Salon: Hell
Editor's note: Salon correspondent Phillip Robertson has spent five months covering the war in Iraq. As the presidential campaign finally focuses on the war, Robertson offers this assessment of the grim situation there.
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Three years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, attacks in which they played no part, the people of Iraq have been liberated from one tyranny only to be remanded to another: continuous urban warfare, religious extremism and a contagion of fear. The celebrated hand of the free market in Iraq has brought not only cellphones and satellite TV, it has also brought down prices for automatic weapons, making them affordable to the average Iraqi. The last time I checked, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher cost about $250.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
IRAQ: VIDEO
Newsgateaway: Massacre of Civilians in Fallujah -- "Aw dude!"
Stan Goff comments: "The “tell” is in the audio. When the pilot asks permission to fire, he reports a large number of people… not armed people. People. And permission is granted instantly. This is an indication that the mission guidance is to shoot anyone who is in the street. This is a clear war crime, and one that begins with the commander’s stated intent in the operations order. The pilot’s exclamation of satisfaction, “Aw dude!” at the end just underlines how this casual sadism comes to dominate the psyches of those who are part of a military occupation force, and how the ground reality become “race war.”"
Stan Goff comments: "The “tell” is in the audio. When the pilot asks permission to fire, he reports a large number of people… not armed people. People. And permission is granted instantly. This is an indication that the mission guidance is to shoot anyone who is in the street. This is a clear war crime, and one that begins with the commander’s stated intent in the operations order. The pilot’s exclamation of satisfaction, “Aw dude!” at the end just underlines how this casual sadism comes to dominate the psyches of those who are part of a military occupation force, and how the ground reality become “race war.”"
IRAQ
Moscow Times:Global Eye
How many times must the truth be told before it conquers the lies? Again and again, the brutal realities behind the rape of Iraq -- that it was planned years ago, that the aggressors knew full well that their justifications for war were false and that their invasion would lead to chaos, ruin and unbridled terror -- have been exposed by the very words and documents of the invaders themselves. Yet the reign of the lie goes on, rolling toward its final entrenchment in November.
How many times must the truth be told before it conquers the lies? Again and again, the brutal realities behind the rape of Iraq -- that it was planned years ago, that the aggressors knew full well that their justifications for war were false and that their invasion would lead to chaos, ruin and unbridled terror -- have been exposed by the very words and documents of the invaders themselves. Yet the reign of the lie goes on, rolling toward its final entrenchment in November.
IRAQ
Liberty Forum: Detection of Sixteen Dead Bodies in A mass Grave
The Detection of Sixteen Dead Bodies in A mass Grave in Falluja
probably belong to American soldiers who were buried in a ditch in the North West sector of the city
The Detection of Sixteen Dead Bodies in A mass Grave in Falluja
probably belong to American soldiers who were buried in a ditch in the North West sector of the city
IRAQ
New York Times: Bush Upbeat as Iraq Burns
George W. Bush was a supporter of the war in Vietnam. For a while.
As he explained in his autobiography, "A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House":
"My inclination was to support the government and the war until proven wrong, and that only came later, as I realized we could not explain the mission, had no exit strategy, and did not seem to be fighting to win."
How is it that he ultimately came to see the fiasco in Vietnam so clearly but remains so blind to the frighteningly similar realities of his own war in Iraq? Mr. Bush cannot explain our mission in Iraq and has nothing resembling an exit strategy, and his troops - hobbled by shortages of personnel and by potentially fatal American and Iraqi political considerations - are certainly not fighting to win.
George W. Bush was a supporter of the war in Vietnam. For a while.
As he explained in his autobiography, "A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House":
"My inclination was to support the government and the war until proven wrong, and that only came later, as I realized we could not explain the mission, had no exit strategy, and did not seem to be fighting to win."
How is it that he ultimately came to see the fiasco in Vietnam so clearly but remains so blind to the frighteningly similar realities of his own war in Iraq? Mr. Bush cannot explain our mission in Iraq and has nothing resembling an exit strategy, and his troops - hobbled by shortages of personnel and by potentially fatal American and Iraqi political considerations - are certainly not fighting to win.
IRAQ: US TORTURE
TNS: Abuse, Torture and Rape Reported at Unlisted U.S.-run Prisons in Iraq:
" the US-run prison system in Iraq. A Michigan legal team meeting with former detainees in Baghdad during an August fact-finding mission gathered evidence supporting claims of prisoner abuse at some 25 US-run detention centers, most of them so far not publicly mentioned as being embroiled in the Iraq torture scandal."
" the US-run prison system in Iraq. A Michigan legal team meeting with former detainees in Baghdad during an August fact-finding mission gathered evidence supporting claims of prisoner abuse at some 25 US-run detention centers, most of them so far not publicly mentioned as being embroiled in the Iraq torture scandal."
IRAQ
RFE: Rumsfeld: Iraq Troop Pull-Out Possible Before Peace
24 September 2004 -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said today he felt it was possible to start withdrawing troops from Iraq before peace was established over the entire country.
24 September 2004 -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said today he felt it was possible to start withdrawing troops from Iraq before peace was established over the entire country.
IRAQ
Rense: Allawi, Bush, Cheney All Lying About Conditions In Iraq
The puppet PM of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, his sponsors, President Bush and VP Dick Cheney are all lying to the American public about the real situation in Iraq. They say things are getting better, that most of Iraq could vote in an election tomorrow and that "democracy and freedom will prevail, without a doubt." Nonsense! Out and out lies.
The Sunni Triangle, Sadr City, Najaf, Ramadi, Karbala, Mosul, Samarra-all of these important centers, even Kirkuk, which once seemed safe in the hands of the Kurds, have all become no-go zones for the American troops and the small number of Iraqis who dare venture in to be shot. America is bombing all of these places on an almost daily basis; thus, antagonizing more and more Iraqis and more Muslims throughout the world. As I said in an article months ago, America and its puppets around Allawi have succeeded in doing something that could not be done since the 700s, they have united the Sunni and Shi'a against America and its occupation army.
The puppet PM of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, his sponsors, President Bush and VP Dick Cheney are all lying to the American public about the real situation in Iraq. They say things are getting better, that most of Iraq could vote in an election tomorrow and that "democracy and freedom will prevail, without a doubt." Nonsense! Out and out lies.
The Sunni Triangle, Sadr City, Najaf, Ramadi, Karbala, Mosul, Samarra-all of these important centers, even Kirkuk, which once seemed safe in the hands of the Kurds, have all become no-go zones for the American troops and the small number of Iraqis who dare venture in to be shot. America is bombing all of these places on an almost daily basis; thus, antagonizing more and more Iraqis and more Muslims throughout the world. As I said in an article months ago, America and its puppets around Allawi have succeeded in doing something that could not be done since the 700s, they have united the Sunni and Shi'a against America and its occupation army.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Independent: US determined to cut out 'cancer of Fallujah'
American military commanders in Iraq are planning a series of major assaults before the end of the year to retake control of Fallujah and other cities held by insurgents.
While commanders say they have not fixed a precise date for the new operation, much will depend on the readiness of Iraqi police and military police units which would occupy the cities once they have been taken.
American military commanders in Iraq are planning a series of major assaults before the end of the year to retake control of Fallujah and other cities held by insurgents.
While commanders say they have not fixed a precise date for the new operation, much will depend on the readiness of Iraqi police and military police units which would occupy the cities once they have been taken.
IRAQ: ECONOMY
Harpers Magazine: Baghdad Year Zero by Naomi Klein
"Pillaging Iraq in pursuit of a neocon utopia"
With unemployment as high as 67 percent, the imported products and foreign workers flooding across the borders have become a source of tremendous resentment in Iraq and yet another open tap fueling the insurgency.
"A must read"
"Pillaging Iraq in pursuit of a neocon utopia"
With unemployment as high as 67 percent, the imported products and foreign workers flooding across the borders have become a source of tremendous resentment in Iraq and yet another open tap fueling the insurgency.
"A must read"
MEDIA WATCH
Truth Out: Your Media is Killing You by William Rivers Pitt
The American mainstream television news media, in whole and in part, has catastrophically failed the American people and is singularly responsible for the untimely deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people.
The trajectory of this plunge is easy to chart. The 1980s saw unprecedented deregulation of the rules pertaining to the ownership of media outlets. Thus began the combination and consolidation of dozens of differing viewpoints under the iron control of a few massive corporations. The many voices became one voice, and a dullard's voice at that.
"CHECK IT"
The American mainstream television news media, in whole and in part, has catastrophically failed the American people and is singularly responsible for the untimely deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people.
The trajectory of this plunge is easy to chart. The 1980s saw unprecedented deregulation of the rules pertaining to the ownership of media outlets. Thus began the combination and consolidation of dozens of differing viewpoints under the iron control of a few massive corporations. The many voices became one voice, and a dullard's voice at that.
"CHECK IT"
Monday, September 20, 2004
MEDIA MANIPULATION
Canadian Jewish editors falsify Reuter's reports from Palestine
Ottawa- Jewish-controlled Canada's largest newspaper chain, Can-West Global, has been accused of falsifying newswire reports to make it look more pro-“Israeli” and anti-Palestinian.
On Friday, Reuters News Agency accused the owner of the National Post and dozens of other papers across Canada of inappropriately inserting the word "terror" and "terrorists’ into newswire copy dealing with the Middle East thereby changing the meaning of those stories.
Reuters said Can-West newspapers have been altering words and phrases in its stories dealing with the war on Iraq and the conflict in Palestine.
The Global managing editor for Reuters, David Schlesinger, called such changes unacceptable. He said Can-West had crossed a line from editing for style to editing the substance and slant of news from the Middle East.
Ottawa- Jewish-controlled Canada's largest newspaper chain, Can-West Global, has been accused of falsifying newswire reports to make it look more pro-“Israeli” and anti-Palestinian.
On Friday, Reuters News Agency accused the owner of the National Post and dozens of other papers across Canada of inappropriately inserting the word "terror" and "terrorists’ into newswire copy dealing with the Middle East thereby changing the meaning of those stories.
Reuters said Can-West newspapers have been altering words and phrases in its stories dealing with the war on Iraq and the conflict in Palestine.
The Global managing editor for Reuters, David Schlesinger, called such changes unacceptable. He said Can-West had crossed a line from editing for style to editing the substance and slant of news from the Middle East.
USA, ISRAEL: IRAN NEXT?
MSNBC: War-Gaming the Mullahs
The U.S. weighs the price of a pre-emptive strike
- Unprepared as anyone is for a showdown with Iran, the threat seems to keep growing. Many defense experts in Israel, the United States and elsewhere believe that Tehran has been taking advantage of loopholes in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and is now within a year of mastering key weapons-production technology. They can't prove it, of course, and Iran's leaders deny any intention of developing the bomb. Nevertheless, last week U.S. and Israeli officials were talking of possible military action—even though some believe it's already too late to keep Iran from going nuclear (if it chooses). "We have to start accepting that Iran will probably have the bomb," says one senior Israeli source. There's only one solution, he says: "Look at ways to make sure it's not the mullahs who have their finger on the trigger."
The U.S. weighs the price of a pre-emptive strike
- Unprepared as anyone is for a showdown with Iran, the threat seems to keep growing. Many defense experts in Israel, the United States and elsewhere believe that Tehran has been taking advantage of loopholes in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and is now within a year of mastering key weapons-production technology. They can't prove it, of course, and Iran's leaders deny any intention of developing the bomb. Nevertheless, last week U.S. and Israeli officials were talking of possible military action—even though some believe it's already too late to keep Iran from going nuclear (if it chooses). "We have to start accepting that Iran will probably have the bomb," says one senior Israeli source. There's only one solution, he says: "Look at ways to make sure it's not the mullahs who have their finger on the trigger."
Saturday, September 18, 2004
RUSSIA: TERRORISM
Webster Griffin Tarpley: Russians Blast US-UK
Sponsorship Of Chechen Terror
Washington DC, September 14 -- In the wake of the terrorist atrocity at a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, in the Russian Federation, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made remarks to the western press which expose the key role of the US and British governments in backing Chechen terrorism. Whatever Putin's previous role in events regarding Chechnya, his current political posture is one which sharply undercuts the legitimacy of the supposed Anglo-American "war on terror," and which points up the hypocrisy of the Bush regime's pledge that it will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them -- since Washington and London are currently harboring Chechens implicated in terrorism. All in all, Putin's response to Chechen events has, with the third anniversary of 9/11, brought the collapse of the official 9/11 myth measurably closer. The hypocritical terror demagogy of Bush and Blair has now been undercut by the head of state of another permanent member of the UN Security Council
Sponsorship Of Chechen Terror
Washington DC, September 14 -- In the wake of the terrorist atrocity at a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, in the Russian Federation, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made remarks to the western press which expose the key role of the US and British governments in backing Chechen terrorism. Whatever Putin's previous role in events regarding Chechnya, his current political posture is one which sharply undercuts the legitimacy of the supposed Anglo-American "war on terror," and which points up the hypocrisy of the Bush regime's pledge that it will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them -- since Washington and London are currently harboring Chechens implicated in terrorism. All in all, Putin's response to Chechen events has, with the third anniversary of 9/11, brought the collapse of the official 9/11 myth measurably closer. The hypocritical terror demagogy of Bush and Blair has now been undercut by the head of state of another permanent member of the UN Security Council
911
Prison Planet:Government Insider Says Bush
Authorized 911 Attacks
The Bush Junta Unmasked
"This (9/11) was all planned. This was a government-ordered operation. Bush personally signed the order. He personally authorized the attacks. He is guilty of treason and mass murder." --Stanley Hilton
Alex Jones interview of Stanley Hilton, attorney for 911 taxpayers' lawsuit
"CHECK IT"
Authorized 911 Attacks
The Bush Junta Unmasked
"This (9/11) was all planned. This was a government-ordered operation. Bush personally signed the order. He personally authorized the attacks. He is guilty of treason and mass murder." --Stanley Hilton
Alex Jones interview of Stanley Hilton, attorney for 911 taxpayers' lawsuit
"CHECK IT"
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Project Censored 2005 - Top 25 Censored Stories
Project Censored 2005 - Top 25 Censored Stories
#1: Wealth Inequality in 21st Century Threatens Economy and Democracy
#2: Ashcroft vs. the Human Rights Law that Holds Corporations Accountable
#3: Bush Administration Censors Science
#4: High Levels of Uranium Found in Troops and Civilians
#5: The Wholesale Giveaway of Our Natural Resources
#6: The Sale of Electoral Politics
#7: Conservative Organization Drives Judicial Appointments
#8: Cheney's Energy Task Force and The Energy Policy
#9: Widow Brings RICO Case Against U.S. government for 9/11
#10: New Nuke Plants: Taxpayers Support, Industry Profits
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#1: Wealth Inequality in 21st Century Threatens Economy and Democracy
#2: Ashcroft vs. the Human Rights Law that Holds Corporations Accountable
#3: Bush Administration Censors Science
#4: High Levels of Uranium Found in Troops and Civilians
#5: The Wholesale Giveaway of Our Natural Resources
#6: The Sale of Electoral Politics
#7: Conservative Organization Drives Judicial Appointments
#8: Cheney's Energy Task Force and The Energy Policy
#9: Widow Brings RICO Case Against U.S. government for 9/11
#10: New Nuke Plants: Taxpayers Support, Industry Profits
CHECK IT
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
aljazeera: Aljazeera.Net - Many killed in US attacks on Ramadi, Falluja
US snipers have killed at least 11 people in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, while air strikes on nearby Falluja have left 18 people dead.
Ambulances and medical teams were targeted by US snipers in different areas of Ramadi, particularly near hospitals for women and children, al-Saad said
Medical staff and patients inside the hospitals were targeted and a number of them were shot in the head, the general director said.
US snipers have killed at least 11 people in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, while air strikes on nearby Falluja have left 18 people dead.
Ambulances and medical teams were targeted by US snipers in different areas of Ramadi, particularly near hospitals for women and children, al-Saad said
Medical staff and patients inside the hospitals were targeted and a number of them were shot in the head, the general director said.
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
ICH: 'He's just sleeping, I kept telling myself'
On Sunday, 13 Iraqis were killed and dozens injured in Baghdad when US helicopters fired on a crowd of unarmed civilians. G2 columnist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who was injured in the attack, describes the scene of carnage - and reveals just how lucky he was to walk away
On Sunday, 13 Iraqis were killed and dozens injured in Baghdad when US helicopters fired on a crowd of unarmed civilians. G2 columnist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who was injured in the attack, describes the scene of carnage - and reveals just how lucky he was to walk away
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
BBC: Media spotlight on Baghdad deaths
Sunday's bloody events on Baghdad's Haifa Street came amid some of the fiercest fighting for months in the centre of the Iraqi capital.
But though they were captured by television cameras, two very different accounts have emerged about what happened
Sunday's bloody events on Baghdad's Haifa Street came amid some of the fiercest fighting for months in the centre of the Iraqi capital.
But though they were captured by television cameras, two very different accounts have emerged about what happened
IRAQ: RECONSTRUCTION?
Reuters: Bush To Shift Iraq Reconstruction Funds To Security
Faced with mounting violence in Iraq, the Bush administration plans on Tuesday to propose shifting $3.46 billion from Iraqi water, power and other reconstruction projects to improve security, boost oil output and prepare for elections scheduled for January.
Of the more than $18 billion approved for Iraq's reconstruction, only about $1 billion has been spent so far.
Faced with mounting violence in Iraq, the Bush administration plans on Tuesday to propose shifting $3.46 billion from Iraqi water, power and other reconstruction projects to improve security, boost oil output and prepare for elections scheduled for January.
Of the more than $18 billion approved for Iraq's reconstruction, only about $1 billion has been spent so far.
IRAQ: FALLUJAH
Independent: US 'Precision' Strike Destroys Ambulance In Fallujah
A plume of grey smoke billowed above Fallujah yesterday as the US military claimed they were making precision air strikes against insurgents in the city and local doctors said that civilians were being killed and wounded.
The US army said its warplanes had bombed houses because it had intelligence about the presence of fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whom the US sees as the guiding hand behind many attacks on its forces.
Dr Adel Khamis of the Fallujah General Hospital said at least 16 people were killed, including women and children, and 12 others were wounded. Video film showed a Red Crescent ambulance torn apart by an explosion. A hospital official said the driver, a paramedic and five patients had been killed by the blast.
A plume of grey smoke billowed above Fallujah yesterday as the US military claimed they were making precision air strikes against insurgents in the city and local doctors said that civilians were being killed and wounded.
The US army said its warplanes had bombed houses because it had intelligence about the presence of fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whom the US sees as the guiding hand behind many attacks on its forces.
Dr Adel Khamis of the Fallujah General Hospital said at least 16 people were killed, including women and children, and 12 others were wounded. Video film showed a Red Crescent ambulance torn apart by an explosion. A hospital official said the driver, a paramedic and five patients had been killed by the blast.
Monday, September 13, 2004
ROBERT FISK
Independent: We Should Not Have Allowed 19 Murderers to Change our World by Robert Fisk
So, three years after the international crimes against humanity in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania we were bombing Fallujah. Come again? Hands up those who knew the name of Fallujah on 11 September 2001. Or Samarra. Or Ramadi. Or Anbar province. Or Amarah. Or Tel Afar, the latest target in our "war on terror'' although most of us would find it hard to locate on a map (look at northern Iraq, find Mosul and go one inch to the left). Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive.
Three years ago, it was all about Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida; then, at about the time of the Enron scandal and I have a New York professor to thank for spotting the switching point it was Saddam and weapons of mass destruction and 45 minutes and human rights abuses in Iraq and, well, the rest is history. And now, at last, the Americans admit that vast areas of Iraq are outside government control. We are going to have to "liberate" them, all over again.
CHECK IT
So, three years after the international crimes against humanity in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania we were bombing Fallujah. Come again? Hands up those who knew the name of Fallujah on 11 September 2001. Or Samarra. Or Ramadi. Or Anbar province. Or Amarah. Or Tel Afar, the latest target in our "war on terror'' although most of us would find it hard to locate on a map (look at northern Iraq, find Mosul and go one inch to the left). Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive.
Three years ago, it was all about Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida; then, at about the time of the Enron scandal and I have a New York professor to thank for spotting the switching point it was Saddam and weapons of mass destruction and 45 minutes and human rights abuses in Iraq and, well, the rest is history. And now, at last, the Americans admit that vast areas of Iraq are outside government control. We are going to have to "liberate" them, all over again.
CHECK IT
ONLINE VIDEO
Informationclearinghouse: Hijacking Catastrophe
Documentary featuring Noam Chomsky, Chalmers Johnson, Tariq Ali, and many more experts speaking about the Neo-Con agenda and the cloud of fear which the Neo-Cons have settled over America.
"A MUST WATCH"
Documentary featuring Noam Chomsky, Chalmers Johnson, Tariq Ali, and many more experts speaking about the Neo-Con agenda and the cloud of fear which the Neo-Cons have settled over America.
"A MUST WATCH"
IRAQ: FALLUJAH
Counterpunch: Fallujah: an Iraqi Beslan
If Terrorism Isn't Video-taped, It Doesn't Exist
Fallujah is an Iraqi Beslan. The only difference is that the cameras aren't rolling.
The city of 500,000 is being held hostage by an American leadership who doesn't mind shedding the blood of innocent civilians to achieve their broader political goals. That is the very definition of terrorism.
Since, the Marines were rebuffed last April in a three week siege that killed an estimated 650 Iraqis, the military has repeatedly bombed sections of Falluja using the spurious claim of targeting terrorist "safe houses." Every incident involved the wanton destruction of personal property and the loss of innocent life.
These attacks are part of larger "psy-ops" (psychological operation) strategy that requires the long-term terrorizing of the population to make them more compliant to American wishes. Certainly, the Chechen rebels should be taking notes if they want to truly grasp the subtleties of a well-managed terrorist procedure.
If terrorism is not recorded on video, it doesn't exist. This is the "great lesson" that the Dept of Defense gleaned from our involvement in Vietnam. Nothing was learned about the moral depravity of killing 3 million people and poisoning their land in a blatant act of aggression. No, the lesson of Vietnam was simply to keep the killing and maiming off American TVs.
"CHECK IT"
If Terrorism Isn't Video-taped, It Doesn't Exist
Fallujah is an Iraqi Beslan. The only difference is that the cameras aren't rolling.
The city of 500,000 is being held hostage by an American leadership who doesn't mind shedding the blood of innocent civilians to achieve their broader political goals. That is the very definition of terrorism.
Since, the Marines were rebuffed last April in a three week siege that killed an estimated 650 Iraqis, the military has repeatedly bombed sections of Falluja using the spurious claim of targeting terrorist "safe houses." Every incident involved the wanton destruction of personal property and the loss of innocent life.
These attacks are part of larger "psy-ops" (psychological operation) strategy that requires the long-term terrorizing of the population to make them more compliant to American wishes. Certainly, the Chechen rebels should be taking notes if they want to truly grasp the subtleties of a well-managed terrorist procedure.
If terrorism is not recorded on video, it doesn't exist. This is the "great lesson" that the Dept of Defense gleaned from our involvement in Vietnam. Nothing was learned about the moral depravity of killing 3 million people and poisoning their land in a blatant act of aggression. No, the lesson of Vietnam was simply to keep the killing and maiming off American TVs.
"CHECK IT"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Independent: Turkey Furious At Massive US Assault On Iraqi City
The US military assault on Tal Afar, an ethnically Turkmen city in northern Iraq, has provoked a furious reaction from the Turkish government which is demanding the US call off the attack.
American and Iraqi government forces last week sealed off Tal Afar, a city west of Mosul belonging to Iraq's embattled Turkmen minority. The US said it killed 67 insurgents while a Turkmen leader claims 60 civilians were killed and 100 wounded. The massive and indiscriminate use of US firepower in built-up areas, leading to heavy civilian casualties in cities like Tal Afar, Fallujah and Najaf, is coming under increasing criticism in Iraq. The US "came into Iraq like an elephant astride its war machine," said Ibrahim Jaafari, the influential Iraqi Vice President.
Chicago Tribune: 1,000 Iraqi rebels, civilians dead in urban warfare, Najaf leader says
Three weeks of urban warfare killed at least 1,000 Iraqi rebels and civilians, the governor of this battle-weary city said Saturday in his first estimate of the death toll since the standoff ended two weeks ago
BBC: U.S. Gunship Kills Iraqi Civilians And Journalist
The US military assault on Tal Afar, an ethnically Turkmen city in northern Iraq, has provoked a furious reaction from the Turkish government which is demanding the US call off the attack.
American and Iraqi government forces last week sealed off Tal Afar, a city west of Mosul belonging to Iraq's embattled Turkmen minority. The US said it killed 67 insurgents while a Turkmen leader claims 60 civilians were killed and 100 wounded. The massive and indiscriminate use of US firepower in built-up areas, leading to heavy civilian casualties in cities like Tal Afar, Fallujah and Najaf, is coming under increasing criticism in Iraq. The US "came into Iraq like an elephant astride its war machine," said Ibrahim Jaafari, the influential Iraqi Vice President.
Chicago Tribune: 1,000 Iraqi rebels, civilians dead in urban warfare, Najaf leader says
Three weeks of urban warfare killed at least 1,000 Iraqi rebels and civilians, the governor of this battle-weary city said Saturday in his first estimate of the death toll since the standoff ended two weeks ago
BBC: U.S. Gunship Kills Iraqi Civilians And Journalist
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Observer: 'Why I Turned Against America'-Iraqi Resistance Fighter
'There is no greater shame than to see your country occupied'
Early one morning this week, when the police have yet to set up too many checkpoints, Abu Mujahed will strap a mortar underneath a car, drive to a friend's in central Baghdad and bury the weapon in his garden. In the evening he will return with the rest of his group, sleep for a few hours and then take the weapon from its hiding place. He will calculate the range using the American military's own maps and satellite pictures - bought in a bazaar - and fire a few rounds at a military base or the US Embassy or at the Iraqi Prime Minister's office. Then Abu Mujahed will shower, change and, by 10am, be at his desk in one of the major ministries.
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'There is no greater shame than to see your country occupied'
Early one morning this week, when the police have yet to set up too many checkpoints, Abu Mujahed will strap a mortar underneath a car, drive to a friend's in central Baghdad and bury the weapon in his garden. In the evening he will return with the rest of his group, sleep for a few hours and then take the weapon from its hiding place. He will calculate the range using the American military's own maps and satellite pictures - bought in a bazaar - and fire a few rounds at a military base or the US Embassy or at the Iraqi Prime Minister's office. Then Abu Mujahed will shower, change and, by 10am, be at his desk in one of the major ministries.
CHECK IT
ISRAEL: FACISM
Al-Jazeera: New party urges non-Jews' expulsion
Dozens of right-wing Israeli leaders have announced the creation of a new political party which founders say will be dedicated to the expulsion of millions of Muslims and Christians from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories
According to Ben Elyaho, a co-founder of the new party, the expulsion of non-Jews from Israel would "resolve all of Israel's political, economic and social problems".
"Our party calls for cleansing the region extending from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean from the Goyem [derogatory for non-Jews] and thus guaranteeing a Jewish majority of no less than 90% throughout the Land of Israel," he said.
Another prominent co-founder is Baruch Marzel, a colleague of Baruch Goldstein who in 1994 murdered 29 Arab worshipers who were praying at the Ibrahimi mosque in central Hebron.
Dozens of right-wing Israeli leaders have announced the creation of a new political party which founders say will be dedicated to the expulsion of millions of Muslims and Christians from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories
According to Ben Elyaho, a co-founder of the new party, the expulsion of non-Jews from Israel would "resolve all of Israel's political, economic and social problems".
"Our party calls for cleansing the region extending from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean from the Goyem [derogatory for non-Jews] and thus guaranteeing a Jewish majority of no less than 90% throughout the Land of Israel," he said.
Another prominent co-founder is Baruch Marzel, a colleague of Baruch Goldstein who in 1994 murdered 29 Arab worshipers who were praying at the Ibrahimi mosque in central Hebron.
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Xinhuanet: 3 US armored vehicles destroyed in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Sept. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Insurgents attacked a US military convoy on Baghdad's airport road, destroying three hamvees and causing unknown casualties, a Xinhua photographer at the scene said Sunday.
AL-Jazeera: US Apache Fires On Iraqi Civlians - At Least 10 Killed
Most of the young Iraqi men and boys mingling around the burning wreckage of a US armoured car in Baghdad were unfazed by the clattering of an American helicopter gunship overhead. Moments later they were under fire.
Reuters: New Spasm of Violence Sweeps Iraq, Killing 110
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 110 people were killed across Iraq on Sunday in a sharp escalation of violence that saw gun battles, car bombs and bombardments rock the capital.
The Health Ministry said the worst casualties were in Baghdad, where 37 were killed, and in Tal Afar near the Syrian border where 51 people died
BAGHDAD, Sept. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Insurgents attacked a US military convoy on Baghdad's airport road, destroying three hamvees and causing unknown casualties, a Xinhua photographer at the scene said Sunday.
AL-Jazeera: US Apache Fires On Iraqi Civlians - At Least 10 Killed
Most of the young Iraqi men and boys mingling around the burning wreckage of a US armoured car in Baghdad were unfazed by the clattering of an American helicopter gunship overhead. Moments later they were under fire.
Reuters: New Spasm of Violence Sweeps Iraq, Killing 110
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 110 people were killed across Iraq on Sunday in a sharp escalation of violence that saw gun battles, car bombs and bombardments rock the capital.
The Health Ministry said the worst casualties were in Baghdad, where 37 were killed, and in Tal Afar near the Syrian border where 51 people died
Thursday, September 09, 2004
RUSSIA
International Herald Tribune: The pattern is global, but the causes are local
PARIS Terrorism and the measures adopted against it acquire reciprocal momentum that is all but impossible to stop once a certain threshold has been crossed. That threshold was crossed in Russia last week, with potentially enormous consequences for civil liberties in that country, for civil peace in the Caucasus and possibly for the existing peaceful relationship between Russia and America.
This is why issues of nationalism, irredentism and religion - the usual motives for terrorist outrages - are so desperately dangerous. Ignored or misinterpreted, assigned to spurious international causes, they can do immense damage. They have to be dealt with in their natural dimensions
PARIS Terrorism and the measures adopted against it acquire reciprocal momentum that is all but impossible to stop once a certain threshold has been crossed. That threshold was crossed in Russia last week, with potentially enormous consequences for civil liberties in that country, for civil peace in the Caucasus and possibly for the existing peaceful relationship between Russia and America.
This is why issues of nationalism, irredentism and religion - the usual motives for terrorist outrages - are so desperately dangerous. Ignored or misinterpreted, assigned to spurious international causes, they can do immense damage. They have to be dealt with in their natural dimensions
ONLINE VIDEO
Informationclearinhouse: The Secret Government - Part I
From The Archives: Bill Moyers, documents U.S. support of terrorist regimes and the brutality of Americas foreign policy
Part II here
CHECK IT
From The Archives: Bill Moyers, documents U.S. support of terrorist regimes and the brutality of Americas foreign policy
Part II here
CHECK IT
USA: KERRY LESSER EVIL?
The New Statesman: The Warlords of America
Most of the US's recent wars were launched by Democratic presidents. Why expect better of Kerry? The debate between US liberals and conservatives is a fake; Bush may be the lesser evil.
On 6 May last, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution which, in effect, authorised a "pre-emptive" attack on Iran. The vote was 376-3. Undeterred by the accelerating disaster in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats, wrote one commentator, "once again joined hands to assert the responsibilities of American power".
The joining of hands across America's illusory political divide has a long history. The native Americans were slaughtered, the Philippines laid to waste and Cuba and much of Latin America brought to heel with "bipartisan" backing.
CHECK IT
Most of the US's recent wars were launched by Democratic presidents. Why expect better of Kerry? The debate between US liberals and conservatives is a fake; Bush may be the lesser evil.
On 6 May last, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution which, in effect, authorised a "pre-emptive" attack on Iran. The vote was 376-3. Undeterred by the accelerating disaster in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats, wrote one commentator, "once again joined hands to assert the responsibilities of American power".
The joining of hands across America's illusory political divide has a long history. The native Americans were slaughtered, the Philippines laid to waste and Cuba and much of Latin America brought to heel with "bipartisan" backing.
CHECK IT
USA: PENTAGON SPY CASE
Financial Times: FBI investigates suspected Pentagon security breaches
An FBI investigation into suspected security breaches involving Pentagon officials and Israel is unlikely to result in prosecution of senior figures following pressure from the White House, according to people familiar with the case.
The investigation has highlighted concerns that a small group of neo-conservatives in the Pentagon not only may have divulged classified information to Israel, but also tried to mount intelligence and foreign policy operations without informing the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency.
Analysts said that although the neo-conservative proponents of regime change in Iraq and Iran had fallen out of favour with the White House, the presidential election in November still afforded them protection.
The White House denied allegations of a cover-up. A spokesman said there was full support for the investigation.
An FBI investigation into suspected security breaches involving Pentagon officials and Israel is unlikely to result in prosecution of senior figures following pressure from the White House, according to people familiar with the case.
The investigation has highlighted concerns that a small group of neo-conservatives in the Pentagon not only may have divulged classified information to Israel, but also tried to mount intelligence and foreign policy operations without informing the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency.
Analysts said that although the neo-conservative proponents of regime change in Iraq and Iran had fallen out of favour with the White House, the presidential election in November still afforded them protection.
The White House denied allegations of a cover-up. A spokesman said there was full support for the investigation.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
RUSSIA: FREEDOM OF PRESS
Guardian: Leading Russian journalist 'poisoned'
Alarm bells are ringing in Russian media circles after the alleged poisoning of Anna Politkovskaya, one of the most outspoken critics of Vladimir Putin's policy on Chechnya, and the apparent sacking of the editor of Izvestia today.
According to the Moscow Times today, "Politkovskaya was flying from Vnukovo Airport to Rostov-on-Don and fainted on the plane. Immediately after landing, she was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found she had been poisoned, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov told the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists."
Politkovskaya has written repeatedly about Russia's brutal war in Chechnya, much to the fury of the Putin regime. She claims to have seen video footage that shows Chechen prisoners being treated the same way as those in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq but says no Russian TV channel would show it. When her paper published pictures no other papers followed up the story.
Earlier this year she accused the rest of the Russian media of acting as black propaganda agencies.
Alarm bells are ringing in Russian media circles after the alleged poisoning of Anna Politkovskaya, one of the most outspoken critics of Vladimir Putin's policy on Chechnya, and the apparent sacking of the editor of Izvestia today.
According to the Moscow Times today, "Politkovskaya was flying from Vnukovo Airport to Rostov-on-Don and fainted on the plane. Immediately after landing, she was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found she had been poisoned, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov told the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists."
Politkovskaya has written repeatedly about Russia's brutal war in Chechnya, much to the fury of the Putin regime. She claims to have seen video footage that shows Chechen prisoners being treated the same way as those in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq but says no Russian TV channel would show it. When her paper published pictures no other papers followed up the story.
Earlier this year she accused the rest of the Russian media of acting as black propaganda agencies.
Monday, September 06, 2004
USA: PENTAGON SPY CASE
Juan Cole: AIPAC Spy Case Update
Knight Ridder's Warren Strobel, who reported a week ago that the FBI investigation of Lawrence Franklin was part of a much larger probe of the pro-Likud Neocon clique in Washington (he didn't put it exactly like that) is increasingly being vindicated as the papers of record pick up the story. The Washington Post reported that the leak of intelligence information to Ahmad Chalabi is part of the investigation. Chalabi somehow found out that the US had cracked Iranian communications codes, and passed the information on to Iran, profoundly damaging the ability of the US to monitor Iran's (largely peaced) nuclear program. The Washington Post also reveals that the investigation extends to David Wurmser, who wants to overthrow the governments of Syria and Iran, and now works for Dick "Kindly Grandpa" Cheney. The Post also reveals that Michigan Congressman John Conyers is very concerned that the investigation has been taken over by a Republican political appointee and may get buried as a result.
Knight Ridder's Warren Strobel, who reported a week ago that the FBI investigation of Lawrence Franklin was part of a much larger probe of the pro-Likud Neocon clique in Washington (he didn't put it exactly like that) is increasingly being vindicated as the papers of record pick up the story. The Washington Post reported that the leak of intelligence information to Ahmad Chalabi is part of the investigation. Chalabi somehow found out that the US had cracked Iranian communications codes, and passed the information on to Iran, profoundly damaging the ability of the US to monitor Iran's (largely peaced) nuclear program. The Washington Post also reveals that the investigation extends to David Wurmser, who wants to overthrow the governments of Syria and Iran, and now works for Dick "Kindly Grandpa" Cheney. The Post also reveals that Michigan Congressman John Conyers is very concerned that the investigation has been taken over by a Republican political appointee and may get buried as a result.
RUSSIA: TERROR
Mosnews: Chechen Separatists Say “Third Force” Behind Terrorist Attacks
Akhmed Zakayev, a special envoy to Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has said that “a third force that brought Russian President Vladimir Putin to power” is behind all the terrorist attacks committed in Russia over the past two weeks. London-based Zakayev said this in an exclusive interview with the Caucasus Times newspaper, printed in Prague, Czech Republic.
Zakayev said that “Chechen resistance forces led by Ichkeria President Aslan Maskhadov have nothing to do with the hostage crisis in North Ossetia”. He called the events a sad fact and condemned actions against Russian children and civilians.
Akhmed Zakayev, a special envoy to Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has said that “a third force that brought Russian President Vladimir Putin to power” is behind all the terrorist attacks committed in Russia over the past two weeks. London-based Zakayev said this in an exclusive interview with the Caucasus Times newspaper, printed in Prague, Czech Republic.
Zakayev said that “Chechen resistance forces led by Ichkeria President Aslan Maskhadov have nothing to do with the hostage crisis in North Ossetia”. He called the events a sad fact and condemned actions against Russian children and civilians.
USA: EMPIRE
Counterpunch: Holy Empire
Who We Are and What We Do
It is now nearly three years since nineteen young men from Saudi Arabia and Egypt opened the Pandora's Box by attacking the World Trade Center and Pentagon with hijacked planes. But the answer to "why did they do it?" still remains unsettled. "They did it because of what we do," some say. Others contend, "they did it because of who we are." Alternatively, the answers appear as "they hate us for what we do," or "they hate us for who we are."
Those who give the first answer often discuss various US policies in the Middle East in the 20th century. These policies could include such things as:
1) the establishment of the state of Israel on the Palestinian land and the nourishment and protection of this American-European settler state at the cost of the brutalized, outraged, dispossessed, displaced, terrorized, homeless indigenous population of the land;....
Who We Are and What We Do
It is now nearly three years since nineteen young men from Saudi Arabia and Egypt opened the Pandora's Box by attacking the World Trade Center and Pentagon with hijacked planes. But the answer to "why did they do it?" still remains unsettled. "They did it because of what we do," some say. Others contend, "they did it because of who we are." Alternatively, the answers appear as "they hate us for what we do," or "they hate us for who we are."
Those who give the first answer often discuss various US policies in the Middle East in the 20th century. These policies could include such things as:
1) the establishment of the state of Israel on the Palestinian land and the nourishment and protection of this American-European settler state at the cost of the brutalized, outraged, dispossessed, displaced, terrorized, homeless indigenous population of the land;....
USA: OSAMA BIN LADEN
AP: U.S. Near Seizing bin Laden, Official Says
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The United States and its allies have moved closer to capturing Osama bin Laden in the last two months, a top U.S. counterterrorism official said in a television interview broadcast Saturday.
"If he has a watch, he should be looking at it because the clock is ticking. He will be caught," Joseph Cofer Black, the U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, told private Geo television network.
Asked if concrete progress had been made during the last two months - when Pakistan has arrested dozens of terror suspects including some key al-Qaida operatives - Black said, "Yes, I would say this."
"Dont be surprised if OBL is arrested just in time for the November elections"
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The United States and its allies have moved closer to capturing Osama bin Laden in the last two months, a top U.S. counterterrorism official said in a television interview broadcast Saturday.
"If he has a watch, he should be looking at it because the clock is ticking. He will be caught," Joseph Cofer Black, the U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, told private Geo television network.
Asked if concrete progress had been made during the last two months - when Pakistan has arrested dozens of terror suspects including some key al-Qaida operatives - Black said, "Yes, I would say this."
"Dont be surprised if OBL is arrested just in time for the November elections"
USA: ISRAEL SPYING
Toronto Sun: FBI painting ugly picture
The dots in Washington are connecting. It's not a pretty sight.
Last week the results of a controversial two-year FBI investigation were leaked to the media.
The story is potentially a huge scandal and may indicate a furious power struggle between neocon supporters of Israel's far right Likud Party, who dominated the Pentagon and National Security Council, and the CIA and the state department
...Still, the current investigation is one indication of growing concerns that U.S. national security and foreign policy have been gravely compromised, or even hijacked, by a small but powerful group of Bush administration neocons. The concern is that this group, with the aid of Vice-President Dick Cheney, helped to engineer the Iraq war at least in part to destroy an enemy of Israel
The dots in Washington are connecting. It's not a pretty sight.
Last week the results of a controversial two-year FBI investigation were leaked to the media.
The story is potentially a huge scandal and may indicate a furious power struggle between neocon supporters of Israel's far right Likud Party, who dominated the Pentagon and National Security Council, and the CIA and the state department
...Still, the current investigation is one indication of growing concerns that U.S. national security and foreign policy have been gravely compromised, or even hijacked, by a small but powerful group of Bush administration neocons. The concern is that this group, with the aid of Vice-President Dick Cheney, helped to engineer the Iraq war at least in part to destroy an enemy of Israel
RUSSIA: TERROR
Prison Planet: RussianSchool Siege Bears Hallmarks of Potential Staged Psy-Op
The murky events of the school siege in which hundreds of children were killed are raising disturbing questions as to which entities were actually behind the co-ordination of the attack. Subsequent developments will bring a clearer picture but many indicators point to this event being a staged psy-op.
Most prominent terror incidents over the past twenty years have been state sponsored. That is not to say that the incident in North Ossetia hasn't been a harrowing experience for the victims involved. For them, the events were all too real.
The wave of terror began when two Tupolev passenger airliners crashed within minutes of each other on the night of August 26th.
The election of the Chechen president which took place two days later saw the Kremlin's choice overwhelmingly win with a landslide. The London Guardian called it a 'farcical election'.
The Russians were the only ones to benefit from the plane crashes.
The independent Russian media, what's left of it after years of brutal crackdown, are saying that the planes were not hijacked and bombed by terrorists on board, but that the Russian air defenses purposefully shot down the airliners to then blame the Chechens. The fact that the aircraft wreckage was strewn across a large area supports the shoot down theory more so than the contention that a small shoe bomb was detonated on board.
The murky events of the school siege in which hundreds of children were killed are raising disturbing questions as to which entities were actually behind the co-ordination of the attack. Subsequent developments will bring a clearer picture but many indicators point to this event being a staged psy-op.
Most prominent terror incidents over the past twenty years have been state sponsored. That is not to say that the incident in North Ossetia hasn't been a harrowing experience for the victims involved. For them, the events were all too real.
The wave of terror began when two Tupolev passenger airliners crashed within minutes of each other on the night of August 26th.
The election of the Chechen president which took place two days later saw the Kremlin's choice overwhelmingly win with a landslide. The London Guardian called it a 'farcical election'.
The Russians were the only ones to benefit from the plane crashes.
The independent Russian media, what's left of it after years of brutal crackdown, are saying that the planes were not hijacked and bombed by terrorists on board, but that the Russian air defenses purposefully shot down the airliners to then blame the Chechens. The fact that the aircraft wreckage was strewn across a large area supports the shoot down theory more so than the contention that a small shoe bomb was detonated on board.
RUSSIAN: TERROR
Prison Planet: RussianSchool Siege Bears Hallmarks of Potential Staged Psy-Op
The murky events of the school siege in which hundreds of children were killed are raising disturbing questions as to which entities were actually behind the co-ordination of the attack. Subsequent developments will bring a clearer picture but many indicators point to this event being a staged psy-op.
Most prominent terror incidents over the past twenty years have been state sponsored. That is not to say that the incident in North Ossetia hasn't been a harrowing experience for the victims involved. For them, the events were all too real.
The wave of terror began when two Tupolev passenger airliners crashed within minutes of each other on the night of August 26th.
The election of the Chechen president which took place two days later saw the Kremlin's choice overwhelmingly win with a landslide. The London Guardian called it a 'farcical election'.
The Russians were the only ones to benefit from the plane crashes.
The independent Russian media, what's left of it after years of brutal crackdown, are saying that the planes were not hijacked and bombed by terrorists on board, but that the Russian air defenses purposefully shot down the airliners to then blame the Chechens. The fact that the aircraft wreckage was strewn across a large area supports the shoot down theory more so than the contention that a small shoe bomb was detonated on board.
The murky events of the school siege in which hundreds of children were killed are raising disturbing questions as to which entities were actually behind the co-ordination of the attack. Subsequent developments will bring a clearer picture but many indicators point to this event being a staged psy-op.
Most prominent terror incidents over the past twenty years have been state sponsored. That is not to say that the incident in North Ossetia hasn't been a harrowing experience for the victims involved. For them, the events were all too real.
The wave of terror began when two Tupolev passenger airliners crashed within minutes of each other on the night of August 26th.
The election of the Chechen president which took place two days later saw the Kremlin's choice overwhelmingly win with a landslide. The London Guardian called it a 'farcical election'.
The Russians were the only ones to benefit from the plane crashes.
The independent Russian media, what's left of it after years of brutal crackdown, are saying that the planes were not hijacked and bombed by terrorists on board, but that the Russian air defenses purposefully shot down the airliners to then blame the Chechens. The fact that the aircraft wreckage was strewn across a large area supports the shoot down theory more so than the contention that a small shoe bomb was detonated on board.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Jihadunspun: Iraqi Resistance Launched Chemical Attack On US Troops In Balad
The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported last night that exclusive sources had reported details regarding chemical attacks on the US base in the town of Balad that inflicted heavy losses in men and material in the American camp there.
Iraqi Resistance forces fired Katyusha rockets and mortars at the US base in the town of Balad, north of Baghdad on Tuesday. The US base in Balad is one of the main American occupation facilities in Iraq. Yhe Resistance began an intermittent barrage on the base at 6:00am and that mortars and rockets were still being fired at the base from all directions now and again up until the time he filed his report.
The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported last night that exclusive sources had reported details regarding chemical attacks on the US base in the town of Balad that inflicted heavy losses in men and material in the American camp there.
Iraqi Resistance forces fired Katyusha rockets and mortars at the US base in the town of Balad, north of Baghdad on Tuesday. The US base in Balad is one of the main American occupation facilities in Iraq. Yhe Resistance began an intermittent barrage on the base at 6:00am and that mortars and rockets were still being fired at the base from all directions now and again up until the time he filed his report.
Monday, August 30, 2004
IRAQ: ABU GHRAIB
Der Spiegel: 'We Were Supposed to Humiliate Them'
Interview with US Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick on torture at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
SPIEGEL: Since the images of torture at Abu Ghraib became public, you have had a lot of time, while detained in Baghdad, to think about your actions. Today, how do you view what you did - as a disgrace for America?
Frederick: I am very upset and depressed about what happened. I'm not a sadist. My family and my friends will attest to that. I was always proud to be defending America. In doing so, I made a lot of sacrifices in the past twenty years, especially since the attacks of September 11. I have always served my country well, even in Iraq - until we were transferred to Abu Ghraib and things got out of control.
Interview with US Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick on torture at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
SPIEGEL: Since the images of torture at Abu Ghraib became public, you have had a lot of time, while detained in Baghdad, to think about your actions. Today, how do you view what you did - as a disgrace for America?
Frederick: I am very upset and depressed about what happened. I'm not a sadist. My family and my friends will attest to that. I was always proud to be defending America. In doing so, I made a lot of sacrifices in the past twenty years, especially since the attacks of September 11. I have always served my country well, even in Iraq - until we were transferred to Abu Ghraib and things got out of control.
USA: IRAN NEXT?
Sidney Morning Herald: The neo-cons give Iran the Iraq treatment
Sexed-up reports, pressure on the United Nations... here we go again
History is beginning to repeat itself, this time over Iran. Just two years after the British Government's notorious "Downing Street dossier" on Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction and the first efforts to get United Nations approval for war, Washington is trying to create similar pressures for action against Iran.
The ingredients are well-known: sexed-up intelligence material that puts the target country in the worst possible light; moves to get the UN to declare it in "non-compliance", thereby claiming justification for going in unilaterally even if the UN gives no support for invasion; and at the back of the whole brouhaha, a clique of US neo-conservatives whose real agenda is regime change.
The immediate focus for action against Iran is the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has produced five reports on Iran in the past 14 months. Part of the UN, the IAEA in its reports has raised questions about Iran's professedly civilian nuclear program and its desire to create its own fuel cycle that could eventually be used to produce bombs.
"World War III soon in a city near you"
Sexed-up reports, pressure on the United Nations... here we go again
History is beginning to repeat itself, this time over Iran. Just two years after the British Government's notorious "Downing Street dossier" on Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction and the first efforts to get United Nations approval for war, Washington is trying to create similar pressures for action against Iran.
The ingredients are well-known: sexed-up intelligence material that puts the target country in the worst possible light; moves to get the UN to declare it in "non-compliance", thereby claiming justification for going in unilaterally even if the UN gives no support for invasion; and at the back of the whole brouhaha, a clique of US neo-conservatives whose real agenda is regime change.
The immediate focus for action against Iran is the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has produced five reports on Iran in the past 14 months. Part of the UN, the IAEA in its reports has raised questions about Iran's professedly civilian nuclear program and its desire to create its own fuel cycle that could eventually be used to produce bombs.
"World War III soon in a city near you"
USA: ISRAELI SPY AND IRAN
Juan Cole:
Johnson: FBI Furious at Leak
In a later broadcast on MSNBC, former CIA officer and NBC analyst Larry Johnson
reported that for months he had been aware of an investigation that had led to tonight's revelation, one that had originally focused on the source of a forged document indicating that Iraq had sought uranium from Niger, presumably for making nuclear weapons. Johnson speculated that Israel may have been behind the forgery which was used by the administration to bolster its case for invasion. If so, he said, the espionage case could tie to an ongoing Justice Department criminal investigation into the outing of Valerie Plame as a covert CIA operative by right-wing columnist Robert Novak. Johnson also said the FBI was furious that news of the espionage investigation had leaked. Johnson opined that the investigation could lead from DOD to the National Security Council, and that the timing of the leak just before the start of the Republican convention was not coincidental. In a post on the dailykos weblog, one contributor noted that "when Tom Clancy and [Gen.] Zinni were running around flogging their book, they were on Deborah Norville. [During the show, Norville] asked Clancy of his impression of Wolfowitz. 'Is he working for our side?' [Clancy] replied."
It appears to be the case that someone in the Pentagon got wind that Larry Franklin had been flipped, and was terrified that the investigation might go on up the ladder at the Pentagon, in AIPAC, and with the Israelis. So they leaked news of the investigation to make sure that everybody clammed up and shredded everything.
Johnson: FBI Furious at Leak
In a later broadcast on MSNBC, former CIA officer and NBC analyst Larry Johnson
reported that for months he had been aware of an investigation that had led to tonight's revelation, one that had originally focused on the source of a forged document indicating that Iraq had sought uranium from Niger, presumably for making nuclear weapons. Johnson speculated that Israel may have been behind the forgery which was used by the administration to bolster its case for invasion. If so, he said, the espionage case could tie to an ongoing Justice Department criminal investigation into the outing of Valerie Plame as a covert CIA operative by right-wing columnist Robert Novak. Johnson also said the FBI was furious that news of the espionage investigation had leaked. Johnson opined that the investigation could lead from DOD to the National Security Council, and that the timing of the leak just before the start of the Republican convention was not coincidental. In a post on the dailykos weblog, one contributor noted that "when Tom Clancy and [Gen.] Zinni were running around flogging their book, they were on Deborah Norville. [During the show, Norville] asked Clancy of his impression of Wolfowitz. 'Is he working for our side?' [Clancy] replied."
It appears to be the case that someone in the Pentagon got wind that Larry Franklin had been flipped, and was terrified that the investigation might go on up the ladder at the Pentagon, in AIPAC, and with the Israelis. So they leaked news of the investigation to make sure that everybody clammed up and shredded everything.
USA: IRAN NEXT?
Juan Cole: Fomenting a War on Iran
Here is my take on the Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal in the Pentagon.
It is an echo of the one-two punch secretly planned by the pro-Likud faction in the Department of Defense. First, Iraq would be taken out by the United States, and then Iran. David Wurmser, a key member of the group, also wanted Syria included. These pro-Likud intellectuals concluded that 9/11 would give them carte blanche to use the Pentagon as Israel's Gurkha regiment, fighting elective wars on behalf of Tel Aviv (not wars that really needed to be fought, but wars that the Likud coalition thought it would be nice to see fought so as to increase Israel's ability to annex land and act aggressively, especially if someone else's boys did the dying).
"Franklin's movements reveal the contours of a rightwing conspiracy of warmongering and aggression, an orgy of destruction, for the benefit of the Likud Party, of Silvio Berlusconi's business in the Middle East, and of the Neoconservative Right in the United States. It isn't about spying. It is about conspiring to conscript the US government on behalf of a foreign power or powers."
Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan
"a must read"
Here is my take on the Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal in the Pentagon.
It is an echo of the one-two punch secretly planned by the pro-Likud faction in the Department of Defense. First, Iraq would be taken out by the United States, and then Iran. David Wurmser, a key member of the group, also wanted Syria included. These pro-Likud intellectuals concluded that 9/11 would give them carte blanche to use the Pentagon as Israel's Gurkha regiment, fighting elective wars on behalf of Tel Aviv (not wars that really needed to be fought, but wars that the Likud coalition thought it would be nice to see fought so as to increase Israel's ability to annex land and act aggressively, especially if someone else's boys did the dying).
"Franklin's movements reveal the contours of a rightwing conspiracy of warmongering and aggression, an orgy of destruction, for the benefit of the Likud Party, of Silvio Berlusconi's business in the Middle East, and of the Neoconservative Right in the United States. It isn't about spying. It is about conspiring to conscript the US government on behalf of a foreign power or powers."
Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan
"a must read"
IRAQ: THE NEW HENCHMAN
Sunday Herald: US point-man in Iraq raises hackles
Iraqi leaders visiting London say they are troubled by new security chiefs — every bit as ruthless as the henchmen of Saddam Hussein — imposed on them by the American authorities.
In fact, the common thread linking the concern of senior Iraqi political and religious visitors in recent weeks is the emerging security apparatus in their country that has been put together at the behest of the Americans.
On the day the National Assembly was appointed three members were arrested, along with another 57 others, all this on the orders of Shahwani,” one prominent Iraqi visitor told Deccan Herald on condition he was not quoted by name.
“When we heard of this we approached Prime Minister Allawi and they managed to get one man released. All the others remain under arrest.
“Shahwani only responds to the orders of the Americans, he was forced on Allawi. That’s why this is occupation, you can draw your conclusions.”
Such Iraqi critics believe that Shahwani is also being groomed to take over from Mr Allawi in the event of a future political crisis, or if Mr Allawi is assassinated.
They say the Shahwani appointment is proof that the Americans intend to retain control of Iraq, regardless of any future military withdrawal.
Iraqi leaders visiting London say they are troubled by new security chiefs — every bit as ruthless as the henchmen of Saddam Hussein — imposed on them by the American authorities.
In fact, the common thread linking the concern of senior Iraqi political and religious visitors in recent weeks is the emerging security apparatus in their country that has been put together at the behest of the Americans.
On the day the National Assembly was appointed three members were arrested, along with another 57 others, all this on the orders of Shahwani,” one prominent Iraqi visitor told Deccan Herald on condition he was not quoted by name.
“When we heard of this we approached Prime Minister Allawi and they managed to get one man released. All the others remain under arrest.
“Shahwani only responds to the orders of the Americans, he was forced on Allawi. That’s why this is occupation, you can draw your conclusions.”
Such Iraqi critics believe that Shahwani is also being groomed to take over from Mr Allawi in the event of a future political crisis, or if Mr Allawi is assassinated.
They say the Shahwani appointment is proof that the Americans intend to retain control of Iraq, regardless of any future military withdrawal.
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
The Age: Secret deal keeps Sadr's men armed
FIGHTERS loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr have been allowed to keep weapons such as AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers as part of secret provisions in a deal that ended the 22-day siege of the Iraqi holy city of Najaf.
The revelation by Sayyed Immad Mohamed Kalantal – who acted as an intermediary in the agreement brokered by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric – raised fears members of Sadr's Mehdi Army could regroup and prepare a new armed uprising against the Government and its US backers.
Mr Kalantal said the clause had been agreed to by Iyad Allawi, the Iraqi Prime Minister. Mr Allawi had initially been determined to "finish off" Sadr's militia but baulked at the consequences of a full-scale assault on the city's Imam Ali shrine.
FIGHTERS loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr have been allowed to keep weapons such as AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers as part of secret provisions in a deal that ended the 22-day siege of the Iraqi holy city of Najaf.
The revelation by Sayyed Immad Mohamed Kalantal – who acted as an intermediary in the agreement brokered by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric – raised fears members of Sadr's Mehdi Army could regroup and prepare a new armed uprising against the Government and its US backers.
Mr Kalantal said the clause had been agreed to by Iyad Allawi, the Iraqi Prime Minister. Mr Allawi had initially been determined to "finish off" Sadr's militia but baulked at the consequences of a full-scale assault on the city's Imam Ali shrine.
USA: ISRAELI SPY
EIR: Superb Chronology Of The Israeli Pentagon Spy Case
Reuters: Suspected Pentagon Spy Reportedly Served In Israel
A Pentagon analyst suspected of passing classified information to Israel served as a U.S. Air Force reservist in Israel, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
The newspaper quoted a former colleague at the Defense Intelligence Agency who said the analyst may have been based at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, but was never permanently assigned there.
Quoting unnamed officials and others familiar with the inquiry, the Post said an FBI investigation had been broadened in recent days to include interviews at the State and Defense departments and with Middle Eastern specialists outside government.
Gulf News: Israel Caught Spying Again
Allegations. Denials. Not for the first time has the issue of Israel and espionage in Washington surfaced, as America's closest ally seems to betray its trust. But more damaging is the inescapable fact that if these espionage allegations are proven, US policy regarding the Middle East will have been compromised yet again.
The FBI has launched a wide-ranging investigation into a suspected mole with ties to top Pentagon officials who is thought to have supplied Israel with classified material that included secret White House deliberations on Iran.
Blog: Latest Israeli Spy Story Makes No Sense
"This scandal isn't a spying scandal. It is the treason of handing over full control of American foreign policy to the leader of another country. We have seen how this played out with respect to the attack on Iraq, and we will see it play out in future attacks on Iran and Syria. "
Washington Times: FBI probes DOD office
The FBI has intensified its investigation of senior members of what was formerly known as the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans on suspicion that one of them passed highly classified U.S. military information to the government of Israel, according to federal law enforcement officials.
Reuters: Suspected Pentagon Spy Reportedly Served In Israel
A Pentagon analyst suspected of passing classified information to Israel served as a U.S. Air Force reservist in Israel, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
The newspaper quoted a former colleague at the Defense Intelligence Agency who said the analyst may have been based at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, but was never permanently assigned there.
Quoting unnamed officials and others familiar with the inquiry, the Post said an FBI investigation had been broadened in recent days to include interviews at the State and Defense departments and with Middle Eastern specialists outside government.
Gulf News: Israel Caught Spying Again
Allegations. Denials. Not for the first time has the issue of Israel and espionage in Washington surfaced, as America's closest ally seems to betray its trust. But more damaging is the inescapable fact that if these espionage allegations are proven, US policy regarding the Middle East will have been compromised yet again.
The FBI has launched a wide-ranging investigation into a suspected mole with ties to top Pentagon officials who is thought to have supplied Israel with classified material that included secret White House deliberations on Iran.
Blog: Latest Israeli Spy Story Makes No Sense
"This scandal isn't a spying scandal. It is the treason of handing over full control of American foreign policy to the leader of another country. We have seen how this played out with respect to the attack on Iraq, and we will see it play out in future attacks on Iran and Syria. "
Washington Times: FBI probes DOD office
The FBI has intensified its investigation of senior members of what was formerly known as the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans on suspicion that one of them passed highly classified U.S. military information to the government of Israel, according to federal law enforcement officials.
MICHAEL MOORE
Deserter Bush Attacks A Wounded Vietnam Vet by Michael Moore
It Takes Real Courage to Desert Your Post and Then Attack a Wounded Vet
Dear Mr. Bush,
I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I realize I am the one who started this whole mess about "who did what" during Vietnam when I brought up that "deserter" nonsense back in January. But I have to hand it to you on what you have uncovered about John Kerry and his record in Vietnam. Kerry has tried to pass himself off as a war hero, but thanks to you and your friends, we now know the truth.
First of all, thank you for pointing out to all of us that Mr. Kerry was never struck by a BULLET. It was only SHRAPNEL that entered his body! I did not know that! Hell, what's the big deal about a bunch of large, sharp, metal shards ripping open your flesh? That happens to all of us! In my opinion, if you want a purple heart, you'd better be hit with a bullet -- with your name on it!
It Takes Real Courage to Desert Your Post and Then Attack a Wounded Vet
Dear Mr. Bush,
I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I realize I am the one who started this whole mess about "who did what" during Vietnam when I brought up that "deserter" nonsense back in January. But I have to hand it to you on what you have uncovered about John Kerry and his record in Vietnam. Kerry has tried to pass himself off as a war hero, but thanks to you and your friends, we now know the truth.
First of all, thank you for pointing out to all of us that Mr. Kerry was never struck by a BULLET. It was only SHRAPNEL that entered his body! I did not know that! Hell, what's the big deal about a bunch of large, sharp, metal shards ripping open your flesh? That happens to all of us! In my opinion, if you want a purple heart, you'd better be hit with a bullet -- with your name on it!
USA: OCTOBER SURPRISE
Globalfreepress: Behind The Israeli Mole Affair
The Point Of Maximum Danger Of War With Iran Approaching By Webster Griffin Tarple
News of the investigation of Larry Franklin, a middle-level functionary working for the Wolfowitz-Feith-Luti-Shulsky clique in the Pentagon, indicates that we are now approaching a critical choice-point on the road to war with Iran, and towards a synthetic terrorism attack inside the US which would be used as an additional pretext to start such a war.
The probe of an Israeli mole in the Pentagon was made public by CBS news last Friday evening. The Saturday edition of the Washington Post named Larry Franklin as being identified by sources as the person under investigation. In Sunday,s Washington Post, it was confirmed that Lawrence A. Franklin was the person at the center of investigation.
"must read"
The Point Of Maximum Danger Of War With Iran Approaching By Webster Griffin Tarple
News of the investigation of Larry Franklin, a middle-level functionary working for the Wolfowitz-Feith-Luti-Shulsky clique in the Pentagon, indicates that we are now approaching a critical choice-point on the road to war with Iran, and towards a synthetic terrorism attack inside the US which would be used as an additional pretext to start such a war.
The probe of an Israeli mole in the Pentagon was made public by CBS news last Friday evening. The Saturday edition of the Washington Post named Larry Franklin as being identified by sources as the person under investigation. In Sunday,s Washington Post, it was confirmed that Lawrence A. Franklin was the person at the center of investigation.
"must read"
Friday, August 27, 2004
IRAQ: SADR WINS
Juancole.com: Thousands Stream into Shrine of Ali Muqtada orders Followers to Disarm
CNN's Kianne Sadeq continues her excellent reportage from Najaf. She and her team report that supporters of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani streamed into the shrine of Ali in Najaf. After reaching an agreement with Sistani, Muqtada pledge to ask his men to leave the shrine. Sistani wants Najaf and Kufa to be demilitarized. Muqtada al-Sadr's men used the microphones ordinarily employed for the call to prayer to relay his message that the Mahdi Army should lay down its arms. Wire reports suggest that some were obeying the order. With all those pilgrims now in the shrine, it will be easy for the Mahdi Army fighters to slip away if they so choose.
I think the big losers from the Najaf episode (part deux) are the Americans. They have become, if it is possible, even more unpopular in Iraq than they were last spring after Abu Ghuraib, Fallujah and Najaf Part 1. The US is perceived as culturally insensitive for its actions in the holy city of Najaf.
The Allawi government is also a big loser. Instead of looking decisive, as they had hoped, they ended up looking like the lackeys of neo-imperialists.
The big winner is Sistani, whose religious charisma has now been enhanced by solid nationalist credentials. He is a national hero for saving Najaf.
For Muqtada, it is a wash. He did not have Najaf until April, anyway, and cn easily survive not having it. His movement in the slums of the southern cities is intact, even if its paramilitary has been weakened
CNN's Kianne Sadeq continues her excellent reportage from Najaf. She and her team report that supporters of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani streamed into the shrine of Ali in Najaf. After reaching an agreement with Sistani, Muqtada pledge to ask his men to leave the shrine. Sistani wants Najaf and Kufa to be demilitarized. Muqtada al-Sadr's men used the microphones ordinarily employed for the call to prayer to relay his message that the Mahdi Army should lay down its arms. Wire reports suggest that some were obeying the order. With all those pilgrims now in the shrine, it will be easy for the Mahdi Army fighters to slip away if they so choose.
I think the big losers from the Najaf episode (part deux) are the Americans. They have become, if it is possible, even more unpopular in Iraq than they were last spring after Abu Ghuraib, Fallujah and Najaf Part 1. The US is perceived as culturally insensitive for its actions in the holy city of Najaf.
The Allawi government is also a big loser. Instead of looking decisive, as they had hoped, they ended up looking like the lackeys of neo-imperialists.
The big winner is Sistani, whose religious charisma has now been enhanced by solid nationalist credentials. He is a national hero for saving Najaf.
For Muqtada, it is a wash. He did not have Najaf until April, anyway, and cn easily survive not having it. His movement in the slums of the southern cities is intact, even if its paramilitary has been weakened
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Truthout: Iraq Oil Exports Cut in Half After Attack
Basra, Iraq - A sabotage attack on a cluster of about 20 oil pipelines in southern Iraq has cut exports from the key oil producing region by half, a top oil official said Thursday.
Iraqi workers stand near a burning pipeline south of Basra in southern Iraq. Photo: Atef Hassan/Reuters
It was the latest insurgent attack to set back Iraq's oil sector, a key source of funding for reconstruction.
The pipelines were attacked late Wednesday in Berjasiya, 20 miles southwest of the southern city of Basra, an official with the state-run South Oil Co. said on condition of anonymity.
Oil exports out of southern Iraq average about 1.85 million barrels a day. The oil official said Wednesday's sabotage cut exports to 900,000 barrels. The country's southern pipelines export 90 percent of Iraq's oil.
Basra, Iraq - A sabotage attack on a cluster of about 20 oil pipelines in southern Iraq has cut exports from the key oil producing region by half, a top oil official said Thursday.
Iraqi workers stand near a burning pipeline south of Basra in southern Iraq. Photo: Atef Hassan/Reuters
It was the latest insurgent attack to set back Iraq's oil sector, a key source of funding for reconstruction.
The pipelines were attacked late Wednesday in Berjasiya, 20 miles southwest of the southern city of Basra, an official with the state-run South Oil Co. said on condition of anonymity.
Oil exports out of southern Iraq average about 1.85 million barrels a day. The oil official said Wednesday's sabotage cut exports to 900,000 barrels. The country's southern pipelines export 90 percent of Iraq's oil.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
GEORGIA
AFP: Georgian President warns of war with Russia
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has reportedly said war with Russia is close and it is necessary to prepare the people of Georgia for such an eventuality.
"We are very close to a war (with Russia), the population must be prepared," he told the Liberation newspaper.
Denouncing military aid from Russia to rebels in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, Mr Saakashvili stressed that he had "no intention of provoking [a war]".
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has reportedly said war with Russia is close and it is necessary to prepare the people of Georgia for such an eventuality.
"We are very close to a war (with Russia), the population must be prepared," he told the Liberation newspaper.
Denouncing military aid from Russia to rebels in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, Mr Saakashvili stressed that he had "no intention of provoking [a war]".
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Reuters: Top Shi'ite cleric calls for march on Najaf
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric has returned to the country and urged Iraqis to march on the "burning city" of Najaf, where fighting is creeping ever closer its sacred shrine.
Aides said Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani arrived in Iraq from Kuwait on Wednesday and was heading to Najaf, his adopted home, after getting heart treatment in London for three weeks.
The news of Sistani's return came as U.S. and Iraqi forces tightened their grip around Mehdi Army militants loyal to a radical cleric who have holed up in Najaf's Imam Ali mosque, advancing to within 300 metres (yards) of the rebel-held shrine.
The call to march on Najaf by the Shi'ite moderate, who has said little about a crisis that has killed hundreds and undermined the authority of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, could escalate passions among the majority Shi'ite community.
Haarez: Iraq's top Shiite cleric returns as fighting rages in Najaf
Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric arrived home from Britain on Wednesday and his aides called for a nationwide march to Najaf to end nearly three weeks of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and Shiite militants in this holy city.
The announcement came as heavy fighting persisted in Najaf's Old City, the center of much of the past three weeks of fighting. U.S. warplanes fired on the neighborhood, helicopters flew overhead and heavy gunfire was heard in the streets, witnesses said.
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric has returned to the country and urged Iraqis to march on the "burning city" of Najaf, where fighting is creeping ever closer its sacred shrine.
Aides said Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani arrived in Iraq from Kuwait on Wednesday and was heading to Najaf, his adopted home, after getting heart treatment in London for three weeks.
The news of Sistani's return came as U.S. and Iraqi forces tightened their grip around Mehdi Army militants loyal to a radical cleric who have holed up in Najaf's Imam Ali mosque, advancing to within 300 metres (yards) of the rebel-held shrine.
The call to march on Najaf by the Shi'ite moderate, who has said little about a crisis that has killed hundreds and undermined the authority of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, could escalate passions among the majority Shi'ite community.
Haarez: Iraq's top Shiite cleric returns as fighting rages in Najaf
Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric arrived home from Britain on Wednesday and his aides called for a nationwide march to Najaf to end nearly three weeks of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and Shiite militants in this holy city.
The announcement came as heavy fighting persisted in Najaf's Old City, the center of much of the past three weeks of fighting. U.S. warplanes fired on the neighborhood, helicopters flew overhead and heavy gunfire was heard in the streets, witnesses said.
SITE OF THE DAY
CHECK: AbusedbytheNews.com
brought to you by Daniel Price, a writer and media critic living in Los Angeles.
His debut novel, Slick, a comedic tale of PR and media manipulation, was just released in hardcover by Random House/Villard. In November, he'll begin teaching a crash course in disinformation at the Los Angeles Center for Inquiry.
Why does the news on TV make me want to gouge my eyes out and then set my head on fire?
Although they won't admit it, it's pretty obvious that the news networks have abandoned their mission to inform us. Now all they're trying to do is get our attention and hold it there long enough to show us the advertisements.
How did it get this way?These outlets are all run by megamedia überconglomerates who require greater and greater earnings in order to keep their shareholders happy. And since there's more competition than ever for our limited attention spans, they believe that the only way to get us to notice them is to make their newscasts louder, dumber, sexier and scarier. Same goes for their news anchors.
Yes, but it seems like they're giving us bad information more and more. What's the deal?
In order to reduce operating expenses, the media giants are subjecting their news divisions to repeated rounds of layoffs and spending cuts, while simultaneously increasing their news output. So what you have are fewer people gathering more news and given less time to do it.
Not only does that lead to more mistakes and omissions, it also creates an increased reliance on unverified information from dubious sources, such as publicists and spin doctors.
That's also why we're seeing a sharp rise in the number of pundits, analysts and other nattering nabobs in our news. Because real journalism is expensive. Talk is cheap.
And what about the bias? You gotta talk about the bias.
Partisan bias is one of the few things I won't complain about, because the problem is ridiculously overblown. Anyone who currently works in a news studio can tell you that their top two priorites are making deadline and not getting fired. Even if they do give a crap about subverting your political ideology, most news professionals don't have the time, the skill or the incentive to insert subliminal skews into their broadcasts.
That's not to say bias doesn't exist in our news. But instead of searching left and right, take a good hard look at the bottom line. The real slant in our news is a slant towards profit. And that means a slant towards shock, shlock, scandal, drama, fluffy little kittens, and whatever else the focus groups respond to.
But in a free market system where TV is measured by ratings, aren't the networks just giving the people what they want?
Yes, but the system is hardly democratic. For starters, there are only 5,000 Nielsen boxes gauging the viewing habits of the entire United States. Secondly, advertisers pay the networks more to attract certain segments of the population (such as affluent women aged 18-49), so most newscasts are tailored to appeal to key demographics. Unfortunately, the networks have chosen to fight over the same few eyeballs, which is why we're consistently hit with the same crap from every channel.
And finally, the vast majority of news programs are losing viewers by the truckful, so obviously we're not getting what we want.
Isn't it our own responsibility to stay informed on the things that matter?
Absolutely. And there are still plenty of good places for us to go for news. The problem is that we can't walk two feet in this country without stepping in some bad journalism. We're continually bombarded with misinformation, disinformation, and non-information from every side. And it's making us all a little nutty.
"Funny" nutty or "scary" nutty?A little of both. We're living in a culture that's becoming increasingly jaded, apathetic, fearful and polarized. And I think our current news climate has a lot to do with that.
Do you think the mainstream news will get better or worse over the next few years?
As the networks get increasingly desperate and cynical about the viewing public, I think their news coverage is going to keep sliding down toward 'worse.'
But then everything comes in cycles. Just as CNN filled a much-needed void in 1981, someone else may eventually come along with a brand new network that relies on actual investigative journalism, one that doesn't treat its audience like congential idiots with the attention span of mosquitos. And if it does well in the ratings, then expect the other networks to follow suit. They're very good at following.
Where can one such as I learn more about the inner workings of the mainstream news media?
I've prepared a big fat list of books that do a wonderful job shedding light on the business of news, plus the study of disinformation. And of course you're free to keep checking back here at Abused by the News. Needless to say, this is a subject that interests me.
brought to you by Daniel Price, a writer and media critic living in Los Angeles.
His debut novel, Slick, a comedic tale of PR and media manipulation, was just released in hardcover by Random House/Villard. In November, he'll begin teaching a crash course in disinformation at the Los Angeles Center for Inquiry.
Why does the news on TV make me want to gouge my eyes out and then set my head on fire?
Although they won't admit it, it's pretty obvious that the news networks have abandoned their mission to inform us. Now all they're trying to do is get our attention and hold it there long enough to show us the advertisements.
How did it get this way?These outlets are all run by megamedia überconglomerates who require greater and greater earnings in order to keep their shareholders happy. And since there's more competition than ever for our limited attention spans, they believe that the only way to get us to notice them is to make their newscasts louder, dumber, sexier and scarier. Same goes for their news anchors.
Yes, but it seems like they're giving us bad information more and more. What's the deal?
In order to reduce operating expenses, the media giants are subjecting their news divisions to repeated rounds of layoffs and spending cuts, while simultaneously increasing their news output. So what you have are fewer people gathering more news and given less time to do it.
Not only does that lead to more mistakes and omissions, it also creates an increased reliance on unverified information from dubious sources, such as publicists and spin doctors.
That's also why we're seeing a sharp rise in the number of pundits, analysts and other nattering nabobs in our news. Because real journalism is expensive. Talk is cheap.
And what about the bias? You gotta talk about the bias.
Partisan bias is one of the few things I won't complain about, because the problem is ridiculously overblown. Anyone who currently works in a news studio can tell you that their top two priorites are making deadline and not getting fired. Even if they do give a crap about subverting your political ideology, most news professionals don't have the time, the skill or the incentive to insert subliminal skews into their broadcasts.
That's not to say bias doesn't exist in our news. But instead of searching left and right, take a good hard look at the bottom line. The real slant in our news is a slant towards profit. And that means a slant towards shock, shlock, scandal, drama, fluffy little kittens, and whatever else the focus groups respond to.
But in a free market system where TV is measured by ratings, aren't the networks just giving the people what they want?
Yes, but the system is hardly democratic. For starters, there are only 5,000 Nielsen boxes gauging the viewing habits of the entire United States. Secondly, advertisers pay the networks more to attract certain segments of the population (such as affluent women aged 18-49), so most newscasts are tailored to appeal to key demographics. Unfortunately, the networks have chosen to fight over the same few eyeballs, which is why we're consistently hit with the same crap from every channel.
And finally, the vast majority of news programs are losing viewers by the truckful, so obviously we're not getting what we want.
Isn't it our own responsibility to stay informed on the things that matter?
Absolutely. And there are still plenty of good places for us to go for news. The problem is that we can't walk two feet in this country without stepping in some bad journalism. We're continually bombarded with misinformation, disinformation, and non-information from every side. And it's making us all a little nutty.
"Funny" nutty or "scary" nutty?A little of both. We're living in a culture that's becoming increasingly jaded, apathetic, fearful and polarized. And I think our current news climate has a lot to do with that.
Do you think the mainstream news will get better or worse over the next few years?
As the networks get increasingly desperate and cynical about the viewing public, I think their news coverage is going to keep sliding down toward 'worse.'
But then everything comes in cycles. Just as CNN filled a much-needed void in 1981, someone else may eventually come along with a brand new network that relies on actual investigative journalism, one that doesn't treat its audience like congential idiots with the attention span of mosquitos. And if it does well in the ratings, then expect the other networks to follow suit. They're very good at following.
Where can one such as I learn more about the inner workings of the mainstream news media?
I've prepared a big fat list of books that do a wonderful job shedding light on the business of news, plus the study of disinformation. And of course you're free to keep checking back here at Abused by the News. Needless to say, this is a subject that interests me.
IRAQ: TORTURE
Independent: Rumsfeld implicated in Abu Ghraib abuse by damning report
high-level report has placed indirect blame for the Abu Ghraib prison scandal on the Pentagon's top civilian and military officials, saying their neglect allowed a culture and environment to develop in which such abuse could take place.
The report, released yesterday one of 11 separate inquiries into abuses at the jail near Baghdad is the first to criticise Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, and his closest advisers over the debacle.
high-level report has placed indirect blame for the Abu Ghraib prison scandal on the Pentagon's top civilian and military officials, saying their neglect allowed a culture and environment to develop in which such abuse could take place.
The report, released yesterday one of 11 separate inquiries into abuses at the jail near Baghdad is the first to criticise Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, and his closest advisers over the debacle.
AFRICA: COUP
Independent: Mark Thatcher arrested over 'coup plot'
Sir Mark Thatcher was arrested today over claims that he was involved in a plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea.
South African police said Sir Mark, the son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was arrested at his home in Cape Town.
It is claimed that Briton Simon Mann, an Old Etonian turned African mercenary, was the ringleader of the alleged coup attempt.
He was held in Zimbabwe, allegedly with a plane full of mercenaries on their way to overthrow the Equatorial Guinea government.
The alleged plotters were said to be hoping to exploit the country's massive oil reserves after overthrowing President Teodoro Obiang and installing their own leader, Severo Moto, currently in exile in Spain.
Equatorial Guinea, pumping 350,000 barrels of oil a day, has become Africa's third-largest oil producer since offshore development began in the mid-1990s.
The country has accused British and South African oil broker Eli Calil and other foreign financiers of funding the alleged coup attempt.
Sir Mark Thatcher was arrested today over claims that he was involved in a plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea.
South African police said Sir Mark, the son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was arrested at his home in Cape Town.
It is claimed that Briton Simon Mann, an Old Etonian turned African mercenary, was the ringleader of the alleged coup attempt.
He was held in Zimbabwe, allegedly with a plane full of mercenaries on their way to overthrow the Equatorial Guinea government.
The alleged plotters were said to be hoping to exploit the country's massive oil reserves after overthrowing President Teodoro Obiang and installing their own leader, Severo Moto, currently in exile in Spain.
Equatorial Guinea, pumping 350,000 barrels of oil a day, has become Africa's third-largest oil producer since offshore development began in the mid-1990s.
The country has accused British and South African oil broker Eli Calil and other foreign financiers of funding the alleged coup attempt.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Islamonline: Journalist Paints Human Experience In Najaf
Robertson and Anderson were the only journalists inside the US-besieged Imam Ali shrine for three days, August 17-19.
‘Heartbroken’
Robertson feels "heartbroken" at the destruction done to the time-honored city by the three-week US raids.
"I think taking the war to the old city, to the Shrine was a terrible mistake, and a travesty. Most Americans, if they could see the mosque, and experience how beautiful it is, would agree. It is a sacred place," he said.
The awarded journalist said the conditions of civilians in An-Najaf are deplorable.
"No electricity, no good sources of food and warfare raging outside in the streets. Snipers are a great danger, and they are invisible. Most people are hiding, trapped in their houses.
"These battles have caused a great number of casualties as well as widespread destruction to the edge of the old city of Najaf, he went on.
"I believe that some men have remained behind to protect their houses from looters. This happened in [nearby] Karbala as well."
Robertson and Anderson were the only journalists inside the US-besieged Imam Ali shrine for three days, August 17-19.
‘Heartbroken’
Robertson feels "heartbroken" at the destruction done to the time-honored city by the three-week US raids.
"I think taking the war to the old city, to the Shrine was a terrible mistake, and a travesty. Most Americans, if they could see the mosque, and experience how beautiful it is, would agree. It is a sacred place," he said.
The awarded journalist said the conditions of civilians in An-Najaf are deplorable.
"No electricity, no good sources of food and warfare raging outside in the streets. Snipers are a great danger, and they are invisible. Most people are hiding, trapped in their houses.
"These battles have caused a great number of casualties as well as widespread destruction to the edge of the old city of Najaf, he went on.
"I believe that some men have remained behind to protect their houses from looters. This happened in [nearby] Karbala as well."
Monday, August 23, 2004
JOHN PILGER
ICH: The warlords of America
Most of the US's recent wars were launched by Democratic presidents. Why expect better of Kerry? The debate between US liberals and conservatives is a fake; Bush may be the lesser evil.
On 6 May last, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution which, in effect, authorised a "pre-emptive" attack on Iran. The vote was 376-3. Undeterred by the accelerating disaster in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats, wrote one commentator, "once again joined hands to assert the responsibilities of American power".
The joining of hands across America's illusory political divide has a long history. The native Americans were slaughtered, the Philippines laid to waste and Cuba and much of Latin America brought to heel with "bipartisan" backing. Wading through the blood, a new breed of popular historian, the journalist in the pay of rich newspaper owners, spun the heroic myths of a supersect called Americanism, which advertising and public relations in the 20th century formalised as an ideology, embracing both conservatism and liberalism.
"CHECK IT"
Most of the US's recent wars were launched by Democratic presidents. Why expect better of Kerry? The debate between US liberals and conservatives is a fake; Bush may be the lesser evil.
On 6 May last, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution which, in effect, authorised a "pre-emptive" attack on Iran. The vote was 376-3. Undeterred by the accelerating disaster in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats, wrote one commentator, "once again joined hands to assert the responsibilities of American power".
The joining of hands across America's illusory political divide has a long history. The native Americans were slaughtered, the Philippines laid to waste and Cuba and much of Latin America brought to heel with "bipartisan" backing. Wading through the blood, a new breed of popular historian, the journalist in the pay of rich newspaper owners, spun the heroic myths of a supersect called Americanism, which advertising and public relations in the 20th century formalised as an ideology, embracing both conservatism and liberalism.
"CHECK IT"
ISRAEL VS. IRAN
International Herald Tribune: Is Israel planning to attack Iran?
Ariel Sharon may be on the warpath again and the target is Iran. In the past, the Israeli prime minister has focused attention on Iran by claiming that it presents the greatest threat to Israel. More than once, defense officials in Jerusalem have said that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In response, Iran's defense minister, Ali Shamkhani, warned that should Israel do so, his country would wipe out Israel.
Now Israel, claiming to prepare against a possible "hit on its nuclear reactor," has started distributing antiradiation pills to civilians in townships surrounding it. In a country that has always sought to keep its nuclear activities out of the spotlight, that is a highly unusual step.
How serious is the Iranian threat? Iran has tested a Shihab surface-to-surface missile capable of reaching Israel and possesses a limited number of such missiles. At present, though, it is not known to possess nuclear weapons. As long as they carry conventional warheads, the Shihabs present minimal danger to Israel and other countries in the region. Should they be equipped with chemical warheads, the result may be greater casualties; still, even in that case Israel's existence would not be threatened.
The Shihabs apart, the only other way Tehran can fight Israel is to activate the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Hezbollah is said to have several thousand rockets, most of which were supplied by Iran, capable of reaching targets over much of northern Israel.
Ariel Sharon may be on the warpath again and the target is Iran. In the past, the Israeli prime minister has focused attention on Iran by claiming that it presents the greatest threat to Israel. More than once, defense officials in Jerusalem have said that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In response, Iran's defense minister, Ali Shamkhani, warned that should Israel do so, his country would wipe out Israel.
Now Israel, claiming to prepare against a possible "hit on its nuclear reactor," has started distributing antiradiation pills to civilians in townships surrounding it. In a country that has always sought to keep its nuclear activities out of the spotlight, that is a highly unusual step.
How serious is the Iranian threat? Iran has tested a Shihab surface-to-surface missile capable of reaching Israel and possesses a limited number of such missiles. At present, though, it is not known to possess nuclear weapons. As long as they carry conventional warheads, the Shihabs present minimal danger to Israel and other countries in the region. Should they be equipped with chemical warheads, the result may be greater casualties; still, even in that case Israel's existence would not be threatened.
The Shihabs apart, the only other way Tehran can fight Israel is to activate the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Hezbollah is said to have several thousand rockets, most of which were supplied by Iran, capable of reaching targets over much of northern Israel.
911: Cellphone Calls
Global Research: More Holes In The Official Story - The 911 Cell Phone Calls
In the absence of surviving passengers, this "corroborating evidence", was based on passengers' cell and air phone conversations with their loved ones. According to the Report, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was only recovered in the case of one of the flights (UAL 93
The Report conveys the impression that cell phone ground-to-air communication from high altitude was of reasonably good quality, and that there was no major impediment or obstruction in wireless transmission
Expert opinion within the wireless telecom industry casts serious doubt on "the findings" of the 9/11 Commission. According to Alexa Graf, a spokesman of AT&T, commenting in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks:
"it was almost a fluke that the [9/11] calls reached their destinations... From high altitudes, the call quality is not very good, and most callers will experience drops. Although calls are not reliable, callers can pick up and hold calls for a little while below a certain altitude"
In the absence of surviving passengers, this "corroborating evidence", was based on passengers' cell and air phone conversations with their loved ones. According to the Report, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was only recovered in the case of one of the flights (UAL 93
The Report conveys the impression that cell phone ground-to-air communication from high altitude was of reasonably good quality, and that there was no major impediment or obstruction in wireless transmission
Expert opinion within the wireless telecom industry casts serious doubt on "the findings" of the 9/11 Commission. According to Alexa Graf, a spokesman of AT&T, commenting in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks:
"it was almost a fluke that the [9/11] calls reached their destinations... From high altitudes, the call quality is not very good, and most callers will experience drops. Although calls are not reliable, callers can pick up and hold calls for a little while below a certain altitude"
MEDIA WATCH
Arabnews: Sadr: “Why not just kill him?” Fox News asks.
“Why not just kill him?” Fox News asks.
Why not, indeed?
Killing Sadr? Easy enough for the greatest military power on earth, even with the slight hindrance of having to use the interim Iraqi government as a human shield if forces must enter the sacred shrine in Najaf.
US forces in Najaf possess total air control, powerful armed tanks, night vision goggles and laser sights, and scores of skilled snipers armed with piercingly accurate rifles. What does the Mahdi Army have? AK-47s, a few mortars, homemade bombs, prayer beads...political and religious opinions...and, most recently, 2,000 unarmed Sadr supporters. Killing them would inspire condemnation throughout the Muslim world. But according to Fox logic, they might just have to go if they are in the way.
“Why not just kill him?” Fox News asks.
Why not, indeed?
Killing Sadr? Easy enough for the greatest military power on earth, even with the slight hindrance of having to use the interim Iraqi government as a human shield if forces must enter the sacred shrine in Najaf.
US forces in Najaf possess total air control, powerful armed tanks, night vision goggles and laser sights, and scores of skilled snipers armed with piercingly accurate rifles. What does the Mahdi Army have? AK-47s, a few mortars, homemade bombs, prayer beads...political and religious opinions...and, most recently, 2,000 unarmed Sadr supporters. Killing them would inspire condemnation throughout the Muslim world. But according to Fox logic, they might just have to go if they are in the way.
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Christian Science Monitor: Inside The Iman Ali
Mosque In Najaf
A Journey To The Epicenter Of The Sadr Standoff
NAJAF, IRAQ - Technically speaking, what we were about to do was more than risky. It was foolish. But we told ourselves that it was a risk for a cause.
Thursday, several journalists and I began organizing a delegation to enter the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf.
We had two goals: First, to seek what may be the final comments of the top leadership of Moqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army, who were taking shelter in the holy site. Second, we wanted to help two colleagues, freelance photographer Thorne Anserson and freelance reporter Philip Robertson, get out of the shrine after they had spent a harrowing three days at the epicenter of this armed showdown.
Mosque In Najaf
A Journey To The Epicenter Of The Sadr Standoff
NAJAF, IRAQ - Technically speaking, what we were about to do was more than risky. It was foolish. But we told ourselves that it was a risk for a cause.
Thursday, several journalists and I began organizing a delegation to enter the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf.
We had two goals: First, to seek what may be the final comments of the top leadership of Moqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army, who were taking shelter in the holy site. Second, we wanted to help two colleagues, freelance photographer Thorne Anserson and freelance reporter Philip Robertson, get out of the shrine after they had spent a harrowing three days at the epicenter of this armed showdown.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Independent: City of defiance
They came from across Iraq, marching in solidarity with Shia brothers. Civilians they bear no arms, for the moment anyway who are willing die on the steps of the Imam Ali shrine. Thehuman shields have arrived in Najaf.
Hundreds have come to what is one of the most holy Shia sites on solidarity marches in recent days. Many more have made their way in smaller groups from nearby towns and neighbourhoods. More than 2,000 have now pledged their allegiance to the Shia cleric Muqtada Sadr and are based in the compound at the shrine.
Sheikh Ahmed Shaibani, a Sadr spokesman, said the presence of the civilians was intended to deter American forces. By simply turning up, they have maximised the loss of human life that could result from any attempt to storm the holy sites, a course already fraught with danger because of the outrage that serious physical damage to the shrine would provoke across Iraq and well beyond. The human shield supporters also appear ready to take up arms left by insurgents killed or wounded in the fighting.
police lieutenant arrived at the hotel at 6.30pm in a convoy of two Toyota Land Cruisers from the local police station. He demanded to know the whereabouts of correspondents from al-Arabiya and the Reuters and AP news agencies.
As journalists protested, the lieutenant said above the hubbub: "We are going to open fire on this hotel. We are going to smash it up. I will kill you all. You did this all to yourselves." In a threat that did not immediately appear to have been carried out, he said four snipers would be positioned on the roof of the police station to fire at any journalists who left the hotel.
They came from across Iraq, marching in solidarity with Shia brothers. Civilians they bear no arms, for the moment anyway who are willing die on the steps of the Imam Ali shrine. Thehuman shields have arrived in Najaf.
Hundreds have come to what is one of the most holy Shia sites on solidarity marches in recent days. Many more have made their way in smaller groups from nearby towns and neighbourhoods. More than 2,000 have now pledged their allegiance to the Shia cleric Muqtada Sadr and are based in the compound at the shrine.
Sheikh Ahmed Shaibani, a Sadr spokesman, said the presence of the civilians was intended to deter American forces. By simply turning up, they have maximised the loss of human life that could result from any attempt to storm the holy sites, a course already fraught with danger because of the outrage that serious physical damage to the shrine would provoke across Iraq and well beyond. The human shield supporters also appear ready to take up arms left by insurgents killed or wounded in the fighting.
police lieutenant arrived at the hotel at 6.30pm in a convoy of two Toyota Land Cruisers from the local police station. He demanded to know the whereabouts of correspondents from al-Arabiya and the Reuters and AP news agencies.
As journalists protested, the lieutenant said above the hubbub: "We are going to open fire on this hotel. We are going to smash it up. I will kill you all. You did this all to yourselves." In a threat that did not immediately appear to have been carried out, he said four snipers would be positioned on the roof of the police station to fire at any journalists who left the hotel.
SITE OF THE DAY
CHECK: JUANCOLE.com
Weblog from Juan Cole. Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion
Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan
Weblog from Juan Cole. Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion
Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Reuters: Shi'ite militia destroy U.S. tank in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (Reuters) Fierce clashes raged in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite suburb today with militiamen destroying a U.S. tank, witnesses said.
U.S. forces had sealed Sadr City, a slum of two million people on the edge of the capital, earlier today after days of skirmishes that coincided with a radical Shi'ite uprising in at least eight cities in central and southern Iraq.
The witnesses said Mehdi Army militiamen loyal to firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hit a tank with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and set it ablaze.
Reuters Television footage showed the tank on fire. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.
BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (Reuters) Fierce clashes raged in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite suburb today with militiamen destroying a U.S. tank, witnesses said.
U.S. forces had sealed Sadr City, a slum of two million people on the edge of the capital, earlier today after days of skirmishes that coincided with a radical Shi'ite uprising in at least eight cities in central and southern Iraq.
The witnesses said Mehdi Army militiamen loyal to firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hit a tank with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and set it ablaze.
Reuters Television footage showed the tank on fire. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.
IRAQ: NAJAF
Counterpunch: The Ultimate Stupidity The Attack on Najaf By GARY LEUPP
Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.
Imam Ali, Last Will and Testament (39 AH; 661 CE)
I have been thinking for months that if those commanding U.S. forces in Iraq really wanted to perform the ultimate stupidity, and ratchet up exponentially the degree of hatred they face in Iraq and throughout the Muslim world---then they'd surely attack the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, or be drawn into a situation where they'd damage it. This is the most important Shiite site in the world, and is holy not only to Shiites (about 120 million people) but also to all the billion-plus Muslims on the planet. It sits atop the tomb of Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, fourth caliph ("successor" of Muhammed and political and religious leader of the expanding Muslim world), assassinated by opponents in 661. Ali's partisans supported his son Hussein as next caliph, but Umayyad foes defeated Hussein and 72 followers in battle at Karbala in 680, their martyrdoms producing the enduring division between Sunni and Shia Islam.
"CHECK IT"
Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.
Imam Ali, Last Will and Testament (39 AH; 661 CE)
I have been thinking for months that if those commanding U.S. forces in Iraq really wanted to perform the ultimate stupidity, and ratchet up exponentially the degree of hatred they face in Iraq and throughout the Muslim world---then they'd surely attack the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, or be drawn into a situation where they'd damage it. This is the most important Shiite site in the world, and is holy not only to Shiites (about 120 million people) but also to all the billion-plus Muslims on the planet. It sits atop the tomb of Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, fourth caliph ("successor" of Muhammed and political and religious leader of the expanding Muslim world), assassinated by opponents in 661. Ali's partisans supported his son Hussein as next caliph, but Umayyad foes defeated Hussein and 72 followers in battle at Karbala in 680, their martyrdoms producing the enduring division between Sunni and Shia Islam.
"CHECK IT"
VENEZUELA
IPS: International Observers Ratify Chávez's Triumph in Referendum
CARACAS - Although the opposition complained of fraud, the international election observer missions monitoring the recall referendum in Venezuela agreed Monday that President Hugo Chávez had won, and said they found no signs of fraud.
Nobel Peace laureate and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General César Gaviria said in a joint news briefing in Caracas that Chávez survived Sunday’s referendum.
"Our information coincides with the partial results presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE)," said Carter.
"The results are compatible with our figures, and we have not found any elements of fraud," said Gaviria.
CARACAS - Although the opposition complained of fraud, the international election observer missions monitoring the recall referendum in Venezuela agreed Monday that President Hugo Chávez had won, and said they found no signs of fraud.
Nobel Peace laureate and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General César Gaviria said in a joint news briefing in Caracas that Chávez survived Sunday’s referendum.
"Our information coincides with the partial results presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE)," said Carter.
"The results are compatible with our figures, and we have not found any elements of fraud," said Gaviria.
Monday, August 16, 2004
IRAQ: DEMOCRACY
Reuters: Iraqi police threaten to arrest reporters in Najaf
NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Iraqi police brandishing rifles threatened to arrest journalists unless they left Najaf on Sunday, raising fears among local reporters they were attempting to impose a news blackout on the holy city.
At least 20 reporters had travelled to the southern Iraqi town, where Shi'ite militiamen fought fierce battles with U.S. and Iraqi forces, after the collapse of peace talks aimed at ending fighting that has killed hundreds.
Najaf police chief Ghaleb al-Jazaeri told a news conference all media should leave by noon (0800 GMT), saying he would not be able to guarantee their safety after the deadline passed.
KCTV5: Iraqi government evicts reporters from Najaf as fighting continues
Iraq As fighting resumes between U-S forces and Shiite militants, Iraqi police have ordered all journalists to leave the holy city of Najaf.
The order doesn't specify consequences of violating the request. But journalists say the police told them any reporters remaining would be arrested.
Police also told them cameras and cell phones would be confiscated -- and that all cars coming into the city will be searched.
The ban would mean the only news coverage of the ongoing fighting in Najaf would come from reporters embedded with the U-S military.
NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Iraqi police brandishing rifles threatened to arrest journalists unless they left Najaf on Sunday, raising fears among local reporters they were attempting to impose a news blackout on the holy city.
At least 20 reporters had travelled to the southern Iraqi town, where Shi'ite militiamen fought fierce battles with U.S. and Iraqi forces, after the collapse of peace talks aimed at ending fighting that has killed hundreds.
Najaf police chief Ghaleb al-Jazaeri told a news conference all media should leave by noon (0800 GMT), saying he would not be able to guarantee their safety after the deadline passed.
KCTV5: Iraqi government evicts reporters from Najaf as fighting continues
Iraq As fighting resumes between U-S forces and Shiite militants, Iraqi police have ordered all journalists to leave the holy city of Najaf.
The order doesn't specify consequences of violating the request. But journalists say the police told them any reporters remaining would be arrested.
Police also told them cameras and cell phones would be confiscated -- and that all cars coming into the city will be searched.
The ban would mean the only news coverage of the ongoing fighting in Najaf would come from reporters embedded with the U-S military.
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
KR: Offensive resumes in Najaf, prompting desertions of Iraqi troops
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a renewed assault Sunday on Shiite Muslim militiamen in the southern holy city of Najaf in a risky campaign that was marred from the onset by an outcry from Iraqi politicians and the desertion of dozens of Iraqi troops who refused to fight their countrymen.
The latest siege began Sunday afternoon, a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's administration announced that fighting would resume after negotiations between government officials and aides to Muqtada al-Sadr failed to end the militant cleric's 10-day rebellion. The failed cease-fire talks, desertions and renewed fighting further undermined Allawi's leadership just as Iraq was poised to take its first step toward free elections by picking a national assembly.
Independent: Battle for Iraq's future
Democracy was a long way from Najaf yesterday. As fighting resumed in the Shia holy city, Iyad Allawi's government moved to impose an authoritarian media clampdown before any full-scale assault on the holy sites which insurgents have made their base.
Despite indications that any full-scale assault in the city might await completion of the conference in Baghdad, most Arab television crews and other reporters left the city last night after armed police came to the Bar Najaf hotel, where nearly all foreign and Arab journalists are staying, to order them to leave for Baghdad. Journalists who protested were told: "You have been warned. You have two hours. If you don't leave you will be shot." "Rember Jenin?"
During the day two bullets were fired at the gate to the hotel entrance and through the open doorway of the hotel. The second bullet hit a glass panel inside the hotel, which slightly injured an Arab journalist when it fractured. Although there was no confirmation that the bullets had been fired by police, the hotel is only a few hundred metres from the local police station and much farther from the main positions of Sadr's insurgents.
The attempted media ban reminiscent in its own way of the Saddam Hussein regime toppled 15 months ago is in contrast to the media savvy of Sadr spokesmen who have welcomed reporters to the Imam Ali shrine and made visits to the Bar Najaf hotel to give press conferences.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a renewed assault Sunday on Shiite Muslim militiamen in the southern holy city of Najaf in a risky campaign that was marred from the onset by an outcry from Iraqi politicians and the desertion of dozens of Iraqi troops who refused to fight their countrymen.
The latest siege began Sunday afternoon, a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's administration announced that fighting would resume after negotiations between government officials and aides to Muqtada al-Sadr failed to end the militant cleric's 10-day rebellion. The failed cease-fire talks, desertions and renewed fighting further undermined Allawi's leadership just as Iraq was poised to take its first step toward free elections by picking a national assembly.
Independent: Battle for Iraq's future
Democracy was a long way from Najaf yesterday. As fighting resumed in the Shia holy city, Iyad Allawi's government moved to impose an authoritarian media clampdown before any full-scale assault on the holy sites which insurgents have made their base.
Despite indications that any full-scale assault in the city might await completion of the conference in Baghdad, most Arab television crews and other reporters left the city last night after armed police came to the Bar Najaf hotel, where nearly all foreign and Arab journalists are staying, to order them to leave for Baghdad. Journalists who protested were told: "You have been warned. You have two hours. If you don't leave you will be shot." "Rember Jenin?"
During the day two bullets were fired at the gate to the hotel entrance and through the open doorway of the hotel. The second bullet hit a glass panel inside the hotel, which slightly injured an Arab journalist when it fractured. Although there was no confirmation that the bullets had been fired by police, the hotel is only a few hundred metres from the local police station and much farther from the main positions of Sadr's insurgents.
The attempted media ban reminiscent in its own way of the Saddam Hussein regime toppled 15 months ago is in contrast to the media savvy of Sadr spokesmen who have welcomed reporters to the Imam Ali shrine and made visits to the Bar Najaf hotel to give press conferences.
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Aljazeera: Al-Mahdi Army digs in, hopes for deal
In an exclusive interview with Aljazeera, a Muqtada al-Sadr spokesman has said the al-Mahdi Army is prepared for any attack against Najaf, but is also ready to accept any peace intitiative.
Ahmad al-Shibani stressed that any peace move initiated by the interim government - which he branded as a proxy agent of the US occupation of Iraq - would be welcomed by al-Sadr.
"We want to stop the bloodshed, maintain the honour and integrity of the Iraqi people, and bring this crisis to an end," he told Aljazeera.
In an exclusive interview with Aljazeera, a Muqtada al-Sadr spokesman has said the al-Mahdi Army is prepared for any attack against Najaf, but is also ready to accept any peace intitiative.
Ahmad al-Shibani stressed that any peace move initiated by the interim government - which he branded as a proxy agent of the US occupation of Iraq - would be welcomed by al-Sadr.
"We want to stop the bloodshed, maintain the honour and integrity of the Iraqi people, and bring this crisis to an end," he told Aljazeera.
IRAN
Reuters: Iran Warns Missiles Can Hit Israel
A senior Iranian military commander has Israel and the United States would not dare attack Iran since it could strike back anywhere in Israel with its latest missiles.
Iranian officials have made a point of highlighting the Islamic state's military capabilities in recent weeks in response to some media reports that Israeli or U.S. war planes could try to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities in air strikes
A senior Iranian military commander has Israel and the United States would not dare attack Iran since it could strike back anywhere in Israel with its latest missiles.
Iranian officials have made a point of highlighting the Islamic state's military capabilities in recent weeks in response to some media reports that Israeli or U.S. war planes could try to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities in air strikes
FINANCE
The Federal Observer: Elite Bankers Now Pulling Plug On US Economy & Currency!
This collapse will knock you out cold, flat on your back, with violence, and most of mankind will never get back up. While the elite are sending signals to their friends that the switch has been thrown, that final preparations for safety are now in order, they are not saying how bad it will be. That is why I began this site, because I could not find anyone, even doomsayers, who spelled out clearly what is at stake here. I believe that even the elite, such as Sir Templeton (more below) do not fully understand the implications of this crash - that this is the end of America as we know it.
That great criminal enterprise - the Federal Reserve - has accomplished step #1, trashing and ending the dollar system, culminating a multi-year, massive, insane inflation of money supply and credit. The Illuminati corporations such as Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Farmer Mac, FHA, GM, Ford, and GE (which are actually banks), worked hand-in-hand with the Bank Cartel on this sickening, twisted game, switching from pumping credit cards and cars (which have gone to zero percent financing 12 months ago) to a last-ditch horrendous push into mortgage lending. This insane lending will destroy the lending institutions themselves, as Ford and GM are well aware, but the elite do not care, as after this collapse, there will only be one corporation in the world, and they are all pulling together to put everyone as deep into debt as possible, to assure than no American state or corporation or region will survive when the debt mountain suffocates all life.
This collapse will knock you out cold, flat on your back, with violence, and most of mankind will never get back up. While the elite are sending signals to their friends that the switch has been thrown, that final preparations for safety are now in order, they are not saying how bad it will be. That is why I began this site, because I could not find anyone, even doomsayers, who spelled out clearly what is at stake here. I believe that even the elite, such as Sir Templeton (more below) do not fully understand the implications of this crash - that this is the end of America as we know it.
That great criminal enterprise - the Federal Reserve - has accomplished step #1, trashing and ending the dollar system, culminating a multi-year, massive, insane inflation of money supply and credit. The Illuminati corporations such as Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Farmer Mac, FHA, GM, Ford, and GE (which are actually banks), worked hand-in-hand with the Bank Cartel on this sickening, twisted game, switching from pumping credit cards and cars (which have gone to zero percent financing 12 months ago) to a last-ditch horrendous push into mortgage lending. This insane lending will destroy the lending institutions themselves, as Ford and GM are well aware, but the elite do not care, as after this collapse, there will only be one corporation in the world, and they are all pulling together to put everyone as deep into debt as possible, to assure than no American state or corporation or region will survive when the debt mountain suffocates all life.
VENEZUELA: CHAVEZ WINS
Vheadline: President Hugo Chavez Frias wins the RR with 58.2%
Shortly after 4:00 a.m. this morning, National Elections Council (CNE) president Francisco Carresquero went on linked radio/TV to announce preliminary results in yesterday's recall referendum with 94.49% of votes already tallied: President Hugo Chavez Frias got 4,991,483 votes (58.25%) while the opposition mustered only 3,576,557 votes (41.74%).
Independent: Chavez claims victory in referendum
President Hugo Chavez survived a popular referendum to oust him in a vote that attracted so many Venezuelans that they overwhelmed ballot stations, according to results announced today.
Backers of the leftist populist president immediately set off fireworks and began celebrating in the streets of the capital in the pre-dawn darkness.
Under Chavez, the government has paid for literacy programs, scholarships and free medical care for the poor. Thousands of Cuban doctors, dentists and nurses work in poor barrios across this South American nation.
Chavez called on the opposition to accept the results, and pledged that he would also do so.
ZMAG: The Calm Before the?
The Opposition Plan
One can put together the comments of the various opposition figures (please see the previous entry on the Mendoza press conference) and get a picture of what the opposition plan is. Short of some kind of violent provocation (and there have been warnings of that as well) to try to discredit the whole electoral process, the opposition has signalled repeatedly that it plans to announce the results at 2pm. Then, when the real results are announced after the polls close at 6pm, the opposition will say (assuming that the opposition loses the referendum, which it will if there is not fraud) that its results disagree with the official results and argue that a fraud has occurred. At that point things will depend on the integrity of the Carter Center and the OAS (gulp). That is not strictly true. There are all kinds of observers here, more media than ever before, so things will depend on the ability of everyone with integrity to get the truth out past all of those who are going to lie about the result. My own suspicion, based on the highly unscientific methods of watching the SI rallies and talking to random people, is that the result will be closer than the NO forces might like, but quite decisive
Shortly after 4:00 a.m. this morning, National Elections Council (CNE) president Francisco Carresquero went on linked radio/TV to announce preliminary results in yesterday's recall referendum with 94.49% of votes already tallied: President Hugo Chavez Frias got 4,991,483 votes (58.25%) while the opposition mustered only 3,576,557 votes (41.74%).
Independent: Chavez claims victory in referendum
President Hugo Chavez survived a popular referendum to oust him in a vote that attracted so many Venezuelans that they overwhelmed ballot stations, according to results announced today.
Backers of the leftist populist president immediately set off fireworks and began celebrating in the streets of the capital in the pre-dawn darkness.
Under Chavez, the government has paid for literacy programs, scholarships and free medical care for the poor. Thousands of Cuban doctors, dentists and nurses work in poor barrios across this South American nation.
Chavez called on the opposition to accept the results, and pledged that he would also do so.
ZMAG: The Calm Before the?
The Opposition Plan
One can put together the comments of the various opposition figures (please see the previous entry on the Mendoza press conference) and get a picture of what the opposition plan is. Short of some kind of violent provocation (and there have been warnings of that as well) to try to discredit the whole electoral process, the opposition has signalled repeatedly that it plans to announce the results at 2pm. Then, when the real results are announced after the polls close at 6pm, the opposition will say (assuming that the opposition loses the referendum, which it will if there is not fraud) that its results disagree with the official results and argue that a fraud has occurred. At that point things will depend on the integrity of the Carter Center and the OAS (gulp). That is not strictly true. There are all kinds of observers here, more media than ever before, so things will depend on the ability of everyone with integrity to get the truth out past all of those who are going to lie about the result. My own suspicion, based on the highly unscientific methods of watching the SI rallies and talking to random people, is that the result will be closer than the NO forces might like, but quite decisive
Friday, August 13, 2004
OLYMPIA: BRAND FACISM
Heise: "Mit den Turnschuhen kommst Du hier aber nicht rein!"
Wer die olympischen Spiele in Athen besucht, muss das nötige Markenbewusstsein haben
Dass bei den olympischen Spielen 1996 in Atlanta, dem Heim von Coca-Cola, nicht Pepsi ausgeschenkt wurde, kann man verstehen. Dass 2004 in Athen bekennende Pepsi-Trinker aber sogar rausfliegen sollen, nicht.
...Doch wie die Sunday Times meldet, sind nun auch die konkurrierenden Produkte selbst verboten, ob Pepsi im – zulässigen, doch mit Logo bedruckten – Plastikbecher oder ein Getränk im Pappbecher von Burger-King statt des Sponsors Mc Donalds oder Turnschuhe von Nike statt des Sponsors Adidas: Sobald ein verbotenes Logo erkennbar ist, ist Schluss mit lustig.
Wer die olympischen Spiele in Athen besucht, muss das nötige Markenbewusstsein haben
Dass bei den olympischen Spielen 1996 in Atlanta, dem Heim von Coca-Cola, nicht Pepsi ausgeschenkt wurde, kann man verstehen. Dass 2004 in Athen bekennende Pepsi-Trinker aber sogar rausfliegen sollen, nicht.
...Doch wie die Sunday Times meldet, sind nun auch die konkurrierenden Produkte selbst verboten, ob Pepsi im – zulässigen, doch mit Logo bedruckten – Plastikbecher oder ein Getränk im Pappbecher von Burger-King statt des Sponsors Mc Donalds oder Turnschuhe von Nike statt des Sponsors Adidas: Sobald ein verbotenes Logo erkennbar ist, ist Schluss mit lustig.
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
ICH: Endgame in Najaf?
by Juan Cole
The Marines have completely surrounded Najaf and cut off all the roads leading into the shrine of Imam Ali (Shiite Islam's St. Peter). US warplanes bombarded positions in the vast Valley of Peace cemetery (2 million graves) again today. At one point Marines entered the house of Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite leader, but of course found him gone. Al-Jazeerah's crawl is talking about continued fighting in the vicinity of the house. The US appears to have decided not to send the Marines into the shrine of Imam Ali, but an Iraqi force instead.
Al-Jazeerah says that the Mahdi Army may have mined the shrine. This information suggests that if any force does attack the Mahdi Army there, it may trigger explosions that could level it. (Read: Very, very bad publicity for the US).
by Juan Cole
The Marines have completely surrounded Najaf and cut off all the roads leading into the shrine of Imam Ali (Shiite Islam's St. Peter). US warplanes bombarded positions in the vast Valley of Peace cemetery (2 million graves) again today. At one point Marines entered the house of Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite leader, but of course found him gone. Al-Jazeerah's crawl is talking about continued fighting in the vicinity of the house. The US appears to have decided not to send the Marines into the shrine of Imam Ali, but an Iraqi force instead.
Al-Jazeerah says that the Mahdi Army may have mined the shrine. This information suggests that if any force does attack the Mahdi Army there, it may trigger explosions that could level it. (Read: Very, very bad publicity for the US).
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Reuters: Sadr Unhurt, in Talks to Leave Najaf Shrine -Gov't
Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is unhurt and is negotiating with the government to leave the Imam Ali shrine in the city of Najaf, Iraq's Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said on Friday.
Several spokesmen to Sadr said he was wounded in a U.S. raid on Friday.
"Sayyed Moqtada will not be touched if he leaves the shrine peacefully. A truce has been in force since last night," Naqib told Reuters.
"We will go after the criminal elements which have penetrated the Sadr movement, but not Moqtada," he added.
The government has been under pressure to stop the U.S. attack on Najaf as casualties mount and more Iraqis express outrage at the U.S. tactics used to confront the anti-establishment cleric and his followers
Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is unhurt and is negotiating with the government to leave the Imam Ali shrine in the city of Najaf, Iraq's Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said on Friday.
Several spokesmen to Sadr said he was wounded in a U.S. raid on Friday.
"Sayyed Moqtada will not be touched if he leaves the shrine peacefully. A truce has been in force since last night," Naqib told Reuters.
"We will go after the criminal elements which have penetrated the Sadr movement, but not Moqtada," he added.
The government has been under pressure to stop the U.S. attack on Najaf as casualties mount and more Iraqis express outrage at the U.S. tactics used to confront the anti-establishment cleric and his followers
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Reuters: U.S. Marines Seize Center of Najaf, Oil Hits Record
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Marines backed by tanks and aircraft seized the heart of the holy Iraqi city of Najaf Thursday in a major assault on Shi'ite rebels that drove world oil prices to record highs.
Warplanes pounded militia positions in a cemetery next to the Imam Ali Mosque while U.S. forces stormed the home of a radical cleric at the center of the weeklong uprising that has killed hundreds in seven cities.
Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was believed to be holed up in the mosque along with hundreds of his Mehdi Army militia, witnesses said.
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Marines backed by tanks and aircraft seized the heart of the holy Iraqi city of Najaf Thursday in a major assault on Shi'ite rebels that drove world oil prices to record highs.
Warplanes pounded militia positions in a cemetery next to the Imam Ali Mosque while U.S. forces stormed the home of a radical cleric at the center of the weeklong uprising that has killed hundreds in seven cities.
Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was believed to be holed up in the mosque along with hundreds of his Mehdi Army militia, witnesses said.
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Asia Times: Bush gambles as Najaf burns
The administration of US President George W Bush has embarked on a desperate military adventure in hopes of creating the appearance of a pacified Iraq. The assault on the holy city of Najaf, with its attendant slaughter of combatants and civilians, its destruction of whole neighborhoods, and its threat to Shi'ite holy cities, is fraught with the possibility of another major military defeat.
But the military commanders are hoping it will instead produce a rare military victory, since they are fighting lightly armed and relatively inexperienced members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. Nevertheless, even such a victory would be short-lived at best, since the fighting itself only serves to consolidate the opposition of the Shi'ite population. The Bush administration is apparently hoping that a sufficiently brutal suppression of the Sadrists will postpone the now almost inevitable national uprising until after the November presidential elections in the United States.
"CHECK IT"
The administration of US President George W Bush has embarked on a desperate military adventure in hopes of creating the appearance of a pacified Iraq. The assault on the holy city of Najaf, with its attendant slaughter of combatants and civilians, its destruction of whole neighborhoods, and its threat to Shi'ite holy cities, is fraught with the possibility of another major military defeat.
But the military commanders are hoping it will instead produce a rare military victory, since they are fighting lightly armed and relatively inexperienced members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. Nevertheless, even such a victory would be short-lived at best, since the fighting itself only serves to consolidate the opposition of the Shi'ite population. The Bush administration is apparently hoping that a sufficiently brutal suppression of the Sadrists will postpone the now almost inevitable national uprising until after the November presidential elections in the United States.
"CHECK IT"
Thursday, August 12, 2004
USA: 1984
Information Clearinghouse: "The Ghost of Orwell is Upon us"
A rather sad state of affairs has risen out of the propaganda-laced, nationalism-spewing, draped-in-the flag-espousing and testosterone-filled Democratic National Convention that would have made Joseph Goebbels proud. The party of peace and progress has mutated into one of warmongers and military might, whoring itself to the evils of war and violence in order to regain power, forgetting principles of pacifism and humanism for those espousing death and destruction. The leaders of the Democratic Party know that to once more sit in the White House, to replace lunatics and liars, they must become George W. Bush, albeit with a brain, proclaiming the drums of war and the strength of violence. In a nation addicted to the smells of human blood and of growing hatred for the Arab and Muslim world, only mirages of warmongers and charades of military might can compete with the façade that propels Bush today.
Granted, this cynical conversion has been strategically made in order to elect John Kerry into office, knowing that the American public sits on its collective couch, as always glued to the television, furthering society’s decline as they are made ignorant, unthinking and conditioned drones, chips in one hand, beer in the other, believing the fictions being bombarded into their minds, frightened of Arab bogeymen and cowering to the insecurity and fear conditioned into daily life by a government and military-industrial complex basking in the euphoria of an easily controlled populace. Thus, needing to project strength and the ability to protect the populace in this so-called ‘war on terror’ the Democrats unleashed a wave of military symbolism, personalities and speeches, trying to recapture the ‘security’ and ‘leadership in times of war’ mantra from George W. Bush and the Republicans.
"CHECK IT"
A rather sad state of affairs has risen out of the propaganda-laced, nationalism-spewing, draped-in-the flag-espousing and testosterone-filled Democratic National Convention that would have made Joseph Goebbels proud. The party of peace and progress has mutated into one of warmongers and military might, whoring itself to the evils of war and violence in order to regain power, forgetting principles of pacifism and humanism for those espousing death and destruction. The leaders of the Democratic Party know that to once more sit in the White House, to replace lunatics and liars, they must become George W. Bush, albeit with a brain, proclaiming the drums of war and the strength of violence. In a nation addicted to the smells of human blood and of growing hatred for the Arab and Muslim world, only mirages of warmongers and charades of military might can compete with the façade that propels Bush today.
Granted, this cynical conversion has been strategically made in order to elect John Kerry into office, knowing that the American public sits on its collective couch, as always glued to the television, furthering society’s decline as they are made ignorant, unthinking and conditioned drones, chips in one hand, beer in the other, believing the fictions being bombarded into their minds, frightened of Arab bogeymen and cowering to the insecurity and fear conditioned into daily life by a government and military-industrial complex basking in the euphoria of an easily controlled populace. Thus, needing to project strength and the ability to protect the populace in this so-called ‘war on terror’ the Democrats unleashed a wave of military symbolism, personalities and speeches, trying to recapture the ‘security’ and ‘leadership in times of war’ mantra from George W. Bush and the Republicans.
"CHECK IT"
IRAQ: FREEDOM
News-Jounrnal: No security in fear
In the last week alone, the Iraqi prime minister shut down the offices of Al-Jazeera, the Arab news channel, restored the death penalty (declaring it applicable to a disturbingly broad list of offenses) and ordered his chief political rival arrested. And he vowed to crush Shiite insurgents with American forces, without negotiations or cease-fires.
Has Saddam Hussein been replaced with Saddam Alawi? The question is relevant to the American electorate if the president continues to promise, as he did last week in Minnesota, that he's keeping "our commitments to help . . . Iraq become democratic, free and therefore peaceful."
In the last week alone, the Iraqi prime minister shut down the offices of Al-Jazeera, the Arab news channel, restored the death penalty (declaring it applicable to a disturbingly broad list of offenses) and ordered his chief political rival arrested. And he vowed to crush Shiite insurgents with American forces, without negotiations or cease-fires.
Has Saddam Hussein been replaced with Saddam Alawi? The question is relevant to the American electorate if the president continues to promise, as he did last week in Minnesota, that he's keeping "our commitments to help . . . Iraq become democratic, free and therefore peaceful."
IRAQ: FREEDOM
Guardian: The failed occupation
A TV station ban, 160,000 foreign troops, trumped up charges: is this the free society Iraqis were promised?
They are falling like skittles in a bowling alley. One by one, the arguments for the 2003 invasion of Iraq keep tumbling. First to go was the big one. War was necessary because Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. It turned out there were none. Next was the insistent promise that a US-led conquest of Baghdad would end completely and forever human rights abuses committed in hell-holes such as Abu Ghraib jail. Except we saw the pictures and realised that abuses had continued even in Abu Ghraib itself - albeit under new management.
The last week has sent one more Iraqi ninepin wobbling. It is the hope on which Tony Blair has had to rest his case for war, the hope that Iraq is on its way to becoming a unique entity in the Arab world: an open, democratic society. There may be no WMD and the occupation may be a mess, Blair seems to say, but Iraq will be a democracy - and that alone will make all the pain and bloodshed worthwhile.
Now this justification is looking as shaky as the others. Of course, Iraq wasn't built in a day - and rooting a democracy in soil dried and hardened by decades of dictatorship will be no easy, instant task. The most one can expect are gradual, baby steps in the right direction. But even those are not coming.
A TV station ban, 160,000 foreign troops, trumped up charges: is this the free society Iraqis were promised?
They are falling like skittles in a bowling alley. One by one, the arguments for the 2003 invasion of Iraq keep tumbling. First to go was the big one. War was necessary because Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. It turned out there were none. Next was the insistent promise that a US-led conquest of Baghdad would end completely and forever human rights abuses committed in hell-holes such as Abu Ghraib jail. Except we saw the pictures and realised that abuses had continued even in Abu Ghraib itself - albeit under new management.
The last week has sent one more Iraqi ninepin wobbling. It is the hope on which Tony Blair has had to rest his case for war, the hope that Iraq is on its way to becoming a unique entity in the Arab world: an open, democratic society. There may be no WMD and the occupation may be a mess, Blair seems to say, but Iraq will be a democracy - and that alone will make all the pain and bloodshed worthwhile.
Now this justification is looking as shaky as the others. Of course, Iraq wasn't built in a day - and rooting a democracy in soil dried and hardened by decades of dictatorship will be no easy, instant task. The most one can expect are gradual, baby steps in the right direction. But even those are not coming.
IRAQ: IS EXPLODING
Aljazeera: Iraqi south threatens secession
Informed sources told Aljazeera that al-Maliki said the breakaway province would include Basra, Misan and Dhi Qar governorates.
He also wants to shut Basra's port and in effect stop oil exports.
Al-Maliki said the decision was taken because the Iraqi interim government was "responsible for the Najaf clashes".
He has not outlined the steps for the implementation of his proposal.
Supply cut
Ali Hamud al-Musawi, head of the Misan governorate council, told Aljazeera al-Malki's decision was a normal and a logical reaction.
"The feelings of Iraqi southerners in particular and Iraqis in general had been contempt," al-Musawi said.
"This reaction comes in response to the crimes committed against Iraqis by an illegal and unelected government, and occupation forces who claimed they came to liberate Iraq, but it turned out that they have come to kill Iraqis," he added.
Informed sources told Aljazeera that al-Maliki said the breakaway province would include Basra, Misan and Dhi Qar governorates.
He also wants to shut Basra's port and in effect stop oil exports.
Al-Maliki said the decision was taken because the Iraqi interim government was "responsible for the Najaf clashes".
He has not outlined the steps for the implementation of his proposal.
Supply cut
Ali Hamud al-Musawi, head of the Misan governorate council, told Aljazeera al-Malki's decision was a normal and a logical reaction.
"The feelings of Iraqi southerners in particular and Iraqis in general had been contempt," al-Musawi said.
"This reaction comes in response to the crimes committed against Iraqis by an illegal and unelected government, and occupation forces who claimed they came to liberate Iraq, but it turned out that they have come to kill Iraqis," he added.
IRAQ: WMD
AFP: Saddam 'gave up WMDs in 1991'
SADDAM Hussein gave up all of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, the scientist who headed his nuclear program, Jaffar Dhia Jaffar, said in a BBC interview today.
"There was no capability. There was no chemical or biological or any what are called weapons of mass destruction," said Mr Jaffar in what BBC television called his first-ever broadcast interview.
Speaking in Paris, where he now lives, Mr Jaffar - who ran Saddam's nuclear program for 25 years - said there was "no development" of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons "at any time after 1991".
SADDAM Hussein gave up all of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, the scientist who headed his nuclear program, Jaffar Dhia Jaffar, said in a BBC interview today.
"There was no capability. There was no chemical or biological or any what are called weapons of mass destruction," said Mr Jaffar in what BBC television called his first-ever broadcast interview.
Speaking in Paris, where he now lives, Mr Jaffar - who ran Saddam's nuclear program for 25 years - said there was "no development" of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons "at any time after 1991".
SCIENCE
Daily Express: A Wave of Destruction Will Destroy America's East Coast
Around this time of the year many Britons look towards the Canary Islands for a sunshine break. What most don't know, however, is that on one of the Canary Islands lies a major global catastrophe in the making, a natural disaster so big that it could flatten the Atlantic coastlines of Britain, Europe, North Africa and the United States of America and cause enormous damage to London and other UK cities.
Recently, scientists have realised that the next Mega Tsunami is likely to begin on one of the Canary Islands
Dr. Day says: "If the volcano collapsed in one block of almost 20 cubic kilometres of rock, weighing 500 billion tonnes - twice the size of the Isle of Wight - it would fall into water almost 4 miles deep and create an undersea wave 2000 feet tall. Within five minutes of the landslide, a dome of water about a mile high would form and then collapse, before the Mega Tsunami fanned out in every direction, travelling at speeds of up to 500 mph. A 330ft wave would strike the western Sahara in less than an hour."
Guardian: Tidal Wave Disaster Just
Waiting To Happen
It has everything you could wish for in a cliche-ridden disaster movie. A beautiful volcanic island in the Atlantic is on the brink of catastrophic collapse, threatening to unleash giant waves that will wreak havoc around the globe within hours. And while scientists try in vain to make their concerns heard, the world's governments look the other way.
But yesterday a leading expert claimed the doom-laden scenario was not only real but was being almost completely ignored by people in power.
When - Professor McGuire says it is not a matter of if - the rock plunges into the ocean it will trigger giant waves called mega-tsunamis.
Travelling at speeds of up to 560mph, the huge walls of water will tear across the ocean and hit islands and continents, leaving a trail of destruction.
Mega-tsunami waves are much longer than the ones we are used to.
Around this time of the year many Britons look towards the Canary Islands for a sunshine break. What most don't know, however, is that on one of the Canary Islands lies a major global catastrophe in the making, a natural disaster so big that it could flatten the Atlantic coastlines of Britain, Europe, North Africa and the United States of America and cause enormous damage to London and other UK cities.
Recently, scientists have realised that the next Mega Tsunami is likely to begin on one of the Canary Islands
Dr. Day says: "If the volcano collapsed in one block of almost 20 cubic kilometres of rock, weighing 500 billion tonnes - twice the size of the Isle of Wight - it would fall into water almost 4 miles deep and create an undersea wave 2000 feet tall. Within five minutes of the landslide, a dome of water about a mile high would form and then collapse, before the Mega Tsunami fanned out in every direction, travelling at speeds of up to 500 mph. A 330ft wave would strike the western Sahara in less than an hour."
Guardian: Tidal Wave Disaster Just
Waiting To Happen
It has everything you could wish for in a cliche-ridden disaster movie. A beautiful volcanic island in the Atlantic is on the brink of catastrophic collapse, threatening to unleash giant waves that will wreak havoc around the globe within hours. And while scientists try in vain to make their concerns heard, the world's governments look the other way.
But yesterday a leading expert claimed the doom-laden scenario was not only real but was being almost completely ignored by people in power.
When - Professor McGuire says it is not a matter of if - the rock plunges into the ocean it will trigger giant waves called mega-tsunamis.
Travelling at speeds of up to 560mph, the huge walls of water will tear across the ocean and hit islands and continents, leaving a trail of destruction.
Mega-tsunami waves are much longer than the ones we are used to.
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