Central American defense ministers meeting in Nicaragua last month expressed the need to create a regional military force in order to fight the rising tide of drugs and gangs. (ISN Security Watch, Oct. 10) It is still unclear whether Washington will help fund, train and arm such a program, which has been dubbed the "Mesoamerican Strategy", but recent remarks by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as to how organized crime and terrorism in the region was too big for a single country to handle is an indication that the US supports the idea.

From the New York Post, Nov. 3:

Ground Zero's "Angel" Nun Dies
An Episcopal nun who spent five months blessing remains at the World Trade Center died this week and has been granted her dying wish - to be autopsied to prove her lung disease was caused by toxins she inhaled.

From the General Federation of Trade Unions-Iraq:

To all labor unions and organizations of the world,
On the General Federation of Trade Unions- Iraq (GFTU-Iraq) first convention

Solidarity greetings:

Our union GFTU-Iraq that was formed in June 2006 after a merger of the General Federation of Democratic Trade Unions and the Unions of Employees of Iraq will be holding its first convention in November 18, 2006 under very complicated political situations such as the absence of security and civil war that has been escalating viciously day by day.

On Oct. 24 residents of the Ecuadoran town of Arenillas, on the border with Peru, began a peaceful blockade of the Panamerican highway to demand that the Chacra-La Palma pedestrian border crossing be officially reopened to allow local commerce. Customs officials had closed the footbridge, arguing that it was being used for trade in contraband goods. Local authorities and residents in the neighboring town of Huaquillas, where the official border bridge is located, opposed the reopening of the footbridge.

From Military Families Speak Out, Nov. 8:

Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), an organization of over 3,100 military families who are opposed to the war in Iraq, welcome the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, one of the key architects of the war in Iraq. "Donald Rumsfeld sent our loved ones off to a war based on lies, and, adding insult (and injury) to injury, he did it on the cheap...many troops lacked proper body armor, armored vehicles and so much more," said Nancy Lessin of Boston, Massachusetts, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out whose step-son served with the Marines in Iraq in spring, 2003.

From AP, Nov. 7:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal public defender who took on some of the nation's most high-profile terrorism cases after Nine-Eleven has died at age 64.

Amnesty International has officially called upon the Mexican government to release the names of those detained by federal police in Oaxaca, and the charges they face. The arrested now number above 80. Many are being held incommunicado and there are growing reports of human rights abuses. (El Universal, Nov. 7)

How ironic. We noted in August that ex-Israeli security chief Uza Dayan was warning the US against emulating Israeli strategies in securing the Mexican border. Now it appears that Elbit Systems, an Israeli firm which is building the "Aparthied Wall" in occupied Palestine, has been awarded a contract, along with Boeing, to build the wall on the Mexican border. From Israel21C, Oct. 15: