PROPAGANDA WATCH
Sidney Morning Herald: LA Times Reporters Ordered
To Stop 'Romanticising' Iraqi Resistance
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- The Los Angeles Times has ordered its journalists to stop describing anti-American forces in Iraq as resistance fighters, saying the term romanticises them and evokes World War II-era heroism.
An email circulated this week asked staff to instead use the terms insurgents or guerillas.
An assistant managing editor, Melissa McCoy, said on Wednesday that the memo followed a discussion among top editors at the paper and was not sparked by reader complaints.
McCoy said she considered the term resistance fighters an accurate description of Iraqis battling US troops, but said it also evoked World War II - specifically the French Resistance or Jews who fought against Nazis in the Warsaw ghetto.
Friday, November 07, 2003
Thursday, November 06, 2003
IRAQ WAR: ITS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER
Newsweek: Lost Opportunity?
On the eve of the invasion of Iraq, Defense officials were offered a secret, back-channel opportunity to talk peace with Saddam
A key member of a secret Bush administration intelligence unit arranged a meeting earlier this year between a top Pentagon official and a wealthy Lebanese-American businessman who was trying to set up back-channel talks with senior aides to Saddam Hussein to avert a war in Iraq, NEWSWEEK has learned.
NY TIMES: Iraq Said to Have Tried to Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avert War
As American soldiers massed on the Iraqi border in March and diplomats argued about war, an influential adviser to the Pentagon received a secret message from a Lebanese-American businessman: Saddam Hussein wanted to make a deal.
Iraqi officials, including the chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, had told the businessman that they wanted Washington to know that Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction, and they offered to allow American troops and experts to conduct a search. The businessman said in an interview that the Iraqis also offered to hand over a man accused of being involved in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 who was being held in Baghdad. At one point, he said, the Iraqis pledged to hold elections.
Spiegel: Saddam wollte Last-Minute-Frieden
Es ging um demokratische Wahlen, Waffenkontrollen und die Auslieferung eines Terroristen. In Geheimverhandlungen mit dem Pentagon wollte Saddam Hussein US-Medienberichten zufolge den Irak-Krieg in letzter Minute verhindern. Doch der Deal platzte. Kongressabgeordnete prüfen nun, ob Bush den Frieden leichtfertig aufs Spiel setzte.
ABC: Possible Deal Aborted?
A possible negotiated peace deal was laid out in a heavily guarded compound in Baghdad in the days before the war, ABCNEWS has been told, but a top former Pentagon adviser says he was ordered not to pursue the deal.
Newsweek: Lost Opportunity?
On the eve of the invasion of Iraq, Defense officials were offered a secret, back-channel opportunity to talk peace with Saddam
A key member of a secret Bush administration intelligence unit arranged a meeting earlier this year between a top Pentagon official and a wealthy Lebanese-American businessman who was trying to set up back-channel talks with senior aides to Saddam Hussein to avert a war in Iraq, NEWSWEEK has learned.
NY TIMES: Iraq Said to Have Tried to Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avert War
As American soldiers massed on the Iraqi border in March and diplomats argued about war, an influential adviser to the Pentagon received a secret message from a Lebanese-American businessman: Saddam Hussein wanted to make a deal.
Iraqi officials, including the chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, had told the businessman that they wanted Washington to know that Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction, and they offered to allow American troops and experts to conduct a search. The businessman said in an interview that the Iraqis also offered to hand over a man accused of being involved in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 who was being held in Baghdad. At one point, he said, the Iraqis pledged to hold elections.
Spiegel: Saddam wollte Last-Minute-Frieden
Es ging um demokratische Wahlen, Waffenkontrollen und die Auslieferung eines Terroristen. In Geheimverhandlungen mit dem Pentagon wollte Saddam Hussein US-Medienberichten zufolge den Irak-Krieg in letzter Minute verhindern. Doch der Deal platzte. Kongressabgeordnete prüfen nun, ob Bush den Frieden leichtfertig aufs Spiel setzte.
ABC: Possible Deal Aborted?
A possible negotiated peace deal was laid out in a heavily guarded compound in Baghdad in the days before the war, ABCNEWS has been told, but a top former Pentagon adviser says he was ordered not to pursue the deal.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
CAPITALISM
Boston Globe: The White Collar Migration - Part 1
As Economy Gains, Outsourcing Surges
MANILA -- To hear how far and deep the outsourcing of American jobs has traveled, listen to Christian Mancenon in barely accented English take an order over the phone for HBO from a man in Lebanon, Ill.
"I'm showing here that you love movies," the 25-year-old Filipino said, while looking at his computer screen in a low-rise building in Makati, Manila's business district. Mancenon and 600 others work for a subsidiary of Philippines Long Distance Telephone Co. that fields customer calls for Dish Network satellite TV of Littleton, Colo.
Boston Globe: The White Collar Migration - Part 2
US Workers See Hard Times High-Tech Firms Say Outsourcing Crucial To Survival
FRAMINGHAM -- Andre Brassard keeps sending out resumes but has largely given up on the profession that employed him for a decade: writing software.
In his old department at Mindspeed Technologies Inc., most of the software engineers are gone. The work Brassard and his colleagues did is now largely done in Ukraine for one-quarter to one-third the cost.
"Kapitalismus macht arbeitslos"
Boston Globe: The White Collar Migration - Part 1
As Economy Gains, Outsourcing Surges
MANILA -- To hear how far and deep the outsourcing of American jobs has traveled, listen to Christian Mancenon in barely accented English take an order over the phone for HBO from a man in Lebanon, Ill.
"I'm showing here that you love movies," the 25-year-old Filipino said, while looking at his computer screen in a low-rise building in Makati, Manila's business district. Mancenon and 600 others work for a subsidiary of Philippines Long Distance Telephone Co. that fields customer calls for Dish Network satellite TV of Littleton, Colo.
Boston Globe: The White Collar Migration - Part 2
US Workers See Hard Times High-Tech Firms Say Outsourcing Crucial To Survival
FRAMINGHAM -- Andre Brassard keeps sending out resumes but has largely given up on the profession that employed him for a decade: writing software.
In his old department at Mindspeed Technologies Inc., most of the software engineers are gone. The work Brassard and his colleagues did is now largely done in Ukraine for one-quarter to one-third the cost.
"Kapitalismus macht arbeitslos"
USA
Guardian: Bush's America pt.1: Long Queues At US Drive-In Soup Kitchens
George Bush's America, the wealthiest nation in history, faces a growing poverty crisis. In the first of a three-part series Julian Borger takes the pulse of the US with elections just a year away
The free food is handed out at nine, but the queue starts forming hours earlier. By dawn, there is a line of cars stretching half a mile back. In Logan, it is what passes for rush hour - a traffic jam driven by poverty and hunger.
Guardian: Bush's America pt.2: Land Where Calling An Ambulance Is First Step To Bankruptcy
Rose Shaffer's heart attack taught her a lot of things that, as a nurse, she should have known. She learnt it pays to eat carefully and exercise regularly. And she learnt the hard way that if you cannot afford medical insurance in America, you better hope you don't get sick.
Guardian: Bush's AMerica pt.3: Why America's Plutocrats Gobble Up $1,500 Hot Dogs
The band pumped out brassy dance tunes, many dedicated to the gritty urban realities of New York. A few couples in the black tie and taffeta crowd found a space to dance, but most milled about in the packed ballroom, gravitating towards the stage as they waited for the president
"CHECK IT"
Guardian: Bush's America pt.1: Long Queues At US Drive-In Soup Kitchens
George Bush's America, the wealthiest nation in history, faces a growing poverty crisis. In the first of a three-part series Julian Borger takes the pulse of the US with elections just a year away
The free food is handed out at nine, but the queue starts forming hours earlier. By dawn, there is a line of cars stretching half a mile back. In Logan, it is what passes for rush hour - a traffic jam driven by poverty and hunger.
Guardian: Bush's America pt.2: Land Where Calling An Ambulance Is First Step To Bankruptcy
Rose Shaffer's heart attack taught her a lot of things that, as a nurse, she should have known. She learnt it pays to eat carefully and exercise regularly. And she learnt the hard way that if you cannot afford medical insurance in America, you better hope you don't get sick.
Guardian: Bush's AMerica pt.3: Why America's Plutocrats Gobble Up $1,500 Hot Dogs
The band pumped out brassy dance tunes, many dedicated to the gritty urban realities of New York. A few couples in the black tie and taffeta crowd found a space to dance, but most milled about in the packed ballroom, gravitating towards the stage as they waited for the president
"CHECK IT"
RUSSIA
Moscow Times: Putin the New Saddam?
Emboldened by their historic propaganda success -- the creation ex nihilo of a justification for the U.S. invasion of Iraq completely unsanctioned by international law -- members of the dangerous Washington faction with deep links to the security services and the military-industrial complex, the dread Bushoviki, have identified a new "terrorist threat": President Vladimir Putin.
The means they are now deploying are strikingly similar: planted "intelligence," manipulation of public opinion by tame journalists and "nonprofit foundations," as well as the insidious repetition of evident lies on the assumption that at least something will stick.
In a recent op-ed piece in the increasingly reactionary Washington Post, Bruce Jackson, president of the innocuous sounding Project on Transitional Democracies, accuses Putin not just of re-establishing a tsarist state, but of the supreme crime of opposing U.S. political and economic interests in Russia's historic sphere of influence: the CIS. After long service in the weapons trade (Lockheed, Martin), Jackson is now a hatchet-man for the Bush administration. A member of the far-right Project of the New American Century, he serves with the likes of Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and Donald Rumsfeld. Jackson was instrumental in rounding up support for the Iraq war with a stealth attack, corralling East European presidents into signing the notorious letter of the "Vilnius 10."
All is fair in love and (propaganda) war. In a crass insult to the world's Jews, Jackson deploys one of the most cynical foreign policy ploys of the Bushoviki: the callous exploitation of anti-Semitism, demeaning the sufferings of the Jewish people by reducing the term "anti-Semitism" to an epithet for any regime inimical to U.S. interests.
Jackson notes that three of the business magnates who came to a sticky end are Jewish, but neglects to mention that so were six of the original seven oligarchs, as well as 90 percent of those who currently qualify for the oligarch title. Given the ratios, the real surprise would have been if the fallen angels had been, say, Orthodox Hindus.
Moscow Times: Putin the New Saddam?
Emboldened by their historic propaganda success -- the creation ex nihilo of a justification for the U.S. invasion of Iraq completely unsanctioned by international law -- members of the dangerous Washington faction with deep links to the security services and the military-industrial complex, the dread Bushoviki, have identified a new "terrorist threat": President Vladimir Putin.
The means they are now deploying are strikingly similar: planted "intelligence," manipulation of public opinion by tame journalists and "nonprofit foundations," as well as the insidious repetition of evident lies on the assumption that at least something will stick.
In a recent op-ed piece in the increasingly reactionary Washington Post, Bruce Jackson, president of the innocuous sounding Project on Transitional Democracies, accuses Putin not just of re-establishing a tsarist state, but of the supreme crime of opposing U.S. political and economic interests in Russia's historic sphere of influence: the CIS. After long service in the weapons trade (Lockheed, Martin), Jackson is now a hatchet-man for the Bush administration. A member of the far-right Project of the New American Century, he serves with the likes of Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and Donald Rumsfeld. Jackson was instrumental in rounding up support for the Iraq war with a stealth attack, corralling East European presidents into signing the notorious letter of the "Vilnius 10."
All is fair in love and (propaganda) war. In a crass insult to the world's Jews, Jackson deploys one of the most cynical foreign policy ploys of the Bushoviki: the callous exploitation of anti-Semitism, demeaning the sufferings of the Jewish people by reducing the term "anti-Semitism" to an epithet for any regime inimical to U.S. interests.
Jackson notes that three of the business magnates who came to a sticky end are Jewish, but neglects to mention that so were six of the original seven oligarchs, as well as 90 percent of those who currently qualify for the oligarch title. Given the ratios, the real surprise would have been if the fallen angels had been, say, Orthodox Hindus.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Haaretz: Soldiers can shoot Gazans spying on Netzarim
Soldiers stationed near the Gaza settlement of
Netzarim may shoot to kill if they spot a
Palestinian observing Israel Defense Forces
activity via binoculars, according to new rules of
engagement recently issued by the IDF for that area.
"Was kuckst du? Wenn man die IDF ansieht wird man erschossen"
Haaretz: Soldiers can shoot Gazans spying on Netzarim
Soldiers stationed near the Gaza settlement of
Netzarim may shoot to kill if they spot a
Palestinian observing Israel Defense Forces
activity via binoculars, according to new rules of
engagement recently issued by the IDF for that area.
"Was kuckst du? Wenn man die IDF ansieht wird man erschossen"
IRAQ
Teheran Times: US Helped Mossad Escape After Hakim's Murder
TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) -- The U.S. Central Command helped 15 Mossad agents involved in the assassination of Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim to flee Iraq, an Egyptian weekly magazine disclosed on Monday.
Ayatollah Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Assembly for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), was killed in a massive car bomb blast in the holy city of Najaf on August 7. The blast left 82 killed and more than 100 wounded.
The U.S. Central Command was sure that the agents of the Zionist intelligence service Mossad had planned and executed the assassination with the help of some elements from the U.S. and Iraqi spies, Al-Osboaí weekly said.
The U.S. Centcom acquired conviction about the plot after examining the explosives used in the operation; the explosives which were highly advanced are used only by Mossad, the weekly added.
For the first time, the Mehr News Agency broke the story about the Mossad involvement in the killing of the prominent Iraqi Shiite leader.
Teheran Times: US Helped Mossad Escape After Hakim's Murder
TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) -- The U.S. Central Command helped 15 Mossad agents involved in the assassination of Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim to flee Iraq, an Egyptian weekly magazine disclosed on Monday.
Ayatollah Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Assembly for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), was killed in a massive car bomb blast in the holy city of Najaf on August 7. The blast left 82 killed and more than 100 wounded.
The U.S. Central Command was sure that the agents of the Zionist intelligence service Mossad had planned and executed the assassination with the help of some elements from the U.S. and Iraqi spies, Al-Osboaí weekly said.
The U.S. Centcom acquired conviction about the plot after examining the explosives used in the operation; the explosives which were highly advanced are used only by Mossad, the weekly added.
For the first time, the Mehr News Agency broke the story about the Mossad involvement in the killing of the prominent Iraqi Shiite leader.
SCIENCE
Spiegel: Neue Sonnen-Eruption bricht alle Rekorde
Auf der Sonne kam es in der Nacht zum Mittwoch zur gewaltigsten Eruption, die jemals von Menschen gemessen wurde. Der Ausbruch von Milliarden Tonnen Plasma war so stark, dass die Messinstrumente von Satelliten versagten
BBC: What is happening to the Sun?
The Sun's intense activity in the past week will go into the record books.
Scientists say they have been amazed by the ferocity of the gigantic flares exploding on the solar surface.
The past 24 hours have seen three major events erupt over our star, hurling billions of tonnes of superhot gas into space - some of it directed at Earth
Spiegel: Neue Sonnen-Eruption bricht alle Rekorde
Auf der Sonne kam es in der Nacht zum Mittwoch zur gewaltigsten Eruption, die jemals von Menschen gemessen wurde. Der Ausbruch von Milliarden Tonnen Plasma war so stark, dass die Messinstrumente von Satelliten versagten
BBC: What is happening to the Sun?
The Sun's intense activity in the past week will go into the record books.
Scientists say they have been amazed by the ferocity of the gigantic flares exploding on the solar surface.
The past 24 hours have seen three major events erupt over our star, hurling billions of tonnes of superhot gas into space - some of it directed at Earth
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Spiegel: GIs am Rande des Zusammenbruchs
Angst, Wut, Selbstmord: Die endlose Anschlagswelle im Irak zerrt an den Nerven der US-Soldaten. In bitteren Briefen an die Heimatfront beklagen sie die rapide sinkende Truppenmoral. Auch die Befehlshaber werden unruhig.
Spiegel: GIs am Rande des Zusammenbruchs
Angst, Wut, Selbstmord: Die endlose Anschlagswelle im Irak zerrt an den Nerven der US-Soldaten. In bitteren Briefen an die Heimatfront beklagen sie die rapide sinkende Truppenmoral. Auch die Befehlshaber werden unruhig.
PROPAGANDA WATCH
NY Times: BUSH SEEKS SCAPEGOATS FOR 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED' STUNT
As the propaganda that led America to attack Iraq continues to fall apart, President Bush is looking for scapegoats for his own PR
stunts. "The triumphal 'Mission Accomplished' banner was the pride of the White House advance team, the image makers who set the stage
for the president's close-ups. On May 1, on a golden Pacific evening aboard the carrier Abraham Lincoln, they made sure that the
banner was perfectly captured in the camera shots of President Bush's speech declaring major combat in Iraq at an end. But on
Tuesday in the Rose Garden, Mr. Bush publicly disavowed the banner... 'I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious
advance man from my staff. They weren't that ingenious, by the way.' ... The banner 'was suggested by those on the ship,' [Bush
press secretary Scotty McClellan] said. 'They asked us to do the production of the banner, and we did. They're the ones who put it
up.' The man responsible for the banner, Scott Sforza, a former ABC producer now with the White House communications office, was
traveling overseas on Tuesday and declined to answer questions. He is known for the production of the sophisticated backdrops that
appear behind Mr. Bush with the White House message of the day, like 'Helping Small Business,' repeated over and over." On May 16th
the New York Times reported that "White House officials say that a variety of people, including the president" came up with the
carrier landing stunt. We wonder, is that super-sexy flight suit President Bush wore on its way to the Smithsonian, or the shredder?
NY Times: BUSH SEEKS SCAPEGOATS FOR 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED' STUNT
As the propaganda that led America to attack Iraq continues to fall apart, President Bush is looking for scapegoats for his own PR
stunts. "The triumphal 'Mission Accomplished' banner was the pride of the White House advance team, the image makers who set the stage
for the president's close-ups. On May 1, on a golden Pacific evening aboard the carrier Abraham Lincoln, they made sure that the
banner was perfectly captured in the camera shots of President Bush's speech declaring major combat in Iraq at an end. But on
Tuesday in the Rose Garden, Mr. Bush publicly disavowed the banner... 'I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious
advance man from my staff. They weren't that ingenious, by the way.' ... The banner 'was suggested by those on the ship,' [Bush
press secretary Scotty McClellan] said. 'They asked us to do the production of the banner, and we did. They're the ones who put it
up.' The man responsible for the banner, Scott Sforza, a former ABC producer now with the White House communications office, was
traveling overseas on Tuesday and declined to answer questions. He is known for the production of the sophisticated backdrops that
appear behind Mr. Bush with the White House message of the day, like 'Helping Small Business,' repeated over and over." On May 16th
the New York Times reported that "White House officials say that a variety of people, including the president" came up with the
carrier landing stunt. We wonder, is that super-sexy flight suit President Bush wore on its way to the Smithsonian, or the shredder?
PROPAGANDA WATCH
Poynter: FOX GETS THE MEMO
Charlie Reina, a former producer for Fox News, has posted a letter
to the Poynter Institute's online journalism forum, explaining how
the network deliberately slants the news. "Editorially, the FNC
newsroom is under the constant control and vigilance of
management," he writes. "The pressure ranges from subtle to
direct. First of all, it's a news network run by one of the most
high-profile political operatives of recent times. ... The roots of
FNC's day-to-day on-air bias are actual and direct. They come in
the form of an executive memo distributed electronically each
morning, addressing what stories will be covered and, often,
suggesting how they should be covered. To the newsroom personnel
responsible for the channel's daytime programming, The Memo is the
bible. If, on any given day, you notice that the Fox anchors seem
to be trying to drive a particular point home, you can bet The Memo
is behind it."
"Fox: fair and balanced reporting"
Poynter: FOX GETS THE MEMO
Charlie Reina, a former producer for Fox News, has posted a letter
to the Poynter Institute's online journalism forum, explaining how
the network deliberately slants the news. "Editorially, the FNC
newsroom is under the constant control and vigilance of
management," he writes. "The pressure ranges from subtle to
direct. First of all, it's a news network run by one of the most
high-profile political operatives of recent times. ... The roots of
FNC's day-to-day on-air bias are actual and direct. They come in
the form of an executive memo distributed electronically each
morning, addressing what stories will be covered and, often,
suggesting how they should be covered. To the newsroom personnel
responsible for the channel's daytime programming, The Memo is the
bible. If, on any given day, you notice that the Fox anchors seem
to be trying to drive a particular point home, you can bet The Memo
is behind it."
"Fox: fair and balanced reporting"
MEDIA WATCH
Alternet: BY-PASSING THE MEDIA FILTER' ON THE IRAQ WAR
As part of its PR strategy to 'by-pass the media filter' that it claims is distorting public perception of the Iraq war with too
much negative reporting, the Bush administration has been granting interviews to smaller, more friendly media. A 'media by-pass'
tactic of a different sort is being used by critics of the war who, as we've documented in our book Weapons of Mass Deception, have
been locked out of mainstream media coverage. Alternet has announced that "A provocative new DVD that documents how the Bush
Administration exaggerated the threat of Iraq, debuts today. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Robert Greenwald,
"Uncovered: The Whole Truth About The Iraq War" takes you behind the scenes, as CIA, Pentagon and foreign service experts speak out
and reveal the lies, misstatements and exaggerations that the Bush administration used to deceive the public." Word of the DVD is
"going to millions of MoveOn members, Nation subscribers, Working Assets customers, and others as part of an unprecedented,
simultaneous effort to bypass the film and media gatekeepers and take the information directly to the people."
Alternet: BY-PASSING THE MEDIA FILTER' ON THE IRAQ WAR
As part of its PR strategy to 'by-pass the media filter' that it claims is distorting public perception of the Iraq war with too
much negative reporting, the Bush administration has been granting interviews to smaller, more friendly media. A 'media by-pass'
tactic of a different sort is being used by critics of the war who, as we've documented in our book Weapons of Mass Deception, have
been locked out of mainstream media coverage. Alternet has announced that "A provocative new DVD that documents how the Bush
Administration exaggerated the threat of Iraq, debuts today. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Robert Greenwald,
"Uncovered: The Whole Truth About The Iraq War" takes you behind the scenes, as CIA, Pentagon and foreign service experts speak out
and reveal the lies, misstatements and exaggerations that the Bush administration used to deceive the public." Word of the DVD is
"going to millions of MoveOn members, Nation subscribers, Working Assets customers, and others as part of an unprecedented,
simultaneous effort to bypass the film and media gatekeepers and take the information directly to the people."
PR WATCH
NY Times: COPYRIGHT VS. DEMOCRACY
"Diebold Election Systems, which makes voting machines, is waging
legal war against grass-roots advocates, including dozens of
college students, who are posting on the Internet copies of the
company's internal communications about its electronic voting
machines," reports John Schwartz. The company's attorneys have sent
letters threatening legal action against the students, who are
circulating "thousands of e-mail messages and memorandums dating to
March 2003 from January 1999 that include discussions of bugs in
Diebold's software and warnings that its computer network are
poorly protected against hackers." Questions are also being raised
about whether Diebold's voting machines can be trusted to deliver
an honest result. "Diebold has become a favorite target of
advocates who accuse it of partisanship," Schwartz states. "Company
executives have made large contributions to the Republican Party
and the chief executive, Walden W. O'Dell, said in an invitation to
a fund-raiser that he was 'committed to helping Ohio deliver its
electoral votes to the president next year.'"
"Man muss sich das mal Vorstellen. Diebold E Systems ist einer der groessten Hersteller von elektronischer Wahlsoftware in den USA. Das heisst die Leute werden bei den naechsten Praesidentschafts-Wahlen mit Touchscreen Bildschirmen abstimmen koennen. Es soll damit verhindert werden, dass es wieder so ein Chaos gibt wie bei der geklauten Wahl im Jahr 2000. Es wird auch keine Zettel mehr geben mit denen man das Wahl-Resultat ueberpruefen koennte. Das Problem ist, dass das System mit Leichtigkeit gehackt und die Abstimmungsergebnisse veraendert werden koennen. Es ist schon bei verschieden Wahlen bei denen das System zum Einsatz kam zu groesseren Unregelmaessigkeiten gekommen. Dies wird von Internen Memos der Firma Diebold belegt. Jetzt findet Diebold dieses Memos seien Copyright geschuetzt und duerften nicht weiterverbreitet werden. Das heisst, die Information die beweist dass die Amerikanische Wahlsoftware absolut unsicher ist und Wahlen damit manipuiert werden koennen soll faktisch zensiert werden. Der Sinn des Copyrights war es mal die Ideen von Kuenstlern und Erfindern zu schuetzen, leider ist das Copyright zur Hure der Konzerne verkommen."
mehr Infos unter: Blackboxvoting.com
Update: Wired: Calif. Halts E-Vote Certification
SACRAMENTO, California -- Uncertified software may have been installed on electronic voting machines used in one California county, according to the secretary of state's office.
Marc Carrel, assistant secretary of state for policy and planning, told attendees Thursday at a panel on voting systems that California was halting the certification process for new voting machines manufactured by Diebold Election Systems.
NY Times: COPYRIGHT VS. DEMOCRACY
"Diebold Election Systems, which makes voting machines, is waging
legal war against grass-roots advocates, including dozens of
college students, who are posting on the Internet copies of the
company's internal communications about its electronic voting
machines," reports John Schwartz. The company's attorneys have sent
letters threatening legal action against the students, who are
circulating "thousands of e-mail messages and memorandums dating to
March 2003 from January 1999 that include discussions of bugs in
Diebold's software and warnings that its computer network are
poorly protected against hackers." Questions are also being raised
about whether Diebold's voting machines can be trusted to deliver
an honest result. "Diebold has become a favorite target of
advocates who accuse it of partisanship," Schwartz states. "Company
executives have made large contributions to the Republican Party
and the chief executive, Walden W. O'Dell, said in an invitation to
a fund-raiser that he was 'committed to helping Ohio deliver its
electoral votes to the president next year.'"
"Man muss sich das mal Vorstellen. Diebold E Systems ist einer der groessten Hersteller von elektronischer Wahlsoftware in den USA. Das heisst die Leute werden bei den naechsten Praesidentschafts-Wahlen mit Touchscreen Bildschirmen abstimmen koennen. Es soll damit verhindert werden, dass es wieder so ein Chaos gibt wie bei der geklauten Wahl im Jahr 2000. Es wird auch keine Zettel mehr geben mit denen man das Wahl-Resultat ueberpruefen koennte. Das Problem ist, dass das System mit Leichtigkeit gehackt und die Abstimmungsergebnisse veraendert werden koennen. Es ist schon bei verschieden Wahlen bei denen das System zum Einsatz kam zu groesseren Unregelmaessigkeiten gekommen. Dies wird von Internen Memos der Firma Diebold belegt. Jetzt findet Diebold dieses Memos seien Copyright geschuetzt und duerften nicht weiterverbreitet werden. Das heisst, die Information die beweist dass die Amerikanische Wahlsoftware absolut unsicher ist und Wahlen damit manipuiert werden koennen soll faktisch zensiert werden. Der Sinn des Copyrights war es mal die Ideen von Kuenstlern und Erfindern zu schuetzen, leider ist das Copyright zur Hure der Konzerne verkommen."
mehr Infos unter: Blackboxvoting.com
Update: Wired: Calif. Halts E-Vote Certification
SACRAMENTO, California -- Uncertified software may have been installed on electronic voting machines used in one California county, according to the secretary of state's office.
Marc Carrel, assistant secretary of state for policy and planning, told attendees Thursday at a panel on voting systems that California was halting the certification process for new voting machines manufactured by Diebold Election Systems.
MEDIA WATCH
New York Times: CBS CAVES TO PRESSURE, DUMPS REAGAN MOVIE
TV docu-dramas, such as this Sunday's red, white and blue Iraqi war
mythology Saving Private Lynch, always play fast and loose with the
facts, twisting reality into fiction for entertainment's sake. But
a much hyped CBS miniseries on Ronald Reagan drew the wrath of the
Right, and CBS has dumped the show. The New York Times reports that
"CBS executives ... denied they were capitulating to pressure from
Republicans and conservative groups in moving the 'The Reagans' to
the pay cable channel Showtime, a sister network at Viacom. The
decision, they argued, was instead 'a moral call,' reached after
concluding that the four-hour television movie carried a liberal
political agenda and treated the Reagans unfairly. ... On Oct. 28,
the Media Research Center ... wrote a letter to a list of 100 top
television sponsors urging them to 'refuse to associate your
products with this movie.' At around the same time Michael
Paranzino, a former Republican Congressional staff member from
Betheseda Md., decided to start a Web site called BoycottCBS.com.
... Last Friday, the Republican National Committee entered the
fray."
New York Times: CBS CAVES TO PRESSURE, DUMPS REAGAN MOVIE
TV docu-dramas, such as this Sunday's red, white and blue Iraqi war
mythology Saving Private Lynch, always play fast and loose with the
facts, twisting reality into fiction for entertainment's sake. But
a much hyped CBS miniseries on Ronald Reagan drew the wrath of the
Right, and CBS has dumped the show. The New York Times reports that
"CBS executives ... denied they were capitulating to pressure from
Republicans and conservative groups in moving the 'The Reagans' to
the pay cable channel Showtime, a sister network at Viacom. The
decision, they argued, was instead 'a moral call,' reached after
concluding that the four-hour television movie carried a liberal
political agenda and treated the Reagans unfairly. ... On Oct. 28,
the Media Research Center ... wrote a letter to a list of 100 top
television sponsors urging them to 'refuse to associate your
products with this movie.' At around the same time Michael
Paranzino, a former Republican Congressional staff member from
Betheseda Md., decided to start a Web site called BoycottCBS.com.
... Last Friday, the Republican National Committee entered the
fray."
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
QUOTE OF THE DAY
John Swinton, the former chief of staff of THE NEW YORK TIMES, called by his peers, "The Dean of his profession," was asked in 1953 to give a toast before the New York Press Club. He rose and gave this toast: "There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the Journalist is to destroy truth; To lie outright; To pervert; To vilify; To fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press? We are the tools and vassals for rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."
John Swinton, the former chief of staff of THE NEW YORK TIMES, called by his peers, "The Dean of his profession," was asked in 1953 to give a toast before the New York Press Club. He rose and gave this toast: "There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the Journalist is to destroy truth; To lie outright; To pervert; To vilify; To fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press? We are the tools and vassals for rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."
USA
Democraticunderground: The Top Ten Conservative Idiots
To borrow a phrase from Joe Lieberman, it was a banner week for George W. Bush (1,2) who is still trying to sort out the whole "Mission Accomplished" Aircraft Carrier fiasco. And he's also got some pretty interesting "spin" about the increasing number of dead American soldiers in Iraq. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, we have a Democrat on the list (at least, it's someone who identifies himself as such). Despite the fact that our country has gone to hell in a handbasket over the last three years Zell Miller (3) has decided to endorse the chimp for reelection. Rounding out the list, we've got an out-of-control CEO (5), three conservative child molesters (6,7), a racist motel owner (8), a couple of stupid congressional staffers (9), and the ever-popular NRA (10). As usual, don't forget the key!
Democraticunderground: The Top Ten Conservative Idiots
To borrow a phrase from Joe Lieberman, it was a banner week for George W. Bush (1,2) who is still trying to sort out the whole "Mission Accomplished" Aircraft Carrier fiasco. And he's also got some pretty interesting "spin" about the increasing number of dead American soldiers in Iraq. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, we have a Democrat on the list (at least, it's someone who identifies himself as such). Despite the fact that our country has gone to hell in a handbasket over the last three years Zell Miller (3) has decided to endorse the chimp for reelection. Rounding out the list, we've got an out-of-control CEO (5), three conservative child molesters (6,7), a racist motel owner (8), a couple of stupid congressional staffers (9), and the ever-popular NRA (10). As usual, don't forget the key!
Monday, November 03, 2003
SCHWEIZ: POLIZEIGEWALT
Beobachter: Dein Freund und Schläger
Übergriffe, Drogendeals, Rassismus: Die Ordnungshüter kommen nicht mehr aus den negativen Schlagzeilen heraus. Sind sie nur übereifrig oder einfach überfordert?
Zürcher Polizisten gehen in die Fahrschule.» Diese Meldung, unlängst in der Tagespresse erschienen, hört sich lustig an, hat aber einen tristen Hintergrund: In den letzten drei Jahren ist es wiederholt zu Unfällen mit Polizeiautos gekommen, bei denen Unbeteiligte zum Teil schwer verletzt oder gar getötet wurden.
Doch manchen Beamten mangelt es nicht bloss an Fahrkünsten. Schweizweit sorgen Kantons- und Stadtpolizisten mit brutalen Übergriffen, Fremdenfeindlichkeit und internen Skandalen für Empörung (siehe «Polizeientgleisungen der Vergangenheit»).
Beobachter: «Rambotypen sind unerwünscht»
Polizeigewalt lasse sich nur durch vermehrte Ausbildung und einen klaren Führungsstil verhindern, sagt Jean Scheiben, Chef des Psychologischen Dienstes der Kantonspolizei Bern.
Beobachter: Entgleisungen der Vergangenheit
Wo die Polizei dieses Jahr negative Schlagzeilen gemacht hat – eine Auswahl.
Beobachter: Dein Freund und Schläger
Übergriffe, Drogendeals, Rassismus: Die Ordnungshüter kommen nicht mehr aus den negativen Schlagzeilen heraus. Sind sie nur übereifrig oder einfach überfordert?
Zürcher Polizisten gehen in die Fahrschule.» Diese Meldung, unlängst in der Tagespresse erschienen, hört sich lustig an, hat aber einen tristen Hintergrund: In den letzten drei Jahren ist es wiederholt zu Unfällen mit Polizeiautos gekommen, bei denen Unbeteiligte zum Teil schwer verletzt oder gar getötet wurden.
Doch manchen Beamten mangelt es nicht bloss an Fahrkünsten. Schweizweit sorgen Kantons- und Stadtpolizisten mit brutalen Übergriffen, Fremdenfeindlichkeit und internen Skandalen für Empörung (siehe «Polizeientgleisungen der Vergangenheit»).
Beobachter: «Rambotypen sind unerwünscht»
Polizeigewalt lasse sich nur durch vermehrte Ausbildung und einen klaren Führungsstil verhindern, sagt Jean Scheiben, Chef des Psychologischen Dienstes der Kantonspolizei Bern.
Beobachter: Entgleisungen der Vergangenheit
Wo die Polizei dieses Jahr negative Schlagzeilen gemacht hat – eine Auswahl.
IRAQI RESISTANCE
MSNBC: A War in the Dark
Who Is The Enemy? U.S. soldiers still don’t really know who they are fighting. Culture clashes, communication gaps and poor preparations have hurt intelligence on the ground. And any way you cut it, the difficulties don’t spell s-u-c-c-e-s-s
It’s hard to know your enemy when you don’t speak his language. In Iraq, when guerrillas place an IED (improvised explosive device) by the side of the road, they sometimes write a warning on the street—in Arabic. The locals understand to steer clear; the Americans drive right into the trap. “Everyone knows about it except us,” grouses Lt. Julio Tirado of the 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard, patrolling warily in the town of Ramadi.
MSNBC: A War in the Dark
Who Is The Enemy? U.S. soldiers still don’t really know who they are fighting. Culture clashes, communication gaps and poor preparations have hurt intelligence on the ground. And any way you cut it, the difficulties don’t spell s-u-c-c-e-s-s
It’s hard to know your enemy when you don’t speak his language. In Iraq, when guerrillas place an IED (improvised explosive device) by the side of the road, they sometimes write a warning on the street—in Arabic. The locals understand to steer clear; the Americans drive right into the trap. “Everyone knows about it except us,” grouses Lt. Julio Tirado of the 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard, patrolling warily in the town of Ramadi.
ISRAEL
Washington Post: Top Israeli Officer Says Tactics Are Backfiring
Israel's senior military commander told columnists for three leading newspapers this week that Israel's military tactics against the Palestinian population were too repressive and were fomenting explosive levels of "hatred and terrorism" that might become impossible to control.
In remarks that suggest a dramatic split with the approach of the current government, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, chief of staff of the Israeli armed forces, said that crackdowns, curfews and roadblocks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were crippling the lives of innocent Palestinians and that the military's tactics were now threatening Israel's own interests.
Washington Post: Top Israeli Officer Says Tactics Are Backfiring
Israel's senior military commander told columnists for three leading newspapers this week that Israel's military tactics against the Palestinian population were too repressive and were fomenting explosive levels of "hatred and terrorism" that might become impossible to control.
In remarks that suggest a dramatic split with the approach of the current government, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, chief of staff of the Israeli armed forces, said that crackdowns, curfews and roadblocks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were crippling the lives of innocent Palestinians and that the military's tactics were now threatening Israel's own interests.
ISRAEL
Sunday Herald: Is Israel losing its army?
With pilots refusing to attack Palestine, the top brass briefing against hard-line policies and outrage at conscription, the Israeli army is at crisis point. By Robert Tait in Jerusalem
Sunday Herald: Is Israel losing its army?
With pilots refusing to attack Palestine, the top brass briefing against hard-line policies and outrage at conscription, the Israeli army is at crisis point. By Robert Tait in Jerusalem
911
Sunday Herald: Five Israelis were seen filming as jet liners ploughed into the Twin Towers on September 11,
Were they part of a massive spy ring which shadowed the 9/11 hijackers and knew that al-Qaeda planned a devastating terrorist attack on the USA? Neil Mackay investigates
THERE was ruin and terror in Manhattan, but, over the Hudson River in New Jersey, a handful of men were dancing. As the World Trade Centre burned and crumpled, the five men celebrated and filmed the worst atrocity ever committed on American soil as it played out before their eyes.
Who do you think they were? Palestinians? Saudis? Iraqis, even? Al-Qaeda, surely? Wrong on all counts. They were Israelis – and at least two of them were Israeli intelligence agents, working for Mossad, the equivalent of MI6 or the CIA.
Sunday Herald: Five Israelis were seen filming as jet liners ploughed into the Twin Towers on September 11,
Were they part of a massive spy ring which shadowed the 9/11 hijackers and knew that al-Qaeda planned a devastating terrorist attack on the USA? Neil Mackay investigates
THERE was ruin and terror in Manhattan, but, over the Hudson River in New Jersey, a handful of men were dancing. As the World Trade Centre burned and crumpled, the five men celebrated and filmed the worst atrocity ever committed on American soil as it played out before their eyes.
Who do you think they were? Palestinians? Saudis? Iraqis, even? Al-Qaeda, surely? Wrong on all counts. They were Israelis – and at least two of them were Israeli intelligence agents, working for Mossad, the equivalent of MI6 or the CIA.
EU
Guardian: Israel outraged as EU poll names it a threat to peace
Israel has been described as the top threat to world peace, ahead of North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran, by an unpublished European Commission poll of 7,500 Europeans, sparking an international row.
The survey, conducted in October, of 500 people from each of the EU's member nations included a list of 15 countries with the question, 'tell me if in your opinion it presents or not a threat to peace in the world'. Israel was reportedly picked by 59 per cent of those interviewed.
The leaking of the results of the poll to El Pais and the International Herald Tribune has sparked a bitter row, with a major Jewish human rights and lobbying group, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, demanding that the EU be excluded from the Israel-Palestinian peace process and accusing Europe of suffering the worst outbreak of 'anti-semitism' since World War Two.
Israeli Ministers and spokesman have also been at pains recently to insist that a definition of modern 'anti-semitism' should include criticism of the way the state of Israel chooses to protect itself, defining that criticism as an overt attack on Israel's survival.
Also die neue israelische Definition von Anti-Semitismus ist: Kritik = Anti-Semitismus"
Guardian: Israel outraged as EU poll names it a threat to peace
Israel has been described as the top threat to world peace, ahead of North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran, by an unpublished European Commission poll of 7,500 Europeans, sparking an international row.
The survey, conducted in October, of 500 people from each of the EU's member nations included a list of 15 countries with the question, 'tell me if in your opinion it presents or not a threat to peace in the world'. Israel was reportedly picked by 59 per cent of those interviewed.
The leaking of the results of the poll to El Pais and the International Herald Tribune has sparked a bitter row, with a major Jewish human rights and lobbying group, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, demanding that the EU be excluded from the Israel-Palestinian peace process and accusing Europe of suffering the worst outbreak of 'anti-semitism' since World War Two.
Israeli Ministers and spokesman have also been at pains recently to insist that a definition of modern 'anti-semitism' should include criticism of the way the state of Israel chooses to protect itself, defining that criticism as an overt attack on Israel's survival.
Also die neue israelische Definition von Anti-Semitismus ist: Kritik = Anti-Semitismus"
USA
Guardian: Report Links Iraq Deals to Bush Donations
WASHINGTON (AP) - Companies awarded $8 billion in contracts to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan have been major campaign donors to President Bush, and their executives have had important political and military connections, according to a study released Thursday.
The study of more than 70 U.S. companies and individual contractors turned up more than $500,000 in donations to the president's 2000 campaign, more than they gave collectively to any other politician over the past dozen years.
The report was released by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based research organization that produces investigative articles on special interests and ethics in government. Its staff includes journalists and researchers
Guardian: Report Links Iraq Deals to Bush Donations
WASHINGTON (AP) - Companies awarded $8 billion in contracts to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan have been major campaign donors to President Bush, and their executives have had important political and military connections, according to a study released Thursday.
The study of more than 70 U.S. companies and individual contractors turned up more than $500,000 in donations to the president's 2000 campaign, more than they gave collectively to any other politician over the past dozen years.
The report was released by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based research organization that produces investigative articles on special interests and ethics in government. Its staff includes journalists and researchers
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Aberdeen news: AP: Israel to Raze With Robot Bulldozers
JERUSALEM - The giant Caterpillar bulldozer, used by the Israeli military to destroy Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, now comes with a controversial new feature: remote control.
Israel says its remote-control technology will lower risks to soldiers. But Palestinians fear it will lead to more frequent raids using the machines and make the three-year conflict even bloodier.
The remote-controlled D-9 bulldozer and a remote-control version of the Humvee, equipped with machine guns, were developed by the Israeli army and the Technion Institute of Technology. Both machines are U.S.-made, with Israeli modifications. They are expected to go into service in the next few weeks.
Aberdeen news: AP: Israel to Raze With Robot Bulldozers
JERUSALEM - The giant Caterpillar bulldozer, used by the Israeli military to destroy Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, now comes with a controversial new feature: remote control.
Israel says its remote-control technology will lower risks to soldiers. But Palestinians fear it will lead to more frequent raids using the machines and make the three-year conflict even bloodier.
The remote-controlled D-9 bulldozer and a remote-control version of the Humvee, equipped with machine guns, were developed by the Israeli army and the Technion Institute of Technology. Both machines are U.S.-made, with Israeli modifications. They are expected to go into service in the next few weeks.
IRAQ
Gazette: Iraq Copter Attack Kills 16 U.S. Troops
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- Leaflets seen in mosques in this tense Sunni Muslim region warned of new attacks using "modern and advanced methods" only days before gunners brought down a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter, killing 16 and wounding 20 others.
The Sunday attack on the helicopter, carrying dozens of soldiers on their way home for leave, was the deadliest single strike against U.S. forces since the war began March 20.
Three other Americans - one 1st Armored Division soldier and two civilians working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - were also killed Sunday in separate attacks, making it the bloodiest day for U.S. forces since March 23.
Witnesses said the attackers used shoulder-fired missiles against the Chinook, a sign of the increasing sophistication of Iraq's elusive anti-U.S. fighters as the insurgency intensifies.
Gazette: Iraq Copter Attack Kills 16 U.S. Troops
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- Leaflets seen in mosques in this tense Sunni Muslim region warned of new attacks using "modern and advanced methods" only days before gunners brought down a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter, killing 16 and wounding 20 others.
The Sunday attack on the helicopter, carrying dozens of soldiers on their way home for leave, was the deadliest single strike against U.S. forces since the war began March 20.
Three other Americans - one 1st Armored Division soldier and two civilians working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - were also killed Sunday in separate attacks, making it the bloodiest day for U.S. forces since March 23.
Witnesses said the attackers used shoulder-fired missiles against the Chinook, a sign of the increasing sophistication of Iraq's elusive anti-U.S. fighters as the insurgency intensifies.
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Observer: Rebel war spirals out of control as US intelligence loses the plot
The ghosts of Vietnam are returning as Baathists, zealots, criminals, tribal leaders and al Qaeda unite in a deadly alliance of hatred. Special report by Peter Beaumont in London and Patrick Graham in Baghdad
Sharp disagreements are emerging between the US and the UK over the exact nature of the Iraqi resistance, amid warnings that the US is losing the intelligence war against the rebels.
After eight days in which Iraqi fighters have scored a series of major blows to the coalition and its Iraqi allies, intelligence and military officials in Iraq and on both sides of the Atlantic are at odds over whether they are fighting a Saddam-led movement or a series of disparate partisan groups. They are just as divided on finding a way to halt the escalating violence.
Observer: Rebel war spirals out of control as US intelligence loses the plot
The ghosts of Vietnam are returning as Baathists, zealots, criminals, tribal leaders and al Qaeda unite in a deadly alliance of hatred. Special report by Peter Beaumont in London and Patrick Graham in Baghdad
Sharp disagreements are emerging between the US and the UK over the exact nature of the Iraqi resistance, amid warnings that the US is losing the intelligence war against the rebels.
After eight days in which Iraqi fighters have scored a series of major blows to the coalition and its Iraqi allies, intelligence and military officials in Iraq and on both sides of the Atlantic are at odds over whether they are fighting a Saddam-led movement or a series of disparate partisan groups. They are just as divided on finding a way to halt the escalating violence.
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