Reflections on the "New American" Revolution
Friday, October 31, 2003
Top Israeli Officer Says Tactics Are Backfiring (washingtonpost.com): "'The war against terror is taking place on the backs of civilians.' "
3.8 million families were hungry last year in U.S. : "About 12 million American families last year worried that they couldn't afford to buy food, and 32 percent of them actually experienced someone going hungry at one time or another, the Agriculture Department said Friday.
It was the third year in a row that the department has seen an increase in the number of households experiencing hunger and those worried about having enough money to pay for food.
Based on a Census Bureau survey of 50,000 households, the department estimated that 3.8 million families were hungry last year to the point where someone in the household skipped meals because they couldn't afford them. That's an 8.6 percent increase from 2001, when 3.5 million families were hungry, and a 13 percent increase from 2000. "
Thursday, October 30, 2003
A Big Quarter: "it would be quite a trick to run the biggest budget deficit in the history of the planet, and still end a presidential term with fewer jobs than when you started. And despite yesterday's good news, that's a trick President Bush still seems likely to pull off. "
Israeli strategy HELPS the terrorists - army chief warns Sharon: "Israel's army chief has exposed deep divisions between the military and Ariel Sharon by branding the government's hardline treatment of Palestinian civilians counter-productive and saying that the policy intensifies hatred and strengthens the 'terror organisations'.
... Our strategy helps the terrorists - army chief warns Sharon
The general warned that the continued curfews, reoccupation of towns and severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians, combined with the economic crisis they have caused, were increasing the threat to Israel's security.
"In our tactical decisions, we are operating contrary to our strategic interest," Gen Ya'alon said. "It increases hatred for Israel and strengthens the terror organisations."
... "There is no hope, no expectations for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, nor in Bethlehem and Jericho," said Gen Ya'alon."
This couldn't be clearer. The heavy handed, military approach to the "war on terror" is a disaster. It feeds terrorism, because it radicalizes people. Bush and Sharon are in the same camp here. They are both deluded. Drunk with power. They think they can do anything because they have so much military power. But both are finding that the more military resources they throw at the problem, the more insecure their people are. So they attack again. And again, they fail. They will continue to fail. And claim victory. When will everyone else wake up and see that, and realize they have to get rid of these dinosaurs?
Group Says Iraq Contractors Donated Significantly to Bush's Campaign (washingtonpost.com): "Private contractors that received billions in reconstruction contracts for Iraq and Afghanistan contributed significantly to President Bush's election campaign and stocked their staffs and governing boards with well-connected former federal officials, according to a report released today by a watchdog group.
... Charles Lewis, director of the Center for Public Integrity, told reporters this morning that there is a "stench of political favoritism and cronyism surrounding the contracting process in both Iraq and Afghanistan." "
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Bush�s Urgent Task: To Calm Public�s Growing Impatience: "'I'll say that the world is more peaceful and more free under my leadership, and America is more secure,' Mr. Bush said, describing how he will run on his record. 'That will be how I'll begin describing our foreign policy.'
Democrats scoffed.
'This president appears to lack the leadership skills required to do what is necessary to successfully stabilize and reconstruct Iraq before the window of opportunity closes,' Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, said in a statement.
'Instead,' Mr. Dean said, 'President Bush seems content to pursue the current flawed plan, unwilling to do what is necessary to encourage our friends and allies to assist, incapable of taking the steps necessary to expedite the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqis, and content to direct billions of dollars to special interests like Halliburton.'"
An Open Letter to America: It's Time to Take Back Our Country: "Who is to say what is or isn't 'patriotic?' Do the flags that wave from every minivan really offer any support? Where is the support for the thousands of service men and women who return to the states to see their benefits cut, their health problems ignored, their jobs gone and their families living in poverty? How are they repaid for their efforts; for risking or losing their lives? So far, dismally.
This nation was founded to enable freedom and diversity of opinion, and many lives have been lost to secure that liberty. Paradoxically, some still resist the open mindedness that is the very foundation of this country."
Bend it like Cheney: "while Cheney noted that when asked what kind of government they would like, Iraqis chose 'the US ... hands down'. In fact, the results of the poll are quite different. Twenty-three per cent of the Iraqis surveyed said that they would like to model their new government after the US; 17.5% would like their model to be Saudi Arabia; 12% said Syria, 7% said Egypt and 37% said 'none of the above'. Hardly 'winning hands down'.
When given the choice as to whether they 'would like to see US and British forces leave Iraq in six months, one year, or two years', 31.5% of Iraqis said these forces should leave in six months; 34% say a year, and only 25% say two or more years. So while technically Cheney might say that 'over 60% [actually 59%] ... want the US to stay at least another year', an equally correct observation would be that 65.5% want the US and Britain to leave in one year or less. "
More US troops lost in occupation than during conflict: "Up to 15,000 Iraqis - 4,300 of them civilians - died during just the first four weeks of the war, according to a study released yesterday by an independent US thinktank, Project on Defence Alternatives. Iraq Body Count, a volunteer group of British and US academics and researchers, has estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 civilians died in the conflict. "
Halliburton says KBR unit revenue profit, sales soar: "US oil industry services giant Halliburton said Thursday its Kellogg Brown and Root unit's profits rose four-fold and sales leapt 80 percent, boosted by work in Iraq.
Profits from the unit's operations soared to 49 million dollars in the three months to September from 12 million dollars a year earlier, helped by 'government services activity in the Middle East,' Halliburton said. "
I am sickened by the profiteering and even more, by the celebration of profiteering, in Iraq. It seems to me that Bush's administration wants it's campaign contributors to make as much as possible out of Iraq.
Monday, October 27, 2003
Bush Said to Undermine Process on Huge Boeing Defense Contract: "Bush really hoped something could be worked out, Card told others, according to a participant in the internal deliberations. And with Card's intervention, obstacles to the deal eventually fell away. Vehement objections raised by OMB and Pentagon budget analysts -- that the planes were too expensive and that leasing would set a bad precedent -- were muted or withdrawn.
Card's intervention was but one fruit of a two-year lobbying campaign, mounted jointly by the Air Force and Boeing, that has brought the $21 billion to $25 billion deal within one congressional hurdle of being passed."
Bill Moyers Interviews Union Theological Seminary's Joseph Hough: "the Lord Jesus said, 'By their fruits, you shall know them.' And speaking as a humble fruit inspector of the Lord, I'd say that if this person is a Born Again Christian, there's a mixed signal somewhere.' I feel the same way.
If Tom Delay is acting out of his Born Again Christian convictions in pushing legislation that disadvantages the poor every time he opens his mouth, I'm not saying he's not a Born Again Christian, but as a the Lord's humble fruit inspector, it sure looks suspicious to me. And anybody who claims in the name of God they're gonna run over people of other nations, and just willy-nilly, by your own free will, reshape the world in your own image, and claim that you're acting on behalf of God, that sounds a lot like Caesar to me. "
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Baghdad rocket attack targets US hawk: "Paul Bremer, the US administrator of Iraq, in Washington for consultations, made an unusual admission during an interview with ABC Television. He said: 'I think we have to recognise that, as time goes on, being occupied becomes a problem.'
The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, said: 'We are in this insurgency situation where people strike and run and it's a much more difficult security environment. We did not expect this would be quite this intense for so long.' "
What we have here are admissions of tragic errors. Our government imagined that it could go into Iraq, and do what it liked, while being feted by subservient Iraqi's as saviors. This was flying in the face of the warnings coming from it's own State Department, which predicted the results of the occupation pretty accurately. (Makes you wonder what Colin Powell reads, since he is now saying he didn't expect this kind of resistance.) And the CIA were warning that Saddam was only a threat to us if we attacked.
Bush claims that the attackers are getting desperate. But the reality is that the occupation is facing a steadily increasing volume of attacks. Up from 10-20 / day to 35 recently. And now there have been co-ordinated bombings in Gaghdad killing 40. And they have targeted Paul Wolfowitz. They are far from desperate. They are planning and co-ordinating attacks that are having a worldwide effect.
Bush should not keep on as he is going. That is madness. He has to face the reality that he has profoundly misjudged the situation. And we have to get him out of office as soon as possible.
Saturday, October 25, 2003
America's hidden battlefield toll: "The true scale of American casualties in Iraq is revealed today by new figures obtained by The Observer, which show that more than 6,000 American servicemen have been evacuated for medical reasons since the beginning of the war...
The new figures reveal that 1,178 American soldiers have been wounded in combat operations since the war began on 20 March.
It is believed many of the American casualties evacuated from Iraq are seriously injured. Modern body armour, worn by almost all American troops, means wounds that would normally kill a man are avoided. However vulnerable arms and legs are affected badly. This has boosted the proportion of maimed among the injured. "
67 per cent of Iraqis view the American-led coalition as 'occupying powers': "A poll released this week showed that 67 per cent of Iraqis view the American-led coalition as 'occupying powers', more than 20 per cent higher than a survey conducted shortly after the fall of the former regime. According to the poll, conducted by Iraq's Centre for Research and Strategic Studies, the number of Iraqis who view the coalition as a 'liberating' force has dropped from 43 to 15 per cent, and very few feel safe in the presence of the police or foreign armies controlling the country. "
Iraq Survey Fails to Find Nuclear Threat: "Among the closely held internal judgments of the Iraq Survey Group, overseen by David Kay as special representative of CIA (news - web sites) Director George J. Tenet, are that Iraq's nuclear weapons scientists did no significant arms-related work after 1991, that facilities with suspicious new construction proved benign, and that equipment of potential use to a nuclear program remained under seal or in civilian industrial use.
Most notably, investigators have judged the aluminum tubes to be 'innocuous,' according to Australian Brig. Gen. Stephen D. Meekin, who commands the Joint Captured Enemy Materiel Exploitation Center, the largest of a half-dozen units that report to Kay. That finding is pivotal, because the Bush administration built its case on the proposition that Iraq aimed to use those tubes as centrifuge rotors to enrich uranium for the core of a nuclear warhead."
"... Participants in the subsequent hunt for illegal arms said months elapsed without a visit to Nasr and many other sites of activity that President Bush (news - web sites) had called "a grave and gathering danger."
Bush diverted the war against terror: "fifteen of the nineteen hijackers came from Saudi Arabia; none came from Iraq....
It is now quite clear that the President--unwilling to deal with the ties between Saudi Arabia and Osama bin Laden--pursued Hussein as a politically convenient scapegoat. By drawing attention away from the Muslim fanatic networks centered in Saudi Arabia, Bush diverted the war against terror. That seems to be the implication of the 28 pages [in the congressional report that dealt with Saudi Arabia's role in the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States], which the White House demanded be kept from the American people when the full report was released. "
Capital Games: "The facts are closing in on Bush and his crowd. And perhaps the law--that is, if Bush's comrades at the Justice Department are on the level. As Iraq continues to be a $170 billion headache, they have tied themselves to the mast of their prewar misrepresentations. As the Wilson leak threatens to become a primetime scandal, they are yielding no ground and hoping this inconvenience blows past. All in all, a precarious position for Bush."
Road to Ruin: How America is Ravaging the Planet: "'We're waging a war on the environment, a very successful one,' says Paul Ehrlich, professor of population studies at Stanford University. 'This nation is devouring itself,' according to Phil Clapp of the National Environmental Trust. These are voices that have almost ceased to be heard in the US. Yet with each passing day, the gap between the US and the rest of the planet widens. To take the figure most often trotted out: Americans contribute a quarter of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. To meet the seemingly modest Kyoto objective of reducing emissions to 7% below their 1990 levels by 2012, they would actually (due to growth) have to cut back by a third. For the Bush White House, this is not even on the horizon, never mind the agenda. "
The Moral Authority Military Parents Lend to the Peace Movement Comes at a Price: "'To me,' Bright said, 'supporting the troops means bringing them home now. '' "
'The most disgraceful thing I have witnessed in my entire military career": "Admiral Thomas Moorer, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, headed the independent commission of inquiry that released the report yesterday.
'The men of the USS Liberty were representing the U.S. They were attacked for over two hours by Israeli Air Force and Navy units with 70 percent American casualties and the eventual loss of our best intelligence ship,' Moorer said. 'These sailors and marines were entitled to our best defense. We gave them no defense. The findings of this commission are irrefutable. Every other attack on a ship in our history has been investigated by our Congress except this one.'
'Nor has Congress ever investigated the recall by the White House of U.S. Navy aircraft sent to rescue the Liberty while the ship was still under attack.'
Moorer called the Johnson White House's cancellation of the Navy's attempt to rescue the Liberty 'the most disgraceful thing I have witnessed in my entire military career.' "
Parsing Official Lies: "for months before the invasion, Cheney and other administration figures asserted with absolute certainty that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program. No evidence of that has been found, except for concocted evidence like forged documents indicating Iraq's efforts to buy uranium in Niger. In The New Yorker this week, reporter Seymour Hirsch suggests the possibility that the forgery took place inside the CIA. "
Administration withholds intelligence documents from 9/11 Panel: "The chairman of the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks says that the White House is continuing to withhold several highly classified intelligence documents from the panel and that he is prepared to subpoena the documents if they are not turned over within weeks."
Lie after lie after lie: "'By March 2002, a former White House official told me, it was understood by many in the White House that the president had decided, in his own mind, to go to war. The undeclared decision had a devastating impact on the continuing war against terrorism. The Bush administration took many intelligence operations that had been aimed at Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups around the world and redirected them to the Persian Gulf. Linguists and special operatives were reassigned, and several ongoing antiterrorism intelligence programs were curtailed.' "
Friday, October 24, 2003
A Litany of Dishonesty in Washington: "a Florida newspaper reported that Rumsfeld's office had asked the Special Operations Command in Tampa to 'park' US$40 million for eventual use by the secretary. The diversion, which was disclosed by a 'whistleblower' in the Pentagon, was never reported to Congress and is now being investigated by an internal auditor. The Washington Post on Tuesday called the investigation 'explosive', in major part because lawmakers have long complained that Rumsfeld has kept them in the dark on many issues. "
Cheney's the One, by Jim Lobe: Evidence that Vice President Dick "Cheney - a Republican right-winger surrounded by neo-conservatives, many with close ties to Israel's Likud Party - is the dominant figure in Washington's diplomacy have become too plentiful to ignore."
Rumsfeld's Ruminations Reinforce Reservations , by Jim Lobe: "But with the Turkish option fading, it appears that administration hopes for drawing down U.S. troop levels to less than one-half of the 130,000 troops in Iraq now by the end of 2004 were unrealistic. That assessment, in turn, means that yet more reservists will have to be deployed to Iraq, further straining an overstretched and increasingly demoralised army.
The U.S. commander in Iraq disclosed Wednesday that attacks on U.S. troops there have increased sharply in October, reaching a high of 35 a day, compared to between 10 and 15 attacks in July and August.
Military officials argued that the rise in attacks mostly reflected more-aggressive tactics by U.S. forces, particularly in Sunni-dominated western provinces, where troops had previously asserted only a modest presence."
Bush’s News War: "In Baghdad, official control over the news is getting tighter. Journalists used to walk freely into the city’s hospitals and the morgue to keep count of the day’s dead and wounded. Now the hospitals have been declared off-limits and morgue officials turn away reporters who aren’t accompanied by a Coalition escort. Iraqi police refer reporters’ questions to American forces; the Americans refer them back to the Iraqis."
Again, we're not getting the true picture of what is going on Iraq. But at least some of the media are telling us that. What we need now is some politicians and soldiers to demand a true accounting of the injuires in Iraq. And not just of US troops. The US military needs to start counting Iraqi casualties and injuries. Surely the lives of those we 'liberated' are worth counting too?
US Troops Wounded in Iraq Getting Little Care from Army, Little Coverage from the Media: "many wounded veterans from Iraq, under care at places such as the Fort Stewart military base in Georgia, must wait 'weeks and months for proper medical help' and are being kept in living conditions that are 'unacceptable for sick and injured soldiers.' One officer was quoted as saying, 'They're being treated like dogs.' The Army has said it is attempting to remedy the situation.
In The New Republic, Kaplan reported on the state of many injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. According to Kaplan, modern medicine and rapid response techniques allow many wounded soldiers to survive injuries that would have killed them in previous wars. Many of these wounded soldiers are left with debilitating injury or loss of limb. Newspapers that only track hostile combat deaths fail to capture the human toll of thousands of troops left injured and crippled, he wrote."
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Free Advice to G.O.P.: "We still haven't established a moderate political center in Iraq ready to openly embrace the progressive U.S. agenda for Iraq and openly defend it. That center is potentially there, but because, so far, we have failed to provide a secure enough environment, or a framework for Iraqis to have the national dialogue they need to build a better Iraq, it has not emerged. We need to fix this situation fast. Instead of applauding without thinking, Republicans should be telling that to the president. "
Global trade keeps a billion children in poverty, says Unicef: "... globalised trade and cuts to aid budgets are creating an ever-greater chasm between the richest and poorest countries.
More than one billion young people in the developing world are now living in conditions of severe deprivation, according to a report for the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). Tens of millions of children in developing countries still do not have access to basic human needs such as food, water and sanitation, the study found.
The report is the first attempt to scientifically measure world poverty, and paints a grim picture of how little the lives of the world's poorest people have improved in the last few years."
Bush counts cost as Iraq polarises US - www.theage.com.au: "Eighty-four Republicans crossed the floor and joined the Democrats, demanding that at least part of the President's proposed aid package to Iraq be given only in the form of loans. The vote will not stick but it was a noteworthy rebuke for the White House.
... most Americans do not want Congress to give President Bush $87 billion to rebuild Iraq. Before Mr Bush asked for that money, Americans saw Iraq and the US economy as separate issues. They no longer think that way."
US pleads for Mo' Money, fails to account for what it has already received: "Christian Aid said in a report that the Coalition Provisional Authority had only explained publicly how it had spent $1 billion of the $5 billion it has been given for Iraqi development. The funds include $1 billion from the former U.N. Oil for Food program, $2.5 billion in assets seized from Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s former regime an $1.5 billion in oil revenues, the group said. "
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Preemptive War Is the Wrong Weapon: "Cheney & Co. have pushed the Bush doctrine of preemption beyond protection of sovereignty into new, dangerous territory, in my view. The U.N. certainly wouldn't stand in the way if terrorists threatened the U.S. rule of law and way of life. It's Washington that's threatening an international rule of law from which it benefits, by intervening where there's no such danger.
... Despite the Vice-President's jibes, the existing system still works. The best strategy for countering terrorists will involve intelligence-sharing, freezing bank accounts, and law enforcement -- not invasions of other countries. What's needed now is for the Bush team to step back from its doctrine of preemption and for common sense, rather than regrettable rhetoric, to prevail. "
Senator Byrd, Major Media Spread Coverage of Bush-Nazi Nexus: "US Senator Robert Byrd, on the floor of Congress, on October 17, has explicitly compared the Bush media operation to that run by Herman Goering, mastermind of the Nazi putsch against the German people.
On the same day, the Associated Press ran a national story linking Prescott Bush to Adolf Hitler. The lead read: 'President Bush's grandfather was a director of a bank seized by the federal government because of its ties to a German industrialist who helped bankroll Adolf Hitler's rise to power, government documents show.'
That night, CNN ran a 'streamer' on the bottom of its all-news programming confirming that 'declassified documents show Prescott Bush connections to Nazi finance.' "
The General Who Roared: "General Boykin was not exercising the free speech rights of a private citizen. Speaking as he did in uniform the day after he was appointed deputy under secretary was indefensible. Not only did a high-ranking government official make remarks that espoused a single religious view and denigrated others, but he damaged the national security policy of the United States.
... There was more than a whiff of hypocrisy in Mr. Rumsfeld's comments yesterday. The secretary professed to have formed no view on the Boykin matter because he had not heard the general's remarks. But Mr. Rumsfeld did not need a personal hearing earlier this year to chastise the Army chief of staff for differing with him on the war in Iraq, and to question the patriotism of retired generals who critiqued his war strategy on television. Unlike General Boykin, they did not have the backing of conservative Christians, a key constituency for Mr. Bush's re-election."
Rumsfeld's memo: A grim outlook: "Despite upbeat statements by the Bush administration, the memo to Rumsfeld's top staff reveals significant doubts about progress in the struggle against terrorists. Rumsfeld says that 'it is not possible' to transform the Pentagon quickly enough to effectively fight the anti-terror war and that a 'new institution' might be necessary to do that. (Related item: Rumsfeld's memo)
The memo, which diverges sharply from Rumsfeld's mostly positive public comments... [says]
'Are we winning or losing the Global War on Terror?' Rumsfeld asks in the Oct. 16 memo, which goes on to cite 'mixed results' against al-Qaeda, 'reasonable progress' tracking down top Iraqis and 'somewhat slower progress' in apprehending Taliban leaders. 'Is our current situation such that 'the harder we work, the behinder we get'? ' he wrote."
Rumsfeld is the man who came back from Iraq and Afghanistan this summer saying that anyone who questioned this administration's actions there was giving comfort to the enemy. He was implying that US dissenters are traitors. Strong stuff. So these candid comments from our fearless, callous war-hungry Secretary of "Defence" are quite revealing.
They show that the administration is spinning us with talk of progress in Iraq and the war on terror. And they confirm the points that fair minded dissenter's have long been making: this administration's policies are not effective. They are not making us safer. They are not addressing the roots of terror. And they are actually stimulating terror where there was none to threaten us before. Iraq is a case in point.
Why else would he say, 'the harder we work, the behinder we get'? ' Because their efforts are wrong headed and counter productive. They need to change, immediately.
Attacks on US Troops Up by up to 50% in last few weeks: "The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq (news - web sites) said Wednesday the number of attacks against American troops in Iraq is increasing.
During a press conference, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said the average of 20 to 25 attacks daily had increased over the last three weeks 'to a peak of 35 attacks a day.' He did not elaborate. "
This administration is trying to control the message coming out of Iraq, to portray the occupation there as a success. It is telling the media there that they are not reporting the truth. It is not giving figures for the numbers of US troops injured there. And it is not allowing coverage of the US troops who are coming home injured or dead.
Gen. Sanchez's report on the sharp rise in attacks on our troops in Iraq shows that the most important aspect of life in Iraq--safety--is deteriorating severely. And that, far from improving, our troops and Iraqi civilians are less secure now than at any time since Bush announced the end of hostilities in Iraq.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Co-op imposes ban on GM ingredients: "The Co-op supermarket group, Britain's biggest farmer and the owner of the Co-operative Bank, today imposed a ban on genetically modified ingredients across its businesses.
In a fresh blow to the GM industry, the Co-op said that it would reject any government proposals allowing the commercial planting of GM crops in the UK."
Bush M.O: Don't Ask, Don't Know: "Bush's passivity in response to a political dirty trick that harms US intelligence operations and demoralizes intelligence officers is an abdication of responsibility.
... Wilson's wife and the CIA, it seems clear, were being punished by highly placed leakers who resented the agency's resistance to having its gathering and analysis of intelligence politicized. If Bush continues refusing to root out and punish those leakers, he will undermine the nation's defense and his own claim to leadership."
Fox News makes you ignorant: "... researchers from the Program on International Policy at the University of Maryland found that those who relied on Fox for their news were more likely than those who relied on any other news source to have what the study called 'significant misperceptions' about the war in Iraq. "
In Iraq, No Punishment for Trigger-Happy U.S. Troops: "U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq are resorting to lethal force too readily and are unlikely to be held accountable for their actions, according to a new report released here Tuesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In an investigation undertaken in late September, HRW collected what it calls 'credible reports' of 94 civilian deaths at the hands of U.S. forces from May 1 to October 1, all of which appear to have taken place in circumstances that warrant an official investigation.
The new report, 'Hearts and Minds: Post-War Civilian Casualties in Baghdad by U.S. Forces,' deplores the fact that the U.S. military has not kept any statistics on civilians deaths. 'Such an attitude suggests that civilians casualties are not a paramount concern,' the New York-based group said. "
Bush Censors Media Coverage of Returning Coffins (washingtonpost.com): "the Bush administration has ... [banned] news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases."
Monday, October 20, 2003
Sen. Robert Byrd: "The Emperor Has No Clothes": "This entire adventure in Iraq has been based on propaganda and manipulation. Eighty-seven billion dollars is too much to pay for the continuation of a war based on falsehoods.
Taking the nation to war based on misleading rhetoric and hyped intelligence is a travesty and a tragedy. It is the most cynical of all cynical acts. It is dangerous to manipulate the truth. It is dangerous because once having lied, it is difficult to ever be believed again. Having misled the American people and stampeded them to war, this Administration must now attempt to sustain a policy predicated on falsehoods. The President asks for billions from those same citizens who know that they were misled about the need to go to war. We misinformed and insulted our friends and allies and now this Administration is having more than a little trouble getting help from the international community.
... Have we forgotten that the most horrific terror attacks in history occurred right here at home!! Yet, this Administration turns back money for homeland security, while the President pours billions into security for Iraq. I am powerless to understand or explain such a policy. "
Listening to Mahathir: "Thanks to its war in Iraq and its unconditional support for Ariel Sharon, Washington has squandered post-9/11 sympathy and brought relations with the Muslim world to a new low."
Knives 'hidden on planes for weeks': "United States authorities took five weeks to uncover box cutter knives and other suspicious items that had been placed on two planes, the student at the centre of a security breach investigation has said.
Nathaniel Heatwole, 20, said that he had placed the knives and a mock-up bomb on board two specific Southwest Airlines flights back in September and sent an e-mail to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) outlining what he had done. "
Can you believe this? Someone someone smuggles box cutters and dangerous objects that look like explosives, and what does our great TSA do? They ignore the email that tells them exactly where the dangerous objects were stashed. And they were told exactly where to find them. And who placed them there--by the person who did it.
He told them why he did it. To point out the vulnerabilities to us. And what do they do? Well they arrest him, of course. But only after maintenance workers find the stuff he stashed, by chance.
In other words, they not only failed to get the guy as he smuggled the stuff on board. And they missed him doing it on several flights. They also failed to follow up when he sent them detailed information about where to find the stashes on board two specific planes--for five weeks! They should be charged with crimes: not this guy.
He may have pulled a prank. But he did us a favor. He showed us that the TSA checks are not working.
What Alabama's Low-Tax Mania Can Teach the Rest of the Country: "Governor Riley's setback last month is being hailed by national antitax forces as a great victory. But if Alabama heads into next year without additional revenues, students may have to learn without textbooks, prisoners may be released early, and people may start dying of preventable diseases. We should all pay attention, because if the 'starve the beast' crowd continues to prevail in Washington, as goes Alabama so may go the nation."
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Bush's Popularity With Older Voters Is Seen as Slipping: "President Bush's support among older voters has dropped substantially in recent months, eroding recent Republican gains and highlighting the importance of this critical electoral bloc in 2004, political strategists and analysts say."
Yahoo! News - State Dept. Study Foresaw Trouble Now Plaguing Iraq: "A yearlong State Department study predicted many of the problems that have plagued the American-led occupation of Iraq, according to internal State Department documents and interviews with administration and Congressional officials.
...Their findings included a much more dire assessment of Iraq's dilapidated electrical and water systems than many Pentagon officials assumed. They warned of a society so brutalized by Saddam Hussein's rule that many Iraqis might react coolly to Americans' notion of quickly rebuilding civil society.
Several officials said that many of the findings in the $5 million study were ignored by Pentagon officials until recently
...The man overseeing the planning, Tom Warrick, a State Department official, so impressed aides to Jay Garner, a retired Army lieutenant general heading the military's reconstruction office, that they recruited Mr. Warrick to join their team.
George Ward, an aide to General Garner, said the reconstruction office wanted to use Mr. Warrick's knowledge because "we had few experts on Iraq on the staff."
But top Pentagon officials blocked Mr. Warrick's appointment, and much of the project's work was shelved, State Department officials said. Mr. Warrick declined to be interviewed for this article. "
This revelation is further reason for the "officials" at the top of the Pentagon to be sacked. If they had any honor they would have resigned by now, so they should be removed immediately.
Why? They have wilfully invaded another country on false pretenses, spent the best part of $150 Billion, killed thousands of Iraqi's and hundreds of Americans, and completely destroyed the civil society of Iraq.
This is not a small mistake. This is catastrophic. This Iraq adventure is a failure that has few parallels in history, yet the Bush administration has the gall to claim that it did everything correctly.
Now we find that they actually knew in advance about all the problems that they now face, and deliberately chose not to prepare for them. These holier-than-thou "officials" then repeatedly claimed they couldn't have known about and so couldn't have planned for them. This story demonstrates that is not true and they need to be held to account.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Attorney general 'scraped the legal barrel' over Iraq war: "A leading legal peer accused the attorney general last night of 'scraping the bottom of the legal barrel' to give legitimacy to the war on Iraq.
Lord Alexander of Weedon QC, chairman of the all-party law reform group, Justice, said it was 'risible' for the government to rely on a UN resolution passed in 1990 as the basis for an invasion of Iraq in 2003 - which ministers knew the security council would not authorise. "
ANATOMY OF A LIE: "On Sept. 18 Bush thought it would help to admit the truth: that Saddam Hussein had never been a threat to the United States. Less than a month later, on Oct. 9, Bush's polls upticked as he reverted to form: 'I was not about to leave the security of the American people to a madman.' "
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
@On Listening: "the Bush team has decided to fall in behind Ariel Sharon's failed strategy of only listening to the terrorists and postponing any initiatives until they are all defeated. So the only voice we hear there is that of the terrorists. No alternative reality is being built to smother or counter them, and that's just what the terrorists want. "
Well, I don't often agree with Thomas Friedman, but we're on the same page with this opinion.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Intelligence Puzzle: North Korean Bombs: "Charles Pritchard, who resigned this summer as the State Department special envoy for North Korean nuclear issues, cast Mr. Bush's political and strategic problem this way:
'We've gone, under his watch, from the possibility that North Korea has one or two weapons to a possibility — a distinct possibility — that it now has eight or more,' said Mr. Pritchard, who also worked on North Korean issues during the Clinton administration. 'And it's happened while we were deposing Saddam Hussein for fear he might get that same capability by the end of the decade.'"
Israel Committing 'War Crimes' in Gaza, Charges Amnesty International: "'In most cases examined by Amnesty International, the extensive destruction of Palestinian homes and properties repeatedly carried out by the Israeli army was not justifiable on grounds of absolute military necessity,' it said. 'Such wanton destruction is unlawful and constitutes a war crime.'
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War states that 'collective penalties are prohibited Reprisals against protected persons and their properties are prohibited.'
Article 53 states that 'any destruction by the Occupying Poweris prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.' "
States of War: Appeasing the Armed Forces Has Become a Political Necessity for the American President: "when you add together the $368bn for routine spending, the $19bn assigned to the department of energy for new nuclear weapons, the $79bn already passed by Congress to fund the war in Iraq and the $87bn that Bush has just requested to sustain it, you find that the US federal government is now spending as much on war as it is on education, public health, housing, employment, pensions, food aid and welfare put together. "
US elections controled by a few large - and pro-Republican - corporations: "Something very odd happened in the mid-term elections in Georgia last November. On the eve of the vote, opinion polls showed Roy Barnes, the incumbent Democratic governor, leading by between nine and 11 points. In a somewhat closer, keenly watched Senate race, polls indicated that Max Cleland, the popular Democrat up for re-election, was ahead by two to five points against his Republican challenger, Saxby Chambliss.
Those figures were more or less what political experts would have expected in state with a long tradition of electing Democrats to statewide office. But then the results came in, and all of Georgia appeared to have been turned upside down. Barnes lost the governorship to the Republican, Sonny Perdue, 46 per cent to 51 per cent, a swing of as much as 16 percentage points from the last opinion polls. Cleland lost to Chambliss 46 per cent to 53, a last-minute swing of 9 to 12 points.
Red-faced opinion pollsters suddenly had a lot of explaining to do and launched internal investigations. Political analysts credited the upset - part of a pattern of Republican successes around the country - to a huge campaigning push by President Bush in the final days of the race. They also said that Roy Barnes had lost because of a surge of 'angry white men' punishing him for eradicating all but a vestige of the old confederate symbol from the state flag.
But something about these explanations did not make sense, and they have made even less sense over time. When the Georgia secretary of state's office published its demographic breakdown of the election"
Touch screen voting machines less reliable than the old punchcards: "Next year's US presidential election may be compromised by newvoting machines that computer scientists believe are unreliable, poorly programmed and prone to tampering.
... The three leading voting machine manufacturers are substantial Republican campaign donors, and one of their chief executives, Walden O'Dell of Diebold, in Ohio, wrote a letter to Republican supporters saying he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the President next year"."
Don't Look Down: "a third world country with America's recent numbers - its huge budget and trade deficits, its growing reliance on short-term borrowing from the rest of the world - would definitely be on the watch list [of nations that are likely to have financial meltdowns]
... The crisis won't come immediately. For a few years, America will still be able to borrow freely, simply because lenders assume that things will somehow work out.
But at a certain point we'll have a Wile E. Coyote moment. For those not familiar with the Road Runner cartoons, Mr. Coyote had a habit of running off cliffs and taking several steps on thin air before noticing that there was nothing underneath his feet. Only then would he plunge.
What will that plunge look like? It will certainly involve a sharp fall in the dollar and a sharp rise in interest rates. In the worst-case scenario, the government's access to borrowing will be cut off, creating a cash crisis that throws the nation into chaos.
I know: it all sounds unbelievable. But would you have believed, three years ago, that the U.S. budget would plunge so quickly from a record surplus to a record deficit? And would you have believed that, confronted with that plunge, our leaders would offer excuses rather than solutions? "
Monday, October 13, 2003
Blair chaired meeting that led to unmasking of Kelly, inquiry told: "The key policy decisions which led to the unmasking of David Kelly, the Iraqi weapons expert, were taken at a Downing Street meeting chaired by Tony Blair, the top civil servant at the Ministry of Defence disclosed yesterday.
... Pressed several times by Jeremy Gompertz QC, counsel for the Kelly family, on who took the decisions, Sir Kevin replied: "The change of stance, as you put it, was as a result of the meeting chaired by the prime minister." Asked once more, he responded: "The decision was taken at the meeting in No 10."
"
Lack of Pentagon support threatens Bush's Iraq plans: "The suicide attack on a Baghdad hotel Sunday, which killed six Iraqis, is the latest example of the growing violence and floundering reconstruction efforts that argue for President Bush's shake-up of his Iraq team. The Pentagon, which has been calling the shots, now will report to a group headed by national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. "
Yahoo! News - Army probes soldier suicides: "Alarmed by the number of suicides among soldiers in Iraq (news - web sites), the Army has asked a team of doctors to determine whether the stress of combat and long deployments is contributing to the deaths.
... "Is there something different going on in Iraq that we really need to pay attention to?" "
The Wrong Side of 'Us vs. Them', by Coleen Rowley: "The intimidation in this country that's been whipped up by this official fear and warmongering has been far more effective than any Patriot Act in whittling away our civil liberties."
Ms. Rowley, I am so glad you have the courage to speak up. To me you are a great American and you give me hope for the future. Thank you.
washingtonpost.com - Live Online: "my son and his fellow paratroopers, in convoys armed with light cannon, heavy machine guns and automatic grenade launchers -- scared for good reason and with their fingers on the trigger. Or, out and about on patrol, searching dangerous neighborhoods for suspected terrorists at 3 a.m., seeing the world through night goggles with M16's at the ready -- Ambassadors of American Values.
I think they will shoot first and ask questions later. Would you want them to act otherwise? What do you think we will gain in the long run from this sort of engagement? The friendship of the Iraqi people or more recruits for al Qaeda? I think we need to disengage ASAP. "
Sunday, October 12, 2003
Israel deploys nuclear arms in submarines: "Israeli and American officials have admitted collaborating to deploy US-supplied Harpoon cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads in Israel's fleet of Dolphin-class submarines, giving the Middle East's only nuclear power the ability to strike at any of its Arab neighbours.
... the sentiment is almost identical to that of the US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control, John Bolton, who told British journalists last week that America was not interested in taking Israel to task for its continuing development of nuclear weapons because it was not a 'threat' to the United States."
This is clearly a mistaken strategy: if we want peace and stability in the middle east, why are we allowing the Israeli's to have nuclear weapons, and then making it easier for them to target other countries? This is nuts.
Unclear Danger: Inside the Lackawanna Terror Case: "'We were looking to prevent something,' he said. 'And we did. Obviously nothing happened. So we all did our job.' "
This is really curious to me. The war on terrorism, from this perspective, is judged to be a success when no terrorist acts are carried out. But nothing happening doesn't prove anything was accomplished. And it makes it difficult to evaluate if the controversial actions taken in furthering the government's policies are worthwhile.
The other point is that "no results" is a double standard. Because when terrorist acts do take place, they are simply used to justify the war on terror. As in Iraq. There was no threat to the US from Iraq, before we invaded. Now terrorists are attacking our soldiers daily, killing several every week. If "no results" was the standard for measuring success, we'd know that terrorist attacks in Iraq point to the failure of Bush's invasion / war on terror. But, this is not so according to George Bush.
To the contrary, in George's world, now that we have terrorist attacks on US soldiers, we have evidence that the invasion of Iraq is part of the war on terror. And a reason for continuing Bush's policy there--whatever the hell that is. (He seems to change the purpose of being there every few weeks or so.)
This circular reasoning keeps us trapped in a perpetual war, fed by the kind of fears that Dick Cheney promoted this week. (Terrorists seeking ways to kill hundreds of thousand of Americans.) Such thinking is a danger in itself. It means in the ultimate analysis of this administration, that Bush can kill anyone, even American citizens, if he thinks they are terrorists. No proof needed. No justification except it's what "needs to be done." (See the story below.) Just his authorization and hey presto, a Predator somewhere in the world kills whomever he wants.
Sorry, to anyone who feels that George Bush has the right to kill anyone he thinks is a terrorist, but to me this is illegal.
There is nothing that I have ever heard of that gives the chief executive of this nation the power to kill anyone, without the most serious checks and balances. But that is what is happening now. Without accountability. And without accountability, we have a dictatorship, not a democracy.
Thus the war on terror becomes the end of the American Republic, the end of the American Revolution--the end of something that had so much promise and beauty, corrupted in part by the richest administration in history. Ironically, they claim to love America as they systematically destroy it.
The greatest damage that can happen to "America" is that we stop defending it. America is not the land we live upon. That has been here for millions of years.
America is a set of ideas, laws and beliefs that have been evolving for a few hundred years or so. Most importantly, it is about rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
But our government's response to 9-11 has been to restrict freedom, end life and instill fear. That is why I am so dismayed by this war on terror. Because it displays such ignorance of what "America" is. They talk about Homeland Security but they have mistaken "America" for the right to do business and own things rather than a foundation for equality and justice free from tyranny; mistaken "We the People", for saps to manipulate through clever political campaigns rather than the source of political power; mistaken God for the power of self interest, rather than the love that unifies all.
What is America really? Answering that question is really the greatest challenge of 9-11. The person who gives the most American answer is the true patriot.
Mr. Bush's answer is an old one; corporate and military might. I personally like Howard Dean's answer. America is you, the people, and you have the answers. You have the power.
That is leadership. And that is so American, Dean deserves to be the next American President. Because he articulates the truth about who we are. And tells the truth about those who claim leadership now, but who have proven to be intimidating masters interested in subservience of the people rather than empowering service to the people.
May God truly bless America, and all people on the planet, and the planet that supports our life. Only with divine grace will this whole complex mess be resolved.
Bush claims right to kill American citizens: "American officials said the president had the power to order a strike on Al Qaeda operatives overseas, including American citizens.
In a recent interview, Mr. Ridge said Mr. Derwish's death had been discussed within the administration. 'If that's what you have to do under these circumstances of 9/11 to protect America,' he said, 'that's what we have to do.' "
Doesn't anyone else think that this is abhorent?
Red Cross Criticizes US for Guantanamo Bay Detentions: "'The idea that American executive branch personnel, particularly military personnel, can detain people beyond the reach of habeas corpus is just repugnant to the rule of law,' said John Gibbons, former chief judge of the federal appeals court in Philadelphia."
4 Senators Criticize Leak Probe (washingtonpost.com): "procedures adopted by the Justice Department and White House could compromise an investigation into the leak of an undercover CIA operative's identity. "
Probe Focuses on Month Before Leak to Reporters (washingtonpost.com): "Wilson said he attempted to increase pressure on the White House the day after the June 12 article was published by calling some present and former senior administration officials who know national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. He wanted them to tell Rice that she was wrong in her comment on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on June 8 that there may be some intelligence 'in the bowels of the agency,' but that no one around her had any doubts about the uranium story.
Wilson said those officials told him Rice was not interested and he should publish his story in his own name if he wanted to attract attention. "
A Further Look At The Criminal ChargesThat May Arise From the Plame Scandal, In Which a CIA Agent's Cover Was Blown: "It is difficult to imagine that President Bush is going to say he hired anyone to call reporters to wreak more havoc on Valerie Plame. Thus, anyone who did so - or helped another to do so - was acting outside the scope of his or her employment, and may be open to a fraud prosecution.
What counts as 'fraud' under the statute? Simply put, 'any conspiracy for the purpose of impairing, obstructing, or defeating the lawful function of any department of government.' (Emphasis added.) If telephoning reporters to further destroy a CIA asset whose identity has been revealed, and whose safety is now in jeopardy, does not fit this description, I would be quite surprised."
Many Soldiers, Same Letter: Newspapers Around US Get Identical Missives from Iraq: "Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public opinion on the mission sours.
And all the letters are the same. ... Six soldiers reached by GNS directly or through their families said they agreed with the letter's thrust. But none of the soldiers said he wrote it, and one said he didn't even sign it."
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Syrian Official Says Relations With U.S. Plunge to New Low: "The American refusal to criticize a sudden Israeli air raid on Syria has helped bring relations with the United States to a new low, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Saturday, suggesting that the Bush administration was pursuing a destructive course at a time of dangerously high tension in the region. "
This ties in with another story about Sharon acting tough because he has US support. If this is a way to bring "stability" to the region, could someone please explain how? It's maddness, on top of the Iraq invasion maddness, to me.
News: "US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops.
... When a reporter from the newspaper Iraq Today attempted to take a photograph of the bulldozers at work a soldier grabbed his camera and tried to smash it. The same paper quotes Lt Col Springman, a US commander in the region, as saying: "We asked the farmers several times to stop the attacks, or to tell us who was responsible, but the farmers didn't tell us.""
Is this the progress that George Bush claims in Iraq? 'Collective punishment' is a crime in itself, and far from making our troops safer, it will stimulate more attacks on them.
Friday, October 10, 2003
Does anybody think that Iraq was better off under Saddam Hussein?: Yesterday George Bush asked that question. It's important to know: Is Iraq better off without Saddam Hussein? Are the families of the dead and wounded better off? Are the US people safer? Is the region more stable? What are the prospects of Iraq under the occupation?
The Independent reports on some of the statistics that help answer that question.
"The total of Allied soldiers killed since Saddam Hussein was deposed on 9 April is 230. The death toll includes 207 American servicemen and 20 Britons. During September, civilian deaths by gunfire in Baghdad totalled 518. Under Saddam, deaths from gun violence in Baghdad averaged 6 per month. According to the central morgue in Baghdad, violent deaths reached 872 in August. The highest monthly toll in the previous year was 237 deaths, with just 21 from gunfire.
Oil & Fuel
Only 300 petrol outlets for Iraq's 25 million people. Officially cheap and available but most rely on the black market. Refineries producing only 1.25m barrels of crude a day, compared with 2.4m barrels a month before the war. Estimated cost of restoring oil production to the pre-1991 level of 3.5m barrels per day is $6.6bn. Iraq is exporting 70,000 barrels per day compared with 1.8m per day before the war.
Food
Three out of five Iraqis depend on food aid. Before the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the imposition of UN sanctions, Iraq was one of the best fed countries in the Middle East. Then, it imported two thirds of its needs.
Water
Safe drinking water is now available to 60% of the population, compared with 85% before the war. The amount proposed by the Coalition Provisional Authority to spend on a new water system is $2.8bn to give 90% of the population a supply of safe drinking water.
Education
Iraq has 15,000 schools and 1.5m secondary school pupils. The United States says 7,000 schools needed repair before the war. So far, 175 have been repaired.
Media
The number of newspapers and magazines being published since Saddam's fall is 189. This compares with 39 under Saddam, all of which were tightly controlled and censored.
Reconstruction
The total cost of rebuilding Iraq is estimated at $100bn"
Hard Sell on Iraq: "'Americans must not forget the lessons of Sept. 11,' said Mr. Bush, in a reprise of his administration's compulsion to somehow link Iraq to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 'A stable and democratic and hopeful Iraq will no longer be a breeding ground for terror, tyranny and aggression.'
The timing of the president's comments was unfortunate. Even as he was speaking, reports were coming in about a series of tragic occurrences. A pair of suicide bombers killed eight Iraqis and themselves in an attack at a police station in Baghdad. An American soldier was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his convoy in an area northeast of Baghdad. And an intelligence agent assigned to the Spanish Embassy in Baghdad was chased from his home wearing just his undershorts before being shot to death in cold blood in the street.
Despite the carnage, the American administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, did his best for the public relations initiative. He is optimistic, he said. Things are going better than anyone could have predicted, he said.
Selling a misguided war is a lot like selling cigarettes. You can never tell the tragic truth about your product. "
Thursday, October 09, 2003
Lessons in Civility: "this administration has used deceptive accounting to ram through repeated long-run tax cuts in the face of mounting deficits. And it continues to push for more tax cuts, when even the most sober observers now talk starkly about the risk to our solvency. It's impolite to say that George W. Bush is the most fiscally irresponsible president in American history, but it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise."
Pentagon, State Department and White House argued about intelligence on Iraq before the war: "Frontline correspondent Martin Smith. He produced the new documentary Truth, War and Consequences (on most PBS stations Thursday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m.) It's about the infighting between the Pentagon, State Department and White House, before the Iraq war, over the intelligence information about weapons of mass destruction. "
Novak Leak Column Has Familiar Sound (washingtonpost.com): "Despite three tax cuts in as many years, only 19 percent said Bush's policies made their taxes go down. Forty-seven percent noticed no effect, while 29 percent perceived that their taxes have gone up." CBS News/New York Times poll.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Iraq: It Was Never About Sept. 11: "The world was with the United States two years ago; indeed, it was eager to help. Since then, that unity has crumbled to dust, not least because of the go-it-alone arrogance the Bush administration demonstrated from the outset. But by far the largest fracture occurred because of the administration's efforts to portray the preemptive attack it wanted to mount against Iraq as part of the post-Sept. 11 war on terror.
... the American people were sold a bill of goods by a small cadre of PNAC ideologues, bent on attacking Iraq, who latched onto the opportunity provided by Osama bin Laden and his crew of suicidal, airplane-hijacking terrorists. The price? Scores of billions of dollars, hundreds of young American lives, the standing of the United States in the world, plus the credibility of President Bush and his neocon cronies."
The Spy Next Door (washingtonpost.com): "The outing [of Valerie Plame, wife of Joseph Wilson, as a CIA spy by the White House] has sparked a furor in the intelligence community, with some saying they feel betrayed by their government.
'We feel like the peasants with torches and pitchforks,' said Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst who was in Plame's officer training class in 1985-86. 'The robber barons aren't going to be allowed to get away with this.' "
Impotence of power: "Outsiders see Israel's raid on Syria as aggression. To Israelis, it was the act of a nation driven half-mad with grief "
This point of view is well worth reading. However, I disagree with some of the points made.
The way I see it, the Israeli's prefer to attack the Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese rather than negotiate a settlement, because they don't want to confront Isreali extremists and settlers. They would rather kill arabs than jews is what it comes down to.
If they want to live in peace with the arabs they are going to have to confront their urge to take arab lands. That might mean a civil war in Israel, and naturally they would like to avoid that. So they just try harder to suppress the arabs. But it's not working. They just create more suicide bombers, and escalate their own insecurity. This cycle will have to break. And the honest way to do that is to address the Israeli settlements and occupation, within Israeli society.
Bush's pro Israeli policy will never create peace, because it treats the Palestinians as the problem. That is bass ackwards. The Palestinians are the sacrificial lambs for Israeli governments who avoid dealing with the true causes of their insecurity--the aspirations of some Isreali's to take other people's lands by force and subterfuge.
Why is Rumsfeld still US defence secretary?: "The Pentagon has long been a notoriously badly run agency. It cannot even lock people up in Guantanamo Bay without making a mess of it. It wastes taxpayers' dollars on an epic scale. It buys pork-barrel weapons systems nobody needs; it often simply cannot account for its spending; it hands out jobs-for-the-boys to people like Iran-Contra's John Poindexter. Now it emerges that it has been blithely selling surplus biological weapons equipment on the internet. Why anybody ever imagined that the Pentagon, of all organisations, was competent to manage Iraq is a great mystery of our time. Why Mr Rumsfeld is still US defence secretary is an even bigger one. "
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
An Overstretched Army in Iraq: "America now spends some $400 billion a year on defense, more than all other major military powers combined. The best answer to the strains being felt by the Army is not to extend combat tours, cannibalize forces from other missions or undertake vast new spending. A wiser course would be to return to the sound practice of a half-century and treat war only as a last resort, to be undertaken with as wide a coalition of allies as possible. Doing it Mr. Bush's way unnecessarily risks undermining the fighting strength of even the world's strongest military power."
Monday, October 06, 2003
Why Tony went to war: "I do now understand why Tony Blair took his decision [to go to war in iraq]. By his own account he took it for no good reason at all - other than the vacuous, incoherent ramblings of a demagogue."
Revelation casts doubt on Iraq find: "The test tube of botulinum presented by Washington and London as evidence that Saddam Hussein had been developing and concealing weapons of mass destruction, was found in an Iraqi scientist's home refrigerator, where it had been sitting for 10 years, it emerged yesterday. "
News: "Senior Pentagon officials ignored bleak in-house assessments of the state of Iraq's oil industry when they gave optimistic predictions to Congress during the war that oil revenue would quickly get the country back on its feet.
... Addressing Congress in April, the deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, insisted that 'we are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon'. Shortly afterwards, he estimated that Iraq's oil revenues could quickly climb to more than $30bn (�18bn) a year, despite warnings from United Nations and international oil industry specialists who visited Iraq that its oil installations had been damaged by a decade of sanctions and neglect."
A Bush-Rove-Schwarzenegger Nazi Connection and a plan for the Destabilization of California?: "George W. Bush's grandfather helped finance the Nazi Party. Karl Rove's grandfather allegedly helped run the Nazi Party, and helped build the Birkenau Death Camp. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Austrian father volunteered for the infamous Nazi SA and became a ranking officer.
Together, they have destabilized California and are on the brink of bringing it a new Reich. With the Schwarzenegger candidacy they have laid siege to America's largest state, lining it up for the 2004 election.
... [Karl] Rove's grandfather was Karl Heinz Roverer, the Gauleiter of Oldenburg. Roverer was Reich-Statthalter---Nazi State Party Chairman---for his region. He was also a partner and senior engineer in the Roverer Sud-Deutche Ingenieurburo A. G. engineering firm, which built the Birkenau death camp, at which tens of thousands of Jews, Gypsies, dissidents and other were slaughtered en masse.
"
Israel's Attack is a Lethal Step Towards War in Middle East: "Syria itself has seen what has happened to America's army in Iraq, and is emboldened by its humiliation to avenge the attacks of Israel or America, whatever the cost.
If America cannot control Iraq, why should Syria fear Israel?"
Bush: Israel Must Not Feel Constrained in Defense: "Bush said, 'I made it very clear to the prime minister, like I have consistently done, that Israel's got a right to defend herself, that Israel must not feel constrained in terms of defending the homeland.' "
This is incredible. Does Bush share the Middle East agenda of the fundementalist Christians who support Israel's policies because they are provoking the biblical conflagration that they believe the Bible predicts? Is our federal government actually intending to provoke an all out war in the middle east?
Sunday, October 05, 2003
Ex-Minister Says Blair Knew Iraq Had No Banned Arms: "the real reason he went to war was that he found it easier to resist the public opinion of Britain than the request of the president of the United States.'"
Blair knew Iraq claim false: Cook: "Former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has claimed that Tony Blair knew Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction ready for use within 45 minutes.
Mr Cook, who resigned his cabinet post in protest over the war on Iraq, said the Prime Minister privately admitted that Saddam Hussein had no weapons posing a 'real and present danger'. "
Saturday, October 04, 2003
The Observer | Special reports | Bush under fire: "A spotlight has been turned on the murky goings-on at the heart of the White House political operation and it has revealed a history of dirty tricks and webs of political patronage that could compromise the investigation. It could not have come at a worse time.
Bush was already in trouble. The daily killing of GIs in Iraq has sapped support for the war. Bush's poll figures are starting to sink alarmingly. Last week's CIA update on the hunt for weapons of mass destruction drew a blank."
Friday, October 03, 2003
The Ashcroft-Rove Connection - The Ties That Blind: "Attorney General John Ashcroft is refusing to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate who in the administration leaked the name of a CIA operative to journalists. This despite the fact that Ashcroft has long-standing ties to one of the main suspects: President Bush's top political advisor Karl Rove.
'I think it's very difficult on its surface for John Ashcroft to be taken seriously as an investigator,' said James Moore, author of 'Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential', in an interview with Democracy Now!. 'In this case, there is a close relationship between someone who is a high profile suspect and the individual who is leading the investigation of him. And it immediately goes to the question of credibility and validity of that particular investigation.'
... Not only did Rove work for Ashcroft in the 80s, but he was one of the main forces behind Ashcroft's controversial appointment to the job he currently holds, attorney general. Rove lobbied intensely for his former employer's nomination after Ashcroft lost his senate seat to a dead man, the late Mel Carnahan."
Thursday, October 02, 2003
'Slime and Defend': "Unlike the self-described patriots now running America, Mr. Wilson has taken personal risks for the sake of his country. In the months before the first gulf war, he stayed on in Baghdad, helping to rescue hundreds of Americans who might otherwise have been held as hostages. The first President Bush lauded him as a 'truly inspiring diplomat' who exhibited 'courageous leadership.'
In any case, Mr. Wilson's views and character are irrelevant. Someone high in the administration committed a felony and, in the view of the elder Mr. Bush, treason. End of story."
'There are no shining weapons': "several weapons experts contacted yesterday argued that while the ISG, like the UN inspectors before them, appear to have uncovered discrepancies, its overall findings appeared to confirm that Iraq did not have an arsenal of banned weapons at the time of the March invasion.
Ministry of Defence sources said: 'There are no shining weapons."
Yahoo! News - General: 3-6 GIs Die Each Week in Iraq: "Each week in Iraq (news - web sites), an average of three to six Americans are dying and another 40 wounded by a foe that has become more lethal and sophisticated since the fall of Baghdad in April, the commander of coalition forces said Thursday.
U.S. soldiers are facing 15-20 attacks a day, including roadside bombs, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said. Seven to 10 attacks a day involve small groups of fighters.
"The enemy has evolved — a little bit more lethal, a little more complex, a little more sophisticated, and in some cases, a little bit more tenacious," Sanchez said.
Since May 1, when President Bush (news - web sites) declared the end of major combat operations, 90 American soldiers have been killed by hostile fire in a low-level, guerrilla-style insurgency. A total of 314 Americans have died since the war began March 20, according to the Pentagon
"
US panel shocked at Muslim hostility: "Hostility towards the US has reached 'shocking levels' among Arabs and Muslims around the world and left the country 'vulnerable to lethal threats'
... The panel recognised that the problems were most likely rooted in US foreign policy "
Pressure grows on White House over CIA disclosure: "The New York Times reported that Karl Rove, the president's top political advisor, worked on at least two past political campaigns for the attorney general, John Ashcroft. It raises a possible conflict of interest for Mr Ashcroft, whose justice department is charged - along with the FBI - with finding out who was responsible for breaking the agent's cover. "
North Korea Making A-Bombs: "North Korea said today that it had completed reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods and is using the plutonium to make atomic bombs. "
Now this is a security problem! And a major failure of the Bush administration's foreign policy.
Outside Probe of Leaks Is Required: "Justice Department regulations may make it difficult for Attorney General John D. Ashcroft to leave the matter to his career staff, as he has proposed, particularly if journalists who received the leaks are to be questioned. The regulations state that 'no subpoena may be issued to any member of the news media without the express authorization of the Attorney General.' "
"Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe a special prosecutor should be named to investigate allegations that Bush administration officials illegally leaked the name of an undercover CIA agent, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released yesterday.
The survey found that 81 percent of Americans considered the matter serious, while 72 percent thought it likely that someone in the White House leaked the agent's name."
Can't They Just Admit It? (washingtonpost.com): "why is it so difficult for the Bush administration to candidly acknowledge and discuss what Americans are not unnerved to learn -- that much prewar intelligence about weapons of mass destruction was wrong?
'My colleagues,' said Secretary of State Colin Powell as he began -- with CIA Director George Tenet seated behind him -- his Feb. 5 exposition to the U.N. Security Council of U.S. evidence of Iraqi WMDs, 'every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources.' But asked last Sunday on 'This Week' whether, 172 days after the fall of Baghdad, the failure to find WMDs had caused him to reconsider what counts as 'solid intelligence,' Powell said: 'No.'
...unless the public is convinced that the government is learning from this war -- learning how to know what it does not know -- the war may have made the public less persuadable and the nation perhaps less safe... they want the government to have the confidence -- in itself, and the public -- to say, as John Book did, that it was wrong. "
Even George Will is on Bush's case! Maybe the American people are finally waking up to this administration.
Judge Won't Allow Manuever to Drop Terror Charges: "A federal judge on Thursday barred the government from seeking the death penalty for terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, inflicting a major defeat on the government for refusing to let the defendant question three al-Qaida prisoners.
... Brinkema concluded that Moussaoui's constitutional right to potentially favorable witnesses took precedence over the government's need to protect classified information that could be revealed in testimony by the captives."
Cheers for Brinkema! Sounds like there are still some "Old Americans" out there who believe in the "old system" of US justice--the one that respects the rights of the accused to a fair trial.
White House "Slime and Defend" In C.I.A. Leak Inquiry: "The White House encouraged Republicans to portray the former diplomat at the center of the case, Joseph C. Wilson IV, as a partisan Democrat with an agenda and the Democratic Party as scandalmongering. At the same time, the administration and the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill worked to ensure that no Republicans in Congress break ranks and call for an independent inquiry outside the direct control of the Justice Department.
'It's slime and defend,' said one Republican aide on Capitol Hill, describing the White House's effort to raise questions about Mr. Wilson's motivations and its simultaneous effort to shore up support in the Republican ranks."
What a disreputable lot we have in the White House. And read on to this part of the story:
""Joe Wilson is not an apolitical person himself," said Ed Gillespie, the chairman of the Republican National Committee. "He's someone who feels passionately about politics, is a supporter of John Kerry's campaign, a maxed-out contributor, and wants to endorse him given the opportunity. He has spoken to a Win Without War rally, one of the most radical anti-Bush groups out there."
Well, what do you make of that? Win Without War--full of those radical mainstream members of Mr. Bush's own church, veterans for peace, non-violent buddhists, unitarians and ex-congressmen. They are really a danger to the country aren't they Mr. Gillespie? Talk about slime!
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Passions and Interests: "I know a vast majority of Israelis want a decent, normal society, but their ideologically driven leaders are lost in space, squandering their people's great strength rather than channeling it into creative options. And the Bush team, which should be acting as a reality check, has fallen so deep into the pocket of Ariel Sharon you can't even find it anymore. "
Two U.S. Soldiers Are Killed in Iraq; One of Them Is a Woman: "Two American soldiers, one of them a woman, died in separate incidents Wednesday"
The killing of US troops in Iraq has got to stop. It is not going to stop with current US policy. We have to change that policy, get a legitimate authority in there, get our troops out and back home, and UN forces in until an Iraqi security structure is in place. The current policy is just creating targets for terrorists.
Iraq costs likely to rise to $200bn"In the middle of August, Mr Bremer gave the impression that production stood at about 1.5 million barrels a day. But the real figure at that time was 780,000 barrels and rarely does production reach a million. In the words of an oil analyst visiting Iraq, this is "an inexcusable catastrophe".
... the Bush overall budget of $87bn which now horrifies Congress is likely to rise towards a figure of $200bn.
... US oil deposits are increasingly depleted and by 2025, its oil imports will account for perhaps 70 per cent of total domestic demand. It needs to control the world's reserves... and it now has control of perhaps 25 per cent of world reserves. But it can't make the oil flow. The cost of making it flow could produce an economic crisis in the US."
'The power to change this country is in your hands: The Pitch That Works for Dean: "Time will tell whether the special interests and the Bush administration have underestimated me. But I know in my heart that they have underestimated you."
