JANUARY 31-26, 03 Archives

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"
As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it." Job4:8



Mandela says Bush 'ready to plunge the world into a holocaust  31 Jan 2003 JOHANNESBURG - The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela has lashed out at George W. Bush and Tony Blair, suggesting their Iraq policies may be in part based on racism. In a speech in Johannesburg, the former president of South Africa was dismissive of Bush, saying he is "a president who has no foresight and cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust. "Who are they now to pretend that they are the policemen of the world, the ones that should decide for the people of Iraq what should be done with their government and their leadership?" he said. Mandela said Americans should rise up in protest against the president's stand on Iraq. He also accused Bush and Blair of treating the United Nations with contempt and asked whether that's because Secretary General Kofi Annan is a black man. cbc.ca / military buildup 

Bush’s State of the Union speech: the war fever of a ruling elite in crisis 31 January 2003 By the Editorial Board The State of the Union speech delivered by George Bush to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night reflected a government in deep crisis. The war fever in the chamber and Bush’s litany of lies and threats created the impression of a ruling elite that feels itself under siege and overwhelmed by economic contradictions it barely comprehends. Bush speaks for a regime that is going to war in the hope that it can somehow extricate itself from its crisis by means of military aggression and the seizure of Persian Gulf oil. wsws.org

FReep This - How the right-wing is making itself heard January 31, 2003 Joyce Slaton Something strange happened during the 2000 Gore-Bush election fiasco you may have missed. CNN, which was running 24-hour special election coverage, hosted a program with conservative columnist Bob Novak shortly after the disputed election results were returned. Novak was adamant that Al Gore should quit trying to steal the election and concede. To bolster his point, he brought up the results of CNN.com's public-opinion poll "Should Al Gore concede?" Poll results showed that a full 89 percent of the thousands of people who had visited CNN.com and voted had agreed -- Gore should give up the ghost. But had the American people really spoken? Or was this poll FReeped? sfgate.com

U.S. Economy Slows to 0.7 Percent Rate January 31, 2003 By Jeannine Aversa WASHINGTON –– The U.S. economy slowed dramatically in the final quarter of last year, growing at a annual rate of just 0.7 percent as consumers turned cautious in the face of war worries, a rollercoaster stock market and a stagnant job climate and increased their spending by the smallest amount since 1993.  washingtonpost.com

WELCOME TO AMERISRAELISTAN Observations on the transformation of American Democracy into the prospectus for Hell January 31 2002 by Chad Powers  America is apparently going to War, embarking on God knows what deadly future for us all. We are preparing our troops and planes to rush across the world to slaughter those that dare to resist American Might and Will, killing them -- with mechanical drones and robots of all sorts -- in the name of Truth and Liberty. It is explained to us by the web of propagandists throughout our cultural matrix that too many crazy Arabs don't like "freedom" -- they are jealous of our whorehouses and criminal drug barons, urban murder rates, increasing school illiteracy, media monopolies, widening gap between rich and poor, stuffed prisons, moral decadence, public condemnation of religious faith, consumerist zombi-ism, endemic alienation and estrangement, and TV's celebration of mindless decadence and hedonism. jewishtribalreview.org

Bush Runs Into Republican and Democratic Resistance on His Medicare Reform Proposal January 30, 2003 SCOTT LINDLAW President Bush ran into GOP and Democratic resistance to his Medicare reform proposal Wednesday, with even White House allies saying they were confused about what the president intended to propose and a key Republican pledging to block the plan. 'We fulfilled our promise to the seniors of America,'" Bush said. He offered no details, but even as he spoke, on Capitol Hill there was growing criticism of Bush's proposal. Democrats and some consumer groups contended the plan would deny the elderly the doctors of their choice by forcing them into HMOs if they wanted prescription drug coverage. "His proposal is really a benefit for HMOs," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. lubbockonline.com

Bush's scorched-earth march through California January 30, 2003 By Katharine Mieszkowski The feds are ramping up their assault on the environment -- and the cash-strapped state is finding it hard to fight back. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In the middle of a $36 billion state budget crisis, California state legislators convened a special hearing on Monday afternoon at the capital to address another state disaster: President Bush's Hum-Vee assault on California's environmental policies. "Not since General Sherman's march on Georgia has the federal government been so aggressive with a state, and we're not even at war with them," state Attorney General Bill Lockyer testified before members of the Assembly's natural resources committee. salon.com

ACLU Says New Intelligence Umbrella Agency Poses Serious Questions January 30, 2003 WASHINGTON - In response to President Bush’s announcement last night that he will integrate federal intelligence units under one umbrella agency headed by the Central Intelligence Agency, the American Civil Liberties Union today expressed concern that the initiative would put the CIA back in the business of spying on Americans. aclu.org

Big Oil pushes the White House for a war with Iraq January 30, 2003 Never has there been a better time to be an oil baron. The car-owning masses of the world pay whatever it takes to fill their tanks. The money flows so freely it can buy and sell even the most destructive environmental policy. And if interests are threatened, just ask your old friend George to rally the troops and march into war. We'd just like to ask: after US$200 billion and unknown military and civilian casualties, will the world be a safer place? Or just an even better place to be an oil baron? greenpeace.org

Stocks and dollar fall after Bush speech January 29, 2003 The US dollar and Asian stock markets fell after US President George W Bush said "crucial hours may lie ahead" for US troops in the Gulf. Oil and gold prices remained steady. All over the world, financial markets had been in the doldrums in the days leading up to Mr Bush's speech. In Tokyo, shares dropped to an 11-week low on worries that military conflict in the Gulf was imminent. "We are close to war in Iraq and the North Korea issue remains unsolved. "Investors are worried these problems will hurt the global economy and are selling stocks," said Yoshihisa Okamoto, senior vice president at Fuji Investment Management. In South Korea, shares fell to 15-month lows, while the market in Singapore hit lows not seen since September 2001. bbc.co.uk

President to Propose New Faith-Based Initiative in State of the Union; ACLU Says Plan Would Jeopardize Quality of Care for Neediest Americans January 29, 2003 The President’s State of the Union address included a request for Congress to fund a new voucher program for religious social service providers, the American Civil Liberties Union today said that the White House plan would dramatically diminish the quality of care for beneficiaries. "By all accounts, this is just another plank in the President’s unpopular faith-based initiative being pushed through by executive fiat," said Christopher Anders, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. "What’s worse though is that this new scheme would force the neediest Americans to potentially submit to substandard treatment by unlicensed amateurs." aclu.org

Disability Groups Protest Nominee to Federal Appeals Court; Point to Sutton's Activism in Rolling Back Federal Disability, Civil Rights Protections January 29, 2003 National Coalition for Disability Rights, Web site: http://www.adawatch.org News Advisory: The National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) is an alliance of more than 500 national, state, and local disability organizations joined to protect and strengthen the civil rights of people with disabilities. NCDR's ADA Watch has united hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals in opposition to the confirmation of Jeffrey Sutton to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and has organized opposition events in Washington, D.C. and in Columbus, Ohio. NCDR's president, Jim Ward explains: "Sutton's career has been highlighted by aggressive -- and often successful -- efforts to dismantle federal disability rights and civil rights protections. He has actively worked to weaken Federal protections for people with disabilities, minorities, seniors, women victims of violence, Medicaid recipients and others. Sutton -- like too many of the Bush judicial nominees -- has targeted the New Deal, the Great Society, Medicaid, the ADA, Olmstead, and the authority of a democratically elected Congress to legislate remedies when petitioned by American citizens." usnewswire.com

"Shock and Awe": Guernica Revisited
January 28, 2003 By Gar Smith Forget Osama. Forget Saddam. The Pentagon's newest target is the city of Baghdad. US military strategists have announced a plan to pummel the Iraqi capital with as many as 800 cruise missiles in the space of two days. If George W. Bush gets the war he wants, Baghdad could become the 21st Century's Guernica. On April 26, 1937, 25 Nazi bombers dropped 100,000 pounds of bombs and incendiaries on the peaceful Basque village. Seventy percent of the town was destroyed and 1,500 people, a third of the population, were killed. The Pentagon now predicts that its Baghdad blitzkrieg could approximate the devastation of a nuclear explosion. "The sheer size of this has never been... contemplated before," one Pentagon strategist boasted to CBS News. "There will not be a safe place in Baghdad," a city of 5 million people. alternet.org

Israel's Kill's One Palestinian Every Two Hours. No Serious Objections January 28, 2003 The Palestine Monitor "The Israelis have now killed 24 Palestinians in the last 48 hours - an average of one Palestinian every two hours - with no serious objections coming from the international community," said Palestinian human rights activist Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, speaking from Ramallah today. "This silence in the face of such whole-scale slaughter is simply unconscionable." Yesterday Israeli forces launched a deadly raid on Gaza - killing 12 Palestinians and injuring 65 (five of whom are in intensive care) -- just two days before the Israeli election. The incursion was the deepest in years, with Israeli troops nearly reaching Palestine Square, in the center of Gaza City. More than 100 buildings were demolished by the Israelis when they invaded using about 50 tanks, armoured vehicles and helicopters. Soon after the attack on Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that Israel was considering a complete reoccupation of Gaza. Hours later, in Rafah. a seven-year-old Palestinian boy, Ali Talab Aziz, was murdered by an Israeli soldier who opened fire at him from a tank; his five-year-old bother Ala was wounded in the attack. According to eyewitnesses, Ali and his bother were playing in front of their house when Israeli tanks suddenly started firing randomly at civilians in the neighborhood. The eyewitnesses said that the soldiers appeared to be aiming to kill. members.cox.net

More Than 1,000 Historians Announce National Antiwar Network  Jan. 28, 2003 (AScribe Newswire) CHICAGO, -- At the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association in January, historians from more than forty colleges and universities agreed to form a new national network, "Historians Against the War." A committee was appointed to draft the following statement, which has been circulated for other historians to sign: We historians call for a halt to the march towards war against Iraq. We are deeply concerned about the needless destruction of human life, the undermining of constitutional government in the U.S., the egregious curtailment of civil liberties and human rights at home and abroad, and the obstruction of world peace for the indefinite future. Since that meeting, more than one thousand historians, from 250 colleges and universities in 47 states, have endorsed the HAW statement. ascribe.org

Whither Colin Powell? January 28, 2003 BY ROBERT NOVAK Because Colin Powell has been relied upon to impede the nation's march to war in Iraq, apprehensive Republicans were startled last week by his suddenly bellicose rhetoric. So were investors, and they sent the Dow Jones average into a 238-point swoon Friday. Yet, the secretary of state had not yet joined the war hawks pressing for the military overthrow of Saddam Hussein. suntimes.com

Europe urges restraint, but Bush knows best January 28, 2003 By ERIC MARGOLIS Time's European edition asked its readers what nation posed the greatest threat to world peace. Of the 268,000 respondents (as of this writing), 7.8% replied North Korea, 8.9% named Iraq and a shocking 83.3% said the United States. Good work, President Bush. The Time poll mirrors feeling around the globe, with the exceptions of Israel and Britain. American neo-conservatives, however, will dismiss this poll as just another example of European wimpiness, irrelevance and anti-American prejudice. So will George Bush and his hawkish entourage, who have made it plain they don't care what the rest of the world thinks so long as America and Israel get their way. canoe.ca

U.S. Offers Turkey $4 Billion January 28, 2003 By ALAN FRIEDMAN and THOMAS CRAMPTON DAVOS, Switzerland, The United States, seeking to ensure Turkish military cooperation in any war against Iraq, is offering at least $4 billion to compensate Turkey for economic damage it might suffer as a result of playing an active role in an American-led coalition. "If Turkey helps us in the war, we want to help Turkey with the economic consequences of its role in that war," a senior American official said today. Separately, a top international financial official said today that Washington was offering "at least $4 billion, and possibly a great deal more over a period of three years." nytimes.com

Poll: War with Iraq January 28, 2003 Tell us what you think about President George W. Bush and the possibility of war with Iraq. Click the “Vote” button at the bottom to submit your results and see others’ response msnbc.com

In Britain, War Concern Grows Into Resentment of U.S. January 28, 2003 By Glenn Frankel LONDON Anxiety Over Attack on Iraq Moves to Political Mainstream. In a recently televised satire here titled "Between Iraq and a Hard Place," George W. Bush is depicted as an idiot who can't seem to grasp why Saddam Hussein isn't cooperating with the U.S. timetable for war. American democracy is defined as "where there are two candidates and the one with the most votes loses," and Britain's role in the forthcoming military campaign is starkly simple: "What is it that the Americans want from us?" asks a British official. "From us?" replies an army general. "Dead bodies." washingtonpost.com

Big Brother getting bigger January 28, 2003 By JULIE MASON President presides over burgeoning government, aggravated by concerns over security after 9/11. Addressing the delegates more than two years ago at the Republican National Convention, President Bush invoked a line that had become a sort of mantra. "Big government is not the answer," he said. Now, just past the midway point of his first term in office, Bush is presiding over the largest, most expensive -- and, some would say, most intrusive -- federal government in history. chron.com

Iraq accuses Powell of 'series of lies' January 28, 2003 Foreign ministers says co-operation with UN has been complete BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Iraqi foreign minister today accused U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell of a "series of lies" alleging Iraq has not cooperated with U.N. arms monitors, and said he hoped the chief inspectors would deliver an "objective" report later in the day. thestar.com

Daschle accuses Bush of lying over economy Jan. 28, 2003 By P. Mitchell Prothero (UPI) President Bush has been "saying all the right things, but doing very few of them," since Sept. 11, 2001, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said Monday. Daschle and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also find the Bush administration wanting on other key issues. Speaking to reporters for the Democrat view of the State of the Union before Bush's Tuesday speech, the congressional leaders laid out what they call a series of broken promises by the president and the failure of his economic policies. "While promising relief to hard-pressed middle-class families, the White House delivers a reward to wealthy investors," Daschle said of the Bush economic proposal. "While promising to bring new accountability and responsibility to government, the White House runs up huge deficits - and then blames it on the war." "While promising to protect the homeland, the White House blocks billions of dollars to fund first responders and other homeland security priorities. While promising to promote diversity, the White House files a lawsuit to prevent a university from achieving it," he added. Pelosi called upon Bush to meet the promise of his own rhetoric on how to handle an economy that Democrats say has floundered under his stewardship. "For the millions of Americans who do not have jobs, or do not have health insurance, or even have seen their retirement savings disappear, their state of the union is anxious," she said. "They do not want to hear lofty rhetoric from the president. They want jobs. They want real solutions to our pressing challenges and a real strategy to make our economy stronger and our nation more secure." upi.com

Syrians brand Bush 'butcher' in protest January 28, 2003 DAMASCUS: Thousands of Syrians, branding US President George W Bush a "butcher", on Monday protested in the streets of Damascus against a possible US military strike against fellow Arab nation Iraq. The demonstrators gathered in front of a United Nations office in the Syrian capital hours before a deadline for a report by UN arms inspectors on Iraq's cooperation in their hunt for weapons of mass destruction. The protesters chanted slogans, calling Bush a "criminal and a butcher" and demanding Washington ditch its "plan" to attack Iraq. "We sacrifice our souls and blood for Iraq," chanted young demonstrators. "America wants to dominate us, it wants to weaken us and to destroy Iraq to control its oil," said student Housam Halabi, echoing a view shared by many Syrians and Arabs. jang.com

Dow Dips Below 8,000 In Advance Of Bush Speech January 28, 2003 By AMY BALDWIN NEW YORK (AP) - War fears roiled Wall Street on Monday, pushing the Dow Jones industrials below 8,000 for the first time in three months. Investors unloaded stock as U.N. weapons inspectors reported that Iraq was failing to cooperate with searches for weapons of mass destruction. Investors were also cautious ahead of President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday. The Dow closed down 141.45 points, or 1.7 percent, at 7,989.56, according to preliminary calculations. The blue chips last traded below 8,000 on Oct. 15 and last closed below that level Oct. 14, when they stood at 7,877.40. kolotv.com

US faces record budget deficits, new spending cuts 28 January 2003 By Patrick Martin US budget director Mitchell Daniels said that the Bush administration expected the federal budget deficit to shoot past the $200 billion mark during the current fiscal year. He predicted it would hit $300 billion next year, the largest amount in US history. Both figures exclude the impact of a war with Iraq. Daniels released these estimates during a question-and-answer session after he appeared before the US Chamber of Commerce to lobby for the administration’s proposed $674 billion tax cut, largely targeted to the wealthy. He added that the Office of Management and Budget was now projecting budget deficits for the next decade—a stark contrast to the fiscal position when Bush entered the White House two years ago. wsws.org

Vatican Criticism Of War Plans Chills Relations With U.S. January 27, 2003 By JOHN L. ALLEN JR. John Paul II repeatedly pleaded for peace over the Christmas holidays, joining his voice to his senior aides who for months have been expressing increasingly strident opposition to a U.S.-led military attack on Iraq. Though the pope only once mentioned Iraq by name, he used the platform offered by the holiday events to deliver a pointed antiwar message. Senior Vatican officials, meanwhile, have been far more blunt, complaining about U.S. “unilateralism” and warning that an American strike in the Middle East would arouse anger across the Islamic world. members.cox

World rebels against America
January 27, 2003 HAROON SIDDIQUI DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Having positioned enough U.S. troops and equipment all around this Persian Gulf neighbourhood, George W. Bush can launch a war on Iraq any time, with or without United Nations' approval. But he has already lost the political war. That came through loud and clear in my journey through Europe, the Middle East and Asia in the last three weeks. It should become evident to North Americans in the days ahead. Tomorrow, the United Nations arms inspectors will call for a continuation of their work to disarm Iraq peacefully. On Tuesday, Bush will deliver his State of the Union address and be applauded on Capitol Hill and in the obeisant American and copycat neo-con Canadian media. But around the world, his words likely will bring public derision, so eroded is American credibility. A similar fate awaits the promised American "evidence" against Iraq. On Wednesday, when the Security Council meets, France, assisted by Germany, will lead Russia, China and others in resisting American calls for a U.N. mandate for war. For the first time in its history, the council may be confronted with an anti-American resolution. thestar.com

Bush's popularity hits low 27 January 2003, President George W Bush's popularity has hit its lowest point since he took office, shows a poll released amid signs of slackening public support for a war with Iraq. Of those polled in the US, 59 per cent said the United States should give UN weapons inspectors "several more months" to do their jobs in Iraq before Bush makes a military move, according to a poll conducted by Newsweek. US allies Germany and France expressed similar sentiments this week. theage.com

In Just Two Weeks, Rumsfeld Insults, Disparages and Demeans Veterans, the French, the Germans and the Joint Chiefs of Staff: January 27, 2003 By BUZZFLASH The Ship of Fools is Running Our Ship of State. There he is, our macho Secretary of Defense trash talking the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a Washington Times story (see http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030124-14721132.htm). He's piling it on now. Just a short time ago, he trash talked soldiers who had, in the past, been drafted into the military, implying that they were an inferior kind of cannon fodder. Then, Rumsfeld, following the Bush Cartel "My Way or the Highway -- I Am Never Wrong" credo, issued a non-apology apology. Like Trent Lott, he was sorry if people "misinterpreted" his remarks. In short, he wasn't sorry about what he said about draftees. If you fought for your country in the rice paddies of Vietnam and misunderstood Rummy, it's your problem. Let's see, in two weeks, he's managed to insult and anger men who fought for America in Vietnam and other wars (unlike Bush and Cheney who ran yellow from fighting in Vietnam), impugn the capabilities of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and tick off the two largest nations in Europe. That's quite an accomplishment, even for the oversized brazen egos of the Bush Cartel. I mean, Clinton would have been ousted from office for any of these three statements, but our Little Caesar, Bush, has full confidence in his Rummy. buzzflash.com

Oil price soars as American stocks shrink 27 January 2003 By Leo Lewis, Markets Editor US stocks of crude oil, one of the crucial factors in setting global prices, have plunged close to a 30-year low and threaten to further destabilise a market now in turmoil. Oil prices, now soaring above $33 (£22) a barrel, have been pushed sky-high as traders and producers react to strikes in Venezuela and the threat of war in Iraq. But while both of those threats contribute to the so-called war premium built into crude prices, City analysts argue that the fundamentals behind oil are in serious trouble. independent.co.uk

A Movement of Truth Covered Up by Media Lies 01/27/03 By Mike Kress There have been plenty of articles and photos posted on independent and corporate media websites where the protests of last weekend are concerned. What I wish to discuss here is how the corporate media are lying more about the demonstrations in Washington DC than about any other demonstration I've attended. To hear or see numbers like 10,000 or 30,000 or "tens of thousands" used by the media in connection with the DC event is to witness nothing less than a blatant Orwellian lie. It is a slap in the face to every man, woman and child who attended - as well as those who wanted to but could not. It's a sad time for truth and democracy, and the lies of the corporate media demand nothing less than an utter dismantling and reconstruction of the US press. liberalslant.com

Bush's Solution to Economic Woes
January 27, 2003 D. Grant Haynes As in most else supply-sider Bush and his economic advisers have done to "stimulate" the economy, the 2001 tax package was weighted heavily in favor of the wealthy on the basis of the so-called "trickle down" theory of economics. The trickle down idea is, of course, that if you put more money into the pockets of excessively prosperous investment capitalists at the top of the heap--those who live off their dividends and the labors of others--they will, in turn, make more investment capital available to open more shops, expand more enterprises, and hire more drudges at the bottom of the heap, thereby stimulating the economy. The trickle down theory of economics apparently doesn't work as well in the real world as on paper in the president's rarefied world of excess and privilege... enter.net

Evidence piles up against TV guru Martha Stewart January 27: The legal net was closing around America's domestic diva Martha Stewart yesterday, after investigators claimed they had "sufficient information" to file charges against her. guardian.co.uk/usa This pampered pet person, this house cat of a human being will be inconvenienced momentarily by our little laws. She has become a billionaire making flower arrangements on TV,  yet millions of noble Americans perform veritable miracles on a daily basis for slaves wages and do not even have medical insurance for themselves and their families. Paradoxically, we ridicule India for their beloved sacred cows and monkeys existing well fed amidst their starving people. editor

US considering nuking Iraq 26 January 2003 The United States is considering using nuclear weapons in a possible future war against Iraq to destroy underground command posts and stop Iraqi forces from using weapons of mass destruction, a top US private military expert warned. Citing multiple sources, William Arkin said plans for using nuclear weapons against Iraq are being fleshed out at the US Strategic Command in Omaha, Nebraska; inside planning offices of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon and at an "undisclosed location" in Pennsylvania where US Vice-President Dick Cheney used to spend time during terrorism alerts. theage.com.au

Jobs Woes Worsening, New Analysis Shows Jan. 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The news on the jobs front is bad and getting worse, according to a new analysis by EPI's Research Co-Director Jared Bernstein. That report, "The Jobless Recovery," presents a stark picture of the continuing weakening in the U.S. labor market which, despite claims that a recovery is underway, is plagued by mounting job losses and lengthening unemployment. "As far as the job market is concerned, the recession drags on," said Bernstein. "The Bush Administration and Congress need to appreciate the urgency of this situation and quickly enact an economic plan that makes jobs the first and immediate priority." Bernstein's report, which examines and compares trends over the past two years, notes: -- The jobless rolls have expanded by 2.8 million since the fourth quarter of 2000, the most recent economic peak. -- There are now 2.1 million fewer private sector jobs than there were at the end of 2000. Payrolls contracted not only over the recessionary year of 2001, but also over the purported recovery year of 2002. -- The decline in private sector jobs at this point in the recovery is greater than in any of the past three recessions/recoveries. usnewswire.com

Why Bush is sunk without Europe January 26, 2003 Will Hutton Even while George Bush growls out his bellicose message, his country has never been in such an enfeebled state WHEN THE STOCK market falls for a record 10 consecutive days, as it just has done, you take notice. Falls like these are usually the portent of something bad, even calamitous, ahead. The worry is obvious; Bush's intentions on Iraq could have potentially disastrous economic repercussions. The US's economic position is far too vulnerable to allow it to go war without cast-iron multilateral support that could underpin it economically as well as diplomatically and militarily. The multi-lateralism Bush scorns is, in truth, an economic necessity. America may be a superpower that spends more on defence than the next nine countries combined and is preparing to increase defence spending this year by an enormous $48 billion, equivalent to Britain's entire defence budget, but it is a strategic position built on economic sand. observer.co.uk

Dollar Falls A Record Ninth Day Against The Euro On War Concern January 26, 2003 By Heather Bandur New York, Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar fell for a record ninth straight day against the euro on concern the U.S. will lead an attack against Iraq, hurting foreign demand for assets in the world's biggest economy. The U.S. currency weakened to a three-year low of $1.08 per euro at 10:09 a.m. in New York from $1.0745 yesterday, and has dropped every day since Jan. 14, the longest losing streak since the 12-nation currency started trading four years ago. The dollar lost 1.2 percent against the euro this week. A war to disarm Iraq may damp economic growth and make it harder for the U.S. to attract the $1.4 billion a day in foreign investment it needs to offset its current-account shortfall, the broadest measure of international trade, some analysts said. members.cox.net

800 missiles to hit Iraq in first 48 hours
January 26 2003 By Andrew West
The US intends to shatter Iraq "physically, emotionally and psychologically" by raining down on its people as many as 800 cruise missiles in two days. The Pentagon battle plan aims not only to crush Iraqi troops, but also wipe out power and water supplies in the capital, Baghdad. It is based on a strategy known as "Shock and Awe", conceived at the National Defense University in Washington, in which between 300 and 400 cruise missiles would fall on Iraq each day for two consecutive days. It would be more than twice the number of missiles launched during the entire 40 days of the 1991 Gulf War. "There will not be a safe place in Baghdad," a Pentagon official told America's CBS News after a briefing on the plan. "The sheer size of this has never been seen before, never been contemplated before." The plan has emerged just as American diplomats at the United Nations hinted that the US Administration might be willing to give UN weapons inspectors another month to complete their task. Chief inspector Hans Blix is due to report back to the UN on Tuesday. President George Bush has been displaying increasing impatience with the pace of inspections and is eager to start the bombing. smh.com.au

Pentagon eyes mass graves
Option would fight contamination after bioterror deaths By Greg Seigle The bodies of U.S. soldiers killed by chemical or biological weapons in Iraq or future wars may be bulldozed into mass graves and burned to save the lives of surviving troops, under an option being considered by the Pentagon. Since the Korean War, the U.S. military has taken great pride in bringing home its war dead, returning bodies to next of kin for flag-draped, taps-sounding funerals complete with 21-gun salutes. But the 53-year-old tradition could come to an abrupt halt if large numbers of soldiers are killed by chemical or biological agents, according to a proposal quietly circulating through Pentagon corridors. Would you be able to accept having your loved one burned in a mass grave if he or she were killed by a biological weapon? Vote and see the results at denverpost.com

Bush Will Attack Iraq Chemical Warheads or Not January 26, 2003 by KURT NIMMO Okay, so the Bushites had their yesmen at the UN find a few empty "chemical warheads," which are not warheads (those fit on missiles) but artillery shells, and now we're supposed to think this is evidence of Saddam's homicidal intent when in fact under the terms of the 12-year old sanctions Iraq is allowed to have short range missiles (150 km) and artillery pieces for self-defense. The corporate media wants us to believe these empty shells -- which contained absolutely nothing and if they had contained deadly chemicals not one UN inspector would have gone near them without a chem suit -- these measly empty green artillery shells are more than enough evidence for Bush to "trigger" his long planned attack (not war, mind you, because in a war two sides slug it out and Iraq is simply incapable of slugging anything out with anybody). So this is it. Finally Dubya will get his war (or lopsided attack). counterpunch.org

Innsurers scrap life cover for Gulf troops
January 26, 2003 Decision to withdraw policies condemned as insult to the Forces BRITAIN’S biggest insurance companies are refusing life cover for thousands of troops and reservists who want to safeguard their families’ security as they head off to possible war in the Gulf.
Household names such as Norwich Union, Legal & General, Prudential and Standard Life declared yesterday that it was “too risky” to offer life assurance to Service personnel likely to be posted to the Middle East. timesonline.co.uk

Pulling Out: Boycotting the New World Order January 26, 2003 By Liberty Rogue The Globalist Elite have gained control of education, politics and mainstream media. There is no doubt about that anymore. The Globalist Elite have also infiltrated large corporations. Talking about it is not enough by itself; the people must do something about it. I remember reading Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. In the novel the tyrants were choking out the producers with socialistic laws and directives. What did the hero John Galt do? He had everybody pull out of the system. Without the producers the whole socialistic system collapsed upon itself. Our situation is similar as it was in the novel Atlas Shrugged. The Globalist tyrants are choking us out. The boot of the Fourth Reich is being pressed on liberty. Super rich elite and large corporations are going along with it. They have no respect for free-market because it allows everybody a chance to work hard and smart and earn a decent living. They just want all the wealth exclusively for themselves. These are not capitalists. They are not Free-Marketers. They are aristocrats and they want all of us as poor slaves to them. disc.server.com

Rush Limbaugh calls War Protesters "Fascists and Anti-American"!!
January 26, 2003 Haven't we had enough of this bellicose burden on the American airwaves? Are you sick and tired of the Hateful chortling and guffawing - while smearing everything that most decent people consider the very Freedoms our ancestors or Founding Fathers Died to Protect and Honor? There is something we can do about it. We can complain directly to the companies that sell advertising on his show. We can also boycott the same products or institutions he promotes with his hateful, abhorrent speech and behavior. We've made a list for your convenience below. takebackthemedia.com

 

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