MEDIEN
Heise: "Unabhängige Berichterstattung? Dass ich nicht lache"
Ein Gespräch mit dem Journalisten John R. MacArthur über die amerikanischen Medien, die Kriegsberichterstattung und den möglichen Irak-Krieg
"Bedeutet die wirtschaftliche und ideologische Monopolisierung der amerikanischen Mainstream-Medien nicht gleichzeitig einen Aufschwung für eine Zeitschrift wie die, die Sie herausgeben?
John R. MacArthur: Die Vorsicht und der Konservatismus der Mainstream-Medien hat - ja - dem "Harper's Magazine" wirtschaftlich gut getan. Übrigens ebenso der nichtamerikanischen englischsprachigen Presse, die über das Internet zu erhalten ist. "Harper's Magazine" war nie links, eher liberal und literarisch. Es wird inzwischen von Linken gelesen, die einfach nur etwas Intellektuelles und Oppositionelles lesen wollen. Wir sind, und das ist ja nicht schwer, klar gegen die Bush-Regierung, klar gegen die Kriegspolitik. Wir schreiben gegen den neuen Imperialismus, den die USA in Szene zu setzen versuchen, gegen den Unilateralismus und die Arroganz amerikanischer Macht, überhaupt gegen das propagandistische Wesen des politischen Diskurses. Wenn ich auf Veranstaltungen in den USA von Zuhörern gefragt werde, was man denn so lesen könnte, dann sage ich, die britischen Zeitungen "Guardian" und "Independent" sowie die französische "Le Monde".
Und wenn Sie "New York Times" und "Washington Post" vergleichen?
John R. MacArthur: Wenn man Nachrichten bekommen will, dann muss man sich heute als Amerikaner in Übersee auf die Suche begeben. "New York Times", "Washington Post", "Los Angeles Times" und amerikanisches Fernsehen liefern das nicht . Die "Washington Post" ist, das muss ich dazusagen, weitaus besser als die "New York Times", auf jeden Fall, was Stories über Interna der Bush-Regierung angeht. Das Editorial der "Washington Post" ist zwar verheerend, aber so manche Berichte können sich sehen lassen. "
Wednesday, February 05, 2003
WAR ON IRAK
Powell Speach:
Spiegel: "Saddams Unmenschlichkeit kennt keine Grenzen"
US-Außenminister Colin Powell hat im Uno-Sicherheitsrat einen multimedialen Großangriff auf die irakische Regierung gestartet. Tonbandaufnahmen und Satellitenbilder sollen beweisen, dass das Regime in Bagdad systematisch Massenvernichtungswaffen versteckt und die Uno-Inspektoren behindert.
Ny Times: With Audio Tapes and Images, Powell Makes Case to U.N.
Guardian: 'Enough, enough, enough'
BLACK PROPAGANDA
Powell Speach:
Spiegel: "Saddams Unmenschlichkeit kennt keine Grenzen"
US-Außenminister Colin Powell hat im Uno-Sicherheitsrat einen multimedialen Großangriff auf die irakische Regierung gestartet. Tonbandaufnahmen und Satellitenbilder sollen beweisen, dass das Regime in Bagdad systematisch Massenvernichtungswaffen versteckt und die Uno-Inspektoren behindert.
Ny Times: With Audio Tapes and Images, Powell Makes Case to U.N.
Guardian: 'Enough, enough, enough'
BLACK PROPAGANDA
WAR ON IRAK
Guardian: Blair certain of Iraq's al-Qaida links
Tony Blair sagt es gebe Verbindungen von Irak und Al-Quaida
Spiegel: Angeblich kein Kontakt zwischen Irak und al-Qaida
Sein Geheimdienst behauptet im BBC das Gegenteil....wer lügt?
Guardian: Blair certain of Iraq's al-Qaida links
Tony Blair sagt es gebe Verbindungen von Irak und Al-Quaida
Spiegel: Angeblich kein Kontakt zwischen Irak und al-Qaida
Sein Geheimdienst behauptet im BBC das Gegenteil....wer lügt?
WAR ON IRAK
TagesAnzeiger: «Militärisch keine ernsthafte Bedrohung»
Der US-Aussenminister Colin Powell will heute dem Weltsicherheitsrat beweisen, dass der Irak über Massenvernichtungswaffen verfügt. Der Schweizer Abrüstungsexperte Heiner Staub zweifelt dies an.
Mit Heiner Staub sprach Barbara Reye
Der frühere US-Waffeninspektor Scott Ritter schreibt in seinem Buch «Krieg gegen den Irak», dass es in diesem Land keinerlei funktionstüchtige atomare, biologische und chemische Massenvernichtungswaffen mehr gibt. Hat er Recht?
Es stimmt, dass der Irak keine Anlagen und Infrastruktur zur Herstellung von atomaren Waffen mehr besitzt. Das ist alles beseitigt worden. Und bei der Uno-Tätigkeit von 1991 bis 1998 wurden zudem fast alle biologischen und chemischen Waffen, deren Wirkstoffe sowie die Produktionseinrichtungen zerstört. Einen Teil haben die Iraker nach eigenen Angaben selbst vernichtet. Das Problem dabei ist jedoch, dass es dafür keine Beweise gib
TagesAnzeiger: «Militärisch keine ernsthafte Bedrohung»
Der US-Aussenminister Colin Powell will heute dem Weltsicherheitsrat beweisen, dass der Irak über Massenvernichtungswaffen verfügt. Der Schweizer Abrüstungsexperte Heiner Staub zweifelt dies an.
Mit Heiner Staub sprach Barbara Reye
Der frühere US-Waffeninspektor Scott Ritter schreibt in seinem Buch «Krieg gegen den Irak», dass es in diesem Land keinerlei funktionstüchtige atomare, biologische und chemische Massenvernichtungswaffen mehr gibt. Hat er Recht?
Es stimmt, dass der Irak keine Anlagen und Infrastruktur zur Herstellung von atomaren Waffen mehr besitzt. Das ist alles beseitigt worden. Und bei der Uno-Tätigkeit von 1991 bis 1998 wurden zudem fast alle biologischen und chemischen Waffen, deren Wirkstoffe sowie die Produktionseinrichtungen zerstört. Einen Teil haben die Iraker nach eigenen Angaben selbst vernichtet. Das Problem dabei ist jedoch, dass es dafür keine Beweise gib
WAR ON IRAK
TagesAnzeiger: Countdown im Uno-Sicherheitsrat
Vor einer entscheidenden Sitzung des Uno-Sicherheitsrates werden die Positionen nochmals bekräftigt. Der britische Aussenminister Jack Straw glaubt nicht an eine friedliche Lösung. Präsident Jacques Chirac verlangt mehr Zeit für die Waffeninspektoren.
TagesAnzeiger: Countdown im Uno-Sicherheitsrat
Vor einer entscheidenden Sitzung des Uno-Sicherheitsrates werden die Positionen nochmals bekräftigt. Der britische Aussenminister Jack Straw glaubt nicht an eine friedliche Lösung. Präsident Jacques Chirac verlangt mehr Zeit für die Waffeninspektoren.
WAR ON IRAK
Spiegel: Misstrauensvotum wegen Golfkrieg
Die Irakpolitik des australischen Premierministers John Howard erweist sich für ihn als Stolperstein. Das australische Parlament hat ein Misstrauensvotum gegen den Ministerpräsidenten ausgesprochen. Eine australische Beteiligung am bevorstehenden Golfkrieg wird von Opposition und Bevölkerung heftig kritisiert
Spiegel: Misstrauensvotum wegen Golfkrieg
Die Irakpolitik des australischen Premierministers John Howard erweist sich für ihn als Stolperstein. Das australische Parlament hat ein Misstrauensvotum gegen den Ministerpräsidenten ausgesprochen. Eine australische Beteiligung am bevorstehenden Golfkrieg wird von Opposition und Bevölkerung heftig kritisiert
WAR ON IRAK
Ny Times Op-Ed: Powell Without Picasso
When Colin Powell goes to the United Nations today to make his case for war with Saddam, the U.N. plans to throw a blue cover over Picasso's antiwar masterpiece, "Guernica."
Too much of a mixed message, diplomats say. As final preparations for the secretary's presentation were being made last night, a U.N. spokesman explained, "Tomorrow it will be covered and we will put the Security Council flags in front of it."
Mr. Powell can't very well seduce the world into bombing Iraq surrounded on camera by shrieking and mutilated women, men, children, bulls and horses.
After leading the charge for months that there were ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld chastised the media yesterday for expecting dramatic, explicit evidence from Mr. Powell. "The fixation on a smoking gun is fascinating to me," he said impatiently, adding: "You all . . . have been watching `L.A. Law' or something too much."
The administration's argument for war has shifted in a dizzying Cubist cascade over the last months. Last summer, Bush officials warned that Saddam was close to building nuclear bombs. Now, with intelligence on aluminum tubes, once deemed proof of an Iraqi nuclear program, in dispute, the administration's emphasis has tacked back to germ and chemical weapons. With no proof that Saddam has given weapons to terrorists, another once-crucial part of the case for going to war, Mr. Rumsfeld and others now frame their casus belli prospectively: that we must get rid of Saddam because he will soon become the gulf's leading weapons supplier to terrorists.
Ny Times Op-Ed: Powell Without Picasso
When Colin Powell goes to the United Nations today to make his case for war with Saddam, the U.N. plans to throw a blue cover over Picasso's antiwar masterpiece, "Guernica."
Too much of a mixed message, diplomats say. As final preparations for the secretary's presentation were being made last night, a U.N. spokesman explained, "Tomorrow it will be covered and we will put the Security Council flags in front of it."
Mr. Powell can't very well seduce the world into bombing Iraq surrounded on camera by shrieking and mutilated women, men, children, bulls and horses.
After leading the charge for months that there were ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld chastised the media yesterday for expecting dramatic, explicit evidence from Mr. Powell. "The fixation on a smoking gun is fascinating to me," he said impatiently, adding: "You all . . . have been watching `L.A. Law' or something too much."
The administration's argument for war has shifted in a dizzying Cubist cascade over the last months. Last summer, Bush officials warned that Saddam was close to building nuclear bombs. Now, with intelligence on aluminum tubes, once deemed proof of an Iraqi nuclear program, in dispute, the administration's emphasis has tacked back to germ and chemical weapons. With no proof that Saddam has given weapons to terrorists, another once-crucial part of the case for going to war, Mr. Rumsfeld and others now frame their casus belli prospectively: that we must get rid of Saddam because he will soon become the gulf's leading weapons supplier to terrorists.
USA
Ny Times: Jurors Who Convicted Marijuana Grower Seek New Trial
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4 — In an unusual show of solidarity with the man they convicted last week, five jurors in the trial of a medicinal marijuana advocate issued a public apology to him today and demanded that the judge grant him a new trial.
The jurors said they had been unaware that the defendant, Ed Rosenthal, was growing marijuana for medicinal purposes, allowed since 1996 under California state law, when they convicted him on three federal counts of cultivation and conspiracy. He is to be sentenced in June and faces a minimum of five years in prison.
Der Typ wurde zu Gefängnis verurteilt weil er offiziel für die Stadt San Francisco Gras für Medizinische Zwecke angebaut hat, was eigentlich in Californien legal ist.
Ny Times: Jurors Who Convicted Marijuana Grower Seek New Trial
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4 — In an unusual show of solidarity with the man they convicted last week, five jurors in the trial of a medicinal marijuana advocate issued a public apology to him today and demanded that the judge grant him a new trial.
The jurors said they had been unaware that the defendant, Ed Rosenthal, was growing marijuana for medicinal purposes, allowed since 1996 under California state law, when they convicted him on three federal counts of cultivation and conspiracy. He is to be sentenced in June and faces a minimum of five years in prison.
Der Typ wurde zu Gefängnis verurteilt weil er offiziel für die Stadt San Francisco Gras für Medizinische Zwecke angebaut hat, was eigentlich in Californien legal ist.
Tuesday, February 04, 2003
FINANCE
NY Times: Credit Suisse Suspends Star During Inquiry
Credit Suisse First Boston suspended Frank P. Quattrone, its star technology investment banker, yesterday after discovering e-mail messages that suggested he knew of regulatory investigations when he urged his co-workers to clean up their files.
According to people who have read the messages, Mr. Quattrone was informed on Dec. 3, 2000, of both a civil and grand jury investigation into the firm's practice of allocating shares of hot stock offerings to favored clients. The notice came from David Brodsky, who was the firm's general counsel for the Americas at the time.
Unsere Info:
Message from John Mack: Frank Quattrone
Dear Colleagues:
I’m writing to inform you that CSFB has placed Frank Quattrone, Head of CSFB’s Global Technology Group on administrative leave pending the completion of an internal investigation.
The Firm has taken this action for two reasons.
First, CSFB discovered information on Friday, January 31st that raised questions about Frank’s response to an inquiry last week by the Firm about whether he was aware of pending government investigations in 2000 when he sent an e-mail to employees regarding document retention issues.
Second, the new information raised questions about whether Frank acted appropriately in December 2000 when he sent that e-mail and permitted a subordinate to send a similar e-mail to employees.
For the past 18 months, I have supported Frank as Head of our Technology Group because there was no evidence in our earlier reviews of the IPO allocation and research independence issues that he had done anything improper. However, the information uncovered on January 31st raises questions that need to be fully investigated.
For that reason, CSFB is conducting a thorough investigation of the matter. We also have notified the appropriate government and regulatory authorities, and are cooperating fully with them.
CSFB remains deeply committed to serving the technology industry. We have long been the leader in technology-related investment banking and research, and our outstanding team of talented technology professionals will continue to provide the highest quality of service to help our clients grow and succeed.
Zur Anmerkung: Frank ist der Typ der bei der CS am meisten abcasht..so um die 20 Millionen pro Jahr
NY Times: Credit Suisse Suspends Star During Inquiry
Credit Suisse First Boston suspended Frank P. Quattrone, its star technology investment banker, yesterday after discovering e-mail messages that suggested he knew of regulatory investigations when he urged his co-workers to clean up their files.
According to people who have read the messages, Mr. Quattrone was informed on Dec. 3, 2000, of both a civil and grand jury investigation into the firm's practice of allocating shares of hot stock offerings to favored clients. The notice came from David Brodsky, who was the firm's general counsel for the Americas at the time.
Unsere Info:
Message from John Mack: Frank Quattrone
Dear Colleagues:
I’m writing to inform you that CSFB has placed Frank Quattrone, Head of CSFB’s Global Technology Group on administrative leave pending the completion of an internal investigation.
The Firm has taken this action for two reasons.
First, CSFB discovered information on Friday, January 31st that raised questions about Frank’s response to an inquiry last week by the Firm about whether he was aware of pending government investigations in 2000 when he sent an e-mail to employees regarding document retention issues.
Second, the new information raised questions about whether Frank acted appropriately in December 2000 when he sent that e-mail and permitted a subordinate to send a similar e-mail to employees.
For the past 18 months, I have supported Frank as Head of our Technology Group because there was no evidence in our earlier reviews of the IPO allocation and research independence issues that he had done anything improper. However, the information uncovered on January 31st raises questions that need to be fully investigated.
For that reason, CSFB is conducting a thorough investigation of the matter. We also have notified the appropriate government and regulatory authorities, and are cooperating fully with them.
CSFB remains deeply committed to serving the technology industry. We have long been the leader in technology-related investment banking and research, and our outstanding team of talented technology professionals will continue to provide the highest quality of service to help our clients grow and succeed.
Zur Anmerkung: Frank ist der Typ der bei der CS am meisten abcasht..so um die 20 Millionen pro Jahr
WAR ON TERROR
The Times: The United States of America has gone Mad essay von John Le Carre
America has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember: worse than McCarthyism, worse than the Bay of Pigs and in the long term potentially more disastrous than the Vietnam War.
The reaction to 9/11 is beyond anything Osama bin Laden could have hoped for in his nastiest dreams. As in McCarthy times, the freedoms that have made America the envy of the world are being systematically eroded. The combination of compliant US media and vested corporate interests is once more ensuring that a debate that should be ringing out in every town square is confined to the loftier columns of the East Coast press.
How Bush and his junta succeeded in deflecting America’s anger from bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is one of the great public relations conjuring tricks of history. But they swung it. A recent poll tells us that one in two Americans now believe Saddam was responsible for the attack on the World Trade Centre. But the American public is not merely being misled. It is being browbeaten and kept in a state of ignorance and fear. The carefully orchestrated neurosis should carry Bush and his fellow conspirators nicely into the next election.
God also has pretty scary connections. In America, where all men are equal in His sight, if not in one another’s, the Bush family numbers one President, one ex-President, one ex-head of the CIA, the Governor of Florida and the ex-Governor of Texas.
Care for a few pointers? George W. Bush, 1978-84: senior executive, Arbusto Energy/Bush Exploration, an oil company; 1986-90: senior executive of the Harken oil company. Dick Cheney, 1995-2000: chief executive of the Halliburton oil company. Condoleezza Rice, 1991-2000: senior executive with the Chevron oil company, which named an oil tanker after her. And so on. But none of these trifling associations affects the integrity of God’s work.
"CHECK IT!"
The Times: The United States of America has gone Mad essay von John Le Carre
America has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember: worse than McCarthyism, worse than the Bay of Pigs and in the long term potentially more disastrous than the Vietnam War.
The reaction to 9/11 is beyond anything Osama bin Laden could have hoped for in his nastiest dreams. As in McCarthy times, the freedoms that have made America the envy of the world are being systematically eroded. The combination of compliant US media and vested corporate interests is once more ensuring that a debate that should be ringing out in every town square is confined to the loftier columns of the East Coast press.
How Bush and his junta succeeded in deflecting America’s anger from bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is one of the great public relations conjuring tricks of history. But they swung it. A recent poll tells us that one in two Americans now believe Saddam was responsible for the attack on the World Trade Centre. But the American public is not merely being misled. It is being browbeaten and kept in a state of ignorance and fear. The carefully orchestrated neurosis should carry Bush and his fellow conspirators nicely into the next election.
God also has pretty scary connections. In America, where all men are equal in His sight, if not in one another’s, the Bush family numbers one President, one ex-President, one ex-head of the CIA, the Governor of Florida and the ex-Governor of Texas.
Care for a few pointers? George W. Bush, 1978-84: senior executive, Arbusto Energy/Bush Exploration, an oil company; 1986-90: senior executive of the Harken oil company. Dick Cheney, 1995-2000: chief executive of the Halliburton oil company. Condoleezza Rice, 1991-2000: senior executive with the Chevron oil company, which named an oil tanker after her. And so on. But none of these trifling associations affects the integrity of God’s work.
"CHECK IT!"
WAR ON IRAK
Ny Times op-ed: 'A Sea of Fire,' or Worse? by Nicholas Kristof
The North Korean nuclear crisis is far more perilous than many people realize.
The White House, wanting to keep the focus on Iraq, did not even bother to tell us that satellite images show North Korea apparently taking steps toward reprocessing plutonium. It was left to my Times colleague David (Scoop) Sanger to alert the public a few days ago.
Can you imagine if it were Iraq that had been spotted moving nuclear fuel around? The news that the Pentagon is reinforcing its preparedness on the Korean Peninsula suggests that it doesn't believe the White House lullabies either.
CHECK IT
Ny Times op-ed: 'A Sea of Fire,' or Worse? by Nicholas Kristof
The North Korean nuclear crisis is far more perilous than many people realize.
The White House, wanting to keep the focus on Iraq, did not even bother to tell us that satellite images show North Korea apparently taking steps toward reprocessing plutonium. It was left to my Times colleague David (Scoop) Sanger to alert the public a few days ago.
Can you imagine if it were Iraq that had been spotted moving nuclear fuel around? The news that the Pentagon is reinforcing its preparedness on the Korean Peninsula suggests that it doesn't believe the White House lullabies either.
CHECK IT
WAR ON TERROR
the nation: The Rise of the Fortress Continent by Naomi Klein
Well, it could have been true.
That's what Senator Hillary Clinton had to say after finding out that five Pakistani men did not actually sneak into the United States through Canada so they could blow up New York on New Year's Eve. Because they were never in the United States at all, and they weren't terrorists, and the whole thing was dreamed up by a man who forges passports for a living.
the nation: The Rise of the Fortress Continent by Naomi Klein
Well, it could have been true.
That's what Senator Hillary Clinton had to say after finding out that five Pakistani men did not actually sneak into the United States through Canada so they could blow up New York on New Year's Eve. Because they were never in the United States at all, and they weren't terrorists, and the whole thing was dreamed up by a man who forges passports for a living.
WAR ON TERROR
onlinejournal: The real terrorist is George W. Bush
January 30, 2003—America is frightening the world. The vaunted beacon of freedom has turned into a Ku Klux Klan bonfire.
Maybe some sadists think that's a good idea, but the genuinely decent people of this planet surely don't.
Incited by an endless barrage of dubious bluster about the sudden need for all-out war against a bomb-ravaged Third World nation, people in 38 different countries came out by the hundreds of thousands last weekend to sound the alarm about this spreading American madness.
And we all know the reason why.
The man who claims to lead the fight against terror is terrorizing the entire world.
"He terrorizes little old American ladies by making them strip naked at airports and having their private parts probed by minimum-wage security Nazis searching for weapons of mass destruction"
onlinejournal: The real terrorist is George W. Bush
January 30, 2003—America is frightening the world. The vaunted beacon of freedom has turned into a Ku Klux Klan bonfire.
Maybe some sadists think that's a good idea, but the genuinely decent people of this planet surely don't.
Incited by an endless barrage of dubious bluster about the sudden need for all-out war against a bomb-ravaged Third World nation, people in 38 different countries came out by the hundreds of thousands last weekend to sound the alarm about this spreading American madness.
And we all know the reason why.
The man who claims to lead the fight against terror is terrorizing the entire world.
"He terrorizes little old American ladies by making them strip naked at airports and having their private parts probed by minimum-wage security Nazis searching for weapons of mass destruction"
USA
Washington Post: Senate Blocks Funding for Pentagon database
Saying they feared government snooping against ordinary Americans, U.S. senators voted on Thursday to block funding for a Pentagon computer project that would scour databases for terrorist threats. By a voice vote, the Senate voted to ban funding for the Total Information Awareness program, under former national security adviser John Poindexter, until the Pentagon explains the program and assesses its impact on civil liberties.
Nachdem der Senat George Bush schon verboten hat geld für das Total Information Awerness Office auszugeben, haben sie nun auch den Plan eines Super-Geheimdienstes fürs Weisse Haus mit der Begründung torpediert das ein Ausspionieren von Unschuldigen befürchtet werde.
Washington Post: Senate Blocks Funding for Pentagon database
Saying they feared government snooping against ordinary Americans, U.S. senators voted on Thursday to block funding for a Pentagon computer project that would scour databases for terrorist threats. By a voice vote, the Senate voted to ban funding for the Total Information Awareness program, under former national security adviser John Poindexter, until the Pentagon explains the program and assesses its impact on civil liberties.
Nachdem der Senat George Bush schon verboten hat geld für das Total Information Awerness Office auszugeben, haben sie nun auch den Plan eines Super-Geheimdienstes fürs Weisse Haus mit der Begründung torpediert das ein Ausspionieren von Unschuldigen befürchtet werde.
COLOMBIA
Guardian: To crush the poor by George Monibot
Last week, on the day George Bush delivered his state of the union address, the Pentagon received a visitor. A few hours before the president told the American people that "we will not permit the triumph of violence in the affairs of men", General Carlos Ospina, head of the Colombian army, was shaking hands with his American counterpart. He had come to discuss the latest instalment of US military aid.
General Ospina has done well. Just four years ago he was a lieutenant-colonel in command of the army's fourth brigade
According to Human Rights Watch, the fourth brigade, under Ospina's command, worked alongside the death squads controlled by the paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño
"The attack on El Aro was one of dozens of atrocities which Human Rights Watch alleges were assisted by the fourth brigade. Villalba testified that the brigade would "legalise" the killings his squad carried out: the paramilitaries would hand the corpses of the civilians they had murdered to the soldiers, and in return the soldiers would give them grenades and munitions. The brigade would then dress the corpses in army uniforms and claim them as the bodies of rebels it had shot. "
At the beginning of last month, US special forces arrived in Colombia to help train General Ospina's troops. One of the two brigades they are assisting - the 5th - has also been named by Human Rights Watch for alleged involvement in paramilitary killings. It has been equipped with helicopters by the US army
Guardian: To crush the poor by George Monibot
Last week, on the day George Bush delivered his state of the union address, the Pentagon received a visitor. A few hours before the president told the American people that "we will not permit the triumph of violence in the affairs of men", General Carlos Ospina, head of the Colombian army, was shaking hands with his American counterpart. He had come to discuss the latest instalment of US military aid.
General Ospina has done well. Just four years ago he was a lieutenant-colonel in command of the army's fourth brigade
According to Human Rights Watch, the fourth brigade, under Ospina's command, worked alongside the death squads controlled by the paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño
"The attack on El Aro was one of dozens of atrocities which Human Rights Watch alleges were assisted by the fourth brigade. Villalba testified that the brigade would "legalise" the killings his squad carried out: the paramilitaries would hand the corpses of the civilians they had murdered to the soldiers, and in return the soldiers would give them grenades and munitions. The brigade would then dress the corpses in army uniforms and claim them as the bodies of rebels it had shot. "
At the beginning of last month, US special forces arrived in Colombia to help train General Ospina's troops. One of the two brigades they are assisting - the 5th - has also been named by Human Rights Watch for alleged involvement in paramilitary killings. It has been equipped with helicopters by the US army
WAR ON TERROR
Telegraph: Spies force retreat on 'al-Qa'eda link'
Colin Powell, the United States secretary of state, yesterday appeared to pull back from claims that he would show the United Nations a link between al-Qa'eda and Iraq, amid anger among Washington's spies over the way intelligence was being distorted to prove the link existed.
There will be "no smoking gun" in the evidence he will present to the Security Council tomorrow in an attempt to persuade it to back force against Iraq, he said.
Telegraph: Spies force retreat on 'al-Qa'eda link'
Colin Powell, the United States secretary of state, yesterday appeared to pull back from claims that he would show the United Nations a link between al-Qa'eda and Iraq, amid anger among Washington's spies over the way intelligence was being distorted to prove the link existed.
There will be "no smoking gun" in the evidence he will present to the Security Council tomorrow in an attempt to persuade it to back force against Iraq, he said.
GLOBALISATION
L.A Weekly: The Real Thing
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil — It’s hard not to be moved — deeply moved — when you hear Brazil’s new president speak. And even harder not to be downright jarred by the realization — by comparison — of how very hollow, how very dead-ended, our own national politics have become. I can’t think of two countries today more politically divergent than the U.S. and Brazil, or two presidents who reveal more startlingly opposite political possibilities than George W. Bush and the newly inaugurated Luis Ignacio “Lula” da Silva.
We who live in the richest corner of the Earth, after a decade of the richest times? Only a thundering cascade of no, no, no. No tax relief for the poor — for that would be “class warfare.” No new money for public schools, for that would be “throwing good money after bad.” No rise in the minimum wage because that would be unfair to business. No national solution to the crisis of 50 million without health care because that would be “like going to the post office to see a doctor.”
Brazilians live precariously with the greatest of hopes. And we live with fabulous potential that is the legitimate envy of the globe, and we have, seemingly, no hope.
L.A Weekly: The Real Thing
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil — It’s hard not to be moved — deeply moved — when you hear Brazil’s new president speak. And even harder not to be downright jarred by the realization — by comparison — of how very hollow, how very dead-ended, our own national politics have become. I can’t think of two countries today more politically divergent than the U.S. and Brazil, or two presidents who reveal more startlingly opposite political possibilities than George W. Bush and the newly inaugurated Luis Ignacio “Lula” da Silva.
We who live in the richest corner of the Earth, after a decade of the richest times? Only a thundering cascade of no, no, no. No tax relief for the poor — for that would be “class warfare.” No new money for public schools, for that would be “throwing good money after bad.” No rise in the minimum wage because that would be unfair to business. No national solution to the crisis of 50 million without health care because that would be “like going to the post office to see a doctor.”
Brazilians live precariously with the greatest of hopes. And we live with fabulous potential that is the legitimate envy of the globe, and we have, seemingly, no hope.
MEXICO
The Nation: The Zapatistas Break Their Silence
When Will the Media Break Theirs?
Zapatista rebels in Chiapas defiantly broke nearly two years of self-imposed silence by taking over the streets of San Cristóbal de las Casas as the New Year began. More than 20,000 of Mexico's indigenous people, some traveling on foot for fifteen hours, poured into the plaza of the ancient colonial city. It was the equivalent of 100,000 of New York City's poorest people marching to Gracie Mansion from the farthest boroughs. The town's comfortable classes shuddered behind their shutters while thousands of machetes rang "like bells" and torches and bonfires lit the New Year's sky. Comandantes with colorful names ranging from "Esther" and "Mister" to "Bruce Lee" declared their determination to "globalize rebelliousness and dignity" against those who "are globalizing death."
The Nation: The Zapatistas Break Their Silence
When Will the Media Break Theirs?
Zapatista rebels in Chiapas defiantly broke nearly two years of self-imposed silence by taking over the streets of San Cristóbal de las Casas as the New Year began. More than 20,000 of Mexico's indigenous people, some traveling on foot for fifteen hours, poured into the plaza of the ancient colonial city. It was the equivalent of 100,000 of New York City's poorest people marching to Gracie Mansion from the farthest boroughs. The town's comfortable classes shuddered behind their shutters while thousands of machetes rang "like bells" and torches and bonfires lit the New Year's sky. Comandantes with colorful names ranging from "Esther" and "Mister" to "Bruce Lee" declared their determination to "globalize rebelliousness and dignity" against those who "are globalizing death."
USA
The Nation: Christian Soldiers on the March
Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye's bestselling Left Behind series (think
of
it as a Star Wars Trilogy for the religious right--it has sold 35
million
copies), one-quarter of the world's population has mysteriously
disappeared, and the most God-fearing among those "left behind" form
the
Tribulation Force, a troupe of evangelicals who believe the End of Days
is
nigh and the Secretary General of the United Nations is the Antichrist.
There's no evidence that George W. Bush owns the leather-bound
collector's
edition, but he certainly would sympathize with the T-Force's distaste
for
multilateralism. To every UN meeting that has occurred since he assumed
the
presidency, Bush has sent pit-bull delegations seemingly bent on
ravaging
both the global spirit as well as hard-fought consensus built
throughout
the past decade on social justice and human rights, especially women's
rights.
Artikel über die "Christliche-Rechte" in Amerika und ihren Einfluss auf die Aussenpolitik
The Nation: Christian Soldiers on the March
Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye's bestselling Left Behind series (think
of
it as a Star Wars Trilogy for the religious right--it has sold 35
million
copies), one-quarter of the world's population has mysteriously
disappeared, and the most God-fearing among those "left behind" form
the
Tribulation Force, a troupe of evangelicals who believe the End of Days
is
nigh and the Secretary General of the United Nations is the Antichrist.
There's no evidence that George W. Bush owns the leather-bound
collector's
edition, but he certainly would sympathize with the T-Force's distaste
for
multilateralism. To every UN meeting that has occurred since he assumed
the
presidency, Bush has sent pit-bull delegations seemingly bent on
ravaging
both the global spirit as well as hard-fought consensus built
throughout
the past decade on social justice and human rights, especially women's
rights.
Artikel über die "Christliche-Rechte" in Amerika und ihren Einfluss auf die Aussenpolitik
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The spectacle of the United States, armed with its
weapons of mass destruction, acting without Security Council authority
to
invade a country in the heartland of Arabia and, if necessary, use its
weapons of mass destruction to win that battle, is something that will
so
deeply violate any notion of fairness in this world that I strongly
suspect
it could set loose forces that we would deeply live to regret." --
Former
U.N. arms inspector Richard Butler, quoted by Reuters January 28, 2003
"The spectacle of the United States, armed with its
weapons of mass destruction, acting without Security Council authority
to
invade a country in the heartland of Arabia and, if necessary, use its
weapons of mass destruction to win that battle, is something that will
so
deeply violate any notion of fairness in this world that I strongly
suspect
it could set loose forces that we would deeply live to regret." --
Former
U.N. arms inspector Richard Butler, quoted by Reuters January 28, 2003
Monday, February 03, 2003
WAR ON IRAK
Tagesanzeiger: Aus «Beweisen» werden «Hinweise»
Zwei Tage vor der Rede von US-Aussenminister Colin Powell vor dem Uno-Sicherheitsrat in New York hat die US-Regierung die Erwartungen an die angekündigten «Beweise» zu dämpfen versucht.
Mittwoch 5.02.2003 watch out for the biggest PR-Show for Years feat. Colin Powell and the U.N in "The Empire Strikes back because we don't give a fuck"
Tagesanzeiger: Aus «Beweisen» werden «Hinweise»
Zwei Tage vor der Rede von US-Aussenminister Colin Powell vor dem Uno-Sicherheitsrat in New York hat die US-Regierung die Erwartungen an die angekündigten «Beweise» zu dämpfen versucht.
Mittwoch 5.02.2003 watch out for the biggest PR-Show for Years feat. Colin Powell and the U.N in "The Empire Strikes back because we don't give a fuck"
WAR ON IRAK
AP: Powell Is Not Bringing 'a Smoking Gun' Against Iraq to the U.N. Next Week,U.S. Official Says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell is not bringing
"a
smoking gun" against Iraq to the United Nations next week but will have
circumstantial evidence to make a convincing case that Iraq is hiding
weapons of mass destruction, a U.S. official said Thursday.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear - kept us in a
continuous stampede of patriotic fervor - with the cry of grave
national
emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some
monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not
blindly rally behind it ..." -- US General Douglas MacArthur, 1957
AP: Powell Is Not Bringing 'a Smoking Gun' Against Iraq to the U.N. Next Week,U.S. Official Says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell is not bringing
"a
smoking gun" against Iraq to the United Nations next week but will have
circumstantial evidence to make a convincing case that Iraq is hiding
weapons of mass destruction, a U.S. official said Thursday.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear - kept us in a
continuous stampede of patriotic fervor - with the cry of grave
national
emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some
monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not
blindly rally behind it ..." -- US General Douglas MacArthur, 1957
USA
Creator: Media totalitarianism: Molly Ivins
AUSTIN, Texas -- Now here's a dandy example of the kind of thing that
never
makes it to the front page or the top of the news broadcast, but that
affects absolutely everyone. The Federal Communications Commission, led
by
Michael ("my religions is the market") Powell, is fixing to remove the
last
remaining barriers against concentration of media. This means one
company
can own all the radio stations, television stations, newspapers and
cable
systems in any given area. Presently, 10 companies own over 90 percent
of
the media outlets. Bill Kovach of the Committee of Concerned
Journalists
and Tom Rosenstiel of the Project for Excellence in Journalism say
these
are the most sweeping changes in the rules that govern ownership of
American media since the 1940s. The ownership rules were put in place
after
we had seen how totalitarian governments use domination of the media to
goad their countries into war.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in
the
major media." -- Former CIA Director William Colby
Creator: Media totalitarianism: Molly Ivins
AUSTIN, Texas -- Now here's a dandy example of the kind of thing that
never
makes it to the front page or the top of the news broadcast, but that
affects absolutely everyone. The Federal Communications Commission, led
by
Michael ("my religions is the market") Powell, is fixing to remove the
last
remaining barriers against concentration of media. This means one
company
can own all the radio stations, television stations, newspapers and
cable
systems in any given area. Presently, 10 companies own over 90 percent
of
the media outlets. Bill Kovach of the Committee of Concerned
Journalists
and Tom Rosenstiel of the Project for Excellence in Journalism say
these
are the most sweeping changes in the rules that govern ownership of
American media since the 1940s. The ownership rules were put in place
after
we had seen how totalitarian governments use domination of the media to
goad their countries into war.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in
the
major media." -- Former CIA Director William Colby
Sunday, February 02, 2003
WAR ON IRAK
Business Week: It's Not "All About Oil," But...
Victory in Iraq would reshuffle the global players with big stakes in the country's oil fields
When tens of thousands of protesters opposed to a U.S. war in Iraq descended on Washington on Jan. 18, you could see the placards everywhere: "No U.S. Blood for Oil." Convinced that a war would be nothing more than a thinly veiled resource grab instigated by Big Oil, activists vow to follow up on Feb. 4 by staging protests at gas stations across the country.
Fringe thinking? Hardly. The suspicion that George W. Bush's showdown with Saddam Hussein is "all about oil" isn't just a fixation of the American left. It's gaining adherents among the European intelligentsia and in the Arab world. "Washington says it wants to eliminate any threat of interruption of the flow of oil, to ensure that it will be accessible to U.S. oil companies," said British Labor Party politician Alice Mahon on Jan. 22. "A different and more compliant government in Iraq would make that possible."
Business Week: It's Not "All About Oil," But...
Victory in Iraq would reshuffle the global players with big stakes in the country's oil fields
When tens of thousands of protesters opposed to a U.S. war in Iraq descended on Washington on Jan. 18, you could see the placards everywhere: "No U.S. Blood for Oil." Convinced that a war would be nothing more than a thinly veiled resource grab instigated by Big Oil, activists vow to follow up on Feb. 4 by staging protests at gas stations across the country.
Fringe thinking? Hardly. The suspicion that George W. Bush's showdown with Saddam Hussein is "all about oil" isn't just a fixation of the American left. It's gaining adherents among the European intelligentsia and in the Arab world. "Washington says it wants to eliminate any threat of interruption of the flow of oil, to ensure that it will be accessible to U.S. oil companies," said British Labor Party politician Alice Mahon on Jan. 22. "A different and more compliant government in Iraq would make that possible."
WAR ON IRAK
MSNBC: Caught on Tape EXCLUSIVE: Bush administration to release tapes that could incriminate Iraq
The Bush administration is preparing to release supersensitive electronic intercepts obtained by the National Security Agency that officials say prove that Iraq has repeatedly lied to United Nations inspectors, plotted among themselves about how to conceal weapons material and even appeared to boast afterward at their success in doing so, NEWSWEEK has learned.
Macht euch auf die PR-Show des Jahres gefasst.
MSNBC: Caught on Tape EXCLUSIVE: Bush administration to release tapes that could incriminate Iraq
The Bush administration is preparing to release supersensitive electronic intercepts obtained by the National Security Agency that officials say prove that Iraq has repeatedly lied to United Nations inspectors, plotted among themselves about how to conceal weapons material and even appeared to boast afterward at their success in doing so, NEWSWEEK has learned.
Macht euch auf die PR-Show des Jahres gefasst.
WAR ON IRAK
Sidney Morning Herald: US is misquoting my Iraq report, says Blix
Days after delivering a broadly negative report on Iraq's cooperation
with
international inspectors, Hans Blix challenged several of the Bush
Administration's assertions about Iraqi cheating and the notion that
time
was running out for disarming Iraq through peaceful means.
Sidney Morning Herald: US is misquoting my Iraq report, says Blix
Days after delivering a broadly negative report on Iraq's cooperation
with
international inspectors, Hans Blix challenged several of the Bush
Administration's assertions about Iraqi cheating and the notion that
time
was running out for disarming Iraq through peaceful means.
WAR ON IRAK
Ny Times: War Plan Calls for Precision Bombing Wave to Break Iraqi Army
Feb. 1 — The Pentagon's war plan for Iraq calls for unleashing 3,000 precision-guided bombs and missiles in the first 48 hours of the opening air campaign, an effort intended to stagger and isolate the Iraqi military and quickly pave the way for a ground attack to topple a government in shock.
Ny Times: War Plan Calls for Precision Bombing Wave to Break Iraqi Army
Feb. 1 — The Pentagon's war plan for Iraq calls for unleashing 3,000 precision-guided bombs and missiles in the first 48 hours of the opening air campaign, an effort intended to stagger and isolate the Iraqi military and quickly pave the way for a ground attack to topple a government in shock.
WAR ON IRAK
New York Times: Who Has the Hot Rods?
Colin Powell finally has the goods on the evil dictator.
He has spy satellite photos of trucks pulling up to buildings in the outlaw regime when inspectors aren't around, lots of bustling activity around those metal rods for the nukes threatening civilization.
Mr. Powell has all the evidence he needs to convince the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that we are justified in making a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.
Only one hitch: President Bush doesn't want to attack North Korea; he wants to contain North Korea.
Mr. Bush shouldn't reach for strained rationales. We're going to war against Saddam because we can. (If we go after Kim Jong Il, he could destroy Seoul.) We're going to war because conservatives will be happy only when they have a John Wayne ending to Desert Storm and make U.S. foreign policy less about realpolitik and more about muscularity and morality. We're going to war because we're a nation with a short attention span; we want to strike back at some enemy, and it is too hard to find Osama. (The Brits now say they and the U.S. knew Al Qaeda was working on a dirty bomb even before 9/11.)
New York Times: Who Has the Hot Rods?
Colin Powell finally has the goods on the evil dictator.
He has spy satellite photos of trucks pulling up to buildings in the outlaw regime when inspectors aren't around, lots of bustling activity around those metal rods for the nukes threatening civilization.
Mr. Powell has all the evidence he needs to convince the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that we are justified in making a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.
Only one hitch: President Bush doesn't want to attack North Korea; he wants to contain North Korea.
Mr. Bush shouldn't reach for strained rationales. We're going to war against Saddam because we can. (If we go after Kim Jong Il, he could destroy Seoul.) We're going to war because conservatives will be happy only when they have a John Wayne ending to Desert Storm and make U.S. foreign policy less about realpolitik and more about muscularity and morality. We're going to war because we're a nation with a short attention span; we want to strike back at some enemy, and it is too hard to find Osama. (The Brits now say they and the U.S. knew Al Qaeda was working on a dirty bomb even before 9/11.)
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