U.S. Soldier Instructed Iraqi Detainee to Dig Own Grave, According to New Army Documents : New documents released by the Department of Defense reveal more cases of abuse including mock executions and use of a religious symbol to taunt detainees
UN inspector paints bleak picture of Saddam's jail : Barton, who gave an exclusive interview to The Observer, decided to speak out to highlight what he believes is the unjust detention of scientists at the Baghdad jail.
Inside secret Saddam prison : A former Australian interrogator at Camp Cropper has revealed to The Observer for the first time the regime inside the prison, including suggestions that some of those arriving at the facility had been badly beaten.
"Everybody heard him cry out and thought it was funny." : "He screamed out, 'Allah! Allah! Allah!' and my first reaction was that he was crying out to his god," Specialist Jones said to investigators. "Everybody heard him cry out and thought it was funny." It became a kind of running joke, and people kept showing up to give this detainee a common peroneal strike just to hear him scream out 'Allah,' " he said. "It went on over a 24-hour period, and I would think that it was over 100 strikes."
Monday, May 23, 2005
IRAQ
Rense: Iraq - 'Coming Apart At The Seams Now'
by Dahr Jamail
It's coming apart at the seams now in Iraq. We saw on the news today that members of the Mehdi Army in the south, the militia of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, exchanged gunfire with members of the ING (Iraqi National Guard) who in the south are primarily, if not entirely composed of members of the Badr Army, also a Shia group. So now we have Shia fighting Shia.
by Dahr Jamail
It's coming apart at the seams now in Iraq. We saw on the news today that members of the Mehdi Army in the south, the militia of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, exchanged gunfire with members of the ING (Iraqi National Guard) who in the south are primarily, if not entirely composed of members of the Badr Army, also a Shia group. So now we have Shia fighting Shia.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
NEWSWEEK
ICH: Cowardice In Journalism Award For Newsweek
Goebbels Award for Condi by Greg Palast
"It's appalling that this story got out there," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on her way back from Iraq.What's NOT appalling to Condi is that the US is holding prisoners at Guantanamo under conditions termed "torture" by the Red Cross. What's not appalling to Condi is that prisoners of the Afghan war are held in violation of international law after that conflict has supposedly ended. What is NOT appalling to Condi is that prisoner witnesses have reported several instances of the Koran's desecration.
Goebbels Award for Condi by Greg Palast
"It's appalling that this story got out there," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on her way back from Iraq.What's NOT appalling to Condi is that the US is holding prisoners at Guantanamo under conditions termed "torture" by the Red Cross. What's not appalling to Condi is that prisoners of the Afghan war are held in violation of international law after that conflict has supposedly ended. What is NOT appalling to Condi is that prisoner witnesses have reported several instances of the Koran's desecration.
TERRORISM
Asia Times: The US's gift to al-Qaeda
by Pepe Escobar
Al-Qaeda and all the other components of the Salafi-jihadi (or Islamist) front are on the verge of scoring a major double blow. Unlike September 11, now their fight not only is being recognized by top Islamic scholars as legitimate, but they have also managed to capitalize on major blunders in the "war on terror" to strengthen the anti-imperialist, anti-US impulse among global, moderate Muslims. How did that happen?
by Pepe Escobar
Al-Qaeda and all the other components of the Salafi-jihadi (or Islamist) front are on the verge of scoring a major double blow. Unlike September 11, now their fight not only is being recognized by top Islamic scholars as legitimate, but they have also managed to capitalize on major blunders in the "war on terror" to strengthen the anti-imperialist, anti-US impulse among global, moderate Muslims. How did that happen?
IRAQ: LIES
Juan Cole: The lies that led to war
A leaked British memo, and other documents, make it clear that Bush intended all along to invade Iraq -- and lied about it to the American people. The full gravity of his offense has not yet sunk in.
CHECK IT
A leaked British memo, and other documents, make it clear that Bush intended all along to invade Iraq -- and lied about it to the American people. The full gravity of his offense has not yet sunk in.
CHECK IT
Friday, May 20, 2005
IRAQ: US BEHIND TERROR?
Globalresearch: A warning to car drivers (in Arabic) May 11, 2005
“A few days ago, an American manned check point confiscated the driver license of a driver and told him to report to an American military camp near Baghdad airport for interrogation and in order to retrieve his license. The next day, the driver did visit the camp and he was allowed in the camp with his car. He was admitted to a room for an interrogation that lasted half an hour. At the end of the session, the American interrogator told him: ‘OK, there is nothing against you, but you do know that Iraq is now sovereign and is in charge of its own affairs. Hence, we have forwarded your papers and license to al-Kadhimia police station for processing. Therefore, go there with this clearance to reclaim your license. At the police station, ask for Lt. Hussain Mohammed who is waiting for you now. Go there now quickly, before he leaves his shift work”.
The driver did leave in a hurry, but was soon alarmed with a feeling that his car was driving as if carrying a heavy load, and he also became suspicious of a low flying helicopter that kept hovering overhead, as if trailing him. He stopped the car and inspected it carefully. He found nearly 100 kilograms of explosives hidden in the back seat and along the two back doors
“A few days ago, an American manned check point confiscated the driver license of a driver and told him to report to an American military camp near Baghdad airport for interrogation and in order to retrieve his license. The next day, the driver did visit the camp and he was allowed in the camp with his car. He was admitted to a room for an interrogation that lasted half an hour. At the end of the session, the American interrogator told him: ‘OK, there is nothing against you, but you do know that Iraq is now sovereign and is in charge of its own affairs. Hence, we have forwarded your papers and license to al-Kadhimia police station for processing. Therefore, go there with this clearance to reclaim your license. At the police station, ask for Lt. Hussain Mohammed who is waiting for you now. Go there now quickly, before he leaves his shift work”.
The driver did leave in a hurry, but was soon alarmed with a feeling that his car was driving as if carrying a heavy load, and he also became suspicious of a low flying helicopter that kept hovering overhead, as if trailing him. He stopped the car and inspected it carefully. He found nearly 100 kilograms of explosives hidden in the back seat and along the two back doors
WEAPONIZATION OF SPACE
Finacial Times: Russia urges US to avoid space arms race
Russia would consider using force if necessary to respond if the US put a combat weapon into space, according to a senior Russian official.
According to a New York Times report yesterday, the Bush administration was moving towards implementing a new space policy that would move the US closer to placing offensive and defensive weapons in space. Russia, China and many US allies oppose any weaponisation of space, partly out of concerns that it would lead to an extremely expensive post-cold war arms race.
NY Times: Air Force Seeks Approval for Space Weapons Programs
The Air Force, saying it must secure space to protect the nation from attack, is seeking President Bush's approval of a national-security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, according to White House and Air Force officials.
The proposed change would be a substantial shift in American policy. It would almost certainly be opposed by many American allies and potential enemies, who have said it may create an arms race in space.
Russia would consider using force if necessary to respond if the US put a combat weapon into space, according to a senior Russian official.
According to a New York Times report yesterday, the Bush administration was moving towards implementing a new space policy that would move the US closer to placing offensive and defensive weapons in space. Russia, China and many US allies oppose any weaponisation of space, partly out of concerns that it would lead to an extremely expensive post-cold war arms race.
NY Times: Air Force Seeks Approval for Space Weapons Programs
The Air Force, saying it must secure space to protect the nation from attack, is seeking President Bush's approval of a national-security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, according to White House and Air Force officials.
The proposed change would be a substantial shift in American policy. It would almost certainly be opposed by many American allies and potential enemies, who have said it may create an arms race in space.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
NEW STAR WARS MOVIE ONLINE
BoingBoing.net: Star Wars III online
according to Boingboing.net the first copy of Stars Wars Episode III was leaked as a workprint to the internet. It has a timecode and watermarks ans should be watchable.
"i will not post any links because the film will be all over the internet by now"
according to Boingboing.net the first copy of Stars Wars Episode III was leaked as a workprint to the internet. It has a timecode and watermarks ans should be watchable.
"i will not post any links because the film will be all over the internet by now"
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
SYRIA
Daily Star: Rice warns Syria to close its borders to terrorists
.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sharply criticized Syria on Monday for what she called unwillingness to close its borders to terrorists she said are to blame for some of the violence in Iraq. "Their unwillingness to deal with the crossings of their border into Iraq is frustrating the will of the Iraqi people," and leading to the deaths of innocent Iraqis, Rice said en route home from a surprise trip to see Iraq's new leaders.
Turkish Press: Syria demands US prove Iraq insurgent claims
DAMASCUS - Syria on Tuesday demanded that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice provided proof of her renewed allegations that Damascus is supporting insurgents fighting in neighbouring Iraq.
"Who are these terrorists and where is Rice's proof for repeating these accusations against Syria? No one will say," the official Tishrin newspaper said.
"What is important (for Washington) is that Syria remain under pressure in order to satisfy American neoconservatives and Israelis
.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sharply criticized Syria on Monday for what she called unwillingness to close its borders to terrorists she said are to blame for some of the violence in Iraq. "Their unwillingness to deal with the crossings of their border into Iraq is frustrating the will of the Iraqi people," and leading to the deaths of innocent Iraqis, Rice said en route home from a surprise trip to see Iraq's new leaders.
Turkish Press: Syria demands US prove Iraq insurgent claims
DAMASCUS - Syria on Tuesday demanded that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice provided proof of her renewed allegations that Damascus is supporting insurgents fighting in neighbouring Iraq.
"Who are these terrorists and where is Rice's proof for repeating these accusations against Syria? No one will say," the official Tishrin newspaper said.
"What is important (for Washington) is that Syria remain under pressure in order to satisfy American neoconservatives and Israelis
UZBEKISTAN
Some Facts: In 2002, the United States gave Uzbekistan $500m (€396m) in aid (as opposed to $36m (€28.5m) four years earlier) of which $120m (€95.1) went to the army and $79m (€62.5m) to the notorious SNB, Karimov's secret police. It was the SNB who boiled Muzafar Avazov, an Islamist activist, to death, having already beaten him severely and ripped his fingernails out.
UZBEKISTAN
Irish Independent: Boiling butcher's bill is paid for by Bush
ISLAM KARIMOV, President of Uzbekistan, boils people alive. Why? For the same reason Saddam Hussein put his enemies in a shredder: because, at the time, he could.
When the West is your pal you are able, quite literally, to get away with murder. And what murder!
It is a surprise Karimov has time for governing at all, once he has spent the morning formulating new ways to poach, grill, tenderise, smoke and flambe his citizens to death. Boiling water, electrocution, chlorine-filled gas masks, drowning, rape, shooting, savage beatings, Karimov's Uzbekistan is the absolute market leader in torture right now.
The CIA would not shop anywhere else, which is why a mysterious Gulfstream 5 executive jet routinely delivers terrorist subjects from Afghanistan there for interrogation and, perhaps, percolation.
Craig Murray, the former British Ambassador, drew attention to this last year, and the noted socialist Tony Blair acted immediately. He sacked him.
ISLAM KARIMOV, President of Uzbekistan, boils people alive. Why? For the same reason Saddam Hussein put his enemies in a shredder: because, at the time, he could.
When the West is your pal you are able, quite literally, to get away with murder. And what murder!
It is a surprise Karimov has time for governing at all, once he has spent the morning formulating new ways to poach, grill, tenderise, smoke and flambe his citizens to death. Boiling water, electrocution, chlorine-filled gas masks, drowning, rape, shooting, savage beatings, Karimov's Uzbekistan is the absolute market leader in torture right now.
The CIA would not shop anywhere else, which is why a mysterious Gulfstream 5 executive jet routinely delivers terrorist subjects from Afghanistan there for interrogation and, perhaps, percolation.
Craig Murray, the former British Ambassador, drew attention to this last year, and the noted socialist Tony Blair acted immediately. He sacked him.
UZBEKISTAN
Telegraph: Refugees Put Uzbek Dead In Thousands
Refugees who fled from the massacre committed by Uzbek security forces agreed on one thing yesterday: the number of dead is not 500 - the most common reported figure - but could be in the thousands.
As reports continued to come in of clashes spreading outside the town of Andizhan, a sergeant in charge of the bridge at the border village of Kara Suu said he believed that 2,000 had been massacred during three days.
There is no way to confirm numbers offered by refugees, but it seemed likely that when the truth emerges, the massacre in Uzbekistan, an American ally in the fight against terrorism, could become the deadliest assault on civilians since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
Rakhmat, a trader who crossed the hastily rebuilt Kara-Suu river bridge, said he saw desperate refugees drown in the river swollen by spring rains. "President Islam Karimov took that bridge down in 1999 because he didn't want us trading in Kyrgyzstan, that's half the reason why there were protests in Andizhan, it was poverty not politics that drove people on to the streets.
"It was chaotic. I saw several people drown as they tried to cross the bridge. Anyone who says the protest was the work of militant Islamists is lying. It was the people, tired, poor, hungry people, not extremists, who took to the street. Anything else is Karimov's propaganda," he added.
* Alec Russell, in Washington, writes: The Bush administration yesterday toughened its stance towards President Karimov, calling on him to ease his repressive control over the country. In the strongest language to date, the State Department said yesterday it was "deeply disturbed" by reports that soldiers in Uzbekistan fired on unarmed civilians.
Dmitry Solovyov in Andizhan: Uzbekistan 'Crackdown' Death Total Now Over 600
least 600 people were killed in a military crackdown following protests in the Uzbek city of Andijan, the head of a local non-governmental organisation who saw the bodies said today.
Families of hundreds have buried their dead as witnesses told of bloody mayhem in which women and children were shot "like rabbits".
Five hundred bodies lay stored yesterday in one of the eastern city's schools, said the head of the Animokur organisation, Gulbahor Turdiyeva. Another 100 were packed in a nearby construction college, she added in a telephone interview.
In the last few decades of american foreign-policy the americans always prefered undemocratic pro-western strongmen to real democracy as long as they could provide "stability" for american business interests . No one should wonder why there's no cia-backed velvet revolution in Uzbekistan. America still has this "He's a son of a bitch but at least he's our son of a bitch" mentality. But at least the State Department is " "deeply disturbed" by the fact that the neo-stalinist regime of Azimov is killing unarmed civilian protesters in their thousends. This is another proof that the whole democracy-this democracy-that talk is all Propaganda
Refugees who fled from the massacre committed by Uzbek security forces agreed on one thing yesterday: the number of dead is not 500 - the most common reported figure - but could be in the thousands.
As reports continued to come in of clashes spreading outside the town of Andizhan, a sergeant in charge of the bridge at the border village of Kara Suu said he believed that 2,000 had been massacred during three days.
There is no way to confirm numbers offered by refugees, but it seemed likely that when the truth emerges, the massacre in Uzbekistan, an American ally in the fight against terrorism, could become the deadliest assault on civilians since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
Rakhmat, a trader who crossed the hastily rebuilt Kara-Suu river bridge, said he saw desperate refugees drown in the river swollen by spring rains. "President Islam Karimov took that bridge down in 1999 because he didn't want us trading in Kyrgyzstan, that's half the reason why there were protests in Andizhan, it was poverty not politics that drove people on to the streets.
"It was chaotic. I saw several people drown as they tried to cross the bridge. Anyone who says the protest was the work of militant Islamists is lying. It was the people, tired, poor, hungry people, not extremists, who took to the street. Anything else is Karimov's propaganda," he added.
* Alec Russell, in Washington, writes: The Bush administration yesterday toughened its stance towards President Karimov, calling on him to ease his repressive control over the country. In the strongest language to date, the State Department said yesterday it was "deeply disturbed" by reports that soldiers in Uzbekistan fired on unarmed civilians.
Dmitry Solovyov in Andizhan: Uzbekistan 'Crackdown' Death Total Now Over 600
least 600 people were killed in a military crackdown following protests in the Uzbek city of Andijan, the head of a local non-governmental organisation who saw the bodies said today.
Families of hundreds have buried their dead as witnesses told of bloody mayhem in which women and children were shot "like rabbits".
Five hundred bodies lay stored yesterday in one of the eastern city's schools, said the head of the Animokur organisation, Gulbahor Turdiyeva. Another 100 were packed in a nearby construction college, she added in a telephone interview.
In the last few decades of american foreign-policy the americans always prefered undemocratic pro-western strongmen to real democracy as long as they could provide "stability" for american business interests . No one should wonder why there's no cia-backed velvet revolution in Uzbekistan. America still has this "He's a son of a bitch but at least he's our son of a bitch" mentality. But at least the State Department is " "deeply disturbed" by the fact that the neo-stalinist regime of Azimov is killing unarmed civilian protesters in their thousends. This is another proof that the whole democracy-this democracy-that talk is all Propaganda
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES: NUCLEAR WASTE
IPC: Minister of Health Asserts Israel Buried 80 Tons of Nuclear Waste in oPt
GAZA, Palestine, May 16, 2005 (IPC) - - The Minister of Health, Dr. Thohni Al Wuheidi, asserted that the Israeli authorities have buried 80 tons of Nuclear waste near the city of Nablus.
The Minister added that the waste were buried 300 meters away from Nablus, while the burial of more nuclear waste was still being completed around the rest of Gaza Strip and West Bank cities, especially those with high population intensity such as Nablus, Hebron and Gaza.
GAZA, Palestine, May 16, 2005 (IPC) - - The Minister of Health, Dr. Thohni Al Wuheidi, asserted that the Israeli authorities have buried 80 tons of Nuclear waste near the city of Nablus.
The Minister added that the waste were buried 300 meters away from Nablus, while the burial of more nuclear waste was still being completed around the rest of Gaza Strip and West Bank cities, especially those with high population intensity such as Nablus, Hebron and Gaza.
GALLOWAY ON CAPITOL HILL
Telegraph: Galloway Assault OnCapitol Hill
George Galloway confronted the American senators who have accused him of accepting oil allocations from Saddam Hussein yesterday in one of the most extraordinary and ill-tempered exchanges seen on Capitol Hill.
At one point the newly elected MP for Bethnal Green and Bow was accused of "evasion" and of choosing to ignore the questions that were being put to him.
Mr Galloway told the hearing room packed with 300 people: "You have nothing on me Ö other than my name on lists." Many of the lists had been "drawn up after the installation of your puppet government in Baghdad", he said.
In a bass voice rising with indignation to fill the august chamber, Mr Galloway insisted that he had been "an opponent of Saddam when British and American governments and businessmen were selling him guns and gas".
George Galloway confronted the American senators who have accused him of accepting oil allocations from Saddam Hussein yesterday in one of the most extraordinary and ill-tempered exchanges seen on Capitol Hill.
At one point the newly elected MP for Bethnal Green and Bow was accused of "evasion" and of choosing to ignore the questions that were being put to him.
Mr Galloway told the hearing room packed with 300 people: "You have nothing on me Ö other than my name on lists." Many of the lists had been "drawn up after the installation of your puppet government in Baghdad", he said.
In a bass voice rising with indignation to fill the august chamber, Mr Galloway insisted that he had been "an opponent of Saddam when British and American governments and businessmen were selling him guns and gas".
MEDIA WATCH: NEWSWEEK
Mediachannel: Newsweek Got it Right
CAMBRIDGE, MA, May 15, 2005 — Contrary to White House spin, the allegations of religious desecration at Guantanamo published by Newsweek on May 9, 2005, are common among ex-prisoners and have been widely reported outside the United States. Several former detainees at the Guantanamo and Bagram prisons have reported instances of their handlers sitting or standing on the Quran, throwing or kicking it in toilets, and urinating on it. Prior to the Newsweek article, the New York Times reported a Guantanamo insider asserting that the commander of the facility was compelled by prisoner protests to address the problem and issue an apology
Juan Cole: Has Newsweek Retracted?
Update: Riverbend weighs in with an Iraqi nationalist point of view on the allegations of Koran desecration in US military prisons. She points out that many Iraqis will find them plausible, given that we know that the interrogators have not shown respect for basic human dignity. Occasional US mosque invasions likewise lend credence to the charges, especially to Sunni Iraqis.
It is being yet again alleged that Newsweek has formally retracted the Guantanamo Koran desecration story, under enormous pressure from the White House. But here is what exactly the magazine's statement said:
"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker said in a statement issued here.'
CAMBRIDGE, MA, May 15, 2005 — Contrary to White House spin, the allegations of religious desecration at Guantanamo published by Newsweek on May 9, 2005, are common among ex-prisoners and have been widely reported outside the United States. Several former detainees at the Guantanamo and Bagram prisons have reported instances of their handlers sitting or standing on the Quran, throwing or kicking it in toilets, and urinating on it. Prior to the Newsweek article, the New York Times reported a Guantanamo insider asserting that the commander of the facility was compelled by prisoner protests to address the problem and issue an apology
Juan Cole: Has Newsweek Retracted?
Update: Riverbend weighs in with an Iraqi nationalist point of view on the allegations of Koran desecration in US military prisons. She points out that many Iraqis will find them plausible, given that we know that the interrogators have not shown respect for basic human dignity. Occasional US mosque invasions likewise lend credence to the charges, especially to Sunni Iraqis.
It is being yet again alleged that Newsweek has formally retracted the Guantanamo Koran desecration story, under enormous pressure from the White House. But here is what exactly the magazine's statement said:
"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker said in a statement issued here.'
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
IRAQ: CRIME OF THE CENTURY
Axis of Logic: Stop the Crime of the Century
In Iraq, there is a crime of breathtaking proportions taking place. Breathtaking, but not necessarily surprising. We know from the historical record that governments will lie and deceive, and we've rarely seen one as immoral and venal as the Bush administration
.
What has turned this crime into an astonishing demonstration of the depth of American democracy's decay is the complicity of the media establishment in hiding the original crime, and in thus doing so, ripping a gaping hole in the fabric of our political system.
Did you know that there now exists in the public domain a 'smoking gun' memo, which proves that everything the Bush administration said about the Iraq invasion was a lie? If you live in Britain you probably do, but if you live in the United States, chances are minuscule that you would be aware of this.
In Iraq, there is a crime of breathtaking proportions taking place. Breathtaking, but not necessarily surprising. We know from the historical record that governments will lie and deceive, and we've rarely seen one as immoral and venal as the Bush administration
.
What has turned this crime into an astonishing demonstration of the depth of American democracy's decay is the complicity of the media establishment in hiding the original crime, and in thus doing so, ripping a gaping hole in the fabric of our political system.
Did you know that there now exists in the public domain a 'smoking gun' memo, which proves that everything the Bush administration said about the Iraq invasion was a lie? If you live in Britain you probably do, but if you live in the United States, chances are minuscule that you would be aware of this.
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Free Arab Voice: Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Sunday, 15 May 2005.
Iraqi Resistance hails victory as US ends “operation matador” retreats from battle zone.
US forces announced the end on Sunday of their so-called “operation matador” against Iraqi Resistance forces in the area of al-Qa’im on the border with Syria. The announcement followed seven days of bitter fighting and grueling combat acknowledged for its difficulty by the occupation forces in several of their official press conferences – designed to put as positive a face on the American operations as possible.
Resistance fighters confirmed that the US forces withdrew from the area around the city after failing to break in. It was a battle that the people are still talking about because the greatest army in the world was unable to take a city of 50,000 people even after seven days of concerted efforts to do so. In the end all the invaders could do was announce their “victory” and leave.
Iraqi Resistance hails victory as US ends “operation matador” retreats from battle zone.
US forces announced the end on Sunday of their so-called “operation matador” against Iraqi Resistance forces in the area of al-Qa’im on the border with Syria. The announcement followed seven days of bitter fighting and grueling combat acknowledged for its difficulty by the occupation forces in several of their official press conferences – designed to put as positive a face on the American operations as possible.
Resistance fighters confirmed that the US forces withdrew from the area around the city after failing to break in. It was a battle that the people are still talking about because the greatest army in the world was unable to take a city of 50,000 people even after seven days of concerted efforts to do so. In the end all the invaders could do was announce their “victory” and leave.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
PROPAGANDA WATCH
New Statesman: Let's face it - the state has lost its mind by John Pilger
In 1987, the sociologist Alex Carey, a second Orwell in his prophesies, wrote "Managing Public Opinion: the corporate offensive". He described how in the United States "great progress [had been] made towards the ideal of a propaganda-managed democracy", whose principal aim was to identify a rapacious business state "with every cherished human value". The power and meaning of true democracy, of the franchise itself, would be "transferred" to the propaganda of advertising, public relations and corporate-run news. This "model of ideological control", he predicted, would be adopted by other countries, such as Britain.
"a must read"
In 1987, the sociologist Alex Carey, a second Orwell in his prophesies, wrote "Managing Public Opinion: the corporate offensive". He described how in the United States "great progress [had been] made towards the ideal of a propaganda-managed democracy", whose principal aim was to identify a rapacious business state "with every cherished human value". The power and meaning of true democracy, of the franchise itself, would be "transferred" to the propaganda of advertising, public relations and corporate-run news. This "model of ideological control", he predicted, would be adopted by other countries, such as Britain.
"a must read"
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
NORTH KOREA
Intervention Magazine: On the Edge With Nuclear North Korea
By distorting intelligence information (once again) the Bush administration has created an unnecessary crisis with North Korea, and the risk of plutonium proliferation to terrorist organizations has never been greater.
By distorting intelligence information (once again) the Bush administration has created an unnecessary crisis with North Korea, and the risk of plutonium proliferation to terrorist organizations has never been greater.
IRAN
Globalresearch: Planned US-Israeli Attack on Iran
At the outset of Bush's second term, Vice President Dick Cheney dropped a bombshell. He hinted, in no uncertain terms, that Iran was "right at the top of the list" of the rogue enemies of America, and that Israel would, so to speak, "be doing the bombing for us", without US military involvement and without us putting pressure on them "to do it":
"One of the concerns people have is that Israel might do it without being asked... Given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards," (quoted from an MSNBC Interview Jan 2005)
At the outset of Bush's second term, Vice President Dick Cheney dropped a bombshell. He hinted, in no uncertain terms, that Iran was "right at the top of the list" of the rogue enemies of America, and that Israel would, so to speak, "be doing the bombing for us", without US military involvement and without us putting pressure on them "to do it":
"One of the concerns people have is that Israel might do it without being asked... Given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards," (quoted from an MSNBC Interview Jan 2005)
PANDEMIC
Rense: WHO Says Pandemic Of 2005 May Have Begun
Today's New England Journal of Medicine commentary indicated the world was unprepared for a flu pandemic, and the outcome could rival 1918. WHO has acknowledged that the H5N1 bird flu pandemic of 2005 may have begun
Today's New England Journal of Medicine commentary indicated the world was unprepared for a flu pandemic, and the outcome could rival 1918. WHO has acknowledged that the H5N1 bird flu pandemic of 2005 may have begun
Friday, May 06, 2005
ISRAEL SPYING ON USA
Juan Cole: Franklin Arrested
Pentagon official Lawrence Franklin has been arrested and charged by the FBI with having shown classified documents to two officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Steven Rosen, AIPAC director of foreign policy issues, and Keith Weissman, high-level Middle East analyst--both of them only recently fired). Rosen is alleged once to have written in an internal AIPAC memo, "A lobby is like a night flower. It thrives in the dark and dies in the sun."Franklin was implicated last summer, but it has taken nearly a year to arrest him. In the meantime, he was, amazingly enough, still working at the Department of Defense on Persian Gulf security issues. (I know this for a fact).
New York Times: Pentagon Analyst Charged With Disclosing Military Secrets
Federal agents arrested a Pentagon analyst on Wednesday, accusing him of illegally disclosing highly classified information about possible attacks on American forces in Iraq to two employees of a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Pentagon official Lawrence Franklin has been arrested and charged by the FBI with having shown classified documents to two officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Steven Rosen, AIPAC director of foreign policy issues, and Keith Weissman, high-level Middle East analyst--both of them only recently fired). Rosen is alleged once to have written in an internal AIPAC memo, "A lobby is like a night flower. It thrives in the dark and dies in the sun."Franklin was implicated last summer, but it has taken nearly a year to arrest him. In the meantime, he was, amazingly enough, still working at the Department of Defense on Persian Gulf security issues. (I know this for a fact).
New York Times: Pentagon Analyst Charged With Disclosing Military Secrets
Federal agents arrested a Pentagon analyst on Wednesday, accusing him of illegally disclosing highly classified information about possible attacks on American forces in Iraq to two employees of a pro-Israel lobbying group.
TERROR: PROPAGANDA WATCH
The Ledger: Pakistan Reports Arrest of a Senior Qaeda Leader
Pakistani authorities announced yesterday the arrest of a senior operative for Al Qaeda who is suspected of directing two failed assassination attempts against the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.Both Pakistani and American officials described the man, a Libyan named Abu Faraj al-Libbi, as the third most senior leader in Al Qaeda's terrorist network, and President Bush called the arrest a "critical victory in the war on terror." But counterterrorism experts in Europe immediately raised questions about Mr. Libbi's importance.
Pakistani authorities announced yesterday the arrest of a senior operative for Al Qaeda who is suspected of directing two failed assassination attempts against the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.Both Pakistani and American officials described the man, a Libyan named Abu Faraj al-Libbi, as the third most senior leader in Al Qaeda's terrorist network, and President Bush called the arrest a "critical victory in the war on terror." But counterterrorism experts in Europe immediately raised questions about Mr. Libbi's importance.
FALLUJJA: MURDER
CBS: No Charges In Fallujah Shooting
A Marine corporal who was videotaped shooting an apparently injured and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque last year will not face court-martial, the Marine Corps announced Wednesday. Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding general of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, said that a review of the evidence showed the Marine's actions in the shooting were "consistent with the established rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict."
A Marine corporal who was videotaped shooting an apparently injured and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque last year will not face court-martial, the Marine Corps announced Wednesday. Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding general of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, said that a review of the evidence showed the Marine's actions in the shooting were "consistent with the established rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict."
UK
Independent: Blair secures his third term - but how long will he last at No 10?
Labour's majority is slashed. War protest bites in London. Tories retake key marginals. Big swings help Lib Dems
Labour's majority is slashed. War protest bites in London. Tories retake key marginals. Big swings help Lib Dems
POLITICS
Foreignpolicy.com: Apocalypse Soon by Robert S. McNamara
Robert McNamara is worried. He knows how close we’ve come. His counsel helped the Kennedy administration avert nuclear catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, he believes the United States must no longer rely on nuclear weapons as a foreign-policy tool. To do so is immoral, illegal, and dreadfully dangerous.
Robert McNamara is worried. He knows how close we’ve come. His counsel helped the Kennedy administration avert nuclear catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, he believes the United States must no longer rely on nuclear weapons as a foreign-policy tool. To do so is immoral, illegal, and dreadfully dangerous.
Monday, May 02, 2005
UK: LORD BLAIR IN TROUBLE
Sunday Times: Blair hit by new leak of secret war plan
A SECRET document from the heart of government reveals today that Tony Blair privately committed Britain to war with Iraq and then set out to lure Saddam Hussein into providing the legal justification. The Downing Street minutes, headed “Secret and strictly personal — UK eyes only”, detail one of the most important meetings ahead of the invasion.
A SECRET document from the heart of government reveals today that Tony Blair privately committed Britain to war with Iraq and then set out to lure Saddam Hussein into providing the legal justification. The Downing Street minutes, headed “Secret and strictly personal — UK eyes only”, detail one of the most important meetings ahead of the invasion.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
VENEZUELA
ZNET: The Nature of CIA Intervention in Venezuela
As with Nicaragua in the 1980s, a series of foundations are providing millions of dollars of funding to opposition forces in Venezuela, meted out by a private consulting firm contracted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega recently reaffirmed the State Departments commitment to this strategy, telling the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 2nd, 2005, “we will support democratic elements in Venezuela so that they can continue to maintain the political space to which they are entitled.” The funding of these “democratic elements” has as its ultimate goal the unification of Venezuela’s splintered opposition (formerly loosely grouped into the Coordinadora Democratica) for the upcoming Presidential elections in 2006. But failing a victory in 2006, cautions Agee, the CIA et al. will remain, their eyes set on the 2012 elections, and the 2018 elections, ad infinitum, “because what’s at stake is the stability of the political system in the United States, and the security of the political class in the United States.”
As with Nicaragua in the 1980s, a series of foundations are providing millions of dollars of funding to opposition forces in Venezuela, meted out by a private consulting firm contracted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega recently reaffirmed the State Departments commitment to this strategy, telling the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 2nd, 2005, “we will support democratic elements in Venezuela so that they can continue to maintain the political space to which they are entitled.” The funding of these “democratic elements” has as its ultimate goal the unification of Venezuela’s splintered opposition (formerly loosely grouped into the Coordinadora Democratica) for the upcoming Presidential elections in 2006. But failing a victory in 2006, cautions Agee, the CIA et al. will remain, their eyes set on the 2012 elections, and the 2018 elections, ad infinitum, “because what’s at stake is the stability of the political system in the United States, and the security of the political class in the United States.”
VENEZUELA
International Herald Tribune: U.S. seeks to tighten vise on Chávez
As President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela veers toward greater confrontation with Washington, the Bush administration is weighing a tougher approach, including funneling more money to foundations and business and political groups opposed to his leftist government, American officials say.
The Bush administration has already begun to urge Venezuela's neighbors to distance themselves from Chávez and to raise concerns about press freedoms, judicial independence and the Venezuelan government's affinity for leftist groups abroad, including Colombian guerrillas.
As President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela veers toward greater confrontation with Washington, the Bush administration is weighing a tougher approach, including funneling more money to foundations and business and political groups opposed to his leftist government, American officials say.
The Bush administration has already begun to urge Venezuela's neighbors to distance themselves from Chávez and to raise concerns about press freedoms, judicial independence and the Venezuelan government's affinity for leftist groups abroad, including Colombian guerrillas.
NORTH KOREA
The Independent: US prepares for nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang
The United States may soon seek a UN Security Council resolution to impose a virtual international quarantine on North Korea to pressure its regime to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Frustration with North Korea's refusal to return to six-nation talks and growing alarm at signs that the country may be preparing to conduct an underground test is giving momentum to hawkish members of the US administration who want the issue taken to the council as soon as possible.
There was a bellicose reaction last night from North Korea. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "If the United States wants so much to drag the nuclear issue to the UN Security Council, it may do so. But we want to make clear we will regard sanctions as a declaration of war."
The United States may soon seek a UN Security Council resolution to impose a virtual international quarantine on North Korea to pressure its regime to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Frustration with North Korea's refusal to return to six-nation talks and growing alarm at signs that the country may be preparing to conduct an underground test is giving momentum to hawkish members of the US administration who want the issue taken to the council as soon as possible.
There was a bellicose reaction last night from North Korea. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "If the United States wants so much to drag the nuclear issue to the UN Security Council, it may do so. But we want to make clear we will regard sanctions as a declaration of war."
WAR ON TERROR
Independent Institute: Evidence that the U.S. May Be Losing the Global War on Terror
The Bush administration is attempting to suppress key data showing that its Global War on Terrorism (or GWOT as government bureaucrats have dubbed it) likely has been counterproductive. According to Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and State Department terrorism expert who still has many sources within the intelligence community, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s office is suppressing data showing that the number of major terrorist attacks worldwide exploded from 175 in 2003 to 625 in 2004, the highest number since the Cold War began to wane in 1985.
U.S. officials said that when analysts at the National Counterterrorism Center declined the office of the secretary’s invitation to use a methodology that would reduce the number of terrorist attacks, her office terminated publication of the State Department’s annual “Patterns of Global Terrorism” report.
The Bush administration is attempting to suppress key data showing that its Global War on Terrorism (or GWOT as government bureaucrats have dubbed it) likely has been counterproductive. According to Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and State Department terrorism expert who still has many sources within the intelligence community, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s office is suppressing data showing that the number of major terrorist attacks worldwide exploded from 175 in 2003 to 625 in 2004, the highest number since the Cold War began to wane in 1985.
U.S. officials said that when analysts at the National Counterterrorism Center declined the office of the secretary’s invitation to use a methodology that would reduce the number of terrorist attacks, her office terminated publication of the State Department’s annual “Patterns of Global Terrorism” report.
IRAQ: WMD
MSNBC: CIA’s final report: No WMD found in Iraq
Recommends freeing detainees held for weapons knowledge
WASHINGTON - In his final word, the CIA’s top weapons inspector in Iraq said Monday that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction has “gone as far as feasible” and has found nothing, closing an investigation into the purported programs of Saddam Hussein that were used to justify the 2003 invasion
"The 100'000 Iraqis and 1'500 american soldiers that died since the Invasion will be glad to hear that"
Recommends freeing detainees held for weapons knowledge
WASHINGTON - In his final word, the CIA’s top weapons inspector in Iraq said Monday that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction has “gone as far as feasible” and has found nothing, closing an investigation into the purported programs of Saddam Hussein that were used to justify the 2003 invasion
"The 100'000 Iraqis and 1'500 american soldiers that died since the Invasion will be glad to hear that"
LEBANON
ABC News: Syria Ends Military Domination of Lebanon
Syria Ends 29-Year Military Domination of Lebanon As Last Soldiers Cross Border
Syria ended its 29-year military domination of Lebanon on Tuesday as soldiers flashing victory signs completed a withdrawal spurred by intense international pressure and massive Lebanese street protests against a force that once reached 40,000.
Syria Ends 29-Year Military Domination of Lebanon As Last Soldiers Cross Border
Syria ended its 29-year military domination of Lebanon on Tuesday as soldiers flashing victory signs completed a withdrawal spurred by intense international pressure and massive Lebanese street protests against a force that once reached 40,000.
IRAQ: FALLUJAH
Guardian: US-Destroyed Falluja New World Monument To Brutality By Jonathan Steele and Dahr Jamail
Remember Falluja? A city of some 300,000, which was alleged to be the stronghold of armed resistance to the occupation.
In the 1930s the Spanish city of Guernica became a symbol of wanton murder and destruction. In the 1990s Grozny was cruelly flattened by the Russians; it still lies in ruins. This decade's unforgettable monument to brutality and overkill is Falluja, a text-book case of how not to handle an insurgency, and a reminder that unpopular occupations will always degenerate into desperation and atrocity.
Remember Falluja? A city of some 300,000, which was alleged to be the stronghold of armed resistance to the occupation.
In the 1930s the Spanish city of Guernica became a symbol of wanton murder and destruction. In the 1990s Grozny was cruelly flattened by the Russians; it still lies in ruins. This decade's unforgettable monument to brutality and overkill is Falluja, a text-book case of how not to handle an insurgency, and a reminder that unpopular occupations will always degenerate into desperation and atrocity.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
911: SIBEL EDMONDS
Tom Flocco: FBI linguist won’t deny intelligence intercepts tied 911 drug money to U.S. election campaigns
Washington -- April 25, 2005 -- TomFlocco.com -- Former FBI contract translator and whistleblower Sibel Edmonds and her attorneys were ordered removed from the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse so that a three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals panel could discuss her case in private with Bush administration lawyers.
In an exclusive interview on Saturday, we asked Edmonds if she would deny that laundered drug money linked to the 911 attacks found its way into recent House, Senate and Presidential campaign war-chests, according to what she heard in intelligence intercepts she was asked to translate.
"I will not deny that statement; but I cannot comment further on it," she told TomFlocco.com, in a non-denial denial.
Village Voice: The Silencing of Sibel Edmonds
Court won't let public hear what FBI whistleblower has to say
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The unsettling story of whistleblower Sibel Edmonds took another twist on Thursday, as the government continued its seemingly endless machinations to shut her up. The U.S. Court of Appeals here denied pleas to open the former FBI translator's First Amendment case to the public, a day after taking the extraordinary step of ordering a secret hearing.
Washington -- April 25, 2005 -- TomFlocco.com -- Former FBI contract translator and whistleblower Sibel Edmonds and her attorneys were ordered removed from the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse so that a three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals panel could discuss her case in private with Bush administration lawyers.
In an exclusive interview on Saturday, we asked Edmonds if she would deny that laundered drug money linked to the 911 attacks found its way into recent House, Senate and Presidential campaign war-chests, according to what she heard in intelligence intercepts she was asked to translate.
"I will not deny that statement; but I cannot comment further on it," she told TomFlocco.com, in a non-denial denial.
Village Voice: The Silencing of Sibel Edmonds
Court won't let public hear what FBI whistleblower has to say
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The unsettling story of whistleblower Sibel Edmonds took another twist on Thursday, as the government continued its seemingly endless machinations to shut her up. The U.S. Court of Appeals here denied pleas to open the former FBI translator's First Amendment case to the public, a day after taking the extraordinary step of ordering a secret hearing.
OCCUPID TERRITORIES
Globe and mail: West Bank Settlers Accused Of Spreading Poison
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Amnesty International called on Israel on Monday to take action against West Bank settlers who it says have been poisoning Palestinians' livestock.
Over a period of several weeks, Jewish settlers have spread toxic chemicals on Palestinian fields south of the West Bank city of Hebron, a statement released by the human-rights group said.
The statement also charged that Israeli authorities are turning a blind eye to the incidents in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank.
"To date, the Israeli authorities have not cleaned the toxic chemicals ... and have not taken the necessary measures to investigate the matter with a view to bringing those responsible to justice," said the statement from the London-based human-rights group.
"Palestinian farmers have been forced to quarantine their flocks and stop using the milk, cheese and meat from them, effectively depriving them of their livelihood," Amnesty said.
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Amnesty International called on Israel on Monday to take action against West Bank settlers who it says have been poisoning Palestinians' livestock.
Over a period of several weeks, Jewish settlers have spread toxic chemicals on Palestinian fields south of the West Bank city of Hebron, a statement released by the human-rights group said.
The statement also charged that Israeli authorities are turning a blind eye to the incidents in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank.
"To date, the Israeli authorities have not cleaned the toxic chemicals ... and have not taken the necessary measures to investigate the matter with a view to bringing those responsible to justice," said the statement from the London-based human-rights group.
"Palestinian farmers have been forced to quarantine their flocks and stop using the milk, cheese and meat from them, effectively depriving them of their livelihood," Amnesty said.
GANNON/GUCKERT
Rawstory: Secret Service records raise new questions about discredited conservative reporter
In what is unlikely to stem the controversy surrounding disgraced White House correspondent James Guckert, the Secret Service has furnished logs of the writer’s access to the White House after requests by two Democratic congressmembers.
The documents, obtained by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) through a Freedom of Information Act request, reveal Guckert had remarkable access to the White House. Though he wrote under the name Jeff Gannon, the records show that he applied with his real name.
Gannon’s ready access to President Bush and his work for a news agency that frequently plagiarized content from other reporters and tailored it to serve a conservative message may raise new questions about the White House’s attempts to seed favorable news coverage. Democrats have sought to paint Guckert in the context of other efforts by the Administration to “plant” positive spin by paying for video news releases and columnists to espouse their views.
In what is unlikely to stem the controversy surrounding disgraced White House correspondent James Guckert, the Secret Service has furnished logs of the writer’s access to the White House after requests by two Democratic congressmembers.
The documents, obtained by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) through a Freedom of Information Act request, reveal Guckert had remarkable access to the White House. Though he wrote under the name Jeff Gannon, the records show that he applied with his real name.
Gannon’s ready access to President Bush and his work for a news agency that frequently plagiarized content from other reporters and tailored it to serve a conservative message may raise new questions about the White House’s attempts to seed favorable news coverage. Democrats have sought to paint Guckert in the context of other efforts by the Administration to “plant” positive spin by paying for video news releases and columnists to espouse their views.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
TORTURE
AlJazeera: U.S. forces abuse and torture female detainees in Iraq
Iraqi female detainees say that they have been illegally detained, raped and sexually humiliated by U.S. occupation forces.
One female detainee, who identified herself as “Noor”, said that U.S. soldiers at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib raped women and, in many occasions, forced them to strip naked in public. She also said that many female detainees got pregnant.
Iraqi female detainees say that they have been illegally detained, raped and sexually humiliated by U.S. occupation forces.
One female detainee, who identified herself as “Noor”, said that U.S. soldiers at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib raped women and, in many occasions, forced them to strip naked in public. She also said that many female detainees got pregnant.
ONLINE VIDEO
ICH: Video - Orwell Rolls In His Grave - Part I
A Must Watch Documentary
When lies become truth
"Could a media system, controlled by a few global corporations with the ability to overwhelm all competing voices, be able to turn lies into truth?..."
Director Robert Kane Pappas’ "Orwell Rolls In His Grave" is the consummate critical examination of the Fourth Estate, once the bastion of American democracy. Asking whether America has entered an Orwellian world of doublespeak where outright lies can pass for the truth, Pappas explores what the media doesn’t like to talk about: itself
download RM file (47.6 mebibytes)
Part II Here
A Must Watch Documentary
When lies become truth
"Could a media system, controlled by a few global corporations with the ability to overwhelm all competing voices, be able to turn lies into truth?..."
Director Robert Kane Pappas’ "Orwell Rolls In His Grave" is the consummate critical examination of the Fourth Estate, once the bastion of American democracy. Asking whether America has entered an Orwellian world of doublespeak where outright lies can pass for the truth, Pappas explores what the media doesn’t like to talk about: itself
download RM file (47.6 mebibytes)
Part II Here
TORTURE
John Pilger: Apologizing To Torturers
Can you imagine the BBC and other major broadcasters apologizing to a rogue regime which practices racism and ethnic cleansing; which has “effectively legalized the use of torture” (according to Amnesty International); which holds international law in contempt, having defied hundreds of UN resolutions and built an apartheid wall in defiance of the International Court of Justice; which has demolished thousands of people's homes and given its soldiers the right to assassinate; and whose leader was judged “personally responsible” for the massacre of more than 2000 people?
Can you imagine the BBC saying sorry to Saddam Hussein's Iraq, or other official demons, for broadcasting an uncensored interview with a courageous dissident of that country, a man who spent 19 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement? Of course not.
Yet, last month, the BBC apologized “confidentially” to a regime with such a record, so that its correspondent would be allowed back, having promised to abide by a system of censorship that continues to gag the dissident. The regime is President Ariel Sharon's in Israel, whose war crimes, appalling human rights record and enduring lawlessness continue to be granted a certificate of exemption not only by the US-dominated West, but by respectable journalism.
Can you imagine the BBC and other major broadcasters apologizing to a rogue regime which practices racism and ethnic cleansing; which has “effectively legalized the use of torture” (according to Amnesty International); which holds international law in contempt, having defied hundreds of UN resolutions and built an apartheid wall in defiance of the International Court of Justice; which has demolished thousands of people's homes and given its soldiers the right to assassinate; and whose leader was judged “personally responsible” for the massacre of more than 2000 people?
Can you imagine the BBC saying sorry to Saddam Hussein's Iraq, or other official demons, for broadcasting an uncensored interview with a courageous dissident of that country, a man who spent 19 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement? Of course not.
Yet, last month, the BBC apologized “confidentially” to a regime with such a record, so that its correspondent would be allowed back, having promised to abide by a system of censorship that continues to gag the dissident. The regime is President Ariel Sharon's in Israel, whose war crimes, appalling human rights record and enduring lawlessness continue to be granted a certificate of exemption not only by the US-dominated West, but by respectable journalism.
USA: MILITARY
Wired: US Military's Elite Hacker Crew
The U.S. military has assembled the world's most formidable hacker posse: a super-secret, multimillion-dollar weapons program that may be ready to launch bloodless cyberwar against enemy networks -- from electric grids to telephone nets.
The group's existence was revealed during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month. Military leaders from U.S. Strategic Command, or Stratcom, disclosed the existence of a unit called the Joint Functional Component Command for Network Warfare, or JFCCNW.
The U.S. military has assembled the world's most formidable hacker posse: a super-secret, multimillion-dollar weapons program that may be ready to launch bloodless cyberwar against enemy networks -- from electric grids to telephone nets.
The group's existence was revealed during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month. Military leaders from U.S. Strategic Command, or Stratcom, disclosed the existence of a unit called the Joint Functional Component Command for Network Warfare, or JFCCNW.
Monday, April 18, 2005
PROPAGANDA WATCH
Independent: Ricin: The plot that never was
A deadly poison said to be at the heart of a terrorist conspiracy against Britain led to a dire warning of another al-Qa'ida attack in the West. The Government was swift to act on the fear that such a find generated. But, as Severin Carrell and Raymond Whitaker report, far from being a major threat, the real danger existed only in the mind of a misguided individual living in a dingy north London bedsit
A deadly poison said to be at the heart of a terrorist conspiracy against Britain led to a dire warning of another al-Qa'ida attack in the West. The Government was swift to act on the fear that such a find generated. But, as Severin Carrell and Raymond Whitaker report, far from being a major threat, the real danger existed only in the mind of a misguided individual living in a dingy north London bedsit
TORTURE
Villagevoice: The CIA's Kidnapping Ring
U.S. ally Uzbekistan teaches interrogators how to boil suspected terrorists to death
The president: "[In] the post-9-11 world, the United States must make sure we protect our people and our friends from attack. . . . One way to do so is to arrest people and send them back to their country of origin with the promise that they won't be tortured. That's the promise we receive. This country does not believe in torture."
Question: "As commander in chief, what is it that Uzbekistan can do in interrogating an individual that the United States can't?"
George W. Bush repeated his talking point: "We seek assurances that nobody will be tortured."
Actually, there is much that U.S. interrogators can learn from their counterparts in Uzbekistan on how to break down prisoners. One of the CIA's jet planes used to render purported terrorists to other countries—where information is extracted by any means necessary—made 10 trips to Uzbekistan. In a segment of CBS's 60 Minutes on these CIA torture missions (March 5), former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray told of the range of advanced techniques used by Uzbek interrogators:
"drowning and suffocation, rape was used . . . and also immersion of limbs in boiling liquid."
Two nights later on ABC's World News Tonight, Craig Murray told of photos he received of an Uzbek interrogation that ended with the prisoner actually being boiled to death!
U.S. ally Uzbekistan teaches interrogators how to boil suspected terrorists to death
The president: "[In] the post-9-11 world, the United States must make sure we protect our people and our friends from attack. . . . One way to do so is to arrest people and send them back to their country of origin with the promise that they won't be tortured. That's the promise we receive. This country does not believe in torture."
Question: "As commander in chief, what is it that Uzbekistan can do in interrogating an individual that the United States can't?"
George W. Bush repeated his talking point: "We seek assurances that nobody will be tortured."
Actually, there is much that U.S. interrogators can learn from their counterparts in Uzbekistan on how to break down prisoners. One of the CIA's jet planes used to render purported terrorists to other countries—where information is extracted by any means necessary—made 10 trips to Uzbekistan. In a segment of CBS's 60 Minutes on these CIA torture missions (March 5), former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray told of the range of advanced techniques used by Uzbek interrogators:
"drowning and suffocation, rape was used . . . and also immersion of limbs in boiling liquid."
Two nights later on ABC's World News Tonight, Craig Murray told of photos he received of an Uzbek interrogation that ended with the prisoner actually being boiled to death!
Friday, April 15, 2005
1984
The AGE: Facing the future with a chip in the shoulder
Forget mobile phones as the hottest new media technology - for anyone under 30, handsets as we know them will be gone in 20 years. The world's tech-savvy youngsters will be using microchip implants to communicate and transact.
April, Barcelona's Baja Beach Club began microchipping its VIP nightclub members, to let them into exclusive areas and clock up drinks and food via a chip implant in the arm produced by VeriChip Corporation. Within a decade, Mr Grulke says, microchips will be common. Already two scientists at Britain's Warwick University have chips embedded under their skin that let them send emails just by thinking
"PP: By pure coincidence (ahem) IBM, the company behind Verichip, the major retailer of implantable chips, also ran the cataloging system used by the Nazis to store information on Jews in Hitler Germany. Something tells me we should be a tad more concerned about that than who's going to win American Idol"
Forget mobile phones as the hottest new media technology - for anyone under 30, handsets as we know them will be gone in 20 years. The world's tech-savvy youngsters will be using microchip implants to communicate and transact.
April, Barcelona's Baja Beach Club began microchipping its VIP nightclub members, to let them into exclusive areas and clock up drinks and food via a chip implant in the arm produced by VeriChip Corporation. Within a decade, Mr Grulke says, microchips will be common. Already two scientists at Britain's Warwick University have chips embedded under their skin that let them send emails just by thinking
"PP: By pure coincidence (ahem) IBM, the company behind Verichip, the major retailer of implantable chips, also ran the cataloging system used by the Nazis to store information on Jews in Hitler Germany. Something tells me we should be a tad more concerned about that than who's going to win American Idol"
PHARMA
UK Parliment: "House of Commons Health Committee - THE INFLUENCE OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY"
"
The commercial success of the industry is not in doubt, nor is its ability to produce excellent science and important drugs; however, its ability to put the health of the nation consistently before the needs and expectations of its shareholders may be questioned. The evidence to this inquiry indicated that, in recent years, large pharmaceutical companies have become ever more focused on a marketing-based approach. In our view, this is the source of many of the problems we have identified. However, these problems are global and we received no evidence that the situation in the UK was worse than in other countries.
In Chapter 8 we examined the overall influence of the pharmaceutical industry. It is widely welcomed and relied on, but it is also pervasive and persistent. Our over-riding concerns are about the volume, extent and intensity of the industry’s influence, not only on clinical medicine and research but also on patients, regulators, the media, civil servants and politicians.
The failings we have described have consequences, in particular: The unsafe use of drugs; and The increasing medicalisation of society. These problems have existed in many countries. The UK may have a better record than many others. Drugs have been used unsafely in every country and we have no doubt that the drift towards medicalisation is a global phenomenon."
A major and recurring issue raised during the inquiry is the increased ‘medicalisation’ of our society – the pill for every problem
"
The commercial success of the industry is not in doubt, nor is its ability to produce excellent science and important drugs; however, its ability to put the health of the nation consistently before the needs and expectations of its shareholders may be questioned. The evidence to this inquiry indicated that, in recent years, large pharmaceutical companies have become ever more focused on a marketing-based approach. In our view, this is the source of many of the problems we have identified. However, these problems are global and we received no evidence that the situation in the UK was worse than in other countries.
In Chapter 8 we examined the overall influence of the pharmaceutical industry. It is widely welcomed and relied on, but it is also pervasive and persistent. Our over-riding concerns are about the volume, extent and intensity of the industry’s influence, not only on clinical medicine and research but also on patients, regulators, the media, civil servants and politicians.
The failings we have described have consequences, in particular: The unsafe use of drugs; and The increasing medicalisation of society. These problems have existed in many countries. The UK may have a better record than many others. Drugs have been used unsafely in every country and we have no doubt that the drift towards medicalisation is a global phenomenon."
A major and recurring issue raised during the inquiry is the increased ‘medicalisation’ of our society – the pill for every problem
SCIENCE
Independent: Climate Change Wreaking Havoc With Seasons
Climate change is playing havoc with the timing of the seasons and could drastically alter the landscape, according to one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
Frogs have begun spawning in Britain as early as October, oaks are coming into leaf three weeks earlier than they were 50 years ago and there were an unprecedented 4,000 sightings of bumblebees by the end of January this year.
Climate change is playing havoc with the timing of the seasons and could drastically alter the landscape, according to one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
Frogs have begun spawning in Britain as early as October, oaks are coming into leaf three weeks earlier than they were 50 years ago and there were an unprecedented 4,000 sightings of bumblebees by the end of January this year.
IRAQ: BATTLE FOR AL-QA'IM
Freearabvoice.com
Iraqi Resistance Report 4-12-5 - The Real War
Iraqi Resistance Report 4-13-5 - The Real War
-Resistance blasts US base with Tariq rocket killing five US troops; American rocket and bomb attacks on al-Qa’im leave 37 civilians dead.
-US launches armored attack with air support on al-Qa’im. American leaflets threaten civilians with death if they aid Resistance fighters.
-Resistance shoots down US Apache helicopter over eastern al-Qa’im.
-US forces have blockaded the city and are preventing all vegetables and other foodstuffs from getting into al-Qa’im.
The Americans also threatened to bomb any hospital that accepts wounded Iraqi Resistance fighters
-US forces suffer losses Tuesday as Resistance fighters continue to pour into al-Qa’im.
-Resistance throws back savage US assaults on al-Qa’im.
-16 Resistance car bombs blast Americans across Iraq.
-Resistance seizes control of most of Tall ‘Afar.
In a dispatch posted at 12:45pm Mecca time Wednesday, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the Director of al-Qa’im Hospital, Dr. ‘Abd ar-Rahman Muhammad, a short while earlier had announced that US forces used internationally prohibited weapons in their attacks on al-Qa’im Wednesday morning.
Dr. Muhammad told Mafkarat al-Islam that the Americans drooped 40 container bombs loaded with cluster bombs and more than 30 incendiary bombs, in addition to releasing very large amounts of a narcotic gas affecting the nervous system, and paralyzing the fighters. Besides that, Dr. Muhammad said, the US also used mustard gas.
Dr. Muhammad said that he wished to expose what he called the “dirty” methods of the US forces, warning of the humanitarian consequences if the Americans continue on their present course. On Tuesday US aircraft destroyed the city’s drinking water tanks and blew up food storage lockers for the people of al-Qa’im. Dr. Muhammad warned that more than 25,000 women, children, and elderly people would die of starvation if the situation continues unchanged.
Iraqi Resistance Report 4-12-5 - The Real War
Iraqi Resistance Report 4-13-5 - The Real War
-Resistance blasts US base with Tariq rocket killing five US troops; American rocket and bomb attacks on al-Qa’im leave 37 civilians dead.
-US launches armored attack with air support on al-Qa’im. American leaflets threaten civilians with death if they aid Resistance fighters.
-Resistance shoots down US Apache helicopter over eastern al-Qa’im.
-US forces have blockaded the city and are preventing all vegetables and other foodstuffs from getting into al-Qa’im.
The Americans also threatened to bomb any hospital that accepts wounded Iraqi Resistance fighters
-US forces suffer losses Tuesday as Resistance fighters continue to pour into al-Qa’im.
-Resistance throws back savage US assaults on al-Qa’im.
-16 Resistance car bombs blast Americans across Iraq.
-Resistance seizes control of most of Tall ‘Afar.
In a dispatch posted at 12:45pm Mecca time Wednesday, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the Director of al-Qa’im Hospital, Dr. ‘Abd ar-Rahman Muhammad, a short while earlier had announced that US forces used internationally prohibited weapons in their attacks on al-Qa’im Wednesday morning.
Dr. Muhammad told Mafkarat al-Islam that the Americans drooped 40 container bombs loaded with cluster bombs and more than 30 incendiary bombs, in addition to releasing very large amounts of a narcotic gas affecting the nervous system, and paralyzing the fighters. Besides that, Dr. Muhammad said, the US also used mustard gas.
Dr. Muhammad said that he wished to expose what he called the “dirty” methods of the US forces, warning of the humanitarian consequences if the Americans continue on their present course. On Tuesday US aircraft destroyed the city’s drinking water tanks and blew up food storage lockers for the people of al-Qa’im. Dr. Muhammad warned that more than 25,000 women, children, and elderly people would die of starvation if the situation continues unchanged.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
The Battle For Al-Qaim : The U.S. Version: "Insurgents" Attack U.S. Base In Iraq : "Insurgents" claiming links to al Qaeda tried to overrun a U.S. Marine base near the Syrian border Monday using gunmen, suicide car bombs and a firetruck loaded with explosives, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The Battle For Al-Qaim : The Iraq Version: Resistance fighters take over Al-Qaim : Fierce fighting erupted since 7am. More than 70 'Iraqi policemen' deserted their positions. An influx of 150-200 Resistance fighters from the neighboring cities of Hit, Haditha and Fallujah join the battle, including 16 women Resistance fighters.
The Battle For Al-Qaim : The Iraq Version: Resistance fighters take over Al-Qaim : Fierce fighting erupted since 7am. More than 70 'Iraqi policemen' deserted their positions. An influx of 150-200 Resistance fighters from the neighboring cities of Hit, Haditha and Fallujah join the battle, including 16 women Resistance fighters.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
PROPAGANDA WATCH
ICH: Look For Media Labels by Ted Rall
An Examination of the Propaganda of Nomenclature
(Op/Ed ) - NEW YORK--If you read newspapers, listen to the radio or watch television, you know that the media has assigned Muqtada al-Sadr a peculiar job title: radical cleric. "Gunmen fired on supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday," reports the Associated Press wire service. National Public Radio routinely refers to "radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr." "The protesters were largely supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr," says CNN. Even Agence France-Press refers to him the same way: "Followers of a radical Shiite cleric marched in Baghdad."
I wonder: Does he answer his phone with a chipper "Muqtada al-Sadr, radical cleric!"? Does it say "radical cleric" on his business card?
Ted Rall, Is America's hardest-hitting editorial cartoonist for Universal Press Syndicate, is an award-winning commentator who also works as an illustrator, columnist, and radio commentator. Visit his website - http://www.tedrall.com/
An Examination of the Propaganda of Nomenclature
(Op/Ed ) - NEW YORK--If you read newspapers, listen to the radio or watch television, you know that the media has assigned Muqtada al-Sadr a peculiar job title: radical cleric. "Gunmen fired on supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday," reports the Associated Press wire service. National Public Radio routinely refers to "radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr." "The protesters were largely supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr," says CNN. Even Agence France-Press refers to him the same way: "Followers of a radical Shiite cleric marched in Baghdad."
I wonder: Does he answer his phone with a chipper "Muqtada al-Sadr, radical cleric!"? Does it say "radical cleric" on his business card?
Ted Rall, Is America's hardest-hitting editorial cartoonist for Universal Press Syndicate, is an award-winning commentator who also works as an illustrator, columnist, and radio commentator. Visit his website - http://www.tedrall.com/
WAR ON TERROR
LA Times: Man's Claims May Be a Look at Dark Side of War on Terror
Khaled el-Masri says his strange and violent trip into the void began with a bus ride on New Year's Eve 2003
ULM, Germany — When he returned to this city five months later, his friends didn't believe the odyssey he recounted. Masri said he was kidnapped in Macedonia, beaten by masked men, blindfolded, injected with drugs and flown to Afghanistan, where he was imprisoned and interrogated by U.S. intelligence agents. He said he was finally dumped in the mountains of Albania.
Khaled el-Masri says his strange and violent trip into the void began with a bus ride on New Year's Eve 2003
ULM, Germany — When he returned to this city five months later, his friends didn't believe the odyssey he recounted. Masri said he was kidnapped in Macedonia, beaten by masked men, blindfolded, injected with drugs and flown to Afghanistan, where he was imprisoned and interrogated by U.S. intelligence agents. He said he was finally dumped in the mountains of Albania.
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Washington Post: Insurgents Attack U.S. Base In Iraq
Large-Scale Assault Is Second Within 2 Weeks; Contractor Abducted
BAGHDAD, April 11 -- Insurgents claiming links to al Qaeda tried to overrun a U.S. Marine base near the Syrian border Monday using gunmen, suicide car bombs and a firetruck loaded with explosives, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The assault was the second time in less than two weeks that foreign insurgents have massed an organized, military-style offensive, U.S. officials said. Insurgents typically have staged smaller-scale bombings and attacks.
Large-Scale Assault Is Second Within 2 Weeks; Contractor Abducted
BAGHDAD, April 11 -- Insurgents claiming links to al Qaeda tried to overrun a U.S. Marine base near the Syrian border Monday using gunmen, suicide car bombs and a firetruck loaded with explosives, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The assault was the second time in less than two weeks that foreign insurgents have massed an organized, military-style offensive, U.S. officials said. Insurgents typically have staged smaller-scale bombings and attacks.
CHINA
Washington Post: China Builds a Smaller, Stronger Military
Modernization Could Alter Regional Balance of Power, Raising Stakes for U.S.
BEIJING -- A top-to-bottom modernization is transforming the Chinese military, raising the stakes for U.S. forces long dominant in the Pacific.
Several programs to improve China's armed forces could soon produce a stronger nuclear deterrent against the United States, soldiers better trained to use high-technology weapons, and more effective cruise and anti-ship missiles for use in the waters around Taiwan, according to foreign specialists and U.S. officials
Modernization Could Alter Regional Balance of Power, Raising Stakes for U.S.
BEIJING -- A top-to-bottom modernization is transforming the Chinese military, raising the stakes for U.S. forces long dominant in the Pacific.
Several programs to improve China's armed forces could soon produce a stronger nuclear deterrent against the United States, soldiers better trained to use high-technology weapons, and more effective cruise and anti-ship missiles for use in the waters around Taiwan, according to foreign specialists and U.S. officials
IRAQ
The Guardian: Let Them Eat Bombs
The Doubling Of Child Malnutrition In Iraq Is Baffling
A report to the UN human rights commission in Geneva has concluded that Iraqi children were actually better off under Saddam Hussein than they are now.
This, of course, comes as a bitter blow for all those of us who, like George Bush and Tony Blair, honestly believe that children thrive best when we drop bombs on them from a great height, destroy their cities and blow up hospitals, schools and power stations.
The Doubling Of Child Malnutrition In Iraq Is Baffling
A report to the UN human rights commission in Geneva has concluded that Iraqi children were actually better off under Saddam Hussein than they are now.
This, of course, comes as a bitter blow for all those of us who, like George Bush and Tony Blair, honestly believe that children thrive best when we drop bombs on them from a great height, destroy their cities and blow up hospitals, schools and power stations.
Monday, April 11, 2005
GRAF
CNA News: GRAFFITI NOW ALLOWED IN FIVE TAIPEI PARKS
Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Graffiti has become a recognized form of expression in Taiwan and now five Taipei parks are open to anyone wanting to piece, do a throwup or just tag. Chen Wei-jen, director of the Public Works Department under the Taipei City Government, presided over an event Thursday held at a news conference at the Chungshan Fine Arts Park to announce the news, while children tried their hand at tagging. Aside from the Chungshan Fine Arts Park, four other parks for graffiti include Ta-an Forest Park, Tienmu Park, Nankang Park and Changan Green Land Park, he said. The city government is allowing graffiti in the parks primarily to let citizens express their ideas and opinions about life and let off some steam, he said, adding that the city government intends to take pictures of meaningful graffiti and exhibit it.
Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Graffiti has become a recognized form of expression in Taiwan and now five Taipei parks are open to anyone wanting to piece, do a throwup or just tag. Chen Wei-jen, director of the Public Works Department under the Taipei City Government, presided over an event Thursday held at a news conference at the Chungshan Fine Arts Park to announce the news, while children tried their hand at tagging. Aside from the Chungshan Fine Arts Park, four other parks for graffiti include Ta-an Forest Park, Tienmu Park, Nankang Park and Changan Green Land Park, he said. The city government is allowing graffiti in the parks primarily to let citizens express their ideas and opinions about life and let off some steam, he said, adding that the city government intends to take pictures of meaningful graffiti and exhibit it.
BERLIN: FIGHT AGAINST GRAF
Heise.de: Denk ich an Deutschland in der Nacht…"
Hausmeister Schily überwacht per Hubschrauber zukünftig nachts die Berliner Mauer(n)
Graffitti haben in Berlin Tradition. Ebenso die intensive und auch nächtliche Überwachung von Betonwänden. Allerdings fand früher beides auf entgegengesetzten Seiten der Mauer statt. Und trotz kaltem Krieg mit Schießbefehl war es normalerweise relativ ruhig, solange niemand ins Scheinwerferlicht lief. Das ist nun vorbei.
Doch Bundesinnenminister Otto Schily will noch höher hinaus: Er will künftig bundesweit Hubschrauber des Bundesgrenzschutzes mit Wärmebildkameras einsetzen, um die Sprayer nachts in flagranti zu erwischen. Ist ein Opfer erspäht, so springen dann wohl Beamte mit Fallschirm aus dem Hubschrauber und packen sich den Sprayer. Erste Tests in Berlin anlässlich des vom gleichnamigen Verein veranstalteten "Nofitti"-Kongresses waren bereits erfolgreich, wie BILD meldet, wenn auch auf der Sprühverbrecherjagd bereits erste Unbeteiligte zu Tode kamen.
"alleine die Treibstoffkosten für einen Helikopter belaufen sich pro Einsatz auf 10'000 Euro"
"Bisherige Erfolgsquote: ca. 80'000 Euro Kosten für Helikopter, ein unschuldiger Toter, 4 verhaftete Sprayer"
Hausmeister Schily überwacht per Hubschrauber zukünftig nachts die Berliner Mauer(n)
Graffitti haben in Berlin Tradition. Ebenso die intensive und auch nächtliche Überwachung von Betonwänden. Allerdings fand früher beides auf entgegengesetzten Seiten der Mauer statt. Und trotz kaltem Krieg mit Schießbefehl war es normalerweise relativ ruhig, solange niemand ins Scheinwerferlicht lief. Das ist nun vorbei.
Doch Bundesinnenminister Otto Schily will noch höher hinaus: Er will künftig bundesweit Hubschrauber des Bundesgrenzschutzes mit Wärmebildkameras einsetzen, um die Sprayer nachts in flagranti zu erwischen. Ist ein Opfer erspäht, so springen dann wohl Beamte mit Fallschirm aus dem Hubschrauber und packen sich den Sprayer. Erste Tests in Berlin anlässlich des vom gleichnamigen Verein veranstalteten "Nofitti"-Kongresses waren bereits erfolgreich, wie BILD meldet, wenn auch auf der Sprühverbrecherjagd bereits erste Unbeteiligte zu Tode kamen.
"alleine die Treibstoffkosten für einen Helikopter belaufen sich pro Einsatz auf 10'000 Euro"
"Bisherige Erfolgsquote: ca. 80'000 Euro Kosten für Helikopter, ein unschuldiger Toter, 4 verhaftete Sprayer"
IRAQ: PROTESTS
LA Times: Baghdad: Hundreds Of Thousands Protest American Invasion and Occupation Of Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Chanting “Death to America” and burning effigies of President Bush and Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Iraqis flooded central Baghdad on Saturday in what police called the largest anti-American protest since the fall of Baghdad, the capital, exactly two years ago.The peaceful demonstration by angry young followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr underscored the United States’ accomplishments and its failures since the end of the war.Once staunch supporters of the U.S. invasion to oust the dictator who ruthlessly suppressed them, many Shiite Arabs in Iraq have grown so frustrated by the lingering military occupation, with its checkpoints, raids and use of force, that they took to the streets to call for a deadline for troop withdrawal.
Riverbendblog: The Cruel Month...
Thousands were demonstrating today all over the country. Many areas in Baghdad were cut off today for security reasons and to accomodate the demonstrators, I suppose. There were some Sunni demonstrations but the large majority of demonstrators were actually Shia and followers of Al Sadr. They came from all over Baghdad and met up in Firdaws Square- the supposed square of liberation. They were in the thousands. None of the news channels were actually covering it. Jazeera showed fragments of the protests in the afternoon but everyone else seemed to busy with some other news story
In Pictures: Iraqi's Protest Against American Occupation
Juan Cole: Up to 300,000 Demonstrate in Baghdad
Edmund Sanders reports that the crowds in downtown Baghdad protesting the US troop presence in the country may have been as large as 300,000. If it were even half that, these would be the largest popular demonstrations in Iraq since 1958! To any extent that they show popular sentiment shifting in Shiite areas to Muqtada al-Sadr's position on the American presence, they would indicate that he is winning politically even though the US defeated his militia militarily. Big demonstrations were also held in Ramadi and in Najaf. In Baghad, Shaikh Mu'ayyad al-Khazraji, a Sadr aide, said that the demonstrations would continue, to pressure the parliament to demand a US withdrawal.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Chanting “Death to America” and burning effigies of President Bush and Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Iraqis flooded central Baghdad on Saturday in what police called the largest anti-American protest since the fall of Baghdad, the capital, exactly two years ago.The peaceful demonstration by angry young followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr underscored the United States’ accomplishments and its failures since the end of the war.Once staunch supporters of the U.S. invasion to oust the dictator who ruthlessly suppressed them, many Shiite Arabs in Iraq have grown so frustrated by the lingering military occupation, with its checkpoints, raids and use of force, that they took to the streets to call for a deadline for troop withdrawal.
Riverbendblog: The Cruel Month...
Thousands were demonstrating today all over the country. Many areas in Baghdad were cut off today for security reasons and to accomodate the demonstrators, I suppose. There were some Sunni demonstrations but the large majority of demonstrators were actually Shia and followers of Al Sadr. They came from all over Baghdad and met up in Firdaws Square- the supposed square of liberation. They were in the thousands. None of the news channels were actually covering it. Jazeera showed fragments of the protests in the afternoon but everyone else seemed to busy with some other news story
In Pictures: Iraqi's Protest Against American Occupation
Juan Cole: Up to 300,000 Demonstrate in Baghdad
Edmund Sanders reports that the crowds in downtown Baghdad protesting the US troop presence in the country may have been as large as 300,000. If it were even half that, these would be the largest popular demonstrations in Iraq since 1958! To any extent that they show popular sentiment shifting in Shiite areas to Muqtada al-Sadr's position on the American presence, they would indicate that he is winning politically even though the US defeated his militia militarily. Big demonstrations were also held in Ramadi and in Najaf. In Baghad, Shaikh Mu'ayyad al-Khazraji, a Sadr aide, said that the demonstrations would continue, to pressure the parliament to demand a US withdrawal.
USA
Rense: Vindicating American Democracy by Terrell E. Arnold
Over the past several weeks mainstream American media have practically swooned over the elections of sorts that have occurred in countries of the Middle East and elsewhere. Reflecting comments from official Washington, they have been full of praise for balloting in Iraq, in Palestine, and retrospectively for Ukraine
Over the past several weeks mainstream American media have practically swooned over the elections of sorts that have occurred in countries of the Middle East and elsewhere. Reflecting comments from official Washington, they have been full of praise for balloting in Iraq, in Palestine, and retrospectively for Ukraine
WORLD
Moscow Times: The Big Fix by Chris Floyd
Let's face the facts. The game is over and we -- the "reality-based community," the believers in genuine democracy and law, the heirs of Jefferson and Madison, Emerson and Thoreau, the toilers and dreamers, all those who seek to rise above the beast within and shape the brutal chaos of existence into something higher, richer and imbued with meaning -- have lost. The better world we thought had been won out of the blood and horror of history -- a realm of enlightenment that often found its best embodiment in the ideals and aspirations of the American Republic -- is gone. It's been swallowed by darkness, by ravening greed, by bestial spirits and by willful primitives who now possess overwhelming instruments of power and dominion.
Let's face the facts. The game is over and we -- the "reality-based community," the believers in genuine democracy and law, the heirs of Jefferson and Madison, Emerson and Thoreau, the toilers and dreamers, all those who seek to rise above the beast within and shape the brutal chaos of existence into something higher, richer and imbued with meaning -- have lost. The better world we thought had been won out of the blood and horror of history -- a realm of enlightenment that often found its best embodiment in the ideals and aspirations of the American Republic -- is gone. It's been swallowed by darkness, by ravening greed, by bestial spirits and by willful primitives who now possess overwhelming instruments of power and dominion.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -Noam Chomsky
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
USA: 2004 ELECTION FRAUD
bradblog.com: SCIENTIFIC REPORT: Evidence Strongly Suggests 2004 Presidential Election Results -- Not the Exit Polls! -- Were Biased and/or Flawed!
There's a one-in-959,000 chance that exit polls could have been so wrong in predicting the outcome of the 2004 presidential election, according to a statistical analysis released Thursday.
Exit polls in the November election showed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., winning by 3 percent, but President George W. Bush won the vote count by 2.5 percent.
The explanation for the (ed: historically unprecedented!) discrepancy that was offered by the exit polling firm -- that Kerry voters were more likely to participate in the exit polling -- is an "implausible theory," according to the report issued Thursday by US Count Votes, a group that claims it's made up of about two dozen statisticians.
Twelve -- including a Case Western Reserve University mathematics instructor -- signed the report.
Instead, the data support the idea that "corruption of the vote count occurred more freely in districts that were overwhelmingly Bush strongholds."
...The conclusion drew a yawn from Ohio election officials, who repeated that the discrepancy issue was settled when the polling firms Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International disavowed its polls because Kerry voters were more likely to answer exit polls -- the theory Thursday's report deemed "implausible."
There's a one-in-959,000 chance that exit polls could have been so wrong in predicting the outcome of the 2004 presidential election, according to a statistical analysis released Thursday.
Exit polls in the November election showed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., winning by 3 percent, but President George W. Bush won the vote count by 2.5 percent.
The explanation for the (ed: historically unprecedented!) discrepancy that was offered by the exit polling firm -- that Kerry voters were more likely to participate in the exit polling -- is an "implausible theory," according to the report issued Thursday by US Count Votes, a group that claims it's made up of about two dozen statisticians.
Twelve -- including a Case Western Reserve University mathematics instructor -- signed the report.
Instead, the data support the idea that "corruption of the vote count occurred more freely in districts that were overwhelmingly Bush strongholds."
...The conclusion drew a yawn from Ohio election officials, who repeated that the discrepancy issue was settled when the polling firms Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International disavowed its polls because Kerry voters were more likely to answer exit polls -- the theory Thursday's report deemed "implausible."
IRAQ: ROBERT FISK
"The Independent": US forces are prisoners in their own fortresses
Sitting in Saddam Hussein's palace they can stare over the parapets but that is as much as most will ever see of Iraq
From the "Green Zone" in the centre of Baghdad, the US authorities and their Iraqi satellites can see little of the city and country they claim to govern. Sleeping around the gloomy republican palace of Saddam Hussein, they can stare over the parapets or peek through the machine-gun embrasures on the perimeter wall - but that is as much as most will ever see of Iraq.The Tigris river is almost as invisible as that stream sloshing past the castle of Mseilha. The British embassy inside the "Green Zone" flies its diplomats into Baghdad airport, airlifts them by helicopter into the fortress - and there they sit until recalled to London.
Sitting in Saddam Hussein's palace they can stare over the parapets but that is as much as most will ever see of Iraq
From the "Green Zone" in the centre of Baghdad, the US authorities and their Iraqi satellites can see little of the city and country they claim to govern. Sleeping around the gloomy republican palace of Saddam Hussein, they can stare over the parapets or peek through the machine-gun embrasures on the perimeter wall - but that is as much as most will ever see of Iraq.The Tigris river is almost as invisible as that stream sloshing past the castle of Mseilha. The British embassy inside the "Green Zone" flies its diplomats into Baghdad airport, airlifts them by helicopter into the fortress - and there they sit until recalled to London.
ONLINE VIDEO
BBC: Torture Inc. Americas Brutal Prisons
Savaged by dogs, Electrocuted With Cattle Prods, Burned By Toxic Chemicals, Does such barbaric abuse inside U.S. jails explain the horrors that were committed in Iraq?
They are just some of the victims of wholesale torture taking place inside the U.S. prison system that we uncovered during a four-month investigation for BBC Channel 4 . It’s terrible to watch some of the videos and realise that you’re not only seeing torture in action but, in the most extreme cases, you are witnessing young men dying.
Savaged by dogs, Electrocuted With Cattle Prods, Burned By Toxic Chemicals, Does such barbaric abuse inside U.S. jails explain the horrors that were committed in Iraq?
They are just some of the victims of wholesale torture taking place inside the U.S. prison system that we uncovered during a four-month investigation for BBC Channel 4 . It’s terrible to watch some of the videos and realise that you’re not only seeing torture in action but, in the most extreme cases, you are witnessing young men dying.
CENTRAL ASIA
Ted Rall: Who Lost Central Asia?
U.S. Again Sides with Dictatorship over Democracy
Alone among the Central Asian republics that emerged after the 1991 Soviet collapse, Kyrgyzstan was governed by a democratically elected president and genuine parliament. While his neighbors suppressed the news media, created ludicrous Stalinesque personality cults and presided over corrupt, violent police states, Askar Akayev created the "Switzerland of Central Asia," a calm and friendly mountain oasis in a region famous for its misery and obscurity. Absent were the ubiquitous checkpoints, political prisons and KGB-OVIR spies typical of Central Asian republics. The Kyrgyz didn't have oil or gas, but who knew? European mountaineers and whitewater rafting aficionados might trek in tourist money.
U.S. Again Sides with Dictatorship over Democracy
Alone among the Central Asian republics that emerged after the 1991 Soviet collapse, Kyrgyzstan was governed by a democratically elected president and genuine parliament. While his neighbors suppressed the news media, created ludicrous Stalinesque personality cults and presided over corrupt, violent police states, Askar Akayev created the "Switzerland of Central Asia," a calm and friendly mountain oasis in a region famous for its misery and obscurity. Absent were the ubiquitous checkpoints, political prisons and KGB-OVIR spies typical of Central Asian republics. The Kyrgyz didn't have oil or gas, but who knew? European mountaineers and whitewater rafting aficionados might trek in tourist money.
IRAQ
Independent: America is usurping the democratic will in Iraq
To forestall a clerical-driven religious regime, Washington has a plan to arm small militias
It's two months now since the elections in Iraq, and still no government is formed. The struggle over the Sunni problem, the Kurdish claim for the massive Kirkuk oilfields, and the manoeuvring between religious groups and contending personalities continues unabated. But there is a deeper problem still.There are two scenarios for Iraq. One, the American one, aims for a pro-Western government, an uninterrupted supply of Middle East oil to US markets, and a semi-permanent military base in the area to ensure that the first two objectives are secured. The other is more complex, and only now slowly beginning to emerge.
To forestall a clerical-driven religious regime, Washington has a plan to arm small militias
It's two months now since the elections in Iraq, and still no government is formed. The struggle over the Sunni problem, the Kurdish claim for the massive Kirkuk oilfields, and the manoeuvring between religious groups and contending personalities continues unabated. But there is a deeper problem still.There are two scenarios for Iraq. One, the American one, aims for a pro-Western government, an uninterrupted supply of Middle East oil to US markets, and a semi-permanent military base in the area to ensure that the first two objectives are secured. The other is more complex, and only now slowly beginning to emerge.
VENEZUELA
ICH: Venezuela at the Crossroads of the New Humanity Century
Humanity is at a junction, where it can either choose a more sane and sustainable future for all, or it can choose the path of annihilating other nations in order to steal their resources until there are no resources left.
Humanity is at a junction, where it can either choose a more sane and sustainable future for all, or it can choose the path of annihilating other nations in order to steal their resources until there are no resources left.
VIDEO: IRAQI RESISTANCE
ICH: Exclusive: Iraqi Mujahideen Claim To Have Killed CIA Shadow Director in Iraq
Communiqué 1From the Political Committee – Rafidan(The Political Committee of the Mujahideen Central Command)
On the 14th of Safar 1426H, the 24th of March 2005M In the Name of God Most Merciful Most Graceful Congratulations to our Great Army
We congratulate you to the Demise of Dale C. Stoffel a CIA Shadow Manager in Iraq, and a close friend of George Bush. He is more important than Bremer and his lot of Generals. He was killed on the 8th of December 2004 after close monitoring of our moles on the hands of the Islamic Jihad Brigades. This was at the hour of 1630
He is the engineer of darkness to the destruction of Iraqis Army assets forever. We have in our hands thousands of documents which have been assessed over the past few months.
We will present these documents translated and will declare them internationally.
We reserve the right as Iraqis to bring to justice all the war criminals & the traitors like Chalabi, Allawi, Shalan, Bader, & the Peshmirga Militia.
Rafidan with the arms of it’s military factions will not fall short of bringing justice to those. For each Iraqi killed, we will kill ten of the invaders and the traitors.
This Criminal was eradicated, there was to be a film directed by Hollywood for this criminal’s adventures by orders from Bush.
Communiqué 1From the Political Committee – Rafidan(The Political Committee of the Mujahideen Central Command)
On the 14th of Safar 1426H, the 24th of March 2005M In the Name of God Most Merciful Most Graceful Congratulations to our Great Army
We congratulate you to the Demise of Dale C. Stoffel a CIA Shadow Manager in Iraq, and a close friend of George Bush. He is more important than Bremer and his lot of Generals. He was killed on the 8th of December 2004 after close monitoring of our moles on the hands of the Islamic Jihad Brigades. This was at the hour of 1630
He is the engineer of darkness to the destruction of Iraqis Army assets forever. We have in our hands thousands of documents which have been assessed over the past few months.
We will present these documents translated and will declare them internationally.
We reserve the right as Iraqis to bring to justice all the war criminals & the traitors like Chalabi, Allawi, Shalan, Bader, & the Peshmirga Militia.
Rafidan with the arms of it’s military factions will not fall short of bringing justice to those. For each Iraqi killed, we will kill ten of the invaders and the traitors.
This Criminal was eradicated, there was to be a film directed by Hollywood for this criminal’s adventures by orders from Bush.
Monday, April 04, 2005
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
AP: US 'Casualties' In Abu Ghraib Attack Now 44
Insurgents Big Attack On Iraq's Infamous Prison
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents detonated car bombs and fired rocket propelled grenades at the Abu Ghraib prison, injuring 44 U.S. forces after a period of declining attacks that had raised hopes the insurgency might be weakening. Lawmakers cast votes for parliament speaker Sunday in a session aimed at ending a deadlock.
Insurgents Big Attack On Iraq's Infamous Prison
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents detonated car bombs and fired rocket propelled grenades at the Abu Ghraib prison, injuring 44 U.S. forces after a period of declining attacks that had raised hopes the insurgency might be weakening. Lawmakers cast votes for parliament speaker Sunday in a session aimed at ending a deadlock.
IRAQ
Observer: Outburst By US Security Firm Attacked By Human Rights Groups
One of the biggest private security firms in Iraq has created outrage after a memo to staff claimed it is 'fun' to shoot people.
Emails seen by The Observer reveal that employees of Blackwater Security were recently sent a message stating that 'actually it is "fun" to shoot some people
One of the biggest private security firms in Iraq has created outrage after a memo to staff claimed it is 'fun' to shoot people.
Emails seen by The Observer reveal that employees of Blackwater Security were recently sent a message stating that 'actually it is "fun" to shoot some people
PEAK OIL
Reuters: Oil Hits New Record High Of $58 A Barrel
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Oil prices raced to a new all-time peak on Monday, climbing toward $58 a barrel as OPEC signaled it would discuss a second output rise to try to quell the market's relentless rally.
U.S. light crude hit a record $57.79 a barrel, surpassing Friday's high of $57.70, which was triggered by a forecast that prices could spike above $100 due to robust global demand and tight spare capacity.
At 10:01 p.m. EDT Sunday, U.S. crude was up 19 cents at $57.46.
"I would have thought prices would struggle to go much higher. The market fundamentals suggest lower prices," said Mark Pervan, an analyst with Daiwa Securities in Melbourne.
"I think they will struggle to get over $60 in the next couple of weeks -- that is a big psychological barrier."
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Oil prices raced to a new all-time peak on Monday, climbing toward $58 a barrel as OPEC signaled it would discuss a second output rise to try to quell the market's relentless rally.
U.S. light crude hit a record $57.79 a barrel, surpassing Friday's high of $57.70, which was triggered by a forecast that prices could spike above $100 due to robust global demand and tight spare capacity.
At 10:01 p.m. EDT Sunday, U.S. crude was up 19 cents at $57.46.
"I would have thought prices would struggle to go much higher. The market fundamentals suggest lower prices," said Mark Pervan, an analyst with Daiwa Securities in Melbourne.
"I think they will struggle to get over $60 in the next couple of weeks -- that is a big psychological barrier."
IRAN
Al Jazeera: Sleepwalking to disaster in Iran By Scott Ritter
Late last year, in the aftermath of the 2004 Presidential election, I was contacted by someone close to the Bush administration about the situation in Iraq.
There was a growing concern inside the Bush administration, this source said, about the direction the occupation wasgoing. The Bush administration was keen on achieving some semblance of stability in Iraq before June 2005, I was told.
When I asked why that date, the source dropped the bombshell: because that was when the Pentagon was told to be prepared to launch a massive aerial attack against Iran, Iraq's neighbour to the east, in order to destroy theIranian nuclear programme.
Late last year, in the aftermath of the 2004 Presidential election, I was contacted by someone close to the Bush administration about the situation in Iraq.
There was a growing concern inside the Bush administration, this source said, about the direction the occupation wasgoing. The Bush administration was keen on achieving some semblance of stability in Iraq before June 2005, I was told.
When I asked why that date, the source dropped the bombshell: because that was when the Pentagon was told to be prepared to launch a massive aerial attack against Iran, Iraq's neighbour to the east, in order to destroy theIranian nuclear programme.
SCIENCE
Independent: World On Brink Of Disaster, Say Top Scientists
Authoritative Study Has Found Disturbing Evidence Of Man-Made Degradation
Planet Earth stands on the cusp of disaster and people should no longer take it for granted that their children and grandchildren will survive in the environmentally degraded world of the 21st century. This is not the doom-laden talk of green activists but the considered opinion of 1,300 leading scientists from 95 countries who will today publish a detailed assessment of the state of the world at the start of the new millennium.
Authoritative Study Has Found Disturbing Evidence Of Man-Made Degradation
Planet Earth stands on the cusp of disaster and people should no longer take it for granted that their children and grandchildren will survive in the environmentally degraded world of the 21st century. This is not the doom-laden talk of green activists but the considered opinion of 1,300 leading scientists from 95 countries who will today publish a detailed assessment of the state of the world at the start of the new millennium.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
DEMOCRACY
Tompaine: The Democracy Lie by Juan Cole
President Bush and his supporters are taking credit for spreading freedom across the Middle East. Middle East expert Cole disputes the domino theory in the region and labels Iraq—at best—a failed state. Where changes are genuinely occurring they have nothing to do with the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
President Bush and his supporters are taking credit for spreading freedom across the Middle East. Middle East expert Cole disputes the domino theory in the region and labels Iraq—at best—a failed state. Where changes are genuinely occurring they have nothing to do with the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
EMPIRE
Prensa: Blockade to Cuba is Genocide, UN Rapporteur Asserts
Geneva, Mar 20 (Prensa Latina) The pugnacious blockade the US government has kept over Cuba for over four decades is a genocide, the United Nations for Food rapporteur Jean Ziegler has asserted here Sunday.
Ziegler, a renowned Swiss lawyer and sociologist, denounced this anti-Cuban policy as "a flagrant violation of human rights", adding that the US hostile policy had not caused more catastrophic damage on the Island because the Cuban government had given full priority to public health, feeding and education for people.
"The US runs after any business relationship Cuba sets with foreign enterprises from any given third country, interferes in any Cuban financial transaction and limits family remittances and visits," he denounced.
Geneva, Mar 20 (Prensa Latina) The pugnacious blockade the US government has kept over Cuba for over four decades is a genocide, the United Nations for Food rapporteur Jean Ziegler has asserted here Sunday.
Ziegler, a renowned Swiss lawyer and sociologist, denounced this anti-Cuban policy as "a flagrant violation of human rights", adding that the US hostile policy had not caused more catastrophic damage on the Island because the Cuban government had given full priority to public health, feeding and education for people.
"The US runs after any business relationship Cuba sets with foreign enterprises from any given third country, interferes in any Cuban financial transaction and limits family remittances and visits," he denounced.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Haaretz: Who will prevent the pogrom?
Last week, Palestinian laborers were attacked by settlers in what the Israel Defense Forces described as an "attempted lynching." At various locations throughout the West Bank, Jewish hooligans have used guns, iron bars and hammers in an attempt to ignite the territories.In one case, students of the Yeshuat Mordechai Yeshiva attacked five laborers who had come to work in the settlement of Nahliel with sticks and stones. In a second case, Nawaf Hanani of Nablus was beaten all over his body by armed settlers who forced him to get out of his truck. In a third case, Hebron settlers invaded an Arab house, attacked the residents and destroyed part of the ceiling with hammers. In all of these places, soldiers and policemen were in the vicinity. Granted, some of the assailants were arrested the same day, but they were later allowed to go home.
Last week, Palestinian laborers were attacked by settlers in what the Israel Defense Forces described as an "attempted lynching." At various locations throughout the West Bank, Jewish hooligans have used guns, iron bars and hammers in an attempt to ignite the territories.In one case, students of the Yeshuat Mordechai Yeshiva attacked five laborers who had come to work in the settlement of Nahliel with sticks and stones. In a second case, Nawaf Hanani of Nablus was beaten all over his body by armed settlers who forced him to get out of his truck. In a third case, Hebron settlers invaded an Arab house, attacked the residents and destroyed part of the ceiling with hammers. In all of these places, soldiers and policemen were in the vicinity. Granted, some of the assailants were arrested the same day, but they were later allowed to go home.
ONLINE VIDEO: GREG PALAST
ICH: Secret U.S. Plans For Iraq's Oil Spark Political Fight Between Neocons and Big Oil
In an explosive new report, investigative journalist Greg Palast charges that President Bush was planning to invade Iraq before the September 11th attacks and was considering two very different plans about what to do with Iraq's oil. The plans reportedly sparked a political fight between neoconservatives and big oil companies. Greg Palast joins us in our firehouse studio and we air his exclusive report, "Secret U.S. Plans For Iraq's Oil"
In an explosive new report, investigative journalist Greg Palast charges that President Bush was planning to invade Iraq before the September 11th attacks and was considering two very different plans about what to do with Iraq's oil. The plans reportedly sparked a political fight between neoconservatives and big oil companies. Greg Palast joins us in our firehouse studio and we air his exclusive report, "Secret U.S. Plans For Iraq's Oil"
EMPIRE
Mosnews: U.S. Using Anti-Terror War to Gain World Oil Reserves
On the pretext of fighting international terrorism the United States is trying to establish control over the world’s richest oil reserves, Leonid Shebarshin, ex-chief of the Soviet Foreign Intelligence Service, who heads the Russian National Economic Security Service consulting company, said in an interview for the Vremya Novostei newspaper.
On the pretext of fighting international terrorism the United States is trying to establish control over the world’s richest oil reserves, Leonid Shebarshin, ex-chief of the Soviet Foreign Intelligence Service, who heads the Russian National Economic Security Service consulting company, said in an interview for the Vremya Novostei newspaper.
Monday, March 14, 2005
LATIN AMERICA
ZMAG: Who's Afraid Of Venezuela-Cuba Alliance?
For a long time there was only one country in Latin America offering free health care to all its citizens. Now there are two. The governments of both countries regard health care as a basic human right. So Cuba, rich in health care, and Venezuela, rich in oil, have arranged a barter deal for the benefit of each population. This would seem to be a major historical example of beneficial free trade. Who could possibly object?
Well, Condoleezza Rice for one, who seems quite disturbed by this alliance. During an interview last October with the editorial board of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, then National Security Advisor Rice called President Hugo Chávez "a real problem." She said, "He will continue his contacts with Fidel Castro, maybe giving Castro one last fling to try to affect he politics of Latin America." Why is she so alarmed?
For a long time there was only one country in Latin America offering free health care to all its citizens. Now there are two. The governments of both countries regard health care as a basic human right. So Cuba, rich in health care, and Venezuela, rich in oil, have arranged a barter deal for the benefit of each population. This would seem to be a major historical example of beneficial free trade. Who could possibly object?
Well, Condoleezza Rice for one, who seems quite disturbed by this alliance. During an interview last October with the editorial board of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, then National Security Advisor Rice called President Hugo Chávez "a real problem." She said, "He will continue his contacts with Fidel Castro, maybe giving Castro one last fling to try to affect he politics of Latin America." Why is she so alarmed?
LEBANON
Counterpunch: Deeper Into the Quagmire by Paul Craig Roberts
How much longer can American prestige survive the embarrassments inflicted by President Bush?
Bush's demand that Syria immediately withdraw its troops from Lebanon is a ricochet demand. If Lebanon cannot have free elections while under foreign military occupation, how, asks the rest of the world, does Iraq have free elections when it is under US military occupation?
How much longer can American prestige survive the embarrassments inflicted by President Bush?
Bush's demand that Syria immediately withdraw its troops from Lebanon is a ricochet demand. If Lebanon cannot have free elections while under foreign military occupation, how, asks the rest of the world, does Iraq have free elections when it is under US military occupation?
LEBANON
Independent: Lebanon's Nightmare by Robert Fisk
Lebanon confronts nightmare today. As the Syrian army begins its withdrawal from the country this morning, after mounting pressure from President George Bush--whose anger at the Syrians has been provoked by the insurgency against American troops in Iraq--there are growing signs that the Syrian retreat is reopening the sectarian divisions of the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
"...The irony is extraordinary: 140,000 American troops occupy Iraq--we shall leave the Israeli occupation forces in Palestinian lands out of this equation--while their President demands the withdrawal of 14,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Democracy indeed!"
Lebanon confronts nightmare today. As the Syrian army begins its withdrawal from the country this morning, after mounting pressure from President George Bush--whose anger at the Syrians has been provoked by the insurgency against American troops in Iraq--there are growing signs that the Syrian retreat is reopening the sectarian divisions of the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
"...The irony is extraordinary: 140,000 American troops occupy Iraq--we shall leave the Israeli occupation forces in Palestinian lands out of this equation--while their President demands the withdrawal of 14,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Democracy indeed!"
PROPAGANDA WATCH
Saddam's Capture: Just Another Bush Lie?:
The account of American troops capturing Saddam and pulling him from his subterranean hovel has turned out to be just another Bush lie.
The account of American troops capturing Saddam and pulling him from his subterranean hovel has turned out to be just another Bush lie.
IRAQ: GUILIANA SGRENA
Independent: 'You are free. Come with me.' Then they shot him
Giuliana Sgrena, the Italian journalist held hostage in Iraq for a month, lies today in Rome's Celio military hospital recovering from the wounds she received when US troops fired into the car carrying her and her secret service liberator, Nicola Calipari, to Baghdad airport. In that short drive, Calipari died as he flung himself across her, saving her life for the second time that day. Here, for the first time in a British newspaper, she tells her full story in her own words
Giuliana Sgrena, the Italian journalist held hostage in Iraq for a month, lies today in Rome's Celio military hospital recovering from the wounds she received when US troops fired into the car carrying her and her secret service liberator, Nicola Calipari, to Baghdad airport. In that short drive, Calipari died as he flung himself across her, saving her life for the second time that day. Here, for the first time in a British newspaper, she tells her full story in her own words
US TORTURE
U.S. Marines Engaged in Mock Executions of Iraqi Juveniles
The documents the ACLU released today, describe substantiated incidents of torture and abuse by U.S. Marines, including:
-holding a pistol to the back of a detainee’s head while another Marine took a picture (Karbala, May 2003)
-ordering four Iraqi juveniles to kneel while a pistol was "discharged to conduct a mock execution" (Adiwaniyah, June 2003)
-severely burning a detainee’s hands by covering them in alcohol and igniting them (Al Mumudiyah, August 2003), and
-shocking a detainee with an electric transformer, causing the detainee to "dance" as he was shocked (Al Mumudiyah, April 2004). Continued
The documents the ACLU released today, describe substantiated incidents of torture and abuse by U.S. Marines, including:
-holding a pistol to the back of a detainee’s head while another Marine took a picture (Karbala, May 2003)
-ordering four Iraqi juveniles to kneel while a pistol was "discharged to conduct a mock execution" (Adiwaniyah, June 2003)
-severely burning a detainee’s hands by covering them in alcohol and igniting them (Al Mumudiyah, August 2003), and
-shocking a detainee with an electric transformer, causing the detainee to "dance" as he was shocked (Al Mumudiyah, April 2004). Continued
ISRAEL
Times: Revealed: Israel plans strike on Iranian nuclear plant
The inner cabinet of Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, gave “initial authorisation” for an attack at a private meeting last month on his ranch in the Negev desert.Continued
The inner cabinet of Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, gave “initial authorisation” for an attack at a private meeting last month on his ranch in the Negev desert.Continued
FALLUJAH VIDEO
Testimonies From Falluja
This video was created in Iraq by Hamodi Jasim of Al Qitaf Artistic Productions and brought to the world by independent Journalist Dahr Jamail . It contains exclusive footage from inside Falluja during the siege of the city, and interviews with Falluja residents. It is narrated in English by Dahr Jamail himself. 33 minutes, 7 seconds
This video was created in Iraq by Hamodi Jasim of Al Qitaf Artistic Productions and brought to the world by independent Journalist Dahr Jamail . It contains exclusive footage from inside Falluja during the siege of the city, and interviews with Falluja residents. It is narrated in English by Dahr Jamail himself. 33 minutes, 7 seconds
EURO VS. DOLLAR
Washingtonpost: Dollar Yo-Yos After Koizumi's 'Diversity' Remark
Once again, an Asian country -- this time, Japan -- hinted that its appetite for U.S. dollars might be waning. And once again, that prospect roiled global currency markets, highlighting concerns that the United States has grown too dependent on foreign capital.
The turbulence erupted yesterday when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asserted that Japan ought to consider diversifying the foreign currencies.
A tumble in the dollar against the euro ensued, prompting Japan's top economic policymakers to soothe markets with denials that any plan was afoot to unload greenbacks.
Once again, an Asian country -- this time, Japan -- hinted that its appetite for U.S. dollars might be waning. And once again, that prospect roiled global currency markets, highlighting concerns that the United States has grown too dependent on foreign capital.
The turbulence erupted yesterday when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asserted that Japan ought to consider diversifying the foreign currencies.
A tumble in the dollar against the euro ensued, prompting Japan's top economic policymakers to soothe markets with denials that any plan was afoot to unload greenbacks.
LEBANON
Rense: Hariri Assassinated To Make Way For US Air Base
by Wayne Madsen
According to high-level Lebanese intelligence sources-Christian and Muslim-former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was reportedly assassinated in a sophisticated explosion-by-wire bombing authorized by the Bush administration and Ariel Sharon's Likud government in Israel.
by Wayne Madsen
According to high-level Lebanese intelligence sources-Christian and Muslim-former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was reportedly assassinated in a sophisticated explosion-by-wire bombing authorized by the Bush administration and Ariel Sharon's Likud government in Israel.
MIDEAST
India Daily: Converging US NavyCarrier Groups In Mideast
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is on the move in Atlantic Ocean and is possibly headed towards the Mediterranean Sea. The convergence of three carrier groups in the corridor of the Middle East will send very strong message to the Syrians and Iranians. There are indications that soon US is moving two more aircraft carrier battle groups to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. This will spell a formidable strike force for Iran and Syria who are in defiance on issues of Lebanon and Nuclear weapons development.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is on the move in Atlantic Ocean and is possibly headed towards the Mediterranean Sea. The convergence of three carrier groups in the corridor of the Middle East will send very strong message to the Syrians and Iranians. There are indications that soon US is moving two more aircraft carrier battle groups to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. This will spell a formidable strike force for Iran and Syria who are in defiance on issues of Lebanon and Nuclear weapons development.
CIA ABDUCTIONS
Truthout: Europeans Investigate CIA Role in Abductions
By Craig Whitlock
The Washington Post
Suspects possibly taken to nations that torture.
Milan - A radical Egyptian cleric known as Abu Omar was walking to a Milan mosque for noon prayers in February 2003 when he was grabbed on the sidewalk by two men, sprayed in the face with chemicals and stuffed into a van. He hasn't been seen since. Milan investigators, however, now appear to be close to identifying his kidnappers. Last month, officials showed up at Aviano Air Base in northern Italy and demanded records of any American planes that had flown into or out of the joint U.S.-Italian military installation around the time of the abduction. They also asked for logs of vehicles that had entered the base.
Italian authorities suspect the Egyptian was the target of a CIA-sponsored operation known as rendition, in which terrorism suspects are forcibly taken for interrogation to countries where torture is practiced.
The Italian probe is one of three official investigations that have surfaced in the past year into renditions believed to have taken place in Western Europe. Although the CIA usually carries out the operations with the help or blessing of friendly local intelligence agencies, law enforcement authorities in Italy, Germany and Sweden are examining whether U.S. agents may have broken local laws by detaining terrorist suspects on European soil and subjecting them to abuse or maltreatment.
By Craig Whitlock
The Washington Post
Suspects possibly taken to nations that torture.
Milan - A radical Egyptian cleric known as Abu Omar was walking to a Milan mosque for noon prayers in February 2003 when he was grabbed on the sidewalk by two men, sprayed in the face with chemicals and stuffed into a van. He hasn't been seen since. Milan investigators, however, now appear to be close to identifying his kidnappers. Last month, officials showed up at Aviano Air Base in northern Italy and demanded records of any American planes that had flown into or out of the joint U.S.-Italian military installation around the time of the abduction. They also asked for logs of vehicles that had entered the base.
Italian authorities suspect the Egyptian was the target of a CIA-sponsored operation known as rendition, in which terrorism suspects are forcibly taken for interrogation to countries where torture is practiced.
The Italian probe is one of three official investigations that have surfaced in the past year into renditions believed to have taken place in Western Europe. Although the CIA usually carries out the operations with the help or blessing of friendly local intelligence agencies, law enforcement authorities in Italy, Germany and Sweden are examining whether U.S. agents may have broken local laws by detaining terrorist suspects on European soil and subjecting them to abuse or maltreatment.
MEDIA WATCH
Truthout: Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged Television News
By David Barstow and Robin Stein
The New York Times
It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.
"Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.," a jubilant Iraqi-American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad. A second report told of "another success" in the Bush administration's "drive to strengthen aviation security"; the reporter called it "one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history." A third segment, broadcast in January, described the administration's determination to open markets for American farmers.
To a viewer, each report looked like any other 90-second segment on the local news. In fact, the federal government produced all three. The report from Kansas City was made by the State Department. The "reporter" covering airport safety was actually a public relations professional working under a false name for the Transportation Security Administration. The farming segment was done by the Agriculture Department's office of communications.
CHECK IT
By David Barstow and Robin Stein
The New York Times
It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.
"Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.," a jubilant Iraqi-American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad. A second report told of "another success" in the Bush administration's "drive to strengthen aviation security"; the reporter called it "one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history." A third segment, broadcast in January, described the administration's determination to open markets for American farmers.
To a viewer, each report looked like any other 90-second segment on the local news. In fact, the federal government produced all three. The report from Kansas City was made by the State Department. The "reporter" covering airport safety was actually a public relations professional working under a false name for the Transportation Security Administration. The farming segment was done by the Agriculture Department's office of communications.
CHECK IT
CHINA
BBC: US Watches China Warily
By steps big and small, China is changing the balance of power in the world.
It is modernising its military and expanding its reach with mobile launchers that could fire missiles into the American north-west and a navy and air force that could operate well beyond its borders.
None of this has escaped the notice of the United States which is calculating how to respond to China's emergence as a strategic power.
By steps big and small, China is changing the balance of power in the world.
It is modernising its military and expanding its reach with mobile launchers that could fire missiles into the American north-west and a navy and air force that could operate well beyond its borders.
None of this has escaped the notice of the United States which is calculating how to respond to China's emergence as a strategic power.
GANNON/GOSH
Tom Flocco: Bless the Beasts and the Children
Photographer for White House child sex ring arrested after Thompson suicide
TomFlocco.com -- Photographer Russell E. "Rusty" Nelson was recently arrested two days after journalist Hunter Thompson reportedly committed suicide four weeks ago on February 10, according to two phone interviews with attorney John DeCamp last week. Nelson was allegedly employed by a former Republican Party activist to take pictures of current or retired U.S. House-Senate members and other prominent government officials engaging in sexual criminality by receiving or committing sodomy and other sex acts on children during the Reagan-Bush 41 administrations.
Photographer for White House child sex ring arrested after Thompson suicide
TomFlocco.com -- Photographer Russell E. "Rusty" Nelson was recently arrested two days after journalist Hunter Thompson reportedly committed suicide four weeks ago on February 10, according to two phone interviews with attorney John DeCamp last week. Nelson was allegedly employed by a former Republican Party activist to take pictures of current or retired U.S. House-Senate members and other prominent government officials engaging in sexual criminality by receiving or committing sodomy and other sex acts on children during the Reagan-Bush 41 administrations.
HEZBOLLAH
Rense: Understanding Hezbollah Of Lebanon by Sam Hamoud
It is time America understood Hezbollah for what it really is, not what the Israelis and their Zionist friends say it is. Unfortunately, our President, Bush, and Conde Rice, misunderstand, or prefer to remain ignorant of, the truth about Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a social, political, educational, medical and military organization based primarily among the Shi'a of Lebanon. In addition, Hezbollah also includes many Sunni and even Christians who ally themselves with Hezbollah because of the good this organization does in Lebanon. Many of the doctors who work in their centers, as well as teachers in their schools are Christian and Druze.
As the Christian President of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud said of Hezbollah, when it was under attack by Presiden Bush, "Hezbollah is an integral part of the Lebanese government, it is also part of our military, it part of our social order." This was echoed by the late, beloved, Prime Minister, Rafik Harriri.
This is the truth about Hezbollah; not what Bush and his Zionist cronies, and the uneducated Conde Rice has to say about the organization.
It is time America understood Hezbollah for what it really is, not what the Israelis and their Zionist friends say it is. Unfortunately, our President, Bush, and Conde Rice, misunderstand, or prefer to remain ignorant of, the truth about Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a social, political, educational, medical and military organization based primarily among the Shi'a of Lebanon. In addition, Hezbollah also includes many Sunni and even Christians who ally themselves with Hezbollah because of the good this organization does in Lebanon. Many of the doctors who work in their centers, as well as teachers in their schools are Christian and Druze.
As the Christian President of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud said of Hezbollah, when it was under attack by Presiden Bush, "Hezbollah is an integral part of the Lebanese government, it is also part of our military, it part of our social order." This was echoed by the late, beloved, Prime Minister, Rafik Harriri.
This is the truth about Hezbollah; not what Bush and his Zionist cronies, and the uneducated Conde Rice has to say about the organization.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
EMPIRE
Truthout: The Third Stage of American Empire By William Rivers Pitt
There have been three stages of American empire
since the creation of
this nation. Each has fed the other, and each has been
established and
fortified by war. More importantly, each has been fortified by the vast profits
derived by the few in the making of war. The first two stages did not
collapse, so much as they were absorbed by the next iteration, carrying
over all circumstances and attendant difficulties. We exist today within the
third stage of empire, one that is sick at the core.
There have been three stages of American empire
since the creation of
this nation. Each has fed the other, and each has been
established and
fortified by war. More importantly, each has been fortified by the vast profits
derived by the few in the making of war. The first two stages did not
collapse, so much as they were absorbed by the next iteration, carrying
over all circumstances and attendant difficulties. We exist today within the
third stage of empire, one that is sick at the core.
LEBANON/SYRIA
Backed into a corner and weaker than ever, but don't underestimate Bashar Assad : The sons of famous men often struggle to make their mark. And Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, is struggling more than most as he contemplates the loss of Lebanon and his country's increasing international isolation.
Syria to blame in Israel blast, U.S. declares:: White House press secretary Scott McClellan said, "We do have firm evidence that the bombing in Tel Aviv was not only authorized by Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in Damascus, but that Islamic Jihad leaders in Damascus participated in the planning."
Israel Welcomes Lebanese Uprising: Israel's foreign minister is hoping for peace with Lebanon in the wake of popular protests in Beirut demanding that Syria leave after decades of occupation, while others warn that a Syrian exit could destabilize the country.
Blair Warns Syria the World Is Watching : British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Syria that the world is watching its actions closely, adding to diplomatic pressure on Damascus as Washington steps up calls for Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon.
Bush Orders Syria Out of Lebanon : The world, Bush said, "is speaking with one voice when it comes to making sure that democracy has a chance to flourish in Lebanon."
Syria puts timetable on pullout: UNDER intense US pressure, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has committed his country to pulling its troops out of neighbouring Lebanon within "the next few months".
Lebanon's Hariri Killed To Make a 'Clean Break'? : The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, in Beirut on Feb. 14, was a carefully planned and executed act, geared to trigger a chain reaction of events in the region, that would conform with the long-standing policy of the neo-conservative junta running Washington.
Syria to blame in Israel blast, U.S. declares:: White House press secretary Scott McClellan said, "We do have firm evidence that the bombing in Tel Aviv was not only authorized by Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in Damascus, but that Islamic Jihad leaders in Damascus participated in the planning."
Israel Welcomes Lebanese Uprising: Israel's foreign minister is hoping for peace with Lebanon in the wake of popular protests in Beirut demanding that Syria leave after decades of occupation, while others warn that a Syrian exit could destabilize the country.
Blair Warns Syria the World Is Watching : British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Syria that the world is watching its actions closely, adding to diplomatic pressure on Damascus as Washington steps up calls for Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon.
Bush Orders Syria Out of Lebanon : The world, Bush said, "is speaking with one voice when it comes to making sure that democracy has a chance to flourish in Lebanon."
Syria puts timetable on pullout: UNDER intense US pressure, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has committed his country to pulling its troops out of neighbouring Lebanon within "the next few months".
Lebanon's Hariri Killed To Make a 'Clean Break'? : The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, in Beirut on Feb. 14, was a carefully planned and executed act, geared to trigger a chain reaction of events in the region, that would conform with the long-standing policy of the neo-conservative junta running Washington.
ISRAEL VS. SYRIA
Al-Jazeera: US Gives Israel 'Go-Ahead'To Strike Syria
Bush's administration gave Israel the go-ahead to attack Syria in retaliation to Tel Aviv bombing that took place last weekend, killing 5 Israelis, the Hebrew daily 'Yediot Ahronot' reported.
Also, the U.S. didn't ask Tel Aviv to exercise self restraint, as in past cases vis-à-vis the Palestinian commando raids, the newspaper added.
'Yediot Ahronot', moreover, said that the Israeli ambassador to Washington discussed with a senior U.S. official intelligence information obtained by the Israeli intelligence service claiming that Jihad Resistance Movement had masterminded the Tel Aviv blast from inside Damascus
"If Syria is to blame for the bombing because Israel says it was planned in Damascus what about attacks planned in the West?"
Bush's administration gave Israel the go-ahead to attack Syria in retaliation to Tel Aviv bombing that took place last weekend, killing 5 Israelis, the Hebrew daily 'Yediot Ahronot' reported.
Also, the U.S. didn't ask Tel Aviv to exercise self restraint, as in past cases vis-à-vis the Palestinian commando raids, the newspaper added.
'Yediot Ahronot', moreover, said that the Israeli ambassador to Washington discussed with a senior U.S. official intelligence information obtained by the Israeli intelligence service claiming that Jihad Resistance Movement had masterminded the Tel Aviv blast from inside Damascus
"If Syria is to blame for the bombing because Israel says it was planned in Damascus what about attacks planned in the West?"
ISLAM
Al-Jazeera: Why The West Lost The Ideological War Vs Muslims
"The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do." - Samuel P. Huntington
During his visit to Europe, George Bush emphasised to his European hosts that spreading freedom and democracy was the only way of defeating terrorism in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. His remarks echo a familiar tenet of his presidency - freedom triumphing over terrorism.
But, by coining the struggle as freedom versus terrorism, the Bush administration has avoided answering some pertinent questions like - What is terrorism? Who are the terrorists? Who is the enemy in the eyes of Bush and his acolytes the neo-conservatives?
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"The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do." - Samuel P. Huntington
During his visit to Europe, George Bush emphasised to his European hosts that spreading freedom and democracy was the only way of defeating terrorism in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. His remarks echo a familiar tenet of his presidency - freedom triumphing over terrorism.
But, by coining the struggle as freedom versus terrorism, the Bush administration has avoided answering some pertinent questions like - What is terrorism? Who are the terrorists? Who is the enemy in the eyes of Bush and his acolytes the neo-conservatives?
CHECK IT
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
MISSILE SHIELD
Toronto Star: Standing up to U.S. will gain us respect abroad
It's now clear how the Bush administration sees things: Canadian sovereignty exists only at its pleasure. If we do what Washington wants, we retain our sovereignty. If we don't, all bets are off.This is what U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci clarified last week in his angered response to Paul Martin's announcement that Canada won't join the U.S. missile defence scheme. Cellucci noted that Washington would simply deploy its anti-missile system over Canadian airspace anyway, and expressed puzzlement over Canada's decision to "in effect, give up its sovereignty."No doubt the Soviets felt similar puzzlement as they rolled into Czechoslovakia in 1968. What's with these crazy Czechs? Don't they get it? All they have to do is co-operate with Moscow and they can retain their "sovereignty."
It's now clear how the Bush administration sees things: Canadian sovereignty exists only at its pleasure. If we do what Washington wants, we retain our sovereignty. If we don't, all bets are off.This is what U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci clarified last week in his angered response to Paul Martin's announcement that Canada won't join the U.S. missile defence scheme. Cellucci noted that Washington would simply deploy its anti-missile system over Canadian airspace anyway, and expressed puzzlement over Canada's decision to "in effect, give up its sovereignty."No doubt the Soviets felt similar puzzlement as they rolled into Czechoslovakia in 1968. What's with these crazy Czechs? Don't they get it? All they have to do is co-operate with Moscow and they can retain their "sovereignty."
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
HAITI
Independent: Death of a democracy
Gangs of killers roam freely, rape is systematic and the poor eat mud to survive. In Port-au-Prince, Andrew Buncombe finds a people crushed by the dark hand of US foreign policy
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Gangs of killers roam freely, rape is systematic and the poor eat mud to survive. In Port-au-Prince, Andrew Buncombe finds a people crushed by the dark hand of US foreign policy
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PALESTINE
ifamericansknew.org: US-Israel-Palestine Statistics
1,046 Israelis and 3,590 Palestinians have been killed since September 29, 2000.
7,126 Israelis and 28,497 Palestinians have been injured since September 29, 2000.
0 Israeli homes have been demolished by Palestinians and 4,170 Palestinian homes have been demolished by Israel since September 29, 2000.
CHECK THIS SITE
1,046 Israelis and 3,590 Palestinians have been killed since September 29, 2000.
7,126 Israelis and 28,497 Palestinians have been injured since September 29, 2000.
0 Israeli homes have been demolished by Palestinians and 4,170 Palestinian homes have been demolished by Israel since September 29, 2000.
CHECK THIS SITE
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