Reflections on the "New American" Revolution
Monday, December 29, 2003
US Economic Boom Benefits Small, Affluent Minority: "the economic recovery is an exclusive party, and most people weren't invited.
... Commerce Department figures reveal a startling disconnect between overall economic growth, which has been impressive since last spring, and the incomes of a great majority of Americans. In the third quarter of 2003, as everyone knows, real G.D.P. rose at an annual rate of 8.2 percent. But wage and salary income, adjusted for inflation, rose at an annual rate of only 0.8 percent. More recent data don't change the picture: in the six months that ended in November, income from wages rose only 0.65 percent after inflation.
... thanks to a weak labor market, employers have felt no pressure to share productivity gains. Calculations by the Economic Policy Institute show real wages for most workers flat or falling even as the economy expands.
... a recovery that boosts profits but not wages delivers the bulk of its benefits to a small, affluent minority. (According to the most recent estimate, only 8 percent of corporate taxes were paid by the poorest 60 percent of families, while 67 percent were paid by the richest 5 percent, and 49 percent by the richest 1 percent.)"
Saddam could embarrass the West: In 1983 the US knew Saddam had used Chemical Weapons. The Reagan administration chose to pursue better relations with him anyway. Rumsfeld travelled to Baghdad and met Saddam. Minutes of that meeting read: "Mr Rumsfeld was concerned about Iran and that this was the motive for the American approach... 'Rumsfeld told Saddam that the US and Iraq shared interests in preventing Iranian and Syrian expansion.'
... The report also sums up Saddam Hussein's reaction: 'Saddam Hussein showed obvious pleasure with the President's letter and Rumsfeld's visit.'
There is no mention of Mr Rumsfeld having raised the issue of chemical weapons with Saddam Hussein, though he said he did in an interview with CNN in 2002.
... Diplomatic relations between the US and Iraq were restored in 1984. "
Blair WMD claim a 'red herring', says Bremer: "Conservatives said Mr Blair's assertion, made to British troops in mid-December, that there was 'massive evidence of a huge system of clandestine laboratories' was a piece of 'sexed-up information' uttered 'to save his skin'.
The renewed attacks came after Paul Bremer, the head of the coalition provisional authority in Baghdad, dismissed Mr Blair's claim as a 'red herring'. "
How Three Threats Interlock: "Three minority extremist groups - the militant fundamentalist Islamists exemplified at the far edge by Al Qaeda, certain activist elements among America's reborn Christians and neoconservatives, and the most inflexible hard-line Zionists from Israel - have emerged as dangerously destabilizing actors in world politics. Working perversely to reinforce each other's ideological excesses, they have managed to drown out mainstream voices from all sides. Each has the aim of changing the world according to its own individual vision. "
The threat facing "us" ordinary people these days is not just the danger of a terror attack, it is polarisation that leads to extremism. And it is not just Al Qaeda which is polarising "us".
Our own government's policies are pushing us further and further apart. Where once we valued freedom of speech and dissent as part of our democracy, the Bush administration glories in its extreme measures to fight the "war on terror", without realizing that they are feeding into the spiral of extremism that Al Qaeda is actually trying to provoke. In this way, our own government is colluding with Al Qaeda in an escalating dance of extremism, each deliberately instilling fear into "us" to separate us, and thereby provide support for their escalating violence.
This is paradoxical, I know, but we need to wake up and realize it now, before we spiral out of control into any more violence.
Do I expect the US population to accept this? No. They don't get enough insight and information to wake up from the trance they are in. But there are enough of us who see the truth to make the difference. And there is an election coming along. And there is the power of truth and humanity.
Bush is powerful, and extremist. But he is not all powerful. And his excesses are too many to escape from. He is weaving a net of his own deceptions. It is hard to see if it will be a lie or a corrupt connection that will bring his house down, but I believe that his house will come down. After all, its foundation is rotted with corruption.
How long will the truth be distorted and hidden before it comes back to haunt the Bush people? Think Keen Commission into 9/11. Think Hutton inquiry in Britain, which could bring down Blair. Think investigation into naming of CIA operative by White House officials, to punish agent's husband who was critical of White House. Think Howard Dean. Think independent media, bloggers, brave citizens who demand truth, independent courts who will assure people get access to lawyers when they are imprisoned, and UK media like www.guadian.co.uk. Think of your God and pray. This too shall pass.
Mesopotamia. Babylon. The Tigris and Euphrates: "Bush's tactless imprudence and his brazen belief that he can run the world with his riot squad, has ... achieved what writers, activists and scholars have striven to achieve for decades. He has exposed the ducts. He has placed on full public view the working parts, the nuts and bolts of the apocalyptic apparatus of the American empire. "
Friday, December 26, 2003
Last Meals? How Corporate Power Taints Safety Rules: "'[P]roducing safe food is not impossibly difficult,' writes Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University, in 'Safe Food, ' the companion to her critically praised 'Food Politics.' But if it's so easy, then why are 76 million of us getting sick, 325,000 becoming hospitalized and 5,000 dying every year from unsafe food? Nestle's answer is, in large part, that corporate influence has subverted democracy. "
Eight US soldiers killed in Iraq Christmas violence: "Eight US soldiers have been killed across Iraq over the Christmas period, as a series of attacks battered the capital."
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Expert Warned That Mad Cow Was Imminent: "Ever since he identified the bizarre brain-destroying proteins that cause mad cow disease, Dr. Stanley Prusiner, a neurologist at the University of California at San Francisco, has worried about whether the meat supply in America is safe.
He spoke over the years of the need to increase testing and safety measures. Then in May, a case of mad cow disease appeared in Canada, and he quickly sought a meeting with Ann M. Veneman, the secretary of agriculture. He was rebuffed, he said in an interview yesterday, until he ran into Karl Rove, senior adviser to President Bush.
So six weeks ago, Dr. Prusiner, who won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on prions, entered Ms. Veneman's office with a message. 'I went to tell her that what happened in Canada was going to happen in the United States,' Dr. Prusiner said. 'I told her it was just a matter of time.'
The department had been willfully blind to the threat, he said. The only reason mad cow disease had not been found here, he said, is that the department's animal inspection agency was testing too few animals. Once more cows are tested, he added, 'we'll be able to understand the magnitude of our problem.' "
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
White House Faulted on Uranium Claim (washingtonpost.com): "The President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board has concluded that the White House made a questionable claim in January's State of the Union address about Saddam Hussein's efforts to obtain nuclear materials because of its desperation to show that Hussein had an active program to develop nuclear weapons, according to a well-placed source familiar with the board's findings.
... the board believes the White House was so anxious "to grab onto something affirmative" about Hussein's nuclear ambitions that it disregarded warnings from the intelligence community that the claim was questionable. "
Bush, the corporations' flag-carrier: "The whole point of the Enron affair is that it discredits the rules of the game. It exposes the institutionalised corruption at the heart of US politics - a casual exchange of money and power that Bush has made his trademark.
The seamy subject of campaign finance briefly captured the attention of the US electorate in the early months of the Bush presidency when it was apparent that big campaign contributors were being paid back one presidential decree at a time. "
In the midst of all the noise over Iraq, let's not forget the core issue of this presidency: legitimacy. The Bush administration took power with less votes than Gore, and embarked on a radical agenda which it pushed through by undermining the separation of powers--ramming it down Congress's throat basically.
How did this happen? Through corporate influence. Bush has repaid his backers in the most blatant ways. From Halliburton profiteering in Iraq, to Enron choosing who would regulate it, to midwestern power generators being protected from suits over thier pollution by new EPA rules--the administration has favored its supporters shamelessly.
Now Bush has raised over $100 Million from these same interests--for his primary election. Interesting that he has no opponent for the primary! So what are people contributing to? They are investing in access. They are pretty sure that their "campaign contribution" will bring a heady rate of return later.
This shows what is driving this administration. It is not about creating democracy in Iraq. It is not about leaving no child behind. It is about profits for supporters. It is about power for it's friends. And it's about the gutting of democracy. Creating a climate of fear, keeping public information secret, undermining our civil rights so the President can lock up anyone he likes, or kill them in secret anywhere in the world.
This upcoming election is about reclaiming the country from Bush and those who hide what he is doing, or enable him to do it.
We need to expose what is really happening. And who is doing it. That is why I support Dean. He is the only one who is really doing this.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Citizen Conrad’s Friends: "Last August, in a moment of supreme synergy, Mr. Perle, wearing his defense-insider hat, co-wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed praising the Pentagon's controversial Boeing tanker deal. He didn't disclose Boeing's $2.5 million investment in Trireme.
Sure enough, Hollinger also invested $2.5 million in Trireme, which is advised by Lord Black. In addition, Mr. Perle was paid more than $300,000 a year and received $2 million in bonuses as head of a Hollinger subsidiary. It's good to have friends.
The real surprise, though, is that two prominent journalists, William Buckley and George Will, were also regular paid advisors to Hollinger. Now, I thought there were rules here. First, if you're a full-time journalist, you shouldn't be in that kind of relationship. Second, whoever you are, if you write a favorable article about someone with whom you have a personal or financial connection — like Mr. Perle's piece on the tanker deal or Mr. Will's March column praising Lord Black's wisdom — you disclose that connection. But I guess the old rules no longer apply."
'Blood Money': Families Sue U.S., Reject 9/11 'Bribe': "as many as 73 families see the process of U.S. government compensation as an attempt to protect those who should be held accountable for what they believe was mass murder.
They ignored a midnight deadline last night, their last chance to apply for government cash.
And today, they begin a new stage in an arduous odyssey and will sue their government, airlines and state and local authorities."
Tom DeLay scoffs at campaign finance laws: "Rep. DeLay established "Celebrations for Children" (CfC) as a non-profit 501c(3) charitable organization to benefit disadvantaged children. CfC is reportedly soliciting donations of up to $500,000 and promising contributors access to and time with Rep. DeLay at the convention in return. "
Documents: Rumsfeld Made Iraq Overture in '84 Despite Chemical Raids: "In a March 24 briefing document, Mr. Rumsfeld was asked to present America's bottom line. At first, the memo recapitulated Mr. Shultz's message to Mr. Kittani, saying it 'clarified that our CW [chemical weapons] condemnation was made strictly out of our strong opposition to the use of lethal and incapacitating CW, wherever it occurs.' The American officials had 'emphasized that our interests in 1) preventing an Iranian victory and 2) continuing to improve bilateral relations with Iraq, at a pace of Iraq's choosing, remain undiminished,' it said.
Then came the instructions for Mr. Rumsfeld: 'This message bears reinforcing during your discussions.'"
Documents: Rumsfeld Made Iraq Overture in ’84 Despite Chemical Raids: "As a special envoy for the Reagan administration in 1984, Donald H. Rumsfeld, now the defense secretary, traveled to Iraq to persuade officials there that the United States was eager to improve ties with President Saddam Hussein despite his use of chemical weapons, newly declassified documents show.
Mr. Rumsfeld, who ran a pharmaceutical company at the time, was tapped by Secretary of State George P. Shultz to reinforce a message that a recent move to condemn Iraq's use of chemical weapons was strictly in principle and that America's priority was to prevent an Iranian victory in the Iran-Iraq war and to improve bilateral ties."
Saturday, December 20, 2003
A Young Afghan Dares to Mention the Unmentionable: "Why, she asked the delegates assembled here on Wednesday to ratify a new constitution for Afghanistan, were her countrymen and women tolerating the presence of the 'criminals' who had destroyed the country?
'They should be brought to national and international justice,' she said. 'If our people forgive them, history will not.' "
Why are the criminals writing the new constitution in Iraq? Because the US has done deals with them. If they give Karzai the powers that Washington wants him to have, the warlords will be able to do what they want--run the country outside Kabul.
Amazing isn't it, for a US administration that is promoting democracy, to be promoting the interests of warlords, in this case the guys who supply a huge percentage of the world's opium? No. It's just what the Bush people are doing everywhere. Find a local who execute the policies we want, pay them and let them do whatever criminal stuff they want to.
This is very dangerous -- as we saw with 9/11, our former proxies (Bin Ladin was a CIA asset during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Saddam was courted by the Reagan administration and specifically by Rumsfeld during the 80's) will come around to bite us.
General Plans Changes in Afghan Strategy: "A wave of violence this year has belied U.S. claims to have brought security to Afghanistan, two years after an American-led assault drove the Taliban from power for harboring al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden "
Friday, December 19, 2003
Poll: 96% want media conglomerates broken up: "Lou Dobbs of CNN announced the results of his online poll about media conglomerates. According to his survey, ninety-six percent of those polled said that big media conglomerates should be broken up. Only four percent were happy with them. Maybe this democratic revolution will be televised after all. "
Bush very pleased with Sharon's speech: "President George W. Bush's spokesman reacted warmly Friday to much of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's latest prescription for dealing with the Palestinians. "
Getting Saddam doesn't make Iraq war OK: "the Iraq war's critics usually focus on the practical failures of the Bush administration's policy, rather than its morality. After all, the war came at a heavy cost, even before the fighting began: to prepare for the Iraq campaign, the administration diverted resources away from Afghanistan before the job was done, giving Al Qaeda a chance to get away and the Taliban a chance to regroup.
And while the initial invasion went smoothly, since then almost everything in Iraq has gone badly. (Saddam's capture would have been a smaller story if it had happened in the first flush of victory; instead, it was the first real piece of good news from Iraq in months.) The security situation remains terrible; the economy remains moribund; gasoline shortages and power outages continue.
the ongoing disorder in Iraq is a clear and present danger to our own national security. A large part of the U.S. military's combat strength is tied down in occupation duties, leaving us ill prepared for crises elsewhere. Meanwhile, overstretch is undermining the readiness of the military as a whole."
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Guantanamo prisoner has right to see lawyer, US court rules: "The Bush administration was yesterday handed a double legal rebuke for its treatment of detainees in its war on terror, including a first-ever court ruling that foreign prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay should have access to lawyers and the American court system."
Bush will hit you if he thinks you're thinking about getting WMD: "Asked what it would take to convince him that Saddam did not have weapons of mass destruction, the president said: 'Saddam Hussein was a threat. The fact that he is gone means America is a safer country.'
'It's unbelievable to me,' David Albright, another former UN inspector and a Washington expert on nuclear arms.
'He can't possibly have meant it. Because it means we can hit you if we don't like you.
'The administration is redefining its meaning of having stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction to thinking about acquiring large stockpiles. His claims that there is no difference is disingenuous. But they're sticking with that position - that black is white.'"
Iraq weapons hunter to quit early as hopes of finding arsenal dwindle: "'This is a big blow to the administration and it will signal the effective end of the search for weapons of mass destruction,' said Joseph Cirincione, a weapons expert at the Carnegie Endowment Institute for Peace in Washington. 'Some will continue looking but very, very few expect there to be any significant finds at this point.'"
White House Memo: Remember ?Weapons of Mass Destruction?? For Bush, They Are a Nonissue: "Mr. Bush's answers to questions on the subject continued a gradual shift in the way he has addressed the topic, from the immediacy of the threat to an assertion that no matter what, the world is better off without Mr. Hussein in power.
Where once Mr. Bush and his top officials asserted unambiguously that Mr. Hussein had the weapons at the ready, their statements now are often far more couched, reflecting the fact that no weapons have been found ? 'yet,' as Mr. Bush was quick to interject during the interview."
Courts Deal Blow to Bush on Treatment of Terror Suspects: "The Ninth Circuit rejected the administration's arguments that because the 660 men being held at Guantánamo were picked up overseas on suspicion of terrorism and being held on foreign soil, they might be held indefinitely, without charges or trial.
... 'However,' Judge Reinhardt said, 'even in times of national emergency — indeed, particularly in such times — it is the obligation of the judicial branch to ensure the preservation of our constitutional values and to prevent the executive branch from running roughshod over the rights of citizens and aliens alike.' He was joined in his ruling by Judge Milton I. Shadur.
At one point, the majority decision amounted to a rebuke. 'In our view,' the decision said, 'the government's position is inconsistent with fundamental tenets of American jurisprudence and raises most serious questions under international law.'"
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Why the West once supported the tyrant: "Saddam was indeed once courted by the West, at a time when the real menace in the Middle East was seen to be the fundamentalist ayatollah regime in Iran.
The ayatollahs preached holy war against the Great Satan, the United States, and openly sponsored anti-American terrorism.
Saddam, at that time, seemed a desirable ally. He was fervently anti-Iranian in his foreign policies. In his domestic politics he was all that any Western country sought of a Middle Eastern ruler. He was a genuine secularist, dedicated to keeping Islamic clerics safely in their mosques. He encouraged the education of his population, the emancipation of women and the economic development of his country and spent his vast oil revenues to achieve such ends. He was not, at the time, obviously anti-Western."
Let's not forget that Saddam was our ally when he gassed the Iranian army and Kurds. The US government barely flinched. Our military and diplomatic support continued. To invade him for that more than a decade later raises the question: why now?
Patriots and Profits: What we are paying for in Iraq: "The story about Halliburton's strangely expensive gasoline imports into Iraq gets curiouser and curiouser. High-priced gasoline was purchased from a supplier whose name is unfamiliar to industry experts, but that appears to be run by a prominent Kuwaiti family (no doubt still grateful for the 1991 liberation). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers documents seen by The Wall Street Journal refer to 'political pressures' from Kuwait's government and the U.S. embassy in Kuwait to deal only with that firm. I wonder where that trail leads.
Meanwhile, NBC News has obtained Pentagon inspection reports of unsanitary conditions at mess halls run by Halliburton in Iraq: 'Blood all over the floors of refrigerators, dirty pans, dirty grills, dirty salad bars, rotting meat and vegetables.' An October report complains that Halliburton had promised to fix the problem but didn't.
And more detail has been emerging about Bechtel's much-touted school repairs. Again, a Pentagon report found 'horrible' work: dangerous debris left in playground areas, sloppy paint jobs and broken toilets."
Monday, December 15, 2003
Sen. Byrd Challenges 'Pre-emption': "Early this morning came news of the capture of Saddam Hussein. That is good news. Despite his fall from power many months ago, the specter of a possible return to power had cast a constant shadow over Iraq and the Iraqi people. I applaud the tenacious work of the military and intelligence communities for their success today.
But that success does not diminish the challenges that remain in Iraq, and it certainly does not tamp the passions inflamed against the United States throughout the Muslim world by our actions in Iraq. The capture of Saddam Hussein will not be the keystone for peace in that volatile region. This day's news does not lessen the danger that the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive strike poses to international peace and stability"
Op-Ed Columnist: A Deliberate Debacle: "Mr. Wolfowitz's official rationale for the contract policy is astonishingly cynical: 'Limiting competition for prime contracts will encourage the expansion of international cooperation in Iraq and in future efforts' — future efforts? — and 'should encourage the continued cooperation of coalition members.' Translation: we can bribe other nations to send troops.
[In addition,] ... many insiders see Mr. Baker's mission as part of an effort by veterans of the first Bush administration to extricate George W. Bush from the hard-liners' clutches. If the mission collapses amid acrimony over contracts, that's a good thing from the hard-liners' point of view.
"
Arrest by U.S. Soldiers — President Still Cautious: "'In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over,' President Bush said in a televised noontime address from Washington. 'A hopeful day has arrived. All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.' But Mr. Bush was careful to couch his message with caution that Iraq remains violent and dangerous. "
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Diplomacy: Bush Seeks Help of Allies Barred From Iraq Deals: "President Bush found himself in the awkward position on Wednesday of calling the leaders of France, Germany and Russia to ask them to forgive Iraq's debts, just a day after the Pentagon excluded those countries and others from $18 billion in American-financed Iraqi reconstruction projects.
... White House officials said Mr. Bush and his aides had been surprised by both the timing and the blunt wording of the Pentagon's declaration. But they said the White House had signed off on the policy, after a committee of deputies from a number of departments and the National Security Council agreed that the most lucrative contracts must be reserved for political or military supporters."
Get the irony in the title: Diplomacy!
What great diplomats the Bush people are. Tell your allies to F off, then ask them to write off Billions of dollars in debt. I don't think so.
And get the brazen corruption in the second para: "the most lucrative contracts must be reserved for political or military supporters". Well that's pretty blatant, isn't it. Our taxpayer funds must be reserved for political supporters. That's Bush's political supporters. Those are the people who are making campaign contributions. That is bribery, isn't it? That is illegal isn't it? How can they get away with this?
Yahoo! News - AP: Iraq to Stop Counting Civilian Dead: "Iraqi Health Ministry officials ordered a halt to a count of civilian casualties from the war and told workers not to release figures already compiled, the head of the ministry's statistics department told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "
Censorship and manipulation of data. Plain and simple. Followed by denial. The Bush M.O., transferred to Iraq.
High Payments to Halliburton for Fuel in Iraq: "The United States government is paying the Halliburton Company an average of $2.64 a gallon to import gasoline and other fuel to Iraq from Kuwait, more than twice what others are paying to truck in Kuwaiti fuel, government documents show.
... The price of fuel sold in Iraq, set by the government, is 5 cents to 15 cents a gallon. The price is a political issue, and has not been raised to avoid another hardship for Iraqis.
... From May to late October, Halliburton imported about 61 million gallons of fuel from Kuwait and about 179 million from Turkey, at a total cost of more than $383 million.
A company's profits on the transport and sale of gasoline are usually razor-thin, with companies losing contracts if they overbid by half a penny a gallon. Independent experts who reviewed Halliburton's percentage of its gas importation contract said the company's 26-cent charge per gallon of gas from Kuwait appeared to be extremely high.
"I have never seen anything like this in my life," said Phil Verleger, a California oil economist and the president of the consulting firm PK Verleger LLC. "That's a monopoly premium — that's the only term to describe it. Every logistical firm or oil subsidiary in the United States and Europe would salivate to have that sort of contract."
... In recent weeks, the costs of importing fuel from Kuwait have risen.
... Figures provided recently to Congressional investigators by the corps show that Halliburton was charging as much as $3.06 per gallon for fuel from Kuwait in late November.
If the corps concludes that Halliburton has successfully administered the gas contract, it could be paid an additional 5 percent of the total value of the gas it imported.
... In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Waxman responded to the latest information on to costs of the Halliburton contract. "It's inexcusable that Americans are being charged absurdly high prices to buy gasoline for Iraqis and outrageous that the White House is letting it happen," he said."
Friends, where is the patriotism in overcharging the US government?
The people behind this war are oil people. Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton. They question the patriotism of anyone who objects to their policies. But here they are lining the pockets of the shareholders of a very few companies, granted huge contracts without competition (proving their commitment to corporate welfare, while they claim to support the free market)--all at the taxpayers' expense.
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
How Dean Could Win . . . (washingtonpost.com): "Could Dean really win? Unfortunately, yes. The Democratic presidential candidate has, alas, won the popular presidential vote three times in a row -- twice, admittedly, under the guidance of the skilled Bill Clinton, but most recently with the hapless Al Gore at the helm. And demographic trends (particularly the growth in Hispanic voters) tend to favor the Democrats going into 2004.
But surely the fact that Bush is now a proven president running for reelection changes everything? Sort of. Bush is also likely to be the first president since Herbert Hoover under whom there will have been no net job creation, and the first since Lyndon Johnson whose core justification for sending U.S. soldiers to war could be widely (if unfairly) judged to have been misleading. "
The Neo-conservative front man William Kristol is trying to scare up their supporters here. But still, it's nice to see that they can recognize the end of their run.
It's going to be a major battle in 2004. The stakes are high. It's the people v's the corporations for the Presidency.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | US billionaires bankroll anti-Bush ads: "'America, under Bush, is a danger to the world. And I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is,' he said.
... recently Mr Soros has become alarmed at a rise in the influence of what he calls the neo-conservatives, whom he claims are exploiting the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US to promote an agenda of pre-emptive war.
"Bush feels that on September 11 he was anointed by God," Soros said. "Rather than defeating terrorism, he's leading the US and the world toward a vicious circle of escalating violence.""
Fueling Anger in Iraq (washingtonpost.com): "Iraq is a country starved of petroleum products. Not only is gasoline in short supply, but so too are diesel, kerosene and propane.
Over the past few weeks, lines for gasoline and other petroleum products have grown to lengths unimaginable even by the standards of the U.S. energy crisis in the 1970s. Some are miles long, forcing drivers to wait all day for a turn at the pump. Many Iraqis have taken to spending the night in their cars. Others have resorted to buying gas on the black market for 20 times the pump price.
The difficulty in obtaining a commodity that Iraqis had long taken for granted has fueled a new wave of anger and frustration with the U.S. occupation, particularly among moderate, middle-class city dwellers who find themselves unable to drive to work, drop their children off at school or go shopping in this car-dependent city. The popular discontent appears to match the fury that enveloped Baghdad when electricity service dropped to just a few hours a day over the summer.
..."If we had security, we would have fuel," said Dathar Khashab, the director of the Daura refinery in southern Baghdad.
...Life is worse now than it was during the war,' said Mazen Bayar, a retired foreman who works part time as a taxi driver. 'I spend all day in the line. There's no time to work.' "
Barracks blast injures 41 US troops: "Forty-one US troops and six Iraqi civilians were wounded in a suicide car bombing outside a barracks near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today."
Why does this concern me? Because we are stepping up a secret war against the Iraqi resistance, and they are stepping up the war against our troops. We are heading for a sharp escalation of the war. (And it is a war. The Iraqi's planned this resistance before we invaded. This is their battle plan to fight the invasion.)
The Iraqi's won't stop attacking our troops when we fence in their villages with razor wire. They won't stop when we destroy the houses of suspected terrorists. They won't stop when we assassinate suspected resistance people or kidnap their families. (Fellow Americans, this is what we are doing in Iraq under our campaign to "take the fight to the enemy"--in case you don't know what your government is doing in your name.)
Israel has been doing all this for 3 years and it hasn't stopped suicide bombing there. It makes the occupied hate the occupiers more.
Sure, it may stop someone who is planning an attack, but imagine how you would feel if someone who had invaded your country came to your town, cut off all the roads and wrapped the whole place in razor wire, said you couldn't get out unless you got one of their id cards, made you drive through the same road to get out and checked your id coming in and going out? Or how would you feel if they bulldozed the house next door, because one of the people who lived there had attacked them?
Would you feel grateful? Would you experience freedom? Would you feel safer? Would you feel more peaceful? I don't think so. Even if you were in favor of them occupying your country, this would set you against them. Because it is inhuman. And it's illegal collective punishment.
We're going seriously down the wrong path. And we are acting in the depraved manner of terrorists ourselves with plans to assasinate people (extrajudicial killings is the Israeli weasel word for these officially sanctioned murders), kidnap families, destroy homes and make concentration camps out of villages.
If you don't agree with me, perhaps you can honestly tell me: What does any of this have to do with creating democracy? And I mean, honestly. I can tell you the administration spin, and it's totally bogus.
Gore Says Dean Is Candidate to 'Take America Back': "'Howard Dean really is the only candidate who has been able to inspire at the grass-roots level all over this country the kind of passion and enthusiasm for democracy and change and transformation of America that we need,' said Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000 against Bush but lost the all-important electoral votes after a bitter recount in Florida.
"We need to remake the Democratic Party and we need to remake America to take it back on behalf of the people of this country," Gore said at a campaign fund-raiser at the National Black Theater in Harlem."
Monday, December 08, 2003
Israel trains US assassination squads in Iraq: "the secret war in Iraq is about to get much tougher, in the hope of suppressing the Ba'athist-led insurgency ahead of next November's presidential elections.
... US special forces teams are already behind the lines inside Syria attempting to kill foreign jihadists before they cross the border, and a group focused on the "neutralisation" of guerrilla leaders is being set up, according to sources familiar with the operations.
"This is basically an assassination programme. That is what is being conceptualised here. This is a hunter-killer team," said a former senior US intelligence official, who added that he feared the new tactics and enhanced cooperation with Israel would only inflame a volatile situation in the Middle East.
"It is bonkers, insane. Here we are - we're already being compared to Sharon in the Arab world, and we've just confirmed it by bringing in the Israelis and setting up assassination teams." "
How Bush Is Mortgaging the Future: "Here is an amazing -- and disturbing -- statistic: The U.S. had a budget surplus in January, 2001, of $269 billion. The current budget deficit is $390 billion, and most economists predict it will swell to at least $500 billion by next year's November election. That's a breathtaking swing of $769 billion, before taking into account the trillions in long-term debt burdens Washington is blithely passing on to future taxpayers.
Sure, a portion of the budget deficit stems from waging war in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as countering the damaging effect of an economic downturn with fiscal stimulus. Nevertheless, even vigorous growth won't bring the budget under control.
NO STRATEGY. 'Any relief [from economic growth] is fated to be temporary, as the massive obligations of Medicare, prescription benefits, and Social Security loom just over the horizon,' says Peter Bernstein, the dean of finance economists. 'Who can be complacent when we are heading into that firestorm?'
Unfortunately, the Bush Administration seems all too complacent about budget deficit's long-term impact. The reason is partly that the Administration doesn't have any economic vision beyond tax cuts. The President is already lobbying for making a number of existing, temporary, breaks permanent, which would worsen the deficit. More frightening is that it seems the President has no deeper policy strategy beyond getting reelected. "
Glaxo Chief: Our Drugs Do Not Work on Most Patients: "A senior executive with Britain's biggest drugs company has admitted that most prescription medicines do not work on most people who take them.
Allen Roses, worldwide vice-president of genetics at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), said fewer than half of the patients prescribed some of the most expensive drugs actually derived any benefit from them.
Dr Roses, an academic geneticist from Duke University in North Carolina, spoke at a recent scientific meeting in London where he cited figures on how well different classes of drugs work in real patients.
... "The vast majority of drugs - more than 90 per cent - only work in 30 or 50 per cent of the people," Dr Roses said. "I wouldn't say that most drugs don't work. I would say that most drugs work in 30 to 50 per cent of people. Drugs out there on the market work, but they don't work in everybody.""
Up Close and Personal (washingtonpost.com): "'After Sen. Richard Durbin blasted President Bush on Iraq this past summer, three reporters called to ask if he had leaked classified information and was facing pressure to quit the Intelligence Committee. The reporters, he says, told him the White House circulated both ideas.
... 'Even some Republican stalwarts contend they have felt the sting after crossing Mr. Bush politically. Conservative economic analyst Stephen Moore says he was tracked down by telephone at a dinner party and excoriated by Mr. Rove for backing Republican primary challengers to White House-backed incumbents. Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo says Mr. Rove told him 'never to darken the door of the White House again' after he told a newspaper that the administration's immigration policy could lead to another terrorist attack.' "
9/11: Was Bush warned ahead of time by the Saudis?: "Dean was asked about his comments on National Public Radio's 'The Diane Rehm Show' last week concerning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He said then: 'The most interesting theory that I've heard so far -- which is nothing more than a theory, it can't be proved -- is that he was warned ahead of time by the Saudis.'
Dean said yesterday that 'I can't imagine the president of the United States doing that,' but added that Bush needs to 'give the information' to the commission investigating the attacks. Asked why he raised the theory, Dean said: 'Because there are people who believe that. We don't know what happened in 9/11.' "
Figures show 'hype' of terror war: "'statisticians and long-time law enforcement observers at the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse based at Syracuse University, found that in the two years after the Sept. 11 attacks about 6,400 people were referred to prosecutors in connection with terrorism or terrorist offenses.
But of the 2,681 cases that had been wrapped up by the end of September 2003, some 879 were convicted of a crime and less than half of those -- 373 -- were sent to prison. Five received sentences of 20 years or more, which was actually fewer than in the two years before Sept. 11.
The figures analyzed have been repeatedly cited by administration officials to justify their contention that the government is winning the war against terror.
Our report raises serious questions,' David Burnham of TRAC told United Press International, 'When such large numbers of cases are declined, dismissed or acquitted, we have to ask: Is the government pursuing the right strategy (in the war on terror)? Are they targeting the right people?'"
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Dean Crafts Own 'Southern Strategy' (washingtonpost.com): "'In 1968, [Republican] Richard Nixon won the White House,' Dean said in remarks prepared for delivery in South Carolina. 'He did it in a shameful way: by dividing Americans against one another, stirring up racial prejudices and bringing out the worst in people. They called it the southern strategy, and the Republicans have been using it ever since.' Republicans deny they divide the nation over race.
Dean said the time has come for political leaders to move beyond divisive issues and toward harmony on issues of 'common interest' such as education and jobs. 'It's time we had a new politics in America -- a politics that refuses to pander to our lowest prejudices,' he said. "
Go Dean!
Jihad has worked - the world is now split in two: "There is a tendency in the west to play down - or ignore - the extent of Bin Laden's success. The US and UK governments regard mentioning it as disloyal or heretical. But look back on interviews by Bin Laden in the 1990s to see what he has achieved. He can tick off one of the four objectives he set himself, and, arguably, a second.
...Instead of the war on Iraq, Bush would have been better, as Blair continually advised him, to deal first with Israel-Palestine. Although the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, last week showed interest in the Geneva accord, the work of the Israeli-Palestinian peace camp, Bush has dropped any pretence of a US that acts as an independent arbitrator in the conflict. He has placed himself alongside Sharon. He has said he supports the creation of a Palestinian state, but shows no desire to use America's political and financial power over Israel to try to bring it about. The resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, however, is the only immediate way of reversing the dangerous polarisation of the world that Bin Laden seeks. ""
The great failure of the "war on terror" is that it polarizes people. Bush seemed determined to do that from the beginning, saying, "If you are not with us, you are against us."
That is exactly what the terrorists want us to do. To go to extremes, so they end up with more supporters. Our violence creates more terrorists who create more violence. It's a spiral that destroys our society and values. And that has already started in the USA; the Partiot Act is a case in point. So the war on terror is a victory for the terrorists.
The second great failure of the war on terror is that it employs military tactics. We cannot defeat them with superior fire power. That kills more civilians than terrorists, and so alienates the civil society we're supposed to be defending. Again, this strategy ends up favoring the terrorists.
That will be clear in Iraq, which was not part of the war on terror--until Bush invaded. Now it is part of the war on terror, because they want us out of there and are fighting with the means at their disposal. Guerilla warfare.
What we need is intelligence. Of course, after 9/11 we didn't even inquire about why we failed to stop 9/11 attacks from happening. That wasn't very intelligent. And in Iraq, we don't even know who is attacking our troops. Again, a dramatic and inexcusable lack of intelligence.
We'll never win against Bin Ladin without effective intelligence and intelligent policies. Stop the war on terror now and start using our intelligence. Otherwise we'll all end up dead as a result of the futile escalation of violence Bush is donating to the terrorists.
Stop polarizing policies. Stop them in Israel, especially. (See story above). Then we'll begin to know peace again.
The Dean Connection: "Although it remains to be seen how significantly the Dean campaign can affect political participation, it has clearly shifted traditional party power, at least for the moment. Last January, the campaign had $157,000 in the bank and the open disdain of major institutions of its party. In May, the Democratic Leadership Council's chairman and president described Dean as a member of the ''McGovern-Mondale wing'' of the party and publicly declared that he was detrimental to the Democratic Party. By organizing its national network of Yogis, Howards, Dykes and Disney Employees for Dean, the campaign built an alternative to institutions like the D.L.C. Dean has raised $25 million, mostly through small checks -- the average donation is $77 -- and those checks have placed Dean at the top of the Democratic fund-raising pack.
Dean's opponents have begun to mimic the trappings of his campaign. Many of the Democratic candidates now have blogs. Even President Bush has one, though comments from the public -- an essential element of Dean's blog -- are not allowed."
Dean's campaign is unique in my experience. It's not about him. It's about the people. And that is what is so American about it. He's empowering the people, in a country which is founded on the idea that the people are the government.
Support him. He's going to win. And we are going to get our country back.
Saturday, December 06, 2003
Bush and Iraq: Mass Media, Mass Ignorance: "That half or more Americans think Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attack -- perhaps the most media-covered event in our history -- stands as a horrific indictment of U.S. media today. Such levels of ignorance can't be found in other countries.
Americans who are fundamentally misinformed about 9/11 provide the bulk of those tallied in polls as supporting Bush and the Iraq war. Subtract them from polls and Bush is an unpopular president -- widely seen as having accomplished a bait and switch, redirecting U.S. anger and vengeance toward a country that did not attack us. "
U.S. Wrapping Entire Iraq Towns in Barbed Wire: "As the guerrilla war against Iraqi insurgents intensifies, American soldiers have begun wrapping entire villages in barbed wire.
In selective cases, American soldiers are demolishing buildings thought to be used by Iraqi attackers. They have begun imprisoning the relatives of suspected guerrillas, in hopes of pressing the insurgents to turn themselves in.
"In Abu Hishma, encased in a razor-wire fence after repeated attacks on American troops, Iraqi civilians line up to go in and out, filing through an American-guarded checkpoint, each carrying an identification card printed in English only.
'If you have one of these cards, you can come and go,' coaxed Lt. Col. Nathan Sassaman, the battalion commander whose men oversee the village, about 50 miles north of Baghdad. 'If you don't have one of these cards, you can't.'
... an Iraqi man named Tariq muttered in anger. 'I see no difference between us and the Palestinians,' he said. 'We didn't expect anything like this after Saddam fell.' "
Barbed wire around villages. Demolishing houses. Kidnapping people and holding them to ransom. What is going on in Iraq?
This is not any way to create freedom or democracy. This is a way to create hatred and help the terrorists recruit more bombers. What is our military thinking?
Stop this, now. For God's sake.
There They Go Again: "If the Democrats are serious about governing, they should remember the words of one of their nominees, Adlai Stevenson. After one of his typically brilliant campaign speeches, someone shouted out to Stevenson from the crowd that he had the votes of all thinking Americans.
Stevenson shouted back, saying that wasn't enough: 'I need a majority!' "
This is the thing that worries me most. To me and many who think and read the news critically, it is clear that Bush and his administration are gutting the country, on many levels, to the detriment of the mass of those who support him. Those people seem to be in a trance, and Bush seems to be skilled at keeping them there.
We need to have enough of them wake up and see what is going on. What will make them do that? I don't know, but if the truth doesn't do it, then we're in big trouble.
I support Dean, because he is speaking powerfully about what is really going on. I disagree with Nicholas Kristoff, who wrote the words above, that choosing Dean guarantees Bush victory, because I don't believe that he understands the depth of concern about Bush. And he doesn't propose why choosing any other candidate would give us a better chance of getting rid of Bush.
So vote for Dean in the primaries all you Democrats. Let's see if there are a majority of Americans who can think and see what is really happening to their country.
Friday, December 05, 2003
Israel presented dud Saddam reports: "Israeli intelligence was a full partner to the picture presented by US and British intelligence about Iraq's non-conventional capabilities ... [and] the failures in the war in Iraq point to inherent failures and weaknesses of Israeli intelligence and decision makers.' It accuses Israel of producing 'an exaggerated assessment of Iraqi capabilities,' and raises 'the possibility that the intelligence picture was manipulated'."
Shevardnadze says US betrayed him: "I looked at the huge crowd - I saw in their faces it would be impossible to calm them, that they were not afraid of anything, and I knew there would be bloodshed." Eduard Shevardnadze.
This is the power of the people. Ultimately, even an illegitimate leader gets the message that he has to go. Luckily Shevardnadze had the humanity to recognize that and avoid bloodshed.
Rumsfeld call for Russia pull-out: "US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has called for Russia to withdraw its military forces from Georgia.
On a visit to Tbilisi he said Moscow had an obligation to withdraw under the terms of four-year-old accords.
The US has expressed support for Georgia's new leaders since mass protests led to the resignation of the former president, Eduard Shevardnadze.
Emergency US funds have already been pledged to help Georgia prepare for fresh presidential polls next months.
The Americans have also been running a $64m programme in Georgia to train and equip its army.
Correspondents say the US is concerned about Georgia's fragile security, partly because it lies on the route of a pipeline that will take oil from Caspian fields through Turkey to European markets. "
This is one to watch. Closely. While the revolution against Shevardnadze was apparently a great act of people power, we're in there for oil, as this story makes clear.
How an American war hero is taking his battle over Iraq to Washington: "In the aftermath of America's worst month in Iraq, when 79 of its soldiers died, Col Hackworth this week received an email from a 'combat leader' involved in the firefight in the city of Samarra in which US forces claimed to have killed 54 attackers. Local people insisted that only eight people, mostly civilians, had been killed.
In his email to Colonel Hackworth, who he has known for eight years, the soldier with the 4th Infantry Division wrote of Sunday's incident: 'Hack, most of the casualties were civilians, not insurgents or criminals as being reported.'
He added: 'We are probably turning many Iraqi against us and I am afraid instead of climbing out of the hole, we are digging ourselves in deeper.'"
Colonel Hackworth's two websites: www.hackworth.com and www.sftt.org.
Thursday, December 04, 2003
Looting the Future: "Nothing in our national experience prepared us for the spectacle of a government launching a war, increasing farm subsidies and establishing an expensive new Medicare entitlement — and not only failing to come up with a plan to pay for all this spending in the face of budget deficits, but cutting taxes at the same time.
...Serious estimates show a long-term budget gap, even with a recovery, of at least 25 percent of federal spending. That is, the federal government — including Medicare, which Mr. Bush has given new responsibilities without new resources — is nowhere near solvent."
Limbaugh: Agents Seized Medical Records: "because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure.' "
Just curious if Limbaugh will stand up for the rights of other US citizens to have even more basic rights such as the right to have a lawyer, which is now being denied, solely at the behest of George Bush, to several of our fellow citizens.
Well, they may be all guilty of dreadful crimes, but we don't know that, and our judicial system is being undermined by the prejudicial way that the administration is handling these cases.
New Evidence: U.S. OK'd Argentina's 'Dirty War': "At the height of the Argentine military junta's bloody ''dirty war'' against leftists in the 1970s, then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told the Argentine foreign minister that ''we would like you to succeed,'' a newly declassified U.S. document reveals.
The transcript of the meeting between Kissinger and Navy Adm. Cesar Augusto Guzzetti in New York on Oct. 7, 1976, is the first documentary evidence that the Gerald Ford administration approved of the junta's harsh tactics, which led to the deaths or ''disappearance'' of some 30,000 people from 1975 to 1983.
... This document is a devastating indictment of Kissinger's policy toward Latin America. Kissinger actually encourages human-rights violations in full consciousness of what was going on."
No Doubts Global Warming Is Real, US Experts Say: "New evidence found by teams of climate researchers leaves no doubt that industrial emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible for increasing global temperatures -- an ominous trend that has speeded up in the past 50 years and threatens to continue for centuries, according to a report by two of the nation's leading atmospheric scientists.
... The two disagreed with assertions by some scientists that swings in worldwide temperatures over the years are normal and natural. "Modern climate change is dominated by human influences, which are now large enough to exceed the bounds of natural variability," they said."
Now this is a real and verifiable threat to Homeland Security. And who are those who are responsible?
Polluters. And why are they being allowed to pollute even more? Ask Bush. It is incomprehensible to me.
If we are concerned about protecting Americans from terror, we should be addressing Global Warming as urgently as we are attacking Iraq. Yes, that much.
We need environmental security. Otherwise the terror of tides over-running towns (remember the scene in the outer banks of N. Carolina this year?), of twisters destroying homes and entire streets, of hurricanes wreacking havoc on entire regions--all these will be visited on Americans. And all because of our reluctance to reduce pollution.
This administration is systematically weakening controls on pollution, on greenhouse gases, as well as such toxins such as mercury and arsenic. They are on a mission. They are determined, blind to the harmful consequences and will not stop. We have to remove them from power in 04.
News Analysis: Sudden Shift on Detainee: "When the Pentagon said this week that it would let an American being held as an enemy combatant meet a lawyer, which it had refused to do for months, it appeared on the surface to be a major concession to the critics of the policy of detaining terrorism suspects.
But it may be that the action was less of a substantive change than merely a calculated gesture to help the administration shield its policies from criticism and reversal by the courts.
... The Pentagon made its statement about Mr. Hamdi's ability to confer with a lawyer a day before the Justice Department was obliged to file a brief with the Supreme Court asking it to uphold a ruling by an appeals court that President Bush was within his rights as a wartime president to detain Mr. Hamdi indefinitely without access to a lawyer.
The brief itself, however, does not retreat from the hard-line position the administration has taken all along, that the president has the authority to detain an American citizen indefinitely without consulting a lawyer.
"
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Democracy Cannot Coexist with Bush's Failed Doctrine of Preventive War: "Bush wants democracy for others, but apparently on an American schedule dictated by a concern for 'stability' and the war against terrorism. Yet imagine Britain acknowledging the American Declaration of Independence but suggesting it be implemented on a British timetable. "
Who Tried To Bribe Rep. Smith? - Stop protecting him, Congressman. By Timothy Noah: "Rep. Nick Smith R-Mich., says that sometime late Nov. 21 or early in the morning Nov. 22, somebody on the House floor threatened to redirect campaign funds away from his son Brad, who is running to succeed him, if he didn't support the Medicare prescription bill.
"This according to the Associated Press. Robert Novak further reports, 'On the House floor, Nick Smith was told business interests would give his son $100,000 in return for his father's vote. When he still declined, fellow Republican House members told him they would make sure Brad Smith never came to Congress. After Nick Smith voted no and the bill passed, [Rep.] Duke Cunningham of California and other Republicans taunted him that his son was dead meat.
"Speaking through Chief of Staff Kurt Schmautz, Smith assured Chatterbox that Novak's account is 'basically accurate.' ... "
Do Americans Know the Score?: "The number of US soldiers killed after Bush declared that major combat operations were over is currently 303, more than double the 138 of the invasion."
U.S. occupation Opposes Direct Vote in Iraq: "The head of the Iraqi Governing Council renewed his demand Wednesday that a proposed transitional legislature be elected by Iraqi voters, a move opposed by U.S. occupation officials. "
Israeli Pilots refuse to bomb Civilians: 'We're air force pilots, not mafia. We don't take revenge': "'Is it legitimate to take F-15's and helicopters designed to destroy enemy tanks, and use them against cars and houses in one of the most heavily populated places in the world?' Capt Alon R asked.
'Because of the terrorism, we have become blinded by the blood on our own faces. We cannot see that on the other side, beside the terrorists, is a whole nation of innocent people. It's important that we recognise that, and that, as military people, we say that.'
... "'Our government's policy is to maintain fear in the public,' Capt Assaf L said. 'We're not weak. It's not 1967 or 1973, with the Syrian army on the border waiting to attack us. This is maintaining a war to maintain the occupation. ""
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | People the law forgot (part two): "'It seems to me that our government's talking out of both sides of its mouth,' says James Harrington, a lawyer from upstate New York who represents a US citizen, not in Guantanamo, awaiting sentencing on terrorism charges. 'We say they're not PoWs and won't be treated as PoWs but at the same time we say we are at war. It either should be one or the other.
... Now, it appears, anyone, US citizen or not, can be declared an 'enemy combatant', at any time, and thus be detained indefinitely at Bush's discretion.
... Speculation that a mass release of European prisoners is imminent, welcome as it is, only highlights the arbitrary nature of the detentions.
... The Bush administration defends the choice of military commissions on the grounds that the alleged, presumably terrorist, offences for which some Guantanamo prisoners will be tried are 'war crimes'; and on the grounds that the commissions will help safeguard classified information that would leak out from normal trials or courts martial. Critics say that neither argument stands up, and that the real reason military commissions are being used is that they give the accused little chance of a fair hearing, and stack the deck in favour of convictions.
... The first thing that strikes the lay student of military commissions is the enormous power vested in the US deputy secretary of defence, Paul Wolfowitz, who is the commissions' 'appointing authority'. The judges - seven in a capital case - are appointed by Wolfowitz. Any judge can be substituted up to the moment of verdict, by Wolfowitz. The military prosecutors are chosen by Wolfowitz. The suspects they charge, and the charges they make, are determined by Wolfowitz. All defendants are entitled to a military defence lawyer, from a pool chosen by Wolfowitz. The defendants are entitled to hire a civilian lawyer, but they have to pay out of their own funds, and by revealing where the funds are, they risk having them seized on suspicion of their being used for terrorist purposes, on the order of Wolfowitz. Defendants need not lose heart completely if convicted. They can appeal, to a panel of three people, appointed by Wolfowitz. When it has made its recommendation, the panel sends it for a final decision to Wolfowitz.
... 'You kidnap people who may be totally innocent, you take them all the way around the world in hoods and shackles, you hold them incommunicado for two years, you don't give them a lawyer and you don't tell them what they're charged with. It's not a matter of what's wrong with it, it's a question of what's right with it. And it achieves nothing.'"
People the law forgot (part two): "Just a normal prison environment produces profound alteration in mental states, suicide and depression.
'But at Guantanamo there's an added level of stress, and I think that is the thing that's somewhat unique... Inmates in a normal prison are focused on how much time they are going to serve, on contacting their lawyers, on being able to take constructive efforts to get out; these are important ways prisoners deal with the stress of confinement, and these guys can't do anything.'"
People the law forgot: "In the first one-and-a-half months they wouldn't let us speak to anyone, wouldn't let us call for prayers or pray in the room,' he says. 'We were only given 10 minutes for eating. I tried to pray and four or five commandos came and they beat me up. If someone would try to make a call for prayer they would beat him up and gag him. After one-and-a-half months, we went on hunger strike.' "
People held in brutal conditions at Guantanamo at the Whim of George Bush: Guantanamo prison camp is "a rough and ready, occasionally brutal place of confinement into a full-grown mongrel of international law, where all the harshness of the punitive US prison system is visited on foreigners, unmitigated by any of the legal rights US prisoners enjoy. To this is added the mentally corrosive threat, alien to the US constitution, of infinite confinement, without court or appeal, on the whim of a single man - the president of the US. "
Health Industry Bidding to Hire Medicare Chief: "Mr. Scully has made no secret of the fact that he has been looking for jobs outside the government for more than six months — even as he spent hundreds of hours in closed sessions with House and Senate negotiators working out countless details of the legislation, which makes the biggest changes in Medicare since creation of the program in 1965.
... Gail E. Shearer, a health policy analyst at Consumers Union, said Mr. Scully's discussions with prospective employers were troubling. 'At a time when there are questions about whether the Medicare legislation serves special interests or consumers, we want to know that our public officials have their minds totally focused on doing what's best for consumers,' she said."
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Law lord castigates US justice: "A senior law lord last night delivered a scathing attack on the US government's and the American courts' treatment of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, branding it 'a monstrous failure of justice'.
Lord Steyn, one of the most senior judges in Britain's highest court, described the military tribunal for trying the detainees as a 'kangaroo court'.
The term, he said, implied "a pre-ordained arbitrary rush to judgment by an irregular tribunal which makes a mockery of justice". He asked whether the British government should not "make plain, publicly and unambiguously, our condemnation of the utter lawlessness" at Guantanamo Bay. "
US fires Guantanamo defence team: "the first group of defence lawyers the Pentagon recruited for Guantanamo balked at the commission rules, which insist, among other restrictions, that the government be allowed to listen in to any conversations between attorney and client.
'There was a circular that went out to military lawyers in the early spring of 2003 which said 'we are looking for volunteers' for defence counsel,' said the ex-military lawyer. 'There was a selection process, and the people they selected were the right people, they had the right credentials, they were good lawyers.
'The first day, when they were being briefed on the dos and don'ts, at least a couple said: 'You can't impose these restrictions on us because we can't properly represent our clients.'
'When the group decided they weren't going to go along, they were relieved. They reported in the morning and got fired that afternoon.' "
Iraq: Phase three - civil war: "The question therefore is no longer one of invasion and war, or even of occupation and withdrawal. It is a question, fundamentally, of which Iraqis will take control of their country as the coalition's grip eases, how they will do so, and with what degree of legitimacy. This next phase offers a choice: self-rule - or self-destruction.
... Despite all the events of the past 12 months, this next phase of the Iraq conflict could yet prove to be its most dangerous. The big picture, to the extent that it can be made out, suggests Iraq's future is still very much in the balance. An orderly transition and the assertion of legitimate, democratic governance is by no means assured. Continuing, escalating civil strife, scattering the seeds of a possible civil war, could yet turn out to be the Bush-Blair legacy in Iraq."
Monday, December 01, 2003
Diebold electronic voting puts credibility of U.S. democracy at stake: "... there's nothing paranoid about suggesting that political operatives, given the opportunity, might engage in dirty tricks. Indeed, given the intensity of partisanship these days, one suspects that small dirty tricks are common. For example, Orrin Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, recently announced that one of his aides had improperly accessed sensitive Democratic computer files that were leaked to the press. "
Touch screen voting machines less reliable than the old punchcards: "Next year's US presidential election may be compromised by new voting 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"."
Court Says Redistricting Unconstitutional: "In a decision that has national implications, the Colorado Supreme Court threw out the state's new congressional districts Monday saying the GOP-led Legislature redrew the maps in violation of the state constitution.
The General Assembly is required to redraw the maps only after each census and before the ensuing general election -- not at any other time, the court said in a closely watched decision. A similar court battle is being waged in Texas."
A victory for democracy! A victory for the People over those who would steal their power.
Allies alarmed as Iraqi insurgents seek them out: US forces "repelled a series of co-ordinated attacks by insurgents, killing 46 Iraqis in Samarra last night, according to the US military.
The incident was the climax of a weekend of violence during which 14 people from five nations were killed in guerrilla attacks. Assaults on Iraqis who are deemed to be co-operating with the "coalition" have increased. But, over the weekend, guerrillas killed two South Korean electricians, a Colombian contractor for the US military, seven Spanish military intelligence agents, two Japanese diplomats and two American soldiers.
The fact that the insurgents are singling out America's allies is causing concern among British officials.
'We are wondering if we will be next,' said a source. The dozens of British officials in Baghdad are already subject to extraordinary security measures and checks. "
