IRAQI RESISTANCE
AFP: US Forces Driven Out Of Iraq Town
HUWAIJAH, Iraq (AF) -- US forces Thursday withdrew from the town of Huwaijah, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north-east of Baghdad, due to repeated guerrilla attacks against them, a local official told AFP.
"The American forces based in the institute of technology in Huwaijah have left today to five kilometres (three miles) outside the town, near Bakara," a village between Huwaijah and al-Riyadh, said Atallah Iskandar Al-Juburi, a municipal council member.
Friday, October 10, 2003
IRAQ
GNN: U.S. troops are destroying houses and crops in an attempt to crush the resistance
Balad, Iraq) Mohammed Al-Awasari's shack was no match for the American M-113 armored personal carrier. In a matter of minutes, the APC's powerful tracks reduced his small shop in the village of Albu Hishma to a pile of rubble. The U.S. soldiers on this "PSYOPS" (psychological operations) mission deep inside Iraq's Sunni Triangle, were laughing, some were taking pictures to show back home, while the gathered villagers stood around and looked on helplessly.
Shopkeeper Mohammed was out of luck. The U.S. troops had decided to give him a break after he told them he wasn't responsible for the spray-painted pro-Saddam slogan on his shop's facade. But the Kurdish translator working with the Americans entered his shop and found a notebook in which Mohammed had apparently been practicing writing the very slogan on the wall outside: "Saddam is the heroic leader of a cowardly people. Saddam is the heroic leader of a cowardly people. Saddam..." Mohammed was given five minutes to clear out his produce before the APC went in.
Mohammed's shop was one of five houses in Albu Hishma that were partially destroyed on this day by the soldiers of the 1st Battalion 8th Infantry, stationed near the town of Balad. Several other villagers escaped the same fate by hurriedly covering up the anti-American graffiti with mud. Today's mission was part of a new, two-tiered approach to winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqis in this area, notorious for its stiff resistance against the U.S.-led
"I realize that today's mission in Albu Hishma doesn't exactly send the message that we are here to help them," Lt. Col. Sassaman said afterwards. "In fact, you could say that we are using some of the same tactics as Saddam's people did. But it does send the message that we will not be threatened by anyone. Keep in mind that our Battalion alone has had eleven wounded-in-action since we arrived here in June."
"Die USA verhalten sich wie Israel. Kreigsverbrechen inbegriffen. Schleppt Bush nach Den Haag."
"CHECK IT"
GNN: U.S. troops are destroying houses and crops in an attempt to crush the resistance
Balad, Iraq) Mohammed Al-Awasari's shack was no match for the American M-113 armored personal carrier. In a matter of minutes, the APC's powerful tracks reduced his small shop in the village of Albu Hishma to a pile of rubble. The U.S. soldiers on this "PSYOPS" (psychological operations) mission deep inside Iraq's Sunni Triangle, were laughing, some were taking pictures to show back home, while the gathered villagers stood around and looked on helplessly.
Shopkeeper Mohammed was out of luck. The U.S. troops had decided to give him a break after he told them he wasn't responsible for the spray-painted pro-Saddam slogan on his shop's facade. But the Kurdish translator working with the Americans entered his shop and found a notebook in which Mohammed had apparently been practicing writing the very slogan on the wall outside: "Saddam is the heroic leader of a cowardly people. Saddam is the heroic leader of a cowardly people. Saddam..." Mohammed was given five minutes to clear out his produce before the APC went in.
Mohammed's shop was one of five houses in Albu Hishma that were partially destroyed on this day by the soldiers of the 1st Battalion 8th Infantry, stationed near the town of Balad. Several other villagers escaped the same fate by hurriedly covering up the anti-American graffiti with mud. Today's mission was part of a new, two-tiered approach to winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqis in this area, notorious for its stiff resistance against the U.S.-led
"I realize that today's mission in Albu Hishma doesn't exactly send the message that we are here to help them," Lt. Col. Sassaman said afterwards. "In fact, you could say that we are using some of the same tactics as Saddam's people did. But it does send the message that we will not be threatened by anyone. Keep in mind that our Battalion alone has had eleven wounded-in-action since we arrived here in June."
"Die USA verhalten sich wie Israel. Kreigsverbrechen inbegriffen. Schleppt Bush nach Den Haag."
"CHECK IT"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Independent: Two US soldiers killed in ambush
Two US soldiers were killed and four were wounded in an ambush in Sadr City, Baghdad scene of yesterday's fatal car-bombing at an Iraqi police station.
The troops from the 1st Armored Division were on a routine patrol when the ambush occurred about 8 pm Thursday, the military said. No further details were available.
On Thursday, a suicide car bomber crashed a white Oldsmobile into a police station in Sadr City, killing himself, nine others and wounding as many as 45. Sadr City is the largest Shiite Muslim enclave in the city.
Independent: Two US soldiers killed in ambush
Two US soldiers were killed and four were wounded in an ambush in Sadr City, Baghdad scene of yesterday's fatal car-bombing at an Iraqi police station.
The troops from the 1st Armored Division were on a routine patrol when the ambush occurred about 8 pm Thursday, the military said. No further details were available.
On Thursday, a suicide car bomber crashed a white Oldsmobile into a police station in Sadr City, killing himself, nine others and wounding as many as 45. Sadr City is the largest Shiite Muslim enclave in the city.
Thursday, October 09, 2003
ISRAEL VS. SYRIA
World Tribune: Israel In Big Military Build-Up On Lebanon Border
TEL AVIV -- Israel's military has launched a build-up along the borders with Lebanon and Syria.
Israel's military has sent an additional artillery battery and summoned three battalions for the build-up in the north. The build-up was said to have been the largest in the area since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000.
Military sources said the mobilization was ordered by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who overruled a recommendation by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon. The sources said Ya'alon drafted plans for a more modest reinforcement in the north.
The Israeli military build-up came in wake of Hizbullah rocket and mortar attacks on civilian and military positions along the northern Israeli border on Monday and Tuesday. The sources said Mofaz intends to use the build-up to deter Hizbullah from continuing its attacks.
On Wednesday, Israel's military surrounded all Arab-populated cities in the West Bank and sliced the Gaza Strip into four areas. The sources said the measures were in response to 37 alerts of suicide and other Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilian targets.
World Tribune: Israel In Big Military Build-Up On Lebanon Border
TEL AVIV -- Israel's military has launched a build-up along the borders with Lebanon and Syria.
Israel's military has sent an additional artillery battery and summoned three battalions for the build-up in the north. The build-up was said to have been the largest in the area since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000.
Military sources said the mobilization was ordered by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who overruled a recommendation by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon. The sources said Ya'alon drafted plans for a more modest reinforcement in the north.
The Israeli military build-up came in wake of Hizbullah rocket and mortar attacks on civilian and military positions along the northern Israeli border on Monday and Tuesday. The sources said Mofaz intends to use the build-up to deter Hizbullah from continuing its attacks.
On Wednesday, Israel's military surrounded all Arab-populated cities in the West Bank and sliced the Gaza Strip into four areas. The sources said the measures were in response to 37 alerts of suicide and other Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilian targets.
ISRAEL
AFP: Israeli AF Gen Fired For Refusing To Strike Territories
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- An Israeli air force general who signed a petition refusing to take part in strikes in the Palestinian territories has been dismissed from his position as an instructor, Israeli media reported Wednesday.
Reserve Brigadier General Yiftah Spector was sacked from his post at the air force training academy by air force commander General Dan Halutz after refusing to retract his views, the reports said.
Spector was the most senior of the 27 pilots who signed the petition last month in which they said they no longer wanted "to obey illegal and immoral orders" and they refused "to take part in aerial raids against populated civilian centers" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
AFP: Israeli AF Gen Fired For Refusing To Strike Territories
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- An Israeli air force general who signed a petition refusing to take part in strikes in the Palestinian territories has been dismissed from his position as an instructor, Israeli media reported Wednesday.
Reserve Brigadier General Yiftah Spector was sacked from his post at the air force training academy by air force commander General Dan Halutz after refusing to retract his views, the reports said.
Spector was the most senior of the 27 pilots who signed the petition last month in which they said they no longer wanted "to obey illegal and immoral orders" and they refused "to take part in aerial raids against populated civilian centers" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
IRAQ
Reuters: US To Privatize Iraqi State-Owned Firms
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. civil administration in Iraq intends early next year to unveil a blueprint for privatizing Iraq's state-owned businesses in a quest to create a thriving capitalist economy, an official said on Wednesday.
Thomas Foley, director of private-sector development for the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, was bullish about getting Iraq's economy back on its feet, but said it was important that corruption be stamped out in Iraqi business.
"IRAQ OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Wer die Firmen aufkaufen wird sobald sie privatisiert worden sind ist wohl klar...bestimmt nicht die Iraker"
Reuters: US To Privatize Iraqi State-Owned Firms
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. civil administration in Iraq intends early next year to unveil a blueprint for privatizing Iraq's state-owned businesses in a quest to create a thriving capitalist economy, an official said on Wednesday.
Thomas Foley, director of private-sector development for the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, was bullish about getting Iraq's economy back on its feet, but said it was important that corruption be stamped out in Iraqi business.
"IRAQ OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Wer die Firmen aufkaufen wird sobald sie privatisiert worden sind ist wohl klar...bestimmt nicht die Iraker"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Reuters: Spanish Envoy Among 9 Dead in Twin Iraq Attacks
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Twin attacks in Baghdad killed a Spanish diplomat and at least eight Iraqis Thursday, exactly half a year since U.S. troops occupied the city.
A suicide car bomber crashed through the gates of a police station, killing at least three policemen and five civilians and wounding scores in the blast, Iraqi police said.
"It was definitely a suicide bomb," one policeman said at the scene. "We found the head of the attacker. It had been blown off his body. He was bearded, and his body was charred."
In another part of town, Jose Antonio Bernal, a Spanish air force sergeant attached to the embassy, was gunned down as he left his home. Spain has around 1,300 troops in Iraq and backed the U.S.-led war.
Reuters: Spanish Envoy Among 9 Dead in Twin Iraq Attacks
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Twin attacks in Baghdad killed a Spanish diplomat and at least eight Iraqis Thursday, exactly half a year since U.S. troops occupied the city.
A suicide car bomber crashed through the gates of a police station, killing at least three policemen and five civilians and wounding scores in the blast, Iraqi police said.
"It was definitely a suicide bomb," one policeman said at the scene. "We found the head of the attacker. It had been blown off his body. He was bearded, and his body was charred."
In another part of town, Jose Antonio Bernal, a Spanish air force sergeant attached to the embassy, was gunned down as he left his home. Spain has around 1,300 troops in Iraq and backed the U.S.-led war.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Reuters: Suicide bombing wounds Israeli in W.Bank
TULKARM, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian woman suicide bomber has blown herself up at an Israeli army checkpoint in the West Bank, wounding at least one Israeli, military sources say.
They said the attack took place near the Palestinian-ruled town of Tulkarm, close to West Bank boundary with central Israel.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which appeared to be the work of Palestinian militants waging a three-year-old uprising for independence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The bombing followed a similar attack by a Palestinian woman who blew herself up in a restaurant in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday, killing 19 people
Reuters: Suicide bombing wounds Israeli in W.Bank
TULKARM, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian woman suicide bomber has blown herself up at an Israeli army checkpoint in the West Bank, wounding at least one Israeli, military sources say.
They said the attack took place near the Palestinian-ruled town of Tulkarm, close to West Bank boundary with central Israel.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which appeared to be the work of Palestinian militants waging a three-year-old uprising for independence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The bombing followed a similar attack by a Palestinian woman who blew herself up in a restaurant in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday, killing 19 people
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Independent: 10 killed in police station suicide bombing
At least 10 people died after a suicide car bomber hit a police station in northeast Baghdad today.
The victims included two people in the bomber's car, three policemen and five civilians, police reported. A further 28 people were wounded.
Capt. Sean Kirley, of the 2nd Armored Cavalry, said the blast left a crater iabout 10 feet across and 4 feet deep.
Police Maj. Majid Abdel-Hameed said the car, a white Oldsmobile, was fired on after driving through the police compound gate. The bomb then detonated.
The attack happened just as 50 police officers were gathered in the yard to collect their pay in the Shiite Muslim slum known as Sadr City.
Independent: 10 killed in police station suicide bombing
At least 10 people died after a suicide car bomber hit a police station in northeast Baghdad today.
The victims included two people in the bomber's car, three policemen and five civilians, police reported. A further 28 people were wounded.
Capt. Sean Kirley, of the 2nd Armored Cavalry, said the blast left a crater iabout 10 feet across and 4 feet deep.
Police Maj. Majid Abdel-Hameed said the car, a white Oldsmobile, was fired on after driving through the police compound gate. The bomb then detonated.
The attack happened just as 50 police officers were gathered in the yard to collect their pay in the Shiite Muslim slum known as Sadr City.
USA
Spiegel: Howard Deans Guerilla-Wahlkampf im Web
Mittellos und gegen den Krieg: Eigentlich hatte Howard Dean im Kampf gegen George W. Bush keine Chance. Doch Hunderttausende Internetfreaks haben seine Wahlkampagne um das Amt des US-Präsidenten in eine Online-Party verwandelt - und damit die Polit-Werbung für immer verändert
Spiegel: Howard Deans Guerilla-Wahlkampf im Web
Mittellos und gegen den Krieg: Eigentlich hatte Howard Dean im Kampf gegen George W. Bush keine Chance. Doch Hunderttausende Internetfreaks haben seine Wahlkampagne um das Amt des US-Präsidenten in eine Online-Party verwandelt - und damit die Polit-Werbung für immer verändert
USA
Alternet: Mad in the USA
More than 1,000 people attended a rally a few weeks ago in Connecticut
to demand fair trade and denounce the sweatshop buying habits of big
retailers like Wal-Mart. The speakers were passionate, the crowd pumped. But this
rally differed from the usual fair trade gatherings in one key respect:
It was not organized by labor, student, or environmental groups. It was
organized by an alliance of small and mid-sized manufacturers.
"The major retailers and big manufacturers are doing us in," explained
rally-organizer Fred Tedesco, owner of Pa-Ted Spring Co. in Bristol.
"They're destroying small- and medium-sized businesses. They're
destroying jobs. They're destroying the middle class. . . That's the dirty secret
of this whole thing."
Giant retail chains like Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot, have been
muscling large manufacturers to move their factories overseas,
primarily to China.The company does so much business in China
that it ranks as the country's 8th largest trading partner, ahead of Britain
and Russia.
Alternet: Mad in the USA
More than 1,000 people attended a rally a few weeks ago in Connecticut
to demand fair trade and denounce the sweatshop buying habits of big
retailers like Wal-Mart. The speakers were passionate, the crowd pumped. But this
rally differed from the usual fair trade gatherings in one key respect:
It was not organized by labor, student, or environmental groups. It was
organized by an alliance of small and mid-sized manufacturers.
"The major retailers and big manufacturers are doing us in," explained
rally-organizer Fred Tedesco, owner of Pa-Ted Spring Co. in Bristol.
"They're destroying small- and medium-sized businesses. They're
destroying jobs. They're destroying the middle class. . . That's the dirty secret
of this whole thing."
Giant retail chains like Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot, have been
muscling large manufacturers to move their factories overseas,
primarily to China.The company does so much business in China
that it ranks as the country's 8th largest trading partner, ahead of Britain
and Russia.
ISRAEL
Washington Post: Israel Is Losing by Richard Cohen
I talked recently with an American who had just returned from more than
20 years in Israel. We did not talk for the record, so I will withhold his
name and what he does for a living. But I will say he is somewhat
well-known in Israel and that he loves it dearly but he has left,
probably permanently, because he cannot take life there any longer. He is a
nonstatistic -- a living victim of terrorism.
How many others there are like him I cannot say. He has the most
valuable of all commodities in this world, an American passport, and with much
regret and with questions about his courage, he used it to get out. His
business had gone to hell, his life was always in danger and he simply
could not take it any longer.
In the perpetual war against Israel, its enemies are winning. The
economy is awful. Parents do not want their children to go out. The beach is
presumed safe, but not a cafe or restaurant. A commute on a bus (I have
done it) is gut-wrenching. You watch everyone. What does a suicide
bomber look like? The last one, the one who blew up a Haifa restaurant, was a
29-year-old woman, a law school graduate. She killed Arab and Jew
alike. Even safe places are no longer safe. So I cannot blame Israel for
striking back. It assassinates Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders and militants. It
razes the homes of suicide bombers. It has Yasser Arafat bottled up and
may deport or kill him. It has bombed purported terrorist camps in Syria.
But nothing Israel has done has brought it peace and security.
If you read the Israeli press, the despair is palpable. To some,
especially those on the left, Israel has become virtually a dysfunctional society.
Washington Post: Israel Is Losing by Richard Cohen
I talked recently with an American who had just returned from more than
20 years in Israel. We did not talk for the record, so I will withhold his
name and what he does for a living. But I will say he is somewhat
well-known in Israel and that he loves it dearly but he has left,
probably permanently, because he cannot take life there any longer. He is a
nonstatistic -- a living victim of terrorism.
How many others there are like him I cannot say. He has the most
valuable of all commodities in this world, an American passport, and with much
regret and with questions about his courage, he used it to get out. His
business had gone to hell, his life was always in danger and he simply
could not take it any longer.
In the perpetual war against Israel, its enemies are winning. The
economy is awful. Parents do not want their children to go out. The beach is
presumed safe, but not a cafe or restaurant. A commute on a bus (I have
done it) is gut-wrenching. You watch everyone. What does a suicide
bomber look like? The last one, the one who blew up a Haifa restaurant, was a
29-year-old woman, a law school graduate. She killed Arab and Jew
alike. Even safe places are no longer safe. So I cannot blame Israel for
striking back. It assassinates Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders and militants. It
razes the homes of suicide bombers. It has Yasser Arafat bottled up and
may deport or kill him. It has bombed purported terrorist camps in Syria.
But nothing Israel has done has brought it peace and security.
If you read the Israeli press, the despair is palpable. To some,
especially those on the left, Israel has become virtually a dysfunctional society.
USA
Denverpost: Cronkite: The new Inquisition
President Bush's televised answer to the growing concerns of many - including some Republicans - about the powers granted to him in the USA Patriot Act was to ask for even stronger measures, particularly the expanded use of "nonjudicial subpoenas." That means a federal agency such as the FBI can write its own subpoenas to conduct a search - no judges needed.
Unfortunately, security and liberty form a zero-sum equation. The inevitable trade-off: To increase security is to decrease liberty and vice versa. In the past, such trade-offs have been temporary - for the duration of the crisis of the moment. But today, we cannot see an end to the War on Terrorism, and that forces us to decide how secure we have to be and how free we want to be.
By delivering the speech last week himself, Bush added presidential heft to the issue and took some of the heat off of his attorney general, who is seen by many as the heedless champion of security at any price.
Denverpost: Cronkite: The new Inquisition
President Bush's televised answer to the growing concerns of many - including some Republicans - about the powers granted to him in the USA Patriot Act was to ask for even stronger measures, particularly the expanded use of "nonjudicial subpoenas." That means a federal agency such as the FBI can write its own subpoenas to conduct a search - no judges needed.
Unfortunately, security and liberty form a zero-sum equation. The inevitable trade-off: To increase security is to decrease liberty and vice versa. In the past, such trade-offs have been temporary - for the duration of the crisis of the moment. But today, we cannot see an end to the War on Terrorism, and that forces us to decide how secure we have to be and how free we want to be.
By delivering the speech last week himself, Bush added presidential heft to the issue and took some of the heat off of his attorney general, who is seen by many as the heedless champion of security at any price.
IRAQ
NY Post: AWOL STATE OF MIND: CALLS FROM SOLDIERS DESPERATE TO LEAVE IRAQ FLOOD HOTLINE
Morale among some war-weary GIs in Iraq is so low that a growing number of soldiers - including some now home on R&R - are researching the consequences of going AWOL, according to a leading support group.
The GI Rights Hotline, a national soldiers' support service, has logged a 75 percent increase in calls in the last 12 weeks, with more than 100 of those calls from soldiers, or people on their behalf, asking about the penalties associated with going AWOL - "absent without leave" - according to volunteers and staffers who man the service
NY Post: AWOL STATE OF MIND: CALLS FROM SOLDIERS DESPERATE TO LEAVE IRAQ FLOOD HOTLINE
Morale among some war-weary GIs in Iraq is so low that a growing number of soldiers - including some now home on R&R - are researching the consequences of going AWOL, according to a leading support group.
The GI Rights Hotline, a national soldiers' support service, has logged a 75 percent increase in calls in the last 12 weeks, with more than 100 of those calls from soldiers, or people on their behalf, asking about the penalties associated with going AWOL - "absent without leave" - according to volunteers and staffers who man the service
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Al-Jazeera: Resistance attacks continue in north Iraq
A US military vehicle has been destroyed in one of several attacks against occupation forces in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
The vehicle was destroyed when an explosive device blew up on a road 35km west of Kirkuk late on Tuesday, according to police and witnesses.
The oil-rich city itself was rocked by a series of explosions.
A mortar bomb was fired against a building used by US troops and local police without causing casualties, according to a local emergency police commander.
Al-Jazeera: Resistance attacks continue in north Iraq
A US military vehicle has been destroyed in one of several attacks against occupation forces in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
The vehicle was destroyed when an explosive device blew up on a road 35km west of Kirkuk late on Tuesday, according to police and witnesses.
The oil-rich city itself was rocked by a series of explosions.
A mortar bomb was fired against a building used by US troops and local police without causing casualties, according to a local emergency police commander.
IRAQ
Cinncenati Post: 'Weekend Warriors'Paying Price In Iraq
WASHINGTON -- The war on terrorism is setting historic - but not always welcome - benchmarks for America's weekend warriors, especially the men and women of the Army's National Guard and Reserve.
For the first time since World War II an infantry battalion of the New York National Guard has been mobilized for combat. About 640 men and women of the 27th Infantry Brigade got word in late September that they will be heading to Iraq this winter after training in northern New York.
The 3,500 North Carolina National Guard troops preparing for duty in Iraq represent the largest contingent from that state to be mobilized for combat since World War II.
AFP: Iraqi Shiite Leader - US Troops Must Leave ASAP
TEHRAN (AFP) - The head of Iraq's top Shiite political party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said Wednesday that any new UN resolution needs to take into account demands that US troops quit the country as soon as possible.
"There is international pressure on the US to withdraw its forces from Iraq, and there are demands for the US to be clear on a withdrawal date. So of course we are with the international community to shorten the occupation in Iraq," Abdel Aziz al-Hakim told AFP in an interview
Cinncenati Post: 'Weekend Warriors'Paying Price In Iraq
WASHINGTON -- The war on terrorism is setting historic - but not always welcome - benchmarks for America's weekend warriors, especially the men and women of the Army's National Guard and Reserve.
For the first time since World War II an infantry battalion of the New York National Guard has been mobilized for combat. About 640 men and women of the 27th Infantry Brigade got word in late September that they will be heading to Iraq this winter after training in northern New York.
The 3,500 North Carolina National Guard troops preparing for duty in Iraq represent the largest contingent from that state to be mobilized for combat since World War II.
AFP: Iraqi Shiite Leader - US Troops Must Leave ASAP
TEHRAN (AFP) - The head of Iraq's top Shiite political party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said Wednesday that any new UN resolution needs to take into account demands that US troops quit the country as soon as possible.
"There is international pressure on the US to withdraw its forces from Iraq, and there are demands for the US to be clear on a withdrawal date. So of course we are with the international community to shorten the occupation in Iraq," Abdel Aziz al-Hakim told AFP in an interview
MARC RICH
Worldnewsdaily: Clintons' Pardoned Buddy Spied For Israel
President Clinton's close friend, a billionaire and fugitive from justice, was a top Mossad source - and could wreck plans by Hillary Clinton if she decides to run for the presidency.
Billionaire fugitive Marc Rich, a close personal friend of President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, was one of the most important high-level contacts Mossad had in the United States.
The revelations, published here for the first time, could be a serious blow for Hillary Clinton's plans to run for the presidency.
Today Rich, a Belgian-born Jew who has taken Spanish nationality, lives in Switzerland under heavy, armed-guard protection. There is no extradition treaty with the United States to enable him to be questioned by the FBI about his until now secret connection to Mossad.
In January 2000, his last day in office, Clinton pardoned Rich, a secretive commodities trader indicted in 1983 on charges of evading almost $50 million in taxes and illegally buying oil from Iran during the Tehran hostage crisis in 1979.
The question that will inevitably dog Hillary, if she runs for the presidency, will be how much did she and her husband even suspect about Rich's Israeli intelligence links.
An MI6 file covering the Clinton years in the White House reveals that Rich is also suspected of knowing the real identity of a top Mossad informer in the Clinton administration.
Worldnewsdaily: Clintons' Pardoned Buddy Spied For Israel
President Clinton's close friend, a billionaire and fugitive from justice, was a top Mossad source - and could wreck plans by Hillary Clinton if she decides to run for the presidency.
Billionaire fugitive Marc Rich, a close personal friend of President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, was one of the most important high-level contacts Mossad had in the United States.
The revelations, published here for the first time, could be a serious blow for Hillary Clinton's plans to run for the presidency.
Today Rich, a Belgian-born Jew who has taken Spanish nationality, lives in Switzerland under heavy, armed-guard protection. There is no extradition treaty with the United States to enable him to be questioned by the FBI about his until now secret connection to Mossad.
In January 2000, his last day in office, Clinton pardoned Rich, a secretive commodities trader indicted in 1983 on charges of evading almost $50 million in taxes and illegally buying oil from Iran during the Tehran hostage crisis in 1979.
The question that will inevitably dog Hillary, if she runs for the presidency, will be how much did she and her husband even suspect about Rich's Israeli intelligence links.
An MI6 file covering the Clinton years in the White House reveals that Rich is also suspected of knowing the real identity of a top Mossad informer in the Clinton administration.
ISRAEL
Islamonline: 'Nuclear Blackmail' Spared Israel Complete Rout In 1973
CAIRO, October 6 (IslamOnline.net) - The United States speedily established a direct air bridge with Israel during the October War in 1973 with Egypt after the Israeli army had threatened to use nuclear weapons to head off a complete rout by the Egyptian army, Israel's channel eight quoted a former ranking Israeli official as saying.
The Israeli channel aired on Saturday night, October 4, a documentary on the 1973 war, in which the then Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan said that the "Israeli nuclear blackmail" forced Washington to establish its air bridge in the battlefield.
Dayan met with senior Israeli army officers on October 8 to cast their votes on using nukes against the Egyptian army following the heavy losses sustained by the Israeli army in the first two days of operations.
The Israeli generals, however, were at odds, compelling Dayan to submit his proposal to the then prime minister, Golda Maier, who gave him the thumbs up, the channel added.
Islamonline: 'Nuclear Blackmail' Spared Israel Complete Rout In 1973
CAIRO, October 6 (IslamOnline.net) - The United States speedily established a direct air bridge with Israel during the October War in 1973 with Egypt after the Israeli army had threatened to use nuclear weapons to head off a complete rout by the Egyptian army, Israel's channel eight quoted a former ranking Israeli official as saying.
The Israeli channel aired on Saturday night, October 4, a documentary on the 1973 war, in which the then Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan said that the "Israeli nuclear blackmail" forced Washington to establish its air bridge in the battlefield.
Dayan met with senior Israeli army officers on October 8 to cast their votes on using nukes against the Egyptian army following the heavy losses sustained by the Israeli army in the first two days of operations.
The Israeli generals, however, were at odds, compelling Dayan to submit his proposal to the then prime minister, Golda Maier, who gave him the thumbs up, the channel added.
GLOBALISATION
ZMAG: The Global Benefits Of Equality by Joseph Stiglitz
The world should have a vested interest in resolving inequality, not just protecting its own, says Joseph Stiglitz
Picture yourself as a poor African farmer, scraping a living on a hectare or two. While you may not have heard of globalisation, you are affected by it:
you sell cotton, which will be woven into a shirt by a worker in Mauritius in a style designed by an Italian, to be worn by some well-off Parisian. You are better off than your grandfather, who relied on subsistence farming. But you are also the victim of globalisation, and the unfair global economic regime that has been crafted - and, in some cases, made increasingly unfair
- over the years.
The price of the cotton that you sell is so low because America spends up to $4bn a year subsidising its 25,000 farmers, encouraging them to produce more and more cotton - the subsidies even exceed the value of what they produce -and as they produce more, the price of cotton falls lower and lower.
Professor Joseph Stiglitz, of New York's Columbia University, was chairman of President Clinton's council of economic advisers, and from 1997 to 2000 was senior vice-president and chief economist of the World Bank. He was the co-winner of the 2001 Nobel prize in economic science
"CHECK IT"
ZMAG: The Global Benefits Of Equality by Joseph Stiglitz
The world should have a vested interest in resolving inequality, not just protecting its own, says Joseph Stiglitz
Picture yourself as a poor African farmer, scraping a living on a hectare or two. While you may not have heard of globalisation, you are affected by it:
you sell cotton, which will be woven into a shirt by a worker in Mauritius in a style designed by an Italian, to be worn by some well-off Parisian. You are better off than your grandfather, who relied on subsistence farming. But you are also the victim of globalisation, and the unfair global economic regime that has been crafted - and, in some cases, made increasingly unfair
- over the years.
The price of the cotton that you sell is so low because America spends up to $4bn a year subsidising its 25,000 farmers, encouraging them to produce more and more cotton - the subsidies even exceed the value of what they produce -and as they produce more, the price of cotton falls lower and lower.
Professor Joseph Stiglitz, of New York's Columbia University, was chairman of President Clinton's council of economic advisers, and from 1997 to 2000 was senior vice-president and chief economist of the World Bank. He was the co-winner of the 2001 Nobel prize in economic science
"CHECK IT"
AFGHANISTAN
ZMAG: Replacing one terrorist state with another by Sonali Kolhatkar
The US in Afghanistan
“If you harbor a terrorist, if you support a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists. And the Taliban found out what we meant,” U.S. President George W. Bush told military personnel in Fort Stewart, Ga., on Sept. 12.
But now all Afghans have found out what it means, as U.S.-backed warlords keep alive the Taliban’s legacy: Two years after the start of U.S. bombing to topple the Taliban, the United States is replacing the former terrorist state with yet another of its own design.
Less than a year away from planned elections in Afghanistan, U.N. Rapporteur Miloon Kothari accused U.S.-backed Afghan warlords of demolishing homes and grabbing land. Kothari named Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim and Education Minister Younis Qanooni as offenders, calling for their removal from office this Sept. 13. In a quick backpedal, however, the head of the U.N. in Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, said a day later that Kothari had gone too far in naming ministers. (1)
"CHECK IT"
ZMAG: Replacing one terrorist state with another by Sonali Kolhatkar
The US in Afghanistan
“If you harbor a terrorist, if you support a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists. And the Taliban found out what we meant,” U.S. President George W. Bush told military personnel in Fort Stewart, Ga., on Sept. 12.
But now all Afghans have found out what it means, as U.S.-backed warlords keep alive the Taliban’s legacy: Two years after the start of U.S. bombing to topple the Taliban, the United States is replacing the former terrorist state with yet another of its own design.
Less than a year away from planned elections in Afghanistan, U.N. Rapporteur Miloon Kothari accused U.S.-backed Afghan warlords of demolishing homes and grabbing land. Kothari named Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim and Education Minister Younis Qanooni as offenders, calling for their removal from office this Sept. 13. In a quick backpedal, however, the head of the U.N. in Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, said a day later that Kothari had gone too far in naming ministers. (1)
"CHECK IT"
ISRAEL VS. SYRIA
ZMAG: When at a loss, escalate by Gabriel Ash
Israel's attack on Syria
There is an old joke about a man who goes to the doctor with a running nose (this was before the era of nasal decongestants). The doctor tells him to dress lightly and walk a few hours in the rain. The bewildered patient presses for an explanation, and the doctor adds, "I cannot treat a running nose, but if you get pneumonia -- then I can give you antibiotics."
The meaning of Israel's attack on Syria is that the government of Israel is taking the same route as that doctor. Unable to repress the Palestinian struggle for liberation, Israel is now trying to transform it into a regional war, for which its army is better equipped. That spells more disaster for the whole Middle East, including Israel.
"CHECK IT"
ZMAG: When at a loss, escalate by Gabriel Ash
Israel's attack on Syria
There is an old joke about a man who goes to the doctor with a running nose (this was before the era of nasal decongestants). The doctor tells him to dress lightly and walk a few hours in the rain. The bewildered patient presses for an explanation, and the doctor adds, "I cannot treat a running nose, but if you get pneumonia -- then I can give you antibiotics."
The meaning of Israel's attack on Syria is that the government of Israel is taking the same route as that doctor. Unable to repress the Palestinian struggle for liberation, Israel is now trying to transform it into a regional war, for which its army is better equipped. That spells more disaster for the whole Middle East, including Israel.
"CHECK IT"
USA: CALIFORNIA RECALL
Interventionmagazine: Why Schwarzenegger Won
The Democrats messed up big-time in California, but Arnold had major help from a supposedly neutral media.
Democrats did it again -- blew an election they should have won easily.
In a super heavy Democratic state with a spoiler candidate to divide the Republican vote, the Democrats somehow managed to lose the California governorship. And decisively!
In both substance and message, the Democrats failed miserably. On the issue front, the Governor's raising of the car tax and allowing of drivers’ licenses to illegals -- that’s right, illegals, not "undocumented residents," not "guest workers," but illegal aliens -- became symbols of a Democratic government out of whack if not mind. As for message, the Party never hammered hard that Arnold was “scared to debate” -- the Terminator in hiding? -- and that he was confusing “Hollywood with California,” noting there are significant differences. The Democratic positions were weak and muddled so voters turned elsewhere, and that elsewhere was Arnold.
Interventionmagazine: Why Schwarzenegger Won
The Democrats messed up big-time in California, but Arnold had major help from a supposedly neutral media.
Democrats did it again -- blew an election they should have won easily.
In a super heavy Democratic state with a spoiler candidate to divide the Republican vote, the Democrats somehow managed to lose the California governorship. And decisively!
In both substance and message, the Democrats failed miserably. On the issue front, the Governor's raising of the car tax and allowing of drivers’ licenses to illegals -- that’s right, illegals, not "undocumented residents," not "guest workers," but illegal aliens -- became symbols of a Democratic government out of whack if not mind. As for message, the Party never hammered hard that Arnold was “scared to debate” -- the Terminator in hiding? -- and that he was confusing “Hollywood with California,” noting there are significant differences. The Democratic positions were weak and muddled so voters turned elsewhere, and that elsewhere was Arnold.
USA
Rense: FOIA Document Shows Navy Has Been Aware Of Problems Associated With DU Since 14 May 1984
This MSDS sheet (shown with 3 photos of documents) was released from the Department of the Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana, on 22 May 03 in response to a 2 April 03 Freedom of Information Act request by Glen Milner. The Material Safety Data Sheet, dated 14 May 1984, shows the Navy has been aware of many of the problems associated with depleted uranium since that time.
Glen Milner worked with other to expose that the US Navy has been firing 'depleted' uranium off the coast of Washington State. Sunny Miller interviewed Glen Milner on October 6, 2003. HEAR AUDIO (mp3) - 28 minutes.
"Die Amerikanische Regierung behauptet noch Heute, es bestehe keinerlei Gefaehrdung der Gesundheit durch DU-Munition"
Rense: FOIA Document Shows Navy Has Been Aware Of Problems Associated With DU Since 14 May 1984
This MSDS sheet (shown with 3 photos of documents) was released from the Department of the Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana, on 22 May 03 in response to a 2 April 03 Freedom of Information Act request by Glen Milner. The Material Safety Data Sheet, dated 14 May 1984, shows the Navy has been aware of many of the problems associated with depleted uranium since that time.
Glen Milner worked with other to expose that the US Navy has been firing 'depleted' uranium off the coast of Washington State. Sunny Miller interviewed Glen Milner on October 6, 2003. HEAR AUDIO (mp3) - 28 minutes.
"Die Amerikanische Regierung behauptet noch Heute, es bestehe keinerlei Gefaehrdung der Gesundheit durch DU-Munition"
PAKISTAN
Independent: Pakistani cities hit by riots after killing of Muslim leader
Violence erupted in two Pakistani cities yesterday, compounding the woes of Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler, just as he is under intensifying pressure from his neighbours and Washington to crush Islamist militancy.
The general's security forces were on alert last night amid fears of an explosion of bloodshed between Sunni and Shia Muslims after the assassination of Azam Tariq, the leader of a banned Sunni group and parliamentarian, on Monday.
Mr Tariq's supporters, many of them religious students, rampaged through the usually quiet capital, Islamabad, smashing cars and shop windows, and setting fire to a Shia shrine and one of the city's few cinemas. They also ran amok in Mr Tariq's stronghold, the city of Jhang in Punjab, where his body was flown by helicopter for burial. They burnt down a Shia mosque and destroyed a petrol station. Some 25,000 people gathered in a sports stadium to mourn his death; Shots rang out in the crowd
Independent: Pakistani cities hit by riots after killing of Muslim leader
Violence erupted in two Pakistani cities yesterday, compounding the woes of Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler, just as he is under intensifying pressure from his neighbours and Washington to crush Islamist militancy.
The general's security forces were on alert last night amid fears of an explosion of bloodshed between Sunni and Shia Muslims after the assassination of Azam Tariq, the leader of a banned Sunni group and parliamentarian, on Monday.
Mr Tariq's supporters, many of them religious students, rampaged through the usually quiet capital, Islamabad, smashing cars and shop windows, and setting fire to a Shia shrine and one of the city's few cinemas. They also ran amok in Mr Tariq's stronghold, the city of Jhang in Punjab, where his body was flown by helicopter for burial. They burnt down a Shia mosque and destroyed a petrol station. Some 25,000 people gathered in a sports stadium to mourn his death; Shots rang out in the crowd
MIDDLE EAST
Spiegel: Syrien droht Israel mit Militäreinsatz
Syrien will weitere Angriffe Israels auf sein Staatsgebiet nicht länger hinnehmen. Wenn nötig, will Damaskus auch das Militär einsetzen
Jerusalem/Madrid - "Wenn Israel Syrien ein, zwei und drei Mal angreift, wird natürlich das Volk Syriens und die Regierung Syriens und die Armee reagieren, um uns selbst zu verteidigen", sagte der syrische Botschafter in Spanien, Mohsen Bilal, der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters. Auf die Frage, ob eine Antwort militärisch sein würde, sagte er: "Auf jeden Fall."
Der syrische Präsident Baschar al-Assad warf der israelischen Führung vor, sie wolle die Region in einen neuen Nahost-Krieg ziehen. Syrien selbst sei zwar "keine Supermacht, aber auch kein schwaches Land", sagte er in einem Interview mit der arabischen Zeitung "Al-Hayat".
Spiegel: Syrien droht Israel mit Militäreinsatz
Syrien will weitere Angriffe Israels auf sein Staatsgebiet nicht länger hinnehmen. Wenn nötig, will Damaskus auch das Militär einsetzen
Jerusalem/Madrid - "Wenn Israel Syrien ein, zwei und drei Mal angreift, wird natürlich das Volk Syriens und die Regierung Syriens und die Armee reagieren, um uns selbst zu verteidigen", sagte der syrische Botschafter in Spanien, Mohsen Bilal, der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters. Auf die Frage, ob eine Antwort militärisch sein würde, sagte er: "Auf jeden Fall."
Der syrische Präsident Baschar al-Assad warf der israelischen Führung vor, sie wolle die Region in einen neuen Nahost-Krieg ziehen. Syrien selbst sei zwar "keine Supermacht, aber auch kein schwaches Land", sagte er in einem Interview mit der arabischen Zeitung "Al-Hayat".
USA: CALIFORNIA RECALL
GregPalast.com: Arnold Unplugged - It's Hasta la Vista to $9 Billion if the Governator is Selected"
CALIFORNIA LAY'D BY ARNOLD
According to a series of memoranda our office obtained today, Arnold Schwarzenegger's dalliance with boys in a hotel room just two years ago is every bit as scandalous as his manhandling of women during his career as celebrity he-man.
The wannabe governor has yet to deny that on May 17, 2001, at the Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles, he had consensual political intercourse with Enron chieftain Kenneth Lay. Also frolicking with Arnold and Ken was convicted stock swindler Mike Milken.
Now, thirty-four pages of internal Enron memoranda have just come through this reporter's fax machine tell all about the tryst between Maria's husband and the corporate con men. It turns out that
Schwarzenegger knowingly joined the hush-hush encounter as part of a campaign to sabotage a Davis-Bustamante plan to make Enron and other power pirates then ravaging California pay back the $9 billion in illicit profits they carried off.
Here's the story Arnold doesn't want you to hear. The biggest single threat to Ken Lay and the electricity lords is a private lawsuit filed last year under California's unique Civil Code provision 17200, the "Unfair Business Practices Act." This litigation, heading to trial now in Los Angeles, would make the power companies return the $9 billion they filched from California electricity and gas customers.
It takes real cojones to bring such a suit. Who's the plaintiff taking on the bad guys? Cruz Bustamante, Lieutenant Governor and reluctant leading candidate against Schwarzenegger.
Now follow the action. One month after Cruz brings suit, Enron's Lay calls an emergency secret meeting in L.A. of his political buck-buddies, including Arnold. Their plan, to undercut Davis (according to Enron memos) and "solve" the energy crisis -- that is, make the Bustamante legal threat go away.
KATHERINE HARRIS CALLS GREG PALAST, 'TWISTED.'
THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS, "WE HATE THAT SONOVABITCH."
BUT MICHAEL MOORE CALLS HIS REPORTING FOR BBC TELEVISION 'COURAGEOUS.' AND IN ENGLAND, TRIBUNE MAGAZINE CALLS HIM, " THE MOST IMPORTANT INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER OF OUR TIME."GREG PALAST IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY - SIX MONTHS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST … WHICH HE''LL SIGN RIGHT AFTER HIS TALK.FINALLY, THE BALTIMORE CHRONICAL HAS THIS TO SAY ABOUT PALAST," NO ONE HAS UNCOVERED MORE ABOUT THE BUSH DYNASTY THAN GREG PALAST … AND LIVED TO WRITE ABOUT IT…."
"CHECK IT CHECK IT CHECK IT"
GregPalast.com: Arnold Unplugged - It's Hasta la Vista to $9 Billion if the Governator is Selected"
CALIFORNIA LAY'D BY ARNOLD
According to a series of memoranda our office obtained today, Arnold Schwarzenegger's dalliance with boys in a hotel room just two years ago is every bit as scandalous as his manhandling of women during his career as celebrity he-man.
The wannabe governor has yet to deny that on May 17, 2001, at the Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles, he had consensual political intercourse with Enron chieftain Kenneth Lay. Also frolicking with Arnold and Ken was convicted stock swindler Mike Milken.
Now, thirty-four pages of internal Enron memoranda have just come through this reporter's fax machine tell all about the tryst between Maria's husband and the corporate con men. It turns out that
Schwarzenegger knowingly joined the hush-hush encounter as part of a campaign to sabotage a Davis-Bustamante plan to make Enron and other power pirates then ravaging California pay back the $9 billion in illicit profits they carried off.
Here's the story Arnold doesn't want you to hear. The biggest single threat to Ken Lay and the electricity lords is a private lawsuit filed last year under California's unique Civil Code provision 17200, the "Unfair Business Practices Act." This litigation, heading to trial now in Los Angeles, would make the power companies return the $9 billion they filched from California electricity and gas customers.
It takes real cojones to bring such a suit. Who's the plaintiff taking on the bad guys? Cruz Bustamante, Lieutenant Governor and reluctant leading candidate against Schwarzenegger.
Now follow the action. One month after Cruz brings suit, Enron's Lay calls an emergency secret meeting in L.A. of his political buck-buddies, including Arnold. Their plan, to undercut Davis (according to Enron memos) and "solve" the energy crisis -- that is, make the Bustamante legal threat go away.
KATHERINE HARRIS CALLS GREG PALAST, 'TWISTED.'
THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS, "WE HATE THAT SONOVABITCH."
BUT MICHAEL MOORE CALLS HIS REPORTING FOR BBC TELEVISION 'COURAGEOUS.' AND IN ENGLAND, TRIBUNE MAGAZINE CALLS HIM, " THE MOST IMPORTANT INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER OF OUR TIME."GREG PALAST IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY - SIX MONTHS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST … WHICH HE''LL SIGN RIGHT AFTER HIS TALK.FINALLY, THE BALTIMORE CHRONICAL HAS THIS TO SAY ABOUT PALAST," NO ONE HAS UNCOVERED MORE ABOUT THE BUSH DYNASTY THAN GREG PALAST … AND LIVED TO WRITE ABOUT IT…."
"CHECK IT CHECK IT CHECK IT"
USA: CALIFORNIA RECALL
Tagesanzeiger: Klarer Sieg für Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger wird Gouverneur im US-Bundesstaat Kalifornien. Nach Ausz?hlung von über 95 Prozent aller Wahlbezirke führt der Republikaner mit 47,6 Prozent aller abgegebenen Stimmen.
NY Times: Voters Voice Deep Dissatisfaction With Governor's Record
In an emphatic end to an extraordinary campaign, Californians voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to recall Gov. Gray Davis and chose as his replacement Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born bodybuilder and movie actor making his first run for office.
LA Times: Voters Recall Davis; Schwarzenegger's In
Arnold Schwarzenegger won the historic California recall election Tuesday as a tide of voter anger toppled Gray Davis just 11 months after the Democrat was reelected as governor.
In a popular revolt unmatched in the 92 years that Californians have held the power to recall elected officials, voters chose a Republican film star with no government experience to replace a Democrat steeped for three decades in state politics.
VIDEO: Schwarzenegger Speach
"bedauernswert"
Tagesanzeiger: Klarer Sieg für Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger wird Gouverneur im US-Bundesstaat Kalifornien. Nach Ausz?hlung von über 95 Prozent aller Wahlbezirke führt der Republikaner mit 47,6 Prozent aller abgegebenen Stimmen.
NY Times: Voters Voice Deep Dissatisfaction With Governor's Record
In an emphatic end to an extraordinary campaign, Californians voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to recall Gov. Gray Davis and chose as his replacement Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born bodybuilder and movie actor making his first run for office.
LA Times: Voters Recall Davis; Schwarzenegger's In
Arnold Schwarzenegger won the historic California recall election Tuesday as a tide of voter anger toppled Gray Davis just 11 months after the Democrat was reelected as governor.
In a popular revolt unmatched in the 92 years that Californians have held the power to recall elected officials, voters chose a Republican film star with no government experience to replace a Democrat steeped for three decades in state politics.
VIDEO: Schwarzenegger Speach
"bedauernswert"
MEDIA WATCH
realcities.com: DISINFORMED BY TV
A new study by the Program on International Policy Attitudes shows
that a majority of Americans have held at least one of three
mistaken impressions about the U.S.-led war in Iraq and those
misperceptions contributed to much of the popular support for the
war. The three common mistaken impressions are that: (1) U.S.
forces found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; (2) there's clear
evidence that Saddam Hussein worked closely with the 9/11
terrorists; and (3) people in foreign countries generally either
backed the U.S.-led war or were evenly split between supporting and
opposing it. The analysis released Thursday also correlated the
misperceptions with the primary news source of the mistaken
respondents and found that people who relied on television were
more likely than other respondents to believe at least one of the
three misperceptions - especially if their main news source was
Fox.
realcities.com: DISINFORMED BY TV
A new study by the Program on International Policy Attitudes shows
that a majority of Americans have held at least one of three
mistaken impressions about the U.S.-led war in Iraq and those
misperceptions contributed to much of the popular support for the
war. The three common mistaken impressions are that: (1) U.S.
forces found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; (2) there's clear
evidence that Saddam Hussein worked closely with the 9/11
terrorists; and (3) people in foreign countries generally either
backed the U.S.-led war or were evenly split between supporting and
opposing it. The analysis released Thursday also correlated the
misperceptions with the primary news source of the mistaken
respondents and found that people who relied on television were
more likely than other respondents to believe at least one of the
three misperceptions - especially if their main news source was
Fox.
PR WATCH
Editor&Publisher: MILLER TIME OUT
"On Sept. 29, a remarkable story appeared on the front page of The
New York Times," William E. Jackson, Jr. writes in Editor &
Publisher. Far down in the story there is a mea culpa for reporting
by the Times' Judith Miller on Iraq's supposed weapons of mass
destruction. Miller's stories relied heavily on information and
defectors provided by the Iraqi National Congress's Ahmad Chalabi.
"Miller is not a neutral, nor an objective journalist," Jackson
writes. "This can be acceptable, if you're a great reporter, "but
she ain't, and that's why she's a propagandist,'" a former Times
employee told Jackson. "One major rule that she consistently
violates, when she is not sharing a byline, is that of 'protecting
the paper's neutrality.' The editors know, of course, that she is
an ideological neo-conservative, close to the Bush administration
neo-cons, and thoroughly identified with them. She had called for
the overthrow of Saddam's regime in non-Times publications and had
also spoken out before the war in public speeches for which she was
paid," Jackson writes.
SOURCE: Editor & Publisher, October 2, 2003
Editor&Publisher: MILLER TIME OUT
"On Sept. 29, a remarkable story appeared on the front page of The
New York Times," William E. Jackson, Jr. writes in Editor &
Publisher. Far down in the story there is a mea culpa for reporting
by the Times' Judith Miller on Iraq's supposed weapons of mass
destruction. Miller's stories relied heavily on information and
defectors provided by the Iraqi National Congress's Ahmad Chalabi.
"Miller is not a neutral, nor an objective journalist," Jackson
writes. "This can be acceptable, if you're a great reporter, "but
she ain't, and that's why she's a propagandist,'" a former Times
employee told Jackson. "One major rule that she consistently
violates, when she is not sharing a byline, is that of 'protecting
the paper's neutrality.' The editors know, of course, that she is
an ideological neo-conservative, close to the Bush administration
neo-cons, and thoroughly identified with them. She had called for
the overthrow of Saddam's regime in non-Times publications and had
also spoken out before the war in public speeches for which she was
paid," Jackson writes.
SOURCE: Editor & Publisher, October 2, 2003
PR WATCH
CNN: BLAIR 'KNEW IRAQ WMD CLAIM WRONG'
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair privately admitted before the
Iraq war that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction
that could be used within 45 minutes, former Foreign Secretary
Robin Cook has claimed," CNN International reports. Cook resigned
his government post in protest of British involvement in Iraq. The
Sunday Times of London published excerpts of Cook's new book,
"Point of Departure," based on his diaries kept during the run-up
to war. Cook wrote in February that Blair "deliberately crafted a
suggestive phrasing which in the minds of many views must have
created an impression, and was designed to create the impression,
that British troops were going to Iraq to fight a threat from al
Qaeda."
SOURCE: CNN International, October 5, 2003
CNN: BLAIR 'KNEW IRAQ WMD CLAIM WRONG'
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair privately admitted before the
Iraq war that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction
that could be used within 45 minutes, former Foreign Secretary
Robin Cook has claimed," CNN International reports. Cook resigned
his government post in protest of British involvement in Iraq. The
Sunday Times of London published excerpts of Cook's new book,
"Point of Departure," based on his diaries kept during the run-up
to war. Cook wrote in February that Blair "deliberately crafted a
suggestive phrasing which in the minds of many views must have
created an impression, and was designed to create the impression,
that British troops were going to Iraq to fight a threat from al
Qaeda."
SOURCE: CNN International, October 5, 2003
PR WATCH
Bayarea.com: ARNOLD'S PR MUSCLE
"Throughout his career as a bodybuilder and action-movie star,
Arnold Schwarzenegger has shaped his public persona much as he once
sought to sculpt his champion muscles - with a domineering
determination," write Dion Nissenbaum and Eric Nalder. His
obsession with controlling his image goes even beyond the practices
of other Hollywood celebrities. "Arnold's entire career has been
manufactured," said Arthur Seidelman, who directed Schwarzenegger
in his first action film. "He is very much in control of his image
and has shaped that image every step of the way. He's a very
controlling, powerful force." During his campaign for public
office, his aides have been required to sign a five-page
confidentiality agreement and have run his electoral race like a
Hollywood publicity campaign, courting sycophantic interviews while
avoiding tough questions from journalists - even as questions mount
about the 15 women who have accused him of sexually harassing
behavior, former associates have said he admired Hitler's skills as
a propagandist, and journalist Greg Palast reports on a sweetheart
deal between the Governator and California's scandal-ridden utility
companies.
Bayarea.com: ARNOLD'S PR MUSCLE
"Throughout his career as a bodybuilder and action-movie star,
Arnold Schwarzenegger has shaped his public persona much as he once
sought to sculpt his champion muscles - with a domineering
determination," write Dion Nissenbaum and Eric Nalder. His
obsession with controlling his image goes even beyond the practices
of other Hollywood celebrities. "Arnold's entire career has been
manufactured," said Arthur Seidelman, who directed Schwarzenegger
in his first action film. "He is very much in control of his image
and has shaped that image every step of the way. He's a very
controlling, powerful force." During his campaign for public
office, his aides have been required to sign a five-page
confidentiality agreement and have run his electoral race like a
Hollywood publicity campaign, courting sycophantic interviews while
avoiding tough questions from journalists - even as questions mount
about the 15 women who have accused him of sexually harassing
behavior, former associates have said he admired Hitler's skills as
a propagandist, and journalist Greg Palast reports on a sweetheart
deal between the Governator and California's scandal-ridden utility
companies.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Bayarea:
Protests illustrate clash of cultures
BAGHDAD, Iraq - It was a minor incident, a small blip in the stream of events that are shaping the new, American-controlled Iraq.
But the confrontation that unfolded in central Baghdad on Sunday, pitting a few hundred former Iraqi army conscripts against U.S. military forces and the newly reconstituted Iraqi police, said much about the difficulties Americans face as occupiers of a country many of them barely understand.
By the time the morning-long standoff had ended and the protesters had drifted off, the American soldiers had succeeded in preventing any violence, but at the cost of something intangible yet vital to the longer-term success of the U.S. involvement in Iraq: good will.
Bayarea:
Protests illustrate clash of cultures
BAGHDAD, Iraq - It was a minor incident, a small blip in the stream of events that are shaping the new, American-controlled Iraq.
But the confrontation that unfolded in central Baghdad on Sunday, pitting a few hundred former Iraqi army conscripts against U.S. military forces and the newly reconstituted Iraqi police, said much about the difficulties Americans face as occupiers of a country many of them barely understand.
By the time the morning-long standoff had ended and the protesters had drifted off, the American soldiers had succeeded in preventing any violence, but at the cost of something intangible yet vital to the longer-term success of the U.S. involvement in Iraq: good will.
USA
Rense: Michael Moore:
Answers Please, Mr Bush
Dude, Where's My Country?
Michael Moore fired his opening salvo against George Bush and his rightwing cronies with his bestseller Stupid White Men. Now the president is in his sights again. In this second extract from his new book he asks his old enemy seven awkward questions...
I have seven questions for you, Mr Bush. I ask them on behalf of the 3,000 who died that September day, and I ask them on behalf of the American people. We seek no revenge against you. We want only to know what happened, and what can be done to bring the murderers to justice, so we can prevent any future attacks on our citizens.
1. Is it true that the Bin Ladens have had business relations with you and your family off and on for the past 25 years?
Most Americans might be surprised to learn that you and your father have known the Bin Ladens for a long time. What, exactly, is the extent of this relationship, Mr Bush? Are you close personal friends, or simply on-again, off-again business associates? Salem bin Laden - Osama's brother - first started coming to Texas in 1973 and later bought some land, built himself a house, and created Bin Laden Aviation at the San Antonio airfield.
The Bin Ladens are one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia. Their huge construction firm virtually built the country, from the roads and power plants to the skyscrapers and government buildings. They built some of the airstrips America used in your dad's Gulf war. Billionaires many times over, they soon began investing in other ventures around the world, including the US. They have extensive business dealings with Citigroup, General Electric, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and the Fremont Group.
According to the New Yorker, the bin Laden family also owns a part of Microsoft and the airline and defence giant Boeing. They have donated $2m to your alma mater, Harvard University, and tens of thousands to the Middle East Policy Council, a think-tank headed by a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Charles Freeman. In addition to the property they own in Texas, they also have real estate in Florida and Massachusetts. In short, they have their hands deep in our pants.
Unfortunately, as you know, Mr Bush, Salem bin Laden died in a plane crash in Texas in 1988. Salem's brothers - there are around 50 of them, including Osama - continued to run the family companies and investments.
After leaving office, your father became a highly paid consultant for a company known as the Carlyle Group - one of the nation's largest defence contractors. One of the investors in the Carlyle Group - to the tune of at least $2m - was none other than the Bin Laden family. Until 1994, you headed a company called CaterAir, which was owned by the Carlyle Group.
After September 11, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal both ran stories pointing out this connection. Your first response, Mr Bush, was to ignore it. Then your army of pundits went into spin control. They said, we can't paint these Bin Ladens with the same brush we use for Osama. They have disowned Osama! They have nothing to do with him! These are the good Bin Ladens.
And then the video footage came out. It showed a number of these "good" Bin Ladens - including Osama's mother, a sister and two brothers - with Osama at his son's wedding just six and a half months before September 11. It was no secret to the CIA that Osama bin Laden had access to his family fortune (his share is estimated to be at least $30m), and the Bin Ladens, as well as other Saudis, kept Osama and his group, al-Qaida, well funded.
You've gotten a free ride from the media, though they know everything I have just written to be the truth. They seem unwilling or afraid to ask you a simple question, Mr Bush: WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
In case you don't understand just how bizarre the media's silence is regarding the Bush-Bin Laden connections, let me draw an analogy to how the press or Congress might have handled something like this if the same shoe had been on the Clinton foot. If, after the terrorist attack on the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, it had been revealed that President Bill Clinton and his family had financial dealings with Timothy McVeigh's family, what do you think your Republican party and the media would have done with that one?
Do you think at least a couple of questions might have been asked, such as, "What is that all about?" Be honest, you know the answer. They would have asked more than a couple of questions. They would have skinned Clinton alive and thrown what was left of his carcass in Guantanamo Bay
"CHECK IT"
Rense: Michael Moore:
Answers Please, Mr Bush
Dude, Where's My Country?
Michael Moore fired his opening salvo against George Bush and his rightwing cronies with his bestseller Stupid White Men. Now the president is in his sights again. In this second extract from his new book he asks his old enemy seven awkward questions...
I have seven questions for you, Mr Bush. I ask them on behalf of the 3,000 who died that September day, and I ask them on behalf of the American people. We seek no revenge against you. We want only to know what happened, and what can be done to bring the murderers to justice, so we can prevent any future attacks on our citizens.
1. Is it true that the Bin Ladens have had business relations with you and your family off and on for the past 25 years?
Most Americans might be surprised to learn that you and your father have known the Bin Ladens for a long time. What, exactly, is the extent of this relationship, Mr Bush? Are you close personal friends, or simply on-again, off-again business associates? Salem bin Laden - Osama's brother - first started coming to Texas in 1973 and later bought some land, built himself a house, and created Bin Laden Aviation at the San Antonio airfield.
The Bin Ladens are one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia. Their huge construction firm virtually built the country, from the roads and power plants to the skyscrapers and government buildings. They built some of the airstrips America used in your dad's Gulf war. Billionaires many times over, they soon began investing in other ventures around the world, including the US. They have extensive business dealings with Citigroup, General Electric, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and the Fremont Group.
According to the New Yorker, the bin Laden family also owns a part of Microsoft and the airline and defence giant Boeing. They have donated $2m to your alma mater, Harvard University, and tens of thousands to the Middle East Policy Council, a think-tank headed by a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Charles Freeman. In addition to the property they own in Texas, they also have real estate in Florida and Massachusetts. In short, they have their hands deep in our pants.
Unfortunately, as you know, Mr Bush, Salem bin Laden died in a plane crash in Texas in 1988. Salem's brothers - there are around 50 of them, including Osama - continued to run the family companies and investments.
After leaving office, your father became a highly paid consultant for a company known as the Carlyle Group - one of the nation's largest defence contractors. One of the investors in the Carlyle Group - to the tune of at least $2m - was none other than the Bin Laden family. Until 1994, you headed a company called CaterAir, which was owned by the Carlyle Group.
After September 11, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal both ran stories pointing out this connection. Your first response, Mr Bush, was to ignore it. Then your army of pundits went into spin control. They said, we can't paint these Bin Ladens with the same brush we use for Osama. They have disowned Osama! They have nothing to do with him! These are the good Bin Ladens.
And then the video footage came out. It showed a number of these "good" Bin Ladens - including Osama's mother, a sister and two brothers - with Osama at his son's wedding just six and a half months before September 11. It was no secret to the CIA that Osama bin Laden had access to his family fortune (his share is estimated to be at least $30m), and the Bin Ladens, as well as other Saudis, kept Osama and his group, al-Qaida, well funded.
You've gotten a free ride from the media, though they know everything I have just written to be the truth. They seem unwilling or afraid to ask you a simple question, Mr Bush: WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
In case you don't understand just how bizarre the media's silence is regarding the Bush-Bin Laden connections, let me draw an analogy to how the press or Congress might have handled something like this if the same shoe had been on the Clinton foot. If, after the terrorist attack on the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, it had been revealed that President Bill Clinton and his family had financial dealings with Timothy McVeigh's family, what do you think your Republican party and the media would have done with that one?
Do you think at least a couple of questions might have been asked, such as, "What is that all about?" Be honest, you know the answer. They would have asked more than a couple of questions. They would have skinned Clinton alive and thrown what was left of his carcass in Guantanamo Bay
"CHECK IT"
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Spiegel: FBI überwies tausende Dollar an die Hamas
Die US-Bundespolizei hat nach Informationen der Nachrichtenagentur AP der palästinensischen Terrororganisation Hamas mehrfach Gelder für den Kampf gegen Israel überwiesen. Sinn der verdeckten Aktion soll gewesen sein, zu überprüfen, wie die Geldströme der Hamas für Terroraktionen fließen
"Neben dem FBI hat auch Israel die Hamas unterstützt, allerdings schon vor langer Zeit, um einen Gegenpol zur PLO von Arafat zu schaffen"
Spiegel: FBI überwies tausende Dollar an die Hamas
Die US-Bundespolizei hat nach Informationen der Nachrichtenagentur AP der palästinensischen Terrororganisation Hamas mehrfach Gelder für den Kampf gegen Israel überwiesen. Sinn der verdeckten Aktion soll gewesen sein, zu überprüfen, wie die Geldströme der Hamas für Terroraktionen fließen
"Neben dem FBI hat auch Israel die Hamas unterstützt, allerdings schon vor langer Zeit, um einen Gegenpol zur PLO von Arafat zu schaffen"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Spiegel: Commander A droht den USA
Das Selbstbewusstsein des irakischen Widerstands wächst. Guerilla-Führer prophezeien, Tausende seien bereit zu sterben, um die Amerikaner aus dem Land zu treiben. Auch zeichnet sich eine neue Strategie des Widerstands ab: Man wolle Gefangene machen, um sie gegen Guantanamo-Insassen auszutauschen.
Spiegel: Commander A droht den USA
Das Selbstbewusstsein des irakischen Widerstands wächst. Guerilla-Führer prophezeien, Tausende seien bereit zu sterben, um die Amerikaner aus dem Land zu treiben. Auch zeichnet sich eine neue Strategie des Widerstands ab: Man wolle Gefangene machen, um sie gegen Guantanamo-Insassen auszutauschen.
CHECHENYA
Telegraph: Rigged Chechen poll 'will lead to new war'
Russian officers fear a return to bloodshed following yesterday's
rigged
presidential elections in Chechnya, reports Julius Strauss in Grozny
The
Kremlin's support for the certain victor in Chechnya's presidential
elections held yesterday has brought the blood-stained republic to the
brink of a new civil war, according to Russian intelligence officers.
The poll, which has been widely described as a sham, was showcased by
President Vladimir Putin as evidence to the outside world that life in the
war-torn republic is returning to normal under Moscow's stewardship
"CHECK IT"
Telegraph: Rigged Chechen poll 'will lead to new war'
Russian officers fear a return to bloodshed following yesterday's
rigged
presidential elections in Chechnya, reports Julius Strauss in Grozny
The
Kremlin's support for the certain victor in Chechnya's presidential
elections held yesterday has brought the blood-stained republic to the
brink of a new civil war, according to Russian intelligence officers.
The poll, which has been widely described as a sham, was showcased by
President Vladimir Putin as evidence to the outside world that life in the
war-torn republic is returning to normal under Moscow's stewardship
"CHECK IT"
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Gulf News: Israel accused of starving West Bank
United Nations report which blames Israel for causing starvation in
Gaza and the West Bank has prompted a furious diplomatic row with the
Israeli government of Ariel Sharon. The leaked report by Jean Ziegler, a Swiss
sociologist and UN special envoy, blames Israel's security policies for
"collective punishment" of the Palestinians. Ziegler spent 10 days in
the occupied territories in July and was due to present his report to the
UN General Assembly in New York on November 18.
Furious Israeli officials, however, have denounced the report as
"highly political", saying that Ziegler had gone beyond his mandate. With
support from American diplomats at the UN, Israel has called for the report to
be rejected before it reaches the floor of the Assembly, and asked the UN
Human Rights Commission, for whom Ziegler was working as a food rights
specialist, to discipline him.
Gulf News: Israel accused of starving West Bank
United Nations report which blames Israel for causing starvation in
Gaza and the West Bank has prompted a furious diplomatic row with the
Israeli government of Ariel Sharon. The leaked report by Jean Ziegler, a Swiss
sociologist and UN special envoy, blames Israel's security policies for
"collective punishment" of the Palestinians. Ziegler spent 10 days in
the occupied territories in July and was due to present his report to the
UN General Assembly in New York on November 18.
Furious Israeli officials, however, have denounced the report as
"highly political", saying that Ziegler had gone beyond his mandate. With
support from American diplomats at the UN, Israel has called for the report to
be rejected before it reaches the floor of the Assembly, and asked the UN
Human Rights Commission, for whom Ziegler was working as a food rights
specialist, to discipline him.
AFGHANISTAN
Amnesty International: Afghanistan: No justice and security for women
The international community has failed to fulfil its promises to bring freedom and equality to the women of Afghanistan, Amnesty International said in a report released today.
"Nearly two years on, discrimination, violence, and insecurity remain rife, despite promises by world leaders, including President Bush and US Secretary of Sate Colin Powell, that the war in Afghanistan would bring liberation for women," the organization emphasized.
The new report "Afghanistan: No one listens to us and no one treats us as human beings. Justice denied to women" documents Afghan women's concerns about widespread domestic violence, forced marriage, and rape by armed groups. In some cases underage girls as young as eight years old are married to much older men.
"This situation is unacceptable and calls for urgent action," Amnesty International said.
"Was fuer eine Ueberraschung"
Amnesty International: Afghanistan: No justice and security for women
The international community has failed to fulfil its promises to bring freedom and equality to the women of Afghanistan, Amnesty International said in a report released today.
"Nearly two years on, discrimination, violence, and insecurity remain rife, despite promises by world leaders, including President Bush and US Secretary of Sate Colin Powell, that the war in Afghanistan would bring liberation for women," the organization emphasized.
The new report "Afghanistan: No one listens to us and no one treats us as human beings. Justice denied to women" documents Afghan women's concerns about widespread domestic violence, forced marriage, and rape by armed groups. In some cases underage girls as young as eight years old are married to much older men.
"This situation is unacceptable and calls for urgent action," Amnesty International said.
"Was fuer eine Ueberraschung"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Independent: Police flee as Saddam loyalists fuel city revolt
Iraqis shouting pro-Saddam Hussein slogans have staged an uprising in the important oil refining city of Baiji, burning down the mayor's office, fighting with American troops and forcing local police to flee.
About a thousand people, some holding pictures of Saddam Hussein, were in a stand-off with American troops last night, with tanks surrounding the police station in the city, 160 miles north of Baghdad.
"Was ist bloss mit den Arabern los...wir bomben sie zu Frieden und Demokratie und die sind noch nicht einmal dankbar"
Independent: Police flee as Saddam loyalists fuel city revolt
Iraqis shouting pro-Saddam Hussein slogans have staged an uprising in the important oil refining city of Baiji, burning down the mayor's office, fighting with American troops and forcing local police to flee.
About a thousand people, some holding pictures of Saddam Hussein, were in a stand-off with American troops last night, with tanks surrounding the police station in the city, 160 miles north of Baghdad.
"Was ist bloss mit den Arabern los...wir bomben sie zu Frieden und Demokratie und die sind noch nicht einmal dankbar"
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
CsMonitor:
Jerusalem's growing web of walls
Israelis are erecting a network of barriers in East Jerusalem after Years
of deadly attacks. The barrier is changing lives on both sides
JERUSALEM – Jamal Dirawi jolted awake to the thunder of fists pounding
his front door. 1 a.m. He shared a tired glance with his wife and got
dressed. This had happened before. In the weeks to come, it would
happen again.
That July night, Israeli border police arrested Mr. Dirawi and 15
others in his village for entering Israel illegally. Dirawi was born here, just
south of East Jerusalem. He was living here in 1967 when Israel declared the
area part of greater Jerusalem. The villagers weren't told until 1992. When
they applied for proper identification as Jerusalem residents, they were
denied, making them illegally present on land they had never left. Now they are
trapped.
CsMonitor:
Jerusalem's growing web of walls
Israelis are erecting a network of barriers in East Jerusalem after Years
of deadly attacks. The barrier is changing lives on both sides
JERUSALEM – Jamal Dirawi jolted awake to the thunder of fists pounding
his front door. 1 a.m. He shared a tired glance with his wife and got
dressed. This had happened before. In the weeks to come, it would
happen again.
That July night, Israeli border police arrested Mr. Dirawi and 15
others in his village for entering Israel illegally. Dirawi was born here, just
south of East Jerusalem. He was living here in 1967 when Israel declared the
area part of greater Jerusalem. The villagers weren't told until 1992. When
they applied for proper identification as Jerusalem residents, they were
denied, making them illegally present on land they had never left. Now they are
trapped.
ISRAEL VS. SYRIA
Infoshop.org: Israel's attack is a lethal step towards war in Middle East by Robert Fisk
Israel received the Green Light. It came from what is called the Syria Accountability Act, moving through the United States Congress with the help of Israel's supporters, that will impose sanctions on Damascus for its supposed enthusiasm for "terrorism" and occupation of Lebanon.
Speaker after speaker in the past week has been warning that Syria is the new - or old, or non-existent - threat previously represented by Iraq: that it has weapons of mass destruction, that it has biological warheads, that it received Iraq's non-existent weapons of mass destruction just before we began our illegal invasion of Iraq in March.
The Israeli lie about "thousands" of Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon has been uncloaked yet again. In reality, there hasn't been an Iranian militant in Lebanon for 20 years. But who cares? The dictatorial Syrian regime - and dictatorial it most decidedly is - has to be struck after a Jenin woman lawyer, who has probably never visited Damascus in her life, blows herself and 19 innocent Israelis up in Haifa.
And why not? If America can strike Afghanistan for the international crimes against humanity of 11 September 2001, when 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, and if America can invade Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with 11 September, why shouldn't Israel strike Syria?
"CHECK IT"
Infoshop.org: Israel's attack is a lethal step towards war in Middle East by Robert Fisk
Israel received the Green Light. It came from what is called the Syria Accountability Act, moving through the United States Congress with the help of Israel's supporters, that will impose sanctions on Damascus for its supposed enthusiasm for "terrorism" and occupation of Lebanon.
Speaker after speaker in the past week has been warning that Syria is the new - or old, or non-existent - threat previously represented by Iraq: that it has weapons of mass destruction, that it has biological warheads, that it received Iraq's non-existent weapons of mass destruction just before we began our illegal invasion of Iraq in March.
The Israeli lie about "thousands" of Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon has been uncloaked yet again. In reality, there hasn't been an Iranian militant in Lebanon for 20 years. But who cares? The dictatorial Syrian regime - and dictatorial it most decidedly is - has to be struck after a Jenin woman lawyer, who has probably never visited Damascus in her life, blows herself and 19 innocent Israelis up in Haifa.
And why not? If America can strike Afghanistan for the international crimes against humanity of 11 September 2001, when 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, and if America can invade Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with 11 September, why shouldn't Israel strike Syria?
"CHECK IT"
Monday, October 06, 2003
TSCHETSCHENIEN
Heise: Mysteriöser Kandidatenschwund
Noch bevor die Tschetschenen gestern einen Präsidenten wählen durften, hatte ihnen der russische Präsident Putin die Entscheidung abgenommen
Große Entscheidungen müssen die Tschetschenen bei ihren Wahlen nie treffen. Interessant an diesen Ereignissen ist immer das Spektakel darum herum. Bei den für den 5. Oktober anberaumten freien Wahlen eines Präsidenten erhielten die Bewohner der Kaukasus-Republik wieder einmal eine Lektion in Sachen putinschen Demokratieverständnisses.
Heise: Mysteriöser Kandidatenschwund
Noch bevor die Tschetschenen gestern einen Präsidenten wählen durften, hatte ihnen der russische Präsident Putin die Entscheidung abgenommen
Große Entscheidungen müssen die Tschetschenen bei ihren Wahlen nie treffen. Interessant an diesen Ereignissen ist immer das Spektakel darum herum. Bei den für den 5. Oktober anberaumten freien Wahlen eines Präsidenten erhielten die Bewohner der Kaukasus-Republik wieder einmal eine Lektion in Sachen putinschen Demokratieverständnisses.
SITE OF THE DAY 2
Check: http://y.20q.net:8095/
Das Ding errät was man denkt und ist ziemlich gut darin...respect
Check: http://y.20q.net:8095/
Das Ding errät was man denkt und ist ziemlich gut darin...respect
ISRAEL VS. SYRIA
Financial Times: Leitartikel: Radikalisierung in Nahost
Die Gewaltspirale in Nahost scheint kaum noch zu stoppen. Deshalb war es nach dem jüngsten blutigen Anschlag auf ein Familienrestaurant in Haifa nur eine Frage von Stunden, bis Israel reagieren würde.
Dass die Regierung von Ministerpräsident Ariel Scharon nach einem dreistündigen Kabinettstreffen indes Kampfjets über die syrische Grenze schickt, markiert dann doch eine neue Stufe der Eskalation. Scharon setzt damit den fatalen Weg fort, den er mit dem Beschluss, Arafat auszuweisen, eingeschlagen hat.
Wo angesichts des totgesagten Friedensprozesses neue Wege zu einer Waffenruhe gefragt sind, baut der israelische Ministerpräsident nur weitere Hürden für den Frieden auf, wenn er nun die arabischen Nachbarn ins Visier nimmt. Mit dem Übergriff auf syrisches Gebiet verabschiedet sich Scharon de facto weiter von der Diplomatie und setzt auf militärischen Druck.
Israel mag betonen, der Angriff richte sich nicht gegen Syrien. Die syrische Regierung, die wegen ihrer Unterstützung für die Terrorgruppen durchaus eine zweifelhafte Rolle im Nahost-Konflikt spielt, muss die Aktion dennoch so verstehen. Der Übergriff ist die erste vergleichbare Grenzverletzung seit Jahrzehnten.
Financial Times: Leitartikel: Radikalisierung in Nahost
Die Gewaltspirale in Nahost scheint kaum noch zu stoppen. Deshalb war es nach dem jüngsten blutigen Anschlag auf ein Familienrestaurant in Haifa nur eine Frage von Stunden, bis Israel reagieren würde.
Dass die Regierung von Ministerpräsident Ariel Scharon nach einem dreistündigen Kabinettstreffen indes Kampfjets über die syrische Grenze schickt, markiert dann doch eine neue Stufe der Eskalation. Scharon setzt damit den fatalen Weg fort, den er mit dem Beschluss, Arafat auszuweisen, eingeschlagen hat.
Wo angesichts des totgesagten Friedensprozesses neue Wege zu einer Waffenruhe gefragt sind, baut der israelische Ministerpräsident nur weitere Hürden für den Frieden auf, wenn er nun die arabischen Nachbarn ins Visier nimmt. Mit dem Übergriff auf syrisches Gebiet verabschiedet sich Scharon de facto weiter von der Diplomatie und setzt auf militärischen Druck.
Israel mag betonen, der Angriff richte sich nicht gegen Syrien. Die syrische Regierung, die wegen ihrer Unterstützung für die Terrorgruppen durchaus eine zweifelhafte Rolle im Nahost-Konflikt spielt, muss die Aktion dennoch so verstehen. Der Übergriff ist die erste vergleichbare Grenzverletzung seit Jahrzehnten.
ISRAEL VS. SYRIA
Independent: Israel launches strikes on Syria in retaliation for bomb attack
In a potentially dangerous widening of the Middle East conflict, Israel carried out air strikes yesterday near Damascus, the deepest attack inside Syria for 30 years.
Israel claimed the target of its attack was a training camp used by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, and said the air strike was in retaliation for a suicide bombing by Islamic Jihad which killed 19 people, four of them children, in a restaurant in Haifa on Saturday.
The air strike on Syria was the first time since the start of the intifada three years ago that the conflict has spread beyond Israel and the borders of the occupied territories.
Independent: Israel launches strikes on Syria in retaliation for bomb attack
In a potentially dangerous widening of the Middle East conflict, Israel carried out air strikes yesterday near Damascus, the deepest attack inside Syria for 30 years.
Israel claimed the target of its attack was a training camp used by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, and said the air strike was in retaliation for a suicide bombing by Islamic Jihad which killed 19 people, four of them children, in a restaurant in Haifa on Saturday.
The air strike on Syria was the first time since the start of the intifada three years ago that the conflict has spread beyond Israel and the borders of the occupied territories.
ISRAEL VS. SYRIA
Tagesanzeiger: Syrien fordert klares Signal
Der Uno-Sicherheitsrat hat in der Nacht zum Montag die Abstimmung über eine Resolution vertagt, mit der auf Wunsch Syriens der israelische Luftangriff auf syrisches Territorium verurteilt werden soll.
"Israel wird nicht verurteilt, die USA legen ihr Veto ein...Israel schützt sich schliesslich nur gegen Terroristen."
Tagesanzeiger: Syrien fordert klares Signal
Der Uno-Sicherheitsrat hat in der Nacht zum Montag die Abstimmung über eine Resolution vertagt, mit der auf Wunsch Syriens der israelische Luftangriff auf syrisches Territorium verurteilt werden soll.
"Israel wird nicht verurteilt, die USA legen ihr Veto ein...Israel schützt sich schliesslich nur gegen Terroristen."
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Voanews: Attacks on US Troops in Iraq Becoming More Lethal, says US Commander
The commander of the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq says the guerrilla-style attacks on his soldiers are becoming more lethal. Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez spoke at a Baghdad news conference Thursday.
General Sanchez says Iraq remains a dangerous and unpredictable war zone five months after major combat operations ended.
He said anti-coalition fighters, including foreign militants, terrorists and Saddam Hussein loyalists, have been inflicting nearly 50 casualties a week on U.S. forces, including three to six U.S. soldiers killed in action on an average week.
Voanews: Attacks on US Troops in Iraq Becoming More Lethal, says US Commander
The commander of the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq says the guerrilla-style attacks on his soldiers are becoming more lethal. Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez spoke at a Baghdad news conference Thursday.
General Sanchez says Iraq remains a dangerous and unpredictable war zone five months after major combat operations ended.
He said anti-coalition fighters, including foreign militants, terrorists and Saddam Hussein loyalists, have been inflicting nearly 50 casualties a week on U.S. forces, including three to six U.S. soldiers killed in action on an average week.
USA VS. VENEZUELA
Democracy Now: Hugo Chavez Says U.S. is Harboring “Terrorists” Plotting to Assassinate Him
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last week called on the United States to crack down on what he described as Cuban and Venezuelan terrorists training in Florida to kill him.
Last week Chavez canceled a planned trip to the United States because of security threats.
Meanwhile a recent report in US News and World Reports tiled “Terror Close to Home” charges that Venezuela is emerging as “a potential hub of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.” The article claims Chavez has provided assistance to Islamic fundamentalists.
The magazine claims that Venezuela has given social security-like cards to thousands of foreigners including many from Middle Eastern nations including Syria, Pakistan, Egypt and Lebanon. The U.S. government has warned that by giving out these ID documents, terrorists could more easily obtain Venezuelan passports and U.S. visas.
US News and World Reports also claims that US intelligence officials are investigating whether a Venezuelan of Arab descent named Hakim Mamad al Diab Fatah had ties to any of the Sept. 11 hijackers. One official described him as a person of interest.
The article goes on to claim close ties between Chavez’s government and the Columbian rebel group FARC.
Democracy Now: Hugo Chavez Says U.S. is Harboring “Terrorists” Plotting to Assassinate Him
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last week called on the United States to crack down on what he described as Cuban and Venezuelan terrorists training in Florida to kill him.
Last week Chavez canceled a planned trip to the United States because of security threats.
Meanwhile a recent report in US News and World Reports tiled “Terror Close to Home” charges that Venezuela is emerging as “a potential hub of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.” The article claims Chavez has provided assistance to Islamic fundamentalists.
The magazine claims that Venezuela has given social security-like cards to thousands of foreigners including many from Middle Eastern nations including Syria, Pakistan, Egypt and Lebanon. The U.S. government has warned that by giving out these ID documents, terrorists could more easily obtain Venezuelan passports and U.S. visas.
US News and World Reports also claims that US intelligence officials are investigating whether a Venezuelan of Arab descent named Hakim Mamad al Diab Fatah had ties to any of the Sept. 11 hijackers. One official described him as a person of interest.
The article goes on to claim close ties between Chavez’s government and the Columbian rebel group FARC.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Guardian: Israeli Troops Open Fire at Coffee Shop
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli troops raided a West Bank coffee shop filled with men playing cards Friday morning, wounding three and arresting more than a dozen others during a search for fugitives, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli army said its soldiers fired at three men who had ignored orders to halt.
Two of the wounded were electricians doing repair work.
Military officials said troops did not fire into the coffee shop. An Associated Press reporter counted eight bullet holes in the windows of the coffee shop and 11 more inside, and saw glass shards on the floor.
The raid came hours before Israel announced it was sealing off the West Bank and Gaza Strip - keeping about 3 million Palestinians from entering Israel and preventing Palestinian residents of the West Bank from leaving their communities. The closure was part of an effort to prevent militant attacks on Israelis over the Yom Kippur holiday beginning Sunday evening.
Guardian: Israeli Troops Open Fire at Coffee Shop
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli troops raided a West Bank coffee shop filled with men playing cards Friday morning, wounding three and arresting more than a dozen others during a search for fugitives, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli army said its soldiers fired at three men who had ignored orders to halt.
Two of the wounded were electricians doing repair work.
Military officials said troops did not fire into the coffee shop. An Associated Press reporter counted eight bullet holes in the windows of the coffee shop and 11 more inside, and saw glass shards on the floor.
The raid came hours before Israel announced it was sealing off the West Bank and Gaza Strip - keeping about 3 million Palestinians from entering Israel and preventing Palestinian residents of the West Bank from leaving their communities. The closure was part of an effort to prevent militant attacks on Israelis over the Yom Kippur holiday beginning Sunday evening.
WAR ON TERROR
Guardian: Briton held as terror suspect says CIA threatened torture
First account of US methods from UK detainee
A British businessman arrested as a suspected terrorist has told the Guardian that US agents threatened him with beatings and rape in an attempt to break him.
Wahab al-Rawi, 38, was denied a lawyer, held incommunicado for four weeks in Gambia, and repeatedly questioned by CIA agents before being released without charge. His account is the first from any Briton about their treatment by the US while held as a suspect in the two year "war on terror".
Speaking publicly for the first time, Mr Rawi, 38, said:
· CIA agents twice threatened him with torture if he did not cooperate;
· He was subjected to sleep deprivation, with lights permanently kept on in his cell;
· During his interrogation, material from British intelligence interviews with an alleged extremist detained in London were put to him.
"Check It"
Guardian: Briton held as terror suspect says CIA threatened torture
First account of US methods from UK detainee
A British businessman arrested as a suspected terrorist has told the Guardian that US agents threatened him with beatings and rape in an attempt to break him.
Wahab al-Rawi, 38, was denied a lawyer, held incommunicado for four weeks in Gambia, and repeatedly questioned by CIA agents before being released without charge. His account is the first from any Briton about their treatment by the US while held as a suspect in the two year "war on terror".
Speaking publicly for the first time, Mr Rawi, 38, said:
· CIA agents twice threatened him with torture if he did not cooperate;
· He was subjected to sleep deprivation, with lights permanently kept on in his cell;
· During his interrogation, material from British intelligence interviews with an alleged extremist detained in London were put to him.
"Check It"
ISRAEL
Independent: This obscene wall will end all hope of peace
Call it "a wall", "a fence", "a boundary" or even just "a barrier" if you want, but however you describe it, the "security fence" the Israelis are erecting around Palestinian territory marks the end of hopes of a negotiated Middle East settlement.
Independent: This obscene wall will end all hope of peace
Call it "a wall", "a fence", "a boundary" or even just "a barrier" if you want, but however you describe it, the "security fence" the Israelis are erecting around Palestinian territory marks the end of hopes of a negotiated Middle East settlement.
MEDIA IRAK
Guardian: The war on al-Jazeera
The US is determined to suppress the independent Arab media
When my husband decided to go to Baghdad, he knew that I would protest. He told me that I was exaggerating the risks; that there was nothing to be afraid of because he was a reporter, an objective witness, neither on this nor that side, and because of that was protected by world protocol. He bid us farewell, apologising for having been so busy. He promised to make it up to me and our daughter, Fatimah, when he returned.
Tareq left for al-Jazeera's Baghdad office on April 5. He called me when he arrived - the journey was hellish, he said. He sounded exhausted, because he was sleeping only three hours a day, between shifts. Back home in Jordan, our life wasn't any better; we could hardly sleep and sat mesmerised in front of the TV waiting for Tareq to appear in a live report so we'd know he was OK.
Guardian: The war on al-Jazeera
The US is determined to suppress the independent Arab media
When my husband decided to go to Baghdad, he knew that I would protest. He told me that I was exaggerating the risks; that there was nothing to be afraid of because he was a reporter, an objective witness, neither on this nor that side, and because of that was protected by world protocol. He bid us farewell, apologising for having been so busy. He promised to make it up to me and our daughter, Fatimah, when he returned.
Tareq left for al-Jazeera's Baghdad office on April 5. He called me when he arrived - the journey was hellish, he said. He sounded exhausted, because he was sleeping only three hours a day, between shifts. Back home in Jordan, our life wasn't any better; we could hardly sleep and sat mesmerised in front of the TV waiting for Tareq to appear in a live report so we'd know he was OK.
MEDIA WATCH
Guardian: Why isn't the truth out there?
The willingness of journalists to accepts the establishment's view of the events of, and after, 9/11 is truly staggering, says Paul Donovan
One of the major weaknesses of journalism today is how easily some are seduced by power. The premier role of the journalist should be as a check on power, however, many seem to turn this dictum on its head and get greater job satisfaction as parrots of the official truth.
Nowhere is this tendency more prevalent than amongst Parliamentary lobby correspondents in Westminster. It has been the supine nature of many of these individuals that has allowed the likes of Alastair Campbell and co to become so powerful in spinning their version of events to the wider world.
There is much rubbish talked about spin when what it really amounts to is putting an emphasis on a story that is favourable to a valued contact and acceptable to the owner of the media organisation concerned. The easiest spinning comes of course when the interests of the source and the owner coincide.
"CHECK IT"
Guardian: Why isn't the truth out there?
The willingness of journalists to accepts the establishment's view of the events of, and after, 9/11 is truly staggering, says Paul Donovan
One of the major weaknesses of journalism today is how easily some are seduced by power. The premier role of the journalist should be as a check on power, however, many seem to turn this dictum on its head and get greater job satisfaction as parrots of the official truth.
Nowhere is this tendency more prevalent than amongst Parliamentary lobby correspondents in Westminster. It has been the supine nature of many of these individuals that has allowed the likes of Alastair Campbell and co to become so powerful in spinning their version of events to the wider world.
There is much rubbish talked about spin when what it really amounts to is putting an emphasis on a story that is favourable to a valued contact and acceptable to the owner of the media organisation concerned. The easiest spinning comes of course when the interests of the source and the owner coincide.
"CHECK IT"
IRAQ
Guardian: A land ruled by chaos
Award-winning writer Suzanne Goldenberg returns to Iraq, from where she reported on Saddam's fall. But in place of the promised peace she finds a country where lawlessness, violence and fear have filled the void
"CHECK IT"
Guardian: A land ruled by chaos
Award-winning writer Suzanne Goldenberg returns to Iraq, from where she reported on Saddam's fall. But in place of the promised peace she finds a country where lawlessness, violence and fear have filled the void
"CHECK IT"
MEDIA WATCH
Asia Times: We report, you get it wrong By Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - The more commercial television news you watch, the more wrong you are likely to be about key elements of the Iraq War and its aftermath, according to a major new study released in Washington on Thursday.
And the more you watch the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News channel, in particular, the more likely it is that your perceptions about the war are wrong, adds the report by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).
Based on several nationwide surveys it conducted with California-based Knowledge Networks since June, as well as the results of other polls, PIPA found that 48 percent of the public believe US troops found evidence of close pre-war links between Iraq and the al-Qaeda terrorist group; 22 percent thought troops found weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq; and 25 percent believed that world public opinion favored Washington's going to war with Iraq. All three are misperceptions.
The report, Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War, also found that the more misperceptions held by the respondent, the more likely it was that s/he both supported the war and depended on commercial television for news about it.
Asia Times: We report, you get it wrong By Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - The more commercial television news you watch, the more wrong you are likely to be about key elements of the Iraq War and its aftermath, according to a major new study released in Washington on Thursday.
And the more you watch the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News channel, in particular, the more likely it is that your perceptions about the war are wrong, adds the report by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).
Based on several nationwide surveys it conducted with California-based Knowledge Networks since June, as well as the results of other polls, PIPA found that 48 percent of the public believe US troops found evidence of close pre-war links between Iraq and the al-Qaeda terrorist group; 22 percent thought troops found weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq; and 25 percent believed that world public opinion favored Washington's going to war with Iraq. All three are misperceptions.
The report, Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War, also found that the more misperceptions held by the respondent, the more likely it was that s/he both supported the war and depended on commercial television for news about it.
USA
Jerusalem Post: Pentagon jihadis
The recent arrest of two Muslim military personnel, James Yee and Ahmad al-Halabi, on suspicion of aiding al-Qaida prisoners at Guantanamo Bay (with another three Muslim servicemen under watch) seemed to prompt much surprise. It should not have.
It has been obvious for months that Islamists who despise the US have penetrated American prisons, law enforcement, and armed forces.
A milestone Wall Street Journal article in February 2003 established that imams who consider Osama bin Laden "a hero of Allah" dominate the Islamic chaplaincy in the New York State prison system.
I documented in March 2003 the case of FBI Special Agent Gamal Abdel-Hafiz, an immigrant whose pattern of pro-Islamist behavior was overlooked and instead he was promoted.
über Daniel Pipes: Daniel Pipes, Peacemaker?
Daniel Pipes says the only path to Middle East peace will come through a total Israeli military victory. So why has President Bush nominated him to the board of the government's leading peace think-tank?
Jerusalem Post: Pentagon jihadis
The recent arrest of two Muslim military personnel, James Yee and Ahmad al-Halabi, on suspicion of aiding al-Qaida prisoners at Guantanamo Bay (with another three Muslim servicemen under watch) seemed to prompt much surprise. It should not have.
It has been obvious for months that Islamists who despise the US have penetrated American prisons, law enforcement, and armed forces.
A milestone Wall Street Journal article in February 2003 established that imams who consider Osama bin Laden "a hero of Allah" dominate the Islamic chaplaincy in the New York State prison system.
I documented in March 2003 the case of FBI Special Agent Gamal Abdel-Hafiz, an immigrant whose pattern of pro-Islamist behavior was overlooked and instead he was promoted.
über Daniel Pipes: Daniel Pipes, Peacemaker?
Daniel Pipes says the only path to Middle East peace will come through a total Israeli military victory. So why has President Bush nominated him to the board of the government's leading peace think-tank?
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