The Assembly of First Nations issued a press release earlier this month criticizing Mr. Flanagan, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, for writing that Métis are an "economically marginal, incohesive assortment of heterogeneous groups" that require strategies to "minimize the damage caused by the thoughtless elevation of the Métis to the status of a distinct 'aboriginal' people."

[. . . . ] Each study argues that in order for native communities to become economically self-sustaining, the reserve land which is now held by the Crown must be transferred to individual Indian band members. It will be up to natives themselves to decide if they want to transfer the land into a communal arrangement or allow for the property to be owned and managed individually.

There are individuals who choose to hold property in a communal manner. For example, Hutterites choose to hold property in a communal manner. But, this is their choice, not an imposition. Shouldn't native Canadians be entitled to the same choice?

[. . . . ] The Indian industry is composed of a multitude of consultants, program analysts, researchers, administrators and managers who deliver the myriad of programs and services which make up Indian affairs. In addition, Indian lobby groups are funded by the federal government to lobby for more money and special rights for Indian communities. For example; in 2002-03 the AFN received over $6.8 million from the Department of Indian Affairs.

[. . . . ] If Indians become self-sufficient and prosperous, the Indian industry would cease to exist. [. . . . ]

Ottawa — The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Wednesday that reluctant witnesses can be forced to testify in hearings in the fight against terrorism In a 6-3 decision, the court said the hearings do not contravene the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The case stemmed from the Air-India trial in British Columbia.

The Supreme Court has been grappling with the issue of whether the hearings, which have been allowed under anti-terrorism legislation, violate the charter.

The RCMP and Crown have been trying to force an unco-operative witness, whose name is protected under a publication ban, to answer questions related to the 1985 Air-India bombing at a closed hearing in Vancouver. [. . . . ]

Two men accused of being senior leaders of the Hells Angels were convicted of multiple criminal charges in Montreal on Wednesday

Walter Stadnick [a former national president of the Hells Angels in Canada and one of the gang's most senior biker] and Donald Stockford [the gang's national secretary, an emissary who represented the Canadian chapters at secret Hells Angels meetings at the international level] were convicted of conspiracy to murder, gangsterism and drug trafficking in a verdict read for hours Wednesday morning by Quebec Superior Court Justice Jerry Zigman. [. . . . ]

Frustrated that ex-president Bill Clinton is still insisting he never sexually harassed her in interviews about his memoir "My Life," former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones is challenging him to a public debate.

[. . . . ] "He still thinks that that was not an admission of guilt when he settled out of court with me," she said, referring to the sexual harassment lawsuit she launched in 1994 that ended in Clinton's impeachment.

[. . . . ] "I have no trouble debating that man, I would love to do it. But you know what, I bet he wouldn't do that with me."

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia, announcing a limited amnesty Wednesday for Muslim militants who surrender in the next month, said they would not face the death penalty and would be prosecuted only if they committed acts that hurt others.

Crown Prince Abdullah read the brief announcement on behalf of his half-brother, King Fahd, on state television Wednesday. [. . . . ]

[. . . . ] Chalabi’s embrace of the Shiite faction of Iraq has fed the speculation that he gave intelligence secrets to Iran, a Shiite theocracy. Aras Habib, the I.N.C. intelligence chief, has long been suspected of spying for Iran. Chalabi and his aides dismissed these rumors, claiming that in 2002 Habib had passed a C.I.A. polygraph test about his relationship with Iran, and that neither he nor Chalabi had access to U.S. classified materials. For many years, Chalabi has been openly collegial with reformist leaders in Iran, such as President Mohammad Khatami, with whom he met last November, in Tehran. He has also admitted to meeting with the head of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. Immediately before the invasion of Iraq, Chalabi was living in a gated villa in Tehran that he had persuaded the U.S. to purchase as a satellite branch of the I.N.C.

Chalabi claimed that his relationship with Tehran was purely expedient. “There are geopolitical reasons to be friendly with Iran,” he said. “Iran has the longest border with Iraq. Also, Iran is a much stronger state than Iraq, with three times the population. So strategically it’s not a good idea to be on bad terms. My good relations were not a secret from the U.S.”

[. . . . ] Chalabi’s political future is unclear. Iraqis have long seen him as an American puppet with no constituency at home; in polls, they have given Chalabi approval ratings lower than those for Saddam Hussein. Peter Galbraith said, “Most likely, his legacy is that he is the Moses of Iraq: he got to see the Promised Land, but not to taste the fruit.” Yet the raid on his home may have given him an opportunity to recast himself once again, now as a dissenting voice on American policy in Iraq. “He’s extremely shrewd politically,” Danielle Pletka said. “His obit has been written many times before, and he keeps clawing his way out of the grave and coming back.” One of his I.N.C. confidants told me that Chalabi might spend the summer repositioning himself as a fierce critic of Brahimi’s interim government, with an eye toward the coming election. Chalabi himself was less specific when I asked him about his plans. He said simply, “I think I have more of a future than the C.P.A.”

A Cross Site Scripting vulnerability has been discovered in Internet Explorer's about:blank page. The vulnerability allows attackers to cause the product to execute arbitrary HTML and/or JavaScript.

Vulnerable systems:
* Internet Explorer version 6.0.2600.x (without SP1)
* Internet Explorer version 5.0.x
* Internet Explorer version 4.x
* Internet Explorer version 3.x

Immune systems:
* Internet Explorer version 6.0.2600.x with SP1

By passing a specially crafted URL to the Internet Explorer, a remote attacker can cause the product to return arbitrary HTML and/or JavaScript.