American POW Jessica Lynch freed during attack April 2, 2003 US Army Private Jessica Lynch, a 19 year old from Palestine, West Virginia, has been freed by attacking American forces engaged in combat with Iraq's Republican Guard near Karbala, the last big city before Baghdad. The report has been confirmed by the US Defense Department, and took place near where her unit was ambushed, according to Jean Offutt, a spokeswoman for Fort Bliss, Texas. The 507th Maintenance, Lynch's unit, is based at Fort Bliss. US central Command's Brigadier General Vincent Brooks made the announcement around noon, New Zealand time, but refused to provide any further details or identify the rescued POW. US television networks reported unidentified sources as saying the captured soldier was 19-year-old Army private Jessica Lynch, 19, from Palestine, West Virginia, but the BBC reporter at the General's briefing was unable to tell viewers even that and was left to complain about the tight controls on information flow being experienced by journalists. Some sources say Private Lynch was rescued from a hospital behind enemy lines by US Army Rangers and Navy Seals. Other sources say she was rescued by US Marines involved in the main battle action. Central Command has not yet issued a definitive statement about the action in which she was rescued. Her family has been informed, US news sources said, and an Associated Press story says the rescued soldier's hometown erupted in celebration at the news. "They said it was going to be the biggest party this road had ever seen," Lynch's cousin Sherri McFee said as fire and police sirens blared in the background. nbr.co.nz /  boston.com

The Greatest Story Never Told April 2, 2003 By Ernest Partridge Might it be possible that, due to GOP control of computer voting machines, the electoral ““fix”” is in, and that as a result nothing short of a revolution will ever budge the Republican Party from control of the Congress and the White House? In other words, is it not conceivable that our ““democracy”” is more than ““threatened”” –– it is in fact finished, done for, kaput? And we are not even aware of it? Imagine the following election procedure:
* Paper ballots are marked, in secret and deposited by the voters in sealed ballot boxes.
* The ballot boxes are then delivered to the offices of a private firm, which is publicly known to be a supporter of and contributor to one of the political parties.
* Upon receipt of the ballot boxes, the doors are locked and no one other than employees of that firm is allowed to inspect and validate the counting.
* The ballots are then destroyed, after which the results are announced. 
* The firm’s favorite candidate is declared the winner. The final results vary radically from pre-election polls.
Sounds like a Soviet “election,” doesn’t it? Like something that a dictator might dream up to assure himself a lifetime office. But surely, such a “fix” is too transparently and shamelessly obvious for anyone to think he could get away with it. And yet this scenario is an exact analogy, in all relevant respects, to the “computer screen” voting system that has been rushed into use, following the fiasco of the 2000 presidential election. thepeoplesvoice.org

Apocalypse Soon April 2, 2003 By R. B. Ham The Anglo-American invasion of Iraq may or may not end up being as quick and efficient as was predicted by military analysts. Surprisingly, the Iraqi resistance seems to be stiffening as the campaign drags on. The war itself, however, may not be the most important story in the coming months. What is becoming more and more apparent is that this war is throwing not only international politics into chaos, but is also severely dividing the populace of the western nations into starkly opposing factions. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's political future seems doomed, given the overwhelming opposition to the war in his country. Not that Blair cares, no doubt a nice, cushy spot awaits him on the board of directors of the Carlyle Group for the services he's rendered to the "cause". His own party may turf him before the next election. members.shaw.ca

'The Most Feared Nation In The World' April 2, 2003 Within two years the Bush administration has succeeded in making the US the most feared nation in the world, and the most disliked, even hated. That's quite an achievement. Conspiracy theorists might conclude they're really working for Bin Laden. In recent discussions I've had with people who support a war on Iraq one of the issues for them which seems to trump all the others is that they feel Saddam hates America. Are you aware of any actions or statements by Saddam Hussein that would support such an opinion? Has Saddam ever threatened the U.S.? I have no idea what's in Saddam's head, and even if he hates America (whatever that means), the idea that that could be a justification for war is so lunatic that it's not worth discussing. Even the Nazis didn't go that far. outlookindia.com

Millions Stridently Protest War, March 24-30 April 2, 2003 In the week of March 24-30, large protests against the U.S. invasion of Iraq intensified, especially in Islamic societies. Some protests mobilized within radical religious right communities or as combined left party and religious right manifestations. However, as is common now since February 15, many protests around the globe swelled with tens and hundreds of thousands of people, a general public angry with the brutality of the unjust invasion, the dreadful U.S. bombing campaign, and the increasing number of civilian deaths in Iraq.

US troops accused of excess force April 1, 2003 Steven Morris Correspondents in Iraq have come upon a number of incidents in which the US military, especially the marines, have appeared to act with excessive force. After suffering heavy losses in the southern city of Nassiriya, US marines were ordered to fire at any vehicle which drove at American positions, Sunday Times reporter Mark Franchetti reported. He described how one night "we listened a dozen times as the machine guns opened fire, cutting through cars and trucks like paper". Next morning he said he saw 15 vehicles, including a mini-van and two lorries, riddled with bullet holes. He said he counted 12 dead civilians lying in the road or in nearby ditches. One man's body was still on fire. A girl aged no more than five lay dead in a ditch beside the body of a man who may have been her father. On the bridge an Iraqi civilian lay next to the carcass of a donkey. A father, baby girl and boy had been buried in a shallow grave. Franchetti said the civilians had been trying to leave the town, probably for fear of being killed by US helicopter attacks or heavy artillery. guardian.co.uk

Bloodied children's shoes bear witness to deadly strike at Baghdad farm  April 1, 2003 by Patrick Baz ANABIYAH, Iraq, Bloodied school books and children's shoes lie amidst animal carcasses on the road leading to the Ismails' farm in this village on the southeastern edge of Baghdad. The main building of this hamlet, accessible via a checkpoint manned by militiamen, has been levelled, the second burned out and the third partially destroyed. A neighbour told an AFP journalist that two missiles fired by coalition warplanes Saturday night caught five sleeping families living on the farm. The raid left 20 people dead, including 11 children, seven women and two men. Ten others injured in the attack were taken to hospital. The victims have already been buried according to Muslim tradition but the smell of death still permeates the farm: the bombing also cost the life of several of the farm's animals. Littered amongst the rubble spread over the grass were carcasses of four cows, their eye, nose and mouth cavities blackened by swarms of flies. Two dogs, sheep and chickens lay motionless nearby. prolog.net

Coalition forces drop bombs on food supply depots in Basra April 1, 2003 Shalamche, Khuzestan prov, IRNA Food storage depots in the southern Iraqi city of Basra were bombarded by the coalition forces on Saturday. A large number of citizens, some of them reportedly killed, had gathered in the bombed spot to receive relief supplies as the horrible carnage occurred. The injured were rushed to hospitals. Hospitals of Basra are packed with injured and schools are being used for medicare purposes. Basra is the second largest Iraqi city with a population of 1.2 million. International organizations have warned of major human catastrophe in the city. irna.com

Troops kill women and children at checkpoint April 1, 2003 LORNA MARTIN and MICHAEL SETTLE US troops shot dead seven women and children last night when their van failed to stop at a military checkpoint. The dead and two wounded were among 13 civilians travelling in the vehicle which approached the road block on a highway near the Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad. theherald.co.uk

It will end in disaster The US and British governments have dragged us into a mess that will last for years  April 1, 2003 George Monbiot So far, the liberators have succeeded only in freeing the souls of the Iraqis from their bodies. Saddam Hussein's troops have proved less inclined to surrender than they had anticipated, and the civilians less prepared to revolt. But while no one can now ignore the immediate problems this illegal war has met, we are beginning, too, to understand what should have been obvious all along: that, however this conflict is resolved, the outcome will be a disaster. guardian.co.uk

MP urges troops to disobey orders April 1, 2003 Antiwar Labour MP George Galloway has defended an interview in which he branded Tony Blair and George Bush as "wolves" for committing the "crime" of military action against Iraq."It is better for Blair and Bush to stop this crime and this catastrophe. It is time for them to return to the UN Security Council and give diplomacy a chance" - George Galloway In an interview for Abu Dhabi TV, the Glasgow Kelvin MP questioned why Arab countries were selling oil to the coalition forces, and accused Mr Blair and Mr Bush of lying to the armed forces about the likely length of the war. Mr Galloway is standing by his comments, arguing that the war is illegal - and urged British soldiers to refuse to obey "illegal orders." In the television interview Mr Galloway said: "Even if it is not realistic to ask a non-Iraqi army to come to defend Iraq, we see Arab regimes pumping oil for the countries who are attacking it. "We wonder when the Arab leaders will wake up. When are they going to stand by the Iraqi people?" Turning his attention to Mr Blair and President Bush, he went on: "They have lied to the British Air Force and Navy when they said the battle of Iraq would be very quick and easy. "They attacked Iraq like wolves. They attacked civilians." itv.com

Britain won't send more troops April 1, 2003 by Hoon LONDON - Britain has no plans to bolster its forces fighting in Iraq, despite a heavy barrage of criticism suggesting that the U.S.-led war was poorly planned and is understaffed. Answering questions in the British House of Commons on Monday, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said he is standing by his pre-war estimates for Britain's contribution to the war effort. "What I am ruling out at this stage at any rate is the necessity for any substantial increase of the total numbers of our forces in theatre," he said. Britain has sent about 45,000 troops to the Persian Gulf, which Hoon said would be "sufficient for the job we were required to undertake, and nothing has changed my assessment of that position." cbc.ca

U.S. Prepared to Pay 'High Price' to Oust Saddam  April 1, 2003 By Jim Wolf AS SAYLIYA CAMP, Qatar (Reuters) - The United States is prepared to pay a "very high price" in terms of casualties to capture Baghdad and oust President Saddam Hussein, a senior U.S. Central Command official said on Monday. "We're prepared to pay a very high price because we are not going to do anything other than ensure that this regime goes away," the official told reporters, adding that U.S. casualties in the 12-day-old war had so far been "fairly" light. "If that means there will be a lot of casualties, then there will be a lot of casualties," said the official, who spoke on condition that he not be named. "There will come a time maybe when things are going to be much more shocking," he said, adding: "In World War II, there would be nights when we'd lose 1,000 people. news.yahoo.com

For no good reason April 1, 2003 By Michelle Goldberg Military families opposed to the war face a double anguish: Losing their loved ones for a cause they don't believe in. Military families who oppose the war in Iraq say there's a special horror in watching this campaign unfold. Like everyone else who has a relative serving in the Gulf, they're beset by a sickening anxiety that builds as the troops move toward Baghdad -- and that paralyzes them every time another casualty is reported. For those who believe the war is unjust, though, there's no pride in a righteous cause to ease the terror, no patriotic sense of shared sacrifice to make sense of their families' disruptions. There is just the helpless feeling that their loved ones might lose their lives for nothing. "It hurts a lot, sacrificing our children for a war that Bush took us into," says Peter Hansen, a Navy dad in Palm Springs, Calif. "I picture my son going off to World War II and I really think I would feel differently. I'm not a pacifist, but I really feel something stinks about this, and every day I get more confirmation. I have an intuitive sense that Bush is not a good man." salon.com

Marine who said no to killing on his conscience April 1, 2003 by Duncan Campbell The first American conscientious objector from the Iraq war will give himself up at a marine base in California this morning. He said he believed the war was "immoral because of the deception involved by our leaders". Stephen Eagle Funk, 20, a marine reserve who was due to be sent for combat duty, is currently on "unauthorised absence" from his unit. He faces a possible court martial and time in military prison for his action. "I know I have to be punished for going UA," Mr Funk told the Guardian in an interview before surrendering to authorities, "but I would rather take my punishment now than live with what I would have to do [in Iraq] for the rest of my life. guardian.co.uk

The Devil's Dictionary April 1, 2003 By URI AVNERY Yet some more thoughts about the war. The Coalition. No name could be more appropriate to the cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom against Iraq. In "The Devil's Dictionary" of the American humorist Ambrose Bierce, published some 100 years ago, "coalition" is defined as (I quote from memory) the cooperation between two thieves who have their hands so deep in each others pockets that they cannot rob a third person separately. counterpunch.org

GOP Congressmen Attack Freedom of Speech So, what's new? April 1, 2003 by Jeff Koopersmith If you wondered what right wing nutball Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) is up to these days, don't worry. He was recently busy signing a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that urge the Secretary to "review" media packets of American newscasters covering the war in Iraq. Congressman Cliff Stearns, a leading but unknown neoconservative war monger, claims he was watching television news veteran and ABC news anchor Peter Jennings on March 10th and was "taken aback" by Jennings' interviews with American troops in Kuwait. americanpolitics.com

The firing of Peter Arnett: right-wing straitjacket tightens on the US media April 1, 2003 By Patrick Martin The firing of longtime war correspondent Peter Arnett is intended to send an unambiguous message to American journalists that the Bush administration and the corporate media will not tolerate any reporting that deviates from the official presentation of the invasion of Iraq as a war of liberation. NBC News announced late Sunday night that it was severing its relationship with Arnett, who had been hired to provide on-the-spot reporting from Baghdad for a news magazine program that is a joint venture of the network’s MSNBC cable subsidiary and the magazine National Geographic. Arnett’s “offense” was to give an interview to Iraqi state television on Sunday in which he called the Bush administration’s military strategy a failure that did not take into account the likelihood of intense Iraqi resistance to an invasion. In the course of his ten-minute interview with the Iraqi network, Arnett observed, “The first war plan has failed because of Iraqi resistance. Now they are trying to write another war plan.” wsws.org

War's Military, Political Goals Begin to Diverge April 1, 2003 By Rick Atkinson and Thomas E. Ricks KIFL, Iraq, Ten days into the invasion of Iraq, the political imperative of waging a short and decisive campaign is increasingly at odds with the military necessity of preparing for a protracted, more violent and costly war, according to senior military officials. Top Army officers in Iraq say they now believe that they effectively need to restart the war. Before launching a major ground attack on Iraq's Republican Guard, they want to secure their supply lines and build up their own combat power. Some timelines for the likely duration of the war now extend well into the summer, they say. This revised view of the war plan, a major departure from the blitzkrieg approach developed over the past year, threatens to undercut early Bush administration hopes for a quick triumph over the government of President Saddam Hussein. washingtonpost.com

Push Toward Baghdad Is Reaffirmed Bush Backs Battle Plan Of Top Pentagon Officials April 1, 2003 By David Von Drehle and Mike Allen President Bush yesterday encouraged his senior generals to keep their sights fixed on Baghdad despite the unexpectedly stiff resistance still plaguing allied forces far to the south of the Iraqi capital -- resistance that has some field commanders pleading for a new plan. Administration officials said Bush convened a teleconference yesterday morning at Camp David with the team of senior advisers known as his War Council. In that session, as one senior official described it, Bush supported Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's desire to press ahead with the plans embraced by Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Tommy R. Franks, commander of the Iraq effort. These plans call for continuing to prepare for a ground offensive against the Republican Guard, Saddam Hussein's most fearsome troops, while awaiting the arrival of additional forces -- some of which are weeks, even months, from being ready to fight. Field commanders this past week have spoken openly of a "pause" in the allied campaign to rest, regroup and reinforce, while securing supply lines by pacifying southern Iraq. But yesterday's session of the War Council reaffirmed a battle plan that was crafted in Washington, and reminded any dissenters what the commander in chief wants. "When we say we're on the plan, we're on the plan," an administration official said. "There is no pause." washingtonpost.com

US wages divide is wider than ever April 1, 2003 David Teather The gap between the earnings of America's chief executives and its average workers was wider than ever last year. This was despite a fall in profits and share prices and the cautionary tales of excess which have brought down some of the biggest names in business. Chief executives in the top 100 US companies earned an average of $1,017 an hour, compared with $16.23 for the average worker, according to a survey published in USA Today. The average compensation package was $33.4m, but nearly one-third banked more than $50m in salaries, bonuses and shares. Salaries and bonuses for executives were 15% higher in 2002, while workers received pay rises of 3.2%. guardian.co.uk

Into the maelstrom: the crisis of American imperialism and the war against Iraq April 1, 2003 By David North In assessing the first 10 days of the “war of choice” launched by the United States government against Iraq, I am reminded of the subtitles given by the British historian Ian Kershaw to the two volumes of his biography of Adolf Hitler. The first volume, which follows the career of the fascist leader up to the triumphant reentry of German troops into the demilitarized Rhineland in 1936, is subtitled Hubris, which the author defines as “that overweening arrogance which courts disaster.” The second volume traces the descent into the catastrophe that finally engulfed Hitler and his “thousand-year” Reich. It is subtitled Nemesis, after the Greek goddess who exacts retribution for the folly of Hubris. In the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, the hubris of the Bush administration knew no bounds. Hurling insults and threats against whomever dared question the right of the United States to dictate to the world, Bush and his associates promised to teach Iraq and everyone else a lesson they would never forget. But it has not turned out as the administration expected. In the era of the Vietnam War, nearly four decades ago, it required several years before the gross fallacies of the political and military strategy upon which the American intervention was based became clear. In this war, the bankruptcy of the entire project has been exposed within one week. wsws.org

US draws up secret plan to impose regime on Iraq April 1, 2003 Brian Whitaker and Luke Harding in Sulaimaniya A disagreement has broken out at a senior level within the Bush administration over a new government that the US is secretly planning in Kuwait to rule Iraq in the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Under the plan, the government will consist of 23 ministries, each headed by an American. Every ministry will also have four Iraqi advisers appointed by the Americans, the Guardian has learned. guardian.co.uk

Syria's Assad: 'We will not wait' to be next U.S. target April 1, 2003 NICOSIA — Syria, alarmed by the impending collapse of its neighbor and ally, has called for suicide missions against U.S. forces in Iraq. Syrian President Bashar Assad also called on Arab regimes to oppose the U.S.-led war against Iraq. He warned that Syria could be the next target of Washington. Assad said in an interview with the Beirut-based A-Safir daily that Damascus would not wait until the United States attacks Syria, Middle East Newsline reported. He did not elaborate. "We will not wait until we become the next target," Assad said. syria

Syria backs 'Iraqi people' in war April 1, 2003 DAMASCUS, Syria (CNN) The Syrian government, under pressure from U.S. officials to choose sides in the Iraq war, said Monday it would back the Iraqi people. "Syria has chosen to align itself with the brotherly Iraqi people who are facing an illegal and unjustified invasion and against whom are being committed all sorts of crimes against humanity," a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the Syrian News Agency. cnn.com

U.S. Tank Falls in Euphrates; Four Marines Dead April 1, 2003 AS SAYLIYA CAMP, Qatar (Reuters) A U.S. tank carrying four U.S. Marines plunged from a bridge into the Euphrates River last week after the driver was killed in combat, apparently causing the other three crewmen to drown, U.S. military officials said on Monday. The incident occurred on March 27 near the town of Nassiriya in southern Iraq, but the tank and the dead Marines were not pulled from the river until Sunday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement from its battle headquarters in Qatar. Central Command said the tank driver was shot and killed while crossing a bridge and the M1A1 tank toppled into the river, landing upside down. The other three crew were believed to have drowned, it said. reuters.com

CIA abandons defection lure for Iraqi leaders April 1, 2003 The CIA has stopped trying to persuade Iraqi generals and political leaders to defect after underestimating their "hatred" of America. A three-month campaign using telephone calls, e-mails and face-to-face appeals has failed to convince any help overthrow Saddam Hussein. "We misjudged their tenacity," an American intelligence official has told USA Today. "These guys are driven by a hatred of the US that we may have underestimated." ananova.com

Indonesia considers switch from dollar to euro April 1, 2003 JAKARTA Echoing a wider move away from the US dollar, the Indonesian government and the central bank, Bank Indonesia, may begin to use the euro in export-import transactions and foreign-exchange reserves. The statement was made by Finance Minister Boediono, Bank Indonesia governor Syahril Sabirin and senior deputy governor Anwar Nasution here on the weekend in connection with state oil company Pertamina's plan to use the euro in its trade transactions. "The US dollar is now still dominating trade. It is possible to use [the] euro when it replaces the dollar's position," the minister said. Boediono said that if the US dollar continues to weaken compared with other foreign currencies including the euro, users of the greenback may seek more stable currencies. atimes.com