SWITZERLAND
Sia News: Genuine ''Homeland Security'': an Assassinated Congressman's Proposal
While Americans wrestle with the defense matters of growing costs, manpower needs, volunteerism vs. the draft, and even the matter of a national will, it is refreshing to note that there is one country that has adopted a formula that has resolved those same vexations. That country is Switzerland, and amazingly, the Swiss have successfully applied this national defense formula for centuries without the problems of popular division. To the contrary, the Swiss concept has promoted unity among the people of that small but mature nation.
The people of Switzerland are to be envied for their many achievements, and the policy achievement of a plan for armed neutrality could be a model either in whole or in part for those seeking a rational approach to survival problems.
The concept of armed neutrality was a policy favored by our Founding Fathers but the warnings and advice of Founding Father George Washington has been lost to Twentieth Century Americans. Perhaps even at this late date, we could find many answers to our current problems by observing the Swiss way of a total defense concept.
THE SWISS REPORT: A special study for Western Goals Foundation
by Congressman Lawrence Patton McDonald, General George S. Patton, U.S.A. (Ret.) and General Lewis W. Walt, U.S.M.C. (Ret.)
Copyright © 1983 Western Goals
Friday, August 29, 2003
PROFIT OVER PEOPLE
Spiegel: Generalrat verweigert Dritter Welt Billigmedikamente
Bis zuletzt hatte man bei der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO) mit einer Einigung gerechnet. Entwicklungsländer sollten nachgemachte Medikamente billig importieren dürfen, um Krankheiten wie Aids und Malaria zu bekämpfen. Jetzt hat der Generalrat der WTO das Vorhaben in letzter Minute abgelehnt
Für die Länder aus der Dritten Welt ist die Entscheidung des Exekutivorgans der WTO ein schwerer Schlag. Sie müssen für Medikamente gegen Aids, Malaria oder Tuberkulose weiterhin die hohen Patentgebühren an die Pharmakonzerne zahlen.
Spiegel: Generalrat verweigert Dritter Welt Billigmedikamente
Bis zuletzt hatte man bei der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO) mit einer Einigung gerechnet. Entwicklungsländer sollten nachgemachte Medikamente billig importieren dürfen, um Krankheiten wie Aids und Malaria zu bekämpfen. Jetzt hat der Generalrat der WTO das Vorhaben in letzter Minute abgelehnt
Für die Länder aus der Dritten Welt ist die Entscheidung des Exekutivorgans der WTO ein schwerer Schlag. Sie müssen für Medikamente gegen Aids, Malaria oder Tuberkulose weiterhin die hohen Patentgebühren an die Pharmakonzerne zahlen.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
IRAQI WMD
New York Times: A Weapons Cache We'll Never See by Scott Ritter
N.Y. — Some 1,500 American investigators are scouring the Iraqi countryside for evidence of weapons of mass destruction that has so far eluded them. Known as the Iraq Survey Group and operating under the supervision of a former United Nations weapons inspector, David Kay, they are searching mostly for documents that will help them assemble a clear, if somewhat circumstantial, case that Iraq had or intended to have programs to produce prohibited weapons.
It is a daunting task. And according to many Iraqi scientists and officials I have spoken to, it is not being done very well.
"CHECK IT"
New York Times: A Weapons Cache We'll Never See by Scott Ritter
N.Y. — Some 1,500 American investigators are scouring the Iraqi countryside for evidence of weapons of mass destruction that has so far eluded them. Known as the Iraq Survey Group and operating under the supervision of a former United Nations weapons inspector, David Kay, they are searching mostly for documents that will help them assemble a clear, if somewhat circumstantial, case that Iraq had or intended to have programs to produce prohibited weapons.
It is a daunting task. And according to many Iraqi scientists and officials I have spoken to, it is not being done very well.
"CHECK IT"
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
ADVERTISMENT VS. GRAFITTI
L.A Times: Graffiti Gets Philosophical
Graffiti and advertising have many things in common. Both convey messages by occupying public space; indeed, both are omnipresent and unavoidable. At the upper reaches of excellence both are arts, though they are more often merely puerile and annoying noise. But there are some key differences.
Advertising is designed to manipulate people, whereas graffiti is essentially a pure mode of self-expression. Advertising is encouraged or courted by the authorities. Graffiti is illegal. And here is the difference that makes sense of all the others: money. All the legitimacy of advertising derives from the money that is paid to post it and the revenue it generates.
On the other hand graffiti is, in every sense, free and hence criminal. In fact, law enforcement is often called on to defend advertisements from graffiti.
Advertising is the public expression of wealthy people and organizations. Graffiti is the public expression of people who are more or less broke. And that is exactly why advertising is authorized and graffiti is eradicated.
L.A Times: Graffiti Gets Philosophical
Graffiti and advertising have many things in common. Both convey messages by occupying public space; indeed, both are omnipresent and unavoidable. At the upper reaches of excellence both are arts, though they are more often merely puerile and annoying noise. But there are some key differences.
Advertising is designed to manipulate people, whereas graffiti is essentially a pure mode of self-expression. Advertising is encouraged or courted by the authorities. Graffiti is illegal. And here is the difference that makes sense of all the others: money. All the legitimacy of advertising derives from the money that is paid to post it and the revenue it generates.
On the other hand graffiti is, in every sense, free and hence criminal. In fact, law enforcement is often called on to defend advertisements from graffiti.
Advertising is the public expression of wealthy people and organizations. Graffiti is the public expression of people who are more or less broke. And that is exactly why advertising is authorized and graffiti is eradicated.
ISRAEL
Haaretz: Jewish terror and its sources
Nine young Jewish men were arrested recently on
suspicion of planning and carrying out attacks
against Palestinians. At least one of them is
suspected of attempted murder, weapons violations,
and planning a crime involving dangerous
materials. All of the suspects are rooted deep in
Yesha (the Hebrew acronym for the West Bank and
Gaza) and its culture. All grew up on settlements
and all are faithful sons - to the point of
hallucinatory extremism - of the national
religious Zionism of the post-Six Day War period.
Some reside on outposts; some are the sons of
well-known rabbis and others are the younger
brothers of local leaders.
Haaretz: Jewish terror and its sources
Nine young Jewish men were arrested recently on
suspicion of planning and carrying out attacks
against Palestinians. At least one of them is
suspected of attempted murder, weapons violations,
and planning a crime involving dangerous
materials. All of the suspects are rooted deep in
Yesha (the Hebrew acronym for the West Bank and
Gaza) and its culture. All grew up on settlements
and all are faithful sons - to the point of
hallucinatory extremism - of the national
religious Zionism of the post-Six Day War period.
Some reside on outposts; some are the sons of
well-known rabbis and others are the younger
brothers of local leaders.
ISRAEL
Haaretz: Inside Israel's secret prison
Detainees are blindfolded and kept in blackened cells, never told where they are, brutally interrogated and allowed no visitors of any kind. Dubbed 'the Israeli Guantanamo,' it's no wonder facility 1391 officially does not exist.
M, who serves in the Intelligence Corps reserves,
remembers the first time he was sent to do guard
duty at Camp 1391. Before climbing to the top of
the observation tower he received an explicit
order from the responsible officer: "When you're
on the tower you look straight ahead only, outside
the base, and to the sides. What happens behind
you is none of your business. Do not turn
around."
Haaretz: Inside Israel's secret prison
Detainees are blindfolded and kept in blackened cells, never told where they are, brutally interrogated and allowed no visitors of any kind. Dubbed 'the Israeli Guantanamo,' it's no wonder facility 1391 officially does not exist.
M, who serves in the Intelligence Corps reserves,
remembers the first time he was sent to do guard
duty at Camp 1391. Before climbing to the top of
the observation tower he received an explicit
order from the responsible officer: "When you're
on the tower you look straight ahead only, outside
the base, and to the sides. What happens behind
you is none of your business. Do not turn
around."
NORTH KOREA
Rense: Hard Warning To N Korea By Former CIA Director
'Change of regime only alternative to war in Korea' James Woolsey, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States, urged China to step up to its responsibility and exert its substantial influence on North Korea to induce a change in its regime, saying this was the only credible alternative to war on the peninsula.
"The only option to keep (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-il from producing more nuclear warheads is for China to exert is pressure in North Korea to change its regime," he said during a press conference yesterday after attending a session at the ongoing Pacific Basic Economic Council. "There are no other possibilities other than that, short of military action."
"Das dumme für die USA ist, dass Sie solange die ganze Armee im Irak und Afghanistan stationiert ist, keinen Milit?rischen Druck machen k?nnen. Nord Korea hat eine Armee von über einer Million Soldaten die innerhalb von Stunden oder wenigen Tagen einsatzf?hig sind. Amerika braucht Wochen oder Monate um genug grosse Truppenkontigente in Süd Korea aufzubauen um einen Krieg zu führen"
Rense: Hard Warning To N Korea By Former CIA Director
'Change of regime only alternative to war in Korea' James Woolsey, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States, urged China to step up to its responsibility and exert its substantial influence on North Korea to induce a change in its regime, saying this was the only credible alternative to war on the peninsula.
"The only option to keep (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-il from producing more nuclear warheads is for China to exert is pressure in North Korea to change its regime," he said during a press conference yesterday after attending a session at the ongoing Pacific Basic Economic Council. "There are no other possibilities other than that, short of military action."
"Das dumme für die USA ist, dass Sie solange die ganze Armee im Irak und Afghanistan stationiert ist, keinen Milit?rischen Druck machen k?nnen. Nord Korea hat eine Armee von über einer Million Soldaten die innerhalb von Stunden oder wenigen Tagen einsatzf?hig sind. Amerika braucht Wochen oder Monate um genug grosse Truppenkontigente in Süd Korea aufzubauen um einen Krieg zu führen"
USA
Palestinian Chronicle: Secret Saudi History
"I smiled at my own joke, but the clerk's smile disappeared. 'Ask again,' he hissed, 'and I will call security to remove you from the building and have you barred as a security risk ..'"
"I'm sorry," the clerk at the U.S. National Archives says: "You can't see the Saudi Arabian documents." I'm surprised. All the National Archive's documents are already reviewed and then declassified or removed. In theory, whatever's there is no longer secret.
Until 911.
"It's part of the Patriot Act," the clerk averred, referring to Public Law 107-56, the hastily-passed legislation entitled, "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001."
"The U.S. State Department records you requested are indeed declassified and theoretically available. But they also may contain information that terrorists can use, like names and addresses and information of U.S. citizens." I gave a blank look. "So?" The clerk's brow furrowed with concern. "A terrorist could come into the National Archives and try to steal their identities or target them for assassination."
I protested: "The documents I seek are over thirty years old and even older." Now the clerk's smile became nothing but teeth, his eyes narrowed with suspicion
Palestinian Chronicle: Secret Saudi History
"I smiled at my own joke, but the clerk's smile disappeared. 'Ask again,' he hissed, 'and I will call security to remove you from the building and have you barred as a security risk ..'"
"I'm sorry," the clerk at the U.S. National Archives says: "You can't see the Saudi Arabian documents." I'm surprised. All the National Archive's documents are already reviewed and then declassified or removed. In theory, whatever's there is no longer secret.
Until 911.
"It's part of the Patriot Act," the clerk averred, referring to Public Law 107-56, the hastily-passed legislation entitled, "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001."
"The U.S. State Department records you requested are indeed declassified and theoretically available. But they also may contain information that terrorists can use, like names and addresses and information of U.S. citizens." I gave a blank look. "So?" The clerk's brow furrowed with concern. "A terrorist could come into the National Archives and try to steal their identities or target them for assassination."
I protested: "The documents I seek are over thirty years old and even older." Now the clerk's smile became nothing but teeth, his eyes narrowed with suspicion
IRAQ
Monday Morning: Baghdad: The hand of Mossad?
Sometimes it is difficult to understand why some events should occur and change a positive path into a negative situation leading to bloodshed. It is no longer a matter of resistance; the situation is turning into an open intelligence game regardless of the interests of the parties concerned in this situation. First in Baghdad: who carried out this suicide operation against the UN mission? Is it true that Saddam Hussein’s old guard is able to carry out such an operation?
Monday Morning: Baghdad: The hand of Mossad?
Sometimes it is difficult to understand why some events should occur and change a positive path into a negative situation leading to bloodshed. It is no longer a matter of resistance; the situation is turning into an open intelligence game regardless of the interests of the parties concerned in this situation. First in Baghdad: who carried out this suicide operation against the UN mission? Is it true that Saddam Hussein’s old guard is able to carry out such an operation?
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Rense: A Drug For The Addict - The End Of The Hudna By Uri Avnery
It was a putsch. Like any classic putsch, it was carried out by a group of officers: Sharon, Mofaz, Ya'alon and the army top brass.
It is no secret that the military party (the only really functioning party in Israel) objected to the hudna (truce) from the first moment, much as it opposed the Road Map. Its powerful propaganda apparatus, which includes all the Israeli media, spread the message: "The hudna is a disaster! Every day of the hudna is a bad day! The reduction of violence to almost zero is a great misfortune: under cover of the truce, the terrorist organizations are recovering and rearming! Every terrorist strike avoided today will hit us much harder tomorrow!"
The army command was like an addict deprived of his drug. It was forbidden to carry out the action it wanted. It was just about to crush the intifada, victory was just around the corner, all that was needed was just one final decisive blow, and that would have been that.
The military was upset when it saw the new hope that took hold of the Israeli public, the bullish mood of the stock exchange, the rise in value of the shekel, the return of the masses to the entertainment centers, the signs of optimism on both sides. In effect, It was a spontaneous popular vote against the military policy.
CHECK IT
Rense: A Drug For The Addict - The End Of The Hudna By Uri Avnery
It was a putsch. Like any classic putsch, it was carried out by a group of officers: Sharon, Mofaz, Ya'alon and the army top brass.
It is no secret that the military party (the only really functioning party in Israel) objected to the hudna (truce) from the first moment, much as it opposed the Road Map. Its powerful propaganda apparatus, which includes all the Israeli media, spread the message: "The hudna is a disaster! Every day of the hudna is a bad day! The reduction of violence to almost zero is a great misfortune: under cover of the truce, the terrorist organizations are recovering and rearming! Every terrorist strike avoided today will hit us much harder tomorrow!"
The army command was like an addict deprived of his drug. It was forbidden to carry out the action it wanted. It was just about to crush the intifada, victory was just around the corner, all that was needed was just one final decisive blow, and that would have been that.
The military was upset when it saw the new hope that took hold of the Israeli public, the bullish mood of the stock exchange, the rise in value of the shekel, the return of the masses to the entertainment centers, the signs of optimism on both sides. In effect, It was a spontaneous popular vote against the military policy.
CHECK IT
FRIEDEN IN AFGHANISTAN
Spiegel: Taliban kehren mit Terrorwelle zurück
In den vergangenen zwei Wochen wurden mindestens 150 Menschen bei den Kämpfen vor allem im Süden und Osten Afghanistans getötet. Fast jeden Tag greifen die Rebellen die von den Amerikanern angeführten Koalitionstruppen, afghanische Sicherheitskräfte, Hilfsorganisationen oder Zivilisten an.
Hunderte von Kämpfern attackieren Armeestützpunkte mit Raketen, sprengen Busse voller Zivilisten in die Luft oder eröffnen das Feuer auf Fahrzeuge von Minenräumern. Über Stunden besetzen mutmaßliche Taliban Grenzposten und Polizeistationen, aus dem Hinterhalt erschießen sie Soldaten und hochrangige Polizeioffiziere. Knapp zwei Jahre nach den Anschlägen vom 11. September haben sich Taliban und Osama bin Ladens Terrornetzwerk al-Qaida offenbar neu formiert, Afghanistan erlebt die schlimmste Welle der Gewalt seit dem Sturz des radikal-islamischen Regimes Ende des Jahres 2001.
Frieden und Demokratie sind im Land am Hindukusch immer noch in weiter Ferne. Der Westen droht mit seiner Aufbaumission zu scheitern
"Mag sich noch jemand erinnern was den Afghanen an Aufbauhilfe versprochen wurde? Mag sich noch jemand erinnern wie westliche Medien von Frieden und Demokratie gesprochen haben? Mag sich noch jemand erinnern wie uns der ganze Angriff als Kampf für die rechte der Frauen verkauft wurde? Nichts davon ist eingetroffen. Afghanistan musste als Blitzableiter Amerikas hinhalten und wird nun wieder dem Chaos überlassen"
Spiegel: Taliban kehren mit Terrorwelle zurück
In den vergangenen zwei Wochen wurden mindestens 150 Menschen bei den Kämpfen vor allem im Süden und Osten Afghanistans getötet. Fast jeden Tag greifen die Rebellen die von den Amerikanern angeführten Koalitionstruppen, afghanische Sicherheitskräfte, Hilfsorganisationen oder Zivilisten an.
Hunderte von Kämpfern attackieren Armeestützpunkte mit Raketen, sprengen Busse voller Zivilisten in die Luft oder eröffnen das Feuer auf Fahrzeuge von Minenräumern. Über Stunden besetzen mutmaßliche Taliban Grenzposten und Polizeistationen, aus dem Hinterhalt erschießen sie Soldaten und hochrangige Polizeioffiziere. Knapp zwei Jahre nach den Anschlägen vom 11. September haben sich Taliban und Osama bin Ladens Terrornetzwerk al-Qaida offenbar neu formiert, Afghanistan erlebt die schlimmste Welle der Gewalt seit dem Sturz des radikal-islamischen Regimes Ende des Jahres 2001.
Frieden und Demokratie sind im Land am Hindukusch immer noch in weiter Ferne. Der Westen droht mit seiner Aufbaumission zu scheitern
"Mag sich noch jemand erinnern was den Afghanen an Aufbauhilfe versprochen wurde? Mag sich noch jemand erinnern wie westliche Medien von Frieden und Demokratie gesprochen haben? Mag sich noch jemand erinnern wie uns der ganze Angriff als Kampf für die rechte der Frauen verkauft wurde? Nichts davon ist eingetroffen. Afghanistan musste als Blitzableiter Amerikas hinhalten und wird nun wieder dem Chaos überlassen"
Monday, August 25, 2003
USA
Truthout: The Danger of American Fascism
This story ran in the New York Times in 1944. Draw your own conclusions and compare Henry Wallace's analysis to the situation we find ourselves in today.
Sunday 09 April 1944
On returning from my trip to the West in February, I received a request from The New York Times to write a piece answering the following questions:
What is a fascist?
How many fascists have we?
How dangerous are they?
A fascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends. The supreme god of a fascist, to which his ends are directed, may be money or power; may be a race or a class; may be a military, clique or an economic group; or may be a culture, religion, or a political party.
The obvious types of American fascists are dealt with on the air and in the press. These demagogues and stooges are fronts for others. Dangerous as these people may be, they are not so significant as thousands of other people who have never been mentioned. The really dangerous American fascists are not those who are hooked up directly or indirectly with the Axis. The FBI has its finger on those. The dangerous American fascist is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power.
"CHECK IT"
Truthout: The Danger of American Fascism
This story ran in the New York Times in 1944. Draw your own conclusions and compare Henry Wallace's analysis to the situation we find ourselves in today.
Sunday 09 April 1944
On returning from my trip to the West in February, I received a request from The New York Times to write a piece answering the following questions:
What is a fascist?
How many fascists have we?
How dangerous are they?
A fascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends. The supreme god of a fascist, to which his ends are directed, may be money or power; may be a race or a class; may be a military, clique or an economic group; or may be a culture, religion, or a political party.
The obvious types of American fascists are dealt with on the air and in the press. These demagogues and stooges are fronts for others. Dangerous as these people may be, they are not so significant as thousands of other people who have never been mentioned. The really dangerous American fascists are not those who are hooked up directly or indirectly with the Axis. The FBI has its finger on those. The dangerous American fascist is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power.
"CHECK IT"
WAR
Rense: Iraq War Foes Were All Correct
The French were right.
The liberals were right.
The peaceniks were right.
True conservatives were right.
Veterans opposed to the war - I hear from more of them than you might imagine - were also right. They said this war was based on lies, and it was. They said this war, like most wars, would lead to more chaos and killing, and it has.
Now some in the Bush administration are telling the world that the car bombing of United Nations headquarters in Iraq is evidence that our policy is right.
How illogical can you be? Insurgents blow up oil pipelines and water mains; American soldiers get killed or maimed almost daily. Demonstrations are ongoing. And the biggest blow from the Iraqi resistance so far - destruction of U.N. headquarters in Iraq - is presented by the Bush team as evidence that our policy is correct because - because - because this proves terrorists are really, really bad.
Duh. We all know terrorists are really, really bad. That's why it's best not to give them more chaos in which to thrive. That's why it's best not to stir up new nests unnecessarily as we did by invading Iraq.
The Soviets couldn't win in Afghanistan, and I'll be surprised if, in five years or seven, American-style democracy has taken hold in Iraq. Like Afghanistan under the Russians, Iraq has become the rallying point for a growing jihad.
"CHECK IT"
Rense: Iraq War Foes Were All Correct
The French were right.
The liberals were right.
The peaceniks were right.
True conservatives were right.
Veterans opposed to the war - I hear from more of them than you might imagine - were also right. They said this war was based on lies, and it was. They said this war, like most wars, would lead to more chaos and killing, and it has.
Now some in the Bush administration are telling the world that the car bombing of United Nations headquarters in Iraq is evidence that our policy is right.
How illogical can you be? Insurgents blow up oil pipelines and water mains; American soldiers get killed or maimed almost daily. Demonstrations are ongoing. And the biggest blow from the Iraqi resistance so far - destruction of U.N. headquarters in Iraq - is presented by the Bush team as evidence that our policy is correct because - because - because this proves terrorists are really, really bad.
Duh. We all know terrorists are really, really bad. That's why it's best not to give them more chaos in which to thrive. That's why it's best not to stir up new nests unnecessarily as we did by invading Iraq.
The Soviets couldn't win in Afghanistan, and I'll be surprised if, in five years or seven, American-style democracy has taken hold in Iraq. Like Afghanistan under the Russians, Iraq has become the rallying point for a growing jihad.
"CHECK IT"
USA-ISRAEL
San Francisco Gate: U.S. military may be needed for Israel-Palestinian stability, key Republican says
As violence escalates in the Middle East, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says military involvement by the United States and its NATO allies might be required to bring stability to Israel and the Palestinians.
"If we're serious about having a situation of stability, a very direct action, I think, is going to be required," Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
"At some point the United States and its NATO allies and somebody is going to have to work with the Israelis and the Palestinians who want a state to get rid of the terrorists. I think it's just that simple," Lugar said.
"Was für eine Idee! die US Christen Armee zusammen mit den Streitkraeften der Zionisten in Jerusalem. Das waere dann wohl die ultimative Provokation und die rechten Apokalypsen Fundis haetten endlich ihren "Clash of Civilisations".
San Francisco Gate: U.S. military may be needed for Israel-Palestinian stability, key Republican says
As violence escalates in the Middle East, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says military involvement by the United States and its NATO allies might be required to bring stability to Israel and the Palestinians.
"If we're serious about having a situation of stability, a very direct action, I think, is going to be required," Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
"At some point the United States and its NATO allies and somebody is going to have to work with the Israelis and the Palestinians who want a state to get rid of the terrorists. I think it's just that simple," Lugar said.
"Was für eine Idee! die US Christen Armee zusammen mit den Streitkraeften der Zionisten in Jerusalem. Das waere dann wohl die ultimative Provokation und die rechten Apokalypsen Fundis haetten endlich ihren "Clash of Civilisations".
IRAQ
Boston: U.S. troops using confiscated Iraqi AK-47s
BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP) An American soldier stands at the side of an Iraqi highway, puts his AK-47 on fully automatic and pulls the trigger.
Within seconds the assault rifle has blasted out 30 rounds. Puffs of dust dance in the air as the bullets smack into the scrubland dirt. Test fire complete.
U.S. troops in Iraq may not have found weapons of mass destruction, but they're certainly getting their hands on the country's stock of Kalashnikovs and, they say, they need them.
The soldiers based around Baqouba are from an armor battalion, which means they have tanks, Humvees and armored personnel carriers. But they are short on rifles.
Boston: U.S. troops using confiscated Iraqi AK-47s
BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP) An American soldier stands at the side of an Iraqi highway, puts his AK-47 on fully automatic and pulls the trigger.
Within seconds the assault rifle has blasted out 30 rounds. Puffs of dust dance in the air as the bullets smack into the scrubland dirt. Test fire complete.
U.S. troops in Iraq may not have found weapons of mass destruction, but they're certainly getting their hands on the country's stock of Kalashnikovs and, they say, they need them.
The soldiers based around Baqouba are from an armor battalion, which means they have tanks, Humvees and armored personnel carriers. But they are short on rifles.
IRAQ
Daily Mirror: Who are the extremists? by John Pilger
The "liberation" of Iraq is a cruel joke on a stricken people. The Americans and British, partners in a great recognised crime, have brought down on the Middle East, and much of the rest of the world, the prospect of terrorism and suffering on a scale that al-Qaeda could only imagine.
That is what this week's bloody bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad tells us.
It is a "wake-up call", according to Mary Robinson, the former UN Humanitarian Commissioner.
She is right, of course, but it is a call that millions of people sounded on the streets of London and all over the world more than seven months ago - before the killing began.
And yet the Anglo-American spin machine, whose minor cogs are currently being exposed by the Hutton Inquiry, is still in production.
According to the Bush and Blair governments, those responsible for the UN outrage are "extremists from outside": Al-Qaeda terrorists or Iranian militants, or both.
Whether or not outsiders are involved, the aim of this propaganda is to distract from the truth that America and Britain are now immersed in a classic guerrilla war, a war of resistance and self-determination of the kind waged against foreign aggressors and colonial masters since history began.
CHECK IT
Daily Mirror: Who are the extremists? by John Pilger
The "liberation" of Iraq is a cruel joke on a stricken people. The Americans and British, partners in a great recognised crime, have brought down on the Middle East, and much of the rest of the world, the prospect of terrorism and suffering on a scale that al-Qaeda could only imagine.
That is what this week's bloody bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad tells us.
It is a "wake-up call", according to Mary Robinson, the former UN Humanitarian Commissioner.
She is right, of course, but it is a call that millions of people sounded on the streets of London and all over the world more than seven months ago - before the killing began.
And yet the Anglo-American spin machine, whose minor cogs are currently being exposed by the Hutton Inquiry, is still in production.
According to the Bush and Blair governments, those responsible for the UN outrage are "extremists from outside": Al-Qaeda terrorists or Iranian militants, or both.
Whether or not outsiders are involved, the aim of this propaganda is to distract from the truth that America and Britain are now immersed in a classic guerrilla war, a war of resistance and self-determination of the kind waged against foreign aggressors and colonial masters since history began.
CHECK IT
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Asia Times: The plot thickens by Pepe Escobar
HANOI - Ahmad Chalabi, the Pentagon erstwhile protege, leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), member of the American-appointed Iraqi interim government in Iraq and a convicted criminal in Jordan, went on record in Baghdad saying that he had received intelligence on Thursday, August 14, that "a large-scale act would take place ... against a soft target, such as Iraqi political parties or other parties, including the UN". He even learned that the attack would be a truck bombing - by means of a suicide bomber or a remote-controlled detonator. Chalabi also made clear that according to this intelligence, "neither the Coalition Provisional Authority nor coalition troops" would be attacked.
Chalabi is usually not recognized as a reliable source. But if this startling piece of information is true, it means two things: 1) The Americans in Iraq knew about an attack, and did nothing to try to prevent it. 2) The UN itself didn't know anything about it, according to Fred Eckhard, spokesman for secretary general Kofi Annan: "To my knowledge, that information was not relayed to the United Nations."
The frightening possibility that Chalabi knew it, the Americans knew it, the UN didn't and the Americans did nothing to improve security at the UN headquarters will only benefit one player: the Pentagon, according to which Iraq is now the central battle in the "war against terrorism". And right on cue, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and US Central Command chief General John Abizaid, in a joint briefing, declared Iraq now to be a sort of terrorist Woodstock
"CHECK IT"
Asia Times: The plot thickens by Pepe Escobar
HANOI - Ahmad Chalabi, the Pentagon erstwhile protege, leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), member of the American-appointed Iraqi interim government in Iraq and a convicted criminal in Jordan, went on record in Baghdad saying that he had received intelligence on Thursday, August 14, that "a large-scale act would take place ... against a soft target, such as Iraqi political parties or other parties, including the UN". He even learned that the attack would be a truck bombing - by means of a suicide bomber or a remote-controlled detonator. Chalabi also made clear that according to this intelligence, "neither the Coalition Provisional Authority nor coalition troops" would be attacked.
Chalabi is usually not recognized as a reliable source. But if this startling piece of information is true, it means two things: 1) The Americans in Iraq knew about an attack, and did nothing to try to prevent it. 2) The UN itself didn't know anything about it, according to Fred Eckhard, spokesman for secretary general Kofi Annan: "To my knowledge, that information was not relayed to the United Nations."
The frightening possibility that Chalabi knew it, the Americans knew it, the UN didn't and the Americans did nothing to improve security at the UN headquarters will only benefit one player: the Pentagon, according to which Iraq is now the central battle in the "war against terrorism". And right on cue, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and US Central Command chief General John Abizaid, in a joint briefing, declared Iraq now to be a sort of terrorist Woodstock
"CHECK IT"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
AP: Sanctions harden Iraqis attitude to U.N.
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- When a truck packed with explosives blew up outside the United Nations compound in Baghdad and killed at least 23 people, much of the world recoiled in shock, horrified anyone would attack an organization known everywhere for its good works.
Everywhere, that is, except in Iraq, where there is deep ambivalence toward the world body.
For many Iraqis, the United Nations was synonymous with economic hardship -- responsible for much of the everyday misery here.
The crippling international sanctions imposed by the world body after Iraq invaded Kuwait 12 years ago have been blamed for everything from high infant mortality rates to a ban on ice cream.
"Und nebenbei sind den Sanktionen über eine halbe Million Kinder zum Opfer gefallen. Auf die Frage "I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. and you know, is the price worth it?" von Repeorter Lelsley Stahl in der Fernsehsendung 60 Minutes hat Madeleine Albright 1996 geantwortet: ""I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it." Wieso moegen die Iraker bloss die UNO nicht?
AP: Sanctions harden Iraqis attitude to U.N.
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- When a truck packed with explosives blew up outside the United Nations compound in Baghdad and killed at least 23 people, much of the world recoiled in shock, horrified anyone would attack an organization known everywhere for its good works.
Everywhere, that is, except in Iraq, where there is deep ambivalence toward the world body.
For many Iraqis, the United Nations was synonymous with economic hardship -- responsible for much of the everyday misery here.
The crippling international sanctions imposed by the world body after Iraq invaded Kuwait 12 years ago have been blamed for everything from high infant mortality rates to a ban on ice cream.
"Und nebenbei sind den Sanktionen über eine halbe Million Kinder zum Opfer gefallen. Auf die Frage "I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. and you know, is the price worth it?" von Repeorter Lelsley Stahl in der Fernsehsendung 60 Minutes hat Madeleine Albright 1996 geantwortet: ""I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it." Wieso moegen die Iraker bloss die UNO nicht?
UK: DAVID KELLY
Independent: Revealed: how ministers tried to gag David Kelly
The Government went to extraordinary lengths to gag Dr David Kelly because of fears that he would expose fundamental flaws in its case for war.
Documents released yesterday by the Hutton inquiry into the scientist's death reveal that the Ministry of Defence was even prepared to block a police investigation into a secrets leak.
Under the plan, Scotland Yard's Special Branch was to be prevented from interviewing Dr Kelly and anyone else who had discussed his doubts about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
Guardian:It's official - Saddam was not an imminent threat by Clare Short
After eight days of the Hutton inquiry and enormous quantities of media coverage, it is worth pausing to try to take stock. Many of us have said that, deliberately or otherwise, Alastair Campbell's decision to go to war with the BBC had the potential to distract attention from the most important questions arising from the Iraq crisis - whether the nation was deceived on the road to war, and where responsibility lies for the continuing chaos and loss of life in Iraq.
Times: Campbell did redraft Iraq dossier
Hutton releases 6000 pages of documents which show Blair’s spin chief actively involved in rewriting case for war
Independent: Revealed: how ministers tried to gag David Kelly
The Government went to extraordinary lengths to gag Dr David Kelly because of fears that he would expose fundamental flaws in its case for war.
Documents released yesterday by the Hutton inquiry into the scientist's death reveal that the Ministry of Defence was even prepared to block a police investigation into a secrets leak.
Under the plan, Scotland Yard's Special Branch was to be prevented from interviewing Dr Kelly and anyone else who had discussed his doubts about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
Guardian:It's official - Saddam was not an imminent threat by Clare Short
After eight days of the Hutton inquiry and enormous quantities of media coverage, it is worth pausing to try to take stock. Many of us have said that, deliberately or otherwise, Alastair Campbell's decision to go to war with the BBC had the potential to distract attention from the most important questions arising from the Iraq crisis - whether the nation was deceived on the road to war, and where responsibility lies for the continuing chaos and loss of life in Iraq.
Times: Campbell did redraft Iraq dossier
Hutton releases 6000 pages of documents which show Blair’s spin chief actively involved in rewriting case for war
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Asia Times: THE ROVING EYE
Why the lessons of Vietnam do matter
HANOI - Just as it took a few years for the Americans to lose the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese, it took them only a few weeks to lose the hearts and minds of the majority of Iraqis - which ultimately means losing the war, whatever the strategic final result. Topographic denials - this is the Mesopotamian desert, not the Indochinese jungle - don't work, nor do denials saying that the Iraqis are not as politicized as the Vietnamese were by communism. These totally miss the point: as happened in Vietnam, what is happening now in Iraq has everything to do with patriotism and nationalism.
Former Iraqi vice premier Tariq Aziz used to say, before the US invasion, "Let our cities be our swamps and our buildings our jungles." Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, aka "Comical Ali", the unforgettable former minister of information, used to say Iraq would be "another Indochina". The guerrilla war strategy against what was considered an inevitable US invasion has been perfected in Iraq for years. And the master strategist was neither an Assyrian nor a Mesopotamian general, but the legendary Vo Nguyen Giap, the Vietnamese general who coordinated the victories against French colonialism and US meddling.
CHECK IT
Asia Times: THE ROVING EYE
Why the lessons of Vietnam do matter
HANOI - Just as it took a few years for the Americans to lose the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese, it took them only a few weeks to lose the hearts and minds of the majority of Iraqis - which ultimately means losing the war, whatever the strategic final result. Topographic denials - this is the Mesopotamian desert, not the Indochinese jungle - don't work, nor do denials saying that the Iraqis are not as politicized as the Vietnamese were by communism. These totally miss the point: as happened in Vietnam, what is happening now in Iraq has everything to do with patriotism and nationalism.
Former Iraqi vice premier Tariq Aziz used to say, before the US invasion, "Let our cities be our swamps and our buildings our jungles." Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, aka "Comical Ali", the unforgettable former minister of information, used to say Iraq would be "another Indochina". The guerrilla war strategy against what was considered an inevitable US invasion has been perfected in Iraq for years. And the master strategist was neither an Assyrian nor a Mesopotamian general, but the legendary Vo Nguyen Giap, the Vietnamese general who coordinated the victories against French colonialism and US meddling.
CHECK IT
USA
Guardian: Bush appoints anti-Muslim to peace role
A Middle East expert who has written dismissively of diplomacy and holds views to the right of the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, was yesterday named to the board of the US Institute of Peace.
The largely honorary appointment of Daniel Pipes, a gift of President George Bush, has outraged Democratic senators, American Muslims and Arabs, liberal Jews and a large portion of the academic community, who say his opinions are not conducive to peace.
The manner of Mr Pipe's appointment is likely to deepen the sting. Mr Bush exploited the summer recess to avoid a congressional vote on his selection. But as a recess appointment, Mr Pipes will serve less than 18 months rather than the normal four years.
Guardian: Bush appoints anti-Muslim to peace role
A Middle East expert who has written dismissively of diplomacy and holds views to the right of the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, was yesterday named to the board of the US Institute of Peace.
The largely honorary appointment of Daniel Pipes, a gift of President George Bush, has outraged Democratic senators, American Muslims and Arabs, liberal Jews and a large portion of the academic community, who say his opinions are not conducive to peace.
The manner of Mr Pipe's appointment is likely to deepen the sting. Mr Bush exploited the summer recess to avoid a congressional vote on his selection. But as a recess appointment, Mr Pipes will serve less than 18 months rather than the normal four years.
IRAQ
Independent: A war without end?
Any illusion that the occupation might be working lies in the ruins of the UN's HQ
More British soldiers are dead. The UN building is reduced to rubble. An oil pipeline is bombed. Water is cut off and the only law is that of the gun. No one can pretend the occupation is bringing peace and democracy. Yet the US, eager to blame 'foreign' terrorists, will not admit that Iraqi resistance is organised and growing
Independent: A war without end?
Any illusion that the occupation might be working lies in the ruins of the UN's HQ
More British soldiers are dead. The UN building is reduced to rubble. An oil pipeline is bombed. Water is cut off and the only law is that of the gun. No one can pretend the occupation is bringing peace and democracy. Yet the US, eager to blame 'foreign' terrorists, will not admit that Iraqi resistance is organised and growing
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