Kennedy, que distribuía uísque de Al Capone no mercado de Boston, presidente da CPI, fez uma pergunta de bandeja para Al Capone. Al Capone acusa Elliot Ness. Diz que ele era um policial desonesto, movido por interesses subalternos quando decidiu, por fim, colocar as algemas nele. Caro leitor, você acha que o Chicago Tribune, o principal jornal de Chicago, seria capaz de dar credibilidade a Al Capone e colocar na manchete essa “suposta” acusação a Elliot Ness ? ? Nem pensar, não é isso, caro leitor ? Pois foi o que o UOL acaba de fazer: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/brasil/ult96u433079.shtml.

Em tempo 2: Daniel Dantas apoiou-se em Diogo Mainardi para argumentar na CPI do Grampo. É como se Dantas contratasse Diogo Mainardi para escrever sua biografia autorizada. Um é a contra-face do outro. Clique aqui para ler a íntegra da decisão da Justiça que condenou Mainardi. E clique aqui para ver o papel glorioso que Mainardi desempenha no Sistema Dantas de Comunicação.


Em tempo 3: um deputado perguntou por que Dantas se cala diante da Polícia e da Justiça e é tão falante na CPI. Dantas deu a resposta óbvia: porque na CPI lhe tratam muito bem...

Em tempo 4: um deputado tucano fez uma série fez várias perguntas que poderiam esclarecer a patranha da “BrOi”. A última pergunta foi de cunho genérico. Dantas começou a responder pela última e gastou muito tempo. Depois, usou o truque de pedir para o deputado repetir as primeiras perguntas. O deputado serrista Marcelo Itagiba antecipou-se e jogou o pára-quedas para Dantas. E considerou que a resposta à última pergunta era suficiente.

Em tempo 5: era um espetáculo dantesco em que um quadrilheiro, que deveria estar preso, mentia desbragadamente e deputados profissionalmente despreparados ou cúmplices o ouviam como se estivessem em Delfos. Até que a deputada Iriny Lopes, do PT do Espírito Santo, recusou-se a fazer qualquer pergunta e a fazer parte daquela farsa. Nem tudo está perdido. É uma CPI para tirar Dantas da forca e ajudar a instalação do “Estado de Direita”.


(*) Em tempo 6: o deputado Nelson Pellegrino, relator da CPI dos Grampos, fez a Daniel Dantas a pergunta que Paulo Henrique Amorim sugeriu:

“Por que o senhor mandou o espião israelense Avner Shemesh espionar o jornalista Paulo Henrique Amorim, sua mulher e sua filha ?”

Daniel Dantas respondeu: “Não, nunca contratei o Avner Shemesh, não conheço ele, não o contratei, não pedi a ninguém que tivesse o contratado. E estou repetindo aqui que não época eu perguntei à Kroll se a Kroll tivesse alguma vez utilizado os serviços, a Kroll me disse que nunca tinha utilizado os serviços deste senhor”.

O deputado serrista Marcelo Itagiba tentou ajudar Dantas, de novo, e deixar claro que não havia relação entre o meu trabalho e o do Nassif no iG e o período que Dantas controlou o iG. Itagiba não falha: está sempre ao lado de Serra, ou melhor, de Dantas.


Em tempo 7: entre as muitas mentiras, o quadrilheiro Dantas disse que não houve grampo na operação da Kroll. O que a Polícia Federal achou no escritório do espião israelense Avner Shemesh ? O que foi aquilo que a Polícia Federal achou sobre mim, minha mulher e minha filha ? Os Manuscritos do Mar Morto ? A que crime Dantas responde na Justiça Federal por causa da Kroll ? Crime de imprensa ? Por que o deputado serrista Marcelo Itagiba não perguntou a que crimes Dantas responde ? Ou a Justiça Federal de São Paulo não serve para nada ?


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:15 0 comentários
Guerra e paz. Artigo de José Luís Fiori
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 13/08/08




"A Rússia foi a grande perdedora da década de 90 e, contra o senso comum, será a grande questionadora da nova ordem mundial". O comentário é de José Luís Fiori, professor titular do Instituto de Economia da UFRJ, em artigo publicado no jornal Valor, 13-08-2008.

Eis o artigo.


"A guerra nunca deflagra subitamente: a sua extensão não é obra de um instante." Carl Von Clausewitz, em "Da Guerra" Martins Fontes, São Paulo 1979 [1832] p: 77

Os fatos mais recentes e importantes são conhecidos. No mês de abril de 2008, a última reunião de cúpula da Otan, na cidade de Bucareste, reconheceu a aspiração da Geórgia de participar da aliança militar liderada pelos EUA, apesar da resistência alemã e da oposição explícita do governo russo. E no dia 11 de julho de 2008, aviões da Força Aérea Russa sobrevoaram o território da Ossétia do Sul na véspera da visita, à Geórgia, da secretária de Estado norte-americana, Condollezza Rice, para inaugurar, no dia 15 de julho, à operação "Resposta Imediata 2008": um exercício militar conjunto do exército norte-americano com as tropas da Geórgia, Ucrânia, Armênia e Azerbaijão, realizado na Base Aérea de Vaziani, que havia pertencido à Força Aérea Russa até 2001. Logo em seguida, no dia 8 de agosto de 2008, as Forças Armadas da Geórgia atacaram a província da Ossétia do Sul e conquistaram sua capital, Tskhinvali. Não está claro por quê a Geórgia atacou a Ossétia do Sul exatamente no dia da abertura das Olimpíadas chinesas. Mas não há dúvida que a grande surpresa dos governos envolvidos nesta história foi a rapidez, extensão e eficácia da resposta russa, que em poucas horas, cercou, dividiu e atacou - por terra, mar e ar - o território da Geórgia, numa demonstração contundente de decisão política, organização militar e poder de conquista. Tudo feito com tamanha rapidez e agilidade que deixou os governos "ocidentais" perplexos, divididos e impotentes, obrigados a acompanhar os desdobramentos da ofensiva russa, hora a hora, por meio de fatos consumados, sem conseguir saber ou poder antecipar o seu objetivo final.

Logo depois da Segunda Guerra Mundial, Hans Morghentau, pai da teoria política internacional norte-americana, formulou uma tese muito simples e clássica sobre a origem das guerras. Segundo Morghentau, "a permanência do status de subordinação dos países derrotados numa guerra pode facilmente produzir a vontade destes países desfazerem a derrota e jogarem por terra o novo status quo internacional criado pelos vitoriosos, retomando seu antigo lugar na hierarquia do poder mundial. Ou seja, a política imperialista dos países vitoriosos tende a provocar uma política imperialista igual e contrária da parte dos derrotados. E se o derrotado não tiver sido arruinado para sempre, ele quererá retomar os territórios que perdeu e, se possível, ganhar ainda mais do que perdeu, na última guerra". Em 1991, depois do fim da Guerra Fria, não houve um acordo de paz que estabelecesse as perdas da URSS e que definisse claramente as regras da nova ordem mundial imposta pelos vitoriosos, como havia acontecido no fim da Primeira e da Segunda Guerras Mundiais. De fato, a URSS não foi atacada, seu exército não foi destruído e seus governantes não foram punidos, mas durante toda a década de 90 os EUA e a UE apoiaram a autonomia dos países da antiga zona de influência soviética, e promoveram ativamente o desmembramento do território russo. Começando pela Letônia, Estônia e Lituânia, e seguindo pela Ucrânia, a Bielorússia, os Bálcãs, o Cáucaso e os países da Ásia Central. Neste período, os EUA também lideraram a expansão da Otan na direção do Leste, contra a opinião de alguns países europeus. E mais recentemente, os EUA e a UE apoiaram a independência do Kosovo, aceleraram a instalação do seu "escudo anti-mísseis" na Europa Central, e estão armando e treinando as forças armadas da Ucrânia, da Geórgia e dos países da Ásia Central, sem levar em conta que a maior parte destes países pertenceu ao território russo durante os últimos três séculos. Em 1890, o Império Russo, construído no Século XVIII, por Pedro o Grande e Catarina II, tinha 22.400.000 Km2 e 130 milhões de habitantes, era o segundo maior império contíguo da história da humanidade e uma da cinco maiores potências da Europa. No Século XX, durante o período soviético, o território russo se manteve do mesmo tamanho, a população chegou a 300 milhões de habitantes e a Rússia se transformou na segunda maior potência militar e econômica do mundo. Pois bem, hoje a Rússia tem 17.075.200 km2 e apenas 152 milhões de habitantes, ou seja, em apenas uma década, a década de 1990, a Rússia perdeu cerca de 5.000.000 km2 e cerca de 140 milhões de habitantes.

A maior parte dos analistas internacionais que se dedicam a prever o futuro se esquecem - em geral - que os grandes vitoriosos de 1991 não foram apenas os EUA. Foram os EUA, a Alemanha e a China. Numa virada histórica onde só houve um grande derrotado, a URSS, cuja destruição trouxe de volta ao cenário internacional uma Rússia mutilada e ressentida. A Alemanha e a China ainda tomarão muitos anos para "digerir" os novos territórios e zonas de influência que conquistaram, nas últimas décadas, na Europa Central e no Sudeste Asiático. Enquanto isto, o desaparecimento da União Soviética colocou a Rússia na condição de uma potência derrotada, que perdeu um quarto do seu território e metade de sua população, mas que ainda mantém de pé o seu armamento atômico e o seu potencial militar e econômico, junto com uma decisão cada vez explícita "de desfazer a derrota e jogar por terra o novo status quo internacional criado pelos vitoriosos (em 1991), retomando seu lugar na hierarquia do poder mundial". Por isto, neste início do Século XXI, a Rússia é um desafio e uma incógnita para os dirigentes de Bruxelas e de Washington e para os comandantes militares da Otan, quando, na verdade, o mistério não é tão grande - se Hans Morghentau estiver com a razão, se trata de um segredo de Polichinelo: a Rússia foi a grande perdedora da década de 90 e, ao contrário do que diz o senso comum, será a grande questionadora da nova ordem mundial, qualquer que ela seja, até que lhe devolvam - ou ela retome - o seu velho território, conquistado por Pedro, o Grande, e Catarina II. Por isso, a atual guerra na Geórgia não é uma guerra antiga, pelo contrário, é um anúncio do futuro.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:04 0 comentários
Tribos vencem na era da globalização
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 13/08/08




A guerra na Geórgia/Ossétia do Sul é o mais acabado exemplo de que, mesmo no auge da globalização, conceitos tribais superam quaisquer outras considerações e provocam, nas grandes potências, a cínica adoção do velhíssimo ditado popular "faça o que eu digo, não faça o que eu faço". O comentário é de Clóvis Rossi, jornalista, e publicado no jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 13-08-2008.

Afinal, como perguntava o jornalista Thierry Maliniak em "El País", da Espanha: "Se se podem modificar as fronteiras em bases étnicas nos Bálcãs, por que não no Cáucaso?".

Refere-se, como é óbvio, ao fato de que a União Européia e os EUA apoiaram e patrocinaram a independência de Kosovo, nos Bálcãs, de maioria albanesa, contrariando Sérvia e Rússia. Se houvesse lógica, EUA e UE deveriam apoiar a independência da Ossétia do Sul, de maioria russa, supostamente sufocada pela Geórgia.

Aliás, se a Rússia usasse a lógica, deveria aceitar a independência de Kosovo, pelo mesmo motivo que incentiva a independência da Ossétia do Sul.

Quando a lógica contradiz os jogos de influência e de poder, perde a lógica.

Mas os jogos de poder já não são como eram. A Rússia engoliu a independência kosovar, o que não ocorreria nos tempos da União Soviética, em sua área de influência.

Agora, o presidente George W. Bush e seu vice, Dick Cheney, podem ranger os dentes, ameaçar e gritar, sem que a Rússia ficasse minimamente comovida. Ao contrário, esmagou rapidamente um movimento, provavelmente mal calculado, do governo da Geórgia, o mais recente aliado do Ocidente nas vizinhanças da Rússia.

Uma coisa é aceitar "revoluções coloridas", primeiro na Ucrânia e depois na própria Geórgia, que trocaram governos pró-Rússia por governos pró-Ocidente. Outra seria aceitar a humilhação de não defender a própria tribo (os russos da Ossétia do Sul). Há quem ache que a ofensiva na região é uma volta às políticas da velha URSS. Pode ser, mas é mais provável que se trate da última fronteira traçada pela nova Rússia, claramente tribal.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:02 0 comentários
O mundo é um lugar mais perigoso
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 13/08/08




Exceto que o imprevisível aconteça, a curta guerra na Geórgia pode ser dada como encerrada com uma vitória estratégica da Rússia. Cabe perguntar: após fracassar, o Ocidente conseguirá formular uma política coerente na relação com a renascida Moscou? O comentário é de Igor Gielow e publicado no jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 13-08-2008.

Nos anos seguintes ao fim da Guerra Fria, o carnaval de ilusões festivas dos anos Clinton proporcionou um modelo de relacionamento definido pela chamada Parceria pela Paz - um fórum de debate entre os membros da Otan e os países que orbitavam a antiga União Soviética. O clube, criado em 1994, ainda existe, mas só no papel.

Seguros da debacle russa após a crise econômica de 1998, que coroou uma década de desmonte da ex-superpotência, os líderes dos EUA e da Europa resolveram jogar no lixo o discurso pacifista e intervir em Kosovo. Impotente, a Rússia calou.

Por todos seus erros, o choque de realidade do 11 de Setembro e a política de George W. Bush tiveram ao menos o mérito de tirar o falso verniz humanitário da ação em Kosovo, amplificando o modelo quase ao paroxismo. Não se trata de defesa do que ocorreu: com a exceção do ataque inicial ao Taleban, é bem difícil achar justificativas para o monstro nascido após setembro de 2001.

Putin

O processo de acomodação dos antigos membros do Pacto de Varsóvia à nova Europa começou de fato em 1999, quando os três primeiros ex-comunistas entraram na Otan. Novamente, a Rússia apenas pôde torcer o nariz. Mas foi 2004 que assistiu a incorporação de outros sete membros, trazendo a aliança militar ocidental às bordas da Rússia.

A essa altura, Vladimir Putin já dava as cartas, e o país começava a colher os frutos da alta do petróleo que, ironicamente, se deve em parte justamente às políticas de Washington. Tolhendo liberdades, reestatizando a economia e firmando um grupo fechado no poder, Putin semeou o solo para a mostra de força no Cáucaso.

Enquanto podia, a Otan empurrou suas fronteiras a leste. Mas a Rússia já estava suficientemente ameaçadora quando o flerte com a Geórgia e a Ucrânia tomou corpo, e a solução foi fazer uma aposta nas chamadas "revoluções coloridas".

Só que a Revolução Laranja, na Ucrânia, deu no que deu: corrupção generalizada, desestabilização por parte de Moscou e uma crise atrás da outra. A Rosa, na Geórgia, criou o instável Mikhail Saakashvili, que se mostrou um péssimo estrategista ao dar a desculpa ideal para o passeio militar russo em seu país.

Cenário à frente

A relação carnal entre Saakashvili e Bush não deverá sobreviver ao próximo presidente americano -isso se o georgiano estiver no poder. A Geórgia foi perdida.

O Ocidente terá de reinventar seu olhar. Foram Alemanha e França que impediram a entrada da Geórgia na Otan, como queria Bush em abril deste ano. Mas teria a aceitação impedido o de- senrolar da crise no Cáucaso? Voltaríamos aos anos 60?

Isso tudo é especulação, a realidade está aí e é outra. Moscou está numa posição de força, a Europa vê seu plano energético alternativo ir para o espaço.

O Kremlin agora está na posição daquele conquistador romano que desfilava com os louros da vitória, descrito na cena final de "Patton": numa bela carruagem, mas com um escravo sussurrando ao seu ouvido que "toda a glória é efêmera". Assim, talvez movidos pelo sussurro, Putin e os seus irão atrás de novos acertos de contas, e o escudo antimísseis de Bush é apenas um deles.

Como o Ocidente lidará com isso? O pragmatismo militarista que o fim da era Bush prometia reduzir pode na verdade ter se ampliado; o mundo ficou um lugar mais perigoso.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 10:56 0 comentários
As commodities em baixa. Crise no campo?
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 13/08/08




Os fundos de investimentos, que inflaram os preços das commodities neste ano, estão saindo dos mercados agrícolas futuros. Atrás dessa saída fica um rastro de preços baixos e perspectivas ruins para os produtores, principalmente para os brasileiros, que estão prestes a iniciar o plantio de verão. A reportagem é de Mauro Zafalon e publicada pelo jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 13-08-2008.

Nos últimos 30 dias, os preços dos grãos vêm despencando na Bolsa de commodities de Chicago, principal formadora dos preços internacionais dos produtos agrícolas. Com essa queda, os produtores de soja de Mato Grosso, que tinham perspectivas de ganhar R$ 400 por hectare há 30 dias, quando o mercado atingiu preços recordes, vêem um cenário de perda de R$ 100 por hectare.

A queda leva os produtores agrícolas do céu para o inferno. Além de amargar preços baixos e real valorizado, os custos de produção foram recordes nesta safra. O custo dos fertilizantes dobrou, e as empresas de insumos aproveitaram as até então boas perspectivas de preços para repor margens.
Sem preços para seus produtos e custos elevados, as contas de muitos produtores não vão fechar. Na avaliação deles, a situação no campo pode voltar aos período de dois anos atrás, de crise generalizada.

Os fundos não são os únicos responsáveis por essa queda das commodities, mas a atuação deles é importante. Fernando Muraro, da consultoria Agência Rural, diz que só na semana passada eles "venderam" 4 milhões de toneladas de soja, o que ajuda a derrubar os preços. Essa saída dos fundos do mercado de commodities vem se acentuando, já que desde o início de julho, as vendas acumuladas eram de 7,4 milhões de toneladas.

A posição atual dos fundos de investimentos é de 46,5 milhões de toneladas de soja, abaixo do recorde de 57 milhões de junho, conforme acompanhamento da AgRural. No caso do milho, as vendas somam 14,4 milhões de toneladas desde o início de julho, com o total de participação desses fundos no mercado se reduzindo a 29 milhões de toneladas. Chegou a 50 milhões no ano passado.

Estoques baixos

Sem incentivos para o plantio, os produtores brasileiros devem deixar de ocupar áreas antes programadas para o cultivo, retardando a recomposição dos estoques mundiais de grãos. Os baixos estoques são parte importante da inflação de alimentos que afeta todo o planeta, também impulsionada justamente pela especulação dos investidores financeiros.

"Essa conta deve ser paga também pelo resto do mundo, via elevação de preços", segundo avaliação de José Pitoli, da Coopermibra, cooperativa do noroeste do Paraná.

Muraro, da AgRural, diz que "o cenário mudou". Os motivos extracampo são a queda do petróleo, que reduz a atratividade dos investimentos em commodities como um todo, a valorização do dólar, que encarece a negociação dos produtos, e as perspectivas de crescimento menor da economia, que pode reduzir a demanda.

Já no campo, as perspectivas atuais de produção nos EUAs são bem diferentes das de algumas semanas atrás, quando a situação estava bastante indefinida devido às enchentes no Meio-Oeste, principal área de produção de grãos do país. Dados de ontem do USDA (Departamento de Agricultura dos EUA) indicam uma boa safra.

Com isso, o cenário de oferta e demanda, embora ainda apertado, fica mais folgado para a safra 2008/9, segundo Muraro..


Carlos Cesar Nespolo, produtor de Campo de Mourão (PR), afirma que "este será um ano perigoso". Apesar de ter as contas em dia, Nespolo diz que "os investimentos para esta safra foram muito elevados, os custos dobraram". Diante desse cenário adverso, o produtor teme pela produtividade. "Vamos ter de diminuir os investimentos [com adubos, herbicidas, diesel etc.] tentando interferir o mínimo possível na produtividade", diz Nespolo.

Nas condições atuais, o plantio não se viabiliza em Goiás e Mato Grosso, diz o produtor. Além de uma perspectiva de ganhos menores, e em muitos casos até prejuízo, o produtor não tem acesso ao crédito colocado à disposição pelo governo devido a dívidas anteriores. "Muita gente, se vender tudo não paga as dívidas", diz Nespolo. "Se antes já era difícil a obtenção de crédito, imagine agora", acrescenta.
"Alguém vai acabar pagando essa conta, que deveria ser mandada para os fundos de investimentos que participaram do mercado de commodities agrícolas", diz Pitoli.

Indefinidos

A perspectiva de perda de R$ 100 por hectare para o produtor de Mato Grosso será um grande desestímulo, e a área prevista de plantio de soja - próximo de 22,5 milhões de hectares - não deverá ser ocupada, na avaliação de Muraro.

A bolha das commodities de 2008 estourou, mas com esse cenário de preços baixos e redução de plantio está se construindo a de 2009, mas sem a participação dos fundos, segundo Muraro. "Sem o estímulo do preço para 2009, a área de produção não cresce e teremos mais um cenário de alta em 2009", segundo ele.

Os produtores que compraram os insumos antecipadamente e "travaram os preços" -ou seja, já acertaram os valores de vendas de seus produtos-, vão ter lucro. Os que compraram os insumos, mas não "travaram os preços", vão apenas empatar. Já os que ainda não fizeram nenhuma dessas opções, provavelmente não vão nem plantar porque o prejuízo é certo, diz Pitoli.

Preço não cai

A financeirização das commodities teve custo direto também aos consumidores. Pitoli diz que a tonelada de trigo, que chegou a ser negociada a R$ 850, está em R$ 550, mas essa queda ainda não foi sentida nos preços do pãozinho. Nas contas da Fipe (Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas) o pão francês acumula alta de 30,4% nos últimos 12 meses, contra uma inflação de 6%.

A Fipe indica, no entanto, que o produto vem registrando taxas muito menores de alta. Em abril, a elevação do pãozinho foi de 9%. Nas últimas quatro semanas foi de 0,25%, conforme dados divulgados ontem pela instituição.

Outros produtos, como o óleo de soja, já começam a cair - menos 0,26% em julho -, mas ainda acumula 53% de alta em 12 meses.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 10:54 0 comentários
Terça-feira, Agosto 12, 2008
Cadê a influência dos EUA na Ásia?
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 12/08/08




Os Estados Unidos dominaram economicamente a Ásia do nordeste desde o fim da segunda guerra mundial. Mas hoje aquelas regiões se encontram entre aos onze maiores economias mundiais.
O desafio do Pacífico e a crise da globalidade. Do conflito ideológico dos anos sessenta e setenta ao do Wto de hoje. Estados Unidos e China se enfrentam a partir da questão alimentar. Porque o extremo Oriente provoca medo. A reportagem é do jornal La Repubblica, 05-08-2008.

Dez anos atrás, entre experts de economia e de geo-estratégia, o século 21 era freqüentemente definido como o século do Pacífico. Agora ele é evocado como o século da Ásia. Entre estas duas previsões existe no meio uma mudança de percepção sobre a natureza do desafio que opõe as margens do Pacífico, a americana e a asiática. O último conflito entre as duas beiras no fim de julho fez descarrilar o importante Doha Round, a negociação no seio da organização do comércio mundial (Wto – Word trade organization - Organização Mundial do Comércio - OMC)), da qual devia vir um novo impulso à globalização. A contenda viu a China e a Índia num front contraposto aos EUA.

O terreno do conflito são interesses vitais. A América tem uma das agriculturas mais produtivas do mundo, uma formidável máquina de exportação sustentada em geral por generosos subsídios públicos. A China e a Índia são sofrivelmente auto-suficientes para a produção dos produtos agrícolas de base e têm vastíssimas populações rurais. Quase um bilhão e meio de pessoas, quando se somam os dois países, dependem da atividade agrícola. Pequim e Nova Delhi bloquearam a ulterior liberalização das trocas mundiais porque escolheram outras prioridades, procurando um delicado equilíbrio entre a segurança do aprovisionamento para o mercado interno e a defesa dos rendimentos de seus agricultores. A América dera uma contribuição decisiva ao ativar a atual inflação mundial dos preços alimentares. A lobby agrícola do Meio-Oeste conquistou ricas ajudas estatais para a conversão de cereais em biocombustíveis. As terras cultiváveis disponíveis no planeta e as colheitas de cereais foram repartidos entre os consumidores asiáticos e os automóveis americanos. A novidade política que emergiu com o último braço de ferro é o poder de veto que a China e a Índia exercem atualmente no seio da OMC. As duas superpotências asiáticas conduzem uma ampla fileira de países emergentes e podem pôr em cheque qualquer plano dos Estados Unidos. O fiasco de Doha ilumina relações de forças profundamente mudadas.

A América pode, pois tornar-se a vítima do século asiático, porque é o país mais exposto a sofrer um rebaixamento e um ataque à sua liderança planetária? Ou, ao invés disso, precisamente porque os Estados Unidos “ainda” são uma potência do Pacífico, eles estão bem preparados para adaptar-se e redefinir a própria função num mundo onde o baricentro do poder econômico – e em perspectiva político-militar – aponte naquela direção? A centralidade do Pacífico é um dado adquirido. Seus efeitos sobre a hierarquia das potências continuam controversos. Esta ambivalência não é propriamente recente. A projeção da influência americana no Pacífico tem início com a guerra das Filipinas (1899), a política exterior de Theodore Roosevelt, a mediação na guerra russo-japonesa de 1905. Desde quando aparece no cenário como uma nação emergente, e nutre as primeiras ambições de influência internacional, a América elabora uma idéia do Pacífico como de uma área estratégica para o próprio futuro: uma zona do mundo da qual poderá haurir grandes benefícios na condição de manter-se em guarda contra as ameaças. É uma agressão que vem daquela parte – o ataque japonês a Pearl Harbor em 1941 – que impele Washington à segunda guerra mundial. É na outra margem do Pacífico que as tropas americanas combatem as duas guerras de longa duração mais cruentas após o conflito mundial, na Coréia nos anos 50 e no Vietnã nos anos 60 (em cada uma daquelas frentes pereceu um número acima de dez vezes maior de soldados americanos, mortos até então entre o Iraque e o Afeganistão). É daquela parte do Oceano que nos anos 70 e 80 vem um novo desafio, pacífico mas insidioso: o ‘made in Japan’ põe em crise setores destacados da grande indústria americana (automóveis, siderurgia, química, estaleiros, eletrônica); as finanças de Tóquio dão a escalada a instituições históricas de Wall Street e Hollywood. A América se refaz após todos aqueles desafios. No vigoroso crescimento dos anos noventa projeta uma operação grandiosa: a cooptação da China na OMC, a integração da maior nação no interior de uma arquitetura global desenhada pelos próprios Estados Unidos.

Por detrás está uma visão otimista da globalização dos mercados: o desenvolvimento não é um jogo de soma zero, a decolagem de novos protagonistas não deve enfraquecer o país mais rico. A lógica do círculo vicioso prevalece sobre as ânsias de ultrapassagem. O Pacífico promete maravilhas para um país que sabe captar suas potencialidades. A grande indústria hi-tech da Califórnia abriu o caminho, deslocando-se como primeira à outra margem do oceano, o Maré Nostrum americano.

A primeira década do século vinte e um traz um sinal diverso. Após 60 anos de hegemonia americana o equilíbrio de poder no Pacífico se desloca. Os Estados Unidos sofrem um declínio relativo, a China está em ascensão, o Japão e a Coréia do Sul balouçam. As implicações para Washington são de longo alcance: na Ásia norte-oriental encontram-se três das onze maiores economias mundiais e três dos quatro maiores exércitos do planeta. Os Estados Unidos têm dominado economicamente o nordeste da Ásia desde o fim da segunda guerra mundial, conquistando um consenso através de suas políticas de ajuda de livre comércio. Hoje não são mais tão influentes; devem compartilhar o palco com a China. Em 2007 o comércio entre a China e o Japão superou aquele entre os Estados Unidos e o Japão pela primeira vez desde a segunda guerra mundial. Hoje a China está em ação para contrapor-se à rede de alianças que a América construíra na Ásia. Pequim conduziu uma ofensiva diplomática para construir suas próprias alianças bilaterais.

Nas últimas duas décadas estabeleceu relações diplomáticas com antigos aliados americanos, como Singapura e Coréia do Sul, restabeleceu as relações com a Indonésia, recozeu com a Índia, a Rússia e o Vietnã. A China multiplica os seus esforços também no terreno multilateral. Superou a antiga desconfiança com as organizações internacionais (resquício de uma época na qual temia ser colocada sistematicamente em minoria) e agora deles participa mais do que a América. Pequim é membro da Asean+1 (Association of Southeast Asian Nations + China), da Asean+3 (Ásia e China, Japão, Coréia do Sul),da Ásia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), da Shanghai Cooperation Organization, e da East Asian Summit. A China também está construindo uma rede de acordo de livre comércio na Ásia, que se acrescenta às suas relações bilaterais e multilaterais.

O candidato republicano às eleições presidenciais John McCain afirma: “Hoje no mundo o poder está se deslocando para o Oriente. A região Ásia-Pacífico está em ascensão. As relações com uma China cada vez mais forte será um desafio central para o próximo presidente americano”. No front conservador o modelo é a política de contenção que Ronald Reagan levou a cabo com sucesso para a União soviética. O candidato democrata Barack Obama é mais otimista sobre a possibilidade de que a América restaure, com o ‘soft power’, a própria influência sobre o Pacífico; porém está menos convicto de que a globalização ainda seja um jogo vencedor para os coletes azuis americanos. Uma vez mais é no Pacífico que se joga tudo: a busca de novos equilíbrios, novas complementaridades, ou as fagulhas do futuro conflito.



Postado por GEOBLOG às 16:25 0 comentários
Quem é quem na nova classe média
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 12/08/08




"Desde 2002, a probabilidade de ascender da classe C para a classe A nunca foi tão alta, e a de cair para a classe E nunca foi tão baixa como agora", afirma Marcelo Côrtes Neri, chefe do Centro de Políticas Sociais do IBRE/FGV e professor da EPGE/FGV, em artigo publicado no jornal Valor, 12-08-2008.

Eis o artigo.

O Centro de Políticas Sociais (CPS/IBRE/FGV) lançou na terça o estudo "A Nova Classe Média" (vide). Um ponto questionado por alguns é que a renda da nova classe média parece baixa. Antes de sujarmos as mãos de graxa nas engrenagens da pesquisa: depois de anos de instabilidade e estagnação, a classe média tupiniquim está crescendo aceleradamente. Este é o ponto. O Brasil, recém-promovido a "investiment grade" pelas agências de rating internacionais, já em 2007 passou a integrar o grupo de países com alto IDH pela ONU. O estudo revela a contrapartida disto no dia-a-dia da parte mais sensível da anatomia humana: o bolso. A renda da parcela da classe C subiu 22,8% de abril de 2004 a abril de 2008. Neste mesmo período, a renda de nossas classes A e B subiu 33,6%. Portanto, para quem acha que a classe média é mais rica que a nossa classe C, a conclusão que a classe média cresceu não é afetada.

Na pesquisa, partimos de duas perspectivas na classificação das classes. Uma primeira é pela análise das atitudes e expectativas das pessoas. Este tipo de abordagem foi desenvolvida nos anos 50 e 60 por George Katona, psicólogo behaviorista. Seguindo nesta linha, Thomas Friedman define classe média como aquela que tem um plano bem definido de ascensão social para o futuro. Esta fábrica de realização de sonhos individuais é o motor fundamental para a conquista da riqueza das nações. O combustível é o anseio de subir na vida; o lubrificante seria o ambiente de trabalho e negócios. O CPS propõe medidas nessa linha subjetiva: o nosso Índice de Felicidade Futura (IFF) será lançado em breve. Podemos antecipar que o índice é alto no Brasil vis-a-vis com outros países, consistente com a emergência da classe média do país.

A segunda forma de definir as classes econômicas E, D, C, B e A é pelo potencial de consumo. O Critério Brasil usa acesso e número de bens duráveis (TV, rádio, lava-roupa, geladeira e freezer, vídeo-cassete ou DVD), banheiros, empregada doméstica e nível de instrução do chefe de família. Este critério estima os pesos a partir de equação minceriana de renda. Além de estarmos medindo isso, propomos conceituação complementar para medir a evolução da nova classe média no Brasil também do ponto de vista do produtor. Ou seja, da capacidade de manter de fato este potencial de consumo ao longo do tempo. Desde o clássico trabalho de Robert Hall de 1977 sabemos que o consumo corrente contém informação sobre os padrões futuros de consumo; já a análise da composição destas despesas, separando o hedonismo da capacidade de produção a um mesmo nível de despesas das pessoas, é útil. Nos termos da fábula de La Fontaine, há que se distinguir as formigas das cigarras consumistas. De toda forma, todos os indicadores, seja do ponto de vista do consumidor, seja do produtor, apontam para o boom na classe C: casa, carro, computador, crédito e carteira de trabalho estão nos seus recordes históricos.

O sempre atento IBGE realiza agora excelente Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF) e já anunciou acompanhamento das despesas de consumo das famílias em bases regulares. Enquanto não chegamos lá, implementamos metodologia para explorar os microdados do IBGE. A PME cobre 40 mil domicílios-mês nas seis principais regiões metropolitanas. Além da limitação geográfica, a pesquisa só trata da renda do trabalho. O ponto forte, além do tamanho da amostra, é a sua maior atualidade. Enquanto a última POF é de 2002/03 e a Pnad é de setembro de 2006, conseguimos chegar com a PME até abril de 2008. A desigualdade de renda segue na trajetória de queda observada desde 2001. Não há nada similar na história brasileira estatisticamente documentada (desde 1960). Tal como na metáfora do motorista, do retrovisor e do pára-brisas, se quisermos nos guiar pela realidade brasileira, é preciso olhar a cena corrente, até porque o tráfego está mais intenso.

Outra vantagem ímpar da PME é a de medir mudanças de faixas de renda das mesmas famílias ao longo do tempo. Por exemplo, a pesquisa mostra que, apesar da crise externa, 2007 e 2008 são dois dos três melhores períodos em termos de recuperação de renda. O fato de que, ao contrário do outro ano de destaque (2004), não estarmos saindo de uma recessão interna, ou vivendo uma bonança externa, torna 2008 surpreendente. Desde 2002, a probabilidade de ascender da classe C para a classe A nunca foi tão alta. E a de cair para a classe E nunca foi tão baixa. O Brasil das estatísticas de renda e emprego surpreende.

A classe C é a classe central, abaixo da A e B e acima da D e E. A nossa classe C sobe de 42% para 52% agora. Segundo o Pew Institute, 53% dos norte-americanos se consideram classe média. O novo Critério Brasil classificava em 2005 cerca de 43% dos brasileiros de classe C, próximos dos 42% de 2004. A fim de quantificar as faixas, calculamos a renda domiciliar per capita do trabalho e depois a expressamos em termos equivalentes de renda domiciliar total de todas as fontes. A faixa C central está compreendida entre os R$ 1.064 e os R$ 4.561, a preços de hoje na Grande São Paulo. Os estudos internacionais variam o limite superior mensal de classe média de US$ 6 mil (Banco Mundial) a US$ 300 (Barnajee & Duflo do MIT), passando por US$ 500 (Goldman Sachs). O nosso está dentro dos limites deles, que variam muito entre si. A nossa classe C está compreendida entre os imediatamente acima dos 50% mais pobres e os 10% mais ricos na virada do século. Heuristicamente, os limites da classe C seriam as fronteiras para o lado indiano e para o lado belga da nossa Belíndia.

Não tenho nada contra aqueles que olham para a nossa classe C e a enxergam como média-baixa, e para a nossa classe B como média-alta. Não somos os EUA, mas este também é um país livre. O Mais importante é ter um critério consistente definido. A nossa classe C aufere em média a renda média da sociedade, ou seja, é classe média no sentido estatístico. Dada nossa desigualdade, a renda média é alta em relação a nossa mediana. Oitenta por cento das pessoas no mundo vivem em países com níveis de renda per capita menores que o brasileiro. Para aqueles que acham que a renda da classe C é baixa: acordem, pois ela é a imagem mais próxima da sociedade brasileira. A elite que se julga classe média e acha feio o que vê, procure as palavras Made in USA atrás de seu espelho.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 16:22 0 comentários
Caxias do Sul produz primeiro ônibus movido a hidrogênio
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 12/08/08




Uma empresa de chassis de Caxias do Sul, na Serra gaúcha, é a responsável pelo primeiro protótipo de um veículo movido a hidrogênio no país. O ônibus que está em fase final de testes vai circular em São Paulo a partir de novembro. A reportagem é de Paula Cassandra e publicada pela Agência de Notícias Chasque, 11-08-2008.

O professor da Faculdade de Química da Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-RS), Marcus Seferin, aponta que o hidrogênio é uma alternativa para os combustíveis fósseis, porque os carros não emitem os gases de efeito estufa.

“O veículo a hidrogênio não emite gás de efeito estufa porque a energia do veículo vem de uma reação química onde se forma água. Os combustíveis fósseis têm uma reação química onde se forma dióxido de carbono e esse é um gás que aumenta o efeito estufa”, diz.

Enquanto os veículos movidos a hidrogênio em outros países são comuns, como na Inglaterra, Seferin afirma que o Brasil engatinha na tecnologia. Devido à dificuldade em armazenar o gás, a produção brasileira é baixa.

No entanto, para Seferin, o aumento da produção é uma questão de tempo, já que o Brasil é abundante em matéria-prima, como carvão mineral e aterros sanitários.

Já a ambientalista e coordenadora do Núcleo Amigos da Terra, Lúcia Ortiz, alerta sobre o uso do hidrogênio. Com o gás, os carros deixam de poluir o meio ambiente. No entanto, nada vai adiantar se o hidrogênio for produzido a partir da queima de combustíveis fósseis, processo que causa o efeito estufa.

"Muitos cientistas dizem que são necessárias quantidades muito grandes de energia para que se possa obter as moléculas de hidrogênio e, muitas vezes, esse hidrogênio vem de fontes fósseis também, como o próprio petróleo, ou gás natural, e principalmente o carvão mineral, onde o hidrogênio é separado desse combustível fóssil, mas nesse processo, se geram também tanto o gás de efeito estufa, quanto poluentes para a atmosfera”, diz.

Além disso, Lúcia afirma que são urgentes políticas públicas que conscientizem a população da necessidade de diminuir a demanda pelos veículos motorizados.

“Mas em curto prazo é necessário que se tomem medidas muito mais urgentes, de privilegiar o transporte não motorizado, a qualidade do transporte público, que permita uma mobilidade mais eficiente e menos demandante em energia pelas pessoas, moradores da cidade”, diz.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 16:21 0 comentários
Geórgia: efeito boomerang
Carta Capital - 12/08/08


O ex-presidente Mikhail Gorbachev, já ganhador do Nobel da paz, sustenta que os EUA sabiam da pretensão de a Geórgia invadir a Ossétia do Sul.

Para Gorbachev, o governo Bush apoiou a ação militar georgiana de invadir a Ossétia do Sul e o governo russo reagiu de forma adequada:

“As ações da Rússia foram inteiramente adequadas, ao contrário se pode afirmar das reações do Ocidente”.

Para Gorbachev, “sem apoio dos EUA, Tbilisi (capital da Geórgia) não teria se arriscado a começar uma guerra na Ossétia do Sul”.

O certo é que o presidente da Geórgia, há alguns meses, vinha provocando a Rússia, que estabeleceu, de fato, um protetorado na Ossétia e na Abcazia. Na última, tem até um uma linha imaginária de fronteira. E por incrível funciona um “posto de fronteira”, com georgianos a controlar a saída e líderes separatistas da Ossétia a autprizar, com apoio russo, a entrada, num território onde cerca de 90% dos membros da etnia ossétia adotaram a cidadania russa. Como se percebe, de fato, já existe uma desvinculação da Geórgia.

A aventura do presidente georgiano, com o trapalhão Bush em apoio, durou exatos seis dias. O governo russo reagiu como ao tempo dos antigos generais, ou seja, com rapidez e brutalidade.

A dupla Putin-Medvedev esperava a invasão na Ossétia e já contavam com um plano de reação e desmoralização do presidente Mikhail Saakashvili.

Para ter idéia, as tropas, de pronto, invadiram a Geórgia e controlaram Gori, Santrédia e Senaki, ou melhor, tomaram conta de todas as vias de acesso à Geórgia.

Com o cessar-fogo agora anunciado, a Rússia, depois de receber de “bandeja” do presidente da Geórgia um motivo para intervir naquela região do Cáucaso, deixou claro três pontos:

1. funciona bem o sistema de protetorado, a conferir independência à Ossétia do Sul e à Abcasia. Aliás, ambas já prontas para uma unificação à Rússia: a Ossétia do Norte já integra o território russo.

2. deixa um aviso aos EUA e aos estados que se tornaram independentes da ex-URSS, no sentido de a Rússia estar pronta a recorrer à força bélica para defender os seus interesses.

3. continuará a influir na questão interna da Geórgia, que enfrenta três focos de separatismo: Ossétia do Sul, Abcasia e Adzaristão.

Pode-se concluir, também, que o presidente da Geórgia perdeu, apesar da posição estratégia do seu país e do trunfo do oleoduto BTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan: duto que leva para o Mediterrâneo o petróleo do mar Cáspio, sem cortar a Rússia e o Irã) e do gasoduto Nabuco, em construção, todas as chances de o seu país ingressar na NATO. Um país em conflito não cabe na geoestratégia estabelecida pela NATO.

PANO RÁPIDO. Além do efeito "boomerang" suportado pela Geórgia em face da temerária aventura do seu presidente, ficou claro, no tabuleiro internacional, que a Rússia voltou a jogar xadrez, enquanto os norte-americanos continuam com as suas partidas de damas. Achar que se poderia invadir a Ossétia, com os jogos olímpicos a distrair atenções e Putin em Pequim, não passou de uma estratégia ridícula e, ao mesmo tempo, trágica em razão do grande número de mortes de civis.

(Crédito da foto: AP Photo/George Abdaladze)

Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:58 0 comentários
VÍDEO: BBC DESMORALIZA FHC SOBRE CORRUPÇÃO
Conversa Afiada - 11/08/08



Um leitor do Conversa Afiada nos enviou esse vídeo muito interessante. É uma entrevista à BBC em que o Farol de Alexandria se desmoraliza quando tenta provar que não havia corrupção no Governo dele. Que diferença ! Imagine alguém do PiG imprensar o FHC desse jeito ! Nem pensar !

(Em tempo: que inglesinho vagabundo, esse do Farol, hein ? E aqui, na Chuiça (*), todo mundo acha que ele é poliglota...)

Clique aqui para assistir ao vídeo.


(*) "Chuíça": o PIG tenta provar ao resto do Brasil que São Paulo, quando governado por tucanos, é a "Chuíça". Tem o dinamismo econômico da China e o IDH da Suíça.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:55 0 comentários
Tudo pelos juros
Blog do Luis Nassif - 11/08/08




Segundo matéria de Alex Ribeiro, no “Valor”, “Para BC, aperto na política monetária deve diminuir déficit de conta externa” (clique aqui).

Até cego vê que o grande fator de deterioração das contas externas é a política monetária do BC que atrai capital especulativo e joga o dólar para baixo. Aí exporta-se menos e importa-se mais por uma simples questão de preço.

O que o BC pretende?

A hipótese se baseia na constatação de que, para o caso brasileiro, a demanda doméstica é o fator mais importante para determinar o volume de importações, superando até mesmo a taxa de câmbio.

O efeito da alta de juros sobre as contas externas é um assunto controverso entre os economistas. Alguns deles atribuem o déficit em conta corrente, que registrou uma virada de US$ 19,810 bilhões entre o primeiro semestre de 2007 e de 2008, à forte valorização do câmbio, que, por sua vez, teria sido causada sobretudo pela alta de juros.



Outra leitura, difundida pelo BC, é que a política monetária relaxada expandiu a demanda doméstica, puxando o déficit externo. As pesquisas econômicas feitas pela autoridade monetária corroboram essa tese, ao apontar que a chamada absorção doméstica é mais importante do que a taxa de câmbio para explicar o resultado de contas correntes.

A lógica do BC é a seguinte:

A demanda doméstica é mais importante para explicar as importações - alta de 1% no consumo e investimentos leva a um aumento de 1,2% nas importações. Já uma valorização de 1% na taxa de câmbio aumenta em apenas 0,2% as importações.

Faltou explicar quanto a apreciação do real contribui para o aumento da demanda doméstica.

Em reforço ao BC vem a extraordinária intuição de Affonso Celso Pastore, no mesmo jornal:

A intuição sugere que para um exportador é indiferente se um aumento de x% em sua receita de exportações é proveniente de uma depreciação de x% do câmbio real, ou de uma elevação de x% nos preços em dólares das exportações. Intuições somente são úteis quando não são negadas pelos fatos, e esta é uma delas. De fato, a econometria mostra que a resposta do quantum exportado ao câmbio real é igual à sua resposta aos preços em dólares das exportações.

A lógica de Pastore é que para qualquer apreciação do câmbio (que reduz a receita dos exportadores) há um aumento correspondente nos preços que compensa. I-n-a-c-r-e-d-i-t-á-v-e-l! Ele toma o “overshooting” atual dos commodities e transforma em regra econômica permanente. Acabaram as crises cambiais porque sempre haverá espaço para elevar os preços para compensar qualquer nível de apreciação da moeda.

E os déficits, mesmo com esse efeito que revolucionou o sistema de preços na economia mundial?

Contabilmente, os déficits nas contas-correntes são iguais ao excesso das importações sobre as exportações de bens e serviços, mas economicamente eles são idênticos ao excesso dos investimentos (públicos mais privados) sobre as poupanças (pública mais privada).

Tempos atrás, quando se comemorava a melhoria do PIB, o próprio Pastore, em artigo no mesmo valor, dizia que a razão maior foi o câmbio que estimulou o consumo.Na alegria, é o câmbio. Na tristeza, não é o câmbio. Quando se trata de atribuir responsabilidades à deterioração das contas públicas, são os gastos públicos.

A lógica da crise das contas externas e da receita do BC-Pastore é um sofisma óbvio, ao alcance de qualquer aluno de economia, mas que não pode ser explicitada, porque revelaria os erros do BC:

1. Quanto mais o BC aperta os juros, mais aprecia o câmbio.

2. Quanto mais aprecia o câmbio, mais aumenta o déficit nas transações correntes.

3. Em vez de corrigir o câmbio, o que Pastore (e o BC) propõe é uma recessão em tal nível que reduza violentamente a demanda, derrubando as importações e gerando excedentes exportáveis.

4. Ou seja, amarra-se emprego, nível de atividade, necessidade de investimentos, tudo à política monetária do BC.

E, depois, diz-se que tudo está errado. Menos a política monetária do BC.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:39 0 comentários
Tudo pelos juros
Blog do Luis Nassif - 11/08/08




Segundo matéria de Alex Ribeiro, no “Valor”, “Para BC, aperto na política monetária deve diminuir déficit de conta externa” (clique aqui).

Até cego vê que o grande fator de deterioração das contas externas é a política monetária do BC que atrai capital especulativo e joga o dólar para baixo. Aí exporta-se menos e importa-se mais por uma simples questão de preço.

O que o BC pretende?

A hipótese se baseia na constatação de que, para o caso brasileiro, a demanda doméstica é o fator mais importante para determinar o volume de importações, superando até mesmo a taxa de câmbio.

O efeito da alta de juros sobre as contas externas é um assunto controverso entre os economistas. Alguns deles atribuem o déficit em conta corrente, que registrou uma virada de US$ 19,810 bilhões entre o primeiro semestre de 2007 e de 2008, à forte valorização do câmbio, que, por sua vez, teria sido causada sobretudo pela alta de juros.



Outra leitura, difundida pelo BC, é que a política monetária relaxada expandiu a demanda doméstica, puxando o déficit externo. As pesquisas econômicas feitas pela autoridade monetária corroboram essa tese, ao apontar que a chamada absorção doméstica é mais importante do que a taxa de câmbio para explicar o resultado de contas correntes.

A lógica do BC é a seguinte:

A demanda doméstica é mais importante para explicar as importações - alta de 1% no consumo e investimentos leva a um aumento de 1,2% nas importações. Já uma valorização de 1% na taxa de câmbio aumenta em apenas 0,2% as importações.

Faltou explicar quanto a apreciação do real contribui para o aumento da demanda doméstica.

Em reforço ao BC vem a extraordinária intuição de Affonso Celso Pastore, no mesmo jornal:

A intuição sugere que para um exportador é indiferente se um aumento de x% em sua receita de exportações é proveniente de uma depreciação de x% do câmbio real, ou de uma elevação de x% nos preços em dólares das exportações. Intuições somente são úteis quando não são negadas pelos fatos, e esta é uma delas. De fato, a econometria mostra que a resposta do quantum exportado ao câmbio real é igual à sua resposta aos preços em dólares das exportações.

A lógica de Pastore é que para qualquer apreciação do câmbio (que reduz a receita dos exportadores) há um aumento correspondente nos preços que compensa. I-n-a-c-r-e-d-i-t-á-v-e-l! Ele toma o “overshooting” atual dos commodities e transforma em regra econômica permanente. Acabaram as crises cambiais porque sempre haverá espaço para elevar os preços para compensar qualquer nível de apreciação da moeda.

E os déficits, mesmo com esse efeito que revolucionou o sistema de preços na economia mundial?

Contabilmente, os déficits nas contas-correntes são iguais ao excesso das importações sobre as exportações de bens e serviços, mas economicamente eles são idênticos ao excesso dos investimentos (públicos mais privados) sobre as poupanças (pública mais privada).

Tempos atrás, quando se comemorava a melhoria do PIB, o próprio Pastore, em artigo no mesmo valor, dizia que a razão maior foi o câmbio que estimulou o consumo.Na alegria, é o câmbio. Na tristeza, não é o câmbio. Quando se trata de atribuir responsabilidades à deterioração das contas públicas, são os gastos públicos.

A lógica da crise das contas externas e da receita do BC-Pastore é um sofisma óbvio, ao alcance de qualquer aluno de economia, mas que não pode ser explicitada, porque revelaria os erros do BC:

1. Quanto mais o BC aperta os juros, mais aprecia o câmbio.

2. Quanto mais aprecia o câmbio, mais aumenta o déficit nas transações correntes.

3. Em vez de corrigir o câmbio, o que Pastore (e o BC) propõe é uma recessão em tal nível que reduza violentamente a demanda, derrubando as importações e gerando excedentes exportáveis.

4. Ou seja, amarra-se emprego, nível de atividade, necessidade de investimentos, tudo à política monetária do BC.

E, depois, diz-se que tudo está errado. Menos a política monetária do BC.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:39 0 comentários
Rússia: Limite da expansão militar ocidental é o Cáucaso
Site do Azenha - 10/08/08



Atualizado em 10 de agosto de 2008 às 15:02 | Publicado em 10 de agosto de 2008 às 14:38

WASHINGTON - A ação militar da Rússia em defesa de duas regiões separatistas da Geórgia, no Cáucaso, restabelece o conceito de "esfera de influência", que havia caído em desuso desde o fim da guerra fria.

Vai todo mundo jogar a bomba no colo de Vladimir Putin, por ignorância ou má fé. Mas os fatos não sustentam essa versão maniqueísta.

É preciso recuar um pouco à dissolução da União Soviética para entender o que está acontecendo agora. Ao fim do regime soviético se seguiu uma expansão da aliança militar do ocidente (OTAN) em países que antes eram considerados da esfera de influência de Moscou.

Os Estados Unidos flexionaram seus músculos à vontade, mais notadamente na guerra que moveram de forma unilateral no Iraque. Não é possível dissociar o que aconteceu na Rússia da ação americana. Vladimir Putin navegou na reação russa a um mundo unipolar. As grandes reservas de petróleo e gás da Rússia permitiram a ele restabelecer o poder de barganha da Rússia em relação à vizinhança.

O mapa abaixo dá uma idéia do recuo da esfera de influência da antiga União Soviética. Tirando a Áustria, todos os outros países da Europa que aparecem destacados no mapa antes eram satélites de Moscou. Hoje só dois são aliados: Sérvia e Bielorrússia (Belarus).



Dois fatos recentes colaboraram para a desconfiança dos russos: a intenção americana de colocar baterias de mísseis na Polônia e estações de rastreamento na República Tcheca é um deles. Os Estados Unidos dizem que precisam dessas armas para enfrentar um eventual ataque do Irã ou da Coréia do Norte. Putin, espertamente, se ofereceu para instalar o equipamento em território russo. É óbvio que o Pentágono quer avançar suas defesas contra a Rússia. O outro fato foi o reconhecimento da independência de Kosovo pelo Ocidente. A Sérvia, país do qual Kosovo se declarou independente, é o maior aliado da Rússia na Europa Oriental.

É nesse contexto que surgiram as especulações de que a Rússia colocaria aviões bombardeiros em Cuba ou faria aliança militar com a Venezuela.

A Rússia é grande fornecedora de gás e petróleo para a Europa. E parece ter aceito um papel secundário na Europa Oriental, que está firmemente plantada na União Européia e na OTAN.

Coloquei o mapa abaixo para que vocês entendam a importância da Geórgia. Se você olhar um mapa maior, vai ver que o país fica "na barriga da Rússia".

Depois do fim da Guerra Fria os Estados Unidos, através do National Endownment for Democracy (NED) ajudaram a promover mudanças de regime nos antigos satélites soviéticos.

Na Geórgia, por conta da Revolução Rosa, ascendeu ao poder Mikhail Saakashvili, com um discurso francamente pró-ocidental.



O oleoduto Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, de mais de 1.700 quilômetros de extensão, é a única saída do petróleo do Mar Cáspio para o Ocidente que independe da Rússia. É controlado por um consórcio internacional que tem à frente a British Petroleum. Notem que nos confrontos dos últimos dias a Rússia não bombardeou o oleoduto.

Saakashvili, que ascendeu ao poder prometendo reunificar a Geórgia, foi quem tomou a iniciativa de atacar as províncias separatistas. Candidato a entrar na OTAN, ele parece ter calculado que a Rússia não reagiria da forma como reagiu.

Cometeu um erro de cálculo. Como escrevi acima, a Rússia parece ter se conformado com um papel secundário na Europa Oriental. Mas o mesmo não pode se dizer do Cáucaso, uma região nevrálgica onde se encontram algumas das maiores reservas de petróleo e gás do mundo.

Resta saber se a Rússia promoverá ou não uma "troca de regime" na Geórgia.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:37 0 comentários
ALÔ, ALÔ, PiG: CADÊ A “ESCALADA” DA INFLAÇÃO ?
Conversa Afiada - 11/08/08



Alô, alô, Miriam Leitão !
. Alô, alô, PiG, em geral !

. Onde está a “escalada” da inflação que vocês anunciaram de tacape na mão ?

. Há duas semanas consecutivas, a pesquisa Focus do Banco Central, que costuma ser alarmista, registra queda na expectativa de inflação para 2008.

. A Focus agora prevê o crescimento do IPCA – a inflação oficial do Brasil – dentro da meta do Banco Central: 6,45%.

. Para o ano que vem o IPCA, segundo a Focus, deve ser de 5%.

. A inflação no Brasil é a mais baixa dos países emergentes.

. Ou seja, a administração da inflação no Brasil é eficaz.

. O terrorismo do PiG não se consumou.

. A “escalada” da inflação ocorrerá quando se registrar o apagão de energia elétrica no Governo Lula, outra previsão da Miriam Leitão e dos colonistas (clique aqui para ler o verbete “colonista”) do PiG.

. A pesquisa Focus é o resultado da opinião semanal de cem economistas de instituições financeiras do país e pode ser acessada neste endereço: http://www4.bcb.gov.br/pec/GCI/PORT/readout/R20080808.pdf


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:33 0 comentários
PUTIN MANIPULA DADOS DO TRÂNSITO E DO CRIME
Conversa Afiada - 11/08/08



A Folha (da Tarde*) noticia hoje que Putin (o presidente eleito José Serra) e seu apparatchik em São Paulo, Geraldo Kassab, “adaptam” os números sobre o congestionamento em São Paulo, para “aliviar” o congestionamento.
. Clique aqui para ler, na pág. C1.

. Semana passada, a mesma Folha (da Tarde *) tinha divulgado os dados sobre a criminalidade em São Paulo e sua distribuição geográfica.

. Clique aqui para ler.

. Imediatamente, o sociólogo (??? tucano adora “sociólogos” ...) da Secretaria de Segurança deu uma entrevista à imprensa com uma coleção de engodos em tucanês.

. Não explicou nada.

. Clique aqui para ler.

. O presidente eleito José Serra tem dois pequenos problemas para conseguir se reeleger Governador: o congestionamento e o crime.

. O crime, ele esconde.

. O PiG não fala em “PCC”.

. Fala em “organização criminosa”.

. O PiG prefere dar cobertura à criminalidade no Rio.

. O Denarc, segundo o especialista na matéria, o colombiano AbadÍa, é o centro do trÁfico de droga no Estado.

. Entram 100 quilos de cocaína no Denarc, o Denarc registra 20 ...

. O salário dos policias de São Paulo é O MAIS BAIXO DO BRASIL !!!

. Quando os policiais pagam e compram espaço comercial na Globo (por que seria na Globo que isso haveria de acontecer ???), o presidente eleito censura o comercial, com a ajuda da Justiça (?) .

. Clique aqui para ver o comercial que Serra vetou.

. ( O meu amigo Percival de Souza me disse que cobre Polícia em São Paulo há 40 anos. E nunca viu – nem nos anos militares – tanta manipulação de informação quanto hoje.)

. O congestionamento é a obra-prima dos tucanos, depois de 14 anos de coronelismo em São Paulo.

. É a materialização da inépcia dos coronéis tucanos.

. Problema que só se resolve de um jeito: cobrar pedágio no centro expandido da cidade de São Paulo e construir mais metrô.

. O resto é o luar de Paquetá, como diria o Nelson Rodrigues ...

. Serra vai fazer isso ?

. Nunca.

. Ele vai administrar o congestionamento como administra a segurança: nas estatísticas e no PiG.

. Serra vai tomar posse na Presidência em 2010, não é isso ?

. E quem disse que ele, sequer, se re-elege Governador de São Paulo ?

. Caro leitor, puxe pela sua memória.

. Leve em consideração que o PiG adora o Serra, especialmente o “Painel” da Folha (da Tarde*).

. Por exemplo, a colonista (clique aqui para ler sobre o verbete “colonista”) Eliane Cantanhêde, da Folha (da Tarde *) considera Serra “o mais consistente” dos candidatos à Presidência.

. Caro leitor, o que o Serra já fez, até agora, como governador de São Paulo – 18 meses depois de tomar posse ?

. Limpou as águas do Tietê ?

. Fechou o Denarc ?

. Acabou com o congestionamento ?

. Melhorou as notas dos alunos das escolas públicas ?

. Vai eleger Geraldo Kassab prefeito de São Paulo ?

. Vai dar aos policiais de São Paulo um aumentinho para que tenham o penúltimo mais baixo salário do país ?

. Putin bombardeia a Geórgia.

. O nosso Putin bombardeia São Paulo.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:30 0 comentários
Infecção hospitalar - 2
Blog do Luis Nassif - 11/08/08




Por walter anésio cardoso

Caro Nassif,

quando se trata de infecção hospitalar, sempre vem a simplificação boba de que os profissionais de saúde não lavam as mâos. Ou que alguém viu um profissional de saúde usando avental na rua ou no restaurante. Isso até poderia explicar alguma coisa, mas está mais relacionado ao insconsciente coletivo do que às verdadeiras razões do problema (problema este que tem nome e endereço : os equipamentos não estão sendo esterilizados adequadamente). As infecções por micobactérias são em feridas cirúrgicas de pacientes submetidos a cirurgias eletivas. São feridas que não deveriam apresentar infecção.

Para esterilizar um equipamento cirúrgico, existem tres formas eficientes e o resto é ineficiente.

Pode esterilizar, usando uma estufa, uma autoclave ou por exposição ao óxido de etileno.



A estufa é um forno, que aquece o equipamente até 300 ºC, torrando as bactérias e virus. Não sobra nenhum. É muito eficiente, mas só serve para vidro e metais.

A autoclave esteriliza através de vapor de água, acima de 120 ºC, durante algumas horas. Também é muito eficiente, mas só serve para madeira, vidro, metaise llátex (talvez alguns tipos de plásticos mais resistentes). Se não for material de metal ou de vidro, a autoclave e a estufa diminuem a vida útil ou deformam e inutilizam o material ( = prejuízo).

Os materiais cirúrgicos que possuem plástico, silicone, fibra ópticas, metais de baixo ponto de fusão são esterilizados no óxido de etileno. Mas o óxido de etileno ...continua...

Mas o óxido de etileno é um gás muito tóxico , a sua manipulação é difícil, exige funcionários e instalações adequadas (impossível numa clínica). Existem então as empresas que esterilizam com óxido de etileno, que recolhem semanalmente os materiais, transportam, esterilizam, empacotam e devolvem para a clínica. Isso tem um alto custo financeiro e de tempo ( = prejuízo). É necessário possuir equipamento de reserva, pois parte do tempo o instrumental cirúrgico vai estar na empresa de" esterilização no óxido", atrasando o fluxo de cirurgias.

Como evitar esse prejuízo? Basta recorrer a algum método de esterilização mais barato e menos moroso( = ineficiente). Daí, são aplicados métodos de químicos esterilização de equipamentos mais simples para plásticos e outros instrumentos sensíveis, como o mergulho em solução de glutaraldeído numa atmosfera com formalina. Acontece que todo profissional de saúde sabe que os métodos químicos são ineficientes, porque matam a grande maioria dos fungos, bactérias e vírus, mas NÃO todos.



Aquele microorganismo que for resistente, será encaminhado ao trono dos vitoriosos devido à seqüência de erros repetitivos de seus inimigos. Para isso, não precisa ser super. A micobactéria não é uma superbactéria. Ela simplesmente tem uma característica simples de resistir um pouco mais aos métodos químicos (glutaraldeído, formalina), descritos como ineficientes em qualquer livro texto de cirurgia. Nem a micobactéria se espalhou por todo o Brasil.

A micobactéria já estava em todos os Estados da Nação, mas era inócua frente aos bons métodos de esterilização cirúrgica.

A epidemia que está ocorrendo não é de superbactérias, e sim uma proliferação de clínicas pequenas associada à proliferação de métodos apócrifos de esterilização que apresentam (falsa) conveniência financeira.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:21 0 comentários
Factóides e armações
Blog do Luis Nassif - 10/08/08



A matéria de Veja, “De Olho em Nós” é comprovação da encrenca em que a revista se meteu graças aos seus “aloprados”. Confesso não conseguir entender mais tanta incompetência (clique aqui para ler a íntegra).



É evidente que a revista envolveu-se até o pescoço nesse jogo, mas continua caminhando em direção ao meio do pântano, sem uma estratégia de saída, como se ninguém estivesse percebendo nada.

Releve-se o fato de que Veja foi a revista que mais recorreu a grampos ilegais na história da imprensa brasileira, mais manipulou frases fora do contexto.

Vamos esquecer o passado e ficar apenas na matéria de hoje.

Apenas um fato basta para ilustrar esse jogo capenga. Daniel Dantas está sendo processado pela prática de grampo. Antes de se alinhar com Dantas – no segundo semestre de 2005 – a revista publicou matérias mostrando grampos dele, inclusive a famosa cena de espionagem em Armínio Fraga, então presidente do Banco Central, confundido com Andréa Calabi, do BNDES. Em várias matérias, acusou Dantas de ser “o gênio do mal”. Depois da Kroll, a própria Polícia Federal descobriu que Dantas contratou Avner Shemesh para espionar seus adversários.

Na capa, no entanto, Veja tenta de todas as maneiras apresentá-lo como vítima. Nenhuma menção sequer às próprias matérias anteriores da revista.

A peça principal da capa é um documento reservado – “obtido com exclusividade por Veja" – preparado pela assessoria do Ministro Gilmar Mendes, presidente do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF). Consegue com a assessoria de Gilmar Mendes e ainda conta prosa sobre a “exclusividade”.

Diz a revista que “espiões, instalados do lado de fora do tribunal, usaram equipamentos para tentar interceptar as conversas do ministro e de seus assessores dentro da mais alta corte de Justiça do país”. Quando? "Um dia depois de o ministro Gilmar Mendes ter concedido o primeiro habeas corpus que liberava da prisão o banqueiro Daniel Dantas".

Pequenos detalhes:
1. O relatório fala em “possível monitoramento” externo.



2. Se de fato ocorreu – nem o relatório admite como fato consumado – há duas hipóteses. A primeira, que tenha sido preparado pela Polícia Federal. A segunda, que tenha sido preparado por alguém que pretendia lançar a suspeita sobre a PF.

Ora, convenhamos, depois de um alerta de que poderia ter sido grampeado, o gabinete de Gilmar Mendes tornou-se o mais vigiado do país. A própria revista informa que os equipamentos anti-grampo são de alta sofisticação. Além do fato de que Mendes certamente está medindo cada palavra, ao telefone ou ao vivo.

Só a Veja para achar que é crível a PF – que pode ser tudo, menos incompetente (como demonstrou a própria Operação Satiagraha) – arriscar quatro anos de investigação por um grampo com possibilidade quase nula de obter resultados. Sequer menciona a hipótese óbvia do grampo (se existiu) ter sido uma armação visando comprometer a PF e o inquérito.

Ora, basta a qualquer um que quiser contaminar o inquérito contratar um araponga – o próprio autor da matéria é ligadíssimo aos arapongas de Brasília, conforme se pode conferir no capítulo de “O Caso de Veja”, “O araponga e o repórter” - colocar o equipamento em um carro estacionado na rua, do lado externo da sala de Mendes. Depois aguardar que a varredura do STF localize o sinal. Finalmente, passar as suspeitas “com exclusividade” para a Veja. Ou não? (Dei o exemplo do diretor de redação da Veja em Brasília apenas para ilustrar a facilidade com que jornalistas convivem com arapongas).

Certamente sem saber do conteúdo da matéria da Veja, já que sai antes, a CartaCapital deu a chave para entender mais uma jogada da revista:

“Na terça-feira 15, Nélio Machado, um dos representantes do banqueiro, anunciou que pretende ingressar com uma “argüição de suspeição” contra o juiz. Segundo Machado, o magistrado prejulgou Dantas, cerceou-lhe o direito de defesa e teria pactuado com irregularidades cometidas pela Polícia Federal. É uma estratégia jurídica previsível, fortalecida pelo anúncio da saída de Queiroz do caso, algo tão óbvio que só a cúpula da PF parece não ter percebido”.

Por Alan Souza

Engraçado, né?

285 MHz fica la no meio do canal 32 (ou 33?) de TV. A probabilidade de ser alguma fuga de RF de algum transmissor de TV comercial é grande.

Alias, 285 MHz é a frequencia de clock das memorias DDR de 570 MHz, muito comuns nos computadores de boa performance. Será que o "lado de fora" da reportagem não significa o computador da sala ao lado?

Agora, é interessante não conseguirem determinar a localização do sinal. Uma anteninha Yagi igual a que os ambientalistas usam para localizar ursos com coleiras de monitoramento daria a direçao do sinal. Duas direções, medidas em dois pontos distintos, determinariam o ponto exato da tramsmissão. Não acharam? Será que tiveram medo de descobrir que o sinal vinha de alguma Van de reportagem nas imediações?

Comentário

O Alan se confundiu sobre as frequencias. Mas há uma boa discussão técnica nos comentários.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:17 0 comentários
Tráfico já treina táticas de guerrilha nas matas do Rio, revela jornal carioca
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 10/08/08



Com o suporte de PMs, militares e ex-militares das Forças Armadas, o tráfico de drogas no Rio está treinando jovens e até menores de idade em táticas de guerrilha, em áreas de Mata Atlântica, espalhadas em torno das favelas do Rio. A informação — obtida por Sérgio Ramalho e Vera Araújo e publicada pelo jornal O Globo, 10-08-2008 — é citada em relatório da Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (Abin) e foi detectada também pelo serviço de inteligência do Degase, órgão responsável pelos internatos de menores infratores.

Dois adolescentes confirmaram ter feito a instrução militar. Rocinha e Vidigal estão entre as oito favelas do Rio que mantêm campos de treinamento na mata. Segundo o documento, traficantes também pagam R$ 300 semanais para que jovens ingressem nas Forças Armadas e obtenham experiência militar.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:14 0 comentários
Pré-sal muda o modelo de exploração de petróleo
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 10/08/08




Apesar de o governo ainda não ter uma posição fechada sobre as novas regras para a exploração de petróleo no país, pelo menos quatro princípios já estão definidos na elaboração do modelo:

1) o petróleo do pré-sal é do Estado brasileiro e será tratado como recurso estratégico;

2) o país não vai ser um exportador de óleo bruto, mas de derivados de petróleo;

3) os recursos gerados pelo pré-sal serão aplicados preferencialmente em educação e em ciência e tecnologia; e

4) a política de royalties -pago a Estados e a municípios pela exploração de petróleo na região- será alterada para distribuir melhor essa riqueza.

A reportagem é de Valdo Cruz e publicada pelo jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 10-08-2008.

Quanto aos modelos, o que menos desperta interesse no governo e nas empresas é o de prestação de serviços. Nele, a União contrataria petrolíferas para explorar o petróleo.

É o que menos gera novas tecnologias, porque as empresas contratadas não são donas nem sócias do negócio.

Os outros dois modelos são o atual, de concessões, e o de partilha de produção. No primeiro, as empresas disputam uma área e pagam por ela em leilões. Depois disso, todo petróleo ali é das petrolíferas, que pagam taxas pelo produto retirado.

Fora a Petrobras, que defende a partilha de produção, as demais empresas que atuam no Brasil preferem a manutenção da regra de concessões, aceitando elevar o que pagam de participação especial ao Estado -dos atuais 40% sobre a receita para até 80%.

No esquema de partilha de produção, a petrolífera ganha o direito de explorar uma área e fica com parte da produção, mas a maior parcela vai para o Estado. É o modelo preferido dos países que têm grandes reservas de petróleo, porque se apropriam mais dos recursos gerados pelo petróleo.

O modelo brasileiro pode vir a ser híbrido, com algumas regras de um e outro sistema, mas partindo do princípio de que ficará com a União a maior parcela da renda desses campos.

Unificar discurso

Por enquanto, a ordem do presidente Lula é manter reserva sobre as discussões e unificar o discurso. Ele criou a comissão de ministros para tratar do tema exatamente para evitar um clima de que cada área do governo tem sua proposta.

A área pré-sal vai do Espírito Santo a Santa Catarina e engloba três bacias (Espírito Santo, Campos e Santos), numa extensão de 160 mil km2. O petróleo está localizado em região de grande profundidade, abaixo da camada de sal subterrâneo, e pode estar interligado num único campo.

Daí a necessidade de fazer o que chamam de "unitização dos campos", para evitar que a dona de uma área explore petróleo de outra.

As empresas envolvidas na exploração da área pré-sal e que já têm concessões, além da Petrobras, são o BG Group, a ExxonMobil, a Hess Corp, a Galp, a Petrogal, a Repsol e a Royal Dutch Shell. A estatal brasileira lidera quase todos os negócios na região.

A Petrobras já anunciou que deve ter uma previsão mais precisa sobre o volume de petróleo na camada pré-sal no final de 2009, mas há previsões de que deve superar 50 bilhões de barris de petróleo. Somente o campo de Tupi tem reserva estimada entre 5 bilhões e 8 bilhões de barris.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 15:02 0 comentários
A VINGANÇA DO INTERNAUTA: CÂMERA DE CELULAR SEQÜESTRA UM BANCO !
Conversa Afiada - 09/08/08



O Conversa Afiada reproduz texto de Marcelo Coutinho e se inscreve na categoria de cúmplice dele.
Marcelo trata de poderosa arma dos cidadãos contra a opressão das instituições que tratam mal os cidadãos:


Seqüestrei um banco

Armado de um celular com câmera de vídeo e microfone (399 reais em 12x nas Casas Bahia), tenho como refém um dos maiores bancos brasileiros.

Avenida Paulista, 19:30 da última quinta-feira (7/8). Chove. Um carro-forte está estacionado em cima da faixa de pedestre. Um casal idoso, ela em cadeira de rodas, tenta achar um ponto para cruzar a rua, diante do veículo parado bem na frente da rampa para deficientes. Vejo os guardas abastecendo o caixa eletrônico e me dirijo a eles, “vocês poderiam ter parado mais para lá, olha a chuva e a senhora de cadeira de rodas”.

Imediatamente, um deles devolve: “estamos trabalhando, e o senhor?”. Expliquei ao sujeito que estava saindo do trabalho, e que iria reclamar com o banco.

Ato contínuo, tiro meu celular, aperto o “rec” e dirijo o aparelho para a chapa do carro.
Um segurança põe a mão no coldre e me interpela, “o senhor quer arrumar confusão?”.

Já arrumei.

Filmo o carro parado na faixa de pedestre, os seguranças falando para eu guardar o celular, o casal perplexo ao nosso lado. Como a ocasião não era das mais apropriadas para continuar o profícuo diálogo com os vigias (ainda mais que agora todos os três estão com a mão no coldre), me afasto debaixo da chuva mesmo.

Esse banco apresentou um lucro superior a 1 bilhão de reais nos últimos 12 meses e figura na lista dos 50 maiores anunciantes do País. Infelizmente, o departamento de marketing desta instituição não é mais o “guardião da marca”. Todos os funcionários de uma empresa, terceirizados ou não (atenção Departamento de Atendimento ao Cliente:
não me venha com esta desculpa amanhã) passam a ser os guardiões da marca. E o mundo digital virou um lugar muito perigoso.

Meu refém investe alguns milhões em TV, rádio, revistas, jornais, patrocínio esportivo etc. Tudo para mostrar como respeita o cliente, o país, o meio ambiente e uma série de outros valores “republicanos”.
Cada um destes anúncios pode ser transformado em “zeros e uns” e, combinados com o pequeno arquivo que agora carrego no celular, editados no meu computador (2.199 reais em 24x no Submarino, frete grátis). Com um pouco mais de presença de espírito (e sem as mãos dos vigias nos coldres), poderia ter recolhido um rápido depoimento do casal de idosos.

Daria um belo vídeo no YouTube, “linkado” com posts no meu blog e em algumas comunidades no Orkut. Por exemplo, nas 22 comunidades relevantes do tema finanças pessoais. Com um total de mais de 160 mil investidores, elas agrupam os principais formadores de opinião da blogosfera “financeira” brasileira, segundo um estudo do IBOPE Inteligência.

Com pouco mais de trabalho, poderia mixar o áudio da última apresentação de resultados aos investidores do banco. E legendas em inglês. Segundo um estudo da Edelman, uma das mais respeitadas consultorias em Relações Públicas, para os jovens adultos americanos a Wikipedia, Blogs e sites de comunidades superam em credibilidade a propaganda corporativa.

Um conhecimento básico dos mecanismos de busca, links recíprocos e tagueamento (que nós quarentões não dominamos bem, mas a garotada nada de braçada) é suficiente para colocar isso em dezenas de outros blogs e, em questão de dias (ou horas) nas primeiras páginas dos mecanismos de indexação como Google, Technorati, Digg, etc.

Os jovens brasileiros já consideram a Internet o principal meio de informação depois da televisão (especificamente para os jovens das classes A/B a Internet já passou a televisão, segundo estudo do DataFolha).
Imagino os colegas dos filhos dos executivos do banco, na hora do recreio, comentando com eles essa bela história de respeito ao consumidor.

O Brasil possui hoje 133 milhões de telefones celulares, de acordo com a Anatel. Mesmo que apenas um terço tenha capacidade de filmar e gravar, são mais de 44 milhões de aparelhos. O IBOPE aponta que o número de internautas cresceu 24,5% em um ano. E em 2007 foram vendidos mais computadores (10,1 milhões) do que televisores (9,2 milhões), segundo a Associação Brasileira da Indústria Elétrica e Eletrônica.

Façam as contas senhores integrantes do departamento de marketing do banco, e me digam quanto estão dispostos a pagar pelo arquivo no meu celular.

Comecem com um pedido de desculpas para aquele casal de idosos.
Complementado com melhor treinamento para seus funcionários e mais cuidado na escolha dos terceirizados, será o suficiente. Dessa vez.

*Marcelo Coutinho é diretor de Análise de Mercado do IBOPE Inteligência e professor do mestrado em Comunicação da Fundação Cásper Líbero. E-mail: marcelo.coutinho@post.harvard.edu.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:57 0 comentários
Centenas de imigrantes recorrem ao bisturi para limar traços étnicos
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 09/08/08




Descendentes de indígenas da América Latina radicados na Europa, chineses e japoneses residentes na Austrália, recorrem à correção cirúrgica para diminuir traços étnicos. A motivação é aproximar-se do cânon de beleza ocidental. Segue o artigo de Jaime Prats publicado no El País, 04-08-2008. A tradução é do Cepat.

Orly Cuzco, de 28 anos, não gosta do seu nariz. “Me marcava muito os traços incas”. Por isso, este equatoriano de Guayaquil que mora em Madri não duvidou em destinar os 4.200 euros que economizou para passar pela sala de cirurgia e assim “chamar menos a atenção” na rua. Está encantado com o resultado. “Ficou muito bem”, comenta Cuzco, que, com a boca pequena, cita entre os motivos da cirurgia a que se submeteu há quatro meses um ligeiro deslocamento do septo nasal.

A forma do nariz é um dos traços que mais pistas dá da origem étnica de uma pessoa. Por essa razão, a rinoplastia se converteu na intervenção estrela entre os imigrantes – a maioria sul-americanos – que, cada vez em maior número, decidem recorrer ao bisturi para ocidentalizar seu aspecto. Há casos, como o de Orly, em que se acorre à consulta para reduzir o nariz, ainda que o mais normal seja o contrário: ganhar volume, estreitar as fossas nasais e aumentar o nariz.

“Muitos clientes vêm com a desculpa de um septo nasal desviado quando o que pretendem realmente é corrigir o nariz chato e suavizar os traços que identificam sua nacionalidade”, comenta Diego Tomás, o cirurgião que operou Orly e que atende cerca de 30 casos similares por ano, algo menos de 10% do volume de sua clientela. “Notou-se um forte aumento deste tipo de paciente nos últimos anos”, aponta.

Esse fenômeno também não passou despercebido à Sociedade Espanhola de Cirurgia Estética, Plástica e Reparadora (Secpre), que inclusive abordou o tema em sua reunião do mês passado, realizada em Zaragoza. Seu presidente, Antonio Porcuna, também reconhece um aumento deste tipo de cliente que busca “um nariz mais ocidentalizado”. “É uma forma de se adaptar ao meio em que vive”, comenta Salvador Rodríguez-Camps, cirurgião de Valência que faz cerca de 30 cirurgias deste tipo por ano.

O nariz é a intervenção mais comum, mas não a única. Rodríguez-Camps lembra ter operado também mulheres centro-americanas com o rosto muito arredondado às quais implantou uma prótese no queixo para estilizar seu perfil. Fez inclusive intervenções em cidadãos de origem ocidental que buscavam um olhar com traços europeus.

Neste caso se recorre à blefaroplastia, uma cirurgia das pálpebras feita para arredondar o contorno ocular. “É uma intervenção não muito complexa em que se emprega anestesia local”, assinala. Na Espanha, esta técnica não é muito comum, mas em países com grandes colônias de cidadãos asiáticos. “No último congresso da Sociedade Internacional de Cirurgia Estética houve muitas colocações relacionadas com técnicas para ocidentalizar os olhos. Algo especialmente freqüente entre imigrantes chineses e japoneses residentes na Austrália e nos Estados Unidos”, relata Antonio Porcuna, chefe da Secpre. A tal ponto que estas intervenções se converteram numa subespecialidade da cirurgia estética nestes países, de forma que há consultas centradas quase exclusivamente para tratar estes pacientes.

Na Espanha, o fenômeno é sensivelmente menos freqüente. A Secpre não tem dados sobre o volume deste tipo de intervenção. No total, são realizadas 400.000 intervenções cirúrgicas para finalidade estética por ano na Espanha. Cirurgiões consultados estimam que podem ser centenas, uma cifra que calculam a partir da prática clínica tanto sua como de outros. Igualmente difícil é saber o número de imigrantes que aproveitam as férias em seus países para se operarem e economizarem assim alguns euros.

“Eu pensei nisso, mas não compensava; se não saísse como queria, não poderia reclamar daqui da Espanha”. Orly Cuzco descartou a possibilidade de fazer a cirurgia no Equador, mas o mesmo não aconteceu com outros de seus compatriotas que acreditaram que compensava arriscar-se a um eventual problema no pós-operatório em troca de uma cirurgia muito mais barata, por 1.200 dólares ou mesmo 900 dólares.

Mas, numa sala de cirurgia não vale tudo. Existe uma fronteira infranqueável para a maioria dos cirurgiões que está no bom gosto e na proporção entre as facções. “Em toda intervenção é preciso respeitar os traços faciais para que o resultado seja harmônico”, disse Antonio Porcuna. Juan Antonio Mira, cirurgião de Valência, insiste nesta idéia. “As correções devem estar sempre dentro de uma fidelidade étnica”. “Se alguém vem para corrigir um nariz largo, eu o estreito, mas mantendo o estilo latino; não coloco um nariz de uma alemã numa mulher latina”, aponta.

Há especialistas que matizam que a intenção dos pacientes seja a de renunciar aos seus traços étnicos. Ou que exista uma motivação de se integrar às custas de diluir os traços que identificam sua nacionalidade. Antes, como aponta José María Palacín, da clínica Teknon de Barcelona, o desejo destas pessoas obedece a corrigir partes do rosto com as que não se encontram a gosto e, de passagem, aproximar-se do modelo de beleza universal, que passa pelo cânon ocidental forjado pelos meios de comunicação. Isto é algo que tem em mente todo aquele que se coloca nas mãos de um cirurgião plástico, independentemente de sua procedência, comenta Palacín.

Agora está por se ver se a crise afeta não apenas estas intervenções de cirurgia estética, mas um setor que, em geral, cresceu como a espuma ao abrigo da bonança econômica dos últimos anos e das facilidades de financiamento oferecidas pelo setor bancário ou pelas próprias clínicas. Até poucos meses atrás.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:56 0 comentários
Gasto familiar médio foi de R$ 45 por dia em 2007
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 08/08/08




Levantamento divulgado pela Federação do Comércio do Estado de São Paulo (Fecomercio) mostra que os gastos médios da família brasileira por dia em 2007 foram de R$ 44,83 para pagar desde a alimentação até impostos. Segundo a pesquisa 58 milhões de famílias - com média de 3,8 pessoas cada - desembolsaram R$ 2,6 bilhões para custeio das despesas diárias. A notícia é do jornal Valor, 08-08-2008.

A Fecomercio analisou dados do Proconsumo - programa de computador que gerencia dados de potencial de consumo no país - considerando 14 itens consumidos diariamente, como habitação, educação, saúde, vestuário, tarifas bancárias, impostos, recreação e viagens, entre outros.

O estudo mostrou que uma família da classe A gastou em média R$ 302,20 por dia, enquanto um grupo familiar situado na classe B desembolsou diariamente R$ 116,49. Nas faixas mais pobres, as despesas médias diárias foram de R$ 55,14 na classe C, R$ 29,10 na classe D e R$ 9,26 na E.

Segundo o levantamento, existem no país cerca de 2 milhões de famílias na classe A (com renda acima de 30 salários mínimos), 6,3 milhões na B (dez a 30 salários), 9,6 milhões na classe C (cinco a dez salários), 18,5 milhões na D (dois a cinco) e a maioria está na classe E, com 21,6 milhões de famílias recebendo até dois salários mínimos (R$ 415). A pesquisa mostra que as famílias da classe A gastaram por dia em 2007 só com viagens cerca de R$ 30 milhões e as da classe E gastaram pouco mais da metade desse valor com saúde, educação e cuidados pessoais somados.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:40 0 comentários
TREs: 'Poderemos ter bandidos nas prefeituras'
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos 08/08/08




Presidente do colégio de presidentes de tribunais regionais eleitorais, o desembargador Cláudio Santos lamentou ontem a decisão do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) de liberar a candidatura de políticos que respondem a processos judiciais. A reportagem é de Isabel Braga e publicada pelo jornal O Globo, 08-08-2008.

Ele enfatizou que a decisão da Corte deixa a magistratura de mãos atadas e que, no momento, resta apenas aguardar que o Congresso Nacional aprove uma lei mais restritiva.

— Pelo menos, por ora, a magistratura está de mãos atadas. Os magistrados devem se submeter à hierarquia jurisdicional. Mas poderemos continuar a ter, à frente das prefeituras e nas câmaras municipais, bandidos de notória visibilidade, o que é uma anomalia jurídica — criticou o desembargador.

Para Cláudio Santos, o Supremo, em outras decisões — como no caso do nepotismo e da fidelidade partidária —, avançou na jurisprudência, mesmo diante da ausência de lei.

— Decidiu-se pela necessidade de que fatos da vida pregressa pudessem transitar em julgado, o que realmente me surpreende. O Supremo decidiu, essa é que a realidade. Não me parece que essa realidade possa contribuir para a evolução dos costumes políticopartidários — criticou o desembargador.

Cláudio Santos, que também preside o TRE do Rio Grande do Norte, integrava o movimento político de presidentes dos TREs em favor do veto a candidaturas de pessoas com problemas graves na Justiça e chegou a orientar os juízes do seu estado a não conceder o registro aos que tiverem notórios problemas judiciais.

Ele afirmou ontem que continua entendendo a existência de princípios constitucionais que permitem levar em conta a vida pregressa do candidato, mas disse que se submeterá ao entendimento do Supremo.

— A semente foi plantada, e o que a sociedade brasileira espera é que, agora, o Congresso Nacional possa cumprir com a sua obrigação de editar a lei. Ou, quem sabe, no futuro, a jurisprudência possa ser modificada em face de fatos específicos que possam agredir o senso popular.

O presidente em exercício da Associação dos Magistrados Brasileiros (AMB) — entidade autora da ação —, Cláudio Dell’Orto, também entende que agora cabe ao Congresso editar nova lei, com maiores restrições aos candidatos:

— Cabe ao Congresso fazer a interpretação dos votos do STF. Pela sinalização, o princípio da presunção da inocência será aplicado em todas as hipóteses.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:28 0 comentários
Quinta-feira, Agosto 07, 2008
Produção de carros bate recorde e Brasil supera a França
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 07/08/08



De janeiro a julho, 2,01 milhões de carros e máquinas agrícolas saíram das linhas de montagem nacionais. Com isso, o país conquistou a 6.ª posição no ranking dos maiores fabricantes mundiais de automóvel. A notícia é do jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 07-08-2008,

Os sucessivos recordes de produção de automóveis fizeram o Brasil deixar a França no retrovisor ao ultrapassá-la da sétima para a sexta posição no ranking dos maiores produtores mundiais de automóveis. A informação é do presidente da Associação Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veículos Automotores (Anfavea), Jackson Schneider, que divulgou ontem os dados de atividade do setor até o mês passado. Segundo Schneider, nos sete primeiros meses do ano o Brasil produziu 2,01 milhões de carros, e ficou atrás apenas do Japão (6 milhões de unidades), China (5,2 milhões), Estados Unidos (4,3 milhões), Alemanha (3,3 milhões) e Coréia do Sul (2,8 milhões).

A produção e a venda de veículos no Brasil continuam batendo recordes. A produção no mês passado foi de 320,1 mil unidades, 19,8% maior que no mesmo mês de 2007. A fabricação de veículos de janeiro a julho, por sua vez, acumula alta de 21,8%. As vendas de veículos no mercado interno totalizaram 288,1 mil unidades em julho – 12,6% maior em relação a junho e 32,6% maior em comparação com julho do ano passado. No acumulado dos primeiros sete meses do ano, as vendas somaram 1,7 milhão de unidades, também recorde histórico. O volume de vendas é 30,4% maior do que o registrado no mesmo intervalo de 2007.

Para Schneider, a melhoria das condições de financiamento continua puxando as vendas de veículos no Brasil. Segundo o executivo, o volume de crédito disponível para o setor em junho somou R$ 84,3 bilhões, o que representa um crescimento de 18,6% em relação ao mesmo mês do ano passado.

Segundo ele, apesar do aumento da taxa básica de juros, as vendas não foram afetadas. A expectativa é de que isso ocorra nos próximos meses. Ele ressaltou que a taxa de inadimplência do setor ficou em 3,6% em junho com pequena alta sobre o mesmo mês do ano passado (3,2%), mas menor do que os 3,7% registrados em maio. “O setor continua favorecido pelo ambiente macroeconômico, com a economia, a massa salarial e o emprego em crescimento”, disse.

As vendas internas de máquinas agrícolas no atacado totalizaram 5 mil unidades em julho de 2008, o que representa uma queda de 0,9% em relação ao mês anterior. Na comparação com julho de 2007, o volume representa uma alta de 43,7%. No acumulado dos primeiros sete meses do ano, as vendas do segmento somaram 30,4 mil unidades, volume 50,8% maior que o registrado no mesmo período do ano passado.

O executivo informou ainda que permanecem inalteradas as projeções do setor para o ano, com alta de 24,2% nas vendas internas de autoveículos para um total de 3,06 milhões de unidades. Também foram mantidas as projeções de vendas de máquinas agrícolas para uma alta de 38,6%, totalizando 53,1 mil unidades.

Schneider disse que a expectativa é de que o setor registre um crescimento mais cadenciado no segundo semestre, o que na sua opinião é bom para as montadoras e para a cadeia de fornecedores. “Crescer 30% exige muito de uma cadeia que tem uma produção tão complexa”, avaliou o executivo.

As exportações de veículos e máquinas agrícolas somaram em julho US$ 1,23 bilhão, equivalente a uma queda de 3,8% sobre junho e de 2,9% sobre julho de 2007. As vendas externas do setor somaram US$ 8,12 bilhões nos primeiros sete meses do ano, o que representa crescimento de 9,5% em relação a igual período do ano passado.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:55 0 comentários
Ustra diz que sua família abrigou Tarso em 64
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 07/08/08




Em documento de 32 páginas enviado à Justiça de São Paulo, onde é réu em duas ações civis por torturas que teria praticado ou ordenado nos anos 70, o coronel reformado do Exército Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra inclui informação que reputa prova importante de que sua índole é boa e, como tal, seria incapaz de agredir semelhantes. Segundo Ustra, foi sua família quem abrigou, após a revolução de 31 de março de 1964, um jovem gaúcho que temia a repressão. A reportagem é de Fausto Macedo e publicada pelo jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 07-08-2008.

Tarso Fernando Herz Genro era o nome daquele rapaz, segundo relata o oficial a quem as entidades de direitos humanos conferem o rótulo de símbolo dos porões. No auge dos anos de chumbo, então major, Ustra comandou o Destacamento de Operações de Informações - Centro de Operações de Defesa Interna (DOI-Codi) do antigo II Exército.

Hoje com 61 anos e ministro da Justiça, Tarso sustenta que os atos de arbítrio cometidos durante o período militar não se classificam como crimes políticos e devem ser punidos com base no Código Penal. Segundo o ministro, os agentes públicos que cometeram violências não devem ter privilégio.

Por e-mail a seus advogados, o coronel narra o episódio que diz ter sucedido há quase 40 anos. “A família que abrigou Tarso Genro foi a minha. Meu irmão José Augusto, advogado, já falecido, na época da Contra-Revolução, em 1964, era colega de colégio ou aluno da faculdade, não me recordo mais, e muito amigo do Tarso. Tarso fugiu e se refugiou em Rivera, fronteira com o Uruguai. Como nunca foi procurado, com medo de voltar ao Brasil e ser preso, pois já era um agitador do Partido Comunista, telefonou ao meu irmão e pediu socorro.”

O coronel afirma: “Como meu irmão era noivo da filha do secretário da Segurança Pública do Rio Grande do Sul, coronel Athos Teixeira Baptista, pediu ao futuro sogro que ninguém fizesse nada com o Tarso, o que aconteceu. Meu irmão foi à Rivera, apanhou Tarso e o apresentou ao coronel Athos, em Porto Alegre. O coronel intercedeu para que Tarso fizesse o NPOR (Núcleo de Preparação de Oficiais da Reserva) no Regimento Mallet, onde ele foi matriculado e se tornou oficial de Artilharia.”

“A personalidade de Ustra e seus familiares não se compatibiliza com torturas e violências”, acentuam os advogados dele, Paulo Esteves, Sérgio Toledo e Salo Kibrit.

Por meio de sua assessoria, Tarso admitiu que “realmente conheceu” o irmão de Ustra. Ele afirmou, no entanto, que não ficou ao abrigo da família do coronel. “Essa história não confere”, afirmou o ministro. “Saí do Brasil em 1971, o processo contra mim correu em Porto Alegre e meu advogado foi Eloar Guazzelli.”


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:43 0 comentários
Bancada ruralista consegue cortar à metade juro da dívida agrária
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 07/08/08



A bancada ruralista impôs ontem uma derrota à equipe econômica ao derrubar à metade os juros que vão corrigir dívidas agrícolas inscritas na Dívida Ativa da União (DAU) que serão renegociadas. A reportagem é de Cristiane Jungblut e publicada no jornal O Globo, 07-08-2008. A notícia é o título principal do Jornal do Comércio, 07-08-2008.

A vantagem foi obtida durante a votação da medida provisória (MP) 432.

O texto aprovado, por 264 votos favoráveis e 128 contrários, trocou a Taxa Selic, atualmente em 13% ao ano, pela Taxa de Juros de Longo Prazo (TJLP), em 6,75% anuais. A nova regra valerá para R$ 7,2 bilhões em débitos.

No total, o governo vai renegociar R$ 75 bilhões.

A proposta foi apresentada pelo deputado Valdir Collato (PMDB-SC), da base aliada.

Ao sair o resultado, houve aplausos tímidos no plenário, para desespero dos líderes governistas. O governo já avisou que vai tentar derrubar essa alteração do texto no Senado. Nos últimos dias, o relator da MP, deputado Luiz Carlos Heinze (PP-RS), vinha tentado negociar a questão com a Fazenda, mas o ministro Guido Mantega disse que não abria mão de manter a Taxa Selic.

— Isso é ilógico, um absurdo — reagiu Gilson Bittencourt, secretário-adjunto de Microfinanças e Política Agrícola do Ministério da Fazenda, que acompanhou a votação.

PT, PV e PSOL ficaram isolados na votação

Segundo ele, os juros ficarão tão irrisórios que os ruralistas irão preferir ficar totalmente inadimplentes para ingressar na DAU e renegociar de forma vantajosa.

Além de reduzir o indicador de correção, a Câmara também aprovou a ampliação de cinco para dez anos no prazo de pagamento dos débitos inscritos na Dívida Ativa; o fim da cobrança de 20% pela inscrição do passivo; e abatimento entre 38% e 72%, que serão aplicados sobre o saldo devedor para quem quitar a fatura.

Autor da emenda, Valdir Collato disse que o governo vinha aplicando ilegalmente a Taxa Selic sobre as dívidas agrícolas, já que o juro dos contratos agrícolas é de 6,75%. Ele explicou que, como as dívidas foram inscritas na DAU, elas se transformaram em passivos fiscais e, assim, o Tesouro passou a aplicar as regras do pagamento de impostos:

— Essa decisão do plenário dá esperança a muitos produtores que corriam o risco de ter seus bens confiscados. Era uma ilegalidade.

Surpreendido pela manobra do DEM, que encampou a proposta de Collato e apresentou um destaque pedindo a votação da mudança em separado, o líder do governo na Câmara, Henrique Fontana (PT-RS), disse que o Planalto vai buscar alterar o quadro no Senado.

Na verdade, quase todos os partidos votaram a favor da mudança, com PT, PV e PSOL ficando isolados na defesa da aplicação da Taxa Selic. O PMDB, partido do autor da proposta e do ministro da Agricultura, liberou a bancada, o mesmo acontecendo com o PP.

Já PTB e PR, também da base governista, encaminharam voto a favor.

— Do jeito que estava, um produtor com dívida de R$ 175 mil já estava pagando R$ 772 mil — defendeu o deputado Ronaldo Caiado (DEM-GO), vice-líder do DEM.

Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:42 0 comentários
Lucros no Brasil vão para os EUA cobrir prejuízos com o subprime
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 07/08/08




Boa parte do dinheiro estrangeiro que deixou o Brasil nos últimos meses tem sido usada para cobrir os rombos provocados pelo mercado americano de subprime (hipotecas de alto risco). Até agora, a Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo (Bovespa) foi a mais prejudicada pela fuga de recursos. Só nos meses de junho e julho a saída de capital externo somou R$ 15 bilhões. A reportagem é de Renée Pereira e publicada pelo jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 07-08-2008.

Tudo isso exatamente porque a bolsa paulista teve desempenho excepcional nos últimos anos, o que proporcionou ganhos expressivos a fundos de investimentos e instituições financeiras que administram fortunas de milionários estrangeiros. Mas, com a dificuldade enfrentada especialmente nos Estados Unidos, esses investidores passaram a priorizar a venda de ativos aqui, onde há liquidez, para cobrir perdas lá fora.

Do lado corporativo, os exemplos não são diferentes. No primeiro semestre de 2008, empresas instaladas no Brasil fizeram remessas recordes de lucros e dividendos para as matrizes no exterior. Segundo o Banco Central (BC), o volume de recursos somou US$ 18,99 bilhões no período, quase o dobro do valor de igual período do ano passado.

Entre os setores que mais remeteram lucros estão os que enfrentam dificuldades em seus países de origem. É o caso do automotivo e de serviços financeiros, com US$ 2,76 bilhões e US$ 2,40 bilhões, respectivamente.

O analista da Hencorp Commcor Corretora, Marcos Forgione, alerta que ainda não se consegue avaliar com certeza até onde vão os problemas da economia mundial, em especial os prejuízos provocados pelo mercado subprime. Dependendo da profundidade da crise, uma hora isso vai chegar ao mercado interno, reduzindo os resultados das empresas, o que afasta o investidor da bolsa.

Ele explica que, além de vender papéis aqui para cobrir rombos lá fora, há ainda aqueles investidores que preferem deixar ambientes de risco para se refugiar em ativos mais conservadores, como os títulos americanos. Vale destacar, entretanto, que a taxa de juro real americana, descontada a inflação projetada para os próximos 12 meses, está negativa em 2,9% ao ano, segundo dados da Consultoria UpTrend. “Apesar disso, os papéis americanos são considerados um porto seguro”, diz Forgione.

Para o economista da Modal Asset Managment, Alexandre Póvoa, a saída de recursos ainda não representa um cenário dramático. Segundo ele, o País atraiu muitos fundos criados para investir em emergentes e fundos de commodities, que aplicavam até em papéis de empresas ligadas a esse mercado.

“Eles ganharam muito dinheiro, tanto com a valorização das ações como com a variação da moeda brasileira. Num momento de indefinição é normal rever posições.”


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:40 0 comentários
UMA "FISHING EXPEDITION" PAGA COM DINHEIRO PÚBLICO
Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 07 de agosto de 2008 às 12:25 | Publicado em 06 de agosto de 2008 às 22:42

Hoje o Congresso mandou um recado aos jovens juízes, procuradores e delegados encarregados de fazer cumprir a lei no Brasil.

"Olha só o que pode acontecer com você".

Não importa que a convocação tenha partido do deputado Marcelo Itagiba (PMDB-RJ).

Importa o papel que a instituição desempenhou.

E o Congresso brasileiro, hoje, concorreu para o constrangimento de um funcionário público de carreira que, ao que me consta, não é acusado de crime algum.

O teatro - do absurdo, obsceno, chamem do que quiserem - teve os seguintes ingredientes:

1) Quase todas as perguntas feitas ao delegado não diziam respeito ao tema que é foco da CPI: grampos, legais ou ilegais.

2) Durante uma discussão entre deputados um deles acusou colegas de não aparecerem na CPI, sugerindo que alguns estavam ali em busca dos holofotes.

3) Os deputados sabiam que o delegado não podia falar sobre o inquérito, sob segredo de Justiça. Ainda assim, muitos deles fizeram perguntas que sabiam, de antemão, que o delegado não poderia responder. Foi para tirar uma casquinha e aparecer na TV? Ou foi uma "fishing expedition"?

Fishing expedition significa, literalmente, "expedição de pesca".

É a manobra através da qual se testa o adversário, se manda sinais que só o adversário é capaz de entender, se confirma alguma informação.

Foi o que fez o deputado Arnaldo Faria de Sá, por exemplo, ao sugerir que o delegado tinha promovido uma "armação" para flagrar o suborno de um colega.

E ao perguntar, cinicamente, se de fato o delegado estava ali como "testemunha".

Deixou implícito, presumo, que o delegado poderá ser arrastado de novo, da próxima vez como réu.

Nunca vi um agente do FBI, da DEA ou do Serviço Secreto americano, depois de uma operação policial aparentemente bem sucedida, ser arrastado para o Congresso americano para ser constrangido.

O Brasil não perde a sua capacidade de se superar.

PS: A convocação do delegado, do juiz e do banqueiro para depor na CPI foi do deputado Gustavo Fruet (PSDB-PR)


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:36 0 comentários
Bolívia: 0,63% das propriedades concentram 66% da terra
Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 07 de agosto de 2008 às 13:12 | Publicado em 07 de agosto de 2008 às 13:08

WASHINGTON - Um estudo do Center for Economic and Policy Research, de Washington, sugere que a disputa política na Bolívia é fortemente influenciada pelo divórcio geográfico entre onde vivem os bolivianos mais pobres e onde ficam os recursos naturais do país.

Mark Weisbrot e Luis Sandoval estudaram a posse de terras e a produção de gás e petróleo, esta última responsável por 6,5% do PIB e por 47% das exportações da Bolívia.

Os departamentos (equivalentes aos estados brasileiros) da chamada Meia Lua - Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz e Tarija -, que buscam maior autonomia administrativa, concentram 82% da produção de gás natural; mas a população indígena mais pobre vive fora da região.

O estudo desmente que o governo central não transfira a renda das exportações de gás e petróleo para os departamentos da Meia Lua. Eles recebem, de acordo com o estudo, 30% do total - contra 19,7% para o restante do país.

De acordo com a análise, 0,63% das propriedades concentram 66% da terra agricultável da Bolívia. Já 86% das fazendas ficam com apenas 2,4% da terra utilizável.

O estudo não entra na questão política.

No próximo domingo o presidente Evo Morales e oito dos nove "prefeitos" (os governadores de lá) enfrentam um referendo revogatório. Morales precisa obter a mesma votação de quando foi eleito para permanecer no cargo, cerca de 53%. Os governadores precisam de 50%. Os que forem rejeitados podem concorrer em novas eleições.

Evo vem se colocando numa posição centrista nos últimos meses. À esquerda dele os movimentos sociais - com destaque para a Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) - acusam o presidente de afagar os latifundiários. À direita ficam os prefeitos da Meia Lua, acusados por Evo de agir sob influência do embaixador dos Estados Unidos.

Será possível costurar um pacto federativo nos moldes do brasileiro, em que a São Paulo deles (Santa Cruz) aceite financiar o desenvolvimento do Nordeste?

Você não vai encontrar nada que preste na mídia brasileira sobre a Bolívia, com raríssimas exceções, ainda que boa parte do gás que toca a indústria paulista venha de lá. É que nós somos europeus.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:34 0 comentários
O mundo pós-unipolar
Blog do Luis Nassif - 06/08/08




O novo impasse transatlântico

Por David P. Calleo

No Valor de hoje






(...) Os interesses geopolíticos da Europa e dos EUA vêm divergindo e poderão continuar assim, pouco importa quem seja o presidente.

Interromper esse distanciamento progressivo exigirá importantes mudanças nas perspectivas e políticas nos dois lados do Atlântico. Os EUA terão de parar de definir seus interesses transatlânticos em termos de sua mentalidade hegemônica e a Europa terá de assumir um comando mais pleno de sua própria região.

A referência a interesses geopolíticos ressalta a influência da geografia na configuração desses interesses. É famosa a concordância expressa por Charles de Gaulle e Winston Churchill: "Em última instância, a Grã-Bretanha é uma ilha, a França é uma ponta de continente; os EUA são de outro mundo". De Gaulle e Churchill compreenderam que durante séculos o Canal da Mancha constituiu uma colossal barreira geopolítica a um compartilhamento de interesses durável entre o Reino Unido e a França. Se o canal é tal barreira, vínculos duradouros através do Atlântico parecem implausíveis.

Em outras palavras, dessa perspectiva os dois espaços econômicos mais ricos e mais poderosos do mundo, União Européia (UE) e EUA, tendem a ser rivais, mesmo quando são aliados.

Com efeito, um inimigo compartilhado deu suporte à aliança dos EUA com partes da Europa durante grande parte do Século XX. Esse inimigo, porém, também era europeu - primeiro a Alemanha e depois a Rússia. De fato, o interesse geopolítico transatlântico compartilhado foi entre os EUA e uma parte da Europa contra outra.

Com o colapso da União Soviética (URSS), em 1991, a aliança transatlântica confrontou novas realidades. Os interesses tanto da UE como dos EUA foram amplamente redefinidos. (...) A Europa Central reviveu e a Alemanha foi reunificada. A Europa Ocidental evoluiu - de uma "Comunidade" para uma "União" - e seus Estados tornaram-se menos firmemente vinculados à proteção americana.

A extinção da URSS estimulou as elites políticas americanas a construir uma visão "unipolar" da posição e interesse mundiais dos americanos. Essa tendência acelerou à medida que o atual governo Bush tentou construir uma hegemonia unilateral mundial a partir da "guerra ao terror", que provocou crescente inquietação na "Velha Europa".

Embora a invasão do Afeganistão pelos EUA tenha sido amplamente considerada como justificada, a invasão do Iraque por forças anglo-americanas provocou uma fratura exposta entre os EUA e seus dois maiores aliados continentais, França e Alemanha, que foram apoiados pela Rússia e pela China. Um grande bloco eurasiano surgiu repentinamente em oposição às pretensões de hegemonia mundial americana, prefigurando uma nova fluidez nos relacionamentos geopolíticos, se não uma mudança tectônica de alinhamentos.

A eficácia da resistência franco-alemã à hegemonia americana foi, no entanto, temperada pelas reações de outros países europeus. Tony Blair, primeiro-ministro do Reino Unido, fez o melhor a seu alcance para ressuscitar a relação especial da era Churchill, e o Reino Unido recebeu a adesão da Itália e da Espanha, juntamente com quase todos os países da Nova Europa. A dupla franco-alemã já não pôde alegar estar falando em nome da UE como um todo. Os planos europeus para uma política externa e de segurança comuns e para uma cooperação mais estreita no setor de defesa pareceu brutalmente desacreditada.

Aos poucos, porém, a Europa pareceu avançar em sua coesão na oposição às políticas e pretensões unipolares americanas.

(...) As razões para a defecção européia são eminentemente geopolíticas. A leste da Europa está a Rússia, a seu sul, o mundo muçulmano. A Europa necessita boas relações com ambos com a finalidade de penetrar mercados crescentes, acessar fontes de matérias-primas e energia e garantir sua própria estabilidade doméstica, ao mesmo tempo em que muitos europeus acreditam que as políticas americanas gerem atritos com essas regiões. Nessas circunstâncias, a aliança transatlântica sobrevive menos por interesses efetivamente compartilhados do que devido a inércia.

Poderá alguma coisa restaurar a antiga harmonia transatlântica? Um forte renascimento do imperialismo russo ou uma guerra entre civilizações com o mundo muçulmano poderia criar ameaça tão ameaçadora que uma Europa amedrontada retomaria sua dependência em relação aos EUA, como durante a Guerra Fria. Mas a Europa não estará ansiosa por abraçar tal futuro. (...) A construção de um sistema de Estados tão balanceado em escala regional foi a grande realização da Europa no Pós-Guerra.

(...) O que parece efetivamente claro é que uma Europa coesa, forte e mantendo bom relacionamento com seus vizinhos não se encaixará facilmente em uma aliança transatlântica estreita com os EUA se os americanos estiverem empenhados em manter hegemonia mundial.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:23 0 comentários
Avanços da integração
Blog do Luis Nassif - 07/08/08




Em geral, quando se fala em integração da América Latina pensa-se em Mercosul – que é uma mera união aduaneira. Muito mais importante é a Iniciativa para a Integração da Infra-estrutura Regional Sul Americana (IIRSA) existe desde agosto de 2000, quando ocorreu em Brasília a reunião fundadora.

Segundo o Projeto Brasil (www.projetobr.com.br), com exceção da Guiana Francesa, todos os países da América do Sul participam desse plano do Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento (BID) em parceria com a Corporação Andina de Fomento (CAF) e o Fundo para o Desenvolvimento da Bacia do Prata (Fonplata).

***

Com o plano envolvendo a execução de 348 obras em 20 anos e um investimento de aproximadamente 38 bilhões de dólares, a iniciativa tem visibilidade inversa aos números, relata a repórter Nina Adorno. A crítica tem ficado por conta dos movimentos sociais, cientistas e organizações não-governamentais preocupados com os impactos ambiental, econômico e social dessa integração.

***

Em geral, há certa incompreensão sobre os objetivos da IIRSA.

No Brasil, a área total de influência das obras será de 2,5 milhões de quilômetros quadrados. Serão atingidas 137 unidades de conservação, 107 terras indígenas – nas quais vivem 22% da população indígena brasileira – e 484 áreas prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade. Somente na Amazônia, o bioma mais afetado, 322 áreas entre as mais ricas em espécies estarão expostas à ação do homem. Tudo isso conforme o relatório A Perfect Storm in the Amazon Wilderness: Development and Conservation in the Context of the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA),do cientista Tim Killeen, da ONG Conservação Internacional (CI).

***

Dos seus planos 31 são considerados de curto prazo e, em relação à Carta de Projetos da Iniciativa, 40% já se encontram em distintos graus de execução. “São os projetos que tinham mais sentido do ponto de vista da integração física. O acompanhamento, o monitoramento da análise da gente, principalmente no Brasil, tem se centrado mais nessa lista”, assegurou Afonso Oliveira de Almeida, secretário de planejamento e investimentos estratégicos e coordenador nacional da IIRSA

***

A visão incorreta é julgar que a integração parte de uma visão equivocada da economia, de consolidar o papel da região como fornecedora de matéria-prima.

Os críticos temem ainda que a dependência sul-americana em relação aos países ricos e o desequilíbrio local se agravem. “A IIRSA já parte das regiões mais competitivas do continente. Essa definição de competitividade, depois de 20 anos de abertura caótica e irrestrita, fez com que apenas os setores que se moldaram sobrevivessem no continente. É uma lógica voltada para fora e, em geral, especializada em exportação de recursos naturais”, Luis Fernando Novoa, professor da Universidade Federal de Rondônia e membro da Rede Brasil sobre Instituições Financeiras Multilaterais.

***

Ora, a integração criará regiões de desenvolvimento, novos mercados, novas possibilidades de sinergia e, conseqüentemente, de industrialização, agregação de valor, adensamento de cadeia produtiva.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:05 0 comentários
O dia depois do referendo
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 06/08/08




No dia 10 de agosto ocorrerá uma batalha decisiva não somente para a Bolívia, mas para toda a América Latina. Uma vitória do governo Evo Morales e a derrota dos prefeitos opositores de La Paz, Cochabamba e Pando pode ser o começo de uma ofensiva para desarticular a oligarquia boliviana. Neste dia, os bolivianos decidirão se confirmam ou revogam o mandato do presidente e seu vice e de oito dos nove prefeitos departamentais. O artigo é de Raúl Zibechi, publicado pelo jornal La Jornada e pela Agência Carta Maior, 06-08-2008.

Eis o artigo.

O referendo revogatório de 10 de agosto pode consagrar uma decisiva vitória política do governo de Evo Morales e produzir assim uma virada que permita com que passe à ofensiva diante da direita do departamento de Santa Cruz. Neste dia, os bolivianos decidirão se confirmam ou revogam o mandato do presidente e seu vice, Álvaro García Linera, e de oito dos nove prefeitos departamentais. Com segurança, o governo conseguirá mais votos do que os obtidos nas eleições de dezembro de 2005, quando alcançou 53% . A oposição teme que vários dos prefeitos que apóiam a direita autonomista tenham seu mandato revogado pelos eleitores. O referendo foi convocado para frear a ofensiva dos autonomistas, que este ano promoveram vários plebiscitos nos departamentos da chamada “media luna”, que lhes deram vitórias com até 80% dos votos.

A direita está criando um clima de polarização para evitar uma consulta na qual tem todas as chances de perder, porque a popularidade do governo é muito alta como resultado das importantes mudanças introduzidas nestes dois anos e meio. O primeiro elemento que deve ser levado em conta é que dois terços dos bolivianos se reconhecem como indígenas, sendo que, pela primeira vez na história, tem um presidente de sua mesma cultura. O segundo é o que o governo está gerando algumas transferências de renda para os mais pobres, como o fundo escolar Juancito Pinto, pelo qual 1,8 milhão de estudantes recebem 200 bolivianos anuais (28 dólares) para frear a evasão. Além disso, há a Renda Dignidade, de até 3 mil bolivianos (425 dólares), que beneficia 570 mil pessoas maiores de 60 anos, e que é financiado pelo Imposto Direto sobre os Combustíveis.

Em terceiro lugar, cabe destacar as mudanças estruturais que resultam no fortalecimento do papel do Estado na economia e em uma importante melhoria econômica do país, em parte assegurada pelo aumento dos preços internacionais dos combustíveis, especialmente do petróleo. As reservas internacionais da Bolívia passaram de 1,7 bilhões de dólares (antes de Evo) para 7 bilhões de dólares. No final deste ano, as exportações terão se multiplicado cinco vezes, com destaque para minerais, combustíveis e produtos da agroindústria. Segundo García Linera, a participação do Estado na economia passou de 13 para 22% nestes 30 meses de governo. No que diz respeito à renda petroleira, o controle do Estado passou de 27% para 75%, elevando sua receita de 500 milhões de dólares anuais para 2 bilhões de dólares anuais.

Na área de mineração, terceiro núcleo do poder boliviano, o Estado passou a controlar 55% dos lucros (a partir da aprovação da lei de impostos sobre produtos de mineração). Antes, recebia apenas 20%. Além disso, o Estado entrou no negócio através das minas Huanuni e Vinto, e prevê outros quatro projetos de exploração para 2009. Mesmo sem nacionalizações com confiscos, as mudanças são notáveis. Nos setores da pecuária e da agroindústria, o Estado deixou de transferir aos grandes produtores 150 milhões de dólares anuais em infraestrutura e apoio técnico, para criar um programa de apoio a pequenos e médios produtores de arroz, trigo, milho e soja. Começou também a intervir no mercado da soja, comprando de pequenos produtores, aos quais paga preços superiores aos de mercado. Este ano, o governo espera administrar 80 mil toneladas, 10% da produção total.

Dos quatro principais setores da economia do país, o único onde o Estado não intervem é o financeiro. Essas mudanças, que tendem a se aprofundar, explicam o boicote e as ameaças das classes dominantes, que percebem a possibilidade de receber um duro golpe. Caso se confirme a vitória no referendo, o governo levará às urnas a nova Constituição, aprovada pela Assembléia Constituinte em 9 de dezembro de 2007. Até agora se absteve de dar este passo pela relação de forças criada nos primeiros meses do ano e pela ofensiva da direita com a convocação dos referendos autonômicos. Pode-se objetar que o governo não enfrentou com a força necessária a oligarquia de Santa Cruz, em particular na polêmica questão da terra. Até agora, entregou 800 mil hectares, dos 30 milhões que espera transferir às 200 mil famílias campesinas.

Limites e possibilidades do governo Evo Morales

Até aqui, o governo está distribuindo terras que não tocam nos interesses dos latifundiários, que boicotam de forma violenta os trabalhos do Ministério de Terras, em Santa Cruz, onde ainda vivem comunidades indígenas em situação de escravidão. Como assinala o antropólogo Pablo Regalsky, por momentos há a impressão de que o governo se situa como um árbitro acima dos interesses de classe, atitude que “o empurra a favorecer a direita de forma que ela cresça o suficiente para colocar na parede os movimentos sociais (Viento Sur, n° 97, maio de 2008). Mais do que derrotar o governo de Evo, essa oligarquia busca blindar seus interesses construindo um cordão, material e simbólico, para impedir que os movimentos indígenas, amplamente hegemônicos no altiplano, possam derrotá-la como fizeram entre 2000 e 2005 com as elites que governavam desde La Paz.

Neste sentido, Reglasky tem razão ao recordar que o cerco dos movimentos a La Paz não foi derrotado, razão que empurra à direita a querer mudar a capital para Santa Cruz ou Sucre. Mas, para além das insuficiências do governo de Evo, no dia 10 de agosto se joga uma batalha decisiva não somente para a Bolívia, mas para toda a América Latina. Uma contundente ratificação do governo e a possível derrota dos prefeitos opositores de La Paz, Cochabamba e Pando pode ser o começo de uma necessária ofensiva para desarticular a oligarquia cruceña, revertendo 50 milhões de hectares que obteve ilegalmente desde a reforma agrária de 1953. Para essa tarefa há força suficiente, como vêm mostrando os movimentos em todo o país, que nunca baixaram a guarda e agora estão em vigília para impedir qualquer manobra desestabilizadora.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 14:04 0 comentários
Seis centrais sindicais receberão R$ 56 mi
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 06/08/08




Pela primeira vez na história do sindicalismo brasileiro, seis centrais sindicais receberão recursos do chamado imposto sindical - que equivale a um dia de salário do trabalhador no ano. As centrais sindicais embolsarão R$ 55,5 milhões neste ano. Os recursos deverão ser repassados nas próximas semanas. A reportagem é de Julianna Sofia e publicada pelo jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 06-08-2008.

Historicamente contrária ao imposto sindical, a CUT (Central Única dos Trabalhadores) - braço do PT no sindicalismo - será a entidade a receber o maior volume de recursos: R$ 19,8 milhões. Em segundo lugar, aparece a Força Sindical. Comandada pelo deputado federal Paulo Pereira da Silva, o Paulinho (PDT-SP), a central receberá R$ 15,1 milhões.

Paulinho está sob investigação da Polícia Federal por suspeitas de envolvimento em um esquema para desviar dinheiro do BNDES (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social). Na Câmara, o deputado e sindicalista responde a um processo disciplinar no Conselho de Ética.

As demais centrais sindicais beneficiadas com a divisão dos recursos do imposto sindical são: UGT (União Geral dos Trabalhadores), que receberá R$ 8,8 milhões; NCST (Nova Central Sindical de Trabalhadores), que terá direito a R$ 6,6 milhões; CTB (Central dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras do Brasil), com R$ 2,9 milhões; e CGTB (Central Geral dos Trabalhadores do Brasil), com R$ 2,4 milhões.

A distribuição inédita de recursos do imposto sindical foi estabelecida pela lei nº 11.648 (de março deste ano), que regulamentou as centrais sindicais. Até então, as entidades não tinham respaldo legal para suas atividades, estando à margem da estrutura sindical.

O imposto sindical era partilhado apenas entre sindicatos (60%), federações (15%), confederações (5%) e governo (20%). Nas negociações com o governo e o Congresso, as centrais conseguiram abocanhar 10%, e o governo passou a ficar com 10%.

Enquanto as seis centrais foram beneficiadas com a medida, outras 12 entidades cadastradas no Ministério do Trabalho não preencheram os critérios exigidos. Entre elas, estão a CGT (Confederação Geral de Trabalhadores), a CAT (Central Autônoma de Trabalhadores) e a Conlutas (Coordenação Nacional de Lutas).

Rateio

Os critérios para a partilha dos recursos estão definidos na lei que criou as centrais sindicais. Para obter a representatividade necessária ao reconhecimento de sua atuação, a entidade precisa obedecer a quatro requisitos cumulativos. O mais importante deles define que as centrais precisam comprovar a filiação de sindicatos que representem, no mínimo, 7% dos trabalhadores sindicalizados no país.

Como a definição desse percentual eliminaria quase todas as entidades (sobrariam apenas CUT e Força), a lei estabelece uma regra transitória para os dois primeiros anos de sua vigência. Nesse período, o índice é de 5% dos sindicalizados.

No levantamento realizado pelo Ministério do Trabalho, a CUT atingiu 35,84%. Já a Força Sindical contabilizou 12,33%. Apesar dessa diferença percentual, as duas entidades receberão valores próximos. A justificativa para isso seria o fato de a CUT contar em sua base com um elevado número de sindicatos ligados a servidores públicos, que não recolhem o imposto sindical.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 13:57 0 comentários
Freire critica idéia de 'desanistia' e pede ‘coragem de abrir os arquivos
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 06/08/08



O presidente nacional do PPS, Roberto Freire, considera “um grande equívoco” a reformulação da Lei de Anistia proposta pelo ministro da Justiça, Tarso Genro. Na opinião dele, o governo está sendo “omisso” porque, em vez de propor uma “desanistia”, deveria ter “a coragem de abrir os arquivos para saber onde estão os desaparecidos”. A reportagem é de Rui Nogueira e publicada pelo jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 06-08-2008.
Avalia, também, que Tarso precisa “tomar cuidado ao falar sobre questões de direitos humanos, porque ele foi o responsável pela deportação dos dois boxeadores cubanos”. O ex-senador refere-se aos atletas Guilhermo Rigondeaux e Erislandy Lara, que abandonaram a delegação de Cuba nos Jogos Pan-Americanos do Rio, em julho de 2007, mas foram presos pela polícia brasileira e devolvidos à ditadura de Fidel Castro.

Na quinta-feira, ao abrir audiência no Ministério da Justiça intitulada Limites e Possibilidades para Responsabilização Jurídica dos Agentes Violadores de Direitos Humanos durante o Estado de Exceção no Brasil, Tarso defendeu a punição para agentes do Estado que praticaram tortura durante o regime militar. Na avaliação do ministro, tortura e violações de direitos humanos são crimes comuns, e não políticos, e por isso quem os praticou não poderia se beneficiar da anistia.

“A partir do momento em que o agente do Estado pega o prisioneiro e o tortura num porão, ele sai da legalidade do próprio regime militar e se torna um criminoso comum. Não foi um ato político. Ele violou a ordem jurídica da própria ditadura e tem de ser responsabilizado”, argumentou ele, durante o evento.

Essa posição provocou reações no meio militar e recebeu contestação pública do ministro da Defesa, Nelson Jobim, para quem este é um assunto que não cabe ao Executivo discutir, mas ao Judiciário interpretar.

Para Freire, a Lei de Anistia beneficiou tanto militantes de movimentos contra a ditadura militar - inclusive os que optaram pela luta armada - quanto agentes do Estado brasileiro que cometeram “crimes hediondos, como a tortura”. O presidente do PPS, que integrou a comissão de deputados e senadores que elaborou a lei de 1979 e também foi constituinte em 1988, diz que não cabe, agora, “promover uma nova alternativa jurídica em torno da Lei de Anistia por causa daqueles que estavam do lado do governo e praticaram atos ilegais, mas que no momento da definição do processo de anistia foram anistiados”.

Freire diz que a um governo democrático se impõem duas tarefas: a reparação pela Justiça de “todos aqueles que foram torturados, que sofreram na mão do Estado a prática do crime da tortura, e a abertura dos arquivos do período da ditadura militar, no que o atual governo tem sido omisso”. Ele pondera, ainda, que os arquivos não devem ser abertos por revanchismo. “Mas para que tenhamos conhecimento da nossa história, saber onde estão nossos desaparecidos”, argumenta.

O ex-senador afirma que uma revisão da lei agora acaba por gerar exacerbação dos militares, como já está ocorrendo, e ressuscitar no País um clima de confronto. “A justiça pode ser feita sem a revisão da lei. Pelo Judiciário, ou seja, aqueles que sofreram abusos e arbitrariedades por parte dos torturadores devem cobrar na Justiça as indenizações a que têm direito.”


Postado por GEOBLOG às 13:55 0 comentários
A estratégia do pré-sal
Blog do Luis Nassif - 05/08/08




Estratégia para pré-sal é exportar só derivados

Claudia Safatle, Cláudia Schüffner e Francisco Góes, de Brasília e do Rio

Com investimentos de mais de US$ 43 bilhões na construção de novas refinarias até 2016 e aumento da capacidade de produção das plantas já existentes, o Brasil se prepara para ser exportador de produtos petrolíferos de maior valor agregado. As duas refinarias premium que serão construídas no Maranhão e no Ceará, com capacidade de 900 mil barris por dia, serão destinadas à exportação de diesel com as especificações exigidas pelos mercados japonês, europeu e americano. Pelos planos do governo, a capacidade de refino do país passará dos atuais 1,792 milhão de barris/dia para 3,2 milhões até 2020.

Essa decisão é parte da estratégia do presidente Lula, que, em recente reunião com a Casa Civil e com a direção da Petrobras, estabeleceu três premissas decorrentes do aumento da produção de petróleo, na próxima década, a partir da camada pré-sal: o país não será exportador de óleo bruto; parte das receitas com a exploração será mesmo destinada a um fundo de investimento em educação; e só serão importados equipamentos que a indústria naval local não for capaz de produzir. A recuperação desse setor, agora, "não tem mais volta", sintetizou um ministro que participa do grupo de trabalho criado para elaborar um modelo de exploração do pré-sal (continua).

Por SergioSikeira

Também não conheço muito bem o modelo norueguês, mas sei que além da Statoil eles ainda tem a Hydro de capital misto. Quanto a Petoro (100% estatal), pelo que sei, ela tem a prerrogativa de participar dos projetos de E&P do país, mas quase sempre como um sócio minoritário e nunca como operadora. Seu objetivo é irrigar de recursos o fundo estatal do petróleo, que ajuda a garantir a boa vida dos noruegueses.

Repito que acho o modelo de produção partilhada mais adequado ao Brasil NA ÀREA ESTRATÉGICA DO PRÉ-SAL. Em Angola, a Sonangol licita oa áreas de exploração, as empresas privadas assumem todo o risco exploratório e caso bem sucedidadas ficam com 10 a 35% da produção. O estatal fica com a gestão e a parte do lobo na produção, enquanto o estado é remunerado pelos impostos, percentual dos lucros e bônus de assinatura dos contratos.

Lógico que contratos de prestação de serviços seriam muito mais lucrativos no caso de risco explotório zero, mas duvido desta história. Nunca existiu risco zero na história da exploraçãp petrolífera.

A exploração e produção no pré-sal é extremamente cara e acho difícil o estado ter capacidade de aporte no volume adequado às necessidades demandadas. E o modo de atrair o investimento privado de risco (ainda que misto via Petrobras) é garantindo a parte que lhe cabe neste latifúndio. Como no présal o risco é menor e as reservas maiores acredito que metade dos percentuais angolanos seriam suficientes.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 12:02 0 comentários
Orgulho extemporâneo
Blog do Luis Nassif - 05/08/08



Não faz bem para o quadro político, não agrega nada à luta pelos direitos humanos as constantes declarações de Tarso Genro - que, agora, afirma "ter orgulho de sua ficha". Não há nada que desabone sua carreira política, a resistência contra a ditadura engrandecerá sua biografia. Mas deixem-se esses fatos para uma futura biografia ou para quando sair do governo.

Agora, Tarso está Ministro. Tudo o que ele fala, tem o peso da declaração do Ministro que ele está.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:59 0 comentários
Quais abusos?
Blog do Luis Nassif - 05/08/08




Ficou complexa essa questão dos supostos abusos de autoridades policiais, a partir da Operação Satiagraha. Ontem o Estadão fez uma mesa redonda com Gilmar Mendes, do STF, Tarso Genro, Ministro da Justiça, Antonio Fernando de Souza, procurador-geral e Ceza Brito, da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (clique aqui).

Antes de ontem o delegado Protógenes deu uma entrevista à “Folha”- que está sendo malhada por jornalistas sérios, taxando-o de “populismo de direita”. Nela, o que vi foi um cidadão comum insurgindo-se contra os abusos e a impunidade nos crimes de colarinho branco.

Historicamente, sempre me posicionei contra abusos de procuradores e da PF. No meu livro “O Jornalismo dos anos 90” relato vários episódios em que procurei me colocar contra o chamado “clamor das ruas”. Em todos eles era o poder de Estado ou de polícia contra pessoas físicas.

O que ocorreu nos últimos anos, em nível mundial, no entanto, foi o aparecimento de um poder muito superior a tudo o que se conhecia até então: a aliança entre o crime organizado, setores do mercado e parte da mídia, uma mistura infernal cooptando (ou fuzilando) juízes, funcionários públicos e políticos.

O sistema de poder no país é composto por um determinado número de instituições públicas e privadas. Há os tradicionais Executivo, Legislativo e Judiciário. Depois há o poder financeiro – desde o início dos anos 90 um poder hegemônico no país -, gestores inescrupulosos administrando recursos provenientes dos mais diferentes setores, em larga margem da lavagem de dinheiro. E há a mídia, o chamado quarto poder.

A crise da desvalorização cambial fragilizou empresas de comunicação. Algumas conseguiram resolver de forma satisfatória. Outras precisaram recorrer a investimentos de fora. E aí se aliaram a grupos complicados, criando um poder quase invencível. Parte da história recente da mídia brasileira passa pelo Opportunity e Pactual – não coincidentemente envolvidos conjuntamente na Operação Satiagraha.

As reações a esse super-poder se davam de forma individual e as retaliações eram terríveis juntando a capacidade do grupo de produzir dossiês e de publicações de cometerem assassinatos de reputação. Vocês são testemunhas diárias desse jogo barra-pesada de lobistas notórios.

Juízes que ousaram enfrentar Dantas sofreram assassinato de reputação; políticos e jornalistas foram estigmatizados e sofreram escuta e espionagem. Até a Academia Brasileira de Letras foi cooptada, para que um de seus “imortais” desse um parecer vergonhoso a respeito do estilo de sentença de uma juíza.

Era uma força aparentemente invencível.

Se não fossem os juízes de Primeira Instância, os delegados, os procuradores atuando na linha de frente, com poder de escuta e de esquadrinhar, qual seria o desfecho desse jogo? Até onde iria o poder dessa aliança espúria?

Satiagraha foi uma reação a partir da consciência individual de um grupo pequeno de pessoas. Tentar ironizar entrevistas do delegado Protógenes é perda de tempo: ele correu risco no cargo e na carreira apostando em suas convicções, enquanto outros se calavam.

Nesse caso específico, sem a "espetacularização" não teria havido a Operação Satiagraha.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:55 0 comentários
IPEA: ÍNTEGRA DA PESQUISA SOBRE REDUÇÃO DE POBREZA

Site do Azenha - Atualizado em 06 de agosto de 2008 às 02:31 | Publicado em 06 de agosto de 2008 às 02:04

Pesquisa revela que o número de pobres diminuiu
(05/08/2008 - 15:30)

Houve queda no número de indigentes e crescimento de ricos

O Ipea divulgou hoje pesquisa que revela que, devido ao crescimento econômico no país, a pobreza reduziu e o número de ricos aumentou.

O estudo foi realizado em seis regiões metropolitanas - Recife, Salvador, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte e Rio de Janeiro, e constatou que o percentual de pobres na cidade de Belo Horizonte, por exemplo, entre 2002 (38,3%) e 2008 (15,2%), teve queda de 23,1%.

Já em Recife, o índice de pobreza foi o que menos reduziu. Entre 2002 (52,3%) e 2008 (43,1%) a redução foi de apenas 9,2%. De acordo com o presidente do Ipea, Marcio Pochmann, "a pobreza está caindo significativamente e inclui a indigência".

Entre o mesmo período houve queda no percentual de indigentes. Em 2002 esse total era de 12,7% dos pobres. Atualmente o número caiu para 6,6%.

O crescimento econômico, os ganhos do salário mínimo e as transferências do governo, contribuíram para a redução da pobreza. No caso dos ricos, além do crescimento econômico, essa classe se beneficiou dos ganhos de produtividade, que pouco são repassados aos salários dos trabalhadores.

O número de ricos entre os anos de 2002 e 2008 também aumentou. De 448 mil subiu para 476 mil pessoas. Ainda de acordo com a pesquisa, a classe média está em expansão.

O estudo compreende o período de 1992 a 2008, e conceitua como pobre o indivíduo que tem renda mensal de até meio salário mínimo (R$ 207,50) e o rico, aquele que pertence a uma família que possui renda mensal igual ou superior a 40 salários mínimos (R$ 16.600,00).


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:52 0 comentários
MAIO DE 2002: FHC MONTA O PLANO DE FUGA
Conversa Afiada - 05/08/08




Maio de 2002.
. FHC nomeia Gilmar Mendes para o Supremo.

. Maio de 2002.

. FHC recebe Daniel Dantas para um jantar no Palácio.

. Maio de 2002.

. FHC destitui a diretoria da Previ hostil a Dantas.

. Maio de 2002.

. FHC nomeia Luiz Cantidiano para a CVM.

. Cantidiano tinha sido sócio de Dantas.

. Maio de 2002.

. FHC, Serra e Marcelo Itagiba mandam o delegado Deuler Rocha da Polícia Federal para a Ilha do Diabo, porque cometeu o erro de investigar Dantas.

. Essa cronologia foi montada por um leitor do Conversa Afiada, que se deu conta de que o notável artigo do jurista Dalmo Dallari – clique aqui para ler – sobre Mendes tinha sido escrito em MAIO DE 2002 !

. Maio de 2002 – deve ter sido quando o Farol de Alexandria se deu conta de que seu candidato, o presidente eleito José Serra, não seria eleito (na verdade, Serra perdeu por 61 % a 39%, o mesmo resultado de Gilberto Alckmin.)

. Foi essa “transição civilizada” que o Presidente que tem medo, o Presidente Lula, aceitou de Fernando Henrique.

. E vai levar para a sua biografia, editada, em capa dura, como “coffee table book” pela “BrOi”, com recursos da Lei Rouanet.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:50 0 comentários
GRAMPO: DE SANCTIS DESMONTA FARSA DA FOLHA (*)
Conversa Afiada - 05/08/08




A Folha (da Tarde *), a mesma que publicou a “reportagem” que ajudou Daniel Dantas a escapar – clique aqui para ler –, inventou a farsa de “1984”.
. A farsa da Folha (da Tarde *) consistiu em dizer, no domingo – clique aqui para ler – que o ínclito Delegado Protógenes Queiroz era o “Mega-Big Brother” de “1984”.

. Porque teve acesso irrestrito a todas as ligações telefônicas do Brasil.

. A Folha (da Tarde*) quis dizer que o ínclito delegado Queiroz seria uma combinação de CIA, NSA e FBI, com uma central de armazenamento de centrais telefônicas de que nem a Casa Branca dispõe.

. A farsa da Folha (da Tarde *) tem o objetivo de desviar a atenção da patranha da “BrOi” – de que a Folha (da Tarde*) é cúmplice – e devolver para debaixo do tapete as falcatruas do quadrilheiro Daniel Dantas.

. É o Golpe do “Estado de Direita” em marcha.

. Os líderes do Golpe são o PiG, que elegeu o Supremo Presidente Gilmar Mendes seu porta-voz.

. (Como diz um amigo meu: o Presidente Supremo não desempenha esse papel de líder do Golpe do “Estado de Direita” à toa. Logo ele que se aperfeiçoou nas letras jurídicas ao trabalhar para Eduardo Jorge, lugar-tenente do Farol de Alexandria. Aplica-se a Mendes, segundo o meu amigo, a “Lei Vitorino Freire”: jabuti sobe em árvore ? Se você vir um jabuti na árvore é porque alguém pôs ele lá.)

. Acontece que há uma metade do Brasil que não joga no time de Daniel Dantas.

. (Espera-se que entre os 9 ministros do Supremo Tribunal Federal haja algum representante dessa metade ... Falei em nove, porque, além do Supremo Presidente, a Ministra Ellen Grace, para não abrir o disco rígido, defendeu a tese de que Dantas não é Dantas, mas Dantas ...)

. O juiz Fausto De Sanctis, da 6ª. Vara Federal de São Paulo, que prendeu Dantas duas vezes (e o Supremo Presidente mandou soltar, duas vezes, em 48 horas), publicou nota oficial na página A6 da Folha (da Tarde*) de hoje: clique aqui para ler.

. O corajoso juiz De Sanctis desmente, ponto por ponto, a farsa da Folha (da Tarde *).

. A farsa é mais uma tentativa do pessoal do “Estado de Direita” de inventar documentos, provas, indícios para dar o Golpe.

. A “Carta Brandi” do Lacerda, o maior de todos os golpistas, foi uma. Clique aqui para ler.

. O juiz De Sanctis tem uma explicação irrefutável.

. Numa linguagem mais simples, o que se pode dizer é que o ínclito Delegado Queiroz quis saber quem ligava para um grampeado (grampeado, ressalte-se, com autorização judicial).

. Por exemplo, quis saber se o “Gomes”, ou “arquiteto” que ligava para o Dantas era mesmo o Luiz Eduardo Greenhalgh.

. Como não existe catálogo telefônico de celular, o ínclito Delegado Queiroz conseguiu aquilo que qualquer vendedor de celular tem: acesso ao cadastro de clientes de uma operadora.

. O Conversa Afiada sugere à chefe de reportagem da Folha (da Tarde *) – se é que a Folha (da Tarde *) tem reportagem, ou se é tudo opinião – para designar um repórter.

. A Folha (da Tarde*) ainda tem repórter ?

. O Conversa Afiada toma a liberdade de sugerir o nome do colonista (*2) Guilherme Barros, um especialista em teles ...

. O repórter Barros iria a uma loja que vende celular.

. Qualquer loja, de qualquer operadora.

. E diz que quer comprar um novo celular.

. E pede ao vendedor para estudar um plano em que economize dinheiro, porque as contas estão muito altas.

. O vendedor fará o que a farsa da Folha (da Tarde *) denunciou: consultará o cadastro do cliente para sugerir um plano mais econômico.

. Qualquer vendedor de qualquer loja de celular no Brasil tem o que o Delegado Queiroz conseguiu.

. É simples, caro leitor.

. O PiG, a Folha (da Tarde *, especialmente) e o Supremo Presidente querem é isso mesmo: instalar o medo, disseminar um clima de “1984” para dar o Golpe do “Estado de Direita”.

. E, assim, ninguém mais fala do Daniel Dantas.

. Ninguém se pergunta: por que cargas d’água o Fernando Henrique Cardoso haveria de aplicar no “Banco” Opportunity ?

. A ordem é: vamos levar Dantas de volta para debaixo do tapete !

. Clique aqui para ler sobre as novas manifestações explícitas de um Golpe para instalar o “Estado de Direita”: “Estadão e Mendes trabalham pelo “Estado de Direita” e clique aqui para ler “CPI do Grampo trabalha para Mendes”.

. Clique aqui para ler sobre as aplicações de Fernando Henrique Cardoso no “Banco” de Dantas.

(*) Já estava na hora de a Folha tirar os cães de guarda do armário e confessar, como fez a Folha, que foi “Cão de Guarda” do regime militar. Instigado pelo Azenha – clique aqui para ir ao Viomundo – acabei de ler o excelente livro “Cães de Guarda – jornalistas e censores do AI-5 à Constituição de 1989”, de Beatriz Kushnir, Boitempo Editorial, que trata das relações especiais da Folha (e a Folha da Tarde) com a repressão dos anos militares. Octavio Frias Filho, publisher da Folha (da Tarde), não quis dar entrevista a Kushnir.

(*2) Clique aqui para ler o verbete “Colonista”.

Em tempo: como previsto, o depoimento do ínclito Delegado Protógenes à CPI dos Grampos foi inútil. À Bancada Dantas na CPI, leia-se Marcelo Itagiba e Raul Jungmann, serviu para mostrar serviço a seus doadores. Ao ínclito Delegado Queiroz, serviu para desmoralizar o Golpe do “Estado de Direita”, leia-se o Supremo, a CPI dos Grampos e o Governo do Presidente que tem medo. Como diria o locutor esportivo, “a bola está lá dentro”, ou seja, nas mãos dos corajosos juiz Fausto De Sanctis e procurador Rodrigo de Grandis. E se os Golpistas do “Estado de Direita” pensam que vão enrolar o ínclito Delegado Queiroz, é bom tomar cuidado: além de inteligente, ele tem a ficha de todos eles ...

Clique aqui para ler “Delegado se nega a responder perguntas na CPI dos grampos”, na Agência Brasil.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:45 0 comentários
Brasil, Argentina e Venezuela. A ausência de uma estratégia unificada
Instituto humanitas Unisinos - 05/08/08




Na análise do sociólogo argentino Atílio Borón em artigo para o Pagina/12, 04-08-2008, o Brasil, a Argentina e a Venezuela não jogam juntos em uma estratégia de fortalecimento das relações na América Latina. Borón considera que a Argentina pensa apenas no curto prazo e não fortalece estratégia alguma; por sua vez o Brasil pensa no longo prazo, mas se equivoca em sua política de inserção internacional. Para o sociólogo argentino, é Chávez que tem uma estratégica mais clara para o continente sul-americano. A tradução é do Cepat.

Eis o artigo.

A Argentina chega debilitada na reunião dos três presidentes. De um lado, com um poder político presidencial minguado pela recente (e inesperada) derrota de uma iniciativa – a Resolução 125 – que insolitamente o governo elevou a uma disputa de um referendo revogatório e perdeu. Mas também debilitada economicamente, pese os dados da macroeconomia que continuam mostrando elevadas taxas de crescimento do PIB cuja euforia se dissimula no momento de graves problemas.

A inflação é um inimigo sério que o governo não leva a sério, e tampouco estabelece uma adequada estratégia para combatê-la porque continua acreditando nos índices do INDEC. A crise energética é outra formidável e ainda mais letal ameaça: liquidada a preço vil nossa petroleira estatal durante o menemato (em uma operação que contou com o apoio irrestrito do PJ, da CGT, dos governadores das províncias e de boa parte dos dirigentes políticos), duas grandes empresas estrangeiras continuam extraindo óleo cru das nossas reservas e exportando sem nenhum controle do Estado em resguardar um bem público não renovável e de extraordinário valor.

Sabemos o que exportam porque o dizem em seus balancetes, algo que não exige provas na hora de denunciar a necessária reconstrução do estado na Argentina. As reservas estão se esgotando, não há exploração de novos poços, e diante da ausência de novos empreendimentos hidroelétricos a chegada da crise é apenas uma questão de tempo. Quanto mais crescer a economia, mais rapidamente a crise chegará.

Some-se a tudo isso a inexistência de um plano nacional de desenvolvimento – reclamado por Aldo Ferrer em sua memorável exposição na Câmara dos Deputados – e o panorama é suficientemente claro. Quando se diz que o “modelo não muda” o que se diz é que um modelo que se faz na acumulação.

Os dados anteriores demonstram que a Argentina continua sendo o reino do “curto-prazismo”: Nenhum governo desde a restauração democrática até aqui pensou para além da próxima conjuntura eleitoral, e assim se vai. No Brasil, ao contrário, a propensão em pensar – e atuar pensando – no longo prazo tem sido um dos seus traços mais característicos. Por isso puderam construir Brasília em meio a um deserto; por isso persistem durante décadas em fazer da Petrobrás e da Embraer duas grandes empresas; por isso puderam criar o Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento e fazer que, ao cabo desses anos, disponha de mais recursos para empréstimos que o Banco Mundial; por isso enquanto o Brasil constrói rodovias, portos, aeroportos e grandes obras hidroelétricas, a Argentina constrói... discursos.

Está claro que pensar no longo prazo nem sempre equivale a pensar corretamente. O “longo-prazismo” brasileiro tem um “tendão de aquiles”: sua visão errônea de inserção na economia internacional. Por isso a contribuição (se deixarem) que pode dar Chávez no robustecimento do MERCOSUL é de fundamental importância. O bolivariano é o único que possui uma visão não apenas de longo prazo, mas também estrategicamente acertada. Chávez não se equivoca, como os demais, esperando “compreensão e apoio” dos Estados Unidos ou da União Européia.

Tem consciência de que a lógica que preside o sistema é imperialista e que as potências dominantes, e especialmente o seu centro principal, não fazem concessões e tampouco se comovem com as aspirações dos nossos povos. Lula, ao contrário, celebrou em março de 2007, o seu acordo estratégico com George Bush para produzir etanol e biodiesel, optando por alimentar os tanques dos automóveis do Norte no lugar do estômago de seu povo. E por isso mesmo na agonizante Rodada de Doha se alinhou às grandes potências e de “descolou” dos seus irmãos do sul, prometendo abrir os seus mercados em troca de que os ricos do mundo comprem os seus produtos.

Tudo, possivelmente, por uma ilusão: aceder a um assento no Conselho de Segurança da ONU, obsessão que os velhos e novos colonialistas estimulam habilmente para obter mais concessões do gigante sul-americano ao módico preço de manter viva sua demagógica promessa. A Argentina tem uma longa história de subordinação aos desejos e interesses do Norte e terminou com as mãos vazias.

Chávez, ao contrário, sabe que a única opção para os nossos países é potencializar a nossa autonomia decisória: daí as estratégicas decisões de criar a ALBA, o Banco do Sul, o Gasoduto do Sul, Telesur e tantas iniciativas nessa perspectiva. E nessa convicção, o bolivariano não exibe fraqueza e nem cede diante do canto de sereia do império. Oxalá que os demais se contagiem.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:35 0 comentários
O inquérito italiano
Blog do Luis Nassif - 04/08/08




No capítulo “O post-it de Mainardi” descrevo a estratégia da defesa de Daniel Dantas no inquérito da Kroll, no Brasil, e o papel de Diogo Mainardi.

O que os advogados de Dantas buscam é a chamada “contaminação do inquérito” – isto é, trazer para o inquérito da PF o inquérito da Telecom Itália e as vinculações brasileiras. Fazendo isso, Dantas se livra. Qualquer juiz considerará que o inquérito se baseou em práticas ilegais. Daí o termo “contaminação”: as ilegalidades da Telecom Itália no Brasil (sob Tronchetti Provera) comprometerão os trabalhos legais da Policia Federal e do MP, porque estarão ambos reunidos no mesmo inquérito. E tudo terminará em pizza.

Insisto: anote bem essas observações, porque ficará mais fácil entender os caminhos que Diogo Mainardi passou a trilhar.

Esse capítulo foi escrito meses atrás.

A estratégia de Dantas consistia nisso. Através de Diogo Mainardi – entre outros – tentaria pressionar a Justiça para incluir no inquérito da Kroll os “grampos” da Telecom Itália. Em sua coluna, além de insistentemente afirmar que o inquérito brasileiro deveria incluir o material do inquérito italiano, Mainardi informou ter levado pessoalmente (!) ao Ministério Público o relatório.

Confira a nota abaixo. É do Ministério Público Federal de São Paulo e foi divulgada na quinta-feira passada. Através dela se fica sabendo que algum agente infiltrado colocou o CD da Kroll no inquérito. A defesa de Dantas imediatamente alegou que o inquérito estava “contaminado”. Os procuradores federais denunciam que o CD foi anexado ao processo sem o devido comunicado ao MPF e à Justiça.

Alguma dúvida sobre a importância que a defesa de Dantas dava a essa "contaminação" e sobre o papel desempenhado por Mainardi neste jogo, a ponto de se propor a levar pessoalmente o material ao MP?

MPF pediu que a Justiça determine ao diretor geral da PF a abertura de procedimento administrativo para apurar como CD foi arrecadado

O Ministério Público Federal manifestou-se contrário a insinuações da defesa de Daniel Dantas de que a prova da Operação Chacal estaria comprometida por um CD, contendo informações supostamente colhidas ilegalmente em operação de contra-espionagem da Telecom Italia, realizada em 2004, que teria sido descoberto nos autos somente agora, quatro anos após a abertura do caso, após o envio ao Brasil, por procuradores da República italianos da cópia da denúncia oferecida naquele país contra dirigentes da TIM que, supostamente, teriam espionado Daniel Dantas e outros no Brasil.

O CD teria sido entregue ao setor de contra-inteligência da PF, em agosto de 2004, mas o auto de arrecadação, cuja cópia foi apresentada pelos procuradores italianos na denúncia apresentada à Justiça de Milão, não consta dos autos do processo a que Daniel Dantas responde pelos crimes de interceptação telefônica ilegal e receptação, um dos três que integram o Caso Kroll, como ficou conhecida a investigação deflagrada pela Operação Chacal, da PF, em 2004, que apura como o dono do banco Opportunitty investigou ilegalmente seus então adversários da Telecom Italia, membros do governo e jornalistas, por intermédio da empresa Kroll.

Na manifestação, as procuradoras da República responsáveis pelo caso Kroll, Anamara Osório Silva e Ana Carolina Yoshii Kano Uemura, reiteram que oficiaram à 5ª Vara Federal de São Paulo, no último dia 14 de julho, pedindo que a Justiça determine ao Diretor Geral da PF, Luiz Fernando Correa, que seja aberto procedimento administrativo disciplinar para apurar as circunstâncias em que o tal CD foi arrecadado por um delegado federal sem a devida comunicação ao MPF e à Justiça, ou seja, sem cópia no processo. No pedido à direção da PF, o MPF pede que seja checada a veracidade do depoimento do italiano Mario Bernardini, que afirma saber parte do conteúdo do CD.

Na manifestação, o MPF informa que não reconhece o auto de arrecadação do CD como prova para os autos. Para o MPF, o CD é ilegítimo como prova e, além disso, o auto de arrecadação é inválido, pois só veio a conhecimento das procuradoras por meio de uma cópia, juntada pela defesa, da denúncia formulada pelos procuradores italianos, quase quatro anos após a deflagração da operação, na qual denunciam que diretores da Telecom Italia teriam também investigado Daniel Dantas.

Para as procuradoras brasileiras, a denúncia na Itália é normal e só confirma o que já havia sido dito nos autos inúmeras vezes pelo MPF que, a despeito dos crimes cometidos no Brasil por Dantas e seus aliados e pela TIM, na Itália, "a investigação privada parecia ser comum entre todos, acusados e seus adversários comerciais". Além disso, o MPF não pode se manifestar sobre uma investigação em outro país, por não poder investigar no exterior, e vice-versa.

Para o MPF, as alusões da defesa de que a prova estaria "contaminada" não passam de "meras insinuações", pois a prova dos autos brasileiros foi colhida com autorização judicial para interceptações telefônicas e telemáticas, bem como, busca e apreensão. Tanto é assim que outro CD entregue à PF, em julho de 2004, por Angelo Jannone, ex-diretor da TIM, também foi excluído dos autos como prova após manifestação do MPF, atendendo pedido da defesa de Dantas.

Marcelo Oliveira
Assessoria de Comunicação
Procuradoria da República no Estado de S. Paulo


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:29 0 comentários
Cachorro comendo o rabo
Blog do Luis Nassif - 04/08/08




Há alguns dogmas na economia brasileira, que não se consegue demolir nem a golpes de marreta. Um dos mais renitentes é a idéia da utilização da poupança externa para financiar a dívida interna.

O “Valor” incorre nesse erro no editorial de hoje (clique aqui):

(...) É possível que uma parte dos investidores que hoje aplicam em títulos públicos seja "hedge funds". Mas é fato que os papéis do Tesouro despertam interesse crescente de investidores institucionais, como fundos de pensão e seguradoras, sobretudo depois que o Brasil recebeu o grau de investimento por duas agências de classificação de risco.

(...) A maior parte dos investimentos estrangeiros em renda fixa é dirigida a ativos de longo prazo. As estatísticas do BC mostram que, dos US$ 10,171 bilhões que ingressaram no país no primeiro semestre, 81,5% eram aplicações de longo prazo (maiores que um ano) e 18,5% investimentos de curto prazo (até um ano).

Em março, quando a Fazenda taxou essas aplicações com IOF, houve repercussões imediatas na curva de juros de longo prazo, que subiu. Ficou claro neste episódio que, sem a presença dos estrangeiros, o Tesouro é obrigado a pagar juros mais altos no financiamento da dívida interna.

Onde estão os erros?

1. Os estrangeiros não pagam Imposto de Renda sobre as aplicações. Por isso, muito provavelmente parte dos recursos que chegam são de brasileiros que os remetem para fora e retornam na forma de capital externo. Essa distorção merecia uma CPI. Concedeu-se uma isenção parcial de IR, mas a taxa continuou a ser balizada pelas aplicações com IR.

2. Financiamento externo para a dívida pública é a mesma coisa que o cachorro comendo o próprio rabo.

Entram os dólares (seja de que procedência forem).
Aqui, são trocados por reais, para poderem ser aplicados em títulos públicos.
O BC é o grande comprador desses dólares, para impedir a apreciação ainda maior do real.
Em seguida, o BC emite títulos, para enxugar parte da liquidez colocada na economia, para adquirir os dólares.
Portanto, um dólar que entra significa um percentual de aumento da dívida pública.
É incrível essa dificuldade de colocar todos os números na mesma cesta, avaliar o impacto da entrada de dólares sobre o aumento da dívida pública (que supostamente esses dólares viriam refinanciar).

Vou fazer uma afirmação polêmica, sobre a qual venho pensando há muito tempo. Pode ter algum furo no raciocínio, mas ainda não identifiquei, nem os economistas para os quais coloquei a questão: o efeito do financiamento em dólares da dívida pública é o mesmo de uma emissão monetária - que não custa nada ao governo. Ou seja, se emitir reais e resgatar dívida, o efeito monetário será o mesmo que o de permitir a entrada de dólares para financiar dívida.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:23 0 comentários
VÍDEO: DANTAS E MENDES PARA CRIANÇAS
Conversa Afiada - 04/08/08



Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:21 0 comentários
FHC CONFIRMA: iFHC APLICA COM DANTAS
Conversa Afiada - 04/08/08




O assessor de imprensa do iFHC, Carlos Magno, respondeu ao Conversa Afiada:

“jocosta” é o endereço eletrônico José de Oliveira Costa, diretor do iFHC e é a pessoa responsável por essas aplicações (extratos e documentos) em fundos diferentes.

O iFHC aplica em dez fundos diferentes. Todos os investimentos começaram a ser feitos a partir de 2004. O iFHC não aplica seus recursos em paraísos fiscais.


Em tempo: Como é que o Instituto de Fernando Henrique Cardoso sabe se o dinheiro foi ou não para paraísos fiscais – ou o tesoureiro do Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso ignora que “dinheiro não tem carimbo" ? (PHA)


Leia o que o Conversa Afiada já publicou sobre esse assunto:





. Um leitor atento do Conversa Afiada localizou em duas das 7000 páginas do relatório do ínclito delegado Protógenes Queiroz uma informação relevante.

. O Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso aplicou dinheiro no “Banco” Opportunity, do quadrilheiro Daniel Dantas.

. E não foi pouco: o saldo na conta era de R$ 2,8 milhões, em 2 de maio de 2008, ou seja, três meses atrás.

. Acompanhe, caro leitor:







. Amanhã, segunda-feira, dia 4 de agosto, o Conversa Afiada vai procurar “jocosta”, que, no Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso, recebeu o extrato da conta do Instituto no “Banco” de Dantas.

. O Conversa Afiada gostaria de saber se o Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso aplicou em contas do Opportunity em paraísos fiscais, nas Bahamas, Cayman e Montevidéu (*).

. Se for assim, a Polícia Federal tem que pedir um mandado judicial para ir lá fechar o Instituto.

. O interessante é que, neste domingo mesmo, o Farol de Alexandria escreve um texto (em estilo de exemplar elegância) para tentar se livrar do cadáver de Daniel Dantas.

(*) O Conversa Afiada encaminhou a pergunta nesta segunda-feira, dia 04, à assessora de imprensa do iFHC Roberta Vigano. Aguardamos resposta.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:17 0 comentários
Hospitais dos EUA deportam imigrantes
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 04/08/08




No alto das montanhas da Guatemala, trancado numa casa de um único cômodo onde passa dia e noite sobre uma cama, Luis Alberto Jiménez tem uma grave lesão cerebral e nenhuma idéia da batalha que se desenrola em torno de sua história na distante Flórida. Jiménez, de 35 anos, representa a colisão entre dois sistemas americanos repletos de falhas: imigração e saúde. A reportagem é de Deborah Sontag e publicada pelos jornais New York Times, O Globo e El País, 04-08-2008.

Há oito anos, ele era um imigrante ilegal nos EUA e trabalhava como jardineiro na Flórida, quando foi vítima de um grave acidente de carro provocado por um americano embriagado.

Um hospital local salvou sua vida, mas, sem conseguir vaga em algum centro de reabilitação que recebesse o paciente sem seguro, manteve o imigrante sob sua guarda por anos, a um custo total de US$ 1,5 milhão.

O que aconteceu em seguida deu origem à batalha legal com repercussões por todo o país: Jiménez foi deportado — não pelo governo, mas pelo próprio hospital, o Martin Memorial, que alugou uma ambulância aérea por US$ 30 mil e o mandou de volta a seu país.

O caso de Jiménez acabou revelando ao público uma prática pouco conhecida, mas aparentemente disseminada nos EUA. Muitos hospitais estão tomando para si a tarefa de repatriar imigrantes porque não conseguem vagas para interná-los sem seguro médico.

O sistema de saúde americano não cobre internações longas para imigrantes ilegais, criando um dilema para os hospitais, que são obrigados por lei a encontrar assistência para pacientes que necessitem de cuidados pós-hospitalares. Não há números oficiais, mas alguns hospitais chegam a repatriar 96 imigrantes por ano.

“A repatriação é uma sentença de morte para muitos”

As autoridades de imigração não exercem papel algum nessas repatriações.

Muitos hospitais garantem que não repatriam pacientes que não estejam estabilizados e que acertam para que recebam cuidados médicos em seus países. Mas o fato é que os hospitais estão agindo num vácuo legislativo, sem assistência governamental ou supervisão, deixando amplas margens para transgressões legais e éticas. Alguns advogados de imigrantes vêem essas repatriações como um tipo de descarte internacional de pacientes, que são afastados dos hospitais do primeiro mundo e levados para instituições onde o tratamento é bem menos adequado.

— A repatriação é uma sentença de morte para muitos desses casos — afirma Steven Larson, especialista em saúde de imigrantes e médico do setor de emergência do Hospital da Universidade da Pensilvânia.

Administradores de hospitais vêem esses casos como um fardo imposto a eles pelas falhas dos sistemas de saúde e de imigração. Em muitos casos, a única alternativa à repatriação é manter os imigrantes indefinidamente em hospitais voltados a tratamento de problemas agudos.

— Isso sobrecarrega o sistema e acabamos não conseguindo oferecer cuidados adequados para nossos próprios cidadãos — afirma Alan B. Kelly, vice-presidente da Scottsdale Healthcare, no Arizona.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:13 0 comentários
Violência assola campanha de cidade paranaense, campeã em royalties de Itaipu
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 04/08/08




A eleição do quinto prefeito de Itaipulândia, município do Oeste do Paraná criado há 16 anos, já conta com episódios que envolvem assassinato, denúncias de desvio de recursos públicos e a prisão de sete pessoas. Poderia ser mais uma história de violência no interior de um país continental, não fosse o fato de a cidade ser um oásis de renda e indicadores sociais. Por ser vizinha à hidrelétrica de Itaipu, recebeu, desde 1993, US$ 163 milhões em royalties - renda que a torna privilegiada em termos de arrecadação e serve de combustível para a política local. A reportagem é de Marli Lima e publicada pelo jornal Valor, 04-08-2008.

O nome da cidade já diz tudo. Era um distrito de São Miguel do Iguaçu, chamado Aparecidinha do Oeste, e ganhou condições econômicas para tornar-se independente com a formação do lago da usina e o conseqüente alagamento de terra que resultou na desapropriação de 54% de sua área pela hidrelétrica binacional. A perda de território tornou-se a solução financeira da cidade. Com os royalties foi possível asfaltar ruas, construir a prefeitura, a Câmara de vereadores, escolas, hospital e postos de saúde. Como ainda sobrava dinheiro, a população passou a receber benefícios como cestas básicas, óculos de graça, transporte gratuito a estudantes e bolsas para as faculdades da vizinhança, tanto públicas como privadas.

Para ter idéia da importância dos royalties para Itaipulândia, em 2007 eles somaram R$ 24 milhões dos R$ 35,3 milhões arrecadados pelo município, ou 68% - ou, ainda, o equivalente a R$ 2,8 mil no ano para cada um dos 8,5 mil moradores. Dezesseis municípios que tiveram áreas alagadas recebem essa compensação financeira de Itaipu. A vizinha Santa Helena ficou com a maior fatia, mas o maior valor per capita é o de Itaipulândia. "Poderia ser uma Suíça", compara o delegado-chefe da 6ª Subdivisão da Polícia Civil, de Foz do Iguaçu, Alexandre Macorin de Lima, que comandou a investigações sobre o assassinato recente do prefeito Vendelino Royer (PMDB).

No dia 8, após sair de reunião com líderes comunitários, Royer foi executado com cinco tiros. O vice, Laudair Bruch (PMDB), tomou posse, mas foi preso no dia 17, acusado de ser o mandante do crime. Embora ele tenha negado, o delegado diz que as evidências e a confissão de outros seis presos, entre eles o candidato a vereador Dirceu Buron (PMDB), demonstram sua participação. Bruch era também secretário de finanças até abril, mas a proximidade das eleições levou ao rompimento entre prefeito e vice, que passaram a apoiar candidatos diferentes.

Royer não iria tentar a reeleição e decidiu unir-se a Lotário Knop (PDT), o primeiro prefeito de Itaipulândia, que quer voltar ao cargo. Bruch decidiu concorrer ao cargo de vereador e ficou do lado de Miguel Bayerle (PR), que já foi prefeito da cidade por dois mandatos e, quatro anos atrás, ajudou a eleger Royer. Na confusa teia de relações, restam dúvidas sobre o que estará nas urnas em outubro e o que acontecerá até lá. No dia 21, o presidente da Câmara de vereadores, Gilberto Silvestri (PMDB), tomou posse como prefeito sob protestos de parte da população, que o associa a Bruch. Um movimento liderado por seis dos nove vereadores pede a intervenção do Estado no município. "Esse grupo quer usar a máquina para a campanha", afirma o vereador Claudemir Ferreira da Silva (PSB).

Procurado pelo Valor, Silvestri não quis dar entrevista. Na prefeitura, uma decreto fixado na porta diz que não haverá atendimento externo até o dia 3. Do lado de fora, a bandeira da cidade, rasgada pelo vento, mostra o atual clima. A população evita falar tanto do assassinato do prefeito e da prisão do vice como das denúncias feitas um dia antes do crime pelo vereador Marcelo Gomes Prates (PMDB), que exibiu na Câmara um vídeo em que aparece um secretário de Royer contanto pilhas de dinheiro no escritório de um empresário de publicidade. "Todo mundo falava mal do Vendelino, hoje estão dizendo que ele é bom", reclama. "Ele queria seguir a lei, mexeu com muita gente", afirma a viúva, Veronice Royer. Na nota de pesar, no site da prefeitura, está escrito que Royer "foi capaz de com sua conduta denunciar, mudar paradigmas e criar novos conceitos".

Os últimos acontecimentos levaram muitos a pensar nas motivações dos envolvidos. "Estamos nessa situação por causa desses malditos royalties", disse uma moradora, que prefere não ser identificada. "O problema era o caixa 2", comentou outro. Para parte dos moradores, o dinheiro dos royalties é visto com indiferença. "Para nós não faz diferença, temos de trabalhar do mesmo jeito", opinou uma terceira entrevistada. Os três pediram para não ter os nomes citados por medo de retaliações. Uma das maiores reclamações de políticos e eleitores é a construção de um parque termal que já teria consumido cerca de R$ 16 milhões e está abandonado, porque ainda exigiria alguns milhões para ser concluído. No local, quatro vigias revezam-se para cuidar dos tobogãs e piscinas vazios.

Até a deterioração política, Itaipulândia vinha exibindo indicadores sociais admiráveis. A pesquisa Trata Brasil, feita no final de 2007 pela Fundação Getúlio Vargas, mostrou que o município ocupa o primeiro lugar entre os municípios do país no ranking de investimento em saúde e saneamento, com R$ 859 por morador (segundo dados do IBGE de 2000). Em Brasília, que ocupa a 15ª posição, o gasto foi de R$ 422 e, em Porto Alegre, o 36º colocado, de R$ 323. Como a prefeitura está fechada e conta com o terceiro secretário de finanças em três meses, não há dados recentes disponíveis sobre os investimentos da cidade. O que se sabe é que, com a queda do dólar, o valor dos royalties também caiu e prejudicou o orçamento dos últimos anos.

Gilmar Ribeiro, presidente da Associação Comercial e Empresarial de Itaipulândia, disse que os benefícios dos royalties podem ser vistos na cidade. "Eles sempre ajudaram. A estrutura das escolas é muito boa", cita. O diretor da Escola Municipal Carlos Gomes, Celso Balzan, concorda parcialmente. No prédio construído há três anos estudam 600 alunos de 4 a 10 anos. No local, além do curso regular, há aulas de reforço, projeto para melhorar o português e a matemática, esporte, cultura e boa merenda. Mas o filósofo e pedagogo queria mais do que uma escola bonita e engrossa o coro dos que acreditam que os royalties deixaram os itaipulandenses dependentes.

"As pessoas não vêm a educação como necessidade. Tudo gira em torno dos apoios políticos que podem render frutos", diz Balzan. "Meu filho tem hora de estudo diário, mas muitos pais não estimulam as crianças a aprender mais", reclama. Segundo ele, como o governo municipal financia o pagamento da faculdade, os adolescentes e jovens também não se preocupam em estudar mais para passar em vestibular em instituição pública. "A infra-estrutura é boa, mas não gerou retorno em receita para o município."

Além da dependência do dinheiro repassado por Itaipu, a proximidade com o Paraguai é outro problema. "A disputa política pelo poder é feroz e criou-se uma dependência dos royalties e também do contrabando, porque é muito fácil usar um barco para levar mercadoria de um lado para o outro", afirma o promotor de justiça Haroldo Nogiri, da Comarca de São Miguel do Iguaçu, responsável também por Itaipulândia. "Já soube de aluno que disse ao professor que ganha mais puxando caixa (de contrabando) no rio."


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:08 0 comentários
China com Índia dá no quê?
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 03/08/08




"A aliança da China com a Índia, Indonésia e quase outros 40 países que exigem a salvaguarda em agricultura é preocupante para o Brasil", avalia Rubens Ricupero, diplomata e ex-ministro da Fazenda, foi secretário-geral da Unctad - Conferência das Nações Unidas sobre Comércio e Desenvolvimento, em artigo publicado no jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 03-08-2008.

Eis o artigo.

A única coisa em que o ministro Celso Amorim e o comissário europeu Peter Mandelson concordaram a respeito do fracasso da Rodada Doha foi que ele representava péssimo augúrio para as negociações muito mais complexas sobre aquecimento global.

Não é verdade, como escreveu o Wall Street Journal em editorial com o título alarmista de “O fim do livre comércio?”, que “pela primeira vez desde o início das rodadas comerciais após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, uma tentativa de expandir o comércio mundial terminou em fiasco”.

A reunião de Bruxelas de dezembro de 1990, que deveria ter coroado a Rodada Uruguai, acabou em naufrágio ainda mais grave, pois o que estava em jogo era então muito mais ambicioso do que na Rodada Doha. Só que, naquela ocasião, o impasse foi de certo modo positivo por ter oposto os favoráveis à liberalização do comércio agrícola - Brasil, Argentina, outros latino-americanos, com o apoio indeciso dos EUA - à aliança desejosa de manter a agricultura fora das regras comerciais: europeus, japoneses, sul-coreanos.

Desta vez, o insólito é que Brasil e União Européia, os dois pólos da negociação agrícola, haviam concordado com resultado satisfatório, embora modesto, na agricultura. A remoção do obstáculo maior, graças à flexibilidade construtiva de Amorim e Mandelson, obrigou a tirarem a máscara os que se escondiam atrás dos contendores principais nesse tema.

A ambigüidade dos americanos tornou-se patente. Outrora advogados da abertura, há mais de 15 anos vêm adotando sucessivas leis agrícolas crescentemente protecionistas no uso do mais pernicioso dos subsídios: o que acarreta superprodução, pois vinculado ao volume produzido. A última dessas leis acaba de ser adotada com maioria de três quintos, anulando o veto presidencial.

Não querendo contrariar o lobby agrícola em ano eleitoral, os EUA teimaram em manter o direito de aumentar os subsídios até o dobro do que estão utilizando hoje. Não contentes, pressionaram a Índia e a China a aceitarem importações americanas, mesmo subvencionadas.

Era compreensível que indianos e chineses não assistissem impassíveis à liquidação de suas agriculturas pela concorrência subsidiada e desleal, embora legal segundo as atuais regras. A saída para os asiáticos foi insistir numa salvaguarda ou válvula de escape, pela qual suspenderiam as concessões em caso de aumento de mais de 10% das importações. Essa pedra no meio do caminho é que fez descarrilar a negociação.

A diferença é que, em Bruxelas, 17 anos atrás, a rodada parou porque ao menos um dos lados desejava a liberalização do comércio agrícola. Agora, em Genebra, nenhum dos responsáveis pelo impasse desejava de verdade um êxito que significasse concessões.

Querendo ou não, os americanos criaram uma condição impossível. Impor aos demais importações distorcidas por subvenções é tão absurdo que apenas se explica pelo desejo de impedir um acordo ou a aceitação desse risco.

Mas se era justo que os asiáticos resistissem a tal despropósito, o mesmo não se pode dizer da intenção de se protegerem também da concorrência de Brasil, Argentina e outros cuja produção não é favorecida por subsídios. Afinal, nosso mercado está sendo inundado pelas importações chinesas e a China tem muito a ver com o agravamento do déficit brasileiro em conta corrente e o primeiro déficit da indústria.

Pela salvaguarda de 10%, em oito dos últimos dez anos nossas vendas de soja para o mercado chinês seriam suspensas, como não faz muito tempo o foram, sob pretextos protecionistas. Se não pudermos exportar livremente os únicos produtos nos quais somos mais competitivos que chineses e indianos, como poderíamos equilibrar o jogo diante da invasão asiática em manufaturas e serviços?

O mais grave é que o recém-adquirido poderio econômico chinês começa a ser utilizado de modo decisivo para reforçar o protecionismo agrícola. Raramente a China coincide com a Índia em comércio, questões de fronteira, o exílio do dalai-lama e temas estratégicos em que a aproximação indiano-americana é vista com desconfiança.

A aliança da China com a Índia, Indonésia e quase outros 40 países que exigem a salvaguarda em agricultura é preocupante para o Brasil. Entre eles se encontram, com efeito, quase todas as dez nações onde se dará o essencial do crescimento da população mundial nas próximas décadas (só a Índia representa cerca de 20% da expansão). Mais de três quartos do aumento da demanda de carne e cereais virá desse grupo.

A perda ou redução de acesso a tais mercados pelas nossas exportações agrícolas não poderão ser compensadas pelos mercados dos ricos. O Japão e a Europa têm população em declínio e sua demanda de commodities tende a se estagnar. Os EUA, onde a população ainda cresce, são grandes produtores e exportadores de produtos agrícolas e concorrentes diretos nossos.

Não tenho certeza de que faria sentido concluir a Rodada Doha com avanço modesto em relação aos subsídios internos americanos e às barreiras de acesso ao mercado europeu, consagrando, ao mesmo tempo, uma salvaguarda exagerada em favor de países em desenvolvimento. Teríamos de pagar o resultado limitado de curto prazo por concessões industriais que agravariam ainda mais o efeito desastroso do câmbio desfavorável.

Valeria a pena fazer esse sacrifício, aceitando o retrocesso da salvaguarda excessiva e comprometendo assim a futura expansão nos mercados dos asiáticos e outros? A Argentina, no passado principal propugnadora da liberalização agrícola, ao lado da Austrália, julgou que dessa vez o balanço de perdas e ganhos não compensava o sacrifício de sua indústria, em fase de recuperação.

O Brasil foi neutro na questão, por não querer submeter o Grupo dos 20 a uma tensão maior ainda do que a provocada pela nossa aceitação do compromisso. Compreende-se a decisão do ponto de vista tático. Contudo, em termos estratégicos, a manutenção do grupo apenas se justifica se ele deixar de ser uma aliança defensiva para dizer “não” e passar a ajudar na promoção dos objetivos legítimos de expandir as oportunidades de exportações agrícolas brasileiras para todos os mercados, do Norte e do Sul.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:06 0 comentários
Terça-feira, Agosto 05, 2008
O desafio chinês
Blog do Luis Nassif - 03/08/08




No Estadão, artigo de John Pomfret, do Washigton Post, com uma visão pessimista sobre a China (clique aqui). É um bom apanhado dos grandes problemas chineses, mas acredito que falte a ele uma noção mais clara dos estudos sobre desenvolvimento, produzidos especialmente após o pioneiro Michel Porter.

O fato de grande parte da produção mais sofisticada da China ser de empresas não-chinesas mostra apenas um estágio do desenvolvimento chinês. É evidente que essas empresas estão trazendo capacitação, visão de mundo, adensamento da cadeia produtiva, desenvolvimento de fornecedores.

Em todo caso, o artigo vale pelo retrato atual da China e pelos desafios que terá que enfrentar:

(...) Há muitas limitações inseridas nos sistemas social, econômico e político do país. Por causa de quatro principais motivos - uma demografia falida, uma economia superestimada, um meio ambiente sob ataque e uma ideologia que encontra dificuldades para ser exportada - é mais provável que a China permaneça como o adolescente musculoso do sistema internacional, em vez de se tornar a mestra do mundo.

Demografia

Mas a demografia chinesa vai mal. Nenhum país está envelhecendo tão rápido quanto a República Popular, que está a caminho de se tornar o primeiro país do mundo a envelhecer antes de enriquecer. Por causa da famosa política de filho único do Partido Comunista, o número médio de filhos nascidos para as mulheres chinesas caiu de 5,8, na década de 70 para 1,8 atualmente - abaixo da taxa de 2,1 necessária para manter a população estável.

Enquanto isso, a expectativa de vida subiu bastante, de apenas 35 anos em 1949 para mais de 73 anos hoje. Os economistas preocupam-se com a redução da população chinesa em idade economicamente ativa, que aumentará os custos do trabalho, erodindo significativamente uma das principais vantagens competitivas da China.

Ainda pior, os demógrafos chineses, como Li Jianmin da Universidade Nankai, agora prevêem uma crise envolvendo os idosos da China, um grupo que vai inchar, passando de 100 milhões acima dos 60 anos de idade hoje para 334 milhões até 2050, incluindo impressionantes 100 milhões de pessoas acima dos 80 anos de idade.

Como a China fará para cuidar destas pessoas? Por meio de pensões? Menos de 30% dos habitantes urbanos as têm, e nenhum dos 700 milhões de agricultores dispõe delas. E o sistema chinês de pensões financiadas pelo Estado faz o sistema de bem-estar social americano parecer o Fort Knox. Nicholas Eberstadt, demógrafo e economista do Instituto American Enterprise, chama a bomba-relógio da demografia chinesa de "construção de uma tragédia humana em câmera lenta".

A renda per capita

Um nuance importante que insistimos em esquecer é o tamanho da população chinesa: cerca de 1,3 bilhão de pessoas, mais de quatro vezes a população americana. A China "deveria" ter uma grande economia. Mas em termos per capita, o país não é um dragão - é um lagarto de tamanho médio, instalado no 109º lugar do índice econômico mundial elaborado pelo Fundo Monetário Internacional, entre a Suazilândia e o Marrocos. A economia chinesa é grande, mas o seu padrão médio de qualidade de vida é baixo, e permanecerá assim por muito tempo.

O grande número utilizado como prova de que a China está devorando nosso almoço econômico é o déficit comercial americano em relação ao país, que no ano passado chegou aos US$ 256 bilhões de dólares. Mas quase 60% do total de exportações chinesas são realizadas por empresas pertencentes a não chineses. Em se tratando de exportações de alta tecnologia, como computadores e artigos eletrônicos, 89% delas são de empresas pertencentes a não chineses. A China faz parte do sistema global, mas ainda ocupa a posição de fábrica e linha de montagem de baixo custo - e são firmas estrangeiras, não chinesas, que estão recolhendo o grosso dos lucros.

Poluição

(...) Este ano, o país vai superar os EUA como maior emissor de gases associados ao efeito estufa. A China é a maior destruidora da camada de ozônio e a maior poluente do Oceano Pacífico. Das 20 cidades mais poluídas do mundo, 16 estão na China; 70% de seus lagos e rios estão poluídos e metade de sua população não dispõe de água potável limpa. Até 2030, o país enfrentará uma escassez de água equivalente à quantidade do líquido que é consumida hoje; as fábricas do noroeste já foram obrigadas a fechar porque simplesmente não há mais água. Até os economistas do governo chinês estimam que problemas ambientais consumam anualmente 10% do PIB nacional.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 12:16 0 comentários
O modelo de metas de inflação
Blog do Luis Nassif - 03/08/08




Ao que tudo indica o modelo de metas de inflação merece uma boa discussão no atual quadro da politica monetária. Vamos admitir que o modelo é ótimo e deve ser mantido, o que é altamente discutivel.

A aplicação do modelo está sendo feita de modo canhestro e inconsequente.

1.Se o Governo expande os gastos mais do que o crescimento da economia e isto está sendo feito de forma notória, o Governo está ciente que essa expansão é fator primário de aumento de inflação.

Se assim é, a politica monetária deve acomodar esse risco, assumido pelo Governo e não tentar neutraliza-lo por uma meta de inflação muito baixa que exigirá medidas ortodoxas na politica de juros. Não cabe ao BC esconder a folia do Governo central, porque essa alquimia vai custar muito caro à economia produtiva. Se o Governo quer inflacionar ele que corra o risco e pague o preço politico. O BC não tem que encobrir a jogada.

2.Em "INFLATION TARGETING : A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR MONETARY POLICY", trabalho de Ben Bernanke e Frederick Mishkin, há três regras que os operadores da meta devem seguir:



1.A meta só sera credivel e vitoriosa se da sua elaboração participar a Sociedade, como representação da economia real.

O público deve estar perfeitamente bem informado das decisões que levaram à meta.

2.O BC deve ser submetido a um processo de maior "accountability" quando operar com o sistema de metas. Deve dar informação e respostas prontas à Sociedade sobre o modelo, sobre a racionalia da politica monetária.

3. A meta de inflação tem que ser consistente com objetivos de estabilidade financeira e ser operada com suficiente flexibilidade para ter em consideração o emprego e a produção.

Nota-se na operação do sistema de metas pelo BC do Brasil uma atitude olimpica que não leva em conta um dos dois principios basilares apontados no paper de Bernanke e Mishkin.

O primeiro desses principios é a explicitação do "policy framework", do mecanismo de decisão do sistema.

O segundo principio é o "communitions framework", é a habilidade do BC de convencer o público de que a meta será atingida.

Ve-se no paper que cada País opera o sistema de modo muito diferente, não há dois iguais, há muita variação de modelos e de métodos.

Mas nota-se aqui a arrogancia da imposição da meta, sem discussão com ninguem, nem com os grandes nucleos do empresariado, nem com os sindicatos, nem com o Congresso, tudo é decidido intra-muros na fixação da meta (3 pessoas do CMN) e a sua operação (8 pessoas do COPOM).

Transgride-se assim um dos cânones centrais do modelo, na visão de Bernanke e Miskin, nesse célebre trabalho da American Economic Association.

Aqui economistas-de-mercado vem dizer que o modelo é internacionalmente aceito, que é ótimo, etc mas esqueceram de dizer que a versão brasileira é capenga e mal traduzida, não acomoda a economia real e é jogada goela abaixo na economia produtiva, custe o que custar. Está na hora de um bom debate sobre o modelo de metas, o teórico e a versão caseira.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:56 0 comentários
FHC TENTA JOGAR DANTAS AO MAR E NÃO CONSEGUE
Conversa Afiada - 03/08/08



O Farol de Alexandria, aquele que lançava luzes sobre a Antiguidade, tenta apagar o papel de seu Governo e seus auxiliares diretos na patranha da privatização dos telefones, de que Daniel Dantas se tornou o símbolo e o maior beneficiário.
. Naquele estilo gorduroso, cheio de bolhas, ele escreve neste domingo, no Estadão e no Globo, dois baluartes do PiG, um artigo de titulo “As privatizações reavaliadas” (e que título, que contundência, força, precisão !) – clique aqui para ler.

. FHC não tem coragem nem de ser contra a”BrOi”: “... mantendo-se a competitividade (ele quis dizer “competição”, caro leitor) entre as empresas, para evitar o monopólio privado, danoso ao interesse público”.

. Por que ele não é logo contra a “BrOi” ?

. Será que ele espera que os empresários (?) Carlos Jereissati e Sergio Andrade façam doações ao Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso ?

. O que o Farol esconde nas “privatizações reavaliadas” ?

. Tudo.

. Ele não fala dos grampos.

. Se esquece daquele diálogo memorável entre o Ministro Luiz Carlos Mendonça de Barros (em seguida defenestrado) e o arrecadador de fundos das campanhas dele, FHC e de José Serra, Ricardo Sergio de Oliveira, então na função estratégica de diretor do Banco do Brasil.

. É o que FHC chama de “divergências” entre o BNDES e o Banco do Brasil.

. É aquele momento “Péricles de Atenas” do Governo do Farol, quando se ouve no grampo “isso aqui vai dar m...”, “estamos no limite da irresponsabilidade” ...

. Está tudo gravado e, quando se fizer a história oral do Governo FHC, em multimídia, essa gravação terá papel de destaque.

. O Farol esconde a trampa de Ricardo Sergio, que jogou os fundos de pensão no colo de Daniel Dantas.

. O resultado dessa trampa é que Daniel Dantas ficou dono da Brasil Telecom sem botar um tusta, tirou de lá US$ 2 bilhões, e, agora, na “BrOi”, vai receber um cala-a-boca de US$ 1 bilhão.

. Começou tudo lá, nas “privatizações reavaliadas” ...

. O Farol diz que o resultado dos leilões foi legítimo, porque “o consórcio em causa” perdeu o leilão, “não tendo (êta gerundinho, hein, leitor ?) cabimento (“tendo” e “cabimento”, juntos, hein, leitor ?, que estilo sonoro, não ? ...) falar em favorecimento” (“mento”, professor ?, “tendo”, “cabimento”, “favorecimento”, na mesma frase ?...)

. A história não é bem essa, caro leitor.

. O “consórcio em causa”, o de Daniel Dantas, perdeu o leilão em São Paulo, porque a Telefônica espanhola não seguiu o combinado com o Ministro Mendonça de Barros e deu lance em São Paulo.

. A Telefônica deveria ir para o Sul, segundo o combinado.

. São Paulo era para ser do Roberto Marinho, em associação com a Itália Telecom.

. Acabou que Daniel Dantas ficou no Sul, com a RBS, e os Marinho ficaram a chupar o dedo.

. E a RBS, afiliada da Globo, teve que correr para se explicar aos Marinho porque entrou na telefonia – associada a Daniel Dantas –, sem combinar com a Globo.

. Não houve “favorecimento” ?

. Então, me arruma aquela grana da Previ para ver se eu não compro o Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso e publico as obras de Celso Furtado com a Lei Rouanet ...

. Não houve “favorecimento”, caro leitor, porque os espanhóis e Daniel Dantas passaram a perna nos “gênios” do FHC.

. O Farol de Alexandria tenta pular da canoa do Daniel Dantas, agora que Dantas é cachorro morto.

. Antes, recebia Dantas no Palácio para derrubar uma diretoria da Previ, para afastar um delegado da Policia Federal no Rio e mandar um amigo de Dantas (Luiz Cantidiano) para a CVM.

. Agora, o Farol tenta jogar Dantas ao mar.

. Mas não consegue.

. FHC se afoga junto.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:51 0 comentários
Laptops deixam de ser privados ao entrar nos EUA
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 02/08/08




Agentes federais poderão apreender laptops e outros dispositivos eletrônicos de passageiros para um lugar não especificado, e por um período indefinido, mesmo sem suspeitas de que alguma irregularidade tenha sido cometida. A medida faz parte de um pacote de fiscalização das fronteiras recentemente divulgado pelo Departamento de Segurança Interna (DSI) dos Estados Unidos. A reportagem é de Ellen Nakashima e publicada pelo jornais Washington Post, O Globo e El País, 02-08-2008.

Oficiais também poderão compartilhar cópias do conteúdo dos laptops com outras agências e entidades privadas para tradução, decodificação de dados, entre outros motivos, dizem as regras, divulgadas em 16 de julho pelas agências alfandegária e de imigração ligadas ao DSI.

— As medidas são realmente alarmantes — disse o senador Russel Feingold (democrata por Winsconsin), que está fiscalizando as práticas.

Ele disse planejar introduzir em breve uma legislação que imponha suspeitas razoáveis como condição para as buscas nos pontos de imigração e que proíba que sejam traçados perfis por raça, religião ou nacionalidade.

O DSI informou que as novas práticas — que se aplicam a qualquer um que esteja entrando no país, incluindo cidadãos americanos — são razoáveis e necessárias para prevenir o terrorismo. Oficiais disseram que os procedimentos já estavam em vigor, mas só foram divulgados no mês passado por causa do interesse público no assunto.

iPods, celulares e até bilhetes de bolso podem ser retidos Representantes de grupos de direitos civis e de empresas de turismo pressionaram o governo para tornar os procedimentos públicos já que um número crescente de passageiros estrangeiros relataram ter tido laptop, celular e outros dispositivos digitais apreendidos — por meses, em pelo menos um caso — e o conteúdo deles examinado.

As regras determinam que oficiais podem “reter” laptops por “períodos de tempo razoáveis” para que sejam “examinados e as informações analisadas”, o que pode acontecer sem “suspeita individual”.

As medidas incluem “qualquer mecanismo capaz de armazenar informação de forma digital ou analógica”, incluindo discos rígidos, discos flash, celulares, iPods, pagers, beepers, vídeos e fitas de áudio. Também cobrem “todos os papéis e outros documentos”, incluindo livros, panfletos e “materiais escritos comumente chamados de ’lixo de bolso’”.

Quando uma análise for concluída e não for encontrada uma causa para manter a informação, todas as cópias dos dados devem ser destruídas.

Cópias enviadas para entidades não federais devem ser devolvidas ao DSI. Mas o documento especifica que não há restrição para que autoridades mantenham anotações por escrito e relatórios sobre o material.

— Eles estão dizendo que podem tomar de assalto toda as informações dentro do laptop de um passageiro mesmo sem uma gota de prova de que ele esteja quebrando a lei — disse Greg Nojeim, consultor sênior do Centro para a Democracia e Tecnologia.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:44 0 comentários
O projeto sobre crimes na internet. Uma ameaça aos direitos civis
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 02/08/08




"Quem destravar o celular (que se encaixa na definição do projeto de "dispositivo de comunicação") para utilizá-lo por outra operadora estará sujeito a pena de um a três anos de prisão. A mesma penalidade sofrerá quem, fazendo uso do direito de acesso a conteúdos em domínio público, destravar um CD ou DVD", escrevem Oona Castro, integrante do Intervozes - Coletivo Brasil de Comunicação Social, Pablo Ortellado, professor do curso de gestão de políticas públicas da USP e Sérgio Amadeu da Silveira, professor do mestrado da Faculdade de Comunicação Cásper Líbero, em artigo publicado no jornal Folha de S. Paulo, 02-08-2008. Segundo os autores, '"ao legislar sobre os crimes de internet, nossos senadores perderam a oportunidade de enfatizar o interesse público. Poderiam ter proibido o cruzamento de bancos de dados e a troca de informações privadas de usuários por empresas (como fez a União Européia) ou impedido a constituição de travas que bloqueiam o acesso legal a conteúdos".

Eis o artigo.

Na madrugada de 9 de julho, o Senado aprovou o substitutivo do senador Eduardo Azeredo ao projeto de lei 89/03, que tipifica os crimes digitais. Preocupado em punir atividades ilegais na internet, o projeto possui artigos dúbios e se mostrou incapaz de dar soluções técnicas que impeçam o abuso na sua aplicação, a invasão de privacidade e a violação de direitos civis.

Especialistas apresentaram várias críticas ao projeto, mas as soluções propostas não resolveram os problemas. Um deles é o fato de o projeto ser "over-inclusive", ou seja, cria-se um filtro muito mais rigoroso do que o necessário, criminalizando práticas legítimas. Outro problema são as definições de conceitos -algumas ambíguas, outras amplas demais e outras simplesmente inexistentes -, dando espaço para aplicações arbitrárias da lei, mesmo que essa não seja a intenção do legislador.

Em alguns casos, dá-se a combinação desses dois problemas. O artigo 2º, por exemplo, ao alterar o Código Penal, transforma em crime todo acesso não autorizado a redes de computadores, sistemas informatizados e dispositivos de comunicação protegidos por expressa restrição de acesso, seja a restrição legal ou não.

Dessa forma, quem destravar o celular (que se encaixa na definição do projeto de "dispositivo de comunicação") para utilizá-lo por outra operadora estará sujeito a pena de um a três anos de prisão. A mesma penalidade sofrerá quem, fazendo uso do direito de acesso a conteúdos em domínio público, destravar um CD ou DVD.

Empresas poderão limitar acessos permitidos pela Lei de Direitos Autorais ou pelo Código de Defesa do Consumidor, transformando travas tecnológicas em instrumentos acima da legislação. Trata-se da criminalização de ações triviais dos usuários.

Já o artigo 22 cria para os provedores de acesso à internet a obrigação de repassar sigilosamente para as autoridades denúncias que tenham recebido que contenham indícios da prática de crime. Obriga também o registro e o arquivamento de todos os acessos dos usuários por três anos.

Iniciativas de inclusão digital, receosas por serem responsabilizadas por crimes, podem passar a restringir o acesso de usuários ou até banir redes sem fio.

Mesmo condicionando o fornecimento das informações ao poder público a decisão judicial, o projeto ignora a precariedade da proteção aos dados e o fato de o Brasil ter baixa tradição de respeito à privacidade, com estimados 400 mil grampos telefônicos e venda de dados sigilosos da Receita Federal por camelôs.

Sem conseguir impedir que verdadeiros criminosos se furtem aos controles propostos com medidas simples, como servidores no exterior, o projeto abre a possibilidade de vazamentos de dados de usuários comuns.

O substitutivo atende fundamentalmente a interesses de bancos que têm sofrido prejuízos com fraudes pela internet e a reivindicações da indústria de direito autoral dos Estados Unidos, que exige a criminalização da quebra de travas tecnológicas.

Publicamente, a justificativa mais usada pelos defensores do projeto foi o combate à pedofilia - de fato, um problema seriíssimo. Porém, na mesma madrugada em que o PLC 89 foi votado, os senadores aprovaram outro projeto, proposto pela CPI da Pedofilia, com apoio de entidades da sociedade civil, que trata dessa questão.

Ao legislar sobre os crimes de internet, nossos senadores perderam a oportunidade de enfatizar o interesse público. Poderiam ter proibido o cruzamento de bancos de dados e a troca de informações privadas de usuários por empresas (como fez a União Européia) ou impedido a constituição de travas que bloqueiam o acesso legal a conteúdos. Na contramão, desencorajam políticas desejáveis e legitimam a violação da privacidade e o cerceamento de direitos.

Com o retorno do projeto à Câmara dos Deputados, nossos representantes terão a oportunidade de rejeitá-lo integralmente ou, ao menos, suprimir os artigos que atacam frontalmente os direitos dos cidadãos.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:41 0 comentários
Papeleiras inflacionam preço da terra no RS
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 02/08/08



A compra de terras no Rio Grande do Sul pelas empresas de celulose é um dos principais fatores que vem aumentando o preço do hectare. As papeleiras, que têm metas de adquirir de 50 a 100 mil hectares, geralmente fazem o pagamento à vista, o que facilita a compra. A reportagem é de Paula Cassandra e publicada pela Agência de Notícias Chasque, 02-08-2008.

Segundo o chefe da Divisão de Obtenção de Terras do Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária (Incra), Roberto Ramos, o que também influencia no aumento do preço da terra é a elevação do valor de produtos como a soja, o arroz e a carne.

“Temos hoje três empresas que estão comprando terras no Rio Grande do Sul para fazer lavouras de plantio de eucalipto para a produção de celulose, que é a Stora Enso, Votorantim e Aracruz. Então, essas empresas, ao entrarem no mercado, também com outros produtores rurais que querem aumentar a sua produção de soja, de arroz ou de gado, as empresas entram como uma concorrente”, diz.

Segundo Roberto, o preço da terra vem aumentando desde 2006, depois de ter estabilizado entre os anos de 2003 e 2005. Nos últimos dois anos, o preço dobrou. O hectare, que estava na faixa de R$ 3 mil, hoje pode chegar a R$ 6 mil. Na região Norte, a terra está ainda mais valorizada. O hectare com plantação de soja, por exemplo, que valia R$ 9 mil, hoje pode chegar até R$ 20 mil.

“Sobe os produtos, a terra sobe na mesma proporção, principalmente no Norte do Estado, o hectare é fixado em sacas de soja. Então, os preços aumentam em decorrência das sacas de soja, que há um ano atrás trabalhava com patamares de R$ 25,00 a R$ 30,00. Hoje, está R$ 40,00, R$ 50,00”, diz.

Além da expansão das papeleiras no Estado, o que colabora para a lei da oferta e procura de terras é o que Roberto chama de efeito cascata. Ou seja, o grande produtor vende a sua terra e compra hectares em outra região. Dessa maneira, os pequenos agricultores não competem com as papeleiras e os grandes proprietários na compra de terras. No entanto, são prejudicados pela elevação nos valores.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:40 0 comentários
Jobim contesta Tarso e diz que não cabe ao Executivo discutir anistia
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos - 02/08/08




O ministro da Defesa, Nelson Jobim, contestou ontem a posição do colega da Justiça, Tarso Genro, para quem militares, policiais e agentes do Estado que tenham praticado tortura, assassinatos e violações dos direitos humanos durante o regime militar (1964-1985) devem ser punidos. Na avaliação de Jobim, a análise dos "fatos que estão sendo levantados" por Tarso cabe exclusivamente ao Poder Judiciário, nada tem que ver com o Executivo. A reportagem é de Angela Lacerda e publicada pelo jornal O Estado de S. Paulo, 02-08-2008.

"Essa é uma questão exclusivamente da área do Poder Judiciário, de interpretação da lei", afirmou o ministro da Defesa, ressaltando que a Lei da Anistia, de 1979, já atendeu a seus objetivos, já realizou seus efeitos e não pode ser alterada. "Mudar essa legislação seria a mesma coisa que revogar aquilo que já foi decidido anteriormente, que foi uma pacificação nacional."

Para Tarso, tortura e violações de direitos humanos são crimes comuns, e não políticos, e por isso quem os praticou não poderia se beneficiar da anistia. "A partir do momento em que o agente do Estado pega o prisioneiro e o tortura num porão, ele sai da legalidade do próprio regime militar e se torna um criminoso comum. Não foi um ato político. Ele violou a ordem jurídica da própria ditadura e tem de ser responsabilizado", argumentou ele, na quinta-feira, ao abrir audiência no Ministério da Justiça intitulada Limites e Possibilidades para Responsabilização Jurídica dos Agentes Violadores de Direitos Humanos durante o Estado de Exceção no Brasil.

PASSADO E FUTURO

"Estamos discutindo o futuro, não estamos mais discutindo o passado", disse Jobim ontem, negando inquietação nas Forças Armadas com o episódio. "Não há responsabilidade histórica do Exército em relação a isso, o Exército continua com seu prestígio nacional intocável", disse Jobim, que participou, no Recife, da posse do general-de-exército Marius Teixeira Neto no Comando Militar do Nordeste, em substituição a Jarbas Bueno da Costa.

O ministro da Defesa reforçou que não há ação do governo, mas do Ministério Público - "uma ação judicial, no âmbito do Judiciário" - visando a acionar os coronéis reformados Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra e Audir Santos Maciel a pagar as indenizações a familiares de vítimas de tortura pagas pelo governo federal. "Não é um problema do Poder Executivo", repetiu.


Postado por GEOBLOG às 11:35 0 comentários
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10:51 AM  
Blogger Soina Cabate no Brede e Circos (sala bar!) said...

What do vegetarians eat?
and What do vegans eat?
A vegetarian food list | Notes at the bottom of the page





Entrees

AMERICAN
Baked Beans
Chili Black Bean, Lentil, Pinto Bean, Soy, Tempeh
Veggie Burgers Burger King BK Veggie, Boca Burger, Gardenburger, Morningstar Farms, Yves Black Bean
Meatless Hot Dogs
Casserole Loaves Lentil, Potato, Red Bean, Rice-Mushroom, Soy
Sloppy Joes Lentil, Tofu
CHINESE & ASIAN
Chop Suey
Chow Mein
Dim Sum
Mu Shu Vegetables
Pad Thai
Ramen
Szechuan Eggplant
Spring Rolls
Sushi
Sweet & Sour Vegetables
Won Ton Soup
INDIAN
Aloo Gobhi
Aloo Paratha
Bombay Pav Bhaji
Chana Masala
Curried Vegetables
Dahl
Gobhi Muslam
Potato Curry
Tandoori Casserole
ITALIAN
Eggplant Casserole
Pasta Linguini, Macaroni, Rigatoni, Spaghetti
Pizza
Lasagna
Manicotti
Ravioli
Stuffed Bell Peppers
MEDITERRANEAN
Falafel
Moroccan Vegetables
Spanikopita
Tabouleh
MEXICAN
Burritos Bean, Potato, Tofu
Chapatis & Beans
Enchiladas Spinach Mushroom
Seitan Fajitas
Tacos Bean, Potato, Tofu
Tamales
Tamale Pie
OTHER
Marinated Tofu
Mushroom Stroganoff
Roasted Vegetables
Sandwiches Hummus, Cashew Butter, Peanut Butter, Meat Substitutes, Roasted Eggplant, Vegetables
Shish Kebabs
Soups
Stews
Stuffed Squash
Vegetable Quiche


Fruits

Apples
Golden Delicious
Red Delicious
Granny Smith
McIntosh
Pink Lady
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberries
Canteloupe
Cherries
Coconuts
Cranberries
Dates
Figs
Grapefruit
Grapes
Honeydew Melons
Kiwi Fruit
Lemons
Limes
Mangos
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Prunes
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Watermelon



Dairy Substitutes

MILK
Almond Milk
Rice Milk
Soy Milk
Above available in: Nonfat, 2%, Regular, Carob, Chocolate, Vanilla
Soy Yogurt
CHEESE
Almond Cheese
Rice Cheese
Soy Cheese
American, Cheddar, Mozarella, Swiss



Sandwich Fillings

Apple Butter
Cashew Baba Ganouj
Butter
Guacamole
Falafel
Hummus
Jams & Jellies Blueberry, Boysenberry, Cranberry, Grape, Raspberry, Strawberry
Marmalade
Peanut butter
Seitan
Tofu, Baked
Tofu "Egg" Salad
Veggie Burger Mix
Wheat Roast



Grain Dishes

Couscous
Dolmas
Falafel
Grits
Macaroni
Oatmeal
Pasta
Pilaf
Polenta
Porridge
Ramen Buckwheat, Carrot, Curry, Miso, Mushroom, Onion, SchezhuanSeawood, Spinach
Spanish Rice
Tabouleh
Wild Rice



Breakfast Foods

Bagels Banana Nut, Blueberry, Cinnamon Raisin, Cranberry, Garlic, Onion, Poppy Seed, Pumpernickel, Sesame Seed, Sun-Dried Tomato, Whole Wheat
Cereal Cheerios, Cornflakes, Frosted Flakes, Grape Nuts, Kashi, Multigrain Flakes, Nutri-Grain, Puffed Corn, Puffed Millet, Puffed Rice, Puffed Wheat, Raisin Bran, Rice Flakes, Shredded Wheat, Wheetabix
Cinnamon Buns
Danish
Donuts
French Toast
Granola
Grits
Muffins
Oatmeal
Pancakes
Blueberry, Buckwheat, Wheat
Pastries
Polenta
Porridge
Potato Patties
Scrambled Tofu
Toast
Waffles


Grains

Amaranth
Barley
Buckwheat
Bulgur Wheat
Corn
Millet
Oats
Rice
Rye
Quinoa
Wheat



Tubers

Red Potatoes
Russet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Yams



Beans

Adzuki Beans
Black Beans
Black Eyed Peas
Garbanzo Beans
Great Northern Beans
Green Lentils
Green Split Peas
Kidney Beans
Mung Beans
Navy Beans
Pinto Beans
Red Beans
Red Lentils
Soybeans
Yellow Split Peas



Meat Substitutes

Seitan
Soy Ground Beef
Soy Hot Dogs
Soy Pepperoni
Tempeh
Tofu
TVP
Veggie Burgers Mix, Packaged
Veggie BBQ
Wheat Roast



Bean Dishes

Baked Beans
Bean Burgers Black Bean, Kidney Bean, Pinto Bean, Lentil, Red Bean, Tofu
Bean Casserole Black Bean, Kidney Bean, Pinto Bean, Lentil, Red Bean, Tofu
Black Bean Dip
Chili Black Bean, Kidney Bean, Pinto Bean, Red Bean, Tofu
Dahl
Hummus
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Marinated Tofu
Refried Beans
Tofu Sloppy Joes



Vegetable Dishes

Baked Potatoes
Butternut Squash
Carrots & Parsley
Coleslaw
Corn on the Cob
Curried Vegetables
Eggplant Casserole
Grilled Vegetables
Hash Browns
Mashed Potatoes
Mixed Vegetables
Moroccan Vegetables
Mushroom Gravy
Potato Burgers
Potato Curry
Roasted Vegetables
Soups Alphabet, Asparagus, Black Bean, Borscht, Corn Chowder, Cream of Broccoli, Cream of Celery, Curry Lentil, Gazpacho, Lentil-Tomato, Minestrone, Miso, Mushroom, Okra Gumbo, Onion, Potato-Leek, Red Bean, Split Pea, Sweet Squash, Tomato, Vegetable
Stews Black-Eyed Pea, Garbanzo, Potato, Ratatouille, Squash & Tomato, Yam
Steamed Artichokes
Steamed Greens
Stir-Fried Vegetables
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Sweet & Sour Vegetables


Leafy Vegetables

Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Collard Greens
Dandelion Greens
Green Chard
Green Leaf Lettuce
Iceberg Lettuce
Kale
Mustard Greens
Red Chard
Red Leaf Lettuce
Spinach



Nuts

Almonds
Brazil Nuts
Cashews
Chestnuts Filberts
Peanuts
Peanut Butter
Pecans
Pistachios
Walnuts



Snacks

Applesauce
Carrot Sticks
Crackers Brown Rice, Matzo,Saltines, Whole Wheat Thins
Fruit Cocktail
Fruit Leather
Fruit Salad
Nuts
Pickles
Popcorn
Pretzels
Rice Cakes Apple, Caramel, Millet, Buckwheat, Italian Spice, Mochi Sweet, Teriyaki Smoothies
Sunflower Seeds
Tortilla Chips



Desserts

Bread Pudding
Brownies
Cakes Angelfood, Boston Cream Pie, Chocolate, Coffee Cake, Cupcakes, Flan, Fruitcake, Gingerbread, Pound Cake, Sponge Cake, Tofu Cheesecake
Candy Bars
Cobbler Apple, Apricot, Peach, Plum
Cookies Animal Crackers, Apple Spice, Chocolate, Coconut Bars, Fig Bars, Gingersnaps, Graham Crackers, Ladyfingers, Macaroons, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Raisin, Shortbread, Sugar, Vanilla
Crepes Eclairs Frozen Fruit Bars
Canteloupe, Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry
Nondairy Ice Cream Almond Pecan, Chai, Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Espresso, Green Tea, Peppermint, Pistachio Almond, Raspberry, Vanilla
Pies Apple, Banana Custard, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Chocolate Chiffon, Coconut Cream, Fried, Lemon, Pecan, Pumpkin, Rhubarb, Sweet Potato
Puddings Chocolate, Rice, Tapioca, Vanilla
Sorbets



Baking

Arrowroot
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Corn Starch
Egg Replacer
Yeast



Sweeteners

Barley Malt
Brown Rice Syrup
Brown Sugar
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Sugar
Turbinado Sugar


Other Vegetables

Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocados
Bamboo Shoots
Beets
Bell Peppers Green, Red, Yellow
Butternut Squash
Carrots
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Ginger
Green Onions
Leeks
Mushrooms Shiitake, White Button
Okra
Olives
Onions
Peas
Pumpkin
Radishes
Sprouts
Squash
Tomatoes
Turnips
Zucchini



Breads

Bagels
Biscuits
Cornbread
Dinner Rolls
Focaccia
French Bread
Muffins Apple, Banana, Carrot, Corn, Oat
Loaves Banana, Multigrain, Raisin, Rye, Wheat, Zucchini
Pita
Tortillas
Wheat Loaf



Condiments

Catsup
Chutney
Corn Butter
Eggless Mayonnaise
Horseradish
Mushroom Gravy
Mustard
Nutritional Yeast
Pasta Sauces
Pepper
Pesto
Pico de Gallo
Salad Dressings Cucumber, French, Honey Mustard, Italian, Thousand Island, Tomato, Vinaigrette
Salsa
Salt
Sesame Seeds
Soy Sauce
Tahini
Tamari



Herbs & Spices

Allspice
Cinnamon
Basil
Bay Leaves
Celery Seed
Chili Powder
Cilantro
Coriander
Cumin
Curry Powder
Dill
Dry Mustard
Garlic
Ginger
Lemon Juice
Mace
Marjoram
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Parsley
Pepper, Black
Pepper, Red
Rosemary
Sage
Salt
Soy Sauce
Spike
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric



Beverages

Beer
Cocoa
Coffee
Fruit Juices
Apple, Grape, Grapefruit, Orange
Lemonade
Limeade
Root Beer
Soft Drinks
Sports Drinks
Teas
Tomato Juice
Wine







Probably one of the most annoying questions a vegetarian or vegan gets is, "So what do you eat?", often followed by, "Don't you get tired of eating nothing but salad?" I usually answer that one with, "Yes, and it's so terrible I cry myself to sleep every night."

But anyway, if you're a vegetarian, now you can refer people to this page to see that you subsist on more than carrots and lettuce. If you're not a vegetarian, now you can see that we're not starving ourselves after all.

Hyper-critical meat-eaters may complain that I'm exaggerating the number of foods available by listing a few items twice (e.g., under both "Entrees" and "Vegetable Dishes", but that's only because it made the most sense to do so. That's more that balanced by the fact that the list above is woefully incomplete -- I didn't come close to listing all the foods available to vegetarians. I could easily come up with another few hundred sandwiches, soups, stews, casseroles, chilis, ethnic dishes, tortilla chip flavors, nondairy ice cream flavors, etc. You'll also notice that I don't list salads at all. This is intentional.

I think my new strategy, when someone asks me what vegetarians eat, will be to ask them to first list everything they've eaten in the past week. Likely it won't be very diverse, or very long, or even very interesting. I'l then start my answer by identifying the probably 50% of their items that are vegan or could be, then mentioning the vegan alternatives to the other 50%, then adding about 20-30 of my favorite items. Below is a canned response I wrote and committed to memory and use in such situations.

If the list above inspires you to cook, see some recommended cookbooks at right.

How to answer "But what do you eat?"

Memorize your own personalized version of what's below. It ought to be a funny way to counter pre-conceived notions.
I'm glad you asked, because I like to eat, and I love talking about food. Probably the first thing that people think of when they think of being vegetarian is giving up hamburgers, but there are actually a lot of commercial veggie burgers you can get in grocery stores by companies like Morningstar Farms, Yves, Boca Burger, and Garden Burger, and most of them come in about five different flavors. You know with meat pretty much the only flavor you get is, hamburger. Even Burger King has a veggie burger on their menu now, and so do lots of restaurants. Now personally I don't really buy veggie burgers unless I'm eating out, but sometimes I make them myself from scratch with things like lentils, rice, and oats. A meat alternative I like better is the veggie barbecue that they have in the regular grocery stores now. Of course there are also a gazillion varieties of meatless hot dogs but I never really missed hot dogs very much.

For ethnic food my favorite variety is Indian, dishes like aloo gobhi, allo paratha, bombay pav bhaji, chana masala, dahl, gobhi muslam, and tandoori casserole. Those are things like spiced cauliflower and potatoes, potato-filled flat bread, curried vegetables, spiced chickpeas, and thick stews made from yellow split peas. After that I'd go for Mexican food -- enchiladas, tacos, and burritos, filled with potatoes, onions, and beans like black beans, red beans, and kidney beans. There's also tamales, tamale pie, and fajitas made with a wheat roast called seitan. I also like Mediterranean food, things like spanikopita which is a spinach pie, tabouleh which is a grain dish made from bulgur wheat, and falafel, which is a sandwich made from fried chickpeas, though I don't eat that too much because I try to avoid fried foods. And I guess everyone likes Chinese food -- chop suey, chow mein, dim sum, mu shu vegetables, stir-fried eggplant, spring rolls, won ton soup, and other Asian foods like Pad Thai and sushi without fish. I don't eat just exotic stuff, though. I also like traditional foods like baked beans, chili without meat, casseroles, mashed potatoes, and sloppy joes made from lentils or tofu. Oh, I almost forgot Italian -- eggplant casserole, lasagna with meat & dairy substitutes, pasta like linguini, fettucine, and spaghetti, and of course pizza. I like making my own pizza because nothing impresses someone like making pizza from scratch, including the crust. It's also fun to be creative -- once I made pizza at a hostel and they didn't have a rolling pin, so I used a tomato sauce can to roll out the dough. When I'm cooking for myself I also make thick stews based on whatever vegetables and beans I have lying around, usually potatoes, onions, eggplant, carrots, garlic, and greens like spinach or chard. This goes really well with brown rice, which I usually make separately but sometimes I cook it right along in the stew. Sometimes I'll just make a pot of nothing but potatoes, spiced wih soy sauce or spike. I especially like boiling a whole bunch of sweet potatoes. If I'm cooking for someone else I'll generally make pizza, veggie burgers, Chinese stir-fry, or a casserole like baked lentils or eggplant. For the holidays I make a fake turkey out of brown rice and pecans. When I'm running low on food I usually have some rice or oatmeal lying around that I can make in a pinch.

I tend to eat a lot of fruit just by itself, especially for breakfast or lunch -- apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, canteloupe, dates, figs, grapefruit, kiwis, oranges, pears, nectarines, mangos, peaches, pears, plums, pineapple, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangerines watermelon, and apples. I prefer golden delicious and red delicious apples, I don't like granny smith because they're too tart, or McIntosh because they're too soft. For snacks besides ruit I like popcorn and rice cakes. I guess other vegans are more likely to eat cookies, crackers, pretzels, chips, pickles, or nuts like almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, filberts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts, but I try to keep away from junk food and high-fat foods. I eat too many bagels since I get them for free when the bakery throws them away at the end of the day, but otherwise I make whole wheat bread with my bread machine. I could buy it, but it's cheaper to make it and there's nothing like fresh-baked bread. I don't eat a lot of sandwiches any more but my favorite fillings are hummus, black bean spread, homemade veggie burgers, and peanut butter. What do you like to eat?




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150 Vegan Favorites:
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The McDougall Program. Not only contains 130 lowfat vegan recipes, but also provides the wisdom of Dr. McDougall. McDougall ran an amazingly successful 12-day in-patient vegetarian program at the St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, California. Participants were able to eliminate or drastically reduce insulin and high blood pressure medicines almost immediately. This book shows how to do it without going to the clinic. Convincingly presents the case for the health benefits of a vegetarian diet from the viewpoint of a trained medical professional. Probably the best of all the McDougall books. Read excerpt or




May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World, by John Robbins & Jia Patton. An abbreviated, updated version of Diet for a New America, which remedies the main complaint against that book: a lack of recipes. Now you'll be able to take action after being inspired by Robbins' convincing thesis. Contains nearly 200 vegan recipes. Read excerpt or






Related info:

Nutritional stats about every food (protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, minerals, etc.) from the USDA database

11:04 AM  
Blogger Ching Chong Choi said...

Nossa! O Tede tambem morou na unao sovietica tanto como o brasil. Eu goastaria saber se ele quer dar pra mim!

6:30 PM  
Blogger Ching Chong Choi said...

I gotta hop in the car now cause if I do not get over to registration at State, I might not get into the Piano class I need... My Piano still needs to improve a lot.

6:33 PM  
Blogger Ching Chong Choi said...

The ISle Princess Nihongo notes:

アイランドプリンセスは、オーナー夫妻のドクター・マイケル・パーディーと妻グウェンドリン(グウェン)の甘美なインピレーションと絶え間ない努力のおかげで、今やハワイを代表するマカデミアナッツ商品、チョコレート並びにユニークなグルメ商品のメーカーになりました。

パーディコ・インターナショナル社の社長であるドクター・パーディーは、ハワイ島ケアウに有する1100エーカーの自社ナッツ農園並びにナッツ加工プラントを管理するアイランドプリンセスマカデミアナッツ社、アイランドプリンセスブランド商品を生産、販売を担当するアイランドプリンセスキャンディー社、そしてオレゴン州セーラムに位置するオーチャード・ハイツ・ワイナリーを統括しています。

ドクター・パーディーはオレゴン州立大学卒業後、オレゴン大学のヘルスサイエンスセンターで歯科医のライセンスを取得しました。マイケルとグウェンはオレゴンの僻地出身でともにヴァルセッツというコミュニティーの大家族の下で育ちました。ヴァルセッツは町のメインストリートがわずか1マイル、高校の生徒数29人という規模の小さな町です。

1983年、二人はマウイ島に移住し、歯科の個人医院を始めました。2年後、グウェンは彼女自身の起業家精神の元に「マウイベスト」という小売店を経営、同じ年に、アイランドプリンセスブランドが誕生しました。その頃はすべてお客様の目の前で手作りでチョコレートを作るスペシャルティーストアでした。

アイランドプリンセスのユニークな商品展開は、旅行者のみならずマウイ島ローカルの間でも人気を博しました。消費印の生産キャパシティーを増やすために、マイケルは昼間は歯科医、夜はチョコレート作りに専念し、「チョコ・ドクター」という異名を勝ち取ります。

アイランドプリンセスのグルメ商品がマウイ島のみならず、他の島に名声が届くに至り、マイケルはいよいよ歯科医のキャリアを捨て、チョコレートビジネスに専念することになります。そして、ついに設備拡張の必要に迫られ、1989年にアイランドプリンセスはオアフ島のホノルルに本社を移転します。

次のアイランドプリンセスの大きな飛躍は1998年のマカデミアナッツの農園と加工施設の買収と友にやってきました。これにより、アイランドプリンセスはハワイでも数少ない、自社農園でのナッツの加工、商品生産、販売が出来る会社に成長したのです。アイランドプリンセスの自社農園は、ハワイ島のケアウにあるマウナケアのなだらかな丘陵地帯に広がる1100エーカーの広大な敷地です。そこは気候条件が最高品質のマカデミアナッツ育成に最適で、もっともリッチなフレーバーナッツ栽培を行っています。

実際、その品質、商品開発のクリエイティビティー、そしてよりよりサービスがアイランドプリンセスのサクセスストーリーの鍵になっていいます。私どもの常連のお客様は、みな、私どものトレードマークであるハワイ産ナッツの100%使用、高品質のフレーバー、最新のレシピー開発並びに最新のトレンドを生かしたパッケージングに大変満足をされています。

アイランドプリンセスのマカデミアポップコーンクランチは、「ナショナル・フード・ディストリビューター誌」において「アメリカ一のキャラメルポップコーンに選出されました。また、世界的に人気を博しているメレマックスは、年間を通してのベストセラーです。メレマックの年間の販売量を積み上げた場合、ハレアカナ(海抜10,000フィート)の20倍にもなります。

私どもの企業理念、エネルギー並びに先進的なリーダーシップ、これはオーナー夫妻のモットーでもありますが、これが、アイランドプリンセスが最高の商品を生み出し続けている原動力となっていることは言うまでもありません。

アイランドプリンセスの競争力の源は、「ビッグ・アイランド」ハワイ島の素晴らしい山間の丘に広がる自社農園とナッツ加工施設にあります。私どもの1,100エーカーの広大な農園には、11万本ものマカデミアナッツの木が植えられています。熱帯の陽光、貿易風、十分な量の雨量、そして質のよい火山灰、これらの要素の絶妙な組み合わせにより、世界に誇れるもっともリッチで香り高いマカデミアナッツを生み出すことが出来るのです。

アイランドプリンセス農園は、アメリカの中でも、最大級かつ細心に管理された農園です。任された仕事に情熱を傾ける社員たちは、最新の生態系を破壊しない土壌の管理体制と樹木の維持管理テクニックを駆使して、最適な肥沃と栄養のバランスを維持しています。有機栽培で産出された副産物は、養樹園で育てられている苗木のために利用することでリサイクルをしています。ナッツの殻は、農園の道路の地盤に用いられています。これらの絶え間ない努力により、アイランドプリンセス農園は、2004年の「プナ土壌・水質コンヴェンション」において目覚しい活動を認められました。

私どもの養樹園では、3万本以上もの苗木を毎年育てております。そのうち一部は他のハワイ島のマカデミアナッツ農家に売却されますが、その代わり、ナッツの収穫があるたびにアイランドプリンセスに還元される仕組みです。このように私どもはハワイのマカデミアナッツ産業全体の成功を後押ししております。

8月から3月にかけては、ナッツの収穫の最盛期です。マカデミアナッツが十分に熟成すると、地面に自然に落ちますので、ナッツを樹木からもぐような収穫方法はとりません。木々1本1本の下の地面に落ちたナッツが拾い集められると、24時間以内に外側の硬い殻を取り除かなければなりません。そして、そのナッツが農園から程近いアイランドプリンセスのなっつ加工施設に運び込まれます。

ナッツを実際に割る前に、マカデミアナッツは特別にデザインされた乾燥場で7日間かけてゆっくりと乾燥されます。マカデミアナッツは、世界に生息しているナッツ類の中で最も硬い殻に包まれていますので、1スクウェアあたり300ポンドの圧力を必要とします。殻に入ったナッツは、最新の塩水装置にかけられ、腐敗したナッツや未熟なナッツが丁寧に仕分けられます。これらの工程を経て、最高品質のマカデミアナッツだけが、私どものぐるめプロダクトに使用されるのです。最後に、ナッツは短い間ローストされ、ホノルルに位置するアイランドプリンセスの工場に輸送されます。このような厳しい管理の下で行われるナッツの収穫と加工プロセスを経て、やっとホノルルの工場にマカデミアナッツが届けられるのです。

1日8時間、3万ポンドものナッツがハワイ島の加工施設で加工されます。今後私どもは、さらに4万5千本の樹木を追加樹林することでさらに、加工キャパシティーを増やしていく計画です。

ホノルルにおいては、アイランドプリンセスは、3万平方フィートの工場施設を有し、マカデミアナッツを使ったグルメプロダクトを生産しております。このプロセスは、ハワイ島の自社農園からのローストしたてのフレッシュなナッツの到着に始まり、ハワイでも最も洗練されたマカデミアナッツ並びにチョコレート商品に生まれ変わることで終わります。

アイランドプリンセスは、「ハワイマカデミアナッツ協会」(HMNA)並び「ハワイ食品メーカー協会」(HFMA)のメンバーになっています。

マカデミアナッツの名前の由来

スコットランドのグラスゴー近郊のノースバンクで1827年5月に生を受けたジョン・マカダムは、グラスゴー大学卒業後すぐにオーストラリアのメルボルンに移住をした、化学と薬学に長けた若く優れた科学者でした。

1858年、ジョン・マカダムはヴィクトリア政府公認の分析化学者となり、1860年にはメルボルン市の厚生市制官に任命された他、彼はヴィクトリア立法政府議会のメンバーとなりました。

マカダムはまた、1862年3月3日よりメルボルン薬科大学で化学を教鞭を取る最初の講師となりました。

これらの科学的な実績なくして、実は、彼は彼の名前を冠する樹木の「発見」はなされませんでした。

それは、ジョン・マカダムの友人であり同僚のバロン・フェルディナンド・ハインリッヒ・ヴォン・ミューラー(1825年6月30日〜1896年10月10日)が、マカダムの偉業を伝えるためにその樹木について分類をし名前をつけたからです。ミューラー自身も、高名な物理学者、地理学者であり、メルボルンの州立庭園の植物学者として知られています。


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マカデミアナッツの事実

マカデミアの樹木はオーストラリアの天然花であるプロテアに属します。


ハワイのマカデミアナッツは、ハワイのハワイ島が発生の地となっています。


ハワイは、世界で最初にマカデミアナッツの商業的な栽培が行われた場所です。


1800年代に砂糖栽培に従事していたH.パーヴィスなる人物がマカデミアをハワイに紹介したとされています。


マカデミアナッツは、樹木からもいで採取されるのではなく、地面に落ちたものが採取されます。地面から落ちたということが、実が完全に熟した印だからです。


マカデミア農園の樹木は、7年めで最初の実をならせますが、商業的に価値がある実がなるまでには、10年から12年かかります。


一般的に、1本の樹木から年間で、約65ポンドのナッツが採取されると言われています。採取されたナッツは、24時間以内に脱穀されます。


ナッツ類の中で最も硬い殻で覆われています。マカデミアナッツの殻をくだくためには、1スクウェア当り300ポンドの力が必要だとされています。


ハワイには、700以上のマカデミアナッツ農園と8つの加工施設があります。ハワイ州だけで、約3000人の人がそれに従事しています。


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ホノルル・スター紙(2004年5月23日付け)

「ハワイ産になった瞬間」(ハワイアン歴史学会のロバート・C・シュミット氏寄稿)

オーストラリアが原産のマカデミアナッツがハワイに最初に植えられたのは1881年あたりの事である。ハワイ島のパシフィック砂糖会社の若きマネージャー、ウィリアム・パーヴィスがその年にカパレアに種を植えたのだ。そして11年後、ジョーダン兄弟がヌアヌの実家に種を植え、富を得た。ナッツはハワイ島住民の間でたちまちのうちに人気商品となったが、1921年までは農園として商業的に営まれることはなかった。1921年にアーネスト・ヴァンタッセルが島の高地の土地を政府より借り受け、ジョーダン兄弟とパーヴィスが植えた樹木から取れた種を植えたのが最初である。1922年に彼はハワイアン・マカデミアナッツ株式会社を設立した、他の農園主たちも後に続き、オアフ島、ハワイ島、その他の島々にマカデミアナッツ農園を設立した。マカデミアナッツの加工施設は1934年、ヴァンタッセルのカカアコにある新しい工場に初めて設置された。ナッツはそこで、脱穀され、ローストされ、味付けの後、瓶詰めされて有名な「ヴァンズ・マカデミアナッツ」として市場に売り出された。その数年後、マカデミアナッツの加工食品が出回るようになった。エレン・ダイ・キャンディーズとアレクザンダー・ヤング・ホテル・キャンディーショップという有名な食品会社が1930年半ばから終わりにかけて、チョコレートでコーティングしたマカデミアナッツを売り始めたのである。そしてハワイのマカデミアナッツ商品は今に至っている。


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マカデミアナッツの健康的側面

マカデミアナッツは、一価不飽和の脂肪酸(「良い油」)が多く含まれます。この脂肪酸は過多のコレステロール数値を下げるのを手助けすると言われています。マカデミアナッツオイルの80%の脂肪は、良い油であり、健康油で人気の高いオリーブオイルの74%よりさらに多い脂肪を有しています。

マカデミアナッツはフラヴォノイドとトコヘロール(ビタミンE)を含んでおり、それらはガンと心臓病を防ぐのに効果があると言われています。

塩味のついていないマカデミアナッツはコレステロールが全く含まれず、ナトリウム値と飽和脂肪が少ないと言われています。

マカデミアナッツはミネラルが豊富で、ヘルシーダイエットに向いていると言われています。

1オンス(約11粒)のナッツには、プロテイン2グラムが含まれています。

マカデミアナッツには、ビタミンA、ビタミンB1、ビタミンB2、ニコチン酸と鉄分が含まれています。

マカデミアナッツは、一価不飽和脂肪酸であるパルミトレイック酸を含む数少ない食品です。近年の研究では、このパルミトレイック酸は脂肪の代謝を助け、体脂肪を少なくする効果があることが分かってきました。

マカデミアナッツオイルは心臓病や高血圧症のリスクを下げることで知られるオメガ3を含んでいます。

ハワイ大学のジョン・A・バーンズ薬学部で2000年に行われ、著名な「インターナルメディシン」誌に発表された論文によりますと、マカデミアナッツは血糖コレステロールレベルの維持に効果があるそうです。またその論文では、マカデミアナッツが含んでいる一価不飽和脂肪酸の高脂肪ダイエットは、コレステロール値を下げ、HDL/LDLコレステロールのバランス維持を促進すると示しています。その研究の結果として、さらにはマカデミアナッツは、オリーブオイルやその他の木の実と同等かそれ以上の栄養素的かつダイエットに適した効能を持っていると締めくくっています。

特別なレシピーとユニークなフルーツで作られた、アイランドプリンセストロピカルワインは、5種類のエキゾチックなフレーバーがお楽しみいただけるセレクションで、デザートとご一緒に、または真夏の乾きを癒すのにマッチしたまさにセンセーショナルな商品です。

ハワイアンパイナップルワインは、さわやかなパイナップル特有のフレーバーと香りが、ワイン好きの方に好評です。たとえばリンゴ、チーズクラッカー、あるいはチキンや魚料理、フルーツや野菜と共に頂くサンドウィッチなどのランチや軽いディナーなどによく合います。

ハワイアンパッションフルーツ(リリコイ)ワインは、リリコイフルーツ特有の繊細な味と香りが楽しめます。そのエキゾチックな香り、味、色は、朝食やブランチによく合います。美しいパステルカラーのワインは、ほとんどの料理と合うほか、テーブルのアクセントにもなります。

ハワイアントロピカルフルーツワインは、トロピカルフルーツをブレンドし、エキサイティングでふくよかなフレーバーを生み出しています。このワインは冷やして飲んで頂くのがお勧めです。

その他、ハワイアンパパイヤワイン、ハワイアンマンゴーワインを取り揃えております

Watashi wa nihongo o hanashimasu!

6:35 PM  
Blogger The lovely and talented Miss Carrie Bradshaw said...

Isn't DELAYED GRATIFICATION the definition of MATURITY?

12:30 PM  
Blogger Best Buy Guy said...

at Best Buy we had a slushie machine.

11:11 PM  
Blogger Reverend Tash Cohen said...

We live in a world which is plagues with violence!

9:32 PM  
Blogger Reverend Tash Cohen said...

We live in a world which is plagued with violence!

9:32 PM  
Blogger Reverend Tash Cohen said...

We live in a world which is plagued with violence!

9:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We have a whole serving of vegetables and a whole serving of fruit!

11:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The problem was that his wife was specifically attacking him for having needs!

11:36 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

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7:10 AM  
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7:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

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7:11 AM  
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10:34 PM  
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7:26 AM  

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