Salon: All The Vice President's Men by Juan Cole
The ideologues in Cheney's inner circle drummed up a war. Now their zealotry is blowing up in their faces.
Friday, October 28, 2005
IRAQ
Asia Times: In for the long haul
The United States will have to maintain a substantial part of its current 150,000 forces in Iraq long after President George W Bush leaves office, concludes a study released by the London-based think tank, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The conclusion itself has been regarded as very much part of conventional wisdom inside Washington. Only the timing of the release of that study is going to provide further ammunition to the opponents of the Iraq war, especially inside the Republican Party. There has been little international support for America's invasion of Iraq. Now Bush's core support for staying put in Iraq appears to be unfastening.
The United States will have to maintain a substantial part of its current 150,000 forces in Iraq long after President George W Bush leaves office, concludes a study released by the London-based think tank, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The conclusion itself has been regarded as very much part of conventional wisdom inside Washington. Only the timing of the release of that study is going to provide further ammunition to the opponents of the Iraq war, especially inside the Republican Party. There has been little international support for America's invasion of Iraq. Now Bush's core support for staying put in Iraq appears to be unfastening.
IRAN
Asia Times: Iran on course for a showdown
PARIS - The call by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday for Israel to be "wiped off the map" has drawn instant and bitter condemnation, with Israel urging Iran's expulsion from the United Nations, and other countries saying that Tehran should now definitely be hauled before the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad's outburst, however, also signifies deep rifts within the country between his administration and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his small clique that ultimately controls the levers of power.
PARIS - The call by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday for Israel to be "wiped off the map" has drawn instant and bitter condemnation, with Israel urging Iran's expulsion from the United Nations, and other countries saying that Tehran should now definitely be hauled before the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad's outburst, however, also signifies deep rifts within the country between his administration and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his small clique that ultimately controls the levers of power.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
MEDIA WATCH: FAKE NEWS
PR Watch: One Step Forward (But Two Back) in the Fight Against Fake News
"Myself and others felt violated by the first bill," said Doug Simon, the founder, president and CEO of D S Simon Productions, a major producer of the faux television news reports known as video news releases (VNRs).
Simon was referring to the Truth in Broadcasting Act (S 967). In its original incarnation, this bill would have required a "conspicuous" disclosure to accompany any government-produced or -funded prepackaged VNR or the radio equivalent, an audio news release (ANR).
For VNRs, the Act rightly mandated "continuous" on-screen notification of the material's source, such as the words "Produced by the U.S. Government." Moreover, the Act made it illegal to remove the disclosure.
That Act was considered by the Senate Commerce Committee on October 20. What the committee passed, however, was significantly different. Even the name had changed, to the "Prepackaged News Story Announcement Act."
And now, Doug Simon likes it.
Boston Globe: AND NOW, FOR THE LOCAL FAKE NEWS
The mayor and city council of Newark, New Jersey "hired a fledging
newspaper called Newark Weekly News to publish 'positive news' about
the city - and will pay $100,000 over the next year for it." The
no-bid contract specifies that the paper will "generate stories
based on leads" from the mayor's spokesperson and city
communications staff. A senior scholar at the Poynter Institute for
Media Studies said, "If you are publishing government propaganda in
the guise of neutral, detached reporting, that's about as unethical
as you can get." Rutgers University journalism department chair John
Pavlik New York Times" target="_blank">told the New York Times that
the arrangement was "fake news." In New York, as Mayor Michael
Bloomberg "picked up the endorsement of an influential black
minister at a Harlem restaurant last month," some of the diners who
"were quoted in news stories" as "regular people" were actually
campaign volunteers. At least three people whose glowing quotes
about Bloomberg were printed didn't identify themselves "as being
affiliated with the campaign,"
"Myself and others felt violated by the first bill," said Doug Simon, the founder, president and CEO of D S Simon Productions, a major producer of the faux television news reports known as video news releases (VNRs).
Simon was referring to the Truth in Broadcasting Act (S 967). In its original incarnation, this bill would have required a "conspicuous" disclosure to accompany any government-produced or -funded prepackaged VNR or the radio equivalent, an audio news release (ANR).
For VNRs, the Act rightly mandated "continuous" on-screen notification of the material's source, such as the words "Produced by the U.S. Government." Moreover, the Act made it illegal to remove the disclosure.
That Act was considered by the Senate Commerce Committee on October 20. What the committee passed, however, was significantly different. Even the name had changed, to the "Prepackaged News Story Announcement Act."
And now, Doug Simon likes it.
Boston Globe: AND NOW, FOR THE LOCAL FAKE NEWS
The mayor and city council of Newark, New Jersey "hired a fledging
newspaper called Newark Weekly News to publish 'positive news' about
the city - and will pay $100,000 over the next year for it." The
no-bid contract specifies that the paper will "generate stories
based on leads" from the mayor's spokesperson and city
communications staff. A senior scholar at the Poynter Institute for
Media Studies said, "If you are publishing government propaganda in
the guise of neutral, detached reporting, that's about as unethical
as you can get." Rutgers University journalism department chair John
Pavlik New York Times" target="_blank">told the New York Times that
the arrangement was "fake news." In New York, as Mayor Michael
Bloomberg "picked up the endorsement of an influential black
minister at a Harlem restaurant last month," some of the diners who
"were quoted in news stories" as "regular people" were actually
campaign volunteers. At least three people whose glowing quotes
about Bloomberg were printed didn't identify themselves "as being
affiliated with the campaign,"
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
SYRIA: MEHLIS REPORT
Asia Times: The ball is now in Syria's court
DAMASCUS - The findings of the United Nations-sanctioned Mehlis commission have ripped like a thunderstorm through Syria and Lebanon. When parts of the 53-page report began to emerge at about midnight (Damascus time) on October 20-21, everybody turned on Arabic satellite TV. People were waiting to hear a clear sentence saying: "Syrian Mr X pressed the explode button on February 14, 2005, killing former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, under orders from Damascus." Such an explicit statement was not made. A threat, rather than an accusation, was fired at Damascus in the Mehlis report, making it clear that it could not find concrete evidence against Syria. Had the investigation obtained something tangible to
"recommended reading"
DAMASCUS - The findings of the United Nations-sanctioned Mehlis commission have ripped like a thunderstorm through Syria and Lebanon. When parts of the 53-page report began to emerge at about midnight (Damascus time) on October 20-21, everybody turned on Arabic satellite TV. People were waiting to hear a clear sentence saying: "Syrian Mr X pressed the explode button on February 14, 2005, killing former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, under orders from Damascus." Such an explicit statement was not made. A threat, rather than an accusation, was fired at Damascus in the Mehlis report, making it clear that it could not find concrete evidence against Syria. Had the investigation obtained something tangible to
"recommended reading"
INTERNET FRAUD
LA Times: 'I Will Eat Your Dollars'
To the cyber scammers in Nigeria who trawl for victims on the Internet, Americans are easy targets. But one thief had second thoughts
To the cyber scammers in Nigeria who trawl for victims on the Internet, Americans are easy targets. But one thief had second thoughts
LEBANON: HAIRIRI
Onlinejournal: Hariri Reportedly Assassinated To Make Way For Large US Air Base In Lebanon
According to high-level Lebanese intelligence sources-Christian and Muslim-former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was reportedly assassinated in a sophisticated explosion-by-wire bombing authorized by the Bush administration and Ariel Sharon's Likud government in Israel. There are also strong indications that the Hariri assassination was carried out by the same rogue Syrian intelligence agents used in the 2002 car bombing assassination of Lebanese Christian leader Elie Hobeika, who was prepared to testify against Sharon in a Brussels human rights court
According to high-level Lebanese intelligence sources-Christian and Muslim-former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was reportedly assassinated in a sophisticated explosion-by-wire bombing authorized by the Bush administration and Ariel Sharon's Likud government in Israel. There are also strong indications that the Hariri assassination was carried out by the same rogue Syrian intelligence agents used in the 2002 car bombing assassination of Lebanese Christian leader Elie Hobeika, who was prepared to testify against Sharon in a Brussels human rights court
Monday, October 24, 2005
MEDIA: PLAMEGATE
Independent: Hard times in New York
The paper that regards itself as America's supreme journal of record is washing its dirty laundry in public. And a large cast of characters is getting splashed with water
The paper that regards itself as America's supreme journal of record is washing its dirty laundry in public. And a large cast of characters is getting splashed with water
USA: PLAMEGATE
News Max: Dems Tap PatrickFitzgerald For Impeachment Probe
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are so pleased with reports that Leakgate prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is about to indict senior White House officials that they want him to lead an impeachment investigation into whether President Bush lied to Congress about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
"The CIA leak issue is only the tip of the iceberg," House Judiciary Democrat Jerrold Nadler complains in a message posted to his web site.
In a letter asking the Justice Department to expand the scope of Fitzgerald's investigation, Nadler says: "We now have reason to believe that high crimes may have been committed at the highest level [and] wrongdoing that may have led us to war and imperiled our national security."
Opednews: THE COMING HURRICANE FITZGERALD...
There is a storm of historic proportions headed for the United States, one that will make Hurricane Wilma (also en route) look like a small splash in the pond by comparison. It's been building and gathering strength in the increasingly hot waters of the Special Counsel's office for almost two years, and in a matter of days it may lay waste to the entire political infrastructure of Washington, D.C., from one end to the other.
Rense: The Most Important Criminal Case In American History
Patrick Fitzgerald has before him the most important criminal case in American history. Watergate, by comparison, was a random burglary in an age of innocence. The investigator's prosecutorial authority in this present case is not constrained by any regulation. If he finds a thread connecting the leak to something greater, Fitzgerald has the legal power to follow it to the web in search of the spider. It seems unlikely, then, that he would simply go after the leakers and the people who sought to cover up the leak when it was merely a secondary consequence of the much greater crime of forging evidence to foment war.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are so pleased with reports that Leakgate prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is about to indict senior White House officials that they want him to lead an impeachment investigation into whether President Bush lied to Congress about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
"The CIA leak issue is only the tip of the iceberg," House Judiciary Democrat Jerrold Nadler complains in a message posted to his web site.
In a letter asking the Justice Department to expand the scope of Fitzgerald's investigation, Nadler says: "We now have reason to believe that high crimes may have been committed at the highest level [and] wrongdoing that may have led us to war and imperiled our national security."
Opednews: THE COMING HURRICANE FITZGERALD...
There is a storm of historic proportions headed for the United States, one that will make Hurricane Wilma (also en route) look like a small splash in the pond by comparison. It's been building and gathering strength in the increasingly hot waters of the Special Counsel's office for almost two years, and in a matter of days it may lay waste to the entire political infrastructure of Washington, D.C., from one end to the other.
Rense: The Most Important Criminal Case In American History
Patrick Fitzgerald has before him the most important criminal case in American history. Watergate, by comparison, was a random burglary in an age of innocence. The investigator's prosecutorial authority in this present case is not constrained by any regulation. If he finds a thread connecting the leak to something greater, Fitzgerald has the legal power to follow it to the web in search of the spider. It seems unlikely, then, that he would simply go after the leakers and the people who sought to cover up the leak when it was merely a secondary consequence of the much greater crime of forging evidence to foment war.
BIRD FLU
Times: Deadly bird flu virus confirmed in Britain
A SERIOUS failure in strict quarantine regulations allowed a parrot to become infected with the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain after its arrival in Britain, animal health experts said last night.
The South American parrot appears to have been kept in quarantine too close to a bird from Taiwan, against official advice to bird importers. The apparent lapse in the system is expected to bring about a review of a policy that allows some commercial animal dealers to run their own quarantine operations under veterinary supervision.
Scotsman: Parrot had deadliest bird flu strain
Confirmation that the parrot had the most lethal form of the disease came as Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, said the UK faced an inevitable human flu pandemic, which could lead to people staying away from work and public gatherings. She conceded scientists had warned it was a case of when, not if, the flu strikes, but she could not give a timetable as "we simply don't know".
Reuters: Key dates in spread of bird flu from Asia
A SERIOUS failure in strict quarantine regulations allowed a parrot to become infected with the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain after its arrival in Britain, animal health experts said last night.
The South American parrot appears to have been kept in quarantine too close to a bird from Taiwan, against official advice to bird importers. The apparent lapse in the system is expected to bring about a review of a policy that allows some commercial animal dealers to run their own quarantine operations under veterinary supervision.
Scotsman: Parrot had deadliest bird flu strain
Confirmation that the parrot had the most lethal form of the disease came as Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, said the UK faced an inevitable human flu pandemic, which could lead to people staying away from work and public gatherings. She conceded scientists had warned it was a case of when, not if, the flu strikes, but she could not give a timetable as "we simply don't know".
Reuters: Key dates in spread of bird flu from Asia
Friday, October 07, 2005
USA: BUSH POLLS ALL TIME LOW
CBS: Poll: Bush Ratings Hit New Low
President George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has reached the lowest ever measured in this poll, and evaluations of his handling of Iraq, the economy and even his signature issue, terrorism, are also at all-time lows. More Americans than at any time since he took office think he does not share their priorities.
PRESIDENT BUSH'S JOB APPROVAL
Approve
Overall
Now
37%
9/2005
41%
8/2005
41%
Terrorism
Now
46%
9/2005
50%
8/2005
54%
Iraq
Now
32%
9/2005
36%
8/2005
38%
Economy
Now
32%
9/2005
35%
8/2005
37%
Hurricane Katrina
Now
45%
9/2005
44%
8/2005
54%
President George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has reached the lowest ever measured in this poll, and evaluations of his handling of Iraq, the economy and even his signature issue, terrorism, are also at all-time lows. More Americans than at any time since he took office think he does not share their priorities.
PRESIDENT BUSH'S JOB APPROVAL
Approve
Overall
Now
37%9/2005
41%8/2005
41%Terrorism
Now
46%9/2005
50%8/2005
54%Iraq
Now
32%9/2005
36%8/2005
38%Economy
Now
32%9/2005
35%8/2005
37%Hurricane Katrina
Now
45%9/2005
44%8/2005
54%
USA: PLAME GATE
NY Times: Rove Ordered to Talk Again in Leak Inquiry
The special prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case has summoned Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, to return next week to testify to a federal grand jury in a step that could mean charges will be filed in the case, lawyers in the case said Thursday.
The special prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case has summoned Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, to return next week to testify to a federal grand jury in a step that could mean charges will be filed in the case, lawyers in the case said Thursday.
The prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, has held discussions in recent days with lawyers for several administration officials suggesting that he is considering whether to charge them with a crime over the disclosure of an intelligence operative's identity in a 2003 newspaper column.
WAR ON TERROR
Rense: The Unwinnable War by Charley Reese
- The so-called war against terrorism is unwinnable. It was designed to be unwinnable so that it can be carried on for an indefinite duration and thus support the vast military-industrial-anti-terrorism complex. The end of the Cold War scared this complex half to death. It can only survive with an enemy at the gates.
- Conventional wars can be won because they are fought against governments. Either the enemy government can be destroyed or it is made to pay such a high price in casualties and assets that it will sue for peace. Either way, everybody knows the war is over. The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Russians ended their occupation of Eastern Europe. We should have dismantled the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as they did the Warsaw Pact, and moved to a peacetime situation.
- Too many people in this country, however, have a vested interest in war, and they were in desperate need of a new enemy and some dramatic event to get the people all riled up. Osama bin Laden obliged on both counts.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
PROPAGANDA WATCH
Bloomberg: Blair Says Bombs Used in Iraq May Be Linked to Iran
Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair today said that there is evidence tying Iran to bombings in neighboring Iraq in the first public accusation that the Shiite Muslim country is supporting militants in Iraq.
``There have been new explosive devices used against British troops and elsewhere,'' Blair said. ``The particular nature of those devices leads us to either Iranian elements or Hezbollah that is funded and supported by Iran.
``We can't be certain of this at this time,'' he told a news conference in London with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, carried live by international broadcasters. ``Obviously, we will continue our investigations'' and ``discussions'' with Iran.
"What is Mr. Blair trying to sell? He fucked up his whole credibility. Fucked up Iraq. Its not the fault of the British Imperialists that they have little to zero progress in Iraq.it is not the fault of the british that Shia Death Squads roam the streets, that the sunni guerilla kill civilians everyday, that women have far less rights than they had under saddam, that people still have no electricy, that people still have no water in theyre homes, that iraq is on the brink of a civil war..lets blame IRAN..it was Iran who told Bush and Blair that they should invade Iraq in the first place"Update:
Reuters: Iran not interfering in Iraq-Iraqi prime minister
ISRAEL SPYING ON USA
AP: US official admits spying for Israel
A top US Defence Department analyst with expertise in the Middle East has pleaded guilty to giving classified information to an Israeli embassy official and members of a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Lawrence Franklin, 58, said in court on Wednesday that he was frustrated with government policy and that he had hoped the two members of American Israel Public Affairs Committee could influence policy with their connections at the National Security Council.
He also admitted giving classified information to a political official at the Israeli embassy, but said the information he received from the official was far more valuable than what he gave.
A top US Defence Department analyst with expertise in the Middle East has pleaded guilty to giving classified information to an Israeli embassy official and members of a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Lawrence Franklin, 58, said in court on Wednesday that he was frustrated with government policy and that he had hoped the two members of American Israel Public Affairs Committee could influence policy with their connections at the National Security Council.
He also admitted giving classified information to a political official at the Israeli embassy, but said the information he received from the official was far more valuable than what he gave.
PROPAGANDA WATCH
Washington Times: Iran Army Given Control Of Entire Nuclear Program
by David R. Sands
Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has placed the military firmly in control of his nation's nuclear program, undercutting his government's claim that the program is intended for civilian use, according to a leading opposition group.
"The military under the new president is firmly in control of the nuclear program and the nuclear negotiations with the United Nations and the West," said Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI's foreign affairs committee, in a telephone interview yesterday.
Irans Nuclear program is not "clandestine". Iran is under severe IAEA inspections and has the right to develop the nuclear fuel cycle for civilian purposes."
by David R. Sands
Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has placed the military firmly in control of his nation's nuclear program, undercutting his government's claim that the program is intended for civilian use, according to a leading opposition group.
"The military under the new president is firmly in control of the nuclear program and the nuclear negotiations with the United Nations and the West," said Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI's foreign affairs committee, in a telephone interview yesterday.
- The NCRI is the political arm of the People's Mujahadeen, a secular Iranian bloc that broke violently with the Islamic leaders of the revolution shortly after the ouster of the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
- The opposition group has had a checkered and at times contradictory role. Branded a terrorist group by U.S. and European governments, it also has proven to be the single best intelligence source on Iran's clandestine nuclear programs, exposing in recent years massive research and testing sites inside Iran unknown to U.N. and Western monitors.
Irans Nuclear program is not "clandestine". Iran is under severe IAEA inspections and has the right to develop the nuclear fuel cycle for civilian purposes."
AOL: CENSORSHIP?
Prison Planet: AOL Time-Warner Censors Alex Jones Websites
Nationwide blackout a clear attempt to shut down free speech or just an error?
check what he is writing about the whole thing:
The Internet: It's broke!
This morning I see that an article has been written up on the subject: AOL Time-Warner Censors Alex Jones Websites
Simply put: I'm not buying that one bit.
Nationwide blackout a clear attempt to shut down free speech or just an error?
Has Time Warner's ISP, Road Runner, blocked access to all of Alex Jones' flagship websites across the entire United States or is this a wider Internet blackout issue?
We were first alerted to this problem early this morning when several locals in Austin reported that they were unable to access Infowars.com, PrisonPlanet.com or Prison Planet.tv.
Austin Time Warner had previously shut down access to our websites on a whim, claiming they were 'hate material' but in all cases had quickly restored them after receiving complaints.
However, this latest attack on free speech is occurring nationwide, with Time Warner subscribers from New York to California reporting that their access to the websites is being blocked. Is this deliberate or an Internet-wide issue? Only time will tell.
Update: Justin from Justin Buist's Log told me that Mr. Jones is wrong and i agree with him.check what he is writing about the whole thing:
The Internet: It's broke!
This morning I see that an article has been written up on the subject: AOL Time-Warner Censors Alex Jones Websites
Simply put: I'm not buying that one bit.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
ISRAEL: DEMOCRACY
Haaretz: More Israeli Jews favor transfer of Palestinians, Israeli Arabs - poll finds
Some 46 percent of Israel's Jewish citizens favor transferring Palestinians out of the territories, while 31 percent favor transferring Israeli Arabs out of the country, according to the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies' annual national security public opinion poll.
Some 72 percent of Jewish Israelis are opposed to Arab parties being part of a coalition government, compared to 67 percent last year and 50 percent in 1999.
"What Haaretz describes as "transfer" is called ethnic cleansing in the rest of the world"
Some 46 percent of Israel's Jewish citizens favor transferring Palestinians out of the territories, while 31 percent favor transferring Israeli Arabs out of the country, according to the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies' annual national security public opinion poll.
Some 72 percent of Jewish Israelis are opposed to Arab parties being part of a coalition government, compared to 67 percent last year and 50 percent in 1999.
"What Haaretz describes as "transfer" is called ethnic cleansing in the rest of the world"
IRAQ
Al-Ahram: Zarqawi's war whoop
University of Baghdad Political Science Professor Jinan Ali says there is more to the Zarqawi threat than appears on the surface.
"The so-called war against Shiites began after Moqtada Al-Sadr announced his opposition to drafting the constitution," says Ali. ""Most of the Shiites targeted are Moqtada's followers intended to force them to cast a "Yes" vote in the coming referendum".
Many Iraqis are now wondering whether Zarqawi is a real figure or not.
"Zarqawi is a good pretext for striking any Iraqi city or town," Professor Ali explains.
"If Zarqawi is defending the Sunnis and his followers are operating in the Sunni areas, why were Najaf and Sadr city (mostly Shiite areas) targeted by the Americans and Iraqi forces several times before?"
University of Baghdad Political Science Professor Jinan Ali says there is more to the Zarqawi threat than appears on the surface.
"The so-called war against Shiites began after Moqtada Al-Sadr announced his opposition to drafting the constitution," says Ali. ""Most of the Shiites targeted are Moqtada's followers intended to force them to cast a "Yes" vote in the coming referendum".
Many Iraqis are now wondering whether Zarqawi is a real figure or not.
"Zarqawi is a good pretext for striking any Iraqi city or town," Professor Ali explains.
"If Zarqawi is defending the Sunnis and his followers are operating in the Sunni areas, why were Najaf and Sadr city (mostly Shiite areas) targeted by the Americans and Iraqi forces several times before?"
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
CHINA: CENSORSHIP
Time: China's Web Watchers
The Internet was supposed to be immune to censorship, but Beijing has found ways to stifle online dissent
The Internet was supposed to be immune to censorship, but Beijing has found ways to stifle online dissent
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)